# Castor sugar?



## S R F (30/4/13)

Has anybody used castor sugar in their brew? Thought it might be okay because it's kind of fine like dextrose or would I be better just to use normal sugar?


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## adryargument (30/4/13)

Add it to the boil, will work with the acid and essentially turn into a belgian clear candy sugar.
Thats if your after the belgian flavour 

It essentially creates invert sugar that is easily fermented instead of normal castor sugar which will create more off flavours.


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## S R F (30/4/13)

Oooo that sounds yummy. Is it?


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## Charst (30/4/13)

Caster Sugar is just table sugar more finely ground.

Links to some articles on how to make beligan candi sugar at home and the taste effects of some candi, simple and unrefined sugars in beer.


http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2007/10/homemade-candi-syrup.html

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2010/03/pale-belgian-sugar-experiment-tasting.html

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2007/12/11-differnet-sugars-1-great-tasting.html


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## philmud (30/4/13)

My understanding is that castor sugar is just a finer version of table sugar, which is sucrose (I think). Dextrose is a different type of sugar & from what I gather, is better to brew with because it ferments differentky & imparts less off flavours - someone may be able to explain better.
How are you brewing? Do you do a boil, or are you using kits?


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## Bats (1/5/13)

I always used to prime my bottles with caster sugar.

It always seemed to produce smaller bubbles.


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## NewtownClown (1/5/13)

adryargument said:


> Add it to the boil, will work with the acid and essentially turn into a belgian clear candy sugar.
> Thats if your after the belgian flavour
> 
> It essentially creates invert sugar that is easily fermented instead of normal castor sugar which will create more off flavours.


At best it will produce invert sugar - splitting sucrose into fructose and glucose.
It takes higher temps for Maillard reactions which are essentiall in the production of Belgian _Candi._


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## Bribie G (1/5/13)

Caster sugar is sucrose, and is a more finely crystallised version of table sugar.

It consists of two molecules stuck together namely glucose-fructose

Yeast needs to split the molecule to eat the components and does this with an enzyme Invertase, then proceeds to dine.

The main sugar in AG wort is Maltose which is glucose-glucose and the yeast splits that as well using the enzyme maltase, then proceeds to dine as well.

I used to use dex (edit: i.e. glucose) to beef up a brew but the problem there is that the yeast finds it easier to use up the dex first then get onto the maltose so it could alter the fermentation profile of the brew.

I see nothing wrong with using cane sugar to style, a lot of historical UK brews used it, often inverted first, and Australian lagers contain up to 30% of just sugar by gravity. I've got an Ozzy going into a comp later this month and it's 30% of good honest sugaz and is modelled on Cascade Pale (green).

Sugar will not give any "off flavours" as such, this is a bit of an urban myth sparked by some of the awful kit and kilo brews that are the first taste of HB most people experience. Part of the problem is that a kilo of sugar is frankly ridiculous, but the off flavours are more due to underpitching the wee pack of yeast under the lid, fermenting at God knows what temperature and poor hygiene.

Note: for lightening the body and doing Aussie and Asian style lagers, or even American Blondes and Wheats I often use a tub of pure Maltose which you can buy at Chinese Grocers for around $2 for a 500g tub. The advantage of this is that the yeast just sees it as maltose same as the stuff from the mash.


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## philmud (1/5/13)

Hi Bribie, is it not correct that sucrose can result in a cider-type flavour in beer?


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## GalBrew (1/5/13)

Megawill lagers are full of cane sugar and while they may not taste great, they don't taste like cider (to me anyway).


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## manticle (1/5/13)

Not really.

Too much may make the beer seem thin. Coupled with acetaldehyde from yeast stress (underpitching, warm ferment, short/no conditioning) may make the beer seem cidery but that can come from dex too.

I have read that invertase production may lead to increased acetaldehyde production somehow which may give a smidgeon of truth to the notion but it's not automatic in terms of sucrose = cider or sucrose is always bad and I'd need to check my references to see if it's actual, supposed or just in my imaginative memory.


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## Ducatiboy stu (1/5/13)

I used to some work at a super mill.Possibly the dirtiest place i have ever worked. Everything is covered in a fine dust covered my molasses. You only have to look at the mill and you get dirty. But out the other end came pure white sugar.

Sugar is sugar in the end. Funny how Aldi, coles, woolies, Mrs Green superior white sugar etc come from the same packing line.


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## philmud (1/5/13)

So, a yeast nutrient might assist a brew with a larger proportion of sugar (dex or sucrose) in the fermentables?


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## manticle (1/5/13)

Yes but nothing will beat pitching the right amount of healthy yeast.


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## Nick JD (1/5/13)

Do the Aussie Megaswilleries use cane sugar? Or some kind of invert syrup?


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## tiprya (1/5/13)

Good question, I'd put my money on whatever is cheapest, and my guess would be cane sugar.

Although they'd have the buying power to get an invert custom made for not much more, you would think.


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## GalBrew (1/5/13)

tiprya said:


> Good question, I'd put my money on whatever is cheapest


Totally.........


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## Diesel80 (1/5/13)

I use Raw Sugar in my UK ales. Pretty happy with the results too. Thins the beer slightly and makes the ales more sessionable.
500g / 20-22L

I am happy with the results. No cider monsters in the fermenters.

I add it to the boil but am not scientific about when.

Cheers
D80


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## Bribie G (1/5/13)

They use a syrup but I guess that's just cane sugar syrup for easier handling. I noted that when they published the plans for Bluetongue at Warnervale they clearly showed big cylindrical sugar tanks.


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