Sugarcane Juice

[neonmeate]

OK I have this idea in my head that I would like to brew with fresh sugarcane juice. I love the taste of jaggery (an unrefined Indian sugar), which is apparently raw sugarcane juice boiled down. And I've seen sugarcane at the local fruitmarket so obviously somebody is doing something with it. Only problem is, it looks like it's about as easy to juice as a cricket stump, so I'm hoping to find readyjuiced stuff somewhere.

Apparently fresh sugarcane juice is a popular drink in Asia and South America. Just wonder if anyone in Sydney has seen it anywhere in their travels, maybe in Asian shops? Sounds like it'd be tasty to drink on its own, but I reckon could go nicely boiled down in a Belgian wort.

perhaps if anyone out there makes rum at home they would know where to get it?

 

[PostModern]

There is a sugar cane juice shop in Chinatown. At the corner of Dixon St and Little Hay St, there is a basement food court. You'll find it in there. They sell by the 500ml bottle but I think they also have larger bottles for take-away.

As far as I can tell, they just run the (chilled) cane thru a roller-mill juice extractor.

 

[neonmeate]

fantastic, just what i need! thanks PoMo.

 

[laurent]

fantastic, just what i need! thanks PoMo.

Interesting. Could you give us a hint on what kind of recipe you're looking at?

Cheers,
Laurent

 

[neonmeate]

just went down there and had a try of it - strange stuff! i mean i know sugarcane is a type of grass but i guess i didnt expect it to taste so grassy. tastes like you might need 4 stomachs to digest it.

strange thing is within half an hour my bottle of it has turned from pale green to coke-brown. must be some oxidation of something going on.

not sure how it will go in a beer but i will boil it down to a syrup and see what it tastes like. might not be the most economical way to get my sugar - $6.90 a litre, and it's 15% sugar, so i need a couple of litres' worth to approximate 300g sugar in a batch - the juice place must be making a reasonable profit if the refineries can make white sugar for $1 a kilo...

 

[neonmeate]

fantastic, just what i need! thanks PoMo.

Interesting. Could you give us a hint on what kind of recipe you're looking at?

Cheers,
Laurent

i don't know, i think i'll make up my mind when i taste the boiled version. maybe some sort of dark belgian - a dubbel or something.

 

[Pumpy]

250 grams would go down nice in an English bitter

Pumpy

 

[neonmeate]

250 grams would go down nice in an English bitter

Pumpy

yeah, i was also thinking that. or a mild or something.

 

[Screwtop]

Your really onto something Neon, no need to boil it down. Just give it a short boil to reduce it to around 1050, throw in some high alcohol yeast and wait a week or so.

Then distill and you will have a beautiful "UNLEADED ADDIVE" and probably cheaper than the commercial stuff.

 

[neonmeate]

Your really onto something Neon, no need to boil it down. Just give it a short boil to reduce it to around 1050, throw in some high alcohol yeast and wait a week or so.

Then distill and you will have a beautiful "UNLEADED ADDIVE" and probably cheaper than the commercial stuff.

ah yes a solution to the greenhouse effect too!

 

[lou]

strange thing is within half an hour my bottle of it has turned from pale green to coke-brown. must be some oxidation of something going on.

you have just discovered why sugar mills are all located next to cane fields - Once the cane is cut the juice must be extracted and treated within 17 hrs or it goes off - If I remember correctly there are enzymes in the cane which start breaking down the sugars very soon after it is cut or dies.

I have tried sugar cane juice at various markets on the north coast of NSW - the stuff i had was very tasty - they add a little crushed ginger and its an awesome drink.

However you decide to use it - use it as soon as possible after it is juiced to kill/denature the enzymes

lou

 

[Screwtop]

Couple of guys at the markets at Port Douglas in North Queensland keep the tourists amused and make a dollar. They cut a trailer load of cane in the morning and set up at the markets selling sugar cane juice by the glass. One pedals a modified bicycle which drives an old mangle with a funnel underneath. the other shoves a stick of cane into the mangle and hands you the freshest cane juice ever $2 a glass.

Some locals here wanted to use a closed mill to produce ethanol. Politician said publicly that production costs made it too expensive, by the time sugar was produced and then fermented and distilled. However one of the prospective partners involved told me that they can ferment the juice, don't need to produce sugar first and it is quite inexpensive to produce. Wonder why a politician would lie?

Carefull Neon the Petrochemical Giants might swoop on you if they find out your fermenting cane juice.

 

[neonmeate]

hmm lucky i'm a CIA agent so i have connections

 

[wessmith]

Folks, raw sugar juice contains all the things that the refining process removes. Have a look at this for starters:
http://www.bundysugar.com.au/sugar/schools/process_3.htm

I would go easy on the juice other than for distilling.

Wes

 

[Pumpy]

Hey Neomate there is a little Chinese market in Flemington they sell that cane sugar in the cane form , You have inspired me I am going to pick some up tommorrow I recon I will give it a bashing with a lump hammer chuck in the hop sock boil not sure for how long I always put 250 grams of soft brown sugar in my bitters ,I like the Mollasses touch so this may add a new dimension I like Bundy rum too he !he!


Pumpy

 

[neonmeate]

raw sugar juice contains all the things that the refining process removes

well that's a bit of a truism!

i guess soil and rocks and manure and stuff isn't good for brewing, but i'm thinking at least one of the things that the refining process removes is flavour.

anyway i'll give it a go and see what it tastes like. might get some cheesecloth to strain it through.

 

[Pumpy]

raw sugar juice contains all the things that the refining process removes

well that's a bit of a truism!

i guess soil and rocks and manure and stuff isn't good for brewing, but i'm thinking at least one of the things that the refining process removes is flavour.

anyway i'll give it a go and see what it tastes like. might get some cheesecloth to strain it through.

Neomate you are on the right track just cuz it is not refined dont mean it is no good that is why I use unrefined sugar like soft brown sugar as it has more Mollases in it .

I an not joking I think you are onto a winner just dont add more than 250 grams to your brew

Pumpy

 

[neonmeate]

well i just boiled it down - i boiled down about 400ml to about 25ml so it's the consistency of thick custard. tastes good! quite fruity, strangely enough. and you sure can taste the molasses. it doesn't really taste anything like jaggery - more like just a really intense version of raw sugar. i'm thinking a little will go a long way. might start off with just one litre boiled down.

i did have to skim some crap off the top and decant off some bits of crap at the bottom but the rest of it looks pretty pure, although not clear. itll be interesting to see if it clouds up the beer.

will report back with further progress

 

[Pumpy]

Natural is best Neomate ,I am sure it will be great

Pumpy

 

[Linz]

Another way to have your sugar cane is to split it length-ways and cut the soft white pulp from the centre and chew on it for a bit. Very fibrous.

Might be a lot cleaner using just the inners rather than crushing the whole thing...