Toohey's liquid brewing sugar

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Bribie G

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Anyone used this stuff? I was in Big W today and in the home brew section I spotted this item. Normally I don't even look at kits n bits in supermarkets but I checked out the label, was intrigued and bought a can for $6 for the kilo.

Tooheys can-sugar.jpg

I see that it's not to be used for bottle conditioning, that the ingredients list 100% "maize starch" and it's made at Speight's Brewery, Dunedin, UnZud.

Now it's not likely they would have a massive production line going to make the few tins they'd sell in Australia, and it sure as hell isn't going to be pure starch so I'd make an educated guess along the following lines:

It's more than likely a standard ingredient used in NZ brewing, a variety of "maltose syrup" produced enzymatically to give a range of sugars ranging from maltose up to dextrins to improve body - many of the Non German Euro beers that are now widely available such as Bavaria, Hooten, etc list "maltose" on the labels, so it's worldwide.

Edit: Using maize as the substrate makes a lot of sense for a NZ product, last time I was in the South Island I didn't notice any waving fields of sugar cane.

This would explain why it's not useful for bottle conditioning as it clearly doesn't ferment right out.

So it would be a rather interesting addition to a number of styles such as Aussie and New Zealand lagers, Pale Continental Lagers etc where some lightening of malt flavour whilst maintaining body is useful.

I'll be using this tin in a double batch of Aussie Lager, with BB Pale, POR, the usual suspects.
 
I'm sold. As Rivet is made in Vietnam, I expect they get the stuff straight from China and bypass NZ.
 
I used to use it in partials and kits and stuff. I thought it was glucose syrup. It worked well for what it was. For 6 bucks, dex is cheaper though. I couldn't really find any info on it and nowadays if I think my BIAB needs a kickalong, I just use dex or white death table sugar. I too wonder about its maltodextrin content.
 
There’s a lot of quite concerning and truly sneaky secrets behind the ingredient known as high-fructose corn syrup. ... Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. .
 
I used it many moons ago with a kit, back in the days where I was pushing 28°C ferments and watching until the bubbles stopped. I can't recall it being any different.
I think if there is any decent contribution the Aussie lager would be a good style to test it with. I might have to take the same leap on my next brew.
 
wynnum1 said:
There’s a lot of quite concerning and truly sneaky secrets behind the ingredient known as high-fructose corn syrup. ... Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. .
Wtf does Mercury have to do with it?
Plus we are talking about Maltose here not fructose.
 
Bribie G said:
Wtf does Mercury have to do with it?
Plus we are talking about Maltose here not fructose.
maize is that corn.
 
Oooo, if that's high fructose corn syrup I want some, but I suspect it's more likely a dextrose syrup. High fructose corn syrup is available in any super market in the States (born, raised and left) and there are some baking and candy recipes that just don't come out quite right without it.
 
HFCS is fairly rare in Australia. I think Wynnum is getting confused with its widespread use in the USA.
Yes Maize is an alternative name for corn. So?
 
Mardoo said:
Oooo, if that's high fructose corn syrup I want some, but I suspect it's more likely a dextrose syrup. High fructose corn syrup is available in any super market in the States (born, raised and left) and there are some baking and candy recipes that just don't come out quite right without it.
I thought Caro was HFCS? Is it just CS?
 
HFCS and Corn Syrup are two different products. So called Corn Syrup is often sold as Glucose Syrup which is more accurate.

HFCS is similar to cane sugar, in that it contains glucose and fructose. The difference being that the two molecules are joined in cane sugar but not in HFCS. With fructose being far sweeter than cane sugar that's why American soft drink companies love the stuff. Maize is highly subsidised over there so it's cheaper for our companies just to use cane sugar.
 
Mr. No-Tip said:
I thought Caro was HFCS? Is it just CS?
Where do you find Caro here? I've never been able to find it. I know you're going to say something like Coles... Really, I have actually looked.
 
Bribie G said:
Maize is highly subsidised over there so it's cheaper for our companies just to use cane sugar.
And Australian Coke and biscuits are all the much better for it!
 
Wikipedia:

[SIZE=medium]Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of maize (called corn in some countries) and contains varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor. Corn syrup is distinct from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is manufactured from corn syrup by converting a large proportion of its glucose into fructose using the enzyme D-xylose isomerase, thus producing a sweeter compound due to higher levels of fructose.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_syrup [/SIZE]
 
Mardoo said:
Where do you find Caro here? I've never been able to find it. I know you're going to say something like Coles... Really, I have actually looked.
Sorry but yes I am! I've noticed it in a few woollies around canberra.
 
North American Free Trade Agreement
NAFTA
Cargill Inc. has taken the Mexican government to a federal court, arguing that Mexico has failed to pony up a $95 million award stemming from a free-trade dispute.
The Minnetonka-based agribusiness giant and the Mexican government have had a long-running dispute over trade barriers that Cargill claims have hurt its high-fructose corn syrup business.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership
TPP
Better get used to that US HFCS.
 
Mr. No-Tip said:
I thought Caro was HFCS? Is it just CS?
Caro is a roasted grain and chicory coffee substitute

Karo is corn syrup (0% HFCS)
 
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