Anyone use table sugar in their wort?

[johnhenryrolf]

Just wondering if anyone has experimented with table sugar? I haven't, but I just boiled some with my wort...we'll see! I've also considered priming with it too, and I'd really like to try Karo syrup as well. Any thoughts?

 

[slym2none]

Heady Topper, Pliny The Elder, most big DIPAs, Belgian beers, and lots of homebrewers use table sugar in the wort. It is 100% fermentable, so will dry a beer out more than malt will.

I have primed all but one of my 20-some batches with table sugar.

Not trying to be a dick, but this is old news.

 

[johnhenryrolf]

Thank you, not a dick...I'm just a noobie! Just don't want to make a batch of bad beer!

 

[johnhenryrolf]

Just did the math, I'm at about 18% with my sugar to malt ratio, hopefully that'll be fine...thanks, again.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Lots of the Belgian Breweries use regular table sugar in their beers too. I've used brown sugar, molasses, white sugar and turbinado sugar in several of my beers. It really just depends on what you are wanting it to give your beer. You do need to know that the higher fermentable sugars can make the final beer seem a little watery. I've added a little flaked malt to increase the mouth feel for any that I'm planning to add sugar to.

 

[Cauchy]

To me, simple sugar additions dry out beers, add to ABV, and lower the FG.

I usually add pasteurized, simple sugars to the fermenter after primary fermentation has calmed down for two reasons:

1) Maintain whatever flavor/aromatics possible given that these sugars ferment almost completely.

2) You can use a smaller starter (or less yeast) because the OG is lower.

 

[PGEduardo]

Just did the math, I'm at about 18% with my sugar to malt ratio, hopefully that'll be fine...thanks, again.

Wow. That's like over 2lbs out of a nominal 12lb grain bill. Hopefully you mashed really warm, that might be really dry...

 

[schematix]

For all grain 1.075 or less, don't even think about it. It's a useful ingredient in high ABV beers that need to be dry. Otherwise it makes beers TOO dry.

 

[johnhenryrolf]

Wow. That's like over 2lbs out of a nominal 12lb grain bill. Hopefully you mashed really warm, that might be really dry...

All extract, not using grain at this point.

 

[unionrdr]

I use a pound of demerara (raw cane sugar) in my Cougar Country IPA. It has the taste of light brown sugar laced with honey. Adds a little tiny bit of flavor complexity. I have some turbinado I wanna try in a beer soon.

 

[chickypad]

Just did the math, I'm at about 18% with my sugar to malt ratio, hopefully that'll be fine...thanks, again.

what kind of beer are you making?

 

[johnhenryrolf]

I don't know what exactly you would call it...just experimenting with different amounts of malt extract (light), and different amounts of hops at different times, just trying to get a feel for what works, and what I like.