Nut Brown, Old Grain, and Belgian Candi Sugar - What Style is it now?

DeadYetiBrew · 03-09-2008, 07:59 AM

So, around thanksgiving '07 i went and bought grain for an irish red and a nut brown. I brewed the Irish Red but New years Eve i dislocated my knee. I didn't clean the keggle and needless to say it got a nice soaking when i got back to it. Anyway, I didn't get to brew till yesterday. Came out about a gallon short.

I know that my evaporation rate is pretty high, that's fine i can just top up after the boil, did it with the irish red and hit grav. Now here's the interesting thing came out a gallon short but at target gravity. If it was evaporation issues then the gravity would be higher. All i can think is the grain was old, i buy it crushed. It still had aroma, the wort still tasted sweet, and there was nothing that lead me to believe it was too old to make beer.

So, we've got some Belgian Candi Sugar sitting around. I calculate that 1 1/2 cups with 1.25 gallons brings me up to the right volume and gravity.

So here's a question, what the hell kind style would this be. It could be called a belgian, but i used british hops (Fug&EKG) and Nottingham dry yeast. So... I think it'll turn out good and interesting but style-less.

Bob · 03-09-2008, 11:31 AM

Just because you put Belgian candisugar in it, doesn't make it a Belgian-style beer. To my mind, that requires the participation of Belgian yeast; you've got to have that Belgian "stank".

Plenty of UK brewers use sugar in their beers, so adding pure sucrose - candisugar - is appropriate to style. You've made a very British beer, a purely British Nut Brown Ale!

Cheers,

Bob

DeadYetiBrew · 03-10-2008, 12:45 AM

lol, it was more of a joke. I know that british brewers do adjunct there beer quite often, but the amount i added was quite a lot... 1/5 pounds candi sugar and 1/2 lb DME... eh well smells great tastes great see how it goes.... heh...