jmb5x4

Recipes 

First time poster, medium-time lurker.

I'm going to be brewing up a DIPA, and I only have about 7.5 lbs of DME. I'd like to up the OG, and I'd also like to dry the beer out a bit, so I'm thinking about adding a pound or so of cane sugar (as opposed to corn sugar, since I've heard you can't get corn sugar from the grocery store). Jamil has cane sugar in at least one of his recipes, but I've read the following on a couple of sites: "Therefore the rule of thumb became 'avoid all table sugar'. While this is still a good idea when using malt extract, this old-(ale)wives tale is misleading."

Any experience on using cane sugar in extract recipes?

Also, here's my recipe. It's my first DIPA, and the specialty grains are loosely based on BM's Outer Limits IPA, while the hop bill is based on (a) what's in my freezer; and (b) that I've heard Willamettes compliment Cascades very nicely. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Big IPA (6-gallon)
-7.5 lbs Golden Light DME

-1.00 lb Munich Malt (mini-mash)
-1.00 lb Pale (two-row) (mini-mash)
-1.00 lb Honey Malt
-0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
-0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
-[1.0 lb Cane Sugar?]

-0.75 Magnum 60
-1.00 Cascade 20
-1.00 Willamette 20
-1.00 Cascade 10
-1.00 Willamette 10
-1.00 Cascade 1
-1.00 Willamette 1
-2.00 Cascade (DH)

-Yeast: US-05

david_42

Recipes 

Yes, as long as cane sugar isn't a major part of the fermentables. The aversion to cane sugar comes from the "can and kilo" recipes.

By the way, that's a huge amount of honey malt for 5 gallons.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

PT Ray

Recipes 

That's it in it's simpliest form.

To me sugar adds a dryness that mashing with an adjunct like corn or rice doesn't obtain. In the amounts that are tastefully used in brewing I'm not a believer that it matters if it's cane, corn or inverted sugar.

jmb5x4

Recipes 

I've never used honey malt before, but Biermuncher uses a pound in his Outer Limits IPA that's 5.5 gallons, and mine is actually going to be 6. Maybe I'll cut it down to 3/4 lb. I think a subtle honey flavor would go nice with a lot of late-hop flavor and aroma.

forces

Recipes 

I can't comment on the effects of cane vs corn sugar and off flavors, but I can tell you tht I have used cane sugar for priming, and it has left the tell-tale cider taste behind.

I recently added 16 oz of straight honey to a DIPA recipe, and it tuned out great. Why not cut the honey malt down a little, ditch the cane sugar, and use some real honey? Not to thread-jack, but does anyone know how fermentable honey is? 90%? 95%?