Karo

Could corn syrup be used in a beer? It seems to me that it would add more fermentable sugar and little if no taste. Isn't it just corn sugar in a liquid form? Kinda like LME vs DME.
Maybe I could brew a beer for my friends that think Sam Adams id the be-all-and-end-all in beer.

I've seen a number of ales that use corn syrup or corn sugar to boost the APV without adding flavor or body. You can use rice extracts as well. Mainly in megabrew clones.

but to answer your other question, Councilman, YES corn syrup is the same as powdered corn sugar with some water in it.

-walker

Karo (TM)(R)(etc) brand corn syrup has flavors added, if I'm not mistaken. It comes in two or three 'styles'. I remember going through that when trying to pick one out to make pecan (that's PEE-can) pie once.

Karo light corn syrup is "light corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, salt, vanilla". Karo dark corn syrup is "dark corn syrup, refiners' syrup, caramel flavor, salt, sodum benzoate, caramel color". That high fructose corn syrup in the light would scare me off.

my bad. "Karo" is one of those brand names that I often use to refer to the generic product (corn syrup). I do this also with Kleenex (facial tissue), Q-tip (cotton swab), Styrofoam (polystyrene), and probably a few other things.

Karo does in fact contain other things than just corn sugar, but there are organic and all-natural brands of corn syrup that really contain ONLY corn syrup (and none of the high-fructose stuff.)

-walker

Don't forget my favorite: Thermos(tm)!

thanks, BeeGee.. I knew there were at least a couple more.

I had to search on google.. the temptation was too great. These are all brand names or trademarks that have become (or are becoming) generic terms (some of these surprised me...):

Band-Aid
Deepfreeze
Dumpster
Escalator
Frisbee
Granola
Jacuzzi
Jeep
Jell-O
Kerosene
Kleenex
Phillips Screw
Ping-Pong
Pogo Stick
Popsicle
Q-Tip
Rollerblade
Scotch Tape
Styrofoam
Tabloid
Thermos
Trampoline
Vasaline
Velcro
Yo-Yo
Zipper

You can probably add 'Xerox' to that list - not sure how common it is in parts, but I personally use it as a generic noun / verb.

I typically add 5 or 6 oz's of pure dextrose (how ever much is in the zip lock pouch from my home brewing store) to my entire batch, then stir it up. This works well for consistancy in carbonation.

Just last week before putting my beer into the carboy, I poured some into a 22oz bottle and added a small amount of Kroger brand clear corn syrup. Last night I popped the cap off that bottle. WOW!!! It carbonated quicker than the pure dextrose. The head was much creamier.

So, for my next batch, I want to use corn syrup in my entire batch instead of pure dextrose powder.

How much corn syrup per 5 gallon batch? 1 cup or 2 ?


P.S. I just joined the forum board today 11/03/05 and I have been brewing for right at a year now.

Welcome to the forums, carl. Glad to have you onboard.

According to Karo's website, their Light corn syrup (the clear kind) contains 31g of carbs per 1/8th of a cup, 12g of which are sugars.

At about 28.35g per ounce, you use about 170g of dextrose. Assuming that the 12g is accurate, and assuming that is all that is fermentable in it, that works out to 14.17 ounces of corn syrup, or 1.77 cups. Off hand, that seems like too much, but I'm not really sure.