Sorghum Syrup v Brown Rice Syrup

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Lcasanova

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Anyone used brown rice syrup in place of sorghum syrup and preferred one over the other? I'm trying to get a recipe together and I have some brown rice syrup...just not sure about using it instead of the sorghum syrup.
 
I'm going to attempt another stout at the end of this month, I'll be using 4 lbs brown rice syrup and 3 lbs sorghum syrup, I guess I'll see if it cuts down on the sorghum taste any.
 
Is there any way to make GF beer without sorghum?
I don't notice sorghum being used in regular beers .....
Is it because of the malting process?
 
Is there any way to make GF beer without sorghum?
I don't notice sorghum being used in regular beers .....
Is it because of the malting process?

You could malt millet or buckwheat and use them in a mash...I'm trying to do thins next with sorghum. OR you can use brown rice syrup in it's place, but you'd need to add malto-dextrin and some yeast nutrient...I'm experimenting with this.

Sorghum isn't used in regular beers because they aren't gluten free. Most gluten free beers use sorghum either as an extract (Redbridge) or as a malt that is used in a mash (Bard's I think).

I'm not sure why one brewery chooses one over the other, I've never tasted Bard's but I bet it is completely different from Redbridge and doesn't have as much of the sorghum taste.
 
Personally I wouldn't take the either/or approach to Sorghum and Rice extract. Instead do a mixture of about 5 or 6 parts sorghum extract to 1 part rice extract and you'll end up with a tasty beer that mellows out the sorghum sour notes.
 
Personally I wouldn't take the either/or approach to Sorghum and Rice extract. Instead do a mixture of about 5 or 6 parts sorghum extract to 1 part rice extract and you'll end up with a tasty beer that mellows out the sorghum sour notes.

I just made one that is close to this ratio...should be ready about Christmas. If ANY of my recipes are any good, this forum will be the...second or third to know.
 
:off: Well, I can report that a GF sorghum Pale can taste a heck of a lot like a green IPA. Just a matter of using some dextrose and a moderate amount of hops. Still tweaking it to get some body back.
 
:off: Well, I can report that a GF sorghum Pale can taste a heck of a lot like a green IPA. Just a matter of using some dextrose and a moderate amount of hops. Still tweaking it to get some body back.

Don't sweat it man. I felt the same way about my gf beer.

We'll get it down. I gave faith in the forum!
 
Maltodextrin (or Lactose if you're making a Cream Ale) is the real key to body in GF beers. Basically figure out the amount of non-fermentable sugars (sorghum syrup is 25% non-fermentable sugars, whereas rice extract is almost completely fermentable). Then add enough maltodextrin to raise the FG to the desired level.

Example:
I have a 6lb container of sorghum syrup and a 1.25 lb jar of rice extract. How much maltodextrin do I need to get a FG of 1.013 from my 5.25 gal batch of beer?

First Find the FG without Maltodextrin
6 lbs at 38 points per lbs per gal = 228 points

Assume sorghum is 25% non-fermentable (from Briess website), then that means 57 points of non-fermentables.

To get a FG of 1.013 from 5.25 gal that means you need a total of 68 points non-fermentables.

Take 57 from 68, that means you need 11 points of maltodextrin for your batch...or around 4-5 oz of maltodextrin powder (typically powder is about 40 points per pound).

This is a technique I've been using lately and it's been giving me perfect head on my beer that last just as long as it should.

Bonus:
OG on the above example would be about 1.055
 
My first G/F batch is now in the bottle about a week. I took some to a tasting on Thursday and cautioned everyone that it was likely to be pretty green and was brewed to be G/F, so I had no idea what to expect.

I used 6.6 lbs of sorghum LME, about five ounces of hops including two ounces of my home grown cascades, with eight ounces of honey primer.

It is really good so far. It has a taste that brings to mind a white Belgian - including an orangy taste that I can't account for, except to guess that the very late addition of Amarillo did it.

If/when I do another batch, I will stick with sorghum. I've used rice solids in other applications and it seems to add no taste whatever.
 
Maltodextrin (or Lactose if you're making a Cream Ale) is the real key to body in GF beers. Basically figure out the amount of non-fermentable sugars (sorghum syrup is 25% non-fermentable sugars, whereas rice extract is almost completely fermentable). Then add enough maltodextrin to raise the FG to the desired level.

Example:
I have a 6lb container of sorghum syrup and a 1.25 lb jar of rice extract. How much maltodextrin do I need to get a FG of 1.013 from my 5.25 gal batch of beer?

First Find the FG without Maltodextrin
6 lbs at 38 points per lbs per gal = 228 points

Assume sorghum is 25% non-fermentable (from Briess website), then that means 57 points of non-fermentables.

To get a FG of 1.013 from 5.25 gal that means you need a total of 68 points non-fermentables.

Take 57 from 68, that means you need 11 points of maltodextrin for your batch...or around 4-5 oz of maltodextrin powder (typically powder is about 40 points per pound).

This is a technique I've been using lately and it's been giving me perfect head on my beer that last just as long as it should.

Bonus:
OG on the above example would be about 1.055



NICE! This is the kind of info that needs to be spread on the lists! How to MAKE your beer, not just how to sorta adapt recipies or to complain about the taste. Good work man!:mug:
 
i've got a sorghum honey pale ale in my fermenter at the moment, i just added finings to help clear it, sorghum seems to produce a lot more sediment then normal extracts, it smells really good nice and sweet. but it stills has that sour sorghum taste that i was trying to avoid from brewing my own rather then buying it. i live in australia and the cost of a slab of gluten free beer is $80, the same as a slab of premixed spirits! being a coeliac is very expensive!!!
 
i've got a sorghum honey pale ale in my fermenter at the moment, i just added finings to help clear it, sorghum seems to produce a lot more sediment then normal extracts, it smells really good nice and sweet. but it stills has that sour sorghum taste that i was trying to avoid from brewing my own rather then buying it. i live in australia and the cost of a slab of gluten free beer is $80, the same as a slab of premixed spirits! being a coeliac is very expensive!!!

my first gf batch had the sorghum twang but its mellowed in the course of 2 weeks in the keg. i'm hoping in another 2 weeks it will be gone. mine is an IPA and the hops and grapefruit zest do help mask the twang a bit too. your style may mellow over time and be quite drinkable but the twang might always be in the finish. i'd give it time and let us know if it does mellow out or not.
 
I brew about half and halfish with maltodextrin and whirfloc. Makes a nice lighter tasting beer that improves a lot with age. I now have a ginger and raspberry on the go with the same base. So far tasting very good. Much easier using syrup than minute rice and toasted rice flakes like I used to.
 
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