Inverting Sugar for a Belgian Golden Strong

So I'm going to give a few shots at a Belgian Golden Strong based on a simple recipe of:

11 lbs pilsner
3 lbs cane sugar
2.25 Saaz 90 min
Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale

My question is, does anyone have any experience inverting their own sugar/making their own belgian candi sugar a la: Making your own Belgian Candi Sugar or Syrup or similar methods?

I'm thinking of not cooling it between boiling/inverting and dropping it in my wort boil. I can't imagine the cooling of the sugar to be an integral part of the inversion. Then again, my chemistry background is about as extensive as observing that Rice Krispies makes sounds when you add milk.

I'm excited to try this recipe because its so simple and I'll be able to play around with a few things over multiple batches, like inverting the sugar, and comparing the yeast profile of the 1388 to some yeast cultured from a bottle conditioned Fin du Monde.

I'd make it ahead of time. Focusing on a brew session is all I can manage with my ADHD. It won't take very long at all for that hot syrup t harden up if it's resting at room temp.

I'd think that trying to time the sugar cooking (which requires a very close eye) and the wort boil (ditto) would be a bit tricky. Maybe just make the invert while the mash is resting.

Oh and BTW...I've been threatening to do a BSDA for about 8 months now...haven't gotten around to it.

I've made light-med candi syrup twice for my Belgian Dark Strong. I added it one week or so into fermentation, the day after the Krauzen fell....(It had a new krauzen within a day)...Then added more the day after THAT krauzen fell about 10 days later.

The first time I used a dash of lemon juice, and the second I used cream of Tartar. The were both about 25-30 minute boils... I let them cool only about five minute or so...if you let them cool too much it won't pour.

Be careful when you add it hot to the fermenter, a got a few drops on my skin and it burned ...One of them looked like a cigarette burn for awhile. I still have a bit of a scar.

Good point on the multitasking.

I'm thinking that with the 90 minute boil time I'd probably get the wort boil going first, then pull out an electric element to do the sugar beside it and do it as a late addition of "whenever its ready". When I tried to pull off the belgian candy sugar before, it didn't take too long (30 min maybe), but the cooling was a messy disaster.

Pinck said:

...but the cooling was a messy disaster.

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Haven't done it yet but have read that just pouring onto some greased foil or wax paper on a cookie sheet works.

BierMuncher said:

Haven't done it yet but have read that just pouring onto some greased foil or wax paper on a cookie sheet works.

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I've tried twice, once on greased foil, once on wax paper. Both times it was pretty inseperable from the foil/paper.

Rev, good call on the addition during the fermentation period. With a target OG for style of 1.070-1.095 your method may prevent me from having to fetch my airlock out of the ceiling tile above. I guess the only issue with that is that it would be hard to approx ABV with the adjustments to gravity during fermentation.

If you are planning to add the candi syrup to the BOIL, there are plenty of arguments online and even in here about not even bothering to invert or even boilling it seperately it, just to add the table sugar directly to the kettle; that the wort boil itself will do the work for you...If you want it light add it to the last 20, if you want it darker add it longer. And not bother dealing with it on boil day.

My Strong recipe used three pounds as well...First pound I just dumped into the boil in the last 25 minutes...and the other two pounds were, like I said added incrementally over time, so as not to stress out the yeast trying to chew through all those fermentables at once.

That's why I inverted the other two pounds.