Priming Sugar - grenadine for a Cherry Stout? (Q: from a new guy)

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bsay

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Hey all, for those of you who checked out my other thread, I finally got my equipment ordered! My first brew will be an Austin Homebrew Cherry Stout Ale kit (extract)! I am so excited! I got to sit in on a brew with a guy I know, and he filled in the gaps that my research didn't cover.

So here's my question:
I have heard of using different types of priming sugar (like brown sugar, maple syrup, and even molasses). I an curious, since I will be brewing a cherry stout, if grenadine syrup would work as priming sugar? If so, how much should I use? Will it impart a good flavor?
 
Most Grenadines made today are basically high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavor. Because there are yeast-killing preservatives in corn syrup, I would assume that the same applies to Grenadine.
 
Corn syrup doesn't usually have preservatives in it, and it can be used successfully in brewing. Corn sugar is usually a better solution, since it's a more pure form of dextrose.

I'm not sure if grenadine contains preservatives or not, but I wouldn't use it in my beer. It tastes way too artificial to me. Since the kit already presumably contains some cherry flavor, taste it when you rack it. If it needs more cherry flavor, add some frozen cherries to the secondary. Prime as usual.
 
Well, I did order plenty of corn sugar to use, so I think I'll stick with the recipe on this one. I will check though, out of curiosity, if grenadine contains preservatives or not.
 
Another thing to be aware of is grenadine is commonly made from pomegranates. This might come through as a different flavor than you are looking for.
 

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