Amount of residual sugar in final product

[Atonk]

Hi everyone,
when a beer is completely fermented and carbed with CO2, does it still contain residual sugars?

I have a friend who can't have any sugar in her diet at all, so she stays away from all alcohol. I was hoping there was some way around this through homebrewing.

Thanks in advance!

 

[gr8shandini]

I don't mean to pry, but what's her condition? I would think that it's nearly impossible to have a diet with no sugars whatsoever. If you're talking about a diabetic, I'm no expert, but I've had some friends who could have a beer or two if they planned ahead with what they ate that day and the timing of their insulin. But in general, it's pretty much a no-no to have alcohol of any sort.

But to directly answer your question, yes, beer has residual sugars. The yeast will take care of the simple sugars, but can't handle the longer chain stuff. That's why you need hops (or gruit, or what-have-you) to balance the sweetness.

 

[Atonk]

I figured there had to be some. I was reading that Wyeast makes Ultra-Ferm that helps break down the longer chain sugars, but obviously not all of them.

This person has had heath issues her entire life, so it's not necessarily one condition. And quite honestly I would never be able to keep track of everything she has going on. Thanks for the reply - I'll see if adjusting the food portion of the diet is feasible, as you mentioned.