Here is the information directly from unholymess.com, developed by Kristen England who worked extensively with Ron Pattinson
@patto1ro on recreating historic British recipes, that I copied and saved years ago in the event that the website ever disappeared (and I am glad I did so)!
Making Brewers Invert
Liquid Brewers Invert Sugars, the stuff legends and
authentic British beers are made out of.
Why should you take the time to do this the Right Way ™?
- No, cane sugar isn’t the same. Shup.
- No, that rock @#$@# and candi (seriously with an “i”… you mean like strippers?) isn’t the same.
- Jesus… I quote multiple homebrewing forum expertshere: “You aren’t going to see any difference in taste.” and then “it adds nothing to a beer that plain cane sugar doesn’t.”
- HORSE ****. There just happens to be an entire industry and 100+ years of brewing history because it is a fancy way to get sugar into a beer? Again, HORSE. ****.
- If you need more convincing, read the great articles on Barclay Perkins
Ingredients:
- Sugar in the Raw or other demerara cane suger
- 1lb sugar to 1pt of h20
- 1 tsp (5ml) liquid Lactic Acid @ 88% per 2.5lbs of sugar.
- 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) light corn sugar per 2.5lbs. (helps prevent crystals)
Process:
- Heat h20 to boiling
- Heat off, slowly add sugar & dissolve – goes quicker than dumping and stirring
- Add Lactic
- Put on Medium-high heat, set candy thermometer alarm for 230F
- reduce for your stove if you are heating more than 3F/minute
- Stir occasionally until simmering starts.
- Once @ 230F, set alarm for 240F, slowly reduce heat to keep temp stable
- easiest is to slowly ramp temp up to 240F. There is so much thermal mass, that once you go over it is very tough to get the temp down.
- As alarm goes off @ 240F, reduce heat to keep 240F. It is ok to hit 245F, but keep under 250F.
- low & slow will prevent any burning and associated flavors
When Am I Done?
- No1: 12-16 SRM, 25-35 EBC
- minimum 20min @ 240F, but not much longer and don’t want color to darken much. Time is merely to let inversion complete.
- No2: 30-35 SRM, 60-70 EBC
- total of 90-120 min @ 240F
- No3: 60-70 SRM, 120-140 EBC
- total of 150-210 min @ 240F.
Times for No2/No3 are
approximate!! – you want to take periodic color samples @ 10min intervals. Place samples on white porcelain, compare to EBC or SRM charts. Stop 2-3 SRM low, as it will darken a bit as it cools.
OR… The Dilution Method:
There are two ways you can go about this:
- blending an invert syrup of white sugar and blackstrap. Take the X g of “White Sugar Invert”, make a syrup, then add the Y g of Blackstrap.
- blending golden syrup and black strap.
Suggestions for brands of blackstrap:
- Plantation Blackstrap Molasses (US)
- Golden Barrel Blackstrap (US)
- ‘Feed grade blackstrap’ (US)
- Meridian organic blackstrap (UK)
Specific to the feed grade, it is MUCH cheaper than the others in a much higher volume. The lots vary much greater in this one b/c its specifically feed grade however, if you get 2 gal of it for $10, it will last you pretty much forever. It will also last, pretty much forever.
All amounts are in grams, with the total made from each line of 500g.
| Syrup | EBC | White Sugar Invert (g) | + | Blackstrap (g) | - OR - | Golden Syrup (g) | + | Blackstrap (g) |
|---|
| Invert No 1 | 30 | 495.00 | | 5.00 | | 500.00 | | 0.00 |
| Invert No 2 | 65 | 489.17 | | 10.83 | | 494.17 | | 5.83 |
| Invert No 3 | 130 | 478.33 | | 21.67 | | 483.33 | | 16.67 |
| Black Invert | 350 | 441.67 | | 58.33 | | 446.67 | | 53.33 |
| Invert No 4 | 600 | 400.00 | | 100.00 | | 405.00 | | 95.00 |
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Or, for the truly mathtarded, a fancy dilution calculator – also on the
Calculators page.
Why the dilution method works well, quoting Kristen England:
- “A mate of mine and I spent the better part of a month talking to very large producers of invert syrup to get the entire process and their thoughts on making it ourselves. Tons of great information that has solidified what we are doing at BP. Basically, the point was that you need to choose a very high quality blackstrap molasses. One that has a licorice character rather than bitter sugar. Once you choose your blackstrap, stick with the brand. Although there are fluctuations from batch to batch, there are much bigger differences between brands. A very simple blend with simple invert syrup is done on the specification of what number invert you are looking for. Its based on the color of the molasses but according to the invert syrup scientists, high quality blackstrap varies little compared to other molasses as to get the licorice character one needs to have a very similar practice. What we want to be able to do is make a reproducible product ourselves. I made each invert as specified and had them analysed. Invert #1, #2 and #3 were 26, 68 and 124EBC respectively.”
Storing:
- Once you hit appropriate color, pour into color safe container and chill.
- Pyrex + lids work well. Store in sanitized airtight container at room temp.
- It helps to use a container that will sit well in hot water & pour from when it comes time to use it. Bonus points for resealable.
- If it crystallizes, it didn’t fully invert.
