NewBrew75
Well-Known Member
Any difference between clear candi sugar and table sugar?
when the sugar begins to turn yellow it can be poured onto wax paper or a silicone baking mat for cooling.
Thanks beerthirty, I'll do your favor from now on. Sorry for apparently asking another noob question.
Table sugar is a complex sugar made of long chain molecules therefore more difficult for the yeast to consume.
Any difference between clear candi sugar and table sugar?
There are a few different types of "candi sugar".
In Brew Like Monk, there is a quote from a US brewery that had the solid rock form of candi sugar analyzed and it was 100% crystallized sucrose, which is to say it was table sugar but the granules were larger. In any event, we know that the rock form is not invert sugar because invert sugar does not readily crystallize (this is the property that makes it useful, it makes more shelf stable baked goods).
remilard: thanks for this. this is really interesting. So all the people that say that candi sugar is invert sugar, and that you make invert sugar by heating sucrose with lemon juice, are wrong? Invert sugar doesn't crystallize?
If I do the candy-making process, am I really just swapping little crystals of sucrose for big crystals of sucrose?
there seem to be two conflicting accounts here, and they can't both be true. Who here is a legitimate chemist?
remilard: thanks for this. this is really interesting. So all the people that say that candi sugar is invert sugar, and that you make invert sugar by heating sucrose with lemon juice, are wrong? Invert sugar doesn't crystallize?
If I do the candy-making process, am I really just swapping little crystals of sucrose for big crystals of sucrose?
Couldn't we just do an experiment? Take some table sugar, mix it with water to about 1.045 OG, then throw in some yeast and see what happens from there. If the gravity drops significantly, then we probably know for sure, once and for all, that table sugar is just fine. Right? Anybody see why this wouldn't be a legitimate experiment?
I don't think anyone was actually suggesting that yest will not ferment table sugar so I don't know what you're proving that countless batches of beer brewed with sugar additions already haven't.
Actually, you're right. I think I was mistaking "difficult for yeast to consume" for "they don't consume". According to the article I found, off flavors can occur from this "difficulty" of conversion. However, the article sorta made it sound like not many people could detect the off flavors. Since nobody had mentioned it here, I would say that's pretty accurate. I don't think I'll hesitate to use table sugar. And maybe when I'm itching for something brew related to do sometime, I'll make some inverted sugar.
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