Different Sugar Names

[orac69]

Hi,

Quite new to brewing but have done stacks of searches and read the forum thoroughly..

Im a bit confused about about sugar names, what they do and common "slang" terms - it seems different people in different countries call / know sugars by different names..

For example people on the forum refer to them by a load of different names - priming sugar, cane sugar, corn sugar, body-bru etc..

Now I know that these are probably the same as Dextrose, Malto Dextrin, Lactose, Glucose - which is actually whats written on some of the packets here in the UK.

Could someone please advise which one is which, what their slang names are and what they do? and why you may for example use lactose instead of glucose in a recipe - which is what ive read in some posts.

thanks in advance!

 

[dancingbarefoot]

Cane sugar isn't slang. It's plain ol' sugar (sucrose) from sugarcane (as opposed to sugar from sugar beets).

 

[david_42]

Sucrose - table sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, dehydrated cane juice
priming & boosting ABV if you don't mind a cidery flavor
alpha D-fructose + beta D-glucose = sucrose
Dextrose - Brewer's sugar Priming & boosting ABV without that cidery flavor
Maltodextrin - MD, malto dextrin (not to be confused with Dextrin Malt which is the grain form)
non-fermentable used to boost body & mouthfeel
Lactose - Milk sugar - non-fermentable used to add sweetness
Maltose - the main fermentable derived from barley
Glucose - half of a Maltose, also found in honey and corn syrup. ABV booster
Fructose - fruit sugar, found in honey, corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup ABV booster
Invert sugar - glucose + fructose (but slightly different twists)
belgian candy sugar - slightly caramelized invert sugar

 

[Hermish]

Thanks for the info, I was confused by some of the names use for all of the kinds of sugar, and their sues.

 

[orac69]

Excellent post / reply - thanks very much. All is now clear - hopefully this info will help other noobs.

 

[TREMBLE]

Hey orac, are you making canned kits like Coopers or Muntons? Most of us from the UK seem to be making these rather than the boiling kits the Americans use.

If you are, try to get a pack of the Muntons beer kit Enhancer, it is a 1kg pack of mixed spray malts and you can add it to any beer kit instead of the sugar it calls for. I have just made my first kit with one of these and the difference is incredible!

I will not be using other brewing sugars again!

 

[orac69]

Hi, yes - Muntons this time.. Thanks for the tip on the enhancer I will look out for it!

 

[kid mode]

Here's a rather random question related to this thread. I'm getting ready for a trip to Mongolia and was reading about the local cuisine. A very common alcoholic beverage there is Airag which is fermented mare's milk. Apparently, it has a rather low alcohol content due to the inefficient means of distillation. But, the only sugar there to ferment is lactose. How is lactose considered a non-fermentable sugar if they ferment it? Is it only fermentable by certain yeasts? Anyone have any ideas?