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Grain Bill with Candy Sugar??

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dendron8

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I have my first BIAB brew on Sunday and I am confused about something. In the recipe it states this:

Grains & Wort Additives:
10.4 lbs Pilsner Malt
0.8 lb Light Wheat Malt
1 lb Light Candy Sugar
5 oz Caravienne Malt
4 oz Amber Malt

I understand all of the malt goes into the BIAB bag to mash, but when does the Candy Sugar go in?
 
It goes in during the boil, I typically add with 5-10 minutes left. Some people add it during active fermentation as well...
 
When a recipe calls for "Light Candi Sugar" you can save your money and instead use any (cheap) sugar you already have pounds of. There's no perceptible difference after fermentation.

I usually add sugars when the fermentation is around the 2/3 done point, before it's totally finished.

Main reasons:
  • Yeast doesn't start binging on them before eating the more complex sugars.
  • Retains the candi sugar or sugar syrup flavors better.
If the sugars are solid or a very thick syrup, I always dissolve them in a little hot water (microwave).

With carboys, just remove the bung and add. Sanitize that area first!

With bucket fermentors I add the sugary liquid through the airlock hole (remove the grommet) using a small funnel with an 8-10" piece of hose attached to it reaching down into the beer to prevent oxidation. Pour in a steady stream, not letting air gurgle down with it. That way the lid remains mounted and the headspace (mostly) preserved.
 
When a recipe calls for "Light Candi Sugar" you can save your money and instead use any (cheap) sugar you already have pounds of. There's no perceptible difference after fermentation.

^^^^^ This. Dark Candi Sugar is a different story, but light is basically tasteless.


With bucket fermentors I add the sugary liquid through the airlock hole (remove the grommet) using a small funnel with an 8-10" piece of hose attached to it reaching down into the beer to prevent oxidation. Pour in a steady stream, not letting air gurgle down with it. That way the lid remains mounted and the headspace (mostly) preserved.

I do not have any buckets, so no experience with them, but this just seems way toooooo much effort, and risks dropping the grommet in the wort. I'd just remove the top, and add the sugar solution. The sugar will restart fermentation and add CO2 to the airspace displacing the O2. But ..... entropy would tend to say the airspace isn't predominately CO2, as we would like to think, but is just 'normal' air, so removing the lid would make no difference, except protecting it from dropping something in it, or bugs getting in while the lid is off.
 
I do not have any buckets, so no experience with them, but this just seems way toooooo much effort, and risks dropping the grommet in the wort. I'd just remove the top, and add the sugar solution. The sugar will restart fermentation and add CO2 to the airspace displacing the O2. But ..... entropy would tend to say the airspace isn't predominately CO2, as we would like to think, but is just 'normal' air, so removing the lid would make no difference, except protecting it from dropping something in it, or bugs getting in while the lid is off.

I am in the camp that believes it's different.
After fermentation the headspace should be predominantly CO2. As long as the lid has a decent seal entropy is very slow. By not lifting the lid that headspace should remain CO2 rich, if you keep the intrusions small enough. Flowing CO2 gas through a second port will prevent any air from infiltrating while using the grommet hole to add things or remove a beer sample.
 
ya if im making light candi sugar i just add a teaspoon of lemon juice to a pound of sugar, heat it up in a pan till its golden, chill. Then reheat in hot water and add to boil near the end.

ive tasted it against straight white sugar and the candi tastes way different..
 
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