Gnomebrewer
Well-Known Member
Not side-by-side, but I have brewed recipes with and without sugar replacing some of the malt and have noticed a marked difference. They are both at 20% sugar though -
1. Belgian Golden Strong ale - My first attempt was all malt, which turned out a bit rich and sweet. Using 20% dextrose on the next three gave a nice dry finish - much more to style. Interestingly, the 20% dextrose also has more yeast character.
2. Australian lagers - many, many batches with and without sugar. My 'premium' version is all malt (also with a bit more hop character); standard/draught version is 20% dextrose. The 'premium' version is noticeably richer (the standard version isn't 'thin' or 'weak' though, just a bit milder in flavour). Note that typical cheap Aussie lagers reportedly use up to 30% sugar.
I often use 10% invert syrup in English Bitters, but have also brewed several with all malt. I think there's enough of a difference there that it would be picked up, but haven't used the same recipe for each to really tell. I'll try a side-by-side next time I brew one.
