Jagger: Palm vs. Cane

[topherman]

Hey all,

Just completed a trip to my local Indian grocer, and I now have 4 lbs of jaggery. I was totally pumped to use them in an upcoming big-ass RIS, possibly followed by SWMBO's tripel. However, post-purchase research shows that people are making an important distinction between jaggery from cane and jaggery from palm sugar. The stuff I bough lists "sugarcane juice" as the primary ingredient, so I was wondering: is this dramatically different from "real" palm sugar jaggery, or is the difference more subtle?

FWIW, it tastes very buttery and maple-y, like Mosher describes in Radical Brewing.

There's another Asian grocery down the road from me, and I plan on visiting that soon, to see if they have palm jaggery. If I can find it, I'll be sure to post my impressions when comparing them.

Have a good day!
Topher

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Ha. Even the Palm sugar is a slippery slope.

Is it from the Date Palm or from the Coconut Palm?

IIRC, "Gula Jawa" is Date Palm and "Gula Melaka" is Coconut. The latter is very dark. And also often called "Gula Merah" = Red Sugar

Best bet is read the ingredients. Most labels do list appropriately. As to the differences, you have to try them for yourself.

 

[14thstreet]

I just had my first bottle of Mosher's Jaggery IPA and to be honest I don't know if any of the 2 lbs/5 gallons translated to the final product (no real apparent maple or butter). Very hard to tell its contribution unless you have a side-by-side comparision with it missing. Not exactly sure what kind of jaggery I got (pale variety not dark) but if it is there it is very subtle. In a strong flavored RIS, it would be completely overwhelmed and lost IMO.

 

[smokinghole]

I have purchased two kinds of Jaggery at one of my local indian grocery stores. I have purchased the palm sugar type which is exactly as you described buttery mapely and pale. I also found another package of stuff called Kitul Jaggery which when I searched Kitul is from A palm tree. The pages wouldn't really say whether it's a date or coconut palm. Either way it's DARK and has a serious molasses note to the sugar. I posteded up a thread somewhere that has pictures of exactly what I have.

When it comes to reading ingredients the only time I found it said palm was when it was the dark sugar I got. Sometimes they don't list the base ingredient and when it doesn't I assume its the cane due to its pale color. I don't know if the palm version comes in a pale color like cane jaggery or not.

I think the dark kind would be better in a RIS. I'm in fact using some in a upcoming RIS I'm about to brew. I used some of the more pale stuff in a saison along with honey that came out fantastic. I love the flavors I got.

Edit: Here's the thread.Difference in Jaggery

 

[BBBF]

I just had my first bottle of Mosher's Jaggery IPA and to be honest I don't know if any of the 2 lbs/5 gallons translated to the final product (no real apparent maple or butter). Very hard to tell its contribution unless you have a side-by-side comparision with it missing. Not exactly sure what kind of jaggery I got (pale variety not dark) but if it is there it is very subtle. In a strong flavored RIS, it would be completely overwhelmed and lost IMO.

What did you think of it? I tried this recipe for one of my first brews and it was awful. I think the problem was that the fenugrek made it into my fermention vessel and contributed a bitter, bean-like flavor, but I'm too affraid to try the recipe again.

 

[14thstreet]

BBBF, I have not yet tried the fenugreek version. I passed on adding it to the boil partly because I did not know what to expect and I've heard about unwanted bitterness from these type of additions to the boil. I've had experience in steeping crushed/ground spices in vodka so I did that during the primary fermentation. I dosed a partial batch at bottling until I could taste the "maple syrup" although in all honesty it might be left to the wind what it will end up like. I did another part of the batch with steeped coriander. I felt I had more control that way and it allows me to compare the spiced versions to the unadulterated. The no-fenugreek version was great to my tastes and I only wish I had more because I've given a lot away already. I'll pop a bottle of each into the fridge and give you some feedback early next week!

 

[topherman]

Thanks everyone, but I was wondering if anyone has done more direct comparisons of the two sugars. It seems everyone says to look for the dark stuff, but I no one seems to mention what the motivation is. Is everyone looking for dark jaggery because it is more authentic and is what Mosher calls for, or is it actually a better beer ingredient according to peoples' experience? Basically, has anyone done any side-by-side comparisons of the dark and light jaggery?


I was able to go to the other store last night, and their jaggery was only slightly darker than my "canesugar" stuff, and did not have an ingredient list. I asked the store owner about it, and he didn't know the difference. Unfortunately, there is only a very small Indian population where I live, so I don't know how easy it will be to get my hands on the real deal at a reasonable price. If I do, though, I will be sure to brew up a double batch of one of the Radical Brewing recipes and let everyone know the results!

 

[smokinghole]

I have plans to do a comparison. One of the big differences would be color contribution. I've found that some of the slightly darker jaggery is just cane jaggery cooked longer. I don't know why the Kitul Jaggery I got is so dark compared to cane jaggery. I don't know enough about it. Maybe I can ask one of my professors who happens to be indian whether they know the difference in color. There is also a young girl in my chemistry class who is Indian that I could ask.

One thing is for sure the dark stuff had a more prominent molasses character compared to the light cane jaggery.

 

[Freezeblade]

I found some "palm sugar" at my local asian market which seems to be more to the thai end of things. I have had plenty of mexican-style cane jaggery, known as Piloncillo around here, and this stuff, although looking the same, is way different. The color is medium-dark carmel, and has far more buttery flavors than the cane piloncillo has. I've been using it in sweet breads (brioche, etc) to lend a more buttery flavor without adding more butter directly. If this is the stuff you're talking about, it is way different than cane jaggery, which has a more molassas flavor.

 

[smokinghole]

Found this about Jaggery quite informative I think. Based on that I believe I have Date Palm Jaggery. However my package actually says Kitul which I know is a palm tree but Kitul is not mentioned in any of the info. Plus I can't find Kitul cross-referenced as a different name. I just wish the link had photos.

http://www.organicfacts.net/nutrition-facts/others/what-is-jaggery.html