Made Simple Invert Sugars. - Jeff Alworth's Method.

[rhys333]

Doing this now using turbinado. This pic is shortly after dissolving the sugar, so it started out dark. Think I'll do just 90 minutes for #2. It's a small pot, but I had to use the meat thermometer as the sugar solution is too shallow for the candy thermometer. At 240-250 I get almost no bubbles. Fingers crossed.

Edit: ended up doing 2.25 hours. The colour was amber going on brown, and the flavor a pleasant toffee. If I can remember, I'll post beer tasting notes in a couple weeks. Thanks again, Schlenkerla.

 

[rhys333]

Reporting back with results. The beer turned out well. It definitely has toffee flavor and aroma, and probably works better than crystal malts in that regard. I didn't get as much color as I expected though (included 9% by dry sugar weight). Next time I might boil longer and maybe turn the heat up slightly so that there's at least a gentle boil. Everything considered, I'm pleased with the results.

 

[ba-brewer]

So I gave this a try today. First attempt was with demerara sugar and I think I did something wrong as the color was very dark for only 25min at 240F and the consistency is more like putty than syrup. I had it on the stove top until I got it up to 240 then moved it to the oven. The stove was oscillating to keep heat and the bubbles were getting more intense so maybe the temp may have exceeded 240.

Smells a bit like molasses, but so does the raw sugar, does not taste burnt. If I can get it out of the jar will it still be useable?

I also tried some plain cane table sugar afterwards to check the process doing pretty much the same thing, maybe a bit slower to get to 240, and it came out very golden and flows like syrup.

Just looking at the color difference between processed white sugar and demerara sugar I guess the demerara syrup should get darker quicker.

 

[Schlenkerla]

So I gave this a try today. First attempt was with demerara sugar and I think I did something wrong as the color was very dark for only 25min at 240F and the consistency is more like putty than syrup. I had it on the stove top until I got it up to 240 then moved it to the oven. The stove was oscillating to keep heat and the bubbles were getting more intense so maybe the temp may have exceeded 240.

Smells a bit like molasses, but so does the raw sugar, does not taste burnt. If I can get it out of the jar will it still be useable?

I also tried some plain cane table sugar afterwards to check the process doing pretty much the same thing, maybe a bit slower to get to 240, and it came out very golden and flows like syrup.

Just looking at the color difference between processed white sugar and demerara sugar I guess the demerara syrup should get darker quicker.

I'm gonna assume that you weighed and measured everything right. My guess is you had a temperature issue. My inverts are syrup but pretty stiff syrups much like extract. I think you should be able to use it as planned. Just do a double boil with it to soften it up to make it pourable. Put your jar in a pot of warm water and bring the water to a boil. It should thin out after awhile.

My inverts with demerara and piloncillo/panela were dark very early. That's to be expected. Both are lesser refined sugars. The latter being actually unrefined.

I've made a ESB with straight up demerara added to the brew kettle during the lauter. It's was a brew club favorite. Most of them couldn't tell what the contributing factor to the taste. It gave a spiced rummy like taste to the beer.

BTW - If you see any of your invert forming crystals it didn't get fully inverted. Something was wrong with your acid that you added. I'm betting that is not the case.

 

[ba-brewer]

Thanks for the info @Schlenkerla , I was only doing a half size 8oz batches so I cut things in half but believe I measured correctly. The one items I was not so sure on was the citric acid, I used half a gram of dry citric acid granules.

On the stove the pot looked like rhys333's pic in post#31, in the oven the surface was flat with random smaller bubbles coming and going. ​

I think the small amount of material could of been part of my problem and I may have overheated the sugar into a different temperature stage(crack level?) if that is still possible with inverted sugar. I did not see any crystal but it did get a little bit of foam when I poured it from the pan into the mason jar.

Can I put the pan into the oven at like 220 or 230F and let it come up easy to 240 in the oven? I know it would makes it a bit hard to tell when it actually hit 240F but I plan to go beyond golden most of the time anyways.

I think it will respond to a hot water bath, I made a dent in the surface and it leveled out after 30min or so at room temp. I will dissolve some in warm water to see if I can detect any burnt flavors before using it. ​

 

[Schlenkerla]

Thanks for the info @Schlenkerla , I was only doing a half size 8oz batches so I cut things in half but believe I measured correctly. The one items I was not so sure on was the citric acid, I used half a gram of dry citric acid granules.

On the stove the pot looked like rhys333's pic in post#31, in the oven the surface was flat with random smaller bubbles coming and going. ​

I think the small amount of material could of been part of my problem and I may have overheated the sugar into a different temperature stage(crack level?) if that is still possible with inverted sugar. I did not see any crystal but it did get a little bit of foam when I poured it from the pan into the mason jar.

Can I put the pan into the oven at like 220 or 230F and let it come up easy to 240 in the oven? I know it would makes it a bit hard to tell when it actually hit 240F but I plan to go beyond golden most of the time anyways.

I think it will respond to a hot water bath, I made a dent in the surface and it leveled out after 30min or so at room temp. I will dissolve some in warm water to see if I can detect any burnt flavors before using it. ​

Is a half gram on the low side or heavy side? I think I would lean to heavy since its primary purpose is to invert the sugar. Keeps it from separating and/or recrystalizing after its cooled.

I assume it will work if you pop it into the oven at 220F. Do you have a cheap oven thermometer? If you do you can clip onto the pan rim. This way you can tell when it will hit the temp.

Also ovens can have big temp swings in the heating cycle, electric ovens with that large glowing element can overheat anything if it's too close to it. Make sure your pot is on the middle or higher rack. You can use a pizza stone or large cast iron skillet as a heat diffuser under your pot. The added thermal mass would curb the heat spikes and help sustain heat.

I'd try that, also do a full pound or eliminate the oven method and just do it in the stove. With the stove or the oven with remote thermometer you can remove the pot from the heat source temporarily if it goes too high.

Seems to me the full pound is the easiest fix for what may have happened.

Taste it/smell it, my guess it's not obviously burnt tasting. Mine has a definite raisin or plum/prune like taste. Reminds me of special B, specifically when I have used too much of it in a beer.

This is the Dingemans description of special B in northern brewer. In here they mention a subtle note of burnt sugar. If it tastes like this you're good to go.

"Special B[emoji768] is the darkest of the Belgian caramel malts, and oh how special it is. It has a unique aroma and flavor that is very complex. It imparts a heavy, dark caramel taste with more subtle notes of burnt sugar, raisin, and dark dried fruits such as cherries and plums. It can also deliver some of the softer roasty notes of a chocolate or black malt but without the astringency or bitterness. Special B[emoji768] will produce a deep brown color with ruddy highlights and add body and foam stability like all caramel malts. Use it to brew traditional Belgian Abbey and Trappist Ales, Dubbels and Dark Strong Ales, but also try it in brown ale, stout and porter, doppelbock, or any other dark beer, to add an extra layer of complexity. 120-140°L"

 

[ba-brewer]

Is a half gram on the low side or heavy side? I think I would lean to heavy since its primary purpose is to invert the sugar. Keeps it from separating and/or recrystalizing after its cooled.

I assume it will work if you pop it into the oven at 220F. Do you have a cheap oven thermometer? If you do you can clip onto the pan rim. This way you can tell when it will hit the temp.

Also ovens can have big temp swings in the heating cycle, electric ovens with that large glowing element can overheat anything if it's too close to it. Make sure your pot is on the middle or higher rack. You can use a pizza stone or large cast iron skillet as a heat diffuser under your pot. The added thermal mass would curb the heat spikes and help sustain heat.

I'd try that, also do a full pound or eliminate the oven method and just do it in the stove. With the stove or the oven with remote thermometer you can remove the pot from the heat source temporarily if it goes too high.

Seems to me the full pound is the easiest fix for what may have happened.

Taste it/smell it, my guess it's not obviously burnt tasting. Mine has a definite raisin or plum/prune like taste. Reminds me of special B, specifically when I have used too much of it in a beer.

This is the Dingemans description of special B in northern brewer. In here they mention a subtle note of burnt sugar. If it tastes like this you're good to go.

"Special B[emoji768] is the darkest of the Belgian caramel malts, and oh how special it is. It has a unique aroma and flavor that is very complex. It imparts a heavy, dark caramel taste with more subtle notes of burnt sugar, raisin, and dark dried fruits such as cherries and plums. It can also deliver some of the softer roasty notes of a chocolate or black malt but without the astringency or bitterness. Special B[emoji768] will produce a deep brown color with ruddy highlights and add body and foam stability like all caramel malts. Use it to brew traditional Belgian Abbey and Trappist Ales, Dubbels and Dark Strong Ales, but also try it in brown ale, stout and porter, doppelbock, or any other dark beer, to add an extra layer of complexity. 120-140°L"

View attachment 589463

All good tips and suggestions, Thanks again

Looks like I may have used only half the amount of citric acid, I should of looked for weight of citric acid in the first place. 1.66g/cm^3 and 5mL per teaspoon gives just over 1gm for a 1/8th a teaspoon.

I took this picture to show the two batches and I think I figured out my problem. I read pint in your instruction but weighed out half a cup of water. With half as much water does this cancel out my problem with half as much citric acid? ​

No pizza stone but plenty of cast iron pans so I will preheat one of those to help add some thermal stability next time.

I dissolves some in a small amount of water and did not get any burnt flavors or any of the dark fruit notes for that matter. I took 2.5gm and dissolved into 4oz of water which was close to intended usage of 8oz in a 3gal batch. I would say the water took on a light golden color so maybe a 4 or 5 SRM shift in color, slight molasses aroma and not much flavor or sweetness. Not sure I believe beersmith's prediction of color contribution for invert sugar but if I adjust the SRM value for 8oz in 3gal to get 4.5srm the invert would need to be 37SRM so something like invert#2. I think the wrong amount water makes it look darker than it actually is.

 

[Schlenkerla]

All good tips and suggestions, Thanks again

Looks like I may have used only half the amount of citric acid, I should of looked for weight of citric acid in the first place. 1.66g/cm^3 and 5mL per teaspoon gives just over 1gm for a 1/8th a teaspoon.

I took this picture to show the two batches and I think I figured out my problem. I read pint in your instruction but weighed out half a cup of water. With half as much water does this cancel out my problem with half as much citric acid? ​

No pizza stone but plenty of cast iron pans so I will preheat one of those to help add some thermal stability next time.

I dissolves some in a small amount of water and did not get any burnt flavors or any of the dark fruit notes for that matter. I took 2.5gm and dissolved into 4oz of water which was close to intended usage of 8oz in a 3gal batch. I would say the water took on a light golden color so maybe a 4 or 5 SRM shift in color, slight molasses aroma and not much flavor or sweetness. Not sure I believe beersmith's prediction of color contribution for invert sugar but if I adjust the SRM value for 8oz in 3gal to get 4.5srm the invert would need to be 37SRM so something like invert#2. I think the wrong amount water makes it look darker than it actually is.
View attachment 589502

If you want a dry English Pale as an easy quaffer this will work with an once or two of roasted barley and your base grain. Using Williamett and Fuggles or Kent Golding.

That way if the color is off it's no big deal and you'll have a nice session beer.

 

[kmarkstevens]

Pure honey is something like 80-85% invert sugar. You can also do the oven method of honey in a canning jar at 250 degrees F, and then watch it darken over time. It's a pretty painless method.

I use Costco honey because it is reasonably priced, verifiably sourced, doesn't add in "fake honey" and does not have a single strong taste such as orange blossom.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Pure honey is something like 80-85% invert sugar. You can also do the oven method of honey in a canning jar at 250 degrees F, and then watch it darken over time. It's a pretty painless method.

I use Costco honey because it is reasonably priced, verifiably sourced, doesn't add in "fake honey" and does not have a single strong taste such as orange blossom.

A few facts here, sugar is cheaper, starts with zero color and has a neutral flavor profile.

Using honey you're already at golden from the start with flavor that's quite a bit different taste wise. It's an interesting thought though. In Brew like Belgian (Stan Hieronymus) sights a similar Randy Mosher idea of using corn syrup and DAP for the making inverts.

With regards to using honey could you cite suggested times and colors with a flavor profile to match?

 

[ba-brewer]

If you want a dry English Pale as an easy quaffer this will work with an once or two of roasted barley and your base grain. Using Williamett and Fuggles or Kent Golding.

That way if the color is off it's no big deal and you'll have a nice session beer.

I recently did a strong bitters with 90% maris otter and 10% sugar. I used the dilution method with golden syrup and molasses but the color was quite pale for being 4% black invert. I plan to try it again with 5% golden invert and 5% british crystal 150 or special B, hoping the dark malt gives a bit more color. Will have to think about adding a touch of roasted malt to dry it out a bit and add more color.

http://www.unholymess.com/blog/beer-brewing-info/making-brewers-invert/comment-page-1

 

[Northern_Brewer]

the color was quite pale for being 4% black invert.

Don't sweat it. And don't add highly-flavoured ingredients just to try and adjust colour - it doesn't work like that. Use caramel or black malt if you must, but British brewers are increasingly just not bothering.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Don't sweat it. And don't add highly-flavoured ingredients just to try and adjust colour - it doesn't work like that. Use caramel or black malt if you must, but British brewers are increasingly just not bothering.

My suggestion is I don't think what he made would need to go in the trash. Especially it doesn't taste bad. His only gamble is color.

The dark invert is for dryness, flavor and color. With regards to color as a 100% or a 50% sub for crystal malt. ** Also to help English yeasts that don't attenuate well. Windsor for example.

I make a beer that's an old extinct classic bitter with MO, invert and an oz of black malt or roasted barley. It doesn't need much to change the color.

I'm thinking Ruddles Best Bitter, but that not it after checking my World Beer Cup by Chucky-P. Probably in another book, maybe Cloned Beers...

** Reference Jeff Alworth, "The Secret of Master Brewers." See Pages 15 and 34. Not sure if it you have it on hand but the idea is from old brewer's in the UK that interviewed. It's in the cask beer section.

 

[Derp]

Just finished making 4 pounds of #3 using demerara, beginning on the stove top and then finishing in the oven at 245F for 2.5 hours. It was pretty dark to begin with, but I'll stick with Beersmith's default and call it 66 SRM. I carefully measured out 4 pounds of sugar and 64 ounces of RO water, but I ended up with 20 - 21 ounces by weight in each Ball jar. I would have made it 5 pounds in 5 jars, but I didn't have another one cleaned. I'll need to remember that my jars are 1.25 pounds each when I enter recipes into Beersmith.

 

[ba-brewer]

Don't sweat it. And don't add highly-flavoured ingredients just to try and adjust colour - it doesn't work like that. Use caramel or black malt if you must, but British brewers are increasingly just not bothering.

My suggestion is I don't think what he made would need to go in the trash. Especially it doesn't taste bad. His only gamble is color.

The dark invert is for dryness, flavor and color. With regards to color as a 100% or a 50% sub for crystal malt. ** Also to help English yeasts that don't attenuate well. Windsor for example.

I make a beer that's an old extinct classic bitter with MO, invert and an oz of black malt or roasted barley. It doesn't need much to change the color.

I'm thinking Ruddles Best Bitter, but that not it after checking my World Beer Cup by Chucky-P. Probably in another book, maybe Cloned Beers...

** Reference Jeff Alworth, "The Secret of Master Brewers." See Pages 15 and 34. Not sure if it you have it on hand but the idea is from old brewer's in the UK that interviewed. It's in the cask beer section.

I don't plan on dumping this beer, color is light but it still drinks OK.

The lighter beer is the strong bitters with 90% maris otter floor malted, 6% invert#2 (33SRM)and 4% black invert(170SRM), beersmith estimated an SRM of 10.6. Darker beer is a Belgian Pale ale, 92.5% german pilsner, 5% british crystal 70/80(75SRM), and 2.5% Special B(152SRM) which beersmith estimated to be 9.7 SRM.

The invert sugars were faked with the dilution method, I will try again some time with the real stuff maybe. As it would take a few hours to make black invert adding a touch dark malt seems like a more practical approach.

One of the reason I did this beer was I was curious to see if all sugar could really replace crystal and I recall seeing something about glucose helping with ester production. I seem to not get the that much esters even from yeasts that are suppose to big producers like WY1968. The strong bitters in the picture was fermented with WY1318.​

 

[Northern_Brewer]

The lighter beer is the strong bitter with 90% maris otter floor malted, 6% invert#2 (33SRM)and 4% black invert(170SRM), beersmith estimated an SRM of 10.6.

....adding a touch dark malt seems like a more practical approach. ​

Honestly, you seem to be trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Even the BJCP reckon that 11C Strong Bitter (no s) has SRM of 8-16, but I'd argue that in the real world it goes down to 2 or so. Certainly I've got a bottle of a commercial one in the fridge that's won a ton of international awards and is probably a touch paler than yours but 5.5%, so according to the BJCP it doesn't exist as it's neither a golden ale (on strength grounds, with which I would agree) nor a strong bitter (on colour grounds). It's just one of those areas where the BJCP guidelines don't quite reflect reality. But if it bothers you, just add caramel.

One of the reason I did this beer was I was curious to see if all sugar could really replace crystal and I recall seeing something about glucose helping with ester production. I seem to not get the that much esters even from yeasts that are suppose to big producers like WY1968. The strong bitters in the picture was fermented with WY1318.

​

I assume you mean from a flavour perspective rather than a sweet/dry perspective, where crystal and sugar are obviously completely different? Even then, they're not quite the same. Most British brewers who've made the comparison would say that 1968/002 aren't quite the same as actual British yeasts, there seems to be something about the commercial production process which inhibits flavour development but even after a repitch they're somewhat muted to eg the actual Fuller's strain. But a more British temperature profile will help - in short, pitch coolish, allow to free rise for a bit, then cool it again and don't let it clean up.

 

[Derp]

Most British brewers who've made the comparison would say that 1968/002 aren't quite the same as actual British yeasts, there seems to be something about the commercial production process which inhibits flavour development but even after a repitch they're somewhat muted to eg the actual Fuller's strain. But a more British temperature profile will help - in short, pitch coolish, allow to free rise for a bit, then cool it again and don't let it clean up.

I love Fuller's beers and I've tried my best with 1968, but I can never quite nail the marmalade flavor and my beers seem to go a bit limp and lifeless after a few weeks, no matter how many things I try. I've thought about ordering the same strain from Brewlabs to see if it behaves any differently. I currently use Sussex 1 (Harvey's?) from Brewlabs or 1469 in most of my British beers.

What's your take on the ideal British temperature profile? I conjured up a bitter recipe and it's fermenting now. I pitched at 65F and let it rise to 70 over 5 days. I'm thinking about cooling it and kegging it very soon. I overshot my mash temperature somehow and it started out at 157, so Beersmith says it'll finish around 1.015 and that seems to be where it's settled. Oh well, I'll still drink it.

 

[ba-brewer]

Honestly, you seem to be trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Even the BJCP reckon that 11C Strong Bitter (no s) has SRM of 8-16, but I'd argue that in the real world it goes down to 2 or so. Certainly I've got a bottle of a commercial one in the fridge that's won a ton of international awards and is probably a touch paler than yours but 5.5%, so according to the BJCP it doesn't exist as it's neither a golden ale (on strength grounds, with which I would agree) nor a strong bitter (on colour grounds). It's just one of those areas where the BJCP guidelines don't quite reflect reality. But if it bothers you, just add caramel.
​

​

My problem is the color estimate does not match the end product, which could be how beersmith treats invert sugar's color contribution or the color of the faux invert was less than input. I was expecting something slightly darker in color than the Belgian pale ale and got something lighter.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I love Fuller's beers and I've tried my best with 1968, but I can never quite nail the marmalade flavor and my beers seem to go a bit limp and lifeless after a few weeks, no matter how many things I try. I've thought about ordering the same strain from Brewlabs to see if it behaves any differently. I currently use Sussex 1 (Harvey's?) from Brewlabs or 1469 in most of my British beers.

Seems to be a common complaint with the homebrew versions. Harvesting from a bottle of 1845 is the other option - I've got a bottle but not opened it yet. If you believe the internet, both Harvey's and 1469 share a common origin at John Smith's, but as square yeasts they are very different to the main group of brewery yeasts. You might want to try WLP041 Pacific which despite the name is a cousin of WLP002, I've only used in once (in a beer that was a bit of a disaster for other reasons) but liked what I saw and intend to try it again. 1768/WLP033 ("Youngs") is meant to be slightly more interesting than WLP002 but is a seasonal. If you're getting stuff from Brewlab then F40 (from S&N) is meant to be notoriously fruity, and CC is another one worth having a play with - a real beast of a northern yeast. Might be worth

What's your take on the ideal British temperature profile? I conjured up a bitter recipe and it's fermenting now. I pitched at 65F and let it rise to 70 over 5 days.

I might go a degree or two lower, but it depends on the yeast, I wouldn't argue too hard against what you've got.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

My problem is the color estimate does not match the end product, which could be how beersmith treats invert sugar's color contribution or the color of the faux invert was less than input. I was expecting something slightly darker in color than the Belgian pale ale and got something lighter.

In which case the answer is to cook it a bit more next time, rather than messing about with Special B?

 

[Derp]

Harvesting from a bottle of 1845 is the other option

I haven't seen a bottle of that in years. I'm lucky to find ESB, Pride and Porter on my local shelves, and even luckier if they were bottled less than 2 years ago.

If you believe the internet, both Harvey's and 1469 share a common origin at John Smith's

Interesting. I get a much different flavor with the Sussex 1 yeast than I do with 1469. Sort of a Belgian character...

You might want to try WLP041 Pacific which despite the name is a cousin of WLP002, I've only used in once (in a beer that was a bit of a disaster for other reasons) but liked what I saw and intend to try it again.

I don't think I've ever heard of that one. I'll give it a try sometime.

If you're getting stuff from Brewlab then F40 (from S&N) is meant to be notoriously fruity, and CC is another one worth having a play with - a real beast of a northern yeast.

What does CC stand for? Shipping is the most expensive part of ordering from the UK, so the next time I place an order I'll order multiple strains. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I haven't seen a bottle of that in years. I'm lucky to find ESB, Pride and Porter on my local shelves, and even luckier if they were bottled less than 2 years ago.

I wasn't sure what availability was like - I know Fuller's seem to have reasonable distribution Stateside, so it was worth a shout. A quick look on Untappd suggests it's certainly been seen at Central Market in the past if not now, and they have eg draught Pride so I imagine that they must be able to get 1845 for you even if they don't stock it normally. However, I see they do stock the current (2017) Vintage, which is also bottle-conditioned and at $10 they're not charging that much more than it is here (about $8 inc tax). Based on the cask versions, the 2017 is quite a lot nicer than the 2018 version - the bottles get released around Christmas.

[no affiliation, yada yada]

I get a much different flavor with the Sussex 1 yeast than I do with 1469. Sort of a Belgian character...

You're not alone - that's because the square yeasts are POF+ relatives of the saison family, although the purpose of the square system seems to be to try and minimise the phenolic character. I suspect that's just showing you how Brewlab's strains are that much more "true" and interesting. Brewlab also have an old John Smith yeast, can't remember the code offhand, but in theory that would be the "parent" of the Harvey's yeast.

 

[Derp]

I wasn't sure what availability was like - I know Fuller's seem to have reasonable distribution Stateside, so it was worth a shout. A quick look on Untappd suggests it's certainly been seen at Central Market in the past if not now, and they have eg draught Pride so I imagine that they must be able to get 1845 for you even if they don't stock it normally. However, I see they do stock the current (2017) Vintage, which is also bottle-conditioned and at $10 they're not charging that much more than it is here (about $8 inc tax).

I don't know if I've ever seen Pride on draft here in Texas, but Central Market isn't very far away, so I'll stop by tomorrow and see what's available. Ten bucks for a tasty beer isn't a problem, since I'd spend at least 8 bucks buying the yeast alone. Today I picked up a $14 4-pack of Lone Pint's Yellow Rose, but I figure it was only $6 after the cost of the yeast. I just finished boiling the starter wort...

Looks like Central Market are having a 2-week British celebration. Their add says that they have bangers, so I'm going to stock up. I haven't seen actual bangers for sale anywhere in this city of 2 million people. Hopefully they're good and I can find free space among the hops in my freezer.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I don't know if I've ever seen Pride on draft here in Texas, but Central Market isn't very far away, so I'll stop by tomorrow and see what's available. Ten bucks for a tasty beer isn't a problem, since I'd spend at least 8 bucks buying the yeast alone. Today I picked up a $14 4-pack of Lone Pint's Yellow Rose, but I figure it was only $6 after the cost of the yeast. I just finished boiling the starter wort...

Heh, exactly how I figure it, I'm surprised more people don't harvest just on financial grounds. Particularly here, where ordinary b/c beer is US$2-3, Vintage is particularly expensive at $8, but standard Wyeast/WL pricing here is >$9 and the likes of Omega and Imperial are $12. Other halves don't quite understand the concept of buying beer to save money though!

Looks like Central Market are having a 2-week British celebration. Their add says that they have bangers, so I'm going to stock up. I haven't seen actual bangers for sale anywhere in this city of 2 million people. Hopefully they're good and I can find free space among the hops in my freezer.

Heh, that's cool. Their last Untappd checkin was for "draught" Pride with some Union flags in the background on 22 Sept. I assume that must be keg, but if it was cask as a special thing for the celebration then that's another yeast option... Will be tired now though if the same barrel is still on. Hmm - tired cask Pride, that's the real London pub experience!

 

[Derp]

Their last Untappd checkin was for "draught" Pride with some Union flags in the background on 22 Sept. I assume that must be keg, but if it was cask as a special thing for the celebration then that's another yeast option... Will be tired now though if the same barrel is still on. Hmm - tired cask Pride, that's the real London pub experience!

It's probably a keg, but I'll check it out tomorrow. The last Pint of Pride I had on cask was at the end of the brewery tour, so it was quite fresh and tasty!

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks @Schlenkerla for this nice and easy recipe

I will surely use it in the future to see how it compares to Lyle's Golden Syrup, which I am currently using.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Thanks @Schlenkerla for this nice and easy recipe

I will surely use it in the future to see how it compares to Lyle's Golden Syrup, which I am currently using.

You're welcome!

What do you plan to make beer and syrup-wise?

 

[Miraculix]

You're welcome!

What do you plan to make beer and syrup-wise?

I am actually really tempted to do the darkest version of it, but I do not want to boil something that long (just looking at energy consumption in a shared house), so i'll probably do something in between golden and amber. Maybe I will separate a little bit after 20-30 minutes, just to get a feeling of how the boil time affects the flavour.

Then I'll brew something like my current favourite, Miraculix Best, the recipe is in the ale section. Or maybe I'll try a bit of a historic english IPA. Not sure if the historic ones used Invert (actually pretty sure they did not), but let's see.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

maybe I'll try a bit of a historic english IPA. Not sure if the historic ones used Invert (actually pretty sure they did not), but let's see.

Depends - nothing before the Free Mash Tun Act in 1880 could legally use sugar, after that they tended to, particularly the Scottish ones.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

How much sugar and water should I begin with in order to yield a full quart of Invert sugar #2 or #3?

What nominal SRM or EBC colors should be assigned to Invert #2 and Invert #3 respectively?

I see an example in post #15 above that was held for 90 minutes in an oven, and to me it only appears to be about ballpark 12-15 SRM. Is this as a consequence of beginning with white table sugar? Shouldn't Invert #2 be well darker than that?