Sorghum Syrup Replacement

[Spoon184]

Looking to replace the sorghum syrup with a few of the other GF options. Is there a ratio that people use when replacing sorghum syrup with brown rice syrup, agave, honey, belgian candi syrup or any of the other replacements?

Also what type of flavors do the they have or bring to the brew? Do the avoid the twangy sorghum taste?

Finally has anyone found/tried a different sorghum syrup other than briessweet?
I found some at http://muddypondsorghum.com/?mainURL=/store/category/c0v4/Muddy_Pond_Sorghum.html
I am assuming it will still contain that "sorghum taste". Any thoughts on that?

 

[igliashon]

First, a word of caution: sorghum, while it is a grain crop, is also a "cane" crop, like sugar. Oftentimes, if you see "sorghum syrup", it is made from the cane juice of the plant, NOT the grain.

Second: you can sub sorghum syrup for brown rice syrup 1:1. Honey and agave you would probably want to use a little more, not because they'll lower the OG but because they will attenuate more fully. For example, if you had an OG of 1.053 from an all-honey batch, it might go all the way down to 1.004 with a yeast like Fermentis US-05, whereas an all-sorghum batch might stop at 1.012. Belgian candi syrup is rated at 1.032, meaning it contributes 32 gravity points per pound of syrup added to a gallon of water (ppg, or points-per-pound-per-gallon). That's a little bit less than your average Briess sorghum syrup, which is usually (IIRC) rated at 1.037.

Rice syrup doesn't really avoid the twangy taste, it reduces it a bit but it's definitely not a huge improvement. Candi syrup helps a little bit but for lighter beers you can't really use enough to do much good. Honey can help, if you use the raw unfiltered stuff, but then it just tastes like honey. Agave is nice, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it's bringing to the table, but for what it's worth, the only extract beers I brew these days contain a combo of sorghum extract, rice syrup, agave nectar, and a light honey like clover or orange blossom. It's not exactly "beer-like", but it's nicely balanced and doesn't have any prominent off-flavors.

Finally, stay AWAY from molasses--that stuff really amplifies the metallic sorghum twang. Using plenty of yeast nutrient to increase FAN seems to help, as does adding the sorghum at the end of the boil.

For more info, see this blog post I did: http://beyondbarley.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-brewing-better-extract-beers.html

 

[EvanLouis]

Might I suggest doing a partial mash, honey, and late boil sorghum? Maybe a mash of mainly malted millet and buckwheat.

 

[robbyhicks]

I just picked up a 7lb jug of tapioca syrup... jug says its a gf fermentable that replaces lme 1:1... I'll post a pic soon. anybody used it?

 

[Spoon184]

Thanks for the breakdown Igliashon! That helps a ton! Gave me alot of good ideas for my next brew! Awesome blog by the way!

 

[sorghumbrew]

Sorghum grain? Anyone try that?

 

[robbyhicks]

Bards tale ale... gluten free brew out of wisconsin I think... they use malted sorghum... I havnt been able to find it except in midwest supplies clone kit...