Sugar in the Raw....

[Korben]

I was thinking of brewing a nice semi-belgian for my next brew... just put my Imperial Honey Porter in primary. I know the recipe calls for candi sugar 2 lbs.. but i was thinking of using sugar in the raw instead.. it seems to have some subtle flavors in it that I can't but my finger on, but really enjoy. Atlease, in my coffee. I was thinking of just adding 2 lbs of it crystal form in the last 10 minutes of the boil. Just a couple questions: Is this a good idea/substitute for the candi sugar? If not what candi sugar should I use? Also, is the addition time right or should I add it at the peak of fermentation? any recommendation would be great. Thanks again everyone this place is totally :rockin:

 

[Piotr]

Just a couple questions: Is this a good idea/substitute for the candi sugar? If not what candi sugar should I use? Also, is the addition time right or should I add it at the peak of fermentation?

If it is clear candi sugar, it's not worth its price; you can safely replace it with regular table sugar.

Dark candi sugar: they say it leaves some subtle flavour, but I don't think so. If you want some sugar-derived flavours you'd better use some of the very dark, partially refined sugars, or make a caramel.

You can add it into the boil, but if there is more than a pound of sugar, it might be good idea to add it to fermentation.

 

[dagrar]

I just did the same thing a semi-Belgian type beer. I did use sugar in the raw and the sample from the primary after two weeks tasted fine. I used .25lbs in a 1.5 gallon batch. Hope this helps.

 

[Revvy]

Here's a discussion from yesterday on making your own candi syrup;

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/making-dark-candi-syrup-102471/

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

From what I can tell, Sugar In The Raw is just less refined/less processed than white cane sugar so it still has some of the nutrients/color.

When they fully refine/process sugar cane into white cane sugar...molasses is the stuff left behind.

Brown Sugar is regular cane sugar with varying amounts (depending on how dark the brown sugar is) of the molasses added back in.

So it appears that Sugar In The Raw is very similar to very, very, very light brown sugar (so very light that you can just barely taste any molasses flavor). In the case of SITR...they never removed that very last bit of 'molasses'.

So you could use it and it might add an extra subtle flavor. But it also seems that one could use cane sugar plus molasses in various proportions to achieve ANY degree of 'brownness' to their sugar. Or you could just use the molasses for the flavor and skip the cane sugar.

When I made my Oatmeal Stout I decided I had to add a little brown sugar just because I ALWAYS add brown sugar to my oatmeal (nice logic huh?). But after learning about the molasses/brown sugar relationship I decided to just use a tiny bit of molasses. If my keg o-rings would finally arrive I could keg that bad boy and give you some feedback.

 

[flyangler18]

Sugar In The Raw is turbinado (also known as Demerara) sugar- very minimally processed. It's great stuff!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

From wiki:

Turbinado sugar, also known as turbinated sugar, is made from sugar cane extract. It is produced by crushing freshly cut sugar cane; the juice obtained is evaporated by heat, then crystallized. The crystals are spun in a centrifuge, or turbine (thus the name), to remove excess moisture, resulting in the characteristic large, light brown crystals.[1][2][3]

Turbinado sugar is similar in appearance to brown sugar but paler, with larger crystals, and in general the two can be exchanged freely in recipes. Turbinado sugar differs from refined white sugar in that it is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane. Turbinado and demerara sugars are the same. United Kingdom recipes tend to call for demerara, while in the United States, they are apt to use the term turbinado.

In the U.S., most turbinado sugar is produced in Hawaii and is often sold as an organic product. The popular Hawaiian product sold in the U.S. is produced on Maui and marketed under the name brand "Sugar in the Raw."[4]

 

[Korben]

Here's a discussion from yesterday on making your own candi syrup;

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/making-dark-candi-syrup-102471/

Nice post... but what about addition time?

 

[jeliasik]

How did the molasses turn out? I am thinking of using straight molasses in a Belgian Dubble instead of Belgian Dark candi sugar.