Would you suggest molasses?

[fosbrew]

I just got into brewing cider/apple wine. I didn't plan accordingly, so I was short honey as a sugar. Would you recommend using molasses? Why or why not? If you ave used it... were you successful? Thanks

 

[Flboy]

Use sugar, I do all the time. The one time I used molasses was in a beer, horrible mistake, very sour!
Sugar, aprox 3/4 cup per gal.

 

[Maylar]

Fermented molasses tastes yuck, IMO. But to each his own.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Molasses is an odd creature. A little goes a long way, too much will overpower other flavours & when fermented it can have a funky taste. That being said, it can also compliment the apple flavour in a cider or a cyser wonderfully. I've added 4 oz to 6 gallons of high ABV cyser & could hardly taste it, another couple ounces & there was a pronounced molasses-y flavour.

Try a taste test: Cut a fresh apple & dip it into a bit of molasses & eat it. You could also try stirring a spoonful of molasses into a glass of apple juice. These won't be exact, but they'll give you an idea of how these 2 flavours play together.

If you do decide to add molasses, I'd suggest adding it in small amounts, going on the premise that you can always add more, but once added you can't take it out.
Regards, GF.

 

[bernardsmith]

Totally agree w/ gratus fermentatio. There are different kinds of molasses from British treacle thru light, dark and blackstrap. Blackstrap is bitter. Treacle isn't... yer pays yer money and yer takes a chance.

 

[Schott703]

I've used it last year. Most types of sugar transform to a flavor of another sort when fermented. Molasses tastes like Molasses! So if you like it, and I do, use it. But I agree in using it sparingly. And it intensifies with time. I'm using it agin this year but 1/2 the amount I did last year.

 

[fosbrew]

Awesome idea, I appreciate that!

 

[doink0662]

I've used it last year. Most types of sugar transform to a flavor of another sort when fermented. Molasses tastes like Molasses! So if you like it, and I do, use it. But I agree in using it sparingly. And it intensifies with time. I'm using it agin this year but 1/2 the amount I did last year.

How does molasses compare to dark brown sugar?

 

[cidersage]

How does molasses compare to dark brown sugar?

Both will add color and some fermentable sugars, but besides that they are pretty different creatures.

Molasses has some unfermentable sugars in it, and its flavor is powerful, distinct, and--in my experience--persists after fermentation is complete. I've had sulfery notes in ciders that I've used molasses in, as well as bitterness. Since cider tends to have a delicate flavor to begin with, molasses can overpower the apple character pretty easily.

Brown sugar is almost completely fermentable and tends not to leave a strong flavor behind. I've had a few clarity issues in ciders using dark brown sugars, but as there were other additions in those as well, I'm not 100% sure it was the sugar that caused those.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

How does molasses compare to dark brown sugar?

Brown sugar is simply common white sugar with a little bit of molasses added to it. Regards, GF.

 

[JDWebb]

Common white table sugar, called sucrose, is made of two simpler sugars, fructose and glucose, joined together. Sucrose, which is naturally white, is usually derived from sugar cane or sugar beets.

The process of extracting the sugar is the same for both (cane and beets): The juice is filtered to remove plant matter and boiled down. What’s left is a thick syrup from which sucrose starts to crystallize. The syrup is spun in a centrifuge to separate out the crystals, which then make up what is called raw sugar. The rest is molasses.

The separation of sugar from juice is never perfect. A first pass yields impure sucrose (natural brown sugar, or raw sugar) and molasses, which is still quite sweet and is called “first molasses.’’

Boiling molasses and crystallizing sucrose out of it again leaves “second molasses’’ and if it is done again, it is called “third molasses,’’ or “blackstrap molasses.’’

If the sugar is not refined further, it will be brown sugar; if it is refined further, the result is a pure form of sucrose, or white sugar.

Also, molasses is sometimes added to refined white sugar to make a brown sugar.

However it is made, brown sugar is essentially incompletely purified sugar colored and flavored by other plant matter, which answers the first question.

"Other plant matter" has me worried.

 

[acemannw]

I have used, honey, brown sugar, corn syrup, and can sugar.

So far my favorite is the cane sugar from Aldis it is a $1.79 for 4 pounds at my local Aldis.

http://mybrands.com/Brands/Zulka-Sugar/Zulka-Azucar-Morena-Pure-Cane-Sugar-4-lb

 

[JDWebb]

Has anyone ever used piloncillo sugar?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Has anyone ever used piloncillo sugar?

I've used it for priming sugar, it is a little richer tasting than demerara sugar in my opinion. Very fermentable.

 

[rocketsan]

Molasses always leaves a date-like taste when it ferments out. At least in my opinion...

 

[sgreene820]

I used almost 24 oz of organic Blackstrap Molassess, together with 2lbs of dextrose, a lb of maltodextrin, and spices to make a winter cider out of 5 gallons of. a cider maker's blend that included sharps and bittersweet cider apples. Started this batch in November.

The residual bitterness needs age to mellow out. I've also used Jack Daniels barrel chips to oak in secondary, to further mellow it. I used Nottingham yeast, kept in a cool basement that rarely got above 65. Even with pectinase, I needed finings to take out the residual yeast and pectin haze. It's now a beautiful amber color. I'll be ready to bottle next week.