tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post3749472167718091266..comments2023-04-14T03:40:29.342-04:00Comments on Sui Generis Brewing: Making Belgian Candi SugarBryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-57037077722003197922015-02-24T07:54:57.027-05:002015-02-24T07:54:57.027-05:00I would be reluctant to use a non-food grade produ...I would be reluctant to use a non-food grade product in a beverage. YMMV.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-40621540728471375162015-02-23T17:42:53.933-05:002015-02-23T17:42:53.933-05:00Any other idea will be apreciated, as i can't ...Any other idea will be apreciated, as i can't buy any of those pure stuff here.sarushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03833925322594653451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-7046280852428921812015-02-23T17:41:47.859-05:002015-02-23T17:41:47.859-05:00Hello,
if i can't find food grade lime can i ...Hello, <br />if i can't find food grade lime can i use regular slaked lime? sarushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03833925322594653451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-27952266650064090892014-11-21T09:13:46.049-05:002014-11-21T09:13:46.049-05:00I don't think you're doing anything wrong;...I don't think you're doing anything wrong; in the sense that I don't think your sugar will not work for brewing afterwards. Its unslightly, but it still carmelizes/etc. I've done some reading (but no tests yet) on how to minimize crystalization. The solutions appear simple:<br /><br />1) Mix the sugar and water cold,<br />2) Don't splash sugar onto the sides of the pot - this seeds the crystals<br />3) Heat on medium heat<br />4) Stir well until the sugar is completely dissolved; then stir mininmally<br />4) Use a clean metal stirring spoon and keep it in the sugar - adding a cold spoon can spur crystalization<br />5) Make sure you are starting with clean and dry pots/spoons/etc<br /><br />It appears the solution is to avoid creating nucleation sites for the crystals; so make sure the sugar is completely dissolved, that there is no sugar stuck to the sides of the pot, and avoid unnessisary stirring/jarring once the sugar comes to heat.<br />Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-41644026426713873382014-11-20T16:28:56.364-05:002014-11-20T16:28:56.364-05:00I'm having the same issue as the person above....I'm having the same issue as the person above. I've tried this twice, and each time at about 10 minutes in to the 260-275 range, my mixture becomes crystallized and very thick. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Maybe I'm not letting it dissolve enough before reaching a boil? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15416097905261669493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-19422926717203255272014-11-11T08:26:14.501-05:002014-11-11T08:26:14.501-05:00I've had the same problem, in some of my batch...I've had the same problem, in some of my batches. I'm not sure that adding corn sugar will help, but I also don't think its worth worrying about - it still browns fine and dissolves into beer quite nicely. My more recent batches I have been turning into syrup at the end (by adding a roughly equal volume of water to the sugar), which is far more convenient than breaking up and dissolving solid candi.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-16144220856580566892014-11-11T01:09:26.689-05:002014-11-11T01:09:26.689-05:00Mine keeps crystallizing completely at 250F, will ...Mine keeps crystallizing completely at 250F, will try to add corn syrup and see if that helps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-17635322803272552972014-10-24T13:15:19.816-04:002014-10-24T13:15:19.816-04:00In Canada you can buy pharmaceutical-grade Calcium...In Canada you can buy pharmaceutical-grade Calcium Hydroxide from aquarium shops it is called Kalkwasser (Calcium Hydroxide) and from what I can tell it is exactly the same as pickling lime. You can also find this item on amazon.ca<br /><br /> davejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06654840989679536679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-43990670425873267692014-03-13T08:41:58.946-04:002014-03-13T08:41:58.946-04:00I'm glad it worked for you. The ammonia smell...I'm glad it worked for you. The ammonia smell is from the DAP, which is why I don't like using it. The ammonia is what you want for the maillard reactions, but it is volitilized from the DAP upon heating.<br /><br />If you didn't see it, I did a second post/video on making sugar, with some improved methods:<br />http://suigenerisbrewing.blogspot.ca/2013/10/belgian-candi-sugar-ii.htmlBryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-72469793560114211642014-03-12T23:45:00.825-04:002014-03-12T23:45:00.825-04:00Thank you for your hard work as you've helped ...Thank you for your hard work as you've helped make my first batch a success! I used some info from your blog and Ryan Brews'. <br /><br />My recipe was this<br />500g sugar / 1 Tbsp DME / 1/2 tsp DAP / 1/2 tsp wyeast nutrient<br />Took a long time to get to 125C so will scale back initial water addition just a bit next time. It aslo had developed a fair amount of color by the time I added 2 tsp of Lime but then the color took off just like you said. I didn't do a great job of watching the time but a little over 30 min I have what resembles the flavor of a 'nutty' caramello candy bar.<br /><br />When heating up the mixture (before adding the lime) I got a strong smell of ammonia. I know I have read somewhere where this may have come from but will have to go back over everything to find it. I thought it was mentioned as a sign of too much lime but this would not have applied here. It did eventually go away but not until close to the end of the process. <br /><br />I totally appreciate the work you have put into this.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10961017078072540562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-64463877474704879682013-11-21T12:44:29.405-05:002013-11-21T12:44:29.405-05:00I think the ultimate seal of approval for any home...I think the ultimate seal of approval for any homebrew-related adventure is that your wife enjoyed it! I'm always glad to see more work being done in this area- its a fascinating topic from a scientific and culinary standpoint. Most people don't realize the amount of hard science that goes into making even simple white table sugar, let alone that which goes into the Maillard and caramelization reactions.<br />- Dennis, <a href="http://lifefermented.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">Life Fermented Blog</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-65194772788615907232013-11-18T19:28:56.084-05:002013-11-18T19:28:56.084-05:00Matthew, welcome!
I too am a Canuck, and I agree ...Matthew, welcome!<br /><br />I too am a Canuck, and I agree that it can be difficult to find pickling lime - it is not approved for industrial food use here, so its rare to see it. A few options for you:<br />1) You can order food-grade lye from some on-line sources. You need less of this than pickling lime - indeed, this is what I use.<br />2) High-grade calcium hydroxide (the formal name for pickling lime) can be purchased from some chemical supply shops, such as bioshop Canada. It is pure enough for food use, and I believe they will sell to non-university sources.<br />3) Slacking lime (again, another name for the same thing) can be found in most farming supply stores. Generally in large quantities (25kg). Some aquariumists use this for controlling water pH.<br />4) Some US stores will ship to Canada - check ebay, bulkfoods.com, etc.<br /><br />As for epsom salts I have not tried it, but I am doubtful that it would work. We're trying to put pH upto 10 or 11; MgSO4 is essentially neutral.<br /><br />Hope that helps!<br /><br />BryanBryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-69496151484720759132013-11-18T14:27:28.666-05:002013-11-18T14:27:28.666-05:00I am in Canada where food-grade slaked lime (ie. p...I am in Canada where food-grade slaked lime (ie. pickling lime) is hard to come by due to some home picklers adding too much to a batch of pickles, over adjusting the pickle brine ph from acidic to neutral, and giving themselves a nasty case of botulism.<br /><br />Has anybody tried this with epsom salts (ie. magnesium sulfate) in place of the lime to increase the alkalinity of the sugar solution???Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05539176313605368959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-42233194428940807822013-09-13T13:15:44.746-04:002013-09-13T13:15:44.746-04:00pH is very important to the process, and your lack...pH is very important to the process, and your lack of colour production may very well have been due to too low a pH. Depending on the mineral profile of your water, it may take more lime than Ryan/I needed to get the desired pH. One thing that may help is using distilled water, in order to keep the mineral content down. I am fortunate enough to live in a city with fairly soft water, so I didn't need to worry about that.<br /><br />My understanding with the lime (you used pickling lime, I assume - not the fruit) is because it is calcium hydroxide (rather than a sodium compound like baking soda) it is *less* likely to cause minerally off-flavours. So you're probably safe to add more to your sugar. That said, I used lye (sodium hydroxide) and had no minerally off-flavours; in fact, next time I'm thinking about using more, to get the colour reactions going faster.<br /><br />As for measuring the pH, that is not easy. I've read of a few bloggers dissolving samples of sugar in water, and then measuring that - you'd have to be pretty accurate to get a consistent read of the pH so I'm not too sure how you'd implement that during a cook.<br /><br />I cannot offer more advice than that - I have only attempted this twice, and while I got a good product the second time, my process still needs some more work. My plan is to try a few more test batches, until I get it right. My first attempt will probably find its way into my next bitter or dry stout; the second attempt is dark/flavourful enough that I think I'll keep it for a Belgian ale.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672407110077541595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081751738815878503.post-62092218895016779352013-09-13T12:45:28.594-04:002013-09-13T12:45:28.594-04:00Thank you. I recently tried this with mixed result...Thank you. I recently tried this with mixed results - http://jeffreycrane.blogspot.com/2013/08/belgian-grand-petite-cru-based-on-candi.html<br /><br />Mine was taking just an incredibly long time to develop color even with my lime addition. I was trying to avoid too much lime as Ryan was cautioning about the medicinal flavor I might get.<br /><br />I appreciate you listing times and temperatures. The next time I do this I'm going to be much more controlled and scientific. Do you think there is a good why to measure the pH of the sugar?Jeffrey Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01520169652639837640noreply@blogger.com