Belgian Candi Sugar for the Quadratic Equation

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  Some of you maybe wondering how the "Quad" brewing experience went?  It was sweet (no pun intended)!  Steve and I made Belgian Candi Sugar, which is a great brewing adjunct.  Belgian Candi Sugar is an inverted sugar syrup used to add alcohol to the beer without adding body.  The darker versions add color and flavor.  You can find this at any home brew store, however it digs deep into the wallet.  Luckily, it is not too hard to make.  You need to have a candy thermometer if you try this.

We started the process by weighing out 2 lbs. of sugar and added a touch too much water.  We just had to cook it longer to evaporate it.    As the temp rises and the solution clears we stir it periodically. Once the boil began we added a pinch of citric acid to provide the acidic environment needed to help invert the sucrose into glucose and fructose.  

Before we move on, it is important to invert sucrose into fermentable monosaccharides (simplest forms of sugar) of glucose and fructose.  In short, yeast will not have to exert energy they would otherwise use inverting sucrose themselves.  Giving them a happy and stress free environment, which allows them to ferment like a champ.

Next, we brought the temp up to 260 degrees F for 20 minutes.  You do not want to go over 275.  You need to hold the 260 degree temp to invert the sugar.  This is the hardest part, occasionally we hit over 275.  To cool it down we added a couple of drops of water and that worked fine.  After 20 minutes the sugars began to caramelize,  We tested the caramelization every 5 minutes to find the desired color and taste. 

Lastly, we found the right strength and cooled it down.  Just before we used the Belgian Candi, we added some hot wort to it.  We wanted the syrup to be the same temp to keep the boil going strong.  This was a great process, not to mention it tasted great.

In my mind, what makes a great beer is the effort and the extra touch.  I feel we hit this mark and I can't wait to try the beer.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.

Cheers!