Sugar
A few years ago an argument started as to which sugar was best for making wines, and has gone on ever since; and I doubt whether it will ever be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned. Now that brewing strong beers has become legal the same argument will rear its head and fling the average operator into a quandary. He will feel that he simply must use the best possible sugar, or feel inadequate, or think that he is not going to make such good beers as can be made.
Can I settle the argument once and for all? No, I am afraid I cannot. The reason for this is simply that various sugars give slightly varying results. Each operator using a different sugar swears by that sugar; so, to him, that sugar is the best to use.
I have used all kinds of sugar, syrups and molasses in wine making. Let me say that sugars are different, though basically the same. For example, ordinary household sugar is two kinds of sugar in one, while invert sugar is the two sugars in household sugar separated from each other yet together in one mass when purchased.
Now, it is argued that invert sugar is the best for home brewing and that this should always be used. Yet when we add household sugar to the wort, the first action of the yeast is to invert the ‘one’ of household sugar to the two sugars of invert sugar - thus giving you invert sugar. The main argument is that if the yeast has to invert the sugar before it can use it for reproduction purposes, surely it would be better to give it invert sugar right away. But I cannot see the point in this - though I will admit that when invert sugar is added to the wort the vigor of fermentation is greater in less time than when household sugar is used. However, I find the difference in the end product - the finished beer - not nearly so great as many people would like to have me believe. A difference there is, but this is not likely to be noticed by the beginner who will not have experience to guide him. Therefore, beginners are advised to use household sugar for a time, at least, and then when they have sufficient experience to enable them to detect the differences in flavor the various sugars impart to their beers, they will be able to decide which sugar gives the flavor to their liking.
White invert sugar gives the same flavor as household sugar - otherwise no discernable flavor at all. Demerara does give flavor as well as some color, dark brown invert sugars give a good deal of color to beer and some strong and pleasing ‘nutty’ flavors. These flavors please some people, but not everybody likes them. Syrups - golden syrups, black treacle or green treacle may be used with other sugars to give special flavors, but experience is needed before you dabble with them - especially the strong-flavored treacles. My mother used to make a treacle beer my father raved over - either in praise or because he drank too much of it; I never did find out. So it will be seen that using a little strongly flavored treacle to impart a special flavor is worth trying out. However, as mentioned, you should use household sugar to start with and then when you feel like it use other sugar in place of it and then perhaps add a little strongly-flavored syrup according to your own special tastes or wishes. It will be seen that some of the recipes include the use of sugars other than household sugar and that others include the use of syrups and treacles. You can, of course, go right ahead and use these if you want to, ignoring my advice above, and I doubt very much whether you will regret it. My advice is to use household sugar and to leave syrups alone for the time being is for those who feel that they would rather start off with a recipe that will produce a beer they are likely to be able to compare with their favorite at their ‘local’. Beers made with other than household sugar or with the addition of syrups and treacles are, of course, first-class beers, but they are not, strictly speaking, near-identical to beers from public houses - at least, not from public houses in the area in which I live.
The chances are, of course, that when you have made beers with demerara sugar or other brown sugar with a little black treacle or golden syrup added, you will plump for these all the time and think it strange that I ever advised you to start off with household sugar and to leave the syrups alone.