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Invert sugar recipe

pedrovic

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Hello, I hope everyone is well.

I would like to know how to make invert sugar at home that looks like the specifications that are on the Beersmith ingredient list. Someone could help me?

Thank you and cheers.🍻
 
I don't know if you are familiar with Ron Pattinson. He is probably the foremost authority on UK brewing. Brad Smith has interviewed him several times on the Beersmith podcasts, Ron is a guest lecturer at beer events all over the world, the author of many beer history books and publishes the blog, Shut up About Barclay Perkins. One of his books called The Homebrewers Guide to Vintage Beer has this invert sugar recipe in it and I have used it faithfully for many years.

You will need:
- cane Sugar (not table sugar)​
- citric Acid​
- water​
- a candy thermometer​
- a saucepan​

The colors you are aiming for are:

- No. 1, 12-16 SRM​
- No. 2, 30 - 35 SRM​
- No. 3, 60 - 70 SRM​
- No. 4, 275 - 325 SRM​

This is what you do:
- For each pound (455g) of sugar you use, bring 1 pint (473ml) of water to a boil.​
- Turn on the heat and add the sugar slowly, dissolving it.​
- Add 1/4 teaspoon (1g) of citric acid per pound of sugar.​
- Turn on the heat and set the alarm on the candy thermometer to 230°F (110°C).​
- Stir frequently while it starts to simmer.​
- When the temperature hits 230°F (110°C) reset the alarm for 240°F (115.6°C).​
- Heat slowly until the temperature gets to 240°F (115.6°C).​
- Lower the heat to keep at 240°F - 250°F (115.6° - 121.1°C).​
- For No. 1 maintain the heat for 20 - 30 minutes.​
- For No. 2 maintain the heat for 90 - 120 minutes.​
- For No. 3 maintain the heat for 150-210 minutes.​
- For No. 4 maintain the heat for 240 - 300 minutes.​
I have made it with a simple candy thermometer, not one with an alarm, and just kept an eye on it. Most recently I have begun using a dutch oven cooker and just set my oven to 240°F - 250°F (115.6°C - 121.1°C). Making this on a stove top requires constant attention and adjustment of the heat to keep the syrup between those temperatures so the oven method makes things much easier. I have bought commercial invert sugar (Becker's is the only option available in the US) and I like the result I get with my homemade invert 1000% better.

I wasn't aware that Brad had included invert in the ingredient database. It wasn't there when I started making my own so I entered them into Beersmith manually.
 
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I don't know if you are familiar with Ron Pattinson. He is probably the foremost authority on UK brewing. Brad Smith has interviewed him several times on the Beersmith podcasts, Ron is a guest lecturer at beer events all over the world, the author of many beer history books and publishes the blog, Shut up About Barclay Perkins. One of his books called The Homebrewers Guide to Vintage Beer has this invert sugar recipe in it and I have used it faithfully for many years.

You will need:
- cane Sugar (not table sugar)​
- citric Acid​
- water​
- a candy thermometer​
- a saucepan​

The colors you are aiming for are:

- No. 1, 12-16 SRM​
- No. 2, 30 - 35 SRM​
- No. 3, 60 - 70 SRM​
- No. 4, 275 - 325 SRM​

This is what you do:
- For each pound (455g) of sugar you use, bring 1 pint (473ml) of water to a boil.​
- Turn on the heat and add the sugar slowly, dissolving it.​
- Add 1/4 teaspoon (1g) of citric acid per pound of sugar.​
- Turn on the heat and set the alarm on the candy thermometer to 230°F (110°C).​
- Stir frequently while it starts to simmer.​
- When the temperature hits 230°F (110°C) reset the alarm for 240°F (115.6°C).​
- Heat slowly until the temperature gets to 240°F (115.6°C).​
- Lower the heat to keep at 240°F - 250°F (115.6° - 121.1°C).​
- For No. 1 maintain the heat for 20 - 30 minutes.​
- For No. 2 maintain the heat for 90 - 120 minutes.​
- For No. 3 maintain the heat for 150-210 minutes.​
- For No. 4 maintain the heat for 240 - 300 minutes.​
I have made it with a simple candy thermometer, not one with an alarm, and just kept an eye on it. Most recently I have begun using a dutch oven cooker and just set my oven to 240°F - 250°F (115.6°C - 121.1°C). Making this on a stove top requires constant attention and adjustment of the heat to keep the syrup between those temperatures so the oven method makes things much easier. I have bought commercial invert sugar (Becker's is the only option available in the US) and I like the result I get with my homemade invert 1000% better.

I wasn't aware that Brad had included invert in the ingredient database. It wasn't there when I started making my own so I entered them into Beersmith manually.
The invert sugar is included on ingredient list, but seems with 0.0 SRM in description. Maybe this would be made with white table sugar?
 
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I'm on English side of beers.
Then pretty much what @Kevin58 posted really. Main thing is to use good quality unrefined cane sugar, which is much more flavoursome than highly refined beet sucrose. There are lots of opinions online re how to prepare English brewing inverts. What's more important is standardising things for your taste and what's actually doable with your time and resources. My preference is to keep things very simple. I make invert #1 then adjust using molasses additions to get #2 and #3, sometimes #4. I can add % molasses additions later when I have access to my data. In terms of fermentability, I just accept what BeerSmith predicts, which always seems to work. Anyway, once you train yourself to detect the luscious flavour it adds (complements) it's going to take your English beers to the next level.
 
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The invert sugar is included on ingredient list, but seems with 0.0 SRM in description. Maybe this would be made with white table sugar?
Yeah, I don't know what that one is supposed to be. I made my own and added to the fermentables list. I've attached my files if you'd like to use them...
 

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  • Invert Sugar Fermentables..bsmx
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Here's what I use for molasses additions. I do the same regardless whether adding crystalline molasses or syrup molasses like blackstrap.

Invert #1 is basically what we'll get when inverting unrefined cane sugar. For #2, #3 and #4 add 1.2%, 3.5% or 23% molasses, respectively. So about 6g 1.2g molasses in 94g 98.8g invert #1 = 100g invert #2. About 23g molasses in 77g invert #1 = 100g invert #4. Etc.

In terms of colour, SRM (EBC); #1 ≈ 12-16 (24-32), #2 ≈ 30-35 (59-69), #3 ≈ 60-70 (118-138) and #4 ≈ 275-325 (542-640). I just assume an average value for BeerSmith.

I rarely use #4, which is best used in an imperial porter/stout, and sparingly even then, <5% of fermentables, imo.

The others, #1, #2, and #3, can be used alone or in any combination. To taste really. For me, about 10-15% of fermentables works well in a bitter or IPA, 15-25% in a mild. Porters/stouts can handle more of the complex character added by darker inverts, but if mainly used to boost gravity, #1 works fine on it own.

Demerara sugar inverted as #1 is very nice on its own in a bitter or IPA.

Edit: corrected some quantities I failed to adjust for simplicity.
 
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I really do not care for the flavor imparted by molasses. Especially blackstrap which is basically the concentrated dregs of what is left after making other forms of molasses in its various colors and thickness. By itself it may be loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals but for brewing I stay away from it.
 
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Used at such small amounts molasses add some very nice subtle complexity, not really a molasses character as such. It's pretty potent stuff neat, of course. A bit like table salt. Too much is too much.
 
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This is how Ragus, one of the main suppliers of English brewing sugars, add cane mollases to a standard inverted glucose syrup to adjust colour and flavour when producing the different brewing invert nos. Note too much heating destroys glucose molecules therefore reduces fermentability. Heating for hours to 'burn' the syrup to achieve darker inverts is not really recommended and is a waste of energy and time. Home-brew lore mainly, I'm afraid. The risk is ending up with a bitter syrup that lacks the luscious complexity. The lusciousness is, in culinary fact, provided by cane molasses, which is why I recommend using unrefined cane sugar to make invert #1.
 
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I really do not care for the flavor imparted by molasses. Especially blackstrap which is basically the concentrated dregs of what is left after making other forms of molasses in its various colors and thickness. By itself it may be loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals but for brewing I stay away from it.
I used blackstrap molasses for a couple years before discovering top (culinary grade) crystalline molasses. But I'd be happy to use blackstrap if I ran out of the crystalline stuff. It really doesn't taste bad in beer at all, if used appropriately. Unlike black treacle and an infamous 'English' recipe published in  BYO, recommending a whole tin in a 5G batch 🫣
 
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