Which gas?

[raiderman]

I think we are lucky at the moment with the number of microbreweries out there which makes going out for a pint an interesting experience. Because so many experiment in what they brew they also present us with ideas to copy.

For the homebrewer though there are dangers in assuming that current brewing practice is ok to copy. Stella claim that only 4 ingredients go into their beer and claim maize as one of them and try to make a virtue of it! The commercial pressures to produce a cheaper brew shouldn't apply to us. Marstons may save by adding sugar, but shouldn't the purist in us say that by replacing sugar with malt we get a better pint. If you look at Brew whatevers its called like wot you get down the pub the recipes increasingly add sugar, which compromises what we brew. If that nice Mr Wheeler gets wind of these kegging plants people are installing will he ressurect the recipie for Watneys Red Barrel? By not compromising we can start making a better pint. I feel a soapbox coming on.I need to lie down in a darkened room for a little while

[boingy]

I don't completely agree with your views on sugar but this is not really the thread for that discussion.

[Manx Guy]

Good to see people are still passionate about their beer!

I agree with your comments on formulation and certain brewing practices.

Yet I am unconvinced about CAMRAs arguments/stance on cask rebreathers and the use of blanket of CO2 to keep cask ale fresher for longer...

I am a member, and at the recent AGM I quizzed a few poeple about it and wasnt able to get a convincing answer...

By all means someone convince me on this point, until then I will view it as an unreasonable obsession of the beards, socks & sandels element...



Guy

[Manx Guy]

I don't completely agree with your views on sugar but this is not really the thread for that discussion.

Sorry Boingy you are correct this was a thread about gas....

Maybe you and raiderman would like to take your sugar debate elswhere.... (?)



Outside gentlemen?







Guy

[raiderman]

nah, I'm perfectly happy to hijack this thread, particularly as the gas point was settled some time ago and this is all that's keeping it alive! Nothing wrong with a bit of anarchy. Anyway I've had a lie down now and some lemon tea and I'm feeling all tranquil so I'm not proposing to get my soap box out again today.

[steve_flack]

If you think adding sugar to beer is a new fangled accountant driven thing you'd be very much mistaken. It's an old fashioned accountant driven thing...but the dark invert sugars do have a very definite flavour that is hard to get another way.

Curiously enough the last two brews I've done have included two 'evil' ingredients. One, an Adnams' Bitter clone, contained brewers' caramel. The second was the mild I brewed at the weekend that contained dark unrefined molasses sugar. There's using something as an ingredient to have a desired effect on flavour/colour etc and then there's using it just to be cheap.

[raiderman]

steve I completely agree where there's a genuine purpose behind doing something rather than just a profit motive.I add shredded wheat to most brews. I've added lactose to a porter and stouts. Honey in beer is popular and not cheap as I've found to my cost - and I didn't really like the outcome!

[Manx Guy]

nah, I'm perfectly happy to hijack this thread, particularly as the gas point was settled some time ago and this is all that's keeping it alive! Nothing wrong with a bit of anarchy. Anyway I've had a lie down now and some lemon tea and I'm feeling all tranquil so I'm not proposing to get my soap box out again today.

Glad to hear you are feeling better!

nothing worng with a heated debate now and then!

If you think adding sugar to beer is a new fangled accountant driven thing you'd be very much mistaken. It's an old fashioned accountant driven thing...but the dark invert sugars do have a very definite flavour that is hard to get another way.

Curiously enough the last two brews I've done have included two 'evil' ingredients. One, an Adnams' Bitter clone, contained brewers' caramel. The second was the mild I brewed at the weekend that contained dark unrefined molasses sugar. There's using something as an ingredient to have a desired effect on flavour/colour etc and then there's using it just to be cheap.

This was what I was aluding to before - the use of cane and invert sugars - is nothing new...

Steve can probably correct me here (which is thanksfully something he does occasionaly) but I think I read somewhere that Allsops of Burton used cane sugar in a few of its leading brews in the 1820's - when sugar probably wasn't cheap...

Anyway Allsops fell foul of the pub property crisis of the late 1830's and went into receivership.... (Strange to think today that one of the worlds biggest breweries making a series of bad financial descisions and going bust)

So I welcome the use of other ingredients when brewers are open about them and as said before not purely as a 'bean counting/saving measure'

The Belgian have no quarms whatsoever about using various sugars and fruits etc in their beer - but the point being they do it to acheive a cetain flavour or character to the finished beer not to save money!


Keep the debate alive I say!

Cheers!

Guy