Brewing Sugars and Adjuncts

Beyond Grain

While malt provides the primary fermentable sugars in most beers, adding supplemental sugars is a legitimate and time-honored practice. Belgian brewers use candi sugar to boost alcohol without adding body. British brewers add invert sugar for the same reason. American craft brewers use everything from honey to maple syrup.

Table Sugar (Sucrose)

Pure sucrose ferments completely, adding alcohol without body, color, or residual sweetness. Used at 5-10% of the fermentable total in Belgian tripels, golden strongs, and high-gravity ales to keep the body light and drinkable despite high ABV.

Corn Sugar (Dextrose)

Glucose monohydrate, the standard priming sugar for bottle conditioning. Also used as a fermentable adjunct in the same way as table sugar. Ferments completely. Slightly less sweet than sucrose.

Belgian Candi Sugar

Caramelized sugar available in light, amber, and dark varieties. Dark candi sugar (D-180, D-240) contributes fig, raisin, dark fruit, and toffee flavors to Belgian dubbels, quads, and dark strongs. Light candi sugar is essentially rock candy — it adds alcohol and lightens body.

Invert Sugar

Sucrose that has been broken into glucose and fructose through acid or enzyme hydrolysis. British brewers use invert sugar (especially partially caramelized forms like "Number 2" and "Number 3" invert) for smoothness and subtle toffee/caramel notes in milds, bitters, and old ales.

Honey

Honey is 80% fermentable sugar (mostly glucose and fructose) with small amounts of water, proteins, and aromatic compounds. It ferments almost completely, adding alcohol and a subtle floral/honey character. Add honey after the boil or late in fermentation to preserve delicate aromatics. Use 10-20% of the fermentable total.

Maple Syrup

Real maple syrup contributes fermentable sugar with delicate caramel-vanilla character. Like honey, most of the flavor is lost during fermentation. Add it at flame-out or to the fermenter for best results. Use sparingly (5-10%).

Lactose

Lactose (milk sugar) is unfermentable by brewer's yeast. It adds residual sweetness, body, and creaminess to milk stouts, sweet stouts, and milkshake IPAs. Typical usage is 0.5-1.0 pound per 5-gallon batch.

Molasses and Treacle

Dark, intensely flavored sugars that contribute rum-like, toffee, and mineral notes. Used in strong ales, old ales, and holiday beers. Can be overpowering above 5% of the fermentable total.

When to Add

Highly fermentable sugars (sucrose, dextrose, candi sugar) can be added to the boil. Delicate sugars with aromatic compounds (honey, maple syrup) should be added at flame-out or during fermentation to preserve flavor. Lactose should be added to the boil for pasteurization.