Infused sugars?

Ingredients
1

Listening to “the Splendid Table” yesterday and heard a pretty interesting idea - infused sugars. Basically you take something, such as jasmine, and ad it to the sugar and the sugar takes on the flavor of the jasmine. Was thinking this could be a pretty interesting way to add both fermentables and aromas/flavors to the beer. Basically approach it like a secondary feeding of sugar (ie: add sugar once fermentation is basically finished).

Or, maybe it would just be easier to add the jasmine, et al. Still, neat trick methinks. I’m thinking about trying it on a saison I have in the fermenter right now. Orange peel and jasmine.

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Maybe an interesting approach at bottling time.

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Very interesting idea! I imagine you would want to add a lot of spice per sugar. Someone should try that.

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1, 2, 3… not it.

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^ ^ ^ 3, 2, 1 … not making any sense. Try again.

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If you use vanilla beans as I sometimes do, put the bean pod in a 1/2 lb of sugar and leave it for a while.  Vanilla sugar.  Awesome on fruit or in deserts.  Not sure about brewing with it but it is great to have on hand.

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+1  I always do this.  With what good vanilla beans cost, I’ll drag every last bit of of essence out of them.

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This was my thinking as well. AB puts a pod in with the sugar in a food processor and blends it that way.

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I’m gonna try it on a beer here soon. I think it is an interesting idea. Might not do a damn thing but it might just bond on a molecular level and make an outstanding beer.

EHalls 3,2,1 nonsense be bloody damned. WTF was that for?  I noticed there was not enough courage to mount an explanation. Too bad… Kind of weak.  :wink:

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I think the explanation is that you said someone should try it and he was saying “not me”.  My kids will do that at times.  Last one to say “not it” is “it”.  Of course, I’m sure you probably figured this out already…

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No. I even have a 13 year old and I still didn’t get it.

12

My thoughts exactly.

How much sugar are you talking about adding? Maybe soaking the jasmine in warm/hot honey would do the same type of thing. might be something interesting here  :o

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You and your backwoods Alabama ways. I can’t believe you’ve never heard any kids say this (or say it yourself as a youngin’ - it’s nothing new)  ;D

Anyways, this is really common with vanilla as was mentioned. I’ve never really thought of it for brewing though - great idea.

14

Reminds me of the hop salt Sean Paxton mentioned in his NHC talk.  I want to make some of that!

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Glad to see your dancing banana again, tank!  :wink:

I was thinking it would be fun to try infusing some sugar with grapefruit rind and adding this to an IIPA with an incremental feeding approach (post fermentation). I fully realize that there’s a big possibility that it won’t do nothin’ but it’s a neat gimmick if nothing else.

Hop salt sounds neat, BTW.

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i’m actually about to try bottling with some vanilla sugar i picked up at a small local spice store.  they have about 8 different flavored sugars.  the two i’m most interested in trying in my porter is the vanilla and espresso.  not sure which beer a habanero sugar would fit.

cheers.

rpl

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Lol. That’s she said. :slight_smile:

I like the sound of the grapefruit sugar. I agree it’ll probably get lost in all the other hops, but still. You could do a split batch and do 1/2 with regular sugar 1/2 with the infused.

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I do the vanilla bean infusion.  Just the other day I back-sweetened a Traditional Mead with a small proportion of the vanilla-infused sugar with mostly OB honey.  I used it (a proportion) in the custard for chocolate ice cream and occasionally put it in my coffee.

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when ever I make custard or creme brulee or anything that calls for the insides of a vanilla bean I will take the left over pod and put it in a jar of sugar. one split pod can flavour about a quart of sugar given a week or so.