Making Belgian candi syrup

[@deliveryboy555]

Hey - thanks Tim, this is a great tutorial! I made myself some candi sugar for a belgian dark strong ale but it's ended up rather light. The candy sugar wasn't dark enough! I'm going to use this video to make some syrup to add to the fermenter - Cheers.

[@pewsandbrews]

Glad you liked it. Like it says in the video...go easy with the lime, I've found you really don't need to let the lime settle, just stir it up and add it a little at a time. It will look milky, but it seems to work better, and you can use less. keep an eye on it at the end, it can burn quickly when it gets thick!

[@kennethreister7619]

Tim: you suggest that clean up might be difficult without a non-stick pan, "just be ready for some scrubbing when you're done". I'm not sure why I would need to do any scrubbing. My solution is to add some of the universal solvent, that seems to be so ubiquitous, to the pan - Dihydrogen Monoxide (in a liquid state). You know, water. I had a little trouble when using the wort. Maybe I used too much. I ended up with crystalization at 265 degrees F. After that I couldn't control the temp. I used some NaOH for the base. Eventually I put in too much which developed a metalic flavor. Now I'm trying Diammonium Phosphate instead of the wort - no boil over problems.

[@andvil01]

The rough and dirty way: 1. Mix 1,5 kg sugar, 1 tablespoon dme, 1 teaspoon citric acid. 2. Heat until clear and boiling. Constant stiring. Keep it that way for at least 10 min. 3. Add a couple of grains of sodium hydroxide in a tablespoon of water. 4. Stir and let the water slowly boil off. The boiling point will rise as water content decreases. Watch the color darkens. Dropp sample in water and taste now and then. Nice cherry color. Do not go too hot, it will burn. 5. Let it cool down a bit. Add 500 ml water. Stir. Let it cool to room temp. Now you got a nice candy syrup. Takes less than an hour. No thermometer needed.

[@austin2842]

Thank you for sharing this. How much of the pickling lime solution did you end up using with those two additions?

[@thedagem]

Tim, Thank you for the tutorial, very informative. How does this compare to the D180 that we pay 8 bucks a pound for? I'm all for saving money, but that's such a good product, I feel like it's worth it unless this stuff is darn close. I've made stuff before with DME and it was tasty, just not the same. Thanks!

[@larsvolz4316]

I have a noob question. Does this harden if you leave it? I want to keep it from crystallizing when cooling. Does this stay fluid after cooling?

[@pewsandbrews]

It will stay syrup as long as it's thin when it' hot. If it's very thick when hot, it will harden when cool.

[@LostArkitekt]

Finally getting around to making this. When you say you held back some of the lime, how much did you hold back? Also, do you have a method for making it D45, D90 and D180? Is there a way to consistently measure the lime to get a specific color?

[@LostArkitekt]

Tim...when you say a cup of wort, can you use DME and water? If so, what OG are we looking for here? If not, do I actually have to make beer?

[@pewsandbrews]

+LostArkitekt DME is fine.....I used some I had that was about 1.040. The wort OG isn't a big deal. Could be 1.030 1.060 ect... you just want some proteins in there.

[@LostArkitekt]

I have some starter wort I made. The hot break, etc., floated to the bottom and it is clear, light brown wort. Should I mix up the break, or is the clear wort fine?

[@saraswatadatta758]

I followed the exact same steps but my sugar keeps getting caramalized when it hits 120C (248 F). Same happened twice. The second time i made sure i the sugar was dissolved properly, but even then it got caramalized. Please help me.!

[@pewsandbrews]

Essentially the goal is to caramelize the sugar, but to a level that can't be achieved by just cooking it without getting a burnt taste.

[@austin2842]

I'm trying this now and the lime doesn't want to dissolve in water. Hmm

[@pewsandbrews]

The lime won't completely dissolve, it will settle out fairly quick. Just stir it right before you add it to the mix. The amount you need is kinda trial and error....meaning add a little, and if you don't get a reaction pretty quick ( a minute or two) add a little more. You don't need ton of water for the lime, just enough so that it's liquid, not paste.

[@austin2842]

@@pewsandbrews Thanks for explaining that Tim. I tried making a batch last night, but failed. The liquid boiled over due to too small of a pot, and then shortly afterwards the entire mix recrystalized. I'm guessing there were still a few crystals present when I ramped up the temperature for inversion.