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I have acquired "white belgian candi sugar" from BrewFerm, and it is in rock form. AFAIK, this is just solid invert sugar, and should have potential 46 PPG, but BrewSmith and Brewer's Friend both list them with 38 PPG. Is this correct?

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There is no reason it should be different from any other sugar. I use 45 ppg and get the gravities I expect, so I would have to say that 46 is closer than 38. I suppose it could vary by brand if one brand somehow cut the sugar with something else, but I'm not aware of that actually happening. BTW, candi sugar rocks are a waste of money. Belgian brewers don't use it. They use either candi syrup or plain beet or cane sugar (like table sugar).

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  • Thanks! About what Belgian brewers use, yes, that's what I hear. There seems to be confusion in the literature about this. For example, Palmer and Zainasheff both write candi sugar in recipes, claiming that it is more healthy for the yeast. Also, the chemical composition of table sugar varies, AFAIK, from pure sucrose to almost inverted sugar.
    – Nemis L.
    May 14, 2013 at 16:37
  • I can't think of any reason why candi sugar would be healthier for the yeast. It's simply regular sugar that has been crystallized. And I'm not aware of any variability on the composition of table sugar. How could it be "almost" inverted? Could you provide some examples? For the best info about using sugar in Belgian beers, refer to "Brew Like a Mink" by Stan Hieronymous.
    – Denny Conn
    May 14, 2013 at 17:51
  • I just consulted Jamil's "Brewing Classic Styles". All the Belgian recipes that use sugar specify cane sugar and/or candi syrup. None that I read use rock candi.
    – Denny Conn
    May 14, 2013 at 17:55
  • You are right, and thanks for the reference! I am actually brewing "Lefty Blonde", and puched in the recipe a while ago. About invert sugar etc: I am sure I have "read somewhere" that inverted sugar is more healthy for the yeast than sucrose, the reasone related to the yeast avoiding invertase production in the former. AFAIK inverted sugar = sucrose split into glucose and fructose by hydrolyzation (i.e., using invertase from yeast). I have, again, "read somewhere" that table sugar can contain a mixture of sucrose, fructose and glucose. Hence the range of inversion...I may be wrong of course.
    – Nemis L.
    May 14, 2013 at 18:51
  • There is a persistent idea that inverted sugar is easier for the yeast to break down. While that may hold true from a chemistry perspective, the reality is that yeast has no problem breaking down non inverted sugar. At any rate, the sugar will become inverted in the kettle due to the heat and acids present.
    – Denny Conn
    May 14, 2013 at 18:57

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