hist-brewing: Sweet Beers

[JazzboBob at aol.com]

If you want a stronger alcoholic beer that remains light in taste and body, 
you need to boost the overall fermentables with a sugar source that is highly 
fermentable and doesn't leave behind complex carbohydrates that are 
unfermentable and sweet.  Simply use an extra pound or two of corn sugar also 
called dextrose.  You can substitute honey or table sugar with the same high 
fermantation effect but with a different taste.
It sounds to me like you are getting poor fermentations with high terminal 
gravities.  Get back to good basic brewing techniques and ingredients, use a 
high quality yeast with a known high attenuation, oxyengenate and ferment it 
cool to avoid fusels and off flavors, and enjoy your beer.  Remember that 
many commercial American beers are made with 40 % adjuncts and that is why 
they have minimal malt flavor and body.  Use a higher sugar ratio to malt if 
that's the flavor profile you are looking for.  Forget about the 
complications of Potatoes in beer brewing.  The commercial guys would be 
doing it if it was possible and profitable.  I can't remember ever seeing a 
Potato Beer for sale at my local.
Besides, it's quite the opposite taste of my all malt Barley Wines and 
Historic Ales.
Bob Grossman

<< To those of you whom I incensed with my request for information on how to
 increase the alcohal content in my summer beer by using potatoes, please be
 advised that I have used honey and other sweetners and I am getting tired of
 drinking sweet beer that doesn't tast like a regular beer. >>

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