Invert Sugar

DIY Invert Sugar

To brew proper boring brown beer (ie traditional English bitter) you need to use invert sugar. This is not an ingredient easily available to homebrewers, although Lyle's Golden Syrup is a reasonable substitute as it is a partially inverted sugar syrup. However it is fairly straightforward to make it at home. I have just made 500g using:

Unrefined cane sugar 500g

Water 250ml

Cream of Tartar ¼ teaspoon

Bring the water to the boil and remove from the heat.
Next dissolve the sugar and add the cream of tartar and when fully dissolved return to hob, stir well and heat to 115°C.
Reduce heat and simmer without stirring for 20-30 minutes. Boiling for longer results in a darker colour. 

While it was simmering it gave off a pleasant aroma similar to a can of liquid malt extract, which must be a good sign! Once cooled it tasted like toffee.

Next job is to brew a best bitter!