Does homebrew have sugar in it?

[227bhp]

If I make (say) Cider at home, the yeast converts the sugar to alcohol so there should be no sugar left, correct?
Or not....

[cbmotorsport]

not all the sugar is converted.

[227bhp]

How does that happen?

[Crossbot]

In my experience, virtually all of the sugar is converted when making cider, at least when using cheap apple juice to make it and what you will be a left with is an incredibly dry/sour cider that needs sugar or some sort sweetener added to it before you would want to drink it. My local homebrew shop used to sell sachets of yeast which already had the correct amount of sweetener added for 40 pints.

[C0ffin D0dger]

Not sure where you're going with this but alcohol is just as bad, if not worse for you, than sugar. Surprisingly it also has a similar number of calories

In a pint of cider it's a bit over 200 calories.

[harrycovert]

Yeast has an “ethanol tolerance” depending on the strain. So some sugar may be left unconverted.

[227bhp]

I was having a debate with a GP nurse about diabetes, she said that you get sugar from alcoholic drinks, which I would say is probably generally true of shop or pub bought ciders etc, but not for home brew. I brew it until it stops fermenting so there shouldn't be any sugar left.
Agreeably yes, alcohol isn't much good for you either!

[SpeckledJim]

IIRC the strength of your brew is defined either by the amount of sugars that are there to be converted, or by the tolerance of the yeast to alcohol, whichever is the lower.

[SpeckledJim]

227bhp said:

I was having a debate with a GP nurse about diabetes, she said that you get sugar from alcoholic drinks, which I would say is probably generally true of shop or pub bought ciders etc, but not for home brew. I brew it until it stops fermenting so there shouldn't be any sugar left.
Agreeably yes, alcohol isn't much good for you either!

It's not just 'sugar' per se. But 'sugars' such as those inside the grain.

[227bhp]

There is no grain in apple juice

[Sparkov]

Not all sugars are fermentable by yeast, and so depending on what you start with there can be some sugar left in homebrew. When making beer, for example, it's possible to control the ratio of fermentable to non-fermentable sugars produced during the mashing process and this has a direct effect on the body and sweetness of the finished product.

With cider however, considering apple juice contains mostly fructose, sucrose and glucose (all easily fermentable by yeast), I'd expect all of the sugar to be converted into alcohol, unless the alcohol reaches a concentration that stops the yeast working. Certainly any cider I've made has turned out to be extremely dry with no noticeable residual sweetness.

[Jambo85]

Sparkov said:

Not all sugars are fermentable by yeast, and so depending on what you start with there can be some sugar left in homebrew. When making beer, for example, it's possible to control the ratio of fermentable to non-fermentable sugars produced during the mashing process and this has a direct effect on the body and sweetness of the finished product.

With cider however, considering apple juice contains mostly fructose, sucrose and glucose (all easily fermentable by yeast), I'd expect all of the sugar to be converted into alcohol, unless the alcohol reaches a concentration that stops the yeast working. Certainly any cider I've made has turned out to be extremely dry with no noticeable residual sweetness.

Correct!

[227bhp]

I sought advice from a high level and it got quite complex - for instance, the initial sugar molecules are split into two and dealt with differently by the yeast (and other gubbins).
If the yeast out weighs the sugar (in strength) then it will use up all of which it can. BUT! There are different types of sugar and it doesn't or can't use all of them so some kinds of sugars may still be present. Whether they are the kinds of sugar which can affect a diabetic person i'm not sure.

[Jambo85]

227bhp said:

I sought advice from a high level and it got quite complex - for instance, the initial sugar molecules are split into two and dealt with differently by the yeast (and other gubbins).
If the yeast out weighs the sugar (in strength) then it will use up all of which it can. BUT! There are different types of sugar and it doesn't or can't use all of them so some kinds of sugars may still be present. Whether they are the kinds of sugar which can affect a diabetic person i'm not sure.

Aye - but as said already in the specific case of cider which you mentioned the different types of sugar wouldn't be an issue as fructose and glucost are completely fermentable. Honey is composed of the same sugars so mead is another alternative. Unless the alcohol tolerance of the yeast is reached before all sugar is fermented or it is back sweetened after killing off the yeast.

[227bhp]

Jambo85 said:

227bhp said:

I sought advice from a high level and it got quite complex - for instance, the initial sugar molecules are split into two and dealt with differently by the yeast (and other gubbins).
If the yeast out weighs the sugar (in strength) then it will use up all of which it can. BUT! There are different types of sugar and it doesn't or can't use all of them so some kinds of sugars may still be present. Whether they are the kinds of sugar which can affect a diabetic person i'm not sure.

Aye - but as said already in the specific case of cider which you mentioned the different types of sugar wouldn't be an issue as fructose and glucost are completely fermentable. Honey is composed of the same sugars so mead is another alternative. Unless the alcohol tolerance of the yeast is reached before all sugar is fermented or it is back sweetened after killing off the yeast.

I brew it until all the fermentable sugars are gone so forget that. It's the other sugar types which it doesn't use that we are talking about and those are at the edge of our knowledge base at the moment without going into the deepest darkest depths of what an apple is made up of and what happens to the various components during brewing - it's far from simple once you really start to delve into it.

[Jambo85]

It's news to me that apples contain any sugars other than fructose, glucose and maybe a bit of sucrose - have you got a source?

Beer on the other hand can be full of dextrin/dextrose, depending on style.

[227bhp]

Jambo85 said:

It's news to me that apples contain any sugars other than fructose, glucose and maybe a bit of sucrose - have you got a source?

Beer on the other hand can be full of dextrin/dextrose, depending on style.

Not an online source no, but earlier in the thread:

Sparkov said:

Not all sugars are fermentable by yeast, and so depending on what you start with there can be some sugar left in homebrew.:

[Jambo85]

227bhp said:

Jambo85 said:

It's news to me that apples contain any sugars other than fructose, glucose and maybe a bit of sucrose - have you got a source?

Beer on the other hand can be full of dextrin/dextrose, depending on style.

Not an online source no, but earlier in the thread:

Sparkov said:

Not all sugars are fermentable by yeast, and so depending on what you start with there can be some sugar left in homebrew.:

That will not wash with me sir, confirmation bias at its best I'm afraid

Sparkov in the same post also said:

With cider however, considering apple juice contains mostly fructose, sucrose and glucose (all easily fermentable by yeast), I'd expect all of the sugar to be converted into alcohol,

[4x4Tyke]

Sparkov is right, but he is talking about the general case for homebrew. Since beer, cider and wine are made from natural products the ratios of each type of sugar vary. Cider typically converts all the sugar, which is why it is normally pretty dry by default.

[227bhp]

Jambo85 said:

227bhp said:

Jambo85 said:

It's news to me that apples contain any sugars other than fructose, glucose and maybe a bit of sucrose - have you got a source?

Beer on the other hand can be full of dextrin/dextrose, depending on style.

Not an online source no, but earlier in the thread:

Sparkov said:

Not all sugars are fermentable by yeast, and so depending on what you start with there can be some sugar left in homebrew.:

That will not wash with me sir, confirmation bias at its best I'm afraid

Sparkov in the same post also said:

With cider however, considering apple juice contains mostly fructose, sucrose and glucose (all easily fermentable by yeast), I'd expect all of the sugar to be converted into alcohol,

I've quoted him as an example as it agrees with what he said, he is not my source. I'm saying my source is someone I know, an expert.
Amazingly people do exist who are not 'online'.