You can make a maple syrup porter, or a honey raspberry wheat, or an imperial Russian stout with hints of rum and treacle. Yeast, which is responsible for converting the sugars into alcohol, can only consume certain types of sugar. It not only provides sweetness but also plays an important role in the fermentation process, which is responsible for producing alcohol.

Versatility: Brewing sugar can be used in a variety of homemade beverages, including beer, mead, and cider. Even though sucrose usually comprises only a small percentage of the wort, studies have shown that most brewers yeast strains seem to work on it first — breaking it down into its glucose and fructose components. Malting companies produce the extract that allows homebrewers to skip the conversion process when brewing beer at home. Other brewers actually look at this last stage of fermentation with an ulterior motive; they want to add character with this final step.This includes observing the activity in the airlock, checking the specific gravity with a hydrometer, and tasting the brew at various stages.

Brewingathome supplies a huge range of homebrew beer kits, wine kits and brewing accessories, and is a completely independent online supplier, not connected in any way with larger commercial enterprises. If you are like me, you want someone to cut to the chase and explain what’s what without referring to the fact that fructose differs from glucose by having a ketone rather than an aldehyde carbonyl group.There are many online communities and forums where home brewers can share tips and techniques, and there are also many books and magazines dedicated to the art of home brewing.