31A
Alternative Grain Beer
Alternative Fermentables BeerColour varies by recipe
ABVVaries with the base style
IBUVaries with the base style
SRMVaries with the base style
31B
Alternative Sugar Beer
A tasteful integration of sugar and beer, but still recognizable as beer. The sugar character should both be evident and in balance with the beer, not so forward as to suggest an artificial product.
Colour varies by recipeParameter ranges
Alcohol · ABV
Varies with the base styleBitterness · IBU
Varies with the base styleColor · SRM
Varies with the base styleOriginal gravity · OG
Varies with the base styleFinal gravity · FG
Varies with the base styleRanges describe a style, not an individual beer. Colour depends on the base beer and ingredients. The transparent glass outline does not depict a fixed beer colour.
About this entry
An Alternative Sugar Beer is a standard beer (Classic Style or not) with added sweeteners, including fermentable sugars (e.g., honey, brown sugar, invert sugar, molasses, treacle, maple syrup, sorghum), unfermentable sugars (e.g., lactose), sugar alcohols (e.g., sorbitol), and any other sweetener (natural or artificial) that affects the flavor profile. The beers may or may not have any residual sweetness; it depends on the type of sugar, but flavor contributions are expected.
Appearance
Same as the base beer, although some sugars will bring additional, usually darker, colors.
Aroma
Same as the base beer, except that some additional fermentables (e.g., honey, molasses) may add an aroma, which should be a pleasant, balanced combination with the beer.
Flavor
Same as the base beer, except that some additional fermentables (e.g., honey, molasses) may add a flavor, which should be a pleasant, balanced combination with the beer. Added sugars should not have a raw, unfermented flavor. Some unfermentable sugars provide a fuller finish, while fully fermentable sugars can thin out the finish.
Mouthfeel
Same as the base beer, although depending on the type of sugar added, could increase or decrease the body.
In the same category
Notes
The additional sugar should be apparent somewhere in the sensory profile. If the sugars do not add a distinguishable character to the beer, it retains the character of the base style. A honey-based beer should not have so much honey that it is perceived more like a mead with beer (i.e., a braggot) than a honey beer. This category does not cover beers in which the alternative sugar is fundamental to the style definition, or where a small amount of neutral-flavored sugar is used simply to increase gravity, increase attenuation, or lighten flavor or body; those beers retain their normal base-style classification.