Supplementing LME...?

Ok, I'm getting ready to make a 5 gallon batch of beer but I'm a little short on my supplies. I have hops and yeast, but only about 4lbs of LME. I suppose I could just make a batch that would be a "light" beer, but I'm thinking about supplementing the LME with some other sugar sources. I have 12 oz of honey and 12 oz of fake maple syrup (basically just high fructose corn syrup). Since the batch would still be mostly made of LME I don't think it will be a problem, but before I go ahead and add them I'd like to know if I'm making a mistake. I don't want to end up with a batch of hooch. Should I skip these ingredients and stick with a "light beer," use alternative sugar sources (in moderation of course), or abandon making beer until I make another trip to the local homebrew supply store? Any words of caution or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Edit: I could also add a cup or two of brown sugar....

Well, you could add the honey, but no way would I add any fake syrup or corn syrup. Even if you add the honey, though, you'd be looking at a 1.034 OG for your brew, or a 3.1% alcohol beer. You'd also have to careful not to overhop such a small beer. Adding brown sugar would boost the alcohol very slightly, but then it would also thin and dry your beer even more.

I'd wait until I could buy some grains and/or extract.

Why not just make it a 2.5 gallon batch? I'm not trying to be rude, but a half batch of decent beer has to be better than 5 gallons of watery stuff you won't drink.

YooperBrew said:

Well, you could add the honey, but no way would I add any fake syrup or corn syrup. Even if you add the honey, though, you'd be looking at a 1.034 OG for your brew, or a 3.1% alcohol beer. You'd also have to careful not to overhop such a small beer. Adding brown sugar would boost the alcohol very slightly, but then it would also thin and dry your beer even more.

I'd wait until I could buy some grains and/or extract.

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Thanks for the advice. What if I just made 3 gallons of wort and put that in my primary fermenter? Would the extra head space be a problem? I may end up abandoning the brewing for the day, but I'd like to weigh all my options beforehand.

ma2brew said:

Why not just make it a 2.5 gallon batch? I'm not trying to be rude, but a half batch of decent beer has to be better than 5 gallons of watery stuff you won't drink.

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ha, answered my question before I got a chance to ask it! I think I may go ahead and make a half batch.

Absolutely- do a 1/2 batch, just by following the recipe and cutting it exactly in half. I'm not smart enough to have thought of that- good thing you guys thought of it!