maple syrup

Has anyone ever tried using pure maple syrup in one of their brews. I was thinking of trying a little bit of it in my next brew to just kinda mix things up and keep experimenting.

I know that some folks around here have used molasses in their brews... I'd imagine pancake syrup would have similar qualities, with a little different taste.

If you decide to experiment (and I encourage you do!), be sure you sterilize it by adding it to some water and hold it at ~170F for about 10 minutes. This will make sure you don't boil off the flavor, while also making sure you don't infect your brew.

I'd think the process of making the syrup would have sterilized it, or at least sanitized it.

Sam Addams tripple boc uses it.
I picked up a half gallon of pure VT Maple last tome I was up there riding. Haven't settled on a recipe yet.

Rhoobarb made a maple beer and I don't think he liked it too much.

Maple syrup has a strong flavor. It requires a lot of aging to mellow out.

Since it's so strong would it be smart to just use a bit of it and pair it with something else, maybe brown sugar or just a bit more DME?

What are you trying to accomplish?

You need a LOT of maple syrup for the flavor to come through. I used a modest amount on a 2.5 gallon batch (can't remember exactly how much, but a medium-sized bottle), but I couldn't taste it AT ALL.

You need to use pure maple syrup.

You should look for "Grade B"; more impurities, darker, more flavor.

You need a LOT; I've heard upwards of a gallon for a five-gallon batch.

I knew I saw a recipe for Maple Flavored beer in one of my recipe books - it was in "The Homebrewers Recipe Guide" page 81. It's an AG lager. I've never tried this, but always thought it sounded interesting:

Maple Leaf
Don't even think of using Log Cabin for the maple syrup in this Canadian lager. The preservatives in artifical syrup will wreak havoc on your yeast. The addition of the syrup late in the boil adds sweetness and body without overpowering.

6lbs Canadian 2-Row Pale Malt
1lb Munich Malt
1lb Torrefied wheat
2 cups pure maple syrup
1.5 oz Fuggles (bittering)
1 oz Fuggles (flavoring)
1 Package America Lager yeast
1.5 cups Pure maple Syrup (priming)

Mash grains 60 to 90 minutes, collect 6 gallons wort. Add 1.5oz fuggles hops and boil for 1 hour, adding 1 oz fuggles hops 30 minutes into the boil. Add 2 cups maple syrup during the last 10 minutes of the boil. Cool and pitch. Primary at 50 to 55 deg F for 5 to 7 days, Lager for 2 to 3 weeks. Prime with maple syrup, age in bottle 7 to 10 days.

I have a brewing buddy in Nova Scotia who uses pure maple sap from the sugar maples which he gets from around the St. Stephen area of New Brunswick. Makes a deadly maple beer from it, and he does canned extract kits.

I used 2 1/2 pounds of maple syrup in my pumpkin ale and you can't even taste it. I'm pretty sure it fermented out completely.

If you try it, don't use cheep pancake syrup. It is mostly corn syrup with artificial flavorings.

I did a porter with bsugar and molasses. It tastes really good.

That's all good to know. So it seems like you need to use a decent amount of it to get a decent amount of flavor from it. Would it be better to maybe added to the secondary fermentation or maybe for a source for priming?

Guy I bought my used equipment from told me he used maple regularly in his brewing. He had maple trees on his property, which he tapped for sap. Told me he'd reduce 20 gallons of sap down to 5 gallons and use it in place of the water in the brown ale recipe from his local HBS - claims it was AWESOME. Now, if you can find out the normal reduction of sap to syrup, you can figure out how to reconstitute syrup into 5 gallons and replicate this guy's technique. I think for some reason that it takes 20 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, but I'm not certain. If that's correct, though, you could buy 1 gallon of syrup and add 4 gallons of water to "get er done"...

I once made an Ohio Maple Imperial Stout. I used pure maple syrup harvested locally. It was good. However, when priming, I primed with more syrup.... I got a bit carried away and the end product was a bit thicker in body than I had hoped. I would use less syrup next time. (But it did Packed a wicked Punch!) I'll have to find my notes from that batch for the actual amounts used and when.

I purchased a 1/2 gallon of pure syrup for around $30-40, but it was from a yuppie marked up cheese store. (Don’t get me wrong I like cheese too! But not at those prices.)

I think I'm going to start asking around the Amish community for sources of local Maple syrup and Honey.

Realistically, if I could locate a more cost effective source for the syrup, I would like to try a few more batches.