Adding DME Directly to Primary/Secondary

I would like to turn my IPA into a double, and I wanted to add 3 lbs. of DME to my Primary/Secondary to take my OG from 1.050 up to 1.082. Is this an idea that can work? I wasn't sure if I had to boil it or not. I forget if the enzymes/sugars in DME are already converted or not.

Granted, I could just brew another batch, but I'm impatient

the risk of adding it without boiling or otherwise sanitizing is the risk of infection.

be sure to consider how adding 32 points to the OG will change the balance of the beer.

Yes, you can do so, but I'm not sure how well the DME would dissolve into the beer. You could stir it, but you'd risk oxidizing the beer (although some of the oxygen you introduce will be scrubbed back out again by the yeast going to work on the newly-introduced sugars, but I have no idea how to quantify how much of that will occur). The main issue I see is throwing your beer out of balance. I'm assuming your beer's current bitterness was balanced with the malt profile and anticipated final ABV of the beer. Simply throwing more fermentables at it now, without a corresponding adjustment to the bitterness, will result in some sort of "Frankenstein" IPA. That said, it's your beer, and experimenting is half the fun of this hobby, so go for it if you want. Let us know how it turns out.

progmac said:

the risk of adding it without boiling or otherwise sanitizing is the risk of infection.

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I think the risk of infection is negligible. There are recipes out there for clones of DFH's 120 Minute IPA which involve numerous (12+) additions of dextrose directly to the fermenter during fermentation, and infection is not a risk. Also, I think the resulting high-alcohol environment the OP is creating should also minimize the risk of any alcohol-intolerant infection from taking hold.

Agree with kombat. The problem isn't as much increased risk of infection as it is oxidation. Have you ever tried to stir DME into cool water? Also, simply adding 3lb of DME will throw off your malt/hop balance.

Mrphillips- one of the most valuable qualities of a good brewer is patience. It comes more easily once you have a good amount of homebrew on hand. Leave this batch alone. If you want to do a DIPA, brew it that way next time from the beginning.

Well the main problem is that my beer WAS NOT balanced to start with. I accidently made 3 gallons instead of 2 (maybe I was enjoying a dew too many homebrews while brewing ), so now I have 76 IBUs in what will be a 5% beer without enough malt backbone. Thoughts?

mrphillips said:

Well the main problem is that my beer WAS NOT balanced to start with. I accidently made 3 gallons instead of 2 (maybe I was enjoying a dew too many homebrews while brewing ), so now I have 76 IBUs in what will be a 5% beer without enough malt backbone. Thoughts?

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My first thought is - good thing it was only a 2 gallon recipe.

I cannot think of a good, workable solution for the current batch. Sorry.

Think it'll be drinkable? Would adding .5-1pound of corn sugar be a viable option to make it a little more enjoyable?

I've seen a lot of people talk about making a second batch with the intention of blending it with a "messed up" batch. Seems like the best option here, even if it will force you to be a little more patient .

I agree with BigFloyd, be grateful it was a small batch, and learn from your mistakes. We all goof up, whether we are new brewers or not.

As others have said, adding DME is maybe not the best solution, but it is not difficult to do.

You could boil the DME for 10 minutes to solubilize it and achieve hot break, then chill to fermentor temperature and add to your carboy. No doubts about whether it will be sterile or if you would get odd off flavors from the DME.

I brewed 3 gal banana wine a while ago and it fermented out super thin (~1.004), so I made a 0.75-gal mini-brew of 2-row and oatmeal (60-min mash + 60 min boil) and added it to the fermentor. The fermentation kicked up again, yielding me a few alcohol points and the final gravity was around 1.015. No off flavors or any other sign that I didn't brew all the grain bill at once. Granted, the banana wine had little to no hopping, so I didn't have to worry about IBU to maltiness balance.