American Pale Ale with brown sugar?

Hey guys, I just got a Brewer's Best American micro style Pale Ale kit and I was wondering: if I want to "kick it up a notch" could I add some dark brown sugar for a rummy flavor and added strength? Also, how much should I add if any? The help is appreciated...

you can kick it up a notch with brown sugar, but i'm not sure whether that would be the best idea for a pale ale. i haven't had a goood experience with brown sugar yet, i don't really like the taste that comes out with it. i'd recomend using invert sugar if your looking to boost the alcohol %. i personally don't think the flavors would work right with a pale ale. brown sugar tends to go better with darker, fuller beers. just my opinion.

edit- if you do go ahead and use it you generally use 1/2 to 1 lb. for five gallons.

I don't think this would work very well. Brown sugar is basically sucrose with molasses, so you would be getting a cidery flavor and a molasses flavor, neither sounds good for an APA.

I think honey would be a better choice for additional sugar. That and perhaps edging up the malts a bit. Or do like the megabreweries and add rice syrup.

The reason I didn't do extra malt was price...this is my 4th batch in a month and I don't want the wife to choke me over a 40 or 50 dollar batch (even though it would prob. be worth it!). I'm just looking for a beer with a little OOMPH and a lot of flavor. Rice syrup was mentioned, but would corn syrup would work, or extra dextrose? how much should I use to boost a 4.5 - 5% brew to approx 6 - 6.5%?

if you add 1lbs of honey to a 5 gallon batch that comes out at about 5.1% ABV you'll end up with a 5 gallon batch thats about 6.1%ABV. Corn syrup gave me tha same results. Cane sugar made it 6.2%ABV, and The Beer Recipator dint have rice syurp as a option.

Personally if I am looking to boost ABV and I am NOT using extra malt I am partial to honey . . . $2-$3 buck a pound at the local groery store and you can pick it up at the same time you make that milk run SWMBO send you out on and she will probably never notice

On a 5 gallon batch, you want about 7 lbs of fermentable sugars to hit your mark. If your using kit extracts, that does add up on price. I would recommend getting a light DME or LME which should run maybe $3.50 a pound. I find kits almost always leave you with 4 to 5% ABV unless you add something. I find that area of 6 to7% to be my preference. Light Corn syrup should work well enough. Avoid the type with vanilla added unless you want that to show up in the beer.

A lb of corn sugar (dextrose) would boost the a/v a bit and won't be all that noticeable. Why don't you just add some light dme or lme? That would be best.

yeah i forgot while posting that i used honey to do the same thing on my last APA. it was a great beer, so i'd recomend that. i used a litlle less than half a pound and it came out to around 5.5% ABV. definitely would recomemd that over brown sugar.

The recipes that I have call for ½ to ¾ cup (8 - 10 oz.) of brown sugar at the end of the boil. But for a pail ale, light brown sugar would be best.

Good luck,
Wild

Awesome, thanks for the help guys! I threw a lb. of honey in with the LME and I let 'er rip. The 3 gal. wort is in my tub right now chilling out and soon it'll be eating time for the little yeasties The boil smelled honey-rific and I'm curious to see how it all turns out. I'm sure you guys will hear about it. Thanks again,

WOT

WhatsOnTap said:

Hey guys, I just got a Brewer's Best American micro style Pale Ale kit and I was wondering: if I want to "kick it up a notch" could I add some dark brown sugar for a rummy flavor and added strength? Also, how much should I add if any? The help is appreciated...

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we do it to our IPA's sometimes. add 1 cup at the last 5 min of the boil. it's yummy!

I might have to try that in an IPA, I bet the hops offset the brown sugar flavor nicely... I'll let you know how the honey works; hopefully it gives me a good dose of alcohol plus a subtle flavor of honey to boot!

I pitched it yesterday at 3:00 and this morning it was bubbling at 1 per minute, but now it's going steadily faster - 1 every 15 sec. or so. I really think that vigorously stirring the yeast in makes it ferment out faster. Either it's the froth (aeration) or the thorough mixing of the yeast, or both, but I had a stout ferment out in 3 days doing that - now this batch seems to be off to a good start as well!