Replacing Honey with Maple in Christmas ale

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Homer

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Getting bored of my usual Christmas ale and want to change it up a bit. I usually use 1 lb of honey in the last 10 min of boil, and was thinking of replacing it with Maple syrup. What will this do? I've been doing some searching, but still not sure what to do. I want some maple flavor and aroma, and I will be kegging, so I can't prime with it. I bought some grade b but not sure when to add it, suggestions?

thanks
 
Just treat the keg like a bottling bucket. dissolve the maple syrup in a bit of hot water. Pour into the keg and rack on top of it. Purge w/ co2 if possible. I'll do this when a tap isn't open and want it carbed and ready when one opens up.
 
Just treat the keg like a bottling bucket. dissolve the maple syrup in a bit of hot water. Pour into the keg and rack on top of it. Purge w/ co2 if possible. I'll do this when a tap isn't open and want it carbed and ready when one opens up.

So is it okay to do this, then put right in the fridge and force carb at the same time? That way maybe since it gets cold the maple wont start to naturally carb, or start up another fermentation?
 
You'll get more maple flavor for your money if you use grade B which is also the variety normally recommended for cooking with.
 
Homer said:
So is it okay to do this, then put right in the fridge and force carb at the same time? That way maybe since it gets cold the maple wont start to naturally carb, or start up another fermentation?

You will definelty get more maple flavor this way because the maple never gets fermented since the yeast goes dormant. It stays in solution and the beer gets force carbed instead.
 
Ok, so I think I will definetly add the Maple to the keg, so just a few more questions. Should I also add maple at flameout instead of the honey, or keep the honey and only add the maple to the keg. Or should I take out the honey all together?

Finally, any suggestions on how much maple to add in the keg, or at flameout for 5 gal?
 
With good grade B maple, you're probably at less fermentable sugars in it (compared with honey), I would add it once the wort is cooling down since you'll get different flavors it you add it hot compared with adding it at a lower temp. I think that once you've passed about 180F it should be good. You could just get a quart and add half during the cool-down and then some once fermentation has slowed, and the rest into keg before chilling and force carbonating it. See how it comes out that way and adjust for next time. :D

BTW, I have 10 quarts of grade B syrup on hand. :rockin: Used more in a 14% maple mead I made last December (going to bottle this month). Trying to decide what strength to make the second batch. :D Of course, I'm NOT buying grade A syrup ever again. This stuff is GREAT on pancakes, waffles, etc... Kicks grade A's ass all over the playground.
 
With good grade B maple, you're probably at less fermentable sugars in it (compared with honey), I would add it once the wort is cooling down since you'll get different flavors it you add it hot compared with adding it at a lower temp. I think that once you've passed about 180F it should be good. You could just get a quart and add half during the cool-down and then some once fermentation has slowed, and the rest into keg before chilling and force carbonating it. See how it comes out that way and adjust for next time. :D

BTW, I have 10 quarts of grade B syrup on hand. :rockin: Used more in a 14% maple mead I made last December (going to bottle this month). Trying to decide what strength to make the second batch. :D Of course, I'm NOT buying grade A syrup ever again. This stuff is GREAT on pancakes, waffles, etc... Kicks grade A's ass all over the playground.

Do you think its a bad Idea to leave the honey in also? I'm afraid If I take the honey out all together that I might be changing too many variables and won't know what changes came from the maple.
 
Ok, so I added 8 oz of the grade B maple during cooling and am now ready to keg it. The maple came in what looks like a wine bottle, so probably around 750 ml, so I have about half a bottle left. Should I use the rest of it in the keg? I think I will take the advice from sfrisby and dissolve it in some hot water, and rack on top of it.

What would be a good water to maple ratio, and how hot should the water be that I am dissolving the maple in? (does it need to be a certain temp to kill anything in the maple?)

Thanks
 
Minimum amount of water possible. I would simply boil/heat some water in a tea kettle, and mix it in until it looks right. You might only need half a cup with the rest of the maple.

Assuming you plan on putting this right into the keezer/kegorator/etc. to chill and carbonate, right?
 
Minimum amount of water possible. I would simply boil/heat some water in a tea kettle, and mix it in until it looks right. You might only need half a cup with the rest of the maple.

Assuming you plan on putting this right into the keezer/kegorator/etc. to chill and carbonate, right?

Yeah, it will be going right into the fridge. Do I need to add the maple above a certain temp to be safe? I definitely should not add the maple at boiling temp, correct?
 
Yeah, it will be going right into the fridge. Do I need to add the maple above a certain temp to be safe? I definitely should not add the maple at boiling temp, correct?

I would just have it warm enough to mix well. IMO, you're just looking to get it to get into as much of the brew as possible. Since you're putting it into the fridge after this, you should be safe from infarction. :D IF you're super paranoid, get the mix up to about 150-160 for a minute (or three) and you should be fine.

Temperature (°F/°C) | Time (minutes)
123/51 | 470
130/55 | 170
135/57 | 60
140/60 | 22
145/63 | 7.5
150/66 | 2.8**
155/68 | 1.0**

** Extrapolated from logarithmic curve constructed from Townsend's data.

FDA has shorter times, but since that's for milk, it doesn't have a direct correlation here.
 
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