Can I add sugar at the beginning of secondary?

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mew

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That question goes for other things, too, I guess (like malt extract or something). In general, can I add stuff to the beer as I rack it to secondary if I find that it doesn't taste right?

Thanks!
 
Short answer: Yes, but make sure you boil it in some water for 15 min - to sterilize.

Long answer: Just because it might taste strange while still in the primary, don't give up on it! Those yeasts are doing their thing in there, creating billions of chemical reactions every minute, and each one changes aspects of the beer a little bit. Adding fermentables to the secondary will throw your benchmarks way off because you will not know why the beer tastes like it does. ...Was it from that slow wort-chill, or the 2 lbs or corn sugar I dumped into the carboy that made it taste like crap? Better to just let it ride out, and see how your recipe turns out. That way you will have a better idea next time of how to do it right. What's your recipe? There should be no need to add any fermentables unless ya only used like 2 lbs of malt extract. Oh, and try to stay away from corn sugar to keep it tasting like beer.
 
Thanks for the prompt reply. I am actually currently making cider, not beer as I mistyped earlier. I used five gallons of apple juice (unpasteurized from a farm), five cinnamon sticks, a handful of cloves, a cup of granulated sugar, and one packet of Red Star dry champagne yeast. I was goin to put in two cups of brown sugar, but I ran out so I left that out. This is my first attempt at brewing, and I've run into a couple of bumps along the way. The wort took longer than I thought it would to cool because somebody used up all the ice right before I needed it. It ended up taking almost two hours, but I finally got it cooled and added the yeast. I pitched the yeast kind of warm, so it took 24 hrs or so to get going. I'm guessing this batch won't be the best, but it has been really fun, even if I get nothing out of it. I've learned a lot already, but I've only just begun.
 
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