Who here has made a home brew with maple syrup? Advice? Lessons learned?

^ that sounds like an awesome idea. How long did you let the cubes sit in maple syrup? How many cubes? And how long did you let that sit in the carboy?

dryboroughbrewing said:

I've used maple syrup saturated oak cubes, I found the flavor quite pleasant.

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Damn, you stole my idea! (are there any original ideas in homebrewing anymore?)

Anyway, last year I tried to clone Founder's Canadian breakfast stout and I did two batches - one with grade B maple syrup as the priming sugar (got no taste from that) and one used maple extract at bottling. The maple extract gives a decent maple flavor, but it's not the hit-you-over-the-head maple flavor I was looking for. But it came out okay and it goes well with the coffee flavor.

But the next time I was planning on doing what dryboroughbrewing says to more mimic what Founders did with the CBS.

I brewed a winter warmer last December. Added 2lbs maple syrup to the boil at the 5min mark to flameout. No decernable maple flavor, however there was a lot going on with this beer. I believe I weighed in at about 6% abv, but the beer wasn't as dried out as I expected. I'm attaching the recipe below.

Based on my very limited experience I would say adding maple syrup to the boil is going to react much like adding brown sugar to the boil, which is to say you'll be drying out the beer and boosting the abv. I don't think that adding maple syrup to the boil will add any unfermentables to the wort, thereby imparting flavor.



Winter Warmer 10 Gal
All Grain Recipe
Submitted By: kennymac (Private) (Share)
Download | Delete Recipe | Bookmark

Brewer: Paul Houseworth
Batch Size: 10.00 gal Style: Christmas/Winter Specialty Spice Beer (21B)
Boil Size: 11.66 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2008
Color: 24.2 SRM Equipment: Ken's Brew Equipment
Bitterness: 27.3 IBUs Boil Time: 60 min
Est OG: 1.056 (13.8° P) Mash Profile: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Est FG: 1.012 SG (3.2° P) Fermentation: My House
ABV: 5.8% Taste Rating: 30.0


Ingredients Amount Name Type #
14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1
2 lbs Brown Malt (65.0 SRM) Grain 2
2 lbs Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 3
2 lbs Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 4
1 lbs 2.7 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 5
1.5 oz Northern Brewer [8.0%] - Boil 60 min Hops 6
0.50 Propane (Boil 60 min) Misc 7
2.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10 min) Misc 8
1.0 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.0%] - Boil 10 min Hops 9
3.00 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5 min) Misc 10
2.00 tsp Nutmeg (Boil 5 min) Misc 11
2 lbs Maple Syrup [Boil for 5 min] (35.0 SRM) Grain 12
1.0 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.0%] - Boil 2 min Hops 13
0.5 oz Northern Brewer [8.0%] - Boil 2 min Hops 14
2 pkgs Octoberfest Lager Blend (Wyeast Labs #2633) Yeast 15

In the past, we've added 2 pounds at flameout, I didnt find that it added much in the way of flavor. Bottlign a brown this weekend with 2 lbs grade A syrup added to secondary, will post results when I drink it

Anybody try using sorbate? Was thinking of adding some syrup to secondary and tasteing until its a little sweeter than id like then adding sorbate and bottling at the time sorbate is added. My hope is that itll still carbonate but leave some actual maple taste.

Used 2 lbs of Grade A maple syrup in secondary of Brown ale. Turned out syrupy sweet, as previous poster stated, not neccesarily maple, but combo maple/malty sweetness.
I steeped crystal and some others AND used all Maris Otter LME, next time plan ot use less steeped grains and less maple, or more hops.

kill the yeast via Campden tabs after your beer is fermented out. Mix in desired level of Maple, and keg. You wont lose the flavor due to fermentation. easy.

Dont have the equipment to keg. Thats why im hopeing that i can stop the yeast from reproducing when the levels are low enough to carb but not continue ferm

I know this thread is old, but Sam Caligione suggested that the later you add an ingredient in the mix, the more character it retains. In "Extreme Brewing", he recommended adding it after primary fermentation slows down.

I have done a few different beers with maple syrup. My neighbor has a sap house so he hooks me up with grade b syrup so the flavor is amazing.
i do a double ipa that ive brewed many times. I've primed with it and also added 1/2 gal at the 50 min point in the boil. Both times the flavor was present. It wasnt overdone and it surely didnt ruin the beer. Others have also tried it (whose opinions I respect) and they say the same thing. Its present but not over the top. It adds a subtle sweetness to the beer.
Ive also done northern brewers pumpkin beer recipe and added 4 pints at 0/15/30/45...... My sap house neighbor demands I brew that one every year. Again its present but not over the top.
This year I'm trying a maple pumpkin porter and I'll likely add the 4 pints to the boil. wish me luck and good luck with yours.

That maple pumpkin sounds awesome. If it works out letme know, id like to try one myself

Wheatmeister said:

kill the yeast via Campden tabs after your beer is fermented out. Mix in desired level of Maple, and keg. You wont lose the flavor due to fermentation. easy.

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I've been considering this for a smoked maple amber (a friend is a sugar maker and smokes grade c syrup). Has anyone actually tried it?

I'm making my annual winter warmer now...I'm adding 8 to 12oz to the keg and then immediately putting in the fridge to avoid further fermentation.
My uncle taps and boils down his own maple syrup in MN and gave me a quart. The rest is going to my buddy who makes a maple pecan porter...he does the same (kegging-wise). It seems to work best. Doesn't boost alcohol, or dry it out, and adds an amazing maple flavor.

So I bottled my maple pumpkin the other day. The smell, color and taste of this beer is unreal.
Quick recipe overview. This is basically northern brewers all grain recipe with 60 oz organic pumpkin purée in the mash. Added a gallon of grade b throughout the boil. 1.086OG
The maple is present and in my opinion perfect. Not too much but definitely noticeable.


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I have been using maple syrup in many different beers for a long time. Since the stuff costs more than gold, I collect what is left each week after pancakes. When I fill my collector, I add it to my next brew. It is grade A and the result appears to be no different than regular sucrose. I have never tried grade B, I may have to give that a try.

Has anyone ever tried maple sugar? I found it online and its made from 100% pure maple syrup so im assuming it would be no different then using syrup

@gianakis
Why would you say brewing with maple sap is a waste? I'm going to be brewing a Brown Ale, using maple sap, and adding a couple of ounces of maple syrup at flame out.

Was your beer overly dry, any thing I can do to keep it from being too dry (Dextrin malt maybe)?
I was going to add the syrup at flame out, but would the secondary be better (will probably do both, any recommendations)?