Help with "The Golden Dragon"

So I brewed this kit from Northern Brewer yesterday and I have three questions regarding the the addition of the Dark Candi Syrup at high kraeusen:

1.) When is high kraeusen? I can't really look at the beer because its in a bucket. 18 hours after pitching and its already fermenting like a mad man.

2.) When I do add it, what should my procedure be? Should I just warm it up (like LME) and dump it in or should I mix it with some water and boil it for a few, cool it and then dump it in?

3.) What is the purpose of doing this at high kraeusen as opposed to the end of my boil?

Thanks for the help

1)High kraeusen is when the yeast are at the most active, when the foam ontop of the fermenting beer is the tallest usually. It changes from recipe to recipe depending on protein, OG temp and other factors. In other words you have to look in the bucket.
2) When doing high kraeusen additions I normally reserve some of the wort after the boil. Mix the sugars into it, boil for a few minutes to assure good mixing and sanitation then pour it into a old apple juice bottle. This dilution allow for easier mixing in the fermenter and less wasted sugars stuck to the inside of the AJ container.
3)By adding at high kraeusen, the yeast aren't shocked by the sudden indroduction to a high gravity solution. Remember high kraeusen is when the yeast count is highest and they are at the most healthy. Also by that time the yeast have consumed some of the sugars in the wort so the gravity doesn't climb as high with the addition and shock the yeast.

Cool, thanks a lot! I didn't save any wort so I think I'll just add some water and boil the sugar for a bit to sanitize it

Troubs said:

Cool, thanks a lot! I didn't save any wort so I think I'll just add some water and boil the sugar for a bit to sanitize it

Click to expand...

i've done exactly this without any problems... but i think i'll try the wort trick next time, sounds like a good idea.

The reasoning behind the addition of simple sugars at high krauesen was explained to me as such. The malt sugars are more difficult to consume for the yeasts as they are longer chain sugars and require a bit more work. If the simple sugars (in this case, candi sugar) are introduced early, the yeast take the easy work first (those lazy bastids) and then encounter the more difficult sugars. By making them work on the harder project first, then adding something easy for them, it's kind of like feeding them dessert. They don't really need it, but it looks good and doesn't take too much effort so they figure why not! I've found this to be an easy way to get my FG down a few points on the brews I add sugar to, one of which is, in fact, a Gulden Draak clone as well.

Troubs

What's your fermentation schedule and temps? I will be doing the all grain kit in a couple weeks.

Did you do the all grain or extract? Any words of advice so far?

Thanks! keep us posted

I did the extract version.

After 7 days at an ambient temp of 64 degrees it has fermented out. I hit a F.G. of 1.008. Obviously it tastes extremely boozy. I brought the primary out of my basement after the first week to a place that will be warmer (high 70s) where it will sit for another 3-4 weeks on the cake.

I'll then transfer to a secondary where it will sit at the same temp for a few months. If it tastes good, I'll bottle. If not then I'll let it sit for a few more months