Hello All,
I know that there are a zillion threads on the general subject of adding sugar to beer, but I'm hoping for some helpful feedback for my particular situation. I don't believe the misconception that adding table sugar results in a cidery beer, so please do not respond with this comment.
So, I brewed my first high gravity beer with all grain, a Russian Imperial Stout, and my efficiency was really poor (54% mash efficiency and 50% overall efficiency). Instead of a 1.107 SG, my SG was only 1.078. I mashed at higher temperatures for a full body, and now it appears that fermentation is fairly complete in primary with a FG of 1.028 and an abv of ~6.3%. It has only been in primary for about 5 days, but all the fermentation happened in the first 36 hrs and it is only bubbling 1-2 times/minute, so I don't expect much additional attenuation.
Since the abv is lower than desired and the FG is fairly high, I am considering adding about 2-3 lbs of table sugar with a pack of rehydrated yeast to increase abv by 2-3%. I know this will likely thin out the beer, but I assume with a gravity of 1.028 thinning is probably not a huge concern. I expect that the beer would be fine even if it thinned to a FG of 1.018 or so.
What do you think about adding 2-3 lbs of table sugar and a packet of rehydrated yeast following primary fermentation in this context?
I know that there are a zillion threads on the general subject of adding sugar to beer, but I'm hoping for some helpful feedback for my particular situation. I don't believe the misconception that adding table sugar results in a cidery beer, so please do not respond with this comment.
So, I brewed my first high gravity beer with all grain, a Russian Imperial Stout, and my efficiency was really poor (54% mash efficiency and 50% overall efficiency). Instead of a 1.107 SG, my SG was only 1.078. I mashed at higher temperatures for a full body, and now it appears that fermentation is fairly complete in primary with a FG of 1.028 and an abv of ~6.3%. It has only been in primary for about 5 days, but all the fermentation happened in the first 36 hrs and it is only bubbling 1-2 times/minute, so I don't expect much additional attenuation.
Since the abv is lower than desired and the FG is fairly high, I am considering adding about 2-3 lbs of table sugar with a pack of rehydrated yeast to increase abv by 2-3%. I know this will likely thin out the beer, but I assume with a gravity of 1.028 thinning is probably not a huge concern. I expect that the beer would be fine even if it thinned to a FG of 1.018 or so.
What do you think about adding 2-3 lbs of table sugar and a packet of rehydrated yeast following primary fermentation in this context?