forgot the sugar????

[cmatthew4]

ok so this is my first time making a home brew beer.... im pretty sure i did everything right except one important (i think) step
when i bought the coopers Canadian blond beer kit the seller also gave me a 1kg bag of corn sugar ....
here my problem.... when i made the beer i did not add the sugar... as i though it was for priming... the instructions didn't really specify that i NEEDED to add sugar except for priming....

will my beer be flavorless and bitter?
or was it really for priming....

it has been fermenting nicely (i would think) for 3 days now) at about 27 degrees celcius wich is the highest recommended
bubbles have started to slow alot compared to first and second day so im guessing im going along well since the pakage says it could be ready in 4 days if the temp is kept at 27

 

[JetSmooth]

Though I don't specifically know that kit, I am pretty sure it was for priming.

 

[bull8042]

1kg is 8 times what you need for priming! I am sure it was intended to be part of the fermentables. Do NOT use 1kg for priming please. For a 5 gal batch, you only need about 113 grams, or 4 oz.
Not knowing the recipe, I can only speculate. But your finished beer will be a bit lower in alcohol than intended, but it will still be beer.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

It's a "Kit and Kilo" thing. It'll be off but maybe drinkable. You could try dosing the fermenter with the sugar to get fermentation going again.

Be careful tho'. It wil off gas violently.

 

[bull8042]

Are you stalking me?

 

[tvtoms]

It was definitely supposed to go in with the malt extract. How to add it now, I dont specifically know..

I think I'd spray star san solution on the bag of sugar (if it is plastic), all around the fermenter lid, then my hands, then open that sucker up and gently stir in the sugar with a sanitized spoon. I dont really know though, so keep searching the board here and wait for more answers!

I currently am drinking a coopers canadian blonde made with 1 kg of coopers brew enhancer 1, and it's a really nice easy drinking ale. I used the coopers yeast too, fermented 2 weeks at around 70ish and in the bottle now about 3 weeks.

 

[XxonValdez]

Take the sugar, boil it in water, let it cool down to room temp, dump it in the fermenter and watch the fireworks, the yeast will go nuts, be sure to keep an eye on the fermenter temp.

Be sure to use good sanitation technique, dont rush, and it will be fine.



Edit: Did you take an OG (original specific gravity) reading?

 

[JetSmooth]

Well, i was partially right. Never had a kit that supplemented sugar for extract.

You should likely do some research on how much sugar to reserve for bottling. Or buy some more and duo the whole bunch in for fermenting.

 

[cmatthew4]

i figured you couldn't use the whole thing for bottling buti was guessing it only came in 1kg bags....
when i opened the can i figured it had enough sugar since it smelled of molasses and tasted sweet too.... that what sorta confirmed for me that there was plenty of sugar already
will my beer have any alcohol???
i don't want a beer with like 1 or 2% that would be sorta pointless

sorry im so new at this... but ill take this whole thing as a learning experience and ill make a perfect and amazing batch next time i guess

 

[Veinman]

Did you take an OG reading?

Not adding the beer will affect your ABV, the beer will be lower then if you had added it.
My calculations:
Assuming its 1 kg of Dextrose (Corn Sugar), at 5 gallons, and the beer was supposed to be 5% ABV
1 kg = 2.2 lbs Dextrose at 46 points per gallon =101 points
101/5 = 20 SG points for 5 gallons/ 7.36 = 2.75% ABV left out
Your ABV should be around: 5%-2.75% = 2.25% ABV

That's a pretty light beer but it could turn out to be light and refreshing. If you don't add the sugar now your beer will be fine but certainly light.

Myself I'd probably boil up about a litre of water and add the sugar to it, let it cool and then add it to the beer, make sure to watch it carefully as it will take off.

 

[wing_nut]

Now there's a coincidence. I just made the same mistake with Cooper's Pilsner and posted the same question yesterday. The directions are pretty vague in that respect. I called the folks at makebeer.net, Coopers distributor, and spoke to Tom. He said that while there may be a risk because you are opening up the fermenter and adding something else it shouldn't be a problem. I mentioned about doing what was said above... good sanitary practice and boil the sugar and so on. he also said you can just leave it it should taste the same just lower alcohol.

So if you wanna wait before you do it, I definitely am going to try it.

 

[cmatthew4]

to late hahaha just boiled the sugar i am about to add it..... ive also decided to go with a blow off tube instead of the little airlock for now due to all the worries of it taking off hhaha thanks guys hopefully it will be fine.... its cooling down now...

 

[cmatthew4]

after having added the sugar and soaking up the spilled beer wich foamed out like a mother @#$!@ it seems to have already started its alcohol conversion... the bubbles have gotten slightly bigger and more abundant already withing 4 hours

 

[wing_nut]

I was thinking blow off tube as well. Thanks for the confirmation. We can compare notes in a few weeks

 

[cmatthew4]

blow off tube was definitely necessary.... it was in the fermenter slightly longer than the instructions recommended but its been bottled today and what was left i tasted.... other than being flat and warm... it was pretty good i don't think adding the sugar in late affected the taste to much, if it did it wasn't bad....
carbonation will start happening soon... i added a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle (700ml)
wich is what the instructions said.... ill have a scale for my next batch and it will be a little more precise
my next batch i already bought will be an austalian draught malt extract and i dont plan on bottling it... it will go straight into a keg

 

[cmatthew4]

opened my first today and i must say it was pretty good.... not exactly a light beer but pretty damn good! i would definetly enjoy this one
everything about it was fine the carbonation was great, it wasnt green, and it was pretty clear
i say this batch was definetly a success
althought i am a fan of really light beers this one isint too heavy... im leaving it age a while longer to see if the taste will weaken just a bit
but i definetly wont stop myself if i cant help but crack one open! lol

 

[Pommy]

good to hear you managed to get your first brew sorted out and all is well Im sure you will learn a few more lessons along the way to making your perfect beer. I suggest having a read of this site as it has a lot of useful information and will help you if you want to take your brewing to the next level. Im sure after a few kits you will be tempted to give it a go...

http://www.howtobrew.com/