Question about table sugar as ingredient

[hinke]

Hi,

I am making a big beer this weekend, an Imperial IPA. 6 gallon batch (Probably 5.5 gallon in fermenter).

15# 2-row
1# Victory
0.5# C60
0.5# C120
0.5# flaked wheat

78% Efficiency.

Do you guys recommend adding table sugar to this recipe? I just have a hard time figuring out what the table sugar will do, more than adding alcohol and helping the beer to finish dry.

If adding 1# of sugar to the recipe it will raise the OG to 1.090 (Accordning to beer smith), but Beer Smith has calculated a FG of 1.021, I would think it should go lower than that, but maybe I am wrong.

Thanks.

 

[Oldsock]

Most of those FG calculators are pretty rudimentary, just taking into account the attenuation of the yeast and the OG.

I like sugar in my IPAs for just the reasons you mentioned, getting a higher ABV without leaving the beer sweet. It allows you to brew a big beer that doesn’t taste like an American Barleywine. That said 1.090 with sugar will give you a beer around 10% ABV. For most big IPAs I like to start in the 1.070s so the alcohol doesn’t get out of control. That said, I just did one with 1.25 lbs of sugar that started at 1.094 and got down to 1.014.

I like a cleaner/simpler grainbill, pale with just a bit of light crystal/carapils to let the hops do the talking.

Hope that helps, good luck.

 

[hinke]

Thanks.

So maybe drop down the amount of Victory malt, and maybe half the crystal malts.

I think I can drop the malts down, so it will have an OG of 1.080-1.085 with the sugar. I don't want it to come out hot and solvently.

 

[Oldsock]

If you pitch enough yeast, hold the fermentation temp below 70, and give it enough time even a really big IPA shouldn't be hot/solvently. My issue is just that I can drink more 8% DIPA than 10% DIPA, and I enjoy it just as much. I'm actually throwing a party once the 10.5% Pliny the Younger clone is ready just so I don't have to deal with it on tap for 4 months as it slowly loses hop character.