table sugar to dry out beer...

[inda_bebe]

can i use table sugar to thin out the body in a beer?

for example, if i mashed too hight at medium or high body temps. can i use 3% table sugar to dry it out w/out giving it that alcohol heat and taste?

 

[poptarts]

it will add more alcohol and dry it out, at 3% i dont imagine you would notice much of a change on either front though.

 

[smalliewader]

^this.

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[tacks]

Also, too much table sugar will make your beer taste "cidery".

 

[cjgenever]

With some styles you can push it to 20% table sugar (diipa) with no ill effect,but 10% is my no worries limit. I use this method to thin my imperial ipa's when needed. I add out right as primary ferment its coming to a close, when I can get a good idea of attenuation. I boil it and drop it to 80°f or so. That way it goes into solution rather than fall to the bottom.3% is fine.

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[inda_bebe]

i like the idea of using rice to bump up alcohol and to dry it out. but scared of the whole ceral mash process. thinking its too much work for what it does. but, DRIPA is an amazing beer.

 

[kanzimonson]

Let's be clear here: when we talk about sugar "drying out" a beer, we're not usually saying add sugar to a beer to thin it out.

We're talking about this scenario: You brew a beer, decide it didn't attenuate enough/was too malty/needed less body. So the NEXT time you brew it, you sub out some of the base malt for sugar.

 

[cjgenever]

Let's be clear here: when we talk about sugar "drying out" a beer, we're not usually saying add sugar to a beer to thin it out.

We're talking about this scenario: You brew a beer, decide it didn't attenuate enough/was too malty/needed less body. So the NEXT time you brew it, you sub out some of the base malt for sugar.

No, sorry. I never add sugar to the wort, only the beer. No kit and kilos in my house. Table Sugar is easily fermentable. It conditions the yeast to not produce the enzymes to metabolize maltose. Basically it makes the yeast lazy. This reduces attenuation. I use the sugar to thin the body. I do a fast ferment to see what my maximum attenuation is. I usually get there with careful fermentation. If the fast ferment finishes high I will add table sugar as ferment slows. This does two things. Obviously, it thins the body by adding pure alcohol. It also 'drives' the ferment by helping keep the yeast active. I realize it seems strange to add fermentables after ferment, but it works well.

It is not too often that this method is needed.

Let's be clear...

If you get poor attenuation on one batch you can lower your mash temp or choose a different extract on your next batch. You may also need to look at your choice in yeast and fermentation conditions. Table sugar is a cheat at best (last resort), a cheap drunk at worst. I'd rather control my processes than add tasteless hot alcohol.

And yes, I do brew a pliny clone with no sugar. I've even been known to prime via Krausening. That's hard core 'no sugar'. So please don't anyone call me a TS advocate

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[inda_bebe]

I use the sugar to thin the body. I do a fast ferment to see what my maximum attenuation is. Obviously, it thins the body by adding pure alcohol. It also 'drives' the ferment by helping keep the yeast active. I realize it seems strange to add fermentables after ferment, but it works well.

how much sugar would you use just to thin the body?

 

[cjgenever]

There are several ways to figure out the actual gravity change. The easiest (no real calculations) is to use the fast ferment (or pull a sample) and add maybe 5% TS. See where that puts it. Be advised, It doesn't change the actual gravity a lot, but it really does dry it out on the pallet.
I avoid using sugar unless it's really needed, and even then I limit it to 10% of the total gravity contributions (unless it is part of the recipe i.e. DFH 120 min). An ipa handles 10% TS well, but other styles are more sensitive to the hot alcohol. Of course, many other styles benefit from some body anyway. Since the effect is specific to each beer, it becomes more of a 'got a feel for it' type of thing.

Sometimes I'll even brew a 'sessionable' iipa by adding body. Not cloying, just full. It slows the consumption rate and I like the clash of malt and hops. It may be out of style, but I'm brewing it for me.

Please understand, if a beer finishes a touch high I will not add TS (ipa is the exception). It's not worth the way it thins. It seems to reduce the malt backbone. A little TS goes a long way. I liken it to trimming the hedges with an 80cc chain saw. Can it be done? Sure. Can it be done well? YES. Is it a lot easier to make the bushes look like crap with such a tool? You know it. Will it ever be as good as a pro with shears? Hell no!

I guess I'm saying all this because I'm worried I may mislead someone to thinking that TS is a magic wand that has gotten a bad rap for no good reason. TS can not replace good planning, good ingredients, and good process control. It is just something that I find handy, but only once I knew how to control everything else (in theory). Only then did I start to experiment with this.

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[cjgenever]

i like the idea of using rice to bump up alcohol and to dry it out. but scared of the whole ceral mash process. thinking its too much work for what it does. but, DRIPA is an amazing beer.

It's great if you know you need it. My most common ipa: OG 1.072, FG 1.010. Us-05, 8-8.5% abv. Loosely based on DFH and brewing classic styles.

No adjuncts needed. It's all in the recipe and mash schedule. It real easy, I only started ag last December.

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[cjgenever]

Just took a FG. Used 10 oz ts to take it from 1.011 to 1.010. But it really cut the mouthfeel. Seems like more of a 1.008 with all the nice Carmel flavor still there. I like the pruny-raisiny flavour of c120 with victory and a Britt base , but can't add all I want with a proper FG for an ipa. I'm experimenting here with using the TS to give me a combo of layered flavors with light body. Let u all know when it's carbed.

Edit
That was 5.25 gal

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