Using Maple Syrup in a beer

[Matteo57]

Hi there,

I have been scouring info on different ways to put maple syrup in a beer to get some flavor and aromatics from it.
I plan on doing it in secondary, maybe even try and bottle condition a keg with it or something.
What i'm struggling with is how much to use, I've thought about 8-12oz for each 5g keg.
Second, I'm pondering boiling down some syrup for more condensed flavor.... thoughts on this?

Going for an oatmeal coffee maple stout of about 6.5%

Thanks for any input ya'll might have.

 

[Dgallo]

Hi there,

I have been scouring info on different ways to put maple syrup in a beer to get some flavor and aromatics from it.
I plan on doing it in secondary, maybe even try and bottle condition a keg with it or something.
What i'm struggling with is how much to use, I've thought about 8-12oz for each 5g keg.
Second, I'm pondering boiling down some syrup for more condensed flavor.... thoughts on this?

Going for an oatmeal coffee maple stout of about 6.5%

Thanks for any input ya'll might have.

I’d personally mash high 156* and then use 1.5 lb of lower grade maple syrup after primary is complete. Most will ferment out and thin the beer (reason why I suggest mashing higher) but if you keg and have a sounding valve you can benefit by using it for flavor and the ability to prime

 

[day_trippr]

I've read a ton of maple threads on HBT and they almost always end up the same: a mere suggestion of "maple", if that. But there were a lot of misguided practices accounting for most of those cases: using sap instead of water in the mash, using light syrup in the kettle, not using enough, etc...

The best bang is going to be to use one of the darkest grades, use enough to make a difference (I'd suggest a couple of pounds in a 5 gallon batch) and add it late in fermentation to avoid scrubbing. Account for the near 100% conversion to ethanol (and CO2) in the recipe, and hope for the best...

fwiw, the current grading system is pure marketting-speak but it rules, so...

Cheers!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Years ago I basically had the same idea. Yumm. Maple syrup. Purchase some pure maple syrup from Costco and added it to the secondary. Didn't turn out the way I expected/desired. Yes, it fermented driving up the ABV. Maple syrup flavor? No. Maple syrup smell? No. If I did again I'd put enough potassium sorbate in the secondary to retard the yeast and then add the maple syrup.

 

[Calder]

Good luck, report back if you have success. Personally, I think you are just going to waste expensive syrup, and get very little extra flavor than you would get from adding plain sugar.

Maybe there are other flavoring options. Do some research on it.

 

[couchsending]

Use the darkest grade you can find then boil it down until it’s unbelievably thick. Then add after fermentation has slowed. Best way to retain the most maple flavor/aroma IMHO.

 

[odie]

just did my second Maple RIS...this time it went in the fermenter way late. Basically secondary phase. Next time might just wait until kegging and let it condition.

 

[225]

I've read about people using the spice Fenugreek. It's supposed to smell / taste just like maple syrup, but doesn't ferment out.

https://www.bonappetit.com/drinks/beer/article/maple-syrup-beer

Autumn Maple’s warming notes of allspice and cinnamon make it Thanksgiving by the bottle. Which is no accident. “We are not shy about loving food,” Griffiths says. Next month, the Bruery will release the Grade, a strong Baltic porter infused with maple syrup and fenugreek. Seems odd until you sniff. “I smelled fenugreek, and it’s like sticking your face in maple syrup,” Griffith says. (Fun fact: Fenugreek seeds contain sotolon, a chemical compound used to fashion artificial maple syrup.

 

[Matteo57]

I was planning on boiling a bunch down to half original volume and then adding that into a keg and using the syrup to prime the beer to some extent. Although i've read a bit about it and sounded like this might just completely ferment out and wash out the flavor.....
I bought a $5 container of maple syrup extract as well just in case I need to spike it with some of that as well. We shall see!
Wonder how beers like Double stack get the flavor in their beer..

 

[couchsending]

I was planning on boiling a bunch down to half original volume and then adding that into a keg and using the syrup to prime the beer to some extent. Although i've read a bit about it and sounded like this might just completely ferment out and wash out the flavor.....
I bought a $5 container of maple syrup extract as well just in case I need to spike it with some of that as well. We shall see!
Wonder how beers like Double stack get the flavor in their beer..

Supposedly they add it after fermentation. It’s a 12% beer so the yeast is at or near it’s max ABV by the time the beer is done and they do as much as possible to get yeast out of it. Fining and lagering and at least not originally any filtering. Then supposedly they add the maple syrup before packaging. I guess they’ve never had refermentation issues?

 

[day_trippr]

"Double Stack is our Imperial Breakfast Stout fermented with an irresponsible amount of maple syrup & aged on whole bean coffee from local Oregon roasters."

I'm thinking a $5 container of real maple syrup is just scratching the surface of "irresponsible"...

Cheers!

 

[cactusgarrett]

I've read about people using the spice Fenugreek.

I would go this route. Drew Beechum actually repeatedly references fenugreek to get that maple syrup flavor. Apparently it's what's used in maple syrup flavoring/extract to give it the characteristic flavor.

Example 1
Example 2

 

[Matteo57]

"Double Stack is our Imperial Breakfast Stout fermented with an irresponsible amount of maple syrup & aged on whole bean coffee from local Oregon roasters."

I'm thinking a $5 container of real maple syrup is just scratching the surface of "irresponsible"...

Cheers!

I have a whole gallon of maple syrup, i was just saying that I have an extract as well to add in some additional flavors if I want if the dosing of maple syrup doesn't do anything to it...

 

[Matteo57]

I would go this route. Drew Beechum actually repeatedly references fenugreek to get that maple syrup flavor. Apparently it's what's used in maple syrup flavoring/extract to give it the characteristic flavor.

Example 1
Example 2

Thanks!! I'll check that out! Sounds interesting!

 

[Jag75]

This could be a pricey brew. I was in Vermont and did a tour at a maple syrup farm . It's no wonder pure maple is expensive. Great stuff and I left with if I remember was a gallon jug for 55$ or so.

 

[Matteo57]

Yeah, that's what it cost me for the gallon.... I'm hoping to only use about 2 cups and see how that goes.... we shall see!

 

[sebs]

I always wanted to boil maple sap until it reached an OG of around 1.050 and ferment that out with ale yeast.

 

[day_trippr]

Bet it would end up a bit north of 6% ABV and thin AF though...

Cheers!

 

[mjdonnelly68]

I have a Maple Brown recipe that I've been trying to perfect for years. I'm able to hop over the border easily so I always use high quality Vermont maple syrup.

For the first few batches I added varying amounts of maple to the boil. It gave the beer a very nice smoky character, but the yeast destroyed the maple in the fermenter and there was almost no maple flavor.

For the next few batches I put very little maple in the boil and added varying amounts of maple syrup to the fermenter. Again the yeast hammered the maple syrup and left very little maple flavor - and it added a fair amount of less than desirable heat.

Had the good fortune to bump into Sean Lawson (of Lawson's Finest Liquids) in Vermont and talked with him about it (he has some great maple beers). He said he went through the same problems before he discovered that adding Honey Malt to the malt bill was the key. Since yeast will eat all the maple sugars, Honey Malt is the key to getting the maple flavor in the beer.

I now use honey malt in my recipe (currently 2lbs for a 6gal batch with an OG of 1.058), 4oz of maple syrup in the boil and another 4 oz in the fermenter after fermentation has ceased (and just before kegging). Works pretty nicely.