add sugar in boil or during fermentation?

[brownrice]

haio,
Adding sugar to the boil inverts the sucrose (b/c low pH), but sugar additions early in fermentation help the yeast focus on maltose before crapping out on the simple sugars.
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I'm making a russian stout (5 gal) with 20lbs of 2-row and at least 1 lb of brown sugar, pitched onto the s-04 yeast cake of a 1.045 batch.

estimated gravity =1.115 -> 1.025
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Perhaps that's enough yeast to tackle the sugar addition right away, but perhaps it's always better to let 'em focus on the maltose first.

As I understand it, invert sugar (candi sugar) integrates more smoothly whereas sucrose produces "cider" notes. That would not be desirable in a RIS, whereas a high FG is already expected. Thus, I should add sugar to the boil instead of during fermentation. For a Belgian triple, I'd argue the opposite.

Any thoughts?

 

[brownrice]

big ol stout

Imperial Stout (13 F)

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.52 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 5.98 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 4.60 gal
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage


Date: 28 Jan 2016
Brewer: cricket
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) - All Grain
Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 83.6 %

20 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 80.8 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.1 %
12.0 oz Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 3 3.0 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.0 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.0 %
8.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 6 2.0 %
4.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 7 1.0 %
1 lbs Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM) Sugar 8 4.0 %

3.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 72.2 IBUs

1.0 YEAST CAKE SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] Yeast 10 -


Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color

Est Original Gravity: 1.129 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.025 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 14.1 %
Bitterness: 72.2 IBUs
Est Color: 47.6 SRM

Created with BeerSmith
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I have a packet of Lalvin 1118 on hand if the FG is above 1.030, but I don't wanna thin it out toooo much.

 

[MVKTR2]

during boil, thus no need to expose the beer to oxygen and potential contamination once fermentation has started

Recipe formulation and brewing decisions are about percentages and you've got 4% brown sugar you're adding. That's such a small amount there simply is no need to do anything other than toss it in the boil.

 

[Zigs6]

For a big beer like that I would add sugar during fermentation using a boiled water / sugar syrup so it can eat the more complex sugars first before moving on to the simpler ones. Give it a few days then add it in. Just make sure you have it nice and sanitary through boiling. It will attenuate better. If you were talking about a 1.070 beer, I would just say to throw it in during the later stages of the boil.