Adding Maple Syrup to Carbonate?

[jakis]

Hey all,

Another question - when adding maple syrup to prime the beer, should I add it to water and bring to a boil?

 

[gregjohnston]

Yes!

(This is good for sanitation, and good for mixing the dissolved maple sugar throughout the batch.)

 

[bobeer]

yup. A thick matter like syrup is hard to mix in the batch of beer without boiling it in hot water first. I suppose if you're careful you could put a drop or so in each bottle but that could cause different levels of carbonation throughout the batch.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

If you are using grade B it has a bit more of that maple punch than a grade A syrup. It'll hold up more to the heating without losing the aromas and flavors. Grade A syrup is generally described as having a more delicate aroma and flavor, Grade B is regarded as the syrup you want if you want that big maple-y punch in the nose and mouth.

 

[homebrewdad]

Definitely boil it, but only for long enough to really dissolve it - unless you have mold growth, maple syrup doesn't really spoil or grow harmful stuff.

Be aware that using priming sugar for flavor will, at best, give you a hint of the flavor you are looking for - maple syrup is no exception to this.

If you want maple flavor, you need a large amount of the lowest grade syrup you can find (grade A table syrup ferments almost completely away with little flavor contribution beyond a "woody" flavor), and that needs to go into your boil or fermentor.

 

[dnslater]

I agree with above, you are unlikely to get any maple flavor from a priming dose. I have added several pounds have been unable to detect the flavor. LME is cheaper.

 

[jakis]

Thanks for the help guys. I made a maple porter and used maple syrup yesterday by boiling with water. Maple Syrup is actually pretty cheap in Canada where I am from.