Adding sugar during fermentation--what consistency?

[loctones]

I'm brewing a high-gravity beer, and the recipe calls for 2 lbs. of sugar. I chose to use turbinado sugar. Last night I boiled the first pound in just enough water to form a syrup. By the time the syrup cooled down, it was pretty thick. Thick enough that I had to get some of it out of the pan using a (sanitized) spoon.

This morning when I checked the carboy, there was a dark brown layer on the bottom of the carboy. I know some of it is trub, but I wasn't able to swirl all of it into solution, which makes me pretty sure that a lot of it is the sugar.

First, if I give the carboy a swirl a few times a day, can I expect the yeast to chew through the dense layer of sugar on the bottom?

Secondly, what consistency should the sugar syrup be? I don't want to add too much liquid to the beer, but I also want it thin enough to be able to get into solution. What's the appropriate ratio of water to sugar?

 

[beergolf]

It is funny. I just added some Turbinado sugar to a brew I am doing about 45 minutes ago. I aded enough water and boiled it to get to the consistency of maple syrup or just a little thinner.

I added it just as the krausen was starting to drop. I had droped about half way. Fermentation took off like crazy and I had blow off in about 20 minutes. Going crazy right now.

Belgian tripel with WY 3787 yeast. MMMMMMM.

 

[FensterBos]

By swirl, do you mean that you are stirring the wort with a spoon or are you lifting the carboy and swirling it with the carboy still sealed?
Just like malt extract when you perform the boil, the turbinado syrup you made needs to dissolve into the beer or it will just settle to the bottom. So making the syrup too thick might be too much for the yeast.
Is there any indication of fermentation? Did you take an SG reading?

 

[loctones]

The swirling of the carboy was lifting it and swirling with it sealed. There was definitely indication of fermentation, but fermentation wasn't finished when I put the sugar in. It was about 1.030 when the sugar was added.

I checked it when I got home from work and it looks like at least some of the sugar was fermented, as there was less at the bottom of the carboy than last night.

When I added the second portion of sugar tonight, I mixed 8oz of water with 1 lb of sugar. It was a little thin at a 2:1 ratio of water to sugar, but that's okay. I will try 3:1 on the next beer I add sugar to.