Boil small amount of beer and adding back to keg?

[Rob2010SS]

So, looking to add a non-fermentable sweetener to a keg. We already added some but it doesn't dissolve the best and we need to add more. My thought process was just heat it and dissolve it in a SMALL amount of water (1 cup or less) and add it to the keg. However, instead of water, my wife questioned "couldn't we just do that with a small amount of the beer instead of the water?"

So, that's my question - what are the consequences of heating up a small amount of beer and adding it back to a keg of carbed beer?

EDIT - Should clarify, the intent isn't to boil, it's just to heat until the sweetener is dissolved.

Thanks.

 

[rsquared]

The down side, you'll oxidize that beer, and even quicker at higher temps. Sure, it's not much and it won't be out that long, but water is the easier option anyway, so I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Jayjay1976]

get some lactose from your LHBS; dissolve it in boiling water, cool then carefully add to keg.

 

[NGD]

This^^

 

[Rob2010SS]

The down side, you'll oxidize that beer, and even quicker at higher temps. Sure, it's not much and it won't be out that long, but water is the easier option anyway, so I wouldn't risk it.

This is what I was looking for! Thanks

I didn't even think about oxidation so thanks

 

[Rob2010SS]

get some lactose from your LHBS; dissolve it in boiling water, cool then carefully add to keg.

There's lactose in it already. Almost 5lbs. I want sweet and lactose doesn't do that, at least not the sweet I'm looking for. This is a berry milkshake sour with lactose and vanilla but for just a touch of sweetness, adding the sweetener. I know not typical but we did samples dosed with it and it's exactly what we're looking for.

 

[IraJacobs]

It's hard to add sweet to beer that the yeast won't clobber. You already added a lot of lactose. Can we assume you also mashed high (> 154 F)? I just made a Cracker Jack beer and used Honey malt which adds some sweetness on the front end even though the finish was dry. But that would be for next time (and be careful how much you use). I have seen suggestions for adding a fermentable (e.g. table sugar), then discouraging the yeast from kicking up with Potassium Sorbate/Potassium Metabisulfite as is commonly done when back sweeting cider and wine. If you go that route, there is lots of info on the internet on how to do that (though usually for cider or wine - not for beer). Other thing you might try (if you have time) is to brew a small batch of very sweet beer (by mashing very high) and blending with your beer. Never tried it, but might be worth a shot.

 

[IraJacobs]

Thinking about the cider back sweetening route, you could back sweeten your beer with frozen berry juice concentrate (boil first). When I back sweetened cider, I used frozen concentrated apple juice, along with the Sorbate/Bisulfite addition. Bit unusual for "brewing", but sounds like a very unique beer.

 

[Rob2010SS]

It's hard to add sweet to beer that the yeast won't clobber. You already added a lot of lactose. Can we assume you also mashed high (> 154 F)? I just made a Cracker Jack beer and used Honey malt which adds some sweetness on the front end even though the finish was dry. But that would be for next time (and be careful how much you use). I have seen suggestions for adding a fermentable (e.g. table sugar), then discouraging the yeast from kicking up with Potassium Sorbate/Potassium Metabisulfite as is commonly done when back sweeting cider and wine. If you go that route, there is lots of info on the internet on how to do that (though usually for cider or wine - not for beer). Other thing you might try (if you have time) is to brew a small batch of very sweet beer (by mashing very high) and blending with your beer. Never tried it, but might be worth a shot.

So from what I've read, erythritol, the main ingredient in truvia and what we back sweetened with, is not fermentable. So i should not have an issue with yeast. I want to say I mashed at 156 but not positive. Could have been 154, would have to check notes. Given the beer we were trying to make, honey malt wouldn't have done it. This was intended to be a berry milkshake sour and to be honest, the truvia nailed it. It did exactly what we needed it to do. You get sweetness up front, the berries take over mid- sip and on the backend, the vanilla peeks it's head around the corner to reveal its presence and then you get a bit of the tartness. This is exactly what we wanted! I appreciate the feedback though.

 

[IraJacobs]

It's all about expectations. If you met yours, then great!

 

[Velnerj]

I would suggest making a syrup of the sweetener and just dosing it at each serving. This will avoid opening the keg and exposing to oxygen plus introducing oxygen rich mixture into the keg.

I did this with a shandy earlier this summer, adding a bit of lemonade to my glass before pouring and it was terrific. Another advantage is keg space. I had a full keg of beer plus I used about 3+ liters of lemonade when it was all said and done, it wouldn't fit into the keg that way and I would have lost some beer.

Just sweeten as you serve....

 

[Beermeister32]

Go purchase some Splenda coffee sweetener. Splenda is frequently used for back-sweetening ciders without adding additional fermentable material. Make sure to pre-mix it with some boiled and cooled water so it doesn't cause the beer to foam up and carefully add it to your keg or bottling bucket without splashing.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I would suggest making a syrup of the sweetener and just dosing it at each serving. This will avoid opening the keg and exposing to oxygen plus introducing oxygen rich mixture into the keg.

I did this with a shandy earlier this summer, adding a bit of lemonade to my glass before pouring and it was terrific. Another advantage is keg space. I had a full keg of beer plus I used about 3+ liters of lemonade when it was all said and done, it wouldn't fit into the keg that way and I would have lost some beer.

Just sweeten as you serve....

The sweetener has already been added, but just to touch on your points...

I didn't have to open the keg. I have a 100mL syringe that I inject the solution through the gas in post so that I never have to open the keg. This is the same way I add gelatin to kegs. This ended up being about 70mL of sweetener solution that I added through the post.

I know people add things to each serving but I don't know, I'm not a big fan of that method. Too much variability for me. We have a group of friends that bring us howlers and we fill the howlers for them with whatever we have on tap. I like it to be consistent. If they get a howler fill on keg #1 and then come back for another fill on keg #2, I want it to taste the same to them, you know?

Thank you for the input.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Go purchase some Splenda coffee sweetener. Splenda is frequently used for back-sweetening ciders without adding additional fermentable material. Make sure to pre-mix it with some boiled and cooled water so it doesn't cause the beer to foam up and carefully it to your keg or bottling bucket without splashing.

That's essentially what I did, except I used truvia. Heated it up in a small amount of water to get it to dissolve and added to the keg with a syringe through the gas in post. Worked beautifully and the beer turned out like a desert! Just how we wanted!

 

[Leezer]

The color is beautiful! What type of berries were used?

 

[Rob2010SS]

The color is beautiful! What type of berries were used?

Thank you! Blackberries, Raspberries, and Cherries. I think the ratio we chose was 1:1:2 respectively. Roughly 1.09lbs / gallon.