Fermentation – Sugar additions question

[Lukass]

Hey all,

Brewed a barleywine on 1/10, and I have a question regarding sugar additions to the beer once fermentation begins to slow (which it has). The recipe calls for 1 oz cane sugar the first day, then 1 oz brown sugar the second day, and alternating between these 2 for the next 5 days.

My questions are, will this ramp the fermentation back up? And has anyone ever done a sugar addition before? Do you just toss it in...? I was thinking about just boiling some water and making a sugar/water mix (like you would a priming solution), wait for that to cool, and pour it into the fermenter. That way the boil would kill anything that could be in the sugar.

Would love to know your guys' thoughts

Thanks

 

[ColoHox]

Yes, fermentation will pick up again to chew through the new sugars. This practice is pretty common for boosting the ABV. You should boil the sugar in a small amount of water, then add the cooled solution.

You might also consider adding a pinch of yeast nutrient with the first sugar addition. That yeast is going to start getting weakened due to the climbing ABV and all the work you are asking them to do.

 

[Lukass]

Ok, will do, thanks! Hopefully it will pick back up, because ferment has been pretty sluggish thus far, even with a yeast starter that was built up twice. I used WLP570 Belgian strong and kept the temp fairly warm.

Do you think the sugar add, along with yeast nutrient will be enough? The recipe calls for a secondary fermentation with the WLP1099 Super High Gravity yeast, and some more aeration. So I think any sugar that isn't eaten now will get torn up in secondary.

 

[Lukass]

ColoHox do you think that more aeration of the beer could help get fermentation back into action? perhaps a bit of stirring.. I feel that just 3 days of bubbling may not have been enough, and that the ferment may have become stuck..

 

[ColoHox]

ColoHox do you think that more aeration of the beer could help get fermentation back into action? perhaps a bit of stirring.. I feel that just 3 days of bubbling may not have been enough, and that the ferment may have become stuck..

I would be hesitant to aerate now that much of the fermentation has finished. I know some recipes suggest additional aeration but you do not need additional yeast reproduction (which requires oxygen) just additional fermentation. It might be okay if there are enough fermentable sugars left and if your secondary addition of SHG yeast will be reproducing, but that is not a practice I use.

The ONLY way to tell if you have a stuck fermentation is through gravity readings, never a bubbling airlock. Check your gravity before and after your sugar additions to get an idea of what is going on.

 

[Lukass]

Thanks for the reassurance.. just being a paranoid brewer I think I'm just gonna leave it alone and do what the recipe suggests – 5-day sugar additions; first addition with some yeast nutrient. Then a few days later put in secondary and add the SHG yeast to finish it off. I guess the whole point of the secondary fermentation would be because the primary ferment isn't supposed to finish off all the sugars... is that correct?

 

[GuldTuborg]

Only 1oz of sugar a day seems like a complete mess of a process. You have to open the fermentor 10 times to add 10 tiny additions? I've done this plenty, and one or two additions of this weight is fine. Hell, I've routinely added a pound of sugar to a batch.

What was the OG? Any idea where you're sitting before sugar additions? I highly doubt you need nutrient, and please don't aerate anything. Just make a syrup with some water and pour it all in. Unless you're 2-4% over the published tolerance for this strain, you really don't have to take any extraordinary measures.

 

[Espresso]

What's the benefit of doing sugar additions over time like this compared to just adding it all in at the start?

 

[GuldTuborg]

What's the benefit of doing sugar additions over time like this compared to just adding it all in at the start?

Adding sugars after fermentation has started prevents really dense (high gravity) worts. It also allows the yeast to get started in a more tolerable gravity setting, where once going, they tend to want to keep fermenting. Yeast are inertial like that. Basically, it's a technique to get a better degree of attenuation and/or a higher alcohol level out of a big beer.

 

[Espresso]

Adding sugars after fermentation has started prevents really dense (high gravity) worts. It also allows the yeast to get started in a more tolerable gravity setting, where once going, they tend to want to keep fermenting. Yeast are inertial like that. Basically, it's a technique to get a better degree of attenuation and/or a higher alcohol level out of a big beer.

Interesting, thanks!

 

[GuldTuborg]

Interesting, thanks!

Sure thing. For what it's worth, most really big beers (think DFH 120) use some form of late sugar additions. It's pretty much necessary if you mean to get standard yeasts up to 15-16% and beyond.

 

[Lukass]

Thanks for the advice, GuldTuborg, made my first sugar addition last night, but will probably just keep it to a few, rather than 10... And no, I didn't aerate it any more. I checked the gravity before I added the sugar – O.G. was a tick over 1.100, and it's down to 1.030 now. With the rest of the sugar additions, and secondary fermentation with the WLP1099 it's supposed to be anywhere between 14-16% abv. Does that sound about right?