I added waaaay too much sugar, right?

[BookofNick]

Hi all, first post here. While waiting for my first ever batch (a kit) to bottle condition, I began my second batch. I didn't really realize how much sugar I was supposed to add. I think I added too much - I guess the task of upping the alcohol content was clouding my brain.

Could someone take a look at my recipe below and perhaps provide some comment or clue as to this batch's future? It's been fermenting furiously for two days now. 5 gal. THANKS!

3.3 lbs dark UME
2.4 lbs (2 cans Mr. Beer) Sticky Wicket UME
9-10 g dry ale yeast - Safale s-04
1 lb dry *lactose sugar
1 qt (32oz) grade A maple syrup
1 c molasses*
2 c dark corn syrup
5 c brown sugar

 

[JLem]

That does look like a ton of simple sugars, but it is tough to really know using volume (cups) instead of weight. Any idea how much each sugar addition weighs?

 

[weirdboy]

Wow, a cup of molasses is what sticks out to me. I mean the sugar is one thing, but with that much molasses that is basically all you are going to taste.

I am not sure what UME is...I assume it's liquid? Does the "U" mean "unhopped"?

If that is the case then you made this and didn't add any hops whatsoever?

 

[keesh]

Wow, a cup of molasses is what sticks out to me. I mean the sugar is one thing, but with that much molasses that is basically all you are going to taste.

I am not sure what UME is...I assume it's liquid? Does the "U" mean "unhopped"?

If that is the case then you made this and didn't add any hops whatsoever?

If that's the case this is going to be the booziest sugar water the world has ever seen.

 

[brewser7]

If that's the case this is going to be the booziest sugar water the world has ever seen.

I seriously LoL'd at this. Almost made my beer come out my nose!

 

[BookofNick]

Well, 5 cups brown sugar is 1 1/4 lbs. 2 pounds maple syrup. About 1/2 pound corn syrup and a 1/2 pound molasses.

Also, UME means unhopped malt extract...no hops at all. I wanted a dark stout...didn't think there was hops in a stout.

 

[badbrew]

I count like 11 pounds sugars. Should have saved the good yeast and pitched the ones that came in the kit. Can't wait till you post again after trying it.

 

[mike20793]

Keep an eye on your gravity during fermentation. By the looks of it, your fermentation will likely stall due to the high alcohol content produced from all those simple sugars. You might want to think about re-pitching. It would have been nice if you pitched onto a fresh yeast cake and added more yeast once it began to stall. Oh well, that's how we all learn! Worst case, the beer will taste more like cider than beer. It will likely still be drinkable, but probably will be sweet and boozy tasting at first. Age it for a year and then taste it. Don't stress out too much, I'm sure it will be fine. Good luck and cheers!!:rockin:

 

[atom]

i don't know what you made, but it ain't beer...

 

[homebrewdad]

Well, 5 cups brown sugar is 1 1/4 lbs. 2 pounds maple syrup. About 1/2 pound corn syrup and a 1/2 pound molasses.

Also, UME means unhopped malt extract...no hops at all. I wanted a dark stout...didn't think there was hops in a stout.

Typically, malt extract is referred to as dry or liquid, and by color - it's assumed to be unhopped. Also, stouts absolutely use hops.

Hops serve three purposes, two of which are considered to be optional.

#1 (required): hops added early in the boil give you bittering to balance out the sweetness from your sugars.

#2: hops added later in the boil add flavors... be these citrusy, earthy, whatever.

#3: hops added at the end of the boil add aromas to the beer.


If you don't have #1 (and you don't use some ancient traditional alternative like berries or whatever), you essentially end up with dark boozy sugar water, not beer.

Not trying to insult, only help you understand what hops are for. For your next try, you might want to check out recipes online for stouts.

 

[BookofNick]

Well, more like 4 1/4 pounds. Was I supposed to add hops?

Also, Mike are you serious about aging it for that long? Will that mellow out the sweetness?

 

[homebrewdad]

Well, more like 4 1/4 pounds. Was I supposed to add hops?

Also, Mike are you serious about aging it for that long? Will that mellow out the sweetness?

Yes, beer of anything but ancient traditional recipes should include at least some bittering hops. Grain+hops+water+yeast=beer. Remove one, and you have something else.

Aging it a very long time is probably the only shot you have.

 

[klnosaj]

. Was I supposed to add hops?

Only if you were trying to make beer. There are four ingredients that are necessary (and even sufficient) for something to be beer: barley, hops, yeast, and water.

 

[JLem]

Well, more like 4 1/4 pounds. Was I supposed to add hops?

Also, Mike are you serious about aging it for that long? Will that mellow out the sweetness?

Yes, you should have added hops. Without hops, it isn't beer. And with all that sugar in there, you're not going to get anything of any particular quality. In general, you want to use mostly, if not all, malt. In some beers you can add up to 10% sugar to help "thin" it out. Not sure if even long aging will help this one.

I suggest you start here - http://www.howtobrew.com

 

[bighorn_brew]

Yeah, sugar additions are a bit heavy handed, it takes along time for the brown sugar to mellow, early it throws some weird volatiles off (if you were thinking a rum porter think again), and the molasses plus maple will probably take a long time to mellow. You'll need some bitters to counterbalance this, otherwise it's going to taste alot like malt/malple/sugar wine...tho, who knows it might be tasty....let us know how it turns out...btw, what temp are you brewing this at?

 

[bighorn_brew]

Funny this is posted today, I just dumped a five gallon carboy of peach wine that I substituted about half the sugar with brown sugar....even a year plus it still was terrible....the peach was there but the brown sugar ruined it for some reason...

 

[BookofNick]

It sounds like I should dump this one. Thought I had something good going on.

 

[homebrewdad]

It sounds like I should dump this one. Thought I had something good going on.

Well, there's always tomorrow. Go find yourself a well-reviewed stout recipe and try again.

You might want to check the recpies tab at the top of this site - there are tons of really good ones to be found.

As you gain knowledge, you can experiment to make your brews your own; just edit small bits at a time without making wholesale changes until you really know what you are doing.

 

[urbanmyth]

I wouldn't dump it. It might make a good marinade for pork.

 

[BookofNick]

It's only been fermenting for two days. What if I threw some hops into the fermenter? Bad idea?

 

[homebrewdad]

It's only been fermenting for two days. What if I threw some hops into the fermenter? Bad idea?

They'll add aroma, but not much else. This is what people refer to as "dry hopping" - adding hops directly to fermenting beer.

To get the bittering value, you have to boil hops for a long time (typically for 60 minutes of boil in your wort).

 

[chickypad]

That would be dry hopping. You're not going to get any bitterness from that, you need to boil the hops.
Actually you probably won't preserve much aroma either dry hopping that early.

edit - beat me to it!

 

[Thehopguy]

So how about making a hop tea? Boil some hops for an hour and add them to your secondary maybe. Ill let the experts weigh in.

 

[MalFet]

It's only been fermenting for two days. What if I threw some hops into the fermenter? Bad idea?

If you feel like experimenting, make some hop tea. Boil an ounce or two of bittering hops in a few quarts of water for an hour or so.

 

[homebrewdad]

Woo! I'm a hop ninja!

 

[weirdboy]

Typically, malt extract is referred to as dry or liquid, and by color - it's assumed to be unhopped. Also, stouts absolutely use hops.

Hops serve three purposes, two of which are considered to be optional.

<snip>

Hops actually serve more purposes than that. They are naturally antimicrobial and act as a preservative, for example. They also provide compounds that help form a stable head in beer.

 

[bighorn_brew]

or inoculate it with some Acetobacter aceti and you might have a lifetime supply of kick arse vinegar....

 

[BookofNick]

Okay, thanks for the help everybody...sounds like its a lost cause, but I am going to wait two weeks and bottle it anyway, for kicks and giggles. I'll leave it in a dark corner of my basement and just forget about it for a while.

 

[chickypad]

How about this?

http://morebeer.com/view_product/7835//IsoHop_Bitterness_Extract_1_oz

pretty pricey - ouch

 

[homebrewdad]

Hops actually serve more purposes than that. They are naturally antimicrobial and act as a preservative, for example. They also provide compounds that help form a stable head in beer.

You are of course correct. I limted my scope to what the different add times in the boil give you. Thanks for the correction.