I screwed up!

[IAmErickson]

Hey everybody. I'm here because I made a really, really stupid mistake while kegging a very expensive Irish Whiskey Porter last night, and I hope someone can tell me I didn't just ruin the beer I've spent the past two months brewing.

Some backstory: I normally keg all my beers, but I typically just force carbonate rather than priming them with sugar. On this one, though, I wanted that traditional "alive" taste you get from conditioning, so I had a premeasured bag of priming sugar, half of which I knew needed to be added to my keg when kegging the beer.

I'm normally obsessively cautious about all things brewing, but for some stupid reason on this occassion I was rushing and not paying attention, and when I reached in for the priming sugar, I accidentally grabbed a bag of DME that was about the same size. I dumped half a pound of it into my beer before I realized what I was doing.

After about five minutes of cursing and freaking out, I calmed down enough to research it, and it *looks* like I may have pulled a Homer, and I may just end up with a somewhat overcarbonated beer, as DME can be used as priming sugar, just in greater quantities than regular corn sugar. But I've got very little experience with sugar priming in general, and no idea at all what happens in this case.

I've never screwed up anything beer related this bad, and I could really use some advice or reassurance. Anyone have any thoughts as to what I can do to fix this?

 

[strumke]

Try to use a carbonation calc to see how much over or under you've added of DME as a priming sugar. If it's over, then just give it time to carb up and purge the keg a few times until the carb level is at a place you like. If it's under, add more.

The flavor may be a bit different, depending on how much you added, but RDWHAHB!

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

If it's over (and it does not sound like it is) then you may get a bit more yeast in the bottom of the keg. The DME likely will leave a few more solids chugging around. Either one may make things a bit harder to clear when the carb phase is done.

Bob

 

[kh54s10]

You need more DME than corn sugar to get the same carbonation level so you have not over carbed the beer. Maybe you can use an online calculator to see if you want to add more DME or corn sugar.

Your beer may have a bit more sediment because of the DME but it is certainly not ruined.

 

[Dr1nkBeer]

would it make it sweater?.. or will the little tikes eat-up all that DME?

 

[bribo179]

If it overcarbonates just bleed the keg until it is carbed to your liking.

 

[IAmErickson]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I did some more research and used some of the calculators online as suggested, and it's looking like I may have over-carbonated it slightly (by maybe an ounce or so), but it shouldn't be too bad. It also seems like I need to give it longer to let the yeast do their thing than normal, but that's fine. The biggest concern I have at this point is that most people who use DME to prime dissolve it in a small amount of water first. Since I thought I was adding corn sugar, I didn't do this, and I have this vision in my head of an impenetrable shell of hardened dry malt extract forming that my yeast can't break through. Or maybe I just worry too much. I guess only time will tell - I'm going to check it in six weeks or so and see what I've got. I'll update this thread then, in the unlikely event that someone else makes the same boneheaded mistake that I did

 

[TyTanium]

...most people who use DME to prime dissolve it in a small amount of water first. Since I thought I was adding corn sugar, I didn't do this...

Generally all priming sugars are boiled then cooled. Non-boiled DME tends to be clumpy, IME. Plus a good hot & cold break helps too. Hope for the best and let the yeast sort it out.

 

[PA49erFan21]

Is there a noticeable difference between force carbing a keg and priming it and letting it carb naturally? I always force carb it. Honestly though, is there a difference in the taste as the OP originally stated?

 

[JeepDiver]

Also if you are dumping sugar, or dme in straight without boiling, you run a (fairly small) risk of contamination.

 

[IAmErickson]

Thanks TyTanium. Honestly, this was to be my first time priming a keg... I've always force carbonated. My only experience with priming was when I used to bottle, and I always used carb tabs for that, so I guess I didn't realize priming sugars need to be boiled and cooled first. I suppose that's what I get for not doing enough research. Thanks for the info... it'll be helpful next time.

Also (speaking to someone else's point), I don't know if I'm weird, but I can always tell the difference between force carbed and primed beer. I don't know if I'd really call it a taste difference, so much as a difference in mouthfeel. Conditioned beer feels "fizzier" on the tongue. You can also usually tell by looking at the bubble pattern in the head. Force carbed is typically more uniform, but primed beer tends to get a slow spinning circle of bubbles in the head. I've always attributed this to the yeast. When you give it additional food, it can keep on going and reproducing. Essentially, the beer is still "alive", and can keep evolving with time. When the yeast has gone through all it's food, then placed in temperatures too low for it to reproduce, and flushed with high pressure CO2, it's "done". The yeast cells are all effectively dead, and any maturation of the flavor profile will be done without their help.

Again, this is all just my personal observation, and I'm the guy who mistook DME for priming sugar, so don't take my word for it. But I bet there's someone on here much more learned than I, who could give you a more technically accurate answer; and to be honest, I'd like to hear it as well.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

If you carb with priming sugar, you will indeed have more yeast running around. Depending on the yeast strain, you may have more sugar in the beer. You also will get a bit more ethanol.

Sugar and yeast can't / don't do the job very fast. It's a slow ramp up on pressure and you feed the CO2 directly into the beer rather than through the top of the beer. Without a lot of cool instrumentation, it's very hard to tell just how much carb you ultimately get with sugar.

All of that makes a 1:1 comparison a bit tough. I don't know anybody who ramps CO2 pressure up slowly when doing a force carb...hmmm... things to try ....

Bob