Maple Porter-when to add the syrup

[Infantryjared1]

Hello everyone. My very first brew is a maple porter. It's a kit I got for Christmas. Anyway, the directions say to add the syrup 5 days into fermentation and swirl the carboy. I'm brand new, but what I've read suggests that may be late to disturb the yeast causing off flavors. It calls for only a primary. Would the timing affect the ABV? Thanks guys/gals

 

[McKnuckle]

You add simple sugars near the end of primary so that the yeast will eat their dinner (maltose), which requires a bit more effort, before dessert.

Doing that ensures full attenuation of both the malt and simple sugars.

There is no need to swirl anything. You couldn’t hide that syrup from the yeast if you tried. That said, a simple swirl - not shaking or aerating - is generally very safe.

 

[Calder]

Do not swirl, just add the syrup, the yeast will find it. A gentle swirl is probably OK, but being too aggressive can cause oxidation; best not to do anything.

How much syrup? Maybe bottling would be a better time to add it (in place of the bottling/priming sugar).

 

[Infantryjared1]

The kit came with a small bottle, maybe an ounce or so of pure vermont maple syrup. Will adding it during the fermentation raise the ABV? Im thinking the kit suggets 5 days into fermentation for the maple flavor more than anything

 

[McKnuckle]

Yes, adding the syrup will result in the yeast fermenting it, creating more alcohol, and raising the ABV. I explained in a post above that the delayed addition is to ensure that the yeast eat all available malt sugars first, before the syrup.

 

[Infantryjared1]

Thanks, I just didn't understand the first time I read it.

 

[Amadeo38]

Funny - while not from a kit, I too am in the middle of a Maple Porter. I smoked a portion of the grains with Apple wood in the hopes that it will taste like Bacon as well. I bought 32oz of pure maple syrup and put 16oz in at flameout with a plan to put the other 16oz in after primary starts to die down.

Hadn’t considered using the second addition as my bottling sugar, so I’m glad I popped in here. I may just calculate how much is needed and do that.

 

[Infantryjared1]

I'm guessing you're making a 5 gallon batch from the 32ounces of syrup? If it comes even close to maple bacon porter when you're done, please be sure to update me, that sounds amazing!

 

[Amadeo38]

Yes, 5.25gal. I didn’t look up how to do it and had no preconceptions about quantities or process to get to the end point. I remembered reading a while back that smoking grains with Applewood could produce the perception of bacon flavor. I followed the smoking procedure on another thread but never really tasted much smoke on the grains. I may end up needing to add liquid smoke or something similar at bottling.

How big was your batch? What stage are you at?

 

[Infantryjared1]

Im only doing 1 gallon batches right now, still getting my feet wet. It's 8 days into fermentation, but seems to have stalled. I'll watch the airlock for an extended time this evening watching for signs of life. If nothing I'll start taking gravity readings

 

[JimRausch]

I tap a few trees and have added maple syrup to a Brown ale and a Porter several times. The yeast ferments it completely and leaves very little flavor. Amadeo will have a better chance of getting maple flavor because he's using a lot. To the OP, that 1 oz. bottle will not add hardly anything in either alcohol or flavor. Sorry to say, but at that low volume, it's just a gimmick by the kit-maker.
Adding maple syrup at bottling does help a little, but still not much. And definitely use a priming sugar calculator to determine how much to use.
To be honest, my best attempt at getting maple flavor in my brown was last year. I added 16oz. syrup plus about 1/2oz. good quality maple extract, and some toasted maple wood chips, 1 stick of vanilla, and 1 cinnamon stick, all after 4-5 days of fermentation. The wood chips, vanilla, and cinnamon had been soaking in rum for about a week.

 

[Infantryjared1]

I tap a few trees and have added maple syrup to a Brown ale and a Porter several times. The yeast ferments it completely and leaves very little flavor. Amadeo will have a better chance of getting maple flavor because he's using a lot. To the OP, that 1 oz. bottle will not add hardly anything in either alcohol or flavor. Sorry to say, but at that low volume, it's just a gimmick by the kit-maker.
Adding maple syrup at bottling does help a little, but still not much. And definitely use a priming sugar calculator to determine how much to use.
To be honest, my best attempt at getting maple flavor in my brown was last year. I added 16oz. syrup plus about 1/2oz. good quality maple extract, and some toasted maple wood chips, 1 stick of vanilla, and 1 cinnamon stick, all after 4-5 days of fermentation. The wood chips, vanilla, and cinnamon had been soaking in rum for about a week.

It was 3.5 ounces for the gallon, may still not add much flavor. If you have access to maple sap ever tried using it as your water? I watched the process of making syrup years ago and know its as thin, or least very close to water. Plus I just finished a book and it was mentioned that the sap makes for an excellent replacement. Cheers

 

[JimRausch]

It was 3.5 ounces for the gallon, may still not add much flavor. If you have access to maple sap ever tried using it as your water? I watched the process of making syrup years ago and know its as thin, or least very close to water. Plus I just finished a book and it was mentioned that the sap makes for an excellent replacement. Cheers

Good. 3.5oz per gallon may give you something.
Yes, I used 8 gallons of sap in the "Moose Maple Slobber' mash/sparge. I didn't write down the SG, but seem to remember it was like 1.004. I treated it as if it was my well water, and the pH reading is consistent with that. No, it didn't add anything that I could tell, but then again, I was tired of boiling down sap. At 40:1, it takes a chitload of fuel to get that sweet nectar. Now I know why the stuff is so expensive.

 

[Infantryjared1]

Yeah, the demonstration I saw of it was at a "pioneer village" so everything was done the very very old school way. It was still pretty interesting, and gave me a new appreciation for the price

 

[trailrider]

I recently brewed an Old Ale and I wanted to have a bit of maple in it. I put 2 oz of pure maple extract in the secondary the day before I bottled it and used 148 grams of pure maple syrup as a primer for bottling. I put about 5.25 gallons of ale into bottles and let sit for a month. I opened a bottle the other day and found the maple taste somewhat light and the beer slightly over carbonated. The taste of maple is there but I would like it little heaver so my next batch will get 3 oz of the maple extract and a few grams less of the syrup.
PS I used the priming calculator from Northern Brewer.

 

[Infantryjared1]

Plan on bottling tonight. Got a question. Anyone substitute brown sugar for cane for your primer? Wondering if it would pull a molasses flavor and compliment the maple

 

[couchsending]

For those using maple, it's a very hard ingredient to use as it will completely ferment out leaving you with no maple flavor or aroma whatsoever. One of the best tricks to using maple is to boil it down to the thickest syrup you can possible create without burning it or completely reducing it to a solid. This concentrates the flavor immensely and will leave quite a bit more in the final beer than just dumping syrup in. It's best to start with the darkest grade you can possibly find as well, which can be hard to find unless you know someone that sugars.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I asked a pro brewer last weekend how they were getting such great maple flavor in their double maple porter. He said they were adding maple syrup from a regional maple farm. I probed a bit further asking about how they keep it from fermenting out. He said they kill of the yeast first.

 

[Infantryjared1]

So they must be force carbing. Im only bottling at the moment, but kegging is in the near future!

 

[Infantryjared1]

So the porter is finished and in final carbing time. I opened a bottle 3 days ago, completely flat. Opened another last night and was lightly carbonated. Flavor is very good and carried a light maple finish! Cheers!

 

[lambais]

Good to read all of this.... I am fermenting (still primary fermentation) a Belgian Quad and wants to add the Maple Syrup after primary is finished (I would say in about 2 weeks from now). I got worried now with the qty as I was planning something about 38 fl oz of pure Maple Syrup for 9 gallons, but from what I read here it might end up with little or even no flavor / aroma.... I might save some Syrup for the priming tho....

 

[Queequeg]

How do keg brewers approach a maple porter? I was thinking of making one soon, I was planning on mashing low to dry the beer and the cold crashing prior kegging and then back sweetening with maple syrup. Has anyone done anything similar?