Sugar in Wort

[YZFbrewer]

Hey guys I hope this is not to redundant of a topic but my hours of searching threads have brought no definitive answers.

Preface - I am very new to this. Loving it so far but have a lot of questions.

I have my first two all-extract beers in the pipe and am looking to make a third before my partial kits get in from Northern Brewers.

My first brew I added 1lb cane sugar (boiled in water) to the wort (dark ale) then 30oz maple sugar to the secondary after 7days. Tastes OK. Can still really taste the extract. Am planning on bottling after two weeks in the secondary (this weekend).

The second I used the Dextrose from the Coopers starter kit. 1lb boiled in water again.

***Here is the problem.

Over the past few days I have been reading that I should only be adding sugar to prime for bottling. Then after a few threads confirming that I read that I should be adding a pound or more to the wort, and staging it so that the yeast eats the complex sugars first.

Any clarification on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[eastoak]

Depending on the beer a pound of sugar can really give you a thin bodied, high ABV mess. It sounds like you are unclear on the brewing process.

 

[YZFbrewer]

I agree, I am unclear. So is it best to just leave the wort alone in regards to sugar and just add it for priming?

 

[eastoak]

I agree, I am unclear. So is it best to just leave the wort alone in regards to sugar and just add it for priming?

Yes. Brew the beer, pitch yeast, ferment, add priming sugar then bottle. There are recipes that call for adding sugar during the boil.

 

[Runyanka]

Depends on the beer brewed as to if you want to add simple sugars to the mix. Typically they are added to dry out the beer (typical in a lot of higher abv ipas). However, if your just adding it to boost the abv, you could be asking for a very thin, ciders type beer. I have added a pound of corn sugar to a pale mild and it turned out great. Just remember higher abv beers need more time to mature.

 

[shawnbou]

I'm guessing you're using Coopers kits or something similar, that recommend a pound or two of sugar or dextrose added to the extract. It may even be a no-boil extract kit with hops already in the extract. Am I right?

The fact of the matter is that professional breweries and most homebrewers do not add that much simple sugar. They get the fermentable sugar from the malt itself. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the extract-plus-sugar kits you're using, but most of us who start out with those eventually move on to pure extract, extract with steeping grains, mini-mash, or all grain (all of which yield a product more like commercial beer).

That's why a lot of people will say to use dextrose or cane sugar only at bottling, because that's the only place most of us use it. Lots of experienced extract brewers here will tell you to use some dry malt extract instead of simple sugar in your wort.

But if you are following a kit, you can follow the kit instructions ... with the caveat that you will get better results with some adventurous tweaking. If you don't know where to start tweaking, I'd recommend reading this board thoroughly and picking up a copy of Charlie Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing and reading at least the first 30 pages.

 

[Andrew5329]

I've never added fermentables to a beer after it entered the primary. The main drawback is that you lose the ability to take an OG and thus your FG loses a lot of relevance, making it not only impossible to get an accurate ABV, but difficult to tell when your beer is finished fermenting.

What your reading regarding bottling is the addition of about 5oz of Priming sugar (dextrose) per 5 gallon batch just prior to bottling.

I've played around with adding various sugars/extracts late into the boil to get different effects but never have felt the need to do addition during fermentation, and I wouldn't do it unless the recipe specifically calls for it.

As I understand it, adding sugar during fermentation is a way to thin your beer's consistancy, and get some extra alcohol, potentially at the expense of flavor. (also if your using table sugar, at about 1LB per 5 gallon batch, table sugar starts to impart a cidery flavor to your beer which in the majority of recipes is undesirable)

 

[helibrewer]

When you say you can still taste the extract, I think you are actually tasting a beverage that has too much added sugar. All extract beers can come out very nice if done correctly. The NB kits are good, just don't pay too much attention to their fermentation timelines, base your bottling decsion on gravity readings, not the calendar.

 

[YZFbrewer]

Thanks shawnbou's. That was the answer I was looking for. I have been tweaking these basic kit's already but kinda of going in blind as you can tell.

I have ordered a few extract with steeping grain kits and am looking forward to those. I think for my brew tomorrow I will leave out the simple sugar from the wort and just see how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[Andrew5329]

I'd recommend reading this board thoroughly and picking up a copy of Charlie Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing and reading at least the first 30 pages.

I second that motion. That book is basically the modern Homebrewer's bible. There are a few techniques that are popular on these boards in recent years, but Charlie will give you everything you need to get started running.

 

[YZFbrewer]

^ just ordered it. thanks

 

[chickypad]

I've never added fermentables to a beer after it entered the primary. The main drawback is that you lose the ability to take an OG and thus your FG loses a lot of relevance, making it not only impossible to get an accurate ABV, but difficult to tell when your beer is finished fermenting.

Actually this isn't an issue if you know your volumes. When adding a known amount of sugar you can calculate the gravity points it will add. The beer is finished fermenting when the gravity is stable, not when it reaches some pre-set number. FG's reported in recipes or by software are just estimates - a lot of variables involved.