Using sugar as ABV and flavor booster

[CaptainCookie]

Hi everyone, I've read that using table sugar as an ABV booster can be harmful to the beer if you overdo it, but let's say that I just want to boost my beer by 1%ABV, in what step of the brewer process I must add the sugar for just boosting the ABV??

Also...

I've heard that you can use sugar for getting different flavor profiles, like using maple syrup, molasses, and so on, in what step is the best time for adding this type of sugars for boosting just the flavor profile, the ABV is not the objective in this case, also don't you get any problem when priming the beer? I mean, adding the sugar for priming basically "wakes up" the yeast, would I face overcarbonation for having two sugar sources in the beer?

Thanks for the help guys

 

[RM-MN]

Hi everyone, I've read that using table sugar as an ABV booster can be harmful to the beer if you overdo it, but let's say that I just want to boost my beer by 1%ABV, in what step of the brewer process I must add the sugar for just boosting the ABV??

Also...

I've heard that you can use sugar for getting different flavor profiles, like using maple syrup, molasses, and so on, in what step is the best time for adding this type of sugars for boosting just the flavor profile, the ABV is not the objective in this case, also don't you get any problem when priming the beer? I mean, adding the sugar for priming basically "wakes up" the yeast, would I face overcarbonation for having two sugar sources in the beer?

Thanks for the help guys

Sugar added at any point before fermentation will ferment out so if you really want to add just sugar you can add it at the start of the boil, the middle of the boil, or at the end. Adding it before the wort cools below about 160 guarantees that it is pasteurized. Adding sugars for flavors like molasses or maple syrup should be done as the wort cools or even during fermentation as adding too early may drive off the very aromas you desire for flavor.

The simple sugars you were discussing will ferment out completely so you won't get overcarbonation from them provided you give the yeast enough time to digest them.

 

[eric19312]

One pound of table sugar in a 5 gallon batch will bump ABV by about 1.2% and corn sugar will increase it about 1%. The sugar adds 46 (table) or 42 (corn) specific gravity points per pound per gallon. These added specific gravity points are 100% fermentable.

For example, imagine you split a 10 gallon batch and add one pound of table sugar to one fermentor but not the other, and the original gravity of the wort without the sugar is 1.050. the wort in the fermentor that gets the sugar would be 9 points higher (46ppg/5gallons) so would be 1.059 original gravity. But after fermentation the two beers will most likely have nearly the same final gravity...since that added sugar was 100% fermentable. Looking at an abv calculator, if both beers finished at 1.010, the beer without added sugar would be 5.3% ABV and the beer with added sugar would be 6.5% ABV.

Brewers frequently talk about using sugar additions to thin out a big beer. Belgian tripel may have 20% simple sugar (by total weight of the fermentables) and American Double IPA recipes will often get about 10% sugar. These additions don’t actually thin out the beer, what they do is let the brewer make a higher ABV beer with same finishing gravity as they would get with an all malt beer.

For bumping the ABV in a typical kit you should be safe adding 1 pound of sugar to a 5 gallon batch. Little or no impact on flavor and 1.2% increase in ABV. However while a little is good or at least not harmful, too much sugar can change the beer with the theory being that the yeast will go crazy eating all the simple sugar first and then just give up when it comes time to eat the more complex malt based sugars or otherwise get stressed and produces off flavors, frequently warnings around thin cidery beer resulting. I don’t know where you start to risk this effect but at 1 pound in 5 gallons you would be safe.

 

[PADave]

I've done a couple of brews that called for 1lb of corn sugar towards the end of the boil. Not really a fan, and I'd rather just use more grain, or extract, depending on how you brew.

 

[dmtaylor]

Add sugar before or during the fermentation whenever you want.

Be careful with molasses, it has an extremely strong flavor. Dark brown sugar might be a better option, or one of the Belgian dark sugar syrups. Or just use plain cane sugar of course. Honey is also good.

 

[CaptainCookie]

Thanks for the feedback guys, got a couple of extra questions, let's say I decided to use honey to provide my beer of this flavor profile, if I added it before fermentation (added as the wort cool for not spoiling the volatile compounds of flavor and aroma) the action of the yeast over the honey would result in a completely new profile, right?

If I just wanna keep the honey profile as it is, the best choice would be added it after fermentation, right? I only got a single fermentor, so I just dissolved in warm water, then pasteurize it, let it cool down, and then to the fermenter. after I pour the honey into the fermenter, should I shake it for homogenize it? I have no clue if this is a good idea, in all my batches I touch the fermenter as little as possible

Also, I've heard of people the add honey without pasteurizing, after all, honey is the only food that doesn't spoil, so it's okay to just add it? (I mean dissolved in cooled boiled water)

 

[eric19312]

When I want honey character in beer I will add honey malt to my grain bill. Even a pretty small quantity like a quarter pound in a five gallon batch will add some of that character. I have not tried actual honey but understand the impact is generally underwhelming at quantities that would be reasonable to add to a beer recipe.

 

[Lefou]

Honey added during or just prior to fermentation will be like adding table sugar. Up to 95% of honey is fermentable, so unless you're adding a lot or using a more aromatic type, the essence may not stick around come bottling time. In small to moderate amounts it will dry and thin your wort while bumping up the alcohol level. Pasteurized honey from the store is fairly safe to add at any time, just as you would sugar, but it's relatively expensive to use compared to table sugar.
If you want a more obvious honey essence and sweetness consider using Gambrinus honey malt or an equivalent, but go easy on the amount you use.

 

[CaptainCookie]

When I want honey character in beer I will add honey malt to my grain bill.

Pasteurized honey from the store is fairly safe to add at any time, just as you would sugar, but it's relatively expensive to use compared to table sugar.
If you want a more obvious honey essence and sweetness consider using Gambrinus honey malt or an equivalent, but go easy on the amount you use.

Wow, no idea that honey malt exist, I live in Perú, very few and generic malts come up to here, so honey malt is not an option for me, also in here it's not very common to find "pasteurized" honey,the sellers just collect the honey from the honeycomb, put it into a jar and it's ready to sell, that's the honey we got in here, no labeling and no pasteurization whatsoever (I live at the countryside), so how can I use the honey to keep it's flavor profile??, guessing that after fermentation, and what's the best way for use it?, it's okay to shake the fermenter as mentioned before?