Adding sugar to the mash

[honkeypot]

I've been doing some sleuthing around different forums for big, dark, complex beers and I stumbled on one that includes the following instructions for a sugar addition to the mash. Other then intentionally boiling off summer of the sweet wort and increasing the gravity I don't really see the point in doing this but I find it interesting nonetheless. What do y'all think of these instructions?

Take the first gallon of run-off and mix in one pound of muscovado brown sugar. Boil until the total volume is approximately a half gallon. Add back to the run-off. Mix the remaining pound of sugar into the run-off before the boil begins.

 

[dmtaylor]

The sugar isn't actually added to the mash, but rather the first runnings, which are then boiled to caramelize. This is very common with dark complex beers, especially Scotch ale.

To be clear: Don't add the sugar to the mash itself, but only the runnings. Otherwise the spent grains will steal much of the sugar, which would not be a bad thing in itself but would just be wasteful and easily avoidable.

 

[chickypad]

Edit: nevermind dmtaylor beat me to it. As mentioned, add to the run off wort and not back to the mash.

 

[honkeypot]

That's what I initially thought but the part that says "add back to the run off" made me think it should be added back to the tun. So add the sugar one gallon of the first runnings, boil off half of it while continuing to sparge as normal, and add the other pound of sugar to the sweet wort. Got it.

But I still don't see the benefit of doing this.

 

[dmtaylor]

It definitely darkens the wort by a few SRM, and at least theoretically improves caramel flavors, and might even add a very slight burnt character that you wouldn't get without it.

 

[honkeypot]

I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a shot. Thanks for the input!

 

[wilserbrewer]

"Add back to the run off" doesn't sound like they want you to add it back to the MT.

"Add back AND run off" would be different and could maybe mean to add it to the MT.

putting enriched wort back in the tun makes no sense to me.

 

[honkeypot]

Agreed. Hence my confusion and the post!

And I still don't really see the appeal of boiling off some of the wort that the sugar was added to. The only thing I can think of is trying to help keep the sugar from caramelizing in the boil kettle, which is accomplished easily enough without the extra step.

 

[Hopper5000]

I haven't done this with the sugar addition but on darker beers I have tried taking the first gallon of runoff and boiling it down to syrup (basically a gallon to about a quart or less) it takes some effort but I really like how it makes beers turn out. Had a brown I did this with that kicked butt and I just tried this method with a stout

 

[chickypad]

And I still don't really see the appeal of boiling off some of the wort that the sugar was added to. The only thing I can think of is trying to help keep the sugar from caramelizing in the boil kettle, which is accomplished easily enough without the extra step.

It's the opposite, at others have pointed out. The idea is to boil a small amount of high gravity wort, concentrating it further and trying to get some kettle carmelization flavors.

 

[honkeypot]

I see. That makes more sense. Thanks fellas.