Adding DME to bump up OG??

[IndyBlueprints]

I know some people do this if their mash didn't get as high an OG as expected, but I'm a little fuzzy on the specifics.

I'm fine with the idea of adding some pre-boil to get the starting OG where you want it. However, what if post boil my FG is too low? Can I add some DME then? My concern with doing this is we boil for 60 minutes to drive off DMS, among other benefits. If additional DME is added after the boil, do I run a risk of DMS? Any other concerns?

 

[McKnuckle]

First, a terminology tweak:

Pre-boil gravity, no special abbreviation, is the SG of the wort before boiling.
OG is original gravity and is the starting SG of the post-boil, cooled wort.
FG is final gravity and is the ending SG of your fermented beer.

From what I have read, DMS has already been removed from extract (be it dry or liquid), so I wouldn't consider that an issue at all. Extracts are obviously easier to add to hot wort than after cooling, but dissolving in a small amount of hot water first and then adding that would also work.

 

[Morrey]

I know some people do this if their mash didn't get as high an OG as expected, but I'm a little fuzzy on the specifics.

I'm fine with the idea of adding some pre-boil to get the starting OG where you want it. However, what if post boil my FG is too low? Can I add some DME then? My concern with doing this is we boil for 60 minutes to drive off DMS, among other benefits. If additional DME is added after the boil, do I run a risk of DMS? Any other concerns?

When you are using extracts like DME or LME, the extract is well prepared by the manufacturer and actually should need no boiling to drive off DMS as this is already done for you. Most folks boil to drive off DMS when brewing with all grains.

The main reason that you boil with DME is to bitter your beer from the hops you add which are requiring a boil to release their essentials which flavor the beer.

Adding DME at the end of any boil is a safe way to adjust your OG (pre-fermentation) or starting gravity if you find yourself low.

 

[JohnSand]

Yes, you can add extract after the boil. Just boil it in a little water, cool and add.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I don't even dissolve it in boiling water. I pour it from the bag, stir in, take SG reading. Repeat until desired SG is reached. Never had a problem at all (the stuff is going to be close enough to sterile in the bag).

 

[ericbw]

First, a terminology tweak:

Pre-boil gravity, no special abbreviation, is the SG of the wort before boiling.
OG is original gravity and is the starting SG of the post-boil, cooled wort.
FG is final gravity and is the ending SG of your fermented beer.

From what I have read, DMS has already been removed from extract (be it dry or liquid), so I wouldn't consider that an issue at all. Extracts are obviously easier to add to hot wort than after cooling, but dissolving in a small amount of hot water first and then adding that would also work.

Just to avoid any further confusion, SG means "specific gravity," regardless of when it is measured.

I've also added honey at flameout knowing that my gravity was lower than desired. Or tweaked the amount of honey based on where the gravity should be.

 

[Owly055]

It's nice to have it dissolved...... Personally I do not add DME or LME to bump the OG. I use invert sugar in the form of a syrup made from cane sugar (or beet sugar), boiled with some cream of tartar to invert it. This is a thick concentrated syrup you can add directly to the fermenter. It will have zero effect on flavor or body. The problem with adding DME is that it will effect the body of the finished product. It's NOT a crime to use table sugar in brewing. It's cheap, and very effective, and produces ONLY alcohol.

H.W.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

It's nice to have it dissolved...... Personally I do not add DME or LME to bump the OG. I use invert sugar in the form of a syrup made from cane sugar (or beet sugar), boiled with some cream of tartar to invert it. This is a thick concentrated syrup you can add directly to the fermenter. It will have zero effect on flavor or body. The problem with adding DME is that it will effect the body of the finished product. It's NOT a crime to use table sugar in brewing. It's cheap, and very effective, and produces ONLY alcohol.

H.W.

I would agree that table sugar is not a crime. I have used it in small quantities as well, and it works fine, but it also affects body, just in the opposite way that DME would.
DME will add body, but in the amounts we are likely talking (a pound or less), it's unlkely that you'll ever notice the difference.
Table Sugar will subtract body since it is SO clean fermenting.

Maybe the best solution is a 50/50 mix of DME and table sugar and hope they average out (but again, I don't think either will affect body to a noticeable degree given the amounts we are talking about).

 

[Owly055]

I would agree that table sugar is not a crime. I have used it in small quantities as well, and it works fine, but it also affects body, just in the opposite way that DME would.
DME will add body, but in the amounts we are likely talking (a pound or less), it's unlkely that you'll ever notice the difference.
Table Sugar will subtract body since it is SO clean fermenting.

Maybe the best solution is a 50/50 mix of DME and table sugar and hope they average out (but again, I don't think either will affect body to a noticeable degree given the amounts we are talking about).

There is a wide spread misconception that sugar dries a beer out........... It does nothing of the sort. It has no effect except to add alcohol. If you replace DME, LME, or malted grains with sugar you get a drier beer. If you add sugar to an existing recipe you DO NOT SUBTRACT BODY, or dry it out, all you do is add alcohol. It's like pouring Everclear in your beer. You get a little more Whoop Ass.

H.W.

 

[ericbw]

It is drier than the same beer would be if you used malt. If you replace with sugar.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

There is a wide spread misconception that sugar dries a beer out........... It does nothing of the sort. It has no effect except to add alcohol. If you replace DME, LME, or malted grains with sugar you get a drier beer. If you add sugar to an existing recipe you DO NOT SUBTRACT BODY, or dry it out, all you do is add alcohol. It's like pouring Everclear in your beer. You get a little more Whoop Ass.

H.W.

Not to be argumentative, but if you added everclear to you beer you would also lose body. Because the SG of alcohol is so much lower than that of water (or wort), you are in effect diluting a heavier liquid with a lighter one, which reduces body and SG.

But point taken, and adding sugar is a fine way to bump OG, and it's unlikely that in either case (sugar or extract), you are going to add enough to have any perceptible effect on the body of your beer.

 

[IndyBlueprints]

Thanks guys for all the input. This is going to make my brew days much easier. Here's why: As I near the end of my 60 minute boil, I check both my volume and my SG. I am concerned with a couple things here; the first being my boil was too vigorous, and I lost too much volume, the second being is my SG too high or too low. If my SG was too low, I have a few times added another 15 minutes of boil, which obviously will throw off my mid-to-late addition hop profile.

So, the way I see it now is, who cares, stick with the 60 minute boil. If my SG is too low, add some DME or sugar to get it where I want it. (that of course is assuming my grain bill was right, and my mash conversion and efficiency were right).

If I inadvertently boiled off too much, just add back some clean water to the volume and SG I'm targeting. It should not water the beer down if my grain bill was right and my boil was just too vigorous, as it should be getting it back to where it's suppose to be.

Am I missing anything?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Just be aware that the SG reading on a hydrometer is temperature dependent. If you don't account for this, it can make you think that you missed your gravity even when you didn't.

 

[JohnSand]

I test my gravity near the end of the boil and adjust. Or in the fermenter. If I sample the boil I dip it out with a pyrex cup and place the cup in a bowl of ice until I can test it with my hydrometer. If it's close, less than five points, I leave it alone.

 

[GnenieGone]

For high gravity +10% beers, I let the fermentation take place for 24hrs or so then add DME w/no issues so far. I first did it, like in your case, where my OG was very low. After talking with my LHBS dudes, added 1lbs DME with no issues to fermenter.

Just don't dump it in tho. I go pretty slow. There's an existing CO2 blanket so I don't worry about O2 in this case, and any that gets in will be eaten up by the yeast.

 

[Buffabrew]

...I let the fermentation take place for 24hrs or so then add DME w/no issues so far. I first did it, like in your case, where my OG was very low. After talking with my LHBS dudes, added 1lbs DME with no issues to fermenter.

Just don't dump it in tho. I go pretty slow...

This is my biggest fear- the DME not dissolving fully because the liquid isnt hot enough, then clumping in the wort and getting a random blob of it down the line.

Any suggestions on how best to "go slow"? Or if I'm worried about clumping should I just pour the wort in my fermenter at a slightly elevated temperature?

 

[JohnSand]

I suspect that the yeast will find and digest even the clumps.
When I add extract, I use just enough water and boil it first. Add after cooling, no clumps.

 

[madscientist451]

A good practice is to pull a sample about 10 minutes before the end of the boil, chill it down and take a gravity reading. You can then add sugar or extract if your gravity is low, of more water if its high.
Once you get many brews done and know how your system behaves with different ingredients, you can skip this step.
Adding sugar doesn't "dry a beer out" but the increase of alcohol may help balance residual sweetness and make a beer more drinkable.
Another way of saying it is the perception of sweetness is reduced.
I've done some experimental beers that were just too sweet, adding some Brett C dried them out without adding too much funkiness.
Note that Brett fermentations can take months.

 

[GnenieGone]

This is my biggest fear- the DME not dissolving fully because the liquid isnt hot enough, then clumping in the wort and getting a random blob of it down the line.

Any suggestions on how best to "go slow"? Or if I'm worried about clumping should I just pour the wort in my fermenter at a slightly elevated temperature?

I suspect that the yeast will find and digest even the clumps.
When I add extract, I use just enough water and boil it first. Add after cooling, no clumps.

Yes, listen to JohnSand. Haven't seen residual clumps.