Brown sugar during boil

[xxRandomHeroxx]

Is it ok to add brown sugar to my boil

 

[theseeker4]

Is it ok to add brown sugar to my boil

It is depending on the circumstances, but I am not sure what you are asking....

Are you altering a recipe or does the recipe call for the brown sugar?

Are you asking if it is OK to add brown sugar during the boil or after the boil, or are you asking whether you should add brown sugar at all?

Need some more details and information about what you are trying to do/what you are asking in order to give you a useful answer.

 

[xxRandomHeroxx]

Just wanting to add it to my boil for flavor and spike the gravity

 

[theseeker4]

Just wanting to add it to my boil for flavor and spike the gravity

Definitely depends on the type of beer as to whether it will add anything good to, or will harm, the final beer. You certainly can add some brown sugar, and it definitely will add some flavor, some color, and a boost in the ABV. The brown sugar is nearly completely fermentable (not sure how many of the points that the sugar adds aren't fermentable, but most of the weight is sucrose, so it shouldn't be a large amount) so your OG will be higher and your FG should be lower. I definitely would consider something else if you are doing a lighter beer, but if you are making a stout/porter/barleywine/etc, brown sugar is a good option. It is also a good rule of thumb to limit sugar additions to 10% of the total grain/extract bill, with some exceptions based on the style.

 

[xxRandomHeroxx]

Ok awesome yea I'm doin a porter. And I also was wondering in have charred white oaks spirals how long into fermentation should I add them

 

[CJ-3]

Use the oak spirals after fermentation is complete. You may want to transfer the beer to a secondary container for this part of the process. Spirals give off the oakness quickly, so you will want to sample daily to make sure you don't over oak the taste. Bottle it as soon as the oak level is reached, which could be as quickly as a few days depending on your tastes, the amount of spirals, and the type of spirals you use.

 

[xxRandomHeroxx]

So my wife just picked the yeast before I took my OG can I still check it or just forget about it lol

 

[cannman]

Brown sugar is not special. You'll spike the og but don't expect magic from brown sugar. You would be better off with corn sugar and molasses

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/12/faq-difference-brown-white-granulated-sugar-baking-cookies.html

 

[CJ-3]

Yes, you can take the OG reading if the yeast was pitched and you didn't wait too long to do it.

No disrespect intended, but you may want to pick up a copy of The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing, or another similar how-to-homebrew book. It would help you to understand the brewing process.

 

[Calichusetts]

I use it all the time...last 5 minutes or even at flameout.

 

[Cauchy]

I agree that brown sugar won't add a lot of detectable flavor, but it will spike your OG and drop your FG. I brew a lot with sugars and typically add them in the fermenter for two reasons; the first is to try and capture more flavor, while the second is to avoid needing a larger starter. Either way, I highly recommend that you be certain that the estimated FG with sugar is where you want it to be as the addition will make the product thinner or drier. Molasses was mentioned as a substitute, which can really survive fermentation.

 

[gaviga]

Old thread, new post. I have been using brown sugar in a barley wine I have been making for 20 years. I use a good, organic dark brown sugar that has an incredibly delicious smoky molasses flavor. I have received many compliments on my BW including that it is the best BW some have tasted. The recipe is widely known, Buffalo Bill's "Brown sugar, how come you taste so good?" Barley wine. I stepped back the brown sugar quite a bit, though. I use 4.5 lbs in a 10 gallon batch.

10 gallons
14 lbs brewer's malt/2-row
14 lbs fine English male such as Maris Otter. I am using Gambrinus ESB malt today
4 lbs Caramel malt - 80-L, can be darker
4.5 lbs organic dark brown sugar
6 oz Cascade whole hops - FWH
8 oz Cascade whole hops - 90 minute boil
6 oz Cascade whole hops - 5 minute boil

mash at 152 degrees for 75 minutes
boil for 90 minutes

I use 4 packets of Nottingham yeast, 2 in each fermenter.
OG ~ 1.104 - 1.108
FG ~ 1.018 - 1.020
ABV ~ 11.5 - 12.0%

Age this for at least 3 years, but be sure to put some up for at least 5 - 7 years. I am still sampling a batch I made in 2009.