Brown sugar....

[Max3131]

hi guyz , Lets said i want to brew a cooper kit ( pale ale ) but i want some brown sugar flavor , what i am better to do ? Add some DME 50 % Dextrose 30 % brown sugar 20% ?

Brown sugar can replace dextrose for fermentation ? i need some help here !!! ( Plus brown sugars is less expensive then DEX )

Thx for your help !

 

[Bubbles2]

Prob better to add Molasses in Primary or at end of boil if you think your molasses is not safe. If you want a brown sugar flavor. Prob with sugar is the yeast eat it, so there is no real flavor left over persey'.

 

[Bubbles2]

Or a caramel flavoring might get you closer to what you are after. I use flavorings at bottling and sample as I go.
Reserve a cup and add a few drops to see if it what you are after... 4 drops to cup is about what 1 Tbsp is to a gallon, sample to taste.

 

[snarf7]

In my experience you're not going to get much of the flavor from a raw sugar source like brown sugar or honey, the yeast will basically feast on it and break it all down. If you're going to try it, I would add it at the end of fermentation rather than to the boil, you should get more flavor that way. What style of beer is it that you're brewing?

 

[z-bob]

What's in the kit and how much sugar do they say to add?

 

[JR_Brewer]

These folks have good points about sugars, in general, not leaving behind a lot of flavor. To provide another option, I'll recommend using a malt that provides the flavor you're looking for in its profile. For example, a C-90 or Special-B type malt. Steep between 4oz and a pound of that pre-boil.

Good luck and happy brewing.

 

[kh54s10]

I have used dark brown sugar, 1 pound, the last 10 minutes of the boil in a couple of brown ales. It could be just the rest of the recipe, but I believe that it did add something. It seemed to me to be brown sugar taste.

 

[z-bob]

I have used dark brown sugar, 1 pound, the last 10 minutes of the boil in a couple of brown ales. It could be just the rest of the recipe, but I believe that it did add something. It seemed to me to be brown sugar taste.

It did add something. Some color, alcohol, and flavor but not necessarily the flavor you'd expect. But you wouldn't add a pound of brown sugar to a recipe that was already loaded-up with sugar and not much malt, that's why I asked about the Cooper's kit. You might subst brown sugar for the white sugar and dextrose that's already in the kit, or add some brown sugar *and* some DME.

I like the idea of adding some Special B or other dark crystal malt.

 

[kh54s10]

It did add something. Some color, alcohol, and flavor but not necessarily the flavor you'd expect. But you wouldn't add a pound of brown sugar to a recipe that was already loaded-up with sugar and not much malt, that's why I asked about the Cooper's kit. You might subst brown sugar for the white sugar and dextrose that's already in the kit, or add some brown sugar *and* some DME.

I like the idea of adding some Special B or other dark crystal malt.

Yes, I usually don't recommend adding a bunch of anything to a kit without using some recipe software to see what the outcome is likely to be. It would be way easy to throw a good recipe way out of balance.

Come to think of it, those brown ales probably had Special B in them. I really like Special B.

But it still seems that I am getting a little brown sugar taste out of the brown sugar. I think there are long chain sugars in the brown sugar that the yeast don't fully convert, but who knows. Oh, I am sure there are lots that do know....

 

[Bubbles2]

In my experience I would add it at the end of fermentation rather than to the boil, you should get more flavor that way.

I am sure with this experience you realized that all you did was re start fermentation and not really waiting till it was done, and or created bottle bombs or a foamy keg....
You would have to kill the yeast to be able to add sugar without ferment.
Potassium Sorbate like wine when you back sweeten. Yeast will be dead and you cannot bottle because you will not have yeast to prime as mentioned bottle bombs. You would need Co2 Keg to then carbonate. Not sure of any flavors with K sorbate there seems to be NONE in wine.

Again- Sugar ferments and does not leave any flavor persay, Use a Caramel Extract at bottling if you want that flavor.

 

[snarf7]

I am sure with this experience you realized that all you did was re start fermentation and not really waiting till it was done, and or created bottle bombs or a foamy keg....
You would have to kill the yeast to be able to add sugar without ferment.
Potassium Sorbate like wine when you back sweeten. Yeast will be dead and you cannot bottle because you will not have yeast to prime as mentioned bottle bombs. You would need Co2 Keg to then carbonate. Not sure of any flavors with K sorbate there seems to be NONE in wine.

Again- Sugar ferments and does not leave any flavor persay, Use a Caramel Extract at bottling if you want that flavor.

What are you talking about? I'm not advocating adding a cup of sugar just before you rack it to the keg or bottle it, I'm saying don't add it to the boil, wait until its getting near the end of fermentation, then add it, the yeast will devour the sugar to be sure and once it's done fermenting, then you rack it. Point being but it won't have as much time to work on the breaking down the flavor compounds and you'll get at least a little hint of it in the finished product.

 

[Soulshine2]

Following- would a little honey malt with the special B give the brown sugar flavor hes looking for?

IMO, if he adds sugar of any kind it will kick the fermentation back in and lose any flavoring to a relapse of alcohol production.
Am I thinking right?

 

[snarf7]

Following- would a little honey malt with the special B give the brown sugar flavor hes looking for?

IMO, if he adds sugar of any kind it will kick the fermentation back in and lose any flavoring to a relapse of alcohol production.
Am I thinking right?

I can't speak to brown sugar but I have done this experiment with honey so YMMV. Added to the end of the boil I got zero honey flavor imparted to the end product. Added at the tail end of fermentation, it does indeed kick off fermentation again but it leaves be hind a very subtle honey flavor. Not really worth it IMO, better off choosing a malt that has honey notes to get that flavor into your beer,.

 

[Max3131]

In my experience you're not going to get much of the flavor from a raw sugar source like brown sugar or honey, the yeast will basically feast on it and break it all down. If you're going to try it, I would add it at the end of fermentation rather than to the boil, you should get more flavor that way. What style of beer is it that you're brewing?

Pale ale cooper (real ale)

 

[beermanpete]

My experience is that brown sugar and molasses both result in a licorice flavor in the finished beer. You can replace the white sugar with brown directly and get the correct OG. Molasses does not have much fermentable sugar and can be added in addition to the white sugar. I would start with about 1/2 lb of brown sugar or 2 oz molasses and adjust on subsequent batches.

 

[grampamark]

How come you taste so good...

 

[applescrap]

My gut says molasses is what you seek. Maple syrup maybe too

 

[Max3131]

My gut says molasses is what you seek. Maple syrup maybe too

when you add th emolass or maple syrup fermentation , boil ????

 

[beermanpete]

I would add it at the last 10 minutes of the boil.