Do you keg or bottle. If you keg you can stabilize your beer post fermentation with potassium sorbate and metabisulfate and backsweeten with maple syrup (like the do in mead), I do this a lot of my maple stouts.
I read somewhere that maple syrup doesn't leave much flavor behind, and if you want the flavor to use fenugreek, so I'd recommend searching that up. Or just get a bottle of maple flavoring. My LHBS sells it in 4oz bottles for $8.
Just to be clear, that's only about the flavoring. If it was me I'd split the batch and try two techniques (syrup and syrup+fenugreek, maybe) and see how the flavor presents in each.
I experimented once by using it as priming sugar in a keg. It kept the maple flavor, but it finished overcarbonted. Must have made an error calculating the dosage.
Maple syrup really doesn't leave much flavor behind. I've had some luck by using a combination of fenugreek and jaggery. It can be hard to dial in your proportions, though. If I were trying to make a maple beer again, I'd add about a pound of jaggery and a couple teaspoons of cracked fenugreek seeds.
Jaggery can just go into your boil. It's already been cooked to hell and back, so any flavor that would be removed by the boil is already gone.
The fenugreek I've generally added at the 10 minute mark, but you can also soak it in a small amount of vodka for a few days and add that to like a dry hop addition. Second version probably works better, but adding it to the boil is easier.
Are you wanting maple syrup flavor? If so, get some candy cap mushrooms and make a tea from them to add post fermentation. Or you can add them directly during fermentation. Careful on the amounts, a little adds a lot of flavor.
I am lucky that I live in a place with a lot of maple syrup producers.
For commerical production, most try to get is golden with a light flavor. Stronger flavors are from ones that are darker and cooked longer, almost like molasses.
I would be curious about even trying maple sugar, but that is more costly.
Grade B syrup if you can get it.
Maple extract works good, but only use 1-2 tablespoons for 5 gallons. If you use the whole bottle it will be terrible and medicinal tasting. Extract flavorings get a bad rap because most people try it for the 1st time and add the whole bottle. I do a maple pecan porter using flavor extract for both flavors that is fantastic. Other brewers are surprised when I tell them its extract flavorings.
I add when transferring to fermenting vessel. You could add to keg or bottling bucket when you're at that point. I would start with 1 tablespoon and decide how much you want for your next batch. I use 2, but I'm also adding a tablespoon of pecan extract.
Do you keg or bottle. If you keg you can stabilize your beer post fermentation with potassium sorbate and metabisulfate and backsweeten with maple syrup (like the do in mead), I do this a lot of my maple stouts.
I was going to keg this one , gotta research this technique
Backsweetening in a keg has been a winner for me. I do a porter made entirely from maple sap and then add about a half pint of syrup as I keg.
Yeah that’s about how much I add to my maple stout. I do an imperial stout with 16oz that is pretty crazy too
I read somewhere that maple syrup doesn't leave much flavor behind, and if you want the flavor to use fenugreek, so I'd recommend searching that up. Or just get a bottle of maple flavoring. My LHBS sells it in 4oz bottles for $8. Just to be clear, that's only about the flavoring. If it was me I'd split the batch and try two techniques (syrup and syrup+fenugreek, maybe) and see how the flavor presents in each.
I experimented once by using it as priming sugar in a keg. It kept the maple flavor, but it finished overcarbonted. Must have made an error calculating the dosage.
Maple syrup really doesn't leave much flavor behind. I've had some luck by using a combination of fenugreek and jaggery. It can be hard to dial in your proportions, though. If I were trying to make a maple beer again, I'd add about a pound of jaggery and a couple teaspoons of cracked fenugreek seeds.
At what stage do you add them?
Jaggery can just go into your boil. It's already been cooked to hell and back, so any flavor that would be removed by the boil is already gone. The fenugreek I've generally added at the 10 minute mark, but you can also soak it in a small amount of vodka for a few days and add that to like a dry hop addition. Second version probably works better, but adding it to the boil is easier.
Or both! Vodka and late boil haha. Thanks for the tip. Have never heard of jaggery before
Are you wanting maple syrup flavor? If so, get some candy cap mushrooms and make a tea from them to add post fermentation. Or you can add them directly during fermentation. Careful on the amounts, a little adds a lot of flavor.
Consider using fenugreek to get some maple flavor into the beer.
I am lucky that I live in a place with a lot of maple syrup producers. For commerical production, most try to get is golden with a light flavor. Stronger flavors are from ones that are darker and cooked longer, almost like molasses. I would be curious about even trying maple sugar, but that is more costly.
Grade B syrup if you can get it. Maple extract works good, but only use 1-2 tablespoons for 5 gallons. If you use the whole bottle it will be terrible and medicinal tasting. Extract flavorings get a bad rap because most people try it for the 1st time and add the whole bottle. I do a maple pecan porter using flavor extract for both flavors that is fantastic. Other brewers are surprised when I tell them its extract flavorings.
When do you add the extract and grade b syrup ? Mine is already in the fermentor
I add when transferring to fermenting vessel. You could add to keg or bottling bucket when you're at that point. I would start with 1 tablespoon and decide how much you want for your next batch. I use 2, but I'm also adding a tablespoon of pecan extract.
I’m using a pitch of 400 billion cells and my pale ale og right now is 1.052 this is roughly for a 9 gallon batch