Maple Beer

[jtthibodeau]

My dear wife gave me a beer kit for Christmas so, last month we fire it up. The kit came with and made 2 gallons of "Western Pale Ale". Well, of course we decided to activate 2 of the 8 bottles using maple syrup instead of white sugar. We calculated 1 oz of maple syrup per liter/quart bottle rather than the 1 tablespoon of sugar recommended. We also doubled out times (2 weeks as opposed to 1 week minimum) for processing stages.

After a few days, we noticed the "maple beer" building slightly more carbonation than the sugar treated bottles. The bottles are plastic so a slight squeeze can determine the results.

Well, taste testing was last night and "Maple Beer" won hands down. The first thing noticed was the great head when poured. Almost Guiness in style with a sligh ivory color and small bubbles. We also noticed that after consuming half a frosted glass, the beer/ale continues to show carbonation rising to the head even sitting still (think champagne).

All present also agreed on the smoothness and great after taste. My wife mentioned it made her mouth water and I agreed. It seemed the syrup removed the slight bitterness of the ale with no complaints. Needless to say, whatever flavored kit we try next , it will be a "Maple" style......hands down!

[gator330]

Keep us posted on your findings so we can all make a few kegs of Jerrys Micro Maple Brew. Sounds good!!!! How was the "Buzz effect"??? I'm working on a little off season use of the sugar house, Raspberry wine and Strawberry wine and Watermellon wine. About five gallons of each are on the list for this season. A small keg of cider for the fall. I was looking to grow some hops this season. It's 10.00 a bareroot don't know enough about it yet?? Maybe you get more then you need of a few roots?? I hear there is a demand for it. GOt me wanting a beer now But I have to go to work soon. Going to be a Long time till midnight.

[jtthibodeau]

I have no way of telling what the actual alcohol content was but, after a glass or two, we felt it seemed "higher" than the usual "Bud Light" or similar products.

Hummmm.....now, where did I put that un-returned keg from last years party?

[Buckeye mapler]

Now we are talking. Would you like a Mapleiser or Maple light? I will admit sweet alcohol beverages are not my thing, but a beer maple taste dont sound half bad. let me ask you this jerry, when you drink, is it beer and strictly beer or is there a variety? what I am getting at is, are you a beer taste acquired person, where beer taste better than any other alcoholic drink? If so, how far off was the maple taste? Was it a hint or overwhelming or unnatural taste? Or did it blend well like some of the samuel adams brand beers? I am curious cause that sounds pretty tasty!

[jtthibodeau]

Hi Buck,

I guess you could say I'm more prone to have a beer in my hand then a mix drink. But, there are times I won't refuse a mixed drink with the correct ingredient.

I wouldn't have given the term "sweet" to the beer/ale. It was more smoothness with just a hint of flavor. The one oz. of syrup was used as a primer with bottling. With a concentration of somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 1 it certainly was not over powering and tended to smooth out the slight bite of bitterness brews often have.

Although I made wines a number of years back, this is my first venture into brewing so, I'm certainly no brew master or connoisseur. With that said, I can say that the sugar primed "Western Pale Ale" was fine, good, tasty and refreshing. With the maple syrup primed bottles the words are Wow, Great, gotta make more...... Needless to say, I was very impressed with the results and would recommend others giving it a try.

[Buckeye mapler]

well perhaps a little more practice and you can start selling us some. when you get the great reviews from all of us, then it will be time for a trip to some of the breweries to present your new idea! then I can say, I remember when he came up with that idea. this is certainly the place to market it, i mean can you imagine how many boil sap with a cold brew in hand? thanks for the description, sounds good. if you do decide to hone your brewing skills and sell a few, let me know!

[jtthibodeau]

We're considering brewing a 5 gallon batch. If the results are similar, I'll see what I can do to put up some samples for unbiased reviews. I'll put you at the top of the list, Buck (if there's any left!!). Opinions are always most welcomed, especially from those who's pallet is more attuned to the proper bouquet!

Everyone have a great day.....

[KevintheHobbit]

Jerry,

Good to hear someone venturing into brewing. I've been an amatuer brewer for about 10 years now and I love every minute of it. Of course not all my batches come out as spot on as your first one, but I've never turned one down.

Adding the maple as a substitute for white sugar to prime the bottles with is a great place for the maple. The sugars in maple are more complex than white sugar, so the yeasties probably had more to play with and created that rich head.

I'd like to try brewing up a batch of pure maple beer this year. I was thinking about boiling down some sap to about a 30% concentration and then pitching in some yeast. I had an awesome maple whiskey about 5 years back and I've been trying to find out how they did it ever since. (My 4 toddlers have gotten in the way of my quest, but I'm still on the hunt).

We'll have to swap stories and recipies.

Kevin

P.S. you can get a rough estimation of alcohol content if you measure the specific gravity of the unbrewed wort and compare it to the specific gravity of the finished beer. Just use that old hydrometer...