1st time posting (5 homebrews under my belt in 5 months). I am brewing a Grapefruit Pale Ale for my wife and we are just trying it (one week after racking) and she would like some more sweetness and I would like some more ABV (currently at 5.3%). I was thinking of adding some Belgian Clear Candi Sugar while I still have the yeast cake, aerate it, and hope it restarts the fermentation process. Can a pro weigh in on this idea (would it be wise to add some more yeast?) Thanks!
No, you would not need to aerate it or add more yeast. The yeast you already have would be more than up to the task. But .... 'clear' candi sugar, i.e. sugar that has not been caramelized, will not add sweetness, because all of the sugar will ferment.
If you want an APA sweeter I'm going to guess that you either over hopped or under malted your beer. Is it too thin with a watery mouthfeel? If so, you'll know to add more crystal or more (malt extract/2-row) into your bill next time. Drying beer out is easy. As mentioned above, by VikeMan, to dry dry beer out you just need to add sugar. You'll get more alcohol and a boozier tasting beer this way. Getting beer sweeter is tricky. You could consider lactose. It's not all fermentable and carries a milky and slightly tangy flavor to it. You can add it post fermentation without worry of infection. Another option is using Splenda. It is also supposedly not fermentable, so if you're a fan of it in your coffee you could try this out. If it were me, I'd pulll a sample and see what I could concoct with some shot glasses before adding any to a full 5 gallons of APA. If you decide against both these methods then you can always add a 1/2 tsp of sugar to the bottom of your pint glass before you pour. It seems like everyone wants to add their flavors to a fermenter and forget about it. Maybe something pint per pint will get you through this batch until you get a recipe you like better. Feel free to experiment (1/3 of the way down): http://cocktails.about.com/od/mixology/a/fruitcombo_cktl.htm
Instead of trying to add fermentables and restart fermentation, you might consider brewing a complimentary, higher gravity beer and doing a blend. That gives you flexibility. You can work out the ratios, and if it isn't to your liking, just don't go through with it.
+1 to inchrisin's suggestions of adding it to the pint glass. My friend wanted me to brew a citrus IPA...so I brewed and IPA with amarillo & simcoe and added orange to his pint glass. i wouldn't bother trying to boost abv. In all honesty...why? Just for the sake of more alcohol? For the sweetness factor, you could hit the beer with sorbate/potassium meta-bisulfate to knock out the yeast and add something like grapefruit juice or a backsweetener of choice. But this route would require a kegging system since then you can't carbonate the beer naturally. Or take route #3, finish the beer, take notes on how you would improve the beer next time and try that.
You can naturally carbonate after adding K Sorbate. It doesn't kill yeast it stops them from reproducing.
I am of the opinion that improving your recipe for next time is a better solution than trying to "fix" a beer that didn't come out as good as you'd hoped the first time. Is it completely undrinkable, or is it just less than you expected? Do you so value five gallons of liquid that the idea of either finishing it as-is, or pouring it out, sends shivers and chills up your spine? Although it's not bad to ask questions, if you discover that there's no easy fix for a beer after it's already done and brewed, would you be willing to just enjoy it for what it is, and try to improve your recipe for next time? Just some considerations.
wicked...not doubting you, but in my experience from backsweetening ciders, there is no longer fermentation after adding that combo. I will give a little boost of carbonation to lighten the cider and pushing for taps via forced, but never had fermentation restart after adding sugar post sorbate & k meta. Have you ever had a fermentation continue on after the yeast has been dormant and then dosed?
Use just potassium sorbate alone for this purpose. You add it about a day after adding fruit, then bottle. Be careful to look up exact procedure.
I like this advice. If the OP is a bottler, he could bottle this beer when it's ready, brew another, and then blend in the glass. This can also be done with commercial beers. Find a blend that works and try to figure out what to do to brew a batch that tasted like the blend.
Saccharin tablets. They are used in many homebrewing recipes and although they might offend purists !
I've decided to split the batch and keep half with no changes (I like the bitterness). The other half I will add small amounts of lactose to taste. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
