priming with maple syrup

Couple things...
- I don't think you'll get much maple syrup flavor in a big beer just by priming with it.
- regarding the amount of water...as much as you need to dissolve the syrup to a boilable/pourable consistency.
- you didn't ask, but the amount of maple syrup you would need would depend on how much carbonation you want. You'll also need to find an online carbonation calculator that includes syrup as a choice.

 

My impression is that you're better off adding maple syrup, letting it ferment out, and then priming with regular sugar. The reason being that it's hard to be super precise priming with maple syrup because we may not know how exactly how much sugar is in the syrup.

 

It's not so hard. Look at the nutrition facts on the bottle. It will tell you how many grams of sugar are in a serving. Do the math to figure out how that compares to sucrose, honey, etc.

 

Do we know if all of the sugar in maple syrup is fermentable (and if not, exactly how much is)? Honestly asking, as what I posted earlier came from a discussion with an experienced brewing friend, and I had assumed he has a good reason for not wanting to prime with maple sugar.

 

All of the sugar in maple syrup is fermentable.

 

Pretty much all the sugar in maple syrup is sucrose. Figure out the grams of sugar in a measure and you're all set.

 

Indeed. And IIRC, the rest of the sugar profile is glucose and fructose. All edible by beer yeasts.

 

Yep. Maple syrup's dirty secret is that it's really just sugar. It gets most of its flavor from caramelization when the sap is boiled down (as long as 8 hours in some setups). There is some melanoidin formation due to traces of protein in the sap and variations here can make a difference to some connoiseurs, but if too much nitrogen is present off flavors emerge (i.e. late season sap).

We recently sold our sugaring gear because we haven't used it in 10+ years and I can't see getting back to it until I retire. I figure I can use my brewing equipment to make a little for the household if I change my mind.

 

Here's a calculator: http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/