Got an extra pack of Booster

[brewchamp 1]

I have a pack of booster to use with my second brew. Which should I add it to?

 

A: Dads Favorite Cream Ale Recipe

 

B: Scrap the Cream Ale (honey) and Add it to the American Lager Deluxe Refill

 

C: Oktoberfest Deluxe Refill

[JoshR 4,702]

Add it to the Oktoberfest. The recipes are great as-is.

[Cedric 7]

Question...Mr Beer website claims Dads Cream Ale ABV at 5.1%  My present batch (with booster) has been fermenting for three weeks and (using the hydrometer readings)  show ABV at 6.55%. Is this 6.55% possible?  Seems high to me.

[RickBeer 6,378]

If you brewed it with the LME pack and 1/2 cup of honey, then 6.55% is not possible. 

What was your OG?  What is your FG? 

[Cedric 7]

OG 1.058   FG  1.008

[RickBeer 6,378]

Your calc is correct. 

 

The only explanation is that your OG is wrong.  5.8 is not possible unless you did not add enough water.  How many bottles did you end up with?

[JoshR 4,702]

Don't forget your temperature corrections, too!

[Cedric 7]

37 minutes ago, Cedric said:

 

 

Been a steady 70 degrees from start.  Have not bottled it yet, been waiting for FG to stop dropping. Will have to pay more attention to OG next batch.  What would a reasonable ABV  be for Dads Cream Ale with booster?

Thanks

 

[RickBeer 6,378]

Wait,  you did not follow the recipe?  You did LME,  honey,  AND booster? 

 

Then 5.8 is possible.  But that's going to take a long time to condition and I suspect won't taste great.  Wht would you use all 3?

 

At 21 days you should bottle. 

[Cedric 7]

Pretty sure I was following the instructions...tastes good so far (albeit flat)

This is only my fourth batch; first time using hydrometer, first time for Dads Cream Ale and definitely first time using booster (booster came with the order).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RickBeer 6,378]

Recipe does not include booster. 

[Cedric 7]

True, booster is not part of recipe, but since it came with the order from Mr. Beer, I added it.  According to booster package it is supposed to add 1.3 ABV to a 2 gallon recipe.  So  6.55% may be a good ballpark number.  Will find out in about a month about the taste.

 

Thanks

 

[RickBeer 6,378]

You likely need 2 months,  or more. 

[Nickfixit 4,033]

Since the booster does not add flavor why does it add to the conditioning time?

[bpgreen 209]

4 minutes ago, Nickfixit said:

Since the booster does not add flavor why does it add to the conditioning time?

 

I think you're confusing a bunch of different concepts here.

 

Booster is an adjunct (non malt fermentable addition to beer).

 

Booster is a mixture of fermentable and unfermentable sugars, so it's not as bad as other adjuncts (like white sugar, honey, etc). But it's still an adjunct.

 

But Booster is used just to add ABV. Malt adds ABV and also adds flavor.

 

Adjuncts increase ABV, but during the fermentation process, the yeast will create other compounds. Over time, the yeast will eat those compounds and create new (more favorable) compounds. Conditioning is the term we use to describe the time when the yeast changes the undesirable compounds into the desirable compounds.

 

Booster and malt both add ABV. Malt also adds mouthfeel and body and flavor. Booster is mostly simple sugars (not only simple sugars like honey or table sugar, but it's not malt). 

[Nickfixit 4,033]

I still think Booster adds ABV and some head retention and body from the  unfermentables, not just ABV.

 

Sure, fermenting booster may create some undesirables for the yeast to continue to munch up during conditioning, and for that I agree, but surely there is more change that happens as hops and malt and other flavors mix and age that is not yeast dependent, and that flavor change is what I was referring to. Maybe you call it something else, not conditioning. If so I am sorry for confusion but would like to know the appropriate term.

 

I use booster when I want more ABV, and more of the characteristics left by non-fermentables but I do not want more hop or malt flavor than is in the initial HME.

If I don't want more ABV, I might add malto-dexrin alone.

If I want it more malty I will add more malt and maybe a bit extra (maybe 1/2 to 1 cup e.g. ) of wheat malt for the better head retention etc.

 

 

[RickBeer 6,378]

Per the Mr. Beer site:

 

Use Booster™ to add alcohol and body to any recipe without the dry, cidery taste that comes from using sugar. Each pouch of Booster™ adds about 1.3% ABV per batch.

Booster™ is made from corn syrup solids and is ideally suited for use as a brewing adjunct. It provides a full and balanced range of both fermentable and unfermentable sugars that are designed to mimic the carbohydrate profile of all-malt wort, consisting of 8% glucose, 56% maltose, 16% maltotriose, and 20% dextrins.

[bpgreen 209]

I know the Mr Beer description says Booster adds body, but I'm not convinced it does. It doesn't thin the beer the way something like white sugar does, but in my experience, it doesn't really add body.

 

And yes, there are changes that happen to beer over time that are not dependent on the yeast. It will continue to clear as more yeast settles out and compacts on the bottom (this is especially true of cold conditioning, but also happens to some extent with warm conditioning). I believe there are also chemical changes that happen. And flavors tend to blend together more and some of the characteristics from the hops fade.

[gophers6 1,588]

Prolly get a little body from the unfermentable portion.

[Nickfixit 4,033]

I will find a way to use them up anyway......

[HoppySmile! 2,342]

I've got 25 booster packs, when I get down to 5, I re order 10, it's pretty good in captain crunch

[AnthonyC 3,804]

3 hours ago, HoppySmile! said:

I've got 25 booster packs, when I get down to 5, I re order 10, it's pretty good in captain crunch

A few months back, when I first started home brewing, I thought this was a must have item.  Needless to say that I now have 9 of the stupid things laying around.  Hoppy, you put sugar on Cap 'N Crunch??  That explains a lot! 

[RickBeer 6,378]

This explains more...  Hoppy is the guy on the right.

 

 

 

[gophers6 1,588]

If I have extra Booster around I'll usually add 1/2 bag per batch. Not going to hurt anything. And it'll bring the abv up to or a little over Mr Beer's estimate for your HME.

[HoppySmile! 2,342]

my irish red ale is in secondary right now, and I added 2 lbs of extra light DME, and 1 booster. the wyeast irish ale didn't want to take to the wort during primary, struggled with that a bit eventhough, all my hydo readings were on target, I tried a sample and basically zero anything, but after a week in secondary with the additions I made you can finally have the irsh ale taste I was trying to achieve. crazy, the instructions on the wyest pack says to remove from fridge, smack the pack to release the nutrients, and let it sit 3 hrs before brewing and allow the pack to swell. on a brewers video I've seen recently for the use of wyeast and troubleshooting, take the pack out of the fridge at least 1 to 2 days before brewing to allow the yeast to adjust to room temperature. Well that explains a lot! I know when I use white labs I have to allow the yeast sit at room temp for a minimum of 3 days.

[Cedric 7]

Just an update  on Dads Cream Ale with booster that was bottled on January 23, 2016. Forum was right on conditioning time. Tonight I drank a bottle that finally did not have a "bite" to it.  Definitely gassy, though. I have six bottles still conditioning. Will wait two more weeks before trying the next one. 

 

 

[Nickfixit 4,033]

7 minutes ago, Cedric said:

Just an update  on Dads Cream Ale with booster that was bottled on January 23, 2016. Forum was right on conditioning time. Tonight I drank a bottle that finally did not have a "bite" to it.  Definitely gassy, though. I have six bottles still conditioning. Will wait two more weeks before trying the next one. 

 

 

Yeah, you have to let them mature enough.  What did you think of it now it is not biting back?

[Cedric 7]

Definitely drinkable, but not ready to share with friends.

 

 

[Nickfixit 4,033]

I shared the last one I made and it was liked. This guy usually only drinks Miller or other lightish beers so is not a craft beer expert but he had more so I guess it was OK. But I don't think I had any bite to it. Not sure why. Maybe cooler fermenting?

 

[Cedric 7]

Drank the last bottle tonight...ugh!  Not sure how long it would have to condition to get rid of the "bite".  Oh , well. Had to try.

 

 

[Nickfixit 4,033]

Empty bottles are an opportunity