# Adding sugar during fermentation



## bcroll88 (May 1, 2013)

I wanted to get a few opinions on this topic. I'm currently making a 5 gallon batch of island mist. When I started the batch I was at 1.050 SG I'm afraid it won't give me a high enough alcohol that I'm looking for. By my calculations around 7 percent. By adding a sugar/water mixture about 1lb to 1 1/8th cup of water. Total of 5 pounds by giving me 12 percent alcohol. I am not sure what type of yeast I'm using I know that can play a factor. Will it hurt that I'm about 4 days in fermentation to do this?

Any help will much be appreciated.


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## Runningwolf (May 1, 2013)

You were probably using ec1118 yeast and you should be ok.


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## BernardSmith (May 1, 2013)

bcroll88 said:


> I wanted to get a few opinions on this topic. I'm currently making a 5 gallon batch of island mist. When I started the batch I was at 1.050 SG I'm afraid it won't give me a high enough alcohol that I'm looking for. By my calculations around 7 percent. By adding a sugar/water mixture about 1lb to 1 1/8th cup of water. Total of 5 pounds by giving me 12 percent alcohol. I am not sure what type of yeast I'm using I know that can play a factor. Will it hurt that I'm about 4 days in fermentation to do this?
> 
> Any help will much be appreciated.



I am asking this question out of ignorance and not because I really have an answer but why would you want to add more water to your wine? Couldn't you simply remove a few cups of the wine into which you add the 5 lbs of sugar and then slowly warm that wine + sugar while mixing the sugar until it has all dissolved and allowing that mixture to cool before adding it back to the bucket. Your technique would add almost six cups of water to your must - diluting the flavor - You will get the increase in %ABV but at the cost of watering down the flavors. My suggestion would result in the same increase in ABV but with no addition of liquid. What would be the downside of that?


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## bcroll88 (May 1, 2013)

You have a very excellent point Bernard. I think I will also try that technique you mentioned. But also what I did not say is I didn't fill my primary completely to the 6 gallon mark so I could leave myself a little room to add if need be. But still like your comment. Thank you.


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## jswordy (May 1, 2013)

Why not make it even simpler by adding the sugar directly and then removing that volume in must, then stirring it in?


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## bcroll88 (May 1, 2013)

Jim,
Can you add sugar directly to the batch even when it has been fermenting for 3 days? I was concerned about it not properly dissolving in the wine and thought it would be a safer method to make a syrup mixture using water and sugar.


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## joeswine (May 1, 2013)

*simple syrup*

It has been my experience that adding simple syrup in the beginning is the way to go with this style kit,moving up the abv. to around/10%,and always in the primary,the fpac can handle the increase without any stess to taste,I've never added it while it is in progress ,but it seems to me the- 1118- will like it and not impede the fermentation,it's only a base were dealing with.


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## jswordy (May 1, 2013)

bcroll88 said:


> Jim,
> Can you add sugar directly to the batch even when it has been fermenting for 3 days? I was concerned about it not properly dissolving in the wine and thought it would be a safer method to make a syrup mixture using water and sugar.



I've added sugar at all stages and never had a problem with it mixing or kicking off fermentation again, if that's what I wanted. In primary, you are going to be stirring it at least once a day (preferably twice) for several days anyway to mix things up. If you feel safer with simple syrup, go that way. But remember that if you use some of your wine and warm it, any alcohol already in that wine will be driven off by evaporation.


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## BernardSmith (May 1, 2013)

jswordy said:


> I've added sugar at all stages and never had a problem with it mixing or kicking off fermentation again, if that's what I wanted. In primary, you are going to be stirring it at least once a day (preferably twice) for several days anyway to mix things up. If you feel safer with simple syrup, go that way. But remember that if you use some of your wine and warm it, any alcohol already in that wine will be driven off by evaporation.



I agree that some of the alcohol MAY evaporate when you heat the wine BUT if the yeast is still active and you add enough additional sugar why should that evaporation be a concern...But even if it was, A) you don't have to heat the wine to anywhere near boiling to help dissolve the sugar. and B) you can heat 5 cups of wine in a sealed jar in a microwave for 10-20 seconds without problems so even if some of the alcohol "boiled" it would have no where to go but back into the wine as it cooled..There is no reason to open the jar before it cooled and you can agitate the jar to dissolve the sugar.. That said, the one concern might be that some of the more volatile molecules that enhance taste and smell may be damaged by the heating. But will there be much "damage" in 20 seconds in a microwave in a sealed container?


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## joeswine (May 1, 2013)

*simple syrup*

If you add simple syrup at any stage ,how does that effect the evaporation or (boil off),unless i have miss understood ,adding liquid sugar to the primary should effect anything,why are we heating up the wine?


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## robie (May 1, 2013)

Heat some of your wine and mix the sugar in it. Use as little wine as possible. Be sure to add the mixture to your fermenter very slowly, as all that burst of sugar can potentially shock the yeast. That's why Joe says to add sugar before you start fermenting. Go ahead a add it this time, but do add it up front in the future. Make sure you stir it into your fermenter really, really well.


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