Using Stevia to Sweeten

[dnicholson]

Has anyone tried stevia to backsweeten? Am assuming it will not be affected by yeast but does have a subtle funky aftertaste.

[system]

No! Yuck!

[theprofessor]

Actually, I have tried it, as an experiment on a dark brew that originally somehow finished a bit too dry for my tastes (despite following a recipe I’d been using for years). I already drank through most of the keg unadulterated, but one day while making a batch of iced tea (stevia is fantastic in iced tea…and other things for that matter) it occurred to me to try it in the too-dry beer.  I poured a half-pint and added about 1/8th of a packet of stevia  to the glass…and it was actually pretty good. 
And that 1/8th of a packet was just enough to make a difference.  For what it’s worth, there was no evidence of unpleasant aftertaste either. There was no hint of anything artificial in the taste of the beer.

So based on my experience with it, I say there’s no reason at all to avoid experimenting with it to backsweeten in an emergency. I imagine that it would yield better results is some beers over others.  But I think it’s worth at least trying to save a disappointing brew until you brew the next batch with corrections.

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

I used it to backsweeten a fruit beer once.  The sugar from fruit ferments away drier than you think, so the cherry beer was drier than my wife wanted (though I liked it that way) .  So I dissolved the Stevia in a small amount of water and added it to the keg.  Worked pretty well. I’ve read that the Lindemann’s brewery in Belgium - the one that makes the fruit bomb lambics - backsweetens with saccharine ( or used to).

[mtnrockhopper (Jimmy K)]

I’ve used splenda, but not stevia. I know stevia is sold in liquid form though, so it should be stable in solution over a long time (NutraSweet is not, it looses it’s sweetness after a couple weeks).  The big difference though is body. Sugar increases body and artificial sweeteners do not, so it will be sweeter but thin, which is odd.

[dnicholson]

Thanks for your input - I like the idea of pouring a glass and testing it - it is for cider

[jcwhoffman]

I used it to backsweeten a fruit beer once.  The sugar from fruit ferments away drier than you think, so the cherry beer was drier than my wife wanted (though I liked it that way) .  So I dissolved the Stevia in a small amount of water and added it to the keg.  Worked pretty well. I’ve read that the Lindemann’s brewery in Belgium - the one that makes the fruit bomb lambics - backsweetens with saccharine ( or used to).

I’m glad I read your post, I have a keg of Peach Blonde Ale and as I like it, my wife thinks it is too dry, it has been kegged for a few weeks, is it too later to add this now??    I’ve never attempted to do that after the beer was already carbed…

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

@jcwhoffman

I used it to backsweeten a fruit beer once.  The sugar from fruit ferments away drier than you think, so the cherry beer was drier than my wife wanted (though I liked it that way) .  So I dissolved the Stevia in a small amount of water and added it to the keg.  Worked pretty well. I’ve read that the Lindemann’s brewery in Belgium - the one that makes the fruit bomb lambics - backsweetens with saccharine ( or used to).

I’m glad I read your post, I have a keg of Peach Blonde Ale and as I like it, my wife thinks it is too dry, it has been kegged for a few weeks, is it too later to add this now??    I’ve never attempted to do that after the beer was already carbed…

I added mine when I kegged.  If I added it after carbing, I would add to the keg, put the lid on quickly and purge the headspace a couple times.  Then you could mix in by tipping the keg back and forth several times, which would avoid the excessive aeration of stirring in with a spoon.

[jcwhoffman]

Okay, I may give this a shot then… I suspected something similar…

[kramerog]

This subject inspired me to check if stevia was generally recognized as as safe (GRAS).  Purified stevia is GRAS but not crude stevia.  http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnDetailNavigation.cfm?rpt=grasListing&id=287; Stevia - Wikipedia.

Purified stevia legally sold as a sweetener is GRAS.  Stevia sold as a food supplement is not.

[mtnrockhopper (Jimmy K)]

I added mine when I kegged.  If I added it after carbing, I would add to the keg, put the lid on quickly and purge the headspace a couple times.  Then you could mix in by tipping the keg back and forth several times, which would avoid the excessive aeration of stirring in with a spoon.

No reason you shouldn’t be able to stir with a long spoon after carbonating. Stir gently and you won’t loose much CO2. As a bonus, the high partial pressure of dissolved CO2 will keep O2 from dissolving in.