What happens if you add sucrose to the wort during fermentation?

Adding sucrose to the wort during fermentation can indeed lead to excessive yeast growth due to the rapid fermentable sugars it provides. When yeast encounters a readily available sugar source like sucrose, it can undergo a vigorous fermentation process, leading to an increase in yeast cell reproduction. This growth can sometimes result in the yeast overwhelming the fermentation capacity, producing a lot of carbon dioxide and potentially leading to off-flavors or issues such as stuck fermentation if the yeast cannot metabolize all the sugar efficiently.

While it is also true that adding sucrose increases the potential alcohol content due to the fermentable sugars being converted by yeast, the primary concern during active fermentation is the health and behavior of the yeast itself, thus making excessive yeast growth a more direct consequence of adding sucrose at this stage.