How do I control ABV%?

RRxGrasshopper · 10-29-2010, 06:42 PM

How do I control my alcohol percentage? All my home brew (3 so far) IPA, Blonde, Red seem to have a heavy alcohol taste. Don't get me wrong they all taste great!!! But they all seem to have a heavier alcohol bite to them. I am a light beer drinker so it may be I'm not used to home brew yet.

**GilaMinumBeer** · 10-29-2010, 06:45 PM

Software and time with yeast.

BeerSmith is one suggestion.

**Hang Glider** · 10-29-2010, 06:48 PM

and malt.
yeast attenuation and malt.

more malt = more alcohol

reduce your malt. How much? Software. yes! helps with the math. +1 to Beersmith

**Yooper** · 10-29-2010, 06:52 PM

The amount of fermentables you use decide the ABV, so if you want help formulating a recipe with a lower ABV but still great, let us know!

Another thought- if the beer tastes "hot", it could be not from the ABV, but from high fermentation temperature. Temperatures above about 75 degrees cause some "fusel" alcohols that can cause headaches and hot flavors.

buzzkill · 10-29-2010, 06:58 PM

and cool ferm temps will get you away from the bite you taste. and more hops...

92greenyj · 10-29-2010, 07:47 PM

also that will mellow a bit as the beer ages. My Barleywine was totally undrinkable for a good year

sportscrazed2 · 10-29-2010, 07:54 PM

you have to reduce the amount of fermentable sugar in the beer. the lower the starting gravity the less potential alcohol it will produce.

RRxGrasshopper · 10-29-2010, 08:07 PM

These were all extract kits maybe my temps because I dont have a fridge to put the primary in so 68 degrees is the coolest place in my basment. Next time I will clear out my fridge and put it in there. So can I go directly to the fridge after pitching my yeast or should I give it a day to start? Also is 36 degrees too cold? I will look for a craigs list fridge ASAP Thanks for all the support

**Yooper** · 10-29-2010, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RRxGrasshopper

These were all extract kits maybe my temps because I dont have a fridge to put the primary in so 68 degrees is the coolest place in my basment. Next time I will clear out my fridge and put it in there. So can I go directly to the fridge after pitching my yeast or should I give it a day to start? Also is 36 degrees too cold? I will look for a craigs list fridge ASAP Thanks for all the support

Fridge temps are WAY too cold. Ideally, you would want to have a room that was 62 degrees year round. Since none of us have that, we've often come up with "swamp coolers" or water baths with frozen water bottles that surround the fermenter to keep the fermenting beer at 66-68 degrees.

In a 70 degree room, the fermenting beer can get up to nearly 80 degrees because fermentation produces heat. Keeping it cooler can really help that alcohol flavor.

Another thought is pitching temperature. Sometimes brewers will add their yeast to the wort before the wort is under 70 degrees, and then let it cool to room temperature. That can cause some of those "hot" flavors too, since the yeast will go crazy at higher temperatures, producing those off-flavors.