how do I turn a 5.5 abv IPA extract kit into a higher gravity IPA

how do I turn a 5.5 abv IPA extract kit into a higher gravity IPA?

Add more extract. I brew AG and if I want to bump up a recipe by let's say 20% I simply do the math and bump up all the grain amounts by 20%. It's pretty much the same with extract.

Oh yeah, you usually also have to also compensate your hops also...

So bump everything up by 20% the dme, lme, and hops?

if you want the same flavor, only stronger, yes. you can also add a little corn sugar, maybe 1/2 lb or so

Trubdog is correct. For IPAs I like to honey or turbinado sugar because, for my taste, the high alcohol hoppy beers tend to become too sweet with age. These sugars seem to give a dryer finish that I like.

Is this one of your first brews?

I remember throwing an extra pound of amber DME onto my first kit (4% ABV scotch ale). That style really isn't big on the hops so I didn't make any other adjustment but for something like an IPA you'd need to adjust the hops for more malt.

It depends on what size batch you are doing. I recently helped a friend bump up the ABV of a Mr. Beer kit he got for Christmas. For a two gallon batch, we added 1 pound of light DME.

I suggest you use a recipe calculator (http://beercalculus.hopville.com/recipe) and enter your extract kit. Then determine how much malt extract to add to get your desired beer. For an IPA, you will probably also want to add some hops to balance the additional malt. Finally, consider your yeast. If you bump the ABV too high, it could be too much for the yeast provided in the kit. Most likely not, but it wouldn't hurt to have an additional packet of yeast on hand. The Mr. Beer kit I helped my friend w/ did not have yeast info so we just pitch some US-05 in addition to the yeast in the kit.

If I was to add honey or corn sugar, at what point do I add it? This will be my third brew, I am definitely a rookie trying to figure this all out though.

Thank you for the beercalc website info

You could also just brew to original recipe, then take the fermented beer and freeze it. Scoop off the slush, and what's left when it warms up again is stronger beer.

Welp that's the worst idea here.

If nothing else, you end up with less beer that way.

And we might get wrapped up into a home distillation debate.

I keep forgetting the interwebs is not a friendly place. Back to lurking.

I like to use honey as well. The later in the boil you add the honey the more honey flavor you will get, if any at all, so that's up to you. Just remember to take the kettle off of the heat before adding just like extract.