Methods for bumping up ABV

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Gunpowder

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This is directed at the experts...

We're facing a cold, cold winter here in New England and I wanted to make an ale somewhere between a Victory V-12 and the Arrogant Bastard Ale. Are there any recommended ways to boost ABV without turning the beer into barley wine, or preferably, are there any clone recipes of those two beasts??
 
Arrogant Bastard is supposed to be a secret, but it seems general consensus is that it is 90% 2-row, 10% Special B, tons of Chinook, and English yeast. Here is a recipe (5.5 gallons) I have picked up from somewhere; still on the list of beers to make:

12.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 91.58 %
1.15 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 8.42 %
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (85 min) Hops 35.8 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (45 min) Hops 31.0 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (15 min) Hops 16.7 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (0 min) Hops
- 1 Pkgs Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) Yeast-Ale Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.55 %
 
See that you are an extract brewer this might help.

1lb base grain=.75 LME=.6DME

So .6lb DME for every pound of grain you want to reduce or if you want to up the ABV, you can add more DME.
 
Arrogant Bastard is supposed to be a secret, but it seems general consensus is that it is 90% 2-row, 10% Special B, tons of Chinook, and English yeast. Here is a recipe (5.5 gallons) I have picked up from somewhere; still on the list of beers to make:

12.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 91.58 %
1.15 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 8.42 %
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (85 min) Hops 35.8 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (45 min) Hops 31.0 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (15 min) Hops 16.7 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [12.40 %] (0 min) Hops
- 1 Pkgs Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) Yeast-Ale Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.55 %

Looks like the recipe Jamil put out on TBN show, although his recipe is 24g Chinook and not 28g (1oz).
What's a little extra Chinook gonna hurt anyway. :)
 
I second the suggestion on bumping the DME to bump the ABV.
You can also add about 1/2 lb sugar after about a week to bump ABV as well.

Make sure you've got a healthy pitch of yeast as well.
 
So simply adding .5lb of sugar after it's been in the fermentor for say a week

or

adding .6lb DME during boil will do the trick?? Nothing else needs to go in with the DME?

I'm not one of these guys that's wants a super high ABV, but it would be nice to go up 1 or 1.5% on a few that I've brewed in the past.
 
+1 for adding sugar.

I typically add 1 lb of corn sugar to all of my IPA recipes to bump up the abv and to lighten the body of the beer. Adding to the boil is simple. I've added during primary fermentation and it worked fine, too.
 
I can tell you that DFH uses daily dextrose additions for 30 days or so on it's DFH 120. You'll need a strain of yeast that is VERY alcohol tolerant and find a method of adding additional sugars without too much oxygen exposure. Another trick that brewers sometimes use is a rum wash, which is to ferment pure sugar and then blend it with your beer before bottling/kegging.
 
I've done a sugar addition in the last 10 minutes of the boil. Anywhere from 8oz to 2lbs. Honey is another great secret to boost ABV. It costs about as much as sugar on a lb per lb basis and adds a little bit more character since it is only ~96% fermntable where sugar will ferment out 100%.
 
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