first of all,happy holidays to everyone.I have 2 batches under my belt and niether one is what you would consider great and I know impatients is my biggest problem.I am doing better with my second batch though,I bottled after 2 weeks and have had it in bottles for almost a month now and it seems to get better all the time.I just ordered 2 ahs budget stout kits so I can get enough in the pipe line so it can have a chance to age as it should.Now to my questions,I have been playing with the idea of using an infusion stone to areate with pure oxygen,do you guys think its worth the trouble,2nd,The abv of these brews is around 4.5.I have some corn sugar laying around and wanting to boost the alcohol level and wondering if I can use this and if I can,how should I go about this with a 5 gallon batch.The kits come with mutons premium ale yeast and I will be useing a yeast booster,any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
newbie questions
- Thread starter kf4ocj
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An infusion stone makes areation easier but is not really necessary if you properly shake your fermenter to aerate once the wort is cool. I transfer from kettle to better bottle fermenter and shake every minutes until the carboy is full, works great.
Most brewers would advise against adding sugar to boost alcohol. Sugar can lead to dry, harsh tasting beers. If you want to boost the alcohol use Dried Malt Extract (DME). Just remember that if you boost the alcohol but don't add more hops/other malts to balance it out you will end up with a completely different tasting beer.
Most brewers would advise against adding sugar to boost alcohol. Sugar can lead to dry, harsh tasting beers. If you want to boost the alcohol use Dried Malt Extract (DME). Just remember that if you boost the alcohol but don't add more hops/other malts to balance it out you will end up with a completely different tasting beer.
You can use the corn sugar to boost the ABV. The down side is that it will make the beer thinner and dryer. To get a significant increase you would need to use a fairly large amount.
The best way to increase ABV is to brew a kit/recipe that is designed for a higher ABV.
I have never used an aeration kit to aerate the wort. I just shake the crap out of the wort before pitching.
Look into getting different yeasts. There are different types for different styles of beer. If you go to liquid yeast learn about making starters first.
The best way to increase ABV is to brew a kit/recipe that is designed for a higher ABV.
I have never used an aeration kit to aerate the wort. I just shake the crap out of the wort before pitching.
Look into getting different yeasts. There are different types for different styles of beer. If you go to liquid yeast learn about making starters first.
dickproenneke
Well-Known Member
I am a noob like you. The very first beer that I brewed was a saison, which is supposed to have very dry finish. Simple sugar helped me achieve these results when used with a highly attenuative yeast strain. Another welcome result it a boost in ABV 
. I have also used this technique in an extract IPA with very good results. If you use extract like me, then using sugar is an excellent way to mimic the results of an AG brewer mashing at a low temp to produce a dryer beer. Another result of dry beer is that it'll have a thin mouth feel.
At one point I was ready to go out and pour cash into an aeration system. Then I discovered the venturi tube.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/simple-wort-aerator-192661/
I made a simple venturi tube with some racking cane and attached it to my auto siphon via vinyl tubing. Voila! An inline aerator! Now my wort gets VERY well aerated on its way to my bucket. Not as simple as pouring back and fourth, but VERY effective.
. I have also used this technique in an extract IPA with very good results. If you use extract like me, then using sugar is an excellent way to mimic the results of an AG brewer mashing at a low temp to produce a dryer beer. Another result of dry beer is that it'll have a thin mouth feel. At one point I was ready to go out and pour cash into an aeration system. Then I discovered the venturi tube.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/simple-wort-aerator-192661/
I made a simple venturi tube with some racking cane and attached it to my auto siphon via vinyl tubing. Voila! An inline aerator! Now my wort gets VERY well aerated on its way to my bucket. Not as simple as pouring back and fourth, but VERY effective.
