Can I increase alcohol level after adding yeast?

Nooby here. I just started my first extract brew - a Coopers DIY Lager kit. My starting OG was 1030, and I anticipate the Final Gravity to be between 1012 and 1016 which will be an alcohol level around 3%. Can I increase alcohol level a day after I have pitched the yeast?

Sure. Your yeasties, if alive and well, will continue eating fermentables as long as there are fermentables to be eaten. So, if you were to pitch some new fermentables into an already fermenting solution, the yeast will eat 'em up.

To complicate matters a bit, though . . . make sure that what you add has been sanitized. Also, you will notice a very different flavor profile in the end as you are essentially altering the recipe.

If you add sugar, your beer will be sweeter. If you really want to add the sugar and make it sweeter, that's fine. But you risk balance. I had a friend who just liked increasing the alc content. He would hop it to balance it, then he would get impatient and add a few POUNDS of sugar to boost the alc content. Most of his beers tasted like smirnoff ice lol.

bgrayson726 said:

If you add sugar, your beer will be sweeter. If you really want to add the sugar and make it sweeter, that's fine. But you risk balance. I had a friend who just liked increasing the alc content. He would hop it to balance it, then he would get impatient and add a few POUNDS of sugar to boost the alc content. Most of his beers tasted like smirnoff ice lol.

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Sugar ferments out 100%. If anything it will be dryer.

Well I could be wrong, but it really depends on what types of sugar you add. Some sugars don't ferment out 100%

First brew? Just follow the recipe and don't worry so much about the abv. You'll be happy you did after you experiment on your second brew and screw it up. I'm joking...sort of

Besides, it's the perfect time of year for a low abv lawn mower

bgrayson726 said:

Well I could be wrong, but it really depends on what types of sugar you add. Some sugars don't ferment out 100%

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No. All sugar (sucrose) ferments 100%.

Tinpanharry said:

Nooby here. I just started my first extract brew - a Coopers DIY Lager kit. My starting OG was 1030, and I anticipate the Final Gravity to be between 1012 and 1016 which will be an alcohol level around 3%. Can I increase alcohol level a day after I have pitched the yeast?

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If you did the Coopers style of 1 can extract and 1 kg of sugar I would expect you FG to be more in the range of 1006-1008. And usually the OG for these kits are in the upper 30s (for 6 gallons), did you stir the kit to fully mix in the extract/sugar (assuming it is a kit and kilo you are doing )?

bgrayson726 said:

Well I could be wrong, but it really depends on what types of sugar you add. Some sugars don't ferment out 100%

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Most sugars that people can buy will ferment out 100%. Other sources of sugar (honey, maple syrup, molasses, candi syrup, etc) will generally ferment out 100% of the sugar component, and still adding no sweetness.

There are some sugars (ie lactose) which won't ferment, but generally when people talk about adding "sugar", one can generally assume that the sugar is (or is a source of) sucrose or glucose, and sometimes even maltose. It DEFINITELY makes no sense to assume 100% lactose - and aside from lactose, the sweetening agents used by homebrewers (and home- cider, mead, and wine makers as well) are more accurately termed sweeteners rather than sugars.

TotemWolf said:

No. All sugar (sucrose) ferments 100%.

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True most of the time, but not always. You're confusing "sugar" with "table sugar". Lactose is an unfermentable sugar. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, maltotriose, and (IIRC) galactose, are all fermentable sugars present in wort.

To the OP. The best way to bump up the ABV of your beer is to add DME (dried malt extract.

Adding table sugar to a 3% beer might result in something you won't want to drink.

So, either add DME or just let it be. While a 3% beer might not be exactly what you were looking for, it might be the best outcome possible until your next batch.

Gluck.

Easy! Go to the liquor store, buy some Everclear, pour it in. You've just boosted your alcohol level!

Tinpanharry said:

Nooby here. I just started my first extract brew - a Coopers DIY Lager kit. My starting OG was 1030, and I anticipate the Final Gravity to be between 1012 and 1016 which will be an alcohol level around 3%. Can I increase alcohol level a day after I have pitched the yeast?

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As previously mentioned, you could add some sugar or DME/LME. My suggestion would be to get some DME/LME and boil in some water to pasteurize before adding to your beer. I'd boil it down quite a bit so you aren't increasing your volume much.

emjay I appreciate that you supported one of my claims. While I said sugars aren't always 100% fermentable and can add sweetness to your beer, I was referring to "How to Brew" by John Palmer. In chapter 11, he lists the main fermentable sugars found in our homebrew.


Type - Fermentability
Corn sugar - 100%
Cane sugar - 100%
Brown sugar - ~97%
Molasses/treacle - 50-70%
Candi sugar - 100%
Lyle's Golden Syrup - 100%
Maple syrup - 100%
Honey - 95%
Dry malt extract - ~75%


The fact of the matter is that while MOST sugars are fermentable, some are not as fermentable. If one were to add corn sugar, I agree with totem, it will help dry out the beer, but not make it sweeter. However, on the other hand, if one were to use DME, it would ALSO sweeten the beer.

Regardless, people have been seeming so "edgy" on these boards lately. Why the hostility? Can't we all just be friends?

passedpawn said:

To the OP. The best way to bump up the ABV of your beer is to add DME (dried malt extract.

Adding table sugar to a 3% beer might result in something you won't want to drink.

So, either add DME or just let it be. While a 3% beer might not be exactly what you were looking for, it might be the best outcome possible until your next batch.

Gluck.

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I second this -but since this is your first brew, you would be well advised to leave it as is and let it finish. Plenty of time to monkey with recipes in the future, and if you do the same recipe and add DME or other fermentable sugars to increase your ABV then you will at least have something to compare the changes to. If you add to your first batch, and the result isn't to your liking, you will never know if you messed up the result or if the original recipe wasn't to your liking.
In any case, welcome aboard!

mattd2 said:

If you did the Coopers style of 1 can extract and 1 kg of sugar I would expect you FG to be more in the range of 1006-1008. And usually the OG for these kits are in the upper 30s (for 6 gallons), did you stir the kit to fully mix in the extract/sugar (assuming it is a kit and kilo you are doing )?

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Yes I used the Coopers DIY kt that came with 1kg sugar and 1 can lager extract. I believe I stirred it well. The instructions that came in the top of the can stated to expect an OG of near 1030-1040 and an FG of near 1012, which I calculate to be a small beer slightly under 3%. I did add a 1/2 cup of dextrose this morning.

Thanks!
TPH

I wonder, did you read the hydrometer correctly? That is, adjusting for the temperature of the wort?

Nightbiker said:

I wonder, did you read the hydrometer correctly? That is, adjusting for the temperature of the wort?

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The wort was a little warm, at about 30celsius. But I am not sure what the impact is of that.... boy I have a lot to learn!

TPH

Did you use topoff water or did you do a full boil? Generally when you use topoff water you don't have a homogeneous mixture and you're gravity readings can be off, significantly.

Tinpanharry said:

The wort was a little warm, at about 30celsius. But I am not sure what the impact is of that.... boy I have a lot to learn!

TPH

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Means your beer will have a bit of a higher reading when corrected for temp! Just let things ferment out now and see what it is like. With that much sugar I bet you will want to use extract on your second batch!

drathbone said:

Did you use topoff water or did you do a full boil? Generally when you use topoff water you don't have a homogeneous mixture and you're gravity readings can be off, significantly.

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Yep, it was top off water.

Learning.. learning.. learning.

Tinpanharry said:

Yep, it was top off water.

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Yeah you could very well have had a low reading due to the top off water. I'd just wait it out and see how it taste. It ought to be beer either way.