Steeping Grains

If I steep my grains say up to 60 minutes instead of 30 or 45 will there be more sugar extracted or is most the sugar out of the grains by the 30 minute mark. I want to try to up the ABV of my next batch, but I don't want to add sugars to sweeten it. I dont have time to get the LHBS so I was wondering if there is a simple way that does not really change the flavor of the beer but gives it more ABV.

I don't think more time is going to matter, assuming you're not actually talking about mashing a base grain. You aren't looking for starch conversion with steeped grains. Any sugar from them is already available and is going to come out pretty quickly.

if you just want to up the ABV you could use corn sugar or cane sugar. simple sugars like those do make your beer taste drier and a bit thinner though

johnsonbrew said:

I want to try to up the ABV of my next batch, but I don't want to add sugars to sweeten it.

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I'm not clear on this statement. Adding sugar to your boil, fermentation, etc. will not sweeten your beer. It will dry it out, as Krazykripple noted.

You could also use something like honey. The best option, but would require a trip to the LHBS, is to add more base grain or extract.

Yeah, its my understanding that for us guys doing extract with grains, the grains add subtle flavor and mouth feel more than sugar. Our sugars come from the DME or LME, or brown sugar, cane sugar, honey, or any other type of sugar you pour in the pot.

So in a 5 gallon batch how much sugar should I be adding cups or pounds?

Depends on what you are wanting to do, and how much you want to dry it out. By doing so, you'll want to up your hop schedule as well, as it will finish dry, sweeter, thinner and the hops will be in the background depending on what your are brewing.

Yeah, thats a tricky question. There is really no set amount. Look up and follow some tried and true recipes from this forum and you will begin to get a feel for what quantities of each ingredient make for a decent beer. I would also recommend focusing on quality and not just a lot of sugar for high ABV. There is plenty of cheap crappy booze that will do that for a lot less money.

Shooter said:

I don't think more time is going to matter, assuming you're not actually talking about mashing a base grain. You aren't looking for starch conversion with steeped grains. Any sugar from them is already available and is going to come out pretty quickly.

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eeeerrrr! incorrect, lower temps at higher times will extract more vital sugars for higher ABV!

Trophy_Brew21 said:

eeeerrrr! incorrect, lower temps at higher times will extract more vital sugars for higher ABV!

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Is this really going to make that much of a difference?!!?

Shooter said:

Is this really going to make that much of a difference?!!?

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60 min is the ideal time frame for extracting the most amount of sugars for your beer, anything less will cause lower ABV because it can cause some of the grains to not fully extract all the sugars, more time is better, I do 75 min for most beers and usually hit a little above the estimated OG by .003 or so. But if you like your beers or hit close to your expected OG then that is great, but from my experiences, the longer amount of time will make the grains extract the maximum levels of sugar.

Shooter said:

Is this really going to make that much of a difference?!!?

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I'm assuming it's no more than 2 lbs. of steeped grains. In that case, you're not getting many sugars from the grains.

Trophy_Brew21 said:

60 min is the ideal time frame for extracting the most amount of sugars for your beer, anything less will cause lower ABV because it can cause some of the grains to not fully extract all the sugars, more time is better, I do 75 min for most beers and usually hit a little above the estimated OG by .003 or so. But if you like your beers or hit close to your expected OG then that is great, but from my experiences, the longer amount of time will make the grains extract the maximum levels of sugar.

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1.065 - 1.020 X 130 = 5.85
1.068 - 1.020 X 130 = 6.24

If you're truly getting .003 more OG you're still not gaining much in the form of alcohol. Also, the less grains you steep the less sugars to convert, so if you're steeping several lbs. I can see it making a small difference. Most extract batches I've ever done never have more that 2 lbs. of steeping grains and that's on the high end of the spectrum.

If you just go ahead and try to make the beer significantly stronger, you could end up with a beer that is drier or beer with a hot alcohol taste. When I design beers, I don't focus on the ABV. I try to hit a target original gravity in my design and make sure enough of it is fermentable to meet the target final gravity. If I want to brew a stronger beer, I'll design a beer to a stronger style. I actually haven't done this because I've only been brewing for less than a year. Stronger beers cost more to brew and I want to have a solid process before I commit to making a stronger beer.

With that in mind if you actually want to make the beer sweeter, here are some things you can do:

• Steep with light Caramel/Crystal (10-80) (Can give you some complex sugars)
• Add lactose (ie. Milk Stout)
• Use a little bit of Victory, Vienna or Honey Malt (won't make it taste sweeter but will give you some light malt flavor)

Trophy_Brew21 said:

60 min is the ideal time frame for extracting the most amount of sugars for your beer, anything less will cause lower ABV because it can cause some of the grains to not fully extract all the sugars, more time is better, I do 75 min for most beers and usually hit a little above the estimated OG by .003 or so. But if you like your beers or hit close to your expected OG then that is great, but from my experiences, the longer amount of time will make the grains extract the maximum levels of sugar.

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Hmm, well, I obviously use a 60 minute mash with base grain, but just can't see the bother of anything more than 30 minutes for an extract batch where I'm using only steeping grains. However, sounds like you've found something that works for you. So, go for it!

Trophy_Brew21 said:

eeeerrrr! incorrect, lower temps at higher times will extract more vital sugars for higher ABV!

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What exactly are vital sugars? I assume you are talking about maltose to dextrine ratio at lower mash temps. Since op is talking about steeping grains, i would say the point has been missed completely.

No, steeping grain longer (not mashing) will have no effect on ABV.

As far as I know I have to agree that steeping grains from a kit is for color and not for sugars which is gotten from the ME as some have already said.

So if I add another pound of LME or DME that is the
Oat assured way of adding ABV to a batch? How will it affect the feel, taste and body of the beer?