Adding more extract to a recipe?

Ok so I'm new to brewing and to changing/creating recipes but I have a question about changing the recipe below. I want to make it a little higher gravity to make it a little stronger. What else in the recipe would I have to change? Or would I have to change anything? More yeast? I was thinking of adding 2-3 more pounds of dark malt extract. Suggestions?

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: White Labs Irish Ale
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.015
IBU: 19.0
Boiling Time (Minutes): 70
Color: 46.4 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 days at 70
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 70
Tasting Notes: Malty with a great vanilla after taste.

6 lb. Dark Liquid Malt Extract
1 lb. Dark Dry Malt Extract
.75 lb. Black Patent Malt
.25 lb. Roasted Barley
1 oz Cluster (7.00%) at 60 minutes
1 oz East Kent Goldings (4.00) at 20 minutes
1 tsp Irish moss at 15 minutes
2.5 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract (add to secondary)
1 White Labs Irish Ale Yeast

Steeped grains at 150F for 35 minutes in oven

Boil for 70 minutes

After 14 days move to secondary and rack on top of 2.5 tbsp of vanilla.
(I know I should have soaked beans in bourbon, but thought i would try this, so far so good)

Primed with 3/4 cup of Corn Sugar.

2-3 lbs should do it, looks like a good vanilla stout recipe.

basisforaday said:

I want to make it a little higher gravity to make it a little stronger. What else in the recipe would I have to change? Or would I have to change anything? More yeast? I was thinking of adding 2-3 more pounds of dark malt extract. Suggestions?

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Higher SG is the key to more alcohol. More malt would add more SG and not change its flavor as say a sugar. If you are adding less then 0.05 SG then you can usually get away with just sugar. Anything more and you will want more Malt.

More yeast is useless. You only need more yeast when the yeast in your fermenter has somehow died or went dormant. Yeast+water+sugar will make alcohol. Add more sugar and you get more alcohol. You get more up to the point where the yeast dies from the alcohol content you brewed.

Adding DME will only increase SG and thereby increase alcohol content (of to that equilibrium point)

Thanks guys.

Torg said:

More malt would add more SG and not change its flavor as say a sugar. If you are adding less then 0.05 SG then you can usually get away with just sugar. Anything more and you will want more Malt.

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Be careful with this. Adding sugar can raise the OG, but not the FG since it is 100% fermentable. Any amount of sugar will change the dryness of your beer. Too much and you may completely change the intent of the recipe.

Torg said:

More yeast is useless. You only need more yeast when the yeast in your fermenter has somehow died or went dormant.

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No no no no no. The amount of yeast needed to properly ferment a batch is highly dependent on the OG. Use this pitching rate calculator to determine how much yeast you will need.
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

You may also want to add more hops to keep the balance of the beer. Start off by keeping the ratio of the bitterness units to the gravity points the same. That will get you in the ballpark, but you may need to tweak it from there.

BU to GU ratio = IBU/((OG-1)*1000)

jescholler is correct you need to make sure that you are still pitching enough yeast for the higher gravity. Mr. Malty is a great resource. Also you will need to add more hops to keep the same balance.

So by using mr. malty, it says that I need to use 2.9 five gram dry yeast packets to ferment this batch since it will have a 1.072 OG. Is that correct?

Yes or just round up to 3 packets.

jescholler said:

Be careful with this. Adding sugar can raise the OG, but not the FG since it is 100% fermentable. Any amount of sugar will change the dryness of your beer. Too much and you may completely change the intent of the recipe.



No no no no no. The amount of yeast needed to properly ferment a batch is highly dependent on the OG. Use this pitching rate calculator to determine how much yeast you will need.
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html


BU to GU ratio = IBU/((OG-1)*1000)

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I meant after it already brewing. Adding more yeast after that has already reached peak is useless. Of course if you use a starter you do not need to worry about all of this.

When should you use a starter? Different types of beer? Should I use one in this case?

You should not do a starter when you are using dry yeast.

You should do a starter when the pitching rate calculator tells you to. Some people prefer not to do a starter for some beers like Hefeweizens and Belgians, but the author of the pitching rate calculator (who is the most decorated Homebrewer in the world) does not. He recommends his pitching rate calculator for every style and every batch.

basisforaday said:

When should you use a starter? Different types of beer? Should I use one in this case?

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Starters should be used for any beer that uses liquid yeast. Dry yeast does not need a starter, just the required amount of dry yeast.