Going Cross-eyed...

...from reading all of the posts related to upping the ABV of an extract beer. I've read to add corn sugar, table sugar, malt extract, etc. but that i should also modify the bittering hops as well to keep everything in balance IF I add "too much."

I'm looking to add 1# of corn sugar (or light DME, not sure yet) to a Dead Ringer kit. What would be better to use - sugar or DME? Some of each? I know that "too much" sugar dries out your beer, but how much is "too much?" Also, I've read where DME can add maltiness, so should I then add hops? If so, how much???

I appreciate everyone's help on this, this forum is a WEALTH of knowledge!

Thanks!

I would just add corn sugar. Dead Ringer is an IPA right? If its extract based, it will tend to have a bit higher FG than a comparative all-grain version so I think simple sugar would be the way to go to ensure it dries out. 1lb/5gal is a decent starting point. Just keep the hops as they are, or add more....which is what id probably do

Definitely corn sugar.

OP, this is where a brewer's calculator comes in handy. You can enter all the basics in to get your current profile (OG, IBUs, SRM, etc.) and then add a pound of DME (or sugar, corn sugar, what have you) and see how that affects the whole batch. Decide on which one you'd like to go with, and then mess around with the amount of hops to get your IBUs back in line.

Brewer's Friend is free, if you don't mind not being able to save your recipes in it, and works pretty well (IMHO). BeerSmith is not free, but you can save your recipes and it is a little more in-depth, from what I've seen.

slym2none said:

OP, this is where a brewer's calculator comes in handy. You can enter all the basics in to get your current profile (OG, IBUs, SRM, etc.) and then add a pound of DME (or sugar, corn sugar, what have you) and see how that affects the whole batch. Decide on which one you'd like to go with, and then mess around with the amount of hops to get your IBUs back in line.

Brewer's Friend is free, if you don't mind not being able to save your recipes in it, and works pretty well (IMHO). BeerSmith is not free, but you can save your recipes and it is a little more in-depth, from what I've seen.

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Awesome, thanks. I've heard of both, but never messed with either. I'll at around in Brewer's Friend and see how I like it. Thanks for everyone's input!

Any of the popular calculators will give an ABV and the IBUs.

But you should consider that adding a simple sugar like table sugar, or corn sugar, is likely to have the effect of thinning a beer and drying it's mouthfeel out. Adding extract will accomplish the same ABV change, but will likely increase the body at the same time.

There may need to be a balance between adding simple sugars and adding extract depending on the balance you want between ABV and mouthfeel.

For instance, a Belgian Golden Strong is a fairly light bodied beer, but very high in ABV. They accomplish that by using a large amount of malt, and a good amount of simple sugar to "lighten" the body.

Some bigger beers don't add much sugar and they will be "thicker" in comparison.

I played around on Brewers Friend and found that by adding 1# of corn sugar will only drop the IBU's by 10. If I add an extra 1/2 oz of hops at 20 mins remaining, they make up for this loss. With that being said, I am going to go back and put in 1/2# of light DME and equivalent corn sugar then adjust the hops in an effort to maintain mouthful (as much as possible) . I can see where this could get addicting!

I's suggest that you brew this kit exactly as it is designed. It will then be a good baseline for you to compare against if you decide that you just "have to" modify it. Many of us that have brewed for several years have quit chasing the idea of upping the alcohol content of a kit beer and drink our beer for it's balanced taste. If you want higher amount of alcohol, choose a kit that has that as a parameter instead of changing a kit to get there.

RM-MN said:

I's suggest that you brew this kit exactly as it is designed. It will then be a good baseline for you to compare against if you decide that you just "have to" modify it. Many of us that have brewed for several years have quit chasing the idea of upping the alcohol content of a kit beer and drink our beer for it's balanced taste. If you want higher amount of alcohol, choose a kit that has that as a parameter instead of changing a kit to get there.

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I can see what you mean by this. But this is the way many "green brewers" get into experimenting with recipes and building their own. So to this I say: to each their own. That's the beauty of this addiction.