Continental light really LOW abv.

I just bought a continental light kit from True Brew. The ingredients are 1can of unhopped malt
1lb of rice syrup solids
1lb of corn sugar
and hop pellets

The gravity range is from 1.036 original to 1.010 final gravity.

My real question is it looks like I will have a beer with 2-3% alcohol. Is there anything I can do to bump it to 4.5%?
:cross:

buy more malt extract. There's already a ton of sugar in there.

I made that one before. Tasted... well.... buy more malt extract. I used a 1lb extra extract in place of the corn sugar. I would say use 2-3 pounds and leave out the sugar and rice.

Please do not double post.

Your beer will be 3.5% to nearly 4% as posted. There's a good chance that the kit came with a kilo of corn sugar instead of only a pound, which puts it over 4%. Brew it as directed and see how it tastes. Most of us don't brew for the ABV, we brew for the flavor and the experience.

Thanks for the input, I too enjoy the flavor and experience. I just found the ABV to be too low for real men to drink in the cold New England weather.

You picked the wrong kit for a winter warmer. After all, it does say "light" in the name.

Try something big and malty like a 90 shilling, robust porter, or even an imperial stout.

I just want to know what I should do to kick it up a notch, thanks ben and carne.

dockmasterjc said:

I just want to know what I should do to kick it up a notch, thanks ben and carne.

Click to expand...

Well yes more malt will kick it up a notch but your kit was designed with the proper ingredients to get an expected result. Just throwing more fermentables into it will increase the alcohol. But it will also decrease the perceived IBUS and throw the beer taste off. This is why we recommend that people stick to recipe for at least 5 batches to get an understanding of the process.

I'm still unclear why you picked a light beer when you didn't want one. As it is your beer will have more alcohol than similar commercial light beers.

I never said I wanted a "light" beer. That is just what I brewed. I plan on giving this to my older relatives who don't like or appreciate my IPA's or stouts. I just don't want them to say it tastes like natural light, ok?

Thanks for the malt info, I just picked up a small bag to toss in.