Increasing ABV in Witbier Kit

jeffmeh · Jul 18, 2009

I am brewing a Witbier from a Midwest kit and would like to boost the ABV a bit. Would adding 1 lb. of light DME to the boil be reasonable to do, or should I leave well enough alone and just brew the kit? How much will that boost the ABV in a 5-gallon batch? I have a two quart yeast starter with Wyeast 3944 ready to go. Thanks for the help.

Malticulous · Jul 18, 2009

It will add 9 points. Wheat DME may be a better choice. I wouldn't do it. The recipe is probably better balanced without it. It should be a quick session beer.

HillbillyDeluxe · Jul 19, 2009

I have made the midwest kit(extract i presume) and it's nice man. Why up the ABV? I got a few "Big beers" in my rotation but the style calls for it. I have however (Imperialized) recipe's. That will drive your abv up, but sometimes the flavor profile goes to hell and you gotta use a very resilient yeast.

jeffmeh · Jul 19, 2009

Thank you both for the feedback. I brewed it today, as is, according to the recipe. Let's see how it comes out.

adslania · Jul 20, 2009

With my homebrews I used the BrewVint Alcohol Boost from Austin Homebrew and it bumped up the ABV by a little under 1%:

Austin Homebrew Supply

I'm still pretty new to homebrewing so I'm not sure what others feel about doing this...did it affect the taste of your brews?

h4rdluck · Jul 24, 2009

how much did said "brewvint" cost (Edit nm... 2$)because all it is is half malt half corn sugar.... which you can add all by yourself.

I'd just go ahead and make your own mix. Just get a bag of corn sugar.

Schnitzengiggle · Jul 24, 2009

Just add some clear candi-sugar to up your ABV, but be careful as it will lighten the body slightly. Many Belgian brews, including Wits, incorporate candi-sugar. You can make your own, takes about 30 minutes and there is a tutorial on the Wiki.

kyleobie · Jul 29, 2009

I'm late to the party, but I recently brewed a Wit (labeled a 'Grand Cru') from Papazian's book. In addition to the typical Wit ingredients I added 2 lbs honey. It's going to take a while to age, but I'll be happy to report any results.

Increasing ABV in Witbier Kit

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