Not the alcohol kick I want

I've been brewing on and off for about 4 years now and I generally find the beers taste great but don't have the alcohol kick I would expect. I recently started drinking an IPA that I extract brewed with 8 lbs pale malt and 1 lb DME plus the steeped grains. I barely get a buzz from three beers and my tolerance is not that high. Is this most likely a yeast problem? Does using a yeast starter every time ensure more alcohol is produced?

Thanks.

more fermentables = more alcohol.
gravity of 1.050 down to 1.012 gets you around 5% abv.
i did a porter that started at 1.060 and ended at 1.010 = 6.4% -good buzz beer!

First off, I will state that I'm not into brewing because of the alcohol, I tend to make reasonably low ABV beers. That being said:

Mash temps matter. If you're doing a partial mash, like your post seems to indidate, you need to mash at temps around 147-150 if you want a dry beer with more fermentables. Mashing high, around 158, will produce more dextrins and a fuller-bodied but less attenuated beer.

Different yeasts do have different tolerances to alcohol before they peter out, but we're talking in the 10% ABV range. Under that, most yeast won't have an issue. Some yeast strains simply don't attenuate well, though, and are better suited to making higher-bodied beers. I think Windsor fits into that category from my experience using it.

Best thing you can do - use a hydrometer. That will tell you your original gravity and your final gravity. When the gravity reading doesn't seem like it's getting any lower after several days of readings, the yeast is done producing all the alcohol it is going to and the main fermentation is over. If your FG is finishing higher than expected for the typical attenuation of your yeast strain, it's likely that the wort contained a lot of unfermentables. Depending on the style this can be a good or a bad thing.

I wish that I could make beer that tasted good with almost 0 alcohol. I love beer but I don't like being drunk.

Time to study up on the scientific basics behind brewing.
Yeasts convert sugar to alcohol in a fixed ratio. The higher the concentration of sugar in the wort the higher the concentration of alcohol in the final product.

Hydrometers measure the gravity of the wort/beer. The gravity gives you a direct indication of the sugar concentration of the wort. It is a straight forward conversion from gravity points dropped during fermentation to alcohol concentration.

If you are doing a mash then you cannot know what your OG was without measuring it. That is the first step to solving your problems. 8# of grain and 1# of extract doesn't sound like a big beer to me, especially if efficiency is poor. Measure to get more information then you will have the knowledge required to correct the problem.

Craig

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/1-200-20-120-minute-iipa-100549/

Read, apply, pass out.

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't clear in my original post. This was an extract - I used 8 lbs liquid malt extract and 1 lb dried extract. I understand the yeast/sugar relationship - hence my confusion as to why this beer didn't have much of a kick.

My primary goal isn't to get drunk - but when I use 9 lbs of fermentables and don't feel anything after 3 beers, I'm wondering what I might have done wrong. I used white labs liquid yeast and got about 2 1/2 days of good, visible fermenting action.

northernjerry said:

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't clear in my original post. This was an extract - I used 8 lbs liquid malt extract and 1 lb dried extract. I understand the yeast/sugar relationship - hence my confusion as to why this beer didn't have much of a kick.

My primary goal isn't to get drunk - but when I use 9 lbs of fermentables and don't feel anything after 3 beers, I'm wondering what I might have done wrong. I used white labs liquid yeast and got about 2 1/2 days of good, visible fermenting action.

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You probably didn't do anything wrong, your grain bill just isn't large enough to produce a high alcohol beer. Around 5%. Up the grain bill and you can up the alcohol. 5% is more a session beer than anything else.

northernjerry said:

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't clear in my original post. This was an extract - I used 8 lbs liquid malt extract and 1 lb dried extract. I understand the yeast/sugar relationship - hence my confusion as to why this beer didn't have much of a kick.

My primary goal isn't to get drunk - but when I use 9 lbs of fermentables and don't feel anything after 3 beers, I'm wondering what I might have done wrong. I used white labs liquid yeast and got about 2 1/2 days of good, visible fermenting action.

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I don't think the buzz-o-meter is the proper tool to use to determine the alcohol content of a beverage. Most use a hydrometer.

Classy post there.

Anyway, I concur with the majority. Up the fermentables. Also, understand that most extracts don't attenuate that well and will get pretty sweet once you go much past 5 or 6%ABV. So yes, you can up the grain bill, or in your case the "malt extract" bill. Getting to 6 or 7%ABV is just a matter of using a hydrometer and applying a little math, though you should be aware that stronger beers also take longer to age into their delicious selves. A 7% beer will require at least 3 months in secondary or bottles before really getting close to its prime...

Anyway, I've always found that the buzz from homebrew is pretty deceptive. I think part of it is that when you're drinking at home, you feel safer and more comfortable and just don't notice the effects as much... but I've also found microbrews to be deceptive as well.... I guess maybe I just feel at home when I'm in a brewpub.

Anyway, my point is that if you need to add more fermentables and face the likelihood that your beers will have a bit of extra residual sweetness.. or you can go all grain.

I extract brewed a nice double chocolate stout and I think i got around 8% (9 lbs of DME, if you're using that) that beer will give you a kick in the pants if you're drinking a bomber of it.

I brewed 11% Quad using all extract except 1# Lyles Golden Syrup and 1# Candi Sugar... attenuated from 1.103 down to 1.019 (81%) using WLP570. Thats not the only factor...

tekhna said:

You probably didn't do anything wrong, your grain bill just isn't large enough to produce a high alcohol beer. Around 5%. Up the grain bill and you can up the alcohol. 5% is more a session beer than anything else.

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I doubt he is interested using grain of any sort since he is extract brewing. He could use more extract but the amount he used should be enough to make a pretty nice IPA between 6.5-7% ABV.

Like sirsloop said, they buzz-o-meter is not the way to go...get yourself a hydrometer and then you can at least attempt to know your alcohol content.

Do you think your fermentation got stuck? 2.5 days is pretty good for the vigerous portion of the fermentation, but my 1.060+ beers usually ferment at a reduced rate for another 3 or 4.

Does your beer taste sweet? Is it super carbonated, like more than it should be considering the bottling sugar you added? Are you just gaining tolerance to alcohol? Have you given yourself a field sobriety test after three?

Do you think your fermentation got stuck? 2.5 days is pretty good for the vigerous portion of the fermentation, but my 1.060+ beers usually ferment at a reduced rate for another 3 or 4.

This is likely. The foam was pretty much gone after 3 days. I think final gravity was around 1.030 (yes, I have a hydrometer but I never did an initial reading.) It is very sweet with little hop bitterness or aroma. It's closer to a malty amber than IPA.

northernjerry said:

Do you think your fermentation got stuck? 2.5 days is pretty good for the vigerous portion of the fermentation, but my 1.060+ beers usually ferment at a reduced rate for another 3 or 4.

This is likely. The foam was pretty much gone after 3 days. I think final gravity was around 1.030 (yes, I have a hydrometer but I never did an initial reading.) It is very sweet with little hop bitterness or aroma. It's closer to a malty amber than IPA.

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definitely stuck if it finished at 1.030, should have gone into the 1.01x range. did you shake the fermentor before pitching to aerate the wort? maybe put some yeast nutrient in the boil since it is a good size beer...and make a starter. you might want to watch for bottle bombs when the weather warms up and the bottles continue to build pressure over time.

steelerguy said:

definitely stuck if it finished at 1.030, should have gone into the 1.01x range. did you shake the fermentor before pitching to aerate the wort? maybe put some yeast nutrient in the boil since it is a good size beer...and make a starter. you might want to watch for bottle bombs when the weather warms up and the bottles continue to build pressure over time.

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+1. This beer finished much to high. If you bottled it at 1.030 I would be very worried about bottle bombs unless you used Laaglander extract (known for it unfermentables). How long was this beer in the fermenter? 8# of LME + 1# of DME should of given the beer a good kick but there is a couple # of fermentables still left in the beer.

Craig

It was in the fermentor for 8 days. I kegged it, no bottles.

I'm going to use starters all the time in the future. Does that usually solve the problem?

northernjerry said:

It was in the fermentor for 8 days. I kegged it, no bottles.

I'm going to use starters all the time in the future. Does that usually solve the problem?

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It will certainly help since there will be a lot more yeast starting the job. Still will be important to control the fermentation temperature and aerate the wort beforehand.

northernjerry said:

It was in the fermentor for 8 days. I kegged it, no bottles.

I'm going to use starters all the time in the future. Does that usually solve the problem?

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Well that a relief, you won't have any blown up bottles.

I assume that the keg is chilled and under pressure. You may be able to get this beer to finish if you warm it back up to 70f-75F and vent the keg. Give it a swirl and vent it at least once a day. Give it atleast a week (probably needs the time any ways) then check the gravity again. You may find you have dropped a few more points.

In the future, make sure your fermentation temps are stable and stay within the recommended range. Aerate the wort well before pitching. And pitch the proper amount of yeast (a starter well help here).

Craig

So I might be able to fix this? There might still be enough yeast in there to get more action? Cool.

When you say vent the keg, I'm assuming you mean release the CO2 pressure? Could I also throw some hops in there to get some aroma?


Thanks for all the help.

northernjerry said:

So I might be able to fix this? There might still be enough yeast in there to get more action? Cool.

When you say vent the keg, I'm assuming you mean release the CO2 pressure? Could I also throw some hops in there to get some aroma?


Thanks for all the help.

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Unless you filtered the beer there will still be plenty of yeast to restart fermentation if you can wake them out of dormancy. If you had poor aeration and/or under pitched the yeast then it might take considerably longer than 8 days to ferment, especially if your fermentation temps were cool. Once you chilled it you halted the process. I am just suggesting warming it back up to where the yeast really like it. If you give the keg a swirl every once in a while it will help to get them back into the beer to finish the job. Not saying it will solve your problem but i think it should work.

I don't have kegs yet, but my understanding is there is a pressure relief valve you can pull to release the pressure in the keg. Just pull that until the keg no longer holds pressure. If it ferments it will build up some more pressure which you will need to continue to vent. I think you can also use a gas in line disconnected from the gas and placed in a small container of water as a blow-off/air lock. This might be an easy thing to do.

Craig

Yes - there is a pressure relief valve at the top. All sounds pretty reasonable - I am definitely going to give it a shot.

Thanks.