How to get high abv

[reggofcal]

I have been buying hoppy beers and some Russian stouts that the abv is anywhere from 11% to 14%.how do they get there abv that high?i usually gate 8% at most.

 

[mike_in_ak]

A lot of the yeasts available go that high. Some better than others.

It's just a lot of fermentable sugar and yeast with alcohol tolerance.

And probably a lot of aging.

 

[mike_in_ak]

Having read your other thread on efficiency problems, if you want to get that high I would probably figure out a way to toss in a few pounds of DME to increase the fermentables. But you need to calculate it properly so it's not just a malty mess.

 

[reggofcal]

I did a 5 gal nut brown ale and got around 7% with a British yeast strain and then put distillers yeast in a gallon of the nut brown and it only got around 6 %. I don't understand why the distillers yeast was lower abv.

 

[mike_in_ak]

Doesn't make any sense. Lot of variables. Maybe the distiller yeast is adapted for different carbohydrate structures.


The yeast can only ferment the sugar there to ferment. If you're not getting good conversion there's only so much to do.

No need for distillers yeast. There are plenty of decent hi abv yeasts and champagne yeast if that doesn't cut it.

Your numbers might be off for some reason too, as in faulty hydrometer or user.

 

[mot]

Put enough grain to reach a certain gravity and pitch a lot if healthy yeast viable that can handle what your going for.

Plus your efficiency will start to take a hit the stronger you go use dme to boost it if you need to