True Brew - Home Brewing Kit modification

[crumpetsnbeer]

So I found a True Brew brewing kit in my dads basement, and thought I would make it up.

Now I have brewed a few different things like Mead, kombucha, Apple cider, and beer a few times.

Style: Nut Brown Ale
Yeast: Muntons Active Brewing yeast
hops:UK Fuggle 1OZ "Alpha 4%"

Brew stats are: 1.049 - 1.051
Beginning Gravity: 1.012 - 1.014
Final Gravity: 1.012 - 1.014
Hop Bittering units: 12.1

Above are the brewing stats that instruction manual says that the beer will produce. The yeast is no longer good so I bought "Safale US-05 dry Ale yeast. I thought I should buy some new hops as well so i purchased "Nugget" hops with a Alpha:13.3% and Beta: 4.4%.

This beer will produce a ABV of 5.12% at best. Now what I am wondering is at best can I add less water to get the ABV higher I would like to get to around at least 7%. If i can do this how much less water should i use? I was thinking a gal less but that is just a guess. If this works should i add less hops as well or not? I like hops so would it make the hop taste overpowering?

Thanks

 

[billl]

You would need to be down about 1.4 gallons to get to 7%.

To maintain balance, you'll want to keep the total AA hop additions somewhere around what they were and then the lower volume will be concentrated about the same amount as the rest of the beer. Of course, if you like hoppy beer, you can dial that up to taste. 1oz of fuggle would not be hoppy or bitter at all.

Honestly though, I'd make something similar to the original recipe and NOT spend much money doing it. "Found" extract that is probably old might not make the best beer.