I'm new to brewing. I've only done two 5 gallon batches thus far, and my ABV percentages according to my hydrometer are very low (around 2%). I've allowed both batches to ferment completely before bottling. My question is, how do I increase my ABV? I mean, my beers taste like what I mean them to taste like, just in a lighter form. Any help or advice anyone can offer is very appreciated!
Abv
- Thread starter Dlax006
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ReverseApacheMaster
Well-Known Member
Disregard that ABV scale on the hydrometer. You need to measure the gravity pre-fermentation and then again post-fermentation. The difference is what you use to calculate ABV. If you are doing partial boils and taking gravity readings you'll always be off on the pre-fermentation because the heavier wort sinks to the bottom and the water floats to the top. It takes a while for everything to mix well.
Well I'm sure my methodology is poor at best currently considering I'm just trying to get the bare-bones of the process down. I guess in addition to the previous question I asked in this thread, I should ask what is a good standard methodology to make a good brew? I understand that the process can change dramatically based on what kind of beer you are shooting for, but just as a basic standard for brewing, what kind of process should I follow? I'm just very discouraged right now because I've put a lot of money into these last two beers, and I feel like I've failed miserably on them (given I didn't take any gravity readings on them, however that will change thanks to the advice I've been given). Thanks for all the advice leading up to this post guys!
andycr
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Usually the ABV indicator on a hydrometer is supposed to be used like this: you write down the value from the original wort, and then subtract the final one from it. So in this case, your final ABV estimate was 2%, so if for instance the initial was 7%, you are at about 5%.
That is, at least, how my hydrometer's instructions said to use it. It can't tell you the ABV without knowing the original gravity of the wort. It's easier in my opinion to just write down OG and FG and use an online calculator.
In other words, ignore the ABV reading on the hydrometer. It's very unlikely you 'failed'! If it tastes good and your recipe was any good at all, you almost certainly came out with good beer at the expected ABV.
That is, at least, how my hydrometer's instructions said to use it. It can't tell you the ABV without knowing the original gravity of the wort. It's easier in my opinion to just write down OG and FG and use an online calculator.
In other words, ignore the ABV reading on the hydrometer. It's very unlikely you 'failed'! If it tastes good and your recipe was any good at all, you almost certainly came out with good beer at the expected ABV.
More than likely you DID have good ABV, you just did an incorrect reading like mentioned above. Next brew take ALL the gravity readings and calculate it up. Starting will be higher (1.060 for example) and the final gravity will be much lower(1.010 for example). Do the calculation and you have your true ABV!
Don't give up. I'm sure ABV was better than 2.0.
Don't give up. I'm sure ABV was better than 2.0.
Thank you andycr, that was very encouraging. Considering I never took an OG, I can't really gauge my ABV, but, for future reference, I'll do that from now on. My FG of this last brew was 1.020, but I suppose that doesn't really help considering I never took the OG. Oh well, you learn from your mistakes I suppose!
freisste
Well-Known Member
Follow the recipe. Take notes on what you do, see, and taste. Keep things sanitized. Take hydrometer readings before pitching yeast and when you think fermentation is done. Enjoy what you are doing. Be patient. Read a lot of forums like this one to get a feel for a lot of beginner questions.
DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Likely you are being overly-hard on yourself. I bet your beer is at worst a good Bud/Miller/Coors equivalent.
DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Likely you are being overly-hard on yourself. I bet your beer is at worst a good Bud/Miller/Coors equivalent.
freisste
Well-Known Member
Dlax006 said:
Super-broad generalization alert:
A good guess is that the numbers after the 1 in your gravity reading will drop by around 3/4. If your final gravity was 1.020, your initial (according to my overly broad statement above) should be around 1.080. I doubt yours was actually that high, but it probably was around 1.060. If it was 1.060 and dropped to 1.020, your ABV would be about 5.3. That is likely where your beer was. (What kind of beer style was it?)
1.020 is high. how long did you ferment for be fore you checked the gravity? also was it a partial mash brew or extract or all grain? there is ways to fix this if iwe know more about your brew.
Yeah, I probably am. I am taking notes on all ingredients and procedures I use for each brew, so I'll have the documentation to rely on in the future. I have only been doing it a month and half thus far. I'll get better, I definitely enjoy doing it (other than bottle sanitation 
) Thanks for the help and encouragement!
) Thanks for the help and encouragement!It was an extract that fermented for roughly a week and a half. There were no more bubbles coming from the airlock.
*EDIT* Also it was an Amber Ale, with some added winter-ish spices added (cinnamon, allspice).
*EDIT* Also it was an Amber Ale, with some added winter-ish spices added (cinnamon, allspice).
freisste
Well-Known Member
Dlax006 said:
You'll hear this a lot, but the airlock is not a measure of fermentation. To know that it is complete, you have to take hydrometer readings and ensure things aren't changing still. Usually recipes will list a final gravity range (something in the 1.010-1.015 range for "simple" beers - I say simple because some more advanced beers may have significantly different numbers, but you'll learn more about that as you go. Ignore for now). Anyway, if you are in the expected range and your gravity reading doesn't change for a few days, that is how you know you are done.
andycr
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1.020 is a bit high, but not unheard of. I would gently swirl the fermenter around a little to get more yeast back into suspension, then wait 3 days. Take another reading then. If it's the same, it's done (though leaving it for 2-3 weeks total from pitching to bottling to get a more refined character isn't a bad idea). If it's lower the second time, the yeast are still doing their thing, so wait it out. (The airlock could not bubble for various reasons, including a leak, etc., better to be safe than have exploding bottles.)
Ogri
Well-Known Member
It's not uncommon for extract batches to stall at 1.020, especially, but not only, stouts and porters using a lot of dark and/or roast malts.
Next time try giving the brew a bit longer in your primary fermenter. A lot of people on here swear by three weeks in primary, three weeks, minimum, bottle conditioning and then it's always a good idea to give your beers a few days, at least, in the fridge.
Next time try giving the brew a bit longer in your primary fermenter. A lot of people on here swear by three weeks in primary, three weeks, minimum, bottle conditioning and then it's always a good idea to give your beers a few days, at least, in the fridge.
Well, I already bottled it, considering a friend who had been brewing for a while said that if the bubbles stop in the airlock, to bottle ASAP...but if I get some exploding bottles, I'll know why! Ah, such is part of being a newbie in something. You never learn quite as much as you do when you totally screw something up!
When brewing an extract kit. If you used all the ingredients and ended up with the amount you were supposed to your ABV will be very close to what the recipe called for.
As stated the ABV scale on the hydrometer is not useful for predicting the final ABV of your beer. The way to find it is a calculation between the OG and the FG. The easiest way is to use one of the many online calculators.
As stated the ABV scale on the hydrometer is not useful for predicting the final ABV of your beer. The way to find it is a calculation between the OG and the FG. The easiest way is to use one of the many online calculators.
gcdowd
Well-Known Member
If you can tell us the recipe, we can calculate your OG. Then we can tell you your abv.
Ogri
Well-Known Member
Actually, kh54s10 hit the nail on the head there.:rockin:
List your weights of extracts, and any other fermentables used, and the total volume of wort that went into the fermenter then you'll be easily able to calculate OG.
List your weights of extracts, and any other fermentables used, and the total volume of wort that went into the fermenter then you'll be easily able to calculate OG.
3.3 lbs Amber LME
2 lbs Amber DME
2 oz cascade (60m and 30m)
3 tbs cinnamon
4 tbs apple pie spice
1 gallon wort to 4 gallons water.
This is was just very experimental, just trying to have a little fun with it, see what came out of my foolishness.
2 lbs Amber DME
2 oz cascade (60m and 30m)
3 tbs cinnamon
4 tbs apple pie spice
1 gallon wort to 4 gallons water.
This is was just very experimental, just trying to have a little fun with it, see what came out of my foolishness.
That will definitely be a light beer, but it should be around 4% ABV if it finished properly. If fermentation didn't finish you could easily be looking at a 3% ABV beer. As long as it doesn't taste sweet then no worries, i'm sure it will have more flavor than bud/miller/coors!
Ogri
Well-Known Member
Just wondering if using all amber malt is going to make this brew a bit sweet when combined with 3 tbsps cinnamon and 4 tbspns apple pie spice. Cascade is a great flavour and aroma hop but not really very high in alpha acids, somewhere around 5 to 6% generally, so not really effective as a bittering hop. Magnum and Galena are ones I've used for bittering, plus Cascade for flavour/aroma, with good results.
I'd usually go for an addition of about a pound to a pound & a 1/2 of dark brown sugar if my fermentables were as low as that for a 5 gallon batch but, as I said before, maybe all that amber malt with low(ish) AA% hops will be a little on the sweet side so plain white sugar might have been advisable in this case.
Here's what came out of hopville, your FG was 1.020 so if your OG was the same as below your ABV will be, as bduane said, about 3%;
Malt & Fermentables
62% 3 5 Amber Liquid Extract Late Boil 0° 36
38% 2 0 Amber Dry Malt Extract Boil 13° 45
Specific Gravity
1.042 OG
(1.037 to 1.044)
10.5° Plato
1.010 FG
(1.009 to 1.011)
2.6° Plato
Color
5° SRM
9° EBC
Yellow to Gold
Hops
Use Time OZ Hop Variety AA » IBU
boil 60 min 1 Cascade ~ pellet 5.5 » 28.3
boil 30 min 1 Cascade ~ pellet 5.5 » 21.7
Bitterness
50 IBU
ƒ: Tinseth
6 HBU
BU:GU
1.19
Alcohol
4.3% ABV
3% ABW
Calories
138
per 12 oz.
I'd usually go for an addition of about a pound to a pound & a 1/2 of dark brown sugar if my fermentables were as low as that for a 5 gallon batch but, as I said before, maybe all that amber malt with low(ish) AA% hops will be a little on the sweet side so plain white sugar might have been advisable in this case.
Here's what came out of hopville, your FG was 1.020 so if your OG was the same as below your ABV will be, as bduane said, about 3%;
Malt & Fermentables
62% 3 5 Amber Liquid Extract Late Boil 0° 36
38% 2 0 Amber Dry Malt Extract Boil 13° 45
Specific Gravity
1.042 OG
(1.037 to 1.044)
10.5° Plato
1.010 FG
(1.009 to 1.011)
2.6° Plato
Color
5° SRM
9° EBC
Yellow to Gold
Hops
Use Time OZ Hop Variety AA » IBU
boil 60 min 1 Cascade ~ pellet 5.5 » 28.3
boil 30 min 1 Cascade ~ pellet 5.5 » 21.7
Bitterness
50 IBU
ƒ: Tinseth
6 HBU
BU:GU
1.19
Alcohol
4.3% ABV
3% ABW
Calories
138
per 12 oz.
