Alcohol Content Always Seems Low

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txstars15

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Hi-

I brew from extract kits and always use the bag of priming sugar when I bottle. My beer comes out fine but every batch seems low in alcohol to me, i.e. not much of a buzz after 2 or 3 bottles.

Comparing to drinking say 3 bottles of a store bought beer, mine seems pretty light on the good stuff. Any ideas why this may be or is it just my imagination!
 
How many of these extract kits have you made, and what were they? If you've taken the OG and FG then you know exactly what the ABV% is.
 
Maybe what you're brewing is just lower abv than what you're used to drinking. Are you measuring your gravities and calculating abv? Don't forget to adjust your hydrometer reading for temperature.
 
It could be many things. Like the previous poster said you need to check your OG and FG...

What are your fermentation temps? The yeast could be having problems converting the sugars at too high or low of a temp...
Are you using kits or created recipes yourself? It could be you don't have enough fermentable sugars if you are creating the recipes yourself.
Are the beers you are brewing designed to be session beers at a lower alcohol content in the 3.5% range, average at 5 to 6%, or higher at 9% or above?

Ultimately the only way you will know is to take detailed notes of your process and accurate hydrometer readings throughout the process.
 
The only way to really determine ABV is to take hydrometer readings before and after fermentation. I'd suggest getting a hydrometer and a hydrometer tube for taking measurements to see if it's fully fermented before bottling. Maybe you have old yeast. But it could be that you're not letting it ferment long enough. (Does your beer typically taste kinda sweet?)

EDIT: Like Rhuarc mentioned, we'd need to know your ingredients to get a feel for where the brew should be to start with. Are you using kits? Designing your own recipes? Using someone else's recipes?
 
Lots of Variables at work here. As mentioned, test your S.G. Could be as you are brewing you are building a tolerance up to alcohol.

My last wheat beer turned out pretty low in the ABV, but to me, I don't mind as the beer is not about the alcohol level to me, its more of a taste, if it tastes like the best beer I've ever had, it can be 1.2% ABV for all I care.... Sorry, guess I don't care if I get get the buzz anymore. Probably why I never check S.G..... ever. Except wines and mead, but it's more for ****s and grins then.
 
Also, what types of beers have you been making? A cream ale or a mild pale ale could be well under 5% ABV. Some styles pack a bigger punch. Not knowing what you are making, or what the hydrometer readings were makes it hard to pinpoint the source of the low alcohol content.
 
I was always told the priming sugar is the way to bring the alcohol percentage higher. Are you doing the formula before and after fermentation?
 
Wow! I didn't expect such a great response. Let me try to answer the questions:
1) All my kits have been ales, mostly from Midwest but a couple from Williams. Summer ale, Pumpkin, Holiday, Irish Red, etc. No home recipes at this point.
2) I always get the Wyeast smack packs with my kits. They are fresh and refrigerated until use. They always swell fully so I assume no yeast problems.
3) I take an OG and 2 or 3 SG to determine when my fermentation is done. Guess I didn't realize I could use an ABV calculator like SterlingHopper was kind enough to include in his post.
4) I do keep detailed brew day notes on each batch, including the final chilled temp of the wort. I don't get the temp of the fermented wort, however. Should I take that as well when I am doing an SG reading?

Thanks for all the input.
 
Too low or too high of a fermentation temp could lead to a stuck fermentation which could by why you are seeing low values. Have you calculated your ABV from your OG and FG or are you just going off of what it seems like it tastes like?
 
Wow! I didn't expect such a great response. Let me try to answer the questions:
1) All my kits have been ales, mostly from Midwest but a couple from Williams. Summer ale, Pumpkin, Holiday, Irish Red, etc. No home recipes at this point.As long as your volumes are correct going into the fermenter your gravity should be almost spot on as prescribed by the kit. This leaves fermentation as the variable.
2) I always get the Wyeast smack packs with my kits. They are fresh and refrigerated until use. They always swell fully so I assume no yeast problems.Wyeast has about 100billion cells per pack, dry such as Safale has 200 billion. OG over 1.05 or so will require a starter or multiple packs when using liquid yeast, dry yeast can hand more gravity. Don't forget that no 100% of the yeast cells will be viable in a pack.
3) I take an OG and 2 or 3 SG to determine when my fermentation is done. Guess I didn't realize I could use an ABV calculator like SterlingHopper was kind enough to include in his post.How long do you leave your beer in primary and at what temp? I typically let it go 3 weeks, its definately finished and clear at that point. I keep my initial temps just below 65 for the first week and then let it go up to 67-68 for the remainder. Those are fermenter temps not ambient.
4) I do keep detailed brew day notes on each batch, including the final chilled temp of the wort. I don't get the temp of the fermented wort, however. Should I take that as well when I am doing an SG reading?

Thanks for all the input.


Other than the Holiday and the pumpkin, those styles sound like og's are in the low to mid 1.04s and will yield an ABV somewhere in the high 3 to low 4% range depending on attenuation. Look for kits that have a gravity in the 1.05 or better range to kick your ABV above 5% and still brew a beer that tastes as it is intended.
 
I always take a temp reading of my OG and FG samples. Your hydrometer is calibrated to a certain temperature. It doesn't usually make a huge difference but it can.
 
2) I always get the Wyeast smack packs with my kits. They are fresh and refrigerated until use. They always swell fully so I assume no yeast problems.

It's important to make sure that you're pitching enough yeast. This ensures that the beer is attenuating fully without off-flavors, and will carbonate properly.

3) I take an OG and 2 or 3 SG to determine when my fermentation is done. Guess I didn't realize I could use an ABV calculator like SterlingHopper was kind enough to include in his post.
4) I do keep detailed brew day notes on each batch, including the final chilled temp of the wort. I don't get the temp of the fermented wort, however. Should I take that as well when I am doing an SG reading?

Awesome! Glad to hear you're paying attention to the details. As mentioned, your hydrometer is calibrated to read pure water as 1.000 at 60*F. You have to compensate if the liquid is warmer than that. Not really a big deal, but it might add a point or two to your FG if the beer's 75*.
 
I was going to say the same thing as SterlingHopper did about the yeast. Perhaps you're getting a stuck fermentation from working your yeast too hard? I recently learned quite a bit about proper pitch rates, particularly for liquid yeasts. Check out mrmalty.com for more info about yeast pitching. Making starters for liquid yeasts is an extra step, but an easy one. Give that a shot next time and see how your FG turns out.

Also, temperature can affect specific gravity a bit. Maybe only a couple points, but if you're off on OG and FG, that can swing it 3-4 points. Make sure to correct to the standard temperature for the gravity readings according to a correction chart, which is usually 60°F.
 
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