best way to up gravity?

[borealis]

What's the best way to increase the OG of a beer? Or, maybe, is it even a good idea? At this point I usually purchase kits such as those from Northern Brewer. There are some that sound great, but the OG is going to yield something with a pretty low ABV. I like to have my beers come in with at least 5% or so. Thanks for the help and the education.

 

[twohands]

So you can add additional extract and hops, althought that will change the style. You can also add dextrose which is a fermentable sugar that is pretty taste neutral. Are you clear on the relationship between total gravity points, fermentability, and wort volume?

 

[engus]

I have been adding crystal sugar to my kits to get the gravity up a little. I usually add about 1 cup.

 

[twohands]

I have been adding crystal sugar to my kits to get the gravity up a little. I usually add about 1 cup.

White sugar certainly ups gravity, but can contribute a "cidery" taste that may or may not be acceptable. Depends on the beverage and your palate.

 

[borealis]

So you can add additional extract and hops, althought that will change the style. You can also add dextrose which is a fermentable sugar that is pretty taste neutral. Are you clear on the relationship between total gravity points, fermentability, and wort volume?

I guess I'm not familiar with that relationship.

 

[DavidSteel]

Just buy 1 bag of DME, boil it in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, cool it, and pitch it into your fermenter. Should probably add something like .9% or something.

Edit: maybe I should have read the original post. You can add the DME at the start of the boil (or last 15 minutes if you want). Or, if you do partial mash, you can probably just add some crystal (though, this would change the beer) or some kind of base malt (2-row) if you are doing a mash, to up it a little. I'd just stick with adding 1 bag of DME.

 

[borealis]

I could just add that to the boil when doing the initial boil right? Do I have to worry about the relatioship between malt and hops, or is 1 bag not enough to alter it that much?

 

[engus]

White sugar certainly ups gravity, but can contribute a "cidery" taste that may or may not be acceptable. Depends on the beverage and your palate.

this would be why I am a beginner. My palate is nowhere refined enough to know the difference:fro:

 

[Lunarpancake]

Some homebrew sites sell 1% boost kits. I know Austin Home Brew sells it. Its inexpensive and supposedly boosts the ABV by 1% without any noticeable flavor changes.

 

[FreeM80s]

an extra 1 pound of DME and 1 pound of sugar should raise you to about 5.5%(if the kit is 4%)

 

[DavidSteel]

an extra 1 pound of DME and 1 pound of sugar should raise you to about 5.5%(if the kit is 4%)

I'd use dextrose sugar

 

[twohands]

I guess I'm not familiar with that relationship.

At the most basic - sugars (malt, table sugar, dextrose) add gravity points. Water is 1.00 Specific gravity right? Adding sugars increases that number.

Dry extract is ~40 points per pound. That means that 1lb of DME makes 1 gallon of water 1.040 gravity. Divide that by 5 gallons and that 1lb of DME makes the 5 gallon wort = 1.008. Still with me? so ~5lb DME in 5 gal = 1.040. If you went to 6lb in 5 gal you get 1.048. Obviously that means more sugars for the yeast to eat.

As you get into this, you will also need to take into account the attenuativeness of a yeast, and the fermentability of the sugars added. But thats a topic for another thread.

 

[twohands]

I could just add that to the boil when doing the initial boil right? Do I have to worry about the relatioship between malt and hops, or is 1 bag not enough to alter it that much?

Adding sugar means that you are no longer (or might not be) "in style" for a particular type of beer. Adding hops will help maintain the relative type of balance, but the style still changes.

Now, if you like to drink what you make, thats the big factor. But just understand that your "English bitter" might become a "Special Bitter"

 

[FreeM80s]

I'd use dextrose sugar

or beet sugar. I like how clean it ferments. smells like dirt tho..

 

[borealis]

Thanks for all of the help. So can you generally get away with a pound of dextrose and still be safe with the flavor?

 

[BioBeing]

I could just add that to the boil when doing the initial boil right? Do I have to worry about the relatioship between malt and hops, or is 1 bag not enough to alter it that much?

The balance of hop to malt gives you a certain ratio. BeerSmith calls this the IBU/SG ratio. Adding more malt without adding hops is going to alter this ratio. Depending on the style and how much malt you add, this might or might not be noticeable in the final beer. Its all about the balance. If you are brewing a pale ale say, then this might push you away from a "balanced" beer, to one that is more malty. If you are brewing a super hoppy IIPA, then the change will not be very not noticeable.

Adding the booster a la Austin Homebrew is going to just add fermentable sugar without adding the unfermentables in the malt, so will not change the balance. You can get away with plain sugar in some styles; in others again it might be noticeable.

So there is really no right or wrong way of doing it. It all depends on what you hope to get out at the end. Worst case scenario: you have beer

 

[twohands]

Thanks for all of the help. So can you generally get away with a pound of dextrose and still be safe with the flavor?

Thats pretty safe.

Do you have any brewing books? If not, then go buy "How to brew" by John Palmer. Its a tremendous technical reference.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for all of the help. So can you generally get away with a pound of dextrose and still be safe with the flavor?

I'd say "no" as a rule. If you're adding a pound of dextrose to a very "big" beer, then probably you'd be fine.

But if you're talking about adding a pound of dextrose to a 4% ABV beer, then you're making simple sugar over 17% of your fermentables! That would give you a nearly 5% ABV beer, but with a thinner body and mouthfeel, a drier finish and an unbalanced hops/malt ratio.

Sure, it's easy but it's not a good way to make a good beer.

If you want a 5% ABV beer, it's best to start with the proper recipe for a 5% beer. Either create your own recipe (we can help you with that), or purchase a kit that makes a 5% beer.

 

[DKershner]

If you want a 5% ABV beer, it's best to start with the proper recipe for a 5% beer. Either create your own recipe (we can help you with that), or purchase a kit that makes a 5% beer.

Or tell us the ingredients you have, and we will tell you what we recommend to add to create your new beer.

 

[borealis]

Thanks for the advice. I think at least a part of me knew that was correct all along...I was just hoping to get something for nothing I guess!

 

[DavidSteel]

Thanks for all of the help. So can you generally get away with a pound of dextrose and still be safe with the flavor?

I'd say not until you get up to 8%