Bumping the ABV on a recipe

[jeremyx]

Maybe I should post this in the recipe forum, but it's all-grain...

I have a great porter recipe that I brewed and as I sip it I think "this would be great if it was a little warmer..."

So I want to brew it again and just bump the ABV. So how do I do that?

Bump everything up proportionally?

Here is the recipe:

7.75 lbs two-row
1 lbs Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs Black Malt
0.6 lbs Crystal 60L
0.25 lbs Wheat Malt
0.6 oz Columbus Hops (60 mins)
0.7 oz Vanguard Hops (5 mins)

OG 1.061
TG 1.051


...is it time to use software to do this?

Thanks!

IBUs: 40ish

 

[telebrewer]

Your terminal gravity was 1.051? I don't think so. Bump up the 2 row and get a higher ABV.

 

[ChshreCat]

If you don't want to mash more grain, you can also add a little extract.

 

[Eigenmusic]

I keep around a few pounds of home-malted grains that I have been adding a pound to every batch I've made so far; I'm too afraid to try a SMaSH with it. ;/

I guess it also helps suppress that feeling I get that my efficiency is too low.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Corn Sugar with 10mins left in the Boil? probably not appropriate for the style though.

 

[sudbuster]

Yep, ChshreCat got the solution IMHO.

 

[jeremyx]

Your terminal gravity was 1.051? I don't think so. Bump up the 2 row and get a higher ABV.

I meant 1.015. Doh!

I don't really want to add extract...so just bump the base grain by a couple of pounds?

 

[mordantly]

honey or rice solids does wonders

 

[jasonsbeer]

I meant 1.015. Doh!

I don't really want to add extract...so just bump the base grain by a couple of pounds?

Yes, bump the 2 row.

 

[kanzimonson]

If you think this recipe is perfect and you wouldn't change anything, then you should bump all the ingredients proportionally. Adding more base grains will reduce the percentage of your character malts, and the final beer will have a different flavor. But it may be so negligible that it doesn't matter to you.

 

[Orfy]

If you bump the malt you bump the body.
Adding a little sugar will thin it out a little and ad a bit of ABV.
Don't forget you may want to up the hops a little to help balance it all out.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

If you think this recipe is perfect and you wouldn't change anything, then you should bump all the ingredients proportionally. Adding more base grains will reduce the percentage of your character malts, and the final beer will have a different flavor. But it may be so negligible that it doesn't matter to you.

Great Point. That's why I was thinking Corn Sugar. It's 100% fermentable and shouldn't really change the character of the recipe. I think.

 

[jeremyx]

Thanks for the responses. When I brewed this one, I was not on my "measure everything" kick that I am now on so I did not take PH or gravity readings. Also I crushed the grains in my food processor which I now know is a big no-no.

So I think I'll brew again, and bump everything up a bit proportionally and maybe a little more on the base grains to help make up for lack of efficiency. (I have a braid in my cooler tun)