Bumping up %ABV value

[madrean]

Hi Guys,

Is there something I can buy off the shelf at a grocery store for bumping up the alcohol content?

Can I add Karo corn syrup?

Am trying to avoid buying the prepacked stuff at the supply store...


Thanks

 

[3rd and Long]

It depends on what you're making.. you could use honey, brown sugar or molasses. Karo is very complex in comparison, here's a excerpt from their site: Corn syrup is a mildly sweet, concentrated solution of dextrose and other sugars derived from corn starch. It is naturally sweet. Corn syrup contains between 15% to 20% dextrose (glucose) and a mixture of various other types of sugar. So you could add it, but the results are not very predictable.

If you can provide some details on the type of beer you're making, we can probably make some better reccomendations of OTS additives.
Thanks

 

[El Pistolero]

Can I add Karo corn syrup?

Karo has vanilla in it.

 

[madrean]

right now, i've got bass pale ale clone. was just thinking that a few dollars for one batch worth of sugar to bump 1% seems kinda expensive.

maybe there is something OTS I can buy much cheaper?

thanks

 

[david_42]

Bass clone? I would go with light brown sugar, rice syrup or corn syrup without any vanillin.

 

[anthrobe]

Just out of curiosity, is there a set formula for the amount of sugars you add will bump up your ABV by a certain percentage? Of course it depends on what and how much you are adding. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[david_42]

Figure 46 ppg for any pure sugar (honey, cane, corn). So, one pound of sugar in five gallons means 9 point OG and about 1.2 ABV. Five pounds of cane sugar in five gallons of cider, goes from "very nice" to "oh, my head".

 

[Blaine]

If bumping up the Alcohol level is all you are after then spend the $2 on a bag of Dextrose and be done with it. That will give you an extra 2.5% and taste a heap better than dumping a truck load of corn syrup in it but if you don't care about the taste use a 2 lb bag of brown sugar. It'll get the job done but will taste like it has come from a camels bladder too.

 

[usmcruz]

If your going to use brown sugar in a 5 gallon batch then i suggest using 1 pound or you will get a cidery flavor to your beer. If you want a good sugar that will make your beer taste good and raise alcohol then i recommend using lyles golden syrup that you can find at the grocery store or specialty food store. If you want to know what it taste like, it taste's like the outer candy shell they put on candied apples. Its cane sugar derived