FG too high for my liking, should i add DME/sugar?

[edin88]

I brewed a KBS clone a month back or so and it's been sitting around at an FG of 1.026 with an OG of 1.073.

I would LIKE to boost the alcohol content to make it more true to what I tried to make. KBS was like 11% this year but I doubt it's wise to get it up that high. I'd be thrilled if I could get a 9% beer though.

Please help. Has anyone done this, specifically with a stout? I saw on Midwest supplies that they suggest adding a LB or 2 of DME to boost the abv but I didn't know if that was during the boil or not. I assumed it was. I'm interested in adding DME or sugar NOW. I know 120 minute clones do this, adding corn sugar over a period of time. Would this work? How much would i need? After I ferment out the added sugar I'd transfer to secondary with some bourbon-soaked oak chips and let it chill there for a bit before bottling.

I also assume adding more fermentable sugar will do nothing to do my FG since im not adding more yeast right?

Thanks!

-Edin

EDIT: The title of this is misleading I just realized...sorry

 

[HollisBT]

What was your recipe? Extract or all grain? What yeast? How did you oxygenate?

I think I would try adding amalayse to the fermenter before I added sugar...

 

[zacster]

Your gravity is too high. You want to LOWER the gravity by eating more of the sugar, not raise it by adding more. You'd get more alcohol by adding sugar, but you may not if it doesn't ferment.

The last brew I made started at about 1.075 and it dropped down to 1.012, leaving lots of alcohol at 8.3%.

Did you make a starter?

I would first add yeast to this brew, or at least rouse it with a stir.

 

[edin88]

But I don't want a dry stout. If it went down to 1.02 i wouldn't be upset but not much lower. I'm pretty sure that just adding more sugar will awaken the yeast cause they have more food, they'll eat, make more alcohol and co2, then just go back to sleep and the FG will stay at 1.026.

It was all grain with one pack of 1056 and a 2 liter starter oxygenated by swirling a lot. Recipe I don't know off the top of my head but it was one I've made before for a regular breakfast stout that turned out great (that one ended at 1.02)

 

[duboman]

Sounds as though you may have mashed too high and got a less fermentable wort, hence the higher FG. Adding sugar will raise the ABV but too much may result in a cidery finish to the beer. DME is typically not 100% fermentable so while raising the ABV you may also wind up with an even sweeter tasting finish.

Have you tried raising the temp and rousing the yeast to try and eek out a few more points? Amylase would definitely chew through it but you may wind up going a lot lower with it.

 

[BigFloyd]

If you add sugar, that will raise the gravity. Once the yeast eats the sugar, you'll be back to where you are now.

I'm afraid that you're not going to cure an attenuation issue by adding table sugar. What strain and how much yeast did you pitch? What was the ferment temp profile? Under pitching by using liquid yeast and no starter (especially in a higher gravity wort) can lead to issues like yours. Same with having lots of unfermentables.

Does that recipe happen to have any lactose?

 

[edin88]

If you add sugar, that will raise the gravity. Once the yeast eats the sugar, you'll be back to where you are now.:confused

Yes exactly, but with more alcohol. This is what I want. I don't want a more attenuated beer necessarily (though like i said, going down to 1.02 would be fine).

DME doesn't ferment completely you say? So I'd have to do like a combination of more yeast AND more fermentables?

Hmm. This might not be a smart idea afterall. My recipe didn't have lactose and didn't have TOO many unfermenables. I don't have the recipe but I used MAX 1.5 lbs of black malt, C120 and chocolate malt combined with 15 lbs of 2-row

 

[duboman]

Yes exactly, but with more alcohol. This is what I want. I don't want a more attenuated beer necessarily (though like i said, going down to 1.02 would be fine).

DME doesn't ferment completely you say? So I'd have to do like a combination of more yeast AND more fermentables?

Hmm. This might not be a smart idea afterall. My recipe didn't have lactose and didn't have TOO many unfermenables. I don't have the recipe but I used MAX 1.5 lbs of black malt, C120 and chocolate malt combined with 15 lbs of 2-row

Currently your beer is only at 65% attenuation and the yeast range is 72-77%. You either mashed too high or fermented too low? Raise the temp and rouse the yeast.

1056 will tolerate up to 11%abv so your good there

1lb of DME will add 1.009 gravity points in 5 gallons

You can add more yeast to try and get the beer to finish but you would need to pitch an active starter since there is already alcohol present. If you mashed too high most likely this won't help.

Personally I would try to get the beer to finish at it is and figure out what went wrong to correct with the next batch

 

[BaldApe]

I successfully restarted a stalled fermentation in a very strong ale by pulling a small amount of the yeast sediment and making a starter, which I added back at full krausen. It worked wonders.

 

[Cyclman]

+1 on adding a starter at full kraeusen. You could add more fermentables simultaneously, that might achieve what you want. With a high alcohol beer, re-starting fermentation with existing yeast might be tough, yeast don't like lots of alcohol.