Going to be low abv ?

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mrfog

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Greetings all. First time poster so please be kind :) As many others I have started homebrewing due to lockdown etc. and I have really enjoyed it. Did a Muntons APA to start with which was ok but I was far to impatient and drank it early not realising that it needs time to develop. Currently in bottles I have the Simcoe IPA from Mangrove Jack which after 2 weeks is just about ready to go in the fridge to clear for another couple of weeks. I've already tried one or two of those and they taste great with excellent carbonation so really looking forward to that one in a few weeks.

However I have the following couple of problem brews going at the mo.

Wilko Chocmeister
For the 1Kg of sugar the kit requires I subbed 500g DSM and a 454g tin of molasses
SG 1034
Added Willamette dry hops at day 7
Been going for 10 days and has stopped at 1014 now for 2 days.
By my calculations this will come out at 2.62%
It does taste nice however.

Crappy Lager that came with my equipment
For the 1Kg of sugar suggested I subbed 500g DSM and 500g dextrose
SG 1022
Added Montueka dry hops at day 7
Been going for 10 days and has stopped at 1010 now for 2 days
ABV should be 1.57%
Again it tastes ok.

Right, so you can see where my inexperience and naivety has come in. I have just subbed weight for weight on sugar rather than understanding the SG to determine the outcome.

My question is this: Would it be a good idea to get these into a secondary with some dextrose to get the ABV up a bit? I've read conflicting stories on this, some say it will do nothing while others say it will thin out the brew. Any help is much appreciated.
 
What volume are you making? What ingredients other than sugar? This seems incomplete.
 
If you added top-off water, the OG readings could be off. It's hard to get it mixed well enough to get a good reading. Judging from your OG readings, this might be what you're seeing. (OG = original gravity - I guess that's what you meant by SG.)
 
If you added top-off water, the OG readings could be off. It's hard to get it mixed well enough to get a good reading. Judging from your OG readings, this might be what you're seeing. (OG = original gravity - I guess that's what you meant by SG.)

I can't see this being the case, I am very careful and made sure everything was mixed thoroughly but its an interesting theory. Yes I meant SG as OG, I was thinking "start gravity".
 
Yes I meant SG as OG, I was thinking "start gravity".

SG means Specific Gravity. It's fine to use the term SG for OG and for FG, as long as the context is clear. But in general, it's safest to avoid it.
 
Maybe I'm just uninformed about kits available, but I've never heard of a kit with OG of 1.022, or anywhere close. And your substitutions shouldn't make very much difference. I don't know what DSM is - maybe DME (dried malt extract). If so, it looks like OG should be much higher. The DME and dextrose should give you about 1.018 - then add the base kit.
 
I don't know what DSM is - maybe DME (dried malt extract). If so, it looks like OG should be much higher.

"Dry Spray Malt" (i.e. DME) would be my guess.
 
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