Increase ABV

[VV_Wildcatfan]

Looking to increase ABV of Midwest's Lawnmower de Saison. What would be the best way to go about this? Could I simply add corn sugar?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Are you sure you want to be messing around with lawnmowers after slamming a 6.5? Just kidding, but yes Charlie Papazian says you are better off in most cases adding more malt, but corn sugar can be added up to 20% of the fermentable sugars. More than that and it can lend to cidery flavors. He says you should specifically use corn sugar and that you should find corn sugar that is pure.

 

[slym2none]

Sugar does NOT lead to cidery flavours. Many beers use 20+% of cane sugar in their recipes & they don't taste cidery. That is a myth that needs to stop being perpetuated. Fermentation issues, or even the beer just being young, are the main causes of that.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Yes, my understanding from my reading is that it isn't the sugar directly except that yeast nutrient is needed when the adjunct levels are above 20% causing the yeasties to be unhappy.

 

[CJ-3]

Adding sugar is one way of rausing ABV but it can also give the impression of a drier mouthfeel.
Another option is adding a pound of DME but it may make the beer more malty. If you are wanting to keep the malt in check you might need to adjust your hop profile.

 

[CJ-3]

Sugar does NOT lead to cidery flavours. Many beers use 20+% of cane sugar in their recipes & they don't taste cidery. That is a myth that needs to stop being perpetuated. Fermentation issues, or even the beer just being young, are the main causes of that.

Can you list an example of a style that calls for 20+% of cane sugar? I have seen corn sugar that high in an American Cream Ale where you want that corn sweetness in the background. But I have not seen a style call out that much cane sugar such as what you stated. I imagine it will be quite dry.

 

[TeeJo]

Add any fermentable sugars to the pot, and the ABV goes up.

Probably a good idea to buy a hydrometer, as well as to read through a couple beginners home brewing books, so you can get a handle on he cause and effect relationships there.

Another option, if you don't mind spending the time, is to play around with one of the beer calculators online to see what the results of various change are.

Or just order a different kit.

TeeJo

 

[paperairplane]

Add sugar, honey, moleasses, DME, LME, mash some base malt, add some flaked corn rye rice barley oats, etc. Dump vodka into the finished beer.

There's an unlimited number of ways to increase abv. In most cases, I would say add some light DME.

 

[AnOldUR]

Looking to increase ABV of Midwest's Lawnmower de Saison. What would be the best way to go about this?

 

[chickypad]

Can you list an example of a style that calls for 20+% of cane sugar? I have seen corn sugar that high in an American Cream Ale where you want that corn sweetness in the background. But I have not seen a style call out that much cane sugar such as what you stated. I imagine it will be quite dry.

Many strong Belgian styles call for that much sugar. Corn sugar is dextrose and cane sugar is sucrose - both are highly fermentable and neither one will lend actual sweetness to the finished product. See Jamil's Tripel and Golden strong recipes from BCS that call for 19% and 26% cane sugar respectively, or Stan Hieronymus' book Brew Like a Monk where he notes that even many Belgian brewers now just use sucrose . I've used them both in recipes calling for up to 20% and see no difference in taste or attenuation of the finished product.

 

[CJ-3]

Many strong Belgian styles call for that much sugar. Corn sugar is dextrose and cane sugar is sucrose - both are highly fermentable and neither one will lend actual sweetness to the finished product. See Jamil's Tripel and Golden strong recipes from BCS that call for 19% and 26% cane sugar respectively, or Stan Hieronymous' book Brew Like a Monk where he notes that even many Belgian brewers now just use sucrose . I've used them both in recipes calling for up to 20% and see no difference in taste or attenuation of the finished product.

Thanks, I didn't know that about the Belgians!

 

[PLAY_DEAD]

I'm brewing an increased abv version of dead ringer tomorrow. You should enter the base recipe into brewers friend, take note of the statistics, then you can adjust the fermentables, hops, etc, to get your abv up and keep the other aspects of the beer in check. I plan on adding a pound of light DME, half pound of corn sugar, and an extra ounce of centennial hops at 20 minutes in mine.

 

[slym2none]

Many strong Belgian styles call for that much sugar. Corn sugar is dextrose and cane sugar is sucrose - both are highly fermentable and neither one will lend actual sweetness to the finished product. See Jamil's Tripel and Golden strong recipes from BCS that call for 19% and 26% cane sugar respectively, or Stan Hieronymus' book Brew Like a Monk where he notes that even many Belgian brewers now just use sucrose . I've used them both in recipes calling for up to 20% and see no difference in taste or attenuation of the finished product.

You took the words out of my mouth!

:rockin: