Increasing OG in a brew kit

[DerangedBrewer]

Hey all,

I'm going to brew up a pale ale kit that has an OG of 1.045. I would like to get it higher if at all possible without changing it too drastically. Would like to get around 6% ABV, if possible.

Can I add 1lb of light DME to the boil and not affect the flavors too much or will it completely change the flavor of the brew?

I guess I'd ideally like to reach 1.055 or somewhere in that range. Will 1# of light DME achieve that?

Any other tips or suggestions?

 

[dobe12]

Adding extra DME is the way to go, but you will also want to up the hops a bit to balance it. If you simply want to add ABV while drying it out, just add sugar.

 

[DerangedBrewer]

Thanks, dobe! How much sugar and any special kind?

 

[dobe12]

Thanks, dobe! How much sugar and any special kind?

Lots of different sugars out there and if polled, you'll got a lot of responses. I prefer to use organic cane sugar. I get it pretty cheap at my local BJ's.

EDIT: As for how much... not sure how much to get you to the gravity you want without plugging it into a brewing program, but I like to add 1/2 to 1lb of sugar to my APA and IPAs. I prefer to have them on the drier side.

 

[flars]

Here is some representative sugars you could use. The potential SG is for 1 pound of sugar per gallon.

Candi Sugar, Amber 1.036 SG
Candi Sugar, Clear 1.036 SG
Candi Sugar, Dark 1.036 SG
Cane (Beet) Sugar 1.046 SG
Corn Sugar (Dextrose) 1.046 SG
Corn Syrup 1.036 SG