Looking to raise alcohol content

[spatch2014]

Hey

Have done a couple of BIAB all grain brews so far.

The last one turned out quite well for a basic started recipe... good taste, good aroma, decent body... but lower in alcohol than I would like it to be.

Looking for tips and critiques of this


4 Gallon Batch

4lbs 2 – Row Pale Malt
1lb – Carafoam Malt
1lb Crystal 15 Malt
0.50 Ounce German Magnum Hops
1 Ounce Citra Hops
1 pkg (11.5g) American Ale Yeast

Mashed in 4 gallons for 75 mins

Boiled for 60 mins

OG 1.052
Pitched 11.5g dried American Ale Yeast
Fermented for 7 days
FG 1.020
4.2% alchohol

Whats the general rule for boosting alcohol content? Higher OG?

thanks


Ian

 

[Yooper]

Whats the general rule for boosting alcohol content? Higher OG?

thanks


Ian

In general, yes. Cut down on the crystal malt (two pounds is a lot in a 4 gallon batch!) and replace it with some base malt. A good addition if you want some malt backbone is Munich malt or Vienna malt.

Also, you will boost your ABV if the yeast simply attenuates more. You didn't say what you actual mash temperature was, but I assume it was 155+ because the beer finished at 1.020 (well, that, and the huge amount of unfermentable crystal malt).

So, change up your recipe to be more fermentable by reducing the crystal malt. Add some base malt to increase the OG. Mash at 150. You generally want to have a FG of 1.010-1.012 for most American pale ales and ambers.

 

[spatch2014]

hey

to clarify there was only 1lb of crystal malt, not 2lbs...

the mash was at 155

can you elaborate on "if the yeast attenuates more"

is the 2-row I used a good fermentable base malt?

thanks!

 

[Yooper]

hey

to clarify there was only 1lb of crystal malt, not 2lbs...

the mash was at 155

can you elaborate on "if the yeast attenuates more"

is the 2-row I used a good fermentable base malt?

thanks!

Oh, the recipe you have has a pound of carafoam and a pound of crystal 15L. If you only used .5 pound of each, that's still too much but it's better. (Cara-anything malt is a crystal malt. The prefix "cara" simply means caramel/crystal malt).

Anyway, yes, US two-row is a fine base malt. It's sort of a "plain jane" base malt. If you want increased malty flavor, or bready flavor, you could add something with more character like Munich malt.

Mashing at 155 means lots of long-chained sugars, which are less fermentable than simple sugars. I'd mash at 150-152 for most US style beers. Mashing at a lower temperature creates simpler sugars than mashing at such a high temperature.

 

[Rockindaddy]

Yooper is correct. When I started BIAG my ABV was always coming out low and I finally figured out that the thermometer (meat thermometer) I was using was off by about 5 degrees and I was mashing too hot. I bought a digital thermometer and it made all the difference in the world. Now my brews come out right on the numbers.

 

[agrazela]

May I ask, what was your post-boil volume, and is that when you measured your 1.052 OG?

What was your fermentation temperature? Are you sure it was done fermenting (at 1.020) after only 7 days? With that mash temp, gravity will probably keep slowly dropping for another week (or more).

 

[Roadie]

Yooper is correct.

Was there ever a doubt... it's Yooper.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[spatch2014]

post boil volume was approx 3.5 gallons, and yes that is when I measured the OG

fermentation temp approx 68-70