Newbie Experiment

[Vintage NY]

all, just tasted my fist batch of amber ale.... tasted great for a first go, but I am super pumped to start experimenting. I figure the only way to truly learn is to take some wacky steps. So, I plan on purchasing a 2 gallon Hefeweizen extract, and I want to know if any of the following “additions” makes sense or not....

Would like to up the ABV from 4.5 to about 5.5. Do I add more of the following at boil (and how much?)
1. Malt extract?
2. Malted grains?
3. Honey?
4. Straight up sugar

Next, I know, more fermentable sugar means it needs more yeast to “eat it up”. How much more?

Also, I understand from what I have read here, that you need to balance the sugar with some hops.... which I was thinking of adding some hops at 20 minutes for flavor and 5 minutes for aroma (may add some rosemary and thyme too?) I like a floral hippiness, and I think a Hefeweizen can handle a bit more in that case.

Either way, I figure it’s an experiment, and this is how I will learn..... any comments, suggestions, or warnings?

 

[AZBeer]

For an extract brew, you'd add more extract to increase your OG, and ultimately your ABV.
For a 2 gal batch, a single yeast pack will work.
For Hef's that I do, I usually stick to a 60 minute hop addition, but no reason why you couldn't use later additions.

This is just me, but I would focus on learning to brew a great beer without getting into too many wacky ingedients. I did my fair share of experimenting with different things. I ended up adding more variables into the mix before I had a good handle on my process.

 

[jbyers]

If you are doing extract brewing and you want more booze (ABV), add more malt extract.
Adding sugar WILL give you a higher Original Gravity (OG), and thus a higher ABV, but it will also thin the body of your beer.
I’ve only used honey once so I can’t speak much on that, but if you want the best beer, stick to malts for your fermentable sugars.

Speaking of fermentable sugars...you’ll have enough yeast in a single pack to do a 2 gallon batch up to 10ish% ABV beer. I wouldn’t worry about pitching rates until you start making high ABV beers.

Yes, you’ll need more hop bitterness to balance the fact you’ve added more malts. You can either boil your hops longer, or simply add more hops. You can find brewing calculators online for free that will help you with hop times.

 

[ncbrewer]

Also, I understand from what I have read here, that you need to balance the sugar with some hops.... which I was thinking of adding some hops at 20 minutes for flavor and 5 minutes for aroma

The hops added late won't give you as much bitterness as hops added at the beginning (I assume 60 minutes?). To get the same perceived balance, add extra hops at the beginning of the boil, increasing by the same percentage that you increase malt extract. Late additions will add some bitterness, but you probably don't need to get into those calculations at this point. I'd say it would be better to skip the late addition hops for now. Good luck, and welcome to HBT.

 

[PADave]

This is just me, but I would focus on learning to brew a great beer without getting into too many wacky ingedients.

^^^What he said.

 

[S-Met]

Look up the brew style gruit (spelling?). Im not sure of it is strictly hop-free beer, but definitely hop free options. While not exctly what you are looking for, it would be a good style to research for "wacky ingredients."
A little can go a long way for flavor, the style may give you better direction for less traditional ingredients such as rosemary.

 

[Vintage NY]

If you are doing extract brewing and you want more booze (ABV), add more malt extract.

Does the malt “flavor” really matter? Is it worth trying different malt flavors?

Thanks to all for the good input... Looking forward to trying new things.

 

[ncbrewer]

To get the same perceived balance, add extra hops at the beginning of the boil, increasing by the same percentage that you increase malt extract.

I should qualify my advice - this is assuming you're using the same hops, or at least hops with the same alpha acid percent. If not, adjust up or down accordingly.

 

[JPBrewLI]

Does the malt “flavor” really matter? Is it worth trying different malt flavors?

Thanks to all for the good input... Looking forward to trying new things.

Malt is a large part of the recipe, Many different types.
I think its a bit better to learn with the raw ingredients than to use pre made extracts.