Home brewing kits ....

Can someone tell me what the white stuff at the bottom of the FV is? it looks like it could be sugar but it cant be as it would be dissolved by now for sure.

Clicky


 
More sugar = more alcohol. I'm using the youngs kits, and they advertise 1kg of sugar. I stick 1.5-2 kg in and it's about half as strong again. It really does depend on the yeast, nut also the acidity of the wort and the mix of sugar. You'll need to keep the brew moving to get all the sugar converted.

Ultimately, a yeast determines how alcoholic the drink gets. Once it reaches it's max, I think it actually kills the yeast in much the same way that CO2 suffocates us.

silent said:
i have a q.

if i buy a kit, any cheapish but good kit such as coopers and want to make a stronger ale than the 4% say on the tin, do you just add a lot more sugar to the FV stage one ferment?

i like the taste of woodfordes etc and would love to make a 'reserve' 6.5-7.5% version if thats possible for a treat. or do i use the original contents and make less of it, say 20 ltrs instead of 32?

i recently had a freebie from a supplier that went bust and instead of 23ltrs made 15ltrs with 1.3 kg of brewing sugar and my neighbours son said it tasted strong but i forgot the OG mark. ended at 1.010 FG.

whats the best way to do it?
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Sorry, I've misunderstood your question. You meant stronger TASTE.

Reducing the amount of water added will make it physically stronger. You can also try things like adding Tanin by boiling used tea bags up. Not sure why, but I found that enhanced the Geordie Bitter taste.
 
The yeast grows and consumes the sugar, then dies which is what you are seeing at the base of the FV. If you want stronger, you should look for a stronger yeast. Adding more sugar will get you up to 8% or so, but you need to keep an eye on it, because add too much and it'll overwhelm the yeast and kill it, in much the same way that jam/preserves work.

Try doubling up to 2kg on the sugar to start with, and with the next batch go from there. It's an iterative process of improvement.

adding more yeast will simply increase the rate at which the sugar is consumed, not the amount of it that is coverted to alcohol.

Yeast eats sugar, the by products of which are CO2 and Alcohol.
 
Be careful with adding simple sugars though, yes it may get the alcohol % up but your beer may taste thinner and have less body to it. I'd be more inclined to brew it to a lesser volume.
 
aceface57 said:
Be careful with adding simple sugars though, yes it may get the alcohol % up but your beer may taste thinner and have less body to it. I'd be more inclined to brew it to a lesser volume.
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Quoted for truth, i brewed my cerveza to 19L and it tasted fantastic and came in at about 5.6%. not only can simple sugar create thinner body and mouth feel but the a disproportionate alchahol taste. strong ale uses specialty grains and larger grain bills with more unfermentable sugar volume to combat the content of a big beer.
brewing short of volume increases flavour, body, colour and alchahol so is a much better option, not always a good option either though so be warned.
 
thanks guys.

the freebie i got, brewmaster ale i fermented with 1.3kg of sugar and only 15l of water and it tastes full bodied and strong. not sure what the % is but may stick to that method. especially with the more expensive kits until way in the future when i start all grain brewing.

however, i will trial with cheaper kits such as coopers etc in the forseeable inbetween kits from st peters etc.

i am going to do cerveza soon to.
 
Well i got my first brew bottled up on Sunday, now just waiting for it to be ready to drink!

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