Increasing alcohol strength - at first stage

[SE10PAT]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was anyway I could increase the ABV of my first batch of Wherry beer. when I started 5 days ago I took an initial SG reading of 1040, and a reading last night was at 1016, which gives an ABV of around 3.25%. I would expect the reading to drop a little more towards the end of the week, but is there any way I can increase this to around 4% without ruining the brew?

cheers
Pat

 

[Lobes]

I'd give it another few days to see if it drops more, should go a bit lower than 1016. I usually ferment for about 10days.
If it doesn't drop any more you could try moving it somewhere warmer to see if that helps

 

[Essex_Lad]

Give it time Pat, all good things come to people who wait.

Reg

 

[richc]

If you just want to get the FG down a bit you could try giving the yeast a gentle stir with a sterilised spoon and move it somewhere slightly warmer (say about 21C).

I wouldn't advise this for your first batch of a beer but if you really want to push the alcohol level up you can add more sugar late in the fermentation, this is usually done for strong beers or where you want high attenuation but I see no reason why it would do any harm.

 

[Springer]

Welcome to the forum SE, as Essex said and perhaps this will help.
Have a look here

 

[SE10PAT]

Cheers for the help lads.

I syphoned the brew off into the barrel last night and couldn't help having a sneaky taste. If i'm honest it tasted quite 'thin' and watery if that makes any sense. Will the second ferment help to beef it up a bit or am I stuck with a fairly girly brew?

I didnt add any sugar when I started the brew but added some last night according to the instructions.

cheers
Pat