Messing around with ABV

[garylewis1966]

Hello Brewers. Here goes: Replies to this will really help, unlike my last message with only one reply! Just joking (no wonder I don't get replies when I critisize from the off :grin:

Brewing sugar increases alcohol and doesn't enhance body or flavour, right? So, when a kit (e.g. John Bull Best) calls for 1kg sugar and instead I use 500g medium DME and no sugar, this will improve body and flavour (DME) and reduce the alleged ABV of 4.5%, without compromising on taste, right so far? I also know that less water with, to some degree, improve body and increase ABV. Can any bright spark help with the final ABV?:

1.8kg kit 23l, 500g DME, no sugar
1.8kg kit, 23l, 500g DME, 100g sugar
1.8kg kit, 20l, 500g DME, no sugar
1.8kg kit 20l, 500g DME, 100g sugar

Probably a big ask. Cheers, and come on don't make me feel a loner :
Gary

 

[jonnymorris]

Bit complicated for this time in the AM but, if only to give you at least one reply, I'd recommend 500g each of DME and sugar. ABV should be as per the box, all else being equal.

 

[graysalchemy]

Just use 1kg of dme you will hit your og and have all the body and flavour. I wouldn't bother with sugar.

 

[garylewis1966]

Thanks for replies. 1kg of DME would give good body, flavour and alcohol but my point, and I can see I wasn't clear, was to reduce alcohol content without compromising too much on body and flavour. Gary

 

[Aleman]

It is a bit difficult to guestimate the abv depending on what ingredients you use and what yeast you ferment with. I'll be honest and say that I don't worry too much about abv I know that a 1.042 beer will be about 4% and a 1.038 wort will be about 3.5% so I try and use the OG to fix the strength of the beer.

Having said that DME is only about 75% as fermentable as sugar so using DME will reduce the abv by 1/4 compared to the same weight of sugar

 

[RobWalker]

Uuh, lets clear a bit up...as a rule of thumb with kits;

More malt than sugar = less hop bitterness & more malt flavour, more body.
50/50 mix = boost abv without affecting the body or bitterness.
more sugar than malt = less body, more bitterness.

Brewing sugar is just glucose, it will ferment out entirely and is very close to normal white sugar. Kit Enhancer is what increases ABV without affecting body or flavour, it's a 50/50 mix of Sugar and DME (most of the time.) You can add more or less of this (providing you mix it up properly) to increase or decrease the abv.

 

[garylewis1966]

Thanks again. That's making sense and it seems I was partly right in my thinking about the affect of sugar and DME, and of course in reducing the amout of water will equal a stronger beer. My aim in my next kit (John Bull Best) is to have a beer that is light enough for weekdays because two 4 - 5% beers make it hard for me to function mentally at work the next morning. I want to make a batch that is light but still flavouresome. I'll stop fussing and just give it a go and can always ammend next time round. Trial and error can be good fun eh?

Gary