BernardJ Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Hi all, I have a question to put out there about the strength of my home brew. I generally follow the standard Coopers formulas of 1 can of mix, 1 kg of coopers sugar (Usually BE 1 or 2)and the yeast that comes in the kit, but I'm not getting what i beleve is full strength beer. I use a hydrometer and start with an IG of about 1036 and can't get the FG to go below about 1012 or 1010 at best, yeilding a brew of according to my calculations of about 3.6% And the proof is in the tasting. I enjoy the fact that I can drink more and stay upright, but I'd like a little more kick. Any suggestions?? Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 BE1 & BE2 both contain maltodextrin which is non-fermentable. It will add body and mouth feel but will not contribute any alcohol. You will need to get the balance right between taste and alcohol. Generally speaking (very generally), if you use the kit/can, 1kg of light dry malt and 200-300g of dextrose (@ 21 litres) you should get a more balanced beer with a higher alcohol content. Of course the above quote is very generic and every beer style is different. It isn't a standard formula to use, just an example. Or you could just add 1.5kg of white sugar for the alcohol increase but it might not taste very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Hi all, I have a question to put out there about the strength of my home brew. I generally follow the standard Coopers formulas of 1 can of mix, 1 kg of coopers sugar (Usually BE 1 or 2)and the yeast that comes in the kit, but I'm not getting what i beleve is full strength beer. I use a hydrometer and start with an IG of about 1036 and can't get the FG to go below about 1012 or 1010 at best, yeilding a brew of according to my calculations of about 3.6% And the proof is in the tasting. I enjoy the fact that I can drink more and stay upright, but I'd like a little more kick. Any suggestions?? Bernard hay Bernard.. Ive had a BE1 and a BE2 sitting in the brew cupboard for months now and dont know when, if eve, I will use them. I usually go now for additions like as follows 1 x Can of whatever 800g DME 200g WME (wheat malt extract) - Does WONDERS for a creamy head 300g Dex 200g-250g Caramalt / Light Crystal 60 100g-150g CaraPils Specialty yeast such as US-05 for Ales and Windsor for say an English Bitter/Dark Ale Hops to suit style I would suggest upping DME but not the DEX as this will thin the beer and well... generally make it unworthy and cidery. Adding the DME will increase the body and make for a more rounded beer. Adding the hops will ballence it between malt flavour and hop flavour. Your attenuation largly depends on the yeast you select and the ingredients you use, Windsor yeast finishes a bit high whereas the US-05 will finish quite dry... Hope this helps. Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR1525228508 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 For 0.5% (or so) higher alcohol content, add an extra 200g of straight dextrose to the brew. Resist the temptation to go overboard adding extra dex. If you really want a mule-kick beer, think about a two-can brew. Plenty of recipes on this forum. And don't forget adding sugar for secondary fermentation in the bottles also adds 0.5%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I suggest to try the following in your next brew then tweak it to your taste from there: 1 Can of goo 300g Dextrose 750g LDM Kit yeast Fill to 22L This should give you an OG of about 1045 and FG of about 1011. 4.6% (keg) 5.1% (bottles) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.