# Increasing Alcohol Percentage



## phaedo (26/7/09)

Hi all, first post here, have been reading for a little while now though.
Firstly, I did do a search, but didn't find much of any use. So as the title puts it, how do I increase the alcohol percentage of a brew? I started to get into home brewing about 3 years ago, put down my first brew (kit), a ginger beer, came out nice, then I think the next I did was an apple cider, which did not taste good at all, maybe I didn't sanitise properly or something. But anyway, I have decided to get back into things again after a break of close to 3 years. 
Have decided to go with a kit again to start off with, and take things slowly from there, and again I will start with a ginger beer. got a coopers brew, have read a few of the recipes people here have used, so am going to add a bit of extra ginger, and a chilli to it, but the kit states 3.5% alcohol. Would like to raise that a bit, to maybe 5%. What are the best ways to do this, using a kit? Would I be better off dropping the amount of water added, or using extra kit, or increasing the sugar content? The can states to use raw sugar, will using dextrose cause it to be better? I used the calculator to do a quick calculation, but at this early stage I figure I should go to the experts with the first brew to make sure I get it halfway right, and start experimenting out on my own further on later. 
Also, what would the 'best' temp be to brew ginger beer at? Any different to regular beer? Obviously the reading I have done indicates the 21 to 27 degrees on the can is stupid, but how low do you go before it is too cold?


----------



## thylacine (26/7/09)

phaedo said:


> Hi all, first post here, have been reading for a little while now though.
> Firstly, I did do a search, but didn't find much of any use. So as the title puts it, how do I increase the alcohol percentage of a brew? I started to get into home brewing about 3 years ago, put down my first brew (kit), a ginger beer, came out nice, then I think the next I did was an apple cider, which did not taste good at all, maybe I didn't sanitise properly or something. But anyway, I have decided to get back into things again after a break of close to 3 years.
> Have decided to go with a kit again to start off with, and take things slowly from there, and again I will start with a ginger beer. got a coopers brew, have read a few of the recipes people here have used, so am going to add a bit of extra ginger, and a chilli to it, but the kit states 3.5% alcohol. Would like to raise that a bit, to maybe 5%. What are the best ways to do this, using a kit? Would I be better off dropping the amount of water added, or using extra kit, or increasing the sugar content? The can states to use raw sugar, will using dextrose cause it to be better? I used the calculator to do a quick calculation, but at this early stage I figure I should go to the experts with the first brew to make sure I get it halfway right, and start experimenting out on my own further on later.
> Also, what would the 'best' temp be to brew ginger beer at? Any different to regular beer? Obviously the reading I have done indicates the 21 to 27 degrees on the can is stupid, but how low do you go before it is too cold?



Some opinions by others: 1) http://www.hbkitreviews.com/view-id-310-co...ginger-ale.html

2) Coopers Ginger Beer Tin 500g Fresh ginger
250g DARK Brown Sugar 800g Raw Sugar (or dex or brewing sugar)
250g Buderum Ginger Honey 50g powdered ginger
2 Whole cloves 4 birds eye chilies (sliced thinly, I keep seeds in)
Boil up around 3 litres of water; Add in the honey, chillies ; boil for 15 minutes;
add the fresh and powdered ginger ; boil 15 minutes ; add brown sugar and cloves,
boil 15 minutes; remove from heat, let cool

3) 1 x Coopers Ginger Beer 500g Fresh ginger (1/2 grated and 1/2 sliced)
3 tsp of dry ginger 125g Buderum ginger marmalade
11 sliced up long red chillies 3 whole cloves
150g brown sugar 1 whole lemon squeezed
Boil up some water Add in lemon juice,honey, chili & fresh ginger
After 15-20 minutes add in the brown sugar,cloves and dry ginger. Boil 10-15 minutes. Strain into fermenter (or don't strain)	Add extract Add 1.5kg raw sugar 
Bottle after 2 weeks Do not drink for 6 weeks minimum.


----------



## bum (26/7/09)

I'd just up the amount of raw sugar. Wouldn't muck about with dex, it'd thin it out a bit and I don't think you need that in a GB. Doubling the raw sugar bring it up to around 4.5% then bottle priming will add another 0.5% giving you your desired 5%.

I'd ferment around 18 deg C but if you have trouble keeping that sort of temperature then as close to 20 as you can should work fine. Remember though that the longer you a leave a GB in the bottle the happier you'll probably be with the outcome. Good luck!


----------



## phaedo (26/7/09)

Thanks guys, will try to leave as much as I can untouched for summer drinking.


----------



## foxy (26/7/09)

the simplest way to up the alc - dextrose. is 100% fermentable, but so is raw sugar. dextrose imparts no flavour, sugar imparts cidery esters. so its up t you about that one. as general rule, frment at the lower end of range of whats recommended in instructions. 
if you've gone too low in the temp, the ferment will simply pause - raise the temp and she'll get goin again! 

happy brewin!


----------



## bum (26/7/09)

Raw sugar imparts no cidery flavours in a GB.

"Spose it might if you wanted to ferment at 30 degrees or something.


----------



## manticle (26/7/09)

foxy said:


> the simplest way to up the alc - dextrose. is 100% fermentable, but so is raw sugar. dextrose imparts no flavour, sugar imparts cidery esters. so its up t you about that one. as general rule, frment at the lower end of range of whats recommended in instructions.



It's been debated by a lot of people as to whether sugar is resposible for acetylaldehyde (the ester that creates cider/green apple: thanks Brendo).

Personally it doesn't make sense to me that sucrose would but dextrose (glucose) wouldn't - I'm pretty sure it's more to do with process than ingredients. I'm happy to be proven wrong.


----------



## phaedo (15/8/09)

A follow up on this: Put the brew down on the 27th of July and today have bottled it. Ended up putting a coupel fo chilli's in, an extra couple of hundred grams of sliced ginger, and put in 1kg of dextrose and 1kg or raw sugar. Initially temps were not too warm - around 15 degrees. After a week, the hydrometer readings were still the same, so pitched another yeast packet. Also moved it to a warmer spot. However, doing this only caused the temp to get up to around 23 degrees during the day, but back down to about 16 overnight. However, the readings started to drop. What I should also mention is the initial SG I did was at around 1.042. But the next day, it was just over 1.030, and stayed there for a week until I put the extra yeast in. So unsure if the first reading I did was actually accurate, or if the mix temp dropping caused fermentation to slow to a standstill after a day.
In any event, I have been testing it, and bottled today with a reading of, well, I frankly don't know. The hydrometer only goes down to 1.000. The reading, at an educated guess, I would put it at around 0.995.
From the tastes I had when doing readings, it seems to have a bit of a kick to it, I guess i will find out when I crack the first one open in a month or so. And to be on the safe side for now, I am bottling in plastic.
Although one quick question, based on these readings I had, any ideas on how strong it is going to turn out?


----------



## bum (15/8/09)

Based on 1.042 and 0.995 and bottle conditioned it'll be about 6.8%.

But since you're unsure of your readings it really could be much lower.


----------

