# 2kg of brew enhancer 2?



## heshtek (24/4/14)

I'm about to start a new brew from a kit can. I want to make it a strong brew (when i say 'strong' i mean somewhere between 6 and 7 percent). I've bought 2 x 1kg packs of brew enhancer 2 (a generic version). I've read that putting that much fermentable sugars in is going to ruin the taste of the beer and possibly the head retention. Does anyone have any ideas on this? The kit can is an ale if that makes a difference.


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## daveHQ (24/4/14)

Brew enhancer #2 is 

500g Dextrose
250g LDME
250g maltodextrin 

Give it a go, maybe use a good yeast like US-05 instead of the kit yeast


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## Yob (24/4/14)

1 can Ale goop 
1 can lme 
1 be2 
Hops 

Should get you close, I'd personally go for more malt extract rather that 2 x be2 

Lots of yeast... Not the kit yeast


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## burrster (24/4/14)

Not sure where you're at with your brewing, but If you want to try it go for it. As Yob suggests more that just a kit yeast would be a good idea, and I second the addition of some form of hops. If everything goes alright, you will get a high ABV but the hops is going to add more/better flavour. As for the 2 x BE2 'ruining the flavour' well it is in the eye of the beholder. It's certainly not the (best) way to "add" flavour in my opinion. As a K&K/Extract brewer, for me the best flavours come from the hops( I think I"m turning into a hop head!)


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## Ducatiboy stu (24/4/14)

First question....Why do you want to brew a 6-7% beer....

Big beers in the way you want to brew them can turn out to be....well.....um.....basically....shit.

Making a big ( 6-7%) beer is not to be taken lightly. 

You can certainly brew a "big" beer...but you might find that it is not exactly what you first thought it would taste like.


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## 431neb (24/4/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> First question....Why do you want to brew a 6-7% beer....
> 
> Big beers in the way you want to brew them can turn out to be....well.....um.....basically....shit.
> 
> ...


Not to mention they can **** you right up. I did some "big" beers over Summer and felt like I had had been hit with a hammer on some of those stinking hot evenings (when a pint or six seemed like the right thing to do). Whoa! Wobbly boots….


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## heshtek (25/4/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> First question....Why do you want to brew a 6-7% beer....
> 
> Big beers in the way you want to brew them can turn out to be....well.....um.....basically....shit.
> 
> ...


Hmmm maybe it is not such a good idea then. The last thing I want to do is go through the trouble of mixing everything up then waiting weeks to find out the beer is crap. I suppose my inspiration for this comes from drinking some commercial beers that are pushing the 6% mark and also from reading the recipes on the coopers website that have beers between 6 and 7%. Those recipes are all the two can recipes though so maybe that makes a difference. The last 2 batches I made up i put in 1kg be2 and 500g of dme because I thought that would push the alcohol level up around 5.5% (thats what the dude in the store told me) but unfortunately according to my hydrometer readings (pretty sure I took them correctly) the alcohol level will only be around 5%.


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## indica86 (25/4/14)

I recently made the ESVA from the Coopers website and it is very nice.
There is a balance to be struck between the high alcohol content, residual unfermented sugar, bitterness and hop flavour that you won't get by throwing 2 kgs of enhancer at a beer.


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## wynnum1 (25/4/14)

What about a partial mash if you have the time .


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## pilgrimspiss (25/4/14)

Go for it mate. You can definitely pimp out a kit easily enough and get a higher ABV beer that tastes nice. I used to do a recipe like the pic below all the time before I moved to AG. Can do it for about ~$60 and end up with 3 cartons (or a keg) of lovely beer.
Make sure it finishes fermenting properly. I found letting it condition for a week (keg) or 2 weeks minimum in bottles vastly improved the taste of a recipe like this.

* Use extra hops that suit the style.
* Use two packs of an aftermarket yeast that suits the style .
* Use some dried malts or steep some grains that suit the style.

*** If you do the above , especially steeping grains, you'll realize your not that far from AG lol. Buy an esky and a couple of pots.

Cheers 
Matty


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## heshtek (25/4/14)

Thanks for all the input. I think I'll try it next time using extra hops, yeast and malt. Hopefully it will turn out nice.


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## hoppy2B (25/4/14)

For an IPA, 2 cans of the Original Series Lager and some hops will turn out pretty good fermented with something like US05.

I've only used kit yeast once and fermented it warm but I do like the ester profile and think it is a good yeast if you're going for an estery and malty English Ale.

What style of beer are you hoping to create heshtek?


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## heshtek (25/4/14)

hoppy2B said:


> For an IPA, 2 cans of the Original Series Lager and some hops will turn out pretty good fermented with something like US05.
> 
> I've only used kit yeast once and fermented it warm but I do like the ester profile and think it is a good yeast if you're going for an estery and malty English Ale.
> 
> What style of beer are you hoping to create heshtek?


What style? Well I suppose I'm looking to make a beer something like the coopers sparkling ale you can buy from the store but with a slightly higher alcohol content and with more of a hoppy taste to it. Not sure of the type of hops but I like that Euro kind of hop taste although I'm guessing that taste could have more to do with the Euro beers I like being lagers. I'll just experiment to try and figure out what I like i suppose. I'm getting pretty amped about growing hops as I'm a horticulturalist by trade. I'm not a full on brewer or anything i used to make brews back about 10 years ago and I'm getting back into it as i've seen how far homebrew has progressed since i last had a shot at it. Still a newb


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## hoppy2B (26/4/14)

You probably could use a can of Ale goop plus 2 x BE2 without any dramas. Yob's advice of using an unhopped liquid malt extract (lme), with a can of Ale goop and 1 x BE2 is also an excellent option. And then some hops to your requirements.

US05 yeast is recommended because it helps the hop flavour to shine through. 

I use the Lager can because it only has 20 IBU and makes it easier to add hops without it becoming too bitter. Two Lager cans will take it up to 40 IBU for a standard 5 Gal batch. I normally steep some crystal grains as well to give me whichever style I'm going for. 40 IBU is a little higher than Coopers Sparkling so some crystal sweetness would help balance the extra bitterness if one were to go down that path.

Good luck with the hop growing. I grow some hops myself.


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## Cronessa (27/4/14)

What type of ale kit can are you going to use?

Whether it turns out will mostly depend on the style you're brewing. I have brewed Coopers IPA and Stout kits to about 6-7% but these styles are supposed to be heavier. I wouldn't try brewing something lighter (like a Coopers Pale kit) without extra additions of hops and specialty grains.

Also, you can increase the alcohol content by reducing the amount of water added - I usually brew my heavier beers in 20l batches


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## wereprawn (27/4/14)

You should get about 4.9% abv with this one. Maltodextrin is in the BE 2 for body and head retention and non-fermentable. If you are bottling you can add another .5% due to the addition of priming sugar. Using that much Maltodextrin may make your brew too "thick", but I have never tried it so who knows.


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## heshtek (27/4/14)

wereprawn said:


> You should get about 4.9% abv with this one. Maltodextrin is in the BE 2 for body and head retention and non-fermentable. If you are bottling you can add another .5% due to the addition of priming sugar. Using that much Maltodextrin may make your brew too "thick", but I have never tried it so who knows.


Well maybe that explains why I only got %5 alcohol out of my other brews which were 1kg BE2 and 500g dextrose.


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## Three Sheets (1/5/14)

heshtek said:


> I'm about to start a new brew from a kit can. I want to make it a strong brew (when i say 'strong' i mean somewhere between 6 and 7 percent). I've bought 2 x 1kg packs of brew enhancer 2 (a generic version). I've read that putting that much fermentable sugars in is going to ruin the taste of the beer and possibly the head retention. Does anyone have any ideas on this? The kit can is an ale if that makes a difference.


I cant see your plan making too bad a beer, with the other suggestions enhancing it. Additional hops is now mandatory in all my brews and I highly recommend it.

A drink for me can be half a dozen or so schooners in quick succession so at 6% to 7% I'd be Three Sheets to the Wind.


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