Increase alcohol content?

SmartinMartin

Hi again folks, looking for advice please. I've had a munton's nut brown ale kit brewing for the last 2 weeks. Very robust fermenting for 2 days and went very quiet after that. The final abv is a disappointing 3.4%. Is there anything I can do at this late stage to increase the alcohol content slightly?

Not G.R

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Hi again folks, looking for advice please. I've had a munton's nut brown ale kit brewing for the last 2 weeks. Very robust fermenting for 2 days and went very quiet after that. The final abv is a disappointing 3.4%. Is there anything I can do at this late stage to increase the alcohol content slightly?

What was the target abv? Maybe just repitch some of the same yeast?

Tigger

You can add simple sugars or complex sugars to increase the abv
A bag of light liquid malt extract dissolved in hot water and added in will increase the abv by a couple of points on a 25l brew and maintain body
Or a kilo of dex but the dex will make it thinner

BeerNut

What was the starting gravity? Sometimes kit brewers think they're getting weak beer when in fact they just haven't mixed thoroughly at the beginning and got an inaccurately low reading on the starting gravity. I'd be wary of trying to boost the ABV later in the process, especially without a look at what's actually happening with the gravity.

SmartinMartin

The starting gravity was 1.040 and I finished up with 1.014. So would fresh yeast and a half kilo of malt extract do? ( I thoroughly mixed and aerated at the start and it's been at a constant 24° ). I was expecting around 4.5%.

Carawaystick

What does it taste like?

If it's nice, late sugar additions will probably change that for the worse

SmartinMartin

Carawaystick wrote: »

What does it taste like?

If it's nice, late sugar additions will probably change that for the worse

I think you're right, leave well enough alone. It just means I'll have to drink twice as much of it😁