help with alc content

[arsenaledge]

hi there i am about to start my second kit as we speak. my first is sat in the bottles spent a week clearing and looking pretty dam good for my first effort.
anyway to the point at hand i have read on this web site that with a kit if i increase the sugar by 25% it will make the end result stronger. which i aim to do. but on my kit a 5 gallon kit it states if i decrease the overall volume to 4 gallon it would make it stronger. basicly i want to need to know which one would bee better and would both be possible. thanks for your time an effort :beer

[IanRMartin]

Hi,
Personally i wouldn't try and increase the alcohol of a kit! Even though it is possible.
I don't fully understand as i've only done one kit my self but i believe the kits are put to gether and designed to be made as per there instructions if you start changing or adding stuff you will change the balance (Flavour & alcohol) which may produce an unpleasant result.
I'm sure it can be done if you know what your doing and understand how to go about it as plenty here can.
If you really want to brew a stronger beer i would look for a stronger kit, that way you will brew a beer that is surposed to be stonger, rather than brewing a lower alcohol content kit and forcing the content higher possibly spoling it!

Ian

PS Well done on your first kit have you had a crafty sip yet?
What Kit was it?

[tribs]

I would tend to agree with IRM, especially if its the first time you have brewed the kit, but if you are set on doing so then follow DaaB's advice.

[arsenaledge]

my first kit i brewed with 1kg of glucose and another 250g for priming and all was fine no cider taste. so where does the 250g come in doesnt seem to add up. i have a bottle in the fridge at the momment thats been in the bottle a week and conditioning in the shed

[arsenaledge]

QUOTE (Daft as a Brush @ Aug 2 2006, 03:33 PM) Without seeing the post that suggests using 25% glucose I imagine it refers to replacing a the sugar in a single can kit recipe with 75% Spray malt and 25% glucose and doesnt take into account priming sugar which is minimal as it only needs to be 80gm and not 250g. The only time I would increase the priming sugar is if I was using a King Keg top tap which has a large volume of dead space when filled with 5 gals and requires pressure to dispense, the most I would use in this case is 150gms.
i was just following the info on the label which said to use 250g so. thanks for the info so fast i suppose ill try 4gallons and 10% more sugar and post back how it does or doesnt go

[tribs]

250g for priming

Blimey I normally use less than 100g for priming. Watch out for bottle bombs mate

What was the kit?