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increase alcohol without affecting taste (that much)

dabeer

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How would I go about doing this, I know that I would have to add some fermentable sugars in the beginning, but what sugars do I need to add without really affecting taste.
 
dabeer said:
How would I go about doing this, I know that I would have to add some fermentable sugars in the beginning, but what sugars do I need to add without really affecting taste.

Yes, simple sugars will increase your alcohol content and lower your final gravity essentially making your beer more dry.  For some reason most US brewers (home and pro) are very averse to using sugar.  But I love using it because with the right sugars you can add complexity and color.  Most of my darker brews get their color only from the sugar.  You should be safe using up to 20% in your brew......but I would recommend keeping it below 10% if you don't have much experience using it.
 
Berkyjay's pretty much said it.
My method however is to  have a snifter of either single malt scotch or a good single barrel bourbon on the side.
 
If you are talking about the taste of alcohol, then I'd do two things.  1st ferment a your beer (I'm assuming an ale) at lower temperatures and 2nd brew a style that has lots of complex flavors to cover it up.  You could also go buy a 40 of malt liqueur and chase it with some Jagermeister.
 
Corn sugar works, but it does impart a distinct tang.
An ex coworker of mine brews using extract kicked up with a 2# of brown sugar per batch. 
I think the stuff is nasty but he and his drinking buddies don't seem to mind.

I mash 10# grain in the mid 140s to get a brew with an ABV of 5% to 5.5%, and FG ranging from 1.005 to 1.010.
Some say it's a bit thin or watery with the low FG relative to the alcohol content, but I think it's light bodied while being heavy on flavor with a kick.
 
What styles of beer do you like dabeer? That will play a big part in determining which sugar will blend the best with your brew.
 
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