stronger beer

No, but adding more fermentables (sugar, malt, stuff) will. To a point. About

10% I think, from memory. Then if you *really* want to go any higher you need different type yeast.

Shill #312

-- Homer no function beer well without. Homer J. Simpson

The only reason I got into homebrew many years ago was to create a stronger better tasting brew. While I still have found there is much to learn I have created my own formula to beers that can kick some serious rear. Typical 5 gallon kits make about 4.5 to 5% Alcohol by Volume. This is the same as most american lagers and is considered the standard. So the trick is to create the flavor you are looking for while boosting up the kick. Here is how I did it in the beginning....

Buy a kit that makes the style you are looking for. Some like ambers while others like me like the porters and stouts. The kit will give you the taste you are wanting but we are going to add to that. While at the store go ahead and pick up a pound of corn sugar and an extra 3 or 4 pounds of malt. If you are unsure what kind of malt goes with your kit, open the thing and see what type malts are being used. Of course if all else fails go with amber. Even in a stout the amber added will not make a huge difference.

When it comes to the yeast you will need more than what is in the kit. You can pick up an extra pack of what is in the kit or you can go with a couple packs of another yeast. If you are going to go with a yeast other than what is in the kit I would recommend getting a Belgian yeast or similar yeast with the ability to survive higher alcohol content. Ask your local retailer to see what they carry and recommend.

Now that you have your kit, yeast, sugar, and extra malt you are ready to make something around 9% ABV. Follow your directions in the kit exactly as normal. When boiling your wort add in the sugar and extra malt. Afterwards prep you ferment as instructed. Then when it comes to pitching yeast go with what you have rather than the one pack included in the kit.

Granted that sometimes this added stuff can drive the cost of your 5 gallon batch up to about $40 but consider this, to get a twelve ounce bottle of ale with around 8 or 9% ABV will cost $1 to $2 a bottle. You just made about 53 twelve ounce brews for less than a buck a bottle. The other thing good about it is you can brag to others about how YOU made it.

pour grain alchohol in before bottling, course, you might not get any carbonation (only so much tolerance to alchohol by yeast)

You can increase fermentable sugars by adding DME (dry malt extract). You can increase attenation by also using a wine yeast. Or you can just make a BIG BEER!

Big beer (per 5 gallons): 2 - 3.3 lb. containers - Briess Golden Light 1 - 3.3 lb. container - Briess Sparkling Amber

Add to 3 gallons of water and boil. Using a hop sock: Add 2 oz of Magnum hops ............. 35 minutes Add 1 oz of Northern Brewer hops .... 15 minutes Add 1 oz of Centennial hops ......... 5 minutes Add 1 oz of Irish Moss .............. 1 minute

Use a chiller to get the temperature below 80 F. Move wort to fermenter and add water to 5 gallon mark.

Make a yeast starter using two vials of WLP005.

Get the fermentation temperature around 65F.

This will produce a thick malt brew at 9%+. Have one, call it dinner, and go to sleep.

Add champagne yeast at bottling if worried about conditioning...strong beer yeast could be spent.

This is as good an idea as sanitizing your carboys with vinegar and baking soda. ROTFLMAO

Champagne yeast will start eating the unfermented sugars, raise the ABV, and put a hell of a lot of CO2 into the bottle.

Nothing like lighting the fuse on a bottle bomb!

If you allow enough time for the beer to completely finish fermenting, and only then add the priming sugar before bottling, there should be no problems with bottle bombs. I generally allow several days in the primary fermenter, and the balance of two weeks in the secondary (or just 2 weeks in a single-stage fermenter), then bottle, but that only works well with ales. Use of a hydrometer is recommended for beginners to see if there is any change in final gravity readings over a 3 day period (to make sure fermentation is complete).

Champagne yeast will allow you to make a higher alcohol beer, but at some point the overall balance of the beer flavors go too far toward an alcohol bite (that some people like, however). It also tends to ferment rather dry and is a quick starter, which might be useful to some people.

Personally, I would prefer to stick with regular ale yeasts, and you can get some decent dry yeasts for very little cost.

Agreed.

Brewing without an hydrometer is akin to driving a car blindfolded.

Ale yeasts do not ferment "all" sugars. The residual sugars Ale yeasts leave behind are the reason Ales have sweetness. OTOH wine yeasts will ferment every sugar they find except Lactose (which no yeast of which I am aware will ferment). Using a wine yeast in a beer will, as you have noted) hurt the balance and possibly push an alcohol bite. Even worse it may contribute both a fusel aroma and a fusel taste to the beer - akin to pouring distilling mash into the beer.

Words to live by.

Dick

If you really want the most potent (high alcohol) beer you can get try what I do with my wine. Don't add all of the Malt (sugar) in the beginning. after a few days add more malt. taste the brew if it is no longer sweet you can continue to add more malt. you may end up with a sweet brew, but with practice you'll notice when the yeast are slowing down because of the high alcohol content.