Abv

[adamS]

Hey Guys,

So have now done 3 batches of wine and 1 of nettle beer, dandilon beer and mead, but was wondering if any of you could help.

I get that the yeast creates ethanol from releasing carbon from the sugar, and that's why fermentation creates alchohol, but does that mean that more sugar means stronger beer, i.e if I use 500g instead of 250g I get more potent beer? If not how can you adjust alchohol content ?

Cheers guys,

[adamS]

just read that normal yeast can't handle much more than 5% alchohol. I'm guessing wine yeast can take up to about 14%, so is it the case that adding wine yeast to my mead/herbal brews would make them more alchoholic?

[shirlthegirl43]

You might like to check this site out.. Wines at Home lovely forum where the peeps are almost as helpful as the grapes on here.

[Capsid]

More sugar = more alcohol but only up to 14% when the alcohol kills the yeast to prevent any further fermentation. Adding more yeast won't work as it will still get killed off and anyway the yeast multiplies during the fermentation process, so no need to add more.

If you want more alcohol then you need to boil off and condense the alcohol by distillation but that's illegal without a licence.

Just adding pure sugar is not always a good idea as fermentation generates other by products such as esters and ketones which don't always help with the flavour.

[burnie]

I believe that if you were to , lets say accidently freeze some wine/mead and remove the ice (water freezes at a higher temp than alcohol),you might theoretically get a slightly higher alcohol content without poisoning yourelselves(allegedly)

[Hilary B]

I believe that if you were to , lets say accidently freeze some wine/mead and remove the ice (water freezes at a higher temp than alcohol),you might theoretically get a slightly higher alcohol content without poisoning yourelselves(allegedly)

It is (of course) still illegal, but rather harder to detect, and less prone to the production of hazardous by-products....
It is very much easier to simply freeze the whole lot, and have to defrost it again......

[adamS]

yeah, basically a leibig condenser to separate the two, but unfortunatley that's illegal ! - Mead is bubbling away anyway, see what happens! Incidentally, I know mead is usually like a beer, but in Poland I had 'Miod Pitny' which is basically like honey wine, if I use wine finings etc, will it make it more like a wine?

[Hilary B]

yeah, basically a leibig condenser to separate the two, but unfortunatley that's illegal ! - Mead is bubbling away anyway, see what happens! Incidentally, I know mead is usually like a beer, but in Poland I had 'Miod Pitny' which is basically like honey wine, if I use wine finings etc, will it make it more like a wine?

Where di you get the idea that mead is like beer? I only know it as wine!

[Brewer-again]

Abv

So we all agree that there are ways of increasing the Abv of any given brew but !! Adding sugar will add Abv untill the yeast dies at about 15%

Add more sugar to a given brew and it will lose body, stronger but thinner.

One of the arts of brewing is to increase the flavour or body of the drink along with the Abv.
Have to admit that if you freeze out the water it will be stronger and richer.
Always worried that beer is a lot of volume.
Intake of spirits are difficult to control.
wine is fine, not bloating and ok to sup all evening.

[NOG]

Is that legal?...

Distilling is not legal....but freezing the brew then removing the ice will have the same affect....emm

[Hilary B]

Is that legal?...

Distilling is not legal....but freezing the brew then removing the ice will have the same affect....emm

No, it isn't actually legal, but who's going to know if you don't tell them?
Problem being, it doesn't always work; sometimes the whole lot freezes and you get wine ice-lolly (which IS legal, probably).....

[ohbeary]

Is that legal?...

Distilling is not legal....but freezing the brew then removing the ice will have the same affect....emm

erm, Nog old dear, distillation without a licence is illegal!, as is separation by freezing......( do not attempt to improve parsnip wine by freezing it, if it was cr*p before it just becomes concentrated cra*........)( I'm not saying I have tried this, but it was still orrible!!!)( jush a lo shtonger)
ps, dont forget to pass it through an activated chacoal filter, y'know like the ones you get in water purifiers,( I didnt say that!! the big boys made me do it)