Will Adding Sugar Increase The Alcohol of My Beer?

This is an all-too-common question that beginners ask when brewing beer. Some people prefer strong beer with a high alcohol by volume (ABV) for obvious reasons. Going back to the basics of beer brewing 101, we all know that sugars are converted into alcohol during fermentation. Typically, yeast is added to perform the conversion, allowing the flavors and ABV to balance out. Common sense should tell you that using more sugar in a brew will lead to a higher ABV, but this isn’t exactly true.

Home beer brewing kit: photo by chokingsun.

Technically, adding more sugar to your brew can increase its alcohol content. Whether you decide to use granulated or corn sugar, you’ll likely notice an increase in the alcohol content. However, the problem with adding sugar is that it tends to throw off the flavors, aroma and body, resulting in a loss of quality. It’s extremely difficult for inexperienced brewers to find a balanced medium of using just the right amount of sugar to achieve a high alcohol content but preserve its natural flavors and characteristics.

Which Type of Sugar Should I Use?

If you’re going to attempt to raise the alcohol content of your brew by adding more sugar, it’s recommended that you stick with either corn-based sugar. It’s more effective than traditional granulated sugar and tends to have a minimal impact on the beer’s flavor. With that said, using too much will result in a change of flavor, body and aroma.

You have to be extremely cautious when adding sugar to your brew. There’s nothing more frustrating than spending several hours measuring ingredients and preparing a batch of beer only to ruin it with too much sugar. As the old saying goes — less is more — holds true when brewing beer. Start with a small increase in the amount of sugar to see how it affects your brew.

What About Malt?

Rather than using sugar to increase your beer’s ABV, you should consider adding more malt extract. Technically, this will also increase the strength and alcohol content of a brew, but the downside is that it will require a greater amount of hops. The more malt extract your add to your brew, the heavier the body becomes. The only way to balance a heavy body beer is with additional hops.

Do you have a preferred method to raise the ABV of your brew? Let us know in the comments section below!