Alcohol content of pale vs dark..

[MARK123]

Does anybody have an opinion if pale malt extract has a final alcohol content higher or lower than a dark malt????...Than a wheat malt???...I use about 10 lbs malt extract for 4 gallons with high hop bite....1 week primary......3 weeks second....Never used a hydrometer...what do u think the alcohol content is????

[barley ben]

High!!

Many extract will give you there gravity at the ratio of lbs per gallon. I bit of math and you got it. Of course you would still have to come up with the final gravity to estimate the ABV. The color isn't really a sure sign. Each extract is different. Also dry extracts yield a higher gravity than liguid per lb.

[barley ben]

If you can remember what kind/ quantities you used, someone on here may be able to help you with the gravity. To guess the final gravity if you don't have a hydrometer, you could guess by the attenuation of your yeast used.

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by MARK123
Does anybody have an opinion if pale malt extract has a final alcohol content higher or lower than a dark malt????...Than a wheat malt???...I use about 10 lbs malt extract for 4 gallons with high hop bite....1 week primary......3 weeks second....Never used a hydrometer...what do u think the alcohol content is????

I'll make a guess....assuming you used a yeast that was alcohol tolerant (if not then you have a very sweet beer at about 8% abv) then you probably got something in the 10-13% range.


You could take a final reading at least, and if you are in the .025 range then you got a 10+% abv beer. anything above .035 and your yeast were killed by the alcohol.


i don't know about he pale vs. dark. I would guess a few more unfermentables in the dark would mean less alcohol in beer, assuming everything else held equal.

[MARK123]

I used 12 gms. of danstar nottingham ale yeast. A dry yeast that I rehydrate. Is that a good yeast??

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by MARK123
I used 12 gms. of danstar nottingham ale yeast. A dry yeast that I rehydrate. Is that a good yeast??

well, its a decent yeast, but the problem is that all yeasts will succumb to the alcohol they create. You brewed up a monster beer there, and its very likely that the yeast you used will dye well before all the fermentable sugars are converted to alcohol. This isn't necessarily bad, but it means that you will end up with a pretty sweet and malty beer that has a fairly high alcohol content.

[MARK123]

I have brewed 5-6 of these and they don't seem sweet...This is my first time using a secondary...I was just leaving them in the primary for 3 weeks...Then 3 weeks in the bottle......Should I add yeast to the secondary????...Would 8 lbs be better???...I like the stronger beer though...Thanx for your help

[paul84043]

Wow, only 6 weeks for such a big beer? I'm surprised that they don't come out very sweet.
A secondary is always a good idea if you have the space and equipment. As for repitching, it would all depend on your gravity readings. I try to never bottle over 1.016 or so, but I have bottled a few at 1.020. My barleywine was the exception, it got stuck at 1.030, even after repitching and just sat there for a few months, so I bottled it anyway. No bombs after a couple more months, it must be done.

It doesn't sound like you're big on gravity readings....that is really the best (and only) way to be absolutely positive what's going on with your beer.

As for your original question...there are too many variables involved to say definitely.
Typically, darker malts have a lower attenuation due to a higher concentration of unfermentables in them, also as already stated, a drier yeast will have the potential to yield higher alcohol content for a given amount of fermentables.

[MARK123]

I guess i need to break down and buy a hydrometer!!...Let me ask if I have this right.....The gravity goes down as more of the sugars are eaten by the yeast???..Therefore, it is still fermenting in the secondary if the gravity is still coming down???..Then you bottle only when it gets to a preset point???

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by MARK123
I guess i need to break down and buy a hydrometer!!...Let me ask if I have this right.....The gravity goes down as more of the sugars are eaten by the yeast???..Therefore, it is still fermenting in the secondary if the gravity is still coming down???..Then you bottle only when it gets to a preset point???

Pretty much. Sugars are depleted, making the solution less dense, and alcohol which less dense than water is added. Ergo, the density drops as fermentation takes place. When you get steady readings, you can assume the yeast is done.

IF you have made this beer in the past with success and the same ingrediants, then a secondary fermenter will only make it better. Perhaps that nottingham yeast is tolerant to alcohol, we don't really know. Their website doesn't say anything except that it has a high attenuation rate without indicating maximum abv tolerance.

[MARK123]

Thanx for all your help...I'll keep ya posted!!!!!!!