I know its not grain but typical 5oz of priming sugar raises abv by .15-.2%
0.35ABV from 5 oz corn sugar in a 5 gallon batch.
So let me get this straight...
Sugar in the primary or secondary when fermented adds abv
But sugar added at bottling which re-ferments doesn't add abv?
It's a minor point but when trying to hit a guideline it matters
Just add 4oz of sugar to the recipe would be within probably .05% with efficiency factored in. As you say we aint that close with a hydrometer and its calculations.Yes, priming sugar will increase the ABV slightly. I am not sure how to add it as a fermentable after fermentation, but we'll see what we can do.
Generally, about 4 ounces by weight is used. In a 5 gallon batch, that would create .2% ABV. I always considered it a negligible amount, as we're not exactly correct with the ABV anyway with a hydrometer- it's a good estimate but it could easily be off by more than .2% anyway.
Just out of curiosity, do they actually check for ABV at competitions? You can’t test for ABV after it’s bottled before you submit it anyway. So if you can’t test for ABV until it’s de-capped at judging, how would a brewer be able to know. Having never entered a competition, I could be way out in left field.
this all started while working on a mild ale at 1.038SG ie 3.7% abv. Adding .35abv would be really noticeable in a mild ale. In an IPA, no one would notice.
Sounds like an experiment is brewing to me. I would expect dextrose to ferment the same whether it was added pre or post fermentation.