Adjust Recipe for higher ABV

sugar

 

Table sugar is 100% fermentable and will add no flavors once fermented. I typically add between half a pound and a pound to my DIPAs in order to make them taste more dry.

 

Use more of the same fermentables, i.e. grains, extract, whatever. You might also want to increase your hop bitterness and flavor/aroma to remain balanced.

 

Actually, you should probably do a little of both. Simply adding sugar will dry out the beer. Not necessarily bad, but if you're looking for minimal impact on the flavor, sugar alone is not the best approach. OTOH, increasing the grain bill or extract will give you a higher FG, resulting an a (slightly) heavier beer. Again, not necessarily bad, but not consistent with with your stated goal. If you're only looking a 1% bump in ABV (a pound or so of extra fermentables, give or take), either method, by itself, should be fine. Above that will take a bit more architecting of the sort I'm talking about here.

 

Do you add sugar to the wort or during primary/secondary? Can you achieve something similar with more malt extract?

 

Any of the above, though there's not much point in moving to secondary before adding the sugar.

Yes. But as noted, extract will provide more body/residual sweetness. Sugar won't.

 

Thanks! (Novice brewer)