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Author Topic: Adding body to a beer  (Read 4613 times)

Offline evandy

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Adding body to a beer
« on: January 29, 2012, 06:35:09 am »
I brewed a beer with a new yeast a while ago.  It was an extract batch, so I don't have much control over mashing parameters.  Unfortunately, post-fermentation, the beer seems a little thin on the mouthfeel side.  Not a lot, but definitely somewhat watery.  Any suggestions on how to correct this?  I assume there's not much to do at this point with the current batch (in a keg, carbing).

Offline oceanselv

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2012, 07:24:13 am »
With the exception of blending the beer with another batch, there is not much you can do at this point.  However, if you make the same recipe again, look at adding some dextrose to your steeping grains.  The yeast do not ferment the dextrose and the dextrose will add body and mouth feel to the beer.  For a typical 5 gallon batch you may want to consider adding 8 oz of dextrose.  I typically use cara-pils as my source of dextrose.
I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer...Abraham Lincoln

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy...... Ben Franklin

Offline Malticulous

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2012, 08:33:21 am »
Add about a quarter pound of malto dextrin. I've seen it listed as 12% fermentable. In a keg it wont mater. Boil it in a small amount of water (or the beer), add it and close the lid before it foams over.

Things like this are best added late in the boil were it won't effect hop utilization. Don't add anything like this with the steeping grains or you will loose some more gravity to grain absorption.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2012, 08:47:42 am by Malticulous »

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2012, 10:27:22 am »
Don't add dextrose, it is corn sugar and is fully fermentable.  oceanselv means add dextrin.

What was the OG and FG of the beer?  What was the recipe?
Tom Schmidlin

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2012, 02:09:10 pm »
Don't add dextrose, it is corn sugar and is fully fermentable.  oceanselv means add dextrin.

What was the OG and FG of the beer?  What was the recipe?

+1. 
Dave Zach

Offline evandy

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2012, 02:14:01 pm »
The recipe was Jamil's Best Bitter.  I don't have OG and FG readings for my last few batches, but I have brewed the same recipe successfully a few times.  The only difference this time was changing from the London Ale yeast to the London ESB, so I expect that it's the yeast to blame.  Thanks for the thoughts on Malto-Dextrin.  I may try dosing a pint once it finishes carbing; if it helps I can scale up to a full keg.

Offline oceanselv

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2012, 05:23:11 pm »
Don't add dextrose, it is corn sugar and is fully fermentable.  oceanselv means add dextrin.

What was the OG and FG of the beer?  What was the recipe?

Oops you're correct.
I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer...Abraham Lincoln

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy...... Ben Franklin

Offline thomasbarnes

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2012, 02:41:41 am »
You can also steep some crystal malt and add it to your wort. That will add body to your beer, since crystal malt has a fair percentage of dextrins in it. Any decent HB book will have instructions on how much to add and how to do it.

Offline jlap

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2012, 04:00:53 pm »
I would think that London ESB would give you more body not less...

Offline nateo

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Re: Adding body to a beer
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2012, 08:13:13 pm »
A small amount of oak could help provide structuring tannins. Bitters should be served a bit warmer and flatter than other beers. Are you sure you haven't overcarbed it? I usually target about 1 vol of CO2 for my bitters, and serve them cool, not cold.
In der Kürze liegt die Würze.