[jimrod]

My beer turned out too dry. It's only a 1.012 AIPA 7.4 % ABV) but tastes super dry.
 
I deviated from the recipe and added only 5% crystal malts instead of 10%.

What can I do at this point? It's been 3 weeks from the mash date, the beer is now dry hopping in the secondary. Can I add sweetness now ?

[morticaixavier]

you can try dosing a sample with some calcium chloride, this will enhance the maltiness a bit. you can also try a tiny bit of table salt to see if that helps.

you could dissolve some lactose or maltodextrin in water and add that to taste as well.

[jimrod]

Will malto dextrin add sweetness.? Or should I boil up some crystal 20 to add? Or dissolved honey?

[duboman]

Will malto dextrin add sweetness.? Or should I boil up some crystal 20 to add? Or dissolved honey?

Either one of those would spark up fermentation again and honey would actually create a drier beer.

Malto dextrin is not ferment-able and may add a little sweetness and body back.

At 1.012 I would not expect the beer to be that dry though, are you sure conditioning and carbonating won't bring out what you are looking for? Carbonation can really round out a beer nicely.

[jimrod]

You could be right duboman.  Maybe some of the real dry flavors will be masked with dry hopping. I don't know.

This was the first AIPA where I really boosted the sodium to around 250 ppm to enhance the hop qualities.

[beersk]

Doubt it would start fermenting if it's at kegerator temps though.

[duboman]

You could be right duboman.  Maybe some of the real dry flavors will be masked with dry hopping. I don't know.

This was the first AIPA where I really boosted the sodium to around 250 ppm to enhance the hop qualities.

I know when I started with water additions to achieve the same goal my first batch of pale ale seemed dry as well but I realized the water additions were doing just what they needed-added the crisp hop flavor/aroma I had been lacking previously.

Personally I think you should let it finish and package and then sample the finished beer.

You can always adjust the grist on the next batch if necessary

[jeffy]

You could be right duboman.  Maybe some of the real dry flavors will be masked with dry hopping. I don't know.

This was the first AIPA where I really boosted the sodium to around 250 ppm to enhance the hop qualities.

Personally I think you should let it finish and package and then sample the finished beer.

You can always adjust the grist on the next batch if necessary

I agree.  Enjoy this as is and make adjustments in the next batch.

[Mark G]

You could be right duboman.  Maybe some of the real dry flavors will be masked with dry hopping. I don't know.

This was the first AIPA where I really boosted the sodium to around 250 ppm to enhance the hop qualities.

I'm assuming you meant to say sulfate, not sodium. Getting the sulfate up to that level will enhance the dry/crisp/bitter impression of the beer. Let it carb up and then see what you think.

[tschmidlin]

You could be right duboman.  Maybe some of the real dry flavors will be masked with dry hopping. I don't know.

This was the first AIPA where I really boosted the sodium to around 250 ppm to enhance the hop qualities.

I'm assuming you meant to say sulfate, not sodium. Getting the sulfate up to that level will enhance the dry/crisp/bitter impression of the beer. Let it carb up and then see what you think.

If you really meant sodium, can you tell us more about where you learned this technique and what it's supposed to do for the hops?  I don't think I've ever had a beer with that much sodium, except perhaps a gose.  Usually it's 1/10 that at most.

[dmtaylor]

Too much salt additions ruins good beer.  Stop playing with salt and the dryness problems will probably go away.

For this batch I would dissolve ~1/2 lb lactose or maltodextrin per 5 gallons to sweeten and bring back mouthfeel.

[jimrod]

yes I mean sulfate not sodium

[garc_mall]

I agree with all the people who say to taste it, and adjust next batch.

I prefer to raise the mash temp as opposed to adding more crystal, because I feel like it adds body and fullness without adding overt sweetness. I would raise the mash temp 3-4 degrees, and see if that works better.

[majorvices]

Personally, I think most AIPAs with 10% crystal are way too sweet and cloying unless you add some sugar to dry the beer out further. Agree with the others, package and drink it. Buy the end of the batch you may find it is not too dry, after all. 1.012 is certainly not excessively dry for an IPA. In fact, its about spot on. For my tastes, anyway.

[HoosierBrew]

Personally, I think most AIPAs with 10% crystal are way too sweet and cloying unless you add some sugar to dry the beer out further. Agree with the others, package and drink it. Buy the end of the batch you may find it is not too dry, after all. 1.012 is certainly not excessively dry for an IPA. In fact, its about spot on. For my tastes, anyway.

+1.  Not much crystal for me.