adding body / thickening the final product

[pantsjones]

I grew up hearing stories from my dad, about my parents getting lunch in some Hoffbrauhaus in Austria and my dad standing a knife up in the beer. Sounded like a bunch of hooey to me too, until he pulled out the PICTURE that they took of it, knife standing straight up in the glass and a big grin on dear ol dad's mug.

I'm on batch number 20-something, about 8 months experience brewing. My goal is to make a great beer that I can give to my dad that is comparable to the beer they had on their honeymoon in Austria.

My question is, what can I use/do to increase the density/thickness/mouthfeel of the final product? I am already using hard water with gypsum added with every batch. I've used various grains with lackluster changes. Don't get me wrong, the beer is GOOD - I'm looking for more. Help if you can, and thanks!

[slothrob]

There is some great beer in Austria, but I suspect the knife thing was a bit of a trick, but there are a few ways to increase body in beer.

With all-grain brewing, you want to mash warm, add dextrin malt (like carafoam or carapils), or add crystal malt. Mashing warm and increasing crystal malt will sweeten a beer, too, so if you just want more body you'd want to use dextrin malts.

For extract beers, you can use more crystal malt or add maltodextrin powder. Again, more crystal malt will make for a sweeter beer.

Using a less attenuative yeast can improve body a bit as well, by thinning the beer out less. Look for yeast strains that are described as leaving a malty beer or accentuating the malt character of the beer. Helles styles are often made with a Bock yeast in order to make a full bodies, malty, yet pale yellow beer, for example.

[yaturaz]

Doesn't mashing at a higher temperature increase the body?

[slothrob]

Yes. mashing warmer increases body and residual sweetness.