my beer's body

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marcom1234
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my beer's body

Post by marcom1234 »

most our extract based brews seem to lack body... what can i do about this? we do i suppose what is called a mini mash or a partial mash... grain in a grain bag for 30 minutes.... then fermenter for a week then secondary... any ideas or tips on how to get more body?
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brewmeisterintng
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Beer Body

Post by brewmeisterintng »

The question is... how are you brewing? It it a recipe? a kit? or are you building your own brews. The beer that lacks body is usually associated with a low OG. Have you been measuring your original gravity? Some folks add specialty malts that give extra body. These would include dextrin malt, crystal, carapils. These will alter the flavor of the beer as well and you will want to look to see if they will be right for your style. Before looking at the speciality malts I would look at my proceedures to ensure that I am getting what I am expecting out of what Beer Tools calculator says I should. It didn't take me too long to realize why my Mr Beer kits did not produce a full bodied beer. Hope this helps. :D
marcom1234
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Post by marcom1234 »

hmmm well we usually use a midwest suppy kit..... and im not as attuned to the body issue as my brewing partner.... and he says hes noticed it in most of our beers... says when he drinks it it seems watery.not nessisarily bad just lacking body.... upon thinking about it after he says it i agree.. but maybe not to the same extent that he does. hopefully this additional info helps
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slothrob
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Body

Post by slothrob »

It sounds like you are using steeping grains and extract, not doing a partial mash, which involves the use of base malts and temperature control, typically for about 60 minutes.

Anyway, Crystal Malts will add body, but have a substantial effect on the flavor and increase the sweetness of the final beer so you can't throw them in willy-nilly. 0.25 to 0.5 pounds of Carapils and Carafoam will add body, but have a relatively minor effect on the flavor, so they can be added without too much worry.

Also, yeast can make a big difference in body. Try a recipe with an English yeast, as they tend to leave more body and add a layer of flavor that can increase the perception of body by giving the beer more complexity.

OG can make a difference in body, as brewmeisterintng says, but I make beers that start with very low OG's and are full of body. It's all a matter of recipe formulation. Making all-grain beers gives you an added layer of control that makes this type of refinement easier.
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marcom1234
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Post by marcom1234 »

ok great information... thanks alot all of you...and yes im doing steeping grains and extract...i am in the midst of constructing a brew room in the garage for all grain. hopefully that will help more.....

so if i get this right..... even if i buy a kit from midwest supplies... it could be lacking greatly in the grains i need for more body?... so if i continue to get recipe kits i should add some of the Carapils or Carafoam ... or some other dextrin malt to give the body some boost?

i have no idea what grains are put in the kits.

oh and we usually use the white labs pitchable tubes for our 5 gal batches...
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Push Eject
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Post by Push Eject »

Or just mash at a higher temperature. 4 degrees can make a huge difference.

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Post by slothrob »

Push Eject wrote:Or just mash at a higher temperature. 4 degrees can make a huge difference.
marcom1234 wrote:most our extract based brews seem to lack body...
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Push Eject
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Re: my beer's body

Post by Push Eject »

marcom1234 wrote:we do i suppose what is called a mini mash or a partial mash...
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Post by slothrob »

It's true, I did some partial mashes with warm temperatures that really ended sweet.

Grain in a bag for 30 minutes sounds suspiciously like steeping to me, though.
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