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galacticbrewing12 · 11-14-2012, 04:03 PM

I have been extract brewing now for about 10 months and have had some success brewing a Belgian Witbier. I most recently brewed a Irish Dry Stout and after 2 weeks in the primary (66-68 degrees). Even after 2 weeks it seems like the beer is a bit light and still has a hint of sweetness to it. It always seems that even when I nail the fg on the dot there are still some unfermented sugars being that it has a bit of sweetness to it. It seems like the bittering flavor of the hops I'm using (Hallertau) does not come through much. I then carbed it with CO2 at 10 psi for a week. Once I got my mixed gas tank I had it carb for about 10 days at 30 psi mixed gas I noticed that the beer still tastes a little sweet. Plus, it came out a bit on the light side. The color is a dark brown after steeping grain to extract the color, but there is not enough body as I would expect with a stout. Based upon the BJCP style guidelines and my experience drinking stouts it should have a thick almost syrupy consistency. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to why it turned out so light and why my extract brews seem to never be able to have enough bite?

P.S. For those that may want to see my recipe I should be posting it later tonight.

dbsmith · 11-14-2012, 04:25 PM

Your boil volume will affect your hop utilization. If you do not already do a full boil volume, you can try to increase it. Otherwise you can simply add a bit more bittering hops.

galacticbrewing12 · 11-14-2012, 04:32 PM

I don't think the boil volume is necessarily the issue. One thing I was thinking regarding the body of the beer being light was that I may not be measuring the correct amount of water to add. I generally just use the lines on the fermentation bucket to determine how much water to pour in and from what I have ready the lines are not always correct. So, if I am adding too much water that could also be diluting the wort and hops. Just my amatuer observations.

dbsmith · 11-14-2012, 05:16 PM

As for the body, maybe next time you could add some flaked barley or one of the 'cara' malts, or maybe some oats if you want more creaminess. If you have a light body, yet your beer isn't dry, I would think that the problem is not enough hop bitterness to balance it out and giving you a sweet perception. Like you said though, check your volumes and maybe give us some og/fg information if you have it later along with the recipe.

**Paul07293** · 11-14-2012, 05:19 PM

Irish Dry Stout is not at all thick and syrupy. Think Guinness or Murphy's; very roasty and opaque but medium bodied with a creamy texture and low alcohol. Really need to see your OG & FG.

PS, have you checked your hydrometer to make sure it's accurate?

galacticbrewing12 · 11-14-2012, 09:42 PM

Here is my beer recipe:

Ingredients:
6.6 lbs. Coopers Light Malt Extract
3/4 lb. M&F Roasted Barley Malt 676 L
1/4 lb. Briess Crystal Malt 20 L
1 lb. Flaked Barley
1 oz. Northern Brewer (Bittering) with 60 Minutes of boil
Wyeast #1084XL Irish Ale Yeast

OG 1.050
FG 1.013

dbsmith · 11-14-2012, 09:55 PM

Hmmm definitely increase your hops. Try 1.5 oz for bittering and feel free to add another ounce at 15 min. I'd also replace that Crystal-20 with something darker. Perhaps try adding some molasses or other sugar to increase your OG but finish a bit dry. Oats can add some thickness. Just some suggestions to think about, good luck!

galacticbrewing12 · 11-14-2012, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbsmith

Hmmm definitely increase your hops. Try 1.5 oz for bittering and feel free to add another ounce at 15 min. I'd also replace that Crystal-20 with something darker. Perhaps try adding some molasses or other sugar to increase your OG but finish a bit dry. Oats can add some thickness. Just some suggestions to think about, good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions.