Overattenuation remedy

For my first all grain batch, I made a Wit with six pounds of grain and a couple pounds of fruit in primary as well as half pound in secondary. I know this yeast has a pretty high attenuation and tart finish, but I think it got too warm for a while(74-75) and its super thin with no body. The hydrometer reading was 1.004-5 yesterday. I'm looking for suggestions to add a little body to the now finished beer. I thought about steeping a bunch of dextrine malt in a little water for a while, boiling, cooling, and then infusing. Any thoughts?

I've successfully used wine conditioner to add some "false" body to over attenuated beers

Doesn't anyone else have any opinioins about the dextrine idea? Please, your thoughts will be appreciated. I need to figure something out soon, so I can get it into bottles. The taste and aroma are nice, its just a little thin. Thanks.

left field brewer said:

Doesn't anyone else have any opinioins about the dextrine idea? Please, your thoughts will be appreciated. I need to figure something out soon, so I can get it into bottles. The taste and aroma are nice, its just a little thin. Thanks.

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Every beer I've ever made has been artificially thin out of the secondary. I'd hesitate to fiddle with the recipe based on a taste test of a beer that is not done yet.

When you say you want body...are you talking just some additional maltiness?

yeah, flat beer isn't the best way to gauge final body, since carbonation adds some mouthfeel.

what was the OG? 6lbs for 5gallons seems like a light grain bill (but I've only done one Partial mash, with 5lbs of grain, so I'm FAR from being any sort of expert).

Don't hold me to this, but it might be possible to add a little body by boiling a small amount of water and adding some maltodextrin powder, let it cool and add to the beer.

4-8 oz. of maltodextrin powder would help a great deal. Dextrine malt really needs to be mashed with 2-row, otherwise you just get starch and haze.

First off, it was my recipe, so messing with it can't hurt too much. I've brewed several batches and none really tasted this thin(watery) when tasting after a while in secondary. My OG was 1.038-9 (current SG:1.004-5)and I was going for a lower alcohol wit. It only had 6 pounds of grain but it also had 2 pounds fresh cherries at end of boil, and half pound in the secondary. I'll probably try the maltodextrine. I'm looking to add maybe just a little maltiness, and increased mouthfeel. I do realize there is considerable difference in a carbonated beer, but I don't want to drink carbed tart cherry water. I thought the starches and proteins that come from dextrine added unfermentable materials, thus increasing the body of the beer.

Bump

Any new information on this. I have an over attenuated beer in the keg that I would like to add some body to. Is there any downside to adding wine conditioner or maltodextrin? Off flavors?

korndog said:

Bump

Any new information on this. I have an over attenuated beer in the keg that I would like to add some body to. Is there any downside to adding wine conditioner or maltodextrin? Off flavors?

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You can add pretty much any non-fermentable at this stage.

I've added Lactose to porters and stouts that I wanted to sweeten up a bit.

I've also done the malto-dextrine thing.

Just make sure to properly boil, cool and mix gently.

The down side to wine conditioner is that it adds sweetness, and I'm not a fan of sweet beers. Same with lactose. Now, if the beer is too tart and can benefit from some sweetness (like BM said, certain fruit beers or stouts and porters) that's ok.

I'd recommend just 4 ounces of malto-dextrine dissolved in boiling water and added to the keg. That should give plenty of body and mouthfeel.

YooperBrew said:

The down side to wine conditioner is that it adds sweetness, and I'm not a fan of sweet beers. Same with lactose. Now, if the beer is too tart and can benefit from some sweetness (like BM said, certain fruit beers or stouts and porters) that's ok.

I'd recommend just 4 ounces of malto-dextrine dissolved in boiling water and added to the keg. That should give plenty of body and mouthfeel.

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Thanks Yooper. I think I will give it a shot.

KD

BierMuncher said:

You can add pretty much any non-fermentable at this stage.

I've added Lactose to porters and stouts that I wanted to sweeten up a bit.

I've also done the malto-dextrine thing.

Just make sure to properly boil, cool and mix gently.

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I have a batch that way over attenuated (85%) and is very very dry. I would like to sweeten it up before bottling (no kegs). If I add lactose won't that interact with the remaining yeast and essentially start a refermentation in the bottle? If so, I think I have no way to properly estimate what the CO2 volume levels will be? Any pointers or suggestions. I really don't want 5 gallons of this stuff. Supposed to be a bitter but is now a suuuuuper dry one. Ugh.

Lactose is non-fermentable.

Would carbonating with DME instead of corn sugar help at all?

(I don't know if it would, just that adding sugar instead of DME to a recipe
will thin it out... this would be the opposite, right?)

+1 for maltodextrine. It doesn't really add anything BUT body and mouthfeel, but that can go a long way to improving an overattenuated beer.