THCarnes
Member
Hello fellow brewers, first let me apologize for the long post. I brewed a barley wine recently that started at 1.090 OG and finished at 1.004 FG. I am looking at ways to increase the mouth feel and final gravity a few points to say 1.010-12.
To give a little background on the brew the mash was 16lb pale malt and 1 lb crystal 40. I mashed at 147 for 90min boiled for two hours to a final amount of 5 gallons. I pitched White labs WLP099 Super High Gravity Yeast from a 1L starter of a similar starting gravity. The beer showed visible signs of fermentation within 12 hours and fermented strongly for about 3 weeks. After fermentation slowed at around 4.5 weeks I thiefed out a sample to check the gravity and taste the beer. The beer had fermented down to 1.006 the mouth feel was very thin and it had an alcohol burn in the aftertaste other than that it was very tasty.
I have asked respected LHBC members and the owners of our LHBS about what I can do to make this a more palatable beer and they were unable to think of much that I could do.
I know it would be slightly out of style but would adding an unfermentable like Lactose to the brew increase the FG enough to make give the beer more body? Also what kind of flavors might it add to the final beer?
Any help is much appreciated.
To give a little background on the brew the mash was 16lb pale malt and 1 lb crystal 40. I mashed at 147 for 90min boiled for two hours to a final amount of 5 gallons. I pitched White labs WLP099 Super High Gravity Yeast from a 1L starter of a similar starting gravity. The beer showed visible signs of fermentation within 12 hours and fermented strongly for about 3 weeks. After fermentation slowed at around 4.5 weeks I thiefed out a sample to check the gravity and taste the beer. The beer had fermented down to 1.006 the mouth feel was very thin and it had an alcohol burn in the aftertaste other than that it was very tasty.
I have asked respected LHBC members and the owners of our LHBS about what I can do to make this a more palatable beer and they were unable to think of much that I could do.
I know it would be slightly out of style but would adding an unfermentable like Lactose to the brew increase the FG enough to make give the beer more body? Also what kind of flavors might it add to the final beer?
Any help is much appreciated.