watery beer...

this is my first post, I have brewed two beers so far.

I have noticed that both beers tasted thin and watery, specific gravities were just about right on both batches.

The first was a nut brown ale and the second was a honey weizen. both were from midwest supplies.

I use full boil method and bottled spring water. Would the water be affecting me mouthfeel and contributing to a water taste?

tradclimber123 said:

this is my first post, I have brewed two beers so far.

I have noticed that both beers tasted thin and watery, specific gravities were just about right on both batches.

The first was a nut brown ale and the second was a honey weizen. both were from midwest supplies.

I use full boil method and bottled spring water. Would the water be affecting me mouthfeel and contributing to a water taste?

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A water taste? What's that mean?

First, are you familiar with these styles of beer? Are they what you usually drink? If not, maybe your expectation is just off. For example, if you're an IPA man who wants every beer to taste like a punch in the mouth, the beers you brewed are going to be REALLY lacking in hop impact. Those styles just aren't as hoppy. Likewise, if you're a big drinker of strong beers (Maibocks or Belgians, maybe), you're not going to find a normal gravity beer like you probably made to have quite the same "kick" that you're used to.

Original Gravity and Final Gravity were both on target? If either (or both) was too low, the beer could be much more dry (fewer residual sugars) or lower in alcohol than you expected.

Perhaps you're not getting good hop utilization. If your beer seems overly sweet or insipid, that could be the case.

Or, perhaps you're drinking them too young. By most accounts, three weeks in bottles is the minimum--some beers may take longer to get past the "green" stage. If you're drinking these early, they just may not be ready yet, and will benefit from another week or two in the bottles.

I am having the same problem. It is an Irish Red Ale Extract from Midwest. It just taste watery.

i think the only way to describe it is a beer that feels like natural light but tastes similar to a nut brown or weizen

Julohan said:

I am having the same problem. It is an Irish Red Ale Extract from Midwest. It just taste watery.

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Can you help out with what you mean by watery?

There aren't that many hard-to-identify flavors in an Irish Red. What are you after that's not there? What beer are you comparing it to in your mind?

Is it not hoppy enough (not bitter or lacking the floral/herbal flavors of a late or dry hop)? Is it flat? Is there no residual sweetness at all?

Did you hit your expected OG? On the high end or the low end of the range? How about the FG?

Gravity readings were fine. Just taste watery. Like the beer is watered down.

tradclimber123 said:

i think the only way to describe it is a beer that feels like natural light but tastes similar to a nut brown or weizen

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Maybe you're serving it too cold? I dunno. If it tastes like the beers in question, and is carbed properly, I can't say what the issue is. Alcohol can play a big part in how "rich" a beer seems, so if your OG was kind of low and your FG was high, it could be low in alcohol. Or if your OG was low and your FG was low, it could be too low in residual unfermented sugars.

Really hard to say.

One last try, and then you've exhausted all I know here:

How long has it been in the bottles? Under-aged beer is often described as watery.

Even if it's been a while, give it another week and taste again. If it's still watery, give it another week, etc, etc, and like that.

For me, it has been about 3.5 weeks. I will give it another week.

I am fairly new at this as well...I have about 7 or 8 brews under my belt...but steeping with .5# of carapils can help to add some body to the beer (Also known as maltodextrin I think).

Just thin unlike commercial beers of the same style. if feels like your drinking water rather than that satisfying gulp of a commercial beer

bikeboy389 said:

Under-aged beer is often described as watery.

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+1. Green beer lacks body.

mroberts1204 said:

I am fairly new at this as well...I have about 7 or 8 brews under my belt...but steeping with .5# of carapils can help to add some body to the beer (Also known as maltodextrin I think).

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Just to clarify, cara-pils is also known as dextrine malt but it's not the same thing as maltodextrin. MD is a powder that can be used later in the boil (I even used it once at bottling time) and for extract batches with no steeping grains. They do accomplish similar goals but are not the same.