very thin oatmeal stout

I brewed Jamil's oatmeal stout recipe.

I scaled it down a bit because my efficiency is typically in the low 80s. I mashed at 155 and every thing seemed to go fine. My OG was two points lower than expected. (1.051)

I changed the yeast because I had a tube of wlp004 and I fermented it a little cooler than I wanted to (low to mid 60s) because the basement is cooler these days.

I didn't attenuate as much as it should (FG: 1.019 instead of 1.014) but, from what I've read, that isn't uncommon for wlp004.

The beer taste good but the mouth feel is so thin it's almost watery. The head doesn't last and their is no lace at all.

I've been thinking that it's under carbonated. It's been on the gas for two weeks. The last few days I've been gradually bumping up the pressure to raise the level of carbonation but, that doesn't seem to be helping.

Any Ideas?

Hmmm. I've made that recipe. While it's a bit thinner bodied than some other oatmeal stouts I've had, it's not THAT thin. I'm adding some flaked barley (8 ounces) to the recipe this week for the re-brew. I think that will help with the perception of body.

Mashing at 155 should have made that sucker pretty full bodied. I'm stumped.

I tried another couple of glasses of this beer over the weekend and the carbonation seems fine now. It is still very disappointing.

I'm gonna take some to a club gathering this Sat. and get some suggestions. After that, I think I'm gonna have to dump it.

Heh, I brewed this 2 months ago and have the exact same thoughts about my brew. I did a partial mash and mashed the specialy grains plus some 2-row at about 153. I thought that the low mash temp combined with using extract was the reason for the light mouthfeel but now I'm not so sure anymore.

I'll think I'll do a new batch pretty soon when I'll mash higher, and maybe add some flaked barley as well. Hopefully I'll get some more body then.

Check to make sure your thermometer is working correctly. Thats all I can think of.

How long ago did you brew this beer? It could still be green, which always taste thin and watery to me. Head retention and lacing is also a problem with green beer. I think you need to give it some time.

I took the beer to a club gathering today and the general consensus is that it might have a mild infection. It has a hint of sourness in the finish. Several brewers there said that sourness can affect the perception of mouth feel in beer.

The head brewer of a local brew pub suggested that I take it out of the fridge and let it sour some more. Could make an interesting beer.

I guess it's time for some new buckets. I've been extremely careful with them but, they are a couple of yrs old. I'll probably replace my hoses, siphon, etc. as well.

one easy way to "fix" a thin kegged beer is to add 4-8oz of maltodextrin...boil it in a cup or two of water and then add to the keg...it works instantly. I did it for a thin Black IPA and the next pint I pulled was perfect.

+1 on maltodextrine.... or, if the sourness is an issue, maybe try lactose instead