Maltodextrin: how much?

Hi,

So I'm wondering how much of this non-fermentable sugar should be used for a stout or lager to give it more body/head retention? I did a simple Coopers stout and added 1 cup of maltodextrin. Is this too much? Also wondering if anyone has used this to add more body to a lager style beer. Would 1 cup be too much?

Also, I'm presuming that this will sweeten the brew as well?

Thanks.
Tony.

I don't think MD is sweet at all- it makes the beer "thick". My son made some root beer, and used too much maltodextrine, and ended up with root beer jello.
I can't remember how much he used, but I would use up to 8 ounces in a beer that really needed the body. I think that a cup would be ok.

I can't imagine adding it to a lager or anything like that, though. You can get body in those beers by the grains you use, including some dextrine malt.

Beer jello... you may be on to something. Yooper, yer a GENIUS!!!

ChshreCat said:

Beer jello... you may be on to something. Yooper, yer a GENIUS!!!

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Trust me, it's worse than it even sounds. Open a bottle and pour- glub, glub. The funny thing is he's always used that recipe, with about 2 TBSP MD or something like that, and it never happened before. He hasn't used it since, and the root beer is just as good!

I know that it works to provide some body in beers lacking it. I'm just paranoid about it now, so I'd be careful in using it. If it was a style that really needed body and the body was just too light, I could see using it.

YooperBrew said:

I don't think MD is sweet at all- it makes the beer "thick". My son made some root beer, and used too much maltodextrine, and ended up with root beer jello.
I can't remember how much he used, but I would use up to 8 ounces in a beer that really needed the body. I think that a cup would be ok.

I can't imagine adding it to a lager or anything like that, though. You can get body in those beers by the grains you use, including some dextrine malt.

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lol! I hope I don't end up with a Jello stout! I'm going to tap it today via the tap-a-draft and the nitro cartridges and see how it turns out!

Just a side note if anyone can give some light to this... how does Guinness get a white head instead of brown? Lactose I`m guessing.


Tony.

brewNdrink said:

Just a side note if anyone can give some light to this... how does Guinness get a white head instead of brown? Lactose I`m guessing.
Tony.

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I'm pretty sure its just the nitrogen. Guiness is a dry stout, so they don't back sweeten it with lactose.

Note that using a nitro cartridge won't be enough to give you a nitro pour.

I used 4 ounces in a recipe recently and no beer jello so I know that much is okay.

ChshreCat said:

Note that using a nitro cartridge won't be enough to give you a nitro pour.

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I tried the tap-a-draft nitro. Nice thick head! Not quite the same as a professional set-up, but better than just CO2. I guess nitro taps have a higher PSI? Tap-a-draft is regulated to 15 PSI.

Note: No white head on the stout, even with the nitro. But it seems 1 cup of maltodextrin did the job for mouthfeel for the Coopers stout kit @ 20L, + 1.5lbs dark malt extract.


Tony.

I used 8oz in my recent stout and it came out just fine. It doesn't seem to change the flavor of the finished product, as Yooper said. As an experiment I stirred a heaping teaspoon into a glass of a friend's stout. It definitely gave the beer more body and better mouthfeel but the flavor wasn't noticeably changed.

-Joe

nostalgia said:

I used 8oz in my recent stout and it came out just fine. It doesn't seem to change the flavor of the finished product, as Yooper said. As an experiment I stirred a heaping teaspoon into a glass of a friend's stout. It definitely gave the beer more body and better mouthfeel but the flavor wasn't noticeably changed.

-Joe

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Sounds good. Thanks all for the info everyone.

I found a good FAQ on beer gas. It says it may take away the hop aroma?
Beer Gas - BrewBoard

Looks like nitro is the only way to get that thick white Guinness head on beer (and a special spout to boot). Wonder if anyone has made a mcGyver type spout for the tap-a-draft?

Tony.

Nurmey said:

I used 4 ounces in a recipe recently and no beer jello so I know that much is okay.

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I have used 4oz in several beers also and noticed it gives the beer a creamy effect but no taste difference.

Are you using it at bottling?

4 oz is fine in 5 gallons, I use 8 in a 10 gallon batch of a stout I make. I typically add it at the end of the boil though.

beauvafr said:

Are you using it at bottling?

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He may have figured it out... in the last 5 years.

ChshreCat said:

He may have figured it out... in the last 5 years.

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chuckle.