Trying to get more "body" in my beers... Techniques?

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Anthony_Lopez

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I have done a ton of reading, searching, etc, however I'm not really finding a direct answer to my question.

As an example, my IPA came out a little "thinner" than I'd like.

The grain bill (5 gallons) was:

12 lbs Pale 2 Row
1 lb Carapils
1 lb Crystal 60

Mashed at 153*F for ~60 minutes.

I did not lose any temp and hit my efficiency right around 75%.

Any help would be appreciated. I thought between the Crystal and the Carapils, I would get some decent body and head retention. The head retention is definitely there, however the body is not where I'd like it to be.

Thanks! :mug::mug:
 
Is raising the mash temp going to effect my beer's body that much?

Yes, it can be considerable. Higher mash temps favor long chain dextrins, which give much of the weighty 'chewiness' in, say, an RIS or similar. Mashing higher is especially useful when making low ABV session ales that can be seem thin. When I last made my dark mild (3.8% ABV), I mashed at 158 for 45 to give that 'chew' factor.

But, as Bobby pointed out, it is a rather fine line to walk to keep the beer balanced. Another consideration is your yeast strain- what did you use with the IPA?
 
I mash almost all of my single infusion mashes at 1.25 quarts per pound and for an hour. I've read that a thicker mash and less time would give a tendency toward heavier bodied less fermentable worts also. I think that would be a lesser consideration than mash temp, but it might be worth a try.

As the others said, though, it might be a delicate balance because you don't want to end up with an underattenuated beer. I mash almost all of my APAs and IPAs in the 154 range, as I like them medium bodied.
 
You have a couple of options to increase body/mouthfeel:

  1. Add maltodextrin powder. This is the simplest solution.
  2. Add long-chain unfermentables (e.g., caramel malt, unmalted wheat, or oats). A protein rest at 122F is advantageous if using unmalted wheat/oats.
  3. Mash at a higher temperature (e.g., 156F). Results in a sweeter beer too.
 
As stated, the mash was 153*F. Perhaps I'll try a slightly higher mash (154-155) and step up my hop bill to balance out the IPA. I use 1056 yeast exclusively for my IPAs and APAs. In the case of one of my IPAs that had a slow yeast starter, I also used a pack of S-05 to try and clean out any of the flavors that may have been present due to yeast stress.
 
It's definitely a delicate balance. You can go 155F on the mash temp, but you also have to edge up your IBUs to take care of the residual sweetness you'll be left with.

I did not want to hijack this thread, but Bobby did get me thinking. So, I posted a thread over in the, "Brewing Software" forum. In short, I am wondering if when using Beersmith will it change the hop IBU schedule if I change Mash Profiles in BS.

If I find it does, then the OP'er here may benefit by using a software package.

I dunno.

See: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f84/mash-profiles-hop-addition-ibu-changes-95117/#post1033463
 
It's definitely a delicate balance. You can go 155F on the mash temp, but you also have to edge up your IBUs to take care of the residual sweetness you'll be left with.

How noticeable is the difference between 153F and 155F ? Would there be anyway to objectively measure the difference ? I'd be interested in knowing the subjective differences (eg: taste? body? mouthfeel ?) that are noticed as well if you don't mind sharing.

Somehow I had gotten the (wrong?) idea that 153F was already on the warmer/more dextrines/more body end of the mash temperature spectrum and that 155-156 was beginning to get into the warm enough to stop conversion entirely spectrum.
 
You could also try an English yeast. They tend not to strip out the malty flavours as much as the American yeasts, but may not be suitable for and American Ale.
Another option would be to use an English malt such as Maris Otter as the base malt. Plenty of Americans use that for American ales, and it adds a decidedly malty profile to the beer.

-a.
 
Somehow I had gotten the (wrong?) idea that 153F was already on the warmer/more dextrines/more body end of the mash temperature spectrum and that 155-156 was beginning to get into the warm enough to stop conversion entirely spectrum.

you're not going to see conversion stop until you see temps in the 165* range and higher.
 
Somehow I had gotten the (wrong?) idea that 153F was already on the warmer/more dextrines/more body end of the mash temperature spectrum and that 155-156 was beginning to get into the warm enough to stop conversion entirely spectrum.

I believe the spectrum is 148-158. I've been trying to mash my larger belgians at 150 as they are already going to be heavy enough. That said, I'm still working on temperature control. I think I learned from my last batch to trust Brewsmith and give the mash temperature time to dissipate through the mash before adding ice cubes and/or boiling water.
 
Few things in response:

I do use beersmith and I'm quite comfortable balancing out my recipes with a changed mash schedule

I'd prefer to stay away from English yeasts, however I may try splitting my base malt between MO and Breiss American 2 Row...

I'm going to do another batch of this beer in the next month (I already have 12 gallons fermenting and 6 gallons bottle conditioning) and I'll list what I changed and how it effected the beers.
 
Malto dextrine is the way to go, if all you are looking to do is add body/mouthfeel. Adjusting the mash is going to adjust the entire profile not just the body
 
I think there also may be some confusion as to what "body" is. I think some people are thinking that more conversion or more malt will make it less "thin" and add body. With my beers, I don't think that's what I'm missing. Budbo is more accurate when he talks about mouth feel. It's plenty sweet, plenty hoppy, but also watery in the way it feels in your mouth. I wonder if the water profile also has something to do with this?
 
Observations from a n00b; I always think my beers tast "watery," I get dissapointed then near the end of the keg think AH! now it has body. Maybe the particular recipies you are wanting to have a fuller body just need a bit more time? Again this is coming from a n00b so I may be way off.
 
if all else fails, you could chop off a finger and add part of your body :cross:

Seriously though, everyone else has nailed all the things you can do, they are smarter than me ;)
 
Flaked oats or flaked rye will give it a more "creamy" mouthfeel, no?

Flaked wheat or barley would work as well, but flaked grains will significantly increase the protein content, and cause some haziness. Not really a problem with darker beers, but would be noticeable in an IPA. If you don't mind the haze, flaked grains do add a lot to the mouthfeel though.

Doesn't adding maltodextrine basically have the same effect as just adding more Carapils to the mash?
 
AL,

I have researched this as well and hoped to experiment in the future.

My thought right now is to mash a small portion of the grain at a higher temp. This would give you more of the dextrins and such to combat the thinner feel and not damage the whole batch.

What that ratio of the grain should be, I don't know yet. You could try 10% of your bill at 158* then sparge and add that to your fermenter. This would leave 90% of your grain bill at 153*.

Just my thoughts for right now.
 
Flaked wheat or barley would work as well, but flaked grains will significantly increase the protein content, and cause some haziness. Not really a problem with darker beers, but would be noticeable in an IPA. If you don't mind the haze, flaked grains do add a lot to the mouthfeel though.

Doesn't adding maltodextrine basically have the same effect as just adding more Carapils to the mash?

Would adding flaked grains for body and then using gelatin finings give you both added mouthfeel while reducing haze?
 
also, make sure your thermometer is calibrated. I've seen a number of threads where it turns out people were mashing lower than they thought b/c their thermometer is off, which would result in a thin body. Just a thought.
 
You might want to calibrate your thermometer, it might be reading higher than than the actual temp. which would lead to a more fermentable wort = drier beer.
 
also, make sure your thermometer is calibrated. I've seen a number of threads where it turns out people were mashing lower than they thought b/c their thermometer is off, which would result in a thin body. Just a thought.
+1, I'd bet that is your problem. Thermometers should be calibrated. You need to know where you stand as far as temps are concerned.
 
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