Does thick wort = thick beer?

Our wort boiled down a bit too much and we had to ad water. It's a porter and had the consistency of motor oil. If we wouldn't have watered it down and would have just pitched the yeast (assuming we would have had yeast that would have withstood 1.08-1.085 OG) would the final product have ended up as thick as what we pitched? That or would the yeast thin it out by eating the sugars in the wort?

The thinning happens when the yeast convert the sugars in your wort to alcohol.

There is a reason why your hydrometer floats higher prior to fermentation than it does afterwards.

E-Mursed said:

The thinning happens when the yeast convert the sugars in your wort to alcohol.

There is a reason why your hydrometer floats higher prior to fermentation than it does afterwards.

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So when I go to do a big belgian as my next batch where I'm trying to get it to an OG of around 1.12, I can expect it to be surper syrupy?

The last belgian I did had an OG of 1.075 and wasn't anywhere near as thick as the porter that was just slightly higher.

Your mash temp effects the 'thickness' of the beer as well as certain grains. A higher mash temp 154-158 leads to less fermentable sugars as opposed to mashing from 148-152. The yeast has little to do with the thickness.

So, who's answer is the right one so far?

cokronk said:

So, who's answer is the right one so far?

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what temp did you mash at?

E-Mursed said:

The thinning happens when the yeast convert the sugars in your wort to alcohol.

There is a reason why your hydrometer floats higher prior to fermentation than it does afterwards.

Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with 'thickness'

Kate00 said:

what temp did you mash at?

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Strike was a 165, so I'm thinking around 155? I'll have to measure next time.

cokronk said:

Strike was a 165, so I'm thinking around 155? I'll have to measure next time.

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That shouldnt be high enough to release all that much unfermentable stuff, so my guess is your beer will ferment out to have a normal consistency. I have a Wee Heavy that I mashed at 158 aging in secondary, and i would not consider it to have a thick consistency. Full body, yes, but not thick.

Yes if your wort is thick your beer is going to be thick. Just think about if you just took a jug of lme and pitched on it.

BryanJ said:

This has nothing to do with 'thickness'

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Technically, of course it does. If by definition “thicker” equates to denser, then certainly an unfermented wort at 1.055 is going to have higher density (thickness) than a fully fermented beer at 1.008.

Alcohol (beer) is thinner than sugar water (wort). As the alcohol displaces the sugar water through fermentation, the beer will of course become “thinner” be definition.

But to try and answer the OP’s question…a much higher concentrated wort will typically yield a thicker beer even after full fermentation…this assumes that regardless of the starting gravity, the attenuation rate of the yeast strain is the same.

A 1.040 beer at an attenuation rate of 80% will yield final product of 1.008.
A 1.080 beer will end at 1.016.
Now, does that higher final gravity deserve the term “thicker”. Probably not. Richer mouth feel, more caramel tones, slight residual sweetness…yes.

Low temp/long rest times equal drier, crisper beers. High temp, shorter rest times equal maltier beers.

OP – Always track your mash temp. It is one of the most critical elements in both producing the desired beer, and achieving consistency from one batch to the next.

Thanks for clearing that up.....