body building

Hi All,

I recently brewed an extract clone of Dogfishhead's Raison D'etre for some friends who say it's their favorite kind of beer. They told me that the flavor was exactly right, but that it lacked the "body" of the original.

So, question: is this likely an extract thing? Will I either have to live with it, or else man-up and go all-grain? Or is there some intermediate fix?

For reference, here are my fermentables, for a three-gallon boil in a five-gallon batch:
8 lbs light dry malt extract
4 oz. 4-50 L crystal malt
8 oz light chocolate malt
8 oz demerara
6 oz pureed raisins

Thanks in advance.

You could increase the amount of crystal malt or add some cara-pils, which will body and mouthfeel with adding color or flavor.

Maltodextrine can be added to increase mouthfeel and body, usually 4oz per 5gal batch. You can add it during the brew or at bottling with your priming sugar.

this is a benefit of all grain. I realize that this does not intrest everyone( and there is nothing wrong with that) but you can adjust your mash temp to achieve body. with extract, you lose that control.

Maltodextrine is the extract brewers friend! up to 4oz per 5gal batch