Too dry

[Emius]

Hi

I am my 5th Ag brew - and apparently I am a dry beer brewer

My last brew (brown ale) started at 1.055 and ended at 1.007, a lot lower than I expected and wanted. The mashing took too long (90 minutes) because heating of the sparge water took longer than expected.
The other brews all ended around 1.015 from the same starting point

Is this the way it is supposed to be or can anyone advise on how to make it a bit sweeter?

/Emius

 

[Yuri_Rage]

There are several ways to get a sweeter beer.

Mash higher. Mashing in the mid to upper 150's will result in more unfermentables. Also, performing a mash out (raising the temp to 168-170 at the end of the mash) can help "fix" the fermentable content of the wort at the desired state.

Add more crystal grain, cara(anything), honey malt, maltodextrin, and other sources of unfermentable sugars.

Use more grain, period. A big grain bill that results in an OG of 1.070 or higher will rarely finish dry. Of course, the beer will be a bit stronger, and perhaps out of style unless you start brewing "bigger" styles.

Use a less hearty yeast strain. Instead of using aggressive strains like US-05 and Nottingham, use a very flocculant English or Pacific Ale strain.

Backsweeten. Add a little lactose or Splenda to the finished product. Use it sparingly, as a little can go a long way.