Flavour duration - help

Hi

I have a friend who, based on his feedback, appears to have a very good palette and recognises all the flavours that I don’t even notice. He is not a home brewer, but can describe what he feels very well.
The first beer I gave him was an extract Way to Amarillo from here. And he loved it with no criticism. Second was an all grain stout, which he claimed was a bit watery. I felt the same and this was later confirmed by the judges on UK national home brew competition. The reason for this was I though primarily an error with water quantities where I added too much water, and secondly too low mash temperatures.
For the third beer I decided to address the issues. I made a pale ale, mashed high (67deg), planned OG 1.050, and achieved OG 1.053. The beer finished unexpectedly high at 1.020. I like it and to me the "flavour duration" is ok, he loves the flavour and aroma but still thinks the flavour disappears quicker than shop bought beers. Assuming he is right, how can I improve the duration of flavour? The feeling of how long the taste stays in your mouth. Any ideas?

Thank you
Pawel

 

I know certain hops flavors tend to linger. Also some roasted malt flavors linger. You would have to identify the specific flavor your after and then try to achieve it.

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=466437 i had a similar problem. In hindsight it was a combination of water chemistry, oxidation and recipe formulation. I adjusted the mineral content, used more late hops when called for, and just developed better technique, i guess.

These are all three good areas to look in to.