Can "too thin" Hefeweizen be fixed?

[olie]

(ACK: this question might have wider applicability to any beer, but my current issue is with a hefe, so the question is specific to that.)

I have a batch of Hefe that I was just (force) carbonating and, on tasting, I noticed that it's a bit thin. Passing around to others, they agree: the taste is great but, (a) it's a bit late (after you swallow) and (b) it's very lightweight/thin.

From this I gather that I got the hops right, but screwed-up the malt.

Which is too bad, cuz I could always add hops-flavor, but I don't know how to "thicken up" too-thin beer at the malt side.

Is that A Thing That Can Be Done? Or do I just have a batch of drain-cleaner?

Thanks!

 

[MaxStout]

If it tastes good, why dump it? "Thin" is not a taste, it's the body, and the BJCP guidelines for that style call for medium-light to medium bodied, with an FG of 1.010-1.014.. What was the FG of your batch?

 

[Sammy86]

I'm with @MaxStout here...it fits within the style guidelines and doesn't have any off flavors why on earth would you dump it?

 

[olie]

Thanks for the encouraging words. Perhaps I did not correctly communicate that it does not taste right. It tastes like one filled a glass half full of water then topped it off with Hefe.

I understand the BJCP guidelines; what I'm saying is: it's not currently drinkable beer. It's not even beer that I would offer to people I don't really like.

Apologies for using understatement in the OP; question stands: is there a way to "beef it up" some? (Let's ignore the "dumping" comment for now.)

Thanks!

 

[GoodTruble]

Once you've kegged and carbed, there is not a lot you can do that is worth the hassle. BUT you could just brew a quick second beer and blend them. Something very straight forward with a lot of body like boiling bavarian wheat DME and maltodextrine.

 

[RM-MN]

How long was this Hefeweizen in the fermenter? What was the OG and FG? How long since you bottled or kegged it? All of these factors are part of the body of the beer.

For instance, I made a robust porter and was terribly disappointed as it was very thin, anything but robust.....until one day it was robust. Beers need a little time to mature and you have given no information about that maturity, only that it was thin.

 

[WalletHocker]

You can pour a glass and attempt to dissolve some maltodextrin, starting with maybe a teaspoon or less. You could also try a couple granules of CaCl.

Obviously too much of either will lead to some sort of off condition with the beer. Beyond that though, I'm not certain that maltodextrin will actually dissolve without heat.

 

[Jag75]

I'm curious what your grain bill , mash temps , OG and FG were. Have you made this same exact beer before with no issues?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

To echo Jag75 sharing your recipe and process would be helpful in seeing what the issue might be.

 

[olie]

1st time making this recipe. (First wheat beer, at all.) I used lots of rice-hulls to make sure I got good recirculation.

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.012
(ABV: 4.73% -- mid style)
(IBU: 15 -- high end of style)
Attenuation: ~74%
Mash: intended 152°, was closer to 162° most of the time. (Turns out it's easier to warm-up a mash than it is to cool it down! :\ )
All grain:
54% Belgian wheat malt
22% Bohemian Pilsner
21% German Pilsner
3% Melanoidin

So: sure, the mash was warmer than expected, but I still managed 74% and mid-style OG/FG/ABV.

...Yet folks say (and I agree) it tastes watery.

And, while I have ideas for adjusting the recipe for the next batch, that's not what this question/thread is about. This thread is about if there's anything that can be done to "beef up" something that doesn't have as much body as we'd like, after it's already fermented.

Thanks!

 

[Jag75]

What was your total grain bill # wise. How much water for mash , sparge . Did you hit the right amount of wort going into fv ?

 

[GoodTruble]

Figuring out "why" it's watery helps figure out what, if anything, you can do about. Hence all the questions.

But I don't think there is a quick fix to make beer less watery once it's kegged and carbed.

When all else fails, mix it with some fruit juice and call it a shandy. =c)

 

[bracconiere]

But I don't think there is a quick fix to make beer less watery once it's kegged and carbed.

if this was the cider forum, i'd say add some sorbate, and back sweeten with LME?

 

[marc1]

1st time making this recipe. (First wheat beer, at all.) I used lots of rice-hulls to make sure I got good recirculation.

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.012
(ABV: 4.73% -- mid style)
(IBU: 15 -- high end of style)
Attenuation: ~74%
Mash: intended 152°, was closer to 162° most of the time. (Turns out it's easier to warm-up a mash than it is to cool it down! :\ )
All grain:
54% Belgian wheat malt
22% Bohemian Pilsner
21% German Pilsner
3% Melanoidin

So: sure, the mash was warmer than expected, but I still managed 74% and mid-style OG/FG/ABV.

...Yet folks say (and I agree) it tastes watery.

And, while I have ideas for adjusting the recipe for the next batch, that's not what this question/thread is about. This thread is about if there's anything that can be done to "beef up" something that doesn't have as much body as we'd like, after it's already fermented.

Thanks!

I'm a little surprised you got down to 1.012 when you mashed at 162. Are you sure the temps and gravities were measured correctly?

What yeast did you use?

What's your water profile?

Like others have said, you could add some maltodextrin to the keg to try to get some body.

 

[Jag75]

My guess is that the grain bill wasn't big enough for the water amount . That's usually a sign of thin beer

 

[passedpawn]

Overcarbonate and call it a hefeseltzer.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I've never done it, but couldn't one take some amount of maltodextrin, mix in a small amount of water, boil and dissolve, and add to keg? Would this help give it a little bit of that backbone that OP feels it's missing?

 

[Rob2010SS]

1st time making this recipe. (First wheat beer, at all.) I used lots of rice-hulls to make sure I got good recirculation.

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.012
(ABV: 4.73% -- mid style)
(IBU: 15 -- high end of style)
Attenuation: ~74%
Mash: intended 152°, was closer to 162° most of the time. (Turns out it's easier to warm-up a mash than it is to cool it down! :\ )
All grain:
54% Belgian wheat malt
22% Bohemian Pilsner
21% German Pilsner
3% Melanoidin

So: sure, the mash was warmer than expected, but I still managed 74% and mid-style OG/FG/ABV.

...Yet folks say (and I agree) it tastes watery.

And, while I have ideas for adjusting the recipe for the next batch, that's not what this question/thread is about. This thread is about if there's anything that can be done to "beef up" something that doesn't have as much body as we'd like, after it's already fermented.

Thanks!

I'm also curious, are the numbers above the predicted recipe numbers or are they your actual numbers? If they are the predicted recipe numbers, what was your actual numbers in regards to OG/FG?

Also, can you touch on the other info in regards to the amount of mash water, strike water, water profile, etc?

 

[lumpher]

Once you've kegged and carbed, there is not a lot you can do that is worth the hassle.

This. I wouldn't risk ruining another beer with blending. Rack it up in the "lessons learned" column. I know my column has a few entries in it...

 

[GoodTruble]

This. I wouldn't risk ruining another beer with blending. Rack it up in the "lessons learned" column. I know my column has a few entries in it...

True. And how much money do you want to spend on more ingredients just to make a bad beer perhaps mediocre? Maybe just keep the thin wheat around to serve people when they've stayed too long or already drank too much.

 

[Rob2010SS]

For most people, the "just leave it and take it as lessons learned" answer may be ok, but OP has already expressed a desire to want to try to fix it.

Time, money, ingredients aside, I think we should give him an answer on what to try...

 

[Miraculix]

Which Yeast? WB 06?

 

[Jag75]

For most people, the "just leave it and take it as lessons learned" answer may be ok, but OP has already expressed a desire to want to try to fix it.

Time, money, ingredients aside, I think we should give him an answer on what to try...

Trying to fix it calls for more info . Without that it's a shot in the dark .

 

[Rob2010SS]

Trying to fix it calls for more info . Without that it's a shot in the dark .

For sure, agreed there.

 

[Zambezi Special]

I would probably try mix it.
Get a couple small glasses ready, put half weizen, top one with (commercial) lager, one with stout, sprite etc till you got something drinkable that you like.
Then go back and rework the recipe