Finishing Gravity, higher = smoother?

[user 22118]

I was just shocked to learn that one of my favorite porters out there finished at 1.020, meanwhile I have been trying to get all of my beers down to less than 1.015. The porter has a ton more mouthfeel than my porter does and the biggest difference is really only been the FG. I am talking about mine tasting thin and his tasting thick and coating the glass when drinking it.

Are you finding this to be true as well or is there another way? I am using caramel malt and mash at 157 generally. It is looking like the sugar is the only thing.

 

[SenorWanderer]

1.020 isn't that high for a porter, especially if it's a high ABV beer. why do you want all your beers below 1.015?

Are you finding this to be true as well or is there another way? I am using caramel malt and mash at 157 generally. It is looking like the sugar is the only thing.

what exactly is your question? is who finding what to be true? is there another way to do what? please proof read your posts before posting them to make sure they make sense. 157 is a pretty high mash temp, you should definitely get some residual sweetness and mouthfeel from that.

 

[user 22118]

what exactly is your question? is who finding what to be true? is there another way to do what?

sorry, I thought that I was being clear, let me rephrase.

My question is do you think that the amount of sugar is lending the most amount of mouthfeel, or are there other reasons at play here?

Are you the members of this forum finding that a higher final gravity (while in balance of course) is giving you a more pronounced mouthfeel?

Are there other tricks to obtaining a more viscous and robust mouthfeel that I might not be doing?

I am mashing at a high temperature and using crystal malts in order to get as much of that body that I am asking about, however I am still getting a "thin" tasting beer. I have been using Nottingham, US-05 and other high attenuating yeasts in order to make sure that I don't have sweet beer in the end. I am not a huge hops fan and so like to keep my beers balanced, which I understood to mean a slightly lower FG.

I also keep hearing people complain about having a FG around 1.024 and it tasting too sweet and wanting to repitch more yeast. Even barleywines are being taken to around 1.024 and some even lower. I figured (perhaps incorrectly) that without more hops, alcohol or roasted flavors I wanted to get down to a lower FG.

The porter that I like is around 6.5%, while my porter which I made is at 5.5%. I think that I will start with changing my yeast and then go from there.

 

[TeleTwanger]

if you want more body without sweetness use dextrine malt and/or malty, less attenuating yeast strains, any British Ale should give that. Maybe try a thicker mash if 157F is still making worts with no body or mash for only 45min.

 

[Evan!]

Not necessarily. It's got to do with dextrins, of the long-chain variety. They give you that body/mouthfeel that you're looking for. I've had plenty of beers finish in the mid 1.010's that were plenty malty and had a big body. You could try experimenting with maltodextrin powder. MD is a long-chain dextrin that is unfermentable by saccharomyces. It finishes the beer out thicker and silkier. You can try adding 8oz to the boil of your next porter and see how that works for you.

 

[user 22118]

Just for critique, it is my Pumpkin Porter that I am wondering about. And it came out quite delicious with good pumpkin flavor. Just lacking in body.

 

[Beerthoven]

Carbonation matters as well. Too much carbonation will thin out a beer.

 

[mmb]

Carbonation matters as well. Too much carbonation will thin out a beer.

+1

Lower carb level will make a smooth, thick, or creamy mouthfeel. Too highly carbed will make a beer taste thin and maybe sharp or more bitter than it would be otherwise.

 

[BierMuncher]

I mash my porters higher and shorter. Usually around 156-158 for 40-45 minutes. The shorter mash time really makes a big difference in maintaining residual sugars.

Try carbing your porter at about 75-80% of what you would normally do. Draw a pint and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to warm a bit. Ice cold, fizzy porters just aren't right.

Here's the grist for my latest Loon Lake Smoked Porter. It's only 2 weeks into fermentation, but I can tell the beer is going to be rich and creamy:

(5.5 gall batch)

5.00 lb Smoked Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 47.6 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 28.6 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 9.5 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7.1 %
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt (250.0 SRM) Grain 7.1 %

 

[user 22118]

Maybe then I will go with a shorter mash as well as a different yeast. If I didn't know better, it seems to me that this porter is flat. I carbed it pretty lightly and have to really lower the glass in order to get some foam out of the tap. Head retention is a different thread, but there is little head at all on this guy.

I will increase the crystal maybe after seeing your recipe BM, or maybe add the carapils as well.

Is there a way to measure the Co2 Vols in a beer? Maybe some sort of gauge that I can attach to something?

 

[user 22118]

Also, when does too much crystal become too much though?

 

[Jamo99]

use the carapils for the body. the crystal will add sweetness.

you can read volumes of co2 on a chart. knowing the temperature and regulator pressure if you keg, and calculating the amount of corn sugar and batch size if you're bottling.