flavor adjustment

[brewfiend61]

Hi everyone,

This would be my first real post. I am looking for input regarding flavor adjustments made to a 'finished' beer. The problem is the flavor of a recent all grain brown ale is bland and a bit thin. I was attempting to make a Southern English Brown and I thought I had a decent grain bill. 85% MO, 12% 60 L crystal, 3% special B (I'm aware that this grain bill doesn't meet the color specifications for SEB). The brewing session also went quite well, single infusion 52 degrees. The beer is otherwise fully attenuated, kegged, carbonated and aged enough for consumption. I don't think it will improve further with more aging. Brewing a nice, soft, slightly sweet brown ale has been elusive in my brewery. In fact, I stopped making browns due to similar experiences. Blending is a good idea but I don't have another brew handy that would be suitable. I am considering adding lactose in order to bump the mouth feel and give it a little sweetness for interest. I was wondering if there is any experience with the members using lactose post ferment and any other suggestions that may help correct this beer. Many thanks for having a look.

Marc

 

[ColoHox]

You can add lactose to a finished beer by boiling it in a small amount of water then dumping in. It will probably add more sweetness than mouth-feel, but you will get both.

Next time you brew, you may consider raising the mash temperature for a slightly sweeter beer with more body, if that is what you prefer. Is 52 degrees a typo (should it be 152?) or is that in Celsius? Either way, it may be low for the way you prefer the finished beer to taste.

 

[brewfiend61]

Thanks colohox! Yes, 52 is a typo. It was 152. How much lactose would recommend starting with?