Increasing FG using non-fermentables

[yippysocks]

Hi guys, this is my first post, so bear with me.

I have a clone of Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Ale sitting in secondary that I made using their brew kit. The beer uses Pacman yeast which is supposed to fermented at 60 - 65, but due to the weather and my lack of AC I had some trouble keeping it as cool as I should have. :-(

The result was a very fast fermentation and lower FG than it's supposed to have (1.013 as opposed to 1.017). I assume the yeast were just in turbo mode and fermented more of the sugars than they normally would.

The beer still tastes good (though surely not as good as it could have) so I'm not too worried, but I was thinking of just tossing in a few non-fermentables when I bottle it to bring it back to where is should be. From what I've read, lactose seems to be the best option.

First off, if this is a bad idea, someone let me know. Secondly, how would I figure out how much lactose I should add to a 5 gallon batch to bring the gravity up by .004 points?

 

[BradleyBrew]

I would not add lactose when bottling it will give you a big sweetness that you are most likely not going for. I would bottle with DME. According to a few websites DME when bottling is only 55% fermentable. Or you might be able to sanitize some malto-dextrine and add it as well.

 

[JLem]

1.013 is a fine FG. I would not mess with it. Bottle it. Leave it alone. Drink it when it's ready.

Also, yeast may ferment quicker at warmer temps, but they cannot ferment more. Your lower than expected FG is not a result of your fermentation temp.

 

[Revvy]

Yeah I agree with JLem...Just relax and bottle.

 

[yippysocks]

Thanks for the help.

If I do want to give it just a bit more body, is malto-dextrin the way to go? I have read a lot of conflicting information about whether or not it is fermentable.

 

[Revvy]

Remember, until a beer is actually carbed up you really don't know how much body it really has. Co2 adds that feeling of fullness to the beer. Think about soda in a fountain dispenser, like at your favorite fast food joint. You ever pull some that wasn't carbed? It was thin and watery, not because the mix of liquids was off, but because the gas was.

A lot of times folks want to try to fix something by fiddling with the current batch, but often you can't even get a handle on if there's even a problem unless the beer has been carbed and conditioned, and if it's in the bottle then you can't really do anything because you often aren't at the point where you even know if there's a problem. I suggest folks leave the existing batch alone, see if it needs anything, and if that's the case, tweak the recipe for the next time.

That's how you perfect a recipe, you change things each time you brew. If you find the beer, even after being carbed, lacks body, then you figure out what you should add for next time.

 

[Haputanlas]

1.013 is a fine FG. I would not mess with it.

I am going to reiterate this point to make sure you completely understand that 1.013 is a great FG. This is definitely not too dry or thin.

Adding anything with the attempt to increase body that's not part of the recipe is a bad idea. If there are off flavors from the high ferm temps, then nothing you add will likely cover it up. However, most likely your beer will still taste fine (as Revvy says).

 

[yippysocks]

Just so everyone is up to speed, the beer tastes quite good. However, it is missing that certain something that could make it great. It is too thin. It could very well be possible that nothing could have saved this batch after the fast fermentation, but I was looking for ways to counteract that uncontrollable factor. Telling me to leave it alone DOES NOT HELP ME! I know that it will be fine, but I wanted it to be great.
Usually I would rather try out new recipies rather than make the same recipe over and over again to perfect it. As I said, the beer is just fine, in fact, I think I'll have one right now!

 

[cervezarara]

If you find yourself in this position again, you can add maltodextrine. It has very low to no fermentability. It will improve mouthfeel. Start low- one or two tablespoons in a 5 gallon batch. I know this is not a great analogy, but it will act like cornstarch in a Chinese food sauce. Too much and (to my taste) it lends a slimy character. Just boil the maltodextrin with the priming sugar and add to the bottling bucket.

 

[yippysocks]

Thanks cervezarara. Is the fermentability low enough that I don't need to worry about decreasing the amount of priming sugar I use? I don't want any bottle bombs

 

[djfriesen]

Maltodextrine should not affect priming calculations.

 

[daksin]

I don't like to repeat posted info, but you should note that beer that isn't carbed is going to taste odd and lack mouthfeel. It's going to feel very thin compared to your finished beer. There's no need to add malto to any of your beers unless it's called for in a recipe.