I have just recently started brewing all-grain, but the first beer seems to be a bit 'thin'. How much maltodextrin should I add at a time to try and add some body? I've seen many posters comment about 4oz, but i don't want to make it seem to heavy. Any thoughts?
Maltodextrin Use
- Thread starter ccm414
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I'd suggest adjusting your mash temperatures and grist first if you want more body and then adding carapils/maltodextrin if that doesn't work. Even playing around with yeast choice or hopping rate might give you satisfaction: a very hoppy and bitter wort fermented with an attenuative yeast strain might feel a bit "thinner" in the mouth than the same grainbill with low hopping and a lazy yeast. Heck, even excessive or too low carbonation levels can make a beer seem thin 
What was your recipe like ?
What was your recipe like ?
Briess 2-Row Brewer's Malt 8 lbs, 10 oz
Briess 2 Row Caramel 80 0 lbs, 6 oz
Caramel Munich 0 lbs, 2 oz
Briess Roasted Barley 0 lbs, 1 oz
Cascade Pellets 1.5 oz @ 90 mins
Hallertau Pellets, German .5 oz @ 15 mins
Cascade Pellets .5 oz @ 3 mins
Irish Moss 1 Tbs
White Labs American Ale Blend 1 ea
Sacch' Rest 158 degrees for 60 minutes.
Mashout at 178 degrees.
Add the Irish Moss with 15 minutes left to boil.
Fermentation: 5-7 days in primary. 5-7 days in secondary. (At bottling, add 5 oz of priming sugar and allow bottle conditioning for 10-14 days).
I actually mashed for 90 minutes and i believe the mash temp was a little lower than 158. If I were to follow that recipe to the T, what's your feel on it? I haven't actually tasted the final product yet, but at bottling, it seemed to be lighter than expected.
Thanks!
ccm414
Briess 2 Row Caramel 80 0 lbs, 6 oz
Caramel Munich 0 lbs, 2 oz
Briess Roasted Barley 0 lbs, 1 oz
Cascade Pellets 1.5 oz @ 90 mins
Hallertau Pellets, German .5 oz @ 15 mins
Cascade Pellets .5 oz @ 3 mins
Irish Moss 1 Tbs
White Labs American Ale Blend 1 ea
Sacch' Rest 158 degrees for 60 minutes.
Mashout at 178 degrees.
Add the Irish Moss with 15 minutes left to boil.
Fermentation: 5-7 days in primary. 5-7 days in secondary. (At bottling, add 5 oz of priming sugar and allow bottle conditioning for 10-14 days).
I actually mashed for 90 minutes and i believe the mash temp was a little lower than 158. If I were to follow that recipe to the T, what's your feel on it? I haven't actually tasted the final product yet, but at bottling, it seemed to be lighter than expected.
Thanks!
ccm414
ReverseApacheMaster
Well-Known Member
90 minutes is too long of a mash unless you are purposefully trying to make a very dry beer. If you want a thicker mouthfeel you need to mash for a shorter period of time (45-60 min). 158F is good for producing mouthfeel but you might want to calibrate your thermometer to make sure it's accurate. If you were off by several degrees you'll get a different mouthfeel than at 158. So 152 will be thinner and drier than 158.
JasonToews
Well-Known Member
I pretty much use 1lb carapils and 4 oz malto and always have great body. Giver a try and see what you think
