Mix a weak beer with a strong beer?

[RyanWeary]

So - I brewed a Märzen back in....well March. I transferred it several weeks after primary to let it lager until Oktoberfest. It fermented out perfectly - however....it tastes watered down. I checked it again and it's got a good flavor albeit weak. So, I was thinking - Can I just brew an "Imperial" Oktoberfest and mix it with the weaker brew to create a double batch of pretty good stuff?

Thanks for any input in advance!

 

[Warped04]

A watered down taste, could just be from lack of mouthfeel. Describe "weak." Do you mean low in alchohol? But the bottomline is Yes. You can do whatever you want. It's your beer. The clone recipe I have for Newcastle blends an old beer and a new beer. Sour brewers typically blend beers to get a desired flavor. But if you are blending beers to cover up something, you should probably look into your technique.

-Wally

 

[ArcaneXor]

I agree with Warped04 to some extent in that you should try to figure out why a batch didn't turn out quite as you expected, and then experiment with multiple successive batches to try to fix whatever the problem was. However, there is no reason not to play with post-fermentation fixes in order to improve what you have already. Blending is one of several options. Sometimes, two marginal beers, when blended, turn out to be excellent.

Before brewing a "blending beer", I suggest trying blends with beer you already have available. Before doing even that, you can try to fix the beer without blending:
If it is just a lack of mouthfeel, you can add maltodextrin to the beer to make it taste a bit fuller. Adjusting the carbonation level will also change the perception of mouthfeel. If the malt character isn't coming through, adding some calcium chloride will round it out a bit. Just pour yourself a couple of pints and play with it. When you find a method that results in a better beer, scale it up and blend it with the rest of the batch. Good luck!

Most importantly - wait a bit first before playing with it. Letting a beer lager for a few weeks can change its character a good amount. Maybe time is all you need to fix the issue.

 

[RyanWeary]

I'm at work now so I don't have all of my notes from that brew day - but I recall having only about 3.5 gallons of pitchable wort after boil with an INSANELY high gravity. Ergo - I boiled off more than I calculated for.

My solution at the time (which I'm now regretting) was "well, if I could add cold water to an extract to get to my target volume, why can't I for an all grain?" Clearly, something went wrong.

My OG post-water addition was a hair less than I anticipated WITHOUT the addition of water. I calculated for 1.058 and got 1.056 - or something marginal like that. I thought - well cool, this is going to work.....it did not.

Describe "weak."

Watered down