My lager tastes too thin. How do I fix it? Or can I?

Christoff · Jan 14, 2023

I brewed a Mexican lager ~3 weeks ago. I just began my lagering and figured I would take a taste out of curiousity. I was worried this beer would turn out too thin because I had to add water to get the beer over the temperature probe in my CF10 for the temp control. AFter adding water, the OG ended up 1.042 which I was hopeful stood a chance at not tasting watered down, just on the lighter side. I was wrong. I think it tastes alright beyond being thin and the flavour watered down. Maybe the carbonation will help with the mouthfeel and a hot summer day.

I am curious if there are ways to fix this. I intended to add pepper and lime in a gallon or two, and salt and lime in another, so I am hoping this will fix the thin issue. However, is there anyway to fix the mouthfeel? I am unfamiliar with a lot of ingredients so I am not sure if there is anything I can do pre-priming to help this. I have ~5 - 5.5 gallons so I can also experiment with a gallon or two. Is brewing/fermenting another gallon an option and combining them in a keg before carbonating?

I'll take any suggestions you might have.

day_trippr · Jan 14, 2023

I would certainly reserve judgement until that beer has been fully carbonated. Also, interestingly enough (to me, at least), Mexican lagers are traditionally carbonated to a low-ish level (low 2s), while there is a general conception that the higher a lager is carbonated the more "fullness" it seems to express.

SOoooo...I would approach this as a science-y project, carbonate your lager to a traditional level, give it a try, and if you think it's lacking in apparent body, bring the carbonation up by a quarter volume (remember to give it time to reach the new equilibrium) and check it again. Repeat as necessary

Cheers!