Overshot FG/Maltodextrin Correction

[Ncangey0514]

Brewed a 2.5 gal high ABV stout recently which took off like a rocket & I ended up brewing a higher ABV stout than I wanted & I’m worried about there being no body. Started with a 1.102 OG, shot for a 1.028 FG (per BF) and ended up getting all the way down to 1.015(!!) for an 84% attenuation. It was at 1.015 1 week after pitching (which is when I added the Tilt hydrometer I bought) and hasn’t budged in the last three weeks. I’m still new to brewing so I’m shoring up my processes batch by batch but I’m sure it was either too low of a mash temp, or I let my ferm temp get too high the first few days, or I overpitched my yeast (Wyeast 1084 w/NB Canned Wort starter). All three of these I can fix going forward, so I’m not EXTREMELY worried about figuring out the cause right now, I moreso want to see if I can salvage what I’ve got, particularly since this was a pretty expensive batch of beer.

Did some reading and I’m thinking about boiling some maltodextrin & adding it to the beer (either stirring it in lightly in secondary or racking the beer on top of it + priming water prior to bottling). Anyone have any experience with this? Success or a flop? Using the link below, if I add a 1L maltodextrin solution to my beer, to even get it up to a 1.025 FG, it would appear that I’d have to add 318 g maltodextrin which seems like a lot & I’d hate to try to fix this & end up making it worse.

Also, I did taste it & it certainly has a strong alcohol bite (of course) & is definitely missing some of the body I’d like for it to have.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/famous...r-attenuation-in-beer-after-fermentation/amp/

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[isomerization]

Maltodextrin has a PPG of 39.

You have a 2.5 gal batch.

You should be able to dissolve the maltodextrin while boiling in a small volume, shoot for 8-16 oz to minimize impact on existing beer (we will neglect increase in volume for the following calculation for simplicity).

Thus, if you add 1 lb of maltodextrin to your 2.5 gal beer, you would expect gravity to increase by 16 points (eg 1.015 to 1.031). I won’t comment on taste, as I’ve only used maltodextrin to feed mixed fermentation beers.

If you’re concerned, start small and increase after tasting.

 

[Ncangey0514]

Thank you for the helpful comment! I think I’ll give the malto a go and see how it works out.

Maltodextrin has a PPG of 39.

You have a 2.5 gal batch.

You should be able to dissolve the maltodextrin while boiling in a small volume, shoot for 8-16 oz to minimize impact on existing beer (we will neglect increase in volume for the following calculation for simplicity).

Thus, if you add 1 lb of maltodextrin to your 2.5 gal beer, you would expect gravity to increase by 16 points (eg 1.015 to 1.031). I won’t comment on taste, as I’ve only used maltodextrin to feed mixed fermentation beers.

If you’re concerned, start small and increase after tasting.

 

[Anyhowe]

Wow I wouldn’t do anything. Enjoy the creation!! Make it again adjust next time. It’s an always evolving hobby.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Personally, I'd leave it as is. There'll still be lot's of flavour/maltiness from that amount of grain.

 

[ebbelwoi]

Maybe try adding a little maltodextrin to get back a few gravity points, but I'd stay away from adding a pound. Or try varying amounts in different containers. Just don't ruin the whole batch with too much of it.

 

[Calder]

I'd leave it as it is and use it as a learning experience. Once carb'd, you may be surprised at how much flavor and body the beer has.

I prefer drier beers, I think they are less cloying. I think I would find the beer a little to sweet for my tastes at 1.020. 1.015 sounds perfect to me.

 

[schmurf]

Did you measure the gravity with the tilt only or with any other instrument? If only with the tilt, was it calibrated?

 

[Ncangey0514]

Did you measure the gravity with the tilt only or with any other instrument? If only with the tilt, was it calibrated?

Yes, I calibrated in water & it was -0.001. My OG reading for my beer was taken with a hydrometer but I didn’t take an FG with it since the Tilt was accurate.

Also, thanks for all the helpful comments from everyone. I ended up adding about 0.25 lbs malto just to get a few points back. I’ll let you all know what the verdict is when it’s ready to drink (which will be a while).