starchy beer

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

Hey guys,
I did a Belgian Pale Ale recipe from Classic Styles. We did it as a partial mash but we overshot the mash temps right away. We measured the specific gravity and it was at 1.050. I thought this acceptable but the wart was creamy coloured and tasted starchy. I'm wondering if a lot of unconverted starches gave the hydrometer a false reading.
The airlocks are very slowly moving but there is no krausen. I am considering getting some extract, boiling it, and adding it to the carboys.
Any thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

Hey guys,
I did a Belgian Pale Ale recipe from Classic Styles. We did it as a partial mash but we overshot the mash temps right away. We measured the specific gravity and it was at 1.050. I thought this acceptable but the wart was creamy coloured and tasted starchy. I'm wondering if a lot of unconverted starches gave the hydrometer a false reading.
The airlocks are very slowly moving but there is no krausen. I am considering getting some extract, boiling it, and adding it to the carboys.
Any thoughts?

You don't get a 'false reading' from the hydrometer if there are unconverted starches, as starches are carbohydrates that are longer chained than simple sugars. So, if your OG was 1.050, that doesn't say whether the composition of the wort is glucose, maltose, maltriose, or starch.

Since the starch won't ever convert if it didn't in the mash, you may have a problem with the finished beer. How many pounds of grain did you have? Maybe it won't be too bad.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

It was actually a brew in a bag.
I used 14# of pilsner malt and >1# of CaraMunich and Crystal.
I was supervising more than one batch with some guys in an introductory brew day. I noticed that they started in the 150 F range but they didn't turn off the burner so later it was at 175 F!!! The batch looks like milk tea and although the airlock is moving, there is no krausen.
What do you think of adding some extract?

 

[JimRausch]

What OG were you shooting for? If it was around 1.050-1.055, I'd leave it. If it was supposed to be 1.060 or higher, than I'd probably go for it, although I would have checked a SG before flameout and added DME then. Another thought- since it's a Belgian, you could always add sugar. I've done that several times a couple days into fermentation. And it's a little easier to add sugar than boiling up extract, then cooling and adding it.
If it stays cloudy after fermentation is complete(and if that bothers you) you could always cold crash and hit it with gelatin.
edit- Lorena, of course, is correct. Remember that a hydrometer checks specific gravity by measuring the effect of solutes in water. Starches would not be in solution.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

What OG were you shooting for? If it was around 1.050-1.055, I'd leave it. If it was supposed to be 1.060 or higher, than I'd probably go for it, although I would have checked a SG before flameout and added DME then. Another thought- since it's a Belgian, you could always add sugar. I've done that several times a couple days into fermentation.
If it stays cloudy after fermentation is complete(and if that bothers you) you could always cold crash and hit it with gelatin.

It only has to be 1.052 so my 1.050 isn't far.
However, there could be only a smidgeon of actual maltose in there.
I'm toying with the idea of heating it up to mash temps and putting it into the cooler with some 6-row which has some real enzyme power. Would that be crazy? I'd have to buy new yeast but it would save the beer.

 

[JimRausch]

True they screwed the pooch by letting it get up to 175, but that 1.050 has to come from dissolved sugars. There must have been significant conversion before they let it run high.
Sorry about the multiple edits. I sometimes think of additions after posting.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

True they screwed the pooch by letting it get up to 175, but that 1.050 has to come from dissolved sugars. There must have been significant conversion before they let it run high.
Sorry about the multiple edits. I sometimes think of additions after posting.

yes you could be right about some conversation. I'm going to add some extract so it isn't a lame weak beer

 

[Yooper]

It only has to be 1.052 so my 1.050 isn't far.
However, there could be only a smidgeon of actual maltose in there.
I'm toying with the idea of heating it up to mash temps and putting it into the cooler with some 6-row which has some real enzyme power. Would that be crazy? I'd have to buy new yeast but it would save the beer.

That would be crazy- it's already boiled so any conversion that was going to happen was ended by the 175 degree temps first, and then the boil.

You can add sugar or DME if you want, but I'd wait and see how the beer comes out first.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

That would be crazy- it's already boiled so any conversion that was going to happen was ended by the 175 degree temps first, and then the boil.

You can add sugar or DME if you want, but I'd wait and see how the beer comes out first.

I realized it would be crazy after posting it.

 

[microbusbrewery]

You likely got a fair amount of conversion on it's way from 150 to 175. Sure, the enzymes were denatured when the temp got real high, but it spent a little bit of time in the range where enzymes are active. If it were me, I'd probably let it ride and see what happens.

If you want to try something, I can think of a possible "solution". Disclaimer, I've never tried this, and from what I've heard it's a bit of a gamble, but I believe Beano would be able to break down long chain starches into fermentable shorter chain sugars. Again, I have no experience with it, so take this with a grain of salt. My understanding is the problem is once it's added it will keep working until all the starches are broken down. This usually results in a bone dry beer with little body.

 

[unionrdr]

I've had this problem with my hybrid lagers, using pilsner malts. Even those said to be well modified. Still got starch haze in the finished product that, even at two weeks fridge, time barely settled out even a little bit. So I'd say yooper's right on this one from my own experiences.