Stupid idea that requires expert advice.

[Brew_Meister_General]

I have unconverted starch in my now-fermenting beer, my stupid idea is to transfer it to my boiler and heat it to 63c with a kg or so of pale malt.

I can place on a lid to stop the alcohol evaporating but will this produce DMS or simply ruin the beer altogether?

I would then pitch yeast and bottle.

 

[JonM]

Efforts to "fix" a beer almost always make the problem worse.

Just let it ferment and, next time you make that recipe, make it so that you don't get unconverted starches.

 

[flars]

You won't be able to stop the alcohol from evaporating. Might not form DMS, but the cooked yeast may add an unknown flavor. You're much better letting this one be what it is. Pale ale or wheat beer? Naturally hazy.

 

[passedpawn]

I have unconverted starch in my now-fermenting beer, my stupid idea is to transfer it to my boiler and heat it to 63c with a kg or so of pale malt.

I can place on a lid to stop the alcohol evaporating but will this produce DMS or simply ruin the beer altogether?

I would then pitch yeast and bottle.

I wouldn't do that!

If you think it will be undrinkable, just add a couple of teaspoons of alpha amylase enzymes (AE) directly the fermentor. Its the same enzyme that's in malted barley. It works much more slowly at room temp than in the hot mash, but it will work. Your homebrew shop should have it.

More info here: Escape from Stuck Fermentation Mountain - AE to the Rescue

 

[Braufessor]

I agree with passed pawn.
Out of curiosity, how do you know you have unconverted starch in your fermenting beer?

 

[Pappers_]

Another option is to let it ferment out, see what you get, and if its unpalatable, brew another batch to blend it with. Although, if its really bad, then you just ruin two batches. In any case, your plan sounds like a bad idea to me. Let it go and see what you've got, figure it out for the next time.

 

[max384]

I agree with passed pawn.
Out of curiosity, how do you know you have unconverted starch in your fermenting beer?

I was wondering this as well.

 

[GHawk]

What's your numbers, recipe, etc?
Are you taking pH strip tests during fermentation?
Let her do her thing. Finish it on out and see what's what. If there are starches left in there then you'll get a chewy beer. It should be OK if you didn't contaminate it and run the fermentation correctly.
My old moto is....
"what's the worst that can happen? You get beer."

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

I wouldn't do that!

If you think it will be undrinkable, just add a couple of teaspoons of alpha amylase enzymes (AE) directly the fermentor. Its the same enzyme that's in malted barley. It works much more slowly at room temp than in the hot mash, but it will work. Your homebrew shop should have it.

More info here: Escape from Stuck Fermentation Mountain - AE to the Rescue

You can do that!? Whats the product called?

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

I agree with passed pawn.
Out of curiosity, how do you know you have unconverted starch in your fermenting beer?

I was wondering this as well.

Iodine test, I blotted some in after taking a sample from my fermenter and it turned black. It's tasting very bitter as well so it'll be a double-win if I can turn that starch into sugar somehow, my alternative is to simply add more lactose to this milk stout of mine.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

What's your numbers, recipe, etc?
Are you taking pH strip tests during fermentation?
Let her do her thing. Finish it on out and see what's what. If there are starches left in there then you'll get a chewy beer. It should be OK if you didn't contaminate it and run the fermentation correctly.
My old moto is....
"what's the worst that can happen? You get beer."

When you put it that way it doesn't actually sound so bad seeing I'm aiming for a FG of 1.020. If there is a plus side to it, i.e. mouthfeel/body, then I think I'll just leave it be.

 

[Braufessor]

I guess the bigger issue is - "Why is there starch in it (if there is)????"

All grain beer.... correct?

Decent crush??? Did the Homebrew store crush it, or did you? If you did - how?

Mash temp? Did you thoroughly mix the grain/water????? How long was mash??

Just seems highly unlikely that you would not get decent-good conversion if your grain was crushed, mashed at 150(ish), for 45 minutes+......

There had to be something quite wrong with your process, or quite wrong with your testing of starch being present.

What was your OG compared to your expected OG???

 

[max384]

Iodine test, I blotted some in after taking a sample from my fermenter and it turned black. It's tasting very bitter as well so it'll be a double-win if I can turn that starch into sugar somehow, my alternative is to simply add more lactose to this milk stout of mine.

Can the iodine test even be done after fermentation? I would worry that you could get a false positive from the yeast somehow.

Did you check for conversion during your mash? This is the time that you should be checking for conversion (if at all), not after it has already fermented. What made you decide to check during fermentation anyhow?

 

[passedpawn]

You can do that!? Whats the product called?

It's called amylase enzymes.

Here's a lb of it for $10, free shipping if you're Amazon prime. That is enough to convert the world's supply of barley.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006O93SYQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Can the iodine test even be done after fermentation? I would worry that you could get a false positive from the yeast somehow.

Did you check for conversion during your mash? This is the time that you should be checking for conversion (if at all), not after it has already fermented. What made you decide to check during fermentation anyhow?

I did one test which told me there was still starch but not a second test to tell if there was no starch. I checked during fermentation just because I had a sample in my hydrometer.

If there's some upside to this, like having a 'chewiness' that someone mentioned then I think I'll leave it as it is, other than that someone else mentioned that alpha amylase can operate at room temperature so I'll see what info I can gather on that.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

I guess the bigger issue is - "Why is there starch in it (if there is)????"

All grain beer.... correct?

Decent crush??? Did the Homebrew store crush it, or did you? If you did - how?

Mash temp? Did you thoroughly mix the grain/water????? How long was mash??

Just seems highly unlikely that you would not get decent-good conversion if your grain was crushed, mashed at 150(ish), for 45 minutes+......

There had to be something quite wrong with your process, or quite wrong with your testing of starch being present.

What was your OG compared to your expected OG???

Hahaha well my suspicions arose when I exceeded my target OG by 8 points (1.058 > 1.066) which equalled a Brewhouse of 85%. My error was just assuming that after an hour it would be fully converted, the pH was 5.3 and the temp was 68 so time was the factor.

 

[dwhite60]

You get a build up of alcohol vapor around your pot by heating it, then get a spark, starch in your beer will seem like a very small problem.

Let it finish fermenting. Try it. Might not be great but it will be pretty good. Next time, you know.

Would like to see more details on your process though. Mash temp. Mash time. Grain bill. Etc.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[passedpawn]

Maybe I'm not following well, but it seems that your'e assuming a problem before the beer is done fermenting. If so, stop worrying and let it ferment out. When it's done, say after 2 weeks, let's talk

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

It's called amylase enzymes.

Here's a lb of it for $10, free shipping if you're Amazon prime. That is enough to convert the world's supply of barley.

Have you used it before in the fermenter as my main concern would be that it ends up breaking up all the sugars which then get eaten up by the yeast.

 

[passedpawn]

Have you used it before in the fermenter as my main concern would be that it ends up breaking up all the sugars which then get eaten up by the yeast.

I've only used it in the fermentor.