Okay, I just poured a previous batch I made and it just isn't rich enough. Carbonation is fine, head retention is weak but there. Here's some info to help you help me. I know it's too late for this batch, but what can I do to avoid this? • Extract with steeped grain • American Amber style • OG: 1.055 • FG: 1.010 • WLP01 California • Irish moss 15min. (Would that have an effect?) • primary two weeks 68 to 72 degrees • bottled two weeks at 70 degrees
Post the recipe as well - that will help us out a lot in determining whats going on. Edit: Also, Irish Moss would not have an effect.
That's a bit high a fermentation temperature, but I don't think that would have much effect on the body of the beer.
In an extract brew, the body is somewhat predetermined, based on how they extract was prepared. What extract did you use? Extracts with crystal malt may add some additional body. Also, you said you steeped grains -- crystal malts? How much? What size batch did you make? The level of attenuation looks about right for WLP001. My experience with extracts has been that lower attenuation is more likely. Based on the numbers you've given, I think this looks good. Your title says "body" but you say in your post "isn't rich enough." Do you mean sweetness? That's a crystal malt issue. Maltiness may be an extract issue (e.g., use some munich extract).
You can steep some carapils(I think) or use maltodextrine powder to increase body. If you are a new extract brewer learn to use simple extra pale extract and specialty grains to customize your beer. Dark extracts can be made with a wide variety of dark grains, using pale extract lets you pick the dark grains suitable for the beer you envision drinking.
Irish Moss can remove some of the proteins responsible for body (mouth feel). It's for that reason I don't use it in dark beers where lots of body is desirable (and clarity is less relevant). Edit: By Irish Moss I also mean Whirfloc, which is what I use.
Thanks for the heads up... how much would you guess it affects body (I know its not quantifiable but a lot or a little will suffice)? I dont use it in dark beers but that is only because clarity is not important, glad to know not using it serves another purpose as well.
My sense is that it's generally 'a little' but that's enough for me. I think the reason the effect is limited is that, more often than not, the types of proteins with the right 'medium' size for mouth feel have the same charge as the irish moss, so are not attracted.
Two weeks fermentation and two weeks in the bottle doesn't seem like enough time to get a good read on your brew, granted it was a 1.055 brew but were are not even sure if it has fully attenuated. I also think that maybe two weeks in the bottle for an extract brew isn't long enough and it hasn't fully carbonated. Carbonation will help with the mouth feel of the brew, so I would let the rest of the bottles set out at room temp for at least another week, then another week in the fridge.
Chico yeast won't leave much body even with extract if other parts of your grainbill are reasonable...congratulations on good attenuation
I used 1/2 # crystal 40 6# dry amber extract When I say no body, I mean that it seems thin, almost watery. I just checked my brew day notes and I think I know the problem... Whenever I use dry extracts I worry about boil overs and I think the boil was too "gentle", leaving more water than usual. OG amount I got was from an ap I have because I forgot to take on brew day. When I pour into the fermenter I usually end up with 5.25 gal, but this time I got about 5.5 gals. I brewed this over a month ago and just forgot. Yeah, I'm an idiot. I still learned a lot from your feed back though. Thanks for the response and the advice.
0.25 gallons = 1 quart. For a five gallon batch size, this much water shouldn't make much difference in overall mouthfeel or body. I doubt most of us could detect the difference between two identical batches, one with an extra quart of water. I use Irish moss and don't think that will be the source of the thin feel. Chico yeast sounds like a possibility, but I haven't used it, so when n=0 it's even worse than when n=1.* *Not speaking of anyone here, but this fact is often lost on the internet.
No body knows I'm hurtin' And no body cares. No body knows No one's aware. I keep on gettin' More heartache than my share. No body knows I'm hurtin' And no body cares. -apologies to
when did you take your FG? did you actually take it or is that the estimate? an FG of 1.010 should have some body to it. did you sample it after you took the FG, and if so, did the beer have body then that was lost between then and now?
did you taste it then? if so, did it have body that has since deteriorated? my only guess is an infection, as some bacteria can eat through otherwise unfermentable compounds that normally give body to a beer...
