Body / Sweetness

[RobWalker]

I wonder if a pocket beer engine would solve your problems...

What?! I do have GWs Beer Engine on my PC...

ah no, this i mean;

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=49001&p=515288&hili ... ne#p515288

less about the recipe itself, but it might help to give that pub cask richness and creaminess in the head. perception of what you're drinking is almost as important as the taste!

[orlando]

Hi Rick, my prescription would be to use some Munich malt as part of the pale malt payload. Try substituting 5% then up to 10% if not enough. In my opinion balance is the key, that is between sweetness and bitterness. An out of balance beer is the least satisfying to me and some of the extreme IPA's spring to mind. You don't mention any water treatment and it is this that I found to be the final piece in solving how to exert control and influence over the entire brew. Reducing alkalinity (if necessary) to get the mash pH in the right range is a significant part of this, if you are always fighting the parameters of brewing then recipe alone is not going to do it. For an example look at some of the best beers in the country that can make fabulously balanced full bodied beers from Pale Malt alone.

[bob3000]

Might be a bit of a controversial one but.... I suspect the reason a lot of homebrew (including a lot of mine) can be a bit thin and lack body and malt flavour is due to unreliable fermentation and mild bacteria/wild yeast infection.

I really struggle to get the kind of clean maltiness the best beers have and i'm sure it is not a case of throwing in extra munich ect. It has to be fermentation. Hoppy beers are easy in comparison.

[Rick_UK]

Thanks chaps. I do use munich or vienna a lot, especially in stouts and porters so may try some in my next bitter also.

Orlando - my water is very soft and I treat it as per the calculator to get a mash ph of 5.2ish so I don't think this is the issue.

I have a hunch it's yeast and fermentation thats the issue though I do use an aquarium heater to keep it at a constant temp of 20'C.

[RobWalker]

Might be a bit of a controversial one but.... I suspect the reason a lot of homebrew (including a lot of mine) can be a bit thin and lack body and malt flavour is due to unreliable fermentation and mild bacteria/wild yeast infection.

I really struggle to get the kind of clean maltiness the best beers have and i'm sure it is not a case of throwing in extra munich ect. It has to be fermentation. Hoppy beers are easy in comparison.

what's your ferment temp like? it's pretty important to making a good beer...I had one go over temp in the summer, bad conditioning, and it was awful, literally full of off flavours.

[alix101]

Try using sO4... Notts and Windsor will offer verry little in a bitter....
Mash at 68c for a sweeter beer and I would recommend doughing in at 60c for 20min before raising the temp to 68c it should help with efficency.

[Capped]

I've always found it an uphill struggle trying to get decent body using Nottingham yeast. It seems able to eat just about any sugars present - if not immediately, then over a few weeks. Windsor's a bit easier, but I don't think any dried yeast really measures up compared to a decent liquid yeast.

The right yeast will make a huge difference and the Fullers strain is the one to try first.

Controversial maybe, but any woes I may have had with beers lacking flavour and body were eradicated when I came across an unassuming little red packet marked 'Young's Ale Yeast'. For example, my last brew had a lowly OG of 1034. Now, I'm well into it after two weeks in bottle and it is sublime - clearer than a vacuum,massive flavour,depth and body and punches way,way over what such a moderate OG would suggest. See my ramblings in the yeast thread titled 'best yeast for English bitter'.

[bob3000]

Might be a bit of a controversial one but.... I suspect the reason a lot of homebrew (including a lot of mine) can be a bit thin and lack body and malt flavour is due to unreliable fermentation and mild bacteria/wild yeast infection.

I really struggle to get the kind of clean maltiness the best beers have and i'm sure it is not a case of throwing in extra munich ect. It has to be fermentation. Hoppy beers are easy in comparison.

what's your ferment temp like? it's pretty important to making a good beer...I had one go over temp in the summer, bad conditioning, and it was awful, literally full of off flavours.

I'm talking about taking it beyond keeping it between 18-25c. If I had room, I would get controlled fermentation chamber and precisely controlling fermentation temp.

I think small faults in fermentation and sanitation effect body and malt flavour.