Beer Forum

I just tapped an AHS Stone IPA mini-mash clone. It was supposed to finish out at 1.012 and went to 1.009. It seems too dry to me - I'd like a little more maltiness to balance the hops. Is there a way to add the maltiness back in at this point? Maybe add a little dextrose and agitate the keg?

I wouldn't try dextrose, that would be like adding pure unfermented sugar, that doesn't sounds tasty to me.
You could try making a syrup from a half pound of maltodextrin powder, be careful adding it to carbonated beer, it will want to make a volcano for you when the CO2 nucleates out.
Or...you could drink it, enjoy it, and make it better next time. Sometimes this is the best option.

Triples wrote:I just tapped an AHS Stone IPA mini-mash clone. It was supposed to finish out at 1.012 and went to 1.009. It seems too dry to me - I'd like a little more maltiness to balance the hops. Is there a way to add the maltiness back in at this point? Maybe add a little dextrose and agitate the keg?

I had this problem on a few brews. I spiked the kegs with maltodextrin mixed with hot boiled water. It worked really well. Added mouthfeel and improved the flavor dramatically. I would start with 4oz per five gallon keg and taste. I ended up around 8oz per five when I was done.

or stop being a pussy and embrace the hops!

I've added maltodextrin powder to overly dry beer with good results, also. It won't add "malty" buscuity or crystal malt sweetness. It will add mouthfeel and body. I've boiled the powder in a flask to sanitize and dissolve, added to an empty sanitized and pressurized keg, and transferred the beer to the keg via jumper. I've also boiled up the maltodextrin powder and gently added it directly to the keg. Both processes worked well. 1 pound of maltodextrin should add 8 gravity points to 5 gallons of beer.

Though I will say that 3 gravity points isn't really a lot. The beers I was fixing was a beer with a target FG of 1.022 that finished at 1.012.

You may be able to dial down the carbonation some to enhance the perception of malt and reduce the perception of hop bitterness.

You may be able to dial down the carbonation some to enhance the perception of malt and reduce the perception of hop bitterness.

Oddly enough, the first time I tried it, before I wrote the original post, the beer wasn't quite carbonated or chilled all the way. Last night I tried it again with the proper carbonation and chill, and I found it much more palatable. In fact I did a bit more than taste it. It was yummy. It was very hoppy but seemed to have more body and mouth feel. It seemed more balanced. I need to find a bottle of Stone's IPA and taste test them side by side.

Thanks for all the input. The info about maltodextrin was just what I was looking for, although at this point I don't think I'll use it on this batch.