Let It Ride

[Bugeater]

Wait for Bugeater to correct me to be sure, though. He knows everything!

Definitely NOT TRUE!

What I do know is that maltodextrine will add body but not really any sweetness. I've played with Splenda a little. It is somewhat fermentable so you would want to let it work for a couple days before bottling. If you are kegging, it would work fine. However, I find I don't like the taste of Splenda. The sweetness just isn't quite right. I've used it for back sweetening cider and it gave it just a little off taste that wasn't there before sweetening. If you use it in something with a bunch of dark malts or lots of hops it probably won't be noticeable.

Wayne

[Garrete]

Thank you both for the heads up. I will go out and buy some lactose instead.

[Garrete]

Whether you keg or bottle, that beer is eventually going to ferment down to whatever it wants. If it gets too dry, just backsweeten a bit with some lactose.

Wayne

Any idea how much lactose I should use? My OG was 1.045, but should have been 1.059. It finished at 1.003 and should have been 1.017. I have 5 gallons, maybe 4.5 after I transfer to the keg.

[boobookittyfuk]

honestly, i think that adding lactose to your pale ale isn't going to make it "world class".

a FG of 1.003 is very low, but...how did it taste? you taste your gravity reading right?

you could try to alter your beer or you could chalk it up to learning. where did you go wrong with this beer? what do you need to do next time to correct for it?

It seems like either your math was off or your thermometer was off (assuming you are doing your own mash)....or both.

if you can dry hop with some simcoe (or horizon or any low cohumulone hop) i think that might be the easiest half-asses fix. Dry hopping with simcoe seems to add a hop-sweetness to beers and almost add a touch of mouthfeel.


i find that the beers that i worry the most about, and seem to have the greatest issues turn out to be the best beers that I brew, so don't worry to much. The worst that could happen is that you don't learn from this batch (or any batch for that matter).