lacking something

Perhaps increasing the crystal to a full pound would help. If you were mashing, I'd suggest Carapils, but in your case, I'd go with more crystal. See if that gives you what you're after.

Spices man, clear out your spice rack and find enough stuff to throw in there the last five minutes of the boil with the Kent Golding. Coffee, oregeno, whatever Maybe some saintJohns Wort or achinicia, but something that'll give character to the breww.

My complaint too with the all extract recipes I use.

Increase the grains and/or steep longer.

I use about a pound of crystal and chocolate malt in a 2:1 ratio by volume, and another half pound of rolled barley (or wheat or oats)

The chocolate malt probably does nothing for body - just color and flavor. The crystal and rolled grains do add to the body.

My procedure: Fill brew kettle about half way (~7 quarts) and raise the temp to ~160F (170 max) add the grain bags, and put the kettle into an igloo type cooler to keep the heat in ~4 hours. Then remove the grain bags squeeze the liquid out into the kettle, add the LME/DME boil and watch the hops schedule.

Grain bags shouldn't be too tightly packed - I've started using a nylon laundry bag with a fine mesh to keep the stuff loose enough to promote liquid contact.

Works well. Lots of body, and lacy foam coating the (empty) glass. Timing isn't critical 1-6 hrs of steeping seems to work, body reaches its max at about 4.. Temperature is more critical. Avoid exceeding

170 or dropping below ~120 for at least one hour.

Rye Baby All Grain Recipe                                                                

Ingredients                 

10 lb American 2 row                            1 ½ lb Rye Malt                             1 lb Gambrinus Munich 30L                         

1 lb Wheat Malt                             

½ lb Carapils                                                  ½ lb Flaked Rye                               

2 oz Magnum, (bittering) 16.8

2 oz Hallertau 2.8% (finishing)   1 ½ tsp Gypsum at strike WLP530 – Belgian Abbey Ale Yeast  1 ½ tlbs Irish Moss for clearing

thanks for the help--kinda thought more crystal would be a good answer

buzz

You can add dextrine. A derivative of wheat and available as a white powder, it's purpose is to add body to beer, improve head formation and head retention. It will not alter the taste or colour of the beer. I would definitely recommend this additive for extract brewing, while carapils malt is a better bet for mash brewers. Dextrine is common and available from most home brew shops (I would imagine). Might be packaged under another name so ask the store manager. The crystal will help with body if steeped at the right temperature as it adds proteins to the beer but, that's not it's main function. It adds a sweeter, caramel like taste to beer, can increase the perception of malt flavour and also adds colour. If you up the crystal for body you will make the beer sweeter and darker and you may have to increase your bittering hops a little to compensate. Hope this helps. Steve W.

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 15:09:21 -0500, default said in alt.beer.home-brewing:

I usually steep for no more than 1/2 hour, but ...

I dunk (like with a teabag - in and out) about 10 times every 5 minutes, squeezing out the bag each dunk. (It takes asbestos hands.) I hold the temperature to 160F, supplying heat if it drops more than 2 degrees. (I prefer Carafoam, for the slight caramel flavor but, then, I use a lot of Columbus hops, and they complement each other.)

And a full boil (boil all the liquid, don't partial boil then add water) seems to make a better beer, all other things being equal. (When one element on the stove went out, and it was too cold to brew outside, I couldn't boil more than 3 gallons. It made a big difference.)

Probably the same as maltodextrin?? added that to a double IPA that is in the tertiary fermenter now

Buzz

Yep. That's the stuff. Different brew shops package it and sell it under slightly different names. Steve W.