Maltodextrin?

[TheLastSuppa]

Some extract recipes I've seen call for Maltodextrin. I know it has low fermentability so it will add body and sweetness to the finished beer, but I've not seen it for sale on any of the online shops I use and I haven't seen it mentioned much on this site either!

Do you really need it and why is it needed in extract recipes and not AG? or is it needed in AG as well?

[boingy]

Maltodextrin is often sold under the name "Body Bru" or "Body Brew" (by Youngs I think). It looks much like dried malt extract but don't confuse the two. It is available from several online retailers.

It adds body and mouthfeel without adding much sweetness. It's one of the few things you can add after fermentation is finished to adjust a beer. The only time I have used it is to "bulk up" an AG batch that fermented way too far and ended up tasting thin and watery. 500g chucked in the keg did the job. I did consider it cheating to a certain extent but it turned a bland beer into an OK one.

AG gives you a bit more control over the beer so it would be unusual to plan to add it. I think I have an out of date bag somewhere that hopefully I will never use!

[TheLastSuppa]

Thanks for the tip boingy! I'm mostly brewing AG but wasn't sure why it was needed in extract.
I suppose you can't control the non ferms by adjusting the mash temp in extract brewing.