Increasing lager body without clouding/darkening....

[mercilessrich]

Hey everybody!

Have attempted my second lager (Geordie + 80g Saaz) and its clearing quite well, however lacks body.

What grains can I add to a kit (cheap or otherwise) to give a bit more depth without making it cloudy or IPA like? I was thinking of simmering a bit of crystal and draining/sparging that into the mix- sound reasonable?

Thanks

[Spin]

I just added malto-dextrin to by Coopers European lager and the results were very pleasing. Nice frothy head that stayed there all the way down. Also gives a bit more body. I think I added about 200g to my 23L batch. Can't taste it in the beer at all. I think you just have to be careful not to overdo it.

[mercilessrich]

Cheers guys,

Malto-dextrin eh? Im using spraymalt rather than sugar, is that a sugar replacement? Will crystal ruin the colour if i add say 200g?

Thanks,
Rich

[Spin]

Just add some malto-dextrin in addition to any other fermentables. I just used 1kg of Extra Light DME + 200g of malto-dextrin in a 23L batch of Coopers European and fermented in an ice bath as it was a lager with lager yeast. Turned out very good. Adding grains may have a better effect, but I've never tried that. Malto-Dextrin does give it a nice foamey head all the way to the bottom.