How to fix my "Empty" beer

[bub]

Maltyness is a Flavor not a Feeling....
Do both... add a bit of munich for the flavors and up the temp a bit for the mouthfeel.
or better yet... do them individually and see which one makes the most difference, you will learn about it more that way.
BUB

[brewsters millionths]

i use mash temp to manage my body. higher temp=more unfermentable sugar means sweeter beer = more hop to bring back to balance. any help?

[Thirsty Boy]

Good info from everyone, that I plan to put into use. First up I'm gonna hit it with both barrels and use a bit of munich and maybe a touch of melanoidin and ALSO up my mash temp by a couple of degrees.

After that I am going to do as BUB suggests and try these things individually to see what the difference is. Also going to try the "same" recipe using different brands of pale malt to see what that does. Just wanted to make sure I was travelling in the right direction.

Thanks all you BNers. My wifes taste buds will (hopefully) be eternally grateful.

[DannyW]

You might also want to consider yeast choice. I've seen some amazing differences in side-by-side kegs from the same mash where the only difference was the yeast.

A Cal Common I made some months ago, for instance, was balanced and lovely with WLP810 (Steam yeast) and thin, overbittered, and very un-malty with 1056 (or maybe US-56, I don't remember).

Similar thing but not quite so pronounced with a porter, half with 1098 British and half with US56.

[Thirsty Boy]

Thanks DannyW.

Everything I've brewed so far has been with Fermentis US56 dried yeast (except the Hefe) I've been trying to limit my variables at least to about 3 per brew

I'll throw yeast into the mix of things to experiment with.

Gotta brew more..........................................

[Sherlock Holmboy]

You could try Marris Otter for your base malt. I've also found that Special B malt adds a nice level of darker malt flavor when used sparingly. I usually use 1/4lb in a five gallon batch in conjuntcion with a lighter crystal malt for body. 120L is pretty good too for the same purpose, but Special B is more intense.

[2DogAle]

Hey Thirsty, the only thing I have to say is only change one thing in your process at a time, just ask Justin how changing too many things can screw you up.

Try one or the other, ingredient change or mash temp change, that would be my suggestion.

Cheers,

Rob

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