Cream Ale 1.001 Need help with body!

[jcorn]

So I just checked my cream ale and somehow this thing is at 1.001 gravity after 3 weeks now on safale 05!! It was 1.046 OG and is being brewed for my wedding this month. Recipe is below mashed at 148 degrees :

47% 6 row
20% Pilsner Malt
16% flaked corn
8.5% corn sugar
8% flaked oats

SO I need to add some body post fermentation and quickly. My wedding is just around the corner. It tastes good and somehow not as body-less as science determines it is. It is really not all that horrible but I am looking to add 2 things: some corn flavor and some body. Should I add popcorn, corn grits or oatmeal? I added oatmeal post fermentation to a cream ale months ago and it was pretty incredible! PLEASE DO KEEP IN MIND THAT I LIVE NOWHERE CLOSE A BREW STORE. I have to order everything online and I am only about 5 days from kegging this thing to stay on track for the wedding reception.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

You could naturally carbonate with some maltodextrin to add body, but I think you should leave it as it is. The oats will add some silkiness and if it tastes good now then it will probably be better carbonated. There are many pale lagers that finish BELOW 1.000. You might find that a lot of the BMC drinkers really like it.

BTW, with that mash temp and high level of sugar/corn, FG is going to be very low.

Oh, and congratulations and best wishes for your upcoming wedding!

 

[jcorn]

Yeah I just worry that it is too light for my homebrew friends. It seriously tastes exactly like Little Kings to me at this point. Which kind of sucks because I wanted this thing to end up about 1.006 with somewhat of a hint of corn aroma to it. I did love the oat-y aroma that the oatmeal gave me last time I used it post fermentation. The gummy body that it added was not all that bad either. It gave some nice young character to it. Was just hoping for a slight corny aroma/flavor with that little bit of oaty-ness this time around. Not sure what corn grits would do...

 

[IslandLizard]

Are you sure your hydrometer is giving you the correct reading? 1.001 is pretty low and tastes accordingly dry.

Adding Maltodextrin, as suggested, is a way to add more body, but may not improve the beer in a positive way. I wouldn't experiment with that, at this point.

Since you don't have much time, I'd leave it as is, and concentrate on good carbonation and dispensing properly at your party, among the 1000 other things that need attention, including keeping your bride happy. Congrats!

Maybe your Cream Ale is a little thinner than intended for your craft beer friends, but still tasty! Offer a mix of other craft beer too for those who desire and appreciate that.

Forgot to say, corn grits need to be cooked (boiled) before adding to the mash. You can cereal mash them too. I always cook (boil) corn adjuncts, even flakes after milling them finely. They require a lot of water and turn into a thin polenta, which becomes the strike "water" after adding cold water.

 

[jcorn]

Are you sure your hydrometer is giving you the correct reading? 1.001 is pretty low and tastes accordingly dry.

Adding Maltodextrin, as suggested, is a way to add more body, but may not improve the beer in a positive way. I wouldn't experiment with that, at this point.

Since you don't have much time, I'd leave it as is, and concentrate on good carbonation and dispensing properly at your party, among the 1000 other things that need attention, including keeping your bride happy. Congrats!

Maybe your Cream Ale is a little thinner than intended for your craft beer friends, but still tasty! Offer a mix of other craft beer too for those who desire and appreciate that.

It is actually a brand new hydro and I have used it on original gravities that came out exactly where I needed. I tested the samples at 68 degrees so it should be pretty dead on. I appreciate that focus on the woman comment, but I was told to focus on the brew (God I love that woman!). I have brewed almost 2 barrels of beer for this wedding. We are expecting 250 people. I have cream ale, hefe, english cider, pumpkin ale and hoppy wheat beer kegged for this thing. Anyone close to southern Indiana should come! haha

 

[IslandLizard]

It is actually a brand new hydro and I have used it on original gravities that came out exactly where I needed. I tested the samples at 68 degrees so it should be pretty dead on. I appreciate that focus on the woman comment, but I was told to focus on the brew (God I love that woman!). I have brewed almost 2 barrels of beer for this wedding. We are expecting 250 people. I have cream ale, hefe, english cider, pumpkin ale and hoppy wheat beer kegged for this thing. Anyone close to southern Indiana should come! haha

Wow, you are marrying the right woman!

You've got a nice selection of celebratory beer and cider there. Using a Jockey Box? Putting someone in charge to keep the beer cold and flowing?

 

[jcorn]

Wow, you are marrying the right woman!

You've got a nice selection of celebratory beer and cider there. Using a Jockey Box? Putting someone in charge to keep the beer cold and flowing?

Using my 5 corny keg Keezer with interchangable corny kegs on ice. Hired a bartender to serve it all. Hopefully all goes smooth! Everything is coming along great besides the cream ale that I wanted to be a little more "traidtional corn kentucky cream ale". Also kegs of miller, bud (my buddy HAD to have it.. yuck) and PBR

 

[IslandLizard]

If you have 2-3 weeks you can brew another Cream Ale that's much thicker and blend them. Omitting the corn sugar in the recipe, doubling the corn and mashing at say 154 should get you that. You could use fresh corn, just calculate it containing 90-85% water and 10-15% corn solids. That macerated corn will be your mash water.

 

[jcorn]

My wedding is actually next Saturday lol. I am carbing all of them this weekend (Force carb)

 

[Yooper]

It actually sounds like a perfect cream ale! Remember that carbonation totally changes the mouthfeel and perception of body. Think of warm flat beer, and that's what you're sampling. Instead of trying to fix something that sounds perfect, I'd carb it up and see first.

 

[jcorn]

Good call Yooper! And everyone else! I think I will ride it out and do nothing. Just sucks it didn't come out creamy like I kinda hoped..

 

[wtaylor3]

I brew CO3C for my dad and I find that hydrometer samples are terrible tastes like a warm flat bud light, however carbonated and chilled I rather enjoy it.

 

[Yooper]

Good call Yooper! And everyone else! I think I will ride it out and do nothing. Just sucks it didn't come out creamy like I kinda hoped..

Well, a cream ale is never "creamy". A cream ale is an Americanized light lager. It sounds like you nailed it perfectly, as Little Kings is one of the definitive beers of that style.

 

[jcorn]

I know it's not, I just always pictured a cream ale needing to be creamy. It seems more desirable to my taste that way. Although it may not be to style.. I'm probably just getting the wedding day nerves through my own homebrew lol

 

[DemonsRun]

although not to style Nitrogen could give you that "Creamier" feel. But it sound like it will be fine. Congratulations!

 

[passedpawn]

I know it's not, I just always pictured a cream ale needing to be creamy.

Just the opposite, ironically. Adjuncts like corn were added to make this beer lighter in body than the german-style pilsners. I suspect the term "cream" was used due to the very light resulting color, not the body, but that's just a guess. So, maybe you made the perfect cream ale.

I met one brewer who bragged that he used real cream in his cream ale. Funny, but I think he was serious. He's on this forum, I hope he doesn't read this

Congrats, I hope your day is awesome. Don't drink too much, you won't remember it.

 

[ndoe22]

I've used a very small amount of dissolved malic acid in hard cider once i keg it to help with mouthfeel

 

[jcorn]

Just the opposite, ironically. Adjuncts like corn were added to make this beer lighter in body than the german-style pilsners. I suspect the term "cream" was used due to the very light resulting color, not the body, but that's just a guess. So, maybe you made the perfect cream ale.

I met one brewer who bragged that he used real cream in his cream ale. Funny, but I think he was serious. He's on this forum, I hope he doesn't read this

Congrats, I hope your day is awesome. Don't drink too much, you won't remember it.

Cream...? Sounds like quite an interesting brew day!

 

[MannyEdwards]

Are you sure your hydrometer is giving you the correct reading? 1.001 is pretty low and tastes accordingly dry.

Adding Maltodextrin, as suggested, is a way to add more body, but may not improve the beer in a positive way. I wouldn't experiment with that, at this point.

Since you don't have much time, I'd leave it as is, and concentrate on good carbonation and dispensing properly at your party, among the 1000 other things that need attention, including keeping your bride happy. Congrats!

Maybe your Cream Ale is a little thinner than intended for your craft beer friends, but still tasty! Offer a mix of other craft beer too for those who desire and appreciate that.

Forgot to say, corn grits need to be cooked (boiled) before adding to the mash. You can cereal mash them too. I always cook (boil) corn adjuncts, even flakes after milling them finely. They require a lot of water and turn into a thin polenta, which becomes the strike "water" after adding cold water.

I'm very interested to hear how what you do is different than a cereal mash. I did my first ever cereal mash with rice a couple of weeks ago, and I need to do it better next time. If you get good results simply cooking it, I'd love to know the process.

 

[wtaylor3]

When I brew co3c I use instant grits and minute rice in the mash, no cereal mash