How To Improve The Body of Homebrewed Beer

Does your homebrewed beer suffer from a general flat, bland or irregular body? It’s hard to enjoy a tall glass of homebrewed beer with a poor body. Even if the hop flavors are spot on, the flat feeling it leaves in your mouth will drastically reduce its overall quality. But what causes the body to be thrown off? And how can you protect your next batch of homebrewed beer from this same problem? To learn the answers to these questions and more, keep reading.

Understanding a Beer’s “Body”

First and foremost, let’s go over the definition of “body,” as many people misunderstand this term. When it’s used in homebrewing beer, the term “body” refers to the beverage’s feeling it leaves in your mouth. A well-brewed beer tends to possess a full body that fills your mouth upon drinking it, whereas a poorly-brewed beer might have a flat body with low carbonation.

There are certain visible characteristics which reveal information about a beer’s body, but ultimately it boils down to a taste taste. In order to accurately identify a homebrewed beer’s body, you must try it for yourself.

Check The Fermentation

If your homebrewed beer doesn’t possess a strong, full body, there’s a good chance that something isn’t going right during its fermentation. When the sugars are converted into alcohol, the brew naturally becomes more carbonated. However, if the sugars aren’t properly converted, the brew won’t possess the same full-bodied flavor and characteristics that it should. See below for a list of some of the most common causes of poor fermentation in homebrewed beer.

Common causes of poor fermentation:

• Temperature too high
• Temperature too low
• Incorrect sugar-to-yeast ratio
• Yeast is too old
• Allowing it to ferment for an excessive length of time

Tip #1) Use a Darker Malt

One tip that’s helpful for brewing a full-bodied beer is to use a darker malt extract. Assuming your beer is fermenting properly, and all of the temperatures are correct, opting for a dark malt could be the solution to your problem. You’ll brew it in the exact same way, but the dark malt will provide a heavier, fuller body.

Tip #2) Lactose Sugar

Another simple technique to improve the body of your homebrewed beer is to add lactose sugar. Note: lactose sugar doesn’t convert into alcohol, so you’ll still need to use regular refined sugar, but adding this ‘special’ type of sugar to your brew gives it a creamier, heavier sensation.