My American Stout (OG = 1.070) fermented out a little too low (FG = 1.012) and tastes a bit thin.
Is there any reason I couldn’t add some dissolved malto-dextrin/lactose to the beer at kegging to bump the FG up a notch?
What would be better between the two? a combination? maybe even a little DME?
as long as it is boiled for infection / oxidation reasons, it should be ok. lactose will add more sweetness than malto dextrin. if you add DME, it will start fermenting again.
Well, if you’re kegging you could hit it with potassium sorbate and add DME. If you’re just looking for body, I’d use lactose- it has a bit of a creamy finish that I like in stouts. Neither maltodextrin nor lactose will add much sweetness (lactose is, irrc, 1/6 as sweet as sucrose).
When this has happened to me, I used maltodextrine. I think lactose won’t give it the body you want unless you use a lot, and then you’re messing with the flavor profile of the beer. And DME will definitely make it too sweet. So if it were my beer I’d use the maltodextrine . . .
Udated:
Used ~ 9 oz of malto-dextrin to ~ 1.5-2 qts of water. Definitely added some body, but it still lacks a “finishing” flavor…
Instead of adding lactose for a creamy finish, I think I’ll dry-hop for an “American-style Stout”…