I finally got to taste the experimental beers that were treated with enzymes to fix an unexpectedly low attenuation limit (see Enzymes in the Fermenter).

This was after the beers were allowed to carbonate at room temperature for about 10 days. After that they were stored at about 10 C (50 F) for about 3 weeks.

The control, which had only water added to correct the  OE (original extract) to the same level as the others, had a very full mouthfeel. It did not taste sugary sweet but had a distinct full mouthfeel which did come with some increased sweetness, though. At time of tasting this beer had an apparent attenuation of 76% (final extract was 4.2 Plato)

The beer, to which enzymatic malt extract was added, did not open with a loud “plop”, but did gush and poured with lots of foaming. Looks like there was some additional fermentation in the bottle. The beer had a very nice light body that did not show alcohol hotness or seemed too thin. At time of tasting this beer had an apparent attenuation of 90% (final extract was 1.8 Plato)

The beer which had Beano added did also gush out of the bottle after opening and also poured with a lot of foam. It tasted even lighter than the beer with enzymatic malt extract. But it made the beer thinner than it should be. There were also some sharp alcohol notes, but I would not characterize it as “rocket fuel” either. At time of tasting this beer had an apparent attenuation of a whopping 96% (final extract was 0.8 Plato)

Here are the stats:

Conclusion:

The ezymatic malt extract worked very well for this beer. It did not spoil the beer as one would fear when adding non-boiled wort. It also did not go as far as Beano treatment which leaves sufficient residual body. Beano’s glucoamylase seems to be able to break more dextrins than the enzymes that were present in the malt extract.

Going forward I plan to employ enzymatic malt extract treatment in the fermenter on a full size batch. This would work well for a double IPA or an imperial Pilsner.