Beer Forum

I made Jamil's Irish Red Ale from Brewing Classic Styles using a Maris Otter Extract, and my FG was really high. I pitched the amount that JZ recommended, held a good solid fermentation temperature at 68F, so I assumed the extract was overly dextrinous. I had read in several forums I had read that Beano is essentially Alpha Amylase, and I had read that it's used to lower finishing gravity. So I ground up a tablet and a half, dropped it and let it sit for 2 days. I aerated it and then gave it a fresh pitch of yeast. Finished out good and low, BUT it has a lot of Fusel alcohols and a lot of residual sweetness.

So my long winded question is, Does anyone know anything how Beano affects fermentation? Any rules of thumb if using it? Is what I experienced normal?

Thanks
Tesla

This is interesting. I really don't understand how Beano (I think it's Beta Amylase) would leave a residual sweetness. The opposite should be true. I think the established conventional wisdom on this is that the addition of enzymes will cause the beer to finish very low. In fact, it may dry out all the way. BNers with Beano experience?

Also, wildtesia, it would help if you provided details such as recipe, yeast used, starting/finishing gravity, etc.

wildtesla wrote: Finished out good and low, BUT it has a lot of Fusel alcohols and a lot of residual sweetness.

Never used it., but I am surprised to hear it still tastes sweet. Sometimes Fusel alcohol can give a perception of sweetness, maybe that's it.

Also, probably not a good idea to re-aerate the beer. Aerating a starter and pitching at high krausen is probably a better idea.

"Never used it., but I am surprised to hear it still tastes sweet. Sometimes Fusel alcohol can give a perception of sweetness, maybe that's it."

Sheen, Yeah it seems odd to me that it should be sweet as well, thought it would lose all sweetness and have that good dry finish you expect in something like a Smithwick's. The Fusels and the Sweetness are very much in your face, so that could be it. Not sure, I did not know that Fusels have the effect of increasing the perception of sweetness.

HighCountry included Recipe Below:

8.0 lb English Pale Malt Extract
170.1 g Crystal Malt 40°L
170.0 g Crystal Malt 120°L
170 g Roast Barley
100 g Premier Light Dry
55.0 g Willamete (4.3%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
2.0 ea WYeast 1084 Irish Ale
.5 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) - added during boil, boiled 6.0 min

Fermentation 66F - 4 days
Fermentation 68F - until termination

OG: 1.058
FG: 1.024 (before Beano)
FG: 1.010 (after Beano) - pitched 1 package 1084 Irish Ale Yeast

so uh. my question is will it give you gas?

wildtesla wrote:Yeah it seems odd to me that it should be sweet as well, thought it would lose all sweetness and have that good dry finish you expect in something like a Smithwick's.
...
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.024 (before Beano)
FG: 1.010 (after Beano) - pitched 1 package 1084 Irish Ale Yeast

The beano is probably not done yet, I wouldn't be surprised if it fermented lower as long as it's at fermentation temps. Could the sweetness come from a lack of hop utililization (old hops, lower alpha acid than recipe, mis-measurement)?

The beano is probably not done yet, I wouldn't be surprised if it fermented lower as long as it's at fermentation temps. Could the sweetness come from a lack of hop utililization (old hops, lower alpha acid than recipe, mis-measurement)?

Good point on it not being finished yet, that could be part of it. I don't think it's the hops, I recently used those hops for bittering addition in a Standard Bitter with good results. I should add that it's an unusual sweetness too, almost like an artificial sweetener (i.e. nutra-sweet).

so uh. my question is will it give you gas?

breathing gives me gas