Creaminess

[DKS]

I hope I've got the topic thread for this but I have been asking myself lately .What is creaminess?
Ive seen or read many comments about it on reviews ect.
It seems to be one of those perception of gravity/ balance type , untraceable, unquantified things that is very vague but cant be argued either way.Has got it or hasn't got it.
Is it a balance of body and carbonation ?
Is it a smooth mouth feel ?
To get creaminess do I need a high carbed beer?
Smaller bubbles as with nitrogen for instance.
How do I get it?
What ingredients give a beer creaminess?
A term often used but what is it?
Ideas anybody?
Daz

 

[pants]

I would say creaminess is mouthfeel. You don't need a highly carbonated beer: think Guinness - it's flat. I think what you need is lots of protein, i.e. from flaked barley. A Guinness head lasts the whole glass because there is lots of head-positive protein present.

 

[Muggus]

Quite a number of things have the potential to give you "creaminess" on the palate.
- High mash temp
- Unmalted grains
- Yeast strain
- Yeast in suspension
- ...more, no doubt

Really depends on what kind of creaminess you're looking for.

 

[Tony]

Quite a number of things have the potential to give you "creaminess" on the palate.
- High mash temp
- Unmalted grains
- Yeast strain
- Yeast in suspension
- ...more, no doubt

Really depends on what kind of creaminess you're looking for.

Mate im going to have to say no, no, no and no to that.

Creaminess is a perception thing and something very hard to achieve.

Im not a trumpet blower but for the purpose of this topic i will tell my story. I have recieved coments on my beers from beer judges and friends regarding a "creaminess" they cant get in their beers. I tend to agree as i notice a difference when drinking beers from a case swap or the like. I et a creaminess from REALLY good comercial beers and to me this is a sign of freshness.

I usually mash cool (under 65 deg)
I use bugger all unmalted grains
Yeast strain.....mmmmm possible
Yeast in suspention = chalkiness not creaminess to me.

But............ i think your close.

I think lack of break and protein material in the finnished beer adds to a smoothness in the beer.

I think creaminess is a quality that comes to a brewers beers when they perfect and master their brewing system, simple or complex... doesnt mater, and brew by feel and instinct over theory and instruction.

I also think creaminess comes with the water you use, and how you treat said water for the beer you make. Beer styles are a product of the regional water available to brewers. Now days you can adjust your water easily, and since moving to an area with clean soft water, my beers have improved out of site. I do add large amounts of brewing salts to my mash and sparge water depending on the beer style i am brewing and the water profile im trying to replicate. IT is like milk sometimes but the beers are bright clear and the beers...... well, they are creamy smooth!

The Dortmunder i have on tap has this fluffy, soft, light but full mouth feel that just ends up as creamy. Its delightfull.

I think ballance in the finnished beer also helps. If i had another 5 IBU in there it would add a harshness that would detract from the creaminess.

Saying that i thing creaminess is a combination of all components involved in brewing. If its creamy........ you have got it really right!

not all of mine a creamy......some are thin, some are heavy, but when they are, god damn they are good!

 

[daemon]

I've found that when using Wyeast 1318 I've always ended up with very creamy beer. The other contributing factor has been Caraaroma, if I use both in a beer it ends up with lacing that covers every square inch of the glass I'm drinking it from

There's probably other factors involved (that Tony has mentioned already) that make a difference too, especially the right carbonation level.

 

[sink cut]

You can make any old rubish or good beer creamy.

70% Nitrogen 30% C02 at 40 PSI. With as little Co2 dissolved as possible. You need to keep the pressure up, If you let the pressure go lower you get more Co2 and less nitro meaning your beer is more bubbley and less creamy.

Pour through a sparkler or just eek it out through a normal tap . Problem is you lose most of the character of the beer by doing this (guiness/kilkeny etc.) . Therfore I would only do this for very strong flavoured beer, or beer that I just dont like. It can make bad beer extremely drinkable.

It is amazing how fast a crappy nitro beer will dissapear at a party, Everyone loves a creamy head.

 

[Pennywise]

Prolly in a bit over my head here, but I find this topic interesting. Would hops used in a beer accentuate any mouth feel/creamieness, after all hops are a good head retention aid.

 

[Bizier]

I might be alone in thinking this, but I find some malts (always the expensive ones) leave me with a definite impression of 'creamy'.

I think that Simpsons MO, give a perception of 'creamy' along with the usual 'nutty' etc.

BUT I guess this gets you into territory of how you perceive the word. Do you think of creamy texture isolated from the taste of cream. Perhaps I see something common between the taste of cream and MO.

ED: as a comment on above post, perhaps Styrians could aid an impression because of their vanilla like flavour - perhaps giving an association with ice cream.

 

[browndog]

I tend to think creaminess is all about body and balance. If you have a beer with light body then there is little chance of creaminess. If you have a full bodied beer but with harsh bittering or astringency then that will rule out any creaminess, but, it you get the sweet-bitter balance right with a medium-high bodied beer then you are going to get creaminess.

-BD

 

[Fourstar]

i agree with alot that tony has written. creaminess does come from the malt bill and specifically the foam. the creamie/finer i can make my foam (usually if i overcarb a keg and squirt my glass) the the chewyer/smoother the palate usually is. i guarantee the carbonation also plays a part. moderate to low carbonation is also a requirement imo