Low ABV "IPA" Anyone nailed it?

[phatboytall]

Trying to create a nice hoppy IPA style beer around the 4-5% mark, not just DarkStar Hophead, something with a bit more caramel/crystal backbone and colour.

Anyone got a recipe that they have used and reckon nailed it?

I'm guessing its going to have a v high percentage of munich etc to boost the sweetness. I spoke with Fergal at Adnams on twitter about how they brewed their Avery 3.5% beer in the spoons fest a few years back, that was a great beer, if i recall right i think he said it was 60-80% munich

[Clibit]

This fella thinks he's nailed a 2.8% IPA...

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/for ... opic=358.0

[zgoda]

Too much munich will give you grassy twang. Definitely not a pleasant thing. Go for caramalt if you want sweetness.

[daf]

I currently have an Apollo/Simcoe session IPA being dry-hopped. OG was 1.041 so aiming for around 4.2%
About 5kg Maris, 300g Crystal 60

Fingers crossed.

[Charles1968]

I would use 82% Maris, 8% crystal, 10% Munich aiming for about 1045. Hops to about 40 or more IBUs with something massively citrusy like Citra and maybe some "dankness" (pungent resiny flavour) from Columbus, galaxy or simcoe. Lots of hops at end of boil.

Don't confuse malty with sweet - Munich gives malty flavour (think German lager) but no sweetness. Crystal gives sweetness and body.

The trick with low abv is to keep IBUs and sweetness up but in balance. Get it right and the beer will taste a lot stronger than it really is. If you want more IBUs, increase the crystal malt as well as the hops, or raise the mash temp. Munich will give a malty, more rounded flavour.

[Charles1968]

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/20 ... ecipe.html

[Deebee]

Too much munich will give you grassy twang. Definitely not a pleasant thing. Go for caramalt if you want sweetness.

Dont agree here.
I have brewed both 80 and 100% munich brews before. Definately not grassy.

[BitterTed]

Too much munich will give you grassy twang. Definitely not a pleasant thing. Go for caramalt if you want sweetness.

Dont agree here.
I have brewed both 80 and 100% munich brews before. Definately not grassy.

Totally agree with you Deebee, munich not grassy. However I am startled that everyone thinks you need munich in a low abv IPA, what's the matter with Marris Otter and a bit of cara or crystal malt? These will give you enough malt to balance and enough flavor to keep them interesting without getting in the way of the hops, which is what IPA is about, HOPS ! For session IPA I used 95% MO and 5% Cara malt, no prob, great tasting beer, malty enough to balance and the hops shined nicely with 15 ibu FW and the other additions from 15 min to knockout. OG was 1.042 and had 42 IBU.

[Sadfield]

Although not technically an IPA, I've just brewed a 2.3%er with the following

59% Maris Otter
22% Vienna
15% Crystal 150 EBC
4% Malted Wheat

I used Amarillo and Cascade late in the boil and also steeped with Cascade, Amarillo and Earl Grey Tea. The tea was used to provide citrus aroma from the Bergamot as an alternative to dry hopping. The black tea also helps to fill the flavour out and at 46 IBUs the big Crystal addition really balanced out well.

With the low levels of fermentables in a sub 2.5% beer, I don't think you have to be too safe with Caramel/Dextrin malts as they give so much scope for hopping, it will never be cloying. I also mashed at 69C and didn't sparge to increase the non-fermentables.

Edit: Fermented with S04, instead of a cleaner US yeast, also. As alcohol is also a flavour, I think the trick is to use every little thing you can to add flavour, filling in the void left by the reduced alcohol.

[Charles1968]

However I am startled that everyone thinks you need munich in a low abv IPA, what's the matter with Marris Otter and a bit of cara or crystal malt? These will give you enough malt to balance and enough flavor to keep them interesting without getting in the way of the hops, which is what IPA is about, HOPS ! For session IPA I used 95% MO and 5% Cara malt, no prob, great tasting beer, malty enough to balance and the hops shined nicely with 15 ibu FW and the other additions from 15 min to knockout. OG was 1.042 and had 42 IBU.

Munich (or Vienna in Sadfield's suggestion) gives a bit more flavour in the mouth. With a low abv beer the danger is that the beer is insipid or watery, so it needs a lot of speciality malt. 95% MO and 5% cara fine at 1042 but if you're making something 3% abv or lower it needs more support. The Kernel table beer is 3% and apparently they keep it tasting full and strong by mashing at a very high temp. I don't know what the grain bill is,but it's a wonderful beer and tastes more like 4.5% than 3%.

[Padalac]

I think a big challenge with it is the resiny thing. Its difficult to get the right slick mouthfeel for the hop resin to bind to with such a low abv.

I've heard of using up to 20% crystal malts on a low abv IPA to imitated the body and malt backbone of a big IPA. There's a beer by brewdog that attempted it.. what's it called?

[Padalac]

how to disappear completely:

http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/88

[Sadfield]

Brewdog - Nanny State at 0.5% is quite impressive for what it is. Quite possibly a step too far in terms of abv, and suffers a little as a result, but drinkable.

[micmacmoc]

Which Earl Grey you use will affect the aroma massively I would have thought. The current Twinings is not a patch on what it was. I am now using 'clipper' in my cafe as it has a good bergomot twang..I am sure there is better available.

[BitterTed]

Munich (or Vienna in Sadfield's suggestion) gives a bit more flavour in the mouth. With a low abv beer the danger is that the beer is insipid or watery, so it needs a lot of speciality malt. 95% MO and 5% cara fine at 1042 but if you're making something 3% abv or lower it needs more support. The Kernel table beer is 3% and apparently they keep it tasting full and strong by mashing at a very high temp. I don't know what the grain bill is,but it's a wonderful beer and tastes more like 4.5% than 3%.

I'm aware of what Munich will do, I just don't think it's necessary. But I guess not being a fan of Munich malt skews my opinion!