Brewing low alcohol beers.

[TheSheeprug]

Of course, along with most people here I'd rather be drinking a full bodied brew (in fact the BYOBRA 'Old Peculier' is drinking very well at the moment, as is the Caledonian 80/-).

However, there are many occasions where a good tasty lower alcohol brew is what's required. E.G ,a thirst quencher after the cycle ride home from work, or on a nice sunny day when a beer is just the thing, but ' 'er indoors' wants some jobs done, or simply when some driving is necessary.

Now I'm not after miracles, or a Clausthaler clone (or even Kaliber - aaaaaahhhhh), but realistically something in the 2 to 2.5% range. I know I could simply take a good recipe and scale back on ingredients, but I'm wondering if there's a recipe out there designed from the start to be tasty but low alcohol - or indeed suggestions for a strategy to try designing my own.

Anybody......?

SR.

[CestrIan]

Low alcohol beers can still be tasty but I think 3%ish is more realistic. The main thing is you want to retain some body, so choosing a low attenuating yeast is important. Windsor would be a good choice. A little roast malt or chocolate and crystal will add flavour without too much fermentables and some cara pils will help give body and mouthfeel. Don't go mad on hops and definitely no sugar as it will just create alcohol without adding body. I think I just described a mild.

Mild recipe

Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 6 lbs. 2.7 oz 2800 grams 77.8%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 10.5 oz 300 grams 8.3%
Cara pils 4 EBC 0 lbs. 10.5 oz 300 grams 8.3%
Roasted Barley 1300 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.8%
Chocolate Malt 1050 EBC 0 lbs. 3.5 oz 100 grams 2.8%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Golding Whole 5.7 % 60 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 75%
Golding Whole 5.7 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 10 grams 25%


Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.033
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 3.1% ABV
Total Liquor: 31.9 Litres
Mash Liquor: 9 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 72 %
Bitterness: 23 EBU
Colour: 91 EBC

Mash at 67-68C

[Befuddler]

A mild is the obvious choice, but I don't see why you couldn't brew a nice hoppy pale ale to 2.5% as long as you did it cleverly..

I don't claim to have tried this kind of recipe, but how about something like this for 23 litres (75% efficiency):

2.50kg Pale malt - 80.6%
500g Carapils - 16.1%
100g Crystal - 3.2%

10g Challenger @ 60 for 9 IBU
20g EKG @ 15 for 6 IBU

Mash at 69c for body, ferment with WLP002 for low attenuation

OG: 1.030
FG: 1.011
IBU: 15
ABV: 2.5%

It'd be an interesting experiment, anyway...

[mark4newman]

Hi

This is what I use for low alc beers. It comes out at 2.9% with this, but you could easily make it to 2.5% with no real difference. Also I tend to make it with scottish ale yeast. (Gives it a bit more flavour IMHO)


Scottish 60/- (Specialty Grains)
This basic formula, brewed to varying strengths, has won two golds and two silvers in the final round of the NHC over the past three years.
Ingredients for 5 U.S. gallons (19 liters)

4 lb (1.81 kg) English Pale Malt (Golden Promise or Crisp Maris Otter is ideal)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Munich Malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Honey Malt (It is a proprietary name for German 'Brumalt'. Melanoidin malt is Weyermann's version of the same thing and they can be used interchangeably.)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Crystal 40L
0.5 lb (0.23 kg) Crystal 120L
2 oz. (57 g) Pale Chocolate Malt 200L
0.53 oz. (15 g) East Kent Goldings hops,
5% alpha acid (60 min.)

White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Target Original Gravity: 1.034 (8.45 Plato)
Approximate Final Gravity: 1.012 (2.99 Plato)
Anticipated SRM: 15.4
Anticipated IBU: 13.1
Wort Boil Time: 90 minutes
Directions: Single infusion mash at 158F (70C). Ferment at 65F (18C) until yeast drops clear. Transfer to keg or cask, carbonate to 1.5 volumes, and serve at 50 to 55F (10 to 13C).

[phatboytall]

I'd pop to your local tescos and buy a bottle of Fuller's Mighty Atom, its 2.8%, brewed to be subject to the new duty laws.

Its meant to be reasonably hoppy but a bit thin. It might give you a good idea of what can be achieved on a weak beer before you make your own.

Personally i'd start with something like Hophead (3.9%) and try and scale that back a bit to maybe 3%

[Deebee]

This is really helpful.

My wife is a sufferer of migrains and even something as simple as a glass of wine can set her off. Low alcohol beers are likely the way to go.

Something with an OG of 1030 or so will also condition quickly i imagine:)

[Kev888]

Useful thread this; with family illnesses I'm having to stay able to drive more so think I'll be having a go at a few 3% ones. Currently the lowest I tend to make is a 4% stout based on BYOBRA's guinness extra, and its a bit less chewey than most stouts but theres certainly no lack of roasty flavour - probably even that style could be made less alcoholic, especially with a low attenuating yeast to prevent it getting any thinner.

Just wondering if fly sparging would be risky at very low OGs, keeping the runnings high enough not to extract the tanins. Perhaps it'd be better to batch sparge or simply dilute a smaller high gravity batch before the boil?

Cheers
Kev

[jmc]

Interesting thread.

Only thing I'd add is to be very careful with sanitation as there is less alcohol to act as a preservative.

Dont let the stuff hang about for long. Bottle or Keg ASAP. I didn't with my last one and it got an infection.
Maybe coincidence, but no point taking chances.

[TheSheeprug]

Thanks for all the comments guys. Especially the recipes - some nice ideas there.

SR

[fego]

I did an IPA recently which I intended to be low abv.

The OG was 1031 and I've called it Girly IPA because that's what it's like. It's very drinkable but lacks a bit of body but not so much that it isn't beer if you get my drift. It isn't as thin as I'd thought it would be either. The most important thing is that she likes it so that is a ticked box.

I was in Dublin recently and had a few of the 2.8% Guiness. I liked that a lot and it tasted much fuller so perhaps a stout or porter is more suited than an IPA, but I would do a low abv IPA again so deffo worth it.

Btw, Kevin, I fly sparged right down to about 1008 and had no problems.

[john_drummer]

My wife is a sufferer of migrains and even something as simple as a glass of wine can set her off

ouch.

I get 'em too but thankfully never caused by anything I eat or drink - other than "the real thing" if you know what I mean.

anyways, that brings me on to my next question - how are the likes of Clausthaler, Becks Blue brewed? Do they brew them to full strength and then somehow boil off the alcohol?

Mate of mine is a muslim, likes "Bavaria" 0% brew and I'd like to be able to brew something he could drink but with more/some flavour. FWIW he grew up in France and as a young man he did enjoy the odd bottle of red, but he's become more of a practicing muslim in the last 10 years or so