low alcohol

General homebrew discussion, tips and help on kit and malt extract brewing, and talk about equipment. Queries on sourcing supplies and equipment should go in The Store.
huntsy
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low alcohol

Post by huntsy »

hi,
anyone tell me how to minimash low alc beer about 2.5% please
huntsy
Chris
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Post by Chris »

Just cut your grain bill in half. Either that, or don't add any ME.
chris.
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Post by chris. »

1. Do not just cut your grain bill in half. Use close to the same amount of specialty malts. These will leave behind some dextrins & residual sugars (Cut your base malt).
2. Mash thick & at a high temperature - 69-70c.
3. Use a low attenuating yeast.

If you give us some more details on your setup we may be able to give you some more tips.
Last edited by chris. on Thursday Oct 11, 2007 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Pale_Ale
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Post by Pale_Ale »

Add more water?
Coopers.
Emo
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Post by Emo »

Half a tin made up with 15 litres of water (no fermentables) will give you 2.5%.
mr magoo
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Post by mr magoo »

2.5% thats crazy talk :|
mmmmmmmmm beer................
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rwh
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Post by rwh »

I've got an all extract light beer recipe that you might like. It's all extract, of my own devising and based lightly on Carona. I've made it a couple of times, and while it's not really my thing (I'm an ale man), my girlfriend and parents love it.

* 1.1 kg light dried malt extract
* 150g maltodextrin
* 250 g Crystal Malt, cracked, steeped
* 10g Golden Cluster hop pellets @ 45 minutes
* 15g Hersbrucker hop pellets plus 10g cracked corriander seeds @ 15 minutes
* 15g Hersbrucker hop pellets plus 10g cracked corriander seeds @ flameout
* Saflager S-23 yeast

To 10L water, add the crystal, keep at 70-80°C for 15 minutes, strain, squeeze. Bring to light boil, add malt and maltodextrin, then the hops and corriander as directed. Add to fermenter, top up to 23L, ferment @ 10-14c, rack and cold condition.

Target alcohol/vol: 2.5%
Target IBU: 10
w00t!
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Ash
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Post by Ash »

I thought I was soft making stuff around 3.5% :lol:
Wassa
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Post by Wassa »

YUCK....my liver is doing back flips at the thought of low alcohol.

LOw alcohol = No flavour, No Body.
The liver is Evil and must be punished!!
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KEG
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Post by KEG »

Wassa wrote:YUCK....my liver is doing back flips at the thought of low alcohol.
happy backflips?
Image
chris.
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Post by chris. »

Wassa wrote: LOw alcohol = No flavour, No Body.
Maybe if your talking Aussie megaswill.

It's entirely possible to make a low alcohol beer with body & flavour.

Check out Gage Road Pils & LC Rogers for starters
Last edited by chris. on Thursday Oct 11, 2007 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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drsmurto
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Post by drsmurto »

chris. wrote:
Wassa wrote: LOw alcohol = No flavour, No Body.
Maybe if your talking Aussie megaswill.

It's entirely possible to make a low alcohol beer with body & flavour.

Check out Gage Road Pils & LC Rogers for starters
And a lot of english ales to boot. Full bodied and as low as 3% abv. Mmmm, malty goodness...... 8)
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rwh
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Post by rwh »

Anyone got a recipe? I'm guessing you need to go AG and mash high to get that kind of result.

Just don't talk about Coopers Birell. :x
w00t!
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drsmurto
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Post by drsmurto »

rwh wrote: Just don't talk about Coopers Birell. :x
Got a 6-pack of that from my little brother for xmas with another fermenter. His reasoning - 'no matter how bad your brews turn out it can never be this bad'.

Couldnt fault his logic.

Put it in the fridge hoping that my partners light beer drinking old man would drink them. Even he wont touch them. :shock:
huntsy
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low alcohol

Post by huntsy »

hi keg exact reason I want to do low alcohol,
my liver is doing backflips.

have been doing kits and not adding any dex or sugar,
comes back about 2.5%,
asyou said lacks flavour taste.
would like to learn how to do mash to try and get flavour.
huntsy
chris.
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Post by chris. »

drsmurto wrote: And a lot of english ales to boot. Full bodied and as low as 3% abv. Mmmm, malty goodness...... 8)
mmm indeed. I brewed an Ordinary Bitter awhile back that was around 3%. Still one of the tastiest beers I've made.
Anyone got a recipe? I'm guessing you need to go AG and mash high to get that kind of result.
I reckon you might be able to get away with extract & specialty grains. I'll get back to you on that.
Last edited by chris. on Thursday Oct 11, 2007 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
huntsy
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low alcohol

Post by huntsy »

thanks Chris
chris.
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Post by chris. »

Ok this would be what I'd start with.

Extract + Specialty Grain
Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Size: 8.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
1 kg Light Dry Extract (15.8 EBC) Dry Extract 46.9 % - Added at end of boil.
500 gm Light Dry Extract (15.8 EBC) Dry Extract 23.5 % - Added at start of boil.
350 gm Caramalt (Joe White) (40.0 EBC) Grain 16.4 %
250 gm Crystal (Joe White) (140.0 EBC) Grain 11.7 %
30 gm Chocolate Malt (Joe White) (600.0 EBC) Grain 1.4 %
35 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (60 min) Hops 20.2 IBU
20 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (10 min) Hops 4.2 IBU

Est Original Gravity: 1.031 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.008
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 2.9 %
Bitterness: 24.4 IBU
Est Color: 20.9 EBC

Steep the Crystal grains in grain bag in 8-10L of warm water for 30 or so minutes. Remove grain bag, add 500g DME & bring to the boil. Add 60min hops & boil gently for 50mins. Add remaining Kg of DME + 10min hop addition & boil for 10 minutes. Crash cool in ice bath & strain into fermentor. Top up to 22L & pitch yeast.
My preference for yeast would be Whitelabs English Ale but Safale S-04 would be OK.
If your after something more along the lines of an APA just substitute Cascade for the Golding & US-56 for the S-04.
Last edited by chris. on Thursday Oct 11, 2007 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ash
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Post by Ash »

that's very similar to the brew I have in the fermeter at the moment except I'm aiming for closer to 3.5% (2kg base malt extract instead of 1.5kg)
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drsmurto
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Post by drsmurto »

Found this on AHB - 3.24% english bitter. I bet its tasty!

Link

Its all grain - to convert to extract, from what i understand, 1kg of grain = 0.6kg LDME (opens up arguments for efficiency.....) so 2.8 kg of gran = 1.68kg LDME. I guess you would steep/mash the vienna/crystal and amber malt and do hopping as per schedule.....

Am sure one of our helpful AGers could correct my mistakes....

Cheers
DrSmurto
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