Low Gravity Brewers Unite!

It seems like every craft and home brewer is trying to outdo the rest in terms of IBUs, malt and hop character, and abv. I don't know if it is just a backlash against this, but I find myself drawn toward subtle, balanced, low gravity beers. I love hop aroma and all the different types of malt out there, but I don't need to be blasted with a fire hose of hop oil to enjoy it.

It sometimes feels like I am all alone, but there must be others like me out there, right? And while we low-ballers are here, any good recipe recommendations? I am brewing the CYBI Eagle Rock Solidarity Clone and a English mild next. I am looking to brew something like an American mild, with maybe some Cascade aroma.

Genjin said:

It seems like every craft and home brewer is trying to outdo the rest in terms of IBUs, malt and hop character, and abv. I don't know if it is just a backlash against this, but I find myself drawn toward ENGLISH beers. I love hop aroma and all the different types of malt out there, but I don't need to be blasted with a fire hose of hop oil to enjoy it.

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Edited it for you.

I can't remember the last time I broke 1.050 OG except as gift batches for friends.

Check out my proposal for an expedited way to find session beer recipes on this forum. I think it is in the website issues section. I will try to update with a link later...I'm on my phone right now.

i dont like LG beers..i like to be drunk..i would rather 6 HG beers rather then 25 LG ones..but enjoy cheers

I break 1.050 often, but I've never gone beyond 1.060.

Franc103 said:

I can't remember the last time I broke 1.050 OG except as gift batches for friends.

Check out my proposal for an expedited way to find session beer recipes on this forum. I think it is in the website issues section. I will try to update with a link later...I'm on my phone right now.

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I think this is a good idea.. I'm all about the session beers. The best part about having draft beer is being able to have a few after work without being passed out on the couch within an hour. It's not that i don't like higher gravity styles, but it seems to be almost all that is available in craft beer today (with seasonals to blame somewhat.)

HopheadNJ said:

I think this is a good idea.. I'm all about the session beers. The best part about having draft beer is being able to have a few after work without being passed out on the couch within an hour.

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Agreed completely. I really enjoy drinking beer, but don't enjoy being drunk. There is something to be said for a nice low gravity session beer that can be enjoyed all night while still being able to be productive (a necessity for a grad student in the middle of writing...).

I am with you I hate when I want to relex and get a beer that is so bitter it's not enjoyable. I do drink a few IPA now and then but usually only one or two they tend to have an effect on my stomach the next day if I drink too many. I don't mind HG beers but the over hoppiness of some is just too much.

Session beers have their place...like being boiled down and added to the wort of my double IPA with a pound of hops mwahahahaha!

I too hover around 1.050 for the majority of my beers. I very rarely break 1.060. I don't like being drunk and hate being hungover, so keeping in the 4.7-5.2% range is my sweet spot. I like to be able to have 2-3 on a work night with no problem.

Franc103 said:

Check out my proposal for an expedited way to find session beer recipes on this forum. I think it is in the website issues section. I will try to update with a link later...I'm on my phone right now.

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This would be great! A session beer section in the database is a must.

I do like some English beers, but the British brewers seem to lack the creativity of the American craft scene.

I like monstrously hoppy, one dimensional tasting beer. Just like how I put ketchup on everything I eat because different "flavors" makes my head hurt. And if a beer isn't 10%, phenolic, and full of banana esters... it ain't good. Hence why I love homebrewed Belgians so much.

What this "session beer" people talk of? :cross:

I can be broken down like this;
- 60% of the time I brew 1.050 (avg.) beers
- 35% of the time is 1.065 on average
- 5% of the time, 1.085 and above

I like having variety to choose from. The same can be said for how I use hops..

Stauffbier said:

I can be broken down like this;
- 60% of the time I brew 1.050 (avg.) beers
- 35% of the time is 1.065 on average
- 5% of the time, 1.085 and above

I like having variety to choose from. The same can be said for how I use hops..

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This is probably about right for me too. I did a cream ale today that the og was 1.052 (my eff was out of control it was suppose to be 1.045) and I'm super excited about my low og beer.

Put me down for lower gravity beers. I usually brew in the 1.040 - 1.050 range. I love the taste of beer, but don't want to overdo the alcohol consumption.

I am going to brew a table beer 1.5 to 2% ABV after I brew my 1.046 batch this weekend. I will be using the leftovers from this weekends batch. Hopefully it works out if it does not oh well I am out nothing but a couple of bucks and my time.

I'm a big fan of session brews, but I seem to brew larger beers... I need to get out of that.

Up next, 80/-, CAP and Spotted Cow!

I'd be all for a collection of session/low gravity beer recipes, or even an easy way to search for them. I love to taste the results of my hobby without stumbling around the house and waking the kids (and sometimes the wife, too) .

Teromous said:

Session beers have their place...like being boiled down and added to the wort of my double IPA with a pound of hops mwahahahaha!

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haha session beer doesn't mean lack of hops! I've had plenty of lower alcohol, in your face hop flavor brews. Trust me, I'm a total hop head and love me some DIPA but I can't have 2-3 pints a night of a 9% enamel stripping hop bomb!

I've really been enjoying 21st Ammendment's Bitter American lately and San Diego Session Ale was a good example of a hopped up west coast style beer that clocks in somewhere around 4%

I think I'm in agreement with the basic point of this thread, but I'm not sure. I've always understood that "big beer" starts at about 1.060. In that case, most of my brewing has occurred from just under that threshold, down to maybe 1.048. So I'm on with that part. Aside from a few ventures into barleywine and imperial stouts, that's fine with me.

The other theme running through this thread is hops. I think I like hoppy beers as well as the next person, but I went through my "more is better" period early on, and have become far more moderate in what I enjoy- and what I brew. I'll enjoy the occasional hop bomb at the local bar, but my cutoff is somewhere in the neighborhood of DFH 90 min.

I conclude that for regular daily drinking, moderation in these matters is best. I haven't had enough of session beer (which I would roughly define as <4% to draw any conclusions in that area.

I've got my worst hangover today in 5 years, and it's from a glass of wine and a Belgian Tripel at dinner, then 3 pints of craft beer in the 6-6.5% range. Where was Miller Lite when I needed it while spending 3 hours at a table listening to my wife's friend complain about her failing marriage?

mojo_wire said:

I've got my worst hangover today in 5 years, and it's from a glass of wine and a Belgian Tripel at dinner, then 3 pints of craft beer in the 6-6.5% range. Where was Miller Lite when I needed it while spending 3 hours at a table listening to my wife's friend complain about her failing marriage?

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I would have switched to whiskey early on...

Interested in where this thread goes. Subscribed.

LG for me!!!!! I have kidney failure and am only allowed 1.5 liters of liquid a day. So I really prefer a good high quality taste with a ballanced hop and malt flavor. I like the taste of beer, not the side effects from the alcohol. Low ABV Session brews rule for me.
Bob

I brewed a lower gravity (4.5-5.2%) Noble Pils this weekend. I really enjoy the lower gravity, full flavored beers. I don't like being stupid drunk and I love to have one or two after work. The only problem with high gravity beers is high gravity headaches. I'll save those for holidays.

Pretty much all my brews that Ive been making lately are low gravity session beers. As others have said I like to enjoy the taste of beer (and ability to have 3) without the side effects. Plus the more I drink the more I can brew!

Low alchohol, doesnt mean low taste. One of my favorite homebrews I have made was a scottish 60 which came in at 3.25% ABV. It had some caramel 60, smoked, chocolate, and roasted barley in it. Plenty of flavor, so ABV. Went down really easy. I would drink 2 or three in a night, and never feel buzzed.

I think I might need to brew this again.

rico567 said:

I think I'm in agreement with the basic point of this thread, but I'm not sure. I've always understood that "big beer" starts at about 1.060. In that case, most of my brewing has occurred from just under that threshold, down to maybe 1.048. So I'm on with that part. Aside from a few ventures into barleywine and imperial stouts, that's fine with me.

The other theme running through this thread is hops. I think I like hoppy beers as well as the next person, but I went through my "more is better" period early on, and have become far more moderate in what I enjoy- and what I brew. I'll enjoy the occasional hop bomb at the local bar, but my cutoff is somewhere in the neighborhood of DFH 90 min.

I conclude that for regular daily drinking, moderation in these matters is best. I haven't had enough of session beer (which I would roughly define as <4% to draw any conclusions in that area.

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I couldn't agree more. When I first started getting into the craft beer scene, I too had the "more is better" attitude: A super hoppy beer with an aroma that punches you in the face and an alcohol content to accompany it was my all time preference. But as I tasted more of these beers, they all started to taste so similar and predictable to me. Over time, I really started to enjoy the subtleties of lower ABV/IBU beers. Particularly English browns. So many of them taste distinctly different, as opposed to your run-of-the-mill IPA or IIPA.

Granted, I still like a few of those beers from time to time, ones I feel stand out above the myriad hop bombs available today (Stone IPA and DFH 90), but there's just so many that are completely overdone. When I walk into my local beer stores, the shelves are filled with IPA upon IIPA upon more IPA's that aren't even that good. It seems to me like these breweries are pumping this stuff out willy nilly just because your average "beer snob" will consume anything loaded with hops and alcohol.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I can appreciate a beer with delicate flavors much more than an in-your-face explosion that could easily cover up flaws. I also really enjoy sitting back and relaxing while having a beer, something I'm never able to fully emmerse myself in while drinking a bitter, overly aromatic explosion. And yes, even some of those low ABV/IBU beers can have a noteable hops presence if that's what you're after: it's all about balance.




EDIT: Now, if you want to go into the realm of big Belgians, there's something I find completely delectable with many subtleties and loads of alchol. But that's another rant for another day...

I like variety. I brew a lot of Belgians and Saisons that are pretty strong, but I also do some low OG brews to drink when I want something that is not going to get me drunk pretty fast.

mlyday said:

Low alchohol, doesnt mean low taste. One of my favorite homebrews I have made was a scottish 60 which came in at 3.25% ABV. It had some caramel 60, smoked, chocolate, and roasted barley in it. Plenty of flavor, so ABV. Went down really easy. I would drink 2 or three in a night, and never feel buzzed.

I think I might need to brew this again.

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Lets see the recipe for this one if you get a chance, sounds tasty!

So far most of my batches have been in the 1050 -1055 range. This weekend though I will brew a 1064. In the summer time I like to "pound" the beers on the weekend so I like LG, but in the winter I like to just have one maybe two beers so I like them a bit higher. Not a fan of getting smashed, but I like to know that I am having a beer

My last four batches have been under 1.050. The beer I brewed yesterday is a saison with wild yeast that should come in at 3% or less. I love drinking beer and brewing, but don't much enjoy getting drunk.... At least not often.

I'm kind of feeling the same way about ABV. I like the high gravity special releases and such that come out, but not every day. Almost every brew I made this winter came in at 8+%. On my next few brews I'm going to be shooting for 4-5% max. That said, I got a grain mill for Christmas and have been tweaking my system and processes slightly and watching my efficiency very closely. Just brewed an Irish Red Ale that was supposed to come in with a finished ABV of around 4.75%. My efficiency came in at 88% so I think I'm going to wind up with an Imperial Red Irish Ale.

This was an early extract batch. I may try to convert this to all grain, if I try it again.

Extract
3.3 lb. Amber LME
1 lb. Amber DME

Steeping Grains
4 oz. Caramel 60L
4 oz. Smoked
4 oz. Chocolate
1 oz. Roasted Barley

HOPS
.5 oz. Palisades (40 minutes)
.5 oz. Palisades (5 minutes)

YEAST
1 pack danstar windsor ale yeast

Steep grains for 20 minutes at 150F
2.5 Gallon boil
Top up to 5 gallons

I'm also a big fan of session beers. The majority of the beers I have brewed over the years fall in the 1.035-1.055 range. I love ordinary bitter, mild, brown porter, etc.

I don't think I've ever brewed a beer over 1.070.

I love a good IPA. I buy more IPA than any other style. However, I typically don't like Double IPAs. This new trend of really hoppy, low gravity beers is something I like. Levitation, Bitter American, All Day IPA, etc. Terrapin has one coming out, too.

I have a theory about strong beer and I would love to get some thoughts on this. With the number of craft breweries on the rise, it is getting harder for the new guys to get their name out there without doing something to differentiate. I think that the most obvious way to do that is by creating something aggressively hopped or high alcohol, or both. The signature beers for a lot the craft brewers are some of their most aggressive beers (i.g. Arrogant Bastard, DFH 60/90/120, Great Divide's Yeti, etc.) The U.S. public seems to regularly follow the "bigger is better" motto and so these beers keep getting bigger. I wouldn't be surprised to see the industry swing back toward lower gravity styles. I mean, it has to eventually right? How long can this go on?

I think what this thread has shown me is that the people who are highly involved and educated about the making and drinking of beer favor balance and moderation. I do enjoy the occasional imperial stout or DIPA, but the vast majority of the time I am drinking much milder stuff.

Another thing I love is how much cheaper it is to brew low gravity. I ordered ingredients for 5 gallon batches of a black mild and a bitter this weekend from Brewmasters Warehouse. $38 shipped for the two together - awesome!

HopheadNJ said:

haha session beer doesn't mean lack of hops! I've had plenty of lower alcohol, in your face hop flavor brews. Trust me, I'm a total hop head and love me some DIPA but I can't have 2-3 pints a night of a 9% enamel stripping hop bomb!

I've really been enjoying 21st Ammendment's Bitter American lately and San Diego Session Ale was a good example of a hopped up west coast style beer that clocks in somewhere around 4%

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Oh yeah I was just messing around. I think the lowest I make is around 4%, and it falls on the shoulders of wheat beers. My typical ABV is around 6% or so. The advantage of low to medium alcohol beers, is that you can drink them sooner with less chance of having alcohol burn.

I like to have a good variety. I'd say my average beer is around 6%. I have an oktoberfest lagering right now that checked in at 4.7% and also just cracked my first bottle of an Imperial Rye IPA which came in at 9%. I think different times call for different beers. The Imperial Rye is super tasty, but I wouldn't want to drink it all night long...

I'm almost exclusively a Low G brewer myself. Rarely do I make something above 5.5% abv/1.050 og. Discovering English beers has been a revelation. I hadn't realized just how delicious 4.2% abv could be!

My beers average around 6.5%-ish ABV, however, now with the warm weather coming up and with all the yard work I have to do, PLUS in the middle of losing weight, I am going to join the LG club for a bit.