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OreCreekBrewery

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My Doctor just told Me that I need to go on a low Carb diet. Been drinking my homebrew for a year and a half now and boy is it good too good but I have to lower my carb intake so am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a decent tasting low ABV and low carb beer and how to brew one.
I have been making mostly Amber Ales and pale Ales at 4.5-5.5% Abv and 8-15 carbs per 12 oz. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thank You,
 
OreCreekBrewery said:
[...] I have been making mostly Amber Ales and pale Ales at 4.5-5.5% Abv and 8-15 carbs per 12 oz. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

Umm...

If that is really "per 12 oz" you're already waaaay ahead of even ultralight macros where a 12 oz can of Michelob Ultra weighs in at almost 100 carbs - which makes Bud Light at almost 150 calories per 12 oz look like a heavyweight...

Cheers!
 
Doc put me on a low carb diet a couple of years ago. I lost about 30 lbs. without giving up whiskey and beer. I quit eating potatoes rice, pasta and bread. Well. almost. I cheat once a week. Got used to it pretty quickly. Nothing wrong with living on BBQ and beer. Veggies and fruit provide plenty of carbs for energy and don't go to belly fat like the starches do.
 
day_trippr said:
Umm...

If that is really "per 12 oz" you're already waaaay ahead of even ultralight macros where a 12 oz can of Michelob Ultra weighs in at almost 100 carbs - which makes Bud Light at almost 150 calories per 12 oz look like a heavyweight...

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Day Tripper. Michelob Ultra light only has 2.6 carbs and 95 calories per 12 oz. In the mean time I am drinking Miller light at 3.2 carbs and 110 calories but sure don't taste like home brew. I think we get really spoiled on our home made beer . I am hoping to find a good recipe.
 
OreCreekBrewery said:
Day Tripper. Michelob Ultra light only has 2.6 carbs and 95 calories per 12 oz. In the mean time I am drinking Miller light at 3.2 carbs and 110 calories but sure don't taste like home brew. I think we get really spoiled on our home made beer . I am hoping to find a good recipe.
Click to expand...

My bad - I read "calories" instead of carbs. Whole 'nuther metric ;)
Good luck with your quest. If you come up with something exceptional I'm sure I'll read about it on HBT.

Cheers!
 
Eat virtually no carbs from food. You don’t need bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes. Eat meat, veg, squash. Cook with butter, lard, olive and avocado oil. Since anything under 50-75 g of carbs a day is still very solidly still low carb, there will be plenty of room for 1-2 of your 10-15 g of carb homebrews daily. My labs (lipids especially) have never been better eating very low carb, mostly protein and fat, still drink homebrew daily.
 
I did the Keto diet (low carb) and lost 30 lbs with no issues. After the first 2 weeks, you can add more carbs in. Definitely room for a homebrew or 2 a day.
Other hints to cut carbs
use squash noodles instead of pasta. Make sure your sauce contains no sugar.
snack on raw veggies and nuts. But some nuts are higher carbs than others.
Avoid sugar like the plague. After a while, sweet things will become too sweet.
Search out low carb alternatives for ice cream. They are out there and actually pretty good.
Buy low carb tortillas for bread.
Russel Stover (I think) makes some low carb chocolates that are pretty good too. Turtles, mint patties, peanut butter cups and the like.
Also remember when counting carbs to take the total carbs then subtract fiber and sugar alcohols. You want to count net carbs.
 
ccous said:
Eat virtually no carbs from food. You don’t need bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes. Eat meat, veg, squash. Cook with butter, lard, olive and avocado oil. Since anything under 50-75 g of carbs a day is still very solidly still low carb, there will be plenty of room for 1-2 of your 10-15 g of carb homebrews daily. My labs (lipids especially) have never been better eating very low carb, mostly protein and fat, still drink homebrew daily.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this. Eat more or less paleo and let beer be your only carbs. Win win.
 
I've lost 65lbs so far in 2018 on keto. I cut out all processed carbs and just get them from broccoli and other fibrous vegetables.

Beer intake has gone down a little but not really. So just focus on the food you eat and cut down a bit on beer and you'll be fine.
 
BobBailey said:
Doc put me on a low carb diet a couple of years ago. I lost about 30 lbs. without giving up whiskey and beer. I quit eating potatoes rice, pasta and bread. Well. almost. I cheat once a week. Got used to it pretty quickly. Nothing wrong with living on BBQ and beer. Veggies and fruit provide plenty of carbs for energy and don't go to belly fat like the starches do.
Click to expand...

Hey Bob sounds really good. My Doc suggested potatoes as I really love them things and rice as well. I don't eat much pasta and have switched to whole wheat bread. I am also a bread lover. I am not really that much over weight but she said I am border line diabetic! Oh oh. Thumbs up or the BBQ I have a smoker and meat is good for you I guess but also I like chicken. I need to lose 25 lbs and I will be right where I should be. I might go back on Vodka now and then and a few beers I should be ok
Thanks
 
MapleGroveAleworks said:
I've lost 65lbs so far in 2018 on keto. I cut out all processed carbs and just get them from broccoli and other fibrous vegetables.

Beer intake has gone down a little but not really. So just focus on the food you eat and cut down a bit on beer and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

Hey Thanks Maple Grove I think that sounds like a great idea. I love broccoli and turnips and any vegetable really Not sure what keto is but will check it out now!
I want to say thanks to everyone who has responded. I ws down thinking I had to give up making beer and especially now that I have so much invested in the equipment and am getting quite good at it as well.
 
If my memory is good (which it isn't), @bracconiere is the master of low carbohydrate brewing (using gluco amylase).

Apologies to bracconiere if he/she is not the correct member.
 
@OreCreekBrewery How many carbs a day are you allowed/advised to take in on a low-carb diet?

As kind of pointed out above, it's not the alcohol that has the carbs; there are zero carbs in whiskey, rum, vodka and such.

Without this being advice, if you completely eliminated many of the high-carb items (flour, sugar, corn, potatoes, rice) from your diet, wouldn't this leave you with some wiggle room?

I don't know of any non-shelf beers to make, unfortunately.
 
davidabcd said:
@OreCreekBrewery How many carbs a day are you allowed/advised to take in on a low-carb diet?

As kind of pointed out above, it's not the alcohol that has the carbs; there are zero carbs in whiskey, rum, vodka and such.

Without this being advice, if you completely eliminated many of the high-carb items (flour, sugar, corn, potatoes, rice) from your diet, wouldn't this leave you with some wiggle room?

I don't know of any non-shelf beers to make, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Hey David, You make a good point. Actually She (my Dr.) just said to cut down on carbohydrates so first thing I thought of is Beer. That is because I have been brewing about 2 years but in the last 1 1/2 years I have been really enjoying my home made brew and having more people stop by and help consume it.Now I did not tell my Dr. about all the Beer I drink which is usually about 4 or 5 daily( 12oz) because in the past she has told me I should not drink any more than two. So I thought that is where I should start.So with all the comments from everyone this is really helping me put a plan together and cut down on say white bread eat more wheat,cut down potatoes and other high carb foods. I also drink every day which I know I should refrain for a couple days a week so I started that this week. today being Wednesday I have not had a beer since Sunday! Yeah! Plus its cold now in Michigan where I am and I tend to cut down this time of year.
Thanks for the reply and ideas.
 
A) Don't lie to your doctor. If you want a second opinion, go get it. If you're not going to take their advice, don't lie about it, be honest so they can help you make the right decisions.

B) It doesn't matter how low you get the carbs and calories in a beer or how much you cut back on food, 48-60oz of beer a day is not going to be healthy for you in the long run.

EDIT: and C) Don't lie to your doctor
 
Last edited:
Gnomebrewer said:
If my memory is good (which it isn't), @bracconiere is the master of low carbohydrate brewing (using gluco amylase).

Apologies to bracconiere if he/she is not the correct member.
Click to expand...

i've been summoned to a thread for the first time! yea me!

I'd recomend CRON-O-Meter for nutrient tracking or cronometer.com as it's called these days...started using it back in feb of 2010, lost 90 pounds and in great shape.

And low carb beer is awesome! i pick up a pound of gluco from brewhaus for ~25 bucks...lasts a year. i add about 12-15 grams to a 10 gal batch comes out 1.000 every time, mostly, (this forum just tought me a new word too, hyperbolic),. occasionally i have to settle for 1.002, at any rate i figure maybe 1 gram carbs a glass at most..and if your brewing ambers, it will still have plenty of body for ya.

basically it turns beer into the equivalent of pure alcohol, but better than thinking whiskey is low cal, because it still has vitamins!

I'll end on saying use gluco amylase for low carb beer...use more dark malts for body

and last i had it check few months back my a1c was 4.6...
 
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bracconiere said:
i've been summoned to a thread for the first time! yea me!

I'd recomend CRON-O-Meter for nutrient tracking or cronometer.com as it's called these days...started using it back in feb of 2010, lost 90 pounds and in great shape.

And low carb beer is awesome! i pick up a pound of gluco from brewhaus for ~25 bucks...lasts a year. i add about 12-15 grams to a 10 gal batch comes out 1.000 every time, mostly, (this forum just tought me a new word too, hyperbolic),. occasionally i have to settle for 1.002, at any rate i figure maybe 1 gram carbs a glass at most..and if your brewing ambers, it will still have plenty of body for ya.

basically it turns beer into the equivalent of pure alcohol, but better than thinking whiskey is low cal, because it still has vitamins!

I'll end on saying use gluco amylase for low carb beer...use more dark malts for body

and last i had it check few months back my a1c was 4.6...
Click to expand...
WOW! Hey thanks bracconiere thats getting it right down there(1.000). Are your mash times longer or the same?
Thanks
 
TallDan said:
A) Don't lie to your doctor. If you want a second opinion, go get it. If you're not going to take their advice, don't lie about it, be honest so they can help you make the right decisions.

B) It doesn't matter how low you get the carbs and calories in a beer or how much you cut back on food, 48-60oz of beer a day is not going to be healthy for you in the long run.

EDIT: and C) Don't lie to your doctor
Click to expand...
I know your right TallDan, other than the high gly count she says everything else is where it is suppose to be and keep doing what I am doing except cut back on carbs.I do know that I have to cut back but I feel I have cut way back from way back when. When I was in my 40's it was nothing to drink 8-10 daily and now at almost 72 am down to about 4.
Thanks(don't know how I got these italicized letters)?
Thanks for the reply I appreciate your feedback
 
OreCreekBrewery said:
WOW! Hey thanks bracconiere thats getting it right down there(1.000). Are your mash times longer or the same?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Mash times/temps don't really matter if you add gluco..you'll get a dry beer no matter what. i do a three step mash though because i use home malted barley. I heat my strike water to ~132f, dump ~20#'s malted barley in my kettle, put the lid on and let it sit at ~125f for a protein rest for 20-30 min (otherwise i get plant milk), then i turn on the burner and bring that up to 150-155 with constant stiring, then transfer from the kettle to my 10gal round cooler, let it sit for ~30 min, then ramp up the temp to 162f for a alpha amylase rest (because of home malt again, i have to too get my 85% efficiency. otherwise i just get 75%)..let it sit at 162 for about another 30 min, sparge for an hour or so...

But that's brewing the hard way! if you add gluco to any beer it's going to be virtually 0 carb! just add it with the yeast to the fermenter...it will finish at 1.000, and as long as you have some dark/crystal malt in the grain bill it will still have plenty of body.

The hipsters even coined the term 'Brüt' for it!

And at 72 years young, you've out lived both my parents already! hopefully you'll be like my friends gramma alive and kicking at 97 years!

here's a link for what you need to make low cal/carb beer:

https://brewhaus.com/gluco-amylase-enzyme-amyloglucosidase-2oz/

just like 5g's for a 5 gal batch will do the trick...
 
Last edited:
bracconiere said:
Mash times/temps don't really matter if you add gluco..you'll get a dry beer no matter what. i do a three step mash though because i use home malted barley. I heat my strike water to ~132f, dump ~20#'s malted barley in my kettle, put the lid on and let it sit at ~125f for a protein rest for 20-30 min (otherwise i get plant milk), then i turn on the burner and bring that up to 150-155 with constant stiring, then transfer from the kettle to my 10gal round cooler, let it sit for ~30 min, then ramp up the temp to 162f for a alpha amylase rest (because of home malt again, i have to too get my 85% efficiency. otherwise i just get 75%)..let it sit at 162 for about another 30 min, sparge for an hour or so...

But that's brewing the hard way! if you add gluco to any beer it's going to be virtually 0 carb! just add it with the yeast to the fermenter...it will finish at 1.000, and as long as you have some dark/crystal malt in the grain bill it will still have plenty of body.

The hipsters even coined the term 'Brüt' for it!

And at 72 years young, you've out lived both my parents already! hopefully you'll be like my friends gramma alive and kicking at 97 years!

here's a link for what you need to make low cal/carb beer:

https://brewhaus.com/gluco-amylase-enzyme-amyloglucosidase-2oz/

just like 5g's for a 5 gal batch will do the trick...
Click to expand...
 
OreCreekBrewery said:
I know your right TallDan, other than the high gly count she says everything else is where it is suppose to be and keep doing what I am doing except cut back on carbs.I do know that I have to cut back but I feel I have cut way back from way back when. When I was in my 40's it was nothing to drink 8-10 daily and now at almost 72 am down to about 4.
Thanks(don't know how I got these italicized letters)?
Thanks for the reply I appreciate your feedback
Click to expand...
Hah! I assumed that I was talking to someone in their 20's or 30's when I commented earlier. Sounds like you have things under control. Good for you for listening to the doctor and making some small changes to stay healthy. Keep it up! Cheers!
 
bracconiere said:
Mash times/temps don't really matter if you add gluco..you'll get a dry beer no matter what. i do a three step mash though because i use home malted barley. I heat my strike water to ~132f, dump ~20#'s malted barley in my kettle, put the lid on and let it sit at ~125f for a protein rest for 20-30 min (otherwise i get plant milk), then i turn on the burner and bring that up to 150-155 with constant stiring, then transfer from the kettle to my 10gal round cooler, let it sit for ~30 min, then ramp up the temp to 162f for a alpha amylase rest (because of home malt again, i have to too get my 85% efficiency. otherwise i just get 75%)..let it sit at 162 for about another 30 min, sparge for an hour or so...

But that's brewing the hard way! if you add gluco to any beer it's going to be virtually 0 carb! just add it with the yeast to the fermenter...it will finish at 1.000, and as long as you have some dark/crystal malt in the grain bill it will still have plenty of body.

The hipsters even coined the term 'Brüt' for it!

And at 72 years young, you've out lived both my parents already! hopefully you'll be like my friends gramma alive and kicking at 97 years!

here's a link for what you need to make low cal/carb beer:

https://brewhaus.com/gluco-amylase-enzyme-amyloglucosidase-2oz/

just like 5g's for a 5 gal batch will do the trick...
Click to expand...

bracconiere
Thank You for the link for thr gluco I am going to try that.
I will however do the simple method. I have only been brewing about 2 years and have lots to learn. My guy that I get my Home brew from (AIH) does the concoction method all the time but I never really got into learning the method as it seemed like a lot of work.
Hey by the way today is Friday and I have not had a beer since Sunday! I will tomorrow though and Thanksgiving day.
Take Care and thanks!
 
I want to thank everyone who responded to Me. It has really helped and I have not had a beer since Sunday! I will have one tomorrow and Thursday I am smoking a Turkey and off course that will call for a couple of beers. I made an Irish Stout 2 months ago and it turned out great I think and its 30 degrees in Michigan so it should taste even better.
Cheers to all and have a HAPPY Turkey DAY!
 
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If you need to lower your carbs intake, for whatever reason that might be, giving up beer or drinking less of it, is just a really small step in the right direction.
 
So by adding the gluco amylase you are ending up with more alcohol in the finished product right? Do you then use less grain per batch for normal strength?

Just wondering about the health debate. If the gluco amylase just lowers your final gravity, how much healthier is it? Alcohol is a sugar/carb in the end so what is being gained from a health point of view?

Seems like a 3% low carb beer would be the best approach if you could get the flavor right with some body.
 
Bassman2003 said:
So by adding the gluco amylase you are ending up with more alcohol in the finished product right? Do you then use less grain per batch for normal strength?

Just wondering about the health debate. If the gluco amylase just lowers your final gravity, how much healthier is it? Alcohol is a sugar/carb in the end so what is being gained from a health point of view?

Seems like a 3% low carb beer would be the best approach if you could get the flavor right with some body.
Click to expand...

Yes it does increase alcohol %. No alcohol is not a sugar/carb. no alcohol doesn't some how magically turn BACK into sugar in the body, it turns to acetyldehyde(SP), then something else, and excreted(or the other way around)...Actually diabetics have problems with LOW blood sugar from drinking.

correct me if i'm wrong? (which happens a lot)

sorry if that comes off offensive, this text stuff is hard to express accurately... :mug:
 
Bassman2003 said:
So by adding the gluco amylase you are ending up with more alcohol in the finished product right? Do you then use less grain per batch for normal strength?

Just wondering about the health debate. If the gluco amylase just lowers your final gravity, how much healthier is it? Alcohol is a sugar/carb in the end so what is being gained from a health point of view?

Seems like a 3% low carb beer would be the best approach if you could get the flavor right with some body.
Click to expand...

Yes, adding amylase (not that I've ever done it) will mean more alcohol in the finished product for the same amount of grain. Conversely, that means less grain to achieve the same alcohol content. From a health perspective, that results in fewer calories in a beer with the same alcohol content and far fewer of those calories coming from carbohydrates (reducing carbohydrates is what we are trying to achieve). Alcohol is most certainly NOT a sugar/carb. The alcohol % doesn't really matter (whisky, for example, is around 40% alcohol with no carbs and is generally considered a better option than beer for those wanting to lose weight).
 
Thanks for clarifying. I was mixing carbs and alcohol metabolism up. This has caught my attention as my father in law has been cut off from my homebrew for a few years due to a heart operation and weight loss regime. If I could pull off a stout with hardly any carbs at 3-5% alcohol he might be back in business.
 
Bassman2003 said:
Thanks for clarifying. I was mixing carbs and alcohol metabolism up. This has caught my attention as my father in law has been cut off from my homebrew for a few years due to a heart operation and weight loss regime. If I could pull off a stout with hardly any carbs at 3-5% alcohol he might be back in business.
Click to expand...


lol, glucoamylase....you'd be surprised how much body a 'Black Brüt' still has!
 

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