Brewing a 2.4% light bitter tomorrow

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

Tomorrow I will brew 3 UK gallons of a light coloured bitter at 2.4% ABV using only 1150 gm pale malt, no other grains, mount hood hops and safale 04 yeast. Mash at 68 - 69 deg C and ferment at room temperature which is around 21 deg C. I anticipate that I will bottle after 3 or 4 days and start to drink in a further 7 days. I have deliberately tasted brews early recently and personally think they are at their best in the first 6 weeks, after that they are less "interesting". Naturally I will provide feedback in due course.

 

[Pappers_]

2.4 is damn low - good luck with it!

 

[Ramitt]

I think that is rather dependent on style and s.g. and carbonation level.

 

[badlee]

Well, I though I was going low by keeping to my Briish roots and enjoying a nice 3.2..
Fair play to you good sir.

 

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

It is in the fermenter ! Funny thing, the refractometer reading was OG = 5.0 BRIX = 1.020, and I can't see it going below 4.1 BRIX indicating 0.3 ABV - summat is up lad!

 

[badlee]

Eeee, by eck!

 

[Sithdad]

I brewed up a dark mild that came in at 3.2% abv. It was one of my favorite beers. I hope yours turns out well.

 

[FarmerTed]

I brewed Jamil's dark mild a couple months ago; it came around 3.0%. It was done fermenting after 3 or 4 days, and I crash cooled it for a few days and bottled it after maybe 9 days. It was carb'd up ok after a couple weeks, but the taste was kind of harsh. I've heard Jamil say that sometimes the low gravity beers (like a 60 /-) take longer to drink well than you would expect based on the O.G. I cold conditioned the mild for a couple weeks and it definitely smoothed out. I suspect that the residual yeast in the beer has a more noticeable bite due to the lightness of the beer, and the beer tastes smoother once it's crashed out more fully.

 

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

It is still fermenting right now so it is not 0.3% ABV for sure.

 

[badlee]

Thank buggery frot that Bob

 

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

It is drinking ok but too little carbonation in the bottles.

 

[Ramitt]

I brewed Jamil's dark mild a couple months ago; it came around 3.0%. It was done fermenting after 3 or 4 days, and I crash cooled it for a few days and bottled it after maybe 9 days. It was carb'd up ok after a couple weeks, but the taste was kind of harsh. I've heard Jamil say that sometimes the low gravity beers (like a 60 /-) take longer to drink well than you would expect based on the O.G. I cold conditioned the mild for a couple weeks and it definitely smoothed out. I suspect that the residual yeast in the beer has a more noticeable bite due to the lightness of the beer, and the beer tastes smoother once it's crashed out more fully.

I have noticed that as well with a few low grav pale ales, they fermented quick and seemed to have conditioned quickly, but where harsh. After 6 weeks conditioning much better. My higher grav Pale Ales are great at 4.