brewing a lower alcohol beer from a 5 gallon extract kit?

[anon8]

So, recently i've developed a enjoyment for homebrewing. however, most of my production is mainly enjoyed by friends and co-workers.

I'm trying to think of a ways to brew a batch for myself that'll have a lower ABV. I don't have any health problems or anything like that. I'm just sensitive to alcohol and one serving (eg: 355 ml can) leaves me a little dizzy and reluctant to finish the ONE can. hehehe

SO, can i reduce the amount of alcohol in an extract batch by simply reducing the amount of dextrose the recipe calls for?

For example, a coopers kit usually calls for a kilo of dextrose and the end result clocks in at 5% i think. if i reduce the dextrose to 200 grams (for example), will that reduce the alcohol without compromising TOO MUCH on flavour?

 

[JNye]

Yes. I've never done one of those kits but i doubt dextrose is imparting any flavor to the finished product...not any desirable flavors i don't think.

 

[Yooper]

I've only done one of those kits (years ago) but I remember that there was a can of prehopped extract, and then you add either DME or corn sugar to boost the fermentables. (I also remember that this particular kit was cheap, but tasted like crap when finished- that's why I did only one). These kits are usually referred to disparingly as a "kit & a kilo" because it has very little extract, and you are to make up the fermentables with either sugar, or extract, or a combination of both, up to a kilo of fermentables.

Anyway- one can of extract (3.3 pounds) in a 23 L batch without any added sugar should give you an OG of 1.020ish, which would be less than 2% ABV in a finished batch. You can add 1 pound of DME, which would give you 2.5%ish ABV in the finished beer. Or, you could add the DME and reduce your batch size to 19 liters, and use the can and the one pound of DME and have a beer of approximately 3% or so.

Usually, the "kit & kilo" kits will give you a beer of approximately 4% or so, I've never seen one 5%, but it's possible. So if you want to decrease the sugar, I think that would be fine.

Actually, in my humble opinion, sugar has NO place in a beer like that period, so I think it would improve it greatly. Sugar is used as a cheap "booster"- there is no malt flavor, color, or actually any benefit to using sugar in those types of kits. Except alcohol. I think you'd get better flavor from using NO sugar, and a pound of DME, and do a 19L sized batch. That's just my opinion- I know other people have done those kits and liked them.

 

[anon8]

Very cool! thanks for the info yooper!

 

[sawalke4]

you drink beer from cans?

 

[tvtoms]

I am finishing up a Coopers Canadian blonde batch that came with coopers brew enhancer 1. This brew (at 23 liters) came in at only 3.99% alcohol. It's really quite light.

 

[grasshopper1917]

Yea just use half the sugar like half a ponund instead of 1KG and it would be a real light beer - or like yopper said u can add a pound of malt extract instead. Either way will be lite and should taste good.