Bringing 3.2% beer back!

[beersk]

I've talked to a few people about this as I'm starting to get into low abv brewing and I've shared a few of them. It seems everyone is fixated on brewing essentially non-alcoholic beer. And to me, NA beer tastes bad. Even the good ones don't taste like beer. They are beer-like, sure. But they aren't beer and leave me unsatisfied.

I've been brewing beers around 3%, shooting for 3.2% and they are every bit as satisfying as a 5% beer. I've been mashing warmer and shorter, using a bit more malts like Munich or Vienna, lowering the IBUs a tad, and using good yeast. It's just a theory of mine so far, but I feel the lower ABV just may let some of the more subtle yeast characteristics show a bit more. I currently have a 3.1% helles (Omega Mexican lager) and a 2.9% hefeweiss (W-68) on tap and I love them. Others have had them and said that if I wouldn't have told them they were 3% they would never have guessed. That makes me happy to hear.

I know others have been brewing lower abv beers, but I'm not talking cold mash (done that, don't like it) or 1.5% abv beers with 170F mash temps. I'm talking about the same exact styles we're all used to drinking, but a perfect in between abv. It's not really an extreme.

I think there's definitely a market for this as people want to cut back on their alcohol consumption but are put off by the price of NA beer and dissatisfied with it as well. Brewing 3.2 beer should be cheaper overall and can be every bit as flavorful and satisfying. Plus there are some historic styles that are under appreciated and unknown to much of the beer drinking public. I feel this is a largely untapped market, a perfect happy medium.

Maybe no one cares but I wanted to start a discussion for others who are doing the same, but not taking it to an extreme, just striving for a perfect happy medium while still achieving the same flavors.

Prost!

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

We just had a discussion about 3.2 beers at my last homebrew club meeting on Tuesday... I haven't done any yet but plan to start putting some recipes together, I agree NA beers suck in general, but having a nice low abv beer with good flavor and aroma sounds excellent to me. Especially considering I really like drinking beer.

Cheers

 

[hotbeer]

I haphazardly tried to do a few low ABV beers in the 3 to 4% range. I wasn't impressed by most of them, but I also had a lot of issues getting use to my new fermenter, that really wasn't up for the task as it came out of the box during the time I experimented with them.

Since I've gotten that squared away, and more typical 7% ABV beers are coming out fine, maybe I should revisit them.

At my age, being able to enjoy several beers while keep my alcohol consumption lower will be nice.

 

[sibelman]

At my age, being able to enjoy several beers while keep my alcohol consumption lower will be nice.

This! And I'd get to brew more often while drinking less (alcohol) and more (beer)! Also spend a bit less on ingredients. But...

I wonder how well the OP's techniques would do with the styles I tend to favor: IPA, DIPA(!?) and (imperial!??) stout.

Developing a taste for other styles will help. I do love variety even though I gravitate towards my faves.

I've brewed Pilsners and dry stouts with good result - and it seems likely to be more successful to drop a 4.5%ABV recipe down to 3.2 than with heftier styles.

Kudos to @hotbeer for this thread!

 

[MaxStout]

There are a few low-ABV beers I've had good luck with, notably Grodziskie and Patersbier. You can have low alcohol and flavor.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I hated Utah beers as they paled in comparison to their full alcohol brethren (Shiner, specifically). When I make my own though - I think it's good!

I regularly brew 3%-4% beers. I don't like having one and already feel like I should stop. Having ultra-sessionable beers on tap allows you to enjoy the patio/game/BBQ longer without the negatives.

I don't really adjust anything except for decreasing the base grain. If there's more than a pound of any other grain, I may take some off, but otherwise, every part of the batch stays as a 1.050+ would.

 

[beersk]

This! And I'd get to brew more often while drinking less (alcohol) and more (beer)! Also spend a bit less on ingredients. But...

I wonder how well the OP's techniques would do with the styles I tend to favor: IPA, DIPA(!?) and (imperial!??) stout.

Developing a taste for other styles will help. I do love variety even though I gravitate towards my faves.

I've brewed Pilsners and dry stouts with good result - and it seems likely to be more successful to drop a 4.5%ABV recipe down to 3.2 than with heftier styles.

Kudos to @hotbeer for this thread!

I'm not sure you can brew any imperial styles any other way. Those beers are the way they are because they're extreme. But back in 2020 I brewed a wonderful low abv IPA that started at 1.040 and finished at 1.015 for 3.2%. I think what made it still taste nice and dry was that I used a heavy amount of gypsum in the mash. It was just about everything I wanted in an IPA then without the high abv. It wasn't like a lot of "session IPAs" on the market that taste thin and lifeless. That's the way a lot of commercially brewed "session" beers tastes to me. They don't really do much to help the body of the beer.

And like others have said, it's so great to be able to have more than 1 or several and not suffer the negative effects. The higher mash temp I think makes a huge difference. Mashing normally and cutting the base malts, I think, would just create a weaker tasting beer. I also don't need my beer to be big and viscous, I just want good flavor. A lot of the old school 3.2 beer was just watery crap. I think a good marzen, schwarzbier, or many 5% type beers can be brewed well and full flavored at 3.2.

 

[mac_1103]

Just a little aside - F anybody's I who didn't already know and might care, the old 3.2 beers were alcohol by weight, not volume. 3.2% ABW = 4% ABV.

Not sure if there are still 3.2 laws on the books in any states. Last time I was in Utah there was a bizarre restriction that only applied to beers made in the state served on draught.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I have to agree, most NA beers I’ve bought aren’t very good, and it ticks me off that they cost as much as good craft beer. With that said, I do understand there are production challenges that justify the price, but in my opinion it should taste a whole lot better for that cost.

Shortening mash times and using warmer mash temps sounds sensible. Let’s face it a 3.2 session beer can still get one tipsy if they drink enough of it, but since more data seems to indicate that alcohol doesn’t really have a “health benefit” for most, it only makes sense to use moderation when imbibing.

 

[beersk]

Just a little aside - FY anybody's I who didn't already know and might care, the old 3.2 beers were alcohol by weight, not volume. 3.2% ABW = 4% ABV.

No sure if there are still 3.2 laws on the books in any states. Last time I was in Utah there was a bizarre restriction that only applied to beers made in the state served on draught.

Aha! That's right, I'd forgotten about that. I'm still talking about by volume though as that is the measure pretty much everyone goes by nowadays. I think us brewers who want to still drink beer like we used to but not suffer the negative effects need to be purveyors of the 3.2 abv movement

But like I said, it's not like this is anything new, I feel it's just maybe unknown to the masses that this is possible and a very viable way to enjoy beer without having to drink lifeless NA beer.

 

[beersk]

I have to agree, most NA beers I’ve bought aren’t very good, and it ticks me off that they cost as much as good craft beer. With that said, I do understand there are production challenges that justify the price, but in my opinion it should taste a whole lot better for that cost.

Shortening mash times and using warmer mash temps sounds sensible. Let’s face it a 3.2 session beer can still get one tipsy if they drink enough of it, but since more data seems to indicate that alcohol doesn’t really have a “health benefit” for most, it only makes sense to use moderation when imbibing.

Yeah, I mean, I'm not talking about drinking 10 of them, though, I guess if you wanted to you could and feel less drunk as you would if you were drinking 10 - 5% beers. It's like you'd be drinking almost half as much...almost. Also, drinking beer that you know won't really get you drunk unless you drink a whole mess of them kind of makes you not want to drink more than a few anyway. At least that's what I've been experiencing lately. So, overall cutting down on alcohol that way is the ultimate goal.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Yes, it’s 2 for 1 beer.

 

[user 246304]

I've had good success with 3.2% or thereabout ordinary bitters (especially, Coniston's draft Bluebird Bitter clone), and am about to start in on a mild series since I've never done them.

 

[Boleslaus]

I've brewed a few beers in that range but really only styles where that was appropriate or just under (i.e. Irish stout and mild). I did make a Hefeweizen at 3.5% a few times that turned out really good. I quite enjoyed having them on tap and agree with you that given an equal taste I'll gladly take the lower ABV beer. The malt bill really helps these beers taste just like a beer of higher strength. The challenge, and something you seem to have done more of, is brewing styles that are more sensitive to nailing the body or the hop/malt balance (i.e. flavorful lagers, IPAs, etc.)

 

[MaxStout]

Just a little aside - FY anybody's I who didn't already know and might care, the old 3.2 beers were alcohol by weight, not volume. 3.2% ABW = 4% ABV.

No sure if there are still 3.2 laws on the books in any states. Last time I was in Utah there was a bizarre restriction that only applied to beers made in the state served on draught.

Minnesota. We're the last holdout. 3.2% ABW beer is what's still sold in grocery stores here.

Last time I was in Utah, about 5 years ago, I was kind of impressed with the low-ABV beers from the breweries I visited. Necessity is the mother of invention, and they seemed to adapt well to the low alcohol constraints.

 

[hotbeer]

I think Missouri use to have Three Two laws. When I lived there as a very young tot, I seem to remember my dad talking about how during a particular winter, a tavern he'd go to ran out of beer to drink and closed early. They had plenty of beer, but their inventory of beer was in unheated storage and was frozen.

Though I'm not sure how much different the freezing point of 3.2 ABW (4.0 ABV) beer is to any of the higher ABV beers.

Still, I think I will try again to make some pale ales and such that are down at 4.0 ABV or lower in the near future. Again, not so much for cost savings, but for being able to drink one more glass of beer without getting too smiley.

 

[Genuine]

Been waiting to tap my latest summer lager - pseudo Corona w/Lime extract in the keg - Came out to 3.8% and I'm excited to throw a few back when it's hot and not be completely gone. From there I'm excited to make a dark mild for the fall/winter.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I like lower ABV beers and I need to get them into my schedule more often! I did just make a 3.8% English Porter. I was aiming for 4.6% but got very low attenuation from Mangrove Jack's Empire Ale. It was a good beer and tasted like it was around 5%.

It looks like Utah tweaked the 3.2% ABW law to allow for 4% ABW / 5% ABV beers to be on draft and sold in grocery stores. Higher proof beers seem to be sold only in package form at the bar and at state run liquor stores. I seem to recall hearing that a brewery in Utah has to sell their higher strength beers to a distributor and then buy it back if they want to serve it in the tap room.

https://www.visitutah.com/articles/utahs-liquor-laws-and-breweries

 

[worlddivides]

I used to brew Berliner Weisses and goses between 3% and 4%, but lately I've been making recipes for "session" IPAs, APAs, and so on in the 3% and 4% range. I've always been a fan of that range since, when done right, they're very refreshing without risking a hangover. I have seen more commercial beers in that range recently as well, which I see as a great thing. Young Master from Hong Kong has a 3.3% IPA, while Taiwan Beer has 3 fruit lagers (mango, pineapple, and lychee) that are 2.8%, 2.8%, and 3%. I've also seen a few other low ABV pale ales coming out over the past few years, though they don't usually stay for long. I think a lot of people probably have a mentality of "if I'm paying money for a craft beer, I better be getting enough alcohol!" Even though most of these lower ABV beers tend to be cheaper. If you're brewing it yourself, it's in all likelihood going to be cheaper too, though not if you only spend a few dollars less on grain and way more dollars on hops, for example.

It's the category I'm more interested in trying out new beers in. All of my stout recipes still fall in that standard range (5% ABV, for example), but I might want to try a 3.8% ABV stout too.

 

[rallenhall]

Ahh, you guys are rousing memories of my teen days with friends, Ohio country roads and cases of returnable Pabst or Strohs 3.2% red caps. Couldn't get the "real stuff" until age 21, but to be perfectly honest I couldn't tell much difference anyway. Now I have the urge to brew a Back-to-the Future beer!

 

[hottpeper13]

I've been finding a correlation between shorter mash time and more malt flavor. I think that mashes in the 155*- 160* range leaves more carbs in the beer and I like drier beers that finish around 1.010. Still hunting that 3.2% one but making quite a few in the 4-4.2%,mostly Kolsch and lagers. Mash for 45 min to see for yourself. Short but never shoddy.

 

[beersk]

I've been finding a correlation between shorter mash time and more malt flavor. I think that mashes in the 155*- 160* range leaves more carbs in the beer and I like drier beers that finish around 1.010. Still hunting that 3.2% one but making quite a few in the 4-4.2%,mostly Kolsch and lagers. Mash for 45 min to see for yourself. Short but never shoddy.

45 minutes is what I have been doing lately. Interesting that you're finding that correlation, and a good thing! The beer I currently have on started at 1.034 and finished at 1.010 and to me has the perfect body and malt character. I think if it finished below 1.010 it might start to get a bit too dry and lack the body. I don't mind some carbs, I feel I probably get enough exercise to mitigate any extra I might consume. I don't need a leichtbier, though when I started with all this, that was kind of the idea I had in mind. But now I'm not looking for a "diet beer" necessarily. Just a 3% beer with tons of flavor is my goal, no matter the style. I think mashing warm and short with a lower starting gravity is the key and using flavorful malts/yeast.
A lot of these low abv beers that came out, particularly before the NA beer movement of the last couple years, have all been IPAs branded as low-cal or whatever, and they're all absolutely no malt character, bitter, hoppy, and thin. That isn't what I want. I don't know about everyone else...

 

[bwible]

I think its getting to be a trend. RIS is probably the thing I brew most these days but I bottle that and I would never put that on tap, it would tie up a tap forever. I do bitters, which fall into that lighter range.

Brewer’s Publications put out a Session Beers book maybe a year or two ago. I have it, its pretty good and talks about alot of this. How to brew lighter versions and keep the balance, etc.

https://www.brewerspublications.com/products/session-beers-brewing-for-flavor-and-balance

 

[bwible]

Ahh, you guys are rousing memories of my teen days with friends, Ohio country roads and cases of returnable Pabst or Strohs 3.2% red caps. Couldn't get the "real stuff" until age 21, but to be perfectly honest I couldn't tell much difference anyway. Now I have the urge to brew a Back-to-the Future beer!

Call it Flux.

 

[Peteinno]

Might I ask what's the technique to brew a flavorful low ABV beer? I noted the short mash times and higher mash temps. How much higher are the mash temps? Do you cut out some the standard recipe base malt to add the more flavorful Vienna & Munich malts?
I'm also looking for lower ABV alternatives to cut back on my alcohol consumption. I love drinking beer with a good cigar, don't want to quit either of them...

 

[beersk]

Might I ask what's the technique to brew a flavorful low ABV beer? I noted the short mash times and higher mash temps. How much higher are the mash temps? Do you cut out some the standard recipe base malt to add the more flavorful Vienna & Munich malts?
I'm also looking for lower ABV alternatives to cut back on my alcohol consumption. I love drinking beer with a good cigar, don't want to quit either of them...

Yeah, you got it. Mash at 156-160F, for shorter times and aim for a lower starting gravity. But, yes, also using good quality, flavorful malts. The helles I have on tap is about 89% Barke Pils, 11% Carahell, 15IBU, and Omega Mexi lager, OG 1.034, FG 1.010, mashed at about 154F for an hour. Didn't need to mash for an hour but that's how it worked out. I think that 1.010 FG keeps it tasting fuller, rather than it finishing at 1.006 or whatever. I just brewed a similar beer but with 20% Barke Munich and 7% carahell (or C10), that I'm looking forward to. That one I did 154F for 30 minutes and bumped it up with an infusion to about 160F for another 15 minutes. OG was 1.036, which is slightly higher than I was aiming for, but that's OK.
I think you have to also keep in mind that you need to drop the IBUs accordingly to keep the balance.

 

[user 246304]

Might I ask what's the technique to brew a flavorful low ABV beer? I noted the short mash times and higher mash temps. How much higher are the mash temps? Do you cut out some the standard recipe base malt to add the more flavorful Vienna & Munich malts?
I'm also looking for lower ABV alternatives to cut back on my alcohol consumption. I love drinking beer with a good cigar, don't want to quit either of them...

One of my favorites. No specialty malts needed. 95%+/- MO, 5% +/- C 50-55, 100% Challenger. Only slightly higher mash temp at 152F x 90 min. Delicious.

 

[Willy]

My technique for creating a low ABV is to create a recipe calling for about 4.5% ABV and using "taste forward " malts - meaning I get the taste with less malt. Simpsons golden promise, Marris Otter, Munich would be examples of taste forward malts. Serving colder also seems to help especially in the summer since it is quenches the thirst.

After a few glasses, I will consume an iced cold water or tea - reducing my intake ABV and still drinking and partaking of the full beer experience. Repeat as needed.

 

[Peteinno]

Yeah, you got it. Mash at 156-160F, for shorter times and aim for a lower starting gravity. But, yes, also using good quality, flavorful malts. The helles I have on tap is about 89% Barke Pils, 11% Carahell, 15IBU, and Omega Mexi lager, OG 1.034, FG 1.010, mashed at about 154F for an hour. Didn't need to mash for an hour but that's how it worked out. I think that 1.010 FG keeps it tasting fuller, rather than it finishing at 1.006 or whatever. I just brewed a similar beer but with 20% Barke Munich and 7% carahell (or C10), that I'm looking forward to. That one I did 154F for 30 minutes and bumped it up with an infusion to about 160F for another 15 minutes. OG was 1.036, which is slightly higher than I was aiming for, but that's OK.
I think you have to also keep in mind that you need to drop the IBUs accordingly to keep the balance.

Thank you, I'll give it a try next brew day.

 

[Peteinno]

One of my favorites. No specialty malts needed. 95%+/- MO, 5% +/- C 50-55, 100% Challenger. Only slightly higher mash temp at 152F x 90 min. Delicious.

View attachment 852823

Thanks for the recipe, kind of puts it all in perspective. Interesting that you're using a normal mash temp and longer mash time. Not quite how it's described in some earlier posts. I guess there's more than one way to skin a rabbit.