Bringing 3.2% beer back!

[MaxStout]

Damned Lutherans!

Funny you say that as Minnesota is the state that brought us Prohibition. Andrew Volstead was a Congressman from MN who authored the bill. He was Norwegian-American, so quite likely Lutheran.

Today, the battle is mainly between opposing business interests, and has little to do with temperance, though I recall a few pearl-clutchers speak out against the Sunday sales bill.

 

[mac_1103]

Funny you say that as Minnesota is the state that brought us Prohibition. Andrew Volstead was a Congressman from MN who authored the bill. He was Norwegian-American, so quite likely Lutheran.

I knew who Volstead was and where he was from, but almost everything else I know about Minnesota comes from "A Prairie Home Companion."

 

[MaxStout]

"Minnesota 13".


Along the MN borders, some (apparently) pragmatic businesses do creative things to not "fight that fight".

In the MSP/STP area, LiftBridge opened a tap room in New Richmond WI. Tattersall (spirits) repurposed a ShopKO building in River Falls WI to expand and create an impressive destination.

There are similar stories in the Duluth/Superior and Fargo/Moorhead area.

Those moves were driven by MN's production cap (once production exceeds the statutory limit, no more growler sales). Different battle--the moves had little to do with the grocery sales issue, which is primarily driven by....grocery stores. Incidentally, in 2022, MN increased the production cap for small breweries from 20k bbls to 150k bbls/year. So larger craft breweries can still offer growler fills in their taprooms. But that bill was reactive--only after MN saw some significant business scoot across the border.

Those producers moving across the border were doing so to enjoy the neighboring states' more permissive production laws. I get it. If I was operating a MN brewery or distillery about to reach the statutory threshold, I'd move, rather than wait years for our legislature to (maybe) pass a bill. It's more cost-effective and more conducive to business growth to simply move part or all of production to a favorable, nearby state. I recall a couple of them making a bunch of noise in the press to thumb their noses at MN.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

The interesting events are often (not always, but often) "along the edges"

Along the MN borders, some (apparently) pragmatic businesses do creative things to not "fight that fight".

Those moves were driven by MN's production cap (once production exceeds the statutory limit, no more growler sales). Different battle--the moves had little to do with the grocery sales issue, which is primarily driven by....grocery stores. Incidentally, in 2022, MN increased the production cap for small breweries from 20k bbls to 150k bbls/year. So larger craft breweries can still offer growler fills in their taprooms. But that bill was reactive--only after MN saw some significant business scoot across the border.

Those producers moving across the border were doing so to enjoy the neighboring states' more permissive production laws. I get it. If I was operating a MN brewery or distillery about to reach the statutory threshold, I'd move, rather than wait years for our legislature to (maybe) pass a bill. It's more cost-effective and more conducive to business growth to simply move part or all of production to a favorable, nearby state. I recall a couple of them making a bunch of noise in the press to thumb their noses at MN.

"Love it or leave it", fight for what you want (but don't "die on that hill"), or enjoy living on the edge. So many choices, so little time.

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[BrewnWKopperKat]

most everything else I know about Minnesota comes from "A Prairie Home Companion."

And, in 2024, rumor has it that "the children are [still] all above average" in Lake Wobegon.

At the time, Keillor was typically seen as funny in the metro MN area [MSP/STP]. In Greater MN, typically not so much.

 

[gaviga]

As noted above, 3.2% was/is ABW. That's about 4% ABV. Many good beers around and can be brewed at that percent.

 

[madscientist451]

My first experience with 3.2 beer was at West Virginia University in the late 70’s. All the dive bars served cheap Stroh’s, which I believe was from Detroit. I think the they just added water to their regular beer to hit 3.2. Some bars had $.25 beer night or happy hour. That beer sucked, but we had fun anyway.
These days I’ve been trying to cut alcohol and calories but still enjoy a few beers after work. My low ABV homebrews have been a mixed bag, but I’ve learned a lot and it always gets consumed.

 

[Kickass]

“3.2” was a bad, and often unavoidable, word being stationed in Oklahoma and Kansas for a large portion of my career. It still makes me shake my head a little.
On a serious note, my brewing has steadily embraced lower and lower ABV beers. Although, not in the 3% range, a lot of my beers are around 4.5%

 

[MaxStout]

My first experience with 3.2 beer was at West Virginia University in the late 70’s. All the dive bars served cheap Stroh’s, which I believe was from Detroit. I think the they just added water to their regular beer to hit 3.2. Some bars had $.25 beer night or happy hour. That beer sucked, but we had fun anyway.
These days I’ve been trying to cut alcohol and calories but still enjoy a few beers after work. My low ABV homebrews have been a mixed bag, but I’ve learned a lot and it always gets consumed.
View attachment 852932

I went to college around the same time as you, in a state that had 2 sets of minimum drinking ages. It was 18 for 3.2 beer; 21 for "high-point" beer, wine and spirits. Bars were either licensed to serve 3.2, or the other. So those 3.2 taverns were hangouts for college underclassmen. Good times, good times.

 

[elf_brewery]

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!

You need to remember that 3.2% beers back then are alcohol by weight, not ABV. The ABV equivalent would be ~4%, do no hassle. We brew English milds at 3.5-4% (light, dark, hoppy, or not) all the time and have no problem downing more than a couple each night.
Beer is a beverage in many countries. I like that.

 

[Witherby]

Damned Lutherans!

Luther’s wife Katharina was a homebrewer and Luther was quite fond of beer. It’s the pietist Scandinavian Lutherans that immigrated to the US that were the problem. German American Lutherans are heavy drinkers. Our Church picnic growing up had kegs of beer and everyone had a beer in one hand and a glove on the other in the softball game.

 

[mashdar]

I happen to have just brewed an experimental "small robust porter" at 3.2% ABV.

I used Bobby's kit, but did a ~90 minute cold (75F) extract* of half of the grain bill.

I used some Omega Kolsch II I had on hand.

I ended up with 1.038OG, 1.014FG, 40% brewhouse efficiency, 63% apparent attenuation, 3.2% ABV. Final uncarbonated pH = 4.5.

It just went in the keg post-crash 2 days ago. I'll update when it's ready to serve. The hydrometer sample was tasty and good body for 3.2%.

*The cold extract was steeping the crushed grain in the mash strike volume of water at 75F (basement temperature). It was recirculating, and I periodically stirred and lifted the malt pipe. Before heating, I gave it a 30 minute starch precipitation rest, then poured off the starch and proceeded with mash.
I was worried to O2 scavenging bread yeast might go wild, but activity seemed minimal.

 

[elf_brewery]

I happen to have just brewed an experimental "small robust porter" at 3.2% ABV.

I used Bobby's kit, but did a ~90 minute cold (75F) extract* of half of the grain bill.

I used some Omega Kolsch II I had on hand.

I ended up with 1.038OG, 1.014FG, 40% brewhouse efficiency, 63% apparent attenuation, 3.2% ABV. Final uncarbonated pH = 4.5.

It just went in the keg post-crash 2 days ago. I'll update when it's ready to serve. The hydrometer sample was tasty and good body for 3.2%.

*The cold extract was steeping the crushed grain in the mash strike volume of water at 75F (basement temperature). It was recirculating, and I periodically stirred and lifted the malt pipe. Before heating, I gave it a 30 minute starch precipitation rest, then poured off the starch and proceeded with mash.
I was worried to O2 scavenging bread yeast might go wild, but activity seemed minimal.

I remember visiting a brewpub in Park CIty, UT decades ago, after Utah was allowed to brew and sell at a pub, but it had to be no more than 3.2% ABW. It was certainly tasty with plenty of body.

 

[JAReeves]

I am brewing as often as possible to keep a keg of either pale ale or pilsner that runs about 3.5% on tap at all times. I like hoppy, but the bitterness needs to hang at 30 or less for it to be drinkable (do NOT make a 4% ABV with 50 IBU's of CTZ. Ask me how I know ). I am waiting to keg the latest SMaSH pale ale, Maris Otter and Whole-Cone Centennial. 3.6%, 32 IBU (est.). Instead of a Whirlpool, I dip-hopped 1 oz and at the tail-end of fermentation dry-hopped with 2 oz. It smells really good.

 

[Hermit]

Does this count as 'bringing it back'?

I found half case of these. I moved about 4 years ago. This has been sitting under some stuff. I opened one warm and gave it a sniff. I went upstairs for a glass and when I came back it had gushed a little. Not much though. About the only thing I could taste was the roasted grain. But, I've never been a fan of hops so they would have been on the low end as a bittering agent only. All that stuff about low ABV brews not storing well? It was quite drinkable. No cardboard. No sherry. Just roasted grain. I don't think I got any hop or even yeast esters though. I'm not big on tasting notes so after 11 years, I won't pretend my recollection is all that good.

 

[Broothru]

Funny you say that as Minnesota is the state that brought us Prohibition. Andrew Volstead was a Congressman from MN who authored the bill. He was Norwegian-American, so quite likely Lutheran.

Today, the battle is mainly between opposing business interests, and has little to do with temperance, though I recall a few pearl-clutchers speak out against the Sunday sales bill.

My wife comes from a long lineage of Minnesota Norwegian/Swede and Iowa Germans, all Lutheran. The first thing I learned about that religion is that you have to identify the synodical basis for each “flavor” of Lutheranism. I’ll guarantee, the branch she came from is anything but Prohibitionist teetotalers.

I was born and college educated in Kansas where liquor by the drink doesn’t exist outside of private clubs, liquor stores closed by 7 pm, no Sunday sales, and beer was 3.2% ABV. The saving grace was you could legally buy beer at 18, and fake IDs were easy to come by. Or so I’m told. Allegedly.

I consumed quite a lot of 3.2% beer back in those days. Allegedly.

 

[elf_brewery]

Just something I found on the web:
"Alcohol in 2019, as it has been for the past half-century, is measured in terms of ABV, or alcohol by volume. But because 3.2 percent beer is an odd relic of the past, it is not measured in this way; 3.2 actually means the percentage of alcohol by weight. If we’re talking in terms of ABV, which modern drinkers understand much better, 3.2 percent beer is really 4.0 percent beer. That’s not too different from the percentage of alcohol by weight in many “full” beers; Amstel Light clocks in at 4.1 percent, and Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Bud Light are all at 4.2 percent."
3.2% ABV would be 2.56% ABW. So, The 3.2 beer we remember from the 60's is stronger than the 3.2 beer of today.

 

[mac_1103]

Just something I found on the web:

Mentioned that a month ago on the previous page of this very thread.

 

[beersk]

Just something I found on the web:
"Alcohol in 2019, as it has been for the past half-century, is measured in terms of ABV, or alcohol by volume. But because 3.2 percent beer is an odd relic of the past, it is not measured in this way; 3.2 actually means the percentage of alcohol by weight. If we’re talking in terms of ABV, which modern drinkers understand much better, 3.2 percent beer is really 4.0 percent beer. That’s not too different from the percentage of alcohol by weight in many “full” beers; Amstel Light clocks in at 4.1 percent, and Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Bud Light are all at 4.2 percent."
3.2% ABV would be 2.56% ABW. So, The 3.2 beer we remember from the 60's is stronger than the 3.2 beer of today.

Yes and I mistakenly forgot that it was alcohol by weight and not percent. But I've brewed a few now, some have finished under 3% and they're a bit light. They almost remind of some NA beers where you really miss the sweetness that alcohol provides. I'm thinking to bump my original gravity up to about 1.040 from 1.034 to get a slight boost in ABV and flavor. I've been mashing for 45 minutes - the first 30 minutes at 156F, then infusing with a bit of water to bring it up to 162F for another 15 minutes. Then I boil for 45 minutes. Last 3 beers have all started at 1.036 and finished at 1.014. Jury's still out as to how they taste as they're still lagering.

But if I don't care for them much then with my future beers I will be bumping up that OG a bit to 1.040 and maybe mashing a bit lower to get it to dry out to 1.010 or so. Still lower ABV overall, which is the goal.

 

[elf_brewery]

Yes and I mistakenly forgot that it was alcohol by weight and not percent. But I've brewed a few now, some have finished under 3% and they're a bit light. They almost remind of some NA beers where you really miss the sweetness that alcohol provides. I'm thinking to bump my original gravity up to about 1.040 from 1.034 to get a slight boost in ABV and flavor. I've been mashing for 45 minutes - the first 30 minutes at 156F, then infusing with a bit of water to bring it up to 162F for another 15 minutes. Then I boil for 45 minutes. Last 3 beers have all started at 1.036 and finished at 1.014. Jury's still out as to how they taste as they're still lagering.

But if I don't care for them much then with my future beers I will be bumping up that OG a bit to 1.040 and maybe mashing a bit lower to get it to dry out to 1.010 or so. Still lower ABV overall, which is the goal.

Keep on updating. We brew 1030 OG and drink it all all evening. The brews could use a little improvement, but they're as good (or as close to good) as most craft beers that are below 5%ABV.

 

[worlddivides]

It's possible that with the Berliner Weisses and goses I've brewed at 3% to 3.5% ABV, the sourness from the lactobacillus helps balance it out. Because honestly, a Berliner Weisse I've made several times is one of my favorite recipes, and the first time I made it, I got waldmeister (woodroof) and raspberry syrups from Germany to try. Those brought the ABV down to 1.5% or 2% ABV, but they were still refreshing. I personally preferred the beer without any syrup, but adding syrup is the most common way Berliner Weisses are drunk in Germany. And as I mentioned earlier in this thread, there are some commercial low ABV IPAs around 3% and 3.3% ABV that are really well balanced, so 3% ABV is certainly not going to hurt.

 

[OleBrewing]

i should start lower abv 4-4.5 for the daily table beer. right now i just buy Genesse as the boat beer. but a mild in that range would be nice instead of the 5-6% i usually make that really sneak up quickly; well drinking out of glass speeds up the process of consumption also.

 

[tdf]

1.040 / 10p is really the sweet spot for me. Depending on attenuation you get something in the 4%abv/3.2%abw. With a carefully chosen grist I can get some reasonable malt flavor. Much below that and I either get watery or grainy flavors.

Light lager
10p czech pils
English bitter
"American" bitter

all thrive in this range.

 

[ba-brewer]

In one of the "can you brew it" episodes on the brewing network for the Lagunitas IPA the head brewer mentioned they mash at 160 and it does not have too much effect on the body. He said the Beta enzymes do get denatured at some point but due to the higher temp they work faster before so doing so.

In my system 148 to 154 give about the same results but if I mash in over 156 then I do see a higher final gravity. My RIMS controller was off by 12F for a couple brews recently so I ended up with a 3.5%ABV Czech dark lager because I mashed at 164 instead of 152F.

I was already brewing a lot of best bitters in the 4%ABV range but started doing lagers in that range too lately. Served a little warmer and with less carbonation helps give the impression of more body and you get more flavor.

 

[beersk]

1.040 / 10p is really the sweet spot for me. Depending on attenuation you get something in the 4%abv/3.2%abw. With a carefully chosen grist I can get some reasonable malt flavor. Much below that and I either get watery or grainy flavors.

Light lager
10p czech pils
English bitter
"American" bitter

all thrive in this range.

This is what I'm experiencing, the grainy flavors. Normally I'd be all for that, but they aren't good grainy flavors. It's just like in NA beers, weird, almost not quite, but not entirely unlike beer. Kind of like when I did the cold mash beers. Just not a fan. NA beer is a waste of time and calories. If I'm not going to drink beer with alcohol, I'm just plain not going to drink beer.

 

[crazyjake19]

After I'm through my Märzen and Dunkelweizen, I'm taking a deeper dive on Czech lagers this fall/winter and look forward to having a 3.7% Czech pale lager on tap, as well as an U Fleku tmavé pivo clone at around 4.7%.

 

[Bramling Cross]

In my system 148 to 154 give about the same results but if I mash in over 156 then I do see a higher final gravity. My RIMS controller was off by 12F for a couple brews recently so I ended up with a 3.5%ABV Czech dark lager because I mashed at 164 instead of 152F.

I was already brewing a lot of best bitters in the 4%ABV range but started doing lagers in that range too lately. Served a little warmer and with less carbonation helps give the impression of more body and you get more flavor.

Those are two great points.

I wasted years hunting for ideal conversion rest temps within that range. Didn't find any silver bullets. I kidnapped Germany's Hochkurz profile a few years ago and tend to use it for everything except ordinary bitter and mild. Seems to work fine, but after years of suffering through my under-attenuated early efforts and the over-use of C-malts during the IBU wars, I have a bit of a fetish for dry finishes.

If there's anything in this world that I believe in, I mean really believe in, it's your point about carbonation and serving temp. I don't even keep my UK ales hooked up to the gas. Instead, I practice a debased form of cellarmanship that involves moving the gas around to kegs as they need it and administering short squirts of gas. It also involves a lotta cussing and banging various body parts into the fridge. I'm not sure if that helps, but it seems to be an integral part of the process.

 

[Bramling Cross]

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

I second that book recommendation. In my opinion, it's the most useful brewing book that has been written in the past twenty years. Sure it's about session beers, but what Talley is writing about isn't applicable only to session beers. Frankly, it's the revised version of Designing Great Beers that folks frequently clamor for.

 

[MaxStout]

I second that book recommendation. In my opinion, it's the most useful brewing book that has been written in the past twenty years. Sure it's about session beers, but what Talley is writing about isn't applicable only to session beers. Frankly, it's the revised version of Designing Great Beers that folks frequently clamor for.

Just added to my Amazon wish list.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Just added to my Amazon wish list.

You won't regret it. I've been though it cover to cover about four times and I'm still picking stuff up.

 

[jcfontario]

After I'm through my Märzen and Dunkelweizen, I'm taking a deeper dive on Czech lagers this fall/winter and look forward to having a 3.7% Czech pale lager on tap, as well as an U Fleku tmavé pivo clone at around 4.7%.

I would be really interested to hear how your U Fleku travel pivo turns out. What recipe are you using?

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I second that book recommendation. In my opinion, it's the most useful brewing book that has been written in the past twenty years. Sure it's about session beers, but what Talley is writing about isn't applicable only to session beers. Frankly, it's the revised version of Designing Great Beers that folks frequently clamor for.

I am sure I have said this before in other posts, but it is one of my brewing books that I was most disappointed in. I have looked back through it, and I just don't see what others see.

• There is good information about the history of session beers and some current trends. This might be interesting to read, but I did not find it very educational (at least when it comes to information to help me craft session beers).
• There is very little first hand knowledge directly from the author about what she learned brewing 4% ABV beers. Chapter 2 should be packed full of solid advice about creating session beers, but it seems to be very generic. Lots of it is just "follow good brewing practices" advice.
• About half of the recipe given are just standard examples of styles that are already in the sub 5% range and lots of the recipe are for beers above 5% ABV. I don't want a recipe for a 5.2% Cream Ale. I want to know how to make a 4% ABV beer that drinks like a "standard" IPA, Robust Porter, etc.
• Most recipes have 1 page of text about the brewery, but instead of sharing knowledge that that brewery has about making session beers it is just generic info about the brewery that could have been coped from their "About Us" webpage.
• Also, very few of the recipes are from the author (I think there is one or two.) This would be great insight into the types of recipes that she created and brewed.

I don't recall brewing any of the recipes. The book is 240 pages long, and about half of it is the recipe sections (including the "about the brewery" pages). Most of the recipes are versions of commercial beers (and I think the recipes came from the breweries). It is a decent listing of recipes in the 4% to 5% ABV range. I am pretty sure there are twice as many over 5% recipes than under 4% ones though.

 

[beersk]

I am sure I have said this before in other posts, but it is one of my brewing books that I was most disappointed in. I have looked back through it, and I just don't see what others see.

• 
  
• About half of the recipe given are just standard examples of styles that are already in the sub 5% range and lots of the recipe are for beers above 5% ABV. I don't want a recipe for a 5.2% Cream Ale. I want to know how to make a 4% ABV beer that drinks like a "standard" IPA, Robust Porter, etc.

I am beginning to believe that is really just isn't possible. The alcohol makes up a huge flavor component of the style/beer even if we don't "perceive" it. As mentioned above, without it, the beer tends to become grainy tasting. I'm noticing this more and more as I brew these low abv beers. Body is not a problem, that's easy to keep in low abv, but that flavor component is huge, I feel.

 

[mashdar]

I've been wondering if reduced CO2 scrubbing affects flavor. Maybe that's where some of the 3% graininess comes from?

The volume of CO2 to test from a tank is too high, but I'm tempted to bubble fermentation gas from a normal beer through a low ABV beer as a test.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I am beginning to believe that is really just isn't possible. The alcohol makes up a huge flavor component of the style/beer even if we don't "perceive" it. As mentioned above, without it, the beer tends to become grainy tasting. I'm noticing this more and more as I brew these low abv beers. Body is not a problem, that's easy to keep in low abv, but that flavor component is huge, I feel.

Maybe that is where my expectations of the book were out of line with reality. I do agree that we tend to underestimate the impact of the alcohol in beers. I don't gravitate to Quads, Imperial Stouts or Double IPAs just because I want to get drunk. Hazy Pale Ale is a style that I think I like, but 80% of the ones I order are bad (they seemed to be much better on my New Zealand trip where beers in the sub-5.5% range are the norm).

I to tend to think that with some tweaks to the mash, grain bill, and yeast, it is not too hard to push a beer down 1% to 1.5% ABV without a ton of impact. That likely means a 4% beer with the same calories and more carbs than a 5% beer.

 

[hottpeper13]

I got the book hoping to learn how to make flavorful beers in the 3.2 % abv range but only saw 4%-5% ones which I have a very good handle on. most useless book I own.

 

[worlddivides]

I got the book hoping to learn how to make flavorful beers in the 3.2 % abv range but only saw 4%-5% ones which I have a very good handle on. most useless book I own.

I do get the definition of "session" for 4% to 5% for beers that are more typically much stronger, but I've had so many times where I've bought something that said "Session X" and when I brought it home and looked at the ABV, it was 5.5% or 6% and I'm like "How the hell is that SESSION?!" In my opinion session is 4.5% or lower, but it seems that 4% to 5% is a more common definition, and some people will take it all the way to 6%. I wonder if their explanation is "Well, this is a style that is more typically around 8% or 9%, so 6% for the style would be 'session.'"

I think part of the problem is that some people don't even seem to take the ABV into account and they just see "session" as meaning "you can drink a ton of them without getting tired... even if they're 8% ABV." For me, it's not just drinkability or enjoyment ("CRUSHABILITY"?!), but how drunk having several of them will make you. I mean, the word "session" infers that you're drinking a lot of them. If you "session" a bunch of 6%, 7%, 8%, and 9% beers, you're going to have a hangover the next day. To really be sessionable, it has to be under 5%, usually in the 4% to 4.5% range, but personally I think under 4% is good for session beers too.

 

[elf_brewery]

I agree. How can one stop by a brewpub on the way home and share a round of beers at 6% and see well enough to drive home safely? Session beers are more along the line of milds and ordinary bitter, but keeping the number of pints low is important to enjoying them and the drive.

Just a thought, have any of you tried the repour test of a highly carbonated beer. We learned about this a few decades ago. Open a beer (or tap a pint) and pour half of it into a large pitcher (not quickly, but without trying to stop/slow down the foam). Then in a minute or two, pour a beer from the pitcher. Now try the undecanted beer, then the one from the pitcher. Much, much smoother. Yum.

 

[Gary25]

I decided to take a swing at a 3.2% ABV beer using a Rye Pale Ale I normally brew to about 5% ABV. Results: solid rye flavor, but slightly thinner than the original. I also noted head retention is somewhat degraded. Otherwise, really turned out well.

Some specifics:

Malt bill:
Pale ale malt:68%
Flaked rye: 17%
Munich 10l: 12%
Caramel 40l: 3%
(20% less malt than the 5% version; slight increase in Munich and used pale ale base malt in lieu of two row)

Mash: 160 degrees F for 60 minutes
IBU: 19.7
US 05 yeast
OG: 1.034
FG: 1.013
ABV: 3.2%

I may try adding some wheat malt or carapils to the malt bill to help with head retention. My impression is distinct flavor of rye makes it a good candidate for a low alcohol beer. I’d welcome any thoughts on improving this recipe or the process.

 

[Gary25]

I should add I normally mash this at 152 degrees F. FG was two points higher with the 160 degree mash.