I have made plenty of cider, and wines so far but would like to brew something with a lower ABV. What are some of your favorite recipes for a light beer? Would like something similar to Budweiser
I make an adjunct lager that I like a lot. I started with Weikert’s Mexican Lager recipe. You could follow it exactly and I’m sure it would be fine.
My changes: I use Maris and flaked corn in roughly equal amounts, and then the ~2% of Munich he suggests. I’ve hopped with Hydra and Lotus, which both bring plenty of citrus, though I’m sure Motueka would work too. And then I use W34/70 to ferment, because dry yeast is easier.
I used to brew one I called Tutweiser. The usual label was, of course, a parody of a Budweiser label. This one was from 2009 when InBev swooped in.
This is not high ABV, but I never took gravity readings on it.
5 gallon batch
4 lbs. Muntons extra light or Briess pilsen DME
1 lb. rice solids
about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 oz Tettnang hops for the boil for 5 - 5 1/2 HBU. (The last Tettnang I had were a low 2.3 alpha, so maybe 2 1/4 oz.)
1/4 oz. Tettnang for aroma
1 package Nottingham or USO5 ale yeast (Yes, those are ale yeasts. I had/have no lagering capability and ferment at basement ambient. It works fine.)
For an easy brew day, do a 30 minute partial boil of 1 1/2 lb. DME and the rice solids dissolved in 11/2 gal. water. At 0 minutes add the other 2 1/2 lb. of DME predissolved in 1/2 gal. water. Add the aroma hops and let cool in sink bath for about 20 min.before transferring to the fermenter and topping to 5 gallons with chilled water.