Lower calorie hop bomb?

[fiveohmike]

So ... I have been losing a ton of weight (down about 90 lbs so far). Got another 60lbs to go...

But homebrewing and drinking beer doesn't help if oyu know what I mean. I love Double IPA's...however they are damn crazy calorific.

So...anyone got an recipes for a lighter IPA thats a hop bomb? Maybe something malty sweet with a hop explosion?

 

[brewerJase]

Beer and weight loss usually don't go hand in hand. Don't know of any low cal IPAs. Just wanted to say congrats and keep up the good work. Losing all that weight will be one of the best things you'll ever do.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[uncleleon]

I am also interested in this subject.

I'm thinking super attenuation is the key. That way you can get the alcohol and maybe that will allow one to go higher IBUs while maintaining balance.

 

[uncleleon]

Maybe something like a saison yeast and start the wort at like 9brix, so you can get 5abv and FG somewhere in the realm of 1.005?

We need one of you scientist types on this thread.

 

[germanicus81]

Try searching for session IPAs. I really enjoy Firestone Walker Easy Jack, which is somewhere around 3.5%. There is a thread here somewhere where a clone attempt has been made. Congrats on your achievement, I'm on a similar journey which I started right after making an 8-wire iStout clone imperial Stout at 14%. Needless to say I didn't get to drink much of that one...

 

[liamw]

Congrats on the weight loss! If you're looking for a beer, you're picked a tough style. +1 on the session IPA suggestion. Stone brewing's "go to IPA" is a great one. 4.5% with a wild hop aroma. The problem with super-high attenuation is the alcohol. Alcohol itself has calories, so the lower the ABV, usually the lower the calorie count in the beer (hence the session IPA being a good choice). Alcohol contains 7Cal/gram, whereas sugar contains 4Cal/gram. For that reason, a drier finish/higher attenuation may not be of any benefit.

My advice would be to stick to the low ABV beers for a lower cal content. The session IPAs, while some can be out of balance toward the hop side, are my personal favourite in a lower ABV beer (much better than a bud light!)

 

[fiveohmike]

Congrats on the weight loss! If you're looking for a beer, you're picked a tough style. +1 on the session IPA suggestion. Stone brewing's "go to IPA" is a great one. 4.5% with a wild hop aroma. The problem with super-high attenuation is the alcohol. Alcohol itself has calories, so the lower the ABV, usually the lower the calorie count in the beer (hence the session IPA being a good choice). Alcohol contains 7Cal/gram, whereas sugar contains 4Cal/gram. For that reason, a drier finish/higher attenuation may not be of any benefit.

My advice would be to stick to the low ABV beers for a lower cal content. The session IPAs, while some can be out of balance toward the hop side, are my personal favourite in a lower ABV beer (much better than a bud light!)

Ive been trying some session IPA's but I can't get the massive hop backend I am looking for. Maybe I am not dry hopping enough so I was looking for a recipe

Thanks for the advice and the support! Weight loss is no joke, I had been trying for years...all the gimmicks....so this time around I just did this:

Eat a little less, drink a little less, move a lot of more and pick up and put down heavy objects repeatedly.

Working pretty well.

 

[markstache]

I am (at this moment) enjoying my session IPA (name haters, hate all you want):

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/session-ipa-draft

I took advice from Drake's and Tasty McDole: how overall OG, high percentage of crystal malts, a heavy hand when it comes to hops.

One could split hairs and say this this a hoppy pale ale. I wouldn't disagree. But it is enjoyable.

Here's another sessionable hop (aroma, not as much bitterness) recipe

 

[fiveohmike]

I am (at this moment) enjoying my session IPA (name haters, hate all you want):

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/session-ipa-draft

I took advice from Drake's and Tasty McDole: how overall OG, high percentage of crystal malts, a heavy hand when it comes to hops.

One could split hairs and say this this a hoppy pale ale. I wouldn't disagree. But it is enjoyable.

Here's another sessionable hop (aroma, not as much bitterness) recipe

Ooooh that looks good. I may just do this....but also add a 2oz dry hop in the keg on top of it all.

 

[JKaranka]

Low OG is what you're looking for. I brewer an oatmeal 'stout' at around 1030 with ridiculous amounts of roasted malts and highly hopped too. It was harsh enough to keep me satiated and the oats masked the thin body. My mate didn't think much of it, but it was viscous and black as night. I think I dry hopped it with Citra and Galaxy.

 

[uncleleon]

Congrats on the weight loss! If you're looking for a beer, you're picked a tough style. +1 on the session IPA suggestion. Stone brewing's "go to IPA" is a great one. 4.5% with a wild hop aroma. The problem with super-high attenuation is the alcohol. Alcohol itself has calories, so the lower the ABV, usually the lower the calorie count in the beer (hence the session IPA being a good choice). Alcohol contains 7Cal/gram, whereas sugar contains 4Cal/gram. For that reason, a drier finish/higher attenuation may not be of any benefit. !)

I've never heard this before. I would like it if you had a source so I could learn further.

So alcohol production is creating calories? Seems magical.

My rational was to be able to start with a lower OG and still get in the 4abv range?

 

[Xpertskir]

Ive worked REALLY hard developing session IPA recipes for this very reason. This beer mimics the body of a much bigger beer and has all the hop flavor you are looking for.

Mash at 156 This is a 10 gallon batch, obviously

13 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 70.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.1 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.1 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 4 8.1 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5 5.4 %
0.35 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 8.5 IBUs
0.35 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 7.9 IBUs
0.75 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 9.0 IBUs
0.75 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 8.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 8.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 11 8.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 12 4.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 13 4.5 IBUs
2.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [35.49 ml] Yeast 16 -

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.8 %
Bitterness: 59.9 IBUs Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 5.8 SRM

 

[Xpertskir]

Oh, I dry hopped with 3 ounces of each hop for the 10 gallon batch

 

[fiveohmike]

Hey Xpertskir,

Thanks for this! I actually will be brewing that recipe this or next weekend!!

Mike

 

[Xpertskir]

No problem. Make sure and use a low attenuating yeast, such as the one listed.


Just to give you some of the overall lessons that resulted in that recipe, in case you want to make your own in the future.


You have to work really hard to trick the beer into having that FG. Hence the high percentage of specialty malts, high mash temp, and low attenuating yeast.

I used a flavorful base malt because you need to use every opportunity to get flavor into the beer, and wheat/oats to increase body/mouthfeel.

 

[uncleleon]

I think I'll try this recipe

 

[241]

Do a vienna malt brew, with just a touch of crystal 40. 11 lbs does a pretty good batch. WLP001, 002 or 810 (my favorite). Add hops as needed.

I like the Vienna malt because it gives that nice mouth feel, like it is bigger bodied than it actually is. Crystal for sweetness. Mash dry or sweet, whatever your preference.

 

[JKaranka]

I found my dinner stout recipe (translating from metric to US):

For 5 gallons
4.4lb Pale malt
3/4lb Flaked oats
1lb Roast barley
1/2lb Chocolate malt
1/2lb Amber malt
3oz Carapils

60m - 1oz Marynka
10m - 1oz Marynka

When I brewed I ended up with OG/FG 1.035/1.009. 35SRM, 32IBU.

To be fair, I also brewed a higher abv version with two shots of coffee and dry hopped with 4oz of Citra and it was cracking, so feel free to mess up with it...