Non-Alcoholic Beer

[marcownz747]

My father is a recovering alcoholic. He is also the man who I've helped brew since I was 8. He still drinks NA beers, and we still talk beer production all the time.

With that in mind, his 50th birthday is in 6 weeks. I want to try my hand at an NA beer for his birthday.

I've been reading into it, and it seems like everybody is just making a regular beer, boiling out the alcohol, and then bottle conditioning. However... I've also heard that a number of brews made this way end up skunky or flavorless.

I was wondering if, instead of making a regular beer, if one would get a higher quality product if he were to brew a non-hopped beer, boil off the alcohol, and DURING THAT BOIL he hopped it.

My father is a malt-head, so I don't have to worry about keeping a pale beer.


Alternatively, if that doesn't work, would it be okay to brew a lightly hopped beer and do a finishing hopping after the alcohol-boil?


Any help or inspiration would be nice.

 

[didinho]

Any help or inspiration would be nice.

I read that you don't need to boil it after fermentation, just heat up till 180 F and let it 30 minutes to let evaporate alcohol.
the suggestion is to start from an existing recipe, mash at 158F to get a ful body, go on with boiling, then when beer is ready and fermented, you can take the part you want alcohol free (no need to do a whole batch, you can try few liters), heat up in a pot 180°F for 30 minutes, then prime, add yeast and bottle.

 

[masskrug]

Can you do this with any style beer?

Edit: Found this old link in another thread: http://byo.com/stories/item/263-brew-a-great-non-alcoholic-beer

Please report how this goes!

 

[roastglint]

This would be a funny prank to play on a friend. watch them get "wasted" on some NA beer lol