Sub 1.030 beers

[cooper]

This is great stuff!

 

[MVKTR2]

I love these threads and God bless you guys for understanding that bigger isn't always better/one size doesn't fit all. Not knocking 'big' or even average beers, just enjoy seeing others whom enjoy 3% as much as 10%.

Best low abv I ever did was a fresh hop low alc ipa.

 

[TyTanium]

I like this thread, thanks for the great recipes! I've enjoyed some in the mid-upper 30's range, gives a bit more room to work with.

My most recent is this dark session IPA. I'm really pleased with how it turned out:
5 lbs Pale Ale
1 lb Munich
0.5 lb Victory
0.25 C120
0.25 Midnight Wheat, cold-steeped

Columbus @ 60
Citra @ 10
Citra/Amarillo @ 0
Citra/Amarillo/Columbus @ DH

 

[shoreman]

Here's my next one - probably brew in 2 weeks. I've got the san fran lager strain on hand and my basement is super cold right now so I'm going to try it out in this micro IPA, I think it will do well with the fuggles:

Fuggles Micro IPA

Crisp Maris Otter 3 lbs, 0 oz
Crisp Crystal Malt 15L 1 lbs, 8 oz
Weyermann Pale Wheat 0 lbs, 6 oz
Briess 2 Row Caramel 120 0 lbs, 5 oz

Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 60 mins
Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 40 mins
Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 20 mins
Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 10 mins

Fuggles Whole Dry hop in the keg

 

[FlyDoctor]

Here's my next one - probably brew in 2 weeks. I've got the san fran lager strain on hand and my basement is super cold right now so I'm going to try it out in this micro IPA, I think it will do well with the fuggles:

Fuggles Micro IPA

Crisp Maris Otter 3 lbs, 0 oz
Crisp Crystal Malt 15L 1 lbs, 8 oz
Weyermann Pale Wheat 0 lbs, 6 oz
Briess 2 Row Caramel 120 0 lbs, 5 oz

Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 60 mins
Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 40 mins
Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 20 mins
Fuggles Whole 1 oz @ 10 mins

Fuggles Whole Dry hop in the keg

This looks great as well. Do you a projected gravity?

This thread is gold.

 

[eyebrau]

I do a SMaSH ordinary bitter that I like. 6 lbs. Maris Otter, boil an hour before the first hop addition (for color), 1 oz Kent Goldings @ 60min, 1/2 oz. @ 10 min, 1/2 oz. at flame out. Comes out around 3.4%. Simple, tasty, and super cheap.

 

[shoreman]

This looks great as well. Do you a projected gravity?

This thread is gold.

Sg of 1.028 hopefully - one thing I've found is that you really have to nail your projections b/c If you loose .006 or so it becomes a different beer you know?

 

[shoreman]

I do a SMaSH ordinary bitter that I like. 6 lbs. Maris Otter, boil an hour before the first hop addition (for color), 1 oz Kent Goldings @ 60min, 1/2 oz. @ 10 min, 1/2 oz. at flame out. Comes out around 3.4%. Simple, tasty, and super cheap.

Sounds super tasty! Live EKG

 

[FlyDoctor]

Sg of 1.028 hopefully - one thing I've found is that you really have to nail your projections b/c If you loose .006 or so it becomes a different beer you know?

Yeah - .006 on a 1.060 beer makes no difference, but when .006 makes up 20% of your fermentables, you need to be spot on!

 

[shoreman]

A beer I'm working on now that I've seen alot in my Belgian Beers book is an apple ale - looks like pilsner malt then secondary on apple juice - sometimes spice is added and they are around 3%- sounds like an awesome summer quencher.

Anyone brewed anything like it?

 

[tagz]

Was thinking about putting together a pale mild recipe. Here's what I'm thinking...

79% Vienna
10% Crystal 20
8% Flaked Barley
3% Aromatic

Warrior at 60
.25 Columbus at 5
.25 Amarillo at 5
.50 Columbus at flameout
.50 Amarillo at flameout

OG 1.038
IBU 22

Wyeast 1968

Thoughts?

So I think I'll take shoreman's advice and approach this one a different way. I'm keeping the grain bill because I think it'll provide the body and depth I'm looking for in a session beer. I'm going to ferment with 1214 have in the fridge and just do a single flavor addition with Styrian Goldings. I'll probably drop the IBUs down to 15-18 as well.

 

[g-love]

I love this thread! This is totally my style. I think it's an art to take a beer this small and make it good. sub'd

 

[FlyDoctor]

James Spencer at Basic Brewing has posted a few low gravity recipes,- I've been very curious about them but was hold off on brewing them unless I heard an impartial review. Anyone here give them a crack?

 

[TNGabe]

Not quite under your cutoff but the Bam Biere clone recipe is a great grist bill. It comes in at 1.037. I used a saison/brett blend and ended up with a 5% beer, but with a less attenuative strain, it could be more in your guidelines.

 

[pwkblue]

subbed

 

[user 19629]

I brew a lot of lower gravity beers.
The SHUT UP ABOUT BARCLAY PERKINS website is great.
I plan on brewing a modified version of this http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1843-whitbread-oat.html, this weekend.
Here is good listing of all the recipes on the Shut Up website:
http://www.unholymess.com/blog/lets-brew

 

[shoreman]

I brew a lot of lower gravity beers.
The SHUT UP ABOUT BARCLAY PERKINS website is great.
I plan on brewing a modified version of this http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1843-whitbread-oat.html, this weekend.
Here is good listing of all the recipes on the Shut Up website:
http://www.unholymess.com/blog/lets-brew

I love his blog I actually picked up his book on mild as an ebook and it's very good - if that's your thing

Let me know how it turns out

My oat mild was loosely based on one of those recipes on there

 

[shoreman]

http://chrisgillisonline.com/homebrew/brewday-fuggles-micro-ipa/

Just finished brewing this one - super cold here today but got it done. The bad crush i got is killing my efficiency but oh well

 

[matteroftaste]

i did a 24 hour mash on a dry irish stout that came out at 3.6%abv, a little higher than the beeres we are discussing here but it is lovely. has a creamy rich roastiness and light body. but doesnt taste aenemic like some low abv beers. the 24 hour mash gave a light sourness that works well too.
allmost like fresh guiness!

 

[D_Nyholm]

I really am excited to make myself something around 3% with some flavor. A nice pale ale or even a stout sure sounds good to me. Lighter in calories and alcohol so you can really have a few and not worry about the consequences! I gotta find myself some good recipes for that!

Has anyone taken a recipe they really like and just cut everything by 10-20% or so to lower the alcohol content or will that just make it too watery?

 

[tennesseean_87]

I would assume you'd want to cut mostly base malt. Having a higher percentage of crystals, etc. would keep the flavor and body up, as would a higher than average mash temp. I made a Saison that started at 1.038, but I think I mashed at 156 or maybe 158 since 3711 attenuates like a monster, and I even used some special B. It had a decent maltiness to it, but finished low and 4%+ abv. I would think lower attenuating yeast might be good as well to keep the FG up while scaling down the OG.

 

[shoreman]

i did a 24 hour mash on a dry irish stout that came out at 3.6%abv, a little higher than the beeres we are discussing here but it is lovely. has a creamy rich roastiness and light body. but doesnt taste aenemic like some low abv beers. the 24 hour mash gave a light sourness that works well too.
allmost like fresh guiness!

That sounds tasty - did you just mash in and leave it open all night or close it up? I'm interested in this.

 

[shoreman]

D- Tennessee hit the nail in the head - specialty grains and complex grain bills are the way to go with these beers. Yeast, spices & fruits are also things to consider. You can stick with traditional beers like mild, bitter,etc or go full on experimental and just try to make it interesting - that's what interests me.

 

[user 19629]

I have been wanting to try this one.
Barclay Perkins - 1804 - Table beer
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/11/lets-brew-wednesday-1804-barclay.html

 

[matteroftaste]

That sounds tasty - did you just mash in and leave it open all night or close it up? I'm interested in this.

i let it cool with a lid on, threw some extra grain in (contains lactoballicus) and covered the surface of the mash with cling film, you have to keep air out otherwise it goes bad. gave it a nice flavor, i will definitely do this more often for stouts. broke up the brew day too!

 

[shoreman]

I have been wanting to try this one.
Barclay Perkins - 1804 - Table beer
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/11/lets-brew-wednesday-1804-barclay.html

That beer looks great as well will have to try it - would have to toast own grains

 

[FlyDoctor]

That beer looks great as well will have to try it - would have to toast own grains

Why? The amber and brown malts are available commercially. Unless I missed the toasting in the recipe - always possible.

 

[shoreman]

Why? The amber and brown malts are available commercially. Unless I missed the toasting in the recipe - always possible.

ya I don't think you get those malts - I have an old british beers book that gives some great info on toasting to get to those malts though

 

[shoreman]

Just put up a tasting of the Oaty Mild - great little beer under 2%ABV

Oaty Mild Tasting Here

 

[tagz]

Nice post. Thanks for the update.