- Recipe Type
- All Grain
- Yeast
- WHC Labs LAX
- Batch Size (Gallons)
- 6
- Original Gravity
- 1.038
- Final Gravity
- 1.008
- Boiling Time (Minutes)
- 30
- IBU
- 40
- Color
- 14.8 EBC / 7.5 SRM
- Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
- 7 days @ 20°C
- Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
- Dry Hop 3 days at <14°C
- Tasting Notes
- Orange, Grapefruit, Passionfruit, Crisp, Dry
My new year's resolution for 2025 was to make an effort to brew some slightly lower ABV beers; I've been homebrewing about five years now averaging about a batch every 5 weeks and I can count the beers <5% that I've brewed on the fingers of one hand. As I've been getting back into weightlifting and distance swimming, I've also been looking to cut back on my alcohol intake, if not by volume then at least by proof. This has resulted in me picking up a lot of lower (sub 4% ABV) table IPAs and similar less alcoholic beers, trying to find something that satiates my desire for big punchy flavours without enough booze to make it illegal to sell in Scandinavian supermarkets. I've had a fair few beers I've really enjoyed in this quest- notably Arbour Ales "Pico Mountain", a 3.4% Table NEIPA- but nothing has really hit the mark how I've wanted it to. I've also more broadly been disappointed in the quality of so-called "West Coast" IPAs I've had from UK craft breweries recently.
So I asked myself the question: "Can you brew a sub 4% West Coast style beer that drinks like a WCIPA?" Not a West Coast style Pale, or a session IPA, but something that actually feels like a ~6.5% beer that weighs in not much more than half that. I'd not seen a professional beer that managed this, but I've done a fair few Westies that have been IMO really outstanding (like Eldritch Terror which I've documented here before).
And then Elusive Brewing announced their 9th Birthday homebrew contest.
And the rules stipulate "brew whatever you like, as long as it's sub 4%"
Challenge Accepted.
Vital Stats:
ABV: 3.8%
OG: 1.038
FG: 1.008
EBC: 14.8
IBU: 40
BU/GU: 1.07
This is a bit of a hybrid of an "old-school" and "new-school" Westie. It doesn't lean as hard into traditional Crystal malt as the picture might suggest, but makes not-insubstantial use of Simpsons Golden Naked Oats (as normally featured in my NEIPAs) to raise the OG and give a fuller mouthfeel than most lower alcohol beers manage. Hopping is distinctly new school with a split between old favourites (Amarillo and Centennial) and newer, juicer varietals (Luminosa) at around 8g/L in both the DH and whirlpool equivalent accounting for Cryo.
I used my standard 4:1 WCIPA water salt bill: circa 100 Ca2, 50 Cl, 200 SO4, and 50 HCO3.
Mash was medium fermentability (67°C) for 45 minutes with a 20 minute mash-out at 75°C. Pretty basic stuff really, I threw some ALDC in there to address any diacetyl (not that it's normally something I get) but otherwise about as simple as can be when it comes to the mash. Hopping is a bit more involved. Okay, a lot more involved. I didn't want to go much over 1.0 BU/GU in such a low ABV beer, but I did want the layering you get from multiple hotside additions, so ended up doing staggered 15 minute and 5 minute additions:
Fermentation was via a single pack of WHC Labs LAX (Chico strain) at 20°C. Soft crashed after 7 days to drop the worst of the yeast matter out of suspension, then dry hopped. Normally I would try and dump trub for a heavily hopped beer, but I was using my all-rounder so not really possible. I didn't get any perceivable negative impacts from not doing so in this instance, but YMMV and you know your systems and setups better than I do. On completion kegged and force carbonated to 2.5 volumes, then left in my kegerator for about 10 days before being plumbed in. The photo above was on about day 18, clarity isn't outstanding but it's well on the way to clearing up. Sadly, I don't know if it would have completely, because between my homebrew club, 2L entered into competition, mini kegs for a barbeque and a few pints I've enjoyed myself, the entire keg got smashed in about three weeks. Whoops.
So, what's it like? Well, it tastes like good quality mid 6% West Coast IPA, basically. It's got a nice snappy finish and plenty of juicy orange/grapefruit, a bit of pine resin and a nice tropical fruit note from the Luminosa that mostly comes across as pineapple and maybe some candied lemon peel. The body is exactly what I was going for, and the slightly diesel quality from the Amarillo gives the whole thing a touch of faux booziness that really makes it feel like a much bigger IPA than it is. The Red Rye Crystal works so well in a Westie- it adds colour and a touch of dry, spicy and slightly nutty complexity without coming across as too sweet. The finish is nice and crisp with a snappy bitterness that doesn't overstay it's welcome. It's a lower ABV beer that tastes like a pretty big IPA...and that's exactly what I wanted it to be.
Let's see how it does in competition.
So I asked myself the question: "Can you brew a sub 4% West Coast style beer that drinks like a WCIPA?" Not a West Coast style Pale, or a session IPA, but something that actually feels like a ~6.5% beer that weighs in not much more than half that. I'd not seen a professional beer that managed this, but I've done a fair few Westies that have been IMO really outstanding (like Eldritch Terror which I've documented here before).
And then Elusive Brewing announced their 9th Birthday homebrew contest.
And the rules stipulate "brew whatever you like, as long as it's sub 4%"
Challenge Accepted.
Vital Stats:
ABV: 3.8%
OG: 1.038
FG: 1.008
EBC: 14.8
IBU: 40
BU/GU: 1.07
This is a bit of a hybrid of an "old-school" and "new-school" Westie. It doesn't lean as hard into traditional Crystal malt as the picture might suggest, but makes not-insubstantial use of Simpsons Golden Naked Oats (as normally featured in my NEIPAs) to raise the OG and give a fuller mouthfeel than most lower alcohol beers manage. Hopping is distinctly new school with a split between old favourites (Amarillo and Centennial) and newer, juicer varietals (Luminosa) at around 8g/L in both the DH and whirlpool equivalent accounting for Cryo.
| Malt | Weight | Percentage |
| Floor Malted Maris Otter (Warminster) | 3.200 KG | 82% |
| Munich (Warminster) | 0.390 KG | 10% |
| Golden Naked Oats (Simpsons) | 0.200 KG | 5% |
| Red Rye Crystal (Simpsons) | 0.110 KG | 2% |
I used my standard 4:1 WCIPA water salt bill: circa 100 Ca2, 50 Cl, 200 SO4, and 50 HCO3.
Mash was medium fermentability (67°C) for 45 minutes with a 20 minute mash-out at 75°C. Pretty basic stuff really, I threw some ALDC in there to address any diacetyl (not that it's normally something I get) but otherwise about as simple as can be when it comes to the mash. Hopping is a bit more involved. Okay, a lot more involved. I didn't want to go much over 1.0 BU/GU in such a low ABV beer, but I did want the layering you get from multiple hotside additions, so ended up doing staggered 15 minute and 5 minute additions:
| Hops | Type | AA% | Weight | IBUs | Timing | Process |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 10g | 8.2 | 15m | Boil |
| Amarillo | LupoMAX | 17.6% | 5g | 5.7 | 15m | Boil |
| Luminosa | T90 | 12.5% | 5g | 4.1 | 15m | Boil |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 5g | 2 | 5m | Boil |
| Amarillo | LupoMAX | 17.6% | 5g | 2.8 | 5m | Boil |
| Luminosa | T90 | 12.5% | 5g | 2 | 5m | Boil |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 30g | 4.1 | 20m @75°C | Whirlpool |
| Amarillo | LupoMAX | 17.6% | 30g | 5.8 | 20m @75°C | Whirlpool |
| Luminosa | T90 | 12.5% | 40g | 5.5 | 20m @75°C | Whirlpool |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 20g | - | Day 7 for 3 days | Dry Hop |
| Amarillo | LupoMAX | 17.6% | 50g | - | Day 7 for 3 days | Dry Hop |
| Luminosa | T90 | 12.5% | 50g | - | Day 7 for 3 days | Dry Hop |
Fermentation was via a single pack of WHC Labs LAX (Chico strain) at 20°C. Soft crashed after 7 days to drop the worst of the yeast matter out of suspension, then dry hopped. Normally I would try and dump trub for a heavily hopped beer, but I was using my all-rounder so not really possible. I didn't get any perceivable negative impacts from not doing so in this instance, but YMMV and you know your systems and setups better than I do. On completion kegged and force carbonated to 2.5 volumes, then left in my kegerator for about 10 days before being plumbed in. The photo above was on about day 18, clarity isn't outstanding but it's well on the way to clearing up. Sadly, I don't know if it would have completely, because between my homebrew club, 2L entered into competition, mini kegs for a barbeque and a few pints I've enjoyed myself, the entire keg got smashed in about three weeks. Whoops.
So, what's it like? Well, it tastes like good quality mid 6% West Coast IPA, basically. It's got a nice snappy finish and plenty of juicy orange/grapefruit, a bit of pine resin and a nice tropical fruit note from the Luminosa that mostly comes across as pineapple and maybe some candied lemon peel. The body is exactly what I was going for, and the slightly diesel quality from the Amarillo gives the whole thing a touch of faux booziness that really makes it feel like a much bigger IPA than it is. The Red Rye Crystal works so well in a Westie- it adds colour and a touch of dry, spicy and slightly nutty complexity without coming across as too sweet. The finish is nice and crisp with a snappy bitterness that doesn't overstay it's welcome. It's a lower ABV beer that tastes like a pretty big IPA...and that's exactly what I wanted it to be.
Let's see how it does in competition.
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