Wow...that is light colored beer!

[Onkel_Udo]

So for fun, I did a session/ordinary bitter. Normally for a low alcohol beer I would do my dark mild but I was feeling frisky. At 6-7 SRM, this is lightest beer I have done in years...many, many years.

The basic recipe is 50/50 light Munich and 2-row plus 2 #'s of rye (about 13%) and 6 oz of C20. OG hit 1.041 instead of 1.038 because I undershot my volume for a 10 gallon batch by about 1/2 gallon.

Now the question:

Since I never used finning agents and I never brew beers with and SRM under about 12. Should I now? 90% of the time they drop clear 2-3 days after chilling.

This is not an aggressively hopped beer at 28 IBU but I would love to dry hop with the Amarillo I have but again...out of my element...low alcohol very light beer...should I be looking at about 1.5 oz of leaf per 5-gallon keg?

 

[grrickar]

I'd think with a really light beer you'd have to go easy on the hops if you want to balance it. It you want a gonzo beer, hope the heck out of it and enjoy it all the same.

Maybe someone with more brewing experience than me can answer the question - my not-so-expert advice is to go lightly on the hops, try a sample, and add more if needed. Go too heavy too fast and it isn't like you can take the hops flavor out (although it will mellow over time...)

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I'd think with a really light beer you'd have to go easy on the hops if you want to balance it. It you want a gonzo beer, hope the heck out of it and enjoy it all the same.

Maybe someone with more brewing experience than me can answer the question - my not-so-expert advice is to go lightly on the hops, try a sample, and add more if needed. Go too heavy too fast and it isn't like you can take the hops flavor out (although it will mellow over time...)

I have been brewing and almost exclusively all-grain for many, many years but I even my house beer has been 12-14 SRM with most being more. I particularly have focused on darker beers.

I know that a lower bodied and alcohol beer can be easily overwhelmed by the hops but I am torn. Maybe I will just split it and dry hop the one keg and not the other.