Best Light-beer Ever?

[BjornJ]

Just enjoying a bottle of Barl's "Hop Back Ale" and I must say it is the best light beer I have ever tried.
Only 2.5 % alc but unlike all my lower-alc attempts it is not watery or thin.

Full-bodied, huge hop aroma and flavour, nice and clear amber colour.
Even the last glass out of the jug has a big head on it, all the way to the bottom of the glass.
I have already started asking for the recipe

Are there others who have successfully made light- beers?
Say below 3% alc and not too thin bodied?

Not looking for English Mild recipes here, thinking something more hoppy and not as dark.

Any pointers welcome, like a good low attenuation yeast like the English ale yeast WLP002.
Ingredients, process, mash temp, etc..

thanks

Bjorn

 

[Fourstar]

two ive done that have been outstanding!

Baseballers Light
American Pale Ale

Type: All Grain
Date: 29/11/2009
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Brewer: Braden
Boil Size: 30.90 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0

Ingredients
2.50 kg Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (1.7 SRM) Grain 75.8 %
0.40 kg Munich, Light (Joe White) (8.9 SRM) Grain 12.1 %
0.30 kg Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 9.1 %
0.10 kg Crystal (Joe White) (34.2 SRM) Grain 3.0 %
30.00 gm Centennial [8.70%] (20 min) Hops 20.1 IBU
10.00 gm Centennial [8.70%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 12.2 IBU
20.00 gm Centennial [8.70%] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 gm Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
6.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.031 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.0 %
Bitterness: 32.3 IBU
Est Color: 4.1 SR

Mash Profile
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 9.24 L of water at 69.7 C 64.0 C 60 min
Mash Out Add 6.60 L of water at 97.7 C 77.0 C 10 min

Notes
CaCl into mash.
CaSO4 into boil.




Cricketers Light
Australian Pale Ale

Type: All Grain
Date: 19/10/2009
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Brewer: Braden
Boil Size: 30.90 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0

Ingredients
2.50 kg Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (1.7 SRM) Grain 75.8 %
0.40 kg Munich, Light (Joe White) (8.9 SRM) Grain 12.1 %
0.30 kg Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 9.1 %
0.10 kg Crystal (Joe White) (34.2 SRM) Grain 3.0 %
15.00 gm Super pride [15.10%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 31.7 IBU
30.00 gm Super pride [15.10%] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 gm Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
6.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.031 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.0 %
Bitterness: 31.7 IBU
Est Color: 4.1 SRM

Mash Profile
Mash In Add 9.24 L of water at 69.7 C 64.0 C 60 min
Mash Out Add 6.60 L of water at 97.7 C 77.0 C 10 min

Notes
CaCl into mash.
CaSO4 into boil.

 

[BjornJ]

Fourstar,
both of those sound nice!
But do you mash as low as 64 C for 60 min with light-beers as well?
I have gone for a higher mash temp to keep more body with the reduced grain bill.

thanks
Bjorn

 

[barls]

id post the recipe but its in the other computer. im interested to try and make it again as it was the second runnings of my dark braggot. but with about 40 od grams of my home grown chinook in my hop back at the end.

 

[Fourstar]

Fourstar,
both of those sound nice!
But do you mash as low as 64 C for 60 min with light-beers as well?
I have gone for a higher mash temp to keep more body with the reduced grain bill.

thanks
Bjorn

for those i did. The beers still tunred out gereat. the body was like a standard light bu the palate. something special!

 

[Pollux]

I made one once. It was only a low alc% beer as I was still dialling in my mill and I achieved only 45% efficiency.I'll post the recipe later when I find it.

 

[Bribie G]

Life's too short to drink lite beer. Trust me.

 

[Fourstar]

Life's too short to drink lite beer. Trust me.

jump mashing ftw! :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Bribie G]

Life's too short to drink lite beer. Trust me.

Mind you I used to enjoy a Tennents Lager or ten (to wash down the Johnny Walker Black Label as boilermakers :super: ). However when doing boilermakers with Glenfiddich I'd use Pilsener Urquell and that's not lite.

 

[Screwtop]

Here's mine, simple and well accepted :icon_cheers:


Recipe: Screwy's Little Aussie Quaffer
Style: Standard/Ordinary Bitter

Recipe
--------------------------
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 27.70 L
Estimated OG: 1.035 SG
Estimated FG: 1.010 SG
Estimated OG: 1.035 SG
Estimated ABV: 3.25%
Estimated Color: 9.9 EBC
Estimated IBU: 26.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.68 kg Pale Malt, Ale (Barrett Burston) (5.9 EBCGrain 80.05 %
0.32 kg Caramalt (Joe White) (49.3 EBC) Grain 9.61 %
0.11 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 3.20 %
23.00 gm Cluster 2006 [7.90 %] (90 min) (First WoHops 26.0 IBU
0.24 kg Cane Sugar (0.0 EBC) Sugar 7.15 %
1 Pkgs Safale American Ale (Fermentis #S - 05) Yeast-Ale



Mash :
90 min Sacc Rest 68.0 C
10 min Mash Out 77.0 C

Ferment @ 20C

 

[bow_staff_skills]

Can you go lower than 3% ?
My brother loves the taste of beer but doesnt drink alcohol (ie 0%, or close to it). So he's stuck with those coopers stubbies you get from coles.
Im pretty sure he would take up brewing if there was a reliable way to brew very low alc beers

 

[michaelcocks]

Can you go lower than 3% ?
My brother loves the taste of beer but doesnt drink alcohol (ie 0%, or close to it). So he's stuck with those coopers stubbies you get from coles.
Im pretty sure he would take up brewing if there was a reliable way to brew very low alc beers

let me know if you find a recipe for the equiv of the coopers birell
I might try to make one to drink on my alcohol free days

 

[bow_staff_skills]

just did a little googling and sounds like you brew full (or light) strength beers and then seperate alcohol post fermentation.
the two options i saw were,
- boiling/distilling (which impacts flavor) or
- freezing (bottles upside down so alc collects at lid).
the thought of doing either of these to a 20L batch is putting me off already.
i might tell him to just stick with experimenting with ginger beer recipes

 

[Sunshine_Brewer]

just did a little googling and sounds like you brew full (or light) strength beers and then seperate alcohol post fermentation.
the two options i saw were,
- boiling/distilling (which impacts flavor) or
- freezing (bottles upside down so alc collects at lid).
the thought of doing either of these to a 20L batch is putting me off already.
i might tell him to just stick with experimenting with ginger beer recipes

No need to boil, just bring beer to 80degrees and keep there for 30 min. That should reduce the alcohol to neglible limits then transfer beer through hopback and chill/carbonate.

 

[Fourstar]

No need to boil, just bring beer to 80degrees and keep there for 30 min. That should reduce the alcohol to neglible limits then transfer beer through hopback and chill/carbonate.

Think about the yeast genocide goin on in your newly fermenter beer. :icon_vomit:

 

[Sunshine_Brewer]

Think about the yeast genocide goin on in your newly fermenter beer. :icon_vomit:

1)Mash at 67deg 20L of tasty APA fully fermented to dryness with us05
2)Rack clear beer off yeast into boil kettle
3)Bring to 80deg and keep for 30min
4)transfer beer through hopback with desired aroma hops (20g Amarillo) into keg
5)chill keg to serving temp and force carbonate
6) DRINK on your days off alcohol :icon_drool2:

 

[drsmurto]

I make a light hoppy ale, just kegged it last night.

1.65 kg Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 48.53 %
1.00 kg Pale Malt, Traditional Ale (Joe White) (5.9 EBC) Grain 29.41 %
0.40 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 11.76 %
0.25 kg Carabohemian (Weyermann) (200.0 EBC) Grain 7.35 %
0.10 kg Chocolate Malt, Pale (Bairds) (800.0 EBC) Grain 2.94 %
5.00 gm Amarillo [8.60 %] (60 min) Hops 5.7 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [6.80 %] (20 min) Hops 7.5 IBU
15.00 gm Galaxy [15.00 %] (20 min) Hops 18.1 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [6.80 %] (0 min) Hops -
15.00 gm Galaxy [15.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
5.00 gm Calcium Carbonate
5.00 gm Sodium Chloride
10.00 gm Calcium Sulphate
1 Pkgs Windsor Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

21L
OG 1.036
IBU 31
EBC 32

Mashed at 69-70C. Finished at 1.014, abv of 2.9%.

Dry hopped with 10g of amarillo

 

[Fourstar]

1)Mash at 67deg 20L of tasty APA fully fermented to dryness with us05
2)Rack clear beer off yeast into boil kettle
3)Bring to 80deg and keep for 30min
4)transfer beer through hopback with desired aroma hops (20g Amarillo) into keg
5)chill keg to serving temp and force carbonate
6) DRINK on your days off alcohol :icon_drool2:

Have you done this?! Even after filtering i would be scared to heat my beer. The idea of sous vide yeast in my beer is not entirely inviting!

 

[Sunshine_Brewer]

Have you done this?! Even after filtering i would be scared to heat my beer. The idea of sous vide yeast in my beer is not entirely inviting!

It's not the best in flavour for an APA but alcohol free (0.5%) its passes my test and you can not buy alcohol free APA that I am aware of. Only pils, weizen and maltzbiers seem to be readily available alcohol free and the german ones cost a packet.

http://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices...-alcoholic-beer

 

[Muggus]

However when doing boilermakers with Glenfiddich I'd use Pilsener Urquell and that's not lite.

Sounds like a lethal combination.
But I would consider PU not NOT lite. Sure as far as flavour goes it's smack bang on the notch and then-some, but at 4.1% it's almost verging on mid-strength, which is probably a good thing more than anything else, but certainly couldn't be considered "full strength".