Full Flavoured Light Beer

[manticle]

I'm really only guessing but as far as I can see a simple way would be to replace some of the fermentables with maltodextrin which I understand to enhance body but contribute nothing to alcohol levels or flavour.

Then if you use dextrose cut back/out that and keep the malt quantities similar to usual you should end up with a non-watery, flavoursome lighter abv brew. If you use all malt as suggested by butters it may be more difficult but you might be able to strike a balance.

Am I way off base?

 

[buttersd70]

I'm really only guessing but as far as I can see a simple way would be to replace some of the fermentables with maltodextrin which I understand to enhance body but contribute nothing to alcohol levels or flavour.

Then if you use dextrose cut back/out that and keep the malt quantities similar to usual you should end up with a non-watery, flavoursome lighter abv brew. If you use all malt as suggested by butters it may be more difficult but you might be able to strike a balance.

Am I way off base?

No, thats exactly what I was referring to. Look at each ingredient, and what it does for the beer....malt = flavour + body + alcohol. Dex = alcohol + less body and no flavour. Maltodextrin = body only.

Personally I'm not a fan of the maltodextrin....which is why I suggest swapping to a steep including carapils....which will add the same thing, but with a slight grain flavour. (carapils is also referred to as dextrin malt.)

 

[Adamt]

Just to spell it out based on Butters's post... Maltodextrin adds body but no flavour. Flavour makes a light beer good.

Edit: Changed "Butters'" to "Butters's" because it sounds better.

 

[McCraggen]

I guess alcohol consumption has had a somewhat negative impact on grammatical choices i make,

Whod'a thunk it.


-->On topic

Im guessing the use of hops will help but not with the body of the beer, but hmmm i think i will just do a hefe to start with and hope its not just beer flavoured water.

 

[boingk]

Wait a minute...don't they stock 'mid-strength' packs at Kmart, and definitely homebrew stores? Generally something like 250g LDME and 250g maltodextrin, or 250g dextrose and 250g maltodextrin.

Have a look around next time you're down. Either that or I'd go for a simple half kilo of LDME.

Cheers - boingk

There, now that is English!

 

[buttersd70]

The lengthier post I put up is what I advised cube ages ago....and he's getting good results off that....It's kind of a bastardisation of an experiment I did ages ago, about doing a 100% all malt beer, without needing any additional hopping....I used 250g ldm + a kit, and reduced volume to concentrate bitterness and increase OG....to compare to another brewers beer, using kit + BE2. (ironically, I came out of 'kit retirement' to do this, just to make a point.....)
It showed that by eliminating body reducing (and in interest to this thread, alcohol producing) simple sugars, the maltodextrin (which is, I theorise, only used to offset the body reducing qualities of dextrose in the first place), can be eliminated entirely under the right circumstances, without adversely affecting flavour or mouthfeel.....

In the case of 'true' light, then a certain amount of body enhancing adjunct (either processed maltodextrin, or preferably, dextrins from grain) needs to be used, otherwise the body does suffer too much.....

But given a choic of dextrins derived from grain (carapils steep) or dextrins derived from corn (maltodextrin), I know which I'd prefer......

 

[boingk]

But given a choic of dextrins derived from grain (carapils steep) or dextrins derived from corn (maltodextrin), I know which I'd prefer......

Snap!

May be related to the dream I had last night, woke up thinking that I had a few kilos each of Carared, -roma and -pils. 'Til I remembered it was only a dream

 

[buttersd70]

'Til I remembered it was only a dream

that would have been -hell...... :lol:

 

[Fatgodzilla]

It's "damn it" if you're going to be pedantic.

Being a spelling, grammar, and proper-use-of-word pedant on an Internet forum is as pointless as a Jehova's Witness walking down Hindley Street on a Saturday night trying to convert people.

If you are going to be pedantic it's Jehovah's Witness

 

[loikar]

Being a spelling, grammar, and proper-use-of-word pedant on an Internet forum is as pointless as a Jehova's Witness walking down Hindley Street on a Saturday night trying to convert people.

It's funny 'cos it's true!!!

 

[Adamt]

Fats: I was not being pedantic.

 

[petesbrew]

Yeah, but sometimes you want 2 beers instead of one!

I'm planning on knocking up a low-midstrength APA this week.
Coopers Aussie Pale Ale
1kg LLME
100g Crystal
Cascade - open to suggestions on times, but probably will just be a quick boil.
US-56

Mixed mine up last night.
It's called Renovation Ale, cos of the mess in what's left of the garage/brauhaus.
Coopers Aussie Pale Ale
1kg LLME
100g Crystal - steeped in coffee plunger.
35g Amarillo - steeped for 20min (Had surplus Amarillo, hence the choice over cascade)
US-56
(OG=1040)... a bit high, but thats fine
Couldn't find the hotplate in the garage, under all the shit, so I missed the boil. I'm praying now for no infections.

 

[litre_o_cola]

Mixed mine up last night.
It's called Renovation Ale, cos of the mess in what's left of the garage/brauhaus.
Coopers Aussie Pale Ale
1kg LLME
100g Crystal - steeped in coffee plunger.
35g Amarillo - steeped for 20min (Had surplus Amarillo, hence the choice over cascade)
US-56
(OG=1040)... a bit high, but thats fine
Couldn't find the hotplate in the garage, under all the shit, so I missed the boil. I'm praying now for no infections.

1040.... not so mid-strength Reno-ale

Would that hop addition be the same as at flame out? No boil = No Bittering???

 

[petesbrew]

1040.... not so mid-strength Reno-ale

Would that hop addition be the same as at flame out? No boil = No Bittering???

Me thinks so... hoping the 20min (or so) steep did enough. Not too worried anyway.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Fats: I was not being pedantic.

:icon_offtopic: Couldn't let it pass, spotted it early, waited for someone else to do it first.




Whatever, some good light beer and mid strength beer suggestions here worth following. The IBUs at present are in the middle of english ale mania that shows up fine tasting brews without high alcohol contents. The main point is whether you are looking for high carbonated low alcohol .. ie Cascade Light style, or low alcohol, malt orientated and low carbonated ales. If I want the first, I'll buy that, but mainly I'll brew the later. Scottish 60 shilling ales using Wyeast Scottish Ale and a few english ales using Wyeast ESB have been on tap at my place for last few months and none have been over 3.5% in calculated alcohol.

 

[Bribie G]

:icon_offtopic: I used to be a member of Rostrum Clubs (Pedant Central) and we used to have a correct usage of English session quite regularly.

Favourite hate of mine is the bastardisation of an old English saying.

How often do you hear even educated people coming out with "The proof is in the pudding"

Utter nonsense and totally derails the meaning of the real saying which is:

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating"

End of rant.

on topic:
If you have a thirty litre fermenter a reasonably good and cheap middie is a plain toucan of Coopers Lager, topped up to 29 litres after the krausen has settled and hopped with an aromatic hop such as Cascade. By all means add some steeped carapils for extra head, lacing and body. I'll be making this over the Winter as a stock-topper-upper.

 

[McCraggen]

Okay heres my recipe/idea

1.8kg brewcraft newcastle brown
500g crystal malt
safale s-04
25L final volume

Anyone got a rough idea on final abv?

Cheers.

 

[buttersd70]

Okay heres my recipe/idea

1.8kg brewcraft newcastle brown
500g crystal malt
safale s-04
25L final volume

Anyone got a rough idea on final abv?

Cheers.

somewhere in the region of 2.4%ABV....however, I would strongly suggest that going to 25L with a tin alone would not be the best way to get the result you're after. OG would only be ~1025, and it would end somewhere in the region of 1.006/7 ish. It's likely to be pretty thin...
Perhaps if you went tin + 250g malt + 300gcrystal and 100g chocolate, to 23L.....I think that would be much better. approx 1031/1009 abv 2.9% (plus 0.3-0.4% due to bottle carbonation)....ending about 3.2%. Dry, but hopefully not too thin. The dryness of the choc malt would balance the sweetness of the crystal; the darkness would work with the tin in question; the malt content is not high enough to override the bitterness.

Just a suggestion, obviously. But seriously think that you would get a better result.

 

[staggalee]

on topic:
If you have a thirty litre fermenter a reasonably good and cheap middie is a plain toucan of Coopers Lager, topped up to 29 litres after the krausen has settled and hopped with an aromatic hop such as Cascade. By all means add some steeped carapils for extra head, lacing and body. I'll be making this over the Winter as a stock-topper-upper.

That looks to me more like about a 4.5% abv beer than a mid strength.?
S`pose it depends on what you call mid.
3.3 to 3.8% is my version. {just a comment, not a nitpick}

stagga.

 

[litre_o_cola]

Me thinks so... hoping the 20min (or so) steep did enough. Not too worried anyway.

If you have a surplus of Amarillo then maybe a dry hop in secondary too.