How To Make The Lightest, Thinest Beer Ever?

[SJW]

I guess the first question you would ask is WHY <_< But I say why not!
My plan is to make the lightest, thinest lowest OG beer possible that still tasted like beer. I guess it would end up similar to VB or NEW.
So my question is, other than just fermenting water and a few kg's of dextrose what would be the minimum amount of grain I would need in a 25 litre batch to end up with a drink that resembled beer?
I was thinking of using 1kg of Pils, 1kg of Vienna, 1kg of Dextrose with an OG of 1.030 and bittering with 10g of POR for 9 IBU's.
Do u think this would make a beer that would be drinkable? :blink:

Steve

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Yep..its called English Mild..


Maybe want to get the IBU's up a little bit , say 15 IBU

 

[jkeysers]

...still tasted like beer. I guess it would end up similar to VB or NEW.

Thats a contradiction on its own. You are implying that VB and NEW actually taste like beer.

 

[johnno]

Use 100% wheat.

That makes it thin, light, and dry.

cheers
johnno

 

[Zizzle]

I was thinking of using 1kg of Pils, 1kg of Vienna, 1kg of Dextrose with an OG of 1.030 and bittering with 10g of POR for 9 IBU's.

Sounds good if it works. About $8 worth of ingredients for 2.5 cases of piss to feed to the ingrates who come over and wouldn't recognise a good beer if it bit them in the...

 

[Wortgames]

Yep..its called English Mild..

Them's fighting words!

Have you ever actually tasted real mild ale? It is a complex and elegant brew, and it takes more than '1kg of Pils, 1kg of Vienna, and 1kg of Dextrose' to make one.

That is one of England's great (and sadly dying) beer styles that you are dissing there.


http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=180663

http://www.cambridge-camra.org.uk/ale/289/basics.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mild_ale

 

[Mercs Own]

isnt that the recipe for St George?

oh and if you put a whiff of wheat malt in it could pass for Redback Crystal except the ibu's would be a bit high.

 

[Stuster]

Yep, got to agree with WG there. Delicious stuff. In fact, I'm brewing today and as luck would have it, it's a mild. I've just started the boil and it smells fantastic. :wub:

Outside, Stu.

Now, back from Stu-on-Stu violence :lol: I'd say use sugar not dextrose (cheaper and no difference h34r: ). My feeling is that if you want a light-coloured, thin beer, you'll have to up the OG a bit. If you are willing to use darker malts and some crystal, you can make a fine mild/bitter/Scottish ale with an OG of 1030 no problem.

 

[kook]

Yep..its called English Mild..
Maybe want to get the IBU's up a little bit , say 15 IBU

Thin? Light? These are not characteristics you want in a mild at all.

Mild might be low in alcohol, but it is strong in flavour and body considering the ABV. I realise I'm just re-inforcing what WG said, but mild is a wonderful style of beer that is constantly misinterpreted, often by Americans.

 

[0M39A]

You might be better off fermenting a higher OG wort, then watering down once fermentation is done.

also, if you're doing AG, stick in some corn or rice for some cheep starch that the grains can convert to sugars. thats another thing that the big brewery's do as well.

 

[bconnery]

I guess the first question you would ask is WHY <_< But I say why not!
My plan is to make the lightest, thinest lowest OG beer possible that still tasted like beer. I guess it would end up similar to VB or NEW.
So my question is, other than just fermenting water and a few kg's of dextrose what would be the minimum amount of grain I would need in a 25 litre batch to end up with a drink that resembled beer?
I was thinking of using 1kg of Pils, 1kg of Vienna, 1kg of Dextrose with an OG of 1.030 and bittering with 10g of POR for 9 IBU's.
Do u think this would make a beer that would be drinkable? :blink:

Steve

I think what is really needed is a little more on your aims in producing this brew.

Do you want to replicate a low alcohol or mid-strength aussie macro style?

If so, a dark mild, beautiful though it is, or even a very low bitter or scottish isn't going to meet your aims.

Ross does a good low alcohol amber ale I think it is so that might give you something.

If what you want is a low alcohol beer then there are plenty of options, as have been suggested, perhaps a pale mild is a good answer, it sounds like darker beers are not what you are looking for from your description. They aren't as common as the dark milds but they are very tasty beers in their own right...

I'd consider using a little more malts to sugar and perhaps picking something a bit more, general is not the right word, but maybe less harsh? Maybe bitter with a noble hop or something like Pacific Gem in preference. I like POR as a bittering hop but personally only as a base for something really flavoursome on the other end like Amarillo etc.

 

[SJW]

I think what is really needed is a little more on your aims in producing this brew.

I guess what I want to try and do is duplicate what the megaswill boys do. And to do that I guess I need to find out what ingredients they use in these megaswills.The main aim though is to make a light coloured light body mid alcohol beer

to feed to the ingrates who come over

But what I am thinking now is to up the malt and drop back the sugar a little and hop with a noble.
I dont think I would bother firing up the brewery for this one though. I might just do a little mash in a esky with my old manifold and just top up with water!

 

[mikem108]

I think its more like Carlton Pure Blonde you're trying to make, to quote the new Beerand brewing mag
"its beer for people who don't like beer"

 

[PostModern]

I've got a 1.020 OG beer in a keg at the moment. Tastes very beer-like. No adjuncts, either!

I made an IPA then added 250g or so of Munich to the spent grain in the mashtun, mashed for 30 mins and ran off again. I even re-used the IPA's hop bag in the kettle. Tastes quite yeasty, so if you fermented at 16 with a lager yeast, it might taste like VB.

 

[tangent]

forget the adjuncts and dexy, just use less malt and mash higher.
i tasted an excellent light bitter done this way at the amateur winemakers & brewers club. one of the AHB members made it

(sorry mate, i can't remember your name)

 

[warrenlw63]

Thin? Light? These are not characteristics you want in a mild at all.

Mild might be low in alcohol, but it is strong in flavour and body considering the ABV. I realise I'm just re-inforcing what WG said, but mild is a wonderful style of beer that is constantly misinterpreted, often by Americans.

Hands up for a Mild too (most particularly dark). Can be made to be quite flavoursome. :super:

Warren -

 

[craig maher]

Hands up for a Mild too (most particularly dark). Can be made to be quite flavoursome. :super:

Warren -

I agree Warren - dark mild is one of my favourite beers.

Last bitter I made had an OG of 1.030 - was a top beer. Hop flavour like I had not experienced before.
The keg was empty all too soon

 

[SJW]

This is it.
I am just going to do a high gravity 12 litre batch on the stove and add water, probably just like the big boys. And I will use Amarillo I think!
#43 Light
American Light/Standard/Premium Lager


Type: All Grain
Date: 27/05/2007
Batch Size: 25.00 L
Brewer: Stephen Wright
Boil Size: 12.00 L Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: mini mash
Taste Rating(out of 50): 0.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2000.00 gm Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (3.2 EBC) Grain 55.6 %
1100.00 gm Vienna Malt (Weyermann) (5.9 EBC) Grain 30.6 %
15.00 gm Amarillo Gold [8.50%] (60 min) Hops 9.2 IBU
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
500.00 gm Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 EBC) Sugar 13.9 %
1 Pkgs US-56 (DCL) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.037 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 0.000 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG Measured Final Gravity: 0.000 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.6 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.0 %
Bitterness: 9.2 IBU Calories: 0 cal/l
Est Color: 5.0 EBC Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 3100.00 gm
Sparge Water: 7.02 L Grain Temperature: 15.0 C
Sparge Temperature: 75.6 C TunTemperature: 15.0 C
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 8.08 L of water at 75.5 C 67.8 C 60 min

 

[0M39A]

be careful using amarillo... you might actually end up with some flavour!!

lol

 

[SJW]

I was thinking I might add some DRY ENZYME just to ensure that there is no trace of any flavour.

be careful using amarillo... you might actually end up with some flavour!!

Could someone suggest a hop variety that would be good in this type of (drink) beer?