Light beer AG Brew

[robbiep]

Hi guys,

I recently bottled my first AG Beer (Nicks $30 thread). This beer is pretty much a full strength beer.

How easy would it be to make a light beer and what would be involved?

My limited understanding on beer making suggests that the higher the sugar, the higher the alcohol content.

If this is the case, is it just a matter of using less grain or soaking (mashing?) for a shorter period?

Regards,
Robbie

 

[brendo]

Strength of beer will be affected by a number of factors - amount of fermentables/size of grain bill, mash temp and attenuation of yeast to name three.

To make a lower alc beer you can reduce the size of your grain bill, mash a little higher and pick a less attenuation yeast. English yeasts are often a good choice for the job.

Look for some Mild recipes to get some ideas. I would also recommend using a good whack of specialty grains to up flavour profile and body as with a smaller grain bill, both will be lacking.

Cheers

Brendo

 

[JDW81]

There is a great brew strong podcast on session beers where they talk about how to achieve a full flavoured beer, with a lower alcohol content. You can search for it on iTunes or find it here

JD.

 

[Lecterfan]

Gday,

there is some good info out there. As others have mentioned, there are many variables.

Personally I found that I couldn't get anything lower than %3.2ish to be much good, so perhaps attempt it (the lowering of alc content) in increments.

I rarely brew mid-srength or light beers any more, but I also try not to brew anything over about %5.6.

There are some types of beer its just easier for me to buy for certain occasions.

When the recipe data base is up and running again I would suggest Doc's Yardglass Light (from memory?), also DrSmurto as a mid strength amber/brown in the same ball park as LC Rogers. Both great starting points to extrapolate from.
Cheers.

 

[Nick JD]

Download Brewmate and make recipes.

Try this. It's a good'un. Substitute with any hop (fruity are good for a background hop taste) to 25 IBUs. Simple and effective and great in this heat.

Mash with as much liquid as it takes to have your pot full to nearly the rim (19L pot = 18L mash). Squeeze like buggary (maybe do a dunk sparge) and then top up with boiling water to your maximum boil level (19L pot = 15L).

Take an SG reading before boil. If you have 15L of 1.050 you're sorted. Doesn't matter what it is at the end of the boil. Pour it in the fermenter when room temp, top up to 20L with cold water and bung in your yeast.

Amarillo Mid


Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 3.350
Total Hops (g): 20.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.036 (°P): 9.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 3.54 %
Colour (SRM): 3.8 (EBC): 7.4
Bitterness (IBU): 25.9 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
3.300 kg Pilsner (98.51%)
0.050 kg Caramunich III (1.49%)

Hop Bill
----------------
20.0 g Amarillo Pellet (8.6% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (1 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 65°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 19°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[robbiep]

Thanks Nick, but if i only had a 15l stock pot?

 

[Nick JD]

You can still get 20L out of your 15L pot. Just mash in as much as you can - and boil as much as you dare.

Take an OG and a volume at the start of your boil and use this to calculate your dilution.

 

[robbiep]

Try this. It's a good'un. Substitute with any hop (fruity are good for a background hop taste) to 25 IBUs. Simple and effective and great in this heat.

So by this, do you mean i should not use the 20.0 g Amarillo Pellet, but rather use something else?

If so, what is the reason for using another hop and what hop would you recommend?

 

[Diesel80]

Robbie,

the grain bill / base receipe Nick has provided could be used with almost any hop the the bitterness level specified.
He basically is saying, brew it with your favourite hop up to approximate bitterness of 25 IBU. The receipe should then be quite balanced and enjoyable.

Cheers,
D80

 

[robbiep]

Thanks, but as im new to AG (and home brewing), why not just use the hop in the recipe? (20.0 g Amarillo Pellet)

 

[stux]

So by this, do you mean i should not use the 20.0 g Amarillo Pellet, but rather use something else?

If so, what is the reason for using another hop and what hop would you recommend?

What he means is to use enough hops at a given alpha %ge at 60 minutes (ie 60 minutes before flameout), so that the beer calculation program says that you'll end up with 25 IBUs of bitterness.

And use any fruity/flavoursome hops

nelson sauvin, galaxy, amarillo, etc

or just use 20g of amarillo... if you can get it

 

[robbiep]

Aaah ok, so the reason for using any hop opposed to amarillo is because amarillo is difficult to get?

 

[Nick JD]

I should have said, "You can/may/might/could substitute with any other hop."

Hops added with 60 minutes to go lose a lot of their flavour in the steam. But they don't lose it all. I really like strong, fruity/piney/floral hops used only at a 60 minute addition this way. You still get their flavours and a touch of aroma, and that's all you really want on a 3.5% beer - otherwise it'll taste like fruity soda water - because the maltiness is subdued with the small OG.

Just don't use Pride of Ringwood, or it'll taste like every mid-strength beer in Australia.

And again ... download BrewMate and play around with it. Make recipes and watch the numbers at the top change. Learn what all the numbers at the top mean - until you understand the numbers you're brewing beer not being a brewer.

 

[bullsneck]

I made a Belgian Mild recently (a sort of low gravity Belg Pale) using 3522 Ardennes and it was awesome. You almost forget that you there's beers below 4%!

The best thing about these low gravity beers is the grain to brain waiting period. The aforementioned beer was fermented out in 3 days!

 

[sp0rk]

I made a Maris Otter and Fuggles SMaSH (nice session bitter) mid december that took 5 days to ferment out and came out at 3.7% abv
bloody good thirst quencher on a hot day

60 minute mash at 65 deg
4.1kg Maris Otter
35g Fuggles @ 60
28g Fuggles @ 30
28g Fuggles @ 5

Danstar Nottingham yeast

or if you want it a little lighter, 3.51kg Maris Otter should give you about 3%abv

 

[robbiep]

Nick,

So with the recipe you dont recommend scheduling the hops?

From what i understand, by keeping the hops in for 60mins, it adds to the bitterness, which is kinda what you want in a light beer?

I have downloaded BrewMate, so ill try get my head around it all

 

[drsmurto]

I brew a light beer regularly, mostly a light american amber which is in the recipeDB (currently not available).

Last version had 8g/L of homegrown cascade at 10 mins, no 60 min addition.

I prefer to try and keep the FG above 1.010 so high mash temp, higher than normal crystal malt %, low attenuating yeast (Windsor).

If you are interested send me a PM and I'll dig out the recipe(s) for you.

 

[robbiep]

Thanks DrSmurto!

I tried sending your a PM but was unable too.. is your message box full?

 

[drsmurto]

Thanks DrSmurto!

I tried sending your a PM but was unable too.. is your message box full?

Thanks for the headsup, cleaned out the inbox so please try again.

 

[Nick JD]

Also, Robbie - DS is showing you how to do a full-bodied, hoppy flavoured beer with not much alcohol.

The recipe I gave you is for a light, refreshing, quite bland and dry beer that is a thirst quencher. While it is about the same as DS's in alcohol, they are very different beers. His is a full on hoppy/malty beer.

Check out how OG and FG relate to a thing called "attenuation", and the resulting alcohol levels and body. And how you can play with these things using mash temperatures and yeast selection. Some yeasts eat nearly all the malty sugars in a fermenter ... some fall asleep before their plates are clean.