Low Alcohol Ale Recipe, Anyone?

[Aleosaurus cervisiae]

Has anyone got a recipe for a decent, full bodied (as full as it can get, I guess) low alcohol beer that is not too techically demanding? Any type recipe would do: partial BIAB (my preference), small batch AG (BIAB) or extract, and I do prefer ales, found that lagers are a pain in the derriere.

 

[warra48]

I brew a Mild from time to time. Ends up about 3.5% ABV, give or take. Very nice malt and flavour.

Batch Size: 22.50
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %

3000.00 gm Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 83.33 %
200.00 gm Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) (118.2 EBC) Grain 5.56 %
200.00 gm Crystal Medium (145.0 EBC) Grain 5.56 %
100.00 gm Carafa Special T2 (1150.0 EBC) Grain 2.78 %
100.00 gm Wheat Malt, Dark (Weyermann) (13.8 EBC) Grain 2.78 %
6.00 gm EKGoldings [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 3.3 IBU
24.00 gm Northern Brewer [6.60 %] (60 min) Hops 17.9 IBU
14.00 gm EK Goldings Plug [4.30 %] (10 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968)

Measured Original Gravity: 1.038 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Bitterness: 23.5 IBU (10.0-25.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 6.6 AAU
Actual Alcohol by Volume: 3.64 %

Mash at 69 or 70C.

In fact, once I bottle the Dunkelweizen I'm brewing tomorrow, I'll be doing about 3 consecutive batches of this to build up my stocks.

 

[seamad]

There is a recipe on the craftbrewer site under brewing info. Havent made it yet but got the windsor for it while ago, too many beers to make!

 

[Aleosaurus cervisiae]

I brew a Mild from time to time. Ends up about 3.5% ABV, give or take. Very nice malt and flavour.

Batch Size: 22.50
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %

3000.00 gm Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 83.33 %
200.00 gm Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) (118.2 EBC) Grain 5.56 %
200.00 gm Crystal Medium (145.0 EBC) Grain 5.56 %
100.00 gm Carafa Special T2 (1150.0 EBC) Grain 2.78 %
100.00 gm Wheat Malt, Dark (Weyermann) (13.8 EBC) Grain 2.78 %
6.00 gm EKGoldings [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 3.3 IBU
24.00 gm Northern Brewer [6.60 %] (60 min) Hops 17.9 IBU
14.00 gm EK Goldings Plug [4.30 %] (10 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968)

Measured Original Gravity: 1.038 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Bitterness: 23.5 IBU (10.0-25.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 6.6 AAU
Actual Alcohol by Volume: 3.64 %

Mash at 69 or 70C.

In fact, once I bottle the Dunkelweizen I'm brewing tomorrow, I'll be doing about 3 consecutive batches of this to build up my stocks.

That sounds good. I notice the mash temp is on the high side. Is that the secret of low alc?

 

[warra48]

That sounds good. I notice the mash temp is on the high side. Is that the secret of low alc?

It's one of them.
You need to mash high to prevent to brew fermenting out too far, and thus losing body and flavour, and producing too much alcohol..

 

[Aleosaurus cervisiae]

Thanks I'll definitely give it a go. Do you think I can use US05 , my LHBS does no sell liquid yeasts?

 

[super_simian]

US05 is a pretty attenuative yeast - try Windsor dry yeast.

 

[Bizier]

I really think the key to a good mild is good estery yeast. I prefer 1187 in a mild. If you get good yeast via post you could split it to multiple containers for future. This would be cheaper, but require great sanitation and propagation to achieve optimal pitching quantities.

I was looking at a mild recipe of mine today. I'm really keen to brew one with oat malt.

 

[Aleosaurus cervisiae]

Oat malt? Can you elaborate?

 

[keifer33]

Oat malt? Can you elaborate?

Yeah its proper oats - you can buy it from the sponsors.
http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=3848

 

[Bizier]

Malted oats, available from well stocked homebrew stores. I just liked the idea of the extra body that the oats should bring to a low OG beer and the 'warm grainy' descriptions that everyone lists sounds like it would do well in a mild.

... especially a mild with 1187

 

[warra48]

I agree US05 is not the preferred yeast for a brew such as this.
My usual is WY1968, which really pushes the malt.
However, any UK yeast with lower range apparent attenuation should do the job.

 

[drsmurto]

Has anyone got a recipe for a decent, full bodied (as full as it can get, I guess) low alcohol beer that is not too techically demanding? Any type recipe would do: partial BIAB (my preference), small batch AG (BIAB) or extract, and I do prefer ales, found that lagers are a pain in the derriere.

This is my low alcohol beer (see the notes for the real numbers - 2.9%) - Link

Started out trying to clone Little Creatures Rogers then went for more malt body and more hops :icon_drunk:

EDIT - agree with previous posts, use Windsor in a low abv beer as it doesn't attenuate as much as something like US05