Low Cal Beer

[nonicman]

While on the subject, I think I remember someone mentioning something to do with a mash that you can lower the carbs going into the beer.. I really can't remember what was said or find it via the search but would be interested if whoever said it would remember.

Hi Slugger, I think you maybe referring to the mash temps, if conversion occurs at around 64C then more fermentables are produced, which the yeasties turn into alcohol and CO2, but if the mash temps are held at a higher temp (67-70C) then more none fermentables are produced, giving greater body as the yeasties leave more sugars in the brew.

John Palmer explains it well:

How to brew Chapter 14-15

 

[Steve Lacey]

this is a little off topic, but cutting carbs from your diet wont lead to fat loss, but you will lose weight.

The moral is, keep drinking beer - cut the softdrinks anyway.

[post="48556"][/post]​

I don't think it's off-topic and I totally agree with what Tim says. The body needs all food groups in certain proportions. Shit, everyone's seen the old food pyramid. I don't trust those low carb diets one bit. They might let you lose some weight...for a while...but at what cost to other aspects of your health? Cholesterol was mentioned. The focus has to be on two very simple things 1) Keeping all things in a sensible balance: western diets are heavily skewed towards fat and protein, so watch those, but don't eliminate them because they are still essential parts of a healthy diet. Try to get carbohydrate in complex forms rather than simple forms. 2) Keep the total number of calories you ingest in balance with or less than (in weight loss phase) the number you expend in going about your life. Introducing 40 minutes to an hour of aerobic exercise every other day is absolutlely the best way of increasing the number of calories out. The more out, the more you can afford to take in. The less out, the more you have to cut back on what you ingest.

Exercise is really the essential ingredient once you are comfortable that your diet is in reasonable balance. But it has to be something you really enjoy so that the weight loss just becomes an added bonus. Personally, I discovered running. Now I'm a happily slim home brewer and have three full marathons under my belt. I wouldn't have it any other way. Also, having the sport/exercise dimension serves a good psychological purpose. You invest a lot into the training, so it becomes easier to restrain yourself in how much you drink.

You don't have to give up anything, just find the right balance.

 

[Darren]

Also rum does not have carbohydrates but certainly contains calories. I can certinly knock back more "spirit" and cokes in a night that all-grain beers

 

[sluggerdog]

While on the subject, I think I remember someone mentioning something to do with a mash that you can lower the carbs going into the beer.. I really can't remember what was said or find it via the search but would be interested if whoever said it would remember.

Hi Slugger, I think you maybe referring to the mash temps, if conversion occurs at around 64C then more fermentables are produced, which the yeasties turn into alcohol and CO2, but if the mash temps are held at a higher temp (67-70C) then more none fermentables are produced, giving greater body as the yeasties leave more sugars in the brew.

John Palmer explains it well:

How to brew Chapter 14-15

[post="48558"][/post]​

Yep, just what I was thinking, Thanks will have a look into it.

I agree you do need all groups of foods however I have found if you cut out your carbs (not totally but atleast after lunch) then you will loose weight a lot quicker.

 

[SJW]

I did not trust those low carb diets either until i went on it. Before i started i had a big gut and very overweight and after the diet, not gut and about 20kg's lighter. So unless i had very large stomach muscles i would say that i lost fat and maintained lean muscle tissue.

 

[cubbie]

Back on topic, I would like to make a beer, that is full strength but low in carbs for my girlfriends sister who has diabetes. She doesn't mind a drop or three but it really knocks her about.

Any suggestions.

 

[sluggerdog]

Back on topic, I would like to make a beer, that is full strength but low in carbs for my girlfriends sister who has diabetes. She doesn't mind a drop or three but it really knocks her about.

Any suggestions.

[post="48620"][/post]​

Your 2 options are dry enzyme or the above mentioned mash methods

I personally will never touch dry enzyme again, it is bloody aweful IMO.. wrecked one of my brews..

Haven't tried the mash method yet

 

[cubbie]

Cheers Slugger,

Dry Enzyme might be the go because by my understanding a mash that produces more non-fermentables is still producing sugars which are fast release carbo's and sugars/fast release carbo's are not go for diabetics.

Not sure how the dry enzyme actually works, but at this stage I haven't got into doing a mash yet anyway - even more of a reason to speed things up.

I wonder if malt from grains that have slow release carbos would be the go, eg brown rice.

 

[sluggerdog]

Hi Slugger, I think you maybe referring to the mash temps, if conversion occurs at around 64C then less fermentables are produced, which the yeasties turn into alcohol and CO2, but if the mash temps are held at a higher temp (67-70C) then more none fermentables are produced, giving greater body as the yeasties leave more sugars in the brew.

[post="48558"][/post]​

Hi, I was wondering what would be the lowest temperature you would mash at?

And if any one has tried it how did it turn out at the lower temps?

 

[nonicman]

Slugger, For a single infusion (with mashout) the lowest I've gone is 64C once which finished at 1006. But that is a low sample rate and I've never tried to brew a low cal beer.

more is less :huh:

 

[sluggerdog]

Slugger, For a single infusion (with mashout) the lowest I've gone is 64C once which finished at 1006. But that is a low sample rate and I've never tried to brew a low cal beer.

more is less :huh:

[post="53152"][/post]​

Thanks Nonicman! :beer:

 

[Plastic Man]

Correct me if Im wrong but my understanding of a low carb beer and the Dry Enzyme is:

- In normal mash you get a mix of fermentable sugars and non fermentable sugars being produced. The Temp you mash at affects the balance as the different temps affect the optimum performance of the α and β amylase enzymes thus by changing the temp you can control the mix to some extent. This then determines what potential alcohol can be produced (depending on the attenuation of the yeast being used). But after fermentation you are left with either a higher level of unfermented sugar and a lower alcohol content, or the opposite. But isnt both Alcohol and Sugar a carbohydrate so in effect the carbs are the same?? I maybe totally wrong here.

- commercially produced low carb beers actually add another enzyme to the fermentor (Dry Enzyme), though I think lab name is Amylogucosidases. Unlike α-amylase & β-amylase, it has the ability to break down the dextrins (non fermentables) that the amylase enzmes cannot. It hydrolyses the dextrins to produce glucose, a fermentable sugar, which means that the wort is then completely fermentable.

Therefore the fermentation leaves no sugar, and thus no calories in the form of sugar. All sugar is converted to alcohol by the yeast, which results in a high alcohol beer. The beer can then be diluted to the desired alcohol / calorie level, thus producing a normal alcohol beer but no residual sugar which would add calories.

So Im thinking that the changing the mash temp will not alter carbs. It may alter the mix of carbs in that some are sugar and some are alcohol but the total is the same. You would have to use the Dry Enzyme to ferment out the normal unfermentable sugar, end up with a high alcohol beer, and then dilute back to normal level and end up with less carbs. I could be totally off the track here though !!

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Plastic Man

That is my understanding of the use of "Dry Enzymes" too. The carbohydrates are reduced, but the alcohol is still an issue. The only way to really reduce it is to do a low mash temp, low alcohol beer with the dry enzyme

Cheers
Pedro