Low Carb brews

[firezuki]

Hate to even bring this up gents but I'm type 2 diabetic and have the good 'ol beer gut.
I've tried commercial low carb beers and they're bloody awful.

I was hoping that someone might have brewed a low carb beer that still has actual taste?
I have no intention of drinking any more commercial beer or listening to my doctors advice.

A low carb homebrew would be the answer if it exists.

 

[Kingy]

It’s my understanding that all beer is low carb it’s just a marketing strategy. Sure they are lower in carbs but not by much in the scheme of things.
I’d be looking towards a full flavoured mid strength or light beer.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve had to cut back drinking through the week to try keep my beer gut in check. [emoji23]

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Mash low ~ 62c. Aim at lower OG and very low FG. eg: OG =1.040, FG = 1.002. That still gets you a 4.9% beer.
Try brewing enzyme to get super low FG. You can convert any recipe down to these figures. It wont be the same of course but it will be low cal beer that is soooo much better than any of that awful commercial stuff.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

This is one I brewed a while back and got thumbs up (from me) and from the few people who tried it.

19lt brew
OG = 1.036
FG = 1.002
IBU = 24
EBC = 10
ABV = 4.4%
IBU/SG = 0.677 Bitterness Ratio
Calories = 322 kcal/l

Total grain bill = 3.21kg haha.. :lol:
70.1% Golden Promice
7.8% Dark Munick
7.8% Melanoiden
7.8% Cara-Pils/Dextrine
4.0% Wheat Malt
2.5% Acidulated

Infusion Protein rest 50c. Infusion Sacc rest 65c. Decoction 69c. Decoction 75c.
~ 90min boil.

Home Grown Hops
12g Victoria FWH = 14.8 IBU
15g Cascade 10min = 5.0 IBU
15g Cascade Steep/wirl 10min = 2.5 IBU
30g Victoria Hop Stand at ~70c for 20 minutes = 1.1 IBU
60g Cascade Hop stand at 70c 20min = 1.2 IBU

German Ale 1007 Wyeast recycled.
Dry Enzyme in primary to get FG at 1.002
Ferment start at 14c to end at 19c. Pressure ferment naturally carbonated.

 

[manticle]

What kind of beer do you like? Pale, hoppy, malty, dark......? Lager, ale, funky, hefe, wit...?

What kind of process? Kit, extract, partial, full mash?

 

[MHB]

Forget it, low carb is really a bit of a gimmick, making dry beer by either controlling the mash temperature or by adding enzymes to make the wort more fermentable succeeds in converting Carbohydrates into Alcohol - but doesn't really change the amount of energy in the beer by much.
Make/buy the beer you love, control your intake and get more exercise is really the only thing you can do.
Mark

 

[Jack of all biers]

This has been covered before. MHB is 100% correct. To see how little the calories change go to Brewers Friend (there are plenty of other calculators if you prefer). Start with an average OG 1048 and change the FG reading only from 1010 to 1002. You will see that by upping the alcohol content, on average by ~1%, that by just lowering the FG (drying it out or reducing carbohydrates) you lower the calorie content of a 355ml bottle by 3-4 calories. Pathetically small reduction when it comes to effective weight control. Now instead of the extra 3 calories affecting your belly size, you have an extra 1% alcohol problem affecting your liver health.

Now adjust your OG and see the difference. That is the only true way to reduce calories in beer.

EDIT - Change of 330ml to 355ml to reflect accurate conversion from 12 US ounce bottles

 

[manticle]

Well technically you could do both - lower og and fg to get low/mid abv brew with less residual carbohydrate but I agree - as a non doctor, my understanding is that both type 1 and type 2 diabetics can consume alcohol and lower abv beer is among the better types - just watch/moderate your intake as part of an overall healthy diet plan, keep weight down and exercise/fitness regular, eat properly, take appropriate medication, etc, etc. Don't go getting smashed on dessert wines or vodka, eating two hamburgers with the lot and a fried chokito and then forgetting your insulin shot. Likewise don't drink ten pints on a empty stomach.

Did I say I'm not a doctor? I'm not a doctor.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

That's all it is. Less grain bill, Malts, Sugars for the same volume of beer.
Say eg: 3kg grain bill for ~20lt is much lower carbs/cals than a 5kg grain bill for 20lt. If you still want the ABV around the same level then you need the FG to finish lower which is less (unfermented) residual sugars. That's why all the low carb beers are Dry's.

 

[manticle]

Point is though Dan that abv is more significant than residual carbs, especially in the case of beer which really doesn’t have much anyway. You are better off drinking a 3-4% beer than a 5-6% even if the 5 % finishes at 1.001 and the 3 at 1.016.

 

[firezuki]

This is one I brewed a while back and got thumbs up (from me) and from the few people who tried it.

19lt brew
OG = 1.036
FG = 1.002
IBU = 24
EBC = 10
ABV = 4.4%
IBU/SG = 0.677 Bitterness Ratio
Calories = 322 kcal/l

Total grain bill = 3.21kg haha.. :lol:
70.1% Golden Promice
7.8% Dark Munick
7.8% Melanoiden
7.8% Cara-Pils/Dextrine
4.0% Wheat Malt
2.5% Acidulated

Infusion Protein rest 50c. Infusion Sacc rest 65c. Decoction 69c. Decoction 75c.
~ 90min boil.

Home Grown Hops
12g Victoria FWH = 14.8 IBU
15g Cascade 10min = 5.0 IBU
15g Cascade Steep/wirl 10min = 2.5 IBU
30g Victoria Hop Stand at ~70c for 20 minutes = 1.1 IBU
60g Cascade Hop stand at 70c 20min = 1.2 IBU

German Ale 1007 Wyeast recycled.
Dry Enzyme in primary to get FG at 1.002
Ferment start at 14c to end at 19c. Pressure ferment naturally carbonated.

What kind of beer do you like? Pale, hoppy, malty, dark......? Lager, ale, funky, hefe, wit...?

What kind of process? Kit, extract, partial, full mash?

I'm a pale ale man. Full mash.

 

[manticle]

Few different approaches.
If you want full flavoured, full bodied beer, start with an og around 1.035 - 40 and mash at 70 for 30 mins. FG probably 1.016-1.018, yeast dependent.

Alternatively, aim for 1.028- 1.030 and mash low.

Another alternative is to use a base with slighly less diastatic power, amp up the crystal and start around 1.040. Hop well to balance the crystal, use a lower attenuating yeast and mash between 65 and 68.

All in all, aiming for abv% of 4 or under. Don’t drink a **** ton, follow all other medical advice in terms of diet, exercise, etc.

Enzyme will make low carb but you really need low alc (also low carb = low flavour). If you really want to try low carb, max the og to maybe 1.025. It will taste thin.

Me doctor, no.