May have found a good low alc!

[Nick667]

Ive been brewing a lot of Sierra Pale Ales lately as I find the beer really well balanced.
So I roll on down to the home brew shop and give the guy out back an invoice from my last order to copy. Well he is getting on a bit and gives me 1kg less base grain than there should be, I am trying to brew outside in Auckland in the middle of winter and just need one good day so I took it while I could without checking the weight and using the Brewmate software for the normal grain bill. Because of the lower grain weight the temp just blew out to hell and all the numbers where wrong. Hops, everything. So I put it down to experience.
Now after being bottled for around 2 months with a slow carb because of cold temps it is drinking really well.
I cant believe how nice it is and, if my numbers are right, it comes in around 2.8% give or take. Go figure!!!!
If anything I might drop the bittering a little but this beer is not very bitter anyway.
For anyone who wants to have a play with it here it is.
PS I biab with sparge and mashout and get about 70% eff.

USA 2 row pale 4.2kg
Medium crytal .41kg

Hops
Magnum 12.3aa 12gm @ 60
Perle 5.5aa 20gm @30
Cascade 6.9aa 28 gm @10
Cascade 56gm @ 0
Cascade 56gm dry hop 3 days before bottling

I used BRY 97 yeast

Got ; 68.9 mash temp
!.5 hour mash ( because of panic )
Mash out 77C
Pre boil sg ( refractometer ) 1030.OG 1035/6. 1010 FG. Carb @ 2.2 cane sug and bottle.

 

[RdeVjun]

Nice, not altogether that different from Ye Olde English Mild, just a bit of new world styling.
FWIW, the English Mild I like has about 2.5kg base malt, a kilo of crystal, darker malts to taste, mashed around 70C, your usual Pommie Bitter hops like Fuggles, EKG, Challenger to about 25IBU and uses a characterful low attenuation yeast. OG 1.030, FG in the teens but not thin and watery, 2.5 to 3.5%ABV.
Often results in the most dreadfully odorous and violent flatus, but that's another story.

 

[Droopy Brew]

What is your volume? If you are brewing 23L with 4.6kg of grain, then you should be getting a lot more than 1.035 at 70% efficiency.

Did you brew a bigger batch or was that with 3.6kg of grain?

 

[manticle]

What is your volume? If you are brewing 23L with 4.6kg of grain, then you should be getting a lot more than 1.035 at 70% efficiency.

Did you brew a bigger batch or was that with 3.6kg of grain?

Ja. seems a bit short somewhere.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

If you keg. Dedicate one for filtered water on tap (Soda Water). Shandy by the old name. I do this a lot.
Take an awesome beer at any % ABV. Mix down to with soda water and judge the flavors for yourself.
You have to add soda water first into glass to estimated dilution rate. Top, mix with freaky good home brew.
I advocate for light beer, all beer, etc. Its just another way to twine a good blend. Soda water shandy.

 

[Nick667]

What is your volume? If you are brewing 23L with 4.6kg of grain, then you should be getting a lot more than 1.035 at 70% efficiency.

Did you brew a bigger batch or was that with 3.6kg of grain?

I should have said that I was using 70% for the original recipe with 5.2 kg and 24lts. Dont know what the efficiency turned out no doubt someone will tell me. I thought it would be a disaster. The temp blew out to 69c mash. A yeast that doesnt drop the gravity so low would be a good idea also. Other than being a bit thin you ( I mean me ) would never know it was such a low alc beer.

 

[Droopy Brew]

Eff about 65% with those numbers.
69-70C is a common mash temp for Milds etc. Brings body while reducing attenuation so you can get low alc beer with some body.