Tips for a low alcohol beer

[mofox1]

I've been planning to get some lower alcohol beers on tap for a while now. Keen to get some tips to make sure it turns out okay... namely mash temps and yeast attentuation.

Below is one of the ones I've been toying with for a while - wheat based, floral/fuity aussie hops with a touch of colour. I'm planning to mash on the mid to lower end of the scale (64o) and go for a lower attenuating yeast. WLP041 - Pacific Ale has worked for me previously with a malty/fruity profile & hoping it can bring the same here. Still, worried it won't attenuate enough...

So here's what I've got. Anything to improve?

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 25.0
Total Grain (kg): 4.000
Total Hops (g): 115.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.040 (°P): 10.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 3.54 %
Colour (SRM): 3.8 (EBC): 7.5
Bitterness (IBU): 22.3 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 80
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
2.100 kg Wheat Malt (52.5%)
1.600 kg Pilsner (40%)
0.200 kg Carared (5%)
0.100 kg Acidulated Malt (2.5%)

Hop Bill
----------------
15.0 g Summer Pellet (5.3% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil) (0.6 g/L)
10.0 g Ella Pellet (14.3% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
40.0 g Summer Pellet (5.3% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (1.6 g/L)
25.0 g Ella Pellet (14.3% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) (1 g/L)
25.0 g Summer Pellet (5.3% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) (1 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------
4.0 g Epsom Salt (MgSO4) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
8.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.0 g Whirlfloc Tablet @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
4.0 g Yeast Nutrient @ 5 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 64°C for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 18°C with WLP041 - Pacific Ale

 

[barls]

i don't know about your system but 64 is the maximum fermentability side of things. bump your temp up my mild is at nearly 70 and is 3.5 percent

 

[Blind Dog]

I'd mash higher than 64 or you'll run the risk of ending up with fizzy hoppy water. I typically use 67 for ordinary bitter, 69/70 for dark mild. Graham Wheeler's bitter recipes are pretty much all at 66.

 

[mofox1]

Cheers folks, that's certainly higher than I was planning, or have even done before (highest successful brew, probably around 65)... but will give it a shot and see what happens.

i don't know about your system but 64 is the maximum fermentability side of things. bump your temp up my mild is at nearly 70 and is 3.5 percent

What OG/FG do you target with this?

 

[manticle]

As above. Also consider a short mash. My dark mild is 69/70 for 30 minutes. Balances very well.

Something around 1039/1016 og/fg from memory. I'd have to look up the recipe to confirm.
I'd also question the need for added magnesium or acidulated.

 

[barls]

Cheers folks, that's certainly higher than I was planning, or have even done before (highest successful brew, probably around 65)... but will give it a shot and see what happens.


What OG/FG do you target with this?

mines og of 1036 and finishes mostly around 1014.
it has decent body and is very easy to drink

 

[mofox1]

As above. Also consider a short mash. My dark mild is 69/70 for 30 minutes. Balances very well.

Something around 1039/1016 og/fg from memory. I'd have to look up the recipe to confirm.
I'd also question the need for added magnesium or acidulated.

Ended up making this the other week with minor changes... upped the OG to '46 to target 4% when using a lowish attenuating yeast.

The acidualted was to bring the mash pH down to ~5.6 from the est 5.9 by EZ Water Calc... is that not a good idea? I bascially scaled the acidualted & salt additions I do for my pales down for this recipe... The salts are all kettle additions, I don't use them for pH adjustment.

You're in Melbourne Manticle... assume you're water profile is very similar to mine?
Ca: 5.5, Mg: 1.1, Na: 4.8, Cl: 8, SO4: 1.5, HCO3: 15 (all as ppm)

Going by the numbers, I possibly could have added more acidualted, and more salts...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Yes, mash nice and high to get some body. Alc causes mouth feel and body, so you need to compensate for lower Alc

Drop your hoping back a touch, better to be under hoped than over hoped.

Low Alc beers are more of a challenge, but the rewards are better

 

[mofox1]

Ended up mashing at 66o, too. Thanks folks.

This one should hit the FV in about a week after my current round of stouts are done... It'll be 3-4 weeks before I can report on success, or not.

 

[Topher]

I did a hefe with shit efficiency, 1038 OG From memory. Turned out great at 3.8% I reckon a beer like this where much of the flavour and body is from the yeast us a perfect candidate for low alc. I might shoot for lower OG next time.

In a similar vein .....perhaps a coopers pale clone at 3.5% might work alright?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Mild Ale

Too easy

Pale Malt
10% Wheat
10% xtal

Prob only need about 4-4.5kg total grain bill, depending on eff% ..etc..etc

Mash high

Bitter to about 27-30 IBU

POR at 60 Min to about 20-22 IBU
SAAZ at 15Min to about 24-26IBU
SAAZ at 0-5 min to 27-30 IBU

 

[Lincoln2]

Adding a glycosyl transferase to your mash increases the levels of unfermentable isomaltooligosaccharides in the wort to produce a beer with a reduced alcohol content but with a full body. Works for me.

 

[mofox1]

Adding a glycosyl transferase to your mash increases the levels of unfermentable isomaltooligosaccharides in the wort to produce a beer with a reduced alcohol content but with a full body. Works for me.

:blink:

 

[MetalDan]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but what is the reason behind a quicker 30 min mash? How does the shorter mash affect the beer? I'm guessing a quicker mash means less conversion of complex sugars into simple sugars, so a beer with more body (similar affect to mashing high temp)?

Cheers