Want To Make A Low Abv Beer

[chrisando]

Im new to this forum and new to homebrewing.
I have just bottled my first brew actually. everything went well, ill know in a week or so .

For my next brew i want to make a light beer, something that tastes like Boags Premium Light.
So, ive purchased Brewcrafts Premium Kit which includes:

• Blackrock Lager Tin
• Beer Kit Converter #60 German Lager (1KG)
• Malt Extract (500G)
• Saflager S23 Yeast

Im guessing to make a low ABV i would be aiming for a lower SG?
How would i achieve a lower SG, less dextrose? more water?

Also temperature; Tin says 18-28c, yeast and converter kit say 10-15c. ? which is it?

 

[Banshee]

Go the tin and half the kit converter.
10-15 oC

 

[Acasta]

basically, the alcohol comes from the sugar you add, so by adding that much sugar, you will still get quite a full strength beer!
From coopers:

Generally, a 1.7kg can of home brew mixed with 250g-500g of other fementable sugar to a volume of 23 litres will produce a mid-strength beer.

So in knowing that, add your can, plus half that brew converter.
or, 250g brew converter and 250 malt extract (DME)

 

[manticle]

Im new to this forum and new to homebrewing.
I have just bottled my first brew actually. everything went well, ill know in a week or so .

For my next brew i want to make a light beer, something that tastes like Boags Premium Light.
So, ive purchased Brewcrafts Premium Kit which includes:

• Blackrock Lager Tin
• Beer Kit Converter #60 German Lager (1KG)
• Malt Extract (500G)
• Saflager S23 Yeast

Im guessing to make a low ABV i would be aiming for a lower SG?
How would i achieve a lower SG, less dextrose? more water?

Also temperature; Tin says 18-28c, yeast and converter kit say 10-15c. ? which is it?

Sg is specific gravity which is the gravity determined at any particular point. What you are interested in is the difference between OG (original gravity or original specific gravity) and FG or final/finishing specific gravity. The greater the difference, the higher the ABV.

The greater the FG, the sweeter and possibly more full bodied the brew.

You are probably looking for a brew that starts low (say between 1025 and 1035) but finishes lowish so it's not cloying (say between 1005 and 1015). You could start a brew at 1020 (maybe just use the kit with no extra sugar) add maltodextrin (largely unfermentable but adding body) and use dry enzyme (facilitates fermentation of usually not so fermentable stuff) and you might hit the target you're after. I'm not sure as I've not done it - so just basing that on principles.

There are other ways of making no/non alc brews which involve normal ferementation then pastreurisation but I think that's not what you're looking for.

Making a low OG brew but steeping some crystal malts might help you out too.

Look at using some hops to make up for thin body or less flavour.

 

[Nevalicious]

Chrisando

Brew to instructions but make the final volume higher than 23 lts... saves having 1/2 packets of brew enhancer lying about... Try brewing to 28ltr (those coopers homebrew fermenters will hold near on 30lts). That would atlest make the brew middy strength??

Tyler

 

[Banshee]

Go the tin and half the kit converter.
10-15 oC

 

[chrisando]

Thanks for the tips; this is what i have just done.

Ingredients
- black rock lager tin
- brewcraft kit converter #60 german lager (250G)
- brewcraft malt, light (250G)
- hallertau hops (15G)
- saflager s-23 yeast (11.5g)

Method
- boil 1l water in pot
- disolve kit converter and malt
- add hops, boil 1min
- let cool, 10 min
- strain into a bowl
- add blackrock lager tin, stir well
- mix with 10l cold water in fermenter
- add up to 21l at 25 degrees C
- add yeast, stir well

Original Gravity is 1.030

will update when its done.

 

[Acasta]

Sounds good. if FG is around 1010-1008 then the ABV will be 2.7-3%. Don't forget to add about .5% for bottle condition if u go that way.

 

[kbe]

Go the tin and half the kit converter.
10-15 oC

Bloody hell.... an echo. Never seen that before on a forum. Must be the beer.

 

[chrisando]

Just an update.
its been going for a week. and been at 1.010 for the past 2 days. will check tommorrow.

and if it still is i will rack it to another fermenter for about a week? a week is the general rule isnt it?
Then after that i will bottle; and leave for another week+ before tasting? correct?

 

[Fourstar]

my two bob.

Make TWO batches at 20L and split the difference of wort and fermentables. Thats probably your simplest option. If you want it at around 3%, add another 500g of dme to each fermenter.

 

[Lecterfan]

It all sounds good...I generally wait two weeks before tasting as I find I used to be dissappointed at 1 week with K+K beers (but it is maybe a matter of expectations).

Incidentally I've recently made 2 great low alc beers (accidentally) due to mashing way too hot! But this is a whole other story.

Hope it works out for you!

 

[Windy Hill]

Just an update.
its been going for a week. and been at 1.010 for the past 2 days. will check tommorrow.

and if it still is i will rack it to another fermenter for about a week? a week is the general rule isnt it?
Then after that i will bottle; and leave for another week+ before tasting? correct?

Gday Chrisando , just wondering what sort of average temp you maintained during the first week of ferment ? Cheers , Windy Hill .

 

[chrisando]

Gday Chrisando , just wondering what sort of average temp you maintained during the first week of ferment ? Cheers , Windy Hill .

I keeped it at between 16-18c. from what ive read the sageflr yeast likes low temps.

I racked it today aswell.

 

[barls]

still might be a bit fruity, s23 is 9-15 degrees

 

[chrisando]

Hello, Having a bit of trouble and the carbonation of this brew i did

Just to go over the specs again

Ingredients
- black rock lager tin
- brewcraft kit converter #60 german lager (250G)
- brewcraft malt, light (250G)
- hallertau hops (15G)
- saflager s-23 yeast (11.5g)

Method
- boil 1l water in pot
- disolve kit converter and malt
- add hops, boil 1min
- let cool, 10 min
- strain into a bowl
- add blackrock lager tin, stir well
- mix with 10l cold water in fermenter
- add up to 21l at 25 degrees C
- add yeast, stir well

Original Gravity is 1.030

----

It was fully fermented in primary, with 3 consistent SG readings of 1.010

I then racked it to secondary for another week.

I then bottled it, putting in one carb drop per 330ml bottle.

It has been bottled for 2 weeks now, sitting at about 14-18c
I opened a bottle at one week and it was not carbonated at all. Which i half expected.
I opened a bottle at two weeks, and i still see no carbonation difference from week one.

I will obviously give it more time, but just want to know if this is normal.
My first brew only took one week to fully carbonate (i did not rack it though, and it was just a basic tin lager)

 

[Bongchitis]

Give the bottles a quick upend and shake and put them back for another 2 weeks. Temps are getting warmer now so they should be on the way with some time.


It seems to be a fairly common winter occurence to newer brewers.

 

[chrisando]

Yep i gave them a quick flip, will see if that helps. there was a extremely thin layer of sediment, then got stirred around.
what would be the effects of conditioning it warmer temperatures; i can always move it inside to get a constant 18-22c. i was under the impression, that lower temperatures are better, warmer temperatures can make it taste fruity?

Another thing i forgot to mention, is i added finings, as it went into secondary. could this effect carbonation time?

I brought the bottles from the LHBS ($10 for 24), they did say they where ready to go, what if they where not sterilized? (i had the impression they where however)

 

[felten]

The priming sugar is going to ferment out cleanly so there is no harm keeping them at room temps until they're carbonated. After that though if you want to store them for a while, they're better off at a cooler stable temp.

 

[petesbrew]

I brought the bottles from the LHBS ($10 for 24), they did say they where ready to go, what if they where not sterilized? (i had the impression they where however)

Clean doesn't equal sterile.
I would've at least sanitised them beforehand, but no point worrying now.