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  • Small beer process

    I'm currently formulating a couple of different recipes for a small beer (2.5-3% ABV) and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I was planning on mashing in at 70-71C (158-160F), hoping to get an OG of around 12P and having only enough fermentables to give me a 6.5-7.5P FG. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, are there any major flavor issues that I should think about or special procedures to consider? Am I going about this totally wrong, or am I on the right track? I'd like to make sure I'm on the right track before I do too many tests so I don't spin my wheels too much. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Cheers!

    Gabe Wilson

  • #2
    I dont think this will work-
    Even at that high mash temp and a thin mash you will still get at least 65% attenuation or 12-65% =4.2 fg. 7.8 x .52 = 4% alcohol.
    Any approach that would leave you with a fg of 6.5-7.5 would be a undrinkable beer. Granted you could crash early-, use camdem tablets or something but it would have a unfermented worty taste of green beer. Ever drank a Malta Goya?? Ewwwwww!
    To get that low of alcohol i think you need to shoot for a much lower OG. More like 8 or even under. And then its very easy to extract tannins from a mash that watery and have a harsh/husky tasting beer.
    I would think the solution is what the macros do now and what other brewers have been doing for hundreds of years-- water it down.
    Make your 12P beer (or even 10) and add 25-30% deaerated sanitary (read boiled and carbonated) water.
    Good Luck
    Brewmaster, Minocqua Brewing Company
    tbriggs@minocquabrewingcompany.com
    "Your results may vary"

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    • #3
      parti-gyle

      I like to split the wort when making small beer and get a small batch of big beer. Just pull some of the high gravity first runs even if you just make a 1/2 bbl side batch for yourself personally. Ted Briggs already posted a good comment above. It is easy to test different water to beer ratios and see what you like. You can also do a way old school multi- runnings batch. That is , don't sparge and run off wort multiple times remashing with new mash water additions.

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      • #4
        In my admittedly limited experience, I've found that low-temp mashes result in better small beers than high-temp mashes. Alcohol contributes to body and, in my opinion, the lack of it with respect to unfermentable dextrins results in a syrupy character that ruins a beer's sessionability. Despite having a lot in common with bad homebrew kits (underattenuated malt extract), all of the session beers I've brewed with high mash temps still tasted watery.

        I like to keep the mash temp low and build body with lots of Munich-type malts. I also recommend not adding more caramel malts than you normally would for standard-strength beers.

        Joe

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        • #5
          Originally posted by jwalts
          I like to keep the mash temp low and build body with lots of Munich-type malts. I also recommend not adding more caramel malts than you normally would for standard-strength beers.
          Good idea on using plenty of Munich, I'll try a batch with that and see how it turns out. I really didn't want to water down too much post-fermentation, as I really don't have a good source of DO'd water that could just be added, plus I'm trying to have something that's flavorful, not watered down. Who knows, maybe this entire thing will be a bust, but at least I'll give it a try. I'm told that everyone here is looking for a low alcohol beer because of a new transit law that comes down pretty hard on drinking and driving.

          Any brewers from Australia out there in ProBrewer land who have any advice for me for a "light" beer? I'm told it's pretty common there.

          Thanks,

          --Gabe
          Last edited by gabewilson50; 08-10-2009, 12:44 PM.

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          • #6
            You don't need to do anything fancy to water down your beer. Just collect less than you normally would in the kettle and make up the difference with water before you boil.

            Joe

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