First BIAB brewday - 2 Gallon Raspberry Beer

[RobWalker]

Woo! First BIAB completed for now. Just a test run to see whether full BIAB is worth it...might upgrade soon!

This is a 2.7% brew. New tax laws have been introduced that cut the tax on beers lower than 2.7%, so for a bit of fun, a few members are trying to brew low ABV, tasty beers; http://thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20034

Target OG was 1.027, I seem to be recording 1.028 after the gunk drops out, but I assume that's because I'm just under 10 litres, so will top up with water soon to keep within ABV guidelines. I lost about half of the water during boil (eh?) so had to top back up with dechlorinated water.

Total cost excluding ingredients I already have; £5.40. Secondary fermentation still to come, table sugar is for the sugar from the raspberries. I reakon fermentation will be over in a night! hahah.

Raspberry Mild
Brew Type: Partial Mash Date: 30/11/2011
Style: Mild Brown Ale Brewer: Robert Walker
Batch Size: 2.00 gal
Boil Volume: 2.29 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 %

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.80 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 75.5 %
0.10 kg Amber Malt (43.3 EBC) Grain 9.4 %
0.07 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (157.6 EBC) Grain 6.6 %
0.05 kg Barley, Flaked (3.3 EBC) Grain 4.7 %
0.03 kg Black (Patent) Malt (985.0 EBC) Grain 2.8 %
3.00 gm Bramling Cross [6.00%] (60 min) Hops 6.9 IBU
3.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (30 min) Hops 4.4 IBU
3.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 2.6 IBU
0.01 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (2.0 EBC) Sugar 0.9 %
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.028 SG (1.030-1.038 SG)
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.007 SG (1.008-1.013 SG)
Estimated Color: 28.8 EBC (19.7-49.3 EBC)
Bitterness: 13.8 IBU (10.0-20.0 IBU)
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 2.7 % (2.5-4.0 %)

29 SRM for this one, hopefully the raspberries will add some purpley red!

Ingredients

Malts

Mash On

Rustic mashing

Mash and mash out completed, nice clear wort :)

Hot break

It's in the FV now waiting to cool down enough to pitch yeast, probably do it tomorrow morning.

Still to come; secondary fermentation, bottling,

 

[Runwell-Steve]

Good luck with it. I will be interested to see how this turns out, but I can't see myself brewing a sub 2.8% beer any time soon.

 

[RobWalker]

Hahah, nor me but I find it hard to turn down a challenge... Plus the low cost was appealing :-)

 

[Green Ninja]

I don't understand how brewing a low alcohol beer at home saves you paying tax.

Am I missing something?

Surely you have to still pay VAT on the grain bill and hops?


Terry.

 

[RobWalker]

Oh nah, i realise how that must have sounded - its not a case of saving anything at home, just an idea spawned from it to try and brew a good low strength beer. There's no advantage to it tax wise, only on commercial beers, just a bit of fun! The cost is low at home, as I've put, because there isn't much required ingredient wise :-)

 

[RobWalker]

Updated. Done for now!

 

[RobWalker]

Fermented out in just over a night, as expected - 2.7% doesn't take much. 1 point from target means efficiency was almost 75%! yay.

going to leave for a few days, rack off onto raspberries and give it a week or two until clear, then bottle this up. :)

 

[RobWalker]

just an update. racked onto the fruit now, added a little summer fruit to compensate for the 1.5 litre water I was missing too, should taste great. Boiled fruit as I'm lazy.

 

[kev]

Got anymore info on that tax break? I work for a brewery and haven't heard a thing about it.

K

 

[RobWalker]

A little here;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... x-cut.html

They've failed in the past, what with carling c2 and everything...but it's interesting considering the popularity of real ales these days!