Help in unusual beer brewing related question

[chuggers]

I have been brewing beer and ale kits for couple of years on and off. I have been asked by my wife if I can brew a larger that has a low or zero alcohol content, but the twist to this is it has to be low in carbs as well, so she can drink this without worry about her diet.

If anyone can help me in any way or point me in the right direction would be fantastic.

 

[Muddydisco]

:wha: :wha: :hmm: :hmm: :wha: :wha:

Nope you've got me stumped there, and it's Lager not larger

I've mad some Mad things in my time but never thought of that one :lol:

How about cold steeping some grains to get the colours and some flavour but not the sugars then boiling with few hops and force carbonating in a corny keg.

Or just brew a kit but make it to 40ltr and have a if OG should of been 1.045 at 40ltr it'll be 1.017 so You'll get something like 1% but don't know how the flavours will be that watered down??

Really unsure :hmm:

 

[Buzzing]

I've been thinking about this too. Don't think I'll actually go as far as to brew it, as this is a sure way to get kicked out of beer heaven . . .


How about if you brew a kit as per normal.
After fermenting out, put in the kettle / keggle, and heat up to 80`C for all the alc to evaporate.
re-pitch a bit of yeast and a bit of sugar for carbonation (and a bit more if you want low % alc), and then bottle.

This should give you a product of the correct consistency, colour, flavour, aroma and fizziness with super low alc content ?

 

[evanvine]

How about fully fermenting to dryness and then boiling the alcohol off to atmosphere (80/90C)?

 

[jonewer]

Maybe just steep some crystal then boil with a couple of hops?

Either way its going to taste :sick:

Alcohol free beer. Tut tut. :nono:

 

[RobWalker]

How about fully fermenting to dryness and then boiling the alcohol off to atmosphere (80/90C)?

I think this too. When it's cooled you can re-yeast and add priming sugar to carbonate. BYO have a topic on this subject -

http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/ ... holic-beer

For low carb, you'll need to reduce the amount of malt you use. It's the only way unfortunately. At about 1.030, which is probably as weak as you want to go, you're looking at 132 calories in a pint. I would serve it in bottles between 330ml - 500ml so you feel like you're having 4 beers when you're really having just over 2...

 

[Muddydisco]

never thought about boiling off the Alcohol :) :thumb:

 

[Elindail]

Taking out just the alcohol would be pretty tricky as water would be lost too, but maybe you could make up a brew as normal, then over a very low heat, to avoid ruining the beer, take out almost all of the liquid until you're left with a syrup, then make back up with water. Basically, take beer, remove water and alcohol, obtain beer concentrate, dilute to original volume with just water and no alcohol, and get alcohol free beer. If you could fashion some form of vacuum chamber with a sturdy pot (maybe a pressure cooker) and a hoover or a vacuum pump, them it could be done at much lower temperatures which would avoid ruining the beer with heat...

 

[evanvine]

Taking out just the alcohol would be pretty tricky as water would be lost too

Really? I thought water boiled at 100C. :wha:

 

[bobsbeer]

It does but you are going to get evaporation happening much lower than 100c.

 

[evanvine]

It does but you are going to get evaporation happening much lower than 100c.

Picky!

 

[bobsbeer]

:grin:

 

[Elindail]

It does but you are going to get evaporation happening much lower than 100c.

Yes! Someone who says what I'm thinking when I've had a few :

But yes, that was my train of thought :thumb:. I suppose it'd be possible to heat for a little while to try to evaporate most of the alcohol off and then top back up with water, but unless diluting back up is done REALLY accurately and hydrometer readings taken at every point (or gas chromatography is available for checking :grin:) then knowing when the alcohol content is actually low is going to be tough. By reducing down to a litre or two of concentrate, then diluting with ~20L of water, the alcohol will be as good as gone. Should taste okay too...if the reducing works properly that is :hmm:

 

[dennisdk2000]

I have been asked by my wife if I can brew a larger that has a low or zero alcohol content, but the twist to this is it has to be low in carbs as well, so she can drink this without worry about her diet.

Women, eh? Doesn't want much, does she?!?

Best of luck!

Dennis

 

[beffrey]

Googling American "Lite" beer will be your first port of call. But certainly raising the temp of your beer after fermentation is certainly the right route re. non-alcoholic beers. The mere thought of doing that to an all-grain beer I'd spend days producing terrifies me, but you might feel differently if you are kit brewing.

Personally I'd pop down to Sainsbury's and buy her a few bottle of Diet Lemonade, and a few wedges of lime and give her a shandy. Lovely pint with little alcohol and few calories.