How do I lower a Recipe ABV without losing the character of a beer ?

[dmtaylor]

Not that simple sadly. Unless you want a sickly sweet mess. Lower abv is a tricky delicate balance.

Dextrins really aren't all that sweet though. Mostly just less fermentable.

 

[Frisp]

In short there is no simple answer because the question you ask is a complication of many things people have written in this thread plus all of the skill and experience that comes from creating recipes brewing, evaluating and brewing again. And again and again. If your not able to put the time in, then my best suggestion for you would be to buy a recognised lower abv all grain kit from someone like the malt miller and go with that if that’s what your after.

This is a long term plan to be honest.. there will be no tour of world beer here..
I want a session Lager, Scottish light/heavy and a nitro irish stout on tap all fettled to between 3-4 abv, have body, mouthfeel and hopping that suits me..

I have base recipes for the stout (Murphys clone) and the scottish beer (BIG kenny recipe by Wez) alredy set up in brewfather, as starting points, ready for their first brewdays.. the process will be do small batches and fettle those recipes until the beer is right

ill work on the lager recipe later and just use kits to keep the lager drinking visitors entertained.

Kits are generally going to be used to avoid beer famines between AG brewdays..

 

[An Ankoù]

So weak stout. A contradiction in terms isn't it, but draught Guinness is only 4.2% and Mackeson is a lovely drink at 3.8%. I think a stout would be the easiest style to do as you can disguise the body-builders more easily with the roast malts, which, themselves, add very little fermentable sugar.

Yep, I'd agree with you there, and it can take more carbonation than a cask-like bitter and that's going to flesh out the mouthfeel and the appearance of "body".