Light beers for summertime

[blackBeer66]

Hello esteemed beer lovers,

I do kits (Coopers like 99.9% of the time) and my standard is 1kg of DME or an extra can of LME. Sometimes I throw in some hops to steep.

Now that gives me a good tasting beer and I am fairly happy with it. The problem is... all that malt is expanding my waistline and can taste a bit too heavy on hot days like we had in April recently.

I was making my way through a Coopers Dark ale made up with all DME and Amerian ale yeast. It was like eating a rich chocolate pudding after a good meal on a hot summers day.

Can I thin out my next few beers with some simple table sugar or golden syrup so I can get something lighter... more carbed for the coming summer?

I have no brewing sugar at hand and don't want to bother getting any at this lockdown time.

My next two beers will be Coopers draught and APA.

Was thinking to add 50% dme and 50% sugar. Hope table sugar won't ruin the taste.

Will be using Kolsch yeast

Thanks friends

 

[Slid]

Hello esteemed beer lovers,

I do kits (Coopers like 99.9% of the time) and my standard is 1kg of DME or an extra can of LME. Sometimes I throw in some hops to steep.

Can I thin out my next few beers with some simple table sugar or golden syrup so I can get something lighter... more carbed for the coming summer?

I have no brewing sugar at hand and don't want to bother getting any at this lockdown time.

My next two beers will be Coopers draught and APA.

Was thinking to add 50% dme and 50% sugar. Hope table sugar won't ruin the taste.

Will be using Kolsch yeast

Thanks friends

I did Coopers kits with 500g DME and 1kg of table sugar to 25L. Out of the fridge, they did the job OK.
Not what you might call overly tasty, but easy to drink and refreshing "Lawn-mower beer".

 

[Banbeer]

Hi @blackBeer66, I used to make Coopers Draught a few years back and would always use table sugar and they always came out well, the thing you will loose using sugar or dextrose (and no DME, LME) is a bit of mouthfeel and body but that sounds as though it would be ok for you.

 

[terrym]

In general terms its the amount of sugars in the original wort volume that produce the calories. So if you want to reduce those calories you either put less sugars in, or up the volume. Less OG less calories. Merely substituting one sugar (ME) with another (dextrose) wont make much difference. In your case I suggest you brew to the full 23 litres and only add 500g of DME or LME.

 

[blackBeer66]

I did Coopers kits with 500g DME and 1kg of table sugar to 25L. Out of the fridge, they did the job OK.
Not what you might call overly tasty, but easy to drink and refreshing "Lawn-mower beer".

Sounds good. I guess 0.5kg of sugar will not impact too much taste wise.

Sometimes that pint of Bud Light does taste real good on a hot summers day... lol

 

[blackBeer66]

In general terms its the amount of sugars in the original wort volume that produce the calories. So if you want to reduce those calories you either put less sugars in, or up the volume. Less OG less calories. Merely substituting one sugar (ME) with another (dextrose) wont make much difference. In your case I suggest you brew to the full 23 litres and only add 500g of DME or LME.

Makes sense. Malt just makes the beer taste heavier.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi @blackBeer66

It's always worth perusing the Coopers website and check out their "Tried and Tested Recipes" (link) for ideas on how to brew their kits differently, it looks like one/some of the "Mid Strength Recipes" might be the sorts of things you're looking for, or possibly one of their lagers

Cheers, PhilB

 

[MyQul]

As others have said, the way to make a light (in both sense's, light to drink and lower calories) beer is to firstly; Increase the volume/do a longer brewlength to say 25L instead of 23L. As terry has explaining this will lower the OG thus lowering the calories content. Secondly if you want to make a 'light to drink' beer, swap out the DME for sugar. Firstly this wont ruin the beer, in fact its a trick to lighten your beer and make it lager like in body. Sugar is completely fermentable so doesnt leave unfermented sugars (like maltose and maltotriose) in the beer which is what give beer it's body.
There's a style of American beer called cream ale. It was invented to compete with lagers. It can be made with lots of sugar (as well as maize which is also very fermentable) to give a light lager like body. You can make a Kit cream ale by simply taking a pale ale kit and replacing a DME with sugar

 

[blackBeer66]

As others have said, the way to make a light (in both sense's, light to drink and lower calories) beer is to firstly; Increase the volume/do a longer brewlength to say 25L instead of 23L. As terry has explaining this will lower the OG thus lowering the calories content. Secondly if you want to make a 'light to drink' beer, swap out the DME for sugar. Firstly this wont ruin the beer, in fact its a trick to lighten your beer and make it lager like in body. Sugar is completely fermentable so doesnt leave unfermented sugars (like maltose and maltotriose) in the beer which is what give beer it's body.
There's a style of American beer called cream ale. It was invented to compete with lagers. It can be made with lots of sugar (as well as maize which is also very fermentable) to give a light lager like body. You can make a Kit cream ale by simply taking a pale ale kit and replacing a DME with sugar

Just did some research on Cream Ale and it sounds very interesting.

Thanks

 

[dwhite60]

Did my first cream ales this year. Both are very light. Went from 1.045 to 1.006 so they're pretty dry.

I have a Coopers Real Ale kit I'm putting together next month. Thinking of 1.5kg sugar and 0.5kg DME.

Haven't made a kit in twenty plus years. Interested to see if the quality has changed.

I use table sugar fairly often to lighten body. Never had a problem with it.

 

[blackBeer66]

So after some deciding I put this on yesterday:

1.7kg Coopers Draught kit
500g LDME
400g Billings Unrefined cane sugar

25g Cascade Hops (steeped in the can for 10mins)

Reused Kolsch yeast slurry 2nd gen

23L tablet treated water

Its bubbling away in less than 24 hours.

Got a Wilkos Wheat on tap which should be gone by the time the draught is ready.

Thanks everyone.

 

[MyQul]

Looks good.

See how you like it. If it's not 'light' enough for you, add even more sugar next time

 

[terrym]

@blackBeer66
I think you will find any of the lighter Coopers kits Draught, AuPA, Canadian Blonde will make a fair summer session beer brewed with 500g DME and 500g sugar. You could also try a dry hop or a hop tea and will be surprised how this lifts a kit. I used the AuPA as a base for a number of beers and for me 40-50g Cascade worked well.

 

[bez]

@blackBeer66
I think you will find any of the lighter Coopers kits Draught, AuPA, Canadian Blonde will make a fair summer session beer brewed with 500g DME and 500g sugar. You could also try a dry hop or a hop tea and will be surprised how this lifts a kit. I used the AuPA as a base for a number of beers and for me 40-50g Cascade worked well.

Terry when would you add the cascade after five days or so

 

[terrym]

Terry when would you add the cascade after five days or so

When I dry hopped my beers I always let the primary finish and a bit. So typically I would leave it eight or nine days then add the hops for a further five, with the last two in a coldest place I had.

 

[bez]

When I dry hopped my beers I always let the primary finish and a bit. So typically I would leave it eight or nine days then add the hops for a further five, with the last two in a coldest place I had.

Ok. That’s interesting

 

[blackBeer66]

So an update on the Coopers draught I did earlier. It's only been in the keg a week. Still needs more carbing. I can definitely taste the hops. Dry hopping makes a massive difference.

As for the 400g of unrefined cane sugar... I can't taste any off flavours and the beer is not too heavy as it would be with all malt. I am no longer worried about using cane sugar in my beers.

 

[blackBeer66]

I dried hopped with 25g Cascade pellets at day 15 and kegged day 21.

 

[blackBeer66]

So my Cascade Coopers draught is kegged and it's been about 12 days. It's turned into a very tasty and aromatic ale.

 

[blackBeer66]

My second "light summer ale" is on the go. I mixed it up while the wife was at work and the toddler was asleep. Time is of the essence.

I also get the chance to try out the new Høg norsk yeast.