So,why do they apparently taste so bad?
Low Alcohol & Low Calorie
- Thread starter Hazelwood Brewery
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Even if you could strip the alcohol out at homebrew level you'd also want to then pasteurise the beer to avoid spoilage.
In general I'd say going much below 3% ABV in home brew is not advisable. That level of alcohol stops anything nasty growing in our beer, as we don't have the equipment or QA processes to keep things completely sterile.
Even Guinness had to recall an early batch of Guinness 0 due to contamination.
In general I'd say going much below 3% ABV in home brew is not advisable. That level of alcohol stops anything nasty growing in our beer, as we don't have the equipment or QA processes to keep things completely sterile.
Even Guinness had to recall an early batch of Guinness 0 due to contamination.
The 0.5% beers are using a limited fermentation, which is why the beers mostly taste like unfermented wort, and I find them very unpalatable.
The 0.0% beers (e.g. Guinness Zero) are (I believe) normally fermented beers that use filtration to remove alcohol, so they should taste a lot better. They just have to adjust the recipe to add extra body and sweetness that the alcohol would normally provide.
I read somewhere recently that AF should be read “as foretold”. Makes it sound more epic.
This would explain the Big Drop Pine Trail pale ale I had last night - opened the can to THE WORST stale fart smell ever and taste of bad cabbage water - absolutely revolting. I didn't realise they used weird yeasts. Guinness say they brew as normal and use cold filtration to extract the alcohol so there must be 2 ways of brewing these (as peebee mentioned earlier)
As I approach the end of my foray into AF beers I’m trying this 0.5% Lager/IPA hybrid from Williams Bros. The can describes the beer as having the crisp clean notes of a lager and the bitter finish of an IPA. I wasn’t keen on the other two Williams Bros AF beers but this one is much better. It’s a tad thin in common with pretty much all AF beers (not watery) but it has good flavour. Nice.
So now I have 4 AF beers I’ll be pleased to have available for family and friends wanting AF beers; Guinness, Ghostship, Beavertown Lazer Crush, and now this lager/IPA hybrid.
So now I have 4 AF beers I’ll be pleased to have available for family and friends wanting AF beers; Guinness, Ghostship, Beavertown Lazer Crush, and now this lager/IPA hybrid.
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Are those listed from best H?
No Chippy, no implied rankings. They are different types of beer and all are good in my view.
I could still do with a nice AF bitter to complete my set of popular beer styles.
peebee
Out of Control
Phew! I thought I'd failed utterly with them Williams Bros recommendations!
But the other two are somewhat more "in-your-face" ("Alien Form" in particular) and I know they won't suit everyone. Although I still have the evil pixie in me ear telling me it must suit everyone!
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Given that we,the beer makers are connoisseurs of all things beer and take each style for what it is. As in...we enjoy a light, crisp, well executed lager,the mystery of the sour and the simplicity of but overlooked mild,do you tryers of the AF when making your choices for guests that may be driving,base it on what YOU prefer out of what's currently available? Are your guests usually seasoned beer drinkers or do they look horrified at the mention of a SAISON when in reality they've never ever tried one...and probably won't because they already know they don't like it! So,for those could the bland,insipid version be a suitable choice?
peebee
Out of Control
You won't find one!
I reckon you've got to find a substitute you really, really, like for your beer hankering. Rather than search for an AF beer that actually tastes of beer!
The Guinness 0.0 is good at replicating real Guinness ... but then I don't consider alcoholic "Guinness" to be beer anyhow. (Oops, better get me 'ead down now).
I'd better be nice about Guinness 0.0 ... my latest order of them turned up with lids popped and black liquid everywhere. But they've been replaced, and I'm allowed to keep the intact cans in the bust order!
(but there's no alcohol in it) 
Not a fail, you like them and I dare say many other people do too.
If you see it, try Beavertown Lazer Crush and see what you think of that. It’s in the same style as the Williams Bros IPAs but to me has a cleaner taste.
Yes, I’ve not seen AF bitter in the shops and I’m worried about buying a dozen cans on-line because I think I’ll be disappointed. I may try to brew a lower alcohol bitter and if it disappoints it’ll be used to make shandy!You won't find one!
I reckon you've got to find a substitute you really, really, like for your beer hankering. Rather than search for an AF beer that actually tastes of beer!
The Guinness 0.0 is good at replicating real Guinness ... but then I don't consider alcoholic "Guinness" to be beer anyhow. (Oops, better get me 'ead down now).
I'd better be nice about Guinness 0.0 ... my latest order of them turned up with lids popped and black liquid everywhere. But they've been replaced, and I'm allowed to keep the intact cans in the bust order!
We always have alternatives to beer but I’d quite like to also have alcohol free beer for when guests might like a beer but are unable to drink alcohol. I’ve used this month to try a few and pick out the ones I think are better tasting and that I will have available. I’m about ready now to move on and resume my regular drinking habits.
Yes, based on what I prefer - but that does also take account of how much it tastes like the beer style it represents. I don’t know how else I would judge. I would say more than half of our guests are pretty discerning beer drinkers.
Obviously if a regular visitor said they like a particular beer I’d have some in stock when they come round.
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I think a big part of it is that the alcohol itself contributes a lot to the particular flavour.
I wonder if the alcohol acts as a flavour carrier as if you was just to separate the ethanol from beer it wouldn't taste particularly good.
Isn't doombar a bitter? The AF version is truly horrible though.Yes, I’ve not seen AF bitter in the shops and I’m worried about buying a dozen cans on-line because I think I’ll be disappointed. I may try to brew a lower alcohol bitter and if it disappoints it’ll be used to make shandy!
We always have alternatives to beer but I’d quite like to also have alcohol free beer for when guests might like a beer but are unable to drink alcohol. I’ve used this month to try a few and pick out the ones I think are better tasting and that I will have available. I’m about ready now to move on and resume my regular drinking habits.
I think you might have answered your own question!
I’ve tried Doombar and I’m still looking for a good AF bitter.
Sadfield
Landlord.
It would be interesting to see how all these beers stack up against taking your own favourite Bitter recipe and applying this Lallemand best practice with either Windsor or London.
So is Guiness the #1 forum favourite AF/low alcohol beer?
