Low Carb Beer

[Ghillie]

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice on brewing low carb beer. Being a type 1 diabetic; it's best I keep the carbs on the lower end of the scale to minimise the need to insulin injections to cover the carbohydrate content.

Can anyone recommend any good literature; or advise on mash schedules for getting as much fermentable sugars out of the grain as a possible?

Cheers!

 

[MrRook]

You may want to consider doing a saison. Saison yeasts normally ferment out to below 1.004, which leaves low carb levels.

 

[Ghillie]

You may want to consider doing a saison. Saison yeasts normally ferment out to below 1.004, which leaves low carb levels.

Hi @MrRook; thanks for the reply!

I'm very new to AG brewing and craft beer in general; so honestly couldn't say I've tried a saison before... Does the yeast have a big impact on taste? Lets say I brewed a pale ale but used a saison yeast rather than US-05 for example?

 

[MrRook]

The only saison I've brewed was for an article in the current issue of Brew Your Own about experimenting with various forms of rice. I used belle saison dried yeast which gave a spicey/peppery taste that I really enjoyed.

 

[simon12]

If you want to really get rid of as much as possible 2 options you could try but may not make very good beer are use champagne yeast I think it will eat through nearly all sugars, or you can get dry beer enzyme https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Dry_beer_Enzyme.html this will continue to break down unfermentable sugars to fermentable ones in theory if you added a litre of unboiled wort it should have a similar effect. Otherwise just mash at a low temp for long time.

 

[Ghillie]

If you want to really get rid of as much as possible 2 options you could try but may not make very good beer are use champagne yeast I think it will eat through nearly all sugars, or you can get dry beer enzyme https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Dry_beer_Enzyme.html this will continue to break down unfermentable sugars to fermentable ones in theory if you added a litre of unboiled wort it should have a similar effect. Otherwise just mash at a low temp for long time.

Many thanks for that; I've heard of brewers using a normal yeast (US-05 for example) and then chucking in the champagne yeast at the end to bring the FG down, may well try that! I'll take a look at the enzyme also.

As for the longer mash, I may try mashing at something like 62degC for a couple of hours; I have an iodine tincture so that should give me an indication of how long to go for. A few hours should be plenty though?

 

[Sadfield]

Many thanks for that; I've heard of brewers using a normal yeast (US-05 for example) and then chucking in the champagne yeast at the end to bring the FG down, may well try that! I'll take a look at the enzyme also.

As for the longer mash, I may try mashing at something like 62degC for a couple of hours; I have an iodine tincture so that should give me an indication of how long to go for. A few hours should be plenty though?

US05 is very clean. With that approach, would it be better using a more flavoursome yeast and then a high attenuating yeast to bring the FG down?

Finishing off with Safale BE134 or Belle Saison could be a good way to go as they are Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus strain that'll leave zero sugars. Used late it may not impart too much Saison character.

Diastaticus strains can eat through dextrines and starches that most brewing yeast can't as they produce their own diastatic enzymes.

http://www.lallemandbrewing.com/product-details/belle-saison-beer-yeast/
View attachment SafAle-BE-134_EN.pdf

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[Sadfield]

Have just come across this. A new style of IPA, popular in San Francisco, Brut IPA. Looks like it'll be Low Carb.

http://www.thebeerscholar.com/beer-...cisco-is-it-the-next-big-thing-how-to-make-it

 

[Ghillie]

Have just come across this. A new style of IPA, popular in San Francisco, Brut IPA. Looks like it'll be Low Carb.

http://www.thebeerscholar.com/beer-...cisco-is-it-the-next-big-thing-how-to-make-it

I think this is what I'm after! Many thanks:thumb: