My plan here was to brew a lowish ABV beer that I could drink plenty of without too much consequence. Initially I was thinking maybe 3% ABV or even lower but then I decided to aim more for around the 4% mark as it’s easier to make a decent tasting beer at that level. However my efficiency turned out much better than expected and I ended up with an OG of 1.047 instead of the 1.041 that my recipe calculator forecast. So it’s looking pretty close to ‘normal’ PA levels.
To maximise flavour in a low ABV beer I went with Munich malt as the main base malt to get a bit more malt flavour from the small malt bill. I mashed high (70C) to get more unfermentable sugars from the mash and reduce alcohol while maintaining body. I kept the mash shortish, 30 mins. I noticed much more heat loss than usual with the thin mash so although starting the mash at around 70C, it ended up in the low 60s.
M&M = Munich & Mosaic
Style Information
Name:
American Pale Ale
Recipe Type:
All Grain
Grains & Extracts
| Munich I |
3 kg |
|
| Pale Ale Malt |
1 kg |
|
| Wheat Malt |
0.5 kg |
|
Hops
| Mosaic |
0.02 kg |
11% |
0.22 |
30 |
|
| Mosaic |
0.02 kg |
11% |
0.22 |
10 |
|
| Mosaic |
0.03 kg |
11% |
0.33 |
0 |
|
| Mosaic |
0.03 kg |
11% |
0.33 |
0 |
|
Adjuncts
| Malto-Dextrine |
Other |
Boil |
1 kg |
0 |
|
Yeasts
Mash Steps
| Saccharification Rest |
Infusion |
45 |
70 C |
Boil
Amount:
27.3 liters
Water Description:
Time:
30 minutes
Target Batch Size:
26 liters
Profile
Estimated OG:
1.041
Estimated FG:
1.010
Estimated ABV:
4.05%
Actual OG:
1.046
Actual FG:
1.014
Actual ABV:
4.19%
Tasting notes
A decent enough, easy drinking beer, but tastes like what it is - a 4%, modestly hopped beer, so a tad on the bland side but it is what it is - a session beer.
