Genuinely usable Small Beer

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Hi, they look great. Hope they taste as good as they look. Would be nice to do a swap, I'll send you mine and somthing else from my stock (probably of significantly higher ABV). Looking forward to trying both, can't imagine what the lower ABV tastes like? It's almost a hoppy soft drink (I would drink Cascade flavored coke a cola all day!).

2.5 % seems a good middle ground. See what you think of mine....
 
How to make Small Beer look like big beer: Package it to look tougher than it is! I had a play with my new corker so bottled a few in old Belgian Ale bottles. Made me smile that it looks like a 11 % Quad.

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Right, so managed to get the next experiment underway this morning.

This was the recipe, based on previous 1019 one, making the following changes:

- Increase dark malts to add flavour (Amber, Crystal and Special B 5% each)
- Drop other malts (munich, wheat)
- Increase OG to target 1.7% ABV

Other things remain the same - 72C mash temp, WLP002 yeast - assumption is overall attenuation around 45-50%.

Here's the recipe:

A29 Skinny Bitter
Standard/Ordinary Bitter

Recipe Specs
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Batch Size (L): 27.5
Total Grain (kg): 3.417
Total Hops (g): 125.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.029 (°P): 7.3
Final Gravity (FG): 1.016 (°P): 4.1
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 1.71 %
Colour (SRM): 10.1 (EBC): 19.9
Bitterness (IBU): 21.9 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 75
Boil Time (Minutes): 90

Grain Bill
----------------
2.904 kg Maris Otter Malt (Crisp) (85%)
0.171 kg Amber Malt (5%)
0.171 kg Crystal malt (5%)
0.171 kg Special-B (5%)

Hop Bill
----------------
10.0 g Fuggles Leaf (6.2% Alpha) @ 90 Minutes (First Wort) (0.4 g/L)
25.0 g East Kent Golding Leaf (6.3% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.9 g/L)
25.0 g East Kent Golding Leaf (6.3% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (0.9 g/L)
25.0 g East Kent Golding Leaf (6.3% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (0.9 g/L)
15.0 g Styrian Golding Leaf (3.1% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (0.5 g/L)
25.0 g Styrian Golding Leaf (3.1% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Aroma) (0.9 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------
Single step Infusion at 72°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 20°C with WLP002 - English Ale

Recipe Generated with BrewMate

All went well - 20 minute aroma rest turned into about 2 hours while family activities were undertaken, lovely smell of hops at the end.

Here's the all important picture, seem to have got better than planned efficiency (OG 1032 = 83%) which is more than I usually get with BIAB. Did decent 4 gal sparge, and this one's with Crisp MO.

Tastes great, looks good, smells good. Suspect I'm homing in on my perfect "skinny" pint...

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Looking forward to trying the Dark IPA... my package should be with you shortly asalpaws!
 
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B to B was kind enough to send me some of his small beers (and a not so small beer) for me to try.

They have now settled and this one is very clear. This is "Small way to Amarillo" the lowest gravity brew.

Nice copper colour with a fine head, lightly carbonated.

The smell is a fruity riot, from all those hops but I think I can also detect some fruitiness from the WLP02. Sounds daft but yeast fruitiness definatley smells distinct from hops to me.

On tasting I also get some yeast fruit notes but that quickly steps aside as the Amarillo express train barrels into your tongue! Wow that is hoppy, love Amarillo great perfume like flavours with nice bitterness that lingers at the back of the tongue. Almost reminds me of Parma violets.

It doesn't have much malt to balance all those hops, however I do get a hint of crystal malt. Personally I would have carbed it a bit higher which might help with the body but that's just me, I like my beers very fizzy.

Overall I really enjoyed it, I could imagine a long evening sinking several pints of this while talking to friends and waking up with a clear head in the morning. The only commercial low ABV - IPA I've tried is Green King, Tolly English Ale, SWA knocks the socks off that beer. I guess that kind of hopping rate commercially would make their accountant's eyes water but that's the beauty of home brewing.

Thanks for the beer B to B
 
Wow, looks like you kinda liked it.

I'm sort of into the express train hoppiness, as you will find out from the other samples. Galaxy IPA, well the first part gives away what sort of train to expect. And it's a big Galactic one.

Glad you enjoyed the first, the smallest, of my offerings... will be back later.
 
Well, been working out in Switzerland this week, arrived to woeful stories of "the night before" from a couple of my other team members. They had found a bar where each table has its own beer taps and you can help yourself, which they did. At the end of the night the barman comes round to "read the meter" - they had clocked up 6 litres of Guinness between 3 of them. The bill - 150 Swiss Francs, about £100. I make that around £10 a pint. Ouch.

Anyway, on to today - I've opened asalpaws "Die Amsel" mini black IPA, one of a trio we exchanged... (thanks for the feedback on the Small Way to Amarillo - glad you liked it, it definitely has character but most comes from the massive dose of hops!)

So - Die Amsel - the story:
psscht. A wee bit of gas on opening. Nice. Very dark ale, in dark bottle, quite a challenge to know when to stop pouring!
In my carefulness not to get the yeast in glass, I didn't manage to draw up a head on it, however, there's a nice ring of bubbles round the edge
Colour very dark, can't see through, with intense light behind, can see it's nice and clear (I think!)
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Good carbonation - I like this level, not too gassy but it's definitely primed itself.
This doesn't feel/taste like a low alcohol beer - which is great. The body is definitely there, with the darker malts providing chocolate/charcoal/caramel blend of flavours. Then you realise it's got another layer to it, the cascade comes through with that distinct citrus thing. Bitterness is just great - well balanced.

Absolutely no "home brew twang" - it's as good as (or better than) anything you'd get in a craft brew pub (ie better than the big brewery stuff). I'd happily quaff several of these, even though it's not to my usual style.

Nice brew mate - well done! Looking forward to the other two - will save them for another day.

Alastair.

(Have made some notes to self, to incorporate in the next iteration).
 
Had a go on Long way to Amarillo last night. If I recall this one is 3.2%.

Much higher carbonation, which I prefer. Great complex hop taste, lots of grapefruit and lychee flavour. Fair bit more bitter as well. The extra malt and carbonation really give this one a nice bit of body. I really liked this one, if you were looking for a "Session IPA" this is there, tastes like a beer of twice it's gravity. Only criticism was a slight skunked hop smell but that may have been due to the clear bottle. Another great beer, looking forward to the Galaxy IPA. Thanks T

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If I say so myself, this is one of my favourites - drinking one now from the PB. A great session ale.

This competes with my Galaxy version of the same base beer.

The "skunkiness" - I tried the last remaining bottle of this - yes, it's much more petulant (fizzy) than the PB version, and it has a different "bottled" flavour to it. I'm guessing this is the skunkiness - hops not as forward, they've turned into a sort of grey bottley almost metalic flavour in the background. I've always put this down to bottled not as "real ale like" than PB - but as you say, this was in a clear bottle, and the light does affect the hop oils (or whatever).

Remaining clear bottles now in a black crate with lid on!
 
Tried this one last night, it was great.

Fuller's London Porter (clone) from asalpaws brewery.

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Given a little too much assistance with the pocket beer engine, the top part foamed all down my arm. Quite a lively number!
Good carbonation though, that didn't bubble out when opened so nicely dissolved. Poured it at 8C garage - so whatever priming you put in was perfect for that temperature.

Now I'm more of an amber ale person (see all my efforts above), but this was nice! Full malty body, very smooooooth, very dark (can't see through even with bright light behind). Final finish is of clean carbon - slight burned toast flavour (which I like). Body I suspect is from the low attenuation of WLP002, it's good to try different yeasts as they do impact the character immensely (I have 2 FVs with my next brew in - same wort, different yeasts - Hopback and WLP002 - to see the difference.)

Thanks for sharing this one - I'll try the last one next weekend I think.
 
Hi A, thanks for the comments! I really like the character of WLP002, I think it's the Fuller's strain, seems versatile for porter or IPA like Bengal Lancer. I've got 5 L of that beer in a DJ with oak chunks and Brettanomyces for that "classic" aged porter taste. I've heard people say the Hopback yeast is SO-4 and that it is a very good floculator as well.

Currently drinking a beer I think you'd love: Brew Dog's Nanny State, 0.5%. However it's really good! Super hop smell and taste, as well as decent body and mouthfeel. Looking at the label, complex malt bill and dry hopping was their approach. You might want to source a bottle for research purposes! Next beer Galaxy APA!



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Well the hoppy tongue Blitzkreig continues...

B to Bs Galaxy APA: Not a small beer as such but definatley in the hop forward category. Really nice clear pour with amber colour, perfect level of carbonation for an APA, bit more feisty than a mild but not Belgian ale fizzy.

My first try of a Galaxy hopped beer, I found Galaxy has a similar smell to Amarillo, fruity grapefruit and lychees.

The taste is a also similar but with more plums and peach flavours, a really nice hop! Good level of bitterness with some nice biscuit from the malt to balance.

Another well brewed hoppy ale, best of luck cramming this flavor into a 1% beer!

T
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Thanks asalpaws - this is my favourite one so far on my renewed AG journey. I'm loving the Amarillo and Galaxy hops, can't decide which is my favourite.

Interesting you mention biscuity taste - this had 25% Munich in it (70%MO + 5% Wheat malt) - which is where it must have come from. I'm going to wisit the Malt Miller later in the week, thinking of getting a sack of biscuit as I like that flavour. Although a sack is a big commitment!

I have another in FV2 at the moment that's half and half Galaxy and Amarillo, well overhopped for the accountants. It's just 14 days old tomorrow, nearly clear (little yeasty floaters :oops: ), and packs the same hoppy punch with the gusto of a teenager who's just discovered a new trick.

What a hobby this is, I'd love to try this for real sometime!
 
Had a pint of mine from the PB, sadly this beer is loosing it's zing quite quickly. I guess that's the problem with low ABV, need to drink it faster! T
 
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