0% Home Brew.

[TrevTheBev]

Hi,
This is perhaps a tad bizarre to ask but is there any kits [I don't do mash] that are zero% alcohol ?

I ask as my son enjoys his beers but has taken to the no alcohols just now and was hoping I could make him a batch.

Kind Regards,

TrevTheBev

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Use search at the top of the page and type "low alcohol beer" I don't think you will find zero but you may get close as I am sure there was a recent thread about diabetes and brewing.

 

[The Baron]

Not that I am aware of.
To produce 0% beer is a complicated process and even producing low alcohol beer is in theory easy but getting a balanced beer is hard too.
It has been discussed a few times on the forum so search the threads and you will find some useful info

 

[peebee]

Intriguing conundrum this one. Using "extract" closes the commonly used techniques that rely on producing sugars with a low overall fermentability (that requires manipulation of the mash). There are yeasts available that refuse to ferment "maltose" (I don't like the flavour they produce, but many do). Give them a light all-malt (no "sucrose" or "glucose" type sugars!) and they might produce something?

But as @Chippy_Tea has said, there's no practical way of creating "zero" alcohol beer at home. Don't get taken in by suggestions of "boiling" made beer ... it can't work (for some sort of reasoning involving Physics). Best aim for 0.3-0.5% ABV fermented low-alcohol beers. And don't get enthusiastic with the hops or you end up with undrinkably bitter beer that doesn't taste too good either.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

@TrevTheBev -

I found the thread i mentioned earlier, it looks like you are going to have to try making your own low alcohol beer as there are no 0% kits.

Thread here - Low alcohol beer and how to brew advise required (Diabetes)

 

[chopps]

Not sure if Muntons have offered this in homebrew format yet, but I know a few small breweries have been experimenting with it Muntons Launches Alcohol Free Malt Extract - Muntons

 

[TrevTheBev]

Thanks to all for your expert knowledge. I knew somebody would be able to offer advice and point me in the right direction

 

[YeastFace]

Not sure if Muntons have offered this in homebrew format yet, but I know a few small breweries have been experimenting with it Muntons Launches Alcohol Free Malt Extract - Muntons

IIRC they've said they're unlikely to release to homebrew market due to food safety concerns. Same for Lallemand and their NoLa yeast.

 

[peebee]

IIRC they've said they're unlikely to release to homebrew market due to food safety concerns. Same for Lallemand and their NoLa yeast.

Boooo!

 

[chopps]

IIRC they've said they're unlikely to release to homebrew market due to food safety concerns. Same for Lallemand and their NoLa yeast.

Shame. You still have to boil it so I dunno what their issue might be?

 

[YeastFace]

This is an interesting piece which goes into some of the concerns the industry has - https://cdn.brewersassociation.org/...-Beer-A-Review-and-Key-Considerations-201.pdf

Was reading something more recent about the unsuitability of Low/No in draught systems recently too, but can't find that right now.

 

[YeastFace]

The Muntons Extract is a bit different as you don't ferment it. Boil, chill, and package. I think their concern is with the product stability and sanitation procedures, but I'd have to listen again to the Podcast to check their full reasoning.

 

[YeastFace]

Lallemand on why they are unlikely to release their NA yeast to homebrewers (a plea to stop us asking them )_

https://www.lallemandbrewing.com/en...-heartfelt-letter-to-homebrewers-from-nablab/

 

[Omega]

East European kvas is considered being a non-alcoholic beer in Germany. Very simple to make - dry rye bread in the oven, mix up with sugary water and leave to ferment at a room temperature for 3 days
I like drinking it in summer or drink after sauna.
However, you need to bear in mind that, if you leave it to ferment for longer, you will end up with “drunk kvas” i.e. with higher alcohol content
Exact recipes are online
You may buy kvas in Polish shops, but I find kvas from Baltic countries is too sweet

 

[Jim Brewster]

0% might not be practical but small beers around the 1-2% range are a good option, practically alcohol free as you won't really feel the alcohol, and only a few adjustments to the usual brew day are needed, with the added benefit of only being half the cost to make and you can use a shorter boil of 15 minutes.

If you're doing it with extract I would say do a mini mash with grains like Carapils and Munich to make up for the reduction in body due to less base malt, mashed higher than usual temp around 75C to reduce fermentability. As said above, drop the hops down from your usual levels. Use a low attenuation yeast such as Windsor, S33, or others around the 70-75% attenuation range. These yeasts will not ferment maltotriose which gives less alcohol and more residual sugars and more body.