Low carb beer?

[Beef Pot Noodle]

Hello everyone,

I was interested in making a low carb lager/ale, because I'm enjoying drinking my produce too much! Has anyone got any suggestions on how to modify a kit, or if there is a kit on the market? My present experience is simply tinkering with mass produced kits, what I really wanted was to take a standard kit, and ferment more of the unfermentables out of it, reducing the overall calories but retaining the alcohol content!

thanks for any help

 

[Dunfie]

To get a beer with lower calories you are really just reducing the fermentables that covert into alcohol. If its a one can kit you could try reducing the amount of sugar you add to make the kit up to the normal gravity. This would certainly reduce the final ABV and by definition have a less calories.

It may be something that you want to do a bit of experimenting with.

 

[shearclass]

Could you add the 'dry beer enzyme' to a kit which helps beer ferment out to ver low FG?

Makes beer stronger, and dry. I guess that the less sugar in the beer, the less calories.

 

[calumscott]

I've always wondered about the whole beer/alcohol/carbohydrates/calorific value thing...

...and I keep coming round to the same conclusion - that it is so badly misrepresented as to be a joke.

The calorific value of foodstuffs is calculated in a certain way - you take the water out then burn it in a controlled environment. That's fine for sugars and proteins and fats and even (to a degree) fibre. It isn't fine at all for ethanol, the body simply doesn't get anywhere near the conversion that combustion gives, and so the calorific values quoted on alcoholic beverages is miles higher than it should be.

Not scientific in anyway (on my part) but I understand that even Weightwatchers now have completely reassessed their "pointing" of alcohol to take into account how rubbish the human body is at getting energy from it.

So lets take a nice crisp dry lager. You add stuff that ferments (lots), water (mostly) and yeast to turn those carbs into ethanol. You ferment right down as far as you can go and you're left with water (mostly) and ethanol (some). You'll also have some unfermentible stuff (not a lot at all) which gives you flavour and body. Some of which I suppose is likely to be aerobically digestible (i.e. you get energy from it) sugars or longer chain polysaccharides (starches effectively) and a tiny amount of protein.

So the amount of remaining carbohydrate must be miniscule, no?

Clearly more for a darker (higher FV?) porter, stout or dark belgian style, but still pretty tiny...

...anyone got more recent Chemistry qualifications than mine want to make a more educated guess based on densities?

 

[Dunfie]

Could you add the 'dry beer enzyme' to a kit which helps beer ferment out to ver low FG?

Makes beer stronger, and dry. I guess that the less sugar in the beer, the less calories.

I don't think it works that way. There is 7 calories in 1g of alcohol so although you are removing the calories that are in the sugar you do still have the calories in the alcohol to metabolise.

 

[calumscott]

There is 7 calories in 1g of alcohol

...if you burn it!

I've just hashed up some numbers based on a quick scan of wikipedia and the energy from metabolism of ethanol is only 1.1 calorie per gram.

*ahem*

:drink: :drink: :drink: :drink:

:thumb:

 

[Dunfie]

I've just hashed up some numbers based on a quick scan of wikipedia and the energy from metabolism of ethanol is only 1.1 calorie per gram.

That is interesting. I suppose it is all about striking a balance between the fermenting out as much as possible while still retaining some flavour (which in my opinion the "light" beers all fail to do).

 

[calumscott]

I've just hashed up some numbers based on a quick scan of wikipedia and the energy from metabolism of ethanol is only 1.1 calorie per gram.

That is interesting.

I thought so but I'm a bit geeky that way...

...reading further into that wiki page the total will be between 1.1 (kilo)calories and 6.9 (kilo)calories depending on how much acetic acid one wees rather than metabolises between the second and fourth steps in the metabolic pathway. Can't find anything to give a reasonable guess at the mo...

I suppose it is all about striking a balance between the fermenting out as much as possible while still retaining some flavour (which in my opinion the "light" beers all fail to do).

Yup, if you don't have the complex polysaccharides you won't have any body and given that the same process that extracts those with the fermentibles also gives you the flavours...

You want it "lite"? Sugar cider... :sick:

 

[Wolverine]

Check out this link it might help you.

http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/carb-cal.shtml

 

[Beef Pot Noodle]

Thanks for the replies, and the link on carbs (very interesting). I'll just have to wait until I break into AG to properly tinker!

 

[calumscott]

Check out this link it might help you.

http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/carb-cal.shtml

Nope - they're labouring under the 7 kcal missaprehension too...

var CAL = (6.9 * (ABW*100) + 4*(RE-0.1)) * FG * 3.55

That 6.9's the givaway!!!

Nice that they've left their algorythm in the inline javascript though - would be easy enough to butcher that if I can find out what the real metabolic calorific value of ethanol is...

 

[Beef Pot Noodle]

I think there is a case for the 'how much alcohol do we indest' topic. The bodies break down of alcohol does depend on numerous variables. But generally I accept there is a calorie value to alochol and so as a responsible drinker, and just trying to make what I do a little healthier...

Vaguely scientific here, but I think the standard kits I use deliver (per 568ml) about 208 calories 19 carbs with around 4-4.5% abv. I want to keep the alcohol but play around with the calories and carbs, replicate beers like Coors etc

So the two aspects I wanted to look at were;
1) The Original Gravity. I've been using granulated sugar, invert sugar, spraymalt, etc. Spraymalt has more unfermentables, to give better head, taste ect. This is where I think I can reduce calories, but unsure what additive to use to retain alcohol but reduce unfermentables.
2) Increasing the attenuation of the yeast to encourage a more dry lager finish. To reduce the amount of carbs. I've been using yeast that ferments out around 70-75% of the fermentables, leaving 25% as flavour and sweetness. I have increase the attenuation of the yeast to 85%, which as per the link reduce the same beer by 3 calories and 4.5 carbs. The calories saved isn't impressive, but the carbs are a saving of 25%!

Obviously 100% conversion would leave me some alcoholic water :sick: so does anyone have prior experience or knowledge that would help out?

Thanks,
They don't call me beefy for nothing :rofl:

 

[Shrek]

I just searched on google and apprently there is an extra enzyme added during the mash to break all of the long sugar chains into short ones which can be fermented easier leaving you with a higher attenuation and a dry beer. Not sure what enzyme it is or if it is true that is just what I read.