Beer thread
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<p>making a tasty but light beer is quite difficult. There is no magic formula.</p>
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<p>One way is to brew a full strength beer then remove some alcohol through evaporation under vacuum. The hard part here is that until you remove the alcohol you have no idea what the result will be as the alcohol really changes the flavour. What tasted great as a 5.5% brew tastes foul at 3.5%</p>
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<p>Another way is to reduce the fermentables so that there is less to be turned in alcohol. Less malt = less flavour.</p>
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<p>Or you can stop fermentation early, which equals sweeter beer.</p>
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<p>Most of the mainstream 'malt liquor' breweries just remove alcohol from a beer that is already being made by an accountants recipe in the first place, hence the reason that they aren't that nice. Some craft brewers are settling on styles that can take being a little sweeter because they balance out with bittering hops eg English Ale styles which really aren't much more than 4% when brewed out anyway so tweaking the fermentation can result in something under 4% with good flavour.</p>
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<p>Pilsner type lagers are the hardest to do low-alc. They have little malt flavour in the first place so get watery.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crucial" data-cid="523948" data-time="1444008779"><p>making a tasty but light beer is quite difficult. There is no magic formula.<br>
<br>
One way is to brew a full strength beer then remove some alcohol through evaporation under vacuum. The hard part here is that until you remove the alcohol you have no idea what the result will be as the alcohol really changes the flavour. What tasted great as a 5.5% brew tastes foul at 3.5%<br>
<br>
Another way is to reduce the fermentables so that there is less to be turned in alcohol. Less malt = less flavour.<br>
<br>
Or you can stop fermentation early, which equals sweeter beer.<br>
<br>
Most of the mainstream 'malt liquor' breweries just remove alcohol from a beer that is already being made by an accountants recipe in the first place, hence the reason that they aren't that nice. Some craft brewers are settling on styles that can take being a little sweeter because they balance out with bittering hops eg English Ale styles which really aren't much more than 4% when brewed out anyway so tweaking the fermentation can result in something under 4% with good flavour.<br>
<br>
Pilsner type lagers are the hardest to do low-alc. They have little malt flavour in the first place so get watery.</p></blockquote>
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Whilst brewing our Amber gold at the 'Occasional Brewer' ( I thoroughly recommend that if in Wellington you do this ) mates and I pointed out that some of the best beers in the world could have been 'accidents' ie too much/little of something in the mash.....<br><br>
As Craft beer has taken off I have no doubt that down the line a superb 2%er or two will come out and be a delight to drink. -
<p>Me and a mate made a bunch of brews when we were about 20, our 2nd one was fantastic (was about 7% too) never managed to replicate it, although I might add that as 20 year olds our tastes werent that refined so it was probably like Tui or something
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crucial" data-cid="523948" data-time="1444008779">
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<p>making a tasty but light beer is quite difficult. There is no magic formula.</p>
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</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>very true that. There is a bit of a market for it in Europe. Brewdog do one called 'Nanny State', which is alcohol free. One day I think I'll buy one just to see what it's like, or get a free sample from the pub maybe.</p>
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<p>A lot of the cask ales, bitters etc are often around 3% and a little bit more. Doesn't really detract from the taste too much.</p> -
I can reliably inform everyone that the brews I made are absolutely fantastic. I heartily recommend any Welly Ferners go to the 'Occasional Brewer' with a bunch of mates ( or alone if you are disciplined and meticulous ) and go for gold. We brewed 180 litres of Pilsner, APA, Blonde and Stout so ya end up with about 30 each for just over 100$. We're certainly not talking Grandads old home brew from the garage here: Ours actually tasted like Parrot Dog or Tuatara. Seriously good and so satisfying that we made them too. It's a nice collection that will keep me going for quite some time. We're gonna do it as a quarterly thing.<br><br>
The blokes who run the place ( all with the kind of hipster beards that NTA loves ) are always on hand to ensure there aren't any major fuck ups which is reassuring. -
<p>2 stoke ain't half bad for a low alcohol beer. Picked some up a few months ago and would give then another whirl.</p>
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<p>Toys for the Boys</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.williamswarn.com/Shop/BrewMaster-Bench#.VjavZrcrJhE'>http://www.williamswarn.com/Shop/BrewMaster-Bench#.VjavZrcrJhE</a></p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.blessthisstuff.com/stuff/culture/drinks/minibrew/'>http://www.blessthisstuff.com/stuff/culture/drinks/minibrew/</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crucial" data-cid="536414" data-time="1446189484"><p>If anyone is after a breakfast beer for Sunday have a try of 8 Wired's Flat White coffee milk stout. <br>
I've had plenty of beers with a hint of coffee but this was like coffee with a hint of beer.</p></blockquote>
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It is very smooooooooooooth! -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="523928" data-time="1444003413">
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<p>I saw Heineken light for 16.49 a half doz in the supermarket the other day. Not only is that a ridiculous price <strong>I was reliably informed on social media that it tasted awful too.</strong><br><br>
I'm sure there is decent light beer out there it's just a case of actually finding it.</p>
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<p>If you are out for a couple and have to drive, do not, I repeat, DO NOT bother with Heineken Light, quite possibly the worst Light beer I have tried.</p> -
<p>unfortunately a lot of bars (well the ones I have been to up here and a few in Auckland) while providing a decent range of full strength beers, seem to go with one or 2 of Amstel Light (drinkable) Speights Mid-Ale (drinkable) whatever the Steinie and Macs versions are, or now, the Heinie one.</p>
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<p>I saw the Tuatara one when I was buying someone some craft beer for Xmas on Tuesday....might have to go back :)</p> -
