Light beer

Following is an adaptation of my 2nd place blonde ale, with less extract and less hops to make it a lot lighter. I must confess, I have not yet actually tried brewing this recipe specifically, but based on how good my blonde ale is I imagine it would turn out pretty good. Expect a little fruitiness from the warm fermentation.

Steep the roasted barley in 6 quarts distilled water up to 170 F. Add extract and hops, boil for 45 minutes. Add Irish moss, boil for 15 minutes. Pour into 3 gallons cold distilled water. Top up to 5 gallons as necessary. Pitch yeast and Beano, aerate well and ferment at 70 F for 2 weeks. Rack to secondary and let settle for another 10 days at 70 F. Prime with 3/4 cup corn sugar and bottle.

Let me know how it turns out. I might have to try this sometime for my buddies who only drink light beer!

Thanks Dave, just two questions-

What is Beano? What was the AA of the hops?

1 0z Tettnanger at 5% aau (60 mins) .5 oz Spaltz at 5% aau (45 mins) .25 Hallartau at 5% aau ( 15 mins)

1007 Wyeast German Ale Yeast

Bring 5-6 quarts of h20 to around 165 degrees in your brewpot. Add grains in grain bag to your brewpot. Pop it in your oven with the lid on for 1 hour. Rinse with 4-5 quarts of h20. Bring to boil. Add hops. Take off of heat and add DME. Let pasturize for 15-20 mins. Cool.

Variations: Reduce DME by 1 lb and add 1 lb of Corn Sugar instead. Use only one type of hops but at the same AAU.

After racking to secondary, let age for 2-3 weeks before drinking. Where's the pizza and what channel are the Mavericks on?

Beano is a dietary supplement, presumably made from bean and vegetable matter, that you take when you have a bad case of gas. It contains an enzyme that breaks down complex sugars into simpler sugars that the yeast is able to ferment much more easily. For the purposes of making light beer from extract, it is essential... it thins it out... otherwise your beer will end up much too thick and too sweet. Buy some tablets from your local drug store, crush a couple of them, and stir it into your wort.

The alpha acid of the Cascade hops I used was around 7%. A half ounce of anything between 4% to 9% is probably fine... depends how bitter you want it. 7% is a happy medium. Cascade hops may lend a slightly fruity, citrusy flavor, as opposed to imported Saaz, which would probably be more spicy. You can use pretty much any kind of hops you like. It's all a matter of preference.

Thanks, I'll give it a go.