Summer session Beers

[johnrm]

I'm just proposing a date in September for our own mini competition to select what beers will be put forward for the final. I know its ages away yet but I'm just trying to plan in terms of recipe formulation, brewing, fermentation and ageing time.

Info:

From the original thread:
****************************************************************************
The inaugural mid year competition will be titled Summer Session Beers of <4%.

    The idea is to run it at club level at the local meet ups for members only.
    Each member gets a vote as to the best beer on the night.
    Entrants should bring brew sheets to show how their beer was made.
    Two beers get selected at the meet up and will be sent through to a national final.
    The final will take place in early Oct.


It is not a BJCP categorized competition so the tag line is 'Summer Session Beers of <4%'. The beer should reflect the following -  Summer in a glass. Light, refreshing, medium body, thirst quenching, balanced beer of low ABV (a lawnmower beer). Something to enjoy on those two days of summer we get every year.

Prizes and entry fee are to be announced but it is time to get brewing.

Tips to brewing a low ABV beer -

    Be careful not to mash too low and end up with a very dry & light bodied beer.
    Use different malts to build body
    Be careful to balance hop bitterness with the lighter body.
    Attenuation of a beer like this is key so choose your yeast carefully


We are a little short on time on this one but low alcohol beers ferment and mature quickly so get brewing.
More details to follow. [/list][/list]
****************************************************************************

How does 24th 25th September sound as I think the 30th is a bit late?

So lads, any brews bottled that you'd like to submit?

[LordEoin]

<4%? nope

[Garry]

I had a beer that I sparged too much and I thought it would be a contender for this. Fecking thing fermented out to 1002 which equates to 5%.

I have a kit lager (ale yeast) which is 4% but it's tasteless. Besides, I think ciderhead said kits weren't allowed?

[Taf]

Nothing in that range from me at the moment. New it was on, but haven't brewed much recently, so didn't want to dedicate a batch to a session beer, when my stocks are so low at the moment. Will be better organised for next year.

[johnrm]

I'm shy on low ABV beers myself.

[Garry]

We could lie about the abv but it's not on our nature? Daycent lads that we are

[LordEoin]

We could just fill a bottle with hopped ballygowan and submit it claiming that it's 3.6% but with a very clean ferment and subtle late additions..

[mr hoppy]

I've a bottle or two of gratzer left. 2.8% abv.

Does that make me the winner of the rebel comp?

[LordEoin]

seems so...
well done?

[mr hoppy]

 

Not a hollow victory or anything...

[Dara]

Nope, very little from me too. Had been designing my beers with merryment/drunkeness in mind for the summer. Have a 6% IPA which I could add water to.

[Eoghan]

I bottled some St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale Kit a few weeks ago. I worked out the ABV as 3.4%.

The reason that the ABV is that low is that I put the FV into the sink to add water up to the 20 litre line.
When I put the FV back on the floor it read 23 litres

I tasted it a few days ago and it still needs time in the bottles.

I just hope that I'm not too late to compete with mr happy's gratzer

[johnrm]

Ooooh,  a contender!

[mr hoppy]

Erm, I think I've 3 bottles left. (I drank the rest of them during the summer.)

Is that enough?

[johnrm]

For the nationals last year 2x500ml was enough.
TBH I've not been keeping an eye on this as all the banter was in Liffey Brewers forum and I've not been able to focus on brewing for a while.