Almost NA IPA - Tasting and Technique

 

I made a first attempt at a Non-alcoholic IPA. The target was 0.5% abv but I missed the mark by quite a bit. I was reading up on the different methods for brewing this style of beer and I went with the tiny malt bill option which seemed like it gave the best results. 

A couple of the tips that stand out when brewing this style are:

1. Mash at a high temperature, as high as 174F, which I did.
2. Use a low attenuating yeast/yeast that can't consume Maltotriose (which you create by mashing high), which I did
3. Add ingredients that lend to body (like wheat, oats, lactose) I added a small amount of lactose.
4. Add lots of adjuncts for complexity, color, and flavor because the malt bill is so small. I did.
5. Adjust your equipment profile for low efficiency, about 37%.
6. Pre-acidify the wort before fermenting to a pH of 4.6 for safety. I did not do this because on brew day I was out phosphoric acid. I did have a significant amount of hops in this beer and dry hopping was done in one day. The beer did not get infected in any way (that was visible).

I followed these tips but my first NA brew was off in a couple ways. First of all, I was way more efficient than the expected 37%, I came it at 82% using a BIAB system with full water volume though the mash. I hit a 1.020 OG, which was 11 points higher than estimated. I also boiled off far more water than expected with only a 15 minute boil so I came in 1/2 gallon shy of my 5.5g goal. 

So how did it turn out?

Visual:

This beer is a very clear amber almost brown color. It has a fluffy white head that sticks around while drinking it. 

 Aroma:

Green grass and lemon like hoppiness. Some roast.

Flavor:

The flavor is much like the aroma at this point. It's very green grass tasting and finishes with a slight roast note. The body is still a bit on the thin side IMO and I may bump up the lactose next time I brew.

Overall:

Overall this beer is ... okay. It's better than most commercial craft NA beers I've tasted (most of them taste too worty) but not as good as I wanted it to be. I really want a valid full beer experience at a very low abv to NA grade abv, that may not be possible but I'll give it a few revisions before making that determination.

Recipe changed for 82% BH efficiency:

NA:IPA 5.5 Gal - What's on Hand

American IPA (21 1)

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 5.84 gal
Boil Time: 15 min
End of Boil Vol: 5.72 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 5.00
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Date: 12 Apr 2022
Brewer: Wilby
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Horsebarn NA Beer 5.5 Gallons BIAB
Efficiency: 76.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.00 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

Taste Notes:

Prepare for Brewing

• Hydrate yeast with 31.432254056213388 ml warm water and add optional 2.7 g of GoFerm
• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 6.22 gal
• Mash Water Acid: 55.1 ml

Water Preparation

Amount	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
5.84 gal	Campbell, NY Well Water	Water	1	-	-
6.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) Mash 60.0 min	Water Agent	2	-	-

Mash or Steep Grains

Mash Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
1 lb 1.7 oz	Pale Malt (2 Row) UK Mash (60.4%) - 3.0 SRM	Grain	3	60.4%	0.09 gal
2.2 oz	Victory Malt Mash (7.6%) - 25.0 SRM	Grain	4	7.6%	0.01 gal
2.9 oz	Acid Malt Mash (10.0%) - 3.0 SRM	Grain	5	10.0%	0.01 gal
2.2 oz	Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L Mash (7.6%) - 120.0 SRM	Grain	6	7.6%	0.01 gal
1.3 oz	Wheat, Roasted Mash (4.5%) - 425.0 SRM	Grain	7	4.5%	0.01 gal

Mash Steps

Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Saccharification	Add 6.22 gal of water at 184.8 F	174.0 F	30 min

• Sparge Water Acid: -0.0 ml
• Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 5.84 gal
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.008 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
2.9 oz	Milk Sugar (Lactose) Boil (10.0%) - 0.0 SRM	Sugar	8	10.0%	0.01 gal
0.24 oz	Chinook Boil 15 min (7.9 IBUs)	Hop	9	7.9 IBUs	-

Steep/Whirlpool Hops

Amount	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
1.47 oz	Amarillo Whirlpool 1 min at 194.4 F (1.5 IBUs)	Hop	10	1.5 IBUs	-
1.47 oz	Simcoe Whirlpool 1 min at 194.4 F (2.1 IBUs)	Hop	11	2.1 IBUs	-

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 5.72 gal and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.009 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 5.50 gal

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume

Fermentation Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
1.0 pkgs	Voss Kveik Ale Yeast Lallemand #-	Ale yeast	12	-	-

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______     (Target: 1.009 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______     (Target: 5.50 gal)

Fermentation

• 12 Apr 2022 - Primary Fermentation (4.0 days at 67.0 F ending at 67.0)
• 16 Apr 2022 - Secondary Fermentation (10.0 days at 67.0 F ending at 67.0)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg

• Measure Final Gravity: _________  (Estimate: 1.004 SG)
• Date Bottled/Kegged: 26 Apr 2022 - Carbonation: Bottle with 3.93 oz Corn Sugar
• Age beer for 30 days at 65.0 F
• 26 May 2022 - Drink and enjoy!

Notes

Pre Acidified to 4.6pH pre ferment.

Red IPA Tasting

Appearance: 

Color is red with brown highlights. It's clear, almost crystal clear.

Aroma:

Bread, slight citrus - like lime zest

Flavor:

Lime zest is up front, followed quickly by caramel and bread notes. The body is malt forward, not heavy and not light. It's probably perfect for the style. Unfortunately that's the only thing that nails the style. I can't put my finger on the exact problem but I think it needs to be more bitter/balanced (even though this has 64 IBUs) and it should have more hop aroma. I knew I was dry hopping it on the light side with 2oz/5gal, and with old hops, but I had hops to use up.