Low ABV Session IPA

Over The Cliff Brewing

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My first time trying to brew a low abv (below 5) IPA for warm weather drinking and I think I missed something somewhere. The body and aroma is almost there but the flavor is on the light side. My thought was to throw some hops in a bag and drop it in the keg. In your experience, will this help or will it just make the beer bitter after a couple of weeks? It's not dump worthy but could use some help.
 
Ooops, just saw another post with the same situation....sorry!
 
I could be wrong, but I expect that you will get mostly aroma from the keg hop addition. Probably some flavor too though.
Did I mention that I could be wrong, wiser cracks than I will give you more solid advice.

I have been toying with the idea of a session IPA, and how to get a lot of flavor (body) with fewer grains.
 
Believe me, I am open to all comments and advise. That's why I like this forum because there are no bad attitudes or egos!
 
I really like IPA’s. In the spirit of being open minded, I have tried several times to enjoy session IPA’s, but in every instance found them to be “thin” and thus, unappealing. What is another style of ale that would meet the sub-5 abv limitation, but not be thin and unappealing? I don’t intend to derail the thread, sorry.
 
I made an APA “session” beer earlier this spring that turned out very good. I targeted the bottom end of the ABV range. I did specifically target the BU/GU ratio for the style and backed off a bit on the dry hops. I think if you go for a session type beer, you need to pay particular attention to the balance or the beer will taste out of whack.
 
I made an APA “session” beer earlier this spring that turned out very good. I targeted the bottom end of the ABV range. I did specifically target the BU/GU ratio for the style and backed off a bit on the dry hops. I think if you go for a session type beer, you need to pay particular attention to the balance or the beer will taste out of whack.

You didn't say if you dropped hops in the keg or not. This beer of mine just needs a little kick of taste. I was thinking of hitting it with a bit of orange juice in the keg.
 
You didn't say if you dropped hops in the keg or not. This beer of mine just needs a little kick of taste. I was thinking of hitting it with a bit of orange juice in the keg.
None in the keg. 5 days with a mixture of Cascade and Citra. But just a small amount.
 
This guy might be able to point you in the right direction
 
We have a fairly low-mid strength culture here, duty rates get punitive as the ABV rises, so our 'session' beers are right down there. I brew a 3.9% pale and a 4.7% pale that really hit the spot. I've brewed both this month and didn't have any oats so left them out and both beers seem a bit on the thin side, nothing serious but a little bit of something missing.

The 4.7% one gets a dry hop addition in the fermenter but never in the keg. I think they're quite delicate at those ABVs and would worry about them being bitter or overwhelmed by a ton of hops. I think they're a very subtle beer at that end of the rev range and small changes can have a big impact.

Not that I'm an expert! Just my two cents...
 
Wo
We have a fairly low-mid strength culture here, duty rates get punitive as the ABV rises, so our 'session' beers are right down there. I brew a 3.9% pale and a 4.7% pale that really hit the spot. I've brewed both this month and didn't have any oats so left them out and both beers seem a bit on the thin side, nothing serious but a little bit of something missing.

The 4.7% one gets a dry hop addition in the fermenter but never in the keg. I think they're quite delicate at those ABVs and would worry about them being bitter or overwhelmed by a ton of hops. I think they're a very subtle beer at that end of the rev range and small changes can have a big impact.

Not that I'm an expert! Just my two cents...
Would you mind posting recipes, would like to have a look.
 
This is the 4.7% pale:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/970259/west-coast-pale

...and this is the 3.9%:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/975022/shed-bodds-2020

I'm really quite nostalgic about the beers we had in the 1970s and 1980s. I think of these recipes as a tribute to those but they are true to the style as I remember them and they go down very well with Northern folk from the same kind of era.

I like the oats for a bit of body and mouthfeel, I like the torrified wheat for head retention. Head retention is a really, really big deal where I come from. Clarity as well. I hate finings but if I'm putting a beer in a cask it's getting fined whether I like it or not.

I also use some sugar at racking time with cask beers now following the info I picked up here from the 'cask carbonation' thread; always something to learn.
 
Sorry folks. The recipe is now public. I'm drinking it now and I have shared it today and everyone liked it it just the way it is.
 

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