Brewing "non alcohol" or n/a beer

[J A]

He told me basically the same things I perceived - it was thinner and not carbonated, but he didn't think it was overly bitter.

You won't be able to assess anything without carbonation. Get a couple of carb caps for making quick samples.
Yeast choice can help with mouthfeel, even in a clear beer. I think your choice of Windsor is good but you can try S-33 (same as Apex Hazy?). That yeast always made for a really good light beer because of the improved mouthfeel.

 

[Dave Y]

I don't see any reason why not. I picked Windsor specifically as one of 2 that would help for LA brews. I have seen some others out there too, so I'll check on it.

 

[sg brix]

Having had a lengthy discussion on this subject with my online friend Perplexity, we somehow came up with the following result, which I hopefully will get to soon.
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Yes, you can skip 2-row and mash only specialty malts for flavor, but you must pick ones with enough diastatic power (enzymes) like Munich or Vienna to convert starches, or the mash will fail and yield starchy, low-sugar wort.

Viable Options​

• Use Munich malt (up to 100%) as your "base" since it has sufficient enzymes for self-conversion, then layer in 10-20% Victory, biscuit, or aromatic for bold toast/nut without base malt blandness.
  
• Add flaked oats (10-20%) for body; they don't need enzymes and enhance mouthfeel in low-gravity NA soda.

Expected Results​

• OG stays low (1.015-1.025) with concentrated specialty flavors: toasty, bready, nutty—more like malt extract tea than neutral beer base, but still light when carbonated.
  
• Mash hot (154-158°F) for max unfermentables/body; expect lower efficiency, so scale up grain slightly if needed.

Example 1-Gallon All-Specialty Bill​

Grain	Amount (oz)	Purpose
Munich malt	10-12	Enzyme base + malty depth
Victory malt	2-3	Toasty/nutty flavor
Flaked oats	1.5-2	Body and smoothness
Biscuit malt	1-1.5	Cracker-like complexity

Boil, chill, force-carbonate as before; tastes bolder than Pilsner-based but risks haze/thinness without pale malt proteins.
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I found it strange that I could not find any recipe here for NO alcohol beer, maybe my searches where not set right? I found 2 recipes at https://www.youtube.com/@TheApartmentBrewer . For myself I'm looking more for a "beer soda" with 0% alcohol.

 

[Dave Y]

I gave victory a lot of thought for the mash bill I used, but didn't want to stray too far from a known good recipe.
I did just use some flaked oats though both in my first 'n/a' attempt and my 70 shilling ale.