Brewing "non alcohol" or n/a beer

[Craigerrr]

Fascinating!

 

[Brew Cat]

Well I used to make one and it came out fairly good I would make small batch and keg it because it doesn't have a long shelf life
I'd make a super low alcohol beer with no hops added. Then after fermentation I'd cook it not boil it. Alcohol is supposed to come off a 90° but you need to go a little higher to get it to flash. You'll smell it. I'd do about 45 minutes and give it bittering charge only id then chill and dry hop.
Now I wouldn't sell it as NA but my wife enjoyed them and never felt anything

Now I probably wouldn't trust giving it to former alcoholic and I try not to drink around people that have had issues it's not worth it

 

[Dave Y]

Well I used to make one and it came out fairly good I would make small batch and keg it because it doesn't have a long shelf life
I'd make a super low alcohol beer with no hops added. Then after fermentation I'd cook it not boil it. Alcohol is supposed to come off a 90° but you need to go a little higher to get it to flash. You'll smell it. I'd do about 45 minutes and give it bittering charge only id then chill and dry hop.
Now I wouldn't sell it as NA but my wife enjoyed them and never felt anything

Now I probably wouldn't trust giving it to former alcoholic and I try not to drink around people that have had issues it's not worth it

Yeah, I read up on this procedure and ultimately decided against it because I couldn't be confident the end result was .5% ABV or less. At least with the current method, I can.

I really wanted to try something like an English bitter or similar but I was also looking to have some guidance first. It sounded like a good idea at the time ;-)
I'm not even going to dry hop this, it's going into a keg, directly via airless transfer and burst carbonated. Gonna check on it in an hour or 2 to check the airlock. Fingers x'd.

 

[Brew Cat]

another thing I remember since it was awhile ago is after the mash pretty much just got the wort to boil about 15 min to pasteurize because not adding the hops until the second "boil" For the second "boil" I heated it before it rolled which is the part I thought would oxidize just let it "cook" quietly
this really needs to be kegged and kept cold cold. I made it 3 or four times but only stopped because my wife drinks so little was just easier to buy. All different styles available now. Just bought a six of the Sam IPA na. Ill get her to try one watching football today I'll grab a taste and report

 

[Brew Cat]

Yeah, I read up on this procedure and ultimately decided against it because I couldn't be confident the end result was .5% ABV or less. At least with the current method, I can.

I really wanted to try something like an English bitter or similar but I was also looking to have some guidance first. It sounded like a good idea at the time ;-)
I'm not even going to dry hop this, it's going into a keg, directly via airless transfer and burst carbonated. Gonna check on it in an hour or 2 to check the airlock. Fingers x'd.

nah burst carbonation doesn't cut it
it needs to be fully carbed to be tasty
after its made you can play with adding water this will be on the lines of Corona Lite or something
that's kind of why it's better for me to just buy

 

[Ward Chillington]

Any NA beer would be more susceptible to secondary infection since the whole reason beer evolved in the first place is that the alcohol helps keep it safe to consume

Bingo! Go buy some NA and call it a day.....and don't risk your buddy's belly! The guys at Athletic figured it out after about 200 tries, you could too but they were after a much larger market segment then your buddy.

 

[Dave Y]

Bingo! Go buy some NA and call it a day.....and don't risk your buddy's belly! The guys at Athletic figured it out after about 200 tries, you could too but they were after a much larger market segment then your buddy.

Thanks for the tip. I already have and honestly, that's not the point.

I share beer within my circle of friends. A lot. Our new friend is relatively new to us and I want this guy to not feel left out, and win, lose or draw, it's about the effort and eventually the result that will hopefully be successful one day. I just posted this to see if anyone had experience with it and might have wisdom to share. It will be a learning curve, and I fully understand that.

Posts like yours are quite demotivating and exactly the opposite of what I'd expect here. If you're not keen on the undertaking, you can ignore me, or choose not to follow the drama within the thread, almost all of which being mine.

 

[J A]

For the second "boil" I heated it before it rolled which is the part I thought would oxidize just let it "cook" quietly

Boiling essentially drives oxygen out of suspension from the wort. That's why we have to add O2 by splashing or injecting through a carb stone before we pitch yeast. Splashing around after it's cooled will introduce O2 and that's why we're really careful when transferring from the fermenter to kegs or bottling apparatus (even though the suspended CO2 helps keep O2 out).

Posts like yours are quite demotivating and exactly the opposite of what I'd expect here. If you're not keen on the undertaking, you can ignore me, or choose not to follow the drama within the thread, almost all of which being mine.

Don't be discouraged and don't take it personally. Sometimes written posts sound harsher than might be intended. I'm sure @Ward Chillington meant well and didn't aim to offend.

 

[Brew Cat]

Exactly so that's helpful and why it's important not to bring it to an actual boil
Alcohol will gas off at a lower temperature than boiling put of water
You bring it to maybe 200 ° or a bit less. I've done it and it works
I would encourage anyone to try it

My only concern is giving it to a reformed alcoholic
But then again if he is seriously committed will not want to attend a drinking session
I had people like that and will make some coffee and bond that way
By the way there is a difference between someone who doesn't drink and someone who can't drink and they should be respected and handled accordingly.
I'll get down now

 

[Sandy Feet]

Thanks for the tip. I already have and honestly, that's not the point.

I share beer within my circle of friends. A lot. Our new friend is relatively new to us and I want this guy to not feel left out, and win, lose or draw, it's about the effort and eventually the result that will hopefully be successful one day. I just posted this to see if anyone had experience with it and might have wisdom to share. It will be a learning curve, and I fully understand that.

Posts like yours are quite demotivating and exactly the opposite of what I'd expect here. If you're not keen on the undertaking, you can ignore me, or choose not to follow the drama within the thread, almost all of which being mine.

I still think you should go the Kombucha route. It is fermented, supposed to be less than 0.5%, leaves room for flavor and experimentation, and it would still be a way to show your creativity as a brewer with a number of flavor options while giving your friend a place and a beverage to hang out with.
It can be done in a closet, so your friend can also experiment at home with minimal equipment.
My brother-in-law makes a damn good blueberry/ginger one

 

[Brew Cat]

Well I used to throw a big Ofest party and I would make a keg of ginger ale It was awesome and it is something everyone enjoyed even the beer drinkers mixed it in so its not like I made beer for everyone else and na or bucha for just you