Low-carb homebrewing is a fantastic way to enjoy craft beer without the guilt. With the right ingredients and process, you can easily create delicious, low-carb beers that are perfect for those watching their carb intake. We have created a quick and easy list of the basics to get you started.
Essential Equipment
- Fermenter: Sometimes called a carboy, is a food grade brewing container.
- Hydrometer: Measures the sugar content of your wort and finished beer, this helps to know when the beer is finished fermenting and how low the residual carbs are. (don’t worry, it’s easy)
- Thermometer: These usually stick to the side of the fermenter so you know that your brew is in a good temperature range
- Airlock: Sometimes called a bubbler, lets the carbon dioxide created by fermentation out of the fermenter and prevents contamination during fermentation.
- Bottling Wand: Also called a bottling valve, for filling bottles easily and efficiently.
- Bottles and Bottle Caps: A must-have for storing and sealing your beer. (unless you want to keg?)
- Cleaning Supplies: Sanitizer and a bottle brush.
Luckily we have ALL of these things in our Beer Starter Kits. HERE
Beer Making Ingredients
- Malts Extract Tin: Choose lower carb beer kits like pilsner, or a variety labelled “dry”.
- Hops: These add aroma, flavour and bitterness, but aren’t necessary as the malt most likely has hops added too.
- Yeast: Always attached under the lid of the extract tin and included in the price of the tin.
- Water: The base of your beer. Tap water is fine but you might want to consider filtering it.
- Simple Sugar: For fermentation and alcohol production dextrose is the most common.
- Carbonation Drops: This creates the fizz in your bottled beer!
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Dry Enzyme: The magic ingredient for lower carb beer
The Brewing Process
1 Pour the contents of your beer kit into the fermenter and add water as per the instructions on the back of the tin.
2 Empty the beer yeast AND the Dry Enzyme into the fermenter
3 Put the lid on and make sure the airlock is half filled with water.
4 Patience grasshopper - let the yeast work its magic!
5 After a week test the brew with your hydrometer and if ready you can now bottle it. Wait at least 3 weeks to open your very own low carb beer.
Low carb beer will usually taste drier than other beers, this is due to the lower sugar content. This adds to their drinkability and has become a popular home brew beer in Australia.
Remember - Everything in moderation