Low Carb Beer

At age 62, I have growing concern for my carbohydrate consumption, particularly when it comes to beer.  So I started searching and found something quite interesting.  I’m wondering if anyone has tried this.

I dunno, sounds pretty horrible to me. I think a Brut or Brett IPA sounds much better.

I’ve got 10 years on you and have several body parts that have either been replaced or repaired. I’ve discovered that most all of the healthy alternatives don’t do much to dull the pains. When it comes to making a choice between prolonging life and enjoying it, I’ll take the enjoyment every time. Plenty of whiskey and beer does wonders for pain. Healthy eating does nothing.

Hoppy, watered-down Irish whiskey doesn’t get me very excited.  Why not just skip the dry hopping and add an isomerized extract?  Even so, it’s not for me.

It won’t even be very hoppy since there’s no boil.

Good point, so dry hopped, watered down whiskey…same feelings on that.

Why carbs? Unless you have a specific medical condition that a low carb diet can help regulate I think carbs are just the most recent bogeyman like fat was in the eighties. If it’s excess body weight a low carb diet can help jump start the weight loss but long term it’s all about getting rid of bad overeating habits.
If you do really think you need less carbs I think that rather than gimmicks like this just drinking beer less often or in smaller servings is best. There are other beverages with less carbs. I recommend getting quinine extract and making your own sugarless gin and tonics with soda water. I don’t miss the corn syrup in the tonic water at all.

I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and my Doctor and Dietician have instructed me to closely monitor my A1C and to do so, I have to keep my carbs below 100 per day.  Most of the beers I brew finish out at between 20-25 carbs per 12oz. bottle, according to Mr. Goodbeer.com.  So, I found the recipe I posted and decided to ask about it.

Gin and Tonic is a great suggestion.  Thank you.  I am using Splenda to make a simple syrup to use in a sugar-free and no-carb whiskey sour that’s actually very good.  You would never know it was sugar free.  I’ll try the gin tonic!  Thanks again!

Homemade tonic water is excellent (and cheaper in the long run), and I would bet that a Splenda-based version would be pretty tasty as you dial in the proportions.

What does that homemade gin and tonic look like. Just a couple drops of extract added to the gin? Or…?

I just made a batch of simple syrup last night. Never thought of Splenda syrup. I might try that.

completely this. I don’t know you personally, but I know that many Americans are basically malnourished, despite believing they are eating a healthy or “average” diet, especially people who are older than 50. The best diet (and i mean explanation of foods usually eaten) is simply reasonable portions of fresh meat, fresh vegetables and fruit and unprocessed carbohydrates along with exercise. The degree to which “carbs” are processed IMHO is the biggest determinant of how they will affect your body. Also basically cut out the concept of “snacking” and “desserts” and sugar in general.

My homemade g&t, sans sugar= pint glass full of ice cubes, build with 1 1/2oz gin, 2 drops quinine extract from eye dropper, 1or 2 drops monk fruit liquid sweetener, 1generous wedge lime, thoroughly squeezed into glass and topped with plain seltzer. I like it also with no sweetener, simple syrup, or flavored syrup.
I sometimes like to quote P.G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster and exclaim that I am about to get on the outside of a gin and tonic.

Pete, is there a good brand and or price for the quinine extract? I see all kinds of options when I search for it, just don’t know which are good and which are garbage

My wife bought this a few years ago. It works great. She tends to get enthusiastic about things like this. That’s a lifetime supply.

Good stuff, thanx Pete

We’re all set if we get malaria.

I wasn’t impressed by the recipe linked in the first post:whiskey, dry hops, gelatin, and mineral water.
I am currently doing a low carb tune up diet to get rid of some weight that I put on the past few months that I largely blame on habits being shook up by covid. The first two weeks (on day 4 now) are extremely low carb, and no alcohol. The second two weeks I will allow myself spirits but no beer or other high carb items.
I actually think I could make something worthwhile on tap from the basic idea above. I have a 1.5 gallon keg to experiment with; I originally thought I would make a carb free cocktail but I think I would like the challenge of making a carb free beer. My idea is to use iso hop extract for hop bitterness, bourbon, steeped grains, water, hop oil for flavor and aroma, and maybe hops in a tea ball in the keg while it carbs.
I am wondering what people know about carbs in steeped grains. I believe crystal malts have sugars that have been broken down in the malting process so they would give off some carbs but I think a base malt steeped at a higher temp than a sacc rest would not have any sugar to give off nor would it be converted. I am thinking if I steep a smallish amount of base malts and even a very small amount of crystal. I am hoping this will add some flavor and body. Does that sound right?

i wish you the best on this, but if i were you. i would focus much more on a diet with no unnecessary sugar or sweet products, no hyper refined carbohydrates and work on more exercise whenever possible.

when i drink spirits i find i end up getting hungries even stronger than beer and eat a huge late night snack. re: alcohol imho just try to reduce your beer to one or two a day max and take dry days as well.

focus on exercise a lot. i went to the gym last night, had a litre of 6% homebrew afterwards, 6 hours of sleep and feel good today.

Thanks for that, fredthecat, great advice . That is actually my regular life already. Apart from beer my diet is great, I am an avid cook and gardener, and eat all homemade foods and a plant based diet. I consider refined carbs like pasta a treat that I have now and then in small amount. I also bike or hike just about everyday and my job is not totally sedentary. I am not seriously overweight but do have a tendency to put on weight if I am not careful so I occasionally go on a diet like this.
So this little project is really just a way to have fun for the two weeks I will be having a little alcohol but no beer.
I really love beer.