2.5% ABV

I have one comment: BE-134 will result in a high attenuation. My last Saison I brewed using this yeast finished up at 1.000. This yeast strain is pretty 'voracious'.

If you want to achieve a target of 2.5% ABV I would suggest you manage the OG value appropriately. I personally would not count on malt with dextrins (e.g., Carapils) to do the trick here.

Cheers!

 

Apologies if I'm telling you stuff you already know.

You might want to look up recipes for a grisette, which is basically a low gravity saison. Grisette brewers will presumably have thought about how to get as much out of a low gravity recipe as possible.

One problem you might encounter with such a low gravity beer is a watery mouthfeel. Glycerol helps thicken the body of the beer, so you might try to find a yeast that produces a relatively large amount of glycerol. I haven't looked into this for a while but my memory is that both kveik and saison strains tend to be good glycerol producers.

Rye is another way to add body to a beer.

You might consider other styles beyond saison. You've mentioned milds, but British brewers were basically compelled to brew a bunch of low gravity beers of all styles during the Empire's various wars. You can probably find stout recipes that clock in at under 3% ABV if that sounds good to you. Another possibility to consider is brewing a raw ale (no boil). My understanding is that this enhances the body of the beer. If you look up Lars Garshol's blog you can find some information on that.

Finally, the only time I've brewed something under 3% ABV it was a Berliner weisse beer. It was very thin-bodied but I didn't mind. In my opinion an acidic beer can do without much body and it basically functions like a refreshing summertime drink (like lemonade). However, it's not something I would drink a lot of in one sitting, so it sort of depends on what you want out of your beer.

 

Another beer style which is typically lower in ABV is Grodziskie. I have only brewed one batch of Grodziskie (so far) but I enjoyed drinking that batch.

FWIW the calculated ABV of that batch was 3.3% ABV. Also, that beer style is intended to be highly carbonated and IMO that elevated carbonation level provides mouthfeel (my batch did not come off watery at all).

Cheers!

 

The Lallemand ESB and Windsor strains have a hard time with sugars bigger than maltose, I believe. If you want low alcohol but want to guard against watery, these might be your friends.

 

I brewed a 2% mixed ferm Petite Saison a couple of years ago. Light dry hop with cascade. I absolutely loved it. Went down like nothing but still amazing aroma and flavor. I’d make sure to use A LOT of flaked grain and have a high carb to accentuate the body.
If you ever get the chance, search out Jester King Petit Prince. It typically rests between 2-3%abv and is what inspired my brew.

 

Just for fun I looked up some stout recipes on Ron Pattinson's blog. Here's one that clocks in at 2.25%:

https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/12/lets-brew-1964-elgood-stout.html

And here's a heavy-hitting imperial stout (3.44% ABV):

https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/06/lets-brew-1946-barclay-perkins-ibs.html

 

Tannins and polyphenols will also increase body, but you definitely have to take the astringency from them into account.

 

Try Dupont Avril if you haven't already (3.4% ABV). Then step up the dregs to do your fermentation.