Homebrew Beer Recipes

Looking for a beer recipe? Browse hundreds of tried-and-true mead, cider, clone and homebrew recipes from Homebrewers Association approved sources, including Zymurgy magazine, the National Homebrew Competition, Brewers Publications, Craft Breweries, books & more!

  • 5.5 US gallons
  • OG: 1.081
  • FG: 1.016
  • ABV: 8.7%
  • IBU: 65

Imperial Stout

Black is Beautiful Homebrew Recipe

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

By the American Homebrewers Association Black Lives Matter. Black breweries and black beer lovers contribute so much to the craft brewing community and we are all better when all of us are valued, respected, and have equal access to opportunities. We all have much to do ahead to bring awareness to and eradicate systemic racism, but one small step we can all take right now, together, is to support the Black is Beautiful initiative. Imagined by Marcus Baskerville, founder and head brewer at Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio, Texas, the Black is Beautiful initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community and its customers, to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily. Its mission is to bridge the gap that has been around for ages and provide a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone of any color. In just two short weeks, more than 700 breweries from 50 states and 13 countries have signed on to support the project and brew Black Is Beautiful, a moderately-high ABV stout. AHA Governing Committee member and past Homebrewer of the Year Annie Johnson worked with Baskerville to scale the recipe down to a volume suitable for homebrewers. Learn more at BlackisBeautiful.beer and if you brew the beer be sure to share your story using the official logo and #BlackIsBeautifulBeer hashtag.Read More

Beer
homebrew saison recipe
  • 6 US gallons (23.8 L)
  • OG: 1.046 (11.5º P)
  • FG: 1.002 (0.5º P)
  • ABV: 5.8% by volume
  • IBU: 30

Saison

Mad About Saison

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This recipe appears in the article "World of a Thousand Saisons" by Mark Pasquinelli in the July/August 2018 Zymurgy magazine.

Explore 20 years of Zymurgy magazine archives and get instant access to new issues when you join the AHA for $3.99!

Mark Pasquinelli shares the following about his beer recipe Mad About Saison:

My first stop [on my saison journey] was the world of Funky Town. I killed two birds with one stone on this recipe, getting out of the same-old-yeast rut and brewing something more sessionable than my usual 7.5% ABV saisons. I used a yeast blend made by Michael Tonsmeire, aka the Mad Fermentationist, that's distributed through Bootleg Biology.

Tonsmeire mentioned that his yeast packs might swell during storage and not to be alarmed. His blend consists of saison yeast, wild Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, and an opportunistic Lactobacillus culture. At low temperatures, his blend is clean, while traditional saison temperatures bring out flavors of citrus, pepper, and clove.

The blend's two pair well with fruity and tropical hops, so I did a hop stand and dry-hopped with Galaxy. As advertised, Galaxy's repertoire of citrus, passion fruit, and grass nicely complement Tonsmeire's yeast blend, mixing with its tart, crisp, citrus notes. The subsequent creation, Mad About Saison, was a big hit at two homebrew club meetings and became a personal after-dinner staple.

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Beer
dortmunder beer recipe
  • 5,5 U.S. gallons (21 liters)
  • OG: 1.053
  • FG: 1.012 (or lower)
  • ABV: 5.4%
  • IBU: 22

Belgian and French Ale

Saison Tropicale

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This recipe is featured in the March/April 2012 issue of Zymurgy magazine. AHA members enjoy access to the Zymurgy magazine online starting at $3.99.

This saison recipe is perfect for summertime, bringing together refreshing flavors of tropical fruit with hints of Belgian yeast character. Saison yeast is also typically more tolerant of higher fermentation temperatures, making this a great beer recipe for folks fermenting at room temperature.

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Beer
Berliner weisse homebrew recipe
  • 5.5 US gallons (20.8 L)
  • OG: 1.037 (9.3° P)
  • FG: 1.008 (2° P)
  • ABV: 3.9%

Berliner Weisse

Monroe Weiss

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This recipe is featured in the March/April 2018 issue of Zymurgy magazine. Join the AHA to enjoy Zymurgy and many more member benefits.

Paul Arends, member of the Brewsquitos in Grand Rapids, Mich., earned best-of-show for this fruited kettle sour beer in the 2017 Beer City Pro-Am Competition.

"When I met with Rob, Dave, and Ed at City Built Brewing Co., they gave me full latitude to make whatever I wanted," he recalls. "I'll never forget this thing they said to me: 'What would you love to brew here?'

"It was obvious to me that they were in this thing for one reason: to have fun making beer with me. I looked at their tap list, and we talked about their upcoming brews. Since we were going to tap these in the heat of summer, I wanted to make something that was refreshing and easy to drink.

They were a very new brewery at the time, so I also wanted to make something that would sell quickly. I decided to make something sour but not too crazy. So, I went home, brewed a kettle sour with wheat, and split it three ways to test different fruit additions.

I brought in a few samples and we played around with various fruit types and ratios. Ultimately we ended up using...passion fruit, mango, guava, and grapefruit to balance the sour provided by the lacto."

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Beer
Carino Sour
  • 2 US gallons (7.6 L)
  • OG: 1.025 (6.3° P)
  • FG: 1.008 (2° P)
  • ABV: 3%
  • IBU: 4

Specialty Beer

Cariño Sour

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in the November/December 2016 issue of Zymurgy magazine.

This unique sour beer recipe won Best of Show at the inaugural Caribbean Homebrew Cup in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Rivera created this wild raspberry beer based on a classic Berliner weisse recipe, proving that homebrew recipes are meant to be shared around the world for the best variations.

The addition fresh raspberries will bring a smile to any fruit lover's face, too!

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Beer
Golden Goblet Gruit Ale
  • 6.5 US gallons (24.61 liters)
  • OG: 1.074
  • FG: 1.010
  • ABV: 8.37

Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer

Golden Goblet Gruit Ale

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in the May/June 2011 issue of Zymurgy magazine.

Gruit takes on many forms, but these days it often simply denotes a beer brewed with herbs. These herbs can even take place of the usual beer ingredients, like hops.

Whether you're a homebrewer looking to experiment with flavors or a gardener wanting to bring your garden's bounty into the homebrew kettle, this gruit recipe is a great place to start.

Recipe by Steve Cook, Cookie Kaplan, and Nicolai Abramson of the Maltose Flacons homebrew club.

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Beer
THC-Infused Caramel Amber Ale
  • 5 US gal (18.93 L)
  • OG: 1.055 (13.5°P)
  • FG: 1.014 (3.5°P)
  • ABV: 5.4% by volume
  • IBU: 46 IBU

Specialty Beer

THC-Infused Caramel Amber Ale

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in the March/April 2020 issue of Zymurgy magazine. Join the American Homebrewers Association or start your 30-day free trial to access the Zymurgy online archive and other exclusive member benefits!

This recipe comes courtesy of Mark Rocheleau and Andrew Orr. There are options in this caramel amber ale recipe for homebrewers who live in states where marijuana and/or industrial hemp is legal and want to combine their homebrew with marijuana or hemp for personal enjoyment.

THC-infused beer can—and very likely will—induce psychoactive effects, which can vary from person to person. Consume these beers responsibly and at your own risk. If you are unsure of what to expect, start with a very small sample and wait a few hours before consuming more.

Editor's Note: Despite legalization and/or decriminalization of cannabis and cannabis-derived products by many states and the District of Columbia, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and, thus, federally illegal. The American Homebrewers Association neither endorses nor discourages brewing with cannabis-related products, however homebrewers who do so should remember that such beers are not permitted in the National Homebrew Competition. Most local and regional competitions also do not allow cannabis beers at this time.

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Beer
brown beer
  • 5.5 US gal. (20.8 L)
  • OG: 1.089 (21.4°P)
  • FG: 1.027 (6.8°P)
  • ABV: 8.2%
  • IBU: 35

Baltic Porter

Opus Coffee Baltic Porter

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in the May/June 2020 issue of Zymurgy magazine. Join the American Homebrewers Association or start your 30-day free trial to access the Zymurgy online archive and other exclusive member benefits!

This recipe, courtesy of Bill Edwards, won Best Beer at Hogtown’s December 2019 beer and food pairing event.

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Beer
Let It Go Helles
  • 5.5 U.S. gallons (21 L)
  • OG: 1.040 (10 B)
  • FG: 1.011 (2.75 B)
  • ABV: 4.1%
  • IBU: about 21

Munich Helles

Let It Go Helles

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in the May/June 2015 issue of Zymurgy magazine. Join the American Homebrewers Association or start your 30-day free trial to access the Zymurgy online archive and other exclusive member benefits!

AHA founder Charlie Papazian's Let It Go Helles is a perfect example of inexperience paired with huge effort that really pays off. He wanted to "walk the walk, not just talk the talk" when it came to creating sessionable lager and ale recipes, and this helles recipe was the outcome. Try it for yourself to see if your walk measures up to Charlie's!

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Beer
Dubious Dubbel
  • 5 U.S. gallons (19 liters)
  • OG: 1.069
  • FG: 1.016
  • ABV: 6.9%
  • IBU: 13

Belgian Dubbel

Dubious Dubbel

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in "Extract Revisited" by Mark Pasquinelli in the January/February 2012 issue of Zymurgy magazine.

Join the American Homebrewers Association or start your 30-day free trial to access the Zymurgy online archive and other exclusive member benefits!

Belgian Dubbel can be a tricky style to master, but this recipe makes it attainable for any brewer! Expect a very drinkable, malt-forward dubbel with a slightly sweet finish. Keeping the fermentation temperature in the 68-70° F (20-21° C) range will help develop fruity yeast-derived notes without the fusel alcohol character.

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Beer
Mild Ale #3
  • 6 US gallons (22.7 liters)
  • OG: 1.035
  • ABV: 3.3%
  • IBU: 16

Mild

Mild Ale #3

Homebrewers Association
Homebrewers Association

This beer recipe is featured in "Nanomashing: Investigating Specialty Grains on a Small Scale" by Agatha Feltus in the May/June 2013 issue of Zymurgy magazine.

Join the American Homebrewers Association or start your 30-day free trial to access the Zymurgy online archive and other exclusive member benefits!

Agatha Feltus uses "nanomashing" to learn about the character of various speciality malts as she researches a recipe. The following mild ale recipe takes the knowledge gained from Feltus' malt experiments to create a flavor profile true to the classic mild character.

Check out Feltus' article on Zymurgy Online to learn more about her nanomashing techinique.

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Beer