Recipes

These are updated (12-7-05) reflecting my current recipes for the basic styles I brew. All of the recipes here are in ProMash format. If you don't have ProMash, click here, and download the free evaluation version of the software. You can then view any of the recipes listed in this section.

All of these recipes are all-grain. I can vouch for the results of all of them. As you can see, my homebrew horizons are pretty narrow. I find myself brewing the same recipes repeatedly because I like to drink them. You won't find anything Belgian here, nor Barleywines, nor anything with fruit. Just basic beers that vanish quickly out of the refrigerator.

I have put these recipes here in ProMash format so it will be really easy for me. I guess I'm just too lazy to write them all out. Plus it's a chance for me to put in a plug for ProMash. I think this software is great and every homebrewer should use it. It forces you to keep track of recipes and has a place for detailed notes. You can even track your ingredients inventory. On brew day, I just print out my recipe and follow my own directions. Each brewing session can be recorded also, so you can keep track of your production or look back and see when a particular beer was brewed in case you forget. If you don't have ProMash yet, definitely give the free evaluation version a test drive. The full version is $25 well spent.

There are some constants in the following recipes:

- I don't treat my water, I use Knoxville tap water filtered through an activated charcoal filter to remove chlorine and particulates.

- Only the base malt should be adjusted for your system efficiency to achieve the target OG. The efficiency of the HERMIT is typically 75 - 80%.

- In all of these beers, I have used a clarifier called Whirlfloc. This is Enhanced Kappa Carrageenan Irish Moss in tablet form and works very well to help coagulate proteins in the wort. One tablet into the kettle 20 minutes before the end of the boil. I don't use any other clarfiers other than time and cool temperatures.

- I don't experiment with yeast much. I stick with American Ale yeast for the American styles (Wyeast 1056, or White Labs WLP001) and British Ale yeast for the British styles (Wyeast 1098, and White Labs WLP005). I think having fewer yeasts to mess around with makes my brewery more cost efficient and with my narrow brewing horizons, it's just not necessary to buy a lot of weird yeasts. For info on how to make the most of your yeast, check out my article on How Buy Yeast Once a Year.

Recipes

Feel free to plagiarize, copy, distribute, or otherwise tamper with the following recipes. I guarantee you won't make the same beer even if you follow the recipes to the letter. Every brewer and brewery is different, so these should be considered a good starting point. Adapt them to your palette and personal tastes.

American Wheat

I was trying to duplicate Sierra Nevada Wheat with this recipe. Although an A-B taste test showed I missed the mark by a bit, I was very pleased with the results. Your Bud-Light drinking friends will appreciate this one. The wheat imparts a very light body and color and just a hint of sourness that makes this a great lawnmower beer. Wheat beer should appear cloudy from suspended yeast and wheat proteins. I skip the clarifiers on this one.

American Pale Ale

This is the 6th iteration of this recipe and I'm pretty happy with it. As before, do NOT dry hop. I just can't seem to master this technique and I keep making pond water when I try. I've abandoned it altogether and my beer is happier for it. I think there is plenty of hop character from the late additions.

American Amber Ale

I don't make this often, but it's still a really good beer. Although similar to American Pale Ale, the Amber Ale has a bit more body and malt character from the use of 60 L crystal malt and Munich malt. The hop character is similar to the American Pale Ale.

British Best

I just started making this and I'm very pleased with it. It's a very mild British style with a nice maltiness and a subtle but noticeable bitterness and very little hop aroma or flavor. Just a very pleasant drinkable beer. I enjoy this so much it has replaced the Pilsner Ale as a beer I keep on tap most of the time. I would consider this a perfect standard house beer.

Pilsner Ale

This was an experimental beer that turned out far better than expected. It's basically a lazy man's Pilsner. I always wanted to make a Pilsner but never had the patience for lagering. The use of 100% Pilsner malt and cold fermentation temperatures (64 - 66 F) make this a very passable Pilsner type beer without the wait. It has a nice body and bitterness that balance almost perfectly. The Saaz hops give a pleasant but restrained hop character. This beer benefits from a couple of weeks of cold aging after the secondary.

Classic American Cream Ale

This was an attempt to brew with flaked maize (corn) to achieve a light bodied, slightly sweet body much like American Pilsner type beer. The flaked maize did not mash well, it is very gummy and a bit of a pain when using a recirculating system like the HERMIT. However, the results were very good and I would recommend this for anyone who is interested in this style.

India Pale Ale

One of my favorites and the biggest beer I make (OG: 1.061, ABV 6.5%). It used to be bigger, but I've dialed it back a bit and I think this has made for a better beer. After 6 iterations, this is the recipe I like best. It has a big body and a prominent hop character from the use of Cascade hops. This is historically a British style, however, I have come to like some of the American aspects of this style that have evolved like the use of Cascade hops and relatively high bitterness (about 62 IBU's). Besides he British Best, this is a beer I like to have on tap most of the time.

Porter

This was fashioned after Sierra Nevada Porter which is my favorite Porter. It is a Robust Porter with Black Patent and Chocolate Malt for a roasty character. It has a dry finish with very restrained hop character, but enough bitterness to balance the malt. If you like dark beer, this is a great recipe to try.