Homebrewing isn’t exactly a new concept or fad that has just materialised. Of course, home brewing and creating your own beer has been a pastime for centuries.
Previously we have suggested vegetable recipes, but we thought we'd mix it up a bit. We have come across a few recipes that are easy to follow and are a lot of fun in the process. So why not have a go yourself!
These homebrew recipe ideas will give you a variety of seasonal recipes that may tickle your fancy depending on what time of year it is.
The winter warmer porter
Porters are usually a darker, heavier ale which can warm you up on a cold winter’s day. Traditionally, the Porter tends to be a dark brown (sometimes darker!) beer, meaning that it’s a great beer to start with when venturing into ‘brewing your own’ and perfect for those cold Winter days.
The Porter tends to have a ‘chocolatey’ taste due to the malts that are used for the brew. In the recipe below, you can also add Caramel Malt for added flavour. This brew requires a fair few ingredients but only requires hours boiling time, even if you are making an especially big batch.
What you will need
(for a 45-pint batch)
- 8.5 lbs Pale Malt (3.0 Standard Reference Method- Grain)
- 1.2 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt (73.0 SRM)
- 0.6 lbs Chocolate Malt (457.0 SRM)
- 60g Fuggles (4.5%)- 60 mins boiling time
- 15g Fuggles (4.5%)- 15 mins boiling time
- 1 package of Dry English Ale (Yeast/Ale)
After combining this batch, you will need to then mill the batch together. Now you should not be fearing this process as it is actually fairly easy to do without having to purchase specialist equipment for it.
What you will need to do next is mash-in the malt and grain into the water. You will have to heat the water to around 75°C before then adding the batch to then slowly stir in and to make sure that the ale is mixed thoroughly.
You will then have a choice, you can either let your brewage or you can drink right away. If you are to let your Porter age, then be sure to follow the instructions from this article to get the best taste from your ale.
A summer’s bohemian pilsner
This Pilsner would be a nice refreshing beer for those long, hot and sunny days in June and July. A beer light in a colour that is a fairly recent revelation in the brewing world, the beer originated in the Czech Republic with nearby Germany adopting a slight variation to the Czech recipe.
What you will need
(For 45-pint batch)
- 4.5 Kg Pale Malt
- 500 g Cara Pils/Dextrine
- 300 g Vienna Malt
- 100g Acid Malt
- 40g Saaz N.Z (8.5%)-60 mins boiling time
- 15g Saaz (4.5%)- 15 mins boiling time
- 1 teaspoonCaragreen Moss- 10 mins boiling time
- 1 package of German Lager (Yeast/Ale)
This mashing process and boiling time are 75 minutes for the final batch. As in the previous recipe, this will involve in brewing terms, the Pilsner is probably easier to make than most brews and if you are looking to mature your creation then the suggested time would be 7 days.
In this time, you will need to carbonate and store the beer effectively. For advice on how to carbonate your brew, this article can give you some handy pointers. Your brew would hopefully result in a malty, bitter brew perfect for those weekend barbecues or watching the amazing lawns at Wimbledon on the box.
Mad March Hare ale (7.5%)
This beer tends to be heavier in texture with a very strong yet floral taste. It is a brute of a beer! This brew would be ideal for an Easter time treat due to the beer having a weighty yet sweeter taste, which symbolises the British Springtime weather!
What you will need
(for a 45-pint batch)
- 1Kg Lt Dried Malt Extract
- 1.5 Kg Coopers Amber Malt Extract
- 1.5Kg Muntons Maris Otter Malt Extract
- 1 Kg Brewing Sugar
- 100g Bramling Cross Hops
- 1 package of Finishing Hops
- Saf Abbaye Yeast
- Elderflowers
Firstly, you need to boil all of the malt extracts together with the 100 grams of Bramling Cross Hops for around 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes boil, strain off into a clean sterilised bucket. A big jug might be useful here! Use a colander or a straining bag to strain out the and add the dried malt extract along with the brewing sugar. Stir well and dissolve.
Make up to 5 gallons with cold water and leave to cool below 24°C. Then add the finishing hops and follow the instructions on the packet (you can learn how to grow your own hops here). Then you will need to add the yeast and leave to ferment for 5 days or until the bubbles have stopped rising!
Once fermented, add the finishing hops. The best method would be to then boil water and mix in the finishing hops with the water. Then add the liquor to the fermenter.
The final addition to the mix is the elderflowers. Put these into a jug and pour over a pint of boiling water. Leave this to stand for 20 minutes and add them in the beer. Then syphon off into a barrel or bottles adding ½ teaspoon of sugar per pint. Then store the beer for a further 5 days to cool.
