The Wiz remembers saying sayonara to a cinnamon beer.

Try making this homebrew-sized batch of Founders Brewing Company's tasty stout - for breakfast even!

This opens with a deep caramel apple character with notes of plums and sultanas. The tart fruity finish has hints of raisins and a spiciness lent by the rustic hops. One of the best examples of an old ale on the market.

I call this brew Bannockburn Amber Ale in honor of the battle in which King Robert the Bruce secured Scotland’s independence. It’s not a completely traditional Scotch ale but it’s close enough.

- Michael W. Martin
Canton, Texas

Märzenbier was traditionally the last big brew of the spring, made in March and saved for fall as the first beer of the new season. Märzens were stored in cool cellars during the hot summer months in the days before modern refrigeration and other technologies, so they may have been the first true lagers. They also became known as Oktoberfests when they became the traditional beverage for fall harvest festivals.

Good festbiers to try: Paulaner, Spaten and Hacker-Pschorr (Munich, Germany); Hübsch Märzen (Davis, California); Stoudt’s Festbier (Adamstown, Pennsylvania).

Belgian wit had all but disappeared when Pierre Celis began his brewing career in the 1950s. Celis is credited for reviving the style in Belgium during his stint at the Hoegaarden brewery; then he moved to Texas, launched his own Belgian brewery and kick-started the style in the United States.

German in origin, weizenbiers — or weissbiers  — are light and refreshing. Sometimes they’re tart and slightly acidic, sometimes fruity and sweet. The best strains of German weizen yeast create esters reminiscent of banana, clove and bubblegum; American brewers have developed a milder, cleaner style.

Rich, toothy, and delicious...just like mom used to make.

A pale lager named after the city it originated in.

French Pete Porter is brewed as a dark special at Steelhead locations. It’s named for a region in Oregon that memorializes an early-day sheepherder, known as French Pete.

With some modifications, this 31-gallon recipe became Bill Covaleski’s Victory summer draft.

The recipe for Kilt-Lifter, the wee heavy they pour at Moylan’s, was developed in 10-gallon batches during Paddy Giffen’s days as a homebrewer. It’s unusual because it uses German hop varieties that are not traditional to this style.

Here’s an extract recipe that has proven to be very good for traditional (low carbonation, high pressure) serving. Serve this beer at 55° F to bring out the rich malt flavor.

Here is a more subtle version of an American Amber Ale that is good to pair with foods.

This version of American Amber Ale is hopped fairly aggressively but balanced by a high gravity.

Another American Pale Ale recipe.

This unconventional Barleywine is light in color but non-compro­mising in strength. It could also be called James Blonde.

A basic Barleywine recipe.

Another basic Bock recipe.

Common beers are uniquely American-style Lagers.

A simple brew...

Another good basic Bock recipe.

Would Grape-Nuts Kölsch-bier have reminded naturalist Euell Gibbons of wild hickory nuts?

A Golden Ale with ginger.

Another American-style Pale Ale.

A European Pale Lager for any occasion.

This beer is a little heavy for a Brown Ale, but it tastes great.

A basic Brown Ale recipe.

A mildly hoppy Pale Amber Ale.

*North American maltsters such as Great Western and Gambrinus are producing very good ale malts. Any of these would be a good starting point for a mild — or any other British ale, for that matter. 

An old recipe, perhaps originally the result of thrifty brewers wanting to make a less-expensive mead.  It’s malty like a Munich helles but big and powerful like a Belgian tripel.

Is cinnamon an aphrodisiac?  Lets find out...

Melomel = mead with added fruit.  This is a great substitute for dry champagne.

A light, still straight mead, similar to a sweet white wine. Perfect as an aperitif or with dessert.

A Belgian Strong Ale with smoke. From the "Homebrewer at the South Pole" article, BYO 1996.

A great Bock recipe for a traditional German Bock(bier).

A basic Brown Ale with cherries.

He ain't heavy... he's my brother.

"This recipe creates a smooth and slightly roasty ale that is very drinkable. To obtain the Irish Creme flavor I have had the best results from flavored syrups used in coffees. To test how much to use, add the amount recommended for coffee to a beer similar to the type you intend to brew and then adjust the taste. Multiply that result by the number of bottles in the finished batch to determine how much to add to the secondary. Remember, most of these are corn-sugar based, and the sweetness will be reduced in the brew."
- Vince Weibert, Clovis, Calif.

Late WWI American Pilsner

1970’s-style American Pilsner

This is a modern American Pilsner, though not an attempt to clone any particular brand.

Being a homebrewer teaches you plenty of science and history and generally makes you a very cool person. But did you know it also makes you hurricane resistant? 

The Wiz has just one thing to say about single-malt Pilsner.

What’s the difference between fermenting everyday beers and fermenting the big, strong Belgians? The yeast of course. These three professional Belgian-style brewers talk about what it takes to keep your yeast happy, healthy and productive, even in the most extreme conditions.

We ask retail shops for tips to help new brewers improve their beers and brewing process. From cleaning to ingredient choice to techniques, we have the tips from folks who deal with new brewers every day.

One of the first things you learn about most styles is whether it’s an ale or a lager. This month’s featured style — Irish red ale — can be either.

For those of you that keg your homebrew, chances are you've got at least one Cornelius keg sitting empty at any given time. Why not put them to good use as primary and/or secondary fermenters? And for those that don't keg but are considering it in the future, picking up a keg or two for fermenting is a great way to start building up the equipment you'll need for a kegerator. Used Cornelius kegs cost about $30 to $40, and with about $10 more in fittings and tubing you can have a 5-gallon (19-L) stainless steel fermenting vessel. The advantages of using a keg are that it's light-tight, has built-in handles for easy transport and if you have a kegerator you can use your CO2 system to rack the beer in a completely closed environment with no siphoning.

What are hop polyphenols, and how do they affect bitterness in dry hopped beers?

There are many ingredients that brewers use to flavor and season their beer, from orange peel and coriander to black pepper and grains of paradise. But the gold standard remains the humble hop. Hops have long served many purposes in beer. They provide bitterness to balance the sweetness of malt, and add myriad flavors and aromas. When choosing which hop or combination of hops to include in a particular beer there are several questions that come to mind. What type and degree of bitterness, flavor and aroma is desired in the beer to be brewed? How are the bitterness, flavor and aroma derived from hops? What style of beer is being brewed, or am I leaving style guidelines behind to create something of my own?

What does it take to turn an average American pale ale into an awesome one? Guest columnist Gordon Strong explains the style.

It has been known as blown, porter and snap malt, but homebrewers know it as brown malt, if they know it at all. Its mellow roast character, cheeky bitterness and acrid finish has warmed the cockles of many an Englishman over the centuries. It was once a malt of choice for many dark brews, especially porters and stouts. However, improvements in malting technology — including the development of pale base malts with better yields and dark specialty malts with more color — led to its decline. And it almost faded into brewing history. Almost. Today, a few maltsters — including Crisp, Thomas Fawcett and Sons, Hugh Baird and Beeston — produce brown malt and many homebrewers are discovering what made this lightly-roasted malt so popular in the past. Brown malt is back.

Barleywine is beer, not wine. Beyond that, the definition can get a bit fuzzy. One thing’s for sure, however, and that’s that it takes some skill to brew a good one. Learn how to handle all that malt and get the proper amount of attenuation in your own barleywine. Plus: three big recipes.

Homebrewers love recipes, especially those that have had success at homebrew competitions. With that in mind, BYO decided it was time to gather some best of show winning recipes and present them to our readers.