What’s Brewing at the Local Homebrew Shop
With consumer priority of convenience at an all-time high and online shopping more integral in our daily activities than ever, it leaves brick-and-mortars wondering where they fit into the equation.
But in craft beer and homebrewing, there is something about that community feel and synonymous social aspect that leaves beer businesses with hope. In 2021, 710 new breweries opened in the U.S., with more than 9,000 total operating, a 6% increase from 2020, according to the Brewers Association. For many at-home brewers, there’s just something about walking into a local homebrew store that adds to the entire brewing experience. Past research by the American Homebrewers Association showed that nearly all (94 percent) of homebrewers shop in a local homebrew store.
The relationships, engagement, and learning opportunities presented in local homebrew shops (LHBS) all make the hobby of brewing that much more enriching. Many LHBS curate a welcoming, interactive experience to get shoppers off their phones and into the store by hosting classes, offering educational experiences and tastings, and are a space for homebrew club gatherings.
One way that a select handful of these shops draw in customers is by offering beer on tap. Not just a homebrew store, these businesses are actually breweries as well. Besides the social aspect of sharing a beer, this business plan provides many other benefits to the retailer and homebrewer. A simple beer sample can get brewers excited about creating something out of their comfort zone. It can help showcase the end result of a technique or ingredient. A well-made brew can set the bar for homemade creations and help mold a recipe.
In this article, we will highlight four stores/breweries that offer beers on-site and were happy to supply a favorite recipe to get homebrewers thinking (and brewing).
Earth Eagle Brewing
In addition to a homebrew store, Earth Eagle Brewing is also a brewery and a restaurant, creating unique brews and beer-friendly bites. The shop itself opened in 2010, and then a one-barrel system and small taproom came in 2012. Flash to today and there are two locations – the original in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with a homebrew supply store and large outdoor beer garden and a second location in Somersworth, New Hampshire with a pub connected to a large brewing facility, which opened in early 2021.
Owner Alex McDonald says he loves having a homebrew shop, which gives the ability to bring people into the craft and hobby of homebrewing. Eagle Earth makes “homebrew inspired beers,” says McDonald, speaking of their willingness to experiment, have fun, and produce a wide range of styles showcasing just how unique beer can be. The Imperial Coconut White Stout, for example, is “something we wouldn’t have done normally as a standard brewery,” McDonald says.
Beers, which rotate regularly, include a variety of styles from IPAs to lagers and everything in between. McDonald also brews herbal-inspired beers, like the Scottish Gruit brewed with juniper and heather flower.
Having the beer on tap can inspire homebrewers and show how eclectic beer can be. “It’s a great way to get people into both the shop and the pub,” he explains, since there may be a customer who didn’t realize the shop even existed or vice versa.
There’s also a full bar that includes guest taps for hard cider and wine, which exposes homebrewing to an even wider audience. Besides the food and drink, there’s more reason to hang out a while at this New Hampshire spot. Pre-pandemic, there was a homebrew course offered monthly. A large, dog-friendly outdoor beer garden is available most of the year and when the snow begins to fall a “small but mighty” area is open all winter.
For more information, visit eartheaglebrewings.com
Earth Eagle Brewing Co.’s New England Gangsta clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.010
IBU = 54 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.4%
This West Coast-style IPA is a regular at Earth Eagle Brewing packed with Pacific Northwest hops.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) North American 2-row pale malt
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
21 AAU Centennial hops (15 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
12 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 6% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (whirlpool)
1 oz. (28 g) Amarillo® hops (whirlpool)
2 oz. (56 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Falconer’s Flight® hops (dry hop)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), Omega Yeast OYL004 (West Coast I), or SafAle US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mash in all the grains at 150 °F (66 °C) in 5 gallons (19 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature by infusion or direct heating to 168 °F (76 °C) to mash out. Recirculate for 15 minutes. Fly sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the ingredients list. Whirlpool the wort gently for 20 minutes, adding the whirlpool hops for the final five minutes. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C) and rack to the fermenter.
Oxygenate wort if using liquid yeast and then pitch the yeast. Start fermentation at 64 °F (18 °C), allowing temperature to rise naturally as fermentation progresses. Add dry hop addition after primary fermentation is complete. Rack to secondary if you choose. Keep beer on dry hops for five days.
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition or keg and force carbonate to 2.5 volumes.
Earth Eagle Brewing Co.’s New England Gangsta clone
(5 gallons, 19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.010
IBU = 54 SRM = 5 ABV = 6.4%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Pilsen liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) light dried malt extract
21 AAU Centennial hops (15 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
12 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 6% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (whirlpool)
1 oz. (28 g) Amarillo® hops (whirlpool)
2 oz. (56 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Falconer’s Flight® hops (dry hop)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), Omega Yeast OYL004 (West Coast I), or SafAle US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 160 °F (71 °C). Then turn off the heat. Add the malt extracts, stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Return to heat and bring the wort up to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.
Portland U-Brew / Unicorn Brewing
Zach Vestal was one of the first customers at Portland U-Brew in 2011. Years later, when the passionate homebrewer got wind that the owner wanted to retire, the 15-year public school teacher took a leap, with the support of his family, to become the Portland, Oregon store’s new owner.
Vestal had been homebrewing since 1992 before taking over Portland U-Brew, which is a homebrew shop, nanobrewery (Unicorn Brewing), and brew-on-premise operation.
There are eight beer taps at Unicorn Brewing, all made in-house, as well as one guest cider tap and wines by the glass. When brewing, Vestal embraces experimentation, trying new techniques and tweaking recipes. The Pilsner, which is the top seller, underwent many adjustments until Vestal says it was just right. New England IPA, Coffee Stout, Lager, Rum Oaked Brown Ale, and Saison are a handful of other rotating beers.
Having beer on tap and samples readily available helps homebrew shoppers gain insight into whatever style they’re looking to produce. If a homebrewer wants to try making a hazy IPA, for example, staff can walk over to the pub with them, have a taste of one and that helps to develop the recipe, Vestal explains. The brewery also adds to the shopping experience, he says, with the smells of grains and hops wafting over from the brewery.
With a small system, beers change pretty regularly. “People like that they can come in and there’s always something new on,” he says.
Vestal’s experience with and love of teaching and learning is well incorporated into the business. When he had read about Kentucky commons a few years ago, having never tasted one, he searched but couldn’t find an example available commercially. So, he brewed one himself. “I love this historical aspect of it – trying to recreate this beer that was on tap in every tavern in Louisville, Kentucky,” he says. “It’s a beer you get to tell a story with,” explaining that there’s a whole conversation with patrons, learning about a style that didn’t survive Prohibition.
Unicorn Brewing’s beers are also on tap at about a dozen places around town. In some cases, a local bar or restaurant will even bring their staff in to make a custom brew to serve to their own customers, such as a “house IPA.” Vestal explains not only is it a team-building activity, but it allows servers to talk knowledgably about the hops used, what grains went into it, and so on. This brew-your-own part of the business allows groups of up to 20 or 30 people to brew at the same time — often hosting business team-building groups, special events, and even groups of homebrewers.
For more information, visit portlandubrew.com
Unicorn Brewing Co.’s Cliffhanger Kölsch-Style Beer clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.011
IBU = 25 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.5%
This is a scaled down version of one of Unicorn Brewing’s top-selling pub beers named after its Founder, Cliff, and was his favorite. It works beautifully with Portland, Oregon’s soft brewing water. It’s clean and crisp enough for lager lovers and just fruity and spicy enough for folks looking for more. The rye addition is certainly not traditional but adds a nice complement to the fruitiness of Kölsch yeast. Since Kölsch beers are technically lagered ales, this is a great option for homebrewers who don’t have the ability to brew true lagers. You can ferment at room temperature and then cold-condition for an extended time. Kölsch yeast is notoriously slow to drop out of suspension, so give it at least a month cold. Your patience will be rewarded!
Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) German Pilsner malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) North American 2-row malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) wheat malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) rye malt
7 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 14% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Tettnang hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch), Imperial G03 (Dieter), or SafAle K-97
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Starting with a soft water profile or reverse osmosis water, add 1⁄2 tsp. calcium chloride. Mash in using 1.5 qts./lb. (3.1 L/kg) strike water, targeting a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature for mash out at 168 °F (76 °C) and hold for five minutes before beginning to vorlauf. Once wort runs clear, begin run-off to the kettle and sparge with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) wort in the kettle.
Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes adding hops per the ingredients list. Once the boil is complete, add the final hop addition, give the wort a long stir to create a whirlpool, then let settle for 10 minutes.
Chill the wort to 63 °F (17 °C), oxygenate if using liquid yeast, then pitch the yeast. Ferment at 65 °F (18 °C) for 10 days. Raise temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) for three days. Trans-fer to secondary vessel or dump the yeast before dropping down to a lagering temperature, roughly 40 °F (4 °C) and hold at this temperature for 2–3 weeks.
Transfer beer to serving keg or bottle and force carbonate using the priming sugar. Carbonate to 2.3 v/v.
Unicorn Brewing Co.’s Cliffhanger Kölsch-Style Beer clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.011
IBU = 25 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.5%
Ingredients
4.7 lbs. (2.1 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) rye liquid malt extract
1 oz. (28 g) Tettnang hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch), Imperial G03 (Dieter), or SafAle K-97
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Starting with 5 gallons (19 L) of water in your kettle, heat up to about 200 °F (190 °C), then turn off the heat. Stir in both malt extracts, turn on the heat, and bring to a boil. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.
Gallatin Homebrew Supplies / New Ventures Brewing
Amy Henkle’s goal for launching New Ventures Brewing alongside Gallatin Homebrew Supplies are for the two beer-centric businesses to complement each other. Having both a taproom and a supply store creates a unique experience and welcoming environment for all — novice homebrewers, experienced brewers, the brewing curious, and people who simply enjoy beer. The hope for the Boze-man, Montana location is for both businesses to draw interest from each other and have beneficial interactions.
Having beer readily available has proven to add to the homebrew shopping experience. “It’s more fun to go out of your way to grab supplies if you can drink a pint while you do so,” Henkle says.
She wants to encourage people to become homebrewers, as well as provide a challenge for experienced brewers to branch out and try to make one of the beers they discover right on tap. “For those who come in for supplies, they are excited once they discover that it’s not just a homebrew supply shop anymore,” she says. And for those who are coming for the tasting room, she says people seem to like seeing the ingredients and supplies around, whether they brew or not.
There are 12 rotating beers on tap, as well as a tap for sparkling water. Henkle’s favorites are Belgian-style beers while brewer Jason enjoys IPAs, so customers can expect to see those on tap. But there will be something for everyone, she adds.
With having beers on tap, the overall goal is to create recipes that are then sized for 5-gallon (19-L) recipe kits for homebrewers. People who homebrew may purchase the recipe for minimal cost, buy ingredients on-site, and choose to either recreate the beer at home or brew the beer on premise.
Customers can brew their own beer on-site for weddings, parties, team-building experiences, or if they are just curious to give brewing a try without investing in all of the equipment. People are encouraged to sample beers on tap to decide what they’d like to brew, or they can opt to bring their own recipe.
A how-to-brew series features a six-part class where customers get a feel for the entire brewing process — from an overview of hops, malt, and yeast, to recipe creation, brewing, and even feedback.
For more information, visit gallatinhomebrewsupplies.com
New Ventures Brewing Co.’s Stuck on the Earth clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.063 FG = 1.012
IBU = 73 SRM = 6.6 ABV = 6.8%
American IPA brewed with fresh ginger. Ginger flavor and aroma is evident without being too overpowering. Light bodied with medium/high bitterness balanced with slight sweetness from the crystal malt.
Ingredients
10.5 lbs. (4.8 kg) pale malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) white wheat malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Carapils® malt
1.5 oz. (45 g) rice hulls
2.4 AAU Citra Cryo® hops (first wort hops) (0.1 oz./2.8 g at 24% alpha acids)
4 AAU CTZ hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 16% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Centennial hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 10% alpha acids)
9.6 AAU Citra Cryo® hops (30 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 24% alpha acids)
8 AAU CTZ hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 16% alpha acids)
10 AAU Centennial hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 10% alpha acids)
12 AAU Citra Cryo® hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 24% alpha acids)
4 oz. (113 g) fresh sliced ginger (10 min.)
1 tsp. Irish moss (10 min.)
1 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
2 oz. (56 g) fresh sliced ginger (in secondary, 5 days)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or SafAle US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
New Ventures Brewing starts with Burtonizing their water to the following level: Calcium 295 ppm, magnesium 45 ppm, sodium 55 ppm, sulfate 725 ppm, chloride 25 ppm, and bicarbonate 300 ppm. This is a multi-step infusion mash, starting with a protein rest at 132 °F (56 °C) for 20 minutes. Raise temperature for beta amylase rest at 145 °F (63 °C) and hold for 60 minutes. Raise mash to alpha amylase rest at 155 °F (68 °C) for 10 minutes. Finally mash out at 168 °F (76 °C) for 5 minutes, then begin the vorlauf and sparge steps. (Alternate: You can use a single infusion mash at 148 °F (64 °C) for 60 minutes).
During the sparge, add the first wort hops to the kettle. Bring wort to a boil and add hops, ginger, Irish moss, and yeast nutrients per the ingredients schedule. When the boil is complete, remove from heat and whirlpool for 10 minutes then let settle.
Chill wort to 68 °F (20 °C), oxygenate the wort if using liquid yeast, then pitch the yeast. Hold at this temperature until reaching terminal gravity (5–10 days). Raise temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) for 3–5 days or until getting a negative diacetyl precursor test. Drop to 50 °F (10 °C) for 24 hours, dump yeast or transfer to secondary and add the second ginger addition. Hold at this temperature for five days and then cold crash and bottle or keg as usual. Carbonate to 2.4 v/v.
New Ventures Brewing Co.’s Stuck on the Earth clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.063 FG = 1.012
IBU = 73 SRM = 6.6 ABV = 6.8%
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) extra light dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Carapils® malt
1.5 oz. (45 g) rice hulls
2.4 AAU Citra Cryo® hops (first wort hops) (0.1 oz./2.8 g at 24% alpha acids)
4 AAU CTZ hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 16% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Centennial hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 10% alpha acids)
9.6 AAU Citra Cryo® hops (30 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 24% alpha acids)
8 AAU CTZ hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 16% alpha acids)
10 AAU Centennial hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 10% alpha acids)
12 AAU Citra Cryo® hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 24% alpha acids)
4 oz. (113 g) fresh sliced ginger (10 min.)
1 tsp. Irish moss (10 min.)
1 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
2 oz. (56 g) fresh sliced ginger (in secondary, 5 days)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or SafAle US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
If you are interested in tinkering with water, we recommend cutting the additions in half compared to the all-grain recipe as malt extracts come with their own salts. Starting with 5-gallons (19-L) of water in your brew kettle, heat the water up to 160 °F (71 °C), then submerge the crushed caramel malts in a muslin bag. Let steep 20 minutes then remove the grains, allowing the liquid to drip back into the kettle. Stir in the dried malt extract, then heat the wort up to a boil once the extract is fully dissolved. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.
Patriot Homebrew Supply
When Matt Misfeldt and his wife, Jennifer, stumbled upon a homebrew store with beer on tap on a trip to San Diego, the homebrewer thought this was an idea worth bringing back to Nebraska. A few years later, Matt, a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and Jennifer, an entrepreneur and former corporate worker, opened Patriot Homebrew in Omaha, Nebraska.
The brewery wasn’t something that came along after the homebrew supply store. “Serving beer on tap was always part of the business plan,” Jennifer says.
Having the beers available can give homebrewers motivation on what or how they want to brew. They serve 8-ounce pours of an eclectic variety of rotating beers and even a house-made hard cider made with local apple juice is also on tap. All recipes are available, and the team is happy to help design the recipe around the brewer’s technique.
The desire is to “introduce different beer styles to customers and allow them to try things they wouldn’t make themselves,” Jennifer says. In fact, the store owner says they avoid making the same recipe twice. So, there’s always something new to discover while stopping by. They encourage homebrewers to sample and perhaps discover a new style they like and want to brew.
Access to a fresh, well-made beer also seems to equal a more comfortable shopping environment. Jennifer says she finds people enjoy walking around the store with their brew and tend to stay a little longer. Another part of the store that encourages that comfort is an effort to encourage more women to join the hobby. Previous events have included a women-only brew day, women-led brew classes, bottle shares, and a terminology class breaking down what various terms mean.
There is a strong focus on community engagement, with seminars on making mead, wine, and cider as well. A partnership with local breweries gets other pro brewers to come in and give presentations to customers as well.
For more information, visit patriothomebrewsupply.com
Patriot Homebrew Supply’s Better Best Bitter clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.041 FG = 1.010
IBU = 34 SRM = 11 ABV = 4.2%
Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (45 °L)
2.3 oz. (65 g) chocolate malt (430 °L)
5.1 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5.1% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Challenger hops (45 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.1% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Challenger hops (0 min.)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (10 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale), White Labs WLP013 (London Ale), or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)Step by step
Mash in with 12.6 qts. (11.9 L) of strike water, targeting a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes then begin the lautering process. Recirculate until the wort runs clear, then sparge with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) in the kettle. Boil for 60 minutes adding hops, Whirlfloc, and yeast nutrients as indicated in the ingredients section.
After the boil is finished, add in the final addition of hops, then allow the wort to settle for 10 minutes before beginning to chill. Chill to 65 °F (18 °C), transfer to fermenter, then pitch the yeast. There should be about 5.5 gallons (21 L) of wort in the fermenter. When fermentation is complete transfer to a serving keg or bottle and prime with the corn sugar. Carbonate to 2.3 v/v.
Patriot Homebrew Supply’s Better Best Bitter clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.041 FG = 1.010
IBU = 34 SRM = 11 ABV = 4.2%
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (45 °L)
2.3 oz. (65 g) chocolate malt (430 °L)
5.1 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5.1% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Challenger hops (45 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.1% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Challenger hops (0 min.)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (10 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale), White Labs WLP013 (London Ale), or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)Step by step
Step by step
Heat 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of water in your brew kettle. Place crushed grains in a muslin bag and steep in the water as it heats up until the temperature reaches 165 °F (74 °C). Remove the grains, allowing the liquid to drip back into the kettle. Turn off the heat and stir in the liquid malt extract until it is dissolved and you can’t feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring. Then bring the wort up to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes adding hops, Whirlfloc, and yeast nutrients as indicated in the ingredients section. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.
Tips for success:
If brewing a 5-gallon (19-L) batch, Matt Misfeldt recommends picking your favorite of the two recommended liquid yeast strains or a favorite dried strain. If brewing a batch of 10+ gallons (38+ L) and have access to White Labs liquid yeast, he recommends combining the two strains.
