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Columbus hops provide an earlthy, citrus hop profile for this amber ale. Melanoidin and light crystal malt provide a solid malty backbone.
According to Highland Brewing Co.’s website, “A deep amber-colored American ale, featuring a rich malty body. Cascade and Willamette hops add a complex hop flavor and aroma. This ale is exceptionally balanced between malty sweetness and delicate hop bitterness. It has a universal appeal and is our workhorse, accounting for about half of our total production.”
Since this is a big beer, Dick’s takes it’s time producing Bottleworks IPA. It takes a total of 6 weeks to ferment, clear in the bright tank, mellow, and then Dick’s bottle conditions the beer for another 2 week.
Wolaver’s describes its Oatmeal Stout as a “smooth-as-silk stout brimming with darkly roasted malts and rich notes of chocolate and coffee. A mocha-topped, black-as-night body gives way to a surprisingly smooth, full-bodied experience in this unfiltered offering.”
Black Diamond Winter Ale is a classic Belgian dubbel. Perfect for the winter season, its deep garnet color accentuates its dark fruity undertones of raisins, dates, plums, and cherries.
Boulevard’s annual winter warmer is a hearty brew with a deep amber color.
According the Breckenridge Brewery’s website, “This classic American amber ale blends pale, chocolate, and caramel malts to create a well-rounded, flavorful beer. Caramel malts lend whispers of toffee and an enjoyable sweetness, while a touch of bittering hops gives this beer its clean finish. Crafted for balance, Avalanche is a versatile and satisfying anytime beer.”
This English-style strong ale is deep garnet red in color, and features dark fruit and roasted malt flavors, with a slightly bitter finish.
This beer is now retired. The Butte Creek Brewing Co.’s annual winter ale was technically an American Brown Ale with Fuggle hops providing a balance to the malty backbone.
For a long time, Samiclaus held the title as strongest beer in the world. Samichlaus is a doppelbock that continues to develop the longer it is aged.
“This beer is more along the style of a sweet stout. There’s no milk sugar, but we use one pound of fresh raspberries per gallon!” — Magic Hat head brewer Matt Cohen (now owner of Fiddlehead Brewing Co. in Shelburne, Vermont)
Available October through November, Old Jubilation is a winter strong ale that features a hint of hazelnuts, mocha, toffee, and spice.
A true spring beer. Be sure to harvest the spruce tips as they are emerging from the buds and the needles are still a light green color.
A classic American fruited ale. There is no mistaking the apricot aromas and flavor profile of Magic Hat’s #9. Magic Hat Brewing Co. was founded in 1994 and #9 has been one of it’s steadfast beers in their portfolio.
Patty’s Chili Beer is aged with Anaheim and ancho peppers, resulting in a golden ale with lots of pepper flavors and aromas, but just a mild heat.
According the O’Fallon Brewery’s website, “O’Fallon Cherry Chocolate is a dark wheat beer that tastes like a chocolate covered cherry…only better! We use four kinds of grain along with natural cherry and chocolate flavors for a smooth, delicious brew …the perfect sipping beer for the cooler winter months.”
According to Russian River Brewing Co’s website, “Technically, this is neither an ale nor a lager. The base recipe is for a Golden Ale, but we do the primary fermentation with 100% brettanomyces. The brett gives it some sour notes but not as much as if it had been aged with lacto and pedio. It’s rather refreshing on a warm day!”
100% Brett fermented golden ale. Feel free to choose your favorite Brett strain.
This schwarzbier has the characteristic clean lager feel and features a mild hop bitterness with complementary roasted malt notes.
A German-styled Pilsner brewed using only organic malts and Sterling hops to provide a bright, refreshing beer.
According the The Great Northern’s website, “A dark beer with a soft bite, Fred’s is brewed using a special de-bittered dark malt, fermented cold & lagered at least 4 weeks. A smooth brew with light roastiness.”
This doppelbock is much darker tasting than others, with massive aromas and flavors of fruitcake, port, figs and raisins. Although extremely rich and thick, this beer is readily drinkable which poses a dilemma after a liter or so. There seem to be a lot of German bierkellars that have tilted, uneven floors!
A dark rauchbier brewed by Great Basin Brewing out of Sparks, Nevada which won gold medal at the 2006 GABF. If you don’t want to smoke your own malts, they can be purchased, but smoking your own malts can be a fun endeavor.
A Munich-style Helles from Ham’s Restaurant, which was founded in North Carolina back in 1935. Their brewpub location in Greensboro has since closed, but we’ve still got a recipe for their Sunfest!
This German-style schwarzbier is a lovely dark brown color and features notes of toasted malt and coffee. A past GABF award winner.
John Courage has an unusual twist for a British beer: It used to be labeled “amber lager” and is still brewed as a lager. It is malty and sweet, with a dry grainy aftertaste.
This Bavarian dark lager is a blend of three specialty grains, creating a rich, smooth, dark beer that anyone can enjoy.
Two continental Pilsner malts lay the foundation for the Washington-brewed Pilsner lager and noble hops round out the profile.
The world’s best selling Canadian Beer, with a distinct hop aroma, delicate fruit flavor, and slightly sweet aftertaste.
Full-bodied and proud, this amber hued lager may be an Oktoberfest-style beer, but it is available to be enjoyed year round. A robust micro-brewed lager made with imported and specialty malts, Sin City Amber balances a full-bodied malt character with imported German Hallertauer hops.
“A big taste from a tiny place” is Creemore Springs creed. This Ontario-based brewery focuses on producing German-style beers. Here is a recipe for their Premium Lager, made using a North American lager yeast.
This massively malty Bavarian dopplebock is darker than Salvator and shows a distinct chocolate malt character.
This classic Dutch lager available in green bottles across the world is still brewed using the same recipe since first made available in 1873.
Shiner Bock continues to ring up awards for it’s classic Shiner Bock, having won gold at the 2012 GABF and silver in the 2017 GABF in the American-Style Amber Lager category. See if you can match Spoetzl’s brewing prowess.
“I’d recommend about 6 or 7 coriander seeds be crushed and added for the last minute of boil. Although this may seem like a miniscule amount, a touch of coriander is all that is desired.”
—Drew Cluley, head brewer
This recipe is for their 60th anniversary edition, which is closer to their original recipe. Although probably not authentic, the debittered black malt will give you a much smoother product. It’s reported that St. Bernardus uses a different bottling strain than the fermentation strain, so we recommend using Westmalle’s yeast.
Iowa has a 5% alcohol by weight (ABW) limit — this works out to just over 6% alcohol by volume — for native brewers, so Belgian ales are a challenge. Here is a favorite that hits the limit but isn’t quite as strong as most Belgian ales. — Peter Ausenhus
This beer has since been retired, but you can still brew up this Belgian blonde ale with this recipe. Feel free to allow fermentation temperature to rise if you would like the yeast to be more expressive.
Allagash Tripel is a complex and delicious version of the Belgian classic. According to the brewery, the beer features herbal notes and passion fruit, with hints of banana and honey.
This Belgian-style blonde ale is light bodied and hop driven. It has a low level of yeast phenols and instead a lot of the spicy character comes from the aromatic hops.
According to BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery their Grand Cru was designed to be a work of art. “Setting out to brew a best-in-class golden ale, we used a special Belgian yeast strain in the brewing process. Belgian yeast strains produce a lot of flavors during fermentation – fruity flavor compounds called esters or spicy flavor compounds called phenols. The Belgian yeast we brew with produces a good amount of both esters and phenols. In addition to this special Belgian yeast strain, we also spice the beer with bitter orange peel and coriander to contribute even more fruit and spice notes.”
This is a traditional, Belgian-style wheat ale. Soft, hazy, and offering the characteristic Belgian phenols from the yeast along with the gentle taste of coriander and orange.
“The crystal and roasted malts merge well together to yield soft caramel and raisin notes. These flavors will evolve gracefully as the beer ages.” — Randy Thiel, Brewer.
A retired beer from New Belgium Brewing’s portfolio. Brew one yourself to bring this one back to life.
Are you ready to try brewing a Bière de Champagne, also known as a Bière Brut? If so, here is a recipe for one of the shining starts in this rare and unique category of beers.
According to the website for G. Schneider & Sohn, “For centuries, wheat beer in Bavaria could only be brewed in royal breweries. By 1872, wheat beer had declined in popularity and, seeing an opportunity, royal brewer Georg Schneider purchased the brewing rights from the Bavarian King Ludwig II, rescuing the style from near extinction. Over 140 years later, the brewery still uses his same recipe and open fermentation process.”
An American-styled hefeweizen, brewed by a brewery based in Waitsburg, Washington, just outside of Walla, Walla.
This beer is basically a wheat doppelbock, made to compete with the true doppelbocks. It features notes of raisins, plums, bananas, cloves, and a touch of chocolate. A decoction mash and extended boil are really needed to bring out the dark malt and caramel flavors.
The Silver medal winner in the 2007 World Beer Championships, this wheat beer benefits from the added aroma and subtle fruit flavor of blueberries.
One of North Coast’s brewery’s summer lawnmower beers. With just enough hop presence and nice body thanks to a healthy heap of wheat malt.
According to Rogue’s website, “In the style of a German Maibock, using our proprietary Pacman yeast, Dead Guy is deep honey in color with a malty aroma and a rich, hearty flavor.”
Archers Golden is a superb ale that has won a number of awards. Sadly, at the time of writing, Archers is under administration so the future of their Swindon brewery is in some doubt. We can only hope that a buyer is found for the brewery so that brewing of their fine ales may continue.
Justin McCarthy, Lead Brewer, Magic Hat Brewing Company: “When I think of summer and beer, I think of beers that will quench my thirst and appease my palate at the same time.”
Garrett Oliver, brewmaster, Brooklyn Brewery: “‘Summer Ale’ is not a beer style, but a concept. To me, anything which is brisk, light, and drinkable but still interesting enough to work with summer foods can be a ‘summer ale.’”
Frederick Hamp, Brewer/QC Tech, Harpoon Brewery: “A summer beer needs to be compatible with the mindset of a beer consumer in the summer. Served cold and thirst quenching but still flavorful.”
“Summer is all about outdoor activity and the beers of summer typically fit this theme and should provide refreshment. That doesn’t mean bland or without character. A refreshing beer can be full of character and still be a part of a sunny summer day.”
According to Goose Island’s website, “With a light fruity aroma and a bright, crisp finish, Goose Island Summertime Kölsch is the perfect summer session ale. A Kölsch beer brewed in the traditional German fashion, you’ll find yourself enjoying and savoring each sip of Summertime as much as your do those hot summer days and cool summer nights.”
First brewed in 1984, this English-style pale ale is bronze in color with caramel, biscuit malts balanced by an earthy hop bite and juicy, citrus flavors.
Brewed with organic grains, this American amber is nicely balanced between maltiness and hop character.
According to St. Peter’s website, “A traditional best bitter ale brewed with Pale and Crystal malts and Goldings aroma hops, resulting in a full-bodied amber coloured ale. Distinctive caramel notes, with nutty and roasted aromas lead to a bitter, but sweet taste.”
Speedway Brewing closed its doors in 2010, but we do still have the recipe for their Speedy Kiwi ESB. While it is based on the English style, it comes with its own American twist.
Named for the 5 select hop additions, this is a refreshing pale ale with a lively hop flavor and aroma.
If you are looking for a classic American pale ale with a Cascade, Willamette hop profile, here is a great recipe. While it is called a pale ale, this beer will really land you more in the red/amber category than pale.
An English dark mild ale with notes of toffee and coffee in the aroma and a nutty finish.
The world’s best selling mild ale, an English dark mild with nice caramel and roasted nut malt character.
Warthog Ale is a crossbreed of a British pale mild ale and an American cream ale. It’s a lighter-bodied beer, with some crystal malt for a bit of a malty flavor and relatively low hop bitterness. The description on the Big Rock Website also states that this beer has some resemblance to British brown ales, with a nutty finish.
Clearwater Brewery has since closed their doors, but their legacy lives on with this light ale recipe.
This export strength North American golden ale has a hint of sweetness up front, a subtle yet distinctive hop taste, and clean finish.
This golden-straw colored ale is a German-style Kölsch that is light, grassy, and refreshing. Perfect for summer.
Bitch Creek balances big malt sweetness and robust hop flavor for a full-bodied, satisfying mahogany ale. This year-round offering has claimed 15 gold medals in national competitions.
A bold yet balanced American pale ale with slight caramel sweetness and aggressive citrus hoppiness.
This rich, Northwest-style pale ale is all about balance and sessionability. Maybe that’s why it won gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 2001 and 2002.
Deschutes leans on Cascade hops in this classic pale ale to give this beer lots of floral and citrus notes.
This English style extra special bitter gets the American hop treatment with a big boost of Cascade.
Dry hopped with Amarillo®, this American rye pale ale is perfect for summer enjoyment.
Toeing the line between American and British-styled pale ale, the BruRm’s pale ale is hopped with both American and British hops and fermented with a British yeast strain. It’s a thirst-quencher no matter how you classify it though.
Young’s Special London Ale is a well-balanced, bottle conditioned premium bitter brewed with 100% British ingredients.
Michael Jackson claims that Bass uses a single addition of Challenger and Northdown hops. This is an attempt to clone the bottle version found in the United States.
Named for plant Earth and brewed in honor of Earth Day, this double IPA is brewed at the brewery with organic malts and a combo of intese hops. It features lots of herbal, floral, citrus, grapefruit, raw honey, and fresh mint hop aromas.
This Harpoon classic started out as a summer seasonal in 1993 and ended up becoming one of the brewery’s biggest sellers. It is a crisp, clean, fairly traditional English IPA that will always be in style.
Bell’s flagship IPA is brewed with 100% Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest and named after the Two Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
First brewed in 1981, Sierra Nevada explains that Celebration Ale is one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA, and it’s still one of the few hop-forward holiday beers. The intense, hop-heavy beer features Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops.
“A traditional India Pale Ale, the Elissa IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malty body. Elissa has huge hop additions in the kettle that give it a wonderful bitterness and is then dry-hopped in the fermenter to create the pleasant floral, hoppy nose. Our reverse osmosis water makes the bitter very soft with no harsh notes to it. The maltiness is derived from British Maris Otter malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. The Elissa is an authentic version of an India Pale Ale (IPA) style.”
The flagship IPA that Lagunitas built their brewing name on is a well-rounded West Coast IPA with lots of hop complexity and a solid malty balance.
Part of Rogue Ale’s XS series of beers, their I2PA features an intense hopping regiment and is aged for 9 months before leaving the brewery.
Originally brewed to be part of a first-ever “Double IPA festival” back in 2000, Pliny has become the standard by which many modern double IPAs are measured. As with any hop-heavy beer, Pliny is best enjoyed fresh, while the massive hop aroma is at its peak.
This full-bodied West Coast IPA is one of America’s most medal-winning IPAs.
This high-gravity IPA is brewed with 18% rye malt and has a floral hop aroma and caramel notes.
This unforgettable imperial IPA features an intense citrus hop aroma and a huge malt body.
This well-balanced West Coast IPA is a San Diego classic that is filled with aromas of grapfruit and tangerine, fresh pine, and tropical fruit.
90 Minute IPA was the first beer that Dogfish Head brewed using their continuous hopping technique of adding hops throughout the boil. Esquire magazine has called it “perhaps the best IPA in America.”
Sadly, Merriman’s Brewery in Leeds is apparently no longer brewing. The information that I have for this beer is: OG: 1.050. Malt bill: Halcyon pale malt, crystal malt, wheat malt, pale chocolate malt, roast barley. Hops: Liberty, Progress. IBU: 32. When one has no information about malt bill proportions, the only option is to guess. However, we are aware of the usual style guideline ranges for using specialty grains, so we can use these as a starting point.
The Oakhill Brewery in Somerset closed down when the owner retired. This beer has obviously been renamed during its history and the information that I have for it is: OG: 1.049–1.050. Malt bill: 91.5% Triumph or Halcyon pale malt, 8.5% crystal malt. Hops: Bramling Cross, Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings. In this case, we have malt bill proportions, but no IBU, so again we have to guess. However, style guidelines are a good guide to expected ballpark IBU.
Inspired by the sustaining winter offerings of many English breweries, this complex and malty brew is marked by significant alcohol warmth, balanced bitterness, biscuit/roasted undertones, and sublime mouthfeel.
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.
Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward barleywine with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness.
One of the original microbreweries in Massachusetts, Paper City Brewery closed its doors in 2016 but you can still brew this classic Wee Heavy using this recipe.
“We use pale and roasted malt to give our ale a rich, full maltiness and a deep, dark amber color. The nature of a WEE HEAVY makes for a higher alcohol percentage but this softens and counterbalances the sweet maltiness of the ales.”
This exceptionally smooth beer showcases the beauty of malted barley, as notes of caramel, toffee, and toasted chocolate rise from its mahogany depths. Hope & King has won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
According to Olde Burnside’s website, “Our flagship Scottish Ale. Malty with a hint of caramel and a little background smokiness. Just enough hops to balance the malts. Very sessionable.”
Anderson Valley describes this summer sipper as a slightly sweet, malty session beer with a creamy mouthfeel and clean finish.
Full-bodied amber ale with crystal, carastan and carapils providing subtle dark fruit malt character and Willamette, Cascade and Tettnang hops giving a subtle fruit hop character.
Jasper Murdock’s is a small brewpub located in the The Norwich Inn located in Norwich, Vermont. Their Whistling Pig Red Ale is a classic Irish red ale with subtle hop nose provided by EKG hops.
Leaning more towards the malty side of the spectrum, Abner Weed Amber Ale balances itself out with a touch of American hops and clean yeast profile.
Cashmere Brewing Co. closed it’s doors in 2009 but fans of the brewery can still brew up their Bulldog Amber ale with this recipe.
For a beers like Saint Rogue Red, a style in which the hops are more predominant, John Maier says that “Increased percentages of specialty malts also allow for increased amounts of hops. This helps create balance in the beer.”
“Well balanced, medium-bodied, with a deep amber-red color, this beer’s complex palate covers all the bases. A malty caramel sweetness is followed by notes of chocolate and a dry, slightly roasty finish, complemented by a touch of fruity, spicy hops.”
Full Sail’s flagship amber ale has earned the brewery multiple awards, including more than 20 gold medals. It is a sweet, malty, medium-bodied ale with a spicy, floral hop finish.
An English brown ale with enough hop bite to balance the malt backbone.
A German Style Alt. Long Trail Brewing Co. describes this beer on it’s website, “This double altbier features a distinct malt presence balanced by a subtle hop backbone that delivers a smooth, complex drinking experience. At 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, this is one brew worth milking.”
This recipe has since been retired, but recipe provides a classic American-style brown ale.
This beer should be bitter and have a nice “Spalty” nose to it. But to keep the hops from overwhelming the palate the malt has to come through as well. The roasty undertones of the Munich and Vienna malts complement the aggressiveness of the hops very well.
— Bill Wood, Brewmaster
According to Carolina Brewing Co., “A medium bodied, dark brown ale with a complex chocolatey, toasted malt taste. It has a dry finish that makes it distinct from some of the sweeter brown ales. We use five different types of malted barley to give the beer its color and variety of malt flavors.”
This brown ale (now retired) out of Middleton, Wisconsin is clear and dark amber color with a solid, malty backbone.
This rich ale gets its complexity from pure maple syrup as well as chocolate and crystal malts.
Turbodog, one of Abita’s flagship brews, is a dark brown ale with a rich body and a sweet, toffee-like flavor.
This dark IPA is available year-round and is dry hopped similarly to Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute and 90 Minute IPAs. It is roasty, with a mild hop bitterness.
Newcastle Brown Ale is actually a blend of two beers. Brewers blend a strong, dark ale that has been aged and a smaller, younger amber ale. As a consequence, this average-strength brown ale shows some plum and raisin characteristics more frequently encountered in an old ale. You can try to make the blended version and those instructions can be found in the May/June 2006 issue. Here is a more simplified single batch version.
A rich, robust, complex ale that was brewed as a tribute to the legendary freighter’s fallen crew.
The “double stout” in this beer’s name is not indicative of a strong beer. Actually, it’s quite low in gravity and makes a particularly good session pint. What the double means to me is that this beer literally has double the flavor of other low gravity stouts. East Kent Goldings hops lend a spicy character to the nose which blends in perfectly well with its rich, thick toasty body. The deep roast edges finish into a crisp dryness that ensures this beer’s utter drinkability. You better get this beer fast because it’s only seasonally available.
Jet black, yet showing little evidence of roast character . . . more like brown sugar like sweetness.
Erie Brewing Co. no longer brews Drake’s Crude, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. Find the recipe to re-create this beer here.
According to Great Divide’s website, “Yeti Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses. It starts with big, roasty malt flavor that gives way to rich caramel and toffee notes. Yeti gets its bold hop character from an enormous quantity of American hops. It weighs in at a hefty 75 IBUs.” There are many variants to the Yeti base beer including the famed barrel-aged version.
Brewed in honor of Hunter S. Thomson, this beer is “big, bold, and beautiful.” It features notes of roasted chocolate, coffee, and vanilla malt flavors.
A big, chewy, resiny, hop extravaganza. Not a brew for the feint of heart.
According to Avery Brewing Co.’s website, “. . . a traditional Oktoberfest – gorgeous, deep copper sheen, massive malty backbone and spicy, floral, pungent Noble hops – then intensified each into this, an Imperial Oktoberfest.”
Like a double IPA, this is a amped up version of a Pilsner from Odell Brewing.
According to Big Sky Brewing’s website, “Enjoy the creamy texture, great malt complexity and the unequaled smoothness of this Northern Rockies Oatmeal Stout.”
Beamish describes their classic Irish dry stout as having a rich, roasted flavor with coffee and dark chocolate undertones.
Rogue’s Shakespeare Stout is a classic example of the style. Rogue describes it as, “Ebony in color with a rich creamy head, earthy flavor and a mellow, chocolate finish.”
According to Fuller’s website, “A modern take on the 19th century porter style, Fuller’s rich, chocolatey London Porter recaptures the brooding beauty of pre-Victorian London. It’s evocative of simpler times but it’s a wonderfully complex pint.”
This recipe is for the bottled version of ESB. The cask version in the UK is 5.5% ABV.
This innovative IPA employs Dogfish Head’s method of adding hops continuously over the entire boil. Showcasing a big US Northwest hop bill, 60-Minute is the session beer sister of 90-Minute IPA.
This beer is bursting with decadant chocolate bitterness and balanced with a big oatmeal mouthfeel.
According to Stone’s website, “This massive and intensely aromatic beer abounds with notes of chocolate, coffee, black currants, anise and roastiness, and its heavy palate is nothing to be trifled with.”
This smoky porter brewed with peat-smoked malt features hints of chocolate and coffee.
This recipe is for the original formulation of Ruination, a West Coast IPA that defined the style with resinous pine, a big malt backbone, and a lovely orange amber color.
According to Stone Brewing Co.’s website, “. . .this golden beauty explodes with tropical, citrusy, piney hop flavors and aromas, all perfectly balanced by a subtle malt character. This crisp, extra hoppy brew is hugely refreshing on a hot day, but will always deliver no matter when you choose to drink it.”
This is a recipe for the original Stone Pale Ale. According to the farewell post to the 1.0 version, Stone Brewing Co. posted this about the beer, “Maltier and more full-bodied than most American pale ales—not to mention tons hoppier than most beers at the time—it was a bold direction to go with the only beer in a fledgling portfolio.”
Our wheat is dry, crisp and refreshing — and has a certain ‘snap’ from the malted and raw wheats used, as well as a spicy hop nose from the Liberty hops. The foam has a rich, creamy and rocky appearance. Our wheat beer has been our number one seller since we opened in December 1997 and won a gold in the American-style wheat beer category at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in 2003 and a bronze in the same category in 2004. — Ashton Lewis – Springfield Brewing Co.
Hennepin is Brewery Ommegang’s flagship Belgian-style golden ale. Brewed with coriander, ginger root, and bitter orange peel, this beer is full-bodied, hoppy, and crisp.
Warsteiner is a well-known German Pilsner. This light-colored lager has a more rounded, less crisp, malt profile compared to Bitburger. Treat your yeast well to reach the fairly low final gravity of this beer.
Brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic, Pilsner Urquell is the original Pilsner beer. Brew this clone with soft water.
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen is a well-balanced example of a hefe-weizen. Follow the mash details and watch your fermentation temperatures to get the much sought after “breadiness” and banana/clove aroma of a German hefe-weizen. Prost!
Duvel is the classic Belgian golden ale. Although it is very strong (8.5% ABV), the beer is extremely light in color and dry in taste. The dense, white head that sits above the beer lasts until the beer is done. In the US, bottles of Duvel often show some oxidation in the aroma. Brewing it fresh at home gives you a glimpse of what it tastes like in Belgium. The yeast will not have an easy job here; they are dealing with a high-gravity, high-adjunct wort. Help them (and yourself) out by making a big yeast starter for a high cell count at pitching.
Orval pours orange-brown with a big, rocky head. The very spritzy levels of carbonation and lightly sour with a distinctive Brett character make the beer feel prickly on the tongue. Orval beer is distinctly dry and has little hop bitterness or flavor, although it is the only Trappist ale to be dry hopped. You’ll really taste the pale malt base, so don’t use US, German or English malts for this.
This beer takes its name from the days when beer was made in the cool climate of San Francisco on rooftops in the nineteenth century—open vessels were used to help cool the beer quickly. Steam is the beer that convinced Fritz Maytag to buy the brewery in 1965 and carry on the brewing tradition that started there in the late 1800s. It features a deep amber color and Northern Brewer hops.
Updated recipe with the latest information gleaned from Sierra Nevada’s website. ‘The’ classic American Pale Ale.
Guinness Draught, the kind found in widget cans or bottles, is an Irish dry stout. Guinness has a sharper roast character and more hop bitterness than Murphy’s. The key to making a great clone is using roasted unmalted barley (or black barley) with a color rating around 500 °L.
A Belgian stout; this deep, dark colored beer features lots of coffee and chocolate flavors.
The Kiuchi brewery’s Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout is like a delicately sweetened cappuccino. Dark roasted coffee with dark fruit notes and the unmistakable aroma and flavor of lactose. For breakfast? Sure, and also lunch, dinner . . . and karaoke!
Traquair House is the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. Some say their house ale is the paragon of Scottish Wee Heavy ales.
This ruby-colored English ale delivers a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavor, balanced with rounded moderate bitterness and an overall fruity, mischievous character.
Dark, robust, and smoky when young, this porter develops notes of sherry, Madeira, and raisin as it ages. It has a chewy malt character and is chocolaty with a smoky, oily finish.
From simple ingredients comes massive complexity. Robust toasty notes meet and blend with dark fruits and chocolate. The vinous, port-like character from this brute wraps everything up in a dark happy bow.
Cooper’s Sparkling Ale is the bar that all others are measured when brewing an Australian sparkling ale. According to Coopers, “Little has changed since Thomas Cooper brewed his first batch of Sparkling Ale in 1862. It’s still naturally conditioned in the bottle with our unique strain of Coopers yeast.”
Sierra Nevada designed this beer to showcase their innovative “hop torpedo,” which is a dry hopping device that controls how much hop aroma is imparted into the beer without adding additional bitterness. This beer features a big citrus, pine, and tropical fruit hop profile.
This Extra Special Bitter is a deep copper-orange color, with an off-white, creamy head. The aroma is a judicious blend of fruity hops and toasted malt. Medium in body, it is full and round, with a nice blend of malt balanced with gentle hop character. Redhook ESB ends with a sweet malt finish.
Full Curl is a wee heavy strong Scotch ale coming in at about 7% alcohol by volume.
One of the original three recipes from Real Ale’s offerings when they firest started brewing Blanco, Texas in 1996. According to their website, “Simple and classic. This well-balanced ale features flavors of chocolate and toffee with a smooth, dry finish.”
From Rockyard Brewing in Castle Rock, Colorado, according to their website, “Our Multi-Medal Winning Double Eagle Ale is an American-Style Filtered Wheat. Brewed with 30% wheat, this light bodied ale is bright golden in color with a crisp but smooth aftertaste. This beer is excellent for relaxing on a late summer evening, or dreaming of warmer weather.”
This beer was inspired by residue found in drinking vessels that are believed to be from the actual tomb of King Midas. Some secrets of the beverage, dated to around 700 BC, were revealed by the new methods of molecular archaeology.
The residues inside the vessels belonged to a “Phrygian cocktail,” which combined grape wine, barley beer and honey mead. Starting with the ancient chemical evidence, Dogfish Head Brewery “recreated” a marvelous golden elixir, truly touched by King Midas.
Just a touch of sourness adds an extra crisp layer for this summer beer. The Styrian Golding hops provides a slight earthy and spicy character to the beer.
This is a clone of one of the Winterhook Dark Ale batches, but according to their website Winterhook is “Crafted with an evolving mix of malts and hops, each yearly edition of Winterhook is one-of-a-kind.” Check out Redhook’s website for the latest rendition of this beer!
First brewed in 1987, this winter warmer exhibits bready, toasted malt flavors with hints of coffee, caramel, black cherry, cocoa, and a dash of hop spice.
This full-bodied winter warmer is brewed in the spirit of British winter ales. Crafted with a flurry of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and generously hopped, it delivers a smooth finish that makes this beer the perfect cold weather companion. This clone recipe first ran in the July 1998 issue and has been tweaked several times through the years.
This recipe has been officially retired from Widmer Brother’s seasonal rotation, but they will bring it back from time to time. You can brew this sweet stout year round though, thanks to Widmer Brothers for sharing the recipe.
This deep mahogany winter warmer is a 13-time gold medal winner. It is available from October through December each year.
Breckenridge Brewery describes this winter warmer as a beer with extra flavor and strength, with a sturdy texture and rich flavors of caramel and chocolate.
“There are no spices in (the Christmas Ale) at all, but I would have sworn there was before I started working here.”
— Saint Arnold Brewing brewmaster, Dave Fougeron
“It is a hoppier beer, (but) is very drinkable and heavier for the season.” — head brewer, Nikki Koontz
“Powder Hound is traditional in style, but as far as a winter beer, it is still something that could be considered a session beer. In keeping it around six percent ABV, it remains much more drinkable.”
—Matt Long, head brewer at Big Sky Brewing
First brewed by Harpoon in 1988, this beer has become a New England seasonal classic. Cinnamon and nutmeg dominate the aroma. The taste is a rich combination of the holiday spices and the hearty malt backbone. There is a mild sweetness to the finish along with the lingering flavor of the spices.
Heather (Calluna vulgaris) are evergreen branching shrubs. They can be found throughout Western Europe and in parts of northeastern North America and Siberia.
Description of Guinness’ website describe their classic FES as “Fruit and caramel flavors begin, smoky notes and a vibrant bitterness follow. Where extra hops and a stronger alcohol percentage were once used to preserve the beer, allowing it to survive and thrive during long sea voyages, now they yield its bold taste and unique flavor profile.”
A Bock that has a nutty, chocolate malt flavor with mild hopping.
According to Yukon Brewing Co., “Full malt body takes over the palate; not sweet, but bold, fruity and persistent. A snap of clean hop bitter grabs the back of the tongue and springs into the sinus cavity, blending with the caramel flavours that have wafted back with the nectar that is this ale. But the swallow goes down clean, almost dry, and leaves only a slight lingering presence of the abundant flavours that were just there, and now gone!”
Saint Arnold Summer Pils is a Munich-style Helles with a delicate, sweet malt taste complemented by an abundant hop aroma and flavor.
Helles is the German word for light-colored and perfectly describes this lager beer which is full bodied and lightly hopped.
A popular Holiday Wheat Lager recipe from a popular brewer.
BridgePort’s dark and malty porter is only sold on draught at their Portland, Oregon pub.
A homebrew recreation of Big Hole Brewing’s easy drinking ale.
A clone recipe for this classic German lager from Milwaukee. A delicate balance of toasted malt and fresh hops give this medium-bodied German-style lager an intriguing, complex malt flavor.
Coffee provides a kick to this well-balanced and tasty stout. Giddyup!
This hoppy amber ale features a complex balance of chewy caramel and toffee notes from the malt and grapefruit flavors from the hops.
Dogfish’s original American Pale Ale and most approachable beer.
According to Red Lodge’s website “Glacier Ale is modeled after the German altbier. It is deep amber-brown in color and has a caramel malt flavor balanced with moderate hop bitterness. Silver medal winner-2010 North American Beer Awards. Gold medal winner – 2007 North American Beer Awards.”
A session-style English brown porter that despite its low gravity has deep flavors of dark chocolate, blackcurrant and tawny port. One of the very best brown porters of which most people have never heard of.
Dark caramelized fruit, bready malt, and treacle fill out the flavors of this beer. The finish dries out just enough to highlight the deep malt character. A unique take on the Scottish 80/- style that may even be better with a touch of smoky Scotch whiskey added to it.
Creamy and malty with notes of dark caramel, chocolate, light molasses and ripe plums. An American stout that truly typifies citrusy hops and black malt.
A wood aged sour brown ale with lots of green apple, plum and cherry notes. According to Lauren Salazar of New Belgium Brewing Co., “Never turn your back on (the barrels). They like to change on you and right when you think you know what one will do, it does the exact opposite.”
What’s the secret to making a good barrel aged beer? “Good wood, great beer, a little imagination and lots of patience.”
—Zac Triemert
“Don’t be afraid to use a barrel that has already been through many uses. There is more to the barrel aging process than extracting wood and bourbon, brandy or wine flavors.”
— Mitch Steele
“This one of our signature beers, if you will. It is loosely based in the Flanders sour red tradition.” — Ron Jeffries
A Belgian-styled blonde ale aged on oak with Brett added. "When we fill the used Chardonnay barrels, we only add Brettanomyces in with the beer as we are filling the barrels. The acidity comes from the bacteria that are floating around our barrel room. To achieve the acidity as a homebrewer, you’ll need to add some Lacto and Pedio."
— Vinnie Cilurzo
New Holland describes Dragon’s Milk as, “A stout with roasty malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones, all dancing in an oak bath.” And who doesn’t like Dragon’s Miilk?
This French country ale won a gold medal at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival, as well as many medals in other competitions. It is amber in color, with a toasty, sweet caramel taste that is balanced by a slight hoppiness.
Founder’s describes this as “the coffee lover’s consummate beer.” Brewed with flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolate, and two types of coffee, this is indeed like the strong, dark cup of joe you’ll want for breakfast—or anytime!
Bend Brewing Company’s 2007 GABF winning imperial IPA. The secret to a good Imperial IPA is dry-hopping. It can make or
break this style. It is very important to have a huge aroma that leads you into the beer, complementing the inherent bitterness.
— Tonya Cornett, Brewmaster
1960’s-style American Pilsner, a clone of “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous”
In 2012, Salmon Creek Brewing’s founders Ana and Larry Pratt sold their business. Today Old Ivy Brewery and Taproom stands in its place. Here is a recipe from Salmon Creek’s archives for their Belgian Dubbel.
The quintessential Trappist tripel, Westmalle is very pale, very strong, and wonderfully smooth. One of the brewhouse techniques that makes the Westmalle beers unique is the use of direct gas flames on the copper kettles. This creates hot spots that may caramelize the wort slightly, giving a faint burnt-sugar taste to the beers. The beers are also brewed with very hard water, which certainly contributes to the character of the tripel.
One of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s collaboration beers with molecular archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern. According to Dogfish Head’s website, “In keeping with historic evidence, Dogfish brewers use orange blossom honey, muscat grape juice, barley malt and hawthorn fruit. The wort is fermented for about a month with sake yeast until the beer is ready for packaging.”
This London-style porter was named after Colorado’s state fish – the Cutthroat Trout – and features a warm, rich color and roasty malt flavors.
According to Dark Horse’s website, “Thirsty Trout is a rich, robust American Porter that will have you yelling “CHOCOLATE!” after the first whiff. Dark brown in color with medium to heavy body and hints of light roast. Aromas of chocolate leave way to a full mouthfeel and somewhat sweet finish to make this porter a desirable companion.”
This beer is now retired from Fish Brewing’s line-up, but that doesn’t mean you can still brew the beer. Chocolate and coffee aromas abound with this beer.
A hoppy, malty Amberican-style Amber (Red) Ale.
– Lyndonville, Vermont
A big Belgian tripel from a California brewpub originally brewed for Y2K.
Homebrew rendition of this vanilla-flavored ale from Nashville, Tennessee’s Market Street Pub.
A clone recipe for a hoppy, big amber beer from Washington state.
This rich, intense, and iconic Russian imperial stout has earned North Coast Brewing several gold medals from around the world.
A beer that has since been retired, Widmer Brothers did bring this beer back for their 30th Anniversary celebration. Cascade and Centennial hops are on display for this beer. You can recreate this beer in your brewery with this recipe.
According to Odell’s website, “Living in Colorado, “Easy Street” is more of a state of mind than an actual place. Light in color with refreshing citrus undertones, Easy Street is an unfiltered American-style wheat beer. The yeast gives the beer a nice smooth finish, a slight fruit flavor, and it’s distinct cloudy appearance.”
Pacific Coast Brewing Co. has closed its doors in its Oakland location in 2017. An Oakland icon for 29 years, many residents of the area are hoping for its return. For the time being, you can still recreate their strong Amber Ale, Blue Whale Ale with this recipe.
According to Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.’s website, “This roust porter is dark brown in color and full bodies with a malty sweet taste. Deep roasted, yet silk smooth! Two types of roasted malts, included roasted chocolate malt give this beer its award-winning flavor. World Beer Cup Gold medalist in 2002 and Bronze medalist in 2000.”
Heather can be found in abundance in Scotland, although not native to the region. Combining bittering properties and aromatic oils, heather can be used an alternative to hops to produce gruit.
Vermont Pub & Brewery smokes their own malts over apple, maple, and hickory woodchips to recreate this 17th century style robust ale. You can smoke your own malts, or buy rauchmalt as an alternative.
The beer that made Masham, England, famous, Old Peculier is rich, dark and smooth tasting, with a character all of its own. Glorious, rich, full of flavor, but hard to come by.
A nutty twist to a traditional European Brown Ale. Dark brown in color with a hazelnut aroma, a rich nutty flavor and a smooth malty finish
Deschutes’ flagship beer — the one that started it all! A rich, creamy mouthfeel complements a layered depth, revealing distinctive chocolate and coffee notes.
An extremely popular beer, featuring “toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness.”
According to Sudwerk’s website, “Choice hops and five different specialty malts are combined to produce this rich, amber and copper-toned lager. Sweeter in flavor than Sudwerk’s other core offerings, the Märzen has a full robust character with a smooth, zen-like finish.”
Ahh, Bitburger. It’s a long-time favorite of U.S. servicemen stationed in Germany. This beer is made in the town of Bitburg in the Eifel Lake region of Germany’s Rhineland. Bright gold in color, with a flashy carbonation and lasting pearly-white head, “Bit” is a classic northern German and Scandinavian style pilsner. All-malt Bitburger uses a proprietary yeast strain that gives the beer a super-clean finish.
One of the classic and original American Amber Ales.
This beer was first brewed commercially by Douglas City Brewing in the late 1800s and later by Geoff Larson, who in 1986 founded his Alaskan Brewing Company. His amber has won a slew of awards since then, including several Great American Beer Festival medals and a first-place finish at the 1996 World Beer Championships.
Alaskan Amber is an altbier, more in the Münster tradition than the Düsseldorfer (in other words, it’s sweeter, richer, less bitter and less dry).
Brewed by Allgäuer Brauhaus AG, a classic Bavarian-styled hefeweizen.
Discontinued in 2014, Otter Creek Pale Ale was a classic for its clean, crisp body and Cascade hop profile.
