Projects> Brewing Beer

Brewing beer is one of the best things I have learned that will always be a hobby for me. I started in 2015 with a two-gallon stainless steel brew kettle on the stove. I would boil the Dry Malt Extract (DME) and hops up and then add water to the 2 gallon bucket for hitting the target alcohol I wanted (usually around 5%). July 25th is my brewing birthday and I usually like to remake my hefe recipe around that time, since it was the first beer I made. My personal record for brewing beer in a year is 130 gallons (2018) and I gained 35lbs that year...

I have since moved to brewing in a 15 gallon keg, with the top cut out. I am setting up two more kegs for a 10 gallon system.

I made this beer with fresh-hops due to being in the NW, they grow pretty well here and I know a guy. Usually around early August, I'd stop by and pick them fresh for this beer specifically.
Will's Fresh-Hop Hefeweizen (5 gallon, ABV around 5% & 20 IBU)
4lbs Wheat DME
2lbs Light DME
Wyeast 1010 - American Hefeweizen Yeast
Fresh, Whole hops - Hallertau, 2oz total
- 1oz for 60m
- 1/2oz for 30m
- 1/2oz for 15m
(add some honey in to make it stronger)
(use 1/2 the hops for pellets)

In 2020, I didn't brew much due to a shoulder injury, but ones I did brew seemed to be all IPA and Pale Ales. I was in search of a good pale ale recipe for a while and found that Sierra Nevada Brewing has their Pale Ale recipe on their website. I altered it a little...

Will's Version of the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
I use the same grain-bill of two-row pale and caramel malts. I change the mash temp and yeast, based on a dry or sweet version and only boil for 60 minutes (vs. their 90). I make this two ways, based on the audience. The dry will have a slightly higher ABV, whereas the sweet will have more sugars left in the finished product, contributing to a lower ABV.

(70% efficiency, for a 5 gallon target ABV just under 6% & 40 IBU)
11lbs American Two-row (1.8L)
.5lbs Caramel-40L
Cascade hops (3oz total)
- .5oz for 60m
- .5oz for 30m
- 1oz for 15m
- 1oz for 5m
Safele - US 05 yeast (149 degree mash for dry)
or
Imperial Yeast - A07 Flagship (158 degree mash for a little sweet)

If you are into tinkering or cooking, brewing beer will be a great addition to compliment your other hobbies. I wasn't much of a cook before brewing and now look for new ideas to try at the same time to complete a meal. Try browsing for other styles you like on sites like brewersfriend.com. They have a large community of shared recipes for zero cost. Just make sure you are figuring in your efficiency to hit the right ABV. If you are low-add sugar and if you are too high, add water.

Happy Brewing!