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Recipes

Five easy beer recipes to start with

Every recipe below is written for a 5-gallon (19 L) batch using malt extract and steeping grains, so you can brew any of them with a basic starter kit — no mash tun required. They're forgiving, balanced, and chosen to cover a range of styles you'll actually want to drink.

New to brewing? Follow the full extract brewing walkthrough for the step-by-step process, then use these recipes for your ingredients and hop schedule. Gravities and ABV are approximate and will vary with your ingredients and process.

Front-Porch Pale Ale

American Pale Ale · ~5.4% ABV

The classic first brew: citrusy, balanced, and hard to mess up. If you only make one beer this year, make this one.

Specs

Batch size5 gal / 19 L
Original Gravity~1.052
Final Gravity~1.011
Bitterness~35 IBU
Ready in~3–4 weeks

Ingredients

  • 6 lb light liquid malt extract
  • 0.5 lb crystal/caramel 40L (steeping)
  • 1 oz Centennial — 60 min (bittering)
  • 1 oz Cascade — 15 min (flavor)
  • 1 oz Cascade — 5 min (aroma)
  • 1 pack US-05 American ale yeast
  • 5 oz priming sugar (at bottling)

Quick method

  1. Steep grain 20 min at 155°F, then remove the bag.
  2. Off heat, stir in extract; return to a boil and run the 60-minute hop schedule above.
  3. Cool to ~70°F, top to 5 gallons, and pitch the yeast.
  4. Ferment ~2 weeks at 66°F, then bottle with priming sugar and condition 2 weeks.

Amber Waves Ale

American Amber Ale · ~5.2% ABV

A touch of caramel malt gives this one a copper color and a smooth, toasty backbone. Crowd-friendly and a little more character than the pale.

Specs

Batch size5 gal / 19 L
Original Gravity~1.050
Final Gravity~1.012
Bitterness~30 IBU
Ready in~4 weeks

Ingredients

  • 6 lb amber liquid malt extract
  • 0.5 lb crystal 60L (steeping)
  • 0.25 lb Victory or biscuit malt (steeping)
  • 1 oz Centennial — 60 min
  • 1 oz Cascade — 10 min
  • 1 pack US-05 American ale yeast
  • 5 oz priming sugar (at bottling)

Quick method

  1. Steep the grains 20 min at 155°F; remove and rinse gently.
  2. Off heat, dissolve the extract; boil 60 minutes with the hops above.
  3. Cool, top up, pitch yeast, ferment ~2 weeks at 66°F.
  4. Bottle and condition 2 weeks before chilling.

Sunny Day Honey Blonde

Blonde Ale · ~5.0% ABV

Light, easy-drinking, and a great warm-weather beer. A half-pound of honey dries it out and adds a subtle floral note without making it sweet.

Specs

Batch size5 gal / 19 L
Original Gravity~1.048
Final Gravity~1.009
Bitterness~20 IBU
Ready in~3–4 weeks

Ingredients

  • 6 lb extra-light liquid malt extract
  • 0.5 lb honey (added last 5 min of boil)
  • 0.25 lb Carapils (steeping, for body)
  • 1 oz Willamette — 60 min
  • 0.5 oz Willamette — 5 min
  • 1 pack US-05 or Nottingham yeast
  • 5 oz priming sugar (at bottling)

Quick method

  1. Steep Carapils 20 min at 155°F; remove the bag.
  2. Off heat, add extract; boil 60 min, adding honey in the final 5 minutes.
  3. Cool, top up, pitch, and ferment ~2 weeks at 65°F.
  4. Bottle and condition 2 weeks.

Nightcap Oatmeal Stout

Oatmeal Stout · ~5.6% ABV

Dark, smooth, and roasty with a silky body from flaked oats. Proof that a "big" looking beer can still be a beginner-simple extract brew.

Specs

Batch size5 gal / 19 L
Original Gravity~1.056
Final Gravity~1.015
Bitterness~32 IBU
Ready in~4–5 weeks

Ingredients

  • 6.5 lb dark liquid malt extract
  • 0.75 lb flaked oats (steeping)
  • 0.5 lb roasted barley (steeping)
  • 0.25 lb chocolate malt (steeping)
  • 1.5 oz East Kent Goldings — 60 min
  • 1 pack English ale yeast (e.g. S-04)
  • 5 oz priming sugar (at bottling)

Quick method

  1. Steep the oats and dark grains 25 min at 155°F; remove the bag (don't squeeze).
  2. Off heat, dissolve extract; boil 60 minutes with the hops.
  3. Cool, top up, pitch yeast, ferment ~2 weeks at 66°F.
  4. Bottle and condition at least 2–3 weeks — stouts reward patience.

Cloudy Afternoon Hazy IPA

Hazy / New England IPA · ~6.5% ABV

Juicy, soft, and loaded with late hops. A small step up in hop volume, but still an extract recipe any beginner can pull off.

Specs

Batch size5 gal / 19 L
Original Gravity~1.064
Final Gravity~1.014
Bitterness~40 IBU
Ready in~3–4 weeks

Ingredients

  • 7 lb extra-light liquid malt extract
  • 1 lb flaked oats + 0.5 lb white wheat (steeping)
  • 1 oz Citra — 10 min
  • 2 oz Citra + 2 oz Mosaic — flameout/whirlpool
  • 2 oz Citra + 2 oz Mosaic — dry hop (day 3–4)
  • 1 pack London Ale III or US-05 yeast
  • 5 oz priming sugar (at bottling)

Quick method

  1. Steep oats and wheat 20 min at 155°F; remove the bag.
  2. Off heat, add extract; boil 60 min, adding hops at 10 min and flameout.
  3. Cool, top up, pitch yeast, and ferment at 66–68°F.
  4. Dry hop after active fermentation slows, then bottle and drink fresh — hazy IPAs don't age well.