Gather Your Ingredients and Supplies

Before we get deep into the brewing process, let's make sure you have all that you will need. You don't have to have a fancy brewery, just a basic home brew kit will work great. You will need the following items for this recipe:

• 6 gallons of water-Filtered is best, trust me I learned this one the hard way!
• 6 lbs of wheat malt
• 2 lbs of pale malt
• 1 oz of Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops
• 1 packet of Wyeast 3068 (or similar wheat yeast. Note: I'm not a scientist, just a home brewer, so feel free to experiment. But don't blame me for the results, okay?) Fermenter glass or food grade plastic; avoid metal unless you like a metallic taste in your brew Airlock Bottles or kegs for packaging *If you get more advanced with different container ideas, go for it and report back! All about the homebrew community here! Bottling bucket, if bottling
• Sanitizer (I use Star San, but many are out there)
• Thermometer (Important for temperature control in the brewing process. Seriously, don't even think about skipping this.)
• Hydrometer (to measure the specific gravity of your wort. A necessary step to success. Trust me on this one)
• Large pot (at least 8 gallons)

Brewing Day! Let's Get This Party Started!

Now for the fun part! Follow these steps carefully. (Well, as carefully as you can when working with boiling liquids. Safety first, people!)

1. Mashing: Mix the wheat and pale malt with 3 gallons of water heated to 152°F (67°C). Stir well. Let this sit for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is a critical step. Believe me, I have had brews go sour because of poor wort mashing. Do not do this! (Did I tell you I'm a tad obsessive?)
2. Sparging: Gently pour 3 more gallons of 170°F (77°C) water over the grain bed to extract as much sugar as possible. This is where all the sweet goodness gets extracted from the malt. Like, the golden rule of making beer!
3. Boiling: Bring your wort to a boil. Add hops for the last 15 minutes of boiling. A timer helps here.
4. Cooling: Cool your wort down to around 68°F (20°C) as quickly as possible. An immersion chiller works great for this. Rapid cooling prevents unwanted bacteria from growing.
5. Fermentation: Transfer your chilled wort to your sanitized fermenter. Pitch the yeast, seal with the airlock in place. Keep the temperature between 64-68°F (18-20°C) for 2-3 weeks. Patience, young padawan. The quality of your brew depends on it.

Bottling (Or Kegging): The Home Stretch!

When fermentation is complete, it's time to bottle or keg the beer. If you are bottling, you'll want to prime it with priming sugar. If you're kegging, well, that's a whole other conversation! (Let me know if you want a whole other article on Kegging. I'm always up for more!).

Whatever packaging you choose for your brew, always remember to keep your beer cold. Store it upright, to help prevent oxidation and off-flavors. This is one rule you don't want to break!

Enjoying Your Wheat Beer!

After a few weeks of conditioning-yes, more patience-your wheat beer is ready to drink! Of course, enjoy responsibly. This beer is best served chilled and fresh and may even remind you of your first time drinking a wheat beer! Take your time and savor every sip. Give it a sniff, study its color, take a big sip! What do you think?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How did it turn out? Share your experiences in the comments below!