Biere De Garde is not a complicated beer to brew, but it rewards attention to detail. Pale Malt forms the base of the mash here, and Brewers Gold 7% carries the hop character through to the glass.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Biere De Garde |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.048-1.065 |
| Final Gravity | 1.002-1.010 |
| ABV | 5.5-8.0% |
| IBU | 20-35 |
| SRM | 5-14 (gold to amber) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate to Advanced |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pale Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Brewers Gold 7%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 22C (72F) Pitch Wyeast 3711 French Saison once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 6 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Briess 2- Row Brewers Malt 1.8L – 10 lb)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Amarillo Pellet Hops 3 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Voss Kveik Ale Yeast – 11 g (Pack of 5))
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. FastRack Drilled Rubber Stopper (#10-3 Pieces))
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Brewmaster – AD310 Corn Sugar (lb))
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. 12.5Ft. Wort Chiller with Copper Coil)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Biere De Garde is best served in a tulip, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment Northern Brewer Homebrewing Starter Kit w/Equipment, Chinook IPA |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Biere De Garde
Equipment
- 1 Brew kettle
- 1 Mash tun
- 1 Heat source (e.g., propane burner, electric stove)
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Fermenter (e.g., carboy, plastic bucket)
- 1 Airlock
- 1 Auto-siphon
- 1 Bottling bucket
- 1 Bottles or kegs
- 1 Bottle or kegging system
- 1 Cleaning and sanitation supplies (e.g., PBW, StarSan)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 18.4 Litres (32⅓ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F
- 8.13 lb Pale Malt Quantity 4kg
- 3.3 lb Vienna Malt Quantity 1.5kg
- 1.2 lb Aromatic Malt Quantity 500g
- 1.2 lb Biscuit Malt Quantity 500g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins
- 1¼ oz (Hops) Brewers Gold 7% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 22.9)
- 1 oz (Hops) Tettnang 4.5% When to add – For last 10 mins of boil (IBU 2.1)
- 1 oz (Hops) Tettnang 4.5% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 22°C (72°F) – Conditioning 6 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 3711 French Saison
Instructions
- Start by heating 18.4 litres of water to a temperature of 65°C/149°F. This will be used for the mash.
- Add 8.13 lb of Pale Malt, 3.3 lb of Vienna Malt, 1.2 lb of Aromatic Malt, and 1.2 lb of Biscuit Malt to the water. Stir the mixture well to ensure that all the grains are fully immersed in the water.
- Allow the mash to rest for one hour at a temperature of 65°C/149°F.
- After one hour, remove the grains from the mash by straining the mixture through a colander or cheesecloth.
- Bring the wort (liquid) to a boil in a large pot.
- Add 1.25 oz of Brewers Gold hops to the pot at the start of the boil.
- Boil the wort for one hour, adding 1 tsp of Protofloc for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
- Add 1 oz of Tettnang hops for the last 10 minutes of the boil.
- Add another 1 oz of Tettnang hops at turn off.
- After the boil is complete, cool the wort to a temperature of 22°C/72°F.
- Transfer the cooled wort to a fermenter and add 1 package of Wyeast 3711 French Saison yeast.
- Allow the beer to ferment for about 7 weeks at a temperature of 22°C/72°F.
- After the primary fermentation is complete, transfer the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow it to condition for 6 weeks at a temperature of 12°C/54°F.
- Once the conditioning period is complete, the beer should be ready to drink.
- Enjoy your homemade Biere De Garde!
Get the fermentation temperature right on Biere De Garde and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Biere De Garde the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Biere De Garde, it grew out of practical brewing choices, local ingredients, and the tastes of the people drinking it.
What you get in the glass is a beer that leans on pale malt and brewers gold 7%, with a finish shaped by Wyeast 3711 French Saison. Get the fermentation temperature right and the rest of the process is mostly patience.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 5.5-8.0%
- Bitterness: 20-35 IBU
- Color: 5-14 (gold to amber)
- Serving temp: 45-50F (7-10C)
- Glassware: a tulip
- Food pairings: goat cheese, seafood, light salads
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
