Helles Bock is not a complicated beer to brew, but it rewards attention to detail. Pilsner malt forms the base of the mash here, and Northern Brewer 8% carries the hop character through to the glass.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Helles Bock |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.064-1.080 |
| Final Gravity | 1.014-1.020 |
| ABV | 6.3-7.5% |
| IBU | 20-35 |
| SRM | 14-30 (copper to dark brown) |
| Difficulty | Advanced (lager patience required) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pilsner 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 Northern Brewer 8%. 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 · 12C (54F) Pitch Wyeast 2487 Hella Bock 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 3C (37F) 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. My Brew Supply Flaked Maize Premium Beer Making Grain)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Amarillo Hop Pellets 1 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Craft A Brew – Safale S-04 Dry Yeast – Fermentis)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. Carboy Caps 4 Pk Silicone Caps)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Dextrose 50 Lb)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Northern Brewer Homebrewing Starter Kit w/Equipment, Chinook IPA)
- 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 Helles Bock is best served in a mug or goblet, 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 Brewmaster – 42931-MB Flaked Corn (Maize) – 5 lb Bag (Pack of 2) |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment Deluxe Bottling Kit Craft a Brew Homebrew Bottler Equipment Home Bre |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Helles Bock
Equipment
- 1 Mash tun
- 1 Boil kettle
- 1 Wort chiller
- 1 Fermentation vessel
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Scale
- 1 Auto-siphon and tubing
- 1 Bottling bucket or kegging system
- 1 Bottles or kegs with appropriate closures
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 18 Litres (31 1/2 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°C (149°F)
- 8 lb Pilsner malt Quantity 3.75 kg
- 5 lb Munich malt Quantity 2.47 kg
- 1 lb Belgian aromatic malt Quantity 600 g
- 9 oz Melanoidin malt Quantity 250 g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47 1/2 Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- 1 1/3 oz (Hops) Northern Brewer 8% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 30.2)
- 1/3 oz (Hops) Spalt Select 4.5% When to add – For last 15 mins of boil (IBU 2.0)
- 1/4 oz (Hops) Spalt Select 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 – 12°C (54°F) – Conditioning 6 weeks at 3°C (37°F)
- 1 Wyeast 2487 Hella Bock yeast
Instructions
- Heat 18 litres (31 1/2 pints) of water in a large pot to a temperature of 65°C (149°F).
- Add the Pilsner malt, Munich malt, Belgian aromatic malt, and Melanoidin malt to the pot, stirring well to combine.
- Allow the mixture to rest for 1 hour, maintaining the temperature at 65°C (149°F).
- After 1 hour, heat the mixture to a rolling boil and add 1 1/3 ounces of Northern Brewer hops.
- Boil the mixture for 1 hour and 15 minutes, adding the Spalt Select hops and Protofloc during the last 15 minutes of the boil.
- At the end of the boil, turn off the heat and add 1/4 ounce of Spalt Select hops.
- Cool the mixture to 12°C (54°F) and transfer it to a fermenting vessel.
- Pitch the Wyeast 2487 Hella Bock yeast into the fermenting vessel.
- Allow the mixture to ferment for several weeks at 12°C (54°F), until fermentation is complete.
- After fermentation, transfer the beer to a secondary vessel and condition it for 6 weeks at 3°C (37°F).
- Finally, bottle or keg the beer and enjoy your homemade "HELLES BOCK" beer.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Helles Bock and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Helles Bock the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Helles Bock, 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 pilsner malt and northern brewer 8%, with a finish shaped by Wyeast 2487 Hella Bock. Get the fermentation temperature right and the rest of the process is mostly patience.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 6.3-7.5%
- Bitterness: 20-35 IBU
- Color: 14-30 (copper to dark brown)
- Serving temp: 45-50F (7-10C)
- Glassware: a mug or goblet
- Food pairings: roast game, dark bread, aged cheese
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.
