If you have brewed a few batches already and want to try Nettle Beer, this is a straightforward, all-grain route to it. The backbone is Pale malt, with Fuggle 4.5% doing most of the work in the boil.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Nettle Beer |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.036-1.048 |
| Final Gravity | 1.008-1.012 |
| ABV | 3.8-5.0% |
| IBU | 8-20 |
| SRM | 3-8 (pale gold) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate (novel ingredient) |
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 Fuggle 4.5%. 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 · 18C (64F) Pitch Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale 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 · 3 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. Weyermann Chocolate Rye Malt 1 Lb)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Chinook Hop Pellets 8 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. LalBrew Nottingham Brewing Yeast (2 Pack) – Make Beer at Home)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. 3 Gallon Clear Glass Italian Carboy)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Corn Sugar Dextrose Bottling Priming Sugar 1 lb Highly Fermentable N)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Deluxe Bottling Kit Craft a Brew Homebrew Bottler Equipment Home Bre)
- 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 Nettle Beer is best served in a pint, 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-42147-MB Flaked Corn (Maize) – 1 Lb Bag (Pack of 10) |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Nettle Beer
Equipment
- 1 Large brewing pot
- 1 Fermenting vessel (e.g., glass carboy or food-grade plastic bucket)
- 1 Airlock
- 1 Brewing thermometer
- 1 Mash paddle or spoon
- 1 Straining bag or mesh strainer
- 1 Hydrometer or refractometer
- 1 Racking cane or auto-siphon
- 1 Bottles or kegs for conditioning
- 1 Bottle capper or kegging system
- 1 Sanitizing solution
- 1 Brewing burner or stove
- 1 Brewing spoon or paddle
- 1 Heat-resistant gloves
- 1 Funnel
- 1 Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Timer or stopwatch
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 10.25 Litres (17½ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F
- 6.10 lb Pale malt Quantity 3kg
- 2¼ lb Munich malt Quantity 1kg
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins
- 1¼ oz (Hops) Fuggle 4.5% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 20.1)
- ⅔ oz (Hops) Willamette 6.3% When to add – For last 10 mins of boil (IBU 4.9)
- ⅔ oz (Hops) Styrian Golding Celeia 5.5% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 3½ oz Freshly picked nettle tops Other – When to add – At start of boil
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 18°C (64°F) – Conditioning 3 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale
Instructions
Mash:
- In a large brewing pot, add 10.25 liters (17½ pints) of water and heat it to a temperature of 65°C (149°F).
- Add 6.10 pounds (3 kilograms) of Pale malt and 2¼ pounds (1 kilogram) of Munich malt to the water.
- Stir the grains and water mixture thoroughly to ensure they are well mixed.
- Allow the mash to sit at this temperature for 1 hour, maintaining the temperature as closely as possible.
Boil:
- After the mash, transfer the liquid (wort) to a separate boiling pot with a capacity of 27 liters (47½ pints).
- Bring the wort to a boil and maintain it for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Add 1¼ ounces of Fuggle hops at the start of the boil and let them boil for the full duration (IBU 20.1).
- After 1 hour of boiling, add ⅔ ounce of Willamette hops and continue boiling for the last 10 minutes (IBU 4.9).
- At the turn off, add ⅔ ounce of Styrian Golding Celeia hops (IBU 0.0).
- Also, add 3½ ounces of freshly picked nettle tops to the boiling wort at the start of the boil.
Protofloc Addition:
- In the last 15 minutes of the boil, add 1 teaspoon of Protofloc to the boiling wort. This helps to clarify the beer.
Fermentation:
- Transfer the boiled wort to a fermenting vessel, ensuring it is properly sanitized.
- Cool the wort to a temperature of 18°C (64°F).
- Add 1 packet of Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale yeast to the cooled wort.
- Seal the fermenting vessel with an airlock to allow carbon dioxide to escape while preventing air from entering.
- Place the vessel in a cool and dark location with a consistent temperature of 18°C (64°F) for 4 weeks to ferment.
Conditioning:
- After fermentation, transfer the beer to individual bottles or kegs for conditioning.
- Store the bottles or kegs at a temperature of 12°C (54°F) for 3 weeks to allow the beer to carbonate and develop its flavors.
Enjoy:
- After the conditioning period, the Nettle Beer is ready to drink.
- Pour it into a glass, savor the floral, citrus notes from the hops, and the earthy spiciness from the nettles.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Nettle Beer and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Nettle Beer the Style It Is
Nettle Beer sits in a well-established style family, and the version most homebrewers land on today reflects decades of small adjustments by brewers chasing balance rather than novelty.
Expect a beer that leans on pale malt and fuggle 4.5% once it is finished conditioning. Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale is the yeast strain behind that profile, so keep an eye on your fermentation temperature.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 3.8-5.0%
- Bitterness: 8-20 IBU
- Color: 3-8 (pale gold)
- Serving temp: 45-50F (7-10C)
- Glassware: a pint
- Food pairings: light salads, soft cheese, picnic food
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.
