Peach And Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer is a sour that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Pilsner malt, and leans on the hop schedule to shape the finish.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Peach And Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.030-1.050 |
| Final Gravity | 1.004-1.012 |
| ABV | 3.5-5.5% |
| IBU | 3-12 |
| SRM | 3-8 (pale gold to pink) |
| Difficulty | Advanced (souring process) |
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 the hop schedule. 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 · 20C (68F) Pitch Wyeast 1318 London Ale III 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 · 2 Weeks at 10C (50F) 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 BJ-5U8M-8RRM Chocolate Malt 1 lb., Brown)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Magnum Hop Pellets 1 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Safbrew T-58 (3 Count 11.5 g Packs))
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. FASTFERMENT Floor Stand for FastFerment 7.9 Gallon Conical Fermenter)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Mr Beer Homebrewing Carbonation Drops)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Monster Brew Home Brewing Supplies Home Brew Ohio Complete Beer Equi)
- 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 Peach And Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer is best served in a tulip or flute, 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 Monster Brew Home Brewing Supplies Home Brew Ohio Complete Beer Equi |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Peach and Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer
Equipment
- Mash tun
- Large brewing kettle
- Heat source (such as a propane burner)
- Fermentation vessel (such as a carboy or fermenting bucket)
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Siphon or transfer pump
- 1 Bottling bucket or kegging system
- 1 Bottles or kegs
- 1 Bottle capper or kegging equipment
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Mash paddle or stirring spoon
- 1 Straining bag or mesh screen
- 1 Sanitizing solution
- 1 Cleaning brushes and rags.
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 12 Litres (21 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 67°C (153°F)
- 6½ lb Pilsner malt Quantity 3kg
- 3 lb Wheat malt Quantity 1.5kg
- 9 oz Carapils malt Quantity 250g
- 95° F Lactobacillus Quantity 35°C, Kettle sour – When to add – After sparge, for 24 hrs or until wort is pH3.4.
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47 1/2 Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 20°C (68°F) – Conditioning 2 Week at 10°C (50°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1318 London Ale III
- 7 oz Peach purée Quantity 200g, When to add – After fermentation
- 32 oz Green tea Quantity 100g, When to add – After fermentation
Instructions
Mash the grains:
- In a large pot, combine the Pilsner malt, Wheat malt, Carapils malt, and 12 liters of liquor. Maintain the temperature at 67°C (153°F) for 1 hour.
Boil:
- After the mash, sparge the grains with water to extract the remaining sugars. Then bring the wort to a boil for 1 hour and 15 minutes with 1 tsp of Protofloc added during the last 15 minutes of the boil.
Souring:
- After the boil, let the wort cool to 35°C (95°F) and add Lactobacillus. Allow the wort to sour for 24 hours or until it reaches a pH of 3.4.
Fermentation:
- After souring, cool the wort to 20°C (68°F) and pitch the Wyeast 1318 London Ale III yeast. Ferment the beer for about 1-2 weeks or until the specific gravity is stable.
Flavoring:
- Once fermentation is complete, add 7 oz of peach purée and 32 oz of green tea. Let the beer condition for 2 weeks at 10°C (50°F) before packaging or serving.
Enjoy:
- After conditioning, your Peach and Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer is ready to drink. Pour yourself a pint, sit back, and enjoy the refreshing and unique flavors of this beer.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Peach And Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Peach And Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer the Style It Is
Like most classic beer styles, Peach And Green Tea Kettle Sour Beer has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.
The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on pilsner malt and the hop schedule, and Wyeast 1318 London Ale III is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 3.5-5.5%
- Bitterness: 3-12 IBU
- Color: 3-8 (pale gold to pink)
- Serving temp: 40-45F (4-7C)
- Glassware: a tulip or flute
- Food pairings: fresh fruit, soft cheese, light seafood
Common Questions
Do I need a dedicated sour setup?
Not necessarily, but keep any souring culture and equipment separate from your regular ale gear if you can. Cross-contamination between a sour culture and a clean yeast batch is the most common way homebrewers ruin an otherwise good beer.
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.
