Raspberry Wheat Beer is not a complicated beer to brew, but it rewards attention to detail. Lager malt forms the base of the mash here, and Challenger 7% carries the hop character through to the glass.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Raspberry Wheat Beer |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.044-1.052 |
| Final Gravity | 1.010-1.014 |
| ABV | 4.5-5.5% |
| IBU | 8-18 |
| SRM | 3-9 (pale gold, often hazy) |
| Difficulty | Beginner to Intermediate |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Lager 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 Challenger 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 1010 American Wheat 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 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. 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 Raspberry Wheat Beer is best served in a weizen glass, 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 FASTFERMENT Floor Stand for FastFerment 7.9 Gallon Conical Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment GasOne 10 Gallon Stainless Steel Home Brew Kettle Pot Pre Drilled 4 |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Raspberry Wheat Beer
Equipment
- 1 Brewing kettle or mash tun
- 1 Fermenter (such as a glass carboy or a plastic fermenting bucket)
- 1 Airlock and stopper (to fit the fermenter)
- 1 Wort chiller or alternative cooling method
- 1 Brewing thermometer
- 1 Brewing spoon or paddle
- 1 Hydrometer or refractometer for measuring specific gravity
- 1 Racking cane or siphoning equipment
- 1 Auto-siphon or racking cane with tubing
- 1 Bottling bucket or kegging system
- 1 Bottles or kegs with appropriate closures
- 1 Sanitizing solution or cleaner
- 1 Funnel
- 1 Brew kettle thermometer
- 1 Grain bag or mesh straining bag
- 1 Bottle capper or kegging system
- 1 Bottle brush (if using bottles)
- 1 Heating source (such as a stove or propane burner)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 12.5 Litres (22 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F
- 6 lb Lager malt Quantity 2.7kg
- 5 lb Wheat malt Quantity 2.3kg
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins
- ⅔ oz (Hops) Challenger 7% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 15.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 22°C (72°F) – Conditioning 2 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1010 American Wheat
- 5½ lb (Hops) Raspberries (Hops) – When to add – After 2 days, leave for about 1 week
Instructions
Mash:
- In a large brewing kettle or mash tun, heat 12.5 liters (22 pints) of water to a temperature of 65°C (149°F).
- Add 6 pounds (2.7 kg) of Lager malt and 5 pounds (2.3 kg) of Wheat malt to the heated water.
- Stir the grains thoroughly to ensure they are evenly mixed.
- Let the mash rest for 1 hour, maintaining the temperature around 65°C (149°F).
Boil:
- After the mash, transfer the mixture to a brewing kettle.
- Add 27 liters (47½ pints) of water to the kettle and bring it to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add ⅔ ounce (approximately 19 grams) of Challenger hops to the kettle.
- Boil the mixture for 1 hour and 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it to avoid boil-overs.
- During the last 15 minutes of the boil, add 1 Protofloc tablet to help clarify the beer.
Fermentation:
- After the boil, cool the wort to a temperature of 22°C (72°F) and transfer it to a fermenter.
- Add 1 package of Wyeast 1010 American Wheat yeast to the fermenter and stir gently to mix.
- Seal the fermenter with an airlock to allow carbon dioxide to escape during fermentation.
- Let the beer ferment at a temperature of 22°C (72°F) for about 2 days.
Raspberry Addition:
- After 2 days of fermentation, add 5½ pounds (approximately 2.5 kg) of raspberries to the fermenter.
- Gently stir the raspberries into the beer to incorporate them.
- Allow the beer to ferment for about 1 week with the raspberries.
Conditioning:
- After the raspberry addition, transfer the beer to a secondary fermenter or keg for conditioning.
- Condition the beer at a temperature of 12°C (54°F) for 2 weeks. This will help it clarify and develop its flavors.
Packaging and Enjoyment:
- After the conditioning period, the Raspberry Wheat Beer should be ready to drink.
- You can package it in bottles or kegs, following standard sanitation practices.
- Allow the beer to carbonate in the bottles or keg for an additional week or two.
- Finally, refrigerate the beer and serve it chilled.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Raspberry Wheat Beer and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Raspberry Wheat Beer the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Raspberry Wheat Beer, 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 lager malt and challenger 7%, with a finish shaped by Wyeast 1010 American Wheat. Get the fermentation temperature right and the rest of the process is mostly patience.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 4.5-5.5%
- Bitterness: 8-18 IBU
- Color: 3-9 (pale gold, often hazy)
- Serving temp: 40-45F (4-7C)
- Glassware: a weizen glass
- Food pairings: light salads, grilled sausage, citrus desserts
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.
