Spring Beer is not a complicated beer to brew, but it rewards attention to detail. Pale malt forms the base of the mash here, and Galaxy 14.4% carries the hop character through to the glass.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Spring 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 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 Galaxy 14.4%. 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 · 4 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 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 Spring 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 |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Spring Beer
Equipment
- 1 Mash tun
- 1 Brew kettle
- 1 Heat source (such as a propane burner or stovetop)
- 1 Fermentation vessel (such as a carboy or bucket)
- 1 Airlock
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Auto-siphon or racking cane
- 1 Bottling bucket or kegging equipment
- 1 Bottles or kegs
- 1 Bottle caps or kegging equipment seals
- 1 Sanitizer (such as Star San or iodophor)
- 1 Brewing spoon or paddle
- 1 Mesh bag for hops and grains (optional)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 11.25 Litres (20 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°C (149°F)
- 8 lb Pale malt Quantity 4 kg
- 1 lb Munich malt Quantity 500 g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47 1/2 Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- 1 oz (Hops) Galaxy 14.4% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 34.6 )
- 1 oz (Hops) Galaxy 14.4% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 oz (Hops) Wai-ti 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 – 18°C (64°F) – Conditioning 4 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale yeast
Instructions
Mash:
- Heat 11.25 Liters (20 Pints) of water to 65°C (149°F) in a large pot or mash tun. Add the 8 lb (4 kg) of Pale malt and 1 lb (500 g) of Munich malt, stirring thoroughly to ensure that there are no clumps or dry pockets. Allow to rest for 1 hour at this temperature.
Sparge:
- After the mash has rested, carefully strain the liquid (known as wort) from the grain bed and into another large pot or container. Heat an additional 27 Liters (47 1/2 Pints) of water in a separate pot to around 76°C (170°F). Slowly pour this water over the grain bed, allowing it to filter through and collect in the pot with the rest of the wort.
Boil:
- Place the pot with the collected wort onto the stove and bring to a boil. Add 1 oz (28 g) of Galaxy hops at the start of the boil, and another 1 oz (28 g) of Galaxy hops as soon as the boil is turned off. Wait for 5 minutes, then add 1 oz (28 g) of Wai-ti hops. Finally, add 1 tsp of Protofloc to the pot for the last 15 minutes of the boil. Boil the mixture for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Cool:
- After the boil is complete, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool down to 18°C (64°F). This can take several hours, so be patient!
Ferment:
- Once the mixture has cooled, transfer it to a sanitized fermentation vessel (such as a carboy or bucket). Pitch 1 packet of Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale yeast into the vessel, and seal it up. Store the vessel in a cool, dark place at a constant temperature of 18°C (64°F) for approximately 4 weeks.
Condition:
- After 4 weeks, transfer the beer to a clean, sanitized container for conditioning. Store the container in a cool place at a temperature of 12°C (54°F) for another 2-4 weeks. This will allow the beer to carbonate naturally and develop its full flavor profile.
- Enjoy! After conditioning, your Spring Beer is ready to drink. Pour it into a glass and savor the zesty citrus flavors and balanced malt finish. Cheers!
Get the fermentation temperature right on Spring Beer and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Spring Beer the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Spring 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 pale malt and galaxy 14.4%, with a finish shaped by Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale. 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.
