Strawberry 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 | Strawberry Beer |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.044-1.056 |
| Final Gravity | 1.010-1.014 |
| ABV | 4.5-6.0% |
| IBU | 30-45 |
| SRM | 5-10 (gold to amber) |
| Difficulty | Beginner to Intermediate |
Brew Day, Step by Step
|
1
|
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. |
|
2
|
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. |
|
3
|
Ferment · 18C (64F) Pitch White Labs WLP001 California Ale once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
|
4
|
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. |
|
5
|
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
|
A Strawberry Beer is best served in a pint or tulip, 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 LalBrew Nottingham Brewing Yeast (2 Pack), Make Beer at Home |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment Northern Brewer Homebrewing Starter Kit w/Equipment, Chinook IPA |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Strawberry Beer
Equipment
- 1 Brewing vessel
- 1 Pot for boiling
- 1 Immersion chiller or other cooling method
- 1 Fermentation vessel
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Brewing thermometer
- 1 Brewing paddle or spoon
- 1 Siphoning equipment (racking cane or auto-siphon)
- 1 Hydrometer or refractometer
- 1 Sanitization solution or cleaner
- 1 Brewing yeast
- 1 Bottles for bottling (glass or plastic)
- 1 Bottle capper or capping tool
- 1 Priming sugar
- 1 Bottle brush (for cleaning bottles)
- 1 Brewing software or calculators (optional, but useful for recipe formulation)
- 1 Funnel (for transferring liquids)
- 1 Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Strainer or mesh bag (for filtering hops or strawberries)
- 1 Brewing log or notebook (for recording brewing details)
Ingredients
For the Mash, Liquor 14.5 Litres (25½ Pints), Mash Time 1 hr, Temperature 65°c/149 °F
- 7½ lb Lager malt Quantity 3.4kg
- 1.10 lb Munich malt Quantity 750g
- 9 oz Torrified wheat malt Quantity 250g
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 16.2)
- ⅓ oz (Hops) Styrian Golding Celeia 5.5% When to add, For last 10 mins of boil (IBU 2.2)
- 1 oz (Hops) Styrian Golding Celeia 5.5% 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 2 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 White Labs WLP001 California Ale
- 7.11 lb (Hops) Strawberries (Hops), When to add, After 4 days, leave for about 1 week
Instructions
Mash:
- In a large brewing vessel, combine 14.5 liters (25½ pints) of water with the lager malt, Munich malt, and torrified wheat malt.
- Maintain a temperature of 65°C (149°F) and let it mash for 1 hour.
Boil:
- Bring 27 liters (47½ pints) of water to a boil in a separate pot.
- Add ⅔ oz of Challenger hops at the start of the boil and let it boil for 1 hour.
- After 50 minutes of boiling, add 1 Protofloc tablet to help with clarity.
- In the last 10 minutes of the boil, add ⅓ oz of Styrian Golding Celeia hops.
- At turn off, add 1 oz of Styrian Golding Celeia hops.
Cooling and Fermentation:
- After boiling, cool the wort quickly using an immersion chiller or other cooling method.
- Transfer the cooled wort to a fermentation vessel.
- Pitch the White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast into the fermentation vessel.
- Ferment the beer at a temperature of 18°C (64°F) for approximately 4 days.
Adding Strawberries:
- After 4 days of fermentation, add 7.11 lb of strawberries to the fermentation vessel.
- Leave the strawberries in the beer for about 1 week, allowing them to impart their flavors.
Conditioning:
- After the strawberry addition, let the beer condition for an additional 2 weeks at 12°C (54°F) to allow flavors to develop and settle.
Bottling:
- Once the conditioning period is complete, you can proceed to bottle the beer.
- Prime the beer with an appropriate amount of priming sugar according to your preferred carbonation level.
- Fill sanitized bottles with the beer and cap them securely.
Aging:
- Store the bottles in a cool, dark place for at least 4 weeks to allow for carbonation and flavor development.
Enjoy:
- After the aging period, your Strawberry Beer will be ready to drink!
- Chill the bottles before opening, pour into a glass, and savor the refreshing flavors of the beer.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Strawberry Beer and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Strawberry Beer the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Strawberry 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 White Labs WLP001 California Ale. Get the fermentation temperature right and the rest of the process is mostly patience.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 4.5-6.0%
- Bitterness: 30-45 IBU
- Color: 5-10 (gold to amber)
- Serving temp: 45-50F (7-10C)
- Glassware: a pint or tulip
- Food pairings: burgers, roast chicken, cheddar
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.
