How to Make Up a Beer Recipe

For many homebrewers, one of the most exciting stages of brewing is designing your own recipe. It’s the moment when brewing shifts from following instructions to genuine creativity. But with so many ingredients and methods available, how do you actually go about making up a beer recipe that works? Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.

1. Start with a Style (or Not)

The easiest way to begin is by choosing a style to brew, whether it’s a crisp pilsner, a hoppy IPA, or a rich stout. Style guidelines, such as those from the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program), can give you parameters for colour, strength, bitterness, and flavour. However, don’t feel constrained – sometimes the best beers come from pushing boundaries or blending styles.

2. Choose Your Base Malt

Base malt forms the foundation of your beer, providing fermentable sugars and the bulk of the flavour. For most recipes, this makes up 70–90% of the grain bill. Maris Otter, pilsner malt, and pale ale malt are all popular choices, each bringing subtle differences in flavour.

3. Layer in Specialty Malts

Specialty malts add complexity, colour, and body. A touch of crystal malt can add sweetness and caramel notes, while roasted malts can give coffee and chocolate flavours. The key is balance – a little can go a long way. Too many different malts can muddle the flavour, so try to keep it simple at first.

4. Select Your Hops

Hops provide bitterness, flavour, and aroma. Bittering hops are usually added at the start of the boil, while flavour and aroma hops go in later. Think about what kind of profile you want: citrusy, piney, floral, or earthy. British hops like Fuggle and East Kent Goldings lean towards herbal and earthy tones, while American varieties such as Citra or Mosaic burst with tropical fruit.

5. Pick a Yeast Strain

Yeast is often overlooked, but it can completely change the character of your beer. A clean-fermenting yeast will let the malt and hops shine, while a Belgian yeast will bring spicy, fruity esters of its own. Make sure you choose one suited to the style and fermentation temperature you can maintain.

6. Balance Your Recipe

Every beer is a balancing act between malt sweetness, hop bitterness, alcohol strength, and body. Use brewing software or calculators to work out expected ABV, IBU (bitterness), and colour. This helps ensure your recipe makes sense on paper before you commit to brewing.

7. Keep Notes and Adjust

Your first recipe probably won’t be perfect – and that’s the beauty of it. Take notes on the brewing process and, most importantly, on how the final beer tastes. Next time you can tweak the malt percentages, swap hop varieties, or adjust fermentation. Brewing is as much about learning as it is about drinking the finished pint.

Making up a beer recipe is part science, part art. Once you’ve grasped the basics of malt, hops, yeast, and balance, you can start experimenting with new ideas, unusual ingredients, and bold flavours. The most important thing is to enjoy the process and keep brewing. After all, the best recipe is the one you’ll want to brew – and drink – again and again.