How to Brew Wheat Beer at Home

There’s nothing quite like a cold, refreshing beer on a hot summer day. And while there are plenty of beers available in stores and at bars, there’s something special about making your own beer at home. In this post, I’ll show you how to brew your own wheat beer from scratch. This recipe is perfect for beginners and requires only a few ingredients.

Before we get started, here’s what you’ll need:

6 pounds of wheat malt extract

1 pound of malted barley

1 ounce of Hallertauer hops

1 packet of wheat beer yeast

5 gallons of water

1 cup of corn sugar

1 large pot (at least 8 quarts)

A strainer or colander

A fermenting bucket with lid

A bottling bucket with spigot

Bottles with caps and a bottle capper

Sanitizer

Step 1: Sanitize everything

Before you start brewing, it’s important to make sure that all of your equipment is sanitized. This will help prevent any bacteria or other contaminants from affecting the taste of your beer. You can use a commercial sanitizer or make your own by mixing one tablespoon of bleach with one gallon of water. Make sure to rinse everything thoroughly after sanitizing.

Step 2: Steep the grains

Put the malted barley into a grain bag and steep it in 2 gallons of water at around 160°F for 30 minutes. This will extract the sugars from the barley, which will provide food for the yeast later on.

Step 3: Add the extract and hops

Remove the grain bag and add the wheat malt extract to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the Hallertauer hops. Boil for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Chill the wort

After 60 minutes, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool to around 70°F. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot in an ice bath or using a wort chiller.

Step 5: Transfer to fermenting bucket

Once the wort has cooled, transfer it to a fermenting bucket using a strainer or colander to remove any hop residue. Add enough water to make 5 gallons of total volume. Sprinkle the wheat beer yeast on top of the wort and cover the bucket with a lid.

Step 6: Fermentation

Place the fermenting bucket with air lock in a cool, dark place and let it ferment for about 2 weeks. The yeast will consume the sugars in the wort and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Make sure to keep the temperature between 65-75°F.

Step 7: Bottling

After 2 weeks, it’s time to bottle your beer. Add 1 cup of corn sugar to a small amount of boiling water and stir until dissolved. This will provide food for the yeast in the bottle, which will produce carbonation. Transfer the beer from the fermenting bucket to a bottling bucket using a siphon hose and bottling wand. Avoid disturbing the sediment at the bottom of the fermenting bucket.

Step 8: Carbonation

Fill each bottle with beer, leaving about an inch of headspace. Use a bottle capper to seal the caps onto the bottles. Store the bottles in a warm place (around 70°F) for about a week to allow for carbonation to occur.

Step 9: Chill and enjoy!

After a week, move the bottles to a cooler place to stop the yeast from producing more carbonation. Chill the beer for a few hours before serving. Congratulations, you’ve brewed your own wheat beer!