Making Beer
I don’t want to tell you how to brew beer! If you want to know how to do that, there are a tonne of books and people who will do that better than I can. However, after a few years of homebrewing ups and downs there are a few things I either wish I’d learnt right at the beginning, or which I’ve developed over time and haven’t seen readily available elsewhere. I’ve put these here.

Firstly, I have posted a pdf of a brewsheet below. Something similar to this has been used in every professional brewery I’ve ever been in, even if the data is later logged on a computer (and this is rare). The reason for this is that hot wort and computers don’t mix. Yet most homebrewers plan and document their brews using either downloaded software or online calculators. When it comes to repeatability and remembering to do everything ‘on the day’ though, I need as much help as I can get, and I’m more likely to scribble details down with pen and paper than travel to my keyboard. Solution: print off and use the brewsheet, and never forget to add the copper finings again!

Secondly, it took me until I realised I wanted to work in a brewery before I bothered to learn how to draw up a recipe without plugging the ingredients into an online calculator. But it really shouldn’t have. If you haven’t tried it yet, I promise it’s easier than you’ll expect, and you’ll feel a lot more in control of what you’re brewing. Plus, if you want to whip up a recipe at the homebrew shop or away from a computer it’s no problem. So, you’ll find some documents below: two ‘how to’ guides to recipe calculation that will run you through everything you need to know to design a beer, and a formula sheet that just lists the calculations if you need a quick reminder.

Brew Sheet Template

How To Calculate Malt Grists Based on Extract and Colour

How To Calculate Hop Bills

Recipe Calculation Formula Sheet