How to Make Lemon Beer

Lemons are too acidic to be able use to brew a true beer. Most so-called lemon beer is really lemonade that has been allowed to ferment slightly ("near beer") or beer mixed with lemonade. The following recipe is for a low-hopped ale with a lemon flavor.

Things You'll Need

• 4 lbs American 2-row pale malt
• 3 lbs American 6-row pale malt
• 3 lbs wheat malt
• 500 ml Wyeast 1056 starter
• 4 lemons
• 3/4 cup corn sugar
• 1/2 cup crystal malt
• 1 oz. Cascade hops (6.3 percent alpha acid units)
• 1/2 oz Tettnang hops (4.5 percent alpha acid units)

Instructions

1. Heat 2.25 gallons of water to 130 degrees. Add all of the malts to the water. Pour in the hot water and hold it at 120 degrees for 30 minutes.

2. Add 1.25 gallons of water at 200 degrees which will heat the wort to 150 degrees. Hold the wort at this temperature for 90 minutes.

3. Bring the wort to a boil and add the Cascade pellets. Extract the juice from two lemons and grate the peel, being careful not to grate the bitter white pith. After a 30-minute boil, add Tettnang pellets and the peel and juice from two lemons. Boil the wort down to about 3 gallons, which should take another 30 minutes.

4. Chill the wort and place it into the primary fermentation vessel. Set it aside for a few hours until the wort clears and move it to a secondary fermentation vessel. Add the yeast and top off to 5 gallons. Allow the wort to ferment for a few days until fermentation is mostly complete.

5. Add corn sugar and the juice and zest from two lemons before bottling.

Resources

• Learn more about making beer.