On May 7th, we officially celebrate National Homebrew Day!  Enacted by congress in 1988, it’s a perfect reminder that we have the freedom to brew at home, and that we should!

Every year hundreds of homebrewers gather as friends, clubs and at their local homebrew shops to celebrate Big Brew Day, an event on the nearest Saturday to National Homebrew Day, put on by the American Homebrewers Association. This year it’s on May 6th.

Last year’s Big Brew Day by the numbers:

  • 483 events worldwide
  • 12 countries participated
  • 12,780 people attended events
  • 17,804 gallons of beer brewed

Gather up some friends this Saturday, May 6th, or find an event at the American Homebrewer Assocation’s website.

Here’s one of the official event recipes if you’re looking for inspiration!

Rushmore IPA

Ingredients

  • For 5 gallons (18.93 L)
  • Fermentables
  • 11 lb. (5.0 kg) Briess Pale Ale malt
  • 1 lb. (0.45 kg) Briess Bonlander® Munich malt
  • 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Briess Caramel 40°L malt
  • Hops
  • 1.0 oz. (28 g) Nugget pellet hops, 13% a.a. (60 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade pellet hops, 6% a.a. (15 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Amarillo pellet hops, 10% a.a. (15 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial pellet hops, 10.5% a.a. (15 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade pellet hops, 6% a.a. (0 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Amarillo pellet hops, 10% a.a. (0 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial pellet hops, 10.5% a.a. (0 min.)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade pellet hops, 6% a.a. (dry hop)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Amarillo pellet hops, 10% a.a. (dry hop)
  • 0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial pellet hops, 10.5% a.a. (dry hop)
  • Yeast
  • Fermentis US-05 American ale yeast with a sufficient yeast starter (250 billion cells)
  • Misc.
  • 0.75 tsp. (3 g) Irish moss added 15 minutes before end of the boil (optional)
  • Recommended water profile, PPM (optional):
  • Ca: 100–150
  • Mg: 10
  • Total alkalinity: 0–50
  • SO4: 200–400
  • Cl: 50–100
  • RA: −100–0

Specifications

  • Original Gravity: 1.059 (14.5° P)
  • Final Gravity: 1.015 (3.8° P)
  • ABV: 6%
  • IBU: 70
  • SRM: 6
  • Boil Time: 60 minutes
  • Pre-boil Volume: 7 gal. (26.5 L)
  • Pre-boil Gravity: 1.050 (12.4° P)

Directions

  • Mash grains at 153° F (67° C) for 60 minutes.
  • Mash out at 168° F (76° C), with pre-boil wort volume of 7 gal. (26.5 L).
  • Bring to a rolling boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at specified intervals from end of boil.
  • Chill wort to 65° F (18° C) and pitch yeast.
  • Ferment in primary at 65° F (18° C) until fermentation slows significantly (7–9 days).
  • Rack to secondary fermenter and dry hop for no more than 10 days at 68° F (20° C).
  • Keg at 2.5 volumes (5 g/L) of CO₂ or bottle condition with 4 oz. (113 g) corn sugar.

Find more official recipes for Big Brew Day here.  I hope you can get a brew in this weekend and celebrate our national holiday!

Cheers!

Aaron