Miss Smitten, our Golden Rye Pale Ale? While it’s currently in Larry’s Library, you can brew a clone version of it at home.

Here are some tips on how to brew a beer like Smitten at home, from David Curtis, our General Store manager and resident homebrew expert:

• Start with a pretty simple malt bill of base 2-row (link) or pale malt (link). I’d use somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 to 30% rye malt (link) – anything less and you won’t taste it. Maybe a bit of Munich malt (link) for some backbone.
• This is one of our older recipes, so I’d use some classic hops like Cascade (link) and Willamette (link). Give it a nice firm bitterness and a couple late additions for flavor. Dry hop it lightly with Cascade.
• If you have access to our bottles and can harvest our yeast, that’s your best bet. If not, use a clean American yeast like US-05 dry yeast (link) or WLP001 from White Labs (link).

If you have any questions about homebrewing or just looking for a place to start, our General Store has you covered. Stop by in person at 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, give them a call at (269) 382-5712 or drop us a note. Also, we’d love to hear how your homebrew turns out. Tag us at #bellsbeer on social media.