What is a "Clone" Homebrew Recipe?

In the homebrewing world, a “clone recipe” refers to a homebrew-scaled version of a beer made by a commercial brewery.

Sometimes these clones come straight from the source, with the pro brewer providing the exact version of their recipe scaled down to homebrew volumes. Others are formulated by homebrewers who do their best sleuthing to develop a recipe that gets close to the real deal.

The Benefits of Clone Recipes

One of the best reasons for making clone recipes is being able to go to your local beer store, grab a bottle of the pro-brewed beer the clone is based on, and see how your rendition compares. Especially when brewing a clone recipe straight from the commercial brewery, comparing your version with the real thing is a great way to assess your brewing processes and what needs to be done to get closer and closer to a perfect cone.

Brewing clones is also a great way to get to experience commercial beers that are tough to get your hands on. Whether you want to try a beer that isn’t distributed to your state or can’t wait for that seasonal that is months away, brewing clones can help scratch the itch while improving your homebrewing chops.

Finding a Clone Recipe

The American Homebrewers Association has a large selection of clone recipes in our Homebrew Recipe Library. You can filter the library by clones or use our homebrew recipe collections below to browse through curated clone recipes.

50 States (& D.C.!), 51 Clones

In 2019 we reached out to a brewery in every state and the District of Columbia. These breweries shared a clone recipe of one of their beers. These recipes include flagships, seasonals, and now-retired beers. See what clone represents your state!

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15 IPA Recipes from Craft Breweries

There’s nothing quite like a hoppy India pale ale (IPA)! It’s one of the most popular beer styles out there, with seemingly every craft brewery having an example ready on tap.

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