Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Brew Dudes Homebrew Swap – Exchange #43

On April 14, 2021

Sometimes we get beers sent to us from across the ocean, making this exchange program truly international in scope. These homebrews were sent from Sweden from a guy named Martin. We usually only publish our thoughts about one beer for these exchanges but because they were sent a long way, we decided to check out both. We’re glad we did since they were excellent. Check out this beers from Martin’s MyDogMorris Brewery!

The Beer Details

Here’s the information that Marin sent along with his homebrews.

Slipopit – This beer was brewed in the style of an Italian pilsner. This was his clone attempt on the famous (and his favorite) Italian pilsner Tipopils. He got the recipe from a homebrewing magazine and got very detailed information about how they brew it. When he compares his to the original, he thinks theirs is more smooth and his is more crisp like a German pilsner. So, he thinks there may be some tweaking needed to do to his water to lower the sulfate a bit. His beer had 3 different kinds of pilsner malt because he cleaned his shelves and used leftover grain from other beers.

Wakatu Porter – This beer is a fairly low ABV Porter but with a pretty solid body. He likes his dark beers to have a fuller mouthfeel; otherwise he thinks it just tastes like cold coffee. So he mashed at a high temp to get as much unfermentatble sugars in the beer and keep the alcohol levels low. He sought to balance the maltiness with Wakatu hops, which he had left over from other beers.

Our Tasting Notes

The Pilsner was brilliantly clear with a wonderful yellow gold color and we felt that the beer was practically flawless. Having been shipped all the way from Sweden, it was amazing to see and taste how well it held up.

On the American Porter, John detected notes of coffee in the aroma. Mike really noticed the freshness of the roasted malt aromas as well.

Overall, this exchange was one of the best we’ve ever had. Thanks to Martin for sharing his beers with us.

BREW ON!

Comparing Flaked Grains For Use In NEIPAs

By John Krochune

On April 7, 2021

In All Grain, Experiments, Videos

Have you finalized your NEIPA recipe yet or are you like us – continually tweaking the grain bill or the hop additions in attempts to improve what is already “pretty good”? If you are trying to learn more about the style or want an input into building your recipe, this post is for you. We decided to examine one part of the grain bill, specifically the flaked grain portion, to better understand the effects of some of these adjuncts bring to the final beer. Take in this video as we compare 3 flaked grains (Oats, Wheat, and Barley) in beers brewed the same way to get a better feel of their contributions to NEIPAs.

Flaked Grains Comparison Video

Flaked Oats vs. Flaked Wheat vs. Flaked Barley

To have a fair comparison, I had to brew 3 beers the same way except for the flaked grain that I used. Here’s the recipe and the instructions I followed to brew these beers.

Batch Size: 1 US Gallon

Boil Size: 1.75 US Gallons

Grain Bill

75% Great Western Pale Malt

25% Flaked Grain (Beer 1 = Flaked Oats, Beer 2 = Flaked Wheat, Beer 3 = Flaked Barley)

Hops

Columbus Hops – 7 grams added with 60 minutes left to go in the boil

Mosaic Hops – 9 grams added at flameout

Yeast

Safale US-05 American Ale Yeast – 3 grams for each batch

Instructions

Brew In A Bag using 2 gallons of water heated to 160°F/71°C to hit mash temperature of 150°F/66°C for 60 minutes

Fermentation lasted for 2 weeks at 68°F/20°C

At the end of fermentation, each batch was forced carbonated

Our Notes On These Flaked Grains Beers

Beer #1 – This beer was brewed with Flaked Oats. Mike felt this beer had the sharpest hop flavors. In comparison to the others, he felt it was the most robust and the base malt character was more present in this beer. In terms of mouthfeel, it was the most full of the three beers.

Beer #2 – This beer was brewed with Flaked Wheat. Mike thought this beer had the softest mouthfeel. He liked this beer the most. It was the smoothest in terms of its overall impression.

Beer #3 – This beer was brewed with Flaked Barley. Mike thought this beer showcased the malt “sweetness” the most. He also thought the hop aroma came through more with this beer.

He felt all three of these beers had medium-low body so keep this point in mind if you are looking to have a beer with a full mouthfeel. You’ll probably need to do more to add more body.

Mike said that he wouldn’t be adding Flaked Barley to his next NEIPA. He wasn’t impressed with beer #3.

Hope you got something out of this comparison. We learned something from it. If you have questions or comments, please leave them on this post.

BREW ON!

Cucumber Stout

By John Krochune

On April 1, 2021

In Experiments, Recipes, Videos

There are those who are true trailblazers. There are those who, dare we say, are beer brewing geniuses. Then, there are those who brew Cucumber Stout. These Brew Dudes fit into the third category. Read and watch on for details of this foolish brew including the recipe and our tasting notes.

Behold, Cucumber Stout!

Our Cucumber Stout Recipe

This recipe is based on Jasper Home Brew Supply’s Mickey Finn’s Dry Irish Stout with one notable added ingredient.

Batch Size: 5 US Gallons

Boil Size: 7 Gallons

Ingredients:

5.8 lbs. / 2.6 kg Irish Stout Malt
0.8 lbs. / 0.36 kg Light Wheat Malt
14 oz. / 0.4 kg Roasted Barley
8 oz. / 0.23 kg Flaked Barley
1 lbs. / 0.45 kg of cucumber (sliced precisely to a 5 mm thickness)
1 oz. / 28g of East Kent Goldings hops at 60min (bittering)
1 oz. / 28 g of Challenger hops at 60min (bittering)
1 packet of WY1084 Irish Ale yeast

Mash all grains and cucumber for 1 hour at 150° F / 66° C. Capture 7 gallons of wort and boil for 60 minutes. Chill to 68° F / 20° C and pitch yeast. Ferment for 2 weeks and then package.

Cucumber Stout Tasting Notes

Well, it wasn’t bad! The stout base recipe has a strong roast character coming from the roasted barley. It was very intense that Mike asked if there was any Black Patent malt in the grain bill. It was noticeable in the aroma and delivered in the taste. There was some hop presence in the aftertaste but nowhere else.

Of course, the big question was, “Was there any cucumber notes?” Thanks for asking. Yes, there was. There was an essence of cucumber in the flavor of the beer – a little bit of the cooling sensation that you get when eating the vegetable.

BrewFerm No Boil Beer Kit Review

By John Krochune

On March 24, 2021

In Beginner, Extract, Videos

Hey there, you fans of saving time and energy while brewing beer at home. We have the post for you right here. We were sent a bunch of kits to learn more about and we brewed one for all to see. Take a gander at this BrewFerm no boil beer kit review, won’t you?

No Boil Beer Kit Benefits

So, certainly this method of brewing is not the typical one for these Brew Dudes, but we are always open-minded when it comes to homebrewing. We did write a book about extract brewing back in 2019 When BrewFerm reached out to us, we accepted their offer to send us a few kits to try out.

For your understanding, these beer kits include pre-hopped, malt extract, yeast, and an instruction sheet. You will need a fermentation vessel that holds more than 3 gallons of wort and you’ll need to have the ability to sanitize your equipment. Besides those items, you’ll need a clean water source and sugar.

The big benefit that these kits provide homebrewers is the time savings. As you’ll see in the video, I brewed this kit in 15 minutes – 20 minutes if you count clean-up time which was minimal. If you’re someone who is just starting to homebrew or you’re someone who likes to brew quickly, these kits are for you.

One note we got from the manufacturer, you’re supposed to condition these beers for 6 to 8 weeks after fermentation. We didn’t mention that in the video, but if you’re patient and following the instructions to the letter – do that.

We do have a few to give away so if you’re so inclined, leave us a comment below and we’ll add you to the group of people who are eligible for some free beer (please be in one of the 48 contiguous US states).

Hope you enjoyed this post. You can use our discount code brewdudesbogo for a buy 2, get one free deal at BrewFerm.com.

BREW ON!

Homebrewed Irish Red Ale Poured Out Of A Keg

St. Patrick’s Day Irish Red Ale

By John Krochune

On March 17, 2021

In Style Profiles, Videos

Just in time for the holiday, posting on the 17th of March, we have an Irish Red Ale. Mike was going for something that he thoroughly enjoys – a malt forward beer with a little roast flavor that makes you want to have a pint or two. Hey, if you can’t go to your favorite pub again this year, brew it at home! Watch this video about our Saint Patrick’s Day Irish Red Ale.

That Elusive Red Color

First, let’s lay down the details of this beer:

3.7 lbs or 167 kg Briess Pale Ale Malt (3.5 °L)
0.33 lbs or 150 g Weyermann CaraRed (17 °L)
0.33 lbs or 150 g Briess Caramel malt (120 °L)
0.09 lbs or 40 g Chocolate Rye (175 °L)
2 oz or 57 grams of East Kent Goldings hops for a 60 minute boil (5% AA)

Fermented with LalBrew Windsor Ale Yeast (half packet)

Mash 152° F or 67° C for 60 minutes
Fermented for 2 weeks at 70° F or 21° C

Irish Red Ale Tasting Notes

We have brewed this style before so we’re experience with the style. This beer was tasty but the color was more brown than red. I think the malt notes were there with some caramel backgrounds. The beer finished a little higher than Mike’s target (1.015) but the ferment was clean and it left a soft impression in the aftertaste.

Overall, I think the beer was young. To me, the yeast was still in suspension and because of that, the color and flavor was affected. With some time in the keg, the yeast will drop out and the beer should become clearer. Then, that color should shape up to what Mike was going for.

I don’t think I have brewed an Irish Red Ale that has nailed the color. If I were to brew this style again, I would use a little caramel malt like Mike has in his recipe but replace the Chocolate Rye with 70 grams of Roasted Barley. Then, I would use some finings in the kettle and if the beer was still cloudy after fermentation and a 2 day cold crash, I would use gelatin at kegging.

The ruby highlights shine in a clear beer, I think. I will try that next time I brew this style.

What’s your take?

Let us know and brew on!