Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Old Ale – Jar of Destiny

On September 16, 2026

For round 19 of our Jar of Destiny challenge, I drew Old Ale from the Jar. Old Ale can range from light amber to dark reddish brown, with rich malt and dried fruit character. This recipe pushed my brewing system beyond its normal grain capacity, so I tried a two-stage mash process. The result was a strong, complex beer that already showed promise despite being quite young during our tasting.

https://youtu.be/IxX0AFJ8_uo

Jar Of Destiny Old Ale Recipe

This recipe is for a 5 US gallon batch.

Water:
Spring water with 5 grams of Calcium Chloride added in the boil

Grain Bill:
20 pounds (9.07 kg) of Simpsons Golden Promise Malt – 95% of grain bill
0.75 pounds (340 g) of Briess 80°L Crystal Malt – 4% of grain bill
0.25 pounds (113 g) of Black Patent Malt – 1% of grain bill

Hops:
2 ounces (56 g) of Target hops added at 60 minutes to go in the boil

Yeast:
1 packet of APEX London Dried Ale Yeast

Special Ingredient:
0.5 pounds (227 g) of Lyle’s Black Treacle

Mash in at 154°F for 60 minutes
Boiled for 80 minutes to get to target gravity
Fermented at 72°F for two months

Mash and Brewing Process:

Follow Poly-gyle mashing technique. Mash half of the Golden Promise portion for 60 minutes at 154°F. Run off the wort and batch sparge to collect six gallons. Remove the spent grain and return the wort to strike temperature.
Mash the remaining Golden Promise malt with the specialty malts for another 60 minutes. Run off the wort normally and boil for approximately 80 minutes.

Ferment around 72°F for approximately two months without transferring to secondary.

Brewing Results

Original Gravity: 1.094
Final Gravity: 1.022
ABV%: 9.45

Tasting Notes

When we tasted it, Mike immediately found malty fruitiness, treacle, toffee, and a sticky richness throughout the beer. The profile reminded him of a Belgian Dark Strong Ale or quadrupel, especially at this alcohol strength. We also found alcohol warmth and sweetness, plus a medium-to-full body that made this clearly a sipping beer. The aroma brought caramelized malt and pretzel crust, while the flavor suggested dense, slightly wet rye bread. Target hops stayed mostly underneath the malt, but their bitterness kept the beer from becoming excessively sweet. At only five days in the keg, the beer still needed time for additional clearing and flavor integration. We expect aging to soften sharper flavors and bring the caramel and toffee character into better balance. Mike also suggested that aging a few bottles with Brett could make an interesting historical homebrew experiment.

What We Learned

The main lesson was that the two-stage mash let me handle a grain bill beyond my normal system. I reached the gravity I wanted without adding dry malt extract, which made the extra brewing time worthwhile. The beer already had substantial malt depth, enough bitterness for balance, and the strength expected from Old Ale. However, this beer should improve with patience as the stronger flavors harmonize and the beer continues aging. For now, I am happy with the result and curious to see where extended aging takes it.

BREW ON!

World’s Smallest Brewery Kit Review: Brewing One Bottle of Beer

By John Krochune

On September 9, 2026

In Beginner, Equipment, Extract, Videos

Sometimes the most unusual homebrewing gear comes from someone trying to make the hobby easier for complete beginners. Jonathan, a homebrewer with seven years of experience, sent Mike and me his World’s Smallest Brewery kit.

The entire setup provides enough equipment and ingredients to brew, ferment, bottle, and condition one beer at home. It sounds slightly ridiculous to experienced brewers, but the tiny format makes the brewing process approachable and understandable.

The Kit, Brewing Process & Tasting

I brewed one of the kits before we made the video, following the included instructions and choosing a hop-forward recipe option.

The kit included dry malt extract, Cascade hops, yeast, an airlock, funnel, baster, and brewing instructions.

Everything was measured using simple kitchen measurements, removing much of the intimidating equipment usually associated with homebrewing.

Recipe Option I Used: Double IPA

Batch Size: One bottle

Water: 2 cups

Dry Malt Extract: About 1/3 cup

Hops: 1 teaspoon Cascade hops

Yeast: Small portion from the included Craft-a-Brew yeast packet

Fermentation: Approximately 2 weeks

Priming Sugar: 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar

The basic process started by boiling two cups of water, then mixing in the malt extract and hops. After chilling the wort, I transferred it into the tiny fermenter and added some of the included yeast. Following roughly two weeks of fermentation, I transferred the beer into the bottle containing the priming sugar.

The instructions specifically warned against exceeding one-half teaspoon of cane sugar because excessive priming could create dangerous pressure. The included transfer baster worked, although I found the process unnecessarily slow and somewhat messy during bottling.

Tasting Notes

Our finished beer showed a mildly fruity citrus aroma, along with a light floral quality from Cascade hops. Mike identified Cascade from the aroma before I confirmed it, so the hops clearly delivered their expected character. The beer fermented properly and tasted like beer, which matters considerably when evaluating such a tiny brewing system. It was not an extraordinary beer, but a new brewer would probably feel excited opening that first bottle. The small volume also makes heating, cooling, and fermentation temperature management fairly simple compared with larger batches.

What We Learned

This kit makes the most sense as an educational introduction for someone curious about brewing their first beer. Brewing only one bottle requires plenty of effort, and waiting weeks for one serving could become frustrating quickly. However, the process demonstrates every major brewing step without requiring substantial equipment, ingredients, space, or financial commitment. After completing one batch, a brewer could easily understand how the same process scales to larger batches.

For an experienced brewer, the kit offers novelty, but beginners may discover whether homebrewing actually interests them. It could also make an interesting gift for someone who wants to understand brewing without buying substantial equipment. The important result is simple: after following the process, you finish with a bottle of actual homemade beer.

Follow these links to get the kit:

https://www.worldssmallestbrewery.com/

https://a.co/d/0aKdlQL4

BREW ON!

Cellar Science Jungle Yeast NEIPA Recipe and Tasting

By John Krochune

On September 2, 2026

In Recipes, Videos

Mike has been continuing his New England IPA experiments by testing different hop combinations and fermentation approaches. In this batch, he paired three hop varieties with Cellar Science Jungle yeast to see if the strains claims of biotransformation could push a real fruit-forward tasting beer. His goal was simple: build a hazy IPA with strong fruit character while avoiding harsh hop bite.

Here is the recipe Mike put together for his latest NEIPA.

Cellar Science Jungle Yeast NEIPA Recipe

Batch Size:

3.5 US Gallons

Water Profile:

Chloride favored heavily over sulfate

Grain Bill:

68% Pilsner malt
16% flaked oats
16% flaked wheat

Hops:

6 grams Equinox at 60 minutes
2 ounces New York Cascade at 175°F
2 ounces EXP 09326 at 175°F
2 ounces Neo1 at 175°F
Whirlpool additions steeped for approximately 15 to 20 minutes
1 ounce Equinox dry hop for three days while cold

Yeast:

1 packet of Cellar Science Jungle dry yeast

Mash Schedule:

145°F for 15 minutes
154°F for 15 minutes
168°F for 15 minutes

Outcomes:

Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: Approximately 1.010
ABV: Approximately 6%

Tasting Notes

The finished beer poured pale and hazy, with a white head that stayed thick throughout our tasting. On the aroma, we found maraschino cherry, pineapple, resin, and a lighter impression of tropical fruit. The flavor carried more cherry and pineapple, followed by resinous notes and a white-peach-like stone fruit character. Importantly, the beer avoided the chalky hop bite and pellet-like flavor Mike wanted to eliminate. That result suggests the restrained kettle hopping, whirlpool additions, and Jungle yeast combination worked effectively together. Mike built the blend around commercial descriptors including stone fruit, berry, citrus, tropical fruit, and resin. However, our own tasting produced a more specific combination of maraschino cherry, pineapple, white peach, and resin.

Our Big Takeaways

This batch showed how several hop varieties can reinforce overlapping fruit characteristics instead of creating an unfocused mixture. The Jungle yeast also appeared to support the fruit-forward profile while keeping the finished beer clean and drinkable. Most importantly, the experiment gave us another useful reference for building future New England IPA hop combinations. Mike will probably keep changing the hops, but this three-hop approach gives him a practical framework for experimentation.

BREW ON!

Lórien Hops SMaSH Beer Review & Tasting

By John Krochune

On August 26, 2026

In Hops, Videos

We continued our SMaSH beer series by brewing a one gallon batch featuring Lórien hops from Indie Hops. This experimental format keeps the malt bill simple, allowing one hop variety to show its full character.

Lórien was released in 2021 and was bred from Sterling and a German male hop variety.For this tasting, we wanted to determine what Lórien contributes when nothing else competes for our attention.

For this batch, I used our standard small SMaSH approach, producing roughly one US gallon of finished beer. The recipe used two pounds of malt, one ounce of Lórien hops, and two gallons of water. I also pitched about three grams of US-05 yeast, then fermented the beer for roughly two weeks.

Lórien SMaSH Beer Recipe

Batch Size:
Approximately 1 gallon

Malt:
2 pounds malt

Hops:
1 ounce Lórien hops

Water:
2 gallons

Yeast:
Approximately 3 grams US-05 dry ale yeast

Here’s What We Thought

Mike first noticed a distinctive aroma that was difficult to identify, although it was not unpleasant. He initially compared it with polyurethane, then refined that impression toward perfume, wildflowers, and a delicate floral character. The flavor brought subtle fruitiness, underripe blackberry or raspberry impressions, and a tannic quality rather than ripe fruit. He also found tea-like notes, including bergamot, white tea, chamomile, sweet hay, and soft meadow-like aromas. As the beer warmed, the floral character became clearer, with honeysuckle joining the delicate fruit and fresh-grass impressions.

Overall, we thought Lórien had enough fruit to stay interesting without becoming aggressive or overpowering. Mike especially liked its potential in crisp lagers, where quality Pilsner malt could support the hop. He also suggested pairing Lórien with Sterling for a modern lager showcasing delicate floral and fruity hop character.

What We Learned

Lórien was one of those hops that became easier to understand as the beer warmed in our glasses. The initial aroma was unusual, but continued tasting revealed wildflowers, sweet hay, tea, honeysuckle, and restrained fruit. I think its delicate profile makes it especially useful for lagers, pilsners, blonde ales, and lower-alcohol beers. It can add character without dominating the beer, which appears to be exactly what Lórien was bred to accomplish. For us, this was another interesting hop worth revisiting in a clean, malt-focused lager recipe.

BREW ON!

Czech Style Amber Lager Tasting and Recipe

By John Krochune

On August 19, 2026

In Recipes, Videos

We brewed a Czech Style Amber Lager as a seasonal transition beer for the cooler days ahead. Mike revisited an older recipe and made several changes while keeping the beer focused on malt character. The result was a light, refreshing lager with amber color, layered malt flavor, and balanced bitterness.

Czech Style Amber Lager Recipe

Mike adjusted his Jar of Destiny Czech Amber Lager recipe to create this 2026 version:

Grain Bill:

77% Pilsner malt
11% Munich I malt, approximately 7° Lovibond
Almost 8% CaraMunich II, approximately 60° Lovibond
Just under 2% Carafa Special II, approximately 400° Lovibond
Just under 2% Melanoidin malt

Hops:

1 ounce of Tettnang hops added at 60 minutes to go in the boil

Yeast:

W-34/70 lager yeast
Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsner was originally planned, but the package did not perform

Water Profile:

Balanced sulfate and chloride levels

Mash Schedule:

145°F for 30 minutes
154°F for 20 minutes
168°F mash out for 10 minutes

Outcomes:

Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 1.013
% ABV: About 4.5% ABV

Process and Tasting Notes

Although he intended to use Wyeast 2278 Czech Pilsner yeast, the package failed before fermentation. He substituted W-34/70, a strain he trusts, even though it moved the beer away from his original plan. Likewise, his intended Czech hops were unavailable, so Tettnang provided the spicy character Mike wanted from the profile. The beer poured with a persistent off-white head, amber color, red highlights, and a slight haze.

On the nose, we found malt-forward cracker and graham cracker notes with a noticeable spicy impression. Mike also noticed a cinnamon-like note, although he connected that impression more broadly to the beer’s maltiness. The step mash helped preserve complex malt character while keeping the finished lager light and highly drinkable. In the flavor, the malt and hops blended well, with Tettnang adding a pleasant finish. It felt especially well suited to late summer evenings when cooler weather starts returning to New England.

What We Learned

This batch showed us that a Czech Style Amber Lager can deliver rich malt flavor without becoming heavy. Even with substitutions, the beer remained balanced, crisp, refreshing, and complex enough to keep each sip interesting. The Tettnang hops worked especially well, while W-34/70 produced the clean fermentation character Mike expected. Most importantly, the recipe created an approachable summer to fall season transition beer for drinkers who enjoy malt-forward lagers.

BREW ON!