Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Homebrew Jar of Destiny: The Thirteenth Pick

On December 25, 2024

Hey there! We’re back with another installment of the infamous Jar of Destiny Homebrewing Challenge. This time, it’s Pick #13 for our ongoing series. As always, the Jar provides us a path with a random beer style to brew within the next three months. We try to figure out our plan, then brew it up, bring it back to the studio to share our thoughts on camera.

Here’s lucky 13!

23E – Gueuze

Here’s a style that I may have put back if I didn’t have some old sour ale sitting in my basement. The Jar knows what’s up. I have around 10 gallons of sour beer that can be used to blend. Time to get the sour beer equipment out and ready again. It’s been a while. In a few months, I can have a fresh sour beer finished and ready to be mixed with some of the older beers. It’s going to be a funky good time.

3C – Czech Amber Lager

Mike is pumped for this pick. This is a style that he has been interested in lately, with several local breweries offering their own takes. Who are we to deny the lager love? This pick seems perfect for the winter season, offering a crisp, balanced malt profile with a hint of spicy character. Mike has had a few lager picks during this challenge. I look forward to seeing and drinking what he comes up with.

Ever Onward

We’ll be sure to read up on these styles in the coming months. March might seem like a long way off, but trust us, it’ll be here before you know it. That’s the magic (or should we say, chaos?) of the Jar of Destiny!

In the meantime, thanks for joining us on this brewing journey. We dodged the dreaded “bad style” this time around, phew! As always, feel free to leave a comment below and let us know which style you’re more excited about. As we wrap up 2024, Happy Holidays and cheers to a brew-tastic 2025!

Cheers and Brew on!

Check out the First Pick and the start of it all!
Check out the Second Pick
Check out the Third Pick
Check out the Fourth Pick
Check out the Fifth Pick
Check out the Sixth Pick
Check out the Seventh Pick
Check out the Eighth Pick
Check out the Ninth Pick
Check out the Tenth Pick
Check out the Eleventh Pick
Check out the Twelfth Pick

Classic Style Smoked Beer – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On December 18, 2024

In Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

The Jar of Destiny always hands us a challenge that makes us rethink our approach to brewing. For this round, I pulled Style 32A: Classic Style Smoked Beer. With so many options to explore, I decided to craft a smoked porter inspired by the iconic Alaskan Smoked Porter. To up the ante, I took a DIY approach and smoked my own malt at home. Here’s how it all came together and what we thought of the final brew.

Alaskan Smoked Porter Recipe

This is the recipe I followed for my version of this beer. There are a few homespun elements to it.

I did smoke 2 pounds of the base malt in my backyard using Alder wood chips. First off, I let the chips soak in water overnight. Then, I assembled my two clay pot smoker setup with the electric burner on the bottom. With the burner set to high, I put a pie plate on top of it with the soaked wood chips on top of it. Lastly, I wrapped a grill grate with metal window screen material and put the base malt on top of it. The process took about two and a half hour, which was longer than planned, but the result was worth it.

DIY homemade smoker using top clay flower pots and an electric burner. — My DIY smoker!

The hops I used were homegrown. You don’t have to brew with homegrown hops. Use store bought Galena or Chinook.

Here’s the recipe for a 5 gallon batch:

Water:

Spring water with 4 grams of gypsum

Grains:

8.0 lbs (3.6 kg) Rahr American 2-row Malt
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg) Smoked Malt (Home Smoked)
1.0 lbs (0.45 kg) 60°L Crystal Malt
0.5 lbs (226 g) Pale Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs (226 g) Black Patent Malt

Hops:

1.5 oz (42 g) Magnum hops, 16% AA. (60 minutes)

Yeast:

1 packet of CellarScience Cali American Ale Dry Yeast

Instructions:

Mash grains at 152° F (67° C). Boiled for 75 minutes, adding the hops so that they boil for 60 minutes

Fermented at 62°F (17°C) for a week then ramped it up to 70°F (21°C) until krausen dropped.

Original Gravity: 1.065
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV: 6.7%
IBU: 45

Subtle Smoke and Deep Complexity

The finished beer surprised us with its balance and complexity. While some smoked beers can overwhelm with a campfire-like intensity, this porter strikes a harmonious note. On the nose, there’s a hint of smoke, almost like smoked almonds, complemented by aromas of milk chocolate and roasted malt. The flavor follows suit, with layers of caramel, dark chocolate, and just a whisper of smoke on the finish. It’s approachable, dynamic, and fairly intriguing.

While it might not win over strict style judges looking for dominant smoke, this beer excels as a winter warmer that’s both comforting and complex. The subtle smokiness enhances rather than overpowers the base porter, making it a beer we’ll happily enjoy all season long.

Thank you Jar for the smoked beer challenge. Thank you reader for your attention.

Brew ON!

Trappist Single – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On December 11, 2024

In Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

Three months ago, we pulled our 12th picks from the Jar of Destiny, continuing our homebrewing challenge . Mike has the first beer to hit the tasting table: a Trappist Single. This lesser-known style, categorized as 26A in the 2015 BJCP guidelines, is the beer monks brewed for themselves rather than for sale. It’s a lower-alcohol, noticeably bitter brew that stands apart from Belgian Blondes and Doubles while hinting at the dry, fruity qualities of a scaled-down Tripel. Here’s how we brewed it and what we thought of the final product.

Bring on the Brother Beer!

The Recipe: Simplicity with Precision

To capture the essence of a Trappist Single, Mike kept it simple:

Water Adjustments
Start with spring water (low mineral content).
Add:
2 grams of gypsum
1 gram of calcium chloride
1 gram of magnesium chloride
Lactic acid as needed for pH adjustment (~5.2 target).

Grain Bill
94% Dingemans Belgian Pilsner Malt (~5.3 lbs / 2.4 kg)
6% Carapils Malt (~0.34 lbs / 0.15 kg)

Hops
1 oz Styrian Goldings (2.8% AA) @ 60 minutes
6 grams Nugget (14.8% AA) @ 60 minutes (to boost bitterness)
1 oz Styrian Goldings @ 10 minutes

Yeast
Fermentis BE-256 (Abbaye)

Mash Schedule
Mash at 149°F (65°C) for 75 minutes (for high fermentability).
Ramp up to 168°F (76°C) for 15 minutes.
Sparge as needed to collect pre-boil volume.

Boil
Boil for ~65–70 minutes.
Add hops as scheduled.

Fermentation
Ferment at 65°F (18°C) for 3 days in a cool environment.
Allow the temperature to rise naturally to ~70°F (21°C) to finish fermentation.
Primary fermentation: ~3 weeks.

Carbonation
Highly carbonate the beer for a light, effervescent mouthfeel.

Results
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.009
ABV: ~5.5%
IBUs: 38–40

Our Trappist Single Tasting Notes

The beer poured a pale yellow with a soft, billowy head that left fantastic lacing. The aroma was earthy and floral, with hints of geranium and subtle yeast esters. On the palate, the beer delivered a crisp, dry finish with light orange peel notes and just a whisper of Belgian spice. While the bitterness and dryness hit the marks, we felt the fruity esters could have been more pronounced. Adding a touch of Citra or Cascade in future batches might coax out that elusive fruit character.

Overall, this Trappist Single is incredibly drinkable—a true session beer with classic Belgian touches. It may not be a home-run replication of the monastery brews, but it’s a solid double. Stay tuned for the next Jar of Destiny beer as we continue this challenge!

Brew ON!

Moutere Hops SMaSH Review and Tasting

By John Krochune

On December 4, 2024

In Hops, Videos

Our hops aroma and flavor explorations continue. This time, we’re diving into Moutere hops from New Zealand. If you’ve been following along with our SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) beer experiments, you know we’re all about showcasing the unique characteristics of individual hops. Moutere (pronounced Mow-terry, we think!) is a newer hop variety with a hefty alpha acid percentage of 17.4%. We’re thinking that this variety is more than just a high alpha hop. The aroma and flavor profile should be intriguing as well, right? Watch this video as we break down this experiment and share what we discovered.

The SMaSH Brew Process

For this batch, we stuck with our standard SMaSH setup: a 1-gallon brew with 2 pounds of malt, 2 gallons of water, and 1 ounce of hops. We used US-05 yeast for a clean fermentation profile. With Moutere’s high alpha acid, we kept the bitterness in check by adding just 3.5 grams of hops at the start of the 60-minute boil. To enhance the aroma, we added 17.5 grams at flameout and the remaining 7 grams for dry hopping. The result? A beer with a bold aroma and subtle tropical flavors that we couldn’t wait to dissect.

What We Learned

Moutere hops delivered an unexpected experience. On the nose, we picked up vegetal notes that reminded us of roasted acorn squash or even sweet hay. At first, it was a bit off-putting, but as the beer warmed up, the aroma grew on us. The flavor leaned toward the tropical side, with hints of underripe papaya and dried passionfruit, though these fruity notes were subtle. The combination of vegetal and tropical qualities made this hop a bit of a conundrum, but in the best way.

For brewers looking to expand their sensory palette, Moutere is worth a try. It challenges the conventional descriptors and could pair wonderfully with a Belgian Saison yeast to bring out complementary peppery and fruity esters. Overall, this hop broadened our perspective and proved how exciting single-hop brewing can be.

Thanks for following along and cheers to continuing your homebrewing adventures.

BREW ON!

Making Hard Cider with Honey

By John Krochune

On November 27, 2024

In Recipes, Videos

Fall is the perfect time to dive into cider making, and that’s exactly what we did for this batch. Mike took the lead, combining freshly pressed local apple juice with a generous dose of honey to create a hard cider that’s as intriguing as it is flavorful. The idea came together when he decided to add a little extra punch to a simple cider, and the result is sitting right here in our glasses. It’s crisp, a little floral, and carries the kind of tartness that reminds you of biting into a fresh apple. Let’s dive into how it all came together.

https://youtu.be/q8kmnGYesNU

Honey Apple Cider Recipe

For this batch, we started with 4.5 gallons of fresh-pressed apple juice from a local orchard. While the exact blend of apples isn’t disclosed, the juice offered a robust starting gravity of 1.050. To fortify the cider and give it more body and complexity, Mike added 3 pounds of local honey. The honey addition bumped the starting gravity to 1.060. To ensure it dissolved completely into the fermenter, the honey was warmed gently. Letting the honey jar soak in hot water to make it easier to mix with the juice.

The cider was fermented with Nottingham yeast. This strain was chosen for its high performance and ability to highlight the fruity character of the apples. Mike added a bit of yeast nutrient to help kickstart a healthy fermentation. After a couple of week, the cider fermented down to 1.008, creating a dry, punchy cider. After fermenting for a few weeks and conditioning in the keg, the cider was ready to serve. While it’s still a bit cloudy, the flavor is undeniably bold and refreshing.

Thoughts On Our First Pours

This cider is a burst of apple flavor with a touch of floral complexity from the honey. It’s not overly sweet, as the honey’s sugars fermented out, but you still get a subtle essence of its floral and earthy notes. The finish is dry, with a nice tartness that lingers on the palate. While it’s not something we’d drink by the liter, it’s perfect for a single glass, maybe paired with a hearty dinner or even as a base for brining a Thanksgiving turkey.

Cider making is a quick, satisfying way to shake things up from brewing beer, and it’s as simple as juice, yeast, and a little creativity. If you’re curious, give it a try—it’s a fun experiment that might just surprise you.

Brew ON!