Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

CraftPRO 9-in-1 Beer Brewing Test Strips

On August 27, 2025

Water chemistry is something this blog has tried to discuss in a way that makes the subject seem a little less complex. Mike has done a lot to simplify water chemistry for homebewing.

The fine folks at CraftPRO are trying to do the same thing. They sent us their 9-in-1 Beer Brewing Test Strips to check out.

We set up some tests and showcased how these test strips can give you a quick water read before brew day.

How the Test Strips Work (and How We Tested Them)

These test strips are as simple as it gets. You just dip a strip into your water sample for two seconds, pull it out, let it sit for 30, and compare the color changes against the provided chart. Each strip tests for nine things: calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfate, total chlorine, pH, alkalinity, total hardness, and a partridge in a pear tree (ok, not the last one).

For our test, we got three glasses of different water: Glass A was distilled, Glass B was our go-to spring water, and Glass C had our local tap water.

The distilled and spring water came out almost identical, which isn’t shocking, with really low ion readings across the board.

Our tap water, on the other hand, actually showed a bit of chlorine, around 3 ppm. It is enough for us to use Campden tablets. Calcium was also higher in the tap, sitting around 50 ppm, but nothing wild. The strips don’t test for sodium or chloride (the two things most homebrewers obsess over for malt and hop character), but they do a good job of giving you a ballpark idea for everything else.

Should You Bother? Our Thoughts

Here’s the bottom line: if you want lab-grade precision or need exact numbers for sodium and chloride, you’re still better off sending out a sample for proper lab analysis. These strips, though, are a handy, cheap, and dead-simple way to get a sense of where your water stands. They are also good at seeing any changes based on your brewing salt additions.

The downside is the color matching. If you’re color blind or can’t reliably tell the difference between many shades of blue, for instance, these strips are going to be frustrating.

For most homebrewers, though, they’re a quick, low-commitment tool that’s great to have in your kit. Big thanks to CraftPro for sending these along.

Brew ON!

All Munich Malt Lager – Recipe and Tasting

By John Krochune

On August 20, 2025

In Malts, Videos

Sometimes you just have to throw caution (and a whole sack of malt) to the wind and see what happens. That’s exactly what Mike did for this brew, which is a bold, unapologetic Munich Lager.

The grain bill for this beer is built entirely from light Munich malt. He’s also calling it a “SMaSH” beer (Single Malt And Single Hop) because, well, it is. He only used Liberty hops for this recipe.

What happens when you turn up the malt and keep the hops simple? Watch this video to learn more.

All Munich Malt Lager Recipe

This recipe is for a 3.5 gallon batch.

Grain Bill:
100% Light Munich malt (Valley Malt, in our case)

Hops:
Liberty (just a 60-minute addition, aiming for about 30 IBUs)

Yeast:
CellarScience German

Water:
Moderate sulfate to chloride ratio (about 2:1, to keep the malt from running wild)

Mash Schedule:
Dough-in at 135°F for 10 minutes (high-protein rest)
Ramp to 145°F, hold 30 minutes
Ramp to 155°F, hold 10 minutes
Mash out at 168°F for 10 minutes

Outcomes:
Starting Gravity: 1.044
Finishing Gravity: 1.012
ABV: About 4.2%
SRM (Color): 8—think dark copper, but not quite dunkel territory

Mike brewed this batch with Valley Malt’s light Munich, mostly because he bought 40 pounds and he needs to use it for something.

Our Thoughts on the Malt Overload

As you can guess, this beer is all about the malt. The color is a beautiful deep copper, and the aroma is pure bready goodness. It’s like you just walked into a bakery specializing in Bavarian pretzels.

There’s not a ton of hop aroma. He used Liberty hops for bittering and it’s there for balance. The mouthfeel is smooth, with plenty of body considering the moderate ABV.

Flavor-wise, the beer had a ton of bread crust and malt sweetness up front. It’s not toasty or caramel-like, just pure, rich malt. It is a little overwhelming for a session, but perfect with hearty food.

If you’re looking for a fall beer to go with sausage and mustard, this one’s your new best friend. If you’re a “two pints and done” kind of drinker, the full Munich malt experience might feel like a bread-eating contest.

Mike thinks a little pilsner malt would lighten things up next time.

All in all, this “Munich Lager” is a reminder that brewing is about experimentation, pushing boundaries, and sometimes just using what you’ve got on hand.

Would we brew it again?

Absolutely!

(with some adjustments)

BREW ON!

Vera Hops SMaSH Beer Tasting & Review

By John Krochune

On August 13, 2025

In Hops, Videos

If you’ve spent any time poking around homebrew forums lately, you’ve probably noticed a new name popping up: Vera hops. With plenty of positive chatter and some notes about its flavor profile, I wanted to know more. So, I brewed up a SMASH (Single Malt And Single Hop) beer with Vera hops to see what this variety is all about. Check out this video and learn along with us.

It’s SMaSHing!

Let’s cut to the chase and lay out the recipe for those of you who want to follow along or tweak your next homebrew session. As always, we went with a one-gallon batch because it keeps costs down and lets us crank out more hop experiments for your reading (and drinking) pleasure.

Vera SMASH Beer – 1 Gallon

Grain: 2 lbs US 2-row malt
Water: 2 gallons (spring water from the store
Yeast: 3g US-05 American Ale
Hops: 28g Vera hops (alpha acids ~5.7%)
Schedule:
- 7g @ 60 minutes
- 7g @ 15 minutes
- 7g at flameout
- 7g for dry hopping (24 hours)
Boil Time: 60 minutes
Fermentation: Ferment at room temperatures for 7 days, refrigerate for 1 day, dry hop for 1 day, then package

Tasting Notes

The first thing that hits on the aroma is a strong citrus note. Specifically, a dry lemon-lime essence, with maybe a touch of Juicy Fruit gum. Mike picked up some honeydew melon and the faintest hint of lemongrass, but nothing overwhelming. The aroma isn’t a punch in the face, more like a pleasant wave. Flavor-wise, you’ll notice that same lemon-lime leading the charge, plus a mellow, grassy, and herbal background that keeps things interesting. The bitterness is pretty tame.

Overall, Vera isn’t a showboat; it’s subtle, citrusy, and would play nicely in Mexican lagers, pale ales, or hazy IPAs. If you want to lift the citrus vibes in a New England IPA or tame some of those more aggressive hops, Vera could be the blend partner you didn’t know you needed.

BREW ON!

Schwarzbier Comparisons – Jar of Destiny Research

By John Krochune

On August 6, 2025

In Style Profiles, Videos

When Mike says we are going to do some research, it means we are grabbing a couple of brews and talking about them.

This time, we decide to take a detour to learn more about Schwarzbier, Mike’s 15th Jar of Destiny pick. These black lagers have a specific description but they seem to be different in commercial examples.

After I struck out on finding any American wheat ales, Mike brings four(!) Schwarzbiers from our local craft beer store. Obviously, we line them up and give them a proper taste test. Let’s see what we learned as Mike got notes for his “Jar of Destiny” brew.

The Schwarzbier Appearance & Aroma

These Schwarzbiers ran the spectrum from nearly see-through ruby highlights to dark, opaque pours. We labeled each of these beers with letters from A to D.

D takes the crown for looks. It is crystal clear with gorgeous ruby edges. C is the darkest, practically daring you to find any light.
When it came to aroma, things got interesting. A has a whisper of chocolate and roast, B is all about subtle malt, and D plays the malty card with a hint of Munich breadiness.
C is a plum bomb. It is rich, fruity, almost Baltic porter territory.

Taste Test & Takeaways

Here are our full notes from our left-to-right lineup (A, B, C, D), Here’s the quick rundown:

A (Coolship Lager Black, EOC Brewing Co.): Thin body, touch of roast, maybe a little ashy. Pleasant, but missing that signature Schwarzbier snap.

B (Lethos Schwarzbier, Grimm Artisanal Ales): Mild aroma, medium mouthfeel, a little dry roasted malt. Charcoal vibes lingered but nothing harsh.

C (Hidden Mechanism, Aeronaut Brewing): This one drank like an ale with big plum, caramel notes, bordering on Baltic porter. Roastiness took a back seat.

D (Rinsteig Black Lager, Schilling Beer Co.): Our winner! Just enough malt sweetness, restrained roast, and balanced as hell.

Inspiration & The Value of Homebrewing

Tasting four commercial Schwarzbiers side by side proved a few things. One: this style is all over the map, and two: if you want it done your way, sometimes you have to brew it yourself.

That’s still the joy of homebrewing, right? If you’re ever frustrated that your favorite style is missing from store shelves, don’t get mad, get mashing.

BREW ON!

Crafting American Amber Ale – Recipe Obsession

By John Krochune

On July 30, 2025

In Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

There’s something about chasing the perfect amber ale that’ll make you feel like Ahab after the white whale.

Ok, not quite.

Maybe it makes you feel like a homebrewer who’s spent too many hours sniffing specialty malts at the LHBS.

Ever since Cambridge Brewing Company shut its doors (moment of silence), Mike has wanted to brew an American Amber Ale that scratches the itch for that classic, balanced, drink-all-day pint. He’s been tinkering away, dialing in mash pH, chasing efficiency, and keeping a big homebrewing process reveal a little mysterious, even from the rest of us.

This week’s batch is his fourth serious attempt at the style, and each round gets us a little closer to Amber Ale enlightenment.

American Amber Ale – Version 4

This recipe is for a 3.5 gallon batch.

Grain Bill:

60% Pale Malt (Valley Malt)
34% Light Munich Malt (6°L, Valley Malt)
5% CaraAroma (180°L)
1% Chocolate Malt (450°L)

Hop Schedule:

15 g Target @ 60 min (clean bittering)
Just under 1 oz Centennial @ 10 min (grapefruit/citrus aroma)

Yeast: 1 packet of Verdant IPA

Mash Schedule:

Mash at 145°F for 60 minutes
Raise to 158°F for 10 minutes
Raise to 168°F for 10 minutes (mash out)

Mash pH: 5.4

Boil Length: 60 minutes

Fermentation:

Primary: 68°F for 2 weeks
Cold crash: 3 days
Keg condition for 1 week before serving

Notes:

No post-boil finings used; Whirlfloc tablet in boil.
Focused on water chemistry for clarity and yeast health (especially calcium levels).
CaraAroma provided great color but more toastiness than desired. Future tweaks will balance toast and caramel more evenly.

The Verdict? Close But Not Quite There

Well, we liked this beer’s clarity and color but it’s just a bit too toasty in flavor. That 5% CaraAroma brings the color but also piles on the toast, making it almost too rich for back-to-back pints.

Mike wants those caramel and toasty notes to level out and not wrestle for attention. Next round, he is thinking of dialing back the CaraAroma, blending in some Crystal 40 and Crystal 80, and maybe rethinking the Munich.

Amber ale is all about balance. It needs to be a little malty, a little dry, some hop flavor, but nothing screaming for attention. That’s the magic he is after.

If you Amber Ale tips, let us know what works for you. More to come from us!

BREW ON!