Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Czech Dark Lager – Jar of Destiny

On April 3, 2024

The 9th pick gave us dark lagers to brew. We met the challenge without hesitation. The Jar forces us to learn about beer styles and how to brew them. Mike brought all of his experience and skills to this malty beer style that had many in our audience excited. Hey, include me in that group. Here is our presentation of Czech Dark Lager – BJCP Style 3D!

Quite dark and tasty

The Recipe

Mike packs this ingredient list with top-notch malts and traditional hops.

Grains:
41% Bohemian Floor Malted Pilsner malt
41% Vienna malt
8% Caramunich 2 (60°L)
6% Melanoidin malt (30°L)
4% Carafa Special III (for color adjustment)

Hops:
All traditional Czech Saaz hops
60-minute addition (20g)
10-minute addition (1 ounce)
Flameout addition (1 ounce)
Estimated IBUs: 22

Yeast:
Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils Yeast
Used two full packets, five months away from expiration date
Starter was made with the yeast

Brewing Process:
Mashed at 151°F for 90 minutes
Pre-boil gravity: 1.050
Post-boil gravity: 1.060
Fermented at around 55°F
Fermentation duration: approximately 21 days
Lagered at around 35°F for approximately three to four weeks

Czech Dark Lager Tasting Notes

Appearance: Dark copper, almost black, with a red or garnet tint, clear to bright clarity, large off-white head
Aroma: Toast, hints of cola, spicy notes from Saaz hops, noble character
Flavor: Balanced maltiness with spicy hop character, velvety chocolate notes, clean and clear, good foam retention
Overall Impression: Highly drinkable, refined complexity, well-balanced

Brew ON!

Links To The Jar of Destiny Series Results
Check out the British Strong Ale post
Check out the Black IPA post
Check out the International Amber Lager post
Check out the Belgian Tripel post
Check out the Double IPA post
Check out the Kölsch post
Check out the English IPA post
Check out the Wood-Aged Beer post
Check out the Belgian Golden Strong Ale post
Check out the American Amber Ale post
Check out the German Pils post
Check out the Brett Beer post
Check out the Munich Helles post
Check out the Imperial Stout post
Check out the Foreign Extra Stout post
Check out the Belgian IPA post
Check out the Eisbock post
Check out the Czech Dark Lager post
Check out the California Common post
Check out the American Light Lager post
Check out the Pale Kellerbier post
Check out the Belgian Pale Ale post
Check out the Trappist Single post
Check out the Classic Style Smoked Beer post
Check out the Czech Amber Lager post
Check out the Gueuze post
Check out the Irish Stout post
Check out the Tropical Stout post
Check out the Schwarzbier post
Check out the American Wheat Beer post

Eisbock – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On March 27, 2024

In Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

With any homebrewing challenge, some challenges are tougher than ever. When I pulled the chip that had Eisbock on it, a bit of panic settled in. I knew I would be able to brew a nice bock-style lager, but would I be able to pull off the last step?

In our long history, we haven’t tackled ice distilling.

Well played, Jar. Now we will.

That’s the wonderful thing about this series. We will brew styles we never planned to brew. Let’s see how this one turned out. This video discussed a beer from our 9th pick – BJCP style 9B – Eisbock

Sneaky sub-zero hero!

German Eisbock Recipe

The guidelines call for a strong beer with strong malty flavor. It is high in alcohol but the overall impression should be smooth.

For a 5 US Gallon batch size

Water:
9 gallons of Spring Water with 4 grams of gypsum and 4 grams of Calcium Chloride

Grains:
62% Weyermann Floor-Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt
34% Weyermann Dark Munich Malt
5% Weyermann Caramunich III Malt

Hops:
.5 ounces (14 g) of Magnum Hops Pellets 12.3% AA)
.5 ounces (14 g) of Hallertaur Mittelfruh Hop Pellets 2.6% AA
Estimated IBUs: 30

Yeast:
4 Packets of Saflager W-34/70 Lager Yeast

Instructions:
Mashed for 60 minutes at 155° F (68° C)
Boiled for 75 minutes, ensuring original gravity target
Chilled to 50°F (10°C) and fermented for 3 weeks
Racked and conditioned for 1 month at 33° F (0.5° C)
Racked 1.75 gallons into mini keg
Put in freezer for 6 hours. Closed transfer of non-frozen beer into other mini keg.

Outcomes:
Original Gravity: 1.085
Final Gravity: 1.020
ABV: 8.53%

Eisbock ABV: 11.9%

The Tasting Notes For Both Bocks

Since I have some of the first beer, I brought it over for evaluation and comparison.

Original Bock (Before Freezing) Notes:
This beer has strong malt aromas that are reminiscent of wet rye bread. The flavor has a rich, malty flavor profile with a strong melanoidin presence. Mike found a pronounced alcohol taste, with some hop bitterness in the after taste. He describes the overall flavor note as “leather cherry”.

Eisbock (After Freezing) Notes:
The aroma is not as strong as in the original beer. It has a slightly sweeter and smoother taste. The body is higher than the original as expected.

The alcohol content is noticeable but not overpowering. Despite its 12% ABV, it’s surprisingly smooth and easy to drink. I think there is potential for further improvement with aging and smoothing out rough edges.

Thank you, Jar. BREW ON!

Links To The Jar of Destiny Series Results
Check out the British Strong Ale post
Check out the Black IPA post
Check out the International Amber Lager post
Check out the Belgian Tripel post
Check out the Double IPA post
Check out the Kölsch post
Check out the English IPA post
Check out the Wood-Aged Beer post
Check out the Belgian Golden Strong Ale post
Check out the American Amber Ale post
Check out the German Pils post
Check out the Brett Beer post
Check out the Munich Helles post
Check out the Imperial Stout post
Check out the Foreign Extra Stout post
Check out the Belgian IPA post
Check out the Eisbock post
Check out the Czech Dark Lager post
Check out the California Common post
Check out the American Light Lager post
Check out the Pale Kellerbier post
Check out the Belgian Pale Ale post
Check out the Trappist Single post
Check out the Classic Style Smoked Beer post
Check out the Czech Amber Lager post
Check out the Gueuze post
Check out the Irish Stout post
Check out the Tropical Stout post
Check out the Schwarzbier post
Check out the American Wheat Beer post

Brew Dude John’s London Trip Recap

By John Krochune

On March 20, 2024

In General, Videos

I took the family to London. With points racked up from business travel over the past decade, it was time to cash in. Even though it was a family trip, there is plenty to discuss from a beer (and cider) perspective. We even chat over the mineral content of the English spring water. Beer geeks from near and far unite – check out this London Trip Recap. It’s better than photo slides projected onto a wall, I swear!

Beers, Ciders, and Mineral Water

Spring Water With Big Mineral Content

In the hotel, there was canned spring water that had a higher mineral content than what we’re used to back home. It was different, but not necessarily better or worse, just something to note. It reminded me of the beer brewing salts experiments that Mike took us through recently.

Camden Pal Ale

I came across Camden Pale Ale, which seemed to be widely available around the city. I brought a can home from Mike to try. It’s a blend of British taste with American hops, giving it a piney, bitter flavor profile with hints of citrus. It isn’t the best we’ve ever tasted, but worth a try.

Ciders on Ice

Other than beers in the pubs, there were the ciders. I tried a few, including Sandford Devon Red Supreme. Most of the time, they were served with a pint glass filled with ice. It was revelation. I can image having a cider on ice on a hot summer day and it being a totally refreshing experience.

Warm Spiced Mead

On one raw, rainy day, I sampled a warmed spiced mead. It hit the spot. Even though I knew of this serving method, I haven’t prepared mead this way at home. I prefer it to mulled wine.

London Trip Recap – Beers and Cheers

Overall, it was a pleasant experience exploring different beverages in London. It’s always interesting to see how differently the city approached these drinks, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with some of these back home.

BREW ON!

Pinter Dark Matter Stout Tasting and Review

By John Krochune

On March 13, 2024

In Beginner, Equipment, Extract, Videos

We’re back with a full review of the Pinter Brewing System. We did the unboxing videos but this time we document the step-by-step experience of brewing with the equipment. Check out the different stages of the Pinter process and see what we thought of the Dark Matter Stout. Let’s roll!

The Process

For experienced homebrewers like us, we evaluate these systems by following the directions closely. The first runs are by the book so we can understand if a decent beer can be brewed as directed.

The Pinter comes with an app that takes you through 5 phases of the brewing process. It also provides notifications when different phases are over and you should move to the next phase.

The Brewing (Fermenting) phase is scheduled for 5 days by default. Although beers can ferment completely in that number of days, we would rather extend the phase to 7 days at least. After cold crashing, we tapped and we tasted.

Pinter Dark Matter Stout Tasting Notes

Appearance: The matter is dark indeed. Thick tan head and opaque near black color.

Aroma: The aroma is malty with hints of cherry-like sweetness. There is also a subtle suggestion of something wine-like.

Flavor Profile: Strong dark maltiness, with a smooth and drinkable quality. The Pinter Dark Matter Stout has a lack of intense roastiness, resembling more of a Schwarzbier than a traditional stout.

There are notes of grapefruit pith, indicating a possible influence from the hop extract used. The bitterness from the hops is present in the aftertaste along with a lingering acidity reminiscent of green apple, suggesting a potential fermentation issue.

Mouthfeel: There is a noticeable coating on the mouth, with a medium to light body.

Overall Impression: This stout is enjoyable for its smoothness, moderate bitterness, and approachable flavor profile. Despite some minor observations regarding fermentation and flavor nuances, it’s a good first try for the Pinter.

Remember, you can get $50 off your purchases from Pinter.com when you use our code: BREWDUDES50

BREW ON!

iGulu Pale Ale Tasting and Review

By John Krochune

On March 6, 2024

In Equipment, Recipes, Videos

In this post, we put the iGulu F1 countertop brewing system to the test. He brews the pale ale that was sent to us along with the unit. He follows his instinct on how to brew this beer as he had a hard time finding the instruction manual. It’s fine – he rises to the challenge and pours a couple of pints for us to taste. Check it out!

The Kit Selection

Of the beer kits that came with the system, Mike choose the pale ale because it is a standard style for tasting and evaluating craft beers. He provides a step by step demonstration of what comes in the kit and how it all comes together in the system. He shows off:

1 pound of Dry Pale Ale extract
Natural hops bitter extract
Two packets of Mosaic aromatic extract
One packet of dry brewing yeast
Three packets of priming sugar (they may not be necessary if using CO2 system)
RFID sticker for activating the brewing session

After the set up of the iGulu Pale Ale in the system, we waited and then continued the video when the beer was ready.

Our Thoughts

The system is impressive as we decided after the unboxing.
The real question – Does it brew good beer? Here are our tasting notes of the iGulu Pale Ale.

Appearance: Thick head reminiscent of an ice cream float. Golden color with a cloudy haze.
Aroma: Notes of Mosaic hops with hints of pine and earthiness, accompanied by slight sulfur and diacetyl aromas.
Flavor: Fruity and hoppy with minimal bitterness, possibly due to the use of aromatic extracts. Presence of malt sweetness, possibly indicating incomplete fermentation.
Mouthfeel: Medium-heavy, possibly from residual malt extract.
Overall Impression: Despite potential fermentation issues and unclear instructions, the beer exhibits desirable hop flavors with room for improvement in fermentation and clarity.

With more practice, we may get a better outcome with another kit. For this one, we’ll chalk it up to a first try.

If you’re looking to buy one, use our discount code:

BREWDUDES

Link: https://s horturl.at/mpqv0

Brew On!