Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Anchovy Hops SMaSH Review and Tasting

On December 13, 2023

Ok, when you name your variety after a small, oily fish, you need intrepid homebrewing beer bloggers to get to the bottom of the aroma and flavor characteristics. Do Anchovy Hops really live up to the label or is it a bit of bait and switch? Watch this video to learn the truth!

The SMaSH Beer Process

Before we get to the results, here is how we set up this experiment.

Ingredients:
2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) of 2-row raw malt
2 gallons (7.6 liters) of spring water
1 ounce (28 grams) of Anchovy hops
3 grams of US-05 Dry yeast

Procedure:
Mash the 2 pounds of 2-row raw malt with 2 gallons of water at around 150°F for one hour (Brew-in-a bag)
Transfer to kettle and boil the wort for an hour
Add Anchovy hops at different stages:

7 gram at start of the boil
7 grams at 20 minutes to go in the boil
7 grams at flameout (chilled down to 180°F and let it stand for 10 minutes)
7 grams after fermentation for a week (added into the fermentor)

Cold crash the beer after fermenting for a total of two weeks (1 week at room temperature, 1 week with additional hops).

Keg the beer for serving.

What’s The Real Deal With Anchovy Hops?

So we got this packet of Anchovy hops from Yakima Valley Hops. These were from the 2023 harvest season. They were named by the Fast Fashion Brewing Company in Seattle, The hops are an experimental variety from Seagal Ranch in Lower Yakima Valley. The commercial descriptors claim this variety has watermelon hard candy, raspberry, and pine notes.

Our notes from this beer are different:

Aroma: Lemon-like with hints of coconut and a candy-like quality.
Flavor: Lemon candy, coconut, and a subtle hint of vanilla. Some pine and pithiness noted in the aftertaste.

Tasting this beer, we think Anchovy hops are suitable for a refreshing beer on a hot summer day. Mike thinks that brewing a wheat beer or an American version of a Belgian wit with these hops would be great.

Sorry salty fish lovers, this variety is not going to mesh with your expectations.

BREW ON!

Foreign Extra Stout – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On December 6, 2023

In Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

If you haven’t been following along since late 2021, these Brew Dudes have been challenging ourselves with the Homebrew Jar of Destiny series. We pick a random beer style from a jar (some say THE Jar) and then have to brew it within a few months and share it. This one is from our Eighth pick – Say hello to the BJCP style 16D – Foreign Extra Stout.

It’s soooooo extra.

Brew Dudes Foreign Extra Stout Recipe

From the BJCP: This beer should be a very dark, moderately strong, and fairly dry stout with prominent roast flavors.

Recipe for 5 US Gallons in keg

WATER
9 gallons Spring water – 2 grams of calcium chloride

GRAINS
12.5 pounds of Crisp Maris Otter Malt (5.67 kg – 83% of the bill)
1.25 pounds of 60 °L Crystal Malt (0.57 kg – 8% of the bill)
0.75 pounds of Crisp Roasted Barley (0.45 kg – 5% of the bill)
0.25 pounds Briess Dark Chocolate Malt – 420 °L (113 g – 2% of the bill)
0.25 pounds Crisp Chocolate Malt – 350 °L (113 g – 2% of the bill)

HOPS
2.5 ounces (68 g) of Kent Goldings hops at 5.6% AA boiled for 60 minutes

YEAST
1 packet of LalBrew Nottingham Ale Yeast

PROCEDURES
Mashed at 153 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes
Boiled for 70 minutes to make sure I got that starting gravity around 1.070
Fermented for 2 weeks – started at 64 °F (18° C)

OUTCOMES
Original Gravity: 1.072
Final Gravity: 1.016
ABV: 7.35%

Tasting Notes For This Pick

To summarize the guidance for brewing this style – make a bigger (but not too big) dry stout. I think we nailed this one.

Aroma: It has a combination of roasted malt, chocolate, and graham crackers with hints of coffee.
Flavor: With our first taste, the roasted notes clearly take center stage, followed closely by a wave of decadent chocolate. The Nottingham yeast provided a clean fermentation profile, allowing the malt and hops to shine through. The bitterness of the Kent Goldings hops perfectly balances the roast and sweetness, creating a truly harmonious beer. Lastly, a very pleasant aftertaste of roasted malt and chocolate lingers on the palate.

Overall: We feel like this is a great example of the Foreign Extra Stout style. Mike gives it a strong B+

Share with us your brewing tips and let us know your ideas for this classic style.

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

2023 Harvest Ale With Homegrown Hops

By John Krochune

On November 29, 2023

In Recipes, Videos

Another autumn season brings another Harvest Ale. We go with the second picking from the Chinook bines in the backyard this time around. A few years back, we got some really great citrus flavors out of the cones. With the all the rain we got over the summer, what would the flavor and aroma profile be this year? Check out our tasting video of the 2023 Harvest Ale with homegrown hops!

How did this edition come out?

2023 Harvest Ale Recipe

We create a different grain bill each year. This edition features Red Rye Crystal malt and the Chinook hops that stayed on the bines the longest.

This recipe for 5 US Gallons in keg

WATER
9 gallons Spring water – 5 grams of gypsum

GRAINS
10 pounds of Briess Pilsner Malt (4.54 kg – 95% of the bill)
.5 pound of Simpsons Red Rye Crystal Malt (239 g – 5% of the bill)

HOPS
1.5 ounces (43 g) of Homegrown Chinook Hops – First Wort Hopping
1.5 ounces (43 g) of Homegrown Chinook Hops – 30 minutes to go in the boil
1.25 ounces (35 g) of Homegrown Chinook Hops – 2 minutes to go in the boil

YEAST
1 packet of LalBrew Verdant IPA Dry Yeast

PROCEDURES
Mashed at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes
Boiled for 60 minutes
Fermented for 2 weeks at 65°F (18° C)

OUTCOMES
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 5.64%

The Tasting Notes

The Chinook hops expressed themselves like Northern Brewer hops. The total beer experience was more like a California Common rather than a highly hopped American Pale Ale. Mike thinks the beer’s herbal and woody notes were pleasant.

The hop editions drove a good aroma and a pleasant flavor throughout. The hops experience in this beer is undeniably fresh. We did feel that this beer has a certain difference from beers brewed with store-bought hops.

Let’s raise glass to the Red Rye Crystal malt too. It brings a great color and flavor at the five percent edition.

Check out the 2022 Harvest Ale!

BREW ON!

Brew Dudes Homebrewing Gift Guide

By John Krochune

On November 22, 2023

In Equipment, General, Videos

Hey – it’s that time of year again. Time to buy gifts for that homebrewer in your life. Maybe that homebrewer is yourself. That’s pretty sweet. If you’re looking for some suggestions for gift giving, here are some ideas for the holiday season.

Gift Ideas From Us To You

Here are the top 3 homebrewing gift recommendations for the holiday season.

Our first recommendation is the Brew Bucket from SS Brew Tech. We love fermenting in stainless steel because it’s easy to clean and they feel better about it. The Brew Bucket is also easy to get in and out of, and it has a large opening that makes it easy to hose out.

Follow this link and buy a Brew Bucket!

Our second recommendation is the UKeg from PerfectDraft. This is a small, copper-looking growler with a nice tap on it. It’s perfect for traveling with your homebrew, and it makes a great conversation starter.

Follow this link and buy a UKeg

Our third recommendation is the Torpedo Mini Keg from Torpedo. This keg is a great option for homebrewers who are brewing smaller batches of beer. It’s also portable, so you can easily take it with you on the go.

Follow this link and buy a Torpedo Mini Keg.

All of the products that we recommend are great additions to any homebrewer’s collection. If you’re looking for gifts for the homebrewer in your life, be sure to check out these recommendations.

BREW ON!

Tree House Style IPA – Brewing Best Practices

By John Krochune

On November 15, 2023

In Beginner, Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

Mike has been watching other YouTube channels. I know, I can’t believe it either. He got hot tips from the Tree House Brewing Company’s channel about how to brew an IPA like they do. He took that knowledge and brewed a Tree House Style IPA that uses the holy trinity of Citra, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops. Watch this video to learn more about the best practices to mimic the beers they brewed at one of the top rated breweries in the world.

Tree House Style IPA Recipe

Here’s Mike’s take on the information he gathered from the brewery.

Water Chemistry:
50 PPM Calcium
29 PPM Sulfate
67 PPM Chloride
Targeting a 2:3 Chloride to Sulfate ratio

Grain Bill:
85% Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt
10% Flaked Oats
5% Carafoam (he substituted with Honey Malt)

Hops:
Bittering Hops: 20 IBUs of Magnum
Flavor and Aroma Hops (20 minutes in and flame out): 5 IBUs each of Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe hops
Dry Hopping (after fermentation): 7 to 15 grams per liter of Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe

Yeast:
1 packet of LalBrew Verdant IPA Dry Yeast
Cold crash after fermentation
Additional dry hopping post-fermentation (7 to 15 grams per liter)

Process:
Mash temperature: Step mashing at 147 °F, 158 °F, 168 °F, with a mash out
Fermentation temperature: 65° F for two weeks

Outcome:

Original Gravity: 1.062 (target 1070)
Final Gravity: 1.011
Alcohol content: Almost 7%

Tasting Notes

I think Mike nailed it with this one. With aromas of pine and citrus, and a hint of berry in the flavor, this IPA hit the spot. It is reminiscent of the beers you can get at Tree House. Tasting it, the descriptor of juicy came up. It has that orange/tangerine citrus profile that balances pithiness and fruit character. The source for the hops in this beer is Yakima Valley. If you’re going to brew a hoppy beer, make sure you get great hops.

I was satisfied with this brew and I hope there is more examples coming our way.

Brew On!