Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Imperial Stout With Cocoa – Recipe and First Tasting

On December 8, 2021

At the end of 2020, I wanted to brew a really big beer. When I state, “big”, I mean, a beer high in of alcohol content. I had tried to brew these kinds of beers in the past but had a hard time hitting my target starting gravity.

The main roadblock I ran into when brewing these beer was the size of the grain bill. Not necessarily the number of grains, but the overall weight of the bill. My homebrewing system wasn’t large enough to mash the grains. Thankfully, with advice from our audience and some extra planning, I was able to tackle it this time around.

With a notion of cleaning out my fridge of leftover grains and a bag of black cocoa powder supplied by Olive Nation, I was ready to brew. This post showcases the recipe and the first tasting of this beer after it conditioned in the bottle for about a year.

Always Dark Before The Dawn Imperial Stout Recipe

Grain Bill

This first part has all the base grains:

7.5 pounds of Great Western Premium Two Row Malt – 3.4 kg – 31% of bill
6.5 pounds of Stone Path Gold Ale Malt – 2.9 kg – 27% of bill
5 pounds of Rahr Standard 2-Row Malt – 2.3 kg – 21% of bill

This second part has all the specialty grains:

2 pounds of Flaked Barley – 0.9 kg – 8% of bill
.625 pounds of Caramel 120° Malt – 283 g – 2% of bill
.5 pounds of Roasted Barley – 226 g – 2% of bill
.5 pounds of Carahell Malt – 226 g – 2% of bill
.5 pounds of Chocolate Malt – 226 g – 2% of bill
.5 pounds of Caramel 40°L Malt – 226 g – 2% of bill
.3125 pounds of Caramel 60°L Malt – 142 g – 1% of bill
.25 pounds of Barke Munich Malt – 113 g – 1% of bill

Hops

1.5 ounces – 43 g – Cascade hops – 6.1% AA – 90 minutes to go in the boil
1.5 ounces – 43 g – Centennial hops – 9.5% AA – 90 minutes to go in the boil
2 ounces – 56g – Cascade hops – 6.1% AA – 20 minutes to go in the boil

Water

Filtered tap water

Yeast

SafAle US-05 American Ale Yeast – pitched from a previously brewed beer

Mash Schedule

All base grains were mashed overnight – starting mash temperature was 150°F/66°C in my 10 gallon orange beverage cooler (6 US gallons/22.7 liters of water)

The special grains were steeped for 90 minutes in 2.5 US gallons/ 9.5 liters of water)

Collected enough wort for a 7.5 gallon boil size (28.4 liters)

Fermentation

Fermented for 2 weeks at 68°F/20°C

Secondary Conditioning

Racked to a secondary fermentor with .5 pounds (226 g) of black cocoa powder and let it sit for another 2 weeks

Bottling

Bottled with Lallemand’s CBC-1 yeast along with 115 grams of corn sugar for bottle carbonation and conditioning

Outcomes

Starting gravity: 1.100

Final gravity: 1.025

%ABV: 9.84%

First Tasting Notes

This beer tasted like a big beer with lots of dark fruit notes. Mike liked the chocolate graham cracker aroma. Along with the fruit, there was a strong milk chocolate taste along with caramel malt flavors.

The color was the darkest brown you could imagine. With more roasted barley, we would have had a black color. I was trying to get the color I wanted with the black cocoa addition, but it didn’t have as strong of an influence.

If I were to do this again, I would triple the amount of the roasted barley and I would choose one caramel malt. It’s not really an Imperial Stout – more like an Imperial Nut Brown Ale with Cocoa. I think this beer will continue to improve over the years and I can’t wait to drink it again in late 2022.

BREW ON!

Fermentis SafCider AC-4 Review

By John Krochune

On December 1, 2021

In Videos, Yeast

As Brew Dudes, we don’t just brew beer. Oh yes, we dabble with other fermented beverages. We have made cider in the past since it’s enjoyable and many people we know really like it. It’s also very easy to make. The time needed to start a cider fermentation seems rather small when comparing it to brewing beer.

With that said, we have made good ciders before but I can’t say we’ve made excellent ciders. Since it’s so simple, there aren’t many levers to pull to improve the product. One of the biggest factors is the choice of yeast strain. Your cider’s quality is largely dependent on a yeast that produces a great cider product.

We’ve used beer and wine yeast in the past with mixed results. When I saw that there were dry yeast strains that were specifically manufactured to be used to make cider, I bought a packet. Here’s our take on how Fermentis SafCider AC-4 yeast performed for our latest cider adventure.

Best cider ever

The Cider Journey

In the early days of Brew Dudes, we made were interested in making ciders since we had the equipment and knew it was easy. Well, it was easy as long as you didn’t press the apples. We did that once. Once.

We brewed different kinds -some fortified with extra sugar, some with added fruits. As we made more cider, we learned more about the process and the product. We honed in getting the right juice and using the best yeast.

The search for good juice came from going to different apple orchards that made great blended pressed juices. We chose Cider Hill Farms for our juice of choice. The yeast was harder to choose. We tried many different strain and even posted our own cider yeast strain comparison.

Even with our investigation, we felt like we were placing a square peg in a round hole. We wanted to use strains made for cider.

Our Thoughts on AC-4

Finding dry yeast strains at our preferred local homebrew shop spurred our interest in making cider again. Looking through the different strains Fermentis offered, we chose the AC-4, which claimed on the packet that it produced “fresh and crisp” ciders. That description sounded like the cider I wanted to make.

We have to say, the strain didn’t disappoint. The apple aroma was strong and pleasant. The flavor definitely matched the packet’s statement. The acidity of the cider was just right along with the crispness in the finish. It captured the essence of the apple without being too sweet.

It is not hyperbole to state that this is the best cider we have ever made. If you haven’t had luck with making cider in the past, pick up a packet of Fermentis SafCider yeast. You will be glad you did.

Brew ON!

2021 Harvest Ale – Chinook Hops & Verdant IPA Yeast

By John Krochune

On November 24, 2021

In Recipes, Videos, Yeast

It’s that time of year again. We take our homegrown hops, formulate a recipe, and brew it up. If you caught our live stream back on November 6th on YouTube, you saw us brew it. Let’s see how the 2021 Brew Dudes Harvest Ale turned out.

Happy harvest ale!

This Year’s Harvest Ale Recipe

Every year is a little different but we always use homegrown hops in our Harvest Ales. Here is the 2021 recipe:

Boil Size: 6.5 US Gallons 0r 24.6 Liters

Grain Bill

83% Rahr Pale Malt – 10 pounds or 4.5 kilograms
8% Special Roast Malt – 1 pound or .45 kilograms
4% Rahr White Wheat Malt – 0.5 pounds or .22 kilograms
4% Faucett Oat Malt – 0.5 pounds or .22 kilograms

Hops

All the hops used in this recipe were grown in my backyard and are of the Chinook variety

2.5 ounces or 71 grams – added as a First Wort Hop
2.5 ounces or 71 grams – added at 20 minutes to go in the boil
2 ounces or 57 grams – added at 2 minutes to go in the boil

Estimating 11% Alpha Acid content of these hops, that’s 77 Alpha Acid Units (AAU) peeps

Yeast

1 packet of Lalbrew Verdant IPA yeast

Extra Stuff

Campden tablet – added to the water before the boil

Whirlfloc tablet – added with 15 minutes to go in the boil

Notes and Stats

Mashed at 150° F or 66° C for 60 minutes
Fermented at 68°F or 20° C for 2 weeks

Starting Gravity – 1.051
Final Gravity – 1.011
Estimated ABV – 5.25%

How Did It Taste?

The beer appears pale amber in the glass with citrus pithy aromas. I was hoping I would get some peach notes in there but it was all my imagination. The flavor follows through with a strong grapefruit impression tied with a piney, resiny aftertaste.

The mouthfeel has this essence – it comes off as medium full, but it’s more of this softness coming from the specialty malts and the yeast which really sets it apart from other Harvest ales I have brewed.

The 2021 version is good. I think may have liked last year’s beer more. I am really glad I used the Verdant yeast. It really produced a nice American Pale Ale.

BREW ON!

The Pros & Cons of Using IBUs In Modern Brewing

By John Krochune

On November 17, 2021

In General, Videos

In this post, we discuss International Bittering Units, also known as IBUs. We let Mike talk about what they are and what they are trying to calculate. We also wonder if how much importance they have in today’s beer brewing culture. So, strap in – here’s Mike IBU rant.

What Are IBUs Anyway?

Mike starts off by defining what the unit measures. Each bittering unit is a milligrams per liter of isomerized alpha acids from the hops used in brewing the beer. The creation of this unit of measure is an attempt to quantify the bitterness in beers. It’s nice to have a number for a sense of bitterness but the number depends on calculations of utilization.

The Complication Of The Calculations

As Mike states, it’s taking the number of alpha acid units times the amount of utilization. The first part of that equation, the alpha acid units, is easy to figure out. It’s the amount of hops by weight in your recipe multiplied by the percent of alpha acids (%AA) reported in the hops in your recipe. The utilization part of the equation is not as simple. That part is estimating how quickly the alpha acids in the hops will isomerize and it based on factors like:

Weight of Hops Added to the Boil
The Amount of Time The Hops Are Boiled
The Density of the Wort

Mike says there are other factors that can alter utilization including protein content in the wort, mineral profile of the water, and the true alpha acid percentage of the hops.

So, although it’s nice to have a number, it’s hard to know how helpful that number is.

The Modern Day Brewing Process

With all of the hazy IPAs we’re brewing, we homebrewers still calculate IBUs. Does that make sense? Many times, I don’t add any hops to the boil at all. How can I calculate the IBUs in my beer if the hops haven’t isomerized? Since the utilization of alpha acids is not part of many beers, IBUs can’t be calculated. Therefore, IBUs just aren’t a thing for many beers. Mike rants that they aren’t a thing for hard seltzers either.

Maybe Just Report Alpha Acid Units

With these Brew Dudes recipes, we will make a concerted effort to report out on the alpha acid units (AAU) of our recipes. To us, that makes the most sense for your replication. Even if we don’t have the AAU number for you, you can still calculate it based on the amounts we publish in our recipes.

Hope that helps – let us know what you think of IBUs!

Brew on!

Brew Dudes Homebrew Swap – Exchange #44

By John Krochune

On November 10, 2021

In Homebrew Club, Videos

We brew beer at home. You do too. Sometimes, we share our beer. We’ve done this 44 times on the old blog/vlog. Check out the latest homebrew swap – exchange number 44 – where we talk about a classic lager style.

6 months of lagering is looking good.

Märzen From Uxbridge

Scott, who lives in our home state of Massachusetts, dropped off beer for us to taste. Since Mike brewed a Märzen, we thought we would taste another example.

This beer is based on the recipe found in the Brewing Classic Styles book. If you don’t have that book yet, get it. It’s a good place to start for any beer style recipe.

The grain bill is a combination of Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malts. These malts bring the flavor backbone needed for the style.

The German hops brings a floral spiciness that balanced out the malt flavors from the grains.

Scott used well water which made for a clean brew. He did not adjust his water chemistry at all and the outcome was a fine example of the Märzen style.

The only note we had on it was the bitterness of the hops could have been increased a bit. When you lager beers for months, the hop profile may mellow. Adding more hops at the beginning of the boil could help protect against this effect.

Thanks for the beer, Scott. Brew on!