Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Homegrown Hops Test Results

On September 30, 2020

In a time when testing seems to be very important, it made sense to me to get my Chinook hops analyzed to understand some elements about them that are important to know for brewing purposes. Learn more about the steps I took to get my hops tested and the results of the test.

What Were The Steps I Followed

The first thing I needed to do was to find a place where I could send my hops to get tested. There are a few different ones that I found after a couple of Google searches. The one I settled on was the The University of Vermont’s Extension. It was the closest one to my house. It was important for me to get my sample to the lab as soon as possible without breaking the bank on shipping costs.
Once I selected the place, I read all the information they provided to make sure my sample followed all of their guidelines to ensure I wasn’t wasting my money or hops. For the analysis of my hops, they needed a least 100 grams, preferably packaged in vacuum sealed bags.
The lab recommended overnight shipping but I passed on that. I was able to get it delivered to them in a few days.
Lastly, the tests aren’t free and I am pretty sure you have to be a silly dude who has been running a blog for over 13 years to justify the cost. That said, if you think knowledge about your home grown hops is worth 30 bucks, maybe you don’t need to be exactly like me.

Results Of The Test

Here’s what the lab gave me:

Alpha Acid – 11.2%

Beta Acid – 3.1 %

Hop Storage Index (HSI) – 0.241%

The AA% is a little lower than the typical range for the Chinook variety but the Beta Acid percentage is on point. The HSI I don’t know too much about except from what I have read. From MSU Extension: The HSI is a measure of the degradation of alpha and beta acids during storage and handling of hops. Also, HSI levels below 0.30 are an indication of good quality hops. Now, for me, I would probably need to test my hops again to see if the HSI increased. Well, I brewed with them before any more tests were made.

I am not sure I will get my hops tested again but I did find it interesting to finally understand a few of the important components of my home grown hops.

BREW ON!

Phenols in Contaminated Homebrewed Beer

By John Krochune

On September 23, 2020

In Brew Log, Videos

Sometimes even the most experienced homebrewer brews a batch that gets contaminated somewhere in the process. Mike presents this Best Bitter that had such wonderful potential but well, it turned out not so good. In this video, we discuss the recipe and the contamination which caused phenols in the finished beer.

Hey, Wha’ Happened?

Dude, Mike’s recipe sounded great. He’s been brewing English ale styles for over 20 years. They are tasty. It was a disappointment to take a sip of that beer and taste the phenols.

Mike thinks that the cause of the contamination came from his process of transferring the cooled wort onto the yeast cake of the stout he just brewed in this video (the one brewed with the British yeast). Before he brews again, he’s going to do a prolonged soaking/cleaning with Powdered Brewery Wash and sanitize with Iodophor. He thinks that changing up the sanitizer from the one he usually uses (StarSan) will give him the chance to minimize the issue. Using a different sanitizer tends to take care of issues that may be getting around your typical one.

I think this video should serve as a lesson to us all. Don’t take cleaning and sanitizing lightly. When you get lax, you could end up pouring a beer down the drain. It’s not the end of the world but the mistake can sting for a bit. It’s all a part of the homebrewing practice.

Brew On!

Citra LUPOMAX SMaSH Beer Review

By John Krochune

On September 16, 2020

In Hops, Videos

We got a bunch of hops from Yakima Valley Hops, which included their new product called LUPOMAX. From their website, they state that it is a “new concentrated pellet that is consistent, efficient, and optimized for hop flavor.” We wanted to learn more so we brewed a few SMaSH beers to compare and contrast Citra LUPOMAX with regular old Citra hop pellets. Watch this video to see what we discerned from tasting these beers:

Have a SMaSH Beer or Three

First off, let’s set the scene. Here’s the details of the 3 beers I brewed:

Citra LupoMax SMaSh Beer Challenge

Three 1 gallon batches (3.78 Liters)

2 pounds (.9kg) of pilsner malt

2 gallons (7.56L) of filtered tap water – treated with a segment from a Campden tablet

1 hour mash at 150°F (66°C)

Boiled for 1 hour

Beer #1 hops additions:

7 grams Citra hops pellets – 15 minutes to go in the boil

14 grams Citra hops pellets – Flameout

7 grams Citra hops pellets – Day 3 of fermentation

(12.8% AA)

Beer #2 hops additions:

7 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – 15 minutes to go in the boil

14 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Flameout

7 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Day 3 of fermentation

(18.5% AA)

Beer #3 hops additions:

5 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – 15 minutes to go in the boil

10 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Flameout

5 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Day 3 of fermentation

(18.5% AA)

Yeast: US-05 – Fermented for 10 days at 72°F (22°C)

Starting Gravity: 1.050

Finishing Gravity: 1.011

What Did We Learn?

As with other concentrated hop products, the LUPOMAX beers had a noticeably fresher hop presence in the aroma and flavor. We perceived the trademark Citra notes in all three beers but the LUPOMAX ones were the better in terms of showing off the citrus notes. Mike thought it was like grilled lemons.

We liked LUPOMAX and we think you should try them, especially if you are looking to brew a beer that is hop forward.

Brew ON!

Kveik vs. British Ale – Yeast Comparison

By John Krochune

On September 9, 2020

In Experiments, Videos, Yeast

What happens when you brew a stout at the high end of the temperature range? You brew another one with a Kveik strain and see how they compare. Can all yeast strains handle the same high temperature range of a Kveik strain? Well, Mike brewed two beers and fermented them both on the high end of the temperature range so we could taste them on camera. Watch this video as we dive head first into this yeast comparison:

What Did We Learn?

First and foremost, let’s give a big round of applause to me since I was able to choose the different beer in the triangle test. Aw, c’mon. I was impressed with myself.

Secondly, both yeast strains did a fine job in the 85° F/29° C. The stouts weren’t that different. I noted more roast and a lighter mouthfeel on the British strain vs. the Kveik beer. Both stouts were tasty and would be well received by anyone who likes that style. Plus, the British strain didn’t produce any fusel alcohols – at least none that cause bad headaches the next day.

Lastly, we’re going to continue to test and learn more from yeast comparisons so we’re hoping you’re along for the ride.

Brew On!

Tips on Reducing Oxidation in NEIPAs

By John Krochune

On September 2, 2020

In Style Profiles, Videos

We have received a bunch of questions regarding this topic so we gathered our thoughts and made a video response. The magic of New England India Pale Ales (NEIPAs) is the wonderful yet delicate hop aroma and flavor and it takes large amounts of hops to produce this magic.

Due to the substantial hop additions, as compared to traditional beer styles, NEIPAs are extremely susceptible to the effects of oxidation. If this type of beer comes into too much contact with air during the packaging phase, its appearance can change dramatically and its hop aroma and flavor will suffer.

Watch this video as we discuss tips to reduce oxidation in NEIPAs:

NEIPA Oxidation Reduction Tips

Keg your beer – a typical homebrewer bottling process presents many challenges to keep air out of the packaging stage. Kegging provides a easier process.
Follow a closed transfer approach – Move the beer from one CO2 filled container (the fermentor) to another completely CO2 filled container (the keg). One closed method approach is to fill your keg with a non-foaming sanitizing solution, then push the solution out of the keg using CO2 from a canister. Lastly, use the CO2 from your canister to push your beer from your fermentor to your purged keg. (We’ll explain in a video)
Keep your beer cold – After transferring, get your keg into a refrigerated space ASAP. Your beer will stay fresher longer cold

There are some “miracle cures” being tossed around out in homebrewing circles to best fight this scourge of NEIPAs. Mike discusses some of the science behind them and why they may not work. We think that the real way to reduce oxidation in your NEIPAs is to be extremely buttoned up during your packaging phase.

BREW ON!