Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

2020 Homegrown Hops Update

On August 26, 2020

We received a few messages from people who wanted an update on our homegrown hops so we put this video together to provide an update on our 2020 adventures.

How Goes The Grows?

Well, 2020 has been a different year in so many ways. For where we live, we had a very dry spring and summer so we have had to deal with moderate drought conditions for the past 4 months.

The Chinook bines featured in this video were planted in 2015 and they have produced a lot of cones this year. Comparing to 2019, I am estimating the cone yield will be 20% less. The plant climbs up thin rope that is attached to a south facing corner of my house. I have found that this location has been the best for all the hops I have grown over the last 11 years.

I will be harvesting these hops in the next few days. We are planning to get them tested for alpha acid content for fun. I have cones from last years harvest in my freezer so I will get those tested as well. We brewed a tasty beer last year using my homegrown hops so I am hoping to brew another one of those this fall.

If you grow hops, I wish you a great harvest.

BREW ON!

Low ABV NEIPA Take 2

By John Krochune

On August 19, 2020

In Brew Log, Style Profiles, Videos

Mike’s brother-in-law request for a low alcohol by volume (ABV) juicy hoppy beer is still open and Mike’s quest to fulfill it has taken him to brew another version of the beer we tasted a few weeks ago. So here is take 2 of this sessionable NEIPA. Let’s see what we thought of this one:

What’s Different and Is It Better?

Maybe we should start with what is the same – the grain bill. One of the main guideposts for this beer is the low ABV. So, the malts/grains are the same and in the same quantities since that part of the first beer was good.

The hops were the component he wanted to change up. He felt the last batch wasn’t juicy enough so he replaced took out the Simcoe because he felt it brought too much of a pine flavor and aroma to the beer. His replacements were El Dorado and Huell Melon (we should brew a SMaSH with this hop).

The resulting beer was a little better than the first one. When we tasted them side by side, there were some slight differences but not enough to decide if there was a huge improvement. I think the Galaxy and the two “A” hops (Azacca and Amarillo) he used in the dry hopping phase of his brew still dominated the hop presence in the second beer.

Mike felt it wasn’t as juicy as he wanted it to be but that brother-in-law and his dudes crushed that beer over the weekend so who knows. Maybe there will be a third take but at this point, the mission was accomplished and the customers were happy.

BREW ON!

Brew Dudes Homebrew Swap – Exchange #40

By John Krochune

On August 12, 2020

In Homebrew Club, Videos

Sometimes we have other homebrewers want to share their beer with us. We have been doing this exchange thing for a while since, here we are, hitting our 40th swap. Check out the beer we got sent from Mark in Colorado.

A Kölsch and an NEIPA For Us

Mark sent us 3 beers but we wanted to taste these two for the channel. They were both pretty good.

The Kölsch was clear right out of the bottle. It had a strong Pilsner malt flavor and aroma. The comment we both had was that the spicy hop note needed to be turned up a bit. There were no other flaws in the flavor. Every thing was nice and clean.

The NEIPA has big notes of American “C” hops. The aroma and flavor was filled with citrus notes. We felt Mark’s technique was sound in producing this style. The hopping rates were where they should be. Other fruitier varieties would stand out if he were to brew it again.

Again, we are always grateful that anyone would want to send us a beer, let alone 3. Thanks Mark – and BREW ON!

Nelson Sauvin SMaSH Beer Tasting

By John Krochune

On August 5, 2020

In Hops, Videos

We had a viewer request for us to brew this SMaSH beer ages ago. These Brew Dudes had some knowledge of the hop. It didn’t blow us away in our previous adventures, but we do like to satisfy requests. Here’s our video discussing our Nelson Sauvin SMaSH Beer.

What Did We Think?

Well, this hop lived up to its hype about all the white wine flavors and aromas that are used in the descriptors. It really paired nicely with the 2-row malt and provided a very nice white grape flavor to the beer. Because I used these hops late in the brewing process, the bitterness was muted. This particular pouch was listed at 11.1% Alpha Acids so I didn’t want to add any to the beginning of the boil. I think that brought an outstanding quality to the beer.

Mike was knocked out by the smooth bitterness of the beer (smooth bitterness also being a descriptor). The finish on the beer was transcendent. It was something really special and we were surprised by that outcome.

Check out this hop when you get a chance. From what we read in the comments, a heavy dose of these hops may be a bad thing. It seems a lighter touch really brought the best out of Nelson Sauvin hops.

BREW ON!

Another 3 Years of Sour Beers – Blending Strategy

By John Krochune

On July 29, 2020

In Brew Log, Videos

Back in 2014, I started brewing Lambic style sour beers and had a plan to brew the same beer on the same day for 3 years in a row. In the summer of 2017, we tasted all three beers and then made up a blending plan. Then, I started the whole process again – starting in 2017. Well, here we are in 2020 and now I have 3 years of beers again. Let’s taste what I have and see what the strategy is to blend these lots.

How Did They Turn Out This Time?

I brought over samples of the 3 beers to Mike’s driveway and we tasted them. The oldest, the 3 year old, was the best of the bunch. The other two seemed to need more time in the fermentor, which may be a good thing since I will need more bugs for the beer to carbonate in the bottle and continue to age over the years.

I think the plan is to use most of the 3 year old beer with some additions from the other two. Then, I am going to do some combination of the other two and maybe add another shot of Brett to them so that they ferment more. The body on the other two is a bit full and they would be better off with some more bulk fermentation time.

I should have some bottles ready for tasting in a few weeks and we’ll compare it to the 2017 version.

BREW ON!