Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Homebrew Jar of Destiny: The Eighth Pick

On September 27, 2023

We are coming up on the 2 year mark on this homebrewing challenge. We go back to the Jar and choose another two beer styles to brew. Let’s see what the eight pick gives us.

Are you ready for the 8th pick?

The 8th Beer Style Pick

The Jar gives us a chance to brew beer styles that we may not have brewed in the past. Chosen at random, it gives us the challenge to study up on the classic examples and plan to brew to the best of our abilities. Here are the beers you can expect from us before the end of 2023.

16D. Foreign Extra Stout

We had a stout in our seventh pick and the Jar thought it would be good to have in this round too. Here is another stout style that is a little stronger than a dry stout. It’s going to be interesting to see how we can brew this style to fit the description. The key is in the roast flavors. Mike hates coffee but he may love this beer.

21B. Specialty IPA: Belgian IPA

Mike is excited to a certain extent to brew this style. It is product of the last revision to the BJCP guidelines where the IPA category was expanded greatly. I am not sure if I have had a commercial example of a Belgian IPA but I can imagine how the hop and yeast flavors notes could work together. We’re excited to see what Mike comes up with.

If you have been following along, you know the deal. We will be back in a few months with the beers. To get caught up, check out all the posts!

Check out the First Pick and the start of it all!
Check out the Second Pick
Check out the Third Pick
Check out the Fourth Pick
Check out the Fifth Pick
Check out the Sixth Pick
Check out the Seventh Pick

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

Cheers and BREW ON!

Munich Helles – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On September 20, 2023

In Brew Log, Recipes, Style Profiles, Videos

Yes, homebrew video series that keeps going and going. We present the latest update from the Jar of Destiny, a magical journey of beer style exploration. This post is about Munich Helles, another lager style that John chose as a part of the seventh pick. See how this beer turned out as we taste and chat about it.

Munich Helles Recipe

This is a recipe for the BJCP Style 4A – Munich Helles from the Pale Malty European Lager category.

Recipe for 5 US Gallons in keg

WATER

9 gallons Spring water – 5 grams of gypsum

GRAINS

10 pounds of Dingemans Pilsner Malt (4.5 kg – 91% of the bill)
1 pound of Weyermann Light Munich Malt AKA Type 1 (0.45 kg – 9% of the bill)

HOPS

1.5 ounces (43 g) of Mittelfruh at 4% AA boiled for 75 minutes

YEAST

2 packets of Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager Yeast – 3 liter starter

PROCEDURES

Mashed at 150 °F (66 °C) for 90 minutes
Boiled for 75 minutes

Fermented for 2 weeks – started at 50°F (10° C)
— Then, brought to room temperature for 4 days at 72°F (22° C)

Cold Conditioned for 2 weeks at 34°F (1° C)
Closed transferred to another keg
Added 5 grams of gelatin dissolved in (295 ml of water to clear

RESULTS

Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 5.25%

Our Tasting Notes

We both think the color and the clarity were good. It has a strong gold color and it fits the style guideline. The aroma has present malty notes and they follow through to the flavor. The yeast really pushed the Munich malt forward and it was the most influential flavor. The hops show up in the background of the aftertaste. This beer is bolder than expected. We are expecting a lighter, more quaffable lager. This example felt too malty. To adjust, I would reduce the Munich malt in half and use a lager yeast that finishes drier than the Wyeast.

BREW ON!

Brew a Small Beer To Brew a Big Beer

By John Krochune

On September 13, 2023

In Experiments, Videos, Yeast

We all know that yeast management is key to excellent beer. It is particularly true when brewing high gravity beers like an Imperial Stout. With Mike’s pick from the Jar of Destiny Round 7, it was imperative to make a plan for a healthy pitch of yeast. See the output of step one of his plan, which was to brew a small beer. His hopes are that the yeast cake from this beer will provide a excellent fermentation of his big beer.

Nothing Like a 6.5 Gallon Starter

The Scottish Golden Ale Recipe

Mike named this beer for its color and ingredients. The malt bill will share many of the same grains as his Imperial Stout. Even though this beer is simply as yeast starter for the next one, he brewed something tasty for us to enjoy now.

Batch Size: 6.5 US gallons 24 Liters post boil

Grain Bill:

77% Golden Promise
7% Type 1 Munich
13% Carastan Malt
10% English Medium Crystal Malt

Hops:

1 ounce (28 g) of Challenger hops boiled for 60 minutes (25 IBUs)

Yeast:

1 packet of Cellar Science CALI dry yeast
1 packet of Cellar Science ENGLISH dry yeast

Water:

Spring water with minerals added to match this profile

Calcium: 75 PPM
Magnesium: 5 PPM
Sodium: 41 PPM
Sulfate: 109 PPM
Chloride: 131 PPM

Instructions:

Mash at 152°F for 45 minutes.
Mash out at 168°F for 15 minutes.
Ferment two weeks at room temperature

Results:

Starting Gravity: 1.051
Finishing Gravity: 1.013
ABV: 5%

Let’s Taste This Small Beer

The beer is malt forward with some English hop bitterness to balance it out. It will be a great Autumn drinker, pairing well with cooler nights.

Again, the point is to brew a small beer to produce a large mass of yeast. This large mass will be up to the task to fermenting a high gravity Imperial Stout. In a few weeks, we should have the final results of this plan.

BREW ON!

Summer Saison – Recipe and Review

By John Krochune

On September 6, 2023

In Ingredients, Recipes, Videos, Yeast

The last days of Summer are upon us. Mike keeps the hot days going by brewing a Saison. This farmhouse style is known for performing well in warmer than usual fermentation temperatures. For this beer, Mike brings a few experiments to the recipe to keep it interesting. See what special ingredients he used and our Summer Saison tasting notes in this video:

Summer Saison Recipe

Let’s check out what went into this beer!

This recipe is for a 3.5 US Gallons (13.2 L) post boil volume recipe.

Grain Bill/Fermentables

72% Pilsner malt
15% Spelt
6% Flaked oats
6% Table sugar

Hops

Targeting 30 IBUs
1 ounce (28 g) of Sterling hops added at 60 minutes to go in the boil
1.5 ounces (42 g) Sterling hops added at 10 minutes to go in the boil

Yeast

1 packet of CellarScience SAISON Dry Yeast

Water

Distilled water with additions for this profile:
Calcium: 75 ppm
Magnesium: 5 ppm
Sodium: 41 ppm
Sulfate: 109 ppm
Chloride: 131 ppm

Instructions

Mash at 149°F for 50 minutes, then ramp up to 168°F for 15 minutes
Boil for 60 minutes
Cool the wort and pitch the yeast
Ferment at 70-74°F for 2-3 weeks
Bottle or keg and carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO2

Details

Original Gravity: 1.066
Final Gravity: 1.004
ABV: 8%

Our Review

This beer delivers on the key notes for a saison. It has a citrusy, lemon flavor along with a spicy, herby aroma. The body is light and the finish is dry. We couldn’t tell if the spelt grain brought any different flavor notes, but the CellarScience yeast is a winner. It brought out many of the yeast-derived flavors we were looking for and we were happy with its performance.

We recommend you try out this dry yeast if you’re looking to brew a summer saison soon or anytime.

BREW ON!

Adeena Hops SMaSH Review and Tasting

By John Krochune

On August 30, 2023

In Experiments, Hops, Videos

We brewed a SMaSH beer with Adeena hops. They are supplied by Yakima Valley Hops and are another variety from New Zealand. This hop supposedly has more Noble hop characters so we put it to the test. Check out our review and tasting in this video.

The SMaSH Beer Process

Our Adeena SMaSH beer was a one-gallon batch, a format we often use for these experiments. We combined two pounds of 2-row pale malt, two gallons of water, and, of course, the star of the show, an ounce (28 g) of Adeena hops.

For our Adeena MaSH beer, we followed a slightly different process. We added seven grams of pellets at the beginning of a 60-minute boil to extract some bitterness. This choice was influenced by the hop’s alpha acid content. It was around 6%.

Later in the boil, around the 15-minute mark, we tossed in an additional three grams for a little extra flavor kick. But the real twist came during the hop stand. After cooling the wort to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius), we let it steep with Adeena Hops for 10 minutes, allowing those delightful flavors to infuse.

On the third day of fermentation, we added another eight grams of Adeena Hops for dry hopping. After a total fermentation time of seven days, our beer has been patiently carbonating in the keg for two days.

Adeena Hops SMaSH Beer Thoughts

Mike described the aroma as having muted grapefruit notes, like overripe or dried-out grapefruit with a hint of pith. He also detected some citrus zest and a touch of dry lime peel.

On the palate, it was all about citrus, predominantly grapefruit. The bitterness was there, but it wasn’t a harsh or aggressive bitterness; it was more like a resinous, almost pine-like bitterness.

In our discussion, we talked about the potential applications for Adeena hops. While they may not be the classic Noble hop variety, they certainly have their place in different beer styles. We thought they could work well in a West Coast IPA, particularly when combined with other hops like some of the “C” hops.

For lager styles, we considered Adeena Hops as an option but not as a direct substitute. They have more of an American flavor profile, leaning towards citrus and away from traditional Noble characteristics.

Thanks to Yakima Valley Hops. BREW ON!