Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

German Style Weissbier Tips

On August 7, 2019

Mike brewed this beer that we used to called Hefeweizen. Now, if you look at the official BJCP category, it’s known as German Style Weissbier. Mike and I have had some Hefeweizens in our time. We have enjoyed them on summer afternoons at a German style restaurant and brewed them from time to time. We taste his recent version of the beer and talk about how to brew them well.

Here Are The Tips

Use a grain bill that showcases the wheat (50% of base malt)
Use a proper Hefeweizen yeast strain
German hops are standard for the style. Use them!
Dial in your fermentation temperature – different temperatures produce different flavors in the beer
You can add a step in your mash schedule to aid in the hydrolysis of ferulic acid which the yeast use to make clove-like flavor

However you like it, add a hefe to your brew schedule in the summer months and you won’t be sorry.

BREW ON!

Removing Chlorine In Water Using Campden Tablets

By John Krochune

On July 25, 2019

In Experiments, Videos

Mike thinks his tap water has a lot of chlorine aroma and flavor in it. Since I live a block away from him, that means my tap water has it too. Let’s learn from this video about how one can combat this issue by adding a Campden tablet to the water.

Some People Are More Sensitive To It

So Mike set up a triangle test with three glasses of water. Two of them were plain tap water out of his faucet with one of them treated with a Campden tablet.

I tried but I could not taste or smell the difference between the regular water and the treated water.

Mike says he smelled a noticeable chlorine scent out of his tap recently. Because of this recent occurrence, he has started to treat all the tap water he uses in his brewing with a Campden tablet.

The one thing I learned from Mike is that the tablet treats the water as soon as it is added which is great.

Treat your water and Brew ON!

Brew Session – Water Adjustments For The Mash

By John Krochune

On July 18, 2019

In Brew Log, Videos

On a hot summer afternoon, Mike takes us through his mash process and how he adjusts his water specifically for this part of the brewing process. Watch this video to learn more how you can make water chemistry adjustments for the mash to improve your homebrewed beer.

What Did Mike Teach Us?

He taught what he does with his system. Here are some things I picked up.

He treated all of his water at the same time
He added Campden tablets and made sure he crushed it up well
He measured his salts and added those to the water
He uses the Bru’n Water spreadsheet to calculate his mash pH
He adds lactic acid to the water based on what the sheet says

We hope that Mike’s process can help you with your process. Brew on!

Cashmere Hops Aroma And Flavor Profile

By John Krochune

On July 11, 2019

In General, Hops, Videos

As we do, we like to brew up one gallon batches of simple beer. We use one malt and one hop variety – they are known as SMaSH beers. For this post, we brewed one of these types of beers using Cashmere hops. Here’s a video with our thoughts about this variety’s aroma and flavor.

Final Thoughts

This hop has a strong lime flavor. Mike picked up some green grape flavor or maybe some blueberry flesh taste. The herbal undertone was present as well.

I think it would be a good single hop for a summer ale like a lawnmower beer. Mike thinks this that Cashmere hops would pair well with Ekuanot or El Dorado hops.

Mike also thought it maybe a good hop to use in a shandy or a radler.

Check them out – BREW ON!

2019 Homebrew Con

By John Krochune

On July 3, 2019

In Festivals, Videos

These Brew Dudes are fresh from Homebrew Con 2019 and have some things to say about it. The conference took place in Providence, RI this year which was the first time in 28 years it was held in a New England state. Since it was our first time, we talk about what we learned from the experience.

What Did We Learn?

Here are the top three things we got out of going to Homebrew Con.

# 1 – You Get a Ton of Free Stuff

The exhibition hall is full of vendors set up to give out complimentary items. The haul we brought back was comparable to the conference ticket in terms of monetary value. If you are looking for a good ROI, Homebrew Con is top notch.

#2 – The Sessions Are Great

I learned so much from some of the sessions, especially the ones that were about historical brew styles. The panel parts were ok but the sessions that examined techniques or the history of beer were top notch.

#3 – The Tribe

There’s something to be said about being with your people. Yeah, the majority of us were strangers but it was awesome to strike up a conversation with someone who you didn’t know but understood you had some common ground. I learned a lot from just talking to other homebrewers from around the country and it rejuvenated my interest in the hobby.

That’s it. If you went to Homebrew Con 2019, let us know. Hopefully we saw each other. If not, let’s share a beer at the next one.

Brew On!