Sometimes you think you know a hop, and then it surprises you. That’s exactly what happened when Mike and I finally brewed up a SMaSH (Single Malt And Single Hop) beer with Simcoe hops. We’d somehow skipped over it in our series even though we’ve used Simcoe in many IPAs over the years. Thanks to a few viewers who called us out (you know who you are), we circled back and gave this classic hop its own spotlight.
It’s about time!
Simcoe Hops SMaSH Beer Recipe
As always with our SMASH experiments, we kept it simple so the hop could shine on its own. Here’s how we brewed it:
Batch Size: 1 gallon Malt: 2 lbs Pale Malt Water Volume: 2 gallons Hops: 1 oz (28g) of Simcoe hops
3.5g @ 60 minutes (bittering addition) 17.5g @ whirlpool (10 minutes at 180°F) 7g dry hop (after cold crashing for a day)
We fermented as usual and gave it a quick crash before packaging.
The Tasting Notes
Well, Mike was surprised and pleasantly so. He expected Simcoe to be more resinous, dank, maybe even a little diesel-y. Those West Coast IPAs from 10 – 15 years ago had those flavors.
What we got instead was a subtle, sweet, fruity character. The aroma had a muted, candied pineapple vibe. It was like dried pineapple or a pineapple hard candy. On the flavor side, there were hints of underripe white peach and citrus peel, but nothing overly sharp or tart. Just a nice, mellow profile with soft bitterness and a really clean finish.
This particular lot (2024 harvest from Yakima Valley Hops, 14.4% AA) felt more refined than we remember. It makes me think this hop really shines when used as a late addition or dry hop. It’s less of a bittering workhorse and more as a flavor booster.
We would use it again – We’re putting it it on our list of go-to hops for building a balanced IPA base.
Every year around St. Patrick’s Day, Mike throws a big family meal at his house with corned beef, cabbage, and other Irish-American foods. Of course, he is in charge of the beer. For 2025, he decided to brew two classic Irish styles: a red ale and a stout. What made this year different was trying to take a single base recipe and branch it off into two different beers. Let’s see how his plan turned out.
Irish Beers – the 2025 edition
One Base Recipe For Two Styles
At the core each recipe was Maris Otter and flaked barley, and using Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast.
2025 Irish Red Ale
Grains: Maris Otter – 85% Flaked Barley – 11% Extra Special Malt (130°L) – 3% Roasted Barley – 1.5%
Hops: 60-minute addition of a 50/50 blend of Bramling Cross and East Kent Goldings
Yeast: Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale Yeast
Process and Outcomes: Mash at 147°F to 152°F over 40 minutes, mash out at 168°F for 20 minutes
Original Gravity: 1.052 Final Gravity: 1.012 ABV: 5.25%
2025 Irish Stout (Chocolate-Malt Variant)
Grains: Maris Otter – 73% Flaked Barley – 11% Dark Chocolate Malt (450°L) – 10% Pale Chocolate Malt – 4% Crystal 60 – 2%
Hops: Same as above, 60-minute addition of Bramling Cross and EKG
Yeast: Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale Yeast
Process and Outcomes: Mashed at 155°F for 45 minutes, mash out at 168°F for 15 minutes
Original Gravity: 1.054 Final Gravity: 1.018 ABV: 4.7%
The 2025 Irish Beers Notes
Both beers came out nicely, though very different despite sharing some ingredients. The Irish red was smooth and malty with a firm hop presence that came through a bit more than in the stout. The flaked barley added a good mouthfeel, and the hops had a slight earthy, minty quality.
The stout was where another experiment came in. Without roasted barley, Mike was curious how much “stout character” would come from just chocolate malts. The outcome was positive. There was a distinct roastiness from the dark chocolate malt. Thankfully, it lacked the sharpness or ashy notes you get from roasted barley. It was smoother overall, which we liked.
Hopefully, there is still some on tap when we tasted the stouts from the 14th pick.
Back in September 2024, we brewed a SMaSH beer featuring Elani hops, and our evaluation of the variety was not flattering. The descriptors on the package didn’t match what ended up in our glass, and we shared our honest take.
Well, that caught the attention of Yakima Quality Hops who graciously offered to send us a fresh batch of Elani.
With multiple products in hand, we decided to give the hop variety a second shot. I crafted a full-on American Pale Ale to revisit Elani. Using a more layered malt base, we’ll see if we can tease out more of its potential.
Elani hops revisited and re-brewed.
Elani Hops APA Recipe
This time around, I brewed what we’re calling the Elani APA, using Cryo hops. The recipe is a little more complex from our typical SMaSH experiments.
Ingredients
Water: Spring water 2 grams of gypsum per gallon
Grain Bill: 85% Pilsner malt 15% Flaked barley
Hops: All Elani Cryo hops (13.6% AA) Bittering: Add enough for 60 minute boil to reach 30 IBUs Whirlpool: 5x the bittering charge at 170°F (77°C) Dry hop: 2x the bittering charge for 1 day at 40°F (4°C)
Yeast: Wyeast 1318 London Ale III
Procedures
Mash: 1 hour at 150°F Boil: 1 hour Primary Fermentation: 10 days at 72°F (22°C) Cold crash: 1 day Dry hop: 1 day
Outcomes
Original Gravity: 1.050 Final Gravity: 1.012 ABV: ~5%
Was It Worth the Rebrew?
Absolutely. This time around, the beer came out clean, bright, and surprisingly citrusy. The dominant aroma and flavor notes were lime zest with a bit of lemon. It had some soft earthiness, and a fleeting note of cucumber or even coconut flesh.
It wasn’t the tropical bomb that Elani is sometimes described. Mike and I didn’t really pick up much of the guava or pineapple that’s mentioned in the official descriptors, but the lime character was solidly present.
Compared to our first try with standard T90 pellets, this batch was worlds better. Cryo hops clearly reduced some of the vegetal harshness we got the first time. I could see Elani working nicely in a supporting role alongside hops that bring more of the tropical fruit action, or even in a blend for a New England IPA. On its own, it’s drinkable and unique—zesty without being overwhelming, and interesting enough to keep sipping.
Is there something thrilling about leaving your next homebrew up to chance?
Maybe.
These Brew Dudes let the Homebrew Jar of Destiny force us to brew styles we might not otherwise attempt. For our 14th pick, we let fate guide us once again. This time, the jar handed us two stout styles: a 15B Irish Stout for me and a 16C Tropical Stout for Mike.
We have been drinking these for many years. Now, it’s time to brew a spectacular version of one. I have brewed a couple of these in my life. They have been ok but I am up for the challenge. The true measure of success for this Jar of Destiny pick will be to impress Brew Dude Mike. If that happens, rest assured that my Irish Stout is tremendous.
Mike, on the other hand, will be tackling a Tropical Stout. It’s a style neither of us has brewed before. While Irish Stouts are dry and roasty, Tropical Stouts lean towards the sweeter side, originally brewed to suit warmer climates. Arguably an underappreciated style, Mike is diving into the guidelines to figure out how to balance the malt sweetness with just the right level of roast and body.
Wrapping It Up
So, the Jar of Destiny has spoken—stouts are on the horizon! We’ll check back in a few months when both beers are ready for tasting. Until then, we will be researching these styles. Let us know if you’ve ever brewed a Tropical Stout as Mike has asked for some pointers!,
For the other 13th pick from Jar of Destiny challenge, we tackled something truly ambitious: a Gueuze-style blended sour ale. This beer is the 2015’s BJCP category 23E, and instead of starting from scratch, I realized I already had some aged sour beers sitting in my basement.
They were waiting for destiny or, more likely, the drain. Rather than waste them, I decided to blend these older batches with a fresh, newly brewed sour ale. The result? A complex, funky, and refreshingly tart homebrew that brings together multiple layers of age, character, and wild fermentation.
Another Wild Experiment in Blending Sour Ales
The Recipe: It Blends!
To make the freshest component of this blend, I brewed a simple extract-based sour ale. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
Malt: 55% Pilsner dry malt extract, 45% wheat dry malt extract (enough to reach an OG of 1.055)
Hops: 1 oz of locally grown ornamental hops (60-minute boil)
Yeast: ½ packet of Safale US-05 (for primary fermentation) 1 packet of Lallemand WildBrew Philly Sour (for developing tartness)
Water: Spring water
Fermentation: 28 days at 75°F in a plastic bucket
Once fermented, this beer had some interesting flavors but wasn’t quite sour enough. That’s where the blending came in.
I took three parts of a three-year-old sour ale, one part of a five-year-old batch, and one part of this fresh beer to create the final blend.
This mix allowed the aged, funky, and barnyard characteristics to shine while maintaining a bit of body and malt sweetness from the new batch
Gueuze Tasting – A Complex Beer
This beer turned out to be a wild ride of flavors and aromas. Right off the pour, it had a thick, long-lasting head with insane lacing. The aroma was a mix of bready, slightly floral, and funky notes—think bagel crust, cherry blossom, and just a touch of acetic acid. Swirling it in the glass released layers of horse blanket, leather, and earthy Brett character, making it deeply complex. On the sip, the body was surprisingly soft and malty, but the acidity balanced it all out with notes of pear, cherry, and just a hint of tannin. The carbonation was cranked up to match classic Gueuze effervescence, which really helped to lift the aromas.
This experiment was, thankfully, a success. If you have the patience (and space) to age sour beers, blending them into something new is an incredibly rewarding experience. If nothing else, it’s a great excuse to keep wild beers on hand and see what time does to them. Stay tuned for our next Jar of Destiny pick—who knows what we’ll brew next!
