Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Sweet Stout – Jar of Destiny

On June 10, 2026

We are back with another Jar of Destiny beer. My pick from the 18th one was a Sweet Stout. For the challenge, I brewed a milk stout.

This beer was based on a Left Hand Milk Stout clone recipe that I found that recipe through the AHA. I modified the recipe based on my own preferences and the final beer was dark, smooth, and balanced between roasty and sweet flavor notes. Let’s get into it.

Jar of Destiny Milk Stout Recipe

This recipe is for a 5 US Gallon batch.

Water
Added Calcium Chloride/Gypsum to get PPMs in the 80 range and balanced profile.
Ca: 82 PPM
SO4: 82 PPM
Cl: 85 PPM

Grain Bill
7.0 lb (3.18 kg) Golden Promise malt – 62% of the bill
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) Simpsons Roasted Barley – 9% of the bill
0.75 lb (340 g) Briess 60° L Crystal malt – 7% of the bill
0.75 lb (340 g) Weyerman Light Munich malt – 7% of the bill
0.75 lb (340 g) Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate malt – 7% of the bill
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) Flaked Barley – 9% of the bill

Special Ingredient
1 pound (0.45 kg) of Lactose

Hops
8.5 g of Magnum hops 12.3% AA) – added at 60 minutes to go in the boil
28 g of Kent Goldings hops (5.3% AA) – added at 10 minutes to go in the boil

Yeast
1 Packet of Safale US-05

Directions:

Mashed at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes and boiled for 90 minutes, following hop schedule. Added lactose with 15 minutes to go in the boil. Ferment at 70°F (21°C) for two weeks.

Original Gravity: 1.065
Final Gravity: 1.018
ABV: 6.43%
IBU: 19
SRM: 41

Tasting Notes

Mike got more dark chocolate than coffee from this beer. He also picked up a dessert-like character. The roast character was clear, but not harsh or biting. Any more roast may have pushed it too far. The crystal malt added a pleasant caramel note. The lactose supported the malt sweetness and body.

The pale chocolate malt worked well with the roasted barley. It helped avoid an ashy roast character. The beer had a lingering semisweet chocolate chip finish. The body was medium-full, but not too heavy. It was not so sweet that one pint felt like enough. That balance was what I wanted from this batch.

Final Thoughts

This Sweet Stout came together well for the Jar of Destiny challenge. The beer had smooth roast, chocolate, caramel, and a balanced sweetness. It did not become heavy or cloying. The pale chocolate malt was a good choice for this recipe. It kept the darker flavors rounded and smooth.

The fermentation needed a little help from warmer temperatures. The extra week helped the beer finish properly. I would bottle some of this beer and let it sit for later. It has the right character for that treatment.

BREW ON!

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
Check out the Czech Dark Lager post
Check out the California Common post
Check out the American Light Lager post
Check out the Pale Kellerbier post
Check out the Belgian Pale Ale post
Check out the Trappist Single post
Check out the Classic Style Smoked Beer post
Check out the Czech Amber Lager post
Check out the Gueuze post
Check out the Irish Stout post
Check out the Tropical Stout post
Check out the Schwarzbier post
Check out the American Wheat Beer post
Check out the Cream Ale post
Check out the American Stout post
Check out the Winter Seasonal Beer post
Check out the Rauchbier post

Adventures in Attenuation – British Brown Ale

By John Krochune

On June 3, 2026

In Experiments, Recipes, Videos

Mike brewed and we tasted a British Brown Ale for this post. Mike has been thinking more about attenuation in his beers. This batch was part of that ongoing experiment.

Not a surprise, but this experiment is a part of his return to British-style brewing. These are styles he brewed often years ago and he wants to bring it back.

Specifically for this experiment, he used liquid yeast and made a starter. The result was a balanced brown ale with good drinkability.

The Recipe & Brewing Process

This beer was built around a simple British Brown Ale grain bill. Mike wanted malt character without relying on crystal malt.

Batch Size: 3.5 US gallons

Water Profile:
Mike used a 50/50 mix of spring water and our tap water.
Calcium: 70 ppm
Magnesium: 9 ppm
Sodium: 58 ppm
Sulfate: 123 ppm
Chloride: 135 ppm
Bicarbonate: small amount from mixed water

Grain Bill:
72% Pale malt
16% Light Munich malt
8% Viking Cookie malt
4% American chocolate malt

Hops:
UK Goldings
Single 60-minute addition
About 43 IBUs

Yeast:
Wyeast 1318 London Ale III
2 liter starter

Mash:
152°F for 90 minutes

Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.012
Attenuation: 75%
ABV: About 5%

Our Notes

The beer poured dark amber to brown with ruby highlights. It had an off-white head and medium-light carbonation. The aroma had toasted bread, biscuit, and brown bread notes. The Viking Cookie malt seemed to drive much of that character.

In the flavor, we picked up toasted biscuit, bread crust, and earthy UK Goldings. The hop character was firm but not harsh. Mike wanted enough bitterness to keep the specialty malt from taking over. That balance worked well in this beer. The body was medium-light, which fit the drier finish. The beer still had enough malt character to feel complete.

Conclusion

This British Brown Ale worked well as both a recipe and attenuation experiment. The London Ale III yeast reached 75% attenuation. which matched the high end of its listed range.

The beer finished dry, balanced, and very drinkable. It had enough malt depth without using crystal malt. Mike may use Special Roast next time instead of Cookie malt. He may also test crystal malt again in future batches. For this version, the American chocolate malt and Munich worked well together. The beer felt like one of Mike’s best brown ales in a long time.

BREW ON!

Craft A Brew Stone Pale Ale Kit – Grain to Glass

By John Krochune

On May 27, 2026

In All Grain, Beginner, Videos

We headed out on a rainy brew day to make a full grain-to-glass video featuring a Stone Pale Ale kit from Craft a Brew. The weather was miserable, but the brewing setup made things easy. The kit was created in partnership with Stone Brewing and included pre-measured ingredients, detailed instructions, and clearly labeled hop additions. That simplicity made the brew day move quickly, especially with the hops already portioned for each stage.

The Recipe & Brewing Process

Let’s go through the recipe!

Stone Pale Ale Clone Recipe

Batch Size: 5 gallons

Grain Bill:

8 lb 5 oz Briess Two Row Malt
1 lb 2 oz Briess Munich Malt
1 lb Briess Caramel 60L
4 oz Briess Caramel 80L

Hops:

0.75 oz Columbus at 60 minutes
1.4 oz Ahtanum at 10 minutes
2.2 oz Ahtanum at flameout

Yeast:

Imperial Yeast A07 Flagship

Water Additions:

Spring water
4 to 5 grams gypsum
1 Whirlfloc tablet at 15 minutes

Fermentation:

Fermented about 10 days at 65°F
Cold crashed for 2 days
Kegged and carbonated for 3 days

Stats:

Original Gravity: 1.056
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 5.4%

The finished beer poured a deep golden copper color with a persistent foamy head. The aroma had some candied orange peel, light peach character, and noticeable malt richness. The flavor leaned malt forward, but still finished fairly dry thanks to the yeast performance. Mike thought the bitterness could have been pushed even further to better match the aggressive bitterness people usually expect from older Stone beers. I actually liked the smoother balance and long lingering bitterness.

Final Thoughts

This kit really captured the old school homebrewing experience. Everything arrived neatly packaged and clearly labeled, making the brew day simple and enjoyable. The pre-measured hops especially removed a lot of the hassle from timing additions. The finished beer had a rich malt backbone, pleasant hop character, and a clean dry finish that made it very drinkable. It also fermented quickly and was ready much sooner than the suggested timeline. Overall, it was a fun project and a nice reminder that brewing kits can still produce excellent beer without overcomplicating the process.

Use code: THEBREWDUDES for 20% off ingredients.

Brew ON!

Hallertau Blanc SMaSH Beer Review & Tasting

By John Krochune

On May 20, 2026

In Hops, Videos

We brewed another SMASH beer to figure out what Hallertau Blanc hops bring to a beer. This German hop variety was released in 2012 from the Hop Research Center and is known for white wine characteristics.

For this batch, we kept things simple with a single malt and a single hop. The goal was to isolate the hop character and really understand what Hallertau Blanc contributes in aroma and flavor. We also wanted to see how it compared to other modern hop varieties that lean heavily tropical or citrus-forward.

Hallertau Blanc SMaSH Beer Brewing Process

This was a one gallon SMASH beer using two row malt from Rahr and Hallertau Blanc hops throughout the boil and dry hop schedule.

Recipe

Batch Size:
1 gallon

Water:
2 US gallons of Spring water

Grain Bill:
2 pounds of Rahr 2-Row Malt

Hop Schedule:
Hallertau Blanc hops, 1 ounce total (28 grams)

7 grams at 60 minutes
7 grams at 15 minutes
7 grams at flameout
7 grams dry hop after chilling

Yeast:
3 grams of Safale US-05 dry yeast

What Did We Think?

The aroma immediately gave us white grape and bubble gum notes with some lime-like citrus characteristics. Mike also picked up lychee qualities while I noticed more white wine character as the beer warmed in the glass.

Flavor-wise, the beer leaned bright and crisp with lemon, white grape, citrus rind, and lime zest flavors. The hop had a lighter body and clean finish that worked really well with the pale malt backbone. We also agreed there was a lemongrass quality that sat somewhere between lemon and lime.

Yakima Valley Hops describes Hallertau Blanc as having aromas of white grape, cassis, lemongrass, and grapefruit with a distinctive white wine character. After tasting this beer, we thought the white grape and lemongrass descriptions were especially accurate.

We talked about possible applications for this hop and thought it would work very well in lighter beers. Pilsner-like beers, American wheat beers, and New England Pale Ales all seemed like strong options. We also thought blending it with Citra or tropical New England IPA hops could add an interesting white grape dimension.

In Conclusion, We Conclude

Hallertau Blanc turned out to be a really interesting modern German hop variety. It delivers bright citrus character while adding unique white wine and white grape qualities that stand apart from typical tropical hops.

This hop feels especially suited for lighter-bodied beers where its delicate flavors can shine through cleanly. It also seems like a great blending hop for New England styles where brewers want to add more complexity beyond standard tropical fruit flavors.

Brew ON!

Pale Ale Dry Hopping In Keg Experiment

By John Krochune

On May 13, 2026

In Experiments, Recipes, Videos

In this episode, Mike poured an American Pale Ale and walked through a dry hopping experiment using corny kegs. The beer was brewed as a seasonal pale ale with a focus on hop expression and fermentation performance. Mike wanted to test whether loose dry hops inside a keg fermenter could improve hop character without clogging the dip tube.

This Pale Ale Recipe

This beer used a layered grain bill to build malt complexity while keeping the color restrained.

Batch Size:
3.5 gallons

Water:
50/50 blend of spring water and tap water
Added gypsum and a small amount of magnesium sulfate
Sulfate favored over chloride at roughly a 1.5:1 ratio
Lactic acid added to target mash pH of 5.3

Grain Bill:
74% Raw Two Row Malt
17% Light Munich Malt
7% Low Lovibond Caramel Malt
9% CaraMunich II

Hops:
6 grams of Nugget hops added with 60 minutes left in boil
20 grams of Ekuanot hops added with 10 minutes left in boil
20 grams of Azacca hops added with 10 minutes left in boil
28 grams of Ekuanot added as a dry hop
28 grams of Azacca dry hop added as a dry hop

Yeast:
1 packet of LalBrew BRY-97 dry yeast

Outcomes:
Original Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV: 4.2%

Notes and Final Thoughts

Mike fermented the beer directly in a keg fermenter with trimmed dip tubes. Instead of using stainless mesh dry hop cylinders, he added two ounces of loose hops directly into the cold crashed beer. The keg was purged with CO2 and allowed to dry hop cold for three days at 37°F. The experiment worked surprisingly well and did not clog the keg transfer.

The conversation also focused heavily on fermentation issues. Mike noticed the beer under-attenuated compared to expectations from BRY-97 yeast. He suspected cooler basement temperatures and dissolved CO2 during fermentation slowed the yeast prematurely. The next round of brewing experiments will focus on improving yeast health and fermentation management.

The finished beer poured a dark gold to light amber color with nearly bright clarity. The aroma leaned toward Pacific Northwest hop character with dank citrus notes and subtle grassy or straw-like aromas. Mike also detected some bread-like malt character from the CaraMunich and Munich malt combination.

Flavor wise, the Nugget hops provided a firm bitterness while the Equinaut and Azacca additions contributed citrus flavors. Both Mike and I picked up pithy orange and clementine-like notes rather than grapefruit or lime. The beer remained highly drinkable despite the slightly higher finishing gravity.

One of the more interesting discussions centered around recipe design. Mike reflected on whether using a more flavorful pale ale malt could simplify the grain bill and eliminate the need for extra Munich additions. Pale ales continue to be one of the best styles for experimenting with hop combinations, malt balances, and fermentation techniques.

BREW ON!