Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Callista Hops SMaSH Beer Review & Tasting

On July 1, 2026

We brewed another SMaSH beer to learn more about Callista hops. Callista is a German hop variety with lower alpha acids. The packet I bought came in at 3.8% alpha acids. Since the hop was lower in bitterness, we kept the hops schedule balanced in this brew.

The goal was to taste the hop on its own. We wanted to understand its aroma, flavor, and best use. This beer gave us something different from many other SMaSH experiments. The fruit notes were present, but they were subtle. The herbal and green notes stood out more at first.

What We Did In The Video

We brewed a one-gallon SMaSH beer with two-row malt and Callista hops.

Callista SMaSH Beer Recipe

Batch Size: 1 gallon
Malt: 2 pounds of two-row malt
Hops: 28 grams Callista hops
Alpha Acids: 3.8%
Yeast: US-05
Water: Spring water

Hop Schedule:
7 grams Callista hops at 60 minutes
7 grams Callista hops at 15 minutes
7 grams Callista hops at flameout
7 grams Callista hops as a dry hop

The aroma was the most interesting part of this beer. Mike picked up briny cucumber, aloe vera, kiwi skin, and minty herbal notes. There was also a strange green quality that was hard to place.The flavor had some bitterness that reminded us of leafy greens. Mike described it as bok choy bitterness. There was also a green pepper note, but it was not harsh.

Underneath those green and herbal flavors, there was a light fruit character. The fruit was not loud, but it was there. We picked up pear, very light strawberry, and something close to prickly pear. As the beer warmed and opened up, the pear became easier to find. The aloe note also made more sense with that prickly pear character. We also thought Callista had a botanical bitterness. Mike compared it to Angostura bitters. It had a blended herbal quality, without the strong orange or spice notes.

This hop seems better suited for late additions and dry hopping. If I brewed with it again, I would use less early. I would push more hops into flameout and dry hop additions. Callista could work in Helles, Pilsner, or a modern dry-hopped lager. It may also work well behind brighter hops. It could add complexity without becoming the main flavor.

Conclusion

Callista hops gave us a strange but interesting SMaSH beer. The fruit notes were delicate, while the green notes were easier to find. Pear, prickly pear, aloe, kiwi skin, and botanical bitterness all came through.

This hop may not be the best solo hop for a bold beer. It could be useful as a background hop with more expressive varieties. We gave this one a thumbs up. It was almost there on its own. In a blend, Callista could make people ask, “What is that?”

BREW ON!

Homebrew Jar of Destiny: The Nineteenth Pick

By John Krochune

On June 24, 2026

In Style Profiles, Videos

The Jar of Destiny series keeps rolling with pick number nineteen. We are still working through the 2015 BJCP guidelines, one random beer style at a time. Each pick gives us a style to research, brew, and taste within a few months.

The Jar has been fairly kind to us in past rounds, but it is getting tougher. We have already pulled several familiar styles, so more oddballs remain in the mix. This round gave us two very different beer styles, and neither one feels like a simple brew day.

The goal remains the same: learn the style, brew the best version we can, and see what happens.

What Did The Jar Give Us This Time?

17B – Old Ale

For my pick, I landed on Old Ale from the Strong British Beer category. This is a traditional British style known for rich malt complexity and aging character. Historically, these beers were sometimes called stock ales because they were aged before serving or blending.

That aging piece is the big question for me. We usually give ourselves around three months between the pick and the tasting. Old Ale seems like a style that could benefit from more time, so I may need to get brewing quickly. There may also be some decisions around strength, malt character, and how much aged character belongs in the final beer.

We talked a little about how stock ales may have been used historically. They could be brewed strong, stored, and blended with younger beers. Today, homebrewers can make them as a finished beer, but that history still matters. It gives me plenty to think about before putting a recipe together.

27A – Sahti

Mike pulled Sahti from the Historical Beer category. That one got an immediate reaction from both of us. It is a traditional Finnish farmhouse ale, and it is not something either of us talks about every week. Sahti is known for a thick body, banana and clove fermentation character, and a sharp juniper flavor. It is also traditionally unfiltered, uncarbonated, and unboiled. Once you start hearing those details, you understand why this pick feels like a real challenge.

Mike remembered the traditional process involving juniper branches and a rustic lautering setup. That does not mean he will recreate every historical detail, but it does show how different this style is from a normal ale. He will need to research the style, figure out the juniper piece, and decide how traditional he wants to be.

See You Again In A Few Months

Round nineteen shows how unpredictable this challenge can be. I pulled a strong British beer with aging questions. Mike pulled a Finnish farmhouse ale with juniper, low carbonation, and a very different brewing tradition.

These are the kinds of styles that make the Jar of Destiny worth doing. They force us to learn more, think harder, and brew outside our usual routines. Some rounds are straightforward. This one is not one of those rounds.

We will get these beers brewed and come back for the tasting. By then, we should know whether we have met the Jar’s challenge.

BREW ON!

American Wild Ale – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On June 17, 2026

In Style Profiles, Videos

As the Jar of Destiny challenge continues, Mike presents his take on an American Wild Ale. This beer came from the 18th pick in the series.

This style (28C Wild Specialty Beer) was one of the harder ones for the challenge as it does not fit neatly into three months. An American Wild Ale usually takes time, patience, and mixed fermentation. This beer was still a work in progress. Let’s see what Mike has to say.

The Recipe & Brewing Process

Batch Size:
About 4 to 5 gallons

Grain Bill:
50% Pale Malt
33% White Wheat
17% Light Munich
1% Caramunich II

Hops:
10 grams Fuggles for the full boil.

IBUs:
5 IBUs

Mash Schedule:
Mash at 155°F for 60 minutes

Water:
Spring water and tap water
Sulfate added to control chloride
Lactic acid added for mash pH

Original Gravity:
1.055

Fermentation:
Windsor Ale Yeast was pitched first.
It fermented for about five or six days.
Wyeast Roselare Blend was pitched after primary fermentation slowed.

Mike brewed a pale base beer with wheat and Munich malt. The goal was to give the microbes something to work on.

The beer was lightly hopped with Fuggles. The low hopping rate helped support the mixed fermentation.

Fruit Addition:
2 pounds tart cherries
1 pound raspberries
Fruit was thawed, blended, and added to the beer.

Gravity Before Fruit:
1.020

What We Learned

The fruit addition was very recent when we tasted the beer. It had been on fruit for less than one day, but the plan is to let the beer sit on fruit for three or four months. Mike may bottle it in Belgian-style bottles with corks. The goal is a highly carbonated, reddish-purple beer later in the year. At this point, the beer already had clear sour ale character in the aroma. The mixed fermentation was also noticeable in the flavor.

There was some funky, leathery Brett character and the beer also had a lactic sourness on the back of the palate. The sourness was present, but it was not too aggressive. There was also a light acetic note. The Roselare blend worked faster than expected. Within one month, the beer had noticeable sour character. The fruit should add more sugar and start more fermentation. The beer should continue changing over the next few months.

This challenge showed that American Wild Ale needs more time than most Jar picks. Still, the early sample was promising. The beer was complex, sour, and funky already. We will see where it goes after fruit aging.

BREW ON!

Sweet Stout – Jar of Destiny

By John Krochune

On June 10, 2026

In Style Profiles, Videos

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!