Same Grain Bill, Different Hop Combinations

 

I recently brewed these two beers back to back so I could get a sense of how Krush hops played with other hops. The first beer, in the small glass on the left, is a Citra and Vic Secret combination at about a 50/50 ratio. The beer on the right, I simply replaced the Vic Secret with Krush. I can tell you right up front, Krush "crushes" other hops when used in a combination. Totally takes over so you can't even find the other hop in the beer, at least at a 50/50 usage. In the future I don't think I'll waste the Citra, Krush is pretty great on its own anyway.

 

Citra / Vic Secret Tasting Notes: 

When this beer was super young, it had that pineapple you can get from Vic Secret, but it has completely disappeared.

Zesty like Citrus peel, mostly like lemon.

Piney

Nicely dry finish, very clean

 

Citra / Krush Tasting Notes:

 Lemon and Lime, like a margarita

Zesty lime peel

 Resin-y and firmly bitter. Very nice.

 Also very dry and clean.

Krush Hops - Amazing, but Powerful

 

 https://www.yakimachief.com/commercial/hop-wire/HBC-586-krush

 I purchased a pound of Krush hops recently. I made a 2 gallon batch with 100% Krush hops and it was a delicious beer. This hop is something else, it seems to mix the old school firm bitterness, with tons of new school flavor. When I say firm bitterness, I mean it has a resin-y character to it, like ctz, or chinook. That makes me really happy, too many modern hops have a soft or round bitterness. On the flip side, this hops also has tons of flavor, just google it, you'll find about every descriptor available attached to this hop. I don't get a lot of the flavors others seem to be getting, but what I do get is a sort of lemon/lime kind of margarita vibe, and it's prominent to me, and it's absolutely delicious.

I've brewed two beers with this hop since that first 2 gallon batch, both with different hop combinations. I tried it with Chinook and Citra with Citra and Krush mostly coming in the whirlpool. The beer is delicious, but all I taste is Krush, where usually Citra is the far dominant hop when included in a beer, IMO. Another beer, a saison (just seemed right to me) I included it for flavoring with some saaz, and it's definately the dominant hop. In both of these beers, I included Krush pretty much 50/50 with the other flavoring and aroma hops, and I don't think that's going to fly. In future batches I think I'll significantly reduce the amount of Krush in mixed hop beers, so that it can play more of a supporting role, that will tell us if will play nicely with others at all.

 Even if  Krush doesn't end up playing nicely with other hops, it's still an amazing hop that can stand alone without a problem. I think that first 100% krush beer I first made, will be a mainstay in my kegerator.

 

 

 

Anvil Foundry 10.5 2025

 

I did not need new equipment. My trusty Wort Hog system is still chugging along and working great after 7 years. It can brew anywhere from 5 gallon batches, to 15 gallons (if the grain bill isn't too large, probably < 7% abv). I also have a portable propane based BIAB system that works just fine, but it's kind of a hassle to assemble everything together, then figure out the bag lifting situation since I usually use it outdoors. 

So why buy a new system? Because at this stage in my life, I'm finding convenience to be a higher priority than it has been in the past, and because I love the hobby, and because I could afford it. Also, after 7 years of basement brewing, I'm tired of being trapped in the basement on nice days. I miss the days when I could spend a day outside brewing and enjoying the weather (although I really appreciate the basement brewing during those cold NY winter months).

 So I purchased the Anvil Foundry 10.5 for a few reasons. I wanted to brew outside on nice days, I wanted more variety in my beer selections at home (I find it hard to brew just 5 gallons when I can brew 11, so I always opt for 11 on the Wort Hog), and I wanted a simple and easy system to use with minimal cleanup. That's why I purchased the Foundry specifically, after evaluating the many, many, choices we have these days in electric all-in-one systems, the Foundry was the most basic, minimal system with all the conveniences. 

I also wanted the system I chose to be as modular as possible, so when something inevitably breaks, I can replace a part, and not a system. My Wort Hog is this way, and I've had to replace the boil coil, temp sensor cable, fix the PID, and after an accident that left 11 gallons of wort on my basement floor and a cracked weld, the kettle was replaced. These things happen and I like that I can fix, rather than replace. Almost everything can be replaced on the Foundry, from the Screen and Circuit board, to the temp sensor, perfect.

Pros:

1. Controls are easy to use and read (more important every year)
2. The malt pipe hook and drain system is so nice. Just lift, hook, and let drain.
3. Can use with or without the recirculation system. 
4. Cleaning can be done with minimal effort and water usage (if you have the ability to recirc)
5. It's lite and compact. I can put everything inside the unit and use it anywhere with a standard outlet available. I use the system in 220v mode at home, but the option for 110v is there. 
6. Delay timer for preheating water. Since I mostly use the system in 220v, I don't have a need for this, but it's a great feature for 110v operation.
7. Recirculation system is separate, which saves you money if you don't want it, or you already have your own pump. I spent $8 to set mine up with recirc.   
8. The chiller works great, cooling in less than 20 minutes, and it comes with all the parts you need.

 

Cons:

There are only two cons for me, but they are significant in my eyes. 

1. After 4 brews, I'm getting terrible brew house efficiency. The first brew was 54%, the next 3 were 57% (I remembered to mashout, something I don't do when I batch sparge, and to stir every 15 minutes despite the recirc, but I think the mash out gave the extra 3%). They instruct not to do a fine crush or double crush so I have not been, but I think I'm going to adjust the crush for future batches. My Wort Hog can achieve 82% with the same crush I've been using. I am recirculating with a march pump.
2. The ball valve spigot is terrible. It does not have a true 1/2 inch throughput, and it has an unnecessary angle so it can clog and/or cause cavitation in your pump if your flow rate is not set very minimally. You don't want to restrict flow on the inlet side, this is the problem with cavitation, not because the wort is boiling IMO, especially since it's not a problem on my other systems. Since you have to restrict flow so much, hops can clog the recirculation so you have to use a hop basket or bag. I don't like using the hope basket and I haven't used mine in years until this system.

 

 

I think I can fix both of those cons eventually. I'll put a new full throughput ball valve on it (which will require a new pickup tube and way to connect them). That's an extra expense for me, and I have to find one that will work with the existing port. It shouldn't be too difficult, but the system just went up at least $50. I think the efficiency can be improved with a finer crush plus stirring the mash every 15 minutes to prevent compaction of the grain bed. If I can get to 70% I'll be reasonably happy. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but if you're buying 2lbs extra per brew day, lets call that an extra $6/brew, that can add up. 70% is a pretty standard baseline for systems and recipes and a reasonable expectation to have IMO.

I still really like the Foundry. Knowing what I know now, I would still buy it again. I would recommend it to anyone. New brewers and experienced brewers alike would enjoy using this system. I know I am.

 

Deal Central at Morebeer

Sometimes it pays to be on email lists. 

Morebeer had very good sale on two specific recipe kits and I jumped on them. In a couple weeks I'll be brewing 22 gallons worth of beer for the low price of  $94.17. After accounting for hop and fermentor loss, that's just $0.59 per pint. That total includes all grains, hops, and the yeast. I'll have to add my own acid malt and salts to get the mash and water chemistry adjusted, but that's not more than a few extra dollars. You can't beat that with a stick.