About This Course

This course includes 49+ minutes of video

In this 49-minute course, OMF head brewer and co-owner Jan Chodkowski shares his approach to brewing smoky and rustic yet highly drinkable beers. Along the way, he covers: 

  • finding information on historical beer styles
  • working with the equipment you have and the ingredients you can get
  • making adjustments for modern smoked malts
  • tips on brewing with juniper berries
  • yeast selection for appropriate character
  • specs and tips on smoky stjørdalsøl and grodziskie
  • working with eccentric, deeply smoky Stjørdal-style malt
  • stjørdalsøl’s long-aging potential
  • adapting grodziskie to your modern brewery and ingredients
  • tips on brewing with 100 percent wheat
  • dialing in grodziskie for balance
  • clarifying and carbonating grodziskie
  • bonus tips on brewing smoked helles (including a “turbid decoction”)



Instructor

In Denver’s lively RiNo neighbrhood, Our Mutual Friend has won fans and accolades by offering a wide range of characterful beers, from hazy IPAs and barrel-aged barleywines to lagers and mixed-culture saisons. Along the way, OMF also has gained a cult following for its interest in traditional, lesser-known, historically inspired styles—many of them brewed with locally smoked craft malts.

Jan Chodkowski

Head brewer and co-owner, Our Mutual Friend

Course Curriculum

  • 01

    Intro

    Show Content
  • 02

    Brewing Historical Beers

    Show Content

    • Researching Historical Beers

    • Sourcing and Selecting Ingredients

    • More Ingredient Considerations

    • Thoughts on Water Adjustment

    • Yeast

    • Drinkability vs. Historical Accuracy
  • 03

    Stjørdalsøl

    Show Content

    • A Brewer’s Overview of Stjørdalsøl

    • The Cult of the Kiln: Brewing Super-Smoky Stjørdalsøl

    • High Gravity and Local Hops

    • Fermentation and Aging

    • Year-to-Year Variation

    • Stjørdalsøl: Level Up on Smoke with Our Mutual Friend
  • 04

    Grodziskie

    Show Content

    • A Brewer’s Overview of Grodziskie

    • Grodziskie: Smoky, Hoppy, Mysterious, and so Much Fun to Drink

    • Adapting Grodziskie to Modern Kit and Ingredients

    • Specifics on Brewing OMF’s Grodziskie

    • Dialing In the Balance

    • Oak-Smoked Malt

    • Polishing a Polish Style
  • 05

    Bonus Tips & Parting Thoughts

    Show Content

    • Bonus Tips on Smoked Helles (Including a “Turbid Decoction”)

    • Smoke in Farmhouse Ales, Barrel-Aged Stouts, and More

    • Parting Thoughts & Cheers
  • 06

    Further Reading, Listening & Recipes

    Show Content

    • Recipe: Our Mutual Friend Stjørdalsøl

    • Recipe: Live Oak Grodziskie

    • CB&B Podcast Episode 221: Jan Chodkowski of Our Mutual Friend Embraces Both the Bold and the Sublime

    • Brewery Case Study: Our Mutual Friend

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