Craft Beer & Brewing Course
Brewing Historically Inspired Smoked Beers with Our Mutual Friend
Jan Chodkowski, head brewer and co-owner of Denver’s Our Mutual Friend, outlines his approach to brewing historically inspired, smoke-forward beers of high drinkability.
6 chapters · 27 lessons · 49m
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Your instructor
Jan Chodkowski
Head brewer and co-owner, Our Mutual Friend
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.
Course contents
6 chapters, 27 lessons, 49m of video
Chapter 1
Intro
Chapter 2
Brewing Historical Beers
- Researching Historical Beers1:12
- Sourcing and Selecting Ingredients3:19
- More Ingredient Considerations3:36
- Thoughts on Water Adjustment0:48
- Yeast2:38
- Drinkability vs. Historical Accuracy2:24
Chapter 3
Stjørdalsøl
- A Brewer’s Overview of Stjørdalsøl5:05
- The Cult of the Kiln: Brewing Super-Smoky Stjørdalsøl
- High Gravity and Local Hops1:23
- Fermentation and Aging1:43
- Year-to-Year Variation0:41
- Stjørdalsøl: Level Up on Smoke with Our Mutual Friend
Chapter 4
Grodziskie
- A Brewer’s Overview of Grodziskie2:24
- Grodziskie: Smoky, Hoppy, Mysterious, and so Much Fun to Drink
- Adapting Grodziskie to Modern Kit and Ingredients2:14
- Specifics on Brewing OMF’s Grodziskie3:04
- Dialing In the Balance1:16
- Oak-Smoked Malt2:24
- Polishing a Polish Style1:17
Chapter 5
Bonus Tips & Parting Thoughts
- Bonus Tips on Smoked Helles (Including a “Turbid Decoction”)6:10
- Smoke in Farmhouse Ales, Barrel-Aged Stouts, and More2:50
- Parting Thoughts & Cheers1:51
Chapter 6
Further Reading, Listening & Recipes
- 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