Garden to Glass: My Wet-Hopped Dunkel Kellerbier (All Grain Autumn Brew)
🌿 Garden to Glass: My Wet-Hopped Dunkel Kellerbier (All Grain Autumn Brew)
Every summer I find myself staring at my hop bines, wondering if they’ll make it before the frost sets in. The growing season isn’t exactly generous here in Stockholm, Sweden, so timing the harvest is always a gamble. Too early, and the cones aren’t ready; too late, and the frost turns them into green mush. Every year it becomes a waiting game — planning which weekend will be “the one.” The window to harvest and brew is short, and when it’s open, you go all in.
This year, I went for something special with my big annual autumn brew — an all-grain Dunkel Kellerbier, wet-hopped with my own Hallertau Mittelfrüh straight from the garden.
Literally from bine to fermenter in under 24 hours. No drying, no waiting, just pure, hoppy freshness from my backyard.
Let’s dive into the madness. Let’s kick it! 🍻
👉 Big thanks to Angel Yeast, who kindly sponsored the video this blog is based on. Don’t forget to check out their brewing products ->
🍂 The Autumn Brew Tradition
Every autumn, I like to brew something a little bigger — a beer that fills the house with malt aroma, steam, and hope. It’s the one time of year when brewing feels less like a hobby and more like a seasonal ritual.
This year’s goal was to celebrate freshness, but I also wanted that deeper, malty character we all crave once the days get shorter. Wet hops bring a wild, green, herbal edge that you simply can’t get from pellets or dried cones. So with my hop harvest finally ready and the chill creeping in, it was time for a true “garden to glass” brew day.
🌱 From Hop Garden to Kettle
If you’ve followed my channel, you’ve probably seen my tippable hop-growing rig — a slightly overengineered but brilliant contraption that lets me harvest without breaking bones or pulling a muscle.
If you haven’t, here’s the full video →
This year’s crop came from my big Hallertau Mittelfrüh plant — which long-time viewers from the BrewTube community might recognize. It’s one of my favorite noble hops: floral, slightly spicy, and just perfect for lagers.
If you haven’t seen this year’s harvest video, check it out here →
Seriously, watch it first. OK — spoiler alert:
I picked about 1.07 kg of wet hops, and since they’re roughly 75% water, I divided by three to estimate the dry-hop equivalent. (If your hops are extra sappy, divide by four — it’s all explained in the video.)
All of the hops went almost straight from bine to boil — no drying, no delay.
Okay… I’ll confess — I had to split it up over two days because, you know, filming everything takes time. So the hops were picked on Saturday and brewed on Sunday. Still fresh!
And because wet hops take up so much space, I had to improvise — I used the grain basket to hold them in place. No hop spider I’ve ever seen could handle that amount of green fluff.
🌾 The Grain Bill and the Plan
For this beer, I kept it simple but seasonal.
-
99% Pilsner malt
-
1% Carafa Special III
The reason I added that touch of dark malt was simple — it’s my autumn brew, and who doesn’t crave something maltier, richer, and darker when the cold sets in?
I also used my top-mash method, which gives smoother beers by shortening the steeping time of roasted grains. It’s an easy process that helps reduce astringency and keeps the beer silky.
And since Carafa Special III is already a dehusked malt known for smoothness, this might’ve been a bit of “kaka på kaka” — cake upon cake — as we say in Sweden. But hey, extra smoothness never hurt anyone.
This batch was also split up to become the base for a few follow-up experiments I’ll share soon on the channel. So while the darker malt might not have been ideal for comparison tests, it sure made this autumn version look and taste incredible — that deep amber glow, smooth malt backbone, and roasted hint just fit the season perfectly.
🔥 The Boil, Hop Additions & Bitterness Calculations
The boil was a solid 60 minutes, with all those beautiful wet hops waiting for their moment.
At 15 minutes left, I added BrewNutri-Z — a yeast nutrient from Angel Yeast — to keep fermentation healthy and happy.
When working with wet hops, bitterness calculations get… interesting. Since homegrown hops rarely come with a neat little alpha-acid label, you’ve got to make some educated guesses. I look up the variety’s typical alpha-acid range and pick a middle number, then divide my wet-hop weight by three (or four if they’re extra juicy) to estimate the dry-hop equivalent.
That method gives me a ballpark IBU target that’s close enough for homebrewing. It’s not laboratory-accurate, but it works — and more importantly, it’s repeatable.
If you want to see exactly how I calculate bitterness with fresh hops, I go through the whole process step-by-step in the video — complete with numbers, formulas, and, of course, a bit of my usual chaos.
At flameout, I added the full 1.07 kg of hops, then let them steep hot for 30 minutes before starting the wort chiller. The smell? Absolute hop heaven — earthy, floral, and alive.
⚙️ Fermenting Under Pressure
Here’s where the science kicks in.
This batch was fermented with Angel Yeast BF27, one of my go-to lager strains. I started fermentation at 20°C under 20 PSI, ramping up to 23°C toward the end.
Even though that’s pretty warm for a lager, pressure fermentation keeps it crisp and clean — no fruity esters, no stress. Just smooth, malty perfection.
It fermented lightning-fast, finishing in about four days, and produced that balanced, rich lager profile I love.
Now, about that yeast… I did rehydrate the BF27 before pitching — and it got a bit wild. I underestimated the vessel size (rookie mistake), and the yeast literally climbed out of the jar like a sci-fi experiment gone wrong. I managed to salvage what I could into a sanitized container, and despite losing quite a bit, the fermentation was still strong, clean, and flawless.
🍺 The Pour — And the Payoff
When I finally poured that first pint, the grin hit instantly.
A gorgeous amber-brown beer with a creamy off-white head, a light haze (because, Kellerbier — all explained in the video), and a malt-forward aroma with floral, earthy hop notes drifting on top.
The wet hops added this alive freshness — not grassy, not overpowering, just a soft, herbal brightness that lifted the malt body. The result? Smooth, balanced, and dangerously drinkable.
🌾 Would I Do It Again? (Spoiler: Absolutely.)
Wet hopping is a bit of a logistical nightmare — messy, unpredictable, and always on the clock. But when it works, it’s pure brewing magic.
There’s something deeply satisfying about drinking a beer made entirely from what you grew, picked, and brewed yourself, right before the frost arrived.
So yeah, I’ll be doing it again next year. Maybe I’ll even push it further — more hops, different malt base, maybe a Vienna twist.
Until then — keep brewing, keep experimenting, and remember: everyone loves good head, especially when it’s fresh from the garden. 🍻
DrHans out!
Watch the Full Video
Garden to Glass: My Wet-Hopped Dunkel Kellerbier (All Grain Autumn Brew)
Social Media and Contact Information:
Instagram: @drhansbrewery
Facebook: @drhansbrewery
Webpage: https://drhansbrewery.com
Contact Email: drhansbrewery@gmail.com
Support and Merchandise Links:
🔥 Get 20% Off iGulu Gear (Code: DRHAN20) 👉 https://igulu.com/?sca_ref=6679834.Gm6UfWKv2R
- 📚 Learn the art of homebrewing alongside me: https://solo.to/drhansbrewery
- 🛒 Check out the gear that elevates my brewing and video game on Amazon: http://bit.ly/drhanssf
- 📘 Grab your FREE brewing ebook on my website: http://bit.ly/DrHans
- 💰 Loved the blog? Buy me a virtual beer! https://bit.ly/ByMEaBEER 🍻 Cheers!
- Support my content on Patreon from just $2/month: https://bit.ly/2V5Zsgz
- 💼 Become a channel member for access to exclusive content: https://bit.ly/3fVQav7
- 🙏 Donate to DrHans via PayPal: https://bit.ly/DonateDrHans
- 👕 Check out my exclusive merch! Unique items await at my shop: https://bit.ly/DrHans-Merch
Recent Comments