Of all the doors that are flung open by that which we love, beer and brewing, the most gratifying is the fellowship that occurs amongst like minded individuals. A classic example occurred on a Sunday not too long ago in which myself and a few other beer bloggers, under the organization of Peter, from Simply Beer, all brewed the same recipe, each with one minor alteration. As is the case with our Sip With Us Saturday, it was nice knowing that a few friends were partaking in the same experience at the same moment in different areas of the country.
After our beers fermented, conditioned, and carbonated, we sent two bottles out to each of the other five participants:
Aaron – Captain’s Chair
Derek – Luther Public House
Erik – Top Fermented
Joseph – Hopfen Treader
Peter – Simply Beer
Last Friday, we all connected vis Skype, a first for this technologically backwards beer geek, and sampled each others beer. I was quite surprised how it nearly seemed as if we were all sitting in one of our kitchens or a quiet pub. Even more surprising, was the profound difference between the beers. Remember, each beer was identical in recipe, save one alteration, addition, or subtraction.
Our brews were incredibly different, but each was tasty. Keep in mind each participant used a different water source, a HUGE factor in a beers make up.
My addition was maple syrup, though I had contemplated this:
Peter recorded our interaction…please take a listen! If you like what you hear, join us for the next blogger brewoff!
Thanks Nate, was a real pleasure “virtually” brewing with you guys! Have some details to work out with the next brew-off, including a name change, but it should be with in the next month. Hope you’ll join us again for the next one!
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This was great. I just listened to the entirety of the post. My interest is more than peaked from hearing it. Thanks for putting this together and I really want to participate next time. Wow! It’s just fun listening to the interactions.
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@Peter Of course I’m doing it again. How is the recipe going to be chosen? i had a blast!
@Mike This is right up your alley.
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That’s great! I haven’t listened to it yet so maybe it’s discussed there – regarding water. If you ware all to make the exact same brew, with no changes to the recipe, how much different would each beer taste as a result of different water sources? Would it be reasonable to expect huge variations in the beers, or would it be more subtle?
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beer_scientist Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I think the changes would be noticeable. Hardness would play a role. Chemistry of the water and the resulting yeast by products because of it would certainly play a role. I don’t think the variations would be huge and the beers would have more commonality than the beers from the tasting.
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Interesting that the flavors were so different. Was there a winner?
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@ Scott…I am not an expert, but i’d be willing to bet that the differences would be quite noticeable. Mike wrote this: https://thankheavenforbeer.com/2008/09/03/whats-your-beer-made-of/ a long time ago…i think it might help!
@Don…We all thought Dereck’s Molasses Stout was tops.
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Thanks guys.
Actually after listening to the podcast I thought it was interesting to hear about issues with the brewing process that would also effect the outcome. For example, the one guys beer was flat(er) as a result of a leak in the carbonation tank? So its not just the ingredients, but it can also be the process or equipment that makes a difference.
I know I’m dwelling on something stupid here, I just find the variations interesting.
Nice job guys! Sounded like a good experience for everyone!
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Hmm… listening in, I was, well, jealous.
Sounded like lots of fun.
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beer_scientist Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 10:11 am
I was too. I’m going to do it the next time.
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