Oh yeah, that is some true fun!
The guys at Brulosophy just posted their experiment using triple decoction vs single infusion:
Fantastic! Their results mirror my own for a similar experiment I ran a couple of months ago. I’ve not yet published the results, which are very confusing to say the least… if memory serves, about 13 out of 17 people were able to taste a difference in my two marzens. I was blindly able to figure it out 2 out of 2 times. I literally even blindfolded myself to avoid any difference due to appearance, as like Brulosophy’s, my single infusion beer was more hazy than the decocted. They did taste different, albeit slightly so and NOT for the reasons you might expect – no melanoidin or burnt flavors. Just different.
I have been saying this since 2008. Good to know they agree. http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2008/DennyConn.pdf
I spent some time in Germany again this summer. Some breweries don’t decoct their Helles and Pilsners. I will name one as Ayinger, that does not decoct the Helles and light colored beers, but does decoct the wheat and dark beers. A little place in Niederbayern decocts their Sunkel, which is almost all that they make.
Pilsner Urquell decocts. They malt their own grain. They use copper mash tuns and boil kettles. They put in a new brewhouse around 1999, and insisted on copper to make the beer taste the same.
It might be a good thing if the Brülosophy folks decoct A Hefeweizen or a Dunkel.