Goal: To determine whether triple-decoction or no-sparge single infusion provides better results in a pale, delicate, malt-centric beer for an average homebrewer.
Who I need: Eight people to drink beer and provide feedback. I’m looking for a mix of certified judges and non-judges who have a good palate.
What you’ll get: Three beers each, one of which may or may not be a duplicate of either beer, to be randomly determined.
After tasting: Provide feedback following a standard BJCP-style scoring form format for each beer.
What I ask for: I will keep all feedback anonymous (unless you want credit), but I will upload the results on my crappy blog I never update. It would also be cool if you wanted to fill the bottles back up with some of your own homebrew and mail them back.
I want to keep the recipe details a secret until after the tastings, after which I’ll make my detailed brewing notes public. I plan on brewing the beers back-to-back sometime late next month, or early in the following.
Please leave any comments, concerns, or heckles below. Thank you.
Id be happy to participate also. Having done Hefeweizen’s and BoPils decocted and nondecocted Ive always been interested in tasting them side by side. Also would be happy to send some brews back to ya!
Wow, lots of people interested. I’d like to get 4 judges and 4 non-judges if I can. I don’t know you non-judges that well, but I’ll try to be as fair as possible in deciding the four non-judge participants. Shipping three beers to eight people is kind of expensive, so I’d like the most experienced people I can get. Feel free to send me a PM with your brewing experience, favorite styles, etc., and anything else you think might be relevant to my decisions.
I have a hard time coming up with quality content, so I don’t update it often. I think there are too many blogs out there just trying to just fill up space, so I try not to post unless it’s something I might actually care about reading.
Non Judge here. Brewed a lot of batches and have done versions of BoPils, Hefeweizen, Schwarzbier, Dunkel, Dopplebock, Maibock, and Dortmunder decocted and non decocted so i do I have experience tasting both ways, just never side by side.
I would also be happy to send back a version of my BoPils with a new decoction process I tried as well as a non decocted Oktoberfest and another brew.
I’m not a judge, but definitely a Pils connoisseur; I brew a lot of lagers and have done about 8 decoction brews in the last 6 months. Spent over 6 months in Germany over the last few years so I think my palate is “up-to-date” with the old country. Possibly the only person on this board who’s had my beers is Hopfenundmalz, you could PM him for a reference. I’d be happy to send you some of my brews in return.
-red
PS: I’ve entered enough competitions so I know what the score sheets are and how to fill them out…
I decided I couldn’t fairly decide which of the non-judges I should include, so I assigned you a number based on the order you replied to the thread, then used a random number generator.
I’ve updated the OP to show the judges. The non-judge selections are Don, Jason, Red, and Garc.
I’ll keep you all posted as progress develops. Right now I’m anticipating mailing the beers out sometimes in mid June, so I’ll need a mailing address from each of you at some point before then, but no rush.
Thanks Diane,
There is an article in it on no-sparge brewing by Louis Bonham that may help Nateo with his project. I believe he compared no-sparge to decoction brews.
