• Logo thanks: Ron Babcock for the concept, and Adrian Hodge and Susan Heisey of BT for the final design.

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To each brew a beer starting with the same amount and type of ingredients, using the same basic brewing method, and fermenting with the same yeast strain, with the only differences being the brew house equipment, the water, and the brewer.

To see just how much a beer can vary by just changing the equipment and water used to brew it.

Participating brewers go here to enter your data.

8.2 lbs Crisp Marris Otter Pale Ale
1.0 lb Baird Crystal 50-60
0.8 lb Briess Munich
23 gm Chinook Pellet Hops
69 gm Cascade Pellet Hops

• Get a water analysis from your local water company.
• Use the new Wyeast American Ale extra large smack-pack w/o starter to standardize pitching rates.
• Don't use a secondary fermentation vessel. Ferment in a 6.5 gallon carboy or similar sized fermenter for 3 weeks and then bottle (or kegs if CPBFing)to minimize oxidation.
• Carbonate to 2.25 volumes.

We should all keep very strict records of the brew session. A paper brewing log has been shipped to each brewer with the ingredients. It may seem like over kill, but the more stuff we collect the better. Each brewer will be responsible for recording relevant data and then entering the data into a web based database.

The grains were weighed to the 10th of an ounce using a Pitney Bowes postal scale.

The hops were weighed to the 10th of a gram using a triple beam balance scale.

It will be really tough to maintain the same level of accuracy with the water measurements, but I would like to try to keep the volume measurement as accurate as possible and definitely within a quart. Please take a little extra time and calibrate your various pieces of equipment.

Remember that this is an experiment first, and not a contest. Brew within the given parameters and take good notes. Comment on any part in your process that you feel would have some bearing on the outcome of your brew. And be honest! Not to imply that any of us are liars, but don't be afraid to say you screwed up if you did. If you overshot the mash temp, say so. If you had a loose connection in your siphon hose and air got sucked into your fermented brew, say so. The more data the better in this case.

I would also like to suggest some fermentation standards. We should not rack the ale. Fermentation should be in a 6.5 gallon carboy or similar sized fermenter for 3 weeks and then go directly to bottles (or kegs if CPBFing). This will minimize oxidation!

Sure, waxing academic on the mailing list about controls for the experiment is all fun and games but when it comes right down to it there are a whole lot of grain and hops involved in this thing. Look at these guys go!

BT has generously offered to sponsor the analytical evaluation of the beers the participants have produced. Louis Bonham and others will be performing the tests. Here's the info Louis has supplied:

OK, sorry for being a bit out of it of late (lots of business travel), but here's the scoop on where to send your samples for my lab tests. Please send them to:

DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Attn: Louis Bonham
2415 Robinhood
Houston, TX 77005

I'm having you ship them to DeFalco's so that I can be sure that the stuff will be treated properly, especially if I have to travel a bit in the coming weeks. FWIW, DeFalco's is a first class homebrew shop -- check out their webpage.

And to reiterate, I need at least 2 (ideally 3) bottles. Pack 'em securely, and put nice big labels on them so I don't get them mixed up. And, of course, if anybody wants to help over the 4th of July weekend, here's your chance to learn how to do IBU assays, use a bench refractometer, use LMDA, etc., etc., etc.

As always, feel free to write with any questions.

LKB

PS -- the numbers for DeFalco's are:

ph: 713.523.8154
fax: 713.523.5284

A competition-style even has been organized for the brews to be judged. For our particpants, here's the information you'll need to get your beer judged.


What:	Palexperiment Qualitative Evaluation
When:	Saturday, June 13, 1998
Location:	Saxer Brewing, Lake Oswego, OR
Bottles Needed:	4 Entry Fee: $0 Entry
Deadline:	June 6, 1998
Who:	This competition/evaluation is open only to the 45 or so participants in "The Great HBD Palexperiment", as defined by John Varady.

The competition is over. Here are the results:

Overall

1. Jeff McNally
2. Jason Henning
3. Matt Grady
4. Joe Shope
5. Fred Johnson
6. Fred Wills

Congrats, guys. It was definitely not an easy decision.

Beers passed on to the second round for hop character were, in order of most to least:

1. Fred Johnson
2. Fred Wills
3. Joe Shope
4. John Varady
5. Chris Ingermann
6. Dan Pillsbury
I'm sure the fact that the top three finishers for hop character were also passed on for BOS is purely coincidental ;^)

For malt character:

1. Bryan Gros
2. Jason Henning
3. Geoff Peake
4. John Slavik
5. Jeff McNally
6. Wade Hutchison

A mailing list has been created for discussion among experiment participants and spectators. You may subscribe right here. Enter your email address you wish list articles to be delivered to and hit 'Subscribe'. You should receive an email acknowledging your subscription and providing instruction regarding the list itself. If you don't receive this email then something's probably gone wrong, and you should contact the list administrator.

As long as we're laboriously keeping track of all this brewing data we might as well capture some sights and sounds of the brew session itself. Look here to check out some pics of our busy brewers brewing.

It seems everyone would like to have a nice looking mug or pint glass to commerate this momentous occasion. We know it can be done, we have the technology. Now we just need someone to come up with a design. Here are some proposed graphics.

Well, I hope that clear things up! Even I was getting confused before. If anyone feels strongly on any points please bring them to the floor.

Experimentally Yours,

John Varady
Glenside, PA