2016 vs Brew Free or Die: Smuttynose – Baltic Porter
2015 vs Brew Free or Die: Sierra Nevada – Celebration Ale
2014: Cambridge Brewing Company – Audacity of Hops :
2013: Maine Beer Company – King Titus :
2012: Allagash – Black :
To help learn how different yeast can change a beer, brewers all made the same Belgian Blond but each chose a different yeast to ferment with.
Blond (5G)
1.065 OG, 25 IBUs
8# Pils
1# Munich (10L)
1# White Wheat
1# Sucrose (@KO)
1.5oz Hallertau @60
1L stir plate starter of yeast (or equivalent)
mash @151F
Wy3787 –
Wy3739 –
WLP585 –
Wy3538 –
Wy3822
WLP570 –
WLP380 –
WLP550 –
Wy3944 –
Wy3724 –
To see if using different lager strains made a significant change, brewers all made the same Marzen but each chose a different yeast. Some ale strains were also chosen to see if the difference was noticeable. Brewers also had the option whether to use a single infusion or decoction mash, and whether to use melanoidin malt or not. Base malt was provided by the club
Marzen (5.5G)
1.054OG, 24 IBUs
3.25# Pils
3.25# Vienna
3.25# Munich (10L)
0.5# Caramunich III
0.5# Melanoidin (optional)
1.5oz Hallertau @60
0.5oz Hallertau @20
2.5L Stirplate starter of lager yeast (or equivalent)
mash @152F (or 122F->152F->168F if decocting)
WLP820 –
WLP860 –
WLP830 –
WLP833 –
WLP838 –
Wy2633 –
Wy2124 –
Wy2206 –
Wy2007 –
Fermentis W34/70 –
Wy1007 –
WLP029 –
To help learn the differences between base malts, brewers all made the same English-style barleywine but each showcased a different base malt.
Barleywine (5G)
1.105 OG, 60 IBUs
20# Base malt
1# C60
2oz Nugget @60
Wy1968/WLP002 (2L stir plate starter, or equivalent) @~64F
mash @152F
Maris Otter (Bairds) –
Maris Otter (TF) –
Golden Promise (TF) –
Vienna (Best Malz) –
Munich (Best Malz) –
To help learn the characteristics of hops (both new & old), brewers all made the same pale ale but each chose a different hop to showcase in it.
Pale Ale Recipe (5G)
1.054 OG, 40IBUs
9# 2row
1# C40
Xoz hops @60 (whatever necessary to reach 40IBUs total)
1oz hops @15
1oz hops @5
1oz hops @0
2oz hops @DH
ferment w. S05 @60-65F
mash @154
Glacier – mild, sweet citrus
Belma – mild, hints of melon/strawberry
Nugget –
Zythos –
Amarillo –
Southern Cross –
Nelson Sauvin –
German Hallertau – floral, citrus, surprisingly good
Simcoe –
Pacific Jade –
Comet –
Chinook –
Exp 5256 –
El Dorado – lemony, candy-like
Mosaic – fruity, berry, majority favorite tho some noted garlic