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
Two batches of beer, one hoppy West Coast-style red ale fermented with Chico ale yeast (Fermentis S05) and one Belgian single fermented with Chouffe (WLP550), were brewed to determine the effects of O2 on fermentation. Each batch was 10 gallons, and the wort was split across two carboys in each case. For each 10 gallon batch, one of the two carboys received O2 prior to pitching the yeast, while the other control batch received no oxygen. In both cases the two carboys were fermented in the same environment, and had the same pitch rate. The brewers noted that the batches showed no difference in lag time/final gravity.
Attendees of the July 2014 meeting blindly tasted the finished beers and voted on which of the two beers in each case got oxygen. The result was that the hop driven amber had a near 50/50 split on votes, but that tasters were overwhelmingly able to correctly identify which of the two Belgian beers received oxygen. Many tasters cited the
oxygenated beer’s less phenolic flavor and aroma profile as their reason for selecting it. It was noted that the oxygenated Belgian single did eventually end up with as much character a few weeks later.
The second mini-competition of the 2014-2015 season of BJCP study group will be held November 6, 2014, and will cover style categories 2 (Pilsner), 9 (Scottish and Irish Ale) and 13 (Stout). If you are interested in competing, please contact Mark Keck. Entry is free (but limited to members of the club or BJCP study group), and the winner of the competition will receive a gift certificate to Modern Homebrew Emporium. Entries must be received by next Tuesday, November 4, 2014.
The winner of the first mini-competition was Steve Schember with a Saison.
BJCP study group has started back up for the 2014-2015 school year. If you are interested in joining the study group, please contact Mark Keck. This year we are very much interested in getting the club as a whole more involved in the group. For that reason, we are proposing monthly mini-competitions covering 3 styles categories. We are soliciting club members to enter their beers for these competitions. The plan for the mini-competitions is to judge each style category as it would be judged in a BJCP-sanctioned competition, and then perform a best of show-style round where we will rank the top 3 beers overall. The winner of the competitions will receive a small prize. Club members who enter should expect BJCP score sheets and are welcome to come talk to us face-to-face as well at club meetings to discuss the feedback. Best of all, IT’S FREE! For most competitions you get about half of that service at a $7 fee per beer, so this is a great chance to get feedback on your beer and process at no cost to you.
The schedule for competitions is:
Please see bjcp.org for a full description of each style if you are not familiar (note we are using the 2008 guidelines for these competitions, NOT the currently drafted but inactive 2014 guidelines). We are still figuring out the best way to do drop-off beer and return score sheets, so for now we’re going to play it ad hoc. The best way you can get your beer to a mini-competition is by dropping it off at a club meeting, and score sheets are equally easily returned at the following meeting. However, if you can’t make it, simply contact Mark Keck (secretary at wort.org) to arrange a drop-off/pick-up. Note that Best of Show results and the winners of each category will also be posted here on the website.