Hey all, with the up-and-coming move to AG, I'm quite interested in reading lab research on the subject of brewing. Where might I find such studies (for free)?
If you want access to the journal articles any large public library can help you find the information. The boston public library give members online access to several peer reviewed scientific journal articles for free.
Temporarily, the Journal of the Institute of Brewing has its online publications freely accessible (normally you would require a paid subscription to access them). Lots of outstanding (lab) science in there: http://www.scientificsocieties.org/jib/
I'm a little surprised that you're looking for scientfic journal level reading prior to doing a few all grain batches. I don't mean to suggest you don't need to know any of the science behind the process, but you'll definitely appreciate the concepts you'll read about AFTER a little hands on brewing. Reading stuff like howtobrew.com and threads here are plenty to get started.