Fermentation Music

Please don't tell me I'm nuts.......... I hear that enough as it is ;-)

All living organisms respond to music. I've been experimenting with music and fermentation and finding some dramatic differences in flavor......... and mood while drinking, depending on the type of music played during fermentation. Unfortunately as fermentation is a 24 hour a day process. It looks like I'm going to have to build a fermentation shed to see to what extent I can modify the results of otherwise identical brews......... a soundproof shed. The same brew fermented with Richard Wagner (Ring Cycle), and Stevie Ray Vaughn (Voodo Child) for example were completely different products. I experimented with Paul Simon / Ladysmith Black Mombasa and got an entirely different result. I then played some indescribably offensive punk rock, and couldn't drink the product at all........ it was dumper! The music has MORE effect than the hops!!

Call me crazy if you will, but I'd love to hear other folks experiences with music and fermentation. My current pale ale I'm fermenting to Don Williams. I'm planning a pseudo lager fermented to Gypsy Kings next. Screamin Jay Hawkins ( I put a spell on you) is next, and I want to do an original Big Mamma Thornton Hound Dog brew next. The biggest problem I'm having is deciding what kind of brew to match with what kind of music. I think that's Important. You aren't going to get a well balance brew if the music doesn't work with the beer. I'm looking forward and planning an Irish Red fermented to Loreena McKennitt's Highwayman......... Perhaps it should be a porter, but I like Irish Red's.


H.W.

Interesting. It may have more effect than some think. I used to sing and talk to my plants and it does seem to have an effect, with plenty of legit experiments to back it up.

My guess would be that classical or technical music would have the best effect on your beer. If the hypothesis holds true, then it is not surprising that punk would have the worst effect, as it is proba only the least technical and most harsh to organisms "ears".

I will certainly try this, but I will bet that you have much better results from the above mentioned, that may not always sound as good as SRV ripping an epic solo, bit make more sense for whatever it is that's responding to them (one would assume yeast, as they're the only things living at this point).

In other words, technical music follows a natural pattern, that jazz and rock builds on and can deviate from, so you probably have better effect with technical and classical over them.

Though good vibes may also have an effect too, but I don't know that that's what's making a difference vs the makeup of the music, or else you're beer would be epicly soulful listening to SRV.

I'm trying to grow some super hot peppers right now. Trinidad scorpions, Bhut Jolokia, and Naga Viper peppers. All three of these have been in the G. Book of world records in the last 5 years as hottest pepper in the world.

Perhaps I should verbally abuse them once a day so that they grow up angry and volatile. After all, I want these peppers to really be able to set a fire when they mature. hmmm

Ya know, it may have an effect. But I think I'm going to just stick with fertilizer and sunshine.

Folks, let me know how any experiments with music turns out. If you can get a high gravity brew to attenuate to 1.000 with a standard brewing yeast and Mozart, I want to know about it.

May your beers be good, and your life awesome.

I can imagine that loud enough music can sort of rouse the yeast via vibrations/waves which can result in different fermentations.

From a music theory standpoint technical/classical/jazz can be much more "abrasive" and sort of unnatural with their dissonant chords and notes and advanced harmonies while punk and blues is as basic as possible. (at least their earlier forms, SRV uses more jazzy chords and stuff, you can't play the same 3 chords for all your career)
Of course a distorted guitar can be more harsh than an oboe or something but in terms of musicality things like pop and blues are much more basic which sort of makes them more natural in my opinion.

There is nothing worse than 3 obeos trying to play in tune...........

Chadwick said:

There is nothing worse than 3 obeos trying to play in tune...........

Click to expand...

Yes there is........... 3 bagpipes..........

The_Glue said:

I can imagine that loud enough music can sort of rouse the yeast via vibrations/waves which can result in different fermentations.

From a music theory standpoint technical/classical/jazz can be much more "abrasive" and sort of unnatural with their dissonant chords and notes and advanced harmonies while punk and blues is as basic as possible. (at least their earlier forms, SRV uses more jazzy chords and stuff, you can't play the same 3 chords for all your career)
Of course a distorted guitar can be more harsh than an oboe or something but in terms of musicality things like pop and blues are much more basic which sort of makes them more natural in my opinion.

Click to expand...

Good point, I didn't think of it like that.

It does sound like the vibe of the music might have the most effect. I just remembered about Emoto's water experiment, where he was able to impact water postively and negatively just by taping positive and negative words to a jug of water. See more here:

http://www.highexistence.com/water-experiment/

Edit: on his website, he actually has the effect of different songs on the water, on this page. It does seem to be the simpler songs with good vibes that make for the tightest crystal structures in the water (though maybe some of the more complex that provide complex structures may lead to more complexity in the beer, who knows, but your experiment seems to back up that music like punk and heavy metal is not good for development).

grittanomyces said:

Good point, I didn't think of it like that.

It does sound like the vibe of the music might have the most effect. I just remembered about Emoto's water experiment, where he was able to impact water postively and negatively just by taping positive and negative words to a jug of water. See more here:

http://www.highexistence.com/water-experiment/

Edit: on his website, he actually has the effect of different songs on the water, on this page. It does seem to be the simpler songs with good vibes that make for the tightest crystal structures in the water (though maybe some of the more complex that provide complex structures may lead to more complexity in the beer, who knows, but your experiment seems to back up that music like punk and heavy metal is not good for development).

Click to expand...

WOW.................... I never dreamed anything like this existed. I'm going to have to start splitting brews and carefully documenting the results. I'm wondering where I can get some recordings of Glenn Beck blathering away. I'm thinking that using one of my computers, I should be able to run a pseudo radio station with Glenn Beck, Adolph Hitler, Ali Khamenei, Dick Cheney, and Jerry Falwell in a continuous barrage of hate. Randall Terry might be a good one to include.......... His hateful blather is quite impressive: "I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you... I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good... Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism." If this doesn't make a sour beer, I don't know what would! Splitting into two identical controlled fermentation environments, one with the hate recording, and one positive would be great, but I don't have the capacity to do that. Unfortunately it appears to be much easier to find hate than truly positive sentiments in today's world.

H.W.

Wouldn't a simpler, less subjective test be to split a batch between two fermentors, subject one to positive soothing music and the other to overly aggressive dissonant music and see what the FG turns out in each. Additionally another test could use calming meditation words or even restorative chanting verses the hate speech Owly referred to. In each case the OG and FG should be meticulously measured and recorded.

If the idea is that the yeasties react to music and speech, both positive and negative, it stands to reason the FG should be affected. Obviously taste and mouthfeel, albeit subjective, can be judged. That said it would be cool to have hard data to support the idea that our little friends are affected by sound.

There is nothing worse than 3 obeos trying to play in tune...........

Click to expand...

How do you get 3 oboes in tune? Shoot 2 of them...

My best saison ever listened to a healthy dose of Antonio Carlos Jobim and other bossa nova

Do yeast have the nervous system to process an audio stimuli from their environment? Do they even have an auditory organelle? I can buy that maybe, possibly, yeast can react to sound vibrations, even if they can't actually "hear" anything. This may or may not affect fermentation through purely physical means.

But the water itself being affected by sound? This is such magical thinking even Gandalf would raise his bushy brow at it.

Metallica should help make for rocking party beers!

kenmcchord said:

Wouldn't a simpler, less subjective test be to split a batch between two fermentors, subject one to positive soothing music and the other to overly aggressive dissonant music and see what the FG turns out in each. Additionally another test could use calming meditation words or even restorative chanting verses the hate speech Owly referred to. In each case the OG and FG should be meticulously measured and recorded.

If the idea is that the yeasties react to music and speech, both positive and negative, it stands to reason the FG should be affected. Obviously taste and mouthfeel, albeit subjective, can be judged. That said it would be cool to have hard data to support the idea that our little friends are affected by sound.

Click to expand...

Well, the theory is that the water reacts to it, but with yeast being a living organism, it certainly could as well.

kenmcchord said:

Wouldn't a simpler, less subjective test be to split a batch between two fermentors, subject one to positive soothing music and the other to overly aggressive dissonant music and see what the FG turns out in each. Additionally another test could use calming meditation words or even restorative chanting verses the hate speech Owly referred to. In each case the OG and FG should be meticulously measured and recorded.

If the idea is that the yeasties react to music and speech, both positive and negative, it stands to reason the FG should be affected. Obviously taste and mouthfeel, albeit subjective, can be judged. That said it would be cool to have hard data to support the idea that our little friends are affected by sound.

Click to expand...

I think FG is the least important of measures..... he off flavors, etc are what make or break a beer, not the ABV. Unfortunately "good beer", like "good music" is a highly subjective judgment call. That said, as in music, what appeals to us in beer varies wildly. A very dissonant beer could like some modern Jazz be views as complex and interesting by some, and disgusting by others. It's a tough call, but it should be possible to create a scale whereby you and I could look at a three dimensional or even a two dimensional chart and know weather that beer would fit your tastes or not.
I am reminded of a website called politicalcompass.org where they plot individual (prominent) on a two axis scale, not just left and right. The vertical scale being authoritarian versus libertarian. The results are fascinating, and they provide a test where you plot yourself and find who you align with on both axis. I'm not ashamed to find that I'm among people I admire. The point being that beer needs to be judged on a multi dimensional scale just like humans.


H.W.

Einherjar said:

Do yeast have the nervous system to process an audio stimuli from their environment? Do they even have an auditory organelle? I can buy that maybe, possibly, yeast can react to sound vibrations, even if they can't actually "hear" anything. This may or may not affect fermentation through purely physical means.

But the water itself being affected by sound? This is such magical thinking even Gandalf would raise his bushy brow at it.

Click to expand...

I'm with ya on that one, dude.

Jester King supposedly played Norwegian black metal while their Black Metal Imperial Stout was fermenting. Don't know if they still do that or not.