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In this exBEERiment, we had blind participants compare a New England IPA made with flaked oats to one made with the same amount of wheat malt. Were they different enough for them to tell them apart? Results are in...

Given significant results on prior fermentation vessel xBmts, we were curious if mash tun material made a difference and put it to the test! In this xBmt, we compare a stainless mash tun to the popular converted cooler MLT, results are in...

While mash pH has become a variable many dedicated brewers pay close attention to, the pH of the wort during boil is often overlooked, which is purported to impact hop expression in terms of both bitterness and aromatic quality. For this xBmt, we brewed two of the same MACC IPA recipes...

Perhaps unexpectedly, two xBmts have produced results suggesting fermentation vessel has a qualitative impact on beer. Some have theorized the actual material is responsible for the character difference, while others have posited some other factor is at play, such as the amount of oxygen the...

Saison is a beer defined by yeast character, and brewers of this delicious farmhouse style have myriad options for yeast available to them. Avoided by many for fear of a stalled fermentation, the Saison Dupont strain is known to produce the classic character we've all come to enjoy so much. As a...

Fermenting under pressure at higher temperatures has been said to allow brewers to produce lagers quickly by suppressing formation of expected esters and other undesirable character. To test this out, we had a panel of blind tasters compare the same lager beer fermented at an absurdly warm...

Lauded for its ability to impart toasty yet delicate biscuit-like character, Maris Otter is one of the most commonly used base malts by brewers of styles ranging from English Mild to American IPA. A bit less expensive, standard American 2-row malt is said to provide a simpler and cleaner malt...

While hazy beer has become a trend of late, some homebrewers still take steps to ensure their homebrew is brite. Many have found great success fining with gelatin, but our friends of the herbivorous persuasion are forced to used other options, one of which is Biofine Clear. In this xBmt, we...

It's been a long time coming, but we're back with another edition of The Hop Chronicles! This time, we evaluate an experimental hop sent to us by the rad folks at HOPSTEINER. Check it out! http://brulosophy.com/2016/05/19/the-hop-chronicles-experimental-09326/

Fermentor options are vast these days, forcing homebrewers to choose between different materials, shapes, and sizes. I'm personally partial to plastic/PET carboys for their ease of use and reduced risk of amputation, though some remain convinced this material is too oxygen permeable and prefer...

Water chemistry in brewing is key and one important component to that is mash pH. While pH can be controlled to some degree with minerals, brewers tend to rely on acid to make significant reductions, the two most popular of which are phosphoric and lactic. In this xBmt, we investigate whether...

The hop stand has become a popular way for home brewers to impart heaps of hop aroma without adding much in the way of bitterness. At least that’s what many of us think. Curious whether claims that a 20 minute hop stand is equivalent to a 20 minute boil addition, we put it to the test, adding...

For those of us who prefer our beer clear, gelatin is an incredible resource-- simple, cheap, and very effective! Inspired by a conversation with John Palmer, I was curious if the amount of gelatin used to fine would have an impact and so we put it to the test. Results are in...

If you're a homebrewer, you understand the importance of a good brew kettle-- it's where wort gets boiled and hops get added. In this day and age, there are a number of fantastic kettle options to choose from with various unique options. For this review, we take a thorough look at Spike...

When the last fermentation temperature exBEERiment failed to achieve significance, we wondered how far we could push Saflager 34/70 before it produced a noticeable difference. In our quest to better understand the impact of fermentation temperature, we compared a batch fermented at 82˚F to...

As brewers with a passion for high quality beer, we tend to invest quite a bit of time and energy in the advancement of our palates. Being fascinated by both beer and the human condition, I began to wonder to what degree our beliefs about our tasting abilitites were influenced by something other...

It's commonly accepted to sparge with warm water, though there's been some chatter lately about going the simpler route of using cooler water. While others have reported success with the cool sparge method, we wondered if it resulted in a perceptibly different beer when compared to using...

Our first collaborative xBmt with House Of Pendragon Brewing is in the books! We tackled one of the most commonly requested variables, the step mash, and had over 120 people participate in the evaluation. Results are in...

A controversy has arisen over an aspect of beer that some seem to take quite seriously: clarity. With the growing popularity of so called New England/Northeastern IPA from the likes of The Alchemist, Tree House Brewing Co., and Hill Farmstead Brewery, people in clear-beer loving regions have...

Results from the first vorlauf xBmt showed us the method seemed to have little impact on distinguishability. Curious just what it would take to produce a difference, we designed an xBmt to test the limits, adding over 8x the amount of grain a typical vorlauf filters out to one boil and comparing...