This post is one in a series following six brewers collaborating to each make a small adjustment to a single recipe in order to improve it, then pass it along to the next brewer. We hope to learn more about the art of recipe creation as we see how other brewers approach the same recipe. The rest of the comparison tastings for this series can be found here.
The recipes for the beers being compared below are as follows:
| Iteration 4 | Iteration 5 | |
| Base Malt | 72.5% 2-row | 69.2% 2-row |
| Specialty Malt 1 | 10.8% Victory | 10.8% Victory |
| Specialty Malt 2 | 4.4% Roasted Barley | 7.8% Roasted Barley |
| Specialty Malt 3 | 4.4% Chocolate Malt | 4.4% Chocolate Malt |
| Specialty Malt 4 | 7.8% Flaked Barley | 7.8% Flaked Barley |
| 60 min. hop | Nugget: 41.2 IBUs | Nugget: 41.5 IBUs |
| 5 min. hop | Willamette: 3 IBUs | Willamette: 3 IBUs |
| Yeast | US-05 | US-05 |
| OG | 1.065 | 1.064 |
| FG | 10.20 | 1.020 |
| ABV | 5.9% | 5.8% |
Taster: R. Goyenko
Aroma: Strong dark fruit aroma from malt – raisins, figs, dried plums. Strong and pleasant dark malt aroma with chocolate, toffee and some coffee flavor. No hops aroma, or it’s hiding behind stronger malt.
Appearance: Dark brown, looks reddish if you put it to the light, moderate head of cream/tan color that lasts for some time, some lacing on the glass walls. Foam stays for a while.
Flavor: Full bodied, with medium-low bitterness from hops. The flavor is similar to aroma – malty, dark fruits, a bit of bitterness from hops, but the balance is towards the malt. Finish is medium-sweet.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is medium, full body.
Aroma: Dried plums, raisins, dried stone fruits, ash aroma, dark roasted coffee, chocolate, highly roasted breadcrumb.
Appearance: Dark brown, almost black, big dark tan head that persists, nice lacing. Bubbles are small and look velvety.
Flavor: Dark roasted malt, burnt coffee grounds, malt sweetness is on lower side, hops are subdued, finish is medium-dry.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, creamy, a bit of astringency, medium carbonation.
Taster: C. McKenzie
Iteration 4 poured with a solid, white head with excellent retention. The beer was dark brown and had a crimson tint when held to the light. Iteration 5 was black and opaque, and it had a good, tan head that also had excellent retention.
Iteration 4 had a full aroma with roasted notes, the scent of coffee, and hints of toast coming through. Iteration 5 had less aroma overall, even as both beers warmed. There was a definite coffee aroma with perhaps a hint of mint in the nose. Roasted notes also came through along with that particular smell very dark (though not burnt) toast has.
The mouthfeel of Iteration 4 was smooth and full, reminiscent of a nitro beer, though not exactly the same. Overall this was a very clean tasting beer, with flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, and a particular dark red fruit flavor that I couldn’t quite place—perhaps black cherry. Either way, the fruit flavor was similar to the fruit notes present in dark chocolate (that dark chocolate made with 70 or 80% cacao) and had a similar quality of bitterness.
Iteration 5 had flavors of very dark (but not burnt) toast and roasted notes. I picked up on a flavor similar to a medium roast coffee. There was also an earthy flavor present, as well as a hint of cherry.