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 7 | Iteration 8 | |
| Base Malt 2-row | 69.2% | 68% |
| Specialty Malt 1 | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| Specialty Malt 2 | 7.8% Roasted Barley | 7.5% Roasted Barley |
| Specialty Malt 3 | 4.4% Chocolate Malt | 1.7% Chocolate Malt |
| Specialty Malt 4 | 7.8% Flaked Barley | 7.5% Flaked Barley |
| Specialty Malt 5 | None | 5.1% Pale Chocolate |
| 60 min. hop | Nugget: 44.3 IBUs | Nugget: 44.3 IBUs |
| 5 min. hop | Centennial: 6.8 IBUs | Centennial: 6.8 IBUs |
| Yeast | White Labs Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004) | White Labs Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004) |
| OG | 1.64 | 1.72 |
| FG | 1.021 | 1.012 |
| ABV | 5.6% | 8.3% |
Taster: T. Bowen
Iteration 7 poured deep brown, just shy of black, with a thin off-white/cream colored head. The head on Iteration 7 fades fairly quickly to some light surface foam, similar to a half-drunk latte. Iteration 8 pours dark black, with a thick, light tan head, with thick compact bubbles, almost like a nitro beer.
Side note: the increased foam and head retention on Iteration 8 likely has more to do with Iteration 7 being poured from a bottle that was bottled off the keg weeks ago and has been sitting in the fridge, whereas Iteration 8 was poured from the tap and has been sitting on gas for weeks.
The nose on Iteration 7 was very subdued and tough to discern much while it’s cold. As it warmed I got some slight dark espresso notes with some slight roast and toast in the aroma. Iteration 8 has a bigger nose (again, likely due to packaging) that reminds me of bittersweet chocolate, much like a baker’s kitchen.
Tasting Iteration 7 brings out more of the dark espresso that is ever so slight in the nose. On the back end, especially as it warms, I get a slight dark stone fruit note. Iteration 8 reminds me of toasted chocolate milk, if that’s even possible. I get a heavy dark chocolate mocha and some slight alcohol warming in Iteration 8, most likely due to the much higher ABV than Iteration 7. The foam in Iteration 8 persisted throughout the glass.
Taster: C. McKenzie
Iteration 7 seemed black in appearance until I set it beside Iteration 8. Comparatively, Iteration 7 is a very dark brown. This beer poured with an off-white head that didn’t stick around too long (my bottling from the keg skills are still developing, and I believe part of this lack of retention can be blamed on the reduced carbonation compared to when it was still on tap). Iteration 8 was a deep black with a tan head and decent retention. It never fully dropped, though it wasn’t terribly thick during a majority of the time I was drinking it. Instead, it maintained a thin layer of sparse foam until the glass was empty.
Iteration 7 had an aroma of dark toast with a hint of chocolate. There were notes of cold brewed coffee (which to me always smells less bitter and acidic than drip-brewed coffee). There were also possible notes of citrus, but admittedly I had been battling allergies for weeks when I attempted this tasting. That said, and if my slightly stuffy nose can be trusted, Iteration 8 had a slightly smoky scent to it (though my wife disagreed), almost like burnt toast, but perhaps more akin to burnt marshmallow. There was a definite dark chocolate scent present.
The flavor of Iteration 7 was one of chocolate and toast. There were floral notes and a hint of red berry—or perhaps cherry. Iteration 8’s taste definitely lacked the smoky aroma I thought I perceived, but the taste of burnt marshmallow came through. There was a flavor of rich chocolate. There was also a slight floral note in the background.