Iron Brewer
Overview
May 30th, we’ll be having the first (annual?) Boston Wort Processors Iron Brew! Modeled after the TV show Iron Chef, the brewers will be given a secret ingredient and 30 minutes to formulate a recipe. After that the teams will brew the beers and take them home to ferment. At a later date (TBD), we’ll have judging (a panel as well as a people’s choice awards) and awards.
If you are planning on brewing, we will be supplying the grain, hops, and water. You will be expected to bring your brewing setup, yeast, water treatments, and if you’d like to use brewing software, a computer. A corny keg is strongly recommended for transporting the beer. I have a few extra if you need one.
If you are not planning on participating, you are still more than welcome to come and hang out and are encouraged to bring beer and/or food.
Date
May 30th, 2009. Time: Secret ingredient(s) will be revealed at 10 AM.
Location
Teams
- James Clark and Alastair Hewitt
Sloan Craven, Albert DiGeso, and Tony Lopez
- Ezra Klughaupt and Steve Long
- Todd Prokop and Randy Baril
Rules
We'll supply enough hops and fermentables to make a wide variety of beers as well as the secret ingredient(s). Teams will be expected to bring enough equipment to brew a 5 gallon batch of beer. If anybody needs anything specific, let me know and I may be able to help.
After we reveal the ingredients (at 10:00 AM), the teams will have 30 minutes to trade ingredients with other teams and decide what they will be brewing. Laptops (we have wireless) and books are allowed for recipe formulation.
Once teams have a recipe, they will have 4 hours to brew the beer. Once the time is up, the teams must be finished (except for chilling the wort and pitching the yeast ... we'll be flexible there), or they will not be the Iron Brewers.
Fermentation will happen elsewhere, so teams will be required to transport the finished wort. Corny kegs are strongly recommended to transport the beer (I have a few extra, but it would make everybody's lives easier if you could bring your own).
Judging
We will have a panel of judges as well as have a people's choice award where anybody that would like to vote can do so. The panel (so far) is Kris Butler and Eric Wooten. Teams will be expected to explain to the judges (and the people) what they were trying to do with their beer, especially with regard to the secret ingredient. Tentative dates are late August for the Panel and the September club meeting for the Peoples Choice Award. Basis for judging is overall quality, how you use the secret ingredient (creativity and quality), and by style that you declare (loosely based on BJCP).
Judging took place at my place (Chris Papazian) 8/25. We had a 3 person panel (Kris Butler, Bob Holt, and Chris Tkach). They determined after much deliberation, that all of the beers were pretty good, but that the Belgian Quad brewed by Randy and Todd was the best. Specifically, the cherry vodka extraction was unique and really allowed the fruit to shine through.
Prizes
TBD
Food, Refreshments, etc.
We have a grill and will probably have burgers or something. If anybody wants to bring anything to throw on and you trust my dad not to burn it, that'd be cool. Other food items and beer would also be good!
Recipes
Jamie and Alastair's Belgian Quad
For those of you trying to picture this nonsense, it'll be kind of like this ... only with beer!
