Triple Blind Helles Test

[Bryan R]

On Saturday we had a bunch of people over, and I thought it would be a good time to do a little test. It was time to pull out the triple blind test, my beer vs the real deal. It was a put up or shut up time, as I have always said, I didn't dive this deep into this to make good beer, I was gunning for the big boys.

So it was Paulaner Vs Bryan.

The Paulaner:


7 People tested.. Men and women. Each got 2 samples of Paulaner, 1 of mine. I tried to get the freshest least abused beer I could, but I could taste a hint of oxidation creeping in.

The results were actually unanimous, with mine being the winner. It was an easy choice for me because of the hint of oxidation. But got great feedback about freshness, crispness, lingering malt flavor. After we were done I poured them side by side. Obviously I think the outcome would have been different if one would be drinking these both fresh from the keg(probably a split), but they were strikingly similar for not even trying to clone them. Anyone who says reproducing these beers to be on par with the commercial examples can't be done is wrong.

Paulaner:


Mine:

[Kit_B]

I had similar results, when I put mine up against Paulaner Helles, last month.
It made me somewhat emotional.
The bottle of Paulaner was in great shape.
But, my helles tasted better.
I think I've found my go-to recipe & it'll be hard to keep in-stock.

My photo was poorly taken.
Bad light & condensation...
But, the beers were so close, in flavor & body that I was floored.

I'll try to post more photos & comparison data, when my current batch is ready.

[Owenbräu]

Good stuff Bryan. You can see a slight haze to the Paulaner, so you are probably right about heat/handling/travel damage. Yours has better clarity which makes it appear just a touch more golden, but again, its probably the haze in the Paulaner.

[Owenbräu]

Kit, how was the foam? Looks like you took the pic after they settled.

[Kit_B]

Yep...I poured them both more carefully than I should have & then, walked them upstairs, to find my phone.
Sorry...Like I said...poor photo.

[Owenbräu]

You bested Paulaner. Don't be sorry

[Beersk]

Nice work, Bryan. Good to see that. You have been running your beers through a filter, correct?

[Bryan R]

Nope, no filter or finnings.

[Beersk]

So just a long time at close to freezing I take it. How long do you find it takes your beers to drop bright light pictured?

[Bryan R]

I do 2 weeks @ 30F, then 4 weeks at 35f. This beer is just over 6 weeks old.