11NC Physical Chemistry Division Home Brewing Competition

Results coming soon!

OK guys, so you think that your group can create a superior home brew. Then why not considering preparing your best brew recipe(s) for tasting the Physical Chemistry Division's 11NC activities.

So far we have intense interest from brewers at the Ministry and The Adelaide Brewmasters.

These two brewing groups participated in the inaugural Divisional home brewing taste-off at CPC held in Brisbane during July 1998. The judges were by no means beer experts, rather they were eminent physical chemistry researchers from around the world, invited to Australia just to sample our wares.

Here's a few comments on what they had to say about some of the brews they tasted:

Sussanah's Sweet 16 (A Ministry entry)

"This is like one of the best ales I tasted in England, a bit sweeter" - Jay Thoman, Williams College, USA

"It's like a maiden's virtue. Rudely strumpen" - Dave Chandler, Sandia Labs, USA

Dr Metha's Medicinal Stout (A Brewmaster's entry)

"I give it an 8" - Dave Chandler

"Actually not bad" - Jay Thoman

Bunty's Nuts Mark I (A Brewmaster's entry)

"I don't ever want to touch Bunty's Nuts again!" - Dave Chandler

Don's Dark (A Ministry entry)

"This is not a stout" - Dave Chandler raising the glass to his mouth

"Yes it is!" - Dave Chandler lowering the glass from his mouth

"High optical density" - Anon.

"The best we've had" - Paul Houston, Cornell University, USA

"I need a few more adjectives here" - Dave Chandler again, as he swipes a copy of "Shakespeare's Language" from the table of books belonging to the concurrent Shakespeare Conference.

Smokey Moose (A Brewmaster's entry)

"Smokin! Good for a marinade for beef." - Dave Chandler

"No nose but potent smoke taste. Lousy tongue feel. Too many PAHs" - Paul Houston

Nada's Nightmare (A Ministry entry)

"A bit of an odd taste, ginger? Fruit? A bad immediate aftertaste." - Jay Thoman

"Too light for me." - Paul Houston

Heavy Scotsman ( A Brewmaster's entry)

"Good head, weaker than its colour would indicate" - Dave Chandler

"Nice, but missing something. Good colour." - Paul Houston

Surprisingly smooth." - Jay Thoman

And the final comments of the night on a beer which we think was Sussanah's Sweet 16, after much imbibing went as follows:

"All of these are better than Three X" - Kopin Liu, IAMS, Taiwan

This comment generated much laughter, upon which Kopin responded with:

"Oh you guys are joking? It really is four X?"

So, if you think you can make a fine drop and get better reviews than those printed above, why not consider entering. You can enter as many brews as you like. We'll drink everything submitted, and probably a bit more besides.

There aren't too many details that you need to know, other than that you'll need to bring your beers to 11NC next February. We'll probably do the tasting during one of the poster sessions during the conference. That seemed to work well last time!

If you have any questions, feel free to email Mark Buntine or Greg Metha. Otherwise, keep an eye on this page.