LODO is a fiddly process, and one has to have a certain amount of....dedication?......curiosity?....extra time on one's hands?.....to be willing to attempt it.
The biggest issue, IMO, with LODO is that there's really no way for us to try beer produced that way before deciding whether to pursue it. That's what I wanted--who wants to go through all the gyrations of LODO, maybe buying extra equipment, etc. etc. without knowing whether it's worth the effort?
Answer: Almost no one. Almost.
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I've been brewing using LODO techniques since about November 2017. For me, the jury is still out. Are the beers different? Absolutely. In what way? Malt flavors are distinctive. Will you be able to discern a difference and, if so, will you consider that difference to be worth all the fiddling?
I brewed a Pilsner using Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager yeast. 12# of Pilsen malt, which is a little high because of losses in the system, hoses, tun dead space, kettle trub, etc. Two ounces German Hallertau at 60 minutes. I brewed it because I thought if any beer would show the influence of LODO it would be a simple pilsner.
Well, it shows the influence all right. The flavor is almost a punch of maltiness, but not cloyingly so. Here's the oddity: I'm not a fan of the style, particularly. But I've had knowledgeable others try it, and they are...well...pretty complimentary of it. Here's just one:
Morrey's review of my LODO Pilsner.
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Now, will YOU think it's better? Or worth the effort? Therein lies the rub, as a statistics professor of mine was fond of saying.
I'm trained as a scientist, so I'm always looking for alternative explanations of the results. I attended an "off-flavor" workshop last week and while it was valuable in its own right, I came away interested in how different people perceive different flavors and aromas. Are you able to perceive oxidation in beer? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe someone highly sensitive to the "cardboard" flavor/aroma of oxidation would find LODO important, whereas you, by contrast, might not.
So palate is part of the alternative explanations of results. Sadly, that cannot be controlled.
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So why did I bother with all this? The whole oxygen thing makes sense. I've always tried to keep it away from my beer post-fermenation. Pretty good at that, I think. But the hot side? Only one way to test.
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That said, guess what makes it even more fiddly? As was noted to me by one of the LODO adherants, one must adjust one's recipes to account for this. I brew a Dark Lager that is, IMHO, excellent. I brewed it LODO. Guess what? The chocolate malt flavors popped--in fact, more than I wanted. Made it taste almost like a porter. Who in God's green earth has porter flavor in a lager? Answer: I did.
Recently brewed a California Common. California Lager Yeast, ale fermentation temps. Northern Brewer hops. In my recipe, there's supposed to be a bite of hoppiness followed by malty finish. Well, I don't have that hoppy bite. The malt? It's there. I wonder if the maltiness is masking the hop bite. I don't know whether I simply need to up the hop bill, or what.
So....in the end, you have to be fairly dedicated and interested in this to try it. There will be potential missteps along the way. Recipes will have to be adjusted. I'm thinking of tossing that CalCommon and rebrewing it, this time with a bigger hop bill. I hate the idea of just tossing $24 in ingredients and propane down the drain, but while it's drinkable, it's not exceptional. Unless I could find a way to post-fermentation add some hoppiness to it....