Trial. Error. Better Beer.

When most brewers think of an experimental beer, odd creations come to mind. And sure, in this book you can learn how to brew with ingredients like bacon, chanterelle mushrooms, defatted cacao nibs, and peanut butter powder. However, experimental homebrewing is more than that. It's about making good beer--the best beer, in fact. It's about tweaking process, designing solid recipes, and blind evaluations. So put on your goggles, step inside the lab, and learn from two of the craziest scientists around: Drew Beechum and Denny Conn. Get your hands dirty and tackle a money-saving project or try your hand at an off-the-wall technique. Freeze yourself an Eisbeer, make a batch of canned starter wort, fake a cask ale, extract flavors with distillation, or sit down at the microscope and do some yeast cell counting. More than 30 recipes and a full chapter of open-ended experiments will complete your transformation. Before you realize it, you'll be donning a white lab coat and sharing your own delicious results!

Drew Beechum has been brewing and writing about brewing since he first picked up a kettle in 1999. He is the author of The Everything Homebrewing Book, The Everything Hard Cider Book, and The Homebrewer's Journal, and coauthor of Experimental Homebrewing. Beechum has also written for Zymurgy, the journal of the American Homebrewers Association, writes a regular column for Beer Advocate, and is the cohost of the Experimental Brewing podcast. He lives in Pasadena, California, with his lovely wife, a dedicated brewery, and his loyal army of dogs and cats.

Denny Conn brewed his first batch of homebrew in 1998 and since then has brewed over 500 more. He is a BJCP national-ranked beer judge and has been a member of the governing committee of the American Homebrewers Association for nine years. His recipes have been brewed by several commercial breweries in both the United States and Europe. He was a contributing author to Craft Beer for the Homebrewer and coauthor of Experimental Homebrewing. He currently consults for several breweries, is a field educator for Oakshire Brewing in Eugene, Oregon, and cohosts the Experimental Brewing podcast. He lives in the foothills of the Coast Range in Oregon with his wife, five cats, and two dogs.