Do It Yourself Experiments
Combine theory with hands-on experiments! In several modules, you can perform a small experiment that will illustrate some of the scientific concepts introduced in this MOOC (and sometimes you will even taste some beer to find out first hand what we are talking about!). These experiments are a great opportunity for you to get hands-on experience with some of the concepts introduced in this course. The materials required for these experiments are listed on the next page. In many cases, the items needed are common household items. If you decide to do the experiments, we recommend you collect the materials needed well in advance.
Please note that these materials and the experiments they are used for are only recommended and in no way compulsory.
Have fun!
Units of measurement
In this MOOC, we have used units from the metric system to indicate temperatures, weights and volumes. We realize that some of you might not be familiar with the metric system, so below you can find out how to convert these units. There are also many online converters available, so feel free to use one of these as well!
Temperature
°F=1.8* °C +32
Weight
1 ounce = 28.35 grams – so divide grams by 28.35 to know how many ounces something is.
1 pound = 453.6 grams – so divide grams by 453.6 to know how many pounds something is.
Volume
1 US cup = 236.6 mL – so divide mL by 236.6 to know how many US cups something is.
1 UK cup = 284.13 mL – so divide mL by 284.13 to know how many UK cups something is.
Module 1: Beer Tasting
- Your favorite beer
- A bottle opener (if your beer is in a bottle)
- A beer glass
Module 1: Malting Experiment
- 200 g barley, wheat or any other cereal grain you can obtain
- A shallow, heat resistant dish
- Water
- Household balance/kitchen scale
For this specific assignment, you also need access to a (regular) oven. Please note that it will take about 5-6 days for your malt to be ready - that is why we already give you the protocol in Module 1, so you can have the malt ready by the start of Module 2.
Module 2: Malting Experiment
No need for specific materials here, we will discuss the outcome of the Malting Experiment.
Module 3: Water Quality
This will be an assignment for which you don't need any specific materials.
Module 4: Spices and Herbs
- Paper tea bags or a strainer
- Spices (coriander seeds, clove and vanilla pods)
- 4 beer glasses
- A basic lager beer or crisp, clean pale ale
- A bottle opener
Module 5: Yeast Fermentation
- small (250-500 mL) empty, clean plastic bottles
- balloons (small party balloons are fine)
- Active dried yeast (from supermarket)
- Tapwater
- Sugar
- Tablespoons
- Camera or phone to take pictures
Module 6: Whirlpool effect
- tea cup
- hot water
- tea leaves
- spoon
Module 7: Other Food Fermentations
This will be an assignment for which you don't need any specific materials.
Module 8: Beer Labels
Labels of some of your favorite, local beers.
Module 9: Beer Ageing
- Three bottles of the same beer
- A bottle opener
- An oven
Module 10: Professional Beer Tasting
- Beers to taste, at a temperature between 12 to 16°C
- Bottle opener
- Uniform tasting glasses (transparent or black)
- Cover for tasting glasses - a small plastic or porcelain plate works just fine.
- Pen
- Paper or a printed out tasting sheet (found online, or download from verified track content in Module 10 of this MOOC)
- Water
- Dry crackers
- Roasted coffee beans
Module 11: Final Exam
No Do It Yourself Experiment here - in this module, it is time for the final exam!