July 28th, 2007: The 6th Annual Iron Mash...

You may have heard of The Food Network's Iron Chef, the face-off between celebrity cooks who are given unlikely ingredients from which to craft impressive dishes. Well Fort Worth has The Iron Mash.  The Iron Mash is a similar contest in which home brewers design and brew ales and lagers with a set of mystery ingredients disclosed to them right before the contest begins.

The challenge was held at the Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. on Fort Worth's near south side.  Each team was given a packet of base malt, specialty grains, hops and adjunct flavorings. In past years, the flavorings have included Thai palm sugar, whisky-barrel chips, chipotle peppers, mint leaves, coriander and coffee. This year's selection: pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and malted rye.  Each team had to create a recipe incorporating at least one of the adjunct flavorings, declare a beer style -- as in porter, dry stout or American pale ale -- then, with municipal tap water, unleash its skills on the spot.

Below are several pictures of the Lost Vette Brewing Team as we designed and brewed our award winning Pumpkin Pie Spice Doppelbock.  Appropriately named Motor-Vator!  Yes, you heard correctly.  The Lost Vetter Brewer's entered their first homebrew competition and won the People's Choice Award!