“It” Doesn’t Exist
Frankly, I’m a believer in “it” and feel there is a unique character to many Bavarian lagers that I’d love to be able to reproduce at home but haven’t been able to. Still, it’s one possibility, extreme as it may be.
“It” Exists But Isn’t Preferred
The only problem I have with this is that I adore all of the German beers LODO advocates claim have “it,” yet between the beers in this xBmt I preferred the one brewed using standard methods. Maybe my LODO Kölsch had too much “it” and there’s a level at which it becomes overbearing, sort of like the way many view Crystal malts?
“It” Exists But It’s Not The Same “It” LODO Produces
This notion stems from my love of German beers that I think have an elusive desirable character coupled with my preference for the non-LODO beer in this xBmt. It’s plausible there is something special to German beers and even that it’s due to low oxygen brewing, but that as a function of scale, we’re simply unable to replicate it. Moreover, it’s reasonable to assume that relying on SMB for oxygen scavenging impacts beer character beyond what one might expect in an oxygen and sulfite free environment.
Whatever it is, I really don’t know, and honestly, I really don’t care. A growing number of homebrewers who have adopted the LODO method swear it allows them to make better beer, which is fantastic! There’s no reason they should stop doing what works for them, in the same way people who are happy with the beer they make using standard homebrewing approaches need not change.