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Lambic Digest #1021
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Subject: Lambic Digest #1021 (February 02, 1997)
Lambic Digest #1021 Sun 02 February 1997
Forum on Lambic Beers (and other Belgian beer styles)
Mike Sharp, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Re: Agar Plates (David Reynolds)
Re: Lambic Digest #1020 (February 01, 1997) (David Bermudes)
Plate Preparation (Jim Liddil)
Re: Lambic Digest #1019 (January 31, 1997) (MaltyDog)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 01 Feb 1997 16:20:10 -0500
From: David Reynolds <dreynolds at cyburban.com>
Subject: Re: Agar Plates
Harlan says,
> The last two batches of plates I've made have come out mushy. Here's >what I'm doing:
> Agar recipe:
> - --7.5 grams agar (from oriental grocery and ground in a blender)
> - --500 mL 1040 wort that has been pressure cooked once to drop trub,
> 4. Pour into glass petri dishes
>
> 5. Pressure cook for 15-min. at 15-lbs. psi, after allowing steam to escape
> for 10-min.
> Both of thes batches were solid when I placed them in the pressure cooker,
> and were quite firm, so the problem seems to be with the pressure cooking.
> Should I increase the amount of agar to 10 g/500 mL? Shorten the pressure
> cooking time or lower the pressure (but that would not guarantee sterility)?
> Do I really need to use a better grade of agar?
I think that the plates are too soft because they are collecting steam
during the pressure sterilization and the agar is being diluted. Try
sterilizing all of the malt agar in a loosely screw-capped oven proof
bottle (pref. pyrex). The bottle should have an equal volume of head
space to the volume of liquid to prevent boilover, e.g. a 1l bottle for
500ml of malt agar. After the sterilization period allow the cooker to
cool to the point that it is safe to open but the contents are still
hot, i.e. the agar is still liquid, > 45C (consult the cooker manual for
safe cooling period). The agar can then be poured, using an oven glove,
into the sterile plates (baked in the oven at 350F for 1 hour and
allowed to cool) and allowed to set. Your other procedures sound OK.
If you cannot get a pyrex bottle you can use an Erlenmeyer flask with
tin foil over the top. You can use Mason jars, but they have large
mouths and are hard to pour from while maintaining sterile technique.
> On a related note, does anyone have any serious resevations about Pierre
> Rajotte's book: First Steps in Yeast Culturing?
His book is good for people without formal Microbiological training. He
describes techniques that can be used at home with a minimum of
laboratory equipment. Microbiology texts are useful to the homebrewer
interested in theory but the techniques described in texts will assume
access to a fully equipped lab.
Good Luck (or should I say good technique ;^)?) with your culturing.
David
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 97 16:19:37 -0000
From: David Bermudes <dbermude at vionpharm.com>
Subject: Re: Lambic Digest #1020 (February 01, 1997)
Concerning the too-soft agar: low pH is hydrolytic to agar. Check your
pH. Try adding powdered calcium carbonate - I forget how much but a
couple of grams per liter should do it. Swirl the suspension when you
pour the plates. It will settle to the bottom of the plates which is OK.
Although low pH is good for fermenting wort, many yeast seem to do
better on buffered agar.
David Bermudes
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 9:58:08 -0700 (MST)
From: Jim Liddil <JLIDDIL at AZCC.Arizona.EDU>
Subject: Plate Preparation
> Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 10:13:25 -0600
> From: blacksab at midwest.net (Harlan Bauer)
> Subject: Yeast culturing--agar
>
> The last two batches of plates I've made have come out mushy. Not so bad
> that I couldn't use them, but the loop tends to dig into them no matter how
> gentle my touch. Initially, I had thought the problem was that I pressure
> cooked them at too high a temperature, but I was very careful with the batch
> I made last night to keep the pressure right at 15-lbs (250*F). Here's what
> I'm doing:
Acid conditions can cause hydrolysis of the agar leading to plates and slants
that are not as firm as usual. The double autoclaving procedure is probably
exacerbating this problem. I ran into thei problem when I was making ym-agar at
pH=2.5. The key I was told is to prepare the ym-agar and then right before
pouring the plates add a measured amount of acid. It maybe your wort is too
acid. I don't know. Also I routinely make 2% agar rahter than the standard
1.5%. This seems to have solved all of my problems.
Jim
www.u.arizona.edu/~jliddil. New! Improved?
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 08:33:36 -0500 (EST)
From: MaltyDog at aol.com
Subject: Re: Lambic Digest #1019 (January 31, 1997)
In Lambic Digest #1019, Scott Bickham said:
Of course, it beats the judging of the same beer at the AHA Club
Only competition for Belgian beers (Belgian Ballbuster, was it?),
where both judges commented on the lack of maltiness. Will
I ever learn?
- ----------
I was just wondering, am I the only person who hasn't gotten their results
back from this contest yet? I know another entrant who got his similarly
poorly-graded results ("excellent beer, 28 points") over a week ago, and I
still haven't seen mine yet. Apparently, I'm not missing much, but they did
get three bottles of my beer!
Just curious,
Bill Coleman
MaltyDog at aol.com
------------------------------
End of Lambic Digest
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