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HOMEBREW Digest #0338
HOMEBREW Digest #1 (really 338) Tue 16 January 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Homebrew Digest Back on the Air (Rob Gardner)
RE: Grocery Store Grains (Mike Fertsch)
a couple notes on hops (Dick Dunn)
Re: Beer Bottle Bombs (revisited) (Andy Wilcox)
Wort Chillers in the Summer (Chris Shenton)
Wort chiller for hot days and finite water supply (Chris Shenton)
Australian Lagers (techentin)
Wort Chillers in the Summer (Wayne Allen)
Pumps ("2645 RUTH, GUY R.")
Float for keg?/Coors Party Ball (Bob Clark - ESS Engineering)
Too Much Foam Revisited (Doug Roberts @ Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Re: Rootbeer (Chuck Cox)
Rotokegs (John Polstra)
CO2 Sources ("MISVX1::HABERMAND")
High alpha Hops (Brian Smithey)
Quality of Rapids SS pots (report) (b11!conk!steve)
New Brews in Town (Boston Beer Society) (Chuck Cox)
Gusher anecdote ("FEINSTEIN")
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
Archives available from netlib@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 90 11:00 MST
From: rdg@hpfcmr.hp.com (Rob Gardner)
Subject: Homebrew Digest Back on the Air
Hi everyone!
Sorry about the interruption in Digest delivery. We had a disk failure,
and I was just leaving on a trip, so all I could do was shut everything
down for a few days. Hopefully all should be well now.
I don't think that any articles were lost. I have a large backlog, so
I'll be sending them out in bunches. If you sent in an article, and it
is not in this digest, please wait to see if it appears tomorrow before
resending it.
Thanks,
Rob
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 09:03 EST
From: Mike Fertsch <FERTSCH@adc1.adc.ray.com>
Subject: RE: Grocery Store Grains
GOPINATHRTAR@CHE.UTAH.EDU asks about Buying grain from local grocers -
> The question I have is that is can we buy grain from local groceries
>instead from the standard sources ( local brewing stores, mail order etc.)
Yes and no.
NO. When mashing grains, you need MALTED grain. Malted grain is grain
which has germinated and then kiln dried. Germination makes the grain
starches soluble and generates the enzymes necessary to convert these
starches into fermentable sugar. Unmalted grain does not have enzymes. I
have not seen MALTED grain in groceries.
YES. When mashing, you can use small quantities of unmalted grain, mixed
together with the malted grains. I sometimes use unmalted rice, wheat, or
oatmeal in conjunction with my malted barley. These adjuncts must be
cooked to make their starches soluble. Malted barley has enough enzymes to
convert the barley starches as well as some of the adjunct grains. I've
used grocery store adjuncts with no problems. One of our club members even
made potato beer, using grocery store potatoes in small quantities.
Mike Fertsch
------------------------------
Date: 8 Jan 90 08:20:36 MST (Mon)
From: hplabs!gatech!raven!rcd (Dick Dunn)
Subject: a couple notes on hops
Don's article covered all the important stuff on hops, but I thought I'd
add a couple of nits.
First, they *really* like to climb. Don't underestimate them. In the
setup we have, ours can grow about twenty feet...and they'd really like
more room than that. (They start from the ground each year, BTW.) Allow
for them to climb, and be sure you've got a way to get to them! On ours,
at least, the heaviest yield was about 3/4 of the way up the vines. I've
seen a home-made arrangement with cords for them to climb, attached to a
tall pole that would pivot down to the ground for harvest. Ours climb to a
second-floor deck where we can reach them.
Second, it may take a while for the hops to establish themselves...this
may depend a lot on soil and climate, based on the conversations I've had
with folks in other areas. Mine have increased in yield every year for
five years now, although I think Don once said that it should take a couple
of years. (Our climate is mild, although we do have real winter, but it's
dry and the soil is heavy clay.)
- ---
Dick Dunn {ncar;ico;stcvax}!raven!rcd (303)494-0965
or rcd@raven.uucp
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 90 11:34:48 EST
From: Andy Wilcox <andy@mosquito.cis.ufl.edu>
Subject: Re: Beer Bottle Bombs (revisited)
> From: hisata!doug@gatech.edu
> I prefer bottles with a gently sloping
> next--NOT like longnecks--because they're easier to pour and don't
> "glug" so as to stir up sediment. I use ANYTHING close to this shape:
> Guiness, Harp, Heineken Dark (brown bottles), IBC root beer, etc. In 16
> batches x ~50 bottles = 800 bottles, I've only had two break when being
> capped.
I try to use only Longnecks. In more than 1500 bottles now, I've only had
one break during capping. This particular bottle, by the way, was how I
discovered the "new" not returnable longneck offered by those nice folks
at A.B. *Be sure* to stay away from these, folks. They are quite a bit
thinner than the traditional bar bottle. The first (and only) one I tried
to cap busted. Luckily, I wasn't hurt.
Longnecks don't "glug" unless you pour too fast. Don't hurry! :-)
By the way, does anyone know the inside scoop on why the bar bottles have
been discontinued by A.B.? I've heard that Coke is phasing out 16 Oz.
returnables as well. The fountain distributors in this area have almost
discontinued the cornelius keg in favor of the the throw-away foil-lined
boxes. What gives? I always used to brag that this was the greatest
example of *reusability* (as opposed to recyclability) in this country,
and now it's dead (or dying). Sad.
Worrying a little,
-Andy
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 10:15:27 est
From: Chris Shenton <chris@asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Wort Chillers in the Summer
Martin A. Lodahl writes:
> I don't have quite this problem, but I do have an "iffy" well, and
> seeing all that water go down the drain is more than I can stand. A
> possible answer to both problems: an icewater bath, recirculated
> through the chiller. That implies a pump, and therefore a possible
> problem.
Good thought -- that solves all the problems. You could do immersion,
counter-flow, or a hybrid, anytime of the year with significantly less
water. That's the way I'm gonna persue (I think).
How about using a pump attachment for an electric drill? Since it's only
water you'd be pumping, the pump can be as sleazy as you want. I think
Black & Decker versions can be had for relatively few bucks...
_______________________________________________________________________________
Internet: chris@asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov (128.183.10.155) NASA/GSFC: Code 735
UUCP: ...!uunet!asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov!chris Greenbelt, MD 20771
SPAN: PITCH::CHRIS 301-286-6093
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 11:12:33 est
From: Chris Shenton <chris@asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Wort chiller for hot days and finite water supply
This is a follow-up on my previous posting. It attempts to remedy the
situation where the water from the tap is not cold enough to chill wort
efficiently, or where you don't want to dump mass quantities of perfectly
good water down your drain.
Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!mal@hplabs.HP.COM> suggested:
... an icewater bath, recirculated through the chiller.
Martin thought finding a pump might be expensive, but pump attachments for
electric drills are readily available and relatively cheap.
Norm Hardy <polstra!norm@hplabs.HP.COM> suggested:
Construct 2 immersion chillers with copper tubing. Have the water flow
through the first as it sits in a water bath filled with ice water. Then
the water moves on to your wort where the second chiller sits. Keep an eye
on the ice water and add more ice as needed to keep it very cold.
Hey, it's extra expense to have two chillers, but it will work for you, and
if you do it yourself you'll save bucks over buying a counterflow chiller.
Norm's idea pre-chills tap water by running it first through a heat
exchanger, but that doubles the expense of the system (copper), and wastes
lots of tap water (Martin's main problem).
The cheesy diagram below illustrates one idea. It's pretty much a closed
system, uses only one coil, and depends only on the availability of ice
which can be made ahead of time for summer chilling. Sorry about the
PC-style graphics... Any comments?
<-- return
//===================================================\\
|| _____ ||
|| supply / \ ||
|| //==============| O |=====================\\ ||
|| || --> \_____/ --> || ||
|| || | | | || ||
| || || | | | | | || || |
|------||--| |___| |-||--||---|
| || | | ||====== |
| || | Electric Drill | ||====== |
| || | with | \\====== |
|__________| Pump Attachment |__________|
Ice Water Immersion Chiller
in Wort
_______________________________________________________________________________
Internet: chris@asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov (128.183.10.155) NASA/GSFC: Code 735
UUCP: ...!uunet!asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov!chris Greenbelt, MD 20771
SPAN: PITCH::CHRIS 301-286-6093
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 11:55:39 CST
From: techentin@Mayo.edu
Subject: Australian Lagers
I would like to brew something that resembles "Foster's" lager because that is
the only brew of substance that my wife likes.
Does anybody have a recipe? How does the Australian Lager in Papazian compare?
On the subject of low-tech lagering ...
I do not have special equipment to keep the beer cold, but mother nature
supplies Minnesota with plenty of cold this time of year. Is it safe to lager a
beer in an attached garage where the temperature can vary between zero and 35
degrees F? The temperature doesn't vary too much between day and night but I
don't have much control over it. Will extremely cold (-10 F) or warm (40 F)
temperatures damage a lager, or will the cold just slow things down?
Thanks for your help. Please reply to me and I'll post to the digest.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Techentin Internet: techentin@Mayo.edu
Mayo Foundation, Rochester MN, 55905 USA (507) 284-2702
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 12:00:31 CST
From: wa%cadillac.cad.mcc.com@mcc.com (Wayne Allen)
Subject: Wort Chillers in the Summer
Martin Lodahl writes:
>Has anyone found a good, cheap, preferably self-contained electric pump?
Bilge pumps (for boats!) are fairly in-expensive. They run off of 12
volts (need converter, I guess), and most are submersible. Found in any
motor or sailboat dealer.
wa
------------------------------
Date: 8 Jan 90 12:52:00 MST
From: "2645 RUTH, GUY R." <grruth@sandia.gov>
Subject: Pumps
Martin Lodahl indicated he was interested in pumps:
I read in the 1988 special issue of Zymurgy about a device called a Sanipump
which connected to a hand drill and cost ~$4. That fit my price range so I
went searching for it at my local builder's supply store. I found the pump for
the price that was quoted in the article. At the same time, I purchased a
drill stand/clamp and a T bracket. The stand cost about $5 and the bracket was
under a dollar.
To assemble the pump, I first cut a 12" piece of 1 X 6. After attaching the
pump and stand to the drill, I was able to position the drill so that the pump
could be mounted close to the end of the 1 X 6. I mounted the stand, attached
the bottom of the T bracket to the bottom screw on the face of the pump and
then measured for a small block of wood that the T bracket would attach to.
The block of wood was then attached to the 1 X 6 base and the pump and bracket
was fastened to the block.
For the inlet/outlet on the pump, I bought two Gilmore, male hose ends and
connected them to two pieces of 1/2 inch clear plastic tubing. I made the
inlet hose shorter than the outlet since this was recommended by the pump's
manufacturer.
Before using the drill, I had to remove the excess oil (recommended in the
Zymurgy article) by dipping bot the inlet and outlet hoses into a sink filled
with hot, soapy water. Afterwards, I rinsed the pump with hot, bleach water
followed by a hot water flush (I also do this before each brewing session).
I have found through use that the plastic tubing has a tendancy to collapse
when I use the pump to recycle sparge water after the mash. You might try
substituting food grade water hose (the kind used in RVs) for the plastic
tubing.
Good pumping,
Guy
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 15:14:10 PST
From: bobc@Sun.COM (Bob Clark - ESS Engineering)
Subject: Float for keg?/Coors Party Ball
** Keg outlet line question **
I've been following the discussion on the use of a float system for the
beer feed in a keg as a way of avoiding the sediment.
I've just bought a system, and noted that the beer outlet tube goes all
the way to the very bottom of the keg, so it will pick up any sediment
at all. The shop's instructions for the keg suggest that the tube
should be cut off 3/4"-1" above the bottom of the keg. This would
allow that much space for the sediment, and hopefully draw the beer
just above.
Does anyone have any comments on doing this versus the use of a float
system?
** Coors Party Ball report **
Last fall, my brewing buddies (Michael Eldredge, Steve Hansen) & I
experimented with putting a batch of steam beer into a Coors Party Ball
which we had saved. We primed the beer as usual (maybe we used less
sugar than normal as some of you suggested for kegs), and put it into the
ball, sealing it with a large rubber stopper. My initial attempt at
wiring down the stopper failed, and we lost the first day's worth of
carbonation.
I rewired (using picture hanging wire), and this held OK. After about
a total of two months, we decided to finally tap and drink the thing at
the tailgater before the Big Game (where Stanford beat Cal!).
I removed the rubber stopper, and replaced it with the original cap
which had been saved from the party ball. This was convenient to use
with the tap, but has the drawback that it is *not* a real seal, and
air would leak when the tap was pumped.
Bottom line: it turned out pretty well. It was under-carbonated due to
the loss of the first day's carbonation, but if we had avoided that, it
would have been a complete success. I would suggest it as a worthwhile
approach for anyone without a keg, who intends to have the whole batch
drunk at one sitting.
Bob Clark
Sun Microsystems
bobc@sun.COM
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 17:05:32 MST
From: roberts%studguppy@LANL.GOV (Doug Roberts @ Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Subject: Too Much Foam Revisited
> Date: Tue, 2 Jan 90 15:27:43 EST
> From: Pete Soper <soper@maxzilla.encore.com>
>
Pete relates a Three Stooges Keg Foaming Incident, & asks questions
regarding CO2 keg pressure & foam...
Well, I've been kegging for a bour 4 years now, and I think I've begun
to get a feel for what causes the foaming: too much CO2! There have
been three causes for excess CO2 that I have observed:
1. Not allowing the the wort to fully complete it's secondary fermentation,
2. Overpriming
3. Overpressuring the keg.
At one time or another, I've committed each of these fulminating acts!
However, I believe the most insidious cause of foaminess is
over-pressuring the keg, because overpressuring can make its effects
felt slowly over time, resulting in the end of your keg being much
foamier than the beginning. There are several factors which will
affect the CO2 content of the beer in your keg: temperature, pressure,
and the time the CO2 head at the top of your keg is exposed to
the beer. The lower the temperature, the higher the solubility of
CO2 in your beer. The longer you maintain a high (45 psi) head, the
more CO2 will enter the beer.
After numerous hit & miss attempts, I've now found the (for me) ideal
procedure for achieving the desired carbonation for my ales, stouts, &
porters:
1. Let the secondary fermentation complete!! This is particularly
difficult for me, being not the most patient person.
2. Prime with _not more than_ 3/4 cup dry malt extract or syrup. I've
found that this will result in a keg pressure of 10 psi (+ or -) and
the right carbonation for my tastes.
3. Maintain the head with a regulator setting of 10 psi.
I believe you ended up with a foamy batch as a result of your 45 psi
forced carbonation campaign, Pete. If you wish to force carbonate your
kegged beer, I'd set the regulator at 10 psi, and hook the CO2 line up
the dispensing side of the keg, as one other poster suggested. This
will allow the CO2 to bubble up through your batch, carbonating it to
the desired level.
BTW: to get a feel for keg carbonation, fill a keg with tap water &
play around with it. When you're done, you've got seltzer!
- --Doug
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 11:30:04 EST
From: bose!chuck@uunet.UU.NET (Chuck Cox)
Subject: Re: Rootbeer
A while back Mark Freeman asked for a rootbeer recipe.
I recently made a half-barrel of rootbeer for my local beer bar,
The Sunset Tap & Grille in Boston.
It may be illegal to sell homebrew, but it is ok to sell homemade rootbeer
(as far as I know).
Chuck's Homemade Ozark Rootbeer (15 gal recipe)
2 oz Birch Beer Extract
10 oz Root Beer Extract
1 lb Honey
1 cup Blackstrap Molasses
1 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
1 gal Sugar (approx 8 lb)
Approximate total cost of ingredients: $25.50
Mix all ingredients in a keg, add water to fill keg, carbonate, drink.
Some comments regarding the recipe:
I thought the molasses taste was a bit harsh, I will try regular
molasses next time and perhaps use a little less as well.
I will try substituting 2 oz of sasparilla extract for 2 oz of the rootbeer
extract.
In any case, you can mix the ingredients to your taste.
This recipe produces a strong tasting rootbeer with about half the sweetness
of most commercial rootbeers (warning: you will want to clean your draft
lines after dispensing this root beer, it leaves a flavor behind).
It was extremely popular with the underage
college crowd because the rootbeer was served just like draft beer.
You can obtain the extracts in 2 oz bottles at most homebrewing shops.
In addition, you can buy bulk extracts through restaurant suppliers,
the one brand I know of is 'Universal'.
While I artifically carbonated my rootbeer (for both legal & practical reasons)
you could ferment it to get carbonation.
There was an alcoholic rootbeer at the Great American Beer Festival,
I talked with the brewmaster who made it, and it is similar to my recipe,
but with the addition of a substantial amount of malt extract to increase
the fermentables. His rootbeer was in the 6% alcohol by weight range,
and tasted very good on it's own, but didn't go well with drinking lots
of regular beer.
BTW: The Sunset sold out of my rootbeer in about a week, but I will make
some more as soon as a tap becomes available.
- Chuck Cox - america's fastest beer judge -
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 15:02:20 PST
From: polstra!jdp@hplabs.HP.COM (John Polstra)
Subject: Rotokegs
In HBD #337, pms@Sun.COM (Patrick Stirling) asked about plastic kegs:
> does anyone know of a supplier of RotoKegs here? Actually the real
> difficulty is finding the CO2 cartridges - any ideas?
The Cellar in Seattle carries Rotokegs as well as some other systems,
and they take mail orders. They carry the CO2 cartridges too.
The Cellar
P.O. Box 33525
Seattle, WA 98133
(206) 365-7660 (voice)
(206) 365-7677 (FAX)
They publish a catalog which I am sure they'd be happy to send you.
Having said that, I would like to point out that these plastic kegs do not
enjoy a good reputation among the serious brewers that I know. The
people I talk to all say that the plastic kegs are just toys, they don't
hold pressure very well, they don't last very long, and they use up
those little CO2 cartridges pretty quickly. In short, they are not
low enough in cost to make them a good deal with respect to, say, a
soda keg system. When I decided to start kegging, everybody that I
asked told me to just bite the bullet and invest in a soda keg system.
I did so, and have been very pleased.
Just passing along what others have told me. I've never tried the
plastic kegs myself. If any of you have used these systems and are
pleased with the results, by all means please correct me on-line.
- John Polstra jdp@polstra.UUCP
Polstra & Co., Inc. ...{uunet,sun}!practic!polstra!jdp
Seattle, WA (206) 932-6482
PS - I don't recommend The Cellar for soda keg systems, although they do
carry them. I've seen better prices elsewhere.
------------------------------
Date: 9 Jan 90 10:24:00 PDT
From: "MISVX1::HABERMAND" <habermand%misvx1.decnet@afal-edwards.af.mil>
Subject: CO2 Sources
Now that we've explored the makeup of kegging systems, where do I go to get
CO2? Is there such an animal as food grade CO2? What about industrial or
medical grades? Can I go to the weld shop or do I need to find a beverage
service to fill it? I actually haven't bought the stuff to keg myy beer yet,
but I would like to do so in the near future. I am in the process of finding
sources for the equipment using the suppliers refferenced in past issues of
the digest and in Zymurgy adds. The systems I have seen put together by the
mail order places run from $200-300, although some don't say if they come with
guages for both CO2 and keg pressure. Which is more common, ball lock or pin
lock connectors? I know that you should choose one and stick with it. I was
also told by a friend, that you should get a three way adaptor so that you can
pressurize more than 1 keg at a time and get the connections for commercial
kegs while you're at it. Well, enough questions for now.
David
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 90 12:06:54 PST
From: smithey@hulder.css.gov (Brian Smithey)
Subject: High alpha Hops
I recently picked up a few ounces of "experimental" 12% alpha Cascades
for an upcoming Pale Ale at my local brew shop. Being relatively new
to homebrewing, it wasn't until I got home that I realized that the
experiment must have been a high alpha. The recipes I've been looking
at for Pale Ale usually call for 2 to 3 oz. of a 5-6 alpha hop for
boiling, a typical alpha content for Cascade. I was planning on going
with 2.5 oz for boiling and 1 oz for finishing with the Cascade until I
found out that I was dealing with "Super Hop." My questions are:
1. Since the alpha content of this hop is double what I was expecting,
do I just cut back to half what I was planning to use for the boil?
2. What about the finishing hop? Do I still go with 1 oz, or should
I cut back on that as well? I don't recall seeing any recipes
that call for high alpha hops for bouquet, is there any reason
that I wouldn't want to use these for finishing?
I'd also be interested in hearing any pros/cons regarding dry-hopping.
The proprietor of the brew shop told me that Sierra Nevada is using
this hop to dry-hop their Pale Ale, a style that I'd like to imitate.
Any hints on when to add the dry hops, how much, comments on high
alpha hops for dry hopping, should I dry hop instead of or in addition
to my usual aromatic steeping, etc. I couldn't find much about dry
hopping in TCJOHB.
Thanks,
Brian
- --
Brian Smithey / SAIC, Geophysics Division / San Diego CA
uucp: uunet!seismo!esosun!smithey
Internet: smithey%esosun.css.gov@seismo.css.gov
------------------------------
Date: Tue Jan 9 10:18:14 1990
From: ingr!b11!conk!steve@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Quality of Rapids SS pots (report)
Chris Shenton writes:
> A while ago, John Polstra (jdp@polstra.UUCP) wrote about good prices for
> stainless pots from Rapids (Wholesale Bar & Restaurant Equipment,
> 800-553-7906). I just got their catalog, and it looks like a winner. Most
> interestingly, a 40 Qt for $80 (List $160); matching lid, $21.25.
>
> They're described as ``Heavy gauge stainless steel.'' Anyone have any
> experience with them? I may break down and order one next week, and if I
> do, will report on it in these pages.
I got the Rapids 40 Qt SS pot for Christmas from my wife, and it's great!
It's made of 20 Ga. SS, and the lid has a nice low spot in the center to
keep condensation in the pot. Make sure you have a long spoon, though.
The pot is 16 inches tall and 14 inches in diameter. I haven't had any
scorching problems with the two batches I've brewed in it, but I always
turn off the heat before adding extracts. The mash I did in it was the
first one that I really had room to stir. My old pot was a 3.5 gallon
Revereware, and I couldn't mash more than about 8.5 lbs of grain. One
last thing that I learned is that the weight of 7 or 8 gallons of water
is not really convenient to lift from the floor to the stove in the pot.
It's much easier and safer to fill the pot on the stove.
My wife said that the people at rapids were very nice to deal with, and
that the order was delivered two days after it was placed.
Steve Conklin uunet!ingr!b11!conk!steve
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 90 17:57:32 EST
From: chuck%bose@uunet.UU.NET (Chuck Cox)
Subject: New Brews in Town (Boston Beer Society)
New Brews in Town - A tasting conducted by the Boston Beer Society
McEwan's Export
Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, Plc., Edinburgh, Scotland
$7.95 per 6-pack
BBS RATING: 79
Brooklyn Brown Dark Ale
The Brooklyn Brewery, contract brewed by Matt's, Utica, NY
Not available in Boston.
BBS RATING: 70
Aass Winter Beer
Aass Bryggeri, Drammen, Norway
Over $9 per 6-pack
BBS RATING: 85
Tudor Pale Ale
George Gale & Co., Ltd., Horndean, Hampshire, England
$2.99 per 550 ml bottle
BBS RATING: 89
HSB Bitter
George Gale & Co., Ltd., Horndean, Hampshire, England
About $5 per 4-pack of 440 ml cans
BBS RATING: 91
Old Thumper
Ringwood Brewery, Ringwood, Hampshire, England
$1.89 per 275 ml bottle, $5.49 per 4-pack
BBS RATING: 92
Geary's Hampshire Winter Ale 1989-1990
Geary's Brewery, Portland, ME
$9.50 per 6-pack
BBS RATING: 82
New Brews in Town is a semi-regular feature of the Boston Wort
Processors newsletter. This column features beers that have come to
the attention of the Boston Beer Society, most of which have recently
appeared on the shelves of local liquor stores. The are rated on a
25-100 point scale. The ratings are intended merely as a guide. The
numbers should only be used to assess beers against others from the
same style.
25-59 points not worth going out of your way for
60-69 points fair
70-79 points good
80-89 points very good
90-100 points excellent
This is a condensed version of the column from the latest BWP
newsletter. You can read the full column as well as other exciting
tidbits by joining the BWP. Membership, including a subscription to
the newsletter is $10 for one year. Send to:
The Boston Wort Processors
c/o Tom Ayers
65 Langdon St. #6
Cambridge, MA 02138
- Chuck Cox - america's fastest beer judge
------------------------------
Date: 10 Jan 90 12:13:00 EST
From: "FEINSTEIN" <crf@pine.circa.ufl.edu>
Subject: Gusher anecdote
Hi there!
The recent discussion about gushers put me in mind of an anecdote from a
fellow brewer (the person who got me started in brewing, in fact).
My friend Steve generally brews in 25 gal batches. Of necessity, he generally
keeps things simple. So, he usually uses the type of hydrometer that isn't
scaled to specific gravity readings. Rather, it just has a red line labeled
"Bottle," and when the reading says "bottle" he does so. Steve, btw, bottles
all his beer in champagne bottles.
Now, the scales on hydrometers are printed on pieces of paper which are glued
inside the hollow necks of the hydrometers.
Well, once upon a time, the paper in Steve's hydrometer slipped just a little.
Not enough to notice, but enough to matter. Some time after bottling the batch
in question, Steve was standing near the storage area. He heard a funny
sound. Glancing at the shelving the beer was sitting on, Steve discovered the
source of the sound: the bottles of beer, which had inadvertently been filled
too soon, were vibrating with accumlated pressure. The sound was the bottles
rattling on the shelves and clinking against each other!
Hollering for his wife's help, Steve quickly pulled out his priming and
bottling equipment and cleaned it. He and his wife then emptied all the
bottles into the priming bucket. Steve has described this operation to me as
consisting of pointing the neck of a bottle against the side of the priming
bucket, popping the cap off, and removing the now-empty bottle-- it emptied
virtually instaneously, with a "BOOMP!" as the cap came off.
Steve re-bottled the beer, with no further addition of sugar. After a normal
aging period, the beer was consumed. I am told that while it wasn't as
carbonated as was usual, the brew was by no means flat, either.
Hope this amuses!
Yours in Carbonation,
Cher
"The first cup of coffee recapitulates phylogeny." -- Anon.
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Cheryl Feinstein INTERNET: CRF@PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU
Univ. of Fla. BITNET: CRF@UFPINE
Gainesville, FL
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1, 01/16/90
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