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HOMEBREW Digest #0346
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 90/01/29 04:59:31
HOMEBREW Digest #346 Mon 29 January 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Here's how I start yeast ("Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great. If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate. 8)")
Dry Hopping (Ted Manahan)
Priming (ihlpl!korz)
re: mail order yeast and kegging (florianb)
Bottling under pressure (Brian Capouch)
Lager Techniques (jamesb)
RE: Priming questions (Mark Freeman)
Mailorder supply sources -- some names and addresses (Chris Shenton)
Wyeast (Pete Soper)
Re: kegging problems (mark gryska)
Re: HB archives (a.e.mossberg)
Hello from a new reader, couple of ?? <Tony Klein> (klein)
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: Fri, 26 Jan 90 09:01 CST
From: "Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great. If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate. 8)"
Subject: Here's how I start yeast
Greetings:
I put a cup of filtered (reverse-osmosis) water into a pyrex measuring cup
and then pop it in the microwave for five minutes or so (to get it good
and hot). I toss the water into a plastic container, cover it with a
saucer and wait for it to cool to 90F or so. Once it has, I open up the
package of dry yeast and pour it in.
I usually perform this procedure when I'm starting the boil (since it takes
overnight for the wort to cool).
- Ted
- --
"You lie to your friends, and I'll lie to my friends, but let's not lie
to each other." -- New Mexico proverb
ptgarvin@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu / ptgarvin@uokmax.UUCP | Eris loves you.
in the Society: Padraig Cosfhota o hUlad / Barony of Namron, Ansteorra
Disclaimer: Fragile. Contents inflammable. Do not use near open flame.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 09:07:41 mst
From: Ted Manahan <hpldola!tedm@hplabs.HP.COM>
Subject: Dry Hopping
I have done one batch with dry hopping. It was my Christmas Ale '89,
and it turned out quite well (if I do say so myself!).
I waited until the second day after pitching the yeast, when I had a
good head of foam going. I then added 1.5 oz. hops, and stirred them
in. Three days later I racked to secondary, leaving the hops behind. I
bottled one week after that.
I was concerned about infection, but I figured that it would take at
least a month or two to become noticeable. Since I made this batch
mostly to give away, I told the recipients to drink it up before
Christmas on this account.
I'll certainly use this technique again.
Ted Manahan
tedm@hpldola.hp.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 09:32:57 mst
From: att!ihlpl!korz@hp-lsd.cos.hp.com
Subject: Priming
In HD #345, there were a few questions about priming. 1) I'm afraid that
I haven't tried different sized bottles, only 12 oz., so I can only
speculate. When kegging, I've read that you should use less priming
sugar than when bottling (Darryl Richman (who's opinion I trust
wholeheartedly) suggested 1/4 cup corn sugar for English-style ales
and 1/2 cup for lagers when kegging) so I imagine that there may be
a slight difference in carbonation when using 16, 17, or 32 oz bottles.
Personally, I would relax, not worry, have a homebrew, and use the
amount I normally use, i.e. 3/4 cup for 5 gallons. 2) Headspace, again
I haven't experimented with, but I've read that increased headspace
produces increased carbonation. 3) Priming with dry malt extract IS
something I've tried. I suggest using 25% more (by weight) dried malt
extract than the corn sugar you would normally use. This is because
corn sugar is 99.99% fermentable solids and dried malt extract is ~75-80%
fermentable solids. On my first attempt, I used 3/4 cup dried malt extract
(it was Laandsomethingorother Pale) and the final product was virtually
uncarbonated.
Al.
------------------------------
Date: 26 Jan 90 08:47:58 PST (Fri)
From: florianb@tekred.cna.tek.com
Subject: re: mail order yeast and kegging
Mike Charleton asks:
"My partner and I...(are looking for)... mail order sources for liquid yeast"
I've bought liquid yeast both fresh and by mail order from Steinbart's. The
mail order takes two days by UPS (it's just over the hill). I've noticed
a significant difference in the yeasts that come by mail. Perhaps a little
sluggish. Thus, I can't recommend these over simply hydrating a packet of
Munton and Fison. The liquid yeast purchased fresh is superb, though.
__________
Many thanks to all who responded regarding my keg leak problems. Results?
The Firestone keg seems to have fixed its own problem. It no longer leaks.
The Cornelius kegs gave me real trouble. The new one now seals with one
particular orientation of the lid. The recommended method of sealing is
to fill the keg, turn it over once, then back. Then fill with gas. The
used Cornelius keg refused to seal until I replaced the O-ring (from
Rapids). I had to also remove the inlet valve and disassemble it, and
boil the tiny O-ring. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET REPLACEMENT PARTS
FOR THE KEG VALVES?
Funny thing about these kegs. I did photoemission studies for my
postdoc in solid state physics. I had less trouble obtaining 10E-7
atmospheres in a giant vacuum vessle than I had sealing these kegs to
10 psi! Oh, well, nothing a good home brew won't cure. But seriously,
I would appreciate information on where to obtain spare Cornelius parts.
Thanks again. Florian.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 12:07:24 -0600 (CST)
From: Brian Capouch <brianc@zeta.saintjoe.EDU>
Subject: Bottling under pressure
The (I think) most recent issue of Zymurgy, which talked about kegging beer,
shows, but doesn't describe very well, a process for bottling beer from a keg
"under pressure."
I have a couple of kegs of beer that I'd like to transfer to bottles. I'm
afraid to just let out all the CO2 and then siphon it in, since I think my
carbonation is going to be harmed irreparably.
How do you pros do it? I haven't become a big fan of kegs yet, because I keep
20-25 different batches of brew around. I like to "taste around", and kegs
just don't seem practical. Is there something about it I'm missing?
Thanks.
Brian Capouch
brianc@saintjoe.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri Jan 26 09:36:35 1990
From: microsoft!jamesb@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Lager Techniques
I have decided to build a Lager. The problem here is amatuer status.
Soes anyone have any rules/guidelines/methods or advice on
doing the perfect Lager.
Things like: Single stage, dual stage, fermentation temps
SG's etc etc etc
Thanx
Jim Bropglio
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 10:23 PST
From: Mark Freeman <MFreeman@VERMITHRAX.SCH.Symbolics.COM>
Subject: RE: Priming questions
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 90 18:02:31 EST
From: Brian Glendenning <brian@radio.astro.utoronto.ca>
Subject: Priming questions
I have some questions about priming with sugar to get the beer
carbonated.
1) Is the amount of priming sugar independent of the bottle size? In
other words, should I be using the same amount (~3/4 cup) of priming
sugar if I'm bottling in 1l bottles rather than 12oz?
Yes, the amount you use depends on the size of the batch. For a
five gallon batch, I use 1/2 - 3/4 cup of malt extract. The
largest bottles I've used are 0,5l. I haven't had a
carbonation explosion, yet.
2) How about head space?
In the bottle? For 12 oz. bottles I leave about 2 - 3 inches
clearance, or about halfway up the neck.
3) Does it make a noticeable difference if you use malt extract
instead of corn sugar?
I've never used corn sugar, so I can't say. In my last batch of
pale ale, I used 1/2 cup of dark malt extract to give it an
amber color.
Thanks!
Brian
- --
Brian Glendenning - Radio astronomy, University of Toronto
brian@radio.astro.utoronto.ca utai!radio.astro!brian glendenn@utorphys.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 10:50:01 est
From: Chris Shenton <chris@asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Mailorder supply sources -- some names and addresses
In response to a couple recent questions about homebrew suppy sources...
I'm almost done compiling a list of mailorder places -- addresses and
representative prices. Here are some addresses. Full list and table will be
posted to the net ``real soon now''. Enjoy.
_______________________________________________________________________________
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
- --
American Brewmaster: 2940-6 Trawick Road; Raleigh, NC 27604; 919-850-0095
Ambler Woodstove: Bethelehem and Butler Pikes; Ambler, PA 19002; 215-643-3565
Beer and Wine Hobby: PO Box 3104; Wakefield, MA 01880; 617-933-8818
Basement Brewmaster: 4280 N. 160th St; Brookfield, WI 53005; 414-781-BREW
Brew for Less: P.O. Box 32 195; Chicago, IL 60632-0195; 312-581-BEER
Barleymalt & Vine; 4 Corey St; W. Roxbury, MA 02132; 617-327-0089
Brewhaus: 4955 Ball Camp Pike; Knoxville, TN 37921; 615-523-4615
Country Wines: 3333 Babcock Blvd; Pitsburgh, PA 15237; 412-366-0151
The Cellar: P.O. Box 33525; 14411 Greenwood Ave, N; Seattle, WA 98133; 206-365-7660
Crossfire: PO Box 530; Somersville, CT 06072; 203-623-6537
E.C. Kraus; 9001 East 24 Highway; P.O. Box 7850; Independence, MO 64053; 816-254-7448
Freshops: 36180 Kings Valley Hwy; Philomath, OR 97370; 503-929-2736
F.H. Steinbart Co; 602 SE Salmon; Portland, OR 97214; 503-232-8793
Great Fermentations of Marin; 87 Larkspur St; San Rafael, CA94901; 415-459-2420
Great Fermentations of Santa Rosa: PO Box 428; Fulton, CA; 800-544-1867
Hayes Homebrew Supply: Suite 117; 311 S. Allen St; State College, PA 16801
Hennessy Homebrew: 470 North Greenbush Road; Rensselaer, NY 12144; 518-283-7094
Jaspers Home Brew Supply; 116 Page Road; Litchfield, NH 03051; 603-881-3052
Joe and Sons; P.O. Box 11276; Cincinnati, OH 45211; 513-662-2326
Koeppl's Master Brewing: 2311 George St; Rolling Meadows, IL 60008; 312-255-4478
Lil' Olde Winemaking Shoppe; 4S245 Wiltshire Ln; Sugar Grove, IL 60554; 708-557-2523
Marbull's Malt & Hop Shop; 709 Highland; Lawton, OK 73501; 405-355-6690
Mark's Malts: 14 Tonkin Ct; Kent, OH 44240;
Oak Barrel Winecraft; 1443 San Pablo Ave; Berkeley, CA 94702; 415-849-0400
Purple Foot: 3167 S. 92nd St; Milwaukee, WI 53227; 414-327-2130
P.O. Box 544; Union Station; Endicott, NY 13760; 607-748-1877
Sebastian Brewers Supply; 1762 Sunrise Lane; Sebastian, FL 32958
The Home Brewery: 16490 Jurupa Ave; Fontana, CA 92335; 714-822-3010
The Modern Brewer Company; P.O. Box 511; Cambridge, MA 02140; 800-SEND-ALE
Wine & Brew By You: 5760 Bird Rd; Miami, FL 33155; 305-666-5757
Winemaker's Market: 4249 N. Essex Ave; Springfield, MO 65803; 417-833-4145
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 13:00:04 EST
From: Pete Soper <soper@maxzilla.encore.com>
Subject: Wyeast
In HBD #345, Mike Charlton asks about liquid yeasts.
I highly recommend Wyeast #1056 for pale ales. This is a very
neutral yeast that will let the character of your malt and hops
come through. I love it. This is also called "Chico Ale yeast"
and "American ale yeast" and is rumored to be the same strain
as that used by Sierra Nevada (i.e. the brewery at Chico, California).
If you don't mind or perhaps desire an estery character (fruity aroma)
and less attenuation (i.e. higher final gravity, more residual
sweetness) try Wyeast #1098 (aka English Ale yeast, rumored to be
Whitbread's strain). For any given brew, this yeast gives me a
final gravity perhaps 1/3 higher than a "regular" yeast (just for
example, I recently got 1.018 instead of the usual 1.014 for an
ale that started at 1.056) To compensate for the higher
terminal gravity I boost my bittering hops a bit when using
this yeast. This one is also very well behaved and reliable.
I've only used #1084 a few times. This is "Irish ale yeast" and
is rumored to be the strain used by Guinness. I can't
say much about it except that it is well behaved and certainly hasn't
added any flavor or aroma that could rise above the massive roasted
barley character of my stouts. (I've got a long way to go with duplicating
the smoothness of Guinness :-)
I got nailed a couple times by #1028 (don't remember its "name"). I
found it unreliable and in one case it was clearly defective.
If you are good with yeast starters, you can get a lot of use out
of a single Wyeast packet. In the past I regularly split a packet
across the starter for the batch at hand and 3 sterile culture
tubes and kept those in my refrigerator for up to 8 weeks,
getting 4 batches of beer out of a single packet. Others will make
the sound argument that this is one hell of a lot of hassle to save
a few dollars. It is also somewhat risky if you can't carry out really
sterile procedures.
If you just pitch the contents of the Wyeast packet into a batch of wort
directly be very patient. It can take a long time to get going. I
recommend 1) letting the packet warm to 70-80 degrees, then 2)
activating the packet (i.e. crushing the yeast capsule and vigorously
shaking it together with the wort inside), then 3) letting it inflate
while lying flat at room temperature. Try to match its temperature
as close as possible to the wort it is to be pitched into. Try to keep
the rate of temperature change experienced by the yeast down to 5 degrees
per day. I get good results with fermentation temperatures of 60-65F
with the above strains. They will of course function at warmer temperatures
too.
On the other hand, used with a 1 quart starter a packet of Wyeast will
get your wort actively fermenting in 8-24 hours (depending upon a host
of factors). Be sure to swirl up all the yeast from the bottom of the
starter. If you get a fresh packet of one of the above strains, figure 1-2
days to fully activate at 70-75 degrees, then 1-2 days to get going well in
a quart starter. If you are ramping up through multiple starters try
to closely match temperatures.
Store Wyeast in the bottom of your refrigerator (i.e. mid-30s). I believe
that even at these temperatures, a few months should be the upper limit
for shelf life. Absolutely do not freeze liquid yeast or leave it lying
around at room temperature before use.
I can vouch for your experience with bottled Guinness. I spent a month
searching England and Scotland last Summer without finding an unfiltered
bottle.
A supplier that sells Wyeast and who will put up with Customs paperwork:
American Brewmaster
2940-6 Trawick rd
Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
phone 919 850 0095
(Mike and Sharon Williams, 10am-7pm EST Tuesday-Friday, 10-4 on Saturday)
It is important that the supplier properly pack the yeast to give it
some insulation and and send it no slower than UPS 2nd day air during
warm seasons. High temperatures will kill some or all of the yeast cells
pretty quickly, so spending days in a hot truck or Customs warehouse is
no good.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Soper +1 919 481 3730
internet: soper@encore.com uucp: {bu-cs,decvax,gould}!encore!soper
Encore Computer Corp, 901 Kildaire Farm Rd, bldg D, Cary, NC 27511 USA
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 17:20:30 EST
From: mark@zippy.cs.umass.edu (mark gryska)
Subject: Re: kegging problems
One method for sealing a cornelius keg: Once the keg is full attach
the CO2 line before closing the lid. Run the CO2 into the keg at a
low pressure (~5psi) and pull up on the bail while gently wiggling it
back and forth. You can hear the gas escaping around the seal and
when you get it into a good position the pressure in the keg will
force the lid up and close the seal. Push down a LITTLE on the lid,
it shouldn't budge because of the pressure in the keg. Clamp the bail
shut and add more pressure if you like. One advantage to this method
is that you will displace any air remaining in the keg before sealing
it shut and reduce the chance of oxidation.
- mg
gryska@cs.umass.edu
mark@zippy.cs.umass.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 17:39:41 EST
From: aem@mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU (a.e.mossberg)
Subject: Re: HB archives
In HOMEBREW Digest #345, boubez@bass.rutgers.edu (Toufic Boubez) asks:
>I have tried several times to recall a digest from the archives, to
>no avail. I don't know if I'm doing it right, but here are two of the
>different ways I tried:
>
> send 329 from homebrew
> send 239 from homebrew-new
>
>Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks.
Well, the first won't work because 329 is not in an archive of it's own. Issues
that are not current are stored in monthly archive. Thus, if you want 329, you
would need to send the message
send 8912.shar from homebrew
likewise, the second request you example won't work because 239 is not a current
issue. Only the current month's issues are available individually from
homebrew-new, for instance, you could send
send 346 from homebrew-new
to get this very issue. Neat, huh? Anyway, if my instructions in the index
for homebrew aren't clear, I would welcome an improved version.
aem
- --
a.e.mossberg / aem@mthvax.cs.miami.edu / aem@umiami.BITNET / Pahayokee Bioregion
Despite the enormous civil rights gains of the past three decades, even the
rawest forms of racism persist. - Jesse Jackson
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jan 90 14:27:41 cst
From: klein@c10sd3.StPaul.NCR.COM
Subject: Hello from a new reader, couple of ?? <Tony Klein>
Greetings!
I just recently joined this mailing list and would like to toss out a
general 'Hello!' to all the loyal readers and a 'Thanks for a job well done!'
Mr. Rob Gardner. [Pause for polite applause to subside.]
In an effort to get a 'feel' for things, I grabbed the last four months
of digests from the archives in Miami. Lots of Very Useful Information in
there! I am just about finished reading through it all, and as you might
imagine I have a few questions.
Perhaps I should first do a little introduction. I checked my brewing
logbook last night to discover that I have brewed 24 batches of beer so
far (first one was in 1982). Probably one quarter of them were lousy
(more than one was dumped), one quarter were really good, and half were
mediocre at best. So I guess I rate a solid 'amateur', maybe just above
'wet behind the ears' experience-wise.
My initial attempts were based on a book called `The Art of Making
Beer' by Hull and Anderson. (Recipies have as much as 50% adjunct
sugar.) Later I got Byron Busch's `Brewing Quality Beers' which
improved my success somewhat. Recently I acquired Papazians TCGTHB,
which as you all know, is terriffic. Since discovering this forum I
have sure gained a lot of insight. There is no substitute for learning
from the experience of others!
I live in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is the land 10,000 lakes and sky
blue waters. I feel sorry for all the people who have said lately that
they have to buy bottled water for brewing. Bummer! Here the city water
is good, but the Schmidt Brewery has a tap on the side of their building
where they offer free water (1100 ft deep well) to the public. It's great!
Although we are not a bee-hive of micro-brewing entrepeneurs
like what seems to be the case in California or Colorado, there is an
increasing interest in 'regional' brewing which is (I believe) part of a
national trend.
In addition to the Big Boys like The Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company
(G Heilemann) and The Hamms Brewery (owned by Strohs), St.Paul is home to
Summit Brewing (a microbrewery) and at least three brewpubs. In addition,
the Shells Brewery in New Ulm, Mn, brews a number of beers under contract to
a local bar. (There are a number of smaller breweries in small towns
throughout the state.)
I think its great that 'regional' beers are experiencing a renaissance!
I look forward to the day that Minnesota could have 200 regional breweries
as it did before prohibition!
So, anyway, enough rambling. Lets get down to brass tacks. [Pause while
the assembled crowd pop open homebrews all around....]
Speaking of the Complete Guide to Home Brewing, I noticed a few
times that a 'net index' was mentioned. [groan from audience ignored] Where
is this bugger? (I know, I know, the archives! But point me to a month
at least....)
Here are some other things I am wondering about:
1) The term 'sparging'. Someone tell me why this is something
different from `rinsing'. In my last coupla batches that used specialty
grains, I used a simple infusion mashing technique (grain placed in
ceramic bean-pot with water in 150 degree oven for 60 minutes), followed
by a `rinsing' step.
I have this colander that fits inside a matching enamelware pot. I
scooped the mashed grain into the colander (letting it drain into the
brewing kettle) then sunk it into the pot (filled with maybe 2 quarts
of water). I just lift and sink this colander a few times, the water
rinses through and through. Comments? Do I need a more sophisticated
sparging technique?
(Basically what I mean here is suppose you took the familiar
bucket-in-a-bucket apparatus (inner bucket with holes in the bottom),
filled the thing with mash, then just lift the inner bucket out and let
the water drain off. Then sink it, lift it out, sink it, etc, thus
rinsing the grain. Will this work?)
2) On the subject of Yeast - I read a few comments on Red Star Ale
yeast that suggested that it's not too good. Is this the general
consensus? I used to just buy the cheapest yeast, I think now I will
pay more attention. Which brings me to
3) Fast starting fermentation and slow staring fermentation. I
can't believe all you folks get fermentation in less than 24 hours. The
batch of Scottish Style Brown Ale that I have going right now was brewed
last saturday (cooled and yeast pitched), and it was *wednesday* before
bubbles started blurping out of the primary. I considered this normal.
Should I worry? [I am aready relaxing and having a homebrew.]
Here I read all these panic messages about fermentation failing to get
started within a few *hours*. I guess all my batches have been
slow. From now on I will definately rehydrate my yeast in warm water,
though, that sounds like a great idea to speed things up.
One final note:
I also read with interest some talk of a Hunter Energy Monitor
Thermostat being used, I assume, to control a refrigerator. Why not
just use the refrigerator thermostat? (Not that I need such devices! In
the basement of this house, there is a partially excavated area (under
the front porch) that stays about 40-45 degrees in the winter. Its a
perfect place for lagering!)
(Sorry for the length of this posting.)
Cheers!
[Polish off last few drops, slam down mug, exit with smile and wave!]
<TK>
____/| Tony Klein NCR Comten, St.Paul, MN 612-638-7861
() \| klein@stpaul.ncr.com ...uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcce!klein
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #346, 01/29/90
*************************************
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