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HOMEBREW Digest #0400
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 90/04/17 03:14:46
HOMEBREW Digest #400 Tue 17 April 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
More on Sweet Beer (Doug Roberts)
Re: Yeast, Cultures (Crawford.WBST129)
Too Sweet? (Martin A. Lodahl)
Mead and color... (Paul L. Kelly)
Coolant Pump, Revisited (Martin A. Lodahl)
Black Currant juice (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
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Date: Mon, 16 Apr 90 08:47:24 MDT
From: roberts%studguppy@LANL.GOV (Doug Roberts)
Subject: More on Sweet Beer
> Date: Thu Apr 12 15:31:49 1990
> From: "William F. Pemberton" <wfp5p@euclid.acc.virginia.edu>
> Several people on the net
> (thanks to all) suggested cutting back on the Crystal Malt. I must
> admit that is about the only constant in my beers, I always use
> right around half a pound. I think I will try a version with that
> eliminated.
1/2 # crystal isn't enough to give your beer an overly sweet flavor. I
often use recipes with a pound of crystal, and I haven't ever had the
problem. You say you've used Whitbread ale yeast, and it really is
fairly attenuative. I would suspect that your wort is experiencing
some environmental condition (temperature perturbations, residual
sterilant in the secondary) that is preventing the fermentation
from going to completion.
- --Doug
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 90 05:45:57 PDT (Monday)
From: Crawford.WBST129@Xerox.COM
Subject: Re: Yeast, Cultures
Glenn Colon-Bonet writes about culturing from a petri dish:
> Attach fermentation lock and when small starter becomes active (2 days),
> transfer to a larger starter (16-24 oz). When the large starter is
active
> (1-2 more days) its ready to make beer!
I have recently started doing this with some success. My problem is that
when I add the small starter to the larger starter I still get a lag time
of over 24 hours. I have found that I need to use a third even larger
starter (32 oz) to get my lag time down to about 18 hours. Can you give me
any pointers Glenn? How much malt do you use in your 2-4 oz of wort? Do
you yeast nutrient?
The big advantage of culturing my own yeast for me is that the local shop
where I get my yeast is usually out of the type I want. Now I don't have
to worry (and you know how important it is not to worry) whether they have
the yeast I want when I want it.
Greg
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 90 12:47:18 PST
From: Martin A. Lodahl <hplabs!pbmoss!mal>
Subject: Too Sweet?
In HOMEBREW Digest #397, William F. Pemberton observed:
" ... most of the brews I have made have been a touch too sweet
for my liking. Is there a simple recipe change that I can do that will
take care of this? I have used several different yeasts, including
Whitbread."
I've had the same sor of problem from time to time. When I used
extracts, I found that some were more fermentable than others. On
one memorable occasion, I used Australian Dark bulk extract in a
porter recipe I'd developed using Scottish Light bulk extract. The
SG drop was much less than expected, and the beer was altogether too
sweet. Another time, I added more extract and crystal malt in an
attempt to increase the "malt flavor", and ended up with something
disgustingly sweet. I tried the same recipe again later but
massively boosted the hopping rate, which appeared to balance out
the impression of excessive sweetness. Since moving into grain
brewing, I've been able to control the fermentability of the wort,
and have had fewer surprises.
By the way, next Saturday will be the "beta test" of the Icewater
Recirculation System (Mark II) I put together after the lively
discussions on that subject a couple of months back. Though several
dissenting voices were heard, the consensus was that a small
drill-powered pump was just the ticket to run icewater through a
wort chiller. My family, however, responded to the din from my
drill with even louder an more persistent din of another sort, so
I've substituted a water recirculation pump from an evaporative
cooler. At $4.16 the price was tough to beat, it's quiet, and
should work fine, if it doesn't fall over into the coolant and cause
all kinds of excitement. Watch this space ...
- Martin
= Martin A. Lodahl Pac*Bell Minicomputer Operations Support Staff =
= pacbell!pbmoss!mal -or- mal@pbmoss.Pacbell.COM 916.972.4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) =
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 90 16:11:09 EST
From: pkel@psych.purdue.edu (Paul L. Kelly)
Subject: Mead and color...
I'm planning to brew a batch of strawberry mead (well, technically melomel)
soon, and I was wondering how well the red color from the berries will be
retained in the final product. My wife tells me I drank too much Kool-Aid as
a kid, but it's my belief that something that tastes like strawberries should
be red. Should I add something else (red zinger tea comes to mind) that will
definitely stay red, or will I get enough color from the fruit (assuming I use
about 6lbs of strawberries)?
Thanks in advance.
Paul
pkel@brazil.psych.purdue.edu | I think <----+ |"Cows!" - Owen, _Throw
Paul L. Kelly | | | |Mama from the Train_
Dept. Psych. Sci., Purdue Univ. | \|/ | |Disclaimer: Jane, you
"Humpty Dumpty was pushed!" | Therefore, I am ->+ |ignorant slut.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 90 13:46:42 PST
From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!mal@Sun.COM>
Subject: Coolant Pump, Revisited
(This is not my first attempt to post this. Something seems to be
eating my words! Usually, I'm the one forced to do that ...)
A few months ago there was brisk discussion on the subject of a pump
to recirculate icewater through a wort chiller. The consensus
favored a small drill-powered pump, but my family objected
strenuously to the din. Inspiration: a water recirculation pump
for an evaporative air cooler! So, for some $4 I acquired one for a
5000 CFM cooler, and tried it out on last Saturday's batch of stout.
Not an unqualified success: the flow rate of this small pump was
just not enough. The transit time through the coils was so long
that I suspect that a difference in temperature between the coolant
and the wort only existed for the first turn or so. I'd been
worried that too much flow would pop off the low-pressure hose
connections, but I could have used 5 times the flow this pump put
out. It was quiet, at least. Unfortunately, pumps designed for
larger coolers have a MUCH larger price, so it's time to hit the
salvage yards ...
DISCLAIMER: This type of pump is not designed for this type of use.
It's not grounded or electrically sealed, and is top-heavy. If it
falls over into your icebath, something horrid will happen. Not my
fault.
Now about that stout: there's about 4.5 gallons in the fermentor (I
slipped while straining the hops. It's astonishing how much of the
kitchen can be covered in one splash!), bubbling merrily away, of
some of the most wildly over-hopped stuff I've ever tasted. I just
hope it's drinkable when it's done.
= Martin A. Lodahl Pac*Bell Minicomputer Operations Support Staff =
= pacbell!pbmoss!mal -or- mal@pbmoss.Pacbell.COM 916.972.4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) =
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 90 16:58:46 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Black Currant juice
The black currant flavoring that John Mellby is searching for
is available, oddly enough, in grocery stores in my area. I
don't recall the brand, but it is manufactured by a Polish
company and imported. You may have to look in stores that
stock European foods or imported foods in general. This
company makes many flavors of berry syrups, which I believe
are used mostly in tea or to make a berry "tea" by itself.
Good luck.
Al.
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #400, 04/17/90
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