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HOMEBREW Digest #0380
HOMEBREW Digest #380 Tue 20 March 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Stout (Chris Shenton)
Wheat extract (Brian Smithey)
More on Sumerian Beer (Frederic W. Brehm)
Cooper's Australian Ale
Sumerian beer (Dave Suurballe)
recent Zymurgy (Alan Duester)
In defense of KitchenAid grain mills (doug)
Re: Liberty Ale (Chuck Cox)
Univ. of Moosehead (Art Hebert)
Re: stout (recipe) (Michael Eldredge)
BrewNet (John Mellby)
More historical info, plus sources (CRF)
extract stout brew (Max Newman x6689)
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, 16 Mar 90 10:53:00 est
From: Chris Shenton <chris@asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Stout
[ Yesterday, I tried responding to <L_LEE1%UNHH.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>'s
question about stout recipes. My message and table seem to have gotten
trashed, either by my mailer (oh, no, not *that* again!) or the digester
somewhere. Here goes again, with all dashes replaced by equals-signs... ]
> Hey, does anyone outhere have a good recipe for stout that can be done with
> easily obtainable ingredients?
I did a little chart of recipes when I first started brewing; helped me to
generalize what constituted a stout. The `Mega' turned out very well --
dark, roasty, heavy. Be warned, however: my primary blew its lid three
times and really made a mess out of the room. Use a super-large blow off
hose, or (twinge!) just leave the hole in the fermenter uncovered; using
liquid culture might prevent such an intense fermentation.
Toad Dark Cushlo-
Ingredients, for 5 gal Mega Spit Sleep machree
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Kits and Extracts, Lb
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
M & F Stout Kit 6.6
Edme Stout hopped Kit 7.0
M & F Extra-dark dry 3
John Bull Hopped Dark 3.3
John Bull Plain Dark 6.6
Plain dark dry 4.0 1.0
Specialty Grains, Lb
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Chocolate malt, whole 2 cup
Black patent 2 cup 0.33 0.5
Roasted Barley 2 cup 0.33 0.5 0.25
Crystal 0.75 0.5
Hops, oz:min (-=steep)
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Fuggles 5.5% 3.0:60 0.5:10 1.0:60
Cascade 5.5% 0.5:-15 0.5:10
Bullion 1.5:60 2.0:60
Yeast, packets
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Ale ? 1 - 2 1 - 2 1 - 2
Miscellaneous
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Irish moss, tsp:min 0.25:15
Gypsum, tsp 8 8
Specific Gravity
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Original 1.071 1.052 1.062 1.042
Final 1.020 1.017 1.026 1.012
Source
====================== ======= ======= ======= =======
Zymurgy Papa- Papa- Papa-
V11:5 zian zian zian
Wint 88 CJHB CJHB CJHB
page 38 p 177 p 179 p 179
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 09:10:20 PST
From: smithey@hulder.css.gov (Brian Smithey)
Subject: Wheat extract
I am an extract brewer interested in making a wheat beer for my
next batch, so all of the info on wheat extracts has been very
helpful. My question for those of you who have used wheat extracts
is whether or not I will need to use a source of additional enzymes
(such as Edme DMS) with this stuff, or if the extract contains the
necessary enzymes. I understand from Papazian's book that wheat
doesn't naturally have the enzymes to convert the starches and needs
to be mashed with malted barley (or some other enzyme source) when
doing all-grain. Are these extracts 100% malted wheat, or a combination
of wheat and barley?
Please indicate which brand of wheat extract you used.
Thanks,
Brian
- --
Brian Smithey / SAIC, Geophysics Division / San Diego CA
uucp: uunet!seismo!esosun!smithey
Internet: smithey@esosun.css.gov
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 12:20:27 EST
From: fwb@demon.siemens.com (Frederic W. Brehm)
Subject: More on Sumerian Beer
An AP article about the Ninkasi beer brewed by Anchor appeared in our local
newspaper, too. Since we are near Philadelphia, not San Francisco, the
paper did not feature Fritz Maytag's involvement, but the other half of the
team: Professor Solomon Katz of the University of Pennsylvania. Katz is
"an anthropologist specializing in nutrition." The paper reported that
"The beer was the culmination of two years of research by Katz and Fritz
Maytag ..." The recipe was based on "The Hymn to the Goddess of Ninkasi"
dating from about 1800 B.C. Katz wrote some articles in 1987 about his
theory that that beer was the cornerstone of civilization. Maytag read the
articles, decided to "try to make some of the beer to see what we could
learn," and "contacted Katz who agreed to help. It sparked a two-year
research project, with Katz poring over tablets from around the world to
determine some of the finer points of the recipe."
An interesting quote from Maytag:
"Real brewing is very simple, and we know that the brewers 5,000 years
ago were extermely skilled. We ought to assume that these guys were
just as good at brewing as we are.
Is someone reading this at UofP? Could Katz be convinced to share some
more information with this list?
Fred
-
Frederic W. Brehm Siemens Corporate Research Princeton, NJ
fwb@demon.siemens.com -or- princeton!siemens!demon!fwb
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 16:58:26 EST
From: "Robert A. Ott" <ottra@clutx.clarkson.edu>
Subject: Cooper's Australian Ale
This question is directed at anyone who has used COOPER'S AUSTRALIAN ALE. This
is the second time I have used the mixture and both times I have gotten a
cidery smell. The fermentation temperature was low and I used corn sugar so I
'm not real sure where the esters came from. Any help would be appreciated.
ottra@clutx.clarkson.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 13:16:58 PST
From: suurb@hsfdjs.toad.com (Dave Suurballe)
Subject: Sumerian beer
I just spoke to Anchor, and they have no more Sumerian beer to sell.
In addition, it was never distributed. It was just one batch which they
brewed for the Conference, and then sold out of the brewery until it was
gone.
Suurb
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 19:56:55 EST
From: capnal@aqua.whoi.edu (Alan Duester)
Subject: recent Zymurgy
For those of you who have asked, Zymurgy Vol.13, No.1 arrived
in the mail this afternoon. Cover story is "Brewing the German
Way".
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 22:36:39 EST
From: hisata!doug@gatech.edu
Subject: In defense of KitchenAid grain mills
Yes, the KitchenAid grain mill works just fine for crushing grains.
It is easily adjustable, from grinding fine enough to make a powder
to coarse enough to let whole grains pass through unscathed. I've
been using it for several years for my grains, without a problem.
And since you can dump a cup or two of grain into the hopper at a time,
you can monitor the grind and adjust it as needed while still grinding
away. For instance, I usually have to grind a little finer for black
patent than pale malt, since the grains tend to be a bit smaller.
No complaints from me. Like most everything KitchenAid makes, it's
rugged as hell. (Their plastic attachments tend to be a bit wimpier
and sometimes crack after many long years of use.)
Bumpin' and grindin',
Doug
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 15:07:46 EST
From: bose!chuck@uunet.UU.NET (Chuck Cox)
Subject: Re: Liberty Ale
Dave Suurballe sez -
> Anchor's "Liberty Ale" was introduced in 1976; it's
> an IPA, and there weren't any IPAs anywhere in this country.
Ihor W. Slabicky sez -
> I beg to differ, but Ballantine's India Pale Ale has been around
> for quite a long time, longer than Liberty Ale.
Yes, as a matter of fact, when I was at the brewery, we discussed
the evolution of Liberty Ale.
One of their earlier Special Ales ('81-'83 as I recall) was modeled
after Ballantine IPA. The Bally IPA of that time was a lot 'bigger'
than the current Bally IPA (more alcohol, hops, malt, & body), and
tasted more like the current Liberty Ale, than the current Bally IPA.
This version of Anchor's Special Ale was so popular that they
decided to brew it year-round, and named it Liberty Ale.
Even before this discussion, the Boston Beer Society thought there
were many similarities between the old Bally IPA and the Anchor IPAs.
We verified this when we slipped an old ('81 as I recall) Bally IPA
into a blind tasting of the '81-'86 Special Ales. The Bally IPA
ranked equally with the IPA Special Ales.
- Chuck Cox
- america's FASTEST beer judge (and I'll defend that on any race track)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 07:48:28 PST
From: arth@EBay.Sun.COM (Art Hebert)
Subject: Univ. of Moosehead
Does anyone know where I could get one of these decals for
a car?
suds
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 90 10:16:06 PST
From: dredge@hitchrack.Stanford.EDU (Michael Eldredge)
Subject: Re: stout (recipe)
> Date: Wed, 14 Mar 90 14:05 EST
> From: <L_LEE1%UNHH.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
> Subject: Stout
>
> Hey, does anyone outhere have a good recipe for stout that can be done
> with easily obtainable ingredients?
One of the best that my brewing buddies and I've tried is "Baer's
Stout", based on one of the excellent recipes from Dave Baer (a
regular reader and contributor to this column as well as an instructor
in brewing at the Menlo Park Rec center). The one that I am sipping
right now (a bit early, but I wanted to be accurate in my response)
came out great! (Apologies, Dave, for what we may have done to your
original.)
4oz Flaked Barley
4oz Medium Crystal malt
6# Dark Australian malt extract
1/2# Dark Australian dry
4oz black patent malt
4oz molasses
2oz cascade (bittering)
0.6oz northern brewers (aromatic)
Prestarted Wyeast British Ale yeast.
OG: 51
FG: 17.8
Fermentation temp: 55 degF
Steep 50 minutes at 153 degF: flaked barley, crystal
Boil 90 minutes.
Add black patent and molasses at 45 min.
Bittering in thirds each 30 min.
Michael Eldredge
Stanford Integrated Circuits Lab
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 11:09:20 CST
From: jmellby@ngstl1.csc.ti.com (John Mellby)
Subject: BrewNet
Last fall someone posted the phone number of the BREWNET BBS.
At that time I called them a few times, but so far this year,
that phone rings but no one answers. Does anyone know if the Brewnet
is still active?
John Mellby
jmellby@ngstl1.ti.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 17:27 EST
From: CRF@PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU
Subject: More historical info, plus sources
Hi, All!
My thanks to those who wrote me following my last posting; glad you all
enjoyed it!
That posting, and the other info regarding "Ninkasi", prompted a number of
people to address further questions to me, including a request for a list of
my sources. Posting directly to this forum is the easiest way for me to
oblige.
As I believe I mentioned previously, ancient brewing was often related to
bread-baking, this being a source of both yeasts and malted grains. This
trend/link continued throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance.
Brewing yeasts began to be cultured and refined around 1500 BC. How? Simple:
think of the recently-cited "Ninkasi" recipes, of bread, water, and dates/date
sugars thrown together. Now, think of that taking place in an unglazed
ceramic vessel, and you have your answer. The yeasts inhabited the unglazed
interior of the fermenting vessels, starting batch after batch of ale (a' la
sourdough bread), with it being a simple matter to inoculate a fresh vessel at
the same time as a fresh batch of ale.
Addition of herbs and spices to brews is as old as brewing, and there are
other herbs, such as rosemary and betony, which were known to contribute
preservative effects. Hops was known as a strong medicinal, and was begun
being added to brews in Northern Europe in about the 8th century.
Malting as we think of it came along in the Middle Ages, hand-in-hand with the
monasteries. It is during this period that many of the great brew styles
(especially, of course, the "abbey styles"!) were developed.
Why we have a tendency to assume these brews were developed much later is,
again, quite simple. By the end of the 17th century, many of the larger
commercial breweries still in existance were being established. By the mid-
late-18th century, wines were becoming decent to drink, and affordable. And,
during this same period, the monasteric breweries were establishing brewpubs
of their own-- why miss out on all that profit? :-)
The end result: the change in commercial availability of brews came about at
the same time as that for wines, and most people tend to lump them together in
their thinking and assume that the brews developed at the same time the wines
did. Not so, much to my own surprise no less than anyone else's!
Below is a list of some of my sources. Titles preceded by an asterisk (*) are
out of print and/or difficult to obtain. People may continue to feel free to
write me with questions.
SOURCES:
*_Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books_, ed. by Thomas Autin, Oxford Univ
Press, London, 1964
_Sallets, Humbles, and Shrewsbury Cakes_ by Ruth Anne Beebe, David R. Godine,
publ. Boston, MA, 1976
_1776: The Compleat American Housewife_ by Julianne Belote, Nitty Gritty
Prod., Concord, MA 1974
*_The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie, Kt., Opened_, Sir
Kenelme Digbe, London, 1669 (NOTE: I have a facsimile copy)
_Pepys at Table_, Christopher Driver and Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, Bell and
Hyman, London, 1984
_The Complete Book of Herbs and Spices_, Sarah Garland, Viking Press, NY, 1979
_Lost Country Life_ by Dorothy Hartley, Pantheon Books, NY, 1979
_The Simon & Schuster Pocket Guide to Beer_, by Michael Jackson, Simon &
Schuster
*_Dining with William Shakespeare_ by Madge Lorwin, Atheneum, NY, 1976
*_Delightes for Ladies_, Sir Hugh Plat, London, 1609 (NOTE: I have a
facsimile copy)
_Magic and Medicine of Plants_, Reader's Digest, Reader's Digest Assoc.,
Pleasantville, NY, 1986
_Herbs and Things_, Jeanne Rose, Grosset and Dunlap, NY, 1972
*_To the King's Taste_, by Lorna J. Sass, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 1975
*_To the Queen's Taste_, by Lorna J. Sass, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY,
1975
_Food in History_, by Reay Tannahil, Stein and Day, NY, 1973 and 1988
Yours in Carbonation,
Cher
"The first cup of coffee recapitulates phylogeny." -- Anon.
=============================================================================
Cheryl Feinstein INTERNET: CRF@PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU
Univ. of Fla. BITNET: CRF@UFPINE
Gainesville, FL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 14:43:19 PST
From: maxn@intermec.com (Max Newman x6689)
Subject: extract stout brew
I'm fairly new to brewing (just pitched fourth batch), and I want
to brew a stout. I looked at john bulls extract stout kit but was
puzzeled to find no directions for the stout, quantities for sugar
were listed for all kits but stout. Someone please help! do you
add any sugar? has anyone used this kit before? Can you give me
a recipe for stout using unhopped extract?
Any info would be greatly appreciated I think I may be
suffering from stout withdrawal ;-)
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #380, 03/20/90
*************************************
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