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HOMEBREW Digest #0417
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 90/05/15 10:28:21
HOMEBREW Digest #417 Tue 15 May 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Brewpubs in CIncinatti and Dayton (John Mellby)
Help on best Brewpubs and retail outlets around San Jose (John Mellby)
Wyeast Grenades (Glenn Colon-Bonet)
last posting (cckweiss)
Chip HitchcockUs stuck fermentation, Stupid grain mash question (cckweiss)
Stone-brewed beer (Jeff Close)
misinformation (Pete Soper)
A little on Lites and Marzens (florianb)
Extract for conditioning (CORONELLRJDS)
Yeast, haze (RUSSG)
Pale Ale, Round #2 (Enders)
Strong stout, nekkid druids ("R. Bradley")
chicago brew-pub hopping and WFC ("R. Allen Jervis" )
Druids in the Wuids (Martin A. Lodahl)
On Mild Responses (Martin A. Lodahl)
This is a test (jamesb)
Re: Wyeast Package Bursts (Len Reed)
Making Light Lager (Len Reed)
Re: Lager Questions (Len Reed)
AHA National Conference (Chuck Cox)
cool label (Chuck Cox)
Re: Homebrew Digest #416 (May 10, 1990) (shoeless joe)
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: Thu, 10 May 90 08:15:23 CDT
From: jmellby@ngstl1.csc.ti.com (John Mellby)
Subject: Brewpubs in CIncinatti and Dayton
Someone asked for information about Cincinatti brewpubs. My database
lists:
Wallaby Bob's - Australian Brewpub. "Wallaby Bob's is in a mall, and
might technically be a microbrewery, since they do (apparently)
bottle and sell their beer at least for takeout.
Dayton is not far away and as I just returned from a trip there I can
tell you about Growlers Brew Pub. 2221 Wagoner Ford Road, 3 Miles
North of downtown off I-75. It is divided into a bar area (with tables)
and restaurant area. We were there on a Monday and the place was
basically empty. I asked for samplers of each beer which the menu
lists for $1 (3-4 oz.) and later the bartender didn't charge me for them.
Since I was driving I didn't order more. They have (pubs comments inside "()")
Gold (Danish lager) A pleasant lager
Gaelic (Irish ale) my favorite - slightly reddish, nicely hopped
Grand (true English style amber ale) Don't believe them. This was a pleasant,
but non-distinctive ale. A bit over carbonated and underhopped, if you let
me be critical.
Grog (classic dark Irish Ale) The bartended called this a stout. You could
see through it, it was sweet and not very full bodied. This wasn't a stout,
and not even a porter. Its sweet taste and rather thin body was good, but
not what I expected.
We asked for a brewery tour. The chap at the bar took us into the room
with 6 copper tanks, and spent all of 90 seconds telling us about it.
When I asked what hops they used he replied "imported". The brewmaster
was in the back doing something, and I believe he could have said more.
The do add CO2 to their beer so it isn't natural.
The menu contains manu items made with beer including beer-cheese soup,
beer-burgers, brats.
All-in-all a pleasant place to visit, but not outstanding.
Surviving the American Dream
John R. Mellby Texas Instruments
jmellby%ngstl1.ti.com P.O.Box 660246, MS 3645
Dallas Texas, 75266
(214)517-5370 (214)343-7585
*******************************************************
* "[On Mars] there are canals, we believe, and *
* water. If there is water, there *
* is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe." *
* Dan Quayle, VP of the United States *
*******************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 08:16:17 CDT
From: jmellby@ngstl1.csc.ti.com (John Mellby)
Subject: Help on best Brewpubs and retail outlets around San Jose
Later this month I will be going to San Jose for the Xhibition 90 conf.
I got out an old issue of Celebrator (California beer rag) to see what
was in the area and found a bewildering variety of brewpubs, pubs, and
a few retail stores. Since I want to sample and bring back good beer
could anyone comment on any of the following brewpubs? Which is best, and
where to find local bottled beer (we're going to specially pad a suitcase
just for beer).
BP - Brewpub; P - Pub/restaurant; R - retail; ? - other
San Jose:
BP - Biere Brasserie
BP - Winchester Brewing
BP - Tied House (#2?)
South of San Jose
Cupertino
P - Duke of Edinburgh
Boulder Creek
P - White Cockade
Los Gatos
R - Pacific Wine & Spirits
Santa Cruz
BP - Front Street Pub
BP - Seabright Brewing
Hollister
BP - San Andreas
NW from San Jose
Mountain View
BP - Tied House
Palo Alto
BP - Gordon Biersch
Menlo Park
R - Beltramos
San Carlos
P - Cheshire Pub
Belmont
? Belmont Brewery
P - Marvin Gardins
San Mateo
P - Prince of Wales Pub
N from San Jose
Fremont
BP - Brewpub on the Green
P - C R Gibbs Alehouse
Hayward
BP - Buffalo Bills Brewpub
San Leandro
? Southern Alameda Count Distributors
Dublin
P - Lyon's Brewery
Pleasonton
P? - Haut Chocolates Cafe
Livermore
R - John Perkins Wine Merchant
R Mrs. Coffee & Belgian Bistro
I have also heard about things further North like Berkeley, but I don't know
the whether the distance/traffic would let me easily get there in the
evenings.
Thanks for any assistance!
Surviving the American Dream
John R. Mellby Texas Instruments
jmellby%ngstl1.ti.com P.O.Box 660246, MS 3645
Dallas Texas, 75266
(214)517-5370 (214)343-7585
********************************************
* Inverness has only three towers. *
* There is NO "Fourth Tower of Inverness"! *
********************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 09:36:13 mdt
From: Glenn Colon-Bonet <gcb@hpfigcb.hp.com>
Subject: Wyeast Grenades
Full-Name: Glenn Colon-Bonet
- --------
Regarding wyeast packages bursting, I've had similar problems with them.
Usually, I'd pop the inner seal on the package and wait a couple of days.
It would swell so that the package felt tight, but I never had one break
open. A few weeks ago, I got a package of German Ale yeast that was 5
months old. I was somewhat concerned about its age, but I went ahead
and tried to use it. The next night I had this terrible dream that someone
set off a bomb in my room, but then I realized, it wasn't a dream! My
wyeast packet had exploded! About a week later, I tried starting a wheat
yeast packet. I was gone for the day, but when I returned, it too had
exploded! I've used wyeast packets a lot and never had problems till
now. The newer packets contain more wort than previously so maybe that's
why I've had problems. I guess in the future I'll transfer the packet to
a starter while the packet is only mildly swollen, instead of waiting for
the boom!
-Glenn
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 09:17:20 -0700
From: cckweiss@castor.ucdavis.edu
Subject: last posting
sorry about the weird punctuation in my last posting... little terminal
attribute error...
Ken Weiss
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 09:16:18 -0700
From: cckweiss@castor.ucdavis.edu
Subject: Chip HitchcockUs stuck fermentation, Stupid grain mash question
Just a guess, but despite your sanitary procedures, IUd bet on an
infection as the cause of your overcarbonation. It sounds like the
brew didnUt get a good layer of CO2 for protection until late in the
game, and it also sounds like the wort got kind of a lot of handling
after it had cooled to room temp, both high-risk factors.
I moved to a house with a basement last November, and IUve been
getting good fermentations at 50!-60! cellar temp. I doubt the temp
fluctuations you described would kill off enough yeast cells to shut
down fermentation.
As for paint stirrers and aquarium bubblers, I seem to get enough
O2 by just splashing the hot wort as I pour into the primary. I brew
extract (though IUm getting my courage up for a foray into grain
mashing). I usually boil a total of about 3 gallons of volume, and put
1 gallon cold water in the bottom of the primary. I strain through
cheesecloth into the primary, and add cold water to bring total
volume up to 5 gallons. Pouring into some standing water seems to
give enough aeration, and 2 gallons of cold water brings the overall
wort temp down to a pitchable level almost immediately.
This leads to my stupid mash question: Can I mash an all-grain
batch with only 3 gallons of water, and then mix with cold water
for 5 gallons total volume? Or is it really necessary to boil the full
volume of wort in an all grain mash?
Ken Weiss
krweiss@ucdavis.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 10:37:20 PDT
From: winter%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com (Keith Winter)
>ileaf!io!peoria!cjh@EDDIE.MIT.EDU (Chip Hitchcock) writes:
>Subject: stuck fermentations
>
> I recently had serious fermentation start up in some bottles and am
>wondering whether there was any way I could have persuaded it to happen
>in the carboy.
> The recipe was from Papazian's Sparrowhawk Porter with available
>ingredients---1 John Bull dark, 1 M&F Amber, 1# dry amber, 1# chocolate malt,
>2.5 oz hops (boil+finish), 5 gallons water...
> The beer was harsh but drinkable 2 weeks after bottling and mellowed a bit
>as it aged. I had a few bottles in the office for ~6 weeks,...
> I'm not too worried about the bottles I have left in the cellar, but but
>I'd really prefer to eat up all the fermentable sugars in the carboy (and be
>able to bring samples in for other homebrewers without worrying about
>explosions). Is there any way to test for remaining sugar, or to persuade the
>yeast to finish its job?
>
>Any ideas? Any suggestions?
>
I had a somewhat similar experience with this same recipe as far as the
S.G.'s and the carbonation but the opposite regarding the yeast activity.
I wasn't able to find the exact ingredients in Papazian's book, so I
substitued what the homebrew shop had: 6 lbs dark extract, 2 lbs amber DME,
1 lb black patent, 1.5 oz Cascade (boil), 1 oz Hallertaur (finish). I
rehydrated Edme yeast in a small amount of cooled wort, pitched when the
wort in the primary reached 80 degrees. S.G. 1.062. I had SIGNIFICANT
activity within 4 hours; the wort was bubbling away like crazy. Activity
had virtually stopped within 18 hours; S.G. = 1.032; I had expected it to
be down to 1.020 as the recipe indicated, based on the activity level. Two
days later, S.G. was still 1.032. I transferred to the secondary after which
there was very little activity. After ten days with no change in S.G. I
discussed the situation with the local homebrew shop. They felt that it was
a stuck fermentation and that I should add a new yeast culter. This started
a little activity for two days then nothing. So, what could I do? I bottled
with 3/4 cup corn sugar, as usual. S.G. was 1.026.
After ten days, the brew is quite good and getting better each day. However,
it is very carbonated. It's interesting: the brew in 16 oz Grolsh is more
carbonated than that in the 12 oz or 22 oz (?); I have a odd collection of
bottles. No glass hand-grenades yet :-).
I am a real novice so I'd also appreciate any thoughts the more experienced
brewers have on this. However, I'm not worried....
Keith Winter
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 15:09:24 EDT
From: Jeff Close <jclose@potomac.ads.com>
Subject: Stone-brewed beer
Can anyone recommend a good "stone-brewed" German beer? I'll be somewhere
where I can try some and it would be nice to have some recommendations, as
unfortunately I won't be trying them all so I'll have to pick.
-^-
"Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality." - Jules de Gaultier
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house" - G. Carlin
"Life is too short to drink bad wine."
-=.=-
J. Jeffrey Close : UUCP: sun!sundc!potomac!jclose
Advanced Decision Systems : InterNet: jclose@potomac.ads.com
1500 Wilson Blvd #512 : VoiceNet: (w) 703-243-1611
Arlington, VA 22209 < SneakerNet
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 15:18:14 EDT
From: Pete Soper <soper@maxzilla.encore.com>
Subject: misinformation
From: techentin@Mayo.edu
>To be frank, I was surprised that I didn't get seriously flamed for
>being so self rightous. Is everybody so hostile towards the uneducated
>that they can't even post a "Hey Bob! Lighten Up!"?
>From: Enders <enders@plains.NoDak.edu>
> Not to be flaming anyone, but Vienna is the lighter malt.
[i.e. lighter than Munich]
Here is your answer. Enders should have said something like, "Soper, you
dipstick, Munich is kilned higher than Vienna, not the other way around".
Instead, he just set us all straight.
------------------------------
Date: 10 May 90 17:26:11 PDT (Thu)
From: florianb@tekred.cna.tek.com
Subject: A little on Lites and Marzens
In #416, someone inquired about lite homebrews. [I inadvertently erased that
issue]. I've made lite ales several times for use on the masses and others
interested in them. I will post a recipe or two when I bring my log book
to work.
In #416, I commented on Marzens and Oktoberfests. I didn't mean to sound
like some kind of absolute authority. Lucky I didn't get yelled at.
I received quite a number of requests for the Marzen recipe. I'll also post
it in an upcoming issue. Also, I will prepare a note on Swabish beers based
on my experience with them, my German friends' information, and my notes
while staying in Baden-Wurttemberg. All to come.
For those who keg:
Have you found that haze is greater in kegged beer than in bottles? I seem to
find this the case.
Florian the tired and wants to go home.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 19:06 MST
From: CORONELLRJDS@CHE.UTAH.EDU
Subject: Extract for conditioning
Greetings:
I have a question regarding the use of malt extract for conditioning (
instead of the standard corn sugar.) I've seen in Zymurgy that many of the
award winning recipes seem to be conditioned with either wort or extract
itself, so my brewing partner and I decided to give it a shot in our last
batch, which was an Indian Pale Ale, so we used 3/4 cup dry amber extract
for conditioning. The beer itself tastes fine [no metalic flavor at all,
despite the use of an Aluminium pot ;-)], but it's totally flat. Now I
know that British ales are traditionally somewhat less carbonated than
many other beers, but I was hoping for some carbonation!
So my question is this: Do you substitute dry extract for corn sugar, one
for one on a volume basis, or what? Maybe we screwed something else up?
Thanks for the advice,
Chuck Coronella
CORONELLRJDS@CHEMICAL.UTAH.EDU
By the way, for Jay H.: I don't use an aluminium pot so much because I'm
cheap as because I've got better things to do with $30 - $35. They just
don't pay grad students the way we deserve to be paid!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 May 90 14:13 EST
From: <R_GELINA%UNHH.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> (RUSSG)
Subject: Yeast, haze
A couple of quick questions:
I've managed to get my hands on a couple of bottles of Tom Hardy Ale (!), and
I am planning to culture the yeast from the bottles. I'm going to use the
method in TCJOH by Papazian, but I'm thinking about using a larger (maybe
champagne) bottle, instead of the 12 oz. bottles he recommends. I've never
done this before, so I'd appreciate any helpful hints from those of you that
have (personal mail please, as I'm going to drink them Friday night).
As an aside, what should I expect for
from the T.Hardy? I've heard it's tremendous.....
On a different subject, I have a brew that never cleared (a "Pilsner" ale made
with M&F extract, M&F yeast, crystal, and corn sugar...nothing unusual). The
only difference between it and my other brews (all clear) was that I primed
this whole batch with a (boiled) sugar solution, as opposed to putting dry
sugar in each bottle. Of course, it could be an infection of some sort, (it
takes just fine), but I was wondering if the liquid sugar could have something
to do with the haze (that should be it "tastes" just fine...). Anyway I'm
not worried about it, and it's prompted me to improve my (brewing) cleanliness
just in case....
Russ Gelinas R_GELINA%UNHH.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 May 90 09:39:40 -0500
From: Enders <enders@plains.NoDak.edu>
Subject: Pale Ale, Round #2
My latest batch of pale ale is proceeding nicely, I racked to the
secondary last night after a vigorous 5 day ferment @ 70-75 deg. F. I dry
hopped with 1/2 oz. 7.6% alpha Perle (for a 2 gal. batch). This batch tastes
cleaner comming out of the primary (probably due to a better job of racking
the trub before pitching). It seems to be a bit better balanced than the first
batch. We'll know after it sits in the bottle for a while :-)
For the curious, here's the lowdown on batch #2:
Batch #2: Pale Ale (Lower hop rate, prob. not enuf for IPA)
2.4 # Pale Ale malt (for 2 US gal.)
0.4 # 80L Crystal malt
0.5 oz. 7.6% alpha Perle Hops (flavor)
0.5 oz. 7.6% alpha Perle Hops (finish, dry hopped)
Wyeast #1028 London Ale yeast (recult. from bat. #1, 500ml starter)
Production:
Mash water: 5 qts. @ 140F
Mash in: @132F, pH adjusted to 5.4
Mash: 152-150F for 2 hrs.
Mash out: 5 mins @ 168F
Sparge: 2.5 gal. @ 160F
Boil: 90 mins
Hops: 1 addition, 45 mins from end of boil (changed from 60)
O.G.: 1.041
F.G. ???? (probably around 1.010)
Note that I don't have a final gravity figure, since it's not done.
The first batch had a final gravity of 1.008, but the mash temp. was lower
(150-146F) and the O.G. was slightly higher (1.043). I'll have the exact
figure in about a week or two.
Todd Enders arpa: enders@plains.nodak.edu
Computer Center uucp: ...!uunet!plains!enders
Minot State University or: ...!hplabs!hp-lsd!plains!enders
Minot, ND 58701 Bitnet: enders@plains.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 May 90 12:10:16 CDT
From: "R. Bradley" <bradley@dehn.math.nwu.edu>
Subject: Strong stout, nekkid druids
I've been a subscriber to this digest for two days only, but already
I'm impressed by its high literary and technical standards.
Yesterday I drank my last bottle of Russian Empirical Stout with a couple
of close friends. The recipe was inspired by "Imperial Russian Stout"
in Dave Line's "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy". It was the second
anniversary of the bottling date and so the beer showed a little oxidation,
but by and large it was still in excellent shape. Viscous and black with
light carbonation and a fine-beaded medium-brown head, it still had good
balance, although the hop bitterness had faded with time to give
predominance to the dark malts. It was bittersweet and almost
unbelievably long in the finish. Here is the recipe, with no apologies for
metric units (1 lb. = 450 gm, 1 U. S. gal. = 3.8 litres):
2500 gm Crushed Pale Malt (Canadian 2-row)
400 gm Crushed Caramel Malt
150 gm Crushed Chocolate Malt
150 gm Crushed Black Malt
2000 gm Diastatic Malt Extract (unhopped)
80 gm Fuggles Hops
8 gm Chinook Hops
1 tsp Irish Moss
1 tsp Leigh Williams Yeast
7 tsp Pasteur Champagne Yeast (Red Star)
45 gm Dextrose (1/4 cup) for bottling
Yield: 13.5 litres at a specific gravity of 1106. That's about 70%
efficiency by weight for the grains.
The brew date was December 13, 1987. I used Toronto tap water treated
with 1/4 tsp. Epsom Salts. The mash was for 1 hour at about 68 C.
The boil was for two hours (to reduce the volume) with all hops added
for the second hour (that's right - no finishing hops). And, yes, the
brewpot was aluminum.
The primary fermentation was in a bucket for 4 days, with the first
racking into three 4-litre glass jugs with blow-out hoses. SG 1048.
Second racking was 24 days later, into two 4-litre and one 2-litre jugs.
SG 1032. At this stage the Leigh Williams yeast (all-purpose
dried beer yeast) seemed dead, so the champagne yeast was added.
I bottled one half-litre bottle at the time of the second racking,
and 28 regular bottles on May 9, 1988 The final gravity was 1031, so
the beer was about 10% alcohol by volume.
Any comments from people who have managed to brew at higher
original gravities than about 1066 (Battle of Hastings, right?) without
using extract would be most welcome. Using a variant on the traditional
"strong ale/small beer" method, I can get a nice winter warmer with
an SG in the mid-sixties, but anything better seems to require malt
extract or ridiculously protracted boils.
And yes, I do brew at regular gravities as well. Most of my brews start
in the 1040s.
Here's a partial reply to Gary Benson: I heard Pete Seeger singing your
"nekkid druids" quote on a recording of "Old Time Religion". He had
quite a few non-standard verses (i.e. not biblical in origin) in addition
to that one.
Rob Bradley
bradley@math.nwu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 May 90 07:11 EST
From: "R. Allen Jervis" <C78KCK%IRISHMVS.CC.ND.EDU@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject: chicago brew-pub hopping and WFC
Hello!
I'll be organizing a sidetrip during World Fantasy Con in
Chicago to visit the brew-pubs that were mentioned herein.
Thanks to whomever posted that list!
Two questions: Are there anymore?
Would anyone interested in joining in please email me?
WFC isn't until November 1st, so there's plenty of time to get this
organized...
"...The Flashcat is back!
c/o R.allen Jervis
c78kck@irishmvs.bitnet
Voyager@irishmvs.bitnet
P.O.B. 743
Notre Dame,IN
46556-0743
"Drain the cup while the ale is bright
brief truce to remorse and sorrow!
I drink the health of my friend tonight-
I may cut his throat tomorrow!"
-robert e. howard
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 12 May 90 8:54:27 PDT
From: Martin A. Lodahl <hplabs!pbmoss!mal>
Subject: Druids in the Wuids
In HOMEBREW Digest #416, Gary Benson asked for it:
"Oh! ps: Would the person who has the quote in their .signature reading:
"
" If it's good for ancient druids,
" running nekkid through the wuids,
" drinkin' strange fermented fluids,
" then it's good enough for me.
"
"please tell us where that came from? Is it original? 14th century England?
I'm beginning to think this is my PERMANENT .sig file! I've been
told that it's by Pete Seeger, to be sung to the tune of "Ol' Time
Religion". I've also been told it's a "Filk song", whatever that
may be (apparently related to SciFi or fantasy, I gather).
Definitely 20th century, Gary (sorry!). I first heard it at a New
Year's Eve party where we were indeed dancing naked in the
snow 'round the bonfire, fortified by LOTS of homebrew stout.
By the bye, a doffing of the cap seems to be in order, to mark the
passing of the California hops industry. This last week, the last
few poles in the last commercial hopyard in California were pulled
up. A generation ago, the California hops industry provided
virtually all the hops used by American brewers, but changing tastes
put an end to it (about the only commercially viable hops in these
lattitudes are of the Cluster variety).
- 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, and everybody knows the rest ...
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 12 May 90 15:45:56 PDT
From: Martin A. Lodahl <hplabs!pbmoss!mal>
Subject: On Mild Responses
In HOMEBREW Digest #416, Bob Techentin observed:
"After reading my reply to Todd Enders <enders@plains.NoDak.edu> posting
"about which-brews-can-budmillobe-drinkers-handle-and-not-choke, I
"realized that I had been a little harsh. I decided to wait a bit, just
"to see what kind of response would appear.
"
"To be frank, I was surprised that I didn't get seriously flamed for
"being so self rightous. Is everybody so hostile towards the uneducated
"that they can't even post a "Hey Bob! Lighten Up!"?
Hokay, glad to oblige: "Hey, Bob! Lighten up!"
But seriously, this seems to me to be a very tolerant, reasonable
group. I've been reading it since before the issues were numbered,
and in all that time I can only recall a couple of real, genuine,
rip-'em-unmercifully, Usenet-style brannigans. Sure, questions like
aluminum vs. steel brewpots, or glass vs. plastic carboys (though
interestingly, never the perennial grain vs. extract wars) always
provoke discussion, but without Usenet's shrillness. Most
refreshing. Just like Bud ... 8-) Go ahead, express your opinion.
------------------------------
Date: Mon May 14 08:51:05 1990
From: microsoft!jamesb@uunet.UU.NET
Subject: This is a test
This is a test of my new mail program, WinMail.
If anyone gets this and it does something strange
please let me know.
Thanx
(206) 487-5165
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 May 90 19:35:48 EDT
From: Len Reed <lbr%holos0@gatech.edu>
Subject: Re: Wyeast Package Bursts
>In HBD #414 Len Reed (that's me) writes:
>> I meant to use Wyeast Bavarian yeast for my "Dos Equis," but I had
>> a stupid accident with it. (I left the swollen package so long it
>> burst.) ...
To which Andrew (Drew) Lynch <atl@stardent.COM> replies
> I use Wyeast products and if I recall correctly, you are supposed
>to let them sit (after activating them) for one day per month past the
>date stamped on the package.
> My questions are; How long did it take for this package to burst,
>and How closely should I follow the timing instructions on the
>package?
I've used Wyeast a lot, and I've found their timing guidelines to be
nonsense. The packages take 1-3 days to swell completely, and I have never
noticed *any* influence that the date has on this. (They claim 1 day plus
1 day per month past the date on thepackage.)
In this case the package was partially swollen by morning, fully swollen
by evening. I had planned on making it into a starter the next morning
and was too tired to do it that evening. I should have either made the
starter or put the package in the fridge.
My beer is doing fine though, so I'm happy. As long as I don't lose the
fruit of my mashing labor nothing is terrible. BTW, it took 3+ days for
the substitute yeast, New Ulm, to show any evidence of fermentation. I
pitched it directly from the swollen package into 5 gallons of wort. In
the past I've made a starter. In the future I'll made a starter.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 May 90 19:55:27 EDT
From: Len Reed <lbr%holos0@gatech.edu>
Subject: Making Light Lager
techentin@Mayo.edu writes in #416:
> I'd like to ask if anyone has had any luck brewing "lite" style beers.
Well, I for one can't imagine why a homebrewer would want to duplicate
the mild hop-flavored water that sells as Bud Light or Miller Lite. If
you mean light lager like Heineken or Carlsberg, yes I've managed that.
But it was the hardest stuff I've ever made. Even the tinest flaw shows
up. I'm not convinced that such stuff can be made short of an all out
assault: good malt (all grain, no extract), great hops, first-rate liquid
yeast culture, and refrigeration. Hearty ales are much more forgiving
and afford much more room for compromise.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 May 90 19:48:52 EDT
From: Len Reed <lbr%holos0@gatech.edu>
Subject: Re: Lager Questions
In #416 David Lim <limd@boulder.Colorado.EDU> writes:
>Various books out there (Papazian, Miller, ...) mention that if the secondary
>fermentation is very long, it might be necessary to add additional yeast
>when priming to get the carbonation-fermentation kick-started.
I think this is nonsense. I've left lager for 3 months at below 36 degrees F
and bottled with no extra yeast and got good results. I did this
with Wyeast St. Louis and Bavarian. The claims that the you'll need
more yeast have an intuitive appeal, to be sure, but they don't jive with
my experience.
The St. Louis batch was a Dutch-style light lager (malt, rice, Hallertau
and Tettnag hops). I used no finings, but perciptated the haze by
cold storage. The finished beer was crystal clear even at 40 degress F.
Even with this perfectly bright beer, though, I needed no extra yeast.
I have fined other batches, though, so the lack of finings wasn't the
reason I didn't need more yeast.
Bottom line: add your sugar (or wort) and bottle it.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 May 90 17:02:11 EDT
From: chuck%bose@uunet.UU.NET (Chuck Cox)
Subject: AHA National Conference
Howdy folks -
Just a note to find out who all is going to the AHA National Conference
in Oakland this June.
If you are going, send me email & I will post a summary listing all
the netters who will be there.
In any case, my room will be party central as it has been for the last
5 years (yes my liver has survived 5 of these vicious assaults).
Please come on by & say howdy.
Ask for my room # at the front desk or ask anyone who looks intoxicated.
As usual, we will be holding on-going informal tests of home-grown herbal
hop substitutes 8-)
Unfortunately, I will not be driving out, so I will be unable to defend
my status as fastest beer judge unless someone wants to lend me a car :-)
- Chuck Cox - america's fastest beer judge -
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 May 90 17:02:34 EDT
From: chuck%bose@uunet.UU.NET (Chuck Cox)
Subject: cool label
Howdy -
At a recent Boston Beer Society meeting, we started tasting some
of the approx 100 bottles that were brought back from the last
Belgium trip. While I don't want to foster jealousy by listing
all of the incredible beers we drank, one beer was so amusing
that I thought it would be fun to transcribe the label.
You can rest assured that the pinheads at the BATF would never approve
this label for import into this country (for our own good).
The best part is the picture that dominates the label.
It shows several gnomes partying in a beer cellar,
with huge kegs lining the walls.
One gnome is passed out in a mug the size of his head,
another is lying under one of the keg taps with beer flowing all over his
face, and my favorite is the gnome reclining on top of a keg with a hose
running from the tap to his mouth.
The accompanying text reads (bizarre capitalization and grammar is theirs):
CHOUFFELEIR
QUVAE ANNO MCMLXXXV + 4
vol % alc 8.998
this unique gnomes Beer was brewed in Auchouffe on 6 & 7 February 1989.
some ingredients are: 1100 kg Pale-Ale malt, 11 kg Kent hops,
Bay-Berry spice in homeopathic quantity. We used also 6 drops
Real-Brussels-Sprouts-From-Scharbecque aromatics.
the same yeast as the former Chouffeleir brew was used for the
fermentation of this strong gnomes Beer.
total volume 3200 l
bottled 23/02/89
- end of text.
Do you think that Dr. Bronner has gone into the beer business?
This beer is very good, like all the beers this brewery makes.
They are perhaps best known for McChouffe, their Scotch Ale
(remember Scotch Ale is very popular in Belgium).
- Chuck Cox - America's-Fastest-Beer-Judge
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 15 May 90 09:43:26 EDT
From: shoeless joe <DTG@UMD2.UMD.EDU>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #416 (May 10, 1990)
I'm still collecting recipes which replicate commercial beers.
Does anybody got any good ones? I'll forward (or post) whatever I
receive.
*******
"You can't buy beer. You can only rent it." -- Anon.
*******
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #417, 05/15/90
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