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HOMEBREW Digest #0411
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 90/05/03 03:27:40
HOMEBREW Digest #411 Thu 03 May 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Re: Homebrew Digest #410 (May 02, 1990) (shoeless joe)
Lots of things (Kevin L. McBride)
Micro-Breweries, Brew Pubs and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Kevin L. McBride)
MicroMashing (Glenn T. Colon-Bonet)
hop trellis (Max Newman x6689)
Polyclar(?) (D_KRUS)
OG Deviations (John Polstra)
Re: Quiet batches (Greg Wageman)
Aluminum Brew Kettles (John Polstra)
Lager Secrets (jamesb)
Grain husks ("Gary F. Mason - Image Systems - MKO2-2/K03 - 603884[DTN264]-1503 02-May-1990 2054")
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: Wed, 02 May 90 08:51:24 EDT
From: shoeless joe <DTG@UMD2.UMD.EDU>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #410 (May 02, 1990)
I write, having been moved by Andy Wilcox's recent posting about
duplicating commercial beers. If the homebrewers out in Digest World
are willing to submit directly to me via e-mail THEIR recipes which
replicate their favorite commercial beer, I will compile them and--in
about three weeks or a month--I will either post the results here or
I will forward the results to those who are interested.
Speaking for myself--and I know I've seen some of these posted up
here at one time or another--I'm particularly interested in Sam Smith's
wonderful porters, Guinness Extra Stout, Anchor Steam, Rauch Beer
by any of the famous Bamberg brewers, etc.
E-mail to: dtg@umd2.umd.edu
Relax, Don't Worry, Have-a-homebrew,
dtg
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 08:41:33 EDT
From: hplabs!hplms2!gozer!klm (Kevin L. McBride)
Subject: Lots of things
In Homebrew Digest #409, Toufic Boubez writes:
$
$ I'm planning to add some lactose in the next batch, to get a little
$ more sweetness in the beer. I'm not sure, however, of the orders
$ of magnitude to use. Is it in spoonfuls, cupfuls or pounds :-)?
$ For example, is one cup a reasonable amount? Thanks.
I too, am interested in various ways of sweetening beer. The Lactose
idea doesn't really thrill me though. I think what I would really
like to do is mash a small amount of grain at a higher temperature
to produce some unfermentables. The question is "How Much?"
I recently had some Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and would like to try
my hand at making something similar. Any Hints? Does mashing the
oatmeal contribute sweetness or just body? Recipes for Oatmeal Stout
welcome.
Also, In Homebrew Digest #409, cckweiss@castor.ucdavis.edu writes:
$ [deleted]... About a week ago I got
$ another batch going (a basic lager this time), pitched it, and three
$ days later it was totally quiet, after a vigorous start.
$
$ The two batches were made from the same amount of the same
$ extract (6 lb. of a bulk Canadian light), and used the same yeast (Red
$ Star lager). The steam beer had some crystal malt added to the boil,
$ and that's the only difference. Both batches were kept at the same
$ temp throughout fermentation.
At the risk of being flamed... Dump the Red Star, but not into your
wort. I have never had good results with it. It also seems to be very
inconsistent. This may be part of your problem.
On the other hand, It's not unusual for your beer to ferment out
completely in three days when you're using a lager yeast at close to
room temp. Happens to me all the time. It also stops very close to
what I think the final gravity should be, so I know I'm not getting a
stuck fermentation. As long as your sanitation procedures are alright,
my advice is Relax, Don't worry, etc...
Just use a better yeast. There are quite a number of quality yeasts
available.
$ [JEEPSRUS <ROBERTN%FM1@sc.intel.com>]
$ > krauzen(sp?) fell. It's been in the secondary for a week and a half
$ > now, as of 4/26.
$
$ I've left stuff in the secondary for 8 - 12 weeks without bad results.
$ Then again, I'll drink anything if I made it myself. Seriously, the beer
$ tasted fine. Since the secondary is a completely closed oxygen-free
$ environment (assuming you used a glass carboy and fermentation lock),
$ any deterioration should be pretty slow.
I've left stuff in secondary for nigh on 5 months without any problems.
This is at cellar temp. which stays a pretty constant 55 to 60 degrees F
year round. (Of course, the 8.5% alcohol I brew into those long aged
batches certainly helps to preserve it!) I usually brew my special
spiced christmas ale around June, let it age in secondary until November,
then bottle it. Ready just in time for Christmas. I'll post the recipe
Real Soon Now.
- --
Kevin L. McBride, President // Amiga: | Brewmeister, VP of tasting,
McBride Software // The computer | and Bottle Washer,
Consulting Group, Inc. \\ // for the | McBeer Home Brewery
uunet!wang!gozer!klm \x/ creative mind | Nashua, NH
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 09:02:45 EDT
From: hplabs!hplms2!gozer!klm (Kevin L. McBride)
Subject: Micro-Breweries, Brew Pubs and the U.S. Virgin Islands
This is an update to the list of Micro-Breweries and Brew Pubs that was
posted 6 or so months ago.
The Island Brewing and Malting Company (or a name somewhat resembling
that) on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands doesn't seem to exist.
I was on the Islands back in February and made a valiant search for the
place, intending to sample their brews and post a review here.
I asked cabbies, cops, post office employess, Chamber of Commerce, etc.
Almost noone had ever heard of the place. The one cabbie who thought
he had heard about it also said that he heard it was destroyed during
hurricane Hugo.
The standard line I typically heard was "Who'd wanna try to make beer here,
Mon? Everybody on the Island drink Heineken, Mon." And it's true.
Everybody on the Island DOES drink Heineken. :-( :-( :-(
One of the most interesting things I found about Island culture is that
they have no laws against public drinking. It is quite common to see
natives and tourists alike walking around with an open beer in hand.
Unfortunately, they also have a very bad problem with alcoholism. I'm
not saying that this is related to the lack of public drinking laws,
it's a product of the lifestyle. Everything down there is low-key and
slow-paced. Nobody works too hard. On St. John, they still didn't
have all the telephone lines fixed 3 months after the hurricane.
Everybody just seems to want to sit around, enjoy the sunshine and the
warm water, and drink. At $2.50 U.S. for a 750ml bottle of 80 proof
rum, you can do it pretty inexpensively too. At that price, the mixers
are more expensive than the rum.
It's not 100% paradise, but it's pretty damn close.
P.S. Given the choice of beer down there, I stuck to the Rum Punch.
- --
Kevin L. McBride, President // Amiga: | Brewmeister, VP of tasting,
McBride Software // The computer | and Bottle Washer,
Consulting Group, Inc. \\ // for the | McBeer Home Brewery
uunet!wang!gozer!klm \x/ creative mind | Nashua, NH
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 02 May 90 09:16:40 MDT
From: Glenn T. Colon-Bonet <gcb@hpfigcb.hp.com>
Subject: MicroMashing
Full-Name: Glenn Colon-Bonet
In Homebrew Digest #404 Bill Crick mentioned the idea of
using a microwave oven with a temperature probe to mash
small batches for use in mash + extract recipes. I tried
out the technique last night using a 2.2 gallon microwave safe
container holding 5 lbs grain (4 lbs English Pale Ale, 1 lb
dextrin). I added warm water to fill the container and mixed it
thoroughly with the grains, yielding a nice thick mash. The starting
temp was 95 F. I used the temperature hold capability (at full power)
of my microwave to protein rest at 125 F for 15 minutes and
then proceeded to saccharification temperature of 158 F for about
45 minutes. I had to stir the batch every 10-15 minutes or so because
of the very uneven heating of the microwave (temperature gradients
of more than 15 degrees across the batch). After 45 minutes a starch
test indicated complete conversion, so I raised the temperature to
167 F for sparging and rinsed the grains through a sieve to yield
about 3.5 gallons wort. I added 1 can of Alexander's to the brew
kettle, and O.G. was 1.055. I have used Alexander's often and it
consistently contributes 1.025 to the gravity for 5 gallons, so
the MicroMash contributed 1.030 to the final gravity. Using Noonan's
calculations for extract efficiency, I came up with 64% efficiency
for the MicroMash portion! Typically I get 55-65% extraction
efficiency from infusion mashing, so this is right up there.
It may be possible to improve the efficiency even more by doing a
better job of sparging than I did. But it was very easy and convenient
to use the microwave because of the temerature hold capability.
You just type in the temps and times and then stir every so often.
It takes about 1.5 hours, so it's not a huge time saver, but it
was pretty easy! Of course, I still don't know how its going to
taste... will they say "This beer tastes like it's been microwaved!
Yuck!" ? As Bill mentioned, the temperature gradients are enough
that some parts of the mash actually come to a boil, so it may
have some characteristics of a decoction mash, but I don't think
it'll be quite so pronounced. I'll let you know how the MicroMash'ed
batch tastes in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned!
Does this make my house a micro-brewery? :-)
-Glenn
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 06:50:57 PDT
From: hplabs!gatech!intermec.com!maxn (Max Newman x6689)
Subject: hop trellis
It finally happened little hop buds have erupted from the soil
in my garden. Now I need to make somthing for them to climb on.
Will a couple of poles with twine in between work? Does anyone
have any hop growing experiences they would be willing to share.
Homebrewing minds want to know.
BTW I,m growing in the seattle area.
maxn@intermec.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 14:11 EST
From: <D_KRUS%UNHH.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Polyclar(?)
Distribution-File:
homebrew%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
Hi,
Just wondering, does anybody know what is the chemical name of Polyclar?
I would like to cut my expenses by buying it through one of our many chemical
supply companies but I need to know the chemical name and not the trade name.
Thanks in advance,
Dan
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| Bitnet: D_KRUS@unhh | Daniel L. Krus |
| Internet: D_KRUS%unhh.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu| Parsons Hall |
| Compuserve: 71601,365 | Department of Chemistry |
|-----------------------------------------------| U of New Hampshire |
| "Think as men/women of action, | Durham, New Hampshire 03824 |
| act as men/women of thought. | (603) 862-2521 |
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 08:37:15 PDT
From: hplabs!polstra!jdp (John Polstra)
Subject: OG Deviations
Recently there has been some discussion here about OGs which are
different from the figures given in the recipes. [Well, not *that*
recently -- my HBD feed is a mess these days :-( ]
I think that the major influence on the OG of an extract brew is the
volume of water. Small deviations in the amount of water (either errors
in measuring, or variations in loss from boiling the wort) can have
significant effects on the OG. For example, let's say that you've got a
recipe which will yield 5.5 gallons of wort at an OG of 1.050. If
somehow you end up with only 5.0 gallons of wort, your OG is going to
be 1.055.
Whenever you compare specific gravities, it's important to make sure
that your volume of liquid is as stated in the recipe.
- John Polstra jdp@polstra.uucp
Polstra & Co., Inc. practic!polstra!jdp@uunet.uu.net
Seattle, Washington USA ...{uunet,sun,pyramid}!practic!polstra!jdp
(206) 932-6482
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 13:07:17 PDT
From: greg@cemax.com (Greg Wageman)
Subject: Re: Quiet batches
The past couple of digests have had several notes along these lines:
>> I racked the quiet stuff into a carboy anyway, on the theory that it
>> couldn't hurt. My plan is to give it another day or two to wake up. If
>> it doesn't, I'll add about 1/2 cup of sugar, boiled into syrup, just to
>> see if there's anything happening. I figure that small amount won't
>> affect the taste much. If it still doesn't show bubbles, I'll try
>> repitching with fresh yeast, I guess.
>
>I wouldn't worry. Just add the priming sugar to the thing and bottle
>it. My first batch ever (an English bitter) fermented for only 20 hours
>and then stopped. I just assumed it was OK, bottled it with corn sugar,
>and got the carbonation without any problem. The whole thing turned out
>pretty good...
I'd have thought this was old news, but you folks *really* ought to get
yourselves hydrometers, and take specific gravity readings of your
wort before you pitch your yeast, and when fermentation seems to have
stopped. The only truly reliable way to determine when fermentation is
done (and avoid making glass grenades) is to get a stable final gravity
(same reading over 24 hours) in the expected ballpark.
It is quite possible to get 48- or even 24-hour fermentations,
particularly at warmer temperatures (70+ degrees F.). Hydrometers are
easy to use, and just about every home brew supply place sells them.
They definitely help avoid worrying, and they give you an excuse to
taste the unfermented wort and the new beer, which is another good way
to learn more about your brew (at least, it has been for me).
-Greg
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 08:53:33 PDT
From: hplabs!polstra!jdp (John Polstra)
Subject: Aluminum Brew Kettles
I see that the Great Aluminum Brew Kettle Controversy is heating up
again. I stayed out of it the last time, but now I am older and braver.
Yes, stainless steel is better than aluminum for brewing beer. But it
is not *that* much better, and aluminum is not *that* bad. I have been
using an aluminum brew kettle for my last 20 batches or so. These beers
have done very well in competitions, including the AHA national
competition. Nobody (including national judges) has ever said, "Hmmm, I
taste an aluminum brew kettle in this beer. Next time, try stainless
steel." I often make light lagers, in which an off flavor of any kind
would be quite apparent.
Regarding the "health hazards" from the aluminum, which somebody is
bound to bring up any day now, I think that is a myth. I read an
article in the UC Berkeley Health Newsletter a few months ago, about the
health risks from aluminum. The article made the following points:
1. Although it is true that elevated levels of aluminum have been
found in Alzheimer's patients, no cause-effect relationship has been
established. Remember, it could be the disease that causes the high
levels of aluminum; or they could both be caused independently by some
third factor. Nobody has ever found a correlation between
*exposure* to aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. (Personally, I'd
worry more about the alcohol frying my brain.)
2. The amount of aluminum that you get from using aluminum cookware
is negligible. You get far more aluminum from a single Tums (or
other antacid tablet) than you get from a year of using nothing but
aluminum cookware.
I'll go away now.
- John Polstra jdp@polstra.uucp
Polstra & Co., Inc. practic!polstra!jdp@uunet.uu.net
Seattle, Washington USA ...{uunet,sun,pyramid}!practic!polstra!jdp
(206) 932-6482
------------------------------
Date: Wed May 2 12:20:07 1990
From: microsoft!jamesb@uunet.UU.NET
Subject: Lager Secrets
I just put together a No Name Lager, no name because we haven't tasted
it yet.
The question is:
How should I control the temperature drops for the *best* results?
I have a fridge dedicated to the task. The brew has been in the kitchen for
three days and the head has begun to decend. I will rack to the secondary
tonight and start the refer temp at 50 degrees F.
What next??
Jim Broglio
microsoft
==============================================================================
Life is a Virgin. If it were a Bitch it would be easy.
==============================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 May 90 17:56:30 PDT
From: "Gary F. Mason - Image Systems - MKO2-2/K03 - 603884[DTN264]-1503 02-May-1990 2054" <mason@habs11.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Grain husks
I have been reading up on all-grain brewing, and one constant seems to be that
you don't want to powder the grain husks. Their main contribution seems to be
unwanted tannins. There is never any mention of good contributions from the
husks. If that is true (if not, can someone enlighten me?), why not separate
the husks prior to mashing? A picture of winnowing wheat comes to mind.
Thanks...Gary
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #411, 05/03/90
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