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HOMEBREW Digest #0554
HOMEBREW Digest #554 Fri 14 December 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Growing hops (Ultra Network Technologies)
Distillation (for educational information only) (H.W.) Troup <HWT@BNR.CA>
Reinheitsgebot, wheat, yeast (Dick Dunn)
What it takes to get started (olson)
patriotic duty (part 2 (MN033302)
Al vs. Stainless (summary) (krweiss)
Dave Miller's Continental Pilsner (flowers)
Guinness made in Canada, nitrogen in Guinness. (KOHR)
Re: Homebrew Digest #553 (December 11, 1990) (Dennis Gaye)
It's too cold! (Dave Durkin)
Re: Homebrew Digest #553 (December 11, 1990) (Paul Perlmutter x2549)
Culturing Yeast ("st. stephen")
Specific gravity and fermentation ("st. stephen")
Patriotic duty and Still building
RE: Cosmic awareness and good beer ("Eric Roe")
Homebrew Archive ("a.e.mossberg")
lager kegging (florianb)
Weizen yeasts (Chip Hitchcock)
finings, Trappist Ales (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
storing carboys (mage!lou)
Chimay yeast strains (mcnally)
hbd 553 (chip upsal)
Re: Homebrew Digest #553 (December 11, 1990) (Mark.Moir)
mailing list (Paul Kramer)
Reinheitsgebot (Rad Equipment)
Re: Homebrew Digest #552 (December 07, 1990) (Perry A. Trunick)
Chimay "Goblets" (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Water Chemistry (Rob McDonald)
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues]
Archives are available from netlib@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 9:19:09 CST
From: ultra1@poplar.cray.com (Ultra Network Technologies)
Subject: Growing hops
In homebrew digest 552, tun asked if anyone had grown hops. I started
doing this last year and had some favorable results.
I ordered a whole mess of hopes (probably 12 different kinds) with the
intent of putting three in my backyard and the rest down at a friends
untilled farm. The hops at the farm failed because of lack of sun and
drowning.
The hops in my backyard (tattenger, pearl, and cascade) all grew but
the tattenger was the only one that really gave a harvest. I placed the
hops with a good southern exposure that provided perhaps up to 14 hours
of sunlight a day. I always made sure they had water but since it was
so wet in MN this last summer I rarely needed to add anymore then the
weather provided. All plants were planted 4' apart.
The cascade plant grew to about 6' and produced about 1 ounce of good
smelling hops. The pearl barely grew 3' and didn't produce anything.
The tattenger grew to about 12' and I harvested 6 ounces of very nice
hops. I dried the hops in my oven (I was in a hurry) and then put them
in the freezer until I brewed with them. I will skip the oven route and
let them air dry next year.
I used a lattice work as support for the hops to grow on. I didn't like
this method because the hops become extremely entangled and it was a real
hassle harvesting. I've been looking into a string approach and I will
be trying something different come spring.
I also expect that the harvest will be much better next year. I read
someplace that it takes some time for the plant to get used to its new
home and I sure hope that is true.
- --
Jeff Miller ultra1@cray.com (612) 333-7838 Ultra Office
Ultra Network Technologies jmiller@ultra.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 10:31:00 EST
From: Henry (H.W.) Troup <HWT@BNR.CA>
Subject: Distillation (for educational information only)
If one were to distill a fermented, unhopped beer, one should be careful
that the first third of the vapours are not condensed, as they are prone
to contain all manner of nasty stuff. A digital thermometer, plus the
use of a barometer to determine the local actual boiling temperatures,
might help the first timer.
The rule of thumb is that the first third is wasted to atmosphere, the second
third is condensed, and the final third remains in the pot.
Disclaimer: I've never distilled beverage alcohol, and the last distillation
I did was a vaccuum distillation of the acid-alcohol extract of pancreas.
Henry Troup - BNR owns but does not share my opinions | Production of untaxed
P.O. Box 3511, Stn. C. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Y 4H7| distilled alcohol is
uunet!bnrgate!hwt%bwdlh490 HWT@BNR.CA +1 613-765-2337 | unlawful in most places
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 90 01:46:16 MST (Mon)
From: ico.isc.com!rcd@raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn)
Subject: Reinheitsgebot, wheat, yeast
ocarma@unssun.nevada.edu (Oran Carmona) writes:
> I got to wondering about this the other day and thought some kind soul here
> could offer an explanation: If the purity law states only water hops yeast
> and barley can be used to make beer, what about wheat beer?
1. The allowance for wheat beer was added later on; the original Reinheits-
gebot didn't allow for it. (At least that's true as far as I can tell;
"Gersten" seems to refer to barley malt specifically.)
2. The original Reinheitsgebot (ur-Reinheitsgebot??:-) does *not* allow
yeast! Remember that yeast hadn't been discovered yet; the process was
surely kraeusening or something equivalent. That meets the Rhgb in an
inductive sort of way...beer is made from water, malt, hops...and the
previous batch of beer, which was made from water, malt, hops...and beer,
which was made from...
- ---
Dick Dunn rcd@raven.eklektix.com -or- raven!rcd
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 10:39:27 EST
From: olson@antares.cs.virginia.edu
Subject: What it takes to get started
In HBD 553, Bill Thacker writes:
>...a plastic primary fermenting tub, a glass secondary fermenter
>(narrow-mouth), and various airlocks and bits of tubing. This,
>plus raw materials and bottles, caps, and a capper, is supposed to be
>everything you need to make beer.
>
>It's certainly cheap enough; surprisingly so, in fact. The consumer
>in me is wondering if it wouldn't be better to spend a bit more capital
>for "better" equipment. (This naturally presumes that there's something
>wrong with the stuff above). I've looked back enough times and said,
>"gee, if I'd spent a little more at the start, I'd have saved a lot in
>the long run," so before I bought this outfit, I figured I'd ask you
>experts for advice. What would you recommend for starting eqippment ?
Just one more thing: a copy of "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing",
by Charlie Papazian. Most beginner's kits come with a copy of "The
New Brewer", which is relatively useless after your first batch or so.
Yes, one of the wonderful things about brewing is how little it takes to
get started. For $40 I'm a little surprised that they don't include
a capper, but it's only a few dollars more. If you do go with their
kit, be very careful with the plastic fermenter; one scratch on
the inside will make it unusable for anything except bottle washing.
My advice to friends who are starting out is to get a copy of
The Complete Joy and read the first half of it or so. I recommend
single-stage fermentation in glass for starting out -- see the book
for details. One thing he doesn't mention which I swear by is a
bottle filler -- a piece of hard plastic tube with a button valve
on the end. You hold the bottle upright, stick the tube down the
neck and press the button against the bottom of the bottle. Wallah,
it presently becomes full.
It may pay you to spend a bit more on a good capper -- a bad one is
very unpleasant to use. Avoid the kind with a spring up the middle
and wing nut on top -- they have to be adjusted differently for
every type of bottle in your (typically motely) collection, stick
like crazy, and sometimes bite the neck off the bottle.
A final item that you may have to buy is a pot big enough to boil wort
in. For extract brewing, you may be able to get away with a 2 1/2 gallon
pot, but 4 or 5 gallons is *much* easier to manage. Nothing like
having your wort boil over to make you wish you'd had a bigger pot.
There's yet one *more* thing which you need, but can't buy: attitude!
You need to relax, don't worry, have a good time brewing, but also keep
things clean. The latter's a pain, but you get used to it. For
attitude, Papazian is essential reading; he's devoted his entire
professional life to relaxing, not worrying et cetera.
Welcome aboard!
- --Tom Olson
Oh, if I can be excused a plug: While I believe in supporting local
suppliers, I have to admit that I buy a lot of my equipment and ingredients
from The Home Brewery in Ozark, Mo. -- acceptable prices, excellent attitude.
They offer a very complete beginner's kit including The Complete Joy
for about $40 plus shipping. Call 1-800-321-BREW for a catalog.
I have no financial or personal connection with them, just a satisfied
customer.
Thomas J. Olson | olson@virginia.edu | Ave color vini clari
Dept. of Computer Science | work: (804) 982-2217 | Ave sapor sine pari
University of Virginia | home: (804) 971-7176 | Tua nos inebriari
Charlottesville, VA 22903 | | Dignum est potentia!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 10:41:24 CST
From: MN033302@VM1.NoDak.EDU
Subject: patriotic duty (part 2
Here I am, safe at home, relaxing, not worrying, and having a homebrew,
while a near relative of mine is sweating his * off in Saudi Arabia,
with not a drop of fermented malt beverage to be had. Can't help but
notice the inequity of the situation, can you?
I also noticed two other facts: 1) I had ten gallons of brown ale
bubbling away happily in their fermenters in the basement, just about
ready to bottle, and 2) I just happened to have several of those
plastic coke bottles with the screw-on caps, which happen to work very
well for bottling homebrew. Put the two together, and you have several
bottles of homebrew which have a striking resemblence to harmless (and
legal) Coca-Colas. Perhaps a close enough resemblence to slip past the
eyes of a tired and over-worked Army mail inspector?
Now, this is technically illegal, so I wouldn't suggest that anyone
actually try this ;-) but I will leave you with a few observations:
1) it's a violation of Saudi Arabia's law, not ours. 2. India Pale
Ale was designed to survive long voyages under adverse conditions.
3) lighter beers might be better camoflaged in green (Mello Yello,
Mountain Dew, etc) bottles.
I hope there aren't any postal inspectors, MPs, or Saudis reading this.
Not that I'm doing anything.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 08:34:58 -0800
From: krweiss@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Al vs. Stainless (summary)
First, let me say that the participants in this list have about the best
network manners I've ever encountered. My original post suggested that we keep
this discussion to e-mail, and that's exactly the way it was handled!
To summarize, I recently posted asking if anyone had actually performed a side
by side comparison of brews made in aluminum and stainless brewpots. I
received a number of replies which said, "No, but you can get stainless pots
for less than $100 from ..., so why risk the aluminum." Rapids was the most
often recommended vendor, with Chinatown restaurant supply shops running a
close second.
Jeff Casey had some anecdotal, non-scientific experience in brewing with both
types of pots. Here is his post:
> Ken -
> I started brewing with my "old souppot", a 12 qt aluminum pot. Before
> reading any of the SvsA controversy, my wife noticed a strong "canned"
> taste. (She is particularly susceptible, and won't even scrape tv dinner
> trays with a fork for the last goodies). I admit I noticed just a little
> tangy taste on a couple of batches. I then bought a 16qt Reverwere SS
> kettle. Technically, I have not done a side by side brew, so this is all
> noise; however I've brewed the same recipe several times in each, and I'll
> admit that the tangy taste is definitely associated with the Aluminum. I
> won't rule out a placebo effect, as we didn't do a double blind, and I'm
> skeptical of how much Al you can dissolve out, regardless of how acidic wort
> is. My wife claims that there was never a doubt of the Al taste, and that my
> beers have improved drastically since switching. Neither of us are
> chemists, although she is closer (biochemist - I'm a physicist), so again,
> this may all be bunk. Sorry I couldn't be more specific.
>
> By the way, you can do a lot bigger and cheaper than our reverware, but I
> like the stuff, and like to keep a soup pot big enough for a turkey carcass
> around. I can just mash 10 lbs in it -- but I have to compensate for the
> super stiff mash by temp and pH adjustments.
>
> Jeff Casey casey@alcvax.pfc.mit.edu
But, Jeff, isn't the concept of "goodies" on a TV dinner tray kind of
oxymoronic?
Russ Wigglesworth asks (and my email reply bounced):
> Have you asked Dr. Lewis this question? Perhaps he can shed some light on
> the subject based on his experience.
>
> BTW, what do you do for UC Davis?
>
> Russ Wigglesworth <Rad Equipment@RadMac1.ucsf.edu>
I've sampled the beer at a brewpub with which Dr. Lewis is associated, the
Back Alley Brewery. I've sampled the beer there on three different, widely
separated occasions. I've sampled every beer they make there. I decided to
rely more upon the opinions of this group. 'Nuff said? But if you're ever in
Davis, don't miss Sudwerk Hubsch. Really good beer. Interesting trivia -
Sudwerk is the only place I've been that uses open fermentors for primary
fermentation. They look like stainless steel hot tubs, right on display behind
glass, near the bar. They get krauesen on those fermentors so stiff and white
it looks like merangue - meraunge - ahh shit - whipped egg whites. (Foregoing
is, of course, just MHO.)
I manage the microcomputer instruction program for staff and faculty here at
UC Davis, teach micro applications, and write tutorials. In my spare time I'm
working for world peace and developing cold fusion and room temperature
superconductors. Nah, I just sit in front of the TV and swill down beer after
beer after beer...
Ken Weiss
krweiss@ucdavis.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 11:19:09 CST
From: flowers@csrd.uiuc.edu
Subject: Dave Miller's Continental Pilsner
>Craig Flowers spent some time flaming me for expressing a recommendation
>to not buy Miller's book.
Hardly a flame. I hold no ill-will toward you or your opinions. Just
think a statement of opinion as opposed to recommendation is more
appropriate, especially for this medium.
>Simply put, there are many people who will not profit from the purchase
>of the book; many are on the homebrew network.
..in your opinion. There are also many people who will enjoy and learn
from the book.
>The AHA is profitting from excessive hype and marketing. It's part of the
>Rah, Rah mentality that Chuck Papazian tries to espouse, along with the
>useful but often misused saying of "relax, don't worry, have a(nother)
>homebrew." The AHA is now touting the "Classic Styles" series, while the
>authors are writing as fast as possible to get the product out the door.
>It is that very thing that pervades these books and for that I am
>disappointed. A regular reader of Zymurgy doesn't need the extra expense.
This creates the appearance that your opinions of the AHA and/or the way it
conducts its business is influencing your ideas about the matter at hand,
namely Continental Pilsner. This is why I feel a 'recommendation' is
inappropriate.
> He missed the point, sad to say.
Yes, I missed the points about the AHA in a post about a book and defended
the book itself. Sorry.
>Finally, I didn't already know everything in the book; there is always
>more to learn.
Well put. I agree there is always more to learn.
-Craig Flowers (flowers@csrd.uiuc.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 12:35:34 -0500
From: KOHR@ll.mit.edu
Subject: Guinness made in Canada, nitrogen in Guinness.
My Irish roommate was incredulous when I told him that people on the
Homebrew Digest were claiming that: 1. Guinness sold in the U.S.
is actually made in Canada; and 2. Guinness uses nitrogen to obtain
the head it has. Could the people who posted this information please
clarify: what are your sources (Jim Homer [att!drutx!homer] claims to
have watched a Guinness promotional video that says the mixture is
75% nitrogen and 25% CO2); do these suprising facts apply to Guinness
Stout, Guinness Gold, or both; and do these facts apply to botted or
draft Guinness or both?
David R. Kohr M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory Group 45 ("Radars 'R' Us")
email: KOHR@LL.LL.MIT.EDU
phone: (617)527-3908 (home), (617)981-0775 (work)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 09:55:39 PST
From: jdgaye@EBay.Sun.COM (Dennis Gaye)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #553 (December 11, 1990)
Several people responded to our idea of a tasting party.
The consensus seems to be to have one but mid January so people can
use some holiday time to whip up an entry.
One man suggested a $1.00 entry fee to go for ribbons or prizes.
How about Saturday, January 19th @ 1PM
If someone would like to submit an entry but cannot attend you
should send a labled entry to:
JDSecurity
916 Rock Canyon Circle
San Jose CA 95127
Attn: Dennis Gaye
Send $1.00 per entry for prize money if you want to.
Ideas?
Yours in good taste.
JD
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 12:54 EST
From: durk@dialogic.com (Dave Durkin)
Subject: It's too cold!
In digest #553, Michael J. McCaughey wrote:
[Temp in apartment discussed]
>Someone mentioned using a acquarium heater to maintain temp. How well
>does this work? How do you keep things sanitary? Anyone have any suggestions
>for good heater models and setups?
I was the one who originally discussed the aquariam heater. I've used
the heater directly in the fermenter with great success although it was
sheer luck, I am sure 8->.
In order to prevent infection, other brewers have recommended that
the carboy or bin be set in a large pale or tub (beer distributors/stores
have galvanized tubs perfect for this sort of thing) of water with the
aquariam heater in the tub. The fermenter could be wrapped in towels which
would draw the heated water around the bin giving additional thermal
protection. While I haven't tried this, it sounds as though it would work
fine.
One thing I have tried, however, is filling a fermenting bin with 6-7
inches of water with the heater placed in it along with a juice jar of
starter yeast. The surrounding water keeps the fermenting starter at
an even temperature.
By the way, if you didn't know, aquariam heaters now come with a knob so
you can select the exact temperature you want. They run $20-25 in any
pet shop and are imported from Germany, I think.
Cheers,
Durk
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 11:04:21 mst
From: Paul Perlmutter x2549 <paul@hppaul.hp.com>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #553 (December 11, 1990)
Full-Name: Paul Perlmutter x2549
Please delete my name from the mailing list.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 13:04:48 EST
From: "st. stephen" <ST402836@brownvm.brown.edu>
Subject: Culturing Yeast
Howdy,
OK, my homebrewing partner and i are getting set to enter the fun
world of culturing our own yeast. We've got 6 batches under our belt
(and not all in our tummies yet !), all of which are extract recipes
with adjuncts (is that the right word for adding some extra malt, ie.
crystal, black patent, etc ?). We use two-stage fermetation, racking
off to carboys after the first few days of fermentation. Having read
somewhere in this great forum of ideas that one brewer felt that the
2 single most important and easy techniques he adopted for improved
beer was 2-stage fermentation and liquid yeast, we've decided to
look into liquid yeast and culturing it. Besides it sounds like fun!
So, would anyone out there like to email me there thoughts on the
subject? What's a good method, what problems do you have to look out for,
what equipment do you need, etc. Also, suggested reading material would
be helpful. I've been reading the posts related to this topic, but haven't
quite got it all colated yet. Email me, unless you think the whole digest
would be interested. Thanks in advance for your help.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 13:15:12 EST
From: "st. stephen" <ST402836@brownvm.brown.edu>
Subject: Specific gravity and fermentation
Hey all,
Here's another little question for you. We've been brewing from
recipes in Pappazian's (sp?) book, in which he gives approx. starting
and ending specific gravities. We've brewed a variety of different beers
(stout, brown ale, etc) and always start with a starting S.G. in the
range specified. At bottling time our SG's have generally been a little
higher than the ones specified in the book. Now, certainly i'm not
*worrying* about this, 'cause the beers taste great, but i'm curious; why
wouldn't the SG get down to that which the book suggests. We usually
rack to a secondary after say 4 days of fermentation in the primary, at
which point the fermentation activity is quite low, sometimes not even
noticeble. We then usually let it sit for another 10 days or so in the
secondary; there's certainly no sign of fermentation at the end of that
period (ie no glubs). So, it seems the fermentation is done; what could
be done to make it ferment to a lower SG? I guess the question is, what
controls when the fermentation is finished?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 13:35:55 EST
From: sct60a.sunyct.edu!sct60a.sunyct.edu!yagerk@sct60a.sunyct.edu (Kevin Yager)
Date: 12/11/90
>From: yagerk@sct60a.sunyct.edu
Subject: Patriotic duty and Still building
A still can be easily put together. A fairly simple still that could easily
produce 100 proof needs only a few feet of copper tubing. The boiling pot or
evaporator should be made of stainless steel, copper, or glass.
Probably plastic could be used if it was resistant to temperatures as high as
212 f and heat source such as steam were used. I think aluminum would also work.
What ever is used as an evaportor should be sealable (with a port for the
condenser hookup). This vessel need not be able to contain high pressure
as a properly constructed still will not be capable of building pressures.
The condenser is usually made of copper tubing. This resource is easily
obtainable, easy to work with, and not too expensive. I think that common
plastic tubing (the stuff from a hardware store) could be used as a condenser.
Copper works well because it has a high rate of thermal conductivity.
The condenser tubing should be in a bath of cool water (Just having it
in cool air will work), but having it in water allows the condenser to take
heat from the alcohal vapor quicker, IE a faster rate of distillage .
About 3/8" id tubing is best.
Depending on how much is to be distilled and how fast, the condenser tube
could be as short as 6'. A 10' long copper condenser will easily condense
1/2 gallon of 100 proof distillate in 3 hours.
The condenser tubing should always slope downward so that distillate can't
pool in a low spot of the tube. The only low spot should be where the
distillate drips into your jug.
I think that a condenser could be made from a gallon glass jug. If it were
inverted in a bath of water, with a stopper in it. The stopper would have two
holes one as an inport for the vapor and one for the condensate to drip out.
All you have to do is pipe the alcohol vapor to the condenser. Vinyl tubing
is ok.
Almost anything will work. Stay away from lead, and solder. The only trick
is to evaporate mostly alcohol. To do this keep the temperature in the
evaportor below 212 f and as close to the boiling temp of alcohol as possible
( I think it's 173 f, it's around there though). Never distill anything that
Would be poisonous to drink. You might concentrate the poison.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention.
Of course all of this purely hypothetical.
Kevin Yager
yagerk@sct60a.sunyct.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 14:14 EST
From: "Eric Roe" <KXR11@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Subject: RE: Cosmic awareness and good beer
Bill Thacker <hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!cbema!wbt> writes in HBD #553:
> Fortunately, Columbus Ohio has a store (two, actually) which caters
> to winemakers and brewers, called, surprisingly enough, The Winemaker's
> Shop. They have an "Introductory Package" for just under $40 which
> includes a plastic primary fermenting tub, a glass secondary fermenter
> (narrow-mouth), and various airlocks and bits of tubing. This,
> plus raw materials and bottles, caps, and a capper, is supposed to be
> everything you need to make beer.
It seems as if you've been able to find a reasonably priced starter kit.
I've seen people mention similar items for $100+. Check it against the
list below.
Your basic brewing setup should include:
* Primary fermenter - Should range in size from 5 to 7 1/2 gallons. If
you do a two stage fermentation I would recommend leaning toward the
larger size. I prefer to use glass, but plastic is fine.
* Secondary fermenter - Should be slightly smaller than your primary.
Should be made of glass. Note that a secondary fermentation is not
always necessary. You may make an ale that ferments so quickly that
a two stage fermentation is useless. I am generally partial to the
two stage process.
* Big pot - obviously you need something to boil your wort in. With
extract brewing (assuming a partial boil) a pot of two to three gallons
will suffice. If you are a masher (all-grain brewer) then you'll need
a pot capable of a full boil -- I use an eight gallon, enameled pot.
There is some debate as to whether or not to use aluminum pots -- I
won't get into that here.
* Fermentation locks - these are available in two styles. I use both,
but prefer the S style on the secondary fermenter -- I find it easier
to count "glubs" and get an idea of when to bottle.
* Tubing - get it too long; you can always cut it to fit the situation.
Always rinse it after use, it'll last longer.
* Bottles/Kegs - ya gotta have something to put your brew into. I can't
give any recommendations on kegging -- I've never done it. Select
sturdy bottles; returnable bottles are generally heavier and stronger
than non-returnables. Preferably made of brown glass; this protects the
beer from being light-struck. Some people use one or two litre soda
bottles. You can also use champagne bottles. I use 16oz. returnables.
* Bottle capper - many styles available. I use a bench capper.
* Bottle filler - probably won't come with a starter kit, but they only
cost $3-$4 and are definitely worth the small investment.
* Hydrometer - used to measure the specific gravity at different
stages of the brewing process. Usually you obtain an original gravity
(OG) before fermentation is started and a final gravity (FG) just
before bottling.
There are some other miscellaneous equipment that you may already have
on hand. A big spoon, strainers (to remove leaf hops if used), a funnel.
If you wanted to you could also invest in a bottle washer.
Lastly I would recommend a good book on homebrewing. Titles that
frequently appear are _The Complete Joy of Homebrewing_ by Charlie
Papazian, and _The Complete Handbook of Homebrewing_ by Dave Miller.
Hope this is of use to anyone just taking the homebrewing plunge.
Eric
<kxr11@psuvm.psu.edu>
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 15:03:00 -0500
From: "a.e.mossberg" <aem@mthvax.cs.miami.edu>
Subject: Homebrew Archive
The homebrew archive at mthvax.cs.miami.edu is back up to date. Sorry about
the problems with the October and November issues.
aem
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 90 12:33:51 PST (Tue)
From: florianb@tekred.cna.tek.com
Subject: lager kegging
In yesterday's edition, Chris Shenton asks about kegging a lager:
>I've got my first attempt at kegging -- a lager -- in the fridge, trying to
>condition. I say `trying' cuz it's been in there 3 weeks under about 20 psi
>and still refuses to fizz. The temperature is about 33F -- is this too cold
>to allow natural carbonation? What is the proper temp for lagering and
>conditioning?
> -- I. M. Ignorant
Assume that you primed with 3/4 cup corn sugar and that the CO2 valves are
open. The initial lagering-in-the-keg period should be at least 2 weeks at
the fermentation temperature. In principle, the transfer from carboy to
keg should be adiabatic and thus the temperature constant. The yeast will,
apart from some loss of cells, continue to ferment out any remaining sugars,
and consume the added sugar without time lag. After the sugar is consumed
the yeast will remove other by-products which may have been produced by
fermentation at elevated temperature (Ref Noonan's and Miller's books).
After this initial period of lagering, there should be sufficient CO2 for
carbonation. Keeping the CO2 pressure on will enhance this. Then, the
temperature is gradually lowered over a period of one week to about 32-35 F.
The beer is allowed then to lager at this temperature for 4-6 weeks. During
the actual lagering period, it is unnecessary to have the CO2 pressure on.
Some clearing will occur during the latter lagering period, and the usual
conditioning characteristics will appear. A good reference that describes
the processes which occur during lagering is "The Practical Brewer" by
the Master Brewer Associan of the Americas.
My advice: increase the T to about 48 degrees. Wait 2 weeks. Check the
carbonation. If it's good, lower the T gradually and lager 4 more weeks.
If the carbonation is low, continue to condition at 48 degrees 1-2 more
weeks. If the carbonation doesn't improve, try adding additional yeast
in a small quantity. Be patient, it will reward.
Florian
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 11:17:17 EST
From: cjh@vallance.eng.ileaf.com (Chip Hitchcock)
Subject: Weizen yeasts
A recent posting says that Wyeast acknowledges "toning down" their
"Bavarian Wheat" liquid yeast so it doesn't produce as much of the clove
flavor that is standard for this style.
The yeast issue of ZYMURGY mentions another brand (M.eV. #? and what does
M.eV. stand for?) of liquid weizen yeast that is 100% S. delbrueckii (the
strain that gives the special flavor). Has anyone tried this? Is it too
strong, or do true weizen beers use only this strain?
Also, does anyone have experience with the effect of fermenting
temperature on flavor of a wheat beer? I tried making one too late last
Spring using the Wyeast and had a bit of a runaway (temp up to mid 70's
before I got it down to the cellar); the result has no more than a trace of the
flavor I find in imported weizens. Am I likely to get any more interesting
flavor at a more canonical temperature, or is Wyeast now diluting its weizen
yeast too far?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 15:51:36 mst
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: finings, Trappist Ales
Tom Barstow asks about finings:
> Is there any harm in tossing Irish moss into any and every recipe
> during the boil? Is there something better than Irish moss?
I have recently started using 1 teaspoon of Irish moss for the last 15
minutes of the boil in all my beers. They appear to clear much sooner
and I no longer get any chill haze. You can reduce (eliminate?) chill
haze by avoiding boiling grains. Chill haze is caused by the reaction
of tannins (from boiling husks) and proteins. I have only used Irish
moss and it really works for clearing the beer, but I have had poor
head retention since I've started using the Irish moss. Now, I'm not
saying these two facts are related, but they may be. I have read that
the proteins in beer add to the body and thus could aid head retention.
The reason that I can't pin the low head retention on the Irish moss is
because I have yet to make the same recipe twice -- I keep substituting
and adding extras. If the Irish moss does not affect the head, I see
no reason to avoid using it in every recipe.
> I've heard a couple of opinions about using isinglass -- some say
> add it to the secondary 24-48 hours before racking, others say
> add it after racking and just before bottling. What's best?
I haven't used isinglass, and I've heard about adding it to the
secondary 24-48 hours before racking, but I would suggest not
bottling immediately -- let the isinglass settle and leave it in
the secondary when you rack.
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 15:55:42 MST
From: hplabs!mage!lou
Subject: storing carboys
In HBD #553 Tom Barstow writes:
>When I clean out my glass carboy after bottling, can I sanitize it then (along
>with its cap), store it capped for perhaps a couple of months, and then use it
>without re-sanitizing it?
I've done this with some 40 batches without problems, the carboy seems to be
sanitized just fine. I have a 15 gallon tub which I use to sanitize bottles
and equipment whenever I mess with my brew. I've attached a spigot and hose to
the bottom of it so, when I'm done and the carboy is clean, I just drain the
sanitizing solution into the carboy and cap it up. I only recommend this if
you have carboys with screw-on plastic caps.
Louis Clark
reply to: mage\!lou@ncar.ucar.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 90 08:22:52 PST
From: mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Subject: Chimay yeast strains
I cannot claim to know how the monks of Chimay really brew their beer,
but must wonder why it is hard to believe that the yeast used for
bottle conditioning is different than that used for primary
fermentation. The bottle yeast is *very* strong in character, and it
is a top-fermenting strain. Why would a brewer go through the trouble
of micro-filtering the beer to remove the top-fermenting primary yeast,
only to add another top-fermenter in the bottle? German hefeweizen
brewers *do* filter out the ale yeast, so they can add a clean lager
yeast to the bottle. The goal is to get CO2 but not a lot of yeast
character. For Chimay, I have a feeling the situation is different.
Is Chimay aged in wood? The last time I had some (while stealing
yeast, of course), I detected a disting oak note in the bouquet. I was
drinking a Cinq Cents (white label).
Has anyone tried other Belgian yeasts? Duvel, Satan, and Maredsous all
have some trub. Maredsous in particular has a really interesting
earthy character that I'd love to get in my beer.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike McNally mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab
------------------------------
Date: 12 Dec 90 23:33:22 EST
From: chip upsal <70731.3556@compuserve.com>
Subject: hbd 553
In HBD 553 Phil speaks of making bread of spent grains. Is this not a
kin to the proverbial "Raw Bits". What happens to he barly hulls?
Tom Barstow writes:
> Is there any harm in tossing Irish moss into any and every recipe
> during the boil? Is there something better than Irish moss?
No
> If the beer is cloudy after it's sat in the secondary for a wile,
> should I add isinglass (or something else)?
I think not. Things clear up eventually. If they donot, it sill tast
good.
Mike Schrempp writes:
>I have a question on reusing yeast slurry from the bottom of the
fermenter.
>Is this the slurry from the primary or the secondar?
Thew primary is the best source for viable yeast.
Chip
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 90 10:53:50 NZS
From: Mark.Moir@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #553 (December 11, 1990)
In HOMEBREW Digest #553, Craig Flowers writes:
> if anyone (Feinstein? Karplus? Anyone else?) has used pineapple or kiwi in
> a mead. Kiwi makes a good juice but I know little about the fruit itself.
Aaaagh! What? Being a kiwi myself, I must insist that you don't squish
one of us up to put in your mead. On the other hand, I'd be very interested
in your results with _kiwi fruit_. :-) Obviously, in New Zealand we can
get kiwi fruit very easily, so if it's good, I might like to try it myself.
Cheers,
Mark Moir (Mark.Moir@bbs.actrix.gen.nz)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 90 09:18:20 EST
From: pdk%pyrnj@Princeton.EDU (Paul Kramer)
Subject: mailing list
Sign me up!!
thanks,
paul davis kramer
------------------------------
Date: 13 Dec 89 08:50:55
From: Rad Equipment <Rad_Equipment@rad-mac1.ucsf.EDU>
Subject: Reinheitsgebot
REGARDING Reinheitsgebot
Here is a translation of the Reinheitsgebot from the text posted in a previous
HBD and from the text in the photo of the original document as found in
Jackson's World Guide to Beer. A complete translation of the entire law, which
includes times of year when particular styles may be sold, etc. is in the
works. The classic portion follows:
WE ALSO ORDER THAT FROM NOW ON EVERYWHERE IN OUR TOWNS, MARKETPLACES AND IN THE
COUNTRY NO OTHER INGREDIENTS SHALL BE TAKEN AND USED IN ANY BEER THAN BARLEY,
HOPS AND WATER.
HE WHO KNOWINGLY VIOLATES THIS ORDER AND DOES NOT COMPLY SHALL HAVE THE BARREL
OF BEER TAKEN AWAY IMMEDIATELY BY THE COURT AS PUNISHMENT EVERY TIME IT
HAPPENS.
Thanks to Frank Maesen and Bill Stender
Russ Wigglesworth <Rad Equipment@RadMac1.ucsf.edu>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 90 20:06:17 -0500
From: ag297@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Perry A. Trunick)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #552 (December 07, 1990)
RE: Patriotic Duty
I saw the posting asking for info on how to make a still. Too
many M*A*S*H reruns. Distilling beverages as far as I know is
illegal in the US. US military personnel (as far as I remember)
are subject to US law and military law (UCMJ). That means, no
still. In addition, most Moslem countries prohibit alcohol.
Some "host" countries are adament about enforcing at least some
of their laws, even on US military personnel who might otherwise
be considered to be living on US soil while they are on a base.
So, my advice is not to fulfill the request for info on building
a still. The repercussions could be greater than any possible
pleasure from distilling a beverage (not to mention the chance
of creating a poison instead of the desired beverage).
- --
The most important thing you have to know
in life is yourself.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 90 17:54:07 mst
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Chimay "Goblets"
Perry writes:
>The reason for the goblet and not the glass is to avoid getting
>the sediment stirred up while you were drinking.
I have to disagree with you Perry. Since I am now the newly elected
Chimay label expert, I can assure you that Chimay label includes
a note that suggests pouring carefully to leave the sediment in the
bottle. This leaves us with the dilemma of why the "goblet?"
I believe that Michael Jackson in "The Beer Hunter" suggested that
the wide mouth glass is to savor the complex aromas of the Ale.
I would have to agree. Recently, I taste-tested St. Sabastiaan, Chimay
Grande Reserve and Westmalle Tripel. The aromas were more than half
of the beauty of the beers. I liked them in the order listed above
(mostly because of the clove aroma in the Westmalle, which I didn't
like). My cousin rated them: Westmalle, St. Sabastiaan and then Chimay.
Note that all three of these beers were outstanding, it's just that
when you compare three, someone comes in third. Westmalle also makes
a Double which is a completely different beer -- all I recall is that
it is pale. Maybe I'll have one tonight, just to refresh my memory ;^).
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 1990 12:38:56 -0500
From: Rob McDonald <rob@maccs.DCSS.McMaster.CA>
Subject: Water Chemistry
After a year of extract brewing I have decided to try mashing grain.
Since I had no idea what our water chemistry was, so I called the local
municipality, and received the following typical analysis (I also have
Oakville if anybody there wants it).
BURLINGTON ONTARIO DRINKING WATER QUALITY
ANALYTICAL AVERAGES FOR 1989
All results are in mG/L (parts per million) unless otherwise noted
Dissolved Organic Carbon 1.65 Calcium 42.8
Nitrate 0.60 Sodium 12.69
Nitrite 0.02 Aluminum (uG/L) 148
Ammonia-Nitrogen 0.02 Iron (uG/L) 70.4
Total Inorganic Carbon 13.84 Total Plate Count (CFU/100ml) 4
Total Organic Carbon 1.65 Trihalomethane (uG/L) 31
Turbidity 0.23 pH 7.83
Conductivity (uMhos/cm) 343.7 Colour 2.4
Sulphate 30.0 Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen 0.57
Fluoride 1.18 Magnesium 8.0
Chloride 35.1 Lead (uG/L) 4.2
Alkalinity 94.72 Total Dissolved Solids (Residue) 174.67
Hardness 137.1 Phenol (uG/L) 0.64
Can somebody tell me what Total Plate count and Total Kjeldahl
Nitrogen are? Are they significant for brewing?
Is the alkalinity value a measure of bicarbonate ions (ie. temporary
hardness?)
I brew mostly bitters and stouts. I need to decide what (if any)
adjustment should be made to the water chemistry. If I want to try
brewing a lager, will any treatment be necessary?
.....rob
EMAIL: rob@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca <<< Standard Disclaimers Apply >>>
ARCHAIC: Steltech, 1375 Kerns Rd., Burlington, Ontario, Canada, L7P 3H8.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #554, 12/14/90
*************************************
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