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HOMEBREW Digest #0672
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 91/07/03 03:05:02
HOMEBREW Digest #672 Wed 03 July 1991
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Auto Reply from Watch_Mail for 29-JUN-1991 00:00 to 8-JUL-1991 00:00 (Steve Beal ZK02-3/N23 381-2071 02-Jul-1991 0332)
(John DeCarlo)
Re: Extracts vs. Kits (John DeCarlo)
_zymurgy_ magazine (John DeCarlo)
Cat's Meow (Michael Zentner)
Help---trip tips (Michael Zentner)
Rob B's Canada Posting (hersh)
Re: REAL fruit juice (Mark Sandrock)
Peristaltic pumps (BREIN)
Hops used in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Keith Winter)
Re: Water Treatment for Lagers (John Polstra)
cheap brew (hitchhiker)
Possible Aphid cure. ("DRCV06::GRAHAM")
Re: Homebrew Digest #671 (July 02, 1991) (bobc@wings.Eng - Bob Clark)
Wort Aeration notes... (Kurt Swanson)
Annoying subscription requests... (Kurt Swanson)
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmi@hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmi@hplabs.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues]
Archives are available from netlib@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 00:30:37 PDT
From: Steve Beal ZK02-3/N23 381-2071 02-Jul-1991 0332 <beal@tle.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Auto Reply from Watch_Mail for 29-JUN-1991 00:00 to 8-JUL-1991 00:00
I'll be away until July 10th. If you have any questions or
problems, please contact Deb Robison (TLE::ROBISON) or Peter
Karam (TLE::KARAM).
Steve
------------------------------
Date: Tuesday, 2 Jul 1991 07:16:56 EDT
From: m14051@mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo)
Subject:
>From: Joe Kendall <SYSHJK%GSU.EDU@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
>Subject: 1/2 batches
>2 homebrew kits in one 5 gallon batch of beer. I think this
>was recommended in "Joy of Homebrewing". It seems to me what
>one changes by putting in 2 cans of "good stuff" instead of one,
>is the ratio of "good stuff" to water. Can one accomplish the
>same thing by putting in one brew kit and half the normal amount
>of water. I hope so.
Well, what you really get is improving the ratio of "good stuff"
(i.e., malt) to "bad stuff" (i.e., sugar). By eliminating the
sugar from your recipe, you get a more full-bodied and better
tasting brew (IMHO) (certainly it will be "maltier" :-) ).
Yes, you can brew a 2.5 to 3 gallon batch with one can. In fact,
that kind of approach is now showing up on the kit directions.
The latest _zymurgy_ had a review of a kit designed for 3 gallons
that said just use the can and don't add any sugar. Good going,
I say. The fewer kits that advocate using sugar the better.
Internet: jdecarlo@mitre.org
(or John.DeCarlo@f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org)
Fidonet: 1:109/131
------------------------------
Date: Tuesday, 2 Jul 1991 07:18:19 EDT
From: m14051@mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo)
Subject: Re: Extracts vs. Kits
>Treating water with Burton Salts:
>If you're brewing with extracts, forget the water salts. The
>extracts already contain all the minerals and salts that you
>will need for that beer. If you're making an all-grain beer,
>it's better to get your water tested at your local water plant
>or give them a call for the ion content of the water if you're
>already on their system. Adjust your water according to beer
>you're trying to make. In general, soft water for lagers. Hard
>water for English type ales.
>Kinney Baughman | Beer is my business and
>baughmankr@conrad.appstate.edu | I'm late for work.
Well,
It is worth a minor note here that there is a *big* difference (IMHO)
between using a "kit" and using malt extract. A "kit" is usually
in a can and is formulated to make a certain type of beer, often
containing the hops as well.
Many of us who brew with extract only buy light malt extract
and add additional grains to achieve the pale ale, stout,
whatever. I can heartily recommend this method and haven't
bought a "kit" in over a year. But it does make it more
important to condition your water, though all I have ever used is
gypsum.
Internet: jdecarlo@mitre.org
(or John.DeCarlo@f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org)
Fidonet: 1:109/131
------------------------------
Date: Tuesday, 2 Jul 1991 07:19:43 EDT
From: m14051@mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo)
Subject: _zymurgy_ magazine
Hello,
Has anyone compiled an electronic index of _zymurgy_ magazine articles?
John "Or do I have to do it myself?" DeCarlo
Internet: jdecarlo@mitre.org
(or John.DeCarlo@f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org)
Fidonet: 1:109/131
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 09:55:18 -0500
From: zentner@ecn.purdue.edu (Michael Zentner)
Subject: Cat's Meow
First, Brian Bliss replies to someone else:
>Yes. The authors to "uuencode" the file after they compress it
>(not vice-versa!), and stick it somewhere where we can ftp it.
>This is standard stuff for files with special characters in them,
>such as raster images, or the output from "compress".
If you ftp'd the files with binary set and they uncompressed,
the reason you're getting a U instead of ' is not because of
the ftp link. You do not have to uuencode something to use
ftp. As one of the authors explained to me, he had a similar
problem because of the printer connection to his computer not
supporting the "higher" bits, or something like that. The
character ' is not represented in ascii in the postscript file.
Apparently, the printer is only getting part of the information.
If you're as dumb as me :-) and tried to vi the file to put
a manual feed instruction (it looked like the "book" was formatted
for printing out on two sided pages) in there and then wrote the file,
you'll also find that vi strips non-ascii characters and
replaces ' with U. I have fixed this problem and gotten it to
print out two sided, though, for anyone interested and willing
to sit next to the printer feeding in pages.
Mike Zentner zentner@ecn.purdue.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 10:01:53 -0500
From: zentner@ecn.purdue.edu (Michael Zentner)
Subject: Help---trip tips
Lynn (my wife) and I are going to be travelling to Europe this
fall (post-Oktoberfest) and would like any suggestions on brew
related and/or other fun things to do. The intended route is
something like the following:
Barcelona for 4 days
Through France quickly, maybe 2 days with a stop in a wine area
Belgium 4-7 days
Southern Germany area for 1-1.5 weeks.
Please send any suggestions on Breweries, pubs, places to stay,
unique restaurants, tourist attractions, etc... that any of you
are familiar with. Thanks for any advice to anyone who can
provide it.
Mike Zentner zentner@ecn.purdue.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 Jul 91 11:32:04 EDT
From: hersh@expo.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Rob B's Canada Posting
Wait Rob, don't go away just yet, you can't post something so long and
informative on Canadian beers and then go away without answering a few
follow-up questions.
Specifically when you quote alcohol contents, are you doign it by Volume (what
the rest of the world uses) or by Weight (what we fools in the US use). When
you call something a mind numbing 5% (assuming it's by volume) that's the
equivalent of ~4.2% which is not very different from many US beers. Of course
if you've already adjusted to US for the sake of the posting and just forgot to
mention it, then to quote Emily Latella, "Oh never mind...."
- JaH
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 10:57:16 CDT
From: Mark Sandrock <sandrock@aries.scs.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Re: REAL fruit juice
> From: bliss@csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
>
> > From: sandrock@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Mark Sandrock)
> >
> > artificial sweetener, right!" I say, "Fruit juice, the REAL thing!"
>
> The hard part is finding a brand whose major ingredient isn't
> corn sweetener... (Even if it is, I still prefer it to coke)
It's true. Many of the prepared fruit juices say "100% natural", and,
if you read the fine print, "10% fruit juice". As I understand it, one
could sell sawdust and call it 100% natural, so that phrase is exquisitely
meaningless. High fructose corn syrup is not a "naturally" occuring
substance to my knowledge.
A little more "truth in advertising" would be wonderful,
including listing of ingredients on ALL products intended for human con-
sumption. (And animal consumption for that matter!)
- --
BITNET: sandrock@uiucscs Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Internet: sandrock@aries.scs.uiuc.edu Chemical Sciences Computing Services
Voice: 217-244-0561 505 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1991 10:37:36 PDT
From: BREIN@dsfvax.jpl.nasa.gov
Subject: Peristaltic pumps
Has anyone considered using a peristaltic pump to move their worts between
containers during chilling, racking, and bottling? These simple pumps are used
in medical applications like heart-lung machines because of their gentle action.
It would be nice not to have to raise and lower heavy containers full of wort,
and perhaps do away altogether with the frustrations of siphoning.
What say?
Barry Rein
BREIN@gpvax.jpl.nasa.gov
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 10:53:52 PDT
From: winter@cirrus.com (Keith Winter)
Subject: Hops used in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
In HBD #? (I forgot the number :-(), Ken Ellinwood writes:
>Does anyone know what varieties and proportions of hops are used
>to brew Sierra Nevada PaA friend and I are interested in
>brewing a copy-cat version. Thanks in advance,
I was at the Sierra Nevada brewery last month for a tour. At the
end, the tour guide showed me the brewsheet they use for the Pale
Ale (I took notes, of course). I don't have them here so I can't
give all the details, however I do remember the type of hops used.
For bittering, they use an "experimental high-alpha Cascade" and
for steep they use regular Cascade. No one there was completely
familiar with the process (it was Saturday) so I couldn't get any
real information on the experimental Cascade (like, what is the
alpha analysis).
For what it's worth...
Keith Winter @ Cirrus Logic, Inc. (winter@cirrus)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 12:01:07 PDT
From: polstra!jdp@uunet.UU.NET (John Polstra)
Subject: Re: Water Treatment for Lagers
In HBD #671, I wrote:
> By the way, 125 ppm of CaSO4 adds 29 ppm of calcium to the water, while
> 250 ppm of CaSO4 adds 58 ppm of calcium.
That's not quite right. Actually 125 ppm of *gypsum* adds 29 ppm of
calcium to the water, while 250 ppm of *gypsum* adds 58 ppm of calcium.
Gypsum is calcium sulphate dihydrate, or CaSO4 * 2H2O.
In the article I was referring to, the author said he added X amount of
"CaSO4". I don't know whether he was using gypsum, or really using the
anhydrous form of calcium sulphate.
125 ppm of anhydrous calcium sulphate (CaSO4) adds 37 ppm of calcium,
while 250 ppm of anhydrous calcium sulphate adds 74 ppm.
More than you ever wanted to know about water treatment ...
John Polstra polstra!jdp@uunet.uu.net
Polstra & Co., Inc. ...!uunet!polstra!jdp
Seattle, Washington USA (206) 932-6482
"Self-knowledge is always bad news." -- John Barth
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 Jul 91 13:23:51 CDT
From: hiker@skyview.bison.mb.ca (hitchhiker)
Subject: cheap brew
Help! Due to excessive taxation by our lords and masters in government,
I find myself seeking cheaper means of obtaining a decent drunk. Send
all reasonably drinkable recipes to me, quickly!
- --- (hitchhiker) a user of skyview, running waffle 1.64
E-mail: hiker@skyview.bison.mb.ca
Compu Team Systems BBS
------------------------------
Date: 2 Jul 91 16:07:00 EDT
From: "DRCV06::GRAHAM" <graham%drcv06.decnet@drcvax.af.mil>
Subject: Possible Aphid cure.
Norm Hardy asks about the critters munching at his hops. My organic
gardening friends and I use this combination:
1/2 gallon white vinegar
1 bulb garlic, all cloves peeled and crushed
1 bottle cayenne pepper
Mix it all together and let stand for two weeks. Strain and spray on your
garden. I know, it sounds *strong*. It is, don't eat it, just spray it on
the hops. It doesn't work for all pests, but it keeps many away, and the
rabbits, too.
Dan Graham
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 13:38:23 PDT
From: Bob.Clark@Eng.Sun.COM (bobc@wings.Eng - Bob Clark)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #671 (July 02, 1991)
From: hersh@expo.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Zymurgy @ 3AM, Harvesting Hops
Hey folks, I just moved into Steve Stroud's former residence
and inherited his hop plants. They have flowers on them, some
quite sizeable, and I'm wondering about harvesting them. What
should I look for to know when to harvest them?? Any special
technique, or is just pulling them off OK?? Will the vines
continue to flower throughout the season or do they flower just
once??
When they are big, green, and have decreased slighlty in springiness when
you squeeze them, it is time to pick them. You will know for sure next time,
because when you let them go too long, they turn into a dried out brown.
Just pull them off (some people say to squeeze them off with thumb &
forefinger). But be gentle, since all of the good stuff is the light,
powdery yellow stuff inside. After picking, dry them to gain
consistency in your weight measurements (last year, my 12 oz. wet dried
down to 3 oz.).
The vine you have picked from will not flower again. It can be removed.
You should have some fresh vines which are climbing up the existing ones;
these will get their own flowers, so effectively you get multiple harvests.
Last year, I had three separate harvests off of mine.
I haven't heard of a good way of characterizing the alpha of homegrown, so
I just use mine for aromatics.
Bob C.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 20:50:10 CDT
From: kswanson@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Kurt Swanson)
Subject: Wort Aeration notes...
Way back when I was taking HS Chemistry, I noticed that the teacher put brass
extensions on the faucets, and they had an extra short arm that stuck out
horizontally. Each end had "grips" for holding rubber/plastic hose. It turns
out that when unconstricted, the extra arm aerated water as it passed. When
this was obstructed, the water ran "clear." So, naturally, now I view this as
one possible means of aerating wort: rack through the pipe. It should be easy
to clean, and it aerates quite non-violently. Also, the teacher at one point
turned on the water, let it run down the drain, and hooked a hose between the
extra arm, and a bottle of ethanol, which of course, made the alcohol boil at
room temp. Thus, we have a new method at allowing those who fear the germs of
their mouth to be able to start suction in racking, with little anxiety...
My only problem now is: where do I get one of these? Am I going to have to go
back to my HS to steal one?
- --
Kurt Swanson, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
Northwestern University. kswanson@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 91 20:55:07 CDT
From: kswanson@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Kurt Swanson)
Subject: Annoying subscription requests...
I have two suggestions to help alleviate us of all those annoying
litte "sign me up" and "unsubscribe me" messages: (Please, Rob, don't
unsubscribe me just for saying this...):
A: Someone help Rob automate the subscription process. I have seen
this work.
B: Have evryone who reads the HBD send annoying little "don't send
that message to the whole group" messages to everyone who posts
them.
Comments?
- --
Kurt Swanson, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
Northwestern University. kswanson@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #672, 07/03/91
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