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HOMEBREW Digest #0655
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 91/06/10 03:08:19
HOMEBREW Digest #655 Mon 10 June 1991
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Brew pubs in the Nashville area? (Todd Nathan)
Re: Trouble with trub (Desmond Mottram)
First All Grain Experience ("Justin A. Aborn")
Re: Homebrew Digest #654 (June 07, 1991) (Steve Lamont)
Re: Homebrew Digest #653 (June 06, 1991) (Ed McGuire)
Re: Mashing Crystal and Cara-Pils Malts? (Marc Rouleau)
Lovibond Rating of Crystal Malt (Mike Fertsch)
Sanitary dry ice (Bill Thacker)
re: Trouble with trub, crystal malt (Darryl Richman)
re: heretic again (Darryl Richman)
Bottle anatomy (brein)
Plugged siphon screens and Papazian index things (Ron Ezetta)
Re: Trouble with trub, crystal malt (Marc Rouleau)
Lovibond (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Re: Trouble with trub, crystal malt (larryba)
Re: Clement's brew-pub... (heh-heh) (Kurt Swanson)
Re: ZYMURGY? (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Brewing in the summer. (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Re: Homebrew Digest #654 (June 07, 1991) (John E. Greene)
Iowa Info. ("Olzenak,Craig")
Using Sugar (Clarence Dold)
corking vs capping (Chip Hitchcock)
Mach Guinness (Kevin L. Scoles)
Brewery Tours in Britain (Mike Charlton)
Re: Homebrew Digest #653 (June 06, 1991) (GOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOOOOOORNING ACS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
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: Fri, 07 Jun 91 01:57:12 MST
From: Todd Nathan <tn505981@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu>
Subject: Brew pubs in the Nashville area?
I am interested in knowing of any brewpubs that will
be highly (or not so highly) recommended to a homester
that is going to Usenix. Thanks in advance... If
you will, respond to me via email... ;')
Todd Nathan
Liveware, Inc.
NeRD
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 10:26:30 BST
From: Desmond Mottram <swindon!des@uunet.UU.NET>
Subject: Re: Trouble with trub
> From: peterson@ddd.prepnet.com (Mike Peterson)
> Subject: Trouble with trub, crystal malt
>
>
> I am having a bit of trouble removing the trub and
> hop bits before adding my wort to the primary. I typically add 1/2 tsp. of
> Irish moss 15 minutes before the end of the boil to aid the hot break and
> cool the wort by placing my brew pot in a sink full of cold water. The
> funnel I use for transfering the wort to the carboy has a fine screen in
> it for catching particulate matter. Upon pouring the wort through the screen,
> the screen becomes immediately clogged and I spend 20-30 minutes transferring
> the wort as I must continually pause to scrape the the screen clean. Though
>
> Mike Peterson
In the UK we can buy a bag for sparging and boiling. It is tough enough to
stand the heat even if touching the element, and large enough to permit
good movement of hops when boiling. It fits over the rim of the boiler
providing an effective inner liner. The trub gets filtered out in the spent
hops leaving a completely clean wort before cooling. I imagine something
like this must be available in the USA.
Desmond Mottram
des@swindon.ingr.com
..uunet!ingr!swindon!d_mottram
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 06:31:41 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!att!homxc!whjeh
>Is this James Clement the same one who (I believe) owns the Chapterhouse,
>and who briefly ran a brewpub near Syracuse University called "Clement's
>Brewpub" (which has since reverted to being "Hungry Charlie's")? I always
>try to visit the Chapterhouse whenever I'm in Ithaca, and I've been
>wondering about the "story" behind the Chapterhouse's origins and the
>owner's plans for expansion of his brewing enterprise.
>Also, how widely will the products of the Clement Brewing Company be
>distributed? And does anyone know the story behind the rise and fall of
>"Clement's Brewpub" in Syracuse?
>By the way, I'm glad to see that Michael Jackson has paid a visit to the
>Chapterhouse; a favorable entry for it in one of Jackson's books will make
>for excellent publicity for an otherwise (in my opinion) too little-known
>establishment.
>David R. Kohr M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory Group 45 (Radars 'R' Us)
> email: drk@ll.mit.edu (preferred) or drk@athena.mit.edu
> phone: (617)981-0775 (work) or (617)527-3908 (home)
I was at the Germanfest last year and got two tours. The first was with
a group of people from the festival who knew very little about beer and then
later on my wife and I got an individual tour. The staff was friendly and
answered all my questions on how to improve my homebrew. It is definitely
worth the trip. I enjoy their beer, which are all lagers, and the opportunity
to drink from the lagering tanks was great. My wife drove home. :8^)
The beer is fermented in oak vats that were made in Czechoslovakia. As I
recall they had at least four of them and probably more. I think each one
held 50 hectoliters which is about 1320 gallons. The person who built this
brewery spent a lot of money. There are three rooms, each at a lower temperature
but I forget the time the beer spends in each room and also the temps. From
an article I read in a local paper a while ago, James Clement bought the
brewery a while ago and it makes beer primarily for upstate New York
brewpubs. It was available in bottles in Northern New Jersey about
6 years ago but since it was bottled the way us homebrewers
bottle this didn' t last too long. I keep asking them if I can
bring over my siphon and some bottles... (:^). I do know the beer is
available in Hoboken N. J. and at a bar in Morristown. If anyone
wants more information let me know and I' ll post a follow-up.
- ----Ted
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 10:52:53 EDT
From: "Justin A. Aborn" <jaborn@BBN.COM>
Subject: First All Grain Experience
Another HBD reader (hi Dave) and myself brewed our first all
grain batch two days ago and had a wonderful time. Here is a
debriefing of our best lessons.
We made the "ordinary bitter" recipe out of Miller's TCHOHB.
Mashing was easier than we expected, sparging was harder than we
expected. One innovation we tried that worked out well was
to wrap the mashing vessel in an electric blanket that I never
use anymore. We held it on with some surgical tubing I had
around and set it to its highest setting. Starting from 150
degrees F, the temperature dropped to 145 during the two hour
starch conversion. We never needed to boost the temperature.
We also used the compressed hop plugs rather than pelletized
hops. This had the unexpected side effect of making the transfer
to the primary *much* easier. The larger size hop flakes were
kept under better control by our hopping bag, and thus the funnel
filter did not clog nearly as badly.
The raw wort tasted wonderful. We can't wait.
Justin
Brewer and Patriot
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 07 Jun 91 08:00:52 PDT
From: Steve Lamont <1882P%NAVPGS.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #654 (June 07, 1991)
> HOMEBREW Digest #654 Fri 07 June 1991
> Disclaimer (does anyone ever really read these disclaimers?):
Yes, I find them a great source of amusement. :-)
> The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of this
> institution, the Department of Defense, or any other uptight medical student
> here or anywhere else. They are solely those of the author.
Me? I speak directly for President Bush. He endorses my every utterance.
spl
Steve Lamont, SciViGuy -- (408) 646-2752 -- 1882P@CC.NPS.NAVY.MIL
NPS Confuser Center / Code 51 / Naval Postgraduate School / Monterey, CA 93943
"You can't go from a Mac to real life..."
- John Cage, as heard on Morning Edition, NPR, Jun 7, 1991
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 10:37:00 CST
From: Ed McGuire <emcguire@cadfx.ccad.uiowa.edu>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #653 (June 06, 1991)
> Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 10:19:01 CDT
> From: Fritz Keinert <keinert@iastate.edu>
> Subject: Brewpubs in eastern Iowa
Ah. The "other" university. :)
> [...]
>
> There are some more breweries I know of, but they all make typical
> American beer, in my opinion, anyway. This includes:
>
> - A brewery in the Amana Colonies (called "Mill Creek", I think)
Millstream. Not typical American beer in my opinion. Their lagers
are to be enjoyed for what they are, not swilled. Their wheat beer
is their "light" concession to the American taste; their Millstream
and Schild Brau labels are all-barley lagers with good flavor.
Millstream's process is interesting for the age of their yeast;
they have recycled it since day one. It must be nearing ten years
old now. Remarkable for a microbrewery.
> - The "Dubuque Star" brewery in Dubuque, which is so small that it
> brews from malt extract; they survive by putting various labels
> on their beer, so that pubs or restaurants can have their
> "house brand".
Dubuque Star has a very well-deserved bad reputation for piss-poor
beer. The scuttlebutt from employees is that this is because the
former owner shortened the brewing cycle drastically to improve
profits. This led to loss of sales and eventually the owner sold
the brewery. The new owner and brewmeister has (have?) taken the
skunkiness out of the beer, but the current generation of Dubuque
drinkers may never drink it again.
> - A brewery called "Foecking", which is run entirely by women and
> aimed at the yuppie drinker. I am not quite sure where that one is;
> Quad Cities maybe.
Actually, at student drinkers. Imagine a cheap bottle'o'Bud with
"Foecking" scrawled in lurid pink on the label. Great for those
dorm beer parties. "Hey, gimme a Foecking beer."
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1991 12:03:39 EDT
From: Marc Rouleau <mer6g@fuggles.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Subject: Re: Mashing Crystal and Cara-Pils Malts?
On Jun 6, 8:05am, Ken Giles wrote:
> Yes, mashing can convert the dextrins in crystal malt to simple sugars. But it
> won't convert the carmelized sugars, and that's part of the intended
> contribution of crystal malt, as well.
I see. Mashed crystal malt will color beer red and add some carmel
flavor, but you should use the mash temp to control the body.
I suppose this means that there's never any reason to mash cara-pils
malt, right? If its only purpose is to add dextrins to the wort,
you might as well do it by mashing at a higher temp.
-- Marc Rouleau
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 11:10 EDT
From: Mike Fertsch <FERTSCH@adc1.adc.ray.com>
Subject: Lovibond Rating of Crystal Malt
Mike Peterson asks about the color of crystal malt
> On a different matter, does anybody know the approximate degrees Lovibond
> (sp?) rating of crystal malt. The stuff I have been using is making my
> beers darker than I like and I was wondering if I got a bad batch or
> something?
The answer is "only your supplier knows for sure". Ask your supplier.
There are lots of grades of crystal malt. One catalog I have lists three
grades of crystal - 10 Lovibond (light crystal), 40 Lovibond (anber
crystal), and 110 Lovibond (Dark crystal). My local supplier specs his
"dark crystal" as 38 degrees Lovibond. My experience is that my 38
Lovibond is very dark - a little bit goes a long way - I hestitiate to use
more than one half to one pound in amber beers.
Mike Fertsch
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 12:19:05 EDT
From: Bill Thacker <hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!cbema!wbt>
Subject: Sanitary dry ice
Jean Hunter <MS3Y@CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu> writes:
> First, dry ice is not known for
> food-grade cleanliness, so anything carbonated with it should probably be
> consumed within a day or two to avoid the possibility of spoilage.
No problem! Just boil the dry ice before using it.
8-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bill Thacker AT&T Network Systems - Columbus wbt@cbnews.att.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 07:41:12 -0700
From: darryl@ism.isc.com (Darryl Richman)
Subject: re: Trouble with trub, crystal malt
Mike, crystal malt comes in a whole range of color ratings from 20L through
120L. Around here all of the crystal malt has a lovibond rating with it
so you always know what you're getting. Of course, 2 lbs of Crystal 20
isn't the same as .5 lb of Crystal 80, even disregarding the difference in
extract potential. The flavor changes as the malt gets darker. The lighter
malts tend to leave a sweeter, grainier flavor behind, while the darker
crystals move towards a drier, caramelly flavor that also brings with it
a slight sour tang that can be interesting in a complex, estery bitter
pale ale, or old ale.
To better separate your trub and hopsfrom your wort, try whirlpooling.
After the boil is finished, stir the pot round and round without splashing
to avoid aeration. Do it for a solid minute, then cover and cool in the
sink as you are doing now. When cool, siphon from the side of the pot
into your fermenter. The whirlpool has the effect of piling up all of the
solids into a cone at the center of the pot.
--Darryl Richman
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 07:49:34 -0700
From: darryl@ism.isc.com (Darryl Richman)
Subject: re: heretic again
Geoff, sucrose IS completely fermentable. It works just fine, for example,
to prime your beer. I, too, have noticed the strong tendancy against
using sugar in homebrew, but there are MANY commercial producers that
use it. It is widespread in the UK, and many of the Belgian brewers use
it to beef up the alcohol without adding a tremendous body--after all,
their beer has got to last a couple years.
However, your are right on the money as far as controlling the temperature.
The presence of high levels of single sugars can actually turn the yeast
off of fermenting double and triple sugars, and create stuck fermentations
and large amounts of by products. At cooler temperatures, the yeasts'
metabolic pathways are held in check.
One place that sugar is not prevalent is here in the USA. I suspect that
that is mostly because we pay tremendous price supports for sugar, amounting
to as much as 6 times the going world rate.
--Darryl Richman
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 08:04:18 -0700
From: brein%jplgp.span@JPLDIG.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
Subject: Bottle anatomy
>I tied down the champagne corks with champagne-cork-wire-thingies
bails.
And while we're on bottle anatomy, the recess at the bottom of champagne and
some wine bottles is called the punt. Does anyone else know any interesting
bottle nomenclature?
Barry Rein
BREIN@gpvax.jpl.nasa.gov
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 07 Jun 91 08:51:06 PDT
From: Ron Ezetta <rone@loowit.wr.tek.com>
Subject: Plugged siphon screens and Papazian index things
In HBD #654 David Arnold <davida@syrinx.umd.edu> writes:
>If you buy a copy of Papazian's book now, you should get the index
>with it.... nice to know that we don't have to rely on the
>'homegrown' version anymore (for new buyers).
This posting reminded me how useful the "homegrown" Papazian index
has become. Much thanks goes to those who produced a very reliable
index.
In HBD #654 peterson@ddd.prepnet.com (Mike Peterson) writes:
>... I am having a bit of trouble removing the trub and hop bits before
>adding my wort to the primary... Upon pouring the wort through the screen,
>the screen becomes immediately clogged and I spend 20-30 minutes transferring
>the wort as I must continually pause to scrape the the screen clean....
>I am also thinking of placing my hop pellets in a homemade hop bag made ...
Hop pellets seem to leave more solids in the wort than whole hops.
If you're going to the trouble of a home made hop bag, consider
whole hops. Besides, they look more, well, natural.
My local brew store had three different types of screens: course,
medium, and fine. The fine screen is practically unusable - it
plugs up too easily. For most of my brews, I've used the course
screen - makes for a nice chewy brew :)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1991 12:36:32 EDT
From: Marc Rouleau <mer6g@fuggles.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Subject: Re: Trouble with trub, crystal malt
On Jun 6, 5:28pm, Mike Peterson wrote:
> I am having a bit of trouble [ using a small screen ] removing the trub
I have a fine-mesh straining bag that I bought from Alternative
Beverage (1-800-365-BREW) and a stainless steel kitchen strainer
with a handle. I fit the bag inside the strainer and rest it
atop a 7.5 gallon bucket. Then I use a small SS pot to dip
70-degree wort out of the boiler and into the strainer until it's
mostly clogged. I wait for most of the wort to drip through (it
never clogs completely) and then remove the mesh bag from the SS
strainer. I squeeze the bag to force out the rest of the wort
and then dump the trub and rinse the bag. One more iteration
always suffices to finish the job. All told, straining into the
bucket takes me about five minutes, and minimal trub ends up in
the fermenter (a 7 gallon glass carboy).
As a matter of fact, I've been reusing the yeast cake on the bottom
of the fermenter for several months (five batches) without cleaning
the carboy, and there's very little trub mixed in with the spent
yeast.
While I'm talking about this, I'd like to say that I took the
discussion about excessive sanitation from a few months back to
heart. For these five batches I have used no bleach or any other
special sanitary measure. I just clean stuff to ordinary kitchen
standards. I rinse my bottles with tap water three times when I
empty them and three times before I fill them. I routinely top
off my chilled wort with tap water to make five gallons. I don't
even worry about the dry brown stuff that sticks to the carboy
after a fermentation is over. I rinse most of it off with fresh
wort when I drain it into the carboy.
The yeast in my carboy are descendents of a Wyeast 1007 (German Ale)
packet that I used in November. I've brewed 10 batches with it
and have no intention of stopping. I have not experienced any
problems whatsoever. If anything my yeast are more vigorous than
ever.
Now I haven't kept any homebrew around for longer than 3-4 months,
so maybe I have all sorts of subtle nasty slow-moving infectious
bacteria infesting my brew ... but I've seen no evidence of anything
wrong.
Anyway, if/when I get an infected brew I promise to 'fess up to
the HBD. Until then I'll post a "this is still working and it's
great!" message every few months. :-)
And thank YOU, Father Barleywine, for sharing your experience regarding
sanitation and repitching. Brewing is A LOT more fun now that I've
learned to trust my killer yeast! :-)
-- Marc Rouleau
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 10:56:44 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Lovibond
Mike Peterson asks about Crystal malt color:
> On a different matter, does anybody know the approximate degrees
>Lovibond (sp?) rating of crystal malt. The stuff I have been using is making
>my beers darker than I like and I was wondering if I got a bad batch or
>something?
I've seen Crystal malt from 10 to 120 Degrees Lovibond. Ask your
supplier what you've been using. If you want to get the dextrines
of a Crystal malt without the color (and caramel flavor) try Dextrine
malt (also called Cara-Pils, which I believe is a trademark of Breiss
(sp?) Malting Company, somewhere in southeastern Wisconsin).
Al.
korz@ihlpl.att.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat Feb 02 10:07:04 1991
From: microsoft!larryba@cs.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Trouble with trub, crystal malt
In yesterdays Digest, Mike Peterson asks about how to efficently get
hops and trub out of his wort before it gets into the primary fermenter.
I use a counter flow chiller and pellet hops. When I turn the heat off and
the boil stops I get the wort going in a vigorous whirlpool. By the time my
counterflow chiller is set up (about 5 minutes) the whirlpool has stopped and
almost all the hot break and hop pellet junk is in a heap in the bottom.
Since my racking tube is off to one side, it doesn't pick up much gunk. This
works very well in a boiler with reasonable height to diameter. For huge fat
canning boilers it doesn't work as well.
If you use an immersion chiller, before swirling, you should get most of the
cold as well as the hot break. After swirling, cover and let sit for 10-20
minutes so everything has time to settle down.
The nice thing about counter flow is that you can avoid most air contact with
wort and the wort is still hot enough (>180f) to stay sterile until it is in
the bowels of the chiller.
The bummer with counterflow chillers is cleaning them out. I have never
figured out a satisfactory solution for the kitchen brewer. Commercial
microbrewers use nasty corrosive chemicals and lots of very hot water. I
just rinse well after each use. Before the next use I drain all the bleach
solution used to sanitize my carboy through the chiller before draining the
hot wort through it into the carboy. I also toss the first pint of wort to
make sure no bleach gets into my wort. Probably draining a couple of gallons
of boiling water through the chiller w/o chilling water would work as well
as avoiding bleach.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 12:50:17 CDT
From: kswanson@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Kurt Swanson)
Subject: Re: Clement's brew-pub... (heh-heh)
> Subject: Clement Brewing Company (also, Chapterhouse in Ithaca, NY)
>
> Is this James Clement the same one who (I believe) owns the Chapterhouse,
> and who briefly ran a brewpub near Syracuse University called "Clement's
> Brewpub" (which has since reverted to being "Hungry Charlie's")? I always
> try to visit the Chapterhouse whenever I'm in Ithaca, and I've been
> wondering about the "story" behind the Chapterhouse's origins and the
> owner's plans for expansion of his brewing enterprise.
>
> Also, how widely will the products of the Clement Brewing Company be
> distributed? And does anyone know the story behind the rise and fall of
> "Clement's Brewpub" in Syracuse?
>
Hungry Charlie's has existed for eons. It was there when I
grew up in the area and when I went to school at Syracuse University.
It had always been a big beer hall for underage drinkers at S.U.,
until neo-prohibition starte setting in, and the city started
arresting the bartender (pitcher server, actually). Thus, in order to
remain open, Chuck's (as it is affectionately known), had to refuse
entrance to anyone under 21, effectively killing ~75% of there
business. Therefore, in order to make any semblance of a profit, it
had to go "upscale." Previously Chuck's premium beer was Molsen
Golden, but the big favorite was Piel's. Now it started selling
imported bottled beers of high quality (for about the same price as a
pitcher of Piel's used to be), and started brewing it's own - hence
Clement's brew-pub became the new name. It's own brew I've admittedly
never tasted, (I no longer live in the heart of central new york), but
I don't think, from my friends comments, that it would have rated more
than one star from Michael Jackson. This was still much less
profitable than the original beer hall, despite not having to have 4 or
more large bouncers constantly evicting drunks who vomitted on the
floor. Thus, once the city had cooled down a bit, it returned to being
Chuck's, and has even returned to the age-old daily specials it used
to have. I do think they still brew, as architectural changes were
necessary to convert it.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 11:59:53 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Re: ZYMURGY?
To subscribe to Zymurgy, I would suggest calling the American
Homebrewer's Association (the publishers) at (303)447-0816
and charging it. That's what I do. You can also write to
them at: P.O. Box 287, Boulder, CO, 80306-0287, but I don't
know the current price.
Al.
korz@ihlpl.att.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 12:01:29 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Brewing in the summer.
Rob Bradley asks about brewing in Illinois in the summer.
There's always the "wet t-shirt" method (carboy in washtub
full of water, t-shirt over carboy dipped into water).
I've never tried this, but I know it worked for others on
the net. However, I would suspect that your efficiency
would be poor (maybe only 5F drop in temp) since it is very
humid in the Chicago area in the summer. Also, you would
increase the humidity in your room unless you had very good
ventilation (oh, the sacrifices we make for our loved ones
(yeast)!).
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 10:06:04 PDT
From: jeg@desktalk.com (John E. Greene)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #654 (June 07, 1991)
>Finally, to answer the question that was asked in #653, most breweries DON'T
>protect their beer in green or clear bottles, and it IS susceptible to skunk.
>Miller Brewing Co. chemically converts their hop components so that they can
>no longer be converted into the skunky aromatic, while still retaining its
>hoppy character.
Is this a fairly new thing that Miller is doing? Because I have on several
occasions had a Miller go skunky on me within a matter of seconds of
exposure to direct sunlight. However, that was a few years ago (prior to
their 'Genuine Draft').
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John E. Greene Everyone needs something to believe in. I believe
Sr. Staff Engineer I'll have another homebrew!
Desktalk Systems Inc.
(213) 323-5998 internet: jeg@desktalk.desktalk.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 14:52:15 cdt
From: "Olzenak,Craig" <OLZENAK%GRIN1.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Iowa Info.
Greetings! Just a couple of notes to answer Mark (Stroup) et al; Here's the
scoop on Iowa -
Mark, First of all, Welcome! Mount Vernon is a very pretty place. Congrats!
Not too far from any of the following:
1. Fitzpatrick's Pub, Iowa City (Gary Fitzpatrick, brewmaster). Tasty
products available only at this, Iowa's first, brewpub. Three staples:
(pale) ale, (light) lager, stout. Gary is also having fun with various
seasonal brews. He is there much of the time; Introduce yourself and ask him
for a tour.
2. Millstream Brewing Co., Amana (Larry Schantz, brewmaster). A very tidy
microbrewery. You'll find there three products around Iowa, bottled and on
draft (all unpasteurized!): a light lager (simply called Millstream), an
amber lager ("Schildbrau" - gold medal winner, '89 GABF, my favorite), and a
wheat beer (gold medal winner, '90 GABF).
3. Dubuque Star Brewery, Dubuque. This is a sad story. This brewery has
changed hands several times recently. Sad because it is the only surviving
brewery after prohibition (Iowa had 138 commercial breweries before the turn
of the century!). I, currently, can't recommend any of their products: Zele,
Foecking, etc.
4. Heartland Homebrew Club. Let's finish on a positive note! We have an
active AHA club here in Iowa. It currently has around 35 families from all
over Iowa involved, from Allerton to Ames, West Des Moines to Iowa City. The
club is based in Grinnell, but our monthly meetings rotate at member's homes.
We, of course, do a lot of road trips too: Annual Fasching/Bock Beer Festival
in New Ulm, MN (Schell's Brewery); Great Taste of the Midwest - Madison, WI;
Great American Beer Festival (CO); AHA regionals and nationals. We have won
a number of ribbons at the Iowa State Fair (21 last year alone!), and have
taken a few at the AHA nationals too. Hey, we like good beer. The two
brewmasters above (Gary and Larry) are in the club, and we get some nice
tours and lots of info. from their commercial establishments.
I'd better get back to work. Drop me a note when you get settled. I'll send
you an invite to our next meeting.
For better beer,
Craig Olzenak
Heartland Homebrew Club
1030 High St.
Grinnell, IA 50112
515/236-4033
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 15:56:21 PDT
From: Clarence Dold <dold@tsdold.Convergent.COM>
Subject: Using Sugar
> People have come forth and admitted to using sugar in their brews with
> good results. It just creates a beer with different characteristics --
> and isn't that what homebrewing is all about?
I have used corn sugar since 1978. I also use Malt Extracts. (I suppose
the two go hand in hand to some extent) I like my beer. I don't like
all-malt homebrew, generally speaking.
This is truly what homebrew is all about. I could change it if I wanted to.
- --
- ---
Clarence A Dold - dold@tsmiti.Convergent.COM
...pyramid!ctnews!tsmiti!dold
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 91 11:55:25 EDT
From: cjh@vallance.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Chip Hitchcock)
Subject: corking vs capping
caps are definitely easier and at least as secure; most authentic
champagne (second ferment in the bottle) is crown-capped before the
2nd ferment (which takes several months) and corked only after the
yeast is removed and the bottles topped off.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 1991 20:12:57 -0500
From: kscoles@PNET51.ORB.MN.ORG (Kevin L. Scoles)
Subject: Mach Guinness
I am afraid I sent this submission to homebrew digest requests. Sorry about
that. I am re-submitting this, hopefully to the right place this time. kls
Greetings.
I am new to the digest, and this is my first letter. Please forgive what the
ASCII transfer to E-mail does to its format.
I have brewed a Guinnessesque brew that turned out so well that I must share
it. I call it Mach Guinness and it has soured ale in it, so I will give you
both recipes.
Mach Guinness
5 lbs pale 2 row British malt
1 lb rolled barley
1 lb roasted barley
2 lbs ligth dry malt extract
2 cups corn sugar
2 Oz bullion Hops (1.5 boiling, 0.5 finishing) (preferably whole)
1 pkg Whitbread Ale Yeast
2/3 cup corn sugar
Mashed 5 lbs 2-row, rolled barley and roasted barley
Mashed in at 132 deg F.
Protein rest 30 min
Starch Conversion 2 hours at 153 degrees
Mashed out 15 minutes at 168
Sparged with 4 gallons 172 deg water
Add the 2 lbs dry ME and the 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil. Add 1 1/2 oz of
hops. Boil 1 hour. Add 1/2 oz of hops, turn off heat, and let stand for 15
minutes. Cool wort to 72 degrees, strain into fermenter, and pitch yeast.
(note: I personally cool the wart in the boiler and then pour it through a
strainer to oxiginate it and remove the hops, as apposed to straining it
hot, which oxidizes it)
S.G - 1.066
T.G - 1.016
Ferment 7 days. Rack and settle 6 to 9 days.
One to two days before bottling, sour two bottles of ale. To do this, pour
two bottles of ale into a steril glass container. Cover with a clean cloth
secured with string or rubber band. Put in the cupboard (or somewhere
relatively dark and warm) and let stand one to two days. It should sour, but
not mold.
At bottling time, put 2/3 cup corn sugar in the sour ale, and boil for 10 to
15 min. Add this to the bottling container, and siphon wort into it. This
gives a good mixture without having to risk stirring it. Bottle and try in
two weeks. The flavour changes week by week and levels off after 6 weeks.
This stout is creamy, but not as heavey as some, with a head that takes
almost 30 seconds to form, lightly bitter, with that back of the throat
sourness from the soured ale.
Now, the beer I soured is a unique ale, and you dont have to use it, but it
is also very good, and I know it worked:
Ides of March Ale:
1 cup brewed Kenya AA coffee
.25 lb Black Pattent malt
.25 lb chocolate malt
.25 lb 40 deg crystal malt
1 lb rice syrup
1.5 lb light dry malt extract
1.5 oz Willemette whole hops
1 can Coopers Draught Kit
1/2 cup corn sugar - bottling
?? finings (follow directions on bottle)
In three gallons of brewing water, put Black Pattent and Chocolate malt.
Bring to a boil. After boil just starts, strain out grains. Add coffee,
crystal malt, rice syrup, dry ME and 1.5 oz willemette hops. Boil 45 min.
Add Cooper Ale Kit, and continue to boil 3 to 5 min. (much longer and the
finishing hops in the Coopers kit make the brew bitter)
Cool and pitch with Ale yeast from the Cooper Kit.
S.G. 1.046
T.G. 1.012
Ferment 7 days. Rack and add finings (or polychlar). When settled,
bottle with corn sugar.
Hope someone tries these and has as much luck as I had. Later - kls
....
p.s. A lot of people want info on head retention. I have found that a lot of
times they have a fine brew which gives good head, but the glasses it is
served in cause it to de-head. Whenever I serve a beer to guests, I always
do a hot water rinse to remove dust, a cold water rinse to recool the glass,
and then dry with a paper towel. It only takes a second and presents your
beer in the best possable state.
UUCP: {tcnet, crash, quest}!orbit!pnet51!kscoles
ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!kscoles@nosc.mil
INET: kscoles@pnet51.orb.mn.org
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 91 10:04:44 CST
From: mike@ranger.bison.mb.ca (Mike Charlton)
Subject: Brewery Tours in Britain
A friend and I are going to Britain for a few weeks in August (hopefully
catch the CAMRA beer festival) and I was wondering if there was anyone
out there who could recommend any brewery tours. We will be going all
over the place, so we could theoretically hit anything in Britain. Also,
I've heard that it's best to contact the brewery ahead of time to find
out when tours are happening. That being the case, could someone give me
a pointer to the addresses of likely breweries so I can send them a letter.
Thanks in advance,
Mike Charlton
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1991 21:59 EDT
From: GOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOOOOOORNING ACS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <ACSWILEY%EKU.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #653 (June 06, 1991)
Hey Brewfreaks,
I read a interesting book..its called "Making Beer" by William Mares
I am fairly new to homebrewing..anyway a section in his book told the
story of Fritz Maytag (the heir to the Maytag fortune) and how he purchased
the Anchor Steam brewery on a whim back in 1965, my question is this,
has anyone been able to come close to duplicating anchor steam at home?
What I know about it is that it requires sanitary conditions beyond belief.
_,---/|
\ o.O ; ack thrpththrpth
=(_____)=
U
----------------------------------------------------------------
( Bill Wiley acswiley@eku.bitnet )
( Academic Computing Services )
( Eastern Kentucky University 606-622-1986 )
( Richmond, Kentucky 40475 )
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #655, 06/10/91
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