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HOMEBREW Digest #0833
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 92/02/28 03:11:25
HOMEBREW Digest #833 Fri 28 February 1992
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
wyeast report (dave ballard)
WYEAST BULLETIN--read this!
Kolsch (Tony Babinec)
Great response (artificial carbonation help) (Keith Winter)
boiler (DAMON_NOEL/HP0800_01)
HDPE and beer (Bruce Mueller)
Dry hopping & Blowoff from Micah Millspaw (Bob Jones)
review of Coors tour (241 lines long) (Bob Devine 26-Feb-1992 1335)
Sugars (mvalent)
Some Questions on Procedures, etc. (Michael P Lindner)
Hi, I missed the HBD that ("KATMAN.WNETS385")
Xingu 1007 Airlocks (Brian Bliss)
hypercard stack for beer! (Heather Godsey)
mead query (walt)
kettles & hops (Mike Tavis)
Cider making (tleilax)
<Concierge NOTICE> (Stan Schwerin)
Dry Hopping (Mahan_Stephen)
Re: ginger in the boil (Brian Davis)
CP filler review (Bob Jones)
Wort Chillers References (palladin)
Taxonomy (Michael T. Daly)
Hop, propane (Jack Schmidling)
Miller on Trub, O2, and Fusel Alcohol (joshua.grosse)
Send submissions to homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues!]
Archives are available from netlib@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26 Feb 1992 8:29 EST
From: dab@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (dave ballard)
Subject: wyeast report
hey now- i saw this on r.c.b and just wanted to make sure it made it
here...
-dab
==========================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: WYEAST BULLETIN--read this!
Summary: Instructions from Wyeast about their package failures.
Keywords: Wyeast Yeast Package Failure
Date: 25 Feb 92 19:41:18 GMT
Organization: TECHbooks of Beaverton Oregon - Public Access Unix
Brewers,
I've just gotten off the phone with Dave Logsdon, head of WYeast Labs.
They have finally managed to determine the cause of their recent
packaging failures, and have begun to address the problem. Actually,
Dave thought they were addressing the problem all along, but nothing
they did seemed to work. After considerably back-tracking through the
industrial trail they have determined that the failure could be traced
to changes made by the oil company that makes the plastic their new
packager is using! The resulting plastic is of an inferior quality and
has structural weaknesses that have caused failures of about 10%.
WYeast will be going back to its previous package supplier, but in the
meantime, they will be packaging yeast WITHOUT STARTERS! The packages
will include instructions on how to make a starter. For about one month,
however, striking the package as per the old directions will accomplish
nothing! Dave has been on the phone with his major retailers, and they
feel this is the right way to go: people are interested in getting the
yeast, and not having package failures, so the general feeling is that a
little inconvenience now is preferable to not having any yeast at all.
I will be getting WYeast's starter directions by FAX today so I can put
together a new label. If there is interest, I will post them here.
- --Jeff Frane
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 9:47:18 CST
From: tony@spss.com (Tony Babinec)
Subject: Kolsch
Here are some comments on the Kolsch style, along with a recipe.
My friends who have traveled to Cologne came back raving about the
Kolsch style. If you think about it, its appearance is not much
different than the light American lager, but its flavor is more
interesting, and being an ale, a Kolsch is easily made by homebrewers.
First, let's look at the style. A Kolsch has starting gravity of
1.042 to 1.046, IBUs of 20-30, and SRM of 3.5 to 5. The Zymurgy
description of a Kolsch is: Pale gold. Low hop flavor and aroma.
Medium bitterness. Light to medium body. Slightly dry, winy palate.
Malted wheat okay. Lager or ale yeast or combination of yeasts okay.
Malts can be U.S. or continental, including a fraction of wheat malt
if desired. Hopping should be continental noble hops. The yeast is
the tricky part, as to my knowledge there is no available Kolsch
yeast. The Goose Island Brewery in Chicago brews a Kolsch using a
Kolsch yeast from Germany. The Free State Brewery in Lawrence,
Kansas, brews a Kolsch using Wyeast "European" ale. This yeast is
suggested by Fred Eckhardt. I've used the yeast from time to time and
think it's a great yeast, so use this in preference to any generic ale
yeast.
Now, for the recipe. I've tried this a few times, never the same
twice, but can say that it makes a good beer, and if your process is
good, will get you a ribbon in competition!
6 pounds U.S. 2-row malt
1 pound Vienna malt
1 pound wheat malt
0.25 pounds light (10L) crystal malt
1 ounce Hallertauer (a=2.9) 60 minutes until end of boil
1 ounce Hallertauer 30 minutes until end of boil
0.25 ounce Tettnang (a=3.8) 15 minutes until end of boil
0.25 ounce Tettnang 2 minutes until end of boil
Wyeast "European" ale yeast
Note that your milage may vary, and I'm assuming 80% extraction
efficiency. The hop schedule broadly follows the "German" method, and
you can substitute Perle or Spalt, and mix and match however you want.
Following Fred Eckhardt's description of Widmer's mash sequence,
mash in at 122 degrees F and hold for 30 to 45 minutes, and then raise
to 158 degrees F for starch conversion. Following conversion, raise
to 170 degrees F for mash out and hold for 10 minutes.
Primary fermentation should be done in the mid-60s. This beer
benefits from cold-conditioning, so rack to secondary and
"lager" at 40 degrees for a couple weeks.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 8:21:46 PST
From: winter@cirrus.com (Keith Winter)
Subject: Great response (artificial carbonation help)
Well, once again I have seen what a great bunch of people homebrewers are!
I have recieved many, many direct email messages with helpfull information
on my first kegging/artificial carbonation project. I really appreciate the
input and offer my gratefull thanks to all that responded. I sent personal
replies to all but wanted to also let the digest in general know about the
level of response.
Everyone suggested that I aggitate the heck out of the keg while it was under
high (20-30psi) pressure for a few minutes and then reduce pressure to the
value I wanted (from the CO2 chart). I tried that last night and tonight
will have one to see how it went.
Again, thank you all.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Winter @ Cirrus Logic, Inc. (winter@cirrus.com)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 09:38:30 -0700
From: DAMON_NOEL/HP0800_01%hpcsee.col.hp.com@col.hp.com
Subject: boiler
A number of people have had questions about the boiler I mentioned a couple of
posts back:
1) The thermostat I used is a garden variety unit used I believe as a replace-
ment unit on hot water heaters. It's a small unit about 2x3x2 which mounts to
a flat surface with 4 screws and reacts to the surface temperature of its
mounting face. There's a small screw adjustment for temperature (like on the
back of battery operated clocks). This together with the high amp switch is
available at plumbing supply houses.
2) The switch I used has a 20 amp/240volt rating and is a single pole, single
throw unit wired in series with one hot leg of the 240 volt pair. The neutral
lead of the 240 volt circuit is not needed for power. Be sure to wire a safety
ground wire from the 240 volt neutral to the switch and the metal base of the
pail/keg. The current rating is not to big a deal on the switch, given the
low useage. The 20 amp switch can easily handle one heater element.
3) The heater elements mount to the base of the bucket through a hole bored
in the bottom. I used the rubber gasket which came with the element on the
exterior of the bucket. The element mounts with four bolts also through the
bucket base. I put plastic washer under the heads on the inside of the bucket.
4) A variable resistance switch from a stove top could be used, these are
available from appliance repair shops. I found one of these in the yellow
pages and have gotten used parts from them dirt cheap. This, like the
thermostat would just be wired in series with the elememt and the two hot
legs of the 240. Use a drier cord or range cord depending on whether you
have a 30 or 50 amp outlet. You can get the cords from either a hardware
store or a plumbing supply.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 10:43:06 PST
From: Bruce Mueller <mueller@sdd.hp.com>
Subject: HDPE and beer
Al asks about using polyethylene for long-term storage of beer. Beyond
what Cole-Parmer says, I use some of their HDPE tubing for dispensing from
my keg. It imparts no flavor to the beer, and it doesn't discolor like
the Tygon (vinyl) junk commonly available at HB suppliers.
A caveat: polyethylene is notoriously permeable to oxygen, so this might be
a concern. It wouldn't worry me, because the Brits have those polypins (sp?)
which are made of PE. Knowing Cole-Parmer's quality, I expect that you can
use the PE container without fear. Most all PE these days is food-grade,
especially labware.
Cheers!
Bruce Mueller
Development Engineer Chemist & Brewer
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1992 11:14 PDT
From: Bob Jones <BJONES@NOVA.llnl.gov>
Subject: Dry hopping & Blowoff from Micah Millspaw
I have some info on the dry hopping issue. J.X. Guinard did
some research a few years back in the sorts of bacteria that live on
hops. The results where published last year in the MBAAs newsletter. I
had dicussed this issue with Guinard prior to its publication and was
told that there is almost no danger of hop-born bacteria being able to
infect a beer. The reason being that the hop residing creatures do not
compete well in the environment that was created for the yeast. The ph
of the wort tends to not allow a population level to be reached that
can be detected. JXG's work also indicated that 3 days into a ferment
no hop-born beasties would be able to compete at all with the yeast.
So wait 3 days if your going to dry hop. This also should
remove alot of problems with plugged blow off tubes and fermentation
locks.
I also would like to point out that the blow off tube and
fermentation lock perform the same function in the same way and I do
not see that one can have any effect over the other. My own brewing
equipment uses both, the half barrel primary has a 1/2 inch copper
line that runs into a gallon jug, if I brew 5 gallons or less I use a
carboy with a fermentation lock. I've been using this equipment for
years and have never been aware of any difference in the quality of
beers made with either process. IMHO the quality is always the
highest!
Micah Millspaw 2/26/92
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 12:38:15 PST
From: Bob Devine 26-Feb-1992 1335 <devine@cookie.enet.dec.com>
Subject: review of Coors tour (241 lines long)
The "Deep Wort" club took a VIP tour of Coors brewery on February 8th.
Since I promised a write-up of the tour, here it is. I tried to record
all the info but my pen lost the tiny roller about midway through.
If anyone finds it in a glass of Coors, please return it! :-) :-)
Coors is located in Golden Colorado. This is a town west of Denver
and is right along the foot hills at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
The brewery is easy to find since the town is small the brewery is big.
Just look for the tavern that advertises "The Freshest Coors Possible"
and you are close!
Our tour guide was Susan. She conveyed enthusiasm and joy in working for
Coors without being a cheerleader. Plus she was full of knowledge. She
was good -- not a corporate drone nor someone who just memorized a script.
THE FACTS
- ---------
Coors has the world's largest single-site brewery. It's HUGE! It makes
1.5 million gallons of beer per day. The old definition of a microbrewery
being one that makes less in one year than a major brewery spills is
definitely true here.
All of Coors' beers start with the same basic grains and use the same yeast.
The beers are:
Coors - a light American lager; their mainline beer.
Extra Gold - in the jargon of US beer distributors, this is called a
"super premium" beer. This beer has won its category
at the Great American Beer Festival a couple of times.
Coors Lite - 3rd largest selling brand among all beers; its
accounts for 60% of total sales
Keystone and Keystone Dry - aimed at the cheap beer crowd
(has pictures of NASCAR race cars on the packaging)
Coors just went national with Keystone Dry.
Cutter - their new low-alcohol beer. Cutter is the
only Coors beer that is pasteurized.
Killian's - Coors bought the rights to the beer's _name_ 10 years
ago when the Irish brewery shopped its name around
because of it was near bankruptcy. The recipe was
changed from the original...
Herman Joseph - this is a premium beer. The name comes from the
founder of Coors: Adolph Herman Joseph Coors.
All of the beers are made at the Golden Colorado brewery except the
Cutter line which is made at their new West Virginia location. Coors
also has an agreement with a South Korean brewery named Jinro (Ginrow?)
where some production will be done for the Far East markets.
All beers are (now) sold nationwide. The Coors Extra Gold is exported
to Greece now and will soon be sold across Europe. [This information
caused a lot of sniggering from the club, with a few suggesting that
Coors will have to label it a "light" beer. -Bob]
Coors is structured as a nearly self-contained corporation:
- it has agreements with farmers to grow certain strains of barley
- it makes its own cans and bottles through a wholly owned subsidiary
that is located a few miles away from the brewery
- it owns hundreds of insulated rail-cars and trucks to ship its beer
- the brewery itself does the grain storage, malting, mashing, fermenting,
and lagering all in one connected series of buildings
BREWING PROCESS
- ---------------
The tour was organized to follow the process of making beer. We started
with the a description of the grains and adjuncts used and then moved through
the malting house, into what the guide called the "production room" and
then finished in the packaging area.
Ingredients:
Barley:
Coors supplies the barley seeds to farmers in Colorado, Idaho,
and (I think) Wyoming. At the end of the season, grain is bought
from those farms where the crop produced barley of sufficiently
low nitrogen and protein levels. Any rejected grain is either
used by other breweries (no names mentioned...) or sold for
cattle feed. If anyone is driving through Colorado's San Luis
valley, you will see billboards proclaiming that "this farm
grows barley for Coors". There are yearly awards given to the
barley farmers who produce most or best grain.
The "triumph" and "moravian 3" strains are used now. Others were
used in the past and, undoubtedly, others will be used in the future.
Adjuncts:
This is added to make a lighter bodied beer but with the desired
alcohol level. Both rice and corn starch are used in all the
beers except the "Herman Joseph" brand.
The rice comes from California and Texas. Not much else said.
The corn starch is derived from corn grown, for the most part, in
the US Midwest "corn belt" of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, etc.
Crystal and other specialty grains:
Are made on-site. However, the sample of crystal that is used
to make the Killian's Irish Red brand didn't look like the typical
crystal that homebrewers buy. It looked less shiny and didn't have
the crystalline crunch when bitten [okay, okay I'll repay Coors for
the few kernels that I ate -Bob]
Water:
Water comes from underground springs located around the town of Golden.
The guide, when asked how the water is treated, said "nothing is added
or removed" from the water. As someone who has lived along the "Front
Range" of the Rockies in Colorado, I can tell you that the water is
very soft. There is little hardness because the water passes over
mainly granite and sandstone as it drains out of the mountains.
Hops
Coors currently uses the following blends of hops for all beers:
40% imported aroma hops (Perle, Hersbrucker, Hallertauer
and Strissol-Spalt) from Germany
40% domestic aroma hops from Washington, Idaho, and Oregon
(Cascade?)
20% Chinook hops for bittering
All you hop heads would have drooled over the hops ready to go into
the boil. There were 3 containers (should I call them "hoppers"?)
near the boilers, each the size of large garbage cans, that
were filled with loose, whole hops. Everyone wanted "samples" ;-).
Malting:
Steeping
The grain undergoes a 48 hour steep in water. We walked into
the area were this is done. I didn't count but there must have
been about 25 tanks on the 6th floor. Each circular tank is 24
feet deep and 16 feet in diameter. Grain is dumped in wet from
a spout located in the ceiling. When the steeping tank is filled,
it holds about 78,000 pounds of grain!
When our tour was there, several tanks were being filled. There
is something amazing to watch as nearly a _railroad car_ load of
grain is dumped into one steeping tank.
There is considerable out-gassing of the grain as it steeps.
I asked the guide if the water was treated in any way. She said
that it wasn't and what I was smelling was just the effect of
that much raw grain added to water. It smelled like "eau de barnyard"
when a blast of water hit the grain while one was sniffing.
Germination
After the steeping is over, the grain is allowed to germinate.
This occurs on the 4th floor. The wet grain is dumped in rows
that are about 5 feet deep, 15 feet wide, and approximately 70
feet long. I counted about 16 such rows. In the germination
room, the temp is kept at 53 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity is
at 100%.
As you can probably guess with such a huge amount of grain, all
grain is moved mechanically. An intricate series of augers and
pushers will move the grain after it is finished germinating.
Kilning
The germinated grain is kilned for 14 hours. The temperature
used in kilning determines the color of the grain (ie, pale or amber).
As example of getting every little bit of worth from the grain,
all of the rootlets that were formed during the germination
but are broken off during the kilning are sold as cattle feed.
Mashing and Boiling:
Coors has 50 gorgeous copper brew kettles in their "production room"
on the third floor of the main building. Some of the kettles are
for mashing and some are for boiling. The boil kettles had a larger
exhaust "chimney". When we went to the floor beneath the kettles, I
could see that each kettle is wrapped with an insulating blanket.
Because we toured on a Saturday, there wasn't anyone present in
the room even though several kettles were in use. I don't know
what the normal weekday operations would look like but I'd guess
that only one or two people would be working per shift because
everything is highly automated. A large control panel is on
one wall that was festooned with lights and digital read-outs.
To make the Coors Lite or Keystone Dry beer, a proprietary process
is used. Details are scant but one Coors representative said that
the mash is 4 hours longer for for the Coors Lite brand a more
complete starch conversion. The new Dry beers undergo a "double
chilling" process after fermentation [sorry, I could not find out
the full details - Bob]. The alcohol level is higher in the Dry
beer because its starting starch level has been nearly all converted
to fermentable sugar.
After the mash, a huge press is used to get the most out of the grains
I didn't see it in operation but it appears that the spent grains are
loaded and then a hydraulic press squeezes to get a final running.
Fermenting:
The beer is fermented at 8 degrees Celsius (~46 degrees Fahrenheit)
for 7 days. Coors does a high gravity fermentation and adds
water afterwards to get the desired gravity and alcohol levels.
Filtering:
While lots of breweries use diatonamous earth to filter beer,
Coors uses a series of huge cotton pads. I didn't count the
number of cotton filters used in sequence but I'd guess about
a dozen stages. After the filter has been used, the pads are
ripped apart, cleaned, and then reformed into new pads.
We sampled the beer as it left the filtering line. It was better
tasting than any Coors I've had. The beer didn't have the crispness
that lagering gives but it had a maltier flavor. In fact, the beer
we tasted was Coors Lite which surprised a lot of us.
Lagering:
Since Coors cranks out 1.5 million gallons a beer a day and they
lager all of it, that means a LOT of lagering tanks. There is
a building devoted to holding at least several weeks production.
(quick math: 1.5 million gals/day * 21 days ~= 30 million gallons
and since a gallon weighs approx 8 lbs, this is 1/4 billion pounds!)
Packaging:
We saw a can line in operation. Coors was the first to use aluminum
cans and also first to use seamless cans. The latest trend is to
minimize the can cost by reducing the size of the can top [hmmm, I
vaguely remember a calculus test question just like that! -Bob].
Each can is x-rayed twice to check for fill level and can problems.
FINAL COMMENTS
- --------------
The tour ended in the visitor sampling area where everyone could have
up to two beers. We all hit that quota!
I left Coors with an very high appreciation for their production facility.
If doubt if there is a better run large brewery. Everything was clean
and there is a lot of attention to detail and efficiency.
However, seeing the majestic facility then points out some drawbacks. First,
one immediately understands that this is an _American_ brewery that is
extremely aware of marketing battles and current tastes. That is, the primary
goal is to please the most people so as to capture the largest market. This
thinking dominates. Second is a feeling best expressed by Dave Resch: "with a
place like this, they have the ability to produce a really fine beer, but
choose not to...". In the past, Coors made a bock beer. Coors' production
of a special Christmas beer each year is to be commended and encouraged.
I wish that there would be more special beers made, not just beer intended
for the widest possible market.
Finally, there are certain times when a camera is desperately needed;
this was one of those times. The sight of a dozen homebrewers
all wearing hairnets, safety glasses, and earplugs was worth preserving!
------------------------------
Date: Wed Feb 26 12:36:24 PST 1992
From: mvalent@calstatela.edu
Subject: Sugars
A friend of mine has to give an oral report for a particular basic
Microbiology class and he wanted to discuss the effects of fermenting
different sugars such as sucrose vs. glucose vs. maltose. Mind you- he wants
to know what's going on chemically especially with respect to side reactions.
Therefore, if any of you out there knows any thing about this subject or knows
a good source of information on it I would appreciate a response. Naturally,
due to procrastination, time is a factor so any information I receive after
Thursday the 26th (Oh dear, that's probably today!!) will be interesting, but
also probably too late... Thanks in advance,
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 92 16:11:37 EST
From: mikel@attmail.att.com (Michael P Lindner)
Subject: Some Questions on Procedures, etc.
I am (almost) new to homebrewing, and have some questions. So far I
have made (from a kit) an India Pale Ale, which my friends and I much
enjoyed, and would like to try some other brews soon.
1) I'd like to try brewing with grain (rather than extracts), and
have read some on the subject. I have no problem with cooking at
various temps for various lengths of time, but books (and HBD)
mention "sparging" the grain. The best definition I can find is
"spray the grain with 160 oF water.
How is this normally done? Do I put the grain in a strainer and pour
water through it, or leave it in the pot and spray the water on it?
Should I use heated tap water, or some of the water the rgain has
been cooking in? Should I stir the grain while I spray? Do I need a
sprayer, or is pouring adequate? Well, you get ther idea.
2) I recently discovered I should get a license to brew in NJ. I'd like
to abide by the law, but I'm unsure of where to apply. Does
anyone know how to go about this, or should I start calling people in
Trenton?
3) Is there a good source of bottles by mail or something? I went to my
(fairly) local homebrew supply store (The Wine Rack), and they gave
me a case of returned-returnables for $1.20. OK, but these bottles
were gross and labelled, and I spent quite a while cleaning and
sterilizing them. Yes, I know I can reuse these, but friends
sometimes throw them out by mistake, and a couple broke when capping
them, and I find I'm a few bottles short for my next batch (and I
don't want to clean another case of bottles with labels and
inhabitants).
Anyway, I'd like, while I'm at it, to thanks the contributers to HBD.
I've learned a lot so far, and I'm still learning a lot.
M. Lindner
mikel@attmail.att.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 20:34 GMT
From: "KATMAN.WNETS385" <6790753%356_WEST_58TH_5TH_FL%NEW_YORK_NY%WNET_6790753@mcimail.com>
Subject: Hi, I missed the HBD that
Date: 26-Feb-92 Time: 03:32 PM Msg: EXT02944
Hi, I missed the HBD that came out (or would have come out) Wed. Feb.
26. Can someone mail it to me at katman.wnets385%wnet_6790753@mcimai
l.com? Thanks Lee Katman - Thirteen/WNET - NY, NY
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 19:16:28 CST
From: bliss@csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
Subject: Xingu 1007 Airlocks
>
> Has anybody tried Xingu beer from Brazil? Xingu calls it a "black"
> beer. It tastes somewhere between an imperial stout and an Irish stout
> with about 1/2 the hops of either. If you haven't yet, give it a taste!
> If you have, how would *you* classify it?
>
I would say that It's much more of a porter than a stout. I would
use ~3/4 lb black patent in a 5 gal. batch, and no chocolate malt
or roasted barley. I can't remember the hop character.
+++++++++++++
> I just put up a real high gravity (1.088 !!) stout: 12.5 lb grain for 2
> gal of wort (ok, I wasn't aiming that high but the boiling time got away
> from me :-). I pitched #1007 Wyeast -- I'm expecting a FG of 1.022 (?).
> I used 2oz of Cascade .5 alpha.
>
> The qustion is this: should I dilute the wort some or should I expect
> reasonably good results as is? (or maybe a better question would be:
> am I correct to expect a FG of 1.022 given the above decription?)
by all means, don't dilute it!
I've made 3 decently-strong stouts with Wyeast 1007 german ale
yeast, and totally love the results. It finishes more malty
than creamy (like irish ale yeast), but I prefer the maltiness.
The hops are leaf unless otherwise noted:
Batch 17: 3 cans extract, variety of grains, 6 gal O.G. 1.065
1.5 oz bullion (boil), 1/2 oz hallertau (finish).
My english ale starter had soured, so I popped the german ale
packet, and only let it sit a few hours before pitching (at 95F).
it took 4 whole weeks to ferment at room temperature, FG 1.017.
bottled with 6 oz corn sugar - either too much, or it still
wasn't done fermenting.
Batch 18: (oops - not a stout) 10 lb pale ale malt, 2 lbs munich
malt, 2 lbs wheat malt, 1 lb brown sugar. 42g hallertau (75 min)
19.5g fuggle pellets (75 min) 17g hallertau (45 min)
14g fuggle pellets (45 minA) 7g hallertau (finish)
OG 1.065 - pitched at 80F with german ale slurry from batch 17.
racked 8 hrs later off of lots of hot break. (it think it
was almost exactly 5 gal after siphoning). It took 3 weeks
to ferment out, FG 1.021 bottled with 4 oz corn sugar,
and was tasty (and hoppy) - similar to bass.
Batch 20: 10 lbs various light malts 1/2 each of chocolate malt,
roasted barley, and black patent. 2 lb flaked barley.
14g bullion, (110 min) 16g cascase(110 min), 10g bullion (60 min)
14g cascase (60 min) 4g hallertau (5 min). 5.5 gal, OG 1.068
pitched slurry from batch 18. very little hot break, so
I didn't siphon off the trub. I think most of the hot break
came out in the (too-hot) sparge, then I let the wort settle
afterwards and racked. It was ready in < 2 weeks, FG 1.027.
My best stout ever.
I put the hallertau finishing hops in to help keep the strainer
from clogging when I transfer to the carboy (esp. when I use
pellets), but in my last batch or stout, I put an entire 7g of
fresh hallertau in the finish, and it ruined the stout character.
Anyway, the more you re-use your 1007 german ale yeast, the
less attenuative it gets. I doubt the SG will get down to
1.022, but it might come close. If it doesn't, all the
better malt character!
+++++++++++++
> Why is it important to replace the hose with a fermentation lock
> after the bulk of fermentation? I am assuming that the other end
> of the hose is sitting in a jar of clean, probably sanitized water.
> Is this not enough "lock"?
> I`ve never had any problems with this method yet anyway.
If the temperature of the wort drops too low after most of the
yeast activity has subsided, it can potentially pull sanitizing
solution back through the hose into the beer. Of course, this
can happen with the 3 peice airlocks, too, so I'm a fan of
the S shaped ones. I've had it happen to a lager that was in
the bottom of my fridge (too cold, really), but only a little
got sucked back in, and the beer was fine.
cheers!
bb
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 22:49:22 EST
From: Heather Godsey <GODSEYHM%DUVM.BITNET@pucc.Princeton.EDU>
Subject: hypercard stack for beer!
Many months ago I downloaded a hypercard stack on beer/brewing.
Unfortunately the disk went bad before I got a chance to uncompress & use it.
Does anyone out there know where I could get a copy? Please e-mail it directly
if possible! Thanks in advance.
Joe Uknalis
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 21:51:52 EST
From: walt <ST101656@brownvm.brown.edu>
Subject: mead query
Our first attempt at homebrewing has been a batch of mead. We followed a
recipe from AMATEUR WINE MAKING by S.M. Tritton pp. 152-58. We used 3 pounds
of honey to a gallon of water and sedimentary wine yeast. We forgot, however,
to add critic acid initailly and added it only after fermentation had already
started. About two weeks latter the alcohol percentage has fallen to about
11% and fermentation has stopped completly. The mead is still quite sweet and
bit too thick. What so we do? Is adding more yeast advisible?
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 09:34:20 est
From: mtavis@saturn.hyperdesk.com (Mike Tavis)
Subject: kettles & hops
I'm finally going to dump my enamelled canning pot and buy a real SS
brew kettle. I have talked to a friend of mine who owns a restaurant
about getting it through her supplier (and using her discount).
However, there are about 150 different choices so I could use some
help on the parameters.
What size do most people get? Assuming I make 5 gallon
batches is 24-30 quarts about right?
What gauge SS? I will probably use it on my electric stove
until I get a King Kooker (or some other prpose stove).
What dimemsions? Should I get a tall, skinny pot or fat,
short pot?
Is a cooper bottom important?
About a year ago I found a hop called "Pride of Ringwood" at my local
supplier. I used it in an IPA and loved the result. I have been
looking for them ever since and have yet to find them. Has any one
seen these elusive hops. A mail order place that had them would be
great. Thanks.
- -- Mike
o o| Michael Tavis, HyperDesk Corporation
o o| Suite 300, 2000 West Park Dr., Westboro, MA 01581
---+ E-mail: mike_t@hyperdesk.com (508) 366-5050
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 09:00:42 EST
From: tcm@moscom.com (tleilax)
Subject: Cider making
I've made hard cider two years running, both times in the Fall, during the
apple harvest. I used the same method both times and had a fair amount of
success. Both batches consisted of:
3 Gallons Preservative-free apple cider
1 Pkg Champagne (First batch) or Whitbread Ale (Second batch) Yeast
Place cider in sanitized carboy, add yeast, and fix airlock. It may
take upwards of 7 days to ferment out, depending on yeast chosen.
Bottle with corn sugar as you would with beer, if you want a
sparkling cider, or without for still.
I can almost hear the howls of protest now, "what, no boil, no sulfites
to kill wild yeasts", but this has worked for me. One important caveat,
champagne yeasts cause a COMPLETE fermentation of the available sugars in
the cider. My first batch smelled like cider but was the dryest tasting
beverage you could imagine. Hydrometer reading indicated a F.G. of 1.001.
This batch was more like an apple wine than anything else. The batch using
ale yeast was much sweeter, much lower in alcohol content but not as clear.
My advice is experiment, and enjoy the mistakes.
Tom
- -----
Tom Maszerowski tcm@moscom.com
{rit,tropix,ur-valhalla}!moscom!tcm
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1992 7:04:18 PST
From: schwerin@mailhost.hsas.washington.edu (Stan Schwerin)
Subject: <Concierge NOTICE>
Date 2/27/92
Subject <Concierge NOTICE>
From Stan Schwerin
To CHANGE THIS IF NECESSARY
>From QMCONCIERGE <Concierge NOTICE>
Your mail in reference to "Homebrew Digest #832 (Febru" has been received.
[ ] I am on Vacation.
[X] I have Moved.
[ ] I am Away.
I will read your mail when I return.
Hi, I'm skiing at Mt. Bachelor right now. When I return on Monday, Feb 2,
I will read your mail.
If this is an emergency, please contact Chris Kilbourn.
-Stan Schwerin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 07:28:00 CST
From: Mahan_Stephen@lanmail.ncsc.navy.mil
Subject: Dry Hopping
To the gentleman who wanted to know the timing of dry hopping:
I just throw hop pellets in a hop bag and drop them in the carboy at
pitching time. I have done this for the last three batches with no
problems. The last has been sitting in the fermenter for about 3 weeks,
as my wife decided to redecorate the kitchen and I have been reluctant
to bottle in the middle of the current disaster area.
Also, to the gentleman making hard cider -- Don't Boil It. The
cider ferments quite nicely by itself. If you can get fresh squeezed
cider, it will start fermenting by itself from the natural wild yeasts
already included with the (chopped/compressed) fruit.
steve
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 08:50:28 pst
From: Brian Davis <brian%mbf.uucp@ics.uci.edu>
Subject: Re: ginger in the boil
In HBD 832, Tom Dimock recommends adding grated ginger to the boil. I'd
recommend that you slice it instead of grating it. Very thin slices will
allow lots of contact area. And the slices will be much easier to strain
out after the boil.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1992 12:05 PDT
From: Bob Jones <BJONES@NOVA.llnl.gov>
Subject: CP filler review
I recently obtained a counter pressure bottle filler and thought I would
pass along my experiences with this unit. For the uninitiated a CP filler is
used to fill bottles from a keg under counter pressure to prevent foaming.
You must have a source of CO2 and a keg of beer to use one of these
gadgets. The CP filler's body is made of food grade plastic, brass liquid in
valve and two hand triggered needle valves for CO2 input and foam
output. The CP filler fills any size bottle, although I have only used it for
12 oz bottles. The unit worked as advertised, ie it CP filled bottles. The
foam out valve, with a hose attached, really cuts down on the mess when
using one of these gadgets. You just direct the hose into a bottle or down
the sink drain as I did. The unit is made of high quality parts and
manufactured to a very high standard. I have seen other CP fillers that
cost much, much more and don't work as well. It is advertised in the back
of Zymurgy and soon to be reviewed in an upcoming issue of Zymurgy. I
was very satisfied with the unit. It can be obtained from Benjamin
Machine Products, 1121 Doker Unit #7, Modesto, Ca. 95351 for $49.95 +
$5 shipping and handling. The unit comes without hoses and Tee for
hookup to CO2 tank.
I have no interest in this company, only a satisfied user of their product.
Bob Jones
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 15:11:58 EST
From: palladin@muscle.trincoll.edu
Subject: Wort Chillers References
Any good references on wort chillers? i.e. immersion vs. counter-flow.
I would especially like those that go into detail on the heat transfer
issues involved (read: the geekier the better).
Thanks in advance,
Joe Palladino
Trinity College
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 15:16:42 CST
From: ssi!mtd@uunet.UU.NET (Michael T. Daly)
Subject: Taxonomy
A proposed taxonomy for breweries:
Brewery BudMiolob, Coors, etc.
Milli-Brewery Schells, Leinenkugles, etc. -- small regional breweries
Micro-Brewery Under 3000 bbls (legal definition?)
Nano-Brewery Non-comercial brewery making more than 200 gal/year
(These shouldn't really exist right?)
Pico-Brewery Brewery making between 31 and 200 gal/year
Femto-Brewery Less than 1 bbl (31 gal)/year production
So, where do the brewpubs fit? Micros?
How about Sierra Nevada? Milli?
Mike
(Black Swan Femto-brewery, Eau Claire, WI.)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 92 13:39 CST
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Hop, propane
To: Homebrew Digest
Fm: Jack Schmidling
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 92 09:25:22 EST
From: tix!roman@uunet.UU.NET (Daniel Roman)
Subject: Hop growing
>I had a terrible experience last year attempting to grow hops. I bought
some cuttings from an outfit in Oregon and when they arrived by UPS
ground I immediately opened the box and stuck them in the ground. They
looked kind of dried out and I was not relaxing. I waited weeks and
nothing. I finally dug them up and all four were dead.
Alternate Garden Supply sells hops plants growing in peat pots. They are
about $6 ea but leave no doubt as to their vigor. I bought two Chinooks a
couple of months ago and they grew so vigorously on the windowsill that I
started pruning them and sprouting the cut ends. I now have about 10 plants
ready for planting in Spring.
For more info... AGS (708) 885 8282 (near Chicago)
From: akcs.chrisc@vpnet.chi.il.us (chris campanelli)
Subject: Electric Stoves & Propane
>Hate 'em! I'd throw mine in Lake Michigan if I could lift the damn
thing. I experienced similar problems: waiting for boils, discolored
stainless pots, scorched wort rings. I purchased a Bruheat Boiler and
found it was slower than my stove and the heating element kept encrusting
itself due to my hard water. I finally decided to bite the bullet and go
propane.
I do not understand the binary logic here. Why does everyone who takes
brewing out of the kitchen plunge into propane? A few pipe fittings and some
plastic hose will bring NG just about anywhere.
One can make a burner for next to nothing out of pipe fitting and fire
bricks. I am not much at ascii drawings so let me try describing one in
words.
Start with two, 10 in lengths of 2 in pipe with a T between them. The side
of the T gets reducers, a shutoff valve and a barb fitting to the gas line.
On one end of the 2 in section, mount a small muffin fan any way convenient.
The other end is the "burner" that is poked into a little "house" made from
fire bricks. Getting it to work is simply a process of finding the proper
air/gas mixture.
That is the LCD with lots of refinements possible.
> Eventually I will get around to using the house gas line to eliminate tank
exchanges.
Oops. You see the light but I do not understand why you didn't start there
in the first place.
From: eisen@Kopf.HQ.Ileaf.COM(Carl West
> What causes a hop plant to set blossoms? Is it :
The length of the vine?
There are many factors that cause plants to flower. In the case of hops, it
is most likely, the photoperiod, assuming a reasonable amouunt of vigorous
vegative growth.
Most people think that apples, for example, don't do well in the tropics
because of the heat but it is simply that, the daylight hours must exceed the
night time hours by a very specific amount to trigger flowering and this does
not happen near the equator.
As hops is a perennial, there is no magic point when it can be considered to
be mature and further considering that it flowers every year at the same time
in the seasons, I vote for photoperiod. Simulate the photoperiod of Fall,
and it might just flower.
js
------------------------------
Date: Thursday, 27 February 1992 8:51pm ET
From: joshua.grosse@amail.amdahl.com
Subject: Miller on Trub, O2, and Fusel Alcohol
I went back to my Miller to try to figure out WHY he recommends leaving trub
behind, and what it had to do with oxygen, and what caused fusel production.
For brevity, I'll paraphase from his chapter on fermentation.
1) Oxygen is used during respiration to synthesize sterols and other complex
fatty substances that make up the cell wall and other structures. The
limiting factor in yeast growth is either amino acid or oxygen, usually the
latter. Yeast can grow without oxygen if the wort is rich in sterols and
unsaturated fatty compounds. Trub contains a lot of these.
2) Fusels are formed when amino acids are are broken down into keto acids,
then aldehydes and then alcohols. High temperature fermentations encourage
this. Esters are formed by combining these alcohols with fatty acids, which
is why warmer temperatures encourage esters. More fusels to combine with
fatty acids mean more esters. Esters will only be formed after all the oxygen
is used up, because if oxygen is present the fatty acids build up sterols
instead. The more aeration, the less esters.
- ----
In his section on procedural practices, he differentiates between commercial
and home procedures. But in re-reading this, I now understand a little more.
He recommends:
Pitching yeast as soon as the wort is at pitching temperature. Then, he
suggests racking within about 8 hours to get the wort off the trub.
The reasoning is that during respiration, the trub is good for helping to
build cell walls and other cell material. After that, the excess protein
content of the trub will build fusel alcohols by the breakdown of the amino
acids. If you remove the trub before pitching, you lose out on good yeast cell
building material. And, if you wait a few hours (like *I* do) for the trub to
settle before pitching, you also risk infection.
I'm going to change my procedure to match his recommendation on my next batch.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Josh Grosse jdg00@amail.amdahl.com
Amdahl Corp. 313-358-4440
Southfield, Michigan
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #833, 02/28/92
*************************************
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