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HOMEBREW Digest #0927
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 92/07/19 02:25:20
HOMEBREW Digest #927 Sun 19 July 1992
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Re: Wheat Beers (Jon Binkley)
Sparge & Decoction (Carlo Milono)
Vinegar making (Aaron Birenboim)
heavy metal ipa (dave ballard)
brewing bavarian wheat beer (Tony Babinec)
Yeast culture idea & Mailing club (Scott James.)
Gelatin Questions (916)351-5514" <JMYERS@T1ACC1.intel.com>
Watermellon brew... (Dave Beedle)
Sam Adams' attitude (korz)
Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition ("Spencer W. Thomas")
Temperature Controls (KIERAN O'CONNOR)
Making Mead . . . (Sam Israelit)
"Canada Dry" ginger ale (eurquhar)
food grade silicon caulk (John L. Isenhour)
Sam Adams Cream Stout & Tours (aew)
Some AHA News (Jeff Frane)
Hunter Airstat (David Pike)
RI/CT/Dallas brewpubs (JKL)
San Diego Hombrew Club (Mark Simpson)
Re: Acidified Sparge H2O (Mark N. Davis)
Beer yeast and dogs (Lynn Gold)
The MALTMILL Winner and Digest Contents (Edward C. Bronson)
food grade sealant (John Isenhour)
Re: mashing oats (HBD 924) (Andy Phillips)
book review - Norwegian brewing ("Dennis R. Sherman")
Dave Miller's new book... (whg)
Brew a Belgian Ale This Summer (Bill Slack)
Re: Homebrew Digest #923 (July 15, 1992) (Michael Tighe)
(Keith Winter)
Re: Wyeast Bavarian & raspberry beer (Jeff Benjamin)
Colorado Brewer's Festival/dog yeast (ma848295)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 92 21:49:01 -0600
From: Jon Binkley <binkley@beagle.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: Re: Wheat Beers
johnf@persoft.com (John Freeborg) writes:
>With summer in full swing I plan to do a wheat beer. I picked up the special
>Wyeast wheat beer yeast, but have yet to get the wheat malt. From reading
>in Miller's book it says for a wheat beer that you must use 6-row malt in the
>mash with the wheat. The reasoning is that the wheat has no enzymes to break
>down the sugars, and 6-row has a ton of enzymes (compared to 2-row anyways).
Wheat malt has plenty of enzymes. The potential problem is that
wheat is more glutanous, and has less husk material, so may end
up sticking up your sparge. Using 6-row might help alleviate this
because the larger amount of husks would break up the grain bed.
>What is the hbd consensus? Any great wheat recipes people swear by?
I've never had any trouble with stuck sparges, or with extract
effeciency, and I don't use 6-row. I've used 5:5 wheat:British 2-row,
and 6:4 wheat:Munich malt, and both methods ran smooth as silk.
I should point out that I use a picnic cooler lauter tun. The
design of this helps to avoid stuck sparges, in that the
liquor flows up through the bottom of the copper tubing- the
grain bed is not sitting right on the drainage holes. A standard
lauter tun might be more of a problem with wheat malt.
One tip- whatever malt you decide to use, do a protein rest!
>What do other people think of the Wyeast wheat beer yeast?
I think it's great.
Jon Binkley
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 92 20:51:20 PDT
From: cmilono@netcom.com (Carlo Milono)
Subject: Sparge & Decoction
Dear Netland!
I have about fifty batches under my belt, and the last twenty or so
have been all-grain. I have four decoction/all-grain batches that have
been exquisite! I am curious about something though, that has just now
crossed my mind: in decoction, you literally BOIL your grains, and in
doing a 'tasteless' American Lager knock-off, I used half 6row and half
2row pale lager malt; it has been said that the 6row has thicker husks
and will provide better filtering at the grain-bed, but that the tannins
can be bothersome. Also mentioned, is that your sparge water should not
be too hot or else you will extract tannins, yes?
Well, the recipe calls for 6row (high tannin) grain, and decoction
which boils the grain - sounds like I'll be chewing on a tea-bag, eh?
In actuality, all the decoction recipes have been marvelous - a Bohemian
Pilsner (Urquell Clone), a Michelob/Weinharts clone, a Maerzen, and a
Bock - no bitterness associated with tannins, no chill haze...please
explain! I use a triple decoction - classic Noonan - with Dough-in,
Acid Rest, Protein Rest, Starch Conversion, and the final mash-out.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 08:01:37 MDT
From: abirenbo@rigel.hac.com (Aaron Birenboim)
Subject: Vinegar making
Has anybody out there made vinegar? My bottle of mother of vinegar
seems to indicate that this bacteria is aerobic, and should be fermented
with a cotton gauze "lock" which will allow O2 to diffuse. Is this a good
idea?
Also... I have some X-mas ale around... and I bet that it would
make EXCELLENT vinegar. Only one problem.... lots O hops. Will
the hops kill the acetobacter? (they are a preservative ya know)
How much alchahol can acetobacter tolerate? The bottle says to dilute
wine 2:1.... but what strength wine??? I have pitched some into
2 meads, one of about 6% alchahol (vol) and the other at about 8% ish...
but its hard to tell since i fermented fruit pulp, and couled not get
an O.G. Will the vinegar be strong enough with 4% alchahol? If you
figure most wine is about 12%, dilute 2:1 you get 4%.
thanks for any pointers (or maltmills) you can give me,
aaron
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jul 1992 10:24 EDT
From: dab@blitzen.cc.bellcore.com (dave ballard)
Subject: heavy metal ipa
hey now- a couple of months ago i did an ipa from the zymugy extract
special issue. it didn't come out much like an ipa, in fact it tastes
remarkably like pete's wicked ale. anyway, its been bottled for about
4 weeks now. the taste started off really nice, although the oak was
a little overpowering. that has mellowed a great deal, but now i'm
getting a mettalic taste that's getting stronger with every bottle
i open.
i don't have miller's book and i couldn't find my alternative
beverages troubleshooting guide/catalog, so i don't know what would
cause this to happen. can someone fill me in?
thanks
dab
=========================================================================
dave ballard "Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
dab@blitzen.cc.bellcore.com if your cup is full may it be again"
=========================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 9:11:33 CDT
From: tony@spss.com (Tony Babinec)
Subject: brewing bavarian wheat beer
Wheat malt has a higher protein content than does barley malt. You
might employ wheat malt and barley malt in roughly equal amounts. You
are looking for the enzymes in the barley malt to help degrade the
proteins in the wheat malt. For this reason, when mashing, an initial
protein rest is advised. If the usual protein rest is roughly 30 minutes,
you might conduct a protein rest for 45 minutes at 122 degrees F before
boosting the mash to a starch conversion temperature of 153/5 degrees F.
Wheat malt is also huskless, while barley malt has husks. When properly
cracked, the barley malt husks form the grain bed for lautering.
Recipes advise using 6-row U.S. barley because of its higher enzymatic
content, but I'd bet 2-row would do fine.
The Wyeast "Bavarian wheat" is--to my knowledge--the only commercial source
for saccromyces delbruckii, the signature yeast for bavarian wheat beers, and
even then, it is blended with an ale yeast. This yeast works fine, so use
it. Some homebrewers use dry ale yeasts that are known to be phenolic, but
why risk your batch of beer? The Bavarian wheat yeast produces the wheat
beer flavor. There have been threads on HBD talking about the presence or
absence of a phenolic/clove flavor in the beer when this yeast is used.
Byron Burch's article in the Yeast Zymurgy said that the clove character
might emerge with age, say, 4 months in the bottle. As a homebrewer, one
other way you might influence the flavor character of the beer is by
manipulating the fermentation temperature, so instead of fermenting at
cellar temperature, you might ferment in the low 70s. This should promote
esters, which will give certain "fruit" flavors to the beer, such as
banana.
As for a recipe, try this:
4.5 pounds pale barley malt
4.5 pounds wheat malt
0.5 pounds cara-pils malt
4 AAUs Hallertauer or other German hop for bittering
optionally, lightly hop with finishing hop, such as 1/4-1/2 ounce
Cascades in last 10 minutes of boil
Wyeast Bavarian Wheat yeast
Target starting gravity is in the range of 1.050-1.055, so adjust the above
grain bill. For a dunkelweizen, substitute a couple pounds of Munich malt
for some of the pale malt, and substitute crystal malt for the cara-pils.
Cracking the wheat malt correctly takes some practice. I set the Corona
mill more finely than for barley malt. The idea is not to pulverize the
wheat malt, but to crack it well.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 10:06:03 MDT
From: scojam@scojam.Auto-trol.COM (Scott James.)
Subject: Yeast culture idea & Mailing club
I've got two ideas to run past HBD'ers:
1) Anybody ever hear of or tried to culture yeast in Tofu as a growing medium?
Tofu is basically compressed soy bean curds and is high in protein (My Dad
used to use it all the time in gourmet cooking, and pizza...) You can get
it at most grocery stores, usually a pound for a couple dollars. A lot
cheeper than agar, maybe it would work?
2) I think this was discussed before, if so please forgive...
Does anyone know what the legal ramifications/contraints are for mailing
bottles of brew through US snail mail? This could be a wonderful opportunity
for people to share not only ideas and techniques, but also the brew itself.
I would think it also "sticks in peoples' minds" when they have a taste to
match with what they're reading...
Just thinking...
- --=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=--
Scott James (N0LHX) scojam@Auto-Trol.COM
Auto-Trol Technology Tools Group
- --=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=--
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 09:24:00 PDT
From: "JOHN MYERS, INTEL FM3-35, (916)351-5514" <JMYERS@T1ACC1.intel.com>
Subject: Gelatin Questions
What is the correct way to add gelatin. I've read/heard many different
versions.
1) Add gelatin to cold water and bring to a boil for 5 min.
2) Boil water first, cool, add gelatin and warm to disolve.
3) Boil water first, remove from heat add gelatin.
Does boiling gelatin render its clearing properties ineffective?
Do you risk infection by adding to pre-boiled water (is it clean stuff)?
Please, I'd like facts/data/references so I will never need to worry again.
John
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 8:52:50 CDT
From: dbeedle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Dave Beedle)
Subject: Watermellon brew...
It's getting close! 100? ;-)
Anyway, about watermelon brew that someone asked about...
A guy in our local brewclub made one. I'm not sure about the exact
details but he basically made a very pale ale and added a 20 lb (I think I
remember that right) water melon to the secondary. He used rind and all.
The beer is great! He thinks that the next time around he will not use the
rind as he thinks it gives a slightly bitter flavor, and more melon. He used
very little by way of hops if any. If I see him soon I'll ask for the recipe.
This same fellow likes to experiment with odd brews. HE has a friend who
works in a candy factory who get industrial strength flavorings. A couple of
these are oil based but the others are not. They work well in flavoring
brews.
TTFN
- --
Dave Beedle Office of Academic Computing
Illinois State University
Internet: dbeedle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu 136A Julian Hall
"Relax! Don't worry! Have Homebrew!" Normal, IL 61761
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:45 CDT
From: korz@ihpubj.att.com
Subject: Sam Adams' attitude
Michael writes:
>Boston Brewing Co. is definitely a brewery with an attitude. They are
>decidedly snooty about beer, and about their beer in particular.
And then later goes on to say:
>I must admit that, even though I was a bit put off
>by their cockiness, I really like their beers.
Generally, I don't like anyone (or any company) that has an attitude,
but given that Boston Brewing Co. is up against zillions of dollars
in advertising from the bland, industrial brewers, I would do the same
in their place. It takes a lot to change the tastes of Americans and
luckily some inroads have been made, Sam Adams brews included. The
left coast seems to have gotten it together already. The Boulder area
(in my understanding) is not too far behind. The right coast also
has made some progress. Alas, we here at the land-locked middle
coast have a long way to go yet. Samuel Adams brews are available in
relatively few places -- Baderbrau in relatively few also -- only a
handfull of beer retail stores carry anything but industrial beers.
Although I wish BBC's tactics were not necessary, I must reluctantly
approve, for the good of beer in America. Just think, if a beer like
Samuel Adams Boston Lager became as commonplace as Budweiser is now,
good beer in America would be the rule rather than the exception.
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 12:10:50 EDT
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu>
Subject: Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition
Michigan amateur brewers are encouraged to enter the Michigan State
Fair Homebrew competition. Categories are Pale Ale, IPA, Brown Ale,
Porter, Stout, Wheat Beer, Bock, Common Beer (Steam), Lager, Pilsner,
Continental Dark, Strong Ale/Barleywine, Specialty. Awards will be
given to the first 4 places in each class and to Best of Show.
For more information, contact
Dan McConnell, Competition Director (313)663-4845
Ken Schramm, Judge Director (313)291-6694
Mike O'Brien, Competition Registrar (313)482-8565
FAX (313)485-BREW
Brewers from other states are welcome to enter, and will be judged,
but are inelegible for awards. An eight dollar entry fee is due on
July 24, but beers must be delivered between July 27 and August 8
(don't ask me, this must be a state fair rule). As far as I can tell,
the $8 covers up to 10 separate entries. Each exhibitor gets a
complimentary one day gate pass to the fair (8/28-9/7).
The competition is AHA sanctioned, and is sponsored by the Ann Arbor
Brewers Guild, Cass River Homebrew Club, Detroit & Mackinac Brewery,
Frankenmuth Brewing Co, Franklin St. Brewing Co, Kalamazoo Brewing Co,
Premier Malt Products, and the Stroh Brewery Co.
You will need to get the entry forms from Dan (above); they are NOT
the standard AHA forms.
=Spencer W. Thomas HSITN, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
spencer.thomas@med.umich.edu 313-747-2778
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1992 13:41 EDT
From: KIERAN O'CONNOR <OCONNOR%SNYCORVA.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Temperature Controls
Just another note on Temp. controllers. If you want a thermostat
which will go down to lagering temps, snag a "Controller" from
Willima's Brewing in CA. It's $49 plus shipping, but the only one
which will go from 20-80 deg. F. I have two and they work well.
Kieran
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:11:44 PDT
From: sami@scic.intel.com (Sam Israelit)
Subject: Making Mead . . .
This weekend I was in Seattle and founf some knockout honey made from
Fireweed. Anyone out there know a really amazing mead recipe that would
allow me to take advantage of my find?
Sam Israelit
Engineer, Businessman, . . . Brewer
Portland, OR
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:59:24 -0700
From: eurquhar@sfu.ca
Subject: "Canada Dry" ginger ale
There has been several postings on ginger beer and ginger ales
lately. I recently came across a method for preparing the flavouring
mixture similar to Canada Dry in a food flavourings text I got several
years ago (Food Flavorings: Composition, Manufacture and Use (2nd Ed.) by
Joseph Merory (AVI Publishers)). This recipe is not immediately useful as
it is compounded of essential oils but should point any inquisitive
brewmeister in the right direction.
Grams of essential oil to prepare Ginger Ale Pale Dry
0.5 oil of rose
0.5 phenylethyl alcohol( a pronounced rosey scent)
9.5 methyl nonyl acetylaldehyde 50%
22.0 oleoresin of ginger (responsible for the bite of ginger)
22.5 oil of ginger (volatile fragrance with no sharpness)
27.0 oil of bergamotte orange (the orangey scent and flavour
present in Earl Grey Tea)
246.0 oil of orange, Valencia
300.0 oil of lemon
372.0 oil of lime
The oils are then dissolved in 95% food grade ethyl alcohol and
water with the insoluble fraction which separates being discarded. The 2nd
and 3rd ingredients are used to reinforce the rose flavour & reduce the
high cost of rose oil. The gingery flavour with little bite which
characterizes Canada Dry is due to the large amount of ginger oil present.
Due to the great interest in aromatherapy these days oil of bergamotte has
become available and is probably available at your local "new age" or
natural foods store.
A second formula for a less complex ginger ale contained oleoresin
of ginger reinforced with capsicum essence ( derived from hot chili
peppers), oils of orange, lime and minor amounts of mace and coriander
"with a few drops of oil of rose being optional if a more distinctive
character was desired".
He also stated that the active principle responsible for the sharp
bite of ginger is only sparingly soluble in water but very highly soluble
in ethyl alcohol. The extraction of the compound can be increased without
using alcohol if the ground fresh ginger is repeatedly extracted with fresh
boiling water. Commercially, this is accomplished with an alcohol/water
mixture over several days.
I hope this will be of help or at least interesting. I will post a
method for "real" root beer when I find one but am very busy for the near
future.
Have fun and happy brewing.
Eric Urquhart ( eurquhar@sfu.ca)
Centre for Pest Management
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby , B.C. Canada
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1992 14:02:39 -0500 (CDT)
From: ISENHOUR@LAMBIC.FNAL.GOV (John L. Isenhour)
Subject: food grade silicon caulk
I have some food grade silicon caulking at home that I use for sealing brewing
apparati, the tube explicitly states its ok for surfaces that contact food. I
don't have the Dow stock id on me, but asking for 'food grade' should do it if
the vendor stocks it.
The Hopdevil
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 15:17:30 -0400
From: aew@spitfire.unh.edu
Subject: Sam Adams Cream Stout & Tours
Michael L. Hall Writes:
> and possibly a Cream Stout (they had just made a
>small batch when I was there). Alas, they had no samples of their other
>brews for sale (believe me, I searched).
I ALWAYS make a trip to Doyle's Pub (about two blocks from the
brewery, get walking directions while you're there) when I take the
tour. They have excellent food and _ALL_ of the Sam Adams products
available (Where do you think those batches of experimental cream stout
go?) I've been able to get the Cream stout there every time I've been
and they usually have the Cranberry beer on tap at least 2 months after
is sells out in the stores. I don't know why they don't go ahead and
release the Cream stout - I like it better than Watney's Cream. The
tour guide also usually mentions that the Sunsett Grill has a complete
set of Sam Products on tap as well.
I have found that the tour guides tend to varry greatly in their
expertise. I've been 3 times and twice had a simillar experience as
Michael. Once I was treated to a truely knowledgeable guide - answered
every question I could ask. Tour all you want - they'll give more. It's
the most beer you can get for a buck!
===============================================================================
Allan Wright Jr. | Pole-Vaulters Get a Natural High! | GO Celts!
University of New Hampshire +--------------------------------------------------
Research Computing Center | You keep using that word. I do not think it means
Internet: AEW@UNH.EDU | what you think it means. -The Princess Bride
===============================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 12:22:49 PDT
From: gummitch@techbook.com (Jeff Frane)
Subject: Some AHA News
In reference to a couple of AHA-related questions in a recent Digest
(who knows when this will actually get posted, thanks to maltmill mania
- --and a rooty toot to you, Jack):
Next year's AHA Conference will, indeed, be held in beautiful downtown
Portland, Oregon. There was a delay in confirmation as the Park Bureau
was jerking the Brewers Festival around about dates when they could use
the park area alongside the Willamette. The 1993 Festival will be held
July 30, 31 and August 1. The conference will be held during the week
leading up the the Festival. Be prepared for a LOT of beer, folks.
Good beer, too, I might add; after all this is Portland. :-)
The AHA does not have a generic e-mail address, although the two
CompuServe accounts given here are reachable. We have been encouraging
the AHA to add a few accounts and it would be nice if they got a net
connection. They are actively involved with the CompuServe Beer Forum,
and have a special section in the file library there. Sysop Robin Garr
also subscribes to the Digest and would love to give you information
about accessing any of that information, I'm sure. Wouldn't you, Robin?
- --Jeff Frane
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 12:49:06 PDT
From: davep@cirrus.com (David Pike)
Subject: Hunter Airstat
I too thought that the low end temperature of 40 degrees for the Hunter Airstat
was a drag, since low temperature lagering should be near 32 degrees.....
But, consider why the Airstat is used. Most refrigerators are too cold for
fermentation temps., thus the need for a controller, but at low temps, the
cold/colder adjustment should be enough to control the fridge, its just that
you have to go through the hassle of calibration..
Dave
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jul 1992 15:05:30 -0600 (MDT)
From: JKL <JLAWRENCE@UH01.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: RI/CT/Dallas brewpubs
I'll be vacationing in southern RI next month. Are there any
good (or even mediocre) brewpubs in the southern RI/NE Connecticut
area (around Charlestown)?
Also, I'm going to a conference in Dallas in October. Did I
read here that brewpubs are ILLEGAL in Texas, or was that some other
sadly backwards state? If there are any in Dallas, I'd appreciate
comments.
- Jane
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 15:44:31 PDT
From: mark@crash.cts.com (Mark Simpson)
Subject: San Diego Hombrew Club
Howdy Braumeisters,
I just wanted to let the San Diego readers know thatthere is a dandy
homebrewers club in San Diego called QUAFF. The Quality Ale and
Fermentation Fraternity conducts monthly meetings on the third
Wednesday of every month at the Pacific Beach Brewhouse in
Pacific Beach at 7pm (tonight). If you would like a complementary newsletter
or would like to stop in to check us out, call me at (619) 578-2627 or
email me at mark@crash.cts.com.
Hope to see you there!!!
Mark Simpson
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 19:56:21 PDT
From: Mark N. Davis <mndavis@pbhya.PacBell.COM>
Subject: Re: Acidified Sparge H2O
John Freeborg asks:
> How many all-grain people adjust their sparge water pH? I've been reading
> about putting lactic acid in the sparge water to achieve the proper pH which
> helps improve extraction numbers.
>
> Should I worry about this? Do other people? Have you noticed a dramatic
> difference once you started doing this?
Before going any further I should warn you that I'm not an avid pH watcher.
Now that the disclaimer is handled...
I know from obtaining the official propaganda pamphlet from my local water
co. that my tap water is at a pH of 9.0. On my first two all-grain batches
my extraction rates were anything but good. I then began adding 1/4 to 1/2
teaspoon of citric acid to my 5 gallons of sparge water. Since then, my
extraction rates have improved. Whether this is caused by the lowered pH
of the sparge water, or an improvement in my handling of the sparges overall
(probaly a combination) I'm not sure. In fact, as I previously mentioned, I
don't even check the pH of anything, so I don't know just how much effect
the citric acid has. So when I stop and think about it, this post is not all
that helpfull is it? And its probaly too late even to win the MALTMILL.
Oh well, let's just say that a little acidification of the sparge water most
definitely appears to help, so its not a bad idea. How about one of you
chemistry kind of guys giving us a little more info on the details - but
please phrase it in a language even us programmers understand >:-)
Mark
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:25:04 -0700
From: lgold@Cadence.COM (Lynn Gold)
Subject: Beer yeast and dogs
I changed the subject to "beer yeast" because "brewer's yeast" is a
VERY different product from the yeast we brew with.
I discovered the benefits to letting my dog (a 10lb Bichon Frise) tipple
a little when I was bottling one of my brews.
I was doing this on my porch, spilling (as we often do) some of the wort
as I was siphoning it into the bottles. Fuzzball came by and started
licking up the spillage.
Before this, Fuzzball was VERY tasty to fleas. After this, her flea problem
magically disappeared. Since this was the only change to her diet, I knew
I'd come on to something. Now whenever I open a bottle, I let Fuzzball have
the sediment. She enjoys it, and as long as I drink enough :-), she doesn't
have fleas.
- --Lynn
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 23:41:04 -0500
From: bronson@ecn.purdue.edu (Edward C. Bronson)
Subject: The MALTMILL Winner and Digest Contents
Congratulations Sheridan!
According to my analysis, Sheridan J. Adams (sja@snoid.cray.com) wins
the MALTMILL by submitting a cynical discussion about sassafras and
laboratory rats on July 9, 1992 at 10:33 AM.
I am certain that many, many Digesters were counting along with me.
When counting, it is important to note that the Contents listed at the
top of each Digest does not always tell an accurate story. The Contents
is only a list of all Subject lines that appear anywhere within any
submission. If a submission does not include a Subject line, it is not
listed in the Contents. If a submission contains multiple Subject lines,
the submission is listed multiple times in the Contents. Both of these
inaccuracies occurred within the Digests leading up to Number 100.
Here's the counts that I got:
#918: 15 submissions, 15
#919: 23 submissions, 38
#920: 27 submissions, 65
#921: 25 submissions, 90
#922: 42 submissions
Sheridan's winning entry was the 10th submission in Digest #922.
I mention all of this for two reasons:
1) A submission in #923 mentions counts that are wrong.
2) Most importantly, to keep the Digest Contents accurate and useful,
each submission should contain one and only one line starting with
the word "Subject". This line should be chosen by the author to
accurately inform digesters of the submissions's contents.
Ed
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 23:02:58 CDT
From: hopduvel!john@linac.fnal.gov (John Isenhour)
Subject: food grade sealant
The caulk tube type sealant I use on brewing equipment is -
Dow Corning(r) 734 RTV self leveling Adhesive/Sealant,
"may be used in contact with food and in electrical/electronic
applications", a data sheet is available for FDA/NSF/UL status.
"Adheres to glass, cork, phenolic, cured silicone rubber, polyester,
epoxy and many metals and plastics." Temperature range -85d F. to
450d F.
This stuff is less viscous than normal caulk (thats where the "self
leveling" comes in), but its the only stuff I have run across thats
food grade.
Maybe I could hook a giant syringe needle on the end of the tube and
do beer belly implants:-)
- --
John, The Hop Devil
renaissance scientist and AHA/HWBTA certified Beer Judge
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 12:27 GMT
From: Andy Phillips <PHILLIPSA@LARS.AFRC.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: mashing oats (HBD 924)
Mike McNally writes:
> Oats have no diastatic capacity.....
Not true! Steel-cut, rolled or flaked oats have no amylase
because they haven't been malted, ie. the grain hasn't been
germinated and allowed to produce the enzymes - also the heat
generated during rolling would destroy the enzyme anyway. Oats
are quite competent at producing amylase when germinated -
otherwise the seeds would be incapable of mobilising the stored
starch reserves in the endosperm. Granted, the amount of amylase
produced may be less in barley, but I think I'm right in saying
that some (wonderful) German oat beers are made from a high
proportion of malted oat, with maybe some barley.
My partner has been working on alpha amylase gene expression in
cultivated oat (_Avena sativa_ cv. Rhiannon) for the past seven
years, so she should know! As in all cereals, the enzyme is
produced by the aleurone cells (a thin layer of living tissue
just inside the seed coat, surrounding the endosperm) in response
to a hormone (gibberellin) which is produced by the embryo on
hydration. The gibberellin is probably perceived by a receptor
in the aleurone cell membrane, which conveys the signal (via an
unknown pathway, the subject of her research) to factors in the
nucleus which activate transcription of the alpha-amylase genes
(and proteases etc). The mRNA is then translated in the cytoplasm
and the enzyme transported out of the cell, where it diffuses
into the endosperm and hydrolyses the starch.
Andy
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1992 07:56:33 EDT
From: "Dennis R. Sherman" <sherman@trln.lib.unc.edu>
Subject: book review - Norwegian brewing
A brief book review:
Odd Nordland. _Brewing and Beer Traditions in Norway_.
Oslo-Bergen-Tromso: Universitetsforlaget, 1969.
This book is a fascinating account of the social anthropology of
homebrewing in Norway, with some reference to neighboring countries.
The data come primarily from several surveys dating from 1925 to 1957.
These surveys amassed a huge collection of folk wisdom and practice in
home brewing, and are supplemented by a large number of interviews by
the author with elderly men and women who brewed at home and/or
remember their parents and grandparents brewing at home. I think it
fair to say the book gives a very good overview of the state of
homebrewing in Norway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many
of the practices of the Norwegian homebrewers are documentable to much
earlier in history, and Nordland does spend some time dealing with
historical changes in brewing, particularly the change from ale made
with gruit to ale made with hops.
The brewing practices examined are, for the most part, clearly
those of people brewing not as a hobby, but to provide themselves with
a staple beverage. Nordland goes into some depth about the various
special brews that might be made specifically for weddings or funerals
or holidays, although anyone looking for recipes must be prepared to
formulate their own after careful reading.
I recommend this book as interesting reading for anyone interested
in the history of brewing, or in the interactions of people in a
society for whom home brewed beverages were a normal way of life,
rather than a hobby.
*--------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Dennis R. Sherman Triangle Research Libraries Network *
* dennis_sherman@unc.edu Univ. of North Carolina - Chapel Hill *
*--------------------------------------------------------------------*
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 92 17:30:55 CDT
From: whg@tellabs.com
Subject: Dave Miller's new book...
jcb@homxb.att.com commented that this book is not a replacement for Dave
Line's book. I whole haeartedly agree. I had a chance to read through it
at a book store the other day. It seems to lift a few paragraphs from here
and there in TCHoHB and give recipes for all-extract, extract+specialty,
partial mash and full mash for 8-12 beer style. It does not give a recipe
for any beer brand in particular. It seemed to be a good book and I almost
bought it anyway, but not as useful as an updated Line book would have been,
at least to me.
Walter Gude || whg@tellabs.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 07:46:07 EDT
From: wslack.UUCP!wrs@mv.MV.COM (Bill Slack)
Subject: Brew a Belgian Ale This Summer
Looking for a cool and refreshing brew for the summer? Tired of the same
old flavor profiles? Have you ever had a Hoegarden Gran Cru or similar
Belgian Ale? Try your hand at the Belgian wit (white) style of ale; a pale,
light bodied well spiced beer made from wheat (and other grains) as well as
the traditional barley. The following recipe calls for a two step mash,
barley, rye and wheat malts, honey, and some interesting hops and spices.
Rye Wit
The name is courtesy of Dan Hall. This is a variant of Chuck Cox's Nit Wit
and my Corey Ander's RN Screw (see below).
Mash:
3 lb. 6 row
1 1/2 lb. rye malt
1 1/2 lb. wheat malt
Protein rest 120+F for 30 min.
Mash 150+F for 90 min.
Boil:
60 min.
The mash liquor
~3 lb. honey | Use enough honey and dried malt extract
~2 lb. light DME | to raise OG to 1.050
1 oz. Hallertau
15 min.
1/2 oz. whole cardamom
1/2 oz. coriander seed
1/2 oz. Hallertau
5 min.
1/2 oz. cardamom
1/2 oz. coriander
1/2 oz. orange peel
2 min.
1/2 oz.Hallertau
OG about 1.050. Pitch a Belgian ale yeast, such as the one newly
offered by Wyeast, or culture some yeast from a fresh bottle of Chimay.
Expect an FG of 1.008 or so. Prime and condition as usual.
Note: Crack the cardamom shell and lightly crush the coriander seed. Strain
them out before moving wort to the fermenter. The cardamom is not a
traditional spice for this beer, so leave it out if you prefer.
Don't want the fuss of mashing? For an extract version, try:
Corey Ander's RN Screw
A version of the gran cru extract recipe in Charlie Papazian's new book.
5 # light DME
2.75 # clover honey
1 oz. Hallertauer
Boil 45 minutes and add:
1/2 oz. or so of freshly ground coriander
1/3-1/2 oz. Hallertauer
Boil 10 minutes and add:
Another 1/2 oz. or so of coriander
1/2 oz. or so of ground dried orange peel (zest)
Boil 3 minutes and add:
1/2 oz. Hallertauer
Boil 2 minutes.
Rehydrated Red Star ale yeast (all those ester work well here), or a
Belgian yeast as above.
Ferment and prime as usual.
Expect an OG of 1.047 and an FG of 1.010.
__
wrs@gozer.mv.com (Bill Slack)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 09:47:40 EDT
From: tighe@kc.camb.inmet.com (Michael Tighe)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #923 (July 15, 1992)
> From: Mark N. Davis <mndavis@pbhya.PacBell.COM>
> But seriously, as far as I know, there is no one month recipe for mead if
> you plan on using honey (is there any other way?), but if anyone else knows
> of one I'd be very interested to here it.
My standard recipe for mead takes one month to six weeks. It can be adjusted
to take six months for those who choose to wait.
To 5-gallons of cold water, add 12 pounds of honey. Heat till boiling,
remembering to skim off the "skum" while it heats. Once it is boiling,
add about a table-spoon of gresh ginger, sliced thin, and add the peel
of a lemon (or orange). Boil for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slowly,
preferably in your primary fermentation vat. When cool add yeast.
I prefer mead yeast, but champagne yeast or a general purpose wine yeast
such as a montrachet yeast works fine. It won't start fermenting for at
least a day or three. Once it gets started, it goes slowly. At the three
week (or one month) point, bottle, even though its still fermenting.
Keep the bottles for a week (or three), then refrigerate them (otherwise
you get glass grenades). To quote Sir Kenelhme Digbie (who's recipe this
is) "It will be very quick and sweet" (meaning bubbly/frothy and like a
sweeter beer).
Finess points: the quality and flavor of the honey are important, the
skimming process can't be overdone, and you can vary the spices to your
heart's content! Always refrigerate the bottles for 24 hours before
drinking to get the yeast to settle out (of course). The six-month
version is to leave the primary fermentation till it mostly completes
(usually 2-3 months) then bottle and wait another three-four months -
you usually get a champagne-style drink, dry and bubbly.
Good luck.
Michael Tighe, Intermetrics, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02138 (USA)
email: tighe@inmet.camb.inmet.com phone: 617-661-1840
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 8:18:52 PDT
From: winter@cirrus.com (Keith Winter)
Subject:
In HBD #924, Drew Scott writes:
>Does anyone have any experience with adding coffee to stouts?
>How much should be added so that there isn't an overpowering
>coffee flavor (assuming a 5 gallon batch) - just an ounce or two?
>And is it best to leave the beans whole?
I made a coffee stout a couple of years ago and it came out fine. I
added 1/4 lb of whole beans to the primary and left them in until
I transferred to secondary (3-4 days). I used a robust bean (french
roast, I think. Sorry, I don't have the brew sheet here). The
flavor of the coffee was wonderful against the roasted flavor of
the brew. The oil on the beans did not affect head retention at all.
Oddly, under the flavor of coffee and stout, there was a definite
chocolate flavor. Mmmmm... maybe I should make it again!
RDWHAHB,
Keith Winter
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 9:46:40 MDT
From: Jeff Benjamin <benji@hpfcbug.fc.hp.com>
Subject: Re: Wyeast Bavarian & raspberry beer
Regarding Wyeast Bavarian Wheat, Brian Bliss asks:
> What temperature did you ferment at? I have heard that keeping the
> temp @ 70-75 F favours the S. Delbruckii more that lower temps, which
> favour S. Cervasae (Ale yeast, however you spell it).
I usually ferment in the basement, about 67F. Maybe next time I'll
try moving the fermenter to a warmer place. I'll also check the
Wyeast "guide" to see what it says about optimum temp for the yeast.
gelly@persoft.com (Mitch Gelly) asks about raspberry beer. My brewing
partner recently made a *wonderful* raspberry beer: light, sparkly,
pink (head too), and an incredible fresh raspberry aroma. He used
1 lb per gallon of half fresh and half frozen berries, rinsed in a
light sulfite solution, pureed, and added right to the primary. No
steeping or anything.
I made a blueberry brown ale recently following the same procedure (I
posted the recipe a couple of days ago, but I don't know what digest it
will show up in-- see the subject "Re: Blueberry Beer"). Most of the
blueberry aroma seemed to vanish after a couple of days in the primary,
so I may try putting them into the secondary next time.
Neither batch showed any signs of infection, so the sulfite rinse seemed
to be sufficient to eliminate any unwanted microbeasts. Your mileage
may vary, as usual.
For the raspberry beer, try a light wheat beer, about 50% wheat and OG
between 1.040 and 1.045, and use a "neutral" yeast. It really lets the
berries show off, and the fruitiness of the wheat is complementary.
Much of the sweetness will ferment out, especially in the primary, but
we like tart beers (a side effect of having tasted lambics in Belgium :-).
- --
Jeff Benjamin benji@hpfcla.fc.hp.com
Hewlett Packard Co. Fort Collins, Colorado
"Midnight shakes the memory as a madman shakes a dead geranium."
- T.S. Eliot
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 09:53:12 -0600
From: ma848295@longs.lance.colostate.edu
Subject: Colorado Brewer's Festival/dog yeast
In response to Rick Meyers' review: Sounded more negative than my
experience. This year's festival drew an estimated 20,000 brew fans
and wanna be's: almost twice the crowd of last year. The organizer's
definitely got the system down this year. Rick also mentioned his
dissapointment with the beer selection. This point and his earlier
statement about lines being reduced from 20-30 min last year to 5 min
this year are directly related. Imagine, if you will, 10,000 people
approaching one of 20 brew stands, all having a choice of three or more
brews. "I'll have your porter. Or wait...how bitter is your pale ale?
Is your stout sweet or dry? Can I have a sip first?....." What
happens is you get a beer and go to the end of the next line and sip
while you wait. This year each brewer offered only one of their brews.
The result: one line per beer. Enough said.
My impression of the festival was that 22 beer selections and 20,000
people with three live bands can only lead to a GREAT time. Perhaps as
the festival grows in popularity, the planners will have the facilities
to again allow each brewer to offer a selection of brews. If you have
a chance to go next year, do it.
Regarding wether or not trub needs to be treated before given to fido.
I have been giving the warm, spent grain, as well as the yeast trub at
the bottom of my fermenter to my dogs since I started brewing. They
love it!! (Major roughage!)
Mark Abshire
ma848295@longs.lance.colostate.edu
------------------------------
Date: 16 Jul 92 12:14:16 EDT
From: CHUCKM@csg3.Prime.COM
Greetings fellow homebrewers...
Does anyone have some practical advice for drying homegrown hops.
I have Beach's book and he has rigged up a contraption with an old hair dryer.
I don't have an old hair dryer and am looking for other low-cost alternatives.
BTW, I planted Centennial and MT. Hood roots this April (Massachusetts) and
now have two 16 ft strong vines. The Centennial is covered with cones while
the Mt. Hood is just starting to sprout burrs.
Please reply in HBD or to chuckm@csg3.prime.com
Thanks in advance......
chuckm
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #927, 07/19/92
*************************************
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