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HOMEBREW Digest #1160
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 93/06/10 00:16:21
HOMEBREW Digest #1160 Thu 10 June 1993
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Stoudts Microbrewery Festival ("")
William's (Kieran O'Connor)
RE: headaches (James Dipalma)
RE: Stuck Run-off (Conn Copas)
Hops/Hot Break and Strawberries ("John DeCarlo")
Duties on importing Belgian malts into Can (Nick Zentena)
Hop Utilization and temp controllers ("Bob Jones")
MI Brewpubs ("Daniel F McConnell")
Clarifying Fruit Beers ("William A Kitch")
Calculating % Alcohol (Bob W Surratt)
phils mill (Michael Gildner)
IBU, etc. calculations (Norm Pyle)
Apology from a curmudgeon ("William A Kitch")
Re: The stick I buried won't grow (Ron Ezetta)
Those Lite/Light/Lyte Beers (Jeff Frane)
re:mircowave mashing (W.R.) Crick" <heybc@bnr.ca>
canned beer (John Freeman)
RE:Strawberry ALE (KENT)
Peach wine/beer? (Chuck Coronella)
Old, old ale (Philip Atkinson 356-0269)
Re: headaches (Richard Stueven)
Strawberry brews (shane)
Re: Malt and Hops/Dispensing Pressure/Beers and Headaches *THEORY* (korz)
hbd subscription ("Goodman, John")
Headaches from Industrial Brew (Derrick Pohl)
How Long do Hops Float? (John Cotterill)
Source of Hop Util. Numbers ("Manning, Martin P")
Wheat Berry Review (Joseph Gareri)
Texas Microbreweries ("jhutchin.US1")
Best San Fran pub brews ("jhutchin.US1")
Technical Brewer magazine (Jonathan Crawshaw)
HEADACHES! (fjdobner)
NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT (Jack Schmidling)
Questions for the Oracle (Bart Thielges)
Brewing Supplier in Fairbanks Alaska? (adoval)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 17 May 93 16:20:15 EDT
From: "" <allers@hns.com>
Subject: Stoudts Microbrewery Festival
I will be in the Adamstown Pa. area on June 12 for the annual
Microbrewery festival sponsored by Stoudts brewery. If the weather is
good I want to camp out instead of moteling it. Can anyone familiar
with the area recommend a good place to camp?
Dan
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 07:50 EDT
From: Kieran O'Connor <OCONNOR%SNYCORVA.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: William's
I have two of the William's controllers for fridges. I am completely
happy with them. Im not sure how the innards work--as requested in
yesterday's HBD--but it does an excellent job of keeping the
temperature near to what you set.
Actually--it cools the fridge to below the temp you set--4 degrees--
then allows it to warm up to the set temp--then cools again.
I've used an indoor outdoor thermometer (the kind with a probe) to
check whether the Controller is accurate and it seems to be so.
I tihnk the thing also has a 1 yr guarantee--although I think it might
(hope) be lifetime! Anyway--it does have a broader range than the
Hunter--the Controller goes from 20-80 degrees F--the hunter low end
range is 40.
If any brewers have further questions on this--feel free to e-mail me.
Kieran O'Connor
E-Mail Addresses:
Bitnet: oconnor@snycorva.bitnet
Internet: oconnor@snycorva.cortland.edu
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 08:30:11 EDT
From: dipalma@banshee.sw.stratus.com (James Dipalma)
Subject: RE: headaches
Hi All,
In HBD#1159 Jonathan G Knight writes:
>The other reason I don't want to do this - and the reason I stopped after two
>Extra Golds - was that I got something I don't remember getting in a long
>time: a headache!
Yep, same here, one or two Budmillors was always sufficient to give me
a pounding headache the next morning.
>On occasion I have indulged in two or more homebrews at a time, and I have
>gotten warm fuzzies, or even been a little drunk - but no headaches.
>Does anyone else have experience comparable to this?
Ditto again, my consumption will vary from just one to several at a
time, but regardless of consumption levels, I've never gotten a hangover
from drinking homebrew.
>Is my non-headachy homebrew due to my use of the blow-off
>method (that ought to be good for some lively dialogue!) or is it common for
>homebrew not to cause headaches anyway?
At the risk of re-starting the blowoff vs. no blowoff thread, I don't think
use of a blowoff system has anything to do with this, as I use 6.5 gallon
carboys as primary fermenters, no blowoff. IMHO, the reason the mass
produced commercial swill always gave me such awful headaches was due to
their use of artificial preservatives/flavorings. There just isn't
enough alcohol in 12 ounces of ~4.5% beer to account for getting me that
sick.
On the other hand, homebrew has plenty of nice, healthy yeast in it. One
of the reasons people get hangovers is the depletion of vitamin B that
occurs as the body processes alcohol. Yeast is a great source of vitamin B,
and I think that's one reason I don't get hangovers from drinking homebrew.
Comments? Anybody else noticed a homebrew/no hangover connection?
Cheers,
Jim
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 14:05:24 BST
From: Conn Copas <C.V.Copas@lut.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Stuck Run-off
James writes:
"Eric Warner recommends a
staggered protein rest in his Classic Style series book, that is, brief
rests at 117F, 122F, and 126F. At each of those temperatures, a different
class of peptidase (protein reducing enzyme) is activated."
I could use a little more information here. Where does Warner say these
digestion enzymes come from, ie, from malted wheat itself, or from any
accompanying lager malt (I presume not from either ale malt or unmalted wheat)?
Secondly, does the mashing schedule differ according to whether one is using
malted or unmalted wheat (I presume the latter requires more digestion)?
- --
Conn V Copas
Loughborough University of Technology tel : +44 509 263171 ext 4164
Computer-Human Interaction Research Centre fax : +44 509 610815
Leicestershire LE11 3TU e-mail - (Janet):C.V.Copas@uk.ac.lut
G Britain (Internet):C.V.Copas@lut.ac.uk
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 09:23:11 EST
From: "John DeCarlo" <jad@pegasus.mitre.org>
Subject: Hops/Hot Break and Strawberries
To add hops before or after the hot break. Good question.
I can't say much about the utilization factor, but I *have* found, on
advice from this forum, that if you skim off the hot break you don't have
to worry about boilovers. I now do this regularly with great success.
Of course, this means that you add the hops *after* skimming off the hot
break (unless you can mechanically figure out a way to leave in the hops
floating amongst all this stuff).
+++++++
Strawberries:
The flavor of strawberries isn't very intense, IMHO. I have tried using
them in beer without any success and suspect you will need on the order of
20 lbs per 5 gallons to get any strawberry flavor. Once the sugar ferments
out, the remaining flavors are very subtle.
Fidonet: 1:109/131 Internet: jdecarlo@mitre.org
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 10:13:14 -0400
From: Nick Zentena <zen%hophead@canrem.com>
Subject: Duties on importing Belgian malts into Can
Hi,
I checked the following out for both myself and
because of somebody else question. So I thought I'd
pass the info on.
I called customs and got the following info.
chapter 11.07.10.10.00 covers unroasted
whole malt [I hope this means pale etc]
chapter 11.07.20.10.00 covers roasted whole
malt[RB,black etc I guess]
Duty on belgian malt is $0.0073[.73cents]per
kg. for whole malt. Thats $0.37 per 50kg
bag. If they actually charge you the duty
the custom service charges would likely
higher.
Crushed malt is 1.1cents per kilogram.
The duties are on belgian malts I didn't ask
about US malts they maybe [and likely are]
different. Also any local taxes aren't
included but at least here in Ontario the
items are classed foodstuff and not subject
to tax.[cross your fingers and pray on that
one]
Nick
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I drink Beer I don't collect cute bottles!
zen%hophead@canrem.com
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 07:38:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Bob Jones" <bjones@novax.llnl.gov>
Subject: Hop Utilization and temp controllers
Mark posted his "better estimates" of hop utilization. Thanks for a "seat of
the pants/back of the envelope" estimate. I don't think yeast floculation
has anything to do with hop utilization. I DO know what your saying and DO
understand the resultant effect of yeast floculation, however lets keep the
two seperate. I sure hope Glenn is doing that. I would rather do two
separate calculations.
On a different subject... Those that are looking for a temp. controller, I
use Honeywell temp controllers (yes they have the little tube connected to
them, ie. none electronic). The one I use has a single pole double throw
switch in it. This allows me to control either a cooling source or a heating
source by flipping another switch mounted in the bottom of the unit. This
way I can control warmer temps in the winter for making ales. I use a glow
coil screwed into a light socket for the heat source. Works great! The temp
controller was about $22 from Johnstone's (a local parts supplier).
What's the count from all the regional first rounds?
Bob Jones
------------------------------
Date: 9 Jun 1993 10:08:10 -0500
From: "Daniel F McConnell" <Daniel.F.McConnell@med.umich.edu>
Subject: MI Brewpubs
Subject: Time:9:54 AM
OFFICE MEMO MI Brewpubs Date:6/9/93
John writes:
>So either the Law in Michigan has changed in the past 6 months
>and I don't know about it or what it being described here is not
>actually a brewpub.
The law WAS recently changed (early 1993 as I recall.....help Spencer!)
and a number of *real* brewpubs are in the planning/development stages. You
may be correct about the *true* definition of the Eccentric Cafe
since it is at the site of a long standing brewery. However, an establishment
in which you can sit down at a table or bar and order
a beer that was brewed on-site seems to fit the guidelines in my book. 8-)
BTW this makes the Kalamazoo Brewing Co. not only Michigan's oldest operating
brewery, but Michigan's oldest operating Brewpub.
>I would like to know because there is a lot of interest in opening
>one in Traverse City should this law ever be changed. :)
More good news! Now if you could serve cider similar to Larry
Mawby's Tatoo............
DanMcC
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 09:13:11 CST
From: "William A Kitch" <kitchwa@bongo.cc.utexas.edu>
Subject: Clarifying Fruit Beers
After reading the recent thread on fruit beer I decided to give one
a try. The batch history (from memory):
For 5 1/2 gal
5 lbs Briess 60%wheat/40%barley malt extract
1 lb Briess amber barley malt extract
7 HBU Goldings (I think it was Goldings)
OG 1.038
Chimay Yeast repitched from a recent batch
One week primary fermentation
Secondary fermentation 4 days
All fermentation at ~70 F
5 lbs fresh blackberries macerated w/2 crushed campden tablets.
Allowed to sit in bucket for 36 hours.
Fruit put in 7 gal carboy and beer racked on top. Fermentation
restarted in 36 to 48 hours. Slow but steady fermentation for
about a week. By then most of the fruit pulp had floated to the
top of the beer and had lost most of its color, sort of looked
bleached out. I then racked under the floating fruit and over the
sediment back into a 5 gal carboy where it has been for an additional
week.
The 5 gal carboy is full up to the neck and I can still see little CO2
bubbles forming in the neck. A last check I was getting about 4
bubbles/hour out the lock. SG at final racking was 1.010. There's
a yeast sediment at the bottom of the carboy. The beer's a
*beautiful* pinkish red color. But, its not clarifying. Not a sign of
clarification even near the top. It looks like a huge bottle of
chilled Celis White (except for the color).
I would like:
1) General comments. (Does this read like the way your fruit beers
behaved?)
2) Specific comments about clarity. Will it clarify eventually?
How long should I wait?
3) If it isn't going to clarify, how can I tell when to bottle?
Sante', WAK
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 08:11:01 PST
From: Bob W Surratt <Bob_W_Surratt@ccm.hf.intel.com>
Subject: Calculating % Alcohol
Hello all!
I know that I've seen this before in the digest, but failed to save it. I
wanted to know how to calculate the % alcohol by weight & by volume by using the
specific gravity readings. I just got my hydrometer & now want to put it to
use.
Thanks,
Bob Surratt Orangevale, CA
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 10:49:33 EDT
From: mmlai!lucy!gildner@uunet.UU.NET (Michael Gildner)
Subject: phils mill
I got my free issue of Brewing Techniques the other day and
I noticed an ad for a grain mill called Phil's Mill. The
ad was very sparse on information but it did say the price
was suprisingly low. It showed the mill clamped to a table
with a 2 liter bottle for a hopper. Has anyone seen or used
one of these mills?
Mike Gildner
gildner@mml.mmc.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 08:34:01 MDT
From: pyle@intellistor.com (Norm Pyle)
Subject: IBU, etc. calculations
The last several batches I've brewed were hopped according to a program I
received from a fellow hb'er. It calculates the IBU's for a "balanced" beer,
based on OG, volume, etc. It also calculates the IBU's that I would achieve
with certain hop additions (AA%) at a given boil time, etc. It is very
handy, and I've had no problems hitting my hopping rates right on with this
program. I typically adjust my IBU's on the hoppy side of "balanced", maybe
10-20% high, and I've been quite happy (hoppy).
The problem is this: it runs on a PC and I only have PC's available to me
at work, not at home. Lets just say I get enough of computers during the day.
I'd like a list of these formulae on paper so I can run the numbers the
old-fashioned way at home, during the brew process. He said he took them out
of an old issue of Zymurgy, presumably the hops special issue. Does anyone
have this handy and could post a concise list? I could probably go out and
find the issue, but I'd sort of like to have it this week. Thanks.
I may just try a type of easysparger in my cooler mash/lauter tun next time
(who sez it has to be done in a pot on the stove?). Of course, if my extract
efficiency goes way up, my hopping rates will have to be recalculated!
Cheers,
Norm
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 09:37:34 CST
From: "William A Kitch" <kitchwa@bongo.cc.utexas.edu>
Subject: Apology from a curmudgeon
in HBD #1158
"Stephen Hansen" <hansen@gloworm.Stanford.EDU> writes:
[snip]
>I have noticed that the curmudgeons among us have been getting more
>active of late. You know who you are, so knock it off. If you don't
>like a post's contents or it's tone then send private e-mail and try
>and resolve it that way. If someone posts something misleading you
>should give them a chance to correct it themselves. If you feel you
>MUST flame I strongly suggest that you wait 24 hours between writing
>the flame and sending it.
[snip]
My incursion into the Korz/O'Connor fued over sanitizers (HBD#1156
"Beyond momilies") was the tackless outburst of a curmudgeon. I would
like to add a public apology to the personal ones I've already made.
To all you who had to read my post, please excuse me.
Thankyou, Stephen, for your timely and instructive advice (above).
I will, from here on, try mightily to follow it. I think the
24 hour waiting period is an especially good idea.
Sante', WAK
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 08:24:47 PDT
From: rone@alpine.pen.tek.com (Ron Ezetta)
Subject: Re: The stick I buried won't grow
>A few day ago I posted to r.c.b and received no repsonse. Basically I
>buried a Rhizome an inch deep 2 weeks ago and nothing has peeped up yet.
>Comments? Is it dead or did I dod something wrong (I planted it
>horizontally).
Last year I planted a rather sickly looking Cascade rhizome. After
several weeks a couple of weak shoots appeared (while the Mt. Hood
hops, planted at the same time, were growing vigorously) and grew to
a whopping two feet tall. This year, my Cascade hops are still
weak looking, but have grown to 5 feet tall.
The rhizome should be planted vertically. The shoots should bud out
from the rhizome like branches on a tree. They may travel horizontally
and eventually turn upwards.
-Ron Ezetta-
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 08:59:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: gummitch@techbook.com (Jeff Frane)
Subject: Those Lite/Light/Lyte Beers
Some very interesting information about Light beers from Dr. Fix. I'd
be interested in tasting a lager like that -- it sounds like it would go
a long way toward explaining the popularity of American beers before
Prohibition. When I started doing all-grain ales, I used a small
portion of flaked maize and the results were as George described. Hmm,
maybe we should try that again...
At any rate, when the Blitz-Weinhard brewery developed their light beer,
they apparently achieved the lower gravity by Reducing the Amount of
Corn Grits! What a concept! And the amazing thing is, the beer is
really very good -- at least if you drink it from the taps at the
brewery. The flavor profile is definitely improved by cutting down on
the breakfast cerealadditions.
Now if B-W would only try brewing an all-malt lager of their own...
- --Jeff
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 12:00:00 +0000
From: "Bill (W.R.) Crick" <heybc@bnr.ca>
Subject: re:mircowave mashing
I had a few requests of details on my microwave mashing methods,
so I thought I'd post it.
What I do is something like this, but I'm still developing the
method.
To mash two pounds of grain in a large plastic bowl.
Add about 1.5litres of water at 130F to grain to get protein rest
of around 122-125F.
Put in microwave with temp probe in middle of mash, suported by
chopsticks across the bowl.
Program following on microwave: (Mine is a Panasonic "Quasar")
o low power 130F
This will slowly warm it up for a protien rest.
after about 30 minutes clear program and program
following:
o medlow 160F
o hold temp 160F 30minutes
o medlow 170F
Wait for the beep, and then sparge in a sieve, or colander with a
litre or two of 170F water, into boiling pot.
Add extract and boil, Add hops .....
NOTES:If you use too high a power level, the outside heats faster than
the inside, and you get uneven heating. Too low a power, and the
temperature ramp is too slow.
My microwave cycles temperature in the hold temp program from
about 5F below setting to actual setting. IE:for 160F it will
go down to 155F , add heat to 160F, cool to 155F ....
This is a good range if you are trying to use a partial mash
to add maltiness, and body to an extract beer.
To change the alcohol, body balance , you could do a 150F step,
or use a lower power to ramp the temperature more slowly. I
usually am going for body, so I sometimes use a 170F
water infusion after the protein rest to get to the mash
temperature faster, and then only used the microwave to hold the
temp, and do the mash out. I forget the amount, but I think it is
.75litre of 170F water per pound of grain, assuming there is
already .75litres per pound of water for the protien rest.
Bill -nuke it on high for 15 minutes, and then bottle it- Crick
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 11:04:48 CDT
From: jlf@palm.cray.com (John Freeman)
Subject: canned beer
Is there any good beer that comes in cans? I like to have a beer while
fishing, and don't want to risk breaking bottles. My fishing buddies
showed up with Bud Lite and Pig's Eye last weekend. So it's either
bring the beer myself or get new friends...
------------------------------
Date: 09 Jun 1993 18:25:28 +0200
From: KENT@lecs.ericsson.se
Subject: RE:Strawberry ALE
>The beer, which was once very clear,
>now has the appearance of fresh-from-the-farm apple cider (golden brown
>and opaque). It is now in a one gallon glass secondary in the
>refridgerator 'clearing'. I have become curious about the absence of
>strawberrys in the previous HBD discussion, or any brewing literature for
>that matter. Strawberries are more pulpy than raspberries, but I really
>never expected the cloudy final product. If anyone else tried this,
>another data point would be nice.
I have brewed a combination of the "Strawberry Beer" From CATS MEOW - II
and Papazian's "Rocky Racoon Honey Lager". What I did was make a batch of
Rocky Racoon, but used ALE yeast (I'm still limited to brewing Lagers in the
Winter). To the recipe I added 1 lb of Crystal Malt, and then steeped 8
pints of pureed fresh Strawberries in the Wort after boil.
As the Cats Meow recipe suggested I added a few tablespoons of Pectic Enzyme
to the primary fermenter to aid clearing. I also used Gelatin Finings
(for the first time) on this batch since it still a little cloudy after ~ 2
weeks in secondary. It appears to be clearing well in the bottles,
but has a lot of sediment on the bottom.
The beer did turn out very well, a very pronounced Strawberry smell, and a
pleasant Strawberry flavor. The only problem was the the primary
fermentation looked really bad with all the chopped up strawberries and
sludge floating around in it.
(I received more than a few comments about what it looked like ;^>).
Jim Kent Ericsson GE
P.S. This post did not really come from Sweden!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 10:30 MTS
From: Chuck Coronella <CORONELLRJDS@CHE.UTAH.EDU>
Subject: Peach wine/beer?
My brother's got some peaches, and wants to make wine. Suggestions anybody?
OTOH, I like fruit beers, so maybe I'll snag some of his peaches to make me a
peachy brew. Has anyone ever made beer with peaches? Reactions?
Thanks,
Chuck
------------------------------
Date: 09 Jun 1993 09:09:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Philip Atkinson 356-0269 <PATKINSON@galaxy.gov.bc.ca>
Subject: Old, old ale
Last week I did the weeding thing around the garden and
discovered an enourmous alecost plant in the herb patch. Well,
it's just too tempting to pass up so I'm going to have a bash at
brewing with it. Has anyone tried it as a bittering medium? I
don't know anyone who was around in the fifteenth century and
the leaf I tasted was very bitter but much more like wormwood
than hops. Wormwood is the characteristic bitterness found in
many aperitifs like Campari and Cinzano Rosso. Please E-Mail
direct if you can help or are interested. I'll post the results
when its all done.
Waes hael
Phil Atkinson
Victoria, BC
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 09:53:32 -0700
From: Richard Stueven <gak@wrs.com>
Subject: Re: headaches
>From: Jonathan G Knight <KNIGHTJ@GRIN.EDU>
>
>Does anyone else have experience comparable to this? Anyone get headaches
>from homebrew? Is my non-headachy homebrew due to my use of the blow-off
>method (that ought to be good for some lively dialogue!) or is it common for
>homebrew not to cause headaches anyway? Could I be allergic to the
>preservatives in commercial beer?
Here's a data point, for what it's worth...
During the 1991-92 Sharks season, the best beer they served at the Cow
Palace was Meister Brau. (Insert trendy umlauts as needed.) While
it's certainly not the best beer in America (oops, apologies to Mr.Koch
and his lawyers) I generally put away four or five or six large cups
(at $4.50 a throw) during a game.
During the 92-93 season, they replaced Meister Brau with Miller Genuine
Draft, got rid of the large cups, and sold the small ones for the large
price. Half a cup of this stuff gave me a ripping headache, so I drank
7-Up at the games last year.
Next season in the new "Your Company's Name Here Arena at San Jose",
we'll be drinking Gordon Biersch beers, which I'll guarantee are
headache-free.
have fun
gak (The Go Man...GO SHARKS!)
Richard Stueven, Castro Valley CA
gak & gerry's garage, brewpub and hockey haven
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 10:00 PDT
From: shane <DEICHMAN@perch.nosc.mil>
Subject: Strawberry brews
Scott (swisler@c0431.ae.ge.com) described in the latest HBD
his experience with adding strawberries to the secondary, and
mentioned the cloudy results. I've never tried adding
strawberries to my fermenting brew, but I have made
strawberry-flavored vodka (as well as kiwi, raspberry, and
blueberry). The hard, non-pulpy fruits (like blueberry and
raspberry) worked best, straining out with no residue or
precipitate left in the vodka; strawberries left a pulpy haze
which coagulated when left in the freezer.... Of course, the
taste was quite good (Stolichnaya, da? :-)
vr/ shane
<deichman@perch.nosc.mil>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 12:32 CDT
From: korz@iepubj.att.com
Subject: Re: Malt and Hops/Dispensing Pressure/Beers and Headaches *THEORY*
Chuck writes:
> 1. What is the difference between caramel and crystal malt. When
> would I use/not use them.
They are the two names for the same type of malt, one that, while still
wet from germination, has been warmed into the saccharification temperatures
and effectively "mashed in the husk." Crystal (or caramel) malts add some
residual sweetness (via the added unfermentable sugars that they provide),
some caramel-like flavor, some color (depending on the darkness of the
malt) add a bit of body and increase your head retention a bit. There
are certain styles for which a lot of crystal malt is not appropriate
(like IPA) and some that require it (like Bitter). In general, consider
the style you are trying to target with a batch and think about whether
it has some caramel-like sweetness. If it does, add 1/2 to 2 lbs of
crystal malt. Crystal malts come in various darknesses, the lighter ones,
of course add less color and caramel flavor, the darker ones more.
> 2. The lower leaves of my Centennial (and Mt. Hood to an extent)
> hop vines are turning a yellowish color. Can anyone help out
> here as to what is happening, is it bad, and how do I stop it.
> I live in the Boston area.
Check a general gardening book (I don't have mine here and I don't recall
what yellowing leaves indicates). However, hops are one of the few plants
that require Magnesium, a shortage of which will cause the hop leaves to
turn lighter green between the veins, then yellow, then eventually brown.
I've been using MgSO4 (Epsom Salts) for adding Mg, but I don't know if
this is the best thing to use. I've been adding about 1/2 tablespoon to
each hill every two weeks.
*************************
Cisco writes:
>Subject: Calculating Proper Dispensing Pressure
>One last point is that you should keep your CO2 tank at room
>temperature - not in your cooler. If you keep the CO2 tank in the
>cooler the CO2 can not form a gas and remains in a liquid state
>feeding into your beer and eventually it will overcarbonate it. Read
>the dial that states internal tank pressure and when it is stored in
>a cooler you'll notice that the dial indicator is in the red zone,
>take it out and let it sit at room temperature and the dial will move
>above the red zone indicating that the CO2 is allowing gas to form
>from the liquid.
First of all, I'd like to say, that was great post. Secondly, I'd
like to mention that I've had no problems with keeping my CO2 tank
in the cooler. Sure, the high-pressure side is considerably lower
than if I leave the tank out at room temperature, but who cares if
the high-pressure side of the regulator is getting 200psi or 400psi?
As long as the the low-pressure side is at 13.5 or whatever, we're
happy.
***********************
Jonathan writes:
>The other reason I don't want to do this - and the reason I stopped after two
>Extra Golds - was that I got something I don't remember getting in a long
>time: a headache! Now, I normally just have one homebrew a night. Helps me
>sleep well, and makes me get up on time when I have to go to the bathroom.
>On occasion I have indulged in two or more homebrews at a time, and I have
>gotten warm fuzzies, or even been a little drunk - but no headaches. (I
>don't think I can compare my experiences with really "good" commercial beer,
>because it tends to be so expensive I consider it a waste to overindulge in
>it - I hardly ever have more than one at a time).
>
>Does anyone else have experience comparable to this? Anyone get headaches
>from homebrew? Is my non-headachy homebrew due to my use of the blow-off
I have a theory on this. Just for the record, the first (and last) time I
had Coors Extra Gold, I got a splitting headache. I've never gotten one
from my own homebrew. I had thought that certain beers gave me headaches
and certain ones didn't. Then, after a long break from a particular Belgian
beer that I had often enjoyed without a headache, I had one, just one and I
got a headache from it. Beers that have given me headaches include Bud,
Lowenbrau (US), Leinenkugel and Samuel(tm) Adams(tm) Boston(tm) Lager(tm).
Here's my theory: Each brand of beer has a considerable amount of ethanol
and smaller amounts of higher alcohols, in different proportions. I
theorize, that if the human body has not dealt with a particular higher
alcohol for a while, it has trouble with it and you get a headache. Once
you get used to it, it doesn't bother you, unless you don't have any for
a while.
Comments?
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 93 12:34:00 PDT
From: "Goodman, John" <Goodmjo@hvsmtp1.mdc.com>
Subject: hbd subscription
I would like to receive the hbd. My address is: goodmjo@hvsmtp1.mdc.com
Thank you,
John O. Goodman
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 10:37:49 -0800
From: pohl@unixg.ubc.ca (Derrick Pohl)
Subject: Headaches from Industrial Brew
In HBD # 1159, Jonathan G Knight <KNIGHTJ@GRIN.EDU> writes about getting
headaches from industrial beer of the Bud/Miller (or in Canada,
Molson/Labatt's) variety. I can only say yes, yes, yes, I concur exactly.
It's one of the best reasons to go for natural brews, either homebrewed or
commercial. Another thing that I find happens with industrial beer is that
I always get stuffed up after a few bottles. Anybody else find that? And
of course, there's no comparison in the hangover department: industrial
brew is a virtual death-sentence for the morning after a bout of extreme
indulgence. I truly do not think these are placebo effects, but I would be
perfectly willing to participate in a properly conducted double-blind
experiment if someone is willing to buy the beer!
- -----
Derrick Pohl (pohl@unixg.ubc.ca)
UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies, Vancouver, B.C.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 12:10:52 PDT
From: John Cotterill <johnc@hprpcd.rose.hp.com>
Subject: How Long do Hops Float?
I currently dry hop during secondary fermentation in a soda keg. My hops are
placed into a hop bag that is dropped into the keg. I want to get away from
using the bag. However, since I do not have a filter in the bottom of the
keg, and don't want to add one, I am concerned that the hops will clog the
dip tube in the keg. This assumes, however, that they sink to the bottom
of the keg during the 7-10 days they spend in the secondary. So how long
will they float?
Thanks,
JC
johnc@hprpcd.rose.hp.com
------------------------------
Date: 10 Jun 1993 03:03:02 -0600
From: "Manning, Martin P" <manning#m#_martin_p@mcst.ae.ge.com>
Subject: Source of Hop Util. Numbers
If I remember correctly, the data given by Rager in Zymurgy (Special Hop Issue)
as base hop utilization was actually derived from Eckhart's Essentials of beer
Style. Rager merely sketched a line through the three broad ranges of time and
temperature given by Eckhart, and said as much in his article. So, really, most
of the blame for the current numbers should go to Eckhart. In any event, we
still need to have some one get some real utilization data from actual small
scale runs.
I don't think the source of the gravity adjustment equation in Rager's article
was given, though. Glenn Tinseth's catalog (Thanks, Glenn, nice job!) gives a
different equation. The reference gravity is 1.040 vs 1.050, and the adjustment
is not a function of the base utilization (boil time) as is Rager's. Maybe
Glenn (and/or Mark Garetz) could shed some light on the sources and differences
between these adjustment factors.
Also on this subject, I would like to coin a new unit, the EIBU, for Estimated
IBU. Since IBU's, strictly speaking, must be measured in the finished product,
what we are doing with calculations like the above is estimating what (we hope)
the IBU's will be. Presently, recipes which give bitterness in IBU's are
stretching the truth a little.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 15:42:37 -0400
From: jpgareri@acs.bu.edu (Joseph Gareri)
Subject: Wheat Berry Review
Monday night, I bottled Tom Childers' Wheat Berry that appeared in HBD 1144.
This is one of the nicest tasting beers I've ever had. It has a nice
assertive berry taste to it and a good balance with the hop bitterness.
The wheat is evident, but is definately taking a back seat to the berries.
I had to modify the recipe a little because I was unable to get light wheat
DME. For those who missed it, here is the recipe again.
for 5 gallons:
5.5 lb light dried wheat malt extract *
1.5 oz Hallertauer or Northern Brewer (boiling), 7 HBU
.5 oz Halleertauer Hersbrucker (finishing), 2-3 HBU
24-36 oz frozen raspberries
16 oz frozen blackberries **
1 tsp vanilla extract
Belgian ale yeast (Wyeast 1214)
* I used 7lb Briess Weizen extract (65% wheat/35% barley)
** I used 1 pint fresh blackberries
Thanks Tom again for a great recipe.
Does anyone have any other recipes using fruit? Last summer, Boston (no TM)
Beer Works had a great watermelon ale that I was thinking of giving a try.
I'm considering doing a peach something later in the summer when the peaches
are ready. Any recipes would be greatly appreciated.
Joe
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 13:35:58 PDT
From: "jhutchin.US1" <jhutchin@us.oracle.com>
Subject: Texas Microbreweries
GF & HBD
I am a recent Texas transplant from the Milwaukee and Chicago area. I started
homebrewing when I moved since good micro beer is not available and pub brews
are not legal in Texas.
I buy (when my homebrew is gone) Celis bock and Westend Aussie lager but Texans
need ALE!!
Is there a "grassroots" organization loggying Texas legislature to change the
awful anti PUB BREW laws? Sign me up.
J.Hutchinson
jhutchin@us.oracle.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 13:42:25 PDT
From: "jhutchin.US1" <jhutchin@us.oracle.com>
Subject: Best San Fran pub brews
HBD
I will be traveling to San Francisco and want to know the BEST brew pubs and/or
microbrewers in Northern CA. Also how does noe get a tour of Anchor Steam
Brewer (a real tour) during the months of June and July?
J.Hutchinson
jhutchin@us.oracle.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 93 18:21:11 EST
From: Jonathan Crawshaw <UGU00029@vm.uoguelph.ca>
Subject: Technical Brewer magazine
Greetings:
Does anyone have an address for Technical Brewer magazine, so that I can
get a sample copy? Are there any other magazines out there that people
feel are useful or interesting, or possibly both?
Spencer Thomas asked how he could collect yeast from his primary fermenter and
keep it sterile or as uncontaminated as possible. I would suggest that he keep
his yeast in a plastic container that can be sterilized with chlorine or someth
ing. Before he uses it, it can be acid-washed with food grade phosphoric acid.
You take the ph down to 2-2.3 by adding acid to the yeast slurry. If you go to
o low, you can add water to buffer the ph back up again. Leave the yeast like
this for two hours and then pitch it. Acid washing seems to be either liked or
disliked by people, and can be controversial to some.
Hope that this helps.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 17:45 CDT
From: fjdobner@ihlpb.att.com
Subject: HEADACHES!
>Jonathan Knight writes:
>Does anyone else have experience comparable to this? Anyone get headaches
>from homebrew? Is my non-headachy homebrew due to my use of the blow-off
>method (that ought to be good for some lively dialogue!) or is it common for
>homebrew not to cause headaches anyway? Could I be allergic to the
>preservatives in commercial beer? At any rate, now I remember why back in my
>youth (creak) I had such a hard time getting drunk on beer. Two or three
>bumilloorses and that was about all I could stand. Of course, maybe even
>back then my palate was crying out, "no, not that swill, please -- get me
>some real beer you dolt!!"
I have very recent experience with this subject. Saturday night I was at a
wedding in Bloomington, Illinois. Nothing but Bud and Miller Lite. Believe
it or not, attendees at the wedding actually had preferences! I had way more
than I usually do (about 7). The next morning when my one year old woke
up at the usual 4:45 am my head was pounding like a pile driver. Two Tylenols
helped but commercial jiz is what kept me from drinking a lot when I did
not know any better. I do not always use a blowoff for my homebrew and still
do not get as severe headaches. But I also do not drink 7 usually. Maybe
the headaches were from the Pirodi cigars we were smoking. Who knows?
The palate pays dearly in this country of ours.
I love homebrew.
Frank Dobner
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 21:31 CDT
From: arf@genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
KEGVIEW (tm)
No, it's not a downscale housing development for Bubba but KEGVIEW is an easy
to install level indicator for Cornelius type kegs.
Tired of a blast of gas, just when you get the C-P bottler all hooked up?
Have to give that keg a little shake to see if there is enough left to take
to that party?
With KEGVIEW installed on your kegs, you need not guess, shake or weigh your
kegs to find out what is left.
Email for more info,
JSP
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 18:18:23 PDT
From: nexgen!bart@daver (Bart Thielges)
Subject: Questions for the Oracle
I'm new to this forum, so please accept my apologies if my questions seem
ignorant or redundant.
1) Is there an inexpensive source of malt extract in the USA ? Part of what
piqued my interest in homebrewing was the low price of canned
malt extract in England (~$5-7 USD). Prices are about double
here. I'd be willing to purchase large (50 lbs. or so) bulk
quantities. I realize that mashing from grain is the
cheapest, but I'm not ready for that yet.
2) Is there a market for used small scale brewing and kegging equipment ?
I've checked our local newspaper want ads, the local home and
microbrew newsletter ("The Celebrator"), and stores which sell
used restaurant equipment with no luck. In particular, I'm
looking for a used CO2 bottle, regulator, and hoses. Ultimately,
SOMEONE must want to get rid of their old equipment.
3) I'd like to experiment with adding different sugars to my wort,
particularly brown sugar or molasses. Has anyone tried these ?
Any recommendations on quantities to try ? How about other
sugars and their effects ? Anyone tried dissolving a pack
after dinner mints into their wort ? Just kidding about
the last one !! You can stop grimacing now.
4) I realize that sterility is very important. All of the procedures
that I've read mention that during racking, a siphon should
be used to transfer the fermented wort. However, I have
yet to figure out how to start a siphon without getting my
mouth on the end of the hose. One procedure even specified
"suck on the open end of the hose until you get a mouthfull
of beer." Even though I brush twice a day, I still worry that
I might contaminate through this contact. Is there any way to
start a siphon without risking the contamination ? Or am I
just being too paranoid ? Will my batch be ruined ? And how
do you know that the light in the fridge goes out when you close
the door ?
OK, so now it must be obvious that I'm a neurotic miserly penny pinching
flake. What variety of beer would best fit my personality ?
Bart Thielges
daver!nexgen!bart
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 23:21:49 -0800
From: adoval@stmarys-ca.edu
Subject: Brewing Supplier in Fairbanks Alaska?
Could anyone out there inform me of what is available in the way of brewing
supplies and/or advice, support groups, etc. in the vicinity of Fairbanks
Alaska?
Thanks!
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1160, 06/10/93
*************************************
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