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HOMEBREW Digest #1236
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 93/09/29 00:23:09
HOMEBREW Digest #1236 Wed 29 September 1993
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Keg Purging w/ CO2 ("Robert H. Reed")
decoction (not again!), SN Pale Bock ("Moore, Brian")
my method of purging O2 from a cornilius keg (28-Sep-1993 1141 -0400)
Specialty Malts/Hot Side aeration-oxidation (COYOTE)
AHA Membership dues and kegging. (Bill Sadvary)
RE: "Beer" translations (John Mare)
First All Grain (Ed Oriordan)
Chicago Area Brew (Michael Howe)
PVC/DWC Tubing - Food Grade? (Michael Ligas)
PVC/DWC Tubing - Food Grade? (Michael Ligas)
forced carbonation ("Anton Verhulst")
Bottle corbonation/mash temp/blowoff tubes (Ed Hitchcock)
Raspberry Stout (todd royer)
DME vs. Dextrose - scum ring in bottle (Scott James.)
Dry hopping, bottle carbonation (Charles Anderson)
more cherry juice stuff... (jay marshall)
Pete's Wicked Ale Extract Recipe (Mike Lemons)
Good Receipes Please :-) (ANDREW GRANT)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Brewers Festival (perryengle)
Yeast Hydration (Geoff Reeves)
Re: Automatic hydrometer ("Christopher V. Sack")
Thanks all! ( PAUL N HRISKO)
shipping beer (RF61384)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 10:59:14 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Robert H. Reed" <rhreed@icdc.delcoelect.com>
Subject: Keg Purging w/ CO2
cook@cdhf2.gsfc.nasa.gov writes:
> This raises a question: what procedures are people using for purging keg
> headspaces? My usual practice when I don't have amnesia is to hook up the
> gas supply with the keg lid ajar, open the gas valve halfway and let the
> CO2 run into the tank second or two, then pull the lid shut.
>
> When people say "purge the headspace," what procedures are you following?
>
I purge the keg prior to racking into it by filling the keg with CO2
and opening the vent in the lid. I repeat this several times. Then
I rack into the keg with gas still attached to receiving keg (2-3 psi) to
ward off the demons of beer oxidation. One can also rack into the keg
using the liquid out connector with the appropriate fittings. You will
have to bleed the gas out of the receiving keg as it fills with beer.
When complete, I pressurize the keg to 10-15 psi, vent and re-pressurize
and repeat 3 or 4 times. *Another* useful technique to exorcise the demons
of beer oxidation is to use the two-hole (orange) carboy cap at racking
and force LOW pressure CO2 into one hole (the side hole) to start the siphon.
After the siphon has started, loosen the carboy cap and maintain a low
flow rate of CO2 to keep a blanket of CO2 on the beer until you're done
racking.
- --
***********************************************************************
**** Rob Reed Internet: rhreed@icdc.delcoelect.com ****
**** IC Design Center Delco Electronics Corporation ****
***********************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 10:04:00 PDT
From: "Moore, Brian" <Moorebw@hvsmtp1.mdc.com>
Subject: decoction (not again!), SN Pale Bock
Hello all,
I've been an HBD reader for a few months now, but this is my first writing
adventure. I
know the decoction discussion has come and gone, but it did inspire my buddy
and I to
try it. Although slightly intimidated by the 23 step process, possible
divorces, etc., we
leapt right in. It all started yesterday...
We started just as we would for a temperature controlled mash. Infuse about
10 quarts
135 F water with 10.5 pounds grain (9 # Belgian Pilsener Malt, 1 # Belgian
Munich Malt,
and 1/2 # Crystal Malt (30 L)) into a 10 gallon cooler equipped with a
copper sparge
manifold. We hit our protein rest temperature of about 125 F. We held this
for about
thirty minutes then pulled our first decoction (about 1/3 of the total
volume, mostly
grains). Our plan was to slowly heat this on our propane cooker to about
155 F. It was
then we realized that the words "slowly heat" and "propane cooker" do not go
together
well. After an almost instantaneous local boil, we moved the decoction
inside to the
stove. Here we were somewhere between 140 F and 160 F for about 30 minutes.
Figuring this would be okay, we proceeded to boil for about 20 minutes. We
slowly
added this back to our mash.
Our mash came to a temperature of about 140 F and stayed firmly there.
After a few
boiling water infusions and another small decoction, we managed to get all
the way to
152 F. Cautiously optimistic, we let it mash for about and hour and a half.
Our iodine
tests never showed complete conversion (maybe because of grain particles in
the
sample?). We pulled our final decoction (all liquid, about 2 gallons) and
heated it to boil
quickly on the propane torch. Once added back, we began our sparge with
about 4.5
gallons of water. This went fine (sparged till runnings were about 1.010),
as did the boil.
We cooled the wort using an immersion chiller and racked off some
brilliantly clear
wort. Total time was about 8 hours.
Our original gravity was 1.044. This gives an extraction of about 21
pts/lb/gal (I think).
This is a bit lower than my typical extraction for a temperature controlled
mash (about
25 pts/lb/gal).
My questions are these:
1. Was my extraction so low because of incomplete conversion or some other
reason?
2. Was my temperature control a factor? If so, how do others out there
control
temperatures more precisely?
3. Should my first decoction have been bigger?
4. Does anyone out there have a good recipe to duplicate the Sierra Nevada
Pale
Bock? My wife really likes it and since she gave me no grief about this
decoction
mess...
Sorry about the length and TIA for the info.
Brian Moore
<moorebw@hvsmtp1.mdc.com>
________________________________________________________________________
No cool sign off thingy here
________________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 08:48:45 PDT
From: 28-Sep-1993 1141 -0400 <ferguson@zendia.enet.dec.com>
Subject: my method of purging O2 from a cornilius keg
I connect the gas to the liquid poppet, then, while holding the pressure
relief valve up, i crank on the gas. you can hear the co2 bubble up. i
do this for maybe 10 or so seconds. then i pressurize to about 5-7 psi,
check for leaks, then let it condition.
jc
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1993 12:56:04 -0600 (MDT)
From: COYOTE <SLK6P@cc.usu.edu>
Subject: Specialty Malts/Hot Side aeration-oxidation
>Many of the specialty grains are used
> to make extract beer taste like grain beer and offer little to the all grain
> brewer. The problem is sorting out the ones that are useful.
>The most obvious are the color malts for obvious reasons. The next would be
>the roasted malts for that roasted flavor.
>Beyond that, I run out of gas. I can't taste any of the others when added to
>by beer in the usual amounts and prefer to change the base malt. Please
>note that I said "I can't taste" and presume that those who can will fill in
>the blanks.
>
>js
Ok ok. We all have our opinions. Jack your approach reminds me of a
brewing friend here who won't budge from his tried and true methods.
Despite all the renovations and improvements my brewery has gone through
much in part due to major learning/ideas/creations developed from net
knowledge. His brews are all made from the basics:
Pale malt, crystal malt, the three dark malts (choco/roast/black)
He basically rotates between: Pale, golden, amber, stout.
It works for him. He likes his beer.
Me...I adventure. I've tried most anything, from pumkin to pepper, to
vast arrays of fruits and spices. Plus...a number of specialty malts.
Yes they add color and flavor. They can give an extract brewer a grainier
taste. But many of them will perform best in the presence of mashing
enzymes. to an extracter they may just lead to starch and haze.
Here's some examples of ones I use and why (I've been all-graining for
about 4 years now, so I've tried a couple along the way...)
Basics: Pale malts, 2 row, 6 row. Basic mashing enzyme power- fermentables
Vienna 2 row. A slightly darker maltier base malt. Good for ambers
Munich malt. 2 or 6 row, depending on supplier (see discussions)
A bit darker still, has enzymes. Good in strong lagers styles.
Crystals. The whole shlew of lovibond ratings. Use em all. 10-120.
Don't just settle for generic "crystal". Get the rating, try high and
low. I don't think I've ever made a beer w/o crystal. The higher
end add a particularly nice heavier maltiness to mid-color brews.
Specialties worth trying (IMHO of course) Use .5-3 #/5 gallons
Victory. Adds a nutty/roasty flavor, but MUCH more subtle than
the dark malts. Great for a nut brown, or vienna
Dextrine. Want the full body mouth feel in your stouts? That sweet
chewy kind of character you find in a good full porter.
Wheat. Go 50/50 for a real wheat beer, or just a touch to add some
serious head retention. I usually toss in a few cups for fun.
Rye. A bit more unusual. Not for everyone. Adds a red tone.
Try some DARK crystal with about 30% rye in a golden/amber brew.
It has an unusual flavor. Sort of "bitey" , tart almost.
Hard to describe by a nice change of pace. One taster swears by it
Dark malts
Chocolate, Roasted, Black Patent. (These should almost be in the
basics!) I love chocolate. I bought 30 #'s so I'd NEVER run out.
Get to know them separately or in combinations. The battle over which
belongs in porter may never end- black or roast?!!!! Try a full
pound, or just toss in a handful to a "light" beer and see what
happens. Wonderful things come to life. Dark grains are NOT only
for dark beers. A sublte roast taste can do wonders for a pale.
How to get to know specialty malts...Thoughts to ponder.
So many variables, so much beer, so much tasting, and brewing...
Make a lighter beer with just pale and crystal as the base. Add a
slightly oversized amount of the specialty malt. Say 3 or 4 pounds.
see how it Really tastes. Then use it in smaller quantities to your
liking. Do this SEPARATELY with different batches and different malts,
then start to mix and match.
Look to style recipes for what is "appropriate" for a particular style
and go for it. Alternate combinations. Use victory and munich, then
munich and dextrine, then victory and dextrine.
I have gotten to a point where I don't formulate a recipe ahead of time.
I decide on degree of color, and go to my grain room and mix and match
letting the grains speak to me and call out who wants to give their all
to this particular batch. I try to add several but NOT ALL types in each
batch. I've had brews with as much as 10 differnt types of malt. The
resulting flavors can be very complex and perform dances of ectasy on the
taste buds and "brew senses". Then there is the whole world of hop varieties
to play with, but that's another story.
I know there are many other types of malts out there. Belgian and all,
which I have yet to sample. There are certainly differnces between
american 2 row and english 2 row, or lager malts. Worth the prices to
try for that special holiday ferment, or all the time!
NOW A QUESTION: Hot side aeration.
I have not seen Fix's article on this, I was wondering if anyone could
summarize the crux of it for me. The concern is over addind air to a mash
once it's brought up to mashing temp, and then upon sparging and splashing.
I made a copper manifold/rectangular cooler lauter tun ( I love it!)
I added a tube that extends upward at the side away from the spigot.
I can run water through the tubing and sprinkle sparge water gently on top
of the mash with NO disturbance of the grain bed. One idea which came up
was that I could use this tube to set the grain bed. I begin the mash
in my brew pot, get it well mixed then add hot water to bring the temp up
and dump the shlew into the cooler. I can then blow air into the tube at
the top side to mix the contents, allowing the heavier pieces of husk to
settle quickly while anypowder rises to the top. I've had excellent
sparges using this. I've even run the tun dry (got distracted) before
finishing the sparge, so I added more water (underlet) and reset the grain
bed by blowing air in. The bubbles rise from below- stirring all the grain
and bits upward. As they re-settle the heavies drop first and the bed
is re-set. With this setup I don't see how I could ever have a stuck
sparge.
But what damage can be caused by bubbling air through a mash?
I know that boiled hot wort is subject to oxidation reactions, but we're
talking about a fair few degrees cooler here. Do other mashers out there
take efforts to avoid splashing the wort upon sparging? I stick
a spoon in the line of flow to let the wort travel down the spoon
rather than through the air splashing into the collecting vessel.
Any knowledgable info on this, or personal experiences would be welcomed.
Thanks in advance. Good brew to you all.
************** John (The Coyote) Wyllie SLK6P@cc.usu.edu ******************
PS: Pumkin beer is on the way. Gotta do that seasonal thing. Hmmm
full moon is on the way. The carma may lead me to it!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 11:47:43 edt
From: Bill Sadvary <SADVARY@DICKINSON.EDU>
Subject: AHA Membership dues and kegging.
I have an old issue of Zymurgy (1991) and the Application to join the AHA
list a $25 one year membership fee and a $45 fee for two years.
Are these the current fees? I'd like to join.
-Bill Sadvary
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 10:10:06 -0600 (CST)
From: John Mare <cjohnm@ccit.arizona.edu>
Subject: RE: "Beer" translations
The Afrikaans word for beer is "bier" not "oke" as given. "Castle" &
"Lion" biere are the most common, "Windhoek Export" in my view the best. I
will be testing the "biere" in Windhoek and Durban in the next few weeks!
Gesondheid!
John of John's Alehouse, Tucson, AZ.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 13:43:25 -0400
From: edo@marcam.com (Ed Oriordan)
Subject: First All Grain
I am slowly preparing for my first all grain batch, and would like to ask
a few questions on my proposed recipe. I am going for a kind of Pete's
Wicked or dark pale ale (this is somewhat of a conversion of my standard
extract brew). 5 gal batch size.
8 lbs 2-Row Amreican
1/2 lb Crystal
1/2 lb Cara-Pils
1/4 lb Chocolate malt
1 oz Norther Brewer (bittering)
1 oz Cascade (finishing)
1056 WYeast American
Q1 - I am planning a single step infusion. Is 2-Row American the
grain I should be using? If not, what and why?
Q2 - Should I be using more than 8 lbs? Should I use 9 lbs?
Q3 - I have used crystal and chocolate in the past, but never Cara-Pils.
Is there anything I need to know? I am using it for body (is this a waste
for a single step infusion?) Should I use more than 1/2 lb?
Q4 - Do all four grains require the same grind? I have my own mill so I can
adjust it? Are they all about the same grain size?
Q5 - I am planning on mashing the Cara-Pils and 2-Row and adding the crystal
and chocolate at mashout time, is this correct?
If anybody could give me a hand I'd appreciate it.
Later I'll post what I am planning for the actual brewing procedure if that's
OK.
Thanks
Ed O' ----> edo@marcam.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 11:27:13 -0600
From: Michael Howe <howe@gwl.com>
Subject: Chicago Area Brew
Hello all,
This is yet another request for local brewpub information. I am planning
a trip to the windy city in about a week. Busy days and free evenings will
allow me to visit a few local brewpubs. Are there places that are not to
be missed? I will probably be staying on the north side of town (i.e. Evanston)
if that is any help. I would retrieve the brewpub list myself from the
archives, but I don't have FTP access. Besides, I am very eager to receive
comments along with the recommendations from the 'locals'.
Thanks in advance,
Michael e-mail : howe@gwl.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 14:25:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Ligas <ligas@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca>
Subject: PVC/DWC Tubing - Food Grade?
To date, I have conducted my mashes in a cylindrical insulated water
cooler (the big orange type) with a false bottom. The system works well as
far as holding a constant temperature, but I have always found it
difficult to stir the mash in a deep and narrow container. Therefore, I
plan to convert a large rectangular picnic cooler into a mash tun for
easier stirring/mixing. Rather than using slotted copper tubing for
drainage, I am considering using either black or white PVC/DWC tubing that
is sealed with either the yellow PVC cement employed in plumbing
procedures, or with silicon sealant (the aquarium type). Now the question:
Is PVC tubing safe for this type of food application?? What about the
yellow sealant? All comments appreciated. Take care.
- ML -
ligas@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 14:25:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Ligas <ligas@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca>
Subject: PVC/DWC Tubing - Food Grade?
To date, I have conducted my mashes in a cylindrical insulated water
cooler (the big orange type) with a false bottom. The system works well as
far as holding a constant temperature, but I have always found it
difficult to stir the mash in a deep and narrow container. Therefore, I
plan to convert a large rectangular picnic cooler into a mash tun for
easier stirring/mixing. Rather than using slotted copper tubing for
drainage, I am considering using either black or white PVC/DWC tubing that
is sealed with either the yellow PVC cement employed in plumbing
procedures, or with silicon sealant (the aquarium type). Now the question:
Is PVC tubing safe for this type of food application?? What about the
yellow sealant? All comments appreciated. Take care.
- ML -
ligas@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 15:30:53 EDT
From: "Anton Verhulst" <verhulst@zk3.dec.com>
Subject: forced carbonation
drose@husc.harvard.edu asks:
> Everyone suggests shaking vigorously to get the CO2 into solution.
> However, this would appear to be at odds with another objective, getting
> the beer to clear. In other words, one is also stirring up sediment when
> shaking. So, once the keg is carbonated, how long does in need to sit.....
I age the beer in a glass carboy and transfer it to the keg when the beer
is perfectly clear. Pressurize the keg, shake it to force carbonate and
it's ready to serve - immediately. If, during the final racking you do
introduce some sediment, the amount is rarely enough to be a factor.
- --Tony Verhulst
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 16:35:34 -0300
From: Ed Hitchcock <ECH@ac.dal.ca>
Subject: Bottle corbonation/mash temp/blowoff tubes
Chris asks:
>Does this imply that bottled beer would carbonate faster if placed
>on its side rather than upright? Anyone have a data point?
When bottle conditioning, the CO2 is being generated in the beer
itself, and comes out of solution to enter the headspace. In a keg, the
CO2 is in the headspace and has to dissolve into the beer. Two opposite
scenarios. In the bottle, the dissolved CO2 and the headspace gas will
tend to find their own equilibrium. In the keg,you start with a low
dissolved CO2 and high head space CO2 partial pressure. If you want your
keg carbonation to mimic bottle carbonation, attach a plastic hose from
your CO2 dip tube down to the bottom of the keg, clamp it at the end, and
punch it full of a million pin holes. Then, start at about 5 psi, upping
the pressure by about 1psi/day for a week. Of course, it's faster just to
shake the kegs....
*****************************
Domenick Venezia asks:
>I have seen little about acceptable temperature drops during mashing.
>There is much about target and strike temps, however I'm looking for
>an indication of how much of a temperature drop is acceptable over the
>course of a mash. So, for a single step infusion with a target of
>153F what is an acceptable temperature drop over an hour? Can one average
>the temp over the mash and then assume that the conversion characteristics
>are actually those found with a mash of the average temp. For example,
>if I start at 156F, and drop to 150F over an hour is it safe to assume
>that I would have gotten the same result with a constant 153F?
I think that if you are trying to maintain a specific temperature,
you're acceptable temperature fluctuation is the precision tolerance of
your thermometer. That said, I think we all have temperature variation in
the mash, and do our damndest to minimize it, unless it is specifically
desired. I tend to pre-heat my oven to 200^F, then turn it off and put in
the mash tun. I get almost no heat loss over a two hour mash that way.
Even this way, though, at teh time I put the tun in the oven the bottom and
middle of the mash may be a few degrees warmer than the top and sides.
To answer your question specifically, if your mash drops from 156 to 150
over an hour, *record* it as a drop of 156 to 150 over an hour. If you
want a mash of 153, either find a way of better insulating the tun, or give
it extra heat boosts every now and again. Sometimes accuracy requires a
little extra work. But then, sometimes you can just pop it in the oven...
***************************
On the subject of blowoff tubes:
Recently I have started following Miller's suggestion, racking off the trub
a little while after pitching the yeast, but before primary fermentation
gets going. This can be tricky, because a good healthy yeast starter will
get going before the trub gets to settle out. What I do is this: My
immersion chiller (planispiral) cools the wort rapidly to under 100^F, but
then slows down, as the temperature differential is decreased. I take the
temperature down to about 80^F, then rack into a carboy (I use the ventury
tube aeration here). I let it cool a further few hours, then pitch the
yeast. I wait another few hours, and rack it off the trub while transferring
to the primary, a 23L carboy, again aerating the wort. When the kraeusen
forms, it is birght, clean, and white. No brown gunge at all. It rises
into the extra headspace the 23L carboy offers, and falls back in, retaining
all those lovely heading proteins. Moral: The brown gunge is from the trub,
and is not a product of the kraeusen. Get to the source of the problem
instead of employing bandaid solutions. If you use blowoff because you
like to ferment in carboys, get a bigger carboy. I you use a blowoff to
remove bitterness, rack off the trub instead.
Of course, if you're happy with your beer, ignore this.
____________
Ed Hitchcock ech@ac.dal.ca | "I'm not from outer space. I'm from
Anatomy & Neurobiology | Iowa. I just work in outer space."
Dalhousie University, Halifax | - James T. Kirk
[Eschew racism. Drink beer from all nations]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 15:41:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: todd royer <royer@ac.wfunet.wfu.edu>
Subject: Raspberry Stout
This past summer I drank a Raspberry Stout in Crested Butte, CO. Does
anyone have a recipe for this brew? Would it be better to use whole
raspberries or raspberry juice? Is Raspberry Iced Tea Snapple brewed the
same way? (just kidding) Thanks in advance for your help.
TODD
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 11:06:14 MDT
From: scojam@scojam.Auto-trol.COM (Scott James.)
Subject: DME vs. Dextrose - scum ring in bottle
Al writes:
> On some of my batches primed with DME, I noticed a sort of floating, "oily"
> scum on the top of the beer in the bottle. Some have written that this is
> similar to the kraeusen ring in the fermenter, but I have reason to doubt
> it. I think it's protein from the DME priming solution. If I'm correct
> in this assumption, it should be remedied by force cooling the DME priming
> solution so that cold break forms and is not added to the priming vessel
> (is left behind). See what I mean about dextrose being easier? Since
> switching back to dextrose priming, I have yet to see this scum in my
> bottles. I would test this theory myself, but since I'm having trouble
> finding time to brew, I would suspect it will take years for this test
> to reach the top of my list. Any takers?
I made a sweet stout recently and primed with M&F light DME. I noticed
a ring around the bottle after 1 1/2 weeks or so. I figured I had infected
the whole batch, but it all turned out excellent! Thanks for posting this
message, Al. Now I have a better feel about that ring. There was also
oily scum in the beer after the head drops :( after 5 mins or so. I brewed
a four gallon batch in a five gallon carboy - little blowoff. But now I
suspect the DME was the culprit, rather than unexpelled krausen.
scott
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 15:12:03 CDT
From: caa@com2serv.c2s.mn.org (Charles Anderson)
Subject: Dry hopping, bottle carbonation
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 93 09:06:00 -0600
> From: Kelly Jones <k-jones@ee.utah.edu>
> Subject: Troubleshoot my dry hopping!
>
>
> Questions:
> Is this simply a temporary bitterness that will soon mellow? Or can
> dry hopping really add noticeable bitterness? Did I over dryhop?
> How many IBU's can/should dry hops introduce?
I did the same thing with my first full mash Pale Ale. I added 1oz of
Willamette to the fermenter, it came out with a great hop aroma, but also
an unbelievable bitterness. BTW I just threw the hops in on top of the
fermenting wort. It took a long time for my bitterness to go away, and
by that time I didn't think the beer was very good. (couldn't tell if
wasn't very good to start with too much bitterness)
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 93 13:05:33 EDT
> From: lyons%adc1@swlvx2.msd.ray.com
> Subject: Accelerating bottle carbonation?
>
> Paul dArmond posted an answer to the question on forced carbonation
> in kegs (HBD #1234):
>
> >3) An upright motionless keg presents the least surface area and thus
> >provides the worst conditions for carbonation.
>
> Does this imply that bottled beer would carbonate faster if placed
> on its side rather than upright? Anyone have a data point?
No because when you are force carbonating the keg, you need the extra CO2
beer contact. When the bottle is carbonating the yeast are producing CO2
in the beer.
-Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 17:06:11 CDT
From: jay marshall <marshall@pat.mdc.com>
Subject: more cherry juice stuff...
Chris and Al talk about the difficulties in finding and using cherry juice
for beer. I too have used the Knudsen's cherry juice, added in the
secondary. I used two quarts and the result was only a slight cherry
aftertaste. The beer was good, but I was disappointed with the low level
of cherry flavor (no metallic taste though!). Adding the cherry juice
kicked off a very strong fermentation and, if I were to do it again, I
would use more juice (or the concentrated version) and reduce the temp
of the secondary to slow down the extra fermentation caused by the new
sugars.
This having been said, however, I don't think I'll be trying the juice
anymore. The last cherry ale I made was done using HopTech's cherry
flavoring, and I was very pleased. One tbsp in the keg resulted in a
wonderful cherry flavor. The beer was a 30% wheat base and hopped using
US Saaz at about 1/2 my usual rate. Incidentally, this beer was very
popular with my non-HBing friends.
Of course, the usual disclaimers about associations with HopTech apply. Just
a happy customer...
BTW, for those interested in finding the pure cherry juice, check out Whole
Foods. That was the only place I could find it.
Jay
marshall@pat.mdc.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 16:26:38 PDT
From: mikel@netlink.nix.com (Mike Lemons)
Subject: Pete's Wicked Ale Extract Recipe
Ingredients for 5 gallons:
6 lb bag of William's nut brown extract: "includes a blend of
pale, victory, crystal, chocolate, dextrin, and other malts"
from Williams Brewing 1-800-759-6025
6 oz of crushed chocolate malt. (Lovibond 350)
1 & 1/3 ounce cascade hops.
1 cup of corn sugar for priming.
Yeast: "Wyeast American/Chico Ale"
Total boiling time: 70 minutes
Hops added : "Cascade" State: "Whole 1992 4.6%" Amount: 0.95oz Boiled for: 70
Hops added : "Cascade" State: "Whole 1992 4.6%" Amount: 0.30oz Boiled for: 10
Initial gravity: 1.043 Final gravity: 1.012
Prepare the chocolate malt in a separate boiling pot containing at least
a gallon of water. Add the chocolate malt to cold water. Raise the
temperature to 170 F. Pour the hot liquid through a strainer into the
main brew pot to remove spent grains.
You probably could substitute a simple pale ale extract with some crystal
malt for the William's nut brown extract.
Tasting Notes: In a side-by-side comparison with Pete's Wicked Ale, the
two beers were nearly identical. The homebrew was preferred because the
roasted-coffee-like flavor component was slightly stronger and much more
persistent in the homebrew. This was probably due to the freshness of
the homebrew. (Who knows how long the Pete's Wicked Ale has been sitting
on a shelf!)
- --
INTERNET: mikel@netlink.nix.com (Mike Lemons)
UUCP: ...!ryptyde!netlink!mikel
Network Information eXchange * Public Access in San Diego, CA (619) 453-1115
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 20:33:41 -0300 (ADT)
From: ANDREW GRANT <AGRANT@mta.ca>
Subject: Good Receipes Please :-)
Hi, I know some of you out there have some really good receipes
for beer. Could some of them either be put into this news letter or
sent directly to me.
Thanks
- --Andrew ;-)
PS. My E-mail is AGrant@mta.ca or ud891@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 20:00:05 EDT
From: perryengle@aol.com
Subject: Portsmouth, New Hampshire Brewers Festival
(Apologies if this has already been posted, or for the late date if it
hasn't)
The Strawbery Banke Grande Olde Portsmouth Fall Brewers Festival will be held
on Saturday Oct 2, at Strawbery Banke, in Portsmouth New Hampshire, starting
at 10 am.
Portsmouth is about 1 hour North of Boston and 1 hour South of Portland, on
I-95. Just take the Portsmouth downtown exit and follow the signs to
Strawbery Banke.
Events include a home brew contest (non-AHA sanctioned), demonstrations by
local suppliers, and samples from the areas micro breweries. There will be
historic re-enactments, family activities and games, and shows including a
Victorian era magician and a recreation of a Women's Temperance League rally.
Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children 7-17, and children under 6 are
free.
For more information call Straw
bery Banke at 603-433-1100
Information for this posting was taken from an article in the Exeter News
Letter, Exeter New Hampshire.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 18:23:11 -0700
From: reeves@lanl.gov (Geoff Reeves)
Subject: Yeast Hydration
Remember a while back we had a discussion about the best liquids for
hydrating yeasts and for starters? The candidates seemed to be wort, sugar
water, or plain water. Does anyone have a copy of those discussions. I know
I can search through old digests but it will save me a lot of time if
someone kept that thread.
My brother-in-law wants do do a research project on beer yeast and thought
he might investigate this question. Are there any other suggestions you all
have for beer yeast research (at the early graduate student level).
Thanks
Geoff
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A brewery is like a toothbrush, everyone should have their own. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Geoff Reeves: Space Science Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| reeves@lanl.gov (internet) or essdp2::reeves (span) |
| Phone (505) 665-3877 |
| Fax (505) 665-4414 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 21:13:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Christopher V. Sack" <cvsack@mailbox.syr.edu>
Subject: Re: Automatic hydrometer
On Tue, 28 Sep 1993, Don Zickefoose wrote:
> computer. What I need is a way of obtaining a hydrometer reading that can be
> modified, or already provides an 8/16 bit output. I'm not sure if there are
> comercially available "electronic" hydrometers, or if what I will have to do
> is attach a carbon strip to the scale of the hydrometer, and read a
> resistance to determine the gravity. If I use the resistance method, I need
I have seen this subject asked before, but I have not yet read of a
workable, ie. inexpensive, solution. The main problem I see is that you
can not attach anything to the hydrometer itself. This would effect the
weight/calibration of the hydrometer. The weight could be compensated for
by recalibrating, but the friction of your proposed "slide wire" resistor
might be enough to cause the hydrometer to stick and provide false
readings. A possible solution to this would be to use a series of photo
receptors that would be uncovered as the hydrometer sinks into the
fermenting beer. This would require a light source opposie the photo
receptors. The resolution would depend on the number of photo receptors
that could be attached to a 3" vertical strip, the average length of the
hydrometer drop from 1.000 to 1.060.
Just a suggestion, for what it's worth.
___ ___
/ ) | / / ) | Christopher V. Sack |
/ | / / | Graduate Student |
/ | / (___ __ __ | Dept. of Chemistry |
/ | / ) __ ) / )| / State Univ. of N.Y. |
/ | / / / / / | / Syracuse, NY 13210 |
(____/* |/* (____/ (__\ (__/ |/ \ <cvsack@lor.syr.edu> |
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 23:14:59 EDT
From: WJCS75A@prodigy.com ( PAUL N HRISKO)
Subject: Thanks all!
A HUGE Thank You to all who responded to my request for brewpubs/microbrews
in the Southwest. I appreciate it greatly and can't wait to check them out.
Paul Hrisko (wjcs75a@prodigy.com)
>When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.-HST<
------------------------------
Date: 28 Sep 1993 23:25:15 -0500 (EST)
From: RF61384%LTUVAX.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: shipping beer
I work at UPS and have rewrapped damaged boxes containing Homebrew
About four years ago a box containing wine broke open and a supervisor
went to check if UPS could ship alcohol. I was told it was ok and the only
time regulations applied is when it is being sold mail order. If its being sold
the purchaser has to be of age and the seller licensed. No restrictions on pe
rson to person.
The best thing to pack it in, in my opinion, is a box lined with one inch thick
styrofoam insulation. Its ridgid so it adds strength to the box wont shift
around, and its cheap and easy to find. Styrofoam popcorn shifts so does balled
newspaper and your bottles wind up against the bottom of the box.
Pack it right - Dont bother writing fragile on the box we dont have time to
read it.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1236, 09/29/93
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