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HOMEBREW Digest #1370
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 94/03/11 00:35:35
HOMEBREW Digest #1370 Fri 11 March 1994
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Info on beer in Sydney (COCKERHAM_SANDRA_L)
IBUs (again) (GNT_TOX_)
ICE (ambroser)
Hop (head) space (Jim Sims)
Boiling hops without malt. (Gerald_Wirtz)
Homebrew supplies / Cream stout recipe ("Evans, Chris")
ups (I'd rather die in a hurricane - then live and miss the storm)
microwave caps (/R=HERLVX/R=AM/U=KLIGERMAN/FFN=KLIGERMAN/)
Ice brew & Alc. % Labelling (Chris Pencis)
Extract effeciency (Corby Bacco)
re: Clear Beer when kegging (Benjamin Woodliff)
Hops Comments - (long, sorry) ("Palmer.John")
Non-Alcoholic Beer ("Palmer.John")
The Beer That Made Idaho Famous (Part 2 of 2) (STROUD)
Beginner Chico Yeast Question (Jack Skeels)
Exotic Brews (Anthony Johnston)
Recipe: Cat Claw Wheat ("Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616")
Recipe Needed for a Molson Clone ("Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616")
What style is a "Kaiser"?? (Jon Higby)
Toronto beer scene ("Thomas J. Ramsey")
Unsuscribe (Habeeb.Mohammad)
Pallpark IBUs (dmorey)
Shipping Bottles: what's the fuss? (evanms)
Brewing Water (Joe Johnson)
Intro and Wort Chilling (Joe Johnson)
Sanitation (Joe Johnson)
Commercial Chocolate Beer (Kurt)
Root Beer Recipe (Don Rudolph)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 08:11:57 -0500 (EST)
From: COCKERHAM_SANDRA_L@Lilly.com
Subject: Info on beer in Sydney
Howdy, Can someone send me private e-mail regarding places to buy beer
in Sydney in the area near the Opera House? My little sister will be
there in a couple of weeks and I am sending her on a beer hunt! :)
Looking for beers like Redback Wheat beer (things you can't get here).
Thanks in advance! Sandy C. (cockerham@lilly.com)
From: COCKERHAM SANDRA L (MCVAX0::RX31852)
To: VMS MAIL ADDRESSEE (IN::"homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com")
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 08:22 EST
From: <GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET@PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: IBUs (again)
Sheesh! I have to start proofing my posts! What I was trying to say
yesterday was that the IBU formula in the HOPS.FAQ file and in
Papazian's book give me completely different numbers as to how much
hops I need to add to get a specific IBU value in my beer. Who's
right? Am I doing something wrong?
Another question. I canned some starter cultures for the first time
yesterday, and they came out really cloudy. Is this normal?
And lastly. I've been reading the recipies in TNCJOHB. They give
hops in oz. and HBU units. Are the HBU units supposed to be the final
bittering of the beer or the amount of hops to throw into the boil?
Knowing utilization is not 100%, these values would be completely
different.
Andy Pastuszak
Philadelphia, PA
INTERNET: GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET@PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU
BITNET: GNT_TOX_@ALLOY.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 08:30:11 -0500
From: ambroser@apollo.dml.georgetown.edu
Subject: ICE
>"Dana S. Cummings" <dcumming@moose.uvm.edu>
>WROTE:
>
>I hate to complain but isn't there somewhere else for the discussion of
>highly commercial, gimmicky mega-brews. MHO :)
VERY CORRECT! Ice beer is "great beer, with no aftertaste!".
%%@$^@$#!! Aftertaste is the reason why you drink beer! You want to taste it!
Next thing you know, someone will start talking about that "alcoholic Perrier"
drink called ZIMA!
Ooops!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 08:41:27 EST
From: sims@scra.org (Jim Sims)
Subject: Hop (head) space
The best area in my yard for growing hops (based on all the good
stuff here) seems to be along a E-W 4-foot high chainlink fence. Will
the (lack of) height of the fence be a problem? Or will the vines just
grow (or be easily trained) along the fence horizontally rather than
vertically?
thanks,
jim
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 8:44 EST
From: Gerald_Wirtz@vos.stratus.com
Subject: Boiling hops without malt.
Is it possible to boil hops alone without any malts, then adding the
strained hop/oil/liquid to the wort?
I want to boil the hops for an hour in a smaller container alongside
my shorter boil time wort.
Thanks - Gerald Wirtz - Stratus Computer
------------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 1994 07:54:26 U
From: "Evans, Chris" <chris.evans@spmail.jsc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Homebrew supplies / Cream stout recipe
Howdy!
I have a couple of questions for everyone out there.
First, I'll be moving to Massachusetts (Concord area to be exact) this spring.
Where is the nearest good source for homebrewing supplies? I'd prefer to stay
outside of Boston if possible ;-)
Second, I'd really like to brew a cream stout close to Sam Adams Cream Stout.
This isn't meant to start a Sam Adams bashing thread, I just happen to really
like this beer. Anyway, if anyone has any recipes, preferably
extract/specialty grain based, I'd really appreciate hearing from you. I'll
post a recap of what I receive.
Thanks in advance,
Christopher Evans
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 09:51:54 -0500 (EST)
From: I'd rather die in a hurricane - then live and miss the storm
Subject: ups
UPS people are always supposed to ask whats in the package
and what it's value is
To be sure its packed right and in case it's damaged and
they have to pay for it
Just give a real general reply
Call the beer Food
They just want something on the form
they don't really care whats in the box
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 09:38:21 -0500 (EST)
From: /R=HERLVX/R=AM/U=KLIGERMAN/FFN=KLIGERMAN/@mr.rtpnc.epa.gov
Subject: microwave caps
There is no problem microwaving bottle caps as long as they are under
a few inches of wate. I haven't done experiments to see what is the
optimal or minimal depth but as long as there is no arching between
the caps and microwave, you have know problem.
Andy Kligerman
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 9:28:36 CST
From: chips@coleslaw.me.utexas.edu (Chris Pencis)
Subject: Ice brew & Alc. % Labelling
I happened to notice something the other day while I was trying to find
something paletable in Miller Light Ice (it tasted, IMNSHO, like an
aluminum flavored club soda with a little bit of hops) - The can had
quite prominently on the side, 5.5% Alc. Now, does this strike anyone
as new, or have I just never, ever, noticed alcohol percentage labelling
on any other beers produced or sold in the states? I know all about the
og labelling and such used in England and on the Continent (thanks to
MJ), however I thought that such labelling was outlawed in the states so
as to prevent some shmucks (like myself in college) from buying the
strongest beers just to get sloshed quickly. Can anyone shed any light
on a possible legislation change here, is this a Texas thing (I wouldn't
be suprised), has Miller got a special permit for this, whats up?
If this is new legislation, I look forward to seeing a little more info
on the bottles of my favorite beers.
Chris
|Chris Pencis-chips@coleslaw.me.utexas.edu-Blue Devil Transplant|
|University of Texas at Austin-Robotics Research Group-Go DUKE! |
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 08:32:33 MST
From: bacco@md.fsl.noaa.gov (Corby Bacco)
Subject: Extract effeciency
Greetings,
I've been having some problems with extract efficiency. My last
batch was a variation of 'Isar Weizen' from _German Wheat Beer_
by Eric Warner. My brew used 8 lbs Wheat (German) and 3 lbs Pale
Ale malt (American) and yeilded around 6.25 gals. Now if I plug
this info into the extractf program I got out of the archives it
gives this output (just for kicks I also checked it against the
numbers given in the recipe):
My beer (6.25 gals) Recipe (5 gals)
- ------------------- ---------------
SG @ 59.00 F: 1.040 (corrected) SG @ 59.00 F: 1.055 (corrected)
Expected Expected
Grain Pounds Yield Grain Pounds Yield
- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
WHEAT 8.0000 39.0000 WHEAT 5.1300 39.0000
PALE ALE 3.0000 36.0000 PALE ALE 2.4000 36.0000
Total SG points: 420.0000 Total SG points: 286.4700
Total lbs grain: 11.0000 Total lbs grain: 7.5300
Expected points: 38.18 Expected points: 38.04
Actual points: 22.73 Actual points: 36.52
Extraction efficiency: 59.52% Extraction efficiency: 96.00%
Now then mine is pretty poor alright and his seems very unrealistic.
So what gives? Is the program off? Is the recipe as written unattainable?
Both? At any rate my extract eff. is low. I checked the P.H. at dough in
and it was ~5.5 (used P.H. papers). Oh BTW, mash procedure was step infusion,
with rests at 122 (1/2 hour), 147 (1/2 hour), and 160 (till conversion,
checked via iodine test), mashout at 170. Sparged with ~6 gals @ 180, last
gal sparged was S.G. 1.010 (temp corrected). I've had this low extract
problem with all my all-grain beers (about 8 to date) and finally decided
to ask for help :) Ideas? Many thanks.
-Corby (in Boulder)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 09:45:55 CST
From: bjw@techsun1.cray.com (Benjamin Woodliff)
Subject: re: Clear Beer when kegging
In HBD #1369, Steve Zabarnick sez:
> I've had trouble obtaining clear beer for the batches that I have kegged
> (in 5 gal Cornelius kegs).
<stuff deleted>
> keg? All of my bottled beers have been crystal clear, so I don't think it
> is due to my mashing and brewing procedure. BTW, I always force carbonate
> in the keg.
Maybe some help. I had the identical problem and it was driving me
CRAZY! I also determined that C-kegs that I'd primed for natural
carbonation served non-cloudy beer, so there was something my method of
forced carbonation was doing to cause the haze. In this case, what I
had started doing was to inadvertently oxygenate the beer during the
kegging process.
Prior to filling an empty keg, it's recommended to gently run a volumn
of C02 into it with the keg lid left unsealed. The CO2 will sink, and
the O2 will be forced out the top and thereby purged. The reason to do
this is so that the beer picks up no oxygen during the tranfer from the
fermentation vessel to the keg. You also want it so that the filled
keg contains nothing but CO2 in the head space. At that stage, you're
safe to agitate and force carbonate the beer.
What I had done led to a certain amount of unpurged air in the head
space or in solution with the beer as it was siphoned in. How much I'm
not sure but apparently enough to do harm. With oxygen still in the
keg, as pressure was applied the unwelcome O2 was forced into
suspension along with the C02. Oxygen in a finished beer produces
conditions favorable for the development of haze and it also
dramatically reduces shelf-life. You likely will not see this
condition happen to bottled beer so readily. Where the head space of
most bottle conditioned beers probably contains some amount of O2,
there is no reason to agitate the bottle or to unnaturally force any
gas into suspension.
Otherwise, I've never found the need to introduce finings into an ale
that's been given a reasonable period of time to mature. I suspect the
reason finings are often used in traditional Brit ales is to allow
these beers to be served crystal clear even though they are often very
young when the first pints are pulled.
Ben Woodliff
------------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 1994 08:17:16 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer@ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: Hops Comments - (long, sorry)
Good Morning Group,
While I am no Hops expert, (yes, yes, thanks for all the agreement), I thought
I would comment on Andy's plea for correct formulas.
Andy, at this time, research indicates that we are not sure there are any. We
do have several approximations, of varying complexity, and time will probably
show that Schrodinger was the closest.
Regarding the Hops FAQ, Norm told me he would be on vacation this week and is
not available for comment. Those formulas are a good approximation, and there
are others that have been posted by several HBD members. I use my own tweaked
version of Rager and Utilization tables. They seem to work consistently for
me.
I would have liked to take up Glenn Tinseth on his experiment, but I just have
the HP15C. ;)
Here are some of my formulas, I apologize for length, but upon reflection,
figured some of the new brewers might appreciate it. It is from a file which I
wrote for a friend a while back.
*THE ALPHA ACID UNIT
The AAU is simply defined as the percentage of Alpha Acids
multiplied by the amount used in ounces. For example, 1.5 oz of
Perle hops (7.5% Alpha Acids) would be equal to 11.25 AAUs. If
recipe specifies an amount of AAUs, the amount of any Hop variety
to be used may be calculated. Usage of AAUs tends to assume a one
hour boil as standard. But, 11 AAUs in a Pilsener is very
different than 11 AAUs in a Stout. The gravity of the beer makes a
big difference in the perceived bitterness of the final beer. This
is where use of the IBU is needed.
*THE INTERNATIONAL BITTERNESS UNIT
The IBU is based upon utilization of the Hop oils, specifically
the Alpha Acids. The Alpha Acids are isomerised into the wort
during the boil at a rate dependent on time. This rate has been
shown to decrease with time, peaking as it approaches 30 percent
after boiling times of greater than one hour.
Hops also contain other aromatic oils which are lighter and boil
off more quickly. To incorporate these Finishing compounds to the
beer, some Hops should be added during the last 15 minutes of the
boil or utilized by Dry Hopping. Dry Hopping does not isomerize
the Alpha Acids, so it does not contribute to the overall
Bitterness character, but does give a nice hop smell and taste.
The equations expressed below take into account the change in
Utilization rate with time and make use of the influence of wort
gravity to that rate.
NOTE: The constant 7489 is for US units; for grams and liters,
use a constant of 1000.
An IBU can be expressed by the equation:
IBU = (Wt * %Alpha * %Util * 7489) / (VT * AG)
Where Wt is the amount of Hops in ounces, Percents are decimals,
VT is the total recipe volume, and AG is the Adjusted Gravity.
*THE ADJUSTED GRAVITY
The Original Gravity (OG) needs to be adjusted if it is greater
than or equal to 1.05. Rager gives the example that if the OG for
a 5 gallon recipe is 1.048, but he's only boiling 2.5 gallons,
then his apparent boil gravity is 1.096, or twice the OG. (That's
twice the 0.048 part) Therefore, the 1.05 condition needs to be
met for partial boils. This is done with the following equations.
We need to multiply the degrees of extract by the volume ratio to
adjust for the boil, then apply a factor of five if the GB is
greater than 1.05. (VT is total vol., VB is Boil vol., GB is Boil
Gravity)
GB = ((VT/VB) * (OG - 1)) + 1
If GB is greater than 1.05,
Then: AG = 1 + (5 * (GB - 1.05))
Otherwise, AG = GB.
*THE UTILIZATION RATE*
Rager originally published Utilization
numbers in the Zymurgy Special Issue on Hops and Beer. These
figures have been critiqued for lack of references and being too
optimistic. Mark Garetz of Hoptech has published other Utilization
numbers based on information from Gail Nickerson of the Department
of Agricultural Chemistry at Oregon State University. She has
published many studies on Hops to the Journal of the American
Society of Brewing Chemists.
Garetz's utilization numbers take into account the effect of the
yeast scrubbing out the isomerized Alpha Acids and other Hop
compounds during fermentation. This factor is expressed in terms
of the relative flocculation rate of the yeast being used. The
faster the yeast settle out, the less time for them to scrub out
the hop compounds. One way to describe this effect is to note the
manner in which bottled beer mellows as it ages. The remaining
active yeast gradually scrubs the harsh edge out of the bitterness
profile.
Additionally, it has been argued that boil times of less than 10
minutes do not allow significant isomerization of the Alpha Acids
to take place. It has also been argued that boil time greater than
50-60 minutes do not accomplish any more utilization. Here are
revised Utilization numbers previously published by Mark Garetz.
Boil Time Rager Avg Yeast Fast Yeast Slow Yeast
<5 min 5% 0% 0% 0%
6-10 6 0 0 0
11-15 8 1 1 1
16-20 10 4 5 3
21-25 12 6 7 5
26-30 15 11 13 9
31-35 19 13 16 11
36-40 23 16 19 13
41-45 27 19 23 15
46-50 28 20 24 16
>50 30 21 25 17
The homebrewer has two choices: a) use the Rager numbers like 90%
of homebrewers do, or b) use Garetz/Nickerson numbers which may be
more real. Its up to you. The difference is not great.
Final Note: Glenn Tinseth noted yesterday that boil times of greater than an
hour have been shown to contribute to Utilization. I consider him to be more
knowledgable than myself, so will take his word for it. But, I limit my boils
to an hour as a matter of time management anyway. I would be greatly interested
to get Utilization data for 60 to 90 minutes though, more data is always good.
Thanks, John Palmer MDA-SSD M&P palmer#d#john@ssdgwy.mdc.com
------------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 1994 08:24:19 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer@ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: Non-Alcoholic Beer
Just one more quick note,
Several people in the last couple weeks have asked how to brew Non-alcoholic
beer. Several months ago, Jack Schmidling posted his method, which I thought
was well done. I have been expecting him to repost it, but he must be busy
cranking out Malt Mills. Email him at arf@genesis.mcs.com for the file.
Jack if you read this, you may want to contact Stephen Hansen at Sierra to add
it to the archives, I think it has wide appeal.
-John
------------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 1994 10:44:48 -0500 (EST)
From: STROUD%GAIA@leia.polaroid.com
Subject: The Beer That Made Idaho Famous (Part 2 of 2)
The is the second half of the article that was taken from the April 1987 issue
of the Foam Ranger's Brewsletter Urquell
***************
The Beer That Made Idaho Famous or How I Mash Potatoes
by Cary Jensen
Part 2
Maintain the temperature of the mash using whatever methods you currently use
until all of the starches have been converted to sugars. Lately this has taken
me between 30 and 45 minutes. Use an iodine test to determine when this
conversion is complete. Sparge as you would do with any other all grain beer,
discarding the spent potatoes, no matter how strong an urge for cooked,
shredded potato you develop during the mashing procedure.
The recipe I have included below, for those who are ready to take the plunge,
requires the use of malt extract in addition to grains. If you wish to make
'Spud' from scratch, replace the 3 pounds of extract with 4-5 pounds of
additional malted grains.
Meister Potato Brau (for 5 gallons)
5 pounds 6-row domestic barley malt, crushed
2.5 pound grade A Idaho potatoes (washed and grated)
3 pounds M&F pale unhopped malt extract
1/3 oz Burton salts
1 tsp. Irish Moss
1.25 oz Hallertauer leaf hops
1 oz Cascade leaf hops
ale yeast
sugar (or whatever) for priming
Mash the grains and potatoes as described above, adding the Burton salts to the
grains in the first step of the two-step mash. When conversion is complete,
sparge with 170 F water. Bring the collected liquor (and additional water to
give ~6 gallons volume) to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the extract
(if used) then return to the stove. Once boiling resumes, add the Hallertauer
hops. Boil for a half hour, then add half the Cascade hops and the Irish Moss.
Boil for an additional half hour, add the remaining Cascade hops and remove
from the heat. Let the wort sit for a couple of minutes to let the finishing
hops steep. If you have the means, achieve a quick cold break with your
favorite method. This is fairly important for a clear potato beer since a good
deal of proteins are present in the wort.
I suggest a two-stage fermentation since the aforementioned proteins will
produce a sizable amount of sediment at the bottom of your primary fermenter.
Rack into a secondary fermenter when active fermentation subsides. Bottle
after another 4 to 12 days, adding your priming material at this time. Wait a
couple of weeks, then enjoy!
One or two caveats are in order here. First, contrary to Charlie Papazian's
description, beer made from potatoes does have a unique character. Although
this may derive from the fact that I do not peel the little spuds before I
shred them, I seriously doubt it. After having made 3 batches of the stuff
over a several year period, I have come to notice a distinctly 'potato' aroma
and taste. I'm not implying that this sensation is unpleasant, just that it
exists.
Secondly, when serving your end result to the unsuspecting do not, I repeat, DO
NOT, tell them what is in it until they say 'Gosh, this is great!!'. Only then
is it safe to reveal your dark secret.
If they say 'Blechhh, what is this sh__', tell them that you found the recipe
in Uncle Bubba's old work jeans after he passed away and that you promise never
to make it again. Tell them anything but the truth. Average people tend to
fly into a violent rage if they think that you have given them 'spoiled' potato
beer.
In fact, though, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by your beers
made with potatoes. I have, and so have others. My first potato beer, Meister
Potato Brau, was awarded a bronze certificate in the AHA Nationals in the
Pilsner category in 1985 and a 3rd place in the Dixie Cup in the Novelty Beer
Category (even though it was, gulp, 18 months old). My most recent attempt,
Spud, took second place in the Specialty Beer category of the Foam Rangers 1987
Club Competition.
So try it, you'll like it. In fact, take it one step further and make a Potato
Stout or a Sweet Potato Stout for that matter. Try a Green Potato Beer for St.
Patrick's Day (use green food coloring, not green potatoes!). Why not try
adding dried potato flakes to your already steeping mash? (I have indeed
considered this interesting twist. Obviously, though, you would not add 2
pounds of flakes since that would be enough to make mashed potatoes for the
entire Houston Astros Baseball team - including seconds. Try a couple of cups
and see where that gets you. Be aware, however, that some consider this
suggestion blasphemy; you are already walking on thin ice using fresh
potatoes)?
But most of all, remember: potato beer is good for whatever ales you!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 12:21 EST
From: Jack Skeels <0004310587@mcimail.com>
Subject: Beginner Chico Yeast Question
Greetings, Oh Collective Consciousness on the Net.
I realize that the answer might be RDWHAHB, but....
I'v had a fermentation going in a batch of extract-based SNPA clone. I used
the SNPA yeast, and have had a good fermentation for over 10 days! But the
head (krauesen) still hasn't gone away. My questions:
1) Is everything okay?
2) Should I keep on waiting until the kraeusen falls back in before I rack?
3) Is this long of a fermentation good or bad, or what?
I realize that this is not a crisis, but I would really like to understand
what's going on....
Thanks much, and good brews to all,
Jack Skeels
JSKEELS@MCIMAIL.COM
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 11:05:03 CST
From: Anthony Johnston <anthony@chemsun.chem.umn.edu>
Subject: Exotic Brews
Following the current thread on unusual alcolholic beverages from around
the world, here is a paraphrased anecdote that appeared in a recent
Chemical and Engineering News (January something or other):
It seems that in the Seychelles Islands, a visiting physician was
puzzled by an epidemic among the locals of various fractured bones and
contusions. Most puzzlingly was that the patients would not talk about
how they acquired their injuries. After winning the trust of some of
the local folk, the doctor eventually learned that these patients were
"moonshiners" of a certain degree. The Seychelles have a very high tax
on alcohol, so to get around this, the locals ferment coconut milk,
while it is still in the coconut attached to the tree. (The article did
not go into specifics, but one could imagine boring a hole into a
coconut and pitching in some source of yeast.) The moonshiners would
then return after a week or so and suck the alcohol out of the coconut,
and every so often fall on the way back down. The local police are hip
to this, but unless the hapless tree climber incriminates themself, they
cannot do anything about it.
Makes me glad that my beers are in my basement, I just can't get much
lower than that. :)
Anthony Johnston
Better Beer through (an understanding of) Chemistry
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 13:08:00 EST
From: "Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616" <wagnecz@PICA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Recipe: Cat Claw Wheat
Here's a recipe for a wheat beer I brewed recently. It has a
golden orange color and a nice tang to it. Enjoy.
Cat Claw Wheat*
15 pounds of wheat malt
10 pounds of pale 6-row malt
1.5 oz. of fresh '93 cascade whole hops
0.75 oz. of fresh '93 tettnanger whole hops
3/4 # Laaglander light DME
Wyeast #3056
1. Make a starter with the 3/4 # of DME and 1 gallon of water. Boil
down to 3/4 of a gallon and cool with an airlock in place. Pitch a
_well puffed_ pack of 3056. Let this go for two days.
2. Preheat the mash chest with a quart or two of boiling water.
Empty preheat water and mash in the grains with about 5 gallons of 140 F.
to hit a protein rest around 122 F. After about ten minutes, withdraw
4 quarts of liquor from the bottom of the mash, bring to a boil, and add
back to the mash. (This was to hold temp., you might not have to).
3. After another ten minutes (20 minutes total protein rest), use about
4-5 gallons of boiling water to hit around 155 F. Hold for 45 minutes.
Additional boiling water can be used if necessary, but should be
avoided if possible. (I like to hold the extra H20 for sparge if
I can). You can also withdraw a gallon at a time, bring to a boil,
and return it to the mash (2-3 times max.) to hold temp. (Yes, I
know that I'm over the 1 qrt./#grain recommendation...)
4. Sparge right into the kettle using 7 gallons of 175 F. water.
Go right to the boil (that's right, no mashout) and skim off the
gray oily foam that comes to the top (subsides after 5-10 minutes).
5. Boil down to 13.5 gallons and add the cascades. Boil for 60
minutes.
6. Turn off heat and add the tettnanger. Let steep for about
15-20 minutes. Run through cooling unit to yield three four-
gallon cuts to three 5 gallon fermenters. OG on my last run
was 1.056.
7. Pitch 1 qrt. of well mixed starter to each fermenter. Ferment
at 70 F. for 2-3 days, until things settle down. Lower temp to
67-68 and ferment for another 11-12 days (total 2 week ferment).
I use the brewcap system (except for stouts!) and tap the yeast
that settles. Final gravity should be around 1.015 to 1.018.
8. Siphon to keg, chill to 45 F. and C02 at 2.6 volumes (30 psi
til it won't take any more, then go to about 17 psi).
9. Bottle and age for at least three weeks. It's good off the keg
right at day 0 but improves mucho by day 21!
Comments:
1. I'm finding more and more uses for Cascades!
2. It's called "cat claw" wheat because of an incident that occurred
while brewing. Both the cat and dog (65#shepard) are allowed to
watch the brewing process but are not allowed to cross the line from
the den into the workshop area. They normally are content to sit side
by side and share the dooorway. For some unknown reason (this batch
smelled particularly good??), a fight broke out and the dog bought
a mean shot from the cat on the nose. I couldn't call it whining
pooch wheat, could I??
3. Don't fear the high wheat to pale ratio as far as a stuck mash drain.
I had no problem whatsoever and even had to slow the drain rate down
so as to not sparge too quickly. (I use a 6' X 1/2" slotted coil
as my manifold).
4. EXTRACT BASED. I've made a good extract based wheat using the same
proportion of hops/time schedule and 3.3 #'s of Northwestern Lq. Extract +
4 #'s of light DME (domestic-Red Bank Brewing). << 5 gallon batch!!!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 13:11:49 EST
From: "Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616" <wagnecz@PICA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Recipe Needed for a Molson Clone
If anyone out there has a good recipe for a Molson Golden Ale clone,
I'd be very appreciative if you could send it to me (or better yet,
post it!). Doesn't matter if it's extract or all-grain, I'm
primarily interested in the hops type, yeast, and specialty grains
used.
Thanks In Advance-
Glen
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 11:37:26 CST
From: unisql!jonh@cs.utexas.edu (Jon Higby)
Subject: What style is a "Kaiser"??
I tried this one on rec.crafts.brewing, but got no responses. Hope someone
in this group can help ....
I was in Pittsburg at the Allegheny Brewing Company and had what they called
a "Kaiser". It was a lager, cloudy white (like a Celis White), highly
carbonated and a good hop flavor (dry hopped or very late boil hops). It was
unfiltered and very tasty. It is one of their specialty beers (not available
year round).
Anyone know what AHA style this would fall into?? Anyone know how to recreate
this one??
TIA,
Jon /
/ Austin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 12:40:19 -0600 (CST)
From: "Thomas J. Ramsey" <tjram@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu>
Subject: Toronto beer scene
I won't waste much bandwidth with this, but I'm going to Toronto on Monday,
(I must be crazy, there's still ice on the ground there and it was 89F here
in Austin last week!) and would appreciate any direct Email info on
brewpubs, good regional beers that might not be available here in Texas, and
all 'round good beer bars
TIA
T.J. Ramsey in Austin <tjram@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 13:41:57 -0700
From: Habeeb.Mohammad@m.cc.utah.edu
Subject: Unsuscribe
Please remove my name from the mailing list.
****************************************************************************
**
* "If I'm going to die, * -Yokoshima from
*
* at least let me die between your breasts!" * Ghost Sweeper Mikami
*
****************************************************************************
**
* "A life of debauchery, I was born for it!" * -Ataru from Urusei Yatsura
*
* * Movie 1: Only You
*
****************************************************************************
**
* "I Just beat the shit out of a deeply * -Bill Pullman from Malice
*
* disturbed serial rapist." *
*
****************************************************************************
**
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 15:35:08 -0600
From: dmorey@iastate.edu
Subject: Pallpark IBUs
Hello everyone,
In HBD #1369, Andy Patuszak asks about IBU calculations. He
says he is confused since there is more than one approximation
availible. He states that a Table of % utilization and HBU for beer
styles would be easier.
Andy, these various formulas are each author's attempt to model
this very table you speak of. I don't have the formula I use with me
or memorized, but if you combine terms, HBU is one of the variables!
We must remember that these equation are only a way to
approximate IBUs, they are our *best guess*. Find a formula you like
and stick with it.
For people who don't want to get envolved with IBUs, I suggest
a simple APPROXIMATION. It will only get you in the *ballpark*. Also
the errors become much greater with boil gravities > 1.050.
IBU = 15 * HBU / GALLONS (assumes full volume boil)
or HBU = IBU * GALLONS / 15
Again this is just a quick and dirty approximation. Sure
there are better ones and more complex, but I use it for quick way to
determine how many IBUs in a recipe that is given in HBUs. It is my
starting point and it seems to work fine.
I do recommend using IBUs since it remains constant for a
given style in any volume, HBUs don't.
==========================================================================
Dan A. Morey | Wine is proof that God loves us and wants to
dmorey@iastate.edu | see us happy. - B. Franklin
Agricultural Process |
Engineer | The same is true for BEER! - Me
==========================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 16:03:52 -600 (CST)
From: evanms@lcac1.loras.edu
Subject: Shipping Bottles: what's the fuss?
About this shipping bottles to competitions... take some advice that I
learned when I was a teenager in traffic court: when 'da judge asked me
if I had had any 'movers' since he put me on court supervision I always
said no. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him and it would only mean
more work for the court. Same with UPS. If you pack the bottles well
(read r. Wigglesworth article in the spring '91 Zymurgy: Packing Your
Beers) than there should be no problem. I just told them that I was
shipping glassware and it was packed extra good. They just smiled and
took my money. Hey, that's what it's all about. . .money. If the bottles
burst enroute, just plead ignorance.
Relax and have a homebrew.
Mark Evans
(I got more important things to worry about... like if the Cubs
will win opening day)
------------------------------
Date: 25 Feb 94 11:03:28 -0500
From: Joe.Johnson@f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Johnson)
Subject: Brewing Water
I'd like to share my experiences with brewing water.
As described in earlier posts, I have been trying to eliminate chlorine in my
brewing water. Since I only boil two gallons of my water I became concerned
about the quality of the other three. I used to purchase three one gallon
jugs of spring water from the grocery store. This worked quite well, except
that I ended up with three large plastic jugs to either recycle or throw
away.
Just recently I purchased a Brita Water Filter system from the local
discounter for about 20-30 dollars. This is a unit with about 2 gallons
capacity through which water is poured into and the water then passes a
de-ionizing filter. According to a leaflet enclosed with the filter it will
do the following: If the influent water has a free available chlorine level
of 2.0 ppm it will be reduced to 0.2 ppm. If the influent water contains 860
particle/ml it will be reduced to 17 particles/ml. If the influent water has
a temporary hardness (as CaCO3) of 210 ppm it will be reduced to 70 ppm.
This is data from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)
The most important technical detail for me is the removal of the chlorine.
>From a subjective standpoint, the filtered water tastes a lot better than my
tap water, so that is a move in the right directions for me. The filters
will handle 35 gallons of water before they should be replaced.
I'm not concerned with hardness removal because I always use some malt
extract in my brewing and I feel that that will provide enough of the
necessary minerals unless I'm doing a pale ale.
That's all for now. I hope this has been of some value. Next time I will
describe how I carry out wort aeration.
------------------------------
Date: 23 Feb 94 13:07:16 -0500
From: Joe.Johnson@f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Johnson)
Subject: Intro and Wort Chilling
I am writing to you through the No Tarmac brewboard of whom John DeCarlo is
the sysop. He is based in Arlington, VA. John is kind enough to provide
copies of the HBD for d/l to one and all at no cost. Thanks, John.
I'm going to take a moment for self introduction. My brewing experience is
of 2 years duration with extract and partial mash extracts. My main goal in
brewing is to maximize the time I spend enjoying my homebrew. I enjoy the
brewing process and learning about it and its associated activities through
HBD, Brewing Techniques and other sources. Simplicity and flexibility are
key in brewing. Also, reducing costs. The less the ingredients cost, the
more I can brew. I enjoy reading the digest. However, I don't spend much
time with the debates on the very fine points of brewing. I think, that I
should contribute something here. For those of you who find my posts of
value, great. For those of you who don't, just scroll on by.
Wort Chilling-------------------
I use a 16 qt. SS brewpot. I put in 2 gallons of water and add my malts
and boil with hops according to schedule for 60 minutes. At the end of 60
minutes I carefully remove my hop bags and replace the lid. I place my
brewpot in my sink along with 4 1 qt ziplock bags. The bags are prepared in
advance of brewing by filling them with 1qt of water and freezing them. I
fill the sink with water until the brewpot just begins to float.
Periodically, I spin the brewpot and change the water in the sink. It takes
me about 15 minutes to chill the wort from just below boiling temperature to
about 100F even in the Summer. The volume of wort in the brewpot is about
1.8 gallons. I pour three gallons of refrigerated water in my carboy and
then add the wort. The temperature of this mixture is about 70F. So in a
very clean and rapid fashion I achieve proper wort temperature. This has
worked very well for me. I plan to post something on my brewing water next
time.
------------------------------
Date: 24 Feb 94 13:45:24 -0500
From: Joe.Johnson@f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Johnson)
Subject: Sanitation
Continuing on with my contributions to the HBD, I'm going to describe the
methods I use for sanitation. I used to use dilute chlorine bleach solutions
in carboys and on equipment. This did not work very well at all. I had a
couple of batches which had off flavors which I can only relate to chlorine
residue. As everything that I have read, says that chlorine and homebrew
don't mix, I've abandoned bleach. I used to use B-Brite and rinse. But, I
think rinsing with potable tap water negates the sanitizing effects of the
B-Brite.
I am now using 70% ethanol. I purchase 190 proof grain alcohol and 80 proof
generic vodka at the liquor store and mix the two. According to my
calculations this produces an 67.5% ethanol solution. To sanitize a carboy,
I pour in 3-4 oz. of alcohol, shake, and let stand. Before I add anything to
the carboy, I drain the alcohol into a cup, and then add my wort or fermented
beer. This has worked without a hitch so far. The alcohol in the cup can be
used to fill an airlock or for sanitizing other equipment.
I also bought an 99 cent spray bottle from the K-mart cosmetics department
which I keep filled with 70% alcohol as well. It is very convenient for
surface sanitizing, especially during yeast manipulations. I recently saw a
post from someone on the HBD who suggested that one obtain "denatured"
alcohol from a lab for home use. I hope this person meant "UNdenatured"
alcohol. The denatured alcohol is rendered unfit for consumption by the
addition of toxic or unpalatable chemicals. SDA-23A alcohol contains acetone
for example and is used topically for cosmetics, especially, nail polish
remover. I think the Merck Index lists all of the grades available.
Next time, I'll share my experiences with brewing water.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 18:04:52 CST
From: Kurt <ZU02357@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU>
Subject: Commercial Chocolate Beer
In between batches of bottled brew, so I had to stop at the grocery the
other evening for a sixpack. While looking for something interesting to try,
I came across "Michael Shea's Black & Tan", which is described on the package
as a union of porter and lager, brewed with dark chocolate. Well, having read
so much about chocolate beers I simply couldn't resist. And, to my suprise,
it actually tasted pretty good. So now that my interest in chocolate brews is
peaked, I have a question for those of you who have tried it:
This beer, brewed with "dark chocolate" was a tad more bitter than I would
prefer. Is is possible to brew with milk chocolate instead, and would this
taste difference transfer to the finished brew and create a slightly sweeter
product? For a 5gal extract batch (with some supplemental grains) what is a
reasonable amount of chocolate to begin with?
Input from you "sweet tooth" homebrewers would be most appreciated; the
more interesting or unusual responses will be summarized and posted.
Thanks...
Kurt
------------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 94 19:20:29 EST
From: Don Rudolph <76076.612@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Root Beer Recipe
For those of you wanting to make rootbeer, try this one out. I haven't tried it
yet,
PLEASE let me know how it turns out. (BTW, my first post to the HBD). Recipe
courtesy of Compuserve Wine Forum, spikenard description courtesy Grolier's
Encyclopedia.
INGREDIENTS:
5 qt water 1/4 oz hops
1/2 oz burdock root, dried 1/2 oz yellow dock root, dried
1/2 oz sarsaparilla root, dried 1/2 oz sassafras root, dried
1/2 oz spikenard root, dried* 1 1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp yeast, granulated
PROCEDURE:
Simmer herbs in water for 30 minutes. Add sugar, stir to dissolve, and
strain into a crock. Cool to lukewarm, add yeast, and stir well. Cover
crock and leave to ferment for about an hour. Bottle and store in a cool
place. Makes about one gallon.
*The American spikenard, Aralia racemosa, of the ginseng family, Araliaceae,
is a plant native to the eastern United States. A decoction of the root was
used by Indians for backache, rheumatoid arthritis, and coughing.
*** Notes included with the recipe: "Root beer extracts, usually in
an amount suitable for five gallons of beverage, are available from
Hires, Schilling, and other herb and spice purveyors. These yield a
drink that's very close in flavor to commercial root beers. Making
your own infusions, however, allows for experimentation and a
distinctive 'house' brew. Ours is less sweet than most."
Source: The Herb Companion, Aug/Sept 1990.
--- Don Rudolph, 76076.612@CompuServe.COM ---
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1370, 03/11/94
*************************************
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