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HOMEBREW Digest #1439
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 94/06/02 00:48:54
HOMEBREW Digest #1439 Thu 02 June 1994
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Nuts (Jim_Merrill)
BUZZ-Off Homebrew Competition (Robert Mattie)
Deodorizing pickle buckets etc. (Ed Westemeier)
broken glass (Tom Lyons)
Bitter taste (Terri Terfinko)
Radical Commercial Concept (Gregg Tennefoss)
Bugs on the Hops! (George Kavanagh O/o)
Re: #2(7) Homebrew Digest #1438 (June 01, 1994) (RSaletta)
Help? Homebrewing in France? (John Oberpriller x7937)
Party Pig ("Rich Scotty")
Food Grade Buckets (Arthur McGregor 614-0205)
Mailing your homebrewed beer ("Justin J. Lam")
Mash Extract (Randy M. Davis)
A NEED FOR MEAD (Robert Pulliam)
Party Pig (Homebrew Digest #1438) (Pierre Jelenc)
RE: Pickel Buckets (AndrewB6)
Re: Party Pig Carbonation (Michael Froehlich)
dunkelweizen all-grain recipe (Spencer.W.Thomas)
Party Pig (Montanoa)
Infusion nit/unfermentables (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Re: Motorized Mash Tun Revisited (and RIMS) (Jeff Berton)
Post (HOTOPP)
question about yeast starter (tfirey)
Ayinger maltiness (Spencer.W.Thomas)
Seattle Homebrew Club (Don Rudolph)
PARTY PIG FOAMING (david.jacobson)
Mashout Necessary? revisited yet again (Domenick Venezia)
RE:force carbonation bad for head? (Domenick Venezia)
Power Stirring (Glen Hathaway)
Color/Carbonation/David_Fisher (David Draper)
Re: Spruce Use (Brian Thorn)
Bentonite, Kitty Litter and other fine things (Tom Clifton)
AHA first round results (Ulick Stafford)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 7:42 EDT
From: Jim_Merrill@vos.stratus.com
Subject: Nuts
Does anyone know of a mail order source for stainless steel
flare nuts and other assorted plumbing / tubing connectors ?
McMaster Carr doesn't carry them.
TIA
Jim Merrill
Jim_Merrill@vos.stratus.com
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 94 21:31:43 ES
From: Robert Mattie <Robert_Mattie%notes@sb.com>
Subject: BUZZ-Off Homebrew Competition
First Annual BUZZ-Off
American Homebrewers Association Sanctioned Competition
WHO Beer Unlimited Zany Zymurgists
Philadelphia Area Homebrew Supply Shops
WHERE Judging will take place at Pisadeli's, Lincoln Court Center,
Malvern PA. Judging sessions are not open to the public.
HOW Entries will be accepted between June 7 and June 19, 1994.
Some regional homebrew supply shops will accept entries during
this period. Send completed AHA registration form, 3 bottles of
beer with an AHA bottle label attached to each bottle, and $5.00
per entry to:
1994 BUZZ-Off
c/o Beer Unlimited
Rts 30 & 401
Malvern, PA 19355
For further information contact:
rmattie@ccantares.wcupa.edu
Beer Unlimited (610) 889-0905 or (610) 397-0666
Dave Houseman (610) 458-0743
Renee or Robert Mattie (610) 873-6607
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 08:36:42 EDT
From: ed.westemeier@sdrc.com (Ed Westemeier)
Subject: Deodorizing pickle buckets etc.
Francisco Jones asks how to deodorize the white 5-gallon food grade
buckets that formerly contained smelly pickles.
Actually, it's easier than you may have thought.
Simply leave them outdoors in the bright sun for a day or two.
The original "oxidizer," the sun will bleach them snowy white
again as well as remove all trace of odor from the pickles.
It's a simple trick that works on other materials as well.
Ed Westemeier
Cincinnati, Ohio
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 05:54:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: tlyons@netcom.com (Tom Lyons)
Subject: broken glass
rnantel@cam.org writes:
>All 24 crashed to the floor. Five exploded sending glass everywhere.
After the
>noise subsided, I realized my left knee was badly gashed. The wound was
to the
>bone and required 16 stitches to close. This could, however, have been much
>worse. I could have been more seriously injured, or worse yet, my
daughter or
>wife could have been struck.
Ditto. I was washing out a recently-acquired glass carboy once, and the
soapy
water had my my hands and the carboy both quite slick. The carboy fell
to the
ground and shattered, sending shards of broken glass everywhere. As it
happened
I was lucky to only receive minor cuts to my feet (I was barefooted, of
course)
but if my two young boys had been standing near me and been cut I would have
had a hard time reconciling my stupidity.
Newly-broken glass is one of the sharpest edges around. Don't get paranoid,
just be smarter than me.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 9:00:51 EDT
From: terfintt@ttown.apci.com (Terri Terfinko)
Subject: Bitter taste
I am looking for some advice on controlling the
bitter balance in my beer. It seems that I am getting
bitter flavors from sources other than the hops. I have
been brewing all grain batches of a Pale Ale for several
months and the most recent batches are becoming more bitter
than the previous. The original batches were very good, but
always seemed to lack a good malty flavor. I have been using
British 2 row Pale Malt and infusion mashing at 150 F. The
mash PH has been 5.2 The mash extraction rates have always
been good 25-29 points and the OG has always been within
the proper grain per gallon range. I am suspecting that I
am not getting enough maltose fermentables to balance the
modest amount of bittering hops being added 4-6 HBU's. The
remaining brewing process includes a 60 minute boil of the
entire 5 gallons, wort chilled down to 70 within 30 minutes,
syphoned to a glass fermenter and Wyeast British ale yeast
added from 16 ounce starter. The hops profile includes;
.5 oz Bullion 9% 60 min, 1 oz Cascade 25 min 6.1%, 1 oz
Fuggle 4.5% 5 min. I did make a change in my brewing process
which involved syphoning the wort from the brew kettle vs pouring
the wort through a strained funnel. It seems bitterness increased
after this change, but I don't think it is related. The only
other change was fermentation temperature dropped from 70F to 60F.
As a check, I brewed an extract batch using the same process and
yeast, and bitter balance was perfect.
Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. I am really
interested on how to get more maltiness flavor in my brews.
Thanks - Terry Terfinko - terfintt.@ttown.apci.com
A
A
Thanks - Terry Terfinko - terfintt.@ttown.apci.com
A
A
Thanks - Terry Terfinko - terfintt@ttown.apci.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 09:35:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: greggt@infi.net (Gregg Tennefoss)
Subject: Radical Commercial Concept
Just a thought !! Would it be possible/plausable to invite vendors and
suppliers to post product information, price lists and catelogs in the
archives? This would not take up any digest space. Those who wanted this
information would have access to it. Would the site have any objection
to the use of their disk space for this purpose.
Although this is blatently commercial, It has a great deal of informational
purpose. It would be nice to download these and compare sources. It would
benefit the HBD by makeing new (better?) sources available to the subscibers.
OK, I'll put on my supercooled diner jacket now.
Disclainer: I AM NOT A VENDOR, SUPPLIER OR MANUFACTURER NOR DO I HAVE ANY
AFFILIATION WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers,
greggt@infi.net
------------------------------
Date: 1 Jun 1994 09:49:57 -0500
From: George Kavanagh O/o <George.Kavanagh@omail.wang.com>
Subject: Bugs on the Hops!
I have been growing Cascade and Hallertauer hops for
three summers (northeastern Mass.) Every year, the
Japenese beetles devour the Hallertaur leaves, but leave
the Cascade alone. (I suspect that the Hallertaur scent
is so attractive to them that they just fly right by the Cascade.)
Its just June now, the bines are 14 feet tall and beatuiful, but it
hurts to think of the destruction the bugs will do in a coupla weeks
if I can't find a remedy.
Does anyone have a good method for discouraging the beetles
while preserving the "consumability" of the hops?
Thanks in advance!
-gk ( George.Kavanagh@omail.wang.com )
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 94 06:27:26 PDT
From: RSaletta@eworld.com
Subject: Re: #2(7) Homebrew Digest #1438 (June 01, 1994)
What is the address to cancel this subscription?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 16:21:48 MET DST
From: John Oberpriller x7937 <s12int::l375bbk@god.bel.alcatel.be>
Subject: Help? Homebrewing in France?
Hello all,
Awhile back when we were having the "bleach sucking blowoff/amazing ascii art"
discussion, someone wrote in from Valbonne France. Could this person please
contact me via private email. I have a few questions about Valbonne and of
course homebrewing in the area.
Thanks
****NOTE: DO NOT "REPLY" TO MY MAIL, FORWARD OR WRITE NEW MAIL****
**** ****
**** john Oberpriller ****
**** Internet: l375bbk%s12int.dnet@alcbel.be ****
**** l375bbk%s12int.dnet@alcatel.be ****
****NOTE: DO NOT "REPLY" TO MY MAIL, FORWARD OR WRITE NEW MAIL****
------------------------------
Date: 1 Jun 1994 08:25:31 U
From: "Rich Scotty" <rscotty@denitqm.ecte.uswc.uswest.com>
Subject: Party Pig
Subject: Time: 8:16 AM
OFFICE MEMO Party Pig Date: 6/1/94
John Horzepa wrote of his foaming woes woth the Party Pig. I have had the same
problem but only intermittently and am frustrated at my inability to isolate
the problem.
I have had batches that poured beautifully from the Pigs. I've had the all
foam experience too - most recently on a wheat beer. Foaming is a function of
temperature and pressure. My fridge doesn't vary, so I believe it is the
pressure that is the variable here. I've been wondering if there is a wide
varience in the pressure pouches that causes the internal pressure of the pig
to vary greatly.
I wish that someone from Quixon (sp?) would get on the digest and help us
determine how to solve the problem. In the mean time John, did you bleed the
air out of the pig after the pouch popped? Also, prime as you would for a
*KEG*, not bottles. I'd go even lighter than that.
I finally gave up on the pigs and bought a Cornellius set up (Eddie are you
listening?). I now force carbonate and have far greater control. I still have
the pigs and would like to be able to use them for portability purposes, but am
reluctant to do so until I get this under control.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 1994 10:54:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: Arthur McGregor 614-0205 <mcgregap@acq.osd.mil>
Subject: Food Grade Buckets
Greetings!
In HBD 1438, Fransisco Jones asked about deodorizing white food grade
pickle buckets, for use as a lauter tun. I don't know if you can deodorize a
pickle bucket, but a good source for non-pickle white food grade buckets is the
local doughnut stores. The fillings, and possibly the icings, are delivered in
the buckets, and don't have much of a smell when compared to pickle buckets. I
also acquired a pickle bucket, although mine is green, and it still smells of
pickles even though I keep it filled with bleach water for cleaning bottles.
The doughnut store where I got mine, was selling the buckets with lids for
$1 each. I haven't checked out any other stores, but they probably throw them
out. I recall a post in the HBD a few months ago saying that they got their
buckets at a doughnut store also.
Good Brewing!
Art McGregor (mcgregap@acq.osd.mil)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 11:04:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Justin J. Lam" <jl62+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Mailing your homebrewed beer
Howdy!
Any recommendations on mailing homebrewed beer? Besides the risk of the
bottle breaking, and the sediment being tossed around, is this even
advisable? I know for a fact that the post office won't take any
alcoholic beverage.
Any help you could provide would be helpful.
-Justin.
slammer@cmu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 10:37:31 MDT
From: Randy M. Davis <rmdavis@mocan.mobil.com>
Subject: Mash Extract
George Tempel asks...
>This had a SG of about 1.048 (give or take 0.001, again, my notes
>are at home). The friend at the homebrew shop said the all-grain bill
>(up above) should do the trick and give me a gravity about 1.050.
>Did I do something wrong? How can one determine/predict the
>starting gravity? How does one calculate the number of points
>extracted? I'd really hate to find that my all-grain attempts
>are for naught...
The method I use to record mash efficiency is to calculate degrees/pound/gallon
of extract for the batch including the entire grain bill (specialty malts and
all). That is the Degrees Specific Gravity that one pound of grain in one
gallon of water will produce. The reason I use this measure is that you can
directly compare the extract in a 5 gallon batch to that of another volume such
as 4 or 7 gallons.
For your latest mash this would be;
46 degrees / 12 pounds = 3.83 deg./lb./5 gal.
3.83 deg./lb. x 5 gallons = 19.17 deg./lb./gal.
===================
This appears a little low BUT you still need to get used to the new equipment
you have put together. I would recommend that you brew a few batches with this
gear recording the results each time. Aim a little high with the malt quantities
to allow for initial bugs in the system and see if the extracts improve.
Once you have some data, you can begin to accurately predict the starting
gravities you will get from your setup. This is the important thing since the
quantities of grain involved are small and not expensive.
As for whether or not this is a good extraction rate, there are tables in
several homebrew books that detail a typical rate of extraction assuming xx%
efficiency. I think is would be reasonable to expect around 30 deg./lb./gal.
for this grain bill but don't let this discourage you! As you fine tune you
will see improvement. I did some checking of prize winning recipes from Zymurgy
and found that the rates of extraction in a random sampling vary from 20 - 30+
degrees per pound per gallon. So you are in the ballpark.
- --
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Randy Davis: Mobil Oil Canada Calgary, Alberta Canada |
| rmdavis@mocan.mobil.com |
| Phone (403) 260-4184 Fax (403) 260-7348 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 94 09:42:22 PDT
From: Robert Pulliam <Robert_Pulliam@rand.org>
Subject: A NEED FOR MEAD
Greetings homebrew crew.
Sorry to waste bandwidth, but does anyone know where I can purchase some
Mead in the Los Angeles area.
Thanks in Advance,
RjP
Robert J. Pulliam |+|all thoughts, statements, and opinions,|+|
Los Angeles, CA. |+|demented or not, should be my own; and |+|
Robert_Pulliam@rand.org |+|I'm certainly not associated . . . . . |+|
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 12:49:43 EDT
From: Pierre Jelenc <pcj1@columbia.edu>
Subject: Party Pig (Homebrew Digest #1438)
In HBD #1438, John Horzepa <jhorzepa@radiomail.net> asks about the Party
Pig.
> The idea is, you fill the pig with beer (up to a line marked on the side
> of the container), put in the pressure pack, force air into the pig
> (with a hand pump they provide), watch the pressure pack expand, wait a
> week or two, and then start drinking draft beer.
They also say that you must bleed off all the air that you pumped in, after
the pressure pouch has inflated. You do not say whether you did it.
> The directions say to prime as you normally do.
> [ ... ]
> So, I put a pitcher underneath the tap, pressed the button, and filled
> the pressure with foam. And another. And another. The end result was
> that I was never able to get anything approaching beer, I essentially
> had 2.25 gallons of foam (wasting a great pale ale).
>
> I used roughly one cup of light malt extract for priming, this is what I
> normally use.
The instructions that I have are very explicit that you _must_use_less_
sugar than usual; they recommend 1/2 cup for 5 gallons. I cup is way too
much.
I have two pigs in constant use, and plan to buy two more as soon as the
air conditionning kicks in and I can start brewing again. In my
experience, the only tricky bit with the pigs is getting the seal
properly aligned before tightening the collar screws.
A satisfied customer.
Pierre
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 94 12:54:21 EDT
From: AndrewB6@aol.com
Subject: RE: Pickel Buckets
Francisco Jones asked about getting the smell out of pickle buckets.
I had the same trouble with the first buckets I acquired. I wanted
to use them as fermenters, but I couldn't get the smell out no matter
what I tried. Eventually I used them to sanitize bottles--a great
place to leave them soaking in bleach for a couple of days.
I found better buckets at the local Pace (now Sam's Club) for 99c each.
They came from the bakery dept. and worked out great. I suggest you
try a local bakery, or any place that buys frosting (dunkin donuts?).
Incidentally, I assume you're going to make a zap-zap type lauter
tun. I started out with this, but found there was too much dead
space at the bottom.
To make an improved version here's what you can do.
ASCII diagram of cross section of lid:
_____ _____
I I I I ^ position of cut
I I_____________________________I I
^
With a sharp utility knife **very very carefully** cut the middle out
of the lid, leaving only the rim (intact). The plastic is tough, so
you'll need to go around two or three times before the blade cuts all
the way through. (don't use too much force, and watch your fingers)
This center piece will be the false bottom, and can now be drilled
with all those tiny holes. It should be about the right size to fit
within 2 or 3 inches of the bottom of the tun.
The rim will be the support for the false bottom, but you need to
remove a 2 to 4 inch section so that it will fit into the bottom of
the bucket, making room for the bottling spigot (that's what I used,
and it works great--well worth $2.80).
Please Note: the false bottom should be a little oversized so that
it has a tendency to be domed. Under the weight of all the grain and
liquor, it should stand up just fine. I regularly use 10lbs of grain
with this system, and no problems yet.
Incidentally, there was much discussion a while back about drilling a
1 inch hole for the spigot. I simply traced around the spigot and
used a utility knife to cut the hole. Again, it took three or four
passes to get all the way through, but was quite simple and only took
a few minutes.
Good luck, you can e-mail me if you have any questions about this set-up.
Andy Baird
andrewb6@aol.com
A good pilot is one who's made the same number of landings as take-offs!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 09:56:32 -0700
From: froeh@texan.naa.rockwell.com (Michael Froehlich)
Subject: Re: Party Pig Carbonation
John Horzepa writes:
> I used roughly one cup of light malt extract for priming, this is what I
> normally use. Does anyone else have experience with the Party Pig, and if so
> has it been a good experience? How much do you prime your beer? Or is this
> thing just a lemon? I have one more pressure sack for the pig left (it came
> with two), I'm willing to try it again, but first I want to understand what I
> did wrong.
John,
The party pig only holds 2.5 gallons and because it is all in one vessel, the
head space is a lot less than doing 5 gallons in bottles. Therefore, you need
less sugar. One cup is usually too much even for 5 gallons bottled (typically
3/4 cup). For 5 gallons of naturally carbonated keg beer, I use about 1/4 to
1/3 cup. For 2.5 gallons, I would use 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar. If you check the
directions, I believe they say 1/4 cup sugar. Good luck on your next batch.
Michael Froehlich |~~|
froeh@ecrsb.naa.rockwell.com | |) "Cheers!"
|__|
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 13:08:53 EDT
From: Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu
Subject: dunkelweizen all-grain recipe
I've decided to make my "summer weizen" a dunkel this year. After
having so much success with Warner's Isar Weizen last year (a 1st and
a 2nd in competitions), I again turned to his book. Only to find ....
an extract recipe for dunkelweizen, but no all-grainer! He does have
a recipe that produces a "ruddy" beer, which may serve as a good
starting point, though.
But before I start, I thought I'd get the "wisdom" :-) of the HBD on
my side. Questions:
1. Does anyone have a great all-grain dunkelweizen recipe? (That you
will share !accurately! with me?)
2. What's the best way, in your opinion, to darken a dunkelweizen:
a. Dark crystal malt
b. Chocolate malt
c. Other "color malt" (Aromatic? Munich?)
d. Other?
My tentative recipe is looking something like this:
* 30-70 Pilsener (DW-C) - Wheat (DW-C or Ireks)
* Some amount (5%?) of dark crystal (Ireks 90L) to darken and add body
* A small amount (2%?) of chocolate malt to darken and add a touch of
roast flavor.
* Double decoction mash.
* 12 IBUs of hops, 60 min.
This gives OG 1.052, Color 20L, which is about on target for the AHA
style sheet.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 94 13:33:57 EDT
From: Montanoa@aol.com
Subject: Party Pig
I just finished my first batch in the thing and it worked very well. I think
you misread the directions. You are supposed to prime about half as much as
you normally do. Good luck
Tony Montano
------------------------------
Date: 1 Jun 94 18:12:00 GMT
From: korz@iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Infusion nit/unfermentables
Martin writes:
>STEP-INFUSION: To improve clarity and yeild, and gain control over
<snip>
>Can be done in a picnic-cooler tun by
>additions of boiling water (tricky!), but is more commonly done with
>a direct-fired vessel of some sort, the mash then being transferred
>into a separate lauter tun.
Just a terminology nit: What Martin initially says, about raising
temperatures via boiling water additions (infusions) is *true*
step- (or upward-) infusion mashing. Heating with steam coils or by
direct fired heat is technically not an "infusion" mash, but has been
called "temperature-controlled mash," "step mash" and a couple of other
titles.
*******
Rich writes:
>It doesn't sound that high of a final when you say you used "lots" of
>crystal. How much is lots? :-) The more crystal, the less fermentables
>in your wort. So a 1.030 gravity might be around the ballpark.
Rich is right, but what he said can be confusing. No doubt what he meant
to say is: "The more crystal, the MORE UNfermentables in your wort."
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 15:09:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: jeff344@voodoo.lerc.nasa.gov (Jeff Berton)
Subject: Re: Motorized Mash Tun Revisited (and RIMS)
Excerpts from Don:
>I know I get REALLY tired of stirring mashes for 20 gallon batches. And the
>temperature variations are somewhat spectacular.
...
>I think one benefit of a motorized mixing device, aside from the obvious
>benefit of more relaxation time, is consistency. It sets up conditions
>that are repeatable from batch to batch.
Sounds like a nice setup. One comment, though: the automatic stirrer's
purpose is to achieve better repeatability and to eliminate temperature
stratification and stirring. A RIMS will do these things as well as improve
runoff turbidity. With the way I have my RIMS designed, it doesn't sound much
more difficult to build than an automatic stirrer. I can email a file that
describes my RIMS to anyone who is interested.
>But, hey, I'm REALLY anal, and REALLY compulsive, and I REALLY like to tinker.
And a RIMS is a tinkerer's dream. It's been mentioned here, and I agree,
that the primary benefit of a RIMS is to satisfy tinkerers' needs!
- --
Jeff Berton, Aeropropulsion Analysis Office, NASA Lewis Research Center
jeff344@voodoo.lerc.nasa.gov
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 14:34:03 EDT
From: HOTOPP <BDHOTO1%BUDGET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Post
Cape Cod Knowlege Sought: Does anyone know of any pubs on the Cape which have
their own brews, or for that matter, any places which refuse to sell Zima?
I'll be in Wellfleet. TIA.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 15:42:12 -0400
From: tfirey@vt.edu
Subject: question about yeast starter
Hello:
I'm fairly new to homebrewing (about 75 gallons so far -- but growing!) so
I still have alot to learn on the subject. I've been hearing alot
about yeast starters. Could someone please tell me what are their
benefits and how they are concocted?
Please E-mail me directly -- I've frequently have trouble downloading the
journal.
Thanks!
TFirey@vt.edu
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 16:07:04 EDT
From: Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu
Subject: Ayinger maltiness
Well, the votes are in and the ballots have been counted.
I asked "How does Ayinger make such MALTY beers?"
The consensus seems to be
1. They have their own maltings for making their "color" malts. Plus
using good German Pilsener malt as the base malt. Ireks Munich was
suggested as a substitute.
2. Decoction mashing
3. Munich water (carbonate/low sulfate)
4. Yeast, e.g. Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian) or 2206 (Bavarian)
And Wes Neuenschwander tells us that Liberty Malt in Seattle imports
Ayinger malts.
Thanks to Jeff Frane, Jim Busch, Jay Hersh, Martin Lodahl, Dennis
Lewis and Wes Neuenschwander for their responses.
I'm going to try all of the above in my next oktoberfest and see what
happens!
=S
------------------------------
Date: 01 Jun 94 16:46:50 EDT
From: Don Rudolph <76076.612@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Seattle Homebrew Club
I live in Seattle and would like to start a Homebrew Club. My house
is on the north side of Queen Anne, near the Redhook Brewery. Let's
get together, talk and drink beer, and learn to improve our brews.
My objectives are to have fun, promote homebrewing, experiment with
techniques and ingredients, share the cost of equipment, and enter
competitions. Please email me if you are interested in starting a
club in the heart of Seattle.
Don Rudolph
Seattle, WA
76076.612@CompuServe.COM
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 94 11:57:24 -0300
From: david.jacobson@hofbbs.com
Subject: PARTY PIG FOAMING
<<From: John Horzepa (via RadioMail) <jhorzepa@radiomail.net>
<<Subject: Party Pig
Quoin recommends 2/3 cup of corn sugar, I had overfoaming when I used
3/4 cup, so I'd suggest you reduce the primer you're using next time
- ---
~ OLX 2.1 TD ~ Imagination Is A Powerful Deceiver
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Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 16:53:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia@zgi.com>
Subject: Mashout Necessary? revisited yet again
Jim Grady revisited the "to mashout or not to mashout" issue in #1438. The
traditional rationale for doing a mashout is that it stops the enzymatic
activity, but the take home message I got from the previous go round on
this issue was that it simply raises the mash temp making the sugars more
easily extracted. I think Jim's experience supports this explanation and
provided the mash pH is in the 5.0-5.5 range (to avoid extraction of husk
tannins) his idea of stirring in a volume of boiling water seems like a
good one.
Speaking of sparging, Ron Price has an interesting sparge practice (Ron
correct me if I'm wrong). He uses a "scottish style sparge" which is a 3
run batch sparge at 170F, 180F, then 190F. How he avoids extracting
tannins or whether he has even found it an issue is up to him to explain.
Domenick Venezia
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia@zgi.com
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Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 17:35:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia@zgi.com>
Subject: RE:force carbonation bad for head?
Mark Simpson wrote in #1438:
>I read an article recently that stated that beer which is force
>carbonated by the "force and shake" method destroys much of the beer's
>head retention capability. The author suggested that the head retention
>characteristics were actually broken up during the mechanical agitation
>of the carbonation process.
I could not let this go by. Where did you read this? I would really like
the reference, because the inference is that you can break peptide chains
by agitation and if that is the case WE ALL BETTER WATCH OUT! I mean
we, personally, are FULL of peptide chains and I certainly don't want
mine breaking up while playing racquetball or riding over a bumpy road.
The effects on my neural peptides alone are too horrible to contemplate.
Although this may explain a lot to those who know me. It may also explain
that "runner's high" which is apparently not due to endorphins but the
result of reduced neural function due to all that bouncing around.
If this is true it could explain a lot of human misery. It may also make
a handy court defense for murderous behavior. "Well, yes judge I did
stab him 37 times, but I had just driven the back roads from Abilene and
my peptide chains were in a terrible state which affected my neural
functioning and I didn't know what I was doing."
Domenick Venezia
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia@zgi.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 17:52:17 -40962758 (PDT)
From: glenh@iceonline.com (Glen Hathaway)
Subject: Power Stirring
Hi guys... I've been reading the posts by Don Put and Jack Schmidling
regarding motorized mash stirring. I'm in the construction business (I'm
a plumber/gasfitter) and noticed that drywallers use a device for stirring
their filler mud that would probably be perfect for mash stirring. They
use it chucked in a 1/2" drill. If you've seen 'mudders' at work, you'll
know what I mean. Otherwise, check out your local building supply place.
Might save a lot of fabrication (I noticed that Don put a lot of work
into his stirrer). Just a thought...
Glen Hathaway
glenh@icebox.iceonline.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jun 1994 11:25:40 +1000 (EST)
From: David Draper <David.Draper@mq.edu.au>
Subject: Color/Carbonation/David_Fisher
Whud id iz: First off, thanks to the several kind souls who pointed me
toward the very thorough articles by George Fix in HBD 1328 on color
determinations. Anyone interested in determining the color of their beers
should refer to this article. Sorry but that issue came out shortly after
I left the UK so I didn't see it--I was offline for about 3 months.
Carbonation: Recently I posted about poor carbonation in the brews I've
made since restarting here in Oz, asking whether using dextrose, rather
than glucose, was the cause. Was informed duly that the two are one and
the same. Brett Shorten provided me some good data from an Aussie
brewmag outlining how much "dextrose" should be used, and sure enough, the
amounts were nearly double what I had been using in the UK. This leaves
the puzzling fact that my beers in the UK were well-carbonated, and those
here are quite poorly carbonated despite being at similar or greater
priming levels.
Some data: I have only just yesterday obtained some additional hardware
that will allow me to prime the whole schmeer with a solution; all of this
discussion applies to priming individual bottles. In the UK I used 550 ml
bottles and primed with 1 tsp. I weighed a tsp at work recently and it
weighs 2.8 grams. So let's call that priming concentration 5.1 grams per
litre (g/l). Got excellent carbonation, as I said, in the 50 or so
batches I bottled there. First two attempts here, I used 1/2 tsp per 375
ml bottle, or 3.7 g/l. OK, I expected a bit less carbonation, but these
two beers are dead flat. There is a mild pffft when opening but that's
it. These two have been in the bottle now for 30 and 23 days--plenty of
time. Next batch, primed at 1 tsp per 375 ml bottle, or about 7.5 g/l. A
bit better, but still much much less than the UK situation after 18 days.
Most recently, did 1 heaping tsp per 375 ml bottle, at a guess this is
over 9 g/l. After 9 days it is about the same as the previous one is af-
ter 18 days, so I guess this too is an improvement. Don't know if this
last one will eventually be sufficiently carbonated, but I'm guessing it
will be at least close.
So--what is going on here? Why should these results be so different?
This is not a question of head retention, before anyone advises me to
avoid soap, clean the glasses, etc etc, because the stuff just isn't
generating the bubbles. What differs between the UK and Oz brews is 1)
different extract--used dried in the UK, using Cooper's syrup here; 2) The
yeast--used only Edme dry in the UK, used Wyeast 1056 and 1084 for all the
above beers; and 3) hop types--used horribly kept, unknown-AA flowers
(well, petals anyway) in the UK, using vacuum-sealed pellets here.
Steeping specialty grains in both cases, but the types and amounts are
very similar. My typical program, unchanged since the UK, is to primary
ferment for at least a week till below quarter-gravity stage (I check
carefully before racking), then secondary for about 10 days to 2 weeks,
then bottle. Temperatures at which all this takes place differ by only a
couple-few degrees from the UK to here, and all the beers in question are
ales. Does the use of liquid yeast result in there being less yeast
around, by bottling time, to generate condition in the bottle? Would the
different type of extract result in there being less for the yeast to feed
on by bottling time? I'm stumped.
Finally: David Fisher, give me a call--I've lost your phone number. Sorry
everyone else, I have no other recourse.
Thanks a lot, Cheers, Dave in Sydney
- --
******************************************************************************
David S. Draper School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University
ddraper@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au NSW 2109 Sydney, Australia
Fax: +61-2-805-8428 Voice: +61-2-805-8347
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 18:30:20 -0600 (MDT)
From: Brian Thorn <bthorn@NMSU.Edu>
Subject: Re: Spruce Use
A recent post questioned whether different spruce varieties might add more
or less desirable character to beer. I too have wondered this and was
planning to harvest some Engleman spruce this year to compare with the two
blue spruce batches I have brewed.
The two blue spruce batches where quite different. The first was a steam
beer and was excellent to the last drop. Both batches = 5 gal.
1 lb crystal malt
6 lbs William's Vienna Gold malt syrup
1 lb amber DME (brand?)
3 oz EKG hop pellets (boiling)
7 oz blue spruce tender new growth tips (full boil)
Wyeast liquid Bavarian Lager yeast
The second was an amber ale with too many adjuncts, I believe. It was
certainly drinkable, but landed several notches below the first on the
goodness scale. The spruce tips for both came from the same harvest off
the same trees.
6 lbs William's amber syrup
1 lb Clover honey
8 oz crushed frozen cranberries (added at end of boil)
7 oz spruce tips
2 oz Saaz hop pellets (boiling)
Wyeast liquid American Ale yeast
Without wanting to insult anyone's intelligence, it seems entirely
possible that those who have had bad luck with spruce beers may have
mistakenly used pine or fir tips. I have no idea what the differences
might be in the brew but with the possible exception of the blue spruce,
it isn't necessarily easy to distinguish between some conifers. You have to
get up close and examine the needles sometimes to separate a spruce from a
fir from a pine.
Someone commented on their experience with a spruce beer getting better as
the conditioning time lengthened. I found this to be true with both of my
beers, especially the first. This seems to be one of the great
characteristics of lager yeast.
If anyone is interested in sending me some Sitka spruce tips I would
certainly be glad to pay the postage or return the favor with some genuine
southern New Mexico chiles for a spicy brew a la Cave Creek.
Brian Thorn
bthorn@nmsu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 94 21:47 EST
From: Tom Clifton <0002419419@mcimail.com>
Subject: Bentonite, Kitty Litter and other fine things
Well I tried using kitty litter and every time I pop a home brew the cat
comes running...
I stopped by my local supply shop and picked up a 4ounce container of bentonite
for $0.89 + tax. The instructions say to use 2 to 4 teaspoons in 8 to 16 ounces
of water for 5 gallons [of wine] rack and let sit for two weeks. The owners had
just left for a two week vacation in Europe so I coudn't get their opinion on
using it on beer but from the previous post I would not anticipate a problem.
Now for the fun part. I mixed up a teasoon full in a juice glass to see how it
behaved and it promptly turned into a thick "greasy feeling" mass. Sort of like
gray school paste. Translucent when spread thin and real slick. By mashing the
spoon against the side of the glass I can tell that there is an extremely fine
grain. There were some little black specks in the bottom of the glass that
weren't dissolved. Guess it doesn't matter as they will quickly settle out in
beer.
Going back down to the basement [next to the cats litter box] I retrieved an
unused plastic container of what else - cat litter. Looked inside and the stuff
looks just like the bentonite. One big difference, the litter is pine scented -
completely unsuitable for beer [and barely so for the cat as the stuff turns to
glue which is why we went back to Fresh Step].
Being a curious individual I mixed a teaspoon wiht a juice glass of water and it
too turned into a gluey mess. Pretty much the same - possibly more grain and
some larger undisolved lumps. If bentonte is like diatomacious earth for
filters the stuff must come in different grades.
All in all, I think I will stick with the $0.89 variety from my local store. At
least I know where it has been... Also - I would not advise dumping any
bentonite down your drain as it will most likely settle in your trap and cause
plumbing problems. Dump it in the compost heap or out on the lawn and save
yourself a problem down the line.
Tom
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 23:02:37 -0500 (EST)
From: ulick@slip20.rad.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford)
Subject: AHA first round results
Does anyone have any idea when the AHA first round scores from Chicago
will be mailed? It is a month now.
__________________________________________________________________________
'Heineken!?! ... F#$% that s@&* ... | Ulick Stafford, Dept of Chem. Eng.
Pabst Blue Ribbon!' | Notre Dame IN 46556
| ulick@darwin.cc.nd.edu
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1439, 06/02/94
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