Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
HOMEBREW Digest #1511
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 94/08/26 00:45:31
HOMEBREW Digest #1511 Fri 26 August 1994
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
UK Homebrewers' Association (G.A.Cooper)
Belgian Beer postings (BUKOFSKY)
Propane cookers (smtplink!guym)
thermostat (CLAY)
1994 THIRSTY Homebrew Competition (Wolfe)
AHA and ignorance of homebrewing's legality (tfirey)
Mills Zymurgy (Jack Schmidling)
Mills Zymurgy (Jack Schmidling)
thanks / Tumbleweed & Richbrau (Chris Lovelace)
Celis White Clone and Cleaning Brushed Stainless Steel Oven tops (Dean J Miller)
Victoria Beer Festival ("Phil Atkinson")
Results, California State Fair (Martin Lodahl)
George Fix yield posting (Chuck E. Mryglot)
Maltings near Milwaukee ("CANNON_TOM")
They're picking hops in the Pacific NW (Glenn Tinseth)
Zymurgy's Fall Issue (Dennis Davison)
exciting post #1 ("Lynne O'Connor")
really exciting post #2 ("Lynne O'Connor")
Re: Wyeast Ale Yeasts (Tel +44 784 443167)
Re: Fuller's ESB Clone (Tel +44 784 443167)
A Great Many Thanks (Thomas Junier)
Portland Microbrews (DrewStorms)
Semi-closed Systems (Chris Strickland)
Available: Saaz hop rhizome (Mark Evans)
Brits and Wyeast / Blow your Horn (npyle)
Brewing in Louisiana (David P. Atkins)
Need Hop Help! (Todd Swanson)
finings and bitter taste (Barry Allen, Industrial Engineering)
******************************************************************
** NOTE: There will be no digest administration from August 15
** through August 26. PLEASE be patient when requesting changes
** or cancellations.
******************************************************************
Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
(Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
to homebrew-request@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L@UA1VM.UA.EDU),
then you MUST unsubscribe the same way!
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
FAQs, archives and other files are available via anonymous ftp from
sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via
mail from listserv@sierra.stanford.edu. Send HELP as the body of a
message to that address to receive listserver instructions.)
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen@novell.physics.umr.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 15:06:55 +0100 (BST)
From: G.A.Cooper@greenwich.ac.uk
Subject: UK Homebrewers' Association
Simon_W._Bedwell@metro.mactel.org (Simon W. Bedwell) writes:
>This post is mainly directed at UK HBD'ers, but any ideas from the wider HBD
>community would be very welcome.
My reply is also mainly (but not exclusively) for the UK HBDers
>I have been chatting to a fellow UK HBD'er, Brian Gowland, about the
>possibility of producing a UK Homebrew Newsletter. The newsletter would
I think that is an interesting idea. The problem you might have is
publicity. But read on.. you might find one way of reaching some people...
>such a newsletter would also stimulate interest in both local and national
>brewing competitions, and provide the impetus necessary to start a UK
>Hombrewers' Association.
There are already several local/regional homebrew competitions in the UK
and a national one. The national one (1992 in Weston-super-mare, 1993
Blackpool, 1994 Scarborough, 1995 North Wales are the recent ones) is
organised by the National Association of Wine and Beer Makers (NAWB for
short) which this year attracted around 3500 bottles of wine plus 1000
bottles of beer. As you see, the organisation is both wine and beer with a
heavy bias in numbers on the wine side, but the beer entries are not
trivial and the standard is very high.
The bias towards wine is also reflected in the qualified judges in the UK.
The National Guild of Wine and Beer Judges (NGWBJ) has around 300 members
of which around 50 are beer judges (the others being wine judges) and
membership is by examination. Most amateur wine and beer competitions in
England are judged by members of this Guild.
Both these organisations produce quarterly newsletters which could provide
a means of reaching an audience of interested people.
There are differences between NGWBJ and BJCP. NGWBJ has no links with
commercial or professional organisations. A pity perhaps, but when these
groups were being set up in the 60s the commercial boys weren't interested.
The beer judge exam consists of two parts, both of which must be passed to
qualify. The first is 'Handbook and Theory' where you are examined on
knowledge of beer making and on judging procedures and beer styles. It is
an oral test not written. I don't think (but can't say for certain) that
this part is as stringent as the BJCP one, particularly as we only concern
ourselves with the beer styles usually made in England (ie no tripples,
bocks, lambics etc.). The second part, taken a month or so later, is a
palate test and consists of judging 2 sets of nine beers in a set time. For
example you might be asked first to judge 9 bitters, then 9 dry stouts. Your
marks and remarks need to align pretty well with those agreed by a panel of
four (usually four) experienced judges who will have pre-tasted them. This is
felt by most people to be the most difficult part - a lot of emphasis is put
on this 'ability to judge' part rather than on 'book knowledge'. The NGWBJ
doesn't have different grades of judges, such as 'certified' or 'national'.
If any UK HBDers are interested in entering one of the regional competitions
then send me an email and I'll see if I can find an up-coming one in your
area (if you let me know roughly where you live).
Regards
Geoff
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 10:08:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: BUKOFSKY <sjb8052@minerva.cis.yale.edu>
Subject: Belgian Beer postings
Has anyone compiled all of the Belgian beer postings that have appeared
recently? My e-mail system makes it really difficult to cut and paste
things together, so I was wondering if someone could e-mail me a copy.
BTW, I asked the author and he's too busy at the moment.
Thanks,
Scott
No cute comment.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 08:17:52 MDT
From: exabyte!smtplink!guym@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Propane cookers
Greetings and carbonations,
I've had a half-barrel keg with the top cut out for some time now and I'm
getting ready to put it into service. I'll need an outdoor cooker for
brewing in this kettle which brings me to my question. Are there any
cookers available upon which these converted kegs will sit safely. I've
been eyeballing a few at the local hardware stores (Home Depot, Lowe's,
etc.) and they look like the support ring is about the same diameter as the
base of the keg. Not a pleasant thought when the kettle is filled with
boiling wort. If none of the commercially available units are large enough
to safely support these kettles, how do those of you who use them get
around this? Also, will I need a special drill bit to drill this puppy
(stainless) and install an Easymasher? Email is fine and I'll summarize if
there is any interest.
Thanks!
--
Guy McConnell guym@exabyte.com
"And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one for dessert."
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 10:59:22 -0500 (EST)
From: CLAY@prism.clemson.edu
Subject: thermostat
OK, have scrounged up old fridge (ghastly avocado-green, w/ dent in door)
from chain-smoking appalachian road-dog living in trailer. (husband threw
her head-first into door - fridge got worst of it but still works. she
doesn't...) Now I need a thermostat. any recommendations? sources?
hints and how-tos?
also, has anyone ever tried removing the heat exchanger and relocating it
outside of the living space to get rid of the heat? seems foolish to be
running the AC to counteract the fridge if I could just relocate coils
to crawlspace, replace w/ subterranean cooling coil, etc.
regards
C
------------------------------
Date: 23 Aug 94 10:15 CST
From: Wolfe@act-12-po.act.org
Subject: 1994 THIRSTY Homebrew Competition
1994 THIRSTY HOMEBREW COMPETITION
The Honorable Iowa River Society of Talented Yeastmasters
(THIRSTY) is pleased to announce the 1994 THIRSTY Homebrew
Competition. The competition is AHA sanctioned, and entries will
be taken in all AHA beer and mead categories.
The competition will take place on November 19th in Iowa City,
Iowa. Entries are due by November 10th, 1994. All homebrewers
are welcome to enter, and we invite any interested judges. Please
pass this information on to other homebrewers.
Entry and/or judging information and forms can be requested at the
address or phone number given below.
Ed Wolfe Competition Organizer
wolfe@act-12-po.act.org
(319) 643-7354
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 11:45:08 -0400
From: tfirey@vt.edu
Subject: AHA and ignorance of homebrewing's legality
Does anyone know if the AHA is active in lobbying efforts to change state
laws against homebrewing and in combating general ignorance of
homebrewing's legality (as recently exhibited in the Shepardstown WV
incident)? If the AHA is not currently doing this, could it be
recommended to the Association that it become active in this? I,
for one, would be willing to pay more in dues to help fellow
homebrewers living in `less enlightened' states.
Just imagine, the AHA becoming a major political player a la
the NRA. The idea brings a smile to my face.
Also, if Charlie P. is still reading the HBD (in spite of all the idiots
who got their rocks off by flaming him a couple months back),
could _Zymurgy_ investigate the Shepardstown story and try to put
some media pressure on the Shepardstown P.D.?
Cheers!
TFirey@VT.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 12:21 CDT
From: arf@genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Mills Zymurgy
>From: fjdobner@ihlpa.att.com (Frank J Dobner +1 708 979 5124)
>After reading the Fall 94 Zymurgy articles on grain crushing, I just want
to say how even happier I am to have decided years ago to purchase
a Corona to do this job.... Thank you AHA Research Department for a fine
report.
My current nightmare is that Tim Morris is going to read the article and want
his Corona back which he traded for a non-current MALTMILL.
js
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 12:40 CDT
From: arf@genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Mills Zymurgy
>From: fjdobner@ihlpa.att.com (Frank J Dobner +1 708 979 5124)
>After reading the Fall 94 Zymurgy articles on grain crushing, I just want
to say how even happier I am to have decided years ago to purchase
a Corona to do this job.... Thank you AHA Research Department for a fine
report.
My current nightmare is that Tim Norris is going to read the article and want
his Corona back which he traded for a non-current MALTMILL.
js
Resending to correct the spelling of Tim's last name...
jjs
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 13:51:25 -0500
From: lovelace@pop.nih.gov (Chris Lovelace)
Subject: thanks / Tumbleweed & Richbrau
Thanks to everyone who sent me info on Tumbleweed and Charlotte brewpubs.=
I didn't make it down to Charlotte, but I did get to visit Tumbleweed.=
I was very impressed! Their extract-based beers blow a lot of=
all-grain brewpub beers I've had right out of the water! Their=
amber was especially good. The mixture of Centennial, Hallertauer,=
Cascade, and Perle hops made for a nicely hoppy (although not _overly_=
hoppy) beer with a beautiful hop nose. Their stout was a tad sweet=
for me, but had a nice lingering, roasty finish. They had just=
run out of the kriek they had been serving, but the raspberry ale=
they replaced it with was really nice (good berry character from=
nose to finish).
On my way down to NC, I stopped by another brewpub called Richbrau,=
located in the Shockhoe Slip area of Richmond, VA. They had good=
food (really spicy red beans and rice), and their Old Nick Pale=
Ale was nice and malty. Their brown ale was okay and the Queen's=
Sour (sour mash) didn't taste all that sour to me (although, I'm=
thinking red beans and rice might not be the best food to sample=
beer with :-> I'm hoping that I'll be able to get a tour of the=
brewery on my next visit.
Chris
_________________________________________________________________
Chris Lovelace LOVELACE@POP.NIH.GOV
National Institute of Mental Health,=20
Laboratory of Psychology and Psychopathology
Bethesda, Md U.S.A.
_________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 14:45:44
From: djmiller@tasc.com (Dean J Miller)
Subject: Celis White Clone and Cleaning Brushed Stainless Steel Oven tops
My wife and I just tried out first bottles of Celis White last night and we
are in love!!! Does anyone have an extract/specialty grain recipe which
approximates this grand brew? I found a couple of all-grains in the HBD
archives, but if someone had a tried and true recipe I would love to have it.
And
Does anyone have a good method for cleaning brushed(?) steel stove top? Ours
has picked up an innumerable amount of stains ( maybe from brewing - who
knows?) - both food and what appear to be black stains from heat. I have
tried lots of things to try and clean this top: commercial stainless steel
cleaner, comet, steel wool, etc. Nothing has worked at all. Can anyone
suggest something that will clean this stove top?
If I get a lot of responses I will post a summary.
TIA
dean
Dean Miller
djmiller@tasc.com
I'd rather be brewing...
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 12:06:34 PDT
From: "Phil Atkinson" <PHATKINS@BCSC02.GOV.BC.CA>
Subject: Victoria Beer Festival
To: HOMEBREW--INTERNET homebrew@hpfcmi.fc
1994 VICTORIA MICROBREWERY FESTIVAL
Presented by The Campaign for Real Ale, Victoria Branch (CAMRA Victoria)
VICTORIA CONFERENCE CENTRE, Victoria, B.C.
12-8 pm, October 29, 1994.
Admission (19 and older only): C$6.00 (includes Festival programme and
souvenir tasting glass for first 4000 entrants only).
Four-ounce beer tasting: C$1.00
Great food - Homebrew demonstrations - CAMRA sales table Continuous live
entertainment - Morris Dancers
Over 70 beers and ciders from these breweries: Spinnakers Brewpub, Vancouver
Island Brewing, Swans Brewpub, Shaftebury Brewing, Bowen Island Brewing,
Sailor Hagar's Brewpub, Nelson Brewing, Okanagan Spring Brewing, Whistler
Brewing, Tall Ship Ale Company, Merridale Cider Works, Granville Island
Brewing, Portland Brewing, Sleeman's, Horseshoe Bay Brewing, Pyramid Ales, Big
Rock Brewery, Full Sail Brewing, Samuel Adams, Red Hook Brewery, Grant's
Yakima Brewing
For more details: e-mail jrowling@galaxy.gov.bc.ca OR call or fax:
(604)595-7729 OR snailmail: CAMRA Festival, 1440 Oceanview Pl., Victoria,
B.C., Canada V8P 5K7 For travel discounts and hotel reservations call Blaney's
Travel COLLECT (604)382-4647 or Fax: (604)382-1799
- -------
Phil Atkinson
F&CR, Communications Branch Phone: 387-9285
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 09:11:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: malodah@pbgueuze.scrm2700.PacBell.COM (Martin Lodahl)
Subject: Results, California State Fair
The final judging of the California State Fair was held on Sunday,
14 August, in Sacramento. There were 340 total entries. The
results were:
Official Final Results - 1994 California State Fair Homebrew Competition
American Lager
1 American Lager Bill Yearous Galt
2 American Lager Kurt Fierstein Sacramento
3 American Lager John Rasmussen Sylmar
Belgian Ale
1 Trappist Bruce Gehrke Fortuna
2 Biere De Garde Vern Wolff Esparto
3 Belgian Ale Bill Yearous Galt
Bock
1 Hellesbock Richard Mansfield San Jose
2 Dopplebock Maribeth Raines Reseda
3 Bock Pete Knight St Helena
Brown Ale
1 American Bill Yearous Galt
2 English Brown Ale Wayne Baker Ceres
3 Southern Brown Ale Michael Bowe Mar Vista
Continental Lager
1 Pilsner Vern Wolff Esparto
2 Export R Steed Culver City
3 Classic Pilsner Regina Roman Sunnyvale
Continental Wheat
1 Not Awarded
2 Not Awarded
3 Weizen Bill Yearous Galt
Dark Lager
1 Munich Dunkel Vern Wolff Esparto
2 Munich Dunkel John Rittenhouse Folsom
3 OctoberFest Raymond Call Stockton
Fruit Beer
1 Raspberry Brown Ale Vern Wolff Esparto
2 Raspberry Wheat Bruce Brazil Hayward
3 Blackberry Peach Scott Coben Sacramento
Light Ale
1 Cream Ale Charles Hessom Redwood Valley
2 North American Bill Yearous Galt
3 North American Tom Spaulding Santa Cruz
Mead
1 Sparkling Blackberry Dave Zimmerman San Francisco
2 Sparkling Ginger Peppercorn Jim Long Sacramento
3 Sparkling Traditional Mead Vern Wolff Esparto
Mixed Style
1 Kolsch Paul Murphey Sacramento
2 Dusseldorf Altbier Kevin Knox Pacific Grove
3 Steam Beer Don Morris Weed
Pale Ale
1 IPA Mike Harper Oakdale
2 Ca Micro Pale Ale David Kolsky Los Angeles
3 Ca Micro Pale Ale Russel Pencin Mt View
Porter
1 Porter R Steed/F Waltman/S Labrie Culver City
2 Porter Bill Yearous Galt
3 Porter Kurt Fierstein Sacramento
Specialty
1 Rosemary Stout Bill Yearous Galt
2 Maple/Honey Stout Brad Lemmon Citrus Heights
3 Sake James J Jackson Sacramento
Stout
1 Sweet Stout Bob Capino Berkeley
2 Dry Stout David Lose Sebastopol
3 Foreign Raymond Call Stockton
Strong Ale
1 Strong Scotch Ale Kelly Robinson Ceres
2 Barley Wine Raymond Call Stockton
3 Imperial Stout Vern Wolff Esparto
Mike Harper's IPA won Best of Show. Congratulations to all!
= Martin Lodahl Systems Analyst, Capacity Planning Pacific*Bell =
= malodah@pacbell.com Sacramento, CA USA 916.972.4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! (Unk.) =
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 16:28:05 EDT
From: cem@cadre.com (Chuck E. Mryglot)
Subject: George Fix yield posting
I found the yield posting by George Fix very interesting. However, I wonder
if someone (George?) could clarify something for me.
At the end of the post is:
> I strongly prefer moderately modified malt for lager beer, and I have
> found that a protein rest at 50C (122F) has numerous advantages. I have
> done test brews with a 40-50-60-70 schedule, but little is gained in
> yield over a 50-60-70 program. I personally am going to stick with the
> latter since among other things half of the 3 gals of transition
> water can be used to go from 50 to 60, while the other half can be
> used to go from 60 to 70.
The example given in the post was a 40-60-70 schedule with a comment to
minimize the time in the 45-55 range. In the above snipet the 50-60-70
schedule is recommended. Is there some contradiction here? and/or am
I misunderstanding.... (won't be the first time...). Also, if I use
the 50-60-70 schedule, should I rest at 50 for 30 minutes (as a replacement
for the 40 in the example) or should I stay under 15 minutes as noted.
Or is this the difference for highly vs moderately modified malt.
Zum Wohl
ChuckM
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 13:37:14 -0700
From: Richard B. Webb <rbw1271@appenine.ca.boeing.com>
Subject: Yakimania '94, the story continues
The tours.
1) Roy Farms.
Farming is big business. Don't let people tell
you otherwise. Maintaining 700 acres of thirsty
and prolific hops is a job. In Yakima, the work
force is mainly of Hispanic descent. It was very
strange to see the faces of the workers
watching the faces of the visitors. We were on
holiday. They had just started the harvest the
night before. They would be doing 12 hours on
12 hours off in hot, noisy, and un-safe
conditions for the next 6 weeks. We were on
vacation.
Hop plants are grown on 18 foot trellised
vines. The 700 acres of plants take 3 acre feet
of water per year. (Thirsty little buggers...)
One acre of plants will yield between 700 and
2200 lbs of hops, depending on the variety
grown, as well as the growing conditions. At
harvest time, trucks drive down the lines of
vines, with workers on elevated platforms
cutting the string and hops at the tops of the
trellis, and other workers cutting the vines
about 3 feet from the ground. (This is not the
healthiest thing for the plants, as the plant is
still alive, and uses energy stored in the stalk
for energy. For growers at home, the advice
was to leave the vine attached to the ground,
and pick off the flower cones individually. This
process is for automated flower strippers...)
The vines are stacked in a truck bed with tall
sides, the bases of the vines lined up evenly at
the front of the bed. When the truck is full, it
drives to the stripping point. In England,
people would stream out of the cities to hand
pick the cones, having a working vacation in
the country. Very labor intensive, but there
was no machienery to do it. When machines
were invented, they were portable devices that
were taken to the field where the hops were.
Now the hops are brought to the stripping
machines that are bigger than houses (well,
not my house, but most peoples houses), and
noisier than day care centers. The vines are
hung on hooks by their bases, and held
between rapidly rotating rows of stripper
fingers (cheesy ASCII graphics ON!)
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
(Man, that looks bad...) The fingers are
spaced, and the spacing is adjusted so that the
optimum strip is made. The flower cones are
what are desired, but most of the leaves are
stripped too. Later stages in the process
function to blow away the lighter and more
aerodynamic leaves from the stream of cones
leaving the stripper. A good delivered product
contains less than 2% leaves and stems. This
fraction is policed by the State of Washington,
and paid for by heavy taxes on the hop
growers just for that purpose. The leaves, the
vines, and the twine that supported the vines
are sent to a chopper, piled up, partially
composted, and put back into the fields. On
the subject of organic gardening, there is a
minimum of herbicide used, as the hop vines
are sufficiently tall to compete with the
relatively short weeds that are allowed to grow
around the plants. Drip system irrigation is
more efficient at watering the plants than
sprinklers. If weeds are deemed a problem, a
tractor simply disks the little buggers under.
For smaller operations, we talked about goats
as weeders. They would eat the weeds and the
lower leaves of the vines, as well as supplying
their own fertilizer. The feds heard about this
(Animal feces in contact with crop plants? No
way!!!) and shut that operation down. The
flowers are conveyered to the kilning building,
where the cones are kept heated to 130-135
degrees F for 8-10 hours, where the moisture
content is driven from high (80%? A guess...)
to around 10%. The hop processors (next
stop) don't want the cones any dryer than that,
as they don't store as well, and are subject to
catching fire in the processing. The cones are
layered flat, perhaps 40-48 inches deep when
moist, and the height drops by a third as they
dry. Conveyer belts do the layering
automatically, creating a swimming pool
effect. You can drown in a pool of hops, and it
has happened, but it is a death that many
brewers contemplated that day. The dry cones
are swept into a big chute with a big plunger.
While not in operation that day (they didn't
have any dry cones yet), the chute would fill
up, and the plunger would come down. The
chute would fill up again, and after the second
plunger operation, the compressed cones
would be burlaped and delivered to a storage
warehouse. Which brings us to
2) Hop Union.
Hop Union serves just a couple of functions.
First, they are a hop processing and storage
facility. Second, they serve as a middleman
between hop growers and hop users, including
homebrewers. However, while they are more
concerned about their big customers, they are
happy to make hop deals of over about 50$ for
smaller users. HU does the analysis of acids,
and stores the hops in warehouses for as long
as needed. Freshness is not an issue at Hop
Union. The hops are protected from oxidation
by the compressed bales they are stored in, as
well as the near-if-not-below freezing
temperatures they are kept at. Hops from all
over the world are sent to Yakima (a world
center of something!) for storage and
processing. As often as not, this processing
involves pelletizing. The hop bales are cut and
blade and chopped and ground and forced
through an in-to-out extrusion device. This
processing typically results in the reduction of
about 0.3% bittering acid content. However,
having had this rough treatment, these hops
will last until the end of time. Flower hops will
start at the same acid level, but will age more
quickly than the pellets. There are many
reasons why a brewer would want to use
pellets, but I'll leave that argument for others.
Pelletizing works for brewers of all sizes
around the world. In fact, Hop Union supplies
all of the hops for Brazil's major brewer,
known cryptically from the customer name on
the boxes of hops stored for it: C. Brahma. We
didn't get to sample any of their brews this
weekend.
Hop Union also cans hop oil extract. When
big brewers use this stuff, the recipe calls for
so many cans. They just pry off the lid and toss
the can into the boil. Maybe that's the source
of some breweries metallic taste.
The warehouses we saw contained every hop
that you've heard of, and a few that you
haven't. Cardboard signs show hop type and
country of origin. The obvious choices are
Great Britain, Germany and The Czech lands,
but there were hops grown in Poland too! I
want to make something with Polish hops.
(For the record, they were reportedly similar
to Saaz...)
3) Grant's Brewing.
I didn't go. Hunger overwhelmed me, and I
skipped the tour to eat. Later, when I asked
one of my new found brew buds what his
favorite part of the day was, he said that it was
talking to Bud Grant, and hearing what he had
to say about his history of brewing. I missed
it...
Tomorrow: the debauchery
Rich Webb
------------------------------
Date: 23 Aug 94 14:30:00 EST
From: "CANNON_TOM" <CANNON_TOM@hq.navsea.navy.mil>
Subject: Maltings near Milwaukee
Message Creation Date was at 23-AUG-1994 14:30:00
I'll be in the Chicago/Milwaukee area next week and am
interested in touring a facility that malts Barley. I know
Breiss is in Chilton, about an hour north of Milwaukee, but
are there any others in the vincinity, and do they give
tours. Please E-Mail privately to conserve Bandwidth. TIA
Tom Cannon
DH Brewery
Fairfax/Annandale VA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 16:00:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Glenn Tinseth <gtinseth@willamette.edu>
Subject: They're picking hops in the Pacific NW
The 1994 crop hop harvest has begun in both Oregon's Willamette
Valley and in Washington's Yakima Valley. So far I've heard that
Tettnangers are being picked in WA and I'm not sure what varieties
are being harvested in OR.
I live in Silverton, OR and drive by many of the big hop fields on my
way to work each morning and night. This morning I noticed the first
farm cart, full of hop vines, heading to be picked and dried. The
weather in Oregon was much better this summer than last--it should be
a good year for Oregon hops. Unfortunately, the news from Yakima is
not so good. This summer has been very hot and the growers have had
water problems. Early reports indicate that both yields and alpha
acid levels are down. Since Yakima growers account for the majority
of the hops produced in the US, prices will probably be higher and
alphas will probably be down.
Please note that this is all very preliminary and a lot can happen
between now and the time all the hops are harvested. I'll report back
when I find out more.
Glenn "Hops are my life" Tinseth
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 20:54:54 -0400
From: ddavison@earth.execpc.com (Dennis Davison)
Subject: Zymurgy's Fall Issue
I'm taking a survey for an advertiser in the back pages of Zymurgy. Reply via
E-Mail instead of wasting bandwidth.
Did your copy of Zymurgy go to page 90 and then repeat pages 83 to 90 ?
I have seen store copies that were fine. My copy and his copy had this
problem. Anyone else ?
Remember Private E-mail..... to save bandwidth.....
Dennis Davison ddavison@earth.execpc.com Milwaukee, WI
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 23:40:41 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Lynne O'Connor" <stpats@bga.com>
Subject: exciting post #1
St. Patrick's of Texas is run by my wife Lynne. Over the past couple of
years I have had less and less of a role which accounts for its continued
growth. Lynne peruses at least the titles of the digest daily and reads
only those involving St. Pat's since everything else is wrong and of no
interest to bright, good looking, patriotic Americans and Texans :-).
Over the past few weeks there have been a number of posts concerning St.
Pat's. Most were positive. The information contained in these
supportive posts is entirely correct although somewhat understated and
lacking in the excitement and dynamism synonymous with St. Patrick's. My
experience is that simple improvements in literary style can do wonders.
Might I suggest the use of more adjectives. Here's a few proven
winners. SUPER, GREAT, WONDERFUL, EXCELLENT, UNBELIEVABLY SUPER,
UNBELIEVABLY GREAT, REALLY REALLY WONDERFUL, MOST EXCELLENT, LOW LOW
PRICES (not quite an adjective but exciting nonetheless) or as my kids
say 'BAD OUT'. So let's all get to work on rewriting those positive
posts and get them back on the digest quickly so as to capture the
excitement of our times which, of course, is also synonymous with St.
Patrick's. Digest readers lives will be enriched by reading these
wonderful redrafts. I know Lynne and I look forward to it.
There were a few negative posts written by our enemies and aliens bearing
orings. Nearly all of the posts dealt with the 5 gallon soda kegs. All
joking aside, here's a few facts to digest.
kegs sold (March to Present) >1640
kegs pressure checked >1640
kegs returned that wouldn't hold pressure 0, ZERO, ZILCH, ZIP, NONE
Two kegs were returned and sold within an hour to a local customer.
Please include these simple facts in future posts regarding St. Pat's kegs.
The kegs were sold to microbrewers, brewpubs, homebrew shops, and
homebrewers from British Columbia to Florida at the same price regardless
of the number purchased. As is St. Pat's general policy, every customer
receives the same treatment.
St. Pat's has never at any time misled anyone about any product with
regards to condition, price and freight. Except for the kegs. Beginning
in May, St. Pat's employees were instructed to UNDERSELL the kegs. That
is, buyers were told that all kegs were dented, all kegs were filthy,
etc. The fact is that the kegs were dirty but many were in beautiful
condition.
There were delays of up to a 4-6 weeks in filling the backorders. Lynne
grossly underestimated the demand. In early June when the second load
arrived, Lynne had more than 700 on backorder. You can pressure check
about 10/hr. The kegs were a lower priority than regular orders
containing ingredients which are generally shipped the same day for
orders recieved before noon. This coupled with the oppressive 100 degree
heat in June resulted in nearly 5 weeks before getting caught up. Lynne
is most appreciative of the courtesy and patience shown by virtually all
of the >300 buyers.
The price was raised to 3/$45 (limit 3) sometime in July. Since that
time the orders have been very steady and the really nice thing is that
she seems to get a nicer group of buyers at this higher price. Strangely
enough, people who pay more seem to expect less.
As of today the price is $20/keg, limit 3. Lynne must slow down sales to
stretch the inventory.
Don
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 23:43:52 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Lynne O'Connor" <stpats@bga.com>
Subject: really exciting post #2
There was a post by Norm Pyle regarding the information in the St.
Patrick's catalog concerning hops. To be honest I'm confused. The
catalog seems to say almost precisely what Norm says. St. Pat's catalog
states explicitly that "It is the packaging that keeps it fresh, not its
form." St. Pat's has been warning brewers for months about hop plugs
that are not good because they are not packaged properly.
That said, let me flame the hell out of St. Pat's competitors Hop Tech,
Hop Source, and Freshhops which Norm foolishly buys from :-)
First Hop Tech. Mark Garetz is a friend of Lynne and I and has downed
more than a couple pitchers of Spaten doppelbock at the Walburg
Mercantile with us on his visits to Austin. The truth be known, he got
us drunk and forced us to compose a lengthy boring book on hops:-). All
we got out it was an autographed copy----at the regular wholesale price.
Worst of all he stores all his whole hops at low temperatures and
packages them really well and actually sells them which really pisses
Lynne off.
Next, Hop Source. Glen Tinseth is a chemist which is synomous with
genius. We have heard nothing but good about his packaging and handling
of whole hops.
Finally, Freshops. We've never met or dealt with Dave Wills (sp?) at
Freshhops. But Lynne does know from a friend employed in the hop
industry in the Northwest, that he does keep all hops refrigerated and
properly stored. Very good operation by all accounts.
I like a good argument but I honestly can't find much to fight about
here. Whata ya' say we replay the oring challenge? Who wants to start? :-)
Don
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 09:22:03 +0000
From: Brian Gowland <B.Gowland@rhbnc.ac.uk> (Tel +44 784 443167)
Subject: Re: Wyeast Ale Yeasts
In HBD 1509, PAULDORE@delphi.com wrote:
> I am looking into brewing an English Ale, [Stuff about
> Wyeast types deleted]...
> Also the recipe i have calls for Fuggles and Kent hops.
> Are these correct to keep with in style?
Sorry, I can't comment about Wyeast as I haven't
tried any but you are spot on with the hop types. When
you say Kent, I presume you mean Kent Goldings. Fuggles
and Goldings are possibly the two most common hops used
in English Ales. Others include Challenger, Whitbread
Golding Varieties (W.G.V.), Styrian Goldings and many
others. One point to remember is that UK commercial
brewers consider seeded hops to be superior to un-seeded
hops which is in fact the opposite to US brewers (I am
told) - I'm not even going to begin to argue this point
as I have always used seeded hops so can't comment. Many
of these varieties are available seeded or un-seeded so
to be true to type make sure you get the seeded ones.
On the subject of English malts, there are three
main types available here in the UK - Halcyon, Pipkin
and Marris Otter. I have used Halcyon with good results
and tasted some excellent commercial brews made from
Pipkin. I have just made a brew with some Marris Otter
but haven't tasted it yet but am told that it really is
an excellent malt.
One final note, at the risk of telling you something
you already know, is that an infusion mash (either single
temp. or temp. stepped) is traditional for English Ales.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Brian
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 09:53:55 +0000
From: Brian Gowland <B.Gowland@rhbnc.ac.uk> (Tel +44 784 443167)
Subject: Re: Fuller's ESB Clone
This isn't a criticism of Larry Bristol's Fuller's ESB
recipe - I just thought this might be of use to Larry and
others who are interested in cloning ESB.
The published information states that Fuller's use Pale
malt, Crystal malt, Flaked maize and Caramel for colour. The
hops are Challenger, Goldings and Target. Bitterness is 35
IBU. OG is 1053 and A.B.V. is 5.5%.
I don't have any information on ratios of the ingredients
and haven't tried to clone the recipe myself so can't make
any further suggestions. The only thing I dislike about Fuller's
is that they use caramel for colour - I would substitute with a
small quantity of Chocolate malt myself but thats just because
I don't like additives in my homebrew.
One final point just to make all you non-UK Fuller's fans
really jealous - Fuller's brewery is 15 minutes drive from where
I live and my local pub (a Fuller's house) is only 5 minutes walk.
Needless to say, the beers are always in excellent condition. Boy,
can I be cruel sometimes! :)
Cheers,
Brian
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 11:00:37 +0200
From: Thomas.Junier@igbm.unil.ch (Thomas Junier)
Subject: A Great Many Thanks
Hi all!
Well, I'd like to thank all the people on HBD who helped me through my
first batches. I just tasted the second one - a German style dark lager -
and, according to me, it tasted ok.
A question to microbiologists out there: what medium is best for yeast
cultivation ?
BTW, I'm planning to go to Scotland and Ireland in a week or so, one of the
reasons being that my supplies are running low and I can't get any back
here in Switzerland. So, if any of you in the UK/RoI know of a good
homebrewing shop, I'd be glad to know about it.
TIA,
"Dona nobis cerevisiam ad aeternum!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 08:48:01 EDT
From: DrewStorms@aol.com
Subject: Portland Microbrews
I have a report on the Microbrew scene in Portland, which I got from the brew
forum on Compuserve. Email me at
drewstorms@aol.com
if you want a copy.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 08:46:59 -0400
From: stricklandc@cocoa12.ksc.nasa.gov (Chris Strickland)
Subject: Semi-closed Systems
Ever since I contaminated batch 17, I'm really paranoid about sanitation. I'm
trying to figure how to close of my methods of bottling and racking. Any
hints, ideas?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Chris Strickland | Allin1: stricklandc |
| Systems Analyst/Statistician | Email : stricklandc@cocoa12.ksc.nasa.gov |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 09:33:13 -0600
From: evanms@lcac1.loras.edu (Mark Evans)
Subject: Available: Saaz hop rhizome
A saaz hop rhizome I acquired by chance has not produced any
substantial fruit in the two years I've had it in the ground. A source
informed me that Saaz does not perform well in this region of the country
(I live in N.E. Iowa--Dubuque). I plan to remove the rhizome from the
ground and perhaps fill the area in with a cutting from another of my
roots. The plant did produce some greenery, so I don't want to trash the
little guy. I'm offering it up free to any Homebrewer(s) who know that it
WILL prosper in their soil. Don't bother putting your name on the list
unless you know it will grow for you; Saaz are very finicky.
I will attempt to divide when the plants are dormant--probably in
November or early December--unless someone has a better idea. (late
winter?) I have no idea how many four inch root cuttings the rhizome will
produce. I cannot guarantee the root and may ask for some help with
shipping. Any interested brewers or any pertinent suggestions can e-mail.
If the whole thing falls apart, I will notify.
Hoppily yours, mark evans
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 8:33:46 MDT
From: npyle@hp7013.ecae.StorTek.COM
Subject: Brits and Wyeast / Blow your Horn
Brian Gowland writes:
>and if Irish Moss is used during the boil. All ales will show protein
>haze to an extent if chilled excessively - you mention chilling to 34F
>which will only make the haze worse. Us Brits. are often considered
>strange by people from the US because we drink our beers relatively
>warm - if you're chilling your Pale Ales too much then you may never
>be free of protein hazes unless you use aux. finings - not my personal
Well, us Yanks consider you Brits to be strange people yes, but not
because of your habit of drinking warm ale. (I'm kidding, don't get a
knot in your shorts!) Actually, I think the trend of drinking ales a
bit warmer is becoming quite popular in the states as well. It is
obvious that many more flavors come to the fore when the beer is allowed
to warm up a bit. Unfortunately many barkeeps still don't have a clue.
I like to order my second beer long before I'm done with my first so the
ice on the glass has time to melt. I have several non-brewing friends
who've discovered this as well, so its not just a homebrewer's secret.
Regarding your slow packet of London Ale yeast, don't give up Brian. Its not
easy sometimes to get them going. You just didn't allow enough time.
Considering the fact that the yeast had to travel overseas, I would expect
it to be in relatively rough shape. That doesn't mean it won't go, but the
live cell count is probably down. I recommend that you start a packet at
least 3 days in advance next time around. Let the packet swell, pitch to a
pint starter (minimum) and let that get going before brew day. I really
like the liquid yeasts, but they can be a bit more trouble. Good luck.
**
I sort of like Steve's idea of people posting their "credentials" to the
digest. It could easily get into a big ego contest, and undoubtedly many
would not participate because of the opposite affliction: excessive humility,
but it could be very useful. If you read long enough though, you'll
eventually get a feel for who to listen to (guys like George Fix) and who to
ignore (me, for example). Anyway, I'd be curious to see how the rest of the
group feels about it.
Cheers,
Norm npyle@hp7013.ecae.stortek.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 09:51 CDT
From: David P. Atkins <ATKINS@macc.wisc.edu>
Subject: Brewing in Louisiana
I'm an occasional extract ale brewer moving from the ideal brew climes of a
Madison WI basement to the sultry, basementless environs of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. Any tips on setting up simple brewing in this climate?
Also, my hometown of Knoxville, TN is now home to a brew pub. Do any readers
have reviews they'd care to pass along.
Looking forward to Louisiana,
David Atkins
atkins@macc.wisc.edu
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 09:54:22 CDT
From: Todd Swanson <BCHM014@UNLVM.UNL.EDU>
Subject: Need Hop Help!
Greetings Brewers,
I've read the Hop FAQ (good job and thanks to all who participated in that
venture) and I want some more info. I'm dissatisfied with my local suppliers
hops (read not fresh, sometimes yellow, uncertain age) and want some
recommendations of mail order suppliers so I don't have to put up with bad
hops. There were a few mentioned in the FAQ but no addresses or phone #s.
How can one tell if oxygen barrier packaging is being used? Is this sort of
packaging detectable by eye or does it require more subtile testing?
I live in Nebraska (read, hot summers). Will hops exposed to the high
temperatures of a summer shipment be seriously damaged? Or are shipping temps.
not a concern?
Please send E-mail to me (BCHM014@unlvm.unl.edu) unless you feel your reply is
of general interest and warrants posting.
TIA
Todd Swanson (bchm014@unlvm.unl.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 09:14:23 -0600
From: allen@SEDSystems.ca (Barry Allen, Industrial Engineering)
Subject: finings and bitter taste
Does anyone know the effect that using finings has on finished beer
(other than settling out the grungies). Does it affect taste, head,
etc.? Also, what are the pros/cons of the various types (gelatin,
Polyclar, etc.)?
On a second issue, what causes the "biting-at-the-back-of-the-throat"
bitter taste that is frequently present in home brewed lagers? How
does one prevent it?
Looking forward to your comments.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1511, 08/26/94
*************************************
-------
