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HOMEBREW Digest #1641
This file received at Hops.Stanford.EDU 1995/01/26 PST
HOMEBREW Digest #1641 Thu 26 January 1995
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
RE: Coffee brew (Bob Paolino Research Analyst)
fruit beers ("Dana S. Cummings")
"Rare" UK hops (Glenn Tinseth)
Steam Safety (Steve Robinson)
pH vs Temp ?? (Shane Docherty)
koelsches Wasser (Robert Bloodworth ZFBTO - MT0054)
Coffee, LONGMONT Brew Club - The Tribe! ("Roger Grow")
AHA&Cascade/BritDMEhead/2ndFlrBar/treacle/ pts/lb/gal /CaskCond/YeastShock (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
oatmeal stout w/extracts? (Tim Lawson)
legal kegs -> kettles (Steve Peters)
G. Fix mash schedule questions (John Glaser)
RE: HSA (Hot Side Aeration) in the boil (Arthur McGregor 614-0205)
Archive Q's (Craig Amundsen)
BBC Hops (Ronald Moucka)
Fat Tire Recipe at last! (Roger Grow)
Lautering problem (Jeremy Ballard Bergsman)
Lager Bottling Conditioning (Jim Herter)
ale ferments in cold weather (Ken Johnson)
QUESTION ("JOHN LANGAN")
Re: RIMS and Steam Injection (Dion Hollenbeck)
Rogue Saint Red Recipie (CSAN0459)
Pulled a boner ("Lee Bussy")
Cat's Meow 3/Hot side aeration (Philip Gravel)
Association of Brewers ("Lee Bussy")
Stawberry Beer (Tom Wadsworth)
New revision of Suds (Chuck E. Mryglot)
Optimum feed rate for a roller mill (Tom Clifton)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 11:53:56 EST
From: Bob Paolino Research Analyst <uswlsrap@ibmmail.com>
Subject: RE: Coffee brew
Jonas Hartzler in Carbondale asks about using coffee in beer:
I wouldn't put the beans in at all, ground or whole. I'd be concerned about the
oils. To lessen that concern, I simply make a big pot of strong coffee
(variety/roast chosen according to the style of beer and the coffee character I
want) and add it toward the end of the boil. The coffee character will be very
strong when the beer is young, so give it some time in the bottle.
(And for you Madison readers, I don't want to hear any jokes about that
coffee cranberry stout I did a couple years ago!)
While we're on the topic, here's a suggestion that I heard a while ago--put
hops in your coffee. It sure made sense to me--after all, my freezer door is
occupied by bags of coffee on one side and hops on the other. Put a couple of
flowers (or crush a few pellets) in the filter basket with your coffee.
Cascades work wonderfully with darker roasts. Experiment a little to find the
taste you like.
Although I hadn't actually done that combination (hops in coffee rather than
coffee in beer) before, I had thought of it before it was brought to my
attention. Someone at work was leaving to pursue other interests in Seattle. I
made my own going away card: the front read, "Hmmmm.... it smells a little like
Seattle in here." On the inside, I attached a small plastic bag containing some
hops and coffee beans.
Now go have a beer,
Bob Paolino / Disoriented in Badgerspace /uswlsrap@ibmmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 12:33:43 -0500 (EST)
From: "Dana S. Cummings" <dcumming@moose.uvm.edu>
Subject: fruit beers
A brief word of caution regarding the addition of fruit to the
secondary. I made a straw/rasp berry ale in which I added 5-6 # of fruit
to the secondary after fermentation had slowed considerably. The
introduction of all that sugar caused a large increase CO2 production.
The reason why: my fruit floated and plugged my blow off. My advice is
to leave plenty of headspace or have a large diameter blowoff.
Dana Cummings
dcumming@moose.uvm.edu
Burlington, VT
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 09:40:14 -0800
From: gtinseth@teleport.com (Glenn Tinseth)
Subject: "Rare" UK hops
Gary Bell asks about Challenger and Progress hops from the UK. Here's what
I have (snarfed from the Just Hops catalog)
Challenger: AA% 6.5-8.5, BA% 4.0-4.5 A granddaughter of Northern Brewer
bred in England. A true dual purpose hop with a spicy aroma and fruity
flavor. It blends well with other hops.
Progress: AA% 5.0-7.5, BA% 2.0-2.5 This is a good aroma hop bred from a
Whitbread Goldings variety. It has a flavor similar to Fuggles but slightly
sweeter.
Disclaimer: I haven't brewed with either.
Glenn
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 12:55:54 EST
From: Steve Robinson <Steve.Robinson@analog.com>
Subject: Steam Safety
Kirk Fleming writes:
> I advise folks to be mightly careful with any steam generating
> apparatus they might build and use. If a solenoid (for example)
> fails, be certain other failsafe mechanisms shut down production
> and relieve steam pressure (if any). Things like modified pressure
> cookers can be deadly--no joke.
This needs a little clarification. Steam generators made from modified
pressure cookers can indeed be deadly, if their inherent safety mechanisms
are disabled. -----------------------------------
- ------------
The generator that I use is made from a modified pressure cooker. Typically,
it takes about 0.5 psi to push steam through the mash. If for any reason
the steam line were to clog, the weight on the stem of the pressure cooker
would start relieving pressure at 15 psi. If this mechanism were also to
fail, the plastic bung in the pressure cooker lid would blow out before the
pressure limits of the cooker were reached. If these safety mechanisms had
been disabled, then the pressure in the cooker could build up until its limit
was exceeded and it would explode violently.
One other word of warning with steam. Make sure that your injection line has
no leaks in it. The same large heat capacity that make steam such a great
energy transfer medium also mean that if it comes in contact with flesh, it
can burn really badly. Since I ususally have a two year old running around
underfoot while I'm brewing, I get really anal in checking this.
That said, with a little common sense safety applied, steam generation can
be a wonderful addition to a home brewery. Steam is a much more efficient
mechanism than hot water infusions for raising the temperature of a mash,
particularly for reaching the higher target temperatures (eg mashout). I
heartily reccomend it, particularly for those like me who mash in picnic
coolers and would just kill for a method to apply direct heating.
Steve Robinson in North Andover, Mass.
steve.robinson@analog.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 12:07:57 CST
From: docherty@Arco.COM (Shane Docherty)
Subject: pH vs Temp ??
Does anyone have, or know where to find, a table of pH vs temperature
changes? I use a Checker pH meter and generally mash in at about 126F for
lagers. I take a small sample and cool to 60F. then take about 0.35 off
the pH reading to adjust for the temp. difference (this is the the only
adjustment number I've found - Papazian I believe). I'm having another go
around at playing with and refining my water treatment and pH control so
any data would be useful.
Also, does anyone know of a reasonably cheap way or place to get your water
tested for ion concentrations? I'm too cheap to fork out the $50 per ion
they want up here, so just had the local water store do their free tests on
samples of boiled/decanted and plain water from my well and guessed the
rest from there. (I buy distilled water from them to mix with my well
water for pilsners)
FYI I use reagent grade phosphoric acid for my pH adjustments - works
really well.
Thanks in advance ....
Shane Docherty - Anchorage Alaska
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 13:31:37 EST
From: Robert Bloodworth ZFBTO - MT0054 <debaydr9@ibmmail.com>
Subject: koelsches Wasser
To Michael Valentiner,
You asked about water used to brew Koelsch:
>I am looking for the essential ion concentrations of the brewing water in
>parts-per-million (ppm or milligrams/Liter):
> Calcium (Ca)
> Magnesium (Mg)
> Sodium (Na)
> Bicarbonate
> Sulfate (SO4)
> Chloride (Cl)
>Also what is pH of the water? Do they do any kind of water treatment? If
>so, what do they do and what is the ion concentrations of the water that
>is added to the grist?
The braumeister at the Brauerei Paeffgen in Koeln (Cologne) gave me a bit of
info that may help you. Paeffgen is not typical of the breweries in Koeln. It
would probably be considered a microbrewery in the States, as they only sell
draft beer in their own pub (and a couple of select others) and some party-kegs.
The braumeister told me that although they have their own water well out in the
hills east of town, problems with runoff from the intensive agriculture
practised in the area forced them to stop using it. Upon analysis, they found
that the city water was softer than the stuff they got out of the well, anyway
and very clean! (Not surprising, based on the tough new water purity standards
enacted here in the late 80's.) On the basis of his experience, he feels that
the importance of using very soft (10?dH) water for brewing his kind of beer may
be overrated. In any event, his volumes are so small that the added expense of
an ion-exchange set-up doesn't make economic sense and they have been using the
water pretty much as is for a couple of years now without any noticable drop in
beer quality.
He also says that although he personally likes some of the other Koelsches at
least as well as his own, Paeffgen's is the consensus best in the city.
Virtually everyone I have talked to agrees with this assessment, although
Reissdorf Koelsch would come in a close second!
I have it on good authority that the makers of Gilden Koelsch (a good bottled
brand) draw their water from their own well. Gilden does, however, use a
weak-acid ion-exchange resin to reduce the hardness of their water (as they
generously explain during the brewery tour).
Here is a water analysis for the region of Koeln containing the Paeffgen
brewery.
7.13 pH
103.7 Calcium (Ca)
15.4 Magnesium (Mg)
51.9 Sodium (Na)
86.1 Sulfate (SO4)
109.0 Chloride (Cl)
Total
Hardness: 18?dH (?dH = German degree of hardness)
3.22 mmol/l
Hardness
due to
Carbonates: app. 8.5?dH (?dH = German degree of hardness)
* Source: Rechtsrheinische Gas- und Wasserversorgung Aktiengesellschaft 1991 as
reported in Trinkwasser in Koeln "Wie jot es et denn nu wirklich?" from KATALYSE
e.V. Institut fuer angewandte Umweltforschung.
Sorry about the units on the hardness, but I'm not a water chemist and am not
sure how to translate " ?dH ". I'll try to find out what this means in terms of
the bicarbonate concentration in the next couple of days and let you know.
Let me know if you have other Koelsch questions. The braumeister at Paeffgen was
very helpful and I'm sure I'll drop in and visit him sometime soon.
BTW Koelsch is actually spelled Kolsch, but I'm not sure you'll receive the
umlaut (let me know if you do)!
A few bits of trivia about the water in Koeln (Cologne):
Interestingly enough there is a famous Carnival (Koeln's Mardi Gras) drinking
song that has as its refrain: "Dat Wasser von Kolle es jot!"
Which is the local dialect for : The water from Koeln is good!
Also the word cologne stems from the famous "koelsches Wasser" or literally
water of Koeln also known as "4711", one of the worlds oldest commercial
perfumes, which originated in Koeln.
It appears that Koeln's water may indeed have magical properties.
now go and have a beer,
Bob Bloodworth
Koeln
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 11:28:41 -0700
From: "Roger Grow" <grow@sumatra.mcae.stortek.com>
Subject: Coffee, LONGMONT Brew Club - The Tribe!
The coffee first,
Jonas Hartzler asks about Coffee in Beer (HBD #1639);
My advice about coffee is - the later the better. I have tried
adding coffee all throughout the brewing process and have concluded that
adding brewed coffee (I use espresso) with your priming sugar gives the
best coffee flavor in the beer. How much? I use eight 'shots' of espresso
in my Express-O-Stout recipe amd it only adds a nice aftertaste. You can
experiment by adding small amounts of your favorite coffee directly to the
bottle before you cap.
Beware, my experience is with dark coffees (full city or better),
so I dont pretend to know about light roasts. Also, coffee is like crystal
malt, it gives off nasty flavors at temps above 190F (73.5C) so dont boil it.
ATTENTION LONGMONT LURKERS!!!
I know youre out there (John), so come join The Tribe, Longmonts first
homebrew club! The first meeting is Thursday, Jan 26 (yup, tomorrow) at 7:00.
So come one, come all, come naked!
Email me for more info (grow@sumatra.mcae.stortek.com)
Roger H Grow
Cave Boy Pico Brewery
Longmont, Co
Cave Boy Lives! and he brews his own Beer.
------------------------------
Date: 24 Jan 95 13:35:00 -0600
From: korz@iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: AHA&Cascade/BritDMEhead/2ndFlrBar/treacle/ pts/lb/gal /CaskCond/YeastShock
Gary writes:
>and the club went with the all-grain on those grounds, saying that
>it would have to have Cascade to get anywhere in the AHA
>competition. Is that really the way it is?
Absolutely not. I'm sure you can find a judge here or there that is
partial to Cascades, but the AHA Club-Only competitions are judged
by various clubs in various cities, so any biases would be local and
not nationwide. What I mean by local biases is that in some areas
certain stylistic opions are common -- e.g. a tendancy towards higher
bitterness, a tendancy towards US hops, a tendancy towards fruitier
ales, etc. It does not have to be associated with a region either.
A particularly skilled, respected brewer in a club may start hopping
very highly and dryhopping everything with Willamettes. Subsequently,
the less experienced brewers in this group may tend to do the same.
This might be a club in Portland or it may be club in Orlando.
Also, Gary writes:
>Finally, there has been quite a bit of discussion about head-
>retention lately. I've been getting fabulous, thick, white heads
>on my ales consistently when I've use British DME that I buy in
>bulk. I had assumed this was due to dextrins in this extract,
>which tends to finish at higher gravity than American extracts. Is
>there any reason to expect that this British DME is higher in
>head-building proteins than American products?
I would say yes. The largest manufacturer of malt extract in the US
uses 6-row barley. Since 6-row has a much higher protein percentage
than 2-row (which is used virtually exclusively in the UK), I am quite
sure that an extended protein rest is used by the manufacturer. If
the protein rest is done at the low end of the proteolytic range
(i.e. around 122F) then the resulting beer will be thinner in body
and have poorer head retention than if an extract was used which
was made with a fully-modified 2-row barley and a single-step infusion
mash. Another point, this time regarding the liquid extract from this
same American manufacturer -- I've found it to be rather variable at
times. Sometimes it produces good head retention other times poor head
retention. I've always had very good and consistent head retention when
I used Munton & Fison extracts.
****
Dave writes:
>I am building a bar in a second floor loft of my home. My keg refrigerator
>is in a utility room on the first floor. I am planning on running the beer
>lines from the refrigerator up to the bar. The total distance is about 25
>to 30 feet with about 15 feet of this vertical. Does anyone see a problem
>with this? Will I be able to pressurize the kegs enough to get a good flow
>up at the bar? I am planning on running the lines inside an insulated tubing.
>Will I still have problems keeping it cold?
15 feet of vertical can be a tough one especially for low-carbonation beers.
The key to your problem is large inside diameter hose. See Dave Miller's
article in the 1992 AHA National Conference Proceedings or there is an article
on kegging in an upcoming issue of Zymurgy by our own Ed Westemeier. Insulated
tubing may be enough if you use the system often, but if not and you have a
lot of disposable income, you may look into a glycol cooled hose. You could
build it yourself if you are handy. Basically, it involves threading all your
beer lines into a larger, insulated tube *along with* a "pair" of tubes for
glycol. Some faucet towers even have "in" and "out" connectors for glycol.
Dennis Davison and Chris Campanelli have Beer Engines in which the pump
cylinder is jacketed for glycol cooling (can you believe that!). In any
event, you loop the glycol tubing back, up near the faucet and put a pump
and a coil inside the fridge. The tube is filled with glycol and then the
pump pumps cool glycol up along with the beer and then back down for
rechilling.
*********
Tim writes:
>priming with 3 ounces of black treacle, which is molasses.
They may be related, but the two are quite different in flavour.
*****
George writes:
>I'm assuming that if in a 10 gallon batch, my OG reads 1.052 (for example) and
>I have used 17 lbs of grain to get there, that my extraction rate
>(Homebrew method) is:
>
> 100 * 52/[#lbs * #gals.] = 52/[17lbs * 10gals.] = 30.6
>
>{The 100 at the beginning, used to get extraction in percent}
You have the theory right, but I think you typed the formula in wrong.
It should be:
pts/lb/gal = (points * gallons)/pounds_of_grain
So with your example (which worked only because you used 10 gallons and
added an extra 100 in the numerator) the math would be:
pts/lb/gal = (52 * 10)/17 = 520/17 = 30.59
Another way to look at it is "point-gallons/pound" which is equivalent
because the gallons is in the denominator of the denominator, i.e.
pts/(lb/gal).
Since, as someone pointed out a few days ago, there are two "efficiencies"
it is much easier for all of us, when we are talking about our systems
to simply say, "I got 27 points from the DeWolf-Cosyns Aromatic" and the
understanding is 27 points/(lb/gal). This will be universally translatable
among all all-grain homebrewers.
******
Kirk writes:
>What is the distinction (for American amateurs) between
>cask conditioning and priming in the keg? The terms seem
>to be synonymous as I've seen them used.
You are absolutely right -- they are synonymous. The beer
naturally carbonates (conditions) in the keg.
******
Todd writes:
>Will a drastic change in temperature from 100 to 55 degrees kill the yeast?
>This was ale yeast which to my understanding ferments between 65 and 75 deg.
It may kill some of them, stun some of them and make the rest sluggish.
They should recover, but if you would have rehydrated for 30 minutes (the
recommended maximum time, according to a newsletter I have from a yeast
manufacturere) that 100F water probably would have cooled slowly down to
about 80F or so. Also, I recommend pre-boiling that 4 gallons of tapwater
the day before brewing 1) to sanitize it, 2) to drive off chlorine and
3) so that it cools to room temperature overnight. Now you are adding
a gallon of 100F wort to four gallons of 65F water and the result will
be much closer to the 80F yeast than what you did. Yes you can rehydrate
some more yeast and pitch it into this batch, just in case. If you
stunned too much of the yeast, you will have a slow ferment (which is
more likely to bacterial and wild yeast problems), higher diacetyl
in the resulting beer and a higer than normal final gravity.
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 15:24:40 EST
From: Tim Lawson <lawson@clcunix.msj.edu>
Subject: oatmeal stout w/extracts?
Can anyone give me information about the advisability of making an
oatmeal stout without mashing the oatmeal (i.e., I'm an extract brewer)?
I would like to simply cook some oatmeal in water then add the water to
the boil to acquire some oatmeal flavor. Would this create a problem
with head retention in the beer due to the oils in the oatmeal?
Tim Lawson
Cincinnati, Ohio
lawson@clcunix.msj.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 12:40:59 -0800
From: Steve Peters <stevep@pcx.ncd.com>
Subject: legal kegs -> kettles
For those of you out there who would like to turn a keg into a kettle without
the fear of running afoul of the law and you happen to live in the NW:
Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking the Olympia Brewing tour. In their
gift shop they sell shiny Olympia kegs for $30. These are the kind with the
bung in the side, but I have seen them converted into kettles before.
The tour was suprisingly fun. The guide we had knew more about the process
than most guides do at larger breweries, and Olympia Brewing has clearly taken
pains with their facilities to make the tour enjoyable even for us microbrew
fanatics.
I also found out how you can have draft beer in a can: They don't pasturize the
canned "draft" beer, the same way they don't pasturize the keg beer. Tricky.
The beer tasting results: Olympia beer was amazing in its clear lack of any
flavor whatsoever. The Olympia Dark (available only on draft and at the gift
shop) had a noticable amount of tasty chocolate malt.
In contrast with this experience we also stopped for the Rainier tour in
Seattle. The tour started with a somewhat insipid video aimed at people who
never quite got that GED. The facilities tour was OK, though very brisk.
Worst of all the Rainier brews we tasted all had that skunky cheap beer taste
that gives beer a bad name. Sigh.
- --
...+ Steve Peters : stevep@pcx.ncd.com ....|.. Even Jesus wanted just ...
....+ Sustaining Engineering and Support ....|... a little more time .....
...+ Network Computing Devices, Inc .......|...... : Tom Waits .......
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 13:39:21 -0700
From: John Glaser <glaser@widlar.ece.arizona.edu>
Subject: G. Fix mash schedule questions
I've got a question for you all-grain gods and master
brew-chemists. Several months ago, there was a post by George Fix
regarding a 40-60-70 degree celsius (104-140-158F) mash schedule for
highly modified malts. I switched to this schedule and have gotten
good consistent results. I use 30 min at each time, BTW. I raise from
40 to 60C with a boiling infusion plus a little added heat, and use
stove to heat from 60 to 70C. I get a typical O.G. 1.050 and F.G. of
about 1.010 (from memory, I don't have my notebook here, and assuming
my hydrometer is not too far off the mark).
According to Dave Miller (Complete Handbook of Homebrewing, or
whatever), for starch to be available for conversion to sugar, the
starch must be gelatinized, which occurs for barley at 149F. So, what
does the rest at 140F accomplish? Or, is Miller's info outdated, and
if so, what is actually happening? I have noticed that the mash does
taste sweet at the end of the 140F rest, although I haven't measured
S.G. at this point.
Thanks for any and all replies,
John Glaser (glaser@widlar.ece.arizona.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 16:30:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Arthur McGregor 614-0205 <mcgregap@acq.osd.mil>
Subject: RE: HSA (Hot Side Aeration) in the boil
Hi All,
Gerry Nelson asked why HSA was not a problem during a vigorous boil. The
boiling is the result of steam formation (not creation of O2, H2 and H2O), so
HSA should not be a problem. I would guess that the creation of steam tends
to blanket the surface area of the wort in the kettle, so any slashing due to
boiling does allow O2 to interact with the hot wort.
Art McGregor (mcgregap@acq.osd.mil) Lorton, Virginia
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 15:57:10 -0600 (CST)
From: Craig Amundsen <amundsen@molbio.cbs.umn.edu>
Subject: Archive Q's
Hi -
I recently downloaded the file charts.all from the Stanford archive. It has
several tables relating alcohol percentage and calories as functions of OG
and FG. The calorie charts don't mention the serving size; can I assume that
it is 12 ounces? The source of the numbers in the chart is also absent; does
anyone know where they came from and their accuracy?
TIA
- Craig
- --
+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Craig Amundsen | DILBERT - Sometimes I wonder if it's ethical |
| amundsen@molbio.cbs.umn.edu | to do these genetic experiments. But |
| (612) 624-2704 | I rationalize it because it will |
| 250 Biological Sciences | improve the quality of life. |
| 1445 Gortner Avenue | DOGBERT - What are you making? |
| Saint Paul, MN 55108 | DILBERT - Skunkopotamus. |
+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 17:54:06 GMT
From: rmoucka@omn.com (Ronald Moucka)
Subject: BBC Hops
Brew Buds,
About 3 months ago I sent Jim and the good folks at Boston
Brewing Co (tm) a check for $12.00 for a pound of the
illusive Mittlefrueh hops rumored to be available to
homebrewers. Although the check has not been cashed, I
never heard a word from them. Has anyone else out there
tried this and received anything from them? Unfortunately,
I don't seem to be able to put my hands on their address or
phone. Can anyone help me here?
Am I just a chump or what?
.:.
:.:.
/|~~~~|
(_| D |
| B | Ron Moucka, Brewmaster
`----' DayBar Brewing, Ltd.
"It's not so much an indication of our legal structure
as it is a reflection of our abilities."
rmoucka@omn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 16:24:02 -0700
From: grow@sumatra.mcae.stortek.com (Roger Grow)
Subject: Fat Tire Recipe at last!
A long time ago, Michael Sabo aske me to pass on any Fat Tire recipe replys.
Michael, Sorry I've taken so long to reply, no one responded with a recipe
but I've had some personal sucess. I found one recipe after I attempted my
own.
Heres mine;
Flat Tyre
6 lbs light extract
2 lbs amber extract
1/2 lb 20L crystal
1/2 lb dextrine malt (carapils)
1 oz Chinook hops
1 oz Cascade hops
Wyeast 1056 American (aka Chico)
Scant 3/4 cup of corn sugar for priming
Add 1.5 gallons cold water and the grains (in a bag) to your boiling pot.
Spend about 30 mins bringing the water to a boil. I use medium high on my
generic electric range, high boils too quickly and doesnt give the grains
enough soaking time.
Remove the grain bag just before the water boils.
Remove the pot from the heat (to prevent scorching) and add the extract.
Replace on the heat and add 3/4 oz chinook hops - boil for 60 min.
Add 1 oz cascades for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
Cool to about 100F (chiller, ice bath, snow drift or divine intervention)
Add cooled wort to 3 gallons cold water in your primary fermenter.
When the temp is less than 80F (should be by now) add the yeast and
shake the snot out of it, um, I mean, aereate the wort.
When fermentation is complete, make a 'hop tea' by boiling the remaining
1/4 oz chinook hops (I know, not a classic aroma hop) with your priming sugar.
Bottle, wait at least three weeks and enjoy.
Primary ferment - 3-5 days (1056 starts slow)
Secondary ferment - 7 days
O.G. - 1.046
F.G. - 1.016
The beer turned out great! Not exactly like Fat Tire (thus the name) but
close enough for me. It doesnt have that Fat Tire wheat taste, but I'm not
a big wheat beer fan (shields up Mr. Data). The yeast is an important part
of the flavor so buy, beg, culture or pilfer some if you possibly can. If
you buy a packet, definately make a starter because 1056 seems to start slow.
The second recipe comes from the Rocky Mountain Homebrew December '94 newsleter.
(If you have a Mosaic or Netscape browser you can find their homepage at:
http://129.80.72.202/~sabbe/rmh_beer_page.html Some neat stuff in there.)
Here goes;
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Fat Tire Clone (extract)
3.3 lb Light liquid malt extract
3 lb Laaglanders Ex-light Dry Malt
1 lb crystal malt (30L)
1 lb wheat malt
1 oz Northern Brewers Hops (boil) 7.5%A
1/2 oz Willamette hops (flavor)
1/2 oz Saaz hops (aroma) 2.3%A
3 tsp Irish Moss (15 minute boil)
2 tsp Gypsum
#1214 Belgum Ale Liquid Yeast
or
culture from several bottles of Fat Tire Belgium Ale.
O.G. 1.055
F.G. 1.014
Culture: Start yeast culture before you brew. Yeast should be at high krausing
at pitching time. I have found that starting yeast cultures from bottles of
Fat Tire is very hit and miss. I had to go through 3 bottles before I found one
that had enough yeast to start a culture. You may want to use WYeast liquid
yeast cultures and save yourself a lot of frustration. *
Water: Boil and refrigerate 3 gallons of tap water or buy 3 gallons of bottled
(not distilled) water and refrigerate.
Brewing: Add Gypsum to 1 1/2 gallons cold water.
add cracked grains and steep at 150 degrees F for 30 mins.
Remove grains. Add liquid and dry malts and bring to a boil.
After boiling starts add boiling hops.
Last 15 minutes of boil add flavor hops and irish moss.
Last 2 minutes of boil add aroma hops.
Cover brew pot and place into a cold water bath for 30 minutes.
Then add 2 1/2 gallons of refrigerated water to sanitized carboy.
Add cooled wort to carboy, top off with more refrigerated water.
Cork and shake to allow oxygen into the wort.
Add yeast culture and attach blowoff tube.
place in a dark place and allow to ferment.
Bottling: Prime with 1 1/3 cups of Laaglanders Ex-light Dry Malt
Allow 3 weeks of bottle conditioning at room temp when using dry malt to prime.
Comments: Using Laaglanders Ex-light Dry Malt gets this brew very close to the
original Belgium ale. This is because of the tendancy of Laaglanders to have a
high amount of unfermented sugars in it and in turn producing a sweeter finish
which is characteristic of this Belgium ale.
The wheat malt is added along with the #1214 Belgium ale liquid yeast to give
the brew that classic Fat Tire's (1) aftertaste.
(1) Fat Tire Belgium ale is a produict of the New Belgium Brewery, Lakewood, Co.
The above recipe was reproduced with permission from the cool folks at
Rocky Mountain Homebrew. Please forgive any typos, theyre mine.
I hope you find this useful or at least tasty!
Roger
Roger H Grow
Cave Boy Pico Brewery
Longmont, Co
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 15:25:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Jeremy Ballard Bergsman <jeremybb@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Lautering problem
I am extremely hesitant to post the following question for fear of
reigniting the false bottom/copper manifold/em flamefest, but I have
a lautering problem with my new false-bottomed lauter tun.
It is an upside-down, bottomless 1/2 BBL keg with a custom-made
adaptor comming out of what was the tap/pump hole for a drain with a
perforated SS false bottom. I made two batches with no problem, in
fact I had very fast clearing, and high flow-through rates. The next
two batches (the last two) have had the same problem: everything
starts out well, but near the end (when the SG of the runoff is
~1.025-1.030) the runoff suddenly becomes VERY cloudy. It is not
macroscopic particulate matter, and it doesn't seem to be starch as it
is not affected by addition of amylase enzymes.
Hints:
I only have N=2 but the appearance of the cloudiness might be
correlated with changes in the height of the hot liquor layer waiting
to percolate down through the grain bed (I'm still working on the
float valve). I don't think it is a temperature effect as both the
hot liquor and the grain bed are at ~170F. The pH of the hot liquor
is actually less than that of the mash, probably ~4.5-4.7. I have never
heard of problems of overly acidic hot liquor so I don't correct my tap
water which has this pH (it is not strongly buffered to this pH either).
If anyone could shed some light on this I would appreciated it. TIA.
Jeremy Bergsman jeremybb@leland.stanford.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 17:23:02 -0500 (EST)
From: Jim Herter <James.M.Herter.1@nd.edu>
Subject: Lager Bottling Conditioning
I have a lager (5 gal.) which is approaching its four week anniversary in
the secondary fermenter at 34 F. I used the Wyeast Czech Pilsner which I
pitched from a 16 oz. 1.02 O.G. starter into a carboy which was 1.048 O.G.
The specific gravity was taken before it went into the fridge at 1.013 and
after three weeks in the fridge it's still at 1.013.
With all that said, here are the questions;
Many different sources say anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks minimum in the
secondary. Is there that much of a discernible difference in quality from 3
to 6 weeks?
It's been stated that I will need to add some active yeast to the
conditioning bucket because of the potential inactivity of the yeast. How is
this process best handled? I plan on doing another lager while the temp
is still cool (within the next two weeks) in the old coal room. If I make a
starter for this lager;
Can I double the quanity of the starter for the chosen strain of lager yeast
and use half for bottling?
Does it have to be the same strain? If available I had planned on using a
lager blend!
Since the beer will be at 34 F, what effect would that have on the yeast
that's at room temp in the bottling bucket? Do I let the secondary come to
room temp for a day with the fermentation lock still intact then mix with a
starter?
Should I start my next lager and extract x amount of fermenting wort, then
add to the bucket? How much would I extract? What effect would this have on
the new batch? (I'd prefer not to take the fermentation lock off at high
krausen in the environment that the carboy is kept for primary fermentation).
I realize that this may seem like very basic questions, but I have not seen
any info on this topic in the backlog of HBD files that I have. If
appropriate post to this bulletin board, if not direct email will do.
Thank You!
James M. Herter
Business Manager
Notre Dame Food Services
(219)631-0113
james.m.herter.1@nd.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 15:49:56 PST
From: kjohnson@zabriskie.EECS.Berkeley.EDU (Ken Johnson)
Subject: ale ferments in cold weather
I noticed yesterday that my aquarium heater rigged system to keep the beer
warm enough for ale fermentation had a flaw. There was a severe temperature
gradient through the water bath. Any place below the heater was still cold.
The solution: get an aquarium pump to circulate the water.
kj
------------------------------
Date: 24 Jan 1995 18:03:40 -0800
From: "JOHN LANGAN" <john_langan@cl_63smtp_gw.chinalake.navy.mil>
Subject: QUESTION
5:19 PM
OFFICE MEMO Time:
Subject:
QUESTION 01-24-95
Date:
What is a good roadmap to use in studying for the BJCP examination?
Is there a syllabus for studying? Are there old exams available?
Thank You.
John E. Langan
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 18:00:18 PST
From: hollen@megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck)
Subject: Re: RIMS and Steam Injection
>>>>> "Kirk" == Fleming, Kirk R , Capt <FLEMINGKR@afmcfafb.fafb.af.mil> writes:
>> From: Peter Murphy (peter_murphy-G10826@email.mot.com
>> Subject: RIMS and Steam Injection
Kirk> From HBD #1637 Pete Murphy asks about building a RIMS. His
Kirk> description of other systems raised a question: exactly what
Kirk> constitutes a RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System?)--have
Kirk> I got that right? Do they always entail an in-line heat source
Kirk> such as the one he describes?
Kirk> I'll add a description of what we do, and ask for your
Kirk> comments regarding our design vs typical RIMS designs. In
Kirk> particular, what are the specific objectives of such systems?
Kirk> We've mashed for varying durations, then started a recirc using
Kirk> controlled flow from the mash pump, gently distributing the wort
Kirk> back onto the top of the grain bed. After at most 10 min we
Kirk> usually get clear flow (although we used wheat malt yesterday
Kirk> and it never did clear up--don't know why). In any case, the
Kirk> heat source is the fire under the pot, we're infusing, and we're
Kirk> recirculating. Are we missing important objectives?
Yes, if your objective is to build a RIMS system strictly according to
the definition invented by Rodney Morris, you are missing something,
and that is even heat distribution during the mash brought about by
recirculation. While recirculating wort at the end of the mash surely
clarifies it, this is only one of the purposes of the RIMS concept.
It is my opinion that anyone can truly claim to have implemented the
RIMS concept if the wort is continuously circulated during the entire
length of the mash. The insertion of heat can be done in any number
of novel ways, Rodney's and mine happen to be electricty (for 10 gal
or smaller batches).
dion
- --
Dion Hollenbeck (619)675-4000x2814 Email: hollen@megatek.com
Staff Software Engineer Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 21:36:30 EST
From: CSAN0459@URIACC.URI.EDU
Subject: Rogue Saint Red Recipie
Ok, Ill try this again.
In December I requested recipies for clones of Rogue Saint Red Ale (or the
real one if you know it) Seeing as there was very little cyBEERspace activity
then, and those who may have had it may not have been paying attention,
Im gonna request it again. So, If you know of one, PLEASE let me know.
Private EMail is just fine. If you send it my way, Ill send you a goody from my
recipie book.
TIA,
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 20:52:00 +0000
From: "Lee Bussy" <leeb@southwind.net>
Subject: Pulled a boner
Okay, who was I corresponding with from OKC about the competition and
BJCP?
I was replying to your message and I think I deleted the message
before sending it.
Please reply and let me know if it made it or not.
Now back to our show..........
- --
-Lee Bussy | The 4 Basic Foodgroups.... |
leeb@southwind.net | Salt, Fat, Beer & Women! |
Wichita, Kansas | http://www.southwind.net/~leeb |
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 23:32:49 -0600 (CST)
From: pgravel@mcs.com (Philip Gravel)
Subject: Cat's Meow 3/Hot side aeration
===> MYETTE@delphi.com asks where to find the Cat's Meow 3:
>I have read some old issues of HBD and have seen mention of Cats Meow 3.
>
>where can I find this new version
The Cat's Meow 3 is only available on the World Wide Web. Its URL is:
http://alpha.rollanet.org/
===> Gerry Nelson asks about hot side aeration:
>HSA; Why isn't this a problem during vigorous boil?
Because during the boil, there is no air dissolved in the boiling liquid.
Also, the boiling forms a layer of water vapor on top of liquid that keeps
air away.
- --
Phil
_____________________________________________________________
Philip Gravel pgravel@mcs.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 06:16:13 +0000
From: "Lee Bussy" <leeb@southwind.net>
Subject: Association of Brewers
I received a note from Shawn ath AOB about the GABF but the mail I
sent back bounced.
Can anyone give me a better address?
- --
-Lee Bussy | The 4 Basic Foodgroups.... |
leeb@southwind.net | Salt, Fat, Beer & Women! |
Wichita, Kansas | http://www.southwind.net/~leeb |
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 07:50:59 -0500 (EST)
From: Tom Wadsworth <twadswor@moose.uvm.edu>
Subject: Stawberry Beer
I have about 4 - 5 lbs of strawberries in the freezer and am interested
in working them into a brew. I am thinking of making a "blond ale" and
adding the berries (pastuerized) into the second carboy at the first
raking. Any thoughts or recommendations on a light ale recipe (extract)
that might work well in this case?
Thanks, Tom.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Thomas Wadsworth | Phone: (802) 656-2861/3560 +
+ Dept of Pathology & Lab. Medicine | FAX: (802) 656-3509 +
+ Medical Center Hospital of Vermont | e-mail: twadswor@moose.uvm.edu +
+ Burlington, Vermont 05401 | +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 95 07:55:44 EST
From: cem@cadre.com (Chuck E. Mryglot)
Subject: New revision of Suds
I just took a look at the new version of SUDS (rev 3.1). I have used the
previous version (3.0c) on occasion. The significant difference that I see
in 3.1 is a new IBU algorithm. I suspect that the 3.1 IBU calculation is
based on the much debated formula recently published in Mark Garetz's book.
eg. At rev 3.0c, a recipe has a calculated IBU of 28. the same recipe
in 3.1 will show an IBU of 18..... quite a difference. The beers I have
brewed seemed to be hopped properly based on the 3.0c calculation. If I
followed the 3.1 formula I suspect I would be way over hopped.
I checked out BRF and it tends to agree with the 3.0c formula. Anyone
know what the new and old formulas for IBU calculations are? Anyways,
I'll stick with the old formulation.
cheers,
chuckm
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 95 09:38 EST
From: Tom Clifton <0002419419@mcimail.com>
Subject: Optimum feed rate for a roller mill
The subject has come up regarding the "correct" feed rate (as in feet per
minute) for a motorized mill. This would likely effect the quality of crush
as well the condition of the grain due to possible shattering or heating of
the grain if crushed too rapidly. Specifically this is in regard to a mill
my father is making from the Chris Barnhart plans. The mill has been changed
a bit by its use of 6" long X 3 5/8" diameter hard maple rollers. The drive
is via an electric wheelchair motor that turns at 180rpm at 12 volts which
seems awfully fast for such a diameter roller as this would result in a feed
of around 180 feet per minute.
Also of concern is the torque available from the motor. It is spec'd at 20
inch pounds when running on 24 volts with a draw of 8.4 amps. As the mill
isn't complete yet I don't know if reducing the speed further to increase
the torque is necessary because I havn't the faintest idea how hard the thing
will be to crank. Any words of wisdom from the readers of the digest end
would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Tom Clifton
St. Louis, MO.
- ---------------------------------
End forwarded message
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1641, 01/26/95
*************************************
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