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HOMEBREW Digest #1883
This file received at Hops.Stanford.EDU 1995/11/14 PST
HOMEBREW Digest #1883 Tue 14 November 1995
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Shipping Homebrew (Mark Peacock)
Re-pitching on primary dregs (David Mercer)
Hop Utilization ("James Hojel")
Question on FG? (Ted=Davidson)
Re: Mashing Overnight... (Tom Keith)
kegging ? (SPEAKER.CURTIS)
Grain Mill Question ("Matthew Hanley")
Boiling? (phil.finkle)
RE: electric stove problems (Kurt Dschida)
IBUs and Hopped Extract (Tim Fields)
test ("Philip Gravel")
Pinkus Ur Pils (hadleyse)
Reformulating an extract recipe. (Me)
SKUNKY BATCH (Jim Harper)
re: wyeast (C. Rosen)
new all-grainer (MR WADE A WALLINGER)
Blue fine stout (kit.anderson)
fungi perfecti (blacksab@siu.edu)
RE SA Stock (tfields)
Helping Santa ("Dave Ebert")
RE: Duck Tape, Quack, Quack (Barry M Rodstein)
Manifold slits (THaby)
Black and Tan ("William D. Knudson")
Draining/Priming (krkoupa)
Mead (Tim Laatsch)
Using Munich as a base malt ( ROBERT P LEDDEN)
Micro Gone Bad (Matthew_Willson_at_LORAL-SEAS)
Rumors of my death... ("Pat Babcock")
"Snow Disks" ("Olson, Greger J - CIV/911-2")
Big Three - "Blandified tastes?" (John Boots)
Sam Adams (Bryan L. Gros)
Bottle conditioning high-gravity beers (Dave Hensley)
SA Double Bock ("William D. Knudson")
Ice Chiller ("Glen R. Geisen")
Prostitute Beer? ("Pat Babcock")
Water pH/"Stones" (A. J. deLange)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 05:43:37 -0500
From: Mark Peacock <mpeacock@oeonline.com>
Subject: Shipping Homebrew
I want to ship a couple of cases of homebrew from my femto-brewery =
(outside of Detroit) to a condo in Lake Tahoe for the ski season. Any =
suggestions on carrier and packing method, and any idea on cost would be =
appreciated.
Regards,
Mark Peacock
Birmingham, MI
mpeacock@oeonline.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 15:30:51 -0800
From: dmercer@path.org (David Mercer)
Subject: Re-pitching on primary dregs
I have a five gallon batch of what I'll call, for lack of a better name, a
"Winter Warmer" that is one week in a primary and will be ready to rack to a
secondary in another few days. I'd like to reuse the yeast (1098) from the
primary to make a barleywine. I was planning on brewing next weekend, and
thought about just dumping the barleywine wort on top of the dregs of the
WW. But I am skittish about throwing new wort on all that old trub. What's
the consensus? Should I go to the trouble of trying to separate trub from
viable yeast first, or can I just go ahead with the lazy man's solution?
Thanks in advance,
Dave M.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 95 21:04:37 UT
From: "James Hojel" <JTroy@msn.com>
Subject: Hop Utilization
Here goes a question that has probably been beaten into the ground by the
subscribing audience. I'm hoping someone has a drop of patience left to
answer it!! Regarding hop utilization: in Papazian's
The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, he has a table on p. 268 listing
various hop utilization rates compared with different gravities. I'm
assuming all figures are based on a vigorous boil and relatively fresh hops.
Now the question; how do these figures change with the use of pellets and a
hop bag (with either pellets or leaves)? I've noticed a reduction in
utilization when a hop bag is used (leaves or pellets) and an increase when
pellets are used (w/o bag). Is there any validity to my observations and
what are the "correct" utilization rates given the above scenarios? Is it
even possible to pinpoint a utilization rate (given all the dirrerent
variables involved)?
Just another attempt to make unknowns a little more known!!
Thanks,
James Hojel
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 09:28:57 EST
From: Ted=Davidson%IS%PIT@RnD.SWITCH.COM
Subject: Question on FG?
I am new to home brewing, just bottled my second batch yesterday. I have
been following this list for the past several months and have picked up a
lot of good information. I have a question though on OG and FG. From the
discussions so far my batches seem to have a high FG. The first batch was
a John Bull Amber, OG 1.044 and FG 1.022. The second batch was a Muton &
Fison Lager, OG 1.038 and FG 1.018. Are the FG's to high? If so, what
could be causing the problem.
Ted Davidson
tedavidson@switch.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 1995 11:38:16 -0600
From: nr706@mcs.com (Tom Keith)
Subject: Re: Mashing Overnight...
>> I've been reading a lot lately about mashing overnight and then sparging,
>>etc in the AM...
>>What adverse effects could this have on my brew?
>
>Mashing at lower temperatures gives you more fermentables.
>Even if you mash in at a relatively high temperature, the
>extended time still is going to let those enzymes do a
>rather complete job of conversion as you fall back through
>the lower temperatures. And you're probably going to end
>up in the range where proteinase enzymes are working. The
>end result: a highly attenuated beer with little body and
>no head. If this is what you like, overnight mashing will
>work well. Probably ideal for Dry beers.
I've been using this technique (overnight mashing) for the last few
batches. In general, I use a fair amount of Cara Pils and other caramel
malts, but in judging I usually don't hear many "not enough malt" comments.
And my extraction rates have zoomed from 60% to 90% or so (actually, making
higher-gravity beers than I'd originally intended). I use a Gott cooler
with a false bottom, which maintains temperatures well.
My latest Bass clone (using overnight mashing) got a first place in the
English Pale Ale category in the Chicago Beer Society's recent competition
- and an ordinary bitter, similarly mashed, got a 3rd place ribbon.
Head hasn't been a problem - but then I add 1/4 lb. wheat to all my 5 gal
batches.
Bottom line - as long as the recipe includes a reasonable amount of caramel
malts and other less-fermentables, give overnight mashing a try!
- ---------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
Tom Keith | Advertising, Promotion and New Product |
Thomas Keith & Associates | Development for smaller companies and |
1016 Mulford Street | smaller divisions of large companies. |
Evanston, IL 60202-3317 | Now! Multimedia and WWW development! |
voice: 708-328-1282 +-----------------------------------------+
Fax: 708-328-2242 | check out our Web page |
e-mail nr706@mcs.com | http://www.mcs.com/~nr706/home.html |
- ---------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 09:26 EST
From: CSS2@OAS.PSU.EDU (SPEAKER.CURTIS)
Subject: kegging ?
A quick ? for the group:
I just got my kegging setup together: a couple corny kegs, CO2 tank &
regulator with all associated connections, plus my new beer cooler. Now the
question:
Can I keg up, say, 4 of the 5 gallons in a batch and bottle the remaining
gallon? Is there any problem with the additional head space created by only
filling the keg 80% of the way up (yes, I will purge the head space w/ CO2)?
I am looking forward to being able to keg up my brew, but I would also like to
hold back 8-10 bottles as gifts, for competitions, etc.
Any wisdom/comments on this would be appreciated.
And while folks are constantly bashing A-B (me too), I must say that that I
have found their yeast (aka Wyeast #2007) to be a great performer. Yes, it
will give you a little of that green apple ester (acetylaldehyde) that Bud<tm>
is known for, but it is a vigerous fermentor, and it really sticks to the
bottom of the bottle. The couple pilsners that I have made turned out
extremely well; clean, crisp and flavorful. No vested interest in Wyeast,
just a happy customer.
Hoppy Brewing
Curt
css2@oas.psu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 08:58:07 -0500
From: "Matthew Hanley" <mwhanley@mailbox.syr.edu>
Subject: Grain Mill Question
While browsing in the local homebrew shop yesterday, I saw
a new grain mill. It's made by Murcato (sp?), the folks from Italy
that make the manual pasta makers.
It's got 3 rollers and is a solid stainless steel design, just like
their pasta makers. The only drawback is a small hopper (and possibly
thoroughput) and the place where the grain comes out is small.
My questions is, has anyone out there used one of these? Or at least
heard about them? They are only $48.95 and look very nice, so
I'm thinking of giving it a shot.
-matt
All animals are strictly dry, they sinlessly live and swiftly die.
But sinful, Ginful, beer soaked man survives three score years and ten.
-origin unknown-
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 09:26:18 -0400
From: phil.finkle@sid.net
Subject: Boiling?
Saw a note the other day that implied that boiling is not necessary if you are
using well water. Is that correct? I have made several batches of homebrew
using various malt extracts. I have always boiled for about 30 minutes and
everytime, save one, something apparently got burned and the resulting brew,
while tasty, was much darker than it should be. Each time, I stirred constantly
to try to prevent burning. I am on a well and would like to avoid boiling if I
can.
I will soon try my first batch of all grain. Any suggestions on that as well?
Thanks in advance.
Phil.Finkle@sid.net
------------------------------
Date: 12 Nov 95 12:27:03 EST
From: Kurt Dschida <76132.733@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: electric stove problems
In HBD 1881 Ed Iaciofano writes:
>Also, as a related comment, it appears that my brewing is
>slowly destroying my stove, with cleaning off the burnt black
>wort on the stovetop, and now this. The wife is patient but
>getting annoyed. Any ideas, short of getting a propane setup
>(which I've been pondering)? Thanks.
I used to use my stove to do my home brewing (though gas & not elect.) but it
took *forever* to get not only 5-6 gal. water/wort to boil but even only 3
gallons. My wife wasn't too crazy about it either. I finally told her about
these
wonderful contraptions called *propane burners*... she almost immediately went
out & bought me a King Kooker (tm), one of those 200,000 Btu jet burner types.
*Both* of us are happy now. I can bring water/wort up to a boil at top speed
(of course not quite as fast as the Binford ToxiTherm 4000), and she has the
mess & smell out of the house. This is probably one of the best investments
made, and I'm planning on converting it to natural gas for ease of use.
Kurt Dschida
76132.733@compuserve.com or kdschida@vines.dsd.litton.com
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!
------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 95 08:14:15 EST
From: Tim Fields <74247.551@compuserve.com>
Subject: IBUs and Hopped Extract
Hello All,
Is there any reasonable way to estimate the number of IBUs in a 3.3# of
M&F LME (Hopped Stout kit)?
"Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
timf@relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551@compuserve.com (weekends)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 23:32:18 -0600 (CST)
From: "Philip Gravel" <pgravel@mcs.com>
Subject: test
===> Scott Hadley asks about mashout in a picnic cooler mash tun:
>I recently built a combination mash/lauter tun out of a 48 qt
>rectangular picnic cooler with a slotted copper manifold as part of my
>10 gal set up. I've done 2 pale ales in it so far and have performed
>the mash out by adding boiling water to the mash prior to recirculation
>and draining/sparging. This technique reduces the amount of sparge
>water I can run over the grain bed and reduces my extract efficiency. I
>had some other ideas for how to perform the mashout that may help raise
>my extract efficiency:
>
>1.) Drain some amount of sweet wort from the mash, bring it up to a
>boil and return to the mash tun.
I've done this successfully. You might consider steam injection also.
===> Daniel Goodale asks about hops in trub:
> While at my local homebrew shop, I was talking to
>the owner (the fat guy with the bad teeth; you know the type).
>He said that some of his customers complain about their
>beer being too bitter.
Perhaps his customers are used to the Budmilloors beers that have
little bitterness so that anything more is perceived as being too
bitter.
> He attributes this to hops in the trub
>continuing to bitter the beer if they are allowed in the primary
>fermenter.
Not true. Boiling is required to cause bitterness. Won't happen
in the fermenter.
> I am way too lazy to filter that stuff out, so all the
>break goes into my primary. My finished beer dosn't taste
>too bitter (perhaps i've just grown accustomed to it or my
>taste buds have been burned out?). Anywho, is this true
>or a homebrew legend???????
Misconception.
- --
Phil
_____________________________________________________________
Philip Gravel Lisle, Illinois pgravel@mcs.net
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 09:54:59 EST
From: hadleyse@pweh.com
Subject: Pinkus Ur Pils
Does anyone have a recipie for Pinkus Ur Pils or any info on the O.G. or
IBU's. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Scott Hadley Hartford, CT
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 16:10:55 +1100 (EST)
From: Me <patrickd@131.236.80.10.110>
Subject: Reformulating an extract recipe.
Dear brew-persons.
I have moved on to all-grain brewing recently and I have enjoyed the
results so much that I can't see myself going back to extract. However, my
spouse's favourite dark beer is extract-based, and to please her I would
like to recreate it as an all-grain beer. Can anyone help please?
I based my recipe on Papazian's "Danger Knows No Favorites Dunkel"
on page 204 of TNCJOHB. I followed his methods, but due to lack of
availability of the suggested ingredients I used these fermentables instead:
Munton&Fisons Old Ale Kit (hopped malt extract in a 3#, 5oz. can)
1 kilo (2.2 #) Dark dried malt extract.
350 g. (13 oz.) Crystal malt.
250 g. (9 oz.) Black malt.
So, I am asking -- what grains who YOU use to get close to this beer?
I would appreciate the benefit of your collective wisdom, and am happy to
receive email directed to :
p-dominick@adfa.oz.au
Thanks in advance,
Patrick Dominick
in Canberra, Australia.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 05:01:46 -0700
From: harperj@olympus.net (Jim Harper)
Subject: SKUNKY BATCH
I've never had a skunky batch until now. It is an ale and still in
secondary fermentation, although inactive. I was careful, as usual, to
avoid ultra violet exposure and sharp temperature gradiants. Is there any
way to rescue it, at this time, or should I chuck it or just tell my
friends it is a Molson recipe???
Dan McConnell suggested adding fruit, so I added one half cup and three
quarters cup of pure apple juice to two pint test bottles. I'll give it a
couple weeks to cabonate, check it and post the results. In the meantime,
anyone with experience in rescuing skunky batches please advise me.
Thanks.
Jim Harper
Sequim, WA
harperj@olympus.net
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 95 19:46 CST
From: crosen@wwa.com (C. Rosen)
Subject: re: wyeast
(sorry for the bazaar address, the e-mail's broken @siu)
Well, apparently my comment about Wyeast ruffled a few feathers. I'm sorry
if I offended anyone, but I stand behind what I said and offer the following
as evidence to support my assertion:
1.) I personally corresponded with the individual homebrewer involved some
time ago for confirmation, so there are at least two sides to this story...
2.)The package I have in front of me is labeled: ADVANCED YEAST CULTURES:
Special Strains for Unique Beer Styles--#3278 Brett. bruxellensis.
3.) Advanced Brewers Scientific; catalog #2, 1995; p.6. (I just recieved
this within the past week or so): W3278 _Brettanomyces bruxellensis & lambicus_
4.) The following was sent out to suppliers dated Sept. 5, 1995, and was
posted here on Sept 11, 1995 (I quote the relevant passages, the entire text
is in HBD #1828):
-re: 3278 Yeast
-Please provide this notice to all customers of: Brewer's Choice #3278B Yeast
-
-This name change reflects the fact that this yeast culture is a blend of
yeasts -and not 100% of one particular strain...
-The product has not changed...
-For several years we have produced this blend, because using 100% of one
yeast -would make an unpalatable beer. This item will remain available with
a modified -label as indicated.
-
-Signed, Dave Logsdon
Food products are regulated by the FDA, including how a product may be
labeled. For example, FRUIT DRINK may not be labeled as FRUIT JUICE; there
are legal definitions distinguishing one from the other. Labels are also
required to list ingredients in decreasing order of volume or quantity,
i.e., the first entry is the ingredient with the most quantity, the second
with the next most, and so on.
The complaint leveled against Wyeast was that the label did not accurately
reflect the contents of the package, and when they were called on this
publically, they threatened lawsuit. This was all I was saying, and given
that Wyeast has in essence admitted that their package was misleading by
changing it, I really don't see what was so earth shattering about my
remark. If the package contains anything in addition to Brettanomyces then
the label should reflect that fact.
Unlike most of the yeasts Wyeast sells, this particular yeast was labeled as
a specific strain (note the use of the latin) and not as a general style.
Since most of us are not microbiologists, we depend on producers to maintain
certain standards. This is not a question of a random mutation or infection
(which is to be expected), this is a question of what's actually in the
package. Why must a homebrewer need to bring this to the attention of the
homebrewing community in the first place, and worse, why is he/she
threatened with lawsuit for doing so? Most of us will shut up when
threatened with lawsuit--we have jobs, homes, families, in a word, we have
something to lose--but that doesn't change the veracity of the initial
statement. I agree that the flow of information requires responsibility, but
it also requires the FREEDOM to flow.
Perhaps my initial posting was a bit snide, but I don't think it was any
more mean spirited than Wyeast threatening lawsuit. I use Wyeast, and I've
had no problems with their products, but my TRUST in them has definitely
diminished, and when given the choice I shop elsewhere.
--Harlan Bauer <blacksab@siu.edu>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 10:25:12 EST
From: GCTD31A@prodigy.com (MR WADE A WALLINGER)
Subject: new all-grainer
Greetings to the HBD. Well, I finished my second all-grain
batch, but the first with my new setup. Thought I'd describe
both the process and the equipment.
WARNING: LONG BAND WIDTH
The equipment consisted of two 10-gal Gott coolers (hot
liquor and mash/lauter tun), a Brinkman propane burner,
and a converted keg (brew pot). In the mash/lauter tun I
placed a perforated pizza pan, to which I added 4 carriage
bolts for legs to stand the pan about 1-1/2" off the bottom.
the pizza pan itself fit snugly in Gott, and needed no
modification other than the legs. I used long enough bolts
to leave about 1" above the pan to give me something to
retrieve the pan with. The pan has 1/8" holes, with an open
area of about 9%. I used the reusable Fass-Frisch bungs at
the bulkhead of each Gott, 5/8" OD thick-wall plastic tubing
(3/8" ID) through the bungs. plastic tubing clamps to turn
the flow from each tun on and off, and C-clamps to regulate
the flow. I placed a coffee filter at the top of the grain bed to
avoid disturbing the bed. I intend to get a second perforated
pizza pan for this. The Brinkman burner and converted keg
worked extremely well. These items were borrowed, but
are now on my Christmas list :<).
I made a Scottish Ale as follows:
6.0# British pale
1.0# British crystal
1/8# black patent (ran out of chocolate)
1.0# dark brown sugar
0.5oz northern brewer, 60 min
0.5oz northern brewer, 30 min
1 pkg Wyeast Scottish Ale yeast, no starter
I have been building a spreadsheet for my brewing calcs,
which now includes calcs for volume or temp of strike water
to hit a given temperature. I was shooting for my first infusion
of 152f, but overshot to 160f. I added room temp water in
several additions to bring the temp down. Unfortunately, I
overshot on the low side, and added boiling water to finally
hit 152f. I attribute my difficulty in these minor adjustments to
the 'dead space' under the pan. I suspect that this provides
enough lag in the system that I should wait several minutes
between additions before checking the temperature.
I left the Gott at 152f for about an hour, and it held the temp
very well. I added boiling water to strike 158f for 15 min at
the end of the mash. While mashing, I heated about 3 gal of
water to 175 and added that to the hot liquor tun. I set the hot
liquor tun on top of my beer refri'd'gerator (aka fdrdidgde),
the mash/lauter tun on my beer chest freezer, and the brew
pot on a cart on the floor (so I could easily roll it to the burner
across the room. By the way, this is all taking place on my
covered and enclosed back porch, which leaks enough air for
ventilation not to be an issue. The floor is concrete and spills
of wort are easily cleaned up, and spills of water go
unattended. The proximity of the beer fridge and keg cooler
(aka chest freezer) comes in handy.
The sparge went very well. I added the C-clamp flow control
when I discovered that the tubing clamps were either on or
off. It was somewhat difficult to match the flow from the hot
liquor tun to that from the lauter tun. I'm not sure how critical
this is. The hot liquor level did get a couple of inches above
the bed level, but it was clear (i.e., the bed did not appear to
be disturbed). Some grain particle passed through the pan.
Some were caught in the tubing at the C-clamp, slowing the
flow. Others passed through to the brew pot. At the end of
the sparge I tried picking up the flow, and that turned it
cloudy. i suspect that most grain particles that pass through
the pan remain at the bottom of the Gott, but the higher flow
rate disturbed these particles and clouded up the liquid. I
immediately stopped at that point.
During the sparge, I took a quart of the first runnings and
boiled these for 15 min for some carmelization. I also added
the brown sugar to the brewpot while sparging so that the
boil was all set to go once the sparge was complete. I boiled
for 90 minutes total. I recovered about 4 gal of liquid from
the pot by siphoning. For the siphon, I used enough hose for
it to loop below the bottom of the brew pot with the other
end above the level of the brew pot. this allowed me to pull
liquid to the loop level below the pot without having it
squirt me in the eye. I placed my hand over the end of the
tube rather than suck directly on the tube itself. I was
amazed by the cold break, having chilled with an immersion
chiller, since I normally pour the brew pot contents into the
fermentation vessel. I will try the brillo pad idea next time to
keep some of this out of the fermentation vessel.
I ended up with a 1.044 OG, quite a bit lower than I expected.
Perhaps a higher sparge temperature would help. I judged this
exercise a success since everything went so smoothly, and
can't wait to try the rig out again. The whole process took a
very leisurely 6 hours from start to finish including clean-up.
Sorry for the long band width. I hope this is of value,
particularly to those who would like to try your hand at
all-grain brewing. Go for it! And for those of you with
some suggestions, I'm all ears.
Wade Wallinger, brewing contraband on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
home: gctd31a@prodigy.com
work: wawa@chevron.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 08:39:37 -0500
From: kit.anderson@acornbbs.com
Subject: Blue fine stout
Harold Silverman asked:
> On another note, I have a question. I am especially fond of
>Stouts. Until last May I went to school in Brunswick, ME (Bowdoin).
>While there I occasionally indulged in Shipyard Blue Fin Stout and
>absolutely love it. I even think it was even better than the Guiness
>I drank in Galway, Ireland. I am wondering from any of you who are
>lucky enough to know anything about it, what makes its distinctive
>flavor? And where can I get it down here in the Boston Area?
I agree. It is a wonderful stout. It is dispensed with nitrogen on
tap, but is good in the bottle as well. The flavor is very coffee-ish
coming from all the roasted barley. Not much, if any, black and
crystal is present in a small amount to make a nicely balanced malt
profile. Unlike a lot of Shipyard beers, the hops are restrained, but
I believe they use American hops. Probably Cascade. Ringwood yeast is
used and is available from Yeast Labs as their London yeast.
If you can find it, try their Prelude Christmas Ale. It is my favorite
beer they make. Nice malty beer.
I have seen Shipyard beers at Cappy's in the Boston area.
Shipyard has just entered into a deal with Miller Brewing. It sounds
like the same arrangement as with Celis. Miller is not involved with
production. Just marketing and distribution.
Kit Anderson
Bath, Maine
<kit.anderson@acornbbs.com>
*
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 95 07:37 CST
From: crosen@wwa.com (blacksab@siu.edu)
Subject: fungi perfecti
And for those of you on the Web, their web-site is located at:
http://www.halcyon.com/mycomed/fppage.html
--Harlan
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 11:22:03 EST
From: tfields@relay.com
Subject: RE SA Stock
Hello All,
What is the status of Boston Brewing and their going public status? I
heard they would be going public this year, but was also just told
that anyone can buy a max of 30 shares (NO MORE THAN THAT) directly
from the company for between $400 and $500 dollars. Can anyone
clarify this and, IF they are really going public, post an address for
a prospectus?
"reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
timf@relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551@compuserve.com (weekends)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 10:00:57 MST-0700
From: "Dave Ebert" <Dave.Ebert@UCHSC.edu>
Subject: Helping Santa
I am trying to help Santa with my shopping list. You see, I'm trying
to find a CHEAP location for 3 gallon soda kegs. 5 gallon kegs just
dont fit in my little beer fridge but 3 gallon ones will. The
problem so far is finding a source for the 3 gallon variety.
Secondly, if Santa gets me s JS mill I'll want to motorize it.
Suggestions?
Thanks!
Dave
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 11:58:22 -0500 (EST)
From: Barry M Rodstein <bmr11@columbia.edu>
Subject: RE: Duck Tape, Quack, Quack
I just had to mention this. It's DUCT tape (i.e., you use it to tape up
ducts) not DUCK tape.
One clever company produces a duct tape called "Duck Tape" which is duct
tape with little ducks printed on it.
BTW: Pretty lame for my first HBD posting, huh?
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 8:48:00 CST
From: THaby@swri.edu
Subject: Manifold slits
Ola Brewers, I'm in the process of building a copper manifold for my lauter
tun and I have some questions.
1. How many slits per inch?
2. What orientation are the slits?
3. In the lauter tun do the slits face up or face the bottom of the tun?
Thats about it for now, any help is greatly appreciated and I'll post the
results when all is said and done.
Tim Haby/N5YEB
Rio Medina, TX
thaby@swri.edu
------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 95 12:06:55 EST
From: "William D. Knudson" <71764.203@compuserve.com>
Subject: Black and Tan
Clark, says "Black and Tan? Give me a break A-B..."
Yes, my curiousity drove me to try these new beers, abeit one beer, no six'ers!.
AB makes an interesting claim on the Black & Tan label. This *was* the name of
their Porter at the turn of the century.
Hey Michael Jackson are you out there? Is this claim true?
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 09:50:06 PST
From: krkoupa@ccmail2.srv.PacBell.COM
Subject: Draining/Priming
I recently moved from stovetop to converted kegs. I'm having difficulties
getting fluid to flow in my new setup. The riser/output tube is initially
filled with air. That means it doesn't flow by gravity and can't be pumped.
Some options come to mind: suck on it to get it started (yow, could get
hot), pour fluid from the output back into the keg (messy), affix some large
seal on the top of the keg and blow it out (yeah, right), tip the keg to
change the apparent fluid level (don't tip it over).
Anyone have a simple solution to priming your drain tubes? Or do I have to
have the fluid line above the output to get things started?
| | converted keg
| _______|__
| ( _____ __ output to pump or next stage,
| | ( | initially filled with air
|~~~~~|~|~~~~~| fluid line below output
|\....| |..../| false bottom
| \_________/ | tank bottom
Ken Koupal krkoupa@pacbell.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 09:58:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tim Laatsch <LAATSCH@kbs.msu.edu>
Subject: Mead
Hello All,
I apologize for using valuable HBD bandwidth for a mead question and because
this is related to mead, perhaps off-line discussion is best. So if there
any mead-making lurkers out there, here goes...I made my first-ever mead
over the weekend. What great fun! Beer brewers should definitely give this
a go. With great forethought, I read the MEAD.FAQ *after* making the mead
and realized a few minor mistakes in ingredient selection and the like, but I
have high hopes of something very drinkable a year from now.
The must had a very high starting gravity,
in the neighborhood of 1.150 (Whoa!!) from 17 lbs of honey in a 4.5-gallon
batch. I rehydrated and pitched 2 packets of Lalvin dehydrated yeast, one a
wine yeast (S. cerevisiae) and the other a champagne yeast (S. bayanus). The
must has developed a thin (1/2") layer of scummy foam about 36 hours after
pitching the yeast and the airlock is bubbling very slowly (1 per minute), but
I see no bubbles rising or other signs of active fermentation. Is this
typical for a mead fermentation? Am I just worrying too much? Or is
something amiss? Osmotic trauma, anyone? Thanks for any help. After
becoming somewhat adept at making beer, I now again feel reduced to a
bright green, flaming newbie.
Tim
PS Is my mead ruined??? ;-)
*==============================================================================*
| Timothy P. Laatsch | laatsch@kbs.msu.edu |
| Microbiology Grad Student | Aspiring All-Grain Homebrewer |
| Michigan State University/KBS | Check out my new brewing page on the Web! |
| Kalamazoo, MI | http://kbs.msu.edu/~laatsch/beerhome.html |
*==============================================================================*
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 13:02:22 EST
From: BMJL93A@prodigy.com ( ROBERT P LEDDEN)
Subject: Using Munich as a base malt
I had a stuck/low extraction(25 pts instead of the usual 30pts)
with a Doppelbock mash this w/e. I'm not to sure were I goofed, but
I believe it had something to do with the Munich malt I used as a
base malt. I did a single infusion(one decoction mash in a lifetime
is
enough) for 2 hrs and wasn't happy with the conversion. I did an
iodine test @ 90 min with a positive reaction right away and another
@
120 min with a reaction, showing very small black specks, after a min.
My hunch is that I need to include a protein rest when using Munich
as a base and/or I acidified my mash with this dark malt and need to
add some chalk to buffer this effect.
To add insult to injury my sparge stuck(second time in about 50
mashs) but ran ok after I added foundation water before adding grain
to
my lauter-tun<duh>. But I really believe that my mash was the
problem and not my lautering technique.
So if anyone could enlighten me with there knowledge/experience
with this problem I would appreciate it. I would like to give this
beer another try.
Thanks in advance,
Bob Ledden
Caln, Pa.
BMJL93A@prodigy.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 14:00:47 EST
From: Matthew_Willson_at_LORAL-SEAS@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov
Subject: Micro Gone Bad
I was wondering if anybody had the address or a lead to
mail Oxford Brewing Company? I have been a big fan of their
ale and their rasberry wheat, so I was a bit unhappy when I
bought a six of the Ras-Wheat at a local mart which was
completely sour. As I understand, Rasberry wheat is a
summer seasonal beer, but it was still on the shelves and
had no date indicating freshness. The taste was a vinigary
sourness that I've tasted before in a few unfortunate homies
that I've let age for too long. Has anybody else had this
experience with microbrewed-beers? Of course I would much
rather drink a natural less-processed beer than Swill that
has a shelf life of many years. Is that the risk that we
take as conisuers of fine beer?, was the sour six pack that
is now down my drain a fluke?, or should we consumers have
the right to be informed by way of a date, etc. if age is an
issue?
MattW (sez "Drink the Butter!!")
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 14:01:50 +0500
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock@oeonline.com>
Subject: Rumors of my death...
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...
A great man once said: "Rumors of my death are highly exaggerated!"
(Same guy, in fact, that was credited with the saying "Clothes make
the man. Naked people generally have little or no effect on
society.", in fact!) *
My homepage, http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/, is up and all
subpages/features are functioning. The confusion arose from a
'Pardon Our Dust' statement on the entry page. This statement refers
to improvements and expansions I plan to implement over the
Thanksgiving (US) and Christmas Holidays. The remodeling that is
being performed will be executed while "open for business".
Again, all components - particularly the Homebrewing Page and Homebrew
Flea Market - will be alive and well during this time. My apologies
for any confusion, and this bandwidth usage...
* Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens (your choice). Any errors in paraphrasing
are mine.
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock@oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 11:56:00 PST
From: "Olson, Greger J - CIV/911-2" <gjolson@bpa.gov>
Subject: "Snow Disks"
Being a stovetop brewer I have incurred the wrath of my spousal unit not
only during the boil but also while transferring/bottling/etc. One way to
cut down on the mess is to put one of the ubiquitous snow disks (round sled
things) beneath anything you have on the kitchen floor (carboys/etc.) Don't
step on the edges though. ;-)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Insert clever signature line here -- Greg Olson - Lake Oswego, OR
----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 12:08:54 -0800 (PST)
From: John Boots <jboots@pacifier.com>
Subject: Big Three - "Blandified tastes?"
In HBD #1880, William D. Knudson has suggested that American's tastes
have become "blandified." He cites examples such as beer and coffee to
support his theory. If this is true, what has been responsible for the
"un-blanding" (if I may use that term) of tastes here in the Pacific
Northwest? We've produced many fine microbreweries and brewpubs, as well
as Starbuck's Coffee, Seattle's Best Coffee, and an outstanding selection
of varietal wines.I find it difficult to believe that this is strictly a
local (Northwest) phenomenon. If it is, then we always knew we were
special, anyhow.
Hoppy Brewing!
John
* * * * * * * * *
The Brewmeister and Brewmistress of the Purple Helmet Brewing Co. are
preparing to release three new products. The DOMINATOR is our newest
stout, and we are releasing two wheat beers, Patti's Vestal Virgin
Dunkelweizen and an as yet unnamed Hefeweizen. See your distributor for
further details!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 12:31:28 -0800
From: bgros@mindseye.berkeley.edu (Bryan L. Gros)
Subject: Sam Adams
HAROLD.SILVERMAN@BAIN.sprint.com writes:
>Subject: Sam Adams Bashing & Blue Fin
>
> I must say that I am a little disturbed about the recent Sam Adams
>bashing which has been going on. I may be biased, as I am from Boston, but
>while I have little knowledge of S/A's business practices (except that they
>are indeed a contract brewer), I think that they (and Pete's to name
>another) should be given some credit. I believe that S/A has contributed
>greatly to a rise in the level of the tastebuds of mainstream America. So
>while the majority are still swilling Bud and worse, many of their
>companions are indulging their taste buds with some flavor.
I believe that Pete Slosberg and Jim Koch have done a lot towards convincing
the public that good beer doesn't have to taste like Bud. But I think that
the people on the digest who dislike S/A products do so because of Mr.
Koch's business practices. It is not size either. While I don't think we
should
get into it again, S/A could have just as much impact on the beer-buying
public without the lawsuits and without "buying" votes in the 80s GABF
and without misleading ads.
I also think that it will be hard for craft brewing to completely succeed on
a national level. That is, microbrewing has been a grassroots kind of
revolution, so when you go down to the pub, you'd like to be able to get a
fresh, local brew rather than one from Boston or Seattle or wherever
(even if it is as fresh). If the local brewery supports homebrewing or if
you've just shared a beer with the brewmaster, it is nice to support a
local guy making local beers. New breweries are popping up everywhere
after all. While it is nice to be able to get something like a Sam Adams
when that's the only alternative to the big brews, the need for a widely
distributed flavorful beer is diminishing.
- Bryan
bgros@mindseye.berkeley.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 14:50:47 CST
From: Dave Hensley <dhensley@ttsi.tandem.com>
Subject: Bottle conditioning high-gravity beers
I have had trouble getting adequate levels of carbonation in several
high-gravity beers I have brewed, kulminating in the current problem with my
Christmas beer. The O.G. was 1080+, and I primed normally (4 oz corn sugar
in 5 gallons). I also shot a fresh batch of yeast (WY1214) in during
priming. After 6 weeks at about 75 degrees, insufficient carbonation. I'm
debating ranching some champagne yeast and repriming the bottles and would
be interested in any experiences anyone has had doing this. My particular
concern is overattenuation and/or flavor changes from the champagne yeast.
How is everyone else handling bottle-conditioning the high-gravity stuff? I
also have a tripple ready for bottling, and I don't want to screw it up too.
Any help would be appreciated.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Hensley Tandem Telecom
Phone: (214) 516-6295 1255 West 15th, #7060 MS 4
Fax: (214) 516-6804 Plano, TX 75075
Email: dhensley@ttsi.tandem.com
------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 95 15:42:54 EST
From: "William D. Knudson" <71764.203@compuserve.com>
Subject: SA Double Bock
1/2 pund of malt per bottle?
More info provided in a product brochure included with the current SA
newsletter.
OG = 1.081, the 1/2 pund claim is repeated. That computes to less than 17 pts
per pound. My theory is due to little or no sparge for maltiness accounting for
the low yield.
Gotta take my hat off, US biggies wouldn't do this for the price SA fetches.
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 16:43:22 -0500
From: "Glen R. Geisen" <glen@picard.al.wpafb.af.mil>
Subject: Ice Chiller
A brew-buddy brought up his method of chilling his wort - ICE. He freezes
either 1G or 2.5G purified drinking water in a chest freezer. At the end of
the boil, he cuts the container(s) in half and drops (sets) the ice in. Five
minutes later -- cool wort.
Other than the water<-->copper coil economics, which works out to be about ten
batches, are there any other problems here? I suggested that if he really
didn't want to build an immersion chiller, he should at least use distilled
water. I doubt the purity laws governing grocery store spring water. I would
also watch out for exploding ice/burning wort.
- --
// Glen R. Geisen glen@picard.al.wpafb.af.mil
// Software Engineer +1.513.429.1466 x117
// Sytronics, Inc. +1.513.255.0860 (WPAFB)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 18:49:46 +0500
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock@oeonline.com>
Subject: Prostitute Beer?
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...
It was bound to happen -
Spotted in a local grocery store beer aisle: Coor's Red Light.
Does that make the beer aisle a red light district???
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock@oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
President, Brew-Master and Chief Taste-Tester
Drinkur Purdee pico Brewery
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 23:11:49 -0500
From: ajdel@interramp.com (A. J. deLange)
Subject: Water pH/"Stones"
David Muzidal asked about the pH of the water from his Brita filter:
Without knowing exactly what a Brita filter does it is impossible to
explain the observed pH of the output water. Nonetheless it is worth noting
that very pure water (i.e. water pure enough that it has vitrtually no
buffering capacity due to dissolved salts) will drift into the pH 5-6
range due to dissolution of CO2 from the air. For example, distilled water
bought from the drugstore has a pH of (typically) 5.3. Water from my
Culligan RO unit usually has a pH of about 5.6. That this acidity is due to
CO2 is easily demonstrated by boiling the water to expell the CO2. The pH
will drop by an amount depending on the amount of residual cation (calcium,
magnesium ,potassium, sodium) in the water.
The thesis that the Brita water is pretty pure is supported by the
observation that a mash from a grist which is 50% caramunich results in a
pH of 4.9 using boiled Brita water. Nevertheless it would be interesting to
know what the pH of the boiled water was prior to addition of any malt. It
would also help to know what the alkalinity of the post filter water is
(this is one of the few measurements that can be simply done by the home
brewer) and, of course, even more revealing would be a complete analysis of
the post filtration water.
As for what to do with this water, addition of calcium carbonate to raise
the mash pH to the 5.2-5.6 range (as required) seems quite sensible. I'm
guessing that it would be the acidity of the malt and not the water which
is involved in this case. What happens when no Cara Munich is used i.e.
when just pale malt is mashed? I don't see offhand how the problem of "too
much" calcium carbonate could arise in the case of stouts and porters. The
usual problem with carbonate is its alkalinity but in this case you are
only adding carbonate to the extent of excess malt acidity to bring the pH
up to the desired range. Yes, bicarbonate accentuates bitterness but the
acrid bitterness associated with high carbonate levels and high kilned
malts is definitely a part of these styles.
Craig Agnor asked where to get a stainess aerating "stone". The Malt Shop
(800-235-0026) has these as, I'm sure, do others. Look for ads in BT and
elsewhere.
A.J. deLange Numquam in dubio, saepe in errore!
ajdel@interramp.com
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1883, 11/14/95
*************************************
-------
