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HOMEBREW Digest #1915
This file received at Hops.Stanford.EDU 1995/12/21 PST
HOMEBREW Digest #1915 Thu 21 December 1995
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Fermentation that won't stop, Inlaws. (dcrafton)
Kvass, Taste of (Russell Mast)
Baking and Brewing? (Russell Mast)
re: Belgian White Ale (lheavner)
Score Sheet Changes II (Norman Dickenson)
Score Sheet Changes (Norman Dickenson)
Re: Sulfites/sake (Jeff Frane)
Beer, Bier, or What? (John W. Braue, III)
diacetyl rest ("Tracy Aquilla")
Thanks for the help! (Thomas Williams)
kvass and IPA (Delano Dugarm 36478)
Sparging and Aeration (XKCHRISTIAN)
Oatmeal-Wheat Stout ("Michael A. Owings")
HB novice delurks / Soda keg sources (Lynn Ashley)
Storage of Malt Extracts ("Mountain, Glenn")
re: splitting boils (Larry Merkel)
Braggot Recipe (Waverly)" <kbooth@isd.ingham.k12.mi.us>
Re: Sake (Charles Webster)
Hydrometer formula addendum (Tim Fields)
Diacetyl/SG Correctio/Yeast Heat (A. J. deLange)
Euro-kegs/diacetyl rests (Jim Busch)
RE: Why does clear beer cloud in fridge? (Matthew Saunders)
Adding yeast the next day (gary_garcia)
HBD 1914/Cloudy Beer/Cold Lagering (Michael Genito)
Re: Simulated Singha (Jeff Smith)
Sanitizing solutions (Kurt Dschida)
CFWC cleaning and insulating the brewpot (Rob Emenecker)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 95 10:54:15 EST
From: dcrafton@state.ma.us
Subject: Fermentation that won't stop, Inlaws.
About five weeks ago, I started a batch of ale that involves 5.5 pounds of
light malt extract, half a pound of 40L crystal malt, the usual boiling hops
and 1 oz Saaz for dry hopping in the secondary. Active fermentation in the
primary lasted two and half days and after a week I placed the Saaz and the
beer in the secondary. The secondary sat in my basement (temp 60 F) for a
week. At that point I decided to bottle it, so I brought it upstairs (temp
70 F). Within a couple hours the fermentation lock was bubbling quite
vigorously. Two weeks later, the bubbles are still coming about 1 every one
to two minutes. The beer looks fine and relatively clear, smells ok. The
hops are all floating at the top, and seem to be where the bubbles are
forming. Can anyone tell me what this means. Could it be an infection??
On another note, my inlaws are folks who appreciate a good beer, mostly
english beers, however, they refuse to drink my homebrew, which is usually a
stout or an ale. In fact, when I offer one of them a homebrew, they often
respond "Oh no, I am not drinking that stuff, you know how that homebrew is."
They even prefer a Bud or Millers to my homebrew (what an insult!!). Now I
know my homebrew is good because many others have told me so, and it is
always in demand when friends come over. Anyone else experience this strange
behavior in family or friends?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:34:31 -0600
From: Russell Mast <rmast@fnbc.com>
Subject: Kvass, Taste of
> From: braue@ratsnest.win.net (John W. Braue, III)
> Subject: Kvass, Etomology of
> I've told that kumiss tastes like a light ale, and that kvass is
> vile. I've never had either.
Someone brought a homebrewed Kvass to a brewing club meeting this past summer.
I forget if Al K. or anyone else on the list was there, but I can provide some
sketchy details.
First, the stuff was delicious. Citrusy, very yeasty, refreshing and light.
About 1.6% alcohol, if memory is served well, which it often isn't here.
But definately low in alcohol. It was very light in color and cloudy. It was
a Russian recipe if I recall, but was like a Lithuanian recipe that a friend
of mine related to me. (Not Al, a diff't Lith'.) Also, it had been brewed
about two days before it was served, which is apparently the way it's supposed
to be done.
If someone, myself included, can scratch up a good Kvass recipe, I think it
would be a "quality" move to post it here. I'd like to try it once in awhile
for fun, maybe a one gallon knock-off batch here and there.
-R
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:40:02 -0600
From: Russell Mast <rmast@fnbc.com>
Subject: Baking and Brewing?
Last night, my SO was making Xmas cookies, and needed some frosting made.
I grab a recipe, and realize we have no confectioner's sugar. Rather than
make the 2 block trek to the local "convenience" store, I decided to try
using brewer's corn sugar instead.
Results: We ended up going to the store to get some confectioner's sugar.
The stuff was painfully sweet, burned the throat a bit if you ate more than
a nibble, and the texture, well, it just wasn't quite right. (Possibly because
corn sugar has less trapped moisture? Just a guess, from the difficulty in
making it.)
I know, I'm a hopeless beer geek - I saved both batches of frosting, and I
intend to frost a couple cookies and do a side-by-side blind comparison.
-R
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:33:39 -0600
From: lheavner@tcmail.frco.com
Subject: re: Belgian White Ale
From: HOMEBREW Digest #1913 Tue 19 December 1995
Mike Morgan Writes...
>I recently picked up a 6-pack of BLUE MOON Belgian White Ale.
>It has a great creamy taste with a hint of orange peel and some
>sort of spice.
>Can anyone shed some light on the style of beer. I have frequently
heard
>about Belgian White style but this is the first time I have tried it.
>Also if anyone has a recipe for a similar taste please sent it on
over. I
>am really interested in any Wyeast products that may be used.
I am unfamiliar with Blue Moon. I am told that Celis White is the
defining beer for this style. It's brewed in Austin, TX at Pierre
Celis's (a reknowned brewer transplanted from Belgium) microbrewery.
The special flavor is achieved with Curacao orange peel and coriander.
There is a WYEAST variety, namely 3944 (Belgium White). BTW, this is
a wheat beer. My homebrew supply shop of choice (Austin Homebrew
Supply - (800)890-BREW) offers an extract-based recipe w/ all the
ingredients for a 5 gal batch incl the liquid yeast for about $19, but
I've never tried it. I've seen recipes on the net for the same, but I
never saved them. A friend of mine who supplies me with most of my
bottles drinks almost exclusively Celis White and Celis Grand Cru.
One of these days I will reward him with a homebrewed batch. I'll let
you know how it turns out.
Regards,
Lou Heavner
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 14:28:44 -0700
From: Norman Dickenson <Norman.Dickenson@sonoma.edu>
Subject: Score Sheet Changes II
Subject: Time: 2:17 PM
OFFICE MEMO Score Sheet Changes II Date: 12/18/95
James Spence responded to my and Bob Paolino's posts
about Score Sheet Changes as follows:
>Actually, the reason we removed BJCP from the
>score sheet is the same reason we removed it
>from our other materials--we wanted to be sure
>that we removed the AHA/BJCP connection from
>our marketing/public relations/whatever
>materials--which is what the BJCP wanted.
>We aren't denying the existence ofthe BJCP. Not
>by a long shot. We thought it would be bad to
>KEEP BJCP on our materials.
>>Can't we all play together and enjoy our mutual
>>endeavor for what it is, a pleasurable hobby, at
>>the same time acknowledging and respecting the
>>positive contributions each of us has to offer.
>Yes, yes, yes, yes, a thousand times Yes.
>There should have been a line after the OTHER
>check box that says "specify" so that BJCP
>judges can put their rank down. We'll make
>sure that appears on the score sheet that
>is actually used in the NHC.
>Norman, I want to reiterate--the reason we
>removed the BJCP is so that the AHA/BJCP
>connection could be removed--something
>that helps both the AHA and the independence
>of the BJCP.
>Cheers,
>James
Norman Dickenson
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 09:05:14 -0700
From: Norman Dickenson <Norman.Dickenson@sonoma.edu>
Subject: Score Sheet Changes
Subject: Time: 8:39 AM
OFFICE MEMO Score Sheet Changes Date: 12/18/95
To Karen Barela and James Spence,
Bob Paolino made some recent comments on the Judgenet
Digest which ring true for myself. These comments are
regarding the new judging scoresheet which appeared in
the most recent issue of ZYMURGY. There is no meaningful
way for the judge to describe his or her credentials.
All references to judge ranking has been omitted. A judge
would describe him/herself as "Experienced/Novice/Other"
>Is the AHA simply refusing to acknowledge the existence
>of the independent BJCP? If so, that seems just a little
>bit petty. Even if they want to pretend that there is no
>judge certification program out there, why don't
>they offer some measure of the judge's experience for
>the benefit of the entrant? Perhaps number of years'
>judging or number (check-off boxes for ranges) of
>competitions judged would be useful. That section of
>the sheet otherwise does almost nothing to inform
>the brewer.
Though some persons may be, The BJCP is not anti
AHA, and many, if not most, members want to participate
in the National Competition as an entrant, a judge or both.
Entrants seek meaningful feedback on their beers from
qualified judges. As an entrant, I am very interested in
the qualifications of the judges who evaluate my beers.
I simply can't understand your motives in apparently
denying the existence of the BJCP. Can't we all play
together and enjoy our mutual endeavor for what it is,
a pleasurable hobby, at the same time acknowledging
and respecting the positive contributions each of us has
to offer.
Norman Dickenson
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:00:25 -0800
From: jfrane@teleport.com (Jeff Frane)
Subject: Re: Sulfites/sake
Nigel Townsend wrote:
>
>I was briefly in conversation with a surgeon at a party last night and home
>brewing was raised as a topic of conversation. He asked me if I ever used
>sodium metabisulphite (SM) because he needed the business. It appears
>there are some thoughts in the medical profession that regular contact with
>SM can build up a reaction in the (human) body, leading to asthma, nasal
>polyps and other effects. I did not get the chance to find much more at
>that time.
>
Allergies to sulfites are reasonably common, although the symptoms vary
considerably. American wines are now required to carry a notice on the
label if sulfites were used in their production (quite common with wines,
and pretty pointless with beer).
Here in Oregon, a girl died a few years ago in an acute allergic reaction
to the sulfites she received at (as I recall) the salad bar in a restaurant;
someone had gotten carried away or someone had forgotten to wash something.
>From: hoopes@bscr.uga.edu (J. Todd Hoopes)
>Subject: Sake
>
> Just a note on sake. There are hundreds of sake brewers in Japan.
>Not just the big four (Asahi, Kirin, Suntory, Sapuro ). Also, sake is made
>with two different organism a yeast and a bacteria. I'm not sure if they
>are introduced at the same time or a specific stages. I'm also not sure of
>the strains. I'll try and find out exactly how its done.
>
It's not a bacteria, it's a fungus (aspergillus -- koji) used to break
down the starch so that the yeast can ferment the resulting sugar. It
works the same way, in a sense, that the naturally-occurring enzymes in
malt do.
- --Jeff Frane
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 09:00:16
From: braue@ratsnest.win.net (John W. Braue, III)
Subject: Beer, Bier, or What?
"John McCafferty" <johnm@giant.IntraNet.com> asks:
>Any linquists out there? How about anyone from Germany? I'm wondering
>about the pronunication of the beer style known as kolsch. (the "o" has
>two dots over it, but I cannot reproduced that here easily). What is the
>correct pronunciation of the word? What are the two dots called and what
>sound does an "o" have when it has them? Is the "sch" pronounced like a
>"k" as in key? Is the "s" silent"? Does the "s" even belong in there?
The umlauted "o" (o with two dots over it; one can also write it as
"oe") is, unfortunately, one of those furrin sounds that just
doesn't exist in Standard English. "E" as in "er", and "oy" are
both equally good (or bad) approximations. (I'll qualify this by
saying that one of my German-speaking friends tells me that I have
the worst Plattdeutsch accent that she's ever heard -- not too
suprising, given my ancestry).
The "sch" trigraph is pronounced as English "sh"; the "ch"
digraph, when *not* preceeded by "s", is a velar fricative, another
non-English sound. Form your mouth as for "k", but exhale
smoothly. English speakers generally approximate this sound as
"k" (like "Bach", nicht wahr?).
- --
John W. Braue, III braue@ratsnest.win.net
I prefer both my beer and my coffee to be dark and bitter; that way,
they fit in so well with the rest of my life.
I've decided that I must be the Messiah; people expect me to work
miracles, and when I don't, I get crucified.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 95 14:01:53 CST
From: "Tracy Aquilla" <aquilla@salus.med.uvm.edu>
Subject: diacetyl rest
In Digest #1913 "Sharon A. Ritter" <102446.3717@compuserve.com> says:
>Miller writes:
[snip]
>the temperature is lowered to about 35 degrees F. for a 'diacetyl rest' of 2
>to 3 days after the fermentation is over. The idea behind the low temperature
>is to forestall autolysis. Diacetyl reduction tends to lag behind
>fermentation." (page 158)
>
>Noonan writes (about the SAME subject):
> "It is relatively common in modern fermentation cycles to raise the
>temperature of the post-kraeusen beer to 52 degrees F., and to hold that
>temperature for 2 to 7 days. This is the diacetyl rest.
[snip]
>
>Will the real Diacetyl Rest please stand up! For all you chemist/brewers out
>there, who's correct and is this "rest" worth worrying about (or using in
>one's lager brewing process)?
I'd go with Noonan on this one, although I generally limit a diacetyl rest
to yeast strains which have been shown to need one (eg. 308). I typically
rest at about 60F for less than 48 hours (including ramp time) after the 1/3
gravity point.
Tracy in Vermont
aquilla@salus.med.uvm.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 95 14:04:06 EST
From: Thomas Williams <TJWILLIA@VM.OCC.CC.MI.US>
Subject: Thanks for the help!
Thanks to all who responded to both my "six best Belgian beers
to bring home" post as well as my Hunter Airstat temperature controller
problems. My friend traveling to Belgium is now well armed
with list in hand to bring home their very best if they
(the beers) can be found. I also received many helpful
suggestions with my Hunter problem: from dumping the unit
to providing fixes. I think I'll try the fix before resorting
to the city dump.
It still never ceases to amaze me how knowledgeable and helpful
are the folks on this forum. Keep up the good work and thanks
again.
Prosit!
Tom Williams
Milford, MI
tjwillia@vm.occ.cc.mi.us
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 14:21:46 +0000 (GMT)
From: Delano Dugarm 36478 <ADUGARM@worldbank.org>
Subject: kvass and IPA
As several persons have noted, kvass is made from rye,
while kumys or kumiss is made from fermented mare's milk. John
Braue, though, is incorrect in suggesting in HBD #1913 that the
making kvass from rye bread is a prison varient. It's actually
the most common way to make kvass: soak dry, toasted rye bread in
water with sugar and lemon (if possible), let ferment slightly
and drink while still fermenting. I've also had it made from rye
flour. Prepared properly, it's tart, effervesent, and quite
refreshing, especially after a hard morning spent planting
potatoes. It's the base of several traditional Russian soups.
Commercially-prepared kvass was considerably sweeter,
rather insipid, and almost flat. It was traditionally served
direct from large tanker trailers. The saleswoman had three
mugs, usually, which she would take back from customers and rinse
in a pail of filthy water before serving her next customer.
Before perestroika, this was the most common way of selling beer
as well, though by 1990 these mugs were in short supply, and beer
drinkers generally brought their own containers. I well remember
standing with a couple of strangers draining a three-liter jar of
beer outside a kiosk in Moscow in early '91.
Alas, kvass production is now down something like 98% in
Russia: Russians prefer western soft drinks.
Steve Alexander writes about wine and oak. It is true
that wine is stored in oak barrels to extract the flavors and
tannins they hold. It is also true, though, that wine strips the
wood of these flavors, and after several seasons barrels are
either shaved to expose a new layer of wood or are discarded.
This means that beer stored in the wood does not need to develop
the flavors associated with oak, even if the barrel or cask is
not lined.
Also, the oak used in making wine barrels is chosen, at
least in part, for the flavor it imparts. It might well be the
case that French oak barrels command high prices *because* they
give flavor that other European oak does not. Coopers making
beer casks would, I imagine, choose oak that didn't impart
flavor. That's why traditionally-made Czech pilsners, fermented
in unlined Slovenian oak fermenters, have no oak taste to them.
I've been searching old American brewing texts and can
find no reference to aging in oak for the oak taste in strong
ales before prohibition. It makes me think that Ballentine came
up with this idea on their own for their IPA, perhaps using a oak
taste to replace the brettanomyces character that strong old ales
had before prohibition. This is just guessing, though. Has
anyone found any evidence one way or the other?
Far be it from me to discourage brewing experiments.
I'm far too enamoured of strange adjuncts to want to do that.
(Tapioca bitter, anyone?) But let's not imagine that an IPA
requires any sort of oak taste.
Delano DuGarm
adugarm@worldbank.org
Arlington, VA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:41:47 -0800 (PST)
From: XKCHRISTIAN@CCVAX.FULLERTON.EDU
Subject: Sparging and Aeration
Hail the HBD,
Finally caught up on the HBDs. School always seems to get in the way ;-).
I have a few questions that I haven't found satisfactory answers which you'll
find pretty easy I'm sure.
There have been a number of posts lately on sparging setups. It appears
that a popular way of delivering the sparge water is through the use of a
rotating sparge arm. Some brewers just adjust the flow rate of the water
going in to match the flow rate of the wort coming out.
Most brewers seem to try to keep the sparge water about an inch above the
grain bed. Why is this the case?
If capacity is not an issue, why not fill the mash/lautter tun with all of the
sparge water as a batch and control the flow rate leaving the tun?
Does using a rotating sparge arm (or splashing the sparge water in general)
introduce unwanted oxygen into the mash or is HSA only a problem after
the mash?
I preboil all of my brewing water the night before brewday. By boiling, will
this reduce the amount of oxygen in the brewing water or will it reabsorb all
the oxygen as it cools?
TIA and Merry Christmas
Keith
xkchristian@fullerton.edu
The Blind Balcani Brewer
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 12:36:30 -0600 (CST)
From: "Michael A. Owings" <mikey@waste.com>
Subject: Oatmeal-Wheat Stout
I recently brewed an Oatmeal-Wheat Stout (all-grain). The recipe is
adapted from Papazians "Barrel of Monkeys Oatmeal-Wheat Stout"
(_The Home Brewer's Companion_), with some changes to the grain bill,
hop types and mashing schedule. Here's the recipe:
Grains:
5 lbs British Pale malt
2 lbs Wheat malt
1 lb medium british crystal
1 lb Quaker Rolled (Minute) oats
1 lb roasted barley
Hops:
1 oz Chinook (12 HBU) 75 minutes
.5 oz Goldings (2.5 hbu) 30 mins
.5 oz Goldings Steeped at end of boil
Yeast:
Wyeast London ESB 1968 in 1 quart (liter, actually) starter.
Irish moss added at final 15 minutes of boil. Total boil was 75
minutes.
Mashing was done in my 8 gallon enamel canning pot with an EasyMasher
(tm) installed. Which reminds me: anyone know how to extend the life of
these pots once the enamel starts to go? Or is the purchase of a large
stainless pot just plain inevitable?
Doughed in with 2.5 gals water (which frankly seemed a bit low, and
made for a really thick mash) and rested at 104 F. for 20 mins.
Protein rest at 124F. for 20 mins. to ungum the gummies.
Starch conversion at @ 155F. for 1 hour.
Mash out at 168F. for 15 minutes.
Begin sparge from hell. Ran off and recirculated a little less than 1
quart before the runnings ran clear. Of course, it's pretty d*mn hard
to tell when the runnings from a stout wort are "clear", so I was
pretty much guessing. My sparge, when it finally began, was a mere
trickle, even with the EasyMasher spigot wide open. I forget exactly
what I figured as the rate of outflow, but I believe that my
calculations indicated that I would have 6 gallons of wort collected
just prior to Easter Sunday.
I tried everything to alleviate the problem, including blowing gently
into spigot to clear the screen (watch those lips!) as suggested in the
EasyMasher instructions. Finally (duh!) I just reheated everything to
168F., including the sparge water that had been already added, gave
it 10 minutes for the filter bed to settle, recirculated again and
tried again. Things went fine after that. The short recirculation
time for the EasyMasher seemed to be a real advantage in this
situation.
I am guessing that the stuck sparge was due to a combination of the
following:
1) Gummy grains.
2) I think think the mash was really a bit thick. For the first
time, I got some scorching on the kettle bottom. Maybe 3 -
3.5 galls of water next time?
3) I don't think I gave the mash much time to settle prior to
starting the sparge.
Any comments? Is my beer ruined? (Only kidding -- I just HADDA ask).
The remainder of the brewing session went like clockwork -- until I
dropped that 5 gallon glass carboy filled to the brim with bleach water
(gosh, but those things are a LOT thinner-walled than they look ...).
While the resulting semi-explosion of glass shards, bleach solution,
and blood from my newly opened wrist was indeed a spectacular sight,
neveretheless I must caution readers to refrain from trying this at
home (even under adult supervision, really). Appearances aside, no
major arteries appeared severed; the trip to the emergency room could
wait until after pitching, and I had a spare carboy.
My stout now sits happily conditioning in the secondary. My wrist has
almost healed completely. I got a new carboy.
Extract brewing was NEVER this fun.
=============================================================================
Michael Owings Chief of Operations
Uncle Leroi's Hazardous Materials Storage and FemtoBrewery New Orleans, LA
=============================================================================
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 95 15:13:56 EST
From: Lynn Ashley <73744.3234@compuserve.com>
Subject: HB novice delurks / Soda keg sources
To: INTERNET:homebrew@hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com
Recently after reading "Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide" cover-to-cover, I
ended a 25 yr hiatus and began brewing again. I'm working on Greg Noonan's
_Brewing Lager Beer_ now. Been following the HB Digest for almost a month
and have learned a lot from you guys.
When I first started, brewing was an illegal Black Art. The hassle of
bottling caused me to quit. I considered kegs but 1/4 kegs were too big
and too expensive. When I recently found out that homebrewers have been
using soda kegs for quit some time, I began investigating. I was pleasantly
amazed at the wealth of good, scientifically oriented information available
to homebrewers. Changed up by reading Homebrewing Guide I made the plunge
purchased a soda keg system and brewed my first batch in 25 year. The beer
was better than any I had previously made.
Now that I'm hooked, I can see that I will be needing more than the two
kegs I have now. Do any of you know of a source local to the Baltimore-
Washington,DC area where I can get soda kegs for less than the $40.00
changed by my local HB shop? I've seen some mail order kegs for $30, but
shipping makes the price equal to the local shop.
Thanks, Lynn.
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| Lynn Ashley (lajiao ren) Arlington, Virginia, USA |
| 73744.3234@compuserve.com 38.904N 77.120W 105mAMSL |
| "Brewers make wort, but yeast makes beer." ...Dave Miller |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 11:09:00 est
From: "Mountain, Glenn" <mountg@post.crc.cra.com.au>
Subject: Storage of Malt Extracts
Seasons Greetings to All !
I have a question of the collective regarding how you all store your bulk
malt extracts. I would like to buy extract in bulk but have concerns about
storage. One thought is to utilise the freezer section of my newly acquired
beer fridge and freeze the extract in 'brew size' portions. Is there any
advantage/disavantage to freexing extract? Is it neccessary ?. Is boiling
the extract for 60min as in a normal brewing session enought to kill any
nasties acquired during storage in a half empty pail ?
All responses appreciated.
Glenn Mountain
mountg@post.crc.cra.com.au
Melbourne, Australia
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 19:34:10 -0600
From: larrymerkel@i-link.net (Larry Merkel)
Subject: re: splitting boils
[snip]
>
>The question I have is this: Are there any potential problems with splitting
>the boil into two smaller pots? Can't I just do two 3-gallon boils (in
>parallel), and combine them when I transfer to my primary?
>
I have been splitting my boils since I started...not into two parallel boils
but into two sequential boils (one pot big enough for about 3-3 1/2
gallons). I do five gallon batches by preboiling 2 gallons of water,
transferring the 2 gallons to the fermenter, and boiling 3 gallons of water
with the ingredients. I have had no problems so far.
I would recommend splitting the boil into unequal portions and putting all
the ingredients in the boil having the larger amount of liquid. I say this
mainly because that is what I have always done, I don't know if equal boils
and splitting the ingredients would work better. The larger amount of
liquid may hold the ingredients better, and you only need to boil the
water-only portion for about 5-10 mins...just to kill what might be living
in it. Using this method, I have always acheived roughly the expected
original gravities and have gotten great beers. Also, because the
water-only boil is so short the serial boiling method really doesn't take
all that much longer than a single boil would.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 23:57:30 -0500 (EST)
From: "Kathy Booth (Waverly)" <kbooth@isd.ingham.k12.mi.us>
Subject: Braggot Recipe
>From "Making Mead" by Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan, Argus Press (1984)
/G.W.Kent, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI
1lb Malt Extract
1 lb Heather Honey
7 pt water
boil above 15' skimming surface
add 1/4 oz citric acid and yeast nutrients cool and pitch ale yeast
mature 3 months and serve slightly chilled.
I've not tried this but British troops mutinied (sp?) when their ration
was weakened. It propably will be my next. Jim Booth Lansing, MI
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 21:47:08 -0800
From: cwebster@ix.netcom.com (Charles Webster)
Subject: Re: Sake
There's been several posts regarding Sake recently, and while I've never
brewed it (too much trouble) I am familiar with the process. Here's what I know:
1. Sake is indeed a beer, because it's made from grain rather than a wine
made from fruit.
2. It is fermented using Cervisae Saccromyces (sp?) i.e. ALE YEAST
3. Saccarification is carried out _simultaneously_ with fermentation by
Oryzae Aspergillis (a fungi) called koji in Japanese.
4. The mash undergoes several long (2-3 day) temperature rests during which
more rice-water mix is added.
5. The rice is gelatinized by cooking before addition to the mash.
Like the German Reinheitgebot purity law, the Japanese have a law declaring
that only rice, water, koji, and yeast can go into Sake.
There are many grades of Sake ranging from the oldest, clearest to the
youngest unfiltered Sake.
For more information on this wonderful beverage, check out Fred Eckhart's
book on the subject.
My $0.02 worth
<Chas>
Charles Webster
cwebster@ix.netcom.com
We'll drink no beer before it's time. And I think it's time now!
------------------------------
Date: 20 Dec 95 07:57:40 EST
From: Tim Fields <74247.551@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hydrometer formula addendum
One clarification re the formula I posted for correcting hydrometer
readings. I said that the final figure was ROUNDED. Actually, I had the
spreadsheet cell formatted to TRUNCATE to 3 decimal places. The
"rounded" answer (at least the way I round) would be 1054. Only one
point, but definately worth mentioning.
Thanks to Jeff Renner for pointing this out.
>> ((((Farenheit temp - 60)/10)*.0025)+hydrometer reading). for example,
>> adjusting a reading of 1.050 at 75F:
>> (((75F - 60)/10)*.0025) + 1.050)
>> = (((15/10)*.0025)+1.050)
>> = (1.5*.0025)+1.050
>> = .00375+1.050
>> = 1.053 rounded
^^^^^^^
-Tim
"Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
tfields@relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551@compuserve.com (weekends)
... My opinions are my own ...
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 09:25:21 -0500
From: ajdel@interramp.com (A. J. deLange)
Subject: Diacetyl/SG Correctio/Yeast Heat
In #1913 Sharon Ritter asks about diacetyl rests:
Noonan is right. The temperature is raised (up to 50-60F) to increase the
activity level of the yeast just before they begin to flocculate. This
increased metabolic rate allows them to reabsorb VDKs relatively quickly
(i.e. it would proably happen in lagering as well but take forever) and
oxidize them to high flavor threshold diols before they (the yeast)
flocculate and settle out. Another approach is to add some kraeusen beer
whose numerous, vigorous yeast will do the same job.
Robert Bush asked about conversion of the SG correction formula to Centigrade:
0.00045*( 23.9 - C) + Hydrometer reading
John Brau commented that heat isn't evolved until the fermentation has
become vigorous. An experiment I did this weekend indicates the contrary. I
was trying to see how fast yeast grow if kept oxygenated for extended
periods. I innoculated a litre of air saturated 6.6 P wort in a 2L
Erlenmyer with about 4E6 cells/ml (Wyeast Czech Pils) and put it on a
stirrer. The wort was at 18C when I started and the room air at 21 C.
Within an hour the wort temperature was up to 21C which didn't surprise me
at all but at the end of the second hour it was up to 24C (cell count now
6E6/ml) and rising. At the end of the 3rd hour it was 26C and at the end of
the fourth 27C (cell count 11E6/ml). For the remainder of the experiment
the temperature hovered around 27C peaking at 27.7 i.e. about 6C above the
ambient. I expected some heat to be evolved but certainly not enough to
raise the temperature appreciably especially in a container with such a
high surface to volume ratio.
Conclusion: a fair amount of heat is produced by yeast during their growth
phase.
By the way, the cell count got up to 32E6/ml by the end of the 7th hour at
which time the investigator toddled off to bed.
A.J. deLange Numquam in dubio, saepe in errore!
ajdel@interramp.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 11:09:22 -0500 (EST)
From: Jim Busch <busch@eosdev2.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Euro-kegs/diacetyl rests
Keith relates a story about European 50L kegs not being returned to
the brewer:
<Does anyone
<have any thoughts or comments on this? Do many of the imported kegs
<really get trashed, thus making it legal for homebrewers to buy them from
<these beer stores?
If the kegs are being trashed then the distributer/importer is not doing
their job (or the retailer is ignoring their responsibility). A 50L keg
typically costs $80-$120 and no brewer anywhere in the world can survive
if this asset is consistently lost. Id also like to remind all beer drinkers
to return empty kegs promptly. We have all seen or done it, had a party
and drained several kegs only to let the empties sit for weeks or months.
I knew on guy who would have an annual bash and keep the empty till next
years bash! This is not too big a deal for AB but most micros, especially
new ones need those kegs soon. As someone involved in a new micro I know
the cost of kegs and the financial burden it is on a tight budget.
Dan and Jim talk about diacetyl rests:
>Will the real Diacetyl Rest please stand up!
<I don't own and have not read Miller's book, but all of the other literature
<I've read on this topic suggests that warm temperatures at the end of
<fermentation increases yeast activity and encourages the reduction of diacetyl,
<just as Noonan describes. Frankly, I don't understand Miller's position on
<this at all. Chilling the beer to 35F as he suggests will drop the yeast out
<of suspension, which would tend to *inhibit* the reduction of diacetyl.
Miller is not totally offbase with his suggestion although I think he is
on the low side of the temp range. There are two common methods of doing
a diacetyl rest, one allows the temp to rise at the end of primary
fermentation, often in the 55-62F range. The other method is to rest a
couple of days around 42F after primary. In the first case a brewer can
ferment 7-9 days at 45-50F and as the terminal gravity approaches (I
would guess 10-20% from final gravity) the attemperation on the tank
is reduced or shutoff to gradually allow the temp to climb to the high 50s
or low 60s F. This will fairly rapidly reduce diacetyl. The beer is
then lagered at 31F for 4 weeks (or less) and packaged. Other brewers,
no doubt ones that have the time to do traditional lagering and use a
yeast that does not throw excessive amounts of diacetyl, use the rest
at 42F for 2-3 days as a reduction prior to lagering at 31F for 4-6
weeks or more.
As Jim notes, a clean yeast like 34/70 is a good candidate for the 42F
rest (or none), especially if one has the tank space and time to lager
6 weeks. For brewers who want to push lagers out faster the elevated
temps at the conclusion of primary will lead to reduced lagering times
with similar results.
Good brewing,
Jim Busch
--- ---
--- ---
--- ---
--- --- ICTORY BREWING CO.
----- Downingtown, Pa.
---
-
A Victory For Your Taste!
Ur-Maerzen, Lager and IPA
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 11:18:34 -0500
From: saunderm@vt.edu (Matthew Saunders)
Subject: RE: Why does clear beer cloud in fridge?
>Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 14:21:02 -0500 (EST)
>From: Bob Tortajada x9373 <bobt@bear.com>
>Subject: Why does clear beer cloud in fridge?
>Ok, I bottle my beer, let it age a week and a half and then fridge one
>bottle to sample. Before I chill, the bear is not cloudy at all. After it
>cools down, whamo, cloudy beer. Is there anything I can do about this???
>Perplexed,
>Bob T.
Bob,
What you have is known as chill haze. What Papazian says from the TNCJHB is:
"Some batches of beer that you will make may be perfectly clear at
first but will later develp a haze when chilled in the refrigerator. This
"chill hate" is nothing to get ancious about. It is mostly a visual
phenomenon and will not greatly affect the flavor.
Chill haze is a result of a combining reaction between proteins and
tannins. At room temperature it is souble and remains invisible. At
cooler temperature it is no longer soluble and will precipitate as a haze.
Chill haze can be minimized by controlling the malting and mashing
process more closely, but at the same time this control results in the
sacrifice of other aspects that the brewer wishes to achieve. It's often a
trade-off.
If the chill haze really annoys you, I could recommend that you
drink out of a stone jar, or wooden mug, but that would be facetious, so I
won't. Following are some additives that can be introduced into your brew
to help eliminate chill haze."
<Pgs 102 and 103 from the New Complete Joy of Home Brewing.>
Mr. P. goes on to talk about using various ingrediants such as
Papain (the active ingrediant in meat tenderizer), PVP (which is actually a
kind of plastic), and Activated Silica Gel (which apparently isn't
available to home brewers, the commercial breweries use it though).
I've had plenty of batches with chill haze. It doesn't really
bother me so long as the beer is yummy.
Cheers!
Matthew.
==================================================
"Burn it, son, burn it. Fire is a great refiner."
J. Matthew Saunders
saunderm@vt.edu
==================================================
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 08:19:17 PST
From: gary_garcia@corp.cubic.com
Subject: Adding yeast the next day
Has anyone tried this ? comments ?
My system:
15gal sankey mash/lauter tun
15gal sankey keg wort kettle
corny keg fermentors
converted chest freezer for temp control
during fermentation, ....
My plan is to transfer the 10gal batch from the kettle to
the corny kegs ( gravity feed)seal the corny kegs with a
sterile foam stopper (william's Brewing #Q34) connected to
the gas outlet, and store in the freezer ( set at 70F).
And then aerate and add yeast to the wort 24, or 48 hours later.
My worry is about the wort becoming contaminated during the
24/48 hours before the yeast is added. Also how will this
slow cooling versus the quick cooling using a wort chiller
affect the beer.
- -------------------------------------
Name: Gary Garcia
Company: Cubic Defense Systems
Address: P.O. Box 85587
Mail Stop: MS8A-1
Zip: 92186-5587
E-mail: Gary_Garcia@corp.cubic.com
Phone: (619) 277 6780 x2398
Fax: (619) 277-9524
Date: 12/20/95
Time: 08:19:18
- -------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 12:25:57 -0500
From: genitom@nyslgti.gen.ny.us (Michael Genito)
Subject: HBD 1914/Cloudy Beer/Cold Lagering
In HBD 1914, Bob Tortajada x9373 <bobt@bear.com> wrote:
>Ok, I bottle my beer, let it age a week and a half and then fridge one
>bottle to sample. Before I chill, the bear is not cloudy at all. After it
>cools down, whamo, cloudy beer. Is there anything I can do about this???
Sounds like chill haze. When making the beer, try adding Irish Moss to the
wort in the final 5-10 min of boil.
And bill (w.r.) crick <crick@bnr.ca> wrote:
>I used to do a lot of lagers by putting them against the basement wall ,
and >covering with blankets, or a styrofoam cooler I cut so that it
insulated the >carboy on 3 sides withthe carboy exposed to the cement floor,
and wall. This >gives a pretty consistant 45F temperature...
45F? At all times of the year? If so, do you live in a very cold climate? I
would like to try lagering w/o a fridge - but in this part of New York State
(about 30 mi north of New York City), my basement stays ~65F March-November
and ~55F December-February with some consistency. My garage, built into the
house at basement level but having one wall consisting of garage doors, does
not remain as consistent, but ranges above freezing in the winter months and
~10-15F below the outside temp in the summer months. I too am thinking about
lagering, but if I dont use a fridge, I'm somewhat limited to a particular
time of year. BTW, I did use a fridge to lager a cream ale - it turned out
great but really increased by electric bill those months (the fridge was an
extra to my regular one that holds such unessentials as milk, eggs, meat and
vegetables ;-)
Michael A. Genito, Director of Finance, Town of Ramapo
237 Route 59, Suffern, NY 10901
TEL: 914-357-5100 x214 FAX: 914-357-7209
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 11:30:46 -0600
From: snsi@win.bright.net (Jeff Smith)
Subject: Re: Simulated Singha
Methvin Dave (Dave Methvin?) asked about Singha beer:
>There are some subtle flavors I can't identify, and I'm wondering if anyone
has >tasted this brand and knows what they might have used.
My father spent about two years at Korat, Thailand and at that time the Air
Force medics clamed that Singha contained formaldehyde. He was told that it
was used as a sanitation technique. Oddly enough my brother and his girl
friend who have both been stationed in Asia since than claim that most beers
brewed in that area have a "formaldehyde" taste, especially Heineken Red
Star made in Thailand.
Is this possible? (If it is this may be the best reason to stick to those
German purity laws)
Dave if you try this don't save one for me!
Merry Xmas every one.
Jeff Smith, Barnes, WI
------------------------------
Date: 20 Dec 95 12:26:50 EST
From: Kurt Dschida <76132.733@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sanitizing solutions
Hello all:
I currently use Iodophur sanitizer (and love it) but would like to
find it a little less expensive (ie. $9.95/Qt. at brew store) want
to stay away from bleach though - I like a cover-all sanitizer;
something I can use on EVERYTHING that needs sanitizing. I called
some local restaurant supply & bulk supply places & could not find
"Iodophur" but came across two other items: "Sanicide" (sp?) from
Maintech ($9.49/Gal.) and "IrishBar rinse" ($7.99/Gal.). Has
anybody heard of these? If so, are they OK for homebrew equipment
use? I remember somebody mentioning they get Iodophur sanitizer for
$20.00 a Gallon... BUT FROM WHERE?!?
Thanks for any help,
Kurt Dschida
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 14:35:28 PST
From: Rob Emenecker <robe@cadmus.com>
Subject: CFWC cleaning and insulating the brewpot
Thanks to all who responded to my recent posts regarding cleaning/sanitizing
my counterflow chiller and insulting my brewpot for mashing!
I had an incredible response to my queries and would like to give credit to
all who responded, but simply cannot recall all of the respondents.
The best suggestion (or at least the one that I am going to try) is that
rather than trying to force dry my chiller, I will fill it with an iodophor
mixture and seal it shut. Actually, given that my chilling setup is a closed
system (a copper racking tube connected directly to the chiller via a
dishwasher supply line with 3/8 comp fittings), I can effectively keep the
entire system sanitized (and avoid worrying).
With respect to the brewpot, there was a decisive split between using an
insulated box (ala Dave Miller's Homebrewing Handbook) or using an insulated
wrap. Regardless, the pot would have to be removed from direct heat for the
temperature rests. I definitely see the box as a better method to hold heat,
however the insultated wraps will have a use for me... I intended on lautering
using the Phil's sparging/lautering system. Several folks indicated that the
heat loss on this system is profound. So, I am going to take the suggestion of
using the foil coated bubble wrap (whomever suggested this, thanks) and using
velco to make a jacket that I can wrap around the plastic buckets.
Thanks again!
- --Rob
****************************************************************************
| (remenecker@cadmus.com) | (RobEmnckr@aol.com) |
| Cadmus Journal Services, Inc. | Brewery Manager, Standing Rock Brewery |
| Linthicum, Maryland 21090 | Proud Purveyors of "Hairy Dog Homebrew"! |
| 410-691-6454 / 684-2793 (fax) | (410) 859-9169 (voice only) |
****************************************************************************
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1915, 12/21/95
*************************************
-------
