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HOMEBREW Digest #2025
This file received at Hops.Stanford.EDU 1996/05/01 PDT
HOMEBREW Digest #2025 Wed 01 May 1996
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: "Sale" of Digest (rdg)
FW: steels masher ("Terry Tegner")
National Homebrew Day (Wallinger)
Recirculating RIMS, Nat'l HB Day (Marty Tippin)
Blue Bonnet Brewoff (Jay Reeves)
1996 Dukes of Ale's Spring Thing Beer Competition (guyruth)
Evan Kraus where are you? (hollen)
Alcoholic beverages & nursing (Scott Abene)
Re: Autolysis (tgaskell)
Re: RIMS and oversparge (hollen)
Stuck Fermentation (Milton Cook)
Re: HBD#2024 Nat'l HB Day (Michael Lausin)
scotland ("Dulisse, Brian")
Alcoholic beverages & nursing (Scott Abene)
Alcoholic beverages & nursing (Steve Waddell)
How to attach labels? (nehrinv1)
National Homebrew Day vs Algis Korzonas ("Pat Babcock")
My Hypocrisy... ("Pat Babcock")
dry ice/decoction is dead?/big beer -- big problems (Algis R Korzonas)
Using 31g barrels as boilers? (DAVE BRADLEY IC742 6-7932)
Corny Keg Cleaning (RHENDRY)
Plastic Buckets (SSLOFL)
barley wine advice (Jerry Cunningham)
About to homebrew a Chile Beer... (Woehr Robert)
Another tap handle source (Robert Bullard)
Black Butte Porter Clone (Guy Purdy)
Slow Secondary (Bob Wilcox)
Berliner Weisse Recipe Wanted ("Thompson, Brian")
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 14:22:43 -0600
From: rdg@hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com
Subject: Re: "Sale" of Digest
This is to let you all know that it is likely that the Association of
Brewers will be taking over stewardship/custodianship of the Homebrew
Digest. This should be happening in the next few weeks, and should be
completely transparent to all. The request addresses, etc, will
necessarily change, but I will provide forwarding of mail and articles
for a while. So just relax and don't worry, and you probably won't
even notice the change.
Any comments, suggestions, etc, should be sent to rdg@fc.hp.com.
Rob
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 13:43:13 +0200
From: "Terry Tegner" <brewtec@global.co.za>
Subject: FW: steels masher
- ----------
> From: Terry Tegner
> To: homebrew@hpfcmgw.fc.com
> Subject: FW: steels masher
> Date: 29 April 1996 06:00
>
>
>
> ----------
> > From: Terry Tegner
> > To: homebrew@hpfcmgw.fc.com
> > Subject: steels masher
> > Date: 24 April 1996 11:45
> >
> > Hi all, I have read in various places about a thing called a "Steels
> > masher". My spelling of steel may be wrong but it was something very
> > similliar. It looks like a fat horizontal tube with a motor
arrangement
> at
> > one end, the grist case above it and the mashtun underneath. It also
> has
> > what I think is water( sorry, liquor) connections on the side. Does
> > anybody know how this works and whats on the inside of the fat tube.
> Any
> > info would be appreciated.
> > Terence Tegner (In South Africa)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 06:56:13 -0500
From: Wallinger <wawa@datasync.com>
Subject: National Homebrew Day
>The AHA would make life so much easier if they were to move Nat'l HB =
Day
>to the fall so we could wholeheartedly encourage new brewers to join =
our
>ranks when the chance of success is significantly higher. Perhaps if
>I wasn't the only one complaining about this, they would listen?
>
>Al.
>
>Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
>korz@pubs.att.com
>Copyright 1996 Al Korzonas
Then again, many of us have Illinois-standard summer weather almost all =
year, and even some of the beer we make tastes pretty darn good. I would =
also add that those with a spare fridge (frig, for those who remember) =
would be able to brew at any time of the year, lagers or ales.
Wade Wallinger
Pascagoula, Mississippi
http://www.datasync.com/~wawa/gcbb.html
(including tips for the newer brewer)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 07:35:04 -0500
From: Marty Tippin <martyt@sky.net>
Subject: Recirculating RIMS, Nat'l HB Day
In #2024, Chuck Volle asks about recirculating the mash in a RIMS system.
As I posted about a week ago, my system isn't a true RIMS, but I *do*
recirculate during the entire mash. I've found a much more uniform
temperature distribution and *much* higher yields (like 34+ pts/lb/gal) -
plus there's almost no work involved; aside from stirring every 15 or 20
minutes just for good measure, all I have to do is keep an eye on the pump
and make sure the recirculated liquor is being evenly distributed over the
grainbed (I used a cobbled together manifold to help in this area).
With regard to oversparging, it's nothing I worry about - I collect about
the same amount of sweet wort in this system as I always did (around 7.25
gals for a 5 gal batch) - so oversparging is no more of an issue here than
elsewhere. I always make sure the sparge water is around pH 5.7 or so and
right at 168F and haven't had any problems with tannins (at least none that
I could tell).
As for the decoction vs. infusion question, can't say for sure. But I do
know the one triple decoction I did took about 10 hours from start to finish
and the results weren't noticeably different than my regular infusion
batches, so I'm not inclined to do it again.
Also in #2024, Al Korzonas writes:
>I end up fielding dozens of calls in June and July. I have to tell these
>people that summer is not the time to brew and do call me in the fall.
int doneRanting = 0;
while (!doneRanting)
{
I guess I don't get it - unless you're a traditional german brewer who's got
crops to tend in the summer, I don't see any reason not to brew all year
around.
Sure, it's a bit more challenging to get the right fermentation temps in the
summer, but aside from that, there's no reason to discourage people from
brewing whenever they want. If you've got someone who's interested in
starting, who has *cash* in their pocket, and you tell them "not now," it's
no wonder they don't call back - they probably go to some other store and
get the stuff and have a ball learning to brew - summer or not. Or else
they decide homebrewing was a stupid idea and don't even bother - either
way, you lose out on some potential business.
I'm not arguing whether national homebrew day should be in the spring or
fall; it certainly makes more sense in the fall if for no other reason than
tradition. But the idea that you shouldn't (or can't) brew whenever you
want is a bit silly.
if (bloodPressure > 180)
doneRanting = 1;
}
-Marty
martyt@sky.net
http://www.sky.net/~martyt/2tier.html
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Marty Tippin | Tippin's Law #24: Never underestimate the
martyt@sky.net | power of human stupidity.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out my 2-Tier Converted Keg Brewing System Design Plans
at http://www.sky.net/~martyt/2tier.html
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 07:33:48 -0500
From: jay@ro.com (Jay Reeves)
Subject: Blue Bonnet Brewoff
Has anyone received their scoresheets from the Blue
Bonnet Brewoff yet?
-Jay Reeves
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 08:10:16 -0600
From: guyruth@abq.com
Subject: 1996 Dukes of Ale's Spring Thing Beer Competition
The Best of Show/Category and medal results are available on the web at
http://www.aptec.com/~birenboi/beer/spring_thing.html
If anyone wants an ascii version send me email to guyruth@abq-ros.com
Guy Ruth
Competition Coordinator
Albuquerque, NM
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 07:28:38 PDT
From: hollen@vigra.com
Subject: Evan Kraus where are you?
Sorry to you all for waste of bandwidth, but Email keeps bouncing.
Evan - your return address of ekraus@aspin is an unknown host. Please
provide a good Email address in your signature so that I can reply to
you.
dion
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 09:32:37 -0500
From: Scott Abene <skotrat@wwa.com>
Subject: Alcoholic beverages & nursing
Spencer wrote:
>Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 16:58:38 -0400
>From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
>Subject: Alcoholic beverages & nursing
>A pediatrician friend pointed out that a nursing baby will be getting
>alcohol at the blood-alcohol concentration. That is, unless the
>mother is a real lush, less than 0.1 percent. Not really a cause for
>concern.
>=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer@umich.edu)
Hey all,
My wife is is currently becoming a Mid-wife and said that it is a well known
fact among Mid-wives that giving all nursing mothers a stout a day helps
produce better milk and a happier healthy baby.
Works for me.
Scott
####################################################
# ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT #
# Scott Abene <skotrat@wwa.com> #
# http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat #
# (Skotrats Official Homebrew "Beer Slut" Webpage) #
# OR #
# http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat/Brew-Rat-Chat/ #
# (Skotrats Brew-Rat-Chat Homebrew Chat System) #
# "Get off your dead ass and brew" #
####################################################
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 10:40:31 EDT
From: tgaskell@e3sa.elab.syr.ge.com
Subject: Re: Autolysis
Another bit o' info on autolysis. Please use this information
only in a well ventilated area:
In HBD #2024, Al. wrote:
> I, personally, have noted autolysis in very few of my beers.
and in HBD #2022, A.J. says:
> Upon distubing the yeast sediment for removal, the smell
> becomes stronger and has a gagging sort of burnt rubber aroma.
> I believe this to be the smell of autolyzation products.
In my three years of brewing, I have experienced autolysis only
once. After my first couple of batches, I received one of the
"Beer in a Bag" kits as a gift from someone who thought that
brewing was an odd pastime and I would appreciate the ease of
such a kit. I made the kit up according to the directions,
and used the packet of dried yeast that came with the brew bag.
My only deviations from the instructions was when they were
clearly risking sanitation, and then I set it in a cool place to
ferment.
After 3-4 weeks, I figured, "What the hey!" and decided to try
a pint. As I drew off the first bit, the stench was incredible,
similar to burning rubber, and nearly knocked me to the floor
because it was so intense. Unsure of what had gone so horribly
wrong, I continued to lurk on HBD and learned the basics of
what autolysis is and smells like.
I'm sorry that I don't have a preventive nor a cure, but I
think this qualifies as Another Data Point(tm).
Tom Gaskell Hog Heaven Homebrewery Clayville, NY, USA
God gave us yeast that we might experience some of what He goes
through. -- Sylverre
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 07:42:34 PDT
From: hollen@vigra.com
Subject: Re: RIMS and oversparge
>>>>> "Chuck" == Chuck Volle <cvolle@alpha.che.uc.edu> writes:
Chuck> The idea of recycling the infusion mash seems like a terrific
Chuck> 'hands off' way of mashing, in theory. In practice, do you
Chuck> have to be concerned about oversparging at any time?
No, because you control the amount of sparge water you use just like
any other all grain system. Stop when the SG gets low. Don't
confusion continuous recirculation with sparging, the two are not the
same. And yes, during the sparge, you can oversparge if you use too
much sparge water.
Chuck> With mashout temps would you expect to see an increase in
Chuck> tannins or other nasties that are attributed to oversparging?
If you mash out at too high a temp, sure, but stay at 170F or below
and there is no problem. George Fix did a write up on the BrewMagic
RIMS system and admitted that in the beginning, he had some of the
same concerns, but the system proved them false. There is no
astringency due to tannin extraction in a properly designed RIMS
system used properly. Someone who goofs up can get bad beer from any
kind of equipment, so don't count that.
Chuck> In it (CAMRA book)they discuss the redundancy of classic
Chuck> decoction mashing since the modern equivalent is the
Chuck> temperature-stepped infusion mash. This would be extremely
Chuck> easy with a RIMS system. How do you RIMS brewers feel about
Chuck> this? Have we come away from the necessity for a decoct to
Chuck> increase maltiness in your beers?
While I am a dyed in the wool proponent of RMS mashing, I am not
kidding myself about it replacing decoction mashing. Yes, both RIMS
and decoction mashing have similar elements in that they use upward
steps, but that is where the similarity stops. The enhanced maltiness
occurring with a decoction mash would never be produced by a RIMS mash
because the heavy part of the mash in a decoction is taken out and
*boiled*. During the boiling, Maillard (sp?) reactions occur that
enhance the malty character due to the high heat used. In a RIMS
system, all is designed to introduce heat at a very low density and
thus prevent scorching, so the potential for Maillard reactions is
nil. It sure would be nice if a RIMS system could do decoction
mashes, but it is just a dream.
dion
- --
Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164 Email: hollen@vigra.com
Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs San Diego, California
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 10:43:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: Milton Cook <PMCOOK@Gems.VCU.EDU>
Subject: Stuck Fermentation
It seems I have found the dreaded Stucky. I am brewing a
pseudo-cider and the fermentation has stopped after 3 days.
OG 1.047 and now sits at about 1.030. I do not believe it is
done>(at least I hope not). The recipe looks like this:
3 Gal. Aplle juice ( not from COncentrate)
1 lb. X-tra light DME
1 lb. Malto-Dextrin (for the sweetness)
Irish Ale WYeast
Boiled the DME and Malto-Dextrin for 60 min. Cooled, added to
Apple juice and pitched at 70 deg.
Now there is no activity in the airlock. What are some suggestions
on getting it going again? Shake? Addd suppliment? add more yeast?
Hold a ritual in front of the Fermenter wearing all Al Borlin
plaid?(scary)
TIA
Milton
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 08:50:51 MDT
From: mel0083@mcdata.com (Michael Lausin)
Subject: Re: HBD#2024 Nat'l HB Day
Algis writes...
> May is the ***END*** of the brewing season and ***NOT*** the time to be
> introducing non-brewers to the hobby! I own a HB supply store and usually
> get one or two calls about starting to homebrew *on* National HB Day, but
> usually it takes most people a week or five to get off their duffs and
> I end up fielding dozens of calls in June and July. I have to tell these
> people that summer is not the time to brew and do call me in the fall.
> A fraction of them call back.
I didn't know there was an end to the brewing season. Granted summer creates
some challenges for brewers, but we are an ingeneous lot and have come up
with a number of ways to keep the fermenter cool during those times.
Sounds to me like you're turning away a lot of potential business, but it's
your money.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
michael@mcdata.com Michael Lausin McDATA Corp. Broomfield, Co 303-460-4107
http://www.mcdata.com/~mel0083/brewing.html
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed are mine, 'cause I'm the one pushing the keys!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 10:52:00 EST
From: "Dulisse, Brian" <bbd4@CIPCOD1.EM.CDC.GOV>
Subject: scotland
hi all
i'm heading off to a wedding in scotland in mid- may, and am staying on
after for about 10 days. i'd appreciate any tips on a) good brewery tours,
b) good local pubs and/or c) enjoyable distillery tours. (if anyone has
some insights into - gasp - non-barley related fun, i'll take that too ;-)
i've been searching the net for information, but haven't really found
anything outside the big cities. we're planning on spending most of our
time in the highlands (i know, most scottish brewing activity is in the
south), but will likely be able to get to anyplace we put our minds to . . .
it's unlikely we'll get down to england (going there in july . . . ).
email preferred.
thanks
bd
bbd4@cipcod1.em.cdc.gov
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 09:32:37 -0500
From: Scott Abene <skotrat@wwa.com>
Subject: Alcoholic beverages & nursing
Spencer wrote:
>Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 16:58:38 -0400
>From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
>Subject: Alcoholic beverages & nursing
>A pediatrician friend pointed out that a nursing baby will be getting
>alcohol at the blood-alcohol concentration. That is, unless the
>mother is a real lush, less than 0.1 percent. Not really a cause for
>concern.
>=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer@umich.edu)
Hey all,
My wife is is currently becoming a Mid-wife and said that it is a well known
fact among Mid-wives that giving all nursing mothers a stout a day helps
produce better milk and a happier healthy baby.
Works for me.
Scott
####################################################
# ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT #
# Scott Abene <skotrat@wwa.com> #
# http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat #
# (Skotrats Official Homebrew "Beer Slut" Webpage) #
# OR #
# http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat/Brew-Rat-Chat/ #
# (Skotrats Brew-Rat-Chat Homebrew Chat System) #
# "Get off your dead ass and brew" #
####################################################
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 11:15 EDT
From: waddell@iglou.com (Steve Waddell)
Subject: Alcoholic beverages & nursing
>Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 16:58:38 -0400
>From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
>Subject: Alcoholic beverages & nursing
>
>A pediatrician friend pointed out that a nursing baby will be getting
>alcohol at the blood-alcohol concentration. That is, unless the
>mother is a real lush, less than 0.1 percent. Not really a cause for
>concern.
>
>=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer@umich.edu)
>
When my wife began nursing our first, she had problems associated with stress.
Doctor *recomended* a beer 15-30 minutes before to "help calm you both down".
Worked great. Kid is now 21. Beer still calms mom, almost daily.
- ---------------------------------------------------
Steve Waddell - waddell@iglou.com
It is a good thing that we don't get all the government that we pay for!
- Will Rogers
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 09:34:50 PST
From: nehrinv1@smtpgate.mugu.navy.mil
Subject: How to attach labels?
I've looked all over for info on how best to attach homemade labels to a bottle.
I've been taping them on, but this is not attractive to say the least. Any
ideas?
Thanks
Viktor
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 11:43:41 +0500
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock@oeonline.com>
Subject: National Homebrew Day vs Algis Korzonas
Greetings, Beerlings! Douse your bodies with your lager to prevent
scorching....
In HBD 2024, ALgis Korzonas, usually of sound mind, sez:
> Oddly, on National Homebrew Day, I'm going to be discouraging
> people from brewing. Yes, that's right. I've spoken to the AHA a
> half dozen times about moving HB day to the Fall, but my pleas have
> fallen on deaf ears.
> May is the ***END*** of the brewing season and ***NOT*** the time
> to be introducing non-brewers to the hobby! I own a HB supply
> store and usually get one or two calls about starting to homebrew
> *on* National HB Day, but usually it takes most people a week or
> five to get off their duffs and I end up fielding dozens of calls
> in June and July. I have to tell these people that summer is not
> the time to brew and do call me in the fall. A fraction of them
> call back.
> The AHA would make life so much easier if they were to move Nat'l
> HB Day to the fall so we could wholeheartedly encourage new brewers
> to join our ranks when the chance of success is significantly
> higher. Perhaps if I wasn't the only one complaining about this,
> they would listen?
Are you SERIOUS?!? C'mon, Al! This is the 20th century! The brewing
season is when YOU want it to be! We are not hostages of nature as
were our ancestors - we all have the ability to control our
environments to varying degrees.
I agree that those living in apartments without air-conditioning, or
in houses with out basements should, perhaps, be discouraged from
brewing in the summer - but only after explaining how one can control
temperature through such high-tech means as wrapping the fermenter in
a tee-shirt, and standing it in a pan of water. Perhaps upping the
technology ante by directing a fan at it...
As a homebrew supplier, if your opinion of brewing seasonallity was
upheld, how would you expect your business to support itself? Ever
consider that the calls that you don't get back in the fall are
because the requester called someone else, and is now happily
brewing away - disgruntled at that first yahoo who said they should
wait until fall?
Al, Al, Al! I'm truly surprised at you. The AHA probably thinks
you're a putz!
As for having National Homebrew Day in the fall, a billion million
college students might disagree with you. So, why not have two? :-)
(C) Copyright Rich Byrnes
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock@oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
Visit the HomeBrew Flea Market via my homepage!
URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 12:13:12 +0500
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock@oeonline.com>
Subject: My Hypocrisy...
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...
Ok, ok! So I always bit - er - complain about several million
responses "correcting" someone's posted information. And, I usually
delete mine when the cranky server from which I post allows the HBD's
reply back to me prior to the publication of the post and I am a
replicant (Not me - my post. No-one would WANT to clone me...) But
this is different. Al's comments are just so... soooo.... heinous! By
Bacchus! They border on heresy! For shame! For shame! Deaf ears?
INTELLIGENT ears, I'd say! A POX on thee... Ooops... Sorry!
So, call me a hypocrite...
(Honest, Al! I _usually_ respect your opinions, information, and
positions - ok, I'm a little iffy on the Copyright thing - but this
one? I ask again: Are you SERIOUS?!?)
(C) Copyright 1996 Gluteous the Maximus
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock@oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
Take advantage of the Drinkur Purdee document echo!
Send a note to pbabcock@oeonline.com with the word
help on the subject line to see what's on tap!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 13:36:34 CDT
From: korz@pubs.ih.att.com (Algis R Korzonas)
Subject: dry ice/decoction is dead?/big beer -- big problems
Ron writes:
>I was wondering if anybody has tried using dry ice to
>cool down their wort. I brew my beer in fifteen gallon batches and it is
>very hard to get this wort to cool down quickly. I have been letting it
>just cool outside but now that summer is coming I will not be able to get
>it cool as quick.
First of all, just cooling 15 gallons of wort outside is unlikely to be
quick enough unless you live above the arctic circle. You should use
some kind of force-cooling like an immersion or counterflow wort chiller.
Regarding dry ice for cooling wort, I recommend against it (as well as
other uses of dry ice with brewing) if for no other reason that we don't
know how much wild yeast or bacteria may be trapped in the ice. Recently,
we have also read that the dry ice may contain oil which would ruin head
retention. There may be other reasons (I've long since buried my Thermo
books), but for my money, the risk of infection and oil are enough to
avoid dry ice.
***
Chuck writes:
>As a side discussion, there is a new book from CAMRA by Wheeler and Protz,
>titled, _Brew Classic European Beers at Home. ISBN 1-85249-117-5.
>In it they discuss the redundancy of classic decoction mashing since the
>modern equivalent is the temperature-stepped infusion mash.
<snip>
>Have we come away from the necessity for a decoct to increase maltiness in
>your beers?
I have not seen the book yet, but either you are oversimplifying their
discussion of decoction mashing or they do not understand the issues
involved. It is true that with modern, well-modified malts, you do not
need to use a decoction mash to get decent extract yield but with these
grains you don't even need a temperature-stepped mash either.
Furthermore, I am of the opinion that decoction mashing does a lot more
for the flavour than it does for extract yield (**especially** with modern
malts). The temperatures in the main mash may be the same, but the resulting
beer flavours are not the same. Decoction mashing adds a type of toasty
flavour I have been unable to get with step mashes.
***
Woody writes:
> This weekend I brewed a really dense beer (OG 1.130) with the idea
>of making a barleywine. I bittered with an ounce and a half of
>Chinook (13.5AA) and added about a half ounce of Cascade to the
>primary after cooling. I made about a 250 ml starter with OG 1.060
>with a Belgian Abbey Wyeast, pitched at krausen.
Sorry Woody... you've got big problems. First of all, that 1.5 oz of
Chinook, assuming a 5-gallon batch size and a generous 30% utilization
(*before* accounting for the high-gravity wort) will give you only about
28 IBUs. That's probably about 1/4 of what you should have used. The
high-gravity of the wort means you only got a fraction of that 30%.
Secondly, for such a high-gravity beer, a 250ml starter is 1/8th to 1/16th
of what you should have used.
Thirdly, with this amount of fermentables, it is likely that your yeast
will generate quite a bit of heat and may raise the temperature a good
10F. If it is practical, you may want to slowly reduce the ambient
temperature (say, move it to a cooler part of the cellar, for example)
as the fermentation kicks in. Tossing it into a regular fridge is
right out -- a sudden temperature drop is a shock to these yeast and
given the amount of work they will have to do for you, you had better
be kind to them. The warmer the fermentation the esterier the beer
will be and the more higher alcohols you will make -- these will take
longer to mellow-out.
You did not mention aeration. This is most crucial for high-gravity
beers. Without pure oxygen, you probably can't get enough oxygen
dissoved into this syrup for the yeast to deal with the alcohol levels
they are expected to tolerate. Dry yeast need less oxygen so you
may be able to save yourself with the champagne yeast you plan to add
later.
>My plan is to let it
>sit in the primary about two weeks, rack to the secondary and add
>champagne yeast for about another two weeks before bottling.
If your yeast get down to *1.065* in four weeks, you'll be blessed and
that's only 50% apparent attenuation. 75% apparent attenuation means
an FG of 1.033 which would require 13% alcohol tolerance (a feat even
for Champagne yeast). You may not get below 1.050 FG. My 1.120 Imperial
Stout stopped at 1.050.
> Any comments on the plan? I'm assuming that it will remain fairly
>sweet even with the champagne yeast, which is why I bittered heavily.
>Will I get any carbonation in the bottle? I don't have a CO2
>cylinder, so force carbonation isn't in the works. Anything else I
>should think about? I've got plastic fermenters -- is autolysis or
>oxygenation going to be a problem with a four week fermentation?
You should go to the HB supply store, buy yourself a 6 gallon carboy,
a 1 1/4" OD blowoff hose, and some isomerized hop extract. After
the primary yeast expire, transfer the beer into the glass secondary,
rehydrate two or three packages of Champagne yeast in 90-110F sterile
water and pitch that. You may have to wait a good six months for this
to finish. At that point in time, bitter to taste with the hop extrct,
borrow a kegging system and a counter-pressure bottle filler and
CPB-fill this batch. It may be drinkable in a year, but will take
more than two years to taste good. I seriously doubt that it will
carbonate in bottles.
Also, it is not oxygenation that you worry about in plastic fementers
but rather oxidation.
Al.
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
korz@pubs.att.com
Copyright 1996 Al Korzonas
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 19:02:32 +0000 (GMT)
From: DAVE BRADLEY IC742 6-7932 <BRADLEY_DAVID_A@Lilly.com>
Subject: Using 31g barrels as boilers?
Is anyone out there using full barrels converted as brewing
vessels? The commonly used half-barrel "keg" we use is 15.5gal, but
I'm wondering if I could find a full-size barrel, 31gal, to convert for
making ca. 14gal of end product...without the substantial cost of a
20+gal SS pot. So how about it? If you have done this, or if you have
any feeling for the availability of these, could you pass along what
you know? Thanks again fellow HBDers! Private Email is fine, a summary
will follow if interest is generated.
Dave in Indy
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 13:01:14 PDT
From: RHENDRY@mfor01.for.gov.bc.ca
Subject: Corny Keg Cleaning
To: HOMEBREW--INTERNET homebrew@hpfcmgw.f
Anyone had particular success cleaning the stubborn adhesive the soft drink
companies seem to use on the OUTSIDE of used corny kegs? Does TSP do a
good job? I have several to do, TIA.
Regards,
Russ Hendry, R.O. Planning In Sunny Invermere BC.(604)342-4225
Fax:342-4247 Inet: RHENDRY@MFOR01.FOR.GOV.BC.CA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 16:20:18 -0500
From: SSLOFL@ccmail.monsanto.com
Subject: Plastic Buckets
In HBD# 2024, Wayne writes:
>I have two suitable five gallon food grade buckets. However, each has
labels on the outside.
<snip>
>I was then going to use a fine grit sand paper and just sand the glue
>off. But I got to thinking that might create a home for unwanted
>bacteria. So, am I just worrying too much, should I leave the labels?
I used to use the two plastic bucket, homemade lauter tun as well.
I made some decent beers with it, it was a simple and inexpensive way to
move into the all-grain level.
I would advise sanding off the labels. The adhesives and dyes
could be leached into the beer by the hot, acidic mash that will be put
into it. I have not done studies on this or anything, but sanding them
off can't hurt. As far as having scratches left behind for bacteria to
hide - don't worry about it. Just keep them clean when not using them
to prevent an excessive amount of bacteria from living. This is not
much of a concern for a lauter tun because after transfering the beer to
the boiling kettle, you are going to boil the snot out of it for awhile
anyway. The scratches in your plastic buckets are only a concern if you
are using them as primary fermenters. To be honest, I use my plastic
buckets as primary fermentors all of the time, even though they do have
some scratches. I just allow them to be in contact with iodophor
solution for about a half-hour or so. I make good yeast starters, so
the small amount of bacteria remaining doesn't have much of a chance
with the big initial yeast population. I have had no problems so far.
Shane
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 16:00:33 -0400
From: Jerry Cunningham <gcunning@census.gov>
Subject: barley wine advice
The digests have been a little light lately, so I felt obligated to spew.
Woody wrote:
> This weekend I brewed a really dense beer (OG 1.130) with the idea
>of making a barleywine. I bittered with an ounce and a half of
>Chinook (13.5AA) and added about a half ounce of Cascade to the
>primary after cooling. I made about a 250 ml starter with OG 1.060
>with a Belgian Abbey Wyeast, pitched at krausen. My plan is to let it
>sit in the primary about two weeks, rack to the secondary and add
>champagne yeast for about another two weeks before bottling.
>
> Any comments on the plan? I'm assuming that it will remain fairly
>sweet even with the champagne yeast, which is why I bittered heavily.
Uuuuuuuuh, let's see... how do I put this... You underpitched, underhopped,
and used the "wrong" yeast (if you want a barleywine) :*) <-- (note
good-natured smiley, signifying that this is not a flame, just some friendly
ribbing). I have brewed a grand total of one (1) barlewine, so I consider
myself an expert on the subject - so don't you professional brewers in Chico
try to correct me, dagnabbit!
Here's one way to pitch enough yeast: Brew a big IPA. Not a wimpy AHA IPA, a
_real_ one, say around 1075 (I made Delano DuGarm's Columbian IPA recipe
from this digest a few months back). Save the yeast cake from the primary (I
got about 1/3 gallon of slurry, which I saved in a gallon glass jug). Make
the mother-of-all-starters a day or two before you brew your barleywine
(decant any liquid of the slurry, add ~1080-ish wort, and aerate like hell).
Stand back.
When I made my starter, the thing was a friggin' volcano. It was frothing
outta the airlock in _less than an hour_!! I had to put my gallon jug in a
sink in the basement, there was no containing it. It was really cool to
watch. Anyway, it fermented my 1105 barleywine down to 1020 in about two
weeks. BTW, this was good ol 1056. Maybe the champagne yeast will be able to
chomp your FG down a bit.
You probably shoulda used more hops. OK, a lot more hops. I ran this thru
Tinseth's hop claculator and got somthing like 38 IBU's. It'll be malty, to
say the least.
Lastly, if you used Belgain Abbey (Wyeast 1214), expect to wait a while
(months and months) for it to be drinkable (in Mister Rogers voice: can you
say banana?, I thought you could). Maybe just a personal preference, but I
found this yeast Nasty with a capital "N".
That's it. (Hey, You asked for advice!)
Good luck,
- Jerry Cunningham
Annapolis, MD
ps Thanks to Spencer Thomas for the BW recipe, it tasted great when I
transferred it to the secondary. I'll send you a full report next fall.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 16:25:00 PDT
From: Woehr Robert <woehr@mwohpo1.mwoh.mwhse.com>
Subject: About to homebrew a Chile Beer...
I'm about to brew a Chile Beer in a couple of weeks, it will be MY first
batch! I've helped a friend of mine brew up a couple of batches, but that
was the beer he wanted to brew. I have a pretty good idea about how to
incorporate the Chiles into the brewing process. Some people were kind
enough to share their techniques with me. Now I'm in search of a type of
ale to brew with the Chiles. I am growing several different types of Chile
peppers, so I will be experimenting with several different flavors and heat
levels. Any suggestions, recipes, and/or brewing techniques would be
appreciated.
Thanx,
Rob
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 1996 20:34:15 +0100
From: Robert Bullard <rbullard@datasync.com>
Subject: Another tap handle source
Dorette of Pawetucket RI (800-863-2046) manufactures custom tap handles
of wood, ceramic and lucite to your specs in quantities of 1 to a
zillion. They will also help with design.
Salud!
Bob Bullard
Long Beach MS
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 00:47:59 GMT
From: Guy Purdy <GUYPURDY@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Black Butte Porter Clone
Hello All!
After months of research and development, here is the oft requested
and seldom (if ever) seen clone recipe for Deschutes Brewing's Black Butte
Porter! The first attempt was VERY close, but lacked the roasty flavor
overtone and sweetness of the Real Thing. I've adjusted the recipe
accordingly, and here it is:
6 oz. chocolate malt
6 oz. black patent malt
8 oz. honey malt
8 oz. 10L crystal malt
4 oz. toasted barley (buy it pre-toasted, or DIY @ 350 deg./10minutes)
8 oz. malto-dextrin
6 lbs. Light malt extract syrup
1 lb. Light D.M.E
1 1/2 oz. Galena hops (60 min. bittering)
1 oz. Cascade hops (1/2 hour bittering/finishing)
1 oz. Tettnanger hops (5 min. aroma)
Wyeast #1338 European Ale yeast
2 tsp. each Gypsum and Burton Water Salts (We have very soft H2O)
Add salts, gypsum to 1 1/2 gal. H2O. Steep grains for 1/2 hour @ 158 deg.
Sparge with 1/2 gal. 170 deg. H2O, and strain out any loose grain. Mix in
extract and malto-dextrin, and top off with H2O to desired optimum level for
your brew pot. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes before adding
Galena hops. After 30 more min., add Cascade hops. Last 5 min. add
Tettnanger hops. Cool wort with hops in it. Remove hops at pitching temp.,
and pitch yeast. Ferment to completion according to your desired method.
Enjoy it, I sure did!
Guy Purdy
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 18:34:04 -0700
From: Bob Wilcox <bobw@sirius.com>
Subject: Slow Secondary
Hi all
Maybe some can help with what may be a problem. In mid March I brewed an
alt. All grain, pitched with wyeasy 1338, primary for 1 week at 68 degs.
Secondary still going slowly. I put the secondary in my basement the temp
stayed between 58 and 60 degs for about 5 weeks the temp is starting to
go up now around 68 degs. Its been kinda of hot this last week here( San
Francisco area). Do you think I have a problem or is it OK, the last time
I took a reading was about a week and a half ago and it was 1.030. I
think it should be a bit lower than that. SG was 1.056
TIA
- --
Bob Wilcox
Long Barn Brewing
bobw@sirius.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 19:02:12 PST
From: "Thompson, Brian" <bthompson@mfi.com>
Subject: Berliner Weisse Recipe Wanted
I'm looking for a recipe for an *authentic* Berliner Weisse. I have seen
recipies on the Web and in books for Berlin-style wheat beers (characterized by
a sourness not unlike Belgian Whites), but I have yet to run across one that
calls for Lactobacillus Delbrueckii, the bacteria found in milk (?) that imparts
the sour flavors.
A description I found in a style guide reads thusly: tart, refreshing...
anywhere up to 75% malted wheat is used and results in a characteristic foamy
large white head. The ale-type yeast and lactic combination produces a light
body which is dry, tart, and has a sharp lactic sourness... very pale yellow
color, effervescent, modest alcohol content, no bitterness, no hop flavor or
aroma, and low fruity ester notes.
Any recipes and/or advice on where to find Lactobacillus Delbrueckii would be
appreciated. Thanks!
Brian Thompson
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #2025, 05/01/96
*************************************
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