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HOMEBREW Digest #2904
HOMEBREW Digest #2904 Fri 18 December 1998
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of
Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
URL: http://www.oeonline.com
Contents:
Re: Badger's Medieval Ale Recipe (Jeff Renner)
CO Blues ("Tom Kelly")
Legal status of homebrewing and AHA ("Crossno, Glyn")
RE: Got them Carbon Monoxide blues... ("Dave Humes")
Legalization Response (Paul Gatza)
AHA/Enzymes (Adam Holmes)
Subject: Badger's Medieval Ale Recipe (Badger Roullett)
Kalamazoo Brewing / Bell's Beer yeast? ("Kensler, Paul")
The AHA: perks ("Boyce, Al")
AHA and the future (Lee Menegoni)
Rodenbach (Al Korzonas)
Re:Yeast Worries!! ("Philip J Wilcox")
aha, flow models, CO (Jim Liddil)
Brewery walls (Tom Clark)
HBD SUPPORT CHALLENGE!! ("Grow, Roger H")
Welsh Briton, ("David R. Burley")
Re:Paul Gatza's fable ("Robert J. Waddell")
Re: Mazer Cup Mead Competition (Spencer W Thomas)
Re: Online Wahl-Henius book (Spencer W Thomas)
Oxygen (Paul Edwards)
Smoked Porter/Smoked CAP ("Goll, Christopher M.")
Sam Adams Koelsch Type Beer. (kathy/jim)
and the winner is.../CO (David Kerr)
Wine Cooler (MARK.KIRKBY)
Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!
Enter The Mazer Cup! _THE_ mead competition.
Details available at http://hbd.org/mazercup
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:21:47 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <nerenner@umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Badger's Medieval Ale Recipe
"Greg Lorton" <glorton@cts.com> followed up on Badger's midieval recipe.
Great job, Greg, thanks! Some malted oats would have been a nice
historical addition to that brew as well. I used a conventional mash
schedule for a 50% (home) malted oats, 25% wheat malt, 25% barley malt (and
a little chocolate to simulate the darker midieval malts), no hops, OG
1089. It's aging now. I now have some commercially malted oats and am
thinking of doing another brew with a very little smoked malt. Probably
Bamberg since I don't like peat smoked and only barely like Bamberg, but at
a very low, subliminal level think it'd be OK. I'm sure midieval British
brewers used wood as well as peat to dry their malt. I'll try this mash
schedule.
I encourage you to post this to historic-brewing digest
mailto:hist-brewing@pbm.com and encourage you and others who are interested
in historic brewing to subscribe.
To subscribe, send email to majordomo@pbm.com containing the words
"subscribe hist-brewing" (or subscribe hist-brewing-digest, if you want to
get the digest.) To contact a human about problems, send mail to
owner-hist-brewing@pbm.com.
Jeff
-=-=-=-=-
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan c/o nerenner@umich.edu
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 98 10:39:02 -0500
From: "Tom Kelly"<tkelly@hologic.com>
Subject: CO Blues
Steve Writes:
*********************************************************
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 22:19:24 EST
From: Hmbrwrpete@aol.com
Subject: Got them Carbon Monoxide blues...
I bought a Superb brew stove from East Coast/ Precision Brew supply this past
summer. I planned on using it in the basement so I wouldn't have to go outside
in the dead of winter. I finally ran the extra gas line to the "brewery" put
up the range hood, vented outside, and fired up the burner. Within 15 minutes
my CO detectors went off. Upwards of 100ppm in 15mins.......
**********************************************************
Steve: You need a supply of fresh air. Once the oxygen in the room is
depleted, all burners will produce CO. There simply isn't enough oxygen
available for complete combustion.
I have a Superb burner and digital CO meter. Only had the meter go off
once--when I forgot to open a window. (That's why you need the CO detector).
Open a window, door, or otherwise ventilate the area and your problem will go
away.
CO levels should be undetectable. Otherwise, you are flirting with disaster.
Tom Kelly
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:28:16 -0600
From: "Crossno, Glyn" <Glyn.Crossno@cubic.com>
Subject: Legal status of homebrewing and AHA
Steve Jackson posted:
... Ditto for legalization efforts, since most of us live in states
where our hobby is legal...
Lee Menegoni responded:
... Homebrewing may be legal in most states but possession of outside the
home, transporting home brew or , holding competitions is either illegal
or a violation of liquor commission policy in many states.
Not a member any longer but, they should also be looking at beer laws like
in GA and TN. Brewpubs can't brew over 5.5%(?). And finding a beer over
that is darn near, if not impossible.
I've read that GA is trying to change their 6% law, does anybody have any
details?
Glyn Crossno
Crossno@tnns.net
- ---------------
> Before you were born, your parents weren't' boring. They got that way
> paying your bills and listening to you.
>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 11:40:20 -0500
From: "Dave Humes" <humesdg1@earthlink.net>
Subject: RE: Got them Carbon Monoxide blues...
That's interesting. I have a whole system from PBS with a burner for
each of my 3 kettles and have not had a significant problem with CO.
My brewery is located at one end of an L-shaped basement with access
to the brewery through a standard 36" door which remains open while
brewing. Ventilation is provided by a 220 cfm vent fan in the
ceiling of the brewery and fresh air is supplied by opening the
sliding glass door near the corner of the L in the basement. The CO
meter is right in the brewery. The hardest use of the system is when
I preboil my mash and sparge water the night before brewing. Both
the sparge and mash burners are fired near maximum for about an hour.
I can't fire them all the way up as the flames then come up the
sides of the kettles. Anyhow, as long as the patio and brewery doors
are open, and the vent fan is on, the CO meter stays at 0ppm. I have
occassionaly seen it creep up to as high as 50ppm, but that was
always when I forgot to open the slider or turn on the fan.
Are you certain you have the natural gas orifice installed in the
stove? My system was ordered with the natural orifices, but they
were not installed. I think there's some federal safety regulation
that prevents them from doing the installation.
As far as the CO levels increasing when you put your kettles on the
stove, that MAY make sense. I do not claim to be an expert here, so
you may want to float this idea with some one more knowledgable.
Anyhow, here's what I think. CO is the result of incomplete
combustion. The higher the combustion temperature, the more complete
the reaction will be, and hence less CO will be produced. So, when
you put your kettle on the stove, the mass of the kettle and water
will drop the temperature of the flame and more CO will result. An
experiment may help determine if this is the case. You observed the
CO levels before and while the kettles were on the stoves but did not
mention levels measured when the kettles had reached boiling. See if
the levels drop when the kettle warm up.
A range hood may not provide enough ventilation. Although my 220 cfm
fan is probably OK, I'd feel better if it moved more air. I'm
planning on stepping it up to a 400 cfm unit and then putting a fan
speed control on it so I can slow it down when I don't need full
power.
Dave Humes >>humesdg1@earthlink.net<<
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:11:43 -0700
From: Paul Gatza <paulg@aob.org>
Subject: Legalization Response
Badger asked where homebrewing is illegal. The eight states where
homebrewing is not statutorily recognized are Alabama, Idaho, Iowa,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah. There are also six
states where homebrewing is "possibly permitted," meaning that the laws
are vague and can use some clarification or have limitations such as a
maximum alcohol content. These states are Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New
Mexico, New York and West Virginia.
Lee Menegoni is correct in that the holding of homebrewing competitions
and transport of homebrew may be open to judicial interpretation. The
Florida statute has a special provision for removing homebrew from the
home for tastings, and we recommend the Florida statute as the preferred
model of legislation for those interested in helping a sympathetic
legislator draft a bill. The Homebrew Legalization Campaign section of
the beertown.org website has an index of statute by state if you are
curious about the law in your state. This part of the website is up to
date. Anyone intersted in forming or being a part of a particular
state's committee should contact me.
AHA members in Idaho have found a bill sponsor in the legislature, who
has indicated that it will likely come up in January or February, so
please write your Idaho rep in January to support this bill. Several
AHA-registered clubs and homebrewers in Ohio have also indicated their
desire to work with the homebrewer/brewmaster recently appointed to the
legislature there.
- --
Paul Gatza
Director
American Homebrewers Association (303) 447-0816 x 122
736 Pearl Street (303) 447-2825 -- FAX
PO Box 1679 paulg@aob.org -- E-MAIL
Boulder, CO 80306-1679 info@aob.org -- AOB INFO
U.S.A. http://www.beertown.org -- WEB
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:27:58 -0700 (MST)
From: Adam Holmes <aaholmes@lamar.ColoState.EDU>
Subject: AHA/Enzymes
My two cents about AHA:
Never been a member but I don't like the Zymurgy magazine much =
(flipped through it at Barnes and Nobles occasionally), so I never
considered sending the cash to be a member. BYO looks great for
beginner/intermediate brewers and BT for intermediate/advanced brewers
is outstanding. Maybe the AHA should realize they've been beat in the
magazine market and kill it.
The money and effort can be put to better uses such as a better web
site or the legalization campaign. Or many other ideas that I'm sure
the HBD collective could propose to them now that they are obviously
listening. I love homebrewing but I have not seen one reason to send
$33 to the AHA but I could be persuaded if I knew the money went to
further this hobby instead of just subscribing to a sub-par magazine.
On a different note. I just finished a comprehensive biochemistry
course here at Colorado State U. We used a great program called
"rasmol" to help visualize enzyme structure and enzyme mechanisms. It
presents chemical structures in a 3D format and you can rotate the
molecule on your screen. Anybody know if rasmol files exist for beer
related enzymes (alpha amylase, beta amylase)? Other sources of general
info about these enzymes without having to delve into the primary
literature?
Thanks,
Adam Holmes
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 11:34:25 -0800
From: Badger Roullett <branderr@microsoft.com>
Subject: Subject: Badger's Medieval Ale Recipe
"With the "medieval" recipe above, the highest temperature reached was 159F.
There was quite a bit of cooling (more than I expected) as the boiling water
heated up the grain and the kettle, and I added the water slowly (over about
15 minutes) to make sure that the mash didn't get much hotter than 160F."
I also got similar results. When i poured my water in, slowly, with a small
bowl, over about a 10 minute time frame, it ended at 158, cooling to about
151 over an hour. but then i added all the grain before the 1 hour rest.
"After letting it sit for an hour, the temperature dropped to 151F. I then
added the other half of the grain,"
I am curious about this step here, the medieval recipe said to add the grain
after you were done adding the water, not after the one hour rest. But it
is an interesting way to get a second protien rest out of it.
"In essence, we tried to keep as many variables constant, except for the
mashing procedure. It seems that Badger's recipe resulted in a more fully
attenuated beer. The first step of the mash allowed the alpha amylase to
break down the starches into a lot of dextrins, and the second step added a
lot of fresh beta amylase to convert much of the dextrins to fermentable
sugars."
Thanks for the data points!!
Some thing I am trying to figure out nowadays is what sort of malt they
would have ended up using. I have been looking into malting tequniques in
period, and am trying to figure out what sort of modification they got, and
how close i can come with modern malts.. its tough.
badger
*********************************************
Brander Roullett aka Badger (Seattle, WA)
Brewing Page: http://www.nwlink.com/~badger/badgbeer.html
Badgers Brewing Bookstore: http://www.nwlink.com/~badger/brewbook.htm
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 13:38:10 -0600
From: "Kensler, Paul" <paul.kensler@wilcom.com>
Subject: Kalamazoo Brewing / Bell's Beer yeast?
I know that Bell's beers contain live yeast that can be cultured, and I
believe that all Bell's beers use the same yeast...
Does anyone know if this yeast is a proprietary house strain, or is it a
common / commercially available yeast (Yeast Culture Kit, Wyeast, etc.)?
While we're talking Bell's, anybody have a reliable all-grain recipe for
their Amber Ale?
Thanks,
Paul Kensler
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 14:44:56 -0600
From: "Boyce, Al" <Al.Boyce@msp.inacomps.com>
Subject: The AHA: perks
On the subject of AHA Perks -
I nominally joined the AHA about a month ago, via the internet - and have
yet to see either membership card or Zymurgy magazine. That said, I have
already taken advantage of a VALUABLE perk of membership: my local homebrew
store (BREW AND GROW in Fridley, MN - not an endorsement, just a happy yada
yada yada) offers a 10% discount on ALL wares for AHA members. Averaging
$25 per kit, 16 kits per year (easy) - the math works out to $40 savings per
year - saving me a net $7 on my kits while paying entirely for my AHA
membership. Zymurgy by this account is free - so if I get ANYTHING out of
that, it's all bonus. (How did I get the bonus WITHOUT a membership card?
Chalk it up to having an "honest face". :-D And truthfully, I haven't
claimed that discount until now because I value the presence of my homebrew
shop, and would not want to undermine his profit unfairly.)
If, as an association, we are able to effect favorable changes in the laws
for homebrewers, or by "our" efforts we are able to "spread the good word"
about homebrewing and quality beers so that supplies are more available and
affordable, that's a bonus too.
So, not even having seen any other benefit of the AHA, sign me a contented
AHA member.
- Al Boyce
Old Kitchen Rug Brewery
St.Louis Park, MN
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 16:25:12 -0500
From: Lee Menegoni <Lee.Menegoni@digital.com>
Subject: AHA and the future
I have bashed the AHA on this forum, I found Paul Gatza's AHA version
of A Christmas Carol entertaining.
I have to admit that the AHA past provided useful organization as well
as valuable information (some of which is outdated) on homebrewing as
the hobby emerged.
I find it encouraging that they realize that they have problems that
need to be fixed, I hope they can address these before they implode. To
just say F#$% the AHA I don't need them I have HBD and Brewing
Techniques is short sighted.
One thing they lack is a clear set of goals, maybe this will fall out of
a more member oriented board.
Lee Menegoni
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 15:46:04 -0600 (CST)
From: Al Korzonas <korz@xnet.com>
Subject: Rodenbach
I'm still behind in my reading and someone may have addressed these
points already, but since Rodenbach Grand Cru is one of my favourite
beers, I feel compelled to comment.
Ted writes:
>This is a hard one... Rodenbach uses at least two different yeasts,
>including a lager yeast for bottling and getting the sourness right is
>tricky because it isn't as sour as Cantillon and our other favorite
>horse blanket ales.
Rodenbach is filtered and pasteurised, not bottle-conditioned, so they
don't use a lager (or ale) yeast for bottling. Rodenbach is made with a
blend of yeasts, yes, which they don't try to separate... they simply keep
on pitching the blend of yeasts. Some of the bacteria (which causes
the sourness) is in the blend and some is imbedded in the wood of the
huge aging tuns.
>I use equal portions of Belgian Wheat, Belgian Munich, and Belgian Pils
>Malt. (3 lbs of each for a 6 gallon batch --- shooting for about 0.052
>OG). Unlike those who bake hops, I deliberately aged a pound of Saaz
>and a pound of Goldings for about 2 years in open bags. I'd use about 3
>ozs of these very stale hops --- lacking this use a modest quantity of
>low-alpha hops so that you don't knock out the lambic.
Again, a bit of confusion... Rodenbach doesn't use aged hops... it is
not a Lambic beer. Also, Rodenbach does not have a large portion
of wheat in it... certainly not 1/3. My first and only attempt was
a complete failure because I left it too long in the oaken cask (over
-oaked it!), but the malt character seemed about right. I used mostly
Belgian Vienna malt and a small amount (perhaps 5%... don't have the
recipe here) of CaraVienna from DeWolf-Cosyns (that wasn't so hard
was it Jack?).
>I mash around 155 with a big sparge reaching high temperatures (180-185
>F), and ferment the primary with any Belgian yeast. The secondary uses
>a wild yeast, and shouldn't be disturbed until the pellicle falls apart
>on its own. If you are making Rodenbach Grand Cru, adding 5-6 lbs.
>cherries in the secondary or 2 oz. cherry extract with a 1/2 tsp of
>almond extract at bottling.
"Any Belgian yeast" is a scary statement. The character of Rodenbach
comes mostly from the yeast and the wood. You certainly wouldn't want
to use a phenolic yeast like the Witbier yeasts or the Westmalle yeast.
You also don't want to use Wyeast #1214 which will give you too much
banana aroma. I've tasted a very credible Rodenbach Grand Cru clone
made by Chris Nemeth. He used cultures from Head Start Brewing Cultures
(which is currently not actively selling cultures). The Yeast Culture
Kit Company sells the Liefman's yeast as A39, but you will have to also
add a Lactobacillus bacteria also (YCKC has those too).
I have heard a rumour that De Dolle Brouwers get their yeast from
Rodenbach and I *know* that their beers are bottle-conditioned, so
this may be a possible source of the Rodenbach yeast.
As for making the Grand Cru, there are no cherries or almond added
to the beer bottled as "Rodenbach Grand Cru." There is a beer called
"Alexander" which is nothing more than pasteurised Rodenbach Grand Cru
with cherry syrup added at bottling time. The cherry flavour of the
Grand Cru comes from the combination of yeast, wood and malts.
Sorry if this has been covered, but I'm pretty passionate about
Rodenbach Grand Cru.
Al.
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
korz@xnet.com
http://www.brewinfo.com/brewinfo/
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 16:51:48 -0400
From: "Philip J Wilcox"<pjwilcox@cmsenergy.com>
Subject: Re:Yeast Worries!!
From: Philip J Wilcox@CMS on 12/16/98 04:51 PM
Tims questions:
<<Was the yeast selection appropriate for the style attempted
Absolutely, Perfect choice.
>and fermentation temperatures?
Here is the spec from Wyeast "2206 Bavarian Lager yeast
Used by many German breweries to produce rich, full-bodied, malty beers.
Flocculation medium; apparent attenuation 73-77%. (48-58o F)" so 58 is on
the high side of appropriate temp. The best thing to do in your situation
is to find a large plastic bin, like the sweater box's you find at Monster
hardware outlets. something that will hold 5 gals water plus your carboy.
You want the sides of the vessel to come up at least half way up the
carboy. This goes in the crawl way. Put an old t-shirt on your full carboy
place it in the tub and fill it with water and some bleach to kill off any
thing that wants to crawl in. Next go to the freezer and take out one of
the three frozen half gallon milk jugs of water you put in the freezer the
day before and put that in the tub also. If you feel like digging out the
crawlspace for an "inground" fermentation chamber go for it. it will be
better insulated if you do. else feel free to insulate your tub or pay the
bucks for a 55 gal cooler and use that. Rotate the jugs every 6-8-12 hours
what ever works to keep you in your temp zone. Yep its high maintenace, (so
is a wife -- but you can have a beer whenever you want!)
<What else would have been better?
See above.
<Did I let the yeast rest long enough prior to initiating the starter?
Was the package swelled to where you thought it might busrt from pressure?
If not, it wasnt ready. time can vary from a theoretical 8 hrs to 36 hrs.
the longer after the date on the package the longer it will take to be
ready.
Best results are to step up twice for Ale and 3 times for Lagers. Smackpack
to 275 ml (2-3 days) to 825 ml (2-3 days) to 5 gal of ale or to 2 L of
lager. (5 -15 days) then if clear, pour off beer, save yeast. add 300ml of
wort 6-8 hours before pitching to 5 gal. of lager.
<Was the pitch temperature appropriate?
Not really. For this yeast anyway. You didn't "Fry" it, but you did them
and the beer no favors either. you should try to get the temp down to
within 10 degrees of the fermentation temp.
Also important to this stage is yeast shock. If you add large cold starters
to warmer yeast you are being abusive and they may go into shock, taking
much more time to get started. Keep your temps within 10F. You can shock
them with hot wort the effect is much less dramatic. This might be part of
what your seeing in yours. Especially with a lager yeast that likes to
perform 20 degrees colder that you started it. Most of the effect you are
experiencing is from Under pitching.
<Will/should fermentation activity pick up in the next 24 hours?
yep, not that you will necessarily notice it, but it will, just hang tough.
<Is 58 degrees too warm?
mmmm. hard to say. to me, probubly. Primarily because thats your ambient
temp, yeast metabolism generates alot of heat its self so the temp of the
wort is 4-8 degrees higher than air temp. depending on the yeast strain.
You can heat your car in winter with belgian tipel yeast. Air is a poor
transfer of heat. Water is much better. Thus submerge the thing...see
above.
<If it doesn't what are my options? re-pitch, etc.
Yep, there are some dry lager yeasts around, there still not all that
wonderfull. New Amsterdam is my standard backup. I stopped by a local
Micro on Monday and got some lager yeast from them, so if that is an option
for you, its your best solution. I walked in cold, he had never seen me
before. I had a GABF medal winning beer, and excellent dinner, a great tour
and finally go to meet the busy brewer. I got a liter of fresh yeast and he
got a really comical yeast shower--you do have to be carefull of tapping
the bottom of 100 HL fermentation tanks!! If all else fails, amber ale's
are all the rage these days anyway...
Your beer is not ruined, be patient, chill out, relax and have a homebrew!
Phil Wilcox
Poison Frog Home Brewery
Warden-Prison City Brewers
(Where the prisoners in our nearby prison make a Spud-Juice--AND have been
caught with distilled products too!!!)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 14:55:43 +0000
From: Jim Liddil <jliddil@azcc.arizona.edu>
Subject: aha, flow models, CO
To the guy with the CO problem. I've never looked at household CO meters
and what the level of accuracy and precision of them is. Maybe you can get
a furnace guy or your gas utility to come out and test the CO levels. But
because of the higher binding constant of CO to hemoglobin over oxygen, I'd
ventilate as much as possible.
WRT the flow model that John Palmer is working on, something came to mind.
In looking at the pictures one notices that the dye is not being eluted 100
% by the solvent. This indicates to me that there is a binding interaction
between the dye and the column packing material. So my question would be
how does this effect the column chromatography as opposed to the grain
column that one is eluting sugar from? After all it seems you guys are
applying some sophisticated models and I can't believe that interactions
between the bed packing and eluted material are not dependent on what is
being eluted and what the column packing is made of.
I just couldn't let the AHA go. :-) First I am and have been an AHA member
since my wife bought me a kit. Also I am usual happy and proud that I won
the AHA homebrewer of the year award. It has given me a certain amount of
notoriety and I'd be lying if I did not say it was an ego boost. But there
have also been times when I wanted to send the medal, ribbon and newspaper
articles (all enclosed in trophy frames) back to boulder and tell them to
you bugger off.
I think Paul and brian are doing the best they can under the circumstances.
I think the big brew thing was cool and even participated in it. But as
others have pointed out what do we get from the AHA above and beyond a
magazine?
The AOB/AHA is not to my knowledge housed in some giant cubicle filled
building. So it's not like the organization is a bunch of nameless faces.
And this makes me believe it's not like the management does not know what
going on. Then again maybe charlie really is a pointy haired boss. I got
that impression when out of the blue he posted to the hbd. Bet we could
count on one hand the number of times he has posted to the hbd since it's
inception.
Paul wrote
"He showed me the perception of one individual carrying a sack of money
overtop the backs of the membership. I told him that less than 10
percent of that sack is charged to the AHA for attendance at meetings,
writing for the magazine, speaking to homebrew clubs and the national
conference. Roughly 40 cents of a member's dues go into that sack. The
experience and advice he provides is certainly worth it I tell the ghost."
I think the AHA and zymurgy do have a place and certainly it is a hard job
to fill all peoples wants and needs. But I've said it before and I'll say
it again the AOB (the parent organization of the AHA) listed on the last
990 tax from "PROMOTION OF HOMEBREWING" as their main reason for being tax
exempt. Now I still have gripe over not being able to get tax forms
without going to the feds and if the powers that be want to send me the
latest AOB and Brewing Matters tax forms my way I'd be grateful. Look a
the aob web site. In no way is the majority of info about homebrewing.
The aob runs the GABF, World Cup of beer (read beaumonts take at
http://worldofbeer.com/brightbeer/american.html) the IBS, ad nauseum.....
The budget for each issue of New Brewer is more than that for zymurgy. The
AOB can not have it both ways. An organization can not treat it's claimed
main reason for existence as a step child (or can it?).
What can the AHA do for me, as a member? Jim Parker was working on getting
student membership rates for the ASBC for AHA members. A reprint service
for articles from brewing journals. Few libraries carry all the brewing
journals the AOB recieves each month. Ever tried to find Cerevesia in even
a university library? I suggested this idea to James Spence and I've
suggested it to BT. When James used to write short synopsis of brewing
journal articles I used question his take on it and he would fax me the
article and then I could tell him how I thought his interpretation was
wrong and such. Not that anything was ever published in zymurgy. I have
the same concern with the BT gleanings from the fields and the writers
interpretation of what the articles have to say even if he does work for
Brewers Guild or whatever. We should all question the interpretation of
literature presented. Whether it be me, steve alexander or george fix
presenting the info. I feel it is important to read the articles for
ourselves. It costs $5 to get articles through interlibrary loan.
Paul also wrote:
"The AHA staff are good folk,
but are magically prevented from being effective by the corporate
behemoth"
Again this "corporate behemoth" is claiming PROMOTION OF HOMEBREWING as
it's reason for exemption. The behemoth does things like post to the HBD
an expect us to swoon. In some ways I hope the MCAB squashes the AHA
nationals and they fade away. And I also get a certain amount of personal
satisfaction being an AHA homebrewer and thorn in their side. In the
immortal words of Dan McConnell and Ken Schramm "I'm never brewing beer for
the AHA again"
Jim Liddil
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 17:37:44 -0500
From: Tom Clark <rtclark@eurekanet.com>
Subject: Brewery walls
If you want to make the walls of your brewery not only waterproof but
fireproof as well, cover the lower portion of them with cement board
rather than gypsum wallboard. This material is available at places like
Lowe's and is actually made of cement. It is completely impervious to
water and provides an excellent backing for ceramic tile. I have
installed it in both my bathrooms and have had no problems with moisture
damage to the walls. Gypsum wallboard is more likely to eventually
absorb moisure from the showers and begin to crumble away from behind
the tile...
Also, if you build the brewery in a basement area, why not simply lay up
the walls with 4" concrete blocks.
As to floor drains, you might consider the slotted pipe system used
around swimming pools. I have seen these made of plasic and cast into
the concrete floor or deck. The only thing that shows is a narrow slot
at the surface.
Tom Clark
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 17:56:47 -0700
From: "Grow, Roger H" <GrowRH@LOUISVILLE.STORTEK.COM>
Subject: HBD SUPPORT CHALLENGE!!
The Tribe, Longmont, Colorado's' only known homebrew club would like to
issue a challenge to the members of all of the other clubs who read the HBD.
We are a very small club, but we've managed to raise nearly $100.00 that we
will be sending to the HBD to show our support for the HBD and The Brewery!
That's it, the gloves are off, I taunt you, go ahead, try to top us! Ha!
You'll never do it! (and no one will ever brew above 14,3 um, oops)
As a mater of fact, I would like to extend the challenge to the AHA, the
AOB, the IBS, the IRS and any other initial touting organization out there
that derives their livelihood from beer!
I DOUBLE DIRTY DOG DARE YOU!
Unless Otherwise Specified:
Roger H Grow
The Big Kahuna, The Tribe,
Longmont, Co
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 21:12:42 -0500
From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley@compuserve.com>
Subject: Welsh Briton,
Brewsters:
Mikey Jones?, Lewis?, Davies? ( ubiquitous surnames in Wales) no, Bret!
straightens out Dave Sapsis on the meaning of true Welshman/Briton.
Having spent two years in Wales during my post-doctoral studies, having a
27 year old Daughter who was born there, having been to the Wales/Ireland
Rugby match and many other visits to the stands in Cardiff Arms Park and
sung hymns with the Irish and Welsh boys in the Queens Hotel in Cardiff
and many other pubs 'til the wee hours ( we were "guests"), having
still maintained close Friendships in Wales to this day, I still remember
when Buckley Brothers Bitter was great at the brewery ( I used their
yeast
for my brewing), but had gone off by the time it got to the pub.
Even though I understand the Park has been replaced
and the Queens is gone,and Buckley Brothers is out of business,
I still have fond memories of those good old days!
After all these years, I can still say Jechyd Da ( bottoms up)
And Cymru am Byth! (Wales is best!)
Keep on brewin'
Dave ( Dai Bach) Burley
Kinnelon, NJ 07405
103164.3202@compuserve.com
Dave_Burley@compuserve.com
Voice e-mail OK
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 19:35:19 -0700
From: "Robert J. Waddell" <rjw@dimensional.com>
Subject: Re:Paul Gatza's fable
Steve Jackson <stevejackson@rocketmail.com> writes:
>Very few people are
>going to the GABF, so the members-only tasting and reduced admission
>fee perks don't mean anything to most of us.
Very few people are attending the GABF??? Excuse me...? I have been a
volunteer at the GABF for the last several years, and that comment is
nothing but hot air! Try serving the judges for a day, attending the
"World Beer Forum", and serving four shifts on the festival floor, and then
make that statement again! I was lucky enough to be serving some of our
local beers, Mountain Sun from Boulder, Left Hand from Longmont, and
Kaltenberg from Vail, all here in Colorado. I had people crowded around
our tables 15 deep! If I needed to take a leak, it took a good five
minutes to get through the crowd to the facilities! And that included the
members only tasting! I had to drive 45 minutes to and from the festival,
and each night I was so tired that I had doubts about my ability to make it
the next day. But even though I let my membership in the AHA lapse because
I outgrew the magazine, I will continue to support this festival. There's
nothing like it in the world. And the fatigue is the type that tell's you
that you've done a good days work, and you sleep good when it's done. If
YOU want to see an improvement in the GABF, get your sorry butt down there
and lend a hand!
I apologize if this sounded a bit bitter. My feet still hurt. But I'll be
there again next year pouring beer to the multitude. Because I support
this hobby and this craft. It has nothing to do with the AHA... I'm the
one that started the stink about not being able to have backpacks at the
festival several years ago if you care to research the back issues of the
HBD. If anyone has a better idea, I'd like to see you working down on the
festival floor for a few sessions before you voice it. If you can't hack
it, stick with Budweiser! If you want something more out of home brewing
and craft brewing, get involved! If you want more out of the GABF, come in
the festival staff door!
Flames accepted off-line.
RJW
I *L*O*V*E* my [Pico] system. 'Cept for that
gonging noise it makes when my wife throws it
off the bed at night.
Women...
--Pat Babcock
*** It's never too late to have a happy childhood! ***
********************************************************************
RJW@dimensional.com / Opinions expressed are usually my own but
Robert J. Waddell / perhaps shared. ICQ #7136012
Owner & Brewmaster: Barchenspeider Brew-Haus Longmont, Colorado
********************************************************************
(4,592 feet higher than Jeff Renner)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 02:10:52 -0500
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Mazer Cup Mead Competition
Thanks to our hard-working digest janitor (you know who you are, Pat,
take a bow) the perhaps easier to remember URL
http://hbd.org/mazercup
will also take you to the Mazer Cup entry forms.
=Spencer
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 02:49:16 -0500
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Online Wahl-Henius book
>>>>> "Steve" == Steve Jackson <stevejackson@rocketmail.com> writes:
Steve> Does anybody out there know of another online location for
Steve> the Wahl-Henius American Handy book of Brewing, Malting and
Steve> Auxillary Trades? I've tried the one link I have several
Steve> times over the last couple months, and the server has never
Steve> responded.
Well, Steve, I'm not sure what the problem is. The server is up and
running, and has been pretty much continuously for the last couple of
years. I should note, however, that the URL you are using has an
error. The correct URL is <http://hubris.engin.umich.edu:8080/Wahl>.
Note the *CAPITAL W* on Wahl. Specified as you did, you will get a
"404 Not Found" error.
I should also note that hubris will be down for a (hopefully!) short
time in the next week or so for a brain transplant. So if you do get
a "server not responding" error in the near future, that *could* be
the problem.
Steve> information I'm seeking (I'm researching Kentucky Common
Steve> Beer),
Here's what they have:
Like California steam beer, Kentucky common beer is mostly
consumed by the laboring classes, and is chiefly brewed in
Louisville, Ky. It is marketed while still in an early stage
of fermentation.
Materials employed are: Barley malt and about 25 to 30 per
cent of corn with some sugar color, caramel, or roasted malt
to give a dark color.
Balling of wort about 10 to 11 per cent.
Mashing temperatures vary greatly, both low and high initial
temperatures being taken. In the latter case, the corn mash
is cooled with water before running into the mash-tun.
Boiling - the wort is boiled with about one-half pound of hops
per barrel, and is cooled to 60F.
Fermentation - the wort is pitched with one-third of a pound
of top-fermenting yeast per barrel, allowed to come full in
Kraeusen, and then transferred from the fermenter directly
into the trade packages, which are placed on troughs, into
which the yeast is allowed to work out. The barrels are kept
full continually by topping up every few hours. After 48 hours
in the barrels the fermentation is over and the barrels are
bunged; when very much gas is required they may be closed in
24 hours.
The beers are not as a rule Kraeusened, nor fined, and
consequently have a "muddy" appearance, but a moderately clear
article can be obtained if the saloonkeeper lays in a supply
so that it can settle a few days before tapping.
=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer@umich.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 07:46:29 -0500 (EST)
From: Paul Edwards <pedwards@iquest.net>
Subject: Oxygen
Brian Dixon posted out oxygen and cautioned against using welding oxygen,
as it might have dirt and oil in it, and he recommended using "pure"
oxygen. like what the Oxygenator folks sell.
Sorry, Brian, the stuff in the little bottles is the same purity you get
from the welding company, typically 99.5 percent pure. anybody who told
you different is BS'ing you.
here's the infor I got from a supplier of welding oxygen:
"U.S.P. Oxygen (medical) has guranteed specifications of 99.0% minimum
oxygen purity, no odor.
"Industrial (welding) oxygen does not have guaranteed specifications, but
typically is CGA grade C, < 50ppm of moisture, 99.5% oxygen purity.
"Both grades come from the same cryogenic bulk source, with typical
contaminants beign: nitrogen, argon, hydrocarbons, krypton, carbon dioxide
and carbon monoxide. The difference in grades arises from the care taken
in cylinder preparation and analysis. U.S.P. gases must be produced and
tested in accordance with "FDA Good Manufacturing Practices" and may be
legally used ONLY as directed by a licensed physician or for emergency use
by trained personnel."
BTW, oil will self-ignite in the presence of 99.5 percent pure O2, as will
many other substances, so "oil in the oxygen" is a myth.
Many commercial breweries I've seen use welding grade O2 for oxygenation.
The up-front cost of a bottle & regulator may be steep if bought new, but
I can get a 6 lb oxygen tank (approx 80 cu ft) refilled for $15.
- --Paul Edwards
Brewing and welding in Indianapolis
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 10:15:23 -0500
From: "Goll, Christopher M." <cgoll@pica.army.mil>
Subject: Smoked Porter/Smoked CAP
With all the talk about smoked beers, I'm regretting not doing as much
travel to Burlington VT, where the Vermont Pub and Brewery makes a great
smoked porter! Anyone have an idea what sort of malt and what % they use?
Also, when brewing this beer, should I worry about imparting a lasting smell
into my Gott mash tun?
Will I end up with a smoked CAP for my next effort?
Chris Goll
Rockaway, NJ
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 10:36:32 -0500
From: kathy/jim <kbooth@scnc.waverly.k12.mi.us>
Subject: Sam Adams Koelsch Type Beer.
Just tried Sam Adams Spring ale which was said to be a "Koelsch type"
beer. I'd appreciate some of the arbitrators of taste to comment on its
style characteristics. It seemed pretty good to me. Atwater Brewing in
Detroit has a German brewmaster and a pretty good Koelsch.
cheers, jim booth, lansing, mi
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 11:18:35 -0500
From: David Kerr <dkerr@semc.org>
Subject: and the winner is.../CO
Jethro (welcome back!), who managed to include 23 ellipses in just
one post, to a mere 14 for Brian D, spread over 2 posts, in #2903 on
12/17.
Regarding Pete's CO issue - Jeff suggests ventilating the brew room
to reduce CO production. While this would help diffuse CO produced
by poor combustion, I'd suggest raising the kettle above the burner
an additional 2-3 inches to provide better air circulation.
Dave Kerr Needham, MA
"... we remind our fans not to lose sight of the fact that virtually
our entire club is returning next year" - Sox GM Dan "Mo who?"
Duquette
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1998 08:26:06 -0800
From: MARK.KIRKBY@airborne.com
Subject: Wine Cooler
About 4-6 months ago, Brew Your Own Magazine had an article that explained
that most wine coolers are actually malt beverages, and gave a recipe to make
them. I made a batch, but have since lost the recipe. Does anyone out there
in the collective have a copy they could e-mail me? Just need the basic
recipe.
Yeah, Yeah, I know, but my wife liked it. Plus, it gives me more kettle time.
Thanks in advance.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #2904, 12/18/98
*************************************
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