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HOMEBREW Digest #3628
HOMEBREW Digest #3628 Wed 09 May 2001
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
Re: Final Gravity (Andrew Calder)
Idophor killed my carbonation....? (Todd Bissell)
Sticky Name Tags on Zymurgy (Ant Hayes)
Low Standards/My Vienna (craftbrewer)
Corn Tortillas (Drew Beechum)
re: twist top bottles ("Mark Tumarkin")
MCAB III - First place recipe (george fix)
Re: twist top bottles ("H Stearns Laseur")
pyrex reaction ("steve lane")
Re: Stepping up starter ("Steven Parfitt")
RE: Champagne Corking via method #2 ("Sebastian Padilla")
RE: Champagne Corking via method #2 ("Sebastian Padilla")
Re. Selling on the Internet (Richard Foote)
high FG triple, twist offs ("Czerpak, Pete")
Re: Selling on the Internet (Jim Vahsen)
re: Whirlfloc (You Bastards)
Building up Wyeast 3278B ("Steven Parfitt")
queue ("D. Craig Williams")
FW: All Grain Brewing ("Joe Aker")
beer screensavers (carlos benitez)
Commercial Kolsch (Svlnroozls)
Energetic Fermentation (Watch out for flying fementer lids!) (Svlnroozls)
broken carbonator (Will Fields)
Re: Whirlfloc & whole hops ("Richard Sieben")
Mash temps (Warandle1)
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Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 22:06:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Andrew Calder <arcalder2000@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Final Gravity
>Alex MacGillivray asked about the high final gravity
>of a Belgian Triple that he brewed.
Howdy Alex,
Your Original Gravity was 1.084 and your final gravity
was 1.024, an attenuation of 71%. I think that's
acceptable. I checked Marty Natchel's "Homebrewing
for Dummies" and Charlie Papazian's "The New Complete
Joy of Homebrewing" and both cite 65% attenuation as
acceptable completion of fermentation. I brewed a
Belgian Trippel with a starting gravity of 1.076 and
it took 21 days to reach its final gravity of 1.014,
82% attenuation. However, the recipe I followed
listed an attenuation of 73%-77% for this yeast. The
yeast I used was a Wyeast 1762 large smack pack and I
fermented 66degF.
Hope This Helps,
Andrew Calder
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 05:31:48 GMT
From: Todd Bissell <bis9170@home.com>
Subject: Idophor killed my carbonation....?
Hi all,
Well, after my first batch was so-so (typical first batch, I suppose),
and my second a pretty good porter, my third batch went south on me at
the home stretch: good taste, *_ZERO_* carbonation. Here's the
play-by-play, in case anybody wants to know what NOT to do.
Primed with 4oz corn sugar (boiled with pint of water), dumped it into
bottling bucket. Gently racked from the secondary fermentor to the
bottling bucket. Using the bottle tree that I got from B3, gave all of
the bottles one final rinse with hot (respectable) tap water, and air
dried them on the tree. Using the Idophor injector that mounts on top of
the tree, filled the resevior with idophor, and proceeded to inject each
bottle with what was advertised to be the correct concentration of
sanitizing solution. (Yes, here is the part in the story that you roll
your eyes and shake your head in disbelief: it's ok, I can take the
abuse...!) Looking back, if I would have simply did a quick rinse again
before filling, I'd probably be ok. But no, with all that idophor still
in the bottle, I filled and capped 23 22-oz bottles of Best Bitter. The
results after 2, 3, and 3.5 weeks of bottle aging have been, as you can
imagine, less than stellar...! NO head what-so-ever. I know the style
calls for a minimalist approach with carbonation, but give me a break...!
(I've even tried mixing my flat Bitter with tasty porter, to somehow make
a barely palatable Black-and-Tan, and even that was repulsive...) Unless
the 4-week test bottle ~somehow~ improves, I think it's about time to
bury my first Best Bitter...! :(
Question for the Board: am I correct in assuming that it was the Idophor
that killed my little carbonation-producing yeasties, or is this a case
of something more fundamentally wrong...? (f.y.i: My first two batches
(the so-so Amber and the tasty porter) both had good-to-excellent
carbonation)
Cheers!
Todd S. Bissell
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 09:10:31 +0200
From: Ant Hayes <Ant.Hayes@FifthQuadrant.co.za>
Subject: Sticky Name Tags on Zymurgy
I presume that most of us get our Zymurgy magazines in the mail, and so end
up with name tags on the cover obscuring the generally excellent cover art.
Does anyone have a clever method of removing the stickers without damaging
the cover?
On a different note, it seemed to me that the recent Zymurgy had some really
good articles answering questions that have been raised on HBD in the last
few weeks, e.g. what to look for in a pump, and how to motorise a mill. This
latest magazine is one of the best that I have read.
Ant Hayes
Gauteng; South Africa
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 17:35:32 +1000
From: craftbrewer@telstra.easymail.com.au
Subject: Low Standards/My Vienna
/
G'Day All
/
I must admit I am waiting for that Mouth from the South, Mr Yates
and his report on his comparison of the different yeasts on his
attempt at a beer all his lonesome. Lets face it, he'll be out of a
job soon anyway. Seems a plane landed here in Aus all the way
from you lot in the USA - WITHOUT a pilot. Knew those guys up
front did nothing the whole trip.
/
And speaking of yeasts, I have given my opinion of the famed
Ayinger yeast in the past. (For those who dont remember, bloody
good attentuator and well suited for the paler styles of beers like
German Pilsners and Octoberfests.) Now I have always had my
doubts on whether its suited to darker malter styles, so in true
craftbrewers style I gave it a shot in a Vienna.
/
And the result is quite simply its not balanced properly. Far too
dry, bringing out too much the melonoids and caramel flavours.
Its still a nice drop, with a real interesting profile, but not a Vienna.
I mashed this baby at 66C. I would definitely suggest to those
using this yeast of darker styles of beers to consider a high mash
temperature to achieve the right balance.
/
And speaking of balance
From: Tom Smit <lunica@ozemail.com.au>
/
On another matter. You may encounter some shellshocked
Aussies within HBD portals in ever increasing numbers. Treat
them gently. <<<<<<
/
What rot. True aussies have hides thicker than my ego, and the
only time they get shellshocked is when SWMBO appears in a
seethru when the football is on. Treat them gently indeed. I
would get up them quicker than that rat up the drain pipe.
/
Now on the OZ-CBD we set the bar on standards pretty low.
We had to otherwise Phil would have no chance to get a word
in. So we set it about as low as a snakes belly. Most seem happy
with that. Some want it as low as whale poo, but I cant hold my
breath that long. Neither can most people.
/
Shout
Graham Sanders
/
Oh Phil, wheres the famed Budvar yeast coming. I want to run
some tests on it. Now can anyone out there tell me if this is a true
Pilsner Tuborg yeast. OPINIONS PLEASE
/
And just read the Bud wars have reached New Zealand now.
One wonders why those boys cant learn to get along together,
hey Tom.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 01:13:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: Drew Beechum <Drew.Beechum@disney.com>
Subject: Corn Tortillas
Well after a Quattro di Mayo celebration and BBQ I find myself in the
possession of approximately 5 lbs of corn tortillas.
Now of course this begs the question.. what's the specific gravity of
a corn tortilla? I'd be interested into turning it into a corn ale,
ala a chica ale.
- -- Drew
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 06:28:05 -0400
From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: re: twist top bottles
John Clark writes:
"to my understanding I cannot use twist tops for my home brew. Some one
educate me and tell me why I cannot use twist top bottles to bottle my own
brew."
well, you can use them, but it's not advisable for a couple of reasons.
first, because of the threads, it is harder to get a good seal. this leads to
the second reason, in order to get a good seal you'll be using more than
normal pressure on the capper (unless you always overtighten, Zymie said here
recently that this was the American way). Since the glass on the threaded
bottles is thinner, the tops can break - thus leading to alcohol abuse (wasted
beer). I believe this is more likely to happen with hand-held cappers, less
likely with bench-top cappers. at any rate, empty bottles generally aren't
hard to come by, so I'd advise not using the twist-top bottles unless you
absolutely have to.
another thought on the subject of reusing empty beer bottles. it's a really,
really good idea to rinse the bottles out as soon as you pour the beer into
your glass (or at least a soon as reasonably possible). this seems pretty
obvious, but it always amazes me to see how many homebrewers put bottles away
to reuse without immediate rinsing, so I guess it's worth mentioning.
cleaning and sanitation of your bottles is easy if you rinse immediately. if
the dregs of the beer dry in the bottle it's much more of a PITA. it's hard to
get your friends to do this, so you're left with the task of draining your own
non-twist beer bottles (a tough job but someone's got to do it) in order to
assure a ready supply of empties for your own bottling needs.
Mark Tumarkin
Gainesville, FL
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 07:15:23 -0400
From: george fix <gjfix@CLEMSON.EDU>
Subject: MCAB III - First place recipe
Pat notes:
>You can now view the winners of the Third Annual Masters Championship of
>Amateur Brewing at http://hbd.org/mcab/mcab3/.
He then asks:
>As has been done in the past, would the winners of the MCAB 3 be willing to
>post their recipe's to the digest?
I have been keenly interested in the three classic variations (Pils,
Export, and Helles) of Continental Pale Lagers. The Helles won an award in
MCAB I, the Pils did so in MCAB II, and the export just did so in MCAB III.
I, however, never got around to posting recipes before. In a matter of
hours I will be off to the airport, but when I come back formulations for
all three will be put on my web page:
http://publish.hometown.aol.com/brwyfoam/Homebrewing-with-Fix.html
Three quick points:
1. The "under modified" malts do make a difference, and for the
better. I have been using the Budvar Pils malts (from St. Pats) in these
brews. It is my understanding other versions will soon be available from
Durst and others. Actually, with a Kolbach index of ~38, these are really
"normally modified", at least for lager beer.
2. The steady temperature increase mashing procedure described for
us by the folks at AB during MCAB II last year does indeed work on the
homebrew level, even with Budvar malt. Decoction is always the safest
recommendation for such malts, but my experience indicates that the AB
procedure is a viable alternative.
3. All these beers should be made with "soft" water, especially the
export. I came to this conclusion empirically, but it is also confirmed by
data in Prendl's "Beers around the World" columns in Brauindustrie for the
most respected commercial versions.
Cheers,
George Fix
*******************************************************
George J. Fix Phone: 864-656-4562
Professor and Head
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Clemson University 29634
*******************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 07:34:47 -0500
From: "H Stearns Laseur" <h_stearns_laseur@email.mobil.com>
Subject: Re: twist top bottles
You can use twist tops for home brew. Are your twist tops metal or plastic? Some
of the bottles that I use are plastic soda bottles with plastic twist tops. I
have never had a problem with them. I've never used metal twist tops, but I
would imagine a metal twist top with some play in it would be soft enough to
perform as if it had a gasket and hold in freshness. The plastic containers are
soft enough to act as a gasket and keep beer fresh for several months.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 08:31:40 -0500
From: "steve lane" <tbirdusa@hotmail.com>
Subject: pyrex reaction
Just got an Erlingmeyer flask / beaker and boiled up my starter on the
stove. Can I put the scalding hot beaker and wort into an ice bath or will
this shatter the beaker?
I wouldn't think to ask with any other type of glass vessel, but what about
pyrex?
Steve L.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 10:05:16 -0400
From: "Steven Parfitt" <the_gimp98@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Stepping up starter
Cross posted to Homebrew digest from Lambic Digest.
Colin and I have been discussing Wyeast Lambic Blend on the Lambic Digest.
We are unsure about pouring the liquid when the yeast settles. Will we be
pouring off the bactreia with it?
I e-mailed Wyeast and asked their recommendation on stepping up the starter.
I will post the reply when I receive it.
Steven
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 14:46:54 -0000
From: "Sebastian Padilla" <sebastianpadilla@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Champagne Corking via method #2
>Date: Mon, 07 May 2001 08:15:24 -0000
>From: "Sebastian Padilla" <sebastianpadilla@hotmail.com>
>Subject: RE: champagne corks & corkers
>......
>
>Option two is to get the same corks that North American Belgian beer
>breweries bottle their beers with (ie. Ommegang and Unibrou). They use a
>much softer cork than the standard European champagne cork, and these can
>be
>used in a standard Floor type corker. I am not too sure how well these
>corks stand up to time (anyone with experience aging these beers) as these
>corks don't seem quite as hardy as champagne
>corks that are used by most
>Belgian brewers, but they seem to work well for them and, more importantly,
>they will work with standard wine corking equipment. It takes a bit of
>fiddling with, and ideally an extra pair of hands, but you can use a
>standard floor wine corker (if you need a more detailed description ask).
>I
>have done this so I know that it works.
> Your best bet is to get a hold of
>one of these breweries and find out where
>they get there corks from and what
>type of corks they are.....
Well, someone asked (I should have written this in the first place anyway,
partial posts are annoying), so here is how I go about doing method 2.
You set up the champagne bottle and cork in the floor corker as normal. If
you have the option on your corker, set the washer so that the cork is
inserted as little as possible into the bottle, but it still must be able to
push the cork out of the mechanism. Now here is the tricky part, you only
want to plunge the cork in until 1/2 an inch is left above the bottle. So
do not push the lever all the way down. So Partially plunged the cork. At
this point you want to lower the bottle relative to the corking mechanism
(by whatever option your corker allows, most seem to have a seat which you
have to turn to adjust the bottle height, mine luckily only needs to be
picked up relative to the bottle). This is where it can be a PITA. Once
you have lowered the seat that the bottle sits on you then plunge the cork
out of the corking mechanism. Now the reason a couple of extra hands can be
useful is that you must hold the bottle with one hand flush with the corking
mechanism, while adjusting the seat and then continue to hold the bottle
(because it is now resting on nothing, the seat has been lowered) as you
plunge the rest of the cork out of the corking mechanism). If you
coordinated that successfully you should have one bottle with a mushroom
cork installed (it usually takes a bit of time for the mushroom head to
develop, so put that wire cage on).
Hopefully this helps you all to visualize the process.
sebastian
normally in Tucson, AZ
currently in old East Germany,
No access to homebrewing,
only able to brew beer at a microbrewery in Schlepzig
(oh how unfortunate life is)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 14:51:04 -0000
From: "Sebastian Padilla" <sebastianpadilla@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Champagne Corking via method #2
Oh yes,
I forgot to emphasize, in case you missed it, you must use a floor corker to
do this. Hand and wing corkers do not have the functionality to cork via
this method. Sorry about that all you corker disadvantaged types.
sebastian
normally in Tucson, AZ
currently in old East Germany,
No access to homebrewing,
only able to brew beer at a microbrewery in Schlepzig
(oh how unfortunate life is)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 11:20:10 -0400
From: Richard Foote <rfoote@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re. Selling on the Internet
Brian writes:
>Re-read his original post. He was asking for legal advice.
>He wasn't asking how to break the law. After all, there ARE "proper
>licenses as a micro-brewer".
>From what little I know on the subject...
In the U.S. you'll likely need approvals (licenses) from:
1. Your local business license office (required by some counties/cities)
2. Your local health dept. (since it's for human consumption)
3. State Alcohol Agency
4. ATF
It's also important to be aware that some states do not permit the mail
order sale of alcoholic beverages--our fine state of GA being one. I once
attempted to mail order some fine brews from a beer distributor in PA (do a
search for McBroom's in Pittsburgh). I had my order all set until I got to
the part about my shipping address. "Can't ship to GA--bye". Doh! So
much for my plan to nab some Hop Devil IPA. Some states also have alcohol
limits on certain beverages--again, our fine state of GA being one (6%
limit on beer).
I'm sure others can add more to the list of "hoops".
Rick Foote
Murrayville, GA (no > 6% beers need apply)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 11:58:00 -0400
From: "Czerpak, Pete" <Pete.Czerpak@siigroup.com>
Subject: high FG triple, twist offs
Alex ask about his belgian triple from 1.084 to 1.024. First off, how much
yeast did you pitch? second, what yeast and ferment temp did you use? I made
a triple last year that finished about the same level and was sweet. It was
fermented about 62-64F whihch I believe to be a bit too cool. I steeped up
my yeast about 4 to 5 times (with the last 2 or three times at about 1/2
gallon wort volumes).
also, did you use candi sugar? my barley wines and imperial stouts finish
at this level but all the hops tend to balance the final sweetness.
also did you oxygenate or just shake, shake, shake?
JOhn Clark asks about twist off bottle. I hope the beer is from MOngollian
brewery in AZ(they have a great APA). I think that atleast in the ol'days,
twist offs were thinner glass and had less strength. Also, I think they may
be tougher to seal as well. I always recycle my twistoffs rather than use
them for bottling however.
Pete czerpak
albany, NY
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 09:12:55 -0700
From: Jim Vahsen <james.vahsen-phx@st.com>
Subject: Re: Selling on the Internet
> Re-read his original post. He was asking for legal advice.
> He wasn't asking how to break the law. After all, there ARE "proper
> licenses as a micro-brewer".
In the US, the homebrewer is 'allowed' to brew 200 gallons of homebrew
per
year, 'for personal consumption'. You are more than welcome to give it
away
to friends, but selling it through the internet is not legal.
My $0.02
JimV
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 09:37:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: You Bastards <dude_kennysdead@yahoo.com>
Subject: re: Whirlfloc
Actually, based upon the responses (not many) I
received, I went ahead and kept using it. I have seen
MUCH better clarity and cold break with whirlfloc than
with Irish Moss, and will CONTINUE to use it!
I'm converted. I don't worry about bringing the break
into the fermenters, as it just settles out anyway.
>From the pale, brown, lpr (liquid panty remover
(raspberry beer)), etc, they were ALL quite clear.
I think that whole hops would definately increase the
siphonability of the wort, but I have yet to use
them.. (waiting for the rhizomes to grow/flower etc)
Let me know how the whole hops works for you. I rack
out of the kettle currently, as I have been too lazy
to drill and put on my ball valve, so for me, it's not
really an issue.
Maybe try a hop bag for the pellets? I use a bag
every batch, and don't get that much hop sludge at the
bottom, although there IS some..
hope that helps!
brent
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 13:09:53 -0400
From: "Steven Parfitt" <the_gimp98@hotmail.com>
Subject: Building up Wyeast 3278B
Well, the resonse from Wyeast is favorable:
"Regarding the 3278, if you step up the culture, and decant the liquid off,
you will remain with lactic cultures in the slurry. It is near impossible to
seperate the cultures, even if you tried."
Treat it like any single culture yeast for building up you pitchables.
Steven
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 15:41:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: "D. Craig Williams" <dwilliam@eng.usf.edu>
Subject: queue
Fermentation Time?
I have just finished my third all-grain batch. I pitched the yeast about
36 hours ago and I don't see any sign of fermentation. Before pitching, I
activated dry ale yeast by wisking it in a cup of warm water at about 105
F and allowed to sit about 15 minutes. The O.G. of the wort was about
1.040. The fermenter is sitting in my crawlspace where the temperature
ranges from about 68 during the day to about 60 at night. I oxygenated the
wort by shaking the carboy. The previous batch didn't start fermenting
until almost 60 hours had passed. I want to know if someone can tell me
why fermentation isn't beginnning sooner. I was told by the man at the
homebrew supply store that fermentation usually begins within 8 hours. Is
this
accurate? Should
I use an air stone? Do other brewers oxygenate by shaking the carboy? Will
a 8-10 degree flucuation in temperature have a serious affect on
fermentation?
Craig
Apex, NC
dcwilli@hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 15:27:14 -0500
From: "Joe Aker" <joe_aker@famousonline.net>
Subject: FW: All Grain Brewing
- -----Original Message-----
From: Joe Aker [mailto:joe_aker@famousonline.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 12:25 PM
To: Janitor
Subject: All Grain Brewing
I have been extract brewing for approx. 1 1/2 years and have become very
bored with it (lack of flavor profile control). I would like to start all
grain brewing, and have heard various people talk about their all grain set
ups. I would appreciate any advice on what would be the easiest, not to
mention cost efficient,set up to do all grain 5 gal. batches. I currently
have a 4 gallon pot which I am aware will not be sufficient for a full wort
boil. I have done a few extract batches be steeping specialty grains, but
have never done a partial, or full mash. I have read everything I can get
on all grain brewing, and I know that I can get excellent results the first
batch, with the right equipment. I was thinking of using two 5 gallon
coolers with the false bottom, and the sparge arm to sparge. Does anyone
have any experience in boiling a large amount of wort on a stove? Will this
work? (or is it too time consuming?) I currently do not have a chiller
either, and was considering an immersion chiller for ease of use? I was
considering using the single infusion mash procedure until I can get a few
batches under my belt. Any suggestions on the best places to buy equipment,
or any particular setup options would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe Aker
Topeka, Kansas
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 13:48:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: carlos benitez <greenmonsterbrewing@yahoo.com>
Subject: beer screensavers
Hi all !
Does anybody know of any cool screensavers about
beer (free ones are especially welcome !) - I just
inherited an older laptop that I wish to dedicate to
brewing (I've already loaded Pro-Mash on it - which I
use all the time - standard disclaimer...). Does
anybody have any other suggestions for software that
you use often? label programs (I use a buisiness-card
program that works well for me) Any beer games out
there (remember TAPPER ?) ? Thanks in advance,
=====
BIBIDI !
Brew It Bottle It Drink It
Carlos Benitez - Green Monster Brewing
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 18:30:44 EDT
From: Svlnroozls@aol.com
Subject: Commercial Kolsch
I know of at least two Kolsch-style beers sold in this country. I don't know
about other places, but these two are easy to find in So. California. One is
called Hollywood Blonde and is quite good. It's sold in bottles and in kegs.
It's put out by the Great Beer Company and it was their only product until
they came out with Hollywood Red. BJ's Brewhouse also makes a beer called
Brewhouse Blonde, which is also said to in the Kolsch style. Of course, it's
only available from the BJ's restaurants.
-CTD
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 18:38:36 EDT
From: Svlnroozls@aol.com
Subject: Energetic Fermentation (Watch out for flying fementer lids!)
I've had this very same thing happen to me. I just didn't have enough
headspace under the airlock and it clogged up and popped off. The only thing
to do in that case is to put in a blow-off tube. I have a nice glass one
now, that fits nicely onto a carboy and works wonderfully. You can also take
the top off and the rattle-hat out of your airlock (if it's that type) and
put a piece of tubing on the inner opening of the airlock body. Then you'd
lead the tubing to your catch-bucket and into the sanitary solution therein.
This will catch whatever foam and muck come up through the airlock no matter
how vigorous the ferment.
-CTD
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 21:17:03 -0400
From: Will Fields <will@gfarch.net>
Subject: broken carbonator
I was installing my Liquid Bread "Carbonator" cap on a pet bottle recently
and the top separated from the base. Has this happened to anyone and is it
repairable? Is there any chance that some Krazy glue can save the day?
Will Fields
frugal in South Hamilton, MA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 20:52:32 -0500
From: "Richard Sieben" <sier1@email.msn.com>
Subject: Re: Whirlfloc & whole hops
Paul asked if anyone used whole hops as a 'filter' to hold back break
material....You bet I do! My kettle drains from the bottom under a screen,
so I only loose the amount of wort that is below the pickup (about a cup or
so) and what is retained in the hops themselves. I estimate it amounts to
loss of less than a quart, and it leaves a nice layer of trub on top of the
hops. It is best to start draining the kettle slowly so as to let the fine
materials get caught on something and it builds up a filter bed. The
resulting wort is pretty clear, and even more so since I started using
Whirlfloc. After the wort is in the fermentor, a great cold break forms in
the fermentor, but it does settle out and leaves very clear beer. (no
problem reading through the light colored beers) I have not needed to get
more Whirlfloc yet as I got a 1# sample free at the 1998 National Brewpub
conference in Chicago (lots of fun, if you like education and business).
Now since I got it for free, does anyone have a local outlet for the stuff?
as I will run out eventually.
Rich Sieben
Island Lake, IL
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Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 22:38:57 EDT
From: Warandle1@aol.com
Subject: Mash temps
Stephen Alexander (aka S) wrote:
The total beta-amylase(BA) activity in the mash is the primary determinant
of the differential fermentability of the wort. You need to understand that
malt has many times (20X-ish) the alpha-amylase(AA) activity as BA activity
and that BA is much more rapidly denatured at a given temperature. There is
always enough alpha-amylase to remove starch, [and not a huge difference,
some though, between the point of starch removal and the alpha-limit dextrin
set].
BA isn't very stable even at 148F, having a half-life around 20 minutes at
this temp, and so higher temps will limit the total BA activity of the mash
by heat denaturation. After a rest at 148F the BA complement is
substantially decreased so resting at 154F isn't buying so much additional
BA activity over a straight boost to mashout. There are significant
differences in fermentability between single infusion mashes at 152F, 156F
and 160F, but these become much smaller if you first rest at 148F.
My response: Its because of info like that that makes the HBD such a great
resource. I've read numerous books, magazines about homebrewing and have
never read that particular bit of information. That just makes my day.
Thanks.
Will Randle
Ashand, MO
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #3628, 05/09/01
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