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HOMEBREW Digest #3728
HOMEBREW Digest #3728 Thu 06 September 2001
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
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Contents:
Homebrewing in Japan ("James D. Annan")
Satisfied Customer report.. ("Greenly, Jeff")
Re:1961 Kelvinator ("Thomas D. Hamann")
Chocolate and Beer Tasting ("Wayne Waananen")
Brewing On The Moon ("Phil & Jill Yates")
RE: Counter Pressure Bottling (ThE HoMeBrEw RaT)
RE: Bass Ale Yeast and a recipe (ThE HoMeBrEw RaT)
HopBacks (ThE HoMeBrEw RaT)
Request for Comment ("Larry Bristol")
Hard to beat a JSP! (H=?ISO-8859-1?B?6Q==?=ctor Alejandro Landaeta Carrasco)
beer in Fort Worth ("Cass Buckley")
Electric vs. gas.../cutting sankes (Bob Sheck)
Awe, c'mon! (WeizenGuy)
cheap shot (Babalooey)
A few notes on making Pumkin ale (Bob Sheck)
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Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 13:55:29 +0900
From: "James D. Annan" <jdannan@jamstec.go.jp>
Subject: Homebrewing in Japan
I see from the archives that this has been briefly mentioned here in
recent months.
I've just moved to Japan from the UK. Stupidly, I didn't bring my
(minimal, beginners' level) homebrewing equipment with me. Actually it
was a reasonable enough decision as at first I thought I wouldn't have
room, but I'm now living somewhere with enough space. And I'm not
impressed with the price and taste of the commercial beer around here.
So I'm trying to do some shopping...
Homebrewing kit in Japan is ridiculously expensive! Tokyu Hands in
Yokohama has a HB section. But mail order puts a hefty surcharge on the
price (like 100%) if I buy from overseas. Is there a good solution to
this conundrum? Some of the UK kits that I like (brupacks, munton) are
hardly available outside the UK so that gives me little choice.
I also saw on on the the USA mail-order web-sites that homebrewing is
supposedly illegal in Japan (at least above 1% abv). Well if so that's
just another hobby of mine prohibited for no reason, and another stupid
law to ignore. I love Japan really, but some of the rules are just
ridiculous. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it is based on pressure
from commercial brewers and/or tax revenue considerations, but presented
as a public health measure.
Oh, another question: is it safe/sensible to use screw-top PET bottles
for beer? I saw them for sale in a HB shop. Seems easier than crown
capping, cheaper, no heavy breakable glass bottles or expensive capping
tool...
James
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 04:04:01 -0400
From: "Greenly, Jeff" <greenlyj@rcbhsc.wvu.edu>
Subject: Satisfied Customer report..
Dear Friends,
I'm sure most of you already know about this company, but I have had
a really good experience with the E.C. Kraus Company, in Independence,
Missouri, and I thought I'd let you all know. I am not in any way
affiliated, yada yada, just very satisfied thus far. I found their ad in the
back of Mother Earth News magazine, and I called (816-254-7448) to request a
free catalog. It came in the mail to WV in two days. They have a fairly good
selection of stuff and the prices are decent. The kicker is free shipping on
orders over $15.00, which I know I'm going to go over with almost every
batch. As a home brewer and home winemaker, I really enjoyed their catalog,
and I urge you all to call and get a copy. Just my .02...
Jeff
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 23:50:11 +0930
From: "Thomas D. Hamann" <tdhamann@senet.com.au>
Subject: Re:1961 Kelvinator
you're on! a nice name for a Doppelbock, and not too cold!!!!!!!!!!!
Thomas
(ruelps)
At 12:14 31/08/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 08:17:07 -0400
>From: "Larry Maxwell" <larrymax@bellsouth.net>
>Subject: 1961 Kelvinator
>
>Thomas down under asks about his geriatric 1961 Kelvinator.
>
>I apologize that I know nothing about a 1961 Kelvinator, but it does
>sound like a great name for a doppelbock to honor its passing (if
>it comes to that).
>
>Larry
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 05:20:12 -0600
From: "Wayne Waananen" <wkawayne@qwest.net>
Subject: Chocolate and Beer Tasting
Prepare to get ready for the Great American Beer Festival.
The Grateful Deaf Homebrew Society is hosting a Fred Eckhardt, (Beer
Author/Writer, Beer Judge Extraordinaire) "Beer and Chocolate Tasting at
Rockyard Brewery, in Castle Rock, CO on Sept. 24th, Monday, from 7 to 9
p.m., tickets will be $20 and proceeds will benefit Sertoma of
Colorado
Brews to be sampled will be provided by Rockyard Brewery, Golden City
Brewery, Cheshire Cat Brewpub, Mountain Sun Brewpub, Tommyknocker
Brewery, and Rogue Brewing Company. Also sponsored by Falling Rock
Taphouse.
Make your reservations at Rockyard Brewery (call Mark Dunham at (303)
814-9273) or Falling Rock Taphouse, or e-mail Ken Fisher at
gratefuldeaf@hotmail.com. Seating will be limited. First come, first
serve.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 23:41:27 +1000
From: "Phil & Jill Yates" <yates@acenet.com.au>
Subject: Brewing On The Moon
Graham Sanders writes :
>One of the great things of mashing with
>wheat flour is you really get a light crisp beer that I have >never
>got with either raw wheat or wheat malt. Just love it. Might just
put a bottle into the Nationals to show off
This is an interesting comment. But I must say I have never heard of anyone
trying to make a "light crisp beer" from wheat. The style doesn't really
call for such. But I take my hat off to Graham for innovation. I have never
been one to suggest we need make beer according to styles (like Charlie
Papazian, my interest in homebrewing relates to creativity).
>Now i have said this before, I would not recommend this to
>anybody but the most experienced mashers. that of course
>includes the mouth from the south who takes great delight in
>ribbing utopia.
Ribbing utopia?? I have never had a bad word to say about the Southern
Highlands which in a recent world ballot rated as the most sought after
residential address in the world, especially from a brewers point of view.
.> Brewing in the tropics requires skills mear
>mortals only dream about. Not only do you have to brew in >the
>heat, but you have to at the same time kick those tourists >back
> to plane.
The only suggestion I have for brewing in your harsh, dry and intolerable
climate is REFRIGERATION!!
Graham
There were more "tourists" trying to get out of Townsville than we could
possibly fit on the aircraft. I told them I was a bit unusual, I told them
another night in Townsville wouldn't hurt. Hey, how often do you get to
visit the moon?? But they clambered on like we were the last flight out
ever!! Perhaps they had had enough of your crappy wheat flour beers?
I have to side with the Americans, your part of the world presents a
challenge to brewers that few of us would want to endure.
You are to be commended for your efforts against the will of nature, but
clearly you are brewing in an area that was never intended to be the home of
the Gentleman's past time of brewing. Just like life on the moon, brewing in
Townsville was never meant to be.
But again, hats off to you for trying. Personally, I was glad to get out of
the place just as fast as I could point the plane southwards. Apparently, so
too were all our passengers.
Cheers Phil
Baron Of The Deep Dark South
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 06:43:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: ThE HoMeBrEw RaT <skotrat@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Counter Pressure Bottling
<Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 15:36:38 -0700
<From: "Badger/DJ Sable/Project Mercury" <badger@badger.cx>
<Subject: new advances in bottling?
<I've never had good success with Counter Pressure filling, and all
that.
<Question: have there been any advances in bottling techniques since
I've
<been gone from HBD? Any good suggestions and tricks? Articles?
<anything?
Hiya,
I tend to do all my counter pressure filling at roughly 20-22psi and
I have had great success with bottling at this psi.
Dan mentions that maybe the keg should be up higher than the bottler
and this is what I do. I find this really helps to keep the flow good
and even. Another point is that you pay for what you get with CP
bottlers. I use a MELVICO bottler I got from VINOTECH about 5-6 years
ago and I would not use anything else... The Phils and the FOXX units
are okay but no where near where they need to be. Perhaps we can get
Dan to build a stand for the Phils units?
C'ya!
-Skotrat
=====
"Dogs love me cause I'm crazy sniffable
I bet you never knew I got the ill peripheral"
-bboys
http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat - Skotrats Beer Page
http://www.brewrats.org - BrewRats HomeBrew Club
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 06:52:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: ThE HoMeBrEw RaT <skotrat@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Bass Ale Yeast and a recipe
Hmmm,
I would use... Well... The Bass ale yeast of course...
http://www.brewrats.org/yeast1.cfm?cat=6
Wyeast London Ale strain has been one of my favorite yeasts for a
very very long time. There is an excellent Bass clone recipe in Dave
Line's "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy". Check it out... That book
still holds up pretty well for something written way back when I was
smoking hooch and dreaming about Jeanine Bucek in High School...
Just for giggles here is my favorite Bass Ale Clone recipe...
http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat/recipes/ale/pale/recipes/12.html
Bass Ale??
Brewing Method: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast London Ale
Yeast Starter: 1 quart
Batch Size: 5 US Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol Content: 4.8 %
Total Grains: 9.25 Us Pounds
Color: 11.3
Extract Efficiency: 75 %
Hop IBU's: 30.2
Boiling Time: 90 minutes
Primary Fermentation: 7 days at 58f
Secondary Fermentation: 14 days at 56f
Additional Fermentation:
Grain Bill:
7.00 lb. BREISS 2 ROW
1.00 lb. Brown Sugar
1.00 lb. Crystal 40L
4.00 oz. DEXTRIN
Hop Bill:
1.00 oz. WILLAMETTE 2 4.0% 30 min
1.00 oz. N. BREWER 6.3% 60 min
0.50 oz. WILLAMETTE 2 4.0% 3 min
Mash Schedule:
Step Mash
30 minutes @ 122f
15 minutes @ 134
90 minutes @ 154-6
10 minutes @ 168
Brewers Notes:
Boil temperature of water: 212F
Grain Starting Temperature: 70F
Desired Grain/Water Ratio: 1 quarts/pound
Strike Water: 2.31 gallons of water at 135F
First Mash Temperature: 122F
Second Mash Temperature: 154F
Boiling Water to add: 1.60 gallons
Water Absorbed by Grain: 0.93 gal
Water Evaporated during boil: 1.08 gal
Wort Left in Brewpot: 0.00 gal
Add 3.09 gal of water to yield 5.0 gal of wort
I have loved BASS Ale since I was about 5 years old. There are very
few brews that will ever come close to this beer.
This Recipe was the closest that I have come to making it.
I know that many will look down upon the use of Brown Sugar but I
swear that you can taste it in Bass Ale.
C'ya!
-Scott
=====
"Dogs love me cause I'm crazy sniffable
I bet you never knew I got the ill peripheral"
-bboys
http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat - Skotrats Beer Page
http://www.brewrats.org - BrewRats HomeBrew Club
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 06:57:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: ThE HoMeBrEw RaT <skotrat@yahoo.com>
Subject: HopBacks
Hiya,
I am in the process of prototyping a hopback with a buddy and wanted
to see what everybody else has going for a hopback.
anybody have pics or descriptions of theirs?
C'ya!
-Scott
=====
"Dogs love me cause I'm crazy sniffable
I bet you never knew I got the ill peripheral"
-bboys
http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat - Skotrats Beer Page
http://www.brewrats.org - BrewRats HomeBrew Club
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 11:55:39 -0500
From: "Larry Bristol" <Larry@DoubleLuck.com>
Subject: Request for Comment
I would like to invite <constructive> criticism on the content of my
personal (noncommercial) web site (http://www.doubleluck.com). Of
specific interest are the several pages concerning "The Double Luck
Brewery" anchored at:
http://www.doubleluck.com/things/brewery/
This all sounds pretty fancy (I like to think it is!), but it truly is
nothing more exotic than my homebrewery. BTW: I update it a lot, so
you can expect to see subtle and not-so-subtle changes with each visit.
I hope you will find this to be a unique and entertaining perspective
on our hobby. While I want it to be technically accurate, its intended
audience would include those with a mild interest in homebrewing ("How
do you do that?") to those considering joining the hobby, and wanting
to see the wide range of possibilities open to them depending on how
seriously one gets bitten by the homebrewing bug.
Larry Bristol
The Double Luck
Bellville, TX
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 21:03:44 -0400
From: H=?ISO-8859-1?B?6Q==?=ctor Alejandro Landaeta Carrasco
Subject: Hard to beat a JSP!
Hola a todos!
It's been a bit since the last time I posted anything but I feel I have to
stand in favor of Jack and his incredibly stout product.
I've been running a sub-micro brewery in this little Venezuelan town for
more than 3 years now and I started up using mostly homebrewing equipment
(e.g. a JSP mill).
During this time I've had to gradually replace and upgrade most of this
things with one big exception: My JSP mill. As I recount all of the work
I've given the little hand cranked mill during this time (almost 20 metric
tons of all types of grain) I'm amazed that it's only now that the case
hardened rollers I ordered it with are needing, and not so badly, a little
re-tooling. The only thing I would like Jack to improve in his mill is the
material around the tightening bolt in the handle -it's the only thing I had
to fix during all this time-. What do you say Jack, has anyone got this
kind of work out of one of your mills that you know of?
I'm so proud of the thing that I'm seriously contemplating making a display
stand for it right beside our new Roskamp mill at the new brewery.
Saludos amigos.
- --
Hector Landaeta
Director / Head Brewer
Cerveceria La Coloniera, C.A.
Colonia Tovar - Venezuela.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 21:40:36 -0400
From: "Cass Buckley" <cassnsyd@mediaone.net>
Subject: beer in Fort Worth
I'm going to Fort Worth TX on Monday for the week.
If you know of some good brew pubs, please let me know. I would like to
taste some of the local brews if I can while I am there.
I will be staying in the University St. area...
Thanks
Beer fella -
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 21:59:20 -0400
From: Bob Sheck <bsheck@skantech.net>
Subject: Electric vs. gas.../cutting sankes
In Homebrew Digest #3723 (August 31, 2001)
Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander@att.net.nospam> talks about
getting a
>conductive metal plate to place
>between a SS pot and heating element.
The best places you can go for something like this (or other brewing-related
possibilities) is your local scrap yard. They sell metal by the POUND, not
by the
shape or form it's in.
I've even scored kegs there for the going price of stainless steel (about
5-10 US Dollars)
Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers // Greenville, NC
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 22:43:06 EDT
From: WeizenGuy@aol.com
Subject: Awe, c'mon!
Comparing Phil's Mill to the JSP Maltmill is like comparing eggbeaters to
a food processor! Phil's is a servicable mill, but it just doesn't compare
to the Maltmill. after trying a friends Phil's mill, I immediately ran out
and bought an adjustable (though I've not had cause to adjust it in all
the time I've had it) JSP maltmill. I like the Phil Mill ][ a lot better
that the original, but it's still not as good, in my estimation. There are
a lot of better mills out there that those - many bearing odd similarity
to the JSP...
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 23:43:06 EDT
From: Babalooey@spammenot.com
Subject: cheap shot
Phil, Phil, Phil. You make a lot of cool things. Even your mill is cool,
but this "spreading of grain on the rollers" thing. I took the JSP hopper
off first thing, and have had no problems cranking from the dump hopper I
put on it. You sure about you assertions there?
And, per an "optimum" gap, you may be right, but most home brewers use the
same malt time and time again and obtain consistent results without
readjusting the mill rollers between every brew. That's a bit of an
extreme sales pitch there, IMHO. Speaking of which: tsk, tsk...
Bob
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 23:08:00 -0400
From: Bob Sheck <bsheck@skantech.net>
Subject: A few notes on making Pumkin ale
"j f" <jffga@hotmail.com> Whoever that is, asks about this noble,
seasonable brew:
First, you GOT TO mash the pumpkin along with the malt. So
you must do an all-grain mash.
Choose whatever grain you want. I think a nice CACA or
CAP base recipe goes well here. You may leave out the flaked
corn/rice though as you will be getting the pumpkin starch to convert.
And you must cook the pumpkin, too. Now here's some advice-
I use about 3 medium-sized (about 10 pound) pumpkins that I
slice into strips and bake in a 350 F oven until soft.
This helps break down the starch. I use cookie sheets so
the juice won't mess up SWMBO's oven.
Plan on using rice hulls or equivalent to prevent a stuck mash,
which you will surely have if you DON'T use them! I mix
about a pound or two in with the mash. You can't use too much.
You CAN use too little, and then you'll be very, very sorry!
This is going to be a very gooey, sticky mash, and if you don't have
something in there to modulate it, you are going to be in stuck-mash-hell!
You will need a large mash tun to do this in. With the pumpkin, rice hulls
and grain, you would do well to use a cut-off keg or something larger than a
10 gal Gott. I mash in a keg., then sparge off in a 10 gal Gott. If you use a
converted ice chest, you should be OK.
Don't waste a lot of time or energy cleaning the seeds and pulp
out- it won't make any difference in the final mash, and the
seeds may in fact help the sparge.
I prefer FWH.
Experimenting with other beer styles can be good- one of
our brewers tried a stout base with the pumpkin-
Ummmnnn, Good!
Best of luck.
Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers // Greenville, NC
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #3728, 09/06/01
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