Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
HOMEBREW Digest #4514
HOMEBREW Digest #4514 Tue 06 April 2004
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
***************************************************************
THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Beer, Beer, and More Beer
Visit http://morebeer.com to show your appreciation!
Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********
Contents:
looking for jeffrenner ("Peter A. Ensminger")
re: Bourbon Stout (rdavis77)
Converting recipes for use by a brit :) ("Scammell, Ken")
bottling oak barrel stout ("Steve B")
Re: session beer recipe (Jeff Renner)
Orlando beer (Jeff Renner)
San Antonio ("Spencer W. Thomas")
Water salts: kettle vs. mashtun ("Dave Draper")
salts in mash ("Spencer W. Thomas")
post your location (Jeff Renner)
Re: session beer recipe (Mark Beck)
head retention ("Janie Curry")
RE: Gas temp control ("Todd K.")
Re: Gas temp control (Kent Fletcher)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Suppport this service: http://hbd.org/donate.shtml *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy! *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org
If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
for the automation - that's your job.
HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.
LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.
The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK
before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.
More information is available by sending the word "info" to
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.
JANITOR on duty: Pat Babcock and Spencer Thomas (janitor@hbd.org)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 00:32:03 -0400
From: "Peter A. Ensminger" <ensmingr at twcny.rr.com>
Subject: looking for jeffrenner
In searching for Jeff Renner's previously posted recipe for a
mild/session beer, it has been said (HBD 4513):
"I can't seem to find any in the archives because searching for "Renner"
is like searching on "homebrewing" ;)"
and ...
"Yeah, that's a problem I have as well. I find that using my email user
name "jeffrenner" helps, but since any HBD
issue that I post in will get a hit, and that's many of them, it is
still a problem."
An easy solution:
1) Go to Google, type 'site:hbd.org' (TIP: make this a bookmark/favorite).
2) Then type 'jeffrenner mild recipe'
3) Viola! Hit #1 gives the desideratum: hbd.org/hbd/archive/4318.html#4318-4
Cheerio!
Peter A. Ensminger
Syracuse, NY
http://hbd.org/ensmingr
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 01:02:53 -0400
From: rdavis77 at erols.com
Subject: re: Bourbon Stout
"Spencer W. Thomas" writes (regarding the uniqueness of the newly
bottled & kegged Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout):
"New Holland Brewery has been distributing their Dragons Milk this
winter. It's a stout-like beer (not sure it's exactly |a stout, but
close enough) aged 4 months in Bourbon barrels. "
I mis-communicated... Various craft brewers have done bourbon-barrel
beers at various times and places--thought its pretty rare, so I
gather. Some of those exquisite beers are even bottled--but have to be
in very limited quantities, as bourbon barrels don't make that many
cases, relative to a brewery's typical bottling run.
Old Dominion has figured out a way to pretty well reproduce their
on-tap-only-in-the-brew-pub-bourbon-barrel-stout using oak chips and
vanilla beans, and a special stout malt and hop formula SO IT CAN BE
MADE IN REGULAR LARGE BOTTLING RUN QUANTITIES. No, its not precisely
like the "real thing," but close enough. As far as reproducing the oak
bourbon barrel flavor in standard large stainless commercial fermenters,
I think OD is unique...for now.
Those who will make it to the greater Washington DC/Northern
Virginia/Maryland area would do well to try it out...or look for it at
the GABF in Colorado.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 07:58:59 +0100
From: "Scammell, Ken" <KScammell at alliedcarpets.com>
Subject: Converting recipes for use by a brit :)
Hi all - first time poster from Britain. I am quite a beginner and just
getting to grips with all grain - but loving it all the way. Things are
quite different on this side of the ocean and I cannot get the ingredients
often specified in recipes. Do any other Brits (or anybody) know where I
can read/learn how to convert a recipe??
I sure wish homebrew was as big over here :)
thanks in advance
ken
The information contained in this e-mail is intended only
for the named recipient(s) and may be confidential. If you
are not the intended recipient, you may not peruse, use,
disclose, distribute, copy or retain this message.
If you have recieved this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately by e-mail, fax or telephone and return and
thereafter distory the original message.
Please note that e-mails are subject to viruses, data
corruption, delay, interception and unauthorised amendment.
The sender does not accept liability for any damages
that may be incured as a result of communication by e-mail.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 07:59:47 -0400
From: "Steve B" <habenero92 at hotmail.com>
Subject: bottling oak barrel stout
I hate to disagree but.....
rdavis77 said:
by the way their OAK BARREL STOUT is now in bottles (as of March 25), I
think the only brewer in America to have worked out a bottled formula
for stout conditioned in bourbon barrels....really delicious) Those in
the mid-Atlantic region look for it in stores....
I read recently that they are not barrel conditioning the bottle product.
They are using a flavoring extract to imitate the flavor for the bottled
product. The speed of conditioning was the main reason for using the
extract. But the Oak Barrel Stout found at the brewery will still be barrel
conditioned (the only place it can be had).
S
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 09:47:58 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: session beer recipe
I wrote:
>I brewed a mild with a fair amount of Munich for my annual TV U of M
>football party last August.
Not that it makes much difference, but since of the people who were
there are digest readers (and janitors), I should correct this. I
brewed it on October 20 and served it on November 15. I like to
serve low gravity real ales fresh. I've served them in as little as
five days "grain to brain," although that was in an emergency.
>Hops:
>
>1.0 oz. Challenger at 7% (seemed lower) 60 minutes for target 16 IBU
>0.2 oz. Challenger at 7% for target 3 IBU
>1.0 oz. Willamette at 5.9% for target 7 IBU
I neglected to give times for the second and third additions - they
were 50 minutes and 25 minutes respectively. I wasn't after hop
aroma.
Thanks to Peter Ensminger for his search suggestion - this is how I
found my original post. Google's site searches aren't as good as
Spencer's old search engine, but they work pretty well.
Jeff
- --
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 09:59:16 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Orlando beer
I was going to suggest Big Belly Brewery, but it seems it is no
longer brewing its own beer. I was down there 2-3 years ago as guest
of the Sunshine Challenge, and Big Belly brewer Tom Moench was my
generous host. Tom is quite an individual. He was (and may still
be) a professional stage hand. A big guy - way over six feet, hefty,
big voice, outspoken with strong opinions. I liked him a lot. He is
the inventor of the Carbonator Cap and was a frequent HBD contributor
back in the 90s, and is a sales rep for Hopunion.
Tom showed me around the brewery. It was a tight little work place,
but Tom was putting out some fine beers with lots of character.
Unfortunately, as reviewer Don Russ writes (below), the bar was
catering to "clueless kids," so his efforts were largely wasted.
One of the two bar rooms had two bars, behind each of which were
maybe 15-20 of those lemonade machines that recirculate the lemonade
by spraying it up into a clear plastic cube on top of the machine,
where it cascades down the inside of the walls. But they didn't have
lemonade in them - each one was filled with a different, hideously
unnaturally colored vodka or rum "shooter" drink. On tap. This is
what Tom, who is an brewing artist, was fighting.
Timothy J. O'Connor of Troy, NY posted this review of Big Belly on
Pubcrawler on 03/25/2004:
>Beer Quality - Lousy; Beer Selection - So So; Food N/A; Service - So
>So - Overall Lousy.
>
>That's some nice brewing equipment sitting there wasting away. I
>asked the dope (er, gentleman) behind the bar what happened, and he
>said the brewer wanted too much money to brew. And your point is .
>. . ?
Don Russ of Orlando FL posted this review on 02/27/2002:
>Been told by the Central Florida Home Brewers that they are no
>longer brewing. The location catered to clueless kids so it's no
>wonder.
Too bad.
Jeff
- --
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 10:37:14 -0400
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <spencer at umich.edu>
Subject: San Antonio
The usual: I'll be in San Antonio for a conference, and would like to
meet other homebrewers. Evenings of April 19-23 are more-or-less
open. (23rd my boss might be there, 21st & 22nd look to have evening
conference activities.) Recommendations on brewpubs are also solicited.
=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 08:41:01 -0600
From: "Dave Draper" <david at draper.name>
Subject: Water salts: kettle vs. mashtun
Dear Friends,
the exchange over the past couple HBDs, Marc Sedam and
Jeff Renner both made a distinction between adding salts
intended to affect water chemistry to the mashtun as opposed
to the kettle. Now, I know I've been out of the loop for
awhile, but... why would anyone want to add the salts to the
kettle, when it seems pretty obvious that the salts must be
present along with the compounds in the grain in order to
have the desired effect? Given that styles evolved from the
presence of these compounds in the water before it was
mixed with the grain during the mash, and not added to the
wort once it was in the boiler, how would one expect to have
the desired effect on things from doing so?
My practice has always been to treat the strike water to the
desired composition before mixing with the grain at dough-in.
Presumably this is equivalent to adding the salts to the mash
tun. Or am I *really* out of the loop?!?
Cheers, Dave in ABQ
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
David S. Draper, Institute of Meteoritics, Univ New Mexico
David at Draper dot Name
Beer page: http://www.unm.edu/~draper/beer.html
Yeast are forgiving unless you really insult them.
---Dan McConnell
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 11:24:42 -0400
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <spencer at jstor.org>
Subject: salts in mash
Hi, Dave.
You wonder why add salts to the mash rather than to the strike water or
kettle. As you point out, adding salts to the wort in the kettle will
definitely have no effect on the mash! There are, however, salts that
we add solely for flavor effect, such as sulfates and chlorides. These
might as well be added to the kettle because (as far as I know) they're
not going to affect the mash (unless they're calcium salts).
I think the reason for adding salts that are intended to adjust the pH
to the mash instead of the strike water is simply that "basic" salts
(such as "chalk") will dissolve much more easily in the mash than in the
strike water, because of the mash's lower pH and buffering capacity.
=S
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 11:33:21 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: post your location
Brewers
It's time for my semi-annual request that posters tell us their name
and location. It fosters community and might help answer questions.
It was this kind of request that led to Rennerian Coordinates about
seven years ago. See my "The Definitive History of Rennerian
Coordinates" at http://hbd.org/hbd/archive/4235.html#4235-4
I decided to test the Rennerian Coordinates Calculator at the
http://HBD.org FAQ page, also accessible directly at
http://hbd.org/rennerian_table.shtml.
I plugged in the exact opposite coordinates of [0,0] Apparent
Rennerian (somewhere in the south Indian Ocean, maybe 2000 miles WSW
of Perth, Australia) and got:
[11798.4, 94.2] Apparent Rennerian
I guess Brian Levetzow, the calculator programmer, just why it
decided that one points directly opposite another on the globe was
lies in a bearing of 94.2 degrees, rather than, say, 146.3 degrees,
of 434.8? They are all equivalent. UNLESS the calculator actually
takes into account the fact that the earth is not exactly spherical
but is rather slightly pear shaped. Is it possible that the
calculator is that sophisticated?
Jeff
- --
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 12:36:24 -0700
From: Mark Beck <beckmk at whitman.edu>
Subject: Re: session beer recipe
Tom Meier was inspired by Jeff Renner's post on session beers and brewed
one himself. Since he liked his brew so much, I'd ask Tom to post his
recipe. I really like this style and am interested in collecting
recipes. I too was inspired by Jeff's original post and brewed a beer I'm
quite fond of. I know I'm not Jeff, and that Jeff has already responded,
but I figured I'd post my recipe.
As an aside, a key to serving a good bitter, in my opinion, is low
carbonation and serving at the right temp. Too carbonated and too cold
accentuates the bitterness, while masking the malt and hop character. I
keg, so I can readily get the carbonation level I want. I also just came
up with a trick (which is probably obvious to most of you) for getting
essentially the right temp without having access to a temperature
controlled fridge for my kegs. I store my kegs in the basement, where the
temperature is typically in the low 60's. That's not too high above where
I want the serving temp to be, but it's still a little warm. I use a
Carbonator cap to keep some of my beer in a 2 liter bottle in the
fridge. When I want a beer, I fill my glass about 1/4 full with cold stuff
from the fridge, then top off with the warmer stuff from the keg--just the
perfect temp.
Now the disclaimers on my recipe. I know the gravity and alc % of my beer
are slightly high for a true session beer--it's more of a Special Bitter
than an Ordinary Bitter. Next time I brew this I'm going to lower the
gravity and try and keep the mash temp up (fluctuated between 148-152
degrees, and I'd like it to stay at the higher end.) I used Cascade hops,
which technically doesn't fit a Brittish style, but I like the
flavor. Also, maybe a little more flavor and aroma hops than technically
fits the style, but I'm a hop head, and I think it's still quite well
balanced. Note that my Mash tun has a false bottom that occupies 1.25 gal.
of space, so I use more mash water to make up for this.
BSB--Beck's Special Bitter (the Beck's Beer people might get me for
trademark infringement, but it IS my name too after all).
Pale malt (american 2-row) 6 lbs
Crystal (40 deg. L) 1 lb
Munich (10 deg. L) 1 lb
Cascade (alpha=7.4%) 0.5 oz (60 min)
Cascade (alpha=7.4%) 0.75 oz (30 min)
Cascade (alpha=7.4%) 0.75 oz (15 min)
Cascade (alpha=7.4%) 0.5 oz (5 min)
Cascade (alpha=7.4%) 0.75 oz (knockout)
Cascade (alpha=7.4%) 0.75 oz (dry)
Irish Moss 1 tsp. (15 min)
Danstar Nottingham dry yeast 2 pkgs.
Single step infusion with 3.5 gal. water at 152 deg. for 75 min. Mashout
at 169 deg.
Spare with 4 gal. of 170 water. Collect about 6 gal of runoff, and add
another 0.5 gal. of water to brew kettle.
Boil for 1 hour, chill to mid 70's, collect 5.5 gal. in fermenter.
Primary ferment for 1 week (temp low-to-mid 60's)
Secondary ferment with dry hops for 1 week (temp low-to-mid 60's).
Artificially carbonate in keg.
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.008
ABV: 4.3 %
Mark Beck
Walla Walla, WA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 22:22:47 +0000
From: "Janie Curry" <houndandcalico at hotmail.com>
Subject: head retention
Fellow HBD'ers,
My past few batches have suffered from dismal head retention.
I clean my bottles with powdered dish washer detergent at 140 F and rinse
well...I've read that pdwd can be detrimental to head retention but I will
change this practice on my next batch.
I also use Ferm-Cap, a surfactant that enables me to boil nearly 7 gallons
in a 7 gallon kettle and avoid a boilover. I use approximately 1 drop per
gallon added at the boil.
I brew ales and typically do a George Fix style 3 step mash schedule with
the first step at around 95-100F x 30min to degrade beta glucans avoiding a
stuck mash.
I typically use Great Western pale ale malt.
What factors affect head retention?
Todd in Idaho
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 17:37:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Todd K." <toddk63 at yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Gas temp control
That's how I heat and control my RIM's mash tun. I
used a burner from an old hot water heater and the
"combination" gas valve from an old gas furnace. I
converted them to propane by screwing the regulator
all the way down on the gas valve and putting in a new
orifice on the burner drilled with a smaller hole than
the original natural gas one. The controller is a 339
comparator looking at the voltage from a divider of a
Radio Shack thermistor connected to Vss and a 2.2 KOhm
to GND. This combination provides a fairly linear
response from 98F to 175F. The thermistor is looking
at the temp at the outlet of the tun (the suction of
the pump). This provides much better controller and
less overshoot than putting the probe in the middle of
the grain bed. The other input to the comparator is
a simple voltage divider with an adjustable pot. The
comparator output switches a small transistor that
switches a relay that sends the 24 VAC to the gas
valve solenoid. The comparator has a 2 MOhm
hysterisis resistor and a 10 pF cap across it to
prevent relay chattering. Pull up resistors should be
no more than 10 KOhm to prevent chattering. The two
input voltages go thru some 348 buffers and op-amps to
change the ~3 to 6V signal (from a Vss=12V) to a
millivolt single that equals degrees F. This can be
read directly from a digital voltmeter set to 200 mV
range. Two 15-turn /1K pots are used in the y=mx+b
348 op-amp circuit for calibration of the readout. I
built a stand alone VOM from a ICL7106 and 3 1/2 digit
LCD for the readout, but a digital VOM will work just
as good.
The controller can also be done with microcontollers
if you prefer the digital software approach. That's
the project I call BREW 2100!
Now... Want to know what time it is?
Todd K.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 17:47:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kent Fletcher <fletcherhomebrew at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Gas temp control
Mike asked:
> Has anyone attempted to control temperatures with a
> gas-fired system? I was thinking that it might work
> to pull the valve out of an old gas oven and plumb
> it into my burner.
Mike, I automated by HERMS HLT burner last year, and
I'm quite happy with it, though I plan to upgrade to a
larger burner. I used an automatic gas valve and
intermittent pilot (electronic ignition) slavaged from
a forced air furnace. Got the whole works for $10,
just had to remove it from the furnace at the scrap
yard.
If you have a high output NG burner, a domestic oven
gas control may not give you the capacity you need.
Also, the thermostats are not very accurate,
especially at lower temps, though it would probably be
fine for the deep fat fryer.
The setup I went with has more than enough capacity
(200k btu max), but of course it doesn't have an
integral thermostat, like an oven control does. So I
set mine up with a Ranco control, with the sensor in a
thremowell (closed end 3/8" copper tubing) set through
the keg wall, switching a 24 v AC line to the spark
control. With a HERMS system it's real nice to be
able to dial in a temp and hold it.
Kent Fletcher
Brewing in So Cal
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #4514, 04/06/04
*************************************
-------
