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HOMEBREW Digest #4935
HOMEBREW Digest #4935 Mon 23 January 2006
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org
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Contents:
RE: Low Alcohol output ("Brian Lundeen")
Anyone know much about Newport Hops?? (Dave Perez)
Yeast storage and use (Steven Parfitt)
re:increasing IBU in secondary (Nathaniel Lansing)
Yeast Storage ("Chad Stevens")
Growing Hops -- is it worth the effort? (Bill Velek)
Storing yeast under beer (RiedelD)
questions from a newbie ("Moose Joose")
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Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 23:28:36 -0600
From: "Brian Lundeen" <blundeen at mts.net>
Subject: RE: Low Alcohol output
> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:58:46 -0600 (CST)
> From: "Tricia Simo Kush" <mpls at realmofzorcon.com>
> Subject: Low Alcohol output
>
> Here are a few details:
> We have switched to liquid yeast - no more dry.
>
> Again, I don't want to toss out a lot of details unless the
> evidence suggests something more specific. Is a lackluster
> alcohol something that we should expect to see from time to
> time, or is there an obvious and reasonable cause for this?
>
Details are where the answers are usually found. Knowing the starting and
ending specific gravities would help. Do you measure this with a hydrometer?
This will tell you how much of your sugars fermented out (hence how much
alcohol you got) and will give an idea if you are achieving a normal level
of attenuation. In other words, did the yeast ferment as much sugar as they
should, producing the expected level of alcohol, or did it stop short?
Do the low alcohol beers taste too sweet? Could be there are sugars left.
Since you keg, you would miss out on clues like over-carbonated bottles
(those sugars decided to ferment out after bottling) or under-carbonated
(your yeast pooped out, so they couldn't carbonate either).
Without knowing any more details, I would say the biggest clue is in your
switch to liquid yeast. Do you pitch right from the pack/tube? You could be
under-pitching and this could lead to the yeast quitting early. Making a
starter would increase the yeast population, making a complete fermentation
more likely.
It's also important to keep the temperature reasonably steady within the
recommended range for the yeast you are using. Does your fermentation area
experience large temperature swings?
Just a few things to consider, but more info would lead to better
troubleshooting.
Cheers
Brian, in Winnipeg
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Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 01:12:57 -0500
From: Dave Perez <perez15 at cox.net>
Subject: Anyone know much about Newport Hops??
I just brewed and all Newport Hopped APA and am debating about tossing
in a bit of dry hops. How does Newport perform in dry hopping? It is
listed as a bittering hop but so far the aroma from the carboy is nice.
I am going to keg, so I can put the hops in a bag and pull it if I need to.
Thanks,
Dave Perez
Hogtown Brewers
Gainesville, FL
Over here from Renner...
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Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 06:01:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Steven Parfitt <thegimp98 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Yeast storage and use
I just recultured my entire yeast ranch (on slants),
some of which had not been used since late 2001.
Every one of the 22 slants was successfully
recultured. This is to say I poured 5ml of starter in
each slant and was able to get it to ferment. I did
not streak plates to select colonies, so I realize
there is a greater possibility of contamination over
time in doing this.
I used a flamed loope to pull a small sample of the
yeast from each fermenting tube and used it to
innoculate the new slants.
Each grew a nice surface colony, and the new slants
were put back in the refrigerator.
Since reculturing the ranch, I have changed my method
of making starters. In the past I would pour 5ml of
starter into a slant and get it fermenting well, then
pour it into a 50ml starter and pour one drop into a
new slant. Each time I make a starter I am forcing the
entire colony to propigate.
Now I take a flamed loop and pull a small sample from
the slant and use it to innoculate 5ml of starter. I
will reculture the entire ranch in two years (since I
got away with four years the last time).
My feeling it that since I am not propoigating the
entire slant each time I brew, I am reducing the
generations of yeast and minimizing the probability of
mutation.
Does anyond see a disadvantage to this method over my
previous procedure?
Steven
Steven, -75 XLCH- Ironhead Nano-Brewery http://thegimp.8k.com
Johnson City, TN [422.7, 169.2] Rennerian
"There is no such thing as gravity, the earth sucks." Wings Whiplash - 1968
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:04:35 -0500
From: Nathaniel Lansing <delbrew at compuserve.com>
Subject: re:increasing IBU in secondary
Russ asks about his barleywine being under-bittered...
>> The beer is still at 1.036 (started at
>>1.090), so it still has a lot of sweetness in it. Can I just boil 2 more
>>oz of hops in 2 quarts of water for an hour to make a "hop tea"?
Wait for the beer to finish before making any judgement. At barely
over 55% apparent attenuation, as you say, it still has a lot of
sweetness in it masking the bitterness. If you added some hop tea
now and declare it finished; after bottling it could become a bit
over carbonated....to say the least.
NL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:22:50 -0800
From: "Chad Stevens" <zuvaruvi at cox.net>
Subject: Yeast Storage
-s says:
It was odd to read FredJ's comments about storing stalled starter yeast
under beer in fridge. After years of carrying far too many yeasts around on
frozen plates I have honed in on the same method. I just pulled an
ale yeast back (easily) after a year under beer in the fridge. I have a
modest library under beer in whitelab type tubes. I would never suggest
pitching these directly, but it seems to be adequate for culture
storage. I wonder how well it would work with some of the more delicate
yeasts....
I've got 19 strains going using this method, one for over 15 years. Before
White Labs, I used to use a beer bottle and cap, recapping once a month top
relieve head pressure. After imbedding yeast slurry into my kitchen ceiling
and one cornea, I switched to White Labs tubes. Just twist the cap a week
or two after putting up your yeast to relieve pressure than once every few
months from then on; much safer.
As for "delicate yeast," I have a couple which display autolytic
characteristics after a couple of years under beer. I still have no problem
culturing them up. Make a starter as you would any other. When it's in
high kraeusen you top crop a small amount with a loop, or, if you miss it at
kraeusen, loop out some of the barm into a new starter vessel, leaving all
the old nasty stuff behind. Build this up as you would any other culture.
Works for me,
Chad Stevens
QUAFF
San Diego
Register for America's Finest City Homebrew Competition now!!!
www.quaff.org
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 11:40:20 -0600
From: Bill Velek <billvelek at alltel.net>
Subject: Growing Hops -- is it worth the effort?
This past weekend I tilled my garden and am trying to figure out what
I'll plant. It's about 5,400 square feet (1/8th acre), so I have plenty
of room to do whatever I want; I could expand it even more if necessary.
I still have 25 gallons of watermelon juice in my freezer because I
haven't had the time to make my wine yet (too many things preoccupying
me). Anyway, with my family becoming smaller (6 kids moved out and only
2 left), and tiring of canning and freezing so much, and my youngest son
becoming less interested in selling produce for his spending money, I've
been thinking of doing something different and planting either some
grape vines or hop plants, or maybe both. I've never grown either one,
but I've usually done very well with gardening with other things.
I've only made a few batches of wine over the years, but have brewed
quite a few batches of beer over the past 8 to 10 years, and am now
doing all grain. I've been planning my dream 'HERMS' system, too, so
I've been much more partial to beer than wine -- although I wouldn't
mind delving much more deeply into that, as well. Of course, neither
one depends upon my garden, so whatever I choose to do won't really
limit my options, but inasmuch as plantings of this sort are long-term
investments -- taking a few years to mature -- I'm seeking a little
advice before I make that sort of commitment.
I've done some research on the Internet about growing hops, but haven't
found the sort of answers or advice I'm seeking. I guess what I'm
looking for is something like a poll or consensus as to whether growing
hops is worth the trouble. When I compare it to growing vegetables, I
can easily answer that for all the trouble, our vegetables taste better
than commercial produce, and save us a pile of money. Regarding hops,
from what I've read the taste doesn't seem to be a factor and in fact is
problematic when trying to follow a recipe because of the variation in
bittering units. Storage also seems to be much more of a problem than
produce. I also wonder about the amount of work that goes into growing,
harvesting, drying, and storing hops; I don't mind spending lots of time
picking produce, but I'm wondering about having to use a ladder to pick
hops -- or is there an easier way. I guess what I'm asking is how many
folks have grown their own hops, only to eventually quit because they
decided that it really isn't worth the effort? I don't know ... maybe
the only way to tell is to try it myself.
Finally, I haven't read anything yet about compatibility with other
plants; i.e., if I plant some hop bines in my garden, should I avoid
proximity with any other plants in particular?
Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Cheers, Bill Velek
Join "HomeBrewers" international grid-computing team and help mankind by
donating spare computer power for medical research such as cancer; we're
in the top 14%, and gaining on MillerTime team: http://tinyurl.com/b7ofs
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:40:23 -0800
From: RiedelD at pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Subject: Storing yeast under beer
Fred and Steve have been speaking of long-term storage of yeast under beer.
How do you prevent the yeast from autolysing if it is sitting under beer?
Perhaps I'm missing something here...
Dave Riedel
Victoria, BC, Canada
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 18:07:14 -0600
From: "Moose Joose" <brewinmoosejoose at hotmail.com>
Subject: questions from a newbie
All,
I try to read this digest at least weekly in order to begin to understand
the scope of the vast amount of knowledge in the brewing universe. I'm
soooooo not there yet.
That said, I do have a couple of questions that, if answered, would help me
sleep better at night (or at least get them off my mind so I can get back to
work). Keep in mind I've not yet graduated to all-grain brewing (I'm still
on the mix of extract and flavoring grains...getting there, but still have
the training wheels on pretty tight).
1. When I'm doing my hour boil, I seem to lose an awful lot of water to
steam (1/2 gallon or more). Should I plan for that by starting with 5.5 or
6 gallons in the pot or do something else to address the issue? Turn the
heat down? Add water to 5 gal. during the last 15 minutes? I'm jealous of
every ounce in the bottle so I'd like to make sure I get a full batch.
2. Can anyone recommend a good, relatively easy to understand guide to
beginning all-grain brewing? I'm no dummy but neither am I a chemist or
engineer, so the simpler the better. I need something that will describe
everything from the equipment needed (whether from a garage sale or a
high-fallootin' brew supply shop) to a good first recipe with step by step
instructions without making any assumptions that I know what in the heck a
protein rest is and why it's important (that, of course, would be explained
in the resource hopefully).
Thanks in advance for any help!
Rob - Eugene, OR
brewinmoosejoose at hotmail.com
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #4935, 01/23/06
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