Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
HOMEBREW Digest #5035
HOMEBREW Digest #5035 Mon 24 July 2006
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org
***************************************************************
THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Northern Brewer, Ltd. Home Brew Supplies
Visit http://www.northernbrewer.com to show your appreciation!
Or call them at 1-800-681-2739
Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********
Contents:
British "bisquit" (Nathaniel Lansing)
Re: Vacuum Sealed Hops (David Thompson)
Re: Vacuum Sealed Hops and US-56 rehydration (Bob Hall)
Seeded Hops ("I ≠ coldheart")
Gruit Ale Supplies ("I ≠ coldheart")
Software ("Ghettos J. Overseer")
Sparge pH ("A.J deLange")
RE: Vacuum sealed hops and US-56 ("JONES,AARON K")
Hotels In Chicago during brewing courses ("Lemcke, Keith")
Stir plates and hops ("Peed, John")
Re: American proprietary yeasts (Ben Dooley's marginal note) ("Thomas M \"Biz\" Bisard")
What's the answer to the Biscuit malt question? / Homeland Security HomeBrew (Jeff Adelsberger)
RE: your tax dollars at work: dog booties and beer making equipment ("Ronald La Borde")
McMenamins Yeast ("I ≠ coldheart")
Re: Vacuum Sealed Hops ("Terry Felton")
Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia etc ("Ariz T. Onrushes")
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* 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.
JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:44:27 -0400
From: Nathaniel Lansing <delbrew at compuserve.com>
Subject: British "bisquit"
British use a malt that is similar to bisquit. They call it
"amber" malt though. I've seen it around 22L to 27L.
It has a taste very similar to bisquit with some "honey malt"
character also.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:27:07 -0500
From: David Thompson <david at dtphoto.com>
Subject: Re: Vacuum Sealed Hops
Andrew Tate posted:
>I've been considering buying bulk hops and a vacuum sealer. I'm less
>interested in economy than convenience and having a fresh, quality product.
>My volume is pretty low, perhaps 5 gallons every 6-8 weeks. Can anyone
>advise whether this might be beneficial? Or guide me toward sources and
>options for the hops and equipment?
I usually buy in 1-lb lots from HopsDirect.com and find their service to be
out standing, especially when you consider I get over 1 pound in each
1-pound pouch of hops.
I've bought both pellets and whole. (I am switching to whole hops, BTW) I
use a vacuum sealer I got at WalMart for 40 bucks and it works great. Hops
bought last November smell as fresh as when I packed them. Of course, I do
keep them in the freezer and track their losses in ProMash.
No matter how much I'd brew, I always found it advantageous to have bulk
hops around. I work my recipes around the varieties I buy, namely, Saaz,
Cascades, Magnum, etc.
The sealer is a generic Food Saver one, and I use the generic baggies
branded by WalMart. Yes, it's a bit of work, and whole hops do take up a
pile of room, but it's a LOT cheaper buying this way.
Dave
Austin, Texas
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:28:16 -0400
From: Bob Hall <rallenhall at henry-net.com>
Subject: Re: Vacuum Sealed Hops and US-56 rehydration
Andrew Tate asked about buying hops in bulk and resealing. Last Christmas
one of the gifts from my niece was a wine-saver vacuum pump with two bottle
fittings. Silly her ... an open bottle of wine seldom survives long around
this house. What I did find, however, is that it makes a great hop saver. I
bought a pound of tettnanger pellets, poured them in wine bottles, inserted
the vacuum seals, pumped out the air, and stuck them in the freezer. The
bottles have opened with a pop every time telling me that the vacuum holds
well and the hops have remained very fresh.
I and my brew group have used US-56 a lot over the past six months ... it
is an incredible dry yeast that can go toe-to-toe with 1056 and 001. I have
rehydrated (as I always did with Nottingham) and I have sprinkled on top as
per Fermentis directions (just like most dry wine yeasts). I really haven't
noticed a difference in performance either way. Lately I've been doing more
of the sprinkling to save a step and the ales have been excellent. Good luck!
Bob Hall
Napoleon, OH
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:10:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: "I ≠ coldheart" <rebelcat1 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Seeded Hops
Hi, I've got a question about hops: I was brewing some
ESB (from gambrinus' mug,
http://brewery.org/gambmug/recs/351.shtml) yesterday
and I noticed that the hops, northern brewer whole,
had seeds. There looked to be about 100 seeds in the 3
oz I added. I live in PDX and got the hops from a very
reputable brewshop. I assume the fault lies with the
grower or packager, but how will it effect my beer?
Thanks,
Will in portland
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:44:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: "I ≠ coldheart" <rebelcat1 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Gruit Ale Supplies
Hi, I'm posting again to ask if anyone has suggestions
on finding Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) and Wild or Marsh
Rosemary (Ledum palustre) for gruit ale. And internet
search has been fruitless, and I'd really like to try
and include these classic potherbs.
Thanks,
Will in portland
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:26:17 -0700
From: "Ghettos J. Overseer" <zmbenhal at glembocki.com>
Subject: Software
Photoshop, Windows, Office. REALLY CHEAP.
Some examples:
Photoshop CS with ImageReady CS $99.95
Visio 2003 Professional $69.95
Photoshop 7 $69.95
Flash MX 2004 $69.95
Windows 98 $49.95
Painter 8 $59.95
Photoshop CS with ImageReady CS $99.95
Windows 98 $49.95
Actobat 6.0 Pro $79.95
LiveMotion 2.0 $69.95
Exchange 2003 Enterprise Server $69.95
Dreamweaver MX 2004 $69.95
Illustrator CS $69.95
Illustrator CS $69.95
The rest is on our site:
http://t0zoyjy6yny6cbbogtb6yttb.lurkyjm.com/
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:58:25 +0000
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Sparge pH
I wouldn't worry too much about being exact on sparge pH. The effect of
pH on tannin extraction is not so sharp as it is on enzyme activity. In
addition to which the runoff is a pretty dilute solution as the pH
approaches 6 so I wouldn't expect the pH shift to amount to as much as
it does with mash or wort. If your beer doesn't taste astringent then
you are not extracting tanins and have nothing to worry about. So why
not be conservative, measure at room temperature and give your electrode
a break?
A.J.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:59:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: "JONES,AARON K" <kjones1 at ufl.edu>
Subject: RE: Vacuum sealed hops and US-56
Andrew--
I, also, am only able to brew once every month or so, and I love
to have fresh, quality hops around. I ordered from Hop Tech for a
long time, and always had good experiences with them (although the
owner did switch oxygen-barrier bags and the new ones don't seem
to stay sealed for as long now). As a matter of fact, I recently
used some '03 Sterlings I had kept in the freezer since receiving
them in early '04, and they smelled and looked great (we'll know
for sure when I taste the final product).
I recently ordered some hop plugs from Williams Brewing (and I'm
sure you can find them at some of the HBD sponsors as well--I had
a gift certificate). They are made by American Hop Plugs, and the
Cascades I used were wonderful. They are vacuum sealed really
well in good heavy barrier bags, and they hardly take up any room
in the freezer, which makes them more popular with the wife, also.
They're not terribly expensive, so if you're not worried about
economy, they might be a good way to go (however, although they do
stock many varieties, they won't have nearly everything you might
be looking for).
I'm not going to attempt to speak on US-56 on the microbiology
level, all I know is when I open up the packet and sprinkle it in,
it is, without fail, fermenting happily within 10-12 hours and
always delivers a good performance.
Kyle
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:05:58 -0400
From: "Lemcke, Keith" <klemcke at siebelinstitute.com>
Subject: Hotels In Chicago during brewing courses
I am getting inquiries from potential students about booking
lower-priced hotels & accommodations during our upcoming Chicago brewing
courses. While we do have suggested hotels listed on our web site at
http://www.siebelinstitute.com/registration/hotel.html, I have a few
other contacts & suggestions I can provide for more economical housing
in Chicago. If you would like to get more info, please drop me a line at
klemcke at siebelinstitute.com.
Keith Lemcke
Siebel Institute & World Brewing Academy
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 06:42:24 -0700
From: "Peed, John" <jpeed at elotouch.com>
Subject: Stir plates and hops
Ben asks about using a stir plate to stir a carboy of beer
pre-fermentation. I think it's a moot question because the bottom of
the carboy is slightly dome-shaped and I don't think the stir bar will
stay centered.
Andrew asks about vacuum sealing hops. I've been doing that for some
time. It works great - vacuum sealed hops will last practically
indefinitely in the freezer.
John Peed
Oak Ridge, TN
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 10:29:00 -0400
From: "Thomas M \"Biz\" Bisard" <mrbiz at torchlake.com>
Subject: Re: American proprietary yeasts (Ben Dooley's marginal note)
Ben <bendooley at gmail dot com> wrote:
On a marginally related note, does anyone know how American breweries
acquire proprietary yeast? I've noticed that several have them.
I answer:
Here's a story (true?) I've heard several times about a very
distinctive American brewery: When a certain Kalamazoo MI beer maker
first started as a homebrewer he worked at a downtown bakery. He took
a bread yeast, developed it into a yeast suitable for beer
making, patented it and then sent it out to Oregon to be cultured
for him with the proviso that they were not to change it in any way.
I'm not sure exactly what went into "developing it." No doubt a lot
of research was consumed along the way.
Best,
-Biz (aka Tom Bisard)
Kalkaska MI
<mrbiz at torchlake dot com>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jeff Adelsberger <fuzzydodads at yahoo.com>
Subject: What's the answer to the Biscuit malt question? / Homeland Security HomeBrew
Biscuit Malt:
This is pure hypothesis but they could be using self
toasted grains. This would seem to make more sense
from an inventory point of view and get the same
result.
I assume most large scale commercial breweries would
do this for cost and control measures where they can
get away with it.
Homeland Security Homebrew:
The Coastguard Academy had a set up to supply beer for
social occasions. This included bottled Admiral Ale or
something like that. Someone ended up paying out of
pocket for the cost because of the hub-bub. I think it
was tried to be justified as a cost saving measure.
Also this is the same Homeland Security Funds that
were significantly reduced from the two places to
actually have major terrorist attacks (NY and DC).
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 13:20:03 -0500
From: "Ronald La Borde" <pivoron at cox.net>
Subject: RE: your tax dollars at work: dog booties and beer making equipment
>From: "Peter A. Ensminger" <ensmingr at twcny.rr.com>
>Subject: your tax dollars at work: dog booties and beer making equipment
>
>I don't know about the iPods, but the dog booties were for the
>search-and-rescue dogs and the beer is for these workers, who deserve a
>cold one after spending all day in the Katrina mess.
Let's just hope they drive home burning regular gasoline. If they were to
have an accident using E-85, or that new gasohol, the newspapers would call
it an alcohol related accident.
Ron
Ronald La Borde - Metairie Louisiana
New Orleans is the suburb of Metairie Louisiana
New Orleans is the New Atlantis
littera scripta manet => the written word remains
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:35:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: "I ≠ coldheart" <rebelcat1 at yahoo.com>
Subject: McMenamins Yeast
Hi, I'm wondering if anyone knows which yeast the
McMenamins micobrewery uses. Its a brewpub chain in
the portland, Oregon area. I find thier beer overly
sweet and unpleasant, but a brewer there told me that
was the mash technique used, not the yeast. I'd still
like to know the Wyeast specs, can you get that info
for propriatary yeast?
I want to pick the sample I got into a Old Rasputin
clone, but wouldn't want to waste all that malt with a
crappy yeast.
Thanks for any help.
-Will in PDX
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 17:39:49 -0400
From: "Terry Felton" <tdfelton at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Vacuum Sealed Hops
Andrew,
I use a Food Saver to package both pellet and whole hops. I think it
was one of the best investments I have made. It is also great for
re-sealing other bags, like small bags of grains as well as to reseal
bags of dry malt extract, etc. Good buys on refurbished or
discontinued models are common on E-bay. Expect to pay between $25
and $50. Most will come without bags, but those are often available
locally.
Terry Felton
Holland, NY
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:31:10 -0700
From: "Ariz T. Onrushes" <rau at gophila.com>
Subject: Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia etc
Photoshop, Windows, Office. REALLY CHEAP.
Some examples:
Extensis Portfolio 7.0 $59.95
Creative Suite Premium (5 CD) $149.95
Windows 98 $49.95
Illustrator CS $69.95
Fireworks MX 2004 $69.95
Photoshop CS $99.95
Photoshop 7 $69.95
WordPerfect Office 10 $69.95
Borland Delphi 7 Enterprise Edition (2CD) $69.95
After Effects 6 $69.95
Works 7 $69.95
Director MX 2004 $69.95
Premiere 7 $69.95
Picture It Premium 9 $59.95
The rest is on our site:
http://7jvevwv0vnckqpp2c7pku77p.blowironhi.com/
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5035, 07/24/06
*************************************
-------
