HOMEBREW Digest #1281 Thu 25 November 1993

Digest #1280 Digest #1282


	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator


Contents:
  Hello Everyone (GNT_TOX_)
  ATTN: BEER HUNTERS (LLAPV)
  Sodium Hydroxide (GANDE)
  Frank Jones Brewery (Mike Peckar  24-Nov-1993 0956)
  Counterpressure Bottler Questions (drose)
  Two types of Rauch beers (Bob Jones)
  Beer ads ("David H. Thomas")
  Rauchbier (SCHREMPP_MIKE/HP4200_42)
  Iodine Test: Use or Not? ("John J. Magee")
  sterilizing bottle caps and Rauchbier (Ulick Stafford)
  Crabcake Effect / Sam Adams beers (Lee=A.=Menegoni)
  Crabtree/sterols/peroxide (Spencer.W.Thomas)
  Imprtance of competing chemical reactions? (lyons)
  PET Bottles ("Mark T. Berard")
  Ads/ Keg Faq/ Mail Order/ Keg Parts/ Taps and Mac ClipArt/ (COYOTE)
  getting wort into primary/chiller cleaning/changing yeast midstream (Keith MacNeal  24-Nov-1993 1323)
  rauchbier (Mark Bunster)
  wyeast types (oeinkeranen)
  Grains/Easymashing ("Moore, Brian")
  Thanksgiving (Dan Watson)
  Box crates, Lids, G.L.V.M., AND Smoke (ELQ1)
  brewmart danish style pils problem (Pat Barling)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 08:13 EST From: <GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU> Subject: Hello Everyone Hello everyone, I'm new to homebrewing and I'm new to HBD but I like what I see. I do have 2 questions: 1- I've read that Aluminum should not be used as a brewpot, and that cast iron is bad also, because both can impart a metallic taste to the beer. If I can't use cast iron or aluminum, what am I supposed to use? 2- What do the readers of HBD think of using Grolsch flip top bottles to bottle beer. I know homebrew shops carry gaskets for these bottles, but I've never seen anyone buy them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 3- And, if you live in Northeast PA, 1-Quart A-Treat soda bottles are wonderful for brewing. They cap nicely, and you can bottle one quart at a time. Makes filling less tedious(sp?) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 09:03:06 EST From: John DeCarlo <jdecarlo at homebrew.mitre.org> "Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616" <wagnecz at PICA.ARMY.MIL> Subject: Re: Shelf-Life of Beer "Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616" <wagnecz at PICA.ARMY.MIL> writes: > I was under the impression that beers >that are carb'd via priming last only about 2-3 months, due to the >presence of the spent yeast sediment in the bottle. Yow! I don't know where you heard that, but it is actually the reverse, if anything. While there are many factors affecting beer stability in the bottle, the presence of live yeast means that the beer will last *much longer* in the bottle. John DeCarlo, MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA--My views are my own Fidonet: 1:109/131 Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org If I were you, who would be reading this sentence? Return to table of contents
Date: Wednesday, 24 November 93 08:30:23 CST From: LLAPV at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Subject: ATTN: BEER HUNTERS Howdy, Disclaimer: I'm not interested in SA "politics", so please don't include this posting in any "Koch bashing". I have a 6-pack of Noche Buena at home, & am interested in trading 2 bottles of it for 2 bottles of Sam Adams Cranberry "Lambic". I figure that someone out there on the east coast might think this is a fair deal. For those who don't know, Noche Buena is brewed by the Cervezaria Moctezuma in Mexico. It's a deep amber lager, full bodied & mild. Very good, & it hasn't been on the American market for a few years now. It's brewed especially for Christmas. This is the beer that George Fix referred to in a recent HBD posting. He would refer to this beer as a Vienna style, I believe (but I don't want to stick words into his mouth for him). Anyway, e-mail me directly if you are interested. First come, first serve. I'm also willing to trade a couple of bottles of homebrew in the deal, if you are! BTW, 'cuz of Thanksgiving, it may be Monday before I respond to any responses. Peace, Alan, Austin Return to table of contents
Date: 24 Nov 93 15:04:07 GMT From: GANDE at slims.attmail.com Subject: Sodium Hydroxide If I wash all my metal brewing equipement with a sodium hydroxide solution, what's the best process for ensuring that it's all rinsed off? Can any Microbrewers on the digest offer a 'professional' opinion that I can take to the bank? TIA....GA +----------------------------------+ | Internet: gande at slims.attmail.com| | Glenn Anderson | | Manager, Telecom. Facilities | | Sun Life of Canada | +----------------------------------+ Return to table of contents
Date: 24 Nov 93 15:10:28 GMT From: cssc!cong at scuzzy.attmail.com (brew ) Full-Name: brew Subject: Brunswick Brew Club To CENTRAL NEW JERSEY HOMEBREWERS There is a new Homebrew club in town, The Brunswick Brew Club. NO DUES but plenty of FREE info and encouragement. We are a new club who has developed a simple charter. We wish to elevate the art of Home Brewing to it's highest level. If we happen to tip a few beers in the process, even better. The club meets every third Thursday of the Month at 7:00 PM at Brunswick Brewing Supply, 727 Raritan Ave (Rt. 27), Highland Park, NJ. Next Meeting, December 16. We are an AHA recognized club in search of new members with any level of experience. We have some Beer related road trips planned and are always looking for more road trip ideas. Everyone attending a Brunswick Brew Club meeting is invited to bring along a few homebrews for tasting cong Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 10:10:56 EST From: Mike Peckar 24-Nov-1993 0956 <m_peckar at cscma.enet.dec.com> Subject: Frank Jones Brewery A group is forming to attempt to purchase The Frank Jones Brewery in Portsmouth, NH. The brewery is a 4800 bbl producer that is currently in recievership and is slated to be auctioned within three weeks. Investors are being immediately sought. The minimum investment will be five thousand dollars. Investments will be discounted 10% and put into escrow pending the results of the auction. The Frank Jones name would be preserved if the deal goes through. Contact me by email if you are interested in becoming an investor. Mike Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 09:22:04 CST From: nfarrell at ppco.com (Norman Farrell) Subject: Beer adverts. and new yeast in secondary James Clark writes about his displeasure with megabrew adds: And, I must make a loud second to his complaints. I suppose this is flame bait, but here goes. The mega brews and their adverts. do all responsible drinkers and homebrewers a great diservice. Maybe James is right and it is not enough to simply not buy their swill. "Budmiller" is dangerous to our rights. It offers no sensation of fullness or gustatory ($5 word) satisfaction until you have drank a lake of it. These beers are intended to be and are soda pop for adults. They are nothing more than an alcohol delivery system. They have only a limited usefulness in our society. They encourage abuse by their very characteristics. I bet the neo-pro's love it. The "joe/jane six pack" culture plays right into their hands. There, have I raved enough? Say yes already. Trever Miller on adding yeast to the secondary. Oxygen will be depleted by racking time and yeast added to the secondary will not respire much. That is, they will not increase in number from what you pitch. So, pitch a vast quantity of yeast slurry. In order to have enough O2 to start respiration again without oxidizing the beer you would need to add 2 1/2 to 3 gallons of fresh wort with the new yeast. Your fermenter probably will not handle that! Hoppy Turkey Day to All Norman (nfarrell at ppco.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 10:31:38 -0500 (EST) From: drose at husc.harvard.edu Subject: Counterpressure Bottler Questions Hello: I recently recieved a counterpressure bottler as a gift. Yesterday I got the assorted hoses and connectors that I need to run the thing, and it didn't take long to find out that I don't really know how to work it. There are two general possibilities: I'm hooking it up wrong, or I'm using it wrong. So, first, this is how I hooked it up: Beer Line in--> ----------------- ---> Vent out ------+ +------- | | | | Gas in ---> ------| |-+ ----+ | | | | | | | \ | | / | | | | | V Gas and Beer Out My beer line runs direct from the keg to the contraption. My gas line runs from the tank to a t-fitting, one end of which goes to the keg, the other to the contraption. The way I used it is as follows: put contraption in bottle. Open gas valve (noise of gas filling bottle and equilibrating). Open valve for a while to purge bottle (noise of gas escaping from bottle). Close valve, close gas line, open beer line. Wait for beer to fill bottle under pressure. Remove contraption and cap immediately. The problem: Well, if I thought about it i would have figured out that since the keg and the bottle are under the same pressure, there is no reason at all for the beer to move from the keg into the bottle. In fact, this is exactly what happens: nothing. Or at least very little. The beer enters the bottle slowly or not at all. I tried using gravity to help me along, i.e. put keg on table, put bottle on floor. Besides being very awkward, this helped very little. So, counterpressure experts, what am I missing? Or is this the way it "works?" Help. Dave Rose. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 07:40:26 +0800 From: bjones at novax.llnl.gov (Bob Jones) Subject: Two types of Rauch beers >WESTEMEIER at delphi.com asks about smoked Rauchbier aroma > > >My problem is that although the smoke comes through wonderfully well in >the flavor, my beer is always eliminated in competitions because the >smoke is so subtle in the aroma that it's not in the same league with >the winners. > >I have tasted some of the winners at competitions in this category, and >they generally smell and taste like the brewery was burning down around >the batch as it was brewed. What am I not doing right? > Well I'll get up on my soap box and suggest there are two Rauch beers here. The ones that are drinkable and ones that win competitions! I have had several very well made Rauch beers and personally enjoy the subtle play of smoke and malt flavors and aromas. Now I had the smoked ale at the AHA nationals that won Paddy Giffen homebrewer of the year. IMNSHO it was too smokey! We're talken rip your lips off with smoke! There is this numbing phenomena that goes on at competition judging that desensitizes all judges palates. So you need to decide if your brewing your Rauch beers to your taste or for competitions. Maybe Tom Altenbach would jump in here and tell us a few tales about his great Rauch beers and his mixed success in putting them in competitions. Bob Jones bjones at novax.llnl.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 10:40:42 -0500 (EST) From: "David H. Thomas" <dhthomas at lis.pitt.edu> Subject: Beer ads May I suggest to Mr. Clark that he take his television and throw it out the window, much as they once did at the beginning of SCTV (way back when). I agree wholeheartedly with him regarding beer advertising, which is merely the worst aspect of television advertising (or television itself, for that matter). It's been several years now since I threw out my television so as not to turn into a quivering blob of mindless animal matter, and the few occasions I get to see tv remind me all over again why I did it. Frankly, I'd much rather kill brain cells hoisting homebrews than watching tv. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 16:18:00 +0000 From: SCHREMPP_MIKE/HP4200_42 at ptp.hp.com Subject: Rauchbier Ed Westemeier asks about smoke aroma... I think your problem is that you're losing the aromatic smoke oils during your boil. I suggest "dry smoking" your beer. Add a few handfuls of smoke in the secondary and let it really soak in. Or, you could use an EasySmoker(tm) (sorry Jack, I beat you to it) made of charred sticks tied aroung the end of a copper pipe. You can make your own easily or buy one from me (not an advertisement). Mike Schrempp Return to table of contents
Date-Warning: Date header was inserted by HELIX.MGH.HARVARD.EDU From: "John J. Magee" <magee at HELIX.MGH.HARVARD.EDU> Subject: Iodine Test: Use or Not? Last night, for my 3rd all-grain attempt I brewed up 4 gallons of a strong Scotch Ale, and managed to achieve only about 20 points extraction. This obviously hurt the necessary beefiness of a Scotch Ale wort; going into the fermenter the gravity was 56-57 rather than the target 80. Oh well. Since I've achieved rates of about 25 on my last two batches ( I was counting on 27+ this time due to practice & better technique), I think here the problem might be traceable to incomplete starch conversion. Why? 'Cause there were traces of black in my iodine test when I decided to sparge. 'Why decide to sparge when your iodine test showed some black?', you ask. Well, the mash had been happening for about 1.5 hours (single temp; 152-156 deg.), and a previous test had shown rampant black. Now the blackness appeared granular- there were lots of little tiny dots of black rather than a true black color. I've read Miller, and he says that the iodine test is useless because cellulose particles react like starch. I decided that those little tiny dots were probably cellulose particles. I sparged. This was probably stupid. I have a Wee rather than a Wee Heavy :). Did I mess up? Are iodine tests useful? It was depressing to be counting on (and needing for style) my highest extraction rate yet and to end up with a pathetic one. But the best thing about homebrew is that within broad limits it's always tasty as long as it's not infected. ************************************************** John J. Magee * magee at helix.mgh.harvard.edu ************************************************** Research Assistant/Computer Systems Mass. General Hospital Neuropsychology (617) 726 3669 ************************************************** Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 11:37:55 EST From: ulick at michaelangelo.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford) Subject: sterilizing bottle caps and Rauchbier Chuck Wettergreen suggest sanitizing Pureseal caps prior to use with a sanitizing solution. This comment got me wondering. I never sterilize my caps by boiling or anything prior to use because of laziness and a fear that heat my deform the plastic lining. Are caps a risk? Has anyone taking a slant of packaged caps to see what may live on them, or noticed contamination that could be blamed on unsterilized caps? Ed Westmeier wants very smoky beer - why not bubble smoke through the secondary (dry-smoking?)? Seriously, apart from competition reasons, why do you want smokier beer? I personally think Rauchbier, or at least the commercial stuff, is one of the foulest tasting beers on the market (acquired taste, maybe?). I had the stuff at Zekes, a bar in Dowagiac in Southwestern Michigan with over 150 imports, and was informed by my homebrewsuppliessupplier that once when he and a group of friends were there one of them asked for their foulest beer, and without hesitation the barmaid got a Rauchbier. I remember that the giggest problem, IMHO, was an overbearing sweetness. __________________________________________________________________________ 'Heineken!?! ... F#$% that s at &* ... | Ulick Stafford, Dept of Chem. Eng. Pabst Blue Ribbon!' | Notre Dame IN 46556 | ulick at darwin.cc.nd.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 11:51:16 EST From: Lee=A.=Menegoni at nectech.com Subject: Crabcake Effect / Sam Adams beers RE: The CrabCake effect. Recent studies have shown that moderate to heavy bodied beers, when consumed in moderation, can lead to the CrabCake Effect in humans. Stated briefly the precursors to the CrabCake effect are low quality crabcakes, usally found in frozen food sections, that contain a high fraction of bread, flour or other grain based filler. These cakes when consumed in conjunction with small amounts of beers higher in Final Gravity than most American Premiums and Light cause an apparent recombination in the stomach with the consumer suffering from a feeling that one is filled with a giant CrabCake. The most obvious outward sympton is the inability to consume more beer. Found particularly capable of producing the CrabCake effect were products produced by the Boston Beer Company, brewers of Sam Adams beers. Additional research is being conducted to determine if the method of chilling the prefermentation product has an impact on this effect. Noted Italian chefs have indicated that a similar phenomenon, The Gnochi Syndrome, can be avoided by the consumption of Red Wine. Though red wine with fish is anathema with wine lovers research is under way as to the effect of white and blush wines on the Crab Cake Effect. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 12:32:57 EST From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu Subject: Crabtree/sterols/peroxide korz at iepubj.att.com writes: > BTW, I read somewhere, that sucrose has twice the carbonating potential of > corn sugar (dextrose, glucose), but have never seen it anywhere else. I > don't think this is true. Anyone know for sure? Per molecule, maybe. Per weight, no way. Just count carbons. 1 mole of monosaccharide makes 2 moles ethanol and 2 moles CO2: C6H12O6 -> 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2 1 mole of sucrose (disaccharide) makes 2 moles of monosaccharide: C12H22O11 + H20 -> 2 C6H12O6 but they weigh almost the same (1 mole of sucrose (342 grams) is 18 grams lighter than 1 mole each glucose & fructose (360 g total)). Alternatively, 1 g of glucose makes .489 g CO2 and .511 g ethanol. 1g of sucrose would make .515g CO2 and .538g ethanol. So, yes, the carbonating potential of sucrose is slightly higher (5%) than that of glucose. =S Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 93 11:23:41 EST From: lyons%adc1 at swlvx2.msd.ray.com Subject: Imprtance of competing chemical reactions? In HBD #1279 Todd gave the following reactions: > eq 1: fermentation of glucose > > C6H12O6 ------> 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2 > (ethanol) > > eq 2: respiration of glucose > > C6H12O6 + 6 O2 --------> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O One reaction converts sugar to water, while the other converts sugar to alcohol. Does this imply that two different batches of beer, with identical OGs & FGs, could have significantly different alcohol concentrations based on the initial oxygen content prior to fermentation? Would this imply that pitching a large yeast starter (maybe using the dreggs of the previous batch) and not aerating the wort would result in a more potent product? I'm wondering why the homebrew in which I attempt to match the OG & FG of some commercial products always seems to have more of a kick too it? Chris Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 12:24:07 EST From: "Mark T. Berard" <mtberard at dow.com> Subject: PET Bottles I recently posted asking about PET bottles. The responses have been very positive, that is, there don't seem to be any Major problems with using them. A few of the key comments are shown below. Thanks to all who responded. >From: John Mare <cjohnm at ccit.arizona.edu> Notes that "Several high-quality British brewers are marketing "real ales" in PET bottles (eg. Sam Smith). I have also encountered a South African (Mitchells) and Canadian (Wellington) who successfully use these plastic bottles." >From: Drew Lynch <drew at chronologic.com> Notes that the bottles are clear and so one must consider UV degradation of the beer, which "can give it a skunky smell... so you may want to keep them covered." >From: John DeCarlo <jdecarlo at homebrew.mitre.org> >1) They may be oxygen permeable--I wouldn't store in them over a year. >2) People have reported that some versions (Dr. Pepper?) of soda leave a > lingering taste--I use the Seltzer ones primarily. >3) You can squeeze them to tell if carbonation is complete. >4) They can stand higher pressures than regular glass bottles, in case you > worry. [Heaven Forbid!] >5) They are perfect for parties--you don't care if you don't bring the bottle > back home with you. Overall the use of PET bottles seems perfectly reasonable. Just pour your beer into a nice looking glass before you let your friends see it! ;-) Dr. Mark T. Berard | Internet: mtberard at dow.com Snailmail: | Voice: 504-353-8418 Dow Chemical, La. R&D, Bldg. 2506 | FAX: 504-353-6608 PO Box 400, Plaquemine LA 70765 | SCIENCE! Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 11:35:10 -0600 (MDT) From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu> Subject: Ads/ Keg Faq/ Mail Order/ Keg Parts/ Taps and Mac ClipArt/ > > James- grumbleS 'bout beer commercials (but lets NOT start a discussion!) > * Just sit back, enjoy the buxom breasts and bulging bicepts and pretend it's a Nike commercial. Crack another hb and wait for Trek to return. :) *** Keg Faq- add counter pressure filling. Otherwise the outline looks good. Let me know if I can help. :) Tho- I'm no pro... *** > > Dan (?) pickerel at micom.com had a list of Mail order supplies: > * I just typed up a list of suppliers from Brewtechniques Vol 1. No. 4 and some from the southwest brewing news. I could e-mail it to anyone who asks. Most of the ones I gathered had 800 numbers and free catalogs. I do have an extensive list (hard copy) , but never had the motivation to TYPE it into a database, but BOY that would be nice to have! NationWide! *** Larry Atkinson was looking for fitting for kegs- real bar type kegs. * I don't know what type the Labatts counts as- but here is a supplier for bar equipment, including all kinds of fittings and pieces for kegs- some are useful for soda keg usage too. Things like shanks and taps. Oliver D. Ennis 4151-53 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA. 90230 800-843-6647 Foxx Equip. 421 SW Blvd, Kansas City, MO. 800-821-2254/ Have some stuff for big kegs. They might be able to tell you what you need. * No connection, just have their catalogs! Bonk Bonk! Tell 'em Jim! ***************************** QUESTIONs ********************************* 1. Hey- Anyone know of a source for nice taps handles. You know the tall kind of pull taps, to go on a fridge shank, not onto a bar... good beer brands would be preferable to shlits (- the l ) Hep' me!? 2. Anyone have any good beer/brewing related clip art. Prefereably MAC format. PICT is good. I am especially looking for pictures of HOPS, BARLEY, KEGS, CASKS, GLASSES, MUGS, But especially decorative hops and barley vines, and sheafs. I have various animals, and some mugs, but not much to make BEER labels from. ALSO: I'd really like to find a GOOD picture of a....C O Y O T E..what else! Ideal would be a COYOTE howling, maybe even a cactus nearby, or a moon... If you haven't figured out...trying to get a LOGO together for my "brewery". I will gladly send homebrew or mead to anyone able to help me sufficiently! ********************************************************************** Today is SCOTCH ALE day. Oh yum. Gotta go grind! I get to try my new belgian malts for the first time! (Thanx Lynne!) So many beers to brew, so many beers to sample....whats a guy to do but brew. Chow for Now. John (The Coyote) Wyllie SLK6P at cc.usu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 13:34:35 EST From: Keith MacNeal 24-Nov-1993 1323 <macneal at pate.enet.dec.com> Subject: getting wort into primary/chiller cleaning/changing yeast midstream JC Ferguson asked about cleaning immersion wort chillers prior to use. I soaked mine in a solution of TSP, bleach, and water (the same solution I use to clean bottles and remove the lables). It worked great in getting the grease and grime off. The only thing I do now to get it ready for use is to put it in the boiling wort 15 minutes or so before removing it from the heat. The copper tubing does get a bit brighter after use, but I don't think a little copper oxide is going to hurt anything in the beer (if it did, we'd have to scrap all of our copper plumbing). To get my wort into the primary after chilling, I use the same approach Mark Bunster outlines in Homebrew Digest #1280 (November 24, 1993). And if by chance some of the break material and hop pellets work their way through the strainer into the fermenter, I relax and have a homebrew. I know Dave Miller likes to get the beer off the trub as soon as possible but I really haven't seen any compelling information that makes me want to start whirlpools and siphons, drill holes in my brewpot, worry about filters, or add another racking step (and all its complications) to my process. In Homebrew Digest #1280 Tever Miller asks about repitching his Tarpit Stout with champagne yeast. My response is why? I brewed an Imperial Stout using only Irish Ale yeast from Wyeast. I didn't have any problems with it fermenting out. Keith MacNeal Digital Equipment Corp. Hudson, MA Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 14:23:29 EST From: Mark Bunster <mbunster at hibbs.vcu.edu> Subject: rauchbier * My problem is that although the smoke comes through wonderfully well in * the flavor, my beer is always eliminated in competitions because the * smoke is so subtle in the aroma that it's not in the same league with * the winners. * * Short of using some sort of "liquid smoke" solution (which I absolutely * refuse to try), is there some trick to get the smoke aroma to express * itself more strongly? * This is just a thought--no idea whether it will work: try rigging up some way to smoke your hops. Not necessarily the bittering hops (although you can try that too), but the finishing hops, the ones that do much to give aroma. If you don't use finishing hops, maybe try. Ah, rauchbiers. I remember being treated to one as a 17 year old in Nuernberg Germany, in a bar near the medieval castle downtown. My grandfather explained its origins (it's known as a Schlaenkerla there) and handed me a half-litre. The smell about knocked me down, and I remember the omnipresent feeling that I was drinking a beer and bacon fat solution. It grew on me, though, and by the bottom of the glass I was ready for another. My grandfather wisely demured--when we stood to go I was pretty wobbly. - -- Mark Bunster |Exchange conversation if you dare-- Survey Research Lab--VCU |Share an empty thought or a laugh. Richmond, VA 23220 | mbunster at hibbs.vcu.edu | (804) 367-8813/353-1731 | -edFROM Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 12:16:53 -0800 From: oeinkeranen at esd114.wednet.edu Subject: wyeast types I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the following Wyeast Yeast Profiles from Wyeast Labs (1-503-354-1335) courtesy of our good friends at Evergreen Brewing Supply in Bellevue, Wa. (1-800-789-BREW). BTW, they (EBS) have an impressive list of Belgian malts which, as far as I know, no one else in town carries (and I've been in them all). WYEAST LABORATORIES YEAST PROFILES Ales Saccharomyces cerevisiae - ---- ------------- ---------- 1007 Our original Ale Yeast of German origin. Ferments dry and crisp leaving a complex yet mild flavor. Produces an extremely rocky head and ferments well down to 55xF. Flocculation is high and apparent attenuation is 73- 77%. 1084 Irish-style Ale Yeast. Slight residual diacetyl and fruitiness is great for stouts. It is clean, smooth, soft and full-bodied. Medium flocculation and apparent attenuation of 71-75%. 1338 European yeast from Wissenschaftliche in Munich. A full-bodied complex strain, finishes very malty. Produces a dense, rocky head during fermentation. High flocculation, apparent attenuation of 67-71%. 1098 British Ale Yeast from Whitbread. Ferments dry and crisp, slightly tart and well balanced. Ferments well down to 65xF. Medium flocculation, apparent attenuation 73-75%. 1056 American Ale Yeast. Ferments dry, finishes soft, smooth and clean, and is very well balanced. Flocculation is low to medium. Apparent attenuation of 73-77%. 1028 London Ale Yeast. Rich minerally profile, bold crisp slight diacetyl production. Medium flocculation. Apparent attenuation 73-77%. 1214 Belgian Ale Yeast. Abbey-style top fermenting yeast suitable for high gravity beers, doubles, triples, and barley wines. Medium flocculant strain which clears well. Apparent attenuaton 71-75%. Lager Saccharomyces uvarum - ---- ------------- ------ 2007 Our original Lager Yeast Strain. Specific for pilsner-style beers. Known as many things, we call it Pilsen. Ferments dry, crisp, clean and light. Medium flocculation. Apparent attenuation 71-75%. 2308 Munich Yeast from Wissenschaftliche in Munich #308. One of the first pure yeast available to American homebrewers. Sometimes unstable, but smooth, soft, well-rounded and full-bodied. Medium flocculation, apparent attenuation 73-77%. 2042 Danish Yeast Strain. Rich, yet crisp and dry. Soft, light profile which accentuates hop characteristics. Flocculation is low, apparent attenuation is 73-77%. 2206 Bavarian Yeast Strain used by many German breweries. Rich flavor, full-bodied, malty and clean. Medium flocculation, apparent attenuation of 73-77%. 2035 American Lager Yeast. Unlike American pilsner styles. It is bold and complex and woody, produces slight diacetyl. Medium flocculation, apparent attenuation of 73-77%. 2124 Bohemian Lager Yeast. The traditional Saaz yeast from Czechoslovakia. ferments clean and malty, rich residual maltiness in high gravity pilsners, medium flocculation, apparent attenuation of 69-73%. 2112 California Lager Yeast. Warm fermenting bottom cropping strain, frements well to 62xF while keeping lager characteristics. Malty profile, highly flocculan, clears brilliantly. Apparent attenuation of 72-76%. YEAST and BATERIA CULTURE PROFILES Saccharomyces delbrueckii, s. cerevisae 3056 Bavarian Weissen. A blend of s. cerevisiae and delbruekii to produce a south german style wheat beer with a cloying sweetness, when the beer is fresh. Mdeium flocculation, apparent attenuation of 73-77%. Wine Yeast - ---- ----- 3021 Prise de mousse, Institute Pasteur champagne yeast race bayanus. Crisp and dry, ideal for sparkling and still wine and fruit wines. Low foaming, excellent barrel fermentation, good flocculating characteristics. Ferments well at low (55xF) temperatures. Also can be used for Barley wines. 3028 French (bordeux) wine yeast ideally suited for red and white wines which mature rapidly or reds requiring aging. Moderate foaming, low sulphur production over a wide temperature range. Enhances the fruity characteristics of most wines. Sake Yeast Saccharomyces sake - ---- ----- ------------- ---- 3134 Japanese Rice Beer Yeast Strain for use in conjunction with Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) for making a variety of sake styles. Full-bodied profile with true sake character. Malo-lactic Bateria - ----------- ------- Leuconostoc oenos 4007 Malo-lactic culture blend isolated from western Oregon wineries. Includes strains Ey2d and Er1a. Excellent for high acid wines and low pH. Softens wines by converting harsh malic acid to milder lactic acid. Can be added to juice any time after the onset of yeast fermentation when sulphur dioxide is less than 15 ppm. BRAND NEW ALE, LAGER, AND LAMBIC YEAST STRAINS (as of 11-18-93) 1968 Special London ALe Yeast. Highly flocculant ale yeast with rich malty character and balanced fruitiness. High degree of flocculation makes this an excellent strain for cask conditioned ales. 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast. Rich smokey, peaty character ideally suited for Scottish style ales, smoked beers and high gravity beers. 2565 Kolsh Yeast. A hybrid of Ale and Lager characteristics. This strain develops excellent maltiness with subdued fruitiness, and a crisp finish. Ferments well at moderate temperatures. 2278 Czech Pils Yeast. Classic dry finish with rich maltiness. Good choice for pilsners and bock beers. Sulpher produced during frementation dissapates with conditioning. 3068 Wheinstephen Wheat Yeast. Saccharomyces delbrueckii single strain culture for German wheat beers. 3944 Belgian White Beer Yeast. Rich, phenolic character for classic Belgian styles, including Grand Cru. 3273 Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Belgian lambic style yeast with rich, earthy, odiferous character and acidic finish. Vic Keranen just in case you are wondering, I don't work for either co. Just a homebrewer who figured I should pass this on since I haven't seen this info anywhere else. oeinkeranen at vaxj.esd114.wednet.edu oeinkeranen at vaxj.esd114.wednet Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 15:11:00 PST From: "Moore, Brian" <Moorebw at hvsmtp1.mdc.com> Subject: Grains/Easymashing Hello All, Just a few general grain questions: First of all, I've been looking at a lot of recipes lately to find some tasty pale ales and such. Many of these recipes call for something on the order of 1/2 # 30 (L) Crystal, and 1/2 # 90 (L) Crystal. Would this not be the same as 1 whole pound of 60 (L) Crystal? Would there be any difference in the flavors either way? Secondly, I've been considering buying one or two fifty pound sacks of 2-Row malt (There's a place in Orlando where you can get a fifty pound sack for $19.95). Since I don't have a mill, I'm going to buy the grains pre-crushed (Free crushing). I will probably use them all within a couple of months. I've heard talk that crushing grains and then keeping them around for a while will cause the grains to "go stale/bad". What exactly does this mean? Will the stale/bad grains not give me as much goodness? Will my beer taste stale? Should I even be concerned or is this more of the boogy/bogyman talking? Now on to easymashing ... Sorry Jack, this isn't about an E(e)asymasher (I'm a cooler man myself). Here is a technique John Goodman and myself have used to cut our all-grain brewing time in half. Hopefully this will help some of you out there who are afraid of the extra time all-graining takes. Since my house is only about 5 miles from work, I go home for lunch (about 10 minute trip). Immediately upon arrival, I put about 2.5 gallons of water on my propane burner to heat to about 175 F. In the seven minutes this takes, I put all of my premeasured grains in the cooler (slotted copper manifold, etc. etc.). Once the water is heated, I mash-in and put the lid on the cooler (The mash temperature stabilized at about 158-160). Now I grab a quick sandwich (not necessarily off of the garage floor) and return to work. Total time: about 45 minutes. Once back in the office, I work for about 2 to 2.5 hours (this technique does call for leaving early, although I guess a 3 or 4 hour mash isn't out of the question). When I get back home, the mash temperature is down to about 145 F. Next, I heat the sparge water (10 minutes), sparge (30 minutes), begin heating runnings immediately after recirculation, bring to boil (20 minutes), boil (90 minutes), cool/aerate/pitch yeast (30 minutes). Total time after work: 3 hours. Done by dinnertime! If only I could find a way to sparge while I'm at work. Brian Moore Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 14:54:53 MST From: dwatson at as.arizona.edu (Dan Watson) Subject: Thanksgiving Good afternoon fellow brewophiles, Came upon a copy of "Early American Beverages" (John H. Brown, Bonanza Books, 1966) the other day. This delightful history is full of recipies for beers, wines, mixed, "temperance", and medicinal drinks from early colonial times to about the Civil War. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I offer this excerpt: "Common Beer: Two gallons of water to a large handful of hops is the rule. A little fresh-gathered spruce or sweet ferm makes the beer more agreeable, and you may allow a quart of wheat bran to the mixture; then boil it two or three hours. Strain it through a seive, and stir in, while the liquor is hot, a teacup of molasses to every gallon. Let it stand till lukewarm, pour it into a clean barrel and add good yeast, a pint, if the barrel is nearly full; shake it well together; it will be fit for use the next day. The Way To Live Well, 1849" How's that for turnaround time! of course there were better brewers around too: "English Beer, Strong: Malt 1 peck; coarse brown sugar 6 lbs.; hops 4 oz.; good yeast 1 tea-cup; if you have not malt, take a little over 1 peck of barley, (twice the amount of oats will do, but are not as good,)and put into an oven after the bred is drawn, or into a stove oven. and steam the moisture from them. Grind coarsely. Now pour upon the ground malt 3 1/2 gals. of water at 170 or 172 degrees of heat. The tub in which you scald the malt should have a false bottom... bored with gimlet holes... to hold back the malt meal. When the water is poured on, stir them well, and let it stand 3 hours, and draw off by a faucet; put in 7 gals. more of water at 180 to 182 degrees ; stir it well, and let it stand two hours and draw it off. Then put in a gallon or two more of cold water, stir it well and draw it off; you should have 5 or 6 gals. (sic) Put the 6 lbs. of coarse brown sugar in an equal amount of water; mix with the wort and boil 1 1/2 to 2 hours with the hops; you should have eight gals. when boiled. When cooled to 80 degrees put in the yeast, and let work 18 to 20 hours, covered with a sack; use sound iron hooped kegs or porter bottles, bung or cork tight, and in two weeks it will be good sound beer, and will keep a long time; and for persons of a weak habit of body, and especially females, 1 glass of this with their meals is far better than tea or coffee, or of all the ardent spirits in the universe." I'll Bet! Happy Thanksgiving Y'all. Dan Watson Steward Observatory Mirror Lab Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 93 13:41:40 PST From: ELQ1%Maint%HBPP at cts27.comp.pge.com Subject: Box crates, Lids, G.L.V.M., AND Smoke Hoppy Thanksgiving All you Brew Dudes and Gals, A few ago one person asked about crates for beer bottles, I contacted a local dairy and was told that the plastic crates are not for sale, I lack blocked grey matter to steal, so I made some out of 1x8 and 1x3 pine, cost was about $11 for material and produced 4 stout clean boxes, much cheaper than a $15 plastic crate and a whole lot cheaper than jail. Size for 30 bottles, 12oz is 12 1/2"x 15" I.D. If any need plans, just hollar. After fighting the lids on my plastic fermenter and disturbing the sediment, I bought some lids from a paint store, they are NEW, HDPE, and they hav an airtight 2 1/2" bung that is handy for checking progress and access for racking. The lid has skirts on the side for easy removal and installation. Cost: $2 Has anyone out there tried using the cousin of hops for flavoring or any other value? I refer to Green Leafy Vegetable Matter, its a sick bird, [ill-eagle] Results? I am just curious... In HBD #1280 Ed asks about Rauchbier, hey Ed I am going to try this; Take some apple wood from my pruning, let dry and "charcoal" in my smoker, then add to the primary and let it perk away, just a few briquets should have some good clean flavor to it. Any other ideas? Ed Quier, ELQ1 at maint at hbpp not my lifestyle, just my name Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 25 Nov 93 09:47:08 EST From: barling at merlin.anu.edu.au (Pat Barling) Subject: brewmart danish style pils problem recently I put down the above kit as per instructions (I only added light malt extract instead of sugar), included in kit was a special pilsner enzyme to be pitched in with yeast. after 2 weeks I racked to a secondary, added finings and bottled 7 days later F.G. 1.006. last night I noticed that there was a cloudy layer on the top of every bottle, hygiene is not a problem. any ideas? is it the enzyme? thanks in advance for any help pat. email suggestions to barling at merlin.anu.edu.au Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1281, 11/25/93