HOMEBREW Digest #1406 Sat 23 April 1994
Digest #1405
Digest #1407
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Cask ales, pt 3 (Jim Busch)
Homebrewers are Great People! (David Knight)
oven/temperature/worry (RONALD DWELLE)
Questions on dry-hopping and Switzerland (Jack Skeels)
Post Road Ale recipe and Yeast question (Dean J. Miller)
lagering and aging question (Kelvin Kapteyn)
Ceils update (LLAPV)
Irish Moss (Aaron Shaw)
all-grain equipment & yeast samples ("JSDAWS1 at PROFSSR")
RE: Two problems... (Jim Dipalma)
Corny Kegs on the Side (Frank Longmore)
Indoors Cajun Cooker (venter)
Brewpots / Pay-Back (Rich Lenihan)
More info on Brass Parts ("Palmer.John")
cask ales, pt 4 (last) (Jim Busch)
On bended knee, my apologies... (Kinney Baughman)
Mashing Crystal / Fridge (npyle)
D.C. Places (GARY SINK 206-553-4687)
Enamel-on-Steel w/King Cooker? (Bob Bessette)
Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
(Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
to homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L at UA1VM.UA.EDU),
then you MUST unsubscribe the same way!
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
FAQs, archives and other files are available via anonymous ftp from
sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via
mail from listserv at sierra.stanford.edu. Send HELP as the body of a
message to that address to receive listserver instructions.)
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 10:35:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com>
Subject: Cask ales, pt 3
Dispense of Cask Ales:
When the cellarmaster has determined that a new cask is ready for dispense, the
beer line connecting the cask and the beer engine are connected. A beer engine
is merely a fancy hand pump that "pulls" the beer out of the cask. As beer is
removed from the cask, air bleeds in through the porous spile. It is for this
reason that cask ales are best during the first few days of dispense, and are
known to become increasingly undrinkable after about day 3 or 4. Oxidized beer
in any country is not very pleasurable, and casks allowed to sit for too
long exhibit a strong oxidation effect. In an effort to combat some of the
ill effects of oxidation, brewers and publicans have devised several methods
of introducing CO2 into the cask. The least objectionable is the blanket CO2
method whereby an extremely small amount (1-2 psi) of CO2 gas is pushed into
the cask. Since CO2 is heavier than air, it will form a "blanket" over the
beer, protecting it somewhat from the oxygen. Another method makes use of
actual CO2 tanks to push the beer out and mechanical pumps are also in use to
help pull the beer from the cask. Traditionalists despise all methods of CO2
use to help preserve the beer quality, arguing that all result in some form of
"gassy" ale. The campaign for real ale (CAMRA), is particularly adamant about
only dispensing real ale by the use of a beer engine without blanket pressure.
To this end, they refuse to list pubs that employ CO2 systems in their
excellent book, CAMRAs Good Beer Guide , published annually.
While CAMRAs dedication to tradition is admirable, it may be unrealistic to
expect the smallest pub in the furthest region to be able to adequately care
for cask ales in the same fashion that the busier pubs can.
If cask hopping is employed, a small strainer device is used to keep the
hops in the cask, and out of ones glass. At the tip of the dispensing nozzel,
a sprinkler attachment is used to force the beer through several small holes,
resulting in a release of carbonation into the beer and glass. This results in
a thick head and is similar in principal to the tap design used by Guinness.
Cask ales can also be dispensed directly from the cask using gravity. In this
arrangement, a cask is positioned so that the beer outlet is pointing down,
and merely by opening the spigot and allowing an air vent, the beer will pour
out of the cask by gravity flow. If a soda keg is employed in this technique
the liquid dip tube would need to be removed or severely shortened. If the
beer is to consumed in one evening, it is an excellent method of dispensing
quality beers.
*********end part 3*************
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 13:39:51 EDT
From: David Knight <dknight at ren.iterated.com>
Subject: Homebrewers are Great People!
I'll keep this short and sweet to save bandwidth, but I just wanted to
let the digest know that there are some really great people out there.
I posted about my troubles in locating yeast culturing agar locally in HBD
#1404, and since then I've gotten TWO offers from readers to send me agar;
they didn't even ask for anything in return.
I've been participating in Internet news for over 7 years now and have
read many newsgroups regularly during that time. However, I've never seen
so many people go out of their way to help people out as I have in the six
months I've been reading rec.crafts.brewing and the HBD. I think that this
is a fantastic resource and the reason is because of the people behind it.
I've learned more about homebrewing in the past six months than I probably
ever would have without such a wealth of information.
Keep up the good work -- I really look forward to my morning HBD fix!
-Dave Knight
dknight at ren.iterated.com
p.s. No, I won't tell you who those two people are because I don't want them
swamped with requests for free agar :)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 12:26:25 EST
From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
Subject: oven/temperature/worry
Oven Mash--Phil Brushaber asked about mashing in the oven. My
one try was a failure because I could not get the mash
temperature right. The lowest my oven thermostat will go was 170,
which I thought would be too high, but after 8-9 hours overnight
in the oven at 170, the mash itself was barely 140, and I had no
idea how long the mash had been at what temperature. The next
morning I boosted the oven temp to 220, and eventually got the
mash up to 165. Overall, I wasn't too thrilled with the
process--I think you'd have to develop some type of formula to
determine what oven temperature you need to bring x-volume of
mash up to x-temp. If you heated the mash to mash temperature
first, the oven would probably be a good temperature-holder, but
if you do the heating outside the oven, why bother? As I recall,
the wort and the brew turned out okay--I called it "Oven Shovin'
Porter"--but I don't think I'll try the oven again.
Temperature--Ken B. (berkun at guiduk.enet.dec.com) said: "One
other problem is measuring temperature. I seems to vary
considerably depending on where you measure. So I'm no where
close to figuring mash temperature accurately."
Here's a true anecdote that I'd like some response to: I have
an acquaintance, chemical engineer, who works for a testing lab
and was kindof interested in maybe trying homebrew, so I invited
him over to watch the process. I had mentioned to him my cheesy
thermometer (it's a candy/jelly spring-metal el-cheapo), so he
brought along a superdooper digital electronic thermometer from
the shop that measured temp like instantly, within plus or minus
1/10000 of a degree (or something like that). We are mashing, and
he's monitoring the temperature for me--and I am ASTOUNDED. In
the mash itself, the temperature varied by as much as 20 degrees
centigrade, depending on where you poked the probe-thingy. Stir
the mash and you just seem to move the hot spots around. I
thought I was mashing at 55 degrees, but I was really mashing
parts at 45 and some at 65. Wowsa!
Is there a good technique for dealing with this radical
difference in mash temperatures? Stirring, of course, but my
impression was that if we stirred enough to even out temperature,
we'd be losing much of the heat we needed. How do you experts do
it?
Water-Brass. Our local city water supply just announced that
they are going to begin treating city water with phosphate, as
part of an attempt to control lead leaching from pipes. I didn't
understand the chemistry of it at all, but I got worried about
what it'll do to my mash & wort. Is there a quick & easy answer,
or am I going to have to read up on all the water ph stuff
everyone has been writing about? Up to now, I've just had to get
rid of the chlorine to get excellent beer-making water. Don't
tell me I have to worry (and not have a homebrew).
Cheers
Ron Dwelle (dweller at gvsu.edu)
He that drinks strong beer,
And goes to bed mellow,
Lives as he ought to live,
And dies a hearty fellow.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 13:24 EST
From: Jack Skeels <0004310587 at mcimail.com>
Subject: Questions on dry-hopping and Switzerland
Greetings!
I would really appreciate some strong opinions about my first question: if
I'm going to dry-hop a PU-clone (ala Miller) using Saaz pellets (1 oz.), how
do I keep them from gunking-up my secondary? Will they settle on their own?
Should I use a bag? Also, how long will my primary take at 50F, typically?
Also, my wife and I will be travelling to Switzerland for a conference in
May. I was thinking that it might be fun to see a brewery while we're
there. Is this feasible? We'll be flying into Zurich, and staying in
Davos. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! My wife suggested that I
tap the impressive capabilities of the HBD for some help with this, can we
impress her?
TIA, and sterile worts to all,
Jack Skeels
JSKEELS at MCIMAIL.COM
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 14:49:29
From: djmiller at fandago.Read.TASC.COM (Dean J. Miller)
Subject: Post Road Ale recipe and Yeast question
This is my first posting, even though I have been reading for about 4 months
and have been brewing off and on for a couple of years and I have two
questions for the homebrew experts out there:
1. Does anyone have a recipe (extract and specialty malts) for Post Road Ale?
This is one of my favorite beers and try as I might I can not seem to
duplicate it.
And,
2. In his Beer Companion, Michael Jackson talks about a couple of different
ales and how they are now being brewed with bottom-fermenting yeasts, he
particularly calls out Pete's Wicked Ale as either using bottom fermenting
yeasts now or in the near past. But, he also mentions some other ales (can't
remember off the top of my head) that use bottom-fermenting yeasts. Pardon my
stupidity, but I thought that the difference between an ale and a lager was
that the former used top-fermenting and the latter bottom-fermenting yeasts.
Is he implying that the designation ale/lager doesn't mean very much in the
commercial beer brewing world or is there some deeper meaning that I am
missing here.
TIA
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 15:50:43 -0400
From: Kelvin Kapteyn <kelvink at mtu.edu>
Subject: lagering and aging question
I have been trying to figure out the quickest way to get a lager ready for
drinking. I believe it would involve something like leaving it in primary
until it is almost fermented out, then bumping the temp up about 5F for
a few days for a rest, then racking to a secondary. (Note that I'm not
talking about a steam beer.) Now comes the lagering part. What is "best",
cold at 30F, or warmer? I have heard that the big guys lager at warmer
temperatures to speed up the process. I have also read (If I am not
mistaken) that 30F is supposed to be faster. How about opinions as to
what each approach does, or what is your favorite method? I realize that
lagering faster does not necessarily produce a better beer.
e-mail or posting is fine. I don't always get around to reading the HBD
immediately.
-Kelvin (kelvink at mtu.edu)
p.s. If this has been hashed around before, perhaps somebody could send me
a summary or a reference to the hbd numbers.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thursday, 21 April 94 15:20:26 CST
From: LLAPV at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu
Subject: Ceils update
Howdy,
The rumors have been flying for some time now that Celis would be introducing a
fruit beer. Well, the time has come! Some time this summer Celis will be
introducing a raspberry beer. I don't know what the base beer will be, but if
I hear anything, I'll post it.
An aside to Steven Smith: If you've only guzzled $10 of Celis Grand Cru, you
ain't guzzled enough.
Alan of Austin (Home of 2 breweries & 5 brewpubs!)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 15:30:31 -0400
From: ar568 at freenet.carleton.ca (Aaron Shaw)
Subject: Irish Moss
I just read an article about food ingredients that can cause
harm. I was totally shocked to find Irish Moss listed. Included
among the reported effects are ulcers, colon cancer, and colotis.
Has anyone ever heard about this before, or know more
specifics on how harmful Irish Moss could possibly be?
- --
"Come my lad, and drink some beer!"
Aaron Shaw
Ottawa, Canada
Return to table of contents
Date: 21 Apr 1994 08:56:08 PST
From: "JSDAWS1 at PROFSSR" <JSDAWS1 at PB1.PacBell.COM>
Subject: all-grain equipment & yeast samples
Just read a rather interesting post on the ease of building a cooler mashton.
Well.... after borrowing a freinds for awhile (which is what got me to try
all-grain initially... I made my own. It's a cheap and relatively easy design
which I've never seen mentioned. I've dubbed it the Suurballe-special after
its inventor. It requires no plumbing or disassembly of the spiggot.
I found 34 and 48 quart Rubbermade coolers at my local Safeway at ridiculously
low prices. After searching for months, I can now say with certainty... WAIT
UNTIL SPTING to buy your cooler. They will be widely available and at a
reasonable price. I got the 48-qt model. The copper manifold is the hard
part. You need to bend it and then cut the slots in the bottom. I used
3/8" copper. The manifold is simply jammed into the spiggot hole. I attached
a plastic siphon hose to the outside with a small hose clamp. Standard plastic
siphon hose fits snugly over the spiggot hole. The sparge flow rate
is controlled with a plastic pinch roller attached half way down the hose.
There's no leakage, altho I recomend re-tightening the hose clamp periodically.
The pinch rollers are available thru scientific equipment catalogs. Total
cost... about $30. Total effort.... about 8 hours. Capacity is 32 lbs
grain with room for sparge water and I got better than 30 points on my
first batch... a porter based on G.W. 2-row. I'm happy !
On another topic... my homebrew club recently collected and shipped
'yeast samples' from our members to a regional homebrew comp via UPS.
I received a call days later from the collection site informing me that
there were problems with my, and others entries... missing bottles, missing
entyry forms and checks. Apparently, UPS damaged the box and simply
re-packed what was left without notifying either the sender or receiver
that the package had been damagged. After chatting w/others in the Malts
who have experience running competitions, this appears to be standard
practice for UPS. They have denied any knowledge of the incident.
I don't have an answere... I'm just expressing my frustration and
annoyance over this shoddy approach by what I'd thought was a reputable
shipper.
| Don't anthropomorphize computers... They don't like it. |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| JACK DAWSON - JSDAWS1 - 415 545-0299 - CUSTOMER BILLING (BG) |
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 13:21:55 EDT
From: dipalma at sky.com (Jim Dipalma)
Subject: RE: Two problems...
Hi All,
In HBD#1404, David Knight writes:
>2) The beer has little flavor (that's what I was aiming for), but a rather
> strange aftertaste that I have trouble describing. The closest thing
> I can compare it to is milk.
I believe what you are tasting is the typical phenolic produced by
this strain of yeast. Wyeast 2112 California Lager is a steam beer yeast,
which produces a rounded, thick, slightly muddy phenolic (I have trouble
describing it too) when fermented warm.
>5 lbs of pale malt and 2 lbs of rice, O.G. 1.040, F.G. 1.006
^^^^^
>Primary ferment at 70 degrees
I've brewed about three dozen batches with this yeast, at primary
fermentation temps ranging from the low 50s to the low 60s. I
noticed that the phenolic flavor was more pronounced in batches fermented
at higher temperatures. With the batches done in the low 60s, the
effect was quite pronounced, it tended to dominate the character of
those beers, whose FG was ~1.015, and were fairly assertively hopped.
Fermented at 70F in a beer with FG of 1.006, I'd imagine the effect is
quite unpleasant indeed.
If you were aiming for a beer with "little flavor", an American
Light Lager, I suggest you selected the wrong strain of yeast, and then
fermented it too warm. Steam beers are generally fermented somewhat
cooler than 70F, are amber colored, medium to full bodied, and are
fairly hoppy. All of this tends to balance the phenolic flavor, and
produce a beer of marvelous complexity (can you tell I like steam beer?).
If you want a light, clean lager, try Wyeast #2007, which I believe
is called American Lager/St. LouIs pilsner, or some such. You should
also ferment this quite a bit cooler, 48F-50F or so. If you don't have
the facilities to do this, I'd suggest making an ale instead, using
Wyeast 1056 American/Chico ale yeast.
>bottled with 4 ounces corn sugar
>*NO* carbonation. There is a slight *pfft* sound when you open the cap,
Sounds like the bottles were sealed OK, sounds like the beer was
slightly underprimed to me.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jim
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 16:38:22 -0500 (CDT)
From: Frank Longmore <longmore at tyrell.net>
Subject: Corny Kegs on the Side
In HBD #1397, Michael T. Lobo asks:
>.....so my question is this: has anyone tried to store & draw
>beer from corny kegs lying on their sides? I figured I'd try...
I have the same problem (I only have one fridge for brew and don't
want to remove all the shelves to let a cornelius keg sit upright.)
I made a wooden holder - STANDBY FOR ASCII GRAPHICS!:
|| <- about 4" high with notch on the top for keg
||
|| <- length = inside fridge width - 4" ->
===========================================
(board width is about 4" or so)
<END ANSII GRAPHICS!>
This works great for me. I wouldn't recommend trying to bend
the pickup tube, just orient the keg so the tube is at the
lowest point of the keg. You can serve all but the last mug
of brew this way.
BrewHoHoHo,
Frank
>>>>>>>>>> Frank Longmore Internet: longmore at tyrell.net <<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>> Olathe, Kansas Compuserve: 70036,1546 <<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>> I feel more like I do now than I did when I started... <<<<<<<
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 17:49:26 EDT
From: venter at aol.com
Subject: Indoors Cajun Cooker
In HBD #1404, Lou King inquires about using a Cajun Cooker rated at 135,000
BTU indoors. This is potentially very dangerous. Devices like that don't
worry too much about the amount of carbon monoxide they produce since they
will be outdoors. According to existing safety Codes, indoor appliances with
no venting system are limited to much lower BTU rates. For example, a burner
on a residential cooking range is about 9,000 BTU.
Carbon Monoxide is an odorless and potentially lethal gas. Please do not do
this!
Bob Borgeson, Program Manager, American Gas Association Laboratories
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 17:52:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: rlenihan at world.std.com (Rich Lenihan)
Subject: Brewpots / Pay-Back
A couple of thoughts about ceramic on steel pots. I don't
trust the handles so I don't use them (the handles). I have
a hose from from the kitchen faucet to the stove that I use
to fill the pot. I sparge into the pot and siphon the boiled
and chilled wort directly from the pot to a waiting carboy
(which has yeast in it). Almost no lifting.
I also use a c-o-s pot as my mash tun. Once I have the grain
doughed-in and at temperature, I cover the pot and put it inside
the oven. This is about as good an insulated box as anything
you could build. Try it. I would be surprised if you lose
more than 2 degrees F in 60 minutes. Going all-grain will
take more time but it need not require *much* more work.
Of course, a 10-gallon Vollrath or sawed-off Sankey might not
fit in *your* stove but my c-o-s fits in mine. Oh yeah, it
helps if you have a fairly stiff mash (1.33qts/lb) and pre-heat
the oven briefly before putting the pot inside..
Finally, brewing from extract or all-grain are both costly,
time-consuming ways of getting good beer. But what's the
alternative? Buy commercially made beer? That will save you
a lot of time but the costs add up quickly. To see how quickly,
I plugged the following numbers into a spreadsheet. I used
what I consider to be average prices for equipment and ingredeints.
Obviously, you should be able to lower costs by shopping/scrounging
around. The equipment is based on what I use and would recommend
to new brewers. For instance, I don't consider a pot big enough to
hold a full wort boil and a wort chiller to be "optional" equipment.
YMMV. But, even with this "elaborate" set-up, extract and all-
grain pay for themselves in about 9 months. With my numbers, all-
grain has a slightly shorter pay-back period than extract but slightly
different prices could tip the scale to extract. Again, YMMV.
Note: this spreadsheet makes two MAJOR assumptions.
1. Every batch of homebrew is drinkable (ie: no snailbait)
2. You count the time spent brewing as entertainment,
not labor.
All prices are in U.S. dollars.
-Rich
Capital Equipment Extract All-grain
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
6.5 gallon glass carboy 20 20
5 gallon glass garboy 15 15
32 qt canning kettle 30 30
plastic bucket w/spigot 10 10
wort chiller 30 30
thermometer 10 10
hydrometer 10 10
48 12 oz bottles 3 3
bottle capper 20 20
chore-boy hop-strainer 3 3
air lock with stopper 2 2
racking cane 5 5
4 ft vinyl tubing 1 1
nylon mesh grain bag 0 13
ss vegetable steamer 0 5
16 qt pot 0 10
pH test strips 0 2
iodine 0 1
- ----------
Total fixed costs 159 190
Consumables for 5 gals
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
6 lbs malt extract 15 0
10 lbs pale 2-row malt 0 10
1 lb specialty grains 2 2
2 oz hops 2 2
1 packet WYeast 4 4
priming sugar, 48 bottlecaps 1 1
- ----------
Total non-fixed cost 24 19
Alternative source of beer
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 cases domestic micro-brew beer 40
Breakeven point (months): homebrew vs. storebought
Extract All-grain
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 batch/month -9.9375 -9.047619
Return to table of contents
Date: 21 Apr 1994 12:56:55 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: More info on Brass Parts
Hello Group,
In response to several questions I received regarding Brass parts, I decided to
get on the ball and make some calls. A couple firms have yet to get back to me,
but what I have found out is pretty significant.
I called Elkhart Supply? Co? (anyway, a large ruminant cardio-organ) in
Chicago, and spoke to Engineering. They supply brass parts to many of the large
hardware chains such as HWI, Ace, and Home Depot. They identified their
threaded fittings as being made from ASTM B584, alloy C84400, which is one of
the Leaded Semi-Red Brasses I identified in HBD 1404. This alloy has a lead
content of 7%. Elkhart uses this alloy for all of its threaded piece parts.
Other parts which are not threaded, but intended for soldering, are made from
C12200, which is a lead-free copper.
Elkhart buys their Valves which they distribute, from Nibco (NibCo?) also of
the Chicago area. Nibco makes a lot of valves including the gas and plumbing
quarter turn ballcock valves that many of us use. These are also made with ASTM
B584, alloy C84400. (7% Lead) (sigh)
But, Elkhart also told me that their parts and usage are indeed certified to
the Safe Drinking Water Act for Lead contamination/leaching. On the other hand,
that is with reference to water, not wort. But, we are talking about small
contact areas and times with any of these parts. The EPA conducts their tests
on water that has been standing in the presence of lead or lead-tin solders for
a matter of hours. Therefore I don't think the homebrewer is in much danger
from a small fitting. Any lead that could be leached out would be from the
surface, and not replenished by diffusion in the metal. The amount of lead
available at the surface for leaching is small, roughly one atom in five, based
on atomic percent. Hmmm, that still is not very reassuring. If someone has the
dissociation constant for this alloy in wort, of several representitive
gravities, using several representitive mineral buffered waters, then I could
calculate an atomic parts per million per hour for Lead release based on mass
of the part for each of the worts. Any takers? No??
Well, I am not going to worry about it for occaisional contact. For those
people who are using RIMS systems, where wort would be in contact with several
brass parts for (several hours), then you may want to find stainless steel or
use lead free copper (non-threaded) fittings with Silver Solder (making sure it
is both lead and cadmium free).
>From this information, we have a better idea of the risk, but still not much to
gauge its significance.
John Palmer Head Metallurgist for MDA-Space Station
palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com OR
palmer#d#john.ssd-hb_#l#15&22#r# at ssdgwy.mdc.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 11:28:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com>
Subject: cask ales, pt 4 (last)
Brewing Tips for Home Production of Cask Conditioned Ales:
The production of cask conditioned ales is not that different from the normal
production of homebrew. In both cases, the beer is naturally carbonated in
a closed vessal. The major difference is in the amount of carbonation that
is developed, typical ales and lagers are conditioned to about 2.5 Volumes
of CO2, while cask ales are closer to 1.5 - 1.75 volumes. When brewing cask
ales, there are two methods to follow:
a. Let the fermentation complete, and add a small amount of fermentables in
the cask.
b. Carefully monitor the fermentation and when the gravity is within 1 degree
Plato of the terminal gravity, bung the cask. This method is preferred but
can be difficult due to the requirement that the brewer know fairly accurately
what the real terminal gravity will be. This technique is simplified by
using SS soda kegs for dispense, and carefully venting excess pressure as the
cask conditions. The use of finings for the homebrewer can be an additional
effort that many may not want to bother with. In this case, be sure to use
a yeast that is known to be an excellent flocculater. If cask hopping is done,
only fresh whole hops or whole hop plugs should be used. Place the hops in a
permeable bag, using a sanitized weight to force the bag to the bottom of the
cask. If you intend to serve the beer as true cask ale, a gravity feed can be
employed but ideally, the cask should be emptied in one night.
A Brief Description of Styles [4]:
Type Original Gravity ABV Unfermented Matter* IBUs
"Ordinary" Bitter- 1.031 - 1.045. 3-4.6 27-45% 20-40
Draught Mild 1.030 - 1.036 2.5-3.6 29-48% 14-37
Best Pale 1.040 - 1.050 4.3-6.6 21-43% 19-55
Brown Ale 1.030 - 1.040 2.5-3.6 43-55% 16-28
Strong Ales 1.066 - 1.078 6.1-8.4 32-44% 25-43
Historically, IPAs were of much higher OG, but my experience has found that
today,
these are as low as 1.035 up to 1.045, and merely a hoppier version of Bitter.
Strong ales today are often found as "low" as 1.051 OG but frequently in the
1.062 range. Note that despite the relatively low alcohol by volume (ABV) of
all but the strong ales, these
beers have a lot of unfermented matter that gives the cask ales abundant body
and mouthfeel. Unfermented
matter is primarily composed of dextrins, which normal yeast cannot metabolize,
and as such the dextrins will carry over into the finished beer intact. The
use of caramel malts (or crystal malt as it is often called) will always
increase the quantity of unfermentable matter in a beer and caramel malts are
routinely used in the production of cask ales.
Many brewers create a wort of OG 1.055 or higher and dilute this into the
fermenter by adding boiled and cooled water to result in the 1.035 OG.
By using this technique, a degree of carmelization can be achieved from the
kettle processing that may result in beneficial flavor attributes.
Glossary of terms:
Burton Unions - Classic fermentation technique that recirculates the yeast
overflow from the fermenter into a collection tank and back into the fermenter.
Isinglass - A fining agent made from the processed swim bladders of fish,
primarily the Sturgeon fish.
Fining agents - Materials that help to clarify cask conditioned ales. Includes
isinglass , geletin, and in the case of protein removal, Alginol (negatively
charged polysaccharides).
Residual extract - Not to be confused with terminal gravity. Residual refers
to the amount of fermentables remaining at a certain time, these fermentables
will be metabolized by the yeast in suspension, given time to do so.
Stillage - A wooden device used to prop up and hold the cask in position for
dispense.
Terminal gravity - the final gravity of the beer. It is measured after all of
the fermentables are consumed.
Top Fermented Beers - beers fermented using a top fermenting yeast strain,
S. Cervesae. Yeasts of this class tend to ferment the wort through action
near the top of the fermenter, and also tend to rise to the top at the
fermenter at the end of fermentation.
Unfermentable Matter: primarily dextrins which normal brewers yeast cannot
metabolize. As a result, these body builders are carried over into the
finished
beer and contribute sweetness, body and mouthfeel. It can roughly be calculated
by reading the terminal gravity. A beer that has an OG of 1.040 and a FG of
1.010 has 10/40 unfermented matter, or 25%.
Yorkshire Squares - Classic square fermenters, made of slate at the Samual
Smith brewery. Consists of a slate bowl device that is situated above the
fermenter allowing yeast overflow to collect for removal or if left, re-
introduction into the fermenter.
About the author:
Jim Busch is an electrical engineer developing firmware under contract for
NASA, at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. An avid brewer
since 1988, and an all grain brewer since 1989, Jim can often be found in
his backyard brewery that he designed and built with Keith Harper in 1992.
Jim can be located on the Internet at: busch at daacdev1.stx.com
Footnotes:
1. Malting and Brewing Science, Vol 2, J. S. Hough et al, 1982, pg 688.
2. IBID.
3. The New Brewer, Vol 10, number 1, Jan-Feb 1993, "Its A Way of Life", by
Alan Pugsley, pg 39.
4. Analysis of commercial beers, Malting and Brewing Science,Hough et al,
1982, pg 780.
**********end cask ales***********
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 19:03:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: Kinney Baughman <BAUGHMANKR at conrad.appstate.edu>
Subject: On bended knee, my apologies...
Yesterday morning I awoke and read this stunning confession from Jack:
> Just for the record, it was you who called me a liar and fraud when I
> reported to have sold 100 MALTMILLS and gave one away to show my appreciation
> to the net.folk. As a result, I have felt totally at liberty to keep you
> honest ever since. If you wish to apologize for your rash statement, I am
> more than willing to get out of your hair.
Oh, Jack. You mean this hasn't been about water after all? All this
because I've been rude, acted the cad and hurt your feelings?
(Drum roll. All 6'8" of me on bended knee.)
Jack. Pleeeeease forgive me. Almost three years ago, in private email,
I rashly said I didn't believe you had sold 100 maltmills. (I don't
remember the liar and the fraud part, "fraud" not being part of my
lexicon but, hey!, if you said I said it, I must have said it. Goodness
knows I've been wrong about everything else.)
What I do remember is that when you were thinking about joining the
business end of the homebrewing hobby, you had asked me as a veteran
homebrewing business-person about the vagaries of this peculiar business.
Not wanting to dash the hopes of this anxious young wannabe, I remember
saying it's been a long haul but that things were beginning to change.
(Indeed, my and many other longstanding homebrewing businesses have more
than tripled sales in the last two years.) At that time you told me you
thought the malt mills were going to cost well over a $100. I recall
saying you would have a difficult time selling a piece of equipment for
more than a $100 in the homebrewing market. Clearly you took the advice of
this 10 year homebrewing business veteran, got the price down under a $100
and have a thriving business to show for it.
And I congratulate you on your success. Really. Your maltmill has been a
valuable contribution to the homebrewing community as I'm sure hundreds of
your customers can attest. And in the spirit of the brotherhood, don't
worry, I won't charge you a consulting fee.
But I hope you won't mind me saying here in front of our friends that I am
truly touched by this shocking admission of yours. To think, after all
these years, I thought you didn't care. Do you realize how much time we've
wasted?
:-* <Smack> :-*
I love you, too, Jack.
Kinney
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 8:36:40 MDT
From: npyle at n33.ecae.stortek.com
Subject: Mashing Crystal / Fridge
Bill H. writes:
>Norm Pyle writes:
>> This isn't logical. The mash contains enzymes which work to break
>> down starches into fermentable and unfermentable sugars. The longer
>> the enzymes are allowed to work, the more fermentable sugars
>> (smaller sugars) are produced as the enzymes chop away (remember
>> Charlie's picture of the little lumberjacks?). I can't see how the
>> unfermentable sugars in crystal malt are immune to this enzymatic
>> activity in the mash.
>I agree with your theory (and I do indeed remember Charlie's picture of
>the little enzymes chopping and nibbling away at the starch molecule),
>which is why I posted my original question about using specialty grains
>in a partial mash. It didn't make sense to me to include specialties in
In a side discussion, I was told that the dextrins in the crystal won't be
affected by the enzymatic activity of the mash. I've never read this myself,
or if I have I don't remember it, but then I've never read anything
conclusive to contradict it, either.
...snip...
>further enzymatic activity. However, I do logically question that if
>crytal malt can be further broken down, then why didn't it happen during
>the original mash when the grain was crystalized? Also, it's apparently
Well, the process of making crystal malt is temperature and time controlled.
Without enough time at saccharification temperature the enzymatic activity
wouldn't be sufficient to do this. As the temperature rises, the enzymes are
quickly denatured.
>a fact that many microbreweries mash all grains together (including the
>specialties), maybe due to time and equipment considerations, and this
>information may influence whether you would like to do the same. Of
I believe virtually all commercial breweries mash all of the grain bill
together. What this means to the homebrewer is unclear to me.
>course, if you have the extra pots you can choose to steep specialties
>separately. I guess it all just depends on the characteristic you're
>after. Anyway, I should talk, I have yet to mash, which was why I posed
>the question in the first place.
I mash all the time, and it hasn't helped me learn this stuff. Contrary to
the general beliefs of the esteemed capitalist from Chicago, some things you
just have to get from books. Sorry to admit I've not done enough reading in
this area.
**
Jeff, can I still call my refrigerator a "fridge"??? Frige just doesn't look
right. I guess I could say "ice box" to be safe, but then you folks might
think I'm old - its not true! ;^)
Cheers,
Norm = npyle at n33.stortek.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 16:24:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: GARY SINK 206-553-4687 <SINK.GARY at epamail.epa.gov>
Subject: D.C. Places
A correction to the message that said there were no brewpubs in
D.C. The Capitol City Brewpub is right across the street from
the Convention Center. They serve ales and lagers (emphasis on
lagers) and have some good food under $10. The beers range from
great to mediocre, and sometimes stray from the stated style,
probably to appeal to the untrained palates of the masses (I
know, I'm a snob), so ask for tastes first. It gets really
packed right after work, so expect a wait if you want a table.
Warning on the Brickskeller: if you order an obscure label,
there is a good chance the beer will be stale. It's amazing that
in cosmopolitan DC they have a place that serves 600 beers and
many customers still order "BUD". Otherwise, cool place.
Bardo in Arlington is worth the trip. Their own beers are
inconsistent, but there plenty of other choices. The food is
great, the service is lousy, but that's part of the charm.
As of two weeks ago there were no "brewpubs" in Old Town
Alexandria, but there are plenty of places that serve good beer.
Try Hard Times Cafe, an award-winning chili parlor.
The limited selection above is one reason I moved back to Seattle
after 4 years in DC.
I feel a little guilty (but not much) writing so extensively
about brewpubs in a "homebrew" group, but beer appreciation comes
with the territory. Is there another existing place where this
thread is more appropriate?
GSINK
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 1994 19:25:42 EDT
From: Bob Bessette <bessette at uicc.com>
Subject: Enamel-on-Steel w/King Cooker?
I just brought my new enamel-on-steel kettle home and I set it on my electric
stove and it doesn't sit even at all on one or two burners due to it's wide
diameter. So this leaves me with my only option. Buy a King Cooker... My only
question is can I use a King Cooker with an enamel-on-steel kettle or do I
need to have an all stainless steel kettle such as a cut-up keg or a very
expensive stock pot? I would like to know if anyone out there is using a King
Cooker with an enamel-on-steel kettle. If I cannot use this I want to bring it
back for a refund. Thanks in advance...
Bob Bessette (future all-grainer...)
bessette at uicc.com
Systems Analyst
Unitrode Integrated Circuits
Merrimack, NH 03087
Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1406, 04/23/94