HOMEBREW Digest #1607 Sat 17 December 1994

Digest #1606 Digest #1608


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


Contents:
  NA, MIT WIZZARDS (Jack Schmidling)
  Looking for Help - with Kegging (JWHITE)
  Sam Adams Thanks (Jack Skeels)
  Iodophor questions ("Timothy P. Laatsch)
  Brue-Heat and Phil's Phalse bottom... (Bob Bessette)
  Re: 5L Kegs and CO2 tanks ("Christopher V. Sack")
  kegging info (npyle)
  WINE-L ("AKI YAMASAKI/COXHEAD")
  Hop Starter for bread (THE SHECKONATOR)
  HOP VARIETIES (John Farver)
  looking for... (ELQ1)
  Pyramid Apricot Beer (Chris Cooper)
  Chico Ale yeast in the cold? (Bryan L. Gros)
  Cocca beer ("KEVIN A. KUTSKILL")
  re: American Yeast (William_L._King.Wbst311)
  SS Keg Mash Tun Conversion Request (Chris Barnhart)
  RE: Jim Koch pellets? / Good beer virus ("Mahoney, Paul")
  Beer-recipes ("Albert van Sambeek P1-CPI 133")
  Millin D/K Malt (Jack Schmidling)
   ("Harralson, Kirk")
  RE: Making a stout (Jim Dipalma)
  snippets (Steve Robinson)
  Eugenol and sugar (Jim Larsen)
  WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA ONLY!! (John Thrower)
  HUNTER AIRSTATS (Richard B Foehringer)
  RE:JK hops, misc (Jim Busch)
  Density ("pratte")
  Re: High Gravity Brewing (Paul Sovcik)

****************************************************************** * NEW POLICY NOTE: Due to the incredible volume of bouncing mail, * I am going to have to start removing addresses from the list * that cause ongoing problems. In particular, if your mailbox * is full or your account over quota, and this results in bounced * mail, your address will be removed from the list after a few days. * * If you use a 'vacation' program, please be sure that it only * sends a automated reply to homebrew-request *once*. If I get * more than one, then I'll delete your address from the list. ****************************************************************** 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: Wed, 14 Dec 94 23:01 CST From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) Subject: NA, MIT WIZZARDS >From: Ed Hitchcock <ehitchcock at sparc.uccb.ns.ca> >That's right folks, taking a 5% etoh solution and heating it to 180^F will not reduce the alcohol content. Perhaps I am missing something here but this seems to contradict much practical evidence to the contrary. Could be because I do not know what etoh means? I heated beer to 170F for 30 minutes and sent the samples to Cornell along with a before sample and the alcohol content was roughly cut in half. How can you suggest that nothing will evaporate when a liquid is heated? In fact, if you leave the beer sit around long enough at room temp, you will achieve the same results, viz., the alcohol will evaporate faster than the water. >Subject: Grain mills, KitchenAid etc. I seem to have lost the attribution on this but it was signed "Mac" >I happen to agree with the results of the crush off which was reported in BT {Zymurgy js} a couple of issues back. There may be manufacturing quality differences, but the ones tested can all provide an acceptable crush for homebrewing. I agree also except that the quality differences happen to be significant but were ignored and this made the article worse than boring. It was dishonest. If the only difference was quality, then this should have been the emphasis, not the boring sieve testing. > As JS pointed out, the group of award winning, BJCP, MIT engineer homebrewers who performed the test, probably don't understand how to design a test and didn't want to offend any of the BT advertisers. ;-) I don't recall pointing that out but if you had seen the original report they submitted to Zymurgy you would understand how inane your attempt at humor is. The report submitted to Zymurgy by the "award winning, BJCP, MIT engineer homebrewers" was the sleaziest piece of journalistic rubbish I have ever read and it was rewritten, edited and re-edited several times under threat of legal action from yours truly. I won't bore you (maybe I will sometime) with the whole original report but here is just one example of unbiased journalism produced by MIT BJCP wizzards... The following are the opening sentences of the paragraphs introducing each of the three mills.... "The Glatt Malt Mill is mostly constructed of sheet metal and formed steel plates with an approximate weight of 10 pounds. All metal parts are finished with a bright yellow enamel paint"...... "The Philmill is mostly constructed of electroless-nickel plated steel with a red-oak mounting board and weighs approximately 5 lbs"..... "The Maltmill is mostly constructed of fiber board and weighs approximately 16 pounds."..... Now I don't wish to be contentious but words do mean something and when something that weighs 16 lbs is described as "mostly constructed of fiber board" I would not expect it to contain 14 lbs of steel, aluminum and bronze. The major fiberboard part is the base which the "bright yellow enamel" mill does not even provide much less make it out of steel as one would be led to believe and the one made out of "red-oak" is only somewhat larger than a postage stamp. There are dozens of similar examples of objective, unbiased journalism and meticulous attention to details by the engineers from MIT in their report. The published version was edited enough to mitigate my wrath to the point of calling off the lawyers and I settled for simply writing a letter to the editor and declining continued support for the AHA. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to clear the air. js Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 08:20:33 EST From: JWHITE at octrf.on.ca Subject: Looking for Help - with Kegging Would anyone have any information about purchasing or building a keg/tap system so that I wouldn't have to worry about bottling and so I could have homebrew on tap for all of my friends who thinks that a good beer must come from Molson's. Information on equipment, prices, companies would be beneficial; pros and cons Also I live in Northern Ontario. Any and all information welcome... Jason J White Behavioural and Community Cancer Research Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre jwhite at octrf.on.ca Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 94 21:50 EST From: Jack Skeels <0004310587 at mcimail.com> Subject: Sam Adams Thanks Thanks to all who responded (Ed Holderman, Rick Larson, Mark A. Stevens, Don "DonBrew", Harry Covert, Glenn Gearhard, and Roger Grow) with recipes for Sam Adams Lager! I have compiled the answers and if you would like them, please drop me an e-mail and I'll pass them along. There were basically three recipes. FWIW, I've designed my own recipe (Extract and Spec Grains) as a result of the information that I received. As expected, a coiuple of folks wrote asking why I was so apologetic about brewing/drinking Sam Adams, and a few asked for recipes. I think that I have replied to those that asked for copies, so if you haven't received anything, let me know. BTW, there was one in the Cat's Meow, but I had an old version (oooops!) Thanks again! Jack JSKEELS at mcimail.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 10:02:38 -0400 (EDT) From: "Timothy P. Laatsch <LAATSCH at kbs.msu.edu>" <LAATSCH at kbs.msu.edu> Subject: Iodophor questions Hey HBDers, I know this has been discussed in the recent past, so let me put my ignorance on display and ask: Can someone give me the ins and outs of using Iodophor for sanitizing? I just picked up a 33 oz. bottle for use with my Christmas present (a kegging system! yes!) and realized that I am unsure what concentration to use for sanitizing bottles, carboys, kegs, etc and whether it needs to be rinsed. I *must* apologize for the novice/redundant question. Thanks for any help! BREW ON! Bones ================== tim laatsch laatsch at kbs.msu.edu k'zoo MI qualifications: virtually none (i.e. micro grad student) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 10:57:40 EST From: Bob Bessette <bessette at hawk.uicc.com> Subject: Brue-Heat and Phil's Phalse bottom... Fellow HBDers, I recently posted to the HBD about my first all-grain batch and had a few questions about the Phil's false bottom and the Bru-Heat. To re-cap, I had a "trickle sparge" as I called it with my first all-grain batch due to the Phil's false (phalse) bottom lifting up when I doughed in my mash water and grains. As a result, mucho grains ended up beneath the false bottom which let to the "trickle sparge". I also had some questions about the Bru-Heat. I had heard that there was some concern that a plastic taste could be imparted to the beer. Well, I want to thank the MANY responses I got to my questions/concerns and the many encouraging words about my venture to the all-grain process. First I would like to say that the overwhelming concensus about the Bru-Heat is that it DOES NOT impart any plastic taste to the beer due to the fact that the plastic is food grade. It was also suggested by many that using it for mashing was not recommended but there were some who did use it for mashing. It was better suited for heating sparge water and for boiling. Also it was recommended to buy the 220V style since it will be very difficult to achieve a boil with the 110V. This could be a problem though because you would have to use a 220V outlet such as your stove or dryer. I can easily access my stove plug via the drawer for the pans under my stove. All in all, I heard from many very happy and long-time users of the Bru-Heat and I am seriously considering it at least for heating sparge water and for boiling indoors. My other issue was the Phil's false bottom lifting up and getting the grains underneath. It was very nice to hear that there are many others out there who had similar experiences. Most of the suggestions were to just hold the false bottom down with a spoon until the grains are holding it down. One very innovative idea came from jeff humphreys who had this suggestion: >To prevent my false bottom from rising up, I use 3/8" copper >tubing (instead of plastic tubing) to run from the false bottom to the spigot >on my gott cooler. The rigidity prevents floating. Weights will slide around >while stirring the mash (tried that). The copper tubing is connected to the >false bottom with a 1" piece of siphon tubing . A standard #2 drilled rubber >stopper fits over the copper tubing and into the back of most 1" plastic >faucets available at homebrew shops everywhere. I also use a "gasket" made of >siphon tubing slit down the middle that fits around the circumference of the >false bottom to prevent grain from slipping under the f.b. This solution seemed to make the best sense to me because I would not have to worry about the false bottom rising up as a result and could concentrate on the grains. I just want to thank all who responded to me. I realize that I have moved into a new realm of the brewing world now that I have gone all-grain. I have no intentions of going back to the extract method and I hope by my posting to the net there will be others out there who will move to all-grain. Thanks again and I'll let everyone know how the "trickle sparge" brew comes out. BTW, it is bubbling away and smells wonderful. It's certainly nice to know I have some fermentables there... Bob Bessette (finally an all-grainer...) bessette at uicc.com Systems Analyst Unitrode Integrated Circuits Merrimack, NH 03087 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 10:21:04 -0500 (EST) From: "Christopher V. Sack" <cvsack at mailbox.syr.edu> Subject: Re: 5L Kegs and CO2 tanks Rich Lenihan asked: > 5L Kegs: > > Has anyone tried hooking up on of those 5 liter kegging systems to > a regular CO2 setup (tank, regulator, etc) instead of using the > disposable cartridges? The 5L mini-kegs sounds like a great idea, > but the disposable cartridges seem a little wasteful (and expensive). > I have not tried this myself because I have not yet started to keg, but I did find out something that might work. While at my local homebrew store, I noticed that the threads for the CO2 cartridge holder were similar to the threads of a 2L soda bottle. I asked the owner if he had a Carbonator (tm) I could borrow for a second. While the threads were not exact, the Carbonator fit well enough that it appeared to seal. When we attached the mini-keg to a CO2 tank, our little retrofit held the pressure without leaking. Is there a homebrewer who is willing to try this and report to us on the results? Christopher Sack Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 9:43:32 MST From: npyle at hp7013.ecae.StorTek.COM Subject: kegging info Wade Landsburg writes: > I started putting together a draft beer system several years ago, and >its finally completed. I'm having a few problems getting the carbonation >correct. I am told there is a formula used to calculate this, ie.temperature, >pressure, volume, etc.. Can any one help me out in this respect? This is in the archives; here's my standard archive info file: ** Here's three ways to get to the homebrew archives: 1) anonymous ftp to sierra.stanford.edu 2) email to listserv at sierra.stanford.edu; send HELP in the BODY of the message for instructions 3) via WWW; URL is ftp://sierra.stanford.edu/pub/homebrew You'll find the HomeBrew Digest archives, as well as general FAQs for the HBD and the usenet group rec.crafts.brewing. Also, there is a yeast FAQ, a hops FAQ, and some equipment files, including a good starter on kegging. A full- blown keg FAQ is in the works, as well as an all-grain FAQ. There are also lots of recipes and even some labels for your homebrew. Please use this valuable resource. Note that during peak hours the server may act strangely, including just ignoring you. Try to use it during relatively quiet times, and consider your time zone difference (it is in California, USA). Cheers, Norm Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 11:05:36 GMT -0600 From: "AKI YAMASAKI/COXHEAD" <YAMASAKI at ae.agecon.wisc.edu> Subject: WINE-L Hi, there. I am wondering if anybody knows about wine-making process and/or anyting about wine. Is there WINE-L at all??? I know it is silly to ask this question to "beer" folks, but I believe there are people who love wine as much as beer out there... Aki yamasaki at ae.agecon.wisc.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 12:21:01 -0500 (EST) From: THE SHECKONATOR <BSHECK at nimue.hood.edu> Subject: Hop Starter for bread My wife called my attention to a recipe for bread starter. The recipe is from _The Complete Book of Breads_ by Bernard Clayton, Jr. Simon & Schuster, NY Copyright 1973. We got the book when, a looong, loong time ago when we first were married (circa 1971) we joined the Doubleday Book Club, and it was one of the monthly offerings. I am not sure whether it is still in publication. Throughout the years, my wife has produced many delicious loaves from the directions in this book. But it was just today that she mentioned to me the recipe for a HOPS STARTER that I sat up and took notice. I have only been brewing since October, 1992; since then, I have been in tune with anything relating to yeast/hops/malt/etc... Sure 'nuff, on page 307 of aforesaid book, there is a recipe for HOPS STARTER. I will repeat it, no intent to defraud the original copyright intended: [ BTW, if you think I have violated the sacred copyright of the author, please disregard the following post, hitting the delete key until you see the next message...] Quote: Hops Starter 3 cups water 1 quart fresh hops or 1/4 cup packaged dry hops 1/2 cup cornmeal, white or yellow 2 cups mashed potato 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1. In a saucepan bring water to a boil and steep hops for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid; discard the hops. If necessary add water to make 3 full cups of liquid. 2. Pour 1 cup of the hops liquid in a saucepan and stir in the cornmeal. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it thickens slightly, remove from heat. 3. In a large mixing bowl combine cornmeal mixture, mashed potato, sugar, salt and the remaining 2 cups of hops liquid. Cover the bowl with a length of cheesecloth and set in a warm place (80-85 degrees F ) for 24 to 48 hours or until well fermented and bubbly. Stir every 8 hours or so during this period. 4. When the starter is frothy and smells pleasantly fermented, pour it into a 2 quart jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator until clear liquid has risen to the top of the mixture in about 2 days. Stir down - it is ready to use. To replenish when only 1 cup remains; add water, cornmeal, mashed potatoes, sugar and salt (as to begin). Set in a warm place. It will ferment and become active in about 8 hours. Store in refrigerator. <--------------------> Comments: I know from reading the HBD that hops act as an inhibitor to nasty microbes, but will allow yeast (fortunately) to propagate. In the list of ingredients, "1 quart fresh hops or 1/4 cup packaged dry hops" I can only imagine what the original author means. I kinda guess if you used 1 quart of whole hops, you'd wind up with one helluva heavy hop load <Just my cup of tea!>. I have yet to taste a brew that had tooo many hops in it. ----<Hi, my name's Bob and I am a Hop Head.>---- Para 2: D'ya think this is a lame attempt to 'mash-in' the cornmeal? I haven't tried this yet. I'm no longer in pursuit of the perfect loaf. I'm in pursuit of the better batch <G>. {Don't let yer batch loaf} - --> Nuclear Families _DO_ Glow in the Dark! BSHECK, ME-SHECK, abendigo! >>>-------==The Sheckinator==------<<< "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." -Groucho Marx Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 09:29:49 -0800 (PST) From: John Farver <bruticus at pnw.net> Subject: HOP VARIETIES In HBD 1595 some one ask about Lublin and Strisselspalt hops. I'm slow but here it is. French Strisselspalt is a major aroma hop from the Alsace area near Strasbourg. AA%-3.0-5.0, Beta %-3.0-5.5, cohumulone is 20 to 25% of alpha acids. It's a well accepted aroma hop similar to Hersbruck in profile. The aroma is of medium intensity, pleasant and hoppy. Polish Lublin is a Landrace variety grown in the area of the same name and widely believed to be a clonal selection of Sazz. AA%-3.0-4.5, Beta %-2.5-3.5, co-humulone is 25 to 30% of alpha acids Another source of the classical noble aroma type hop with long and strong traditions. The aroma is mild and typical of noble aroma types. Tip- there is a new bittering hop out called Columbus (15% AA) good hop not overpowering. Ask your supplier to get some. Also due to a shortage of the extremely popular Centennial hop Hop Union has began making a blend called Centennial-Type, it is very close and is good on its own merits. The above info comes from my pals at Hop Union USA here in Yakima. Later, John Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 10:34:56 PST From: ELQ1%Maint%HBPP at bangate.pge.com Subject: looking for... A clone recipe of Red Tail ale? All-grain or extract for my buddy the rightious rev. Rio-Samma, a first time pendejo brewer. Thanks in Advance Ed Quier ELQ1 at PGE.COM 707-444-0718 wk. Brewing Live! from behind the Redwood Curtain, Eureka! Ca. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 15:43:54 -0500 From: Chris Cooper <ccooper at a2607cc.msr.hp.com> Subject: Pyramid Apricot Beer Just a quick inquiry for a net-impared friend: Does anyone out there in HBDland have any information on an apricot beer produced by Pyramid brewing or some simular name, she would like to get some of this beer for her husband and an address or at least a clue as to where this brewery is would be helpful. TIA (private email is fine). Malty Christmas and Hoppy Brew Year to all. Chris Cooper , Commerce Michigan --> Where ever you go <-- ccooper at a2607.cc.msr.hp.com --> There you are <-- Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 15:11:27 -0800 From: bgros at mindseye.berkeley.edu (Bryan L. Gros) Subject: Chico Ale yeast in the cold? Darryl Richman, in his book _Bock_ mentions that Wyeast 1056 (aka Sierra Nevada yeast, or Chico ale yeast) works well down to 50F. If so, this would be a good yeast for people who's basements get this low this time of year. Has anyone experience with this yeast at this temperature? I just made a pale ale with this yeast which fermented fine at about 60-62F. - Bryan bgros at mindseye.berkeley.edu Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Dec 94 20:02:29 EST From: "KEVIN A. KUTSKILL" <75233.500 at compuserve.com> Subject: Cocca beer I recently received a package of some fine imported cocca powder, and my first thought was (of course) BEER! :-) Is there anyone out there that is willing to part with a good, tried and true recipe for a beer using cocca powder? TIA, Kevin Kutskill, Clinton Twp., MI 75233.500 at compuserve.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 04:44:42 PST From: William_L._King.Wbst311 at xerox.com Subject: re: American Yeast Greetings: Both Wyeast's and YeastLab's American Ale yeast are reputed to be sourced from Chico. What, where, or who is Chico? Bill K. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 8:17:31 EST From: Chris Barnhart <clbarnha at letterkenn-emh1.army.mil> Subject: SS Keg Mash Tun Conversion Request Hi all, Anyone have any good ideas, plans, etc. for converting a 15.5 gallon SS keg to a mash tun? I'm currently using the picnic cooler/slotted copper manifold setup. I think the SS keg setup will give me a lot more flexibility with mash types, allow direct heating, not to mention durability. Thoughts? On another note, I'm getting a lot of bounced mail trying to respond to folks about roller mill plans so I'm not ignoring those who haven't heard from me. Send a SASE and I'll make sure you get a set of plans. Barny Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 09:01:00 PST From: "Mahoney, Paul" <MAHONEYP at hq.sylvania.com> Subject: RE: Jim Koch pellets? / Good beer virus According to the Boston Beer Company the main brewery is in Pennsylvania somewhere. This is where Jim Koch makes his brew! The R & D brewery is in Boston where they try different modifications to their brew as well as new types of brew, such as a Sam Adams IPA that they are currently market testing! Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 14:56:05 +0100 From: "Albert van Sambeek P1-CPI 133" <avs at gpa.fuji-ef.nl> Subject: Beer-recipes Hello, I'am a Dutch homebrewer for 5 years now, and I want to try some other beer-recipes. Who could E-mail me complete recipes including: Ingrediants with quality classes Maisch schedule etc. etc. I'am looking for sweet-beer recipes for about 18 liter (5 gallon) especially "Tripel"-beer with 7-9 % alcohol. I normally use yeast which has an optimum temperature at 22 degr. Celcius (72 degr. F.) If you e-mail me info about brewing techniques, please explain the englisch brewing slang into "child-englisch", because I don't have enough knowledge from the englisch language to understand it properly!!! Thanks in advance......... Albert "SAM'S BREW" van Sambeek avs at gpa.fuji-ef.nl The Netherlands Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 08:30 CST From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) Subject: Millin D/K Malt >From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> >RE: D/C Pils malt. Anyone having problems milling this stuff? My JS motorized MaltMill seems to gag on this malt. Jack, any experience or advice? Experience yes, advice... hmmm... I have been using nothing but D/C Pils as a base malt for several years and have nothing but good things to say about it. Perhaps a little elaboration on the word gag? If you tell me the serial number of your mill, I can help you trouble shoot the difficulty but we should probably take it off the Digest till we fix it. js Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 10:10:00 EST From: "Harralson, Kirk" <kwh at roadnet.ups.com> Subject: Sorry this is late, but I've been out of town and am just now catching up. What happened to HBD 1605??? Kinney Baughman writes: >That's the very reason I designed the BrewCap...so you *wouldn't* have to >rack to a secondary. <snip> >Besides, I invented the whole concept of upside down brewing and have been >advocating it for almost 11 years now. I covered all the bases and offered >an affordable product to the homebrewing community from day one. Why does I'm glad Kinney took the time to comment on these questions. The HBD is at its best when the experts lend knowledge in their field to the rest of us. While we have your attention, I would like to ask a few questions about upside-down brewing. Is there a clever way to dry hop or add fruit (or fruit flavoring), or any other additions typically made to the secondary without racking? I don't see any easy way to do this, but I thought you may have an alternative method. If you did have to rack, would you have to lift the inverted carboy, with stand, to counter top level to drain it into a secondary? It seems like this would be a pain. I assume that most people use these for ales and steam beers only; at least I know I would have trouble getting one set up in my refrigerator for lagering. I have heard that these will not work on the 7 gallon acid carboys, which is what I use almost exclusively. Is this true? Is there any plans to make a BrewCap for these carboys? With the tap on the bottom, it must simplify drawing hydrometer samples considerably. Has anyone ever thought of a way to integrate a hydrometer, or some other device, to the carboy/BrewCap system to allow continuous monitoring of the specific gravity throughout the fermentation process? I really have no idea how to do this, but wouldn't it be great??? >While we're on the subject, there appears to be one other big difference >between our two products. The BrewCap uses a 1/2" blow-off tube. The >Fermentap blows off through a *siphon cane*. Anyone ever popped a cork on >their carboy because a hop leaf clogged the siphon hose? I asked in a previous post if anyone had a leakage problem, and nobody commented. I may be pessimistic, but this seems to be a huge risk. I routinely clog airlocks, so I don't think it would take much to clog a siphon cane. I think its only a matter of time before someone ends up with 5 gallons of beer on the floor. >- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Kinney Baughman BrewCo | Beer is my business and > baughmankr at conrad.appstate.edu | I'm late for work. >- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Did you ever get any comments about Charlie P. "borrowing" your slogan and t-shirt for the picture in his new book? I read what you posted a few months back and expected some comments, but I never saw any. Kirk Harralson Bel Air, Maryland Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 10:27:29 EST From: dipalma at sky.com (Jim Dipalma) Subject: RE: Making a stout Hi All, In HBD#1605, Peter Williams asks about making stout: >The first deals with brewing salts. >Miller - gypsum lowers ph, calcium carbonate raises ph - dark grains tend to lower mash ph, therefore, adjust ph with calcium carbonate. >Papazian - all stout recipes in TNCJHB call for gypsum additions. >Who is right?(if either) Adding dark grains to the mash will acidify it as Miller says. I interpret his advice as given above as adjust pH with calcium carbonate if necessary, i.e., if the addition of dark malts drops the mash pH below 5.2. If your mash pH is roughly in the range 5.2 - 5.5, don't add anything. Personally, I've found when brewing porters and stouts, I get much better results just adding the dark malt at the beginning of mash out. When I added them to the mash, I got harsh, metallic notes in the finished beer. As far as Papazian's recipes calling for gypsum, IMHO it is not good advice to recommend the addition of brewing salts without detailed knowledge of the water chemistry involved. Water supplies vary greatly, even within relatively small geographic areas, so I suggest you obtain a water analysis before adding any brewing salts at all. >Finally - I am using the Wyeast Irish(1098?) liquid yeast. Any >suggestions as to appropriate fermentation temps? FWIW, here's the blurb I have on that yeast: WYeast 1084 Irish Ale Yeast Slight residual diacetyl is great for stouts. It is clean smooth, soft and full bodied. Medium flocculation and apparent attenuation of 71-75%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 68 deg. F (20 deg. C). Soft, round, malty; the least attenuative of the Wyeast line. Very nice for any cold-weather ale, at its best in stouts and Scots bitters. >Basement is cool - 55F but steady. I've seen a lot of this in the digest lately, people with cool basments looking for different yeast strains, etc. My basement is also in the 50-55F range this time of year. I use a large cardboard box, big enough to hold two 6.5 gallon carboys, with a 40 watt bulb installed. I set another piece of cardboard in front of the bulb to baffle the light, and close the lid. It maintains a steady 65-68F inside for pennies a day, and I don't have to lug full carboys upstairs. Jim dipalma at sky.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 10:31:41 EST From: Steve Robinson <Steve.Robinson at analog.com> Subject: snippets A few odds and ends from HBD #1606. (BTW, what happened to 1605? None of the subscribers at my site seem to have received it.) Bob Paolino flames Jim Koch for contract brewing. While this was certainly true when he started, since 1989 he has been shipping product out of his brewery (the old Haffenreffer brewery) in Boston. In addition to doing his pilot brews and recipe development there, he also makes most of the Boston Lager and Stock Ale that we see in the metro Boston area. The equipment there was purchased from the old Newman's Brewing Co. in Albany, and he has an annual output of 10,000 barrels. So while the rest of the country may get contract brewed Sam Adams products, here in Boston he makes it himself. And yes, I know that Jim Koch is a marketing sleazeball who engages in business by prosecution, but he still makes a damn fine pint of beer. Peter Williams asks about water treatment for making stouts (amongst other things). There are two questions that need to be resolved in order to answer this. First, what is the mineral content of your brewing water to start with? Second, what is the mash pH with the grains that you use for brewing stouts. pH will be lowered by the presence of cations (primarily Ca+ and Mg+), which react with phosphates naturally present in the mash to free up hydrogen (H+) ions. The presence of carbonate (CO3-) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions in the mash buffer this pH reduction by providing other negative ions for the metals to react with. Dark malts are naturally acidic, and will assist in the pH reduction of the mash. This is why dark beers were originally brewed in places with high carbonate water. So monitor the pH of your mash after doughing in. Ideally you would like to be in the range from 5.2 to 5.5. If your water is moderately carbonate to start with, you will probably arrive here naturally. If the pH is too low, you will need to raise it somehow. Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3 - chalk) is pretty insoluble in water, but may be added directly to the mash. Baking Soda (NaOH - sodium hydroxide) may also be used to raise the pH. If your pH is too high, then it needs to be lowered through the addition of more calcium, probably in the form of gypsum (CaSO4) for stouts. Finally, Dan McConnell posts the origins of the YeastLab strains. Does this imply that the YeastLab A02 (Chico) is the same strain as Wyeast 1056; that Yeastlab A04 (Whitbread) is the same as Wyeast 1098; that YeastLab A05 (Guiness) is the same as Wyeast 1084; or that YeastLab L34 (A/B) is the same as Wyeast 2007? Also, I was encouraged to see that the YeastLab A03 is the Whiteshield yeast, as Worthington's Whiteshield is the beer that I try and emulate with my pale ales. Steve Robinson in North Andover, Mass. steve.robinson at analog.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 09:40:39 -0600 (CST) From: jal at gonix.gonix.com (Jim Larsen) Subject: Eugenol and sugar Brian Cole (Cole at nevism.nevis.columbia.edu) writes of eugenol, peppers and cloves in his beer. I brewed my Christmas ale (a loose interpretation of a triple) using D&C's Belgian ALE malt, some of the lighter D&C specialty malts, sucrose, tettnanger hops, and Wyeast Belgian (O.G. 1.070). Primary fermentation was two weeks at ~60F, secondary (conditioning) ~40F for two months. I bottled with 3/4 cup sucrose and a tablespoon of active yeast. The beer was fully carbonated in five days (due to the active yeast, I assume) and has a distinct peppery flavor, but no clove. I'm still new to using Belgian malts, I've never before put table sugar in a beer, this was my first use of Wyeast Belgian and the first time I added yeast at bottling. Any or all of these variables may have created the peppery flavor. It's an interesting flavor, not at all unpleasant, and rather appropriate to the holiday beer. I still would like to know what caused it. Any information would be most appreciated. - ------------- Chris Williams (inline at VNET.IBM.COM) bemoans the lack of a sugar faq and passes on an interesting piece on sugar production and its intermediate products. For more information on sugar in brewing, check out Jeff Frane's article in Brewing Techniques. I forget which issue, but some time this year. Jim jal at gonix.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 10:49:23 -0500 (EST) From: John Thrower <JThrower at RDC.NOAA.GOV> Subject: WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA ONLY!! DC METRO Area only-------------------------------------- Sorry for the waste of bandwidth for this request. But need to do some brewing this weekend and have been motorless for the past week. The only hops and yeast I have are in the fridge and have been there for the past 6 months. Am not able to make it to Master Brewers --- is there any place that is metro accessible that I can pick up supplies? Specifically the yeast, worst case I can use the hops. TIA John Thrower JTHROWER at RDC.NOAA.GOV Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 08:20:22 PST From: Richard B Foehringer <Richard_B_Foehringer at ccm.fm.intel.com> Subject: HUNTER AIRSTATS Text item: Text_1 Fellow brewers, I have found a source for the now defunct Hunter Airstats. If any one is interested send me private email or call direct at 916-985-7299. They are more expensive than before at $39.00 + shipping, but still a bargain as compared to what else is out there. regards Dick F. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 11:33:49 -0500 (EST) From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> Subject: RE:JK hops, misc Jim wrote: <The thought of receiving a <pound of pellets horrified me and sent chills down my spine. My flesh <crawled and...well, it bugged me anyhow. relax, you could do a lot worse than using some good noble pellets. <The nice girl told me it would be four to six weeks for delivery of my hops FLOWERS, not pellets. I can now go on with my life. Well, dont end your life, but they will be pellets. A friend just got his pellets. <In closing (assuming the girl at BBC knows her stuff), I would like to ask those of you who must flame Sam Adams to please try to know what you are talking about rather than just assume the worst. The girl lied to you. Bob wrote: <The beer he markets is brewed at the F.X. Matt brewery in Utica, probably still the largest contract brewer in the country. (I believe it's brewed someplace else for the western markets, the Triple "Bock" barley wine is brewed in California, and some of the seasonals may(?) be brewed someplace other than Utica.) Actually, the Tripple bock was brewed in the midwest, I believe in Wi or MN, and fermented/aged in the Ca winery, yes a winery. FX matt makes some of the SA beers, as does Pittsburgh Brewing (Iron City), Wilkes Barre (Porter), and Blitz Weinhards. <But let's get this straight, Jim Koch doesn't make beer, at least not anything that I see in the store. If he does, I hope someone will correct me. Some of the specials may come from Jamaica Plains, where he operates a beautiful dual fired full decoction system from The Pub Brewing (with stirring motors under the tuns , not above). Alan asks: <I would like to know, though, if there are any commercial brewers out there that do use whole hops, & if so, how they procure & store them. The biggest one I know of is Sierra Nevada. Also Anchor. Its not that hard of a task, you buy huge orders from the hop brokers (Hop Union, Lupofresh, etc) and they store them cold for you, shipping a couple of months worth as needed. They need to store them cold anyway, so it is a service to large customers. Also, small breweries like River City in Sac, use whole hops, and Old Dominion has started to dry hop using whole hops because the brewmaster (and I agree) feel it imparts a better quality of aroma. Yes oils are burst in the pelletization process, but Im skeptical as to if this is benefit. Also, Anchor Libery sits on big sacks of Cascade for about 3 weeks prior to packaging (even though one can dry hop OK in a few days). Jim Busch Colesville, Md r Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 12:08:10 EST From: "pratte" <PRATTE at GG.csc.peachnet.edu> Subject: Density O.K., one more time for Al and Anthony (I'm starting to regret ever posting on this subject, it's beginning to eat way too much of my time.) When I use the word TEND, I don't mean STRATIFY. Please quit trying to put that word in my mouth. Yes, lighter elements will diffuse into one another. However, the heavier elements will have a greater concentration at lower levels than they will at higher levels. Why is this? (I apologize for using a little physics here, but my abilities have been called into question.) In the absence of intermolecular forces (ex. Van Der Waals forces), the concentration of a gas at a height h is given by n(h) = n(0) exp(-Mgh/kT) where M = mass of the molecule g = gravitational constant k = Boltzmann constant T = temperature in K If we allow the system to sit for an extended period of time and diffuse like Al and Anthony suggest, then T is the same for all molecules. Hence, a heavier molecule like CO2 will experience a faster fall off in concentration than lighter ones like O2 or N2. This means that the ratio of CO2 to O2 at lower levels is greater than it is at higher levels (i.e. the CO2 tends toward the bottom, the O2 tends toward the top). Does this mean that I will die from a lack of oxygen at the Earth's surface? No, the oxygen is still there; however, the ratio of CO2 to O2 is greater here than higher up. Does this analogy carry over to liquids? For some liquids, yes; for others, no. The mere fact that they are liquids means that there are intermolecular forces. My initial statement was that if additional intermolecular forces do not become too great upon dissolving, then the less dense components (alcohol) will tend toward the top of the container. For a multi-component system like beer, I would not even begin to try to work out the intermolecular forces to determine if this is true. I only offer as evidence a difference in specific gravity readings made from the top of the vessel after a long period of quiescence and after mixing (and yes, I do believe .003 is significant since it has been repeated several times and because it would be a lowball figure since the mixed sample should have a lower SG than a sample from the bottom of the tank after the long period of quiescence). A much better data point would be to actually measure the alcohol content from the top and bottom after the quiescent period. Since I don't have access to equipment that will allow me to make this measurement, I leave this to someone else. John - -------------------------- Dr. John M. Pratte Clayton State College pratte at gg.csc.peachnet.edu Office (404)961-3674 Fax (404)961-3700 - -------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 10:55:37 CST From: Paul Sovcik <U18183 at UICVM.UIC.EDU> Subject: Re: High Gravity Brewing Jim Busch commented that high gravity boils are useful in homebrewing, however high gravity fermentations may lead to negative results: I have been thinking that high gravity brewing may have a real role in making a light Budmillooors type beer without needing to use adjuncts. Since I have quite a few friends and neighbors who greatly prefer standard american beers over beers with stronger taste profiles, I have been looking for a way to make homebrew that would make their tastebuds as well as mine happy. Ideally, Id like a beer that was 1) Malt extract based (to lure future homebrewers with) 2) cost effective ( rice syrup costs more per pound than malt extract..) and 3) Had a reasonable alcohol content. Seems to me that maybe making an American Standard clone (sans adjuncts) might include high gravity fermentation. A recipe with 3 lbs. of light malt extract, 2 lbs of corn sugar, maybe some carapils for a bit of body and low hops would probably give a beer with a pretty good flavor profile for your average bud drinker. Now, considering that corn sugar will ferment out cleanly given enough nutrient for the yeast, the way to maintain adequate yeast nutrition (from malt extract sugars) may be to do a high gravity fermentation and than dilute the beer by 50-75%. This would give a desired light flavor profile wihtout diluting the alcohol past 3% or so. If brewed with a clean profile yeast (lager or 1056 Wyeast), unpleasant ester formation may even be able to be controlled for. Does this make sense, or am I missing something? -Paul Paul Sovcik University of Illinois at Chicago Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1607, 12/17/94