HOMEBREW Digest #225 Fri 11 August 1989

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

Contents:
  Re: Ginger beer (dw)
  re: newsletter illustrations  (Darryl Richman)
  Finnish Brew (Tom Hotchkiss)
  Bisulphite in canner (florianb)
  Canadian entry (mhalley)
  Ginger beer
  TREACLE - How do I prime with it? (Mike Fertsch)
  Ginger Beers (Lance "Turtle" Smith)
  sodium metabisulfite (iwtio!korz)
  Brew Book List / comment on Glyserine / Yeast Query (LLUG_JI)
  Helpful Hints on Making Beer (Dr. T. Andrews)


---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10 Aug 89 08:01:43 EDT (Thursday) From: dw <Wegeng.Henr at Xerox.COM> Subject: Re: Ginger beer It seems to me that Ginger would be better in a lighter beer than a darker beer. This is because a strong malt flavor might overshadow the ginger (depending on how much ginger you use, of course). I've always used it in beers made from a can of light extract and a couple pounds of honey (definitely a light beer!). /Don Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 07:01:02 PDT From: Darryl Richman <darryl at ism780c.isc.com> Subject: re: newsletter illustrations From: "1107-CD&I/VIRUS DISEASES" <henchal at wrair-emh1.army.mil> "I am a new editor for the BURP NEWS, the monthly newsletter for the "Brewers United for Real Potables (Washington DC Metro area). Congratulations! I'm going to be the newsletter editor for the Falcons. "I am looking for art work or illustrations related to brewing to "incorporate into the newsletter. If anyone has any computer "generated or scanned pictures can you please contact me. These can "be in just about any format (.MAC, .GIF, .PIK, .SIT, etc). Absolutely. I need whatever is available as well. Erik, I have drawn a few beer glasses, but other than that, I haven't got anything either. If you want some of my crude drawings, I'd be happy to binhex them and send them across. Please let me know of any sources you come upon. Papazian once mentioned the idea of the AHA supplying clip art to nl editors, but nothing has come of it. It came up recently on Compu$erve, but I never saw Charlie respond to it. I've also asked a couple of the editors of Zymurgy, but no response there, either... advTHANKSance! --Darryl Richman Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 8:52:55 MDT From: Tom Hotchkiss <trh at hpestrh> Subject: Finnish Brew In digest #224, Gary Benson asks about some low alcohol brew from Finland. He states that the brew is "rather dry with no aftertaste," and wants to duplicate it in the US. He concentrates on where to get the appropriate yeast. It seems to me that if you end up with a "rather dry" beer, then you must have fermented out most or all of the sugar. If the result is also low alcohol then it seems to me that the original gravity must be quite low. So, I'll guess that the malt extract is either low in sugar, or the recipie is such that the extract is diluted more than for a regular beer. This is just a guess and the other possibility that comes to mind is some sort of yeast that eats sugar without producing alcohol (what's the point), although I have never heard of such a beast... Also, nancyb asks about sulfite in her canning kettle. I don't have any ideas for fixing your problem, but there is an obvious way to prevent it (please excuse me if you already know this, but I am known as a "master of the obvious"). You don't need to sanitize your boiling kettle, so just use something else to hold the sulfite. Food grade plastic buckets work nicely. Tom Hotchkiss Return to table of contents
Date: 10 Aug 89 08:11:37 PDT (Thu) From: florianb at tekred.cna.tek.com Subject: Bisulphite in canner In #224, Nancy Ball asks: >For several batches of brew, I have used my large, enamelled canning >pot for sterilizing with sodium metabisulfite. Now that it is >canning time, I find that I cannot get all the residue out of that >pot. Even though it has been scrubbed with great vigor and boiled Try boiling a solution of one cup white vinegar in five gallons of water. Don't breath the vapors that are released. Yes, let this be a lesson. It isn't necessary or even useful to use sodium metabisulphite to sanitize beer brewing equipment. That practice is apparently a carry-over from fruit and wine processing. Instead, use a solution of tri-chlor or plain chlorine bleach as prescribed by the better modern beer brewing books. [Florian Bell, Boonesborough, Oregon] Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 12:32:00 EDT From: mhalley at leif.mun.ca Subject: Canadian entry When I moved here, I brought some few bottles of home- made products (all meads and wines) with me. A certain amount (I can';t remember how much) was duty-free. Beyond that point, I had to pay duty on my own stuff. Other than that, there did not seem to be any problem. I suggest making contact with either Revenue Canada or your Canadian friend, who can do similarly, and asking the question from the people who know. It may be that I was ripped off, simply because the border guys had never had the problem before. It may also be that it's a no-no and I somehow got away with it. Who knows? Give it a crack, anyhoo. --Ye Olde Batte Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 08:27 CDT From: "What do you mean, what flavor is it? It's a bloody albatross!" Subject: Ginger beer Greetings, home-brewers: I looked up Vagabond Ginger beer in Papiazan a couple of nights ago (I'm still a little fuzzy on the name) and his recipe calls for dark extract. I guess that the ginger in this recipe is supposed to be a hint (I don't recall how much ginger he uses, though -- mornings are never my strong point :-)). Is honey interchangeable with corn sugar pound for pound? - Ted --- Patrick T. Garvin ptgarvin at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu / ptgarvin at uokmax.UUCP Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 13:22 EDT From: Mike Fertsch <FERTSCH at adc1.RAY.COM> Subject: TREACLE - How do I prime with it? This weekend, I am planning on brewing up an Old Ale. One of my favourite commercial Old Ales is Old Peculier, made by Theakston's in England. I found a recipe for an Old Peculier look-alike in Dave Line's book, "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy". He calls for several 'unusual' ingredients - the ingredient list for 5 Imperial gallons is: 4# dark malt extract 8oz. roast barley 8oz. crystal malt 2# dark brown sugar 2oz. Fuggles hops 5 sacharin tablets He primes with 3 oz. Black treacle. I will not use sacharin in my beer. Instead, I may add brewer's licorice or lactose for sweetness. The amount of fermentables seems low; I may add a pound or two of light extract to increase the gravity to the mid-fifties. Other than that, I will follow the recipe. What is treacle? My dictionary says that treacle is the British word for 'molasses'. If I prime with molasses, is 3 oz. (by weight) the REALLY the right amount? I suspect that different brands of molasses have different amounts of fermentable sugars, giving different carbonation levels. Does anyone have experience with priming with molasses? What is the correct amount? I plan on using Grandma's molasses, from the grocery store. I also have Demarara (sp?) sugar in my cupboard; what is it, and can I substitute this for either the brown sugar or the molasses? Mike Fertsch Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 14:05:18 CDT From: Lance "Turtle" Smith <lsmith at umn-cs.cs.umn.edu> Subject: Ginger Beers I haven't tried honey in my beers (I have enough trouble getting the malt extract into kettle) but I have tried a few ginger spiced. My approach is to keep the ginger low so that the first thing a person tastes isn't the ginger. I have tried recipes with more ginger that turned out fine, but I don't want to drink two cases of the stuff. Anyway, I'd suggest against using ginger with either the Old Ale or the Scottish Ale. M & F Old Ale is one of the best kits around (one of the few that can be made without the full hour boil) and it's very heavily hopped. I think the hops would really overpower the ginger. If you have the Geordie Scottish Ale kit, I think the same arguments apply. If I remember correctly it too is well hopped. (BTW Charlie has a Best of the Kits recipe that uses Geordies Scottish Ale. Summer of 1987 issue of Zymurgy.) Light or Dark beer. That really depends on what you're after. I think the mixture of a dark beer maltiness and ginger goes together well. However, if you're looking for more of a Ginger Beer (the nonalcoholic kind that inspired ginger ale (?)) you'd probably be happier with a lighter beer (with a good dose of crystal malt) and a higher amount of ginger. Vagabond Black Beer (name varies a little in CJoH and original Zymurgy recipe) is a really good recipe to start with if you like dark beers. I like to replace the M&F Dark Extract with John Bull Dark Extract. The John Bull extract seems to have a roast barley taste the M&F doesn't. I also replace the sugar and light extract with a little less dark extract. The end result is close to a stout, but somewhat lighter in mouth feel. Very dark. Even the foam is dark brown. Again I aim towards the low end of the ginger scale with this recipe. Cheers -- Lance Smith (lsmith at umn-cs.cs.umn.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 16:15:38 mdt From: att!iwtio!korz at hplabs.HP.COM Subject: sodium metabisulfite >For several batches of brew, I have used my large, enamelled canning >pot for sterilizing with sodium metabisulfite. This I don't understand. Why are you using sodium metabisulfite for beer? It is not recommended (by Papazian and others) because it imparts an undesirable flavor to the beer. >Now that it is >canning time, I find that I cannot get all the residue out of that >pot. Even though it has been scrubbed with great vigor and boiled >with plain water several times, jars that are boiled in this pot >will always have a coating of the sodium metabisulfite. A great >batch of grape butter might be endangered from this. Doubtful. I'm not a chemist (I don't even play one on TV), but my guess is that your residue is lime and not sodium metabisulfite. Even if it is, if it doesn't scrub or boil off, it isn't coating your jars. Secondly, I don't see any harm in the outsides of the jars being coated with anything (except for toxic waste). Relax, don't worry, have a grape butter sandwich and a homebrew. Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 12:38 EDT From: <LLUG_JI%DENISON.BITNET at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Brew Book List / comment on Glyserine / Yeast Query I just installed the summer edition of "Books In Print" which is a CD-ROM product, naturally I tested it with a search on brewing... here is the result. (I did ask, the copyright person here said I could post this to the network if I included the following) Copyright (c) 1987,1988 R. R. BOWKER, All rights reserved. Love, Ed & Powell, J. Peterson. Brewery & Beer Trademarks. Official U. S. Government Records Staff, illustrator. (Illus.). 92p. 03/1989. $9.95 GBC bound. (ISBN 0-945821-09-3). Villa Publishing Syndicate. La Hausse, Paul. Brewers, Beerhalls, & Boycotts: A History of Liquor in South Africa. (History Workshop Topic Ser.: No. 2). (Illus.). 67p. 12/1988. Paperback text edition. $9.95x. (ISBN 0-86975-332-0, Ravan Pr). Ohio University Press. Miller, David G. The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing. Clarkson, Sarah M., editor. LC 87-46447. 256p. 09/1988. $19.95. (ISBN 0-88266-522-7, Garden Way Pub); Paper. $9.95. (ISBN 0-88266-517-0, Garden Way Pub). Storey Communications, Incorporated. Haiber, William. The Great Beer Safari. Haiber, Mona W., illustrator. (Illus.). 100p. (Orig.). 09/1988. Paperback text edition. $9.95. (ISBN 0-944089-01-1). Info Devels, Incorporated. Shanken, Marvin R. The Impact American Beer Market Review & Forecast, 1988 Ed. (Illus.). 80p. 10/1988. Paper. $395.00. (ISBN 0-918076-61-7). Shanken, M., Communications, Incorporated. Priest, F. G. & Campbell, I., editors. Brewing Microbiology. 278p. 08/1987. $77.50. (ISBN 1-85166-062-3, Elsevier Applied Sci England). Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Incorporated. Pollock, J. R., editor. Brewing Science, Vol. 3. (Food Science & Technology Ser.). 611p. 06/1987. $161.00. (ISBN 0-12-561003-3). Academic Press, Incorporated. Erickson, Jack. Star Spangled Beer: A Guide to America's New Microbreweries & Brewpubs. (Illus.). 156p. (Orig.). 09/1987. Paper. $13.95. (ISBN 0-941397-00-9). Redbrick Press. The American Beer Market: Past Performance, Current Trends & Strategies for the Future. 265p. 07/1986. $750.00. (ISBN 0-317-55182-5). Business Trend Analysts. Burch, Byron. Brewing Quality Beers: The Home Brewer's Essential Guidebook. (Orig.). 07/1986. Paper. $3.95. (ISBN 0-9604284-1-0). Joby Books. Ghobadian, A. The Effects of New Technological Change on Shift Work in the Brewing Industry. 190p. 01/1986. Hardcover text edition. $42.50. (ISBN 0-566-05132-X, Gower England). Gower Publishing Company a. Hough, James S. Biotechnology of Malting & Brewing. LC 84-14313. (Cambridge Studies in Biotechnology 1). (Illus.). 168p. 09/1985. $42.50. (ISBN 0-521-25672-0). Cambridge University Press. Peaty, Ian P. Brewery Railways: An Historical Survey. (Illus.). 96p. 07/1985. $24.95. (ISBN 0-7153-8605-0). David & Charles, Incorporated. Papazian, Charlie. The Complete Joy of Home Brewing. (Illus.). 352p. (Orig.). 09/1984. Paper. $8.95. (ISBN 0-380-88369-4). Avon Books. Mares, William. Making Beer. Danziger, Jeff, illustrator. LC 83-48868. (Illus.). 04/1984. Paper. $9.95. (ISBN 0-394-72328-7). Knopf, Alfred A., Incorporated. European Brewery Convention Staff. Elsevier's Dictionary of Brewing. 264p. 03/1983. $113.25. (ISBN 0-444-42131-9). Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Incorporated. Hunter, Beatrice T. Brewer's Yeast, Wheat Germ, Lecithin & Other High Power Foods. (Good Health Guide Ser.). 07/1982. Paper. $1.95. (ISBN 0-87983-278-9). Keats Publishing, Incorporated. Hough, J. S. Malting & Brewing Science, Vol. 1. 2nd ed. 300p. 08/1982. $47.00x. (ISBN 0-412-16580-5, NO. 6550, Chapman & Hall). Vol. 2, 1983; $65.00x. (ISBN 0-412-16590-2, NO. 6511). Set; $95.00x. (NO. 6877). Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated. Reese, M. R. Better Beer & How to Brew It. LC 81-7003. (Illus.). 128p. 11/1981. Paper. $7.95. (ISBN 0-88266-257-0, Garden Way Pub). Storey Communications, Incorporated. Beadle, Leigh P. The You Brew It Yourself: The Complete Guide to Home Brewing. 99p. 1981. $5.95. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Incorporated. Keddie, James & Cleghorn, William. Brewing in Developing Countries. 200p. 09/1980. Paper. $11.50x. (ISBN 0-7073-0250-1, Scot Acad Pr). Longwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. Downard, William L. Dictionary of the History of the American Brewing & Distilling Industries. LC 79-6826. (Illus.). xxv, 268p. 11/1980. Library binding - adult. $55.00. (ISBN 0-313-21330-5, DOD/). Greenwood Press, Incorporated. Hawkins, K. H. & Pass, C. L. The Brewing Industry. 1979. Hardcover text edition. $37.00x o.p. (ISBN 0-435-84399-0); Paperback text edition. $11.95x. (ISBN 0-435-84400-8). Gower Publishing Company a. Pollock, J. R., editor. Brewing Science, Vol. 1. (Food Science & Technology Ser.). 12/1979. $137.00. (ISBN 0-12-561001-7). Academic Press, Incorporated. Orton, Vrest. The Homemade Beer Book. LC 72-89742. (Illus.). 02/01/1973. Paper. $4.95. (ISBN 0-8048-1086-9). Tuttle, Charles E., Company, Incorporated. Salem, Frederick W. Beer, Its History & Its Economic Value As a National Beverage. LC 72-5072. (Technology & Society Ser.). (Illus.). 292p. 12/29/1972. Repr. of 1880 ed. $19.00. (ISBN 0-405-04722-3). Ayer Company Publishers, Incorporated. Baron, Stanley W. Brewed in America: A History of Beer & Ale in the United States. LC 72-5030. (Technology & Society Ser.). (Illus.). 424p. 12/29/1972. Repr. of 1962 ed. $33.00. (ISBN 0-405-04683-9). Ayer Company Publishers, Incorporated. Anderson, Stanley F. & Hull, Raymond. Art of Making Beer. rev. ed. 10/13/1971. Paper. $5.95. (ISBN 0-8015-0380-9, Hawthorn). Dutton, E. P. Schluter, Hermann. The Brewing Industry & the Brewery Workers' Movement in America. LC 70-143653. (Research & Source Works Ser.: No. 611). 03/1971. Repr. of 1910 ed. Library binding - adult. $20.50. (ISBN 0-685-03285-X). Franklin, Burt, Publisher. Steele, Ashbel. Chief of the Pilgrims: Or, the Life & Time of William Brewster. facs. ed. LC 72-133535. (Select Bibliographies Reprint Ser). (Illus.). 1857. $23.50. (ISBN 0-8369-5567-6). Ayer Company Publishers, Incorporated. Brew Vocabulari Catala-Castella-Angles de Comerc Exterior. (Span., Catalan & Eng.). 43p. $12.95. (S-37580). French & European Publications, Incorporated. Rosenblum, Martin J., editor. Brewing: Twenty Milwaukee Poets. Frwd. by Rosenblum, Martin J. LC 72-89435. $6.95. (ISBN 0-89018-008-3); $6.00x soft. (ISBN 0-89018-007-5). Pentagram Press. Modern Brewery Age Bluebook. $135.00. (ISBN 0-686-31373-9). Business Journals. ============ END OF BOOK LIST ============ also RE: Freeze Shield I have been purchasing USP glyserin at my local pharmacy (behind the counter) for about $6.25 a pint (430 somthing milliters), this seems to work fine and is less expensive than reagent grade stuff at chemical supply stores, I autoclave the stuff in a glass bottle prior to use (15 lbs for 15 min.). If they don't stock it (most have smaller bottles) usually a pharmacist will order it for you. Question on Wyeast lab yeasts. I had always liked the way Edme dry ale yeast worked, I started it in warm water and added some wort to that during the boil, it smelled very nice, and I have not had any contamination problems. Since I switched to Wyeast, I've noticed that the package (both lager and ale) smells kinda funky when its opened. I usually start the pack, transfer it to a yeast culture flask (all totally sterile) and the resultant ferment still has the same smell. I further notice the smell in the blow off gasses from the ferment, but by the time I bottle and open to drink the stuff it has dropped off. 1. Could it be the yeast strains Wyeast is using? (or some lab process?) 2. Is this true of other brands of lab yeast? 3. Has anyone else noticed this? I may try to do a single cell isolation of the Edme yeast and get a pure strain of it going. Any comments? John L. Isenhour LLUG_JI at DENISON.BITNET Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 89 21:59:06 EDT From: Dr. T. Andrews <ki4pv!tanner at bikini.cis.ufl.edu> Subject: Helpful Hints on Making Beer I would strongly advise you to NOT break your foot on Sunday, if your schedule calls for racking the stuff on Monday. It is not practical to muscle around a carboy (empty, much less full of beer!) if you are on crutches. This past week-end, I was finally able to walk usefully without the crutches, though moving a carboy full of beer seemed out of the question. I racked (primary fermentation to secondary was the original plan) into a second plastic bucket. The stuff should still be quite fine. (to be) Really Incredible Ale may be made by mashing together all of 5-7# pale malt 3# crystal malt 2# wheat and, at boiling time, adding 2 oz northern brewer (1 1/2 hour, the entire boil period) 1 oz halertau (1/2 hour) 1/2 oz cascades (the first harvest from my hops vines, 15 mins) Started on Saturday, foot broken on Sunday. Not transferred to secondary ferment, therefore, until Saturday -- a week in primary! More reports later. I think that it'll be good stuff; the wheat helps to make a beer very suitable to the warm climate. This has been a hot summer; it has topped 100 (measured in the shade at the back of the house) several times. Amusingly enough, the summer intern doesn't care to drink alcohol. No problem, of course \(em I am happy to take up any slack. -- ...!bikini.cis.ufl.edu!ki4pv!tanner ...!bpa!cdin-1!ki4pv!tanner or... {allegra attctc gatech!uflorida uunet!cdin-1}!ki4pv!tanner Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #225, 08/11/89
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