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


Contents:
  re: SN yeast (Mark Stevens) <stevens at stsci.edu>
  Re: boil over (a.e.mossberg)
  re: Volume vs. weight measurement (Mark Stevens) <stevens at stsci.edu>
  plastic keg problems (617)253-0885" <CASEY at NERUS.PFC.MIT.EDU>
  Sierra Nevada yeast culturing (BRWJ)
  Homebrew Digest #366 (February 27, 1990) (Jay Hersh)
  Re: Homebrew Digest #366 (February 27, 1990) (Todd Koumrian)


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Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 10:25:06 EST
From: (Mark Stevens) <stevens at stsci.edu>
Subject: re: SN yeast


In Homebrew Digest #366, Florian B. writes (in reference to
Sierra Nevada using only one strain of yeast):
 
>Where do you get your information? From their PR people? And if so,
>how can you trust them?

It's probably more likely than unlikely that they *DO* use only one
strain of yeast.  A couple months back I attended a talk given by
Gary Heurich (owner of Olde Heurich Brewing Co.), he talked about
why he chose Pittsburgh Brewing Co. to do his contract brewing
and he discussed their yeast strains.  Seems that they use only
*ONE* yeast strain for every beer, from Olde Frothingslosh to
their best contract ambers, and that the yeast itself is a very
good, pure strain.  Heurich said that if a brewery does NOT use
only a single strain that they risk infection of the strains
by each other and that by restricting your brewing to that single
strain you can better maintain its purity.  This seemed to make
a lot of sense.
- --Mark Stevens
  stevens at ra.stsci.edu


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Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 15:31:15 GMT
From: aem at mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU (a.e.mossberg)
Subject: Re: boil over

In digest <1990Feb26.221834.18563 at mthvax.cs.miami.edu> hplabs!mage!lou writes:


>I have always used a glass (pyrex?) or stainless "boil over preventer" after I
>spent two days cleaning my first batch out of the stove.  While this is quite
>effective at preventing boil over, I've wondered what effect it might be having
>on my hot break.  I'm not real sure what to expect from a hot break so I can't
>tell if it's making any difference.  Any suggestions out there?


What is a "boil over preventer"?


aem

- -- 
a.e.mossberg / aem at mthvax.cs.miami.edu / aem at umiami.BITNET / Pahayokee Bioregion
A people who extend civil liberties only to preferred groups start down
the path either to a dictatorship of the right or left. - William O. Douglas


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Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 10:33:54 EST
From: (Mark Stevens) <stevens at stsci.edu>
Subject: re: Volume vs. weight measurement


In Homebrew Digest #365, Dick Dunn discussed some of the problems in
converting measurements:
Dick is absolutely right that you can't measure whole hops (or even
pellets) by the cup.  In addition to the problems he discussed is
the variable amount of bitterness between hops from year to year or
grower to grower.  Since reading Dave Miller's "Complete Handbook"
I've been paying more attention to alpha units than to quantities
and have begun applying his methods for determining how much of any
given hops to add to a batch of beer.  This lets me tweak the recipe
more reliably and better duplicate a batch of a particularly good beer.
I've also started experimenting with some of the higher-AAU hybrids,
with good results in some beers, such as in an IPA.
- ---Prost,
   Mark Stevens
   stevens at ra.stsci.edu

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Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 13:29 EST
From: "JEFF CASEY / (617)253-0885" <CASEY at NERUS.PFC.MIT.EDU>
Subject: plastic keg problems


	Does anyone have any experience with those 10 liter plastic kegs
(I forget the brand name, but the ones with the CO2 cartridge in the top
and the fake wood grain on the sides).  I bought one a few months ago, and
haven't had much luck.  There have been a couple of good batches where it
held pressure well, but once the spigot broke, and I had to get a new one
from the dealer, and now the plastic pressure valve (the piece that the
o-ring seats on) has broken as well.  Is this kind of experience unusual?
Also, the 10psi that it maintains seems a little high (the beer gets quite
a head on it), and I keep thinking I should put a weaker spring on it to
drop it down to 5-6 psi.  Should I get a new valve or junk the whole thing 
and go whole hog with a Cornelius system?   Any advice appreciated.  
If you respond to me,  I'll summarize to the net.
                          Thanks.   Jeff Casey

          casey at nerus.pfc.mit.edu   (best address)
   or     jac at pinet.aip.org
   or     70411.573 at compuserve.com


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Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 15:55 EDT
From: BRWJ%VAX5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU at CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Sierra Nevada yeast culturing

While gossiping with the local brewpubmaster, we started talking about
yeast culturing.  He maintained the Sierra Nevada actually uses TWO
yeasts, one for fermenting, which is then removed by filter, and a
second strain for conditioning in the bottle.  Those of you striving to
recreate Bigfoot Ale by culturing off the bottles may (if my info is
good) be culturing the wrong strain.

Jackie Brown (Back in the saddle)        Bitnet: BRWJ at CRNLVAX5

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Date: 27 Feb 90 12:18:12 EST
From: Jay Hersh <75140.350 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Homebrew Digest #366 (February 27, 1990)

hi folks,
   yes it is me the chronic troublemaker of the homebrew world, back
 again after a short hiatus (which did not include typing lessons).
 A few preliminary comments/ questions

 1) Did Chuck Cox say he was the world's fattest homebrew judge???
    or did I just misread that???

 2) Did any of you judges get this thing from the AHA saying that
   if you pay them a yearly fee then they'll kindly send you quarterly
    updates on your judging points. I seem to remember that when I signed 
  up for the test I was told that the $35 fee covered the costs of 
   administrating my judge file and that I would be sent periodic
   (yearly) updates on my points to date. Needless to say they haven't
   been doing this. As a matter of fact it seems that every time I 
  judge a competition I have to hound them to post the points. Now this
  could be the result of the competition organizers not properly 
  reporting the points, but I organized the Troy Homebrewers Comp.
 two different years and found that even though I reported the points
 it was only after I received complaints from the judges and made a
 follow up inquiry some 6-8 months later in response to these complaints
 that the points were actually awarded. So what do we have here??
  A system where you pay a lot of money to take a test, and then have
  to pay more money just to get people to do what they were supposed
  to do in the first place.

  I have let my AHA membership lapse, in case you guessed. It costs 
   a tiny bit more to get Zymurgy (which is a great publication)
  in my local Homebrew store, The store almost always had their copies
  2-4 weeks before my subscription arrived (when I worked at Hennessy
  Homebrew I used to read the whole thing at work before my subsrciption
  ever arrived and I only worked one night a week for 4 hours). I also 
  used to give the paper cup level of additional sponsorship on a yearly
  basis (Yeah I'm no J.P. Morgan so what??) and they would typically
  omit my name. In any case since it has been really hard for me to make
  it to the AHA conferences the last few years cause of work, etc.. the
  only real incentive I had to be in the AHA (the conf. discount) is
  not applicable. Othwerwise I just assume not support them until they 
  get their act in gear. Personally I think H.U.D. is a better run 
  organization. I have visited with the people at the AHA on my visits
  to Col. in the past, and I think very highly of them. They're real 
  nice people, so don't get me wrong this is not a personal attack.
  I just do not believe that the AHA is doing a very good job as a
  membership organization and I will most likely continue to chastise
 it until it changes its ways somewhat. Comments, questions, please
  feel free to flame me at

  75140.350 at compuserve.com

  No I still haven't really learned to use paragraphs yet. Yes I do hope
  to do more than just flame the AHA in this discussion. Right now I'm
  pressed for time, and want to get some viewpoints before throwing out
  any attempts at constructive suggestions.

	bye-
		jay h



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Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 17:01:15 PST
From: todd at NISC.SRI.COM (Todd Koumrian)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #366 (February 27, 1990)

Thanks for sending those.  I've finally started to get them legitimately
from homebrew-request, so you can stop forwarding the digests to me.

Todd

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #367, 02/28/90
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