HOMEBREW Digest #4603 Sun 12 September 2004


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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Harvest time? (David Glowacki)
  Re: ATC Refractometer from Northern Brewer ("Greg 'groggy' Lehey")
  Is is possible to keg beer from a can??? ("Brendan Oldham")
  Re: Candi Sugar (Adam Reynolds)
  Viscosity of beer ("Dave Draper")
  Latest Radio Program/Candi Sugar ("Graham L Sanders")
  High Altitude Hop Cultivation (Dan Fink)
  Re: Sanke Spears and British Caramel Taste (tony)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 22:24:45 -0400 From: David Glowacki <glowacki at en.com> Subject: Harvest time? Hello, All! Despite the cool and wet summer here in the Cleveland area, I have a hop plant that has managed to squeeze out 20-24 blossoms. This is the first year it has produced anything other than leaves, and I was wondering when I should be harvesting...how do you know when they are "done"? Thanks in advance for your advice! Dave Glowacki Novelty, Ohio Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:26:27 +0930 From: "Greg 'groggy' Lehey" <grog at lemis.com> Subject: Re: ATC Refractometer from Northern Brewer [Format recovered--see http://www.lemis.com/email/email-format.html] Empty lines removed. On Thursday, 9 September 2004 at 10:28:04 -0500, Rob Dewhirst wrote: > On Tue, 7 Sep 2004 22:37:12 -0400, Charles Boyer wrote: >> Rather than using a friend's refractometer, I would suggest using a >> hydrometer instead, to see if specific gravity reading from it matches >> the specific gravity calculated from the Brix reading on your >> hydrometer. > > A couple of people suggested this. When I am relying on my > refractometer, I generally don't have enough liquid for a hydro sample. > I took some readings last night and compared them with my hydrometer and > the refractometer is comparable -- THIS time. In the past it has not > been. A good start, I suppose. >> From: Christopher Farley <chris at northernbrewer.com> >> After calibrating at a non-zero point, try distilled water again >> and make sure that reads zero. If it doesn't, then something is >> definitely wrong with the instrument and you should return it for a >> replacement. We have sold hundreds of these instruments, and have >> found very few (<<1%) defective units. If you suspect the unit is >> faulty and don't want to go through the bother of testing it, just >> ship it back and we can test it for you. > > I don't think the unit is defective. I think there is something > systematically wrong with either my calibration method, my sampling, > or reading. I was hoping there might be something unique about this > unit that someone else figured out that would help me determine the > problem. I've been scratching my head about this. I find that refractometers are much easier to handle than hydrometers (which tend to stick to the side of the tube, and which in my experience have far too short a scale). I really can't think what mistake you could have made with the refractometer. Are you sure that your friend's refractometer is also calibrated in Brix? Greg - -- When replying to this message, please take care not to mutilate the original text. For more information, see http://www.lemis.com/email.html Finger grog at lemis.com for PGP public key. See complete headers for address and phone numbers. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 15:29:59 +0000 From: "Brendan Oldham" <brendan_oldham at hotmail.com> Subject: Is is possible to keg beer from a can??? It's like Christmas! I've got access to an unlimited amount of a fine Pale Ale (well, not unlimited, but virtually - 3,500 cans). The catch is that it is in 12 ounce cans and I need to return the cans by the end of September (I'll explain later). I a considering kegging a bunch. Will this work??? Please help me save the beer! Obviously, I'll try to minimize oxidation, but I'm not sure the best way of accomplishing this. Thanks in advance for any help! P.S. I have the beer because a friend has entered a contest that involves the purchase of 150 cases of this stuff. Sounds crazy to me, but I picked up 10 cases last night...it's for real! Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 14:28:59 -0600 From: Adam Reynolds <safrax at comcast.net> Subject: Re: Candi Sugar In response to Denny Conn's question about candi sugar: The March-April 2004 issue of "Brew You Own" magazine has an article entitled "Sweetness: Brewing Sugars and How to Use Them" by John Palmer. In the article he states that: Belgian candi sugar is sucrose that has been caramelized to some degree, depending on the color. Dark candi sugar will have more of a caramel taste than the amber variety. Aside from the caramel notes, it will behave exactly like table sugar. He goes on to say that Lyles Golden Syrup, as well as Molasses and Treacle contain invert sugars. An accompanying table listing various sugars and their properties shows that candi sugar consists of sucrose, whereas the invert sugars are glucose and fructose due to the inversion process. Hope that answers your question, Adam Reynolds Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 14:30:49 -0600 From: "Dave Draper" <david at draper.name> Subject: Viscosity of beer Dear Friends, A colleague of mine is working on a project modeling the physical- chemical properties of hydrous fluids. As part of this, he's looking for data on the viscosity of standard American beer, such as Budweiser. No, I am NOT making this up! He's on the faculty of the Dept. of Geological Sciences at U Michigan in Ann Arbor. His name is Youxue (pronounced "YO-sha") Zhang, and can be reached via email at youxue at umich dot edu. Just send to him directly. Here's his own words: "I am looking for actual viscosity values (mPa s) of Budweiser beer. The measurement can be done either at a few bars of pressure so that there would be no bubbling, or do it at normal 1 atm pressure after bubbles are gone. I am trying to model a data set. When I assumed the viscosity of Budweiser beer is identical as that of water, there is a small discrepancy. Hence I would appreciate it if you could post a request to your beer group." [So, perhaps Bud isn't *quite* water after all...!] Any of you who may be able to help out, don't feel like you have to dumb it down for a geologist-- this fellow was the second best math student in all of mainland China the year he graduated from college, and THAT is saying something. Many thanks, Dave in ABQ David S. Draper, david at draper.name Institute of Meteoritics, 1 Univ New Mexico, MSC03-2050, Albuquerque, NM 87131 http://epswww.unm.edu/iom Lab: http://epswww.unm.edu/highp Homepage: http://www.unm.edu/~draper Commercial email unwelcome. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 12:39:48 +1000 From: "Graham L Sanders" <craftbrewer at bigpond.com> Subject: Latest Radio Program/Candi Sugar G'Day All Well the last of the cold has passed us by in the tropics. Temperatures are starting to rise from the freezing 16C minimums we have been experiencing the last few days. Now with the warm weather now all but here, my brewing, more importantly my drinking, now changes to lighter beers. Pilsners first, Then my Heaven Heffe, My Kinda Kolsch, and of course The Famed Tropical Flower Wit. Its interesting that thru all this I have to continue to get the radio program up on the net. More than a few people give me e-mail hell if it doesn't go up. Seems there are a few craftbrewers out there that dont mind listening to a lot of mad NQLDers ramble on. There's a little group in the ol USA who get together and have a session with me, as well as a couple of groups in England. You sods must have rocks in your head, or strong beers. But by far most listen to the program doing one activity >>>>>>>>From: RoadGlyn ....I sat down Thursday night with almost 20 gallons to bottle. Turned on the Craftbrewer Show and had a wonderful time. http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/index.shtml#Sound Yes it seems that most people put on the show when they bottle. I suppose they need some light entertainment that is beer related as they go about this awful boring job. So for all you poor listeners the latest Radio program is up on the net to listen to. Do enjoy, and as always, give me feedback. Denny continues to ask on Candi sugar >>>>>>>I have looked and looked and still can't find any references to candi sugar being either inverted or carmelized.<<<<<< A lot of this depends strongly where and what you read. What is clear just by tasting the stuff it aint "just plain ol sugar". Whether you call it lollies, sweets, candy, whatever, the taste alone tells you the sugar has been worked over. The sugars have definitely been caramelised. Ask any person who still makes lollies the old fashion way. It all about cooking the sugar. Different flavours of sugar lollies, be it caramel or toffee, and the host of flavours inbetween, can be achieve just like mashing, by manipulating temperatures, and times. In fact lolly making is a true art in itself. My Nana told me its a long slow boil with lowish heat that always makes the best sweets. Now its interesting that you can get these flavours at below boiling point. It takes some time mind you. I recall from the old brain-box that the reaction can start at 80C (happy to be corrected as I am a little merry on some beer and too lazy to check), naturally this reaction becoming far quicker the higher the temperature. And apply any heat, especially in an acid environment should invert some sugar. But most references I see says most candi sugar is mostly sucrose - cane sugar, but has a little inverted sugar. And further proof is inverted sugar does not crystalise anywhere as easily as sucrose for the average punter. Also>>>>>> As far as I can find, candi sugar is made by crystallization, not cooking.<<<<< Sorry not so. Candy sugar is cooked. Yes its crystallised, but its crystallised from a HOT sugary liquid. The temperatures this sugary liquid is maintained determines flavour, like all lolly making. In my article, I dont bother with the slow method of crystallisation, I just evaporate to get it to a crystal form for storage. Its the cooking before hand thats the key. If I am making some on the day of my brew, I dont crystallise it, but heat and caramelise (cook) it and add it in liquid form. That one advantage of stainless steel fermenters, I can pour hot liquid "candi" straight into the fermenter. Saves me trying to get it into a crystal form. >>>>>> Also, in tasting medium and dark candi sugars, I don't detect any hint of carmel at all<<<<< Nether do I. As I said, its all in the cooking, temperatures and times. I'm using caramelisation in a generic term. You dont have to make caramel to caramelise. Shout Graham Sanders oh Bloody Phil is going to get it. Not only did he steal my young Swedish brewing maids and made them dance about naked, he sent young randy bucks up to me instead. You will keep, for SWMBO is getting all excited. But I pity these blokes, for she will use them, abuse them and spit them out. Leaving a poor tormented wreaked sole behind (that looks a lot like Phil Yates). The RSPCA is going to sue me over this - it aint human or humane. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2004 11:26:35 -0700 From: Dan Fink <danbob at starband.net> Subject: High Altitude Hop Cultivation Hello all; new to the list, but have been homebrewing and writing since 1989. I live at 8200 ft elevation in northern colorado--harsh winters with tons of snow, temperatures down to 30 below zero F, short growing season, frost possible and common even in June, July and August. 5 years ago I decided to put in some Cascade hop rhizomes. Carefully prepared the soil, fertilized with manure, put them in a spot that gets lots of roof runoff water, in general made it real nice for them. Year one: nothing came up Year two: nothing came up Year three: had already given up, "them hops is dead." Then while trimming vegetation around the house in August because of fire danger, noticed a pair of hop shoots, and left them. They got to about 1 foot in height. Year four: Same 2 hop shoots came up in June, and got to about 6 feet in height. Got a grand total of 14 hop flowers, enough to use as "chew" between the cheek and gum.... Year five (this year!): Take a look at the photo I just shot today: http://www.otherpower.com/images/hops.JPG getting a bit ragged and yellow because we've had 6-8 good frosts already (first frost was in mid-August), and they probably need some extra nitrogen. Had to go out every day this summer and train them away from the solar panels. Watching the resin glands and the weather forecast extremely closely, and will probably harvest in the next few days, before we get a big snow (any time now). The moral of the story......be patient in a harsh environment. I've grown hops in town, and they come up fast and thrive and get 30 feet high.....but the extra years for them to adjust to the climate up here seem to have paid off. They could go clear to the roof next summer. Dan Fink Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2004 20:37:44 +0100 From: tony at thebarnsleys.co.uk Subject: Re: Sanke Spears and British Caramel Taste Sorry Tom, Should Have read your post more carefully. Glad you worked out how to deal with that Bass Keg, that Type was the first one I turned into my Mash Tun (trusty Angle Grinder to the rescue :> ) Still the Type G (Mine is stamped Thwaites, a Local 'mini' brewery, much bigger than a micro but smaller than the big Six, well five now) Has a sping loaded catch that sticks out from the side of the fitting it folds up when you insert the spear but once inside it flips out to prevent easy removal of the spear. a short length of stiff wire bent round into a semi circle and inserted down the side of the fitting will allow you to compress the catch and remove the spear. For that British Caramel Twang you could try adding some caramel which is what the big boys do, mostly for colour reasons. Still I have had some fun withdrawing off a pint of the first runnings and pouring it into an OLD (very old if you need to get spousal unit permission :> ) Cast Iron pot that I have had heating on the stove. It boils like crazy, lots of foam, but does produce a nice caramel note when fully reduced. You may need to add some more wort to help get it back into the boil kettle. The usual disclaimers apply here, Be careful! - -- Regards le Man ( The Brewer Formerly Known as Aleman ) - -- Regards le Man ( The Brewer Formerly Known as Aleman ) Return to table of contents
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