HOMEBREW Digest #47 Thu 12 January 1989

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

Contents:
  storing homebrew/yeast sediment (Jeremy Cook)
  Rice starch to sugar (sake) (Jeremy Cook)
  sugar usage survey time!!! (rogerl)
  chilling for sedimentation (Algis R Korzonas +1 312 979 8583)
  Re: Homebrew Digest for January 11, 1989 (Martin Hall)
  yeast sediment/sugar survey/stout recipe (JBAUER)
  Sake Information (rdg)
  Cidery taste in beer (Andy Newman)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 10:56:06 +0100 From: Jeremy Cook <jeremy at kheops.cmi.no> Subject: storing homebrew/yeast sediment >> Recently I have been reading about using champagne bottles. This would >> seem to be a good compromise except pouring anything less than the whole >> bottle would stir up the yeast at the bottom. >...I have started using a fairly simple method to reduce the sediment in >the bottle... Firstly, if you only want to pour half of a large bottle at a time then get hold of a large jug. I do this when we hold 'pub nights' at our house to remind us of good old Blighty... Not all of my beer glasses take 0.5l so I pour 2 or 3 0.5l bottles of homebrew at a time into a large beer jug. A fellow brewer and I have discussed the problem of sediment, here are some conclusions: Allowing the brew to settle before bottling reduces the subsequent amount of sediment significantly. I ferment my brews in a large plastic bottle with a fermentation lock and have had no contamination problems when I allow the brew to stand for 2-3 weeks in a cool place after fermentation is com- plete. Having a cool climate helps here and I estimate that my 'cellar' is at 8-10 degrees for most of the year (ie perfect tem- perature for British type ales). If you're afraid of contamina- tion at this stage you could syphon it over into a sterile con- tainer and seal (with a fermentation lock). It could, however, be argued that doing this would actually increase the risk. After 2-3 weeks the brew will be fairly clear and you can go ahead and bottle - there will still be enough yeast in suspension to carry out secondary fermenation. With the bottles in a warm place, secondary fermentation should be complete after 1 or 2 days, infact mine are usually almost completely clear after this time. Moving back to a cool place finishes off the process. There should only be a small amount of sediment deposited on the bottom of the glass. It seems to be better if you keep the bot- tles as cool as possible (for as long as possible). The sediment that does remain eventually forms fairly hard layer which will hardly move when poured. We have even transported homebrew suc- cessfully. Any disturbed sediment seems to disappear within a very short time. -- Jeremy Cook Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 11:13:19 +0100 From: Jeremy Cook <jeremy at kheops.cmi.no> Subject: Rice starch to sugar (sake) All this talk of bacteria and fungi - it is an enzyme called amylase which converts starch into suga, salivary amylase is released form one's salivary glands as part of the digestive process. Amylase is available from most brew shops (usually used to remove a starch haze from wines). I don't know how much you'd need and for how long with 2.5lb rice but it would probably be fairly easy to experiment with a test batch of rice and a hydrom- eter. -- Jeremy Cook Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 08:31:29 EST From: rogerl at Think.COM Subject: sugar usage survey time!!! >OK, I've seen this statement so many times now, and I still have never >heard of it actually happening. Has this ever happened to anybody? >...please speak now or forever hold your peace. IF I do add sugar it is *ALWAYS* with the boil. And have never had a 'cidery' taste problem. As has been mentioned in other posting, I tend toward all malt or use honey as another source fo fermentable sugar. But the times I have used sugar I have had no problems. On the other hand a friend who uses sugar in his brews use to add sugar without boiling it and *DID* get the old 'cidery' flavor. Since then he has started boiling his sugar and the phenomenon has not reappeared. The only difference appears to be in the length of time needed for conditioning. This change in conditioning time might have been related to the particular brew that was made, our scientific procedures weren't impeccable. But never the less, it seemed to us that the brew took longer to condition properly. That's what I've experienced. Roger Locniskar Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 10:12:33 MST From: hpfcla!hpcea!hplabs!utah-cs!iwtsf!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 312 979 8583) Subject: chilling for sedimentation Full-Name: Rob recently suggested chilling the fermenter for 12-24 hours before bottling to cause much of the yeast to sediment in the fermenter instead of the bottles. I have read about this procedure before, but I still haven't tried it. My question to Rob, and to anyone else out there who has tried something like this, is: does this procedure affect carbonation? Also, does this it change the way that the beer conditions (taste, etc.)? I know that only a very small amount is needed, but I'd like to get as much info as I can before I try it. Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 08:58:08 PST From: frame!sphinx!mxh at Sun.COM (Martin Hall) Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest for January 11, 1989 I am interested in any discussion of non-alcoholic brew recipes. ----Martin---- Return to table of contents
Date: 12 Jan 89 13:36:46 EDT From: JBAUER at BAT.Bates.EDU Subject: yeast sediment/sugar survey/stout recipe I have another fairly simple method to reduce the yeast buildup in your bottles. A chemist brewer friend of mine recommended this to me. He said that a couple days before you plan on bottling your batch remove a couple cups of brew and heat, when warm add 1 tsp of unflavored gelatin and disolve in the warm brew. When disolved pour back into your fermentator. This will produce a really clear batch as well as help settle out the yeast before you bottle. It also will help remove any nasties suspended in the batch. I do this on most all my batches and have never had any troubles. Also in reply to Rob's sugar survey. From time to time I will make a "cheap" batch using corn sugar and one can of malt extract. I put the sugar right in to the fermentation bucket and have never had a cidery batch. Finally, I'm looking for a good stout recipe using malt extract. Any one have a favorite they's like to share? -- Jim Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 16:06:31 MST From: rdg at hpfcmi Subject: Sake Information Full-Name: Rob Gardner OK, I've got it. For an in-depth description of brewing Sake, you should read the article "Sake--Japanese Rice Wine" by Fred Eckhardt, which appears in "Best of Beer and Brewing, Volumes 1-5", ISBN 09-37381-05-5. It is available from the AHA for $15.95 and its catalog number is #413. The AHA's order number is 303-447-0816. It is also available from Great Fermentations for $18.95 (800-544-1867). The book contains a bunch of other interesting articles by prominent brewing authors. The Sake article itself discusses Koji production, yeast starter, fermentation, pressure & aging, history, recipes, equipment and materials lists, serving tips, preparation of rice, yeast mash, bottling & finishing, etc, etc. I repeat, the article is very detailed, and even tells you where to get Koji if you can't find it locally. After reading this article, I can't imagine anyone trying to make sake with just the information that has appeared in the homebrew digest. I might be persuaded to violate copyright laws and xerox the article if somebody asks me when I'm in a good mood :-) Rob Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 89 16:51 EST From: Andy Newman <NEWMAN at Venus.YCC.Yale.Edu> Subject: Cidery taste in beer In response to the query as to whether anyone ever experiences a cidery taste to their brew, I offer the following: Almost all beer I've made that contained a substantial addition of corn sugar (1 or more pounds per 5 gallon batch) came out of the primary with a distinct cidery smell and taste. Without fail, the cidery taste dissipated quickly over a period of one week from bottling. By the time the beer was mature enough to drink, the cidery taste seemed to have aged out. I have never experienced ANY cidery phenomemon with beers made either with mashed barley malt or canned extract alone. Since I have extremely limited experience with other adjucts (rice, wheat, etc...) I can't comment on their effects with regard to a cidery taste. -Andy Return to table of contents
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