HOMEBREW Digest #4935 Mon 23 January 2006


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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  RE: Low Alcohol output ("Brian Lundeen")
  Anyone know much about Newport Hops?? (Dave Perez)
  Yeast storage and use (Steven Parfitt)
  re:increasing IBU in secondary (Nathaniel Lansing)
  Yeast Storage ("Chad Stevens")
  Growing Hops -- is it worth the effort? (Bill Velek)
  Storing yeast under beer (RiedelD)
  questions from a newbie ("Moose Joose")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 23:28:36 -0600 From: "Brian Lundeen" <blundeen at mts.net> Subject: RE: Low Alcohol output > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:58:46 -0600 (CST) > From: "Tricia Simo Kush" <mpls at realmofzorcon.com> > Subject: Low Alcohol output > > Here are a few details: > We have switched to liquid yeast - no more dry. > > Again, I don't want to toss out a lot of details unless the > evidence suggests something more specific. Is a lackluster > alcohol something that we should expect to see from time to > time, or is there an obvious and reasonable cause for this? > Details are where the answers are usually found. Knowing the starting and ending specific gravities would help. Do you measure this with a hydrometer? This will tell you how much of your sugars fermented out (hence how much alcohol you got) and will give an idea if you are achieving a normal level of attenuation. In other words, did the yeast ferment as much sugar as they should, producing the expected level of alcohol, or did it stop short? Do the low alcohol beers taste too sweet? Could be there are sugars left. Since you keg, you would miss out on clues like over-carbonated bottles (those sugars decided to ferment out after bottling) or under-carbonated (your yeast pooped out, so they couldn't carbonate either). Without knowing any more details, I would say the biggest clue is in your switch to liquid yeast. Do you pitch right from the pack/tube? You could be under-pitching and this could lead to the yeast quitting early. Making a starter would increase the yeast population, making a complete fermentation more likely. It's also important to keep the temperature reasonably steady within the recommended range for the yeast you are using. Does your fermentation area experience large temperature swings? Just a few things to consider, but more info would lead to better troubleshooting. Cheers Brian, in Winnipeg Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 01:12:57 -0500 From: Dave Perez <perez15 at cox.net> Subject: Anyone know much about Newport Hops?? I just brewed and all Newport Hopped APA and am debating about tossing in a bit of dry hops. How does Newport perform in dry hopping? It is listed as a bittering hop but so far the aroma from the carboy is nice. I am going to keg, so I can put the hops in a bag and pull it if I need to. Thanks, Dave Perez Hogtown Brewers Gainesville, FL Over here from Renner... Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 06:01:14 -0800 (PST) From: Steven Parfitt <thegimp98 at yahoo.com> Subject: Yeast storage and use I just recultured my entire yeast ranch (on slants), some of which had not been used since late 2001. Every one of the 22 slants was successfully recultured. This is to say I poured 5ml of starter in each slant and was able to get it to ferment. I did not streak plates to select colonies, so I realize there is a greater possibility of contamination over time in doing this. I used a flamed loope to pull a small sample of the yeast from each fermenting tube and used it to innoculate the new slants. Each grew a nice surface colony, and the new slants were put back in the refrigerator. Since reculturing the ranch, I have changed my method of making starters. In the past I would pour 5ml of starter into a slant and get it fermenting well, then pour it into a 50ml starter and pour one drop into a new slant. Each time I make a starter I am forcing the entire colony to propigate. Now I take a flamed loop and pull a small sample from the slant and use it to innoculate 5ml of starter. I will reculture the entire ranch in two years (since I got away with four years the last time). My feeling it that since I am not propoigating the entire slant each time I brew, I am reducing the generations of yeast and minimizing the probability of mutation. Does anyond see a disadvantage to this method over my previous procedure? Steven Steven, -75 XLCH- Ironhead Nano-Brewery http://thegimp.8k.com Johnson City, TN [422.7, 169.2] Rennerian "There is no such thing as gravity, the earth sucks." Wings Whiplash - 1968 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:04:35 -0500 From: Nathaniel Lansing <delbrew at compuserve.com> Subject: re:increasing IBU in secondary Russ asks about his barleywine being under-bittered... >> The beer is still at 1.036 (started at >>1.090), so it still has a lot of sweetness in it. Can I just boil 2 more >>oz of hops in 2 quarts of water for an hour to make a "hop tea"? Wait for the beer to finish before making any judgement. At barely over 55% apparent attenuation, as you say, it still has a lot of sweetness in it masking the bitterness. If you added some hop tea now and declare it finished; after bottling it could become a bit over carbonated....to say the least. NL Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:22:50 -0800 From: "Chad Stevens" <zuvaruvi at cox.net> Subject: Yeast Storage -s says: It was odd to read FredJ's comments about storing stalled starter yeast under beer in fridge. After years of carrying far too many yeasts around on frozen plates I have honed in on the same method. I just pulled an ale yeast back (easily) after a year under beer in the fridge. I have a modest library under beer in whitelab type tubes. I would never suggest pitching these directly, but it seems to be adequate for culture storage. I wonder how well it would work with some of the more delicate yeasts.... I've got 19 strains going using this method, one for over 15 years. Before White Labs, I used to use a beer bottle and cap, recapping once a month top relieve head pressure. After imbedding yeast slurry into my kitchen ceiling and one cornea, I switched to White Labs tubes. Just twist the cap a week or two after putting up your yeast to relieve pressure than once every few months from then on; much safer. As for "delicate yeast," I have a couple which display autolytic characteristics after a couple of years under beer. I still have no problem culturing them up. Make a starter as you would any other. When it's in high kraeusen you top crop a small amount with a loop, or, if you miss it at kraeusen, loop out some of the barm into a new starter vessel, leaving all the old nasty stuff behind. Build this up as you would any other culture. Works for me, Chad Stevens QUAFF San Diego Register for America's Finest City Homebrew Competition now!!! www.quaff.org Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 11:40:20 -0600 From: Bill Velek <billvelek at alltel.net> Subject: Growing Hops -- is it worth the effort? This past weekend I tilled my garden and am trying to figure out what I'll plant. It's about 5,400 square feet (1/8th acre), so I have plenty of room to do whatever I want; I could expand it even more if necessary. I still have 25 gallons of watermelon juice in my freezer because I haven't had the time to make my wine yet (too many things preoccupying me). Anyway, with my family becoming smaller (6 kids moved out and only 2 left), and tiring of canning and freezing so much, and my youngest son becoming less interested in selling produce for his spending money, I've been thinking of doing something different and planting either some grape vines or hop plants, or maybe both. I've never grown either one, but I've usually done very well with gardening with other things. I've only made a few batches of wine over the years, but have brewed quite a few batches of beer over the past 8 to 10 years, and am now doing all grain. I've been planning my dream 'HERMS' system, too, so I've been much more partial to beer than wine -- although I wouldn't mind delving much more deeply into that, as well. Of course, neither one depends upon my garden, so whatever I choose to do won't really limit my options, but inasmuch as plantings of this sort are long-term investments -- taking a few years to mature -- I'm seeking a little advice before I make that sort of commitment. I've done some research on the Internet about growing hops, but haven't found the sort of answers or advice I'm seeking. I guess what I'm looking for is something like a poll or consensus as to whether growing hops is worth the trouble. When I compare it to growing vegetables, I can easily answer that for all the trouble, our vegetables taste better than commercial produce, and save us a pile of money. Regarding hops, from what I've read the taste doesn't seem to be a factor and in fact is problematic when trying to follow a recipe because of the variation in bittering units. Storage also seems to be much more of a problem than produce. I also wonder about the amount of work that goes into growing, harvesting, drying, and storing hops; I don't mind spending lots of time picking produce, but I'm wondering about having to use a ladder to pick hops -- or is there an easier way. I guess what I'm asking is how many folks have grown their own hops, only to eventually quit because they decided that it really isn't worth the effort? I don't know ... maybe the only way to tell is to try it myself. Finally, I haven't read anything yet about compatibility with other plants; i.e., if I plant some hop bines in my garden, should I avoid proximity with any other plants in particular? Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Cheers, Bill Velek Join "HomeBrewers" international grid-computing team and help mankind by donating spare computer power for medical research such as cancer; we're in the top 14%, and gaining on MillerTime team: http://tinyurl.com/b7ofs Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:40:23 -0800 From: RiedelD at pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca Subject: Storing yeast under beer Fred and Steve have been speaking of long-term storage of yeast under beer. How do you prevent the yeast from autolysing if it is sitting under beer? Perhaps I'm missing something here... Dave Riedel Victoria, BC, Canada Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 18:07:14 -0600 From: "Moose Joose" <brewinmoosejoose at hotmail.com> Subject: questions from a newbie All, I try to read this digest at least weekly in order to begin to understand the scope of the vast amount of knowledge in the brewing universe. I'm soooooo not there yet. That said, I do have a couple of questions that, if answered, would help me sleep better at night (or at least get them off my mind so I can get back to work). Keep in mind I've not yet graduated to all-grain brewing (I'm still on the mix of extract and flavoring grains...getting there, but still have the training wheels on pretty tight). 1. When I'm doing my hour boil, I seem to lose an awful lot of water to steam (1/2 gallon or more). Should I plan for that by starting with 5.5 or 6 gallons in the pot or do something else to address the issue? Turn the heat down? Add water to 5 gal. during the last 15 minutes? I'm jealous of every ounce in the bottle so I'd like to make sure I get a full batch. 2. Can anyone recommend a good, relatively easy to understand guide to beginning all-grain brewing? I'm no dummy but neither am I a chemist or engineer, so the simpler the better. I need something that will describe everything from the equipment needed (whether from a garage sale or a high-fallootin' brew supply shop) to a good first recipe with step by step instructions without making any assumptions that I know what in the heck a protein rest is and why it's important (that, of course, would be explained in the resource hopefully). Thanks in advance for any help! Rob - Eugene, OR brewinmoosejoose at hotmail.com Return to table of contents
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