HOMEBREW Digest #979 Tue 29 September 1992

Digest #978 Digest #980


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


Contents:
  Yield3 (George J Fix)
  1056 re-use (Russ Gelinas)
  Seattle Microbrew Festival (ldl2142)
  racking to secondary (David L. Kensiski)
  South African Guinness (Guy D. McConnell)
  re:labels ("Joel J. Garrett; Office 127 CMSL; Phone 831-2332")
  RE: headaches (clarification) (Paul dArmond)
  Invert sugar ("Jim N. Deakin")
  HB headaches (Dennis J. Templeton)
  McAndrews Scotch Ale ("CBER::MRGATE::\"A1::RIDGELY\"")
  Altbier availability? ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  Sparging Questions (Craig Vandeventer)
  oops..., (Mark_Davis.osbu_south)
  All About Beer Magazine (John DeCarlo)
  SECONDARY & AIRLOCK (John Fix)
  Homebrew Headaches (John DeCarlo)
  homebrew (ehh)
  cider question (John Christophe Alden)
  HBD FAQ available (Brian Smithey)
  SAAZ competition details from Micah Millspaw (BOB JONES)
  Beer Drinkers of America (87749194)
  heather honey (David Suda)
  Belgian candi sugar ("Balling, John D.")
  invert sugar (Peter Maxwell)
  Beer news ("Knight,Jonathan G")
  sugary question ("Knight,Jonathan G")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 08:50:43 CDT From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix) Subject: Yield3 I have got quite a bit of e-mail asking about the relationship between the yield formula in Dave Miller's book, and the calculations I used. The answer is that they are the same, and Balling should get credit for both. Specific gravity (SG) is the ratio of the weight of a solution to the weight of an equal volume of water. Balling apparently wanted brewers to start measuring this, which of course can be done with a scale and graduated flasks. He understood he would run into resistance from practical brewers because the weight of wort comes not only from sugars, but other wort solids as well. He therefore launched into a lenghty empirical study, which lead to the conclusion that the sugar fraction of wort (i.e., extract) can to a very high degree of accuracy be regarded as an equivalent amount of sucrose. This permitted him to construct his tables, and build his hydrometer relating % extract by weight (PE) to SG. Balling's measurements had minor errors due to his failure to tightly control temperature. Plato corrected these, and it is his values that modern extract tables and hydrometers are based. Most hydrometers give both PE and SG. The term "Brix" is used on some, but this is the same as PE. My refractometer gives only PE, so I need the numerical tables to get SG. It should be noted that SG, unlike PE, varies with temperature. Thus, the SG-PE equivalence is valid only at the calibration cited on the hydrometer or table. Different tables and instruments use different calibration temperatures, and this will lead to slightly different numerical values. The units involved tell the entire story about yield calculations. PE has the units of kg extract per 100 kg of wort (which of course is the same as lbs. of extract per 100 lbs. of wort). SG, on the other hand, is dimensionless. However, since 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram at the std. temp. (this is why metric units are so useful in brewing), the product (1) PE*SG*1.0 gives the percent extract on the basis of volume; i.e., kgs. of extract per 100 liters (kg/hl). Thus, multiplying (1) by the volume in hectoliters gives the no. of kg. of extract. That divided by the kgs. of grains used times 100 gives the yield. So you see, Balling did all the hard work! I have also had some e-mail from brewers expressing concern about the low yields they are getting from their systems. I do not feel this is necessarily a problem for I am aware of brewers consistently producing quality brews with yields well below 30/lb/gal. For example, Anchor uses a no sparge procedure with Old Foghorn, and get extremely poor yields. Conversely, I tasted beers from ill conceived high yield systems that had a very unpleasant grainy/husky astringency. On the other hand, whenever my yields drop much below normal levels, I usually have gotten some bad malt. In the final analysis, it seems that the malt character of the beers we make is the best guide to determining if our yields are appropriate, be they low, medium, or high. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 10:13:50 -0400 (EDT) From: R_GELINAS at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Russ Gelinas) Subject: 1056 re-use Chris C. notice that batches made with Wyeast 1056 slurry got progressively drier, to the point of being too dry. I've noticed the same thing. 2 re-uses (3 batches total) is my limit; the 3rd batch comes out quite dry. It must be a good adapter to one's brewing conditions. I have heard that it can be unstable (but it's a great yeast nonetheless). Is there a Wyeast strain that does not exhibit this behavior, or at least is not so quick about it? And, wrt. aeration/oxygenation/oxidation of wort/beer: Aeration is the introduction of air into the wort/beer. This puts oxygen into the solution. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on when it happens. Aeration at post-boil/pre-ferment time is good ("oxygenation"), and aeration after ferment is bad (causes "oxidation"). Russ Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 07:20:21 -0700 From: ldl2142 < at relay.hp.com, at ada3.ca.boeing.com:ldl2142 at galileo.boeing.com> Subject: Seattle Microbrew Festival This is not strictly related to Homebrewing, but.. I read the following information in Seattle Magazine this weekend: Seattle Microbrew Festival October 16-18 26 Microbreweries Seattle Center Flag Pavillion 305 Harrison 684-7200 I am posting this because it appears that the event is not advertised much. (Last year I happened across a newswire article, but the Seattle Times didn't mention anything until the weekend of the event.) I am not in anyway affiliated with the event other than the fact that I attended last year. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Layne D. Lommen | Ph: (206) 393-9441 FAX: (206) 393-9040 | | Boeing Commercial Airplane Group | email: ldl2142 at galileo.rtn.ca.boeing.com | | P.O. Box 3707, M/S 9R-49 |-------------------------------------------| | Seattle, WA 98124-2207 | See Standard Corporate Disclamer D6-99999 | - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 08:17:56 -0700 From: kensiski at nas.nasa.gov (David L. Kensiski) Subject: racking to secondary My first lager batch has been merilly fermenting away now for three weeks now and I'm getting anxious to get it away from the sediments that have settled to the bottom. However, it has not stopped fermenting and I'm a little concerned with that. Is it alright to rack to secondary before primary fermentation has completed? Thanks for your help. - --Dave ________________________________________________________________________ David L. Kensiski [KB6HCN] Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation kensiski at nas.nasa.gov NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 258-6 (415)604-4417 Moffett Field, California 94035-1000 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 10:34:09 CDT From: guy at mspe5.b11.ingr.com (Guy D. McConnell) Subject: South African Guinness According to this week's Irish Emigrant, put out by Liam Ferrie of Galway, as of this week, Guinness is being brewed in South Africa. It will have an alcohol content of 7.5%, significantly higher than that of the Guinness brewed in Ireland. - -- Guy McConnell guy at mspe5.b11.ingr.com "All I need is a pint a day" Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 11:41:47 -0400 (EDT) From: "Joel J. Garrett; Office 127 CMSL; Phone 831-2332" <garrett at me.udel.edu> Subject: re:labels >Date: Fri, 25 Sep 92 10:28 EDT >From: mpl at pegasus.att.com >Subject: Labels >So far I have been marking my brews by putting marks on the caps, but >this is not a very elegant solution. I'd like to use labels on the >bottles, but I don't want to have to soak them off after each use. >Other than resorting to masking tape, are there labels available that >peel off easily? I haven't actually tried this yet myself, but wouldn't using a couple of streaks of rubber cement to attach labels to bottles facilitate easy removal upon reuse? Maybe it is _TOO EASY_ to remove the labels this way? (i.e. they fall off, come off too easily?) While on the subject of labels, does anyone have any decent label "templates" they might allow me to use? I'm especially interested in a template for labels for the necks of the bottles (longnecks as well as regular 12oz. bottles) >Mike Lindner >mikel at attmail.att.com Joel Garrett garrett at me.udel.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 08:28:49 -0700 (PDT) From: Paul dArmond <paulf at henson.cc.wwu.edu> Subject: RE: headaches (clarification) In my earlier post, when I mentioned ketones, I was saying that ketones are ONE of the substances that gives me a headache from very light exposure (specifically lacquer and some paint fumes.) I don't know what it is in some beers, both commercial and homebrew, that gives me a headache. By analogy, higher alcohols (aka fusel oils) are similar and may be at the root of the problem. The beers that give me headaches sometimes have a sharper/harsher edge to the flavor. I think the mechanism is an allergy, rather than toxicity. Anybody in the medical community care to comment? Paul ---- "But I'm feeling *MUCH* better now." :-) Return to table of contents
Date: 28 Sep 92 16:55:15 GMT From: "Jim N. Deakin" <J.Deakin at sheffield-city-poly.ac.uk> Subject: Invert sugar According to the books I've seen, the 'inverting' of sucrose normally has to be done by an enzyme in the yeast (invertose or -ase, not sure which), so by pre-inverting the sugar you get the yeast off to a good start. It gives less lag time, and presumably the invert sugar would be used first, leaving those with more effect on flavour till later. Cheers! ......................................................................... From: Jim Deakin, | 33 Honeywell Street, | Magicien was noon That koude expounde Barnsley, | what this lettre mente. -Chaucer. S. Yorks. | S71 1PU | England. | ......................................................................... Email on: JANET : J.DEAKIN at uk.ac.scp INTERNET or UUCP : J.DEAKIN%scp.ac.uk at nsfnet-relay.ac.uk ......................................................................... Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 11:56:35 -0400 From: djt2 at po.CWRU.Edu (Dennis J. Templeton) Subject: HB headaches I've been following the line on headaches recently, and here's my 2 pennies. I think the line on "ketones" is off track... there are probably some ketones in beer, but at least the simpler ketones should be metabolized prety well. Diabetics who have a crisis have lots of ketones in their system and I don't recall headaches as being a common complaint. On the other hand there are sometimes higher (more complex) organic compounds (e.g. fusel alcohols) that may have biological compications that vary depending on the individual. On the third hand, there is a very well established phenomenon of headaches due to a compound called Tyramine. This is very often found in wine (particularly red) and affects only some individuals. It seems to be related to the process involved in migraine headaches. If your HB gives you a headache you might ask youself.. does red wine too? Actually, I can't recall if tyramine is commonly in beer. Anyone out there know? By the way, I really believe that whatever may be in HB is likely to be in commercial full-bodied beers too. People are quick to suspect home-made stuff, but I'm equally suspicious of what's made in a factory. (How many roach parts are allowed per spoonful of Welches grape jelly?) The obvious exception is an infected HB. If it tastes bad, don't drink it. disclaimer... while I am a physician, this is not my area of expertise.. I'm dredging memories from med school. dennis Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 12:04:05 -0400 (EDT) From: "CBER::MRGATE::\"A1::RIDGELY\"" at CBER.CBER.FDA.GOV Subject: McAndrews Scotch Ale From: NAME: Bill Ridgely FUNC: HFB-300 TEL: FTS 402-1336 <RIDGELY at A1 at CBER> To: SMTP%"HOMEBREW at HPFCMI.FC.HP.COM" at MRGATE at WPC To: Homebrew Digest From: RIDGELY at CBER.CBER.FDA.GOV (Bill Ridgely) Subj: McAndrew's Scotch Ale This is in response to Joseph Nathan Hall's request for a recipe for McAndrew's Scotch Ale. Actually, I had hoped someone else would respond to it. McAndrew's is an aberration among Scotch Wee Heavy Ales, and I'd be interested in a recipe as well. There don't appear to be too many people among the readership with expertise in the style, however, so I thought I'd help out as best I could. BTW, McAndrew's is reviewed in the "Bottle 17, 1991" issue of World Beer Review and receives one of the highest ratings ever (5- stars). I'll condense & paraphrase some of that review here. First, some brief background - McAndrew's (called Caledonian Strong Ale in Scotland) is brewed at the old Lorimer & Clark Brewery in Edinburgh using direct-fired, open coppers. The brewery is actually an operating museum. One of the coppers has been in continuous use since 1869, when the brewery first opened. Caledonian (as it has been called since 1987) is now one of the few independents operated in Scotland. It also brews a 70/- Heavy, a 80/- Export, an XXX Bitter, and a 1.042 OG Porter. McAndrew's is brewed from highland pale malt (a strain called Golden Promise), crystal, amber, and small amounts of chocolate, black, and wheat malts. The hops are whole, compressed Fuggles and Kent Goldings. I have no details on the yeast used, and the beer is filtered & pasteurized so there's no chance of culturing it. A brief profile is: OG 1.078 (7.6% alcohol vol); color bronze (much lighter than the typical 90/- Wee Heavy); aroma of fresh hops (also untypical of the style) but balanced by malt sweetness & some roastiness; body very full; palate sweet at the start but developing into a very rich balance of malt sweetness, roastiness, and intense, spicy (from the Goldings) hopiness. Finish is long and bitter. If I were to attempt to brew this beer using a partial mash (my normal style of brewing), I would use about 2 lbs of English pale ale malt, about 1/2 lb of fairly light crystal malt (maybe 20 Lov) plus 1/2 lb of Victory malt or Belgian Biscuit malt (the closest things available to English Amber malt), 1/2 lb of wheat malt (for body & head retention. Carapils would accomplish the same result), and a small amount of Chocolate malt (maybe 1/4 lb or less) for the roastiness. I wouldn't use any black malt or roasted barley because of the darker color it would impart. The remainder of the OG would be provided by about 6 lbs of pale dry extract (DME) and 1 lb of light brown sugar (for that treacle- like sweetness typical of Scotch Ales). I would use about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces (depending on the alpha acid content) of a fairly high-alpha hop for bitterness (Northern Brewer is one of my favorites), then dry hop with about 1 1/2 ounces of Kent Goldings. I'd use the Wyeast #1028 London Ale yeast on this one. For Scotch Ales, the Wyeast #1098 (Whitbread) is slightly less attenuative, but this beer is a bit drier than others typical of the style. Remember, the above is purely conjectural. I haven't actually tried brewing this. If anyone attempts it, please post the results. Slainte! Bill Ridgely (RIDGELY at CBER.CBER.FDA.GOV) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 12:21:43 EDT From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu> Subject: Altbier availability? Our club runs an annual "Brewola" -- "everybody" brews a beer from the same recipe, then we taste and rate all of them. This year we chose Papazian's Osmosis Amoeba Alt as the recipe. Of course, club members are now wondering what an Alt "should" taste like. I am unable to find any commercial examples in the Ann Arbor (MI) area. There is a possibility I could get a friend to bring some from Chicago, if he knew where to get it. Or, I would be willing to reimburse expenses for someone to mail me a few bottles, for "analytical purposes" (check with me by e-mail before doing this, of course!) It is also possible that I could make a run to Toledo (Ohio) or Windsor (Canada). According to Eckhart (sp?), Pinkus, Weihenstephan, and Widmer make Altbiers. =Spencer W. Thomas | Info Tech and Networking, B1911 CFOB, 0704 "Genome Informatician" | Univ of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu | 313-747-2778, FAX 313-764-4133 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 11:47:59 -0500 From: c_vandev at hwking.cca.cr.rockwell.com (Craig Vandeventer) Subject: Sparging Questions In #977 George Fix writes: > Clearly the malt types used is a matter of the utmost practical import. > However, I have found that to get a very high malt flavor the sparge > must be omitted as well. This is an expensive way to brew since the amount > of grains needed must be increased by a factor ~4/3. Nevertheless, some of > the world's great ales and lagers have been brewed this way, and I have > found it works in homebrewing as well for special beers. Clearly this is > not the way to brew our standard beers. As I am about to venture into all-grain brewing, I have been wondering about the absolute necessity of sparging. Since the purpose of sparging is to rinse the sweet wort from the grains why couldn't you just increase the amount of grains to get the same extraction rate without the sparge. Even assuming $1.00/lb. of grain for a five gallon batch you would only spend 2 to 3 dollars more to save an hour or two of time. For me, I would rather spend the extra money and eliminate the biggest pain-in-the-butt of going all-grain. With George's comments above, I now must question whether sparging is just an economic issue. If eliminating the sparge creates a maltier brew, what is it about sparging that reduces maltiness? He states: "Clearly this is not the way to brew our standard beers." Why not? Does sparging inherently cast certain properties on the beer that unsparged beers won't have? Craig Vandeventer - Beer Addict Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 10:15:47 PDT From: Mark_Davis.osbu_south at xerox.com Subject: oops..., I guess that I made on big mistake on the maple ale recipe that I had submitted on Friday. The recipe calls for 2 tsps. Irish moss. That should read one half (0.5) tsp. Irish moss. I also forgot to put something in the topic field, oh well I guess that I screwed up again! Mark_Davis Return to table of contents
Date: Monday, 28 Sep 1992 14:24:20 EDT From: m14051 at mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo) Subject: All About Beer Magazine IMHO, it has some interesting articles, but seems to be primarily write-ups about places with lots of beers, written by the owners/managers of those establishments. Not enough of my cup of tea to subscribe. Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org (or John.DeCarlo at f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org) Fidonet: 1:109/131 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 13:13:00 -0500 From: john.fix%hardgood at philabs.philips.com (John Fix) Subject: SECONDARY & AIRLOCK I'm making my first attempt at a true lager brew, and racked to the secondary after two weeks of primary fermentation at 40 degrees F (a little long, I agree). After transferring to the secondary, I put the carboy in the fridge, and noticed that the fermentation lock was working in reverse for a short time, due to the temporary fact that the air trapped in the fermenter was warmer than the air in the fridge, and was contracting as it cooled. Is there a way to prevent the water from dribbling back in, other than temporarily using a blow-off tube for a few hours while the air cools? -= John =- Return to table of contents
Date: Monday, 28 Sep 1992 14:37:02 EDT From: m14051 at mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo) Subject: Homebrew Headaches Here is a story for which I have no explanation: I brewed at a friend's house (casual friend) and fermented and bottled there. We each kept a case and I more-or-less forgot about it. I hadn't seen him for awhile when he came over and said he was moving out of the area and wanted to return a sixpack he never drank. It was covered with dust and who knows how it had been stored. I was a little leery, but washend one off and put it in the fridge, then tasted it about a week later. It gave me a blinding headache. I went down and tasted one from my case stored in my basement and it tasted great--no unusual side effects. I tried another bottle, just half, from his six pack and had another bad headache. Considering they were all brewed and bottled together, I have no idea why they ended up so different, or what would be wrong with these other bottles to taste about the same but give a very painful headache. Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org (or John.DeCarlo at f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org) Fidonet: 1:109/131 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 15:14:06 -0400 From: ehh at EGM.LIB.ROCHESTER.EDU Subject: homebrew I am writing to request that my name be added to your Homebrew forum mailing list. My full name is Gene Hayworth. Thanks in advance! Gene Hayworth Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 15:25:16 -0400 (EDT) From: John Christophe Alden <ja2w+ at andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: cider question just a question about the hard apple cider. will brewing yeast suffice for the champagne or ale yeast? just wondering. thanks john Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 14:03:26 MDT From: Brian.Smithey at Central.Sun.COM (Brian Smithey) Subject: HBD FAQ available A FAQ and answers list for the Homebrew Digest has been archived on sierra.stanford.edu as /pub/homebrew/hbd.faq, see the HBD header for instructions on accessing the archive. Thanks to all who contributed and edited. Special thanks to Steve and Tony. It's too big to post, the table of contents follows: - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: 1. How is beer made? 2. How do I start homebrewing? 3. What equipment do I need? 4. What is a hydrometer? 5. What is a wort chiller? 6. What are hot/cold break? 7. Recommended books. 8. Slow starting fermentation. 9. Grain/Extract conversion. 10. Hops and bitterness. 11. Dry hopping. 12. What is Lovibond? 13. What is Wyeast (liquid yeast)? 14. Yeast starters. 15. Mail order. 16. Homebrew clubs. 17. AHA/Zymurgy. Bibliography. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 13:26 PDT From: BOB JONES <BJONES at NOVAX.llnl.gov> Subject: SAAZ competition details from Micah Millspaw Results from the SAAZ\ St.STANS Fest beer competition. 9/27/92 light lager 1st place George Fix 2nd place Tom Estudillo 3rd place Jim Lopes wheat 1st place Jim Lopes 2nd place Douglas Demers 3rd place Randy Boyd marzen\oktoberfest 1st place Micah Millspaw 2nd place Tom Altenbach 3rd place Jim Lopes alt beer 1st place Tom Estudillo 2nd place Tom Altenbach open fest 1st place Jim Lopes 2nd place Jim Hunter 3rd place Bob Jones Best of Show Jim Lopes - american wheat runner up BOS Jim Lopes - open fest Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 16:01 CST From: 87749194 at ucs.uwplatt.edu Subject: Beer Drinkers of America Greetings, I found in my mail todat (snail mail that is) a letter and questionaire from a group called the Beer Drinkers of America. Does anyone in Digestland have any good information on this group? Is it worth it and do they do anything positive? Thanks in advance, Thomas Vodacek (87749194 at ucs.uwplatt.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 15:25:05 -0600 From: David Suda <suda at barley.Colorado.EDU> Subject: heather honey Anybody know of a source for heather honey? Thanks, Dave Suda suda at barley.colorado.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 17:28:31 edt From: "Balling, John D." <BALLING at DICKINSON.EDU> Subject: Belgian candi sugar Do any of you homebrewers out there know of a source for Belgian candi sugar? It appears in a number of recipes in Pierre Rajotte's book entitled "Belgian Ale". The recipes say that other sugars can be substituted, but that the flavor profile will not be the same. (Does anyone know whether this is true or not?) I tried the homebrew supply shops in the Washington, DC area and several mail-order supply houses with no luck. Any help would be appreciated. - -- John Balling balling at dickinson.edu Carlisle, PA Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 16:35:19 PDT From: Peter Maxwell <peterm at hpdtlpm.ctgsc.hp.com> Subject: invert sugar I came across the term while researching "golden syrup", a common item in England, New Zealand and Australia. Here is part of the text, which might help to work out what invert sugar is .... I've seen reference to it (golden syrup) in an American book as "golden invert syrup", as one form of liquid sugar. At any rate, the sugars make up 74.4% by weight of the stuff. If this was in the form of sucrose alone, it would crystallize out, likewise if it were reducing sugars, glucose would crystallize. The proportion (1.75 reducing sugars to 1 of sucrose) produces a stable liquid. In the refining process, none of the syrups in process have a high enough reducing sugar content, so special batches of "invert syrup" are made (sucrose solution heated in acid environment -> equal quantities of glucose + fructose). This is added to other syrups to obtain the right proportions. >From this invert sugar might be a fancy name for glucose. Peter Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 19:56:54 -0600 From: Gordon Olson <glo at r.lanl.gov> Subject: AHA mead competition Reply-To: glo at r.lanl.gov (Gordon L. Olson) Unfortunately, it is now impossible to "correct" the results of the mead BOS as suggested by Donald Oconnor (oconnor at ccwf.cc.utexas.edu). I have not read the "fine print" in the judging rules. What I do know is that best-of-show is not awarded to the highest scoring mead or beer. When comparing across styles, the point scales are quite useless. You must compare the meads or beers head-to-head. Which one is the best of its particular style? That does not resolve itself in points. The final round, BOS, judges do not fill out score sheets. If an error was made, and I am not sure that an error was made, we can not now reconstruct the judging and compare mead A of one style to mead B of another style. Gordon L. Olson Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 23:01:48 cdt From: "Knight,Jonathan G" <KNIGHTJ at AC.GRIN.EDU> Subject: Beer news The following article (slightly abridged) appeared in the Des Moines Register, Thursday, Sept. 24, 1992: >>>Belly up to the bar, folks. Central Iowa has a brewery. After a few months of perfecting its brew, the Dallas County Brewing Co. in Adel started shipping "Old Depot" beer to local stores and restaurants last weekend. Kevin Rice, the brewery's president, says Old Depot is the first beer brewed in central Iowa since Des Moines' last brewery closed in 1917. The name comes from the nearby old Milwaulkee Railroad Depot, which will soon open as the Old Depot Restaurant and Pub. The brewery, once a glove factory, is located just south of the restaurant...on highway 6. .....Overseeing the yeasty operation is brew master Al Bush, who was previously with Buffalo Brewing Co. in Buffalo, N.Y. .....Rice, formerly a senior vice president at Heritage Communications, Inc., decided to open the brew pub and restaurant simply because "I like beer." It was while he was travelling in California for Heritage Cablevision that Rice discovered the microbrewery trend.... Iowa's first microbrewery, Millstream Brewing Co. of Amana, opened seven years ago. Since then a few other breweries or brew pubs...have opened. One brew pub, Fitzpatrick's Brewing Co., opened in September, 1990, in Iowa City. The other part of the Old Depot endeavor, the restaurant, is expected to open Oct. 5. Rice plans an ambitious menu that includes bison, venison, pheasant, rabbit, steaks, lamb flown in from New Zealand and an array of pasta and vegetarian dishes. ......Old Depot wil be available in four styles. [lager, ale, porter, and light.] <<< An accompanying article highlights some information on Iowa breweries from a book called "The Breweries of Iowa," written by Randy Carlson (no publisher or ISBN given). I've lived in Iowa for three years and have always thought it was a rather civilized place. Now with micros popping up hither and yon, I'm sure of it! Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 23:08:28 cdt From: "Knight,Jonathan G" <KNIGHTJ at AC.GRIN.EDU> Subject: sugary question I've been following the discussion on invert sugar with interest although a lot of the chemistry is lost on me. I ask the following in hopes of getting a less complicated answer: Anybody know anything about, or better yet used "demarara" (sp?) sugar? Is it really different from your garden variety "brown" sugar? Where does one get it? In what sorts of recipes does one use it? Thanks in advance for your wisdom. Thanks in arrears, by the way, to all those who responded to my queries a couple of weeks ago. Lots of people suggested using marbles (easy to sanitize) as the means to sink a bag of hops for dry-hopping in the secondary, but lots of people also think pellet hops are as good or better, since they can actually provide a sort of fining action. The Listerman mash/sparge system gets mixed reviews. Jonathan Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #979, 09/29/92