HOMEBREW Digest #1297 Tue 14 December 1993

Digest #1296 Digest #1298


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


Contents:
  Mead questions (XLPSJGN)
  Yeast Farming/Ranching (Michael D. Galloway)
  Murphys pressure device (David French)
  Murphy's DraughtFlow System (Paul Beard)
  boiling specialty grains (George Tempel)
  chopstick method (George Tempel)
  German Malt Types (Phil Brushaber)
  hacker-pschorr weiss? (George Tempel)
  Trading Micros, Long Way Home, etc. ("Pamela J. Day 7560")
  Northern lagering (RONALD DWELLE)
  Burnt? not anymore! ("Jeff M. Michalski, MD")
  Koch's Non-Alcoholic Beer? (Alan_Marshall)
  Another question re: aluminium pots (XLPSJGN)
  Brewpots: kegs or REAL stock pots? (Tom Leith MIR/ERL 362-6965)
  re: northern brewing (TODD CARLSON)
  Need Receipe for Belgian White Beer (David Allison 225-5764)
  Trivia / Jade (Ed Hitchcock)
  Geysers (RONALD DWELLE)
  Reusing yeast/adding grains to extract/carbonation (Keith MacNeal  13-Dec-1993 1238)
  Pete's Winter, burnt flavor (Russell Gelinas)
  Re: "Cat's Meow" ("Craig Hicks")
  RE: FTP-ing from sierra.stanford.edu (Donald Sharp)
  RE: Answer these questions, three.... (3) (Donald Sharp)
  British Hop Substitutes (Hubert Plummer)
  Oxygen for brewing (Bob Jones)
  Simulating an English beer engine (Bob Jones)
  Re:HeadRetention/ChopstickMethod/InconsistentCarbonation/NorthernLager (korz)
  America's Finest City AHA Competition (x-4378)" <Simpson at po2.rb.unisys.com>
  Sabco's RIMS Equipment (George J Fix)
  Re: misc. answers ("Mark B. Alston")
  Oregon Nut Brown Ale (John Walaszek)
  scorching in mash tun (tims)
  Abbey Ale recipe (Aaron Birenboim)
  winter ale (HBUCKS)
  winter ale (HBUCKS)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Dec 93 20:04 CST From: XLPSJGN%LUCCPUA.BITNET at UICVM.UIC.EDU Subject: Mead questions Dear Brewers, My fiance asked me about three weks ago whether I had any plans to brew a mead for our honeymoon, and I thought the idea was great. So I consulted with Papezian and chose his recipe for the Barckshack Ginger Mead, adding razberries (sp?) and refraining from additional spices, like lemongrass or cinnamon. I adjusted the measurements for a 2 gal batch, rather than the standard 5 gal. I'd brewed a mead once before - it was a recipe I'd received from this forum called something like "quick mead" which was supposed to be ready within a month... It wasn't! At least as far as the taste went.. But then again, that was my first batch. I've been brewing beers for about four years with some really quite good results - and some dismal failures (some may remember my troubles with an atrocity I named for the flooding of Chicago: "Chicago Tunnel Water"). So anyway, here are my questions for mead enthusiasts: The mead is now racked into 2 1gal. bottles (one is full to the neck, the other about only 1/2 full). OG: 1.055; SG at racking: 1.010. The taste before pitching was exquisite, with an almost perfect balance between the honey, ginger and razberries (about a pound of those) However at racking, the fermentation seemed to have hurt the flavor, with an off flavor best described as like A & D Ointment! The "bouquet" seemed to have soured as well, offering a smell more like ripe yeasties (like when we clean our carboys after bottling). Is this normal and/or will these flavors mellow and balence within a few months? That's question #1. Question #2 is: After I racked to the secondary vessels and fixed them with fermentation locks, I brought these tanks to the basement storage area to ferment, settle and clarify for another month or so before I bottle. But there are hot water pipes that run through the storage roomand do give off some heat (I'd estimate that it's a steady 80F though I've not yet monitored the temperature). I don't think its too threatening to the brew, but just to be sure, what is an accept- able temperature range for meads in the secondary? Thanks in advance for any and all responses, which can also be emailed to me at xlpsjgn at luccpua.it.luc.edu or to catfishjon at aol.com. Whew! that's good brew! John Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 07:29:44 -0500 From: mgx at ornl.gov (Michael D. Galloway) Subject: Yeast Farming/Ranching I've got a quick question regarding yeast ranching. I've been ranching yeastfor a year or so now using the kit from BrewTek but I'm still a little confused about one subject: what is the best (optimal) way to go from a yeast collected from a bottle to a plate (to isolate a single colony) to a slant? I've sort of got down the part going from the bottle to the plate, but what do you do with the single colony off the plate? I'd like to build up a decent slant to share with my friends. Thanks ... michael Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 11:31:47 GMT From: David French <david_f at s3dub.ie> Subject: Murphys pressure device As far as I can see the plastic insert in the Murphys can releases a stream of gas bubbles through the liquid when the can is opened and "dunked". As an Irish person orginally living a mile from the Murphy's Brewery the difference between the new pressurised can and the real thing from a pub tap is very slight. David F Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 08:19:36 -0500 From: paul.beard at gatekeeper.mis.tridom.com (Paul Beard) Subject: Murphy's DraughtFlow System Guinness also offers these in their Pub Draft cans; "like a keg, but easier to carry" say the ads. I dunno how they work, but I regard it as the natives viewed the thermos ("How does it know if the drink is hot or cold?"), or as Arthur C. Clarke said, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Paul Beard AT&T Tridom, 840 Franklin Court, Marietta, GA 30067 404 514-3798 * FAX: 404 429-5419 * tridom!paul.beard/beardp at tridom.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 08:34:41 +0000 (U) From: George Tempel <tempel at MONMOUTH-ETDL1.ARMY.MIL> Subject: boiling specialty grains boiling specialty grains Steve Tollefsrud steve_t at fleurie.compass.fr writes in #1295: >3. When/How to Add Specialty Grains: I plan to make the following extract based stout: 4 lbs. Muntons Dark Malt Extract Syrup 4 lbs. Muntons Light Malt Extract Syrup 1/2 lb. Crushed Crystal Malt 1/2 lb. Crushed Chocolate Malt 1/2 lb. Black Patent Malt (1 lb rolled oats ???) 1 oz. Northern Brewer Hops (30 min.) 1.5 oz Hallertauer loose Hops (dry, in the primary) >None of my homebrew info sources explain when/how to properly use specialty grains for an extract based brew. In the past I've just tossed my grains in at the beginning of the boil and boiled the hell outta them for an hour. Those batches were VERRRY bitter, though I'm not sure if it wasn't the Northern Brewer (2 oz, loose) which I was trying out at the same time. Should I not let the grains get more than 150 degrees F, as in mash conversion? Should I add them after the boil, below a certain temperature, and let them steep. What temps? What times? Thanks again, steve, as a fellow extract brewer (2 batches so far) I can tell you not to boil the hell outta the speciality grains, as you'll suck the tannins from the husks, contributing to quite a bitter tang. Much like overbrewing a _dark_ tea, it's not something you wanna do. Hope this helps. george Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 08:51:33 +0000 (U) From: George Tempel <tempel at MONMOUTH-ETDL1.ARMY.MIL> Subject: chopstick method chopstick method > The "Chopstick Method" ... >If done properly, you will have neatly extruded almost every drop of extract and will not have it all over you, your helper, your kitchen and the dog (or cat). ... >Thanks to Rob Dahlgren, inventor of the chopstick method. Hope this is helpful. Norman (nfarrell at ppco.com) sorry norm/rob...i've done it too! But we rather _like_ covering ourselves with malt extract (and the cats)! george Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 05:44:00 -0600 From: phil.brushaber at lunatic.com (Phil Brushaber) Subject: German Malt Types For several months in my all-grain brewing I have been chasing that very malty character found in premium German Octoberfest, Bocks, etc. I have tried decoction but it still doesn't seem to be getting me there. I wonder if I should use different malts? My local homebrew supply carries Ireks German Pilsner, Vienna and Munich. I have been using these in various combinations as called for in a given recipe. Are there more malty German malts available, perhaps by mail order? If so, I'd appreciate your dropping me a note to direct my "hunt". Thanks! ... My first brew? More for the crapper than the capper. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.11 - ---- =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= The Lunatic Fringe BBS * 214-235-5288 * 3 nodes * Richardson, TX* 24 hrs UseNet, ILink, RIME, FIDO, Annex, Intelec, LuciferNet, PlanoNet, and more! =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 09:16:09 +0000 (U) From: George Tempel <tempel at MONMOUTH-ETDL1.ARMY.MIL> Subject: hacker-pschorr weiss? hacker-pschorr weiss? Has anyone out there attempted to come close to the Hacker-Pschorr Weiss? It's a pale yellow weiss, with lots of body and sediment, and goes _great_ with a drop of raspberry and wedge of lemon (that's how I was first introduced to it back in college at the Brass Rail in Hoboken). thanks in advance george Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 09:25:00 EST From: "Pamela J. Day 7560" <DAY at A1.TCH.HARVARD.EDU> Subject: Trading Micros, Long Way Home, etc. Hello All, Is there anyone out there who would be willing to trade any type of micro-brewed beer that is availible only in their area for anything I can get them up here in the Northeast (Boston & New England)? My boyfriend & I have a bottle collection that we'd like to expand, and aren't real fussy ( we'll drink almost anything!) so if you'd like to try something from around this-a-way let me know, and we'll work out a deal. Re: taking the long way home; This past weekend we found ourselves driving home from a couple of days skiing in Vermont and decided to make the trip a brewery/brewpub tour. 1st stop, Mountain Brewers in Bridgwater, Vt., the makers of Long Trail (Amber Ale, Stout, Kolsch,I.P.A.) self guided tour, small tap room, great beer! 2nd stop, Catamount in White River Junction, they have guided tours (we missed everything but the tasting) and tasting of current products. Both of these two sell bottled product and other stuff in the "tap room". 3rd stop, Latchis Hotel, (brewpub has a separate name I don't remember at the moment) Brattleboro Vt. This place was ok, the beer was tasty but it had a yuppie-fern bar type atmosphere that was a little stuffy. Last but certainly not least was McNeil's Brewery in Brattleboro. Great beer, good food (sandwiches, nachos, nothing fancy), I wish they'd had a places like this around when I was in college, it looked like it'd be a real fun place when it was busy. BTW, McNeils should get awards just for the names of their beers, i.e. Duck's Breath Bitter, Slopbucket Brown, Dead Horse IPA, to name a few. I tried Molson Ice this weekend, $3.00/bottle at some bar in Killington, (thankfully the bartender goofed and only charged us for one!) all I can say is YUCK! Absolutly no taste what so ever. I wouldn't spend the money to give it away to some poor unsuspecting fool. Ah well, back to work, Cheers, Pam Day at a1.tch.harvard.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 10:06:33 EST From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE) Subject: Northern lagering Greg Pyle writes of dunking lager carboy in the French River and asks if he's missing something. Wouldn't the sucker blow up over the winter (assuming it's fermenting)? Happy fish? Ron Dwelle (dweller at gvsu.edu at Internet) Have a Beery Beery Christmas! Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 09:04:00 -0500 From: "Jeff M. Michalski, MD" <michalski_jm at rophys.wustl.edu> Subject: Burnt? not anymore! HBDers, Thank you for your comments about the burnt taste I had in my Xmas ale last week. I wanted to bring you up to date on a dramatic change that took place. I drew another pint out of the keg to better characterize the off taste last Thursday. The burnt after taste was GONE! After only one week! Now the beer has a wonderfully smooth character with a mild sweetness balanced by an appropriate hop bitterness. The hop aroma is powerful with a spicy note. (this is the batch I posted a dry-hop question on several months ago. I took the plunge and added 3.5 oz of Willamette pellets to the racked beer.) I wouldn't believe the dramatic change in the beer character if I hadn't tasted it myself. Furthermore, my wife who is not a beer lover {not even my own 8-( } tasted the burnt taste last week and now thinks the beer is drinkable. I believe that the long conditioning and "lagering" at 40F allowed some of the more bitter, off flavor components to precipitate to the bottom of the keg. My first 5 pints or so drew off this evil stuff and now I have a pretty tasty holiday brew. Thank you all for your comments anyway. JEFF M. MICHALSKI michalski_jm at rophys.wustl.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 10:20 EDT From: Alan_Marshall <AK200032 at Sol.YorkU.CA> Subject: Koch's Non-Alcoholic Beer? In HBD 1296: > Date: Sat, 11 Dec 93 13:57:33 PST > From: Bob <TATTERSH at WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU> > Subject: Non-alcoholic beer > In response to the December 9, 1993 posting by > GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU regarding non-alcoholic beer: > In September I brewed my first batch of non-alcoholic beer. > Essentially I copi ed a recipe from Papazian. With a few ingredient > alterations to his Righteous Real Ale, the procedure is as follows: > > On Day 1, boil the malt extract in 2 gallons of water, using Irish > Moss as a settling agent for the final 15-20 minutes. Without adding > any hops in this initial boiling, cool after a 30-45 minute boil suing ^^^^^ > whatever cooling method you prefer. Pitch yeast in your usual fashion > once you have added the necessary amount of water to equal 5 gallons. That would be Jim Koch's method :-) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 09:25 CST From: XLPSJGN%LUCCPUA.BITNET at UICVM.UIC.EDU Subject: Another question re: aluminium pots Dear brewers, Over the years I've developed a boiling technique which, while seeming to ease the boiling process (actually the removal of steeped specialty grains from the boil), I've always suspected but never questioned whether it's harmful to the beer I make. What I do is steep the grains in 1.5 gal. of cold water in my 3 gal stainless steel brew pot and bring that to a boil (a la Papezian). Then, once the water begins to boil, Papezian instructs to remove the grains from wort before adding the malt extract and hops (I'm not ready for the all-grain league yet). But this always was a long and tedious process, fishing around for all those little grains. So, I thought I'd shorten the process by placing a strainer over another brew pot of the same capacity, but made of aluminium. I'd sparge the collected grains, then return the wort to the original stainless steel pot, reheat to a boil then add the extract(s) and hops. So the questions are: 1) Is the (temporary) use of the aluminium pot detrimental to my beer? even if it's in the pot for 15 minutes max? and 2) is my method of straining the grains - basically pouring the wort once through a strainer, and again back into the original pot - going to effect or hurt (bruise?) the wort... even if I haven't yet added the extracts and hops? Thanks in advance for the responses, and thanks to all who responded earlier to my mead questions. Cheers! John Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 09:57:55 -0600 From: trl at photos.wustl.edu (Tom Leith MIR/ERL 362-6965) Subject: Brewpots: kegs or REAL stock pots? Brett -- IMNSHO, the *minimum* useful size for brewing a five gallon batch is a 32 quart pot (8 gallons). You can get an enamel 8 gallon canning pot for about $35 (with lid). This is what I'm using. The geometry is poor for doing a 2 hour boil -- too much surface area for the volume. I boil 75 minutes, and go from about 7 gallons to about 5-3/4. The lid is on (_on_ is too strong -- its over the pot, but plenty of steam esacpes) for the last 15 minutes while the chiller and the lid get sterilized. The 8 gallon pot covers two burners on my stove, and I use `em both during the boil. I would like to get a ten gallon stainless stock pot, but they cost about $175 new. So, I'm thinking about going the old keg route instead. Oh, if you get a stockpot, get one with a thick bottom. Some of `em have a copper disk sandwhiched between layers of stainless, others use aluminum. That's what you really want. Otherwise, the thicker, the better. Good Luck, t Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 12:23:46 EST From: carlsont at GVSU.EDU (TODD CARLSON) Subject: re: northern brewing Lagering under a frozen river/lake sounds like a great idea. In fact I was planning to do something simmilar over the holidays. I was going to lager my beer in a tank full of water in the garage. Since the freezing point of beer is lower than the freezing point of water, as long a the tank doesn't freeze, then the beer will stay unfrozen at 32 F (zero C) or higher. I figure that here (in Michigan) my garage should stay warm enough to keep the tank of water from freezing. The water will also act as a large heat sink to moderate temperature fluctuations. If we get a severe cold snap I can just bring the beer inside for a bit or rig up a heater in the garage. A friend of mine did this once - called it his garage lager. One concern about lagering under the ice would be that too much pressure would build up in a closed container from residual fermentation that takes place during lagering. I have not lagered before so I don't know how much fermentation to expect at this stage. I will probably use a fermentation lock. Todd Carlson carlsont at gvsu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 09:24:00 -0800 (PST) From: David Allison 225-5764 <ALLISON.DAVID at A1GW.GENE.COM> Subject: Need Receipe for Belgian White Beer I am looking for a all-grain receipe for a Belgian White Beer. I have the grains and the new Wyeast Belgian White Beer yeast (thanks to FF in Los Altos, CA <-- plug). Does anyone have ideas/receipes/suggestions on mashing protocol, hops, hopping rates, spices, fermentation temperatures, maturation and bottle vs. keg conditioning. I did look at the book "Belgian Ale" and Cats Meow, but didn't see much on this style. I am looking for something like Haargarden (sp?) or Celis, both of which are excellent IMHO. E-mail me directly or post or both. TIA - David (allison2.gene.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 13:50:53 -0400 From: Ed Hitchcock <ECH at ac.dal.ca> Subject: Trivia / Jade Here's a question for those breweriana afficianados: Why, specifically, do bavarian beer mugs have a lid? IS there a story or tradition behind this? / A friend recently compared an experimental batch of mine to a beer called Jade (I think, though the spelling may be wrong). He seemed to think it was a pale Flanders style ale from the north of France. Anyone have any further info on this beer (ie style, ingredients, OG, aroma and flavour profiles, similar beers)? Thanks. ____________ Ed Hitchcock ech at ac.dal.ca | Oxymoron: Draft beer in bottles. | Anatomy & Neurobiology | Pleonasm: Draft beer on tap. | Dalhousie University, Halifax |___________________________________| Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 13:04:15 EST From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE) Subject: Geysers On Gushing Beer The following quote is from the Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology: "Wild or gushing beer is a defect observed as a rather violent over-foaming from the bottle immediately after opening; this defect, however, does not affect the taste of the beer. The fundamental cause of gushing is attributed to the formation of micro-bubbles. It has been demonstrated that the application of excess pressure sufficiently forces the micro-bubbles back into the solution, eliminating overfoaming entirely. Gushing beers have been identified with malt made from weathered barley, and trial brews have proved that the presence of mycelia (from the mold species Fusaria) in the steep will promote the trouble." Ain't that the truth? Ron (dweller at gvsu.edu at Internet) "Five Gallons of Happiness Coming Soon..." Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 12:59:27 EST From: Keith MacNeal 13-Dec-1993 1238 <macneal at pate.enet.dec.com> Subject: Reusing yeast/adding grains to extract/carbonation In HOMEBREW Digest #1295 steve_t at fleurie.inria.fr (Steven Tollefsrud) asks: >1. Re-using Lager Yeast in Fermenter: I was wondering what risks >or advantages there would be if I ferment a second batch on top >of the yeast left in my primary after siphoning off the previous >batch. I haven't done it, but I've read several accounts of people doing this successfully. In #1296 someone mentions yeast washing which help avoiding any worries caused by the trub. >3. When/How to Add Specialty Grains: ... >None of my homebrew info sources explain when/how to properly >use specialty grains for an extract based brew. >In the past I've just tossed my grains in at the beginning of the >boil and boiled the hell outta them for an hour. Those batches >were VERRRY bitter, though I'm not sure if it wasn't the Northern >Brewer (2 oz, loose) which I was trying out at the same time. The bitterness you noted was not caused by the hops. It was caused by boiling the grains. Boiling extracts tannins which will lead to an astringent taste in your brew. I've been sucessful putting the specialty grains into a muslin bag and putting it into the brewpot along with the cold brewing water. I then heat the water and grain and remove the grain bag just before the water comes to a boil. Some claim this method may also extract tannin and advocate bringing the water to 150 deg.F and letting the grains steep. - ------------------------------ >From: Jack Tavares <tavares at ctron.com> >Subject: Fountaining Beer >I opened a bottle of my Christmas Stout (after only 5 days .-)_ >And it made the most beautiful black, gingery smellig fountain >that I have seen in a long time. >Now, i am going to let it sit at least another week before I >open up another bottle. >If i have the same problem, is there anything I can do to correct >it? Letting it sit another week won't solve the problem -- in fact it might worsen. One thing you could try is to chill the beer down in the bottle before opening. This worked for me with a batch I overprimed by mistake. - ------------------------------ >From: "Adrian L. Anderson (Andy" <alanders at mwc.vak12ed.edu> >Subject: New w/question >Brewers, > I am new to the list and to homebrewing. Have one batch of >Continental Light, made from a kit, to my credit. My product >came out fine body and colorwise w/ good carbonation. The only >problem is a very (ultra - mega) yeasty aftertaste. Were you careful not to pour the yeast sediment from the bottom of the bottle into your glass? - ------------------------------ >From: "Dennis Lewis" <DLEWIS%jscdo6 at jesnic.jsc.nasa.gov> >Anyway, I get a lot of grain particles that bypass the screen, >enough that I have to send the runnings thru a strainer to catch the >big pieces. I have an adjustable MaltMill and have tried it set as >wide as .055" to minimize husk shredding, but I still get >granule-size particles passing the screen. Whaddaya think? > >I've considered >* Crushing twice. Once set wide to remove husks, then set close to >pulverize everything. >* Getting a smaller screen size, like 1/16" holes >* Having the screen welded into the keg or fitting some sort of >gasket around the screen. There is a slight gap around the edges, >but it appears to be of less width than the holes. Also, right as >the last of the liquor drains out, I get a huge amount of grain >coming out the tap. >* Putting a small extension on the keg side of the outlet to raise >it about the bottom of the tun floor, letting any crud sit on the >bottom. Have you considered recirculating your wort? The grain bed acts as a filter and should help clear the wort before it gets to the brewkettle. - ------------------------------ >From: MATTHEW.BOHNE at sprint.sprint.com >Subject: BREW PROBLEM.. >WHEN I MOVED EVERYTHING TO THE FERMENT TANK I DIDN'T GET A BUBBLE FOR THE 1ST >DAY, HOWEVER 2 DAYS LATER IT WAS AT FULL CRANK. ON THE 6TH DAY IT BLEW BEER >THROUGH THE VAPOR LOCK SOME 9 FEET INTO THE AIR(RATHER FUN TO WATCH BUT A MESS >TO CLEAN..) THE HEAD PEEKED AND FELL BACK IN, I DRAINED IT TO THE SECOND >FERMENT TANK AND WAITED.. IT BUBBLED SLIGHTLY ONCE AN HOUR, 2 DAYS LATER, I >BOTTLED. IT HAS BEEN 2 WEEKS AND I WENT DOWN TO THE CELLAR AND I NOTICED A >WHITE RING INSIDE OF ALL THE BOTTLES... WHAT IS THIS?? IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A >MINI HEAD BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE THICKENED FROTH... WILL IT GO AWAY?? SHOULD I >JIGGLE THE BOTTLES AND GET IT TO DROP TO THE BOTTOM? I ALSO NOTICED A THICKER >SEDIMENT IN THE BOTTOM OF MY BOTTLES THAN USUAL. SHOULD I BE CONCERNED? I >OPENED ONE AND GOT THIS MAJOR GUSHER (I SEEM TO BE GETTING A LOT OF THESE >THESE DAYS BOTH WITH OLD AND NEW BEERS) -- SHOULD THEY BE CHILLED LONGER? IS >THERE ANYWAY TO COUNTERACT THIS? You may have bottled too early. Did you monitor the specific gravity? Another possible explanation is that you picked up an infection somewhere in your process. Revisit your sanitizing procedures. - ------------------------------ According to Zymurgy's Beer Professor, aluminum is just fine for the brewkettle in a homebrewery. He says the reason the big boys use stainless steel is because they use very aggressive cleaners which would chew through aluminum. Keith MacNeal Digital Equipment Corp. Hudson, MA Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 13:13:23 -0500 (EST) From: gelinas at ekman.unh.edu (Russell Gelinas) Subject: Pete's Winter, burnt flavor Try Pete's Winter special beer for an excellent example of raspberry flavor/aroma in a beer. The recipe is from a winner in the 1993 AHA national homebrewing contest. IMO, it's a world class brew, at least. Re. burnt taste: Most likely it's from the abundance of dark malt in the grain bill, but it could be that you scorched the brown sugar. You did remember to turn the heat off and stir well when you added the sugar, didn't you? Russ Gelinas EOS UNH Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 10:00:26 EST From: "Craig Hicks" <chicks at nas.edu> Subject: Re: "Cat's Meow" In the latest HBD, several people refer to the "Cat's Meow." In the header of each issue, there is a cryptic message that reads "For 'Cat's Meow' information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu" For the benefit of newer subscribers such as myself, could someone please explain what it is? A recipe file? Something more? Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 12:39:26 EST From: cc32859 at vantage.fmrco.com (Donald Sharp) Subject: RE: FTP-ing from sierra.stanford.edu >From: bwchar at mail.wm.edu (Brett Charbeneau) > >Help! > > I can't seem to be able to log onto the sierra machine. I can >telnet to it get the login prompt, but no matter what I try I >continually get an ''incorrect login'' error. I'm not 100% sure, but I think sierra is not set up to allow telnet login access, only ftp. I haven't lately tried myself, but I have been successful in the past. Instead of telnet, why not try ftp? I'd use the combination anonymous/bwchar at mail.wm.edu if I were you. Give it a go and see what happens, depending on the results maybe we can troubleshoot further. Don Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 13:15:41 EST From: cc32859 at vantage.fmrco.com (Donald Sharp) Subject: RE: Answer these questions, three.... (3) >Date: Fri, 10 Dec 93 11:42:55 +0100 >From: steve_t at fleurie.inria.fr (Steven Tollefsrud) > >3. When/How to Add Specialty Grains: I plan to make the following >extract based stout: > 4 lbs. Muntons Dark Malt Extract Syrup > 4 lbs. Muntons Light Malt Extract Syrup > 1/2 lb. Crushed Crystal Malt > 1/2 lb. Crushed Chocolate Malt > 1/2 lb. Black Patent Malt > (1 lb rolled oats ???) > 1 oz. Northern Brewer Hops (30 min.) > 1.5 oz Hallertauer loose Hops (dry, in the primary) > >None of my homebrew info sources explain when/how to properly >use specialty grains for an extract based brew. I've been doing extract-based brewing for about 2 years now, and most of what I know comes from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and HBD. I generally add some small amount of specialty grain to my extract-based brews. I might add 1-2 pounds of crystal malt at the maximum, but less than half a pound combined of all other types. The thing to remember is that except for crystal, the specialty malts you're adding are contributing unfermentable starch to the brew. Crystal malt is different, in processing it mostly gets converted to fermentable sugar. Processing malt in other ways, e.g. roasting it to achieve darker colors, not only doesn't convert the starch, but in fact destroys the enzymes in the malt needed to do the conversion. When you start adding amounts on the order of 1 lb or more adjuncts, as your recipe suggests, you're going to get a lot of unconverted starch in the wort, which will eventually end up in the beer. To avoid this, if you really want to use all these adjucts (which you well might if you want to brew a nice stout) you might consider (as I do with almost every batch :-) using a partial-mash process. You have to be sure that (at least some of) the extract you use has the ability to convert the starch to fermentable sugars. The only commercially available extract that I know of is that has the conversion capacity is Edme's DMS (Diastatic Malt Syrup.) (This info comes (I think) from TCJoH, I'd be pleased to hear about other alternatives.) Anyway, without getting into partial-mashing, the way I treat my specialty grains is to add them to the cold water at the start of the process, and then when the water is about to boil, before adding malt extract or hops, remove as much as possible with a kitchen seive. This technique comes directly from TCJoH. The justfication is that the good stuff (color, flavoring, proteins, whatever you're adding the grains for) is easily soluable, and doesn't need a lot of boiling to extract, and that prolonged boiling will just extract some excessively bitter stuff, probably mostly tannin, from the husks. Don Return to table of contents
Date: 13 Dec 93 13:55:14 EST From: Hubert Plummer <71601.3106 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: British Hop Substitutes I hope some of the vast net knowledge can give me some assistance in finding these hops, or decent substitutes. In many recipies for british ales, one comes across hops that don't appear to be available over here in the US. So can anyone provide a source that carries these or perhaps some reasonable substitutes (yes I am checking the Hops FAQ as you read this). The hops in question are: Challenger Brambling Target Whitbread Goldings Northdown Progress Thanks for any help Hubert Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 11:31:35 +0800 From: bjones at novax.llnl.gov (Bob Jones) Subject: Oxygen for brewing Is there an inexpensive source for pure oxygen to use in wort oxygenation? Anyone out there using pure oxygen for wort oxygenation? Bob Jones bjones at novax.llnl.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 12:13:53 +0800 From: bjones at novax.llnl.gov (Bob Jones) Subject: Simulating an English beer engine OK, I think it's about time I report on my latest gadget. Some of you may remember my recent trip to the UK. I fell in love with the beers there and have been fooling around with ideas to simulate the flavors and dispensing methods I experienced there. The cask conditioned ales have some characteristics that are easy to simulate. Hops, malt, low gas, warm, yeast but some that aren't. I got home and immediately brewed up a low gravity, english style ale. When I put it on my draft system, something was missing. I had kept the CO2 at 0 psi when kegging and brought the gas up to about 5psi to dispense. Tasted OK, but the head was gone of course. The creamy whipped head is caused by the sparklers on most beer engines in the UK. Ok, I thought what the beer engine REALLY does is lift or pull the beer from the keg and force the beer through a series of very small holes. This causes both foaming and whipping of air into the beer. I reasoned that I could do the same without a beer engine. What I built is a valve with a piece of copper tubing at the output of the valve. The end of the copper tubing has a cap on it. The cap has about 6 holes .020 in diameter in it. This assembly is placed at the end of about a four foot piece of 1/4" id PVC line. Now to use this gadget I raise the keg pressure up to about 10 psi, open the valve and point the output into a glass. As you can imagine, 6 streams of beer exit and foam and aerate the beer. The glass fills and when you set the glass down, the beer recombines in the glass from the bottom up, just like the beers in the UK do. Now it's usually necessary to top the glass off in a few seconds, they also do this in the UK. After I've dispensed the beer I reduce the keg pressure back to 0psi. Bingo, this gadget very closely simulates the flavors and effect of the English beer engines. The aeration and head creamy head are bang on to what I tasted in the UK. I now have to decide how to incorporate this gadget better into my draft system. I am considering either one of two ideas to make using this concept alittle easier to use. One would be to keep the keg at about 1psi and add a small pump to raise the pressure to push the beer through the sparkler. The other is to push the beer with nitrogen instead of CO2. This way I could leave the keg at 10psi and not pick up any carbonation. I have been threatening to go to a mixed gas system, this may be the push over the top. This post is getting long, I'll stop by sayng, give it a try, you may like it. My appologies to all the people in the UK on butchering the tradition of cask condition ales, but I think I have come up with a pretty good simulation. Fellow brewers, open your eyes, gased ales are not necessarly the best ales. With no gas, one can make a lower gravity beer and experience the malt and hop flavors MUCH better. I not saying I'm going to make all my beers now without CO2, I am saying it really adds another demension to beer. Cheers, Bob Jones bjones at novax.llnl.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 15:01 CST From: korz at iepubj.att.com Subject: Re:HeadRetention/ChopstickMethod/InconsistentCarbonation/NorthernLager Goeff writes: >What you need for good head retention are proteins. Proteins are what >provides the surface tension which give the bubbles some strength. However, >proteins can also cause haze so you have to have a ballance. Hops are a >good source of proteins for head retention but you have a Brown Ale so you You're right about the proteins, but they have to be small proteins. Also, I think you may be confusing something regarding the hops. I'm quite certain there are no proteins gained by the beer from the hops, however, there have been studies that have found a correlation between head retention and a certain component of the hops (cohumulone, I believe... sorry, don't have my books here). Perhaps this is what you've been experiencing. *************** Norman writes about the "Chopstick Method" for getting all the extract out of those bagged extracts. I have alternate method that I've invented and subsequently am discarding after it's very first use. I'm posting it as a warning to potential users. I call it the "Spoon and Exhaust Hood Method." It involves pinning the bag between the Exhaust Hood and your Charismatic Wooden Spoon and then pulling up on the bag. The problem with this method is that inevitably the spoon slips off (under) the hood and flings a dollop of extract against the backstop of the range. Yuck! ************ Rich writes about inconsistent carbonation despite always using 3/4 cup of dextrose for priming. There are two other factors besides the amount of priming sugar that can cause overcarbonation. 1) unwelcome visitors and 2) bottling too early. Unwelcome visitors include bacteria and wild yeasts. You may be introducing them at bottling time, during fermentation or even as early as at pitching time. Bacteria and wild yeasts (S. diastaticus, for example) often can eat sugars that your primary fermentation yeast cannot. Thus, once the primary fermentation is done, the wild yeasts slowly eat the left over sugars and overcarbonate the beer. Alternatively, if you have bacteria in your beer (which often do not produce gasses and thus do not overcarbonate the beer directly), they can break the larger, unfermentable carbohydrates into smaller, fermentable sugars which your fermenation yeast can now eat, thereby overcarbonating. The second factor is much more easy to solve -- don't bottle too early. I usually wait till the airlock is bubbling less than once per minute, often waiting till it's less than once per two minutes. ************ Greg writes: >need some advice. He is going to do a full mash and rack of the cold break >into a glass carboy. The carboy is going to be sealed up in plastic and >placed carefully into the river just before ice-over. The theory here is that >once the river freezes, the water temperature below the ice will be at 4 deg. The only potential problem as I see it is that perhaps the ice expansion could compress the part of the carboy that's sticking through the ice and break it. Would the whole thing be under water, or would the top of the carboy be sticking through the ice? If the whole thing was under water, then I'd worry about pressure building up from (very slow) yeast activity and popping the top. As an alternative, why not build an insulated box and put a thermostatically -controlled HEATER in it? This could be put outside and use nature to keep it cold. The thermostat could be set to 4C and would warm the fermenter when the temperature in the box gets too cold. Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 13:11:00 PST From: "SIMPSON, Mark (x-4378)" <Simpson at po2.rb.unisys.com> Subject: America's Finest City AHA Competition This is it, Brew-Guys and Brew-Gals!!! The First Annual "America's Finest City Homebrew Competition", an AHA Sanctioned Competition will be held on the 12th of March, 1994!!! All recognized AHA beverage styles will be judged. Refer to Zymurgy for style guidelines and contest details. Contact either Skip Virgilio: (619) 566-7061 or Mark Simpson: (619) 578-2627. I can be e-mailed at: simpson at rb.unisys.com. All entries must be on site by March 9th. I will send a follow-up message when the mailing and judging site has been established. So, GET BREWING NOW!!! Cheers! Mark Simpson; VP of QUAFF in San Diego Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 16:03:56 -0600 From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix) Subject: Sabco's RIMS Equipment The folllowing should be added to my review of the RIMS which appeared in the Winter issue of Zymurgy. This addition will appear in the next issue. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It has come to my attention that Sabco is marketing only a part of the Conrad Keys/Rodney Morris RIMS system. Missing from Sabco's product is the grain mill Conrad designed for this system. This omission could possibly cause problems. Without the right sort of crush this system could lead to grain compactification and leeching of undesirables from husks, to cite but two examples. Thus anyone who is interested in the Sabco system should also give serious consideration to the purchase of an adjustable roller mill. Do not be afraid to experiment with roller spacing, for the requirements on grain milling are different for the RIMS setup as compared to a standard mashing system. The performance of the system is the best guide to deciding how the grains should be crushed. The goals are to get a smooth and homogeneous recirculation, yields in the 32-34 pts*gal/lb range, and absolutely no grain astringency in the finished beer. George Fix Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 15:31:43 MST From: "Mark B. Alston" <c-amb at math.utah.edu> Subject: Re: misc. answers Brett Charbeneau wonders how to log into sierra.stanford.edu. When asked for a user name respond ftp, and when it asks you for a password as your complete email address respond r at . The at automatically appends your site address. If you are up to no good respond with the address of someone you don't like :-) Try again. You need to *use* ftp not login *as* ftp. Brett was trying to telnet to sierra rather than ftp there. Thus, the correct procedure is to ftp to sierra and login as anonymous with your e-mail address as your passord. i.e. 1) 'ftp sierra.stanford.edu' 2) enter 'anonymous' as user 3) enter e-mail address as password Mark Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 17:20 CST From: akcs.wally at vpnet.chi.il.us (John Walaszek) Subject: Oregon Nut Brown Ale After looking at the Winter Zymurgy I am intrigued by the Oregon Nut Brown Ale. Can anyone who attended the Conference comment on it. The recipe calls for 3.3 lbs on Danish Unhopped malt syrup. Does anyone know whether this is Light, Amber, Dark? Since the recipe call for 3.3 lbs for a 10 gallon batch I would replace with 1.5 lbs DME probably Laaglander for a 5 gallon batch. Does anyone know where to obtain the Hazelnut extract that was used? The manufacturer is Stearns and Lehman. Thanks - Wally Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 16:12:40 -0800 From: tims at ssl.Berkeley.EDU Subject: scorching in mash tun Dear Dion, You sent mail a while ago in response to my pico-brewery question, and I have another question for you, if you know. How much do I need to worry about scorching at the bottom of the mash tun, if that is where I apply gentle heat. Is it better to have a screen, and keep the bottom with liquid and no grist against it (but no stirring of the liquid), or is it better to put the grist right down on the metal, and use some sort of slotted pipe (or Easymasher type) manifold/filter? The heat source is an electric burner attached to the bottom on the _outside_ of the SS mash vessel. Any thoughts? Thanks, Tim Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 17:16:43 MST From: abirenbo at redwood.hac.com (Aaron Birenboim) Subject: Abbey Ale recipe would somebody out there be kind enough to send me a nice abbey ale recipe. I'm leary of those in rojette's book. (all grain and candi-sugar preferred.) aaron Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 19:57:22 -0400 (EDT) From: HBUCKS at delphi.com Subject: winter ale Does anyone have a receipt for an ale similar to Young's Winter Ale. I have been told that it requires a yeast that is less attentive than usual for this type of ale. Can anyone shed any light on that? Thanks in advance for replys. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 20:01:44 -0400 (EDT) From: HBUCKS at delphi.com Subject: winter ale Does anyone have a receipt for an ale similar to Young's Winter Ale. I have been told it requires a yeast that is less attentive than usual for this type of ale. Can anyone shed any light on that? Thanks in advance for replys. Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1297, 12/14/93