HOMEBREW Digest #1319 Sat 08 January 1994

Digest #1318 Digest #1320


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


Contents:
  reusing yeast (Robert Jordan)
  Belgian Beer Tours (yeebot)
  strike temp, metric and hops question (Marc de Jonge)
  Dr. Lewis on American Malt (Pat Anderson)
  Brew in St. Louis (Mark A Fryling)
  Re:  counter-flow -vs- immmersion chillers (Mike Zentner)
  Homebrew Digest #1318 (Ja (Chuck Wettergreen)
  Brew Pubs ("Pete Brauer 312/915-6157"                 )
  Mead and Ale Yeast (WCH)
  Nutritional Labelling / Wedding Brew (npyle)
  SNPA Yeast (David Resch)
  BATF is not your friend ("John L. Isenhour")
  Sparging Speed (Robert Milstead)
  Cherry Stout (smtplink!guym)
  pumps and culturing (not related :-) ("Anton Verhulst")
  Scottish Malt (Chuck Mryglot X6024)
  Anchor X-mas (Todd Jennings)
  easymasher, batch v. continuous sparge, thermoelectrics (Robert F. Dougherty)
  Detroit brewpubs (The winter must be cold for those with no warm memories)
  1993 AHA categories/winners (Steve Jones 412-337-2052)
  Calorie/Alcohol Calculations (Steve Rak)
  HSA article / hop aroma / caps (Carl Howes)
  Re: beware of glycogen depletion (Paul Crowell)
  storage tip/plastic bottles/mint wine ("THE FOURWHEELIN' 'TALIAN WANNABE JOKEMEISTER.")
  need help to convert keg (Carlo Fusco)
  Re: malt extract adulteration? (bteditor)
  Balling's formula for alcohol content (George J Fix)
  Re: Advice needed on serving for large events (Drew Lynch)
  Correction (George J Fix)
  Hops vs. malt (Mark Garetz)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Jan 1994 22:27:29 -0600 (CST) From: Robert Jordan <JORDAN at ANLBEM.BIM.ANL.GOV> Subject: reusing yeast First let me thank everyone who helped me with suppliers and various other things so I could get my first brew of the ground. My Plain Brown Ale is merrily fermenting away. I used Wyeast's European Ale yeast and I want to use it again along with my Munich Malt extract to make an altbier. If I've got it right I should be able to pour the altbier wort in on top of the yeast sediment in the secondary. My question is does it matter to the yeast when I aerate the altbier wort? Should I aerate it in something else and then carefully siphon it into the carboy that has the yeast, or can I just slosh it in with a funnel and shake the bejesus out of it like you normally would? While I'm here let me extoll the virtues of a 1 liter pyrex erlenmeyer flask for yeast starters. You can boil the starter in the flask right on the burner and then pretty much immediately dunk it in cold water to cool it down. It's somewhat less convenient than canning a bunch of starters at once, but it's fast and simple. Watch out though for truely volcanic boil overs. Thanks in advance- Rob RJordan at anl.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 02:36:29 EST From: yeebot at aol.com Subject: Belgian Beer Tours Howdy Y'all and Happy New Year! There's a fellow on AOL who's going over to Belgium and is interested in touring breweries (Lucky guy!). Can anybody recommend a tour group or books or any other info on this subject? TIA, Mike Yee Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 11:19:33 +0100 From: dejonge at tekserv.geof.ruu.nl (Marc de Jonge) Subject: strike temp, metric and hops question In HBD 1318 Barry Moore gives a calculation for strike temperature: > Step 3: > Calculate the heat energy required to raise the grist to mash > temperature: > (apologies to our metric friends - all weights in Lbs, temps in F) > > Lbs grist x 0.431 x (mash temp - grist temp) = BTU > required > > Step 4: > The heat energy that the strike water needs to loose is (surprise) > EQUAL to the heat energy the grist has to gain; therefore: > > Lbs water x 1.0 x (water temp - mash temp) = BTU required > > for those rusty in algebra, this means: > > water temp = mash temp +(BTU required / Lbs water) For metricously minded folks: I use this expression (If you rinse your mash tun with some hot water beforehand, which I normally do because it gathers quite a lot of dust in the shed, no correction is needed) water temp = mash temp + (mash temp - malt temp)*(Kg malt / 2*Kg water) (temps, of course, in Deg C) On a completely different note: Does anybody know anything about Challanger and Yeoman hops (My brew shop sales person advises those as replacement for Goldings and Fuggles, but how do they compare ?...) _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Marc de Jonge dejonge at geof.ruu.nl Utrecht University, Geophysics dept, Utrecht, the Netherlands -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 1994 22:43:14 -0800 From: Pat.Anderson at f52.n343.z1.fidonet.org (Pat Anderson) Subject: Dr. Lewis on American Malt GETTING THE MOST FROM AMERICAN MALT Notes from a talk by Dr. Michael Lewis Home Brew U March 27, 1993 The following is my attempt to put down the essence of a talk given by Dr. Michael Lewis, U.C. Davis ("the homebrew professor") at Liberty Malt Supply's Homebrew U on March 27, 1993, in Seattle. My notes are sketchy, but I believe this is a fair summary of Dr. Lewis's talk. Any errors are, of course, mine and not Dr. Lewis's. Pat Anderson. In mashing malt, we need to obtain a wort with sufficient extract and sufficient fermentability. "Extract" means the gravity obtained from a given quantity of malt. "Fermentability" means the proportion of the total extract that yeast can covert to alcohol. British pale malt is produced so that a single temperature infusion mash produces both sufficient extract and fermentability. For American pale malt, optimum fermentability is obtained at temperatures of 55^ - 60^ C. (131^ - 140^ F.). At these temperatures, the beta amylase enzymes produce maltose most efficiently. This happens early in the mash in a fairly short time, approximately 20 minutes. The alpha amylase enzymes, on the other hand, produce the dextrins that give us the total extract we desire at temperatures between 70^ - 75^ C. (158^ - 167^ F.). It is possible to mash American pale malt with a single temperature infusion. While this can be a reasonable compromise approach, it inevitably results in a loss of either fermentability or extract, since the temperature is not optimum for either. The best plan for mashing American pale malt is a "temperature program, " in order to obtain the optimum balance of extract and fermentability. A sample two temperature program, utilizing the popular "camp cooler" mashing method, would be something like this: 1. Stir in enough hot water at around 70^ C. (approximately 158^ - 160^ F.) to make a thick mash, so the temperature settles in between 55^ - 60^ C. (131^ F. - 140^ F.) Initial mash temperatures as low as 50^ C. (122^ F.) are acceptable. Hold for 20 - 30 minutes at this temperature. 2. After 20 - 30 minutes, add enough hot water just off the boil to raise the temperature to 70^ - 75^ C. (158^ - 167^ F.) for the remainder of the mash period. What many American home brewers don't realize is just how low a temperature American pale malt needs for optimum fermentability and how high a temperature it needs for optimum extract. Dextrins do not, as far experiments disclose, contribute "body" as is frequently stated, but rather contribute a desirable aftertaste. The so-called "protein rest" usually advocated for American pale malt does not seem to have any real basis. Everything that needs to happen in the mash will happen with a proper temperature program that addresses fermentability and extract. [Dr. Lewis's comment was actually that the protein rest was "bullshit"!] Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 8:39:51 EST From: Mark A Fryling <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Subject: Brew in St. Louis Hi All, First, thanks to all those who sent info on places for good brew in the twin cities to me last month. I made it to Sherlock's Home for dinner and a pint and managed to stop by Surdyks on my way to the airport. Sherlock's is a nice brewpub with good food though I found their beer lacking a certain oomph. Surdyks was a great success. Now, for a new request. Next week I have an interview in St. Louis, and I'd like to hear from you St. Louis natives about Brewpubs and good retail establishments in the area. I will be staying in the Regal Riverfront Hotel on S. 4th street, so if there are some good places nearby I'd lide to hear about them. Please send info direct. TIA One more question. I have been looking wherever possible for Rogue's Old Crustacean Barleywine but I cant seem to find it. Is this stuff available in bottles anywhere? The things I have read say that its great stuff. A final note of information to those travellers who find themselves in Manhattan. I would strongly recommend that you find the time to visit the Burp Castle in the East Village Area (Next to Brewskky's and near the corner of 7th street and 2nd Ave.). This place is an incredible experience! Almost all of the bottled beers that they sell are of Belgian origin (with a few exceptions including some Flanders Ales and a very few good US micros). The times I've been there though, I've worked mostly on their tap selection. When I was there last week they had: Pilsener Urquell, Hacker-Pschorr Weissbier, Paulaner Salvator, New England Holliday Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Anchor Christmas Ale and Anchor Old Foghorn ALL ON DRAFT!!!!! The Old Foghorn is one of the best commercial ales I have ever tasted. The setting is also lots of fun because the place is decorated like a monastary with bartenders dressed as monks and heavy Gregorian music playing in the background. Its a must see when you are in the city. Thanks in advance for the info. Cheers Mark Fryling Department of Chemistry The Ohio State University <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 08:54:05 -0500 From: zentner at ecn.purdue.edu (Mike Zentner) Subject: Re: counter-flow -vs- immmersion chillers Peter.Langlois at BostonMA.NCR.COM (Pete Langlois) writes: >the drain is opened a little). I have no measurement on the quantity of >water used, but there are secondary benefits - the sink's water is used for >cleaning up while the wort is chilling, and I get access to my kitchen tap >for any other needs. A while back, I discovered with my counterflow chiller that the output is an excellent source of warm wash water that I collect in my 10 gallon pot. Your kitchen tap is also "free" if you use the outlet hose to spray stuff off. Furthermore, in the summer time, you can run the water out to a sprinkler on your lawn:-)... Mike PS as for cooling effectiveness, I don't thing you can go wrong with either type of chiller. And, as always, my on-line plans for a counterflow wort chiller are free for the asking at zentner at ecn.purdue.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 08:13:00 -0600 From: chuck.wettergreen at aquila.com (Chuck Wettergreen) Subject: Homebrew Digest #1318 (Ja In HBD 1318 adc at mvuts.att.com (ADC) wrote: ADC> I do my mashing outside on a cajun cooker. I recently > constructed an insulated "container" that I can simply place > over the kettle and cooker. I just use a cardboard box that I lined with a styrofoam (sp?) like substance and another piece for a lid. It maintains the heat for hours. Chuck * RM 1.2 00946 * Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 09:13 CST From: "Pete Brauer 312/915-6157" <$W$PR42%LUCCPUA.BITNET at UICVM.UIC.EDU> Subject: Brew Pubs Dave Berg wrote to ask if $500,000 was high to start a brew pub based on some irrational dream (don't worry Dave, I have actually written the menu, design the floor plan, and done scale drawings of the front and general layout for mine). Based on 5 years experience in restaurants, and especially focusing on beer and Scotch (I don't know if anyone remembers "Lindsey's" in Minneapolis which has long since closed) it is a little high but not much. Of course, this figure can be drastically reduced by following several options. First, try to find a restaurant that has closed to take over, or better yet an old microbrewery or pub, this will save a big chunk. As far as your other expenses, you will have to lease or buy the proper equipment, not just stoves, grills, etc. which you will find if you take over a closed place, but you will need plates, glassware, bar- ware, silver, all the little things that can be easily liquidated when a restaurant fails, as well as tables and chairs most likely. All this is before you even begin to deal with ordering new food and bar stock, and redecorating and bringing to code. Along with liscense fees and and insurance, don't forget the price of you brewing equipment and setting up a viewing room, watching beer ferment is boring but a great draw. Anyway, these and a myriad of other "unexpected" expenses could easily add up to $500,000. But, if you are a winner and you get ready to open, let me know if you need a manager. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 1994 10:50:59 -0500 (EST) From: WCH at gnv.ifas.ufl.edu Subject: Mead and Ale Yeast About 3 weeks ago, I started making my 2nd batch of mead. After letting the mead coool down, I pitched the first package of yeast. One day goes by, two days go by, three days go by. Oh no. I start to get worried so I pitch another package. Same thing. Another package. Again same thing. Now, I'm really worried. The stuff has been in the carboy for 2 weeks just sitting there. I figure what the hell so I dumped in some ale yeast (the other packages had been a wine/mead yeast). Now, the stuff has been going ball's out for about a week. Here come the questions? 1) Isn't the ale yeast alcohol sensitive? Meaning, won't it ferment to a certain level then die? 2) Has anyone else fermented mead with ale yeast? How did it turn out? 3) I'm getting ready to rack the mead in smaller 1-gallon bottles. Should I try to put some wine yeast in a racking or just let it go? 4) Anyone have any suggestion? I'm completely open. It doesn't matter what it comes out like since I'll probably drink it anyway (I can't stand the thought of all those yeast giving their lives for nothing). Thanks, Clint ____________________________________________________________________________ The unquestioning mind is always answered. ___________________________________________________________________________ Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 9:10:08 MST From: npyle at n33.stortek.com Subject: Nutritional Labelling / Wedding Brew Darren Aaberge writes: >In defense of the BATF (or whoever didn't like the nutritional information on >Grant's products, I am not sure it was the BATF), I believe the thing that >Yakima Brewing and Malting Co. (brewers of Grant's products) got in trouble for >was stating that each bottle of beer contained 160% of the recommended USDA for >vitamin B, but they failed to mention that the alcohol in the beer would remove >more than that from your body. This IMHO was clearly misleading and should not >have been on the packages. I strongly disagree with this opinion. Asking Grant's to evaluate the chemical reactions taking place inside your body and to print it on the label is going a bit too far. I don't think they are being misleading at all. Certainly no more misleading than low fat products (implication = "healthy") which are loaded with cholesterol. Brewers should provide the alcohol content along with nutritional value and let you decide for yourself if it is good for you. Grant's is (was) providing a service which no other brewery provided, and it was appreciated by this consumer. MHO and all that. ** Richard Goldstein asks about the semantics of serving homebrew to 80 guests at a wedding. Richard, I wouldn't do it without a practice run. I would get a kegging setup and practice with it for a batch or two at home. Then have a small party to work out any kinks in that setting, and then do the wedding. I guess I'm a little uptight about it, but it _is_ your friend's wedding day; you want it to come off without a hitch. Norm Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 09:13:33 MST From: resch at craycos.com (David Resch) Subject: SNPA Yeast Todd asks about re-using Sierra Nevada Pale Ale yeast from the bottle: > Does anyone out there do this regularly? Is yeast from a > bottle pure and reliable enough to get good results? Is > this too good to be true? Thanks in advance for your info. I do this very regularly and have been doing it for years. The yeast is a very nice, clean yeast and is reported to be the same strain as Wyeast 1056 ale yeast. My experience is that the yeast is extremely pure and reliable from the bottle. The one thing to check, however, is that the beer is reasonably fresh (not more than a couple of months since bottling). This greatly reduces the lag time for the starter to become active. There is a very handy decoder in postscipt format in the HBD archives at Stanford for interpreting the date notches on the SNPA label. Dave Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 1994 10:20:02 CST From: "John L. Isenhour" <isenhour at lambic.fnal.gov> Subject: BATF is not your friend Darren Aaberge writes: >In defense of the BATF (or whoever didn't like the nutritional information on >Grant's products, I am not sure it was the BATF) I never thought I'd hear anyone defend the BATF:) but let me repost this about that... When out in Portland for the recent Events, a group of us chi.beer.soc geeks went to Yakima to sniff some hops, and we went on a tour of Yakima Brewing (the Grant's brew folks). Bert and his wife were there (sorry I've forgotten her name) and she related the saga of Bert putting nutritional info on his beer labels. The ATF came out and made him stop, citing a 1956 rule against making health claims for beer. Stating facts and making claims seem to be two different items to me, but 'some other brewery' complained about the practice and they were told to desist. Well it got picked up by the national media and a lot of the headlines made really unflattering remarks about the big bad ATF trying to hide THE TRUTH from the American Public. So the next thing Bert knows the ATF shows up at the brewery with a fine tooth comb and stays there a solid 2 weeks inspecting, detecting, and collecting info to make them pay for the embarrassment they caused. The Grants were subjected to impromptu 'grillings' or interviews, and Ms. Grant related how the AFT officers were very uncivil and threatening. She said the main gorilla was a big guy with short blond hair and an acne pockmarked face and she said it was easy to imagine him in gestapo garb. Grant had gotten written permission from atf to produce cider, which is not regulated/taxed (at least in that state, I guess) cause it ain't wine, it ain't beer. But the atf now says they have to pay back taxes plus a fine, and the previous permission given by atf ment nothing. Next thing that happens is the water company calls up and says theres a special new fee to pay for processing the brewery's wastewater, even though Bert had been paying the regular water fees for years. Hmmm. At least Bert took it in stride. He now has nutritional placards that sit on tables in pubs serving his beer. food for thought, -john Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 11:47:00 PST From: Robert Milstead <rmilsted at Zellar.Vantage.GTE.COM> Subject: Sparging Speed After doing two all grain batches using the cooler method and reading many posts in HBD about the time spent in sparging, I'm wondering if I am doing something wrong. It just doesn't seem as painful as it sounds like it should be. At least I don't get just a trickle draining from the cooler. Could I be doing something wrong? I have not calculated my extraction efficiency, but I think I will on the next batch. While mashing, I heat water to 170 in my brew pot. With the cooler on the countertop, I use a siphon I made that consists of a length of copper pipe in the shape of a candy cane. Attached to the short end is a lenght of clear plastic tubing. The long part is just long enough to reach the bottom of the cooler when I hang the cane over the edge. On the long end I have a piece of stainless screen scavenged from a kitchen strainer clamped w/ a stainless hose clamp. It looks like the mantle on a Coleman lantern. I set of couple of books under one end of the cooler to make the wort drain to the other end. The main problem with this is that when I start a siphon into a pot on the floor it draws the wort out so fast I can't put sparge water in fast enough to keep the siphon from drawing air. To solve this I use a small pair of needle nose vise grip pliers to restrict flow through the plastic tube. I make it a steady flow and using two pots to recirculate the wort through the grain bed. I set a small inverted saucer on the grain bed to keep from disturbing it while pouring in wort or sparge water. I am not allowing the water level to rise above the grain bed. On the last pass with the wort I switch the receiving vessel to a 5 gal pickle bucket. I then dip sparge water from the brew pot with a large saucepan and pour into the cooler, moving the saucer around to get to all the grain. When the bucket is full I have 5 gal. Usually about 3 - 3.5 gal of sparge water required for this. The whole process takes about 30 min. I could do it faster if I had a helper. Am I leaving a lot of sugar in the grain? Why does everybody else talk about sparging for an hour or more? Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 09:43:29 MDT From: exabyte!smtplink!guym at uunet.UU.NET Subject: Cherry Stout Regarding the making of a cherry stout and using fruit syrup to flavor it, I think there's a better way. All natural "fruit flavorings" are now available from at least one supplier I am aware of - St. Patrick's of Texas. She sells it in 4 oz. containers and specifies that about 3 oz. per 5 gallons is "what breweries use". I brewed a raspberry ale using the raspberry flavoring from her and it turned out great. No fruit to worry with and you can add it at bottling to taste. A side benefit is that I still had an ounce left after brewing this batch which I occasionally use to put in beers that I buy. If I were going to use it in a dark beer I'd use the whole 4 oz. myself. In fact, I have a porter in the fermenter that I originally intended to be a blueberry porter but I have since decided to bottle half of it as a regular porter and then add ~2 oz. of the blueberry flavoring to the remainder and do a half and half batch. Try doing that with fruit at bottling time! I'm sure other suppliers carry it as well. Just another suggestion... Guy McConnell -- Exabyte Corp. -- Orlando FL -- guym at exabyte.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 12:17:58 EST From: "Anton Verhulst" <verhulst at zk3.dec.com> Subject: pumps and culturing (not related :-) >adc at mvuts.att.com: > >I have been considering putting a tap on the bottom of >ny mash kettle but can't seem to get up the nerve (expensive 10 gal SS pot). >[ Any suggestions on resolving this issue?? ] I didn't have the nerve either - I have 10 and 15 gallon Vollrath pots. My solution was to get a pump and some hoses (thanks for the help HBDers). At 8 GPM, transfers go pretty quickly. >carlsont at GVSU.EDU (TODD CARLSON) > >.....(Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, eg). Just pour out >the beer, add about a cup of sterile wort, stopper with >fermentation lock and let ferment to get your yeast starter. >$1.25 for yeast AND a bottle of really good beer seems to be >a great bargain compared to $5.00 for a package of Wyeast. >....Is yeast from a bottle pure and reliable enough to get good results? Not in my opinion it isn't. There will be bacteria and molds as well as the yeast. It may work or not. However, there are some pretty simple culturing techniques for isolating pure cultures from bottles. All you need are some petri dishes, a flame source and an innoculation loop. Yeast culturing is a nifty hobby in its own right and really adds to the appreciation of your beer. - --Tony Verhulst Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 09:22:16 EST From: cmryglot at disney.CV.COM (Chuck Mryglot X6024) Subject: Scottish Malt I have seen a few recipies which call for some Scottish or Scots malt. Does anyone out there know what this is and how it relates to other malts. Prosit Chuck Return to table of contents
Date: 07 Jan 94 12:45:45 EST From: jennings at readmore.com (Todd Jennings) Subject: Anchor X-mas In HBD#1317, Jonathan Knight notes the distinctive differences in taste between this year's Anchor Brewing Co holiday product and those of prior years. Jonathan you are right on!! I thought it was just me! I do not, in fact, have a sharp enough tongue to distinguish the special ingredients of this year's blend. But I too, noticed a distinctive drop off in, shall we say, it's overall appeal. My opinion is that 1991's is the best in recent years. There are even a few select stores in New York City who still have it in stock, TWO YEARS LATER! Ask your microbrew retailers in Iowa if they still have it. Who knows? I'd love to be able to replicate 1991's version, and if anyone out there has some kind of recipe, I'd be much obliged. Todd A. Jennings tjenning at readmore.com "Cramped for space but still brewing in my small apartment here in Brooklyn" Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 09:52:56 -0800 From: wolfgang at cats.ucsc.edu (Robert F. Dougherty) Subject: easymasher, batch v. continuous sparge, thermoelectrics In HBD #1318, 1/7/94, Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> writes: > >There are many successful micros who allow the water bed to drop below the >grain bed prior to adding additional sparge water. The ability of the >properly designed flase bottom to handle this is the assumption, something >I suspect the Easy***** is incapable of. Well, just to add some data..... I have used an 8 gallon canner with spigot and SS screen drain (aka easymasher) for about 20 batches now. Out of necessity, I use a hybrid batch-continuous sparge. Basically, I let the dense wort drain off first (that is, add no sparge water). Sometimes I even let it go dry. Then, I add about 3 gallons of sparge water straight up and continue to drain. Then, when that starts to run dry (ie. the liquid level goes well below the grain bed), I add more sparge water, a gollon at a time. As I said, I do this out of necessity (has to do with kettles, stove space, etc.) However, I consistently get 28-32 pts of extract (using mostly 2-row pale, with about 12 - 20 % Crystal, usually...). I admit that I don't calculate my extract exactly, but I usually err conservatively. Honestly, I don't really care how efficient my system is. It's about the best I can do given my current situation- and it makes good beer! However, it does seem to be fairly efficient. I'm not sure what Mr. Busch was implying about the "easymash" set-up, but I have never had a problem with letting my grain-bed run dry. The sparge has never even THOUGHT about getting stuck- I always have to turn the spigot to slow the flow- I can't heat the sparge water fast enough. When I misjudged the sparge rate, the bed ran dry with no ill effects- except a few grams of particulate which comes out with the last few ounces of wort. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- On another topic, I recently solicited advice on using Peltier junctions (thermoelectric modules) for cooling fermentors and possibly kegs. Briefly, the opinions have been that these things are only good for light cooling and may consume too much power. I'll be compiling the info and I'll submit a more complete summary (including the cheapest sources and possible designs) in a few days. Thanks to all who sent me info!! bob dougherty wolfgang at cats.ucsc.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 1994 12:49:20 -0500 (EST) From: The winter must be cold for those with no warm memories Subject: Detroit brewpubs The traffic jam and Snug on W. Canfield and Second St 2 blocks east of Woodward Ave bordering Wayne States Campus 3 house brewed beers plus a micro brewery in their parking lot across the street and The Franklin St Brewing Co on Franklin a few blocks west of the Renissance Center between Jefferson and the River I think 4 contract brewed beers brewed by Frankenmuth Brewery Traffic Jam - (313)831-9470 my favorite Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 12:39 EST From: Steve Jones 412-337-2052 < at hpfcla.fc.hp.com, at mrgate.al.alcoa.com:JONES3%A1 at ALFIE> Subject: 1993 AHA categories/winners I am interested in finding out what beer style categories the AHA uses for its competitions. I seem to recall that the 1993 winners were listed, by category, in a previous HBD. Can anyone tell me the number so I can look it up in the archives? And, are there any other sources for this type of info. I presume that this is quite important when entering beers in competitions, so descriptions of the styles (from the AHA's perspective) would be very helpful to me. Thanks, Steve (no disc-laimer) Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 13:01:25 -0500 From: rak at ll.mit.edu (Steve Rak) Subject: Calorie/Alcohol Calculations I had a couple of email responses to a posting which mentioned a calculation for calories in homebrew. I obtained the following calorie calculations from George Fix (gjfix at utamat.uta.edu) back in June '92. I modified the original equations to adjust the units from degrees Plato and alcohol weight percent to Specific Gravity (Hydrometer - cc/g) and alcohol volume percent. As to the actual equations and approximations, George was using the calculations as part of his work on brewhouse management. He would be a better source than I to discuss their origins. (George, jump in here if you want to add anything about their history or any updates to the calculations.) Assuming that SG = 1.0 + 4.*P/1000 is linear in the range of 1.000 to 1.080, and, assuming that alc vol % = 1.25 * alc wt % I simplified George's formulas to calculate directly alc vol % = AV% = 256. * (OG - FG) / (4.7328 - 2.6663 * OG) and, for a 12 oz bottle, calories = (5.52*AV% + 180.8*OG + 819.2*FG - 1000.4) * 3.55 * FG where OG = original gravity and FG = final gravity in standard specific gravity counts (cc/g). Now, its easy to see how many calories are from alcohol and how many are from residual, unfermented sugars in the brew. (Wow!) Note that the above AV% does vary slightly from the approximation alc vol % = 1.25 * 105 * (O.G. - F.G.). Any comments??? - Steve Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 12:44:41 EST From: sdlsb.dnet!73410%sdlcc at swlvx2.msd.ray.com (Carl Howes) Subject: HSA article / hop aroma / caps My $0.06... Norm Pyle wrote (in #1318) that George Fix's article on HSA was "(Fall?) 1993". I think that was Winter 1992 (unless he wrote another one...really should get that subscription in...) Jim Busch describes Mt. Hood hops as imparting a grassy or earthy aroma. No experience there, but I would add Cascades to the list for a grassy, buttery aroma. James Clark asks about boiling to sanitize bottle caps - I have done it that way since I started brewing (almost a year now) with no problems. Carl Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 09:00:47 MST From: fmicos!trojan!crowell at uunet.UU.NET (Paul Crowell) Subject: Re: beware of glycogen depletion tony at spss.com: (Tony Babinec) writes in HBD #1248: >Glycogen depletion is a consequence of long storage times, >warm storage temperatures, and number of other causes. >Pitching glycogen-depleted yeast can result in problems with >the primary fermentation and the finished beer: > > - sluggish fermentation > - slow attenuation > - higher terminal gravity > - poor flocculation > - poor alcohol production > - high diacetyl > - high SO2 > - high acetaldehyde > - less flavor stability and shelf life. > >All the more reason to build up yeast in some starter wort >before pitching into your beer. > I'm responding because the beer's I've brewed recently have had a *very* strong, yeasty background flavor. The *single* variable at this point has been my introduction of starters which I've just started making using clover honey. I've had consistently bad results in light beers with these starters, but darker stouts/steam beers seem to be just fine. For example, a dry beer I made with a very low OG fermented out fast (within a week) and had this bad taste, but another beer I brewed recently was a steam beer with an OG of 70 which was much higher than the dry beer. This seems to be happening to me consistently when I use honey to power the starter. I used about 4-5 tbls of clover honey in a enough water to fill up a Grolsch bottle, then pitched the yeast. I left the bottles for the starters with the cap resting on the bottle, by without closing the Grolsch bail tightly. I did not use a fermentation lock on any of these starters. This leaves the change of contamination, but the starters have all been in low draft rooms to krausen. My yeasts were: o Munton-Fison Dry ale yeast o Wyeast 3056 Bavarian Wheat yeast o Wyeast 2112 California Lager yeast Does this sound like any of the above? I rate each of your indications of what my beer was or was not; > - sluggish fermentation | no > - slow attenuation | no, ~1 week in primary only > - higher terminal gravity | no, good gravities ~10-15 > - poor flocculation | I don't think so > - poor alcohol production | 8-] NOOO. > - high diacetyl | Don't know, please describe > - high SO2 | Don't know, please describe > - high acetaldehyde | Don't know, please describe > - less flavor stability and shelf life. | No, flavor persisted. - -- P a u l C r o w e l l IC Development Group ________ Ford Microelectronics, Inc. / ___ ) 9965 Federal Drive / / ) / Colorado Springs, CO 80921-3698 / /\__/ / TEL: (719) 528-7609 / / / FAX: (719) 528-7635 / \____/ internet: uunet!fmicos!crowell \_________ *** Note the change of address. :-) *** - -- Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 1994 13:35:05 -0500 (EST) From: "THE FOURWHEELIN' 'TALIAN WANNABE JOKEMEISTER." <AD75173%LTUVAX.bitnet at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: storage tip/plastic bottles/mint wine For those of you in apartments or freshly away from home, keep some of your beers at your parent's house. I mean hide it at your parent's house. The less you go there, the less you will think about it, and the longer the brew will last. I have been using plastic bottles for the beer I drink first, and bottle some in glass to keep for a couple years. A good thing about plastic that no one has said, is that you can check the pressure of the beer when it's priming... Just squeeze the bottle. -- Just thought of a question... Why couldn't someone put a pressure valve on a primary or secondary fermenter that would keep a max pressure of 5 pounds? Wouldn't this take care of the need of priming? I guess this would work best in a keg system. You would just dispense like a normal commercial keg. Kim asked me a question comparing my mint wine to his parsley(?) wine. I just picked some live mint, kept only the leaves, and put them in some cheese cloth. I warmed about a half gallon of water and put the mint bag in it and worked like a tea bag. To get more flavor extracted, I did the same with another half gallon of water and the tea bag. I added sugar and such to the "mint tea" and let it ferment. It finished early, but I haven t tasted it after bottling it (got beer and other wines ahead of it in the tast test line). Aaron Dionne Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 12:41:00 -0500 From: carlo.fusco at canrem.com (Carlo Fusco) Subject: need help to convert keg Hello Brewers, I have a question for everyone who has converted a keg into a boiler. I intend to make a boiler out of a keg by mounting a hot water heater element into the keg. I want to wire it 110V so I can plug it into a standard electrical wall outlet. Can anyone suggest a suitable element that will give 10 gallons a vigourous boil using a 110V wall outlet? Just to note, a friend of mine made one using a low output element that folds back on itself and wired it 220V since he could't get a vigourous boil using 110V, and, I don't want to use a cajun cooker or anything like that. I want this for indoor use and easily transported. Thanks for your help Carlo - --- * Freddie 1.2.5 * email: carlo.fusco at canrem.com Sharon,Ontario,Canada Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 14:51:02 EST From: bteditor at aol.com Subject: Re: malt extract adulteration? The story about the adulteration of some commercial malt extracts with cheaper sugars was told in the July/August issue of BrewingTechniques (Martin Lodahl, "Malt Extracts: Cause for Concern," BrewingTechniques 1[2], 26-28 [1993]). The article provides background on the nature of the problem and tables that show data from the original research conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, but no manufacturers or suppliers are named. For more information contact BrewingTechniques, 1-800-427-2993. BT Editor at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 14:13:18 -0600 From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix) Subject: Balling's formula for alcohol content Spencer Thomas and I were recently discussing justifications of the various formulas used to compute alcohol levels in homebrew, and he suggested I post the following. The Guy-Lussac theory of fermentation suggests that the % alcohol produced (expressed in grams/100 grams) is proportional to the amount of sugar fermented (also expressed in g/100g, or what is the same degrees Plato). Thus if OE is the original extract (in deg. P) and if RE is the residual extract at the end of fermentation (better known as the real extract), then (1) % alcohol by wt. = F*(OE - RE) Moreover, the Guy-Lussac theory suggests that the numerical factor F should be 1/2; i.e., half of the sugar metabolized goes into alcohol production. It was quickly learned that this was not quite right, and that corrections were needed to get accurate results. In commercial brewing the most widely accepted expression is due in large part to Balling. He worked in a time when German mathematicans like Runge were making rational approximations popular, and that is how Balling approximated the empirical data available to him. His expression goes as follows: (2) F = 1./ (2.0665 - .010665*OE). The combination of (1) and (2) gives the classic Balling formula. Note that F, the fraction of sugars fermented that go into alcohol production, increases with increasing OE. This effect is well documented in the literature. Most homebrewers prefer to work directly with hydrometer readings, which give the apparent extract AE instead of RE. The two can be approximately related by RE = .8192*AE + .1808*AE. In addition, most prefer to express alcohol levels in % vol. This can approximately be done by multiplying (1) by 1.25. Finally, most prefer specific gravities OG, FG to extracts OE, AE. Here the "factor of 4" rule can be used; i.e., OE = 1000*(OG - 1.)/4 AE = 1000*(FG -1.)/4. Putting these together gives alcohol by vol. = 1.25*F1*(OG - FG), where F1 = 99/(1. - 1.3*(OG -1.)) Note that this and the rule 1.25*105*(OG-FG) give the same results for OG = 1.048 and FG = 1.010, namely 5%. However as OG -FG increases the factor 105 becomes less accurate. George Fix Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 94 10:30:09 -0800 From: Drew Lynch <drew at chronologic.com> Subject: Re: Advice needed on serving for large events Hi Rich, Howsitgoin? A friend of mine, Frank and I (as well as another friend of ours) supplied homebrew for a friend's wedding. We used kegs, and it worked out very nicely. We had three kegs, three CO2 cylinders, 3 taps, etc. This was a little bit of overkill, but still easier than bottling. We personally did most of the serving of homebrew. If you do want to bottle, I'm sure that you can teach the bartender to pour correctly. I would suggest numbering the caps as well as (or instead of) attaching paper labels. If you do want to label, rubber cement may be the way to go to prevent inadvertent label removal. Perhaps a little placard sitting on the bar describing the homebrews available would do instead of labeling. You may also want to keep the ice to water ratio in the chill bucket low, so the brew is served at reasonable temperatures. We had about 80 people also, and went through about 10-12 gallons of homebrew in addition to the commercial beer consumed. We got a lot of converts that day. My high point was watching someone peruse the commercial beer selection, and open a bottle of Henry Weinhard's Ale. He then noticed the homebrew, got a description of each style available, and asked to taste mine. He stopped my pour when there was about 2 tablespoons of beer in the glass. He looked at it, tasted it, looked at the HW in his other hand, said "F**k this s**t", set down the HW and handed me back the glass for a full pour. I enjoyed that! Another suggestion: Keep the alcohol content reasonably low. Especially in a large group situation, you cannot warn everyone of the higher than average buzz factor in the average homebrew. We didn't have any problems (that I know of), but we especially brewed to keep the content at the low end of normal. Drew Lynch Chronologic Simulation, Los Altos, Ca. (415)965-3312x18 drew at chronologic.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 15:08:50 -0600 From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix) Subject: Correction My post on Balling's formula had a typo. The relation between real extract RE and apparent extract AE should read RE = .8192*AE + .1808*OE. The original extract OE inadvertently replaced with AE. Thanks Spencer! George Fix Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 12:58:23 PST From: Mark Garetz <mgaretz at hoptech.com> Subject: Hops vs. malt Al Korzonas writes: >A brewer who I respect highly, John Isenhour, wrote me privately, saying that >he believes that having some malt there while boiling the hops, may assist >in isomerization. I had not read anything about this and had tasted beers >that had additional bitterness added by adding some hop tea (boiled hops >just in water), so I went ahead with my response. I guess I may have jumped >the gun. Anyone else have information on this? References I could read? >Thanks. Having the malt (maltose) in the wort won't help directly, but there is considerable evidence that finely divided material, such as provided by the break material and/or the hop pieces/particles aids as a catalyst in isomerization. OTOH, in water the isomerization proceeds in via first order kinetics, but in wort the reaction is slowed down due to the constantly dropping pH of the wort. References: "The fate of humulone during wort boiling and cooling." by D.R. Maule, J. Inst. Brewing Vol 72, 1966 and "Practical Aspects of the Isomerization of a-acids" by M. Verzele. Don't have the ref on the last one since it's not on my photocopied pages, but judging from the format it must be one of EBC Symposiums Proccedings. Mark Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1319, 01/08/94