HOMEBREW Digest #1354 Mon 21 February 1994
Digest #1353
Digest #1355
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Rhinocerous Stout (Dion Hollenbeck)
HBD Code of Conduct (Lee=A.=Menegoni)
Calcium maximum? (Jeremy Ballard Bergsman)
New England Brewpubs (dong298599)
backpack brew (Bart Thielges)
extract tang/maple ferment (Rich Larsen)
Hoplets/OxygenAbsorbingCaps/SyrupVsDry (korz)
Metals/ Glasses/ Hops/ Deaf Black Women Brewers (COYOTE)
Queen of Controversies (Kevin Pratt)
kolsch (Montgomery_John)
Rebottling (Neil Perrelli)
Re: Ginger (MARK CASTLEMAN)
Recipe Request (Loretta)
Wyeast 2308 odors (btalk)
lodging in Portland (Charles"Skip" Virgilio)
Inferior Hop Plugs (Steve Daniel)
Re: Flame on Stupid Stuff (Cathy Cullen (N3311))
Recipe for Old Detroit ("Ball, Timothy B")
Bohemian Pilsner (GNT_TOX_)
New Superior Products Catalog (Jim Grady)
Brewpub Requests (John DeCarlo x7116 )
Hydrometers, etc..... (Derek Montgomery)
bitter brew (RONALD DWELLE)
HSA question ("Andy Schultz - DP at 290-1490")
Re: targeting OG and FG (TODD CARLSON)
Homebrew Competition (erickson)
AHA guidelines (Jeff Frane)
Sweetening Mead (Cisco)
Re: denatured alcohol (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
Pride Of Newark brewery (Domenick Venezia)
those uppity wimmin brewers (Jonathan G Knight)
1968 Yeast Profile (Jeff Frane)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 08:05:13 PST
From: hollen at megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck)
Subject: Re: Rhinocerous Stout
>>>>> "Jack" == Jack St Clair <Jack_St_Clair at ccm.hf.intel.com> writes:
Jack> The problem is that the recipe is for a 220 gallon batch.
Jack> 1. How do I extrapolate this for a five gallon batch?
Multiply by 5/220. Taste it and find what ingredients did not make
the extrapolation due to your brewing equipment geometry. Adjust
quantities and brew it again, and again, and again. I was able to
duplicate a 300 gal. recipe scaled down to 5 gal. on the first try.
You must also be aware of the OG, not just the ingredients. I knew
that the OG on that beer was 1050 to 1055 and then I could assess how
well the mathematical extrapolation worked by knowing how much grain
it takes *my* mash tun to produce that OG. It happened to just be
right on.
Jack> 4. What is meant by Cent.?
Centennial hops.
Jack> Jack St.Clair
Jack> Portland, Oregon
Jack> Jack_st_clair at ccm.hf.intel.com
dion
Dion Hollenbeck (619)455-5590x2814 Email: hollen at megatek.com
Staff Software Engineer megatek!hollen at uunet.uu.net
Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California ucsd!megatek!hollen
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 10:06:48 EST
From: Lee=A.=Menegoni at nectech.com
Subject: HBD Code of Conduct
Flame Guns Off please:
We have been wasting a lot of bandwidth citing a nebulous set of rules for
cyber space. Why don't we compose a set of guidelines that subscribers
should adhere to when posting and send it out to new subscribers in the
confirmation message. For existing subscribers we could send each subscriber
a copy or if we were willing to put up with the overhead we could append it
it to the header.
I suspect that a flame fest will ensue over who has the right to make such
policy and we will get into people citing first amendment rights to say
what ever thay want however they want. The intent isn't censorship which I
abhor. This may seem an insult to many but the digest has seemed to lost its
focus on beer and brewing. I could better tolerate extensive quoting and long
signatures if the content got back to beer and brewing instead of bickering
and nit-picking.
Flame Guns on:
RE: Wheat beer
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 10:45:36 -0800 (PST)
From: Jeremy Ballard Bergsman <jeremybb at leland.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Calcium maximum?
In several recent posts people have expressed concern over bringing their
calcium levels too high. Is this really a concern? Obviously there is some
level that is too high, but would this ever really be reached? It would
seem that by adding CaCO3 or CaSO4 the anion would always be of the most
concern in terms of having too much.
Is 200 ppm of Ca too much? Why? It would seem that with the CO3, PO4,
and the organic malt components such as phytate, excess Ca would just
precipitate. Is there a danger of depleting the wort of the nutrient
PO4?
Lots of questions, who has some answers?
Jeremy Bergsman jeremybb at leland.stanford.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 10:49:33 EST
From: dong298599 at aol.com
Subject: New England Brewpubs
I am planning a trip to the New England states and would like to
know of any good brewpubs in the area. We will be stopping the first night
at Sturbridge, Mass.. The remainder of the week our headquarters will be near
Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire. We will most likely be taking day trips
into Maine and Vermont.
Here's the catch: a three-year-old, and a six-month-old. I have never been
to a brewpub, but all this talk about them makes me want to experience a few.
If brewpubs are "no place to take a family", would they at least have
carryout of micro brands and imports?
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 10:30:20 PST
From: relay.hp.com!daver!nexgen!bart (Bart Thielges)
Subject: backpack brew
Bob 'The Backpacking Tech Weenie' Talkiewicz's post got me thinking again
about the idea of brewing in the wilderness. I'm trying to come up with
a practical rig that isn't too heavy. So far, its :
1) regular backpack stove and cookset (SS)
2) 2 liter plastic soda bottles for fermentation / bottling
3) assorted other misc small light stuff : airlocks, hop bags, etc.
The batch size would be about 2 liters. (Hmmmm... if my local multi barrel
batch commercial establishment is a "microbrewery", then my setup at home
must be a picobrewery. Is this backpack rig a "femptobrewery" ?) Depending
on where you go, cooling may or may not be a problem. This method probably
isn't practical unless you have a cold stream, snowpack or glacier nearby.
I think that the biggest problem with the backpack brew is that it takes
2 weeks minimum to mature. Not a problem if you have that much time and
plan to stay at or near one place the whole time, but a big problem if
you're on the move alot.
It might be workable for two trips to the same place : beginning of first
trip for brewing. End of trip for racking to bottles. Retrieval and
enjoyment on 2nd trip ! You just have to hope that the bears don't like
Pale Ale. The small batch size is a minor hassle. It shouldn't take
much more than an hour and a half from start to pitch.
Any thoughts on this slightly deranged idea ? Or should I just forget it
and lug cans of Weinhards down the trail ?
Bart bart at nexgen.com
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 14:15:20 -0600 (CST)
From: Rich Larsen <richl at access1.speedway.net>
Subject: extract tang/maple ferment
Well I finally found a Cyberspace Suit, so I thought I'd post a couple
of questions.
Has there ever been an analysis of the "Extract Tang" flavor? I.E.
What exactly is it, what causes it to be stonger in some extracts
than others, what causes it in the first place and what procedures
minimizes it appearance? I brew all grain, and have eliminated it
from my brews that way.
Is there a name for fermented Maple Syrup and water. I made a test
batch, with dry lager yeast, at lager temperatures. Talk about an
interesting complex flavor! The stuff hasn't cleared yet but it has
been lagering at 34F for 3 weeks. The recipe is simple, 1 qt syrup to
3 qts water. Pasturize covered, at 170F for 30 minutes. SG 1.095
Haven't taken a gravity reading since, as I don't want to waste the
experiment. I call it "Maple What?"
TIA!
Rich Larsen
"Brewmaster" of the Blind Dog Brewery HomeBrewPub, Midlothian, IL
Rich Larsen on Speedway Free Access -- (10288)-1-503-520-2222
richl at speedway.net
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 15:13 CST
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Hoplets/OxygenAbsorbingCaps/SyrupVsDry
jw writes:
>I have been using the Hoplet plugs for the last several batches and have found
>them to be quite good. However, I have recently had bad experience
>with Styrian and Kent Goldings and Fuggles. When I opened the package
>they smelled very cheesy and were yellow. I decided not to use them in
>my dry hop and will be bringing them back to my supplier.
I've been using an awful lot of these plugs (made by Morris Hanbury) and
have only run across one case where the hops in a package were in bad shape.
You were correct in returing the hops to the supplier and no doubt your
supplier got a refund as well. I just wanted to mention that my luck with
these hops has been very good and that the occurance of a bad package (in my
experience) has been quite rare.
**********
Mike writes:
>OXYGEN ABSORBING BEER CAPS
>Since live yeast is so good at absorbing oxygen (In fact, a lot of
>these caps contain yeast as their active ingredient!), I can't see why
>anyone would need these expensive bottle caps.
A test done by George Fix and his associates a number of years ago
showed that not all the O2 in the headspace was used up by the yeast.
The tests showed that after a few weeks, 30% of the air remained in the
headspace and that the O2 fraction in 40% of the air reacted with beer
constituents. They concluded that the yeast consumed the remaining 30%.
This was dextrose-primed, bottle conditioned beer and Dr. Fix mentioned
that he did not know if tests such as this had been repeated using
wort primes.
Why is the priming important? Because with sufficiently high concentrations
of glucose (dextrose) and fructose, yeast will forgo respiratory growth
and just perform anaerobic fermentation (this is known as the Crabtree
effect). It is also notable that with sufficient levels of O2 in solution,
the opposite effect can occur (the Pasteur effect) in which the yeast are
forced out of anaerobic fermentation and back into respiratory growth.
Also, there was a side-by-side test done a while ago by The Chicago
Beer Society in which a batch was split between "Smartcaps" (aka "PureSeal")
and regular caps. The "Smartcap" beers had a better hop aroma.
A number of micros have adopted the use of PureSeal caps and I'm sure they
did not do so without good reason. I use PureSeal caps exclusively.
One last point: PureSeal caps are activated by moisture. When I get mine
(by the case) I immediately put them in HDPE buckets with gasketted lids
and insert a dessicant. When I package them, I use 6-mil, HDPE (vapor-
barrier) packages and heat seal them, vacuuming out a reasonable amount
of air (too much vacuum and the caps poke through the bag). If your
supplier is selling them in paper hags or storing the full cases "in the
back somewhere" they could be shot by the time you buy them. Also if
you use boiling water to sanitize them, don't waste your money. I've
spoken with the lead engineer for these PureSeal caps and he said that
boiling makes the caps useless for absorbing O2. He said to use 200ppm
bleach for sanitizing them.
******
Mike asks for a conversion from dry extract to syrup.
The syrup is roughly 20% water (i.e. 80% extract), so use 25% more syrup
in place of the same amount of dry extract by weight.
*****
Steve writes:
>I am surprised that otherwise fanatical brewers would "adulterate"
>their beer in the final step with corn sugar - or do the benefits
>outweigh the problems.
That's exactly why I went back to dextrose, but don't worry about the
effects of 3/4 or 1/2 cup dextrose in a beer that had 5 to 12 pounds
of other fermentables in it. It's such a small percentage of the
fermentables, that it's effects are untasteable, in my experience.
Al.
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 13:27:35 -0600 (MDT)
From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu>
Subject: Metals/ Glasses/ Hops/ Deaf Black Women Brewers
COPPER:
SO...noone else out there has had any problems with copper oxides?
Or has any knowledge of them? No metallurgists/chemist amongst us?
I had complained (whaah) about the sparger portion of my copper manifold
darkening, and oxidizing, while copper under the mash remains shiny.
NOBODY offered any similar incidence, or advice. Hmmmm. Am I truly
the only one who's ever had such a problem? I feel so scpecial. (lisp)
I haven't yet tried the vinegar rinse prior to use, but maybe soon.
My next plan is to construct a metal racking cane from copper to pull
my hot sparge water right out of the pot on the stove next to my cooler/tun.
Hopefully this unit will not also suffer the oxidation situation!
My plastic racking cane just wasn't up for the task! floppeeeeee.
Question: Anyone have a good method for bending tubing w/o buying
a proper bending "tool". I believe anything that works and is right on hand
(or really cheap) is the right tool for any job!
* another thought about metal:
I have a LARGE cast aluminum boiling pot. It works well, and was a GREAT
bargain. I make a point of NOT scrubbing the oxides, and carmelized
schtuff from the sides. Just chunks. If you've ever used steel wool on
Aluminum you know that it removes a layer (silver brown haze runs off in
the water). I know stainless is preferred. Easier to clean, not as good
at heat transfer, MORE expensive.
My Theory:
Leave a layer of protective oxidized aluminum on the surface of the pot.
Aluminum is quite reactive, and oxidizes quickly, but once oxidized it
is rather unreactive. Therefore safer (even tho the Alzheimer's connection
didn't pan out) for brewing use. And I don't mind having a brown layer
left on the surface.
Any thoughts, theories, ...facts?....
***
>George W. Gilchrist Dept. of Zoology, UW
>Internet: gilchgw at zoology.washington.edu
>Most pubs in the UK use
glasses that are marked at the pint level (19.6 oz) with a line about a
half inch or so below the rim. It's a great solution and I've been
wondering if there is a source for such glasses in the US. If anyone
knows of such, please post or email me the address. Cheers.
* Ah yes, there is. And my valentines order just arrived yesterday!
It's nice to have a mate who supports my drinking/ uh, er...brewing interest!
Vanberg and Dewulf 52 Pioneer St., Cooperstown, NY.13326, 800-656-1212
They carry a nice set of authentic European glasses from fine breweries.
Also some M.Jackson books.
They were very helpful. I received one error in my order, and they offered
to correct it, with no exchange, or extra expense on my part. Very nice.
No connection...blah,blah..Just smiling with my Thistle!
Oh, and a number of them have marks as to where the beer should fill to,
and the head fills the rest. Each style of beer has it's own styled glass :)
Glasses worthy of beer served from oak casks!!! :^/
***
A commercial Question:
I ordered some hops and stuff from Alpha Hops in washington. I was
very pleased with the prices and happy with the quality of the goods.
I ordered a number of pounds of hops and shared the wealth with friends.
One guy sed he didn't care for the hops, that they were too dry and
wouldn't want to get anymore.
Personally: I thought the hops were in very good condition. Green,
intact cones (not FLAKES), almost no crystal sediment at the bottom of
bags (a sign to ME of mishandling- roughness), had some vine stems- but
that don't bother me. My understanding is that hops are SUPPOSED to be
dry for proper storage. The only wet hops I've ever seen were picked from
my own vines!
More importantly - the crystals are yellow, not orange, and smell nice
and spicey, not rancid/sour. I get a thrill everytime I fondle them!
I also received nice data sheets on each variety, alpha,beta, oils...BUT
it didn't say what year the harvest was. I assume 92-93. I should call.
SO...the question... has anyone else had experience with AlphaHops' hops?
What are your impressions? Do you know when harvest was? E-mail is good.
***
RE: Deaf/Women ONLY contests. Hey is this Grateful Deaf some kind of slam
on deadheads!? Maybe we should have a DeadHead only phsycho brew contest! :)
Nice Report on Grateful Deaf brewing contest. Glad it went well.
Does being deaf make it harder to brew?
I guess you can't hear a boilover, or the gently blubbing of an airlock. :(
I'm sick of hearing complaints about the Women only. Kill the discussion!
Go organize your own contest is you don't like it! I like the idea...but
Steve Daniel sed:
"what are we to do about the other groups (e.g. blacks) who are
even less represented in our ranks than this one?"
Ok. I'll bite.
How can you tell how many people are what color on the net?
***
Andrew Pastuszak sed some stuff about bandwidth waste...
* Yeah What the Hell were Beavis and Butthead doing on here! Meager! *
Also asked about mashing info. Yes there is a zymurgy special issue on
"Grain Brewing Issue" 1985. Vol 8, No. 4. Noonans Lager talks on decoction.
I would've emailed that, and given you more mashing info (decotions+)
but you didn't do what you asked us to do,
save the cutesies and put our addresses in our sig.s
so please people
PUT YOUR E-MAIL/INTERNET ADDRESSES AT THE END OF POSTS!!!!
grunt.
And what Spencer sed about
"Subject: re: cancel" messages to the right address (REQUEST!)
Yeah....I agree! nnnnnnnnnnn.nnnnnnnn So THERE!
Anyway...enough banter. Let's get to brewing!
-/-\- John (The Coyote) Wyllie SLK6P at cc.usu.edu -\-/-
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 14:06:30 -0800 (PST)
From: krpratt at netcom.com (Kevin Pratt)
Subject: Queen of Controversies
I am the Secretary to Gold Country Brewers Association, co-sponsor of the
Queen of Beer Competition.
Though controversial, the competition has been getting more publicity
than was expected, and we are grateful for that. But before this
competition becomes legendary before it has begun, I'd like to try to
answer some of the questions.
If you are turned off by the "women only" aspect, then do not participate
in the contest. Simply, without entries, there cannot be a contest, and
you need not read further. The simple fact that the contest has been
flamed, gives hope that there will be few "ghost brewing" sessions
by men to try to usurp entry.
The contest is a reality, and will be held April, 16th, 1994. Entry info
and addresses have been published before.
The actual planners and originators of this contest are women. Beth
Sangeri of H.A.Z.E. in Placerville, CA and Donna Bettencourt, President
of Gold Country Brewers, are the principals.
The idea is prompted from the fact that when Beth tried to ask some
questions about brewing to a group of male brewers, the advice she was
given started "What your Husband should do..." She is an experienced
brewer with some awards.
Donna recently won a ribbon in Porter for the AHA club only competition.
The two have noted a general lack of other women in brewing. Both
admitted to being inspired to improve their brewing by Nancy Vinyard's
Homebrewer of the year award. Both feel that that there should be
simpler ways for other women to be inspired to brew than winning top
national honors.
As for exclusivity, this is not an AHA sanctioned event, so there are no
club or personal points at stake. The Grateful Deaf have organized a
very successful competition and gala for a number of years, with the
spotlight on deaf/hearing impared homebrewers. AHA club only
competitions are restricted to a much smaller percentage of homebrewers
than a women only competition. Likewise, most AHA competitions are
restricted to those who only use a particular bottle size, completely
ignoring those who use large or innovative bottle styles, or keg.
Point is, exclusivity is nothing new to homebrewing.
IF this competition is succesful, it will spotlight diversity in
homebrewing, not polarization. At any rate, this competition will
happen.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 16:26:00 CST
From: Montgomery_John at lanmail.ncsc.navy.mil
Subject: kolsch
I have brewed a couple batches of Kolsch here in the past and enjoy
it so much that I make it a regular in my brewing sessions. But as
yet I have never come across a commercially produced example of one.
Does anyone know if such a product exists? It would be nice to have
a frame of reference for my handcrafted beers...Thanks.
jbm
montgomery_john at lanmail.ncsc.navy.mil
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 14:32:08 PST
From: perrelli at pyramid.com (Neil Perrelli)
Subject: Rebottling
I use 22 oz bottles, but I need to transfer some into 12 oz
bottles. Has anyone ever done this? and, if you have, what
were the results?
Private responses are fine.
Thank you in advance.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 17:46:14 -0700 (MST)
From: MARK CASTLEMAN <mwcastle at ouray.Denver.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: Re: Ginger
In HBD #1350 Bryan asked about adding ginger. I used 2oz of freshly
grated Chinese ginger in my 1993 Christmas Ale. I thought it came out
nice but my SO (also a brewer) said that it overpowered everything else
after about 1 month of conditioning. As a caveat; she does not like
ginger overmuch. I would see no problem with adding more ginger, but only if
you like ginger (a lot).
Also, parmesan cheese graters work really well for ginger, slivering it
but not turning it to mush.
Mark W Castleman
Big Dog Brewing Cooperative - West
Wouldn't it be terrible if I quoted some reliable statistics which prove that
more people are driven insane through religious hysteria than by drinking.
--W.C. Fields
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 20:04:18 -0500 (EST)
From: Loretta <KOENNICKEL at ECSUC.CTSTATEU.EDU>
Subject: Recipe Request
Does anyone out there know of an extract recipe for either Newcastle Brown
Ale or Dos Equis? If so I'd love to here from you. Thanks in Advance.
*******************************************************************************
* Loretta G. Koennicke %%%%% *
* %%%%%%%%%% *
* Koennickel at ecsuc.ctstateu.edu %%|````0`|-- *
* %| o | | *
* "Of all of men's miseries the bitterest is this, | o |-- *
* to know so much and have control over nothing." |______| *
* --Herodotus (484-432 B.C.) |______| *
*******************************************************************************
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 20:43:13 EST
From: btalk at aol.com
Subject: Wyeast 2308 odors
My recent starter for this yeast (Munich lager) produced a faint sulfury
smell, SO2 like.
I just racked my Pale Bock into secondary after an active 10 day primary
ferment at 47 F. I've noticed that faint odor again.
Now it is diacetyl rest time and I wonder if this sulfury aroma will be blown
out .
I've used this yeast twice before with good results. Plus I've never had
contamination problems(famous last words maybe?)
HOw about some feedback...
Regards,
Bob Talkiewicz, Binghamton, NY
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 21:10:27 PST
From: cvirgilio at electriciti.com (Charles"Skip" Virgilio)
Subject: lodging in Portland
My name is Skip Virgilio, I'm the brewer at a San Diego brew pub and I will
be attending the micro/pub brewers conference in Portland in April. I am
hoping to lodge with a Portland local or share a room with a few folks at
the convention to keep the cost down. Let me know if you can spare some
floor for a few days or you are interested in splitting a room.
Cheers,
Skip
cvirgilio at elecriciti.com
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Date: 17 Feb 94 23:16:24 EST
From: Steve Daniel <71161.2610 at CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Inferior Hop Plugs
JW in Boise writes:
I have been using the Hoplet plugs for the last several batches and have found
them to be quite good. However, I have recently had bad experience
with Styrian and Kent Goldings and Fuggles. When I opened the package
they smelled very cheesy and were yellow. I decided not to use them in
my dry hop and will be bringing them back to my supplier.
Anyone else have this experience?
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
JW,
I too have used the Morris Hanbury hop plugs, and have been GREATLY
impressed overall. However, I was at a local shop today and happened to
see one of the workers re-packaging 5 oz. packs of plugs into 2 oz. packs
when I immediately noticed that something was very wrong. The hops were
yellow-orange and had expanded slightly. The hops, English Fuggles, were
obviously very old, oxidized, and unsuitable for making anything but
cheesy-tasting swill. These hops were also "dealer fresh" - they hadn't
been laying around. Obviously someone across the ocean is trying to unload
a bunch of old stock on us ignorant yankees. I strongly urge anybody buying
these hops to demand a look under the hood before purchasing. I would also
encourage home-brew shops to send them back to Crosby & Baker and tell them
to look into the problem. I have purchased Fuggle and Golding plugs which
were outstanding, so I know this is something which can be prevented, and
should not be tolerated.
Steve Daniel
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 16:06:17 CST
From: cullen at zeus1.issc.com (Cathy Cullen (N3311))
Subject: Re: Flame on Stupid Stuff
> The recent thread on "special hops" was ridiculous and naive. THE STUFF
> IS ILLEGAL! And, obviously, IT MAKES YOU STUPID!!
You think this is bad, have you ever seen what alcohol does to some people?
I've never seen anyone smoke a joint then go get into a fist fight.
< Big brother IS out there, so keep your mouths shut in public and please
< take your discussion into the private arena.
Cannabis is of the same family as hops and deserves to be discussed freely,
as does any subject related to beer, and yes this is an ingredient that
people are adding to their beer, else there wouldn't be as much discussion
as there has been on the subject.
If you don't approve, YOU can always take it to alt.ultraconservative.
C.C.
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 13:43:00 est
From: "Ball, Timothy B" <ballti at uh2372p03.daytonoh.NCR.COM>
Subject: Recipe for Old Detroit
Does any one have a recipe preferably extract/specialty grain for Old
Detroit? Nothing in the Cats Meow.
Just for the record, I thought the Bevus and Butt Head pictures were the
best noise I've seen on the digest.
> 4. What is meant by Cent.?
I assume it is Centennial. 9-11.5% AA Spicy, floral aroma, clean bittering
hop, also used for aroma, dry hopping, similar to cascade but higher AA.
(from hop FAQ)
Tim
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 07:56 EST
From: <GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: Bohemian Pilsner
Hi All!
I have a question about a Bohemian Pilsner I'm brewing. Here's the
recipe:
3.3 lbs. Northwestern Gold ME
4.0 lbs. Alexander's Pale ME
2.0 oz. Saaz plugs (60 minutes-bittering)
1.0 oz. Saaz plugs (30 minutes-flavor)
1.0 oz. Saaz plugs (2 minutes-aroma)
1/2 oz Saaz plugs (dry hop)
Wyeast Bohemian Yeast directly from the pack(no starter)
I boiled the extract, 1 1/2 gallons water and hops as indicated in
the recipe for one hour. Added everything by siphoning into a plastic
water jug with 3 gallons cold water. Topped off with cold water.
Waited for everything to drop to 65 and pitched the yeast. I let the
stuff sit at around 65 for 1 day and then placed it in the back room
of my basement where it sits at a nice 45 all day and night.
I racked to a secondary after 12 days (glass carboy) and dry hopped.
It's been in the secondary for two days now and I took a SG reading
and got 1.013. I had completely forgotten to take an OG reading, but
looking at other Pilsner recipies, it seems 1.021 is a common final
gravity. Well, I tasted the stuff in the carboy. It's REALLY SWEET,
as compared to most brews I've had, and color is a dark gold.
Should my beer be this sweet? Is everything ok? E-Mail replies
please, no need to waste bandwith.
Andy Pastuszak
Philadelphia, PA
INTERNET: GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU
BITNET: GNT_TOX_ at ALLOY.BITNET
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 8:03:23 EST
From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com>
Subject: New Superior Products Catalog
I just got the 1994 catalog from Superior Products and there are a
couple of items in there that I thought might be of interest:
pg 30: 10 gal Coleman water coolers
1-C-310 Red $33.50
1-C-312 Blue $33.50
I assume that the geometry & materials are like the 10 gal. draft
boxes they show under the same heading. If this is the case,
they are plastic, upright coolers.
pg 43: James Page Brewing Kits: "Specially formulated for taste, quality
and ease of brewing by the award winning James Page microbrewery
in St. Paul, MN" (Frankly, I've never heard of them.) The kits
contain 6# of hopped malt extract, aroma hops and yeast. The
exception is the American Lager which has 4.5# malt and 1.5# corn
syrup. They have Burton Pale Ale, Midlands Brown Ale, Bavarian
Dark, Amber Maerzen, American Lager, Continental Pilsner & Wheat
(65% wheat malt, 35% barley malt).
3-J-241 $16.95
I have not ordered or seen either of these products, I am just a
satisfied customer and I thought others might like to check it out.
Their catalog is free, they take MC & Visa, no minimum order.
Their phone numbers are:
Product Info & Ordering: 1.800.328.9800
Customer Service: 1.800.328.9400
BTW, although this post may make it appear otherwise, they are "National
Wholesale Distributors of Bar & Restaurant Equipment & Supplies"
- --
Jim Grady
grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 08:32:00 EST
From: John DeCarlo x7116 <jdecarlo at homebrew.mitre.org>
Subject: Brewpub Requests
1) There is a very nice brewpub list available on sierra.stanford.edu,
called "publist". If I am not mistaken, John Mellby maintains this list
and periodically sends in the update. It is a very good resource.
2) There is also a need for reviews from local people. I often find
myself needing help for a) what is near to where I will be staying and
b) what kind of places the brewpubs are. For instance, I am
geographically ignorant and did not know that LaJolla was near SanDiego,
CA, and would have missed many brewpubs near that area without help from
locals. Also, some brewpubs I brought my kids to and others I went to
myself based upon recommendations by locals again.
So, I personally think that posting a "I read the 'publist' and would
like additional information on brewpubs in XXXXX, please respond by
e-mail" is appropriate to the HBD. Replies are probably *not*
appropriate in the HBD.
John DeCarlo, MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA--My views are my own
Fidonet: 1:109/131 Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 09:04:34 EST
From: Derek Montgomery <DM1461A at american.edu>
Subject: Hydrometers, etc.....
This post might be more appropriate for HomeBrewing 101 if there weree
such a thing, but I just finished the first 50 pages of Papazian's
TCNJOHB and have a couple of questions before I head out to the
homebrew shop to pick up the equipment to start my first batch.
Could someone please elaborate on the importance of/or need to use a
hydrometer? Papazian wasn't too clear on this and I seem to recall
recent postings to HBD saying that this really wasn't necessary...
Also, even though I suppose I should just be grateful if my first batch
turns out to be edible, could anyone suggest a particular malt extract
to use for my maiden batch? My favorite brews are amber lagers and while
my first batch will be an ale, I would like to do something along the lines
of an amber.
Thanks for sharing your advice and bandwith with a newcomer. Personal
e-mail would be fine. Thanks.
Cheers,
Derek. (dm1461a at american.edu)
P.S. Should I expect any problems using District of Columbia tap
water or should I use bottled?
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 09:39:11 EST
From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
Subject: bitter brew
Trouble in River City
Okay, my last ale came out horribly bitter. I mean, I can
hardly drink it (well--okay--I have to drink it fast). Four
variables in this batch: 1) I used a plastic carboy for the
first time; 2) I tried a different mash, mentioned in HBD
for American 2-row, a low temp (135?) and then a high time
(160?) (sorry, don't have my receipe book at work). This was
supposed to produce better extraction (and I think it did).
3) I used Tettnanger hops for the first time ever, both boil
and finish. 4)cold winter made me brew it cool ~58-62, with
Canadian Ale yeast (Yeast Lab liquid, forgot the #) and I
had a long, long ferment.
Question: Which of the four is the most likely culprit? A
combo of all? Maybe an airborne bug, instead? I am
particularly concerned about the mash technique. The HBD
thread (sorry, can't remember the author's name) said the
conventional temps were all wrong for American 2-row (I used
pale Klages), and these new temps were right. If this is
producing the excessive bitterness, however, I'll never do
it again!
Ideas?
Ron Dwelle (dweller at gvsu.edu)
(A little scholarship: some of you guys should read Gervase
Markham (English author, ca. 1500 AD). In describing the
proper housewife's role, he not only details the procedure
but also explains why women are superior to men at brewing.
Makes you realize how much catching up we have to do.)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 8:45:07 -0600 (CST)
From: "Andy Schultz - DP at 290-1490" <ASCHULTZ at MADMAX.MPR.ORG>
Subject: HSA question
I'm an extract/specialty grain brewer using Charlie's method of pouring
hot wort thru the strainer into a carboy of cold water. I haven't
_noticied_ any HSA problems as described here, but want to see if taking
extra care improves the beer - I'm concerned that cooling in an ice bath
or some such might cool the concentrated wort too much, so that when mixed
with (very cold Minnesota tap) water, it'll be too cold for pitching.
Straining the hot wort into the carboy makes instant perfect pitching temp!
My questions are: would siphoning the hot wort into the carboy (with a
copper scrubby on the end to catch hops/grains) still cause HSA? For my
setup, is it straining the hot wort (thus exposing it to oxygen) that
causes HSA, having hot wort contact cold (and oxygen laden) water, or
a combination of both? If siphoning will not eliminate the problem, will
it produce a noticiable difference?
I know this is on the FAQ edge, but I haven't seen this addressd directly.
Private email is fine if not of general interest - I'll summarize posts
TIA!
- Andy ASCHULTZ at MPR.ORG
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 10:05:58 EST
From: carlsont at GVSU.EDU (TODD CARLSON)
Subject: Re: targeting OG and FG
I sent this message to Chris directly but it bounced so I
am forwading it to the HBD
Chris
I read with interest your posting this morning on the HBD.
I am curious. You have given the equations for generating
the same OG and FG with different formulations. But you
don't mean to say that these are all going tast the same, do
you? Could you comment on the relative taste of different
recipes with the same OG and FG. I have always found my
homebrew to be a bit "thin". Should I use more Laaglander
and sugar? This seems to be a bit counterintuitive. Maybe
I should finally break down and but a hydrometer. Yes, you
can make beer with out a hydrometer. I've done it for
years. Being a chemist helps, but there comes a time ....
Thanks in advance
todd
carlsont at gvsu.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 10:12:41 EST
From: erickson at alcoa.com
Subject: Homebrew Competition
T.R.A.S.H. IV IS COMING SOON!
The Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers' Forth Annual A.H.A.
sanctioned homebrew competition will be held on May 14th 1994. The entry
deadline is April 29th. Ribbons and useful prizes will be awarded to the
winners. Prize donations in previous years have been 50 lb. sacks of malt,
pounds of hops, extracts and speaciality grains.
For information contact:
Ralph Colaizzi
300 Stevens Dr. Apt #306
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(412) 931-9099
or e-mail
erickson at al.alcoa.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 07:24:58 -0800 (PST)
From: gummitch at teleport.com (Jeff Frane)
Subject: AHA guidelines
Martin Wilde asked about the BJCP test and AHA guidelines. Read
further, Martin! The gravity b.u. listings are a couple of pages later.
Also alcohol content & color. But no, you should know *in general*
which beers are more alcoholic than others, and specific numbers for
styles which are determined by those numbers (e.g. bock and doppelbock).
Those numbers aren't always *right*, anyway. As Phil Seitz has pointed
out, the numbers for Belgian beers define ranges that are actually
illegal in Belgium.
- --Jeff
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 08:33:26 -0700 (MST)
From: Cisco <FRANCISCO at osmo.CCIT.Arizona.EDU>
Subject: Sweetening Mead
I have an easy solution that works extremely well for creating a sweet
mead. Use sherry yeast. I have a six year old prickly pear
fruit(15lbs) & mesquite honey(20lbs) 5 gallon mead that is still
wonderfully sweet, aromatic and very alcoholic. To put it bluntly,
it IS the nectar of the gods! I will be entering this in the AHA
nationals this year so watch out! Whenever I serve it - which is
very rarely(that's how you make 5 gallons last six years so far
and I still have half of it left) I get rave reviews. I'm going
to hate having to sacrifice possibly 3 bottles for the competition.
I can't emphasize enough, that the type of yeast that you use for
fermenting any beverage will have one of THE greatest effects
on the final overall character. Get into liquid yeasts and culturing,
you'll never regret it!
John Francisco
Francisco at lan.ccit.arizona.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 08:52:41 -0700 (MST)
From: walter at lamar.ColoState.EDU (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
Subject: Re: denatured alcohol
>
> From: Eric A. Johnson
> > surfaces clean. If you know a lab nerd, ask 'em to get you some denatured
> > absolute ethanol-it is real cheap.
>
> Denatured alcohol is cheap because it contains some additive, such as
> benzene, which makes it unfit for human consumption. This also exempts
> it from taxation. It's not a good idea to clean your equipment or your
> hands with this stuff....
>
I think the original poster meant, (or should have meant) non-denatured
ethanol. It is pure ethanol (at least before exposing it to moisture), and
does not contain anything poisonous. It too is cheap ( < 3.00 per pint)
and is not taxed if for research purposes. Instead of tax there is just a
bunch of paperwork to fill out. Unfortunately it may be hard to get ahold
of for 'personal' use.
Good day,
Brian
Brian J Walter |Science, like nature, must also be tamed| Relax,
Chemistry Graduate Student|with a view towards its preservation. |Don't Worry
Colorado State University |Given the same state of integrity, it | Have A
walter at lamar.colostate.edu|will surely serve us well. -N. Peart | Homebrew!
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 08:16:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at ZGI.COM>
Subject: Pride Of Newark brewery
Does anyone know whatever happened to the PON or P.O.N.
(Pride of Newark, NJ) brewery?
Domenick Venezia
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia at zgi.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 10:41:23 -0500 (cdt)
From: Jonathan G Knight <KNIGHTJ at AC.GRIN.EDU>
Subject: those uppity wimmin brewers
Sigh.
I had promised myself to stay out of this one for the sake of preserving the
sacred bandwidth. Alas, I cannot.
First of all, I would ask anyone who still thinks a women-only brewing
competition is a bad thing to read Cathy Cullen's post in HBD1352, or if you
did already, read it again. Then skip down to "jerryb" 's post about humor,
something which we really do need a little more of around here.
Is brewing largely a "guy thing" as Cathy suggests? Very probably. We would
like to think that the homebrewing community is more enlightened than the
rest of the world, but let's not get too prideful here. In the same HBD
there was that incredibly tacky, unnecessary signature with, what was it? -
"If I have to die, let me die between your breasts," or something like that.
As I recall, it was attached to a mis-directed (in more ways than one)
request to unsubscribe. Good.
At any rate, let me advance the notion that the homebrewing world is not as
totally disconnected from the beer world as we would like to pretend. How
many beer commercials have managed to desensitize us to the objectification
of women for the purpose of selling a product? You know, the bimbos-in-
bikinis numbers with the guys ogling admiringly while apparently swilling
some Budmillob. Beer a guy thing? Homebrewers may say no, but Madison
Avenue has a different idea and they have a lot more influence over what
folks think than anybody on the HBD.
But the issue really is competitions, I suppose and whether all should be
open. I don't do competitions myself, but I have noticed that there really
is no shortage of them. For me at least, there is no sacred principle that
is being violated by one all-women competition - whose purpose is, as Cathy
points out, not to exclude men but to ENCOURAGE women in a field in which
they are under-represented - when there are two or three zillion other
competitions in which I could enter my beer. Is it the start of an
unwholesome, un-American, neo-fascist trend? Will we all be drinking Amazon
Bud by the year 2000? Come on, y'all - lighten up.
Jonathan Knight
Grinnell, Iowa
flames to misogyny at arian.nation.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 09:00:43 -0800 (PST)
From: gummitch at teleport.com (Jeff Frane)
Subject: 1968 Yeast Profile
Martin Wilde also asked about Special London Ale yeast (now London ESB).
The yeast is highly flocculant; apparent attenuation is 67-71%
(according to WYeast). I love it, but then I've said that before.
- --Jeff
Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1354, 02/21/94