HOMEBREW Digest #1431 Tue 24 May 1994

Digest #1430 Digest #1432


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


Contents:
  Disconnect Homebrew Digest (Tom Dean)
  head retention in "light" beers ("Dana S. Cummings")
  Beer Cooking Recipes Please (Jack Boatman)
  Malty flavor, German-style (Dennis B. Lewis Jr.)
  Growing Hops / Gadgets (npyle)
  Filtering (Dion Hollenbeck)
  coddo brewing/siphon/toxic brew ("JSDAWS1 at PROFSSR")
  NE Brew Supply (Dwight Walker)
  Maple Syrup Fermentation (Rich Larsen)
  New England brew pubs ... (R. Keith Frank (keithfrank at dow.com))
  Specific Gravity Calculations (Rich Larsen)
  Excellent Porter Recipe (All-grain) (Jon Higby)
  Wanted:Red Ale Recipe (Jim Pehkonen)
  Mail Order Supplies ("Dan Trollinger" )
  Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale Recipe Request/warm temp yeast (AMBLAD)
  Brew Filtration systems (rnarvaez)
  sour extract brews? (Gregg Tennefoss)
  Irish Moss (Steve Scampini)
  A Schmidling customer sings (Steve Armbrust)
  Equipment care (newbie question) (Julie A Espy)
  BCI Address (Bruce Kindel)
  UK hop sources ("Dave Suurballe")
  Beer as food, weizenbier and yeast, decolorized iodine (Nancy.Renner)
  Any Help/Thoughts Would Be Appreciated ("Andrew C. Winner")
  Converting Brix to sg ("NAME SEAN O'KEEFE, IFAS FOOD SCIENCE")
  California Festival of Beers (mike.keller)
  Wheatbeer and Temperature control (two issues) (Paul Murray)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 07:13:45 -0400 (CDT) From: Tom Dean <tdean at surgery.uiowa.edu> Subject: Disconnect Homebrew Digest Please disconnect me from HomeBrew Digest. Thanks Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 09:12:00 -0400 (EDT) From: "Dana S. Cummings" <dcumming at moose.uvm.edu> Subject: head retention in "light" beers In HBD # 1428 Mike Zentner asked for advice because his low gravity beer lacked head retention. I am experiencing a similar problem in the following batch. 2 cans John Bull light unhopped malt extract 1/2 # dark crystal malt handful of choc malt 2 oz. cascades I crushed my grains and brought to a near boil before removing, rinsed grains with boiled water. Then I added the two cans of extract ~1/2 hour apart (my brewpot was in danger of flowething over) and slowly brought to a boil before adding ~1 oz. of hops. Boiled for 45 min and added 1/2 oz. hops & 1 tsp. of IM. Boiled additional 15 min. Diluted 4 gall. boil to final volume of scant 7 gall. It took two hours to cool w/o a wort chiller. Pitched a package of wyeast special london ale yeast. 4 day primary then racked to secondary where I added 1/2 oz. hops. After a 5 day secondary I bottled. OG 1.042; FG 1.012 The beer is 3 weeks in the bottle. It tastes great, looks good, but lacks a good head. I thought that I had enough malt to get a good head but when I pour a bottle I get ~1/3 in. of head that quickly disappears. Even in the short time that the head is present it consists of large soapy type bubbles rather than smaller bubbles that stay longer. What's up??? TIA Dana Cummings dcumming at moose.uvm.edu dscummin at emba.uvm.edu Burlington, VT Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 08:33:17 EST From: Jack Boatman <c23jrb at kocrsv01.delcoelect.com> Subject: Beer Cooking Recipes Please Does anybody have any recommended cookbooks that focus on beer recipes? I sure wish I could've gone to Chicago, but... Charlie (or anyone) how about sharing the recipes :-) *** First batch was great, second batch bottled, ingredients for #4 and #5 *** have been procurred. Wow, Homebrew is easy and tastes great :-) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 10:42:41 -0400 From: aw405 at yfn.ysu.edu (Dennis B. Lewis Jr.) Subject: Malty flavor, German-style Spencer writes: >> Ok, does anybody out there know how the heck Ayinger makes those >> incredibly malty beers? I don't want speculation, I want hard facts. >> I can speculate as well as the rest of us. If you've been there, or >> if you have some "inside poop", please let me know. If I get ANY >> useful responses I'll summarize back to the HBD. To which Jeff responds: >The Munich breweries have a leg up on you, Spencer. They have the >perfect source of water for malty beers. Adjust your water accordingly, >use Ireks Munich malts, keep the saccharification temperature up, >bittering units down and, voila! malty beers every time. I'd like to toss in my two cents (since I couldn't possibly BUY anything with them:-) A major point that is often forgotten is the decoction mash. The increased melanoidin production adds considerably to that malty flavor. The water content in Munich is high in carbonates and low in sulfates (temp and permanent hardness, respectively). The sulfates add a dry palate to the beer (like the high sulfate content of Burton-like pale ales). I don't know what water treatment the Bavarian breweries use for their water for lagers, but I know that Spaten uses CaCl2 in their Franziskaner weissbier. I think they try to avoid gypsum altogether. Third, the continental malts used for German lagers is higher in SMM than other malts (like American or British). The slight residual DMS contributes to the malt flavor. And lastly, most people complain that their lager ferments smell like rotten eggs--a slightly residual sulfury component is actually a welcome addition to increasing the malty profile. - -- Dennis B. Lewis Homebrew. The Final Frontier. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 9:23:34 MDT From: npyle at n33.ecae.stortek.com Subject: Growing Hops / Gadgets Annie Fetter asks for information about growing hops. She didn't find the information in the FAQ, and can't keep up with the digest. Well, Annie, I suggest you look in the HOPS FAQ for information about hops. We'll all have to pitch in to slow down the digest for you, though. Sorry to make it so hard on you. ** Andy Baird writes: >Has anyone thought about using an *inverted* soda-keg for a fermenter? I hadn't thought about it, but it sounds like a good idea. Its interesting what you think of when properly motivated. For example, I was thinking the other day about doing a (mostly) closed transfer between secondary and keg. Purge the keg with CO2, and bleed off the excess pressure. Put the liquid and gas fittings on the keg with loose tubing on each (sanitize the liquid tube). Put the liquid tube in the secondary and suck on the gas hose to start the siphon. The beer goes from the secondary, which is filled with CO2 (except for the small amount of air mixing at the top) to the keg, which is also filled with CO2. One nice thing about this is you can sanitize the keg days ahead of time, and do the transfer at your leisure. Another idea I had was to pull the guts from a water heater and use it to control your mash/sparge water tank. I'm talking about yanking the element, temp sensor, and control box. The temperature range should be just about right (maybe WARM for mash water, and HOT for sparge). Or, how about this one: build a small keg system for that true British style cask conditioned ale. I'm talking about a 1 gallon system or so, which could be filled from the keg (with or without a counter pressure arrangement). Then, draw off the beer, allowing air to fill the void as they do across the pond. This allows for experiments in shelf life, etc. without sacrificing the entire (in my case) 5 gallon batch. It doesn't have to be a pressure vessel, I don't suppose. Maybe a 1 gallon cider bottle would work. Keep those ideas coming. Cheers, Norm Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 08:32:36 PDT From: hollen at megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck) Subject: Filtering Anybody out there filter? I have seen at least one method for sanitizing and storing filters for beer, but would be interested in hearing about other methods. Also, have you noticed a decrease in any of the flavors due to filtering (i.e. hop aroma, bitterness, maltiness)? thanks, dion Return to table of contents
Date: 23 May 1994 08:49:08 PST From: "JSDAWS1 at PROFSSR" <JSDAWS1 at PB1.PacBell.COM> Subject: coddo brewing/siphon/toxic brew I'd like to thank all those who responded to my brewing aroma problem. I'm taking a pro-active approach since all he's doing is whining to the manager. The real problem is related to his getting on the board 4 yrs ago and getting that board to make him property manager. I was president of the associatikon last year when he was replaced by a competent, professional management company. This new professional manager sends letters when he gets complaints. I've got quite a collection going on this topic. Here's the letter I sent with the names changed to protect the dickheads - ----------- May 19, 1994 Mr Property manager, As a result of Mr. Budswiller's sudden chronic complaints re; aromas produced by my hobby, I sought advice from several Internet user forums in which I participate. I received numerous responses which ranged from sympathy & revenge, to legal referrals, civil liberties issues, and technical or engineering solutions. I found this last to be of most immediate use. It was suggested that if air flow between both units and the common hallway were restricted the alleged problem would cease. As an interim solution, I will place a rolled-up bath towel along the bottom of my front door during the boil. This should reduce much of the air movement between my unit and our hallway/landing. I will continue the practice of propping open the common door and leaving it open during, and for at least two hours after the boil. Assuming Mr. Budswiller also keeps his door closed, I'm confident he will be unaffected by any aromas produced in my kitchen. A more permanent solution would be for the board to consider weather-proofing both doors. This would eliminate any aromas which either of us might fund objectionable. I suggest this as a cost-effective solution in other buildings where aromas are a perceived issue. Please share these thoughts with the board and let me know what it decides. Sincerely. blah blah blah..... - ---------------------------------- and now on to something much more serious.... About 6 weeks back I posted about making a mashton out of a Rubbermade 48-quart cooler with a copper manifold jammed into the spiggot hole, and a piece of transfer tubing attached to the spiggot and a pinch roller to control sparge flow. My first beer thru ( a porter) can only be described as a poly-vinyl porter. It has a combined aroma of roast malt and new car plastic. The taste is intensely plastic/chemical and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. I asume that something from the new cooler leached into the mash. Also has a very strange alchahol/chemical harshness. I suspect the stuff is toxic and will dump the batch after getting a few more opinions. Anyone have a similar experience ? I'm worried about the future safety and usefulness of my new toy. - ----------- My .02 worth on siphoning. I usually siphon by mouth but usually do one of 2 things... 1. a 'beer condom' or 2" piece of 1/2" tubing which fits over the end of 3/8" siphon hose. Suck on that and pull it off when the flow starts 2. rinse mouth with 1/2 oz. Jack Daniels or similar immediately before sucking. (don't know if it works but I feel better for doing it :) I rarely have infection problems, even with older beers. | Don't anthropomorphize computers... They don't like it. | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | JACK DAWSON - JSDAWS1 - 415 545-0299 - CUSTOMER BILLING (BG) | Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 12:46:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Dwight Walker <walkd01 at bwco.com> Subject: NE Brew Supply Does anyone know what happened to NorthEast Brew Supply? I had ordered many things for many years from them but now they appear to be gone. To make it more puzzling, I even ordered from them just a few weeks ago. I tried to call and check on the order but all of their numbers appear to be out of service (even the local ones). Any ideas what happened? Thanks, Dwight Walker walkd01 at unicorn.bwco.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 11:57:49 -0500 (CDT) From: Rich Larsen <richl at access1.speedway.net> Subject: Maple Syrup Fermentation All, The controversey is over. I just hung up the phone with Sumner Williams of the Proctor Maple Research Center at the University of Vermont. It seems Maplwutt has a traditional name. "Sap Beer". Sumner was very helpful in giving me a little background in Sap Beer, and why wouldn't he be helpful... he's a homebrewer!!!!!! Small world isn't it! Anyway the first reference to fermenting Maple Sugar/Syrup is found around 1791 where it was discouraged because of puritan attitudes, not because of the end product. Sumner also references a book, "The Maple Sugar Book" by Helen and Scott Nearing (c)1950, which talks about the making of Sap Beer. Sumner paraphrased a historic recipe from the book to me over the phone... "Take one pound of hops and place them into a clean barrel. Fill with sap (when it is running in the spring). Allow to ferment and the beer will be ready in two weeks. The beer will remain good until June..." I think I'll stick to the current fermentation technology, thank you. :-) A couple of data points here... Maple Sap is 2% sugar.. Sucrose and Fructose. As the Spring progresses, the Maple tree's natural metabolism starts to convert the Sucrose into Invert sugar. As Sumner has access to a PC and MODEM I invited him to join in on conversations on HomeBrew University Midwest at (780) 705-7263 I thanked him wholehartedly and will be sending him a bottle of my Sap Beer in gratitude! => Rich Rich Larsen (708) 388-3514 The Blind Dog Brewery "HomeBrewPub", Midlothian, IL (Not a commercial establishment) "I never drink... Wine." Bela Lugosi as Dracula Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 13:03:06 -0400 From: keithfrank at dow.com (R. Keith Frank (keithfrank at dow.com)) Subject: New England brew pubs ... I'll be travelling in New England at the end of June and would like information/opinions on various brewpubs and bottled micros in the region - Massachusetts, Maine, NY, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, etc. Private replies, I'll post summary to HBD if there is interest. Thanks, Bruce DeBolt c/o keithfrank at dow.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 12:30:26 -0500 (CDT) From: Rich Larsen <richl at access1.speedway.net> Subject: Specific Gravity Calculations Sorry about posting more than once in a day... Does anyone out there have a mathematical calculation for temperature adjustment for specific gravity of wort. It seems that by my observations the adjustemtn isn't linear, but probably closer to parabolic. In Short, I would like the formula to adjust the specific gravity reading of a sample that is, say, 150F, to the proper reading at 60F. => Rich Rich Larsen (708) 388-3514 The Blind Dog Brewery "HomeBrewPub", Midlothian, IL (Not a commercial establishment) "I never drink... Wine." Bela Lugosi as Dracula Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 12:12:17 CDT From: unisql!jonh at cs.utexas.edu (Jon Higby) Subject: Excellent Porter Recipe (All-grain) Just wanted to share my most recent recipe. It came out absolutely wonderful. It will bring tears to you eyes and inches to your waist! Jon / / Austin - -- Full Figured "North-of-the-Border" Porter ** 8 Gallon recipe ** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 lbs of Pale 2-row 0.4 lbs of Dextrin Malt (American Carapils) 0.4 lbs of Crystal 60 0.4 lbs of Chocolate Malt 0.1 lbs of Black Patent 0.75 oz of Perle at 90 minutes 0.75 oz of Perle at 60 0.75 oz of Willamette at 30 0.75 oz of Willamette at 15 1 lbs of Dark Brown Sugar .75 lbs of DME (light) Wyeast American Ale yeast (used a 2 qt. starter) Single temp infusion mash of 2-row pale only at 155F for 90 minutes. Added remaining grains to mash-out. Added DME & dark brown sugar at beginning of boil. OG of 1.055 FG of 1.011 Split between 2 carboys and added 1 gallon water to each. Fermented out in 3 days. Left in carboy for total of 13 days before kegging and force carbonating. Tasting notes: Absolutely wonderful. Very, very full body. Chocolate malt comes thru nicely. Nice balance between hops and sweetness. Great creamy head (brown color). Head and mouthfeel of a Guiness, taste of a porter. Best beer I've ever made! Sure am glad I made 8 gallons of this one! - -- Denial clause: Prices subject to change w/o notice, actual milage may vary. Fat-free, high fiber, tastes great. If you've read this far, you must be looking for this: Any opinions I expressed are just that - my opinions. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 11:54:58 -0600 (MDT) From: Jim Pehkonen <jpehkone at pmafire.inel.gov> Subject: Wanted:Red Ale Recipe I'm fairly new to the network, and have been brewing for about a year. Does anyone have a good red ale recipe? Preferably all grain, but extract or combo would be acceptable. Thanks! Send to: jpehkone at pmafire.inel.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 11:34:45 -0700 From: Richard B. Webb <rbw1271 at appenine.ca.boeing.com> Subject: SRM values of commonly found bulk malt extract syrups This isn't for me. It's for a friend. Yeah, that's right, a friend. I wouldn't possibly know the use for this information. :-O In any case, here is his post to me: >From jmc8596 at selkirk Thu May 19 07:27:17 1994 Subject: Beer And How To Drink It... Quick brewing question. Think back to those dark days of extract brewing... You're getting sleepy... sleepy... Now, do you know the following? I can't seem to find the info... Dry Light Malt Extract SRM? Dry Amber Malt Extract SRM? Dry Dark Malt Extract SRM? Chocolate Malt SRM? Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated. Jon Cocanower Private mail is OK to either of us, but maybe it would be appreciated on the HBD. Thanks! Rich Webb ********************************************************************* Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 14:40:00 -0400 From: "Dan Trollinger" <dan at iluvatar.tip.duke.edu> Subject: Mail Order Supplies I am trying to reply to query in rcb 5/23/94 but can't find e-mail address RE: sources for lambic yeasts. Hopefully HBD will reach original poster, but if not this info may useful to others as well.For Lambic yeasts (Brettanomyces Lambicus or Pediococcus Cerevisai), various flaked grains, or other brewing supplies try: Beer and WIne Hobby in Woburn, MA at 1-800-523-5423 Gus's Discount Warehouse in Petosky, MI at 1-800-475-9688 The Vineyard in Upton, MA at 1-800-626-2371 standard disclaimers apply, no connection, etc--I just thumbed through an issue of Zymurgy and called for free catalogs from over a dozen stores around the country--It's a great way to check prices and variety of supplies--be sure to check shipping prices also, I believe there is a Belgian beer newsgroup that may be a good resource for lambic supplies and info (don't know the exact name??) while I'm rambling, could someone please send me the yeast.faq via e-mail. I have ftp'ed severaltimes (and in many ways) but can't access the .Z zippered/compresssed files or get the listserver to work--sierra.standford archives are great but . . . I'd appreciate any explicit instructions for accessing the .Z files, especially the old HBDs--I have a mac IIx if that helps DT dan at iluvatar.tip.duke.edu "RUST NEVER SLEEPS" Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 13:47:40 CST From: <AMBLAD at cei.com> Subject: Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale Recipe Request/warm temp yeast Does anyone have a recipe for Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale? I am a partial/mostly mash brewer, but if you have only an all-grain recipe, I can ask friends in my homebrew club on how to convert an all-grain recipe. I have Cat's Meow I and II, so if you can point me to a recipe in either of these, that would also be great. Now for my yeast questions. What strains of yeast (ale & lager) are more suitable for fermenting at warmer temps? Over the winter, my apartment was a comfortable 65-70 F, which I guess is also comfortable for most yeasts, but in the summer, the temp will probably be at least 75 F most of the time. Are there specific yeasts which I should be certain to avoid at these warmer temps? What are the effects, in general, of fermenting at warmer temps? Private e-mail is welcome, but please post if you think answers to these questions are of general interest. Steve "sans cute sig (?)" Amblad amblad at cei.com in lovely Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (man is it flat!) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 16:20:42 -0500 From: rnarvaez at lan.mcl.bdm.com Subject: Brew Filtration systems Hello fellow brewers, I have been brewing quite some time now....Not! I have been in the brew circle for around 5 months now and my head is full of questions. I have so many I don't know where to start. I don't think I'll ask all of them at one time but I do have one that needs a good answer. I have noticed that when I make a batch of brew (I am on my fifth batch, a stout.) I make sure that there are not that many small particles left in my wort, and I use Irish moss in the brew and don't shake up the secondary before bottling, but I still get some residue left in the bottom of the bottle after it ages and I pour it. I bottle in 25 oz. bottles and it seem such a shame to waste that little bit of brew on the bottom of each bottle. I know that you can still drink it but I don't care too much for the taste it leaves in your mouth. Is there some way to filter the brew? Does the filtering the brew cause it to loose anything? And if there is some way to filter this stuff is it worth it? Should I just get use to wasting that little bit with every bottle? Please let me know what can be done to solve this problem. I was always told that when you waste good beer it is alcohol abuse in its worst form. Thanks in advance for any assistance. Ronald Narvaez RNarvaez at lan.mcl.bdm.com Never take life too seriously, it isn't a permanent thing. : ) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 16:28:10 -0400 (EDT) From: greggt at infi.net (Gregg Tennefoss) Subject: sour extract brews? A brew buddy and co=worker of mine has asked me to poll the collective wisdom of the digest in hopes to finding the cause of 3 failed batches. The types made are a lager and 2 ales. Three different yeasts were used. They were made in 2 different kitchens using different utensils. They all fermented properly and the brewer is very miticulus about sanitation. The problem is they all have a sour taste to them. The only common denominator is the extract that was purchased mail order from bulk not canned. The yeast all were "shop" cultures but were different varieties. He also uses distilled water for his brews. He is also very carefull to maintain constant temps and keep light out. My suggestion was his extract was infected but he feels it was the yeast that was infected. I may make a batch of all grain with his last yeast from his supply but I sure would hate to waste a batch. I thought we maybe make a 1 gal. "batch" of started and let it ferment out to test the yeast for the sour qualities. Do you think this is a valid test. tia cheers Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 17:19:14 EDT From: Steve Scampini <scampini at hp-and.an.hp.com> Subject: Irish Moss I was on an educational outting sponsored by the Audubon Society on beachcombing this weekend (Massachusetts). To my delight, one of the seaweed samples collected on the beach was identified as Irish Moss. I told everyone about beer and Irish Moss and they all mumbled yeah, yeah, yeah and went on to look at the periwinkles. Has anyone out there picked their own Irish moss for brewing and how does one process it? Steve Scampini "My dogma was run over by my karma" Bumper sticker. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 14:23:56 -0700 From: Richard B. Webb <rbw1271 at appenine.ca.boeing.com> Subject: Nutritional content of beers In HBD #1428, Don Rudolph asked about the value of beer as food. A while back, perhaps a couple of years, Bud Grant of Grant's Brewery of Yakima Washington tried to print nutritional information for his beers on lables to be attatched to the bottles. The Federal Government's representative Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (motto: We love cults: barbecued...) came down on him like a truck of empties. It seems that there is no way that the government would allow the words 'beer' and 'food' or 'nutition' to be mentioned in the same sentence. Bud was forbidden to print this information on his bottles. Now for the good news. He did print up a bajillion little cards that when folded up, can be left on bar tables, so that patrons can plan their evening menus while loosing focus. I visited Grant's taproom last year, and I swiped one of these cards. Here is the information that the government doesn't want you to know. The feds will be knockin down our doors for sure now... (Blatent theft follows) (side 1) Brewed in the Great Northwest Using only pure Cascade mountain water, the best Northwest barley malt, and the finest select Northwest hops. No additives or preservatives. Grant's World Famous Real Ales! (side 2) Grant's Scottish Ale Nutritional Information per serving (12 oz) Calories 145 Protein 2.24 grams Carbohydrate 12.7 grams Fat 0 grams Cholesterol 0 grams Sodium 75 milligrams Potassium 195 milligrams Percentage of U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (U.S. RDA) Serving size 12 ounces Calories 5.4% Protein 4.0% Riboflavin (B2) 4.6% Niacin 14.6% Folacin 62.5% Pyroxin (B6) 13.9% Vitamin B12 170.0% Ingredients: Refiltered pure water, barley malt, Yakima Valley hops and pure culture yeast. (End of theft) Now I for one am all for something that gives me 170% of all the B12 I need, in fact, I sometimes think that I need more vitamin B12 than most people. Furthermore, I can medicate myself. Who needs wormwood when I've got Folacin??? Rich Webb p.s. Sorry about the multiple posts. I've been away for a while, and I'm just busy as hell trying to catch up on the HBD posts that were stacking up in my absence.... One thing about this group I've noticed. When someone puts a ball (post) in play, there's no shortage of people willing to pick it up and run with it. Good enthusiasm. Potential for blood... ******************************************** Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 15:37:21 PST From: Steve Armbrust <Steve_Armbrust at ccm.co.intel.com> Subject: A Schmidling customer sings Text item: Text_1 Jim King complained to Jack Schmidling about "whining and blatant competitor bashing." In general, I agree. I think praising one's own products (in this case, the MaltMill (tm)) and trashing a competitor's (the Glatt mill) is a belittling trait and will diminish one's credibility (even if I do find Jack's comments more interesting than most that appear in the HBD.) Here's one customer's point of view. I recently purchased a MaltMill(tm) and think it's wonderful. I wish I could compare it to a Glatt, but I couldn't find anyone in Portland, OR who had one, and no stores could get one. I bought the nonadjustable model. Contrary to Jeff King's comments, the handle goes on and off easily, just by tightening or loosening a nut (maybe the adjustable model is different?). It's heavy duty and solid as a rock. The base fits perfectly over a plastic pail and there's no dust during grinding. Hand cranking 11 pounds of grain took about five or ten minutes (your time will vary depending on how many times you stop for a homebrew). And IMHO, the grind was great. I got 30 points out of the batch, which was the highest yield I've ever gotten, even when I ground the grain on the roller mill at Steinbarts in Portland. I haven't attached a motor, so I can't comment on that aspect, but the warranty didn't seem to preclude the possibility. I have no affiliation with JSP, just a happy customer. Steve Armbrust steve_armbrust at ccm.hf.intel.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 15:49:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Julie A Espy <jespy at tuba.aix.calpoly.edu> Subject: Equipment care (newbie question) Hi all, A disgusting newbie question: what should I use (if anything) to care for my pretty stainless steel pot that I use for brewing? It seems like I remember my grandmother saying something about how to care for stainless, or was that sterling silver? Is gentle soap and water with prompt drying ok? It was a gift, and I am a really poor grad student; if I mess up this pot-nothing to brew in! Personal e-mail is fine: jespy at tuba.aix.calpoly.edu TIA, Julie Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 17:24:41 MDT From: Bruce Kindel <kindel at aster.Colorado.EDU> Subject: BCI Address G'day, all, I inadvertantly misplaced the address for the company in Tennessee that sells cut off 15 gal. kegs. Could someone please forward it to me, please. I would surely appreciate it. TIA, Bruce kindel at aster.colorado.edu Return to table of contents
Date: 23 May 1994 15:22:55 -0700 From: "Dave Suurballe" <suurb at farallon.com> Subject: UK hop sources I haven't been very happy with the English hops I have bought in California. I'll be going to London in early August. Does anyone know where I can get hops there? I'm most interested in whole hops and hop plugs (not pellets). Also, does anyone know of any good beer stores in London for English and continental bottled beers? Thanks, Suurballe Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 94 22:41:24 EDT From: Nancy.Renner at um.cc.umich.edu Subject: Beer as food, weizenbier and yeast, decolorized iodine >From *Jeff* Renner I found the Zymurgy article "Beer and Nutrition" in Winter, 1984, pp 22-24. The author is Doralie Denenberg Segal, a physiologist with the FDA, and she uses data from the FDA, which I have added as columns 2 and 3 to Aaron Shaw's data from Beer magazine, which is column 1. Please note that this is to add data, *not* to start a flame war. I don't disagree with Aaron. I love, make and drink beer, too. Beer Mag. per USDA RDA* 341 ml 12 oz. 4.5% alc/vol 3.6%w/v, 4.5%v/v Calories 140-150 148 Proteins 1.0-2.2 g 0.94 g Carbohydrates12.7-12.9 g 13.21 g Cholesterol & Fat 0 Phosphorus 50-102 mg 50mg 800mg Calcium trace-0.2 mg .292mg 2-3mg Iron 12.7-12.9 g** .11mg 10mg Sodium 14-25 mg 18mg 1100-3300mg Potassium 85-195 mg 115mg 1875-5625mg Magnesium 36 mg 36mg 350mg Zinc .18mg 15mg Vitamins A,C,D,E 0 0 Vitamin B1 trace 0 1.4mg Vitamin B2 0.01-0.1 mg .07mg 1.6mg 4.6-7% RNI (3.8% RDA) Vitamin B3 0.23-2.0 mg 13.9-17% RNI Niacin (B3?) 1.8mg 18mg Vitamin B6 0.017-0.2 mg .18mg 2.2mg 11-13.9% RNI Vitamin B12 0-170% RNI Folic acid 52-62.5% RNI*** 20 mcg 400mcg (5%RDA) Pantothenic acid 7% RNI**** .169mg 10mg (1.7% RDA) RNI = Recommended Nutrient Intake *Former name of RNI **No doubt a transcription error, unless there is a 12d nail in there! *** & **** the only significant differences. I suspect that unfiltered home brewed would be higher in B complex vitamins due to the presence of yeast, especially if the sediment is consumed. Segal's conclusion after giving possible reasons to drink beer is "Beer for overall health and nutrition? You've got to be kidding." This is of course before the recent findings about positive benefits of moderate alcohol consumption and heart disease protection. But still, I have to agree with her that beer consumption is "fun" or "empty" calories, something most of us have room for in our total diet, but not a significant source or nutrients. Art Steinmetz asks about the "skin" or husk on wheat. That is the bran, something barley has too. Wheat is a naked grain, the husk was selectively bred away, probably thousands of years ago. There are some primitive husked wheats. I believe emmer is one. I just brewed a weizen using home malted wheat (and yes, the MM(tm) did a great job, but it seems to work best to mix the malts together first to get the best feed). I am surprised that maltsters haven't discovered Michigan soft, white, winter wheat for malting. I've grown this myself in the past, although not the batch I malted. The fact that it is white (the color of the bran, as opposed to red) means that it also has fewer tannins and phenols, and soft wheat has lower protein (between 9 - 10%). This should be perfect for malting and using unmalted in Belgians. I malted it conventionally, then dried it in a pillow case in the clothes dryer, then kilned it in an oven! I've used it in small amounts before and it worked fine, this is the first time I've used it for a majority of the grain bill. The mash went as quickly as ever (1 gal./6 minutes with insulated Zapap, and final extraction rate was good, just under 30 pts/gal/lb. Christopher Mack asks about weizen yeast - why do the biggies filter and repitch lager yeast at bottling, why does their yeast sediment taste so yummy and his so lousy, and what is the best temperature for weizen yeast. One at a time. As Dave Miller in Brewing Techniques (vol. 1, no. 2) points out, "wild" yeasts, which S. delbrueckii (the weizenbier yeast) can be considered to be, continue to produce their "off" flavors the longer they are in contact with the beer. This is the reason to remove it at the end of fermentation and replace it with neutral lager yeast for bottle conditioning. Keeping the temperature down will also help keep the wilder flavors under control with this yeast. Chris says he would brew with the YeastLab Bavarian Weizen yeast if someone would attest to it. One of our club members took Best of Show with an *extract* beer made with this yeast this past year in the S.N.O.B.S. competition in Cleveland. It tasted terrific and a judge's comment was "I can't believe this isn't a commercial beer." YeastLab's instructions for temperatures are 66^ - 70^ F, but low 60s (where I have mine going) works fine, and should temper the phenolics. Over 70^ is going to bring on the bananas. Nontypical disclaimer - I have no affiliation but it is produced here in town, so I may have a local booster's pride. I think Christopher's sediment may taste lousy not due to yeast, but to other late sedimenting stuff like tannins, maybe trub, etc. A longer secondary might help, as would gelatin or Irish moss before racking prior to bottling. And Charlie Burke, you are right. Decolorized iodine won't work. The regular should be right next to it on the drug store shelf. Jeff Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 22:12:24 -0400 From: "Andrew C. Winner" <acwinner at wam.umd.edu> Subject: Any Help/Thoughts Would Be Appreciated I asked about the strange white stuff floating in my secondary a few weeks ago. I got one reply by private email and someone on the net telling us newbies not to use gypsum. I have tried to relax and bottled the brew (a pale ale with 1, count it, 1 teaspoon of gypsum). A week and a half later, I have very tiny (sand or smaller) granuals floating (in suspension?) in the bottles. The rest of the recipe was a variant on the basic bitters (extract) recipes I have seen in Charlie P. and elsewhere. I'll ask again: any opinions? Is this infection, gypsum, something else? Is there any way to get rid of this stuff (a pinch of something and yeast and re-capping?). Could some of you pause discussing the relative merits of mills and advertising on the net long enough to give new brewers like myself some help? Thanks in advance. Private email is fine. Cheers, Drew (acwinner at wam.umd.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 23:03:19 -0500 (EST) From: "NAME SEAN O'KEEFE, IFAS FOOD SCIENCE" <SFO at gnv.ifas.ufl.edu> Subject: Converting Brix to sg A quick conversion from % brix (as sucrose) and sg (20C for sucrose) is to take the brix reading, multiply by 0.00425 and then add 0.9988. So a Brix of 18 would equal 1.075. The actual value is 1.074, close enough for me. I don't know how much difference there would be in sg between glucose and sucrose (the refractometers are calibrated usually for % sucrose). the error would probably be minor. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 24 May 94 03:31:00 UTC From: mike.keller at genie.geis.com Subject: California Festival of Beers Re: Julie Espy's comment about tax-deductible tickets... If one receives value (like a subscription) for a contribution, the contribution (or at least the portion equal to the value of the subscription) is NOT tax-deductible. So if one receives anything for the ticket price (like free beer), the ticket price is not deductible. This, of course, should not matter when it comes to helping out a worthy cause (like the Hospice of San Luis Obispo County) or to attending a beer festival! And although I will not attend (living across the country), I appreciate being kept informed about all festivals and competitions. mike.k zymurgy roundtable genie Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 15:52:15 +1000 (EST) From: Paul Murray <pmurray at lingua.cltr.uq.oz.au> Subject: Wheatbeer and Temperature control (two issues) Mike McCaw asks if anyone has information on dispensing wheatbeer from kegs. I worked in a bar in Edinburgh (Scotland) which had Schneider Weiss on draught (I can recommend it to anyone lucky enough to have access to a supply). We had similar fobbing problems when it was first installed. These were cured by the addition of a length of beerline of very small diameter (1/16th" internal I think) and exceptional length between the keg and the tap. The pressure at the regulator was NOT adjusted as increasing it resulted in a return of the fobbing. While this solution worked it did so at the price of a vastly reduced pour rate, and a slight (max 3 degF) increase in the temperature of the beer once dispensed. I hope this helps. Living in Australia, I am finding it difficult to control the temperature of fermentation. The obvious solution of fermenting in a fridge seems a rather expensive answer. Brewing in the winter is not the answer either as temperatures can range from 4-26 Deg C over a day. Does anybody have any cheap alternatives to using a fridge? Paul Murray Pmurray at lingua.cltr.uq.oz Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1431, 05/24/94