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


Contents:
  cider recipes/wheat infusion (Mark A Fryling)
  SF / mini-kegs / beer & food recipes (Michael Carr - ATT ASCC)
  YeastLab Weizen (Art Steinmetz)
  Awesome (Jack Schmidling)
  weird ferment (RONALD DWELLE)
  CO2 quick disconnects (Bob Jones)
  Bentonite - really works ("Anton Verhulst")
  re: beginner's primary fermentation question (Dan Beauvais)
  Stirred mashes (Allen Ford)
  RE:quicks and weizens (Jim Busch)
  Looking for equipment ("Aaron Spurlock")
  British Malt comparison? ("Mark B. Alston")
  Hopeful end to mill discussions (KLAY)
  Mills and stouts (matth)
  another request for spruce beer info (Jay Weissler)
  The yeast faq again!!! (It just keeps getting better) (Patrick Weix)
  extraction efficiency (?) (Frank Haist)
  strange grains (Jeffrey A. Ziehler)
  libel (Jim Doyle)
  Hops in training (Allen Glass)
  Re: Quick Disconnect for CO2 (Michael Burgeson)
  Southport Beer Festival ("THOMAS L. STOLFI")
  Spruce Bashing (RONALD MOUCKA)
  Spruce Bashing (RONALD MOUCKA)
  Mash Newbie Questions (David Lambermont)
  Flavors of Munich and Vienna Malts (Ken Schroeder)


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----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Fri, 27 May 94 8:44:54 EDT
From: Mark A Fryling <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: cider recipes/wheat infusion

Hi gang,

Someone (sorry but I dont remember who) asked about some good cider recipes the
other day.  Well, I've had good luck with both dry, sparkling and sweet still
variants so I thought I'd post the recipes.  First of all let me say that the
quality of the finished product depends heavily on the flavor of the cider
that you start with.  Being here in Ohio we dont really get the best cider
apples so the quality is probably not quite up to what you can get in New
England.  I hear that Northern Spy is one of the very best cider apples.  That
said though, any good quality, fresh, unpasteurized cider will make a perfectly
acceptable hard cider.  So without further ado:

Dry Cider (like Blackthorn or Woodpecker)

Simply pitch a good quality wine yeast (I find Lalvin 71B-1122 Narbonne to be
excellent) into your fresh, unpasteurized and unfiltered cider.  Rack after 1
week and bottle with corn sugar (3/4c for 5 gal) when the cider is crystal
clear.
          - Note #1:  My experience is that cider has a SG of 1.040 - 1.055 so
                      the resulting hard cider will be in the 5% abv range.

          - Note #2:  Some folks like to kill off the wild yeast with bisulfite
                      before pitching their wine yeast, but I find that this is
                      unnecissary and leads to unplesant residual sulfur taste.


Sweet (and Strong) Still Cider - 3 gal recipe

     3 gal fresh (unpasteurized etc.) apple cider
     4 lbs light brown sugar
     1 lb dark brown sugar
     9 grams of crushed cinnamon stick
     10 whole cloves (crushed before adding)

Dissolve sugar in cider (you can warm it to help the sugar dissolve) and add
everything to your fermenter.

     1 tsp yeast energizer (the kind that's a mixture of urea and B-vitamins)
     10 g of Lalvin 71B-1122

     OG = 1.120  FG = 1.002 (pretty impressive huh?)

Fermeneted wildly in primary for about 2 weeks then took about 7 weeks in
secondary to clear sufficiently to bottle.  I dont remember what the abv works
out to be on this stuff but its HIGH.  Definitely something to be enjoyed in
moderation.  It is however absolutely wonderful.  The spices give it a kind of
christmas-y feel that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (or maybe thats the
alcohol 8*).  This would also make some absolutely WICKED apple-jack if someone
were to freeze some of the finished product (though I would never advocate such
irresponsible, illegal and dangerous behaviour ;-).

Now for a beer question, would whoever has something to say about the question
posted friday about single step infusion mashing of weizen beers please either
post their replys or send them to me directly?  I also am planning to try out
the Wyeast 3068 to make a partial mash dunkel-weizen.  My plan has been to mash
belgian ale malt and use extract to get my wheat malt but if I can mash some
wheat too (in my single infusion procedure), without making the finished beer
come out like chocolate milk I'll give it a try.  TIA

Have fun,
Mark Fryling
<mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>

"Never let your sense of morality prevent you from doing whats right"
I. Asimov

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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 09:02:37 EDT
From: carr at ascc01.ascc.att.com (Michael Carr - ATT ASCC)
Subject: SF / mini-kegs / beer & food recipes


First, thanks to everyone who sent me info about San Francisco
brew-sights, we had a great trip. 

Dave Knight, you posted some notes about Brew King mini-kegs. I
tried mailing you some questions about them and it bounced, so
I'll ask here (they may be of general interest anyway):

 - where are they available?
 - how much do they cost? (whole setup & per brewing)


And sometime previous there was a request for food recipes with
beer. A friend gave me a wonderful book as a homewarming present:
"Real Beer and Good Eats: The Rebirth of America's Beer and Food
Traditions" by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. It's a great book
describing the history of beer & brewing in the U.S., in general
and by region, up to through today's explosion of microbreweries
(published in '92). Each regional section has food recipes
typical of that area. The recipes don't all use beer as an 
ingredient, in fact most don't, they are chosen to complement
beer drinking and include recommendations of local moicrobrews
to go with the food. It also includes appendices on things like
homebrewing and world beer styles.


Mike Carr

// AT&T Advanced Software Construction Center
// carr at ascc01.att.com
//    If I exorcise my devils my angels may leave too, and when they leave
//    they are so hard to find - Tom Waits



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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 09:14:38 -0400
From: Art Steinmetz <asteinm at pipeline.com>
Subject: YeastLab Weizen 

Nancy Renner writes:

>Chris [Mack] 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.

Yes.  I took second place in the 1993 national Weiss is Nice 
competition with an extract beer using this yeast.  This year 
I'm using Wyeast only because I can't find the YeastLab strain.


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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 08:15 CDT
From: arf at mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Awesome

 
 I have been flooded with mail in response to my unbiased views of the product 
 I manufacture.  The vast majority has been positive and fun but there is 
 always a small minority who just don't or don't want to "get it".
 
 For the record the "Ode to the MM" came right off a flyer on the Jaguar that 
 my wife got in the mail and we did a little creative editing just to show the 
 folks what real hype sounds like.
 
 Cheers,
 
 js
 

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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 10:15:34 EST
From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
Subject: weird ferment

     This is what happened. A month or so ago, after a normal mash, 
     boil, etc. I pitched yeast (Brit Ale, Wyeast 1098), and got a 
     good ferment in 12 hours (but not vigorous or violent blow-off). 
     This was a Friday evening. Went away for the weekend and when I 
     came home Sunday night, there was zero activity. I thought maybe 
     things had gotten too cool, so set the carboy on a heating pad to 
     bring the water temp back up. Nothing. For two days. So I decided 
     to re-pitch, and I did Am Ale which I had on hand (Wyeast 1056). 
     Nothing. For two more days. So I pitched another jug of Am Ale 
     yeast. Nothing. 
     
     Finally, (duh...) I check SG and got a reading of 1.015. I'd been 
     pitching all this new yeast and there was nothing left to 
     ferment. But that means I got a total ferment of 5 gallons in 
     about 48 hours. Possible?
     
     Looking back at notes, I didn't take a hyrometer reading of the 
     finished wort, but I did write down a reading of the first 
     runnings off the sparge, at 1.078, and I suspect everything 
     seemed so normal that I either didn't take or didn't record 
     readings of the final runnings off the sparge (can't remember for 
     sure). 
     
     Anyway, I bottled and tried some yesterday, and can't notice 
     anything seriously amiss with the finished product (it was a 
     quasi-porter).
     
     The main thing I'm curious about is the rapid ferment. Was a) my 
     wort much "thinner" than I thought, or b) did the yeast do some 
     miraculous thing, or c) what?
     
     Overall, I'm bagging Wyeast 1098. I wanted it because it's 
     supposedly good down to about 55F (which is where my brewroom is 
     at in the winter), but I've had two weird batches with it. 
     
     Cheers,
     Ron Dwelle(dweller at gvsu.edu)
        "A quart of ale is a dish for a king."
                        -Shakespeare, Winter's Tale

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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 08:07:14 +0900
From: bjones at novax.llnl.gov (Bob Jones)
Subject: CO2 quick disconnects

*** Warning no MaltMill discussions are contained in this post ****

wyatt at Latitude.COM asks about Quick Disconnects for CO2.

I use air disconnects. You can get these at most large hardware stores. I
think they are mostly used for high pressure air quick disconnects. I use
them everywhere in my system. There is a male piece and a female piece. The
female piece seals when disconnected. The male piece is cheap, the female
piece is the expensive one. Check you local hardware store for price. Here
is a short summary of where I use them. Maybe you can get some ideas.

* Male on CO2 tank, at output of regulator. I also have a checkvalve right
before the male connector.
* Male on sanke beer tap.
* Female on gas line to frig.
* Female on CP filler.
* Female on gas line to hose assembly for pushing beer from my fermenter.
* Female on short hose I use to artificial carbonate beer in corni. kegs.

As you can see I like'em alot. By using these connectors, you can have alot
more flexability in how you use your CO2 tank.

Here is another mind expanding ascii graphic of my draft system gas plumbing
FYI.
                         gas
       CO2 tank        manifold
     (outside frig)       ||--cv--Reg--------qd
                          ||
     reg O|O-cv-m f-------||--cv--Reg--------qd
          |               ||
       |-----|            ||--cv--Reg--------qd 
       |     |            ||                          
       |     |            ||--cv--Reg--------qd       f=female CO2 disconnect
       |     |            ||                          m=male CO2 disconnect
       |     |            ||--cv--Reg--------qd       cv= check valve
       |     |                                        Reg=low pressure regulator
       |     |            all the above stuff is      qd=CO2 disconnect(corni)
       -------             located in the frig.

I can adjust the dispensing pressure on any one of my kegs to just the right
dispensing pressure. The check valves at the gas manifold are needed to
prevent any cross coupling of smells and pressures between kegs. I picked up
secondary gas regulators surplus from C&H sales(1-800-325-9465), they are
$12 each. They have a 0-60psi range and include a pressure gauge. Stock
number RG9350. Call and ask for their cataloge.

I won't bring my draft system to Denver,

Bob Jones
bjones at novax.llnl.gov



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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 11:16:22 -0400
From: "Anton Verhulst" <verhulst at decvax.dec.com>
Subject: Bentonite - really works


A recent 10 gallon batch of Kolsch, split in to two 5 gallon fernenters
simply would not clear.  I'd used Irish Moss but only as an after thought
in the last 5 minutes of the boil without hydrating it first - not enough. 

Anyway... Since I had 2 identical 5 gallon batches in secondary, I had an
opertunity to experiment.  I fined one carboy with Polyclar and the other
with Bentonite.  Twenty four hours later, the Bentonite carboy had cleared 
competely and was ready for kegging.  The Polyclar was totally ineffective
(for this particular haze, anyway).  The Polyclar cost me ninety five (US)
cents for the 5 gallon batch, the Bentonite cost me four cents.  Bentonite
is easily sterilized by boiling.  Boiling melts Polyclar and so sterilization
is a real pain.

Although most HB books mention Bentonite, only Miller actually provided
instructions.  He suggests adding 2 ounces to 4 cups of water, and then
using 2 tablespoons of this slurry per batch. Since I rarely fine in secondary,
I didn't want a quart of this liquid hanging around for a couple of years 
and decided to mix it on a per use basis.
I calculated that the 2 tablespoons of the above came out to 2 grams of dry 
Bentonite per batch (I paid US $2.00 for 224 grams (8 oz.)).  The 2 grams
conveniently came out to 1/2 teaspoon so those without a scale, don't
dispair :-).

Bentonite is a clay and is sold in a dried state.  When you dump it in water,
it becomes wet clay, with all of its marvelous physical properties - it becomes
a gelatinous mess.  The trick to using the stuff is to get it mixed with
water and avoiding the mess.  For this you need a blender.  Add about a cup
of warm water to the blender and start it a slow speed.  While the blender
is running, slowly add the 1/2 tsp of Bentonite and let if go for about a
minute.  Be sure the blender is running when you add the Bentonite.  If it's
not, the clay will stick to the bottom and you'll need to take it apart for
cleaning. The now stable (more of less) slurry is now ready for sterilization. 
Simply boil it for 15 minutes.  An Erlenmeyer flask wih an aluminum foil cover
works real well but anything will do.  After it cools, its ready to use by
simply pouring it into the carboy and mixing.

Bentonite has been used for many years by home wine makers but, for some
reason, brewers have pretty much ignored it.  Give it a try the next time
you need to fine in secondary.  It works, it's easy to sterilize, and it's
rediculously cheap.


- --Tony Verhulst

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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 11:23:17 -0400
From: Dan Beauvais <beauvais at bbt.com>
Subject: re: beginner's primary fermentation question

- ---
in HBD #1434 Karl Elvis MacRae <kmac at cisco.com> asks...
>
>	I'm wondering if my firmentation
>	is stalling out.
>
>	I pitched my yeast Sunday evening. By Tuesday morning, it was 
>	bubbling so hard the lock sounded lick a ticking clock. This
>	went on all day tuesday.
>
>	But by wednesday, it had slowed WAY down, and now, (Noon Thursday),
>	it's just producing one bubble every 1-2 minutes. 
>
>	Is this a normal rate? Or is it stalling?
>
>	My yeast was very fresh (Wyeast american ale yeast), and I'm 
	fermenting at room tempreature>		


It sounds perfectly normal to me.  Wait until there is less than one
bubble in four minutes, (Saturday maybe?) and you are ready to bottle.
In three weeks, you'll realize that there was nothing to worry about.
Enjoy -- and congrats on the new baby!
- ---
Dan Beauvais  			            beauvais at bbt.com
BroadBand Technologies, Inc.                phone: +1 919/405-4630
4024 Stirrup Creek Drive, PO Box 13737      fax:   +1 919/405-4511
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-3737
- ---

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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 09:35:05 -0500 (CDT)
From: Allen Ford <allen at darwin.sfbr.org>
Subject: Stirred mashes


The recent discussions concerning the construction of a motor-driven 
paddle for continuously stirring mashes has me wondering how the 
small-scale commercial brewers do it.  I don't recall seeing any devices 
for mash-stirring in the tuns of any of the brewpubs or micros that I 
have visited.  What is mash-stirring supposed to do for you?  Is 
mash-stirring better suited to certain beer styles or grain types?  Any 
comments on the advantages and/or disadvantages of stirred mashes for 
the small-scale commercial or home brewery would be appreciated.

Jack S. writes:    

>  I have the additional problem of needing to keep clear of the EASYMASHER and 
>  this may preclude it from working at all.

With a false bottom, you would not have this problem.  The dinosaur raises 
its ugly head.  


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Allen L. Ford  <allen at darwin.sfbr.org>  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-= Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research  San Antonio, Texas =-=-=


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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 11:33:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com>
Subject: RE:quicks and weizens

> Subject: Quick Disconnect for CO2

Rapids sells these, so does Foxx.
> 
Steve writes:
> Subject: Infusion mashing a Weizen?
> 
> The release of the (relatively) new Wyeast 3068 Weizen yeast has gotten me
> interested in attempting a Bavarian Weizen beer. But, to date I have only
> done single infusion mashing. I am aware that Eric Warner's book implies
> that decoction mashing is required for a good weizen. I am also aware that
> a protein rest is recommended for mashes with wheat malt. I would like to
> avoid the hassle of decoction or step mashing (I mash in a cooler). Has
> anyone tried making a Bavarian Weizen with a single step infusion mash? Any
> thoughts on how this might turn out? I'm not trying to make an award
> winning beer, just a good clovey weizen. Should I give it a try? Thanks.
> 
FYI, Eric does not decoct his Weizen made at his brewery, Tabernash.  Just
goes to show what happens when theory meets practice/budget.  Its still
a good idea to use protein rests with a weizen, and becomes more important
as the wheat percentage rises above 50%.  In your case, I would suggest a
30 min rest at 122F in a very thick mash.  Infuse boiling water to raise
the temp to conversion.  You might still get a thin mash, but you are
going to pay a price somewhere in the process if you dont add heat or decoct.

You could do a single long mash with a smaller amount of Wheat, like 35-45%
but the lauter may still become stuck, depending your tun.

Best,
Jim Busch


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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 10:04:42 MDT
From: "Aaron Spurlock" <ams1628 at Slinky.UnivNorthCo.EDU>
Subject: Looking for equipment

I am looking to purchase used homebrew equipment from anyone willing to 
part with it.  I live in the northern Colorado area, and my friends and I 
would like to brew more than one batch at a time.  We are also looking for 
any used soda kegs in the same area.  Please reply to my directly if you 
have anything you would like us to buy from you.  Thanks for your time and 
help!

Aaron Spurlock                           ams1628 at slinky.UnivNorthCo.EDU
IS Tech                                  ** All opinion expressed are **
University of Northern Colorado          ** expressly my opinions!!!! **

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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 10:12:43 MDT
From: "Mark B. Alston" <c-amb at math.utah.edu>
Subject: British Malt comparison?

Does anyone have information about how the various british malts stack
up?  I have been using M&F pale malt but was unable to find any sources 
nearby so have purchased Edme pale malt.  How do these compare to one 
another?  Is there another British malt I should be searching for instead?

Any suggestions or pointers to info would be greatly appreciated.

Mark Alston

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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 8:50:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: KLAY at ocean.aoml.erl.gov
Subject: Hopeful end to mill discussions

Amen to Rich Scotty! I'm sure many of us would like to see Jack quite down
a little on the subject!

I'm off to Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Hopefully by July, another thread
will be running, and I'll keep cranking my trusty corona.

Cheers! JK


"They seek some Hofbrauhaus of the spirit like a grail
	hold a krug of Munich beer like a chalice."	-T. Pinchon
 

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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 12:31:36 -0400
From: matth at bedford.progress.COM
Subject: Mills and stouts


  Two quickies:
 
  1) This MM .vs. GM has gotten really old.  It's quite obvious at this point 
     that none of the paries is going to be swayed from their opinions, so
     why not just drop the issue as a difference of opinion and leave it at 
     that?


  2) The real reason I'm posting:

     I've been brewing for a few years now.  Gave a friend a couple of bottles
     of a stout I made.  He thought it was very good and quite drinkable, but
     even as dark as it was (darkest I've ever made) the mouth-feel, 
     consistency, and pourability of it was still quite light when compared
     to Guiness.

     He asked me why and, sadly, I couldn't give him a firm answer.  One 
     thought we both vaguely recall reading is the addition of other 
     non-fermentable sugars, such as lactose.  

     Sooooo:

     a) Do we recall correctly?

     b) Can anyone give me a firm explanation for him (and me)?


   Thanks a bunch.  Hope everyone has a good long weekend!

 -Matth

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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 11:15:58 -0500
From: jay_weissler at il.us.swissbank.com (Jay Weissler)
Subject: another request for spruce beer info

I would like to summarize people's experiences in brewing spruce  
beer. Specifically, I want to know. 

1- style of base beer (ex: lager, light ale, etc.) 

2- source of spruce (ex: essence, bark or needles from ...,etc.) 

3- amount of spruce. 

4- when you added it and for how long (mash, boil, fermenter, etc.) 

5- your satisfaction with end product.
Given the amount of traffic on spruce beer, I know this may seem  
redundent, but I hope organizing the info this way and filling in the  
gaps will help identify what really works. Also, I deleted many of  
the posts before I realized how interested I'ld become in this.
TIA

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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 09:35:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: weix at netcom.com (Patrick Weix)
Subject: The yeast faq again!!! (It just keeps getting better)

Hello All,
 Yes, I have sent out the yeast faq once again. The improvements
include :
1. Improved ascii formatting(thanks Jeff). Several others have offered
me WP, MS Word, or other formatted versions, but this is system
independent.

2. Improved spelling. No-one called me on the carpet about my creative
spelling, but I corrected most of the mistakes anyway. When Jeff did
the ascii format, he Americanized the spellings, and I let it stand.

3. Some actual yeast info!! Got wind of some strains that Brewtek is
bringing out this summer. Enjoy.

Also, no one has said anything yet, but if you read the table in my
recent Zymurgy article very carefully (pg. 50), you will see that the
info in some columns got shifted. The managing editor gave me
permission to print a correction here, and they will be printing a
correction in the Fall issue. I just haven't had time to put it into
ascii form--should I post it in Word?

Thanks, 

Patrick

  "The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away."
 					Tom Waits
 /------------------------------------------------------------\
 | Patrick Weix                        weix at netcom.com        |
 | UT Southwestern Medical Center      weix at swmed.utexas.edu  |
 | 5323 Harry Hines Blvd               tel: (214) 648-5050    |
 | Dallas, TX 75235                    fax: (214) 648-5453    |
 \------------------------------------------------------------/

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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 09:42:17 PDT
From: haist at cogsci.UCSD.EDU (Frank Haist)
Subject: extraction efficiency (?)


Okay, it's time I put this to the collected wisdom of the
net.  Which type of mill should I buy?  Ooops, sorry, didn't
mean to ask that one.  I'm having what appears to be a
consistent problem with mediocre extraction rates, i.e.,
in the range of 25 or so pts/lb/gal for domestic (Great
Western) pale 2-row.  I've been using an EASYMASHER
installed in my 33-qt kettle with single temp mash at
152-154 F for typically an hour of so.  I use a slow
sparge in the range of an hour or so with 170F water.
It just dawned on me that during my entire all-grain
career (very short so far at 5 batches) I've used perhaps
an over-abundance of grain in the mash.  For example, for
a very tasty pale ale I used 9 lbs pale 2 row, 1 lb
Munich, and 1lb crystal (crystal at mashout) and achieved
an OG at 1.056.  One of my questions is could I achieve
the same OG by using less grain (I'm asking in anticipation
of trying the experiment)?  The thought being that during
the sparge I'm leaving behind some sugars by the time I
get my 6.5 or 7 gallons I use for the boil.  So far during
sparge the last of the runoff is typically quite clear
but ever-so slightly sweet.  I've never tested the gravity
of the last runoff.  What would be a typical target gravity
to stop sparging at?  A second question is, how much more
extraction efficiency could I expect by using a higher
quality of pale malt?  As always, thanks in advance for
any and all help.
 
- ---Frank

haist at cogsci.ucsd.edu   |   There is something fascinating about 
	or		|   science.  One gets such wholesale 
   fhaist at ucsd.edu	|   returns of conjecture out of such
			|   trifling investment of fact. --M. Twain


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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 12:39:22 CDT
From: Jeffrey A. Ziehler <ziehler at post.its.mcw.edu>
Subject: strange grains


Has anyone out there used Qinoa (sp?) (pronounced KEEN-wa) or know about an
indigenous brew which does?

Jeff Ziehler
ziehler at post.its.mcw.edu

this weekend:	Mead-ola
next weekend:	IPA
bottle soon:	porter (sg 1.063)
drinking:	my Bock (my first all-grain)

"This is my best beer yet!" (take 12)


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Date: Thu, 26 May 1994 10:58:45 -0700
From: Jim Doyle <jgdoyle at uci.edu>
Subject: libel

The MM(tm) dude has crossed into the realm of libel now, and I am no longer
amused.  I (and I doubt I am alone) will not buy any product from NorthEast
Brew Supply or Kerry Brown as a direct result of Jack Schmidling's post. 
Also, I will not buy any JS products (contrary to prior posting) because I
am not in the habit of dealing with or promoting companies who blatently
trash their competition and admit to withholding one person's pre-payment
to pay another person's debts.  A prudent person would realize the affects
of positive advertising far outweigh the tactics I have been watching for
the last week or two.  It has been a pretty pathetic show.

I feel this way, rich Corinthian leather or not...

Now, on to the important stuff-

Is it harmful to the beer to take the corny keg into and out of the
fri(d)ge?  Do the temperature fluctuations change taste?


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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 14:02:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Allen Glass <aglass at andy.bgsu.edu>
Subject: Hops in training

This is only my second post to the MaltMill Digest (the Mill that Saved
the Universe!!!!!), so please be gentle with me.

I'd love to grow hops next year, but I'm concerned about their height.  My
best growing location would be near the back fence of my yard, but there's
an overhead power line running through.  Can hops be trained to grow
horizontally, at a height of no more than, say, ten feet?  I'd love to try
making beer with really fresh hops.

Also, I've noticed a few posts mentioning beers being brewed at a wife's
request (from our male digesters), and I've noticed that these seem to be
somewhat lighter beers.  Do those of you who brew specially for a spouse
find yourself with a beer you yourself would drink?  Just curious; my wife
grew up drinking Guiness so I've no need to lighten up.

thanks,
allen



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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 11:08:59 +0800
From: cmm at brewhaus.Eng.Sun.COM (Michael Burgeson)
Subject: Re: Quick Disconnect for CO2

>      anyone used some kind of quick disconnect fittings mounted in the 
>      refrigerator?  It seems to me that there must be fittings like this 

I have used the standard compressed air quick disconnects.  They do make
disconnects for CO2; heavy duty, hard to find, mucho denero $$$.  The
standard compressed air fittings are easy to find and cheap.  I can't 
say _for_sure_ that they don't leak, as I have a very small leak in
my system somwhere.  I did submerse the fittings; no bubbles, so I don't
_think_ it's the quick disconnects.

>      some one way valves and a splitter inside the refrigerator to supply 
>      gas to multiple kegs.  
>      

I would suggest using a manifold with a check valve for each line you want
to run inside the fridge.  If you use tees, the kegs would all be sharing
the same pressure and CO2.  It makes a mess of your lines when you 
(accidentily) plug in a full keg that has higher pressure than the others.  
Then you have to clean _all_ of your hoses.

Also, if one keg has an infection, it could migrate to the other kegs.
Putting a check valve on all the CO2 lines in the fridge also allows
you to keep the kegs at different pressures, and it isolates them from
each other.

 - --mik

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Date: 27 May 1994 13:21:13 GMT
From: "THOMAS L. STOLFI" <OBCTS at CWEMAIL.CECO.COM>
Subject: Southport Beer Festival


     The Southport Beer Festival is scheduled for Saturday June 18 from
     2:00PM to 7:00PM.  It will be held at Brewmasters Pub in Kenosha, WI
     located at the intersection of 75th St. & 39th Avenue.  I believe
     there will be 12-15 breweries serving and the cost is $15.00 in
     advance or $18.00 at the door.  The cost also includes a very nice
     glass beer mug.

     Tom Stolfi
     obcts at cwemail.ceco.com



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Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 20:59:19 GMT
From: rmoucka at OMN.COM (RONALD MOUCKA)
Subject: Spruce Bashing


Spruce Bashers:

Believe it or not, it is possible to brew a drinkable spruce beer.  Thos
you who were lucky enough to attend the GABF a couple of years ago will
remember Anchor's version of a traditional spruce beer.  Yuck!  It taste
a combination of mint julep (sp?) and Listerine.  Six packs of the stuff
distributed in a limited area around Denver, and I was stupid enough to
couple.  At least at the time I thought it was stupid.  Not anymore!

After two years of aging in the refrigerator, it is now one of the most
refreshing, light summer beers I've ever tasted.  So don't give up on th
spruce beers.  They take a long time to mellow, but it's worth the wait.
own version of a spruce is coming up on 1 year old this month and is jus
starting to taste like something resembling beer.  Actually quite good I
Good enough that I humbly submit the following recipe for your potential
enjoyment:

5lbs 2 row Klages
3lbs 6 row Klages
1lb  Crystal 10LV
 .5lbs Dextrin
1oz Hallertauer 4.9 AAU 60min
4oz fresh blue spruce tips (3-4" long) 60min
1oz fresh blue spruce tips finish
1tsp Irish Moss
Wyeast #2035 American Lager

OG 1.048
FG 1.014

Temperature controlled step mash.  Boil hops and spruce for full 60 minu
I might consider dropping the spruce to 3oz next time.  Obviously, weath
conditions will effect the strength of your spruce.  Collect your spruce
in the country where you're sure they haven't been sprayed.  Never tried
extract.  Wouldn't have a clue as to how much to add.  Most importantly,
patient!  This stuff takes a looong time.

Brew on

ronald.moucka at omn.com

           This message created on OMN BBS (303) 667-1149 data

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Date: Thu, 26 May 1994 17:03:46 GMT
From: rmoucka at OMN.COM (RONALD MOUCKA)
Subject: Spruce Bashing


Tried to send this a few days ago, but it seems to have gotten
lost.  Having a little trouble getting used to a new system

Spruce Bashers:

Believe it or not, it is possible to brew a drinkable spruce
beer.  Those of you who were lucky enough to attend the GABF a
couple of years ago will remember Anchor's version of a
traditional spruce beer.  Yuck!  It tasted like a combination of
mint julep (sp?) and Listerine.  Six packs of the stuff were
distributed in a limited area around Denver, and I was stupid
enough to buy a couple.  At least at the time I thought it was
stupid.  Not anymore!

After two years of aging in the refrigerator, it is now one of
the most refreshing, light summer beers I've ever tasted.  So
don't give up on those spruce beers.  They take a long time to
mellow, but it's worth the wait.  My own version of a spruce is
coming up on 1 year old this month and is just now starting to
taste like something resembling beer.  Actually quite good IMHO.
Good enough that I humbly submit the following recipe for your
potential enjoyment:

5lbs 2 row Klages
3lbs 6 row Klages
1lb  Crystal 10LV
 .5lbs Dextrin
1oz Hallertauer 4.9 AAU 60min
4oz fresh blue spruce tips (3-4" long) 60min
1oz fresh blue spruce tips finish
1tsp Irish Moss
Wyeast #2035 American Lager

OG 1.048
FG 1.014

Temperature controlled step mash.  Boil hops and spruce for full
60 minutes.  I might consider dropping the spruce to 3oz next
time.  Obviously, weather conditions will effect the strength of
your spruce.  Collect your spruce out in the country where you're
sure they haven't been sprayed.  Never tried the extract.
Wouldn't have a clue as to how much to add.  Most importantly, be
patient!  This stuff takes a looong time.

Brew on

ronald.moucka at omn.com

           This message created on OMN BBS (303) 667-1149 data

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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 18:05:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: David Lambermont <LAMBERMONTDB%A1%PRTOAX at mr.ctd.ornl.gov>
Subject: Mash Newbie Questions


Hello all,

I've been brewing for about 5 years now, but I just recently attempted my 
first mash (partial).  I mashed on my stove, and ran into all sorts of 
problems.  I have an electric range, and I had virtually no temperature 
control -- the mash temperature would drop, I'd add a little heat and over 
shoot the target temp. by 5-10 degrees, I'd panic and pull the pot off of 
the stove, the temperature plummeted, and I started the cycle over again.
I also found that the mash temperature varied wildly depending on where I 
inserted the thermometer.  The batch is sitting in my lagering fridge now, 
and after all of my problems, the mash converted and my O.G. was right on 
target.  The rest will be answered in a few months...

I guess my questions are:

  1.  What is the best way to control mash temperature?  I do have a cooler 
      that I bought specifically for mashing, but nearly every recipe that 
      I have calls for step temperature adjustments...  Is there a formula 
      for calculating the amount of X degree water to add to Y amount of 
      mash to achieve a specific target temp?
  2.  What is the best type of thermometer to use for mashing?  Obviously I 
      need something that reacts more quickly than my standard floater.
  3.  Do the propane fired burners help stabilize temps?
  4.  Anyone have any good single infusion recipies?

Also, is there anyone out there receiving HBD through the Internet->Fidonet 
gateway?  I sent a subscribe message a few weeks ago and received ONE HBD 
(broken up into 6 messages) and that's all she wrote...

Thanks in advance.

David Lambermont
lambermontdb at ornl.gov --OR--
sysop at f140.n2220.z1.fidonet.org



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Date: Fri, 27 May 94 15:59:28 PDT
From: kens at berlioz.nsc.com (Ken Schroeder)
Subject: Flavors of Munich and Vienna Malts

Hi Brewers,

Can anyone tell me the difference between the flavors Munich and Vienna 
Malts? The SRM and yield numbers are easy to get, but a flavor 
profile is a much different thing. In fact if anyone has a general
flavor profile chart, that would be interesting, maybe even worth
posting. Since mash techniques has some influance, I do a 10gal.
h20 infusion and straight heat, all grain mash. I vary between step and
single infusion depending on what I'm brewing. Private posts may be
sent to kens at lan.nsc.com. Please be patient, my network is being reconfigured
this weekend and I expect some hangups. TIA --- Hoppy Brewing,

Ken Schroeder 

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1435, 05/28/94