HOMEBREW Digest #1671 Sat 04 March 1995

Digest #1670 Digest #1672


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


Contents:
  RE: Hefe-Weizen (Jim Dipalma)
  getting pure H20 (Will Self)
  Homebrew Digest #1665 (February 25, 199 (ADNEYK)
  pitch timing/hop source/buttery/rescueing underhopped beer/iron bacteria/artificial cellar (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
  mild malt (Spencer.W.Thomas)
  Celis sells out to Miller (Alan P Van Dyke)
  A-B and HSA (George J Fix)
  Alt beer ("Jon Yusko")
  hydrometers ("James Giacalone")
  Brewsters who run with th (kit.anderson)
  Brewsters who run with th (kit.anderson)
  Re: RCMP competition (Martin Hatlelid)
  1995 AHA style chart (PatrickM50)
  re: Chicago beer bars & brew pubs (James Veach)
  good scale (FLATTER)
  beer supplies, brew clubs in dayton OH (A2J)
  Re: Storing Yeast Slurry (ryan patrick harding)
  RE:fermenters (Jim Busch)
  Priming per bottle (Paul Sovcik)
  Sparkeloid? (Marla Korchmar)
  Cheap Wort Chillers (Richard Buckberg)
  Bottom taps in primary fermenters ("Dutcher, Pier")
  Gemstate Homebrew Contest (Loren Carter)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 1 Mar 95 15:46:34 EST From: dipalma at sky.com (Jim Dipalma) Subject: RE: Hefe-Weizen Hi All, In HBD#1668, Jeff Stampes asks about hefe-weizens: >Given the low extraction efficiency I am still trying to work out, I was >planning on a higher grain bill than called for: > >6 lbs. 6-row Lager Malt (Munich? German? Bavarian?) >9 Lbs. Wheat Malt Weizens are supposed to be at least 50% malted wheat, commercial examples typically run 50-70% malted wheat. You're at 60%, so you're in the ballpark. I've found a 50/50 mix of wheat and 2-row pilsner malt to work very well. I wouldn't use 6-row though. I don't know what your extraction numbers are, but 15# seems like a lot of grain for a 5-6 gallon batch. The OG for this style should be around 1.045, they are not high gravity beers. > >I was planning on a 60-90 minute 125F protein rest > a 60 minute rest at 152F > a 30 minute rest at 158F > a 170F mash-out A couple of comments on this mash schedule. You want to avoid excessively long protein rests, even with a high percentage of wheat malt. The very first weizen I ever brewed, I used a 60 minute protein rest as well, having heard all of the horror stories about lautering with a high percentage of wheat. The resulting beer had virtually no head retention. I suggest keeping the protein rest to no more than 30 minutes. Second, after a 60 minute rest at 152F, the mash will likely be converted. A single decoction mash works well for this style, but if you want to do a temperature step mash, try 30 minutes at 125F and one sacc. rest at ~153F- 155F. Weizens are supposed to be tart, crisp and rather well attenuated, avoid the high end of the sacc. rest range. >For hops, I was planning a 60 minute boil with Tettnang, and using some >Saaz at the end for nose. Save the Saaz for a Czech pils. This style has no hop aroma or flavor, and *very low* hop bitterness. One problem I frequently encounter when judging weizens is that they are too highly hopped. The combination of high hop bitterness and clove phenolic from the yeast is not very pleasant. I target 12 IBUs when I brew weizens, which for my system is ~1.25 oz. of ~4.0AA Tettnang (a good choice, my personal favorite for this style) for a *10 gallon* batch. Since you're planning a 5 gallon brewlength, I'd suggest roughly half that amount, boil for 60 minutes, no late additions. >Given the cloudy nature of these brews, I assume that my standard procedures >of adding irish moss at the end, or clearing with polyclar or isinglass will >not apply. With the exception of kristal-weizens(sp?), commercial weizens are cloudy because they are dosed with a non-flocculating lager yeast at bottling time, to achieve the extremely high levels of carbonation typical of the style. You still don't want protein hazes in the beer, I'd stay with the Irish moss. Don't forget to rehydrate it the night before :-). >For fermentation, I was planning on 14 days at 45F in primary, IMHO, this is a little too cold, though I don't know about the strain of yeast you're using. I use the Wyeast 3068, and conduct primary at ~60F, slightly colder than most ales, with good results. Along with the clove phenolic, an important flavor component of this style is iso-amyl acetate, aka banana-like esters. I think that fermenting at 45F would result in little if any ester development. >followed by another 14-21 days in secondary at 45F (that's the cellar temp.) >Then keg, and age until the hottest day of the summer! In my experience, these beers are best when fresh, they do not require extensive conditioning. I ferment for three weeks, chill, carbonate, and start drinking the beer within a month of brewday. Brewing 10 gallons at a time, there have been occasions when it's taken 3-4 months to finish off a batch. The last couple of gallons are never as good as the first couple. Cheers, Jim dipalma at sky.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 95 14:07:03 -0700 From: wself at viking.emcmt.edu (Will Self) Subject: getting pure H20 Tom Williams' request for a demineralizer cartridge has prompted me to send you all my method of making an inexpensive reverse-osmosis purifier. This information (e.g. parts numbers and price) is a little bit old (5 years) but if I wait until I get around to updating it I may never get this done. Reverse-osmosis purified water is pretty much the same as distilled water. This whole thing should cost around $40. The heart of the purifier is a cartridge which is intended as a replacement part for Sears' least expensive reverse osmosis unit. Obtain part number 34511, division number 42, source number 042. In June 1989 it listed at $34.95. It is a cylinder, 12 inches long and an inch and a half in diameter. Besides the cartridge, you also need a length of washer hose or garden hose with the female end in place, a band clamp to go around the hose (auto supply store), a few inches of 1/2 inch CPVC tubing (the kind that's beige in color), an adapter (described below *), a few feet of 1/4 inch O.D. (outside diameter) polyethylene tubing (handyman store), and PVC glue and cleaner. At one end of the cartridge cylinder you will see one small hole, and at the other end there are two small holes. The end with the single hole is the inlet. On the other end you will see that the two holes are marked P and B. I think of P as pure and B as Brine. When you have your unit operating, you will observe that the Brine flows considerably faster than the Pure water, perhaps four or five times as fast. To assemble the outlet part of your purifier, just push lengths of the 1/4 inch polyethylene tubing into each of the P and B holes. It should be a snug fit requiring no further attention. Run the P hose into a collector, and the B hose to a drain or onto the ground. The setup is as follows. One end of the hose attaches to a faucet, and the other end, which is a plain cut end, to the CVPC pipe. Slide it over the pipe and tighten the band clamp around the hose. The CVPC pipe is glued into the adapter (* mentioned above). The adapter is glued to the inlet end of the cartridge. Here is where you want to be careful. It will have to be a good glue job because it will have pressure on the joint. Do not omit cleaning the surfaces with PVC cleaner before gluing. The best choice for the adapter is a CPVC adapter which adapts from 1/2 inch CPVC pipe to a male 1/2 inch iron pipe. There will be threads inside this adapter, but they are of no concern. What interests you is the flange, which will butt against the end of the cartridge to provide a gluing surface. There may be raised letters on the flange; if so, lay a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface and carefully slide the adapter back and forth on the sandpaper to remove the raised letters. Sand only until the letters are almost gone. Another adapter you can use is one that adapts from 1/2 inch CPVC pipe to 3/4 inch CPVC pipe. This adapter is intended to fit on the outside of 1/2 inch CPVC pipe and on the *inside* of a 3/4 inch CPVC connector. You use it the same way, gluing the 3/4 end directly to the cylinder. If by any chance your joint should leak, don't despair. Cut off the adapter with a hack saw. Buy another adapter, sand down both surfaces (as described above), check for a good fit, use more glue and more pressure. I don't believe you will need to do this, but if it happens, I'd appreciate a note from you informing me. Eventually the cartridge will wear out and you will have to replace it (and the glued adapter!). This may be years, depending on your usage. Let me know if you make this, how it goes. Will Self Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 1995 16:16:03 -0500 (EST) From: ADNEYK at delphi.com Subject: Homebrew Digest #1665 (February 25, 199 HELP! I'm an extract with adjuncts brewer and in my last batch I added Irish Moss dry (not reconstituted) in the last 15 minutes of the boil. Ignoring the directions by not reading them, I dumped in the whole packet instead of the recommened teaspoon for 5 gallons. I probably added about a tablespoon or 2. There wasn't any excessive flocculating of the yeast, since I can hear it gurgling happily in the primary fermenter. Will I get terrible off tastes or anything else bad? Can I just ignore my stupid mistake? Or do I need to toss the whole batch... Private email preferred, TIA, Ken adneyk at delphi.com Return to table of contents
Date: 1 Mar 95 14:24:00 -0600 From: korz at iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583) Subject: pitch timing/hop source/buttery/rescueing underhopped beer/iron bacteria/artificial cellar Don writes: >4) Pitch at high krausen. While building up starters, I >usually wait until the yeast fall and fermentation stops. Then >I decant off the spent wort and add fresh wort, aerating >vigorously. After the 1/2 gallon starter falls (about a day or >two before brew day), I decant again and add a pint or two of >fresh wort and aerate like hell. On brew day, this starter is >at high krausen, in exponential growth phase, an ideal >condition for pitching yeast. Common wisdom and most (all?) homebrewing texts notwithstanding, the ideal timing for pitching yeast is NOT at high kraeusen. High kraeusen is the time at which the yeast glycogen levels are at their lowest. While pitching at high kraeusen may result in the shortest lag time, isn't what we actually want is the healthiest ferment? Research (see references below) has shown that fermentations pitched with low-glycogen yeasts were found to be more sluggish than those pitched with high-glycogen yeasts. Poor flocculation, poor alcohol production, slow attenuation, high diacetyl, and high levels of dimethyl sulfide were also observed. Glycogen levels are highest during the stationary phase of the yeast, that is, AFTER high kraesen, when the multiplication of the yeast has stopped. Of course waiting too long (the paper said after about 8 hours) the glycogen levels begin to decrease when the yeast run out of food and begin using glycogen for survival. So ideally, you would like to pitch the yeast when the starter fermentation rate is on a downward trend (i.e. they are beginning to run out of food). References: Impact of Yeast-Handling Procedures on Beer Flavor Development During Fermentation by Pickerell, Hwang & Axcell, 1991 American Society of Brewing Chemists, ASBC Journal, volume 49, no.2 Practical Yeast Management, Dr. Paul Monk Brewery Operations Volume #6 (1989 Microbrewers Conference Transcripts) Brewers Publications, Boulder, CO Malting and Brewing Science, Vol 2, Hough, et. al. Since this issue seems to keep coming up, could someone please add the above to the Yeast FAQ? Pleeeze? *** Steve writes: >I'm looking for a good source of hops, I recommend Just Hops -- I can't find the phone number, but it's in both Zymurgy and Brewing Techniques. They have the widest selection of hops I've seen (they get hops from several wholesalers), all hops are in oxygen-barrier bags and they are centrally located (central Illinois). Just Hops recently purchased Glenn Tinseth's business, "The Hop Source" so their selection is even bigger now. No affiliation, blah, blah, blah. *** Nic writes: >I've seen a comment similar to this in a few of the "dropping" thread >responses. Is this "buttery flavour" due to excess diacetyl creation? >Also, are we talking about a butter "flavour" or a buttery "texture" or >"mouthfeel" or both? Flavour. You're absolutely right -- aeration during fermentation elevates diacetyl production, which has a buttery or butterscotch flavour/aroma. One factor that I think can give a buttery *texture* is lots of hops -- it may specifically be lots of flavour hops (15 minute boil), but I'm not 100% sure. Lots of hops in the beer tend to give the beer a kind of "tongue-coating" kind of effect. Could this be what you are experiencing? Another factor is oats, but you did not mention oats in your post. In either case, I don't think it will decline with age significantly. *** Mark writes: >> of ale using his left-over hops. Apparently, the hops were no good, as the >> resultant beer has neither hop aroma nor bitterness. Is there any way to hop >> finished beer and save this batch? Private e-mail is o.k. > >I think that hop oils that have been extracted with co2 are most likely your >best bet. Hop oils will add aroma, but not bitterness. You can add hop extract, which will add bitterness *along with* hop oils, but you can also just boil up some hops in a pot with a little water and then add that to taste. I'm afraid you're on your own regarding rates and utilizations since malt affects the utilization as does the concentration of hops which, in this case, would be very high. *** Tony asks about how to deal with possible iron bacteria in his water. I'll leave it to others to answer the bacteria problem, but if all else fails, you can rinse your fermenters/equipment/etc. with cheap commercial beer. It's definately sanitary and in the small amounts that would be left on the equipment would not significantly affect the flavour ;^). *** Gilad writes: >What I am looking for is information on how to construct an artificial >cellar: An insulated chest that keeps a steady temperature and humidity >ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. How about the obvious... a refrigerator or chest freezer with a aftermarket thermostat? Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 95 16:53:16 EST From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu Subject: mild malt I found a recipe by Darryl Richman in the Cats Meow 3 that calls for "mild malt". Anybody got a clue how (if) I might be able to make this at home from pale malt? Return to table of contents
Date: Wednesday, 1 March 95 15:50:48 CST From: Alan P Van Dyke <llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu> Subject: Celis sells out to Miller Howdy, HBDland-- Below is the article from The Austin American-Statesman (3/1/95) concerning the Celis-Miller deal. Reprinted without permission. Five years ago, Pierre Celis sold his brewery in Belgium to a large brewing company, using the money to start Celis Brewery, Inc. in Austin. On Tuesday he sold again, handing a majority interest in Celis Brewery Inc. over to Miller Brewing Co., the nation's second-largest brewer behind Anheuser-Busch. Financial terms were not disclosed. Celis is confident that the partnership will not hurt the quality of his beer. "The Miller people learned the lesson," he said. "They know you cannot make beer like this in a large brewery." Celis will get financing to increase production as well as access to Miller's purchasing power, its distribution system and other key resources. Celis should benefit from "Miller's marketing clout, which is quite substantial," said Michael Schroeder, an analyst at First International Asset Management who follows Philip Morris, Miller's parent company. Miller also could provide marketing research to help Celis "understand what the consumer wants," said Scott Barnum, general manager of American Specialty/ Craft Beer Co., a Miller subsidiary. For Miller, Celis' family of Belgian-style beers is a promising prospect for the fast-growing specialty beer market. Most important, Celis said, he retains control over how the beer is made. "The alliance will allow us to focus on what we do best, which is to produce specialty beers," he said. "I will not make something I don't like." "Pierre is the man," said Barnum. "We want to build on the success he already has." Celis, the chief executive officer, founded the brewery in 1992 with his daughter Christine and her husband, Peter Camps. The alliance's quickest impact will be to increase Celis' production. Celis shipped 15,000 barrels to 30 states in 1994. With a 16,000-barrels capacity, the company has difficulty meeting demand, said Craig Foster, Celis spokesman. Miller will add fermentation tanks to the brewery, Foster said. Details on how many tanks or when they will be added have not been finalized. (End article) I like Barnum's quote best, suggesting the Miller can help Celis determine what the consumer wants. Can you say "clear beer?" I thought you could. So, there it is. The rumors are substantiated. When you buy a Celis, you're helping out Miller -and- Philip Morris. What joy. This really hurts us in Austin, too, because we love to buy local, & this just won't be the same anymore. Anyone care for a Celis White Dog? Alan Van Dyke, Austin llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 29 Feb 96 16:41:08 -0600 From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix) Subject: A-B and HSA Recent posts on HBD have accurately described the procedure used at all A-B plants whereby hot wort is dusted with air to remove DMS and other volatiles. These posts were, however, somewhat misleading in that the procedure was characterized as a new and secret technology which only A-B has perfected. In fact, it is an old technology which A-B has had in place for a very long time. The modern version dusts with nitrogen; see e.g. the excellent article "Uses of Nitrogen" which appeared in the MBAA Tech. Qr. a few years ago. I called Dr. David Bryant of A-B/Houston to get some background on this issue, and he cited the following reasons why this procedure has not been replaced: (i) The corporate philosophy at A-B holds that DMS is the worst "off flavor" in beer, and they want to be assured that all of it is removed. (ii) A-B uses high adjunct levels, and hence is not as sensitive to HSA as all malt brewers. In this regard it is not surprising that the most vocal advocates of eliminating HSA have come from Germany and in particular Weinhenstephan (i.e., Narziss, Prendel, et al). (iii) A-B is extremely careful with packaging and this gives them some margin for error in wort production. In my presentation at last years conference at Denver I tried to make the point that brewing science does not define what is right or wrong, it value is simply to help us understand the consequences of our brewing decisions. This certainly applies to HSA. As I have noted in this forum it can be used to advantage in selected Belgian styles. This could also be the case for lagers if you are into light libations which smell like an apple orchard and are devoid of any maltiness. George Fix Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 1995 17:48:07 EST From: "Jon Yusko" <jony at rsainc.com> Subject: Alt beer I am interested in brewing an Alt Beer and was wondering if someone could e-mail me a recipe that they found successful. Also, can anyone recommend a yeast for this style? I really like the taste of St. Stans and would like to brew something similar, being either full or partial mash. Thanks in advance -Jon jony at rsainc.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 95 17:15:43 MST From: "James Giacalone" <JGiacalone at vines.ColoState.EDU> Subject: hydrometers This message is for Robert Becker and ayone else that may have a hydrometer that you think is inaccurate. To calibrate a hydrometer you should use distilled water ( so there are no trace elements dissolved) at 25 degrees celsius. Remember that specific gravity is very dependent on temperature, dissolved substances and atmospheric pressure. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 95 17:04:22 -0500 From: kit.anderson at acornbbs.com Subject: Brewsters who run with th Part 3(B) Another thing we like about the bottles is the gleam of the glass once it is clean. It satisfies the need for tidying up and beats the heck out of polishing the oak sideboard. There is something quietly profound about 48 gleaming bottles lined up in formation on the eh kitchen counter waiting to receive their ration of sanitizing solution. They don't talk back, you don't have to clean up any towels they have dropped and you eventually get to put a lid on all of them. Try that with the kids and you are up for child abuse and a spot on the Prime Time evening news with half a dozen microphones vying for your nose hairs. Bottling is always such an arousing event in my house. Picture my devoted spouse rinsing and setting bottles down on a clean towel as fast as he can. I squat on the top step of an ancient step tool, insert the filler into the clean bottles, push and release just as the foam comes into view, fade, cut to the next scene with my spouse masterfully flexing his biceps as he clamps down with animalistic grunts. Too hot for you? Okay- cool off with the final scene of us both languidly stroking the sticky bottles with a damp towel to remove the residue from the overzealous filling job. If this whole vignette had caused you to overheat, then you definitely need another brewsky before you finish this column. The final step in bottling is storage and this depends on whether the brewster is brewing ale or lager. If it is an ale, that unused bathtub in the upstairs bathroom is just fine- one more excuse for not having to put up with your brother-in-law and his wife for another month. This is also an ideal situation to use that red, shocking pink and orange tablecloth Aunt Jane brought you from Peru and that you have previously only brought out for dinners with her. Just drape that beauty over your batch of ale and let it glow in the dark. No light dare pass to injure your brew. Lagers can be stored in any cool dark place. Usually there is enough mold on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator to shield the exposure of the bottles to the door light. Furthermore, since it never drops below 45 degrees anyway, that's perfect. Yes, we brewsters are different from you brewers on some fundamental practices. However, what we brew is still the same (well, I like to think slightly better) and we all still enjoy it just as much. It has been a pleasure sharing our womanly secrets with you guys. I have one teensy request- try not to get into arguments over whose tank is bigger when we're around. Remember fellows- it ain't the circumference, the height or the capacity that counts... ********************************************************************* Disclaimer: I did not write this. It was written by Marie Mains. This is the third and last installment. You are free to redistribute. I hope you enjoyed this as much as the hop utilization war. ********************************************************************* Kit "Travels With Chiles" Anderson Bath, Maine <kit.anderson at acornbbs.com> * - --- * CMPQwk #1.4 * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 95 16:57:15 -0500 From: kit.anderson at acornbbs.com Subject: Brewsters who run with th Brewsters Who Run With The Wolves Part Three (A) by Madame Marie Mains The merry month of December brings me to the final installment of "Brewsters Who Run With The Wolves" (affectionately known on my desktop as BWRWTW- I think there is something prophetic about all those W's or else they are symbols of the wind whistling its way around my brain cells). I hope that you male brewers have felt a bit more fulfilled having had this rare glimpse into the world of women who brew. Certainly this extended piece has eased the tension between the sexes, dissolved some of the prevailing myths and furthered the cause of gender appreciation among all brewers. After all, we are brothers and sisters of the art of zymurgy- and if you aren't woozy enough after reading this paragraph, go have another brew before you proceed reading the rest of this final installment. We began this whole saga two months ago with the brewing stage and particularly with the fascination that brewers have with techno- gadgets in that process. It is with this same male fascination with "stuff" (a term that brewsters use to cover everything that you guys like- from chain saws to wort chillers) that I will close this dissertation. The bottling process divides sharply between brewsters and brewers at this point. I know- I've attended a few (when I can stay awake) meetings and a few contests rubbing elbows with brewers busily discussing the attributes of round cylinders, tall tanks, short tanks, pigs (hold the male chauvinist jokes, please) and GAUGES- mercy, have I heard it about gauges! Even my non-brewing spouse who loyally rinses bottles and caps on filling day will peruse the catalogues on the gauges pages. ( If you can say that sentence without slurring the last two words, you haven't had enough to drink.) single gauges, twin gauges, gauge cages, you name it, I've heard men extolling it. Anything with a dial, markings of some sort and a wavering needle hand just sends you into outer space. It's that male tendency to measure stuff, I guess. "Hey Fred, we're down to ten PSI. Jiggle da gas pin lock, check yer nipple and screw yer nuts down a little tighter." See what I mean? While poor Fred is having male anxiety attacks for the rest of the party over his faulty barbed adapter, the rest of the brewers run frantically around looking for the leak locator fluid, or at least a hose clamp. Brewster don't have anything more worrisome than remembering to tie a string to the bottle opener so that somebody doesn't pocket it. The process of bottling is something you brewers seem to abandon with fervor once any of any of the following events have transpires: (a) you have won the weekly poker game and have a few spare bucks burning a hole in your pocket; (b) you didn't get a pay cut and/or were passed over for departmental cuts; (c) your wife let you carry the checkbook/ Visa/ Mastercard this month. Suddenly the pages in the brewing supply catalogue for CO2 cylinders take precedence over even the favorite back issues of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. I've heard you rhapsodizing over shapes of tanks, sizes of tanks, numbers of gauges and hose lengths with more enthusiasm in your voices than over the topic of Cyndi Crawford's moles. I've found the dog-eared pages in the catalogues hastily stuffed in the bookrack by the upstairs toilet. I've even had to admit I've found pictures of "party pumps" tucked in the edges of the bathroom mirror that were torn out of MY brewing supply catalogues. We brewsters take a more mundane approach to the bottling question- that is, we still bottle. Quite a few of my brewer counterparts still bottle too, but if you talk to them long enough they have usually forsaken the mere 12 ounce bottles for something bigger, such as the 22 ounce bottles. They also favor those macabre free standing bench cappers rather than the hand-held lever capper. At brewing meetings I will get up and move my seat from the bench capper typers- they would probably ask me to go along with them to look at their latest gauge or picnic tap out in the dark parking lot. No thanks. We brewsters still favor the easily attainable 12 ounce bottle. These can be had by the six pack for the for the mere bat of an eye and a vague promise of a bottle the finished product. Brewsters are enough of a novelty themselves ( its like admitting you build houses or repair cars) in mixed company that one can take the reusable bottle right from under the nose of an unsuspecting drinker by just inquiring," I brew my own beer- may I have your bottle." In fact, this technique works so well it may backfire and the unsuspecting drinker will bug the hell out of you for the rest of the evening wanting to know how beer is brewed. I have also had it backfire with the manager who insists that ALL bottles have to be returned for the recycling deposit. For those types, we brewsters usually have to resort to zymurgical guerrilla tactics and take the poor guy by the hand, pull out a shiny unused ball lock fitting and whisper in his ear what it is for. I've had 12 six packs personally loaded in my truck with this very technique. I would not recommend it for brewers, however, since the manager might want to take you out to the parking lot to knock off your ball lock fitting instead of helping you load bottles into the trunk. Kit "Travels With Chiles" Anderson Bath, Maine <kit.anderson at acornbbs.com> * - --- * CMPQwk #1.4 * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 20:05:45 -0800 From: martunes at unix.infoserve.net (Martin Hatlelid) Subject: Re: RCMP competition David P Brockington writes: > > I am interested in entering the R.C.M.P. competition that you mentioned in >a recent HBD. I have some rudimentary information, like shipping point >for US entries and the deadline, but what about style information? DO >you have anything on line which outlines the categories you have, and >which styles belong in those categories? > I quote from the entry form: Styles: Specialty 1: Fruit, Spice & Herb, Mead, Saki, Cider Specialty 2: Wheat, Kolsch, Belgian, Lambic, Specialty 3: Barley Wine, Smoked, Scottish Strong, Old English, Russian Imperial Stout German Lagers: Vienna, Marzen, Octoberfest, Bock, Dopplebock, Dunkel, Scwartzbier Pilseners: Bohemian, Classic, German, Continental, Dortmund, Export, Alt, Cream Ale, Helles Bock Ales: Bitters, Classic English Pale Ale, Scottish, Scottish Export Srong Ales: American Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, California Common Dark Ales: Porter, Mild, Brown Stouts If you need more info, fax Peter at 1-604-322-6005 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 01:44:59 -0500 From: PatrickM50 at aol.com Subject: 1995 AHA style chart I am pleased to report that I got immediate responses back today from the ABA re: my request for the *missing* 1995 style chart information, as follows: START >>>>>>>>>>>>> From: james at aob.org (James Spence) We still publish the styles chart--IBU, gravities and so on. I will check to see why it is not included on our server. The competition insert in Zymurgy Winter 1994 includes the styles chart. It starts after page 90. James <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Also: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> From: shawn at aob.org (Shawn Steele) The Style Guidelines Chart is now available from info at aob.org by sending it the keyword "CHART". WARNING: this file is 120 characters wide and will not display properly on most screens. Hopefully people who need the information will be able to print it in a small font. - shawn <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<END Shawn then kindly sent me the complete chart via another email message but it is too big to upload to the HBD so interested brewers should pick up a copy of the Winter '94 Zymurgy or request the chart as explained above by typing the word "CHART" in the message section of email to info at aob.org. Speaking from the perspective of an ex-Customer Service Manager, I am impressed by the speed and completeness of the AOB's response. Now if I can just get my IBUs to match . . . ;-) Hope this helps! Pat Maloney Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 02 Mar 1995 06:41:39 -0500 From: James Veach <james.veach at arch2.nara.gov> Subject: re: Chicago beer bars & brew pubs I will be traveling to Chicago very soon and was wondering where or if there are any brewpubs, microbreweries, good beer bars etc. up there. Can anyone help? Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 02 Mar 1995 08:57:23 -0820 From: FLATTER%MHS at mhs.rose-hulman.edu Subject: good scale I've been looking for a general use scale too. Consolidated Plastics Company, Inc. has three in the catalog I got this week. Each have 1/4 ounce resolution with 2, 5, and 10 pound capacity for $59.95, $75, and $99.95 respectively. Their address is 8181 Darrow Road, Twinsburg, OH 44087 and can be reached by phone at 800-362-1000 or FAX at 216-425-3333. They mainly sell postal and shipping supplies including different sized ziplocks, anti-static mailers and such. What I'll probably purchase is a platform spring scale from Cynmar Corporation in Carlinville, IL [131 North Broad Street, PO Box 530, ZIP 62626]. Their phone number is 800-223-3517 or FAX 217-854-5154. Their's holds up to 5000 g with 5 g resolution. It's analog, but at $25 I think I can deal with that and the hassles of conversion to English units. - -------------- Neil Flatter Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Chemistry - Math (CMA) Department of Chemistry Stockroom Manager Novell Supervisor 5500 Wabash Avenue 73 (812) 877 - 8316 Terre Haute, IN 47803-3999 FAX: 877 - 3198 Flatter at Rose-Hulman.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 02 Mar 1995 09:36:00 EST From: A2J at CU.NIH.GOV Subject: beer supplies, brew clubs in dayton OH Neophyte questions of the day: 1. I am just starting out brewing and want to by a kettle. What is the optimum size, what is a good price. Did I also read that people use old kegs as kettles ? Sounds interesting. Any info on any other supplies and suppliers would be helpful. My email address is a2j at cu.nih.gov. 2. My brother-in-law is also interested in brewing in Dayton Ohio. Anyone with info about brew clubs, brewing supplies can also email me. Thanks for your help A.Lake Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 95 09:45:23 -0500 From: ryan patrick harding <uk03131 at mik.uky.edu> Subject: Re: Storing Yeast Slurry A few poeple have asked about yeast farming. So here is my procedure. After I rack to sec. or bottle from primary I pour the slurry into a sanitized 1 qrt Mason jar (about half way). Take some cool pre-boiled water and fill up the Mason jar, put the lid on, and swirl to mix. Put the jar in the refrig until the mixture has separted. The heavy particles will fall to the bottom while the yeast will remain suspended in the water. Pour the liquid off the heavy particles into a sanitized bottle and cap then store in the refrig. When you are ready to use let the bottle warm to pitching temp. and flame the lip of the bottle and dump into a starter or primary. Thats all I do and so far have not had any major problem. The main important thing is to have excellent sanitation procedures. I think it is a good idea to step up the yeast count in a starter before pitching. Last week I brewed a ESB using Wyeast London ESB and I did not use a starter, consequently I had a 36-48 hour lag time. This may be from the yeast itself (I have heard of long lag time with this yeast) or because of not using a starter, I am not sure. Also am I am not sure how long you can store the yeast mixture, but I have gone as long as 4 months will no problem. Maybe someone else can comment on this more. One last thing is that I have been told not to wash the yeast more than 6 times, because of risk of wild yeast strain. Hope this helps ryan harding uk03131 at mik.uky.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 09:56:31 -0500 (EST) From: Jim Busch <busch at eosdev2.gsfc.nasa.gov> Subject: RE:fermenters Kirk writes: <My thought was to cut the keg at the weld joint at the lower chine, <then fabricate a cone from stainless sheet and have it Heli-arc'ed to the <bottom of the keg. Sanitary welding is what's needed--it won't be a <pressure vessel. If your going to this amount of effort, ditch the keg idea and go all out and have a 304 2B SS sheet rolled to make the top. You already need to have the cone made, its not that easy to do yourself (or should I say, do you want to experiment with cost of SS?). There is a lurker on the digest who makes these things.... <Your idea for a bottle under the tank drain valve sounds good--provided it's <a completely closed system like the oil-jars you may have seen on ancient <industrial equipment. OTOH, I would just open the airlock, then crank open <the ball-valve on the bottom of the tank. A slug of yeast sediment should <come out, followed by clear beer. A little training and one should be able <to minimize losses yet still get the trub out of the unit. After closing <the ball valve, the pocket of the valve exposed to the atmosphere should be <spray-flushed with a sanitizer to prevent bacteria growth, preparatory to <final racking. Anyone knowing commercial practice in this area should <please contribute! < It doesnt need to be fully closed. What you will need to do is bleed off some trub and yeast several times, once or twice wont cut it. The way most pros use unis is with SS triclover/butterfly valves. A weak solution of sanitizer is sprayed into the valve prior to opening. The first outflow will have more trub in it, and is usually tossed. The next thick slurry is repitched. A large (4-5 gallon) SS pail is often used to collect the yeast, weigh it, then toss it in the manhole of the uni. After the valve is closed, the yeast is rinsed off with water, and some resanitize it, but this gets done next time yeast is harvested anyway. In most unis, the beer is not pulled out the bottom yeast valve, it comes out the side racking port. Al writes: < Personally, I'd insist on <Oxygen-barrier packaging for hops and, ideally, CO2- or Nitrogen-purged. <Grain should be stored in sealed containers, like buckets or thick plastic <bags. Grain stored in paper or open containers will go stale (as quickly <as a few days if the humidity is high). A point should be made that the grains are not shipped this way from the malthouse. Also the degradation is mostly a concern if buying precrushed malts, Ive stored whole grains for some time in a basement with no noticable problems. < The key is really the yeast. You can always <get similar grain and similar hops, but the yeast has a far bigger effect on <the final flavour than a slightly different hop variety or a different <maltster's grain. Yeah, but since there only a few yeasts in widespread use in the industry, there is a lot of similarity. I can remember a comment by a brewer from Marin at a GABF, "were all using the same three yeasts!". JHojel asks: <I'm in search of a yeast strain (other than the usual: Wyeast's Weihenstephan <strain) to brew a fruity Hefe Weisen. This is the weizen yeast you want. If you want an american bland wheat, use Wyeast 1056. Jim Busch busch at mews.gsfc.nasa.gov "DE HOPPEDUIVEL DRINKT MET ZWIER 'T GEZONDE BLOND HOPPEBIER!" Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 02 Mar 95 09:41:23 CST From: Paul Sovcik <U18183 at UICVM.CC.UIC.EDU> Subject: Priming per bottle I have recently started kegging my beer, and I would like to have a few bottles of each batch to distribute to others, etc. I was thinking I could individually prime each bottle with a small well measured amount of corn sugar (dextrose). I have access to 50% and 5% dextrose in sterile water. I figure the 50% dextrose (500mg/ml) would be good to add to each bottle. My question is, how many grams of dextrose per bottle will give equivalent carbonation to 3/4 cup per 5 gallons? The number I need here,I guess,is how much does one cup of corn sugar weigh? Free bottle of homebrew to the first correct answer! (You pick it up... -Paul Paul Sovcik Chicago, IL U18183 at uicvm.uic.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 11:16:31 -0500 From: Marla Korchmar <marlak at pipeline.com> Subject: Sparkeloid? Has anybody used a fining made for clearing wine and cider (post fermentation) called Sparkeloid (I may have the spelling wrong)? I don't like the idea of using cow hooves (gelatin) or fish (isinglass) in my beer; maybe this is a workable alternative? Marla Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 08:19:24 -0800 From: Richard Buckberg <buck at well.sf.ca.us> Subject: Cheap Wort Chillers Pat FitzGerald asked today about cheap wort chillers. As suggested here long ago, I made a cheap immersion chiller out of 3/8 inch copper tubing (25 feet) and a couple of compression fittings. At a large hardware chain, the whole thing cost about $25. Use some nylon tape at the fittings, bend it around a bucket or something similar, and you can be chilling out in 20 minutes or effort. I can bring 5 gallons from boil to pitch in about 12-15 minutes. Takes about 25 mintues for 10 gallons. Return to table of contents
Date: 02 Mar 95 08:27:24 PST From: "Dutcher, Pier" <PEDU at chevron.com> Subject: Bottom taps in primary fermenters From: Dutcher, Pier -PEDU To: OPEN ADDRESSING SERVI-OPENADDR Subject: Bottom taps in primary fermenters Date: 1995-03-02 08:12 Priority: - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eamonn McKernan writes: <snip> <Also, if you put a tap at the bottom to collect samples during fermentation, would it be sanitary? After taking one sample, the outside would get covered with wort, which airborne beasties would latch onto by the time you wanted to use it again. Or is this not true? In fact, even if it were sanitized when you started fermenting, a few days of contact with outside air would be enough to cover them with bacteria.> I have a setup like this on my primary. The valve is mounted ~2" above the bottom of the container. (That height was selected because it was as low as I could go and still have the outlet of the valve clear the counter.) It works great for me -- the inlet of the valve is ~1" above the level that most of the trub settles. I used to do single-stage fermentations and could bottle directly from the valve -- no siphoning required. And, as Eamonn notes, it makes taking samples a snap. Caveats: 1) When taking samples, go S_L_O_W, or you'll suck the contents of your airlock (vodka, in my case) into your primary. 2) Clean the valve as much as possible when done. (I spray mine with H2O to get most of the wort off, and then dry the valve with a few blasts of my air compressor. Air drying would probably work as well - it would just take longer.) Afterwards, I cover the valve with a plastic baggie. 3) I live in a low-humidity area (25 mi. east of San Fransisco). If you live in a tropical rain forest, your results may vary. Sanitation has never been a problem. I'm not too worried about contaminating the samples -- measure the S.G. and down the drain (or tummy) they go. Before bottling (or transferring to the secondary), I take a final sample, which probably flushes the majority of the airborne beasties from the valve. By the time you bottle (or transfer), most of the food will have already been eaten by the yeast, which will have a HUGE head start on anything you might introduce. I've been doing this for about 5 years and have only had one contaminated batch -- and it went bad in the primary before it ever saw the valve. (As I recall, I got cocky on my second batch and took a bunch of shortcuts.) However, if you're really worried, you could probably spray a sanitizing solution up the valve and let it drip dry just before you transfer. Unless you brew in a really windy room, not much is going to go UP the valve. Enjoy! Pier -- pedu at chevron.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 10:04:00 -0700 From: Lcarter at claven.idbsu.edu (Loren Carter) Subject: Gemstate Homebrew Contest Announcing: The Ninth Annual Gemstate Homebrew Contest Deadline: April 23, 1995 All standard catagories For more information contact Loren Carter at lcarter at claven.idbsu.edu Let me know if you want the info pack via email or snail mail. For smail please give me your smail address. Loren Carter Chemistry Department Boise State University Lcarter at claven.idbsu.edu Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1671, 03/04/95