HOMEBREW Digest #1738 Tue 23 May 1995
Digest #1737
Digest #1739
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
CO2 Pressure Fluctuations (Terence McGravey {91942})
CO2/N2 & Guiness (MicahM1269)
Pico-System Pump Problems & stuff ("Robert Waddell")
Re: Wheat malt ("R. James Ray")
False Bottoms/Recirculation/Grain Bed Tech (Kirk R Fleming)
Brew happenings on Long Island ("Rick Gontarek, Ph.D.")
Gelatin ("Mark A. Melton")
Decoction Technique (dflagg)
High Gravity All Grain Mashing (kegster)
Samuel Adams Boston Lager (Beersgood)
T.R.A.S.H. V Winners (RCBEER)
stuck fermentations/Franklin malt/mercury (Andy Walsh)
FTP to homebrew archives ("Philip Gravel")
Beekeeper's Brown ... a treat for the extract brewers! (Jim Graham)
SUBSCRIPTION INFO (MARK LINE)
Looking for small ale recipe (R. Mark Jones)
Praise be gelatin! ("Timothy P. Laatsch)
New book announcement (LeRoy S. Strohl)
Mercury - it's in the water (kevin)
"Oily" ingredients (smtplink!guym)
Mercury thread lives on! (Domenick Venezia)
computer modeling of beer fermentation (Gary A. Meier)
Unmalted wheat (kit.anderson)
crystal malt, hop plant, grain type (HOMEBRE973)
Corny Keg Aspect Ratio (Ben Rettig)
Mercury Thread Spreads Beyond The Internet (dsanderson)
Styles & Creativity (Part I), by Sam Piper (dhvanvalkenburg)
RE: Friendly Faces (Tim_Fields_at_Relay__Tech__Vienna)
Mystery Grains, Weiss Squad (Russell Mast)
Coconuts and Copper (Russell Mast)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 20 May 1995 09:54:30 -0400
From: Terence McGravey {91942} <tpm at swl.msd.ray.com>
Subject: CO2 Pressure Fluctuations
Greetings,
Chris Sack responded to my dilemma of pressure fluctuations from
the CO2 regulator. Two problems Chris mentioned were :
1) Fermentation was not quite finished
2) Temperature of the keg changed
I think I can definitely rule out both of these. My final gravity
fell right where it was expected to. As for point 2, my keg system
is in my basement which maintains a steady cool temperature. My kegs
are kept in a fridge and are fed by the CO2 tank which is outside the
fridge (to prevent moisture in the regulator and leave enough room
for 2 kegs in the fridge). Even if fermentation were not complete,
I can't see the pressure climbing as much as it does.
I will try Chris's experiment by putting some water in another
keg and put pressure on it to test it out that way and post the
results. Thanks Chris !
Dom Venezia also questioned why I kept live pressure on my kegs.
I do this when artificially carbonating - 48 hours under 15 lbs of
pressure into the refrigerated beer - works perfectly for me ! Also
recently because of the problem I noticed.
Terry McGravey
Methuen, MA "TO BREW...AND TO SERVE"
tpm at swl.msd.ray.com
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Date: Sat, 20 May 1995 10:23:28 -0400
From: MicahM1269 at aol.com
Subject: CO2/N2 & Guiness
For my 2 cents worth on this subject, it is the faucet not the gas
that makes the creamy pour. I have three of those Guiness faucets
on my home draft setup and they pour almost any beer with that same texture
of foam. I am dispencing with premixed 70% N2, 30% CO2 gas.
micah millspaw - brewer at large
Return to table of contents
Date: 20 May 95 10:37:00 MDT
From: "Robert Waddell" <V024971 at Tape.StorTek.Com>
Subject: Pico-System Pump Problems & stuff
Hi, All,
Well, thanks to the many responses that I have received concerning the problems
that I was having with my new Pico-System pumps, I've come up with a plan for
the next batch. It seems that these type of pumps are not self priming and are
quite sensitive to *any* air bubbles in the housing. I think that the secret
is to fill the vessels *through* the pumps with the garden hose. That should
eliminate any air bubble problems. The problem with a few of my hop flowers
getting through the copper screen will be solved by putting a copper "Chore
Boy" under the pickup tube. I'll also put one under the tube in the mash
vessel to catch any "rogue" grains that might find their way to the spray
head. %^)
Thanks to everyone who responded to my post. Even Mike O'Brien from
Pico-Systems responded.
I just can't speak highly enough about this system. I thought that the move up
from extract brewing to all grain in a Gott cooler was a profound difference.
This setup is celestial. Even the way that they pack everything for shipping
was remarkable. I guess the only improvement that I can make now is to build
a micro-brewery with a "Bohemia" type modular system and hang out a shingle.
I'm not affiliated, and all that. Just a HAPPY customer.
Robert (I don't think I can hold Pico responsible for the divorce) Waddell
V024971 at tape.stortek.com
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Date: Sat, 20 May 1995 09:48:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: "R. James Ray" <ray902 at uidaho.edu>
Subject: Re: Wheat malt
On May 19 Frank Caico wrote:
> Wheat will not *lighten* the body, but will in fact increase the body. Wheat
> is not as high in fermentable sugars as barley malt is and therefore does not
> produce the effect you describe.
I have been colecting some info on malting and particularly wheat malt
for a potental research project. I was suprised to learn that wheat malt
yields higher extract than barley. I think that must be because wheat is
hulless. The increased body and mouthfeel come from proteins.
R. James Ray
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 20 May 1995 11:29:32 -0600
From: flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming)
Subject: False Bottoms/Recirculation/Grain Bed Tech
Regarding recirculaton Lance asks:
- ----------------------------------
>What difference does it make whether it takes 1 quart to
>get clear runoff or 5 gallons to get clear runoff?
This is a good question--mine is this: what difference does it make if it
*ever* runs clear? When doing stovetop mashing of an all-grain beer I
don't do recirculation at all. I maintain the temperature by sitrring
the mash frequently enough. When the mash goes into the kettle it of has
a good deal of particulate matter in it. I have noticed no difference
in the final product between this technique and recirculated. Assume no
husks get into the kettle--none do in my process.
>The grain bed is the actual filter anyway, not the screen, so why
>restrict the flow.
Not sure what you mean by 'why restrict the flow'. The screens I've
described are only about 10% open vs your 70%, but this isn't due to a
desire to restrict the flow. It's only that 10% open provides ample
flow and 1) that's what the first pre-fab screens had, or 2) that was
the practical limit of how many holes I could drill in my plate. So I
don;t think there is a concious effort to resrict the flow with the
screen design.
If you're talking about maintaining a reduced recirculation rate during
a temperature soak, *my* only objective is to ensure minimum distrubance
to the grain bed. I know someone out there has claimed recirculation
itself has a deleterious effect on the beer--I wish I could cite this
and I definitely don't know if it has been substantiated or not.
I'd like to hear your comments on these issues...as well on one more:
I think everyone's heard the story: the husks fall to the bottom of the
grain bed and provide a filter bed that small particles get trapped in.
Is this another Momism? Has anyone allowed the grain bed to drain for
several hours, then actually attemped to section it and look at the
particle size distribution? Do I have the Momism wrong, or is it just
me that has never seen any evidence of such a distribution?
Kirk
"...besides, one finger is all any *real* American needs, anyway."
(Al Bundy on power tool safety)
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 20 May 1995 20:00:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Rick Gontarek, Ph.D." <GONTAREK at FCRFV1.NCIFCRF.GOV>
Subject: Brew happenings on Long Island
Hi there everyone. Anybody know of decent bars/brewpubs on Long Island?
I will be at Cold Spring Harbor for 5 days starting on the 23rd, and would
be interested in hearing of any cool places to visit while I'm out there.
I hear there's a new brewpub out there...anybody have any details? Anyway,
CSH in near Huntington, so if anybody has some suggestions of bars, etc., I'd
appreciate hearing about them. TIA.
Rick Gontarek
gontarek at fcrfv1.ncifcrf.gov
Owner/Brewmaster of the Major Groove Picobrewery
baltimore, MD
soon to be relocated to frederick, MD
Return to table of contents
Date: 21 May 95 00:27:40 EDT
From: "Mark A. Melton" <75452.277 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Gelatin
Matt Kelly (HBD 1734) asks about using gelatin if Irish Moss has been omitted
during the boil; and will this help prevent chill haze.
In 39 years of home brewing, I have found that neither IM nor gelatin have
helped clarify the resulting beer.
Neither gelatin nor Irish Moss prevent chill haze.
Gelatin when added to the beer shortly before bottling forms a coating on the
sides of the bottle that can be removed by twisting the bottle sharply, after
which it will fall to the bottom as sediment. This has nothing to do with
keeping the yeast on the bottom nor does it prevent the yeasties from
conditioning the beer.
I have had some success in reducing chill haze by a 3-week secondary rest (it's
not exactly a secondary fermentation as there are no overt signs of
fermentation) at as cool a temperature as possible, then clarifying with
Polyclar about 3 days before bottling. Chill haze in lagers can be reduced by
chilling to 32 dF for 3 weeks then clarifying as above.
It is a waste of time to use Irish moss, and worse than nothing to use gelatin.
Mark A. Melton
Home brewer since 1956 (1936 with my father)
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 12:06:47 -0400
From: dflagg at agate.net
Subject: Decoction Technique
> Mike Inglis says:
>have never done a decoction before and was just wondering what the
>detailed procedure for "pulling the thick part of the mash" is.
I use a scoop/strainer that came with wife's "Fry Daddy" mini deep
fryer. It's like a very wide, shallow spoon with slots. The
secret is to pick up as little fluid as possible. Don't press
it dry or wait until it stops dripping but use a utinsil that
allows most of the fluid to drain off when you take a scoop. The
husks of grain will retain all the fluid you need.
************************************************************
Doug Flagg | "A Homebrew a day...
dflagg at orono.sdi.agate.net | Keeps the Worries away!"
************************************************************
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Date: Sun, 21 May 95 18:38:00 UTC
From: kegster at genie.geis.com
Subject: High Gravity All Grain Mashing
Hey folks,
I'm about to embark on the oddesy of making an imperial stout. I am aware of,
and understand, many of the considerations of high gravity brewing (i.e. proper
aeriation, suficient yeast starter, stringent temp control during
fermentation). What I'm looking for advice on is the mashing process.
What is it that prompts brewers to use only the first runings of a mash to
make a strong beer? Does it have to do with the tannins that would be
extracted during sparging? I'm ready and willing to be educated... <g>
-chris kagy, asst. sysop, zymurgy RT, GEnie
-- Sent using Online Servant 1.32
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Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 18:41:32 -0400
From: Beersgood at aol.com
Subject: Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Can anyone tell me how to emulate Samuel Adam's Boston Lager with extract? I
have a good friend who thinks this is nectar from heaven and I would like to
be able to make him some. Let me appeal to you proselytizing zeal - if I
could make a beer that was similar to this he would probably start brewing
himself!
Thanks,
Dave Petersen
Crete, NE
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Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 21:57:51 -0400
From: RCBEER at aol.com
Subject: T.R.A.S.H. V Winners
The Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers fifth homebrew competition
was held on Saturday, May 20.
We had 235 entries. Thanks to all who entered and congratulations to the
following winners.
T.R.A.S.H. V Winners
_American Ales
First Place - Bob Joseph , Second place - Christopher Solis , Third place -
Larry Steinmetz
_Dark Lagers
First place - Bob Joseph, Second place - D&K Dugarm, Third place, Mark Martin
_Belgian / French Ales
First place - Phillip Kaufman, second place - George Pace, third place -
Phillip Kaufman
_Bock
First place - Gregory Walz, Second place - Gregory Walz, Third place - Bill
Campbell
_Brown Ale / Steam
First place - Eleanor Hallam, second place - Rolf Erickson, Third place -
Neuman & Geidel
_Cider
First place - Tony Knipling, Second place - Martin Stokes, Third place -
Larry Grunden
_Continental Pilsner
First place - John Chernoff, Second place - John Fries, Third place - Bob
Wolff
_English Bitter
First place - Phillip Kaufman, Second place - Rock Roberts, Third place -
John Chernoff
_Fest / Alt
First place - George and Karen Neuman, Second place - Stephen Kurpienski,
Third place - Neuman / Stewart / Davis
_Fruit Beer
First place - Curt Speaker, Second place - D&K Dugarm, Third place - Jonathan
Rubin
_Herb beer
First place - Bob Rexroad, Second place - Don Van Ollefen, Third place -
Larry & Jan Steinmetz
_Light Lager
First place - Curt Speaker, Second place - Pete Land, Third place - Stephen
Kurpienski
_Mead
First place - Bill Campbell, Second place - Robert Joseph, Third place - Rolf
Erickson
_Pale Ale
First place - D&K Dugarm, Second place - Phillip Kaufman, Third place -
Richard Allen
_Porter
First place - D&K Dugarm, Second place - Steven Zabarnick, Third place-
Steve Jones
_Strong Ale / Barleywine
First place - Paul Devine, Second place - Jonathan Rubin , Third Place -
Steve Jones
_Sweet Stout
First place - Robert Joseph, Second place - Gregory Walz, Third place -
George Pace
_Dry Stout
First place - Rolf Erickson, Second place - Jonathan Rubin, Third place -
Martin Stokes
_Wheat Beer
First place - Neuman / Geidel, Second place - Larry Szramowski, Third place -
Rolf Erickson
BEST OF SHOW - Robert Joseph - " BOBS ALE " - American Ale
Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 May 95 12:50:18 EDT
From: awalsh at pop03.ca.us.ibm.net (Andy Walsh)
Subject: stuck fermentations/Franklin malt/mercury
I rarely get a stuck fermentation, but whenever I try
and make a tripel I get one! I recently made a tripel
that stuck at 1.040 after starting at 1.090. I believe that
tripels are *very* sensitive to getting stuck due to high
initial glucose levels. I don't have a textbook handy,
but I believe this is known as the Crabtree effect: the
idea being that above a certain glucose concentration,
the yeast bypasses the aerobic phase at pitching, and
starts fermenting the glucose straight away, causing
fermentation problems later. (if this is wrong I'm
sure all the Al robots will correct me!). I used a huge,
healthy 3944 (white) starter, and aerated with an
aquarium thingy etc.. I am especially careful when
making tripels, but they still get stuck.
Once before I aerated a tripel again after a very slow 3
month (!) fermentation. Well it worked, and restarted
the yeast. The beer was delicious for about 2 months,
but deteriorated after that due to oxidation.
This time I added "Modiferm" which is just beta amylase
(I think), which also restarted the ferment after about a day.
The trouble is, that these are just fixes for a problem I
would sooner avoid in the first place. I worry about adding
enzymes, as of course it changes the sugar content of
the beer that I carefully nurtured in my mashing schedule.
The beer may ferment, but Is My Beer Ruined? (this
deserves an acronym "IMBR").
Enough rambling - the point is, for all you expert tripel
brewers out there, do you ever have a similar problem,
and if so, how do you avoid it? I thought of leaving out
the brewing sugar from the boil, (reducing initial glucose
levels), pitch the yeast, wait until peak krausen, then
adding the sugar at this stage, hopefully getting a
proper ferment.
Any suggestions are welcome.
******
Ken Willing talks about Franklin malt that I have also started
using.
Additional data: 8% protein content, high 30's soluble nitrogen ratio
(Referred to as "Kolbach Index" in Europe and Australia).
This means it would produce wort with very low FAN, if no
protein rest is used. The maltster recommends a protein rest,
otherwise it won't ferment, but obviously with such a low protein
content you don't really want to do that with respect to body,
head retention etc.. In regard to Ken's comments, I was wondering
about using a protein rest around 55C to maximise protease
activity.. ie. breaking down the large haze-forming proteins,
rather than the desirable medium sized proteins. My question is,
does such a rest break the large polypeptides down to (desirable)
amino acids for the yeast to use, or (useless) smaller proteins?
In any event, yeast nutrient (ammonium salts) may be the way to
go, as a protein rest does not appear desirable with this malt.
I'll do some tests on this Ken, and get back to you.
******
As a kid I tried to get out of going to school by heating a mercury
thermometer with a match. I cracked the glass unknowingly, then
stuck it in my mouth to show Mum how sick I was. Well it broke
and I swallowed the lot. That was more than 20 years ago.
For those of you who know me, it might explain my current
condition........
*****************************
//// Andy Walsh from Sydney
//// awalsh at ibm.net
//// phone 61 2 369 5711
*****************************
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 00:10:46 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Philip Gravel" <pgravel at mcs.com>
Subject: FTP to homebrew archives
===> Bob Sinnema has problems listing the homebrew archives:
> Finally, is it possible to have some of the directories at
>ftp.stanford subdivided? Whenever I try to get a file listing ("dir"
>command) for the docs directory (and for the yearly archives), I can
>never get the complete list. Usually, I end up with the first 20-30
>files (thru c*) and the last few files (w* to the end). Sometime, I'd
>like to see the entire list -- its been a great resource for me and I
>know there's more out there.
That's odd. I don't know why that's happening. Have you tried:
ftp> ls |more
The |more will cause the display to be shown a screen at a time. Also,
you might want to use a Web browser that supports ftp. That will show
you the files in a directory as a list on a Web page.
- --
Phil
_____________________________________________________________
Philip Gravel Lisle, Illinois pgravel at mcs.com
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Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 16:58:11 -0600 (CDT)
From: jim at n5ial.mythical.com (Jim Graham)
Subject: Beekeeper's Brown ... a treat for the extract brewers!
It's been quite a while since I've had a good recipe to post to the digest,
but this one definitely deserves to be passed along! This one is for the
extract brewers---I'm limited by space, $$$, etc. (mostly space), and
still brew from certain kits (i.e., the ones I really like) every now and
then.
Not too long ago, I decided to brew a brown ale using, along with the
standard stuff for the kit, honey. The result is every bit as good as
I'd hoped. I hope you'll enjoy it, too. Basically, I took the Ironmaster
Brown Ale kit, used corn sugar instead of malt (I was feeling really cheap
that day), and added honey. I call it Beekeeper's Brown, and it goes
something like this:
- --------------------------- CUT HERE ---------------------------
For 6 U.S. gallons:
1 Ironmaster Brown Ale beer kit
about 5.5 cups corn sugar, as with just about any kit
2 lbs honey (*NOT* boiled)
1/2 cup corn sugar for priming
Started Sun 30 April, O.G.: 1.045
Bottled Sun 14 May, F.G.: 1.000 (*)
Sampled today, 21 May, and it's already *VERY* nice!
(*) It needed that full two weeks---as usual with honey, the fermenting
started very early, went full steam for a long, long time, and went
very much to completion.
- --------------------------- CUT HERE ---------------------------
Comments: medium bodied brew, nice full flavor, and generally a very nice
brown. I'd like to think that I'll be able to save some for when my mom
and step-father (who is from England) arrive in town next month, but I'm
not so sure that's going to happen. ;-}
I'm not sure how I found time to brew this one during that time period (I
was busy working on a huge network upgrade at work, which I'm glad to say
went extremely well!), but I'm glad I did! :-)
This one isn't just good ``for a kit beer'' ... it's good, period. :-)
Enjoy.
--jim
PS: As always, comments, suggestions, etc., most welcome.
- --
73 DE N5IAL (/4) MiSTie #49997 < Running Linux 1.0.9 >
jim at n5ial.mythical.com ICBM: 30.23N 86.32W
|| j.graham at ieee.org Packet: --OFFLINE-- (Ft. Walton Beach, FL)
E-mail me for information about KAMterm (host mode for Kantronics TNCs).
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Date: 22 May 95 06:23:52 EDT
From: MARK LINE <100561.2424 at compuserve.com>
Subject: SUBSCRIPTION INFO
I have recently purchased The Beer Hombrewing Guide CDROM and found your e-mail
address on it.
Although I only a novice when it comes to brewing beer I would be interested in
learning more, so with that in mind I would like to ask for somemore information
on the Homebrew Digest and wether or not it is possible for a UK resident to
subcribe to it.
Also do you know of any magazines on beer brewing that I might be able to
obtain.
Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 08:36:52 -0400
From: aodhan at worldweb.net (R. Mark Jones)
Subject: Looking for small ale recipe
I am looking for some small ale recipes. I plan to brew a few batches of
small ale for some camping trips I'll be making during the next few months.
Thanks,
-Mark.
======================================================================
R. Mark Jones . Socair Information Resources
1201 South Courthouse Road . Apartment 726 . Arlington, Virginia 22204
World Wide Web consulting . Macintosh database/networking/consulting
aodhan at worldweb.net (Internet) Socair (America Online)
http://worldweb.net/~aodhan/aodhan.html
======================================================================
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 08:44:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Timothy P. Laatsch <LAATSCH at kbs.msu.edu>" <LAATSCH at kbs.msu.edu>
Subject: Praise be gelatin!
Hey All,
Well, I finally tried it----gelatin, that is. I boiled about a cup of water
and placed it in a thoroughly cleaned and sanitized 8 oz. mayonnaise jar,
added 1/2 packet of Knox(tm) unflavored gelatin, allowed to cool, and added
directly to the secondary 2 days prior to kegging. The effect was amazing!
Visibly noticeable clarification in the carboy within about 8 hours and
steadily improving as time continues to pass. It appears as if this practice
will become part of the SOPs in my brewery.
Incidentally, the mayo jar also makes a great irish moss rehydration vessel.
I also tried IM rehydration for the first time this past weekend----I'm
convinced the wort was already more clear in the primary, but I could have
just had anticipatory hallucinations or something.
Re: starters. FWIW, I prepare 600-ml starters at about 1.050 OG with a few
hop pellets and culture the yeast in a 1000-ml Erlenmeyer. I pitch an
inflated Wyeast packet and top the flask with aluminum foil. I vigorously
swirl the starter every time I get the chance. The foil and swirling
presumably keeps things aerobic, which builds higher cell counts. I let this
mixture "ferment" out and pitch within a day or so. I almost always have
vigorous ferments within 12 hours with the ale yeasts I've tried. Recently,
I was forced to wait an additional week before pitching (the starter "beer"
had completely clarified and tasted very nice while brewing!). As a result,
vigorous fermentation did not occur until about 20 hours after pitching (this
was 1084 Irish). As always, YMMV.
Dion: My mailer couldn't reach yours, so thanks for the info on the upcoming
book---I look forward to it.
Eamonn (sp?), you got "Tim" just right---now try my last name. ;-) And
thanks for the RIMS info---keep it coming!
Bones
*+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++*
| Timothy Laatsch |email: laatsch at kbs.msu.edu | All-grain |
| Graduate Student |phone: 616-671-2329 | but only |
| Michigan State University |fax: 616-671-2351 | half-way |
| Kalamazoo, MI | | sane |
*+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++*
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 8:46:29 EDT
From: LeRoy S. Strohl <lstrohl at s850.mwc.edu>
Subject: New book announcement
Found an advance publishing announcement in last week's publisher's
Weekly:
author: Miller, Dave
title: Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide
publ: Storey
isbn: 0-88266-905-2
date: September 1995
- --
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 07:59:04 -0600 (MDT)
From: kevin at wheels.aar.com
Subject: Mercury - it's in the water
Something I thought would be fun to throw out here, in this mercury
discussion, is the amount of free metalic mercury that is found in
the Arkansas River, here in Colorado.... I know of several people
who run gold dredges (recreationally), and one guy says that he will
commonly extract up to 1/4 lb of mercury from the Arkansas River during
a Satrurday afternoon operation, in the areas where the old prospectors
would sluice for gold with mercury in their equipment. Knowing how
common it is to find mercury in the river, the water analysis content of
mercury from the river is very low and safe. Yet, much of that water
passed thru the area where the mercury exists commonly!
Kevin
- --
Kevin Hass WB0DPN !
! PGP public key by request via email
kevin at wheels.aar.com !
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Date: Mon, 22 May 95 08:15:48 MDT
From: exabyte!smtplink!guym at uunet.uu.net
Subject: "Oily" ingredients
On the subject of adding ingredients containing oil to beer (as in
coconut), I have added coffee and chocolate with no problems. My recipe
for "Mocha Java Stout" in the Cat's Meow includes 4 oz. of Ghirardelli
unsweetened chocolate and 2 cups of brewed coffee. The head on that brew
was incredible. The one thing that I noticed was that there were gobs of
something that I took to be cocoa butter floating on top during
fermentation. It could be that all the oils congealed in the relative
coolness of the wort and were rendered harmless.
On another subject, a couple of weeks ago I opened up the Charlotte
Observer and what to my wondering eyes did appear? A picture of our
esteemed Professor Kinney Baughman with a sign around his neck and a big
smile on his face. Kinney, I hear that Charlie has come up with yet
another slogan to use: "Will teach for food." (-;
--
Guy McConnell /// Exabyte Corp. /// Huntersville, NC /// guym at exabyte.com
"And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one for dessert."
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 07:42:11 -0700 (PDT)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com>
Subject: Mercury thread lives on!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry--but ...
From: DocsBrew at aol.com Subject: Toxic...like it or not!
>Sweden has recently outlawed mercury amalgams, and Germany has outlawed them
>on pregnant women - don't you think that means something? Whether the ADA
>says so or not, lots of research has shown dental amalgams to be quite
>toxic. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So publically cite the references on this "lots of research". I'll get
copies and publically withdraw my criticism if I'm convinced.
>Remember that textbooks are for reference, and don't always reflect real
>life. Numbers are fine, but don't believe everything you read.
Amen, though I missed your point.
>Doc.
What kind? PhD? Medical?
Domenick Venezia
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia at zgi.com
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 10:49:30 -0600
From: gameier at fmc.com (Gary A. Meier)
Subject: computer modeling of beer fermentation
The following abstract just crossed my desk, though the article was
published late last year. I thought it might be of interest to this group
of computer-literate brewers. Note: I don't have access to this journal,
so I haven't actually seen this paper. I'm not connected with the authors
or their employer.
A FLAVOR MODEL FOR BEER FERMENTATION, Gee, Douglas A.; Ramirez, W. Fred
(Dept Chem. Eng., Univ Colorado, Boulder) published in _J._Inst._Brew_,
1994, 100(5), 321-9.
"A new beer fermentation model is developed based upon fundamental
knowledge of biochemical pathways. The model can be subdivided into a
growth model, an amino acid model, and a flavor/aroma model.
Experimentation allowed for accurate model parameter identification. The
results demonstrate the capability to accurately describe batch beer
fermentation dynamics."
Perhaps if someone in net-land finds the paper useful/interesting they
could post more information here.
**************************************************************************
Gary Meier, Ph.D. Senior Research Computational Chemist
FMC Corporation
Agricultural Chemical Group phone: (609) 951-3448
Box 8 fax: (609) 951-3835
Princeton, NJ 08543 email: gameier at fmc.com
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Date: Mon, 22 May 95 07:52:43 -0500
From: kit.anderson at acornbbs.com
Subject: Unmalted wheat
>Unmalted wheat seems to be widely available in health food stores
>both in the cracked and uncracked form. Will using the already-
>cracked version negatively effect the my flavor of my wit? I've read
>that once you mill your grain it must be used relatively soon.
>Thanks.
>Marla Korchmar
Health food stores also carry wheat flakes. These are unmalted and
precooked so they don't need to be boiled or crushed. Just add them to
the mash. I use 50% pale, 40% malted wheat, and 10% wheat flakes for
wits.
Kit "Travels With Chiles" Anderson
Bath, Maine
<kit.anderson at acornbbs.com>
*
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 11:39:28 -0400
From: HOMEBRE973 at aol.com
Subject: crystal malt, hop plant, grain type
Several points:
Has anyone steeped crystal malts from DeWolf-Crosyn (Belgian malts) using the
170 degree F for about 30 minutes and then used the iodine test for starch
conversion. I have done this twice and got very dark blue-black colors on
the superenatant indicating much starch with cara pils. Should this be so?
Crystal malts are supposed to be premashed in the hulls, so no further
mashing is necessary.
Darren Tyson asks about some Briitish malt he recieved and wondered what it
was. He should chew it and taste it besides smelling it. Is it sweet?
Jim Webb asked about planting hot rhizomes. The direction they're planted is
not critical as they will find which way is up. It will just take longer.
The idea is to look where the active shoots will bud from and let that part
aim upwards.
Andy Kligerman
homebre973 at aol.com
"I'm from the Gobment and here to help you!"
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Date: Mon, 22 May 95 11:10:47 EST
From: blrett at most.magec.com (Ben Rettig)
Subject: Corny Keg Aspect Ratio
>fermenter geometry
> "ideal situation" is when the aspect ratio is 1:1 or less, and that it should
>> not exceed 2:1. The aspect ratio of Corny kegs is a little over 3:1, I
>think, > compared to about 1.5:1 for a 6.5 gallon carboy.
I use Corny Kegs to ferment also. A potential solution to this problem is
to lay the Corny down. Rotate the keg until the "GAS IN" inlet is oriented
up. Elevate the connection end of the tank about 3 inches. Put a scrap
2"x4" under the lid end. This will move the head space up under the GAS IN
inlet. Then use an old connector with some tubing in some kind of blow off
arrangement. A 5 gal. Corny will normally lay down in a beer refrigerator
with about 1/2" to spare. Great for lagering. Haven't calculated the aspect
ratio for horizontal yet. Any takers?
Brewing in the Heartland, Indiana!
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Date: Mon, 22 May 95 12:54:06 EST
From: dsanderson at msgate.cv.com
Subject: Mercury Thread Spreads Beyond The Internet
For those of you who can still find a way to relax and... be amused
about the carryings on of this thread, I though you might find this
interesting. For those of you who can't, try to lighten up a little.
I received an EMail this morning from someone who read a posting I
placed on the HBD on May 6th(about) which was subsequently PUBLISHED on
page 1 of a Home Brewer's Newsletter in Maine.
Attached are one of the notes I received this morning and my original
HBD posting. Hey everyone, don't ya know a joke when ya hear one?
Sincerely (ha ha ha),
Dave
attachment 1:
I thought that when you suggested to the person who broke the
thermometer to send the kettle to you that it might be a joke and a good
way to get a nice brewing kettle. The reason I was concerned is that
that article was on the front page of M.A.L.T. s news letter(a Maine
brewers club publication) and I think that whoever put it there thinks
it is legitimate. Boy you never know where what you say will end up do
you. Thanks. Phil
The Malt
Extract
attachment 2 HBD Posting:
Lee writes:
>A while back I broke a floating thermometer while measuring the temp of
>some water I was heating (cold outside + hot water = busted
thermometer).
>The mercury flowed into the water in the kettle. I immediately poured
>out the water, and the mercury exited the kettle in a nice clump.
>I continue to use this kettle (Volrath stainless 38qt) for all my
>brewing. Do I risk mercury poisening?
Lee,
Yes, I'm afraid your Volrath 38qt stainless kettle is ruined. The
mercury would have formed a molecular bond to the stainless steel
surface which would leach back into your beer in lethal doses over time.
In fact, it is no longer safe for you to store it in your home and it
would be an ecological disaster for you to dispose of it in an ordinary
dump or land fill.
I strongly suggest you immediately send it(post paid) to a trained
professional,like myself for proper disposal.
p.s. I guess I should have included my address.
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Date: Mon, 22 May 95 11:08:58 PST
From: dhvanvalkenburg at CCGATE.HAC.COM
Subject: Styles & Creativity (Part I), by Sam Piper
The following was written by Sam Piper for the Barley Bandits News
letter. Since Sam does not have access to the Net, I am putting this
out for him. I apologize for it's length, as it wasn't written with
the net in mind, but I do feel that creativity is important which is
why I am posting it. Because of its length I am posting it in two
parts. Private responses may be sent to him through me at:
dhvanvalkenburg at CCGATE.HAC.COM
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BEER JUDGE PROGRAMS
I once heard a comedian say, "If you're not going to kick a guy when
he's down, then when are you? I guess if you're in a brawl, there's
some sense to that. And right now the American Homebrewer's
Association and the Home Wine & Beer Trade Association are brawling.
Their Beer Judge Certification Program (or the AHA HWBTA BJCP, which
is pronounced like an explosive sneeze, for the acronymicly gifted)
has gone down for the count to be replaced by Ninkenski knows what.
It seems the two associations can no longer stand the sight, smell,or
suggestions of the other and reached for their dueling Pilsners.
Plainly, this hobby isn't big enough for the both of them. So I think
this is a good time for someone as caustic as myself to get in a few
kicks.
First, let's examine beer style categories. Most people think you
need to have categories and beer style standards & definitions to have
a contest and judge beer. I mean, how the hell are you going to fill
out the damn score sheet if you don't have the standard of a category
to compare an entry to? this could be utter chaos! If you don't have
categories and standards, then all you can say is whether or not the
beer you are judging looks good, tastes good, and if you would like to
drink it again. Now if that ain't anarchy then God didn't make little
green bombs and there ain't acid rain in Indianapolis.
Just think of it. What if someone made a pale yellow barley wine?
Well, right away you're in a fix because these suckers are suppose to
be dark brown. Says so in the style book! Maybe the guy over
filtered? Sorry Sam Warmack-- everybody knows you can't do Yellow Dog
Wine. Toss it out. Spices? Bubble Gum has spices Piper-- give it to
that kid selling the 1958 Mickey Mantle baseball card for $450 and
maybe he'll cut you a deal.
VIVA LA CONFORMITY!
Well, listen up, ole horse drop, you say-- if standards and style
definitions are so damn bad, did you ever try to judge the
Specialties? How do you deal with all that nonsense? Apricot Lambic,
indeed. Who ever herd of apricots in a salad dressing?
But we do manage to judge Specialties, don't we! And how often does
the specialty category end up either first or second in the "best of
show" round? Could there be something to this Anarchy?
The problem I have with beer judging and beer style categories and
standards is that they are creative death. Nobody ever grew in life
by always trying to copy someone else To copy is to exercise in
technique and technique alone. Consider the American Pilsner, the
white bread of beer, clone city. Any biologist trying to get the
Nobel Prize for cloning should consider switching from poison frogs
eggs to Pilsner beer kegs.
Who can tell one American Pilsner from another? This is progress?
Since when is sheer banality and lack of product differentiation
something to strive for? True, the labels are all different. But
consider the net effect of having a beer judge program with style
STANDARDS and the encouragement of conformity to that standard: the
emphasis is all on technique and copy. Any feature that makes a
beer unique is in contrast to that style definition and counts
against the entry. This process not only kicks an innovative brewer
in the teeth, but it contaminates the expectations of the entire
brewing community! Such emphasis on style standards reduces the
sensibility of judges, those people who should be the champions of
excellence, to being champions of conformity. HUMBUG! HUMBUG, I
say!
-------------------------------------------------
To be continued.....See tomorrow's HBD
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Date: Mon, 22 May 95 14:31:04 EST
From: Tim_Fields_at_Relay__Tech__Vienna at relay.com
Subject: RE: Friendly Faces
In HBD 1737, Guy observes:
>Recently, I've become concerned that we on the HBD haven't been presenting
>as
>friendly a face towards newcomers as we might - and in some cases, OUR
>treatment of these newbies will determine whether they stay in the hobby,
>or
>leave for some other endeavour.
Agreed. Some of these "less-than-friendly-faces" have sounded rather
elitest. How quickly some forget their own humble beginnings. Thanks for
the observation, Guy.
Tim Fields
Timf at relay.com
Relay Technology, Inc., SQL/DS Division
Vienna, VA, USA
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 13:39:56 -0500
From: Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com>
Subject: Mystery Grains, Weiss Squad
> From: Darren Tyson <TYSONDR at SLUVCA.SLU.EDU>
> Subject: What kind of grains do I have?
>
> Greetings fellow hoembrewers,
>
> One type is approximately the same color as the British
> Crystal malt I had recently purchased, however, the grains
> have a MUCH stronger odor.... And the grains inside
> the husks appear darker than the husks themselves.
Sounds like it's either a very dark crystal, a toasted (eg. Biscuit,
victory) malt, or possibly an aromatic/munich style malt.
> The other type of grain I received is a darker grain that
> looks identical in color to the British Chocolate malt I
> have, however, the smell is much more sharp like the other
> grain in question.
Sounds like black patent. Maybe it's roasted barley.
> From: walter at lamar.ColoState.EDU (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
> Subject: Re: Vice
> Schneider is the one brewery that I know of that _doesn't_ use a lager
> yeast to bottle with. I had a friend bring me a bottle from France and
> the yeast I worked up was definitely a weizen yeast.
Excellent.
> Oh, and just a nit, but it is generally accepted that the weizen yeast is
> just a strain of S. Cervisiae (sp?) and not Dulbruckii (sp?).
Well, I've read that Dellbrooky (sp!) is just a "race" of
Sara-Vichy-Yay (sp!), so maybe we're both correst. (?)
> Basically just another bit of common lore that won't die.
Just another grain of salt to take with any speciation. I've made, and
intend to make again, very good weizens from Wyeast 3688. If it's not
really Delbruckii, or if it's not really what they use in Bavaria, well,
that's fine with me. (But, I am curious about the truth...)
> "If I were Satan, I would have a mountain bike" - Butthead
I second that!
-R
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Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 14:20:57 -0500
From: Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com>
Subject: Coconuts and Copper
> From: "Robert W. Mech" <76271.3507 at compuserve.com>
> Subject: Hop Oil/Coconut Oil/Oil Slick
> I got a good response on the Pineapple, and alot of concern about the coconut
> oil affecting head retention. My response to most people's concerns was the
> fact that Hops too include oil, and dry hopping doesnt seem to affect head
> retention (or at least not significantly).
The quantity of oil in hops is extremely small. I don't know whether a large
amount of these would negatively affect head retention or not, but 1 oz. of
hops does NOT contain 1 oz. of hop oils. The taste treshold for hop oil is
MUCH lower than that for coconut oil. So, to get a similar "quantity of taste"
from coconut oil as you do from hop oil, you'd need a LOT. Probably enough to
ruin your head formation and retention. (Like I said, I don't know if hop oil
will ruin it, but I know coconut oil will wreck your head faster than you
can say "hey".)
That's not to say you shouldn't go ahead. There's more to life than head
retention, and I'd be willing to try a coconut beer sometime.
> If I used a "Dried" form of coconut in the boil (like a
> hop) would I extract too much oil?
Almost certainly. Dried coconut still has lots of oils. (Read the nutrition
information.) It's possible that the "coconut" flavor comes from something
OTHER than the oil, so it's possible you might be able to find some way to
extract the flavor without extracting the oil. Dried coconut isn't the way.
> From: "terence tegner" <tegbrew at iaccess.za>
> Subject: Copper breweries
>
> Hello from Africa again
Cool again.
> copper ... copper ... copper ... copper../
> The MBAA has an article on fermenter construction in their book
> PRACTICAL BREWING which states that fermenters used to be made from
> all sorts of materials, including wood, and were commonly lined with
> copper.
> My advice to them who are thinking of constucting homebreweries on
> these line is, GO FOR IT. If its good enough for the master brewers,
> its got to be good enough for me.
Well then. Anyone have any first-hand experience tossing a couple pennies
into the boil or fermenter? I was considering using pennies as "boiling
stones" a couple batches ago, but I was worried about copper getting into my
beer. (Oops.) Next batch, I'll give it a shot, maybe with a 'split batch'.
-R
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1738, 05/23/95