---

	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
		Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of 
		Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
				URL: http://www.oeonline.com


Contents:
  Canadian Amateur Brewers Association ("Rob Jones")
  Other Calcium salts (ThomasM923)
  Calcium Salts (AJ)
  re: Vacuum and Heat Sealer Recommendations (Pvrozanski)
  Tollhouse Porter (variant): effect of serving temperature (LEAVITDG)
  re: lautering speed ("Curt Speaker")
  IBU Predictions ("Darren W. Gaylor")
  Counterpressuring ("Eric R. Theiner")
  6oz bottles ("Mark Vernon")
  lager pitching temps (Bryan Gros)
  More on Gott mashing set-ups ("Mercer, David")
  AHA Belgian Club-only and Dayton competitions (Gordon Strong)
  Papazian in NE (AVARDTWINS)
  Extract/Partial Mash CAP Recipes ("RANDY ERICKSON")
  cell viability (Jim Liddil)
  Greek Speak (Joe KISH)
  Decline of Homebrewing (Dan Listermann)
  Re:CAP recipe ("Eric McIndoo")
  Vacuum Sealers and Lagers (AKGOURMET)


Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!

Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild's 13th annual Big and Huge - 28
March 1999:  Rules and forms at www.globaldialog.com/madbrewers
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org. 
**SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE REQUESTS MUST BE SENT FROM THE E-MAIL
  ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, the autoresponder and
  the SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE commands will fail!

Contact brewery at hbd.org for information regarding the "Cat's Meow"

Back issues are available via:

  HTML from...
        http://hbd.org
  Anonymous ftp from...
	ftp://hbd.org/pub/hbd/digests
	ftp://ftp.stanford.edu/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer
  AFS users can find it under...
        /afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer

COPYRIGHT for the Digest as a collection is currently held by hbd.org 
  (Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen). Digests in their entirity CANNOT be 
  reprinted/reproduced without this entire header section unless 
  EXPRESS written permission has been obtained from hbd.org. Digests
  CANNOT be reprinted or reproduced in any format for redistribution
  unless said redistribution is at absolutely NO COST to the consumer.
COPYRIGHT for individual posts within each Digest is held by the
  author. Articles cannot be extracted from the Digest and
  reprinted/reproduced without the EXPRESS written permission of the 
  author. The author and HBD must be attributed as author and source in
  any such reprint/reproduction. (Note: QUOTING of items originally
  appearing in the Digest in a subsequent Digest is exempt from the
  above. Home brew clubs NOT associated with organizations having a
  commercial interest in beer or brewing may republish articles in their
  newsletters and/or websites provided that the author and HBD are
  attributed. ASKING first is still a great courtesy...)

JANITORS on duty: Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen (janitor@hbd.org)


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


Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 22:29:32 -0600
From: "Rob Jones" <robjones at pathcom.com>
Subject: Canadian Amateur Brewers Association

Hi All,

Just a listing of a couple of events in the Toronto area over the next
little while, and some contact info:

Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA)
2255B Queen St. East
Suite No. 749
Toronto, Ontario
M4E 1G3
Phone: (416) 812-6732
Fax: (416) 690-2055
General e-mail: eamonn at atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca
Newsletter e-mail: darryl at sagedesign.com
URL: http://realbeer.com/caba

1. BJCP exam - April 10, 1999 at The Winking Judge in Hamilton, Ontario. For
information contact Richard Oluszak at richard.oluszak at sympatico.ca.

2. The Great Conadian Homebrew Competition, May 15, 1999.
Confirmed speakers include; Michael Stirrup from Wellington Country Brewery,
Clayton Cone from Lallemand will talk about the advances in dried yeast and
Bill Metzger from Great Lakes Brewing News. We will also have a talk on
extract brewing and a taste test, put your mouth and beer knowledge on the
line. Also, Gordon
Bowbrick's 1st Place Best of Show Tripel from the 1998 GCHC will be on tap!
Once again at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 101,  on the GO, TTC and
Mississauga Transit.

This year again will act as a fist round for the American Homebrewers
Association National Homebrew Competition. If you place 1st, 2nd or 3rd at
the GCHC you will be permitted to advance to the NHC second round. The entry
deadline this year is May 1.

Entry forms can be found at http://realbeer.com/caba in Adobe Acrobat
format, or contact Richard Oluszak at richard.oluszak at sympatico.ca.

Rob Jones
Toronto, Canada



Return to table of contents


Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 22:51:01 EST
From: ThomasM923 at aol.com
Subject: Other Calcium salts

On Wed, Mar 10, Jeff Renner wrote:

"John Palmer" <jjpalmer at gte.net> wrote
>The whole purpose of adding gypsum or any other salt to the mash is
>to manipulate the mash pH.

Of course, the other thing that happens with gypsum addition is an increase
of sulfate, which is desirable for pale ales, especially English, but
undesirable with many other styles, especially pale lagers with noble
hops, where it results in a harsh bitterness.  If you need to increase Ca++
in a pilsner, try CaCl2*2H2O...
__________________________________________________________________

I agree with Jeff...Calcium Chloride is preferable to gypsum in most cases,
however I think I over did it once with an ale that I brewed. It ended up
being the most insipid, underwhelming beer that I have ever tasted. Most
brewing texts state that CaCl2 rounds out a beer...well, this beer was overly
round. Blah!
It is interesting to experiment with CaCl2, to see what it does to beer
flavor. Try adding an increasing number of drops to a half dozen samples of
beer.

Back to Jeff...

I've wondered if other Ca salts might be preferable, such as calcium lactate
or calcium phosphate (is this soluble?), where the anions are normal
components of a mash.  'Course, it's hard enough to get calcium chloride.
___________________________________________________________________

Calcium lactate and calcium phosphate aren't that hard to come by, if you know
where to look. Most larger health food stores sell them as supplements. I
found both today in gel cap form, so that should mean that they are fairly
pure (no binders). Calcium phosphate doesn't seem to be a good source of
calcium for according to previous posts, it isn't soluble. I found some other
calcium supplements that I am curious about. I hope that some of the chemist
among us can comment on them. One was calcium glucanate and the other was
chelated calcium (amino acid chelate). Can anyone hazard a guess as to what
these chemicals would do in a mash?

Thomas Murray
Maplewood, NJ



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 07:10:53 +0000
From: AJ <ajdel at mindspring.com>
Subject: Calcium Salts

Jeff Renner (from whom I am currently more distant than ordinarily)
wonders about other salts of calcium such as the lactate and phosphate
as calcium sources for pH control. Both these salts are strongly basic
(salts of strong base and weak acid) and calcium phosphate is extremely
insoluble. The monobasic and dibasic salts of potassium are often used
for buffering at pH's around that of mash and so presumably the calcium
salts of these ions should serve as well if you could find a source for
them. Beer made by using either of these salts will taste of lactate or
phosphate and so you might as well use the acids directly for setting
pH. Higher levels of calcium are beneficial in other ways, some of which
were metioned in the same number as Jeff's post in an article by Alan
Meeker.

I think Jeff is looking for the "anionless" calcium salt. Someone
suggested calcium gluconate a couple of years back hoping that the yeast
would consume the cation during fermentation.  I don't remember this
being brought up since and I'm not sure how effective it would be anyway
as this salt is also a salt of a weak acid and strong base i.e. a
solution of it would probably be closer to physiologic pH than mash pH.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Troy Hager asks about cold trub separation in lager brewing. I used to
worry about this but had no practical means of separating it. When I
started using a cylindroconical fermenter I would blow down a small
volume the day after brewing. The amount of cold trub was so minimal
that I decided that the bottom of the cone was separate enough and
stopped worrying about it. There is some debate as to whether cold trub
should be removed or not. It is fatty and thus augments the yeasts
sterol and lipid production. The tiny quantities I was getting are, in
my opinion, too little to have any of the ascribed detrimental effects
on my beers.

Troy then asks some questions about lager pitching which he really
answers for himself. Commom practice is, as he notes, to pitch at about
43F and then let the temperature rise to fermentation temperature (I use
48) and then attemperate. He is quite right about the beneficial effects
of cold pitching and the risks involved in waiting for the wort to cool
to this level. The only suggestion I can make is to try to get the wort
colder faster as by, for example, circulating ice water through the
chiller or lowering sterilized bottles (outside) of ice into it.
- --
A. J. deLange
Numquam in dubio, saepe in errore.




Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 06:51:27 -0600
From: Pvrozanski at ra.rockwell.com
Subject: re: Vacuum and Heat Sealer Recommendations

I own an older model of the Food Saver. I purchased mine at a J.C. Penneys
warehouse/catalog center in the Milwaukee area. I have seen refurbished
units advertised on the internet for around $100. As far as the expense
issue goes, if your only going to be using the sealer for grain then I'd
have a hard time justifying the additional expense. However I do believe
that the Food Saver's oxygen barrier bag and vacuum created will keep the
grain fresher for a longer period of time.

I use mine for preserving other things such as the hops that I grow, other
various garden items, fish that I catch throughout the year, and bulk items
that I buy at SAM's club. Personally I'm glad I have a vacuum sealer. I've
used steaks that have been in the freezer for at least a year which have
had no freezer burn and still tasted great. I also have a seal-a-meal which
sits on the shelf.

Just my prejudiced 2 cents,

Phil




Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 07:56:20 -0500 (EST)
From: LEAVITDG at SPLAVA.CC.PLATTSBURGH.EDU
Subject: Tollhouse Porter (variant): effect of serving temperature

I brewed a variant of the Tollhouse Porter (recipe below) and have found
a DRASTIC effect of serving temperature on the taste.  If the brew is
served at just slightly chilled (55-60 F) then it tastes WONDERFUL!  However,
if served at "regular" temp (from refridgerator) then the taste is , well,
if not bad, then just 'flat'....

Now, I have heard, and have experienced something like this before, but
never so drastic.  In fact, one good friend, who served it warmer said that
it was one of the best that I had made, while another, who served it COLD
said that he poured it out!  Puting aside the individual differences for a
moment,...are the rest of you used to this drastic of a difference.

I have tried several times, comparing COLD vs just slightly cool, and have
confirmed the difference.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 lb Fawcett's Brown Malt
6 lb Pale Malt
1 cup Black Patent
0 Chocolate Malt (I ran out)
1.5 lb Crystal Malt
1/2 lb flaked oats
1 lb flaked barley
1/3 cup Black Malt
1/3 cup Belgian Candi sugar

1 oz Fuggles  at  start
1/2  at  30
1/2  at  15

OG=1.052
FG=1.013

Mash Sched was:
15 min  at  104
30 min  at  147
45 min  at  158
10 min  at  170 <mashout>

I added ~1 qt boiling water to get through the "113-131 corridor" faster.
First runningw were about 1.080

My liquid yeast wasn't yet ready so I had to pitch 2 rehydrated Munton's Gold
dry yeast...

Any advice on the mash schedule, or the temperature-to-serve issue would
be appreciated.  This was a VERY tasty porter at warmer temps...and I am
considering doing it again, but this time with chocolate male (1 lb?) and
a liquid yeast (any suggestions?)

Thankyou.
 ..Darrell Leavitt
<Plattsburgh, NY...a good 500 miles East of Jeff>


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:49:00 +0500
From: "Curt Speaker" <SPEAKER at SAFETY-1.SAFETY.PSU.EDU>
Subject: re: lautering speed

Jack S., in his usual condecending tone, catagorized my slowed 
down lauter as another of those brewing momilies...
It makes sense, even from an emperical standpoint, that if you 
slow down your lauter, you will have less channeling in the grain 
bed.  And allowing the water to have a little more residence time in 
the grain bed MAY allow it to pick up some additional sugar that 
otherwise might be left behind.  It may not be true for all brewers 
and all systems, but it did improve the performance of MY system.  
YMMV...
Also, to Scott Bridges (long time no hear!), it's not that I have been 
having any PROBLEMS with my brewing process.  It is more of 
tweeking the system to improve the process a little and get more 
from the same amount of grain.  So Scott, when you comin' back 
to State College???

5 days 'til St. Patty's day!!! (Like we all need an excuse to go drink 
Guiness :-)

Curt
 
Curt Speaker                         
Biosafety Officer 
Penn State University                
Environmental Health and Safety    
speaker at ehs.psu.edu                   
http://www.ehs.psu.edu
^...^
(O_O)
=(Y)=
 """


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 07:35:17 -0800
From: "Darren W. Gaylor" <dwgaylor at pacifier.com>
Subject: IBU Predictions

Wayne's question to the HBD:

'What are some of the most useful steps to get the IBU predictions "In the
ball park, aka in style"?'

I use an excel spreadsheet for my recipe calculator (modified from one found
in The Brewery's library).  My spreadsheet calculated the IBU's for the
Palexperiment to be 60.5.  My adjusted IBU's were measured at 59.9.

I always thought my calculator yielded high numbers, now I'm not so sure.
When I formulate a recipe, I will shoot for IBU's near the high end of the
range, hoping actual IBU's fall short.  So far, this system has worked for
me.

Darren Gaylor
Vancouver, WA





Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 10:53:54 -0500
From: "Eric R. Theiner" <logic at skantech.com>
Subject: Counterpressuring

Steve Nagley asks about counterpressure filling, in particular the
CounterPhil (from Listermann's).

I had been using a "standard" filler-- one valve for gas, one valve for
beer, one valve to let off pressure in the bottle.  It always made a
mess, I always wasted an appreciable amount of beer, and I always ended
up with less carbonation than I wanted.  I had learned to dread
counterpressure filling bottles.

Then I picked up a CounterPhil a month or so back-- and it is GREAT!!
The key here is that the pressure release valve is eliminated.  You put
the keg higher than the bottle so that it siphon fills, and the filling
takes place in a pressurized, closed system.  You purge the bottle of
air (pressure, release, repeat), then pressurize it, then turn the valve
over to beer.  The beer fills the bottle and the displaced CO2 goes back
to the keg-- it's a completely closed, non-vented system.  Remove the
filler, cap, and you're done.  No mess, very easy.

I have now started to bottle a case or so of my better brews for
posterity and competitions.  It's great!

Rick Theiner
LOGIC, Inc.




Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 10:23:49 -0600
From: "Mark Vernon" <vernonm at goportable.com>
Subject: 6oz bottles

Does anyone know of a source for 6oz bottles. It's about time to bottle my
barleywine.
Thanks for the help.

Mark Vernon, MCSE+I, MCT
Integrated Software Solutions
VernonM at goportable.com
http://www.goportable.com



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 08:35:27 -0800
From: Bryan Gros <bryang at xeaglex.com>
Subject: lager pitching temps

Dean Fikar wrote:
Troy writes:
> : Do I pitch the yeast at 60F and then throw it in the fridge to drop the
> :temp? (Noonan warns of danger: "Controling the temperature at the beginning
> :of fermentation is more important than controlling the temperature near the
> :end of fermentation, because esters and fusel alcohols are largely produced
> :when the yeast is respiring, during the lag and reproductive phases of
>: fermentation." p173)>
> :Q: Or do I drop the temp in the fridge first and then pitch the yeast. (The
> :danger here is obviously longer lag times - as we all know, one of the
> :major causes of bad beer.)

>At the MCAB  I asked Chris White (owner
>of White Labs Yeast) about this.  He's a big believer in propagating &
>pitching lager yeast at about 70F and then bringing it down to lager
>temps over the next 12-15 hrs.  ....
  
But what about shocking the yeast by chilling it this much this fast?
When lagering, standard advice is don't lower the temp by more than
3 degrees per day or so.

What I have done in the past is pitch after chilling, about 62 F or so.
Then I put the carboy in my chest freezer set at about 50F. I get long
lag times this way, even when pitching a hugh slurry from a brewpub.
I figure it must be because I'm chilling the yest too fast.

Chris White must feel differently?

 - Bryan

Bryan Gros
Oakland CA



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:04:02 -0800
From: "Mercer, David" <dmercer at path.org>
Subject: More on Gott mashing set-ups

This is an interesting thread, because I'll bet everyone does it a little
differently and folks getting started could probably use info on different
options.

This is my set-up: I use a copper manifold made up of stiff copper tubing,
elbows, and T's. The straight lengths of tubes have slits about every
quarter inch. These were made with a hack saw and it was pretty labor
intensive, but it only has to be done once. (Actually, it wasn't all that
labor intensive for me. Most of my manifold was made while on a work
assignment in rural Vietnam. In the evenings I'd draw a crowd of villagers
curious at why I was making little cuts in copper tubing. I'd tell them it
was to make beer, and pretty soon they'd be arguing over wanting to do it
themselves. So I'd hand over the hack saw and tubes, open a beer and sit
back and watch.) The overall design (without the slits) looks like this:

               _____________________
       Elbow->/  _|_____________|_  \<--Elbow
              |_|                 |_|
              | |                 | |
              |_|                 |_|
              | |_________________| |
          T ->|  _|_____________|_  |<--T
              |_|                 |_|
              | |                 | |
              |_|                 |_|
              | |_________________| |
       Elbow->\___|____|_   _|__|___/<-Elbow
                         | |
                     T-->|_|
                         | |
                  _______\_/________
                    Wall of cooler
                      

The lengths of tubing were cut so that the elbows fit very snug against the
walls of the cooler, which also results in a little pressure on the outflow
tube against the cooler outlet keeping the seal there tight so that there is
no leakage. I also replaced the original spigot and rubber grommet in the
cooler with a brass reduction bushing and barbed ball valve. The OD of the
male end of the bushing fits snug against the hole into the cooler and is
tightened on the inside with a brass nut and fiber washer. The ball valve
screws into the female end of the bushing on the outside of the cooler.

The manifold goes in, slits down, and because it is snugged up against the
walls of the cooler, it can't come loose with stirring at mash-in or mid
mash. Because the slits are facing down, there is never any grain pressure
directly against them, and I have never had a stuck mash - not even with 67%
wheat grain bills.The whole thing disassembles for cleaning. And because the
outflow tube on the manifold is crimped to fit into the brass bushing, by
happenstance it also fits snugly over the end of my CF racking cane, so I
use it as the filter/hopback to keep hops and break out of the primary when
chilling and racking. This system works great for me, and eliminates many of
the problems I've heard others complain about here regarding stuck mashes,
floating screens, etc...

My 2 cents.

Dave in Seattle


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 13:47:09 -0400
From: Gordon Strong <strongg at earthlink.net>
Subject: AHA Belgian Club-only and Dayton competitions

Announcements for two Dayton, Ohio competitions:

AHA Belgian Club-only competition (AHA category 2). March 27, 1999. 1pm.
Held at Miami Trail Brewing Company, 1455 S. Patton St, Xenia OH 45385.
Entries due March 22 with $5 entry fee and AHA entry form. One entry per
club.  Send entries to the brewery c/o DRAFT.  Hosted by DRAFT homebrew
club.  Judges and entrants can contact me for info.  AHA SCP.

Riverside Rumble '99.  April 9, 1999.  7:30pm.  Held at the Dayton Canoe
Club at DRAFT's April Meeting.  See http://hbd.org/users/draft/ for
directions, etc.  BJCP '98 categories. $4 entry fee.  Two bottles, any
kind.  Kegs, etc welcome.  No recipe/entry form needed, just brewer
contact info and beer style.  Local (hand-carried) entries preferred,
but we can take entries by mail.  Send them to me at 1689 Deerbrook
Trail, Beavercreek OH 45434. Contact me for more info.  BJCP Sanctioned.

Gordon Strong
Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists
strongg at earthlink.net


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 14:00:01 EST
From: AVARDTWINS at aol.com
Subject: Papazian in NE


Friday, March 5, 1999, Boston, MA:   Charlie Papazian, homebrew guru and
founder of the American Homebrewers Association, completed his tour of the
Northeast with stops in New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts.  The 
finale
of his trip was the memorable Samuel Adams Beer Dinner With Charlie 
Papazian
at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cambridge, MA.

The evening began with Charlie speaking to the attendees about his history
 and
interest in homebrewing.  As he spoke, small samples of six domestic and
imported beers, representing three styles of beer, were served to those
present.  Charlie then gave an overview of how to judge these beers, 
followed
by the characteristic description of the beer styles provided.  The 
attendees
were asked to score the beer samples based on appearance, aroma, flavor,
mouthfeel and overall impression.  They were then given ballots on which 
to
vote for their favorite in each of the three style categories.

I had the pleasure of coordinating the beer tasting and judging event, on 
the
invitation of the American Homebrewers Association, along with homebrewer
Chris Columbus of Manchester, NH.  The samples were provided by the Hyatt
Regency Hotel and the Boston Beer Company, and were poured in a location
separate from where the judging event occurred.  The participants were not
informed of the identity of the samples throughout the judging and voting.
The results were tabulated immediately after the evaluation, while the 
evening
program continued.

As we tabulated the ballots, a memorable dinner, prepared by the Hyatt
Regencys head chef, Brad Ozerdem, was served.  Selected Samuel Adams 
beers
were served to the perfect accompaniment of each course.  We were informed
that Mr. Ozerdem labored over the selections and preparations for this 
feast
for several days, in order to match the beer selections with the ideal
courses.  His labors were not in vain.

The first course consisted of a grilled squid, with fried squid tentacles,
smoked tomato and pepper aioli.  This was accompanied by the recently 
released
Samuel Adams IPA on draft.

Our second course was a salty white balsamic and raspberry vinaigrette 
salad
of escarole, endive, grilled red pepper and pancetta.  Samuel Adams Boston
Lager completed the selection.

The third course was an expertly prepared Szechuan spiced chicken and 
shrimp
on a lemon grass skewer, with a sesame crusted sticky rice roll, fire 
roasted
banana peppers and a spicy orange-plum glaze.

Although the Samuel Adams Double Bock was a superb complement to the 
Szechuan
spices, without doubt the most impressive combination of the evening was 
the
chocolate creme brulee with Triple Bock anglaise served with cask-drawn, 
two
year old Samuel Adams Triple Bock.  The evening would have been worth
attending for the fourth course alone.

The tallies of the beer judging completed, Charlie once again took the 
floor
to announce the results of the beer evaluation and voting.  As mentioned
above, the participants had not been informed of the identity of the 
samples
they had tasted and judged.  There were many surprised faces, including 
that
of Boston Beer Company owner Jim Koch, as Charlie announced that Samuel 
Adams
Golden Pilsner had beaten Corona, 25 to 4; Samuel Adams Boston Lager 
shut-out
Heineken, 29 to 0; and Samuel Adams IPA draft bettered Bass Ale draft, 23 
to
5.  (The results of SA IPA vs. Bass Ale results totaled one point lower 
due to
a draw on one of the ballots, which was disqualified from the tally.)

As a blind taste evaluation by experienced beer enthusiasts and 
homebrewers,
the results of this event proves that Made In America is still something 
to be
proud of.

A report of the evening would be incomplete without a discussion of the 
Guest
of Honor, Charlie Papazian.  If there is one thing to say about Charlie
Papazian, it would have to be that he is relaxed, wont worry, and 
loves
homebrew.  Ive always felt that his favorite saying was just a 
catchy
phrase, repeated, although not always obeyed, by almost all homebrewers
throughout the United States, and most likely the world.  For Charlie it 
is
truly a way of life.  Whether he created the saying, or whether the saying
created him is yet to be known.

One of the most tranquil people I have ever met, Charlies calm approach
 to
questions regarding homebrewing techniques and troubleshooting was a well
received refresher to the plethora of high stress biothermochomonuclear 
have-
to-do-it-this-way brewing rules.  By no means did he discount the 
important
aspects of good brewing techniques while he stressed that the most 
important
rule of Keep it Fun.

I overheard many people discussing Charlies laid back approach to 
homebrewing
with renewed interest in a hobby that may once again be fun for them.

His basic message:  Do what matters to you.  Brew the beer you like.  If 
you
want to deal with technicalities, then go ahead, but remember to Relax,
 Dont
Worry, Have a Homebrew.

My hat is off to Charlie Papazian, the American Homebrewers Association, 
the
Boston Beer Company, the Hyatt Regency of Cambridge and Chef Brad Ozerdem 
for
a wonderful dinner and an evening with the legend of homebrewing.

John B. Avard, D.C.
Amoskeag Brewers Club
Brew Free or Die Homebrewers Club
264 Rockland Avenue
Manchester, NH 03102
(603) 625-4019
Avardtwins at aol.com


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 11:44:25 -0800
From: "RANDY ERICKSON" <RANDYE at mid.org>
Subject: Extract/Partial Mash CAP Recipes

Rob Green asks about the feasibility of brewing a CAP without
going all-grain.

My recipe that qualified for MCAB I, brewed in early summer '97,
was partial mash.  Here are the particulars, from SUDS:

	CAP2-10

   Category         :  American Premium Lager   
   Method           :  Partial Mash
   Starting Gravity :  1.056
   Ending Gravity   :  1.014
   Alcohol content  :  5.4%
   Recipe Makes     : 10.0 gallons
   Total Grain      :  8.00 lbs.
   Color (srm)      :  2.9
   Efficiency       :  70%
   Hop IBUs         : 34.2

Malts/Sugars:
 10.00	lb.	Light Malt Extract Syrup 
  4.00	lb.	American Two-Row         
  4.00	lb.	Corn (Flaked)            

Hops:
 2.50	oz.	Cluster        	 7.6%	60 min
 0.50	oz.	Liberty        	 4.3%	15 min
 0.50	oz.	Liberty        	 4.3%	 0 min

Wyeast 2035 American Lager starter

My boil kettle had an Easymasher in it at that time, so I just did
my partial mash in there.  I mashed the malt and corn flakes at
about 1.2 qts/lb at 152 degrees for 1 hour.  I collected about
4 gallons of runnings in a plastic bucket.  I force chilled this with
2L frozen PET bottles and put it in the fridge overnight because
it was late, not as part of the recipe.  The next morning I added
the Alexanders extract and enough water to do a full volume
boil to the kettle and brewed as usual.

I think it would be hard to get the corn contributions in an all-
extract recipe, not that you still couldn't brew an excellent
American style Pilsener.  I would suggest using 7 to 8 pounds
of Alexanders light malt extract for a 5 gallon batch, and be
sure to boil the entire volume to avoid over darkening.

Clusters hops, and the 2035 yeast are also important parts of
the flavor profile of this style.  I would hesitate to make any
substitutions here.

The all-grain CAP recipe that took 3rd at MCAB will be the
subject of a future post.

Cheers,
Randy in Modesto




Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 13:52:45 +0000
From: Jim Liddil <jliddil at azcc.arizona.edu>
Subject: cell viability


Joe rolfe posted:

> Epifluorescent Stains
>	 Acidine Orange
>	 Mg 1,8 ANS
> clueless/never used or seen used but the doc states they are very
> accurate and fast.
> 
That should be ACRIDINE ORANGE.  

The latest greatest whamo technique is the live/dead yeast viability kit
from Molecular Probes (http://www.probes.com/servlets/gallery?id=16).  Look
at the bitchin movies if you have the bandwidth.

Jim Liddil



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 14:59:56 -0800
From: Joe KISH <jjkish at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Greek Speak

What the hell is IHMO? Are all you people taking
up Greek?  Is there a look-up chart somewhere?


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 18:08:54 -0500
From: Dan Listermann <72723.1707 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Decline of Homebrewing

Pat Babcock writes:

<While all this was going on, another swell was rising in yet another 
ocean
of
beer: microbreweries and brewpubs were flourishing all over the country. 
So
much so that many "one beer for all" megabreweries were sent scampering 
to
their pilot breweries in order to get in on the wave with something of
flavor
and substance. Still others went about like large sharks snapping up the
smaller, tastier fish in buyouts. Good beer was abundant, but somewhat
pricey. The sheer number of competing breweries and pubs began driving 
the
prices of good beer lower and lower until...

 ...both waves crashed into opposite sites of an island known as consumer

desires and motivations. The economy in the US what it is today, we can 
all
pretty much get whatever beer we want fairly affordably. For many, this
killed
the motivation to brew it for themselves. Face it: how many times have 
you
heard someone in describing their craft say that they can brew it 
cheaper,
or
they can brew what they can't buy? We all have. I believe I've even said
it a few times myself. Now, take all those people out of the pool of 
those
buying home brewing supplies, and you see suppliers dropping like flies
(and
it's not the "backdoor dealings" that hurt suppliers -- that's just
whining.
Show me a brewpub or micro that can afford to give away or co-buy in
volumes
high enough to threaten a shop?) >

There is another factor that  I believe feeds this situation.  The
demogrphics of homebrewing are easily contained inside the demographics 
of
new computer users.  Computers are sucking up the money for homebrewing
and, even more importantly, the time for homebrewing.   I am starting to
believe a turn around in homebrewing will not happen until the newness of

computers has past.  Considering the rapid advances computers keep 
making,
this point could be some time off.  The industry may have to satisfy 
itself
with people who really enjoy the process of making great beer not just
drinking it.  I am not so sure that this is a bad thing.  We have to find

these people.  I kinda like them.

Dan Listermann      dan at listermann.com   or 72723.1707 at compuserve.com

Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 16:42:07 -0700
From: "Eric McIndoo" <emcindoo at micron.net>
Subject: Re:CAP recipe

Rob Green wrote:
"I am looking for an extract version of a CAP ifany
one has come up with one.  This raises a question
about flaked maize.  Can it be used in an extract
recipe?  If so how would one go about using it?  If a
partial mash is requried to use the maize what is the
barest minimum of equipmentneeded to accomplish the task?"


I'm new to homebrewing, but went to a partial mash on my third batch.  My
extract brews were fine, but for making porters I felt that a mash with the
specialty malts would yeild a much better brew.  Guess what, I was right.
I'm guessing that you will have to do the same with the maize, or you may be
able to use corn syrup, but for an original taste you should go with maize.
For starters I would go with a Zapap system (email on construction specifics
if necessary).  The best source for converting all-grain to partial mash
recipes is Ken Schwartz.  He did a presentation on all-grain to partial mash
conversion at a recent AHA conference (in July I beleive).  Its on the net
at http://home.elp.rr.com/brewbeer/extract/pres.pdf

Partial mashes will make an immediate improvement in your beer.  Its also a
good way to practice for going all-grain.  I recommend it for all new
brewers.


Eric McIndoo



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 20:19:29 EST
From: AKGOURMET at aol.com
Subject: Vacuum Sealers and Lagers

>> Joe Stone <joestone at cisco.com> asks about vacuum and heat sealers.

I've had a Foodsaver vacuum sealer for 10 years and love it.  It actually
looks like the Magic Vac Champion model, but I bought it before Foodsaver
changed their name or sold their name or whatever happened.  Anyway, I think
the current Foodsaver and Magic Vac are pretty similar in performance.  I do a
lot of hunting and fishing and buying in bulk and the vacuum packer virtually
eliminates freezer burn.  I tried a cheaper model (a Dazey, I think) and there
was no comparison on the vacuum.  The Dazey would barely collapse the bag.
One thing about the Foodsavers and Magic Vacs -- they perform best with their
special channel bags, which are expensive.  You can get regular bags to work,
but it's hit and miss.  The problem is the slick inner services near the mouth
of a regular bag stick together before all the air is removed.  You can still
heat seal all plastic bags, you just can't vacuum all of them.  One feature to
look for is a variable timer for sealing.  Different bags require more or less
heat to seal.  If you're just going to use it for homebrewing, you can
probably get by with a heat sealer.  However, if you want to use it for other
food items like freezing meat and fish, the vacuum sealer is definitely worth
it.

Lagering:
I have a light lager lagering in a corny keg right now.  It's my first true
lager so take it for what it's worth.  I did do some research before I
started, though.  I read Noonan's " New Brewing Lager Beers", the Classic Beer
Styles Series "Continental Pilsner", AlK's "Homebrewing, Vol. 1", back issues
of the HBD and some other books, magazines and online resources.  Of course,
they all have a little different procedure, just like they do for basic
brewing.  Here's what I ended up doing.  The recipe was simple -- 12 lb.
2-row, .5 lb. carapils, 1 oz. Whole Kent Goldings first wort hopped, 1 oz. KG
30 minutes, 1 oz. Saaz 5 minutes.   After a 60 min. boil, I ran my immersion
chiller for 90 minutes which brought the wort temp. down to 45f.  I usually do
30 minutes and 70f. for 5 gallons, but figured the longer rest and colder temp
would help settle the break.  I siphoned off the trub into a 6 gallon carboy,
aerated by splashing and sloshing, and pitched a 3 quart starter (decanted and
fed w/ 1 cup wort that morning) of Wyeast Pilsen Lager.   Lag time was
overnight, as I remember.  Fermented at 50f. for 7 days.  Transferred to a
CO2-purged 5 gallon carboy, did a diacetyl rest for 3 days at 60f, then moved
it back to 50f. for 14 days.  At this point, it was pretty much done
fermenting (as far as noticeably bubbling) so I moved it to the garage where
it sat another 14 days at 40f.  It wasn't as clear as I wanted, so I added 2
tsp. Polyclar (in 1/2 cup boiled water) and let it sit another 10 days before
racking into a CO2-purged corny keg.  At the last racking, I took a hydrometer
reading and half-filled a PET bottle to carbonate and sample.  The SG was
1.012 and there was a lot of CO2 in solution.(OG was 1.048, I know, lousy
efficiency, but it was my first all grain)  I'm thinking it will finish around
1.010 when all is said and done.  I plan on letting it sit in the keg for 6
weeks at 35-40f then counter pressure bottle and enter it in some competitions
for comments.  The sample in the PET bottle was very clean tasting, clear,
nice white head, maybe a little diacetyl, but overall was well received at our
club gathering.  Reminded me of Miller Genuine Draft with a little more hops.

So far, it's worked for me!

Bill Wright
Juneau, AK


Return to table of contents

---