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	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:
  oz hop imports, defence (Graham Sanders)
  Zymurgy- Beat the Heat (Ant Hayes)
  Contamination by Lambics (LyndonZimmermann)
  Water analysis ("Braam Greyling")
  Adelaide Home Brewers / Frequency of posts from   *.au   and is there an original brew ("Peter Fitzsimons")
  Australian Brew?, more on Wits ("Graham Sanders")
  Re: phenolic flavors (Jeff Renner)
  Subscribe/Unsubscribe/Address change and posting (Some Guy)
  pH probes (Dave Burley)


* 2000 AHA NHC pics and stories at http://hbd.org/miy2k
* JULY IS AMERICAN BEER MONTH! Take the American Beer
* Pledge of Allegiance! Support your local brewery...
* 
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!



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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 16:05:24 +1000 
From: Graham Sanders <GrahamS at bsa.qld.gov.au>
Subject: oz hop imports, defence


G'day all

We Oz types can be a strange breed. Having a go at each other, then to their
defence.  Its in this spirit of mateship I must come to Regan's defence
against Darren's tyrade.

He wrote

The short answer is don't. If AQIS wont allow it, its for a reason.

Regan, I think you as a brew shop owner should know better than even to
suggest
in a public forum that people might circumvent Australian import quarantine
legislation.

____________________________---

Now we all agree the need for AQIS.  But Darren, understand we also want it
in the spirit of fair play.  Go against that and we will buck the system,
very quickly.  What gives the right for the major breweries to get flowers
and no one else.  Also some major distributors can get flowers as well, but
us brewers cant.  The hops from NZ, (thats where they will come from) are as
clean as Aus, thats why the breweries can get them.  There big advantage is
that they are sooooo dame cheep, and you get an excellent variety.  That
goes against the industry here.

I tried to get flowers from NZ.  Had some long conversations with AQIS on
the subject.  It was admitted to me (unofficial of course) that there is no
reason really that flowers cant come from NZ.  Its the pressure of the heavy
weights in the brewing industry that puts up the barriers.  AQIS admits that
plugs WILL NOT kill all the potential bugs and diseases.  Plenty have the
potential to survive plug processing, yet this is allowed to be imported.
And the mega-brewiers cant guarantee that their flowers wont contain pests
that cant escape.

When faced with this, any wonder some of us go the back door to get our
stock.

Shout (and now waiting for the customs raid)

Graham Sanders


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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 09:04:48 +0200 
From: Ant Hayes <Ant.Hayes at FifthQuadrant.co.za>
Subject: Zymurgy- Beat the Heat

It is very strange reading an article on brewing in the heat when my
fermenter sleeps with an electric blanket at night.

Ant Hayes

Brewing in the southern part of where beer was invented.


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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 16:38:09 +0930
From: LyndonZimmermann <lyndonz at senet.com.au>
Subject: Contamination by Lambics

Greetings,

I'm interested in making a Lambic and have been warned about the possibility
of contamination into other brews of the yeast. I make beer, wine and mead,
and venturing into yoghurt and cheese.  How serious is this issue?  What
steps should I take to prevent cross contamination and sanitise brewgear
used?  Can the infection spread through bottle trub?

Lyndon Z

Lyndon Zimmermann
BE (Mech Adel) Grad Dip Bus Admin (UniSA)
24 Waverley St, Mitcham, South Australia, 5062
tel +61-8-8272 9262 mobile 0414 91 4577 fax +61-8-8172 1494
email lyndonz at senet.com.au URL http://users.senet.com.au/~lyndonz



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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 11:48:28 +0200
From: "Braam Greyling" <braam.greyling at azoteq.com>
Subject: Water analysis

Hi,

Since I have moved to a new town, I need some help in analising 
our water profile.

Here is the details I got from the Mrs. Frans at the water shop.

pH									8.3
total alcalinity CaCO3 mg/l			29.0
conductivity mS/M					9.7
Cl  mg/l								11.0
Total hardness CaCO3 mg/l		31.1
Color mg/l platinum					<10
N T U  (murkiness)					1.5  
Flouride  mg/l  F					0.1
 
Unfortunately, this is all I got.
   
What is the difference between total alcalinity and hardness ?  
 
It is measured in the same units !  Im not sure if I understand it 
correctly.
Can someone help me make something out from this please ?

What minerals should I add when making a fairly standard ale ?

Regards

Braam Greyling  



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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 21:04:04 +0930
From: "Peter Fitzsimons" <peterf at senet.com.au>
Subject: Adelaide Home Brewers / Frequency of posts from   *.au   and is there an original brew  

There seems to a be a lot of interest from people in Adelaide about Home
Brewing, but there seems to be a severe lack of clubs. Is anyone in Adelaide
interesting in fixing that (and no, I'm not volunteering for anything just
yet ...)


Also Pete Calinski asked
Anyway, I was also wondering, is there a unique Australian brewed beverage?
Perhaps something developed by the aborigines made of beetle juice fermented
in a kangaroo pouch or something?

Yeah, we call it Fosters and export it because we won't drink it.....

Peter




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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 21:37:52 +1000
From: "Graham Sanders" <craftbrewer at cisnet.COM.AU>
Subject: Australian Brew?, more on Wits

G'day all

Peter asks

Anyway, I was also wondering, is there a unique Australian brewed beverage?
Perhaps something developed by the aborigines made of beetle juice
fermented in a kangaroo pouch or something?
___________________________

As far as I'm aware, the poor native abo's of this land never mastered or
understood fermentation nor alcohol.  They were one of a few races never to
have alcohol as part of its culture.  Its not surprising.

As primitive hunters and gatherers, they concern was survival, moving place
to place, spending a majority of their time just staying alive.  Add to that
this brown land has precious few sugary fruits that could ferment naturally,
And any fruit about was quickly gobbled up by all sorts of wildlife.

In all my travels I have found only one example of anything remotely
approaching a fermented beverage.  This occurred in the cape. Very rearly
there would be an abandoned native bee hive (these are usually very small).
If they weren't raided, the honey would ferment slightly.  This sugar baby
was highly prised and given to the elders.

But they never made the connection (as far as I know) to go the next step,
to add water and honey and let her rip.

Can any over there tell me if the Eskimos ever had a fermented beverage.

- -----------------------
Jim asked

BTW, I can't help but wonder where you read or heard about mash souring
in connection with wit brewing. Please tell.

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

Well I cant remember exactly where I heard it, but the lactic mash was
memtioned as a technique to control the acid level of Wits.  I can
understand using lactobacillus in my wort, but I,m reluctant as i will not
have any control over the final acidicity. (had this experience with Lambics
and Pediococcus)

I could use Lactic acid as you suggest, But the beers I have found that have
used it sort of taste like lactic acid has been used out of a bottle.  Just
a bit artificial.  I want to go with some 'natural lactic acid addition' so
that it tastes more authenthic. (i hope this makes sense).

Thats where I think (and hope) the lactic mash will do it for me.

Shout

Graham Sanders




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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 10:53:21 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu>
Subject: Re: phenolic flavors

Dan Lyga <lygadm at pweh.com>, who remembered to tell us that he's from
Harwinton, CT, has a koelsch with phenolic flavors and writes

 As I've never actually tried a
>Kolsch (or a Kolsch clone), I'm not sure if the beer I've created is a close
>interpretation.

A Koelsch should be very clean tasting and have no phenolic flavors.

>Would anyone else describe the Duvel and Franziskaner beers as having a
>phenolic flavor/taste?

Yes, especially the Franziskaner.  It is typical of weizenbier and many
Belgian ales.  As you surmise, the yeasts are more or less tame wild ones.

>Are certain yeast strains expected to produce phenolic flavors?

Yes  - see above.  This characteristsic has been selected against in most
yeasts.  I have found it in one or two British ale yeasts.  Stonebridge
comes to mind.  It was mild and sort of a spicy note.

>Does a high(er) percentage of wheat malt contribute to phenolic flavoring in
>a beer?

No.

>After drinking several
>of my beers and commercial examples of beer
>with a similar taste, the flavor has actually grown on me.

Many beers with this flavor can be enjoyable, but it isn't an accurate
clone of a Koelsch.

Any brewers who are close enough and want to taste a real Koelsch on tap,
come to the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild BeerBQ this Saturday (see the July
newsletter at http://hbd.org/aabg/ for details).  We'll have a 50 liter keg
of Reissdorf, which we are hoping will be fresh enough to appreciate.
(Note - we planned this before we heard of Larry Bell's "Drink Only
American Beer in July" campaign).

Jeff

 -=-=-=-=-
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, c/o nerenner at umich.edu
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943. 




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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 11:39:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Some Guy <pbabcock at hbd.org>
Subject: Subscribe/Unsubscribe/Address change and posting

Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...

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See ya!

Pat Babcock in SE Michigan         pbabcock at hbd.com
Home Brew Digest Janitor           janitor@hbd.org
HBD Web Site                       http://hbd.org
The Home Brew Page                 http://hbd.org/pbabcock

"The monster's back, isn't it?" - Kim Babcock after I emerged
                                  from my yeast lab Saturday




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Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 14:13:29 -0400
From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com>
Subject: pH probes

Brewsters:

Measuring pH at mash pH shouldn't be done IN the mash as some may have
thought by Lynne O'Connors comments about not leaving the pH probe in the
hot mash too long and reducing the lifetime of the probe. I can't speak for
all probes nor for any substantially new solid state technology in this
area, but some probes may have calomel  ( mercuric chloride) in them. There
are online pH probes used in the food industry, so I suggest you use one of
these or at least contact the manufacturer and ask about the safety of
using their probe in a foodstuff and what happens if it breaks or leaks.  

In any event, the proper way to measure a pH is to remove a sample of the
mash, cool it to RT or if you have a temperature compensating probe, 
measure the temperature and the pH ( after probe temperature equilibration)
and THROW the sample away.  Do NOT put the probe directly in the mash nor
return the sample to it.

Keep on Brewin'

Dave Burley


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