HOMEBREW Digest #3471 Mon 06 November 2000

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  The Jethro Gump Report..1 ("Rob Moline")
  The Jethro Gump Report..2 ("Rob Moline")
  Anyone Heard of Two Hearted Ale? (Rob Hanson and Kate Keplinger)
  Re: Head Retention (Brunnenbraeu)
  Re: Anyone Heard of Two Hearted Ale? (Some Guy)
  politics and beer (Tombrau)
  wind screen for cooker (Sharon/Dan Ritter)
  Alcohol conversion factors are not simple. (Fred Eckhardt)
  Malt Additives - unanticipated (David Fisher)
  The Return of the Native (Jeff Renner)
  Seven minute head (there go the mail filters), beef in beer, Brew It Up ("Matt and/or Hazel Tolley")
  replies (craftbrewer)
  re: Will the true bladder fermenter please stand up. ("Stephen Alexander")
  Jeff's low gravity session bitter (RBoland)
  Suitable Plastic ??? (Smith Asylum)
  Re: Dry Hopping Bottles ("Don")
  First Mash (Petr Otahal)
  Yeast for British Mild? (WayneM38)
  glass-ceramic stove top (ensmingr)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 00:06:09 -0600 From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at isunet.net> Subject: The Jethro Gump Report..1 The Jethro Gump Report Busy, Busy, Busy! Running for President is an all consuming effort! All that thinking...is the press gonna find out that I was a 'BREWER' in the late 80's? Or that my first car was a VW Microbus? Man, as long as the major media don't find out I use dry yeast...I might survive all this.. as I hear Dan Rather won't work with us dry yeast blokes! ;-) BTW, all the credit for the tech expertise belongs to Jeff Kenton...'Mother' in the pic with my boy, Robbie, from BigBrew '98. http://www.jethrogump.com/gumpforprez/ Jeff put the page together in a matter of but a few hours...and as more than a trusted friend, I am sure he would serve the U.S. public in generating "Peace Through Fermentation, Not Confrontation." Thanks, Jeff! And a Special Thanks to Bill Siebel, who today personally endorsed my Campaign! Thanks, sir! It means a lot! The fact that Mr. Siebel took the time to send me a message related to the Gump for Prez Campaign means that he still follows all the beer world, no matter how insignificant.....and that his heart remains where we always knew it was...With Brewers! (And that he reads the HBD!) Lallemand Danstar London..... Yes, it is true, London by Danstar is being discontinued. I waited to post this response, as I needed more info from higher up the Lallemand 'food-chain.' London is one more of the many yeasts dropped from the production line in reaction to sales figures pointing to the need to maximize output of the most popular products. In fact each year, up to ten of the wine yeasts are dropped ...as their numbers are studied, and plans for each new year's production runs are planned. I am told that Production had been requesting the drop of London for 2 years now...yet my boss tried to stave this off. Unfortunately, this year, the news is bad for London, outsold by it's brethren Nottingham, Windsor, and Manchester, by a factor of 20 to 1. But the good news is obviously, if one of the beer yeasts is being retired...perhaps some new strains might pop into the line-up? Like the long over-due dry strains advanced to Jethro some 2 years ago...like a Weihenstephan lager? Lord knows, Jethro is still waiting.... Well, time will tell on this score...but some new things ARE coming to shake up the beer world....like..... ServoMyces.... ServoMyces, a new product from Lallemand will soon shake up the nutrient addition market! This dry yeast, specifically grown to assimilate zinc, an essential, and often under-rated key to success of yeast growth is currently under testing by a number of US and European breweries. Expectations of shortened fermentation times, complete utilization of malto-triose, increased attenuation, and favorable fermentation flavor changes have been realized...most notably by lager fermenting breweries, but ale brewers will see benefit as well.... This active dry yeast is designed to be added to the wort, 15/60 prior to end of boil, in order to disrupt the cells, and release the nutrient to the wort. While the product is expected to be released to the European market in an active form...that is...one could ferment a batch with it.... The American market product is expected to be attenuated...i.e., inactive...to enhance the shelf life. To quote the webpage of WhiteLabs, currently testing the product...called 'Viagra For Your Yeast!" on that page..... "This could be the greatest asset to a brewers consistency since the development of pitchable yeast slurries." And HowZat! A dry yeast company working with a wet yeast company?! For the complete WhiteLabs story on it... http://www.yeastbank.com/np/newproducts3rd2000.htm I fully expect WhiteLabs to become our US Distributor for this product.....and I know that you will enjoy it. In the trials of brewers testing the samples I have sent them, the reports generally speak of decreased ferm time, but when a decrease of 25 percent is seen, lager breweries enjoy the greatest benefit. One major brewpub reported vastly decreased sulfur notes, as they said, "which were always a problem with prior lager ferms." So, folks, times change, I guess...and I bemoan the loss of London as much as the next guy....it will put a crimp in my style offerings..... Jethro "The More I Know About Beer, The More I Realize I Need To Know More About Beer!" Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 00:07:08 -0600 From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at isunet.net> Subject: The Jethro Gump Report..2 The Jethro Gump Report..2 Bill Pierce FareWell... Bill Pierce, accepting a position with the Red Rock Brewing Company of SLC, Utah, was the Guest of Honor at a reception tonight in Des Moines' Raccoon River BrewPub.... Host Dave Coy, formerly of IBS "Brewer's Resource Directory" fame, and owner of Raccoon River, as well as Brewer of some fine beers..(even the growler of IPA, packaged days ago, as required by Iowa Law, was excellent!) sponsored the event for some thirty or forty area homebrewers and professionals. Now, while I fully expect Bill to score Gold at GABF in the future...(and I have a track record of successful predictions!)...I do have to say that he is either the BRAVEST or most FOOLHARDY of brewers..... As he fully expects to arrive in SLC, in a rented truck, towing a car containing 6 FULL CARBOYS! Loaded with 3 of brew, 3 of Mead! Side-Bets, anyone!? But, Good Luck, Bill! A valued contributor to the HB world, finally getting his shot at Pro-Brewing...and a valued participant in the Ames' Brewers' League! Siebel/Lallemand/Alltech Lawsuit It's settled...here is the press release... *** ALLTECH/SIEBEL LAWSUIT SETTLED OUT OF COURT Alltech and Lallemand have announced that the lawsuit entitled Alltech Inc., vs. Siebel Institute of Technology, et. al. has been settled, according to a company press release. Alltech and Lallemand both stated that settlement of this lawsuit, which arose out of the sale of the Siebel Institute of Technology, is in the best interests of all parties, the Siebel Institute and the brewing industry. Alltech and Lallemand regret that they and those former members of the Siebel Institute faculty whom Alltech hired may have been misled by the circumstances surrounding the sale of the Siebel Institute earlier this year. With this settlement in place, all parties have agreed to end all litigation efforts regarding this transaction. As part of the settlement, Lallemand and Ron Siebel will retain their ownership of the Siebel Institute of Technology. Alltech will retain five of the former full time faculty members of the Siebel Institute. Other specific terms of the settlement agreement are to remain confidential. All parties including Ronald Siebel, William Siebel, Lyn Kruger, Lallemand and Alltech, hope that the brewing industry will benefit from having both Alltech and the Siebel Institute providing courses and services to the brewing industry. *** I gotta say, knowing all the parties on both sides of the fence....and especially valuing all the teaching they cared to share.....I am glad this is over....and trust that all of the mates that helped me in the past will remember why they aided other brewers...It was their love of brewing that made them share their knowledge. I trust that this will endure...no matter who and where.... But, most importantly....the Institute that Dr. John Siebel founded in Chicago in 1845 continues on.... So, What to do? 1) Go to your HB shop and buy up all the remaining London they have...Currently there is none in the Lallemand pipeline......Distributors and shops may have plenty, and at last note, Scott Labs has 40 kilos, in 500 gm bricks for the pro-market... Store this in your fridge/freezer...and learn how to yeast ranch! 2) Go to http://www.yeastbank.com/np/newproducts3rd2000.htm at WhiteLabs, and read the full text of their report on ServoMyces... 3) Go to http://www.jethrogump.com/gumpforprez/ and encourage your friends, and everybody on your contact list to visit! There are only a few days left! Hell's Bells! Matching funds of many millions of dollars are at stake for 2004! ;-) 4) Raise your glass to "Bill's New Adventure!" And Toast to his Success! God Speed Gold Medals, Bill Pierce! 5) Sign up with Santa for a course at Siebel to be on your Christmas Wish List! Or at least read the upcoming installment series written by Rich Sieben, Winner of the Lallemand Scholarship, on his Daily Activities at the Siebel Short Course! Check out http://www.aob.org/AHA/Zymurgy/zymonline.htm soon! Cheers! Jethro Gump Presidential Candidate gump at jethrogump.com Rob Moline Lallemand jethro at isunet.net "The More I Know About Beer, The More I Realize I Need To Know More About Beer!" Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2000 08:08:58 -0500 From: Rob Hanson and Kate Keplinger <katerob at erols.com> Subject: Anyone Heard of Two Hearted Ale? Dear Brewers, I can't remember where the heck I've seen the name -- maybe it was a short story title, maybe it's the name of a beer (from England? the upper mid-west? of the U.S.?). Does anyone recognize the name, and if so, can you provide some information on style? Thanks! - --Rob Hanson Washington, DC The Closet Brewery 'post tenebras lux' - ----------------- I recommend bread, meat, vegetables, and beer. --Sophocles Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 11:14:06 EST From: Brunnenbraeu at aol.com Subject: Re: Head Retention In einer eMail vom 04.11.00 06:19:18 (MEZ) Mitteleuropaeische Zeit schreibt Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu>: > The other day I was chatting with a local (German-trained -- it's > relevant -- you'll see) brewer, when my beer ran out. I asked him to > pull me a beer. He ran the beer into the glass, about 1/2 foam, and > set it on the counter. I said, "you got a foam problem?" He said, > "no, just doing it the RIGHT way." Over the space of the next several > minutes (would be 7 in Germany, but I wasn't timing it), he went back > and pulled more beer into the glass as the foam subsided. The last > pull left a cap of "whipped cream" foam extending about 2 inches above > the rim of the glass. Wow! Uh, oh, it seems to be an immortal legend, that a good (German?) pilsener (you were talking about pilsener, weren't you?) needs 7 minutes to be poured adequatly... In seven minutes you'll lose nearly all carbon dioxide, and the result is a dead, flat beer with a BIIIG foam head. Maybe it's appropriate to style for English ales or other beers, if there's less carbon dioxide, but a good pilsener should still have some sparkling effect in your mouth (although not as much as for example a Bavarian Weizen)! It should still have a lot of carbon dioxide, it should live, it should be fresh and crispy, it should have taste and aroma, it should be delightful and refreshing, it should be ... Hey, Volker, stop it, stop it, ... > I'm sure it didn't make the beer taste any better, Of course! It probably made it taste worse, worse, worse... > but the visual effect was stunning. Okay, 10 % for the visual impression, and 90 % for taste, okay? 'cause I for myself prefer to drink with my mouth and to taste with my tongue, and not with my eyes... > In case you're wondering, the brewery is Leopold Brothers, > in Ann Arbor. Shame on them... Sorry for ranting and grumbling, but these seven minute pilseners - that's nothing but bad attitude... (alas often found in not-so-good German pubs and bars) Cheers / Zum Wohl / Na zdrovie, Volker Volker R. Quante Brunnenbraeu Homebrewery Brewing and working in Warsaw / Poland, but definitely a German Homebrewer Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 12:51:26 -0500 (EST) From: Some Guy <pbabcock at hbd.org> Subject: Re: Anyone Heard of Two Hearted Ale? Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager... Rob Hanson writes.... > I can't remember where the heck I've seen the name -- maybe it was a > short story title, maybe it's the name of a beer (from England? the > upper mid-west? of the U.S.?). Does anyone recognize the name, and if > so, can you provide some information on style? Heard of it? HEARD of it?! I DRINK it, man! I'd wallow in it, if I could afford to. One of my all-time favorite brews! It is the product of Kalamazoo Brewing - one of Larry Bell's companies. >From their web site: Two Hearted Ale Our India Pale Ale is easily the most bitter beer we produce; with beautiful copper color and dense creamy head. The full blast hop bitterness is brought about by extended aging with the liberal addition of dry hops to the fermenting beer. Packages available: 4/6/12 oz., 15.5 gal. keg Original Gravity: 1.062 % Alcohol by volume: 7.0 UPC Code: N/A Available: September - May only Original Gravities are target values and are subject to fluctuation, as are alcohol percentages by volume. Their web site is at http://www.bellsbeer.com - -- - See ya! Pat Babcock in SE Michigan pbabcock at hbd.org 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 Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 14:10:35 EST From: Tombrau at aol.com Subject: politics and beer Brew Brothers: Most people know reformed smokers are the toughest on smokers and my experience sees similar from reformed drinkers. George W.'s past dui conviction and his "seen the light" attitude makes me think he would quickly yield to anti alcohol forces to prove his reform. I can just see the MADD lobby showing him exactly how to amend his evil past. On the other hand, I recall reading in a beer newspaper about how Gore had a party at a D.C. brewpub and liked the red so much he had the secret service secure him several growlers of it. I know where I am voting Tuesday. Karl and/or Pat I am not certain of the appropriateness of this post and would understand its censor. If you don't censor it, do you know where I can get a flame suit quick (and cheap)!!! Cheers Tom Moench Founder and President of The No-teetotalers in the Whitehouse Foundation Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 15:13:29 -0700 From: Sharon/Dan Ritter <ritter at bitterroot.net> Subject: wind screen for cooker Does anyone have a design for, or know of a source to purchase, a wind screen for my propane cooker? Mine is a typical "Cajun Cooker" type. Three legs are arranged in an 18" diameter circle at the base and the burner sits about a foot off the ground. I assume one needs to be careful about excessive heat building up around base of the cooker thus the need for venting. I'm getting tired or arranging lawn chairs etc. around my brew pot on those blustery winter days. Dan Ritter Hamilton, Montana Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2000 14:58:46 -0800 From: Fred Eckhardt <eckhardt at pcez.com> Subject: Alcohol conversion factors are not simple. Calculating alcohol contents has many variations, here is one set. (c) Fred Eckhardt, 1995, 2000 all rights reserved. TABLE I CONVERSION FACTORS SPECIFIC GRAVITY to DEGREES PLATO by Fred Eckhardt, (c) 1995, 2000, all rights reserved Specific Gravity factor degrees Plato 1.000 - 1.022 3.9 0 - 5.6 1.023 - 1.025 3.95 5.7 - 6.3 1.026 - 1.052 4.0 6.4 - 12.9 1.053 - 1.055 4.05 13 - 13.6 1.056 - 1.098 4.1 13.7 - 24 1.099 - 1.022 4.2 24.1 - 29 1.023 - 1.1127.5 4.25 29.1 - 30 above 1.127.6 4.3 30 and up To convert specific gravity to degrees plato: first subtract 1.000, then divide the remainder by the factor, i.e. 1.023, less 1.000 = 23 / 3.95 = 5.8Plato; or another example 1.096 less 1.000 = 96 / 4.1 = 23.4Plato. To convert degrees Plato to specific gravity: Multiply Plato x factor, and add 1.000. e.g. 12.1P x 4.0 = 48.4 = 1.048; another example 15.5P x 4.1 = 63.55 = 1.063.55 or 1064. The Belgian degrees are equal to specific gravity, less 1.000, then divide by 10. e.g. s.g. 1.062, less 1.000 = 62 / 10 = 6.2Bg. To convert Belgian to Plato, first convert to s.g., then convert to Plato. To convert s.g. to British, drop the decimal point. e.g. 1.056 = 1056Br. All Calculations are according to standard published tables. TABLE II TABLE OF ALCOHOL FACTORS BY ORIGINAL EXTRACT IN DEGREES PLATO Plato alcohol factor Plato alcohol factor 6 0.4073 16 0.4267 7 0.4091 17 0.4288 8 0.4110 18 0.4309 9 0.4129 19 0.4330 10 0.4148 20 0.4351 10.5 0.4158 21 0.4373 11 0.4168 22 0.4395 11.5 0.4177 23 0.4417 12 0.4187 24 0.4439 12.5 0.4197 25 0.4462 13 0.4206 26 0.4485 13.5 0.4216 27 0.4508 14 0.4226 28 0.4532 14.5 0.4236 29 0.4556 15 0.4246 30 0.4580 15.5 0.4257 ca31 ca0.4605 Compiled from Balling's tables, with the generous help of Fred Scheer, BOSCO'S Brewing, Nashville, TN. Not intended for professional use. HOW TO USE THE CONVERSION AND ALCOHOL FACTOR TABLES TO CALCULATE ORIGINAL EXTRACT, ABW, ABV, BEER OR APPARENT EXTRACT (and other useless information) by Fred Eckhardt, (c) 1995, 2000, all rights reserved. To find alcohol content by weight (ABW), or Original Gravity/Extract, or Beer Gravity/Apparent Extract, using these tables, you must first convert the specific gravities to Plato (Table I). You need to know two of the above figures to calculate the third. To find ABW, subtract Apparent Extract (Beer Gravity) from Original Extract, and multiply by the alcohol factor for that Original Extract (see table). To find apparent extract when you know Original Extract and ABW, divide the ABW by the alcohol factor for that Original extract, subtract from Original Extract. To find beer gravity, de-carbonate the beer, and measure its specific gravity, convert that to Plato, which will give you Apparent Extract (beer gravity). To convert ABW to ABV (alcohol content by volume), multiply ABW by 1.256, and multiply that figure by the specific gravity of the beer (apparent extract converted to s.g.). i.e. 5% alcohol in a beer with an apparent extract of 2.8P/s.g.1.011: 5 x 1.256 x 1.011 = 6.35%ABV. To find Original Extract when you know the Apparent Extract (beer gravity) and ABW, start by guessing the original gravity, for example you can convert ABW to ABV, then multiply the ABV by 10 for a ballpark OG, (less 1.000) which must then be converted to Plato. Now calculate the actual Original Extract by dividing the ABW by the alcohol factor for the approximate OE, and add that figure to the Apparent Extract. Suppose you know the beer gravity to be 1.011, which is 2.8P, and the ABW to be 5%. Convert that to ABV (above) 6.35%, then guestimate the OE, by multiplying that (ABV) by 10, i.e. 63, 1.063, which is 15.5P, find the alcohol factor for that (0.4257), divide the ABW by that, this gives a ballpark extract drop of 11.75, which is added to the AE, 11.75 + 2.8 = 14.5P. You have to do it all again to get the actual OE. So go through the sequence again, using the correct alcohol factor for 14.5 (0.4236): 5 / 0.4236 = 11.8 + 2.8 = actual OE 14.6P x 4.1 = 59.9 = 1.060. Please note that there are ways to do these calculations without translating gravity to degrees Plato, but I haven't the time to do those tables, and that's that. I have not found any tables in print, with proper alcohol factors, for specific gravity relationships. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2000 10:45:57 +1100 From: David Fisher <david at colossus.apana.org.au> Subject: Malt Additives - unanticipated G'day all, I have just bought a 25 kg sack of Maris Otter - my first ever purchase of malt in this quantity. Upon transferring it into a double-bagged snap-lid bin for storage you can imagine my surprise to discover that the bag contained aside from the malt, a very dead and very dessicated sparrow (at least it appeared to be an English sparrow)! The question, of course, is - Is My Malt Ruined? - -- David mailto:david at colossus.apana.org.au mailto:david.fisher at asic.gov.au "Ich fuhle, Luft von anderen Planeten" Note: No Microsoft programs were used in the creation or distribution of this message. If you are using a Microsoft program to view this message, be forewarned that I am not responsible for any harm you may encounter as a result. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 16:48:52 -0500 From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu> Subject: The Return of the Native Graham <craftbrewer at telstra.easymail.com.au > returns from internal exile in the wilds of North Queensland: >and this unworthy comment > >>From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu> >>Subject: Low gravity session bitter >> >>Hope this inspires some other brewers to brew low alcohol brews. > >Jeff, such talk will make you croc bait quicker than me out the window > when SWMBO says "Honey, are you awake" Ah, Graham, you mistake the reason for tasty session bitters. It isn't less, it's more - you can drink more pints! 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 Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 13:32:56 +1100 From: "Matt and/or Hazel Tolley" <tolmh at tpg.com.au> Subject: Seven minute head (there go the mail filters), beef in beer, Brew It Up > From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu> <snip> > Over the space of the next several > minutes (would be 7 in Germany, but I wasn't timing it), he went back > and pulled more beer into the glass as the foam subsided. The last > pull left a cap of "whipped cream" foam extending about 2 inches above > the rim of the glass. Wow! I was just reading about this method in our "Culinaria - Germany" cookbook. The section on Dortmund (City of Beer, in Westphalia, Land of Beer...mmm, beer...) shows the local method for pulling a beer (the photos show a glass of Thier Pils). Order your next round well before you've finished what's in your hand, because as Spencer mentioned above, it'll be seven minutes of pull-wait-pull-wait-pull-wait before your next drink is ready. The series of photos shows the head becoming more and more dense - at the end, it looks like shaving cream. Here's a simple but very tasty recipe from the book for Niederbayerisches Bierfleisch (lower Bavarian beef in beer): 1.5 lbs / 750 g braising beef 2 tbps butter 6 oz / 150 g raw ham, in strips 2 onions diced 2 tbsp flour 2 cups / 500 ml dark beer salt and pepper 1 tsp dried marjoram 1 bayleaf 2 tbsp chopped parsley vinegar and sugar to season Wash beef, pat dry, cut into cubes. Melt butter in casserole dish, seal meat. Add ham and onions, brown briefly. Dust with flour, fry briefly, add beer. Season well with salt, pepper, marjoram. Add bayleaf, cover, simmer for 45 mins or until tender. Before serving, stir in half of parsley, season with vinegar and sugar for piquancy. Garnish with remaining parsley, serve in casserole (presumably, with more beer!) By the way - any Aussies catch last week's Landline? Had a great segment about 'Brew It Up' in California. What a setup! All the joys of brewing, fantastic equipment and ingredients, with none of the hassles :) Check out Landline's article online: http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s203710.htm Cheers ...Matt... Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 13:55:19 +1100 From: craftbrewer at telstra.easymail.com.au Subject: replies G'day All Well I'm up to date on the back issues, and before I bring you lot up to speed wih my own life, lets look at who said what >>>>>>From: "Brian Lundeen" <blundeen at rrc.mb.ca> OK, it's a straight category 5, but hey, now that it's cat-swinging season down under, and with Graham being kicked off his ISP for on-line luring of tourists out to his croc-infested billabong (you really didn't think we would buy that going out of business story, did you?), it's been pretty quiet around here.<<<<<<<<<<< Not any more mate IM BACK - worse luck for the rest of you. Brian's welcome anyday to come up for a swim. Fresh or salt water it doesn't matter. but you have to supply the 303 mate. Seems they're getting to plague levels and they want to bring back culling them. >>>From: "Stephen Taylor" <stephentaylor at one.net.au> Subject: thicker ginger beer but it allways seems just a tad too thin when compared to our local brew pubs Has any one an idea to thicken it besides reducing water or adding more kit. Steve Taylor, newcastle in oz<<<<<<< Well I cant speak personally about this one, but another southerner (a deprived chap called Scott Morgan) highly recommends some malt extract to replace some of the sugar to add some nice body. how much, well I think thats to personal taste - >>>>From: "Sean Richens" <srichens at sprint.ca> Subject: smarter than the average sysop? I wonder how many on this discussion group have their access limited by screening software at work? Of course, we could all come to an understanding to always spell beer "beir" and brewing "brawing", similarly for heps, yeest, molt, etc. That should work for about a year or so, no? Sean Richens<<<<<< Ah cr*p Sean, I'm going to have to rescue my book "Moral American for Beginners" out of the dunny. Seems those bast*rd filters are everywhere and spreading quicker than VD thru a college dorm. But I'm with you on this one. Its easy to say sh*t, be*r, *ss, etc. But like chloramines be warned people. I crack one almighty fir if "mate" is banned because it has sexual overtones. - >>>>>From: "Pannicke, Glen A." <glen_pannicke at merck.com> Subject: Keg cutting Rich wrote: >With Sabco http//:www.kegs.com selling Kegs with perfect tops and drains >professionally welded, >cleaned and polished for only $121 US. I see no reason to search down clean kegs, I also think it's a matter of pride. I can get a while RIMS or HERMS system with all the bells & whistles delivered to my home for something like $1500 - but I can't say that I made it. Hours on end of sweatin', cussin', spittin' and yes, sometimes bleedin' will give you that feeling of personal satifaction that can't be had any other way.<<<<<< I'm with you all the way on this one Glen. One thing I like about the hobby is it takes you well outside beer making, into wonderful areas like welding, electrics, microbiology etc. But one of the great joys is actually designing and building a system that meets your needs, not what someone else things you need. there is a great deal of satisfaction as you twig your sytem to how you operate. When I finish making a batch, there is satisfaction not only in yes thats a good brew, but also, 'yep the system i have knocked up works so well!!!!!!" There is another advantage to making it yourself. You seem to forgive minor glitches, like a clogged pipe, and swear much less than if its a commercial setup. You know, id its commercial its-"why the f***en hell did they put that bloody tap there." least when you put it there, its "now thats was silly of me to put it there" >>>>>>From: "Darrell G. Leavitt" <leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu> Subject: Question: Nitro and Head Retentioin Yesterday I tried a stout at a local brewpub, and it took FOREVER for the brew to settle down... I do understand that some folks like all of the "cascading" of bubbles...but to wait 10 minutes is very hard!<<<< Darrell, you either have a drinking problem or are not very organised. Us seasoned session drinkers always plan for this. It goes like this if I am to have a session on nitro stout. Into the pub, order a normal beer. When you get that immediately order a stout. Go away and drink you beer. Comeback in 10 minutes and get your stout. When halfway thur your glass order another. Its really quite easy, and after a while the barmaid (opps thats sexists) , no barperson (no that has the word son in it), ah I know the serving wretch will know your moments and be ready for you >>>>>From: Julio Canseco <jcanseco at arches.uga.edu> Subject: Yes, plastic again! Craft brewing, welcome one and all! Salud!<<<<<<< Now mate you have truely won me over. The more who join the craftbrewing label, the better the hobby will be. When you want to come to Nth QLD let me know, I'll give a free guide tour - nows thats an offer too good to refuse Now someone was concerned about his infected beer that he open fermented. I open ferment all my beers with exception (oh there is one I dont, my lambics) and dont have any infection probelms. True i avoid those little fruit flies bombarding my beer, and Rumpole no longer can lap up my cool beer. The trick is to enclose it in a clean sealed environment. And yes I know a sealed environment is a contradiction. My beer ferment in my fridge. With the door closed no fly problem, and the air is still enough that little can fall into you beer (no breezes). I do put a loose lid thou over the beer just to be safe. Shout Graham Sanders oh For those who don't know Rumpole is my trusted brewing companion. Every brew he is at my feet helping me. Yes he is a dog (german shepard) Look the archive up to see how helpful he has been in the past. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 22:25:05 -0500 From: "Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net> Subject: re: Will the true bladder fermenter please stand up. Dr. Pivo says ... > but using the stomach > of a cow is really quite superior, as it releases natural "renin"(a > proteolytic enzyme) from the tissue Rennin(chymosin) is produced by calves not cows. EC 3.4.23.4 is a NEONATAL gastric enzyme. >and obfuscates the need for a > protein rest.... Rennin is one of the most specific enzymes. It only acts on "Kappa-Casein + H2O (cleaves a single bond in kappa-casein between phenylalanine 105 and methionine 106)". In other word won't do squat for beer proteins unless you are making that milk lager again Pivo. Milch/malz - I guess you might get confused. >and I prefer a sirloin steak .... Confusing steak & veal too ? Where has your tongue been ? == Of course this does raise a cultural question. Just which unrecorded human first thought .... I'll take some milk and some stuff from a calves gut and mix it together, separate the coagulate, let it mould bacterially and age and call it cheese. Why do I suspect they were French ? I wonder what failed experiments occurred along the way toward a good blue cheese or emanthaler ? Was it the same guy who thought SE Asian fish bladders would do a beer good ? -S Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 22:50:45 EST From: RBoland at aol.com Subject: Jeff's low gravity session bitter Jeff has learned the wonder of English session beers that are low gravity but still quite flavorful. I suggest he tries a traditional mild next time, and serves it and his bitter on an engine for that real pub session feel. Watery? It's even more traditional. Cheers! While I've got the floor, get your entries in for the last MCAB III qualifying event, the St. Louis Brews Happy Holiday Homebrew Competition. Register online at www.stlbrews.org. Come join us for judging and a great party also! Bob Boland Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2000 00:08:20 -0700 From: Smith Asylum <smithly at neta.com> Subject: Suitable Plastic ??? Question for the gurus of brew: What plastic compound is suitable for diverter valves and fittings when transferring hot wort? PVC CPVC ABS I'm concerned with some of the reviews I've read concerning the outgassing of plastic fittings and the subsequent off-flavors that it gives the beer. Thanks, Lee Smith Chandler, AZ Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 23:32:06 -0800 From: "Don" <don at steinfillers.com> Subject: Re: Dry Hopping Bottles Jay Wirsig asks Has anybody tried adding a hop cone/flower to a bottle of bitter to get a dry hop flavour? What were the results? I have not used cone/flower but have used pellets for dry hop comparisons in several club projects. Pellets work better because they drop to the bottom. Cones tend to float. This (dry-hopping) is an excellent way of comparing different hop flavors with the same wort. Just brew a bland wort and use very little bittering hops, or if you want just add iso-alpha liquid for bittering (no flavor). Then at bottling time add a couple of pellets in each bottle, but be consistent if you want a fair comparison. It would be best to use a gram scale and weigh out from 1-2 grams per 22 oz bottle. Best to taste from 1-2 weeks after bottling - don't wait too long as the dry-hop flavor fades quickly. Oh, btw, leave one bottle as a control comparison- no hops. The results blew my mind, and previous belief that you can't get any bittering unless you boil. Don Van Valkenburg Stein Fillers Brewing Supply don at steinfillers.com www.steinfillers.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 14:33:29 +1100 From: Petr Otahal <potahal at utas.edu.au> Subject: First Mash Hi folks Just thought Id write a post about my first all grain batch this weekend. Having been reading the HBD for a fair while, so I was quietly confident about the whole process, but I did expect a few hick ups (not just from the beer that we were going to be drinking). Decided to do a batch big enough to split between two of us, plus its always better to share the brewing experience with someone (especially the milling of the malt). The big day was on Saturday, Rod (a mate from Fort Collins, Colorado) and I started grinding the malt around noon. A few other mates turned up out of interest to see the process in action (they're also brewers), and of course the esky was full brews. We managed to con everyone into having a go at the grinding cause it was a bit of pain (10kg (~22lbs) of malted grain in total), and the general consensus was that I had to motorise my mill (which is a home made roller mill with rollers that are 3 inches in diameter and about 6 inches in length, both rollers powered). In all it took us about 30 - 40 minutes of grinding to crush all the malt. We also started heating the mash water 28L (~7.4gal). Once it was up to about 70C (158F) dumped the grain in and started stirring. The temperature stabilised at about 64C (142F) so we added some bottom heat and kept mixing. Once we got the temperature to 65-66C (149-151F) we stopped mixing and let it sit. The mash had the consistency of porridge only slightly thinner. S'pose I should tell you the recipe, didn't really have any particularly style in mind just wanted something hoppy and malty, and not overly bitter. 6.5kg Franklin Malt 2kg Munich Malt 1kg Toasted Franklin (15min at 180C (~350F)) 500g Medium (120EBC) Crystal 60g NZ Hallertauer Aroma whole hops 8.9% AAU (60min) 56g Cascade Plugs 5.5%AAU (15min) 56g Cascade Plugs 5.5%AAU (5min) The mash lasted for about an hour and a half, mainly due to the fact that the sparge water took a long time to get hot. Test for starch was negative so we decided to start recirculating. Recirculated about 3L and it started to run clear. Gently poured this back in the top of the mash and begin running off into the kettle, mmm tasted very sweet at this stage. Watched the bed settle and then started the sparge. I was wary of sparging too fast so the ball valves weren't open very far, and consequently we ended up sparging about one and a half hours. The strange thing was that towards the end we started taking a few gravity readings and the gravity jumped from about 1.030 to 1.008 in the space of about 15 minutes. Stopped the sparge at this point and waited for the kettle to come to the boil. We waited and waited and finally it boiled but it wasn't a very vigorous boil (so next thing on my list is to get a high pressure regulator so my burner can pump out more heat). Didn't see much in the way of a hot break. Cooled with an immersion chiller while slowly (and carefully) stirring, then whirlpooled and allowed to settle. We ended up with about 44L (~11.5gal) at an sg. of 1.062. I tried doing some calculations and got a figure of around 90% effeciency. Is this right??? It seems a bit high for a first all grain batch??? Had a few problems getting the wort out of the kettle cause the manifold clogged up with hops toward the end, and in the end we ended up lifting and tipping the last few bits into the fermenter, trying not to let the hops in. Rod is fermenting his half with Wyeast 1762 (I think) and Im doing my half with 1007. The sg was a bit high for my liking so I diluted my half down to 1.054. In total the day finished at 8:15pm for a total of over 8 hours of brewing, we were absolutely buggered, so I decided to leave some of the cleaning for Sunday. Ill let you know how the beer turned out. Cheers Pete Thanks to those who replied on my stuck stout post. I have decided that it must be finished and also decided to beef up the roasted character with some coffee. Purchased the darkest roast I could find and brewed about 120g of ground beans. Filtered it a number of times to try to get as much oil out of it and will be adding it to my stout tonight at bottling time. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 23:58:39 EST From: WayneM38 at aol.com Subject: Yeast for British Mild? Been working through the recipes in Wheeler & Protz's "BYOBRA". Nice book. While they touch on yeast in the intro, they break down the available yeast into Northern and Southern types, with the later being available to homebrewers. I am sure that this puts my house ale yeast, Wyeast 1098, in the southern grouping. Can anyone share their experience with yeast selection for authentic British Milds? Thanks in advance Wayne Botanist Brewer Big Fun Brewing RIMS Site http://member.aol.com/bfbrewing/BigFunBrewing.htm Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 00:02:20 -0500 From: ensmingr at twcny.rr.com Subject: glass-ceramic stove top Greetings, I just got a new stove -- one of those snazzy looking glass-ceramic flat tops. The accompanying instructions say "sugar spills ... can cause pitting of the cook top surface unless the spill is removed while it is still hot," and then proceeds to suggest a procedure for removal of sugary spills that includes turing off all burners and allowing the burners to cool off. There is a warning: "do not continue to use the soiled cooking zone until all the spill has been removed". Since every time I brew, there is at least a little bit that splashes over during the mash or the wort boil (both sugary solutions), I'm concerned about damaging my new appliance. Obviously, I don't want to turn off the stove in the middle of a wort boil and wait for the surface to cool, just to clean up a small wort spill. Anyone have experience with these glass-ceramic stoves and brewing beer (or cooking jelly, fudge, candy, etc.)? TIA for your help. Cheerio! Peter A. Ensminger Syracuse, NY Return to table of contents
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