HOMEBREW Digest #581 Mon 18 February 1991

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


Contents:
  Rotten Egg Smell (ardent!uunet!inland.com!pals)
  Beer deterioration in Kegs (hersh)
  homebrew competition (lcarter)
  Homebrew (HERREN)
  Re:  Homebrew Digest #578 (February 08, 1991) (James P. Buchman)
  Distributor-type kegs (Douglas Allen Luce)
  Question : Final Gravity too High ? ("Warren R. Kiefer")
  Homebrew Digest #577 (February 06, 1991) ("Dan Schwarz")
  Wort Overnight (Martin A. Lodahl)
  mashing equipment (Jim Culbert )
  EKU-28 (541-7340)" <JEFFFT%SYBIL at rti.rti.org>
  re:re:EKU-28 (Stephan M. Koza)
  Double Diamond recipe (Brian Glendenning)
  stuck mead (Ed Falk)
  sourness (Geoffrey Sherwood)
  Cooling wort (fwd) (John Freeman)
  Cleaning Flow-Through Chillers (John Polstra)
  cornelius kegs (Duane Smith)
  pump for chiller (krweiss)
  Re: Brewing for Parties (John DeCarlo)
  Garlic beer recipe (James Dee)
  Re: Question : Final Gravity too High ? (Tony Plate)
  Bottle Size (Dave Darr)
  lagering conditions (Kenneth R. van Wyk)
  Brewing Supplies (Darren Evans-Young)
  Paulaner Oktoberfest and Salvator Recipes (Nik Subotic)
  Re: Homebrew Digest #580 (February 15, 1991) (SCHONOFS)
  Bruheat Experience (Don McDaniel)
  Cornelius (sp) kegs
  Stale, Flat, and Unprofitable ... (Martin A. Lodahl)
  Drum Tap Woes? (Martin A. Lodahl)
  Making green homebrew (Randy Tidd)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 8 Feb 91 09:57:48 CST From: hplabs!ardent!uunet!inland.com!pals Subject: Rotten Egg Smell Seth Eliot writes: >This is only the third batch that I've brewed, but this is a first for >this problem. >The beer has an odd "sulfurous" smell. I describe it as "sulfurous" >becuase of its similarity to the "rotten egg" sulfur compound smell. >(not nearly as strong or noxious though). >any ideas? In "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing", Papazian writes (page 109): "Occasionally homebrewers will experience a rotten egg aroma in their fermentation. This is not an unusual occurrence of fermentation. It is caused by certain strains of yeast that produce hydrogen sulfide that is, in turn, carried away by carbon dioxide. Changing your yeast will remedy the problem". As only a beginner myself, I can't add any information to the guru's statement! Randy Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 11:12:31 -0500 From: hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu Subject: Beer deterioration in Kegs 10-14 weeks!! You're just not drinking fast enough! Beer is a fresh product, and its flavor will change over time. I have been using 3 gallon kegs. I have been typically cold aging them 1-2 weeks to allow the beer to settle and brighten. This is similar to the lagering that German Ales undergo (as per Norm H's discussions from his trip to Germany). I then try to drink them in the next 3-4 weeks. I think that 10 weeks is the upper limit. I have noticed that even in this time frame the flavor changes. I doubt youhave an infection Steve, just a fresh living product susceptible to flavor changes. The one suggestion I would make is to perhaps change your yeast. What yeast do you use?? The type of yeast will effect how long the beer can survive. Even after chilling there will be yeast in the beer (unless you cold filter) and the properties of the yeast strain may have an effect. I've been using Whitbread Ale mostly of late. - jay H hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Badges, We ain't got no badges, we don't need no stinking badges...... Gaia Erda Anat Danu Kali Mawu (Earth is Our Mother - We Must Take Care of Her) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 11:37:51 +0800 From: lcarter at claven.idbsu.edu Subject: homebrew competition I would like to post the following homebrew competition notice and info. The Gem State Homebrew Competition April 21, 1991 Sponsored by the Ida-Quaffers Homebrew Club of Boise, Idaho Entry deadline March 29, 1991. 5 P.M. $5 first entry $3 for each additional entry. Make checks payable to Ida-Quaffers. Entry is 4 12 oz. bottles. The Gem State Homebrew Competition is AHA and HWBTA sanctioned. For entry forms or more information contact me at this forum, or at Loren Carter 3401 Tamarack Dr. Boise, Idaho 83703 (208) 342-4775(H) (208) 385-3473(W) Be sure to send me your mailing address as I have not figured how to copy and send a document this large via e-mail. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 14:43 EST From: HERREN%midd.cc.middlebury.edu at mitvma.mit.edu Subject: Homebrew Hi-don't know if this address is the listserver itself or just for more information. I'd like to be added to the list for homebrew in any case if there is a human on the other end of this. My stats: David Herren Academic Computing Middlebury College Middlebury, VT 05753 802-388-3711 x 5558 Internet: Herren at midd.cc.middlebury.edu Bitnet: Herren at midd Fidonet: David Herren, 1:325/201 (David.Herren at f201.n325.z1.fidonet.org) thanks. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 14:57:27 -0500 From: jpb at tesuji.dco.dec.com (James P. Buchman) Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #578 (February 08, 1991) > About seven years ago, when I lived in Southern California, I used to have > a beer at a German restaurant called EKU-28. It was about 13 or 14% > alcohol. I don't know if it even was technically a beer, but I liked it at > the time. (I don't know if I still would). I have tried to find it since > and meet with stares and blank expressions. . . . > > Am I mentally deranged, or is/was there such a thing as EKU-28. If so, is > it still made, or can it be approximated at home? > > Dan EKU-28 does exist, and is (IMHO) one of the vilest substances sold for human consumption. It is clear and reddish, and is similar in flavor to Thomas Hardy or Old Nick ale, but far harsher. I first tried it at Bertha's in Fells Point, Baltimore; and before long we were using Oatmeal Stout as a chaser. I've seen it in many of the better beer stores in the Baltimore/Washington area. Not sure how you would make it -- doesn't yeast die off at around 10% alcohol content? -- but it is probably similar to a barley wine. Like them, perhaps the flavor mellows with age. BTW, I'm getting ready to brew my second batch (a porter), am new to this digest, and am enjoying it immensely. Jim Buchman Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 21:12:40 -0500 (EST) From: Douglas Allen Luce <dl2p+ at andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: Distributor-type kegs I am considering brewing the beer for a party in March. I figured I'd whip up something fairly light to appease the masses. My limited experience to date (all of 6 months worth) has been restricted to bottled beer. I figure that for the volume this party might require, I should go keg. Money is my driving factor for this venture. Of the kegging discussions I've read in the digest, I've only come across obscure references to anything but soda cylinders. What I'm wondering is if a half-keg (the normal distributor-type 15 gallon barrels) can be employed as a dispensing vessel with any luck. I figure that I could get three of these on deposit, yank out the stuff in the neck, clean it out with some sort of solution, fill it full of the fermented beer, prime it, replace the stoppering setup, and let it carbonate naturally. Then I could use a hand pump (from the distributor) to dispense the beverage. Since getting the CO2/regulator/support is prohibitivly costly for me, this seems like my only (and best) alternative (other than buying the kegs full). I've no idea how to undo the lock on the keg, no idea how it should be cleaned, no idea if the carbonation can complete successfully in this vessel. I figure that there must be answers to these questions. Auxiliary considerations are aluminum/stainless steel. I figure I'd bite the bullet on the metallic taste aspect, and not worry about this alzheimers crubbage right now. And, since the consumption would be in a single day, I'm not worrying about oxidation due to the hand pump. Thanks in advance to anyone who would share their experience with me. Douglas Luce Carnegie Mellon Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 21:08:32 -0700 From: "Warren R. Kiefer" <oopwk%msu.dnet at TERRA.OSCS.MONTANA.EDU> Subject: Question : Final Gravity too High ? Is this going right ??? I'm not sure if I'm worrying too much or not, please help. I have a batch of brown ale (per Dave Miller's recipe) sitting quietly in the carboy as we speak(type !). Anyway, here is what's happening, I put this batch in the carboy on the 21st of Jan., the yeast I used was cultured from a Sierra Nevada bottle (several actually). The fermentation started out like normal, creamy white head on top of beer, bubbling every 4 seconds or so. After 3 days the airlock was no longer bubbling, so I assumed the fermentation was complete - -- WRONG. The gravity was still about 1029 after starting out at 1035, so I racked the beer into a second carboy at which point fermentation began in earnest once again (bubbling every 4 seconds or so). In fact, it's bubbling at an unbelievable rate, it's overflowed, the house is full and it's oozing out into the drive way. Anyway is this good for the grass?? (Just Kiddin) :*) Next after approx. 8 days it slowed down to 1 bubble/minute, so I racked into another carboy, checked gravity - THE PROBLEM - it's still at 1022, it has been sitting in this carboy for 2 days with no signs of any activity. Now my question is, could this be the final gravity or should I consider pitching some other type of yeast ?? The recipe is a variation of the brown ale in Dave Miller's book, I am a beginning brewer (just a few batches under the belt). 1 cup black patent 2 cups crystal 1 cup dextrin 1 lb. brown sugar 1 oz. fuggles 1/4 oz. cascade (finishing) 1 3.3lb can of John Bull light extract (unhopped) 1 lb. domestic light dry malt extract I made a batch identical to the above last time without the dextrin malt and used M & F yeast in it and the final gravity came out to 1005. So the only difference is the dextrin and the Sierra Nevada yeast. Could the dextrin malt change the final gravity by that much ?? By the way, my friends and I thought the last batch WAS outstanding. Sincerely, Low on homebrew and possibly thinking about worrying !! Warren R. Kiefer All opinions are mine alone !! Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 23:45:53 est From: "Dan Schwarz" <dan at chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> Subject: Homebrew Digest #577 (February 06, 1991) please remove me from the homebrew list. Thanks! _Dan Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 10:34:09 PST From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at decwrl.dec.com> Subject: Wort Overnight In HOMEBREW Digest #578, tim "Where's My Shift Key?" wicinski asked: > .... i usually leave my batches sit overnite with a closed lid since > i usually have one too many homebrews while making it and get lazy. > anyone see problems with this (i haven't)? Neither have I, but I've gotten the most alarming reactions when I describe this approach. After the boil, I chill the wort down as much as I reasonably can, first by running tap water through my immersion chiller, then switching to recirculating ice water. Usually I get down to the low 40's to mid 30's Farenheit, depending on ambient air temperature and the volume of ice, in about an hour. I then strain this icy wort through my (sanitized) lauter tun to separate it from the hops, and leave it overnight in a capped carboy. By morning the break material has neatly sedimented out, and the wort has warmed up to a reasonable pitching temperature, so I dump my yeast culture into the fermentor, and rack the trub-free wort in on top of it. Works great. The usual stated objection to this is infection. I'm not all that concerned. Any critters landing in the wort during the hops straining operation (the only real opportunity) would be rendered comatose by the cold. Unless I let the wort sit all day, it's unlikely they could recover in time to gain an advantage over the yeast. As a practical matter, they never have yet. The key is getting the wort cold enough, fast enough. = Martin A. Lodahl Pac*Bell Minicomputer Tactical Planning/Support = = malodah at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM Sacramento, CA 916.972.4821 = = If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, = = Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) = Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 09:06:38+050 From: Jim Culbert <culbert at m43> Subject: mashing equipment I saw the discussions about finding a burner big enough to boil large quantities of liquid last week. Saw some info last weekend that I just remembered. Service Merchandice has on sale (as we speak) a 135,000 btu propane setup. The burner was about $50.00 and used a standard gas grill tank & fitting setup. The tank was about $19.00. These prices may be off a bit but the whole thing was pretty cheap I recall. Second I have been playing with a way to control temperature of small mashes that I have been using in partial mash recipes (getting my feet wet for the real thing :-)). I have an old electric frypan which has a thermostat to control the pan temperature. I fill the pan with water and set my mash kettle in it. I then set the thermostat to the "desired" temperature and sit back and watch. Notes, 1) The thermostat is pretty crude on these things so I had to play around to find the settings which achieved the desired mash temperatures. When I found them I re-marked the dial on the thermostat. 2) I'd achieve even better control if I wrapped insulation around my mash bucket. I've only done this for small mashes (2.5 - 3.0 gallons) but have had good results. I'm so glad I didn't throw it out when I tossed the Ginsu knives and the Salad Shooter. -Jim =========================================================================== > Jim Culbert < > M.I.T Intelligent Engineering Systems Laboratory < > Room 1-270 < > Cambridge, Ma. 02139. < > < > e-mail: culbert at iesl.mit.edu => 18.58.0.76 < =========================================================================== * When cows laugh does milk come out their nose? * =========================================================================== Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 09:47:56 EST From: "Jeff McCartney (541-7340)" <JEFFFT%SYBIL at rti.rti.org> Subject: EKU-28 In response to the EKU-28 mail messages I read last week, allow me to quote from Fred Eckhardt's "The Essentials of Beer Style": "The high alcohol content [of dopelbocks] lends a 'barleywine' flavor to some, and indeed doppelbocks do fit the barleywine profiles, except they are bottom fermentd. ... [Eisbocks] are extra-strong doppelbocks created by freezing the beer ("ice-bock"), and removing some of the water in the form of ice. This has the result of concentrating the beer, making it much stronger, and sweeter-tasting on the palate." He includes EKU 28 in this category and provides a profile of EKU 28 as having 9.3-9.4% alc/wt (i.e., 11.6-11.8% alc/vol) with hop ibu levels of 26-29.5. EKU 28 gets its name from the fact that the original gravity expressed in Plato units is between 27.5 and 28.8. Indeed, as someone else responded, it is available at many Washington D.C. area Safeway food stores and liquor stores. I haven't had it in ten years but I certainly remember thinking the taste wasn't good enough to want me to have it again. Plus the price has been jacked up to about $12.00 a six-pack! Still, next time I'm up there, I'll buy a bottle. I'd rather spend that kink of money on something that tastes good like any Samuel Smith's product. As an aside, if one must try EKU 28, then one must try Samiclaus. In the DC area, Samiclaus used to be available at Safeways and many liquor stores. But this year it was harder to find with the response of many liquor store owners saying "it doesn't taste good, it doesn't sell well, and it costs a lot". And for the last two years, they discontinued brewing their "pale" and now only offer "dark". The good news is the stuff ain't bad after keeping it around for a year or two! Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 1991 12:31:35 EST From: S_KOZA1 at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Stephan M. Koza) Subject: re:re:EKU-28 Hi All, According to Ekhardt's "The Essentials of Beer Style" EKU-28 is listed as an EISBOCK, these are "distilled" using a freeze-thaw method to increase octane. It is illegal to do this 8-) and the FBI could come calling. Stephan Koza Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 22:36:10 -0500 From: bglenden at NRAO.EDU (Brian Glendenning) Subject: Double Diamond recipe In the last issue Chris Hudson asks for a recipe for an Ale like Double Diamond. I have tried to make DD three times now - this recipe came reasonably close: 9# Pale ale malt 1# crystal malt 3/4# Brown sugar 1/2# malto-dextrins (presumably ~3/4# cara pils would do the same) 2 Oz Williamette (60m) 1/2 Oz (steep) (AAU's unknown, but DD isn't a bitter beer!) Infusion mash at ~156F Whitbred dry yeast IG=51 FG=10 (my sparge wasn't too efficient then) 1/4# lactose at kegging My notes say that it was close in flavour but a bit light in both colour and body compared to the real thing. Brian Brian Glendenning - National Radio Astronomy Observatory bglenden at nrao.edu bglenden at nrao.bitnet (804) 296-0286 Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 22:21:52 PST From: falk at Eng.Sun.COM (Ed Falk) Subject: stuck mead I started a batch of mead last December, and it's stuck. I'm presuming that the cold weather (I live in the mountains, without much heat) made the yeast go dormant. I have three choices: (1) leave it alone and see if it starts up again when the weather gets warm; (2) re-pitch it. (3) throw it out. Any opinions from the more experienced mead-makers? How long should I wait before taking action? ADVthanxANCE -ed falk Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 07:37:34 PST From: sherwood at adobe.com (Geoffrey Sherwood) Subject: sourness It never occurred to me, but I think I have a keg-sourness story as well. My wife is very enamoured of cider and I have attempted to make several batches. My first attempt (many, many moons ago when I was still in school) worked beautifully, using 5 gallons of fresh-pressed Macintosh apple cider, various spices (cinnamon and nutmeg, I think), 1/2 cup Jack Daniels (mixed with the spices to extract their oils), 3 lb corn sugar, and pasteur champagne yeast. This I bottled. It was so-so for the first two months, then got *lots* better. I was quite pleased with the result. So, when she asks, I say sure -- cider is easy! Sure it is. I tried three batches in Miami, ambient temp 80F. The yeasty concoction tasted *horrible* even after several months bottle aging. Fine -- probably fermented to warm so the yeast taste predominated. After moving to the SF bay area I tried again, this time using the Ironmaster cider concentrate and fermenting at 60 degrees. I didn't understand about campden tablets, so I screwed up the first batch (I put the air lock on after adding them). The next batch I covered with a towel for the first 24 hours to allow the SO2 to escape. The batch took about a month to ferment. At the end of it, I tasted the result: a bit bland, but no off flavors! I keg it, priming it like I do my beers. After a month I chill it and taste it -- it is starting to get a real sour taste. Not a pleasant sour taste, but a rotten one. After a month in the refrigerator (maybe cold aging would help the taste???) the sour taste got so bad I could see there was no help for the result and poured it down the drain. After the posting of a couple of days ago, I have inspiration: maybe just storing in the keg is the problem. I still have a dozen cases of bottles from my bottling days, so I will give bottling a try. Has anyone out there seen similar results from cider? geoff sherwood Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 10:57:14 CST From: jlf at poplar.cray.com (John Freeman) Subject: Cooling wort (fwd) > Neither have I, but I've gotten the most alarming reactions when I > describe this approach. After the boil, I chill the wort down as much > as I reasonably can, first by running tap water through my immersion > chiller, then switching to recirculating ice water. Usually I get > down to the low 40's to mid 30's Farenheit, depending on ambient air > temperature and the volume of ice, in about an hour. I then strain > this icy wort through my (sanitized) lauter tun to separate it from > the hops, and leave it overnight in a capped carboy. By morning the > break material has neatly sedimented out, and the wort has warmed up > to a reasonable pitching temperature, so I dump my yeast culture > into the fermentor, and rack the trub-free wort in on top of it. > Works great. After cooling the wort to the 40F range, you could warm it back up to pitching temperature by running hot water through your immersion "chiller". Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 08:56:23 PST From: polstra!jdp at uunet.UU.NET (John Polstra) Subject: Cleaning Flow-Through Chillers In HBD #580, zentner at ecn.purdue.edu (Mike Zentner) asked about cleaning and sanitizing a tubing-in-the-garden-hose flow-through wort chiller. I have this kind of chiller. All I do to keep it clean is to run a couple of gallons of boiling water through it before and after each use. Do this with the chilling water turned *off*, obviously, so that the entire length of tubing gets good and hot. I also knew a guy who cleaned his chiller with some electric dishwasher detergent (Electra-sol, or whatever) in hot water. "Poor man's caustic," I think he called it. I'd probably try that before using bleach on copper. But, I think that if you rinse with boiling water *promptly* after each use, that will be all that's needed. John Polstra polstra!jdp at uunet.uu.net Polstra & Co., Inc. ...!uunet!polstra!jdp Seattle, Washington USA (206) 932-6482 "Self-knowledge is always bad news." -- John Barth Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 11:36:35 PST From: hplabs!ardent!uunet!tc.fluke.COM!gamebird (Duane Smith) Subject: cornelius kegs Is there any tricks to replacing the input and output valve assemblies on the kegs? One of mine has developed a leak and I bought new parts from Foxx to replace the leaker after the keg goes dry. Do you use pipe thread tape on the treads to prevent leakage. I'm also assuming (no flames please) that you can use a stan- dard size wrench to remove these. Any insights would be helpful, thanks--Duane Smith Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 11:07:54 -0800 From: krweiss at ucdavis.edu Subject: pump for chiller Clay Phipps asks about a suitable aquarium pump to drive an immersion wort chiller. I don't have a wort chiller, but I do have a marine aquarium. My main filter is driven by a Project RS-500 pump. This delivers 500 gallons per hour at a 4 foot head. That translates into a really amazing mess when you start the pump while the outlet hose is resting on top of the tank instead of inside the tank. The pump cost around $60.00. It's fully submersible, and has a large prefilter to keep crud and bits of ice from getting into the impeller blades. It should be perfect for a chiller -- just fill a 5 gallon tub with water and ice, stick the pump in the bottom, plug it in and let 'er rip. If you don't need 500 gph flow rates, you can get by with what fish people call a powerhead. This is a very small submersible pump, usually offering a flow rate from 60-150 gph. Powerheads cost from $15-$35. Get a magazine called Freshwater and Marine Aquaria and check the mail order ads in the back for the best prices on this stuff. Ken Weiss krweiss at ucdavis.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thursday, 14 Feb 1991 14:28:51 EST From: m14051 at mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo) Subject: Re: Brewing for Parties >From: Douglas Allen Luce <dl2p+ at andrew.cmu.edu> > >I am considering brewing the beer for a party in March. I >figured I'd whip up something fairly light to appease the >masses. > >My limited experience to date (all of 6 months worth) has been >restricted to bottled beer. I figure that for the volume this >party might require, I should go keg. I have not done any kegging, so I cannot comment on that. However, I *have* brought beer to parties. Personally, I would bottle the beer in the 2 liter soda bottles (save some from some other party, rinse them out, then sanitize with a bleach solution). For a 5 gallon batch, this works out to be around 10 or so, not unreasonable for bringing somewhere, and really very little work at bottling time. I am not so sure about keeping beer in those plastic containers for long periods of time, but for a short while before a party they are perfect, IMHO. Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org Usenet: at ... at !uunet!hadron!blkcat!109!131!John_Decarlo Fidonet: 1:109/131 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 1991 14:42:22 EST From: "44636::DEE" at e814b.phy.bnl.gov (James Dee) Subject: Garlic beer recipe > In response to Jimmy Dee's request for info on garlic beers, I brewed the > following recipe last year. > > . . . > > Good luck, > Louis Clark Thanks a lot for the recipe. I'm looking forward to trying it. >> In Papazian's "Complete Joy of Homebrewing," he mentions some garlic beer his >> friends brewed. >> > I have tasted this EXACT garlic beer, brewed by the same people... > I could get their recipe and post it here if you're really interested. > > Charles Morford (Speaker-to Bankers) That would be great. I would be interested in trying it. Thanks a lot. --JD Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 1991 16:07:00 -0500 From: Tony Plate <tap at ai.toronto.edu> Subject: Re: Question : Final Gravity too High ? I have had a similar problem with my last couple of batches. In the most recent one I used a yeast starter cultured from a bottle of Chimay. The recipe was a partial mash for 5 gallons: 7 lb Pale Malt Extract (20% rice malt, I think) 2 lb Munich 1 lb 2-row pale 3 oz Crystal 1.5 oz Black Patent 8oz "Brew Body" .75 lb Honey .75 lb Demerara sugar 2oz Goldings 2oz Hallertau I mashed at around 150F for 1 hour, sparged with 160F water, then boiled for an hour. I topped up with cold (pre-boiled) water to 5g and pitched the yeast at 75F. The yeast took a while to catch, but after a few days it was very active, with a thick layer of brown stuff on top in the primary. OG 1064 at 67F Day 5 1050 at 64F Day 7 1032 at 63F Strong fermentation Day 11 1022 at 65F Fermentation seemed completely finised - no bubbles, no froth left on top. Racked to secondary, fermentation seemed to start again Day 15 1020 at 64F I am at day 22 now, and the fermentation is still going on in the secondary, but very slowly. It tastes and smells good. I checked my hydrometer - it reads 1000 in water at 60F. Anyone get any suggestions on why the fermentation stopped early? Might it have anything to do with the rice malt in the extract? - I've used this in my last two batches. My plastic primary has some visible scratches, could nasties be getting in there and causing the fermentation to end prematurely? If I bottle it at 1020, should I add any priming sugar? Tony Plate Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 14:40:48 MDT From: dave at cgdra.cgd.ucar.EDU (Dave Darr) Subject: Bottle Size I recently had an experience with homebrew that I have never seen addressed anywhere before. Last week (2/6) I bottled a batch of bitter ale (5 gallons). Normally I bottle entirely in 25 ounce bottles for convenience. However, this time, because I like to sample early and sample often as the beer conditions, I put up a few 12 ounce bottles. In any case, I sampled one of the 12 ounce bottles on 2/11 (5 days after bottling) and found it to be the best homebrew I had ever experienced. I was, needless to say, delighted! I then sampled another bottle last night (2/13) along with two friends (with whom I wanted to share this glorious experience), so I opened a 25 ounce bottle and it was mediocre to poor... barely any head and just not sufficiently conditioned basically and a rough around the edges feel. My question is, can bottle size effect the end result of conditioning? Can it effect how fast it takes beer to condition? Or, was this most likely a mere statistical fluctuation. -David Darr darr at ncar.ucar.edu - -- Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 18:22:18 EST From: ken at oldale.pgh.pa.us (Kenneth R. van Wyk) Subject: lagering conditions I've made quite a few lagers now with the help of my Hunter AC thermostat, and one question continues to haunt me. Why do my primaries take so long to complete? As an example, I brewed my latest lager (named Auld Lang Stein) on New Year's Eve using 8 lbs Klages and .5 lbs dextrin malt step mashed at 135F (15 minutes) and then 155F (60 minutes) for a rather dextrin-rich wort. I'm using Wyeast Bavarian Lager yeast (can't recall the number) that's been started in a 1 pint bottle and always has a good krausen going before being pitched. After cooling the wort, I filter out the hops and pour it into the primary carboy (with a 1" OD plastic hose blow-by). The pouring is done by a siphon hose, but with the hose end suspended well above the wort; I'm quite sure that the wort is getting properly aerated (but please correct me if I'm wrong). Finally, I pitch at about room temperature and let the primary start rockin-n-rollin before putting the carboy in the fridge, which is at 52-54F. Still, my primaries take about a 4-5 weeks! The beer tastes (IMHO) super - silky smooth lagers that I'm extremely happy with. But, at 1 month+ per primary (and about 3-4 weeks of secondary), I'm very limited in the amount that I can brew. I'm not worrying, honest I'm not. I'd simply like to brew more lagers and I'd really rather not buy yet another refrigerator. :-) If anyone has any ideas and/or suggestions as to why this is happening, please (!) let me know. Ken P.S. To the guy who asked about using a sawed-off keg for a boiling kettle, look for Annheuser-Busch (Budweiser) kegs. I realize that you're from Canada, but surely this bud-crud gets imported there?! P.P.S. To the guy who successfully cultured Sierra Nevada yeast on the East Coast - be careful! I tried the same thing a while back and ended up with something that can best be described as EVIL. Perhaps it was in my method, but the culture had a great krausen going and certainly looked and performed like a healthy culture. Make sure that the culture smells and looks great before pitching it into a batch of beer. Don't count your yeasties before they're batched. (Sorry, incorrigible punster...) - -- Kenneth R. van Wyk ken at oldale.pgh.pa.us (home) krvw at cert.sei.cmu.edu (work) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 19:38:44 CST From: Darren Evans-Young <DARREN at UA1VM.ua.edu> Subject: Brewing Supplies I'm looking for some good mail order places for brewing supplies. I'm in Tuscaloosa, AL. Any good places in FL (or closer)? I'd like to keep shipping charges down. Darren Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 91 08:54:28 EST From: Nik Subotic <subotic at osl380a.erim.org> Subject: Paulaner Oktoberfest and Salvator Recipes One of my favorite commercial breweries is the Paulaner brewery. I would like to recreate some of their famous beers. Specifically, the Oktoberfest and Salvator beers. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find a recipe which approximates these beers. Does anyone have a recipe (or reference) for these? Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Nik Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 91 17:23:31 EST From: SCHONOFS <SCHONOFS%SLOAN.BITNET at mitvma.mit.edu> Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #580 (February 15, 1991) sorry to say that you should probably eliminate me from this very informative newsletter. My ID is being eliminated as I am leaving this institution. thanks, Stann chonofsky Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 91 17:07:42 -0700 From: dinsdale at chtm.unm.edu (Don McDaniel) Subject: Bruheat Experience I'm going to stir up some controversy. I'm seriously considering a Bruheat system for both mashing and boiling. I just called a mailorder house for info and was told that they don't carry the product because it scorches the grains. He felt there was no way to get good results from it. He suggested I talk to someone who has one. So all of you who have one... what do you think of it? Do you avoid scorching by stirring or have you not seen a problem? I'd also be interested in what kinds of beer you brew. Naturally Porters and Stouts would be less revealing of such a problem than say, Pilsners. Assuming that mashing can be accomplished successfully, how does it boil? How long does it take to get to a boil after sparging? The guy I spoke with said they're ok for boiling but not sparging. I'm not interested in paying for a thermostatically controlled heater just to boil. I'm eager to start all-grain brewing and the idea of automating part of the process is appealing. E-mail or post as you see fit. Don McDaniel dinsdale at chtm.unm.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Sat Feb 16 13:22:53 1991 From: "David E. Husk" <deh7g at newton.acc.virginia.edu> Subject: Cornelius (sp) kegs A while ago there was mention of a exchange program that the cornelius (sp) keg people had for their lids. Does anyone still have the phone number/info? What exactly is being fixed? How can one tell if the lids need to be replaced? I just acquired 3 of the beasties? Husk at virginia.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 10:58:30 PST From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at decwrl.dec.com> Subject: Stale, Flat, and Unprofitable ... HOMEBREW Digest #580 was a WHOPPER! In it, Dug Johnson & friend have chilled new brew, and later found it flat. He asks: > Should we be able to remove the bottles from the frig and save the homebrew or > is it flat for life? Probably recoverable. The area I have for beer storage gets cold in the winter, often colder than the inside of my refrigerator, but carbonation always develops, eventually. I've had it take as long as 4 weeks before a batch could really be said to be carbonated, but it's never failed me altogether. = Martin A. Lodahl Pacific*Bell Staff Analyst = = malodah at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM Sacramento, CA 916.972.4821 = = If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, = = Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) = Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 11:12:03 PST From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at decwrl.dec.com> Subject: Drum Tap Woes? In HOMEBREW Digest #580, Ted ... > ... received a 10 liter EDME brewkeg that has tap problems. The valve > (attached to a threaded cam) does not lift properly when the knob is > twisted. Anyone have any hints? I sent this tap back to the CELLAR > in Seattle and they put it back together but the same thing happens. I've never seen the EDME keg so I'm guessing here, but from your description, the tap sounds to me like the British-made "drum tap". This is an excellent tap, and I use one on my lauter tun, but it does have this one annoying habit. The actual closure is effected by a thick synthetic rubber cap that fits over the end of the valve stem. On mine, that cap came loose after about a year of use, and at inopportune moments would close by itself. Sometimes I could force it back into place with a dowel, and sometimes it was necessary to empty the tun by some other means. A real drag. I finally disassembled the tap by forcing aside the turn-stop rib and turning out the stem. If anyone knows a better way to do this, I'd love to hear it. To keep the cap in place, I used a drop of cement, and reassembled. No trouble since. = Martin A. Lodahl Pacific*Bell Staff Analyst = = malodah at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM Sacramento, CA 916.972.4821 = = If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, = = Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) = Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 91 22:57:51 EST From: rtidd at ccels3.mitre.org (Randy Tidd) Subject: Making green homebrew My brother's birthday is on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day), and I was going to make him a batch of homebrew to help him celebrate. My fiendish imagination got the best of me, and I decided I want to shock him with a batch of green beer. Any ideas on making one? I was going to add some green food coloring at priming time... would it stay in solution or sediment out? Do yeast like green food coloring? What is *in* green food coloring, anyway? Well thanks for any tips. Happy brewing! Randy Tidd rtidd at mwunix.mitre.org Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #581, 02/18/91 ************************************* -------
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