HOMEBREW Digest #927 Sun 19 July 1992

Digest #926 Digest #928


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


Contents:
  Re: Wheat Beers (Jon Binkley)
  Sparge & Decoction (Carlo Milono)
  Vinegar making (Aaron Birenboim)
  heavy metal ipa (dave ballard)
  brewing bavarian wheat beer (Tony Babinec)
  Yeast culture idea & Mailing club (Scott James.)
  Gelatin Questions (916)351-5514" <JMYERS at T1ACC1.intel.com>
  Watermellon brew... (Dave Beedle)
  Sam Adams' attitude (korz)
  Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  Temperature Controls (KIERAN O'CONNOR)
  Making Mead . . . (Sam Israelit)
  "Canada Dry" ginger ale  (eurquhar)
  food grade silicon caulk  (John L. Isenhour)
  Sam Adams Cream Stout & Tours (aew)
  Some AHA News (Jeff Frane)
  Hunter Airstat (David Pike)
  RI/CT/Dallas brewpubs (JKL)
  San Diego Hombrew Club (Mark Simpson)
  Re: Acidified Sparge H2O (Mark N. Davis)
  Beer yeast and dogs (Lynn Gold)
  The MALTMILL Winner and Digest Contents (Edward C. Bronson)
  food grade sealant (John Isenhour)
  Re: mashing oats (HBD 924) (Andy Phillips)
  book review - Norwegian brewing ("Dennis R. Sherman")
  Dave Miller's new book... (whg)
  Brew a Belgian Ale This Summer (Bill Slack)
  Re:  Homebrew Digest #923 (July 15, 1992) (Michael Tighe)
   (Keith Winter)
  Re: Wyeast Bavarian & raspberry beer (Jeff Benjamin)
  Colorado Brewer's Festival/dog yeast (ma848295)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Jul 92 21:49:01 -0600 From: Jon Binkley <binkley at beagle.Colorado.EDU> Subject: Re: Wheat Beers johnf at persoft.com (John Freeborg) writes: >With summer in full swing I plan to do a wheat beer. I picked up the special >Wyeast wheat beer yeast, but have yet to get the wheat malt. From reading >in Miller's book it says for a wheat beer that you must use 6-row malt in the >mash with the wheat. The reasoning is that the wheat has no enzymes to break >down the sugars, and 6-row has a ton of enzymes (compared to 2-row anyways). Wheat malt has plenty of enzymes. The potential problem is that wheat is more glutanous, and has less husk material, so may end up sticking up your sparge. Using 6-row might help alleviate this because the larger amount of husks would break up the grain bed. >What is the hbd consensus? Any great wheat recipes people swear by? I've never had any trouble with stuck sparges, or with extract effeciency, and I don't use 6-row. I've used 5:5 wheat:British 2-row, and 6:4 wheat:Munich malt, and both methods ran smooth as silk. I should point out that I use a picnic cooler lauter tun. The design of this helps to avoid stuck sparges, in that the liquor flows up through the bottom of the copper tubing- the grain bed is not sitting right on the drainage holes. A standard lauter tun might be more of a problem with wheat malt. One tip- whatever malt you decide to use, do a protein rest! >What do other people think of the Wyeast wheat beer yeast? I think it's great. Jon Binkley Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 92 20:51:20 PDT From: cmilono at netcom.com (Carlo Milono) Subject: Sparge & Decoction Dear Netland! I have about fifty batches under my belt, and the last twenty or so have been all-grain. I have four decoction/all-grain batches that have been exquisite! I am curious about something though, that has just now crossed my mind: in decoction, you literally BOIL your grains, and in doing a 'tasteless' American Lager knock-off, I used half 6row and half 2row pale lager malt; it has been said that the 6row has thicker husks and will provide better filtering at the grain-bed, but that the tannins can be bothersome. Also mentioned, is that your sparge water should not be too hot or else you will extract tannins, yes? Well, the recipe calls for 6row (high tannin) grain, and decoction which boils the grain - sounds like I'll be chewing on a tea-bag, eh? In actuality, all the decoction recipes have been marvelous - a Bohemian Pilsner (Urquell Clone), a Michelob/Weinharts clone, a Maerzen, and a Bock - no bitterness associated with tannins, no chill haze...please explain! I use a triple decoction - classic Noonan - with Dough-in, Acid Rest, Protein Rest, Starch Conversion, and the final mash-out. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 08:01:37 MDT From: abirenbo at rigel.hac.com (Aaron Birenboim) Subject: Vinegar making Has anybody out there made vinegar? My bottle of mother of vinegar seems to indicate that this bacteria is aerobic, and should be fermented with a cotton gauze "lock" which will allow O2 to diffuse. Is this a good idea? Also... I have some X-mas ale around... and I bet that it would make EXCELLENT vinegar. Only one problem.... lots O hops. Will the hops kill the acetobacter? (they are a preservative ya know) How much alchahol can acetobacter tolerate? The bottle says to dilute wine 2:1.... but what strength wine??? I have pitched some into 2 meads, one of about 6% alchahol (vol) and the other at about 8% ish... but its hard to tell since i fermented fruit pulp, and couled not get an O.G. Will the vinegar be strong enough with 4% alchahol? If you figure most wine is about 12%, dilute 2:1 you get 4%. thanks for any pointers (or maltmills) you can give me, aaron Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Jul 1992 10:24 EDT From: dab at blitzen.cc.bellcore.com (dave ballard) Subject: heavy metal ipa hey now- a couple of months ago i did an ipa from the zymugy extract special issue. it didn't come out much like an ipa, in fact it tastes remarkably like pete's wicked ale. anyway, its been bottled for about 4 weeks now. the taste started off really nice, although the oak was a little overpowering. that has mellowed a great deal, but now i'm getting a mettalic taste that's getting stronger with every bottle i open. i don't have miller's book and i couldn't find my alternative beverages troubleshooting guide/catalog, so i don't know what would cause this to happen. can someone fill me in? thanks dab ========================================================================= dave ballard "Reach out your hand if your cup be empty, dab at blitzen.cc.bellcore.com if your cup is full may it be again" ========================================================================= Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 9:11:33 CDT From: tony at spss.com (Tony Babinec) Subject: brewing bavarian wheat beer Wheat malt has a higher protein content than does barley malt. You might employ wheat malt and barley malt in roughly equal amounts. You are looking for the enzymes in the barley malt to help degrade the proteins in the wheat malt. For this reason, when mashing, an initial protein rest is advised. If the usual protein rest is roughly 30 minutes, you might conduct a protein rest for 45 minutes at 122 degrees F before boosting the mash to a starch conversion temperature of 153/5 degrees F. Wheat malt is also huskless, while barley malt has husks. When properly cracked, the barley malt husks form the grain bed for lautering. Recipes advise using 6-row U.S. barley because of its higher enzymatic content, but I'd bet 2-row would do fine. The Wyeast "Bavarian wheat" is--to my knowledge--the only commercial source for saccromyces delbruckii, the signature yeast for bavarian wheat beers, and even then, it is blended with an ale yeast. This yeast works fine, so use it. Some homebrewers use dry ale yeasts that are known to be phenolic, but why risk your batch of beer? The Bavarian wheat yeast produces the wheat beer flavor. There have been threads on HBD talking about the presence or absence of a phenolic/clove flavor in the beer when this yeast is used. Byron Burch's article in the Yeast Zymurgy said that the clove character might emerge with age, say, 4 months in the bottle. As a homebrewer, one other way you might influence the flavor character of the beer is by manipulating the fermentation temperature, so instead of fermenting at cellar temperature, you might ferment in the low 70s. This should promote esters, which will give certain "fruit" flavors to the beer, such as banana. As for a recipe, try this: 4.5 pounds pale barley malt 4.5 pounds wheat malt 0.5 pounds cara-pils malt 4 AAUs Hallertauer or other German hop for bittering optionally, lightly hop with finishing hop, such as 1/4-1/2 ounce Cascades in last 10 minutes of boil Wyeast Bavarian Wheat yeast Target starting gravity is in the range of 1.050-1.055, so adjust the above grain bill. For a dunkelweizen, substitute a couple pounds of Munich malt for some of the pale malt, and substitute crystal malt for the cara-pils. Cracking the wheat malt correctly takes some practice. I set the Corona mill more finely than for barley malt. The idea is not to pulverize the wheat malt, but to crack it well. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 10:06:03 MDT From: scojam at scojam.Auto-trol.COM (Scott James.) Subject: Yeast culture idea & Mailing club I've got two ideas to run past HBD'ers: 1) Anybody ever hear of or tried to culture yeast in Tofu as a growing medium? Tofu is basically compressed soy bean curds and is high in protein (My Dad used to use it all the time in gourmet cooking, and pizza...) You can get it at most grocery stores, usually a pound for a couple dollars. A lot cheeper than agar, maybe it would work? 2) I think this was discussed before, if so please forgive... Does anyone know what the legal ramifications/contraints are for mailing bottles of brew through US snail mail? This could be a wonderful opportunity for people to share not only ideas and techniques, but also the brew itself. I would think it also "sticks in peoples' minds" when they have a taste to match with what they're reading... Just thinking... - --=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-- Scott James (N0LHX) scojam at Auto-Trol.COM Auto-Trol Technology Tools Group - --=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-- Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 09:24:00 PDT From: "JOHN MYERS, INTEL FM3-35, (916)351-5514" <JMYERS at T1ACC1.intel.com> Subject: Gelatin Questions What is the correct way to add gelatin. I've read/heard many different versions. 1) Add gelatin to cold water and bring to a boil for 5 min. 2) Boil water first, cool, add gelatin and warm to disolve. 3) Boil water first, remove from heat add gelatin. Does boiling gelatin render its clearing properties ineffective? Do you risk infection by adding to pre-boiled water (is it clean stuff)? Please, I'd like facts/data/references so I will never need to worry again. John Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 8:52:50 CDT From: dbeedle at rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Dave Beedle) Subject: Watermellon brew... It's getting close! 100? ;-) Anyway, about watermelon brew that someone asked about... A guy in our local brewclub made one. I'm not sure about the exact details but he basically made a very pale ale and added a 20 lb (I think I remember that right) water melon to the secondary. He used rind and all. The beer is great! He thinks that the next time around he will not use the rind as he thinks it gives a slightly bitter flavor, and more melon. He used very little by way of hops if any. If I see him soon I'll ask for the recipe. This same fellow likes to experiment with odd brews. HE has a friend who works in a candy factory who get industrial strength flavorings. A couple of these are oil based but the others are not. They work well in flavoring brews. TTFN - -- Dave Beedle Office of Academic Computing Illinois State University Internet: dbeedle at rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu 136A Julian Hall "Relax! Don't worry! Have Homebrew!" Normal, IL 61761 Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:45 CDT From: korz at ihpubj.att.com Subject: Sam Adams' attitude Michael writes: >Boston Brewing Co. is definitely a brewery with an attitude. They are >decidedly snooty about beer, and about their beer in particular. And then later goes on to say: >I must admit that, even though I was a bit put off >by their cockiness, I really like their beers. Generally, I don't like anyone (or any company) that has an attitude, but given that Boston Brewing Co. is up against zillions of dollars in advertising from the bland, industrial brewers, I would do the same in their place. It takes a lot to change the tastes of Americans and luckily some inroads have been made, Sam Adams brews included. The left coast seems to have gotten it together already. The Boulder area (in my understanding) is not too far behind. The right coast also has made some progress. Alas, we here at the land-locked middle coast have a long way to go yet. Samuel Adams brews are available in relatively few places -- Baderbrau in relatively few also -- only a handfull of beer retail stores carry anything but industrial beers. Although I wish BBC's tactics were not necessary, I must reluctantly approve, for the good of beer in America. Just think, if a beer like Samuel Adams Boston Lager became as commonplace as Budweiser is now, good beer in America would be the rule rather than the exception. Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 12:10:50 EDT From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu> Subject: Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition Michigan amateur brewers are encouraged to enter the Michigan State Fair Homebrew competition. Categories are Pale Ale, IPA, Brown Ale, Porter, Stout, Wheat Beer, Bock, Common Beer (Steam), Lager, Pilsner, Continental Dark, Strong Ale/Barleywine, Specialty. Awards will be given to the first 4 places in each class and to Best of Show. For more information, contact Dan McConnell, Competition Director (313)663-4845 Ken Schramm, Judge Director (313)291-6694 Mike O'Brien, Competition Registrar (313)482-8565 FAX (313)485-BREW Brewers from other states are welcome to enter, and will be judged, but are inelegible for awards. An eight dollar entry fee is due on July 24, but beers must be delivered between July 27 and August 8 (don't ask me, this must be a state fair rule). As far as I can tell, the $8 covers up to 10 separate entries. Each exhibitor gets a complimentary one day gate pass to the fair (8/28-9/7). The competition is AHA sanctioned, and is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild, Cass River Homebrew Club, Detroit & Mackinac Brewery, Frankenmuth Brewing Co, Franklin St. Brewing Co, Kalamazoo Brewing Co, Premier Malt Products, and the Stroh Brewery Co. You will need to get the entry forms from Dan (above); they are NOT the standard AHA forms. =Spencer W. Thomas HSITN, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 spencer.thomas at med.umich.edu 313-747-2778 Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1992 13:41 EDT From: KIERAN O'CONNOR <OCONNOR%SNYCORVA.bitnet at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Temperature Controls Just another note on Temp. controllers. If you want a thermostat which will go down to lagering temps, snag a "Controller" from Willima's Brewing in CA. It's $49 plus shipping, but the only one which will go from 20-80 deg. F. I have two and they work well. Kieran Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:11:44 PDT From: sami at scic.intel.com (Sam Israelit) Subject: Making Mead . . . This weekend I was in Seattle and founf some knockout honey made from Fireweed. Anyone out there know a really amazing mead recipe that would allow me to take advantage of my find? Sam Israelit Engineer, Businessman, . . . Brewer Portland, OR Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:59:24 -0700 From: eurquhar at sfu.ca Subject: "Canada Dry" ginger ale There has been several postings on ginger beer and ginger ales lately. I recently came across a method for preparing the flavouring mixture similar to Canada Dry in a food flavourings text I got several years ago (Food Flavorings: Composition, Manufacture and Use (2nd Ed.) by Joseph Merory (AVI Publishers)). This recipe is not immediately useful as it is compounded of essential oils but should point any inquisitive brewmeister in the right direction. Grams of essential oil to prepare Ginger Ale Pale Dry 0.5 oil of rose 0.5 phenylethyl alcohol( a pronounced rosey scent) 9.5 methyl nonyl acetylaldehyde 50% 22.0 oleoresin of ginger (responsible for the bite of ginger) 22.5 oil of ginger (volatile fragrance with no sharpness) 27.0 oil of bergamotte orange (the orangey scent and flavour present in Earl Grey Tea) 246.0 oil of orange, Valencia 300.0 oil of lemon 372.0 oil of lime The oils are then dissolved in 95% food grade ethyl alcohol and water with the insoluble fraction which separates being discarded. The 2nd and 3rd ingredients are used to reinforce the rose flavour & reduce the high cost of rose oil. The gingery flavour with little bite which characterizes Canada Dry is due to the large amount of ginger oil present. Due to the great interest in aromatherapy these days oil of bergamotte has become available and is probably available at your local "new age" or natural foods store. A second formula for a less complex ginger ale contained oleoresin of ginger reinforced with capsicum essence ( derived from hot chili peppers), oils of orange, lime and minor amounts of mace and coriander "with a few drops of oil of rose being optional if a more distinctive character was desired". He also stated that the active principle responsible for the sharp bite of ginger is only sparingly soluble in water but very highly soluble in ethyl alcohol. The extraction of the compound can be increased without using alcohol if the ground fresh ginger is repeatedly extracted with fresh boiling water. Commercially, this is accomplished with an alcohol/water mixture over several days. I hope this will be of help or at least interesting. I will post a method for "real" root beer when I find one but am very busy for the near future. Have fun and happy brewing. Eric Urquhart ( eurquhar at sfu.ca) Centre for Pest Management Dept. of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University Burnaby , B.C. Canada Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1992 14:02:39 -0500 (CDT) From: ISENHOUR at LAMBIC.FNAL.GOV (John L. Isenhour) Subject: food grade silicon caulk I have some food grade silicon caulking at home that I use for sealing brewing apparati, the tube explicitly states its ok for surfaces that contact food. I don't have the Dow stock id on me, but asking for 'food grade' should do it if the vendor stocks it. The Hopdevil Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 15:17:30 -0400 From: aew at spitfire.unh.edu Subject: Sam Adams Cream Stout & Tours Michael L. Hall Writes: > and possibly a Cream Stout (they had just made a >small batch when I was there). Alas, they had no samples of their other >brews for sale (believe me, I searched). I ALWAYS make a trip to Doyle's Pub (about two blocks from the brewery, get walking directions while you're there) when I take the tour. They have excellent food and _ALL_ of the Sam Adams products available (Where do you think those batches of experimental cream stout go?) I've been able to get the Cream stout there every time I've been and they usually have the Cranberry beer on tap at least 2 months after is sells out in the stores. I don't know why they don't go ahead and release the Cream stout - I like it better than Watney's Cream. The tour guide also usually mentions that the Sunsett Grill has a complete set of Sam Products on tap as well. I have found that the tour guides tend to varry greatly in their expertise. I've been 3 times and twice had a simillar experience as Michael. Once I was treated to a truely knowledgeable guide - answered every question I could ask. Tour all you want - they'll give more. It's the most beer you can get for a buck! =============================================================================== Allan Wright Jr. | Pole-Vaulters Get a Natural High! | GO Celts! University of New Hampshire +-------------------------------------------------- Research Computing Center | You keep using that word. I do not think it means Internet: AEW at UNH.EDU | what you think it means. -The Princess Bride =============================================================================== Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 12:22:49 PDT From: gummitch at techbook.com (Jeff Frane) Subject: Some AHA News In reference to a couple of AHA-related questions in a recent Digest (who knows when this will actually get posted, thanks to maltmill mania - --and a rooty toot to you, Jack): Next year's AHA Conference will, indeed, be held in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon. There was a delay in confirmation as the Park Bureau was jerking the Brewers Festival around about dates when they could use the park area alongside the Willamette. The 1993 Festival will be held July 30, 31 and August 1. The conference will be held during the week leading up the the Festival. Be prepared for a LOT of beer, folks. Good beer, too, I might add; after all this is Portland. :-) The AHA does not have a generic e-mail address, although the two CompuServe accounts given here are reachable. We have been encouraging the AHA to add a few accounts and it would be nice if they got a net connection. They are actively involved with the CompuServe Beer Forum, and have a special section in the file library there. Sysop Robin Garr also subscribes to the Digest and would love to give you information about accessing any of that information, I'm sure. Wouldn't you, Robin? - --Jeff Frane Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 12:49:06 PDT From: davep at cirrus.com (David Pike) Subject: Hunter Airstat I too thought that the low end temperature of 40 degrees for the Hunter Airstat was a drag, since low temperature lagering should be near 32 degrees..... But, consider why the Airstat is used. Most refrigerators are too cold for fermentation temps., thus the need for a controller, but at low temps, the cold/colder adjustment should be enough to control the fridge, its just that you have to go through the hassle of calibration.. Dave Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Jul 1992 15:05:30 -0600 (MDT) From: JKL <JLAWRENCE at UH01.Colorado.EDU> Subject: RI/CT/Dallas brewpubs I'll be vacationing in southern RI next month. Are there any good (or even mediocre) brewpubs in the southern RI/NE Connecticut area (around Charlestown)? Also, I'm going to a conference in Dallas in October. Did I read here that brewpubs are ILLEGAL in Texas, or was that some other sadly backwards state? If there are any in Dallas, I'd appreciate comments. - Jane Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 15:44:31 PDT From: mark at crash.cts.com (Mark Simpson) Subject: San Diego Hombrew Club Howdy Braumeisters, I just wanted to let the San Diego readers know thatthere is a dandy homebrewers club in San Diego called QUAFF. The Quality Ale and Fermentation Fraternity conducts monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of every month at the Pacific Beach Brewhouse in Pacific Beach at 7pm (tonight). If you would like a complementary newsletter or would like to stop in to check us out, call me at (619) 578-2627 or email me at mark at crash.cts.com. Hope to see you there!!! Mark Simpson Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 19:56:21 PDT From: Mark N. Davis <mndavis at pbhya.PacBell.COM> Subject: Re: Acidified Sparge H2O John Freeborg asks: > How many all-grain people adjust their sparge water pH? I've been reading > about putting lactic acid in the sparge water to achieve the proper pH which > helps improve extraction numbers. > > Should I worry about this? Do other people? Have you noticed a dramatic > difference once you started doing this? Before going any further I should warn you that I'm not an avid pH watcher. Now that the disclaimer is handled... I know from obtaining the official propaganda pamphlet from my local water co. that my tap water is at a pH of 9.0. On my first two all-grain batches my extraction rates were anything but good. I then began adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid to my 5 gallons of sparge water. Since then, my extraction rates have improved. Whether this is caused by the lowered pH of the sparge water, or an improvement in my handling of the sparges overall (probaly a combination) I'm not sure. In fact, as I previously mentioned, I don't even check the pH of anything, so I don't know just how much effect the citric acid has. So when I stop and think about it, this post is not all that helpfull is it? And its probaly too late even to win the MALTMILL. Oh well, let's just say that a little acidification of the sparge water most definitely appears to help, so its not a bad idea. How about one of you chemistry kind of guys giving us a little more info on the details - but please phrase it in a language even us programmers understand >:-) Mark Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 11:25:04 -0700 From: lgold at Cadence.COM (Lynn Gold) Subject: Beer yeast and dogs I changed the subject to "beer yeast" because "brewer's yeast" is a VERY different product from the yeast we brew with. I discovered the benefits to letting my dog (a 10lb Bichon Frise) tipple a little when I was bottling one of my brews. I was doing this on my porch, spilling (as we often do) some of the wort as I was siphoning it into the bottles. Fuzzball came by and started licking up the spillage. Before this, Fuzzball was VERY tasty to fleas. After this, her flea problem magically disappeared. Since this was the only change to her diet, I knew I'd come on to something. Now whenever I open a bottle, I let Fuzzball have the sediment. She enjoys it, and as long as I drink enough :-), she doesn't have fleas. - --Lynn Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 23:41:04 -0500 From: bronson at ecn.purdue.edu (Edward C. Bronson) Subject: The MALTMILL Winner and Digest Contents Congratulations Sheridan! According to my analysis, Sheridan J. Adams (sja at snoid.cray.com) wins the MALTMILL by submitting a cynical discussion about sassafras and laboratory rats on July 9, 1992 at 10:33 AM. I am certain that many, many Digesters were counting along with me. When counting, it is important to note that the Contents listed at the top of each Digest does not always tell an accurate story. The Contents is only a list of all Subject lines that appear anywhere within any submission. If a submission does not include a Subject line, it is not listed in the Contents. If a submission contains multiple Subject lines, the submission is listed multiple times in the Contents. Both of these inaccuracies occurred within the Digests leading up to Number 100. Here's the counts that I got: #918: 15 submissions, 15 #919: 23 submissions, 38 #920: 27 submissions, 65 #921: 25 submissions, 90 #922: 42 submissions Sheridan's winning entry was the 10th submission in Digest #922. I mention all of this for two reasons: 1) A submission in #923 mentions counts that are wrong. 2) Most importantly, to keep the Digest Contents accurate and useful, each submission should contain one and only one line starting with the word "Subject". This line should be chosen by the author to accurately inform digesters of the submissions's contents. Ed Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 92 23:02:58 CDT From: hopduvel!john at linac.fnal.gov (John Isenhour) Subject: food grade sealant The caulk tube type sealant I use on brewing equipment is - Dow Corning(r) 734 RTV self leveling Adhesive/Sealant, "may be used in contact with food and in electrical/electronic applications", a data sheet is available for FDA/NSF/UL status. "Adheres to glass, cork, phenolic, cured silicone rubber, polyester, epoxy and many metals and plastics." Temperature range -85d F. to 450d F. This stuff is less viscous than normal caulk (thats where the "self leveling" comes in), but its the only stuff I have run across thats food grade. Maybe I could hook a giant syringe needle on the end of the tube and do beer belly implants:-) - -- John, The Hop Devil renaissance scientist and AHA/HWBTA certified Beer Judge Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 12:27 GMT From: Andy Phillips <PHILLIPSA at LARS.AFRC.AC.UK> Subject: Re: mashing oats (HBD 924) Mike McNally writes: > Oats have no diastatic capacity..... Not true! Steel-cut, rolled or flaked oats have no amylase because they haven't been malted, ie. the grain hasn't been germinated and allowed to produce the enzymes - also the heat generated during rolling would destroy the enzyme anyway. Oats are quite competent at producing amylase when germinated - otherwise the seeds would be incapable of mobilising the stored starch reserves in the endosperm. Granted, the amount of amylase produced may be less in barley, but I think I'm right in saying that some (wonderful) German oat beers are made from a high proportion of malted oat, with maybe some barley. My partner has been working on alpha amylase gene expression in cultivated oat (_Avena sativa_ cv. Rhiannon) for the past seven years, so she should know! As in all cereals, the enzyme is produced by the aleurone cells (a thin layer of living tissue just inside the seed coat, surrounding the endosperm) in response to a hormone (gibberellin) which is produced by the embryo on hydration. The gibberellin is probably perceived by a receptor in the aleurone cell membrane, which conveys the signal (via an unknown pathway, the subject of her research) to factors in the nucleus which activate transcription of the alpha-amylase genes (and proteases etc). The mRNA is then translated in the cytoplasm and the enzyme transported out of the cell, where it diffuses into the endosperm and hydrolyses the starch. Andy Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1992 07:56:33 EDT From: "Dennis R. Sherman" <sherman at trln.lib.unc.edu> Subject: book review - Norwegian brewing A brief book review: Odd Nordland. _Brewing and Beer Traditions in Norway_. Oslo-Bergen-Tromso: Universitetsforlaget, 1969. This book is a fascinating account of the social anthropology of homebrewing in Norway, with some reference to neighboring countries. The data come primarily from several surveys dating from 1925 to 1957. These surveys amassed a huge collection of folk wisdom and practice in home brewing, and are supplemented by a large number of interviews by the author with elderly men and women who brewed at home and/or remember their parents and grandparents brewing at home. I think it fair to say the book gives a very good overview of the state of homebrewing in Norway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the practices of the Norwegian homebrewers are documentable to much earlier in history, and Nordland does spend some time dealing with historical changes in brewing, particularly the change from ale made with gruit to ale made with hops. The brewing practices examined are, for the most part, clearly those of people brewing not as a hobby, but to provide themselves with a staple beverage. Nordland goes into some depth about the various special brews that might be made specifically for weddings or funerals or holidays, although anyone looking for recipes must be prepared to formulate their own after careful reading. I recommend this book as interesting reading for anyone interested in the history of brewing, or in the interactions of people in a society for whom home brewed beverages were a normal way of life, rather than a hobby. *--------------------------------------------------------------------* * Dennis R. Sherman Triangle Research Libraries Network * * dennis_sherman at unc.edu Univ. of North Carolina - Chapel Hill * *--------------------------------------------------------------------* Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 92 17:30:55 CDT From: whg at tellabs.com Subject: Dave Miller's new book... jcb at homxb.att.com commented that this book is not a replacement for Dave Line's book. I whole haeartedly agree. I had a chance to read through it at a book store the other day. It seems to lift a few paragraphs from here and there in TCHoHB and give recipes for all-extract, extract+specialty, partial mash and full mash for 8-12 beer style. It does not give a recipe for any beer brand in particular. It seemed to be a good book and I almost bought it anyway, but not as useful as an updated Line book would have been, at least to me. Walter Gude || whg at tellabs.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 07:46:07 EDT From: wslack.UUCP!wrs at mv.MV.COM (Bill Slack) Subject: Brew a Belgian Ale This Summer Looking for a cool and refreshing brew for the summer? Tired of the same old flavor profiles? Have you ever had a Hoegarden Gran Cru or similar Belgian Ale? Try your hand at the Belgian wit (white) style of ale; a pale, light bodied well spiced beer made from wheat (and other grains) as well as the traditional barley. The following recipe calls for a two step mash, barley, rye and wheat malts, honey, and some interesting hops and spices. Rye Wit The name is courtesy of Dan Hall. This is a variant of Chuck Cox's Nit Wit and my Corey Ander's RN Screw (see below). Mash: 3 lb. 6 row 1 1/2 lb. rye malt 1 1/2 lb. wheat malt Protein rest 120+F for 30 min. Mash 150+F for 90 min. Boil: 60 min. The mash liquor ~3 lb. honey | Use enough honey and dried malt extract ~2 lb. light DME | to raise OG to 1.050 1 oz. Hallertau 15 min. 1/2 oz. whole cardamom 1/2 oz. coriander seed 1/2 oz. Hallertau 5 min. 1/2 oz. cardamom 1/2 oz. coriander 1/2 oz. orange peel 2 min. 1/2 oz.Hallertau OG about 1.050. Pitch a Belgian ale yeast, such as the one newly offered by Wyeast, or culture some yeast from a fresh bottle of Chimay. Expect an FG of 1.008 or so. Prime and condition as usual. Note: Crack the cardamom shell and lightly crush the coriander seed. Strain them out before moving wort to the fermenter. The cardamom is not a traditional spice for this beer, so leave it out if you prefer. Don't want the fuss of mashing? For an extract version, try: Corey Ander's RN Screw A version of the gran cru extract recipe in Charlie Papazian's new book. 5 # light DME 2.75 # clover honey 1 oz. Hallertauer Boil 45 minutes and add: 1/2 oz. or so of freshly ground coriander 1/3-1/2 oz. Hallertauer Boil 10 minutes and add: Another 1/2 oz. or so of coriander 1/2 oz. or so of ground dried orange peel (zest) Boil 3 minutes and add: 1/2 oz. Hallertauer Boil 2 minutes. Rehydrated Red Star ale yeast (all those ester work well here), or a Belgian yeast as above. Ferment and prime as usual. Expect an OG of 1.047 and an FG of 1.010. __ wrs at gozer.mv.com (Bill Slack) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 09:47:40 EDT From: tighe at kc.camb.inmet.com (Michael Tighe) Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #923 (July 15, 1992) > From: Mark N. Davis <mndavis at pbhya.PacBell.COM> > But seriously, as far as I know, there is no one month recipe for mead if > you plan on using honey (is there any other way?), but if anyone else knows > of one I'd be very interested to here it. My standard recipe for mead takes one month to six weeks. It can be adjusted to take six months for those who choose to wait. To 5-gallons of cold water, add 12 pounds of honey. Heat till boiling, remembering to skim off the "skum" while it heats. Once it is boiling, add about a table-spoon of gresh ginger, sliced thin, and add the peel of a lemon (or orange). Boil for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slowly, preferably in your primary fermentation vat. When cool add yeast. I prefer mead yeast, but champagne yeast or a general purpose wine yeast such as a montrachet yeast works fine. It won't start fermenting for at least a day or three. Once it gets started, it goes slowly. At the three week (or one month) point, bottle, even though its still fermenting. Keep the bottles for a week (or three), then refrigerate them (otherwise you get glass grenades). To quote Sir Kenelhme Digbie (who's recipe this is) "It will be very quick and sweet" (meaning bubbly/frothy and like a sweeter beer). Finess points: the quality and flavor of the honey are important, the skimming process can't be overdone, and you can vary the spices to your heart's content! Always refrigerate the bottles for 24 hours before drinking to get the yeast to settle out (of course). The six-month version is to leave the primary fermentation till it mostly completes (usually 2-3 months) then bottle and wait another three-four months - you usually get a champagne-style drink, dry and bubbly. Good luck. Michael Tighe, Intermetrics, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02138 (USA) email: tighe at inmet.camb.inmet.com phone: 617-661-1840 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 8:18:52 PDT From: winter at cirrus.com (Keith Winter) Subject: In HBD #924, Drew Scott writes: >Does anyone have any experience with adding coffee to stouts? >How much should be added so that there isn't an overpowering >coffee flavor (assuming a 5 gallon batch) - just an ounce or two? >And is it best to leave the beans whole? I made a coffee stout a couple of years ago and it came out fine. I added 1/4 lb of whole beans to the primary and left them in until I transferred to secondary (3-4 days). I used a robust bean (french roast, I think. Sorry, I don't have the brew sheet here). The flavor of the coffee was wonderful against the roasted flavor of the brew. The oil on the beans did not affect head retention at all. Oddly, under the flavor of coffee and stout, there was a definite chocolate flavor. Mmmmm... maybe I should make it again! RDWHAHB, Keith Winter Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 9:46:40 MDT From: Jeff Benjamin <benji at hpfcbug.fc.hp.com> Subject: Re: Wyeast Bavarian & raspberry beer Regarding Wyeast Bavarian Wheat, Brian Bliss asks: > What temperature did you ferment at? I have heard that keeping the > temp at 70-75 F favours the S. Delbruckii more that lower temps, which > favour S. Cervasae (Ale yeast, however you spell it). I usually ferment in the basement, about 67F. Maybe next time I'll try moving the fermenter to a warmer place. I'll also check the Wyeast "guide" to see what it says about optimum temp for the yeast. gelly at persoft.com (Mitch Gelly) asks about raspberry beer. My brewing partner recently made a *wonderful* raspberry beer: light, sparkly, pink (head too), and an incredible fresh raspberry aroma. He used 1 lb per gallon of half fresh and half frozen berries, rinsed in a light sulfite solution, pureed, and added right to the primary. No steeping or anything. I made a blueberry brown ale recently following the same procedure (I posted the recipe a couple of days ago, but I don't know what digest it will show up in-- see the subject "Re: Blueberry Beer"). Most of the blueberry aroma seemed to vanish after a couple of days in the primary, so I may try putting them into the secondary next time. Neither batch showed any signs of infection, so the sulfite rinse seemed to be sufficient to eliminate any unwanted microbeasts. Your mileage may vary, as usual. For the raspberry beer, try a light wheat beer, about 50% wheat and OG between 1.040 and 1.045, and use a "neutral" yeast. It really lets the berries show off, and the fruitiness of the wheat is complementary. Much of the sweetness will ferment out, especially in the primary, but we like tart beers (a side effect of having tasted lambics in Belgium :-). - -- Jeff Benjamin benji at hpfcla.fc.hp.com Hewlett Packard Co. Fort Collins, Colorado "Midnight shakes the memory as a madman shakes a dead geranium." - T.S. Eliot Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 09:53:12 -0600 From: ma848295 at longs.lance.colostate.edu Subject: Colorado Brewer's Festival/dog yeast In response to Rick Meyers' review: Sounded more negative than my experience. This year's festival drew an estimated 20,000 brew fans and wanna be's: almost twice the crowd of last year. The organizer's definitely got the system down this year. Rick also mentioned his dissapointment with the beer selection. This point and his earlier statement about lines being reduced from 20-30 min last year to 5 min this year are directly related. Imagine, if you will, 10,000 people approaching one of 20 brew stands, all having a choice of three or more brews. "I'll have your porter. Or wait...how bitter is your pale ale? Is your stout sweet or dry? Can I have a sip first?....." What happens is you get a beer and go to the end of the next line and sip while you wait. This year each brewer offered only one of their brews. The result: one line per beer. Enough said. My impression of the festival was that 22 beer selections and 20,000 people with three live bands can only lead to a GREAT time. Perhaps as the festival grows in popularity, the planners will have the facilities to again allow each brewer to offer a selection of brews. If you have a chance to go next year, do it. Regarding wether or not trub needs to be treated before given to fido. I have been giving the warm, spent grain, as well as the yeast trub at the bottom of my fermenter to my dogs since I started brewing. They love it!! (Major roughage!) Mark Abshire ma848295 at longs.lance.colostate.edu Return to table of contents
Date: 16 Jul 92 12:14:16 EDT From: CHUCKM at csg3.Prime.COM Greetings fellow homebrewers... Does anyone have some practical advice for drying homegrown hops. I have Beach's book and he has rigged up a contraption with an old hair dryer. I don't have an old hair dryer and am looking for other low-cost alternatives. BTW, I planted Centennial and MT. Hood roots this April (Massachusetts) and now have two 16 ft strong vines. The Centennial is covered with cones while the Mt. Hood is just starting to sprout burrs. Please reply in HBD or to chuckm at csg3.prime.com Thanks in advance...... chuckm Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #927, 07/19/92