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

Contents:
  KEG & CORKSCREW (Michael Bergman)
  liquid yeast (David Baer)
  Is anybody home? (florianb)

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Date: Mon, 27 Mar 89 10:32:48 est
From: Michael Bergman <bergman%medusa.m2c.org at RELAY.CS.NET>
Subject: KEG & CORKSCREW

>   On my way home from Wash DC yesterday I came across a very
>   interesting ad in American Airlines magazine for Keg & Corkscrew`s
>   Personal Microbrewery& Aside from being very curious about their
>   "revolutionary, patented, sanitized brewingag system for only
>   $129.95",I was very surprised to see an ad for homebrewing an such
>   a magazine!  Could it be that homebrewing might becoming more
>   popular?!  Has anyone ever heard of this outfit, or for that
>   matter, seen ads like this in magazines for a general kinda
>   audience?
>
>   Marvin Marlatt rmarlatt%osiris.cso.uiuc.edu

I think I have seen something similar in one of the yuppie
catalogs--it's my guess that homebrewing hasn't "become more popular"
yet, but that it is one of the many things that have caught the
attention of those looking for the next fad to exploit...It's amazing
the kind of stuff that the Sharper Image carries--"Ninja" swords ('not
a reproduction...'), fancy car gadgets, hi-tech toys, office toys,
stereo equipment, travel gear--if they (or others like them) can sell
homebrew kits to rich people who think that they can get better beer
by brewing it themselves without actually going to the trouble of
learning how...into the catalog those kits will go!

--mike bergman

bergman at m2c.org

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Date: Mon, 27 Mar 89 09:33:43 PST
From: dsbaer at EBay.Sun.COM (David Baer)
Subject: liquid yeast

There are two basic types of liquid yeast products.
One comes in little vials and requires the use of 
a starter (it cannot be added directly to the beer
you intend on fermenting). It must be added to a
small quantity of wort first  to reactivate the
yeast and then this is added to your beer. A major
supplier of this is MeV out of Canada (Toronto, I
think).  I have never used this product so I have
no comment.

The other type of liquid yeast is found in foil pouches.
Inside the pouch is a pocket of yeast surrounded by
liquid nutrient. The pocket of yeast needs to be broken
in order to mix with the nutrient and reactivate the
culture.  It usually takes 1 to 5 days for the culture
to reactivate and then you only have about 2 oz of liquid
to add to the wort. This product is made by Wyeast and
is called Brewer's Choice.  I have seen Wyeast products 
through many different mail order catalogs and it seems 
to be the most widely available.

I have found that the Wyeast products have been
very good.  I used their German Lager Yeast (#308)and
got a thorough attentuation and sparkling clear
beer.  The yeast seems to produce a noticeable
scent but it is by no means unpleasant. 

 I have also used Williams Brewing Co. American Lager three
times and had very nice results. This yeast is made by Wyeast 
and I suspect is identical to the Wyeast St. Louis
Lager.  The American Lager ferments very clean with
almost no discernable flavor or odor.  The main difference
is the American Lager does not seem to ferment the
brew as completely as the German Lager and a residual
sweetness is left behind.

The bigest issue with the Wyeast product is whether to
add the yeast directly from the package to the wort or
to use a starter.  I have tried both and have had equal
success.  The readers of this digest seem to favor using 
a starter.

I have not used the Wyeast Ale cultures. Instead I culture
the yeast from the dregs of either Sierra Nevada or
Cooper's Real Ale. My local supply shop sells agar slants
and complete instructions.  It is very simple, just pick up
a drop from the bottom of a bottle, and scrape it across
the agar.  Within a week the yeast will start to grow.  Once
you have a culture take 1 oz of sterile wort and put it in 
the slant and gently shake.  Let it sit a couple of hours and 
then add it to a quart of the same sterile wort.
Within a few days it should start to show noticable
signs of fermentation. The quality of the yeast is unquestioned,
but you need to be very careful about sanitation in order
to produce a clean  specimen. If there is some contamination
you can tell from the culture in the agar.  Yeast is creamy
colored, either white or light beige.  If there is yellow
or green  growth in the agar, toss it out and try again.
Another area that can mess up is the starter.  If the starter 
has a difficult time getting going (more than a week),
then chances are there is something nasty inhibiting the
yeast. If you are on a tight schedule always have a
packet of dry yeast around just in case.  I have cultured
yeast for a year and gone through the process 5 times, and
have not had a problem yet.  I am by no means a super careful 
brewer so if I can do it, anybody can do it.

I recommend reading "Yeast Culturing for Homebrewers" by Leistad.
He gives very thorough instructions almost to the point of
overkill, but it is better to know more than less.

The move to liquid yeasts has had a major impact on the quality of
the beer I brew.  I highly recommend their use and, even though
they are more expensive, you can culture them and stretch 
one package to make 5 or more batches which brings the 
price down to the same level as dry yeasts.

Dave Baer 
Beer Enthusiast, 
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

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Date: 27 Mar 89 07:56:22 PST (Mon)
From: florianb%tekred.cna.tek.com at RELAY.CS.NET
Subject: Is anybody home?

Haven't had a digest in days!

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