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


Contents:
  Abita Bock (was Re: New Orleans brewpubs?) ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  Spruce beer (Darren Aaberge)
  Converting a freezer to a fridge (LPD1002)
  Michigan brewpubs? (Paul Boor)
  Re: BAA humour (Brian Bliss)
  Another data point (Ford Prefect)
  dusty, dry beer (Roy Styan)
  Cloudy hoses/Bleach and SS (korz)
  Wyeast British and London/Rusty hop leaves (korz)
  pH Meter - uses (Josh Grosse)
  EDME Brewcraft Barrel (Joseph Gareri)
  Iowa Beers ("Anthony Johnston")
  DMS/Lambiks/Hoegaarden (korz)
  Octoberfest recipe request (David Hinz)
  Hop Utilization and clarifications (Glenn Tinseth)
  Electronic Brewers in Portl ("Rad Equipment")
  European BUD questions ("Glen Flowers 601-4003, GTC-104")
  Litmus Papers (Phil Hultin)
  Zentners of hops (WESTEMEIER)
  Hey Hayward! (HUGH)
  Belgian malts in Brewing Tech (Nick Zentena)
  AHA Conference in Portland (Rick Garvin)


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

Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 09:09:50 EDT
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu>
Subject: Abita Bock (was Re: New Orleans brewpubs?)

David Adams writes:
 > One positive recommendation:  drink Abita beer while you are in New  
 > Orleans, especially Abita Turbo Dog.  And if you get outside of the  
 > city, try to visit the brewery.  Good people; wonderful beer.

A recent selection from Beers Across America was Abita Bock.  This
stuff was good!  I didn't do a formal evaluation of it at the time,
so I'm relying on memory:

Style: Helles Bock

Appearance: golden, nice rocky head, good clarity.

Aroma: malty/sweet.

Flavor: Malt predominates, hops bitterness evident, no apparent hops
	flavor/aroma, sweet, but not overly so.

Body: medium.  Appropriate.

Overall impression: A very nice beer, true to style, and very
drinkable.  I want more!

I'd give it around a 40 (out of 50), I think.

Too bad it's not available in Michigan...

=Spencer

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Date: Thu, 27 May 93 08:24:05 PDT
From: dra at jsc-ws.sharpwa.com (Darren Aaberge)
Subject: Spruce beer

I have a spruce tree growing in my front yard and I have been wondering about
using some of the fresh spring growths in a brew.  Does anyone have any 
experience using spruce in beer?  Papazian has a recipe for using it and there 
are a couple of recipes in the cats meow, but they are all a little vague on 
how to use it.  So far my plan is as follows:

10 lb 2-row pale malt
1/4 lb crystal 40l
1/3 lb chocolate
1.5 oz Cascades (boil for 60 min)
1 pint of spruce clippings
American ale yeast

My biggest question right now is when to add the spruce.  Should I boil it for 
60 minutes or should I add it at the end of the boil?  Any suggestions or 
comments would be welcome.  I don`t want the spruce to be overpowering, yet I 
want it to be evident along with the hops.

Darren

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 11:12:40 -0600
From: LPD1002%NYSHESCV.bitnet at UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU
Subject:  Converting a freezer to a fridge

When I moved into my new house, a large (as in 20 or 22 Cubic feet)
freezer was included.  I have no use for it in its present form.
Does anyone know of a way to convert it to a fridge.  I know there
are thermostats you can buy and hook to a fridge for more
precise temperature control.  But, I don't want to spend the $$, if
it is impossible for a freezer to be kept at a temp. above
freezing.  If it would work, the size would be great.  It would
probably fit a couple of carboys and a case or two.

Email me directly or post if you think there are others who are curiou
s.
Thanks for any responses.

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|   STEVE SEPTER          |       INTERNET                           |
| BITNET:LPD1002 at NYSHESCV | LPD1002 at NYSHESCV.BITNET at UACS2.ALBANY.EDU |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------


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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1993 11:03:17 -0600
From: Paul Boor <PBOOR at beach.utmb.edu>
Subject: Michigan brewpubs?

To Michigan-knowledgable persons:

	What would be your advise re: brewpubs and micros in the Michigan area,
specifically in and around Grand Rapids, Holland, Traverse City (Cherry capitol
of the world), Saginaw, and Kalamazoo?

	Thanks.

	Pboor, for a returning Michiganer

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 11:07:35 -0500
From: bliss at pixel.convex.com (Brian Bliss)
Subject: Re: BAA humour


Sandra Cockerham writes:
>It figures. All along many of us have complained about the beers we were 
>getting from Beer Across America. Too light, too many lagers, blah,blah...
>This month they sent 2 porters. I found both of them-- Catamount and Boulevard 
>to be so roasty/burnt that I don't really enjoy them.

I, for one, was happy.

I received a bottle of boulevard "Bully" porter 2 years ago from
a friend, and remembered it as being somewhat watery.  When the
package came, I was delighted to see blackened friends awaiting
me.  I tried the bully porter at room temp, and it was anything
but watery - smooth & delicious.  Upon refrigerating the rest in
a too-cold fridge (I like my milk COLD and my keg fridge was full),
the somewhat watery (by my taste) mouthfeel returned.

IMHO, Bully porter is a much better beer at warm temps.
(and exhibits more of a taste change with temp than most beers).

The literature that came with it (or was it the bottle?) claims
that it is made with roasted barley and chocolate malt; it is
more a stout (and a fine one at that) than a porter.

bb


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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 09:05:55 -0700
From: sag5004 at yak.ca.boeing.com (Ford Prefect)
Subject: Another data point

Hello, 

I am busy brewing for my upcoming wedding.  And have made a couple
observations that some people might be interested in.  If not, I
apologize in advance (AIA :-).

Basic recipe:
19 lb Klages
3  lb Munich
1.5 lb Crystal
1   lb Wheat

2oz Tettenanger, 2oz Centennial  (for 60 minutes)
2oz Cascade  (5 minutes)

*(NOTE: I am not sure about the Centennial but I am sure it is one of
those 'C...' types of hops)

I have made this four time recently, had an OG from 1.054-1.058.  This
makes ~11 gallons (one 5 gallon, and one 6 gallon carboy).  I do a single
step infusion mash, with a mash out up to 175 and hold for 15 minutes.

Experiment 1: Make two batches in a row pitching whitbred dry in one, and
wyeast 1214? (belgian) in the other.  The dry yeast had a bit of a bite
that is mellowing out as time goes by.  The only thing I can say about the
liquid is I like in more than the dry.

Experiment 2: This was an accident.  Having scotch/irish genes, I decided
to strech the next packet of 1214.  I put a 2 quart starter in a gallon jug
and let er rip for 3 days.  Brewed, pitched 2/3 into the carboys, and 1/3 
into some settled, cool wort from this batch.  (monday)  On friday I brew
again, and had the fastest start I have ever seen.  eg. 1:30 pitch and clean
up, and by 4:30 foam city.

Everything smells and tastes "normal".  I will hopefully, have enough
for the wedding (I probably will if I don't drink it all myself first
:-).

Just a data point,  PS  What style catagory would this beer fit into?

stuart galt                          boeing computer services
sag5004 at yak.boeing.com               bellvue washington
(206) 865-3764                       or home (206) 361-0190
#include <standard/disclaim.h>
I don't know what they say, they don't know what I say...

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 11:28:13 PDT
From: rstya at mda.ca (Roy Styan)
Subject: dusty, dry beer

I was racking my beer a few weeks ago and found there was an extra two
liters or so.  Can't waste good beer so I found a two liter bottle and racked
into it.  During all that mucking about the yeast got quit stirred up and a
lot ended up in the bottle.  So its experiment time.  What does beer taste
like after spending a couple of weeks on a couple of cm. of yeast?

The quick answer?  Yech.

This stuff was as dry as a popcorn fart.  One sip and all the moisture in your
mouth gets sucked down with the beer, leaving nothing but dustball for you to
choke on.  And bitter?  Not the nice hop bitterness we all know and love, but
the bitterness one gets from biting into a tree root (y'all chew tree roots
down there, don't you?).

The main batch, on the other hand, has the nice malty aroma and taste I was 
looking for (its an english brown), and slides down leaving a pleasant roast 
aftertaste. Yummy.

What I found interesting is that all the elements of the dry, bitter batch 
were in the main batch, but they had not be accentuated. Rather, they had 
blended with other elements leaving a well balanced and rounded beer.

Woof.




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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 13:04 CDT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Cloudy hoses/Bleach and SS

Steve writes:
>        While I'm here, I would appreciate some suggestions on
>getting my transfer hose (plastic-type) clean and clear.  It always
>seems to go cloudy.  Thanks.

You're probably sanitizing it in bleach solution, right?   Don't soak it
longer than 10 minutes and rinse with "clean" water immediately and it
will not turn cloudy.

****************************
donald writes:
>al is confused regarding sodium hypochlorite, chlorine water and bleach.
>bleach is a dilute, about 5%, aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite.

I re-checked my 1991-1992 Cole-Parmer Chemical Reactivity charts and there
was no mention of Chlorox (bleach).  There was no confusion on my part
as to the difference between bleach and sodium hypochlorite.  I was quoting
the "Sodium Hypochlorite <20%" entry because it was all I had to work with.
I've just gotten off the phone with a Cole-Parmer Applications Specialist,
who took my order for the 1993-1994 catalog and verified that "Clorox
(bleach)" has been added to the 1993-1994 catalog.  Indeed, the table now
shows no effect between Clorox Bleach and 304 or 316 Stainless Steel.

However, as don says himself:
>these tables are only guidelines.  no details as the conditions of the test
>such as length of exposure are given.

I've read reports in the HBD of pitting (especially on the welds) in Stainless
Steel kegs after repeated use of Bleach solution in the kegs.  I trust the 
cumulative experiences of homebrewers well beyond what I read in a table
and I've taken don's report as a single datapoint.

Furthermore, I'd like to point out that don's wife is the owner of St. Pat's
of Texas (brewing supply) and they do not stock Iodophor rather they stock
a chlorine sanitizer.

Finally, don has, in a newsletter, questioned the quality of the DeWolf-Cosyns
Belgian Malts (another item not stocked by St. Pat's of Texas) while on
the other hand, St. Pat's of Texas turns out to be the sole distributor
of Breiss malt in the area.

I've yet to find the reasoning for don's tirade on yeast a few weeks ago,
but I'm sure that his ulterior motives will surface eventually.

Please note that this is not a flame.  I'm simply posting data that I've
collected and am not personally attacking anyone.

Al.

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 13:31 CDT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Wyeast British and London/Rusty hop leaves

JACK writes:
>Due in part to things I've read here re; yeast culturing, I decided to try
>an experiment with my last batch.  A couple weeks back, I took a 3 gal.
>keg of SNPA-clone pale ale to a picnic.  It ocurred to me that, since the
>beer was clean (and tasty) and had yeast cultured from an SNPA 6-pack,
>why not just let the dregs sit in the keg under preasure at room temp
>until I brewed again (last Saturday) then simply pop the lid, add 1 cup
>sterile cool water, swish it around, and dump directly into the primary.
>Fermentation started within 12 hrs and smells clean.  It's a slow ferment
>as are most that I do with SNPA but smells clean.   Questions:
>  -  can anyone see potentiial problems or drawbacks with this method

Repeated re-use could favor a mutant strain and I recommend not re-using
yeast too many generations for this reason.  Typical problems with mutant
yeast are the loss of the ability to ferment certain sugars and the loss
of the ability to re-absorb diacetyl.

>  -  how long might clean yeast be held under preasure this way before it
>     loses viability.

The pressure probably won't make much of a difference.  Temperature does.
You are better off storing it at around 40F, but letting it warm up to
pitching temperature slowly before use.  At 40F, I believe that your
yeast would have a sufficient percentage of viable yeast for at least a
month, but this is dependent on the health of the yeast at pitching
time, the level of oxygenation of the wort, etc.
>
>One other question....  I recently bought WYEAST packs for both British
>Ale and London Ale (forget the #'s).  Can someone tell me what the difference
>in these yeasts are based on their experiences, and which styles of ales
>they might match up best with.

British is very similar to the old, three-strain Whitbread yeast, whereas
the London Ale is very similar to Bass and Co's Whiteshield yeast.  I haven't
used the British (Wyeast #1098) but I've read that others have reported
a spicy, tart flavor profile.  Wyeast's London (#1028) is one of my favorites
and I use it often.  It has a woody profile but otherwise is quite neutral.

*********************
Subba writes:
>        I've noticed some yellow/brown rust like discoloration on the lower
>leaves of my hops vines recently and am concerned (not worrying) that it
>might be a symptom of a fungal infection.

Did the leaves first turn light green between the veins, then yellow, then
rust-colored?  If so (and maybe also if not), you may have a Magnesium
deficiency in your soil.  I did and I could stop what you reported by
dissolving two tablespoons of Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salts -- at your
local drugstore) in a couple of gallons of water and then splitting this
between my four hills.  I don't know if this is the best way to add Mg
to your soil, but it worked for me.  I had to do this about every 2 to 4
weeks to keep the leaves from turning.  Any other suggestions for increasing
soil Magnesium?  I know that hops are one of the few plants that require
Mg, but a tablespoon of MgSO4 a month!?!

Al.

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1993 09:35:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: jdg at cyberspace.org (Josh Grosse)
Subject: pH Meter - uses

In today's issue, Mr. S. questioned his purchase of a pH meter, and said he
felt he purchased equipment he found to be useless.

I have one, and I find it extremely useful for three purposes:

1) Adjusting the pH of the mash.  (pH 5.0-5.5)

2) Adjusting the pH of sparge water. (ph 5.6-5.8)

3) Ensuring I don't oversparge. (ph > 5.5)


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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 11:48:21 -0400
From: jpgareri at acs.bu.edu (Joseph Gareri)
Subject: EDME Brewcraft Barrel


I recently purchased an EDME Brewcraft Barrel.  The first batch I put in
was not great.  The main problem was it was terribly flat.  The barrel is
6 gallons with the CO2 injectors and a release valve that is supposed to
keep pressure up to 10 psi.  

The batch was about 3.5 gallon wheat recipe from the Cat's Meow.  The recipe
itself was very weak, but that's another problem.  

I primed it with 1/4 cup corn sugar disolved in 1.5 cups boiled water.  
There was some gas build up, but the beer never got terribly carbonated, 
so after 2 weeks, I primed again with the same amount.  This didn't seem to 
work either.  Is it because there was too much air space, so the CO2 did 
not remain in the beer?  The directions from EDME say it is not necessary 
to use one of the CO2 injectors for conditioning.  Any thoughts?

I am currently in the secondary with Tom Childers "Wheat Berry", and would
not want to spoil a batch that seems to be coming along nicely (thanks Tom
for your tips).  Should I prime with the  3/4 cup corn sugar as Tom recommends
for bottling or should I reduce the sugar as is recommended for kegging?  
I can't figure if this system is more like bottling or kegging.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

Joe Gareri
Boston, MA

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 11:13:42 CDT
From: "Anthony Johnston" <anthony at chemsun.chem.umn.edu>
Subject: Iowa Beers

Just thought I'd share a pleasant experience I had this weekend.  While
visiting Cedar Rapids, I dropped down to the Amana Colonies (19 miles
south) and was pleasantly surprised to find in addition to several small
wineries.... a brewery!  Millstream brewery is in Amana (Main Amana) and
has 3 beers on tap and in bottles; their Schild Brau was the best IMHO,
amber in color and not too hoppy.  They also had a very nice wheat
beer.  Their lager however could stand some improvement, no one in my
group really cared much for it.

And while I'm on the topic of Iowa, has anyone out there been to the
microbrewery in Alden, Iowa?  Any idea how far it is from C.R. and if ti
is worth the trip.  Private email please.

Anthony Johnston
Chemist, Homebrewer, Beer junkie.




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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 11:58 CDT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: DMS/Lambiks/Hoegaarden

Anthony writes:
>I just bottled my first attempt at a California Common or "steam" beer
>yesterday and I noticed a definite DMSO odor in the beer (the cooked
>corn type odor).  Will bottle conditioning help to reduce this over time
>or will I just have to get used to it.  What causes this (I've heard
>that this is generally due to slow wort cooling, but as this was an
>extract recipe which normally is cooled rapidly as it is transferred to
>the carboy containing cold water, I doubt that the cooling is any
>different from my other extract recipes.)

DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) is the chemical that give the cooked-corn aroma.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is oxidized DMS.  Some DMSO can break down to
DMS during the ferment by the yeast.  Most of the DMS that is created
during the boil, cooling and ferment gets scrubbed out by the CO2, so
you need to have very high levels of SMM (the precusor of DMS), DMS
and DMSO to have some spill-over into your finished beer.

There are primarily two sources for DMS, bacteria and the malt.  The
bacteria that generates DMS is called Obesumbacterium Proteus.  You
may have had wort infected with this bacteria all along, but since
this bacteria's activity is mostly during the earliest stages of
fermentation, when the pH of the wort is greater than 4.5, a longer
lag time on this particular batch may be all that was needed to get
the DMS in the final beer above the 30ppb human detection threshold.

Another source for DMS is from the SMM that is created when malt is
germinated.  During the kettle boil, virtually all DMS that is created
is boiled-off.  If you cover the kettle or if the boil is not a rolling
boil (just a simmer) you can retain enough DMS to detect after fermentation.
Also, as you mentioned, fast cooling is essential to minimizing DMS
in the wort because when you take the kettle off the boil, DMS still
continues to be produced until you cool the wort below 140F, but is no
longer being boiled-off.

*******************
Richard writes:
>Are 'lambic' bacteria distinct from 'lactic' bacteria, and if so, how ?

Lactic bacteria are only one of many bacteria that contribute to the
flavors and aromas of Lambiks.  Pediococcus Cerevisiae and Lactobacillus
Cerevisiae are two of the lactic acid producers, but certain types of (all?)
Pedio also create diacetyl, for example, but only God knows what the other
microbiota in Lambik wort do with the diacetyl since I have yet to taste
a Lambik with a noticable diacetyl character.  In addition to the Pedio and
Lacto bacteria, Enteric bacteria play a role in the flavor/aroma of Lambiks.

Brettanomyces yeasts, B. Bruxellensis and B. Lambicus give the characteristic
"horsey" aromas as well as contribute to the flavor.  Many "wild"
Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces yeasts combine to produce the intense
fruitiness found in many Gueuze Lambiks, so much so, that I've often had
to look back at the bottle to make sure I hadn't been served a fruit lambik!

So you see, there's a lot more to Lambiks than just a lactic sourness.
Note that recent bottles of Timmerman's Framboise that I've tasted have
had a more pronounced Brett (horsey) character than I recall.  Perhaps this
is simply a batch-to-batch variation (lambiks, more so than any other beers,
vary quite a bit from batch-to-batch and even bottle-to-bottle!) or perhaps
Timmerman's is trying to blend more towards a traditional flavor (I hope so).

*******************
Tom writes:
>In HBD 1149, Steve Lovett asks about reproducing Hoegaarden Grand Cru with
>wheat malt.  A few months ago, I posted a barley malt extract wit beer
>recipe, and promised to try the same with wheat malt.  Well, the first
>wheat malt batch finished a couple of weeks ago, and my friends and I are

Actually, Hoegaarden White is made with (unmalted) wheat, but the Grand Cru
Is a sort of "all-barley" version, with no wheat added.  I conjecture that
the Celis are made similarly, but I'm certain that they are are much fresher
and better versions than those now made by Interbrau in Belgium.

*******************
Mark writes:
>ago.  Anyway, after a few minutes of begging that I should be connected to a
>materials engineer (not a sales "engineer") I got some helpful folks in one
>of their labs.  Turns out the guy who knows the most about polypro is also a
>homebrewer!  Well it was certainly a relief not to have to spend 1/2 hour
>explaining what a hop back, wort etc. were!  Bottom line:  The chart is
>wrong as regards to polypro.  Beer won't hurt it or react with it (neither
>will wort).  This guy said that polypro's barrier properties weren't that
>good and thought the chart might have been inferring that you wouldn't want
>to store carbonated beer in it for long periods because it would go flat.
>However, carbonated water is "OK" for polypro on the chart.  We couldn't
>figure it out.

I expect that a materials engineer at Phillips 66 should have been able to
figure out that the reason that Polypropylene is not acceptable for long
 -term storage of beer is not only because of CO2 permiability, but O2
permiability!  According to the Cole-Palmer catalog, the 02 permiability
is 25 x 10^-10 (cc-mm)/(sec-cm2-cmHg), which is 2.5 time higher than HDPE
(high-density polyethylene) which is widely known to be too oxygen-permiable
for long-term beer (or hop, for that matter) storage.  Long-term storage in
oxygen-permiable plastics will, of course, oxidize your beer (or hops).

By the way, why does every post by Mark sound like an ad for his business?
I, for example, have yet to mention that my store/mailorder house,
Sheaf & Vine Brewing Supply, sells hops stored in a special, proprietary
plastic that is food-grade, yet is an oxygen-barrier and that the pouches
are CO2-purged before vacuum sealing... but you don't see *me* running
shameless ads in the allegedly non-commercial HBD ;^).

Al.
Sheaf & Vine Brewing Supply
Countryside, Illinois
708-430-HOPS

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 16:25:40 CDT
From: hinz at memphis.med.ge.com (David Hinz)
Subject: Octoberfest recipe request

Greetings.

I had several (OK, many) bottles of Hacker-Pschorr Octoberfest this weekend,
and I like it a lot.  Now, it seems to me that it's a very malty, lightly-
hopped lager, possibly something like a Maibock.  I dunno, I'm asking.

Anyway, my point is this....how can I make something like that?  I checked
the Cat's Meow, and didn't see anything listed specifically as an Octoberfest.
Anyone have a good recipe for this type of thing, or at least pointers on what
types of malts & hops to try?

All-grain recipe would be preferred, but I'll "takes what I gets".

Thanks,
Dave Hinz

ObBeerComment:

The Strong Scottish Ale from Papazian's "style guide" in TNCJOHB is fantastic.
Only 3 weeks in the bottle, and it's almost GONE.


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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 14:29:35 PDT
From: tinsethg at ucs.orst.edu (Glenn Tinseth)
Subject: Hop Utilization and clarifications

In a recent Digest, Mark Garetz petitioned the readers for info 
regarding Jackie Rager's alpha acid (AA) utilization numbers in 
his article in the Zymurgy Hop Special Issue. I am currently 
in the middle of a fairly good sized research project into this
exact subject. 

As George Fix mentioned in a recent posting, I am 
fortunate enough to be able to work in Gail Nickerson's USDA hop
lab where I have the glorious title "Official Volunteer Hop Grinder
and Sample Prepper" in exchange for the use of their equipment. In 
addition to running alpha and beta analyses on my hops, I am studying
AA utilization vs boil time and AA utilization vs wort gravity. Both 
my early findings and an extensive literature review indicate that
there are problems with Rager's numbers. Typical util vs boil time 
curves look nothing like Rager's numbers and max. util % numbers range 
all over the place in the literature, from 10-50% in the finished beer 
(Rager gives a middle of the road 30% for a 60 min boil). 

It is still too early for me to give some definitive answer to
the util question. I know how unsatisfying it is to hear that 
something is wrong without hearing the right answer but I am afraid
that we (myself included) are stuck with Rager's numbers for a while
longer, at least until I get a few more test batches in bottles and run
through the spectrophotometer. Is this "Vapor-data"?

Also, for everyone I promised a catalog to, they come from the printers
tomorrow, and will be in the mail the same day! Sorry for the delay but 
the response to my previous posting surprised me (a good surprise:)

Glenn

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Date: 1 Jun 1993 16:02:03 U
From: "Rad Equipment" <rad_equipment at rad-mac1.ucsf.edu>
Subject: Electronic Brewers in Portl

Subject:  Electronic Brewers in Portland        Time:3:56 PM     Date:6/1/93
As Jeff Frane mentioned I supplied stickers for our band of techies so we could
be easily spotted. I am willing to do the same this year and have had my
sign-maked friend begin work on the design.

I need a rough head count so I know how many to cut. Send me E-mail indicating
your intention to attend.

RW...

Russ Wigglesworth (INTERNET: Rad_Equipment at radmac1.ucsf.edu - CI$: 72300,61)
UCSF Dept. of Radiology, San Francisco, CA (415) 476-3668 / 474-8126


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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1993 16:28 EST
From: "Glen Flowers 601-4003, GTC-104" <GFLOWERS at LANDO.HNS.COM>
Subject: European BUD questions

In HBD #1152, Kurt Swanson writes:

>In this country, Sweden, one can get US Bud (in all 3
>strength classes - the least of which allowing it to be advertised on
>tv), Schiltz, Michelob, Sam Adams (arggh!), Anchor Steam, and various
>temporary products.

I'm puzzled by two questions:

1)  Why the (arggh!) after "Sam Adams"?  Wouldn't you consider Sam's 
    a better American brew than the first two brands on the list,
    (neither of which rated an "arrgh!"), and easily better than BUD?

2)  What is a temporary product?


Just wondering,

Glen Flowers
Technical Training
Hughes Network Systems
GFLOWERS at LANDO.HNS.COM

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Date:    Tue, 1 Jun 1993 21:14 EDT
From: Phil Hultin <HULTINP at QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA>
Subject: Litmus Papers

Actually, nowadays just about nobody uses "litmus" papers any more.
The old fashioned "litmus" came in two types, red and blue, and you
had to use the correct one for measuring acid or basic solutions.
The modern equivalent is referred to by various names, but in our
lab we just call them "pH papers".  If you can't find the right
stuff in your catalog, look under "test strips" or "test papers"
or "pH" rather than "litmus".  Modern test strips are much better
than "litmus".  The ones I like best (NOT the cheapest BTW) are
known by the trade name ColorpHast, and come as single use strips
of plastic with patches of colored indicator at the business end.

Just thought all the pH-concerned out there might like to know... P.

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Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1993 21:34:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: WESTEMEIER at delphi.com
Subject: Zentners of hops

To clear up any lingering confusion, I can't resist putting in my $0.02 here.
Geoff's memory was exactly right.  The zentner (note lower case) is the
standard unit of measurement used in commercial hop dealings in Europe.
The zentner is equal to 50 kilograms.  It is abbreviated zr and is (I think)
beginning to be used outside Europe as well.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a unit of measurement that worked like IBUs
or BUs, so that we could speak of "X hooples of Saaz" produced and mean so
many kilos at such a percent of alpha acid?

- -- Ed Westemeier  --  Cincinnati, Ohio  -- westemeier at delphi.com  --

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Date: 01 Jun 1993 21:45:19 -0500 (CDT)
From: HUGH at vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu
Subject: Hey Hayward!

Date sent:  1-JUN-1993 21:42:21 
Looking for a good micro-brew pub in Hayward, California.
Any suggestions?
Bitnet   -  Hugh at oshkoshw
Internet -  Hugh at vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu

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Date: 	Tue, 1 Jun 1993 22:56:15 -0400
From: Nick Zentena <zen%hophead at canrem.com>
Subject: Belgian malts in Brewing Tech

Hi,
        I got my copy of Brewing Techniques this week and
        I've got some questions.

        The article on Belgian malts by Prof. Fix stated
        that the test mashes were conducted using distilled
        water and 30grs of calicum chloride. Is this enough
        in the way of minerals? Would this very soft water
        profile cause the results to differ from real world
        mashes? I assume that the distilled water was used
        to give some sort of a standard.

        Also the article gives the following:

        Pils malt -linter 105 able to convert 15-20%
        adjuncts
        Pale ale malt- linter 60 able to convert 10-15%
        adjuncts

        In comparison I think Canadian 2row is 120-130linter
        and capable of converting 50+% adjuncts.

        Are the adjuncts numbers given for the Pils just
        conservative? Would it be able to convert a high
        adjunct mash like a normal p-lambic?

        Finally is Brewing Techniques going to be review
        books other then those available from the AHA?

        Thanks
        Nick

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I drink Beer I don't collect cute bottles!
zen%hophead at canrem.com
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 22:47:32 EDT
From: rgarvin at btg.com (Rick Garvin)
Subject: AHA Conference in Portland


Jeff Frane writes:

> Someone (Rick?) said that he was  buying a partial membership, leaving
> out the social stuff and paying for speakers.  A suggestion: You've got
> it backwards!  From my experience at last year's conference, the
> "lectures" are the least interesting part -- hanging out, eating and
> drinking with other homebrewers, _that's_ the real fun...and the most
> educational.
> 
> Speeches?  We don't need no stinkin' speeches.

I agree, the partial registration includes all social events and some
of the lectures. I have been to a few of these conventions and I have
trouble sitting in a wonderful place like Portland in a hotel for 8
hours a day. Plus, getting up early after Brew Pub hopping.

Cheers, Rick

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1154, 06/02/93