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


Contents:
  Mashing, Bashing (Jack Schmidling)
  Cake mixes, and other half-baked ideas (CCAMDEN)
  Fermentation Frenzy (donnalynn)
  FAQ's Politics and Protocols (blazo)
  Sweden (FSAC-PMD) <pburke at PICA.ARMY.MIL>
  sweet gale synonyms/request for collaboration (Tony Babinec 312 329-3570)
  Strange overcarbonation ("Rafael Busto" )
  RE: slow sparge, mashing question (James Dipalma)
  Re:  Slow sparge problems (Chris McDermott)
  Freezers (jmarra)
  Fermentation Frenzy (donnalynn)
  Tarnished Wort Chiller (Philip J Difalco)
  More Mead Questions ("Daniels Lab 2")
  Decoction: The Thinnest 1/3 (Lee=A.=Menegoni)
  Lautering (EZIMMERM)
  Sparge and .Z (Ulick Stafford)
  Mash cooler discoloration & choreboys (U-E68316-Scott Wisler)
  Yeast Washing (Martin Wilde)
  Re: Brewpubs in the Boston area (robertg211)


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

Date: Sun, 12 Sep 93 10:30 CDT
From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Mashing, Bashing

 
 >From: Greg_Habel at DGC.ceo.dg.com
 <Subject: My first all grain batch - a screw up.
 
 >  Mashed 6lbs highly modified pale malt and 8 oz crystal with 6 quarts of 
 168F water for 1 hour.
 
 Life is much easier if you use more water, like double that amount.
 
 >  Did the iodine test.  The color was blackish but it turned to
 clear when I stirred it up a bit.
 
 If it cleard upon stirring, you were cheating and just spreading it around.
 
 >When sparging with 3 gallons of 170F water, I had a very
 difficult time of not disturbing the grain bed.
 
 Place a small bowl on top of the grain to disburse the water.
 
 > Here's my question... how important is it that the grain
 bed is kept relatively undisturbed while sparging?
 
 Absolutelly essential for the grain near the strainer.  If the bed is 
 distrubed, it can not function as a filter.
 
 >  Also, will the liquid turn colorless near the end of the sparge. 
 
 Only if the filter bed is undisturbed.  
 
 > Could it be that my cooler is too large, ie the grain bed
 is not deep enough?
 
 You didn't tell us enough to determine either of the above but in my 
 experience the answer is no.   With my equipment and process I get the same 
 yields with one inch in a mini easymasher as I get on 10 gallon batches.  My 
 yields are consistantly over 30 and I am using the same equipment I used on 
 my first batch with a yield in the low 20's.  Technique has a lot more to do 
 with yield than equipment.
 
 >From: WEIX at swmed.edu
 >Subject: Re: Yeast FAQ Ruckus
 
 >Well, I feel that since my post was the cause of all the wasted bandwidth
 (either for the FAQ itself if you agree with JS or for the flame-fanning in
 response if you don't), that I should speak my piece. To JS's credit....
 
 Thanks for the credit but if you are going to personalize comments, please 
 get the facts straight.  You have fallen into the same trap as the rest of 
 the gang that flamed my suggestions.
 
 NOWHERE did I criticise "the FAQ itself" or any other FAQ or FAQ's in 
 general.  They are a great contribution to the database and those who create 
 them and contribute to them deserve much credit.
 
 I simply made a proposal that non-time critical articles be limited to 200 
 lines per day to make sure that those that are time critical do not get 
 swamped.
 
 I also suggested that once the FAQ is proposed and interested parties
 identified, it should be debugged as much as possible by email.
 
 Both of these suggestions got lost in the public discussion because it is so 
 much fun to flame that even when none is apparent, some excuse will be found.
 
 > Finally, as for the results of his 10 to 1 poll, I would suggest that
 irritated people are 10 times more likely to respond than those who are
 satisfied.....
 
 But that wasn't the point.  I don't know of anyone who was irritated by the 
 FAQ.  The 10 to 1 mail was simply people agreeing with my two suggestions.
 Furthermore, the public comments went the other way as most of them 
 criticized me (not my suggestions) just me.
 
 
 >From: "Bill Kitch" <kitchwa at bongo.cc.utexas.edu>
 >Subject: All-grain questions
  
 > 2)  Sparging questions:
     a) How much recirculation.  "Recirculate until runoff is clear".
     Sounds great in print.  However, for amber or darker beers this is
     not as obvious as is sounds.  In last batch I recirculated the first
     5 qts.  Is this excessive?
  
 It depends on you mash tun.  If you have a false bottom, you must at least 
 drain away all the liquid under it and this could be gallons.  With an 
 easymasher, it's a cup or two.  Your first runoff will of course be much 
 darker than the finished beer but in a proper tun, it will run nearly as 
 clear.  I think the key word is "recirculate" and it is a bad word.  It 
 sounds like it is part of the process to clear the wort.  What you are really 
 doing is rejecting the turbid wort but instead of throwing it away you pour 
 it back in.
 
 >   b) When to stop sparging.  "Don't over sparge".  I like this about as
     much as "cook until done"....
 
 This one is a well spring of expert opinion and words like tanins, pH, tea, 
 sweet .008 lurk like evil spirits ready to destroy your prize winning beer.
 
 The bottom line is the point of deminishing returns.  It become economically 
 impracticle to boil down a gallon of wort much below 1.010 to add its 
 contribution to to the batch.  So all those other things, be damned, it is a 
 waste of time and money to use watery wort unless you need it to lower the 
 gravity or increase the boil time.  It is also a waste of raw material to 
 throw away runoff over 1.010.
 
 If you planned things properly, you should have enough wort by the time you 
 get that low.  If you need a little more, the evil stuff in it will be so 
 diluted that it won't affect the beer anyway.  If it tastes ok but is not 
 sweet, what harm can it do?  If it makes you mouth pucker (most unlikely), 
 you probably don't want to put much in your beer.
 
 
 >  3) Seperating break material & spent hops from wort.  When I syphon my
     cooled wort from the boiler into the fermenter, my syphon tube clogs
     leaving 1/2 to 1 gallon of wort/trub in the boiler. I usually pore the
     last of this glog into mason jars, allow the trub to settle and decant
     the wort for use as starters.  One quart of glog doen't bother me but
     for my last triple I was left with nearly a gallon.
 
 You can throw it away or let it settle as you did.  That is just good 
 tecnique.  If you don't need it for starter, just bring it to a boil to 
 sterilize it and add it to the fermenting beer and nothing is lost.
 
 > (I know, Jack, I should drill a hole in the bottom of my boiler and install 
 a SS screen w/tubing etc. I'm seriously considering this but would like to 
 hear other  alternatives.)
 
 Instead of you plastic siphon, get a piece of copper tubing of the same 
 diameter, and bend it into an "L" at the bottom.  Put the tubular screen over 
 the end and attach your siphon hose to the top and you have a portable 
 easymasher... no hole.. no hassle but you still have to suck on the end.
 
 >From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com>
 >Subject: lager time & hot liquor tanks/O2
 
 >I guess the question is :how long does your *fermentation* take?
 ie, how long until the SG has dropped by 75%?  No doubt that some
 continual activity/lagering will occur but when everything is
 done perfectly, a lager ferment in between 7-10 days.
 
 I don't see how that statement can be made without specifying the 
 temperature.
 
 >From: korz at iepubj.att.com
 >Subject: Addtn to kegging FAQ
 
 >Al Richer did a good job summarizing the basics of kegging.  I would like
 to add a bit more info.  In addition to the big o-ring and the two under
 the dip tubes, there are also o-rings on the poppets .....
 
 And now for the other side of the story.  I have four 5 gallon kegs and two 
 10 gallon ones.   I have never replaced a single "o" ring in any of them.
 
 Admitedly, the ones with Coke in them smelled pretty bad for awhile and I 
 even had the first batch in one come out with a detectable Coke taste but 
 that was long ago and never happened since.  I just soaked the lid rings in 
 bleach for a few days.   The ones with lemon/lime stuff lose all odor with a 
 simple rinse.
 
 It's good to know the parts a available but like so many things, if it aint 
 broken, don't fix it.
 
 >The ones sold by Sheaf & Vine have a range of 40F to 80F.  I think that
 this range should be made a bit lower for lagers and a bit higher for
 ales. 
 
 Nifty gadget but I destroyed mine removing it.  My problem is I ferment in 
 the same kettles I mash and boil in so they must be removed between uses and 
 these things can take that sort of abuse.
 
 js
 

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Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1993 15:50:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: CCAMDEN at delphi.com
Subject: Cake mixes, and other half-baked ideas

I have several questions/comments and I will get right to them.

The first is a "cake mix" question.  I recently received a catalog from 
The Home Brewery.  They have a liquid malt extract that they call 
Yellow Dog(tm).  It is 87% 2-row Klages, 12% malted wheat and 1% chocolate 
malt.  I find myself intrigued by this product.  Has anyone in HBD-land ever
used Yellow Dog and if so, what are your comments?

On to another topic.  All my reading of the HBD has made me think about
doing a, if not all-grain batch, then at least a partial grain batch.  My
question is, if I have a recipe that calls for, oh, say 5 lbs of DME, and I
want to try substituing 3 lbs of grain, how much DME should I then use.
Now, I realize that some will say "why not go all-grain?", but I just don't
have the equipment (brewpot).  I can throw together a few things to
experiment with small amounts of grain, but I will still need to use DME.
(OK, let's see; will now I be a "cake-mix-brewer" who only uses part of the
cake-mix and adds his own flour??)

No question this time, just a comment.  My wife and I just got back from 
living in Nuernberg (umlaut-less German spelling), Germany for 3 years.  
I didn't brew there, there wasn't a need to; here in Huntsville, Al there is
a great need.  One of our favorite places to go was Cheimsee (large alpine 
lake about 40 miles east of Munich).  Just south of Ingolstadt, we would
enter a large hops growing region.  We got into the habit of stopping at the
same autobahn rest-stop through the summer and walking to a nearby hops
field (?), where we would shoot some video.  We got some great footage of
the hops as they grew all summer long.  So, what's the point of all this?  A
check of the map tells me that this was smack-dab-in-the-middle of the
Hallertau region.  It was a neat expirence then, and learning more about
these hops now, makes the memories even better.

Email replies to my questions are encouraged, unless you think that everyone
would be interested in the brewing characteristics of Yellow Dog amber malt
extract.

         ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
         /   Cary Camden                                           /
         /   Husband, father, soldier, parrot head...              /
         /   "...not a lawyer, a thief or a banker."               /
         /                                            J. Buffett   /
         ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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Date: Sun, 12 Sep 93 17:38:06 EDT
From: donnalynn at aol.com
Subject: Fermentation Frenzy

Hi
This is directed to Ken Johnson who was not happy with our store.
You mentioned that we do not have open bins of grains.  Well you are correct.
The main reason for this is that open bins are one of the best ways to invite
a pest  contamination (especially during the summer months).  Having worked
as a food microbiologist and plant inspector for 5 years I know that an open
bin of a food product is not wise.  If you would like a specific amount that
is not already on the shelves just ask and we will be happy to get it for
you.
As for our hop selection we carry just about every hop type grown.  Sometimes
towards the end of the hop season (just before the next years hops are
picked) certain hop varities are of poor quality and we don't buy  them and
resell poor quality hops.  But if you really want a particular variety
regardless of quality will will order it for you.
I am sorry you were not impressed with our shop as we are here for our
customers and what to make you impressed

Take Care and I hope you will give us another try,
Donna Lynn
Fermentation Frenzy

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Date: Sun, 12 Sep 93 21:10:24 EDT
From: blazo at aol.com
Subject: FAQ's Politics and Protocols

At the risk of rendering horse flesh into micro-burger I would like to submit
the following:

When someone goes to the trouble of assembling, sometimes with painstaking
detail, the answers to many of the most FAQ's in a given subject, they might
be best served, prior to posting their compilation on our HBD, by querying
the HBD "population" as to their propriety in posting their data.  In this
way, the anticipation of the receipt of the "education" might whet the
appetites of the "cogniscenti", and therefore silence the erstwhile loose
cannons, disparagers or flame-throwers, as the case might be.

It is amazing, when someone goes to the trouble to compile massive amounts of
information to distribute to the "masses", that certain of those masses, you
know who you are, act as iconoclasts, ad nauseum, without even ctitiqueing
the post.  Bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwith.  What's the big deal?  OUR TAXES
PAY (gentle thanks to HP) FOR THE BANDWIDTH!  Lighten up!  Isn't education
worth the BANDWIDTH?

I will not offer up any quasi-pardoning postures for using THE BANDWIDTH to
make this statement, but hope that all of those diligent, hardworking &
concientious people keep on making their posts re:  FAQ's.

 -blazo

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Date:     Mon, 13 Sep 93 7:08:16 EDT
From: "Peter J. Burke" (FSAC-PMD) <pburke at PICA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject:  Sweden

Greetings,
I am travelling to Sweden on 15 Sept, and will be in:
Stockholm, Linkoping, Kalskoga, and Gothenburg.
I do not know if Sweden is the mecca of brewing that
other European countries surely are, but would like
to obviously sample their wares.
Does anybody out there have good bars, breweries, restaurant, etc...
info ? I know this is short notice, but would appreciate the
help. Please respond directly to me:
pburke at pica.army.mil
thank you.

SKOAL !!!
(Cheers in Swedish)


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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 09:31:01 -0500 (CDT)
From: tony at spss.com (Tony Babinec 312 329-3570)
Subject: sweet gale synonyms/request for collaboration

Here is the little I know about sweet gale.

First, the following terms are synonymous:

   myrica gale
   sweet gale
   bog myrtle
   moor myrtle

I have looked at a number of herb/wildflower catalogs, and one in
particular carried a number of myrtles, but none with the above
names.  One myrtle, the name of which I don't recall now, was described
as having seeds that produce an anise-like flavor.

Spencer Thomas kindly sent to me an old hbd posting from James Spence
that mentioned a source:

***old post excerpt begins here***
Desjardins Herboriste
3303 Ste. Catherine St. E.
Montreal, Quebec H1W2C5
telephone:  (514)-523-4860

Pierre (Rajotte) says 250 gms is $3.56 plus shipping.
***old post ends here***

I phoned Desjardins Herboriste, and they were unwilling to ship outside
of Canada.

Now, what I am hoping for is that some Canadian reader of this post will
order the sweet gale and send it to me.  Any takers?  Please e-mail
privately.  Thanks.

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Date:     13 Sep 93 10:53:43 
From: "Rafael Busto" <SUPERVISOR at bnk1.bnkst.edu>
Subject:  Strange overcarbonation

I just wanted to report something that has ruined my last three
batches (2 ales and 1 lager) Everything looks fine during the
whole process untill you open the first bottle after 2 weeks of
bottleing. As soon as you open it a very thick foam starts to
grow on the bottle itself. In a second look you can tell that
this foam is created from a lot of bubbles that come from the
yeast sediment.
When you pour it to the glass the foam keeps growing and stays
for few minutes untill it becomes liquid.
The flavor of the beer is cidery.
Any clue?
I tried to make my beer as clean as I can. The only things I can
think are:
 - I need a new hose (it has been used over 7 batches)
 - The fermentation was not totally completed (but 3 times in a
  row?)
  Please let me know of similar experiences or solutions.
  Thanks a lot


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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 11:33:13 EDT
From: dipalma at banshee.sw.stratus.com (James Dipalma)
Subject: RE: slow sparge, mashing question


Hi All,

  In HBD#1224 Steve Zabarnick writes:

>I've recently joined the exciting world of all-grain brewing. My two full
>mashes have been successful, but I've been frustrated by the how slow my
>sparging has been. Here is my set-up: 5 gal Gott water cooler as
>mash/lauter tun, Phil's phalse bottom, and Phil's Mill. Both batches have
>used 9 or 10 lbs of grain (mostly British pale ale malt), with mash at 1 or
>1.25 quarts/lb. I've been sparging with 5 gals of 170 F water while keeping
>the water level above the grain bed (I skip the mash-out). Both of my
                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>sparges have taken 2 hours with the valve on the cooler full open. I would
>like to get this down to about an hour.

>Any suggestions? Perhaps I'm crushing the grain too fine-- I've been
>adjusting the crush to the point where all of the grains are at least
>partially crushed. I've been getting about 31 ppg.

  Two of the most common reasons for slow/stuck sparges are lack of heat in
the tun, and excessive flour from the crush being too fine.
  Try mashing out next time.  It's possible to step from sugar rest
temperature to ~170F by infusing small amounts of boiling water.  My
procedure is to add enough water so that the water level is 1-2 inches above
the grain bed, while watching the temperature.  When it gets to the desired
range, stir the mash *gently*, just enough to get all the mash constituents
into suspension, avoid splashing.  Seal the cooler, wait about 10 minutes.
The liquid above the grain bed should be clear and dark, and there should
be a light layer of gray material atop the grain bed.  Begin recirculation
of runoff. 
  The heat added to the tun by raising to mash out temperature will help
the runoff flow more readily.  Getting the mash constituents suspended in
liquid then allowing them to settle naturally helps avoid both compaction
of the grain bed and channeling, IMHO.  Both of these conditions contribute
to slow/stuck sparges.
  Checking the crush is a good idea, though I'd be more concerned with the
amount of flour and the condition of the grain husks.  If your crush has
a lot of flour and the husks are in many small pieces, then grind a little
coarser.

>Is the depth of a 10 lb grain bed in a 5 gallon cooler too large for a more
>rapid sparge? 

  No, this is not the problem, I've used 10+ pounds of grain in a 5 gallon
lauter tun many times, the runoff came out as fast as I allowed it.  On
one occasion, I was brewing a weizen using 10 pounds of grain, half of
which was wheat malt.  I got distracted by something on the radio, bumped
the spigot on my lauter tun to a wide open position without noticing.
I had just started sparging, there was just over a gallon of wort in the
boiler.  When I did notice a couple of minutes later, there was over 3
gallons in the boiler, and the runoff was still flowing strong.  Despite
the high percentage of wheat and the extremely fast runoff rate, the
sparge still did not stick.  The geometry of your tun is not the problem.

  Another thought, there was a thread on HBD last year from someone using
a Phil's phalse bottom who was also getting slow sparges.  If memory serves,
(always a dangerous assumption :-)), there was something about a hose
kinking and trapping air.  I've never seen this device, maybe someone
who has used one can comment.

*****************************************************************

  I also have a question.  A friend of mine who loves to tinker with gadgets
built a RIMS system recently, and has run a couple of pilot brews through
it.  He carefully plotted the time/temperature curve while stepping from
protein rest to sugar rest temperatures, it takes about 30 minutes to step
up roughly 32 degrees, from 122F to 154F.  The problem is that as soon as
the sugar rest is achieved, the mash is already converted!
  Our concern is the length of time spent in the 140F-150F range, and it's
impact on the dextrin pool.  I'm a BJCP judge, a taste test on both brews
confirmed our fears, they were both very thin bodied, bordering on watery.
Yesterday, through the judicious use of insulation, we managed to cut this
time from 30 minutes to just over 15, without changing the heating element
or slowing the recirculation rate.
  My question: is there an optimal rate of stepping from protein rest to
sugar rest temperatures?  2F per minute or some such? I can't find this
information in my brewing library anywhere. 

                                     Cheers,
                                      Jim


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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 13:24:33 -0500
From: Chris McDermott <mcdermott at draper.com>
Subject: Re:  Slow sparge problems

 RE> Slow sparge problems
>Date: Fri, 10 Sep 93 14:04:07 -0400
>From: steve at snake.appl.wpafb.af.mil (Steve Zabarnick)
>Subject: Slow sparge problems
>
>I've recently joined the exciting world of all-grain brewing. My two full
>mashes have been successful, but I've been frustrated by the how slow my
>sparging has been. Here is my set-up: 5 gal Gott water cooler as
>mash/lauter tun, Phil's phalse bottom, and Phil's Mill. Both batches have
>used 9 or 10 lbs of grain (mostly British pale ale malt), with mash at 1 or
>1.25 quarts/lb. I've been sparging with 5 gals of 170 F water while keeping
>the water level above the grain bed (I skip the mash-out). Both of my
>sparges have taken 2 hours with the valve on the cooler full open. I would
>like to get this down to about an hour. 
>
>Any suggestions? Perhaps I'm crushing the grain too fine-- I've been
>adjusting the crush to the point where all of the grains are at least
>partially crushed. I've been getting about 31 ppg. 
>
>Is the depth of a 10 lb grain bed in a 5 gallon cooler too large for a more
>rapid sparge? I don't think this is the problem, as I believe others on the
>digest have rapid sparges with the same set-up.
>
>Thanks for any help. 
>
>Steve Zabarnick
>
>
>------------------------------

One gotcha to watch out for with Phil's False Bottom is the weight of the grain
bed crushing the outlet tube.  This is especially true if you are using the
*clear* vinyl type tubing, because it becomes very soft at sparge water
temperatures.  If this is indeed the case,  try switching to the opaque type
tubing.  It is much stiffer even at boiling temperatures.

FYI, I use the PFB in a 10 gal Gott cooler with an opaque vinyl outlet tube and
I can complete a sparge in well under thirty minutes if I so choose.



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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 13:26 EDT
From: jmarra at rip.att.com
Subject: Freezers


I've read a number of posts mentioning a chest freezer used for
fermentation and lagering.  Is there an advantage to this type
of freezer over an upright freezer, or refrigerator?

I have several soda kegs I plan to ferment in.  Will I be able to fit
more in a large chest freezer vs. upright?

Thanks in advance for any info,

John Marra
jmarra at rip.att.com


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Date: Sun, 12 Sep 93 17:38:06 EDT
From: donnalynn at aol.com
Subject: Fermentation Frenzy

Hi
This is directed to Ken Johnson who was not happy with our store.
You mentioned that we do not have open bins of grains.  Well you are correct.
The main reason for this is that open bins are one of the best ways to invite
a pest  contamination (especially during the summer months).  Having worked
as a food microbiologist and plant inspector for 5 years I know that an open
bin of a food product is not wise.  If you would like a specific amount that
is not already on the shelves just ask and we will be happy to get it for
you.
As for our hop selection we carry just about every hop type grown.  Sometimes
towards the end of the hop season (just before the next years hops are
picked) certain hop varities are of poor quality and we don't buy  them and
resell poor quality hops.  But if you really want a particular variety
regardless of quality will will order it for you.
I am sorry you were not impressed with our shop as we are here for our
customers and what to make you impressed

Take Care and I hope you will give us another try,
Donna Lynn
Fermentation Frenzy


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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 14:38:20 -0400
From: Philip J Difalco <sxupjd at anubis.fnma.COM>
Subject: Tarnished Wort Chiller


I made an immersion wort chiller (17 ft. of 1/4 in. copper tubing).
The wort chiller was used for the first time about a month ago.
In that time the tubing had become tarnished.

I used the wort chiller for a batch that was made this weekend.
I put the chiller in the wort during the last 15 minutes of
the boil to ensure sanitization of the chiller.  Cold water was
then passed through the wort chiller for it to cool the wort.

Afterwards, I noticed that the wort chiller was only tarnished in
the places that were not immersed in the wort.


QUESTIONS:
1)  Did the de-tarnishing that took place affect the wort?
    Will it noticeably affect the flavor of the beer?
2)  Should I de-tarnish the wort chiller prior to its next use?
3)  How does one go about de-tarnishing a copper wort chiller?


Thanks in advance for your responses.

- ---
email: sxupjd at fnma.com (NeXT Mail Okay)
Philip DiFalco, Senior SomethingOrOther, Advanced Technology
FannieMae, 3900 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 22016     (202)752-2812

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Date: 13 Sep 1993 11:29:10 U
From: "Daniels Lab 2" <Daniels_Lab_2.CEMAIL at cemailgate.ce.utexas.edu>
Subject: More Mead Questions

                       Subject:                               Time:11:13 AM
  OFFICE MEMO          More Mead Questions                    Date:9/13/93
I have a few questions to add to Jim's mead questions in #1222.

I've brewed a gingered honey mead and am hoping for some suggestions on
what/when to add some additional ingredients.  The recipe I used (Papazian's)
calls for fresh fruit to be added at the end of the boil.  I have a cherry
extract for winemaking that I want to use.  Should I add this during
fermentation or at bottling?

I would also like to add some spices to the mead when I bottle.  I had planned
to make a tea and add to part of the batch while bottling so I could split the
batch.  My question is, what spices work well (with or without the cherry) and
how strong a tea should I try?  Yeah, I know it's all personal taste and the
amounts always vary depending on potency, process, etc., but a ballpark would
be appreciated from those who already have a little (or more) experience with
this.

Thanks.  Tristan



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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 14:28:24 EDT
From: Lee=A.=Menegoni at nectech.com
Subject: Decoction: The Thinnest 1/3

The recent discussion on wort clarity due to starch problems from too hot
a sparge has caused me to revisit getting to mashout with a decotion mash.
In previous brews I would remove the thinnest 40% or so.  Though quite thin
it would contain a significant fraction of grain.  I would boil this and add 
it to the mash vessel and let it mash out at 170-175 for 15 minutes.  These
beers would never get crystal clear.   I suspect that I gelatinized some
starch in the final decotion that did not get converted while the enzymes were
getting deactivated in the mashout.

In future brews I will ensure that there is NO GRAIN in the final decoction
even if I have add water to get the correct volume of water. 

RE: Light Struck beer in fermentor.  I cover my 6.5 gallon carboys with a 
black plasic trash bag.  I have a small slit in the top for the airlock to go
thru. 

Lee Menegoni     lmenegoni at nectech.com

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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 11:18:06 -0600 (MDT)
From: EZIMMERM at UWYO.EDU
Subject: Lautering

Salutations!
   First, sorry 'bout the poor subject headding on my last post. I'm
still getting used to this VAX os...
   When I toured Summit Brewery in St. Paul I was told they lauter by
_recirculating_ the wort untill it is clear [transparent, i.e. no
cloudyness] and what it sounds like most all grainers here is doing
is to just run the water through once. Is it ok to recirculate the 
wort? I would think so as Summit won Gold for their Great Northern Porter...
Wait, a porter could stand the bitterness that might result from the possible
transfer of tannins fromt he husks to the wort... Well, they also make a
great Pale Ale... Any comments on this?

Gene in Laramie

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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 14:14:55 EST
From: Ulick Stafford <ulick at bizet.helios.nd.edu>
Subject: Sparge and .Z

In 1224 Stave Zabarnick complains of slow sparges.  Assuming a holey
bottom the like of a Phil's can work OK (I hated my homemade holey
bucket a la Miller), which I doubt, it helps with any sparging system
to restrict the flow from the get go to a trickle.  There is less
to recirculate before run off is clear, and the lack of compaction
of the bed allows the sparge to continue steadily.  I never sparge longer
than 45 minutes even for 75% wheat mashes with my copper manifold 7 gallon
Gott.  Try restricting the flow next time ans see if it helps.

Patrick Weix of yeast.faq fame gives a very complicated method for
ftping .Z files from stanford.  When I get my copy of hbd each day (my
mail subscription is still not fixed after a month - Oh well), I just
type get 1224, and lo and behold it uncompresses 1224.Z prior to
transfer saving me the need to set up bin or uncompress it in my own directory.
So I guess gettin yeast.faq from homebrew/docs could be as trouble free.
__________________________________________________________________________
 'Heineken!?! ... F#$% that s at &* ...  | Ulick Stafford, Dept of Chem. Eng.  
    Pabst Blue Ribbon!'               | Notre Dame IN 46556
                                      |    ulick at darwin.cc.nd.edu   


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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 16:56:06 EDT
From: U-E68316-Scott Wisler <swisler at c0431.ae.ge.com>
Subject: Mash cooler discoloration & choreboys

This past weekend I wanted to brew 2 consecutive batches and was looking
into how to compress the time involved.  One of the most obvious ways is
to be mashing the second batch while the first is boiling.  The problem
is that I mash and boil in the same pot, with my sparge water held in a
styrofoam cooler.  I have a plastic picnic cooler that I seriously
thought of using but I didn't want permently mash colored.  (Besides,
my wife would throttle me)  So the question to all you cooler
mashers is :  What color did your coolers end up?  

Also, the choreboy seems to be working well for many people.  I haven't
found one yet, but I just got my counter-flow chiller working and
used whole hops for the first time.  Clog! (seems like a bad B movie senerio) 
I was wondering how people attached the choreboy to the drain.   I guess 
I'd just like to know if there was a way that DIDN'T work, so I can
avoid clog problems.  


Thanks,

Scott

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Date: Fri, 6 Aug 93 16:08:02 GMT
From: Martin Wilde <martin at gamma.intel.com>
Subject: Yeast Washing

I have on occasion washed some yeast.  The question I have is how do you tell
the difference from the trub and the yeast?  The yeast is usually an off-white
and the trub white, do I just not worry???

thanks
martin at gamma.intel.com

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Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 17:30:15 EDT
From: robertg211 at aol.com
Subject: Re: Brewpubs in the Boston area

My wife and I are going to be in the Boston area for 10days in October and
would like to know of any Brewpubs, Microbreweries or Pubs that are worth
visiting. Thanks in advance!
Either post here or E-mail me  at: RobertG211 at aol.com
                                                     Bob Gammie
                                                     Northeast FL Society of
Brewers

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1225, 09/14/93