HOMEBREW Digest #1332 Mon 24 January 1994
Digest #1331
Digest #1333
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
predicting original gravity (J. Fingerle)
Whitbread Dry back on the shelf? ("when the cold winds blow, it'll ease your mind 21-Jan-1994 1013 -0500")
RE: lager yeasts at warm temps (Spencer.W.Thomas)
Oven Sanitizing (WKODAMA)
style (Spencer.W.Thomas)
Answers/Questions (Marc L. Goldfarb)
yeast & bottlelife (RONALD DWELLE)
Color test (George J Fix)
RE: plastic carboys and a question (Nathan Berggren)
Chicagoland BJCP Exam! (korz)
Style Guideline, etc. (Ulick Stafford)
RE: HELP WITH HEAT (CompuCom) <v-ccsl at microsoft.com>
Homebrew at a Beerfest (SC Taylor)
Huh huh, he said "leaves" (Alan Edwards)
shakespeare (RONALD DWELLE)
Malts- Amer, Brit, germ, Belg. Extraction & Color ratings. (COYOTE)
Viniator (korz)
RE:KEGS AND PARTS (TJM17)
Aging Ales (Jim Busch)
Minnesota Brewfest 93 (James D Rickard-1)
(dan_fox)
SS Fermenter (and Sanitizing) (Philip J Difalco)
Beer Bread (Zach Fresco)
Extract rates (npyle)
warning! Beginner here (Katherine Lawter)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:12:31 EST
From: fingerle at NADC.NADC.NAVY.MIL (J. Fingerle)
Subject: predicting original gravity
Lately, several people have been asking about how to
calculate (predict) original specific gravity. During the
past year, I collected various posts from the digest on this
subject, and just recently assembled all of the info form my
use. What follows are *my* notes on the subject.
Diclaimer: I did not originate this research, it is not my
work, it is the work of others on the digest. I am sorry I
cannot give proper credit.
BTW, constructive corrections, suggestions, and comments are
heartily encouraged.
------------------------------
Theoretically, for 100% yield, a mash would provide 0.0463
points of specific gravity per pound of ingredient per
gallon of water.
In other words, 0.0463 (points/pound)/gallon
-or- points/pound/gallon
To predict original gravity,
you must know either the percent yield:
OG = 1 + [ (pounds of stuff) * (0.0463) * (% yield) ] ...
--------------------------------------------
# of gals of wort
-OR- you must know the points yield of each substance:
OG = 1 + [ (pounds of stuff) * (points yield) ] ...
--------------------------------------
# of gals of wort
Yields for "stuff" as found in various digest posts:
Ideal 0.0463 points/lb/gal, or 100%
Sugar 0.044 points/lb/gal, or 95.0%
DME 0.042 points/lb/gal, or 90.7%
LME 0.036 points/lb/gal, or 77.4%
Honey 0.032 points/lb/gal, or 69.1%
Grains 0.029 points/lb/gal, or 62.6%
(the value for grains is for pale and crystal
being used as adjuncts; I do not believe that
the darker grains-chocholate, roasted barley, for
example-add to the gravity.)
Example: (Jimmy Beer #22), 5 gal batch
5.4 lbs LME
1 lb DME
1.5 lb grains
OG = 1 + [5.4*0.036] + [1*0.042] + [1.5*0.029]
--------- ------- ---------
5 5 5
OG = 1 + 0.038 + 0.009 + 0.009 = 1.056
-----------------------------------------------------------
Various sources of degrees of extraction
(as posted in the digest)
I have removed the sources of these numbers, since I cannot
give proper credit-my notes are highly edited after I
downloaded from the digest.
1
2
3 Jimmy Fingerle (me!-my experience)
4
1 2 3 4
Ingredient:
Malt extract 35 - 36 35
Dry spray malt 42 43 42 44
Corn sugar 37 45 44 -
Cane sugar 44 45 - -
Brown sugar 41 44 - -
Rice syrup 36 - - -
Dextrin powder 42 - - -
Pale malt 31 36 29 32
Lager malt 31 35 - -
Munich malt 26 30-33 - 28
Mild ale malt 27 29-34 - -
Crystal malt 22 29-31 29 -
Wheat malt 34 39 - 30
Cara pils malt 23 29 - 24
Roast barley 27 29 0 2
Chocolate malt 27 29 0 2
Black patent 27 29 0 2
Honey 38 - 34 -
Molasses 45 42 44 -
----------------------------------------------------------
Hope all of this helps! Again, thanks to OTHERS who have
posted to the digest-I am just an editor, except for column
3 above.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:15:00 EST
From: "when the cold winds blow, it'll ease your mind 21-Jan-1994 1013 -0500" <ferguson at zendia.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Whitbread Dry back on the shelf?
A brewer friend of mine just walked in my office to tell me that an all-new
Whitbread dry yeast was on the shelf at a homebrew shop in Woburn MA.
What is the story on this? Is this an all-new strain? I really like the
"old" whitbread - one of the best dry-yeast attenuators I've used.
JC Ferguson
LITTLETON MA USA
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:30:38 EST
From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu
Subject: RE: lager yeasts at warm temps
A plea, if you can, to use yeast names rather than numbers. I can
never remember what 2006 and 2007 are? Bohemian? Munich??? I
realize the names are sometimes as arbitrary as the numbers, but at
least I can hook a name to something in my memory so I'll recognize it
next time it comes around.
Thanks.
=S
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 10:27:31 -0500
From: WKODAMA at aba.com
Subject: Oven Sanitizing
>From the "I thought I thought but actually didn't think" file:
I read with great interest Jeff Frane's post a short while back
about using the oven to sanitize bottles with foil caps. I
really liked the idea, and especially liked that the monstrous
drudgery of bottling could be abated by splitting over two days.
"Wow, this is going to be GREAT!" I said to myself while smirking
and rubbing palms together vigorously.
So I carefully capped each of my Grolsch bottles with foil,
followed by a happy deposit into the oven. "Wow, this is going
to be GREAT!" HOWEVER...my initial "heh-heh-heh" turned into
"&*# at !?!" as a while later the smoke detector started *raging*
infernally.
Seems I *assumed* that since my Grolsch bottles were a few years
old, naturally none of the new plastic capped imposters had
deviously infiltrated their way into my stock of ceramic capped
prizes. My wife nearly permanently canceled my brewery in the
aftermath of the melted-plastic-cap-toxic-smoke shock syndrome
that fervently gripped her (&*# at !?!!! You ruined my oven!!!!).
Several gallons of elbow grease and salty language later, the
oven has been reclaimed! I still ardently champion the oven
sanitizing method, although I now *diligently* inspect each and
every Grolsch bottle that goes in there.
Wesman
P.S. -- the next major brewery purchase is kegging equip. ;-)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:51:12 EST
From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu
Subject: style
The problem is that it's almost impossible to judge a beer without
having a standard to judge it against. Aside from "obvious flaws"
such as infections (but who's to say: pediococcus, enterobacter,
brettanomyces are infections in most beer styles, but are essential
components of the flavor of a lambic), how "well made" a beer is
depends on what you were aiming for.
Take, for example, hops. The extremely hoppy flavor and aroma present
in American (west coast) pale ales are entirely inappropriate in most
German lagers.
Last night, we had our club-only pale ale competition (just in time to
air-express beer to Boston). One of the beers entered as an IPA was a
nicely made beer, and would have done quite well in the "English
Strong Ale" category. But its sherry-like tones and lack of hop
aroma and flavor made it a poor IPA.
So yes, styles are arbitrary and confining. And, yes, sometimes the
AHA style guidelines don't even encompass all the commercial examples
in that style. But there's nary a well-made beer that can't fit into
one of the (is it 29 now?) AHA styles if you stretch it a little.
I like to experiment, but at the same time, I'm still learning how to
control my brewing processes. It's a challenge to previsualize a
certain end-result, and work backwards to a set of ingredients and a
process to achieve that result. I can aim for a particular style, and
get unbiased judges to give their opinions on how well I did. That
feedback then helps me to improve my brewing skills and understanding
how it works. But it would be impossible without the common point of
reference provided by the style guidelines.
=S
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 11:02:33 -0500
From: dd596 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Marc L. Goldfarb)
Subject: Answers/Questions
Hi all:
As usual, I'm getting to my responses a bit late.
In HBD #1324, Mike Fetzer was looking for keg parts.
Try Foxx Distributing in Denver at 800-525-2484.
Dave asked about using an auto radiator as a chiller.
In the book "The Lore of Still Building" they show a
chiller using an auto air conditioner radiator. You
passed the hot wort through the coils and used a fan
blowing on the fins for cooling. I got a radiator and
flushed it with solvents, water and other stuff, (I
don't remember what). I didn't use it for 2 reasons.
First, even though I tasted the water after all the
flushing and it seemed okay, I still wasn't sure. I
pushed a lot of chemicals through it.
Secondly, although it appeared that the coil was copper,
there were lead solder joints in it. I just wasn't
comfortable with the whole thing.
I finally built a counter flow chiller for about 20 bucks
and it works great.
In HBD #1327, Mike Hansen asked about specific gravity of
different combinations of fermentables. Miller has a
chart on page 196 of The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing
that should help.
RE: Beer Across America: My wife bought me a 3 month
subscription for Christmas. I got the first package the last
week in December. I was pleasantly surprised with the
selections, Wassail Ale from the Full Sail Brewing Co. and
Baderbrau Bock, from Chicago. The reason for the surprise
is that their advertising brochure shows such
*great microbrews* as products from Oldenberg. If that stuff
showed up, I would have asked for a refund. Anyway, they
don't tell you in advance what they will be sending, but if
the next 2 shipments are as good as the first, I'll be a
real happy camper.
RE: Ron Rushings request for heat sources, I use the burner
from a hot water heater. We mounted it in the air cleaner cover
from a car (air cleaner, you remember, when car engines had
carburators). We then welded the air cleaner to a steel stand.
I works great with my 15.5 gal. former Bud keg brewpot.
RE: soda in kegs: I have found that the rubber lid seal
collects the soda odor. When I replaced mine, the
problem disappeared.
RE: Carboy handles: I bought one from a homebrew store,
the metal one that screw clamps onto the bottle. It works
okay for one bottle. I asked at the bottled water dist.
and they sold me a plastic handle that just slips on and off.
Not only is it easier to use, but it places the handle
over the center of the carboy, as opposed to having it
on the side and causing the carboy, with the
settled trub, to tip whenever moved.
And finally, my question of the week: I can buy grains
already crushed in 50# bags at a real cheap price. I'm told
that they are best used within a month. If I keep them
refrigerated or frozen, will they last longer? TIA
Marc
P.S. Thanks to all who helped me get rid of my double spacing
problem.
- --
GREETINGS EARTHLINGS and HAPPY BREWING from:
Marc Goldfarb, DIMARC BREWING CO.
Cleveland, Ohio
216-631-3323 or on INTERNET dd596 at cleveland.freenet.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 11:17:23 EST
From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
Subject: yeast & bottlelife
Notes on yeast:
I just made up 7.5 gal of wort & split it--5 gallons & 2.5
gallons--identical (except for the finishing hops (Perle in
5;Willamette in 2.5). I pitched different yeasts (everything
at basement room temp= ~58), Yeast Lab A07 (Canadian Ale)
in the 5 gallon; Yeast Lab L35 (California Lager) in the 2.5
gallon. The Ale is supposedly good at "cool" and the Lager
good at "warm". I brewed last Monday, pitched Tuesday
morning. Wednesday morning, the lager yeast was blowing off
at a high rate; ale doing nothing. Thursday morning lager
was starting to subside and replaced blow-off tube with
airlock; Ale was just beginning to bubble. This morning
(Friday), lager and ale were bubbling about equally, lager
clearly slowing down, and I'm expecting no blow-off with the
ale at all. Checking temp over five days--almost always
56-58 F (though I suspect maybe a little cooler in middle of
night).
Conclusion: Ale yeast not too good at this low temp
(though I await the finish product to be sure)
Request: Any info on other ale yeasts that might work
this cool. Or should I just stick to lager yeasts (fraid I'm
stuck with basement brewing & not up to building wort
temp-controllers, not to mention the space problem.) Might
Ale have worked better had I pitch the Ale yeast warmer,
before letting it cool to room temp?
On bottle life--
I inherited two cases of standard longnecks from a
colleague who retired (from brewing as well as from job). He
says he used them for 20-25 years (maybe 40-60 refills) and
can't remember one breaking (except for dropping on cement).
I've refilled a couple more times and now have them mixed in
with my other supply and can't see or tell any difference.
I've never broken one (cept for throwing at my ex-wife's
head, which was made of stone). Course these bottles were
never baked. I was thinking about baking, but maybe not, if
the bottles die.
?
Ron Dwelle (dweller at gvsu.edu at Internet)
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Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:26:55 -0600
From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix)
Subject: Color test
Norm writes:
>I read with interest the recent article by Dr. Fix regarding beer color. I am
>confused, though, about the following from the article:
>>PROCEDURE
>>1. Clean everything.
>>2. De-gas standard and then sample in blender.
>>3. Measure in 20 ml of standard beer in export bottle No. 1.
>>4. Measure in 20 ml of sample beer in export bottle No. 2.
>>5. If colors are different, measure in 10 ml of distilled
>> water to bottle No. 1 and 10 ml of sample beer to export
>> bottle No. 2.
>>6. Continue Step 5 until colors become close. At this
>> point the comparisons should be made in the one-inch
>> diameter jars. Transfer 25 to 50 ml into these from the
>> export bottles and return after comparison. Cut the water
>> and sample beer increment from 10 ml to 5 ml.
>>7. When a color match is obtained, record the total
>> amount of water added. Figure 2 gives the associated degL.
>When changing over to the smaller viewing vessel, are you not diluting at a
>greater rate? It seems to me that you cannot just add up the total dilution
>water if you are discarding part of the sample in the original vessel (the
>Miller bottle).
The curve was constructed using exactly the procedure described above. We
started with 10 beers which ranged nearly white (Bud) to those with increasing
color. The Lovibond reading for these were measured with Lovibond glasses.
The procedure described above was applied to each of these, and the total
amount of dilution required was measured. This with the known color rating gave
a data point. A cubic spline fit was used with these 10 data points to get
the curve displayed in the article. We then compared the results of some
other samples with photometric measurements (the most accurate way to measure
color) and found errors in the range +- 1%, which was our oiginal goal for
a simple procedure.
>These may be stupid questions, but I have found that stupid questions are far
>less harmful than keeping quiet and misunderstanding. This applies to
>virtually everything!
How true! As far as brewing is concerned, I feel a strong case could be made
for the notion that there are no stupid questions.
George Fix
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 11:03:36 -0600 (CST)
From: nate at casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Nathan Berggren)
Subject: RE: plastic carboys and a question
> Date: Fri, 14 Jan 94 10:24:42 EST
> From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
> Subject: Miscellany
> Someone asked about plastic carboys. I've started using the
> five-gallon kind and am pleased so far. I got it by paying a
> $7 deposit and buying 5 gallons of "spring" water at a
> local water shop. Only one of the water dealers in the area
> would do this--the rest wanted me to sign contracts to have
> water delivered to my office for the next century before
> they'd let me take out a plastic jug.
> I went to the plastic carboy after I broke my second
> glass carboy, dropped it 3 inches to the cement basement
> floor and it shattered. It was partly a matter of
> have-five-homebrews-relax-five-times-and-fumble-finger-while
> -cleaning-the-carboy, but also I find that a strong chlorox
> solution makes the surface of the carboy very slippery. If I
> ever get glass again, I'm also going to buy a pair of those
> gloves that NFL wide-receivers wear.
My thoughts on this are:
1) at least here in Chicago you can get a glass carboy the same way
you get your plastic ones for the same price ($5-$7), so why not
just go with the glass.
2) invest in at least one carboy handle, though I bought one for each
carboy I own, and your investment is still less than that of a new
carboy from a supply store.
3) at such a minimal investment, replacing a carboy isn't too expensive.
I also have a question. I have two batches sitting in secondary fermentors
in my kitchen next to the back door that have been there for three weeks.
Is this too long (considering the kitchen is about 50 degrees), and what
sort of adverse effects might I encounter?
nate berggren
nate at casbah.acns.nwu.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 11:48 CST
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Chicagoland BJCP Exam!
Sheaf & Vine Brewing Supply and Brewers of South Suburbia will
be holding a
BJCP Certification Exam
on Sunday, April 10th, 1994, starting at 12 Noon,
at Lion's Head Ale House
(13301 South Olde Western Avenue, Blue Island, IL)
You must PRE-PAY to assure yourself one of the limited spots for
this exam. First-timers: $50, retakes: $30. Checks should be
made out and sent to:
Sheaf & Vine Brewing Supply
5425 South LaGrange Road
Countryside, IL 60525
For more info please call: 708-430-HOPS, evenings or weekends.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 12:03:55 EST
From: ulick at haydn.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford)
Subject: Style Guideline, etc.
Part of the recent bunging up was due to a competition announcement with
all the gory details (wouldn't an announcement of an FTP site have been a
better idea?). Anyway one was the style guideline for stout
. CLASSIC DRY STOUT - Black opaque. Light to medium body. Medium
to high hop bitterness. Roasted barley character required. Sweet
maltiness and caramel malt [crystal] evident. No hop flavor or
aroma. Slight acidity/sourness OK. Low to medium alcohol. Diacetyl
low to medium. OG 1.038-1.072 IBU 30-60 SRM 40+.
My bitch is about the maltiness. Guinness is not malty -or is that too much
of an industrial beer for the homebrew gods? I was marked down in a
competition recently for not having a DRY stout sweet enough and I thought
it was too malty. At first I
was inclined to just blame the lack of experienced judges, but now it is
evident that the AHA hasn't a clue. I still think specialized judges are
needed - not Jack of all trades - master of none. And the AHA style guidelines
need to be reviewed. Anyway, it makes my decision not to enter tha Nationals
easy. I guess overall I agree with Alan in Austin.
Error of the day from 1330
I would *guess* that microwaves, being even higher than UV in
frequency, would be even more effective as longer wavelengths are the ones
that tend to not hit anything (ala sunsets).
Scott
What was that about HBD being bunged up with uninformed guessing and thinking?
Perhaps a quick glance at the electromagntic spectrum would have corrected
this. Let's get the signal to noise ratio up.
__________________________________________________________________________
'Heineken!?! ... F#$% 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: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:28:48 PST
From: Scott Lord (CompuCom) <v-ccsl at microsoft.com>
Subject: RE: HELP WITH HEAT
>From: f_rushingrg at ccsvax.sfasu.edu (Ron Rushing)
>Greetings From Nacogdoches--
>Can someone point me towards information regarding burners ? I've been
>using a natrual gas stovetop, a cajun cooker-type propane burner, and a
>small homemade natrual gas burner. All have worked fine with small
>batches, less than 5 gal.
>My brewing friends and I have decided to move up to larger batches. We've
>been using 15gal SS kegs with false bottoms.
>All works well, except for heating the water ! It takes WAY TOO LONG (1-2
>hours) to bring water up to boil. We've also been considering larger boils
>(> 25 gal), if a heating solution can be found.
>Some of you folks may have some suggestions for burners and related
>attachments--
I had the same problem. My solution was to get a larger burner (rocket jet)
this fixed the problem of getting the water up to a fast boil, but it
introduced
a new one. Now I had a 35,000 BTU burner that was OK when boiling 5 gal.
of wort when I switch to a 15gal SS kegs with false bottoms
it wasn't enough. Now I have a 135,000 Btu burner and it boils
water faster. But now it caramelizes wort on the bottom and in the tube to the
valve.
I was talking to one of the "Brews Brother" and he solved the
same problem with his boiler by making a shroud to go around
his boiler. He gets 15 gal. of water to boil in 20-30 min. with a
35,000 Btu burner.
I am currently in the process of building one for my self.
I will report back when it is finished to give test results..
Scott Lord
v-ccsl at microsoft.com
WSHBSC
Beer it's not just for breakfast anymore.
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:38:52 PST
From: SC Taylor <esc1 at holonet.net>
Subject: Homebrew at a Beerfest
St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA, is holding its third Beerfest in
June, and as a co-chair on the Brewery Committee and a homebrewer,
I thought we might try to organize a Homebrew Corner at the event to
complement the 30 or so breweries that will be there.
This is a not for profit event, and for homebrewers it would be only
an exhibition - not a contest - but it seems like a good opportunity
to spread the word. Case in point: when I brought up the idea at a
meeting, the response was, "Sounds good, just as long as no one get
sick from it." Let's teach 'em a lesson!
Ideally, I'd like to get six to twelve people to serve their wares at
the Fest. You will gain admission to the event, and a chance to showcase
the art of homebrewing side-by-side with microbreweries from around the
country.
I will be losing my Internet account at the end of this month, so anyone
interested should contact me in person.
Stuart Taylor
(510) 562-7006
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 10:55:08 PST
From: rush at xanadu.llnl.gov (Alan Edwards)
Subject: Huh huh, he said "leaves"
COYOTE, in digest 1329, was objecting to the use of the term "leaves" in
reference to hop flower petals.
And then later in the post, he writes:
| Odd occurence. I didn't have that problem with the Jalapenos I added
| to my pepper beers. :-^) Maybe they just don't nucleate like leaves.
^^^^^^
Huh huh, that was cool.
P.S.
OK. I know that no one will read this until probably next Tuesday because
of the backlog, so the humor will have been lost (because I'm replying
to something I saw in yesterday's digest--which was an article written
last Tuesday).
Well, actually, now that I read it again...there is little humor in it
to begin with. I thought it was funny when I read it.
Have a GREAT day!!!!!
-Alan
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 13:55:46 EST
From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
Subject: shakespeare
I know everyone's got more important stuff to do, but I
thought the following messages on a scholarly Bboard were
interesting.......
Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 5, No. 0052.
Friday, 21 January 1994.
Michael Dobson <U63495 at UICVM>
Date: Thursday, 20 Jan 94 09:46:22 CST
Subject: Re: SHK 5.0043 Re: Sack, Ale, and Stout with
Some Questions
re: Beer and Shakespeare
England, thank God, is a country which doesn't *need*
to import beer, and I know of no references to beer imports
before the glorious rise of the Dublin stout industry in the
mid 18th century. The beer which Falstaff *could* have
ordered at the Boar's Head was 'brown bastard', a rich ale,
as distinct from the 'small beer' which most households
brewed themselves in part as a means of disinfecting and
re-flavouring the water. It was very low in alcohol, pallid,
and insipid in flavour, a perfectly acceptable soft drink
for children -- the Renaissance equivalent of Budweiser.
Mead, incidentally, is still commercially available in
Britain, and as long as you have confidence in your dentist
and don't mind the idea of alcoholic Lucozade isn't bad.
The other crucial connection between Shakespeare and
beer is the posthumous patronage of Flowers' brewery of
Stratford, which funded the building of the original
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and remains a patron of the
RSC. Flowers' bitter is now distributed nationally by one of
the big conglomerates -- I think Whitbread -- and continues
to bear a portrait of the Bard on its beermats. Merrie
Englande at L1.50 a pint (or am I lagging behind
inflation?). On Shakespeare's involvement in the modern
drink-marketing business, see Graham Holderness and Bryan
Loughrey's piece 'Shakespearean Features' (which reproduces
both the Flowers' trademark and the version of the Chandos
portrait used on Tesco dry sherry bottles -- at least Tesco
know their sack!), published in Jean Marsden's anthology
*The Appropriation of Shakespeare* (1991). [not to be
confused, incidentally, with Brian Vickers' recent rewrite
of the Dunciad, which adopted a similar title].
Michael Dobson
From: Michael Best <BEST at UVVM.UVic.CA>
Date: Thursday, 20 Jan 94 08:43:10 PST
Subject: Ale (Big or Small), Beer, Sack . . .
Gervase Maarkham's *The English Housewife* (1516)
lists usable recipes for March ale (the strongest), ale,
small ale (made from the second infusion of the malt) and
that newcomer beer (with its trendy new additive hops). It
devotes a whole chapter to the care (read adulteration) of
wines, including sack. My edition of Markham (1986) is still
available from McGill-Queens Press.
From: William Kemp <wkemp at s850.mwc.edu>
Date: Thursday, 20 Jan 94 22:02:32 EST
Subject: Falstaff beer
Edward Bonahue mentions seeing Falstaff beer in "My
Own Private Idaho," and William Godshalk testifies to having
drunk it. He also recalls that the picture on the can
resembled Santa Claus.
It did. Falstaff was a low-priced beer widely
available (at least in the South) during my youth (the 50's
and 60's). The bearded guy on the can did indeed look a lot
like Santa.
Was the stuff in "My Own Private Idaho" authentic or a
directorial fabrication? There's no Falstaff beer in
Virginia. Is it still around in other parts of the country?
I cannot believe I am writing this note. A week of
cancelled classes and staying inside must have driven me
batty.
Bill Kemp
From: Leo Daugherty <fld at u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, 21 Jan 1994 03:17:07 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Sack, etc.
There used to be a terrific cheap beer called
Falstaff. It was sold in Kentucky and Ohio (at least), had
a picture of Fat Jack on the label, amd was absolutely
delicious to the unschooled fratrat palate. Presuming we've
not run too far off the rails or otherwise afield here --
this is, after all, a "spinoff" --, does anybody know if
it's still around?
Leo Daugherty
From: Hardy M. Cook <HMCook at boe00.minc.umd.edu>
Date: Friday, January 21, 1994
Subject: Falstaff Beer
As a homebrewer, or at least I was before I returned
to changing diapers four months ago, I have purchased
"overrun" bottle caps. One such cap, which tops the last of
a June 1992 Brown Ale, is labeled "88 Falstaff Light." I
had always assumed that "overrun" implied that the caps were
labeled but the company went out of business, and I have,
thus, assumed, rightly or wrongly, that Falstaff beers were
potables of the past.
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 12:25:29 -0600 (MDT)
From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu>
Subject: Malts- Amer, Brit, germ, Belg. Extraction & Color ratings.
Does anyone have a list of malts, adjuncts and their extraction yields
and color contributions?
I've got the basics: Pale, Crystal, Roast...etc.
And I've got Lovibond ratings for the belgian malts, but what
about their extractions?
Millers got a decent list, but some of those values seem awfully high.
Can chocolate, black, roast, really contribute THAT much! Seems like
they are more for color, and dont add much fermentables. In mY Mind.
Thanks in advance.
***
Also: RE: making Blue Beer.
Get some Zima, and add food coloring.
It's almost impossible to make a beer that light.
Green food coloring in a wheat a couple years back lead
to a color some described as looking like "Pond Scum". With a green
tinge in the head. Oh well, not the St. Patties perfection required.
I had a very lightly yellow colored Mead with became blue after adding
a couple drops per glass. That worked!
Toot made a blue fermentation from basically sugar and spice.
It's a bit heavy on the cloves for me, but it's....Blue!
How about that green whiskey Picard shared with Scotty?
Kinda like that stuff Scotty soused the Kelvin with.
SO: Bottom Line: Either carbon filter your beer to clear it, then color,
or go for a mead type concoction and just call it an ale.
G'luck. Brew on.
"Beam Me Up Jim " Jim...Beam...get it?
John (The Coyote) Wyllie SLK6P at cc.usu.edu
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 13:26 CST
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Viniator
Ulick writes:
>And what is the great timesaving Viniator in Al K's
>speedy bottling technique (takes twice as long as my method of dunking
>bottles in a laundery sink) that require 20 sqirts per bottle?
Perhaps there is little time saving between the Viniator and dunking
bottles in a laundry sink. My previous technique was to fill a bottle
with sanitizing solution, wait a minute and then pour the sanitizing
solution into the next bottle. I would go to fresh sanitizer after
5 or 10 bottles. I prefer to not use the laundry sink method because:
1. it requires 20 times more sanitizing solution and
2. I don't want to have to rinse the outsides of the bottles.
Al.
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Date: 21 Jan 1994 14:49:50 -0500 (EST)
From: TJM17 at JAGUAR.UOFS.EDU
Subject: RE:KEGS AND PARTS
Hello Fellow Brewers,
In reply to yesterdays question on were to get parts for your kegulater
system. I have found the place its called ON TAP SYSTEMS
ON TAP SYSTEMS
R 316 MEADOW AVE.
SCRANTON,PA 18510
(717)347-2337
(BEER)
TJM17 at JAGUAR.UOFS.EDU
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 14:55:57 -0500 (EST)
From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com>
Subject: Aging Ales
Someone asked about aging of ales. This is a good question
that has a few different answers.
Many brewers have aged ales after the completion of primary
fermentation. Altbiers and Kolsch, immeadiately come to mind.
In these examples, the beers are actually given a period of
cold conditioning, or lagering,. over a period of 2-3 weeks.
Usually, these beers are filtered prior to serving, but after
the aging period is complete.
English, real ales, are aged, albeit for a brief period of time.
When referring to real ales, it is considered "conditioning" the
ale. This is a period of between 2 and 7 days, occuring after
primary fermentation has completed, and of course, in the
presence of yeast. During this period finings are added, and
the beer is conditioned until carbonation develops, and the
expected "star brilliance" is acheived.
Modern american ales (and most micros fall under this), are
usually fermented out, and filtered. The filtering is often
performed as soon as one day after primary is complete. Once
the "bright beer" is in the bright beer tank, aging is complete,
and the beer will only decline, or hold steady with time. No
further development of taste, or "mellowing" will occur after
the yeast is removed. Oxidation/reduction reactions do alter
the beer at this point.
Some brewers (Sierra Nevada) filter the beer, carbonate to
about 90% of the final CO2 volumes, then add just enough yeast
and "sugar" to achieve a bottle conditioned, finished beer. THis
has the advantage of scrubbing the beer of any residual oxygen,
and giving some homebrewers a source of clean yeast. It is because
of this process that relatively clean yeast can be scavenged from
the SNPA bottles, it is fresh yeast at bottling time. Other
brewers rely on keeping oxygen out of the bottle by using
modern, sophisticated bottling equipment. Good bottlers spray a
jet of water (hot?) into the top of the just filled bottle, which
causes a good deal of foam to be generated, and the bottle is
capped quickly as the CO2 froth is foaming out.
The last form of aging is what most of us employ, a period of
warm conditioning where the beer is carbonated naturally, and then
chilled, or a period of cold storage, followed by forced carbon-
ation. During this period, residual yeasts, can reabsorb
fermentation byproducts such as diacetyl, and if the yeasts are
not treated roughly (shock excretion), the fermentation byproducts
remain in the yeast cell when the cell dies, and flocculates.
If the normal ferment never produces a high degree of byproducts,
then there is no problem with skipping the reduction step. It is
of interest to note that different yeast strains produce vastly
different amounts of fermentation byproducts, and as such, selection
of yeast strains greatly influence the required aging periods.
In my brewery, I practice some of each method. Some of each
batch is put directly into cornelious kegs, a period of cold
conditioning is followed by coarse filtration. Sometimes these
beers are served within 2 weeks of brew day. The other half
of each batch is primed with sugar, warm conditoned and then
cold conditioned.
Good brewing,
Jim Busch
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 13:53:56 -0600 (CST)
From: James D Rickard-1 <rick0018 at gold.tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Minnesota Brewfest 93
Last October, I entered my first Homebrew Contest, the Minnesota Brewfest.
The amount of participation exceeded all expectation. They had over four
hundred entries. I entered a Scotch Ale that admittedly had some style
problems, due to using the wrong hops. However, When I got my results, it
seemed that either the judges were drinking someone else's entry, or they
put my beer in the wrong category altogether. My Haggis Chaser Scotch Ale
was judged as a Belgian trippel! I got a lot of comments like "too much
hop flavor for style", or "too dark for style." No kidding.
I have since been unable to contact anyone responsible for this. I want
my $7.50 back. I suppose it would not help asking for my three fine ales
back. Belgian Trippel indeed!
Does anyone have an address for the Minnesota Brewers Association? Does
anyone know who I should accost about their Goofup?
Jim Rickard
"A nice beer, maybe a bit off for this style..."
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 16:18:20 EST
From: dan_fox at ccmail.GSFC.NASA.GOV
Subject:
Hello all:
In #1330, thomas ciccateri <tciccate at carina.unm.edu> writes:
> The current issue of The Celebrator Beer News reviews many of the
>Beer-Of-The Month Clubs; Beer Across America, Beers 2 You, Brew To You,
>Gourmet Beer Society, International Beer Society, International Beer Club,
>Micro Brew Express, and Microbrew To You.
This sounds great! Where o where can I get a copy of the Celebrator Beer
News? email me or post it - i bet it would be of general interest.
Quick observations:
I read the Digest in <10 mins in the morning-it's not too long for me.
Y'all are right-there are some long- winded people here. But George Fix
can post the phone book if he wants - it'll be interesting from him!
Newbies, Keep the questions coming! I'm still learning from you.
Thank you one and all - you have finally convinced my brewing partner that
letting God do it isn't good enough - we _need_ a wort chiller! (He's done
a right fine job of it here in DC this week, though!)
- --Dan Fox
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 15:32:48 -0500
From: Philip J Difalco <sxupjd at fnma.COM>
Subject: SS Fermenter (and Sanitizing)
I just acquired a couple of 5 gal. Stainless Steel (SS) soda kegs.
Are there any concerns for using SS kegs as primary and/or secondary
fermentation vessels?
What's the best way to sanitize an SS keg?
Is near-boiling-temperature water adequate for SS sanitization, or do I need
an iodine based sanitizer?
Thanks.
- ---
email: sxupjd at fnma.com (NeXT Mail Okay)
Philip DiFalco, MORNETPlus Systems Management
FannieMae, 3900 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 (202)752-2812
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 14:09:56 -0800 (PST)
From: Zach Fresco <zfresco at helen.bush.edu>
Subject: Beer Bread
Does anyone have a good recipy fore beer bread? Ive had it from a kit
and its very good.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 14:45:23 MST
From: npyle at n33.stortek.com
Subject: Extract rates
John Palmer gives the following table from Karl King (BT, may/june 92):
>Malt Type Points
>DME 44
>LME 35
>Pale Malt 29
>Dextrin 20
>Crystal 20 15
>Crystal 40 13 These numbers probably assume an
>Crystal 60 10 infusion mash, and are up for debate.
>Wheat 25
>Vienna 24
>Munich Lt 20
>Munich Dark 18
>Cara Pils 20
>Cara Vienna 15
>Chocolate 3
>Roasted Barley 1
>Black Patent 0
I think most everyone would agree with the DME and LME numbers, more so if you
would add a range (+-10% or so). The rest of them are certainly up for debate.
HBD participants regularly report greater than 29 points for pale malt, and the
dextrin, crystal, and other malts seem very low. I guess he does say these are
typical numbers, but the term "typical" could be replaced with "random, and may
have no place in the reality of your home brewery". Of special interest are
the near zero values for choco, roast, and black. A recent table showed them
in the 20s I believe. So, who's right? Who's left?
Norm
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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 17:29:30 -0500 (EST)
From: Katherine Lawter <lawterk at db.erau.edu>
Subject: warning! Beginner here
Hi, I was wondering if anyone had info on how to startup homebrewing?
Forgive me if it is a naive question but I couldn't find a FAQ. I am
looking for how much it would cost, time involved and hopefully any tips
that you might have. Thanks
lawterk at db.erau.edu
Kathi
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1332, 01/24/94