HOMEBREW Digest #1346 Wed 09 February 1994

Digest #1345 Digest #1347


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


Contents:
  Yeast(s) for Kolsch (Lowell Hart)
  Yeast(s) for Kolsch (Lowell Hart)
  Brewing and Fermentation (Fletcher Bonds)
  Getting on via CompuServe (Timothy Staiano)
  Woman-Only Brewoffs (Conan-the-Librarian)
  Suggestions for counter-flow wort chiller (Rich_Lenihan)
  Glutaraldehyde!!! ("Ron Hart")
  CANNABIS BEER (LLDSC)
  Brewpubs in MT ("Timothy R. Peters")
  re: Twang (Dick Dunn)
  NDN:Homebrew Digest #1345 (February 08, 1994) (Network_Manager)
  Hop rhizome sources (Paul Jeffrey)
  Beer Finings ("Greg Eslinger")
  Beer, The Magazine (Paul Beard)
  troublshoot RD, Copper mash tun ("Dana S. Cummings")
  pH correction (Mark A Fryling)
  Lactic acid in sparge water ("Ron Hart")
  What's the definitive reference? (Derek Montgomery)
  no champagne yeast in rootbeer (Karl Horning)
  HDM Maltings (korz)
  Gluteraldehyde again... (Ed Hitchcock)
  cream ale (RONALD DWELLE)
  Re: Annoying low fills (Kelly Jones)
  Glutaraldehyde, flames, and not messing w/science (Edward H Hinchcliffe-1)
  Re: extract usage/Austin brew news (Jeff Benjamin)
  Hop AAU Content (Bob Guerin)
  Root Beer (Jack St Clair)
  Need help priming with wort... ("Michael L. Kovacs")
  Brewpub FAQ (Todd Jennings)
  HSA (Carl Howes)
  Motor for Malt Mill (msellman)
  Belgian malt comparison ? (Kelvin Kapteyn)
  Abbey recipes? (VIALEGGIO)
  carbonators ("Anton Verhulst")
  Re : wider membership (Conn Copas)
  Mike Schrempp, Agar versus gelatin (bickham)
  subscription (Bruce Wiggins)
  Beer on World Wide Web (Derrick Pohl)
  Wort Chiller Use (Pete Geib)
  WHERE IS BRITISH BEER FEST??? (S_TUTTLE)
  Help! Going to Florida (S_TUTTLE)
  No Subject Given (Simon Evans)
  Brew in Chicago (Mark A Fryling)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 5 Feb 94 16:18:08 PST From: lhart at CATI.CSUFresno.EDU (Lowell Hart) Subject: Yeast(s) for Kolsch Howdy, I have been staring dully for a while now at some Kolsch recipes and am contemplating brewing one. In my research into this style (in my less-than-huge store of brew lore) I have become confused as to which yeast to pitch, and how. The two methods seem to be a)pitch a European-type ale yeast as usual or b)pitch the ale yeast and then pitch a lager yeast before the cold conditioning process begins, to attenuate things out. I'm asking the HBD braintrust which is better. The second sounds like a good way for me to screw things up, and I also note that this lager yeast would not have the advantage of the initial wort aeration that the first yeast has. The next question is, of course, which yeast to use for either of these operations. The two recipes in my Cat's Meow copy say Wyeast #1338, European Ale, but the Yeast FAQ sez that it works best at 70F, thus implying that it wouldn't work well in the cold-conditioning phase. The recently posted Kolsch recipe here on HBD doesn't specify. Again to the Yeast FAQ, the only description that includes Kolsch are from the Yeast Culture Kit, nos. A04 and A37, but they are also listed as Alt yeasts,which I understood was something else entirely. Other 'European/German' ale yeasts listed are:Brewtek CL-40 Old German Ale, Wyeast 1007 German Ale Yeast (works at 50-62F) and 1338 European Ale Yeast, and Yeast Lab A06 Dusseldorf Ale Yeast (listed as an Alt). The listing either doesn't specify temps. or has temps. that are considerably higher then the temps. for cold conditioning (see recent Kolsch recipe for example.) As to what yeast to use for the second (lager yeast) pitching, I am clueless (but you have probably figured that out by now.) So, somebody please enlighten me. I appreciate your help, and the HBD in general. Is there a Kolsch import with some nice little yeast guys on the bottom that I can culture? Should I culture some of St. Stan's Alt yeast, if that turns out to be the same thing? I'll post if there is enough interest. Is anyone else out there confused? I can start again... Lowell Hart San Joaquin WORThogs Raketenflugplatz, Fresno lhart at caticsuf.CSUFresno.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 94 17:51:09 PST From: lhart at CATI.CSUFresno.EDU (Lowell Hart) Subject: Yeast(s) for Kolsch Howdy, I have been staring dully for a while now at some Kolsch recipes and am contemplating brewing one. In my research into this style (in myy less-than-huge store of brew lore) I have become confused as to which yeast to pitch, and how. The two methods seem to be a)pitch a European-type ale yeast as usual or b)pitch the ale yeast and then pitch a lager yeast before the cold conditioning process begins to attenuate things out. I'm asking the HBD braintrust which is better. The second sounds like a good way for me to screw things up, and I also note that this lager yeast would not have the advantage of the initial wort aeration that the first yeast has. The next question is, of course, which yeast to use for either of these operations. The two recipes in my Cat's Meow copy say Wyeast #1338, European Ale, but the Yeast FAQ sez that it works best at 70F, thus implying that it wouldn't work well in the cold-conditioning phase. The recently posted Kolsch recipe here on HBD doesn't specify. Again to the Yeast FAQ, the only description that includes Kolsch are from the Yeast Culture Kit, nos. A04 and A37, but they are also listed as Alt yeasts,which I understood was something else entirely. Other 'European/German' ale yeasts listed are:Brewtek CL-40 Old German Ale, Wyeast 1007 German Ale Yeast (works at 50-62F) and 1338 European Ale Yeast, and Yeast Lab A06 Dusseldorf Ale Yeast (listed as an Alt). The listing either doesn't specify temps. or has temps. thatare considerably higher then the temps. for cold conditioning (see recent Kolsch recipe for example.) As to what yeast to use for the second (lager yeast) pitching, I am clueless (but you have probably figured that out by now.) So, somebody please enlighten me. I appreciate your help, and the HBD in general. Is there a Kolsch import with some nice little yeast guys on the bottom that I can culture? Should I culture some of St. Stan's Alt yeast, if that turns out to be the same thing? I'll post if there is enough interest. Is anyone else out there confused? I can start again... Lowell Hart San Joaquin WORThogs Raketenflugplatz, Fresno lhart at caticsuf.CSUFresno.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 14:15:59 -0800 From: fletchb at halcyon.halcyon.com (Fletcher Bonds) Subject: Brewing and Fermentation Question: I know this Maillist is primarily for discussion concerning BEER, but I was curious if any of our Brewers were also winemakers? ______________________________________ | | | .--------------------. | | | SNOWBOARD OR DIE!! | | | '------------------' | | | \| | | ROSSI. / / | | | SIMS (( ` ` | | MORROW ((C ~ | | RIDE ))) \ O\ | | NITRO (((| |--- | | K2 ____)))| }((____ | | / ((( \ / )) \ | | | )))) \/ ( | | - -------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 17:29:24 -0500 (EST) From: Timothy Staiano <tstaiano at ultrix.ramapo.edu> Subject: Getting on via CompuServe Could anyone help me with a dilemma? My friend and I are avid (beginning) homebrewers. I feel that this forum has given me great ideas and insights into all aspects of homebrewing. However, as I am a college student and have access to Internet (and also the means to get onto here), he is not and does not know how to get on to the Homebrewing Forum via CompuServe. Could anyone please post this information or perhaps e-mail me at tstaiano at ultrix.ramapo.edu A million thanks. Tim Staiano Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 15:19:51 -0800 From: pascal at netcom.com (Conan-the-Librarian) Subject: Woman-Only Brewoffs "Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 15:25:49 MST From: "Mark B. Alston" <c-amb at math.utah.edu> Subject: Re: Queen of Beer competition "Does this strike anyone else as quite sexist and self defeating." Yes, I am 100% in agreement with your analysis on both counts. "In this era of eliminating the differences between the sexes this seems to be several steps backwards." Kind of brain-dead ... sort of a 'tit for tat' tactic, more meant to compel men to suffer the feeling of being left out that some women might experience, than to generate feelings of equality, if I understand it correctly. "In fact there would be quite an outcry if there we a male only competition. Or can you even imagine a "white" only competition!?!" Bias is perfectly OK, so long as you are biased against the right group of scapegoats. Mark, you're getting dangerously out of step with consensus reality, here, and I *insist* that you stop thinking for yourself and accept mindless politically correct pap, like the rest of us ... or else the Thought Police will seek you out. /-: - -- richard Help ! I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body !! richard childers san francisco, california pascal at netcom.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 07 Feb 1994 17:25:15 EST From: Rich_Lenihan at firstclass.wellfleet.com Subject: Suggestions for counter-flow wort chiller For various reasons, I've decided to build a counter-flow wort chiller. I have a couple of questions. First, what diameter of copper tubing should I use - 1/4" ID or 3/8" ID? It seems to me that the 1/4" ID tubing would be more efficient re: heat transfer but I'm concerned about the possibility of the tubing becoming partly or completely clogged with break material. The 3/8" ID tubing is a little more expensive but less likely to clog. Also, while I could slow down the wort flow through the wider tubing I would be hard pressed to speed it up through the narrower tubing. Are there other factors I should consider? I'm planning to use a total length of 15-20 ft. Second, I haven't decided what kind of fittings I'll use to seal the H2O input and output. I'm looking for something that is cheap, simple and leak-proof. Any suggestions welcome. Third, at some point in the future I plan to connect the wort input side of the chiller to an outlet near the bottom of my boiler to acheive my ultimate goal - a closed brewing system. I figure threaded fittings at both sides with some kind of hose connecting the two. My question is, what kind of hose should I use that would be easy to sanitize and resistant to high temps? If there's a better way of acheving this end, I'd love to hear it. That's it. While all answers are appreciated, I am especially interested in answers of the form "This is what I did..." or "I've been doing this for 10 years and it works for me..." -Thanks -Rich rlenihan at wellfleet.com p.s. I've seen the FAQ and I still have questions... Return to table of contents
Date: 7 Feb 1994 19:00:26 U From: "Ron Hart" <hart at axon.rutgers.edu> Subject: Glutaraldehyde!!! Subject: Time:6:49 PM Glutaraldehyde!!! Date:2/7/94 Mark Garetz writes in HBD 1343 about reading of glutaraldehyde as a sterilant. THAT SCARED ME. I've used glutaraldehyde ("Wavicide" TM) in my research lab for disinfecting cell culture equipment. The label says: "The permissable exposure limit of glutaraldehyde in the atmosphere is below 0.2 ppm" and "The use of rubber gloves when mixing or handling the product is recommended. Avoid contamination of food." When we use it, we wear lab coats, safety glasses, rubber gloves AND respirators. This is serious stuff. The stuff is great for killing everything from fungi to HIV, but PLEASE, PLEASE don't let it touch anything that'll get into your BEER! Ron Hart (hart at axon.rutgers.edu) Rutgers University Newark NJ Return to table of contents
Date: Monday, 7 February 94 18:20:20 CST From: LLDSC at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Subject: CANNABIS BEER Sounds interesting. Can't wait to give it a try. What's the deal with all this talk about dosing somebody without telling them? It's as if everyone immediately assumes that all stoners care about is getting the rest of the world high. (well...) In the first place, I'd never waste anything (not that I ever have any) on somebody who wouldn't appreciate it. I'm glad that somebody out there is implementing a hard nosed drug policy. When are you guys going to start testing for homebrew? I seem to remember somewhere about alcohol having an effect on the nervous system. Shouldn't that be classified as a drug as well. Flame away at me. Send it to me personal so we don't take up space. Anybody else that wants to get more specific about recipies feel free to write. :) Keep on truckin' in the free world, SCOTT LLDSC at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Return to table of contents
Date: 08 Feb 94 00:02:02 EST From: "Timothy R. Peters" <76307.3666 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: Brewpubs in MT I will be visiting Montana soon. Does anybody know of any brewpubs in Bozeman or Missoula? I am also interested in your opinions of said places. Private e-mail o.k. Thanks, T.R. Peters 76307.3666 at compuserve.com Return to table of contents
Date: 7 Feb 94 23:17:45 MST (Mon) From: rcd at raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) Subject: re: Twang Steve Scampini wrote: > A friend just reviewed my first batch of beer...[good reviews]... > ...BUT he said it had "your typical extract beer > TWANG". No amount of prodding could pry any further description of > what the heck TWANG was... no, not buttery, no not too sweet, no not > infected, no not... you know EXTRACT TWANG... One thought on either side of this. First, there are things that can give a tangy/sour taste to an extract beer. Not long ago, I came across some very old dry malt extract. It had been sealed fairly well, but it was *years* old. I thought I might just use it up, but I tasted it first. It had a distinct fruity sour taste-- still quite sweet, but also this sour component--could have passed for a bad imitation fruit drink. (Yes, I tossed it...composted it, actually.) I don't know what begets the taste, but obviously if it gets really strong in very old malt, there could be some of it in slightly-old extract. On the other side: Many years ago, Michael Lewis was speaking at an AHA convention in Boulder, and took a few moments to remind people of how easy it is to let subjectivity intrude. Now, back then "everybody knew" that using too much corn sugar instead of malt would give the beer a "cidery" taste. (It didn't _per_se_, of course. It gave less body, which changed the overall character.) But we all "knew" that. He set out to debunk that myth with some tests they'd done, but he also related a typical dialogue among homebrewers that went something like this: "Yep, this is quite a fine brew!" "Especially for an extract beer." "Yes, it's a good extract beer." ... "I do believe I can taste some cidery-ness in it, though." "It's some of that corn-sugar cidery taste." ... "Cidery as hell, ain't it?" (I'm relating it in my own style, not his.) I wish I had written it down as he said it. Still, to this day among one group of my friends, we use "Yup, Cidery as hell!" in any discussion to point out to somebody that he's being influenced more by the persuasive drift of words than by the facts. - --- Dick Dunn rcd at eklektix.com -or- raven!rcd Boulder, Colorado USA ...Mr Natural says, "Get the right tool for the job!" Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 1994 03:58:30 EST From: Network_Manager at mailstop.telesat.ca Subject: NDN:Homebrew Digest #1345 (February 08, 1994) Your mail to the Microsoft Mail Server could not be fully delivered! Reasons listed below! It has been deleted. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 1994 11:17:05 +0200 (WET) From: Paul Jeffrey <mspaulj at olive.mscc.huji.ac.il> Subject: Hop rhizome sources Hi there, I have only recently subscribed to the Digest and am very happy to see such a lively and frindly forum for things 'malty' and 'hoppy'. Being an ex pat Englishman living in Israel, I take my brewing seriously (the shops here are pretty bereft of Theakstons Old P.!!) and despite the obvious temperature control problems, I turn out the odd decent batch. Anyway, enough banter and on with a couple of hoppy queries. Many of the back issues that I have looked at refer to the growing of hops from rhizomes that seem to be widely available in North America (e.g. 'Freshops'). Does anybody know of any sources of hop rhizomes in the U.K. ? Secondly, in his now seminal book on hops, Neve mentions a strain of the hop plant that grows in China below the 40 degrees latitude mark. Can this strain be used for brewing ? I would also be interested to hear from anyone who has successfuly grown traditional hop varieties below the 40 degrees latitude mark, maybe with the aid of artificial light or coverings ?? Many thanks etc. PaulJ. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Paul Jeffrey mspaulj at olive.mscc.huji.ac.il ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 05:24:21 MST From: "Greg Eslinger" <eslinger at saifr00.ateng.az.honeywell.com> Subject: Beer Finings I recently bought a Victorian Bitter kit and found a packet of Beer finings in it. The directions say to add the beer finings before bottling. I am ready to bottle now, but am worried about contamination when adding the finings. What do beer finings do? Are they really necessary, and should I worry about contamination when adding them? Greg Eslinger eslinger at saifr00.ateng.az.honeywell.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 07:55:42 -0500 From: paul.beard at gatekeeper.mis.tridom.com (Paul Beard) Subject: Beer, The Magazine My young wife grabbed a copy of this rag for me yesterday, and at first glance it's nice. Lots of info on fine beers, plenty of slick ads for distributors, showing wondrous products. The last page, "The Beer Baron," told the tale. Someone wrote to ask if he could save money brewing his own beer. The quick short answer was no, that at $100 for an extract kit and $1000s for a grain setup, the amortization would take years, and besides most homebrewers make lousy beer anyway. In other words, buy all the products you see advertised in our magazine, and if you live in some cultural wasteland and can only look at the pictures, hard cheese. I guess you can tell I won't be subscribing. I can't see the appeal of a magazine about drinking beer without at least touching on homebrewing, because once you examine the flavor profile, it seems a real beer lover would want to emulate/modify an enjoyable flavor (in homage and tribute, of course). And who gets into a hobby to save money over buying a mass produced product? If you work with wood, do you amortize your tools and labor and materials to see if that table you made cost you less than the store-bought item would have? Or is the pleasure of doing it yourself (and telling others you did so) part of the payback? Keep on brewing, brothers . . . . - -- Paul Beard AT&T Tridom, 840 Franklin Court, Marietta, GA 30067 404 514-3798 * FAX: 404 429-5419 * tridom!paul.beard/beardp at tridom.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 07:47:36 -0500 (EST) From: "Dana S. Cummings" <dcumming at moose.uvm.edu> Subject: troublshoot RD, Copper mash tun R. Dwell wrote asking about Oxygen penetrating his plastic brew bucket and causing problems. In my experience plastic brew bucket problems have been entirely bacterial in nature. The plastic scratches very easily and these scratches harbor all sorts of nasties. If it you can possibly fit it in to your cost outlay get yourself a 5-7 gallon glass carboy. The 5&6 gall. models can be had for about $15-20. If you know a chemist, you may be able to get a 7 gall. reagent bottle. Good luck. Coyote is thinking about using an acid wash to clean his copper mash tun. In my understanding the funny stuff you're seeing is oxidized copper. An acid wash would expose more copper each time you washed it. Letting the copper oxide build up would prevent copper ions from going into your wort. You may want to consult with the chem wizards debating pH before you take my word as gospel. As always happy brewing. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 8:29:33 EST From: Mark A Fryling <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Subject: pH correction A thousand apologies! Yesterday in an effort to clarify the meaning of pH, I am affraid that I screwed up. I wrote: The definition of pH is pH = -log(Activity of H+) = [H+]*(gamma H+) This should read pH = -log(Activity of H+) = -log{[H+]*(gamma H+)} ^^^^ I think that everything else is OK. Mark Fryling <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> BTW, dont get too hung up on gamma (the activity coefficient), it is usually nearly equal to 1 and is therefore often neglected. Return to table of contents
Date: 8 Feb 1994 09:27:06 U From: "Ron Hart" <hart at axon.rutgers.edu> Subject: Lactic acid in sparge water Subject: Time:9:12 AM Lactic acid in sparge water Date:2/8/94 A posting from Ed Oriordan in #1345 asks about acidifying sparge water with lactic acid. I've been using very soft water for all-grain brewing (I brew in a research lab and we use ultrafiltered [Milli-Q] water). In addition to adding back calcium, etc. to the mash, it does seem to help to acidify for the sugar extraction. Since lactate is a normal metabolite of the yeast, I thought I'd use lactic acid. The bottle I found was labeled "U.S.P." and is 87% (w/w). All it takes is a few (4-10) DROPS to bring 5 gal soft water to pH 5.3-5.4. Unfortunately, the list price is about $50 per pint according to Fisher Scientific, so it seem impractical for most homebrewers. Ron Hart (hart at axon.rutgers.edu) Rutgers University (Our campus originated in a Ballantine brewery!) Newark NJ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 94 09:07:11 EST From: Derek Montgomery <DM1461A at american.edu> Subject: What's the definitive reference? Greetings! Having just moved to the Washington DC area I have recently become familiar with several of the local microbrews and have definitely wisened to the error of my ways vis-a-vis the consumption of malt beverages after four years of college in western North Carolina. (Suffice it to say that the primary consideration is no longer quantity over quality). Anyhow, now that I have more time on my hands and no other hobby, I'm interested to do some reading on the topic of homebrewing and was wondering if anyone could recommend an introductory text. >From reading the postings in the Digest I realize that this is "not just a hobby" and certainly not something to be taken lightly :-). I repent for my past disrespects of beer and would appreciate a point in the right direction. Private e-mail would be great (and convenient). Cheers, Derek Montgomery (dm1461a at american.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 9:48:05 EST From: Karl Horning <kh at ccfadm.eeg.ccf.org> Subject: no champagne yeast in rootbeer In response to Dave's question about using champagne yeast in rootbeer kits, I would advise against it. Having made many batches of that rootbeer as a kid, the only batch I remember which ever evolved into handgrenades was the only batch I ever made with champagne yeast. Also, thanks to all who participated in the Laaglander DME discussion. Having only the option between Laaglander and EMDE at my local supply store, I found the Laaglander to the more fermentable of the two and assumed it to be very fermentable on average. Obviously, I should find a source for M+F DME. Karl kh at ccfadm.eeg.ccf.org Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 09:06 CST From: korz at iepubj.att.com Subject: HDM Maltings Well, I have the sheet here in front of me. The Belgian malts distributed by L.D.Carlson are from HDM Maltings. I do not know if these malts are better, worse or equal to the DeWolf-Cosyns malts, but I thought it might be important for all of you to know that there are two different brands of Belgian malts available in the US. Note also, that what you would think should be trademarked names (Carapils, Caravienne, Caramunich, Special B and Biscuit) are used by both maltsters. Also, as I have recently reaffirmed at the Chicago Beer Society Malt Meeting, a dark crystal from three different maltsters can taste radically different! Even the Lovibond ratings are different between the two maltsters. My suggestions: 1. when you buy your malt, find out who the maltster is, or at least who the distributor is (cause now you know, which is which), 2. when you write down a recipe, specify the maltster, and 3. when someone gives you a recipe, ask who's malt did they use. This may sound excessive, but if you were there to compare the different malts, you would agree with me. Most notably, the (English) Hugh-Baird 40L Crystal tasted distinctly of Apricots, the Hugh-Baird 90L Crystal tasted like Plums and there was no mistaking Raisins in the DeWolf-Cosyns Special B (221L). These were amazingly different in flavor from the Durst Helles Crystal, Durst Dunkel Crystal, DWC Carapils, Caravienne & Caramunich, Maris Otter Crisp 80L Crystal and the Hugh-Baird Cara-Malt, which varied from biscuity through various other fruits. I was astonished! Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 1994 11:15:43 -0400 From: Ed Hitchcock <ECH at ac.dal.ca> Subject: Gluteraldehyde again... Chris Lovelace seconds my opinions of gluteraldehyde in hbd1345. Just one minor clarification, they fumes are not carcinogenic, just horribly corrosive. This stuff typically comes in 25% solutions, which should always be used unfder the fume hood. Incidentally, gluteraldehyde is 1,5,Pentanedione, which should set off little vdk bells... ____________ Ed Hitchcock ech at ac.dal.ca | Oxymoron: Draft beer in bottles. | Anatomy & Neurobiology | Pleonasm: Draft beer on tap. | Dalhousie University, Halifax |___________________________________| Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 94 10:53:33 EST From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE) Subject: cream ale My father 30 years ago used to love a Cream Ale (can't recall the brand), and I'd like to try brewing one. I think I can come close on the ingredients, but I don't know about the yeast. All Papazian says is that it uses both a lager and an ale yeast. Anyone with experience making a Cream Ale (like do you use the yeasts together? different times?) Are there any commercial cream ales available? Thanks Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 09:00:00 -0700 From: Kelly Jones <k-jones at ee.utah.edu> Subject: Re: Annoying low fills In HBD #1345, JC Ferguson gripes about underfilled glasses; thought I'd add my story... There's a brewpub in Logan, Utah called Ebenezer's. When I was there, I ordered a pint of whatever. What the waitress brought was a glass which couldn't hold 13 oz on its best day, let alone 16 oz. I said, "Excuse me, but I ordered a pint". She said, "That is our Pint". Seeing people around me drinking beer out of pint glasses, I said, "If this is a pint, then whats that _he's_ drinking?" "Oh, that's our 'Super Guzzler' [or whatever] size!" "But this isn't even close to 16 oz!" I protested. "Well, we call it our 'Pint' size, but that doesn't mean its 16 oz", said she, clearly exasperated at my ignorance. Apparently, "Pint" is just a quaint name, like "Big Gulp" or "Super Guzzler", and not a defined unit of volumetric measure. Silly me. Never went back. Of course, it didn't help that the beer was terribly flawed, the food sucked, and the service was terrible. Isn't there a Bureau of Weights and Measures in most states/counties that has the responsibility of assuring that gasoline pumps, grocer's scales, etc are accurately calibrated? Couldn't they be called in to speak to certain Restaurant/Bar/Brewpub owners to assure that a customer who orders a pint gets at least 16 fl. oz. of beer? Kelly Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 10:15:47 -0600 (CST) From: Edward H Hinchcliffe-1 <hinch001 at maroon.tc.umn.edu> Subject: Glutaraldehyde, flames, and not messing w/science A gentle hello to the good people of brewland, This is a flame.I want to point it out at the beginning to make it clear. there has been a fair amount of dithering over the subject of using chemical fixatives/cross-linking agents to clean homebrew equitment. The compond in question is glutaraldehyde (Glutaric dialdhyde). I am going to recommend in the strongest possible terms that you the homebrewer stay away from this agent. Far be it from me to want to restrict individual choice, I'll leave that to the marketing people from G. Heilmanns (a case of Dog Style is ok for those times when you have not BEEN for awhile), but just because something is good at killing beer nasties does not make it good to clean brewing stuff. Homebrewing is a complex form of cooking, enjoyed by people of distinction and taste. You would not put highly toxic substances in a pot of good Black Bean chili, so why even be tempted to put some in your pot of Black Bean Stout (OG 1.240; TWO FORTY? No, too farty!). Leave the toxic stuff to the nerds; we will look after it for you. Use bleach and water, and brew great beer. Well Mark,not much of a flame, but I just got on the network. Glutaraldehyde, be smart, don't start. I liked the piece about pH, RGK would be proud. Teddy Hinchcliffe (No letters after my name yet, but I can lager in my bedroom up here) University of Minnesota Dept. of Cell Biology and Neuroanatomy hinch001 at maroon.tc.umn.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 10:02:38 MST From: Jeff Benjamin <benji at hpfcbug.fc.hp.com> Subject: Re: extract usage/Austin brew news > As I was looking over the instructions that came with the [root beer] > extract: > > Briefly mix extract with 4.5 lbs of regular sugar and warm water pitch > Bread yeast and bottle. > > I have made this before a long time ago (before beer) and was wondering > what stops these things from all blowing up? As a regular maker of ginger ale (the soda pop kind), I'll offer my best guesses as to why they don't explode: 1. A typical soft drink recipe (water, sugar, extract) doesn't have enough nutrients to keep the yeast going for that long. Most poop out after a short period of time; long enough to carbonate but not long enough to blow the bottles. 2. Do yeast tend to go dormant in a high-pressure environment? If so, the high CO2 pressure in soda pop may inhibit excessive yeast activity. 3. Soda pops are often kept in the refrigerator. The cold temps definitely slow down the yeast. Those are just conjectures, but I've made lots of ginger ale in the past few years without any broken bottles. I use any dry ale yeast (Edme or M&F), and use 1 lb sugar to 1 gal of water. Then I bottle in champagne or 2l PET bottles and then refrigerate as a precaution. On another subject, I was in Austin last week and picked up a few tidbits. I met Steve Anderson, owner of Waterloo brewing. He's doing well; in fact, he's selling so much beer he risks running out! The latest specialty batch, Guytown IPA, is superb -- aggressive hop bitterness, but still well balanced. I also took the tour of Celis brewery. In an ironic twist, Celis will soon be contract brewing their beers at a European brewery for sale in Europe! The fellow giving the tour did not say which brewery, but they did have samples of the 25cl bottles it will be packaged in. Pierre is going head-to-head with Interbrew once again. - -- Jeff Benjamin benji at hpfcla.fc.hp.com Hewlett Packard Co. Fort Collins, Colorado "Midnight shakes the memory as a madman shakes a dead geranium." - T.S. Eliot Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 09:12:17 -0800 From: bguerin at orincon.com (Bob Guerin) Subject: Hop AAU Content Just a general request to all of you who post recipes to the HBD (thanks!) - could you please list the AAU content of the hops used, if known. I like to use the IBU method described in Zymurgy a while back to determine bittering units. Due to differences in AAU content and underutilization (since I don't boil a full 5 gallons), I need to adjust the quantity of hops used. TIA. Bob Guerin (bguerin at orincon.com) Orincon Corporation Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 09:27:02 PST From: Jack St Clair <Jack_St_Clair at ccm.hf.intel.com> Subject: Root Beer Text item: Text_1 OK, so technically it's not a beer but in a recent HBD thread I saw where someone used a root beer extract to flavor a beer he was making and wondered if anyone had a really good root beer recipe. I think it would be fun to make and might make my wife a little happier if she thought I was making something just for her. And while we're on the subject, how about sarsaparilla or cream soda? Please email directly to: Jack_st_clair at ccm.hf.intel.com BTW, to any and all in the Portland, Oregon area. If you haven't tried the Rhinoceros Stout at the Oakhills Brewpub you are really missing a treat. This stuff is thick, black, rich, tasty, and yummy. Oakhills is on NW Cornell Avenue between NW Murray and NW Cornell Avenue exits on the Sunset Hwy. I'm trying to get the recipe. If i am successful, I'll post it. Jack St.Clair Portland, Oregon Return to table of contents
Date: 08 Feb 1994 12:32:12 GMT From: "Michael L. Kovacs" <AMPCCN01.KOVACS01 at SSW.ALCOA.COM> Subject: Need help priming with wort... I brewed a batch last weekend that I would like to try priming with wort instead of corn sugar. The ingredients for 5 gal. were as follows: 1 lb. Crystal Malt (steeped at 170F for 20 min.) 6 lb. Brewers Gold Malt Extract Syrup Cascade hops (boil) German Hallertau hops (finishing) Wyeast Munich Lager liquid yeast My questions are: 1.) Can anyone offer an opinion as to whether priming with wort (krausening?) makes a noticable difference to the taste of the beer. 2.) How do you make the wort for priming. I recall seeing a figure citing a SG of 1.020, but I am not sure if this is correct (We moved recently and I haven't found my copy TNCJOHB yet). Is there any easy way to calculate how much water and extract syrup to use. (I'm hoping to be able to use the syrup for this, although I realize it would be easier to measure DME). I would appreciate any input in this matter. If you wish to e-mail me direct my address is kovacs01 at ssw.alcoa.com. ------------------------------------------------------------- mike kovacs kovacs01 at ssw.alcoa.com pittsburgh, pa ------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: 08 Feb 94 12:38:38 EST From: jennings at readmore.com (Todd Jennings) Subject: Brewpub FAQ With all the requests flying back and forth WRT travelers looking for out-of-town brewpub info, has somebody out there put together(or THOUGHT about putting together) a Brewpub FAQ. It would seem a reasonable evolutionary arm of the HBD. What's the story on this? Posting or private e-mail is fine. TIA>>>>>>>>>> Todd Jennings, NYC tjenning at readmore.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 12:46:49 EST From: 73410%sdlsb.dnet%sdlcc at swlvx2.msd.ray.com (Carl Howes) Subject: HSA Al wrote about a sherrylike flavor/aroma as a result of HSA. The major effect which I noticed was in stability. The quality/drinkability of the batches where I used the Papazian method of dumping hot concentrated wort into cold water yielded beers which changed for the worse in the space of a few weeks after bottling. I am still doing partial boils but cooling the wort before mixing, and have beer which is good (and getting better) after *months*. As far as the effect of concentration on oxidation, I would expect more problems with a partial boil since there is more to oxidize per unit volume. Just a thought. Carl 73410 at sdlcc.msd.ray.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 12:51:48 EST From: msellman at vnet.IBM.COM Subject: Motor for Malt Mill I am planning on adding a motor to my j.s. Malt Mill. I figure I will use some sort of belt & pulley design. Any Suggestions on size of motor? RPM? Pulley diameters? Source of inexpensive motors? Any help would be appreciated. Mike Sellman (MSELLMAN at VNET.IBM.COM) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 13:39:50 -0500 From: Kelvin Kapteyn <kelvink at mtu.edu> Subject: Belgian malt comparison ? Since someone (Al) finally brought up the topic, I want to post an observation and a related question. I reciently brewed a porter using HDM maltings Belgian Special B as part of the mash bill. HDM is the Belgian malt carried by L.D. Carlson (unless I remembered the initials wrong!) I am really happy with this porter, but it has an unexpected "spiceyness" to it that was definately contributed by the special B malt. I am wondering if anyone has noticed similar things from the DeWolf-Cosyns special B? I have some of that too, but haven't brewed with it yet. BTW, I didn't notice the flavor in the malt I munched on at milling time. Has anywone been able to compare other DWC and HDM grains? I would appreciate any other info such as the "debitterized" description of the DWC chocolate malt. -Kelvin (kelvink at mtu.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 1994 13:50:28 -0500 (EST) From: VIALEGGIO at ccmail.sunysb.edu Subject: Abbey recipes? State University of New York at Stony Brook Stony Brook, NY 11794-5475 Victor Ialeggio Music 516 632-7239 08-Feb-1994 01:44pm EDT FROM: VIALEGGIO TO: Remote Addressee ( _homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com ) Subject: Abbey recipes? Anyone care to share Abbey ale recipes (grain) via e-mail? (I can't access files, FAQs etc on my cheapoid account). Vielen Dank, tante grazie. vialeggio at ccmail.sunysb.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 07 Feb 94 15:23:23 EST From: "Anton Verhulst" <verhulst at zk3.dec.com> Subject: carbonators drose at husc.harvard.edu writes: >Hello: > In this months Brewing Techniques in the new New Products >section, there is a product described that looks very interesting to me. >I can't remember the name of the device, but it is manufactured by a >company called Liquid Bread out of Florida. It is advertised as a device >for making mini-kegs out of 2 and 3 liter soda bottles. They're called "carbonators". I bought one of them (and ordered 2 more through a club bulk purchase). It's essentially a ball-lock "in" fitting attached to a cap that fits onto a PET bottle. You hook up your CO2 tank and force carbonate. This sounds like just the thing for parties and club meetings. It should enable you to make some cheap soda water too. I don't have much experience with it yet but it works as advertised. My only comment at this point is that the plastic cap seems a bit thin so I don't know how long they'll last. Tony V. - --Tony Verhulst Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 12:37:07 GMT From: Conn Copas <C.V.Copas at lut.ac.uk> Subject: Re : wider membership Buried in my last jocular post was a more serious point, which is this: if you are anything like me, then you save informative posts. Naturally, what anyone considers 'informative' depends upon their interests and level of experience. My information stash _does_ include quite a bit from recent HBDs (ie, post the advent of JS). So why isn't it getting here? Because these people haven't been invited to subscribe? Or because different questions get asked over there? Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 14:15:07 -0500 (EST) From: bickham at msc.cornell.edu Subject: Mike Schrempp, Agar versus gelatin Sorry to waste bandwidth, but my mail to Mike has been bouncing, so if you're out there Mike, can you please send me e-mail with your home address and I'll get the information to you that way. Just to stay on the subject, I've been looking for a source of agar to make some slants, but all I find at the Asian groceries is a vanilla flavored agar. Should I just use unflavored gelatin or is it worth my time to keep on looking? Thanks, Scott - -- ======================================================================== Scott Bickham bickham at msc.cornell.edu ========================================================================= Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 1994 14:29:51 -0500 (EST) From: Bruce Wiggins <FAC_BWIGGINS at VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU> Subject: subscription Please sign me up for the homebrew digest. Thanks. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 11:43:54 -0800 From: pohl at unixg.ubc.ca (Derrick Pohl) Subject: Beer on World Wide Web OK, two teasers in HBD #1345 about some brewing stuff on the World Wide Web. I just started using Mosaic to cruise the web. I think we need a URL to find this "beer page", which we then enter in the "Open URL..." dialog box. Can someone please provide it? Muchos thanx. - ----- Derrick Pohl <pohl at unixg.ubc.ca>, Faculty of Graduate Studies University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 15:24:55 -0500 From: Pete Geib <plg at ll.mit.edu> Subject: Wort Chiller Use Hi all, Well, I finally went out and put together a wort chiller. No problems there. (BTW it's 50' 1/4" OD, and works great). My problem came last night. I had about three gallons of wort boiling away with a couple of ounces of hop pellets. Ten minutes before the end of the boil, I set my chiller in the five gallon SS pot. Five minutes later, I drop in another couple ounces of hop pellets. At the end of the boil, I turn off the fire and start the cold water flowing. Now, if I understand correctly, the cold break falls to the bottom, of the pot. The hop "mush" (there must be a more technical term for this, right?) is all over the sides and chiller and generally floating about. After about 20 minutes, I lift the chiller out, set it aside and start siphoning the wort into the primary bucket - careful, of coarse, not to suck up any cold break. My first problem is what is this cold break, what does it look like, and how much wort do I leave in the pot to avoid it? Problem two: How do I siphon with all of that hop "mush" floating around? Finally, should I worry about the chiller eventually oxidizing, and putting off flavors into the beer? Thanks for the help. - -- Peter L Geib at MIT Lincoln Lab plg at ll.mit.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 15:56:36 -0500 (EST) From: S_TUTTLE at UNHH.UNH.EDU Subject: WHERE IS BRITISH BEER FEST??? I know when it is but I don't know where it is. Where is the August 2-6 British Beerfest???? If you know, please reply ASAP.\ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 15:54:30 -0500 (EST) From: S_TUTTLE at UNHH.UNH.EDU Subject: Help! Going to Florida I am going to Florida (Tampa Airport) driving to Miami. I need to know where the good beer bars are along the way. Give us your BREWPUBS!!!! Please reply by Feb 14. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 94 12:59:04 PST From: Simon Evans <evanss at smtpgate.ZGI.COM> Subject: No Subject Given SUB BEER-L Simon Evans Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 16:10:28 EST From: Mark A Fryling <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Subject: Brew in Chicago Hi again, I probably should have included this in my earlier post but I wasn't thinking about it. Anyway, I will be in Chicago for a conference early next month and I would like to get info about: 1) Good brewpubs in the area. I have heard about Goose Island; is it any good and where is it? Are there others? 2) Good exotic brew retail establishments in the area. I am especially interested in West-coast brews and also hard to find Belgians. Please e-mail directly. Thanks so much. Mark Fryling <mfryling at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Oh, BTW we are staying at the Best Western Grant Park if you can target suggestions for this general area it would be appreciated. I will however drive a long way for good brew if necessary B*}. Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1346, 02/09/94