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


Contents:
  subscriptions (alan l causey)
  Heinekin & Radiation (PNEUMAND)
  >BrewingTechniques contact info (BTcirc)
  800 Numbers (Jim Grady)
  secret bud strategy (Steve Peters)
  *.hqx files/beer labels ("Corey W. Janecky")
  ICE CUBES (douglas.kerfoot)
  British Beer Festival ("Letts, Barbara")
  ordering supplies by email ("F. G. Patterson Jr.")
  Cleaning stainless steel (m.bryson2)
  Brewery/Beer opportunities around Luxembourg (Gorman)
  Re: Cloudy siphon hoses (Jim Grady)
  Re: Strawbeery Beer (HalB9000)
  Mash Mixing (Jack Schmidling)
  fruit beers (Victor Franklin)
  RE: Hop Boil durations front,bac (VABoyce1)
  Summary: Low CO at  with Wyeast American Ale. (Erik Speckman)
  lagering at ale temps-summary (DARREN TYSON)
  Strawberry Beer ("Rich Scotty")
  Siphon hoses/HB Archives listserver (Philip Gravel)
  Strawberry Wheat (Jon L. Grimes)
  re: server for yeastfaq.. (m.bryson2)
  Brewferm kits (Diabolo) (ANDY WALSH)
  Wort Oxygenation (guyruth)
  Oak chips for Pale Ale (Guy Mason)
  honey beer/mead (Victor Franklin)
  Polyphenols and Charcoal (Don Put)
  Boiling Vessel (Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen)
  Expert advice needed! (Jack Skeels)


Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
  (Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
  to homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
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  then you MUST unsubscribe the same way! 
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
FAQs, archives and other files are available via anonymous ftp from 
  sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via 
  mail from listserv at sierra.stanford.edu.  Send HELP as the body of a 
  message to that address to receive listserver instructions.) 
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu



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


Date: Fri, 8 Jul 94 15:01:18 -0500
From: alan l causey <alc at fiona.umsmed.edu>
Subject: subscriptions

ell hello,
I'm considering subscribing to Zymergy and/or Brewing Techniques.  Would some-
one (or someones) please e-mail me addresses and/or phone #'s.  TIA.

BA...lunk on the edge


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Date: Fri, 08 Jul 1994 18:55:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: PNEUMAND at delphi.com
Subject: Heinekin & Radiation

I must humbly withdraw my comment on Heinekin irradiating their beer. After
furthur research into the source, I found that Heinekin was found to buy
irradiated barley and hops. The source of this was German trials to ban the
sale of Heinekin in Germany before the European Community alliance was formed.
I still believe that the source of Heinekin's skunkiness MUST be from the
water they use, somehow. In the low lands like that, the water must have to
pass through, and be treated by many different things.

Dave Pneuman    Boca Raton, Florida

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Date: Fri, 08 Jul 94 19:28:52 EDT
From: BTcirc at aol.com
Subject: >BrewingTechniques contact info

>I have a problem. I'd like to subscribe to 'Brewing Techniques' >magazine,
but I've only got their toll-free 800 number. Why is >that a problem you ask?
Well, I live in the UK and we can't >sell US 800 numbers from here. So...can
anyone email me an >address or non-800 number for 'Brewing Techniques'?

For those who are overseas and interested in contacting BrewingTechniques,
send email to btcirc at aol.com (circulation inquiries) or bteditor at aol.com
(editorial inquiries). Phone: 503-687-2993 Fax: 503-687-8534

Within the U.S. and Canada, call toll free 1-800-427-2993. Note to Canadian
residents, our 800 number has been inoperable for the past few weeks while we
changed services. The 800 number has now been reestablished for those calling
from Canada.



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Date: Fri, 8 Jul 94 19:55:00 EDT
From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com>
Subject: 800 Numbers


Contrary to Pierre's post in the HBD today, my experience has been that
you cannot call 800 numbers with USA Direct - that was when we lived in
Germany, 1988/89.  However, the info for Brewing Techniques is:

Phone: 503.687.2993 (if you want to pay for the call)
FAX:   503.687.8534
email: btcirc at aol.com (to subscribe, they have other accounts too, e.g.
                       bteditor for the editor)

- --
Jim Grady             
grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com


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Date: Fri, 8 Jul 1994 17:23:20 -0700
From: Steve Peters <stevep at pcx.ncd.com>
Subject: secret bud strategy

Here's what someone said about the bud vs homebrew commercials & bud's longterm
marketing strategy:

- ------------------------------------
Miller and Coors have entered the craft brew arena with Miller's reserve
series and Coors' seasonal brews, Eisebock and now Weizen. They saw the
market for high end beers and went right to it, figuring to compete with
the Sam Adams' of the world.
Bud on the other hand saw it and went the opposite direction. Instead of
competing with the micros and regionals, they're gonna buy em up. Case
in point is the recent 15% ownership and distribution agreement with
Red Hook. If they position themselves as the "brewery that still makes
the standard swill and we're damn proud of it," they don't lose anything
and actually it makes sense to try to make the separation more pronounced.
- ------------------------------------------

Frankly I think Budweiser is following a pretty clever secret plan.  After all,
why go to all the trouble, cost, and risk of coming up with a new upscale beer
product when you can just buy up the people who have already figured out how to
do it right?  This is a typical corporate strategy.  As far as a signature bud
microbrew line; I believe they plan to buy Czech Budweis, not to buy the name
and churn out cheap watery beer (they already do that) but to buy an
established respected product line to put into every yuppie bar in the US from
coast to coast.  They'll probably even call it "Bud Classic."

Think of it, instead of having to think up a new recipie, new procedures,
investing in new equipment, they just buy the brewery and plug the product
right into their marketing and distribution network.  No muss, no fuss.

Speaking of bud commercials, have you all seen the one with the hipster
stranded in the corn fields with a broken car?  He hallucinates an even cooler
dude who gives him a "Ice Bud" and tells our regular-guy protagonist that some
people just "won't get it" before he melts away into the corn.  The subtext
here being to ignore the critisms of people (just about everyone, actually) who
can see that "ice brewed" is a pile o' crap served up to find a new market
niche and laugh at the "ice beer" drinker for being a dup.  I remember sitting
in front of the TV saying "i don't get it" during those bonkers "join the
revolution" comercials where ice brewed beer somehow set the people of the
future free from their spacey-fascist opressors.

can't wait for that first taste of delicious old-world Bud Classic!  Yum!

- -- 
Steve Peters
stevep at pcx.ncd.com
Sustaining Engineering and Support
Network Computing Devices

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Date: Fri, 8 Jul 94 19:38:56 CST  
From: "Corey W. Janecky" <cjanecky at facstaff.wisc.edu>
Subject: *.hqx files/beer labels

This is a summary of my recent question of beer label software and the
BrewArt files thatt can be ftp'd from sierra.stanford.edu.

1)  This response was from George Tempel (tempel at MONMOUTH-EDL.ARMY.MIL)

The BrewArt collections on sierra are my binhexed (*.hqx) Macintosh
self-expanding archives of PICT/TIFF and other graphics clipart that I have
designed and developed for designing labels. You can convert the binhexed
file into a Macintosh application by dragging and dropping the binhexed files
onto a program such as StuffIt-Expander, which can automagically do the
conversion for you.
No, the archives do not contain DOS/Windows versions of my artwork. I don't
have one of those machines, and thus cannot support them.

2)  There doesn't seem to be any software out there that is specifically
designed for making beer/wine/mead labels.  Most people recommended using a
drawing program and using imagination when creating labels.

3)  Though I didn't ask this question, many people suggested using WHOLE
milk as a "glue" for the label.  It was recommended that you dip your label
in the whole milk and be sure it is fully wetted and then just stick it to
the bottle and allow to dry.

I hope this helps some of you that asked me for my findings.  Thanks to all
who took the time to respond to the original post.
Corey W. Janecky
cjanecky at facstaff.wisc.edu
Univ of Wisc-Madison
Dept. of Nutritional Sciences

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Date: Fri, 08 Jul 94 21:55:11 -0400
From: douglas.kerfoot at sbaonline.gov
Subject: ICE CUBES


In response to the recent posts about "sterile" ice cubes: I have found two
things that work well.  What I usually do is dump six trays of ice into a
bathtub of cold water and then stick my pot in it.  I have also cleaned all of
the paper and sticky stuff off a coke bottle (plastic, two-liter), filled it
with tap water and froze it.  When it time to cool my wort, I gave it a quick
bleach and water wash, rinsed it off good and *PLUNK* into the pot it went. 
The bathtub seems to work just as well though and is less hassle.  Good luck!
 


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Date:        Fri, 08 Jul 94 22:37:32 EDT
From: "Letts, Barbara" <BLETTS at NMU.EDU>
Subject: British Beer Festival

Does anyone know the date and location of the British Beer Festival?
      Thanks in advance.....Larry Letts c/o bletts at nmu.edu

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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 1994 00:27:15 -0400 (EDT)
From: "F. G. Patterson Jr." <patterso at mason1.gmu.edu>
Subject: ordering supplies by email

I would love to have knowledge of a brewing supply store with an 
internet-accessible address that takes orders by email.  Does anyone know 
of any?  Thanks!

PAT PATTERSON
Fairfax, Virginia

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Date: Sat,  9 Jul 94 06:03:00 UTC
From: m.bryson2 at genie.geis.com
Subject: Cleaning stainless steel

   Responding to Tad Deshler about the burnt stainless steel
kettle:
   A strong basic solution, such as potassium hydroxide is
what we use at work. At home, I use a mixture of bleach and
water. If you're willing to wait a couple of days( depending
on how badly you burnt the kettle), it should all dissolve
away. If it's only hte bottom of the kettle, it shouldn't take
too much bleach. Good luck.

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Date: Sat, 09 Jul 94 05:11:45 EDT
From: Gorman at aol.com
Subject: Brewery/Beer opportunities around Luxembourg

I suddenly found out that I'll be in Luxembourg next week on business. Any
brewery visit  opportunities or beer drinking opportunities in Luxembourg or
the surrounding countries (esp. Belgium) you could suggest via private email
would be appreciated. I may or may not have the opportunity to get a car.

Thanks in advance,

Bill Gorman
gorman at aol.com


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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 94 7:53:51 EDT
From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com>
Subject: Re: Cloudy siphon hoses

David,

Cloudy siphon hoses are not a problem.  They absorb water and become
cloudy so it is from your extended soaking times.  I often sanitize my
siphon hoses overnight so they are ready to use 1st thing in the morning
and they are usually cloudy.
- --
Jim Grady             
grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com

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Date: Sat, 09 Jul 94 10:42:18 EDT
From: HalB9000 at aol.com
Subject: Re: Strawbeery Beer

I have brewed up a strawbarry beer twice now with great results. 
I use a basic Continental Light recipe and add approx 5 lbs of pureed
strawberries to the secondary. I have found that adding them after the  burst
of fermenting activity has died down works best. 

 One note though, there will be a lot of trub so filtering would be
recommended. I dont have a filter so on the second batch I racked it from the
secondary after 4 days to another secondary  (thirdary??) 
this seemed to work well too.

The beer has come out very well with a good strawberry flavor.



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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 94 11:32 CDT
From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Mash Mixing

 
 >From: Allen Ford <allen at darwin.sfbr.org>
 
 >I would now request that Don, Jack, and any others who follow the mixing 
 procedure relate their real-world experiences with it.
 
 The short answer is that it has done more to take the work out of brewing 
 than any gadget I put together since the EASYSPARGER.  Brewing is now a part 
 time project.  Mashing, sparging and boiling only require occasional 
 attention.
 
 > Specifically, what differences, qualitative and quantitative, do you see 
 between mixing the mash and not mixing, both during the brewing process and 
 in the finished beer?
 
 None.  However, I have never "not" mixed.  The difference is that now it is 
 continuous through out the mash period.
 
 js
 

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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 1994 10:33:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: uswnvg!vfrankl at uunet.uu.net (Victor Franklin)
Subject: fruit beers

Hi all!
In light of the recent posts on fruit beers I just wanted to add my
comments to the discussion.....

I have made several fruit beers and have had much success by making a basic
light wheat beer then adding my fruit into the secondary.  Some people in
my brew club have brewed with the fake flavorings that the homebrew shop
here sells but I can definitely tell the difference. I would suggest
against it. If you have any doubts just try the Thomas Kemper berry beer. 
The fake syrup flavor shines right through!
The point I am trying to make is don't use syrups. so "Pratte" don't use
any blueberry syrups, use the real thing. It tastes much better.

How much should I put in the secondary? 

I made a 2 gal batch of blueberry beer and only used one pint of crushed
blueberries and it worked wonderfully. I also made a full 5gal strawberry
batch.  It was last november? and I couldn't get any fresh strawberries
from the grocery store so I purchased a full can (7 lb?) of strawberries
from the homebrew store that is meant to be used in wines.  The
ingreadients read: strawberries. that's it! So I poured that into the
secondary and my light wheat beer had a pink color and a very nice light
(not overpowering) strawberry flavor. I would suggest useing 7-10lbs of
fresh strawberries in the full batch. the reason I suggest so much
is because everyone else I have talked to could never get enough flavor
out of there strawberries to tast. 

Drawback: can of stawberries...... 17$!

			Victor Franklin
			vfrankl at uswnvg.com     -or-
			biker at eskimo.com

** In search of better beers and single track! **


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Date: Sat, 09 Jul 94 17:38:21 EDT
From: VABoyce1 at aol.com
Subject: RE: Hop Boil durations front,bac

>Algis writes:

>Also, I'm curious as to the meaning of back aroma and front
>aroma.

I called the author of the article from which this table
was reproduced (incedently he is the owner of Highlander HB
supply in Denver) to ask of the meaning of front-back aroma.

Front Aroma- a strong smell from aromatics-the dry hopping
effect of a resinous, flowery nose.
Back Aroma- A more of a feeling in the sinus, that is not
apparent as a flowery nose. (I would liken this to the spicy feeling
I get sometimes after swallowing as well as with first sipping,
in the back area of the nose.)

Well there you have it. Most of the feed-back (flames?) is that
no flavor is acheived in boil longer than 10 min. So many recipes
I've seen call for multiple additions
at 40, 30, 15. I'd bet Sierra NV does more than one addition. Although
their pale ale is to my taste overly dry-hopped.

So now my observations, opinions:

The point of Kieth's article was to help in acheiving the perfectly
hopped beer. "The perfectly hopped beer" is probably unattainable
as most peoples tastes vary. As Charlie say's, "The best beer in
the world is the one in your hand".

Perfectly "hopped" beer simply means a balanced beer. So lets,
for the sake of this disscution, speak of a style that is moderatly
to highly hopped.

For the brewer this is a matter of adding hops at correct
intervals to acheived hints of all the smells, flavors and bitterness
character available without overpowering the others. A perception
of smooth non cloying hop character. Flavors following and
complimenting the last. Simple it's not.

The yeast used, the malt used etc. will effect hop perception.
Hop perception = Balance or vice-versa. The point?: Hops are one,
major part of beer.

What we can attempt to acheive as homebrewers, is a beer that
tickles all the sensory nerves of the drinkers palate.
What style of beer does that? My beer hopefully, which is why
I brew.

Yes there is other ** STYLES ** of beer that are not supposed
to have hop aroma etc. of which I enjoy many. Sometimes to many.
:-)

My theory is that flavor is a combined reaction of aroma and hop
bittering qualitys along with reactions to the grain during mashing
I.E.- hops are bitter period, hops are aromatic period. Hop "flavor" is
a reaction during mashing to the sugars (goodness) of the grains.
If you boil hops long enough the bittering qualities are removed
from the aromatics which disappear into the brewhouse. At shorter
boil times some of the aromatics attach to the wort leaving
a percieved flavor which is really malt, with hop aromatics at
the chemical level. So your really snorting your beer and not
drinking it!
:-)
Also the grain hulls must add a flavor that is, besides tannins,
which are beneficial.
Why have brewers always left the chaff in with the malt while
mashing. It could be removed totally before mashing.


Flame away
and brew on.

Todd Boyce



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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 1994 15:05:09 -0800
From: especkma at reed.edu (Erik Speckman)
Subject: Summary: Low CO at  with Wyeast American Ale.

In the spirit of full disclosure:

A few weeks ago I asked about some carbonation problems I have had with a
brown ale fermented with Wyeast American Ale.

I recieved a number of responses from people who have had similar problems
with this yeast.  One has found that using 1 full cup of corn sugar will
give good carbonation in a reasonable amount of time but warns that he
can't say what will happen a few months down the line.

Another said they had to wait a few months before carbonation reached the
expected level.

I recieved a few suggestions that agitating the bottled beer helps things along.

A few others said they never had any carbonation problems, presumably with
Wyeast American Ale

My own experience is that agitation and time haven't helped much. Does
Sierra Nevada supposedly pitch new yeast for bottle conditioning?



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Date: Sat, 09 Jul 1994 17:42:01 -0600 (CST)
From: DARREN TYSON <TYSONDR at SLUVCA.SLU.EDU>
Subject: lagering at ale temps-summary

Greetings homebrewers,

I had posted a letter about two months ago about brewing my first 
batch (a lager) in the St. Louis heat.  I received several responses 
and after reading the posts lately I thought I should summarize and 
post the suggestions along with what I did.

First, I made the mistake of not thinking about all the steps involved 
before buying my supplies.  My main problem was that I purchased 
liquid California Lager Yeast without knowing if my basement was 
really cool enough to brew a lager in.  (I later found that temps in 
the basement were around 22-25 deg C, a bit too warm for a even the 
California Lager Yeast which claims that it can be used up to 62 deg F 
without problems.)  I do, however, have a 4 deg C cold-room at work 
that I have access to, but I had misreported this cold-room as being
10 deg F.  Sorry!  I asked for recommendations as to whether I could
brew in my basement or not, as well as the benefits/necessity of using
a blowoff tube vs. an airlock.  The suggestions were as follows:

Mark Evans from Dubuque, IA, recommends using a Belgian Ale strain in 
my basement due to its ability to work at higher temps.  He also 
suggests switching to an airlock after 48-72 hours.

Jeff Renner described many different formulations I could use to brew 
in my basement but also quips, "even a lager at wrong temps should be 
drinkable if your other procedures are sound"

John Theodore of Seattle, WA recommends placing the primary fermeter 
(a glass carboy) into a garbage can with water in it and place ice in 
it to keep the temps down.

Sean MacLennan says that I could go ahead and brew in my basement with 
the lager yeast, but that I shouldn't expect a true lager taste.

I took all the advice to heart and went ahead and brewed in my 
basement.  I have since tried the beer, and, as predicted, it had a 
noticeable fruity smell and taste (esters, I presume) that probably 
arose from brewing above the recommended temp.  Aside from the fruity 
taste (and the poor carbonation from tasting too soon) I consider my 
first batch a success.  My next-door neighboor agrees and is more 
than willing to help me make room in my refridgerator for more 
homebrew!  

IN CONCLUSION, for those of you who wish to brew a true lager, it is 
necessary to have temps just above freezing. But (IMHO) a lager 
brewed at ale temps is still better than a Bud!  I also recommend the 
Wyeast California Lager Yeast highly as even at the higher 
fermentation temps it had extremely high attenuation (OG 1.045 to FG 
1.004), it cleared beautifully, and still gave only a mild fruity taste.
Also, an airlock is preferred to a blowoff tube after the initial 
fermentation subsides.

QUESTIONS:  Are there any viable yeast left in the bottles of store-
bought beers such as Guinness i.e. can the yeast be cultured and used in 
homebrew?  Are there any brands of beer that are better for this?  
Which ones?

Thanks to all who came quickly to my aid before and to all who 
frequently post to the digest.  Without you many a new homebrewer on 
the internet would not have the wherewithal to start brewing themselves.  
(Myself included!)

Cheers to all and have a homebrew!

Darren Tyson           tysondr at sluvca.slu.edu


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Date: 9 Jul 1994 18:42:53 U
From: "Rich Scotty" <rscotty at denitqm.ecte.uswc.uswest.com>
Subject: Strawberry Beer

                      Subject:                              Time:  6:39 PM
  OFFICE MEMO         Strawberry Beer                       Date:  7/9/94
Mark B. Alston wrote that The Breckenridge Brewery's strawberry ale was the
worst beer he ever tasted.  He must be fortunate indeed to have never tasted
anything worse.

I too was disappointed in the beer although it is far from the worst I've ever
had...  My complaints about the beer was a lack of any distinct strawberry
flavor.  This was fresh brew purchased on site in Denver.  I know that it is
dificult to bring out distinct fruit flavors from my own experiences with fruit
ale brewing, but these guys are supposed to be pros.  The other noticable flaw
is the cloudyness of the brew.  I believe that this is probably pectin haze,
but this stuff is the cloudyest brew I've seen in quite some time.

All in all, I'd pass on this one.  In Breckenridge's defense, they do make some
righteous brews.  Try their Oatmeal Stout or the Avalanche Ale - they do make
good beer - the strawberry just isn't one of them.



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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 94 22:25 CDT
From: pgravel at mcs.com (Philip Gravel)
Subject: Siphon hoses/HB Archives listserver

===> About ugly siphon hoses, David Rodger asks:

>I've brewed 6 batches, all extract, and after the fifth one, my racking 
>hose was completely cloudy.  (It didn't start out that way, and it wasn't 
>cloudy while I was using it for the 5th batch...)  My guess is that it 
>got so cloudy while sitting in a bucket of chlorine bleach solution for a 
>week.
>
>So, I went out and bought a new hose, from my local hardware store 
>(brewer's store was closed... :)  It started out clear, and it was 
>plumbing-hose, so I figured I'd be fine.  This time, I brewed a batch, 
>rinsed it with chlorine bleach, then rinsed w/hot water, then let sit in 
>a bucket of plain water.  THis was a week ago.  Today, in preparation to 
>bottle that 6th batch, I pulled out the hose; it's *completely* cloudy.

The clear plastic hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and a healthy
dose of plasticizer (bis(2-ethylhexyl phthalate a.k.a. dioctyl phthalate).
If left exposed to water for prolonged periods of time, this tubing will
absorb water.  However, the water is immissible with the PVC and plasticizer
and will turn the hose cloudy (a milky white).

>So I have several questions:
>
>1. How long do hoses last?

Quite long.  If they are soft, pliable, and clean, they can be used.
Appearance (other than cleanliness) are primarily a matter of aesthetics.
Months to a year or longer is not unreasonable.

>2. How do you store them?

Dry, laid out or coiled.

>3. How do you clean them?

Rinse with sanitizing solution.  For the blowoff hose (1-1/4" O.D.), I use
a solution of dishwashing detergent (Cascade) and follow by rinsing with
sanitizing solution and then water.

>4. Can I use them even if they're cloudy?

Yes, as long as they're soft and pliable.  If you let the cloudy hose set in
a dry place long enough, you might find that the tube clears up as the water
diffuses out.

===> Jay Weissler asks:

>Many pointers have been given to useful resources like the yeast faq,  
>a ftp site, etc. Unfortunately, we cannot ftp across our firewall.   
>Is there an email server available to access these resources? If not,  
>could someone email me the yeast faq? Also, what IS the 800 number  
>for 'Brewing Techniques'? Assume a US caller.

The archives at sierra.stanford.edu have a listserver.  From the 
archives:

"Ftp is the prefered method of accessing the archives but if this is not
possible for you, than Sierra's listserver can be used to send files to
your account via e-mail.

"All but a few files may be retreived via mail by sending a request to the
listserver at listserv at sierra.stanford.edu (image files are not presently
accessable).  The directory structure appears to be very different for
listserver access so one should use the INDEX command to get a copy of the
names of available files.  The list server only supports HELP, INDEX, and
GET commands and should be used in the following manner.  (NOTE:  This
software is VERY picky.)

"To get a list of the files available from the Homebrew archives send:

     INDEX HOMEBREW

"To get files from the archives you need to send one or more lines like the
following:

     GET HOMEBREW filename

where 'filename' is one of the files listed by the INDEX HOMEBREW command."

- -- 
Phil
_____________________________________________________________
Philip Gravel                                 pgravel at mcs.com

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Date: Sat, 09 Jul 1994 22:10:38
From: jgrimes at danale.win.net (Jon L. Grimes)
Subject: Strawberry Wheat



In HBD 1741 Mark B. Alston wrote about how HORRIBLE Breckinridge's
Strawberry Wheat was.

****The only suggestion that I can make is to use a yeast that is
very low in diactyl.  The combination of diactyl and strawberry is
a truly awful combination.  I had the oportunity to sample the
strawberry wheat beer from the Breckenridge brewpub in Denver
(which Maribeth Raines quickly gave up after one sip) and it was
truly the worst beer I have ever tasted.  I still get the shakes
from thinking of it. 

Perhaps try using the Sierra Nevada yeast.  This yeast shouldn't add
any uncomplimentary flavors.****


I have to agree.  I drank half (barely), and put the other half
down the drain.  I didn't wash out the sink very well, and when
someone walked by, they wanted to know if I'd been painting! (Yes,
it DID smell that bad)! 





- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon L. Grimes                             Internet: jgrimes at danale.win.net

     No one (including myself or my employers) is crazy enought to
                      claim the above opinions.

  -Mediocrity can be a way of life... if you are good enough at it.-


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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 94 04:15:00 UTC
From: m.bryson2 at genie.geis.com
Subject: re: server for yeastfaq..

   Jay Wiessler asked about getting the yeastfaq without ftp
ability. Send an e-mail message, the body of which should just
contain the word HELP to the following listserver:
listserv at sierra.stanford.edu
 
   If your message to the server contains the word INDEX,
you will aslo get a listing of available files.
YOur message:
   HELP
   INDEX
 
Good brewing...

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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 94 16:03:51 +1000
From: ANDY WALSH <awalsh at ozemail.com.au>
Subject: Brewferm kits (Diabolo)

>I recently brewed up a batch of Brewferm's Diablo extract with ingredients as
>follows:
> 2 cans brewferm diablo hopped extract
> 2 lbs turbino sugar
> 1/2 oz saaz pellets in the last 2 minutes of the boil
> wyeast belgian ale yeast
>I happened to be reading the instructions and they recommend conditioning the
>beer for 6-8 weeks!  6-8 weeks is a long time, and I don't have ideal storage
>conditions in my apartment.
> So the question is:
>1) has anyone brewed with the diablo extract before, if so, was it
>significantly better after 6-8 weeks?
>2) is there any difference between conditioning in a secondary, and
>conditioning in the bottle?

What's turbino sugar?
I made a similar batch a few months ago, but used dextrose instead. The beer
is supposed to be pale (Duvel copy) but mine came out quite dark. I did a
complete wort boil over 60 minutes so that could explain it; 15 minutes might
be better. I also made Brewferm's Tripel and Grand Cru. All were dark! I also
used the Wyeyeast Belgian for each.
I was not very happy with the outcome overall. These kits are *expensive*,
especially when you have to use 2 per batch. 
The Wyeyeast Belgian generally gets the thumbs down by most brewers.
There was an interesting discussion on Judgenet Digest #801 concerning 
this yeast. The impression is that it gives lots of banana esters if brewed
at *normal* (70F) temperatures and is much better at 57-60F. 
OK, so I made 3 batches of banana beer - my fault, not the yeasts'!
As far as conditioning is concerned, it is faster in the secondary than in
the bottle. This is because there is a greater contact area of the yeast
to the beer in the secondary, than in the bottle, where it settles out. It is
the action of the yeast that conditions the beer. So you'll get a better
result if you leave it sitting in the secondary at coolish temps for a month
at least..
Another tip is to add fresh yeast when bottling these strong beers to
improve your head - no I usually can't be bothered either! If you do add
fresh yeast *don't* add priming sugar as your beer will be severely 
overcarbonated - believe me!
These beers definitely improve with age. I'd say try and leave them (bottled)
for a year or so to get the best out of them. 6 - 8 weeks? still in nappies!
The Belgian yeast has quite a harsh character when young that mellows
with time.
The solution is to make another beer or two in the meantime of a different
style that you can drink whilst waiting!
BTW, the Grand Cru is my favorite.

Andy W.












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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 94 11:21:00 EST
From: guyruth at abq-ros.com
Subject: Wort Oxygenation


I've just started adding O2 to my chilled wort prior to the primary
fermentor.  I've been told by some of the professional brewers here in
Albuquerque that adding O2 can be overdone.  Can anyone help on
directing me to a source of more information on this subject.

Guy Ruth (Dukes of Ale in Albuquerque)

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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 1994 14:19:00 +22305931 (EDT)
From: gam at beluga.must.com (Guy Mason)
Subject: Oak chips for Pale Ale

Greetings fellow HBDer's:

I am trying to make up a pale ale recipe and a friend suggested adding
1 oz. of oak chips to the secondary.  Sounds good to me, but won't that
risk contamination?  I have the same questions about dry hopping. Am I 
just being overly paranoid or what?  I'll post a summary of replies.

TIA
                                _ _ 
                                O O
/---------------------------uuu--U--uuu---------------------------\
|   Guy Mason                                    When Brewing is  |
|   MUST Software International                   Outlawed only   |
|   E-mail : gam at must.com                         Outlaws  will   |
|                                                     Brew.       |
\-----------------------------------------------------------------/

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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 1994 12:20:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: uswnvg!vfrankl at uunet.uu.net (Victor Franklin)
Subject: honey beer/mead

I attempted to make a honey/wheat beer.......not sure what I have.  So I
am hopeing to tap the HBD wisdom and find out what I should do with what I
have. First, this is the recipe:

3.5 lbs alexanders wheat malt extract
10  lbs honey (oops)
1   tsp irish moss (last 15min)
1   tsp yeast nutrient (last 15min)
1.5 oz pellet hops- experimental holliture<SP?> taste alike (144?)
 .5  oz same hops last 10 min of boil
   wyeast 1056

I was *trying* to get a potential alch of aprox 8%. I overshot it just a
little. The gravity reading on this (at 60deg) was 1.110 !!!! that's around
14% potential alch.

What have I made? beer or mead? possibly Meer????? 

How long will it take to ferment? will I have to use a champagne yeast to
finish it?

What will it taste like? 

Also, I wanted to put about 10lbs of peaches in the secondary.  

**** ANY advice would be much appreciated *****

mail to : vfrankl at uswnvg.com  -or-
          biker at eskimo.com
_________________________________
note about the ice thing: I just made a wort cooler. total cost only 33$. that
includes everything; copper, hoses, clamps and adapters.

VERY worth it! it took (aprox) 18min to get from boiling to 78 deg. 
my tap water in the seattel area runs at about 58 deg.

thank-you in advance for your replies.
 
                            Victor Franklin

** mtn bikers do it......crazy **

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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 1994 15:17:45 -0700
From: Don Put <dput at csulb.edu>
Subject: Polyphenols and Charcoal

Hello, all:

While perusing the first volmume of Malting_and_Brewing_Science (studying
for the BJCP exam I plan to take sometime next year), I came
upon a few references to adding charcoal (I assume activated) to the mash
to reduce polyphenol levels.  This is related, at least tangentially, to 
the, ahhhh, discussion we had recently on sparge water temperature, and the
pH and gravity of the final runnings.  Again, this seems to be really
"big boy" stuff, because they are concerned with all possible extraction from
a given grain bed, but I just thought I'd throw this out for some 
intellectual interaction.

"Additions of hydrogen peroxide or charcoal to the mash, or charcoal to the
sweet wort, also reduce polyphenol levels"  (277).

"Charcoal is thought to adsorb haze precursors and so remove them from the
wort"  (277).

"As the pH [of the final runnings] rises, the composition of the wort solids
alters and becomes less desirable as proportionately more silicates, 
phosphates, polyphenols, high-molecular-weight nitrogenous materials and
possibly polysaccharides come into solution. . . . Because of the undue
proportion of polyphenols, silicates and other unwanted materials in the
last runnings, it has been suggested that these should be treated with 
active charcoal, at 10-50 g/hl of wort . . ."  (293).

"Charcoal added to the mash or to the copper before the boil usefully 
reduces the tendency of the derived beer to form a haze" (295)

The most recent reference cited for these statements is from 1968.  So, was
this once a process that was accepted, either theorhetically or 
practically, and has now been disregared?  Has anyone tried this?  Would  
using this technique for the final half of the runnings cause any harm?
Do any good?  

I've never made an "astringent" beer, but I would like to know a bit more
about this.  If anyone has access to the J. Inst. Brewing, I'd like to
get original copies of these references.  Of course, I'd gladly send you 
postage and copying expenses, as well as sending you "beer" money.

TIA, 
don
dput at csulb.edu

PS - I haven't seen any posts, other than the list of winners, from those of
you who attended the conference in Denver.  I, for one, would like to hear
your opinions, comments, etc...

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Date: Mon, 11 Jul 94 12:17:16 EST
From: Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen <aidan at rschp2.anu.edu.au>
Subject: Boiling Vessel
Full-Name: Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen

Yaay!  (sorry for such an over the top outburst on this serious 
brewing digest ..  :-) 

I have a boiler!!!!  I went to the recylcing place and purchased 
a "wash copper" for A$30 - a 35 litre copper vessel mounted in an 
enamal coated steel frame, with a 4000 W element in it and a 
drain at the bottom with a tap at the side and everything!  It 
seems perfct for brewing (used to be used for washing clothes in 
the bad old days).  I just have to clean it and re-wire (and 
possibly replace) the element.  Someone said they clean their 
wort chiller by dunking it in vinegar (acetic acid), I was 
wondering if their was a better method, the crud on this seems 
pretty ingrained.  I have tried with vinegar and some elbow 
grease, and managed to clean up some of it, but I want this 
sucker to sparkle, with minimum effort.  I have access to heaps 
of chemicals, so how about 1M HCl ..  (I know not to use HNO3).  

About the wiring ..  there are four red wires attached to the 
element.  Am I right in assuming that this is some sort of temp 
control (more elements = more heat) and that one of the red wires 
is the neutral?  The element is grounded through the copper 
vessel (which has a ground attached to it).  I will need to 
re-wire this, but plugs here have a "phase", "neutral" and 
"ground" ...  how do I know which of the red wires is the 
"return" (neutral)?  

I will want to acidify my sparge water (on the advice of an 
all-grainer here), what is the chemical of choice (again 
availability is not a problem).  

All grain here I come!

Any help most appreciated.

Aidan

- --
They both savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than
ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things.
        -- Discworld scientists at work
           (Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites)

Aidan Heerdegen				
e-mail: aidan at rschp2.anu.edu.au

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Date: Sun, 10 Jul 94 21:13 EST
From: Jack Skeels <0004310587 at mcimail.com>
Subject: Expert advice needed!



I'm sorry if I'm wasting any bandwidth with this, but I have asked a few
questions previously, and didn't receive any answers, or received somewhat
incomplete (IMHO) answers.  I have about 15 batches under my belt, and owe much
of my success to the dialog and answers that I get regulary from the HBD.  I
value this group's knowledge, without it I would be pretty lost -- a scary
place to be for a beginner.  So here goes again: 

1)  So if I want to bottle kegged beer (14PSI), I just squirt it into a bottle
and cap it?  It doesn't seem right to me, intuitively, but maybe the CO2 thing
is really like that?? 

2)  I have a converted keg boiler and immersion chiller, but don't really see
how to separate the stuff that drifts near the bottom (cold break) from the
rest of my cold wort.  How do y'all do this?  It seems that I would leave
behind a painfully large amount of wort if I just don't touch it. 


3)  It takes qui [Bte a while with my 30,000 btu cooker to get my keg boiling.
Does anybody have a nifty idea for how to insulate the keg to speed the process
up.  I use aluminum foil now, but think that there must be a better way. Oops,
the question: how to insulate a converted keg to reduce time till boil. 

4)  And last but not least, a special challenge to the homebrewers in the UK:
Does anybody have a guess at the grain and hop bills for the draft Kingfisher
beer served in the Indian restaraunts/pubs in the London area? 

Again, I'm sorry if these questions are millionth-time, naive, or obvious. I've
read Miller, Papazian, Noonan and a couple of others several times, and frankly
don't know where else to go. 

BTW, I vote for the summarize your answers approach, and have tried to always
do it when I have received more than one response.  

Thanks again, 

Jack Skeels JSKEELS at MCIMAIL.COM 

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1472, 07/11/94