HOMEBREW Digest #1533 Thu 22 September 1994

Digest #1532 Digest #1534


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


Contents:
  some info about demerara... ("michael e cherry")
  cutting fine slots (re: copper siphon loop) (Dick Dunn)
  celis (Alan P Van Dyke)
  Breaking glass (Mark Worwetz)
  Re: Carboy handles (Carriers) (Dick Dunn)
  Racking off in public   8-O (COYOTE)
  Celis to Miller? NOT! (Louis K. Bonham)
  temperature controller (DONBREW)
  Aluminum again (McKee Smith)
  Erlenmeyer flasks (IZZYYQ6)
  INBOX Message (See Below) (Mailer.MC1)
  Any Cincinnati Brewpubs? (Jon Higby)
  Re: NY Beerfest 2 (John P. Curcio)
  Fusel Alcohols ("Craig Amundsen")
  Re:  kegging .... (Keith Frank)
  Re: anal requirement (Spencer.W.Thomas)
  beer allergy response (Turner)
  Celis Rumor (Tony Willoughby)
  wyeast 3068 (BURNELLT)
  Weihenstephen Yeast (Pronto Connections)
  More Cider Info ("JOHN FAULKS, FAULKS at BNG.GE.COM, 607-770 3959")
  Demerara=turbinado? (DrewStorms)
  Beer Fests/Red Beer (PSTOKELY)
  re: anal requirement (darrylri)
  next piece of equipment, Pilsner Urquell (ESMPD)" <gcunning at Census.GOV>
  Demerara: small correction (Matthew Sendbuehler)
  hop plant sources/moving hop plants (S29033)
  Primimg With Malt (DUBOVIK)
  Competition Bottles (COYOTE)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 20 Sep 94 15:14:29 EST From: "michael e cherry" <michael_e_cherry at fnma.COM> Subject: some info about demerara... In response to Ronald Dwelle's request (HBD #1531): My Impossibly Large Dictionary of Silly Words (viz., my '66 450,000-word Webster's 3rd New International, Unabridged) has two entries which may help: demerara sugar: a coarse light-brown raw sugar demerara greenheart: (from Demerara County, British Guiana): see BEBEERU which leads us to: bebeeru: a tropical South American evergreen tree (Nectandra rodioei) - aka greenheart and then: bebeerine (also bibirine) : (G bebeerin, fr bebeerubaum bebeeru tree) - a crystalline alkaloid C36H38N3O6 known in two optically different forms; esp. the dextrorotatory form obtained from the bark of the bebeeru and the pareira - see curine lastly: pareira: root of a South American vine (Chondodendron tomentosum) of the family Memispermacae that is used as a diuretic, tonic, and aperient : any of several roots of related plants curine: a crystalline alkaloid C36H38N2O6 obtained from the tube curare : levorotatory bebeerine Whew... it was just that sort of thing which brought my brief premedical career to an inglorious halt, but then maybe you're a more avid homebrewer than I. (I'd stay away from curare, though... ) Mike Cherry g8umec at fnma.com Return to table of contents
Date: 20 Sep 94 11:42:55 MDT (Tue) From: rcd at raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) Subject: cutting fine slots (re: copper siphon loop) There was a suggestion to extend the idea of the siphon loop with finely drilled holes by cutting fine slots instead, using a hacksaw. If you want to cut very fine slots in metal (esp cutting across tubing like this, where clearance isn't a problem) a jeweler's saw gives you a lot more control. It looks like a coping saw but it's got thumbscrew clamps for the blade--because jeweler's saw blades don't have pin ends, because it lets you use a piece of a broken blade, and because it makes it more convenient to start a cut in a closed hole. It's also got an adjustment for the length of the saw (hence length of the blade used--again, also allows using pieces of a broken blade). The big plus of a jeweler's saw is that you can get blades covering quite a range of widths of cut...starting from hacksaw width down to, well, the finest blade I've got handy here is an 8/0 which has a blade width of about 0.006" (about 0.15 mm). Lubricate the blades with beeswax, and expect to break some anyway--that's why they sell 'em by the dozen. - --- Dick Dunn rcd at eklektix.com -or- raven!rcd Boulder, Colorado USA ...Simpler is better. Return to table of contents
Date: Tuesday, 20 September 94 15:40:20 CST From: Alan P Van Dyke <llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu> Subject: celis Andy A in HBD 1531 heard rumors that Celis had been bought out by Miller. I haven't seen anything in the local daily about it, & Austinites are the type to rise to arms about such things, anyway. When the Spoetzel Brewery, which is 90 miles away, was bought out by the guy that imports Corona, people had hissy fits for weeks. So no, unless I'm really out of touch, Celis has not been bought by Miller. Pierre loves his little enterprise too much to do so, from what I understand. Then again, he did make a hefty profit when he sold Hoegaarden to Interbrew... Alan of Austin Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 15:24:20 -0600 (MDT) From: Mark_Worwetz at Novell.COM (Mark Worwetz) Subject: Breaking glass Howdy from Zion! All of this talk about broken carboys and Ehrlenmeyer flasks has compelled me to write of my horrible experience with broken glass. One nice Saturday afternoon this July my beer decided that it was done fermenting and asked me to bottle it. I washed my bottles in the dishwasher, sanitized my priming bucket, cooked up my priming sugar and settled down on the floor of my kitchen to begin the happy tedium of filling two cases of bottles. After filling about a dozen bottles I heard the loud crash of a breaking, full bottle of beer. Then another, and another! Glass was flying everywhere! I looked up just in time to see a man standing in my doorway throwing bottles at me! He just stood there throwing them, saying "This one isn't fresh anymore either!" and laughing maniacally!! I looked at the broken glass all around me and, sure enough, they were old bottles of Sam(tm) Adams(tm) Boston(tm) Lager(tm). I was too busy dodging the 12oz glass missiles he was hurling to get a good look at him, and after about 30 seconds, he was GONE! I only mention this story now because I could of sworn I heard the same guy doing the same thing on the radio! And that's the TRUTH!! SPFFFFFT! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mark Worwetz "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than to have to have a frontal lobotomy!" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return to table of contents
Date: 20 Sep 94 14:02:31 MDT (Tue) From: rcd at raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) Subject: Re: Carboy handles (Carriers) A while back, I surveyed the HBD readership for bad experiences with carboy handles--the plastic-coated metal ring that fits the neck of a carboy, with an attached plastic-coated metal loop handle. I think everyone who's ever used one of these things has wondered "are they really safe for a full carboy?" and a score of "what-if"s. I found plenty of folks who use the handles on their carboys, full as well as empty, and have been using them for some time, but turned up *no* instances of the neck of the carboy breaking or any other sort of cata- strophic failure. There was one report of a 6-gallon carboy showing some stress cracks at the neck, but it didn't actually fail. (I've been puzzled over what to make of that, because it was the only report of its type, but the person who reported it seemed to know what he was talking about and had looked at it carefully.) caa at com2app.c2s.mn.org (Charles Anderson) wrote: > I've used them, and my basic advice for other people that use them is: > Don't use them for holding up the full weight of the carboy. > > I ended up with 5 gallons of good Cabernet Sauvignon on the floor of the > basement because the "non-slip" rubber did... I can't picture the accident. The way the handles are designed, the issue of "slipping" doesn't arise. The ring of the handle fits around the neck of the carboy, and there's no way it can slip off the neck unless it's not snugged down the way it should be...it's made of 3/16" steel with a 1/4" bolt to hold it in place. Similarly, the handle is a loop that you curl your hand around. It doesn't matter if your hands are slippery; you've got your fingers wrapped around the handle and the carboy would have to lift itself up an inch or so to get over your fingertips. In fact, the rubber (plastic actually) isn't there to prevent slipping; it's for cushioning. The plastic around the carboy ring is there to spread the lifting pressure around the neck. (This is why the handle should be just snug, not gorilla-fisted down--if it's too tight, you'll compress the plastic too much and create just the localized stress points the plastic is designed to prevent.) The plastic on the handle loop is to cushion the loop in your hand. Next, jeff.guillet at lcabin.com (Jeff Guillet) wrote: > The only reason I don't use one is because they are only designed to > carry EMPTY carboys. They're not strong enough to carry a carboy full > of liquid. As various folks have noted, they ARE strong enough to carry a carboy full of liquid. As for design...it's interesting that the handles don't carry any warning NOT to use them to lift full carboys...at least they haven't for many years and didn't the last time I looked. It's also interesting that (at least) one supplier--Williams' Brewing--advises using them only for empty carboys. Somehow, using them only for empty carboys seems to miss the point...it's not that much of a challenge to handle an empty carboy compared to a full one. Why bother with a handle that's only useful for empty (but presents such an obvious temptation to use it when full)? Also, the design (as I mentioned, 3/16" steel) would be overkill for lifting a 10-lb object. - --- Dick Dunn rcd at eklektix.com -or- raven!rcd Boulder, Colorado USA ...Simpler is better. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 15:13:51 -0600 (MDT) From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu> Subject: Racking off in public 8-O Sorry folks- I oopsed, and cancelled the wrong BLANK post. at least it hardly cost any bw! Do I feel like a newbie today?! Here's the real waste of bw for your viewing pleasure: From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu> Subject: Racking Off (in public! 8-O ) Subject: Mike asks: what is Racking ? ... Im man enough to not worry What is Racking? I have seen it mentioned in a few posts and was wondering if it is something that I have done already and not realized, or if it something I have not done and should be doing. * If you've been brewing you've probably done it, had it in your very own hand and didn't even know what it was! (like the sign over a urinal- Don't look up here- the jokes in your hand!) My wife always gets a giggle when I reach the end of a brew session and announce to her that I'm "racking off now" in the garage and will be in for dinner soon. She kindly offers to help, but I tell her I can handle it myself, but maybe she can help later! :) Racking- on a more serious note: is.....drumroll please; To Siphon. Comes at various stages of the brew process. Post boil- cool. Rack sweet bittered wort to a primary fermenter. Post primary fermentation. Rack to a secondary (optional step) Post ferment- pre bottling. Rack from fermenter to bucket,prime,bottle. Alternative- Rack from fermenter to keg. Carbonate. Pretty much anytime you are pulling a siphon it's considered racking. Leads to childish humor like that I expressed above. Boys will be boys. Kinda reminds me of a cook crew I worked with on a camping trip. We were making chicken in a VERY smokey fire, wrapped ourselved with bandanas and glacier goggles ( I even had swim goggles) to avoid the smoke and laughed as we doused the chicken with BBQ sauce about how we were the best cook crew- and announced for all to hear that we were the "M a s t e r B a s t e r s" People wondered why we were so proud of such a thing.(esp the gals- guy thing?) Maybe it was that funny wrapped bag someone tossed on the fire...whatever. WE had a good time, and got awfully silly, plus made some damn good chicken! Ever try putting chicken in a brew? A Fowl Ferment would result! Cuckles and Giggles from the Coyote. AKA SLK6P at cc.usu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 19:34:35 From: lkbonham at beerlaw.win.net (Louis K. Bonham) Subject: Celis to Miller? NOT! Agast at the rumor floated in HBD 1531 that Pierre Celis had sold out to Miller, I called the Celis people in Austin today to get some confirmation. After they quit laughing and rolling on the floor, they told me that said rumor is absolutely, positively, false. Beer lovers of the world, rejoice! They did confirm, however, the reports that Celis *will* begin marketing a frambois in late October. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 94 23:12:03 EDT From: DONBREW at aol.com Subject: temperature controller I too noticed the Radio Shack temperature controller module (277-123) but, alas I was told that it had been discontinued sometime in 1993. But since the recent post about it, I decided to have my local guy call National Parts to check on it. It was still available on 9/19/94 at $19.95. I ordered one, we'll see! Am I the only one out here that has thought to boil in a PVC bucket with a water heater element installed? I use a cut off 15 gallon 1.8 mm. drum, cut off the top, install boiler drain, screw a 4500 W low density element in the side, control the heater with an electric stove surface burner "infinite control". Works good for me. On another temp. note, has anybody else thought about building an insulated box, get one of those old type de-humidifiers ( with radiators not coils) pull the radiators apart (very carefully) put the cold side inside the box, add a fan to circulate the cold wired to the control solenoid, I have used several different thermostats that work in to different but acceptable degrees. Also I finally made Rodney Moriss' RIMS controller work by substituting a 6 amp, 400 volt triac from Radio Shack for the 15 amp, ? volt one he used. Hasn't blown up after some 100 hours or more. I also used PVC pipe and tube for the plumbing and heater housing BTW. Don Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 02:07:01 -0400 (EDT) From: McKee Smith <MCKSMI at delphi.com> Subject: Aluminum again In the most recent issue of Zymurgy, there was an insert page on "Brewing you first batch" which I passed on to a friend who is just starting out. He has since called me to point out that under the equipment section, under brewpots, it says "Do NOT use aluminum.S Does anyone know why this is on there? I hope it is not yet another case of "Aluminum causes alzhimers" phobia again. I thought there had been enough information to drive a stake through that myth. McKee Smith Irving, Texas, USA EMail: Mcksmi at Delphi.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 00:21 PDT From: IZZYYQ6 at MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU Subject: Erlenmeyer flasks In response to a recent request(HBD 1527), I use small Erlenmeyer flasks (250 ml) on a regular basis(not for beer), and have broken one by heating over a direct flame & then cooling via cold water... They are rather thin glass & really aren't designed to be used over a flame. Get yourself a wire screen w/ a ceramic/clay center -- I can't for the life of me remember the proper name for them, but they should be readily available from a lab supplier(that's where I got mine). It's basically a piece of wire screen about 8 inches square, with a circle about 5 inches in diameter in the middle, made out of clay or ceramic or something of that nature. The flame hits the circle & is evenly distributed, therefore the flask is never directly touching it and won't crack. Don't cool the flask too quickly, allow it to do so naturally, since most glass is sensitive to having the temperature change too quickly. Return to table of contents
Date: 21 Sep 94 02:44:21 U From: Mailer.MC1 at hesdmail.mmm.com Subject: INBOX Message (See Below) InBox Message Type: Error InBox Message Subject: Undeliverable message InBox Message Text Follows: Message not delivered to 'MC2' (Disk full) - ------------------------- Original Message Follows ------------------------- Message too large (greater than 30000 bytes). See enclosure! - ------------------------- RFC822 Header Follows ------------------------- Received: by hesdmail with SMTP/TCP;21 Sep 94 02:41:25 U Received: from pigseye.mmm.com by mmm ( 3M/SERC - 4.1/BDR-1.0) idAA27078; Wed, 21 Sep 94 02:53:04 CDT Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Received: by pigseye.mmm.com (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA22215; Wed, 21 Sep 94 02:47:21 CDT Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Received: from hpfcrdg.fc.hp.com by hpfcla.fc.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.4/15.5+IOS 3.20) id AA18689; Wed, 21 Sep 94 01:36:16 -0600 Received: by hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (1.36.108.4/15.5+IOS 3.22) id AA17754; Wed, 21 Sep 1994 01:01:08 -0600 Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 01:01:08 -0600 Message-Id: <9409210701.AA17754 at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com> To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com From: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Request Address Only - No Articles) Reply-To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Posting Address Only - No Requests) Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Precedence: bulk Subject: Homebrew Digest #1532 (September 21, 1994) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 16:38:52 -0500 (CDT) From: unisql!jonh at cs.utexas.edu (Jon Higby) Subject: Any Cincinnati Brewpubs? I will be in Cincinnati for 2 weeks (Oct 2 - Oct 14) and hope that there are some brewpubs to past the time at. I already looked at the pub FAQ, the only brewpub listed there is apparently closed. Any help - please! Jon - -- Jon Higby ---- UniSQL, Inc. ---- email: jon.higby at unisql.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 08:35:38 -0400 From: John P. Curcio <jpc at philabs.Philips.COM> Subject: Re: NY Beerfest 2 On 19 Sep 94 22:24:25 EDT 74021.376 at compuserve.com wrote: > I do not know if this has been posted yet, but I am falling behind in > reading the HBD and yet had to comment on the NY Beerfest 2. > After attending last years Beerfest, I was looking forward to an > interesting day tasting and talking beer. And after reading in the Ale > Street News that the Port-O-John problem was going to be taken care of > this year (1/2 hour waits for relief last year), I thought it would be > perfect. Boy, was I wrong. [details deleted] My take on the event is exactly the same as yours. I was severely disappointed, for many reasons. About the only thing you didn't mention was the BudMilloors crowd that was there (suprisingly large in numbers) commenting on how "this Celis stuff sucks" or "I had to dump out the Chimay-- it tasted like crap." > All right, I've said my piece, as rambling and uncoherent as it is. > Thanks for your patience. Does anyone know how to contact Steve Hindy > or any of the other organizers? Perhaps if enough people express their > discontent now, changes can be made that will allow us to enjoy > Beerfest 3. Otherwise, I would have to believe that the Beerfest will > die a quick death due to too many unhappy customers. I wrote a letter (mailed yesterday) to the Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn, the sponsor (and beneficiary) of the event. I mentioned the problems, and said that I knew of at least 30 people who wouldn't attend next year unless these problems were addressed. Their mailing address: The Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn 30 Flatbush Avenue Suite 427 Brooklyn NY 11217 I suppose that you could also call their number ((718) 855-7882) and register a complaint, but a letter seems like it would do more good... -JPC -<=>- Just say NO! to Budmilloors... Support your local MICROBREWERY -<=>- John P. Curcio jpc at philabs.philips.com Philips Labs Briarcliff Manor, NY "If nothing beats a Bud, given the choice, I'd take the nothing..." "No goats, no boats, no motorcars, not a single 'yes-siree!'" -BH Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 07:45:11 -0500 (CDT) From: "Craig Amundsen" <amundsen at molbio.cbs.umn.edu> Subject: Fusel Alcohols Hi - I seem to recall someone saying that fusel alcohols result from allowing the beer to ferment in the presence of the trub. I recently acquired a copy of _The Practical Brewer_ (put out by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas). I've been making my way through it during breaks from studying for my Orals. Just yesterday I read this (on p. 106): Individual amino acids provide the carbon skeleton for fusel alcohols and esters via the Ehrlich mechanism. Addition of leucine to wort gives beers high in isoamyl alcohol and isoamyl acetate. Threonone and isoleucine provide optically active amyl alcohol, and valine gives isobutyl alcohol and isobutyl acetate. Based on the above it seems that getting rid of the break material will have no effect on fusel alcohols since individual amino acids will be in solution. This observation made me happy because my latest batch (currently in the primary) saw the first use of my immersion chiller and I made no effort to remove the break before transferring to the carboy. It may be that the break will have some other deleterious effect on the beer, but I am not worried about its contribution to fusel alcohol production. - Craig amundsen at molbio.cbs.umn.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 08:20:33 -0500 From: keithfrank at dow.com (Keith Frank) Subject: Re: kegging .... Andrew W. Baucom writes: >Question: What CO2 pressure/time-length is needed to artificially carbonate >5 gallons O'beer? > >(the keg is refrigerated, the CO2 is not, and the beer was primed with ~1 cup > malt extract for several weeks and had pressure when I initially tapped it) > >PS...the beer tastes great...just flat... No problem. Pressure up to 35 to 40 psi and shake for several minutes. Then let the beer settle for several hours before bleeding down the pressure and sampling. Regards, Keith Frank (keithfrank at dow.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 09:31:16 EDT From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu Subject: Re: anal requirement The idea is that uniquely identifiable bottles may be recognized by a judge as having come from a person he/she knows, and that this may then affect the judging. Same with stuff on the caps. I could tell my friend "I entered my number 34 in the Vienna category," and then he'd just have to look for the 34 on the cap to know it's mine. Also, small/big bottles are a pain in the butt to store when you're trying to pack a few hundred beers into your basement before the competition begins. If all the bottles are 12-oz longnecks, then you can just put them uniformly in cases. I don't know what's the problem with clear bottles, though. For what it's worth, I've been associated with two competitions here (Mazer Cup Mead, and MI state fair) that have no such restrictions on bottles, and we haven't had a problem. But you still get the idiots who paste a fancy label on the bottle with their name, etc. on it. The registrar for this year's MI state fair spent too much time soaking off labels. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 08:34:41 EST From: turner at cel.cummins.com (Turner) Subject: beer allergy response First of all seeing an allergist is a definite recomendation. By narrowing down the search (beer) the doctor can perform the scratch test better. As a victim of a still unknown allergy I can say that shooting in the dark on those tests is expensive and has low probability of success. Several people also warned about the possibility of anaphalactic (sp?) shock. I have had this lecture from my doctor and carry an Epinephrine pen to counter a severe allergic reaction. For those unfamiliar with it, this is what can _KILL_ people, most commonly from bee stings. This is not something to take chances with. The end result from all the replies is that just about anything in beer can cause an allergic reaction. Based solely on the responses, the leading suspects are: 1) hops 2) yeast (sometimes specific strains of yeast) 3) grain/grass (barley/corn/rice/wheat) 4) chemical additives (head stabilizers etc.) 5) fermentation dyproducts (acetaldehyde/protein) My friend eats homemade bread all the time (farm boy) and drinks wine, so yeast is an unlikely candidate. This is good since home brew would have considerrably more yeast than commercial brews. He eats corn/rice and has no problem bailing hay, or with traditional pollen/ragweed allergies, so an overall sensitivity to grain/flowers is unlikely. He is going to see an allergist and wants to try one of my VERY low hopped brews. If it shows promise I will try a no hops brew. My (and my friends) thanks to everyone who responded to my question concerning a friends allergy to beer. Once again this forum has provided valuable information not readily available from any other source. John Pedlow <TKSJOHN at UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu> Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com> zoz at cs.adelaide.edu.au (Kaishakunin) romand at dialogic.com (Dan Roman) edmondso at athena.msfc.nasa.gov (St. Rich Brewing Co., Huntsville, AL) Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu laszlo at helix.nih.gov (M. Andrew Newman) Bryan Kornreich <bkornrei at welchlink.welch.jhu.edu> LBRISTOL at SYSUBMC.BMC.COM Vanek at aepco.com Allen Akin <akin at tuolumne.asd.sgi.com> "Bob Knetl" <bob_knetl at amber.spawar.navy.mil> "Terence McGravey {91942}" <tpm at swl.msd.ray.com> ggarnett at qrc.com (Guy Garnett) Steve Turner turner at cel.cummins.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 09:49:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Tony Willoughby <tonyw at sw.stratus.com> Subject: Celis Rumor Andy <Anderso_A at hq.navsea.navy.mil> asked about a Celis rumor: [...] Over the week-end I was told by two completely different, and reasonably reliable, sources that Pierre Celis has just recently sold his Austin operation to Miller. [...] I forwarded this to a coworker who knows Pierre's son-in-law, Peter. Peter is involved with the day to day running of the brewery, so he could also be considered "reasonably reliable" :^). During a phone call to Texas this rumor was quickly squashed. Just contributing to the rumor with a Friend-Of-A-Friend story... - -- | He that buys land buys many stones. Tony Willoughby | He that buys flesh buys many bones. tonyw at sw.stratus.com | He that buys eggs buys many shells, | But he that buys good beer buys nothing else. | - An Old English Saw Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 09:57:22 -0500 (EST) From: BURNELLT <BURNELLT at ropt1.am.wyeth.com> Subject: wyeast 3068 Mike Hansen comments that he felt that Wyeast 3068 should have been used in his dunkelwiezen bock for a more authentic flavor.This may be true but I used 3068 in a dunkelwiezen and a lot of the banana and clove flavor that I had in previous wiezens seemed to be covered up by the flavors contributed by the grains(I could barely taste this character). I would guess that this would be even more of a problem with a bock because of the increased hops. Sam Adams dunkelwiezen does have nice flavor from the yeast, but I did not have luck in replicating it. I may have used to much chocholate malt. Any recipes out there? Ted Burnell Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 08:59:57 -0500 (CDT) From: Pronto Connections <tmmpci at Mcs.Net> Subject: Weihenstephen Yeast Hey fellow Brewers, Anyone have any particulars on the Weihenstephen yeast strain from ??? Wyeast. Also requesting an all grain raspberry wheat beer recipe? Using fresh ingrediants only!!! tia, Todd Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 9:53:55 -0400 (EDT) From: "JOHN FAULKS, FAULKS at BNG.GE.COM, 607-770 3959" <FAULKS at bng.ge.com> Subject: More Cider Info There have been a few requests for hard cider now that the apple season is here. Some suggestions to get started. The quick and easy way is to use fresh cider without any additives, stir in a half to a pound of white sugar per gallon to get the gravity up to 1070 or more, and ferment with champagne yeast. If allowed to go all the way (FG approx 0995) it will make a fine dry cider. Give it 3-4 months to ferment out and bottle (rack to a secondary if you must - it makes little difference IMHO). Prime the bottles for sparkling cider. Variations - use campden tabs in the fresh cider and wait 24 hrs before pitching your yeast starter. This will help decide which yeast are really going to do all the work. Wine and ale yeasts also work well as can natural yeasts, i.e. fresh cider, sugar and let it go off by itself. Had a friend make Scrumpy from the Cats Meow - something went wrong - came out like gasohol, so don't add meat. But you can use brown sugar, honey and any other more traditional sweetner to bring up the gravity. More sugar will produce a drier cider with less apple flavor, so I don't usually target OG's over 1100. You really need more than 1050 to produce enough alcohol to preserve the final cider. The lower OG's can have a wonderful apple aroma and flavor. For sweet ciders, stop the fermentation at about 1015 or so with some campden tabs. Wait 24 hrs and bottle. Some people add condensed apple juice to add sweetness, but I haven't tried it. Don't boil anything. You can also use 1 gal glass bottles for mini batches and experiemnts. There is an excellent book that I have, but it's not here and the name escapes me (red cover - deals with growing trees, blending - all kinds of recipies, history etc.) Email me for the name and I will find it. Isn't there a Cider Digest out there ? That might also help the curious (and me too) Have fun John Faulks Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 10:19:56 EDT From: DrewStorms at aol.com Subject: Demerara=turbinado? All these descriptions of demerara sugar sound suspiciously like turbinado ("sugar in the raw"): golden-brown,1-2mm granules, .... I also know that turbinado is fairly popular in the U.K., and that it is what brown sugar (white+molasses) is attempting to emulate: raw, unrefined cane sugar. So, my question is does anyone know if they are synonymous, and if not, has anyone used turbinado in brewing? It would seem to be one step up from corn sugar as an adjunct. (and I've got a bulk source 100' from my back door) drew Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 09:49:10 EDT From: PSTOKELY at ea.umd.edu Subject: Beer Fests/Red Beer Jim Keesler wrote of his problems with the NYFest. Most of the beer/food fests held in large cities are overattended. The recent Washington D.C. Food and Beer Fest, for instance, featured several excellent microbrews and several 30 - 45 minute waits to get them. If it weren't for the mini-seminars held in the nearby Capitol City Brewery, it would have been a waste of time. My first response was to locate the organizer's table and sign up to help out next year. Getting the District government to close off TWO city blocks is work for several people for many weeks. Of course my second response, after a certain fellowship expires, is to move away from the city to where the beer fests are like picnics. ********************** A question for Algis: how much roasted barley do you use to get your red color? For instance in a 5 gal. batch with a grain bill of Klages and light crystal. TIA Paul S. in College Park, Maryland "Look out! Behind you!" Return to table of contents
Date: Wed Sep 21 07:48:04 1994 From: darrylri at microsoft.com Subject: re: anal requirement ulick at ulix.rad.nd.edu writes: > What is wrong with clear bottles, big bottles, Bass bottles, overrun caps? While I agree with your plaint about clear bottles, as someone who has helped out with a number of competitions, I can unhesitatingly say that big bottles are a huge hassle. They don't fit in standard cases, so they don't stack well, which takes additional fridge space, which is *always* in short supply. > While it is understandable that the nationals have standards to lend an aura, > this is hardly the case for a competition in Podunk, NY, or whereever. And > I know the judges are just as anal, because one once made a big stink about > my 'clear violation' sending a bottle with raised lettering. Yet another > reasaon not to pay people to drink my beer. Judges do attack these things with more vigor than is called for, in some cases. (I'm reminded of the hue and cry of those poor folks who were weak enough to succumb to using green bottles instead of brown and then got comments about light struck flavors, even though most hb'ers never let their precious beer get exposed to light.) Actually, this is something that the contest registrar should be responsible for, not the judges. But to maintain the appearance of impartiality, it is necessary to limit the variances in the container. And not just from the judges, either. I've heard a recent story where an onlooker recognized their bottle as placing first in a category, and then started participating in the BOS round when a couple judges wanted to drop it out of the competition. Most competitions allow overrun caps, once you take a Magic Marker to them. Basically, most of the rules are useful and important. If you've worked on a competition you know that by stating these things up front it eliminates a great deal of potential difficulty when the competition is under way. Without such limits, you'd be amazed what you'll get, and there's no way to eliminate judge bias when things get strange. These rules aren't *that* anal. --Darryl Richman Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 10:29:59 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jerry Cunningham (ESMPD)" <gcunning at Census.GOV> Subject: next piece of equipment, Pilsner Urquell Hello Brewmasters, I have a very _limited_ budget. I'm slowly adding brewing equipment to my stockpile, and my question for all you experts out there is this: What would have a bigger (positive) impact on my brews, a carboy to use as a secondary or a wort chiller (imersion type). My current set-up is is a plastic primary with bottling bucket, and I'm only making ales so far (although I may try a lager or two this winter, if my basement gets cold enough), extract only. - ------- A while back, someone posted asking if anybody knew how to read the code on Pilsner Urquell bottles. I never saw a reply (and I lost the guys address). Does anybody know? BTW, after reading much hoopla from various sources - rcb, hbd,TNCJOHB,M.J.'s Beer Companion,etc. - concerning P-U, I finally tried one recently, and if that's what it tastes like after crossing the Atlantic I'm moving to friggin Czechoslavakia (sp?). If you've never tried it, do yourself a favor! :*) - ------- Thanks, Jerry Cunningham Annapolis, MD Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 10:53:02 +0059 (EDT) From: Matthew Sendbuehler <sendbu at mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca> Subject: Demerara: small correction In one of several responses to the 'what is Demerara sugar' question, I wrote: >>>look for large (1-2 mm) clear crystals of a light golden colour.<<< Several of the other responses jogged my memory and made me realize that I was thinking of Turbinado, not Demerara, AFAIK, Turbinado is even harder to find, but is probably even more useful for a pale ale. BTW, the differences between these sugars is not just in the level of refinement, but where they come from. Of course, once you get down to a white powder origin doesn't make much if any difference, but before that stage cane sugars definitely have distinctive local flavors. Two experiments will bear this out: 1) sample some of these different specialty sugars; 2) sample high-grade (estate) rum from a variety of places. In both cases, you'll see that all sugar, and all molasses, is not created equal. I'll leave it to you to decide which experiment to try... And for heaven's sake, if you're going to add molasses to your beer, shop around a bit, find one with a taste you like, and *go easy with the stuff.* Personally I'd avoid this route altogether. Return to table of contents
Date: 21 Sep 1994 10:47:56 -0400 (EDT) From: S29033%22681 at utrcgw.utc.com Subject: hop plant sources/moving hop plants Kevin [KFONS at china.qgraph.com] asks where to find hop plants. I can only offer one source (and I am sure there are other readers who know of more sources). I ordered my hop plants from Nichols Nursery in Oregon, Tel (503) 928-9280. I have ordered 4 different types from them (commonly used in brewing); cascade, tettnanger, willamette, clusters. Other hop types were found through homebrewing contacts - I traded my hop cuttings with another person with different hop varieties. a couple of years of growth produces enough rhizomes to allow you to spare a few cuttings for trade. Tim McNerney asks about hop transplanting. I too started some hops at a previous residence and 2 years later we moved to our present location. We moved in the Fall and I dug the hop roots up (with some of the surrounding soil) and transferred the whole mess to the new house. I dug a hole in the new location and filled it with the soil I gathered from the old location. I then looked at the hop roots and cut the rhizomes into 6-8 inch lengths (not all of the roots had the characteristic buds on them and were apparently not transplantable). I then planted the rhizomes in the place I had prepared. They wintered over fine and came up this spring. Transplanting does interrupt the previous vigorous growth but I am sure next year the hops will be back to normal. The friend that I trade cuttings with actually digs his up and cuts them into 6-8 inch lengths and stores them in a plastic bag in his fridge for planting the following year. I don't know if he digs all of the roots or just some of them so that he can manage or steer the spreading of the plants (they tend to spread everywhere!). So in my experience and the experience of a friend, you can either transplant them now, dig them up and store them (make sure they don't dry out), or leave them and transplant in the spring. I hope this helps. Lance Stronk Sikorsky Aircraft, Straford, CT Return to table of contents
Date: 21 Sep 1994 11:38:52 -0400 (EDT) From: DUBOVIK at hsdwl.utc.com Subject: Primimg With Malt I've primed my beer with both malt and corn sugar. The beer (same batch) tasted the same for either method. Does any one else have different results priming with malt. Any pro's con's with either method. Responses greatly appreciated Brewing In Ct. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 10:03:41 -0600 (MDT) From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu> Subject: Competition Bottles Ulick whines about competitions having rules and regulations. Waaaaaaaaaaah. The WHOLE point here isn't to quibble over whether YOU got a complaint about YOUR bottle or not (BTW- did you place with that brew- I wonder!) but to ensure equal treatment and anonimity to all entries. It is the BEER that is being judged, not the cutesiness of the homemade labels, or the creativity in naming a brew. Competitions are BLIND tasting. If bottles, or caps are unique they may enlighten the judges as to the originator of that brew, hence the potential for unfare judging. It's not like you don't have a chance to be aware of the rules ahead of time. They are CLEARLY stated in every competition announcement I've seen. So ignorance of the rules is NO defense. Clear bottles are subject to skunking (green too, but not as bad) so that's for the brewers protection. Delabeling, and caps, and raised lettering are to "unidentify" an entry. Size is semi flexible, but limited to a useful quanitity. I mean- what are the judges going to do if you send all 22 oz bottles! They might get unfailry drunk off one entry and not be capable of "testing" the remainder! And no- You couldn't pay me to drink your beer either, no matter what kind of bottle it came in. Worthless babble from the Coyote. Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1533, 09/22/94