HOMEBREW Digest #1960 Thu 15 February 1996
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
good gott! (Wallinger)
Floating in my beer (mold?) (darah2)
Re:boilers and heat conduction (Regan Pallandi)
re: high temp hoses (Hugh Graham)
Am I Stuck? (Dave Janes)
Beer Competition-Shamrock Open (lmatt)
Bulkhead fittings & all grain mashing (russ)
Stock Pot Secondary, Suds 4.0 (Kirk R Fleming)
Gott Mashing Questions ("David N. Pflanzer")
Two tips, two questions (Mark Redman)
Mashing Methods with a Gott Cooler? (AGNORCB)
Belgian Beer Tour ("Houseman, David L TR")
Belgian brown ale recipe? (m.bryson2)
Chocolate Amber Recipe ("Jay Rustine")
Clear Wit Bier (Jay Reeves)
Forces of Nature ("''Rich Byrnes' rich.byrnes at e-mail.com' rich.byrnes at e-mail.com")
All purpose malt (Waverly)" <kbooth at isd.ingham.k12.mi.us>
WYeast 1098 etc. (Scott Woodfield)
Yeast starter (Raymond Louvier)
Palouse hombrewers (Kevin Kane)
FYI Jim Koch (BBC) & Truth in Advertising ("Olson, Greger J - CI/911-2")
Hop Rhizome Source ("Toler, Duffy L.")
re: New Wyeasts, #1272 American Ale (DEBOLT BRUCE)
Nylon stocking hop bag (LNUSCHV1.LZ5HGR)
I Gott a feeling. (Russell Mast)
Beer Bottle Labels (Lynn Ashley)
my scotch ale ("Gabrielle Palmer")
Nylons?? (Bill Rust)
March Mashfest HB Competition Announcement (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
RE:Critique my Technique\Austin Club\ ("Ray Cooper")
Wyeast distributors/suppliers (Marc Lueck)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 16:11:48 -0600
From: Wallinger <wawa at datasync.com>
Subject: good gott!
terrence asks about all-grain setups using gott coolers. i have
done three or four batches is my gott system, and i love it.
there is a perforated pizza pan on the market (walmart, kmart,
etc) that fits perfectly in the gott. i simply drilled four holes
around the perimeter and used stainless steel carriage bolts for
legs to stand the pan just above the spigot. the drawback to
this design is that it leaves about 1 gal dead space below the
pan.
i place another perforated pizza pan on top of the grain bed
with a sainless steel eye bolts through the center. this helps
distribute the hot liquor during sparging.
i use 2 10-gallon gotts. one is the mash/lauter tun, and the
other is the hot liquor tun. in each i replace the spigot with a
fass-frisch reusable bung. the bung is made for the mini-keg
systems. it fits in the spigott hole perfectly. then use 5/8
inch (as i recall) thick-wall tubing through the bung, and use
tubing clamps (lab supply) to throttle the flow from each tun.
you get the hang of balancing these flows after a couple of
tries.
i doubt that you could mash graini for a 10-gal batch in a
5-gal tun. the larger tun also gives you the flexibility to make
big beers.
i must admit that i still have a problem with low efficiency.
perhaps this design has something to do with it. i have gotten
about 25 pt-gal/lb, and understand that 30 would be more like
it. i'm open for suggestions myself on how i might improve
this. as for the system, though, it is easy to use and easy to
clean up.
wade wallinger
brewing contraband on the mississippi gulf coast
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 18:32:57 -0500
From: darah2 at aol.com
Subject: Floating in my beer (mold?)
Hi all,
I've had a superb porter sitting in my secondary (glass carboy) for about
2 1/2 weeks. About a week a go, I noticed some small white things
clinging to the glass at just above the beer level. I couldn't decide if
they were mold or liquified yeast particles, so I did nothing and waited.
Now I have white clusters of bubbles floating on the top of the beer.
They other day I also saw some bubbles in a definitive line.
Is this mold? If not, is it some other kind of infection? I was thinking
about tossing it, but haven't been able to bring myself to do it. Could
it be drinkable. If it is mold, will it provide full gastric distress?
Any advice would be most helpful -- I can't figure out what to do.
- --Paul
Real email address: fisher at ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov
(everytime they upgrade the modem pool, I can't connect anymore!!!)
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 12:40:30 +1100 (EDT)
From: Regan Pallandi <reganp at iris.bio.uts.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re:boilers and heat conduction
Hello blokes and blokettes - in this neck of the world, everything
related to brewing paraphanelia seems to cost a lot more than the
States. I am looking to buy a 40 litre SS boiler, and have seen two
types. One is made of thin SS all round, and runs $160. The other has an
aluminium "sandwich" on the base, and costs $280 (!!!). So, in terms of
heat transfer etc, is it worth the expense to get the better quality
boiler? Thanks
Regan in Sydney
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 23:58:08 -0700 (MST)
From: Hugh Graham <hugh at lamar.ColoState.EDU>
Subject: re: high temp hoses
In HBD 1958, Brad Fabbri wrote:
> I find that silicone tubing works GREAT
Me too! I use it everywhere.
But I note that large diameter, thin wall silicone tube can flatten or
kink. Silicone elastomer is pretty soft. Use gentle hose clamping
techniques (I avoid the steel band type of hose clamp as they tear the tube's
surface).
AND silicone tubing is very permeable to oxygen. If you are extremely
paranoid about Hot Side Aeration, you might want to avoid it.
> and inert to any cleaner a homebrewer is likely to use.
True. It is attacked by concentrated, strong bases (alkalies) especially
at high temperatures, so if you're sanitizing with NaOH, (Sodium
hydroxide, lye, drano) I would also avoid it. Also keep it out of flames,
solvents & acids. _Prolonged_ exposure to dilute bleach can cause
discoloration & opacity.
> Two problems though, it's expensive, and hard to find (try a scientific
> supply co.).
e.g. Cole Parmer 5/16" ID 1/2" OD $53 for 25ft list price 1-800 323 4344
Item no H-06411-76 max pressure 16psi. (This type is peroxide cured,
platinum cured costs more, few advantages to us).
or VWR Scientific same size, Dow Corning(R) Silastic(R) brand, 50ft = $114.20
1-800 932 5000 Cat. No 62999-552
Many other sizes, brands, lengths available, all expensive.
Reinforced silicone tube is also available. ($15.50/ft!)
To avoid the oxygen permeability problem, you could use Pharmed(R) tubing.
This is also a pharmaceutical grade tube, good to 275F. It's harder to clean
than silicone because it's opaque (silicone is translucent so you can see
lumps stuck inside). It's a good bit stiffer and harder, so thinner wall
stuff might work. You can heat-seal, -bond and -form it, but as it's
pretty flexible, it's easy to use (cf vinyl tube).
e.g. Cole Parmer Item no H-06484-14 5/16" ID, 7/16" OD, 25 ft = $67.05
VWR Same thing costs $73.25 (Item no 63007-336).
PharMed is made by Norton Performance Plastics if anyone wants to track them
down.
Final option is Norprene (R) Food Grade, Cole Parmer 3/8"x5/8" 126.10/50ft.
Opaque beige, good to 275F, good chemical resistance, item number H-95710-60
(VWR don't have it). Norprene is also from Norton, I believe. Regular
Norprene is black and non-food grade. Norprene and PharMed are available in
other sizes too.
I have no connection with the above except as a customer etc etc.
You could also try Baxter/Scientific Products at 1-800 234 5227 if they
still exist.
Sorry to burble on so. Hoses used to be my life. I had a hose job.
Hugh
Return to table of contents
Date: 11 Feb 96 02:11:32 EST
From: Dave Janes <71611.2743 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Am I Stuck?
I'm working on my second batch and think that I may have run into a
problem. I'm brewing an Ale based on the Munton & Fison Old Ale kit,
with a few minor adjustments:
1 can M&F Old Ale Kit
1 can Bierkeller Amber Unhopped Extract
1/2 oz. Cascase Pellets (aroma)
1 pkg. M&F Dry Ale Yeast
O.G. 1.051
I racked to secondary after the Krausen subsided, and floated my
hydrometer in the carboy I use for a secondary. The reading at racking a
week ago was 1.018.
Tonight's reading 1.018.
My question is, is this batch ready for the bottle? Do I need to rouse
the yeasties or perhaps re-pitch? I have extra yeast just in case of
emergencies.
Thanks in Advance!
Dave
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Janes Home: 71611.2743 at compuserve.com
"Don't make me come over there!" Work: dcj at fdli.org
- Dogbert on Information SuperHighway cliches.
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 08:34:02 -0500 (EST)
From: lmatt <lmatt at nando.net>
Subject: Beer Competition-Shamrock Open
The CARBOY (Cary-Apex-Raleigh Brewers Of Yore) will hold their first
homebrew competition in Raleigh NC on March 16th. The Shamrock Open will
use a sliding scale for entries-$6 for 1st, $5 for 2nd, $4 for 3rd, $3
for 4th, $2 for 5th, and the sixth ones on us(no charge).
Judges interested in assisting should email Bill MacKenzie at
dedpetvet at aol.com. Folks wanting an entry form or more information, please
email me at lmatt at nando.net
If you are in the Raleigh-Cary area and interested in joining a
homebrew club, please contact me and I'll send out the last couple
of the CARBOY Fermenter newsletters for you to review.
Homebrew competitions are a great way for brewers of all skills to
have their beers evaluated by 2 or more judges and possibly discover some
area of brewing to improve or learn what you're doing right so you don't
change it.
Thanks,
Larry Matthews
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 08:51:31 -0500
From: russtj at mail.awi.net (russ)
Subject: Bulkhead fittings & all grain mashing
1. I did my first all grain the other day and (as predicted) had some problems
and thoughts for improvemants which I wanted to bounce off the group.
I had a difficult time bringing the mash up to 151 degrees (settled for 149
deg). I used a cooler and carefully doughed the grains and water together, but
the heat loss was quicker than expected (I started with 170 degree water). I
noticed this too when sparging ( I used a phils lautern tun). The mechanics of
the sparging went well -- good clear wort....no stuck mash, etc ---but temp
delta was a problem again. I heated the water up to 170 degrees, transfered it
to the sparging bucket, then gravity fed it to the rotating sparging arm
etc....as expected the heat losses were large.
Since my brewing budget is small, my thought on solving the problem is
to take my stock pot (thin stainless), punch a hole in the bottom...use a
bulkhead fitting and mount a nipple on it...connect a hose directly to the
sparging arm. That way i could maintain sparging temp at the stove.
Appreciate any recommmendations or better ideas!
Thanks,
russ
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 09:26:12 +0000
From: Kirk R Fleming <flemingk at usa.net>
Subject: Stock Pot Secondary, Suds 4.0
In #1958 Bob Rogers asked about the use of silicone to seal his stock
pot secondary. I see two ways to do this. One is to actually apply
silicone sealant to the stock pot lid--I've done this before to seal
glass to stainless, and I strongly recommend against it. The silicone
is nearly impossible to get off either surface completely (although
I'm sure you might find a solvent if you looked hard enough).
The second method would be to very carefully lay a fillet of silicone
onto the rin of the stock pot lid, so as to leave a smooth silicone
surface that, when hardened, would contact the rim of the stock pot
at about a 45 deg angle. A weight could then be used to hold the lid
down tightly to the stock pot.
General Electric makes a "General Household Sealant" that is 100% clear
silcone, and which meets FDA Reg CFR 177-2600 required for use in food
contact surfaces. It's odor and taste-free as near as I can tell, but
it doesn't matter much--I can't see why it would ever contact the beer.
Finally, for folks wanting to use ss stock pots or any other hard to
seal container for secondary ferment, my *real* recommendation is to not
worry about sealing them either! I put mine inside my freezer chest (for
lagers), or inside a clean 72 quart picnic cooler with the lid down. You
can simply put the pot lid on, wind a strip of cling-wrap around the
lid-pot interface, and put the whole pot in the cooler chest. If you
rack to the secondary a little early when there's still considerable
evolution of gas--you're good to go.
Tom Wenck asks about a possible Suds 4.0 bug having to do with color
computation. Suds 4.0 appears to have several bugs, but even if it
computed color improperly I wouldn't call that a bug--just a less-than
perfect algorithm. But...I *don't* find it intuitive that there would
be any significant connection between extraction efficiency and color.
Dark grains, in my experience, will contribute about the same color to
the wort no matter how they're treated. IOW, soaking them in warm water,
mashing them, boiling them, whatever...their color contribution is about
the same (undetectably influenced by the process).
KRF Colorado Springs
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 11:47:13 -0500
From: "David N. Pflanzer" <pflanzer at gate.net>
Subject: Gott Mashing Questions
Terence asks about mashing in gott coolers...
>From: Terence McGravey {91942} <tpm at swl.msd.ray.com>
>1. If I go with the 5 gal cooler, would I be able to fit all the
> grain in there for a 10 gal batch ?
A 5 gallon gott will hold between 10-12lbs of grain, this amount would
not be suitable for most 10gal batches unless you are only brewing low
gravity beers.
>2. If I go with the 10 gal cooler, will the grain bed be to shallow
> (because of the larger diameter of the cooler) to provide adequate
> filtration of a 5 gal batch ?
Ideal grain bed depth is around six inches. The 10 gal Gott is wider
than the 5 gal unit (13" compared to 11.5") so it will provide a
shallower grain depth with identical grain volumes. With that said, I
have mashed in both coolers of various sizes and have not found great
differences in extraction efficiency.
>3. Is there a Phil's Phalse Bottom to fit the 10 gal cooler as well
> as the 5 gal cooler ?
Yes.
>4. Is it easy and non cooler destructive to put a suitable spigot
> that can control my runoff flow in place of the standard spigot ?
Yes, here is the way I set up my cooler for about $10 in parts.
Unscrew the gott spigot and remove the rubber grommet that surrounds
the hole. The hole diameter is 5/8". Go to a hardware store and buy a
1/2" closed brass nipple fitting that is about 2" long (this looks like
a threaded pipe). Also get a couple of 1/2" brass nuts, 2 food grade
rubber/nylon washers and a threaded brass ball valve. Insert the
nipple fitting through the hole, put the washers on, screw on the nuts
to make a tight seal and attach your ball valve on the outside.
David;
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 12:26:02 -0500
From: Mark Redman <brewman at vivid.net>
Subject: Two tips, two questions
Greetings, fellow brewmen (and women)!
First tip: For those of us who do not have an external hose on our
sinks, buy a 3 ft. length of 3/8" ID (1/2" OD) tubing and
simply force it over the end of a jet carboy washer. Since
it's a tight fit, the pin valve (or whatever it's called)
is forced to stay open, and you can use this to fill
carboys, sanitation buckets, etc. Works great! Word of
Warning!! DO NOT attempt this with hot water!! The heat will
loosen the plastic tubing,it will slip off and a very
quick burst of scalding hot water will blast you between the
eyes (I will continue to deny this happened to me until any
witnesses come forward).
Second tip: Having trouble cleaning your stove after brewing? Try Windex.
One day I ran out of regular cleaner and tried Windex and
it worked twice as well as anything else I've used,although
you still need to add elbow grease.
First question: Am I the only person who heats the brewpot to go from a
protein rest to a saccharification rest? I never found it
worthwhile to add boiling water since it meant yet another
kettle, it thinned the mash considerably and it took forever
to recirculate. So I just add heat and stir, being careful not
to scorch the bottom grains. It takes about 15 min. to go from
122F to 152F. There is conflicting data on this matter (gee,
what a suprise). Papazian: "Applying heat directly to the mash
is usually avoided due to the time it takes to get from one
temperature to the other. It is desirable to reach diastatic
conversion from the previous stage as quickly as possible."
Noonan: "After 30 minutes, apply heat to the mash tub to raise
the temp to 122F. Heat to saccharification temp, following the
decoction-mash time sequence (he's describing his method for
step-infusion mashing). I've been brewing everything from
light pilsners to oatmeal stouts using this method, and have
won a few awards in the process, so I can't be screwing up
too bad. I just can't imagine doing that much damage to the
malt or its enzymes by direct heating, especially since that
is exactly how decoction mashing is done. Comments?
Second question: Does anybody know of a source for wholesale supply of koji?
My local homebrew shop is interested. Any replies will be
forwarded. See Ya!!
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 17:04:34 -0500 (EST)
From: AGNORCB at miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
Subject: Mashing Methods with a Gott Cooler?
Hi,
I was recently given a 10 gallon Gott cooler as a gift. I plan to set it up
using a 12" Phil's Phalse Bottom as my mash/lauter tun. In the past I have
done my all grain brewing using the "monitored brewpot" method of stovetop
mashing as it is described by Papazian in his two books. I typically do a two
or three step infusion mash.
I would be interested to know what techniques/methods the "Gott mashers" out
there are using to do multi-step infusion mashing. How is the mash "heated"
between the steps?
If you are doing specific heat type calculations to determine the amount of hot
water needed to reach the different step temperatures, how is the cooler itself
included in these calculations?
TIA for you help. Private e-mail is fine if you don't think that it is of
interest to the collective.
Craig Agnor
agnorcb at miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 96 17:32:00 EST
From: "Houseman, David L TR" <DLH1 at trpo3.Tr.Unisys.com>
Subject: Belgian Beer Tour
I was given a notice of a beer tour of Belgium for this September by an
acquaintance (no connection to this other than to provide the favor of
letting homebrewers in the states know about this). Some specifics in case
anyone wants to contact the conductor about this tour:
* Discover More Than 400 Beers
* Dates: Sept 14-21, 1996
*Hops festival in Popperingen, hops capital of the world (only once every 3
years)
* Beer museums in Bruges and Brussels
* Breweries in Esen, Bruges, Brussels, Chimay, Oval, Hoegaaren and more;
meet the experts
* Lots of beer-tasting opportunities
* Great Gastronomical meals
* Shopping for beer, lace and chocolate!
* Minimum of 30 participants; max 50
* Price about $1000, depending on number of participants
* Price includes local transportation, lodging, all visits, all meals
* Registration deadline is March 15, 1996
* Participants responsible for providing transportation to Brussels
Send inquires and information to register to:
H. Delori FAX 32 2 728 0484
EMAIL delorih at everpo1.be.unisys.com
Again, no connection other than a potential participant.
Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 96 04:44:00 UTC 0000
From: m.bryson2 at genie.com
Subject: Belgian brown ale recipe?
Does anyone have a grain/partial mash/extract recipe that could closely
duplicate Corsendonk Monk's Brown Ale? I've read closely the Belgian book
from the classic beer styles, but I can't find a description that is
similar. With such a variety both within styles and between styles I would
appreciate anyone's help in this matter.
TIA,
Matthew W. Bryson
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 07:12:19 -0500
From: "Jay Rustine" <jrustine at hns.com>
Subject: Chocolate Amber Recipe
Has anyone had Saranac's Chocolate Amber? It's an extremely tasty sea-
sonal brew put out by Saranac around springtime and has recently begun to
reappear at the local stores. Obviously, it derives most of its character
from chocolate malt, but I was wondering if anyone had come up with a decent
extract recipe to clone this beer. I've been brewing for about a year now,
7-8 extract batches, mead and hard cider, and am partial to the more full-
bodied beers, usually stouts and porters. I would love to come up with an
equivalent. Any takers?
Jay Rustine
P.S. I'll attempt to convert any all-grain recipes
if that's all anyone can come up with.
- --
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jay Rustine | "And pray that there's intelligent life
jrustine at hns.com | somewhere out in space, 'cause there's
| bugger all down here on earth."
| - Monty Python
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 06:37:56 -0600
From: jay at ro.com (Jay Reeves)
Subject: Clear Wit Bier
I asked this a few weeks ago and never got any replies so I'll
try again.
I made a white beer that was enetered in competition and all judging
sheets commented that it was too clear for the style - wasn't
cloudy enough. When it's first chilled, it's nice and cloudy.
After several days chilled, it clears. If I remember ,the haze is
due to the protiens from the unmalted wheat. Can anything be done to
keep the beer cloudy when chilled for extended lengths of time?
-J
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 08:04:28 EST
From: "''Rich Byrnes' rich.byrnes at e-mail.com' rich.byrnes at e-mail.com" <rich.byrnes at e-mail.com>
Subject: Forces of Nature
*** Resending note of 02/12/96 15:10
Greetings;
Well, I finally went and did it, I challenged mama nature
to a duel of wits, and lost, miserably! I made the mistake
of leaving a corny-keg full of iodophor solution in my garage
just waiting to keg a batch of Negra Medelo clone, and little
did I realize that when the outside temp dipped down to 8
below last week what effect this would have, the lid was pushed
straight up through the opening, splitting the keg opening
about 4 inches and destroying the lid. OK everyone say
together....................DOH!.............................
Now, aside from the obvious spare parts I have (fittings) any
suggestions on what to do with the corny cylinder? I remember
that alternative beverage sells a 9.25" (or something like that)
dia ss. perf disk for making a corny keg a lauter tun, this could
work on 5 gallon batches where my 1/2bbl system would make for
an awfully shallow grain bed, but other than that, maybe a nice
planter? Obviously this would necessitate cutting the lid off.
The compuserve forum has had a thread going on worst brewing
type accidents, I think I'll have to throw this one in.
Although, one of my retailers tells the story of a guy who
bought a starter kit at X-mas time and set his primary fermenter
(carboy) on his dresser, I'm still trying to figure that one out,
and when his blowoff hose clogged (obviously not a 1.25" dia hose)
the carboy exploded and soaked all his clothes and sprayed wort
and glass everywhere, must have ignored that part of the book,
BLOWOFF HOSES MAY CLOG!
Ah well, life goes on
Regards,_Rich Byrnes Jr
Fermental Order of Renaissance Draughtsmen \\\|///
phone #(313)323-2613, fax #390-4520 (.) (.)
Rich.Byrnes at E-mail.com_____________________o000__(_)__000o
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 08:20:10 -0500 (EST)
From: "Kathy Booth (Waverly)" <kbooth at isd.ingham.k12.mi.us>
Subject: All purpose malt
I understand that British malts are more modified than
continental malts and mashing schedules (rests) for the less modified
British malts are different. Also, with less? enzymes, the power to
convert adjuncts is less for British malts?
In my enthusiam for my winter brewing schedule I bot 50# of
British malt and find myself needing to use it for both ales and lagers.
What would be the preferred mashing schedule for using British malts on
lagers, or more specifically, how should the mashing schedule change if
at all?
One lager I make is pre-prohibitation Budweiser, not like the
current product. This uses rice. Will the British malt convert the 20%
or so rice bill?
In general, if one has to choose one malt for both ales and
lagers, which is preferred......British or continental?
As usual, thanks to those who contribute. Jim Booth, Lansing MI
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 09:42:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott Woodfield <scottw at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Subject: WYeast 1098 etc.
First, I want to thank people for their responses to my earlier posting,
ie. the tan globules dancing in my fermenter were in fact flocculated
yeast, and it seems to be particularly prevalent in this strain. By the
way, I just had my first bottle, excellent!
That brings me to my next question. It was a Bitters (extract) that I was
making, and I used Cascade hops for the first time. I have read that
Cascade has a distinct citrus aroma, and they weren't kidding!!! The beer
has a nice hop aroma and flavor with good bittering, but I wonder if this
very distinctive (but pleasing) quality should be avoided if I'm trying
to make an authentic Bitters?
Scott Woodfield
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 09:19:09 -0600
From: Raymond Louvier <r099g at waii.com>
Subject: Yeast starter
Hi, fellow brewers, I have a question about making a yeast starter. Is there
some reason why making a starter with corn sugar is not advised. I would like
to make a cleaner starter and it seems like corn sugar would not leave all the
break material in the starter. I'm thinking about a quart starter for a five
gallon batch. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the great
information this forum has been producing.
TIA,
Ray Louvier
Its 70 degrees here in Houston And I love it.
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 09:08:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Kevin Kane <kkane at uidaho.edu>
Subject: Palouse hombrewers
I am looking for any homebrewers in the Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID area.
Is there a brewing club there? Private e-mail please.
Kevin Kane
Dept. of Chemistry
University of Idaho
"Madness takes it toll! Please have exact change."
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 09:24:00 PST
From: "Olson, Greger J - CI/911-2" <gjolson at bpa.gov>
Subject: FYI Jim Koch (BBC) & Truth in Advertising
At the risk of restarting the Sam Adams thread, I thought I'd pass on the
(old?) news that AB & the Oregon Brewers Guild are trying to get the
government (BATF?) to revise the beer labeling laws so that fictional
"microbreweries" will no longer be allowed to advertise as such. They would
also like to limit the tax breaks micros get to those who brew their own. A
government response is expected in the next several months. (Followed no
doubt, by the unchaining of the lawyers.)
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 18:04:00 PST
From: "Toler, Duffy L." <TOLERD at cdnet.cod.edu>
Subject: Hop Rhizome Source
I have finally purchased my own little piece of terra firma! Now to make my
life complete I would like to grow my own hops. Does anyone out there know
of a source for hop rhizomes?
Public/Private responses welcomed.
TIA
Duffy Toler
Wheaton, IL
tolerd at cdnet.cod.edu
<Sorry, nothing witty or inspiring today>
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 17:02:40 -0600
From: DEBOLT BRUCE <bdebolt at dow.com>
Subject: re: New Wyeasts, #1272 American Ale
Last week Chris asked (ccooper at a2607.cc.msr.hp.com):
>I would be interestd in collecting and compiling feedback from the
>collective concerning your experiences with these new strains and any
>addittional info. (I.E. comercial origins, temperature tollerance, etc.)
My reply bounced so I will post. Some of this info was in a previous post.
I've used Wyeast #1272, American Ale, for four batches to date. Don't
know how much info you want so I'll give a brief summary of each. All
beers have a clean background flavor. If there is any fruitiness it is not
very strong. Wyeast notes that this strain is more fruity than #1056. I'm
planning to do a split IPA batch soon and compare directly to 1056
American Ale. Beers below fermented in glass, no secondary used
(thanks to the collective for that recommendation!).
Batch 1 - All grain cream ale, SG 1.044, FG 1.012. Fermented 8 days at
66-69 F. Very clean flavor with a slight fruitiness. Used a one pint
starter.
Batch 2 - similar to #1 with 1 lb Gambrinus Honey malt. Pitched on the
dregs of Batch 1 yeast cake. SG 1.044, FG 1.010. Fermented 70-72 first
3 days, then 65-68 for 5 days. A much faster ferment than #1 due to more
yeast. Most activity done in 3 days. Clean background flavor.
Batch 3 - Alt, "Munich" extract with 2 lb specialty grains. SG 1.051, FG
1.014. Fermented 68F for 4 days, then 64-68 F for 4 more days. One pint
starter. Higher FG presumable due to more unfermentables in wort.
Batch 4 - Oatmeal Stout with 1 lb Munich malt, all grain. OG 1.051, FG
1.016. Pitched on the dregs of Batch 3. Fermented 3 days at 65 F,
activity pretty much over. Final 5 days at 68-72 F. Note this also has
more unfermentables (1 lb roast barley, Munich malt, 3/4 lb crystal malt)
than #1 or #2, so FG anticipated to be higher. Tasted great at bottling
last night.
Yeast attenuates well, flocculates well (but doesn't appear to need
"rousing"), finishes in a decent amount of time (note my ferment
temperatures are not high), and so far has made good beer.
I'll post additional info if I do the split IPA batch.
Bruce DeBolt
bdebolt at dow.com
Lake Jackson, TX
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 16:57:32 -0500
From: LNUSCHV1.LZ5HGR at eds.com
Subject: Nylon stocking hop bag
TIA- Randy in San Diego asks:
>Can I use a nylon stocking (you know, the kind women wear) as a hop bag? I
>use pellet hops (good price in bulk) and would like to minimize the hassles
>of straining hop residue from the kettle and fermenters. My nylon mesh
>grain bag has a coarse texture that won't work for pellet hops. My wife has
>fairly clean feet, but can nylons be sanitized in bleach or iodophor? Are
>they "food grade?" Can they be boiled without falling apart?
I have done this and it works great! I only use the leg portion of the
stocking -
One leg for boiling hops, half a leg for flavor hops, and half a leg for
finishing
hops, so one pair works great for one batch. The fine weave of the stockings
keeps the hop pellets contained very well. As far as sanitizing goes, the
boiling wort will santize the nylon, just make sure the stockings are clean.
You may want manually rinse the stocking really well first to make sure all
of the laundry detergent is rinsed out. You will probably get a slightly lower
hop utilization using stockings, but I have not done research to determine
just how much more hops to use, I don't worry about it the beer being a little
less bitter because I like my beer a little less bitter. I you want to try to
compensate, I would suggest starting by adding an additional 10% hops.
Dennis Cabell lnuschv1.lz5hgr at eds.com
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 14:42:11 -0600
From: Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com>
Subject: I Gott a feeling.
Lately, my posts to HBD have been bouncing, so I'll send this to Terence
personally, too.
> From: Terence McGravey {91942} <tpm at swl.msd.ray.com>
> Subject: All grain equipment questions
>
> 1. If I go with the 5 gal cooler, would I be able to fit all the
> grain in there for a 10 gal batch ?
Hell no. A 5 gal. cooler is a bit too small for doing some of the "larger"
5 gallon styles. You can get by with it if you're doing 5 gallon batches,
but I have one and I'm switching to a 10 gal cooler - to use with 5 gallon
batches.
> 4. Is it easy and non cooler destructive to put a suitable spigot
> that can control my runoff flow in place of the standard spigot ?
Use a fitting for a Fass-Frisch mini-keg in place of the regular fitting.
The regular fitting comes unscrewed and can be removed without damaging
anything.
-R
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Date: 13 Feb 96 15:13:07 EST
From: Lynn Ashley <73744.3234 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Beer Bottle Labels
To: INTERNET:homebrew at hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com
Remembering the hassle with bottles, I went directly to kegs when I recently
got back into brewing. I never thought I would fill another beer bottle.
But never is a long time and I have ended up buying a counter-pressure filler
and filling a few bottles for transport & archive.
I like to put labels on my beer bottles. I have printed some nice ones on
paper from the local homebrew shop which has a water activated rear adhesive
(like old postage stamps). Although they soak off easily, I can't get them
applied smoothly without bubble ridges.
I am able to smoothly apply regular paper with water soluble carpenter's
glue. And although the labels also soak off easily, the glue is messy
and the labels are harder to work with.
In either case a coating of Krylon 'Crystal Clear' plastic spray only partly
protects the water soluble inks of my color ink jet printer. Also the
plastic spray slightly darken the labels.
Is there a better way? If possible, I would like to continue using my color
ink jet printer. At reasonable prices, are there better and easier-to-use
adhesive methods, papers and coatings (maybe glossy) available?
________________
Thanks Lynn.
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| Lynn Ashley (lajiao ren) Arlington, Virginia, USA |
| 73744.3234 at compuserve.com 38.904N 77.120W 105mAMSL |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 15:38:48 EST
From: "Gabrielle Palmer" <gabriellepalmer at e-mail.com>
Subject: my scotch ale
Hail Collective!
Okay, maybe I'm worrying too much and should just relax and have a homebrew,
but I'm hoping you all could help. Here's the scoop. I just transfered my
scottish export ale into the secondary last night and took the gravity reading.
(OG = 1.050, now SG = 1.017) After taking the reading, I tasted it. It tasted
a bit too bitter for a scottish ale. Does anyone have any suggestions on how
this ale could be improved? Can I add something to the secondary or at
bottling to bring the sweetness up to balance the bitterness? I'll include the
recipe and I would appreciate any feedback on it. I received this recipe from
one of you (can't remember the name right now) and the only thing I changed was
to eliminate the peat smoked malt (not available at the time I was brewing) and
changed the yeast to Wyeast Scottish Ale.
6.6# Ireks munich light LME
2.0# munich malt
4.0 oz. crystal malt (80L)
4.0 oz. crystal malt (40L)
0.5# crystal malt (20L)
3.0 oz. chocolate malt (350L)
4.0 oz. US wheat malt
1.0 oz. East Kent Goldings hops pellets 4.6%AA (60 minute boil)
1.0 oz. Fuggles hops pellets 3.6%AA (15 minute boil)
1 tsp. rehydrated irish moss
1 pkg. Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale yeast (2 quart starter)
Partial mashed the grains with 4 quarts of 156F water for 1 hour.
Sparged with 4 quarts of 170F water.
Continued as normal extract brew.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks to all.
Gabrielle Palmer
Die Design Standards
Phone: (313)59-42107 PROFS ID: GPALMER6
Fax: (313)32-24359 internet: gabriellepalmer at e-mail.com
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 14:51:41 -0500
From: Bill Rust <wrust at csc.com>
Subject: Nylons??
In HBD #1958, rbarnes at sdccd.cc.ca.us asks...
>Can I use a nylon stocking (you know, the kind women wear) as a hop bag? I
>use pellet hops (good price in bulk) and would like to minimize the hassles
>of straining hop residue from the kettle and fermenters. My nylon mesh
>grain bag has a coarse texture that won't work for pellet hops. My wife has
>fairly clean feet, but can nylons be sanitized in bleach or iodophor? Are
>they "food grade?" Can they be boiled without falling apart?
I would think the best way to know for sure is to take some spent hops or
grain, put it in the nylon material, and boil it in an old pot for an hour
or so. Just a couple of things to remember:
1) Yes, make sure to properly clean the nylons. You don't want a judge to
write: "Tastes slightly infected... Athelete's Foot??"
2) Make ABSOLUTELY SURE to get the seams straight!!!
3) You probably don't want your wife to read the post where you say she has
'fairly clean' feet...
Good Luck.
------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Rust | Kwa afya yako Kenya
Master Brewer | Slainthe Gaelic
Jack Pine Savage Brewery | Stin Ygai-sou Greece
Shiloh, IL (NACE) | Cheers Great Britian
------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Rust | "Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Senior Member Technical Staff | Willing is not enough; we must do."
CSC, Fairview Hts, IL | -GOETHE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 11:20:48 -0700 (MST)
From: walter at lamar.ColoState.EDU (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
Subject: March Mashfest HB Competition Announcement
Sixth Annual March Mashfest
A Homebrewed Beer and Mead Competition
The March Mashfest is Colorado's largest club-sponsored hb competition,
and 2nd only to the AHA National Homebrew Competition in the state. We
have had as many as 175 entries in the past, and expect to at least be
above 150 entries this year. We are looking for entries and judges. If
you want to judge and do not receive a registration form in the mail this
week contact Brian Walter (see below)
Entries Due 26 Feb - 9 March 1996
Judging 22-23 March 1996
Awards 23 March 1996
For more info check out http://www.fortnet.org/~smills/masht.html
or contact
Brian J Walter
618 Tyler Street
Fort Collins, CO 80521
(970)394-2586
walter at lamar.colostate.edu
Brian J Walter Chemistry Graduate Student walter at lamar.colostate.edu
RUSH Rocks Best Homebrewer & BJCP Certified Beer Judge Go Pack!
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 96 07:23:33 UT
From: "Ray Cooper" <Ray_Cooper at msn.com>
Subject: RE:Critique my Technique\Austin Club\
In HBD #1958 Peter Naus asked for suggestions to _easily_ improve his brewing
technique...
First, he says:
I pour the hot wort (CAREFULLY) through a sanitized strainer into a sanitized
5gal carboy with 3 gal cold (not boiled) tap water.
Suggestion - Look in HBD #1957 at the procedure by Steve Rosenzweig for using
boiled, chilled water. I am not advocating ever pouring hot wort into a glass
carboy, but if you are comfortable doing it that way, then at least pre-boil
the cooling/diluting water to remove chlorine and partially sterilize it. Have
the water as cold as possible to reduce the hot wort temperature quickly so
that you can pitch the yeast as soon as possible. Maybe, instead of using the
glass carboy, try the plastic bucket methods (open or closed fermentation) to
reduce the risk of accidentally creating the carboy grenade. This would also
give you the ability to use the carboy you use now for a secondary.
Then he says:
When wort is cooled, a pre-swelled liquid yeast pack is dumped in...
Suggestion - try dumping that swelled yeast pack into 1 qt. of sterilized
starter a couple of days in advance and dump the starter into your cooled
wort. This will reduce the lag time of the yeast from a couple of days (which
you probably have now) to a few hours. Also, try aerating the cooled wort. It
is pretty easy to do by just shaking the carboy filled with cool wort. Be
_really_ careful not to drop it or you'll have another carboy grenade.
Both of these suggestions are mainly aimed at getting the right amount of
yeast off to a good start with little competition from undesirable organisms.
As side effects/benefits, among others, you should get shorter fermentations
(by up to a week), slightly higher attenuation, lower fusel oil production and
less chill haze by getting the finished beer off the trub/spent yeast sooner.
Good Luck!
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 11:22:47 +0000
From: marc at guardian.co.uk (Marc Lueck)
Subject: Wyeast distributors/suppliers
I am a newish homebrewer transplanted here in the UK and to my dismay my
local homebrew shop does not believe liquid yeast exists any more!! I told
her of Wyeast but she simply gave me a dull look. I could drive 50 miles
to get it, but would prefer if it was available closer - on to the
question. Does anyone know of the UK distibutor/supplier of Wyeast? Can
yeast be imported with impunity? (Maybe the quarantine it - the British
ARE a bit rabid about rabies.... ;-)
Thanks,
Marc Lueck
marc at guardian.co.uk
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