HOMEBREW Digest #1961 Fri 16 February 1996
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Mash Acidification at 40 C (Tim Laatsch)
General Custer (guym)
New Wyeast Strains ("William D. Knudson")
Beerhunting in Belgium (TMartyn)
The Big "Same Thing Only Different" Ale Experiment (KennyEddy)
Those pesky conversions (Jim Larsen)
Re: Newcastle's Tutankhamun Ale! (Mike Davis)
balance scale weights (krkoupa)
Suds Calculations (Tel 202-622-0079 )
Re: 8 Gal SS Pot (Mark E. Thompson)
Mash pH ("Ronald S. Thomson")
Recipe Needed (Paul Ward)
Spirit of Belgium results (Scott Bickham)
cold break ("Tracy Aquilla")
food-grade silicone ("Taber, Bruce")
SUDS v4.0a on my web page ("Dave Draper")
Glatt Malt Mill gear replacements (Doug Roberts)
Re: Using dishwasher for bottling table (Nigel Townsend)
"Superb" burners ("Nathan L. Kanous II")
Celis Grand Cru recipe cracking project (Bart Thielges)
rehydration of Irish moss (GREGORY KING)
Portland OR (Gilad Barak)
wooden paddle source? ("mike spinelli")
Sam Adams WHBC, 1996 (STROUDS)
cheap SS pipe for RIMS (Andrew J Donohue)
Gott stories (Neal Lerner)
Gott Spigot ("Houseman, David L TR")
Re: Cascade and Bitters (Mark E. Thompson)
corn sugar in starters ("Tracy Aquilla")
re: Clear Wit Bier (Eric W. Miller)
Glatt mill (Michael McGuire)
Re: Ice to cool wort (Paul Fisher)
Wyeast #1098 question/worry (Greg Thompson)
PH of tapwater (David Pike)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 08:29:19 -0500 (EST)
From: Tim Laatsch <LAATSCH at kbs.msu.edu>
Subject: Mash Acidification at 40 C
Hello All,
Mash acidification is an additional benefit of the 40 C rest. I quote from
George Fix's book "Principles of Brewing Science", p. 106:
"Some of the phosphatase enzymes (mainly phytase and nuclease) survive the
kiln. Their presence can be exploited to reduce the mash pH via the
phosphate-calcium reactions cited in IA. The best temperature range for this
is 35 to 45 degrees C; these enzymes are inactivated above 55 degrees C."
I find this rest practically essential for producing a smooth pale ale, given
my slightly alkaline brewing water---and the acidification is natural rather
than induced by chemical additions which can alter flavor. Please feel free
to disagree (I'm sure someone will!). ;-)
Tim
************************************************************************
| Timothy P. Laatsch | laatsch at kbs.msu.edu |
| Microbial Ecology Grad | Head Brewer, Spruce Grove Nanobrewery |
| Michigan State Univ/KBS | Check out my homebrewing page on the Web! |
| Kalamazoo, MI | http://kbs.msu.edu/~laatsch/beerhome.html |
*************************************************************************
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 17:51:30 MDT
From: guym at Exabyte.COM
Subject: General Custer
Doug Kerfoot writes:
> This reminds me of a story told as part of PBS's Cival War series
^^^^^^^^^
That'd be what we in these parts call the War of Northern Aggression.
> that went something like this: General McClellen and some of his
> officers debated for a long time over the depth of a river that they
> wished to cross. Finally, in disgust, Colonal George Custer rode
> out to the middle of the river and said: "General McClellen Sir,
> THIS is how deep the river is, Sir."
> The moral? Open one and drink it. THAT is how good it is.
Well, if memory serves, George's haste wound up costing him his hair,
yes?
> Not a flame, but do you really trust these guys more than your own
> senses?
No flames here either. In fact, I sampled a friend's 8 year old brew
once and, while it wouldn't win any awards, it didn't kill me.
--
Guy McConnell /// Huntersville, NC /// guym at exabyte.com
"And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one for
dessert"
Return to table of contents
Date: 14 Feb 96 09:32:02 EST
From: "William D. Knudson" <71764.203 at compuserve.com>
Subject: New Wyeast Strains
Welcome back everybody!
HBD 1957 Chris Cooper reports on Wyeast Tech sheet for new strains. Chris asked
for comments regarding commercial origins. I posted a similarly request to the
collective awhile back and got only one response as follows:
>Belgian II is "Rochefort" <snip> & the Triple is "Westvleteren". I believe
they used to market in
>this country as "St. Sixtus" & might also make "Tripple Affligem".
Can anyone else help?
Bill
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 09:53:52 -0500
From: TMartyn at aol.com
Subject: Beerhunting in Belgium
I'm going to mecca!
Well, Belgium actually, for 10 days in March. We've got some ideas and
arrangements made already, but we're pretty flexible at this point. I'm
looking for beer-hunting feedback - favorite spots, don't-miss breweries,
etc. Also germane web-sites. Are there any Belgian breweries with web
pages?
Any guidance or ideas would be very much appreciated - private e-mail
preferred.
Thanks!
Tom "Yeast Beast" Martyn
TMartyn at aol.com
Brattleboro, VT
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 10:12:41 -0500
From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Subject: The Big "Same Thing Only Different" Ale Experiment
Well, the results of the "same thing only different" experiment are in and
the results are fairly interesting. The idea of this experiment was for me
and a fellow brewer to make the exact same recipe, but each of us using our
own techniques, to see if there would be any perceptible differences. It was
a fairly generic pale ale which was light enough to allow potential flavor
differences through, hopped just enough to allow hop utilization & flavor
differences to be similarly noted.
Here is the recipe:
6 lb bulk light DME
1 lb light Munich
1/2 lb 40L crystal
2 oz Sam Adams Hallertauer Mittelfruh Hops (1 hour)
1 oz Sam Adams (30 min)
1/4 oz Fuggles (10 min)
1/4 oz Perle (10 min)
Irish Moss (10 min)
Wyeast British
Ingredients were purchased at the same time from the same store. Hops were
split from the same pile. Grain was milled, blended well, and split down the
middle. The yeast had the exact same packaging date on it and was less than
a month old.
Here are the notable differences in technique:
Process Ken Gerry
======= === =====
Water charcoal-filtered tap boiled/decanted tap
for all 5 gallons for brewing; bottled RO
for make-up; 1 tblsp
gypsum in boil
Grain Steeping 30 min at 155 45 min at 155
Boil Volume 3+ gallons 4 gallons
Irish Moss powdered flakes
Aeration ~200 carboy shakes spoon whip 5 minutes
Yeast Pitch from smack-pack 16-oz starter
OG 1.050 1.050
Pri. fermentation 7 days in glass 7 days in plastic
Sec. fermentation 14 days in glass 14 days in glass
Ferm Temp 65-68F 60-63F
FG 1.016 1.020
Packaging bottled 3/4 c. dextrose bottled 3/4 c. dextrose
And here are the noted differences in the reuslting brew in a blind A/B test
by four
other Club members (Gerry's and my conclusions were in line with these as
well):
Characteristic Ken Gerry
============== === =====
Color Darker Lighter
Clarity (serving temp) Clear Sl. hazy
Aroma Sl. "fruitier" or
"sweeter"
Conditioning/Head Ret Same Same
Malt Flavor Same or sl. sweeter
Hop Character More hop character; Less hop but
lingering bitterness "smoother"
The color difference was attributed to increased caramelization in my brew
due to the smaller boil volume. Clarity might be due in part to use of
powdered Irish Moss; I've used it in several batches lately and my beers are
much clearer than when I used flakes. Slightly sweeter aroma and flavor is
expected from the FG; perhaps Gerry's lower fermentation temperature resulted
in incomplete fermentation, or the somewhat longer steep time may have
improved extraction from the specialty grains. Use of a starter and
difference in aeration technique didn't seem to make a perceptible difference
in how "clean" the flavor was; aeration *could* be a factor in Gerry's higher
FG.
The main difference noted was in the hop character. Mine had "more" hop
character yet my boil gravity was higher, which should have *reduced*
utilization to some degree. Comments were along the lines of a "lingering
bitterness" and somewhat harsher hop character than Gerry's "smoother" but
"less-hoppy" brew. So we're focusing on water chemistry. I suppose my
filter removes chlorine and some sediment but leaves most of the ion content
intact; Gerry is likely getting lower bicarbonate levels with
boiling/decanting and later dilution with RO water. The stronger hop
character in my beer is possibly the result of higher levels of some ion or
ions which accentuate or harshen hop character, such as the bicarbonates.
This may also explain some of the color difference (?). The somewhat
smoother character and sweeter aroma/flavor in Gerry's beer might also spring
from water chemistry as well. We live near each other and we're (failrly)
certain that our tap water comes from the same well. Our water is fairly
hard and alkaline here in El Paso, so this may be a bigger factor than we
have paid attention to before.
Our club has a pale-ale competition in July; we intend to enter these mostly
to see what if any score and comment differences are given (the beer was
tasty but unremarkable).
If anyone has any comments on this experiment or my interpretation of the
results, feel free to post and/or E-mail to KennyEddy at aol.com.
Ken Schwartz
El Paso, TX
PS:
BTW this brings me to a question about "building" brewing water. I have read
much of the general literature available about water treatment (Miller,
Pappazian, Draper, etc), and while I follow the general discussion, I just
plain get lost in the details of the chemistry. Draper's papers (I'm a poet
and don't know it) seem to be very thorough but again I'm just a bit dizzy
after looking at it. Can anybody offer some simple lazy-layman's "recipe"
for a couple major classes of brewing water, built on distilled water, using
*commonly available* salts/acids/other-stuffs and easy to make without
special equipment? I know part of the answer is "you can't fool Mother
Nature", but somewhere in artificial-water-land between distilled water and
El Paso Tap must be a reasonable compromise that's better than either.
Public humiliation or private flames welcome. Thanks in Advance.
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 09:27:13 -0600 (CST)
From: Jim Larsen <jal at gonix.gonix.com>
Subject: Those pesky conversions
In HBD 1959 fredriks at abel.math.umu.se quotes at length
regarding Dr. Fix's 40-60-70 mash schedule and malt conversion.
"...a protein rest should be used with the Pils malts,
provided that the total time spent under 40C (140F)..."
40 Degrees Celcius equals 104 Degrees Fahrenheit, not 140F.
60 Degrees Celcius equals 140 Degrees Fahrenheit.
A subtle distinction.
Jim
jal at gonix.com
larsen_jim at tandem.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 96 10:56:09 EST
From: Mike Davis <mdavis at BayNetworks.com>
Subject: Re: Newcastle's Tutankhamun Ale!
Has anyone (namely any Europeans out there) else heard about the
following? (Tutankhamun Ale)
Sorry that I'm no European, but... I read that they were brewing only
about 1000 bottles, and that it would not be available to the public.
Only some "experts" would be given the chance to taste it.
Clark D. Ritchie, ritchie at ups.edu
- --mad
- --
Mike Davis == mdavis at pobox.wellfleet.com == +1 508 436 8016
druid at world.std.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 96 08:00:30 PST
From: krkoupa at ccmail2.srv.PacBell.COM
Subject: balance scale weights
Maybe this has been answered before, but I didn't see it.
I use a balance scale to weigh out hops.
Most recipes call for (fractional) ounces.
I can only find balance scale (brass) weights in grams.
I don't enjoy units conversions and lookup tables.
Does anyone make balance scale (brass) weights in, say, quarter ounce
increments? If so, who and how to order?
Thanks in advance, Ken Koupal
krkoupa at ccmail2.pacbell.com
Draught Board Homebrew Club:
http://www.bdt.com:80/home/bjones/drfbrd.html
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 10:10:21 -0500
From: Erik Larson <Erik.Larson at MS01.DO.treas.sprint.com> (Tel 202-622-0079 )
Subject: Suds Calculations
Thanks to all those who replied to my query (in HBD 1957) as to
why Suds 4.0 for Windows produces estimated starting gravities
that are often much higher than those I obtain.
Most individuals pointed to a problem with Suds incorporating
specialty grains as part of the regular grain bill, which in my
case often consists primarily of liquid and dry extracts, as well
as cane sugar. In fact, because specialty grains contribute
little in the way of fermentables to the wort, they ought not to
be included on an equal footing with the regular grain bill
components when computing total points to gravity. My problems
seemed to stem from using 1-2 pounds of specialty grains in a 5
gallon recipe, and having Suds include these grains when
computing estimated S.G.
As a preliminary test of this hypothesis, I have gone back and
used Suds to recalculate, omitting the specialty grains, the S.G.
of my brewing efforts where I initially had experienced a S.G.
shortfall. In each of the six cases, the recalculated estimated
S.G. was within .005 of my obtained value.
I next plan on going into the "Malt Maintenance" section of Suds
and resetting the S.G. contributions of the selectable specialty
grains to 0, while maintaining their respective color
contributions.
I have found Suds for Windows to be a very valuable
record-keeping tool for my brewing efforts. I hope that this
small fixable problem doesn't deter others from considering its
use.
By the way, my intended Belgian Strong Ale turned out to be a
nice Double, and is now in secondary. I added an additional 1
lb. of light DME, dissolved and aerated in 1 quart of canned
starter, to the main wort just before high kreusen.
Cheers,
Erik Larson (erik.larson at treas.sprint.com)
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 8:10:59 PST
From: Mark E. Thompson <markt at hptal04.cup.hp.com>
Subject: Re: 8 Gal SS Pot
Full-Name: Mark E. Thompson
> Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 13:48:28 -0800
> From: BANESI at novell.com (Brad Anesi)
> Subject: 8 Gal SS Pot
>
> Is anyone out there aware of a source for an 8 gal Stainless Brew Pot?
> ...at something less than $100. It amazes me that I can pick up a 5 gal SS
> pot w/lid for $20, but I need a mortgage for something 3 gallons larger.
I know what you mean. I paid $60 for a severe compromise, an alunimum pot
Now looking back i wish i had just stuck with the idea of
using cut open kegs. Last month i purchased 2 SS kegs from a local
homebrew shop for $40 each. It took me about 30m each to cut them open
and install a drain. This is the best deal going. The edge finish
is not quite as good as a Voaporaph(sp) ss pot but it's about $200 less.
I can live with that. Now all i have to do is find some lids that fit.
- --
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mark E. Thompson |Internet: markt at cup.hp.com |
| Hewlett-Packard Company |FAX: 408/447-4729 |
| Distributed Computing Program |Tel: 408/447-5185 |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 11:19:42 -0500
From: "Ronald S. Thomson" <cky163 at crocker.com>
Subject: Mash pH
I am very fortunate in that the local municipal water supply is very soft
(less than 10 ppm). However, the pH is 6.33. Not terribly high but I would
like to adjust it to the optimum mash pH levels. As I understand it the
mash pH varies from the water pH due to the grains present. Is there any
way of telling by how much it varies? As far as adjusting I can use gypsum
but there are times that I want to maintain the soft water profile. Does
anyone know how I would adjust the pH using lactic acid? Also, are there
any numbers regarding how an acid rest affects the pH of the mash?
Thanks,
Ron Thomson
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 12:05:51 -0500 (EST)
From: Paul Ward <paulw at doc.state.vt.us>
Subject: Recipe Needed
This is almost embarrassing to ask,...would anybody have an ale
extract taste-alike for the mass market "Red Dog" product.
I don't know if it's just effective advertising or not, but my
other half has taken a shine to it and given me the ultimatum,
"If you're going to use my kitchen to brew beer, then at least
brew what I like once in a while!"
What's a poor boy to do?
Paul
- --
If vegetarians eat vegetables, what of humanitarians?
paulw at doc.state.vt.us
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 13:54:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott Bickham <bickham at dave.nrl.navy.mil>
Subject: Spirit of Belgium results
The Spirit of Belgium II (or Son of SOB) Homebrew Competition took
place last weekend in Arlington, VA. There were 107 entries in
the competition, 27 Commercial Belgian beers at the tasting, and
another handful at the banquet. For a discussion of the winning
beers and recipes, please refer to the lambic digest. Also, I would
like to thank our sponsors:
F.H. Steinbart for the Best of Show plaque
Yeast Culture Kit Co. and Head Start Brewing for gift certificates
Belgique Gourmande for a gift certificate
Association of Brewers for an assortment of books
Tim Artz for framboise flutes
Vanberg and DeWulf for an excellent assortment of beers
Cottonwood Grill and Brewery for a keg of black framboise
Best of Show judges were: Tom Cannon, Don Feinberg (of Vanberg and Dewulf),
Jay Hersh, CR Saikley and Ed Westemeier.
Belgian Ale
1. Scott Bickham, Columbia, MD, Phenolic One
2. David Hensley, Dallas, TX, Belgian Ale #5
3. Mark Post, Falls Church, VA, Saison
Belgian Strong Ale
1. Jim Busch, Silver Spring, MD, Esprit de Boire
2. Ed Sieja, Madison, AL, Abbey Normal
3. Keith Chamberlin, Riverdale, MD, Big Yeller
Dubbel
1. Chuck Henning, Malvern, PA, Aunt Annie Dubbel
2. Julian Zelazny, Sunapee, NH, Monkeys and Buns III
3. Bill Bunning, Langley AFB, VA, Toil and Trouble
Tripel
1. Chuck Henning, Malvern, PA, Yellowjacket Tripel
2. Jay Hersch, Arlington, MA, De Blonden Boom
3. Scott Bickham, Columbia, MD, Tripel Dog
White
1. Larry Gray, Cincinnati, OH, Lynnhe's Summer White
2. Terry Sanderson, Gaithersburg, MD, Wit
3. Wendy Aaronson and Bill Ridgeley, Alexandria, VA, Wit's End
Oud Bruin and Oud Bruin with Fruit
1. Dirk Houser, Huntington Beach, CA, Flanders Brown with Fruit
2. Todd Gierman, Durham, NC, Oud Drainfood
3. Ed Westemeier, Cincinnati, OH, Bloatarian Brown
pLambic and pGueuze
1. Scott Bickham, Columbia, MD, pLambick
2. Ed Westemeier, Cincinnati, OH, Gonzo Gueuze
3. Jim Caldwell, Owings, MD, Frog Pond Gueuze
pLambic with Fruit
1. Paul Edwards, Indianapolis, IN, Up the Kriek
2. Norman Dickenson/Rick Larson, Santa Rosa, CA, Was it good for you too?
3. Scott Bickham, Columbia, MD, Framboise pLambick
Best of Show
1. Paul Edwards, Indianapolis, IN, Up the Kriek
2. Chuck Henning, Malvern, PA, Yellowjacket Tripel
3. Chuck Henning, Malvern, PA, Aunt Annie Dubbel
Hon. Mention (it was dropped after an hour of debating):
Larry Gray, Cincinnati, OH, Lynnhe's Summer White
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 96 15:37:59 CST
From: "Tracy Aquilla" <aquilla at salus.med.uvm.edu>
Subject: cold break
In 'pseudo-private' email, <merino at cynergy.com.au> Charlie Scandrett wrote:
>Dear Tracey,
>I'm getting conflicting infomation on the percentage of lipids in cold
>break, do you have any info?
>
>Charlie
I recall 'up to 50%', but I don't remember the source now. Based on my own
observations and comparison to some similar materials I've worked with in
the lab, I think this is pretty close. That stuff is greasy!
Tracy
BTW, you asked previously about the amount of lipid needed by growing yeast.
Well, I found some info for you: "[yeast] required approximately 35 mg oleic
acid (g biomass)-1 for optimal growth" in J. Gen. Microbiol. 136:395-403.
- ----- End of Forwarded message -----(my server sez your server ain't on-line)
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 96 15:55:00 EST
From: "Taber, Bruce" <BRUCE.TABER at NRC.CA>
Subject: food-grade silicone
There has been talk lately, and in the past, about using food-
grade silicone for various jobs. I went on a search for this and had a hell
of a time finding silicone that said it was 'food-grade'. I ended up
phoning
the Tremco Co. head office and asking them. They said that their
'Sectrem 2' caulk was good for contact with food. It has passed all
the Canadian government approvals. Unfortunately, it doesn't mention
food-grade on it anywhere or even on the fact sheet that you can get
for it. It is made as a construction sealant. It even says 'Toxic' on the
label, as do all silicone caulks but this only refers to when it is uncured.
They sent me documentation to prove their claim. I used this product
and it is of excellent quality.
I just thought I'd post this because I had a lot of trouble finding
food-grade. The head office for Tremco in Canada is in Toronto, and
in the USA it's in Cleveland.
Bruce Taber
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 08:50:55 +10
From: "Dave Draper" <david.draper at mq.edu.au>
Subject: SUDS v4.0a on my web page
Dear Friends, hope you've all recovered from the shakes after missing
the digest for a few days! I posted this several days ago but my
email bounced back as part of the blackout, so I am trying again...
Some folks have been in touch asking about the "patched" version of
SUDS v4.0a--this patch fixes a couple of bugs, notably the infusion
water calculation module. It appears that this version is not very
widely available, so I have put it on my beer page for your
convenience. That URL is:
http://audio.apana.org.au/ddraper/beer.html
Just follow your nose, you can't miss it.
Cheers, Dave in Sydney
"I am speaking from a materials perspective..." ---John Palmer
- ---
***************************************************************************
David S. Draper, Earth Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW Australia
Email: david.draper at mq.edu.au WWW: http://audio.apana.org.au/ddraper/home.html
...I'm not from here, I just live here...
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 96 14:53:48 MST
From: roberts at Rt66.com (Doug Roberts)
Subject: Glatt Malt Mill gear replacements
For those of you who own a Glatt Malt Mill and have either broken one
of those silly plastic gears, or are worried that you might, I have a
source for metal replacment gears.
I found a machinist named Nick Aletras who runs D. J. Machining. Nick
has fabricated me a beautiful set of replacment gears. I faxed him the
dimensions of the old plastic ones and he created a set of real gears
out of aluminum that fit the mill perfectly and have a much smoother
action than the original gears did. The cost was $40 + shipping. Nick
has said that he would be happy to supply other Glatt Mill owners with
replacement gears as well. His email address is naletras at epix.net.
Cheers,
- --Doug
- --
Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor
when you can't drink and drive?
Doug Roberts
roberts at rt66.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 09:05:49 +1000
From: nigelt at delm.tas.gov.au (Nigel Townsend)
Subject: Re: Using dishwasher for bottling table
In HBD 1959, Michael Lausin commented on Ben (? sorry) suggestion to use a
dishwasher door for bottling. He said:
"Neat idea, I'm definitly gonna give it a try next time I bottle. I'd suggest
adding some kind of support under the door though."
In my experience this is not necessary if you do the following. Clean out
the system first with a cycle with nothing in there, and ensure that
filters are clean, no cleaner for sparkling glasses etc. Hot wash/rinse the
bottles in the washer, using some bleach in the base of the washer. When
the rinsing and drying is finished, wait until the bottles are cool enough
not to crack when the cold beer is poured in. Place the bottling bucket
above the dishwasher with the capper in a convenient place on the kitchen
top.
Take the first bottle from the dishwasher and fill on the door. Turn off
the tap on the siphon, or on the bucket. Leave the bottle to drain on the
door if overfilled. Fill second bottle if the first is draining. Cap the
first bottle on the kitchen top, close to the bottling bucket and if
convenient, place in the sink or on the drainer to catch any last drips. .
Repeat until completed. I always put a couple of smaller bottles in as
well in case the last amount in the bucket is insufficient for a full
(larger) bottle. When bottling is finished, I rinse the outside of the
bottles, drain and then place in a warm place to ensure effective priming.
I prefer to rinse and drain as the draining is concurrent with the cleaning
and tidying up.
Using this method there is little strain on the door. There is a maximum
of two full bottles at any one time, and little delay between filling and
bottling. I designed the kitchen (with my wife/better half) and can carry
out this whole process without having to move from the one spot. There are
occasional drips onto the floor between the door and the top, but they only
take 10 seconds to wipe at the end of the process.
Hope this is useful
Nigel Townsend
Hobart, Tasmania
Australia
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 19:42:50 -0600
From: "Nathan L. Kanous II" <nlkanous at facstaff.wisc.edu>
Subject: "Superb" burners
I am interested in buying one or two "Superb" burners. Can anyone tell me
where I can purchase one? I understand that the manufacturer is out of
Illinois. Any help would be appreciated. TIA
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 17:51:25 -0800
From: Bart Thielges <bart.thielges at Xilinx.COM>
Subject: Celis Grand Cru recipe cracking project
As many fans of Celis Grand Cru know, its distribution has been greatly
curtailed and is only available in a few states now. Pity the fans who
became hooked, only to have their favorite product pulled from the shelves.
I'd like to propose that interested homebrewers engage in a project to
decode the recipe for Grand Cru. Doing so is going to require analysis
of the flavor profile, lots of experiments, and perhaps ancedotal legend
and lore of Belgian brewing techniques.
The process I've got in mind is :
1) Collect information on what might constitute a Grand Cru recipe
2) Formulate a set of recipe expirements and distribute them to
HBD volunteers.
3) Exchange results with other volunteers. Evaluate and adjust
recipe experiments
4) goto (2)
Hmmm.... looks like an infinite loop. And it might well be - the odds
are against a bunch of homebrewers stumbling onto the results of decades
of brewing tradition. But you never know. In any case, some interesting
and tasty beers are a sure result.
I'll volunteer to coordinate the project and basically serve as a focal
point for distributing information. Anyone else interested or am I the only
one jonesing for a Grand Cru ?
Bart Thielges
thielges at xilinx.com
Brewing background - 3 years total, 2 years all grain.
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 17:02:50 -0500 (EST)
From: GREGORY KING <GKING at ARSERRC.Gov>
Subject: rehydration of Irish moss
Hi Gang,
Should Irish moss should be rehydrated prior to being added to boiling wort?
If the answer is yes, then what is the proper rehydration procedure?
Thanks,
Greg King
gking at arserrc.gov
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 12:12:55 +0200
From: gilad at Orbotech.Co.IL (Gilad Barak)
Subject: Portland OR
Hi,
I will be in the Portland OR. area at the end of the month.
I know some good pubs and micro breweries (or these that were about 5 years ago)
but don't mind hearing about your favorites.
I would also like to get addresses of brewing supplies shops.
Private E-mail is OK.
TIA,
Gilad
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gilad Barak - Israel
gilad at orbotech.co.il
or
gilad.barak at Orbotech.Co.Il
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 07:56:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: "mike spinelli" <paa3983 at dpsc.dla.mil>
Subject: wooden paddle source?
Does anybody know where I can get one of those large wooden paddles as
seen in the Pico Brewing Systems ads? I've called and faxed them and have
gotten nowhere. Just an answering machine.
Thanks
Mike in Cherry Hill NJ
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 09:18:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: STROUDS at cliffy.polaroid.com
Subject: Sam Adams WHBC, 1996
The Wort Processors Feb. 2nd meeting was held at the BBC brewery in Jamaica
Plain, Boston.
FWIW, we were told that Boston Beer Co. plans to repeat their World Homebrew
Contest again this year. They are hoping to bring the winners' beers to market
by Jan. 1997 and plan to have the first round judging in the early part of
August.
There was no discussion about adding other judging sites, so the judges in
Boston sincerely hope that many other judges from around the country (and
world) plan on coming to Beantown for the first round judging!
Those of you who plan on entering should be looking at getting your beer to
Boston in late July or early August (great time of year to ship it across the
country, eh?)
Steve Stroud
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 96 10:38:08 EST
From: andy2 at hogpa.ho.att.com (Andrew J Donohue)
Subject: cheap SS pipe for RIMS
While repairing the exhaust on my car I had a brainstorm
(brainfart?). Many late model cars have SS exhausts. Would
this SS be suitable for the heat chamber on a RIMS? It
should be relatively inexpensive and readily available.
I know there are different grades of SS, are any of them
NOT suitable for contact with food?
Andy
andy2 at hogpe.ho.att.com
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 10:51:52 -0500 (EST)
From: Neal Lerner <nlerner at acs.bu.edu>
Subject: Gott stories
The thread on Gott-ness brings to mind my most recent batch that attests
to the potential flexibility of our little orange friends. First some
background: my Gott has a circular copper manifold setup from Jay
Hersch's design (found on Spencer Thomas' web page); usual yield is from
29 to 32 points. After a year or so of single-infusion mashes, I've
lately been trying a variety of different methods for step-infusions.
The easiest is to dough in a thick mash (something like 1qt/lb) for the
first rest and raise to conversion temperatures with boiling water
(usually .3qt/lb works for me). However, I've been using the 40/60/70
schedule of late with D-C malt, so I outfitted the Gott with a steam
generator. Ideally, my method is: achieve 40C at dough in; add boiling
water plus steam to get to 60C; add steam to get to 70C. Anyway, with my
latest batch, I was spaced out and added *all* of my water at dough in.
Yikes! Decoction, anyone? So steam *plus* decoction to get to 60C and
another decoction (and I'm talking pulling thick grist, not liquor), to
get to 70C. And then a long *slow* sparge (it was a pumpkin ale, which
seems to really goo up the flow). Yield was 30 points. I crack the first
bottle tonight.
I suppose with patience and a willingness to do *anything* to retrofit
your Gott, you can pursue just about any temperature schedule.
Neal Lerner
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 96 11:20:00 EST
From: "Houseman, David L TR" <DLH1 at trpo3.Tr.Unisys.com>
Subject: Gott Spigot
>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.
Actually a cheaper and easier Gott spigot is to go to your HB store and buy
($3.50 or so) a bottling bucket spigot. With a little effort it fits into
the Gott hole and you can use the same rubber grommet or an O ring to seal.
Dave
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 8:25:32 PST
From: Mark E. Thompson <markt at hptal04.cup.hp.com>
Subject: Re: Cascade and Bitters
Full-Name: Mark E. Thompson
> Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 09:42:45 -0500 (EST)
> From: Scott Woodfield <scottw at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
> Subject: WYeast 1098 etc.
>
...
> 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?
You bet. I think that this is the main reason that the American Pale
Ale catarogy was created. I happen to be a big fan of Cascade. When
I restarted my brewing interest a couple of years ago I went back to what
was familar and used my old love, cascade. I made a pretty respectable
northern brown ale but when my friend, the beer judge, tasted it he said
that it couldn't be a real brown it had to be an "american brown" because
of the hops.
Mark
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 96 12:04:36 CST
From: "Tracy Aquilla" <aquilla at salus.med.uvm.edu>
Subject: corn sugar in starters
In Digest #1960:
Raymond Louvier <r099g at waii.com> wrote:
>
>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.
Yes, there is a reason not to grow your yeast starter on corn sugar
(glucose). Glucose is a "repressing" sugar (as in catabolite repression),
meaning it will prevent the yeast from making the enzymes needed to
transport other sugars (like maltose) into the cell. If you grow the starter
on glucose, the yeast will need more time after pitching to synthesize the
proteins needed to transport maltose into the cells, and this could
contribute to a longer than desirable lag time (likely) and possibly even a
high terminal gravity (less likely). It's best to grow the starter using a
wort similar to the one you'll be fermenting, thus malt extract is
preferable to corn sugar. Good luck.
Tracy in Vermont
aquilla at salus.med.uvm.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 12:48:56 -0500
From: ac051 at osfn.rhilinet.gov (Eric W. Miller)
Subject: re: Clear Wit Bier
In HBD #1960 jay at ro.com (Jay Reeves) asks about wits without haze:
>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.
I don't think this is that big a deal. The most important thing with
a wit is getting it to taste right. Clarity is just one little item
worth (I think) just 2 of the 50 points on the sheet.
>When it's first chilled, it's nice and cloudy.
That indicates that you've got chill haze. Wits are supposed to
suffer from permanent haze, that is, they're supposed to be hazy
even when they're warm.
>After several days chilled, it clears.
Chill haze tends to settle out after time. That's one of the reasons
lagerers lager: to get a nice bright product. The only way to combat
the "problem" of chill haze going away is to make sure you've got lots
of it.
>If I remember ,the haze is
>due to the protiens from the unmalted wheat.
That's only half the story. Chill haze is formed by protein combined
with tannin. Tannin in beer comes from hops and grain husks. Since
wits are not very bitter and get their aroma and flavor from stuff like
curacao orange and coriander, you won't get a lot of hop tannin in your
beer. Since you're using about 50% or so wheat, which has no husk, and
your sparging techniques are impeccable :-), you're not getting much
tannin from husks. Therefore, you won't be getting as much chill haze
as you get in, say, that tasty IPA you brewed last year.
>Can anything be done to
>keep the beer cloudy when chilled for extended lengths of time?
Starch haze to the rescue! Use a less intensive mash program than you
normally use. If you insist on doing a protein rest, keep it very short.
Keep your saccharification time as short as possible to convert most of
the starch to sugar and mash out at 170 to prevent further degradation
of starch.
Disclaimer: my wits are a bit clear too; I don't always practice what
I preach.
Eric in Newport, RI
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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 11:32:13 -0600
From: mcguire at hvsun40.mdc.com (Michael McGuire)
Subject: Glatt mill
Can someone tell me a source for replacement gears for
my glatt mill?? I'd be willing to go with steel gears,
or a chain and sprocket set up.
Michael
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 13:09:42 -0500 (EST)
From: fisher at ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Paul Fisher)
Subject: Re: Ice to cool wort
I've used pre-boiled ice to cool the wort. It works pretty well, but
there are a few things to keep in mind.
1) If you add ice to the wort (if it doesn't cool down enough after
pouring the wort over the ice) you will develop a density and
temperature gradient -- cold thin wort on top, thick warm wort on
bottom. So you have to make sure the wort is mixed well prior to
pitching.
2) In order to end up with a final gravity close to your intentions,
you have to have pretty reliable measures of the exact volumes
involved. Estimating evaporation during boiling is the most difficult
part.
3) In a standard run-of-the-mill refrigerator, it takes a while to
freeze warm water. I busted mine by trying to freeze up 4 2-liter
bottles at once. The water started at about 100 degrees when I put it
in. The compressor ran constantly for 18 hours untill it froze the
internal workings-- and my sterile water still wasn't totally frozen
yet. (good think I only rent)
Spend the 20 bucks and build a simple imersion chiller, its much
easier to deal with.
- --Paul
- --
Paul Fisher
Research and Data Systems Corporation
SAIC/GSC MODIS Support Office
Phone: (301) 352-2129
email: fisher at ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov
Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Feb 1996 13:18:41 -0500
From: gregt at visix.com (Greg Thompson)
Subject: Wyeast #1098 question/worry
hi all. lemme start this out by saying i'm new to brewing. my second
batch is sitting in primary right now, and it's behaving quite
differently than my first batch, which is in secondary.
the first batch is a kolsh/alt kind of thing using the Wyeast kolsh
yeast (don't remember the number offhand). it'd been in the bag for a
few months, so it took a few days for the package to swell, up and a
few days in the carboy before there was any visible activity. once it
started, though, it spent about one day with some subtle bubbling,
then about 3 days spewing through the blowoff. i racked it after it
had slowed down a bit. it's now been over two weeks since i brewed
it, and there's still some very slow activity in there.
my second batch (the one i'm not sure if i should worry about or not)
is going to be a bitter using the Wyeast 1098 british ale yeast. the
yeast i got was much fresher than the kolsh from above, and activated
sooner. after about 36 hours, it was happily sending krausen through
the blowoff. the next time i checked on it (18 hours later), the
krausen had clogged the blowoff, blown the lid off the carboy, and
spewed down the sides of the carboy. rather than the thick foam type
of krausen from the previous batch, this stuff was some very solid
matter. kinda like a loose sponge. i scooped some of it out of the
top of the carboy before putting the cap back on, and was amazed at
how solid it was. anyway, the next morning it was gurgling a bit as
expected, but not with the fury that the alt had at the same stage.
last night i removed the blowoff setup and put an airlock on it and
this morning it was bubbling very slowly. it's been 4 days since i
brewed it. should i be worried that there's so little activity now?
it had an OG of 1.054. i may do a check tonight to see if the yeast
has already chowed through all the fermentable sugars or not. if the
gravity hasn't dropped significantly, what should i do to get things
going again? is the behavior i'm seeing typical of the #1098 yeast?
any info would be greatly appreciated.
- --
-greg do not pass me
just to slow down
i have precision auto
-superchunk
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 10:32:56 -0800
From: David Pike <davep at bdc.cirrus.com>
Subject: PH of tapwater
I just recently purchased a PH meter, and have found that the tap water in
Seattle is ph 8.5, but filtered through a charcoal filter is 6.5 to 7.0.
Any comments or thoughts on this?
Dave Pike
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