Homebrew Digest Friday, 5 July 1996 Number 2094

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   FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
        Shawn Steele, Digest Janitor
        Thanks to Rob Gardner for making the digest happen!

Contents:
  DISTRIBUTION STATUS ("Postmaster")
  Correction to "pH drop" (Charlie Scandrett)
  Viscosity & lauter times (Charlie Scandrett)
  signoff (Luc Grondin)
  Keg conversion results 1 ("Braam Greyling")
  Keg conversion results --2 ("Braam Greyling")
  RE: Yet another question RE: carboy comes to life after previous life... (Kerry Drake)
  Re:  Canned Skunk (saunderm at vt.edu (J. Matthew Saunders))
  GDP on the Radio, maltose rest, strawberries ("David R. Burley")
  Drying Hops (jim.anderson at execnet.com (JIM ANDERSON))
  Copy of: Wild Hops ("David R. Burley")
  drying hops (DONBREW at aol.com)
  Fine Cigars???? (Eric Marzewski)
  Re: Temperature Controller Units (Douglas Kerfoot)
  Bottles for Beer (ronmis at getnet.com (Ron))
  NaCl as a sweetener?!? ("Goodale, Daniel CPT 4ID DISCOM")
  beer (aod at algonet.se (Patrik Andersson))
  Need information of suppliers (Jorge Blasig - IQ)
  Coffee Ale (david.lubell at johnabbott.qc.ca (david lubell))
  postcards, hop dryer- NOT!/ Spaaaace brewer (ccoyote at sunrem.com (John (The Coyote) Wyllie))
  Cooper's Extra Stout, Corn Syrup (Andrew)
  refermentations? (Kathy Booth)
  Hops in Spaaace ("David R. Burley")
  re: Cider recipes (Kurt Schilling)
  Good source for brew supplies in Seattle area (Maxwell McDaniel)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Postmaster" <POSTMSTR at is.Arco.COM> Date: 04 Jul 1996 01:34:01 CST Subject: DISTRIBUTION STATUS PLANO.HOMEBREW DISTRIBUTION STATUS INFORMATION 07/04/96 01:34: 0 ======================================================================= DISTRIBUTION ID: PLANO.HOMEBREW.9393 SUBJECT : Homebrew Digest #2093 (Thursday, 4 July 1996 DATE SENT : 07/04/96 TIME SENT: 01:34:00 ======================================================================= YOUR MAIL WAS NOT DELIVERED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON: SNADS STATUS : 0010 EXPLANATION : SNADS TEMPORARY SERVER ERROR ======================================================================= RECIPIENT : NOTESMS.SSCHMID LAST NAME : Schmidt FIRST NAME : Scott MIDDLE INITIAL : E NATIVE NAME : Scott E. Schmidt at NDPAI01 COUNTRY : ADMD : PRMD : ORGANIZATION : AIOG ORG UNIT 1 : ARCO El-Djazair ORG UNIT 2 : ORG UNIT 3 : ORG UNIT 4 : DDA : Return to table of contents
From: Charlie Scandrett <merino at buggs.cynergy.com.au> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 17:55:04 +1000 (EST) Subject: Correction to "pH drop" I posted , >The pH drop *and* the lower SG causes the less polar *oxidisable* >polyphenols to be extracted at this stage. The pH *rise*...etc, I was looking at a classified phenol extraction graph which "dropped", not the pH. Charlie (Brisbane, Australia) Return to table of contents
From: Charlie Scandrett <merino at buggs.cynergy.com.au> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 19:08:18 +1000 (EST) Subject: Viscosity & lauter times David Burley wrote, >I don't have the data, and have never seen a comparison of the effect of >viscosity on sparge times, <SNIP> Any info on the impact of viscosity on >flow rate through agrain column? Using viscosity data vs temperature for >maltose solutions, what does this mean about the effect of sparge temperature >on the rate of sparging? linear or exponential dependency? Viscosity is simply resistance to flow, it is analogous to friction, it is not density. A typical barley wort figure is Visc= 1.52 mPas. According to M&BS, the velocity of liquid through the bed is linearly inversly proportional to the viscosity. Flow Rate = Constant x Pressure Differential x Permeability """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Depth of Bed x Wort Viscosity The higher temperature of mashout will decrease Wort Viscosity, but also importantly denature lipoxygenase, reducing your HSA potential during lauter. The Institute of Brewing in London recomends 75C lauter for this reason. The Permeability is influenced by crush particle size distribution (flour, grits etc), mash method(decoction or infusion) and particle compression/distortion by the hydraulic forces of Flow Rate (remember endosperm particles are porrige-like at this stage). This sealing effect raises the Pressure Differential, so two variables in this equation are partly dependant on the answer! This is an unstable model which sometimes requires a deft touch on the grant valves! Oxidising the mash can cause an increase in Viscosity by forming disulphide bridges between the HMW proteins, effectively gumming things up. All wheat malts give worts with approximately 10% higher Viscosity. Poorly modified malts give gummy beta-glucans which also increase Viscosity. Lower pH reduces Viscosity. The point to remember in all this is that speedy runoff is not the optimum for either of the functions of lautering, 1/filtration 2/leaching The variables are many and the practices of different brewers also vary greatly. Trying to explain it all in one Lauter FAQ is taking me longer than I thought. Charlie (Brisbane, Australia) Return to table of contents
From: Luc Grondin <lgrondin at rescol.fse.ulaval.ca> Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 07:53:56 -0300 Subject: signoff signoff homebrew at hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com Luc Grondin - ------------------------------ Return to table of contents
From: "Braam Greyling" <acg at knersus.nanoteq.co.za> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 14:22:03 +200 Subject: Keg conversion results 1 Hi, I posted a question on converting a ss/keg to a mash/lautertun. Thanks to everybody who replied. This is the results I got: Look at this site: http://www.dnh.mv.net/ipusers/peanut/carrick.htm *********************************************** L-shape drain tube: A 3/8" NPT coupling is welded into the side of the keg just above the lower weld line (where the bottom is welded to the side of the keg). This part is a cylinder with 3/8" female pipe threads on both ends. The female threads on the outside are used to attach a 3/8" x 2" long NPT nipple and a 3/8" ball valve. The threads on the inside are used to attach a stainless steel 3/8" pipe to 3/8" tube adapter. The pipe-to-tube adapter part has 3/8" male pipe threads on one end, and a 3/8" SwageLok tube (compression) connection on the other. (SwageLok is a US brand name of tube fittings; I don't know if you get them where you are, but any high quality compression-type fitting should work) A piece of 3/8" stainless tubing is formed into an "L" shape (90-degree bend) such that when it is attached to the tube adapter at the long end of the "L", the short end of the "L" is pointed at the center of the keg bottom, and clears it by 1/8" or so. The false bottom is an ~8" diameter disc of perforated stainless steel (20 ga., with 3/32" holes on 5/32" centers). This disc has a 3/8" hole drilled in the center, through which the vertical section (short end) of the "L" shaped tube passes. A stainless steel collar with a setscrew is located on the drain tube so that it depresses the center of the falsebottom, an presses it tightly against the domed keg bottom. For a mash tun, I would make the false bottom as big as possible. My 1/2 bbl kegs have a 12" diameter hole cut in the top, so that would be my choice. Your 50-l kegs are a little smaller in diameter, so you will likely need to go a little smaller. The only drawback I see for using this system for a lauter tun is that the tube could interfere with stirring the mash. I am in the process of rebuilding my brew house, using three half-barrels, converted as described above. I'm going to try directly heating the mash tun from the bottom (with a natural gas flame), and using a small pump to remove the liquid from under the false bottom and redistributing it over the top of the mash. This has been done successfully before, but I have so far only mashed in a 10-gallon cooking pot, and simply stirred while heating to do temperature steps. Recirculating will keep me from having to move the mash from the mashing vessel to the lauter tun. ****************************************************************** Part two follows Braam Greyling Design Engineer Nanoteq (Pty) Ltd tel. +27 (12) 665-1338 - ---- 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case ---- - ---- coincidence ????? ---- Return to table of contents
From: "Braam Greyling" <acg at knersus.nanoteq.co.za> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 14:22:11 +200 Subject: Keg conversion results --2 Part two: After I asked what about a plastic or pvc false bottom: the only problem that i can see w/ using pvc for a false bottom is that you'd have to either cut off the whole top of the keg and lose the handles or figure out some way to make your false bottom in two pieces and hinge it. if you aren't using the nice handled kegs, no problem. the other problem i couldn't resolve when i was thinking about using a false bottom was supporting it. i've seen a setup that a brewer in a microbrewery in birmingham (alabama) has that uses a ring of stainless about 3-4" high to support his stainless false bottom- it's about twelve inches in diameter and fits nicely in the bottom of the keg. he has the luxury, however, of being able to trade his brewery's beer for metalwork. maybe you could do something similar by cutting a section of a decommissioned plastic bucket for use as a support. the only difficulty would be getting the edges straight, which would require some type of band saw to do the cutting. i think i still have to recommend the soft copper tube manifold, though. one thing that i'm sure i'll want to do when i eventually mash in a converted keg is add heat directly for step mashing. even if your pvc can handle the heat of the mash (< 170 F), it probably won't stand up to direct firing. there's one other problem i see w/ any type of false bottom- especially in a keg b/c the amount of liquor that collects below the false bottom is a greater proportion of the total liquid than in any commercial setup. when you add heat, you can't effectively stir what's below the false bottom. the liquor gets hot and i'd suspect that your enzymes might be likely to denature w/o real serious care. with a tube manifold, i'd be able to stir everything but a cup or two of the mash liquid, and the copper can definitely handle the heat. the only thing i'm still uncertain about is the ease of lautering comparitively. the manifold i have in my cooler works well except when i make my belgian white recipe, which has wheat malt, flaked wheat, and rolled oats in the grain bill. then it is extremely slow. but that may be something you just can't help b/c of the ingredients. for single step infusions, it's a whiz bang operation. THANKS TO ALL WHO REPLIED !!! Cheers Braam Greyling Design Engineer Nanoteq (Pty) Ltd tel. +27 (12) 665-1338 - ---- 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case ---- - ---- coincidence ????? ---- Return to table of contents
From: Kerry Drake <drakes at oklahoma.net> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 07:54:14 -0500 Subject: RE: Yet another question RE: carboy comes to life after previous life... Michael Mahler asks about strawberries: >Is the sugar in the berries fermentable? Yes. Kerry Drake Return to table of contents
From: saunderm at vt.edu (J. Matthew Saunders) Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 10:15:47 -0400 Subject: Re: Canned Skunk "Kirk Harralson" <kwh at smtpgwy.roadnet.ups.com> writes: >Over the years, I've been educated by the HBD about light-struck beers in clear >or green bottles giving that familiar skunk smell. Heineken (sp?) is a >particularly popular example of this. On a return flight last week, I asked >what beers they had, and Heineken was the only choice other than Budmilloors, >so >I took it. I don't know if it is an airline rule or not, but all beer was >served in cans, not bottles. The funny thing is, when I poured the beer, the >skunk smell was present! It was not as pronounced as the bottled version I'm >used to, but it was definitely there. I think it's a pretty safe assumption >that light does not get through aluminum cans, so I have to wonder when the >beer >is exposed to light. This also made me wonder about the bottled version. When >I buy a case of Heineken, it's sealed in a cardboard case. Again, I assume that > >not much light is going to get through there. If these are packaged at the >brewery, when are the bottles exposed to light? Again, I'm not questioning the >light-struck phenomenom -- that has been explained ad infinitum in past >digests, >and I accept it at face value -- I just wonder when and how it occurs. Simple answer. They do it on purpose. Cheers! Matthew. ********** "Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change." H O M E P A G E http://fbox.vt.edu:10021/S/saunderm/index.html/page_1.html J. Matthew Saunders saunderm at vt.edu I N D E X P A G E http://dogstar.bevd.blacksburg.va.us ********** Return to table of contents
From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM> Date: 04 Jul 96 12:17:09 EDT Subject: GDP on the Radio, maltose rest, strawberries Brewsters: George De Piro will be on the radio July 8th, 8-9 PM WRTN 93.5 FM promoting our favorite hobby to the unwashed masses. Congratulations! I'm lucky enough to be in radio range of NYC and will be listening. You are already in my computer scheduler. If I can get through, I'll ask you whatever questions you think will demonstrate your exceptional skills and knowledge and will appropriately impress and interest the listeners. Do you have any favorites? How about other HBDers who are out of range? Any ideas or suggestions? - ------------------------------------------------ On the discussion of a rest at just below the gelatinization of barley starch, Eric Warner in his terrific book "German Wheat Beer" (1992), Brewers Pub. Boulder CO, mentions a "maltose rest" at 147F. I had thought that this was to chew up the starch gelatinized by decoction prior to going into the gelatinization of the remainder of the starch. But as you can see, the maltose rest occurs before the decoction and presumably before gelatinizitation of any (barley) starch To quote ( p. 65) : "Another commonly used single decoction mash program (Diagram 3) subjects the entire mash to a protein rest before the decoction is pulled. Using infusions the temperature of the mash is raised from the mash-in temperature to the protein rest temperature and then again to the maltose rest temperature. The entire mash is subjected to the maltose rest temperature of 147 F (64C) for 10-20 min before the thick decoction is pulled. It is then similarly handled to the decoction mash program in Diagram 2." In the procedure referred to as DIagram 2, the text reads ( p 63) "....the temperature is raised 1 deg per minute until saccharification temperature of 158 to 162 degrees F (70 to 72 degrees C) is reached." So, I interpret this to mean that a maltose rest and a sacharification are not the same thing, and that his definitions are in line with convention. So, I'm puzzled. What is a maltose rest for? Any thoughts on this? Why is it called a *maltose* rest? Does it have anything to do with the wheat malt gelatinization temperature? I know rice has a much higher gelatinization temperature than barley, but what about wheat? - --------------------------------------------- Michael Mahler is surprized to find his beer refermenting after adding strawberries and asks is the sugar in strawberries fementable. Definitely yes. I wouldn't bottle yet until they finish fermenting and the FG is stable or it shows residual sugar less than 1/4%.. - -------------------------------------------- Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Return to table of contents
From: jim.anderson at execnet.com (JIM ANDERSON) Date: Thu, 04 Jul 96 19:54:00 -0500 Subject: Drying Hops There's been a bit of discussion here lately about drying hops. After posting my message about wild hops the other day, I've been revisiting some of my texts and found the following in Papazian's "Companion:" "Here's a hopbit: Interesting results were found by German hop researchers when they tested the stability of frozen undried hops. They found that the undried hops, when frozen, were significantly more stable than dried hops stored under identical conditions. Practically speaking, freezing ten times more water and dealing with increased volumes does not make this procedure commercially viable. But then, there are homebrewers ...." (p. 67) Has anyone here experimented with freezing UNDRIED hops? Comments? - Jim Return to table of contents
From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM> Date: 04 Jul 96 13:12:20 EDT Subject: Copy of: Wild Hops - ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- From: David R. Burley, 103164,3202 TO: INTERNET:jim_anderson at email.state.ut.us, INTERNET:jim_anderson at email.state.ut.us DATE: 7/4/96 1:07 PM RE: Copy of: Wild Hops Jim, Regarding the use of the clothes dryer to dry hops, in my enthusiasm to help, I may have led you astray - sorry. In response to an HBDer comment, I rechecked the Pap references and could not find this comment on using the clothes dryer to dry hops. He does say, however in the Handbook for Brewers that hops should be air dried out of the sun. Other HBDers, with long time experience, recommend drying on screens in attics and garages during the summer. One HBDer comments that the handling in the clothes dryer would be too rough. I'd have to try this out to be convinced, but his caution is well noted. Despite M&BS comments on the temperature, they all seem to be using drying temperatures in the range of 90-100F. I wonder if they are having trouble with not drying properly and allowing the various enzymes to continue the ripening ( or whatever) , since one of the contributors commented that his hops were only good for something like six months. I suspect the reason for drying the hops at 130-150F is more than just trying to speed up the drying for commercial reasons as one contributor suggested. Drying at this high T may have to do with long term stability. It would be interesting for some of those home hop growers to experiment with the effect of drying temperature on the stability of hops versus other properties like hop oil content. I remember seeing a cartoon a long time ago in a HB book in which the HBer has stolen his wife's hair dryer and is drying hops. Maybe this is an idea along with the pillow case idea which could be adapted to a small scale for experimentation. Best of luck and let me know how it turns out. Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Return to table of contents
From: DONBREW at aol.com Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 13:31:05 -0400 Subject: drying hops I guess I'll chime in on this one. Remember that old Zap-ap lauter tun and hair dryer over there in that corner? Drill a bunch of holes around the outside bucket in the deadpace area, put your hops into the inner bucket, place a piece of screen over the hops, then make a hole in a lid that fits the inner bucket just the size of the hose from that old hair dryer. Turn on the hair dryer on low or no heat, high blower speed until the hops are dried. Don't try to fill the bucket with hops, just a couple of inches deep is enuff. Don Falls Church, Va. Return to table of contents
From: Eric Marzewski <emarzews at nova.umuc.edu> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 13:40:40 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Fine Cigars???? Fellow Brewers! Anyone know of any microbreweries, homebrew shops or great beer bars that allow cigar smoking or sell cigars and humidors? How about any upcoming or annual cigar/brew pairings, dinners or tastings? Any homebrew clubs with some cigar smokers? Lastly, know of any "cigar clubs"? Cheers, Eric Marzewski Return to table of contents
From: Douglas Kerfoot <dkerfoot at macatawa.org> Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 14:48:09 -0400 Subject: Re: Temperature Controller Units Mike Bell Asked: >Does anyone have experience with the long term reliability of the Hunter >Airstat temperature controllers, and/or the homemade units? Any thoughts >on which route would be best? I can tell you that the one I built for fermentation control has been working great for over a year, and the one I built for RIMS control has lasted more than 6 months. They are based around two different Radio Shack modules. When comparing costs, be sure to remember that the designs based around the radio shack modules can both heat and cool! The HTML version of my plans now contains instructions for using a teletimer module which will cut your costs dramatically. - -- Douglas G. Kerfoot Brewmaster and Chief Publican (Down with 'mocrats!) Cunning Linguist(TM) Brewery and Flophouse Need a temperature controller for both heating and cooling? Check out my website at: http:\\www.macatawa.org\~dkerfoot\ Return to table of contents
From: ronmis at getnet.com (Ron) Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 12:03:42 -0700 (MST) Subject: Bottles for Beer My first five gallon batch is almost through fermenting and I am preparing to bottle. The bottles I have seen at my local retailer are about fifteen bucks for 24. Meanwhile, I have a case of empty Samual Adams Scotch Ale bottles in the kitchen. I have washed the bottles with a bleach solution and then twice with an antibacterial soap and then rinsed twice. Is there some reason I need my retailers expensive bottles or can I just use the cleaned Sam Adams bottles? Thanks for the advice. Ron Return to table of contents
From: "Goodale, Daniel CPT 4ID DISCOM" <GoodaleD at HOOD-EMH3.ARMY.MIL> Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 16:18:00 -0500 Subject: NaCl as a sweetener?!? >.... A friend of mine suggested adding salt to sweeten it.... Makes >sense as salt can be used to sweeten green apples.... I'm not sure that it sweetens the apple, just cuts (or at least distracts) from the sourness. I would rather try the old beer trick of adding some non-fermenting sugar. You could also use some Campden tabs to kill the yeast and sweeten with any sweetener struck your fancy, however you would have to force carbonate it afterwards. I think you probably can still adjust the acid level. A good titration will cut a lot of the bite. BTW, make sure you bottle it in a bottle designed to hold pressure e.g. a champagne bottle. A regular wine bottle will blow the cork or at lower pressure cause it to slowly ooze out wine which eventually turns into a big sticky mess. Speaking from experience here. Daniel Goodale (yes, that is my real name) The Biohazard Brewing Company (Wine Division) Sure it's gonna kill ya, but who wants to live forever. Return to table of contents
From: aod at algonet.se (Patrik Andersson) Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 21:49:55 +0200 (MET DST) Subject: beer I guess this list is more about Beer then other brewing =) So, I wonder if there is any other homebrewing list, more concentrated on winemaking and cider making. Please mail me some adress's or something privately. Patrik Andersson aod at algonet.se AoD at algonet.se - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning oh dreadful dawn, spread your pale dim light. Reign for your last time over lands once so bright. But your energy shall be weak and soon to die. So die in pain my dear, expire, goodbye I have come to challenge your ways Light's bane - The last of your days Oh broken wings - My darkness enslaves Allow me to erase your feeble race - -Dissection - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANCHESTER UNITED FC RULES EARTH! Return to table of contents
From: Jorge Blasig - IQ <gisalb at elmer.fing.edu.uy> Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 19:38:27 -0300 (UY) Subject: Need information of suppliers >From : Jorge Blasig Montevideo Uruguay I have been reading lot of information about homebrewing and would like to start brewing beer as soon as possible. However I have a problem: I need a supplier close to Uruguay. I would like to receive some information if I can find any supplier in Argentina or Brasil. Jorge Blasig Return to table of contents
From: david.lubell at johnabbott.qc.ca (david lubell) Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 19:58:57 -0400 Subject: Coffee Ale To all, Does anyone have a recipe for adding coffee into an ale? David Return to table of contents
From: ccoyote at sunrem.com (John (The Coyote) Wyllie) Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 23:04:51 -0600 Subject: postcards, hop dryer- NOT!/ Spaaaace brewer >From: "Goodale, Daniel CPT 4ID DISCOM" <GoodaleD at HOOD-EMH3.ARMY.MIL> sed > For those of you who still use the US Postal system, here is a quick idea for postcards. Instead of tossing out that six pack carrier, carefully dissect the side panels out and use them as postcards. The cardboard color backsides are fine for a black pen or you can glue (spray adhesive works the best) a piece of paper for a more pen friendly writing surface. The cards will be bigger than the standard postcard size so the post office will require a $00.32 stamp Biohazard Brewing Company Sure it's gonna kill ya, but who wants to live forever? * One, I heard hombrew only kills the brain cells you don't use, and * Two: if you want to stay postal friendly here's a little info: Postal cards and postcards must meet these minimum/max size standards: Minimum for all first class mail: at least 0.0007 of an inch thick if less than 1/4inch thick: rectangular in shape, at least 3.5" high, at least 5" long. for automation compatible mail, pieces larger than 4.25" by 6" must be at least 0.009 " thick. pieces not meeting the minimum size are nonmailable and prohibited from mail. Maximum for postal cards and postcards is: 4.25" high, and 6" long. 0.0095 inches thick. All first class mailpieces must be no more than one ounce in weight. Be sure the place the address, return address and postage like you would for a normal letter. OR ELSE! Also, black on white is preferred for addressing purposes. Colors and fancy and all for the inside or notes on a card, but keep the address clean. A sticker for the address, or paste white paper across the whole backside as suggested. Also leave a clear band across the bottom for a barcode. Trust me on this folks. I've had my mailpiece certified and I have a genuine certificate to prove it. I work for a company that does more mail than the Salt Lake post office during tax season (jan). *** From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM> sed Also, drying the hops can be a pain and can lead to a loss of activity ( let alone begetting lots of mold and mildew) if not properly carried out. Papazian ( I think) in one or more of his books suggests using your clothes dryer. Tie the hops up in a pillow case and dry away. Keep the temperature between 130F and 150F( Malting and Brewing Science p. 309). * Gee I thought this would have been more severely jumped on than it was. So here's my 2c. The rough and tumble of a dryer would be severely detrimental to hop drying IMHO. I've made efforts to rough out the bugs from my hops while drying them on a screen, and have collected significant droppings of lupulin crystals. The little yellow bits that you might find in the bottom of a bag of whole hops. These are as miller might say, "the heart of the hops". Thats where all the precious alpha acids and then some would be found. Excessive heat, rough handling and excessive air exposure are enemies of quality hop treatment. If you live in a arid climate a fruit dryer or window screens woill be quite adequate. If no need more, a box fan with a screen sitting on it will suffice. If you find that "hop pillow" covered with a yellow tinge on the inside you can probably count on doubling your hop additions to compensate, course if you know anyone with insomnia, lend them your pillowcase, and they're on their way to sheepville, if you know what I mean. *** Oh, Al. You've done it again. First you admit you never took Organic Chemisty, now you've demonstrated you haven't taken physical chem either. "Brewing in zero gravity would be pretty impossible unless you were to create an artificial gravity by using centrifical force. The bubbles would form and "wouldn't know which way is up" so they would just sit there amdist all the beer. Here on earth we rely on gravity to pull the beer to the bottom of the fermenter so that the CO2 rises to the top and comes out the airlock." * The bubbles do not rise because of gravity, but rather buoancy, ok so gravity might be involved.... But that aside, the real activity is a matter of gas exiting a liquid, gas exchange. This is due to partial pressure differences. Assuming you could contain a vessel of fermenting fluid in space, and come up with a "air-less" lock, you would find even MORE CO2 exiting the fluid than you would on earth, since space is close to a vacuum the partial pressure of CO2 outside would be nill. Whereas on earth the second most major gas in the atmosphere is CO2. It's kinda like osmosis- moving from an area of high concentration, down a concentration gradient, to an area of low conc. Question is: how much would it cost to ship the supplies and equipment necessary to brew a batch of beer in space? Less, I would guess, than an Egyptian brew. Tut tut tut. Might make for a good doctoral thesis proposal though. Takers? Any one have a good name for a "spacey" brew? We did just have a blue moon, but that name has already been taken. Well I'm not gonna quote equations or formulas this time. My texts are too dusty and spider ridden thank you very much. So, TTFN. -John- PS: Just went to watch the 4th's fireworks. What a blast. Hope it was good for you too. I better brew a batch this weekend and name it appropriately eh? - -------------------------------------------- /// The Cosmic Coyote \\\ ccoyote at sunrem.com - -------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
From: Andrew <adkligerman at worldnet.att.net> Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 12:28:54 GMT Subject: Cooper's Extra Stout, Corn Syrup I posted this a few digests ago, but I got no responses so I'll try again. Does anyone have a recipe or know the ingredients for Cooper's Extra Dry Stout from Down under? I tried it last week and found it to be a fine stout. Come on you Aussies--you must have tried some %^! . Also, I looked at the ingredients in corn (Kayro) syrup. It has corn syrup, fructose, salt and vanilla. I do not know how fermentable the corn syrup is or if it has residual dextrins. Andy Kligerman Hillsborough, NC Return to table of contents
From: Kathy Booth <kbooth at ingham.k12.mi.us> Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 08:43:23 -0400 (EDT) Subject: refermentations? I brewed 10 g Marzen and bottled 5 gal of it. Too Hoppy! I boiled up 3# DME in 3-1/2 g water and split to two carboys with lager yeast (one was from the Marzen and the other was the same yeast but a bock I'd just bottled) into which I'd split the remaining 5 g of Marzen. The carboys had been three months alagering where the temp had been in the low 50's (my compresser went kaput and I'd been adding gallon jugs of ice from my regular freezer) so the temp had been varying slightly. I stirred the yeasts by swirling until they were uncaked, and added the unfermented wort via a funnel. I figured I had loads of yeast for 3#DME so I didn't areate except the swirling and funnelling. Back into the 50'ish degree freezer to ferment, but nothing has happened. Virtually no fermentation in either carboy after 60 hrs. Questions: Is 60 hrs too short for the lager yeast to revive? Would 3 months alagering leave the yeasts too dormant to revive? Did the up and down temp variations in my "ice cave" from the loadings (49-55 F) do in my yeasts? Is adding 3 1/2 g new wort with 3# DME into 4 1/2 g fermented beer a poor medium for yeast to work? Should this have received more aeration than swirling and funnelling? Opinions and advices welcomed.....cheers jim booth, lansing, mi kbooth at isd.ingham.k12.mi.us P.S. No one responded with the historic name for cider and ale fermentations and its not in the AOB Dictionary of Beer Terminology. Did I dream that it exists? jhb Return to table of contents
From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM> Date: 05 Jul 96 13:03:13 EDT Subject: Hops in Spaaace Robin Decker ask for thoughts on brewing in space. Recalling that ALL of the liquids will be recycled in a spacecraft, I suspect there will be a sign over the urinal that reads: "You don't buy our beer you just borrow it, again and again and again......" Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Return to table of contents
From: Kurt Schilling <kurt at pop.iquest.net> Date: Fri, 5 Jul 96 12:36 EST Subject: re: Cider recipes Greetings brewsters et al: In HBD 2092 Keith Royster asked for some input on cider making. Since that happens to be one of my favorite things, I thought that I'd reply. Making hard cider is a bit easier than brewing a good beer. Basic recipe cals for 5 gallons of sweet cider or preservative free apple juice (OG 1.040-1.045 or thereabout), add 2 cups sugar to raise gravity to in the 1.060 range. 1/2 tsp tannin per gallon, and 1 tbl yeat nutrient per 5 gallons. You can use just about any good ale yeast (Wyeast #1056 works well, as does Wyeast #2212). You can use dark brown sugar if you wish to have a little darker colored cider. I advise not adding any acid blend or additional citric acid until just before you are ready to bottle. Many recipes call for adding "X amount" of acid blend. If you do this with out first checking the acidity of the must, you risk making a cider that will be too sour/tart to be comsumed. Pick up an acid test kit at your local homebrew shop and check the acidity and adjust to the range of 0.6-0.8% before bottling. These low alcohol ciders are best comsumend young, ie within 4 months of bottling as there are no preservatives. BTW: Keith, thanks for all the good info on RIMS. And a tip o the hat to Dave B, Tracy A, and AlK and the rest of your folks for the excellent discussion on enzyme activity and mashing over the past couple of weeks. Kurt Schilling (kurt at iquest.net) Return to table of contents
From: Maxwell McDaniel <maxwellm at microsoft.com> Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 12:43:36 -0700 Subject: Good source for brew supplies in Seattle area Hey all... I just moved from Houston to Seattle (actually Issaquah) and am looking for someones opinion on the better local homebrew stores in the area. TIA Maxwell McDaniel Return to table of contents