---

   FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
        Mike Donald, Digest Janitor-in-training
        Thanks to Rob Gardner for making the digest happen!

Contents:
  My First Taste of Lambic: WOW!! (<satterfield at gentire.com>)
  GABF  1996 (Michael Caprara)
  Regarding Bleach rinses; Airlocks; dishwashers (Kathy Booth )
  Easy Masher (Guy Mason)
  hazelnut brown nectar ((Greg Moore - SMCC BOS Hardware Engineering))
  Re: Rye Beer ((Ed Westemeier))
  Home grown dry hopping - no problem here (Bill Sadvary)
  RYE BEER ((George De Piro))
  Dispensing Stout with CO2/Nitrogen (Post_Mark at hq.navsea.navy.mil)
  would be brewer ((Merri Jones))
  malts/protein rests ((BAYEROSPACE))
  [none] ()
  Re: GABF ((Shawn Steele))
  High-pH Brewing Water /  (KennyEddy at aol.com)
  Help with auger Beers ((Cory Chadwell))
  HBRCP (RUSt1d?)
  Spigots and Enamel Pots (Jim Lanik)
  Wild yeast/Old ale (John Reese)
  Coors press release - Huh?/ GABF sham ("Dave Hinkle")
  First try at Wyeat Starter - Am I on the right track? (BernardCh at aol.com)
  Achieving Lager Temps In a Round 10 Gal Igloo Cooler (BernardCh at aol.com)
  controlling clove phenolics (Andy Walsh)
  Airstone oxygenation ("Ed J. Basgall")

For SUBMISSIONS to be published, send mail to:
  homebrew at aob.org
For (UN)SUBSCRIBE requests, send mail to:
  homebrew-digest-request@ aob.org
  and include ONLY subscribe or unsubscribe in the BODY of the message.

Please note that if subscribed via BEER-L, you must unsubscribe by sending
  a one line e-mail to listserv at ua1vm.ua.edu that says: UNSUB BEER-L
If your address is changing, please unsubscribe from the old address and
  then subscribe from the new address.
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
For technical problems send e-mail to the Digest Janitor,
homebrew-digest-owner at aob.org.

OTHER HOMEBREW INFORMATION
  http://www.aob.org/aob - The AHA's web site.
  http://alpha.rollanet.org - "The Brewery" and the Cat's Meow Archives.
  info at aob.org - automated e-mail homebrewing information.

ARCHIVES:
  At ftp.stanford.edu in /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer via anonymous ftp.  Also
  http://alpha.rollanet.org on the web and at majordomo at aob.org by e-mail.

COPYRIGHT:
  As with all forums such as this one, copyrights are retained by the
  original authors. In accordance with the wishes of the members of the
  Homebrew Digest, posts to the HBD may NOT be sold or used as part of a
  collection that is sold without the original authors' consent. Copies
  may ONLY be made available at no charge and should include the current
  posting and subscription addresses for the HBD.


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

From: <satterfield at gentire.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:01:28 +0000
Subject: My First Taste of Lambic: WOW!!

I had my first bottle of lambic beer a few days ago; a Strawberry; 
WOW!! THIS IS GREAT STUFF!!  I finally bought a bottle; at $4+ it was 
the most expensive single beer I've ever bought outside a tittie bar 
but I had to try it at least once for educational purposes you 
understand :-) but at $4 a bottle I won't be buying cases at a time 
for everyday consumption. I've been homebrewing for a couple years 
now with mostly excellent results and have advanced beyond the kit 
beers into custom recipes, partial mash/extract etc. Great beers! 
 
Now of course I start thinking that I should try making lambics. My 
searching for hard data on recipes and brew techniques is not 
encouraging however. I can't find any real consensus on how to get 
started in making these beers. Information I've seen ranges from the 
don't try this at home type to "it's gonna be real expensive in time 
and technique to have any success" There seems to be far more art 
than science in brewing lambics. 
 
What I've found so far is a number of recipes for fruit beers and 
belgian ales plus some that purport to be lambics. I'm aware that the 
yeast is critical factor and that it takes a LONG time to make 
lambics (how long? Estimates I've seen range from months to years per 
batch?) Can I take recipes for fruit beers, strawberry ale for 
instance, and subsitute the Wyeast lambic for belgian ale yeast and 
just let it age for a year? I'm looking for tips, advice, general 
info on brewing lambics from those of you who've had 
success/experience with this style. I'm aware of the book on lambics 
published in the beer styles series and have ordered this, perhaps it 
may answer some questions. 
 
Thank you, 
Tom Satterfield 
satterfiled at gentire.com 

Return to table of contents


From: Michael Caprara <mcaprara at awwarf.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 08:21:29 -0600
Subject: GABF  1996

Hello All! 
You will probably get many posts regarding the GABF, but.... 
 
I want to thank everyone I met and drank with over the course of three 
days.  Congrats Jethro!!  Your barley wine was truly a work of art!  Keep 
up the good work! 
 
Also, it was nice to meet the winners of the LSD Brew Club Caption 
Contest (see:  www.dimensional.com/~godbey/louthan.html).  I met five 
cool homebrewers from Utah and they came over to my house and drank 
a few beers.  Look out guys, I will be showing up in Logan with a 
powerful thirst and an empty mug!  BTW, my keg of Trippel blew yeast 
the next day! 
 
It was a good fest with the Wisconsin Cherry Red Ale and Jethro's 
Barley Wine being the best of the fest (IMHO). 
 
Brewfully Deadicated 
Michael                 :{P}   <---All Beered Out                         NOT! 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Kathy Booth <kbooth at waverly.k12.mi.us>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 10:20:20 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Regarding Bleach rinses; Airlocks; dishwashers

Yes, I'm a month behind on my HBD. 
 
When sanitizing (or trying to...I know..Iknow) I soak in sodium 
hypo.  bleach water and  rinse.  To rinse I turn my water heater up 
to max and get hot water at 152 F at the tap. Since I assume it has spent 
30' plus at this temp or more, I figure most of the little beasties have 
been cooked. Any Microbiology 101 survivers out there? 
 
For a final rinse,  I do boil or simmer some water and let it cool a bit 
like 180f (adding boiling water into glass carbouys is not my favorite 
thing) and use this for my fourth and final rinse.  Dilution of surviving 
beasties is my objective. All my plastic parts are similarly rinsed post 
bleach in boiled/cooled water. 
 
By the way, warn the household when the hot water heater goes to max. 
Otherwise those screams from the shower will be real. 
 
Do bottles in a 
dishwasher get rinsed as well as sterilized? (I know..I know..what is the 
proper term?) That opening is so small and the jet rinse so easy. 
 
     Last question; Do airlocks on fermenters work both ways? 
When carbouys cool in the lagggering process, does the small volume of air 
shrinking as it cools suck fluid or air bubbles in to the vessel?  Are all 
types of airlocks similar in this respect?  Is the rate of cooling 
important? 
 
Final last question;  Does putting 1 gal of bleach water in a corbouy and 
sloshing around every few minutes for 20' to rewet all surfaces equivinent 
to filling to the top?  I've not had problems in 60+ batches.I grew up in 
the Kansas drought years of the 1950's and I hate to waste water (and I'm 
lazy). 
 
cheers & thanks    jim booth lansing, mi   mail to 
kbooth at scnc.waverly.k12.mi.us 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Guy Mason <guy at qq.matrixnet.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 10:32:45 -0400
Subject: Easy Masher

Greetings, 
 
A local fellow brewer would like to pose a question to the homebrew 
masses.  He wants to put an Easy Masher in his brew kettle to filter out 
leaf hops.  His dilemma involves making a connection from the Easy 
Masher spigot to his counter-flow chiller.  Any helpful hints from the 
gadget crazed tinkers :) out there??? 
 
TIA 
- -- 
o   o 
 \ /     Adra Systems, Matrix Division 
  o--o 
 / \   O    Guy Mason               voice: 203-944-2020x190 
o   \ /     guy at matrixNet.com       fax: 203-944-2022 
  O--O--O 
    / \     Matrix, 2 Trap Falls Road, Shelton, CT 06484 
   O   O 

Return to table of contents


From: gmoore at wacko.East.Sun.COM (Greg Moore - SMCC BOS Hardware Engineering)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 11:18:17 -0400
Subject: hazelnut brown nectar

 
 
Does anyone have a recipe for a Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar clone?   I had 
one last friday and want lots more! 
 
TIA 
 
- -G 

Return to table of contents


From: ed.westemeier at sdrc.com (Ed Westemeier)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 10:49:46 -0400
Subject: Re: Rye Beer

Peter Ensminger wrote: 
> I would like to make a Rye beer using malted rye (not flaked rye), in the 
> classic style of a German 'Roggen Bier'.  Unfortunately, I have never 
> tasted one, since 'Roggen Bier' is unavailable here in upstate NY.  The 
> only thing I know about 'Roggen Bier' is from Michael Jackson's writings. 
> There appears to be very little available on-line that's useful to a home 
> brewer. 
 
Having some experience with the style, I'll contribute my two cents: 
 
First, go ahead and do it -- most people really enjoy the taste. 
 
Second, use a small percentage of rye. It's MUCH, MUCH stickier than 
wheat, and you'll end up with a mash tun full of glue if you use too much. 
I only use it in decoction mashes for this reason. I'd recommend staying 
under 10% rye malt, but you can go as high as 25% in a double decoction. 
 
Third, the Schierlinger Roggenbier uses a weizen style yeast, so keep that 
in mind when you design your recipe. 
 
Ed 

Return to table of contents


From: Bill Sadvary <sadvary at dickinson.edu>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 11:46:49 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Home grown dry hopping - no problem here

 
I remember seeing two posts over the month or so asking about dry hopping 
with homegrown hops.  I don't remember seeing any replies but just wanted 
to pass it along that I tried it, and it worked out to be a great Extra 
Skilled Bitter. 
 
I pulled them (only about a half ounce, the plant is only two years old) 
off the plants when I noticed some yellow dust coming from the center 
(heart, chuckle) of the hop.  I remember reading somewhere (here?) that 
this was a good time to pick them.  I let them sun dry for a day, I guess 
a longer drying period is more desirable - I was too anxious to wait any 
longer, and then added them (cascades) to the carboy. 
 
The brew turned out great, no infections, nice nose although I wish I had 
another 1/2 ounce to add.  Next year! 
 
- -Skill 
 

Return to table of contents


From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com (George De Piro)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:37:58 -0700
Subject: RYE BEER

     Hi all! 
 
     There was a question about rye beer in the last HBD, and because of 
     the (sometimes) poor judging my rye beer has received, I feel that 
     this is worth posting. 
 
     Schierlinger Roggen is a 60% rye beer made in Germany.  It is imported 
     to the US by B. United Importers of Elmsford, NY, (914) 345-8900, and 
     is widely available in the NYC metro area. (no affiliation, 
     yahdee-yahdee) 
 
     It is VERY similar to Bavarian Hefe-Weizen; it even uses a yeast 
     strain that imparts vanilla and clove to the beer.  The beer is very 
     dry, with some spiciness, medium to light-bodied (like a Weizen, but 
     the extreme dryness seems to lighten the mouthfeel), highly 
     carbonated, with a solid malt backbone.  It is very lightly hopped, 
     with no hop aroma.  It is a bit darker than HefeWeizen, but not quite 
     a Dunkle. 
 
     My rye beer did very well in the first round of the nationals, but 
     than scored a full 10 points less at the second round.  The comments 
     were almost identical!  It just seems that this style is not widely 
     known, and therefore judging will be erratic.  The judges seemed 
     confused by the use of Weizen yeast, but that does make it like 
     Schierlinger! 
 
     I guess it's tough when there is only one "classic" beer defining the 
     category, and it's not widely available! 
 
     Schierlinger Roggen is well worth tasting, so go out of your way for 
     it! 
     ***************************** 
     CONGRATULATIONS to ROB MOLINE for his multiple award-winning Barley 
     Wine!!!  I'd love to go to Kansas to taste some, but clicking my heels 
     together doesn't seem to be working! 
 
     Have Fun! 
 
     George De Piro  (Nyack, NY) 

Return to table of contents


From: Post_Mark at hq.navsea.navy.mil
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 13:16:42 -0400
Subject: Dispensing Stout with CO2/Nitrogen

     To the collective, 
     I recently acquired a Guiness-style tap for the dispensing of my 
     stouts with a mixture of CO2/Nitrogen.  The local supply where I 
     normally get my CO2 said they do mixes of the gasses for some of the 
     local pubs at a ratio of 75% CO2/25% Nitrogen.  I recently read the 
     new Classic Beer Style Series on Stout by Michael J. Lewis and he 
     recommends a ratio of 40% CO2/60% Nitrogen.  My questions on this are 
     1) which ratio should I target for best results and 2) if the ratio is 
     40% CO2/ 60% Nitrogen, will a regulator normally used for CO2 still 
     work satisfactorily. 
 
     Any other tips on dispensing this way would be appreciated such as 
     carbonation levels of the Stout, pressure levels to dispense at, 
     operation of the flow valve on the Guiness-style tap, temperatures, 
     etc. 
 
     TIA, 
     Mark Post 
     Private E-mails ok,  post_mark at hq.navsea.navy.mil 

Return to table of contents


From: merri at babel.fr (Merri Jones)
Date: Sun, 03 Feb 1952 09:44:48 +0200
Subject: would be brewer

I am interested in starting to home brew, however I live in Paris and 
have been unable to locate any equipment.  Does anyone know where I 
could get some kind of a starting kit in France (or nearby)?  Is there a 
U.S. company that would ship one to me?  Thank you in advance for any 
help you can give me. 
 
Merri 
 

Return to table of contents


From: M257876 at sl1001.mdc.com (BAYEROSPACE)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:34 -0600
Subject: malts/protein rests

collective homebrew conscience: 
 
duffy toler asked: 
 
>1.  What is the difference between lager malt and pale ale malt?  Is a lager 
>malt a generic name for Pils? 
 
 
pale ale malt is kilned more highly than pils (lager) malt, and therefore 
imparts a different taste to the beer.  the higher kilning reduces enzymes, 
but there are still plenty for conversion, just not as many as lager malt has. 
also, the kilning of pale ale malt eliminates the precursors of dms, which 
is never detectable in an english pale ale.  lager malts still have the 
compounds necessary for dms formation, which forms during slow wort cooling. 
 
 
>2.  From reading both Miller's and Pap's books that when you brew dark 
>beers, you need brewing water that is higher in pH.  I never really found 
>why.  I assume that darker roasted specialty malts are more acidic and will 
>cause the pH of the wort too low. 
 
 
you need brewing water with more carbonate/bicarbonate content for dark beers. 
dark malts are acidic, and they yank the pH down when mashed in, as compared 
with pale malt.  if you have miller's book(s), he talks about the difference 
between pale ale malt and lager malt (in the complete handbook and the 
newest book).  check out the chapter on malt. 
 
more malt questions!: 
 
>Bryan L. Gros writes: 
 
<<<<<<<Pale ale malt has lower protein, lower enzymes (diastatic power), 
and higher color.  It will make a darker beer than the pils malt.  It is 
good for single infusion mashes, however, due to the low protein.>>>>> 
 
>So, does that mean that when mashing with Pale Ale malt we need to do the 
>protein rest (132F) before boosting up to sacharification (152-158F) for 
>conversion, and if we're mashing with Pale Malt (not ale) we can do the 
>single temperature infusion (152F - 158F)? 
 
 
as stated by bryan above,  pale ale malt has lower protein levels compared 
with lager malt because of the varieties of barley used and the climate/soil 
they're raised in.  this is one basis for the maritime vs. continental barley 
arguments.  also, i _think_, the more exhaustive english malting 
procedure results in a higher soluble to insoluble protein ratio as compared 
to lager malt.  this may have something to do with the barley varieties also, 
but i think it's mostly the malting that produces the soluble protein. 
with lager malt, it typically has more total protein, and if the malting 
method is not as complete as the english tradition, there will be higher 
levels of insoluble protein as a percentage of total.  most lager malt 
has more insoluble protein than traditionally malted english pale ale malt. 
 
so, because of the higher protein (and higher insoluble protein), a lager malt 
is typically the one you'd want to do the protein rest with, and the ale 
malt, if traditionally malted (english) from a low-protein barley strain, 
does not require one. 
 
 
what, more?: 
 
>if I don't do a protein rest with my Durst 2 row pilsner and just 
>do a simple infussion, will my beer tell me I should have done 
>it? What will it say ? 
 
it may have a hard time seeing you through the (chill) haze. 
 
 
okay, last one: 
 
 
>Lately, there have been some informative discussions about the character of 
>pale 
>ale malt and pils malt. In those discussions, it was said (I can't remember 
the
>author) that pils malt contains compounds that could potentially yield DMS in 
a
>slowly cooled wort.  My question here is how "slowly cooled" are we talking 
>about? I can get 5 gallons cooled in 15-20 min. with my immersion chiller, 
will
>this yeild a detectable amount of DMS? 
 
this is what i do, and dms is never a problem.  just start chilling as soon 
as you can after the wort is removed from the heat.  to increase dms, let it 
sit hot for half an hour before chilling.  some people like dms. 
 
 
>Also, someone stated that it would be beneficial to use a protein rest for 
pils
>malt.  Can someone explain why?  TIA, 
 
 
chill haze is more of a problem with high protein malts that don't get a 
protein rest. 
 
brew hard, 
 
mark bayer 
 
 
 
 
 

Return to table of contents


From: 
Date: 
Subject: [none]


Return to table of contents


From: shawn at aob.org (Shawn Steele)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:43:26 -0600
Subject: Re: GABF

Good Job Rob!  The complete winners list of the GABF PPBT can be found 
at http://beertown.org/gabfppbt/gabfhead.html 
 
- - shawn 
 

Return to table of contents


From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 15:11:04 -0400
Subject: High-pH Brewing Water / 

Duffy Toler asks about dark beers and water pH: 
 
"2.  From reading both Miller's and Pap's books that when you brew dark 
beers, you need brewing water that is higher in pH.  I never really found 
why.  I assume that darker roasted specialty malts are more acidic and will 
cause the pH of the wort too low. " 
 
Exactly.  The roasted grains will contribute acidity that shows up not only 
in the pH strip but provides some of that that sharp "bitterness" in the 
beer. 
 
A subtle point but one of perhaps some historical importance is essentially 
that the dark grains are used because of high-pH water, rather than the other 
way around as in Duffy's question.  London brewers were therefore successful 
making porters with their highly-alkaline water, while they would have been 
hard-pressed to make a decent light beer without further mash/water 
adjustments. 
 
***** 
 
Mark Lindberg asks about cleaning copper: 
 
"Any sugestions for cleaning? A "dip-clean" technique would be great." 
 
Plain ol' vinegar works well to brighten copper and remove the oxide layer. 
 Get the store-brand cheap stuff by the gallon.  I use a 50% mixture of 
vinegar in tap water.  Try spraying it on with a spray bottle; enough might 
stick to avoid having to use a bucketful and dipping.    Then again, it might 
not.  Rinse with hot water in any case. 
 
***** 
 
Ken Schwartz 
El Paso, TX 
KennyEddy at aol.com 
http://members.aol.com/kennyeddy 
 

Return to table of contents


From: cory at okway.okstate.edu (Cory Chadwell)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:03:13 -0700
Subject: Help with auger Beers

     First of all I would like to say that I've been reading the digest for 
     a while and really appreciate how the "beer elders" don't flame all us 
     newbee's for asking starter level questions.  Of course that brings me 
     to my novice question.  I been tinkering with homebrewing for 6 months 
     or so and really enjoy it but I'm limited (time and cash-wise) to 
     brewing from cans of auger.  While this is more fulfilling than buying 
     a 6-pack of Miller Genuine Draft I am still limited on how I can 
     personalize the taste of a batch.  I seem to be constrained to amount 
     of sugar and water content as the only variables.  Can additives used 
     for more elaborate brewing techniques work for my simple brewing case, 
     and if so which items and when should they be added. 
 
     THX, CDC 

Return to table of contents


From: RUSt1d? <rust1d at li.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 96 15:38:11 -0700
Subject: HBRCP

An upgrade to my homebrew software is now on my web page. Includes a 
fix for high gravity IBU calculations. 
 
Thanks to Michael Gerholdt for selecting my software over several others 
he looked at (SUDS, Brewer's Workshop, BrewWizard) as his "brewer's 
software of choice". 
 
Extra Special Thanks to Harold Dowda for being the first to send me the 
$10 asking price! Shareware rules if you follow the rules. I'll be 
drinking on and to Harold at tonights Eagles beating the hell out of 
Dallas game (for a round or three anyway). Thanks again. 
 
- -- 
John Varady 
Boneyard Brewing Co. 
"Ale today, Gone tomorrow" 
 
 
>Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing 
>Subject: Brewing Software Reviews 
>From: gerholdt at ait.fredonia.edu (Michael Gerholdt) 
>Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 05:27:04 GMT 
> 
>A few weeks ago I announced intentions of reviewing available brewing 
>software available for PC users. I looked at SUDS, Brewer's Workshop, 
>BrewWizard and HomeBrewers Recipe Calculator (HBRCP). 
> 
>I must retract my intentions to perform this project, simply because 
>though I've made an effort, I don't have the time to do the writing. 
> 
>However, since I have looked at these four programs in varying levels 
>of depth, I will make some comments so the time I invested will not be 
>of no value. 
> 
>Disclaimer: I don't have any connection with any of the authors of the 
>programs nor the companies that own/market them. 
> 
>SUDS is a nice program for beginner/intermediate brewers. It is very 
>much a Windows progam, is intuitive and easy to navigate. I found some 
>of the menu items confusing; "templates" and "recipes" are similar but 
>different and I never figured out the reason they both exist or why I 
>should use one and not the other. The calculator for figuring water 
>amounts and temps is straightforward and nice, but not as nice as that 
>which accompanies Brewer's Workshop. 
> 
>SUDS is shareware; cost $20; but it is not crippled in any way. 
> 
>Brewer's Workshop is another worthy Windows program, and as I 
>mentioned, I really like the boil calculator in this program. Point 
>and click your way through this program ... use the water calculator 
>to adjust the mineral content of your water, once you've had it tested 
>and entered the pertinent info ... I consider Brewer's Workshop a bit 
>nicer than SUDS in that it packs a bit more power in the calculators. 
>Oh, it also prints labels, though they are rather utilitarian, not 
>very pretty. A nice feature is that when you are picking ingredients 
>for a recipe, you can have the program present a pick list from its 
>entire database, or from your own home inventory. 
> 
>Brewer's Workshop is shareware; cost (I believe) is about $34.50. 
> 
>BrewWizard is another good Windows formulator, and like SUDS and 
>Brewer's Workshop, is marketed as shareware. One weakness I'll mention 
>immediately is that instead of saving recipes with descriptive names 
>in the program, you save them as files in a file browser. This means 
>you have to remember that "losrdrys.rec" is Loser Dry Stout. The hop 
>utilization can be switched from within the program, unlike SUDS, 
>which requires a drop to DOS and running one of three batch files. 
>Most Windows users will be very happy with BrewWizard. 
> 
>Cost of the program itself is $25. For a total of $59 you can get the 
>BrewWizard formulator and an encyclopedia of brewing. There isn't much 
>hint as to just what the encyclopedia is. 
> 
>And finally, HBRCP (HomeBrew Recipe Calculator). In some ways, this is 
>the least pleasing of the programs. It's written in Foxpro, and has 
>some noticeable limitations in terms of Windows useability. Not only 
>that, but the program isn't an integrated whole, but a patched 
>together collection of subroutines. You can't exit the program before 
>you exit whatever part of the program you are in. Things like that can 
>put one off ... but take a deeper look at HBRCP and you'll see the 
>program that, of the four, has the most information available. The 
>author is a database compiler in his day job, and his skills were 
>employed here. Indeed, while using the other programs, I would consult 
>HBRCP for the information that only it provided. It doesn't only 
>thumbnail sketch the AHA guidelines, but provides complete profiles of 
>grains, adjuncts, hops and yeasts. All can be user edited, if desired. 
>Once you spend the time to become inured to the fact that this ain't 
>the prettiest face on the block, and find that it is as easily 
>navigated, finally, as any of the programs, the power that is there 
>becomes apparent. And the labels are way nicer than those created by 
>Brewer's Workshop (though I'd like to see some user configurability 
>added ... I don't want OG and SG on my labels, maybe ....). 
> 
>Give yourself a couple hours with this program, and I expect you'll be 
>very impressed. 
> 
>Interestingly enough, HBRCP is totally uncrippled no-nag 
>shareware/freeware. The author would like you to pay the registration, 
>but you won't get any more than is already there. If you decide to 
>pay, the asking price is a mere $10. 
> 
>One problem with HBRCP: It's darned hard to get hold of. The author 
>has to attach it to email because the server just don't serve. I read 
>that a new version was recently released, but I havne't been able to 
>ftp it yet. :( 
> 
>My conclusion: All four of these programs are helpful and worthy. Each 
>has strong and weak points. HBRCP packs way more in for way less 
>money. I'd like to see a boil calculator like Brewer's Workshop added 
>.. 
> 
>------------------------------------- 
> 
>These comments are intended to be a service to homebrewers, and 
>neither a service nor a disservice to authors or pervayers of software 
>programs. Your opinion of the programs may be quite different from 
>mine, and you may find that I'm simply wrong about some things. If so, 
>your corrections will also be of benefit to homebrewers. 
 
 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Jim Lanik <jlanik at plinet.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 14:44:22 -0700
Subject: Spigots and Enamel Pots

Greetings all, 
 
I have a question that, after a search of the HBD archives, appears to 
have been infrequently discussed here.  Is it feasible to put a spigot 
on an enamel kettle, or does the drilling process mar the enamel to such 
an extent as to make it unusable?  I'd like to get into all-grain kettle 
mashing, but my poor little 4 gallon SS stock pot just won't cut it and 
I'd like to save a little cash if at all possible. 
 
If anyone out there has some insight, it would be greatly appreciated. 
 
TIA 
 
Jim Lanik 
jlanik at plinet.com 

Return to table of contents


From: John Reese <John_Reese at mail.campbell-mithun.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 16:23:03 +0300
Subject: Wild yeast/Old ale

A question for the brewing collective: 
 
I have used wild yeast from the skins of organically cultivated raisins 
to ferment a mead and a cider.  The mead was remarkably complex, and 
remained the foremost choice among all other meads fermented with 
specialized commercial yeasts throughout it's long life (two years).  As 
one may expect, acidity was quite noticeable at all points.  The cider 
currently is maturing, but it's fragrance at racking suggests a complex, 
pleasing product. 
 
Here is my question.  Could wild yeast cultivated from raisins produce 
an old/strong ale? 
 
My rationale for using yeast from such an unusual source runs as 
follows.  Thanks to a recent article on old and strong ales in Brewing 
Techniques, we know that acidification in cask was crucial to 
attenuation of these high-gravity styles.  The historical data suggests 
they were dry rather than hoppy or sweet, again indicating that 
acidification is crucial to the flavor profile.  The only commercial 
yeasts I know capable of acidifying wort to such an extent would be the 
weizens on the market, but their performance at O.G. 1.100 might not be 
the same, and enormous ester production is assured.  On the other hand, 
wild yeasts on grapes have performed admirably for eons at such O.G.s. 
 
Has anyone tried this? What do you think? 

Return to table of contents


From: "Dave Hinkle" <Dave.Hinkle at aexp.com>
Date: 30 Sep 1996 15:43:34 -0700
Subject: Coors press release - Huh?/ GABF sham

In a recent press release from Coors after they won a gold and 4 silver medals 
at the GABF, it said: 
 
"The Coors victory platform was highlighted by Original Coors, which pulled 
down a Gold Medal in the American Premium Lager category.  ...  Part of the 
Original Coors relaunch was a commitment to take brand quality and consistency 
to a higher level, which included a return to a 100 percent rice formula." 
 
Yet in the same release, Joe Wagner of Coors says "123 years of heritage - 
along with High Country barley, Rocky Mountain water, premium hops and rice -  
does indeed taste great." 
 
All I can say is: "Huh?" 
 
I take the medals w/ a grain of salt, after all, Red Dog won this same category
last year!  We all know Rob deserves HIS medal, 'cause it's for a REAL 
category.  How long will the GABF keep this mega-brewery category sham up?  Do 
they (the megas) really provide THAT much money that GABF sticks in the 
bogus-style categories geared just for them? 
 
Dave Hinkle 
Phoenix, AZ 

Return to table of contents


From: BernardCh at aol.com
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 18:50:51 -0400
Subject: First try at Wyeat Starter - Am I on the right track?

I'm going to attempt my first Wyeast starter this week for a brew session on 
Saturday.  The yeast is a 2278 Czech Pils (dated mid-August).  I have a can 
of Muntons hopped "kit" syrup extract which I haven't used.  Following the 
starter directions on the Wyeast package can I use this hopped syrup to make 
my starter?  I would estimate about 1/2 cup of extract in 2 cups of H2O. 
 
What about the timing of this process.  Using the 1day/month of age for the 
yeast package, I think I should activate my package on Wednesday evening, and 
pitch into my starter Friday evening.  This should have my starter at high 
krausen sometime Saturday, late afternoon or early eveing.  Does this timing 
sound right? 
 
If brewing a five gallon batch will I have to do an additional step-up or 
will this one step be sufficient? 
 
Any other suggestions or things I should be aware of? 
 
Thanks in advance. 
 
Chuck 

Return to table of contents


From: BernardCh at aol.com
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 18:50:59 -0400
Subject: Achieving Lager Temps In a Round 10 Gal Igloo Cooler

I'm trying to postpone the purchase of a beer fridge until 97.  Has anyone 
out there in brewing land tried this? 
 
I have one of those round 10 gallon Igloo brand drinking coolers that I will 
be using for my mash tun.  A five gallon carboy fits inside this with about 1 
1/2 inches to spare on all sides, and the neck of the carboy comes just to 
the top of the cooler.  With an airlock on I know I can't use the Igloo top 
but I was thinking about cutting a circular piece of Styrofoam the same 
diameter as the cooler opening with a hole on the center just big enough for 
the airlock to poke through.  Meanwhile the carboy would sit in a water bath 
to which I could add several pounds of ice a couple of times each day to keep 
the water bath cold.  As the water level rises I could drain some off using 
the drink spigot. 
 
With the foam top in place, I think this might be an effective method to 
acheive a fairly stable 50 - 60 degree F fermentation temperature. 
 
Looking for opinions on the soundness of my reasoning. 
 
Thaks in advance. 
 
Chuck 

Return to table of contents


From: Andy Walsh <awalsh at crl.com.au>
Date: Tue, 01 Oct 1996 10:32:31 +1000
Subject: controlling clove phenolics

Hi. 
This is a little old, but still vaguely interesting. 
George De Piro recently asked about controlling the clove phenolic in 
weizenbeer. Several responded that adding a 44C mash rest will release 
ferulic acid, the precursor of 4-vinyl guaiacol (4VG), so that by 
including such a step, one will obtain more 4VG in the finished product. 
 
Hidden amongst all the sorghum articles in the latest Journal of the 
Institute of Brewing (Sep/Oct 96) is one called, "Control of ferulic 
acid and 4VG in brewing", by Ian Murrough et al. 
 
This article verifies the importance of this rest if one wants 4VG in 
the end product. There were some additional points made: 
 
- - the enzyme that releases ferulic acid from malt is rapidly deactivated 
much above 45C. About five times as much ferulic acid is produced by 
including a 30 min 45C step as by infusing straight in at 65C. 
- - your yeast must have the gene that converts ferulic acid to 4VG. Many 
wild yeasts will have this, some ale yeasts, and very few lager yeasts. 
Different yeasts will produce differing amounts of 4VG from ferulic 
acid. 
- - 4VG is easily oxidised to other (less strongly flavoured) compounds. 
- - ferulic acid is optimally produced at 44C and pH 5.8. Note this pH is 
a little higher than your average mash pH of 5.2 (or thereabouts). 
- - 4VG decreases with storage time. Half life is around 60 days at 18C, 
or 28 days at 37C. 
 
So, presumably when making a weizen, the 44C rest should be included (at 
high pH), and the correct yeast chosen. Final 4VG levels will be 
strongly age dependent. It would appear that once the desired level is 
reached, the beer should be refrigerated to delay further 4VG 
degradation. 
 
Another observation is that some ale yeasts also possess this gene. Use 
of the 40/60/70 mash regimen (as popularised on the HBD by George Fix) 
may lead to undesirable phenolic characters when using such yeasts. It 
may therefore be preferable to use a straight 65C infusion to avoid this 
characteristic in such beers. (Alternatively, if your ale is phenolic, 
leave it around for a few months at room temperature and this will 
decrease). 
 
Note that there are other phenolic acids (such as p-coumaric acid, which 
leads to 4-vinyl phenol in beer) which are also affected in a similar 
manner. So phenolics in general may be controlled in a similar fashion, 
if a given yeast is prone to producing them. 
 
Hope a few others found this vaguely interesting... 
 
- -- 
Weizen Walsh 
 

Return to table of contents


From: "Ed J. Basgall" <edb at chem.psu.edu>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 96 21:03:30 EDT
Subject: Airstone oxygenation

Hi David:  you wrote in HBD# 2190 
 
From: David Whitwell <DWhitwell at wow.comm,> 
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 12:36:26 -0400 
Subject: Oxygenation with airstones 
 
I am interested in using a bubblestone to oxygenate the wort of my next ale. I 
seem to recall there was a way to put a piece of cotton soaked with rubbing 
alcohol in the airline to act as a "bacteria trap" to keep the beasties from 
getting to the wort before my yeasties. Since none of the airpumps I saw had an
"in" line that could be filtered in this fashion, I assume I would have to 
filter it somewhere along the "out" line. Is there an easy, cheap way to do 
this? 
 
Brew On!    David 
 
My technique FWIW: 
 
I use an aquarium pump with an airstone in a setup that also includes 
a hydrogen peroxide trap.  If you put wet cotton in an airline there will 
be more back pressure and it will be harder to pump air through. 
 
It goes like this: 
 
Materials: 
1 pint mason jar with lid and band.  Drill 2 tubing size holes in lid. 
Silicone or heatset glue. 
aquarium pump 
several feet (6) of aquaruim tubing 
2 airstones 
hydrogen peroxide 
sanitizer of choice, (iodophore, 70% ethanol, bleach...) 
 
Starting at the pump end:   Put a dry loose cotton plug in the end of the 
hose  (1-2 ft long) where it attaches to the pump.  If it's too tight you 
won't be able to push enough air through. (a .2um sterile syringe filter also 
will work, if you have access to such supplies) 
 
Push the other piece through the hole in the lid so about 4-5" will be 
inside the jar (just enough to reach the bottom). 
Attach one air stone to this short end that will be inside the jar. 
Seal this in place with Si or heat set glue, (no leaks, jar will be slightly 
pressurized in use. 
 
Push another longer piece of tubing (3 ft) through the sedcond hole in the 
lid so only 1/2" is sticking into the jar. Also,seal this in so there are 
no leaks. 
 
Attach the second airstone to the long end, this needs to be sanitized before 
putting into your cooled wort or starter. 
 
Assemble the aeration unit:  Put enough hydrogen peroxide in the jar to cover 
the first airstone.  Backfill the long tube with sanitizer (I use iodophore or 
70% ethanol) by immersing in solution and sucking up to fill airstone and line.
Leave airstone & line filled with sanitizer. This will get blown out later.
 
Screw the lid on tight and attach cotton plugged end to aquarium air pump. 
Place long end of tube with second airstone into sanitizer (coil it up so the 
outside will get sanitized to estimated depth of wort). 
Turn the pump on and check for leaks.  Hydrogen peroxide should bubble and 
as the pressure builds the sanitizer should also be forced out and the second 
airstone will also bubble.    (Bleach will take the longest to clear out, so 
I don't recommend using it prior to aerating). 
 
I usually try to aerate after pitching with the yeast for about 10 minutes 
or until the foam looks like it will crawl out of the tank. The hydrogen 
peroxide should provide additional oxygen as it breaks down.  Be sure to 
clean the airstone up well after each use by drawing sanitizer up into 
it several times. 
 
Feel free to comment or ??? 
enjoy 
 
Ed Basgall 
SCUM 
State College Underground Maltsters 
 

Return to table of contents