---

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

Contents:
  potentially weak beer (Matt Wise)
  Light and Mead (Michael Caprara)
  summary of posts on infection/off flavors ("Ray Robert")
  Saranac Pale Ale (Michael Gerholdt)
  British IPA (andy anderson)
  energizer bunny yeast (AJN)
  The gravity of molasses... (Kirk Boley)
  re: SS Tanks ("Palmer.John")
  Galveston Brewing Company ((John Taylor))
  brew in tallahassee/dateline ("Ted Hull")
  RE: Wild Hops, RedHook, Dateline ("Gregory, Guy J.")
  Chilling (TheTHP at aol.com)
  Papazian Palace Bitter recipe (edyaz at epix.net)
  Re: Dateline NBC piece  (Scott Murman)
  Re: Wyeast info on Web (Mark Warrington)
  Chest Freezers (Ken Sullivan)
  A really cool immersion wort chiller I made (Ken Sullivan)
  Ca in PU (Jim Busch)
  sorry, George (Michael Gerholdt)
  Blue Moon, etc. (WayneWaan at aol.com)
  Acidifying lager mash (Alex Santic)
  Maple Ale or Stout ("V.J. Mitchell")
  Marris Otter Pale Ale Malt ("Brian Krause")
  Hard Cider ((Mark Andrizzi))
  chocolate beer (bob rogers)
  Sorghum Report: Part A (Michael Gerholdt)

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: Matt Wise <matt.wise at kwsoft.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 08:37:34 -0400
Subject: potentially weak beer

This weekend I started a batch of apple beer.  I modified the recipe = 
("apples in the snow" from Cat's Meow) to work with the ingredients on = 
hand.  Now that is fermenting, I am afraid it will be weak tasting and = 
have a low alcohol content.  The OG is only 1.032.  Would it help to add = 
some malt extract (or even corn sugar) prior to a secondary = 
fermentation?  I am afraid the yeast will consume all of the sugars and = 
leave me with a "dry" tasting beer.  I am not sure what type of yeast I = 
have.  It came w/ a Munton & Fister "Old Ale" kit that I used in the = 
recipe.  I would appreciate if anyone could tell me more about this = 
yeast.  Maybe I should have asked some of this stuff prior to starting = 
the batch.  In case you haven't guessed, I am almost a newbie. 
 
Thanks, 
Matt 

Return to table of contents


From: Michael Caprara <mcaprara at awwarf.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 09:16:05 -0600
Subject: Light and Mead

Hello All! 
I have a question about storing meads and ciders.  I have a space above 
my kitchen cabinets that will allow for some wine racks.  I would like to 
store some of my meads and ciders up there.  Is there a problem with 
sunlight and flourescent light hitting meads and ciders?  All of the bottles 
are corked and will lay on their sides.  My kitchen gets DIRECT sunlight 
first thing in the morning.  I have a flourescent fixture on the ceiling of my 
kitchen. 
 
Thanks in advance for the info.  Email me at mcaprara at awwarf.com 
 
Brewfully Deadicated 
 
MC 
 

Return to table of contents


From: "Ray Robert" <Ray_Robert at bah.com>
Date: 14 Oct 1996 11:32:29 U
Subject: summary of posts on infection/off flavors

This is a summary of the tips from my recent question re: infections/off 
flavors 
 
Some of these are direct quotes others are summarized. 
 
1.  clean [equipment] after use....store until needed...clean again 
...sanitise (with bleach solution 1T/g) and rinse 4 times with preboiled water 
(allow to cool to 160F+. ) (?) 
 
2.  Replace the fermenter.  Plastic scratches easily.  Scratches can 
harbor bacteria and keep the sanitizing solution away from them. (Spencer and 
others) 
 
3.  Sterilize the copper tube by baking it at 300F for 30 minutes. (Spencer) 
 
4.  put the immersion coil in the wort several minutes before knockout in 
order to sanitise it.  Check for possibility of an immersion coil leak or drip 
into the wort  (Steve A) 
 
5.  Dust from crushed grain is a great source of bacteria - try to keep 
the grist dust away from the wort.  Bacteria can easily get airborne. 
Avoid air drafts around the sterile boiled wort and clean primary. (Steve A) 
 
6.  Try a thorough cleaning before brew day.  Clean whatever is overhead - 
a stove vent fan or whatever.  Mop down the floors and counter 
surfaces if you can with a dilute clorox solution or similar 
sanitizer, and pour some down any nearby drains - bacteria thrive in 
drain traps.  Don't raise an excessive amount of 'dust' on brewing 
day. (Steve A) 
 
7.  After the wort cooling begins, put on a pair of 'kitchen' rubber gloves 
and wipe or soak the surface with sanitizer. (Steve A) 
 
8.  Use a paper face mask when replicating yeast cultures (Steve A) 
 
9.  don't suck-start any syphon.  If you can pre-fill the syphon with 
pre-boiled water and pinch the end, then insert the end into the container ... 
(Steve A) 
 
10. Always boil your priming sugar (many) 
 
11.  Always use a starter.   If your starter has problems you don't have to 
pitch it (many) 
 
12. Sanitize anything that has gone into or come from the fridge.  large 
potential for bacterial infection (several) 
 
13.  Watch the ferment temps closely.  Maintain temp range for the yeast you 
are using. (many) 
 
14.  "One thing I noticed is that you only mashed 1 hour at 150F.  This is 
quite short for a 150F mash.  I recommend increasing that to 2 hours and see 
if the haze goes away. 
It could be starch haze.  Also, if it was not fully converted, the OG would be 
low and the flavour would be weak.  Weak beer does tend to taste a little sour 
just from the carbonation." 
(Al K.) 
 
Try bottling the yeast slurry from your primary. If the batch is bad throw it 
out. Other wise keep it in the fridge. To use open the bottle, and 
extract 5ml of slurry. Add this to a starter and recap the rest 
of the slurry. You can keep yeast going for years this way. (?) 
 
(If I missed an attribution, I apologize.  The volume of email on this was 
tremendous) 
Many thanks to the following for their private emails: 
 
Steve Alexander 
Bob Bessette 
Tom Herlache 
Mark Lindberg 
Sara&Rod 
Jim booth 
Spencer Thomas 
brian (b.j.) grier 
Dave Greenbaum 
Al Korzonas 
SMurman 
Alex Santic 
 
Regards 
Robert 
ray_robert at bah.com 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Michael Gerholdt <gerholdt at ait.fredonia.edu>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 13:17:55 -0500
Subject: Saranac Pale Ale

Bill Watt wrote: 
 
>> 
I would like to cast my vote (election day nears) for a favorite IPA. 
although not called IPA, Saranac Pale Ale is certainly way up there on 
the hoppiness scale. 
It is brewed by F.X.Matt in Utica, NY and is well worth a taste if you 
can get it in your area. 
For info on the Saranac line visit www.saranac.com 
I found this address under their bottle caps.  No affiliation, 
yadda,etc. 
<< 
 
respondo: 
 
The Saranac Pale Ales are pretty good. There are two, both labeled 
"Traditional." One has Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops; the other, Kent 
Goldings and Cascades. The yeast appears to be the same. I prefer the Pale 
Ale with the Cascades; the hops are a bit more pronounced. Look on the neck 
label for info on which one you are purchasing. 
 
I don't think it is quite "big enough" to qualify as an India Pale Ale, 
however; at least, that's not what occurs to me as I drink it. Just a pretty 
good Pale Ale. (All things are relative; there is no comparison between this 
and SNPA, for example. But given what's on the shelves at Quality or Tops, 
Saranac's is definitely not depressing.) 
 
************* 
 
Guy Gregory wrote earlier: 
 
>> 
OK, so Bass isn't actually an IPA, but I like it.  I have driven, in the 
late 70's or early 80's, about 60 miles to have one from a tap, and pay the 
princely sum of 2.50 per pint at the time for the pleasure.... 
<< 
 
respondo 
 
I used to like Bass, and think it good. Either it has changed, or I have 
(and I know I have, but maybe we *both* have?). After not tasting it for a 
bit over a year, I had a bottle a couple months ago and it was all I could 
do to get through it. Tasted brown sugary, strange. Certainly not like an 
IPA, and not even like what I consider a pale ale. Complained to the barkeep 
, who cracked another bottle for the house taster. He said it tasted 
"normal" to him. I poured some out of his bottle into a glass and it was the 
same as mine. Not skunky, just bad. 
 
I'll never ask for another Bass unless I'm somewhere that has it on tap and 
they give out free samplers. YUK!!!! 
 
 
- -- 
 

Return to table of contents


From: andy anderson <andy at dnaandfp.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:01:08 +0100
Subject: British IPA

Greetings, 
     Uh-oh, here's where I get into trouble by lurching out of 
lurker mode.  And given the quantity of HBD these days, my 
response will undoubtedly be OBE by the time it reaches your 
screen.  Nevertheless ... 
 
     "Dave Hinkle" <Dave.Hinkle at aexp.com> writes on the 
subject of IPA: 
 
>Maybe the question is best answered at the source of this style. 
>Help me out here Brits, but in my travels through England, I don't 
>recall ever seeing an IPA in a pub.  IPA style was originated in 
>England, but are there any contemporary commercial examples 
>still produced there? Especially, anything in bottles that we Yanks 
>might be able to get a hold of? 
 
     To give you some background, I'm not a Brit, but an 
American who has been living in England for the past two years. 
As a homebrewer in the U.S. I have made numerous American 
Pale Ales (APA), and as an imbiber in England, I've sampled just 
about everything I could find, including British India Pale Ales 
(IPA). 
     We all know the story of the original IPA's, the long transit 
times to India, the wreck of an East Indiaman on English shores, 
and the resulting demand for IPA on English shores.  However, 
that is the past.  The IPA which is the hearty, hoppy, and strong 
ale-of-choice of hopheads the world over can only be found in the 
U.S.  Here in Britain, there are some IPA's to be found, but in 
general they are lower in alcohol than even the normal bitter.  A 
typical English IPA will have an OG of around 1.038 with a 
bitterness of around 15-20 IBU's (my estimation of IBU's).  Over 
here, the term IPA is used more for marketing purposes than as a 
style description.  In fact if you enter a pub and find an IPA on 
draft, the landlord is usually advertising it as the cheapest ale on 
the premises (that's because it's one-step removed from water, 
IMHO).  There are occasionally micro-brewers which offer a 
stronger, hoppier IPA, but it is usually marketed as a throw-back 
to the days of old and is only a seasonal beer. 
     These days, the only time I buy a pint of IPA in England is 
if it is one I've never tried before.  Invariably it is also the last 
pint of that particular IPA which I order.  So, unless you are reviewing 
150-year old brewing texts, stop looking to England for information 
on the creation of IPA.  The U.S. is where you will find the closest 
thing to the IPA's of old. 
 
Cheers, 
Andy 
 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Work EMail address:   andy at dnaandfp.demon.co.uk 
Home EMail address:     andy at fpusa.demon.co.uk 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Return to table of contents


From: AJN <neitzkea at frc.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:04:01 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: energizer bunny yeast

A few days ago, I posted that my wheat beer had been in the fermenter 
almost three weeks, and it was still going. 
 
Well, it just pased the three week period.  I decided to take a 
hydrometer reading Saturday, it read 1.000,  the problem is... it's still 
going! 
 
I'm using W51, I think.  Should I expect it to get to, or go below 1.000? 
 
I would be worring right now, but I tasted it, it was flatt but very very 
good!  This *is* the best beer I have ever made.  It was like having a 
mouth full of cloves, not overpowering, but definitly cloves and cloudy too 
(this I expected). 
 
Private e-mail is fine on my question, thanks. 
 
_________________________________________________________________________ 
Arnold J. Neitzke                         Internet Mail: neitzkea at frc.com 
Brighton, Mi. 

Return to table of contents


From: Kirk Boley <Kirk.Boley at vmic.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 12:42:34 -0500
Subject: The gravity of molasses...

Hi all, 
 
 I'm making a holiday spiced beer which is happily fermenting 
as we read. One of the ingredients I used was a pint of natural (no sulfur, 
no preservatives) blackstrap molasses. 
 
My question: 
 
 Does anyone have any idea what this contributed to the OG of 
my wort? 
 
 
TIA. 
 
Kirk Boley 
kboley at juno.com   <--- private replies to this address, please 

Return to table of contents


From: "Palmer.John" <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Date: 14 Oct 1996 09:42:39 U
Subject: re: SS Tanks

Jeff asks about some Stainless tanks he got from the scrap yard: 
 
>The outer shell is 25" tall with a 12" diameter.  They 
>hold about 13 gallons of water.  The inside of the tank is stamped with 
>"059  304  HT92955".  What does that mean? (Metallurgists?) 
 
Well, I am not positive, but this lots to me like the Heat Lot code. 304 is the
alloy, its what all sanitary stainless tanks are made of. HT probably stands 
for
Heat Treat but I doubt that the rest of the number is the date, 9/29/55 would 
be
a bit old, even for a scrap yard. The 059 might be part of an overall code, 
indicating the batch of steel that this tank was produced from. 
 
Sounds like a great deal! 
John 
 
John J. Palmer - Metallurgist for MDA-ISS M&P 
johnj at primenet.com  Huntington Beach, California 
Palmer House Brewery and Smithy - www.primenet.com/~johnj/ 

Return to table of contents


From: jltaylor at ix.netcom.com (John Taylor)
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 17:55:14 GMT
Subject: Galveston Brewing Company

 This weekend I had the chance to tour Galveston Brewing 
Company.  The Oatmeal Stout that I had was GREAT.  The equipment that 
they use, converted dairy equipment, was interesting to look at.  The 
converstions might give me some ideas for the future. (Where is that 
ad for the local welding school). 
- -------------------------------------------- 
John Taylor [JLTaylor at ix.netcom.com] 
Brew Stud pico-Brewery Austin, Texas <<Cofounder>> 
Specializing in hand crafted ales & meads 

Return to table of contents


From: "Ted Hull" <THull at brwncald.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 7:27:04 EDT
Subject: brew in tallahassee/dateline

howdy, 
 just wanted to let the collective know about a great 
*little* place to get a beer in tallahassee, florida. it's 
called the leon pub, and it's on 6th street. i was there 
visiting saturday and was quite impressed.  the booth behind me 
was full of chefs from local restaurants talking about mashing 
pumpkin (the general comment was that it's a PITA). 
 
 the barmaid was a bit gruff, and she apparently cares 
more about the beer at times than the customers, but what a 
selection! i enjoyed my first anchor old foghorn (on tap, no 
less), but all told the selection filled and entire page in 
small type. and the prices were excellent, with most beers for 
$3 or less. give it a try if you get an opportunity. 
 
 also, i got back just in time to catch the dateline 
story. did stone(d) phillips mention at the end that all 
budweiser says st. louis, missouri on the label? if not, they 
probably deserve some nasty email for being a bit biased in 
their coverage. and i'm sure a-b is just concerned about the 
customer's well-being. yeah, right. 
 
ted hull 
atlanta, ga 

Return to table of contents


From: "Gregory, Guy J." <GGRE461 at ecy.wa.gov>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 11:03:00 PDT
Subject: RE: Wild Hops, RedHook, Dateline

 
jander <jander at wasatch.com> in his  Wild Hops Recap notes the bad news:: 
 
"definitely not for use as flavor or aroma hops -- a definite 
grassy smell reminiscent of alfalfa; and 2) I wound up with a *lot* of 
"brainy" material in the cooled wort. " 
 
I don't know about the "brainy" material, but I had a grassy smell from some 
homegrown Northern Brewer hops this year.  I picked three varieties, and 
ceased drying the NB's first, because they seemed "ready".  Well, after 
freezing, they reminded me of a hayfield, grassy and dank, while the 
varieties which dried another day have excellent hop character.  Perhaps 
they didn't get dry? 
 - 
 Michael Caprara <mcaprara at awwarf.com> states categorically, regarding Blue 
Moon: 
 
"Hey, just because it is brewed by Coors doesn't mean it is not good. 
Besides, Red Hook is Budweiser...." 
 
Red Hook is brewed by the Red Hook Brewery in Seattle.  I think their 
building another one back in the non-cascade hop east somewhere.  Red Hook, 
to my knowledge, is most assuredly not Budweiser, though AB does own some of 
the company.  I have detected no loss in quality since AB bought some stock. 
  No interest, just a satisified consumer, blah, blah. 
 
The Dateline article on this topic was hardly news to many of us.  I guess I 
agree with the Micro's and AB on this, that the brewery of origin should be 
on the bottle.  I do not find it suprising, though, that megabreweries can 
make good beer.  What I find suprising is that it took so long for the MBA's 
that run these outfits to realize that good beer is good, and people will 
drink it.  I look forward to Bud labeling each beer to it's specific brewery 
of origin as well, not just a litany of each of their breweries on the 
label.  Hopefully, one day, they will produce vast quantities of beer that 
tastes good.  Wow. 
 
BTW, Bud's date of birth advertising is kinda catchy, isn't it?  It ain't 
enough to make me buy one, though. 
 
cheers 
GuyG4 at aol.com 
Guy Gregory 
Lightning Creek Home Brewery 
Fell off the barley truck last week, Beer born yesterday 
 

Return to table of contents


From: TheTHP at aol.com
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:52:00 -0400
Subject: Chilling

Greetings all Ye Knowledgable Masses, 
 
I have a question. Is adding my 2.5 gal of nearling boiling Wort to 2.5 gal 
cold water and then chilling the entire 5 gal the best way to go? What effect 
does this have on the wort?  Chilling the 2.5 gal of hot wort and adding that 
to the cold water be less rough on the beer. Is this beneficial? 
 
Background info: 
I am a partial mash/extract brewer (not for much longer: ) 
My current batch is a Nut brown ale 
My brew pot is only 3 gal 
My current process it to gently & carefully pour Hot wort into a 5 gal pale 
with 2.5 gal of cold water. the pale has a tap, to which is attached flexible 
tubing which is attached to a 25 ft copper coil. the coil rests 20 lb of Ice, 
sprinkled with road salt, and toped off with water. Wort flows through ciller 
into a few more inches of flexible tubing and into the neck of my 5 or 6.5 
gal fermenter. Usually comes out at a convienent 68 degrees or below in 
winter time. Comments and suggestions appreciated. Thanks 
 
Phil Wilcox 
Poison Frog Home Brewery 
Home of KneeDeep Ale and Dart Frog Dortmunder 

Return to table of contents


From: edyaz at epix.net
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 12:04:06 PDT
Subject: Papazian Palace Bitter recipe

 
Over the weekend I made a the Palace Bitter from The New Complete Joy of 
Homebrewing.
I'm just over 48 hours past brewing, and the beer is definitely in active 
fermentation
(My blow hose passes air bubbles ever 2 seconds.), however there is no kraeusen
to be
seen. The carboy shows some residual foam, but only 1-2 inches. I know that 
bitters
can have a tendency to stay a little flat, but I expected more foam than this. 
 
Has anyone else had a similar situation with the Palace Bitter. I used a dry 
ale yeast
and followed the recipe exactly, except for 1 lb. crystal male instead of 12 
oz.
 
Feel free to answer here or direct private email to edyaz at epix.net. Thanks. 
- ------------------------------------- 
Name: Edward T. Yashinsky 
E-mail: edyaz at epix.net 
Date: 10/14/96 
Time: 12:04:07 PM 
 
This message was sent by Chameleon 
- ------------------------------------- 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Scott Murman <smurman at best.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:08:31 -0700
Subject: Re: Dateline NBC piece 

On Sun, 13 Oct 1996 21:51:36 -0400  MrMike656 at aol.com wrote: 
> 
> I hope you caught the Jim Koch bash on Dateline NBC on this past Sunday. 
 
I caught it by accident.  While I agree with you that it was a biased 
piece, I did find one fact disturbing.  When discussing Oregon Brewing 
Co., and unit I have absolutely no love or respect for, lo and behold 
they are actually owned by Jim Koch and the Boston Brewing Co.  Now if 
this isn't intentionally trying to mislead the consumer using false 
labeling than what is?  (For those of you geographically challenged, 
Oregon Brew is a yuppie brew that is totally a marketing gimmic.  The 
beer isn't even very good.  Somewhat like a certain Boston Lager).  If 
these quasi-investigative reporters had spent more time on the 
implications of that, they might have been more effective convincing 
people there's something fishy in Boston. 
 
SM 

Return to table of contents


From: Mark Warrington <76322.2102 at CompuServe.COM>
Date: 14 Oct 96 15:09:29 EDT
Subject: Re: Wyeast info on Web

<From: Charles Capwell <chas at A119019.sat1.as.crl.com> 
<Date: Sat, 12 Oct 1996 22:17:18 -0500 (CDT) 
<Subject: Wyeast Page? 
< 
<I was just curious, does Wyeast(or any other yeast producer) have a homepage? 
<Or is there another source for info on Wyeast on the 'net? I'm asking 'cause 
<I've got 20 megs of space to fill with web stuff and if there isn't a 
<comprehensive listing of Wyeast products out there, I thought I'd take up part
<of it with the data off a Wyeast paphlet I have here. And if there are others 
<who have similar data for other yeast producers I'd gladly put it up there, 
<too. That is providing you mail/fax me a copy of it. :> 
< 
<I have done a search on Alta Vista and Yahoo for Wyeast and came up 
<effectivley empty handed. (There were some references but mainly to web 
<order forms). 
< 
<- -Chas 
<(chas at crl.com) 
 
Try the following URL for Wyeast info: 
 
http://www.homebrew.inter.net/homebrew/wyeast.html 
 
Everything you could want to know! 
 
Mark Warrington 
Tri-State Brewers  http://users.aol.com/tristateb/welcome.html 
 
(until the Brewery account we have at 
http://alpha.rollanet.org/~tristate/welcome.html 
 
gets back up for updated web pages) 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Ken Sullivan <kj at nts.gssc.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 13:47:31 -0600
Subject: Chest Freezers

>Mike wrote asking if anyone had experience with lagering in 
a chest freezer... 
 
Well a quick story.. After telling my wife I could get started 
homebrewing for only $50 ;-) I walked out of the homebrew shop 
with the beginners complete kegging system! ($400) only to find 
out that scince it was the beginning of summer, I couldn't brew 
lagers (the wife's favorite).  I then begged and convinced her 
that we had to buy a chest freezer! We bought a GE 8.5 cu.ft. 
chest freezer and hooked up a Hunter AirStat controller. Cost 
was about $325 for the freezer.  If you have the space, get a 
bigger one. I can fit 1 carboy and 2 corny kegs and about 2 cases 
on the shelf.  Make that only one case on the shelf. The unit 
is very quiet, doesn't run very often because the lowest temp 
the AirStat will reach is 39-40F. I have made some pretty 
awesome Amber Wheat Lagers with it!! Empty, I can pick it up 
by myself.  I love having the chest freezer! I wish it was 
bigger or had the capability for 2 separate compartments and 
temperatures.  Maybe, I'll just buy another one ;-) 
 
Enjoy! 
 
KJ 

Return to table of contents


From: Ken Sullivan <kj at nts.gssc.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:02:14 -0600
Subject: A really cool immersion wort chiller I made

Hi all, 
Get out your propane torch, copper pipe and pipe cutters! 
I designed and made a truly great wort chiller! The design 
uses 50' of 1/2" copper pipe. I started by winding 4 spirals 
of copper pipe that would just fit into my 5 gallon SS pot. 
Each of the spirals connects to a manifold pipe for both the 
water in and water out.  For the manifold, I used straight 
3/4" copper pipe with tees and end caps. Each manifold has 
a hose connection.  I attached each spiral to sit at a 
different level in the brew pot, so one sits on the bottom, 
then another about 2" above that and so on. The top spiral 
sits just below the top of a 4.5 gallon brew.  I have timed 
the chilling and can easily drop boiling wort to 70F in 10 mins 
by gently lifting the chiller 1/2" up and down.  There is 
enough space in the center of the spirals to drop in a 
hop bag for the aroma addition during cooling. Best of all, 
no solder connections ever come in contact with the wort. 
To attach the two manifolds and hose connections together, 
I wrapped copper wire around them numerous times and then 
soldered the wire to the chiller. One tight custom unit! 
 
KJ 

Return to table of contents


From: Jim Busch <busch at eosdev2.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:20:10 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Ca in PU

Joe asks: 
 
<Jim Busch - can you help out does Pils Urq. add more all along 
<the way, to the water, mash, sparge and kettle...? 
 
I think AJ deLange may be a better source of this info, but as 
I understand they do not add calcium to any portion of the 
brewing process.  If anyone knows better please speak up, but 
this is what I have understood to be the practice.  Very long 
acid rests to bring the pH down. 
 
Jim Busch 
 
See Victory Brewing at: 
http://www.victorybeer.com/ 

Return to table of contents


From: Michael Gerholdt <gerholdt at ait.fredonia.edu>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 17:24:17 -0500
Subject: sorry, George

I recently posted that I found a statement written by George De Piro to be 
patronizing. It's the truth ... I do. 
 
However, I have always found George's posts illuminating and helpful, and 
his attitude friendly.I didn't intend my remarks to be a personal slam, 
though that's the way they sound. 
 
My spell checker works ok but I need an update on my attitude checker. There 
is quite a bit of nitpicking here and I didn't mean to add to that ... guess 
I did though. Apologies to all for that. 
- -- 
 

Return to table of contents


From: WayneWaan at aol.com
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 17:35:05 -0400
Subject: Blue Moon, etc.

As the former Brewmaster of the SandLot Brewery at Coors Field I can give you 
all the definitive word on the Blue Moon Brews. The recipes are all the work 
of Dr. Keith Villa, who works in Brewing Research and Development at Coors 
Brewing Co. in Golden. The first few beers released were mostly Keith's 
ideas. Blue Moon Brewing Co. is a part of Unibev, which is the specialty beer 
marketing division of Coors. Jim Sabia, who is the brand manager for Blue 
Moon, is now telling Keith what to make based on marketing surveys. "If such 
and such sells make a beer like it."  The first commercial example of the 
Blue Moon Belgian Wit was brewed an the SandLot Brewery under the name of 
Belly Slide Belgian Wit. All of the R&D on the product however, was done in 
Golden in the pilot brewery and in the Micron brewery, which is what Brewing 
R&D call their five gallon brewery. Blue Moon Brewing Co. uses a Denver, CO 
address because that is where the SandLot Brewery is located and is, of 
cource, owned by Coors. Unibev has just taken over control of the SandLot 
Brewery from Brewing R&D, which is why I am now unemployed, and will probably 
be making more Blue Moon products down there. The SandLot Brewery is just a 
10 bbl brewhouse, so it cannot make any beer for sale outside of the 
restaurant adjacent to it, which is owned by the Rockies and ARAMARK, who 
operates all the concessions for Coors Field. At first, all the Blue Moon 
beers were made by F.X. Matt, but now all are made by Hudepohl-Schoenling in 
Cincinnati. I believe that they may expand to a brewer in the Pacific NW, 
either Ranier or Blitz-Weinhardt. There should be a release of the Harvest 
Pumpkin Ale out now and, in development, are another fruit beer and another 
Belgian-Style ale. 
 
 
As far as the thread about IPA's go, there is nothing wrong with American 
hops in an IPA!!!! I won two gold medals at the GABF for my Vail Pale Ale 
which just used Centennials and Cascades. Most British brewers have become 
too afraid of hops lately and it is up to American Brewers to help them along 
the way. A couple of years ago Thom Thomlinson (Tom Cat Brewing) and Garret 
Oliver (Brooklyn Brewing) went over to the UK to teach a course on IPA!!! 
 There is the style known as English-Style Pale Ale for those that care for 
English hops. An IPA ,in my mind, should be a pale (little to no caramel 
malt) very bitter (60-75 IBU) slightly high gravity(1.060 to 1.070) ale. What 
hops and malt used should be up to the brewer!! A wonderfull example from 
Colorado Springs uses Southern Cross hops from New Zealand. Vail Pale Ale 
started at 1.060 and had 63 IBU. I used 4 hop additions in the kettle, at 
90min., 30min, 10min, and at the end of the boil. I also dry-hopped with 
whole cone hops for 3 weeks to get the aroma I feel an IPA needs. My favorite 
IPA is, of course, one I brewed myself, but the current brew coming out of 
Vail isn't too bad, and Anchor Liberty is suberb, if it is fresh. 
 
Pints Pub does have Pilsner Urquell on tap and it is as fresh as the one I 
had in Germany. They are also finally getting their 3 bbl brewery up and 
running to brew just cask conditioned real ale. 
 
Finally if anyone out there is looking for a Brewmaster or a Brewing 
Consultant I am available just E-Mail me. Thanks for the bandwidth. 
Wayne Waananen, Littleton, CO 
 
 
 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Alex Santic <alex at brainlink.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 17:53:08 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Acidifying lager mash

Ive been following this thread with some interest, although it has 
concerned itself primarily with acidifying the mash using lactic acid. 
For my first lager, a Bohemian-style Pils, Ive been planning to 
start with distilled water and add calcium chloride to bring Ca up 
to 50 ppm. Based on my current understanding, this should have 
the desired effect on mash pH without compromising the flavor of 
the brew. 
- -- 
Alex Santic - alex at salley.com 
Silicon Alley Connections, LLC 
527 Third Avenue #419 - NYC 10016 - 212-213-2666 - Fax 212-447-9107 
http://www.salley.com 
 
 

Return to table of contents


From: "V.J. Mitchell" <VJMitchell at asu.edu>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:02:29 -0700
Subject: Maple Ale or Stout

I have recently bottled my first batch of homebrew, a nut brown ale.  I 
tasted a fantastic maple stout 8 or 9 years ago in Newfoundland Canada 
and am very curious about producing a batch of my own.  I am also 
interested in maybe a maple porter or even a maple brown ale.  I have 
read many pieces on using maple syrup, amount vary from 1-2 quarts to 1 
- -1 1/2 cups.  Any advise would be really appriciated.  I want to produce 
abatch of homebrew to drink not pour over my waffles!!  Thanks. 
 
Vince Mitchell 
VJMitchell at asu.edu 

Return to table of contents


From: "Brian Krause" <bkrause at gwis.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 19:35:47 -0400
Subject: Marris Otter Pale Ale Malt

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. 
 
- ------=_NextPart_000_01BBBA06.E60E7D60 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 
 
Fellow Homebrewers... 
 
My local homebrew supply store (Grape & Granary, Akron Ohio) told me about 
a malt called MARRIS OTTER PALE ALE MALT.  Was wondering if anyone has had 
any experience with this malt.  It was suggested that it would be a good 
choice for a Old Style Scotch Ale. 
 
- ----  Brian G. Krause 
- --------  BKRAUSE at GWIS.COM 
- ------------  "Sit down, take your shoes off,  Have a Homebrew!!" 
- ------=_NextPart_000_01BBBA06.E60E7D60 
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 
 
<html><head></head><BODY bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><p><font size=3D1 = 
color=3D"#000000" face=3D"Arial">Fellow Homebrewers...<br><br>My local = 
homebrew supply store (Grape &amp; Granary, Akron Ohio) told me about a = 
malt called MARRIS OTTER PALE ALE MALT. &nbsp;Was wondering if anyone = 
has had any experience with this malt. &nbsp;It was suggested that it = 
would be a good choice for a Old Style Scotch Ale.<br><br>---- = 
&nbsp;Brian G. Krause<br>-------- &nbsp;<font = 
color=3D"#0000FF"><u>BKRAUSE at GWIS.COM</u><font = 
color=3D"#000000"><br>------------ &nbsp;&quot;Sit down, take your shoes = 
off, &nbsp;Have a Homebrew!!&quot;</p> 
</font></font></font></body></html> 
- ------=_NextPart_000_01BBBA06.E60E7D60-- 
 

Return to table of contents


From: FelixTKatt at gnn.com (Mark Andrizzi)
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 19:55:19
Subject: Hard Cider

Hi All, 
 
I know that this is a brewing digest and that I am asking about 
cider but I figured that this is the best forum for just such a 
question (at least for my purposes). 
 
I have been a homebrewer for over 5 years and do extract and 
all-grain brewing, and have been a member of this digest for quite 
some time.  I got a wild hair to make hard cider this fall (for the 
first time) and was wondering as to a "best recipe" that a fellow 
homebrewer may have used in the past.  I have already looked in the 
Cats Meow, but am looking for a recipe that has been tried and 
performed by another fellow "lover of wonderful home brewed beers". 
I would appreciate any recipes that have been used and enjoyed in 
the past.  Feel free to send in private or global post (though I 
know that many would not necessarily be interested in the recipes). 
 
TIA and understand that I already have 5 gallons of fresh Cider and 
will be performing my magic in the next 48 hours. 
 
 
Mark Andrizzi 
 
"Brew Well and Brew Often" 
Head Brewmeister of homebrewed "Monkey Butt Beers"tm 
 

Return to table of contents


From: bob rogers <bob at carol.net>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:14:35 -0400
Subject: chocolate beer

George De Piro says: 
 
>     Dale asks about using chocolate and coffee in beer (a la Redhook 
>     double black brewed with Starbucks Coffee-a marketing dream...) 
> 
>     CRUCIAL things:  It's incredibly bitter in a chalky, unpleasant way. 
>     Mash at high temp (156-158F) and use an unattenuative yeast to provide 
>     plenty of residual sweetness to balance and support the chocolate (I 
 
my favorite seasoning book: _a_matter_of_taste_ by humphrey 1965 reports 
that in ancient times, chocolate was balanced with vanilla. the vanilla 
"brings out the flavor of chocolate and coffee." has anyone tried it in beer?? 
 
the proportions used in the mexican drink chocolatl are: 
1oz chocolate to 1 teaspoon vanilla. 
 
bob: brewing in the heart of the bible belt 
bob rogers   bob at carol.net 
 

Return to table of contents


From: Michael Gerholdt <gerholdt at ait.fredonia.edu>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 20:09:27 -0500
Subject: Sorghum Report: Part A

I am one of the lucky three who received sorghum malt. Here is a progress 
report. 
 
Recently I asked some questions regarding "Ancient Grains" breakfast cereal. 
This cereal has no oils, dyes or preservatives ... nothing alien to beer 
except perhaps Sea Salt. The ingredients are organic by California legal 
standards (no chemical fertilizers/pesticides for three years). Ingredients 
include spelt, quinoa, kamut and millet, as well as wheat bran, barley flour 
, barley malt extract and sea salt (last listed). That's it. 
 
I figured that since my homebrew supply shop was short on everything in the 
world at the time, I could use this cereal as a source of grains that might 
have been used in Africa. Millet is commonly used, as either the base for 
beer or along with sorghum. So .... 
 
I took a couple pounds of mixed pale malts (bottom of the bins, mix and 
match) to mash with 26 oz of the Ancient Grains ... to provide the enzymes. 
I mashed low, medium and high for lots of time. Iodine tested positive for 
starch. I never got rid of starch in this beer. 
 
After mashing this stuff for about three hours, I let it sit, to sour. After 
24 hours, the sour smell was barely evident. I let it sit another 24 hours, 
and the sour smell was a bit stronger ... though not overpowering. I heated 
water, and added the porridge to it, brought it to a boil, then simmered it 
for about 45 minutes. Cooled to 160 and added the sorghum malt (2 kilos ... 
4.4 lb). Mixed and mashed for a long, long time (about 4 hours). When I 
grabbed the clear liquid at the top, it showed some starch present. When I 
mixed and tested gruel, it appeared to be pure starch. I added boiled and 
cooled water to bring the OG down to 1.050. Added some corn sugar to that 
water. 
 
Throughout this process I was careful about general cleanliness bit not 
about sanitation. 
 
I hydrated some Edme yeast and pitched when the temp was at about 108^ F. 
Because I never boiled the sorghum, wild yeasts and bacteria will join the 
Edme in fermenting the sugars that are there. 
 
The porridge-like affair showed activity about three hours after I pitched 
the yeast. 
 
I will take it still in the primary to the homebrewing club meeting on 
Wednesday, where I will strain it into a SS kettle and we'll ladel it into 
glasses to drink. 
 
I'll post part B with comments from club members. 
 
 
- -- 
 

Return to table of contents