HOMEBREW Digest #2285 Thursday, December 12 1996

Digest #2284 Digest #2286
		(formerly Volume 02 : Number 005)



Contents:
  1996 HHHC Competition Results Available
  Re: no-sparge; first wort hopping
  Specific gravity low?
  AOB Corporate Structure
  Use of hot H2O for brewing water
  Head retention in my holiday ale
  Re: Centennial Hops
  MCI Mail Partial Posting Notice
  Re: Homebrew Digest V2 #4
  Need a new recipe
  All Shay IPA?
  Skimming
  R,DW,HAHB
  Partial Mash Confusion (was Re: yeast bite)
  Lager Conditioning/Conditioning Time & Procedures
  re: AHA Board of Advisors
  Re: Laaglander DME and stuck fermentation
  Acolades to Jim Roffey and the Roffey Brew Company
  Popcorn and Sticke?
  RE: Yeast bite / Partial mash:  George De Piro
  Hop pellets and Krauesening clarified: George De Piro
  This year's Celebration
  No sparge brewing
  War of the Worts - NJ brewers
  Need help with electric thermometer
  No Sparge
  Wife Ale / Mashing Rice
  Summer brewing
  Re: Make-your-own iodophore, not so simple


---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 17:11:35 -0600 (CST) From: Jack Baty <jack at wubios.wustl.edu> Subject: 1996 HHHC Competition Results Available The results from the St. Louis Brews' 1996 Happy Holidays Homebrew Competition, held 7 December, are available from the competition's website: http://www.biostat.wustl.edu/~jack/hhhc96/ Jack Baty jack at wubios.wustl.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 15:25:00 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Frane <jfrane at teleport.com> Subject: Re: no-sparge; first wort hopping >From: John Wilkinson <jwilkins at imtn.tpd.dsccc.com> >Jeff Frane spoke of trying George Fix's no sparge technique for arriving at >maltier tasting beer. I have some questions about the process. Someone else re-posted George's description of the process, and I would suggest referring to *that*. George is the one who understands the *why* of the process, not Jeff. Trust me. >This no sparge technique doesn't seem to make much sense to me. Can Jeff, >George, or anyone else explain away my doubts? > Because I wanted to do a two-step infusion and need to use boiling water to achieve the second step, I ended up with a fairly thin mash, so *most* of the liquid in the kettle had been in the mash tun at some time. Don't have my notes to hand, but I didn't add more than a couple of gallons of the seven gallons in the kettle. My (admittedly limited) understanding of the principle is that sparging beyond a certain point has a negative effect on the malt flavor, in essence, and this is an extreme approach. Bear in mind that you have to add about 1/3 more malt, which has probably got a lot to do with the flavor. But, hey, ask George. I'm just another datapoint on George's research curve. >From: Algis R Korzonas <korzonas at lucent.com> Who? Never heard of him. Anyway, he wrote: Incidentally, I might add that my experience with >first wort hopping seemed (in my opinion) to only add hop flavour and not >much aroma. > Ditto. Definitely add positive results with the hop *flavor* and have taken it as a new, standard procedure in brewing. Anything that works. But for aroma, I'll stick to late hopping and dry hopping (especially dry hopping). - --Jeff Frane Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 96 16:36:00 PST From: Lino V Serrano <Lino_V_Serrano at ccm.rr.intel.com> Subject: Specific gravity low? Help! I brewed an ale this weekend and I used 6lbs. of liquid malt extract (Premier) and 1lb. of dry malt extact. The problem I am having is when I took a hydrometer reading on the wort before I pitched my Glenbrew secret brewers yeast, btw, it showed 1.030. This seems very low to me considering the amount of fermentables +7lbs! I was expecting 1.050+. :( I put the hot wort into my carboy first, before I added water to fill up to 5 gals. Is it possible that my wort wasn't properly mixed causing it to be higher in water on top and heavier in wort on the bottom? One qlue that this might be the problem is that the wort was warmer on the bottom than it was on top before I pitched the yeast. Can someone please help me out. I'm afraid that I might end up with a major whimpy beer. TIA. Lino Serrano Intel Corp., Fab 7 Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 19:36:03 +0000 From: George Andrews <gandrews at golflink.net> Subject: AOB Corporate Structure To: cathy <cathy at aob.org> Subject: Re: AOB Corporate Structure Send reply to: gandrews at golflink.net Date sent: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 19:32:22 Cathy, Thank you for your letter about the AOB corporate structure and your HBD efforts. Since I am a newbie to homebrewing, (and having an absolute ball by the way), I have missed a lot of the brew-ha-ha about the HBD problems. I subscribed just before it went down and was immediately hooked. This is one of the best boards for new and old timers alike on the entire Internet! I learned more truely useful information from the HBD in a short time than any of the brewers around my hometown could provide. For this I thank you. Thank you also that you have taken so much time and spent so much effort and money to continue to provide this valuable service for the homebrewing community. With all the talk about boycotts, the 'free' advice about how to do what you are trying to do, and the telling of exactly why and what you are 'doing wrong', I just wanted to say that you and the efforts of your staff are appreciated! The Home Brew Digest is a noble effort and I encourage you to continue. The saying comes to mind "No good deed will go unpunished". Please don't let the impatience and intolerance of a VERY TINY number of people discourage you. I know there are many others like me who are excited about what you are doing and content to wait out the process. To those who are not I say "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew". Wishing you and your staff a very merry and blessed Christmas! George Andrews Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 96 19:38:00 PST From: "Toler, Duffy L." <TOLERD at cdnet.cod.edu> Subject: Use of hot H2O for brewing water In the *New* HBD #3, Al K. asks: >On my last batch, however, I brought gallon jugs of HOT tapwater from the kitchen, just to speed things >up. What are your thoughts on using HOT tapwater? I've read about thermophillic bacteria living in hot >water heaters, but I'm skeptical. I'm going to boil it all anyway, so it shouldn't make a difference, but >what about mineral content? I'm no expert, but from my Micro Bio 101 days I remember this discussion. Themophillic bacteria don't deal with normal fermenting temps to well. If you have an older house like I do, I would be more concerned with lead leaching from solder joints. I always use water from the cold side of the faucet for cooking and brewing. I'll let the *real* experts tackle the mineral question, I would guess you may lose a little calcium. Thanks for resurrecting the HBD! Happy brewing! Duffy Toler tolerd at cdnet.cod.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 21:43:12 -0500 From: Denis Barsalo <denisb at cam.org> Subject: Head retention in my holiday ale Hello brewers and brewsters, I'm just enjoying my effforts at my first Holiday Ale. It's an all-grain, DME enhanced, hopped, spiced pale ale. The color is amazing, it's one of the cleareast beers I've brewed, the flavors are great, nutmeg, cinammon, vanilla, orange and honey, etc.... the only trouble is, no head retention!!!! I pour it out, I get a nice head and almost immediately it vanishes. The beer is still "fizzy", no lace, no head :-( I used enough Crystal Malt and Wheat Malt, and the FG is around 1.020 so there's plenty of body. I also "dry spiced" in the carboy... I dunno, Now, I'm usually pretty good at figuring out what's gone wrong in my batches and I think the problem is Orange Zest (peel). Could the oils from the orange peel kill the head retention? What could I do to remedy this next year? What do you think? Denis Barsalo Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 20:49:52 +0000 From: "Robert Marshall" <robertjm at hooked.net> Subject: Re: Centennial Hops Raymond Louvier wrote: >I used to use Centennial Hops in all my Pale Ales, but now I can't get >them through my Homebrew supply shop. Could anyone suggest another >variety of Hops that are similar in characteristics and taste. My last >batch of Centennial Hops were 9.2% AA. You should be able to e-mail Centennial from MOST homebrew shops. If you cannot find them local try Hoptech at 1-800-DRY-HOPS. Mark Garetz has many types of hops available. As for a substitute. Perhaps Cascade? Its a poor substitute IMHO, as its not a "delicate" as Centennial, but could be used. Do yourself a favor and mailorder the Centennials. Later, Robert Marshall robertjm at hooked.net homepage: http://www.hooked.net/users/robertjm - ---------------------------------------------- "In Belgium, the magistrate has the dignity of a prince, but by Bacchus, it is true that the brewer is king." Emile Verhaeren (1855-1916) Flemish writer - ------------------------------------------------ Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 96 00:41 EST From: POSTMASTER <POSTMASTER at mcimail.com> Subject: MCI Mail Partial Posting Notice - -----------------MCI Mail Internet Gateway Service Message------------------ Message Post Time: 05:41:44 GMT, Thu 12 DEC 1996 Status: Message Posted into MCI Mail - INVALID Addresses were encountered Message Information: From: homebrew EMS: Internet MBX: homebrew at dionysus.aob.org Subject: Homebrew Digest V2 #4 Message Statistics: Total Recipient Addresses In Envelope: 13 Invalid Addresses and Reasons: 607 Either no address or no MCI Mail user matches recipient information BCC: 0005631241 EMS: MCI MAIL MBX: 0005631241 Additional Message Information: - ------------------------------ Received: from gatekeeper2.mcimail.com by mailgate5.mcimail.com id ab27442; 12 Dec 96 5:41 WET Received: from dionysus.aob.org (dionysus.aob.org [205.168.231.72]) by gatekeeper2.mcimail.com (8.6.12/8.6.10) with ESMTP id FAA02778; Thu, 12 Dec 1996 05:47:05 GMT Received: (from dionysus at localhost) by dionysus.aob.org (8.7.5/8.7.3) id PAA29403 for homebrew-digest-outgoing; Wed, 11 Dec 1996 15:04:12 -0700 (MST) Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 15:04:12 -0700 (MST) Message-Id: <199612112204.PAA29403 at dionysus.aob.org> X-Authentication-Warning: dionysus.aob.org: dionysus set sender to owner-homebrew-digest at using -f From: To: homebrew-digest at dionysus.aob.org Subject: Homebrew Digest V2 #4 Reply-To: homebrew at dionysus.aob.org Sender: Errors-To: Precedence: bulk - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 02:08:55 -0800 From: Joshua Archer <rasputin at brothersdigital.com> Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest V2 #4 Hello All, I'm relatively new to brewing (only done about 8 batches, 1 beer, the rest mead and ciders), and I was wondering if anyone had any idea of how to 'sweeten' a wine/cider and still plan on carbonating it by adding priming sugar before bottling. The way I see it is that you either have to go dry and prime, or you use a sulfide/stabilizer to kill the yeast, add the sugar, then force carbonate with a kegging system. I'd love to be able to have my cake an eat it too, so are there methods of adding sugars that will not ferment, yet still taste okay in the brew? any suggestion or experience on the subject? Joshua Archer Return to table of contents
Date: 12 Dec 96 7:45:57 EDT From: Bob Bessette/PicTel <Bob_Bessette at smtpnotes.pictel.com> Subject: Need a new recipe Fellow HBDers, I have gotten into a habit of making the same beer over and over. The reason is because I enjoy it, makes sense huh. It is an ale with Fuggles hops for bittering and E. Kent Goldings for aroma and requires a single step infusion mash. What I'm looking for is another recipe that may be your favorite which uses different hops than the above and is an ale (i.e. IPA, etc). If any of you have suggestions please email me the recipe of your choice at bbessett at pictel.com... Cheers, Bob Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 07:26:00 -0600 From: "Goodale, Daniel CPT 4ID DISCOM" <GoodaleD at HOOD-EMH3.ARMY.MIL> Subject: All Shay IPA? Ladies, Gentlemen, and children of all ages, For some reason, I've been brewing IPSO with a vengeance (it is my favorite style with octoberfest a close second). I remember a HBD post that described an all shay IPA. This concept fascinated me at the time and I've decided to give it a try now that the blistering Texas summer is over. Does anyone have that recipe or should I match IBIS and drive on with my favorite recipe? TIA. Daniel Goodale (good lagers too) The Biohazard Brewing Company Home of the "Brew in a Lung" (TM) zero gee brew kit. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 07:32:51 -0600 From: Cuchulain Libby <hogan at connecti.com> Subject: Skimming Hello all, In reading Miller and Pap., they advocate skimming the head from a plastic primary to avoid off-flavors later on (actually Miller more so). I've got an APA w/1056 that was brewed on Sun. and the airlock is down to about 3/min. As I'm always interested in improving my brews, does anyone have a recommendation as to when or if I should skim, assuming that opening the lid is O.K.? Also, AOB/AHA aside, I prefer to think that it was the off-topic bullshit that killed the old HBD. Karma an' all you know? I refer you to the ridiculous diatribe that was in HBD #2280 The Last Original HBD: - ------------------------------------------------------------- > From: WOLFF.R.C- at postal.essd.northgrum.com (WOLFF.R.C-) >Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 08:42:32 -0500 >Subject: Enough is enough > Dave Burley- > Why don't you brew some beer and give us all a break. It doesn't take > a genuis to copy from books and post to the HBD. What is does is take > up the space that others could use for productive comments, rather > than being used by someone who is full of himself. You've had your 15 > minutes. Give it a break. > This is a group response. > Wolff - ----------------------------------------------------------------- In the interest of maintaining the Holiday spirit I won't repost my response to this guy. Also, getting back to 1056, I would like to know about how many times 1056 can be recycled without washing it. Merry Christmas All, Cuchulain Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 96 08:58 EST From: eric fouch <S=eric_fouch%S=fouch%G=eric%DDA=ID=STC021+pefouch%Steelcase-Inc at mcimail.com> Subject: R,DW,HAHB Date: Thursday, 12 December 1996 8:54am ET To: STC012.HOMEBRE1 at STC010.SNADS From: Eric.Fouch at STC001 Subject: R,DW,HAHB In-Reply-To: The letter of Thursday, 12 December 1996 0:42am ET In previous posts to the New HBD: > 1. You're really flying in the face of a grand tradition by renaming HBD to V2. In particular, you've lost the running digest number count. With one fell swoop we've gone from over 2200 running issues to two. Where's your sense of tradition? > Who will now be responsible? I dont suppose there is any way we can get an explaination as to why Rob's years of fine tuning the HBD into an efficient, useful distribution mechanism (aka code) were not carried over to the AOB effort. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's just be happy to have the HBD back. Tradition is nice, but the old HBD is dead...Moment of silence........ The New hbd is...New! Hopefully some of the old functions will be added back in, but let's all just RDWHAHB and give 'em a chance to work on it. AOB is putting forth an effort, and a pretty good one, too (no affiliation, I can barely spell AOB). Let's give 'em constructive suggestions and stop attacking apparent shortcomings. P.S. I really hate non-brewing related posts just like this one. Never Again. P.P.S Somebody misspelled Rienhietsgebot in the last HBD :). How do they spell it in the U.K.? Eric Fouch Defender of Truth, Justice, and the New HBD Bent Dick Yactobrewery Kentwood, MI Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 09:20:24 -0500 From: Denis Barsalo <denisb at cam.org> Subject: Partial Mash Confusion (was Re: yeast bite) Alex Santic said: >However, partial mash techniques could account >for some harsh bitterness and/or astringency, depending on how you do it. >In an all-grain procedure, runnings from the grains are recirculated >(using the grain bed as a filter) until they are clear. This eliminates >starch and husk particles from the boil and helps assure a smooth flavor. >I am somewhat dubious about the effects of the typical partial mash >procedure, which is to simply dump the liquid into the boil. I'm sorry Alex, but I think you're confused as to what a partial mash is! A partial mash is a mini-mash. It's done exactly the same as a full-mash using the same grain to water ratio, except that you use less grain than a full mash. To make a 5 gallon batch, you get the rest of your fermentable from LME, DME and/or Sugar. I think what you may be referring to is a "grain infusion" which is a method to add specialty malts to extract brewing. In this case, the amounts are usually so small, that I don't think they could account for bitterness unless of course you boil it for a while! >Unfortunately it's probably not worth the trouble to come up with a method >for filtering a partial mash. I wonder if others would agree that this >particular brewing procedure may be over-rated. I wasn't overly impressed >with the beers I made this way, but now I'm quite satisfied. Again, I disagree. I made myself a Zapap lauter tun and took the plunge into partial mashes by my third or fourth batch. The difference in the taste of the beer was obvious right from the start. I think it's a great way to get into grain brewing without buying anymore equipment. Once you've saved up, you can go out and get something big enough to boil 7 gallons in, then you take the next step and go all-grain. BTW, I've been told that some mashers actually don't mash their specialty malts (Crystal, Roasted, Chocolate, etc.). They just mash the 2-row, 6-row, Munich, etc. and then they either add the specialty malts at the end of the mash, or steep it in the kettle. What does everybody else do??? Denis Barsalo Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 10:07:07 -0500 From: Jim Herter <james.m.herter.1 at nd.edu> Subject: Lager Conditioning/Conditioning Time & Procedures Al K. writes in response to George: >My experience is very different from this. Recently, I bottled a Bock and a Doppelbock which were fermented and lagered at 45F for three months. I added no yeast at bottling time. Both were nicely carbonated in three weeks at 65F. My experience has been much the same as Al's with respect to lager conditioning. Generally I lager for two to three months. After this I bottle the beer and leave at about 65 - 68 degrees F for two to three weeks. I have had good carbonation in as little as 7-10 days. I can not comment on krausening since I have not tried it yet. It may very well result in quicker more thorough carbonation. My concern would be clarity and sediment, if that type of thing bothers you. Now, for a question. Recently while re-reading a portion of one of Dave Miller's guides, he suggests moving the bottled beer to a temperature of 50 - - 55 degrees F. after the bottling sugar has been fermented (I assume 7 -10 days). His reasoning is that co2, that developes in the head space, will be reabsorbed into the beer quicker. Applying the same principles used for forced carbonation at lower temps, this seems to make sense, not to mention that it would help to minimize the oxidation effects of higher temperatures and slow autolysis. Would even lower temps help expedite this process, assuming all bottle fermentation is complete? Any thoughts? Jim Herter - Business Manager Notre Dame Food Services 219.631.0113 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 10:51:14 cst From: Bill Giffin <bill-giffin at juno.com> Subject: re: AHA Board of Advisors Top of the morning to ye all, >> Karen Barela said: We have not used the full strength of the board as effectively as we would like to in the past. << I think that this is without doubt one of the understatements of the century. In fact the Board of Advisors has for the most part been ignored. If you know a member ask how much their input has been considered. I have asked a couple of the members of the Board of Advisors, we had two in our area, if their input was considered. They said no. >>prestigious group of people. The Board of Advisors<< How can you feel prestigious if you are ignored? I keep hearing that the AHA is a membership organization. Yet I have never received a ballot to vote for the President of the AHA, a member of the Board of Directors of the AOB, nor even the Board of Advisors. I have to believe that anyone who is chosen to the Board of Advisors will be well house broken to the ideas and purpose of the Board of Directors and the President of the AHA. I question if these folks would be chosen if their choice were left up to the "MEMBERSHIP" (chuckle, chuckle). I feel that this digest is an example of the competence of the AOB/AHA VAST IDEAS with HALF VAST RESOURCES. I allowed my "membership" in the AHA to lapse, but I assure you that if I as a member were allowed to vote for the President of the AHA I would renew just to vote in a new President. Bill Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 11:15:03 -0500 From: Tim Martin <TimM at southwest.cc.nc.us> Subject: Re: Laaglander DME and stuck fermentation Hey Neighbors, Thanks AOB for reviving the HBD. Here is a personal experience with stuck fermentation using Laaglander Light DME that might shed some light on why people are having problems with this product. When I first started brewing (six years ago), on my second batch I tried Laaglander LDME for the first time and the fermentation stuck, brew another and it stuck and brewed a third and again it stuck. I called the supplier and all sorts of homebrew supply advice line folks to help solve this frustrating dilemma. Tried all the usual advice steps like pitching yeast again, put heating pad under carboy which only grew some great looking spaghetti micro-bacteria stuff in the wort. So, just when I was at the point of chucking this really stupid hobby of making my own beer and pouring 15 gallons of sweet crap and yeast down the drain I called my supplier again and this time he informed that Laaglander had mistakenly supplied him with 4 tons of baking or pastry quality DME instead of brewing DME. Apparently Laaglander makes DME for the baking industry as well as the brewing industry. The baking DME will not ferment out as complete as the brewing DME. So the moral of the story, buy Munton & Fison DME to be safe, perhaps suppliers are still receiving the wrong product%^) Oh yea...I don't think it's stupid anymore. Hope this helps someone. Tim Martin Cullowhee, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 8:26:43 PST From: "Edward J. Steinkamp" <ejs0742 at dop.fse.ca.boeing.com> Subject: Acolades to Jim Roffey and the Roffey Brew Company My friends and I just finished a party pig from the Roffey Brew Company in Holland Mi. The pale ale was excellent all around with noticeably strong hop aroma. What makes this experience unique for me is that Jim Roffey, the owner and founder of the Roffey Brew Company, was the guy that got me into brewing five or six years ago. We brewed for a couple of years in his kitchen, but then he got married and we had to brew in the basement. Jim wasn't satisfied with the basement nano-brewery, so he quit his nice stable engineering job at a major airplane manufacturing company, moved from Seattle to Holland Michigan and is now making a living brewing beer. I love this hobby. Anyway, if you are in Holland Michigan and you want a good beer now you know where to go. Ed Steinkamp Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 10:28:55 -0600 (CST) From: snsi at win.bright.net Subject: Popcorn and Sticke? Howdy All, The only thing better than having the HBD back is seeing is seeing mainstays of the forum, like Al, George and Jeff F., are still here to add their wealth of experience. First, Al piqued my interest in V2 #3 when running though beers he dry hops he wrote "Sticke (a dryhopped version of Duesseldorfer Altbier)". Sounds great! Al would you have a grain profile and hop/yeast suggestions? Second, I've been thinking about using popcorn as an adjunct for upcoming ale. Is popped corn gelatinized? Anyway glad that the HBD is running. Jeff Smith | '71 HD Sprint 350SX, Temp '77 GS 400 X snsi at win.bright.net | Barnes, WI I am so pleased that the mead is brewed!-Jane Austen Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 09:07:17 -0800 From: George De Piro <George_De_Piro at berlex.com> Subject: RE: Yeast bite / Partial mash: George De Piro Hello again! Al K. writes that he doesn't believe autolysis is a problem these days. I have to agree; I've let beer sit on the primary yeast for embarrassingly long periods of time without a problem (well, not autolysis, anyway). Is autolysis "yeast bite", though? From what I've read, I thought of autolysis as a rubbery, sulphury, rotten yeast flavor. Isn't "yeast bite" more of a sharpness, imparted by yeast that has remained suspended in the beer? Any opinions? ----------------------------- Alex Santic ponders the usefulness of partial mashing, concluding that it seems pointless. This is also my opinion. As I've written somewhere before, I think that the jury rigged equipment that most people (myself included) use for partial mashing produces inferior results and makes lautering seem much harder than it is (I remember trying to use a big colander as a lauter tun...what was I thinking!). If you currently brew from extract, and are considering taking the grain plunge, do yourself a favor: forget the partial mash, go all the way! Fortune favors the bold! This is, of course, just my opinion, born from my own experience. Have fun! George De Piro (Nyack, NY) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 08:50:34 -0800 From: George De Piro <George_De_Piro at berlex.com> Subject: Hop pellets and Krauesening clarified: George De Piro Howdy! Al K. wrote in response to my post about removing hop pellets from the wort: >I find just the contrary in my system. I use an easymasher-like >screen in my kettles and it clogs almost immediately with pellets. Yes, it makes sense that the finely shredded pellets would clog your screen. Note that I said that pellets are easy to remove by whirlpooling; they will settle to the center of the kettle. If you are using an easy masher type of thing, then the pellets will settle on it! That's a bad thing. Al also writes that his lager experience is different from mine, and that he doesn't have to kraeusen: >My experience is very different from this. Recently, I bottled a >Bock and a Doppelbock which were fermented and lagered at 45F for >three months. I added no yeast at bottling time. Both were nicely >carbonated in three weeks at 65F. I think the big difference here is that I lager my beers near freezing. I believe that 45F is too warm for lagering (just my belief), and I certainly wouldn't bottle condition at 65F. Heck, I ferment my lagers at 45F, so I wouldn't expect the yeast to go dormant after three months at 45F. After a few months at below 32F (0C), the beer is incredibly clear and the yeast is quite sleepy! So, if you lager like Al, then priming should work. If you lager very cold, then priming is a crapshoot. Kraeusen it, or spund your unitank (one person is giggling...). Have fun! George De Piro Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 12:37:46 -0600 (CST) From: "Bryan L. Gros" <grosbl at ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu> Subject: This year's Celebration Does anyone know if Celebration this year is made with 100% Columbus? I'm sure glad I can get it now that I've moved east of the Bay Area. - Bryan grosbl at ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Nashville, TN Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 12:46:49 -0600 From: John Wilkinson <jwilkins at imtn.tpd.dsccc.com> Subject: No sparge brewing Louis K. Bonham responded to my post of questions about no sparge brewing. Essentially my questions were: 1) Would the amount of water in the mash tun, including the mash out addition, affect the maltiness of the resulting beer. 2) With no sparge the collected wort should be of higher gravity that would need to be diluted to reach the desired OG or less grain would be used with more mash out water (see 1 above). Louis thinks I missed the point and am confusing gravity with maltiness but I don't think so. My point is that if no sparge brewing really works then it must matter how much water is in the tun at run off. With a tun full after mash out some of the effects of sparging must surely be seen. Also, if the higher gravity wort is diluted with plain water to reach the desired OG why isn't the maltiness diluted as much as if the dilution were the result of sparging? The only thing I can think of is that sparging washes out a higher proportion of fermentable sugars than are in the first runnings, having somewhat the same effect as using adjuncts like flaked corn or perhaps even corn sugar. If the sparged runnings are higher in fermentable sugars then perhaps the resulting beer would be thinner with less body (maltiness?). If this is the case, it would seem the FG should be lower with the sparged beer. Has this been observed? If anyone knows why no sparge brewing results in more maltiness I have not seen the explanation. Of course, this would not be the only thing about brewing that is not completely understood. I suppose the best thing to do is try it and see. However, I don't ever seem to make the same beer twice so I am not sure if my comparison will be valid. As long as it is good to drink, however, the time and grain will not have been wasted. What a great hobby. John Wilkinson - Grapevine, Texas - jwilkins at imtn.dsccc.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 10:49:30 -0800 From: Alan Folsom <folsom at ix.netcom.com> Subject: War of the Worts - NJ brewers For the convenience of our New Jersey neighbors, we have added another drop off point for the War of the Worts contest, to be held January 18th. The new drop-off point is: Cherry Hill Homebrew Supply 1845 Rt 70E. Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 (609) 424-3636 contact: Wally Daczkowski This is not an endorsement or recommendation of this store, I have never been there. However, they have been kind enough to agree to serve as a drop-off point, even though they were not listed on our flyer. For information on the War of the Worts, please contact me at: Al Folsom folsom at ix.netcom.com (215) 343-6851. Thanks. Al F. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 14:30:01 -0500 From: Tim Martin <TimM at southwest.cc.nc.us> Subject: Need help with electric thermometer Hey Neighbors, As a quasi-master of turning junk into brewing equipment I have yet another piece I'm trying to adapt to my brewery. It's an electric analog thermometer salvaged from an industrial solar control panel. It's range is from 0 to 250 df. It measures 1.25''w x 4''L x 3.25''D black plastic body with a clear convex plastic cover over the gauge. On the back are two electrical posts, one post is marked positive with a single lead and the other is unmarked with two leads. I believe this works with a low voltage DC current and a submersible temp. probe. The is no manufactures name to be found on the thermometer but there are several numbers and some letters (FSIDCMA). I would like to use this in my brewery but I have no idea how to hook it up. Does anyone out there know what type of thermometer I have so I might be able to contact the manufacture or order a probe and supply current to it. I have exhausted every contact in my local area to no avail so you guys are my last hope. Any help is greatly appreciated. Tim Martin Cullowhee, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 13:40:03 -0600 From: Algis R Korzonas <korzonas at lucent.com> Subject: No Sparge Louis writes: >Stated another way, let's assume you and I each generate 5 gallons of >14P wort, but you sparge and I don't. Obviously, I have to use more >grain and dilute the runoff to have the same pre-boil gravity as you >do. If we used the same materials, fermented them with the same yeast >and under similar conditions, etc., we'll come out with beers that are >about the same FG. Do they taste the same? My experience (and I've >done probably 15 twelve gallon batches with this technique) mirrors >Jeff's and Dr. Fix's -- the no sparge beer tastes maltier. > >Jeff is absolutely right when he encourages everyone to try this >technique -- it makes for a shorter, easier brew cycle, and it produces >noticeably better beer. Downside is increased cost, but with grain at >$0.75/lb, you're talking about less than $3 more for an average sized >batch. Not much to pay. This is vaguely related, so bear with me... Time is the most expensive ingredient for me. Setup, cleanup... it's all the same whether you do one batch or two, really. Last Saturday, in 8 hours, I made 4.75 gallons of 1.070 IPA and 11.5 gallons of 1.043 Special Bitter, from one (sort of) mash. The initial mash started with 24.75# of M&F Pale Ale malt. From this I took the first runnings and made the IPA in my old 10 gal kettle. While this was boiling, I added 3# of crystal malt and took another 14 gallons of runnings which I boiled down to 11.5 gallons while the IPA wort was being chilled, oxygenated, pitched, etc. I don't have great hopes for the Special Bitters... it was the IPA which I was really trying to make, but I couldn't let all those sugars go to waste. The Bitters (two different yeasts) will probably not win any competitions, but with 2 hours more time (I could have quit after 6 hours and have just the IPA) I have 11.5 gallons of session beer. The rub is that you need two kettles and my mashtun is 18.75 gallons, but other than that, it's easy. Al. Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL korzonas at lucent.com korz at xnet.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 15:07:10 -0500 From: Paul Ferrara <prf at cherry-semi.com> Subject: Wife Ale / Mashing Rice After years of making good ales and porters, I've decided to try to draw my wife into the homebrewing experience by brewing a beer that she might actually like. She's strictly a Michelob drinker, but over the years I've gotten her to venture into "heavier" (her term) beers such as Corona, SA lightship, Shipyard light, etc ...so I think she's "primed" for a lite homebrew. Here's the recipe I'm planning to use: WIFE ALE 5 lbs American Pale malt 2 lbs Uncle Bens Converted Rice 0.5 oz EKG whole hops (6.6 alpha) (60min) 0.5 oz EKG whole hops (6.6 alpha) ( 5min) Wyeast American Ale yeast (recipe for 5 US gallons) I'm planning a single step infusion mash at 150F. I'm using EKG hops because I have a half pound in the freezer. My first question: What do I do with the rice? Some Ideas I've picked up from back issues of HBD, (and a few of my own): a) Just include it uncooked in the mash b) boil it first, until just tender c) boil it until it's well overcooked d) eat it for dinner and put something else in the beer. My Second Question: Is Uncle Ben's Converted an appropriate rice to use? I chose it only because it's the rice we typically have around the house. My last question: Any comments on this recipe which might improve it would be greatly appreciated. TIA Paul R. Ferrara ||| Cherry Semiconductor Corp prf at cherry-semi.com ||| East Greenwich, RI Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 14:02:33 -0600 From: Algis R Korzonas <korzonas at lucent.com> Subject: Summer brewing Steve jests: >Al wrote before that he doesn't brew in the summer because of >infections. My question is how do you really dedicated types keep your >brewing water supply gardenhoses from freezing in the Chicagoland >winters ;^) I bring it indoors... no kidding. I don't want my more-expensive, drinking-water-safe hose to get mixed up with the cheapo ones for the lawn and I don't want it to freeze in the garage. I coil it into a 7 gallon plastic pail. Incidentally, I *DO* brew in the summertime, but I use an Oxynator in stead of aerating with room air. I simply suggested that I don't recommend *beginners* *start* brewing in the summertime. Furthermore, I got a call from the AHA asking how I (as a HB retailer) felt if they moved National Homebrew Day to the Winter. Ha! I said I thought it was a great idea... just as great as when I emailed it to them in `93 and `94, phoned it to them in `95 and faxed it to them in `96! My freezing garden hoses and wind-burnt face should be a thing of the past soon... Karen says I get to turn the old 1.5-car garage into a brewery when the new 3-car garage is done. I can see it now... 2 walk-in coolers, one for lager fermentations, one for ales, plus a lagering fridge... there's a restaurant supply place near here that has a dozen 6-door commercial fridges for $1000 to $1500 each... No silly, my HB supply shop makes $5000 profit per year... I'm a software developer by day... Al. Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL korzonas at lucent.com korz at xnet.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 15:32:49 -0500 (EST) From: djt2 at po.cwru.edu (Dennis J. Templeton) Subject: Re: Make-your-own iodophore, not so simple A question from last issue.... >I am finding it difficult to locate iodophor here in Australia. I >just noticed that the active ingredients were listed in my brand-new >copy of "Brew Ware", so I am considering getting the iodine and >phosphoric acid and making my own. Iodophor is not just Iodine in phosphoric acid. Iodine (I^2) is not even soluble in phosphoric acid. What is sold as iodophor is Iodine in a carrier molecule. One I know of is polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the complex is called PVP-I. The stuff we have in the lab is 11% w/w iodine, the rest being the polymer. This makes a stable solution of Iodine in water that doesn't gas-off the way a drop of tincture of Iodine (an alcohol solution of I^2) would; i.e. it is a much more stable solution of iodine because of the carrier. I recall others saying that iodophor is sold in farm and dairy supply stores; just be sure that it is free of detergents. Dennis Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #2285