HOMEBREW Digest #2331 Fri 31 January 1997
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@ brew.oeonline.com
Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of
Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
URL: http://www.oeonline.com
Contents:
Esters (John Goldthwaite)
Visitors for Belgium, attention ("R. Baert")
lack of carbonation (WILLIAM_D_MCCALLUM)
I think Al's got it (Mark E. Lubben)
Shamrock Open 4/5/97 (Larry M Matthews)
modifying chest freezer? (Corona, Raynold J)
Chiller circulation / Lagering (TEX28)
re: Dip Tubes, Magnesium, Tongue Mapping (Charles Burns)
Altbier Yeast/Frozen Beer (Dean Larson)
barley seed (Poris)
spliting batches ("Richard Koeppel")
HOMEBREW DIGEST (c/r werner)
re: shipping boxes (Sharon/Dan Ritter)
Allergies, Zima, dairy equipment questions (Don Anderson)
New brew program - ABC Brew ("Fred Klassen")
False Bottoms and Tun Capacity (BernardCh)
Fermentation, Freshmen HBD, Aeration (John C Peterson)
Surprisingly Good Beers? (Eugene Sonn)
Re: Belgian Gueze Pronunciation (jjb)
Yeast Starter? & Carbonatio ("John Penn")
Stout and Underhopped ("John Penn")
Hydrometer ("David R. Burley")
Dormant Yeast Not Dead ("John Penn")
RE: Hohumm, the old system ("Karl F. Lutzen")
gueze (Brian Dulisse-1)
Re: Freshman Digest / RE: cutting corny dip tubes / Air filter ("Keith Royster")
Sanitary Yeast Harvesting (Tom Williams)
Priming (Adam Rich)
Belgian Wit (Suzette Smith)
Central PA brewstore (Bill Sadvary)
Re: Clad vs. Unclad (Oliver Weatherbee)
Re: rye malt ("Gregory, Guy J.")
GOTT Cooler modification Questions (Volt Computer)" <a-branro at MICROSOFT.com>
Freshman Digest - Big heads (LaBorde, Ronald)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 15:04:51 -0500 (EST)
From: ir358 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (John Goldthwaite)
Subject: Esters
Lately I have found myself in need of some info pertaining to
esters. I would greatly appreciate some help from the organic
chemistry gurus as to what exactly an ester is and more importantly
what they taste like in beer. I have a few batches, (2 Stout,1IPA)
that I used Wyeast Irish and I think I have a handle on what they
taste like, but need some confirmation as to my assumptions.
Private mail fine, TIA. John Goldthwaite-ir358 at Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
- --
"If my words did glow, with the gold of sunshine...(Garcia/Hunter)
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 22:30:03 +0100
From: "R. Baert" <ronbaert at door.hookon.be>
Subject: Visitors for Belgium, attention
Good day, all.
Since I am posting to the HBD, a lot of people is asking me information
concerning Belgium, his tourism and his breweries. I am not shure, but I
think that I am the only Belgian HB'er which is on the HB digest. There are
not so many HB'ers in our little country.
The people who asked me for info via E-Mail: please be patient, you all will
receive an answer on your questions. I think I need another week to collect
info for some answers.
Be welcome in my small country!
Ron.
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 97 17:03:13 -0500
From: WILLIAM_D_MCCALLUM at Non-HP-Exeter-om2.om.hp.com
Subject: lack of carbonation
Item Subject: cc:Mail Text
I have noticed several lack of carbonation and my fermentation has
stopped. Before saying what did I do wrong look at where you have
stored your cases of beer or set your fermentor.
The other day my wife move my fermentor, set it on the basement floor,
stopped it cold. When storing cases of beer, if I want to drink it in
two weeks keep it in a warm place. I must leave it upstairs where it
is 65 - 70. I have had ales still not carbonated at 6 weeks at this
time of year stored in my beer cellar. I just bring it upstairs. Hope
this helps.
Bill
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 16:17:09 -0500
From: mel at genrad.com (Mark E. Lubben)
Subject: I think Al's got it
Al, I agree with your recent comments and opinions on diacetyl rests.
I hope no one starts on the confused idea about cooling to do a diacetyl rest
instead of raising the temperature. That red herring comes up occasionally.
Al quoted an uncertain major brewing text:
>yeast will reduce hydrogen sulphide in the beer (to sulphate, according to
I didn't realize that hydrogen sulfide got reduced by the yeast, but if that
is temperature accelerated like diacetyl it could also help finish up the
process of "purge(ing) undesirable volatiles"[MBS]. I always thought of
my own hydrogen sulfide as an undesireable volatile. ;-) Of course CO2 scrubs
sulphide from beer too. Even if the yeast don't show "intense activity",
a 10 or 15 degree (F) rise in temperature can release enough CO2 from
saturation to look like it is fermenting. My first basement lager which
had finished by playing dead at 40F for 4 weeks did that. The giveaway was
that the yeast layer wasn't stirring and the bubbles formed and rose along
the side of the carboy where the room heat was coming in. That batch
never made much rotten egg smell, but I did get a nice hop aroma that day.
I join others in raising my glass to Mr. Babcock and Lutzen tonight
for the reborn HBD (and of course to the others who helped).
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 17:11:28 -0500 (EST)
From: Larry M Matthews <lmatt at ipass.net>
Subject: Shamrock Open 4/5/97
CARBOY (Cary-Apex-Raleigh Brewers of Yore) will sponsor the 1997
Shamrock Open Homebrew Competition, on April 5. Entries will be
accepted in all 1997 AHA categories except Cider. The entry deadline is
Tuesday April 1. $6 for the 1st entry, $5 for the 2nd and $4 for all
others.
This BJCP registered competition is the first of three annual
competitions leading to the North Carolina Homebrewer of the Year Award,
and will again be held at the BB&Y Restaurant in Raleigh, NC.
Competition Organizer: Mike Wallace (919) 881-9918 (evenings),
mike_wallace at ncsu.edu
Judge Director: Steve Murphrey (919) 779-4482 (evenings),
murphrey at us.ibm.com
Please contact either of us for further information, to receive an entry
packet, or to register as a judge or steward.
Larry M Matthews
Carboy/Trub Member
Raleigh, NC 27606
lmatt at ipass.net
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 16:23:46 -0600
From: rcoron at lsumc.edu (Corona, Raynold J)
Subject: modifying chest freezer?
I just purchased a second-hand chest freezer. I plan to put a tap on
the front of it to dispense my beer from cornelius kegs. Question: how
do I figure out where to drill the hole for the tap shank without
drilling into the cooling coils?
Ray Corona
p.s. this is a GE freezer; 31" long, 22" front-to-back, and about 36"
high.
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 18:40:04 -0500 (EST)
From: TEX28 at aol.com
Subject: Chiller circulation / Lagering
I have found that turning the water flow to my immersion chiller on and off
creates a plumbing 'hammer' that rocks the chiller enough to get the wort
moving. Can chill 4 gallons evenly in about 15 min. without ever lifting the
lid.
- ------------------------------------------------------------
I am planning to do my first lager before spring and would like some input on
my procedure for a Doppelbock. (I do not have a dedicated refrigerator - just
a cold corner of the basement that fluctuates 50-55*)
Primary & secondary at 50-55*
Diacetyl rest at 60-65* for 3 days.
reduce temp. back to 50*, bottle, & lager in fridge at 40*
Can I use a Wyeast 2206 Bavarian or should I go with the California Lager
yeast?
Thanks, Chris
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 97 17:14 PST
From: cburns at egusd.k12.ca.us (Charles Burns)
Subject: re: Dip Tubes, Magnesium, Tongue Mapping
Bill Macher in hbd 2329 talks about his kegging experience:
>>>>I noticed that all my batches seem to start clearing very nicely at the end
of their life. I suspect that this is because I have been using the corny
dip tubes at their original length, and I keep sucking out whatever settles
until there is not anything left to settle. Then the last few glasses are
really pretty, and I think taste a bit improved as well.>>>>
Bill, its not the dip tube. You just have to be more patient with the aging
process. I have the same experience when I consume a keg too quickly. It
normally takes from 2-4 weeks in the keg, in the refrigerator, to
sufficiently clear my ales. I have waited "0" days and consumed the entire 5
gallons 1 day after kegging (at a party, with some help of course). Beer
never clears right down to the last drop. But the same exact recipe can sit
in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and be crystal clear. Don't cut the dip
tube, you'll just be wasting beer.
At least that's my experience and recommendation.
================================================
Paul Sovcik writes about magnesium in hbd 2329:
>>>>Therefore, at a concentration of 100mg/L (100ppm), you would need
to drink about 20-30 beers to get a significant laxative effect, and
even then, the effectiveness of magnesium is probably concentration
dependent since it works as an osmotic diuretic. Plus, laxative effects
are probably the least of your problems after 30 beers.
So - hopefully, this will put the "magnesium in brewing salts might
cause diarrhea" recurrent thread to rest.>>>>>>>>>
Hey paul, how big are these 20-30 beers? I can put 10 half litres away
without too much problem. If I do this every day, will I start to lose the
weight that I'm putting on with all this beer drinking? :-)
=================================================
Al,
Where can we find an "accurate" tongue map?
===============================================
Charley
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Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 17:06:16 -0800
From: Dean Larson <Dean.Larson at gonzaga.edu>
Subject: Altbier Yeast/Frozen Beer
Glad to see the HBD back up again! Thanks to all involved in
resurrecting it.
Santa graced me with a yeast culturing kit from Brewers
Resource (no financial interest, just a happy customer) this Xmas.
The version I got came with six of their BrewTek mini-slants.
Needless to say, I've been having fun playing yeast rancher lately.
A few questions have arisen:
I recall a post a while back that claimed that BrewTek's
California Brewpub strain (CL-50) is the pacman yeast used by
Rogue. Can anyone out there provide me with the "origins" of any
of the other BrewTek strains? Any information would be appreciated.
I would also enjoy hearing about the results anyone else using
any of these strains has achieved. Private email is fine.
My first brew with my new yeast was an attempt at an altbier using
BrewTek's Old German Ale (CL-400) strain. I went from slant to
10 ml to 450 ml starter. I wasn't paying close enough attention
while chilling my wort and wound up pitching at 60F. I wanted to
pitch at a warmer temperature with the relatively small starter in
hopes of getting fermentation going a bit quicker. Had a pretty
long lag time of about 30 hours, but once things got going, the yeast
seemed to work happily at 58-60F. OG was 1.051 and was 1.013 when I
racked to secondary. At this point I detected a definite banana note
in both flavor and aroma. Put the carboy in the garage and "lagered"
at 30-40F for a couple of weeks. Banana was still there at bottling.
After racking the first batch, I repitched the slurry (at least a cup)
into an almost identical wort (ran short on Munich malt) at 61F.
Had only a 6 hour lag time with that batch, but had similar banana
character at racking (haven't bottled it yet). I don't recall this
banana character as being a part of the altbier profile. Has anyone
had similar results with this yeast. If it's not the yeast, what else
in the brewing process might produce these flavors/aromas?
While "lagering" the second batch in the garage, a cold snap fell upon
us and my beer started to freeze. Had some slush forming on the
surface, so I brought it inside. Would this kind of freezing and
thawing have any detrimental effects on the finished product?
What is the freezing point of beer anyway? I thought I recalled this
being discussed before, but a search of the archives didn't get me
what I wanted. I know the freezing point will depend on the alcohol
content, but what would it be for a beer of say 5% alcohol by volume.
Better yet, is there a handy formula expressing freezing point of
beer as a function of alcohol content?
Thanks for any help
Dean Larson larson at cps.gonzaga.edu
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Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 20:24:43 -0500 (EST)
From: Poris at aol.com
Subject: barley seed
Hi,
Does anyone know a source of barley seed (klages, harrington, maris
otter,...)? Any good info sites or books on growing malting barley? I found
a few good Alberta, Canada sites. Should the nitrogen be kept low to reduce
protein levels?
Thanks in advance,
Jaime
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 15:32:25 -0700
From: "Richard Koeppel" <keppdogg at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: spliting batches
A friend of mine wants a very very strong stout. He says that he wants a
brew thats a "meal in a bottle" I was wondering if anybody had any ideas??
and also if i split up a 5 gal extract receipe is all i do is cut all the
ingrentents in half ??? and do all the boil times stay the same ?? Thanks
in advance Rich
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 04:34:43 0700
From: c/r werner <cwerne19 at main.tcd.net>
Subject: HOMEBREW DIGEST
request subscription to HOMEBREW DIGEST...glad it's back
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 21:17:11 -0800
From: Sharon/Dan Ritter <ritter at camasnet.com>
Subject: re: shipping boxes
Will Fields posts:
>I was wondering if anyone has a source for shipping boxes not unlike the
>ones used by "Beer Across America" for shipping homebrew beer. The type
>that I am familiar with hold 12 bottles separated with double-width
>corrugated egg crate sandwiched between two sheets of 3/4" EPS. I have
>also heard of a shipping box made entirely of EPS with 12 holes to fit the
>bottles. I guess this would be inserted in a shipping rated corrugated
>box. Any info. would be appreciated. Private email okay but a posting may
>be helpful to others.
A great shipping box can be purchased from Ernie Bickerton at his business
called The Case Place (501-741-3117). He designed the box specifically for
homebrewers who enter their beers in competitions. It holds 12 bottles and
is surrounded by ~3" foam. Mine have traveled all over the country and back
numerous times (I own two). The price was around $25 plus shipping two
years ago.
Dan Ritter <ritter at camasnet.com>
Ritter's MAMMOTH Brewery
Grangeville, Idaho
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 21:50:24 -0800
From: Don Anderson <donald.a at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Allergies, Zima, dairy equipment questions
Greetings O most knowledgeable brewing collective...
I've been reading HBD for awhile now and I am constantly impressed at
the variety and depth of experiance and opinons expressed here. Every
time I read it I learn something new.
Question #1 Allergies
A co-worker of mine said that he cannot enjoy a beer because of a
allergic reaction (his lips swell then a tightness in the chest with
trouble breathing). He also has this same reaction when eating wheat
bread. However he can have bleached out white bread and the bleached out
malted beverage, Zima (Zomething awful). My first guess would be the
yeast but I'm not a doctor nor allergist, so does any one have any ideas
how I could help out this troubled soul to enjoy a real brew?
Question#2 Zima
some time ago someone posted or had on a web page the exact step by
step patented process for making zima. I would like obtain a copy to
show the guy in question #1, can someone point me in the right
direction? I have tried a couple of search engines but no luck.
Question#3 Dairy equipment
A friend of mine who owns a ranch gave me a Stainless steel milking
pail to help out in my brewing endevors. It's 14 inches high, 12 inches
in diameter at the bottom and 7 inches at the top (it is kind of beer
bottle shaped) and made of fairly thick stainless steel. I already have
a mash/lauter tun and this pail is kind of small for a fermentor. What
can I use this for? decoction mash? decorative planter? milking cows?
filtering of air pumps:
I just started using a aquarium air pump with a stone on my cooled wort
and the pet store where I bought the gear had some inline filters. I do
not remember any micron filtering claims but I thought it would be a
good idea to help keep out any foreign objects (lube from inside the
pump, etc) without getting anal about tring to get the pumped air
sterile.
"by drinking our beer you are helping us do Gods work" -Orval director
of marketing to a tour group.
Thanks -Don
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 22:12:42 -0800
From: "Fred Klassen" <fredk at ibm.net>
Subject: New brew program - ABC Brew
OK, let's say you have made a few brews. You want to do a three
temperature infusion mash, and actually want your brewing program to
calculate the strike temperature and volume. You also want it to calculate
the amount of boiling water to add to each step, and whether it is better
to use
external heat with some steps to prevent over-dilution. But you hold back
some of your grain for the second step, and some for mash out.
Of course you want to do water treatment and want databases of known
hops, malts, beer styles and water profiles. But you also would
like to take your mash gravity and compare to your boil tank gravity
and calculate the weight of the sugars left in your lauter-tun. And
you want your brew program to convert your gravity reading based
on temperature. Also, hops should be calculated using Rager, Tinseth
and Garetz calculations.
Consider ABC Brew - the brewing spreadsheet that was designed for advanced
brewers, but easy enough to use by a beginner. Yes, I know that
speadsheets are a pain ... always saving each recipe into a separate file,
and you never know how to update them. But ABC Brew is really a program
built into a spreadsheet. Complex formulas, program macros and templates
are used in a way seldom seen in most spreadsheets. It uses the full power
of Lotus 123 to bring you all the above features, but the ease of use that
you find in your Windows based programs.
Some of the features that you will find include:
o Automated beer style, malt and hops selection. You have full control
of editing these parameters.
o Water treatment profile including many water styles from around the
world.
o Template architecture (one sheet stores all your recipes)
o Complex mash schedules including up to 3 temperature steps, combination
of external and infusion step calculations, and late adjunct additions.
o Brew instructions that are automatically produced based on your input.
o Calculator for volumes, mass wort sugar content and carbonation rates.
o Sugar extraction and attenuation calculations.
o Temperature compensation for gravity measurements.
o Quantity selection based on percentage to allow easy scaling to
different size recipes.
ABC Brew is very new, and at this time I know of only 2 sites that carry
it. It may be found at http://alpha.rollanet.org/Software.html or at
ftp://ftp.stanford.edu/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/programs.
To load ABC Brew, you will need Windows 3.1x, Windows 95 or OS/2 operation
system, and Lotus 123 for Windows Version 5 or higher. This spreadsheet
has not been tested on Macs yet, but most likely will work with the
appropriate level of Lotus 123. Demo versions sometimes are
available at the Lotus home page, http://www.lotus.com. Sorry, this
spreadsheet is too complex to be converted to Excel at this time.
Please email me any comments or concerns.
Fred Klassen
Vancouver BC
fredk at ibm.net
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 02:04:17 -0500 (EST)
From: BernardCh at aol.com
Subject: False Bottoms and Tun Capacity
Two questions for the collective concerning false bottoms and mash/lauter
tuns.
Am I right in assuming that it is not a good idea to have a false bottom
which is smaller in diameter than the lauter tun it will fit into? I have a
9.5 inch diameter Phil's False Bottom that I hopefully would like to use in a
10 galllon round cooler, the diameter of which is almost 13 inches. Will the
efficiency of my sparge be reduced because the false bottom is not fully
covering the bottom of the tun?
On a somewhat related note, assuming a water/malt ratio of 1 to 1.5 quarts
per pound, what might be the maximum amount of grain I can lauter (not mash)
in a 5 gallon bucket or cooler? What about a 10 gallon cooler?
Thanks in advance
Chuck
BernardCh at aol.com
Nashville, TN - Music City USA
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 02:33:10 EST
From: petersonj1 at juno.com (John C Peterson)
Subject: Fermentation, Freshmen HBD, Aeration
Since I don't have a more novice forum, I beg the answer to my problem
from the naysayers. I have brewed three batches of ale. One took off
within four hours after pitching like Mt. Etna. The other two, I have
had to get down on my knees and beg for 3 and 5 days to get the thing to
even fart a bubble.
I have been extreeeemely sanitary. I used dry yeast (whitbread was the
last one) and started the yeast for 15 minutes in 105 degree water for 15
minutes prior to pitching at 74 degrees in the carboy. I don't have an
aerator but I did shake it for 5 minutes before pitching (You try shaking
a 5 gallon carboy for more than 5 minutes).
The only thing I can come up with is that it is only 70 in the house but
it is sitting under a counter in the dark so thier is no temp
fluctuation.
Question 2, I'm just going to be making Ales until the budget throws in
another fridge. Do I need to aerate? My brewshop says no and the book I
got doesn't even mention it. Also, what's the diff between a fish pump
and an aerestone?
Steve, for my 2 cents worth, I would subscribe to your newsgroup along
with a lot of the naysayers. I'm getting tired of all the bickering
about two yeast strands.
John Peterson
petersonj1 at juno.com
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/6841
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:05:51 -0500 (EST)
From: Eugene Sonn <eugene at dreamscape.com>
Subject: Surprisingly Good Beers?
Hello HBDers,
I've got a case of the brewing blahs. It's time for a new batch,
but I'm not feeling inspired to brew any particular style......which
brings me to my question. Are there any beers people have brewed (either
a style or a specific beer) which particularly surprised you? I'm looking
for something to be my next brewing project. I'm thinking that this would
be a good thread for those of us who've gotten in a brewing rut.
To start the ball rolling, I'll submit my own. Recently I brewed
a mock Pilsner using Wyeast's American Ale (I) yeast. I don't have the
ability to lager so I didn't have any great expectations for this beer,
but the resulting brew was surprisingly good. The ultra-fresh Saaz hops
gave it a great nose and I'm surpised how the ale yeast hasn't made this
taste like a pale ale.
Looking forward to hearing about your own gems.
Eugene
eugene at nova.dreamscape.com
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 7:59:13 -0500
From: jjb at vnf.com
Subject: Re: Belgian Gueze Pronunciation
I believe the correct pronounciation of "Gueze" is "coorze".
- --your Belchian colleague
Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jan 1997 08:50:20 -0500
From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu>
Subject: Yeast Starter? & Carbonatio
Subject: Time:2:18 PM
OFFICE MEMO Yeast Starter? & Carbonation Date:1/28/97
Yeast Starter Question-- Recently I tried making a 1.040 gravity yeast starter
as opposed to a 1.020 gravity starter thinking that I would get more yeast to
pitch into my first barleywine attempt. Thinking about the aeration thread,
I'm now wondering is it the volume of the starter and the aeration that
determines the number of yeast that are produced? Maybe I'm just tiring out
the yeast making a stronger 1.040 starter though it's also a better step up to
the 1.090 barleywine than a 1.020 starter. Can anyone give some good advice
for the tradeoffs of yeast starters--volume, gravity, etc. versus the desired
style and any particulars to yeasts that need a higher than normal pitching
rate. I tried using Wyeast 1084 Irish Stout yeast for my barleywine and so
far its fermenting well.
Carbonation--This always comes up in the HBD from time to time. DONT USE 3/4
CUP OF PRIMING SUGAR!! It's supposed to be 4oz in weight which varies a lot
in volume. Since I've started weighing the sugar I get better results and I
typically am closer to 1 cup=4oz. than I am to 3/4 cup!! If you use dry malt
to carbonate it will take longer than priming sugar, also stronger beers seem
to take longer to carbonate. Patience is a virtue when it comes to
carbonation.
John Penn
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Date: 30 Jan 1997 08:50:39 -0500
From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu>
Subject: Stout and Underhopped
Subject: Time:4:06 PM
OFFICE MEMO Stout and Underhopped Date:1/29/97
Stout: I don't think substituting roasted barley or chocolate malt in place
of black patent will give the same flavor. Black patent has a distinct burnt
taste, particurlarly at 1/2# per 5 gallons. However, it will probably taste
OK to subsitute chocolate malt, some roasted barley, or nothing and you'll
probably have a decent stout--though not like the recipe. Experimentation is
probably a good thing. As for the yeast, many of the dry ale yeasts are fine
and I've used Nottingham and Whitbred for Stouts with pleasing results. I've
also used Irish Stout liquid yeast 1084 and been pleased with that too. At
any rate, don't worry--use the liquid yeast and whatever you'd like to do in
place of the black patent and enjoy.
Underhopped Ale in Kenya: I wouldn't think a hop tea would increase your
bitterness. You gurus out there can correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the
bitterness was part of boiling the hops with the malt and the higher the wort
concentration, the more hops you need for the same bitterness level. If it
were me, I'd try boiling another 1 gallon of a VERY bitter wort of ale and
pitching that in your fermenter to compensate for the underhopped 9 gallon
portion. I'd use one of the formulas for hop bitterness but without
calculating it I'd guess you'd want something very strong like 100 IBUs or
more in that 1 gallon boil.
John Penn
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Date: 30 Jan 97 08:59:26 EST
From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Hydrometer
Brewsters:
In response to my comment that a hydrometer represents an approximate estimate
of the sugar content near the end of the fermentation because of unfermentable
dissolved solids and bubbles of CO2 clinging to the glass.
Charles Rich says:
>
> Actually, you can ferment out a sample, taken after pitching, at a
> higher
> temperature (75F-80F) for a good approximation what the FG of the
> batch will be.
You used the correct word "approximation". It may well be that the higher
temperature fementation will go to a lower FG than the lower temperature
fermetation, depending on the yeast, OG, etc. Besides it is unnecessary.
My suggestion is to use a chemical method to determine the reducible sugar
content at this point in the fermentation. Clinitest is such a test available
at your pharmacy. Enzyme tests which check only glucose are not suitable.
- ----------------------------------------------------
Hi Steve A. As always a learned response. Shows me I have to spend more time in
the library Thanks.
- ----------------------------------------------------
Keep on brewin'
Dave Burley
Kinnelon, NJ 07405
103164.3202 at compuserve.com
Voice e-mail OK
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Date: 30 Jan 1997 09:01:56 -0500
From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu>
Subject: Dormant Yeast Not Dead
Subject: Time:9:50 AM
OFFICE MEMO Dormant Yeast Not Dead Date:1/30/97
Yeast that have settled to the bottom are dormant initially. It takes a while
for them to actually be dead so don't throw that starter away just because the
yeast are starting to settle. Sorry about all the posts, I had a mistake in
the new address. Thanks for the new home!
John Penn
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:19:31 -0600 (CST)
From: "Karl F. Lutzen" <lutzen at alpha.rollanet.org>
Subject: RE: Hohumm, the old system
> From: Nightcrawler<shane at cais.com>
> Subject: Hohum, the old system
>
> I see we're back to the old system, huh?? Oh, well.
> However _I_ liked the other newer system, the one
> which listed numbers beside the titles of the articles.
> No chance of going back to that one, any chance??
>
> Shane Saylor, Eccentric Bard
Actually, that is not a bad idea. It would take some time for me to add
this feature into Rob's old scripts. I don't have time to attack it this
week or next, but I can add it to the list of features to be added
(currently the queue has 1 item).
One new feature has been added. All the archives now live under the same
roof as the HBD host. As far as I can remember, this is the first time
this has happened. I have not finished the automation of digest entries,
but it won't be too much longer. The address is:
ftp://brew.oeonline.com/pub/hbd/digests
Before anyone asks, of course this is an anonymous ftp site. It is
limited on the number of concurrent connections, to prevent the system
from being killed by ftp requests. If you run into the limit, try again
later.
If anyone else has any ideas on improving the HBD, please email
janitor@ brew.oeonline.com, and we (Pat Babcock, myself, and a few silent
players to be named later), will discuss them and see if they can be done.
But don't ask for the undigested version. Can't do it. Won't do it.
That was part of the problem which killed the AOB server.
==================================================================
Karl Lutzen lutzen at alpha.rollanet.org
System Administrator
The Brewery http://alpha.rollanet.org/
...and now also brew.oeonline.com janitor/mad hacker.
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Date: 30 Jan 97 9:13:41 EDT
From: Brian Dulisse-1 <Brian_Dulisse-1 at sbphrd.com>
Subject: gueze
i keep seeing posts on how to pronounce this, so here goes . . .
hard g, the beginning sound of "urge" (this is drwn out a little), then ending
with a zh sound
this is a transliteration of the pronunciation of a snotty belgian waiter who
didn't like how i pronounced gueze (although in truth i wasn't particularly
close to pronouncing it correctly :^) ). it worked well enough that the owner
of the cantillon brewery congratulated me on the getting it right when i took
the tour there :^) . . .
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 09:44:36 +0500
From: "Keith Royster" <keith.royster at pex.net>
Subject: Re: Freshman Digest / RE: cutting corny dip tubes / Air filter
Al K, responding to the Freshman Digest thread, says:
>I mean, as much as I like to help out and answer beginners'
>beerstone removal,and anthocyanogens, I don't know if it could
>keep my interest.
And then Scott Abene just about has an anurism (sp?) jumping all
over Al and others for their "Big Headed Ego shit".
First of all, Scott, it sounds like you need to have a few more
homebrews to help you relax. As much as I may agree that Al can get
a bit long winded in his posts, I have to say that I think you've
misunderstood his comment (at least as far as I understand it). I
don't think Al is saying that he is above answering beginners'
questions. In fact, it continues to amaze me how he never seems to
tire of answering the same beginners' questions over and over; ones
which I have tired of answering but know that others who are newer
to this digest will be happy to answer. All I think he is saying is
that if a digest such as the suggested Freshman Digest existed, one
without a *mixture of simple and advanced questions*, he would loose
interest. I have to agree with him.
- ------------------------------------
Spencer W Thomas writes Re: Cutting Corny dip tubes...how much?
> I don't clip my dip tubes. I find that after the small amount of
> yeast remaining in the beer settles, that I suck up a little bit
> from around the bottom of the tube, and then the beer runs clear.
However, if you have to move the keg for any reason, the yeast
sediment gets stirred back up and you have to go through the process
of waiting for it to clear again. Plus, I've not always experience
as fast of a clearing as you describe. BTW, I also don't clip my dip
tubes. I just can't imagine wasting any more beer than necessary!
> Try adding some gelatin to your fermenter to drop the yeast the day
> before you rack to the keg:
Even better, rack to the keg, wait a day for the yeast to settle,
then add bit more gelatin (then force carbonate). Not only will the
gelatin help settle more yeast, but it will fall in a layer on top
of the already settled yeast creating a seal that helps prevent it
from getting sucked up the dip tube and becoming re-suspended if the
keg is moved.
Another hint: I also find it helpful to lean the keg a bit in the
fridge while the yeast is settling so that the dip tube is on the
elevated side of the keg bottom. This helps most of the yeast to
settle farther away from the pickup tube where it is less likely to
get sucked up.
- -----------------------
And finally, a question. I've, uh, got this friend (yeah, that's
it, a friend) that might consider filtering his aquarium pump air ;)
My question, I mean his question is, are these submicron lab filters
that I hear about *really* necessary? I understand that the
bacteria and yeast that need to be filtered can be quite small, but
as I stated in a previous post, it is my perception that these guys
are not free floating around in the air but are actually floating
around attached to much larger dust particles. Therefore, wouldn't
normal cotton balls or something similar act as a sufficient filter
since all you really need to catch is the dust? Or is my assumption
about free-floating beasties incorrect?
TIA! I'll be sure to pass any info on to my AR friend ;)
Keith Royster - Mooresville, North Carolina
"An Engineer is someone who measures it with a micrometer,
marks it with a piece of chalk, and cuts it with an ax!"
mailto:Keith.Royster at pex.net
http://dezines.com/ at your.service - at your.service
http://dezines.com/ at your.service/cbm -Carolina BrewMasters club page
http://dezines.com/ at your.service/RIMS -My RIMS (rated COOL! by the Brewery)
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:19:34 -0500
From: Tom Williams <brewman at wwnet.com>
Subject: Sanitary Yeast Harvesting
Greetings:
Just a quick question ... is it necessary (or advised) to flame the mouth of
the secondary prior to transferring yeast to storage? I'm not sure if these
carboys are up to the heat stress or not. What do others do to cut down on
possibilities of infection, and is there a risk?
Thanks ... it's good to have the 'ole digest back!
brewman at wwnet.com
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 10:22:50 -0500
From: Adam Rich <ar at crocus.medicine.rochester.edu>
Subject: Priming
Hi Everyone,
Here is a simple question about priming that I have after reading
David Draper's Preferred PRiming Procedure (at the Brewery). Th etake-home
message is that my ale has CO2 dissolved in it before I add the priming
sugar, and this amount of CO2 will depend on the temperature. Now, I need
to subtract that amount from the amount of CO2 that I want in my finished
ale, at SERVING TEMPERATURE.
So, from his chart I get 0.93 volumes of CO2 dissolved in my ale at
20C. I want 2 volumes in my British Style Ale. BUT, do I want 2 volumes at
20C, or do I want 2 volumes at 16 degrees C?
From the euqation Priming Rate = (V - Vo)/0.27027 I calculate that I
will need to add 4.14 gm/l (or 78.35 grams./5 gallons or 2.764 ounces/5
gallons). This is all at room temperature. Do I need to tak einto account
that this ale will eb refridgerated?
The colder temperature will allow more CO2 to dissolve into the ale,
and will it therefore make it less carbonated then I want?
I know, I have taken a very simple part of brewing and complicated
it! Sorry, I have a knack for this but it seems to be a reasonable question!
thanks,
Adam
=========================================
Adam Rich, PhD
Hoempage: http://www.millcomm.com/~arich/index.html
Department of Dental Research
University of Rochester Medical Center
601 Elmwood Ave, Box 611
Rochester, NY 14642
716-275-8751
=========================================
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:26:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Suzette Smith <SSMITH1 at drew.edu>
Subject: Belgian Wit
Date: 30-Jan-1997 10:22am EDT
From: Smith, Suzette
SSMITH1
Dept: FAC/STAFF
Tel No: (201)-408-3208
TO: Remote Addressee ( _in%HOMEBREW at BREW.OEONLINE.COM )
Subject: Belgian Wit
Ok here's a question for all the belgian beer fans (Scott Bickham and
others)... Aside from watching the fermentation lock, how would I know
it's time to bottle my Wit? Am I false in assuming that it won't fall
clear in the secondary? If it does fall clear, won't that defeat the
purpose and the description of a "white" beer?
This was a partial mash (but more grain than extract).
I'm looking forward to hearing from anyone with experience in this area.
TIA,
Suzette
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:30:18 -0500 (EST)
From: Bill Sadvary <sadvary at dickinson.edu>
Subject: Central PA brewstore
The Brew Company of Carlisle is having a **Grand Opening** this Saturday
(2/1/97) that could be of interest for those that live in the Central
Pennsylvania area.
152 South Hanover Street, right in town and right off of Rt. 81.
717-241-2734
-Bill
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:31:40 -0500
From: oliver at triton.cms.udel.edu (Oliver Weatherbee)
Subject: Re: Clad vs. Unclad
Mr. Clifford Hicks wrote in part concerning his new Vollrath 10 gallon pot:
"My question is this: Should I return the pot and hold out for one
with an alluminum clad bottom or am I being a worry-wart. Is the pot
I have the best?"
Dear Mr. Hicks,
Once again those unscrupulous marketers at Vollrath and Precision Systems
have found another dupe. As a concerned brewing citizen and all around
good guy, I can't help but empathize with your dilemma. I doubt you will
find much redress of grievances with these companies so I feel obliged to
do you a favor and help a fellow beer enthusiast.
If you are interested, I would be willing (at great personal cost) to
exchange your 10 gallon Stainless Steel Vollrath pot with another 10
gallon pot which is guaranteed to have a true aluminum clad bottom. In
fact the pot I will provide will not only have an aluminum bottom but
the sides and lid will be aluminum as well. You know what they say, you
can never have too much of a good thing.
Incorrigibly yours,
Oliver "Give Me The Pot" Weatherbee
(PS - Clifford, keep the pot. It would be pretty hard to find anything much
better than a Vollrath, the "cadillac of kettles".)
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 07:55:00 PST
From: "Gregory, Guy J." <GGRE461 at ecy.wa.gov>
Subject: Re: rye malt
Alan Folsom sez:
"I am interested in brewing a batch of IPA this weekend, but
experimenting with Rye Malt in the batch. My plan is to use 3 lbs of
Rye in a total grain bill of 11 lbs (some crystal, some carapils, some
flaked barley, about 6 1/2 lbs of Marris Otter Pale), a little more
than 25%.
Does anyone have any experience with Rye Malt? Is this too much? My
hope is to closely duplicate an IPA I made last weekend, varying just
by the substitution of Rye for some Pale. I did not do a protein rest
with the first batch, but will the Rye necessitate it?
Any comments or suggestions would be welcome."
Ooowee, sounds great! Yes, I have experience with rye malt. No, it isn't
too much. In fact, this sounds great, what with the carapils to add a bit
of body. I have a similar recipe, though I use Harrington almost
exclusively, that uses 20% rye malt (7# barley, 1#40L crystal, 2# rye) which
I bitter to about 50 IBU with Nugget and Cascade. Mighty good beer. I may
make yours next.
I don't know if it's necessary, but I do protein rest about 122F. Rye malt
will be a bit gummy, so take your time lautering, and you may consider a
betaglucan rest (92F, I think) but I've never done it. Rye beers, IMHO, are
virtually impossible to clarify. I worried, but had to get over it, 'cause
I like the beer so much. I'm interested in a taste comparison between the
IPA and the RyePA, to see if you can put your finger on the "essential rye
character" which others have had difficulty describing. Good luck
GuyG4 at aol.com
Guy Gregory
Lightning Creek Home Brewery
Thanks, Pat, Karl, and FORD!
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 09:07:31 -0800
From: "Brander Roullett (Volt Computer)" <a-branro at MICROSOFT.com>
Subject: GOTT Cooler modification Questions
I am considering getting a 10+ gallon cooler for use as a Mash/Lauter
Tun, but since i am of less than ample means I would also like to keep
using it for a water jug when we go camping. Questions i have are....
1) if i modify it with a copper tubing false bottom or a phils Phalse
bottom, with some sort of spigot installed for flow control. would it
be a bad idea to use it for a water jug at big camping events? am i
likely to run into infection problems, or bad water?
2) about how heavy is a Fully loaded 10 gallon GOTT cooler? (water)
3) is a 10 gallon cooler enough to do 15 gallon batches?
4) what are recomended ways to put decent and cheap spigot into a
cooler?
5) what metals are bad for soaking in water, and hot liquor (grain
liquid) for extended periods of time?
Brander Roullett(a-branro) aka Badger
http://www.nwlink.com/~badger/
For a quart of ale is a dish for a king. -William Shakespeare
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 11:20:38 -0600
From: rlabor at lsumc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald)
Subject: Freshman Digest - Big heads
In # 2330 Scott Braker-Abene opines:
...I say this whole Big Headed Ego brewer shit is really starting to get
on my nerves. None of us, and I mean NONE OF US! (are you listening
Al, Dave, John) are above learning from any member of this forum...
Then moments later he says:
...Have you ever stopped to think of that..? Have any one of you ever
taken the time to look at any one of your rambling nasty ass put down
posts to some poor brewer that just asked a simple brewing question or
made a brewing mistake that was to you all so obvious? Have you ever
stopped to think that after making that brewer feel so bad about the
methods that he used or the mistakes that they made they have since
never brewed again because they were convinced that they couldn't
brew?...
Now wait, you cannot have your cake and eat it. Do you want advice or not?
Make up your mind. If you cannot take helpfull advice without getting
upset, then it is your problem.
Look, I have read many posts from the mentioned people and have learned
much from them. Of course sometimes they may sound - or even be a bit
egotistical - but my skin is not so tender that it wounds me.
Actually YOUR post came the closest to offending me with your cheap, profane
language. Even now I am not offended look, - :>))) see, still smiling.
Scott continues to opine:
...What might appear to be useless info to any one of you is somewhere
helping someone else make a much better beer...
Well Scott, you could not have said it better - just place yourself where
you used the word YOU.
Everyone will get much more from the HBD if they do not miss the opportunity
to also see it as a lesson in human character. If you find an egotist, then
observe, learn, consider what you do or do not like and usethat information
to improve yourself. Do not limit yourself to only beer.
Why be so narrow sighted? It's here, it's free and it's good.
As for me personally I greatly appreciate the efforts, time, and trouble the
posters take to carefully and thoroughly and generously give help to others
on the HBD.
Try to be Happy
Ron :>)))
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