HOMEBREW Digest #255 Sat 16 September 1989

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator


Contents:
  Re: Color computing (Mike Fertsch)
  Lager ferment temp (M Nevar)
  Re:  Wort Chiller (Bob Clark - Sun Engineering)
  Re:  Homebrew Digest #254 (September 15, 1989) (Greg Wageman)
  Hunter Energy Monitor (Crawford.WBST129)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Sep 89 09:30 EDT From: Mike Fertsch <FERTSCH at adc1.RAY.COM> Subject: Re: Color computing Pete Soper posted a good article regarding calculation of wort and beer color in yesterday's Digest. I too, use a spreadsheet to predict color (among other things), but am much less careful than Pete. Even so, I've got a few comments to make. > First, wort darkens while you are making and boiling it. The amount > of darkening can vary over a broad range. Very true - I've tried to standardise on my boiling techniques (one hour - no more, no less) so that I get consistient results. > The very dark malts can produce color contributions that are hard to > predict. The way you grind, steep and sparge them makes a big > difference in the amount of color contributed. Again, very true. I've noticed a big effect in the length of the mash. Long mashes extract a lot more color than short mashes. I've standardised on one hour (no more, no less) mashes. Sparge time and temperature makes a big difference too, but I have not come up with a standard sparging technique. The big problem (as I see it) is getting correct Lovibond numbers for grains. I've noticed a big variation in color in many malts. Crystal can vary from 20 to 100! I've never pushed the issue with my homebrew shop proprietor, but are these numbers usually available from suppliers? The numbers in the literature are averages and might not be the same as the actual grains used. Another big problem is with regard to extracts. I use some extract in almost all my batches. For a Lovibond-based color prediction scheme to work, we need to come up with equivalent Lovibond ratings for extracts. The only way I can think of doing this is to make a batch, measure its color, and work backwards to get the equivalent Lovibond rating of the extract. Does anyone have any experience with this? Mike Fertsch Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Sep 89 07:36:12 EDT (Fri) From: M Nevar <man at garage.att.com> Subject: Lager ferment temp >From Mark Nevar I made a batch of Steam Beer that called for a lager yeast (I used WYeast 2007) fermented at 50 - 55 degrees. I did this and it fermented well for 2 weeks and then stopped. I aged it for the recommended 2 weeks and removed it from the fridge for bottling. As it warmed to room temperature, it began to ferment again. I returned it to the fridge and it stopped. Now, I don't think it is infected, but why would a lager yeast prefer this warmer temperature. Should I bottle it and keep the bottles refrigerated. I haven't taken a sample yet. Any ideas are welcome. Mark Nevar Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 89 11:55:38 PDT From: bobc at Sun.COM (Bob Clark - Sun Engineering) Subject: Re: Wort Chiller > Jim Kipps asks about wort chillers, buy/build, etc. My brewing buds & I bought a wort chiller from the local shop for ~$45. I priced the components first, and had a hard time finding the proper fittings to go from small diameter copper to hose fittings. That aside, the price for 50 ft. copper tubing was in the area of $30, so we were getting to be in the same ballpark, anyway, although I'm guessing that there is actually half that length in the one we bought. I wanted to comment that I prefer the hose fittings to faucet fittings. I run a hose into the kitchen for the supply side, and I run the outlet to a sprinkler in the yard. In the SF bay area, water use is an issue, so it's nice to be able to not waste the water used in the chiller. Finally, we are big proponents of the chiller - we feel that it greatly reduces exposure to contamination due to reduced chilling time, increases reproducability, and enhances the effect of aromatic hops. The last is due to the reduced amount of time which the hops goodies spend at an elevated temperature. Bob Clark Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 89 13:36:47 PDT From: greg at sj.ate.slb.com (Greg Wageman) Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #254 (September 15, 1989) Hello, everyone. I'd like to request the list's consensus on the usefulness of the indices being posted by Mr. Haberman. I in no way wish to denigrate Mr. Haberman for his efforts. My personal opinion is that these indices consume quite a bit of room in the digest, and are useless to me. I can "grep" through the digests if I need to find a subject; having a list of subjects in yet another digest is at best redundant. I do not want to have to edit them out. Perhaps Mr. Haberman would be willing to mail them to requestors? No doubt others feel differently. Can we get a majority opinion? Thanks. Greg Wageman DOMAIN: greg at sj.ate.slb.com Schlumberger Technologies UUCP: {uunet,decwrl,amdahl}!sjsca4!greg 1601 Technology Drive BIX: gwage San Jose, CA 95110-1397 CIS: 74016,352 (408) 437-5198 GEnie: G.WAGEMAN Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Sep 89 07:49:15 PDT (Friday) From: Crawford.WBST129 at Xerox.COM Subject: Hunter Energy Monitor Thanks to ERIK A. HENCHAL for recommending the Hunter Energy Monitor. I bought mine this weekend and it is exactly what I need. I just got my Fall issue of Zymurgy and they include an article on how to install a thermostat in a fridge. The only problem is that their method uses a $45 honeywell unit (my Hunter cost $39.95) and it is more work to install. Greg Crawford Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #255, 09/16/89 ************************************* -------
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