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


Contents:
  Homebrew Digest #266 (September 29, 1989) (postmaster)
  Homebrew Digest #266 (September 29, 1989)
  packaging trends (Wayne Hamilton)
  "chock"? (Wayne Hamilton)
  What mailing list??? (Steve Speer)
  Homebrew newsletter (ihlpb!krj)
  Diacetyl Rest (Mark Gryska)
  kegging systems source, Chicago micro and fusel oils (BROWN)
  wort coolers (John S. Link)
  Meads & mead-making ("FEINSTEIN")


Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com


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Date: Fri, 29 Sep 89 03:42:29 CDT
From: postmaster <"VENUS::EXOS%" at venus.tamu.edu>
Subject:  Homebrew Digest #266 (September 29, 1989)

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>From : homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com
Subject:  Homebrew Digest #266 (September 29, 1989)

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HOMEBREW Digest #266		             Fri 29 September 1989


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


Contents:
  packaging trends (Wayne Hamilton)
  "chock"? (Wayne Hamilton)
  What mailing list??? (Steve Speer)
  Homebrew newsletter (ihlpb!krj)
  Diacetyl Rest (Mark Gryska)


Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com

Return to table of contents


Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 09:40:02 -0500
From: Wayne Hamilton <hamilton at osiris.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: packaging trends

coor's latest ad blitz got me thinking...

first budweiser (et al?) touted their beechwood aging to convince us
that their beer produced in modern metal vessels is just as good as
the beer that came from wooden casks.

then miller bragged that their bottled beer had the "genuine draft"
taste of beer from metal kegs.

now coors tells us that specially-coated cans make keystone taste like
bottled beer.

what's next?  beer sold in paper cartons that tastes just like canned
beer?

did medieval brewers have to convince people that beer produced in wooden
casks tasted as good as beer made in clay pots?

	wayne hamilton
	U of Il and US Army Corps of Engineers CERL
UUCP:	{convex,uunet}!uiucuxc!osiris!hamilton
ARPA:	hamilton at osiris.cso.uiuc.edu	USMail:	Box 476, Urbana, IL 61801
CSNET:	hamilton%osiris at uiuc.csnet	Phone:	(217)384-4310

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Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 09:45:26 -0500
From: Wayne Hamilton <hamilton at osiris.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: "chock"?

there's a scene in the movie "the outlaw josie wales", where a frontier
trader offers his customers a bucket of "fresh brewed chock".  is that
a genuine term for a variety of beer, or just some hollywood wordplay?

	wayne hamilton
	U of Il and US Army Corps of Engineers CERL
UUCP:	{convex,uunet}!uiucuxc!osiris!hamilton
ARPA:	hamilton at osiris.cso.uiuc.edu	USMail:	Box 476, Urbana, IL 61801
CSNET:	hamilton%osiris at uiuc.csnet	Phone:	(217)384-4310

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Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 11:50:58 MDT
From: Steve Speer <ses at hpfcls>
Subject: What mailing list???
Full-Name: Steve Speer


Hi!

My name is Steve Speer.  I see that somebody in netland mentioned this
address as a way to get on a Home Brew mailing list.  I have a beer kit that
I used in college and have been thinking of breaking it out recently as the
temperatures become more moderate, but don't know of any local (Fort Collins)
suppliers, etc.  Then I saw this address and noticed it was from Fort Collins
and wondered who was behind it.  Could you place me on the mailing list
and perhaps identify yourself for some short chit-chat some day?

Thanks,

        -Steve

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Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 14:31:39 mdt
From: att!ihlpb!krj at hplabs.HP.COM
Subject: Homebrew newsletter

Can I be added to the homebrew nesletter distribution list?
Kevin JOhnson
312/979-5452
krj at ihlpb.att.com


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Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 18:33 EST
From: Mark Gryska <GRYSKA at cs.umass.EDU>
Subject: Diacetyl Rest

  A couple of days ago I wrote about performing a diacetyl rest
  for use in lager beer production. Here is the specific information...

  This is called the Narzsis technique after it's author. Conduct your
  primary fermentation at 48 degrees F until you reach 67% attenuation.
  At this point raise the temperature to 65 degrees F and hold until
  the fermentation is complete. Reduce the temperature to 37.4 degrees
  F to lager.  This information was provided to me by Charlie Olchowski
  of the Frozen Wort in Greenfield, Ma. It is the recommended
  fermentation schedule for yeast #308.

  The article I referred to was published in the "Best of Beer and
  Brewing", Volumes 1-5 and written by Dr. Helmut Kieninger. The beer
  is fermented at 54 degrees F until the final attenuation point is
  approached, to an apparent extract value of about 2% by weight.  At
  this point the yeast is removed but the beer must remain at 54
  degrees for a minimum of 72 hours for diacetyl reduction. The beer is
  then cooled to 43 degrees F for a period of 12 hours and then the
  temperature is reduced to 32 degrees F for 3-7 days. (This procedure
  assumes that CO2 is added during bottling.)

					- mg

  Mark Gryska
  gryska at cs.umass.edu
  mark at zippy.cs.umass.edu

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #266, 09/29/89
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Date:     Fri, 29 Sep 89 11:54 EST
From: <BROWN%MSUKBS.BITNET at CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject:  kegging systems source, Chicago micro and fusel oils

I thought I'd pass on the results of my latest research on homebrew kegging
systems.  Foxx equipment company, located in Kansas City, sells a 5 gallon
complete kit (full 5 lb. Co2 cylinder with single guage regulator, 5 gal Soda
keg and all the fittings and tubes) for $150.10.  A kit with 3 gal. tank goes
for $146.61.  Their numbers are (800)821-2254 in K.C. and (800)525-2484 in
Denver.  An ad with a picture of their system is on page 1 of the latest
Zymurgy.  From what I can tell this price is about what the Rapids Co.
(mentioned several weeks back) charges, although I haven't contacted the
latter company yet to get a price on a complete kit.  Has anyone else?  If
you call the Foxx company they will send you a 1 page xerox with a (crude)
diagram of the system and an itemized list of parts.

Way back I promised to report on the new Chicago microbrew available only on
draft.  It's called Baderbrau (with an umlaut over the 'a'), and is now
available only on tap.  It is amber lager (beautiful color!), nicely hopped
with appropriate malt balance.  A beer I would be very proud to make!  I
sampled it at an interesting bar on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago about 2 blocks
north of Irving Park called Von Stuke's(??) Hofbrau.  I'd recommend the bar
for its fine selection of German beers on tap at reasonable prices.  They
even have EKU's Bajuvator doppelbock ("the velvet hammer") at $2.75/half
liter.  Give it a try if you're in Chicago.

Finally, while I was in the bar, some guy in a suit (I suspect a salesman for
the beer) was explaining to a couple locals that they couldn't get a hangover
from Baderbrau because "it had no rice or corn in it like most American
beers, and thus didn't produce the fusel oils that give you headaches."
Aside from the fact that hangovers are due to other things in addition to
fusel oils (like dehydration and stripping of B vitamins), I had to challenge
his assertion.  Isn't it true that SOME fusel oils are produced in all malt
fermentations -- just less than with non-malt adjuncts?  I rarely get a
hangover from drinking homebrew, but I wonder how much of that is due to
REMOVAL of fusel oils via the blow-off method of fermentation, as well as the
fact that I'm consuming a great deal of yeast, which returns some B-vitamins
to my body.  I also drink less because the greater body of the homebrew
satisfies my beer cravings compared to commercial beers (so much for the lite
beer health philosophy).  What are the facts on fusel oils?


Jackie Brown                    Bitnet:  Brown at MSUKBS

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Date: Fri, 29 Sep 89 14:53:32 edt
From: John S. Link <prcrs!link at uunet.UU.NET>
Subject: wort coolers

I've been considering making my own wort cooler; but not the
conventional copper tubing immersion type.

My thought was to take a considerable length of siphon tubing and coil
it inside a 5 gallon paint bucket filled with ice and water.   I would 
siphon the hot wort (from the stove top), through the ice cooler (on a
chair) to the fermentation container(on the floor).  I would have
to experiment to find the correct length of "coil" to place in the
ice bucket to obtain the best temperature.

I would have to use a rigid plastic tube on the hot wort side
to keep the tube from collapsing due to the vacuum created by the
siphon.

Are there other things I'm not considering?  Has anyone tried this?

(Help, before I ruin five gallons of homebrew!!!)


John S. Link

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Date: 29 Sep 89 17:36:00 EDT
From: "FEINSTEIN" <crf at pine.circa.ufl.edu>
Subject: Meads & mead-making

Hello, all!

I noted 's recent request for mead-making info, but haven't had time to 
respond until now.

Below you will find my basic recipe for making mead.  First, however, some 
basic tips and information.

Meads come in several basic types:  meads, metheglins (spiced meads), and 
melomels (meads made with fruit and/or fruit juices added).  Many of these, 
especially the melomels, are "species specific" (as it were).  For example, a
cyser is by definition a mead made with apples or apple juice. 

Use unblended honey when making mead, and raw honey if at all possible.  Thus, 
unless there is someone with an apiary in your neighborhood, the best place to 
get honey is at a health food store or roadside stand.  If the honey has bits 
of wax, or other particulate matter in it, that can be strained out before 
cooking.  Do NOT, under *any* circumstances, use "blended to death" honeys,
like "SueBee".  Remember:  the taste and character of the honey you use will
be the principal determinants of the taste and character of your mead. 

Please note that meads don't need any malt added, for *any* reason.  Apart 
from altering the flavor and character, there are quite enough fermentables 
present already, thank you!  :-)

Use a white wine yeast in brewing mead; "Montrechet" is recommended.  *Don't* 
use ale or lager yeast; the end result will most likely be exploding bottles!

Most mead recipes call for the addition of some citrus juice or tea (tannin).  
This is important, as it balances the sweetness, preventing it from becoming 
cloying.  This is the same reason caffeine is added to many sodas.

The molecular structures of the sugars involved in meads are different from 
those found in brews.  Thus, meads can take anywhere from a few weeks or 
months to several years to age properly.  And, they won't taste very good if 
one isn't patient; the time is necessary.

When adding honey to hot or boiling water, STIR CONSTANTLY!!  Otherwise, the
honey will go straight to the bottom of the pot, where it will caramelize,
scorch, and otherwise ruin the whole thing.  KEEP STIRRING, until the honey is
*completely* dissolved. 

You will notice, in mead recipes, instructions to skim off any scum that forms 
as the mead heats up.  This is very important, as that scum is the equivalent
of the krausen in beer.  Apart from the nasties in it that can contribute to
hangovers, there are nasties in the scum that can adversely affect the flavor
and appearance of the finished mead. 

The length of time mead is allowed to ferment is the other principal factor in
determining not only the final alcoholic content, but how dry _vs._ how sweet 
your mead will be.  Remember:  mead is not necessarily a sweet drink!  Also, 
meads can be sparkling, or still.  It's all a matter of individual preference.

A word of warning about mead hangovers:  they are the stuff of legend-- and 
rightly so!  The combination of high alcohol content (relatively speaking) and 
high sugar content are perfect for the induction of the Ultimate Hangover.  
One author I've read on meads, in an attempt to convey to the reader the 
potential severity of a mead hangover, referred to the Biblical story of 
Judith and the Holofernes.  The author pointed out that Judith saw to it that 
the Holofernes got thoroughly drunk on mead, waited until they had slept 
awhile, and then had the Hebrew army attack-- beating on their shields!  As 
the author put it:  "What else could the Holofernes do but throw down their 
arms and accept slaughter with gratitude?"

Personally, I consider this description of mead hangovers to be both apt and 
astute.  :-)

Anyone with questions about mead-making can contact me at the addresses below. 
The recipe for basic mead follows.


                                Yours in Carbonation,

                                      Cher Feinstein
                                      Univ. of Fla.
                                      Gainesville, FL

                                      INTERNET:  CRF at PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU
                                      BITNET:  CRF at UFPINE




                         BASIC SMALL MEAD


NOTE:  All equipment mentioned below is assumed to be either well-cleaned or 
sterilized, as needed.

In a 1 gallon enamel pot, simmer the following until the infusion is done to 
taste:  2-3 whole cloves, lightly cracked; 2 sticks of cinnamon, broken up; 2 
thin slices peeled fresh ginger root.  Add 2-4 tsp. orange peel (how much 
depends on the honey-- with orange blossom honey use less, for example) and 
simmer a little longer.

Add enough water to bring the volume up to 3 quarts.  Bring back up to a 
simmer.  Add 2 lbs honey, stirring constantly.  Some of the warm water can be 
ladled back into the honey container to rinse it.  

DO NOT BOIL!  Continue to simmer at a moderate rate, skimming off any white
scum that forms on the top.  If the scum is yellow, the heat is too high.  
Once no more scum forms, turn off the heat, place the lid on the pot, and 
leave overnight.

The next day, strain out as many of the spice particles as practicable.  Pitch 
the yeast.  Replace the pot lid; the condensation on it will form a seal.

Twelve hours later, rack the mead into a gallon jug, leaving the dregs of the 
yeast.  After racking, top off the jug if needed, filling it to the base of 
the neck.  Take a piece of clean paper towel, fold it into quarters, and put 
it over the mouth of the jug.  Secure with a rubber band.  Allow to ferment 36 
hours.  If the paper towel becomes fouled during this period, replace it with 
another.

After 36 hours, taste the mead.  If it is still too sweet for your taste, 
ferment longer.  Repeat this as necessary, until a desirable level of 
sweetness/dryness is achieved.

Place mead in refrigerator for 8-12 hours, then rack into a fresh gallon jug.
Seal new jug tightly, and place in refrigerator to carbonate for 12 hours. 

Once the mead is nicely carbonated, add 1/4 cup of vodka or grain alcohol to 
the jug to kill off the yeast.  Rack into a fresh jug again, seal tightly, and 
place in refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

The mead may then be bottled; Grolsch bottles work extremely well for this 
purpose.  

This is a "quickie" mead, drinkable in 2 weeks.  However, it does improve
considerably with age, and letting it age for at least a couple of months
before drinking is recommended.  This mead is excellent chilled. 


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End of HOMEBREW Digest #267, 09/30/89
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