HOMEBREW Digest #2799 Sun 16 August 1998
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of
Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
URL: http://www.oeonline.com
Contents:
Re: Post Script (ThE GrEaT BrEwHoLiO)
CPB Instruction (Peter.Perez)
Infection Problem in Plastic Equipment (SCHNEIDERB)
IBU measurments / force carbonating and CP filling (George_De_Piro)
RE: Pbbbbbbllllllllttttttttt! (LaBorde, Ronald)
re: pizza pan false bottom (Colin DuBois)
re: mega IBUs (Scott Murman)
Summertime Ale (Al Korzonas)
It aint fair.... MM gap settings (Jack Schmidling)
Melanoidins and crystal malt (George_De_Piro)
Mini Brew Fermentors (Andrew Quinzani)
reply to Introduction;women and beer (HBD#2795) (Herbert Bresler)
Leominster, Mass. Brew suggestions ("Spinelli, Mike")
Using Cornies & Choosing pump/plumbing (keith christiann)
Bottle baking' ("Mike Allred")
Bottle Sanitation ("J. Kish")
Rims Stuck Mash ("Steven Braun")
Selecting for yeast characteristics (flocculation) ("phil grossblatt")
Simi-brew (Charles Hudak)
Re: Irish Beer, non-stout? (Jeff Renner)
Hop vines (Brent Irvine)
Re: Repitching 3 wk. old slurry ("John A. MacLaughlin")
Plum/prune notes - nettiquette (Robert Arguello)
Let a good beer be the exclamation point at the end of your day as
every sentence deserves proper punctuation...
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 09:19:48 -0500
From: ThE GrEaT BrEwHoLiO <skotrat at wwa.com>
Subject: Re: Post Script
EFOUCH at steelcase.com Wrote:
>PS-I don't think It's fair that Pat Babcock gets to repond to posts right
>away, while the rest of of have to respond a few days later!
Pat is pretty much solely responsible for this thing running and he should
be able to do whatever the hell he wants.
C'Ya!
-Scott "Pat and I are really lovers in Plaid" Abene
################################################################
# ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT #
# Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> #
# http://www.wwa.com/~skotrat (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page) #
# #
# #
# "The More I know About Cathy Ewing, The More The AHA SUCKS" #
################################################################
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:27:03 -0400
From: Peter.Perez at smed.com
Subject: CPB Instruction
I recently inquired for help on using a CPB. I received some great help,
thanks everyone. I'd like to share one thing I noticed, and at first
thought was odd. In every single set of instructions that I received in
response to my question, the author of the instructions assigned letters to
represent the 3 valves on a CPB. The odd thing is that everyone assigned
the letters, the same exact way, as follows: A - Beer line, B - CO2 line,
C - Vent. It just seemed to me that the valves would be more appropriately
labeled like this: A - Vent, B - Beer line, C - CO2 line, so that the
letters almost all match the first letter of what they represent. Not
until I realized what everyone must have been thinking when assigning the
letters to the valves, did I really appreciate it. So you ask, well what
must they have been thinking? Beer always comes first!!!
Pete
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:25:59 -0500
From: SCHNEIDERB at morganco.com
Subject: Infection Problem in Plastic Equipment
I have finally realized that there is an infection in my plastic brewing
equipment, and EVERY BATCH BOTTLED this year has become infected. The
bottles are starting to explode in my storage cellar. The same beers, when
kegged - crossed fingers here - taste OK. So I can only assume it has
something to do with infections in the plastic bottleing bucket, or
something has gone wrong with my handling of bottles.
I think the infection started sometime late last year when a batch of tripel
wound up getting sour and acidic [brett?] in the secondary. I bottled it
anyhow to see what conditioning would do. Ended up going back into bulk and
adding red raspberries to save the beer and it's pretty neat stuff at this
time. Fruit saved me there. Anyhow....
Unless I can be told of something super-duper to clean and sterilize my
plastics, they are all going to the trash and will be replaced one by one as
the need arises. Anything else to try before scrapping the stuff?
I should also methodically clean and sterilize all glassware as well, so
suggestions there as to what to use will be appreciated as well. My only
concern is getting back to nomal and being able to brew beer that can be
drank once again.
Thanks - Brett
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 11:07:36 -0700
From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com
Subject: IBU measurments / force carbonating and CP filling
Hi all,
Al K. writes, regarding a beer that Louis B. measured at an
"impossible" 100 IBUs:
"There is also the possibility that the error in measurement increases
with increasing absorption (these devices were designed to test beers
like Bud with a whopping 12 IBUs!). What's accuracy of that
equipment, Louis?"
Spectrophotometers were not invented by a megabrewer to perform IBU
determinations. They will be accurate at any IBU level provided the
sample is not absorbing too much light. This can be controlled by
sample dilution and sample cell size (which determines pathlength of
light through the sample).
The question I have for Louis is how was the instrument calibrated?
Was a standard of iso-alpha acids used to calibrate the instrument?
That could effect accuracy.
That aside, a result of 115 IBUs is not too out of line with the
Practical Brewer's theoretical maximum of 100 IBUs, given the accuracy
of the test, etc. Also, the brewer of the 115 IBU beer posted his
recipe a few issues ago. He noted that standard calculations put his
beer over 200 IBUs!!! I'd say he pretty much proved the Practical
Brewer (as quoted by Al K.) is correct.
As has been said, the use of preisomerized pellets or extracts negates
the 100 IBU limit (although WHY you would do that is another issue
entirely...)
----------------------------
There has been much talk about the issue of force carbonating and
counter pressure (CP) bottle filling.
In my homebrewery I have to carbonate my 38F (3.3C) beer to ~25 psig
to achieve a "normal German lager" carbonation level in my glass and
in my CP filled bottles. How can this be, Al K. and others may ask?
I don't know! My best guess is that my cheapo gauge (similar to most
of yours, no doubt) is a piece of junk and isn't reading the correct
pressure. I have spent plenty of time carbonating according to the
charts, and always end up with *very* undercarbonated beer when I do
so.
As Jack S. said a few issues ago, there are so MANY variables involved
in forced carbonation that to tell somebody that your method (or even
the theoretically correct method) will work for them is a stretch.
Start with the theoretically correct approach and go from there,
keeping careful notes.
With that said, I will say that the most common mistake I have heard
about people making when CP filling is to have the pressure set too
low. Regardless of what pressure you think you have the keg at, the
pressure must be at least that high (or even a touch higher) when CP
filling. If you set the pressure lower than the carbonation pressure
the beer will be degassing in the keg, in the line, and in the
receiving bottle. That is why you get excessive foaming.
By setting the pressure equal to (or slightly above) the carbonation
pressure, the CO2 stays in the beer. When you remove the filler from
the bottle you will get some foam, but not much more than if you
opened a cold bottle of beer.
Keeping the beer cold and under the proper amount of pressure is the
key. It also helps to minimize turbulence by filling *slowly* and
avoiding bubbles (if bubbles are in the beer line, they will gurgle
into the bottle and cause turbulence in the beer). You should only
get excessive foam when the pressure is too low, the bottle is filled
too quickly or the beer gets too warm. Remember to purge the air from
the bottle, too, so that it is under CO2, not air. This prevents both
oxidation and the degassing of the beer.
Have fun!
George De Piro (Nyack, NY)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:45:13 -0500
From: rlabor at lsumc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald)
Subject: RE: Pbbbbbbllllllllttttttttt!
From: pbabcock <pbabcock at mail.oeonline.com>
>Eric Fouch opines:
>> PS-I don't think It's fair that Pat Babcock gets to repond to posts right
>> away, while the rest of of have to respond a few days later!
>
>Pbbbbbbllllllllttttttttt!
>
And another big Pbbbbbbllllllllttttttttt! Pat deserves this small
privilege.
It's sorta like the driver gets to pick the place!
Remember, RHIP - Rank Has It's Privileges
Ron
Ronald La Borde - Metairie, Louisiana - rlabor at lsumc.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:01:21 -0400
From: Colin DuBois <cdubois at ptd.net>
Subject: re: pizza pan false bottom
Cheap and Dirty. I drilled as many 1/8 inch holes as possible in my 12"
pan. It took forever on the drill press. I also soldered the 1/2 inch
copper tubing through the center of the pan. Keeps it from moving
around. Above the solder joint I soldered a 90 degree joint that I
"dry" fit into a piece of 1/2 copper pipe from the bulkhead fitting. I
can then remove the pan easily. I have had just under 80 percent
efficiency on an all grain grist and a 50/50 wheat grist. No problems
sparging either. I used one in my boiler as well. Just drill the holes
around the edge of the pan for the boiler. The 50 dollar screens would
be nice, but it is hard to justify the 44 dollars of extra cost for one
when this works so well.
Colin
- --
If I build it,
they will come.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:39:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Scott Murman <smurman at best.com>
Subject: re: mega IBUs
Those of you trying to get "mega IBU's" into your beer might consider
boiling hop additions under pressure. Those of you trying to get
"mega malt" into your beer also might consider boiling (sans hops)
under pressure.
SM
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 12:44:10 -0500 (CDT)
From: Al Korzonas <korz at xnet.com>
Subject: Summertime Ale
Phil writes:
>PPS. Goose Island isn't local for me, but the Summertime Ale was great.
>They claim its a Koelsch. How accurate of a representation is it? Al?
Well, technically, it's not a Koelsch. It can't be unless it is brewed
in Koeln (Cologne) or in one of the breweries in the surrounding area
that were already brewing a beer called Koelsch at the time when the
German law that made Koelsch a restricted style went into effect (mid
1900's, I believe).
As for whether it is an accurate representation, on paper, it seems
to be within the guidelines, but in terms of flavour, I'd say that I
would not mistake it for a Koelsch in a blind tasting. The flavour
and aroma of a Koelsch is a rather illusive. Of the 10 or so Koelsches
I tasted in Koeln, my favourites all had a moderate DMS aroma (yes,
that's right!). It's not surprising given that Koelsches are made from
mostly Pilsner malt (which is high in SMM, the precursor of DMS).
Although not all Koelsches contain wheat, I do believe that the ones
I thought were best had a wheaty flavour.
At best, I would say that as a Koelsch-style beer, Summertime is, "just
okay." However, as a Blonde or Light Ale, Summertime is excellent.
Very refreshing and aptly named (except for having the "Koelsch"
style as a subtitle to the beer).
Al.
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
korz at xnet.com
http://www.brewinfo.com/brewinfo/
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:51:20 -0700
From: Jack Schmidling <arf at mc.net>
Subject: It aint fair.... MM gap settings
EFOUCH at steelcase.com
"PS-I don't think It's fair that Pat Babcock gets to repond to posts
right away, while the rest of of have to respond a few days later!
I hope this was a joke but if any perspective is needed, I bet Pat
thinks it's unfair that he has to expend so much money and energy
in providing the HBD and all you do is use it.
"Marc Battreall" <batman at terranova.net>
" I don't know how old your mill is and whether or not these marks
are on your model, but hopefully they are. (Help me out here Jack?)
I didn't check the records to verify this but I believe we started
putting the reference marks on when we switched to the knurrled
steel adjustment knob. If your mill has a black plastic cap over the
adjustment knob, they probably are not there. This would be at
least 5 years ago.
If your mill does not have them, just insert a .045" feeler on the
adjustable end and close the spacing till you get contact and then
mark the knob and face of the bearing plate with a marking pen
or etcher for future reference.
js
........PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF OUR NEW URL..........
- --
Visit our WEB pages: http://user.mc.net/arf
ASTROPHOTO OF THE WEEK..... New Every Monday
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Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:27:23 -0700
From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com
Subject: Melanoidins and crystal malt
Hi all,
About 4-6 weeks back I said something about the flavor of crystal malt
being formed by melanoidins. I then retracted this, but I didn't mean
to. Somebody out there (you know who you are) has asked me to
clarify, so I will.
Melanoidins are formed whenever you have heat, some moisture, amino
acids and simple sugars. These conditions exist during the making of
crystal malt, so of course there are melanoidins formed.
The thing that bothered the person that asked for clarification is
that I didn't take this any further, and may have left somebody with
the impression that crystal malt can be substituted for other
high-melanoidin malts (like Munich and Vienna malts) in recipes.
This, of course, is not the case.
Not all melanoidins are created equal. Depending on what amino acids
reacted with which sugars under what conditions, different melanoidins
are formed. They vary in flavor, ranging from the bready, toasty, and
"refined malt" qualities of Munich malt to the candy-like, burnt sugar
qualities of crystal malt. One malt can not be a substitute for the
other.
Thanks go from me to Mort O'Sullivan for educating me about this
stuff.
Have fun!
George De Piro (Nyack, NY)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 15:00:29 -0400
From: Andrew Quinzani <quinzani at mediaone.net>
Subject: Mini Brew Fermentors
Has anyone bought, used, or know someone that has used the
plastic conical fermentors from Mini-Brew Systems?
http://www.minibrew.com
I was thinking of buying the half barrel unit as I brew 15
gal. batches and have to put it into 3 pails and then 3
carboys, then into a half barrel keg. Lots of moving there
so I thought it would be easier to leave it in the
fermantor, blow off the settlement every couple of days and
keg right from it.
The price is a bit steep, $350. for the half barrel.....
Pails are only ten bucks....... Still, it would save me some
time and would help from getting bad bugs in the batch when
moving from first to second stage, that has happened only
once....
So I guess I am looking for any feedback on these products
or any like product.
Thanks.
-=Q=-
- --
"Q" Brew Brewery...Home of Hairy Chest Ale
- ------------------------------------------------------------
quinzani at mediaone.net
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Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 15:20:15 -0400
From: Herbert Bresler <bresler.7 at osu.edu>
Subject: reply to Introduction;women and beer (HBD#2795)
Dawn,
Welcome to the weird and wonderful Homebrew Digest. I was glad to see
Spencer Thomas' post in reply to you. He said a lot of what I was thinking
when I read your post. As we HBDers are wont to do, let me add one or two
other little notes to his answer and also lend some help by naming some
beer styles that might give you a taste of some less bitter (sweet?) beers.
Spencer touched on the issue of bitterness being used to "balance" the
sweetness of the beer. He also mentioned that the reason megabrewery beer
(Bud, for example) is so bitter is that, even though there isn't much
bitterness, there isn't much malt (sweetness) to balance that little bit of
bitterness; so it TASTES bitter. By the same token, there are beers that
have more bitterness, but have even more maltiness, so they actually will
taste sweeter. It's a question of balance. I hope all this all makes
sense.
There are also different kinds of bitterness. Hop bitterness is the most
common, but dark grains, spices and even the yeast can impart a bitterness
to beer. Each bitterness has it's own special and wonderful qualities.
So, as examples of beers that have a balance that gives them a sweeter
taste, may I suggest the following...
Bock and Doppelbock are great places to start. Most of the good ones are
German, but some good examples of these are made in the USA. I don't know
what part of the country you live in, so I can't suggest brands (most of
the good ones are only available in local regions). These are sweet, no
two ways about it, but if you really taste them, there is a slight
bitterness in the background. Paulaner Doppel is one you might try, but it
isn't the sweetest brand I know.
Scottish Ale. Some can be quite sweet, others bitter; some even use smoked
malt. You may have to experiment with different brands. One that I like
is McEwan's Export from Scotland (the one with the red label, not the
Scotch Ale). Not as sweet as a Bock, but not as bitter as what you're
probably used to tasting.
Belgian Dubbel, Belgian Trippel (which I think are usually not as sweet as
commercial Dubbels) and Flemmish Ale. Again, depending on where you live,
these are easy or impossible to find. I live in Ohio, and the idiotic laws
here prevent the sale of any brew over 7.5% alcohol by volume. So, I can
only get a few Dubbels and no Trippels. Belgian Ales have a whole
different set of flavors imparted to them mostly by the unusual yeasts they
use. If you like them, you'll probably love them. If you don't, well, you
don't. Chimay Dubbel is an example you should be able to find.
Then there are beers that aren't really sweet, but are so malty that they
give a sweet flavor as part of their overall profile. Some Sweet Stouts
(sometimes called Milk Staout), some Oatmeal Stouts, some Imperial Stouts,
and some English-style Barleywines fall into this category. You really
have to be careful in these styles, however, since some taste quite bitter.
I hope that all this is useful for you. Just a brief word of caution.
Most of the beers I have listed above are higher in alcohol than other
styles of beer you may have had. Not as high in alcohol as most meads, and
not quite as sweet as a sweet mead, but sweet and strong nonetheless.
If you tell us in what part of the country you live, we HBDers may be able
to suggest more specific brands. Anyway, welcome to homebrewing.
Good luck and good tasting,
Herb
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 16:16:53 -0400
From: "Spinelli, Mike" <paa3983 at exmail.dscp.dla.mil>
Subject: Leominster, Mass. Brew suggestions
HBDers,
I'll be in Leominster Mass. a couple days on biz. Any suggestions on
BPs, Bs or bars would be appreciated.
Thanks
Mike Spinelli, Cherry Hill NJ
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 15:35:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: keith christiann <kchris1 at lausd.k12.ca.us>
Subject: Using Cornies & Choosing pump/plumbing
Brewers,
In order to ferment more in less space, I am considering
fermenting in Corny's.
I racked a hoppy pale ale to secondary (a Corny keg) after
10 days in primary. It is still cloudy. I usually wait for it to
clear before racking but I couldn't wait this time. Is it a
good idea to put minimal pressure in the keg and chill it or
go ahead and force carbonate? Does it matter? I don't
mind racking from one keg to another once it clears. It is
sitting patiently at 32-35F.
***
I want to hook up a pump to my mash tun but I'm
interested in knowing if I need to change my Easy Masher
type screen to a false bottom. Anyone using an EM with a
pump in the mash/Lauter tun ?
If you were to redesign your system, would you have a ball
valve and pump with slip or threaded connections? I am
concerned about not getting an air tight seal.
Would you go for high-temp flexible tubing or with copper
tubing with compression fittings between the spigot and the
pump?
I will probably go with threaded fittings between the pump
and the ball valve and then high-temp flexible tubing to
return the liquid to the top of the mash.
I am looking at 2 March pumps: March model MDX-3 or
MDXT-3, MDX-3 has 1/2 inch smooth connectors that you
can slip tubing on
MDXT-3 has a 1/2 inch FPT threaded connector on the
inlet, 3/8 inch FPT on the outlet.
Any suggestions are welcome. My b-day is coming soon
and my wonderful wife is asking what I want. It is always
good to have the list ready to go when it is needed.
Thanks in advance
Keith
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Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 16:35:00 -0700
From: "Mike Allred" <mike.allred at malnove.com>
Subject: Bottle baking'
John Watts asked about baking bottles
First off, I know allot of you think this is overkill, but it really is
more convenient then sanitizing on bottling day (note that I do not have
a dish washer, so I can't comment on that method).
First, it is VERY important that they are clean. Any residue will burn
onto the bottle and is next to impossible to remove. My water is very
hard and any 'salts' left on the inside of bottle burn into an awful
burnt sulfur like smell that will end up in your beer. I have one batch
that this happened to, and after 3 months is just now starting to be
drinkable.
With that said, here is how I do it:
Clean, rinse and let dry upside down.
Cover top with a small square of aluminum foil.
Cram as many as possible into my oven (luckily my oven holds exactly
enough for a 5 gallon batch). I stand them up
Set the time bake to kick on at 3:00 am for 1 hour at 350 deg.
Take them out of the oven the next day and store them for whenever I need
them.
At bottling time, just peel the foil off as I fill them.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 17:26:32 -0700
From: "J. Kish" <jjkish at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Bottle Sanitation
To: John Watts
Baking your bottles? That's terrible! They dry out
too much, and any spots are set permanantly!
Steaming is the only way to go!
Take a small pressure cooker, remove the rocking weight,
fit a short piece of copper tubing over the tube that
holds the weight, and add a garden hose washer.
Wash your bottles in the dishwasher, Inspect them in
front of a bright light, then steam them until they are
too hot to handle; let them cool upside down. The liquid
dripping out is distilled water.
These are the perfect sanitized bottles! NO Chemicals!
Joe Kish
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 19:18:05 +0000
From: "Steven Braun" <visualdelights at powernet.net>
Subject: Rims Stuck Mash
I have been an all grain brewer for the past 4 years. Several weeks ago I
put together a RIMS system in hopes of easing the work load. I have made
three batches so far and each of them has had run-off problems. The grain
is
from my usual supplier and I dont think that is the problem.
My system consists of a RubberMaid 10 gallon cooler and a Phils Phalse
Bottom. The Phils has had the drain bored out to 5/8ths inch and I have a
5/8ths inch ID braided hose connecting to the bulkhead fitting. Thru the
valve to the pump 10 inches below the drain. The false bottom sits pretty
close to the bottom of the tun.
I get the feeling that the false bottom is my problem. Does anyone have any
ideas. My mash this AM lasted 4 hours! Three of those at 120 degrees. Cant
wait to taste that one!
Steven Braun
visualdelights at powernet.net
www.visualdelights.com
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Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 23:29:22 -0600
From: "phil grossblatt" <philgro at swcp.com>
Subject: Selecting for yeast characteristics (flocculation)
In the last week or 2,there have been many posts about when to
harvest yeast.Responders have been mentioning concern about
accidently selecting the most flocculant yeasts.In almost every
case,they have emphasized that this will only happen over time.
What I want to know is WHY? If I make a quart
starter,presumably some of these yeasts will flocc earlier than
others.If I pour off the beer early on in the starter's life,but some
yeast have already settled,and I pitch or culture those,didn't I just
select for the most flocculent?Why would it take several
generations?I realize after a while you would get the most
flocculent of the flocculent,but wouldn't that first selection,between
really flocculent and not-that-flocculent be significant?
I'm not trying to select for early floccers,just curious...
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 22:39:52 -0700
From: Charles Hudak <cwhudak at home.com>
Subject: Simi-brew
Scott writes:
<snip>
> Would it be fair to say that if
>all of your beers are made with a single temperature infusion mash,
>and 80% 2-row, and you use the same yeast strain for each, and the
>same fermentation strategy, that you're going to end up with beers
>that all pretty much taste the same?
Nope, wouldn't be fair to say that at all. Unfortunately, most brewpubs
offer very similar tasting beers because a) the brewer doesn't know what
the hell they are doing or b) market appeal dictates that they offer the
same (or similar) bland beer but in various colors (whatever seems to be
the current trend) e.g. bland red, bland nut brown, bland porter, etc.
While it is true that you can make very different beers using the *same*
ingredients and different yeasts, it is also true that using the same
*basic* ingredients and techniques that you can make vastly different
beers. Some creative hop schedules and a modification of your *single* mash
temp to either increase or decrease the body as appropriate go along way
towards changing the flavor of your beers. A little creative specialty malt
blending and you are definately in business.
>When it's difficult for me to
>tell the difference between a Hefeweizen and an IPA, or between an
>Amber and a Summer Blond, things are bad.
Yep, that's pretty bad but not all that uncommon. Blame it on brewpub
owners who have no business being in the brewing industry and *brewschool*
graduates who know how to make "beer" but know nothing about beer styles or
history and who couldn't tell you the difference between a Helles and a
Pilsener.
>I was thinking that this
>may be one reason that many are coming up with beers such as Blueberry
>Stout, or Honey Peach Amber, etc. In order to create a beer that
>doesn't taste like all of their others, brewers have to resort to
>using fruit extracts or a similar strategy.
Not necessarilly. As a business , brewers, especially in brewpubs, hop on
whatever "brewfad" is currently popular. That includes maple porters,
coffee stouts and honey wheats as well as pick-a-berry-wheat.
Charles Hudak
cwhudak at home.com
Living large on the left coast.......
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Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 09:08:44 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Irish Beer, non-stout?
Kevin Rooney <KROONEY at genre.com> asks
>Other than dry stout, does anyone know of any styles, beers, or beer
>ingredients that are characteristically Irish? I'm particularly interested
>in truly Irish offerings, not those brought by the English during their
>really long visit.
Well, actually, I don't think even dry stout is actually indigenous, having
evolved from London porter. Sorry. But there is "Irish Ale," which is
somewhat like a red ale (Killian's Red is originally an Irish brand). See
Michael Jackson's_Beer Companion_, pp 113-115 for a description of this
style and of the history of brewing in Ireland. My brother-in-law
particularly liked Smithwick's (pronounced "Smith-ick's") on a recent
visit. Jackson considers it a classic of the style, and says the draught
"has a creamy head, a palate that is very soft at first but develops in
sweetness, and a hint of treacle-toffee dryness in the finish. It seems
bigger than might be expected from a gravity of 1.036 ... pale ale malt, 3%
roast barley, 20% corn syrup ... The hops used, in three additions, are
Challenger, Northern Brewer, Northdown and Target for bitterness; Fuggles
and Goldings for aroma. ... 29 IBU." The 1.048 all malt, 30 IBU export
version has "definite malt character, a redder color, and more butteriness
- the taste of buttered toast comes to mind."
But, if you can't brew a truly indigenous Irish ale, and since you are not
an indigenous Irishman yourself (guessing here by your Wilton, CT address),
but an Irish-American (again guessing), how about a CIAA (Classic
Irish-American Ale)? I just made up that name. I posted a recipe last
Feb. or March in time for St. Patrick's day. This is a guess at what would
have been served in Irish-American neighborhood taverns on the east coast
in pre-prohibition days, maybe 100 years ago. OG 1.050-55, 6-row malt,
25% corn, crystal malt, a very little roast barley and/or chocolate,
Cluster hops to 25-30 IBU, Fuggles and/or Goldings to finish. Ferment with
Irish or Ringwood ale yeast, and maybe "drop" it to increase diacetyl.
Jeff
-=-=-=-=-
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan c/o nerenner at umich.edu
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943.
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Date: Sat, 15 Aug 98 9:15:34 EDT
From: Brent Irvine <brenirvi at enoreo.on.ca>
Subject: Hop vines
In my perusals of the digest, I have seen some discussion on hop vines. Does
anyone north of the 49th know where to get starters for hop vines,
particularly those of you "in the know" in or around Ontario.
Private e-mail is fine; if anyone wants what I discover, please just ask me.
With thanks,
Brent Irvine
Cochrane, Ontario
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Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 10:25:40 -0400
From: "John A. MacLaughlin" <jam at clark.net>
Subject: Re: Repitching 3 wk. old slurry
In HBD 2794 Dean Fikar <dfikar at flash.net> asked about repitching
three wk. old slurry.
I have used ale slurry as much as eight months old, and lager slurry
as much as six months old, with good results. I take normal care
with sanitation in harvesting the slurry and store it in glass jars under
fully fermented beer at 34 to 38 degrees F. My method is not fool-
proof; I have lost an occasional jar to obvious infection.
I offer two suggestions:
1. If you have any doubt about the viability of a particular sample of
slurry then culture a starter from it beginning 10 or 15 days before
you wish to brew. That gives you time to get new yeast if the old
does not work out.
2. When you have a quart or more of starter ready to pitch, save
two ounces of it and make another starter just as you would from
a smack pack. This starter can be fed every 30 days or so,
depending on when you want to use it, instead of every 12 hours.
Make sure it is fermenting vigorously before you move it to your
refrigerator; else as it cools it may draw fluid from its airlock into
its wort.
Dead but uninfected slurry can be a very effective yeast nutrient in
a cider or a mead.
Best wishes, JAM
"The real problem with chlorine bleach is that it's too damn cheap.
If it cost 20 times what it does people would believe it's as good
as it is."
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Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 09:45:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Arguello <robertac at jps.net>
Subject: Plum/prune notes - nettiquette
A number of commercial offerings, (Affligem's "Tripel", Spatens'
"Optimator", Schneiders' "Aventinus" to name a few), carry a delightful
plum/prune flavor note that I would very much like to encourage in my
barleywine. I have tried adding a pound of "Special B" in the grain bill,
but perhaps due to the fact that that represents only 1/27th of the total
grist, there was only a nominal plum flavor in my last attempt.
Can anyone suggest an ingredient/protocol that would help? Is "special B"
the answer, but in higher percentage of the grist?
On another track, I have been recently spanked for the content of my "sig".
I was informed that I was using poor "nettiquette". HBD'ers who feel
offended by my sig are asked to e-mail me and inform me of their feelings on
the matter. I thought that my "nettiquette" was just fine, but I will bow to
the general consensus.
Thanks
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Arguello <robertac at jps.net>
CORNY KEGS FOR SALE! $12.00 each
http://www.jps.net/robertac/keg.htm
ProMash Brewers' Software - http://www.jps.net/robertac/promash
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
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