HOMEBREW Digest #3503 Thu 14 December 2000

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Spam Signature Killer installed ("Lutzen, Karl F.")
  settle fella's... (Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative)
  Re: Beginner's Plight (TOLLEY Matthew)
  Tap Water (Ant Hayes)
  rice lager tasting (craftbrewer)
  re: Beginner's Plight ("Stephen Alexander")
  Re: Do you ever feel bad? (Rick Magnan)
  Do you ever feel bad? ("Pannicke, Glen A.")
  Of mice & carboys; starsan ("Andrew Avis")
  success!  LA/NA beer (Chris Campagna)
  Psyphon Starting (Dan Listermann)
  Siphon starters ("Strom C. Thacker")
  RE: CO2 tank during force carbonation (LaBorde, Ronald)
  Re: Beginners Plight (Doug Hurst)
  Sabco False Bottom (Rob Dewhirst)
  Beginners Plight ("Paddock Wood Brewing Supplies")
  Re: Do you ever feel bad (Doug Hurst)
  Re: Beginners Plight (Steve)
  Feeling sorry for yeast ("Tracy P. Hamilton")
  FW: You guys must lead charmed lives ("Peed, John")
  Forced carbonation ("Peed, John")
  Sanity check and Conjecture (John Palmer)
  Forced carbonation ("Peed, John")
  Dry Hopping in Secondary (Chris Hatton)
  starting syphon ("Sean Richens")
  Enzyme Kinetics:part 56 and category 5 ("Dr. Pivo")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 11:27:50 -0600 From: "Lutzen, Karl F." <kfl at umr.edu> Subject: Spam Signature Killer installed Due to continuing problems that the freebie mail hosts have been causing with their spam-signatures being appended to all mail leaving their systems, we have imposed a signature killer to remove those signature. The problem is not really the content, (however it doesn't add any value to the HBD and takes up bandwidth), but rather, the length of their signature often exceeds 80 characters which the Digest software rejects. As the user did not ask to have the signaute added to their mail, and has no control of the addition, they are being prohibited from posting to the digest. What this means is that if your email signature begins with "______", your signature will vanish from your post. Please change it to some other sequence of characters (or just not use one ;-) ) We regret having to take this action, but it is has become necessary. Karl Lutzen Janitor, Network Analyst, Brewer, System Admin, brewer and so on.... http://brewery.org Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 16:31:41 +1100 (EST) From: Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative <Scott.Morgan at aus.sun.com> Subject: settle fella's... After all, the poor lad is from the land of graham sanders! hope those url's helped out adrian! Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 17:03:42 +1000 From: "Adrian Levi" <a_levi at dingoblue.net.au> Subject: Beginners Plight. I have been home brewing for about a year now with some ok results and some failures. Well that's what its all about isn't it? So far I have been using tins off the shelf and haven't been doing much in the way of experimenting. I use a closed brew vat with airlock and am looking for a cleaner crisper beer like an Australian Tooheys NEW (Draught). Does anyone know of some recipes to start me off? Lastly because all of the topics discussed here seem so far advanced I apologise if this is an inappropriate place for a newbie to be poking around since it seems that most of you make your beer starting with grain. Adrian Levi. ***************************************** Scott Morgan Sun-On-Line Telesales Representative Supporting Education Nationally And Sunny Queensland scott.morgan at aus.sun.com freecall 1800 628 193 direct 02 9844 5396 mobile 0419 545 114 fax 02 9844 5189 aka "Handsome Bugsy" ***************************************** This email is intended only to be read or used by the addressee. It is confidential and may contain legally privileged information. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliver this message to anyone, and you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Confidentiality and legal privilege are not waived or lost by reason of mistaken delivery to you. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 17:16:49 +1100 From: TOLLEY Matthew <matthew.tolley at atsic.gov.au> Subject: Re: Beginner's Plight > From: "Adrian Levi" <a_levi at dingoblue.net.au> > Subject: Beginners Plight. > So far I have been using tins off the shelf and haven't been > doing much in the way of experimenting. I use a closed brew > vat with airlock and am looking for a cleaner crisper beer > like an Australian Tooheys NEW (Draught). > > Does anyone know of some recipes to start me off? Some advice from a fellow newbie: Talk to your brew store. If you're buying your gear from Big W or K-Mart, you're missing out on the best source of free advice you can get. Your local store will be more than happy to tell you all about improving kits. (Before you know it they've brainwashed your missus into thinking that a two-keg fridge 'n' tap setup is quite a reasonable thing for a bloke to have :>) If you're chucking in a kilo of white sugar, stop it! Get yourself some halfway decent fermentables like malt (liquid or dried), dextrose etc. My brew shop has a variety of ready made mixes in bags - it's just as easy to chuck them in the fermenter as a kilo of CSRs finest, and the result will be a much improved body, mouthfeel and head, with a noticeable reduction in cider notes. Use hops. Forget those 'hops in a teabag' from K-Mart - your brewstore will have a wide variety of fresh cones and pellets to choose from, and will be able to tell you how easy they are to use. You won't believe the difference hops will make to a brew - tasted a batch at my local store (plug plug - BrewYaOwnAtHome in Kambah, Canberra - Sunday brew lessons at 11am!) where Colin had used fresh Pride of Ringwood hops he'd grown himself - nectar! Start simple with a 'hop tea' in a coffee cup, progress to the microwave, and move up to adding them in stages to your boil (when you start boiling, that is! :>). Feel free to ask about something called 'dry hopping' if you want to see an increase in list traffic :) Culture up your yeast. Sprinkling that tiny sachet of dried yeast is just asking for faster-growing nasties to come eat your brew. You want to pitch a bottle's worth of vigorous, foaming yeast. Again, your brew store can tell you how, or let me know - I can prolly track down a fact sheet off the net for you. Use quality kits. Coopers kits are great, and the 3kg ESB kits come highly recommended. Keep away from the Homebrand stuff :) Buy some books. Your local Collins or Dymocks will have a couple of books by Laurie Strachan - get 'The Complete Guide to Homebrewing in Australia 2nd Ed' - best $25 you'll spend in a long time. I also recommend 'Mastering Homebrew' (author escapes me at the moment) - big hardcover book, plenty of glossy photos, covers beginners through advanced. It's written by an American, but most of it's true for Australia. For a Toohey's Draught, try mixing up a Beermaker's Draught or Goldrush Country New kit with 500g of light liquid malt and 500g maltodextrin. Put 10g of Pride of Ringwood hops in a coffee cup, add some boiling water, and steep for ten minutes. Chuck the hop tea in the fermenter (hops and all) just before you add your yeast. (Recipe plundered from http://www.countrybrewer.com.au). If you don't have a brewstore, you can ask pretty much anything you like here (the Seppos don't bite along as you don't mention the election, guns, prohibition or helmet laws), or pop me an e-mail! Cheers ...Matt... Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 08:58:46 +0200 From: Ant Hayes <Ant.Hayes at FifthQuadrant.co.za> Subject: Tap Water Doug Hurst wrote, "I've seen it written that water straight from the tap should not be used for fear of contamination. In 13 years of brewing I've only had one infection (knock on wood) and I don't think it was from tap water." I think it depends a lot on where you live. On occasion I have topped up my fermenter with tap water to no ill effect. However in some European countries that I've been to, the tap water leaves a lot to be desired, and I would be very cautious about using it for brewing without treatment. Ant Hayes Gauteng; South Africa Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 19:42:14 +1100 From: craftbrewer at telstra.easymail.com.au Subject: rice lager tasting G'Day All Well I have been a busy boy lately. trying to keep David, Scott and Steve in line is taking all my time. What do i mean, well I can't say, my life is too precious and they have sworn my death if I mention a single word. But time will tell people. I can tell you I'm excited. Anyway I am writing to tell you about the bribe Phil Yates gave me. Well The peach Wheat is yet to be sampled, but the rice lager was put thru the ringers. Last night, it was cracked. Now I dont know whether to compliment, be disappointed, or just abuse the bugger. I supposes i'm disappointed most of all. I expected, no wanted a Bud. The colour was perfect, the lack of malt taste, yep perfect again, bitterness, nice and light, wonderful clean taste - even the carbonation, brilliant for a plastic bottle, - BUT PHIL, "how are you put all that wonderful spicy hop flavours and aroma in my Bud." I mean it had that wonderful hoppy taste, and aroma to knock a woman senseless over a billard table. I would have to guess thats why the ladies go ape-sh+t over this badly. The spicy hop aromas send them into a uninhibited spin, that results in a lot of action arround the table, with plenty of ball handling and grabbing of cues. Now we all know that hops are related to that other plant (the name I don't dare use because of corporate filters), and I wonder if you deliberately intoxicate unsuspecting visitors with this baby. I bet Even Dr Pivo didn't need 200 odd beers to be BOGGED down in illusions of fantasy. One rice beer will certainly do it. Whats worse I would have expected a beer from Mr Yates to be in the strict "homebrew " class. But NO, I will have to radically change my opinion and firmly put him in the excellent craftbrewing category. And this from a man with content free ideas, who believes in the craft of the hobby, who thinks knowledgeables should not be seen or heard. Oh I am going to have to retreat to the bunker in North queensland and re-evaluate my whole concept of what a craftbrewer is. It looks like there are two in Australia now. Shout Graham Sanders Oh why should i abuse the the sod. Well the young SWMBO, (17 years old) took a sample. Now the famed baked bean princess took a sip, says smells nice, but a bit watery. Well has another, and another. Next SHE'S at my pool table wanting to play pool, and with that wild look in her eye. Told her to take a cold shower. Then had to stay up half the night. Worse than keeping dogs away from a B+tch in heat, I worried like hell how many boys would rock up. The trials of fatherhood. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 04:06:16 -0500 From: "Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net> Subject: re: Beginner's Plight Adrian Levi writes ... << I have been home brewing for about a year now with some ok results and some failures. Well that's what its all about isn't it? So far I have been using tins off the shelf and haven't been doing much in the way of experimenting. I use a closed brew vat with airlock and am looking for a cleaner crisper beer like an Australian Tooheys NEW (Draught). >> I'm not familiar with Toohey's (no surprise) but I suspect is is a lager beer. The crispness and cleaness that appears in lager beers can't be reproduced except by lagering and the use of lager yeast, and this is a fairly advanced method. One can make a very clean beer by judicious choice of ale yeasts and cool, even cold fermentation. I don't know what yeasts you have available but low flavor profile yeasts like WY1056 and cold fermentation can be used to make a lager-like ale. Actually cool fermentation and cold beer storage will make any beer more lager-like. If you want to try true lager brewing you'll need a way to keep your fermenter below 58F and lower yet is better IMO, (your climate may help out as winter approaches) take a look at Dave Miller's "Brewing the World's Great Beers". He has examples and specific recommendations for ingredients and the book covers extract, partial mash and all-grain brewing. Another thought is that yeasts for California Steam beer, like WY2112, will give lager character at fermentations temps up to 68F. It may or may not help you in reproducing Toohey's, but I feel 68F is again an upper bound you'd be better off staying below. >Does anyone know of some recipes to start me off? Dave Miller's book suggests a Pilsner w/ 4# Alexander's Pale syrup 1# Laaglander dry pale extract 1# rice extract and water to achieve SG1.045 (5gal batch) bitter w/ 4 to 5 AAUs of hops at T-30 (I'd suggest N.Brewer or a Continental hop) finish 1/2 ounce of noble hops at T-5 (tettnanger, hallertau, even saaz) suggested yeasts are WY2007 or MEV #4 fermented at 50F-55F. Haven't tried it but most of Miller's recipes are excellent. I'd consider the recipe above or maybe substitute a little amber extract for some of the pale for a twist. If you can maintain the temps the yeast choice is good or WY2112 if you can keep it under 65F-ish. Otherwise use this wort with a neutral ale yeast and ferment & store as cool as you can manage. Oh yeah 1 pound (1lb or 1#) is 453 gm 1oz is 1/16th pound or 28.3gm 5gal = 19L. 68F = 20C 58F = 14.4C 1 AAU is an ounce-AA% (weird unit) If you are using hops with 7%alpha-acids (7%AA) Then to get 5AAU (aka HBUs) you'd add (5 / 7) ounce = 20gm <<Lastly because all of the topics discussed here seem so far advanced I apologise if this is an inappropriate place for a newbie to be poking around since it seems that most of you make your beer starting with grain. >> Your question couldn't be more inappropriate. This forum is for all topics regarding beer and brewing. It's the politics (mea culpa) and blather that are inappropriate. -S Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 07:44:50 -0500 (EST) From: Rick Magnan <magnan at jimmy.harvard.edu> Subject: Re: Do you ever feel bad? Darell comments: > Do you ever feel bad ..... for the yeast? > They work real hard for us..... > Sometimes for several consecutive batches... > Just to be thrown out! > I do..... > But have no solution to this dilemma.... You know, now that you mention it I do too. I rationalize that they've had a good life and at least its not a certain death they are being sent to. Also I try to remember not to use hot water when rinsing them away.. bye bye my friends! Someone for years here had a .sig that said "fermentation is a spectator sport" and one advantage of using glass is the great show you get. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of churning and movement taking place. Rick Wellesley MA Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 08:48:03 -0500 From: "Pannicke, Glen A." <glen_pannicke at merck.com> Subject: Do you ever feel bad? Darrell wrote: >Do you ever feel bad ..... for the yeast? >They work real hard for us..... >Sometimes for several consecutive batches... >Just to be thrown out! No. >I do..... Awwww... don't feel bad. Here, have a beer. It'll cheer you up ;-) >But have no solution to this dilemma.... I do. You could always wash it, dry it and eat it. Brewer's yeast is a great source of vitamin B and a host of other good stuff. Why pay $$/bottle at your local health food store when you've got the same thing sitting in the bottom of your fermenter. BTW, with the stuff that recently blew out my airlock, I could caulk my windows! I just dump my yeast because I'm a heartless, selfish bastard. Carpe cerevisiae! Glen Pannicke http://www.pannicke.net "Designs and schemes which work well on paper rarely do so in actual practice." Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 09:16:01 -0500 From: "Andrew Avis" <aavis at nortelnetworks.com> Subject: Of mice & carboys; starsan Folks, last night I went out to the garage to fetch a carboy into which I was planning to rack a bock. Carrying the carboy into the house and announcing "I'll be bock" in my best Arnie voice, a most unpleasant smell met my nose. There at the bottom of the carboy two mice had met a sorry This put an end to the racking plans. I managed to melt the mice with hot water and dump them in the back yard where hopefully some creature will take them away. (My brew dog Finnigan expressed some interest, but I discouraged him as he would undoubtedly follow the feast with a mad round of face licking - this is how we can tell he's been snacking from the litter box.) The carboy is now soaking in 400 ml of bleach in 19 litres of water. Now from reading past HBDs I know that there are some things that you can never clean sufficiently out of a container, such as benzene. Are mice and their droppings in this category? I love brewing with non-traditional ingredients such as buckwheat, kamut, brown basmati rice, and I can handle telling people there's putrefied mice in the bock, as long as it won't make anyone sick. On another sanitization theme, I just started using StarSan, and I'm not sure if I'm using it correctly. The instructions on the bottle are minimalist, and the Five Star web site promises full instructions "soon". As soon as I add 2 ml of the concentrate to a litre of water it turns cloudy - is this normal? I thought there was an indicator in there, and the sanitizing solution should be clear until it's spent. A second question - is Star San primarily an acid? Could I mix it w/ an iodophor solution to increase the effectiveness of both? Cheers! Drew Avis in Merrickville http://www.geocities.com/andrew_avis/ Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 08:32:20 -0500 (EST) From: Chris Campagna <campagna at umd5.umd.edu> Subject: success! LA/NA beer I decided a few months ago to make a low/no alcohol beer for my pregnant wife/drinking partner. After some research I decided to do this by making a hoppy, malty porter, then boiling off the alcohol. The final result is a very good beer, without any of that watery or cooked taste that I had heard about. here's the recipe, then a question: LA Porter 7# Marris Otter 1/4# chocolate 1/2# Caramunich 1/2# Caravienne 1 oz. Cascade, 45min. 1 oz. Cascade, 15 min 1 oz. Cascade, 3 min White Labs British Ale Yeast I fermented this out, then let it sit in a secondary for over a month to clear and settle out. I had heard that too much yeast leads to that cooked taste. I then put this in an oven at the lowest setting, as was reccomended in a BYO article, but after 2 hours of this I could still smell the alcohol boiling off and taste it. I then moved it to the stove and stuch a thermometer in it to hold it at 180F. After 30 minutes of this I could no longer smell the alcohol burning off, nor taste it. Now the question. I have no misconceptions taht this is a completely alcohol free beer. 4 beers does not give me a buzz and as I said, i don't taste it (I saved half of this batch as a full bodies beer and can definitley taste the difference). Does anyone know a method of determining the loss of alcohol by measuring the gravity? Chris Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 08:34:36 -0500 From: Dan Listermann <72723.1707 at compuserve.com> Subject: Psyphon Starting : Roy Roberts <psilosome at yahoo.com> Expressed his disapointment in "Phil's Psyphon Starter." While this is far from my favorite product, it does work although I may need to update the instructions. The current instructions will work if, but there is a lot in the wrist action required. If the exit of the hose is held up until the hose is filled as the starter is shaken and then lowered to start the syphon, it works a lot easier without so much stiring of the beer. Dan Listermann Check out our new E-tail site at www.listermann.com Look into the anti telemarketer forum - it is my new hobby! Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 09:59:56 -0500 From: "Strom C. Thacker" <sthacker at bu.edu> Subject: Siphon starters I use an idea I got from the gadgets special issue of Zymurgy, c. 1992, I think. I bought a bulb primer used to prime outboard motors (available at any boating supply store). It has a check valve in it, so the liquid flows only in one direction. I sanitize it, and put a hose clamp on the soft vinyl tubing at a point far enough away from the racking cane to allow the siphon to start. Attach the bulb primer to the end of the tubing, and squeeze until there's enough liquid in the tubing to start a siphon. Clamp immediately, remove the bulb primer, and lower the end of the tube into the receiving vessel. Open the clamp, and the siphon starts. I usually hold the the rest of the tubing hanging down) to make it easier to avoid getting beer into the primer. If beer accidentally gets into the bulb primer, just rinse and re-sanitize. I've been using the same one for 8 years and it's still going strong. Hope this helps, Strom Newton, MA Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 09:41:25 -0600 From: rlabor at lsuhsc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald) Subject: RE: CO2 tank during force carbonation From: Bob Sweeney <bobsweeney at email.com> >My question concerns the placement of the C02 tank since >I'm currently unable to have the tank outside the fridge >while connecting it to the keg in the fridge. Will having >the CO2 tank continuously connected to a keg in a 35 degree >fridge cause a problem (assuming no leaky gas connections)? >Can I as an alternative just periodically connect the keg >to the tank, set at the desired psi, then remove it from the >keg and the fridge when gas is finished being absorbed. If your keg was close to full, this would require many frequent connections as the CO2 is absorbed. If your keg was half full with more space, it probably would work with a couple of charges. You might try to rig up a second empty keg as a CO2 storage vessel connected to the beer keg, both inside the fridge. Just charge this up to 20-30 PSI, this should work quite well, though I haven't tried it myself yet. Of course check for leaks. If you want to make something more permanent, how about using very tiny copper or brass tubing (like used for a thermostat bulb connection). Make up some fittings to it and pass the CO2 through it and let it lie over the fridge gasket, just like you do the thermostat tubing. The small diameter will not be a problem because you will still get all the CO2 pressure to the inside keg, as the smaller size will just slow down the rate but not the pressure. With this setup, you can keep your CO2 tank and regulator connected and outside the fridge at all times. Ron La Borde Ronald La Borde - Metairie, Louisiana - rlabor at lsuhsc.edu http://hbd.org/rlaborde Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 10:03:38 -0600 From: Doug Hurst <DougH at theshowdept.com> Subject: Re: Beginners Plight Adrian Levi writes: "I have been home brewing for about a year now with some ok results and some failures. Well that's what its all about isn't it? So far I have been using tins off the shelf and haven't been doing much in the way of experimenting. I use a closed brew vat with airlock and am looking for a cleaner crisper beer like an Australian Tooheys NEW (Draught)." "Does anyone know of some recipes to start me off?" "Lastly because all of the topics discussed here seem so far advanced I apologise if this is an inappropriate place for a newbie to be poking around since it seems that most of you make your beer starting with grain." My opinion is that this forum is for brewers of all levels. Sure, there are discussions about some pretty esoteric advanced brewing concepts, but in my mind those are the people best qualified to answer the easier questions. One thing I love about this hobby is the seemingly infinite levels of complexity and understanding a brewer can get into if he/she chooses. But at the same time it's possible to brew excellent beer at any level. Everyone was a newbie once, weren't they? If you are looking for recipes, try either the Cat's Meow or the newer Gambrinus' Mug recipe collections: http://www.brewery.org I find The Brewery to be an excellent resource for not only recipes but also general information, reviews, tips and explanations. A cleaner crisper beer is what you seem to be looking for. Here are a few general possiblilities that might help: Try boiling a larger volume to minimize malt carmalization in the brewpot. Use yeast that ferment cleaner with higher attenuation. Ferment slightly cooler (65-68F) for ales. Brew a lager. Use malt extract that contains fewer dextrins (unfermentables that create body). Welcome to the collective. Hope this helps, Doug Hurst Chicago, IL Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 10:27:42 -0600 From: Rob Dewhirst <robd at biocomplexity.nhm.ukans.edu> Subject: Sabco False Bottom At 12:44 AM 12/8/00 -0500, you wrote: >Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 19:40:51 EST >From: Mjbrewit at aol.com >Subject: Sabco False Bottom > >This is a reply to the person who experienced problems with his Sabco false >bottom collapsing at times. I have been trying to figure out how that could >happen. The only possibility I can come up with is you had it upside down. >I've had over 35 pounds of grain in mine and never had a problem. No, it was not in upside down. The hinges had been pushed beyond their normal "open" travel angle. >Or, is it >possible they improved the design and you bought an early version? That is quite possible. I am not the first person to have this problem. There was a discussion on rec.crafts.brewing, which led to the center support solution. I have not heard of anyone having a problem with this in a long time, so they may have improved it. The cost of copper pipe is cheap insurance though. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 10:38:04 -0600 From: "Paddock Wood Brewing Supplies" <orders at paddockwood.com> Subject: Beginners Plight Welcome Adrian! This is a perfect forum to ask beginners questions. Once you get an idea of what sort of questions you want answered you will find many of them are listed in the archives, and you can search them. Of course you can always ask them here again, and get answers. To improve your beer you can make a big step towards cleaner crisper beer by switching to a cooler ferment with a cleaner yeast. Using liquid yeast opens up all kinds of possibilities. Wyeast 2112 lets you ferment a clean lager style at temps up to 66F. If you wish to stay at ale temps, you ca still produce a clean beer, especially with added lagering after the ferment. You could also reduce or eliminate the corn sugar from your recipes. At least get it down to 20% of the fermentables. Consider using extra light malt extract, or a combination of extra light extract with a bit of honey to get a clean dry flavour. You can find recipes here. It's not Toohey's, but there have been some superb recipes for Classic American Pilsner and Classic American Cream Ale (search for CAP or CACA) posted here. Many of the light lagers use corn or rice in them to lighten the body. As an extract brewer you can use rice solids, honey, or brewers liquid invert sugar (Lyles or Rogers Golden Syrup will lighten the body and lend a slight caramel note). You may also wish to try Gambrinus' Mug at the brewery.org for a searchable recipe index. You will find using good quality extract (we like Munton's XL spray malt) with specialty grains, fresh hops and a good liquid yeast almost as easy as the tins, and the results are very good. If you decide you'd like to brew from grain completely, you will find lots of enthusiastic and friendly advice here! There are even a few Aussies that are known to pipe up for a page or ten here. Welcome to our obsess- I mean hobby! I've never had a Toohey's, but here's a very basic extract/specialty grain recipe for a basic light German ale, in the Koelsch style. This is probably fuller flavoured and maltier than a Toohey's, but clean and light with a nice foamy head and it can certainly be crisp and have a clean dry finish if you use a clean lager yeast and ferment cooler. Batch Size (LTR): 23.00 Anticipated SRM: 3.0 Anticipated IBU: 24.0 Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes 0.50 kg. Carafoam 2.30 kg. Extra Light DME 0.40 kg. Wheat DME 30.00 g. Hallertauer Tradition Pellet 5.60aa% 24.0 IBU for 60 min. Wyeast 1338 European Ale, or you may wish to try Wyeast 2112 California Lager Steep the grain in 3 liters of water for 30 minutes at 60 C (140 F) is ideal. Remove the grain, and rinse with a few cups of warm water to extract the remaining flavour. Mix the DME with the grain tea, and add warm water to fill pot. Add hops and bring to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes. WATCH AND STIR CONSTANTLY WHEN WATER NEARS BOILING. The hot wort can easily boil over. Remove from heat, cover, and cool pot in a sink of cold water. Replace cooling water as it gets warm. You can also add ice to the cooling water to speed the process (never add ice to wort directly). When wort is cool (23 C) pour into sanitized primary fermentor. Top with pre-boiled cooled water, or reverse osmosis filtered water, up to 23 liters. Pitch yeast into cooled wort and fir with airlock. cheers, Stephen Ross -- "Vitae sine cerevisiae sugant." ______________________________________________ Paddock Wood Brewing Supplies, Saskatoon, SK orders at paddockwood.com www.paddockwood.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 11:21:13 -0600 From: Doug Hurst <DougH at theshowdept.com> Subject: Re: Do you ever feel bad Darrell brings up an interesting question: "Do you ever feel bad ..... for the yeast? They work real hard for us..... Sometimes for several consecutive batches... Just to be thrown out! I do..... But have no solution to this dilemma" I have often considered some of the ironic parallels between yeast and humans. They find a fantastic solution of non-renewable natural resources. They start using the non-renewable natural resource, creating pollution that is toxic to themselves and others. They reproduce until their over population saturates the environment and their resource use and waste production is maximized. Finally they use up all of the natural resources and are left with a poisonous environment where they can't survive. Some of the yeast in frantic search for resources will even attack and consume their own kind. Fortunately for them, they have evolved a survival mechanism whereby they go dormant until more natural resources come along (in the form of a brewer providing fresh wort). Pehaps, in going dormant, they aren't as stupid as they seem. Or as stupid as we are. Here's a question to ponder: Are we using them or are they using us? Individual lives on earth are cheap, species survival is not. Brew on! Doug Hurst Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 09:55:35 -0800 (PST) From: Steve <gravelse at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Beginners Plight Adrian, Feel free to ask any questions you have about brewing. This digest was founded so ANYONE who is interested in the craft can ask questions and learn. Even newbies. Just remember, everyone who posts here was a newbie once and started using extract. If you are looking for recipes try linking to The Brewery. Here is the link: http://www.brewery.org/ Go to the Cat's Meow Recipe Collection and you'll find all kinds of recipes for newbies and experienced brewers. If you only have email and are not on the web send me an email and I'll pass you a few recipes I have in my collection. Steve "Homebrew, it's not just a hobby, it's an adventure!" Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 12:27:33 -0600 From: "Tracy P. Hamilton" <chem013 at uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu> Subject: Feeling sorry for yeast Darrell Leavitt said: > Do you ever feel bad ..... for the yeast? > They work real hard for us..... > Sometimes for several consecutive batches... > Just to be thrown out! There is a famous expression that sums this up: Life's a pitch, and then you die! Tracy P. Hamilton, Birmingham Brewmasters Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 14:07:32 -0500 From: "Peed, John" <jpeed at elotouch.com> Subject: FW: You guys must lead charmed lives > I recoil in horror at the thought of using tap water to start siphons, or > blowing into a capped carboy to start a siphon, or even sucking on > something that's air-buffered from the actual tubing. I put a fair amount > of effort into maintaining sterile procedures, but I still think I have > occasional sanitation problems. The three things that my brewing and > ex-brewing friends have drilled into me are sanitation, sanitation and > sanitation. Pretty much in that order. Nothing else counts as much as > sanitation. And experience suggests they are right. The points they made > were: 1) You cannot sterilize your hands; 2) Cold tap water is not sterile > (if you disbelieve this, read the instructions on cleaning contact lenses > - use the sterile solution, not tap water); 3) human breath is VILE! and > 4) once you turn the heat off at the end of the boil (and any time you're > working with yeast), you need to think sterile, act sterile, be sterile. > > Now, I violate that code only by rinsing sterilant off with hot tap water. > The most knowledgeable of my friends advocates using cooled boiled water > for rinsing, and wearing disposable latex gloves when handling racking > equipment. Necessary? I don't know. A good idea? Certainly couldn't > hurt. The problem I have with rubber gloves is that I always end up > handling non-sterile objects, so I don't see the point. The point > probably is that your hands are filthy, relatively speaking, no matter > what you do, so the gloves might be a good idea. > > Just as with everything else, there are any number of opinions on > sanitation, and most of them conflict. Best rule of thumb, though, is > probably to be as sanitary-conscious as possible. > > And as for feeling bad about the yeast: Hell, I've worked pretty hard all > my life for various organizations and in the end, I'll just get thrown out > too. So no, I don't feel bad for the yeastie boys. I do appreciate 'em > though. > Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 14:18:06 -0500 From: "Peed, John" <jpeed at elotouch.com> Subject: Forced carbonation Bob asks about forced carbonation and putting the CO2 cylinder inside the fridge. I kept my cylinder in the fridge for a year or so. No problems, except it took up room and was hard to get to. And yes, once the beer is carbonated you can disconnect and let it "serve itself" until it needs a boost. I find that I need to keep 30 psi on the keg for closer to 48 hours, although it does take a while for it to settle down after I vent it and reduce to serving pressure. I also find that more than about 2 psi is too much for serving, unless the beer has lost a lot of its carbonation. I'm probably over carbonating, but I find that if you go through a few iterations of waiting for the head to fall and then topping it up (a-la German draft beer), it makes for a beautiful creamy head that stands well above the rim of the glass and lasts a long time. ___________________________ John Peed Applications Engineer Elo TouchSystems, Inc. 412 North Cedar Bluff Rd Suite 402 Knoxville, TN 37923 Tel: (865) 694 1735 Fax: (865) 694 1731 E-Mail: jpeed at elotouch.com www.elotouch.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 11:19:04 -0800 From: John Palmer <jjpalmer at gte.net> Subject: Sanity check and Conjecture Hi Group, Excellent discussion of PBW and copper reactions. But based on a query yesterday from someone named Jeff that wanted to be left anonymous, "Is everyone Positive they are talking about PBW instead of Star San?" (Just checking; Star San will definitely dissolve copper with its pH of 3.) Show of hands? No? Okay, well now I am wondering if the wort/beer doesn't have a major role here. Something about the acidic nature of wort and beer must be triggering the reaction with PBW, although this would still contradict the Coors development. Although an extended period of time seems to be necessary. I will stick my chiller in PBW soon and see what happens. I just hose my off after use. So it should still be "good" based on Rich's post. Brew On, John - -- John Palmer Palmer House Brewery and Smithy http://www.realbeer.com/jjpalmer How To Brew - the online book http://www.howtobrew.com Let there be Peace on Earth. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 14:35:26 -0500 From: "Peed, John" <jpeed at elotouch.com> Subject: Forced carbonation Bob asks about forced carbonation and putting the CO2 cylinder inside the fridge. I kept my cylinder in the fridge for a year or so. No problems, except it took up room and was hard to get to. And yes, once the beer is carbonated you can disconnect and let it "serve itself" until it needs a boost. I find that I need to keep 30 psi on the keg for closer to 48 hours, although it does take a while for it to settle down after I vent it and reduce to serving pressure. I also find that more than about 2 psi is too much for serving, unless the beer has lost a lot of its carbonation. I'm probably over carbonating, but I find that if you go through a few iterations of waiting for the head to fall and then topping it up (a-la German draft beer), it makes for a beautiful creamy head that stands well above the rim of the glass and lasts a long time. Good ol' Westheimer. Westheimer's Rule: To determine the time required to Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 16:00:10 -0500 From: Chris Hatton <Chatton at aca-insurance.com> Subject: Dry Hopping in Secondary Having great trouble posting my message (says greater than 80 chars in length), although I counted and it wasn't. Is there a conspiracy going on? Anyway, I am dry hopping an English style IPA (all-grain)with 1 oz of East Kent Goldings (if memory serves me correctly)in a muslin sack. How long should I leave it in there? It's been sitting inside my carboy for about 4 days, and I'm planning to leave the beer in the secondary fermenter for about 2 weeks. Chris Hatton Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 22:35:38 -0600 From: "Sean Richens" <srichens at sprint.ca> Subject: starting syphon How do I start a syphon when racking? I suck on it. Hasn't given me any infection problems yet. And no I'm not trying to start any arguments. I just want everyone else who does the same thing to know that it doesn't have to be a deep dark secret, even on the digest. Sean Richens srichens.spamsucks at sprint.ca Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2000 04:51:06 +0100 From: "Dr. Pivo" <docpivo at hotmail.com> Subject: Enzyme Kinetics:part 56 and category 5 One might wonder who asked anyone at all to write on the above subject. One might indeed. Actually, I have only resurfaced in this arena, because I'm a bit jealous of Phil Yates. He has received the crown of "King of the non-content posters". In matter of fact, I happen to be quite shallow, and quite often have very little of interest to say, so I thought I should both respond to this idle award giving, and "prove myself" as equally deserving of the title. Besides.... there was a viscious rumour flying about that I was going to spend some time in Australia. I thought I would confirm it, and include some brewing related notes from this ongoing visit. I arrived in Sydney, bought a car (don't recall if it was a "Tonka" or a "Dinkie") which seemed to run all right, except for a nagging bearing in the back right. I soon repaired this. When I found out it had a radio, and if I turned the volume up enough, I couldn't hear that wheel bearing growling at me when making left hand turns. On to the Pivo Brewery, where the "brewer" was named "Ivo" (is this Pivo and Ivo at Pivo?), and then up to Picton. Local residents may be sad to learn that the brewer there, may soon be heading to start up a place out west. I was both impressed yet sad to see that they now deal with diacetyls by post fermentation enzyme additions.They have brought in a Weihenstephan grad to replace 'ol Dave, and curiously, as we chatted, it turns out that one of his "school mates" is soon to go to work for a brewmaster that I know quite well in another part of the world... ....it's a small world, this brewing one. And then it was time to deal with this Yates character. It turns out that he is a real pleasant guy, and showed me all the local entertainments. First we went down to the bog and played "bobbing for Marilyn". The rules are much the same as the old party game with the apples, except that if you catch anything in this version, you are meant to spit it out. Wish Phil had told me the rules before I swallowed. Then Phil got really excited, as he decided to take me to a place called "Wingecarribee". He even wrote a song about it called: "We're Going to Wingecarribee". It goes something like this: "We're going to Wingecarribee, We're going to Wingecarribee, We're going to Wingecarribee, We're going to..." By the end of the two hour trip, I was starting to catch on to the lyrics. When we finally arrived, Phil stepped out of the car, stretched out his arms, and asked: "Can't you just feel the serenity?" I wiped the bull dust from my glasses and said: "Er... yeh, Darrell, I mean, Phil." And that's not all we did! Most people know about the lovely climate, and the endless beaches here. Well, Phil took me on a surfing safari! I shot three of them. It turns out it was a good thing I did, because after that Phil wanted to go "body surfing", and I wouldn't of had one. I chose the big North Queenslander, with the huge 4X gut. He looked kind of like a giant Dim sim dressed in a navy blue singlet, and had LOTS of freeboard. Then we went and saw Wes and his lovely wife. It turns out he's even more of a gadgeteer than I am. He no sooner gets his system working well, than he begins modifying it. He also let us taste a one year old Belgian Wit style beer that was still in quite pleasant shape. I think this illustrates two important things: 1) Beer can be kept in good shape for quite a long while, if you both produce it well and take care of it, and: 2) Wes has a beer disposal problem. I tried to help him with the latter situation, but there seems more to be done there, lest he be burdened with owning too much of the stuff. I thought I would call Steve A. and his mates to come over and help out....... oh..... sorry. I forgot. He doesn't have...... Not entirely correct, as Phil filled me in on the latest HBD scuttlebutt. It seems the "keepers-of-content" now number three, and have renamed themselves using the Latin prefix "mal-", which means: "keepers-of". Well, the "Malcontents" were seen gathered at a bar, and ordered a beer a piece. This, in itself, was refreshing news, since after examining the "contents" of their enormous ammounts of "content" about how one SHOULD make beer, there was beginning to be not a small number of people, who were beginning to suspect that they have never actually tasted the stuff. Apparently, when their glasses arrived at the table, they raised them, clicked them together, and said in unison: "Fifty three days!" When it was time for the next round, (about a day and a half later, both because this was a new and confusing beverage for them, and the equally confusing economics of the situation ..... these are guys who wouldn't "shout" if a shark bit them.... they finally resolved this by deciding to send the bill to Graham Sanders). Now where were we?.... Yes, as they got in the next round, they once again clicked their glasses together, and chanted: "Fifty three days!" This finally made the bartender curious, and he asked: "Say, I can see you lads are celebrating something. May I ask what it is?" The leader gestalt then replied: "Well you see, we bought a jig saw puzzle of the nation's capitol, and we all worked on it together, and put it together in just fifty three days." The bartender arched an eyebrow and queeried: "yes.....?" To which the leader replied: "You see, some people consider us pedantic, arrogant, and think that we miss the point entirely.... but I reckon this proves that we are really pretty darn clever....'cuz it said on the box: "3 to 5 years"." Dr. Pivo Return to table of contents
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