HOMEBREW Digest #380 Tue 20 March 1990

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


Contents:
  Stout (Chris Shenton)
  Wheat extract (Brian Smithey)
  More on Sumerian Beer (Frederic W. Brehm)
  Cooper's Australian Ale
  Sumerian beer (Dave Suurballe)
  recent Zymurgy (Alan Duester)
  In defense of KitchenAid grain mills (doug)
  Re: Liberty Ale (Chuck Cox)
  Univ. of Moosehead (Art Hebert)
  Re: stout (recipe) (Michael Eldredge)
  BrewNet (John Mellby)
  More historical info, plus sources (CRF)
  extract stout brew (Max Newman x6689)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 10:53:00 est From: Chris Shenton <chris at asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov> Subject: Stout [ Yesterday, I tried responding to <L_LEE1%UNHH.BITNET at MITVMA.MIT.EDU>'s question about stout recipes. My message and table seem to have gotten trashed, either by my mailer (oh, no, not *that* again!) or the digester somewhere. Here goes again, with all dashes replaced by equals-signs... ] > Hey, does anyone outhere have a good recipe for stout that can be done with > easily obtainable ingredients? I did a little chart of recipes when I first started brewing; helped me to generalize what constituted a stout. The `Mega' turned out very well -- dark, roasty, heavy. Be warned, however: my primary blew its lid three times and really made a mess out of the room. Use a super-large blow off hose, or (twinge!) just leave the hole in the fermenter uncovered; using liquid culture might prevent such an intense fermentation. Toad Dark Cushlo- Ingredients, for 5 gal Mega Spit Sleep machree ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Kits and Extracts, Lb ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= M & F Stout Kit 6.6 Edme Stout hopped Kit 7.0 M & F Extra-dark dry 3 John Bull Hopped Dark 3.3 John Bull Plain Dark 6.6 Plain dark dry 4.0 1.0 Specialty Grains, Lb ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Chocolate malt, whole 2 cup Black patent 2 cup 0.33 0.5 Roasted Barley 2 cup 0.33 0.5 0.25 Crystal 0.75 0.5 Hops, oz:min (-=steep) ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Fuggles 5.5% 3.0:60 0.5:10 1.0:60 Cascade 5.5% 0.5:-15 0.5:10 Bullion 1.5:60 2.0:60 Yeast, packets ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Ale ? 1 - 2 1 - 2 1 - 2 Miscellaneous ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Irish moss, tsp:min 0.25:15 Gypsum, tsp 8 8 Specific Gravity ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Original 1.071 1.052 1.062 1.042 Final 1.020 1.017 1.026 1.012 Source ====================== ======= ======= ======= ======= Zymurgy Papa- Papa- Papa- V11:5 zian zian zian Wint 88 CJHB CJHB CJHB page 38 p 177 p 179 p 179 Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 09:10:20 PST From: smithey at hulder.css.gov (Brian Smithey) Subject: Wheat extract I am an extract brewer interested in making a wheat beer for my next batch, so all of the info on wheat extracts has been very helpful. My question for those of you who have used wheat extracts is whether or not I will need to use a source of additional enzymes (such as Edme DMS) with this stuff, or if the extract contains the necessary enzymes. I understand from Papazian's book that wheat doesn't naturally have the enzymes to convert the starches and needs to be mashed with malted barley (or some other enzyme source) when doing all-grain. Are these extracts 100% malted wheat, or a combination of wheat and barley? Please indicate which brand of wheat extract you used. Thanks, Brian - -- Brian Smithey / SAIC, Geophysics Division / San Diego CA uucp: uunet!seismo!esosun!smithey Internet: smithey at esosun.css.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 12:20:27 EST From: fwb at demon.siemens.com (Frederic W. Brehm) Subject: More on Sumerian Beer An AP article about the Ninkasi beer brewed by Anchor appeared in our local newspaper, too. Since we are near Philadelphia, not San Francisco, the paper did not feature Fritz Maytag's involvement, but the other half of the team: Professor Solomon Katz of the University of Pennsylvania. Katz is "an anthropologist specializing in nutrition." The paper reported that "The beer was the culmination of two years of research by Katz and Fritz Maytag ..." The recipe was based on "The Hymn to the Goddess of Ninkasi" dating from about 1800 B.C. Katz wrote some articles in 1987 about his theory that that beer was the cornerstone of civilization. Maytag read the articles, decided to "try to make some of the beer to see what we could learn," and "contacted Katz who agreed to help. It sparked a two-year research project, with Katz poring over tablets from around the world to determine some of the finer points of the recipe." An interesting quote from Maytag: "Real brewing is very simple, and we know that the brewers 5,000 years ago were extermely skilled. We ought to assume that these guys were just as good at brewing as we are. Is someone reading this at UofP? Could Katz be convinced to share some more information with this list? Fred - Frederic W. Brehm Siemens Corporate Research Princeton, NJ fwb at demon.siemens.com -or- princeton!siemens!demon!fwb Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 16:58:26 EST From: "Robert A. Ott" <ottra at clutx.clarkson.edu> Subject: Cooper's Australian Ale This question is directed at anyone who has used COOPER'S AUSTRALIAN ALE. This is the second time I have used the mixture and both times I have gotten a cidery smell. The fermentation temperature was low and I used corn sugar so I 'm not real sure where the esters came from. Any help would be appreciated. ottra at clutx.clarkson.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 13:16:58 PST From: suurb at hsfdjs.toad.com (Dave Suurballe) Subject: Sumerian beer I just spoke to Anchor, and they have no more Sumerian beer to sell. In addition, it was never distributed. It was just one batch which they brewed for the Conference, and then sold out of the brewery until it was gone. Suurb Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 19:56:55 EST From: capnal at aqua.whoi.edu (Alan Duester) Subject: recent Zymurgy For those of you who have asked, Zymurgy Vol.13, No.1 arrived in the mail this afternoon. Cover story is "Brewing the German Way". Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 22:36:39 EST From: hisata!doug at gatech.edu Subject: In defense of KitchenAid grain mills Yes, the KitchenAid grain mill works just fine for crushing grains. It is easily adjustable, from grinding fine enough to make a powder to coarse enough to let whole grains pass through unscathed. I've been using it for several years for my grains, without a problem. And since you can dump a cup or two of grain into the hopper at a time, you can monitor the grind and adjust it as needed while still grinding away. For instance, I usually have to grind a little finer for black patent than pale malt, since the grains tend to be a bit smaller. No complaints from me. Like most everything KitchenAid makes, it's rugged as hell. (Their plastic attachments tend to be a bit wimpier and sometimes crack after many long years of use.) Bumpin' and grindin', Doug Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 15:07:46 EST From: bose!chuck at uunet.UU.NET (Chuck Cox) Subject: Re: Liberty Ale Dave Suurballe sez - > Anchor's "Liberty Ale" was introduced in 1976; it's > an IPA, and there weren't any IPAs anywhere in this country. Ihor W. Slabicky sez - > I beg to differ, but Ballantine's India Pale Ale has been around > for quite a long time, longer than Liberty Ale. Yes, as a matter of fact, when I was at the brewery, we discussed the evolution of Liberty Ale. One of their earlier Special Ales ('81-'83 as I recall) was modeled after Ballantine IPA. The Bally IPA of that time was a lot 'bigger' than the current Bally IPA (more alcohol, hops, malt, & body), and tasted more like the current Liberty Ale, than the current Bally IPA. This version of Anchor's Special Ale was so popular that they decided to brew it year-round, and named it Liberty Ale. Even before this discussion, the Boston Beer Society thought there were many similarities between the old Bally IPA and the Anchor IPAs. We verified this when we slipped an old ('81 as I recall) Bally IPA into a blind tasting of the '81-'86 Special Ales. The Bally IPA ranked equally with the IPA Special Ales. - Chuck Cox - america's FASTEST beer judge (and I'll defend that on any race track) Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 07:48:28 PST From: arth at EBay.Sun.COM (Art Hebert) Subject: Univ. of Moosehead Does anyone know where I could get one of these decals for a car? suds Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 90 10:16:06 PST From: dredge at hitchrack.Stanford.EDU (Michael Eldredge) Subject: Re: stout (recipe) > Date: Wed, 14 Mar 90 14:05 EST > From: <L_LEE1%UNHH.BITNET at MITVMA.MIT.EDU> > Subject: Stout > > Hey, does anyone outhere have a good recipe for stout that can be done > with easily obtainable ingredients? One of the best that my brewing buddies and I've tried is "Baer's Stout", based on one of the excellent recipes from Dave Baer (a regular reader and contributor to this column as well as an instructor in brewing at the Menlo Park Rec center). The one that I am sipping right now (a bit early, but I wanted to be accurate in my response) came out great! (Apologies, Dave, for what we may have done to your original.) 4oz Flaked Barley 4oz Medium Crystal malt 6# Dark Australian malt extract 1/2# Dark Australian dry 4oz black patent malt 4oz molasses 2oz cascade (bittering) 0.6oz northern brewers (aromatic) Prestarted Wyeast British Ale yeast. OG: 51 FG: 17.8 Fermentation temp: 55 degF Steep 50 minutes at 153 degF: flaked barley, crystal Boil 90 minutes. Add black patent and molasses at 45 min. Bittering in thirds each 30 min. Michael Eldredge Stanford Integrated Circuits Lab Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 11:09:20 CST From: jmellby at ngstl1.csc.ti.com (John Mellby) Subject: BrewNet Last fall someone posted the phone number of the BREWNET BBS. At that time I called them a few times, but so far this year, that phone rings but no one answers. Does anyone know if the Brewnet is still active? John Mellby jmellby at ngstl1.ti.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 17:27 EST From: CRF at PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU Subject: More historical info, plus sources Hi, All! My thanks to those who wrote me following my last posting; glad you all enjoyed it! That posting, and the other info regarding "Ninkasi", prompted a number of people to address further questions to me, including a request for a list of my sources. Posting directly to this forum is the easiest way for me to oblige. As I believe I mentioned previously, ancient brewing was often related to bread-baking, this being a source of both yeasts and malted grains. This trend/link continued throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Brewing yeasts began to be cultured and refined around 1500 BC. How? Simple: think of the recently-cited "Ninkasi" recipes, of bread, water, and dates/date sugars thrown together. Now, think of that taking place in an unglazed ceramic vessel, and you have your answer. The yeasts inhabited the unglazed interior of the fermenting vessels, starting batch after batch of ale (a' la sourdough bread), with it being a simple matter to inoculate a fresh vessel at the same time as a fresh batch of ale. Addition of herbs and spices to brews is as old as brewing, and there are other herbs, such as rosemary and betony, which were known to contribute preservative effects. Hops was known as a strong medicinal, and was begun being added to brews in Northern Europe in about the 8th century. Malting as we think of it came along in the Middle Ages, hand-in-hand with the monasteries. It is during this period that many of the great brew styles (especially, of course, the "abbey styles"!) were developed. Why we have a tendency to assume these brews were developed much later is, again, quite simple. By the end of the 17th century, many of the larger commercial breweries still in existance were being established. By the mid- late-18th century, wines were becoming decent to drink, and affordable. And, during this same period, the monasteric breweries were establishing brewpubs of their own-- why miss out on all that profit? :-) The end result: the change in commercial availability of brews came about at the same time as that for wines, and most people tend to lump them together in their thinking and assume that the brews developed at the same time the wines did. Not so, much to my own surprise no less than anyone else's! Below is a list of some of my sources. Titles preceded by an asterisk (*) are out of print and/or difficult to obtain. People may continue to feel free to write me with questions. SOURCES: *_Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books_, ed. by Thomas Autin, Oxford Univ Press, London, 1964 _Sallets, Humbles, and Shrewsbury Cakes_ by Ruth Anne Beebe, David R. Godine, publ. Boston, MA, 1976 _1776: The Compleat American Housewife_ by Julianne Belote, Nitty Gritty Prod., Concord, MA 1974 *_The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie, Kt., Opened_, Sir Kenelme Digbe, London, 1669 (NOTE: I have a facsimile copy) _Pepys at Table_, Christopher Driver and Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, Bell and Hyman, London, 1984 _The Complete Book of Herbs and Spices_, Sarah Garland, Viking Press, NY, 1979 _Lost Country Life_ by Dorothy Hartley, Pantheon Books, NY, 1979 _The Simon & Schuster Pocket Guide to Beer_, by Michael Jackson, Simon & Schuster *_Dining with William Shakespeare_ by Madge Lorwin, Atheneum, NY, 1976 *_Delightes for Ladies_, Sir Hugh Plat, London, 1609 (NOTE: I have a facsimile copy) _Magic and Medicine of Plants_, Reader's Digest, Reader's Digest Assoc., Pleasantville, NY, 1986 _Herbs and Things_, Jeanne Rose, Grosset and Dunlap, NY, 1972 *_To the King's Taste_, by Lorna J. Sass, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 1975 *_To the Queen's Taste_, by Lorna J. Sass, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 1975 _Food in History_, by Reay Tannahil, Stein and Day, NY, 1973 and 1988 Yours in Carbonation, Cher "The first cup of coffee recapitulates phylogeny." -- Anon. ============================================================================= Cheryl Feinstein INTERNET: CRF at PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU Univ. of Fla. BITNET: CRF at UFPINE Gainesville, FL Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 14:43:19 PST From: maxn at intermec.com (Max Newman x6689) Subject: extract stout brew I'm fairly new to brewing (just pitched fourth batch), and I want to brew a stout. I looked at john bulls extract stout kit but was puzzeled to find no directions for the stout, quantities for sugar were listed for all kits but stout. Someone please help! do you add any sugar? has anyone used this kit before? Can you give me a recipe for stout using unhopped extract? Any info would be greatly appreciated I think I may be suffering from stout withdrawal ;-) Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #380, 03/20/90 ************************************* -------
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