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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Straffe Hendrik and Candi sugar ("Braam Greyling")
  Danstar Manchester ("John Misrahi")
  Mead, cider . . . (Ray Daniels)
  Real ale packaging (Tidmarsh Major)
  Sankey Kegs Again ("Mike Kesler")
  White Labs 802 Czech Budejovice Lager ("The Artist Formerly Known As Kap'n Salty")
  Efficiency problems ("Andrew E Hipkiss")
  Efficiency problems ("Andrew E Hipkiss")
  Fermenting in a SS Pot (Bill Tobler)
  Off flavor ("Gene Collins")


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Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 08:39:38 +0200
From: "Braam Greyling" <braam.greyling at azoteq.com>
Subject: Straffe Hendrik and Candi sugar

Hi all,

Have someone ever tried cloning the Belgium beer named Straffe 
Hendrik ?  
I am looking for a full grain recipe. Can someone help ?  
Would appreciate fermenting temperature and mashing schedule info as 
well. 

What should I use for a replacement of the candi sugar that they use 
in Belgium Beer ?  

Best regards

Braam Greyling 



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Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 07:03:19 -0700
From: "John Misrahi" <lmoukhin at sprint.ca>
Subject: Danstar Manchester

Does anyone know why this has been discontinued?
I am rather upset, as I used to like Danstar London and they stopped making
it too. I generally prefer liquid yeast, but i like the manchester strain.
It has worked great in mild ales and porters/stouts.

I have a few hundred packs that are nearing or past their best before date
but i figure if in the fridge or freezer they should be good a couple years
(i can pitch several packs)..

John





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Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 06:17:20 -0500
From: Ray Daniels <raydan at ameritech.net>
Subject: Mead, cider . . . 


Saw the recent dialog about mead and cider. Personally, I've been a mead 
maker for almost as long as I have been a beer maker and I've had some fun 
trying cider making a bit as well. While I find beer making more 
interesting, I always find that mead is welcome in my glass. And I recently 
had a chance to try some "real" ciders (and perrys) while in London for the 
Great British Beer Festival and found them delightful.

Mead making is on the rise in North America with a good number of 
commercial producers now offering products. Also, as I have travelled 
around talking about real ale in recent years, I have regular inquiries 
about when good cider will make some progress in the US. As a result of all 
this, I have decided that we'll just have to have a festival to try these 
things and learn more about how they are made. See my sig block for the 
website if you are interested in that sort of thing . . .


Ray Daniels
Organizer,
Planet Buzz! The Mead, Cider and Perry Festival
Coming to Chicago November 8-9, 2002
See www.meadfest.com
and also, Real Ale Festival - 7th year Feb 26-March1, 2003
ray at meadfest.com




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Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 07:41:09 -0500
From: Tidmarsh Major <tidmarsh at comcast.com>
Subject: Real ale packaging

"Christopher Post" <chrispost@ earthlink.net> from Becket, 
Western MA, started a discussion of real ale cellaring techniques 
and beer engine use.

As another suggestion, 5L mini-kegs can also be used for a low-
budget real ale package. Several brands of beer (e.g., Grolsch and 
Lowenbrau Oktoberfest from Munich) are available in the mini-kegs 
with built-in taps and red spiles & black bungs. 

The red spiles provide a  vent to the mini-keg when  twisted. They 
don't work well with a tap or mini-keg gasser (you have to remove 
the bung & replace with a regular bung), but they work well when re-
used for real ale.

The cost of entry is low, and it's easier to finish 10 pints in a 
weekend than 40.

Once you've drained them, remove the bung, clean, sanitize, and 
fill with primed beer. 

I filled one with real ale last June, and it worked well, though I 
suspect I still had the carbonation a bit high, and I was a little 
impatient and didn't leave it sitting out long enough to warm to the 
proper temperature. 

Brewing's been on hiatus recently with Alabama summer weather 
& a move to a new town, but now that I'm settled, I plan to 
experiment further.

Tidmarsh Major
Tuscaloosa, Alabama


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Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 08:20:11 -0500
From: "Mike Kesler" <mkesler at almoninc.com>
Subject: Sankey Kegs Again


Hey John,

Are you sure you have the time unit correct?  Isn't
5 gallons about 2 cases?  I think a typical frat party
could put that much away in 2 hours.
- -------------
I think that was his point.

Cheers



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Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 08:51:25 -0500
From: "The Artist Formerly Known As Kap'n Salty" <mikey at swampgas.com>
Subject: White Labs 802 Czech Budejovice Lager

Anybody have any experiences with this yeast? I've just pitched a
1.058 dunkel wort onto a sizeable starter and it looks and smells
like a strong, clean fementer thus far. 

I'm considering using this yeast for a doppelbock in the near future.
Any opinions as to the suitability of 802 for a higher gravity (1.080
or so) beer?

Cheers -- tafkaKs
====
Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html



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Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 10:47:35 -0400
From: "Andrew E Hipkiss" <ctn73053 at centurytel.net>
Subject: Efficiency problems

I am relatively new to all-grain brewing and am having some serious
difficulties with my extraction.  My set up is a as follows:  2 five gallon
Rubbermaid coolers - 1 for mash tun with false bottom and one for sparge
water tank utilizing a sparge arm.  I have been mashing at 150 F with
distilled water modified with various salts to simulate region specific
water.  I mash for 90 minutes at a rate of 1.2 quarts of water per pound of
grain.  I use 5.25 gallons of sparge water, also modified with salt at 168
F.  My sparge last around 70 minutes, 2 quarts per 5 min.  I keep the flow
consistent between the tun and sparge.  My final runnings are usually high
around 1.016 - 1.018, and my overall efficiency is around 60% according to
Promash.  Any ideas?  Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

Andrew Hipkiss



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Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 10:47:35 -0400
From: "Andrew E Hipkiss" <ctn73053 at centurytel.net>
Subject: Efficiency problems

I am relatively new to all-grain brewing and am having some serious
difficulties with my extraction.  My set up is a as follows:  2 five gallon
Rubbermaid coolers - 1 for mash tun with false bottom and one for sparge
water tank utilizing a sparge arm.  I have been mashing at 150 F with
distilled water modified with various salts to simulate region specific
water.  I mash for 90 minutes at a rate of 1.2 quarts of water per pound of
grain.  I use 5.25 gallons of sparge water, also modified with salt at 168
F.  My sparge last around 70 minutes, 2 quarts per 5 min.  I keep the flow
consistent between the tun and sparge.  My final runnings are usually high
around 1.016 - 1.018, and my overall efficiency is around 60% according to
Promash.  Any ideas?  Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

Andrew Hipkiss



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Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 17:47:11 -0500
From: Bill Tobler <wctobler at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Fermenting in a SS Pot

There was some discussion on fermenting in SS pots last week.  I brew 10
gallon batches and would like to get away from fermenting the primary in two
6.5 gallon carboys.  I usually  rack from primary to secondary in either two
5 gallon kegs or one 10 gallon keg.  I attach an air lock to the lid of the
kegs by removing the pop-off valve and installing a small stopper with air
lock. 

I have a 15 gallon Polarware pot I would like to use as a primary fermenter.
This pot has a 3/8" nipple 1 3/4" from the bottom.  The lid fits very good,
but I am sure it's not air tight.  The pot fits in my fermenting fridge on a
shelf high enough to siphon into a secondary without having to move the pot.
I use this pot on occasion as a larger mash tun for big beers, but most of
the time it just sits.

I know this is not a real "open" fermenter as I have a lid on it, but it's
really not closed either as air and other nasty's could get in when the
fermentation stops. (Or before it starts?)  It would be a simple matter to
add a gasket and some small clamps to seal the lid, but I'm not sure if that
is necessary.  My guess is if I pitch a lot of healthy yeast and get a fast
start, and don't let it sit too long after the primary fermentation is
finished, I shouldn't have any problems.  This would also give me the chance
to skim the top of the beer every day or so.  I would have to read up on
that procedure, as I have never done it.  I'm not sure how thick the trub
layer would be on a large pot like that (18" diameter), but I think the
drain is high enough not to get too much into the secondary.  Without
tilting the pot and using the drain, it leaves 5 qts of liquid in the
bottom.  If I use a racking cane and siphon it out, and tilt the pot about
1" high, I leave about 1 qt. of liquid.  That sounds like the better deal.
How I rack will have to be trial and error I guess.  Try both ways and see
witch one I like best.

I would like to hear from some others who ferment in a pot with a lid, and
how you rack and wether or not you skim the yeast/crud off the top, and when
you do that.  I've heard that some people use plastic liners in their
pot/bucket, and ferment in that.  If you buy the liners new in a roll, they
come sanitized and ready to use. I guess that is always an option, with easy
clean-up.   Just trying to make my day a little easier.

Bill Tobler
Lake Jackson, TX
(1129.7, 219.9) Apparent Rennerian




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Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 18:31:15 -0500
From: "Gene Collins" <gene at bctruckelectric.com>
Subject: Off flavor

Hello fellow HBDers,

I made a Belgian Dark Strong Ale awhile back, kegged most of it and
bottled the rest for competition. I won a medal with it and had many
people comment positively about it. However, I taste what I think is an
off flavor in the bottled version that I don't remember from the keg
version. Could it be an additional alcohol bite caused by priming? It
isn't a bad flavor, just kind of a sharp "bite" that's a bit tart. I
have noticed a similar flavor in some other beers I've made with darker
grains like a porter. Perhaps I am getting some tannins, I can't really
tell, but it isn't an acrid dry flavor like that. Any ideas?

Gene Collins
Broken Arrow, OK

Serious winemaker? Visit my new site: www.eurojuices.com






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