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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  re: Turkey Frying ("Mark Tumarkin")
  Yeast culturing (Michael Hartsock)
  Turkey Frying ("Andy Mueller")
  maltose syrup (homebre973)
  Pub Discount Program ("DRTEELE")
  Tales from the grist - broken thermometer horror story ("Joris Dallaire")
  Women and homebrew ("Lou King")
  yeast inseptic systems (Jim Bermingham)
  Subject: hm... and minikegs again ("Jodie Davis")
  Re: Trub in septic systems (Jeff Renner)
  pros that act like homebrewers (Jeff & Ellen)
  Women and Beer (Donald and Melissa Hellen)


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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 06:38:03 -0500
From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: re: Turkey Frying

Phil asks about deep frying turkey. Here's a couple of pointers. Put your
turkey in the pot & fill with water to get a measure of how much oil you'll
need. That way you don't put in too much and have it run over when you put in
the bird. Wipe down both the bird & the pot to remove water so you don't get
splatters. Make sure the oil covers the bird a few inches and also has a few
inches to roll at the top when boiling. Peanut oil is a traditional choice,
but any oil with a high smoke point will work - canola, safflower, etc. Heat
the oil to 350-375 to start with, and figure on 3 to 3.5 minutes per pound.  A
10-12 lb bird is a good size, so a half hour is about right; though,
obviously, time varies depending on the size of your turkey. Pretty much any
marinade will work, though a spicy one's best. I like Caribbean style flavors.
Cajun rubs can be used on the bird as well. Heat the oil to about 375 degrees.
Depending on your burner, it'll take about 1/2 hour. Turn the flame off when
lowering in the bird. Lower the bird in partially, lift out, lower in a little
more, etc a few times before fully immersing. Keep the oil temp up above 350.
Use glove, and another important safety tip- begin beer drinking only after
your finished frying.

A couple of years ago, I came up with a great Turkey Day recipe. Don't know
how or why it occurred to me, but I decided to try adding habanero peppers to
my pumpkin pie. Awesome, earthy blend of flavors! Try 1-2 habs (inc seeds and
membranes) for a spicy but not volcanic level. Add more to taste (or till you
can't taste) as you like. When using less peppers (just 1), even people who
are not hot food fans seem to like it very much, though it's not for everyone.
Still, if you like hot peppers, you'll love this. This year, I've got a Red
Sevina plant growing & look forward to trying these instead of the regular
habs.

To keep this more beer oriented; what beers pair well with a thanksgiving
feast? I'm thinking Dupont Moinette & Rogue Dead Guy for our table, as well as
a homebrewed brown ale & dunkelweizen.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Mark Tumarkin
Hogtown Brewers
Gainesville, FL






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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 07:43:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Hartsock <xd_haze at yahoo.com>
Subject: Yeast culturing

Well, I want to make the leap into liquid yeast so
that i can get better control over my beer.  But, I
don't like having to pay for the individual vials. 
What I'm looking for is information about starting up
culturing.  How long do cultures last, what is a good
basic ale culture to start with, i would like to just
start out with one that is general for simplicity
sake.  Here are a few essential questions:

1)  Do I need a pressure cooker to sterilize or is
boiling good enough?
2) Do I just use DME as medium or actually use wort?  
3) How long will a culture last?  
4)If I only brew once or twice a month, is that
frequent enough to make culturing worth it?

any help or references would be great.

michael



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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 11:00:14 -0600
From: "Andy Mueller" <twoflagsbrewery at yahoo.com>
Subject: Turkey Frying

In reply to Phil, here are some Turkey frying tips:

Take giblets out of cavity, neck and body. Remove pop up timer.

I usually inject some sort of cajun marinade widely available here in the
Houston, Tx area.

Butter flavor injection tastes like diacetyl so unless you like that beware.
Dry rubs work but tend to burn. YMMV

No stuffing.

Cook this outside, no kids near pot, putting this on a wood deck not
recommended. Play it safe.

NEVER put a frozen bird in hot oil. It will explode all over and cause a
fire.

Put your thawed bird in the empty pot and pour water in until it just covers
the bird. Remove bird and note the level of the water. This is how much oil
you'll want to use. Dump water, dry pot, install peanut oil.

Oil takes about 45 minutes to heat depending on your burner. Keep your eye
on it. Get it to 350 degrees.

Dry turkey with paper towel inside and out before dropping in oil to lower
spattering and help keep your oil temp from dropping too much.

Cook 3 minutes per pound plus 5 minutes. (12 # x 3 = 36 + 5 = 41 minutes)

12 -13 # bird works best.

Internal temp when done should be around 170 degrees.

Hope these tips help. Enjoy your turkey and remember SAFETY FIRST!

Andy Mueller
Oak Ridge North, Tx
(1056.5, 221.3) Apparent Rennerian



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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 14:12:36 -0500
From: homebre973 at mindspring.com
Subject: maltose syrup

On the Spencer Real Beer site  there is a FAQ on sugars, and it says you can
make maltose syrup by combining glucose and dextrin powder in a 4:1 ratio.  I
assume glucose would be the same as corn sugar.
Can anyone comment on this or results using this in British Ales with Maltose
Syrup as an ingredient.
Andy in NC


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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 14:50:38 -0500
From: "DRTEELE" <drteele at bellsouth.net>
Subject: Pub Discount Program

I just frequented my local HOPS brewpub here in Boynton Beach, FL for the
first time since joining the AHA. I flashed my server my membership card and
asked him if he was familiar with the program. He said he wasn't and went to
check on it. I was expecting to just get happy hour discount prices (even
though I didn't know what that would be). To my surprise, he came back with
our drink orders in hand and told us the beer was FREE! According to them,
the happy hour discount applies to mixed drinks. Well, a good lunch, a
healthy tip and five beers later, we walked out with me smiling like the
proverbial canary. A couple more 'working lunches' like that will more than
pay for my membership.

ATTENTION! West Palm Beach AHA members (P.B. Draughtsmen, are you
listening?), check it out. You'd be hard pressed to find a better deal than
the one I just got.

P.S. - I had their Hoptoberfest Marzen. My uneducated critique....color and
body (malt character and mouthfeel) are lighter than traditional Marzens
(i.e. Spaten and Paulaner) with a higher hopping rate. While not accurate to
style, I would consider it a good 'American Octoberfest' on the same level
as Sam Adams' offering (flame suit on). Let the mudslinging begin....

Dan in Sunny South Florida (where it's still too damn hot)




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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 15:23:22 -0500
From: "Joris Dallaire" <Joris.Dallaire at meq.gouv.qc.ca>
Subject: Tales from the grist - broken thermometer horror story

Hello fellow homebrewers,

What a great source of useful brewing info the HBD is. A search through the
archives always yielded me a quick and complete answer. But not this time, so
it's my turn to post...

Last sunday i brewed a lager using a brand new alcohol lab thermometer in a
metal case. I preferred it over a mercury one for obvious security reasons in
case of a break. And, thanks to Murphy's Law, while collecting the runoff it
fell to the bottom of my kettle and broke. So what's the use for a metal case,
one might ask; but that's a different story.

What i had then was 15 gallons of good wort with a couple milliliters of an
unknown alcohol mixed with a red tincture and a funny smell. GHAAA! Not wanting
to lose my brew day, i called a biologist friend of mine who told me that
boiling the wort would evaporate the alcohol. As for the tincture, it would not
be harmful at such a low concentration.

So i proceeded with the boil and the funny smell disapeared. Fermentation so far
seems ok. But a doubt still resides in my mind.

Any similar experiences, thoughts? Is the batch poisonned? Anybody knows what
kind of alcohol is inside those lab thermometers (my friend did not remember for
sure)? Was it really evaporated, and what about the tincture?

Thank you for any input.

Joris Quebec city, Canada
[693.1, 58.9] Apparent Rennerian




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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 16:31:32 -0500
From: "Lou King" <lking at pobox.com>
Subject: Women and homebrew

Teresa said:

"Interesting thing about women and beer though... except for the few 
women lurking here at HBD, I've never met a female "beer fan" either. 
Perhaps all those macrobrew commercials with the bikini girls are to 
blame?"

Before she met me, my wife used to drink whatever beer was cheap and
light.

Now she knows better, and (apparently) loves my beer.  When in London on
business she has been known to drink bitters with the best of them
(whatever that means), surprising her male, somewhat chauvinist
colleagues and customers (no offense to any of the non-chauvanist Brits
out there -- is this going to get me flamed?).

She only likes the end product of my brewing, though.  She is not
interested in helping with the brewing, nor is she interested in tasting
the pre-fully fermented beer.  It doesn't stop me from trying, though.

She said,

"I actually starting liking beer when I was 17 or so, watching Packer
games with my dad and my brothers...  Of course, I didn't start liking
*good* beer 'til I met you."

So there is at least one exception that *I* know of ;-)

Lou King
Ijamsville, MD



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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 16:50:18 -0800
From: Jim Bermingham <jbham6843 at netscape.net>
Subject: yeast inseptic systems

00.00 Renner writes
"I have heard that this commonly held belief is untrue.  I don't think
there's any reason to think that yeast would find a the conditions in
a septic system particularly inviting, and even if they did, I
imagine other microbes would find it more suitable.  Still, that's
where my excess yeast goes.  Easier than taking it to the compost bin.

I have also heard that the bacterial cultures that are sold to put
into your system are a waste of money.  The waste that goes into a
system brings with it plenty of microbes.

Seems to me that you should not put anything unnecessary into the
system, but it ought to be able to handle trub.  On the other hand,
it probably would go into your compost along with the spent grains
and hops."
Now you have gone and done it!  Jeff, you have just shot down the one 
"Old Wives Tale" that I have always believed in.  My old wife has always 
told me that this is true.  I have always put yeast down the toilet and 
have never had a problem, so I have always assumed that the old wife 
knew what she was talking about.  My dear old dad always told me to 
flush yeast down the tube ever since we got indoor plumbing.  Prior to 
the indoor type we put lime down the two hole type out back. I don't 
think lime would do a septic system any good.  Really don't know what 
lime did for the outdoor type but I always had to put it in.  Maybe this 
was dad's old wives tale.  I guess I will have to get out of the hot tub 
now and look for another old wife.

Jim Bermingham
Millsap,TX





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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 18:37:22 -0500
From: "Jodie Davis" <jodie at ga.prestige.net>
Subject: Subject: hm... and minikegs again


>Interesting thing about women and beer though... except for the few 
>women lurking here at HBD, I've never met a female "beer fan" either. 
>Perhaps all those macrobrew commercials with the bikini girls are to 
>blame?

>:: Teresa ::
>http://www.mivox.com/


Guess those commercials didn't deter me either. I remember even in my
single digits relishing a big gulp of my Dad's Narragansett when he
first opened one while watching football (and baseball, and hockey and
basketball and... all at the same time, napping, and he still knew
everything that was going on!) Must have been the slogan, "Hi neighbor,
Have a 'Gansett!" that did it for me. Or could it be I've just always
liked beer? Yes, my Dad has progressed in his beer taste and I even got
him brewing. He got his third batch going this week. He was real proud
of my ribbon in the Queen of Beer competition. So where are all these
other women who entered the competition?

Back to cooking for tomorrow. Three pies and one dressing so far.
Haven't used beer in anything. I'm remiss.

Jodie in Thanksgiving-like chilly Georgia



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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 19:12:40 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Trub in septic systems

You're probably wondering how Jim replied to this before I posted it. 
It's because I cc'd him my post but included a "Non-informative 
subject line" - Homebrew Digest #

Damn persnickety bot!

Original post:

Jim Bermingham <jbham6843 at netscape.net> writes from his hot tub in Millsap, TX:

>Septic systems love yeast.  For your friends that
>do not brew, encourage them to add yeast to their septic system at least
>once a month.  This will cut down on problems they may have in the future.

I have heard that this commonly held belief is untrue.  I don't think
there's any reason to think that yeast would find a the conditions in
a septic system particularly inviting, and even if they did, I
imagine other microbes would find it more suitable.  Still, that's
where my excess yeast goes.  Easier than taking it to the compost bin.

I have also heard that the bacterial cultures that are sold to put
into your system are a waste of money.  The waste that goes into a
system brings with it plenty of microbes.

Seems to me that you should not put anything unnecessary into the
system, but it ought to be able to handle trub.  On the other hand,
it probably would go into your compost along with the spent grains
and hops.

Jeff
- -- 
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943


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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 19:40:21 -0500
From: Jeff & Ellen <JeffNGladish at ij.net>
Subject: pros that act like homebrewers

Ray Daniels asked for the names of pro brewers with homebrew style or 
attitude or equipment or something.  This reminded me of my tour of Hair of 
the Dog Brewing in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago.  All the 
original equipment appeared to be home-made or adapted from some dairy 
farm, and the beers were all HUGE.  A homebrewer's delight.  Even the names 
of the beers were good.  "Ed", the second runnings of a beer named "Fred" 
(it was 1/2 of Fred), which was named after a famous local beer journalist. 
 I hope they are still doing well.

Jeff Gladish, Tampa, FL



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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 21:32:38 -0500
From: Donald and Melissa Hellen <donhellen at horizonview.net>
Subject: Women and Beer

Teresa Knezek <teresa at mivox.com> writes that she has met few women who
are beer fans:

>Interesting thing about women and beer though... except for the few 
>women lurking here at HBD, I've never met a female "beer fan" either. 
>Perhaps all those macrobrew commercials with the bikini girls are to 
>blame?

Perhaps, but my wife loves my Russian imperial stout and also Old
Peculier and Guinness clones when I make them. And so does a female
friend of ours. As for lighter styles, she'll usually pass on them. 

I can't imagine why the bikini girls would scare away women. I thought
the idea the advertising was trying to convey was that if women drank
their beer, they were supposed to turn into these women. Or maybe it
was that if men drank their beer, they would have women like them. I'm
not sure which it is supposed to be. ;)

Anyway, if they spent more time making good beers instead of more
money on advertising, I think more women would be beer drinkers.

Don Hellen



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