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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
Re: All Grain Newbie (Kent Fletcher)
Many thanks! (mash tun) ("Brian Schar")
Brewing software for PDA's (jodysdad)
Re; Reducing Malt Flavor in No-Sparge Brews (Stuart Lay)
3rd Annual DEA CHALLENGE (Bob Sheck)
Thanks for the efficenty help ("Gilbert Milone")
Falsey Bottoms a la Renner ("John Zeller")
kitchen aid mill (Alan McKay)
mill wars (Alan McKay)
DCL said what? (Alan McKay)
Re: KitchenAid grain mill attachement (keith)
LHBS and the profit they make ("Schorzman, Sherman")
In Defense of HB Shop Owners ("Eric R. Theiner")
Re: Grain Mills ("Vernon, Mark")
Palm Style Guidelines ("Eric R. Theiner")
Re: Grain Mills ("Dennis Collins")
Re: BJCP Levels (Bill Wible)
Announcing MCAB-V in Washington, DC ("Ridgely, William")
B3 28 gallon system ("Christopher Post")
RE: Again.. HOLD on a sec. (was dry yeast) ("Mike Sharp")
Breastpump applications to brewing ("Todd M. Snyder")
WhiteLabs makes Ayinger strain available year round! (Marc Sedam)
aged wheat doppelbock? (Rama Roberts)
Repackaging Dry Yeast/Pitching Rates (Bill Tobler)
Grain Mill (Donald and Melissa Hellen)
crankandstien ("Jerry Barkley")
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Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 16:29:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Kent Fletcher <fletcherhomebrew at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: All Grain Newbie
"Gilbert Milone II" <gilbertmilone at hotmail.com>
said:
"I'm having a problem with undershooting my target
gravity. Sometimes by as much at 10 points. Today I
brewed a scottish ale using 9lbs of 2row and a few
adjuncts. It was Paul Zocco's recipe from Brew Your
Own. The target was .1055 and I hit around .1045. I
use an insulated 5 gallon bucket to mash in and mashed
at 158 for 1hr(high to get dextrine for the scottish).
I sparged with 20qts at 170 to yeild about 6.5 gal of
wort which I boiled for 1 hr. Yeilding me 5 gallons of
.1045 wort. Does anyone have any advice how to get my
efficency up? How do you know how much water to sparge
with?"
Gilbert, you didn't mention how the grist was milled,
nor a mash out step, nor the sparge RATE.
1. A good mash starts with a good crush. The best
brewers I know (and we have quite a few in my club,
the Maltose Falcons) run the grain though their mills
twice. As I do not yetown a mill, I pay very close
attention to the output when using the LHBS mill.
2. Performing a mash out helps. Add enough boiling
water to bring the mash temp to 169, let it sit for
5-10 minutes before beginning your sparge.
3. Sparging too fast can leave significant amounts of
sugar behind. When I have rushed the sparge (due to
lack of attention, not by plan) my yield has always
suffered.
Other factors such as pH and water chemistry play
lesser roles, but following these three steps will
likely bring you result you want.
As to the question of how much water to sparge with, a
rule of thumb is that you will need at least as much
as your target finished volume, which is the amount
you used. Sometimes you may need more than this, as
different grain types, tun shape, false
bottom/manifold design are all factors. One approach
is to sparge until the SG of the output drops down to
about 1.010 or so, then boil down to the desired
volume/OG. Doing this will necesitate altering your
hopping schedule based on the estimated boil time
remaining.
Hope that helps,
Kent Fletcher
brewing in So Cal
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 09:48:54 -0800
From: "Brian Schar" <schar at cardica.com>
Subject: Many thanks! (mash tun)
I received a lot of emails yesterday regarding my posting about the use of a
10-gallon Gott cooler as a mash tun for 10-gallon batches. Every one of
them was helpful and enlightening. This really is one of the best
forums/mailing lists on the Internet, where people willingly share useful
information. This is true even though I should have proofread my previous
post, where I meant to say that a 17-pound capacity may not be adequate,
where a 25-pound capacity would be fine. Oops.
The consensus seems to be that approximately 25 pounds of grain can fit into
a 10-gallon Gott, which is enough for most beer styles. Many folks
supplement with a little extract for the very biggest styles, which seems
like a good idea to me. Instead of a "partial mash" brew, I suppose you
might call that a "partial extract" brew.
Thanks to everyone's input, I'm going to go the Gott route, and plan to get
some equipment this very weekend. I'm excited! After 10 years of brewing,
I will finally overcome that all-grain hurdle. Two factors finally
motivated me to go all-grain. First, I spend a lot of time doing a partial
mash already in a big 2-gallon pasta pot--it's not like it'll take
significantly more time to mash all my grain. Secondly, having just taken
the BJCP exam, I am more interested in having better control over the
flavors present in my beer.
Thanks again to everyone for your help!
Brian Schar
Belmont, CA
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 19:53:02 -0500 (EST)
From: jodysdad at starchefs.com
Subject: Brewing software for PDA's
Can anyone recomend a some good brewing software for Palm 3.0 OS? I've seen
one but I don't know if it works well or not. Any help would be great.
Thanks
Michael Bock
Columbus, OH
Oh did I mention...GO BUCKS!!!
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 19:41:17 -0800
From: Stuart Lay <zzlay at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re; Reducing Malt Flavor in No-Sparge Brews
In yesterday's HBD, Chris asks:
But, what if I don't want this extra malty flavor? Is there
some method of reducing it?
Chris,
I've brewed a whopping 4 all grain batches, each no-sparge. I'm also do
not have a truly educated palate, but I have not noticed an excessive or
extra malty flavor to my brews. I've brewed three ales and a steam
beer. My tastes tend toward hoppy brews, but two of my batches have
been relatively mildly hopped.
I haven't noticed anything special regarding the malt flavors. For what
it's worth, I would recommend taking a simple recipe you like and are
familiar with and convert using one of the available calculators. Going
all grain and handling the upscaling of the recipe were enough for me.
stuart
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 22:47:38 -0500
From: Bob Sheck <bobsheck at earthlink.net>
Subject: 3rd Annual DEA CHALLENGE
The Down East Alers Open Homebrew Competition in Greenville, North Carolina,
will be Saturday February 15, 2003 (Earlier this year than previous years).
The Down East Alers will host the DEA Challenge Homebrew Competition
at the Ayden-Grifton Golf and Country Club. This is an AHA registered
competition. We will be accepting all BJCP styles and the rules will be
the same as those used in the AHA National competition. This competition
is a qualifying event for the North Carolina Homebrewer of the year.
Entry requirements: 2 unmarked bottles, 10 to 22 ounce, crown capped,
or corked (1 bottle for mead entries will be acceptable). Entry fee will be
$6.00 for the first entry, and $4.00 for additional entries.
The entry deadline is Wednesday, February 12, 2003.
Mail entries and drop offs to: DEA Challenge
Attn: Brian Mentzer
2090 Allen Rd
Greenville, NC 27834
Judging for the competition will take place at the Ayden Golf and
Country Club, 4343 Ayden Golf Club Rd, in Ayden, North Carolina
on Saturday February 15, 2003 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The
awards ceremony will follow. Results will be posted at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~bobsheck/data/DEA_2003_Comp.htm
Lunch will be provided for visiting judges and stewards. Potential
entrants, judges, and stewards with questions are encouraged to
contact the organizers via e-mail.
-Brian Mentzer at: stinkeeee at yahoo.com
-Rick Theiner at: rickdude02 at earthlink.net
You may also download entry forms from
http://home.earthlink.net/~bobsheck/data/DEA_2003_Comp.htm
in Microsoft Word Format
Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers - Greenville, NC
bsheck at earthlink.net // [583.2,140.6] Apparent Rennerian
Home Brewing since 1993 // bobsheck at earthlink.net //
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 23:56:18 -0500
From: "Gilbert Milone" <gilbertmilone at hotmail.com>
Subject: Thanks for the efficenty help
To everyone who emailed me in response to my new adventures in all grain
brewing I really appreciate your comments.
-Gil
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 01:25:18 -0800
From: "John Zeller" <jwz_sd at hotmail.com>
Subject: Falsey Bottoms a la Renner
Hey Jeff,
That link was fascinating. I'm pretty sure J-Lo wears a pair of those! She
sure looks like she does, but I may be mistaken. They probably sell many of
those things to J-Lo wanna be's.
John Zeller
Cincinnati, Ohio
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 06:58:52 -0500
From: Alan McKay <amckay at neap.net>
Subject: kitchen aid mill
Mike,
The short answer is that this attachment is about the equivalent of
a corona mill, and is not ideal. Especially because of the limited
amount of grain that Kitchen Aid recommends you put through it at
a time (10 cups?). If you make a lot of bread anyway, this is
probably worth while. If not, it is more expensive than a real
brewing mill, so why waste your money?
More details in my FAQ
http://www.bodensatz.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20020429215307727
cheers,
-Alan
- --
http://www.bodensatz.com/
The Beer Site (tm)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 07:05:52 -0500
From: Alan McKay <amckay at neap.net>
Subject: mill wars
Rod,
I have a Barley Crusher and a Valley Mill and have used the Schmidling
and Phil Mill I both quite a bit as well. All 4 of them are great mills
and I do not think you can go wrong with any of them!
But my favorite is the Barley Crusher. It is the most adjustable of
all the lot, and also built entirely of metal (except the handle which
is wood). I have not motorised it, but do use it with a drill with
no troubles at all.
cheers,
-alan
- --
http://www.bodensatz.com/
The Beer Site (tm)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 07:08:50 -0500
From: Alan McKay <amckay at neap.net>
Subject: DCL said what?
> I'm not afraid to order from Canada, at least during the
> more temperate months, but Paddock Woods told me that DCL
> asked them to stop repackaging the K-97 yeast.
I strongly encourage each and every one of us to express our
displeasure over this to the North American business development
agent Richard Munro <rmunro at dclyeast.co.uk>
Unbelievable!
cheers,
-Alan
- --
http://www.bodensatz.com/
The Beer Site (tm)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 09:10:12 -0500
From: keith <kellum at adamsadv.com>
Subject: Re: KitchenAid grain mill attachement
I think it will serve your purpose well if you were making bread. It grinds
grain to flour and can't be set to give you a good malt crush- put the 60
-70 bucks the attachment costs toward an adjustable mill designed for
brewing.
Keith
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 09:23:55 -0500
From: "Schorzman, Sherman" <Sherman.Schorzman at filetek.com>
Subject: LHBS and the profit they make
I want to chime in here on the subject of profitability and the LHBS business.
First of all, I am a consumer, I do not own or have any affiliation with a LHBS.
It's clear these people do not make a huge piles of money from these shops. But
for some reason they are always here to answer our questions, support our clubs,
and nurture us from our very first batch.
I once witnessed this exchange in my LHBS; A guy comes in that is ready to start
a fairly complex batch. He needs advice, The shop owner takes the time to make
sure the customer knows everything he needs to know to make the batch. When it
comes time to buy supplies, the guy buys $1.00 worth of bottle caps. "I got
everything else online" he proudly states.
What happened here is that this guy spends, I don't know, $30.00 making a batch
of beer. But, only about $.40 goes to the shop owner that is expected to give
all the advice. This inequality happened because the guy saved a couple bucks
(maybe), he certainly didn't save any time because he had to go into the shop
anyway.
I have nothing against online sales, or the great capitalistic way. I use
several suppliers because they have different inventories. I do however, give
the business to my LHBS when I can. My point is that if you enjoy having a LHBS
in your area, you need to support it. You have got to let the owner make a
living or the shop is going to go away. They most likely make just enough money
to exist in the area. If we force every supplier to compete with every supplier
on every item in every shop. The winner is going to be some online supply
warehouse in Goshen Creek, Iowa. There will be no LHBS, no more advice, no more
support for our clubs, no more homebrew community.
So you pay a little more for some items, a little less for others, overall it's
going to cost you about the same.
Please, support your LHBS.
Sherman
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 09:41:20 -0500
From: "Eric R. Theiner" <rickdude02 at earthlink.net>
Subject: In Defense of HB Shop Owners
I don't necessarily always agree with Bill Wible, and the dry yeast issue
is one of them...
BUT, whoever thinks that shop owners are looking to get rich in this
industry is out of his mind. In fact, there's almost no one in this
industry who's going to get rich. Think about that-- the only guys who are
making good money are the folks that also sell to the commercial brewing
industry; anyone else is either getting by or is the rare exception (such
as St. Pat's or Mr. Beer). Even the manufacturers such as myself or Dan
Listermann aren't going to get rich doing this (hell, I can't even support
myself-- I'm still working the day job).
A long time ago I had the idea of opening up my own shop and had the
benefit of advice from someone who actually franchised them (anyone
remember the Home Brewery?). He told me that if I could be satisfied
making as much money running a shop as I would if I were pumping gas down
the street, then go ahead. But if I had any reservations at all, I'd be
better off taking my paycheck and benefits while working for someone else.
I took that advice to heart, and as I have met more and more shop owners, I
have to respect the men and women who can give up security for the love of
the craft and a love for helping people progress in this HOBBY! (Geez, can
you believe that a simple HOBBY generates this much passion?!)
So don't tell me, I'll tell you<g>... go kiss your local homebrew
supplier. And take them a bottle of brew, too.
Rick Theiner
LOGIC, Inc.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 08:53:00 -0600
From: "Vernon, Mark" <mark.vernon at pioneer.com>
Subject: Re: Grain Mills
Rod,
I only have experience with one model...the Automatic Mill. I was given this
as a gift several years ago, before St Pats became the exclusive
distributor. From my experience it works great, being adjustable (has two
knobs with preset detents) it is able to handle a variety of malts and get
an optimum crush on all of them. I currently use a cordless drill to spin
it and can do 30lbs of grain in a matter of minutes. I have even gotten into
the habit of doing a two step crush, one fairly coarse and then stepping
down to the final crush.
Mark Vernon - in a Rennarian waste land (Okay...Iowa)
Check out our club website at http://www.iowabrewesunion.org
Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box.
-- Italian Proverb
>Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2003 19:08:54 -0800
>From: Rod Tussing <RodT at pplant.UCDavis.edu>
>Subject: Grain Mills
>
>I asked about grain mills about a year ago and got many informative
>responses from the collective - THANKS.
>I never did buy a mill last year and now am revisiting the idea and looking
>for feedback from any millers out there.
>
>The mills I am currently considering are:
>Automatic (St. Pats) Roller Mill
>Cankandstein CGM-3E
>Barley Crusher
>
>I would like to hear from users of any of these mills (or other mills for
>that matter) regarding your experiences.
>The 3 roller design offered by Crankandstein is intriguing and I would
>really like to hear from any "monster" users out there.
>
>
>Rod Tussing
>Sacramento, CA
>
>[1975.1, 275.1] Miles Apparent Rennerian
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Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 09:50:59 -0500
From: "Eric R. Theiner" <rickdude02 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Palm Style Guidelines
I recently downloaded the beer style guidelines for my new Palm Zire
(wasn't sure if I wanted to take the plunge, so I bought the cheapie-- no
jokes about my small one, please). I got them off of Handango.com.
I have successfully installed other third party apps, so I know it's not my
technique (despite what Palm support tells me), so I wanted to see if
anyone else has had this problem-- the app is on my Palm, taking up 45k of
space. I can delete it and re-load it, but the application icon never
shows up, nor will it show up in my list of applications.
Has anyone else had a problem with this application? Does anyone have any
ideas in getting this to work?
Thanks!
Rick Theiner
LOGIC, Inc.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 11:34:42 -0500
From: "Dennis Collins" <dcollins at drain-all.com>
Subject: Re: Grain Mills
Rod asks about users for various grain mills.
I use a CrankandStein model CGM-2A. This is a great mill that is of very
durable construction and has adjustable rollers. It can be motorized very
easily (I ordered mine with an optional 1/2" shaft attached). The mill
comes without any kind of base, so you will have to buy or fabricate a base
and hopper for it. I recommend building one because the one they sell has
such a puny little hopper on it that it doesn't appear to be very useful.
If you don't mind hammering a nail or two, this is a good mill to own. For
those who would rather mill grain right out of the box, a Valley Mill or
other "ready to go" mill might be a better choice.
Since I bought my mill , CrankandStein has come out with a feature that I
really like (but I don't have unfortunately). It's a feature that helps to
"kick start" the idle roller using a short section of straight knurls on one
mill occasionally stalls like this and needs a little prodding to get going
again, so this feature looks pretty cool.
In addition, I usually mill my grain twice (it's on that second pass where
the idle roller usually stalls). I seem to get a better extraction this way
and the grain kernel pieces seem to be more uniform. This makes the two
roller mill (model CGM-3E) look like a good choice. If you've got the cash,
I would take a hard look at it.
Fred Francis at CrankandStein was very helpful when I bought my mill and the
service was great.
Dennis Collins
Knoxville, TN
http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 11:45:55 -0500
From: Bill Wible <bill at brewbyyou.net>
Subject: Re: BJCP Levels
>First off, I believe that Bill mis-stated his recent
>promotion, as he was recently promoted to the Certified
>level.
Peter,
Thanks for your comments.
Yes, I did mis-state. I was "Recognized". I was just
promoted to "Certified".
I'm not embarrassed to admit that I did get EXACTLY a 70
when I took the exam for the first time in 2000. And I
do plan at some point to re-take it. It's a tough test.
I studied with 3 others who took the test with me, twice
a week for 3 months before taking the test. I want to
meet anybody who ever got a 99 on that test!
There are lots of smart people people here on HBD who know
alot about beer and brewing, and the judging community could
use and would like to have any of you who might have interest
in becoming judges.
The test is 2 parts. The first is written, 10 questions,
all essay. You are expected to write AT LEAST one full
legal pad page for each question. I wrote 3 pages for
at least 3 of the questions.
The second part is a blind tasting where the proctor gives
you 3 beers to judge and write scoresheets for, and this is
done while you're also finishing your essay questions.
The test is timed, and the time passes very quickly.
The questions include "Comparing and Contrasting" various
beer styles, various faults that occur in beer and what
their causes and remedies are, recipe formulation and
calculation, you will be expected to formulate and give
a 5 gallon all grain recipe for a "common" style off
the top of your head and tell why it meets the style,
and you have to know about the BJCP, its ranks and
how you progress, etc. I learned alot preparing for
the test, and I'll be the first to admit that I still
don't know everything!
Peter is a high level judge, he was promoted to Grand
Master, I think, last year. I recall judging with Peter,
and learned alot from him. He travels down here to
Phila from New York to judge with us. David Houseman,
who also posts on HBD frequently, is also a Grand Master
judge in this area. I know there are many other judges
here.
More info on judging and what you need to do to become
a judge can be found at http://www.bjcp.org
Give David Houseman and those who worked with him credit
for recently re-designing this great site.
After I get beer judging down, I thought about moving on
to wine judging. But that's another story...
Bill
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 11:52:48 -0500
From: "Ridgely, William" <Ridgely at cber.FDA.gov>
Subject: Announcing MCAB-V in Washington, DC
The Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP) Club would like to invite you to
the 5th Annual Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB), to be held
February 7 and 8, 2003 in Washington, DC.
MCAB is a national homebrew competition organized by volunteers committed to
identifying and recognizing excellence and achievement among amateur
brewers. The participants are winners of thirteen qualifying competitions
held across the United States and Canada. Since qualifying brewers must
have displayed a high level of brewing skill, it is generally considered the
World Series of home brewing.
MCAB is more than a competition, though. It's a great educational and social
event, and all activities but the competition itself are open to the general
public. There will be a special reception on Friday evening, Feb 7 sponsored
by Hop Union. On Saturday afternoon, following the competition, a special
program will be held at the world famous Brickskeller in Washington, DC,
holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest number of different
beers sold in one establishment (over 1,000 brands). The program will be
hosted by Bob Tupper, creator of the world-renowned Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale
and Pils. Bob will talk about the vision behind his products and how that
vision was brought to reality. The program will also feature a roundtable
discussion featuring other GABF-winning brewers from the Washington, DC area
(with, of course, samples of their beers for tasting).
Saturday night will feature an awards banquet followed by a social
highlighting more award-winning beers and brewers.
The total cost for the event, including all receptions, lunch and feature
program at the Brickskeller, and Saturday banquet, is $50, a bargain
considering the high quality of the event and large amount of food and beer
included in the price.
Please visit the MCAB website at http://burp.org/mcab5 for further info and
a registration form. Those without web access can contact MCAB organizer
Bill Ridgely at 301-762-6523 or e-mail ridgely at burp.org for details.
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to seeing you at MCAB-V. Cheers!
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 12:33:10 -0500
From: "Christopher Post" <chrispost@ earthlink.net>
Subject: B3 28 gallon system
I'd appreciate the Forum's collective advice on a significant investment I'm
considering, in Beer Beer & More Beer's B3-2050 28/20 gallon "brewing
sculpture". This would initially be used simply to free up some of my
weekends by producing larger batches but, in the fullness of time, I have a
dim idea I may use it as a "pilot" system for a microbrewery.
I was thinking of going the whole hog and getting the digital SMART (= a
funky HERMS system, as far as I see) option, but thought getting the digital
HL option might be overkill (at an extra $750 w/ mandatory control panel).
Unfortunately BBB doesn't seem to have a great deal of info on the system
beyond
what's on the website (come on guys this is a lot of money! This is what I
paid for my car!...ok I spent a lot more than that on the car since...)
Does anyone have any experience/insights about this system, including
thoughts on which options are indispensable as opposed to nice, and is there
any "competition" out there?
Also I was thinking about a Fermenator 27 gallon s/s conical unitank, rather
than B3's 24 gallon version (seems cheaper when you include the bottom dump,
lid, racking arm etc.). Any comments/comparisons?
I'm lazy - I want to spend my brewing time brewing, not welding or otherwise
figuring out how to put a soup-to-nuts system together...
Cheers from Western Mass
Chris
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 10:17:54 -0800
From: "Mike Sharp" <rdcpro at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Again.. HOLD on a sec. (was dry yeast)
The way one shop owner I know put's it (painted right on the side of his
truck):
"Not much of a living, but a pretty good life".
Regards,
Mike Sharp
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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 14:31:59 -0500
From: "Todd M. Snyder" <tmsnyder at buffalo.edu>
Subject: Breastpump applications to brewing
Greetings fervent fermentors,
Having recently acquired a Medela Lactina breastpump, I couldn't help but
notice the pump's sturdy construction, variable speed, and FDA approved
materials. As a homebrewer, this new addition to the household (the pump,
not the baby) is just begging to be used in the brewery!
Is there some way to use this pump for homebrewing? Maybe for racking beer
by drawing a vacuum on the secondary and sucking the beer over from the
primary? How about vacuum sealing hops in Mason jars or Ziplock bags?
The mechanical arm seems pretty strong, too. How about an attachment for
grinding grain? Anyone ever designed a grainmill that operates on a
back-and-forth motion instead of a rotary one?
This thing has to have some use! It's just way to cool to be left laying
around waiting for its next pumping session.
I await your recommendations,
Todd Snyder
Buffalo, NY
(Obviously, I'm planning my first ever 'milk stout', too. Any volunteer
tasters out there?)
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Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 15:03:34 -0500
From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu>
Subject: WhiteLabs makes Ayinger strain available year round!
I just got a fax from White Labs stating that, due to comments from the
homebrewing community, the Ayinger strain that I provided to
them--marketed as WLP833 (German Bock)--is available year-round as of
January 13!
It's nice to see a major product supplier listening to its customers.
Now that the availability of this strain is dealt with, it's time for
the consumers to start ordering it so it stays in the rotation.
Cheers!
Marc Sedam
Chapel Hill, NC
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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 12:45:34 -0800 (PST)
From: Rama Roberts <rama at eng.sun.com>
Subject: aged wheat doppelbock?
I've started researching the Aventinus wheat doppelbock with hopes of
eventually cloning it (anyone have some pointers?)
What I found interesting was that apparently the yeast used for bottle
conditioning is the same as the one used for primary fermentation, yet
the Schneider brewery apparently reserves 240 cases of Aventinus each year
for a minimum aging period of 3 years.
What's the trick? Weizen yeast is quick to autolyze- I would expect a 3
year old beer of any sort brewed with a weizen yeast to have some
serious off flavors.
- --rama
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Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 15:57:08 -0600
From: Bill Tobler <wctobler at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Repackaging Dry Yeast/Pitching Rates
I'm reading here that some HB shops and Clubs are repackaging Dry Yeast from
the 500 gram bricks. I'm not sure that's a good idea, according to Danstar.
Direct from their Tech Sheet at...
http://consumer.lallemand.com/danstar-lalvin/PDF/Nottingham%20Tech%20sheet.p
df
(You may need to paste and cut the above link)
Item #5 says...
5. Storage
All active dried yeast should be stored dry, between 5 and 10 deg C and the
vacuum packaging should remain intact
Activity loss is about 5 % per year at 5 deg C and 20 % per year at 22 deg C
in unopened vacuum sealed packs
Do not freeze
Nottingham will rapidly lose activity after exposure to air. Do not use
packs which have lost vacuum. Opened packs must be re-closed and stored in
dry conditions, at 4 deg C and used within 3 days.
You may be seriously hurting the yeast by exposing them to air. This may
need some more looking into.
On Pitching Rates, Danstar says 100 grams/100 liters of wort is a good
starting point, and adjust from their. That's about 20 grams/5 gallons, or
two 11 gram packs. I think if you were making a larger, 40 grams would not
be too much. I make 10 gallon batches, and would have to pitch 80 grams of
Dry Larger yeast. Eight packs at $2 pack... Just curious, from you dry
yeast users, what pitching rates do you use? BTW, I'm just starting to
experiment with Dry Yeast, and am looking for a starting point. Thanks.
Bill Tobler
Lake Jackson, TX
(1129.7, 219.9) Apparent Rennerian
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Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 17:17:12 -0500
From: Donald and Melissa Hellen <donhellen at horizonview.net>
Subject: Grain Mill
Mike wrote:
Has anyone got any experience with the KitchenAid grain mill
attachment for
that big ol' blender my wife (and yours) inevitably has in
the kitchen? Sure
would be nice if that mill would serve my purposes too..
No experience here, but the directions say that it's only
good for 1 pound of grain. Then it needs to rest an hour. It
must put a lot of stress on the electric motor. that's why I
didn't buy it. I bought a Valley mill, but the Schmidling,
PhilMill 1 and 2, and others work well also. WIth the latter
two, you get one fantastic guarantee if anything ever
breaks.
Don Hellen
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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 17:47:26 -0500
From: "Jerry Barkley" <gbarkley at charter.net>
Subject: crankandstien
Rod Tussing asked:
The 3 roller design offered by Crankandstein is intriguing and I would
really like to hear from any "monster" users out there.
well, i don't have the three roller crankanestein, but i have the two roller
hand cranked model, it works great for me and is now hooked up to a motor
and running at ~60 rpm. i get a great crush. i would try the three roller
model if i needed a replacement.
Cheers
Jerry Barkley
Sturgis Mi, apparent Rennerian: unknown, but i do know the way to Jeff"s
house!
- --
http://webpages.charter.net/gbarkley/
- --
"It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!"
Mike Dixon
- --
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