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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Re: Dry vs. Liquid Yeast Test and American Ale ("Tom & Dana Karnowski")
  Re: Weiss beer (jonathan)
  Recipe Request from a She-brew (#4168- 2-11-03) (Michele Maatta)
  Re: Mash heating and enzyme denaturing (Jeff Renner)
  Beer Engines and Minikegs ("Dan Listermann")
  Dilution of wort after boil.  Affect on bitterness calculations? (Joseph Passante)
  Re: Water analysis (Jeff Renner)
   (Dave Darity)
  Hydrometers ("A. J. delange")
  Fruit Flavorings ("Dennis Waltman")
  Re: Water analysis ("Braam Greyling")
  Re: Newbie lager questions (Jeff Renner)
  Passivating stainless (Mark Kempisty)
  Re: Water analysis (Jeff Renner)
  OLD Ale (Inland-Gaylord)" <BSmith51 at ICCNET.COM>
  Whilpooling and Wort Transfer Question (Michael Fross)
  RE: hydrometers (Brian Lundeen)
  re: The yeasts of Grover's Mill ("Steve Alexander")
  extended secondary and bottle conditioning (Greg Brooks)
  Water analysis ("Mike Racette")
  Hydrometer calibration (David Towson)
  Charlie is coming to N'ville ("Fred Scheer")


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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 04:18:03 -0500
From: "Tom & Dana Karnowski" <karnowsk at esper.com>
Subject: Re: Dry vs. Liquid Yeast Test and American Ale

Bob Hall's post in HBD #4175 about a comparison between various dry yeasts
and WLP001 was interesting.  The fact that WLP001 came out number one
overall is also interesting to me.  I realize Bob was just doing a tasting
experiment, but I think a better comparison would have been with one of the
English strains, like WLP002 or WLP005, which are more "ale-ish" strains
than the 001 and probably have a closer profile to the dry yeast.

On a related note, the American / California ale strains (WLP001 and Wyeast
1056) seem to be very popular, not just among homebrewers but at brewpubs
and micros as well.  I suspect this is because of their neutral qualities.
Does anyone have any idea how much of White Lab's (for instance) market is
001 vs their other strains?  I have begun to wonder if people are starting
to develop a bias against the more fruity ale strains as a result of this.
For example, if you drink a lot of American Ale fermented beer, a slightly
tart, fruity beer brewed with an English strain might strike you as off.
This is not a slam on the american ale strains (if you like it brew it) but
it makes me wonder if I'm the only one who has thought of this.  I think
I'll double this up on judgenet too.



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 05:04:51 -0800
From: jonathan at woodburybrewingco.com
Subject: Re: Weiss beer


Mike wrote:
"I just bought a 6 of this new (to me..) Sam Adams "Weiss Beir"...and I just 
don't like it that much. It's all fruity tasting and goes down like water. Is 
this how they're "supposed" to be?"

I can't comment on how close of a match this is for the style, but I can say
that I wholeheartedly agree. I've found that (in general) the most recent
offerings from Sams are just....boring. I can't think of another word for it,
but that's my feeling. They lack any real character whatsoever and seem like
the recipes have been chosen via a tastetest, thus creating beers from which 
all of the interesting flavors have been removed. Another example of this is 
the new (to me) Vienna from Sams. "Goes down like water" would be a good
description of this one as well. 

Anyway, my preference for wheat beers is more towards the Weizens than the
Weiss beers. That said, I can wholeheartedly recommend both Redhook's Hefeweizen
and the Paulaner hefe. Both excellent unfiltered wheat beers. 

Happy brewing.
Jonathan
Woodbury Brewing Co. 
www.woodburybrewingco.com


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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 08:29:35 -0500
From: Michele Maatta <mrmaatta at mtu.edu>
Subject: Recipe Request from a She-brew (#4168- 2-11-03)

"... a Hazelnut Brown Ale into the next club
competition, obviously brewed from extract, on the 'lectric stovetop in a
concentrated boil, and fermented in glass under my kitchen counter. ...

Timothy
BeerBuddy
North Bend, WA

Sorry this is a delayed post from Feb 11, 2003 #4168.  I was catching up on 
my reading.
Hey, Tim,

As a fairly new brewer and a hazelnut flavor fan of nearly anything, I am 
intrigued by your Hazelnut Brown Ale.  Would you mind sharing the 
recipe?  I would love to try it.   BTW, I love being in the minority gender 
of brewing. A co-worker and I discussed doing it for a while, and finally 
we have begun.  We are both enjoying the hobby to the fullest! It is so 
funny how heads turn when I tell fellow classmates at school that my beer 
will be ready this weekend...:)  What a great hobby.  I can't wait 'till I 
have many years of experience under my belt.  Keep on brewing!!!!

Cheers!
Michele 





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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 08:38:55 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Mash heating and enzyme denaturing

Jan Willem van Groenigen <J.W.vanGroenigen at Alterra.wag-ur.nl> of Wageningen,
the Netherlands wrote:

> It is suggested in a lot of brewing resources that you shouldn't raise your
> mash temp with more than about 1 degree Celcius per minute, because otherwise
> the enzymes may denature. Now, why is that exactly? Is it because the HEAT
> RISE ITSELF is harmful to the enzymes (and why, then)?

As you suspect, this doesn't make sense.

> Or is it because during a faster heat rise local hot-spots will develop (>
> about 72 C, say) that will denature the enzymes.

This is it.  This is particularly a problem with RIMS with a in-line heating
chamber in the recirculation.  I have a bottom propane fired RIMS with a
false bottom and generally limit myself to about this range. Any faster and
I suspect the wort under the false bottom would get too hot.

> In other words: if you had somehow found a way to heat the mash without
> creating any hot spots, would it then be possible to heat the mash much
> faster?

Like maybe stirring?  Should work.  Just be sure not to incorporate air into
the wort.

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: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 08:51:05 -0500
From: "Dan Listermann" <dan at listermann.com>
Subject: Beer Engines and Minikegs

 Teresa Knezek <teresa at mivox.com> brings up this subject.  It is of special
interest to me because I am trying to develop a beer engine for homebrewers
and a minikeg based system for home use.  The minikegs can turn over at a
rate that won't let the beer go stale.  I have an engine prototype and a
special tap for it.  The standard Philtap is designed with flow restrictions
for back pressure development considering that the beer is going to be
pushed.  A beer engine sucks the beer out of the keg and the keg's tap
should have little restriction so as to prevent premature foaming. Further I
have included a CO2 dispenser to restore a bit of pressure when the keg is
sealed after serving.

The engine, on its test bed, looks like this.
http://www.listermann.com/images/000_0023.jpg

I am having a good time with it.  You have to drink a lot of beer to
properly test a beer engine.

Dan Listermann

Check out our E-tail site at www.listermann.com

Free shipping for orders greater than $35
and East of the Mighty Miss.






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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:25:40 -0500
From: Joseph Passante <joe at ehrs.upenn.edu>
Subject: Dilution of wort after boil.  Affect on bitterness calculations?

I'd like to step up to  10 gallon brew sessions, unfortunately I didn't 
anticipate this 8 years ago when I purchased my brewing kettle which is 
only 10 gallons.   Rather than spend $200 on a 15 gallon kettle (the $ 
is going toward a CF chiller and and a second primary and secondary)  
I'm planning to boil 8 gallons of wort and top it off with boiled water 
at the end of the boil so that I get about 10 gallons.  I know that hop 
utilization drops when boiling concentrated worts and the brewing 
software I use (Carlo Fusco Beer Formula Calculator 1.3) does adjust for 
lower utilization.  My question is how does the boiled water that I 
dilute my wort with at the end of boil affect the calculated IBU?  Is it 
a percent reduction?  

Thanks in advance.

Joe






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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:20:19 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Water analysis

"Braam Greyling" <braam.greyling at azoteq.com> wrote:

> Is there someone who can help with an analysis of a friend of mine's
> water supply ?
> He is having pH problems so I asked him to get specifications on the
> water supply he is using.
> 
> If someone volunteers, Ill send the data , don't want to clutter the
> HBD with it. 

A.J. DeLange is your man.  I don't know if he'll respond or not, but he is
the resident expert.  I haven't gone to the trouble of figuring out residual
alkalinity and the like.  Fortunately, I can make the beer I like with
minimal manipulations that I do understand.

However, send me the analysis and I'll see if I can offer any suggestions.

BTW, I certainly don't consider posting such data to be clutter.  It gives
everybody a chance to see what water is like around the world and also to
think about whether or not they can help without asking.  We all can benefit
by seeing the solutions (or at least offered solutions) to others' water
problems.

Cheers

Jeff
- -- 
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
Calculate your Rennerian Coordinates at http://hbd.org/rennerian_table.shtml



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 08:29:18 -0600
From: Dave Darity <dave at jamesbaker.com>
Subject: 

Hello to the group.  I am planning to be in Bismarck ND  for the second week
of March.  I will be attending a class and will have very limited
transportation.  I would appreciate any suggestions for brew pubs etc.  I
could not find much info on such establishments, but I have heard that there
were some great homebrew clubs in the area.  Any suggestions from you guys
up North would be greatly appreciated.  Please feel free to reply offline
(dave at jamesbaker.com).
Many Thanks,
Dave
OKC


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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 14:30:37 +0000
From: "A. J. delange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Hydrometers

There is an art to using a hydrometer. Hydrometer and sample must be at 
the right temperature. The hydrometer must be scrupulously clean and dry 
and should be pushed into the fluid to the expected level and then 
released allowing it to stabilize. The jar must be large enough that the 
instrument cannot touch the walls. No gas bubbles can be allowed to form 
on the body of the instrument. The scale must be read either at the base 
of the meniscus or top of it in accordance with the manufacturers 
instructions. Finally, a good hydrometer intended for brewing will not 
read 1.0000 in distilled water because it will have been calibrated for 
a surface tension comnensurate with that of wort, not water.

If you make up 5% and 10% and 15% sucrose (w/w) solutions (not very 
difficult to do with a decent balance)  and measure them at  20C you 
will have calibrations for your hydrometer at 1.0196, 1.0400 and 1.0611 
(20C/20C).

Before being too critical of the lab hydrometers, look at their accuracy 
specs. One can't really expect superb accuracy of a wide range 
hydrometer. For better accuracy, or, really, precision unless you do a 
calibration,  one can buy brewing hydrometers in limited ranges (I have 
a set of 3 in the 0 - 8.5, 7.5 - 16.5 and 15.5 - 24.5 P ranges - the low 
range one seems to read about -0.2P  or 0.9992 SG in distilled water at 
the base of the meniscus). This is a first step in attaining greater 
accuracy at modest cost. Next up is the use of a pycnometer which is a 
relatively inexpensive device but a pain to use and a good balance 
(expensive) is required. The ultimate, the digital meter, is out of the 
question for any but the large brewery labs. Is there really a reason 
why accuracy better than about 0.5P (.002 SG) is required?

A.J.



A.J.



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:32:53 -0500
From: "Dennis Waltman" <pdw at ireland.com>
Subject: Fruit Flavorings

I have used the fruit flavoring extracts in beers 
with some success (if winning medals/ribbons is 
considered a success). 

My best experience has been with a dark ale style 
beer, malty and a bit of residual sweetness from 
the ferment. The higher OG beers has fared the 
best with this plan (two of the above AHA 
National medals were the same beer entered in 
successive years; OG 1.070+). I can see about
digging up the recipes if you want to email me 
off-list. 

Also my best experience has been with Raspberry 
flavoring [brands may matter greatly; I'll lookup the
brand I used if you would like], and I've never
used more than a half bottle per 5 gallon batch with any success
(half the recommended amount).

Mostly I've grown away from liking that type of beer, 
but I know people who love them and I have quite a bit 
left of the last batch that had not enough malt backing 
for the strong raspberry flavor (I can't stand it, but 
others like it quite a bit, so it has not been dumped).
As for using real fruit, there is a catch with it. 
I have found that the aroma beer judges expect from 
a fruit beer is often not present when you ferment
the fruit with the beer. Indeed, a few people I 
know use the a small amount of fruit extract with 
their real fruit beers to convey the aroma that 
the fermented fruit did not produce (this I have not
tried, but I will on my next fruit beer). Another 
problem with real fruit is that the fruit flavors 
we all know assume a sweetness to the fruit. When 
those sugars are fermented the flavors that remain are 
sometimes not what is generally considered to be a 
particular fruit (blueberries are very much like 
this; cherries I have had the same problem). 
Again one can add the fruit extracts (just a little)
to bring back the expected fruit flavors. Indeed 
adding a little apple extract is one way to get back 
some expected apple character to dry ciders.
The sweetness factor is one reason I try and 
leave a little residual sweetness in the malt 
side of the fruit beer. And its the reason I 
have known others to use lactose in their fruit 
beers (I have never had a good experience with lactose
in my beers, so I stopped from ever using it).

If you are not concerned with entering beers in
competition, then the competition expectations of
judges doesn't matter.

I hope some of this helps. I'm of the opinion that 
fruit is better for meads thanbeers, but that is 
probably an issue for a different list.


Dennis Waltman
=======================================================
Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 01:20:16 -0800
From: Todd Kenna <Todd_K at cats.ucsc.edu>
Subject: Flavoring extracts
Has anyone used fruit flavoring extracts in their beers? Do they instill a 
"chemical" or "fake" flavor as opposed to real fruit?
any recommended brands/sources/flavors?
Thanks
Todd


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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 16:50:31 +0200
From: "Braam Greyling" <braam.greyling at azoteq.com>
Subject: Re: Water analysis

Jeff,

Thanks very much for the offer. I hope AJ also see this post  :-) 

Here goes the data

Units: mg/l unless otherwise stated (typical analysis Faure supply)

Physical and general
Electrical conductivity  17
(mS/m  at  20C)
ph                      9.1
turbidity (NTU)         0.3
Colour (platinum std)   <5

ORGANIC
oxygen absorbed (4hrs at 27 degrees C)          0.3

HARDNESS
Total hardness as CaCO3         64

ALKALINITY
Total alkalinity as CaCO3       27

MINERAL
Chloride (Cl)           17
Sulphate (S04)          29
Calcium (Ca)            23
Magnesiuim (Mg)         1.8
Sodium (Na)             7
Potassium (K)           0.7

TRACE METALS
Aluminium (Al)          0.06
Iron (fe)               0.012
Manganese (Mn)          0.002

NITROGEN
Nitrogen, amoniacal             0.05
Nitrogen, albuminoid            0.06

OTHER INORGANICS
Silicate (as Si)                1.2
Total phosphorus (P)            0.002
Flouride (F)                    0.03
Total disolved solids           124

> A.J. DeLange is your man.  I don't know if he'll respond or not, but
> he is the resident expert.  I haven't gone to the trouble of figuring
> out residual alkalinity and the like.  Fortunately, I can make the
> beer I like with minimal manipulations that I do understand.
> 
> However, send me the analysis and I'll see if I can offer any
> suggestions.
> 
> BTW, I certainly don't consider posting such data to be clutter.  It
> gives everybody a chance to see what water is like around the world
> and also to think about whether or not they can help without asking. 
> We all can benefit by seeing the solutions (or at least offered
> solutions) to others' water problems.

Regards

Braam




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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:49:25 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Newbie lager questions

"Charles Brandt" <chuckuiuc at illinoisalumni.org> wrote from Pittsburgh:

> I have some basic 5 gal. lagering questions/concerns:
> 
> 1. if I pitch my yeast at ~65F, how quickly should I drop the temp to the
> optimum fermentation temp of ~52F?

This is a matter of some dispute.  I myself like to pitch at fermentation
temperature, 48F (9C) for me.  This is the traditional way, I believe.  I
understand that Chris White of WhiteLabs suggests pitching even a little
warmer than you and dropping the temperature after fermentation starts.  I
think if you have a big starter this is unnecessary and I am concerned that
this would result in off flavors, even though Chris says no.

I think if you simply put the fermenter in 52F ambient, the thermal mass of
the wort will slow things down enough to avoid problems.

> 2. once transferred to the secondary, what's the best rate for dropping from
> ~65F to a lagering temp of ~36F?

I am assuming that your "~65F" is after a diacetyl rest.  You may not need
this step - I don't for my combination of temperature and yeasts (Ayinger
and 34/70, primarily).

And, I like to lager at 32F or so.

But, back to your question, again, the thermal mass will slow the cooling
some.  If I have control, I aim at 5F per day, or about three days to go
from 48F to 32F.  I'm sure the beer temperature lags.

> 3. being beer-greedy & impatient, I'd like to be able to make a couple of
> lagers with the same fridge and not have to wait 2-3 months between batches.
> How much trouble will I create for myself if, while lagering a CAP at ~36F I
> up the temp to 50-60F to initiate a Bock fermentation for ~1 week, and then
> drop the temp back down to 36F to lager both?

Get another fridge! ;-)

I don't think that should create a problem, especially at the lower
temperature of the range.  Many brewers lager at ~50F anyway.  And, it
needn't be "2-3 months between batches."  Six weeks lagering should do it
for a CAP or normal gravity, and you could get away with less if you are
willing to accept slightly hazy beer (I'm not).

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: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 10:10:53 -0500
From: Mark Kempisty <kempisty at pav.research.panasonic.com>
Subject: Passivating stainless

First I'm not a metallurgist but I did some digging on the various
homebrewing web resources.

You can let the keg sit in a dry place and the natural acids in the air
will do the job in a couple of weeks.  I also found scattered references
that the oxalic acid in Bar Keeper's Friend (and its competing brands
NAYYY just what I currently have on hand) will also do the job.

- --
Take care,
Mark
Richboro, PA





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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 10:08:54 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Water analysis

On 2/20/03 9:50 AM, "Braam Greyling" <braam.greyling at azoteq.com> sent his
friend's water analysis.

I think the only really important things here are

> ALKALINITY
> Total alkalinity as CaCO3       27
> 
> MINERAL
> Chloride (Cl)           17
> Sulphate (S04)          29
> Calcium (Ca)            23
> Magnesiuim (Mg)         1.8
> Sodium (Na)             7

And total alkalinity, sulfate and calcium are the most important as long as
the others aren't out of line, and these aren't.  PH in and of itself is not
particularly important - total alkalinity is of far more importance.

This is pretty soft water.  I would love to have it as a base brewing water.
You could use it as is for pilsners if you were willing to do an acid rest
at 40C (but even then, only if an all pils malt yielded too high pH).
Alternately, you could just add enough CaCl2 to boost Ca++ levels to 50-60
ppm.  For pale ales, I would use gypsum (CaSO4) if needed.

For beers with dark grains, even a little crystal, you might exceed the
system's ability to buffer the dark grain acidity.  There is very little
alkalinity, after all.  You might want to increase the alkalinity.  Since
CaCO3 is insoluble in water, you could add it to the mash, or you could add
it to the brewing water and bubble CO2 through it to dissolve it.

What kind of pH problems is your friend having?

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: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 10:43:12 -0500
From: "Smith, Brian (Inland-Gaylord)" <BSmith51 at ICCNET.COM>
Subject: OLD Ale

Ant,

  The week my daughter was born, I brewed a Barley Wine to be consumed at
her wedding reception.  I chose a B.W. because they do last a long time
(high hop rates and high alcohol content).  I have 2 cases sealed for the
reception and a partial case.  I drink one bottle on her birthday every
year.  It keeps getting better.

Brian Smith
Inland Paperboard and Packaging
Bogalusa Mill



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:47:51 -0600
From: Michael Fross <michael at fross.org>
Subject: Whilpooling and Wort Transfer Question

Hello,

I seem to have an issue I'm trying to get around.  A do full wort
boils in a polarware pot (10 gallon).  It has the spigot that I've
threaded a hose barb on the end.

The last time I went to brew, I finished boiling and chilled with an
immersion chiller. I then whirlpooled it to try to get the hops /
break material into the center. My plan was to use the spigot to
transfer the wort to the carboy (I don't have an aerator, so I was
going to have it fall into the carboy to help aerate).

However, the tranfer rate from the spigot was tiny.  Really not more
than a trickle for some reason.  I ended up dumping it through a
strainer, but that sure wasn't the best way to proceed.

How do all you other brewers out there accomplish this?

Thanks for the help.  I see this is as one of my few weak spots in my
brewing procedure.

Cheers,

Frosty

ps.  My next batch will be all grain, so I'm sure I'll pester y'all
for some additional questions.



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 10:18:58 -0600
From: Brian Lundeen <BLundeen at rrc.mb.ca>
Subject: RE: hydrometers

Jeff Renner writes: 

> I've been happy with the inexpensive one from the LHBS BUT, I 
> tested their whole stock (maybe a dozen) with tap water (no 
> need for distilled with the accuracy we're talking about) at 
> the proper temperature.  The range was quite amazing, as I 
> recall from 0.997 to 1.004 or thereabouts.  I assumed that 
> the paper scale was properly calibrated, so that if I got 
> 1.000, it would be accurate within the entire range.

I don't know that I would make that assumption. I've heard from people who
say their hydrometers test out OK at 1.000 but not further up the scale.
Hydrometers should also be calibrated at an intermediate point by using a
prepared solution of known gravity. Having read the procedures for doing
this, I've decided I'm far too lazy to care enough about how accurate my
hydrometer is. If I was going to worry about it, I would be much more
inclined to splurge on a lab grade hydrometer that is certified accurate.
Sure they are expensive, but it's a one time cost. I mean, in all the years
I've been making wine and beer, I've never broken a single hydrometer (he
says, not only tempting fate, but taunting its fashion sense, and slapping
it in the face with a mackeral). ;-)

> 
> Of course, you have to have a willing shop owner for this.  
> What's he going to do after you've shown him that most of his 
> hydrometers are off?

Sell them, of course. To choose ethics over profit would be positively
un-... thinkable. ;-)

Cheers
Brian Lundeen
Brewing at [819 miles, 313.8 deg] aka Winnipeg


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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 13:25:58 -0500
From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: re: The yeasts of Grover's Mill

Brian  Lundeen asks,

>Me:
>Steve, you missed a few. S. yaya, S. smallberries, S. big-boote, .... ;-)
>
>But seriously, do you have any information on the natural organisms
(yeasts,
>bacteria?) that the cider makers of Normandy use for their natural
>fermentations? They are said to be very cold tolerant, and I'm wondering if
>these aren't some wild "lager" yeasts.

I recently tripped across a reference to a French cider yeast with
mitochondrial inheritance from another yeast so far only found in Japan !??!
Nothing specific to your Normandy yeast, but there are a *lot* of yeasts out
there.    If you have $175 (or maybe $350) burning a hole in you pocket I
suspect that  you might find some info in several of the volumes of the 2nd
edition of "The Yeasts" edited by A.H.Rose.  Vol 6 is yeast genetics and one
of the earlier volumes (1 or 2 I think) covered cider yeasts.
==

Another reader asked for a good yeast reference and I have to say that I can
wholeheartedly recommend "Brewing Yeast & Fermentation" by Quain & Boulton,
Blackwell Science Press, 2001 as a brew book for the technically inclined
HBer.    Quain & Boulton are researchers at Bass Brewery and have published
numerous papers in JIB on yeasts.    Very thorough yet IMO readable.   It
covers most of the very latest on brewing yeasts and at least touches on all
topics.    The index could be a little better, but it's still a great book.

 -Steve (Monkeyboy) Alexander





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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 15:10:03 -0500
From: Greg Brooks <gbrooks at pgharts.org>
Subject: extended secondary and bottle conditioning

Hello, all.  I've been a long-time lurker but this is my first post. 
I've been homebrewing for a little over three years.  Just recently, 
I brewed my third all-grain batch, an ESB.  I used WLP002 having made 
a starter of just under a liter in size.

A brief description of my situation follows.  I brewed this beer on 
January 4th and transferred to the secondary on January 10th, 
intending to bottle 2 weeks later.  Due to various work schedule 
changes and family illnesses this has not happened yet.  My question 
is this:  After 44 days in secondary will there be enough yeast still 
in suspension for bottle conditioning?  Or, should I add more yeast 
when I bottle?  I only ask because I know this yeast is supposed to 
be very flocculant, unfortunately this is my first time using this 
particular strain.  I was hoping some of you may have more experience 
with this yeast or may have some helpful advice.

Thank you in advance for any and all help.  Private emails are welcome.

Greg Brooks
Pittsburgh, PA


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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 13:51:27 -0700
From: "Mike Racette" <mike.racette at hydro-gardens.com>
Subject: Water analysis

On Wed, 19 Feb 2003 15:27:55 +0200
Braam Greyling said:
Hi all,
Is there someone who can help with an analysis of a friend of mine's water
supply ?
He is having pH problems so I asked him to get specifications on the water
supply he is using.
If someone volunteers, Ill send the data , don't want to clutter the HBD
with it.
Best regards
Braam

Braam,
I can't believe your worried about cluttering the HBD with a water report
after seeing all the hot air that has been blowing through here lately.
I for one am always interested in seeing the different recommendations that
are posted. This is how we all learn. Please clutter away.
Miker



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 17:10:56 -0500
From: David Towson <dtowson at comcast.net>
Subject: Hydrometer calibration

There have been several posts lately concerning hydrometers that proved to 
be inaccurate when checked with water.  The cheap hydrometers I've seen 
have their scales printed on strips of paper that are then rolled-up and 
put inside the narrow tube of the hydrometer.  Mine, at least, relies on 
the friction of the rolled paper trying to unroll to hold it in place in 
the tube, and I was able to adjust the calibration by gently tapping 
whichever end of the hydrometer was appropriate to move the paper in the 
desired direction.  I suggest putting a folded newspaper on a hard surface, 
and tapping on that.  It worked for me.

Dave in Bel Air, MD



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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 18:01:29 -0600
From: "Fred Scheer" <FHopheads at msn.com>
Subject: Charlie is coming to N'ville

Completely Relaxing & Joyous Homebrew Contest
at Boscos Nashville Brewing Co. with
Charlie Papazian.
Contest is open to everyone in the world and there is no entry fee.
Go to Music City Brewers Web site (Muisiccitybrewers.com),and klick 
on the pdf form you can fill out and print online, just click the 
form fields.
If you need more info, please contact Chuck Skypeck at Chuck at boscosbeer.com

I saw the posting about Pete's Malted Choco balls,
which is not new to the market. Briess Malting has them since
years and send'd them to customers.

Fred Scheer
Brewsbrothers.net


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