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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Re: concentrated wort boil solutions (John Conover)
  plastic fermenters and sanitizers ("nephi polder")
  Uberflussigereinheitsabout ("Dave Burley")
  Schneider Aventinius or Paulaner Salvator Clone Recipes Wanted ("Don Scholl")
  Trouble removing dip tube from pin-lock corny ("Blanchard, Steven B")
  Re: Darkening of partial volume boils (Nathan J. Williams)
  Stoudt's Export Gold (Paul Kerchefske)
  Get your beer brewed commercially ("Chad Stevens")
  Darkening of partial volume boils (Tim & Cindy Howe)


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Date: 10 Feb 2004 07:13:38 -0000
From: conover at rahul.net (John Conover)
Subject: Re: concentrated wort boil solutions

Chris Colby writes:
> Andrew Tate asks:
> 
> > I brew with extract and do partial volume boils on my
> > electric stove, somewhere around 3 out of 5 gallons.
> > This results in a very dark wort.  Recently I've taken
> > to placing a bent coat hanger between the kettle and
> > the heating element, and this seems to help a small
> > amount.  The beers I make don't taste scorched, in
> > fact they seem fine other than color.  Even using
> > Extra Light DME I can't get my beer much lighter than
> > a dark amber.  
> > 
> > As much as I'd like to move outside and do all grain
> > full volume gas boils, it isn't a possibility for me
> > right now.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to
> > reduce the darkening?  And, could this darkening
> > result in a higher FG?
> 
> Andrew,
> There are a couple solutions to this problem:
> 
> One is to add your LME late in the boil or at knockout. Most LMEs have
> already been boiled at the extract factory and there is no reason to boil
> them again. You can boil 2.5-3 gallons of weak wort made with about a pound
> of LME for 60 minutes and add your hops, Irish moss and what not as you
> normally would. Then, towards or at the end of the boil, turn off the heat
> and stir in your remaining LME. As long as the wort stays above 160 degrees
> F for 15 minutes, it should be adequately sanitized. (The October 2002 issue
> of BYO has an article in this by Steve Bader and lots of extract brewers are
> doing this now.)
>

Hi Andrew. I clicked on one of the info buttons at the
http://www.briessmalting.com/hb/hbcbw.htm site, and they said that
their LME process was identical to a standard mash/boil process, (long
enough to get the DMS out,) EXCEPT that they did NOT do a cold
break. (I don't know about other vendors-like Alexander's.)

If you shorten the boil time on LME, wouldn't it interfere with
protein coagulation at the cold break?

	Thanks,

	John

- -- 

John Conover, conover at rahul.net, http://www.rahul.net/conover/


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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:57:14 -0800
From: "nephi polder" <nefipoda at hotmail.com>
Subject: plastic fermenters and sanitizers

In the past couple of issues of the hbd, there have been comments about 
phenolic tastes due to bleach that leached into plastic, and suggestions for 
switching to bucket fermentors.  What is the consensus on using iodophor on 
plastic buckets?  Of course the plastic becomes discolored.  Does this 
matter at all?  After many sanitizing steps, is the iodine soaked into the 
plastic the way bleach is, so that eventually the taste of iodine will enter 
the beer?  Or is the color of the plastic only an aesthetic consideration?  
Do bucket users go to great lengths to soak their bucket lids in a larger 
basin full of sanitizer, or do they just spritz it with a sanitizer?  The 
krausen must reach the lid eventually, and the rubber(or plactic? silicone?) 
gasket embedded in the lid looks suspiciously like a great hiding place for 
crud and bacteria.
Thanks,
Nephi

Also, the Williams brewing catalog states that iodophor is safe for contact 
with stainless steel for up to a week without corrosion.  I have read on the 
HBD that some brewers store their s.s. kegs in iodophor (presumably longer 
than a week).  Is there a risk of damage?



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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 07:16:18 -0500
From: "Dave Burley" <Dave_Burley at charter.net>
Subject: Uberflussigereinheitsabout 

Brewsters:

Reinheitsgebot was invented to allow the local princes to control the tax
collection by taxing malt production of which they could easily determine the
throughput. Wheat beer suffered except in a few provinces.

But so did bean beer ( thank goodness, but it does remind me of the HBD for
some reason  {8^)) and arsenic and mercury beer and all the many other things
( like roosters)  that were being added to beer to "improve" what was a pretty
ratty tasting combination in many cases, I suspect.  So, Reinheitsgebot had a
dual purpose.

The good news is the Duke got the taxes which helped him regionalize the
government and develop currency ( which hadn't been around since Roman times).
This meant he could stay home and organize things, as his taxes now came to
him and he did not have to travel to consume his taxes ( noch ein bier, bitte)
in the hinterlands.

With fewer  ingredients  to control and centralization of beer production
outside the home ( lots of wooden cities burned down as result of sparks from
untended home brew kettles being fired with straw and such), the beer quality
improved.

As a result of the stabilization of the product and the organization to brew
it, beer brewing became predictable. The brewing industry was the origin of
modern process technology and developments in biology and  chemistry. Good
biologically stable beer  was a major factor in the Hanseatic League trading,
the German reputation for good beer and the beginning of organized
international market development and trade since the Fall of Rome.

We should all be happy.

Keep on Brewin'

Dave Burley




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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 08:27:02 -0500
From: "Don Scholl" <dws at engineeringdimensions.com>
Subject: Schneider Aventinius or Paulaner Salvator Clone Recipes Wanted

Does anyone have a good clone recipe for either/or Schneider Aventinius,
Paulaner Salvator or another Dopplebock? Any help would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks.

Don Scholl
Twin Lake, Michigan
(140.9, 302.4)Rennerian



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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:55:00 -0500
From: "Blanchard, Steven B" <stblanch at iupui.edu>
Subject: Trouble removing dip tube from pin-lock corny

All the recent discussion about circumsizing dip tubes brought to mind a 
problem I have.  I have previously read that it is a good idea to periodically
remove and clean the dip tubes and poppets from corny kegs.  I have
2 pin-lock kegs and a modified/slotted spark plug socket to remove the 
pin-lock fittings but I can't budge either of the fittings on one of the 
cornies.  I have been reluctant to really lean on it for fear of breaking 
something.  I have no problems with the taste of the brew dispensed 
from this keg but would still like to get the fittings off for cleaning.  
Any suggestions from the collective??  TIA

Steve

 



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Date: 10 Feb 2004 16:03:19 -0500
From: nathanw at MIT.EDU (Nathan J. Williams)
Subject: Re: Darkening of partial volume boils


Andrew Tate asks about darkening of extract partial-boil
brews. Andrew, as a local living in constrained settings, I sympathize
with the problem and the inability to switch to full-volume boils
(which is the thing holding me back from all grain).

The question I see is whether the darkening comes from the boil or is
inherent in the extract - I have heard it said, though I can't cite
sources right now, that the process of making extract darkens it
somewhat, so you're somewhat stuck with darker-colored beer. I have
considered testing this by doing two parallel boils of half the volume
each on my kitchen stove (gas), but I haven't gotton to it yet.

The biggest variable I've found I have the power to change is just the
brand of the extract. I generally use LME; I recently made a pale ale
with a brand I hadn't tried before (Alexander's), and to my delight it
turned out respectably pale. Hardly a controlled experiment, but worth
a shot.

Nathan Williams
Cambridge, MA


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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 14:37:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Kerchefske <wadworth6 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Stoudt's Export Gold

It's time to make a lager.I was looking through some
back issues of Zymurgy ( July-Aug 1999) and was
looking at the article on Stoudt's Brewery. There is a
recipe in it for their Export Gold that looked pretty
good only one thing,it calls for 2.5 oz of cluster and
1.5 oz Hallertau for 90 min. I don't know about anyone
else but that might be a little over hopped. I am
assuming that is a misprint. Was there ever a
correction for this, if not has anyone tried this
recipe with their own corrections. If anyone can help
drop me a line, thanks.



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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:47:01 -0800
From: "Chad Stevens" <zuvaruvi at cox.net>
Subject: Get your beer brewed commercially

America's Finest City Homebrew Competition is accepting entries from now
till February 20th (We've got HBD entries from WA to FL; thanks to all of
you!).

As a special bonus, this years BOS Beer will be brewed by Tom Nickel of
Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co. in San Diego for commercial sale.  Oggi's has won
numerous awards at various competitions including GABF, World Beer Cup,
Chicago Real Ale Festival, and Toronado Barleywine Festival.

Get your entries in now:

http://www.quaff.org/afc2004/AFCHBC.html

For further info contact me at:

zuvaruvi at cox.net

Good Luck!

Chad Stevens
QUAFF
San Diego



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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 22:33:05 -0500
From: Tim & Cindy Howe <howe at execulink.com>
Subject: Darkening of partial volume boils


>This topic has been addressed before, but I didn't see
>much in the way of replies in the archives.
>
>I brew with extract and do partial volume boils on my
>electric stove, somewhere around 3 out of 5 gallons.
>This results in a very dark wort.  Recently I've taken
>to placing a bent coat hanger between the kettle and
>the heating element, and this seems to help a small
>amount.  The beers I make don't taste scorched, in
>fact they seem fine other than color.  Even using
>Extra Light DME I can't get my beer much lighter than
>a dark amber.
>
>As much as I'd like to move outside and do all grain
>full volume gas boils, it isn't a possibility for me
>right now.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to
>reduce the darkening?  And, could this darkening
>result in a higher FG?  Thanks in advance.

It's been a while since I brewed from extract, but consulting my notes and 
going from memory, colour wasn't a problem when I used DME.

For the record, back then I used Munton's Extra Light DME. Having tried a 
number of other brands, I quite frankly wouldn't use any other (no 
affiliation etc). I also did a concentrated boil, about 12L (quarts) in a 
16L/q pot, which would be in the neighbourhood of 3 gallons.

To my mind, there's really only two factors in your control - the colour of 
the stuff when you get it, and getting it dissolved in solution before it 
settles on the bottom and has a chance to caramelize. I used to stir it in 
when the water was at about 180F, dumping it in gradually and stirring 
constantly. Once you have a fully dissolved wort, you won't get much colour 
change, even with a concentrated wort boiled over an hour. Another nice 
thing about the Muntons, is that is was (is?) highly fermentable, so going 
from my notes, OG of 1.041 fermented down to 1.012 using Nottingham, which 
was very good for DME. For comparison, with a generic DME I had OG 1.060, 
FG 1.035, again with Nottingham. You get the idea....

Hope this helps,

Tim Howe
London, Ont



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