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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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Contents:
  weissbier mashing (Ken Pendergrass)
  Cider ("Jon & Megan Sandlin")
  Re: pilsner yeast/ warm lager fermentation ("Pat Casey")
  Re: Solder Flux ("Rob Dewhirst")
  a few things ("Marc Sedam")
  Suitable Grain Mill for Batch Sparging? ("Steve Smith")
  Thanks for the Cider Info (Chris & Dianne)
  Pilsner yeast, Warm fermentation ("Steve Dale-Johnson")


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Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 22:09:51 -0400
From: Ken Pendergrass <kenp794 at comcast.net>
Subject: weissbier mashing

This summer's trip to Europe has left me with a taste for Bavarian weiss 
even though I was only in Munich for about 3 hours and then on to 
Austria. How much of weiss is the mash and how much the yeast. Is it 
really necessary to decoction mash with modern malts to make an 
authentic weiss? Last and most important how can a decoction mash be 
done in a cooler mash/lauter tun, if it can be done. To date I have only 
done infusion mashing and I confess decoction has me confused.
Thanks
Ken



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Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 19:56:24 -0700
From: "Jon & Megan Sandlin" <sandlin at bendbroadband.com>
Subject: Cider

Why not use a low attenuation yeast instead of trying to stop fermentation
in order to leave a little residual sugar?



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Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 22:28:15 +1000
From: "Pat Casey" <pat at bmbrews.com.au>
Subject: Re: pilsner yeast/ warm lager fermentation

Rowan perhaps the best yeast to use would be Mauribrew 497 - it's the dried
lager yeast that comes with some kits. Use 2 sachets per 22 litres,
rehydrate the yeast and aerate the wort on pitching. This will give a
smooth, clean and mellow finish, although for a pilsner you may need to
increase your hopping slightly.  Mauri's specs give it a temp range of
between 15 and 30 deg C, however I'd try to keep it in the 15 - 20 range.
Despite the temp range the manufacturer states that it is a lager yeast, so
I presume that it can fully ferment raffinose and that this is the basis of
their statement.

Go and see Col Marshall at Kambah for some. If this doesn't appeal to you
the Californian ale yeast may be an alternative to consider.

Pat

Blue Mountains Brewing Supplies
St Georges Cr., Faulconbridge, NSW
(02) 4751-4292
www.bmbrews.com.au
Wed to Sat 9:30 -  5:30
Sun 9:30 - 1:30

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *



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Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 08:48:07 -0500
From: "Rob Dewhirst" <rob at hairydogbrewery.com>
Subject: Re: Solder Flux 

>> From: Chuck Doucette <cdoucette61 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Solder Flux

> My question, where can I get food grade flux? I have
> the regular lead free antimony based flux for use in
> soldering water pipe, but have never seen a flux
> marked as food grade. Any suggestions would be greatly
> appreciated.

I have never seen flux labeled as food grade, but water soluble flux is what 
you want.  This is easy to find at the hardware store in the solder section. 
My hardware stores are not that great and they still have it.  The 
particular brand I use comes in a white plastic container about the size of 
a can of chewing tobacco.




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Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 12:44:33 -0400
From: "Marc Sedam" <alechemist at bellsouth.net>
Subject: a few things

Hey all,

Catching up on my reading lately...thought I'd jump in for a few points.

1)  Pump issues
Everyone hit on one clear solution--the valve on the outflow end of the 
pump.  But there was a post in the mix that stated cavitation wouldn't 
oxidize the beer.  That's not true.  In fact cavitation can oxidize your 
beer faster than just about anything else.  A pro brewery on the East Coast 
asked me to help troubleshoot a beer they were brewing that was having 
wicked oxidation problems. Nothing in the brewery had changed.  I guessed 
that the pump had micro-cracks in the pump head that was sucking air in on 
the way to the fermenters, oxidizing the bejeezus out of their beers.  They 
went back to the brewery and found that this indeed was the case, replaced 
the pump head, and had no further problems.  Don't underestimate this as an 
issue.

But the second, easier solution was something no one put forth.  PUT THE 
CHILLER BEFORE THE PUMP!  Since you're pumping beer anyway, why not chill 
the beer down before it hits the pump head.  That way even if you have some 
cavitation (which should be avoided at all costs), it won't destroy the beer 
as quickly.  Try this set-up...

kettle --> CFC --> pump --> fermenter.

You do have to get beer through the CFC and fill the pumphead up first, but 
this really isn't that hard.  To ensure the pumphead is full, you can also 
physically turn the pump so that the inlet-outlet are vertical and not 
horizontal.  The pump will very quickly pull the beer up through the pump 
head, filling the head space.  You can lay the pump back down after this has 
started.  I've been doing this for about six years and it works well.

2)  Yeast for high-temp lager
Try using the California common yeast or even the German Kolsch yeast.  Both 
are pretty heat tolerant.  I've also found the Scottish ale yeast is a clean 
fermenter, as well as Danstar Nottingham.  Is it a lager?  No, but it can be 
pretty darn close.  Call it a lager and see if anyone can tell the 
difference.  Use some floral hops like Saaz to cover up some of the esters 
produced by ale yeast.

3)  Stevia powder
The question at hand is whether stevia powder is fermentable, not whether or 
not it has calories.  As for the knock on Splenda...I don't consider 
chlorinated sugar to be an abomination to man or ridiculously artificial. 
I've drunk enough city water to ensure a chlorine intake in life.  Not gonna 
kill you or even hurt you.  If stevia powder is unfermentable I agree it 
will probably taste more natural, and might even be cheaper if you have a 
Whole Foods or other co-op in the area.

4)  Trub separation
It's kinda important, but won't kill you if you don't do it.  Whirlpooling 
is highly effective, especially if you use just an ounce of whole hops. 
You'll be amazed at how much filtering capacity an ounce of hops will have 
even if you use pellets in the rest of the brew.  Use whole hops for the 
aroma addition, start the whirlpool, and you can rack off relatively clear 
beer in 10 mins.  The addition of a SS scrubbie (not 
soap-impregnated...obviously) on your racking cane will help even more.

5)  Manifold
I've used all sorts of lauter tuns in the 10+ years I've been brewing.  My 
current configuration, a Zymico Bazooka Screen (tm) in a converted keg, 
works best.  Drill a hole 1/2" off the bottom on the side and the kit will 
help with the rest.  I lose perhaps a pint of wort per batch and it's 
crystal clear after a quart of recirculation (assuming you let the grain bed 
set up).  I've even recirculated wort with a pump through this system at 
 >3gpm with no ill effects.


Phew...I should know better than to skip a week's worth of HBD.  And 
congrats to Jeff on being a BJCP Beer-bassador to South Africa.  Enjoy your 
trip and don't forget to pick up an All Black's rugby shirt.  They're 
swanky.

Cheers!
Marc 



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Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 14:11:02 -0600
From: "Steve Smith" <sasmith at in-tch.com>
Subject: Suitable Grain Mill for Batch Sparging?

I realize that many people agree that a decent crush can be obtained via a
two-roller, or even a one-roller (such as Phill's Mill) grain mill.  What if
you are a batch sparger?  Since, in batch sparging, extraction during both
mashing and sparging is through a steep and stir process (I use a 10-gallon
Rubbermaid beverage cooler as a mash/lauter tun), and since the grain bed
can be stirred to free up a stuck mash (Heaven forbid it ever happen), would
a batch sparger be able to save some money and do just as well by using a
well-adjusted Corona grain mill?  I noticed on Graham Sanders' Australian
Craftbrewer site
http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Gear/GSanders/CoronaMill.shtml that he
said that when handled appropriately, Corona mills work very well.  However,
if the ease of use, and better quality crush of a roller mill is significant
enough to warrant putting out an additional $40 - $60 I would want to do
that.  I just made the step up to all-grain brewing, have decided on the
batch sparge method of brewing,  and want to buy a good-but-inexpensive
mill.  Unfortunately, today I went through the first phase of a root canal,
and what with the dental costs of the procedure and the eventual crown, I am
feeling a significant cramp in my purchasing power.

Nose to the grindstone, grist to the mill,
Steve Smith
Missoula, MT




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Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:12:38 -0700
From: Chris & Dianne <johnstonmaclean at shaw.ca>
Subject: Thanks for the Cider Info

After posting the original question about how to achieve residual sweetness
in my apple cider, I'd like to thank you all for your responses.

I've decided to ferment to dry, bypassing any attempt to halt fermentation
artificially.  After kegging aging till the spring/early summer, I'll taste,
determine what residual sweetness remains, and decide then whether or not to
stabilize/sweeten.  Thanks again for all the info ... I'll let you know who
it turns out!

Chris




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Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 16:36:45 -0700
From: "Steve Dale-Johnson" <sdalejohnson at hotmail.com>
Subject: Pilsner yeast, Warm fermentation

Rowan Williams asked about a warm pils ferment.  Fellow RCMP member Tom 
Poelman routinely does this with Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils.  From tasting his 
beers, I can tell you that he seems to get good results with it, although 
not necessarily authentic pils.  It does clean up nicely with lagering (much 
better than an ale yeast for the style), but lacks the same kind of steely 
edge and sulfur nose that it would have with a colder ferment.  I'd say it's 
worth a try.

Steve Dale-Johnson
Royal Canadian Malted Patrol
Delta, BC, Canada.....



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