---

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


***************************************************************
       THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

                  This Space For Rent
      Visit http:// to show your appreciation!

    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********


Contents:
  personal notes ("Michel J. Brown")
  Judges & Entries Needed, 12th Annual BUZZ Off May 21st ("Christopher Clair")


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*           The HBD Logo Store is now open!             *
*            http://www.hbd.org/store.html              *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*  Suppport this service: http://hbd.org/donate.shtml   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*   Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
  ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
  the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
  for the automation - that's your job.

HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright 
  HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK 
  before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content 
  cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to 
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
                  and Spencer Thomas



----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 04:14:45 -0700
From: "Michel J. Brown" <zymurgyst at comcast.net>
Subject: personal notes

Fwiw, I have found through my 33 years of experience (25 years of all grain 
brewing), that the following are true, perhaps even apocryphal ;^)

1.)  Most diacetyl production is caused by delayed/slow cooling after the 
boil and using malt high in S3-Methionine.

2.) Most air/gas entrained in a system is from breakout due to the 
relatively low temperatures used in mashing and/or sparging (my remedy is 
simple: either boil first and cool to proper temperature, or add brewing 
salts to hasten breakout.

3.)  Most Belgian Ale breweries use fermentation temperatures from 65' F to 
90'F and rely on a single strain with other microflora going along for the 
ride (my preference is for the Belgian Abbey II Wyeast 1762) since it 
impossible for most of these farmhouse breweries to keep a microbiologically 
sterile environment.

4.)  I've found that tartness in a beer like Flemish ale(s) is best added by 
either a small addition of sauermalt (like around 4-8 oz per 5 gallons) or a 
small addition to the kettle at end of boil of lemon zest (1/4-1/2 tsp is 
all you need, trust me, would I lie?) to the wort.

5.) As far as mashing goes, I prefer a single step mash at 150'F for 2~3 
hours (that's right, I said *hours*) using Gambrinus 2 row pale ale malt,
sparging for another 2~3 hours with *output* water at 170-180'F.  Then I 
immediately add the first load of hops as soon as I begin to fill the kettle 
( a la first wort hopping) and thence proceed to a full 90~120 minute boil. 
Cooling takes place with a ChillZilla, and comes out at pitching temperature 
of around 72'F in just under 5 minutes.

6.) Oxygenating the chilled wort is only necessary when underpitching, or 
pitching first generation yeasts.  I frequently find I have to oxygenate the 
first batch, but subsequent batches are sufficient in healthy yeast 
population that extra O2 is really not as necessary as people would have you 
believe.  I change yeast after 4~6 uses, depending on ambient temperature, 
and viability, as well as possible microbial infections.

7.) I split my beers between bottling and kegging depending on the style, 
alcohol content, and just plain old personal preferences.  I usually bottle 
my big beers (just recently bottled a batch of American Empirical Stout --  
OG 1.150, TG 1.025, IBU~100 using 1968 London ESB from Wyeast) and keg all 
the lower beers except for my Belgian Farmhouse style ales, which are bottle 
conditioned.

8.) CPBF procedures will vary from unit to unit, and from brew to brew, but 
in general, they are not prone, as others have suggested, to diacetyl 
formation (see 1 above) since I have never (yet) experienced that problem 
with my CPBF.  As far as air being including in the ullage, if you keep the 
ullage to 4 or 5 mm or less, and use oxycaps, this should not pose a 
significant risk from personal experience, with bottles up to 12 years old 
of my tripels, and barleywines.

9.)  Most infections can be traced back to improper sanitization procedures, 
and most gushers I have judged were simply over carbonated as they had no 
signs of infection (clear in bottle, little/slight sediment, no pellicle, 
etc).

10.) Finally it has been my personal experience that if you use sound 
brewing practices, and have correct sanitization procedures, and use fresh 
ingredients with water that is potable, and appropriate for brewing, you 
will succeed most of the time in producing a great brew.  I cannot stress 
enough the fact that it is procedure, policy, and processes that delineate 
the good brewers from the truly great (that's my aspiration, still haven't 
reached that level yet, although I've been told otherwise) ones.

Cheers, Slainte, Skool, Salud, and Prost!

Michel J. Brown (a.k.a. The Doctor)

Somewhere in the unfashionable eastern end of Mutter's Spiral in the Milky 
Way 



- -- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.12 - Release Date: 4/15/2005



Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2005 17:20:51 -0400
From: "Christopher Clair" <buzzclub at verizon.net>
Subject: Judges & Entries Needed, 12th Annual BUZZ Off May 21st

Brewers Unlimited Zany Zymurgists (BUZZ) is proud to announce that the 2005
BUZZ Off home brew competition will be held on Saturday, May 21st at Iron
Hill Brewery & Restaurant in West Chester, PA.  For another year we will be
a qualifying event for the prestigious Masters Championship of Amateur
Brewing (MCAB) as well as the Delaware Valley Homebrewer of the Year.  All
BJCP recognized styles (2004 guidelines) including meads and ciders are
eligible for entry. For complete details and forms, please visit the BUZZ
web site at http://hbd.org/buzz.

Entries will be accepted between May 1st and May 15th.  For drop off and
mail in locations please refer to the BUZZ web site.  Please, do not send
entries to Iron Hill.

BJCP Judges and stewards will be needed. If you are interested please
contact me or another committee member (contact information can be found on
the web site). All judges must be BJCP certified (any ranking).

Good luck and cheers!

Christopher Clair
buzzclub <at> verizon.net
http://hbd.org/buzz




Return to table of contents

---