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


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Contents:
  Another SRM measurement ("A.J deLange")
  Craft Beer and Social Networking ("Alexandre Enkerli")
  Tom Mik's Imperial Stout (jbryant)
  Re: Mead ("Eric Wescott")
  Refrigeration ("A.J deLange")
  Fast mead ("Peter A. Ensminger")
  Mead on anniversary: 1st, 5th, 10th ("Burns, Roger")
  An essay on homebrewing ("Peter A. Ensminger")


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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 04:34:57 +0000
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Another SRM measurement

I did another beer with the camera SRM method tonight - a Weizenbock and 
got an estimate of 9.11.  The measured (ASBC protocol) SRM value was 
9.4. This is still looking good! Another reason this may be working so 
well (touch wood) is that the  blue channel filter on a typical camera 
is relatively narrow, approximately 420 - 480 nm according to one 
source. This isn't centered on 430 nm but is definitely in the important 
part of the spectrum.

A.J.


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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 03:00:13 -0400
From: "Alexandre Enkerli" <enkerli at gmail.com>
Subject: Craft Beer and Social Networking

Darrell in Plattsburgh, NY:

> From: leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu
> Subject: share a drink with your boss (LA Times)
>
> ?You don't need to golf with the boss to get a raise. Just share a beer.?
> >From LA Times: http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e8NO0J8sCv0G2B0HrUK0E6

Thanks!

The piece itself is quite short and I can't access the original
article yet (it's behind the database's moving wall). But it's a
fascinating subject that I would like to explore further (as an
ethnographer).
Peters and Stringham are talking about social drinking in general but
my approach has more to do with beer, especially with craft beer. It's
not yet a research subject for me, but it should become one in the
near future.

My observation is that craft beer appreciation is an ideal vehicle for
social mobility in North America. People who want to "get ahead" could
do worse than learn about beer.
As we all know, beer is sophisticated enough for social conversation.
But it doesn't carry the same implications as, say, Portuguese wine or
French cuisine. Simply put, a beer geek can impress superiors,
colleagues, co-workers, and clients with beer knowledge yet remain a
"regular guy." Levels the playing field. You can become your boss'
best buddy.
Also, beer (especially hoppy beer) is often seen as a man's drink,
which could serve to reinforce the "regular guy" image. "I'm not
drinking a sissy G&T! I'm drinking a real man's IPA!"

This isn't to convince you, of course. Some of you surely disagree
with these raw observations. But there's something fascinating about
craft beer culture.

IMHO, our beer affiliations often serve to connect us beyond beer.
Maybe not so much on the HBD itself but on brewclub mailing-lists,
during beer festivals, on beer-related forums, and even during
beer-related trips. We sometimes develop strong social ties which can
go much beyond beer.
Need a web designer? You probably know a beer geek who can do the job.
A fellow brewer is organizing a Big Brew? You might meet potential
clients or job candidates during the party. Need to borrow some
iodophor? Maybe you can work on the guy's car in exchange. You go at
it for the love of beer. But you stay at it for the love of
friendship.
Basic social networking stuff.

Feel free to call me naive as these are just preliminary observations.
But if you have ideas on this, I'd appreciate them greatly. In fact,
feel free to leave comments on my blog.
A presentation on beer culture, posted on my blog: http://tinyurl.com/h6wgw
All my beer entries: http://enkerli.wordpress.com/tag/beer

(No, it's not a shameless plug!)

- --
Alexandre in Montreal
http://enkerli.wordpress.com/


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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:57:57 -0400
From: <jbryant at wrsystems.com>
Subject: Tom Mik's Imperial Stout

Has anyone tried the Tom Mik's Impy Stout recipe from Beer Captured?  It
looks great, but I am hoping to get some opinions on it before I invest
the time and energy. 

Jason B.
Norfolk, VA



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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:24:00 -0400
From: "Eric Wescott" <eric.wescott at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Mead

Re: Steven Parfitt and his O2 stone for fast oxidation - I think you
will end up making stale mead (think of a glass of wine left out
overnight).

Staggered nutrient addition, as Al Boyce recommends, does speed things
up.  Even dividing into two additions, one at pitch and one a week
later, makes a big difference it getting it done.  I'd say it halved
the time for my fermenting.

And as far as the Staggered nutrient additions vs "standard" - it's
not an obscure or special method for fast mead, it's a superior
method.  If you have the time and attention to stay on top of it, I'd
definitely recommend doing the 8th's method.

Gassing out (Al Boyce again) - I've never tried this.  Does it really
work well?  I'd be afraid of hitting too much O2 into it and turning
the mead 'stale'.  Maybe one good stir on day 1 or 2 to help it boost
the yeast count?

Another suggestion:  One other thing to help hide/add flavor - try a
little oak.  Use about 1/4 to 1/2 oz oak chips with your mead for a
couple weeks after racking.  Helps add a little body and a little
tannin to help balance harshness of younger mead.

- --EW


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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:03:46 +0000
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Refrigeration

For Doug:

I think you have defined the problem is. Ice on the "cold coil" (which 
is the evaporator) is a sure sign that the cooling  load on the system 
is not adeqate (or that the metering device is stuck open but that's 
unlikely as this is a new fridge). I'm sure that getting some air moving 
over the coils would solve the problem but it should be air drawn up 
from the area where the actual load is. The challenge will be finding a 
proper fan or blower. Try industrial supply catalogues (Grainger, 
McMaster Carr) and electronics suppliers. Fans and blowers come in so 
many configurations you will probably be able to come up with something 
but something that will survive in the cold, high humidity environmenr 
of a refrigerator may be a bit much.

 It may be too late for this but a good way to tell that any 
refrigeration system is working properly is to measure the temperatures 
at the inlet (suction port) and outlet of the compressor or,if these are 
not acessible, at the outlet of the evaporator (cold coil) and inlet to 
the condenser (hot heat exchanger) when the device is known to be 
working properly (in your case, before you started the mods which is why 
I said it might be too late) and compare to similar measurements made 
when trouble is afoot. You would doubtless find the suction inlet 
temperature too low. Your goal would be to move enough air over the 
evaporator to get it up to the normal range.

A.J.



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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:08:47 -0400
From: "Peter A. Ensminger" <ensmingr at twcny.rr.com>
Subject: Fast mead

You can make clear, smooth-tasting, very drinkable mead in 2-3 weeks by 
using ultra-filtration.

See:
www.hbd.org/hbd/archive/4380.html#4380-11
www.hbd.org/hbd/archive/4380.html#4380-19
www.gotmead.com/content/view/324/153/


Cheers!
Peter A. Ensminger
Syracuse, NY
Apparent Rennerian: [394, 79.9]





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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:10:32 -0400
From: "Burns, Roger" <rog at umich.edu>
Subject: Mead on anniversary: 1st, 5th, 10th

I wanted to share something that might help if your mead isn't that
drinkable in the short term.  

My wife and I were given a gift of 3 bottles of wine at our wedding.
The bottles were specifically labeled for consumption on our 1st, 5th,
and 10th anniversaries.  We remembered them warmly on the 1st, and are
eagerly expecting the 5th next year, and we hope to be drinking the 10th
in Ireland, but I digress...  

While it usually applies to wine (and having a good selection that's got
some future expectations of being "good"), you could easily do the same
with your mead.  That is, of course, if the mead is dried out enough and
not a potential bottle bomb.

We've used this method for gift ideas for friends/relatives and everyone
loves the idea.  

Enjoy!
Roger Burns
Ann Arbor, MI





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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:23:56 -0400
From: "Peter A. Ensminger" <ensmingr at twcny.rr.com>
Subject: An essay on homebrewing

An essay on homebrewing

The subject of homebrewing is a controversial issue. There are many 
factors which influenced the development of homebrewing. Remarkably 
homebrewing is heralded by shopkeepers and investment bankers alike, 
leading many to state that there are just not enough blues songs written 
about homebrewing. Often it is seen as both a help and a hinderence to 
the over 50, trapped by their infamous history. In the light of this I 
will break down the issues in order to give each of them the thought 
that they fully deserve

Social Factors

Interweaving social trends form a strong net in which we are all 
trapped. When Thucictholous said 'people only know one thing' [1] he was 
clearly refering to the impact of homebrewing on today's society. No 
symbol is more potent than homebrewing in society today. It is quite good.

Nothing represents every day life better than homebrewing, and I mean 
nothing. It grows stonger every day.

Economic Factors

Derived from 'oikonomikos,' which means skilled in household management, 
the word economics is synonymous with homebrewing. We will study the 
Fish-Out-Of-Water model, a lovely model.
Average
Wage	

Homebrewing

How do we explain these clear trends? Seemingly the average wage will 
eventually break free from the powerful influence of homebrewing, but 
not before we see a standardised commercial policy for all. In the light 
of this free trade must be examined.

Political Factors

No man is an island, but what of politics? Placing theory on the scales 
of justice and weighing it against practice can produce similar results 
to contrasting homebrewing now, and its equivalent in the 1800s.

Take a moment to consider the words of one of the great political 
analysts Odysseus Skank 'You can lead a horse to water, big deal.' [2] 
This quotation leads me to suspect that he was not unaccustomed to 
homebrewing. It speaks volumes. It would be wise to approach the subject 
with the thought that 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say 
anything at all'. However this can lead to missing out important facts.
One thing's certain. The Human species liberally desires homebrewing, 
and what's more human than politics?

Conclusion

To conclude homebrewing must not be allowed to get in the way of the 
bigger question: why are we here? Putting this aside its of great 
importance. It questions, puts out 'fires', and most importantly it 
perseveres.

Let's finish with a thought from star Shania Hendrix: 'At first I was 
afraid I was petrified. Thinking I could never live without homebrewing 
by my side.' [3]

[1] Thucictholous - Man - Published 42 AD

[2] Skank - Politics for Dummies - PV6 Media

[3] Get On The Bus - Issue 321 - Media Books


- -----
Cheers!
Peter A. Ensminger
Syracuse, NY
Apparent Rennerian: [394, 79.9]
http://radioworldwide.gospelcom.net/essaygenerator/



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