---

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


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

          Northern  Brewer, Ltd. Home Brew Supplies
Visit http://www.northernbrewer.com  to show your appreciation!
               Or call them at 1-800-681-2739

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


Contents:
  Numerical meaning of attenuation figures (Christopher Bartlett)
  Pumpkin Ale (another question, no answers) (leavitdg)
  Pumpkin ale ("John Campbell")
  Yeast for Bottle Conditioning High Gravity Ales ("Rich Beecher")
  Unibroue yeast (wyeast 3864) (Mark Nesdoly)
  Congratulations CBS Spooky Brew Review Winners (fwd) (Roger Deschner)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*           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: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 21:05:48 -0700
From: Christopher Bartlett <bridgeweaver at khanfusion.net>
Subject: Numerical meaning of attenuation figures

I've been brewing for, holy smokes Batman it's over eight years now, 
and to this day, I'm still unsure what 75% attenuation means, or how 
to calculate it.

Let us say that I have a beer with an O.G. of 1.050 that ferments out 
to 1.010 F.G.  What percent attenuation does this represent, or if 
more info is needed, how does one calculate actual attenuation so I 
can get a sense if I'm getting good fermentation from my yeasts?

	Christopher Bartlett



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 05:59:56 -0400
From: leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu
Subject: Pumpkin Ale (another question, no answers)

Brian; et al;

Interesting that the pumpkin ale question would come up, in that I have just
made one, and also have an observation and question.  I used a whole pumpkin
(about 12" in diameter) gutted, skinned, sliced and boiled the heck out of it
the night before.  Then I boiled it again on the morning of the brew, and added
to the mash (9 lb Golden Promise/pale, .75 lb Carmel Vienna, .25 lb Special B, 2
lb wheat) and did a multi-step infusion by applying heat to my tun.

Observation: I would drop the wheat next time, and add rice hulls from the start
in that the combination of pumpkin and wheat made for a real slow (almost stuck)
sparge.  I wanted the wheat to help create a nice head, but now think that it
was a mistake.

Question: My recording of things on Promash tells me that the pumpkin added
little to the gravity.  This may be due to the fact that I did not use 6 row
and the enzymes couldnt handle the amount of pumpkin?  I am not sure , but near
the last 20 minutes of a 2.5 hour attempt to convert, I added some Amylaze
Enzyme, and this seemed to help a bit.

How do others use pumpkin in this brew, and what are the correct/ workable
quantities?

Confused.
Darrell
[Brian: did you get the job?]



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 07:10:24 -0500
From: "John Campbell" <johncampbell at comcast.net>
Subject: Pumpkin ale

 
The secret to good pumpkin ale is not to use any pumpkin, just the spices.
Anyone I have ever known that used pumpkin in any quantity always had
serious taste issues, among other problems.

This of course I is just my opinion and ymmv, but I think that you will get
a number of responses from the poor souls that have used pumpkin to make
beer.

This is not to say I am trying to dissuade you, as I believe the very heart
of home brewing is all about experimentation, lets just say I encourage you
to make a small pilot batch before you commit a lot of resources to it.

Cyserman

Amor est vitae essentia, Dei gratia
Carpe Cervesa

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
Edmund Burke

If you are sending anything private or confidential by email, you might as
well post is on a bill board on the interstate unless it is encrypted. If
YOU have received this email in error, you must light your computer on fire
and kill yourself immediately.







Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 12:32:31 -0400
From: "Rich Beecher" <rbeecher at hotmail.com>
Subject: Yeast for Bottle Conditioning High Gravity Ales

28 October

Greetings All,

    I have, in the past, had a fair amount of trouble in getting high 
gravity ales to carbonate in the bottle. I now recognize the need to add 
fresh yeast along with the sugars.
   I usually use S04, Windsor, or Nottingham for primary fermentation. The 
ales are usually 8 to 11% ABV.
   Will fresh doses of S04 or Nottingham be ok?
   I believe that Champagne yeast was suggested in the past for bottle 
conditioning (perhaps by Jeff Renner?) high gravity ales. If I understood 
correctly, although not recommended for primary fermentation, the champagne 
yeast would be ok for bottle conditioning. Is this correct? I would guess 
that if it does work, it's because the champagne yeast is added at much 
lower levels and because the ale has already been fermented, thus providing 
a hostile environment for excessive champagne yeast growth. In other words, 
the champagne yeast would be able to digest the simple sugars, but wouldn't 
have the vitality to digest the complex sugars which it normally would if 
employed from the start at higher dosing levels.
   Thank you all much!

Rich Beecher
Chattanooga, TN
http://www.AChattanoogaWhig.com/TheConfederateCeltBrewery




Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 13:34:52 -0700
From: Mark Nesdoly <m-nesdoly at shaw.ca>
Subject: Unibroue yeast (wyeast 3864)

This is my first time using this yeast. I brewed a Belgian Pale Ale 16 days 
ago and I tested the gravity recently. OG 1.056, yesterday 1.022. Normally, 
almost any ale yeast would be done by now (in my experience, anyway), but 
according to the apparent attenuation specs on the wyeast web site, this 
beer should finish in the range 1.011 - 1.014.

This yeast is very, very strange. Throughout the fermentation it forms a 
very thick yeast cake on top of the beer, which essentially stops all 
activity. If I gently swirl the yeast back into suspension, it takes off 
again and goes like crazy for a few hours, then forms another "inverted" 
yeast cake. At this point, fermentation essentially stops once again.

Is this normal for this yeast? I really like the flavours/aromas it is 
producing, as the sample I withdrew yesterday tasted absolutely fantastic. 
However, this odd behaviour really has me stumped.

In an effort to get things going again, I added 1 tsp of yeast nutrient and 
1.5 tsp of diammonium phosphate yesterday night. It seems to have done the 
trick as fermentation has picked up again, but now it's forming the inverted 
yeast cake again.

- -- Mark 



Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:58:09 -0600 (CST)
From: Roger Deschner <rogerd at uic.edu>
Subject: Congratulations CBS Spooky Brew Review Winners (fwd)

Congratulations to the winners of the 2006 Chicago Beer Society Spooky
Brew Review Homebrew Competition. We had 187 entries this year, the most
in recent years.

A huge THANK YOU to our hosts at Flossmoor Station Brewpub (Winner of
2006 Small Brewery of the Year at GABF!), to all the judges and
stewards, and to all the brewers who entered beers in this year's
competition.

And now the results you have all been waiting for.

Roger Deschner       rogerd at uic.edu      -or-          roger@chibeer.org
Organizer         2006 CBS Spooky Brew Review       Chicago Beer Society


                    Spooky Brew Review 2006 Winners


 BEST OF SHOW

1. Cathy's Cranberry Mead       Joe Formanek, Urban Knaves of Grain
2. Common Cider                 Mike Kopp, St. Louis Brews
3. American IPA                 Michael Pearson, Foam Blowers of Indiana

 Spooky Brew

1. What Went Wrong Wheat        Patrick Duby, BABBLE

 Smashed Pumpkin

1. Springtime in Gary Indiana   Ron Stazuk, Urban Knaves of Grain

 Amber Hybrid Beer

1. Still Steamin'               Greg Cardelli, Urban Knaves of Grain
2. Big Al Alt                   Bob Beckman, St. Louis Brews
3. Suburban Alt                 Doug Newberry, Silverado Homebrew Club

 American Ale

1. Son of Baltimore Brown       Rodney Kibzey, Urban Knaves of Grain
2. Fox Trail Amber Ale          Doug Newberry, Silverado Homebrew Club
3. 2-V or not 2-V Amber Ale     Dan  Hedtcke, Madison Homebrewers & Tasters
                                Guild

 Belgian & French Ales

1. BeF                          Jeff Sparrow, Chicago Beer Society
2. Unter der Linder             Jeff Sparrow, Chicago Beer Society
3. St. Joe's Home Brew          Mark McDermott, Brewers of South Suburbia

 Cider & Perry

1. Common Cider                 Mike Kopp, St. Louis Brews
2. Plank Road                   Darrell Proska, Urban Knaves of Grain
3. Ole 200                      Terry Mayne

 Dark Lager & Bock

1.                              Scott Jones, Urban Knaves of Grain
2. Bishop of Munich Dunkel      Jerry Sadowski, Brewers of South Suburbia
3. St. Mark's "Passover" Dunkel Mark Bransford

 English Brown Ale & Porter

1. Bulldog Porter               Jim Harrison, Brewers on the Lake
2. Vade Mecum Mild              Ron Barbercheck, Chicago Beer Society
3. #49 Porter                   Stanley Harrison

 English Pale Ale

1. Ordinary Bitter              Mike Flaminic, Red Ledge Brewers
2. Summer Bitter                Michael Pelter, Brewers of South Suburbia

 European Amber Lager

1. Veronica's Oktoberfest       Joe Formanek, Urban Knaves of Grain
2.                              Peter Young, Urban Knaves of Grain
3. Redbird                      George Westlund, Chicago Beer Society

 Fruit Beer

1. Silly Goose Raspberry Wheat  Doug Newberry, Silverado Homebrew Club
3. Raspberry Fruit              Ted Grudzinski, Urban Knaves of Grain

 German Wheat & Rye Beers

1. Tornado Warning Wheat        Tom Seefurth, Chicago Beer Society
2. Bitzen Bock                  Rodney Kibzey, Urban Knaves of Grain
3. HBS wheat                    Ed Seaman, Urban Knaves of Grain

 Indian Pale Ale

1. American IPA                 Michael Pearson, Foam Blowers of Indiana
2. Stonage Ale                  Bruce Dir, BABBLE
3. Wichansen IPA                Douglas Wich, Chicago Beer Society

 Light Hybrid Beer

1. Call Me                      Bob Beckman, St. Louis Brews
2. Cat Face Cream Ale           Michael Morel, Brewers of South Suburbia
3. Insouciant American Wheat    Ron Barbercheck, Chicago Beer Society

 Light Lagers

1. Pizzle Drilzner              Jerry Sadowski, Brewers of South Suburbia
2. Hariken                      Jim Harrison, Brewers on the Lake
3. Rockhead Pils                Thomas Renner

 Mead

1. Cathy's Cranberry Mead       Joe Formanek, Urban Knaves of Grain
2. M                            Darrell Proska, Urban Knaves of Grain
3.                              Eric Duske, Chicago Beer Society

 Scottish & Irish Ale

1. Irish Red                    Mike Flaminic, Red Ledge Brewers
2. Scotch my back               Tom Seefurth, Chicago Beer Society
3. Black Jack                   Brad Reeg, Chicago Beer Society

 Smoked & Specialty Beers

1. Stolen Bean Stout            Ed Seaman, Urban Knaves of Grain
2. South Of Munich              Jerry Sadowski, Brewers of South Suburbia
3. Whiskey A Gogo               Doug Newberry, Silverado Homebrew Club

 Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer

1. Chile Pepper Porter          Patrick Duby, BABBLE
2. Dark Mourning Espresso Stout John Rathmell, Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
3. bet Stewed, Tomato           Tom Seefurth, Chicago Beer Society

 Stout

1.                              Eric Duske, Chicago Beer Society
2. Stiff & Stout '05            Doug Newberry, Silverado Homebrew Club
3.                              Scott Jones, Urban Knaves of Grain

 Worldwide Strong Ales

1. Not A Shabby Abbey           David Banass, The Brewbakers
2. Beklimming                   Dan Morey, BABBLE
3. Stand Up Tripel              Doug Newberry, Silverado Homebrew Club


Return to table of contents

---