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


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Contents:
  Refractometer Question ("Grant Stott")
  Re: old hops (Jeff Adelsberger)
  re: Lingering acetobacteria? ("-s@adelphia.net")
  rr:cloudy beer ("Ubi")
  Dark Beer, Headaches and Hangovers ("Raymond T. Gaffield")
  RE: Cloudy Beer ("Art & Liz  McGregor")


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Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:36:24 +1000
From: "Grant Stott" <gstott1 at ncable.net.au>
Subject: Refractometer Question

Having trouble setting up outlook 2003 so my post gets thru. This is try
No.3

I have been using a refractometer for the last half dozen or so brews using
Promash to adjust the F.G result. About 3 brews ago I broke my hydrometer
jar & as the refractometer has been accurate enough for my requirements have
not bothered replacing it.

 

Recently I brewed my annual batch of Stout using Jeff Renner's excellent
Brown malt stout recipe & I noticed that trying to use the refractometer to
make a reading is very difficult as there is a lot of blurring that occurs
when trying to take a reading that is not present when doing light coloured
beers.

 

So my question is, is there a readily accessible online article that
explains this, or is there a simple explanation on why this occurs that I am
unaware of.

All factual explanations readily accepted.


Regards,
       Grant Stott
       Victoria
       Australia

mmmm Beer (Homer Simpson) 



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Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 07:56:04 -0400
From: Jeff Adelsberger <jeffade at mac.com>
Subject: Re: old hops

Re: old hops

Tom,
I've heard pellet hops do very well when kept at cold temperatures.   
I'd say it will definately be worth it to try them out. you may want  
to bump up the recipe usage slightly as the alpha and aroma will have  
faded.

If they are leaf hops I'd tread lightly and do either a small batch  
or something where it won't be a big loss if it turns out to be hop  
light.




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Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:20:11 -0400
From: "-s at adelphia.net" <-s@adelphia.net>
Subject: re: Lingering acetobacteria?

Doug Moyer asks ...

==================================================
"Distilled" white vinegar means the vinegar is concentrated (see the
definition of 'distilled').  It does NOT mean that the vinegar passed
through a reflux still.  "Distilled vinegar" may include viable
aceobacteria.  treat it accordingly.
==================================================

>Once you mix the vinegar with the diluted bleach, won't that kill any viable
>acetobacteria? Isn't that the whole purpose of the exercise?

Right Doug.  Any bacteria in the vinegar+bleach sol'n will be killed.

My point is that you should treat a bottle of vinegar in the brewery
in much the same way you'd treat a bottle of pond water. I recall
hearing an HBer once considering adding vinegar to a stout to give
it a little guinness-like 'tang' (or maybe it was to make his n.euro
ale more 'flemish' in character - I don't quite recall).   He was
convinced this was safe since bottles of white vinegar are labelled
"distilled".  Distilled merely means "concentrated", and it does not
automatically imply that the high temperatures of a reflux still were
applied.  This method might work without problem, OTOH you might
end up with a lingering infection in the bottle or keg that will turn
your slightly acidic ale beer into salad dressing.  Note that
acetobacteria are among the few that can tolerate the low pH and
consume the ethanol in finished beer or even wine.

I don't actually know how industrial vinegar is concentrated, but I
can imagine that the expensive process of reflux distillation is
avoided and something like reverse osmosis filtration is performed
on a fraction and remixed with conventionally filtered remainder.

FWIW the sort of filtration used on mass market beer greatly reduces
but does not eliminate yeast cells.   On several occasions I've
resuscitated a brewing yeast from a bottle of Michelob. Filtration
is generally not sterilization. 

 -S




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Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:35:54 -0400
From: "Ubi" <oobyjooby at cs.com>
Subject: rr:cloudy beer

Is there the possiblity that the malt has gone slack?
If is has taken up 15% moisture it may have lost some
diastatic power and you are passing on some unconverted
starch. Do you check mash with iodine?

Ubi



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Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:43:57 +0200
From: "Raymond T. Gaffield" <raygaffield at mac.com>
Subject: Dark Beer, Headaches and Hangovers

Hi,
A non-brewing friend commented to me recently that I had change his 
life, or at least his drinking habits, by introducing him to the rich 
splendors of dark beers. Unfortunately, he has subsequently discovered 
that it gives him headaches and as a result, he has stop drinking them. 
I have done some brief googling and found the following 2 pieces of 
info that raise some more questions.

1. Chemicals called amines either dilate (histamines) or constrict 
(tyramines) blood vessels in the brain, either of which may cause 
headaches in a small segment of the population. Chocolate, vanilla, 
beans, nuts, bananas, cultured products like cheese and yogurt and 
fermented products, especially dark beer, soy sauce and red wine are 
all significant sources of tyramines.

2. The amount of flavor compounds in the drink will increase the 
hangover, so a dark beer, or stout, such as Guinness will produce a 
worse hangover than drinking the equivalent amount of alcohol diluted 
in water (basically Vodka).

My questions :
I have found more than one reference to #1, the blood-vessel 
constricting tyramines, Does anybody have any additional information ? 
Is this the culprit and thus is my friend a part of the unfortunate 
minority of people that are affected by this ?

Is #2 factual ? Will flavor compounds really increase the effects of 
hangovers ?

Related to the 2nd Q: Is there scientific basis for some beers 
producing more hangovers than others ? The web, via my google, is 
filled with war stories, commentary, and advice about beers that do or 
don't produce hangovers.

Lastly, do any commercial beers actually contain preservatives ? Again 
cited by many as a source of hangovers or increased hangover effects.

Thanx.

Cheers,
Ray



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Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:55:52 -0400
From: "Art & Liz McGregor" <a.l.mcgregor at verizon.net>
Subject: RE: Cloudy Beer

Hi Everyone,

My experience with batches is that they usually comes out clear after
sitting in the secondary for 4-5 weeks, but once refrigerated it gets chill
haze. I don't add anything to clear the beer, but the chill haze usually
clears up (drops to the bottom of the corny keg) by the time the keg is half
gone (about a month?).  However, I recently made a pale ale using a pound of
Malted Oats, toasted to 350 F for 10 minutes, and it has not cleared at all,
even after 2 months in the fridge.  I make extract beers (plain LME) with
specialty grains steeped and/or mini-mashed for color/flavor.  I've never
had a beer stay cloudy so long, even my wheat beers.

One a separate note, I plan to brew my 300th batch this weekend!  I started
brewing in the spring of 1993.  I tried all-grain for 8 batches but had to
switch back to extract beer as a compromise for family harmony (it was
taking too much time and my wife was wondering if the homebrewing was
becoming more important than family life/time).  One day I'll drag out the
all-grain equipment for another try, but probably not for a few years, since
I still have too many kids at home and not enough time.
- ---------------------------------
Hoppy Brewing,

Art McGregor
<A.L.mcgregor at verizon.net>
(Northern Virginia)






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