---

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


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

                     Your Business Name Here
    Visit http://hbd.org "Sponsor the HBD"  to find out how!
			 
    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********


Contents:
  missing digests #5214 & #5215 ("Grant Stott")
  Subject: Induction heating? (John Schnupp)
  temperature (leavitdg)
  Re: Temperature Questions ("Craig S. Cottingham")
  Removing Moisture ("Keith Christian")
  Induction heating (Thomas Rohner)
  Temperature question (Thomas Rohner)
  Book review: Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle ("Dave Draper")


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*           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, 4 Aug 2007 19:14:24 +1000
From: "Grant Stott" <gstott1 at ncable.net.au>
Subject: missing digests #5214 & #5215

Hi all,
      Just wondering why I didn't receive digests numbered 5214 & 5215 & if
many others had the same problem. I read the html versions so I do know they
went out.

I thought for a couple of days that I had been un-subscribed & would have to
send Pat an email promising not to post any more questions about why it is
hard to get an accurate refractometer reading on dark beers.

Brewed an American IPA & a German pilsner on Monday 84 liters of very
promising beer fermenting away slowly in the brew shed.

Regards,
       Grant Stott
       Victoria
       Australia

mmmm Beer (Homer Simpson) 



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 03:10:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Schnupp <john.schnupp at yahoo.com>
Subject: Subject: Induction heating?

From: Dean <dean at deanandadie.net>
asks about induction heating 
>Does anyone know enough about induction heaters to tell me whether it
>would be worth looking at building one of these for my HLT and kettle?
>My first question is: can it be done on standard 120V/60Hz power?

If you read the articles closely you will very quickly get a feel that this is
not the sort of heating you would want to use for brewing, at least I wouldn't.
 OTOH, if you are a tinkering and handyman type person this just might be a
project for you.  I don't know anything about induction heating other than what
I read in your links but I can say that this is not a novice project and
certainly fraught with technical challenges, on of which is locating a high
power, high frequency RF generator.  



John Schnupp, N3CNL
Georgia, VT
'95 XLH 1200 68,900


       


Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:37:59 -0400
From: leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu
Subject: temperature

Danny;
 You can do several things.  First, some put t-shirts over the carboy, and keep
dousing it with water.  This is not real accurate, but can drop/modedrate the
termperature a bit.

 Also, pick yeast/s that can comfortably ferment at higher temperatures.  There
are some Abbey/ trappists for which this seems to be the case, but check it out
carefully in that some do give off the esters and such at the higher end, and
you may not want to emphasize that factor in your brews.

 I will look through my notes to see which yeasts might be candidates for this,
and send another email, after the java has kicked in and I am able to think a
bit more clearly.

 I am sure that there are others on the net who can recommend good - high
termperature tolerant yeasts.
Darrell



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 08:17:58 -0500
From: "Craig S. Cottingham" <craig.cottingham at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Temperature Questions

On Jul 31, 2007, at 15:18, danny <nuclear_gerbil at yahoo.com> wrote:

> So, I don't want to go out and get all the equipment
> only to brew sub-par beer, so I guess my question is
> am I going to be ok fermenting ales at ~80 (90?)
> degrees? Are there certain styles that I can brew and
> focus on that will not be heavily affected? Should I
> hold out until I move into a larger place where I can
> setup a dedicated brew fridge?
>
> Thanks a lot, everyone! Sorry for the beginner
> questions :).

First, welcome. Second, don't apologize for asking beginner  
questions. We were all beginners once.

Almost every homebrewing starter kit sold in the US (and possibly the  
world) is going to include a copy of Charlie Papazian's "The Complete  
Joy of Homebrewing", which not only addresses this question but many,  
many others that you're bound to have. (Which is not that I'm saying  
RTFM, because you don't have the manual yet. :-) In this case, there  
are a couple of things you can do to keep your fermenting beer a  
little cooler than ambient temperature, such as parking the carboy/ 
bucket in a closet or pantry away from sunny rooms, and draping it  
with a wet T-shirt so that evaporative cooling brings the temperature  
down a few degrees.

As for styles, dark-colored ales generally have and can survive  
higher ester levels than light-colored ales.

Now go buy that starter kit and get homebrewing!

- --
Craig S. Cottingham
BJCP Certified judge from Olathe, KS ([621, 251.1deg] Apparent  
Rennerian)
craig.cottingham at gmail.com




Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 10:11:40 -0700
From: "Keith Christian" <keithchristian at roadrunner.com>
Subject: Removing Moisture

Hi,

What is a product that will prevent moisture build up and mold in a beer
frig?  Can someone recommend a product for this?  ?

Would the same product work in a bathroom?


Thanks,

Keith






Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:59:33 +0200
From: Thomas Rohner <t.rohner at bluewin.ch>
Subject: Induction heating

Hi Dean

i don't think induction heating makes much sense in brewing.
First, you need to have a ferromagnetic material in the bottom
of your kettle, so converted kegs won't work. The main advantage
of induktion in cooking is the elimination of the contact heat loss
between the electric heating plate and the kettle. The heat is generated
directly in the kettle floor. In a HLT, a submersible heater will
certainly have a better efficiency, since all the electrical power that 
goes in, will be converted to heat energy.
120V in heating applications is always a bit problematic, as soon as you 
want serious power. Our transportable induction heating plates are 1800W
and 2500W. The kitchen stove is in the same power range, but with 4 
plates, this is in the 10kW range.
I don't know for how much your 120V outlets are rated, we have 15 
Amperes but with 230V. This gives you 3450W with 230V and 1800W for 120V.
For my brew length, this would be a joke. I'd have to wait all day to 
heat things up. I use 15kW propane burners at the moment, these heat up 
my water (13 gal) to mash-in temp in 30 minutes. A while ago i bought a 
army surplus gasoline burner for around 30$, we tested it with 7 gal 
cold water. It took 20 minutes to boil, but should only be used 
outdoors. (Something for mountaintop brewing)

Cheers Thomas



Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:31:53 +0200
From: Thomas Rohner <t.rohner at bluewin.ch>
Subject: Temperature question

Hi danny

there are certain yeast strains, that can tolerate high temps.
Wheat beers and Belgians can tolerate pretty high temperatures.
Saison ale would be my choice.
As a additional measure, you could wrap a towel or t-shirt around your 
fermenter and put it in a bucket of water. If you blow with a fan, this 
would further enhance the cooling effect, as long as the towel doesn't 
dry out.

Cheers Thomas



Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:42:21 -0600
From: "Dave Draper" <david at draper.name>
Subject: Book review: Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle

Dear Friends,

I've just read a great book on the history of brewing in the U.S. 
that I think anyone here would find very interesting.  It's called 
"Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer", by Maureen Ogle.  It's 
a highly readable account, published in 2006 and coming in at about 
350 pages, of the history of brewing in this country from the years 
before the Civil War until 2005.  I learned a great deal about things 
that I thought I already knew, and I suspect many of us would have a 
similar experience from reading it.  I highly recommend it and want 
to provide a bit of a book review here, so apologies for the somewhat 
lengthy post.  OK, I'm not actually apologizing!   

To start, here's a passage from the author's foreword:  

"...It seemed as if everyone I ran into already knew the history of 
beer in America, and they were more than happy to fill me in on the 
facts, which went something like this:  Back in the old days, 
Americans enjoyed an abundance of fine, local beers from thousands of 
breweries that were artisan workshops where skilled brewers crafted 
ales using only four ingredients: malt, hops, yeast, and water.  
Prohibition ended that halcyon age.  When beer came back in the 
1930s, hundreds of breweries opened their doors.  Most were owned by 
old brewing families who were determined to brew only the finest and 
purest beers.  Alas, their dreams died aborning, thanks to the 
conniving of a handful of corporate behemoths - most notably Anheuser-
 Busch, Schlitz, Pabst, and Miller.   

"These Big Brewers scorned honest beer in favor of watery swill 
brewed from cheap corn and rice.  The Big Brewers added insult to 
injury by using crass commercials, linked mostly to professional 
sporting events, to sell their foul brew to working-class people.  By 
the 1970s, only a handful of brewers remained and American beer was a 
thin, yellow concoction with no flavor and even less body.    

"Baby boomers to the rescue.  In the 1960s and 1970s, young Americans 
backpacked through Europe and there discovered "real" ales and 
stouts. They returned eager to try their hand at making those beers 
at home.  In the 1980s, some of the homebrewers opened microbreweries 
and brewpubs. These new artisans crafted beer of the purest and most 
flavorful sort - and so real beer was rescued from the evil corporate 
dragons.   

"...As I dug through archives and old trade journals, I discovered 
that almost every aspect of that oft-told tale of skullduggery, 
greed, and woe was false and that the truth was considerably more 
interesting and complex..."   

As one who pretty much fully bought in to that "received" history 
cited above, reading this passage when I idly picked up the book at 
my local library while my wife was getting her books definitely got 
my attention, so I checked it out.  The story is extremely 
fascinating and as the author says, hardly any of that "beer legend" 
is really true, to my great surprise.  The history of beer in the US 
is interwoven with social and political trends that had a deep impact 
on all aspects of life.  These include the post-Civil War rise of 
national transportation, the advent of industrialization in all areas 
of the economy, the transition of the country from a largely agrarian 
to much more urban existence, the direct link between wanton 
overindulgence in alcohol prevalent in the late 19th century to the 
rise of Prohibitionist attitudes, the timing of US entry into the 
first and second world wars, the rise of instant, nationwide 
communications, the growth of the organized labor movement, shifting 
gender roles, and much more.    

It is truly amazing how intimately involved with all of these things 
was the role of beer in American life.  In particular, the 
transformation of the "Big Brewers" products to what we know them as 
today was not their choice to save money; in fact corn and rice were 
MORE expensive, not less, compared to barley in the late 19th century 
when those recipes were first formulated in response to the advent of 
Bohemian pilsners, which swept the brewing world in the 1880s.  In 
the mid-20th century, brewers "dumbed down" their beers because that 
is what US palates wanted-the evidence from across the board on all 
sorts of food and drink is overwhelming.  The vast majority of US 
consumers wanted the unchallenging, like Wonder Bread and other 
national brands catering to the lowest-common denominator, and beer 
was no different, so brewers adapted to survive.  Another compelling 
aspect is how the decades of Prohibition had bred a couple of 
generations of Americans for whom alcoholic beverages of any kind 
held virtually no interest - they'd grown up without it being part of 
their lives.  Thus a large effort to "reintroduce" beer to the 
drinking public was needed.  Yet another is the way that, in the post-
WWII years, beer consumption dropped to historically low levels as 
returning GIs (who had been the biggest consumers during the war 
years) aged and turned largely to distilled spirits.  The 1950s was 
death to hundreds of smaller breweries because of this economic 
reality, and the big boys got bigger by comparison because only 
operations of their scale could withstand that kind of market 
correction.  The rebirth of brewing in this country was part of a 
national re-awakening of interest, during the late 1960s and 1970s 
"hippie" years, in food and drink with more robust flavors after 
years of corporate food blandness, from bread to cheese to wine and a 
host of others, and this had as much to do with the rise of 
microbrewing as did the desire of homebrewers to make their marks.    


All in all this is a great book that any brewer would highly enjoy. 
You'll learn about lots besides brewing, too.  For a preview, have a 
look at the website the author has set up for the book at  

http://www.ambitiousbrew.com

Cheers, Dave in ABQ
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
David S. Draper, Institute of Meteoritics, Univ New Mexico
David at Draper dot Name
Beer page: http://www.unm.edu/~draper/beer.html
Never trust a brewer who has only one chin ---Aidan Heerdegen






Return to table of contents

---