---

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


***************************************************************
        TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

                 Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
     Visit http://www.hbd.org/sponsorhbd.shtml to learn how
			 
    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a 
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250 
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any 
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your 
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available 
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
  more weizens (stevea)
  Doluble Wit ("Darrell G. Leavitt")
  gruit in hefeweizens (stencil)


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

NOTE: With the economy as it is, the HBD is struggling to 
meet its meager operating expenses of approximately $3400
per year. If less than half of those currently directly
subscribed to the HBD sent in a mere $5.00, the HBD would
be able to easily meet its annual expenses, with room to 
spare for next year. Please consider it.

As always, donors and donations are publicly acknowledged
and accounted for on the HBD web page. THank you

 
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, 25 Jul 2009 04:40:39 -0400
From: stevea <steve-alexander at roadrunner.com>
Subject: more weizens

Wow- Dave Houseman and Kai Troester posting - just like old times.  I 
think they've put their fingers on the primary weizen issues,  4VG and 
esters.

In theory the low ferulic acid rest Dave mentions should (and in some 
measured cases does) increase the final 4VG level, however George de 
Piro, with superior experience, reports that it makes no discernible 
difference.  Perhaps because the wheat releases enough ferulic that the 
delta doesn't make the taste threshold.  BTW the clove-y 4VG flavor 
dissipates over months of storage, particularly at higher temps.

Esters - anyone interested can search the archives for long 
dissertations on ester formation.  The point is you need to torture your 
yeast in some way to increase ester levels.   Low pitching, just like 
low oxygen  leaves less total UFA and sterol in the fermenter which 
means growth (cell reproduction, not fermentation) stops before all the 
carbs are used up.  It is exactly at this growth to no-growth transition 
where most esters are created.  One must be aware of possibility of a 
stuck fermentation by this method.    Modestly increased temperature at 
this transition (as fermentation slows) enhances the enzyme activity 
needed to form esters - which seems safer to me.

I have tasted quite estery weizens in southern Germany, and certainly 
some, but not all of the export weizens have high levels.  Great beer 
for a hot summer day.

 -S



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:57:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Darrell G. Leavitt" <leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu>
Subject: Doluble Wit

I have made Wits and Hefes that exceed the normal gravity.  Not sure if I
have made them as high as 10%, but more like 7 or 8%.  I could just use
more base malt to drive the gravity up.

When we use a yeast here, we typically re-use it up to 6 times or so, by
just re-pitching on the previous yeast cake.  And, as I have learned here
one can go from lower to higher gravity, as well as from lighter to darker
(if you wish), so that reaching 7, or 8% will then depend upon the alcohol
tolerance of the yeast, and without my morning coffee, I am not clear on
this quite yet.

On a related note, I was told by a long time brewer that the Weihestephan
yeast should not be re-pitched much in that for this strain, it is likely
to mutate faster.  Has anyone heard this?  I may not be as sensitive as
others, ie in recognizing the results of mutations, but I have re-used
several hefe yeasts (including wlp300) up to 5 or 6 times, and have not
noticed anything strange.  But, as I know, I may not recognize the by
products/ results of this.  Any thoughts on repitching Weihestephan?
Darrell



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:00:26 -0400
From: stencil <etcs.ret at verizon.net>
Subject: gruit in hefeweizens

On Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:57:43 -0400, 
in Homebrew Digest #5582 (July 24, 2009)
Darrell G. Leavitt wrote:

> [ ... ]
>
>I love the Hefes, and recently made one with Heather Tips (1 oz) in at
>knock out.  This created a very interesting flavor.  For the next batch I
>used wormwood (1  oz also) and this proved to be too much, ie the barky
>flavor of the wormwood (artemesia absenthium) is rather strong. Next time
>I will use just 1/2 oz.
>
>[ ... ]

Please, could you expand on "interesting?"  Was it as in
"interesting times?"  Or like an "interesting proposition?"

I've never been an enthusiast for bitterness, and got
started in homebrewing after being exposed to hefeweizens (I
worked for a while in an establishment a few hundred yards
down the road from the Maxlrain schloss and its brewery.)
The main thing that has prevented me from going gruit big
time is that I haven't worked out a way to mechanize tiny -
say, one gallon - multibatch brews for the development
phase.  The more data I can get on what *doesn't* work, the
better.

> It is hard for me to stick to the recipe.
>

The folks who stick to the recipe are still back in the old
country, licking sticks and poking them into anthills to get
their supper.

gds,  stencil
<h.stencil at verizon.net>



Return to table of contents

---