HOMEBREW Digest #580 Wed 13 February 1991
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
EDME brewkeg taps (TSAMSEL)
Priming (dbreiden)
Alex Trebek knocks homebrew (Mike Zentner)
road trip (Ken Schriner)
Helenboch Beer (chris)
Garlic beer (mage!lou)
Re: EKU-28 (Chris Shenton)
Recipe file (Rick Myers)
Toad Spit Stout ("Hans L'Orange, Institutional Research, 492-8633")
patience (Russ Gelinas)
Beer one of the oldest, most enjoyed foods ("a.e.mossberg")
HomeBrew Digest Query (The D.U.G. Labs)" (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs)
HomeBrew Digest Query
High output stovetops (Zamick)
Bitter beer (Zamick)
Ancestral Brews (IBD) <abrant at BRL.MIL>
Re: Coffee in homebrew (Stephen E. Hansen)
EKU-28 (Mark.Nevar)
deterioration of kegged beer (Ken Schriner)
Re: EKU-28 (Brian Capouch)
Re: EKU-28 (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Re: EKU-28 (John Polstra)
Garlic beer (fwd) (Speaker-To-Bankers)
Another Sacto Beer Fest!!! (JEEPSRUS)
a couple of questions ("N. Zentena")
Re: Re: Crackin grain (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Aquarium-pump-driven Heat Exchanger? (Clay Phipps)
A Trip to Germany & Denmark (Fred Condo, sysop)
Rotten Egg Smell (ardent!uunet!inland.com!pals)
Beer deterioration in Kegs (hersh)
homebrew competition (lcarter)
Homebrew (HERREN)
Re: Homebrew Digest #578 (February 08, 1991) (James P. Buchman)
Distributor-type kegs (Douglas Allen Luce)
Question : Final Gravity too High ? ("Warren R. Kiefer")
Homebrew Digest #577 (February 06, 1991) ("Dan Schwarz")
Wort Overnight (Martin A. Lodahl)
mashing equipment (Jim Culbert )
EKU-28 (541-7340)" <JEFFFT%SYBIL at rti.rti.org>
re:re:EKU-28 (Stephan M. Koza)
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues]
Archives are available from netlib at mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 1991 7:06:42 EST
From: TSAMSEL at ISDRES.ER.USGS.GOV
Subject: EDME brewkeg taps
I received a 10 liter EDME brewkeg that has tap problems. The valve
(attached to a threaded cam) does not lift properly when the knob is
twisted. Anyone have any hints? I sent this tap back to the CELLAR
in Seattle and they put it back together but the same thing happens.
Ted
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 08:25:40 -0500
From: dbreiden at mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Subject: Priming
With all the recent talk about priming with dry malt or with cane sugar
and lemon juice I feel I must add my little bit of heresay:
I know it isn't good practice, but I have had great success priming with
plain old white sugar (cane sugar). Maybe my brew needs a little more
aging time or something, but I would definitely NOT worry about using
it if in a bind. I do plan to switch to corn sugar in future batches--
I'd thought I was using corn sugar all along :-)
- --Danny
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 08:47:16 -0500
From: zentner at ecn.purdue.edu (Mike Zentner)
Subject: Alex Trebek knocks homebrew
Did anyone happen to see the episode of Jeopardy last week with the
homebrewer? There was a guy on, who was introduced as a stock
broker as he came out, so I booed him. During the interview section,
Alex said something like, "I understand you have a very different hobby."
It was then that the guy said he was a brewer. Alex told him that he
knew a guy who brewed and had spent 15 years developing the perfect
recipe, and that it tastes terrible, and were this guys beers as bad.
The broker was quick to point out that everyone who tries his brews likes
them better than commercial brews, but I don't think he was very convincing
in refuting Alex's implied claim that it is a somewhat off-the-wall, semi-
crackpot thing to do. Certainly doesn't compete with working crosswords
in pen :-)...
Another topic: I built a semi-cheap tubing in the garden hose chiller
and am wondering about keeping it sanitized. What do those of you who
have these things do to keep them clean? Bleach seemed to leach out some
brown colored gunk on a test piece of copper, so I'm not crazy about that
idea. I was just thinking of running boiling water through it before
use, but I'm also worried about the water that remains in both shell and
tube side after its use. If not used for a while, has anyone had any
problems with mildew in these systems?
One final question: As a group of us stood outside last weekend
experimenting with our first all-grain batch, warming our hands
and palates around one of those blast furnace propane burners, the
notion as to the safety of the device came up. Does anyone use
one of these things inside? I was brought up in a charcoal grill
only family (we never used propane or knew anyone who did, except
my uncle who had his barbeque blow up in his face once)
and was wondering if the combustion is incomplete enough
with one of these things such that you get significant buildup of
CO to be a health hazard. I already know that you are not
supposed to store a tank with fittings in a closed area, incase of
small leaks, but what about using it inside? Also, we had the
thing at no more than 1/4 throttle, for lack of a better word,
and it seemed that anymore could conceiveably do serious damage
to a cheap boiling kettls. Any comments?
Thanks for any answers.......Mike Zentner zentner at cn.ecn.purdue.edu
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 07:38:46 CST
From: Ken Schriner <KS06054 at UAFSYSB.UARK.EDU>
Subject: road trip
I am aware of one brewery and one brew pub close to I-70. The first, Boulevard
Brewing Company, is located at 2501 Southwest Blvd ("the boulevard" to locals)
Kansas City, Missouri. I posted to this group about it several weeks ago.
Excellent pale ale. The brewmeister will probably be more than willing to give
a personal tour. Phoning ahead may help (816) 474-7095. I believe this brewery
was written about recently in zymurgy. (I don't get zymurgy, other netters may
have more info about the article.)
Just down the road (I-70) in Lawrence, Kansas, is the Free State Brewpub. I
didn't like their beer as much, but it was still great (I think Boulevard's
pale ale is fit for gods.) The wheat beer would be very refreshing for a hot
day. Free State's porter was delightfully sweet and almost chewy. I don't have
an address (somewhere in the 6 or 7 hundred block of Massachusetts street,
Mass street, to the locals.) The food at free state was ok, but there is
better to be found in Lawrence. Free State has an outside beir garten drinking
area that is reportedly very nice (it wasn't open when I was there.)
I travel the road (Highway 71) from Fayetteville AR to Kansas City MO quite
often. I'd be interested to hear of any breweries near to this road. (Near
being within an hour's detour.)
(Loved the recent idea of using old milking machines for primaries and
secondaries and possibly boiling pots. Stainless steel on the cheap.)
Ken Schriner (501) 575-2905 BITNET : ks06054 at uafsysb
U of A, Computing Services Internet : ks06054 at uafsysb.uark.edu
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 8:43:43 CST
From: medch!chris at uunet.UU.NET
Subject: Helenboch Beer
If any of you are ever in Georgia, specifically the Atlanta area, be
sure to find a six-pack of Helenboch or, if possible, find it on
draft. It's an excellent beer that is brewed in Helen, GA. The
regular beer is a German style amber (in my opinion, although I'm
still basically new to non-mass-produced beers). They also produce
an Oktoberfest version which is a much darker beer. I did get an
address from the label. And I quote, "For more information: Friends
Brewing Co., The Brewery, Helen, GA 30545." I don't know if you
can order from them, but it's worth a try.
And, as a quick request, do any of you know where I could get a
recipe for an ale similar to Double Diamond? Or, if not, where I
can get a case or threesomewhere in the mid-south? Thanks.
- --
#
Chris Hudson # Be wary of strong drink.
b17a!medch!chris # It can make you shoot at tax collectors
Intergraph Corp # --and miss!
IW17A5 #
Huntsville, AL # -Lazarus Long
35894-0001 #
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 08:07:12 MST
From: hplabs!mage!lou
Subject: Garlic beer
In response to Jimmy Dee's request for info on garlic beers, I brewed the
following recipe last year. It was one of my all-time most popular beers,
although I always made sure that people tasted it before I told them what the
secret ingedient was.
For 7 gallons:
steep for 30 minutes:
0.75 lb 40L crystal malt
0.25 lb roasted barley
boil for 1 hour:
4.5 kg Munton & Fison dark malt syrup
2 oz Perle hops (7.5% alpha)
1 oz Willamette (4.6% alpha)
3 large garlic cloves chopped fine
1 oz Willamette for finishing
ale yeast
OG 1.058
FG illegible
Next time I make this I'll probably use more crystal and more hops.
Good luck,
Louis Clark
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 10:16:16 EST
From: Chris Shenton <chris at asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: EKU-28
> On Fri, 8 Feb 91 9:08:25 CDT, Jeff Benson <benson at chemsun.chem.umn.edu> said:
Jeff> Eku-28 is the barley wine produced by the Eku brewery, the 28 referring
Jeff> to its proof (being 14% alcohol).
> On Fri, 8 Feb 91 20:19:35 -0800, rkaye at polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Depeche) said:
Depeche> To the best of my knowledge, EKU-28 got it's name from it's strength.
Depeche> 28% Alcohol.
Well, the first is about right -- I think it's really about 12% (Samiclaus
is at 14%). That 28% is way out of line -- that would practically make it
Scotch!
The 28 *actually* means the OG in Degrees Plato, which translates to an SG
of about 1.112.
{C|B}eers!
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 8:58:25 MST
From: Rick Myers <cos.hp.com!hpctdpe!rcm at hp-lsd>
Subject: Recipe file
Full-Name: Rick Myers
I have made the homebrew recipe file from eris.berkeley.edu available
for anonymous FTP on hpctdpe.col.hp.com. This will be available ONLY
to HD subscribers on the HP Internet (in other words HD subscribers who
are HP employees). I cannot make it available to the entire world since
my machine is not on an open subnet. Sorry!
The path is: ~/ftp/pub/brew.sh
- --
Rick Myers rcm at hpctdpe.col.hp.com
Hewlett-Packard
Colorado Telecommunications Division
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 1991 09:13 MST
From: "Hans L'Orange, Institutional Research, 492-8633"
Subject: Toad Spit Stout
I'm making my first stout and am using Papazian's Toad Spit recipe. That calls
for adding the cracked grains to 1 & 1/2 gallons cold water, bringing to a boil
and then removing the grains after 5 minutes. Leaving the grain in after
boiling has started runs counter to all else I have read and done. Is this
something different with a stout ? I had planned to pull the crystal, etc. out
as soon as boiling started.
Hans L'Orange
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 1991 11:31:53 EST
From: R_GELINAS at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Russ Gelinas)
Subject: patience
I need to add to/correct a couple of my recent postings.....
First, there was a question as to whether it was possible to culture Sierra
Nevada yeast on the east coast. Well, at this point it seems that it *is*
possible, because after more than 2 weeks of no activity (and just when I was
about to throw it out), my SN culture came to life, and now has a nice krausen!
So (Chris?), hang in there and be patient.
I also had pitched some re-cultured Wyeast (German ale #1007?), which didn't
(seem) to catch, so I pitched some dry yeast, which did catch immediately. I
had a question re. what happens to the first yeast in such a situation. Well
what happened is that the second yeast did its job, then the Wyeast *slowly*
kicked in. In fact, so slowly that I thought the ferment was done, and I
bottled the batch. But now I've got semi-gushers that have all the flavor
and aroma of a primary fermentation, ie. sulpher, esters, cloves(!),.....
Arghhhhhhh! (The clove flavor is interesting; it's alot like the clove
flavor in a German wheat beer. Similar strains?) Unfortunately, the batch
is barely drinkable.....
I know this is kind of drastic, but would it be possible to empty all the
bottles back into a carboy, and let it ferment out?
Anyway, in both cases a little patience (has/would have) helped.....
Russ in NH
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 12:12:15 -0500
From: "a.e.mossberg" <aem at mthvax.cs.miami.edu>
Subject: Beer one of the oldest, most enjoyed foods
[from _The Washington Spectator_ February 15, 1991]
Beer is one of the oldest and most widely enjoyed foods, according to
Alan Eames, who has spent 20 years studying the frothy brew. He writes:
"The making of beer--a trade traditionally presided over by women
'brewsters'--was a vital aspect of economic, social and religious life
in Sumeria and Babylon 4,000 years before Christ."
In those times, a hieroglyphic symbol for food was a pitcher of beer
and a loaf of bread. Pharaohs were buried with miniature breweries to
insure a supply on the trek to the afterworld. And beer was the major
component in ancient Egyptian medicine. The Vikings used a beer called
"Aul" to pump themselves up for their daring raids. Valhalla was "no
less than a giant alehouse, where beer kept the company 'in a constant
state of bliss.'"
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 12:00:09 EST
From: hplabs!hp-pcd.cv.hp.com!lotus!"LDBVAX!DJOHNSON (The D.U.G. Labs)" (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs) (The D.U.G. Labs)
Subject: HomeBrew Digest Query
~~inner_header~~
To: UNIXML::"homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com"
Subject: HomeBrew Digest Query
Source-Date: Mon, 11 Feb 1991 11:55 ydt
I made my first batch of homebrew. It tastes OK. I did, however, put one
six-pack in the frig (at bottling time) and it is flat. I assume that the frig
is too cold for the yeast to become active and add the proper amount of
carbonation. This is not much of a problem for me, as it is only 1 six-pack. I
have a friend who put his entire batch in the frig! It is mostly flat as well.
My question:
Should we be able to remove the bottles from the frig and save the homebrew or
is it flat for life?
From,
Too-Flat-Brew, Dug Johnson - DJohnson at LDBVAX.Lotus.Com
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 13:09:57 EST
From: Zamick <zamick at acdc.rutgers.edu>
Subject: High output stovetops
I haven't yet gotten to mashing my own grains, (just started my
second batch o' beer. Hurrah), but I do have a thought for those who wanted
to heat up vast amounts of water on a stove. In Chinatown, (and probably
many Oriental Import shops, you can find replacement heads for your stove
made for large woks. These heads have holes all along the top & are a bit
larger than normal attachments. (Theoretically woks operate best at extremely
hot temps.) These things put out a great deal more heat (and use a great deal
more gas) than your ordinary stove head. They would probably be just what you
are looking for.
Good luck,
Jonathan Zamick
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 13:12:08 EST
From: Zamick <zamick at acdc.rutgers.edu>
Subject: Bitter beer
I just started my second batch of beer & just bottled my first. I
tried the sample of beer used for the hydrometer reading & it was quite
bitter, how much will this initial bitterness fade after a week or two in the
bottle? Should I leave it for a longer time before opening?
zamick at remus.rutgers.edu
Thanx....
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 13:38:30 EST
From: "Andrew L. Brant" (IBD) <abrant at BRL.MIL>
Subject: Ancestral Brews
Here is a article that you might find interesting.
reprinted w/o permission from County Living, March 1991
- ---------------------------------------------------------------
ANCESTRAL BREWS
by Christopher Brooks
Historic beer recipes feature a subtle blend of spices.
On display in a small museum in German Bavaria is the oldest
beer in the world. Though it was a hot afternoon the day I gazed
on this exhibit, my thirst for refreshment wasn't stimulated in
the least. Once, during Roman times, this might have been the
pride of some Teutonic tribesman; but now, the beer resembled
little more than pipe dottle and ashtray debris.
Admittedly, I've long argued that certain beers (namely
those containing live yeast cells) will enjoy an improvement in
flavor if they are allowed to age for several years. But this
German ancestral brew takes that idea a few steps too far: Not
even the best-made beer can be expected to last for more than SO
years. It would appear, then, that the suds of yore are gone for
good.
Appearances, however, can be misleading. The brewery Dupont
(no relation to the chemical firm), of Belgium's Walloon region,
produces a beer based on a recipe from more than a full millenium
ago. Those who wonder what a beer of antiquity might have tasted
like would do well to try this product, appropriately named
Cervesia Archeosite. The crisp, clean palate and clarity of this
well-made ale may be of a quality far beyond that of its
forefathers, but a subtle use of herbs in the brewing lends a
certain aura of authenticity to the flavor.
While sipping this tasty bit of brewing history, my mind
drifted back to a day in college when the professor of my
Advanced Brewing class, Dr. Gustav Bierstube, lectured us on the
brewing practices of the Middle Ages. A bent-over, wizened man
with a florid complexion and long white beard, there were those
of us who felt he had firsthand knowledge of that era. ". . . Und
it vas very common before hops vere discovered for plants, roots
und various other vegetable matter to be used to counterbalance
zee sveetness of zee malt. Ve know zat much earlier, Egyptian
brewers even vent so far as to use crab claws, crushed eggshells,
und similar sorts of flotsam in zeir concoctions...." The high
point came when Dr. Bierstube presented the class with a large
bottle of medieval beer he'd recreated using documents from 900
years before. I say high point only because the moment of tasting
relieved us for a brief time from that man's long-winded
ramblings. The beer itself, unfortunately, was so heavily spiced
with oregano, thyme, and bay leaf that it was more appropriately
suited for marinating lamb than for drinking.
Cervesia Archeosite proved to me, however, that it is
possible to recapture at least a part of the brewing world's past
and still make it palatable. Oddly enough, while Flemish
immigrants were responsible for introducing the English to hops,
it is now their descendants, the Belgians, who are most active
today in spicing up the industry. Dupont is just one of many to
produce a beer of hoary heritage following a folkloric recipe.
Jo Crombe's family brewery, which bears his surname, is the
last in Zottegem to carry on that village's distinctive brewing
style. Inherent in the tradition is the use of spices, the exact
identity of which Mr. Crombe refuses to divulge. His beer, Oud
Zottegems, undergoes a respectable four to five months maturation
in tanks, and will contimue to improve in the bottle for several
years. The sample I tried had been bottled just a few months
before, yet the amber liquid showed remarkable clarity. At that
age, the aroma is quite spicy, hinting at clove, or possibly
coriander. Full-bodied with an undercurrent of honey, the spices
integrate well with the malty palate, making Oud Zottegems a
tradition worth preserving.
Dried orange peels and coriander seeds appears to be among
the most popular of combinations in this area of brewing. The De
Kluis brewery pioneered this melange early on, using it for its
popular wheat beer. This product has become so successful that no
less than five other brewers now follow a similar recipe. There's
a limit, I believe, to the amount of flattery a drinker-or
brewer-can take when it comes to this sort of imitation. Why not
show some imagination and try something unusual in the beer,
perhaps juniper berries and nutmeg? That's what the Riva brewery
adds to its Vondel: The result is a beer with a mildly spiced
aroma and a rich, slightly fruity, off-sour palate. Very pleasing
to my way of drinking--er, thinking--but as of yet no other
brewers have followed the lead.
By far and away the brewery with the most experience in this
field of botanical brewing is Du Bocq, which is located in the
Belgian Ardennes. I was dazzled by the heady fragrance when the
brewery's director, Baudoin Belot, led me into the large walk-in
refrigerator, where a variety of seasonings are stored. In the
several oversize sacks around me were the five kinds of spices Du
Bocq uses for its various brews. Only the brewmaster knows for
sure what blends are employed for each particular recipe, but
with coriander seeds, ginger, dried orange peels, star anise, and
clove at his disposal, the flavor combinations seem nearly
limitless.
As I was feeling somewhat lightheaded when we emerged from
the cooler, Mr. Belot thoughtfully directed me back to his office
for refreshment. Of the beers sampled, I found the use of spices
to be so subtle as to be nearly imperceptible. More noticeable in
the bouquet than the flavor, spices here--and in general--seem to
contribute something of a complexity or finesse to a beer's
palate. I discerned an orange-citrus aroma in St. Benoit; there's
a nuance of star anise--and possibly clove--in La Gauloise; Regal
Christmas enjoys the slightest hint of clove and ginger root; and
Triple Moines's nose and palate are influenced by that old
favorite, a coriander-citrus combination.
It should be noted that Dr. Bierstube is not the only one to
overdo the use of herbs and spices in his brew kettle. The
brewery Huyge, near historic Ghent, produces several fine brews,
including Artevelde and Cuvee de Namur, but when it created
Minty, a peppermint beer, I found the use of mint leaf by the
brewer to be anything but subtle. A similar heavy-handed award
goes to Oud Alkmaars, of the Netherlands. Ginger, not mint leaf,
is the chosen ingredient here, yet even ginger-ale freaks may
find this one has a bit too much "snap."
A far more successful attempt at a ginger ale is made by
none other than Boston's Commonwealth Brewing Co. This brew pub
is conveniently located just one block from the Boston Garden,
the well-known sports arena, and its full range of eight draft
and four bottled ales should prove more than ample for even the
most athletic of thirsts. Among the draft options is a Ginger Ale
that owner Richard Wrigley insists is made with real ginger root
added during the fermentation stage. The resulting brew has a
delicate, spicy ginger palate, and is much milder than Oud
Alkmaars.
Every year as Christmas approaches, the Anchor Steam brewery
treats the beer-drinking public to a special seasonal brew.
Labelled "Wassail," this deep, ruby-hued brew fits the English
tradition beautifully by possessing an immensely complex aroma of
nutmeg, possibly mace, with cinnamon, and maybe even allspice.
The flavor of this full-bodied beer is far less intimidating;
with an emphasis being on a pleasing maltiness and a nutmeg-hops
quality that lasts through to the finish.
Interestingly, Anchor's inspiration for this brew may have
come from across the San Francisco Bay, in Hayward, where Bill
Owens runs Buffalo Bill's Brewpub. Each fall Owens whips up a
garden-fresh batch of Pumpkin Ale, which he describes as being
"adapted from a 1776 recipe of Thomas Jefferson." A 1O-gallon
batch of this historic brew calls for: 16 pounds of pale malt, I
pound Crystal malt, 2 ounces fuggles hops, 10 pounds of pumpkin
(cleaned, sectioned, and baked 1-1/4 hours at 350F), 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice, and 2 ounces
fuggles hops for dry hopping (to be added while the beer ages to
contribute a hoppy aroma).
And so it seems that some brewers both here and abroad have
brought the drinker full circle through the ages of brewing. We
can enjoy spiced beer from the Middle Ages, Pilsner from the 19th
century, Pumpkin Ale that revives the spirit of '76, or we can
even settle for a 20th-century lager. And while yes, a second
helping of Pumpkin Ale sounds tempting, I'm still hesitant about
that pint of Egyptian crab claws.
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Date: Sat, 09 Feb 91 14:17:09 -0800
From: Stephen E. Hansen <hansen at gloworm.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Re: Coffee in homebrew
In HBD 578 Jon Binkley <binkley at boulder.colorado.edu> writes:
>Has anyone used coffee to flavor a porter or stout?
>
>How much should one add for a 5 gallon batch? How fine should
>the beans be chopped/ground?
pHere is a recipe that I have used several times now with excelent results.
It's an extract with adjuncts brew but I don't let that bother me. The
Sierra Nevada yeast culture is not terribly attenuative and the last batch
was a bit sweeter than I'd prefer. Next time I'll use Wyeast's Irish
Stout Yeast that Florian and others have recommended.
This is based fairly on and is still very close to "Baer's Stout" from
Dave Baer of Sun.COM. I call it "Speedball Stout".
4oz Flaked Barley
4oz Medium Crystal malt
6# Dark Australian malt extract
1/2# Dark Australian dry
4oz black patent malt
4oz molasses
2oz cascade (bittering) at 4.7 AAU
0.6oz northern brewers (aromatic) ? AAU
1/3lb Coffee, whole bean (I use Peet's Costa Rican, a fairly dark roast)
We've been using a Sierra Nevada yeast culture for the last few
batches and it's been a very nice brew. Prestarted Wyeast
British Ale yeast has worked well also.
OG: 49 - 51
FG: 17 - 20
Fermentation temp: 55 degF though I've done it much hotter.
Steep 50 minutes at 153 degF: flaked barley and crystal malt
Boil 90 minutes.
Add black patent and molasses at 45 min.
Bittering in thirds each 30 min.
Fill a hops bag with the coffee and aromatic hops and add to the
hot wort just before chilling. If you don't have a wort chiller
you'd better wait until pitching. Remove the bag after about
24 hours or when the fermentation is going strong, whichever is
longer. Rack to secondary once initial fermentation has died
down, about 5 to 6 days. The last couple of times I've left the
bag of coffee beans and hops until racking without over doing the
coffee flavor. This cuts down on the potential for contamination.
Stephen Hansen
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 13:49:52 mst
From: Mark.Nevar at hp-lsd.cos.hp.com
Subject: EKU-28
I'm probably not the only person responding to this, so I'll keep it short.
The 28 in EKU-28 does not correspond to it's strength, per se. It stands for
the original gravity in degrees Plato. Just like bottles of Pilsner Urquell
with the 12 on them. PU is brewed to 12 degrees Plato. EKU is brewed to
28 degrees Plato. A meaurement once done revealed an alcohol content around
13% by volume. I don't have Jackson's book with me to check. I believe that,
like Samiclaus, the alcohol content is not measured with every batch.
Mark Nevar
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 15:03:58 CST
From: Ken Schriner <KS06054 at UAFSYSB.UARK.EDU>
Subject: deterioration of kegged beer
>I have had a problem with homebrew stored in stainless steel kegs
>(the Cornelius/Pepsi variety). The beer is good for the first 3-6
>weeks, but gradually picks up a sour off-flavor. After 10-14 weeks,
>it is virtually undrinkable.
Mine also is virtually undrinkable after 10-14 weeks, because it is
virtually gone (usually after 3 weeks, tops.) I have kept a couple
that long and have some suggestions (read on), but my first suggestion
is to drink more, and more quickly. (If only all of life's problems
were so simple.) There has been much discussion about >fresh< beer
and the desirability of having >fresh< beer.
>The clarity and head retention remain
>as they originally were; only the flavor is affected. It happens
>to all of my beers that I choose to keg (very few at this point)
>regardless of type of beer, type of process (extract or mash), etc.
>The more well-hopped varieties survive a bit longer, perhaps.
>I suggest an infection of some kind; any ideas? The kegs were kept
>refrigerated with CO2 overpressure, the yeast at the bottom was drawn
>off until the beer was clear, and the kegs and all known removable
>parts were cleaned with a dilute bleach solution and thoroughly rinsed
>before using.
>I'd appreciate any suggestions/ideas/similar experiences.
I used to have a problem with the large o-ring making the beer have a
slight Coke smell (my kegs are the coke variety.) I soaked them for
several weeks in a very strong bleach solution, changing the bleach
solution many times. It got rid of that problem.
I also note in your post that you may not have removed half of an inch
from the liquid tube in your keg. I have done that, so that the yeast
remains undisturbed on the bottom of the keg. I don't see how that would
effect the flavor of the beer, maybe others care to postulate about that.
Still, drinking it quicker is possibly the best solution.
Ken Schriner (501) 575-2905 BITNET : ks06054 at uafsysb
U of A, Computing Services Internet : ks06054 at uafsysb.uark.edu
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 15:45:14 -0600 (CST)
From: Brian Capouch <brianc at zeta.saintjoe.EDU>
Subject: Re: EKU-28
In Homebrew #579 Jeff Benson writes:
>Eku-28 is the barley wine produced by the Eku brewery, the 28 referring
>to its proof (being 14% alcohol).
Then later, Depeche writes:
>To the best of my knowledge, EKU-28 got it's name from it's strength.
>28% Alcohol.
I think they're both wrong. If I remember properly, EKU-28
(Kulminator--which would indicate that its style would properly be
called a Dopplebock) has a starting *gravity* of 28 degrees Plato. It
seems that Europeans are able to parse such figures better than we are;
Moretti Doppelmalto (sp.?) has 18 with a little degrees mark on the foil
on the neck of the bottle. It's a pretty strong beer in its own right,
to give you an idea of how tremendously alcoholic EKU is. Jackson, if I
remember right, in one of his books says that it would most properly be
served, "in tiny kegs, to be found around the necks of St. Bernards."
Several knowledgeable people in the micro- and pub brewing industry have
complained that lots of beginning *professional* brewers don't know
about the Plato measure; it's discussed in most of the books on brewing
that I have.
Brian Capouch
Saint Joseph's College
Rensselaer, IN
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 15:05:03 mst
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Re: EKU-28
I've heard of and tried EKU-28 and have seen it in a liquor store
in Champaign, IL as recently as last October. I don't recall
seeing it here in the Chicago Metro area, though. As I recall,
it tasted quite alcoholic (I tried it about 8 years ago). You
might try Celebrator Dopplebock by Ayinger (sp?) as a substitute
for a high-alcohol commercial beer and try dopplebock recipes
as a starting point. EKU-28, although I wasn't very fond of it,
reminds me of a guy with whom I went to UofI. He bet us all that
he could drink 6 EKU-28 in one night. He did (actually he had 6.5
because the guy at the store let us try a bottle in the store).
We didn't catch him "calling Ralph on the big white phone" but
wasn't that the night that he piloted a dumpster into Boneyard
Creek?
Al.
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 14:23:02 PST
From: polstra!jdp at uunet.UU.NET (John Polstra)
Subject: Re: EKU-28
In HBD #579, Jeff Benson <benson at chemsun.chem.umn.edu> writes:
> Eku-28 is the barley wine produced by the Eku brewery, the 28 referring
> to its proof (being 14% alcohol).
In the same HBD, rkaye at polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Depeche) writes:
> To the best of my knowledge, EKU-28 got it's name from it's strength.
> 28% Alcohol.
Don't you just love the net? One question, two different answers,
and IMHO (backed up by a reference), both of them are wrong! Don't feel
bad, guys, this happens all the time on the net.
EKU-28 is a German Double Bock. The "28" refers to its original gravity
in degrees Plato (which is roughly the same as degrees Balling). 28
degrees Plato corresponds to a specific gravity of about 1.112.
Quoting Michael Jackson's New world Guide to Beer (p. 51):
The alcohol content of the famous E.K.U. Kulminator 28-degree
version has reached a height of 10.92 (13.5).
[The two numbers are percent alcohol by weight and by volume, respectively.]
I saw quite a bit of EKU-28 in bottles at grocery stores in Munich during my
visit there last month. In discussing Bocks with the locals, I never
heard anybody mention it. That leads me to suspect it's not one of the
best Double Bocks available in Munich.
John Polstra polstra!jdp at uunet.uu.net
Polstra & Co., Inc. ...!uunet!polstra!jdp
Seattle, Washington USA (206) 932-6482
"Self-knowledge is always bad news." -- John Barth
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 17:47:59 EDT
From: cmorford at umbio.med.miami.edu (Speaker-To-Bankers)
Subject: Garlic beer (fwd)
Forwarded message:
> From dummy Wed Feb 29 12:12:12 1990
> Date: Sun, 10 Feb 1991 13:14:54 EST
> From: "44636::DEE" at e814b.phy.bnl.gov (James Dee)
> Subject: Garlic beer
>
> In Papazian's "Complete Joy of Homebrewing," he mentions some garlic beer his
> friends brewed ("It goes great with pizza"). Has anyone had any experience
> with garlic beer? My friends and I are interested in trying it (in small
> quantities), and we'd appreciate any advice you could give us. Thanks.
>
> --Jimmy Dee
>
I have tasted this EXACT garlic beer, brewed by the same people...
The taste is quite strong, and the smell too...From talking to these people,
and their friends, the best use for it is to cook seafood (Provided that you
like garlic shrimp and the like).
I could get their recipe and post it here if you're really interested.
Charles Morford (Speaker-to Bankers)
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 14:37:20 PST
From: robertn at fm1.intel.com (JEEPSRUS)
Subject: Another Sacto Beer Fest!!!
WHAT: Second Greater Sacramento Home Brew Fest
WHEN: Saturday, April 13th
WHERE: Robert Nielsen's place
8005 Dana Butte Way
Citrus Heights
We had so much fun last October, that we're going to do it all
over again! There were six brewers, with a couple different
beer types each. It was interesting to taste a variety of beers
made by a variety of brewers!
So, if you live anywhere near Sacramento California, come on
over, and bring a beer of your choice. This is two months advance
notice, so you even have time to brew a quik batch!
Be careful if you want to bring a brown ale though, (We had 4 or 5
R+R Brown Ale's last time!).
I'll be providing munchies that go together good with beer.
Robert
robertn at folsm3.intel.com
916-725-7311 h
916-351-2250 w
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 1991 18:50:53 -0500
From: "N. Zentena" <zen at utcs.utoronto.ca>
Subject: a couple of questions
Hi,
I have a couple of questions for those of you who are using a beer
keg as a brew pot. It seems the only type I can get has fill hole
about half way up the side[I think that this is patchable? If it
isn't can I leave the wooden bung in?] but otherwise seems ok. Is there anything I should look out for? Anything
I should get done to the keg while it's at the welders? Also would a
pair of 30 litres(7.5US gallon)pails be big enough to sparge 15-20 of
grain? BTW I will be doing mainly [totally?] infusion mash.
On an unrelated matter does anybody have an all grain version
of the raspberry stout that appeared in Zmurgy awhile back?
Thanks
Nick
zen at utcs.utoronto.ca
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 17:46:15 mst
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Re: Re: Crackin grain
I'm afraid I've deleted the posting, but I'd like to try to answer
the question anyway (as best as I can from memory).
There are two reasons to avoid grinding the grain too finely:
1) stuck mash -- when sparging the grain, if the grist is too fine,
it can "clog" your lauter tun, and
2) boiling husks -- if your grist is too fine, you can get husk particles
in your boil which is not usually recommended (boiling husks will
extract tannins which, in larger concentrations, cause astringency
and chill haze (the tannins react with the proteins in the beer and
produce a haze when the beer is chilled)).
The literature recommends breaking each grain into 3-5 pieces, however
a representative of Briess Malting Co. (sp?) said at a lecture, that
many breweries literally powder their Black Patent and don't bother to
keep it out of the boil. She didn't say why, but maybe (and this is
all pure speculation on my part) the flavor of Black Patent covers up
the astringency, maybe there are no tannins left in BP, maybe BP is
used in such small amounts by breweries that the effect is minimal,
maybe some other reason. Any ideas?
Al.
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Date: Sat, 9 Feb 91 13:02:54 pst
From: hplabs!garth!phipps (Clay Phipps)
Subject: Aquarium-pump-driven Heat Exchanger?
A few months ago, one of this mailing-list's regulars (Norm Hardy?)
reported on his continuing efforts to find an appropriate pump
to drive a heat-exchanger-style wort chiller. In the last episode
that I read, he thought that he was close to a good solution.
Out here in Too-D*mn-Sunny California, we are entering what looks
like the 5th straight year of a drought, and a heat exchanger
design for a wort chiller looks like a good way to minimize
the waste of our precious water during the brewing process.
Could whoever was working on this project please give us an update,
including identifying the manufacturer and model number
of the pump used?
[The foregoing may or may not represent the position, if any, of my employer, ]
[ who is identified solely to allow the reader to account for personal biases.]
[This article was written & mailed during the weekend, not the business week.]
Clay Phipps
Intergraph APD: 2400#4 Geng Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303; 415/852-2327
UseNet (Intergraph internal): ingr!apd!phipps
UseNet (external): {apple,pyramid,sri-unix}!garth!phipps EcoNet: cphipps
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 91 23:38:18 PST
From: fredc at pro-humanist.cts.com (Fred Condo, sysop)
Subject: A Trip to Germany & Denmark
A while ago, I mentioned that I was going on a trip that would include
Germany and Denmark, and asked for tips. Thanks to all who wrote me. It
turned out that I couldn't squeeze in nearly as much beerology into my trip
as I had fantasized. Next time, I'll have to make a real beer trip, as this
trip only whetted my appetite for some really fabulous lagers. I only make
ales at home, so it was interesting to be in the land of real lager, as
opposed to the uninteresting commercial lagers we generally have here in the
States.
As it turns out, I only have three points of interest worth posting about,
one in Munich and two in Denmark. Here are excerpts from my notes:
December 5, 1990, Andechs (near Munich)
The weather in Bavaria is cold and overcast. Last night we had lightning and
thunder and rain, but today we had a gentle snowfall.
On October 3, Norm Hardy wrote about the Andechs Kloster brewery, a monastic
brewery whose coasters boast "Since 1544." Norm said that they served a
Spezial Helles and a Dunkel Doppelbock. Today, they were serving the Helles,
but the Bock was a single. I had 0.5 l of each, the Bock with lunch, and the
Helles afterwards. Since it's the off-season, the bus from Herrsching was
nearly empty, and there was no one in line for the self-serve lunch and beer
service. The dining hall was about 1/3 full, populated with local people
(some in traditional Bavarian feathered hats and liederhosen) and a few
tourists from elsewhere in Germany. A couple from Hamburg were the only other
people at my table. (It's a little weird being a solo tourist.) However, I
have nothing but good things to say about avoiding the tourist season.
On to the beer: The Dunkel Bock was a deep, reddish brown, and crystal clear.
The nose was aromatic with hops, but not overpowering. The flavor was
perfectly balanced, without any cloying sweetness or bitterness. There was a
hint of caramel in the foreground. The finish was clean and hoppy. This was
an amazingly smooth beer. In many lagers, you get a strong malt and a strong
hop flavor/bite. In this bock, the hop and malt flavors were so completely
blended that I could hardly tell where the malt ended and the hops began.
This can only come from patient aging.
The carbonation was fairly low, and the head died fast, but the lacework
stayed on the glass mug until the busser took it away and dumped it into a
tub of water. The lacework was a visual clue to the great mouthfeel of this
beer. The beer was fairly low in alcohol taste for a bock, but I could feel
the effect after finishing 1/3 l with lunch.
The Spezial Helles shared many of the fine characteristics of the Bock, so
I'll concentrate on the differences. The color was medium golden, and the
head was rocky and short-lived. The flavor was a bit more bitter, since there
wasn't the caramel flavor of dark, sweet malt. The bitterness lingered long
and pleasantly on the tongue, nearly 30 seconds!
Both the bock and the helles had very, very small bubbles, less than 0.1 mm
in diameter. Also, both seemed higher in alcohol than your typical homebrew
recipe, but then again, I'm still suffering from jet lag, so that could be
it. There wasn't an alcohol taste to these beers. And I'll say it again: I've
never had smoother beer.
December 19, 1990, Copenhagen
On September 25, Chip Hitchcock (cjh at vallance.eng.ileaf.com) mentioned a
brewpub in Copenhagen near the main entrance to Tivoli. Of course, Tivoli was
closed in December, but a friend and I managed to find the place. (It helps
to know that a main entrance is called a hovedingang in Danish).
The name of the place is Bryggeriet Apollo (The Apollo Brewery), and it seems
aimed pretty squarely at a tourist crowd, judging from its location near one
of the biggest tourist attractions and from the prices (19 kroner for a 25 cl
glass of lager). That works out to nearly $3.50 for an 8-oz. glass. According
to the nice-looking bilingual (Danish/English) brochures they had at each
table, the "slim 25 cl glasses" are to make sure "that the dense foam will
not collapse and that the beer will not go flat while you are enjoying it."
This is not to say that it wasn't worth it. Despite its tourist orientation,
the interior was very nice, an airy multi-level brick building decorated
yuppie style with the hand-made (then-East-)German brewkettles prominently
featured in the middle. The front of the pub was a deli/pub area. More
restaurant-like sections were downstairs and in back up half a level. The
place was not crowded (another time I was glad to be travelling in the off-
season). We sat in front and sampled the two brews available in December,
their standard Apollo Lager and Jul 0l--Yule Ale, or actually, Christmas
Lager. (That 0 stands for a slashed O.)
The Christmas Lager was amber, with good head retention (maybe those slim
glasses work!) and lacework. The unfiltered beer was slightly turbid. The
flavor and nose were subtle and well-balanced, much less assertive than a
German lager, and smooth and clean. There was a pleasant hop aroma. The
finish was clean.
After that, we tried the Apollo Lager, which was actually very similar in
both appearance and characteristics. The only differences were a slightly
lighter color and a lingering, pleasant hops aftertaste.
That was that, and then it was off to the train station.
Earlier, the conference I was attending went on the Carlsberg tour. This was
a huge operation. It was interesting to see the accreted buildings, with
19th-Century neoclassical stuff alongside modern ultrautilitarian industrial
buildings. The best line out of the tour came out of the narration of the
multimedia presentation they have: "Carlsberg Brewery," the narrator intones
as the film shows shots of the statue of Thor in his chariot that decorates
the pinnacle of the old brewhouse, "is not the oldest brewery in the world,
but, with each passing year, it becomes older."
The tour included a tasting of several beers. I didn't take any notes, but I
recall that the two best beers were a reproduction of their first beer, a
dark, somewhat sweet lager from 100 years ago (also mentioned by Chip) and a
black-label premium lager. Their other beers were pretty boring, really,
considering Germany was only a few dozen km to the south...
===
Fred Condo | Pro-Humanist BBS
Inet: fredc at pro-humanist.cts.com Bitnet: condof at clargrad | +1-818-339-4704
UUCP: crash!pro-humanist!fredc [add ' at nosc.mil' for ARPA] | Secular humanism
PO Box 2843, Covina, CA 91722 America Online: FredJC | stands for reason.
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Date: Fri, 8 Feb 91 09:57:48 CST
From: hplabs!ardent!uunet!inland.com!pals
Subject: Rotten Egg Smell
Seth Eliot writes:
>This is only the third batch that I've brewed, but this is a first for
>this problem.
>The beer has an odd "sulfurous" smell. I describe it as "sulfurous"
>becuase of its similarity to the "rotten egg" sulfur compound smell.
>(not nearly as strong or noxious though).
>any ideas?
In "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing", Papazian writes (page 109):
"Occasionally homebrewers will experience a rotten egg aroma in their
fermentation. This is not an unusual occurrence of fermentation. It is
caused by certain strains of yeast that produce hydrogen sulfide that is,
in turn, carried away by carbon dioxide. Changing your yeast will remedy
the problem".
As only a beginner myself, I can't add any information to the guru's
statement!
Randy
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 11:12:31 -0500
From: hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Beer deterioration in Kegs
10-14 weeks!! You're just not drinking fast enough! Beer is a fresh product,
and its flavor will change over time. I have been using 3 gallon kegs. I have
been typically cold aging them 1-2 weeks to allow the beer to settle and
brighten. This is similar to the lagering that German Ales undergo (as per
Norm H's discussions from his trip to Germany). I then try to drink them in
the next 3-4 weeks. I think that 10 weeks is the upper limit. I have noticed
that even in this time frame the flavor changes. I doubt youhave an infection
Steve, just a fresh living product susceptible to flavor changes.
The one suggestion I would make is to perhaps change your yeast. What yeast do
you use?? The type of yeast will effect how long the beer can survive. Even
after chilling there will be yeast in the beer (unless you cold filter) and
the properties of the yeast strain may have an effect.
I've been using Whitbread Ale mostly of late.
- jay H
hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Badges, We ain't got no badges, we don't need no stinking badges......
Gaia Erda Anat Danu Kali Mawu
(Earth is Our Mother - We Must Take Care of Her)
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 11:37:51 +0800
From: lcarter at claven.idbsu.edu
Subject: homebrew competition
I would like to post the following homebrew competition notice and info.
The Gem State Homebrew Competition
April 21, 1991
Sponsored by the Ida-Quaffers Homebrew Club of Boise, Idaho
Entry deadline March 29, 1991. 5 P.M.
$5 first entry $3 for each additional entry. Make checks payable to
Ida-Quaffers.
Entry is 4 12 oz. bottles.
The Gem State Homebrew Competition is AHA and HWBTA sanctioned.
For entry forms or more information contact me at this forum, or at
Loren Carter
3401 Tamarack Dr.
Boise, Idaho
83703
(208) 342-4775(H)
(208) 385-3473(W)
Be sure to send me your mailing address as I have not figured how to copy
and send a document this large via e-mail.
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 14:43 EST
From: HERREN%midd.cc.middlebury.edu at mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: Homebrew
Hi-don't know if this address is the listserver itself or just for more
information. I'd like to be added to the list for homebrew in any case if
there is a human on the other end of this. My stats:
David Herren
Academic Computing
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753
802-388-3711 x 5558
Internet: Herren at midd.cc.middlebury.edu
Bitnet: Herren at midd
Fidonet: David Herren, 1:325/201 (David.Herren at f201.n325.z1.fidonet.org)
thanks.
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 14:57:27 -0500
From: jpb at tesuji.dco.dec.com (James P. Buchman)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #578 (February 08, 1991)
> About seven years ago, when I lived in Southern California, I used to have
> a beer at a German restaurant called EKU-28. It was about 13 or 14%
> alcohol. I don't know if it even was technically a beer, but I liked it at
> the time. (I don't know if I still would). I have tried to find it since
> and meet with stares and blank expressions. . . .
>
> Am I mentally deranged, or is/was there such a thing as EKU-28. If so, is
> it still made, or can it be approximated at home?
>
> Dan
EKU-28 does exist, and is (IMHO) one of the vilest substances sold for human
consumption. It is clear and reddish, and is similar in flavor to Thomas
Hardy or Old Nick ale, but far harsher. I first tried it at Bertha's in
Fells Point, Baltimore; and before long we were using Oatmeal Stout as a
chaser. I've seen it in many of the better beer stores in the
Baltimore/Washington area. Not sure how you would make it -- doesn't
yeast die off at around 10% alcohol content? -- but it is probably similar
to a barley wine. Like them, perhaps the flavor mellows with age.
BTW, I'm getting ready to brew my second batch (a porter), am new to this
digest, and am enjoying it immensely.
Jim Buchman
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 21:12:40 -0500 (EST)
From: Douglas Allen Luce <dl2p+ at andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Distributor-type kegs
I am considering brewing the beer for a party in March. I figured I'd
whip up something fairly light to appease the masses.
My limited experience to date (all of 6 months worth) has been
restricted to bottled beer. I figure that for the volume this party
might require, I should go keg.
Money is my driving factor for this venture. Of the kegging
discussions I've read in the digest, I've only come across obscure
references to anything but soda cylinders.
What I'm wondering is if a half-keg (the normal distributor-type 15
gallon barrels) can be employed as a dispensing vessel with any luck.
I figure that I could get three of these on deposit, yank out the
stuff in the neck, clean it out with some sort of solution, fill it
full of the fermented beer, prime it, replace the stoppering setup,
and let it carbonate naturally. Then I could use a hand pump (from
the distributor) to dispense the beverage.
Since getting the CO2/regulator/support is prohibitivly costly for me,
this seems like my only (and best) alternative (other than buying the
kegs full).
I've no idea how to undo the lock on the keg, no idea how it should be
cleaned, no idea if the carbonation can complete successfully in this
vessel. I figure that there must be answers to these questions.
Auxiliary considerations are aluminum/stainless steel. I figure I'd
bite the bullet on the metallic taste aspect, and not worry about this
alzheimers crubbage right now. And, since the consumption would be in
a single day, I'm not worrying about oxidation due to the hand pump.
Thanks in advance to anyone who would share their experience with me.
Douglas Luce
Carnegie Mellon
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 21:08:32 -0700
From: "Warren R. Kiefer" <oopwk%msu.dnet at TERRA.OSCS.MONTANA.EDU>
Subject: Question : Final Gravity too High ?
Is this going right ???
I'm not sure if I'm worrying too much or not, please help.
I have a batch of brown ale (per Dave Miller's recipe) sitting quietly in the
carboy as we speak(type !). Anyway, here is what's happening, I put this batch
in the carboy on the 21st of Jan., the yeast I used was cultured from a Sierra
Nevada bottle (several actually). The fermentation started out like normal,
creamy white head on top of beer, bubbling every 4 seconds or so. After 3 days
the airlock was no longer bubbling, so I assumed the fermentation was complete
- -- WRONG. The gravity was still about 1029 after starting out at 1035, so I
racked the beer into a second carboy at which point fermentation began in
earnest once again (bubbling every 4 seconds or so). In fact, it's bubbling at
an unbelievable rate, it's overflowed, the house is full and it's oozing out
into the drive way. Anyway is this good for the grass?? (Just Kiddin) :*)
Next after approx. 8 days it slowed down to 1 bubble/minute, so I racked
into another carboy, checked gravity - THE PROBLEM - it's still at 1022, it has
been sitting in this carboy for 2 days with no signs of any activity. Now my
question is, could this be the final gravity or should I consider pitching some
other type of yeast ??
The recipe is a variation of the brown ale in Dave Miller's book, I am
a beginning brewer (just a few batches under the belt).
1 cup black patent
2 cups crystal
1 cup dextrin
1 lb. brown sugar
1 oz. fuggles
1/4 oz. cascade (finishing)
1 3.3lb can of John Bull light extract (unhopped)
1 lb. domestic light dry malt extract
I made a batch identical to the above last time without the dextrin malt
and used M & F yeast in it and the final gravity came out to 1005. So the only
difference is the dextrin and the Sierra Nevada yeast. Could the dextrin malt
change the final gravity by that much ?? By the way, my friends and I thought
the last batch WAS outstanding.
Sincerely,
Low on homebrew and possibly thinking about worrying !!
Warren R. Kiefer
All opinions are mine alone !!
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 23:45:53 est
From: "Dan Schwarz" <dan at chaos.cs.brandeis.edu>
Subject: Homebrew Digest #577 (February 06, 1991)
please remove me from the homebrew list. Thanks!
_Dan
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Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 10:34:09 PST
From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at decwrl.dec.com>
Subject: Wort Overnight
In HOMEBREW Digest #578, tim "Where's My Shift Key?" wicinski asked:
> .... i usually leave my batches sit overnite with a closed lid since
> i usually have one too many homebrews while making it and get lazy.
> anyone see problems with this (i haven't)?
Neither have I, but I've gotten the most alarming reactions when I
describe this approach. After the boil, I chill the wort down as much
as I reasonably can, first by running tap water through my immersion
chiller, then switching to recirculating ice water. Usually I get
down to the low 40's to mid 30's Farenheit, depending on ambient air
temperature and the volume of ice, in about an hour. I then strain
this icy wort through my (sanitized) lauter tun to separate it from
the hops, and leave it overnight in a capped carboy. By morning the
break material has neatly sedimented out, and the wort has warmed up
to a reasonable pitching temperature, so I dump my yeast culture
into the fermentor, and rack the trub-free wort in on top of it.
Works great.
The usual stated objection to this is infection. I'm not all that
concerned. Any critters landing in the wort during the hops
straining operation (the only real opportunity) would be rendered
comatose by the cold. Unless I let the wort sit all day, it's
unlikely they could recover in time to gain an advantage
over the yeast. As a practical matter, they never have yet. The
key is getting the wort cold enough, fast enough.
= Martin A. Lodahl Pac*Bell Minicomputer Tactical Planning/Support =
= malodah at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM Sacramento, CA 916.972.4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) =
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 09:06:38+050
From: Jim Culbert <culbert at m43>
Subject: mashing equipment
I saw the discussions about finding a burner big enough to boil
large quantities of liquid last week. Saw some info last weekend
that I just remembered. Service Merchandice has on sale (as we speak)
a 135,000 btu propane setup. The burner was about $50.00 and used a
standard gas grill tank & fitting setup. The tank was about $19.00.
These prices may be off a bit but the whole thing was pretty cheap
I recall.
Second I have been playing with a way to control temperature of small
mashes that I have been using in partial mash recipes (getting my
feet wet for the real thing :-)).
I have an old electric frypan which has a thermostat to control the
pan temperature. I fill the pan with water and set my mash kettle in
it. I then set the thermostat to the "desired" temperature and
sit back and watch. Notes,
1) The thermostat is pretty crude on these things so I had to play
around to find the settings which achieved the desired mash temperatures.
When I found them I re-marked the dial on the thermostat.
2) I'd achieve even better control if I wrapped insulation around my
mash bucket.
I've only done this for small mashes (2.5 - 3.0 gallons) but have had
good results. I'm so glad I didn't throw it out when I tossed the
Ginsu knives and the Salad Shooter.
-Jim
===========================================================================
> Jim Culbert <
> M.I.T Intelligent Engineering Systems Laboratory <
> Room 1-270 <
> Cambridge, Ma. 02139. <
> <
> e-mail: culbert at iesl.mit.edu => 18.58.0.76 <
===========================================================================
* When cows laugh does milk come out their nose? *
===========================================================================
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 09:47:56 EST
From: "Jeff McCartney (541-7340)" <JEFFFT%SYBIL at rti.rti.org>
Subject: EKU-28
In response to the EKU-28 mail messages I read last week, allow me to quote
from Fred Eckhardt's "The Essentials of Beer Style":
"The high alcohol content [of dopelbocks] lends a 'barleywine' flavor to some,
and indeed doppelbocks do fit the barleywine profiles, except they are bottom
fermentd. ... [Eisbocks] are extra-strong doppelbocks created by freezing the
beer ("ice-bock"), and removing some of the water in the form of ice. This has
the result of concentrating the beer, making it much stronger, and
sweeter-tasting on the palate." He includes EKU 28 in this category and
provides a profile of EKU 28 as having 9.3-9.4% alc/wt (i.e., 11.6-11.8%
alc/vol) with hop ibu levels of 26-29.5. EKU 28 gets its name from the fact
that the original gravity expressed in Plato units is between 27.5 and 28.8.
Indeed, as someone else responded, it is available at many Washington D.C.
area Safeway food stores and liquor stores. I haven't had it in ten years but
I certainly remember thinking the taste wasn't good enough to want me to have
it again. Plus the price has been jacked up to about $12.00 a six-pack!
Still, next time I'm up there, I'll buy a bottle. I'd rather spend that kink
of money on something that tastes good like any Samuel Smith's product. As an
aside, if one must try EKU 28, then one must try Samiclaus. In the DC area,
Samiclaus used to be available at Safeways and many liquor stores. But this
year it was harder to find with the response of many liquor store owners saying
"it doesn't taste good, it doesn't sell well, and it costs a lot". And
for the last two years, they discontinued brewing their "pale" and now only
offer "dark". The good news is the stuff ain't bad after keeping it around for
a year or two!
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 1991 12:31:35 EST
From: S_KOZA1 at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Stephan M. Koza)
Subject: re:re:EKU-28
Hi All,
According to Ekhardt's "The Essentials of Beer Style" EKU-28
is listed as an EISBOCK, these are "distilled" using a freeze-thaw method to
increase octane. It is illegal to do this 8-) and the FBI could come
calling.
Stephan Koza
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 91 11:55 CDT
From: GM0551S <GM0551S at ACAD.DRAKE.EDU>
SUB HOMEBREW GEORGE MILLER
Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #580, 02/13/91
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