HOMEBREW Digest #5986 Mon 31 December 2012


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


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Contents:
  Spiced Winter Ale (Joseph M Labeck Jr)
  Spiced winter ale question ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  Sparkling Mead Not Sparkling (Michael)
  More on Sodastream and its cousins (Sandy C)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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 $3500 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. Financial Projection as of 03 December 2012 *** Condition: Cautiously Optimistic *** 501(c)3 status rescinded. Refiled 1023 for retroactive status 25 June 2012. Did not hear back within 90 days; therefor, must assume that there are issues and our case must be assigned to an agent. IRS is currently assigning applications received in February 2012. Ours was received in June. We will not have our status reinstated for the 2012 tax year. To current financials, HBD is officially bankrupt in May. Due to recent political developments, HBD.org will likely have to be dissolved per the bylaws once funding runs out. Projected 2012 Budget $3191.79 Expended against projection $3137.96 Unplanned expenditures $ 331.88 Projected Excess/(Shortfall) $1282.62 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, Spencer Thomas, and Bill Pierce
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 10:15:31 -0500 From: Joseph M Labeck Jr <jmlabeck at joesjokearchive.ws> Subject: Spiced Winter Ale Hi, all; I have a question for the collective. I've made this a few times. The flavor isn't bad, but not where I want it. First, here's the recipe, partial mash. 2 lbs 2-row malted barley 8 ozs 40L crystal malt 8 ozs chocolate malt 3 lbs light liquid malt extract 1 oz sweet orange peel 2 tbs ground cinnamon pkt dry ale yeast I've never been able to get the orange and cinnamon to come through with the intensity I want. So, what do you do? Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 10:47:44 -0500 From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <hbd at spencerwthomas.com> Subject: Spiced winter ale question Joseph asks how to get better orange and cinnamon intensity in his spiced winter ale. The obvious answer is "use more!" Spicing beers is a tricky thing. It's sometimes really hard to predict how the spices will come through at the end, after boiling and fermentation. But there are ways... First, you usually want to add your flavoring elements near the end of the boil, or even after you've turned it off. The compounds that produce the spice flavor and aroma are volatile, and will be driven off boiling. Some flavors will remain, but the most delicate components, the ones that really highlight the flavor, will be gone. Fermentation can also drive out volatiles, which leads to the next tip. I learned this one from Randy Mosher. I'm sure it's in more than one of his books. The trick is to use neutral alcohol, such as vodka, to extract flavors, producing flavor "tinctures". Most flavor and aroma compounds are soluble in alcohol, even when they're not very soluble in water. You can then adjust the result with precision. Steep each of your flavoring elements separately in a small amount of vodka. You might put a teaspoon of cinnamon into an ounce of vodka, for example. Then pour a measured amount of beer, say 100ml or 4oz. Add the flavored vodka using a medicine dropper until you get the intensity of flavor you want. Once you've figured out the right ratio, you can scale up to the full batch. Do this for each of your flavors, and you can nail the intensity and balance quite easily. Example: in 100ml of beer, you add 1ml of your cinnamon tincture to get the cinnamon character that you're looking for. If you've got 5 gallons (19 liters) of beer, you will need 190 ml of tincture to get the same cinnamon flavor in the full batch. Using my example above, you'd steep about 6.5 tsp of cinnamon in 200ml of vodka, then strain it through a coffee filter into the beer. One of the beauties of this technique is that you can use it to add flavor after your beer has finished fermenting. So, if you start with a recipe like Joseph's, and you aren't getting the intensity you wanted, you can easily "pump it up" before bottling or kegging. You can even spike individual glasses of beer just before you drink them. I've used this technique a number of times, and it's never failed me. =Spencer in Ann Arbor, MI Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 11:55:47 -0600 From: Michael <blairdad at everestkc.net> Subject: Sparkling Mead Not Sparkling Hoping some of you mead makers can help me. I brewed a basic mead on 10/22/11 using champagne yeast. Bottled the mead on 5/28/12. Starting gravity was 1.105 and the final gravity was at 0.998. At bottling, I split the batch so I could try my first sparkling mead. The 3 gallons of still mead is doing quite well, but the 2 gallons of sparkling mead is not carbonating. When I split the batch, I added 1 ounce of bottling sugar (no stabilizers) with the hopes of a lightly carbonated sparkling mead. Instead, I have a noticeably sweet still mead with just a hint of acid on the tongue (as if carbonation started, but never completed). The mead is in beer bottles (some capped, some flip-topped) and has been stored in my basement for 7 months since bottling. The basement temperature is consistently between 66-70 degrees F. Anyone ran across this before and solved the sparkling mead not sparkling problem? Thanks. Michael Blair Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:26:54 -0500 From: Sandy C <scockerham at sbcglobal.net> Subject: More on Sodastream and its cousins > Pat, > > I'm not sure if the info in the following link will be useful for you. ( I'll also attach a review of this device that might give someone more ideas for home grown fixes. ) > http://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm > http://co2doctorfreedomoneplusreview.blogspot.com/2011/04/review.html?m=1 > > And this site this sells adapters to the cylinder > http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_ id=1102 > > But what you really might like is sold here, but I think it is an alternative carbonator device. It has photos that may prove to be of use. > http://sodaco2.com/fillstation.html > > I'd be interested in what the gear folks come up with since hauling little tanks around is much preferred. Honestly though, it sounds as though Sodastream is the least adaptable of the lot due to the proprietary tanks. > Sandy in Indy > >> >> >> >> >> Contents: >> Carbon Dioxide adapters for Small Tanks ("Wallace, Robert S [EEOBS]") >> Sodastream ("Steve > >> >> If >> JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning, >> Spencer Thomas, and Bill Pierce >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:12:28 +0000 >> From: "Wallace, Robert S [EEOBS]" <rwallace at iastate.edu> >> Subject: Carbon Dioxide adapters for Small Tanks >> >> Pat Babcock asked: >> >> "Has anyone put together a rig to refill the little Cylinders from a >> >> draft system tank? Also, wondering if anyone has figured out an >> >> adapter to make those little cylinders useful for our draft systems?" >> >> I can't help you with the Sodastream CO2 system or refilling it, but I did >> make an "emergency" adapter which has a CGA 320 male carbon dioxide fitting >> that I can mount my beer system regulator on that adapts to a 1/8" NPT >> fitting on my son's paintball CO2 supply hose. I can get the paintball >> cylinder refilled almost any time at a sports store here in town, even on >> weekends. The local machine and welding supply store set me up with this >> simple two part adapter which gives me some insurance that I will always have >> enough CO2 around to dispense my beer at parties, etc. if my main tank is >> getting uncomfortably low in gas. It is worth the ca. $10 investment, just >> for the pace of mind. It may be possible to do the same thing with the soda >> system canisters. >> >> Good luck with the new soda system!! (I was looking at getting one of these >> too!) >> >> Rob Wallace >> >> Ames, Iowa >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 07:50:26 -0600 >> From: "Steve Johnson" <sjohnson3 at comcast.net> >> Subject: Sodastream >> >> Pat, I was wondering the same thing when I first saw the Sodastream >> advertisement. >> >> In particular, I was wondering about how it might be used to charge up a PET >> bottle >> >> for use with a liter or so of beer to take to our homebrew club meetings. >> I've been >> >> using those special carbonator caps for a while now, and our local guys at >> Rebel Brewer >> >> have found a source for stainless steel carbonator caps that have a much >> longer >> >> lifetime, apparently. But the Sodastream looked like it might have similar >> applications. >> >> I'll be eager to see if anyone responds to your query. >> >> Steve Johnson >> >> Music City Brewers >> >> Nashville, >> Return to table of contents
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