HOMEBREW Digest #635 Mon 13 May 1991
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Please unsubscribe me from the list (Steinthor Baldursson)
Legality of Selling Cider (Ted Stefanik)
mash tun design; fresh beer (BAUGHMANKR)
candy sugar ("Peter Karp")
Two-handled cappers (Ron Rader)
Some basic hop information (flowers)
Bleach concentrations (flowers)
RE>Homebrew Digest #634 (Rad Equipment)
kegs, CO2, Old P - book, filter (pmh)
Re: AHA First Round (Steve Dempsey)
Re: boiling speciality grains (Paul Bigelow)
getting the copper out (mike_schrempp)
moving to oregon (kevin vang)
Alternative Grains (C.R. Saikley)
Books (Ken Johnson)
Miller (card)
chlorine removal, stout kits (Darren Evans-Young)
Cider Sales (hersh)
Re: fresh beer (dbreiden)
Root Beer (John Schmidt)
Making wheat beers from extract (Randy Tidd)
star of david in brewing (mbharrington)
Las Vegas Beer (hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!att!drutx!homer)
National Homebrew Competition (hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!att!drutx!homer)
what can you make with beer? (Stephen Brent Peters)
submission ("David Taylor, Hardware Maintenance")
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmi at hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmi at hplabs.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues]
Archives are available from netlib at mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 11:16:11 GMT
From: steinbal at rhi.hi.is (Steinthor Baldursson)
Subject: Please unsubscribe me from the list
In real life : Steinthor Baldursson
- --
*************************************************************************
Steinthor Baldursson Internet: steinbal at rhi.hi.is
University of Iceland UUCP: ...!mcsun!isgate!rhi!steinbal
*************************************************************************
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 08:38:23 EDT
From: ted at evi.com (Ted Stefanik)
Subject: Legality of Selling Cider
> > 2) The legality of selling it at roadside stands.
>
> >I have read that the Federal Government allows New England natives to
> >sell limited quantities of hard cider from roadside stands - not even
> >requiring a license or taxes! But I'm not sure if this law has any
> >provisions - and then there's the state. I'd love to try selling some,
> >but not at the expense of spending a weekend in jail.
>
> Reading this makes me wonder if you live in the same United States that I do.
> The federal government not requiring taxes on the sale of alcohol????? I
> *strongly* recommend that you ask the nearest office of the US Bureau of
> Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the state Liquor Control Board and get
> permission in writing before trying this.
I have a book on making cider called "Sweet & Hard CIDER, Making It, Using It &
Enjoying It", by Annie Proulx and Lew Nichols, published by Garden Way
Publishing, Pownal Vermont. It is copyrighted in 1980, but in its fifth
printing in 1990; I don't know if it was revised in the mean time. It has a
chapter called "Cider and the Law", which says the following about the Feds:
The Federal law reads:
Sec. 5042. Exemption from Tax. (a) TAX-FREE PRODUCTION. --
(1) CIDER. -- Subject to regulations by the Secretary, the
noneffervescent production of the normal alcoholic
fermentation of apple juice only, which is produced at a
place other than a bonded wine cellar and without the use
of preservative methods or materials, and which is sold or
offered for sale as cider and not as wine or as a
substitute for wine, shall not be subject to tax as wine
nor to the provisions of subchapter F.
However, before you start siphoning off jugs of your cellar's best to
sell to passing cider lovers, check with your state officials --
either the Department of Liquour Controls or the State Attorney
General's office for the laws and regulations of your particular
state that govern the manufacture and sale of cider. These laws vary
considerably from state to state...
The book also mentions that "surprisingly few farmers and apple growers in the
US take advantage of this exemption". Too bad :-(
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 1991 10:16 EST
From: BAUGHMANKR at CONRAD.APPSTATE.EDU
Subject: mash tun design; fresh beer
Chip Upsal requested hints on how to improve his mash tun design:
A small point. You don't have to solder anything with that type of
design. Just fit the copper caps onto the open ends of the tubing.
You want it to leak. That's the whole purpose.
Bill Crick asked about fresh beer::
I made the same mistake, Bill. There was a time when I wouldn't touch
my homebrew until it had 'aged' three months. That was in the old
days of marginal extract and I thought the extract 'tang' would go
away if it aged longed enough. Hogwash. The objectionable extract
'tang' will never go away. Use good ingredients and when the beer
tastes good, drink it. Most pubs serve their beer when they're only 1
week old. I don't recommend drinking it that young but I have had
some beers that peaked in a month, held for a month, then started
going downhill by the time they were three months old. By going
downhill I mean the hop character started degenerating.
The rule of thumb here is the more hops and the more alcohol in
the beer, the more the benefits from a little ageing. Light bodied
lagers, bocks, sweet porters, viennas, etc. can be drunk rather early
on.
Relax, don't worry, and quit waiting. Have a homebrew!
Kinney
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 10:48:00 EDT
From: karp at unix1.cs.umass.edu ("Peter Karp")
Subject: candy sugar
According to several recipes for Trappist ales, candy sugar is a traditional
additive to the boil. What is candy sugar. I have heard it described as
either glucose or beet sugar. Is corn sugar a suitable substitute?
Peter
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 10:00:10 EDT
From: rlr at bbt.com (Ron Rader)
Subject: Two-handled cappers
Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at PacBell.COM> sez:
>Two-handled cappers are traps for the unwary.
As a minor data point, I've used my cheapo two-handled Jet capper to
bottle ~5 5 gal batches, and had absolutely no problems with breaking bottles
whatsoever. And I'm not that light-handed, I was a little rough with the
first batch (after all, you want those suckers to seal up TIGHT, right? ;) )
and now the cheapo pot metal handles bear permanent curves.
Not that I wouldn't mind a better capper, but I've really had decent
luck with my two-handled Jet.
- --
ron rader, jr rlr at bbt.com OR ...!mcnc!bbt!rlr = Opinions are my own and do
| | i gotta six-pack & nothing to do... = not necessarily reflect those
| | i gotta six-pack & i don't need you = of BroadBand Tech. (SO THERE!)
*** Punk ain't no religious cult, punk means thinking for yourself - DKs ***
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 1991 10:48:50 -0600
From: flowers at csrd.uiuc.edu
Subject: Some basic hop information
Hops grow best above the 50th parallel which is why Washington and Oregon
are hop country. That's not to say they WON'T grow anywhere else. It's
always worth a try.
Hops like lots of sun. At least a half day of sun is required.
Hop rhizomes are usually only available in the spring but a place like
Freshops might still have some. You won't get much harvest this year
starting so late, but you'll be all set for next year. (First year
harvests are usually poor anyway.)
Hops are very hardy, being able to stand freezes and constant cold weather.
They can be planted in early March without much worry. Indeed,
established rhizomes are already sprouting at that time.
Harvest time varies with variety. Some are ready by late summer, others in
the fall.
I received my hops from Nichols Garden Nursery. I don't have the number or
address on hand but they usually sell out by late fall. (They may even get
their rhizome supply from Freshops because my directions came with a
reference to Freshops.) Anyway, Nichols is an excellent company and
guarentees their products. When my hops didn't come up last year, they
placed a reorder for me at no cost with no questions asked. Of course, I
had to wait an extra year to receive the hops. I'll post their address if
there's interest. I don't know the Freshops address. BTW, Nichols carries
several (4 I think) varieties and include good directions.
-Craig Flowers (flowers at csrd.uiuc.edu)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 1991 10:49:02 -0600
From: flowers at csrd.uiuc.edu
Subject: Bleach concentrations
>Bottles I have just received from elsewhere (a liquor store, etc) are some
>of the grossest things I've ever laid eyes on. I'd say over 50% have
large,
>nasty mold colonies growing in the bottom. I've found cigarrette butts
and
>even *live* bugs in the bottles. So, my routine for these "new" bottles
>is (1) fill about 2 inches with *strong* (1 oz. per gallon or more) bleach
>solution. Soak overnight - this should loosen the mold colonies.
Once again we see the assumption that more is better. Randy I suggest you
try a lighter bleach concentration even with these 'new' bottles. It can't
hurt to try it once and you might be suprised at how effective 3
tablespoons of bleach per 5 gals of water can be.
When your clothes are really dirty, do you add an extra cup of bleach to
the washer? Why do it now? (Admittedly though, 1 oz per gallon may not be
THAT bad, just as long as it doesn't turn into 1/2 cup per gallon.)
-Craig Flowers (flowers at csrd.uiuc.edu)
Return to table of contents
Date: 10 May 91 08:51:00
From: Rad Equipment <Rad_Equipment at rad-mac1.ucsf.EDU>
Subject: RE>Homebrew Digest #634
Reply to: RE>Homebrew Digest #634
Regarding the appearance of the "Star of David" in brewing establishments in
Europe: I believe that the six pointed star was also a frequent symbol among
the alchemists of days gone by. Seems to me I read this in Jackson's World
Guide as well, so the association is made through the "science" connection with
alchemy rather than any religious ones with Judaism.
As for using rye for brewing: Grant Johnston, brewer at Marin Brewing in
Larkspur, CA, has used rye. I have not sampled the results. I will see Grant
on the 22nd at the Malt's general meeting and ask him for some comments on the
subject so I can post them here.
Russ Wigglesworth <Rad Equipment at RadMac1.ucsf.edu>
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 11:54:11 EDT
From: pmh at media-lab.media.mit.edu
Subject: kegs, CO2, Old P - book, filter
After four years of grad school and homebrewing in England
I've just move back over the Atlantic last October. I've
been reading with interest for the past few months and
figured maybe I'd make a few comments and questions that
might be of interest to some readers:
1) kegs (or pressure barrels in the UK). Why do plastic
pressure barrels cost so much over here?? They cost about
15 pounds ($25) in England and here they ask $70 here! Anyone
have a source for less expensive barrels? I brought one
over on the plane and I use it with a very cheep CO2
system. There are two kinds you can get. The first uses an
automatic injector that takes the small cartridges that are
normally used on seltzer bottles (the injector is made by
Edme and I've seen it for sale at Barley, Malt and Vine
617/327-0089); the second uses a manual injector (I think
Edme or Boots, UK makes them - but I've never seen them
over here) that takes a much larger CO2 cartridge that is
intended for a SodaStream drink maker ( they are 12" high
and probably 30x more CO2 than the small ones).
SodaStream drink makers are small carbonation systems
that are very popular in England (sold at all Boots chemists
and Tesco's food stores). To my great pleasure I found an
American supplier that sells the drink makers (about $20),
many soda extract syrups (all Schwepps products), and,
most importantly, the CO2 refills (for only $4 each with
free shipping over $12!! - they don't even take a deposit on
the cartridges!) The company is:
Schwan's Sales; 115 W. College Drive; Marshal, MN 560258
1-800-282-2244 ask for the Cap-Your-Own division.
Unfortunately, they don't sell the connectors that go onto
the pressure barrels - anyone going to England can get one
for ~$17 at any Boots. or maybe someone knows where to
get one here??? The only problem I see with this type of
system is that you can't monitor the pressure - but don't
worry - it works just fine.
2) Anyone know a recipe for Old Peculier (Theakston),
Bishop's Tipple (Gibbs Mew), or Skullsplitter (Orkney)
(three of my favorites). I once saw a book in England called
"Making beer like those you can buy" but I haven't been
able to find it since (there or here)... any help? I know Old P
is some kind of Brown Ale using Molasses, but I don't know the
recipe.
3) To filter out the hops and stuff I use one of those large
flat circular screens that are intended to keep spattering
fat from hitting your face when frying up bacon. The large
fine surface doesn't clog as easy as those stupid funnel
screens. Warning: better get your own rather than steal
someone else's.
4) you people worry more than my mother! I never even
heard of anyone using a fermentation lock for beer until I
came here! A loose lid always did the trick for me in
England. Are there different bacterias here or is it just
paranoia?
Cheers,
------------------------------------
Paul Hubel USQUE AD MORTEM BIBENDUM
------------------------------------
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 10:24:15 MST
From: Steve Dempsey <steved at longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu>
Subject: Re: AHA First Round
The East/West-coast folks report that the AHA first round judging
was a resounding success. I wish I could be as enthusiastic about
what transpired in Boulder.
There was no major snafu as far as I know, but once again there were
too many beers and not enough judges. Eight sessions held over four
days were not quite enough to judge 900+ entries. Most flights were a
full 12 entries. Depending on how many entries were received, the last
flight in some categories ended up with 11 or 14 beers. A few similar
categories were combined in a flight. I judged four sessions on four
days: Munich Helles(12), Fruit lagers(5)/ales(9), Bavarian Pils(11),
and Fruit ales(12). Some of the judges worked two sessions in one day,
with an hour or two break between; these folks were showing definite
signs of fatigue half way into the 2nd session. At the conclusion of
the last scheduled session on Saturday afternoon, there were some 35
entries remaining to be judged. A few judges were recruited to finish
them off at one extra session the following Tuesday.
The minor problems included misplaced entries -- beers showing up
in the wrong categories. This could have been the entrant's fault
in specifying the wrong class, or a handling error. Some of the
specialty beers were not labeled as to their unique ingredients.
Melomels, fruit lagers & ales, herb beers, etc. were identified
only by category. This was probably an omission on the entry
form as most entries clearly listed special ingredients. Four
of the fruit beers I judged were not labeled. A few of them
remained unidentifiable even after the evaluation!
Everyone got a good laugh when during the last session on Saturday,
Charlie Papazian opened an entry with a loud POP! Everything within
five feet was doused and foam gushed violently. Charlie stood up
and said "we're judging still meads". There was not really enough
liquid left in the bottle to judge it and the score sheets were
drenched. The cover sheet remained and a comment was recorded:
"Please do not ever enter a sparkling mead".
I can hardly wait for the second round and the conference!
Steve Dempsey, Center for Computer Assisted Engineering
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 +1 303 491 0630
INET: steved at longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu, dempsey at handel.CS.ColoState.Edu
UUCP: boulder!ccncsu!longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu!steved, ...!ncar!handel!dempsey
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 13:44:38 EDT
From: Paul Bigelow <bigelow at waterloo.hp.com>
Subject: Re: boiling speciality grains
Dale Veeneman says:
> I haven't noticed strong tannins with Burch's method,
I made a (supposedly Guiness-like) stout in which I left my speciality
grains in for the full boil, and got a very definite tannin bite.
I think I may have got the recipe from Burch's book.
Papazian says that a small amount of sour beer gets added to real
Guiness, and I found that to some extent the tannin bite mimics the
sour beer. However I only like tannin in my teacup, so next time I'm
only going to steep.
Paul Bigelow bigelow at waterloo.hp.com
Return to table of contents
Date: 10 May 91 07:52 -0800
From: mike_schrempp%42 at hp4200
Subject: getting the copper out
In HBD 634, Chip asks about better ways of getting his copper tube out of his
cooler. I solved a similar problem, getting copper tubing out of my wort
chiller, using a compression fitting available in the plumbing department of the
hardware store.
If you don't know what a compression fitting is, it is usually used to connect
a copper tube to a pipe. A standard pipe screws onto one end, and the copper
tube is stuck into the other and a nut tightened to make the seal. The inside
if the fitting usually necks down to prevent the tubing from goint too far into
the fitting. For our use, this is exactally what we want. I used a hand reamer
to enlarge the inner diameter of the compression fitting housing so the tubing
could go straight through. This was easy, and could also be done with a drill or
even a round file.
Now, to attach the fitting to the plastic bucket, screw it onto a close-close
pipe nipple (1" long piece of pipe threaded at both ends) and stick this through
the hole in the side of your cooler. Add a washer made from an old inner tube
and screw on a pipe coupling. I used a plastic pipe nipple and cut off about
.25" of threads from a plastic pipe coupling. This keeps the plumbing on the
inside of the bucket from being too long.
If you are using 1/2" tubing, all the parts can be purchased for less than $2.
This sounds tricker than it really is. The plumbing guy (or gal) at the hardware
store can probably show you how to put it together if you ask, and will probably
demonstrate the use of a hand reamer so you won't need to but one.
Here's a picture:
cooler
wall
||| Washer from inner tube
Compression fitting -----+ ||| /
| ||| / 1/4" from pipe fitting
V ||| / /
||| / / Pipe
+-------------|||x __ / / Your tubing
|^^^^^^ +----vvvvvv|||x| | / /
| | /^^^^^^^^^^^^\ / /
+ --------+ \------------/ /
***********************************************
out <------ ---> to grain bed
***********************************************
/+---------+ /------------\
/ | | \vvvvvvvvvvvv/
/ |vvvvvv +-----^^^^^|||x|__|
/ +-------------|||x
/ |||_______________________
/ |________________________/
/
Ream out this opening to fit tubing through
I've left off the nut part of the compression fitting.
Hope this helps,
Mike "give me a CAD system" Schrempp
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 11:57:00 CDT
From: kevin vang <MN033302 at VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: moving to oregon
Here's another "I'm going to _________ and need to know _______" posting.
I've just been accepted into graduate school at Oregon State Univ. at Corvallis
so I will be moving there next fall. I'm also going there at the end of May to
look for a place to live. So, therefore, I would like to know: Are there any
HBD readers in or near Corvallis? Where might a person go to look for good
beer (or food, for that matter)? Is there a homebrewing club in Corvallis?
Please e-mail responses directly to me. Thanks in advance,
Kevin Vang -- Math Dept. -- Minot State University -- Minot ND
amusing quote here
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 10 May 91 11:34:51 PDT
From: grumpy!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Alternative Grains
From: kswanson at casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Kurt Swanson)
>Has anyone out there ever tried using rye in brewing? Besides
>barley, I've heard of wheat, oats, corn and rice being used in
>brewing, what about rye?? What other grains am I missing?
I have never used rye myself, but I have tasted a rye beer. A friend
of mine is a professional brewer who still finds time to brew at
home. He tends to get pretty experimental at home and does things
that may not go over well at the brewery. One of his experiments was
a rye beer.
The beer was pale in color and big in flavor. It was high in alcohol,
had lots of body and was relatively lightly hopped. These attributes
helped to bring out the character of the rye. Both the aroma and flavor
had spicy and bready elements. It was somewhat reminiscent of a loaf of
pumpernickel (no - really!!). If you can get ahold of the raw materials,
it's definitely worth checking out.
This brew was made with both malted barley and malted rye, which is
*extremely* difficult to find. Great Western (a large American malting
company) made an experimental batch of malted rye, and my friend managed
to get 10 pounds. They do not make it on a regular basis. Malted rye is
made in Scotland for the distilleries, but to my knowledge no one has
started importing it. The demand just isn't there. You could try using
unmalted rye, but the results would surely be different. Mashing would
get trickier also. Unmalted rye has no enzymes, so you'd probably have
to use a lower rye/barley ratio. Depending on the temp at which rye
starches gelatinize, you may have to cook the rye before mashing. It
may also tend to gum up the mash, making sparging more difficult.
Nonetheless, it would be worth a try if you're interested in alternative
grains.
On a similar note, the Capital City Brewing Co in Middleton Wisconsin
makes a wild rice beer. It's quite good if fresh and not light struck
(green bottles :-Q). Don't know much about how they make it though.
I've been formulating a recipe using blue corn in the mash. Don't quite
know what to expect, but the color should be interesting.
CR
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 11:57:02 PDT
From: kjohnson at argon.berkeley.edu (Ken Johnson)
Subject: Books
I'd like some opinions on the following books:
Brewing Lager Beer - Noonan
Principals of Brewing Science
Yeast Culturing - Leistad
Send me e-mail on what you think.
Thanks
kj
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 14:44:20 EDT
From: card at apollo.hp.com
Subject: Miller
I completely disagree with the recent assessments of Miller's book.
I think he's a fanatic. If you're the type that likes spending more
than 2-3x the time to complete a task (IE. rinse your bottles 6 times),
than necessary, by all means use this book as your bible. But really,
Papazian has it all over this guy!
However, I still recommend that you buy it, but use it only as a
reference.
/Mal Card
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 15:15:39 CDT
From: Darren Evans-Young <DARREN at UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Subject: chlorine removal, stout kits
Using a chlorine test kit designed for swimming pools, I tested tap water
and water that was being boiled. To my surprise, even after 30 minutes
of vigorous boiling, there was still a substantial amount (4-5 ppm) of
chlorine left. The original level was 5-7 ppm. However, testing the
water the next morning revealed no remaining chlorine. This is the second
time that I have done this test with the same results. My next batch
I'll be more scientific with the timings to see how long one should boil.
I have two John Bull stout kits (3.3 lbs) and looking for a good stout
recipe. I've found the "Mega Stout" recipe in the archives, but it uses
Munton and Fison's stout kit. Can I substitute the John Bull for the M&F?
Are they close in flavor/strength? I've heard that there is a big difference
between stout kits.
Darren
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*
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| The University of Alabama Internet: DARREN at UA1VM.UA.EDU |
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 16:59:57 EDT
From: hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Cider Sales
Can't speak for the Fed, but in NYS the ABC laws do allow for sale of hard
cider at roadside stands. I think this is cause the cider tends to go hard
naturally and the provision was put in to prevent cider makers who sell their
product from being prosecuted from inadvertantly selling alcohol when cider
they were selling went hard. Cider sales are a pretty big seasonal business in
some parts of NY.
I do disagree with Lou C. about certain aspects of cider making. I've been
doing this for a few years, and while it has required some tuning I don't think
it's all that complicated and would encourage others to give it a try.
E-mail to me (hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu) and I'll try to put together a how to do
it mailing. You best wait for the fall though as you will find much better and
fresher cider to start with then.
>Two-handled cappers are traps for the unwar
I've had the 2 handle Italian capper for years. Never had a problem. I oil the
joints once a year and it works like a charm, makes me regret I've gone mostly
to kegging :-)!! Oh also the one I have has these little metal plates that
make it the right height for beer bottles, but pivot back to work on champagne
bottles (American type), have a closer look at your capper, perhaps you've
overlooked this feature on yours (I did for the first 2 years I had mine :-)
>start setting a little money aside each month for a
>good capper. They're lots cheaper than Cornelius kegs.
Ah but nowhere near as much fun as drinking right from the keg tap :-) :-)
From Bill C.
>I consider a few months to be minimum, six months better, so what
>is it with the "fresh beer"??
Bill did you used to drink a lot of imports?? Perhaps you've just grown
accustomed to that stale beer taste. Urban Myth has it that someone once did a
taste test with fresh imported beer, and imported beer bought through retail
outlets (ie OLD) and the consumers preferred the old stuff since it was what
they were used to. Sigh....
We've been through this before, but in general beer is a fresh product that
undergoes spoilage. Now the big CAVEAT is that certain styles are brewed to
require aging. On the ale side those styles typically have high alcohol
content, or as someone else put it "big" body (ie higher residual sweetness).
On the lager side, well lagering is typically part of the brewing process and
is done before bottling, but for homebrewers this can often be done in the
bottle, but basically aging for lagers is a COLD storage process which avoids
spoilage through temperature control.
Now I do cold condition my ales, at 35F for 2-4 weeks and it has an excellent
effect, but I would never dream of aging these same beers at room temp.
JaH
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 17:27:45 -0500
From: dbreiden at mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Subject: Re: fresh beer
Bill Crick was wondering about the fresh beer fanaticism he's seen.
A relevant issue was beaten to death in rec.food.drink recently; some
people got to wondering about the shelf life of homebrew which got
people preaching about when beer is best, etc.
Of course, it is simply a matter of taste. Personally, I think the fun
part is trying to detect the change in beer over time and to decide
if that batch got better or worse. As far as stamping dates, I like it
because it's nice to know. With Bud, I have no idea how old it is.
With freshness dating, I can drink a beer and say, "Wow, and that was bottled
last Christmas!" or whatever.
Fresh, young, old, whatever. We all will drink the stuff when we want
to, but it is nice to know just how old the stuff is.
- --Danny
subscriber since isuue # ... well I don't know how long.
but who really cares anyway?
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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 17:37:41 PDT
From: jschmidt at antares.Tymnet.COM (John Schmidt)
Subject: Root Beer
I brewed a batch of root beer from concentrate--Hires, using double the
extract--and it came out marvelously. Does anyone have any non-extract
recipies for root beer that they would care to share?
John
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Date: Sat, 11 May 91 15:15:20 EDT
From: rtidd at ccels2.mitre.org (Randy Tidd)
Subject: Making wheat beers from extract
I know this thread came up a month or two ago, but I can't remember
what came of it. My local brew shop just got some wheat extracts in
and I want to make a wheat beer. The extracts are 3.3lb cans of all
wheat extract. Does anyone have any recipes for making a wheat beer
from extract? What I was thinking was 3.3lbs wheat extract, 3-4lbs
light extract, maybe 1/2# Crystal and 1/4# Chocolate malt. I'm
not sure about the hops. Do I add extra hops to compensate for the
sweetness of the wheat? Also, what sort of yeast should I use? I
don't think my brewshop had any special wheat-loving yeast, but I
could order some. Please reply via e-mail to rtidd at mwunix.mitre.org.
BTW I made "Toad Spit Stout" from Papaizan's book a while ago and
was sort of worried after tasting it at bottling time -- I went a
little crazy with the specialty grains (1/2# each Black Patent,
Roasted Barley and Chocolate) and 3oz of high-alpha hops gave it
a very bitter edge. But after aging in the bottle for 5 weeks,
it's looking like it's going to be really good! I've gotta learn
to be patient! I'm going to make it again in a few months, but this
time i'll try to add soured beer to it according to the method
posted to rec.food.drink. What is it, something like 3 or 5 percent
soured beer in the fermenter?
Randy Tidd
rtidd at mwunix.mitre.org
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Date: Sat, 11 May 91 23:31:20 PDT
From: mbharrington at UCSD.EDU
Subject: star of david in brewing
Michael Jackson's New World Guide to Beer says that the star of David
is associated with brewing because it is also a symbol of alchemism,
which used to be associated with brewing. I believe that someone
asked about this a few days ago...
- --Matt
Matthew B. Harrington Internet: matt at ucsd.edu
University of California at San Diego Recycle or Die.
Biophysics Think! It's not illegal yet.
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Date: Sun, 12 May 91 12:38:13 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!att!drutx!homer
Subject: Las Vegas Beer
Brewpubs are not legal in Nevada yet.
There are two places to know about though.
The American Grill at the Rio, (~1 mile off the strip) has a large
selection of American bottled beers. They have Anchor and Serria Nevada,
several regionals, and few mass market beers.
O'Shays (sp), between the Flamingo Hilton and Imperial Palace. Guinness
on tap fits in with their Irish theme.
Good luck
Jim Homer
att!drutx!homer
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Date: Sun, 12 May 91 13:11:06 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!att!drutx!homer
Subject: National Homebrew Competition
We are also finished in Boulder. We did the last 25 beers in a special
session at Dave Welker's house last Tuesday.
There were 9 total sessions this year, all but the last were at the Boulder
Brewery. Most flights were of 12 beers, as has always been the case.
We had about 12 come in for beds for brewers last weekend. The party at Dave's
house was of course great.
The entries were:
889 Boulder
389 Boston
349 San Francisco
1627 total, the division was about as we had expected.
Thanks to all who participated.
Jim Homer
att!drutx!homer
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Date: Sun, 12 May 91 21:28:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Stephen Brent Peters <sp2q+ at andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: what can you make with beer?
On wednesday we're going to have a party and I'm going to try out two
reciepies I've found - Beer Bread, and Scandanavian Beer Pancakes.
If anyone has any recepies for interesting foods with beer in them,
please send them to
sp2q at andrew.cmu.edu
we'd love to try them out!
We'll be using whatever beer we happen to have around at the time (no
homebrew, tho)
and I'll post if we turn up anything really interesting.
p.s. if you're interested, write and I'll send you a copy of what we have.
Hot Grits! Hot Rats! Hot Cats! Hot Zits! YOU
Stephen Brent Peters, sp2q at andrew.cmu.edu CAN ASK
Ha! I just stole all your Slack! ME ANYTHING!
"I'm pretty sure I've got my death ray in here somewhere"
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Date: Mon, 13 May 91 11:43 EST
From: "David Taylor, Hardware Maintenance" <DAVID at phillip.edu.au>
Subject: submission
Regarding the recent discussions on growing hops. I have some plants
(Ringwood Special, a bitter variety) that have had a rough time over
the last few years. Originally the root cuttings came from an established
and spreading hop garden belonging to a long time local home brewer. I
planted them in our suburban garden and got a small crop the first year.
To dry the flowers I fastened flywire over the end of a tall cardboard
carton and used a fan heater blowing warm air in at the bottom. After
running overnight the aroma in the room was glorious! I noticed the
fresh hops had the yellow aromatic resin (lupulin?) all over them -
far more than the whole flowers bought through the usual supplier.
The flavour carried through to the grain brew made with them. It had
a fresh hop character and perfume that I haven't achieved since.
As for the plants - when we moved to rented accomodation I dug up the
roots and potted them, where they suffered our poor care and lack of
water for two years. Last summer (too late) I planted them into permanent
beds. Two vines valiantly struggled up to about 5 feet them faded with
the coming of colder weather. I've been told that you can't kill hop
plants! I'm holding out great hope for next season.
By the way, in Victoria, Aust. hops are a declared noxious weed so
growing your own is not encouraged!
Cheers... David Taylor
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #635, 05/13/91
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