HOMEBREW Digest #637 Wed 15 May 1991

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator


Contents:
  Germany (Rob)
  HBD No's 635 & 636 ("Dr. John")
  Re: Roggen (Fritz Keinert)
  ?'s (Russ Gelinas)
  dates for beer fest??? (pmh)
  Hops 'n questions ("KATMAN.WNETS385")
  Homebew supply stores on Je (Bob Hettmansperger)
  Homebew supply stores on Jersey Shore?
  mead ferment times (Ken Johnson)
  Wheat Beer (MC2331S)
  Hops & NY, Gingered Pale Ale at AHA Conference (hersh)
  pilsener urquell (CCL-L) <wboyle at PICA.ARMY.MIL>
  MALT (BEER) VINEGAR. ("DRCV06::GRAHAM")
  rye in beer (florianb)
  Re:  Sanitation (Greg Wageman)
  Capping Bottles (IOCONNOR)
  Grolsch Bottles (IOCONNOR)
  Varia (Norm Hardy)
  Strange hoplike herbs (Paul Michelman)

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: Tue, 14 May 91 04:26:03 CST From: Rob <C08926RC at WUVMD.Wustl.Edu> Subject: Germany My in-laws are traveling to Germany, Austria and France soon. What beers should I ask them to bring back for me? I'd like to get some that are not available in the states. BTW, is EKU Kulminator Urtyp Hell available in the U.S.? Thanks! Rob Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 07:58:00 EDT From: "Dr. John" <JELJ at CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu> Subject: HBD No's 635 & 636 In HBD #636 C.R. Saikley mentions a wild rice beer. Just to set the record straight, this is brewed by the Capital Brewing Co., Madison, next to Middleton, is the capital city of Wisconsin, but the brewery name doesn't contain "City." I have yet to taste this brew, though all the other products I've had from this brewery have been very good. Just to add my empirical evidence to the two-handled capper discussion, I have broken the tops off of a few bottles with mine. Haven't done so since I received a Colona(?) single-handled capper for Christmas a couple (3?) years ago (probably due to the fact that I retired the 2-handled job then :-)). The Colona capper is capable of capping some types of bottles I couldn't cap with the 2-handler, and also speeds up my bottling considerably. In today's digest, Rob Derrick asks about "God is Good" I beleive this is a term that was used for yeast, in the period before its importance in brewing was understood. There were other terms, I beleive "barm" was one of them though am sure someone will correct me if I'm mistaken :-), that were used in that period also. Good brewing, Dr. John Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 07:19:41 CDT From: Fritz Keinert <keinert at iastate.edu> Subject: Re: Roggen >> A couple of pubs near where I was living in England were selling a beer >> called Rogen around the end of last year and beginning of this year. It ^^ You probably mean "Roggen". "Rogen" means "roe", as in fish eggs. "Roggen" is rye. >> is made by the Bavarian brewer Thurn & Taxis, and the pubs also sold their ^^ Thurn & Taxis is one of the largest privately owned German business conglomerates, maybe THE largest. Sort of like Rockefeller or Trump. Apparently, there is also a brewery in there (or several). >> Hefeweizen (wheat beer - also widely available at Tesco supermarkets). For those who don't know: "Hefe" means yeast. A Hefeweizen still contains lots of yeast and is cloudy. The filtered, clear stuff is called "Kristallweizen". Fritz Keinert phone: (515) 294-5128 Department of Mathematics fax: (515) 294-5454 Iowa State University e-mail: keinert at iastate.edu Ames, IA 50011 Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 1991 8:54:01 EDT From: R_GELINAS at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Russ Gelinas) Subject: ?'s A couple of them: I've seen a couple of people mention putting black patent malt into wheat beers. Is that a common practice? Every wheat beer I've had/made was light colored and flavored, with no call for black patent. I don't see how it would fit. Also, I think you *should* use a good amount of aromatic hops (Hallertau works very well) in a wheat beer. It may not be "in the style", but the combination of the big head and the light flavor makes a lighter AAU hop very noticeable. Try it. I guess that's only one ?. Russ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 09:19:12 EDT From: pmh at media-lab.media.mit.edu Subject: dates for beer fest??? Does anyone know the dates and location for the CAMRA "Great British Beer Festival"? I went to it last August in Brighton and liked it so much I want to go back... thanks, ------------------------------------ Paul Hubel USQUE AD MORTEM BIBENDUM ------------------------------------ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 15:49 GMT From: "KATMAN.WNETS385" <6790753%356_WEST_58TH_5TH_FL%NEW_YORK_NY%WNET_6790753 at mcimail.com> Subject: Hops 'n questions Date: 14-May-91 Time: 11:51 AM Msg: EXT01082 Hello, 1) if you grow hops be prepared; they take over and may strangle your other plants. Put them in a separate area or use that plastic stuff you bury as an underground fence. I'm planning to start a batch (extract only) in about 2 weeks. 2) Are Grolsch type bottles ok to put homebrew in? 3) What effect on my beer will a small vibration have? The only place to put the fermenter is near the washers on the cement floor. Bottled beer will be upstairs, so any sediment will be able to settle out in the bottle. Lee Katman == Thirteen/WNET == New York, NY =Do not= use REPLY or ANSWERBACK, I can not receive mail in that fashion. Please send all mail to INTERNET katman.wnets385%wnet_6790753 at mcimail.com OR MCIMAIL EMS: wnet 6790753 MBX: katman.wnets385 Return to table of contents
Date: 14 May 91 12:41:31 From: Bob Hettmansperger <Bob_Hettmansperger at klondike.bellcore.com> Subject: Homebew supply stores on Je Time: 12:36 PM Date: 5/14/91 Subject: Homebew supply stores on Jersey Shore? Help. I live in Monmouth County on the Northern Jersey Shore (no, that's *not* what I need help with) and I'd like to find a homebrew supply store that's not too far away. I figure there's got to be one around, but the closest I've come so far is in Manhattan. Can anybody help? Thanks Bob Hettmansperger (I also receive email at bobh at twinkie.bellcore.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 11:11:30 PDT From: kjohnson at argon.berkeley.edu (Ken Johnson) Subject: mead ferment times I was wondering how long before the activity of the yeast slows down in this mead. I bought 15 lb of honey for 5 gal. It's been fermenting for about five weeks right now. OG 1100 SG 1060 right now. If it will finish near 1000, how long is this going to take before I can bottle? The yeast was Red Star Champagne, and the ingredients were water and honey. Should I add some yeast nutrient next time? kj Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 13:46 CDT From: MC2331S at ACAD.DRAKE.EDU Subject: Wheat Beer After seeing the wheat beer tips inthe last issue (624?) I have my own question. Has anybody ever used M&F wheat extract? It is, I think, 55% wheat and 45% barley. Does it work? Is is good? In a similar vein, does anybody have a {extract} recipie for Berliner Weisse? Mark Castleman Big Dog Brewing Cooperative MC2331S at ACAD.DRAKE.EDU Beer is our business, and we're late for work -- Locomotive Breath Steam Beer Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 14:46:44 EDT From: hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu Subject: Hops & NY, Gingered Pale Ale at AHA Conference My understanding was that upstate NY and Western Mass. were big hop growing regions, but shortly after the opening of the West (in a commercial sense) in the late 19th/early 20th Century more hops began to be grown out West. I was told that the final nail in the coffin of Eastern hop growing was a nasty fungus which destroyed the commercial viability of the crop in this region. Hops acreage now is tightly controlled by the USDA and one needs to be registered and/or licensed to grow hops. This has to do with some type of bidding system to insure an adequate supply for commercial breweries. Sounds like restraint of trade to me though... And a warning to all planning to attend the AHA conference. I am brewing up a batch of my soon to be infamous Gingered Pale Ale (4 oz chopped ginger, 2oz Eroica + some Sticklbract), talk about a beer with a bite. Look for it at the AHA club night or the Wort Processors Courtesy Suite. JaH Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 15:19:07 EDT From: William Boyle (CCL-L) <wboyle at PICA.ARMY.MIL> Subject: pilsener urquell >Has anyone tried (preferably successfully) to make the Czechoslovakian >Budwieser Budvar? At risk of stirring up national pride, dare I say I >prefer it to the American Budweiser. Is this the same as pilsener urquell, anyway, my question is in TCJoHB there is a recipe for pilsener urquell called "Propensity Pilsener Lager". In this recipe it calls for Bierhaus Light Lager Kit, and Lager yeast. Has anybody brewed the Pilsener urquell, if so could you post the recipe. Also is it a true Lager or a Steam Beer. I can't find Bierhaus Light Lager Kit, and what type of Lager yeast, there are so many? B^2 Return to table of contents
Date: 14 May 91 15:25:00 EDT From: "DRCV06::GRAHAM" <graham%drcv06.decnet at drcvax.af.mil> Subject: MALT (BEER) VINEGAR. I have had good luck making cider and wine vinegars, but have never tried a malt vinegar. I'm informed the technique is basically the same: You start with a vinegar mother for the kind you want and some of the basic ingredient and let it acetic acid ferment for a few months. What I am wondering is if anyone here has tried it with different styles of beer. I'm sure a malt vinegar made with a Pilsner would be rather different from one made with a Porter. Any adventursome souls out there who like malt vinegar on fish? Dan "Beer made with the Derry air, (Derry, New Hampshire). Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 13:20:57 PDT From: florianb at chip.CNA.TEK.COM Subject: rye in beer For the benefit of the person who inquired about using rye in brewing. I have used rye with good success in the past. I purchased the rye by the pound at a nearby feed store. I cracked it along with my other grains (I brew all grain) and mash it along with the malt. The recipes I have dreamed up use maximum 1 pound of rye, but there is no reason why more could not be used. According to Papazian, it converts readily in a normal mash, even though it has no or very little enzyme. The enzyme is provided by the balance of the malt. I have used it in both lager and ale. It imparts a flavor which I can only describe as "pointed." It appears to accent the bitterness of hops, the dryness of pilsener, and the statement of strong ale. If these words are insufficient to describe its flavor, I'm sorry. For better information, you could try it yourself. Another grain I've had delightful results with is triticale. I buy rolled triticale at the local giant food store out of the bulk bins. I add it in the amount of 1/4 to 1/2 pound per batch of beer, again all-grain recipes. It goes in right in the mash in the beginning. Note that I do a protein rest at 122 degrees F for 30 minutes. This grain seems to impart smoothness to the brew. BTW, rye will not add cloudiness to your brew; in fact, it may help clarify the beer. Don't ask me how. florian Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 13:47:51 PDT From: greg at cemax.com (Greg Wageman) Subject: Re: Sanitation I just have to stick my two cents in after reading all the postings saying, "I don't worry about sanitation, and have only had X bad batches out of Y...". First of all, depending on where you live (and how often you clean), the number and kind of flora in the air differs tremendously. I've brewed in a basement condo in southern New Hampshire, and now do so in the S.F. Bay area. Both areas have two things in common: dampness (in the form of humidity here, drought notwithstanding) and a propensity for mold. Mold spores are present in the air constantly in humid areas, and will settle and grow on virtually anything the least bit damp (for example, the inside of rinsed, uncovered beer bottles). Needless to say, sanitation is of the utmost importance in this kind of climate, otherwise homebrew tends to develop a grey-green head in the bottle. Not a pretty sight, and even worse for the flavor. The human mouth is another wonderful repository for bacteria of several kinds. Most will happily grow in your homebrew. This is why starting a siphon with your mouth is a bad idea. If you are siphoning from the secondary, it will take longer for the bacteria to get started, but if you lager or age in the bottle for any length of time you *will* see an infection. The bacteria will digest sugars that yeast will not, leading to drier and drier beer, gushers and grunge. Yuck. Secondly: I don't know about the rest of you, but I find brewing to be a fair bit of work. Like most people who work for a living, I don't have a whole lot of free time to waste, so if a little bit of extra care in sanitation is going to save me from having to toss the product of several hours labor and ~$30 worth of materials because of an infection, I'm all for it. So, I guess the point is this: if you can get away with poor sanitation because of where you live, or don't mind dumping an occasional batch, good for you. But don't mislead others into thinking that this is a desirable or even acceptable practice for anyone else. Many beginners look to this list for good advice, and you're not doing them any favors by downplaying the importance of sanitation. -Greg (cemax!greg at sj.ate.slb.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 1991 17:26:11 EDT From: IOCONNOR at SUNRISE.ACS.SYR.EDU Subject: Capping Bottles I saw a show about wine bottling the other day. They say to lean bottles of wine on the side to keep the caps moist and the cork therefore expanded. While I realize that most don't use cork caps, would there be any benefit to laying your bottles on the side, or would any advantages outweigh the fact that the sediment will be all over the bottle? Second question--I have a bag of caps with cork in them--anyone have any experience using them? I got them as a gift--but don't want to ruin a batch if they will screw up the brew. Would it be to my advantage to age a brew capped with *these* caps? Kieran O'Connor IOCONNOR at SUNRISE.ACS.SYR.EDU internet IOCONNOR at SUNRISE (bitnet) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 1991 18:19:08 EDT From: IOCONNOR at SUNRISE.ACS.SYR.EDU Subject: Grolsch Bottles I like to use the Grolsch re-sealable bottles for bottling. The are 16 ounces and they are re-sealable. Capping is a breeze! The problem however, is getting them. Does anyone know where I could get a lot at a reasonable price? I know I can get the gaskets, but the bottles? Or similar ones? Kieran IOCONNOR at SUNRISE.ACS.SYR.EDU IOCONNOR at SUNRISE (bitnet) PS it's sunny and 80 degress in Syracuse, NY. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 15:41:08 PDT From: polstra!norm at uunet.UU.NET (Norm Hardy) Subject: Varia 1. God is Good (indeed!) refers to the yeas Back in the old days they didn't understand microorganisms as we (but not I) do now. 2. Hop growing is best in WA and OR (and Idaho too) because of the seasonal temperature differences (not TOO extreme). Heck, even in Latte-land Seattle my hops are 10 feet up to the trellis and very hardy (hearty?) despite a coospringtime here in America's most overrated city. 3. Czech Budweiser Budvar is not to be compared to the #1 selling A-B product. T real thing is 5% alcohol by volume with an OG of 1.048 which is clearly printed on the bottle. Better on tap though, it is smooth and malty with a tawny color and non-threatening hop character. The bitterness is just right for the malt. Let me know when an authentic recipe for Klages is available. 4. Age and beers: recently during a brewing drought I was forced to start consuming some ancient brews as old as 5 years. I was surprised by the way most all the brews kept their flavor and in some cases got better; by which I mean smoother. I store the bottles on the basement floor which fluxuates between 54 and 62 during a year's time. Cleanliness in the handling of the beers seems to be a very important consideration. A few of the beers were gushers but had little flavor loss once the foam died down. 5. AHA question: did the number of entries to the competition (1600+) exceed the projected number? Did the price increase affect the number? Norm Hardy in Seattle { Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 20:04:19 EDT From: michelma at division.cs.columbia.edu (Paul Michelman) Subject: Strange hoplike herbs For the last couple of years, an herbalist friend has been insisting that I brew a batch of beer -- if you could call it that -- using some herbs other than hops. This year, she is expecting a good crop of ale-hoof, a.k.a. ground ivy. This plant and some others, including rosemary, were apparently used in England before hops became widely accepted. Are there any adverturous souls out there who have experimented with these concoctions? If so, were the results potable? Paul Michelman Dept. of Computer Science Columbia University New York, N.Y. michelma at division.cs.columbia.edu Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #637, 05/15/91 ************************************* -------
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