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


Contents:
  Not a subscription request. (Art Medlar)
  Troubleshooting a failing b (Bob Hettmansperger)
  Troubleshooting a failing batch
  the dear, departed MeV (Marty Albini)
  New Jersey brewery tour (Stephen Russell)
  Mondo Cheap Pot - Follow-up (Russ Pencin)
  Juniper Beer? (Kevin L. McBride)
  Re: Yeasts (korz)
  Wyeast (korz)


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


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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 02:17:20 -0700
From: Art Medlar <hman at violet.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Not a subscription request.


> From: bliss at csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
>  Art Medlar <hman at violet.berkeley.edu> writes:
>  > found the best deal at Ying's ...
>  > Ten gallons, stainless(?) steel, with a lid, for $42.
>
>  C.R. Saikley:
>  > I have a friend who just got a good deal on a brew kettle, so I
>  > thought I'd pass this along. He got a 10 gallon stainless steel
>  > kettle for $39. ... He bought it at Ying's, which is at the corner of
>  > Pacific and Stockton in San Francisco's China Town.
>
>  hmm. they seem to be getting cheapert by the minute.
>  Maybe if I wait until next week, I can REALLY get a bargain :-)

No, we're the same person.  (Me and me, I mean, not me and CR.
He's the one with the beard.)  Since I had to pay for it, I added
in things like taxes and the cents part of the price tag.  Thanks
to all for the carboy deal leads.  If I find something remarkable,
I'll be sure to remark.

Speaking of Chinatown, has anyone tried brewing with ginseng ?  
A beer than not only cures its own hangover, but is an
aphrodisiac to boot....  Sounds too good to be legal.

- --art


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Date: 19 Jul 91 09:31:33
From: Bob Hettmansperger <Bob_Hettmansperger at klondike.bellcore.com>
Subject: Troubleshooting a failing b

Time:     08:53 AM           Date:    7/19/91

Subject:  Troubleshooting a failing batch

I'm currently fermenting my 6th batch of beer - A Canadian Ale (The 
"traditional" package from Alternative Beverage; scoff if you must).  I
have never had a problem in my first 5 batches, but this batch doesn't seem
to be going quite right.  I cooked up everything on (last) Thursday night,
added
the yeast and let it go.  By Friday afternoon, there was definite
fermentation
going on.  But, Friday night, my A/C broke down, and ever since then my 
apartment has been above 85 degrees (it's been a real joy, let me tell you).
Anyway, when I went to check it this morning to see if I could bottle this
weekend, I noticed that it had not only not clarified, but that there were
still hunks of "stuff" floating around in it (the normal stuff you see swirling
around during active fermentation).  So, I'm wondering if the heat might have
killed off the yeast before it had a chance to finish fermenting.  Assuming
that this is true (and I'll be able to take a S.G. reading to verify this),
is there anything I can do to salvage this batch?  I'm going to be out of
town all next week, so I also would like to know if it is ok to let it sit
like this for another week.  I sure would hate to pour all this work down the
drain!

 -Bob Hettmansperger     (also receiving mail at bobh at twinkie.bellcore.com)



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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 6:52:30 PDT
From: Marty Albini <martya at sdd.hp.com>
Subject: the dear, departed MeV

> From: hplabs!bnr-vpa!bnr-rsc!crick (Bill Crick)
> 
> I called the two numbers given for MeV Research in Waterloo.
>  One is a grumpy fellow who doesn't know who the ! at #$% MeV is.
>  The other is "we cannot complete your call as dialed, Please hang up..."
>  I called directory assistance, and they have no listing for Mev anything!
> 
> Doesn't look good. Pity, their Weiss beer yeast had a real nice tang to it.

	I still have some of this yeast in the bottom of my
secondary. It's on its second batch of beer, so I know it's
viable 8<:^), so if anybody in the SoCal area would like to
come over and pull some slants off it, they're welcome.

	I'm going to miss MeV; Wyeast wants a fortune for
their pure S. Delbruckii strain, and I'll want to make wheat 
- --
______________________________________Marty Albini___________
"Out on the Mira the people are kind; they treat you to
homebrew and help you unwind/ and if you come broken they see
that you mend, and I wish I was with them again."--Allister
MacGilivray
phone    : (619) 592-4177
UUCP     : {hplabs|nosc|hpfcla|ucsd}!hp-sdd!martya
Internet : martya at sdd.hp.com 
US mail  : Hewlett-Packard Co., 16399 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego CA 92127-1899 USA

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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 11:59:38 EDT
From: srussell at snoopy.msc.cornell.edu (Stephen Russell)
Subject: New Jersey brewery tour

I know I posted this before, and several people expressed an interest, but
just in case there are any more of you who didn't see it or had forgotten......

The Ithaca Brewers' Union is planning a trip to Vernon Valley, NJ, Action Park,
and the Clement Brewing Company this weekend (July 27-28).  We have arranged to
receive an owner-guided tour of the brewery, thanks to James Clement, who also
owns a brewpub here in Ithaca.  The tour will take place Saturday at 2:00pm,
and will be followed by a tasting of Clement beer (including the Blond Double
Bock), a homebrew tasting (all who come are encouraged to bring some, with a 
drinking glass), and then all the homebrewers will go to dinner.  Many of us 
are staying overnight in the area, then going to Action Park the next day to 
participate in the German Festival and go on all the water rides.  If you 
would like more information, please send e-mail to me directly or call me.

About 10 of us from Ithaca are planning on making the trip, and we expect a 
carload each from Philadelphia and the four New Jersey homebrew clubs, plus
5-10 from the New York City Homebrewers Guild.  Plus, at least 4 people from
this Digest are coming from around NJ and southern NY.  This is a good oppor-
tunity for all the clubs to get to know one another, not to mention a chance 
for those of you who think you might like to become active in a brewclub to 
see what several Mid-Atlantic clubs are all about.

For more information, please contact me at:
 
607-273-7306 (home)
607-255-4648 (work)
srussell at snoopy.msc.cornell.edu

Sure hope you will be able to join us!

A votre sante,

STEVE




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Date: 19 July 1991 10:51:13 am
From: pencin at parcplace.com (Russ Pencin)
Subject: Mondo Cheap Pot - Follow-up

Well, don't all of you get your airplane tickets to S.F. too quickly.  I drove
up to SF Chinatown yesterday to check out this $42/$39 stainless steel pot. 
Well folks it isn't stainless,it's aluminum!  I talked at length with the owner
and he verified that the pot was aluminum.  Not to waste the trip,  I scouted
several other places and found a 8 gallon pot that really looked like
Stainless,  but didn't have a magnet to check it.  I'll probably go back up
next week to re-check since this pot was nothing short of beautiful.
	Russ 

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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 15:06:54 EDT
From: gozer!klm at uunet.UU.NET (Kevin L. McBride)
Subject: Juniper Beer?

Well, the Junipers are all covered with berries.  Blowing off the cobwebs
from the back of my brain brings forth a memory of someone writing about
Juniper beer many digests ago.

Is it worth trying?  Just for a lark?  Yes, I like gin, so I wouldn't
find the Juniper taste to be offensive.

How much of the berry harvest should I use for a 5 gallon batch?

Do they go into the boil?  Or is it better to "dry hop" the
berries?  Should they be crushed first?

Would Juniper go better with a "lawnmower" beer or with something
heavier?

If you've done this before, please do tell!

- -- 
Kevin "So much beer, so little time." McBride
uunet!wang!gozer!klm

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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 13:32 CDT
From: korz at ihlpl.att.com
Subject: Re: Yeasts

Alec asks:
>  What is the difference between an attenuative yeast and an unattenuative
>one?

An attenuative yeast eats more of the sugars in your wort leaving a
less sweet beer and making more alcohol (see Dry Beer).  A less
attenuative yeast leaves more sugars behind in the final beer.  Wyeast
provides a sheet that describes its yeasts including "apparent attenuation."
I'm not sure what this means.  The attenuations range from (I believe)
67% to (I believe) 78%.  I once posted a copy of this sheet, but I seem
to have deleted it.  Maybe some kind soul can send you a copy or you
can call or write to Wyeast (I don't have their number or address here)
for the sheet.  Here's some useful info from Pete Soper on Wyeast, however
I believe that Wyeast is a U.S. company in either Oregon or Washington
state (just for the record, I don't use a starter and get activity in
about 12 hours):


>Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 13:00:04 EST
>From: Pete Soper <soper at maxzilla.encore.com>
>Subject: Wyeast
>
>In HBD #345, Mike Charlton asks about liquid yeasts.
>
>I highly recommend Wyeast #1056 for pale ales. This is a very
>neutral yeast that will let the character of your malt and hops
>come through. I love it. This is also called "Chico Ale yeast" 
>and "American ale yeast" and is rumored to be the same strain 
>as that used by Sierra Nevada (i.e. the brewery at Chico, California).
>
>If you don't mind or perhaps desire an estery character (fruity aroma)
>and less attenuation (i.e. higher final gravity, more residual 
>sweetness) try Wyeast #1098 (aka English Ale yeast, rumored to be 
>Whitbread's strain). For any given brew, this yeast gives me a 
>final gravity perhaps 1/3 higher than a "regular" yeast (just for 
>example, I recently got 1.018 instead of the usual 1.014 for an 
>ale that started at 1.056) To compensate for the higher 
>terminal gravity I boost my bittering hops a bit when using 
>this yeast. This one is also very well behaved and reliable.
>
>I've only used #1084 a few times. This is "Irish ale yeast" and 
>is rumored to be the strain used by Guinness. I can't 
>say much about it except that it is well behaved and certainly hasn't
>added any flavor or aroma that could rise above the massive roasted
>barley character of my stouts. (I've got a long way to go with duplicating 
>the smoothness of Guinness :-)
>
>I got nailed a couple times by #1028 (don't remember its "name"). I
>found it unreliable and in one case it was clearly defective.
>
>If you are good with yeast starters, you can get a lot of use out
>of a single Wyeast packet. In the past I regularly split a packet 
>across the starter for the batch at hand and 3 sterile culture 
>tubes and kept those in my refrigerator for up to 8 weeks,
>getting 4 batches of beer out of a single packet. Others will make 
>the sound argument that this is one hell of a lot of hassle to save 
>a few dollars. It is also somewhat risky if you can't carry out really
>sterile procedures.
>
>If you just pitch the contents of the Wyeast packet into a batch of wort 
>directly be very patient. It can take a long time to get going. I 
>recommend 1) letting the packet warm to 70-80 degrees, then 2) 
>activating the packet (i.e. crushing the yeast capsule and vigorously 
>shaking it together with the wort inside), then 3) letting it inflate
>while lying flat at room temperature. Try to match its temperature
>as close as possible to the wort it is to be pitched into. Try to keep 
>the rate of temperature change experienced by the yeast down to 5 degrees 
>per day. I get good results with fermentation temperatures of 60-65F 
>with the above strains. They will of course function at warmer temperatures
>too.
>
>On the other hand, used with a 1 quart starter a packet of Wyeast will
>get your wort actively fermenting in 8-24 hours (depending upon a host
>of factors). Be sure to swirl up all the yeast from the bottom of the
>starter. If you get a fresh packet of one of the above strains, figure 1-2
>days to fully activate at 70-75 degrees, then 1-2 days to get going well in 
>a quart starter. If you are ramping up through multiple starters try 
>to closely match temperatures.
>
>Store Wyeast in the bottom of your refrigerator (i.e. mid-30s). I believe
>that even at these temperatures, a few months should be the upper limit
>for shelf life. Absolutely do not freeze liquid yeast or leave it lying 
>around at room temperature before use.
>
>I can vouch for your experience with bottled Guinness. I spent a month
>searching England and Scotland last Summer without finding an unfiltered 
>bottle.
>
>A supplier that sells Wyeast and who will put up with Customs paperwork:
>
>American Brewmaster
>2940-6 Trawick rd
>Raleigh, North Carolina  27604
>phone 919 850 0095
>(Mike and Sharon Williams, 10am-7pm EST Tuesday-Friday, 10-4 on Saturday)
>
>It is important that the supplier properly pack the yeast to give it 
>some insulation and and send it no slower than UPS 2nd day air during
>warm seasons. High temperatures will kill some or all of the yeast cells 
>pretty quickly, so spending days in a hot truck or Customs warehouse is
>no good.
>
>- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Pete Soper                                             +1 919 481 3730
>internet: soper at encore.com     uucp: {bu-cs,decvax,gould}!encore!soper 
>Encore Computer Corp, 901 Kildaire Farm Rd, bldg D, Cary, NC 27511 USA
>
>------------------------------

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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 13:42 CDT
From: korz at ihlpl.att.com
Subject: Wyeast

It is my understanding that the "bubble" in the Wyeast package is
the sugar and the stuff around it is yeast solution.  Am I right?
Al.

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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 14:02:38 PDT
From: grumpy!art at uunet.UU.NET (Art Medlar)

   From: uunet!parcplace.com!pencin (Russ Pencin)
   Date: 19 July 1991 10:51:13 am

   Well, don't all of you get your airplane tickets to S.F. too quickly.  I drove
   up to SF Chinatown yesterday to check out this $42/$39 stainless steel pot. 
   Well folks it isn't stainless,it's aluminum!  I talked at length with the owner
   and he verified that the pot was aluminum.  ....
	   Russ 


Yuck-ola !!!  When I talked with the salesperson, I was assured
that it was.  Additionally, it came with a nice label on the side
stating that it was stainless.  I'll go have another talk with
them.  Whether or not it is, the morals include: Always Be Careful,
Carry A Magnet, and Keep Your Receipt.

- --art

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #684, 07/22/91
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