HOMEBREW Digest #719 Mon 09 September 1991

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


Contents:
  Sassafras, Aluminum, and Lager (Scott Benton)
  translate some German beer labels ("Ihor W. Slabicky")
  Nitrosamines (Jack Schmidling)
  Mashing Wheat, Revisited (Martin A. Lodahl)
  Underpitching Liquid Yeast (joshua.grosse)
  Status and Stout (Peter Glen Berger)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Sep 91 00:11:42 -0700 From: bgros at garnet.berkeley.edu Someone asked about mail order grains. I just received a catalog (haven't ordered yet) from The Home Brewery, based in Ozark, MO with distribution centers in San Bernardino, CA and Las Vegas. They advertise Klages 2-row malt for 0.90/lb. Also, 10lbs is $7.50 and 50lbs is $32. sounds pretty cheap to me. all specialty grains are $1.50/lb or $6.50/5lbs. to get a catalog, call 1-800-321-BREW. Does anyone have any experience with these people? Just for comparison, they sell most hop varieties for $1.95 per 2oz pack. Wyeast is $3.75 each. A wort chiller is $29.95 Quick question: when priming a normal 5-gal batch with honey, how much should i add? and what kind of honey? i was considering trying it with my wheat beer. - Bryan Gros Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 05 Sep 91 17:01:10 EDT From: scott at sps (Scott Benton) Subject: Sassafras, Aluminum, and Lager ** Sassafras ** Safrole is the major component of sassafras oil (75 to 93%). It is carcinogenic in mice and rats. Administered orally, safrole is metabolized to a compound which produces liver tumors. However, such effects are only manifested at high dose levels (5 g/kg body weight). Safrole is present, in lower amounts, in cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. So if you can get some, relax, and don't leave any out for Willard. ** Aluminum ** There is no hard evidence that Al causes Alzheimer's. However, if the prospect of Alzheimer's causes your stomach to become upset, you may (on your physician's advice, of course) take an antacid. Be sure to read the label, though, because aluminum hydroxide, or a similar Al compound, is the active ingredient in many antacids. If you do go with an Al containing antacid, be forewarned that Al inhibits intestinal contractions, causing constipation, a much more likely effect of Al than Alzheimer's. Relaxation is the best treatment here. Incidentally, for those of you (or your friends) who drink commercial beer out of cans (ugh!), can companies test can interior coatings to ensure that Al does not migrate into the beer. ** Brewing ** On a more serious note, I have to date done higher temp. fermentations (65-75F), but with the acquisition of an old fridge, am considering a lager fermentation. I'm looking for a few tips on how to start out successfully (which commercial yeast to use, pitching temps, etc). Also, when racking to secondary fermenter, should the settled material (which I'm presuming contains a generous amount of the yeast) be transferred as well? Thanks.....Scott Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 91 09:22:17 -0400 From: "Ihor W. Slabicky" <iws at sgfb.ssd.ray.com> Subject: translate some German beer labels I am wondering whether someone can translate some of this German language text that I found on two German beer labels: (on the neck label): Kulmbacher Kapuziner Schwarze Dunkles, Hefetrubes Weizenbier (on the main label): (on the left side of label): Imported by Dieter Steinmann Inc. Garden City, NY (this is overprinted in the label) Gebraut nach dem deutschen Reinheitsgebot alc. 5.3% / vol (this has overprinted with a black stripe, but I could just make it out) e 0,5 l (on central area of label): Kulmbacher Kapuziner Schwarze Hefeweizen Kulmbacher Premium-Weizen 1 Pint 1 fl. oz. (again, overprinted) Imported beer Product of W.-Germany (overprinted) (on right side of label): (list of refund states - overprinted) Hersteller: Monchshofbrau Kulmbach Mindestens haltbar bis 22.11.89 and on the second bottle, it says: (on the neck label): Kulmbacher Kapuziner Weizen Kristallklares Weizenbier (on the main label): (on the left side of label): Imported by Dieter Steinmann Inc. Garden City, NY (this is overprinted in the label) Gebraut nach dem deutschen Reinheitsgebot alc. 5.3% / vol (this has overprinted with a black stripe, and I could not make it out, though I assume it to be the same as the first bottle) e 0,5 l (on central area of label): Kulmbacher Kapuziner Weizen Kristallklar Kulmbacher Premium-Weizen 1 Pint 1 fl. oz. (again, overprinted) Imported beer Product of W.-Germany (overprinted) (on right side of label): (list of refund states - overprinted) Hersteller: Monchshofbrau Kulmbach Mindestens haltbar bis 25.12.90 Can anyone help to translate this one? I assume that here so many overprints because the beer was imported. The 'e' by the 0,5 l proabably means it is an 'export' bottle of 0.5 liters (which it is). The dates are either when the beer was bottled, or when it should be drunk by - but which? I bought both of these in the Spring of 1991, and drank them this week. The Weizen beer did taste old. The Schwarze was not too bad, probably because the stronger taste was able to disguise some of the old taste. Both beers had tremendous heads - like I'm used to seeing with the Spaten Weiss beer. The Schwarze had a bit of sediment in it - when I poured the first half of the bottle into a glass, it was okay, but when I swirled the sediment and poured that into the glass, the beer in the glass started to produce bubbles on it's own... Thanks - Ihor Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 91 22:03 CDT From: gargoyle!ddsw1.mcs.com!arf at charon.amdahl.com (Jack Schmidling) Subject: Nitrosamines To: Homebrew Digest Fm: Jack Schmidling RE: Article 240 (86 more) in rec.crafts.brewing: From: Paula Burch Subject: nitrosamines in homebrew? >I have read that beer is full of nitrosamines. I rarely drink commercial beer, and so I wonder: Does homebrew contain nitrosamines? ARF says: I have been patiently waiting for someone to clear up this issue but not seeing any knowledgeable response, I will put forth what I know, which is just enough to be dangerous. Years ago, in the late seventies, I think, when the nitrosamine business was first recognized, a report was published listing the concentrations in commercial beers. I only recall a few benchmarks but it should provide fuel for thought. At the very top was Heinekins and lots of imports. Bud was right up there with them but I don't remember the exact position of amount. Coors was at the very bottom with no detectable level. The "media" told us that there was something in Coors' process that had something to do with heat (or lack of) that prevented nitrosamines from forming. Shortly thereafter, "they" told us that all breweries had switched to this process and the problem just went away. I didn't believe a word of this whitewash but that was about the time I quit drinking and I am now very sorry that you brought it up. jack schmidling  Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 91 14:43:33 PDT From: Martin A. Lodahl <hpfcmr.fc.hp.com!hplabs!pbmoss!malodah> Subject: Mashing Wheat, Revisited In HOMEBREW Digest #717, Al Marshall raised an intriguing question: >In TCJOHB, Papazian states that wheat malt is weak in diastatic >enzymes and must be mashed in conjunction with barley malt >of great diastatic power. I have seen this opinion stated elsewhere >I think; Gary Bauer's article in the Zymurgy All-Grain Issue comes >to mind. And that has always been my understanding, too, but I don't know where I got it. >I am aware of some dissenting opinions and (I think) some counter >examples: > >Miller, Fix and Foster in their books on Continental >Pilsener, Brewing Science and Pale Ale respectively state that >wheat malt has plenty of enzymes (Miller and Foster say this in >text, Fix shows the DP of Wheat Malt in a table). Well, yes and no. In the Miller and Foster examples, they're using the wheat malt as such a small portion of the mash that its distatic power isn't really needed. Fix's hard numbers are buttressed by similar numbers in Hough, et al.'s authoritative "Malting and Brewing Science". Hmmm ... >The Widmer Brewing Company of Portland Oregon mashes Briess wheat malt >and Klages 2-row pale in a 50/50 ratio without any diastatic crutches >that I am aware of. Anchor uses an even higher ratio of wheat/barley >according to their outstanding tour-guide and only has problems >with the runoff, not the mashing. Standard German Weizen ratio is 2 parts wheat malt to one part barley malt, which I've used with great success. My one attempt at a higher percentage yet (4 lbs wheat malt, 1 lb barley malt) was much less successful, with poor extract efficiency and the Mother of All Set Mashes. >Are Papazian and Bauer completely wrong? Do I understand the problem? Could it be that this is an area where brewing tradition is at variance with science? It seems possible to me that the real reason brewers discovered that wheat shouldn't be mashed alone was that it has no separate husk, as barley does, so the mash turns the consistency of library paste. Extract is usually substandard from a set mash, since its impermeability protects some of the grain from the sparge water, and since cutting the mash to open it up often releases water that hasn't contacted grain. Ergo, the "low diastatic power" rap. An interesting question ... = Martin A. Lodahl Pacific*Bell Systems Analyst = = 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: Sunday, 8 September 1991 0:55am ET From: joshua.grosse at amail.amdahl.com Subject: Underpitching Liquid Yeast On 8/15 I pitched Wyeast directly from the package into wort, according to the directions on the package. You may recall my letter on refridgerated fermentation, and my wondering about the seeming lack of significant activity. I was unable to determine if the inactivity was from refridgeration or from underpitching. I wanted folks to know that at the 2-1/2 week point, the fermentation suddenly kicked into gear. There is active carbonation, and the kreusen has gone from thick to foamy. To date, the wort has been in the primary for more than three weeks now, and the way the wort is progressing, will likely stay in the primary for another week or two. I believe that the 2.5 week lag is due to directly pitching the liquid yeast, instead of creating an intermediate starter of 1-2 quarts with dry malt extract. Next time, by pitching incrementally, I'll be able to save myself more than half a month on a 4 month lager. - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Grosse jdg00 at amail.amdahl.com Amdahl Corp. 313-358-4440 Southfield, Michigan Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1991 11:36:14 -0400 (EDT) From: Peter Glen Berger <pb1p+ at andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: Status and Stout Well, my amber ale has been bottled for about a week now, and it has survived. The ferment stopped after 2 days, and then started up again after another 2. Ingredients: 1 can malt extract, 3 cups corn sugar, and luck. It's slightly cidery, low alcohol, but it doesn't suck. QUESTION for experienced homebrewers: I want to make a high-alcohol beer next. My initial idea was a 5-gallon batch using about 6.6 pounds of (liquid) malt extract, and then maybe 2 cups sugar to boost alcohol content. One of my friends said that Ale yeast couldn't survive in that high an alcohol environment, and I should mix ale and champagne yeasts. Is this true? I'd also *really* like to make a stout. Anyone have a good, SIMPLE recipe that doesn't involve mashing? When the Cat's Meow lists "malt extract", do they mean dry or liquid? Can I make Papazian's honey lager recipe at room temperature? Will this make it a "steam beer", and what will it taste like? Is anyone annoyed by all of these stupid questions? Thanks, - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pete Berger || ARPA: peterb at cs.cmu.edu Professional Student || Pete.Berger at andrew.cmu.edu Univ. Pittsburgh School of Law || BITNET: R746PB1P at CMCCVB Attend this school, not CMU || UUCP: ...!harvard!andrew.cmu.edu!pb1p - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Goldilocks is about property rights. Little Red Riding Hood is a tale of seduction, rape, murder, and cannibalism." -Bernard J. Hibbits - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #719, 09/09/91 ************************************* -------
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