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


Contents:
  belly, mead (Dances with Workstations)
  Brewing with Maple Syrup
  Re: Calories (Larry Barello)
  Remove from Homebrew Digest Mailing list Please. (Paul L. Kelly)
  Newbie brewer questions, wort chillers (JLAWRENCE)
  Fruit beers ("Robert Haddad" )
  finings ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  lagering in cornelius kegs (John L. Isenhour)
  Caloric content of beer (George Fix)
  Re: Diacetyl (korz)
  Calories (korz)
  Old Peculiar (Conn Copas)
  Long Island ("JOHN D. BRANTLEY")
  Re:  Homebrew Digest #879 (May 12, 1992) (Michael P. O'Neill)
  Micro-brewery festival in Lancaster, PA area (VLD/VMB) <tfisher at BRL.MIL>
  various (Brian Bliss)
  Sparge water level / Grain bed temp (Darren Evans-Young)
  Chicago Homebrewing Supplier (fjdobner)
  Conference Markers ("Rad Equipment")
  Conference Markers                   Time:11:02 AM    Date:5/12/92
  wheat beer, carboys, yeast, procedures (RRINGEL)
  CO2 tank pressure (griggs)
  the Mappelbrau experience (Jacob Galley)
  Chicago-area stores (chris campanelli)
  Re: Maple Beer (S94WELKER)


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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 11 May 92 16:24:15 EDT
From: Dances with Workstations <buchman at marva2.ENET.dec.com>
Subject: belly, mead

> The other day after an exhusting hour of raquetball, I sat slumped against the
> wall nursing a Gatorade.  Glancing at the "Contents" I noticed "Water, High
> Fuctose Corn Syrup, Dextrose......" and not much else.  So this great
> sports drink is basically sugar water.

Not quite: the "not much else" include electrolytes which get used up during
heavy exercise. Also, being mostly sugar water is just fine, since it is felt
that glycogens burned during exercise are most efficiently  restored if some
sort of carbohydrates are consumed within two hours of exercising. "Runner"
magazine advocated eating a meal within two hours of exercising, but most
folks aren't usually hungry so soon.

>  Furthur, this 16 oz bottle contained
> 100 calories.  This got me thinking about the "beer belly".  Would drinking
> a "Milwieser" Light with about 100 calories cause any more belly than the
> Gatorade I was currently drinking? 

It isn't just a matter of calories. The body metabolizes fats only very
reluctantly, and this process is slowed down even more by the presence of
alcohol. (by about thirty percent, recent studies have found). If you
drink *only* one or two light beers after an hour of Racquetball, it will
probably not matter; but if you have anything containing fats with it, 
the fat will tend to be stored rather than burned.

Also, beer is a diuretic; it tends to make you lose water rather than
retain it. Again, one or two shouldn't make much of a difference, but
after you've just lost water working out, your aim is to rehydrate.

(but a cold homebrew tastes great after racquetball!)

> How does one determine the caloric content of anything?  Is
> this possible to do at home?

One burns it, and determines the heat output. Or, one calculates the
calorie based on the ingredients. I doubt that your home has the equipment
to do either of these accurately.

On another subject:
Thanks to everyone who answered my questions on how to control mead
sweetness. The most popular answer was to use enough honey so that
even champagne yeast couldn't consume all of it; 3 to 3.5 pounds per
gallon is about right to achieve a sweet mead. Making it both sweet and
sparkling is tricky, since yeast does not always ferment honey consistently;
you can try bottling before fermentation is complete, though.
			Jim Buchman

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Date: 12 May 92 09:21:26 EST
From: JCOWAN at s55.Prime.COM

To:       (homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com)
From:     Jim Cowan    (jcowan at s55.Prime.COM)
Date:     12 May 92  9:18 AM
Subject:  Brewing with Maple Syrup



Scott asks:

>So, has anyone out there ever heard of maple beer or anything of the sort?
>Would it be any good?
>Would it be worth the money?

One of my all time favorite brews was made using a pound of Maple Syrup
in place of a pound of malt extract.  I used it in a 'standard' ale
recipe.  (I have never made the exact same brew twice.  I may not
have consistency, but I have FUN.)  I doubt you would want to ferment
100% Maple syrup.  It is far too close to pure sugar.  It would also
be incredibly expensive.  I would hesitate to go more than 25% Maple
syrup.  What I used translates to about 15%.  As far as using Maple
Syrup as flavoring, DO IT.  I think you'll enjoy it.

Jim Cowan



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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 06:34:23 PDT
From: polstra!larryba at uunet.UU.NET (Larry Barello)
Subject: Re: Calories

Another point to keep in mind with the calorie counting:  Appearently it
takes about 23/100 calories of carbohydrates to convert them into FAT on 
your body.  It takes only 3/100 calories to lay down fat (e.g. butter or
vegetable oil).  I am sure the  numbers are generalizations, i got them
from a recent issue of Longevity.  So, regardless of the effects of 
alcohol on your metabolizm, if you eat fatty food you are going to be
more prone to laying down fat.

 - Larry Barello

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 08:47:06 EST
From: pkel at psych.purdue.edu (Paul L. Kelly)
Subject: Remove from Homebrew Digest Mailing list Please.


Please remove this acount from the Homebrew Digest mailing list.


Thank you.


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Date: 12 May 1992 08:06:53 -0600 (MDT)
From: JLAWRENCE at UH01.Colorado.EDU
Subject: Newbie brewer questions, wort chillers

    I am a relatively new brewer, and have been reading the HBD
for about 2 months, trying simply to get a grip on the terminology.
I will be the first to admit that I do not spend a whole lot of time
on brewing.  With a full-time job and 2 small children, this has to
be, at least for now, a hobby, not an avocation.  My goal is to brew
good (not necessarily superior) beer in a relatively simple manner.

     Anyway, I have some questions, which are probably pretty 
elementary to most of you contributors.  However, answers would be
appreciated.

     1.  I am using a single-stage fermenter.  Pros/cons?  Seems
to work great, with no necessity for transferring to another
container part way through the process.

     2.  I have a book called "Home Beermaking" by William Moore.
It appears that he recommends pouring the hot wort into the fer-
menter and cooling there.  I usually cool in the pot, then
transfer.  Any comments?

     3.  Speaking of transferring, should I pour the whole pot
into the fermenter, "sludge" and all, or should I attempt not to
dump in that stuff?  What is it, anyway?  Is this the hot/cold
break stuff I've been reading about?

     4.  I have cooled the wort 2 ways:  by sitting it in a bath
of cold water, and by simply letting the pot sit overnight.  Haven't
had any problems with contamination either way, with about 20 batches
under my belt.  What are the pros/cons of using a wort chiller?  Seems
like a huge waste of water, and living here in the West, that's of
concern.

     5.  Miller also recommends boiling the priming sugar with water
before mixing it in.  Is this necessary?  I've always just dumped it
into the brew before bottling, with find results.

     6.  Does anyone have any guess on whether our mile-high altitude
has any effect on thee specific gravity?  Can't remember my high
school chemistry.  I tried a recipe this weekend and have a 5 degree
higher starting gravity than expected.


    I got an order from William's last week with a special flyer
inserted.  They've got various stuff on sale through June 30,
including an "imperfect wort chiller" for $21.90.  It's billed as
the same quality as their regular chillers except not as pretty.
Phone (510)895-2739; P.O. Box 2195, San Leandro CA 94577.

    By the way, I use a pot designed for canning to brew in.  Got
it at McGuckins in Boulder, a terrific "we've got everything"
hardware store.

    Thanks for your help.

 - JKL

    Thanks much for your help.  

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Date:     12 May 92 10:13:47 EDT
From: "Robert Haddad" <RHADDAD at bss1.umd.edu>
Subject:  Fruit beers


>>> devenzia at euler.jsc.nasa.gov (John Devenezia) writes:


> My question is this; when and how do _you_ add
> berries or fruit to _your_ beer.  I know there is no right
> or wrong here, I'm just curious as to first hand accounts.
> I've seen some recipes call for steeping the berries in the
> just boiled and cooling wort.  Other recipes say to add the
> berries to the secondary fermenter.  I'm sure there are even
> more way to add fruits or berries to beer.

I have made a couple of raspberry ales with surplus bright red
raspberries from my backyard. In both cases, I pitched them early in
the boil, so they were in there for an hour or so, by which time the
raspberries were completely "dissolved" in the wort.

I racked the wort in the fermenter, and all (or most) fruity residue
settled at the bottom along with the yeast. The ale is still
amber, little or no hint of raspberry _flavor_, but the aroma of
hops and berries is out of this world. The head also has a
slight reddish hue.

I have read lately of people pitching their berries along with thei
aroma hops. I will try this approach in a couple of months, when the
berries are ripe!

Robert Haddad

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 10:20:08 EDT
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu>
Subject: finings

I note that Noonan (mister paranoia!) advises that only gelatine will
properly clarify lager.  Say what!?

=Spencer W. Thomas 		HSITN, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
spencer.thomas at med.umich.edu	313-747-2778

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Date:    Tue, 12 May 1992 10:12:29 -0500 (CDT)
From: ISENHOUR at LAMBIC.FNAL.GOV (John L. Isenhour)
Subject: lagering in cornelius kegs

Kieran O'Connor <OCONNOR%SNYCORVA.bitnet>askes about Lagering in Cornelius Kegs

>Can anyone out there give me a primer on how to do this?

Some of my best beers are a result of lagering in cornelius or regular SS kegs.
I usually don't prime, I just force CO2 into it at slow intervals at low
pressure (as I recollect about 16 psi at 34 d F.) till it stops taking it (i.e.
when I hook up the gas, the headspace is  at  16 psi already).

> How 'bout C02 buildup? 

I've never had a problem with it, if its fermented out pretty well (I only do
this with classic lager style beers, so theres not a ton-o-unfermentables left
like in a sweet stout:)

>Is there a problem with sediment because they would be on their sides? 

I consider this an advantage, the yeast tends to stick to the sides of the
cornelius keg and if you upright it gently it stays there.  The yeast has such
a shorter distance to fall, it makes for quick clearing, this may not be
important depending on your lagering time.

>How about aeration during transportation to the freezer (30 miles away)?  

I always hook CO2 to the pickup tube and blow the air out of the keg before I
fill it.  If you transport it then, what you will get is a small amount of
carbonation (vrs oxidation).

>How 'bout anything answers to anything else I forgot to ask?

If you prime, be sure to put a little CO2 pressure (~5-7 psi) on the keg to
'seal' the seals, I've had trouble with the seating of the large 'O' rings
leaking and killing the priming.  If its on its side the beer should seal it
but I dont take the chance. 

 -
John L. Isenhour                          
isenhour at lambic.fnal.gov

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 09:56:41 CDT
From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix)

Subject: Caloric content of beer (George Fix)

Walter Gude asked in HBD#878 about the determination of calories in
beer. The following empirical formula is remarkably accurate, and
widely used to check direct measurements. Let A, FG, and RE be
defined as follows:

    A = alcohol content of finished beer in % by wt.
    RE = real extract of finished beer in deg. Plato
    FG = final gravity of finished beer.

Then the number of calories per 12 oz. bottle is the following:

    (6.9*A + 4.0*(RE - .1))*3.55*FG .

Since A and RE are generally not known to us, additional approximations
are needed. The following are due to Balling, and have proven to be 
reasonable. Let OE and be defined as follows:
  
    OE = original extract (i.e., extract of finished wort in deg. Plato)
    AE = apparent extract (i.e., measured deg. Plato of finished beer).
 
Then
 
    RE = .1808*OE + .8192*AE,
       
and

    A = (OE-RE)/(2.0665-.010665*OE).



To take Walter's specific case, first note that from Plato tables an OG of
1.045 is equivalent to

    OE = 11.25 deg. Plato,

while a FG of 1.010 is equivalent to

    AE = 2.5 deg. Plato.

Therefore, 
    
      RE = .1808*11.25 + .8192*2.5 = 4.08 deg. Plato,

and

       A = (11.25 - 4.08)/(2.0665 - .010665*11.25) = 3.68 % wt.

We conclude that there are

     ( 6.9*3.68 + 4.*3.98)*3.55*1.010 = 148.12

calories in Walter's beer. Note that 61.5% come from alcohol, and 38.5%
come from the residual extract.


Errors in the formula for calories using A and RE will be under 1%. Errors
in Balling's approximations can be as large as 3-5%.

I am looking forward to Milwaukee for I know there will be a big HBD turnout
there. 


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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 10:26 CDT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Re: Diacetyl

Bottling "as soon as possible, without letting the beer go through
secondary fermentation" as Thomas suggests is not the right way to
go (I feel).  Either the sugars will all be used up by the yeast or
not.  If not, then beer grenades.  What you need to do is to first
choose a yeast that produces a lot of diacetyl.  There is a sheet
from Wyeast Labs that you should be able to get from your supplier
that gives the approximate attenuation, diacetyl production and some
other comments on each yeast.  Then, when the initial fermentation
has died down, get much of the yeast to drop out of solution by using
finings, such as gelatine.  Some of the diacetyl will be reduced, but
the lower concentration of yeast will leave more diacetyl in the beer.
Al.

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 11:01 CDT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Calories

Mike McNally wrote me email and said that the Swiss study had found
that metabolism was increased by alcohol.  I'm not a nutritionist,
nor am I a biologist, but I theorized that a CNS depressor will
lower metabolism.  I have not read the study and am not qualified
to question it.  Sorry for posting a theory and forgetting to
identify it as one.
Al.

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 17:11:57 BST
From: Conn Copas <C.V.Copas%lut.ac.uk at hplb.hpl.hp.com>
Subject: Old Peculiar

> I have made a stab at O.P. based on the Elbro Nertke Brown Ale
> recipe from Papazian:

> New Peculiar

> 6.6# dark extract
> 1/2# crystal malt
> 1/4# black patent malt
> 1.5oz fuggles 45min boil (pellets)
> 0.5oz fuggles 10 min boil (pellets)
> 2 tsp 'water crystals'
> 1 tsp irish moss
> Whitbread Ale Yeast
> 1/2C black treacle

A couple of constructive suggestions. First, what are we aiming for ?
My answer would be that OP is distinguished by being an exceptionally
bitter-sweet dark ale, with a very characteristic 'liquorice' after-taste.
The original gravity (on draught at least) is around 60, and the alcohol
content is around 5.5% by volume, meaning that it must finish around SG 20.
Hop aroma is not especially pronounced. Another way to describe it might be to
say that it is a scaled-up brown ale with compensating bitterness.

The above recipe looks to me like it might make a dark ale which doesn't have
the residual sweetness of OP. I would normally use at least 4 oz of Northern
Brewer (English, seeded) with no late addition technique. Can't say how that
might translate into US pellet Fuggles.

People keep suggesting that OP relies for its character on treacle or molasses,
but my personal opinion is that using sizable amounts of either will create a
beer that takes forever to mellow out. The best way to get the liquorice
character is to use crystal malt, and lots of it. I would normally use around
4 lbs in a US 6 gall batch (can't quote a colour rating, I'm afraid). Caveat -
I have found from experience that I get an extract of around 8 per lb per gall
for the crystal, whereas the textbooks all suggest that the theoretical extract
is on a par with pale malt (ie, approx 30). For me, the extract has remained
the same regardless of whether I have mashed, infused separately, or even (in
desparation) boiled. Others' mileage may vary.

- -- 
Loughborough University of Technology          tel : (0509)263171  ext 4164
Computer-Human Interaction Research Centre     fax : (0509)610815      
Leicestershire  LE11 3TU           e-mail - (Janet):C.V.Copas at uk.ac.lut   
G Britain                 (Internet):C.V.Copas%lut.ac.uk at nsfnet-relay.ac.uk


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Date:         Tue, 12 May 92 12:19:01 EST
From: "JOHN D. BRANTLEY" <JOHNB at UKCC.uky.edu>
Subject:      Long Island

Greeting to all,
  Shortly my wife and I will be moving to Long Island where I have a new
job.  Are there any homebrew clubs on LI?  Where are supplies available?
We will be living in Sound Beach (as soon as we close).  Thank you for
your help.
    -John Brantley

John D. Brantley Ph.D.              johnb at ukcc.uky.edu
252 E. Loudon                       corwin at cabra.UUCP
Lexington, KY 40505-3636            (606) 255-0097
          2 + 2 = 5, for sufficiently large values of 2...

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 09:23:47 PDT
From: mike at notorious.lbl.gov (Michael P. O'Neill)
Subject: Re:  Homebrew Digest #879 (May 12, 1992)

like friday or saturday!

Mortimer says no scum....

see ya!

adios
mike

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Date:     Tue, 12 May 92 12:27:19 EDT
From: Todd Fisher (VLD/VMB) <tfisher at BRL.MIL>
Subject:  Micro-brewery festival in Lancaster, PA area

I have been out of touch with this digest for some time now.
I remember reading (several months ago), that a micro-
brewery festival was going to be held in the Lancaster, PA 
area.  Does anyone have more information concerning this 
event (i.e. date, place, etc...).

Thanks in advance,
Todd
tfisher at brl.mil

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 11:45:13 CDT
From: bliss at csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
Subject: various


>could someone please e-mail me the mailing address for (the
>subscription department of) the Zymurgy magazine?  Does anyone know if
>they accept overseas subscriptions?

Association of Brewers
PO Box 1679
Boulder, CO 80306-1679
(303) 447-0816   8-5 mountain time
Fax (303) 447-2825

- -------------------

>recently read about a study in the Boston Globe (sorry, I can't cite
>any more than this as I am doing it from memory) that found that alcohol
>reduces the body's ability to burn fat.  The study went on to say that

I read a similar study, an it concurred with this, but

>I believe alcohol is 80 calories per ounce.  The snag with alcohol
>and the reason I believe it causes beer-bellies, is because it
>lowers your metabolism.  Therefore, 800 calories from pasta is not

it also mentioned that the extra carbohydrates alcohol actually raised
you metabolism.  Anyway, it suggested lowering your fat intaKe, and
eating lots of salad.  That's how I keep thin.  Normally, about 50%
of my calories come from alcohol.  Last week I was on antibiotics,
and hence, on the wagon, too.  I ate like a horse and lost 5 lbs to
boot.  It was also quite stressful.  This week, I'm making a comeback...

- -------------------

>I want to produce a Scottish Ale with lots of diacetyl.  What I propose to
>do is modify the pitching and fermentation procedure to make the yeast
>produce a lot up front, and then not reduce it to diols.  I would use
>Whitebread Ale, and make a starter to get a good healthy colony going.
>Pitch the yeast when the wort is still on the warm side (75F) [24C] and aerate
>like crazy to get lots of oxygen into the wort.  Ferment cool (55F-60F)
>[13C-15C] and bottle as soon as possible, without letting the beer go through
>secondary fermentation.
>So, all you power brewers, does this sound reasonable?  Is there a better
>way to get diacetyl?  Has anyone ever done this, and do you have any tips to
>share?

Scottish Ale doesn't normally have much of a head, and what you're proposing
sounds like a recipe for glass grenades.  Then again, whitbread ale yeast
is pretty good about fermenting out quickly, then stopping totally...

- -------------------

>sp. instructs to begin the fermentation in a closed, glass vessel
>and then rack to a secondary to clear after fermentation's complete.
>My question is: what sort of fermentation activity can I expect?
>Will I need a blow-off hose for this stage, or will a lock suffice -
>I suspect I'll need a blow-off...  Secondly, he recommends using
>yeast extract to assist fermentation, but the shop I ordered from
>doesn't carry "extract" per se, but something they call "yeast
>energizer" which they say is really the same thing, but most often
>used to unstick stuck fermentations.  Anyone got any feedback?

you won't get much blowoff - only a little if you fill the fermenter
all the way to the top (as recommended).  yeast energizer works, but can
impart a flavor (sharp, nauseating) into the mead that takes a long time
(about 9 months) to settle out.  If you're planning on letting this one age
a long time (like you should, unless maybe you're making a sweet mead
w/o any fruit), then use it.  Ground up dead yeast also supplies the
necessary nutrients to get yeast going, but that can also impart
different off-flavors that don't go away with time.  If you're
making a sweet mead to drink young, I would use it instead of
yeast energizer, though.  You probably won't notice a yeasty note
nearly as much in this type of beverage.  By all means, use some
sort of energizer, or else pitch a lot (3 packets) of yeast.  It
will take a while (> 2 mo.) to ferment as it is.  Also, do not
exceed, say, 1.020 initial S.G.  Anything higher than this will
take forever to get going, and never get out of the undrinkably
sweet range.

In My last batch of mead, I used 15 lbs of honey and 8 lbs of
bluberries (for that exta "staining" power) to make 6 Gal of
1.005 must.  I took it to my friend's house where it could ferment
in the cool basement on a (hard) cement legde.  I was extra careful
in setting the carboy down, but still managed to crack a 6" hole
in the side.  Glug, glug, glug...

What do you think of a spruce-flavored mead?  I have a bunch of
spruce flavoring (more than I'll ever use).

- -------------------

Does anyone have any experiences using rye malt?  I bottled my
batch of Bock 'n Rye 2 months ago.  One month later, the carbonation
was just starting to kick in, and there was nice whiskey-like
taste, but also quite a nasty aftertaste.  Last night, I popped
one open, and it seems to be mellowing nicely.

bb


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Date:         Tue, 12 May 92 12:02:06 CDT
From: Darren Evans-Young <DARREN at ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Sparge water level / Grain bed temp

I've read two different ideas on sparge water level in the grain bed.
One says, maintain the water level just below the top of the grain bed.
The other says maintain the water level one inch above the grain bed.
Which is better/correct?

Also, I always stick a metal probe thermometer into my grain bed while
sparging to monitor the temperature.  With 190 F water, my grain bed
temperature is 150 F.  I use the Listermann sparger setup.
Anyway, just another data point.

Darren

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 12:43 CDT
From: fjdobner at ihlpb.att.com
Subject: Chicago Homebrewing Supplier

In response to the gentleman that was moving to the Chicago area and needed
a recommendation on a homebrew supplier, I recommend Little Old Winemaking
Shop in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Greg Lawrence (owner) has a nice folksy manner
and is quite responsive to the needs of his customers. His shop is actually
part of his basement where he holds monthly brewing meetings (drinkings may
be a better word) and brews incessantly in an adjacent room. I live rather
close and his store hours are whenever I need something (sometimes in the
middle of a brewing session!). If you want more information please e-mail
me directly or post your question.


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Date: 12 May 92 11:20:41 U
From: "Rad Equipment" <rad_equipment at rad-mac1.ucsf.EDU>
Subject:  Conference Markers

Subject:   Conference Markers                   Time:11:02 AM    Date:5/12/92
>Date: Mon, 11 May 92 10:24 CDT
>From: korz at iepubj.att.com
>Subject: The Scarlet Letter
>
>As Mitch mentioned, there have been several suggestions for
>identifying oneself as a HB Digester.  The original one,
>was a self-imposed red (or scarlet) "H" on our badges.  For
>the sake of simplicity, I vote that we go with this, original
>suggestion.
>Al.

I offered this once without response, so I'll give it one more try.

I am willing to come up with a unique small sticker which could be added to
nametags of Digesters JudgeNetters and CI$ Forum members. In fact, I'll do it
without any response from the Net. Just look me up at the conference and I'll
give you one.

RW...

      Russ Wigglesworth              CI$:      72300,61
|~~|  UCSF Medical Center            Internet: Rad Equipment at RadMac1.ucsf.edu
|HB|\ Dept. of Radiology, Rm. C-324  Voice:    415-476-3668 / 474-8126 (H)
|__|/ San Francisco, CA 94143-0628


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Date: Tue, 12 May 1992 14:44 EST
From: RRINGEL at LANDO.HNS.COM
Subject: wheat beer, carboys, yeast, procedures

Hello brewers!

This last year has been a learning experience!  I brewed my first 
ten batches and have improved my beer with each iteration - thanks
in large part to the information I get from HBD.

I remember my second batch - interesting flavor, nothing like I
had ever tasted.  Also, I wondered what the ring around the neck
of the bottle was.  But like a child that only a mother could love,
I drank all of it.  NOW I know better!

  Now I use liquid yeast, partial mash (spent grain goes into
the garden), 5 gallon boil, IBU calculations instead of HBU
calculations, glass at all times, 1 inch blow-off tube,
secondary fermentation, pitch on top of the trub and rack
off before fermentation starts, whole hops, bleach 
as a sanitizer, a 50 foot home-made immersion wort chiller,
wide-range aquarium thermometers, and yeast starters.  What's
next?  Stainless steel brew pot, full mash, digital PH meter, 
kegging system, yeast culturing, competitions, and lots of 
relaxing! 

I have a few questions about some current threads in the HBD, and
a few of my own.

First, when storing yeast slurry in the refrigerator for re-use,
does it matter whether it is ale or lager yeast?  It seems to
me that the lager yeast will continue to be active and thus 
progress to autolysis much sooner than an ale yeast.

John Devenezia supplied an interesting wheat beer recipe in
today's HBD that called for a 180 degree steep of wheat
malt.  From what I know, I would conclude that no fermentables
were added to the wort from this process.  Is this correct?  If
this is true, then what flavor contribution does this make?  
While we are on the topic of wheat beer, how does one achieve
the clove-like flavor in some of the commercial brands (Spatan,
for instance)?

Has anyone found a good way to cold-ferment a 5 gallon batch
without using a refrigerator?  I'm trying this right now, with
batch #10.  I set the carboy in a water bath with a wet towel
draped over the top, and have a fan blowing air onto it.  I
also have a de-humidifier in the room to keep the evaporation
as rapid as possible.  While this seems to be working, it is
eating alot of electricity.  (Room temp 63, beer temp 55 and
dropping daily)  I am reluctant to use ice, because I would
worry that the temp of the beer would fluctuate, thus hurting
my yeast.  Are there any better methods?

  Two of my carboys have developed little "crystals" on the 
inside that I can't get rid of.  They are about the size of
a small grain of sand, and are along the shoulder of the
carboy.  They are also grouped near the bottom.  What are
they, and how do I get rid of them?  When the carboys are
not in use, I fill them with a bleach solution (4 or 5 glubs
from the bleach container).  Is this some form of crystalized
clorine?

Now that I got started, I can't seem to shut up...  That's
typical when home brew is involved!  

 -Rick Ringel
(P.S. How do I convince my wife to name our baby Brewster?)

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 15:56:56 EDT
From: griggs at benjamin.tch.harvard.edu (griggs)
Subject: CO2 tank pressure

Just as a point of information, the tank pressure reading on CO2 tanks
has little to do with the actual amount of gas left in the tank.  This 
results from the CO2 being present in a liquid form at the bottom of the 
tank, evaporating to replace gas which is let out of the tank.  The observed
pressure is purely a function of the temperature and can vary from 500 to
over 900 psi, depending on the tank temp.  For this reason, suppliers of
the gas sell it by the lb (literally, they weigh the tank before and during
filling).  In a 72 (F) degree room the pressure will remain at ~900 psi
until all the liquid is gone, then the pressure will drop at a linear rate
as the gas is used.  The dropping pressure is a sign that the tank is almost
empty and should be refilled.  The only reason I can think of for not using
the tank until it's completely empty is the danger of backpressure. The
beer, exerting pressure of it's own, could back up through the regulator and
into the tank.  This would be bad for the regulator, the tank, and the beer ;).
This actually happened to a gas pressure system in our lab, so I know it's 
possible.  Keep on brewing...
 -Chauncey "wish I had a kegging setup" Griggs


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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 14:23:26 CDT
From: Jacob Galley <gal2 at midway.uchicago.edu>
Subject: the Mappelbrau experience

From: sfw at trionix.com (Scott Weintraub)

> If honey is fermentable into something quite tasty, why not Maple Syrup?
> So, has anyone out there ever heard of maple beer or anything of the sort?
> Would it be any good?
> Would it be worth the money?

MMMMMaybe. . . . I tried a bottle of a friend's "Mappelbrau" (no umlaut
but say "maple" anyway), which was strange enough that I can't
remember whether I even *liked* it enough. His recipe was a light ale
kit, plus too much maple syrup. Basically, it tasted like maple syrup
smells, except it wasn't sweet. My! If you do this, I suggest you
start with something stronger-tasting than a light ale, like maybe an
imperial stout. And be conservative with the maple! And don't use
processed syrup! (I am assuming that fermented Miz Butterworth would
be at least as nasty as any other fermented substance with artificial
ingredients.) And whatever you do, AGE IT! In months previous to my
sampling, Mappelbrau had perplexed and nonplussed many people braver
than I.

Good luck and have fun,
Jake.

PS - Sorry I don't know how much maple syrup he used. I'd start with
say half a cup and work from there.

Reinheitsgebot <-- "Keep your laws off my beer!" <-- gal2 at midway.uchicago.edu

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Date: Tue, 12 May 92 15:49 CDT
From: akcs.chrisc at vpnet.chi.il.us (chris campanelli)
Subject: Chicago-area stores

There is a new homebrew supply store in the Chicagoland.  It's called
Heartland Hydroponics (1-800-354-GROW).  A quick glance at their
respective catalogs tells me that this "new kid in town" is out to topple
Alternative Garden Supply (1-800-444-2837) from the throne of cheapest
prices in town.  Oooh!  Maybe a price war will be looming on the horizon?
I stand with pocketbook at the ready!

chris

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Date: Wed, 13 May 1992 01:17 EDT
From: S94WELKER at usuhs
Subject: Re: Maple Beer

Scott Weintraub asks about maple beer.
I have read about the possibility fo such beer in Papazian, who basically says
"it's not worth it."  Then, when I finally met the man, another brewer was 
offering him a taste of the very thing...maple beer, with 20% of the 
fermentable sugar supplied by fresh Vermont Maple syrup (about $15 worth...1.5
lbs or a little less).  I tasted it too, and the maple note was very prominent,
but mixed poorly with the very mild hop flavor.  The maltiness of the medium
amber ale on which the beer was based was quite pleasant as a background to the
malt.  Charlie commented he would use almost no hops (I might suggest dry
hopping only with an aromatic variety like Saaz or Hallertauer), and add 
sweetness with ~1lb of crystal malt.  
I think even more sweetness would be called for...try adding some unfermentable
sugar (lactose, dextrin).  I would also use a small amount of roasted barley
to darken the color, improving the visual impression of the 'Mapleness'.  
The taste buds of my mind would avoid using black patent malt to darken--the 
smokier flavors (as compared to roasted barley)  don't sound good mixed with
maple.

Good luck--let us know how it turns out!
- --Scott Welker

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #880, 05/13/92