HOMEBREW Digest #914 Wed 01 July 1992

Digest #913 Digest #915


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


Contents:
  Re: First all grain, Low Yield (Desmond Mottram)
  Freezer Conversion (Mitchell M. Evans)
  Lagering and priming (KIERAN O'CONNOR)
  White gloppy stuff (Phillip Seitz)
  Hefe Weisen (John L. Isenhour)
  Berkeley Brewpubs (and the greater Bay Area) (Jeff Copeland)
  extraction rates / hefeweizen (Brian Bliss)
  Trade (Chris Estes)
  Cleaning hop residue  (Carl West)
  Oops - Counterflow Chiller (Bob_Konigsberg)
  Low yield (Darren Evans-Young)
  Paul's Peppered Pils (SHERRILL_PAUL)
  Low yields (Rob Bradley)
  Re:  Homebrew Digest #907 (June 22, 1992) (Robert Millette)
  Young's and lupulophobia  (Jay Hersh)
  Used Kegs (Bret Olmsted)
  Mash and Hops (Phoebe Couch)
  Brewpubs in Berzerkley (summary) ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  CAMRA & Beer Drinkers of America (Bob Gorman)
  Long time in the primary (Dances with Workstations)
  BEER ACROSS AMERICA (STAFINIAK)
  Ladybugs (chris campanelli)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 12:51:17 BST From: des at pandora.swindon.ingr.com (Desmond Mottram) Subject: Re: First all grain, Low Yield caa at com2serv.c2s.mn.org (Charles Anderson) writes: > Subject: First All grain, Low Yield > > I made my first attempt at an All-Grain brew yesterday using a simple > recipe from Cat's Meow 2, which was 8lbs of British Pale, 1lb of British > Crystal, 3oz Fuggles, and 1oz of Willamette. I mashed for 90mins w/2.25 gals > in my electrim-bin, and I had a hell of a time getting the temp to stay constant > at 150. This was a single step infusion mash, I think my temps varied from > about 145 to 160, with various hot spots around the heating element. I use an Electrim bin with a sparge bag. This means you have to use rather more water, about 3 gallons, but you don't get problems with grain sitting on the element and hot spots are easy to stir in. I stir it about every 30 mins. Every 10 mins is likely to do more harm than good - you're going to cool it excessively. I have had no problems with getting the temp to stay completely steady but it is a bit cooler at the top. I get 155 near the element, 150 at the top. I've found it's best to leave the stat set between the two 'M's of the word "SIMMER" above the knob. If it needs boosting turn it up to 6 for five minutes, set back, stir and check the temperature. If it needs cooling, splosh in half a cupful of cold water, stir and check. But don't get too fussy, you are more likely to make matters worse. There is a lot of thermal inertia in 9 lbs grain plus 2.5-3 gallons of water and you are likely to keep over correcting. Give it 20 minutes to settle between trying to make adjustments. When it's about right, leave it. Temperature is important but it won't ruin the beer if you are a few degrees out, it just means you have to give it a bit longer. It is supposed to affect the taste slightly - warmer mashes leave more dextrins so sweeter beers, but I'll bet there aren't many who can honestly say they can tell. [choppity chop] > Should my sparge water be boiling when I start, TCJOHB says > 170, does it matter? Hot (170-180) but don't bother boiling. It's not crucial but malt sugars dissolve better if the water is really hot. Boil up a few kettlefuls as you are sparging to keep it hot. > I'm not worrying, Definitely the right attitude! I'm sure you'll get the best beer you've ever made. > > -Charlie > - -- > /-Charles-Anderson-\ | caa at c2s.mn.org > \------------------/ | Com Squared Systems, voice (612) 452-9522 Desmond Mottram d_mottram at swindon.ingr.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 00:05:36 PST From: doc at brewing.cts.com (Mitchell M. Evans) Subject: Freezer Conversion Howdy folks! I would like to convert an upright freezer into a cool place for my brew for ferment and age. I have looked for "conversion" kits in this area, and have found only one available. Unfortunately, it costs $75. Does anyone out there in netland have a cheap (less than $40) solution to my problem? If so, I'd love to hear from ya! Mitch =========================================================================== doc at brewing.cts.com or crash!brewing!doc or ??????? "I wonder sometimes, how long this trouble gonna last..." -- Stevie Ray Vaughan =========================================================================== Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1992 21:45 EDT From: KIERAN O'CONNOR <OCONNOR%SNYCORVA.bitnet at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Lagering and priming Hi, I've been lagering two batches o' beer for about two months in Cornelius kegs at 32 degrees f. Its about time to bottle them (I dont have the equipment to keg 'em) and I need to kow about priming. I made a culture from 2206 Bavarian Lager yeast. If I warm up the two batehs to 60 degrees before bottling, will there be enough active yeast so that i can just do the 3/4 cup of corn sugar thing? I'd rather not do another culture if I dont have to--but I will if necessary. Any thoughts? Kieran O'Connor oconnor at snycorva.bitnet Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 13:34 GMT From: Phillip Seitz <0004531571 at mcimail.com> Subject: White gloppy stuff Ok, so what is all that white gloppy stuff that forms when the wort begins to boil? Did someone say that it's protein? And should I work to remove it (skim it off?). Inquiring minds want to know! Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1992 9:25:43 -0500 (CDT) From: ISENHOUR at LAMBIC.FNAL.GOV (John L. Isenhour) Subject: Hefe Weisen Sam (sami at scic.intel.com) writes: >I have brewed a couple of weissen beers and they were great. recently I was >reading Dave Miller's book and he mentioned a hefeweissen. What's the >difference? The hefe part just means that there is yeast in the bottle, most likely you are already making it this way, unless you're filtering the brew. I usually buy these types of (import) beers because I feel that it travels better if it has some yeast in it. Oh, and BOB JONES <BJONES at NOVAX.llnl.gov> writes: >Does anyone know of a chemical that will cut the hop residue inside a >blowoff tube. Since my blowoff tube never contacts the wort/beer (at least not the brew I drink), I just soak it in a real strong Tide tm detergent (no scent) and hot water and it comes right off, then I rinse it really well, then I clorox it. I used to use count-off, alconox, and micro brand cleaners but Tide works just as well and its cheaper too. Hefty Weiss for all, John - the HopDevil Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 08:55:25 -0600 From: copeland at calypso.atmos.colostate.edu (Jeff Copeland) Subject: Berkeley Brewpubs (and the greater Bay Area) Here's a list I got from Rec.crafts.brewing on June 18 1992. Its more than just Berkeley, but a number are accesible via BART or other mass transit. (kudos to Nick Cuccia cuccia at mica.berkeley.edu for the list) Anchor Brewing Company 1705 Mariposa Street San Francisco, CA 94107 415 863 8350 The nation's first modern microbrewery, home of Anchor Steam, Liberty Ale, Anchor Porter, Anchor Wheat, seasonal Holiday beers, and Old Foghorn Barleywine. Tours on weekdays, by appointment. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART Civic Center; catch MUNI 19 Polk south at Hyde/Eighth and Market; get off at Rhode Island and Mariposa; walk two blocks east. Bison Brewery 2598 Telegraph Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 510 841 7734 Originally opened by "Buffalo" Bill Owens, now run by Eric Freitag and Scott DeOca. Scott likes to experiment with herbs and flavorings in his beers; I remember an espresso stout that he made last year as being particularly interesting. Postmodern building with art by local artists. Sandwiches; salads; coffee drinks (This *is* Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley, after all). ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART to Berkeley Station, transfer to AC Transit #40. Bus stops right in front of Bison. Boulder Creek Brewing 13040 Highway 9 Boulder Creek, CA 95006 408 338 7882 Beers include Tall Tale Pale Ale, Redwood Ale, and Lorenzo Logger Lager. Not far from Big Basin Redwoods State Park. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: CalTrain Santa Cruz shuttle from San Jose BART station; get off at Santa Cruz transit center; transfer to Santa Cruz transit #35. Note: last shuttle from Santa Cruz leaves Santa Cruz at 8:50p. Brewpub on the Green 3350 Stevenson Blvd Fremont, CA 94538 510 651 5510 Haven't been to this one. Menu by Narsai David, one of California's best-known cooks. "Buffalo" Bill Owens is a partner in this pub. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Fremont BART; roughly 3/4 mi. walk/cab ride from there. Buffalo Bill's Brewpub 1082 B Street Hayward, CA 94541 510 886 9823 First brewpub to open in Bay Area since Prohibition. Also home of _American Brewer_ Magazine. Nice amber ale, Yakima Cider on tap, and one of my favorite brewhouses--all recycled dairy equipment. Also home of _American Brewer_ magazine. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART to Hayward Station, walk three blocks east on B. Dempsey's Ale House 50 E. Washington St. Petaluma, CA 94952 ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Golden Gate Transit from SF/San Rafael to Petaluma. Golden Pacific Brewery 5515 Doyle St. Emeryville, CA 94608 510 547 8270 Produces draft and bottled beers for the Berkeley area. Arranged to contract brew Thousand Oaks products after TO ceased production. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART MacArthur Station; transfer to AC Transit #57 (Emeryville Marina direction). Gordon Biersch #1 640 Emerson Palo Alto, CA 94301 415 323 7723 Specializes in German brews--their standards are Export, Maerzen, and Dunkle; weissbiers in summer and bocks in autumn. Mmmmm! ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: CalTrain to Palo Alto Station, east on University to Emerson (2-3 blocks), south on Emerson. Gordon Biersch #2 33 E. San Fernando San Jose, CA 95113 408 294 6785 See Gordon Biersch #1. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: SCRTD Light Rail-able. Gordon Biersch #3 2 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA See Gordon Biersch #1. Opened last week of March 1992. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART to Embarcadero station, south along the Embarcadero for about 4-5 blocks; in the old Hills Brothers building. Hogshead Brewery 114 J Street Sacramento, CA 95814 916 443 BREW ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Amtrak from Oakland, Berkeley, or Richmond station/stops to Sacramento. Kelmer's Brewhouse 458 B Street Santa Rosa, CA 95401 707 544 4677 ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Golden Gate Transit to downtown Santa Rosa. Lind Brewing 1933 Davis #177 San Leandro, CA 94577 510 562 0866 Microbrewer; Roger Lind is an alumnus of Triple Rock, Golden Gate (RIP), and Devil Mountain (RIP) breweries. Local distribution; his ales (Drake's Gold and Drake's Amber) are especially nice. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: unknown. Marin Brewing Company 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle Larkspur, CA 94939 415 461 4677 After Gordon Biersch, my favorite brewpub. Don't think they have a bad brew in the bunch (Marin Weisse, Mt. Tam Pale Ale, Albion Amber, Point Reyes Porter, Raspberry Trail Ale (Mt. Tam with raspberries-- yum!), Old Dipsea Barleywine (smooooth; blows Old Foghorn Away), San Quentin Breakout Stout, Point Reyes Porter). ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Across Sir Francis Drake from Golden Gate Ferry's Larkspur terminal. Mendocino Brewing Company 13351 Highway 101 S. Hopland, CA 95449 707 744 1015 Every homebrewer must make the pilgrimage: not only is it the first legal brewpub since prohibition in California, but its original brewing equipment came from the late New Albion Brewery (the first startup micro in the US). All of its beers--Pale Ale, Amber, Specialty Ale (Eye of the Hawk--nectar in a bottle), Stout, Christmas Porter--are excellent. Worth the trip from San Francisco. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Greyhound from San Francisco. Pacific Coast Brewing Company 906 Washington Oakland, CA 94607 415 836 BREW Been a while since I've been there. Nice old Victorian-style bar, with downstairs brewery. Also serves microbrew from other makers. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART Oakland, south on Broadway to Ninth Street, west on Ninth to Washington. Rubicon Brewery 2004 Capitol Avenue Sacramento, CA 95814 916 448 7032 Phil Moeller was once an award-winning homebrewer. Now his brews win medals at GABF. His Amber Ale is particularly yummy. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Amtrak from Oakland, Berkeley, or Richmond stations/stops to Sacramento. Hogshead Brewery 114 J Street Sacramento, CA 95814 916 443 BREW ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Amtrak from Oakland, Berkeley, or Richmond stations/stops to Sacramento. San Francisco Brewing Company 155 Columbus St. San Francisco, CA 94133 415 434 3344 Great looking copper brewkettle, pretty good lager, mediocre amber. Pubfare. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART Montgomery, catch MUNI #30 at Market and Third, get off at Columbus, walk towards the Transamerica Pyramid until you get to Pacific. Look for the kettle. Seabright Brewery 519 Seabright Av. Santa Cruz, CA 95062 ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: CalTrain shuttle from San Jose CalTrain station. Note: Last shuttle leaves Santa Cruz at 8:50p. Santa Cruz Brewing/Front Street Pub 516 Front Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 408 429 8838 ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: CalTrain shuttle from San Jose CalTrain station. Last shuttle to San Jose leaves at 8:50p. Sudwerks Hubschbrau 2001 Second Street Davis, CA 95616 916 756 BREW This brewpub specializes in the best German-style brew in the Bay Area. Their wheat beer is my favorite next to Anchor's, and their pilsner and bock are the best in the Bay Area. Period. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Amtrak Capitol Special from Oakland, Berkeley, or Richmond stations/stops to Davis. Tied House Cafe and Brewery #1 954 Villa St. Mountain View, CA 94041 415 965 BREW 20 Bbl brewery. Pale Ale, Amber, Dark, Doppelweizen, and I believe a low-calorie amber. Good food. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: CalTrain Mountain View. East on Castro, north on Villa. Tied House Cafe and Brewery #2 65 N. San Pedro San Jose, CA 95110 408 295 2739 ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: Unknown. Tied House Cafe and Brewery #3 #8 Pacific Marina Alameda, CA 510 521 4321 ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART Oakland 12th St. Station. Transfer to AC Transit #12; get off at Marina Village Parkway and Challenger. Walk towards the water and look for the signs. Triple Rock Brewery 1920 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 510 843 2739 First Berkeley Brewpub. Pinnacle Pale Ale, Red Rock Ale (my fave), Black Rock Porter. Sandwiches/chili/nachos. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART Berkeley station. North on Shattuck 4-5 blocks. Twenty Tank Brewery 316 11th Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415 255 9455 Third brewpub opened by owners of Triple Rock (#2 is Bigtime Brewery and Alehouse in Seattle). Mellow Flow Pale Ale, Hi Top Amber (dry), Kinnikinnick Amber (malty), Kinnikinnick Stout. Sandwiches/chili/ nachos. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: BART Civic Center/MUNI Van Ness stations. Four blocks south of Market on Eleventh Street. Winchester Brewing 830 S. Winchester Blvd. San Jose, CA 95128 408 243 7561 Nice barleywine. ACCESS BY MASS TRANSIT: unknown. |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Jeff Copeland copeland at calypso.atmos.colostate.edu Atmospheric Science Colorado State University Ft Collins CO 80523 Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 10:03:48 CDT From: bliss at csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss) Subject: extraction rates / hefeweizen > I use a one step infusion mash at 155 for 45 minutes. > > The starting gravity is 1.036 and finishing is 1.006. With 9 lb > of grain I think I should be getting around 1.040. I've noticed that one-infusion mashes seem to take longer than using a protein rest, also. I beleive the difference is just the time it takes for the grain to get thouroughly soaked in the mash water, which can be a good 10-20 minutes. With such mashes, I've also had much better luck enough adding hot water to bring the temp to 140-145, and then slowly raising it to the desired temp, rather than immediately raising the temp with water to the lower 150's. anyway, the iodine test should tell. >I'd expect to get still more than that. I mash in three gallons, sparge >with three gallons, and with 9lb of grain usually get around 5.5 gallons at >1042. Based on what the books say I would say I have room for yet further >improvement. 5.5 * 36 / 9 = 22 pts/lb which is the lower end of the acceptable range for me. The only time I usually get more than 25 pts/lb is when I use wheat malt and get into 3 hr. sparges. As for the rest of my technique, in summary, Corona grain mill, Zapap lauter tun with sparge bag, grind the grain the day before, I try to check ph, but I usually make dark beers and they stain the ph paper enough that it's practially useless, mash for 2 hrs, and my final extraction rates are based upon how much I got after I siphon the beer off the .25 - .75 gal of hot break. Which brings up another question, why do my hydrometer readings go up after I let the hot break settle out? The stuff is heavier than the wort (it sinks)... what gives? - ------------------------------- >I have brewed a couple of weissen beers and they were great. recently I was >reading Dave Miller's book and he mentioned a hefeweissen. What's the >difference? Does anyone have recipe that I can use? Neither Miller nor >Papazian have one listed that I could find. "hefe" means yeast, and hefeweizen contains a significant amount of yeast in solution, whereas a krystallweizen does not, usually due to filtering. Most homebrews are considered a hefeweizen (unless the brewmaster has a filtering system). Most commercial hefeweizen have had (the brewing yeast possibly filtered out and) a non-flocculating strains added prior to bottling, which is especially neccessary if the beer is pasteurized. Has anyone tried this, and what did you use for the non-flocculating yeast? Wyeast 3056 seems to flocculate more than I want; I would prefer more yeast in my hefeweizen. (I guess I could just stir up the dead yeast on the bottom of the fermenter prior to bottling, and pour out all the sediment at serving time...) bb Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 11:28:58 -0400 From: cestes at argos5.DNET.NASA.GOV (Chris Estes) Subject: Trade Hi All... If anyone in the Washington DC metro area is interested, I have two 5 gallon soda kegs, one of which I would like to trade for a 2.5 or 3 gallon version. Any takers??? -Chris Estes- cestes at argos5.dnet.nasa.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 11:23:25 EDT From: eisen at kopf.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Carl West) Subject: Cleaning hop residue Bob, Run a long string or rope through the tube (use a weight or stream of water to help if necessary), tie a piece of cloth into the middle of the rope, (make sure that the cloth is big enough to make a tight fit in the tube), stand on one end of the rope, hold the other end up high in your hand and with the other hand move the tube up and down thus scrubbing the inside of the tube. You could use a bottle or carboy brush for this instead of the cloth. Cheaper than those brushes is taking apart a _new_ toilet brush, straighten the bristle-wire out and pull that through the tube. Works on mine. Carl WISL,BM. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 09:20 PDT From: Bob_Konigsberg at 3mail.3com.com Subject: Oops - Counterflow Chiller Sorry to all for the mixup. Thanks to all who pointed out my error. Yes, I use a COUNTERFLOW chiller, and have made a diagram of how to construct one. The previous offer still stands. BobK Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 12:10:44 CDT From: Darren Evans-Young <DARREN at ua1vm.ua.edu> Subject: Low yield With 9 lbs of pale ale malt, I get a SG of 1.055. All my water is preboiled to remove chlorine. When I add the grains to 170 deg water, the temp drops to 153 deg. The pH is too low (4.7). I was adding CaCO3, but it had very little effect on pH and my mash wasnt completely converting. I then started adding 1 tsp gypsum to my mash and the effects were very noticable. I mash for 2 hours and even though the pH is too low, it converts completely. As for grain bags, I dont use one. I keep my water level at least 2" above the grain bed. I dont see how a grain bag will help me. I take a full hour to sparge. Sparge water treated with lactic acid to pH 5.7. I have even had a SG of 1.057 with 9 lbs of grain. Darren Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jun 92 10:45:00 -0700 From: SHERRILL_PAUL at Tandem.COM Subject: Paul's Peppered Pils Hi All, I thought I'd report on my pepper beer experiment that I queried you all about. Most recommendations leaned towards adding the pepper as late as possible in the process. Here's what I did. Recipe (for 4 gallons) 6 lbs light liquid extract 1.0 oz Hallertauer hops (~ 4.8 AAU) boiling 50 minutes 1.0 oz hallertauer hops steep 15 minutes Wyeast Pilsen yeast (I don't have my notes with me can't remember number) Serrano chile added at bottling Ferment at 50 degrees for 1 week. Then ferment at 45 degrees for 3 weeks. At bottling cut up serrano and add slices to each bottle. What I did was cut up one chile and set aside 6 bottles for dry peppering. The rest of the batch was just bottled as is. I labeled my 6 bottles 1 to 6 and put a little more pepper in each beer. Taste results: The non peppered beer is way malty but it has mellowed nicely after 3 weeks at 40 degrees. Dare I say it is not balanced. The peppered bottles are good. The ones with the least pepper (one thin slice 1/8 inch) don't have any pronounced heat but have an incredibly dry and abrupt finish. You wouldn't know it was pepper that added the strangeness. The ones that were more highly peppered (two 1/8 inch slices) begin to feel the heat. This seems to be the right amount to use to get the flavor and slight feel of the pepper with burning a hole in ye gut. The flavor only comes through in the finish and you can tell it's pepper. The last two bottles are waiting for our next homebrew meeting. Hopefully it'll have the good slowburn. By the way, the peppers did not seem to have any effect on the physical characteristics of the beer (head or color). When I do this again I will go for the 1/4 inch slices in some sort of ale. In fact the IPA in primary could turn into India Peppered Ale. Also on the agenda for the future would be attempting a pepper tea at bottling. The problem with this is the extrapolation of the number of peppers to use and the pepper extraction rate when made into a tea. Overall I really like this beer and I think that it could be a good subcategory for just about any beer style. Now how can I figure the pepper extraction rate in IPUs (International Peppering Units) ? paul sherrill_paul at tandem.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 14:41:36 -0400 From: bradley at adx.adelphi.edu (Rob Bradley) Subject: Low yields In HBD #913, Larry Barello writes > Regardless of the dextrine maltose balance, the OG should be pretty > consistent. In reply to Kinney Baughman's claim that a high mash tempreature in the mash might be responsible for a low yield. If my understanding of the workings of the enzymes is correct, then Larry is right. If Kinney is right, sould some kind soul please e-mail me (or the HBD) to explain why a higher proportion of dextrins lowers the SG? I have often mashed at temperatures higher that 150 for the purpose of getting higher fianl gravity and have never noticed a statistically significant ddecrease in yield. Desmond Mottram elaborates on the issue of mash time (also first brought up by Kinney). Again, if this is a factor, I have to go back to drawing- board. It seems to me that once the starches have been glutenized and dissolved, the OG is essentially determined. What proportion of the dissolved material is fermentable sugar, unfermantable sugar and unconverted starch is abviously a matter of great concern, but is in no way reflected in the density of the solution. IF THIS IS WRONG, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I have always believed that lower-than-expected yields come from grinding too coarsely, from sparging with too little water or from using different ingredients (e.g. US malt for a British recipe) than called for in the paradigm. Cheers, Rob Bradley (bradley at adx.adelphi.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 11:59:02 PDT From: millette at ohsu.EDU (Robert Millette) Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #907 (June 22, 1992) You are a selfish prig. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 15:27:02 EDT From: Jay Hersh <hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu> Subject: Young's and lupulophobia While I don't disagrre that if your info is accurate Young's hooping rates are quite low, you should still realize that there is an inverse and quite counter-intuitive relationship between hopping rates and batch size. Because the wort quickly saturates with bittering acids in small batches (of which you could consider 5 gallons) it becomes necessary to add quite a bit more hops to acheive the desired bitterness thanbn in larger batches. This non-linear effect can be shown by doubling your batch size and exactly doubling your recipe. I think you will find that the bitterness of the beer actually undergoes a substantial increase, and that to preserve the reciupe you'll have to cut back on the hops. This being a non-linear effect I don't know a formula off hand. Perhaps George doesa and can provide us one on his return. I first became aware of this phenomena when attending a talk by Finn Knudsen of Coors who spoke at the AHA National Conference several years ago on scaling up recipes from 5 gallon test batches to a pilot brewery, to full production. The effect is deemed brewing to scale, and I expect many a homebrewer turned proi has encountered this. All that said, the hopping rates quoted for Young's still seem truly low. JaH Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 12:26:12 -0700 From: bsolmsted at ucdavis.edu (Bret Olmsted) Subject: Used Kegs Hi- I am interested in finding suppliers of used kegs and there prices. I am interested in putting together a list of suppliers and there prices and would appreciate people who are satisfied with their kegs to send me a letter telling me the place you bought it from and the price. Thanks in advance. Bret Olmsted bsolmsted at ucdavis.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 12:11:45 PDT From: ithaca!amber!phoebe at uunet.UU.NET (Phoebe Couch) Subject: Mash and Hops First I'd like to thank everyone out there for all the advice on the net, I didn't ask the questions but read the answers all the same. Thought I will tell y'all about my setup, I recently started doing all grain, and we have 2 setups: 1) Mash in the oven in a stainless pot sparge in 2 plastic bucket with holes in bottom of the inner bucket and spigot on outer bucket. 2) Mash in a 48 qt cooler with slotted copper pipes(15 ft) and faucet fitted to it. (The leftover copper tubing (~30ft) became a 2 layer wort chiller and it works fast too. ) sparge in same. I don't know if we were too impetuous and checked too often, but setup2 can't seem to keep a constant temp and we ended to having to reheat the grain a lot and ended up putting all the stuff in the oven. But either way it came out good, the mashing process took about 6 hours the first time (cooler) because of all the hassles and 4 hours the second time because it kept tasting sweeter everytime we checked on it. IMpale ale was made with setup2 and was dry hopped with Saaz pellets(cos I like the smell, but can't buy it freash) The beer that came out was a lot clearer and smoother than extract brewing. I will highly recommend all-grain brewing, we had a BBQ outside while the enzymes were working, so that wait was no problem. IMpale ale was very tasty, but the hop flavour seemed to have become stronger as it developed in the bottle. It's like drinking malty flower juice. Anyway I have a question about hops, I am growing cascades, williamette, nugget and Mt Hood in the backyard, the cascade is the only one with what ressembles flowers, but they are small bases with white spikes sticking out and not leafy like the stuff you buy. I am worried that I may have been sold a male plant instead of a female plant (if there is such a thing for Hops) Does anyone out there know? P. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 16:36:11 EDT From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu> Subject: Brewpubs in Berzerkley (summary) Such an inpouring of (conflicting) information! How will I ever digest it all!? How will I ever go all those places in one short afternoon!? Lots of folks noted that the Golden Gate brewpub is gone. Several strongly recommended that I take the extra hours (2 each way!) to drive up to Hopland and visit the Mendocino Brewing Co. Seems impractable for this trip, unless I can reschedule my flight several hours earlier. Comments the pubs actually in Berkeley included: Triple Rock: You'll definitely want to visit [it]. First Berkeley Brewpub. For sure! Popular close-to-campus hangout, but beware: they make lousy beer. Good, but staid... (same 3 house brews, no rotation) Great place to hoist a few, especially in summer, when it's not packed to the rafters with [students]. Great beer and a great ambience. Bison Brewing: Likes to experiment with herbs and flavorings ... espresso stout last year... Postmodern building Popular close-to-campus hangout, but beware: they make lousy beer. Good, but artsy and experimental ...(sage pale ale) Still exists, but I have never figured out why. ... sour and unpleasant, though others like it. I dunno what kind of people you like to hang out with, ... maybe I should dye my hair black and look bored to fit in. The beer was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad ... underhopped, sweet and boring. Thanks to all. Now I have to decide whether to try take extra time to go up to Mendocino Brewing Co, or maybe try to visit Anchor (will they take just one on a tour?) =S Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1992 17:37:50 EDT From: bob at rsi.com (Bob Gorman) Subject: CAMRA & Beer Drinkers of America Hi All, I'm looking for North East based CAMRA type of organization. Is anyone aware of a political organization primarily dedicated to the promotion of beer? This could either be an extension of CAMRA or another organization, independent of any beer company. I've recently become aware of The Beer Drinkers of America but I know very little about them. I have a gut feeling that this may be just an organization which is sponsored by BudMilLob but set up to appear as a grass roots organization. Does anybody know anything about them? I ask all of these questions because there seems to a fair number of people at least in the Boston area who are interested in the politics of beer. I would like to find a way to get all of these people united into some form of organization. So rather than trying to start up one on my own I thought it might be better to merge in with an existing organization, like CAMRA. Does CAMRA have a North East affiliation? Can somebody please enlighten me, or point me in the right direction? Direct email responses would be preferred. Thanks! - -- Bob Gorman bob at rsi.com Watertown MA US -- - -- Relational Semantics, Inc uunet!semantic!bob +1 617 926 0979 -- Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 19:00:13 EDT From: Dances with Workstations <buchman at marva1.ENET.dec.com> Subject: Long time in the primary Greetings, fellow HBD'ers, A friend of mine, who is a former brewer, has an interesting question which he asked me to pass on to someone who knows about home brewing: >From: park at h2sun5.sph.jhu.edu "L. Park" 30-JUN-1992 14:37:28.07 >To: buchman at marva1.enet.dec.com > > Hi Jim - > I have been inspired to resume the fine art of brewing. >I have a quick question. I have a batch of beer which is >about 5 years old and still in a sealed primary fermentor. >I recently bottled a small sample of this brew with little >expectation of any live yeast. To my surprize, the stuff >is well carbonated. The flavor is about what I expected, >except that there is a bit of an edge of a funny flavor >present. My concern is that it is some alcohol congener, >perhaps propanol, or worse, methanol. Have you ever heard >of beer being kept so long? Or are you aware of the ability >of yeast to produce alcohols besides the friendly ethanol? > > I have considered trying to get some of this information, >but I am not sure where to try. Is there a beer brewing >group out on the net? If so, have you ever consulted any >of the information out there? I look forward to hearing >from you. Thanks. > > Larry I'm giving him information on joining the digest, so expect a new Baltimore area subscriber soon. As to his problem, my feeling is that he is probably okay. I'm not sure, but I think the beer he is talking about is a porter. It would be intriguing to see what this brew tasted like after a five year primary, if it were safe. On the one hand, - alcohol acts as a preservative; - wines are commonly aged for years or decades; - Thomas Hardy ale is often aged for years, in the bottle; and - I've talked with other subscribers who regularly age their stouts for 18 months or more. On the other hand, - this is in the carboy, not the bottle, and - it has been sitting in Larry's basement, but almost certainly has been subjected to fluctuating temperatures during that period. - it has had lots of opportunity to get infected. - my father's golden rule of spoiled seafood survival is "When in doubt, throw it out". So what would you recommend? Is it possible that other, nastier alcohols have been produced during this time? Or should he bottle and drink it with careless abandon if it shows no obvious signs of infection? Thanks! Jim Buchman buchman at marva1.enet.dec.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 22:31 EST From: STAFINIAK at hermes.psycha.upenn.edu Subject: BEER ACROSS AMERICA THERE HAS BEEN MENTION IN THE PAST OF A COMPANY THAT DELIVERS MONTHLY MI MICORBREWS - A BREW OF THE MONTH CLUB OF SORTS. i BELIEVE IT WAS CALLED BEER ACROSS AMERICA. CAN SOMEONE PROVIDE ME WITH AN ADDRESS/PHONE NUMBER? THANKS IN ADVANCE. PAUL Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 92 20:16 CDT From: akcs.chrisc at vpnet.chi.il.us (chris campanelli) Subject: Ladybugs Ladybugs are ruthless when it comes to consuming aphids. Ladybugs also prey upon a host of other pest insects as well. There are quite a number of mail order businesses that deal in ladybugs. They are sold (usually) by the 1/2 pint, pint and quart. 1/2 pints are around $11 and full pints around $15. Some businesses go the extra mile and ship the bugs with a piece of dry ice to slow the bugs metabolism and to help prevent mortalities. These businesses advertise in the back pages of most gardening magazines. Check your library's magazine rack if you like. If anyone has trouble finding sources for ladybugs, send me private email and I will dig up some catalogs for the info. The only complaint about ladybugs is that most if not all eventually fly away. It has to do with mating and such. Your money literally flies away. Its kinda neat to watch. If there is food present for the ladybug, alot will hang around until the food (aphids, weevils, red spiders and the like) source is depleted. A way to trick the ladybug into not immediately flying away is to give the insect a splash of 7-UP just prior to placing the bug on the plant. The water in the soda wets their wings, thus grounding the insect until the wings dry out. The mentality is ". . . can't fly so I might as well eat someting. . .". The reason for 7-UP and not water is because after the water evaporates, the sticky sugar thats left behind will further make the ladybugs wings inoperative. The sugar eventually will disappear and the ladybug will regain flight but hopefully by that time your aphids are history. This method of using 7-UP is not harmful to the ladybug. I seem to remember that California has organic farming laws or regulations or someting like that which also specifies this method. chris campanelli Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #914, 07/01/92