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


Contents:
  Description of Wyeast liquid cultures (TOM KALTENBACH)
  Question on mead (Have I won it? :) (gkushmer)
  mead, JSbashing (smith)
  Oats ("Rad Equipment")
  Oats                                  Time:7:45 AM     Date:7/7/92
  Sealing mash-tuns (Patrick J. Volkerding)
  oatmeal (Brian Bliss)
  Silicones, implants, and toxicity (Chip Hitchcock)
  sparge method (Russ Gelinas)
  silicone (Brian Bliss)
  Silicones Again (Thomas D. Feller)
  Silicone, Yeast (Jack Schmidling)
  Weizen yeast / kegging (korz)
  Re: Homebrew Digest #918 (July 07, 1992) (Greg)
  Question on sanitizers. ("C. Lyons")
  Getting that clove-like flavor from cloves (Patrick P. Clancey)
  Beers of California (Michael T. Daly)
  Origins of Lambic? (C.R. Saikley)
  smoked beer (Frank Tutzauer)
  English Ale (John.D.Burrill)
  malts... ("Franklin R. Jones")
  Re: Peach Weizen (Jeff Frane)


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

Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 08:10:06 -0400
From: tfk at Kodak.COM (TOM KALTENBACH)
Subject: Description of Wyeast liquid cultures

Hi all-

     Does anybody have a copy of the description of the different strains of 
the Wyeast liquid yeast cultures?  The "brewing in the information age" 
issue of ZYMURGY (couple of issues ago now) mentions that this file is 
available on COMPUSERVE (I think it's called WYEAST.TXT).  Unfortunately, I 
don't have any way to access COMPUSERVE.  Could some kind soul please send 
me a copy?  Thanks.

Tom Kaltenbach
tfk at kodak.com

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 8:42:23 EDT
From: gkushmer at Jade.Tufts.EDU
Subject: Question on mead (Have I won it? :)


I recently posted this to a local mailing list but seeing that I too
might get the beloved MALTMILL I've got to buy my lottery tick--um--repost
this thing here for the wider audience.

I've noticed that mead, when purchased in stores or in restaurants, is a
rather expensive drink.  The Boston Beer Works sells it for $3.95 a glass
(and the glasses are wine-size thingies) while a friend of mine buys
it for $90 a case.

Meanwhile I throw in some honey and yeast and spend a total of $12.50
to make what is so far 5 gallons.

Is there something more at work here than market forces in keeping
store-bought so high?  Or is this a grab-your-ankles routine?

- --gk


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Date:    Tue, 7 Jul 92 09:23:04 CDT
From: smith%8616.span at Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov
Subject: mead, JSbashing


hey folks--

For various reasons, I've been making quick meads lately instead of beers,
using a base of 5 lb honey for a 5 gallon batch and throwing in various
spices and/or fruits.  Now, this stuff is good in its own way (not having
tasted anybody else's mead, I can't compare it), but it seems quite thin.
How can one add "body" to a quick mead?  Add a little DME?  More fruit?
Is this a fruitless quest?  *ducks*  Note that I don't give a FFAARD about
standard styles, I just want a nice summer beverage that doesn't take
more than a month to complete.  1 1/2 gallons of frozen blackberries,
a jug of honey, several million yeasties and I await your suggestions....

Oh, yeah.  Why exercise your sarcasm on Jack's maltmill giveaway?  Sheesh,
you can hardly call it commercialism when he's giving something away
for nothing!  And congrats Jack, I had no idea you'd sold 100 of them.
Want to make fun of something?  How about the summer MajorBeer ads?
"Miller Lite - It's __it and that's that!"  Pfui.

james
smith%8616.span at fedex.msfc.nasa.gov
"i bought a .44 magnum, solid steel cast
 and in the sacred name of Elvis i just let it blast"  --Da Boss

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 09:43:32 -0500
From: Brew Chemist Walter <walterbj at ernie.cis.uwosh.edu>

I tried mailing this last week, but it never made it out.  Seems the
mailer at UW-Oshkosh is about as reliable as the US Mail.  Oh well, 
here it goes again.

Mitch asked:
>   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,
	Check the back of Zymurgy.  I don't remember the company, but
they offer a programable controller for about $29.99.  I believe that
you plug the freezer/frig into the controller, which plugs into the wall.
There must be some type of thermistor or something you slip inside the 
unit to monitor temperature.  I will check on the company and e-mail
you with the info. 

Brian

/*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Brian J Walter                | "... Glittering prizes and endless  |      */
/* U of Wisconsin - Oshkosh      |  comprimises shatter the illusions  | |~~| */
/* Chemistry and Computer Science|  of integrity." -- Neil Peart, RUSH |(|  | */
/* Student - Graduated!!!        |-------------------------------------| |__| */
/* walterbj at ernie.cis.uwosh.edu  | Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Homebrew |      */
/*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/

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Date: 7 Jul 92 08:20:07 U
From: "Rad Equipment" <rad_equipment at rad-mac1.ucsf.EDU>
Subject: Oats

Subject:  Oats                                  Time:7:45 AM     Date:7/7/92
Brian Cole talks about his failed attempt to use rolled oats:

>I included them in an extract-based recipe in the standard manner of adding
>them to the boil water as it was being heated. I was quite nervous (but not
>worried !) that they would turn into oatmeal... after cooling I could see >in
the wort very vicsous thick whitish trub that took many days to settle >out....
I was not too surprised to find what was basically oatmeal sans >oats.... In
addition, the head retention of my stout is pretty poor...

Well Brian you got just what you thought, oatmeal made with wort.

Oats are not the same as specialty malts like chocolate, black patent, or
roasted barley. Oats MUST BE MASHED otherwise all you get is starch in the
beer. In order for the starch to be available for the mashing the oats must be
cooked (like rice) hence the milling process. Either "rolled" or "steel-cut"
will work equally well if you mash them. Flaked barley is a similar animal and
must be treated the same way. Flaked wheat is also available from some shops,
works the same way.

Mini-mashing isn't hard, just take equal amounts of the oats and 2 or 6 row
malt and combine with about 1 qt. of water per lb. Bring this to 155 degrees
for an hour and then rough sparge into your extract through a colander or grain
bag with an amount of water equal to what you mashed with. By "rough" I mean
just a simple rinse, no recirculation or trickle since you are looking for the
oat character and not a significant yeild. Oats get pretty gummy so when in a 1
to 1 grain bed a stuck sparge is almost guaranteed.

Don't give up on them yet, just mash them next time!

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, 7 Jul 92 11:30:42 -0400
From: Jeffrey Muday <mudayja at wfunet.wfu.edu>

Homebrewers:

I'm new to the homebrewing hobby (on my third batch).  Thus far, I have
used only a single stage brewing method-- my primary is a closed 6.5 gal
food-grade plastic pail.

Will I achieve better tasting beer by switching to the
"blow-off" carboy single-stage system as described in Papazian's
COMPLETE JOY OF HOMEBREWING?

I made a "kit" beer by Brewmart that included a fining agent called
isinglass.  I am unfamiliar with this stuff: it claims it contains
sulphur dioxide preservative--should I use it?

I am also interested in brewing beers that are similar in flavor to
Grolsch and Heineken. I would appreciate any recipes that would
approximate these beers.

Thanks,

- --Jeff

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 11:30:49 -0500
From: volkerdi at MHD1.moorhead.msus.edu (Patrick J. Volkerding)
Subject: Sealing mash-tuns

Hey now!

With all this talk about horrible potentially toxic glues and sealers getting 
used in mash tun construction, I thought I'd offer an alternate approach. 
First off, if your cooler already has a drain in the bottom, I wouldn't try 
to modify it. My impression is that it's a lot easier to make a leak-proof 
drain from scratch. Get a 15/32" drill bit and file the sharp edges near the 
point dull. This will help it to scrape through, preventing the plastic from 
chipping or shattering. Drill carefully through a flat section of the inside 
of the cooler, and then shove a piece of 1/2" OD vinyl hose through it. It 
will fit snugly enough that it won't leak. You can then fit 3/8" OD copper 
tubing to either side by just sticking it in the tube. 

Pat

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 11:31:05 CDT
From: bliss at csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
Subject: oatmeal


>I do not have anywhere near as much brewing experience as Larrry. However,
>I personally would not recommend using rolled oats (at least in extract
>recipes). I used them in an oatmeal stout several months ago when I could 
>not find steel-cut oats. I included them in an extract-based recipe in the 
>standard manner of adding them to the boil water as it was being heated. 
>I was quite nervous (but not worried !) that they would turn into oatmeal 
>so I made sure not to let them boil and even removed them earlier than I 
>normally would have removed specialty grains. I cooled the wort before
>transferring to the primary and after cooling I could see in the wort very
>vicsous thick whitish trub that took many days to settle out. When it did
>it left a 3-4" layer on the bottom of the carboy. When I racked to secondary
>I was not too surprised to find what was basically oatmeal sans oats, the
>same glutinous whitish paste that's in cooked oatmeal. Unfortunately while
>in the primary this "oatmeal" swelled and sucked up about 1/2 gallon of my beer.
>In addition, the head retention of my stout is pretty poor, it only lasts
>for 0.5-1.0 minutes. This may simply be due to the oils in the oatmeal and
>may have nothing to do with using rolled oats. I, however, will not use 
>rolled oats again. I have since found steel-cut oats in local health-food
>stores.

you must mash oatmeal or any other adjuncts before you add them to the boil.
In fact, I won't even add malted specialty grains anymore unless they are
mashed.  If I'm trying to do a quick and dirty job and just want to add
a half lb. of crystal malt or so, I'll steep it in 150F water and add an oz.
of amylase enzyme.  If you add all the malt extract at this point you'll
also notice that the infamous boil-over problem is alleviated.

Anyway, I made the same mistake (not mashing oatmeal) when I first tried it.

bb


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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 12:00:29 EDT
From: cjh at diaspar.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Chip Hitchcock)
Subject: Silicones, implants, and toxicity

   A key factor in the current fuss about silicone implants is that the
salesmen/demonstrators were specifically taught to conceal that the
envelopes leaked; the toxicity of implants relates substantially to the
effects of loose liquid silicone in contact with muscle or fatty tissue
for periods of several years. This is not likely to happen with anything
used to seal a brewing vessel rather than a brewer.
   The relative internal toxicities of the liquids used in implants and
the solids used in caulking are also unclear.
   Neither of these mean silicone caulks are \safe/, but the comparison
raised by Al Taylor may not be valid.
   I would also be suspicious of aquarium caulks; standards for pets are
often looser than standards for people.
   Tom Feller's post raises an idea: just as for large boiling kettles,
food-safe caulks (if they exist and whatever they're made of) should be
findable in cooking supply houses. Try your local yellow pages....

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Date:    Tue, 7 Jul 1992 13:53:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: R_GELINAS at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Russ Gelinas)
Subject: sparge method

  Some history:  It was suggested by Micah M. that it is better to
not recycle the sparge runnings at all, but rather to just allow the
mash to rest for a period of time, and then allow the lauter-tun to
drain.  His reasoning is that the extra particles in the wort that
result will give a clearer final product, as there will be more surface
area for flocculation.
  What I did:  Unfortunately, this is completely un-scientific, and
really proves nothing.  With that caveat.....I brewed 2 (actually 3, but
I'll get to that later) similar batches: 10 lbs 2-row pale with another
pound of specialty malt.  All 20+ lbs. was ground at the same time.  Both 
batches were mashed at 154 deg.  Both were mashed-out and sparged by pouring 
the mash into a 10 gallon water cooler fitted with a straining bowl, and 
then filling the cooler with boiling water.  The sparge set at 170 deg.  
Let sit for 30 minutes.  I recycled the wort in the first batch until it 
ran clear, probably about 1 gallon.  For the second batch, I just 
opened the drain and let it run.  Big chunks of stuff could be seen in 
the second batch.  Both batches were then boiled up (90 min), with hops 
in a hop bag (mistake!)
  The result:  Batch 2 was *slightly* clearer going into the carboy, and
after fermenting out.  Unfortunately, both batches were quite cloudy, and
truthfully, so is the result.  I attribute the cloudiness to the use of
a hops bag, because....

   In batch #3 (I told you I'd get to it),  I mashed the same way,
with similar ingredients and grind, mashed-out and sparged the same
way, but with recycling the first 1/2 gallon or so.   I got a stuck sparge
after about 6 gallons. (?)  I poked some holes in the mash, and got out
another .5 gallon.  Boiled with loose whole hops (no hops bag), and
the wort was crystal clear.  The obvious next step is to do it the same
way again, but with no recycling at all.

  So, what does it all mean?  It seems to imply that the resulting wort
is clearer if there is *something*, whether chunks of stuff from the mash
or hops, for easy flocculation, and that hops might be more important in
the clearing than the mash stuff.  But, again, this is really all just
speculation, and I'm only posting this in hopes of getting a maltmill ;-)
I'll let you know how comparitive batch #4 turns out (in about a month).

Russ

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 13:00:39 CDT
From: bliss at csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
Subject: silicone


>There have been a number of post about using Silicon as a sealer for homebrew 
>projects. Some folks have suggested using automotive silicon sealer because of 
>temperature requirements, as a former auto mechanic I think this would be 
>unwise. All of the automotive grade silicon sealers I have used have a high 
>level of solvents in them. Granted, once they are dry they will hold up to 
>almost anything, I  would still be quite worried about contact with things I 
>that I might eat or drink. Perhaps someone out there knows of a food grade 
>silicon sealer which would have the same kind of properties but we would know it
>was safe for contract with food. 

>Just a semi-amusing aside to the discussion on the "inertness" of silicone:
>About 20-25 years ago, the general consensus in the scientific community,
>allegedly in the know, that silicone was inert in breast implants and the
>like.  Well, that turned out to be not quite true.  However, as long as
>you don't use the beer exposed to silicone gel for cosmetic augmentation,
>you should be alright.          :-)

A few months ago 60 minutes had an article on silicone cosmetic surgery.
Apparrently, many (so-called) doctors were basically taking a syringe full
of the (automotive) clear silicone RTV and injecting it directly into their
patients!  Many of these patients needed extensive surgery to remove the
silicone after side effects showed up a few years later, and were left with
permanent scarring.  I digress from brewing, so I'll shut up...

bb


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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 11:24:02 PDT
From: thomasf at deschutes.ico.tek.com (Thomas D. Feller)
Subject: Silicones Again



I don't want to beat this subject to death but I think I need to make a couple 
of points about my last post on automotive grade silicone sealers.  We have been
talking about silicone as if it were some standard product but in the automotive
field the number different kinds of silicone sealers is large, each with 
different properties. Some resist gas and oil, some can fill large gaps, some 
can fill very small flat surfaces, and some can take very high temperatures. The
point I am trying to make here is that these sealers have different formulas, 
things are added to the sealer to get the different features. These sealers are 
tested on cars not on people, so because it will not breakdown exposed to gas 
does not mean that it is safe for contact with food. As I said before I am sure 
there must be some tested and approved food grade silicone sealer out there 
which would be far better to use for brewing.


Looking forward the the OBF and over 40 different microbrews, July 17,18, & 19

Tom Feller

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 08:32 CDT
From: arf at ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Silicone, Yeast

 
 To: Homebrew Digest
 Fm: Jack Schmidling
 
 >From: "Roger Deschner  " <U52983 at UICVM.UIC.EDU>
 >Subject: Silicone Rubber Caulking in Mash Tun
 
 >I'm about to use it, but I am going to be sure to find the variety which
 claims to be OK for aquarium use. 
 
 >From: Nick Zentena <zen%hophead at canrem.com>
 >        So I guess the general concensus is that Silcone is
  >       1) Reasonably inert chemically
    >     2) Won't kill me?
 
 I hate to throw cold water on this otherwise wonderful stuff but several 
 years ago there was TV news story about a whole family that got deathly sick 
 and I believe, at least one member died, resulting from the use of a GE 
 Silicone Sealer in a repair job on the dishwasher.
 
 For some strange reason, little was made of it but be advised that an 
 aquarium is not a mash tun and heat has a profound effect on chemical 
 activity.  I would not use that stuff on anything that gets anywhere near my 
 mouth.
 ...............
 
 Ale yeast.....
 
 Based on the accepted fact that ale yeast ferments down to near freezing, I 
 am curious to know what happens to wort/agar slants of yeast cultures stored 
 in the fridge.
 
 Presumably, they would happily ferment to depletion and/or till the tube 
 exlpodes if it is the screw cap type.
 
 Seems like in the best of cases, one would end up with tired out old yeast if 
 it was stored for more that a couple of weeks.
 
 Hmmmmmmmmmmm?
 
 js
 
 

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 13:44 CDT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: Weizen yeast / kegging

Sam writes:
>2). I can get a jar of Widmer hefeweizen which has a large amount of yeast
>in it. I have been told that they add their yeast as a second strain later
>in the process. It is a more flocculent (Why does that word always bring
>images of gaunt monks in cold-floored stone cells in the mountains?) strain
>from what I have heard. I was wondering if I should try to form a starter
>of this yeast from the dregs of a jar and pitch this with my brew. When do
>I pitch the second strain? What are the advantages to this? Are there any
>disadvantages? Is this a dumb idea all together?

In general, modern Barvarian weizens have the two ale yeasts (S. cerevisiae
and S. Delbrucki) filtered out and a lager yeast is added at bottling
because, as you noted, it is more flocculent (and possibly less prone to
autolysis).  I recommend that you simply bottle as ususal mostly because
of sanitation risks.

Brian writes:
> I've picked up two ball lock soda kegs at the scrap yard for $3.00 ea.
>and have some questions about cleaning, and the carbination in brew use.

Note that I bought my 5 kegs new from Foxx so I can't comment on cleaning
old ones.

> 1)When you place new gaskets in them do you need to take the ball lock 
>studs off and replace their gaskets?

I suggest that you do replace them.  They only cost a few pennies.

> 4)I've know that you need not to prime with corn sugar, hence the 
>carbonation is added thru the co2 tank.  But would it not help get rid of 
>unwanted oxygen while aging?

If the conditioning (carbonation) vessel, keg or bottle, is sealed, then
your only hope for getting rid of oxygen is something like SmartCaps(tm).

> 5)After tapping how long will the beer stay good?  Can you fill the keg 
>with co2 to make it last longer?(Oh, I forgot to mention I don't have the 
>facilitys to keep it cold after tapping.)

You had better find a way to keep it cold.  You also had better buy a CO2
tank and regulator (it sounds like you don't have one).  Refrigerated
(if you have good sanitation) your kegged beer could stay good for a year.
Unrefrigerated, well, I wouldn't recommend it.

> 6)Sense the soda kegs take the beer from the bottom how much of the beer 
>will have the yeast in it? 

I cut off 3/4" of the pickup tube with a tubing cutter.  After three weeks
of conditioning (two at 68F one at 50F), the very first beer is crystal clear.

> 7)Should I use some type of filter while racking into the keg?  If so what 
>type of filter is easily used in home brewing, and how can you make sure of 
>sterilization? (I've thought of cheese cloth but have no clue on how tho 
>sterilize it.)

You can use a filter, but you don't have to.  I recommend leaving that for
later.

> 8)(this is'nt really a question I'd just like to get some feedback and 
>maybe some better Idias for cooling the beer to drink)
>  Ok, here is how I plan to cool it.  I bought a 20 qt. cooler and  25 ft 
>of stainless steel tubing in a coil that sits inside the cooler.
>  The beer comes from the keg thru a plastic tube to the cooler into a 
>coupler shank into the stainless steel tubing into a faucet and shank set.
>Wala! beer!
>  I figure 5 min after I place Ice on the coil I should have cold brew in 
>the mug. I'll use silcon to prevent leakage were I drill out the cooler.
>  I have ordered most of the equipment for this project for under $100.00
>>From SuperiorProducts out of St.Paul Minn.(no affiliation) 

A used chest freezer with a Hunter Airstat thermostat is the best way to go.
I suspect you will have trouble with carbonation since the solubility of
CO2 varies greatly with temperature.  I've tried dispensing cool beer through
a jockeybox (what you described) and had a heck of a time getting the CO2
to stay in the beer.

Al.

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Date:         Tue, 07 Jul 92 14:50:40 EDT
From: Greg <UGG00081 at vm.uoguelph.ca>
Subject:      Re: Homebrew Digest #918 (July 07, 1992)

Hi
Can anyone out there in HBD-land provide me with a good recipe for apple or pea
r cider. What are the pitfalls? Also, does anyone have plans for a workable hom
e-made apple masher and press.
Thanks
Greg...UGG00081 at vm.uoguelph.ca

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 14:34 EDT
From: "C. Lyons" <LYONS at adc1.adc.ray.com>
Subject: Question on sanitizers.

I have recently moved to a new location and the water here
has a high iron content.  I typically use bleach (chlorine)
to sanitize my equipment (bottles, buckets, carboys, etc.)
and now find that iron precipitates out of the water when I
let my equipment sit in the chlorine/water solution. This has
unfortunately resulted in giving some of my equipment redish-brown
stains.  I'm calling on the experience of the HBD readers for advise
on alternative sanitizers.  In HBD#917 Al Taylor mentioned the use
of B-Brite, and hinted that dishwashing powder is essentially the same
with a small amount of chlorine added.  Since I'm trying to avoid
chlorine, I'm asking for advice on another affordable alternative.
I typically buy a gallon of bleach for $0.89.  I don't expect
to find such an affordable solution, but would appreciate any
advise on the purchase of non-chlorine based sanitizers (hopefully
in bulk, like Al Taylor's dishwashing powder solution).  Any advise
would be greatly appreciated, as I will be ready to bottle a batch
of pale ale in two weeks.


                                 Thanks in advance,
                                 Chris Lyons
                                 lyons at adc1.adc.ray.com

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 14:38:34 CDT
From: ssi!ppc at uunet.uu.net (Patrick P. Clancey)
Subject: Getting that clove-like flavor from cloves

I enjoy the strong "clove like" flavor of certain weiss beers yet I haven't 
been happy with the results of kit weiss beers using the Wyeast wheat strain.
In this forum I have read that S. delbrueckii is what contributes the clove
characteristic and that the Wyeast strain (3056) is 50/50 with something else.

Since I know of no access to pure S. delbrueckii and am not too interested 
in plating it out, has anyone out there tried adding cloves to either the 
primary or secondary?

Pat Clancey
Supercomputer Systems, Inc.
Eau Claire WI.

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 13:36:24 CDT
From: ssi!mtd at uunet.UU.NET (Michael T. Daly)
Subject: Beers of California

After that wonderful list of all of the places to get really fresh
beer in the San Francisco area (posted last week), does anyone have
a corresponding list for bottled beers which I can find in the
same area.  It looks like I'll be spending so much time drinking the
fresh stuff that I won't be able to sort through the bottled stuff
to select a suitcase full.


 Mike Daly (uunet!ssi!mtd)  --  (715) 839-8484 
 Black Swan Femto-brewery, a member of the Hamilton Ave. Brewer's Association
 Supercomputer Systems Inc.  1414 W. Hamilton Ave.  Eau Claire, WI 54701

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 14:35:22 PDT
From: grumpy!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Origins of Lambic?


Although no one is certain of the exact historical origins of lambic
brewing, there is a body of evidence connecting the roots of the lambic
technique to the village of Lembeek. Lembeek is a small village (pop 4000) 
in the Pajottenland. In its heyday, it boasted somewhere between 40 and 
45 breweries, today it has one. The following account was told to me by
that solitary brewer in Lembeek. While I can't prove or disprove its 
historical accuracy, it does make a good story. 

Lembeek is situated on the river Zenne (Senne in French), southwest of
Brussels. The river takes a sharp bend, encircling the enclave of Lembeek
and bestowing upon it a certain strategic importance. Whoever controlled
Lembeek, controlled the Zenne, which was the main shipping route thru 
the region and up to Brussels. Consequently, many wars were fought over
the control of this small village. In an attempt to bring peace to the 
region and assure that the river was accessible to all, Lembeek was 
established as a sort of neutral zone. 

Because of its status, Lembeek was not taxed like the rest of the region.
While the nearby villages were required to pay taxes to one crown or
another, Lembeek was exempt. Then as now, such favorable tax laws tend 
to attract businesses.

Meanwhile, the brewers of Lembeek, who had established a trade guild by
the 1400's, were refining their brews. The peace brought to the region
allowed them to pursue their efforts more readily, and the tax laws allowed
brewing to flourish. Utilizing the natural microflora of the region, they 
began to develop a brewing and aging technique that allowed their brews to 
keep for up to three years. By comparison, brewers in nearby villages were 
typically able to keep their products for only about three weeks before they 
soured, and were of course taxed on what they produced.

Utilizing their advantage, the brewers of Lembeek began to "export" their
goods, first to the nearby village of Halle. The brewers of Halle were none
too happy about this, and protested to the authorities. However, the authorities
deemed that it was more important to preserve Lembeek's neutral status than it
was to appease the brewers of Halle, and so the market for the beers of Lembeek
grew. They continued to export further north along the Zenne until lambic
became the popular drink in Brussels. There came to be many gueuzestekers
(gueuze blenders) in Brussels, who would buy young lambics from the brewers
in Lembeek, aging and blending the beers themselves.

Then with the French Revolution, came the abolition of taxes everywhere in 
the region. Although the tax laws have changed many times since, the scales
have never been so tipped in the favor of the brewers of Lembeek. They lost 
one of their big advantages, and the brewing industry in Lembeek began to 
decline. The gueuzestekers of Brussels became brewers themselves, and many 
lambic brewers moved to the big city to have easier access to a larger market. 
Even the hallowed traditions of Cantillon were born in Lembeek where Paul 
Cantillon founded the brewery. It was moved to Brussels in 1931.

There was a period after WWII, during which there were no breweries left
in Lembeek. In 1988, Frank Boon moved his brewery to Lembeek, where he
keeps the noble traditions alive.


Cheers,
CR

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 1992 19:18 EST
From: Frank Tutzauer <COMFRANK at ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu>
Subject: smoked beer

Well, gang.  Before the summer's gone, I want to try smoking some grain for a
Rauchbier or other smoked beer.  Unfortunately, I've found very little written
about it, and I've only tasted smoked beers twice.  Once was the Alaskan
smoked porter from the Alaskan Brewing Co. (?), and one was an import from
Germany that I stumbled across in a grocery store.  Hoo boy was that smoky. 
All my friends hated it, but I loved it.  Here's what I've gathered so far:

Dan Fink's article in the Zymurgy beer styles issue says that Rauchbier is
similar to Oktoberfest.  He says to use all German ingredients, and hops like
Hallertauer, Tettnanger, and Saaz.  Hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma are all
low.  He suggests a good starting point is to use 1 lb of heavily smoked malt.

In the same issue, Dave and Judy Lipitz, and Lynn Patterson have a recipe that
uses 2 and 1/2 lbs. of smoked Munich malt.  They hop with Northern Brewer and
Mount Hood, and use Wyeast Bavarian 2206. 

Ken Weiss' recipe in Cats Meow II uses liquid smoke.

Quentin Smith, in the hops special issue of Zymurgy says the smoke overwhelms
the hops, so "any hop will do" (p. 59).  He suggests 28-38 IBUs.

Charlie II says that the OG is 1.050-1.060, with 20-30 IBUs, and a color of
12-17 SRM.  His recipe is 7 lbs. of light DME, 1 and 1/2 lbs smoked crystal, a
little bit of chocolate, with Hallertauer for bitterness, flavor, and
finishing.

So, I'm interested in ideas.  Some constraints:  I'll be using extract
(because I'm not yet up to all-grain), ale yeast (because my basement's too
hot for lagers), and NO liquid smoke (because I've got my own smoker and want
to smoke my own grain).  I know that beechwood is traditional, but I'll
probably use something else.  Easy for me to get are hickory, mesquite,
cherry, apple, pecan, and maple.

If you've actually made a smoked beer before, I'd be really interested in
hearing from you.  But even if you haven't, I'd still like your opinions on
yeast, hops, recipes, approaches, techniques, etc.

- --frank

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 19:15:02 EDT
From: John.D.Burrill at um.cc.umich.edu
Subject: English Ale

Hello, I am new to brewing and was given this network as a source of 
good information.  I am interested in trying to make a good english
ale, and I am soliciting advice and recipes.  Anybody got any good ones
they are willing to send my way?  I would really appreciate it. 
I do not have access to a maltmill, so I am currently limited to 
extract brewing.  Thanks in advance.
 .
J. B.

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Date: 07 Jul 1992 21:38:58 -0600 (MDT)
From: "Franklin R. Jones" <FRANK at VA5549.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: malts...

Greetings,
   I've been a reader of this digest for almost two years, and now seem 
to have the space, time and almost the money to set up a brewery kitchen
(in its own room in the garage) to do full mash, all grain brewing. 
Most of the reading/research has been confined to Dave Miller's _Complete
Handbook of Home Brewing_, and this Digest. (thanks all!) Dave's book
gave the best information of the 6 or so books I own on brewing. 
In the research to undertake this I have come up with a few questions 
about malting that I would like more info on: 

  1> What tempatures are used to make roasted malts? Dave's rather 
vague on tempeature's needed to make roasted malts what they are 
("roasted at high temperatures..." High? when most temps with regard to 
malt rarely exceed the boling point of water, what is high? 250... 400?). 
My intrest is in the description he gives of Brown Malt "kilned over a 
hardwood fire, which imparts a smokey flavor". As my main focus is Dark 
sweet Ales, this would seem useful.

  2> He states that this malt (brown malt) is "very hard to find..." 
Anyone know if this is still true? Sources?

  3> Has anyone out there tried making malts? Any publications on this?

Almost lastly: This digest is in fact the reason, my questions about 
"first mash" aren't about the process, but more of the "I wonder" type. 
This forum has been an invaluable source of knowledge. (you are all 
now  obliged to get a cramp in your shoulder, by patting yourselves on 
the back.) I'm *sure* I be back to tap the source, in the future.

Lastly: to Jack Schmidling: re: maltmill giveaway... All the systems
/network managers  want to thank you for stress testing their mailers. 

My system just *loves* processing 4M Homebrew Digests! But Seriously, 
Thanks for the offer. A few words of "comfort"? My father, when he 
retired, found  that he had to retire about four more times over 
the next few years from the full time "amusements" he built for 
himself. Best of luck.

fj..

Franklin R. Jones		Information Resource Management Service (IRMS)
System Manager/Ops Chief                     (read that as: systems haque)
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VA Medical Center	  				(303) 393-2881
1055 Clermont St.		                     or (303) 399-8020 x2175
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"If we aren't supposed to play with words... 
						Then why do we have so many?"

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Date: Tue, 7 Jul 92 14:32 PDT
From: gummitch at techbook.com (Jeff Frane)
Subject: Re: Peach Weizen

homebrew at lupulus.ssc.gov writes:


>2). I can get a jar of Widmer hefeweizen which has a large amount of yeast
>in it. I have been told that they add their yeast as a second strain later
>in the process. It is a more flocculent (Why does that word always bring
>images of gaunt monks in cold-floored stone cells in the mountains?) strain
>from what I have heard. I was wondering if I should try to form a starter
>of this yeast from the dregs of a jar and pitch this with my brew. When do
>I pitch the second strain? What are the advantages to this? Are there any
>disadvantages? Is this a dumb idea all together?

My understanding is that Widmer does NOT use a second strain of yeast,
and that on the contrary their yeast is "fluffy" and anything BUT
flocculent.  I don't see any reason to use this as a second strain,
although it would certainly be worth trying as a primary yeast.  My
impressions are garnered, by the way, from discussions with Frank
Commanday (head brewer downtown) and a couple of other people who work
there.

Also, this is not a specifically weizen strain of yeast but is the same
stuff they use in all their beers; in other words, primarily a
German-style top-fermenting yeast.

The big German breweries repitching at bottling with a lager yeast, to
get a brighter beer. Whether they help flocculate the weizen yeast or if
that primary yeast has been dropped out by cold-conditioning, I don't
know.

- --Jeff Frane



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End of HOMEBREW Digest #919, 07/08/92