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


Contents:
  Reminder: Digest Backlog (rdg)
  sparge water ("B_HADLEY")
  cleaners ?? (Richard Stern)
  grinding grain in the kitchen?? (Richard Stern)
  What is maltmill? ("B_HADLEY")
  English vs. American malt (Chad Epifanio)
  Re:  Homebrew Digest #920 (July 09, 1992) (Richard Childers)
  Colorado Brewers Festival (Rick Myers)
  Colorado Brewers Festival - Review
  1993 Conference, maltmill (man)
  FWD: A Couple of Recipes ... (KENYON)
  On Tap (World Beer Review) (Michael L. Hall)
  silicon (mcnally)
  Keg priming questions (Email)
  Temperature Control (Jeff Berton)
  Wyeast descriptions (CCASTELL)
  Yeast and Spec. Grav's. (Daniel L. Krus)
  Boston Brewing Co. Tour (Michael L. Hall)
  rosemary ale and porter (Bryan Gros)
  98, 99, Why Wait for the Boil? (Tim P McNerney)
  Malt Mill (Ron Karwoski)
  Guinness Story (Michael L. Hall)
  Mt.View Festival (Richard Stueven)
  Yeast bank (Tom Kaltenbach)
  Brewer's yeast and dogs (Mary E. Hall)
  Re: Mead questions (Mark N. Davis)
  Re: temperature control (Larry Barello)
  San Francisco KQED Beerfest (Mark N. Davis)
  AHA e-mail addresses (Edward C. Bronson)
  San Diego brewpubs (Bruce Mueller)


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

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 92 12:41:46 MDT
From: rdg at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
Subject: Reminder: Digest Backlog


Just a reminder: If you have submitted an article for publication,
don't worry if you don't see it here immediately. Articles are
put into the digest in the order they arrive.

Rob

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Date: 9 Jul 92 12:28:00 PST
From: "B_HADLEY" <BHADLEY at atlas.nafb.trw.com>
Subject: sparge water

 A couple of questions on sparging. 1. Why cant one reuse the sparge
 water to decrease the amount needed. Perhaps also get better yield?
 2. Why cant one add cold water to the fermenter with mash recipes like
 one does in extract?
			Relpies appreciated. B hadley


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 13:32:16 MDT
From: Richard Stern <rstern at col.hp.com>
Subject: cleaners ??

Lately I've heard of people talking about not wanting to use Clorine.
Why not??  I started out using B-brite (5-6 years ago), but for the last
few years I've been using bleach.  I'd like to hear pros and cons of:
1)bleach
2)b-brite
3)boiling water

Thanks,
Richard Stern
rstern at col.hp.com

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 13:37:25 MDT
From: Richard Stern <rstern at col.hp.com>
Subject: grinding grain in the kitchen??

Is there a danger in grinding grain in the same room that I brew in? 
I think I remember hearing/reading about the grain dust causing
contamination problems, but I'm not sure.  Should I be grinding my grain
in the basement, or maybe doing it a day in advance??  Help ....

Does it matter if I use a MALTMILL or not :-) :-)

Thanks,
Richard Stern

PS.  Here's the MALTMILL #100 tally as I see.  Jack's post was the last
one in digest #917.  Digest 918 had 14 posts, 919 had 22 posts and 920
had 33 posts for a total of 69.  That means if there are at least 31 posts
in this digest (#921), then the winner is the 31st entry in this digest.
Is it me??  :-)  (at least I've asked reasonable questions in each post).

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Date: 9 Jul 92 12:31:00 PST
From: "B_HADLEY" <BHADLEY at atlas.nafb.trw.com>
Subject: What is maltmill?

Can some describe a maltmill? Is it a mashing machine?
             B hadley


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 12:43:10 PDT
From: chad at mpl.UCSD.EDU (Chad Epifanio)
Subject: English vs. American malt

Hi,

This is in regard to someones query about the difference between English
and American malts.  I may not have had huge experience in this area, but
I have made about 15 all-grain batches for each of American and English malt.
I get my malt in 50lb sacks from William's Brewing here in California.
The american kind is called Klagges and the english kind is called English Pale
Ale.  Both are fully modified, and I believe both are from 2-row malt.  This
information is for Williams only, since I have no experience with others.

The add in the catalogue stated that for the "authentic" English taste, you
needed English Pale Ale malt.  Beliveing this, I bought a 50lb sack of 
Klagges, and a 55lb sack of English Pale Ale.  I brewed a pale batch out
of each, using cultured English Ale yeast, also originally form Williams.
The recipes were not exact, but they were close in style.  They were made
about a month apart.  Oh, and both were made using single step infusion
process as recommended by some for British beers.

I liked them both, but to be honest, I could not tell if one malt was
obviously superior to the other.  I cannot comment on the "authenticity"
of the English flavor since I have never been across the Atlantic.
All in all, I couldn't tell much of a difference between the two.  
Discalimer:  These are my own views of similar beers in an uncontrolled
experiment.

 
 Chad Epifanio--> chad%mpl at ucsd.edu  |  "There are no bad brews.
 Scripps Institution of Oceanography |   However, some are better
 Marine Physics Laboratory           |   than others."
 ================================================================
 "All words and ideas are my own, etc., etc..."


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 12:44:49 PDT
From: Richard Childers <rchilder at us.oracle.com>
Subject: Re:  Homebrew Digest #920 (July 09, 1992)

"Mike Daly asks about where to purchase bottled California beers ..."

"Liquor Barn
 201 Bayshore Blvd.
 OK selection of local beers. Poorly handled."

True.

"Almost all Safeways have some local stuff these days."

True.

There are a few good stores in the Haight ... one liquor store I can think
of that has a nice variety, maybe two. Some exotics can also be found at
a liquor store on Cole Street, right between Carl and Parnassus.

Down around the intersection of Haight and Fillmore is a bar called the
Toronado, which has a nice selection of beers on tap. Perhaps the widest
selection in the city. You'd find a wealth of suggestions here, since a
goodly percentage of the clientele are home brewers. ( Seems that brewing
and indoor home gardening go hand in hand. :-) Alas, it's a somewhat
rowdy crowd, so I advise that you dress 'comfortably' ... levis, leather,
avoid allowing yourself to be stereotyped as a 'suit'.

Enjoy the City !!

- -- richard

=====
- -- richard childers		rchilder at us.oracle.com		1 415 506 2411
         oracle data center  --  unix systems & network administration

                   Klein flask for rent. Inquire within.

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 13:56:17 MDT
From: Rick Myers <rcm at hpctdpe.col.hp.com>
Subject: Colorado Brewers Festival
Full-Name: Rick Myers


Subject:  Colorado Brewers Festival - Review

Well, nobody's mentioned anything about the Colorado Brewers Festival
held in Fort Collins, CO held this past June 27, so here's a review (it's also
an entry in the WORLD'S GREATEST GIVEAWAY!).

Setup:
This was the third annual festival, held in Old Town Square.  The organizers 
are finally figuring out how to do it right.  Last year, it was crammed into
a small area and was a madhouse.  This year, they closed off a section of the
street downtown and put the serving lines there.  Much better.  You could
actually get a beer in under 5 minutes, compared to 20-30 last year.  The food
vendors were in a separate area from the beer serving lines.

Beers:
The beer selection, well, how should I put it, SUCKED.  Each brewery was
limited to 1 beer, and most of them were lighter beers (last year they could
bring whatever they wanted to).  I'm a stout/porter drinker, and I was hard
pressed to find anything close to the style I like.  The darkest I could find
was "Black Bear Porter" from the San Juan Brewing Company.  I could see
daylight through it, so my craving for diluted malt syrup was not satisfied!
I was happy to see the serving lines for Anheuser-Busch and Coors were the
shortest, people were going for the beers with more flavor (America is 
being educated?).

Entertainment:
Several live bands performed.  The more I drank, the better they sounded.

Cost:
You bought a mug for $1.00.  Tokens for 6-ounce servings were $1.00 each.

Overall, the quality of beers was quite high, some had minor problems, but
I still had a great time.  A list of breweries and beers follows:

Anheuser-Busch                  Bud Dry
H.C. Berger Brewing             Indigo Ale
Boulder Beer/Wilderness Pub     Boulder Amber
Breckenridge Brewpub            Avalanche
Carver's Bakery/Cafe Brewery    Raspberry Wheat
Champion Brewing                Irish Red Ale
CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing     Dunkelweizen
Coors                           Coors Dry
Durango Brewing Co.             Durango Dark Lager
Flying Dog Brewpub              Doggie Style
Hubcap Brewery                  Summer Celebration
Idle Spur Crested Butte         Red Lady
Judge Baldwin's/Kelley Brewing  Amber
New Belgium Brewing Co.         Fat Tire Ale
Oasis Brewery                   Capstone ESB
Odell Brewing Co.               Fest Ale
Rock Bottom Brewery             Red Rocks
San Juan Brewing                Black Bear Porter
The Walnut Brewery              Jazzberry
Wynkoop Brewing Co.             Elvis Brau
- --
Rick Myers    rcm at col.hp.com
Hewlett-Packard
Colorado Telecommunications Division

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 16:03 EDT
From: man at kato.att.com
Subject: 1993 Conference, maltmill

1993 Conference:

I read in the last Zymurgy that the 1993 conference will be moved into
August so as to be around the same time as the Oregon Brewer's Festival.
Recently, I read here that the Festival is in July this year. So, does
anyone have the real poop on this coordination effort ?
Are both events going to be held within the same week or what ?

Maltmill:

I purchased a maltmill a few months ago and have used it in about 10 batches
of all grain. I think these 3 statements sum up the pros of the product:

1. My extract efficiency went up around 4 points per pound.
2. I had an astringency problem with most of my previous batches. I attributed
   this to a poor crush with too much powder. Alas, I cound never rid myself
   of the powder without leaving 1/2 of the grain untouched. So far, all 5
   batches tasted have lacked this bitterness.
3. I can crush my grain bill 75 % faster than with a Corona (I sold it to a
   friend). 

The cons ?

1. I have a hard time catching the crushed grain as it leaves the mill. I
   have to wrap the entire unit inside a plastic bag. I need to fabricate
   some kind of chute to direct the grain to a receptacle.
2. Sometimes, a piece of grain goes in funny and pushes the 2 rollers apart
   to the point where they stop making contact. I have to reverse direction
   for 1/2 a turn and then continue.

All in all, I think the mill is great. I bought the roller spacing option
which allows you to vary the space between the rollers for tweaking. I
recommend against it. I suspect the problem I have with intermittent slipping
is somehow related. In the right hands, I imagine you could do wonders with
the option, but I think it works fine without it. I've crushed Briess Wheat,
Briess Klages, Briess Crystal, Munton & Fison ale lager and specialty malts
without moving the rollers and gotten terrific results. The couple of times
I attempted adjustment were disasters (for me, anyway).

Congratulations on a great product, Jack.

Mark Nevar


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1992 16:38 EDT
From: KENYON%LARRY%erevax.BITNET at pucc.Princeton.EDU
Subject: FWD: A Couple of Recipes ...


Folks,

Here are two recipes that have worked out really well for
me in the past.  The first is a simple "kit" beer, the
second an all-grain.

1) Porter? Porter?  -  Recipe for 5 gallons.

        6.6#  Telford's Porter (2 cans)
        1 oz. Styrian Goldings Plugs (alpha 5.3)
                Bittering (1hr)
        1 oz. Hallertau Plugs (alpha 2.9)
                Flavoring (10 min)
        Wyeast #1056

        O.G. = 1.048
        F.G. = 1.020

Add the 2 cans of malt extract to 3 gallons boiling water,
bring the mix back to a boil, then add Bittering Hops.  I
used a hop bag, so the utilization probably wasn't that
teriffic, but then again the malts are pre-hopped some, so
I wasn't too concerned about that.  Add finishing hops
with 10 min left in the boil.  Add tap water to 5 gallons,
cool to 75F and pitch yeast starter (~12oz).  Lag time is
about 12 hours.

This produces a well-balanced (there's that word again!)
porter, neither too dry nor too sweet. I currently have a
batch of this fermenting with Wyeast Irish Stout Yeast to
see if that will make it a wee bit drier.


2)  ChuckWeiser  -  Recipe for 5 gallons.

        5.0#  Lager Malt
        1.0#  Flaked Maize
        0.5#  Rice Syrup/Solids
        1 oz. Hallertau Leaf (alpha 4.0)
                Bittering (1 hr)
        1 oz. Saaz Leaf (alpha 3.0)
                Bittering (1 hr)
        1/4oz.Tettnang Leaf (alpha 4.0)
                Finishing (Boil 5 min, steep 10 min)
        Wyeast #2124

        O.G. = 1.038
        F.G. = 1.008

Mash Schedule:

30 min - Protein Rest  at 132F
90 min - Slowly raise temp to 155F
15 min -  at 155F
15 min - Mash-out  at 170


Bring mash liquid to a boil, add bittering hops (no hop
bag for this one), boil 1hr.  Add finishing hops, boil 5
minutes, steep 10 minutes, pour into primary, cool to 75F,
and pitch yeast starter ...


This recipe produces a light - but not thin tasting -
North American style lager (steam?).  The Tettnang
Finishing hops gave a really nice fresh aroma to the beer.

Good luck,

 -Chuck-


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 14:44:03 MDT
From: mlh at cygnus.ta52.lanl.gov (Michael L. Hall)
Subject: On Tap (World Beer Review)

Randy J. Smith writes:

>I got a flyer in the mail today for a book on brewpubs across the US called
>"On Tap".  I'd like to hear opinions on this book before I get it.  It's only
>$15 or so, but that could be spent on something better, like brew supplies!

"On Tap" is put out by the World Beer Review people (Steve Johnson, I believe).
It details brewpubs and micros in the U.S. with a page showing locations,
directions, beers available, and info about the type of place (fern bar, yuppie
hangout, sleazepit or whatever).  It was put out in 1991 (I think) and there is
already a supplement out. It costs about $15 and the supplement costs about
$10. WBR has ads in Zymurgy, and is located in Clemson, SC. If anybody is
really interested, and can't find them in Zymurgy, I will post the address (I
don't have it with me now). 

I don't have the supplement yet, but I do have "On Tap" and I would recommend
it to anybody that does a lot of traveling to different cities and wants to
check out the local beer.

And, no, I have no connection to WBR.

Mike Hall
hall at lanl.gov

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Date: Thu, 09 Jul 92 13:56:49 -0700
From: mcnally at wsl.dec.com
Subject: silicon


A man at a local TAP plastic store told me that I should under no 
circumstances use silicone sealant to seal anything that will deal
with food.  He said this with great conviction.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Mike McNally                                           mcnally at wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1992 09:50:56 -0500
From: adiron!Email at uunet.UU.NET, Harlequin at uunet.UU.NET
Subject: Keg priming questions

Now I've done it!  It seems I've slightly over-primed my first (Cornelius)
keg of beer.  I went and used 2/3 C dextrose before bothering to read the
TCJOHB appendix on kegging.  What's my best bet for reducing the resulting
carbonation level in the keg?  Should I bother?

The beer, a coriander/orange brew, has been under 10 psi of CO2 at about
60-65F for a week now.  Should I bleed off some of the CO2 in the headspace
to allow more of the dissolved CO2 to come out of solution?  Should I chill
the keg down first?  Should I forget it and simply serve it good and cold
to keep the CO2 in solution?

The recent posts regarding kegging have been most helpful.  Any further
tips  would also be greatly appreciated.  Sure beats the heck out of
bottling!

On a related question, how does one use the CO2 table (plotting volumes of
CO2 in beer as a function of PSI and temperature) found in the LISTSERV
archive?

        Yours in brewing,
        Scott Barrett

        scott at partech.com
        uunet!adiron!scott


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 18:07:40 EDT
From: jeff344 at voodoo.lerc.nasa.gov (Jeff Berton)
Subject: Temperature Control

In a recent posting:

>I think the unit Brian is describing is the Hunter Air-Stat (or something
>very close to that name).  I have one that I use to control my 'fridge.
>It works perfectly well, controlling the temperature within +-2 degrees F
>of the set-point.  I believe the lower limit on the temperature is 35
>degrees and the upper limit is 99 (but don't quote me on it :-).  I'm sure
>it would work as well with a freezer.  It works just like Brian describes
>it.  This unit has been discussed many times in this digest.  I found mine
>at a semi-local hardware store called Home Depot.  I think these are in
>serveral regions around the country.  It cost about $25.  You may be able
>to find it in many do-it-yourself stores.
 
I recently bought one from American Brewmaster mail-order after seeing their ad
in the latest Zymurgy.  If you can find it in the air-conditioning section
of a hardware store like Keith did, you'll save a couple of bucks by 
eliminating the middle-man.  Williams charged me $29.  Works great.
 
Anyway, here's a related story.  Now that it's a little too warm to ferment
for us basement-deprived brewers,  I decided to make use of that little 
refrigerator I had in my college dorm way back when.  It's much too small
for a 5 gallon carboy, so I removed the door, made a wood-frame box, 
lined it with 2-inch stryrofoam, weather-stripped its face, and butted it up
against the little fridge.  The top is removable, and I secured it to the
little fridge with bungee cords.  I plugged the fridge into the temperature  
controller last night.  I easily maintained a temperature of 50 F for its
first test.  

I'm curious to see how cold I can make it.  The entire unit sits on a 
shelf in my garage.  When comparing it to a full-sized fridge, it's a 
great space and money saver.

- -------- Jeff Berton;  jeff344 at voodoo.lerc.nasa.gov;  (216) 977-7031 --------
- --------- Aeropropulsion Analysis Office, NASA Lewis Research Center --------
- ------------- "If headquarters is interested, we're interested!" ------------

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Date: Thu, 09 Jul 92 14:05
From: sherpa2!CCASTELL.ELDEC%mailsrv2 at sunup.West.Sun.COM (CCASTELL)
Subject: Wyeast descriptions

Tom Kaltenbach asks:
>       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.

I'm fairly new to the Homebrew Digest (a month or so) and am not familiar
with such etiquette as repeating past postings.  In the short time I've
been reading the HBD, I've seen enough messages that begin "I'm new..."
that it's probably safe to assume that quite a few readers haven't seen
the Wyeast posting mentioned above, so I will include it here.  (I've
waited one issue to see if anyone else was going to post this.)

But first, I must point out that the Zymurgy special issue from 1989
was on yeast, and had a good article by Byron Burch entitled "Of Yeasts
and Beer Styles" that gives addition (subjective) information.  I'd
type in the descriptions of my favorites, but I'm pressed for time
today, and don't know about copyright problems.

Now, here is the relevant information from CompuServe's WYEAST.TXT
(which as you can see, originated on the Homebrew Digest!):

FROM INTERNET HOMEBREW DIGEST NO. 742, OCT. 17, 1991:

Date:    Mon, 7 Oct 1991 22:58:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: D_KRUS at UNHH.UNH.EDU (Daniel L. Krus)
Subject: Yeast and Spec. Grav's.

There's been a few questions lately about yeast and characteristics
associated
with them.  Here is a retype of some information I received from Wyeast
relative to their yeast.  This information was obtained a while ago and
supposedly this was to be updated and expanded.  If anyone has the latest
update I would appreciate a copy of it from you since Wyeast wasn't too
tickled that I contacted them directly.  Sorry if there are any typos.

(Information about NEW strains Belgian Ale [#1214] and California Lager
[#2112] contributed Jan. 23, 1992, by Beer Forum member Bill McKinless,
of The Home Brewery in Teaneck, N.J.)

YEAST CHARACTERISTICS

Some yeast strains are more active and vigorous than others.  Lager
strains
in particular do not show as much activity on the surface as many of the
Ale strains.  We provide an adequate quantity of yeast to complete
fermen-
tation with varying amounts of lag time depending on strain, freshness,
handling, and temperature.  If you find it too slow, make a starter as
recommended on the package.  In any event, a closed fermenter with an
airlock is recommended.

TEMPERATURE

The slow onset of visible signs of fermentation can be improved by
starting
fermentation at 75 deg. F (24 deg. C) until activity is evident, then
moving to your desired fermentation temperature.  A few degrees does
make
a significant difference without adversely affecting flavor.

The normal temperature for Ale yeast range from 60-75 deg. F (16-24 deg.
C)
A few strains ferment well down to 55 deg. F (13 deg. C).  68 deg. F (20
deg. C) is a good average.  Lager strains normally ferment from 32-75
deg.
F (0-24 deg. C).  50-55 deg. F (10-12 deg. C) is customary for primary
fermentation.  A slow steady reduction to 32 deg. F (0 deg. C) during
secondary fermentation typically works well.

The fermentation rate is directly related to temperature.  The lower the
temperature, the slower fermentation commences.  Fluctuations in
tempera-
ture such as cooling and warming from night to day can adversely affect
yeast performance.

ATTENUATION

Apparent attenuation of yeast normally ranges from 67-77%.  The
attenuation
is determined by the composition of the wort or juice and the yeast
strain
used.  Each yeast strain ferments different sugars to varying degrees,
resulting in higher or lower final gravities.  This will affect the
resid-
ual sweetness and body.

FLOCCULATION

All brewing yeast flocculate.  The degree and type of flocculation
varies
for different yeast.  Some strains clump into very lary flocculate.
Some
floc very little into a more granular consistency.  Most yeast strains
clump and flocculate to a moderate degree.

pH RANGES

Typical pH range for yeast fermentations begins at about 5.1 and
optimally
4.8.  During the course of fermentation the pH reduces to typically 3.9-
4.1 and as low as 3.1 in some wines.

ALCOHOL TOLERANCES

The alcohol tolerance for most brewing yeast is as least to 8%.  Barley
wines to 12% can be produced by most Ale strains.  Pitching rates need
to
be increased proportionally to higher gravities.  Alternately, Champagne
and Wine yeast can be used for high gravities sometimes reaching
alcohols
to 18%.

YEAST PROFILES

Ales  (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

1007.  Our original Ale Yeast of German origin.  Ferments dry and
crisp
leaving a complex yet mild flavor.  Produces an extremely rocky head
and
ferments well down to 55 deg. F (12 deg. C).  Flocculation is high
and
apparent attenuation is 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:
62 deg. F (17 deg. C).

1028.  British #2 (London Ale previously British Ale).  Rich
minerally
profile, bold woody slight diacetyl production.  Medium flocculation.
Apparent attenuation 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  68
deg.
F (20 deg. C).

1056.  American Ale Yeast.  Ferments dry, finishes soft, smooth and
clean, and is very well balanced.  Flocculation is low to medium.
Apparent attenuation 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  68
deg.
F (20 deg. C).

1084.  First considered just British, but now more specifically
Irish.
Slight residual diacetyl is great for stouts.  It is clean smooth,
soft
and full bodied.  Medium flocculation and apparent attenuation of
71-75%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  68 deg. F (20 deg. C).

1098.  British Ale Yeast from Whitbread.  Ferments dry and crisp,
slightly tart and well balanced.  Ferments well down to 55 deg. F (12
deg. C).  Medium flocculation, apparent attenuation 73-75%.  Optimum
fermentation temperature:  70 deg. F (21 deg. C).

1214.  Belgian Ale.  (NEW)  Abbey-style top fermenting yeast suitable
for high gravity beers, doubles, triples,and barley wines. High
flocculant strain which clears well. Apparent attenuation 71-75%

1338.  European yeast from Wissenschaftliche in Munich.  A full
bodied
complex strain finishes very malty.  Produces a dense rocky head
during
fermentation.  High flocculation, apparent attenuation 67-71%.
Optimum
fermentation temperature:  70 deg. F (21 deg. C).

Lager  (Saccharomyces uvarum)

2007.  Our original Lager Yeast Strain.  Specific for pilsner style
beers.  Known as many things, we call it Pilsen.  Ferments dry,
crisp,
clean and light.  Medium flocculation.  Apparent attenuation from
71-75%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  52 deg. F (11 deg. C).

2035.  American Lager Yeast.  Unlike American pilsner styles.  It is
bold, complex and woody.  Produces slight diacetyl.  Medium floccu-
lation, apparent attenuation 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation
temperature:
50 deg. F (10 deg. C).

2042.  Danish Yeast Strain.  Rich, yet crisp and dry.  Soft, light
profile which accentuates hop characteristics.  Flocculation is low,
apparent attenuation is 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:
48
deg. F (9 deg. C).

2112.  California Lager Yeast.  (NEW)  Warm fermenting bottom
cropping strain, ferments well to 62 F while keeping lager
characteristics.  Malty profile, highly flocculant, clears
brilliantly.
Apparent attenuation 72-76%.

2124.  Bohemian Lager Yeast.  The traditional sazz yeast from
Czechoslo-
vakia.  Ferments clean and malty, rich residual maltiness in high
gravity pilsners, medium flocculation, apperent attenuation 69-73%.
Optimum fermentation temperature:  48 deg. F (9 deg. C).

2206.  Bavarian Yeast Strain used by many German breweries.  Rich
flavor,
full bodied, malty and clean.  Medium flocculation, apparent
attenuation
73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  48 deg. F (9 deg. C).

2308.  Munich Yeast from Wissenschaftliche in Munich #308.  One of
the
first pure yeast available to American homebrewers.  Sometimes
unstable,
but smooth soft well rounded and full bodied.  Medium flocculation,
apparent attenuation 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  50
deg.
F (10 deg. C).

Saccharomyces delbrueckii, S. cerevisac

3056.   Bavarian Weissen.  A 50/50 blend of S. cerevisiae and
Delbrueckii to produce a south German style wheat beer with cloying
sweetness when the beer is fresh.  Medium flocculation, apparent
attenuation 73-77%.  Optimum fermentation temperature:  56 deg. F (13
deg. C).

Wine Yeast

3021.  Prise de mousse, Institute Pasteur champagne yeast race
bayanus.
Crisp and dry, ideal for sparkling and still red, white and fruit
wines.
Also can be used for Barley wines.  Optimum fermentation temperature:
58 deg. F (14 deg. C).

3028.  French wine yeast ideally suited for red and white wines which
mature rapidly.  Enhances the fruity characteristics of most wines.
Optimum fermentation temperature:  72 deg. F (22 deg. C).

Malo-lactic Bacteria

Leuconostoc oenos

4007.  Malo-lactic culture blend isolated from western Oregon wineries.
Includes strains Ey2d and Er1a.  Excellent for high acid wines and low
pH.
Softens wines by converting harsh malic acid to milder lactic acid.  Can
be
added to juice any time after the onset of yeast fermentation when
sulfur
dioxide is less than 15 ppm.




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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 16:57:00 MDT
From: mlh at cygnus.ta52.lanl.gov (Michael L. Hall)
Subject: Boston Brewing Co. Tour

Boston Brewing Co. Tour 

I was recently in Boston for a conference, so I decided to check out
the Boston Brewing Company (Samuel Adams beers). I took the "T"
(subway) down south of town to Jamaica Plain, and walked through a
pretty bad neighborhood to get to the brewery. They only conduct tours
twice a week (Saturdays and Thursdays), so I planned ahead. There is a
nice area with lots of old Boston beer memorabilia to look at while
waiting for the tour to start. There is also a display (*inside* an old
conditioning tank) which takes you through the process of making beer
and gets you to answer some trick questions about beer.

Soon the tour gets started, and a young fellow takes you around and
shows you their brewing set-up. His knowledge is somewhat lacking
(couldn't even *name* another type of hops besides Hallertauer when
queried), but probably adequate for the general public. The brewery is
rather small; it only brews beer for the Boston area. Another brewery
in Utica, NY brews for the east coast, and west coast Samuel Adams is
brewed in Portland, OR.

Boston Brewing Co. is definitely a brewery with an attitude. They are
decidedly snooty about beer, and about their beer in particular. They
make a big deal out of a number of things:

  1. Their beer follows Reinheitsgebot (the German beer purity law) and
     is the only American beer sold in Germany.
     
  2. European beer is not fresh and is adulterated with corn for the
     American market (of course they are mainly referring to Heineken
     and Becks, but they don't make a distinction).
     
  3. The big American brewers are great brewers, but don't brew good
     beers.
  4. Beers bottled in green or clear bottles are skunky. They talk
     about the bottle color being determined by the marketing
     department when the bottles are green. They use Miller as an
     example of a beer that gets skunky because it is in a clear
     bottle, but we homebrewers know that Miller can get away with a
     clear bottle only because it chemically treats its beers to
     prevent skunkiness.
     
  5. They won the Great American Beer Festival three years running. The
     story I've heard on the net is that Sam Adams won the consumer
     preference poll because they hired a fetching young lass in a
     revealing outfit to serve their beer and ask for votes. I've also
     heard that this kind of unfair campaigning was the main reason
     that the consumer preference poll was discontinued, leaving only
     the blind panel judging. 

After the tour, you are escorted into a tasting room where you can
sample their wares. We tried Samuel Adams Lager, Samuel Adams Ale, and
Samuel Adams Wheat. I must admit that, even though I was a bit put off
by their cockiness, I really like their beers. I would describe them as
assertively hopped, but not as strongly hopped as an Anchor or a Sierra
Nevada beer. They also have a nice maltiness, and the wheat beer had a
hint of a clove taste, as well as good wheat character. They also make
seasonal beers, including an Oktoberfest, a Winter Ale, a Double Bock,
the famous Cranberry Wheat beer (made with a touch of maple syrup for
New England flavor), and possibly a Cream Stout (they had just made a
small batch when I was there). Alas, they had no samples of their other
brews for sale (believe me, I searched).

All in all, it was an enjoyable tour, with the tasting being the high
point. One note for future tour-takers: the tour guide doesn't keep a
good watch on the tap while he's tending the souvenir store, and a
quick refill of your pitcher is easily accomplished :-).


Michael L. Hall
New Mexico Hophead

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 16:37:31 PDT
From: bgros at sensitivity.berkeley.edu (Bryan Gros)
Subject: rosemary ale and porter

I made a rosemary ale last month.  My basil beer came out well, so
I thought rosemary was worth a try (that is, my girlfriend thought
it was worth a try).  It came out okay, pretty dry (low mash
temps)and clean.  I will offer this advice:  1/2 oz of fresh
rosemary in three gallons of beer is too much.
It will be good for cooking though.

Also, does anyone have a good Anchor Porter recipe?  How is Charlie's
Silver Dollar Porter?  Should I use California Lager yeast or
Irish Ale?

                                        - Bryan

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 16:12:14 PDT
From: tpm%wdl58 at wdl1.wdl.loral.com (Tim P McNerney)
Subject: 98, 99, Why Wait for the Boil?


100?

Anyway, I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but now seems like
an oportune moment.

Why do most sources suggest adding the malt extract once the water has
started boiling?  Is there any advantage to adding it then?  I did so
last time, but was a bit slow with the stirring and ended up with quite
a mess from burnt extract and would much rather add the extract when the
water is warm.  I suppose that if I am #100, this may be a moot point as
I will start up all grain, but on the off chance that I am not, any reason
not to add the extract at lower temps.

________________________________

- --Tim McNerney
- --Loral Western Development Labs
- --(408) 473-4748
- --tpm at wdl1.wdl.loral.com

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 17:22:42 CDT
From: rak at mayo.EDU (Ron Karwoski)
Subject: Malt Mill

By my count, 65 postings as of yesterday.
Hope this is 100.

Last year I posted a question about using watermelon juice in beer.
I read an areticle in the paper that mentioned the Rusiians did this.
Anyone have any ideas about how to go about doing this?

=============================================================
Ron Karwoski                   Internet:   rak at bru.mayo.edu
Biomedical Imaging Resource      
Mayo Foundation                talk:       (507)-284-4503
Rochester, MN 55905            FAX:        (507)-284-1632
===============================================================
                                                                                                                     

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 17:39:06 MDT
From: mlh at cygnus.ta52.lanl.gov (Michael L. Hall)
Subject: Guinness Story


My wife was in DC recently, and when she called back to ask
if there was anything there that I wanted her to bring back,
my mind immediately turned to beer (at least metaphorically).

I remembered reading in a recent HBD that DC was one of the
test markets for Pub Draught Guinness in a can (I had tried
one earlier that I managed to snag in San Francisco), so I 
remarked that a can or two of that delicious stuff (see note 
at end) might be nice, if she could swing it. New Mexico is 
not a thriving distribution center for odd beers. 

Well, I didn't think much more of it until she got home and 
I found out that she had brought me --- not a can --- not
two cans --- but a CASE of Pub Draught Guinness!! I was 
ecstatic! 

It turns out that she had done it the easiest way possible:
she just checked the whole case as luggage. She figured that,
since it was in cans, it would probably be okay. Anyway, if 
a few cans did break, the majority would be okay and the 
hassle factor would be minimized. 

Well, the whole case made it to our house okay, and I am now
(figuratively) sitting on what is in all probability the
only case of Pub Draught Guinness in New Mexico. They taste
excellent, with no signs of travel fatigue. What a wonderful 
wife I have! And she doesn't even like stout! (You all have 
permission to show this to your wives for inspiration :-)

Mike Hall

Note: For those of you that don't know, the Guinness people 
have been working on a way to distribute their draught version
(which is significantly different from their bottled version)
easily. Their draught version is "carbonated" with nitrogen,
giving it extremely small bubbles and a very creamy head that
lasts until the end of the beer. They finally came up with a
way that uses a little plastic insert filled with nitrogen 
inside a can of beer, with a little hole to let the nitrogen
squirt out when the can is opened. It tastes very similar to
the draught version. I love it --- it's almost like chocolate
milk with a kick. There was a long article in the HBD on it
around the time it first came out; check your archives if
you want further info.

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 16:45:04 PDT
From: gak at wrs.com (Richard Stueven)
Subject: Mt.View Festival

OK, now that we have the attendance list for the Oregon festival out of
the way, how many HBD'ers will be at the California Small Brewers
Festival in Mountain View next weekend?

See you there!

gak
107/H/3&4
(New .signature under construction)

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 19:40 EDT
From: tom at kalten.bach1.sai.com (Tom Kaltenbach)
Subject: Yeast bank


Thanks to everyone who replied to my request for information about the
Wyeast liquid yeast cultures.  I have another question, which I'm sure has
come up in the past, but I'll have to ask again.  Does anyone know a mail-
order supplier that carries the YEAST BANK for freezing yeast cultures?
Thanks.

Tom Kaltenbach
tom at kalten.bach1.sai.com


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 17:52:02 MDT
From: meh at cygnus.ta52.lanl.gov (Mary E. Hall)
Subject: Brewer's yeast and dogs


There has been a lot of talk on rec.pets.dogs lately about the
beneficial aspects of feeding brewer's yeast to your dog. Apparently,
the yeast is supposed to have all sorts of good effects, such as
repelling fleas. Since I have such a large supply of brewer's yeast
in the dregs of a good brew, I would like to somehow make use of this.
Does anyone have any experience with giving this to their dogs? How
much do you give them? Do you need to do anything to the stuff before
feeding it to Rover? Are there any problems with exploding dogs?

Thanks,

Mary Hall
(The wonderful wife who brought back a CASE of Pub Draught Guinness)

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 17:05:51 PDT
From: Mark N. Davis <mndavis at pbhya.PacBell.COM>
Subject: Re: Mead questions

> From: gkushmer at Jade.Tufts.EDU
> Subject: Question on mead (Have I won it? :)
> 
> 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.
> {...deleted...}
> Is there something more at work here than market forces in keeping
> store-bought so high?  Or is this a grab-your-ankles routine?

>From what I've experienced with my meads, they really don't even start to
get *GOOD* until after at least 6 months, a year is even better. Compare this
to the amount of time that the breweries can kick out malt brews and you can
see where the cost of making mead is more expensive.
I'm sure that the old supply and demand theory comes into play as well, since
mead is far from popular as a commercial product.
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> From: smith%8616.span at Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov
> Subject: mead, JSbashing
> 
> 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?

My guess is that the key problem here is the *quick* part. Honey is a 
notoriously slow fermenter, and even after fermentation tends to improve
with age. Part of that improvement is a perceived thickness. My first batch
of mead was made with only 5 lbs honey, and even after severe aging (I'll
be celebrating the remaining 4 bottles 3rd birthday soon - by drinking one!)
they are still thin compared to my batch made with 7.5 lbs of honey.

> 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....

Try this recipe:
1 qt boiling water
4 tea bags
lots of ice
sugar to taste

This is a real quick recipe that is very satisfying on a hot day. I guess
you could substitue honey for the sugar to get that *mead* taste >:-)
But seriously, as far as I know, there is no one month recipe for mead if
you plan on using honey (is there any other way?), but if anyone else knows
of one I'd be very interested to here it.

Do they make steroids for yeast?

                                    Mark


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 16:30:18 PDT
From: polstra!larryba at uunet.UU.NET (Larry Barello)
Subject: Re: temperature control

The Hunter Air-Stat retails for $50, can be found for as little as $20.
Has a lower limit of 40f - but otherwize is a unit that can't be beat
It is designed to minimize the load on your refer while maintaining 
a -2/+1f temperature control.

One issue I have discovered: it is important where you stick the sensor.
I used to have mine on the refer wall.  Bad idea since the wall is 
significatly warmer than the contents of the refer.  Now the sensor is
in the middle (sitting on a keg) lower half and things seem to be working
better.

Cheers!

 - Larry Barello

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 17:16:23 PDT
From: Mark N. Davis <mndavis at pbhya.PacBell.COM>
Subject: San Francisco KQED Beerfest


Howdy gang,

This Saturday (7/11) is the annual KQED Beerfest in San Francisco. For
those within range that are unaware of it, I highly reccommend this event.
There are representatives from breweries all over the world, and of course
samples of all their brews, as well as many different types of grub.
$30 gets you in, buys you a glass and a map, and the rest is up to you. You
get 3 hours to taste/chug this wide variety of beer and food, and its an
excellent oppurtunity to try all those styles and brands that you never 
have got around to. The hardest part is trying to remember which brews you
liked the best after the 103rd sample, but I like a challenge! Finding the
exit afterwards can be quite thrilling as well.
For those that can make it, its well worth the time and money. Unfortunately
I don't remember the address, but its somewhere around 4th and Townsend. I'm
sure you can find out more in the newspaper, or even by calling KQED.

                          Hope to see you all there,
                                Mark


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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 19:24:07 -0500
From: bronson at ecn.purdue.edu (Edward C. Bronson)
Subject: AHA e-mail addresses

    While perusing the last few months of digests, I noticed e-mail 
    addresses for two of the AHA/Association of Brewers staff members:

	Charlie Papazian    72210.2754 at compuserve.com
	James Spence	    70740.1107 at compuserve.com

    Does anyone know of a general e-mail address for the AHA/Zymurgy/
    Association of Brewers/The New Brewer/Institute of Brewing Studies
    offices in Boulder, CO?   It would be great to zip off questions,
    comments, and requests to them by e-mail rather than to use the
    telephone: handy, more efficient, and less expensive.  A thought.
Ed
    P.S. Of course, I also e-mailed this question directly to the above
	 addresses but I thought I'd share this information and besides,
	 #100 is getting very close...

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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 17:39:05 PDT
From: Bruce Mueller <mueller at sdd.hp.com>
Subject: San Diego brewpubs

I'm sorry to say it, but I believe that the Mission Brewery is now or soon
will be defunct.  Seems the whole complex is in financial trouble.  I'm sad
about this because not only is the beer that I've had previously excellent,
but also because Paul Holborn, the brewmeister is a great guy.  He was behind
the Bolt brewery, also now gone.  I hope I'm wrong, but :-( probably not.

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #923, 07/15/92