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HOMEBREW Digest #0705
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 91/08/20 03:09:23
HOMEBREW Digest #705 Tue 20 August 1991
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Ale Yeast (Ifor Wyn Williams)
new edition of complete joy... (dave ballard)
Re: Homebrew Digest #704 (August 19, 1991) (Steve Thornton)
Re: Sam Adams Wheat beer (Michael Zentner)
Re: lemon in weizen (Chris Shenton)
Bicarbonate (David L. Kensiski)
a little help for a right-coaster (no homebrew suppliers in New Jersey) (psrc)
carboy cleaning (mcnally)
Message from Kieran O'Connor (Stephen Russell)
Re: lemon in Weizen (Fritz Keinert)
In The Dark (Martin A. Lodahl)
Malting at Pilsner Urquell (Darryl Richman)
Re: Harvesting and storing hops (bobc@wings.Eng - Bob Clark)
Can't get it high enough (Greg Pryzby)
Grainger reference (John S. Link)
Re : The great CaCl2 debate (Conn Copas)
Mash questions, cleaning carboys (Darren Evans-Young)
sc homebrew worksheet (Tom Zepf)
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmi@hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmi@hplabs.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues]
Archives are available from netlib@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 10:39:56 BST
From: Ifor Wyn Williams <ifor@computer-science.manchester.ac.uk>
Subject: Ale Yeast
Conn Copas <C.V.Copas@loughborough.ac.uk> writes:
> Come to think of it, where are all these top fermenting yeasts we keep
> reading about ? You know the ones I mean, that are supposed to send up
> rocky pancake heads of yeast which threaten to engulf the house, and
> which require daily skimming and rousing management.
I used cultured Guinness yeast and an open fermenter for my last batch
of all-grain Stout. Sure enough, I got beautifully large caulifower
heads which often brought up lots of brown muck. The pancake heads did
try and take over the whole house, but fortunately didn't manage to
crawl out of the kitchen.
Traditionally, ale has been fermented in open vats. I presume that the
vigerous fermentation and abundant head cover must protect the beer.
Even if it doesn't contribute to the complexity of the beer, it's fun
to watch!
Ifor.
------------------------------
Date: 19 Aug 1991 7:09 EDT
From: pyuxe!dab@bellcore.bellcore.com (dave ballard)
Subject: new edition of complete joy...
Hey now- For those that are interested, there will be a new edition
of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Papazian out in October. I found
this out form the bookstore when I ordered a copy...
later!
-dab
=======================================================================
dave ballard
dab@pyuxe.cc.bellcore.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 09:20:46 EST
From: Steve Thornton <NETWRK@HARVARDA.HARVARD.EDU>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #704 (August 19, 1991)
>1030s berliner weisse, mild, ordinary bitter
>1040s brown ale, kolsch, alt, standard pale ale, standard pilsner
>1045-1055 munich helles, munich dark, vienna, flanders brown,
> california common beer
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Um, I don't mean to be stupid, but I am vaguely familiar with all these styles
except this one. What the heck is it? Pete's Wicked Ale? I'll bet the most
"common" beer in California, like every place else, is BudMiLob Lite.
>1050-1060 dortmund, maerzen
>1060+ trappist, old ale, bock, doppelbock, imperial stout, etc.
Steve
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 08:50:30 -0500
From: zentner@ecn.purdue.edu (Michael Zentner)
Subject: Re: Sam Adams Wheat beer
Sometime in the last week or two there was a discussion, initiated by
Dan Graham I believe, about Sam Adams wheat beer. I finally had a chance
to try it this weekend and, while it's great to see attempts at this
happening in the US, was disappointed.
Comparing it to a substantial amount of other wheat beer tasted from
German brewers, it was very one-dimensional (to me). It matched most
closely to a wheat beer brewed by Tu:cher, also a filtered brew. In
both cases, the characteristic clovey taste/odor was there, but it
seemed like both brews were made to specifically emphasize that flavour
only and not the other aspects of beer. I'd say it's similar to wanting
the taste of chocolate and eating bakers chocolate instead of eating
the sweetened stuff. I'm convinced, now, after comparing an amount of
Kristal vs Hefe weizen, that wheat beer should not be filtered.
Mike Zentner
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 10:45:55 EDT
From: Chris Shenton <chris@endgame.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: lemon in weizen
On Fri, 16 Aug 91 10:17:29 PDT, smithey@esosun.css.gov (Brian Smithey) said:
Brian> I've seen mention in Jackson's writing that Bavarian weizen is
Brian> traditionally served with lemon, but have never been able to
Brian> determine how it's CONSUMED. Is the lemon wedge left on the
Brian> glass for aroma only, or is the juice squeezed into the beer,
Brian> or the lemon intermittently sucked on, etc. ?
Some places (in Munich) I had to ask for lemon, but I'd say the lemon
ritual is more particular to the tangy Northern German Weissbier rather
than Bavarian Weizenbier.
A local restaurant, Cafe Berlin (run by three Germans) serves Spaten
Club Weiss with the lemon wedge on the edge of the glass so you can choose.
I just plop it in -- squeezing gives *too* much lemony flavor/aroma,
overpowering the delicacy of the beer; it also reminds me of the
Corona/Sol/Tecate crowd, adding flavor to their `beer' by adding lemon :-(
Bis spaeter!
- --
What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 08:55:47 -0700
From: kensiski@nas.nasa.gov (David L. Kensiski)
Subject: Bicarbonate
In Homebrew Digest #704 (August 19, 1991), Chris Swingley
(csswingley@ucdavis.edu) says:
> Doesn't anyone else have this problem or is Davis water really THAT
> bad?
From my recollection, Davis water is really THAT bad. You would
probably do better dredging Putah Creek and brewing with that! :-)
- --Dave
________________________________________________________________________
David L. Kensiski [KB6HCN] Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation
kensiski@nas.nasa.gov NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 258-6
(415)604-4417 Moffett Field, California 94035-1000
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 10:28:01 EDT
From: jupiter!psrc@sewer.att.com
Subject: a little help for a right-coaster (no homebrew suppliers in New Jersey)
(Originally posted to rec.crafts.brewing, in reply to a message from rec.food.drink.)
In article <49@pyuxe.UUCP> dab@pyuxe.UUCP (D Ballard) writes:
>Can anyone recommend a supply house in the central NJ area?
There are no brewing supply stores (or even brewpubs) anywhere in New
Jersey. In fact, the legal status of home brewing in the state is
uncertain. A Federal law was passed in 1979, "giving home brewing the
same legal status as winemaking." [Mares, MAKING BEER, p. 21, which
also quotes some of the bill.] This presumably loosened the bounds set
by a previous law. However, a similar NJ law allowing winemaking
doesn't mention brewing. Some Jersey prosecutors have occasionally
promised that they won't enforce the "law against home brewing", but no
merchant is willing to take the chance. (I've heard, third hand or so,
from someone who predicts that New Jersey will be the *last* state in
the U.S.A. with a legal brewpub.)
A gentleman named Bush (no relation to the President or to A-B) has
been pushing for a specific law that *permits* limited home brewing.
(One of the details was the question of requiring a license to make
wine or beer. The compromise position is that a household could make
100 gallons/year without a license, and 200 gallons/year (the federal
limit) with a license that costs about $100/year, as compared to the
$20/year license New Jersey currently expects for making wine. This in
a state that may soon require a license to design software, as
described in the comp.software-eng newsgroup.)
That's not to say there are no home brewers, or no home brew clubs, in
the state. There are supply shops in Staten Island and Greenwich
Village. I've heard that they charge more than a lot of mail order
places. I've gotten a recommendation for one of the latter: Semplex
of U.S.A. (612-522-0500, 4159 Thomas Ave. North, Minneapolis, MN
55412), which doesn't charge extra for shipping most items. (They
charge UPS rates for carboys and corn sugar; the prices for extract,
grain, whole beginner kits (plastic bucket, no carboy, two cans of
extract, and five pounds of sugar) and even Rotokegs "include shipping
to anywhere in the U.S.A. and also to APO and FPO addresses.")
>dave ballard
>dab@pyuxe.cc.bellcore.com
Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories, paul.s.r.chisholm@att.com
att!epic!jupiter!psrc, psrc%jupiter@epic.att.com, AT&T Mail !psrchisholm
(psrc@sewer.att.com may work; I apologize if I appear to be psrc@sewer.uucp)
I'm not speaking for the company, I'm just speaking my mind.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 09:50:50 -0700
From: mcnally@Pa.dec.com
Subject: carboy cleaning
What exactly do you people put in your carboys that requires a long soak
with a strong bleach solution to get out?!? When I wash my carboys, I
just put in about 1/2 gallon of warm water and about a tablespoon of
chlorinated TSP, then violently slosh the stuff around a few times.
The only "gunk" ever stuck in the carboy is in the fermentor, around
the top; that's kindof a pain to remove, but not much. Carboys used
for intermediate settling and clarifying never get very scummy at all.
Hmm.
I'll take this opportunity to re-endorse the cheap-beer-rinse technique
of removing chlorine residue. After I wash with chlorinated TSP and
rinse with the jet thing, I pour in a couple cans of Blatz ($3.49 a
twelve pack!) and slosh. Chlorine residues go down the drain!
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike McNally mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 12:42:25 EDT
From: srussell@snoopy.msc.cornell.edu (Stephen Russell)
Subject: Message from Kieran O'Connor
I went to high school in NYC, and one of the places we used to go to
drink beer was McSorley's. We didn't go there because the beer was
great (although the sandwiches are); we went because they never "proofed" us.
One interesting note. I was told by a regular that McSorley's used to
be a men-only bar until recently (late 70's perhaps?). Therefore, they
had no ladies bathroom. NYC sued the bar for discrimination, and
McSorley's had to open its doors to women. However they did not put
in a ladies room. The bathroom became co-ed. I haven't been there for
6 or 7 years, but I assume they have both bathrooms now, but I don't know.
Email addresses. I just moved to a bitnet only site. I have
absolutely no access to internet. Therefore, if you have a bitnet
address in addition to your internet address, could you please put
*both* in your signature at the end of your post? I know it'll help
me and I'm sure a few others who want to email folks, but who don't have
the proper address.
I had to mail this to a friend on internet--I could not send this post
to the HBD via bitnet (the listserv process) Could someone tell me how to do
it? I sent it to BEER-L@UA1VM and it bounced, saying I had no authorization.
I successfully subscribed to the list via listserv, but can't post.
P.S. I'm a history teacher, and I was reviewing the 1988 elction
campaign, espeically the Lloyd Bentsen-Dan Quayle debate. I happened
to have headphones on, and I thought I heard Bentsen say (correct me
if I'm wrong) "Senator, you're no Steve Russell." Although it might
have been "Richman." Any one hear this too?
Kieran O'Connor
OCONNOR@SNYCORVA (bitnet)
no internet, wah!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 12:00:38 CDT
From: Fritz Keinert <keinert@iastate.edu>
Subject: Re: lemon in Weizen
In digest $704, smithey@esosun.css.gov (Brian Smithey) asks
>> I've seen mention in Jackson's writing that Bavarian weizen is
>> traditionally served with lemon, but have never been able to
>> determine how it's CONSUMED.
The way I have usually had it served is with one slice of lemon
floating on top, and a couple of grains of uncooked rice at the
bottom. Weizen is traditionally drunk more in summer, since it has
more carbonation than other beer and is more refreshing. The rice will
give the CO2 a place to form more bubbles, similar to the little
scratches sometimes put into the bottom of champagne glasses.
Lemon and rice are usually left in the glass.
Fritz Keinert
keinert@iastate.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 10:05:12 PDT
From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah@PacBell.COM>
Subject: In The Dark
In HOMEBREW Digest #704, Randy Casey requested, concerning the
tested adulterated extracts:
> I was wondering if the list of extracts by group
> could be posted. I would like to see what brands/styles
> were labeled pure and what ones were 'supplemented' with
> other frementables.
I'd like to see that too, Randy. But as noted in the articles, the
University of Saskatchewan has elected not to publish their list of
tested extracts, so all we know about them is that they were all of
the "light lager" style. The University's concern was that they'd
be sued, and I daresay they would, probably by the maker of the
malt-free extract.
= Martin A. Lodahl Pacific*Bell Systems Analyst =
= malodah@pbmoss.Pacbell.COM Sacramento, CA 916.972.4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) =
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 91 18:21:48 -0700
From: darryl@ism.isc.com (Darryl Richman)
Subject: Malting at Pilsner Urquell
> I note, with some cynicism, Darryl Richman's comment in Zymurgy, that the
> brewmaster of Pilsner Urguell seemed totally ignorant of the malting process.
This is a bit overstated. Jaroslav felt that the kind of questions I was
asking were better answered by someone who *really* knew the details.
> From the responses I received to a very basic question on malting, that
> particular form of ignorance seems to apply equally to home brewers.
> The diagram in the article came tantalizingly close to answering my question
> but left out details that could be used in action.
Sorry about that. As I explain below, the details were present originally.
> As I suspected, in order to get acceptable germination, dormancy must be
> broken. He talks about three steeping periods and a temperature range but
> leaves out what separates one "period" from another.
> What happens after 21 hours at 15-17 degs that seperates this period from the
> next 21 hour period or from the final 17 hour period?
> I have been experimenting with freezing, friging and steeping but surely
> someone out there can save me from re-inventing the wheel.
> Darryl.... where are you? Finish your article.
Well, I've been out of town for a bit. I'm including below the
original text of the malting section of the Pilsner Urquell article.
Since the article was quite long, Zymurgy had to edit it down
somewhere, and the malting section took the biggest hit. (In fact, the
complete story was published, with more figures and photos, as a four
part series in the Maltose Falcons newsletter "The Brews & News".
Since the Falcons exchange newsletters with about 50 clubs out there,
you might check around and see if you can find the Feb. through May
issues.) I appologize for the length of this posting, but I'm not
really sure just where the cuts were made, and I feel it's better
read as a whole.
--Darryl Richman
The Maltster's Tale
To homebrewers, malt may seem like a pretty dull sidelight, an
ingredient that is just assumed. And yet, how can one hope to make the
finest of beers without understanding the materials required? Being the
largest ingredient after water and the arbiter of mashing conditions and
the source of food and nutrition for the yeast, its characteristics are
extremely important to the final product. The process of malting has
results that appear in the product as many subtle and not so subtle
effects on the flavor and appearance: grainy, toasty and malty flavors
and aromas, head retention, beer color, body, and so on.
Malting is the process that takes raw, harvested barley grains and
readies them for the conversion of starch into sugars in the mash. Raw
barley is very hard, or steely, because the starch is locked together
with a lattice work of protein, called a matrix. If raw barley were
crushed and enzymes added, very little starch would be converted to
sugars because most of it would still be locked up in the matrix,
unavailable to the enzymes. Even the germinating plant cannot reach the
starch in this form, so it makes protease enzymes that slowly cut away
at the matrix. As the plant grows, more and more of the matrix is
destroyed; brewers call this process modification. As modification
proceeds, the plantlet is also producing its own amylaze enzymes to
reduce the starches to digestible sugars. It is both of these processes
that the maltster wants to encourage. However, as it grows, the plant
uses its enzymes to make sugars which are then used as fuel for its
growth. Overmodification means reduced extract.
The same grounds that contain the brewery include 2 malting works. In
former days, most breweries did their own malting, but over the last
century specialized companies have come to take over the malting process
instead. Pilsner Urquell has adopted a hybrid approach: the maltings
are run as a separate company, but the close proximity of their largest
customer, and under the former communist system, the fact that they were
both arms of the same "holding company," means that the maltings are
dedicated to producing the malt that Pilsner Urquell specifies. They
also supply malt to many of the other breweries, including Budvar.
Jaroslav insists that Pilsner Urquell gets their best product, however.
There is a new, larger maltings 2 kilometers down the road as well,
which was built in 1988 and opened in '89.
We walked over to the nearest malt house to see how they work.
Curiously, Jaroslav did not know a great deal about the maltings--he had
to get a guide for both of us. He explained that he is in charge of the
brewing activities (and previously had run the fermentation cellars),
but the brewmasters and the maltsters don't get together much.
The maltings produce 50,000 tons of malt each year. If you are an
all-grain brewer, and you get a pretty reasonable extract, that means
you could make over 2 million barrels of beer at Pilsner Urquell
strength. The grounds include storage space for 70,000 tons of barley
and 15,000 of finished malt. The compound has a rail line passing
through it, which not only facilitates delivery of the finished product,
but malt as well, and there are also facilities for loading trucks.
The Process
The Pilsner Urquell maltings are based on a gravity system, not unlike
that used in brew houses. The dry barley comes into the plant and goes
into a storage silo. From there it is cleaned of dirt and foreign
seeds, and brought to the top of the 6 story building, where it goes
into the first of a series of steep tanks.
The steep tanks provide the environment for the barley seeds to wake up
and begin to grow. Barley has a natural dormancy that must be overcome
before it will germinate. It has evolved this mechanism to preserve the
seed through the harsh winter and into the next spring. The steeping
process is repeated 3 times in order to stimulate the seed to germinate.
Each steeping takes about 21 hours.
The steeping process begins by filling the tank with cool water and
pumping oxygen through. Although green plants get by employing
photosynthesis, which breaks sugars and CO2 into O2 via sunlight, the
germinating plant falls back onto respiration (sugars and O2 to CO2) as
a means of developing energy, so the water must be highly oxygenated to
keep the germinating seeds from starving. (Fermentation, with which we
are familiar, breaks sugars into alcohol and CO2, without employing O2;
however, the yeast must go through a respiration phase to reproduce
quickly.)
Each steep holds the barley under water for between 4 and 6 hours and
then drains the water away for most of a day. This simulates rainfall,
and is how the maltster fools Mother Nature into thinking that spring
has arrived.
As germination begins, with each seed respiring, a lot of CO2 is given
off. Every 2 hours a huge fan pulls the heavy CO2 out of the tank from
underneath; it is naturally replaced with fresh air. This goes on for
about 15 minutes. At the end of each steep cycle, the grain is released
into a new tank waiting below it, and the process begins again.
Finally, after 4 days (and four stories' drop), the now-germinating
barley ends up in a germination bed. This is a long, shallow,
rectangular frame that holds the barley as it grows. It is here that
the barley will grow to its final stage before kilning.
There is a cross-member that runs over the short dimension and is
motorized so that it can proceed from one end of the frame to the other.
On this member are a series of screws that slowly turn, lifting and
separating the germinating grain so that the roots will not grow
together and form an impenetrable mass. This also aids in the air flow
through the bed, which is held at 60* F and 47% moisture.
The barley is carefully watched, until the acrospire, or growing tip of
the barley plant, reaches 2/3 to 3/4 of the way around the long
dimension of the seed. It is at this point, after about 7 days, that
the barley is sufficiently modified, and the germinated plantlets are
moved off to the kilns. For comparison, in English malt the acrospire
is usually allowed to grow all the way to the top of the seed; most 2
row malt is allowed to reach the 3/4 point before germination is
stopped.
The kilns are special closed boxes with hot, dry air blowing through
them. The service entrances have airlocks to prevent losing heat if
someone must inspect or repair them while they are in operation. The
maltings has three of these boxes, and they can dry 50 tons of malt at a
time.
The wet malt is dropped (once again) into a kiln to a depth of 85-90 cm
(just under a yard). The hot air is held at 80-81* C (176-178* F) until
the malt reaches a moisture content of just 3.5-4%. The process takes
about 20 hours. After drying, the malt is cleaned again--this time to
remove the rootlets from the malt.
The malt produced has a color of 3.8-4.0 EBC (about 1.9-2.0* Lovibond),
which is pale indeed, but not as pale as most 6 row malts, or even 2 row
malts in this country. In fact, this is very near the figure often
quoted for English Pale malt. This is one reason that Pilsner Urquell
is not as light in color as American or even many continental lagers.
The malt ends up with 11.5% protein, on average. (Barley protein
figures vary with each crop, and can have substantial swings.) This is
a relatively low figure when compared with American crop figures, which
tend more towards 12.5-14%. The protein number is a figure of merit
with respect to the amount of adjuncts that can be added to the mash
without affecting yeast health. Since Pilsner Urquell is an all malt
beer, this is not, of course, a concern. It can also indicate potential
haze and heading problems.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 11:14:06 PDT
From: Bob.Clark@Eng.Sun.COM (bobc@wings.Eng - Bob Clark)
Subject: Re: Harvesting and storing hops
-> From: cj@wisny.att.com
->
-> Someone recently asked how to tell when hops are ready to harvest
-> and I don't remember seeing an answer. Mine are getting to that point
-> and, while I can make a pretty good guess, some advice would be helpful.
-> The buds seem a little small right now, but in past years I think I've
-> let them go a little too long.
I usually pick when the little tips of the buds just start turning brown.
The inside of the hops should have lotsa pretty little yellow sacks that
smell absolutely wonderful when you crush them in your hand.
Mine are much smaller and later this year than the last two. I think the
size may be due to my letting too many vines grow from one root, and the
lateness may be due to the unusually cool summer we've had in San Jose,
Ca.
-> Once the hops have been picked, what's the proper way of processing
-> and storing them?
Dry them. This will improve your control of amounts when adding them to
your brew, as the wet hops will lose about 2/3 of their weight when dried.
(I have a not-exactly greenhouse, which gets way hot, and I just let 'em
sit in there for a day. You could use your oven on low.) Then I seal them
with as little air as possible in your normal kinds of sandwhich bags.
-> One final question. Is there any way to tell what I've got?
I don't have a clue. This also raises the question of how to measure
the alpha of homegrown. I don't - I use 'em for aromatics, only. As
a matter of fact, I'm going to pick some tonight and use them to dry hop
a batch I am racking from primary to secondary (and not bother drying
them first!).
Bob C.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 07:27:14 EDT
From: neptune!pryzby@uunet.UU.NET (Greg Pryzby)
Subject: Can't get it high enough
Over the weekend I tried to make a stout. Using Papazian as a guideline
I used 6.6# of Dark Extract (American Classic), .5# of chocolate malt,
.5# of black patent malt, and .5# of roasted barley. My problem is
that the SG was only 1.040. Similar recipes have SG's starting at 1.05
and higher. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what the problem
could be.
I cracked the grains (w/ a rolling pin) and left them in a bag in water
at 150-160F for 30 minutes. I removed the grains and added the extract and
boiled for 1 hour. I used 3 oz of FUggles for boiling and 1 oz Cascade
for finishing.
Thanks.
peace,
greg
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 14:55:33 EDT
From: John S. Link <link@prcrs.prc.com>
Subject: Grainger reference
Two Questions:
1) A while back someone posted a reference to a company which markets
small submersible pumps which could be used to pump ice water through
a immersion chiller. The company name was Grainger and I need to
find out the model numbers which were referenced and approx. cost.
2) I may be leaving my current position for another opportunity. What
are my options of still having access to Homebrew Digest?
Please email responses to link@rsi.prc.com
Thanks,
John S. Link
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 20:04:29 bst
From: Conn Copas <C.V.Copas@loughborough.ac.uk>
Subject: Re : The great CaCl2 debate
Seeing I provoked some of the current debate, I'd better set the record
straight.
Hard water contains lots of dissolved mineral salts. Salts contain both a
positively and a negatively charged ion, eg, calcium (++) and chloride (-).
Depending on the type of beer being made, some of those ions are more or
less desirable. Calcium (++) ions are universally regarded as being good
for pale ale and bitter production, for a whole host of reasons, including
the fact that they increase the acidity of the mash by an indirect process.
Ditto magnesium (++) ions. Chloride (-) ions in small amounts are good for
bringing out the sweetness in beers. Most salts which contain chloride ions
taste 'salty'; this is not a function of sodium (+) content.
Carbonate (--) and bicarbonate (-) ions are alkaline, that is, they react
with anything which is acidic and thus reduce the total level of acidity.
For various reasons, these ions are dreaded by all brewers except those who
make very acid beers using roasted grains. Let's forget about stouts for
the moment.
Hard water which has flowed through gypsum contains calcium++ sulphate--,
both good news. Hard water which has flowed through limestone usually
contains calcium++ and/or magnesium++ (good news) bicarbonate- (bad news).
How can the beneficial half of the salt be retained whilst disposing of its
undesirable negatively charged partner ? Simple, react the salt with a
controlled amount of acid, at room temperature. The products are water and
carbon dioxide, not a precipitate. Less simply, heat the untreated water.
The bicarbonates- will be transformed into carbonates-- and will
precipitate (good news), along with an equal molecular amount of calcium++
and/or magnesium++ (bad news). Therefore, you might wish to supplement the
calcium++ content by adding some calcium++ chloride-. But the treatment is
starting to get complicated.
Most of the time, adding calcium chloride will precipitate nothing, unless
there is a soluble carbonate salt present, such as that of sodium+ or
potassium+ (most unusual). Calcium chloride could be a better choice than
table salt for bringing out the sweetness in a beer. Notice that most
water authorities quote the total alkalinity as the 'equivalent' of ppm
calcium carbonate, even though this salt is never present in large amounts.
It would be very unusual to have both a high bicarbonate ion content and a
low calcium ion content, unless (a) the alkalinity is mainly due to
magnesium salts, or (b) some drastic treatment has already been performed.
Can't say that I have read Miller, but ... Even the late, great Dave Line
had his moments. For example, recommending gelatine as a fining agent (has
anyone ever found this to work) ? Or the occasional 'any yeast will do'
philosophy.
Clear as mud ?
Conn V Copas tel : (0509)263171 ext 4164
Loughborough University of Technology fax : (0509)610815
Computer-Human Interaction Research Centre
Leicestershire LE11 3TU e-mail -
G Britain (Janet):C.V.Copas@uk.ac.lut
(Internet):C.V.Copas%lut.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 15:17:23 CDT
From: Darren Evans-Young <DARREN@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Subject: Mash questions, cleaning carboys
I'm gearing up soon for an all-grain. I have a couple of questions.
1) Is it better to acidify the mash water with gypsum or lactic acid?
What about the sparge water?
2) Can one make a good pale ale with Klages 2-row? Or should I save
the Klages for lagers and use British pale ale malt?
For cleaning my carboys, I simply add a few tablespoons of TSP, available
at your nearest hardware store, and fill with water. I let it set
overnight, then spin the carboy 90 degrees quickly. I also use a
carboy brush to get the stuff I might not see. Works great.
Darren E. Evans-Young
The University of Alabama
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 21:08:23 MDT
From: zepf@Central.Sun.COM (Tom Zepf)
Subject: sc homebrew worksheet
There was some mention earlier of a brewer's worksheet for Lotus or
Excel or something like that. Since I don't have either of these,
I've put together a little brewer's worksheet for SC (spreadsheet
calculator). I've tried it with version 6.16, but it might work with
others. It's pretty simple, it calculates the O.G., color, and IBUs
(among other things) based on the grains and hops. It's kind of fun to
play with, and helps to zero in on the right quantities to get desired
results.
I've ftp'ed it to ftp.uu.net in /tmp/bw.sc.shar. I believe it will live
there for a while. I'd like to send it to the homebrew archives at
mthvax, but I don't know how. If somebody knows how to do this, would
they please send me some mail? If you can't find it in either place,
please mail me and I will send it in shar form via email.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #705, 08/20/91
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