Sunday, January 25, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5491 (January 25, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5491 Sun 25 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

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PO Box 871309
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or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
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tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
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***************************************************************


Contents:
sugar, cane, beet, (David Scheidt)
Sugar ("Mike O'Brien")
CAN I PUT MY TRUST ON YOU???? (SGT PERRY RICE)
Judge's Memory Sheets (Dion Hollenbeck)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


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


Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:37:57 -0500
From: David Scheidt <dscheidt at panix.com>
Subject: sugar, cane, beet,


On Jan 23, 2009, at 11:18 PM, Request Address Only - No Articles wrote:

>
> I have read reports that cane sugar and beet sugar can act differently
> in baking and confectionery cooking.


Peter Greweling -- a master confectioner and author of a wonderful
confection text book -- disagrees. He spends quite a bit of effort
explaining the differences in cocoa butter fats, but dismisses the
difference in cane and beet sugar in a sentence or two. Beet sugar
refining has improved dramatically in the last few decades, and as
long as you buy good quality stuff, you can't tell which is which,
without a pretty sophisticated lab. (A much more likely source of the
problem for the cook mentioned in the story is the grain size of the
sugar, which changes the rate at which it will go into solution, and
may mean it doesn't fully dissolve, and leaves grains for sugar to
come out of solution.) The SF chronicle article is a worthless
source, not least because it neglects to mention that one of the major
reasons cane sugar commands a premium price are artificial price
supports in the form of tariffs and import quotas, that push the price
of sugar in the US well above world market price.


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

Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:56:44 +0000 (UTC)
From: "Mike O'Brien" <mobrien315221mi at comcast.net>
Subject: Sugar

Thanks, Spencer, for the article on sugar.
I will admit that I have been a beet sugar bigot - having grown up in the Thumb
- my dad grew beets and both grand parents worked in the sugar factory!
I'll bet my next angle food cake comes out better!
I think I will make 3 beers, one each with corn, beet and cane sugar
- just to see the difference - a CAP I think.

Mike O'Brien
pico-Brewing Systems
734-637-2532


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

Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:22:53 +0800
From: SGT PERRY RICE <info at yahoo.com>
Subject: CAN I PUT MY TRUST ON YOU????

Hello friend,

I hope my email meets you well. I am in need of your assistance. My
name is Sgt
Perry Rice. I am in the Engineering military unit here in Ba'qubah in Iraq, we
have some amount of funds that we want to move out of the Country.

My partners and I need a good partner someone we can trust. It is oil
Money and
legal.

Basically since we are working for the government we cannot keep these Funds,
but we want to transfer and move the funds to you, so that you can
Keep it for us in your safe account or an offshore account. But we are Moving
it through Diplomatic means, to send it to your house directly or a
Bank of your choice using Diplomatic Courier Service.

The most important thing is that can we trust you? Once the funds get to You,
you take your 30% out and keep our own 70%. Your own part of this
Deal is to find a safe place where the funds can be sent to. Our own part is
sending it to you. If you are interested i will furnish you with more Details.

But the whole process is simple and we must keep a low profile at all Times.
Waiting for your urgent response via my private
email:perry0822 at gmail.com

This business is risk free.

Regards,

Sgt.Perry Rice.


- ----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.


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

Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:50:56 -0700
From: Dion Hollenbeck <hollen at woodsprite.com>
Subject: Judge's Memory Sheets

Many, many, many years ago, the QUAFF AFCHBC competition got a
manually produced Judge's Memory Sheet from the Maltose Falcons, whom
I believe originated it. This is a *very* useful tool in competitions.

The copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of it that I have is getting
quite fuzzy. If anyone has made an electronic copy of this in Word
or Excel or even PDF, I would be most grateful if you would pass it
on. The competition is January 31, so speed would also be appreciated.

thanks,
dion

- --
Dion Hollenbeck
Email: hollen at woodsprite.com Home Page: http://www.woodsprite.com
Brewing Page: http://hbd.org/hollen Toys: 98 4Runner, 86 4x4 PU

------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5491, 01/25/09
*************************************
-------

Friday, January 23, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5490 (January 23, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5490 Fri 23 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
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Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
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DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
sugar (Jeff Adelsberger)
Sugar ("Spencer W. Thomas")


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy! *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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http://hbd.org.

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instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK
before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


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


Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:54:44 -0500
From: Jeff Adelsberger <jeffade at mac.com>
Subject: sugar

I'm pretty sure all sugar brands are just about the same product (at
least in MD port served area). I've heard an a tale where the sugar
freighter comes in and all the bags are filled with the same stuff,
Domino, store brand, acme x. This may no longer be true or exaggerated.

I was going to comment on this before, American brown sugar is white
sugar with molasses added back in (which is a byproduct of the
refining of sugar), not a sugar precursor or un/less-refined sugar.

On Jan 22, 2009, at 11:16 PM, Request Address Only - No Articles wrote:

> Well, this is why I like HBD better than BA. BA's homebrew forum was
> fairly insistent on "table sugar = sucrose". A quick look at Domino's
> site shows that it's got adjuncts in it for all it's products EXCEPT
> for "100% pure cane sugar". Since I buy cheapo ACME brand, lord only
> knows whats in there. It's entirely possible that there's something
> else lurking, intentionally or not. I doubt it's bacteria (I boiled
> the sugar water for 10 minutes - I did NOT want to cook it) but I do
> think it's entirely possible some cane material or whatever was mixed
> in.


Jeff Adelsberger
jeffade at mac.com

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

Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:24:58 -0500
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <hbd at spencerwthomas.com>
Subject: Sugar

All "table sugar" in the US is sucrose. Period, end of discussion. But...

Depending on whether it was made from sugar cane or beets, it will have
very small amounts of impurities the cane or beets. The easiest way to
demonstrate this to yourself is to buy a bag of cane sugar (almost
always clearly labeled as such) and a bag of beet sugar and sniff both
of them. To me, there is a distinct difference in the aromas.

I have read reports that cane sugar and beet sugar can act differently
in baking and confectionery cooking. There's a good writeup of this in
the SF Chronicle: http://snipurl.com/alj43, snipped from
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/31/FD91867.DTL


=Spencer in Ann Arbor


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5490, 01/23/09
*************************************
-------

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5489 (January 22, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5489 Thu 22 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
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Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
RE: candi / protein rest debate (Josh Knarr)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy! *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

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LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK
before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


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


Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:01:31 -0500
From: Josh Knarr <josh.knarr at gmail.com>
Subject: RE: candi / protein rest debate

> Josh, I wonder if you would have gotten the same cidery
> flavor in an unhopped 100% DME beer with NO refined sugar.
> I suspect you would, since I have with that kind of wort
> when I make it for yeast propagation, experiments, etc.
> Maybe the pure sugar is not the (sole) culprit. Great
> Belgian beers such as Westmalle Tripel use 20% pure sugar--
> but they have a lot of fresh grain to back it up, in a
> way that would be tougher for the DME I am accustomed to.

Well, this is why I like HBD better than BA. BA's homebrew forum was
fairly insistent on "table sugar = sucrose". A quick look at Domino's
site shows that it's got adjuncts in it for all it's products EXCEPT
for "100% pure cane sugar". Since I buy cheapo ACME brand, lord only
knows whats in there. It's entirely possible that there's something
else lurking, intentionally or not. I doubt it's bacteria (I boiled
the sugar water for 10 minutes - I did NOT want to cook it) but I do
think it's entirely possible some cane material or whatever was mixed
in.

> Steve would like to see "a dark caramelized glucose syrup
> w/o much molasses or beet residue as an adjunct." There
> are now such dark syrups available in homebrew shops,
> labelled D1 or D2. I have not used them but they are
> apparently the "same stuff" used by many Belgian brewers
> to make dubbels, etc. The idea of using caramel malt
> instead is one that Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin talks
> about when quoted in "Brew Like a Monk," by the way.
> He apparently uses dark English caramel malts.

There's instructions online for making your own belgian candi sugar
(from cane). When I was in Germany, I did notice the table sugar
tasted different (earthy, I wouldn't say "like a beet" though), so I
suspect the belgian candi sugar taste should be whatever sugar tastes
neutral to you if you're looking for "sugar without adjuncts". Sort of
like the water debate, water is only a medium unless you start
treating it. Some people will care that their sugars are beet sugars
and some won't really care so long as it carries the other flavors
after modification. But, if you're going for completely authentic, you
would have to track down beet sugar. Mosher suggests corn syrup, I
wouldn't touch the stuff personally.

But, "glucose" and what's in your homebrew shop aren't quite the same
thing. Fructose + glucose makes sucrose. The stuff in the shop is just
various levels of darkened up invert sugar. Invert sugar is sugar
which has the fructose + glucose bond broken. Radical Brewing and
Designing Great Beers both have HOWTOs on it, but it's pretty simple
stuff:
http://www.franklinbrew.org/brewinfo/candi_sugar.html


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5489, 01/22/09
*************************************
-------

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5488 (January 20, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5488 Tue 20 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
Visit http://www.hbd.org/sponsorhbd.shtml to learn how

Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
Re: A hard day's brew ("Craig S. Cottingham")
Re: A hard day's brew ("Greg 'groggy' Lehey")
a hard days brew ("Darrell G. Leavitt")
candi / protein rest debate (Matt)
Candi Sugar (Kevin Elsken)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy! *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
for the automation - that's your job.

HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK
before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


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


Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:46:13 -0600
From: "Craig S. Cottingham" <craig.cottingham at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: A hard day's brew

On Jan 19, 2009, at 08:10, "Jerry \"Beaver\" Pelt" <beaverplt at
yahoo.com> wrote:

> While things were cooking
> I grabbed my 6 gal carboy, cleaned it thoroughly, and
> promptly dropped it in the sink shattering it into
> lots of pieces. All I had to put the brew in then
> is 5 gal carboys.
> My question is this, knowing that most of you have
> probably been through this same type of thing, will
> my 5 gal batch be OK with 6 gal of ingredients?
> My OG was right on target, so I think so, but
> I'm just looking for a little confirmation.

There are two ways to get a 5 gallon batch out of 6 gallons worth of
ingredients. The first is to reduce your mash and sparge water, so by
the time you're done boiling and transferring to your fermenter you
have 5 gallons exactly, with nothing left behind. In this case, your
starting gravity will be 20% higher; maybe enough to throw it out of
style, maybe not.

The second way is to use the normal amount of mash and sparge water
as for a 6 gallon batch, and leave one gallon behind in the brew
kettle when you're done. Since you said your starting gravity was
"right on target", I'm going to assume this was your case. All that
happened here was that you wasted a gallon of perfectly good wort.
And a perfectly good glass carboy. Take comfort in the fact that six
to eight weeks from now you should be well equipped to drown your
sorrows. :-)

- --
Craig S. Cottingham
BJCP Certified judge from Olathe, KS ([621, 251.1deg] Apparent
Rennerian)
craig.cottingham at gmail.com
+1 (913) 826-6896 or Skype me at CraigCottingham

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

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:45:12 +1100
From: "Greg 'groggy' Lehey" <grog at lemis.com>
Subject: Re: A hard day's brew

On Monday, 19 January 2009 at 8:10:37 -0800, Jerry Beaver Pelt wrote:
> (tale of woe omitted)
> My question is this, knowing that most of you have
> probably been through this same type of thing, will
> my 5 gal batch be OK with 6 gal of ingredients?

Sure. But there's a better way: ferment your 5 gallons, then before
bottling, add a gallon of cold, boiled water. That way you'll get
almost exactly what you wanted in the first place. The only issue is
that you probably won't get quite the same resultant IBU because of
the higher boil gravity.

Greg
- --
Finger grog at Freebsd.org for PGP public key.
See complete headers for address and phone numbers.


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

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:40:52 -0500 (EST)
From: "Darrell G. Leavitt" <leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu>
Subject: a hard days brew

Depending upon the health of your yeast, I would get a blow off tube ready.

Other than that, I cannot see why using a 5 gal carboy would be a problem.

Darrell

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

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:33:13 -0800 (PST)
From: Matt <baumssl27 at yahoo.com>
Subject: candi / protein rest debate

Josh, I wonder if you would have gotten the same cidery
flavor in an unhopped 100% DME beer with NO refined sugar.
I suspect you would, since I have with that kind of wort
when I make it for yeast propagation, experiments, etc.
Maybe the pure sugar is not the (sole) culprit. Great
Belgian beers such as Westmalle Tripel use 20% pure sugar--
but they have a lot of fresh grain to back it up, in a
way that would be tougher for the DME I am accustomed to.

Steve would like to see "a dark caramelized glucose syrup
w/o much molasses or beet residue as an adjunct." There
are now such dark syrups available in homebrew shops,
labelled D1 or D2. I have not used them but they are
apparently the "same stuff" used by many Belgian brewers
to make dubbels, etc. The idea of using caramel malt
instead is one that Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin talks
about when quoted in "Brew Like a Monk," by the way.
He apparently uses dark English caramel malts.

- ---

About 15 years ago Dr. Lewis at Davis published a paper
imputed to debunk the notion that significant protein
modification can occur via proteolysis in the traditional
"protein rest," and there was resistance to this from
various quarters. Does anyone know what is the current
state of this debate?

Matt


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

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:59:52 -0500
From: Kevin Elsken <littleboybrew at verizon.net>
Subject: Candi Sugar

-S commented on various types of sugar and lamented the lack of a dark
caramelized sugar that did not include an excessive molasses content. I
have had decent luck in caramelizing sugar in water with a pinch of
citirc acid. Once the boil begins the temperature will eventually rise
above 212 F. When it reaches 275 F add a tablespoon or so of water in
order to keep the temperature between 260 and 275. It requires some
attention to maintain, but I personally do not find it onerous.
Especially when I look at what they charge for 'candi sugar'. I find
the challenge is to judge the degree of darkness. The longer it goes
the darker it gets. It always seems the sugar, when cooled, to be
lighter in color than it seemed in the pot. I would assume if you held
the temperature at a lower value you would get a syrup instead of a hard
sugar.


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5488, 01/20/09
*************************************
-------

Monday, January 19, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5487 (January 19, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5487 Mon 19 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
Visit http://www.hbd.org/sponsorhbd.shtml to learn how

Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
RE: Belgian Candi Sugar (Josh Knarr)
A hard day's brew ("Jerry \"Beaver\" Pelt")
candi sugar (steve alexander)


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


Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:06:12 -0500
From: Josh Knarr <josh.knarr at gmail.com>
Subject: RE: Belgian Candi Sugar

I just had this same discussion over on beer advocate - what's
people's observations about the "cider" taste from table sugar?

Just for gits and shiggles, I brewed up a 1 gallon batch of the following:
* ENTIRELY TABLE SUGAR
* 50/50 Table Sugar, Muntons "Light" Dry Malt Extract
* 20/80 Table Sugar, Muntons "Light" Dry Malt Extract

This was to repeat the Great Belgian Experiment from homebrew radio.
Since the flavor threshhold was supposedly 20%, I figured I would make
one at 20% and see what happened. I also used a bread yeast, which
aggressively converts everything it can while being relatively neutral
in flavor. (This was "all purpose whole grain bread yeast" from
giant).

All of them (to me) came out cidery. The 100% sugar one was amazing,
it somehow came out to be the woodchuck dry cider flavor. It actually
wasn't bad at all chilled, but don't expect beer. I am ashamed to
admit I would probably make this again as a "hard cider" recipe for
parties, but using a better yeast. The 50/50 one was the worst of the
lot, it was beer-y, but then finished dry and cidery (but less so).
Tossing a lemon in there only remedied it a bit. I would not drink
this one again. The final one almost passed as Chimay's White. If I
had used hops (fuggles comes to mind), it MIGHT have covered up the
taste. Of all the "cidery" "beers", this was the least cidery but
still detectable without other factors like hops.

I think if I was brewing (now that I've ruined my palette tracking
down that taste) I would use any of the darker sugars various places
have for sale which are specficly for brewing, rather than risk it.
Also viable now is the DIY guide -
http://www.franklinbrew.org/brewinfo/candi_sugar.html - which looks
doable for any homebrewer. If you've read SACRED HERBAL AND HEALING
BEERS, also notice that a lot of the beers which call for sugar also
call for Lemon or Orange. It's my guess that medieval brewers were
doing the "sugar invert" before it really was understood.

- --

Katharine Hepburn - "Death will be a great relief. No more interviews."


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

Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:10:37 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jerry \"Beaver\" Pelt" <beaverplt at yahoo.com>
Subject: A hard day's brew

After a two year hiatus from brewing, (unemployment sucks)
I finally was able to get back in the game so to speak.
Got all the goodies to make a 6 gallon batch of pilsner
and set to work yesterday. Everything went fine and dandy
until the third temperature rest at 158 degrees when
I accidentally turned the stove down to low instead of off.
Considering the volume I believe I still achieved a complete
conversion. My iodine test was ok. I finished the mash,
lautered, and started the boil. While things were cooking
I grabbed my 6 gal carboy, cleaned it thoroughly, and
promptly dropped it in the sink shattering it into
lots of pieces. All I had to put the brew in then
is 5 gal carboys.
My question is this, knowing that most of you have
probably been through this same type of thing, will
my 5 gal batch be OK with 6 gal of ingredients?
My OG was right on target, so I think so, but
I'm just looking for a little confirmation.
(OK, and I wanted to whine)


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

Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:24:18 -0500
From: steve alexander <steve-alexander at roadrunner.com>
Subject: candi sugar

I'm no expert on Belgian beers or candi sugar but a few points ....

Most NA sugar is sucrose made from refined sugar cane. Our common
"brown sugar" is less refined and the brown coloration has the same
basic content as molasses (which is made from the residue of the cane
refining process). Molasses can have significant levels of iron which
can lead to a not-so-great flavor in beer and is one of the metal ions
we'd prefer to not introduce in beer. I can't say whether a brown
sugar addition can be harmful to beer flavor but it's generally not in
moderation.

For mostly political reasons the EU underwrite sugar beet farming in the
EU, tho' it is clearly cost-ineffective, so most "table sugar" in Europe
is sucrose from sugar beets. In my experience there is no discernible
flavor difference in a white sugar from beets or cane source when added
modately to a beverage or dish, but several sources note thet beet sugar
has a bitter aftertaste so it can't be used for certain purposes -
perhaps soft drinks - I don't recall at the moment. Perhaps it's a
matter of the degree of refining.

UK brewing texts also refer to "chip sugar" a sort of dark confectioners
sugar, which is/was made by acid hydrolysis of starch and has a high
content of glucose and a deep color (200-500EBC). These *were*
processed in the past by adding some nitrogenous compounds and
heating. This would cause not only caramelization but would also
produce Maillard products that would additionally add to the flavor and
color. Processing with nitrogen compounds is now frowned upon as
potentially carcinogenic in quantity. Hardly surprising that of the
thousands of Maillard products some are naughty. FWIW even caramel is
considered a potential mutagen. Anyway, anyone drinking beer is
probably taking much bigger health risks than from Maillard products and
caramel.

In the US, corn syrup is a form of hydrolyzed starch - mostly glucose,
but typically the hydrolysis is enzymatic these days and often vanilla
is added to the light colored stuff. Dark corn syrup is said to be
colored with molasses products leading in a dubious flavor direction.
It *seems* like caramelising pure corn syrup or a solution of corn sugar
or glucose to a dark color would approach the goal, but I can easily
imaging some scorching before you hit 200EBC in a home setup ... double
boilers come to mind ... toil & trouble too.

Apparently UK types and some Europeans & Aussies use a slightly
caramelized golden sucrose (Lyles the most famous) syrup on their
waffles. The Japanese use a hydrolysed clear syrup from rice or barley
starch to the same end. The Algonquin delicacy of maple syrup seems to
limited to parts of NA. Any attempt to insert maple syrup in beers
requires a light touch. I've had exactly one good example of an ale w/
maple syrup addition but it's very easy to over-do the maple flavor
impact and ruin the beer.

What I'd like to see is a dark caramelized glucose syrup w/o much
molasses or beet residue as an adjunct but aside from caramelizing it
myself I don't see an easy source.

Rather then emulate the Brits and Belgians with very dark sugar adjunct
perhaps the approach should be to get caramel and melanoidins from
malt and use light sugar to thin out the body & maltiness. Sounds more
practical to one who isn't a fundamentalist wrt brewing tradition.

-S


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5487, 01/19/09
*************************************
-------

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5486 (January 18, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5486 Sun 18 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
Inline Aeration/Candi Sugar ("A.J deLange")
re: oxygenation (Joe Katchever)
Re: Belgian sugar and "candi" (Tim Bray)
candi (Matt)


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


Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:27:48 -0500
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Inline Aeration/Candi Sugar

In my own setup I have the inline oxygenation device connected
directly to the fermenter inlet (the whole path is kettle/hop back/
pump/throttling valve/chiller/hose to fermenter/yeast injector/
oxygenator/fermenter). There are various reasons for doing it this way
such as that it is easy to sanitize the assembly by attaching the
inlet of the hopback to a reservoir of sanitizer and subsequently to
boiling water (to rinse the sanitizer out) and that the pump (typical
fractional horsepower homebrewer's pump) primes by gravity (if I had
it at the outlet of the chiller it wouldn't prime. Thus large oxygen
bubbles never pass through the pump and while I would expect them to
have an effect on the pump's performance (it will cavitate) I don't
think that it would be much of a problem, other than less throughput,
as the pump parts will stay wet. OTOH I don't see any reason why you
could not put the inline oxygenator downstream of the pump and avoid
any bubble related problems, small or large. Then again, if the
bubbles are that large you are pushing too much (from the waste
perspective - large bubbles obviously aren't dissolving) oxygen.


A quick search on the web will turn up a fair amount of information on
candi sugar most of which (the information that is) seems to come from
homebrewers. There appear to be two major opinions - one of which is
that it is invert sugar which has been subjected to enough heat in the
inversion process to caramelize it to some extent. The other is that
it is basically what we call "rock candy" in the US i.e. sugar
crystals grown on a string from a saturated solution with the color
induced when the crystals are dried in an oven.

A.J.


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

Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:31:50 -0600
From: Joe Katchever <joe at pearlstreetbrewery.com>
Subject: re: oxygenation

Hi Jeff-
the proper way to do it would be to go from kettle >pump>chiller>o2
infusion>.fermenter. The unabsorbed gas will cavitate your pump assuming
it is centrifical. Also, depending on what typoe of chiller you have,
the gas could pocket inside of it, reducing it's effectiveness.
Cheers,

- --
Joe
La Crosse

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

Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 09:04:26 -0800
From: Tim Bray <tbray at wildblue.net>
Subject: Re: Belgian sugar and "candi"

According to Stan Hieronymus in "Brew like a Monk," Belgian brewers use
whatever sugar they want. They generally do not use the stuff we call
"candi sugar" (rock crystals) because it's too expensive for the
purpose. Most of them apparently use whatever sugar they can get easily
and cheaply - sucrose or dextrose. The main purpose of adding sugar is
to produce a drier beer, with a thinner body and less maltiness. You
can do that with any kind of sugar.

For darker beers, some Belgian breweries use caramel syrup, which is not
a widely available ingredient in North America. This was originally the
stuff called "candi sugar." Heironymus says the stuff sold in Europe as
"candysugar" is a partly caramelized sugar in either granular or liquid
form, produced by Candico in Antwerp. Maybe that's what you saw in the
supermarkets? It will produce a different flavor profile than either
white or brown sugar, and if you're really trying to duplicate a
specific Belgian strong dark, you might need it. Mosher has a recipe
for making it yourself.

In any case, it's clear that there is no single kind of sugar use by
Belgian brewers, so you are free to use whatever you want and it will be
among the "standard Belgian ingredients."

Cheers,
Tim in Albion, CA

> Bottom line to question: Is the bag of brown-colored sugar
> that is found in ordinary Belgian supermarkets and in the
> kitchen cupboards of Belgian households in fact the type of
> sugar that is among the "standard Belgian [brewing] ingredients"?
>


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

Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:13:38 -0800 (PST)
From: Matt <baumssl27 at yahoo.com>
Subject: candi

Larry asks specifically about "stuff labeled 'candi' sugar
in Belgian supermarkets" that "looks, feels, tastes and is
priced every bit like the ordinary brown sugar that is
available in every US supermarket"--and the question is does
the brown color in this particular product come from
molasses or caramel?

Hopefully someone can answer more definitively than I can,
but if not maybe this will help:

The larger crystalline form you mention, which as you note
is served with coffee in Belgium sometimes, is brown from
caramel and is the same stuff sold for a pretty penny in
US homebrewing stores for making Belgian style beer. It's
sucrose crystals with some caramel(ization). I was not
aware that "candi" is available in granules the size of
US brown sugar--I suspect that these are also caramelized
rather than brown from molasses, but anyway a quick
comparison of ingredients may be helpful to verify they are
the same.

As for brewing application--the Belgian dark ales are generally
dark from caramel only, with no dark/roasted grains in the
recipe. You need a LOT of caramel to get that dark. I don't
think it's possible to do it with a reasonable amount (say
20% of fermentables) of the crystalline stuff I've seen. I
suspect the smaller granules have the same problem. A dark
caramel "candi" syrup CAN darken significantly and is often
used by Belgian breweries.

I am not sure if any breweries use the crystalline brown form
but anyway it won't add anything that is out of character.

Hope that helps.

Matt


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5486, 01/18/09
*************************************
-------

Friday, January 16, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5485 (January 16, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5485 Fri 16 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
In-Line Oxygenation ("Jeff Hewit")
beer wordle (Rick Allison)
candi sugar redux ("Larry")


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


Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:13:14 -0500
From: "Jeff Hewit" <bippoj at gmail.com>
Subject: In-Line Oxygenation

I am planning on adding in-line oxygenation to a system that pumps wort from
the kettle/chiller to the fermentor. I was planning on adding the
oxygenation device to the outflow of the chiller - before the pump.
However, I am wondering if introducing air bubbles to the wort will
interfere with the action of the pump. Is this something I should be
concerned about? I will appreciate any ideas from those of you with more
knowledge of hydrodynamics.

Thanks.

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

Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:27:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Allison <geobrewer at yahoo.com>
Subject: beer wordle

Please enjoy a wordle I created:

www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/438371/Beer

Thanks
Rick in Colorado
long time lurker



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

Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:11:31 -0500
From: "Larry" <larrymax at bellsouth.net>
Subject: candi sugar redux

Thanks to Matt and to those who replied via email to my
question about candi sugar. Good information from all
regarding the question of exactly what is candi sugar, but
I'm afraid nobody's been able to answer my main question.

Matt's reply (not to pick on you) says, "to brew with standard
Belgian ingredients, brown sugar is out." My main question,
though, is whether the packaged sugar product that's brown
in color, labeled "candi" sugar, and is as widely available to
Belgian household consumers as the produced labeled "brown
sugar" is to those in, say, the US, is in fact the type of sugar
that is among the "standard Belgian [brewing] ingredients," or
is it merely the same thing that we in the US call "brown sugar"
(that is, the brown color owes to some amount of beet molasses).

No Belgians or those in neighboring countries reading HBD?
I realize that homebrewing is not very popular in Belgium,
but I was hoping somebody might know firsthand what I
was talking about when I described the sugar I saw in the
supermarket. I'd really like to start by knowing what the
word "candi" signifies. Belgians speak French and Flemish,
and as far as I know, "candi" does not per se mean "sugar"
in either language or refer to the color brown. So, just
what DOES the word "candi" signify? Does it originate
from a reference to a type of sugar used in candy, or perhaps
to its use as a sweet candy-like confection to top pancakes
and things with?

Bottom line to question: Is the bag of brown-colored sugar
that is found in ordinary Belgian supermarkets and in the
kitchen cupboards of Belgian households in fact the type of
sugar that is among the "standard Belgian [brewing] ingredients"?

As a final note, I AM going to brew with it and see what
happens. Of course, since I have never brewed an abbey
style, I have nothing to compare it against and will not really
be able to attribute undesirable flavors to the sugar alone.

Larry

------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5485, 01/16/09
*************************************
-------

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5484 (January 13, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5484 Tue 13 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
candi sugar (Matt)


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


Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:43:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Matt <baumssl27 at yahoo.com>
Subject: candi sugar

Brown sugar in the US is brown because it is a mixture of
refined sucrose and molasses.

Brown candi sugar used by Belgian brewers is brown due to
*caramel* rather than molasses.

In my opinion that's the most significant difference
between the two, and it will result in a significiant
taste difference between beers brewed with them. Brown
sugar is not a traditional flavor in Belgian beer. This is
commonly attributed to the fact that sugar in Belgium
came from beets, and beet molasses tastes bad--but who
knows if this is really the reason.

So, IF you want to brew with "standard Belgian" ingredients,
brown sugar is out and your options are pure refined sugars
(glucose, sucrose, inverted sucrose, fructose) which do not
add caramel flavor, or "candi" products that do add caramel
flavor (and for which the underlying sugar profile may vary,
and may even include significant unfermentable carbohydrates).
Great beers have been made with ALL of these.

Matt



------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5484, 01/13/09
*************************************
-------

Monday, January 12, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5483 (January 12, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5483 Mon 12 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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***************************************************************


Contents:
Belgian candi sugar (again) ("Larry")
(Help Desk)
2009 Coconut Cup (Scott Graham)


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


Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:05:07 -0500
From: "Larry" <larrymax at bellsouth.net>
Subject: Belgian candi sugar (again)

Sorry for bringing up a topic--Belgian "candi" sugar--that has
been discussed many times here, but the queue is short and
maybe someone can add to what has been noted before.

You see, I am an American who is in Belgium at the moment
(yes, sampling great beer among other things), and it occurred
to me that I might bring back a bag of candi sugar and try my
hand at brewing an abbey style, which is something I have
never done. To back up a notch, I have been brewing less and
less over the 15 or so years since I began in the hobby
(and following HBD less and less, I'm afraid) because the kinds
of beers I enjoy have become more available. So, I have
felt that I could more easily buy a great Belgian beer than attempt
one myself.

Anyway, every supermarket has bags of what is labeled "candi"
sugar, but it isn't clear to me whether any of these is what a brewer
is to use. My only experience with "candi" sugar has been seeing it
in homebrew shops in crystalline or syrup form at fairly high prices
(considering it's just sugar). Now, the majority of the stuff labeled
"candi" sugar in Belgian supermarkets looks, feels, tastes and is
priced every bit like the ordinary brown sugar that is available in
every US supermarket. This candi sugar is available in light and
dark varieties, just like brown sugar back in the US. Candi sugar
in syrup form is also available in Belgian supermarkets, and I am
told that it is commonly used as a topping for pancakes. Candi
sugar in chunky crystalline form is available as well, but it appears
to be like that which is available in the US simply as an esthetically
pleasing way to add the same sort of brown sugar to one's coffee
or tea. Which of these, if any, is what I need for brewing abbey
beers? Or is what I am seeing simply the same thing as what we
in the US and elsewhere call "brown" sugar, and brewing sugar is
something else entirely? If so, then the term "candi" is meaningless
for our purposes.

I bought a bag of a dark brown granulated candi sugar and tasted
it. Although I didn't do a side-by-side comparison, my initial
impression is that the taste is indistinguishable to me from what we
in the US call "brown sugar." It looks, feels and tastes like the
ordinary, inexpensive brown sugar to which I have long been
accustomed in the US. Of course, it's difficult to distinguish
for people to distinguish chemical subtleties in sugar that may be
readily apparent to the yeast.

This leads me to ask what the difference is between "candi" and
"brown" sugars. Other than those labeled "candi" sugar, there are
no other sugars that are brownish in color in typical Belgian
supermarkets. What exactly, then, does the word "candi" signify
in this context? Does it simply mean the same thing to Belgians as
"brown" means to Americans? My other questions regarding the
differences, if any, are those that have been asked and replied to
many times, on HBD and elsewhere. It's likely, for example, that
the candi sugar that I find here is made from beets, not sugar cane.
Is it possible then for "candi" sugar made from cane to exist? Or
is beet sugar a defining characteristic? I have also seen references
to "invert" sugar, to the effect that true candi sugar used in Belgian
abbey style beers must be invert sugar. As you may know, some
homebrewers have suggested adding citric acid or lemon juice to
produce invert sugar. But other comments I have seen suggest
that invert is not a defining characteristic, i.e., there can exist candi
sugar that is not invert sugar.

Are the bags of candi sugar I see here invert sugar or not? Is this
sugar what the brewers here use or not? What does "candi" as the
term is used here in Belgium really signify, especially vis-a-vis the
term "brown" as used in the US or elsewhere? And lastly, the big
question to which I have never seen an authoritative answer: labels
like "candi" and "brown" aside, exactly what kind of sugar do the
abbey brewers use, and how can I obtain it? I have ordered the
"Brew Like a Monk" book, which I am told may have answers,
but I am sure the HBD gurus have equally good, if not more
scientific, knowledge.


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

Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:00:45 -0500
From: Help Desk<ugrade_centreupdate at hotmail.com>
Subject:

Dear Webmail User,

This message was sent automatically by a program on
Webmail which periodically checks the size of inboxes,
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After you read a message, it is best to REPLY and SAVE a
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Thank you for your cooperation.
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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:52:14 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott Graham <grahams at cs.fiu.edu>
Subject: 2009 Coconut Cup


Greetings from the members of the Miami Area Society of Homebrewers (MASH)
in Miami, FL.

It is almost time for this year's Coconut Cup homebrew competition. We are
accepting all of the BJCP categories, as well as our special COCONUT BREW
category.

Entries are due between January 26th and February 6th. Please use the
on-line entry form available at the Coconut Cup website,
http://www.miami-homebrew.org/coconut.html .

Final judging will take place on February 20th and 21st, 2009. Please
contact me if you are interested in judging. We will have some fun
activities planned for out-of-town judges.

I hope to see you (or at least your beers and meads) in Miami!

Scott Graham
Coconut Cup Judge Coordinator
[1159.9, 169.3] Apparent Rennerian

------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5483, 01/12/09
*************************************
-------

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5482 (January 11, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5482 Sun 11 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
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***************************************************************


Contents:
storing Brettanomyces ("Chris Williams")
re: fruiting the Frambois ("jeff_ri")


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


Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:07:16 -0800
From: "Chris Williams" <chwilliams at gmail.com>
Subject: storing Brettanomyces

I've got a 5 gallon carboy of a Lambic style, using Wyeast 3278,
that's been slowly chugging away for some time now. I need to move it
and the only place is next to other carboys filled with various beers
and meads. Is there anything I should do to keep the Brett out of the
others, or do I even have anything to worry about?

Chris


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

Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:05:07 -0500
From: "jeff_ri" <jeff_ri at cox.net>
Subject: re: fruiting the Frambois

Joe,

I've only used the sorbate for stabilizing big sweet meads to keep them
from carbonating in the bottles, so I haven't used it the way you need to.

It works by preventing re-fermentation. It won't stop an active ferment,
or prevent fermentation by a large healthy dose of yeast though.

It's not supposed to leave any flavor (but I imagine it would if you used
too much). Use the recommended amount on the bottle label.

I would use it in your case by adding it to the base beer and letting it
sit for a while before adding the fruit. The idea being that it would knock
down the yeast before adding food for them.

Jeff McNally
Tiverton, RI
(652.2 miles, 90.0 deg) A.R.
www.southshorebrewclub.org


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5482, 01/11/09
*************************************
-------

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5481 (January 07, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5481 Wed 07 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
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or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
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***************************************************************


Contents:
Forced air lines (Calvin Perilloux)
re: fruiting the Frambois (Joe Katchever)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
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JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


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


Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 07:16:06 -0800 (PST)
From: Calvin Perilloux <calvinperilloux at yahoo.com>
Subject: Forced air lines

For forced air cooling of beer lines, depending on the
geometry of your setup, you might be able to use what
my friend Lou King set up in his place:

Use a stretch of 3 or 4" diameter pipe (e.g. PVC), and
inside that pipe have another, smaller one that has the
beer line running inside of it. A cheap PC fan can be
used to force cool air through the small pipe, thus chilling
the beer line to roughly the same temp as your fridge, and
the return comes back outside of that smaller pipe,
inside/via the big one.

If you have it sealed well, you should encounter no
problems with condensation or moisture inside, especially
if you use something like Damp Rid in the main cooler.
You could consider insulating it all on the outside.
That would reduce the energy usage a tad as well,
since any heat the air picks up from the exterior shell
as it returns to the cooler (as well as the heat from
the fan) will go back to the fridge.

For a more flexible setup, you might look at dryer flex
hose, but I think that would surely call for insulation
around it. You might consider something like this
flexible, insulated hose:

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdesc.asp?ic=AFADI05X25

Then just run a smaller flexy "air-out" line inside it
and the beer line inside of that.

Calvin Perilloux
Middletown, Maryland, USA

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

Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:21:16 -0600
From: Joe Katchever <joe at pearlstreetbrewery.com>
Subject: re: fruiting the Frambois

Thanks, Jeff. I have more questions. I've never used Potassium sorbate
in beer, only wine: Will it leave any flavor?? How much Pot. sorb. per
gallon will work? What is the procedure as far as time before adding th
fruit?
Thanks, Joe

------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5481, 01/07/09
*************************************
-------

Monday, January 5, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5480 (January 05, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5480 Mon 05 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
Visit http://www.hbd.org/sponsorhbd.shtml to learn how

Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
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sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
Favorite beers (Joseph M Labeck Jr)
PAA (Evan Kraus)
Fermcap, Favorite bee (Glyn and Mary)
Forced Air Lines ("A.J deLange")
SKAcomp GABF Pro/Am Qualifier (Dion Hollenbeck)
re: Need help with setting up my draft system. ("jeff_ri")


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

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LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
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before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to
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JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


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


Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:38:02 -0500
From: Joseph M Labeck Jr <jmlabeck at joesjokearchive.ws>
Subject: Favorite beers

Hi, all;

Jerry asks for our favorites, to give him some brewing ideas. I have
three. These are all 4-gal. recipes.

Uncle Bill's Porter

4 lb. dark LME
1/4 lb choc. malt
1/4 lb dark crystal malt
1 lb brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 oz. Cascades hops (Bittering)
1 oz. Fuggles hops (Dry-hopped)
1 pkt. dry ale yeast

I like the buttery flavor the Molasses gives this one.

========================================

Barb's Crystal Sphere

4 lb LME
1/2 lb choc malt
1 lb brown sugar
peel and juice of two oranges
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 oz low-alpha hops (Clusters?)
1 pkt dry ale yeast

My version of a "winter warmer". tasty

========================================

Born to be Mild ale

3 lb light LME
1/2 lb choc malt
1 oz 6% alpha hop
1 oz fuggles (finishing, optional)
1 pkt. dry ale yeast

I've always considered this a great "lawnmower beer".

Hope this helps

Joe Labeck


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

Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 05:04:50 -0800 (PST)
From: Evan Kraus <ekraus at yahoo.com>
Subject: PAA


Decided to get back into brewing!

Need a source for 1 Gallon of PAA 15% (Parasitic acid).
And Liquid Caustic 20%


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

Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 06:09:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Glyn and Mary <graininfuser at yahoo.com>
Subject: Fermcap, Favorite bee

Anyone using Fermacap to keep the yeast from escaping
primary? Does it make clean up any easier?

My favorite beer, the one in my hand of course! I must say
it is a very mood/location question. I generally have no more
than two on tap, and various store bought bottles. With that
being said if I had to brew just one beer it would be a triple.

Not to heavy, fruity, higher alcohol. Would last longer than
a Wit or something else. Does not numb your palate with heavy
hops. Just my opinion.

Glyn
S. Middle TN

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

Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 09:17:31 -0500
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Forced Air Lines

Let me start off by saying I do not have a forced air system so what I
know about them is based on some planning I did when I thought I was
going to have to move and swore I'd put the cooler under the dining
area if I did (I didn't so I still have to walk down the hall, through
the garage and down to the other end of the brewery to get a beer
- sigh).

Firstly - yes, it is important to keep the beer cold right up to the
tap if you can. If part of the lines run through an area warmer than
the cooler the beer in those lines will not have time to warm up
appreciably while traveling to the faucet from the keg but the beer
standing in those lines (referred to in the bar trade as "the night
watchman") between servings (i.e. at night, while you are at work
etc.) will. At best the CO2 will break out and the first glass
drawn will be foamy. At worst the beer will be nasty in other
ways as well. The night watchman was often given to derelicts
who knew to come round at opening because the regular customers
would complain about the quality. BTW, even if you do chill the
lines the first glass is likely to be somewhat foamy because
there will still be breakout, certainly with a vertical run of
10' simply because the pressure 10' above the keg will be 5 psig
lower than it is in the keg but I get it with a vertical run
from the keg to a faucet on the walk-in door (head pressure
difference from bottom of spear to tap about 1.5 psi).
With the beer cold, however, breakout won't be as bad and
you won't have any staling from high temperature effects.


The usual arrangement in a cold air system is a blower and
a pair of coaxial flexible tubes say 2" OD inside a 3 or 4"
tube. The beer lines run through the center of the smaller
tube through which cold air is blown. The tubing terminates
in a cabinet with the faucets through which the cold air
from the smaller tube circulates returning to the cooler
through the larger, outside tube. Blowers, cabinets and
tubing aren't too bad. See

http://rapidswholesale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?
Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=ForcedAirSystems

to get an idea about prices, configuration etc. Note
that there are obviously intended for use with walk-ins,
not chest freezers, but I don't see any reason why they
couldn't be adapted to chest freezers by drilling the hole
for the tubing in the lid (so as to be sure to miss the
refrigeration coils) and bolting the blower to the inside of
the lid.

The more elegant way to go is with bundled beer and glycol
lines inside an insulating jacket such as at

http://rapidswholesale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen
=PROD&Store_Code=RWEC&Product_Code=5R034-10
.

This requires an external glycol chiller ($$)

http://rapidswholesale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?
Screen=PROD&Store_Code=RWEC&Product_Code=3B100

and a tower which while it is less bulky than an air
cabinet is also more expensive. These systems are easier
to install in the sense that you are routing something an
inch or 2 in diameter rather than 3 or 4, the hole in
the cooler is smaller and you don't have to suspend a
blower inside the cooler. But you do have a separate
chiller unit occupying floor space and consuming electricity.

Cheers, A.J.


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

Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:27:44 -0700
From: Dion Hollenbeck <hollen at woodsprite.com>
Subject: SKAcomp GABF Pro/Am Qualifier

Judges,

We still need more judges for the Pro/Am qualifier event at SKA
Brewing Co. in Durango, CO. on January 31. Please consider judging
at this competition.


For questions contact Matt Morrow at Memorrow at fortlewis.edu or call me at
(970)764-7128.

The website is http://hstrial-cmorrow8.homestead.com/index.html where
you can register to judge.

- --
Dion Hollenbeck
Email: hollen at woodsprite.com Home Page: http://www.woodsprite.com
Brewing Page: http://hbd.org/hollen Toys: 98 4Runner, 86 4x4 PU

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

Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:59:47 -0500
From: "jeff_ri" <jeff_ri at cox.net>
Subject: re: Need help with setting up my draft system.

Hi All,

In HBD #5479 Matt Frayer asked about chilling the beer lines between his
kegs and the taps.

Your planned beer lines (1/4 inch ID by 10 ft long) only hold about 3.25
ounces of beer. Since you mentioned the lines will be running through a 50
degree space, you probably won't need to chill them. The first pint will
just be a little warmer than the second one.

If you do want to chill them, have the air circulate in a loop between the
fridge and the taps and run the fan from a thermostat with the sensor near
the taps. That way the fan will only run when needed.

Jeff McNally
Tiverton, RI
(652.2 miles, 90.0 deg) A.R.
www.southshorebrewclub.org

------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5480, 01/05/09
*************************************
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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5479 (January 04, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5479 Sun 04 January 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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Contents:
re: Frambois ("jeff_ri")
Your favorite beer: This could be fun ("Jerry \"Beaver\" Pelt")
RE: Coolships ("Mike Sharp")
Need help with setting up my draft system. ("Matthew Frayer")


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Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 10:31:21 -0500
From: "jeff_ri" <jeff_ri at cox.net>
Subject: re: Frambois

Hi All,

In HBD #5478 Joe Katchever asked about adding raspberries to a lambic and
not having the fruit sugars ferment.

After the primary is complete, add some potassium sorbate before adding
the fruit. The potassium sorbate will prevent the yeast from restarting the
fermentation.

Jeff McNally
Tiverton, RI
(652.2 miles, 90.0 deg) A.R.
www.southshorebrewclub.org


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Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 10:37:04 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jerry \"Beaver\" Pelt" <beaverplt at yahoo.com>
Subject: Your favorite beer: This could be fun

Hi all,

I'm mostly a lurker that enjoys reading this
every day to pick up tidbits of knowledge.
Due to unemployment circumstances, I've been
unable to brew for about two years. With a
Christmas gift, I can finally scratch my brewing
itch again. I'm going to ask this forum to give
me some suggestions from their favorite beers.
I'm thinking it will bring some lurkers out
of the closet and give the regulars a chance
to brag about their best.
I'm hoping that out of this, I'll find a beer
that tickles my fancy that's not in the books.


Thanks


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Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 12:48:11 -0800
From: "Mike Sharp" <rdcpro at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Coolships

Kai said:

[...] But Steve already mentioned that wort oxidation is a big No-No in
today's brewing. Mainly because the oxidation that leads to darker and
less stable beers and the biological instability that comes fom such a
large wort surface being exposed to the air. It is really hard to find
any operating cool ships in German breweries these days. Even in small
museum breweries. [...]

That's interesting; The biological aspect is the very reason I've read that
some Belgian breweries still use one.

Regards,
Mike Sharp

Kent, WA
[1891.3, 294deg] AR

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Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 17:46:39 -0500
From: "Matthew Frayer" <mjfrayer at gmail.com>
Subject: Need help with setting up my draft system.

Hi all,

I am in the process of setting up my dream taps in my dining room. My
intention is to have my kegs in a converted chest freezer and then run the
beer lines up through the floor to the tower in the dining room above. I
think that I have a pretty firm grasp on how to balance the system (total
distance is about 10 feet so I would need 1/4" ID tubing) but I am trying to
figure out if I need to have further cooling on the lines as they leave the
freezer and head upstairs.

I have done a little research and have seen that I could install a blower in
the freezer and run the lines through either rigid or flexible tubing to
keep the lines cool all the way to the faucet. Here are my questions.

1. Is it necessary to refrigerate the lines if they are travelling through
a 50 degree space?

2. Is there a way to keep from needing to keep the blower running all the
time? How big of blower do I need? (It should be a pretty straight shot
from freezer to faucet. No turns) This seems very inefficient from an
energy standpoint.

Is there anyone else out there that has done this. Could you lend me some
advice?

Thanks

Matt


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End of HOMEBREW Digest #5479, 01/04/09
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