Sunday, September 5, 2010

Homebrew Digest #5729 (September 05, 2010)

HOMEBREW Digest #5729 Sun 05 September 2010


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


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Contents:
(Joe Dunne)
Re: Cider (Tim Bray)
plate chillers questions (Paul Hethmon)


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Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2010 11:18:05 -0500
From: Joe Dunne <jrdunne at hotmail.com>
Subject:


Jim asked about reculturing Oberon yeast and how
to tell if it's gone wrong.

Short of plating it and looking at it under a
microscope, I'm not sure how you'd know before
fermenting with it.

For my two cents, it's not worth risking the batch.

I've had two batches go horribly wrong in over 15 years.

One was recultured yeast from a Rochefort bottle (IIRC)
that took a long time to take off, like you describe.

The other (recently) was a batch that took 48 hours
to start in the carboy.

Both attributable to different problems.

Both undrinkable.

Since the recultured yeast is essentially free, I say
buy another six pack of Oberon and try again.

Joe Dunne
Chicago


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Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:24:11 -0700
From: Tim Bray <tbray at wildblue.net>
Subject: Re: Cider

Beer always contains residual sweetness from
unfermented sugars; cider rarely does. That's why a slightly sour
beer (e.g. Berlinerweisse, Geuze, etc) can still be drinkable.
But even the slightest sourness in cider is instantly detectable
and quickly overwhelms the taste buds. (Hmm, maybe that's why I
don't like tart juice for my ciders: perhaps I'm always getting
some Lacto contamination...)

Someone else mentioned the traditional Norman (French) method of
starving the yeast by precipitating a pectin clot. A few people
have successfully done this in the States but it is not easy. It
does yield a magnificent cider if you can get it to work.

I often say that cider is easier to make than beer, but it's much
harder to make _great_ cider than great beer.

Cheers,
Tim in Albion, California


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Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2010 15:35:33 -0400
From: Paul Hethmon <phethmon at hethmon.com>
Subject: plate chillers questions

I'm considering purchasing a plate chiller and found a place
called DudaDiesel:

http://www.dudadiesel.com/heat_exchangers.php

Does anyone have any experience with them?

Comparing to Shirron or Blichmann on surface area and price:

Shirron, 0.4 sq meters, $99
Blichmann, 0.6 sq meters, $199
DudaDiesel, 0.5 sq meters $89
DudaDiesel, 0.7 sq meters $135

All list the same construction, all stainless plates with pure
copper brazing.

I'm just brewing 5 gallon batches, but the groundwater here in
Knoxville Tennessee is running about 76 right now. My current
immersion chiller is taking way too long to cool. Though I have
thought of turning it into a pre-chiller for a plate chiller.

thanks,

Paul Hethmon
Tennessee Valley Homebrewers


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End of HOMEBREW Digest #5729, 09/05/10
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