Home Brew Digest

Shawn Burgy asked:


Pilsner beer is a style of beer that has many origins.

Whether it be Bohemian, Czech or Bavarian.

And into the early 19th century America.

When German immigrants came to the United States they brought there unique Bavarian brewing practices with them.

Americans in general owe a great amount of homage to the German Immigrants.

Without them we wouldn’t have the classic American Lager.

Again another style of Lager in it’s own right.

What we know today as American Lager, Was not what it was before prohibition.

The beginnings of prohibition, We can thank for the watered down beers in America today.

Pre-Prohibition Lager’s would be a big surprise to a lot of us today for sure.

Lets talk about the classic Lagers that the German immigrant’s brought such as Mr.Stroh’s.

Stroh’s was once a very popular Brewery hailing in Detroit,Michigan.

For anyone that has drank a crisp clean Stroh’s, This is American Bohemian style Lager beer.

Many of the immigrants that came over from Germany brought the famous Lager yeasts that we know and taste today.

They also brought there special ways of mashing with them as well.

So think about if they hadn’t came over to America?

We wouldn’t have known this unique gold colored beer.

Keep in mind that Pilsner is just one style of Lager beer.

There are many, many styles of Lager.

Czech Pilsner is probably another of the more famous of this style.(Aka Pilsner Urquell)

Note that Pilsner Urquell and Holland’s Heineken are a lot alike.

Thats because Dutch Pilsner is just the Czech Pilsner done a bit different.

I believe Heineken is due to a small addition of rice to it’s recipe.

But we do know Heineken still uses the German Hallertau hops for all hop additions.

I urge you to try Heineken and Pilsner Urquell in separate glass’s and have your own taste test.

You’ll be surprised in the differences you notice.

Write them down and see what singularity’s and differences you can taste.

Then maybe come up with your own take on the Pilsner style.

There was a Pilsner I tasted when I first began homebrewing.

It’s know there are different five taste perceptions.

This Pilsner beer hit all five of these sensations all at different times through the after taste.

It was one of the most taste worthy beers I’ve ever had.

Sadly I’ve since lost the recipe and can’t get in touch with who has it.

But I would love to find it again.

When you try Pilsner beer you are trying heritage of great Brewmeisters the world over.

Again I urge you to try all of the different beers and brew what you like.

Make Pilsner your unique style and keep brewing on.

http://www.thebrewmeister.info



Personal Trainer

Shawn Burgy asked:


California Common is a style of beer brewed during California’s Gold Rush.

This beer has a deep and long passed that were still not sure of.

Points that we do know:

1. It came at a time when cold refrigeration wasn’t possible for Lagering the beer.

2. It was brewed using all American ingredients.

3. It was made using one particular American hop.(Most likely Cluster)

4. Original Gravity’s were between 1.044-1.050.(Just a guideline, Could be more or less)

5. Use all American grains, Go for an American Pale Malt or 2-row.

6. Mashing should be carried out between 152 and 156F.

We also know that fermentation was carried out between 60-62F.

It was a beer well suited to Northern California’s climate.

The hop levels that were used were between 28-40 IBU’s.

The reason believed for the name “Steam Beer”, Because it was krausened for carbonation will the beer was still fermenting.

So this beer was made for quick turn over.

The beer was then ran into shallow vats called clarifier’s.

These clarifier’s were 12 inch’s deep, They were long,wide and shallow.

1. To prevent a high rise in temps.

2. To make the beer clear faster.

At this point the beer would ferment between 60-70F.

Fermentation was usually complete between two to four days.

From the clarifier the beer was racked directly to kegs.

At this stage krausen was added. (Clean fresh sweet wort.)

A 15-gallon barrel would get up to 6 gallons of krausen then filled with fully fermented beer.

Fining’s also were added to aid in clarity of the fresh beer.

The kegs were sealed with Iron Bungs and aged two or three days before shipment to the Tavern.

The beers had to sit for at least two days before being tapped.

This would allow the yeast and fining’s to settle.

High levels of C02 were reported in writings from the turn of the century.

Values from history tell us between 40 to 70 psi reported.

So when the kegs were tapped it would look like “Steam” coming out of the beer.

This is why it’s believed that California Common is called “Steam Beer”.

Now a days when this style is made, Anchor Steam comes to mind.

Of course it is made from the use of Northern Brewer hops.

I say try some of the other variety’s of hops.

I just would stay away from the American three C’s.(These would tend to be to citrus for this style.)

Again be creative and make this delicious satisfying Lager-Ale for yourself.

You know what you like so stay in style, Make it your own.

You’ll be glad that you did.

http://www.thebrewmeister.info



Cash Back Shopping

Eileen Childs asked:


The history of making alcoholic beverages is essentially the history of home brewing. Historians believe that beer was originally discovered by people of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Barley was a staple grain of this area and it was soon learned that if the barley got wet and was allowed to germinate, it would become sweet and could be used in foods like bread. This process is known as malting.

It didn’t take much time after the discovery of malting to discover beer. Someone probably allowed their malted barley to get wet and remain exposed to the elements. Perhaps wild yeast contaminated the exposed liquid. The yeast then took hold and multiplied generating a bubbly liquid of alcohol and barley that soon became the first beer.

Today, there are many people who enjoy home beer brewing. The main ingredients include malted barley, hops, yeast and water. Like wines, beers have many different flavors. This is caused by differences in the the type of malt, the moisture content, the type of barley used and the temperature used in the kiln.

Malted barley, also known as malt, is barley that has been soaked in water until it starts to sprout. A kiln is then used to dry it out. Barley has a hard husk, is low in protein and high in starch, making it perfect for brewing beer.

The next crucial beer making ingredient is hops. Hops are flowers which provide a natural preservative quality and bitterness to the beer.

The third ingredient is yeast. Yeast may be the most important beer making ingredient. Yeast is a living creature that lives off the ingredients in beer. It is responsible for converting sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide in the fermentation stage.

The final ingredient is water. This is an important ingredient considering that beer is 90% water. For better tasting beer, it’s best to always use quality water.

Beer is made from simple ingredients, but the process of brewing beer can be a little bit more complicated than it seems. If you love beer, you might find home beer making very enjoyable.

Here is an overview of the beer brewing process:

Steep and boil malt and hops
Ferment for one week
Transfer to secondary fermenter for two weeks
Transfer to clarifying keg for one week
Transfer to serving keg
Pressurize beer keg to carbonate for 7 days
Serve!

Many people who decide to make beer at home often choose to buy a beer making kit. This is often the easiest way to get started, so you can begin enjoying the satisfaction of making your own beer at home.



How to Find a Personal Injury Lawyer

Shawn Burgy asked:


 

As a homebrewer and beer maker it’s one of the most fun of hobbys. Theres nothing like taking raw grain, water and yeast and creating a great beer.

Theres also Extract brewing if you don’t want to jump right in the fire. Cost of ingredients has gone up because of hop shortages and malt prices as well. But the cost of brewing your own in comparision. My examples are usually better than the beer I’ve tried to emulate.

Great homebrew is obtainable with work and careful planning. As with everything else, Patience and time must be respected. Don’t rush yourself, Learn everything you can learn and do it. Cheap ‘N Easy and as my friend Denny Conn would say. “Keep it pragmatic and simple”.

Speaking of Denny Conn his RYE PA and Alt Bier recipes are to die for. Be sure and check out an Alt Bier as well. Alt Bier is said to the German version of English Bitter. I can see from experience how this is possible.

It is a very nice example of a bitter beer. But plenty of malt character and presence. Usually made with the glorious flavors of the Hallertau German hop. Very few commercial examples are available.

Speaking of English Bitter, It’s defiantly my favorite beer style by far. Of course living in the US there also aren’t many ways to taste this truly brilliant style of beer. This is also one of the truly easy styles to brew.

It usually only takes about 2 weeks to keg for you to enjoy this most flavorful beer. Nothing like the tastes of British 2-row malt. Mashing British styles in general is a great joy. Straight forward Single 60 minute Infusion mash all the way!

Grain is something else you should consider upon making any of these notable styles. From the sweet Carmel bitter Pale Ales to the dark robust porters. English beer I believe has a flavor for everyone.

For most English Bitters we want to go with the prized Marris Otter. I am also one to be very fond of Halcyon English malt. Marris Otter and Halcyon make one of the best English Bitters by far.

My personal favorite malster is Thomas Fawcett and sons. There malts are floor malted and unsurpassed for there excellent flavor. Some very notable British breweries use there malts. Bass and Guinesse being the most famous of these.

Hop variety’s are another great subject. With rising gas prices and hop shortages have really hurt the homebrewer. The homebrewer had more choice of varieties before this whole mess. What used to cost $1.00 an ounce is now between $3-$4 dollars.

So the home brewer has had to be more crafty in his end ever to flavor his wort. So we’ve found hops that work well in our sweet worts. Remember that different hops should be choose very carefully to suit your beer style.

I’ve found there are some American and German hops that go very well in my beloved Bitter. But that also isn’t to surprising seeings how a lot of varieties are cross breed. You will find that when you buy more hops we pay less money for them.

So keep on Brewing!

http://www.thebrewmeister.info



How to Find a Personal Injury Lawyer

Shawn Burgy asked:


 

Formulae and definition of variables

___________________________________

The main concept we’re going to be working with is that for the best

efficiency, the runoff volumes from your mash and batch sparge should be equal. In order to do that, it’s sometimes necessary to infuse your mash with extra water before the first runoff. Here’s how it works…

R1=initial runoff volume which = mash water volume - water absorbed by grain

(assumed to be .1 gal./lb. for this example since that’s the way my system works…use your own figure)

S= batch sparge water volume

V= total boil volume (amount in needed in kettle for boil)

I=volume of infusions for a step mash

R1+I+S(1)+S(2)+S(etc.) must equal V

AND

R1+I=.5V

Let’s see how this works in a brewing session. Assume a recipe with 10 lb. of grain, and that you need to collect 7 gal. of pre boil wort. A mash ration of 1.25 qt./lb. would require 12.5 qt. or 3.125 gal. of strike water. Based on an absorption of .1 gal./lb., the mash would absorb 1 gal. of water so we’d get 2.125 gal. of water from the mash. Since we want to collect 3.5 gal. (or 50% of the boil volume), after the mash is complete we’d add 1.375 gal. (5.5 qt.) of water to mash tun before the first runoff. Stir the additional water in, let it sit for a few minutes, then vorlauf until clear and start your runoff. After the runoff, we add 3.5 gal. of batch sparge water. Stir it in, rest

10-15 minutes, stir again, then vorlauf and runoff as before. These two runoffs will give us our pre boil volume of 7 gal. of sweet wort.

Now, let’s take a look at how to build the equipment and do a brew session!

For the mashtun, you’ll need a cooler. I prefer the rectangular ones. The large top opening makes it easier to stir the mash than a round cooler does. Since grain bed depth makes practically no difference in batch sparging, one of the main reasons people use the round coolers is nullified. The rectangular ones are also cheaper. You’ll also need a rubber bung for a minikeg, some 1/2 inch ODx3/8 inch ID food grade vinyl tubing long enough to reach from whatever you set your cooler on to the bottom of your kettle PLUS 6 inches, an inline nylon valve, and a length of water supply line with a stainless steel braid for a jacket, and 3 hose clamps. The length of the water supply line doesn’t really matter. I use one that’s long enough to run the length of the cooler, but my experiments have shown that shorter ones seem to work as well. Feel free to substitute parts if you’d like something a little snazzier. The only really crucial piece of the whole setup is the stainless hose braid, so if you want to put a fancy ball valve or something else on your mashtun, go for it!

NOTE: The minikeg bung fits snugly into the hole left from removing the drain in most of the 48-54 qt. coolers I’ve checked. If the fit is loose, or you’re worried about leakage, apply some food grade silicone sealant on the flange before inserting the bung into the cooler. Be creative!

More in the next installment.

http://www.thebrewmeister.info



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