Beer for beginners

PH Testing Equipment for Beer

2011-05-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

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Showing 1 - 10 of 1782 results for "ph" in BEER EQUIPMENT.
	Hanna Instruments HI 98107 pHep pH Tester with +/-0.1 Accuracy Buy new: $39.33 Usually ships in 24 hours
	ColorpHast 9590-3 0-14 pH Test Strips (Box of 100) Buy new: $19.67 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Oakton pH Tester EcoTestr pH 2 Buy new: $56.96 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Hanna Instruments HI 98103B Beer pH Tester with Replaceable Electrode Buy new: $35.10 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Milwaukee PH600 PH Tester Buy new: $27.70 Usually ships in 1-2 business days
	Hanna Instruments HI 98121 Combination pH and ORP Temperature Tester Buy new: $89.10 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Hanna Instruments HI 991401 pH and Temperature Monitor Buy new: $80.99 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Large Display Waterproof Ph Meter - Pen Style By Sper Scientific Buy new: $36.75 Usually ships in 1-2 business days
	Micro Essential Lab 50 Polystyrene Hydrion Wide Range pH Test Paper Dispenser, Single Roll, 1 - 12 pH Buy new: $5.41 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Micro Essential Lab 9700 pHydrion pH Range: 5.5 To 8.0, 100 pH Strips/Vial, Urine And Saliva Plastic pH Test Strips Buy new: $14.85 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Sybon Refractometer with Automatic Temperature Compensation

2010-03-31T06:41:00.001-07:00

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Product Details

Sybon Refractometer with Automatic Temperature Compensation
From ALMO PETS & AQUARIUM LIMITED

Price:

$44.89

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by That Fish Place - That Pet Place

Muntons Malt Extract, Liquid, Unhopped Wheat

2010-03-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

Muntons Malt Extract, Liquid, Unhopped Wheat, 3.3-Pound Cans (Pack of 2)
From Muntons

Price:

Organic Pellet Hop Sampler

2010-03-31T06:25:00.001-07:00

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Product Details

Organic Pellet Hop Sampler: 8 oz. For Home Brewing
From Seven Bridges Cooperative

List Price:	$15.00
Price:	$14.90

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by Seven Bridges Cooperative

Average customer review:

Product Description

Hops have been widely used for brewing beer for centuries, and modern beer would be unrecognizable without them. The hop plant (Humulus lupulus) is a perennial vine that grows in many temperate climates. The flowers are harvested at peak ripeness and are immediately compressed into pellets to preserve the fresh aroma and flavor. Certified organic hops are still difficult to find, but we have gathered the best the world has to offer in one place, all USDA certified organic. Our world class selection contains 1 oz. each of 8 different varieties of pelleted hops. The selection includes German Hallertaur, German Spalt Select, Belgian Fuggles, Belgian Challenger, New Zealand Saaz, American Palisades, and others from our current offerings.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #53003 in Grocery
Ingredients: hops
Dimensions: .50 pounds

Features

A great selection of the best certified organic hops available worldwide.
Pelletized hops stay fresh and retain potency much longer than loose hops.
Best for use in home brewing beer
Includes organic hops from Germany, Belgium, New Zealand, and North America.

Legal Disclaimer

Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and different information than what is shown on our website. We recommend that you do not rely solely on the information presented and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming a product. Please see our full disclaimer below.

Customer Reviews

nice stuff
the shipping time time was very good. the labeling and packaging was excellent. top notch service

Nice selection
Good for brewers who are trying to learn about different hops. All hops came packaged in oxygen barrier packaging. Good price. Happy with product so far.

Disclaimer: While we work to ensure that product information is correct, on occasion manufacturers may alter their ingredient lists. Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown on our Web site. We recommend that you do not solely rely on the information presented and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming a product. For additional information about a product, please contact the manufacturer. Content on this site is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist, or other licensed health-care professional. You should not use this information as self-diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease. Contact your health-care provider immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Amazon.com assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatements about products.

3 Piece Plastic Airlock

2010-03-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

3 Piece Plastic Airlock (Sold in sets of 3)
From Learn To Brew

List Price:	$4.00
Price:	$2.90

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by DraftFlo

5 new or used available from $2.90

Average customer review:

Product Description

3-piece plastic airlock with a snap-on vented cover. This airlock is easily cleaned and easy to use. Fill the airlock halfway up with your sanitizer and stick in the drilled rubber stopper. Be sure to see the other products offered by Learn To Brew LLC.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #12740 in Kitchen & Housewares
Brand: Learn To Brew

Features

Made of Durable Plastic
Used to Maintain Sanitary Conditions for Fermentations
Sold in Sets of Three
Easy to Use

Customer Reviews

must have for home wine or beer making!
These are simple (and very affordable!), effective, and amazingly convenient for making your own wine at home. Note that you MUST also purchase stoppers with holes if you don't already have them. (They really ought to be sold together to save on shipping!)

I was having trouble making cherry and blackberry wines because of the fruit being pushed by the bubbles up into the balloons, causing them to tip over and spill syrup all over the place. A few days into fermenting, I switched my balloons out for these along with "Drilled Rubber Stopper (Carboy Bung Sets of 3)", and have been incredibly happy! No more spills, just little bubbles and clean airlocks & bungs!

Simple, cheap, and works well!
This style of airlock is far superior to the "s" shape airlocks for one major reason. It is pretty much impossible for contaminated or "outside" air or fluid to make it past this airlock and into your fermenter. With the older style "s" locks, it was just too easy for the fluid acting as a barrier between the clean fermenter and the "bugs" in the outside air to be sucked backwards into the fermenter, thus exposing your beer to contamination.

Get a few of these and you won't regret it!

Miller's Honey

2010-03-31T05:42:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

Miller's Honey, Wild, 3-Pound Jar (Pack of 2)
From Miller

List Price:	$26.68
Price:	$20.52 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

Average customer review:

Product Description

100% Pure and natural. Grade A unfiltered. Product of U.S.A.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #1196 in Grocery
Brand: Miller
Number of items: 2

Features

Pack of 2, 3-pound jar (6 jars)
100% Pure and natural
Grade A unfiltered
Product of U.S.A

Legal Disclaimer

Customer Reviews

Taste, quality and price - great, but not "raw honey" by Wikipedia's definition
Miller's Honey tastes great but by Wikipedia's definition is not actually "raw honey". I got my information by calling Miller's Honey (and I think their products are great, by the way).

Miller's Honey is heated to 130 °F. Maybe that is close enough by some people's standards. But please read the following from Wikipedia:

"Raw honey is honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat above 120 °F." There are some honey brands that do not heat their honey whatsoever, such as White Gold, but unheated honey is always more expensive, I suppose because of the health benefits.

Also from Wikipedia: "Excessive heat-exposure also results in product deterioration, as it increases the level of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and reduces enzyme (e.g. diastase) activity. The heat also affects appearance, taste, and fragrance. Heat processing can also darken the natural honey color (browning)."

I think this is an important distinction because otherwise Amazon shoppers will think this is by far the cheapest RAW HONEY available -probably anywhere. Of course, you can't argue with the price of Miller's Honey even though it is heated to 130 °F.

I also noticed that at least one reviewer claimed this product was organic. As I stated, I called the company. They say it is not organic. However, they do say it is certified Kosher and that it is USDA Grade A -not that anybody doubted that!

Miller's Honey is an amazing company with fabulous products, and they have great customer service too. They even sell 5 gallon buckets of this honey, but you can't do better on this particular one than to buy it through Amazon. This product deserves 5 Amazon stars.

The price is great. Just make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you look at prices of raw honey.

Too good for words
This honey is just as advertised! In fact, even better. As someone who has been collectng and tasting honey for a couple of decades, this jar takes a place of honor besides several others. I go to it regularly to sweeten my tea. Bravo! You want good honey? Go no further, this is the place to begin (and perhaps end).

*Excellent* value
Full, rich, and only slightly wild taste. Next to the raw stuff straight from a hive, the best honey I think I've ever tasted.

Lalvin 71B-1122 Yeast

2010-03-31T05:40:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

Lalvin 71B-1122 Yeast
From Lallemend Inc

Price:

$1.00

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by nashwoodwinery

Beer Line Cleaning Kit

2010-03-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

Beer Line Cleaning Kit 1 Qt. Bottle w/ 33 oz. Cleaner
From Beverage Factory

Price:

$43.95

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by Beverage Factory

Average customer review:

Product Description

The cleaner and sterilizer is ideal for quick and easy cleaning of direct draw systems. Includes a one quart shatter proof platic jar, pump, and faucet coupler cleaning attachment. Complete kit includes a faucet brush, faucet wrench, 33 oz. tap cleaner and instructions.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #46665 in Kitchen & Housewares
Brand: Beverage Factory

Features

1 qt. Cleaning Kit
1 qt. Shatter Proof Plastic Jar
33 oz. Alkaline Beer Line Cleaning Solution
1 Faucet Wrench
1 Faucet Brush

Customer Reviews

There Has To Be A Simpler Way
This expensive kit does the job but, you have to make absolutely certain that you rinse ALL of the chemical out of the line. Instructions indicate that flushing with one small container of fresh water is enough to remove the dangerous chemical. I think a second or third is necessary. You still have to remove and wash hardware. Sure wish somebody would come up with a simpler safer method.

Two Tap Wall Mount Refrigerator Conversion Kit w/ 5# CO2 Tank From Kegworks

2010-03-31T05:35:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

Two Tap Wall Mount Refrigerator Conversion Kit w/ 5# CO2 Tank
From Kegworks

Price:

$279.00

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by learn_to_brew

2 new or used available from $279.00

Johnson Controls Manual Thermostat Control Unit From Beverage Factory

2010-03-31T05:33:00.000-07:00

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Product Details

Johnson Controls Manual Thermostat Control Unit
From Beverage Factory

Price:

$58.30

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by learn_to_brew

7 new or used available from $52.95

Average customer review:

Product Description

Convert any freezer into a kegerator! Just plug the freezer into the outlet cord, place the gas-filled sensor in the area to be controlled and program the temperature. This manual thermostat simply turns off the freezer when it reaches the specified temperature. Other features include rotary dial temperature adjustment, a 6-foot power cord and a 6-foot outlet cord.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #11500 in Kitchen & Housewares
Brand: Beverage Factory
Model: A19AAT-2C

Features

Rotary Dial Adjustment
Gas-Filled Sensor
Sensor Tube Measures 1/16" in Diameter
6' Power Cord
6' Outlet Cord

Customer Reviews

great for lagering
I bought this to control the temp of my mini-fridge that I use to lager beer in. Basically you plug this unit into the wall and plug your fridge's power plug into it. The thermostat probe is placed inside the fridge and basically shuts off the power to the unit when a certain temp is reached. Because of the way this unit works, you have to set your fridge to the coldest setting. This unit would also be great to turn a deep freezer into a fridge.

Keep in mind if your fridge isn't capable of getting to the temp you set then it will run all the time and possibly damage the compressor on your fridge. Also keep in mind the probe placement is important. If you put the probe in the fridge next to where the cold air blows into the compartment, its going to kick off the fridge before the entire compartment has reached the right temp.

Finings

2009-10-20T05:44:00.001-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Finings^{[note 1]} are substances that are usually added at or near the completion of the processing of wine, beer and various nonalcoholic juice beverages. Their purpose is for removal of organic compounds; to either improve clarity or adjust flavor/aroma. Specifically, the removed compounds may be sulfides, proteins, polyphenols, benzenoids, or copper ions. Unless they form a stable bottom sediment in the final container, the spent finings are usually discarded from the beverage along with the target compounds that they capture.

Historically, various substances such as egg whites, blood, milk, and Irish moss have been used as finings. These are still used by some producers, but more modern substances have also been introduced and are more widely used, including isinglass, bentonite, gelatin, casein, carrageenan, alginate, diatomaceous earth, pectinase, pectolase, PVPP (Polyclar), kieselsol (colloidal silica), copper sulfate, dried albumen, hydrated yeast, and activated carbon.^{[citation needed]}

Actions

Their actions may be broadly categorized as either electrostatic, adsorbent, ionic, or enzymatic.

The electrostatic types comprise the vast majority; including all but activated carbon, fining yeast, PVPP, copper sulfate, pectinase and pectolase. Their purpose is to selectively remove proteins, tannins (polyphenolics) and coloring particles (melanoidins). They must be used as a batch technique, as opposed to flow-through processing methods such as filters. Their particles each have an electric charge which is attracted to the oppositely charged particles of the colloidal dispersion that they are breaking. The result is that the two substances become bound as a stable complex; their net charge becoming neutral. Thus the agglomeration of a semi-solid follows, which may be separated from the beverage either as a floating or settled mass.

The only adsorbent types of finings in use are activated carbon and specialized fining yeasts. Although activated carbon may be implemented as a flow-through filter, it is also commonly utilized as a batch ingredient, which later must be separated and discarded from the beverage. It can completely/partially remove benzenoid compounds and all classes of polyphenols non-specifically, decolorizing and deodorizing juices and wines. Traditionally, yeast fining has involved the addition of hydrated yeasts used as adsorption agents. Consisting of approximately 30% protein, yeast cell walls have a chemical affinity with wine compounds, such as those that may be polyphenolic or metallic. Indeed, yeast fining is a practical means of removing excess copper ions (greater than 0.5 mg/L) when copper sulfate is used to bind selected volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs).^[1]

The ionic finings are copper sulfate and PVPP. When dissolved in aqueous beverages, copper sulfate's copper ions can chemically bind undesirable sulfides. The resulting complexes must be removed by other finings. The action of PVPP appears to be through the formation of hydrogen bonds between its carbonyl groups and the phenolic hydrogens of the polyphenols. It attracts the low molecular weight polyphenols rather than the condensed tannins and leucanthocyanins that are removed by gelatin.^[2]

The enzymatic finings are pectin and pectinase. They aid in destroying the large polysaccharide molecule named pectin, which otherwise causes haze in fruit wines and juices. They are among the few finings that are added before juices are fermented.

Nutritional and vegetarian concerns

Notes

^ The term is a mass noun rather than a plural.

References

^ Wine/Enology Notes #85, by Bruce Zoecklein, 22 Jan 2004, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service [1]
^ Fining & Clarifying Agents, by Terry Rayner [2]
^ Useful Facts About Quercetin [3]

External links

Enology Notes #46, by Bruce Zoecklein, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, 17 May 2002
Bentonite Fining of Juice and Wine, by Bruce Zoecklein, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, pub. 463-014, 1988
Common Wine and Beer Finings
Colloidal stabilisation of beer, The Brewer International, Jan 2002
Fining Agents for Wine, by J.R. Morris and G.L. Main, Proceedings of the 14th NM Conference, 1995]
Fining, by Ben Rotter
Fining Simplified, by Jim Alexander
The Use of Gelatin In Wine Fining, by C.G.B. Cole

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finings"

Categories: Brewing | Oenology

Hard water

2009-10-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hard water caused calcification on this tap.

Hard water is water that has high mineral content (mainly calcium and magnesium ions) (in contrast with soft water). Hard water minerals primarily consist of calcium (Ca²⁺), and magnesium (Mg²⁺) metal cations, and sometimes other dissolved compounds such as bicarbonates and sulfates. Calcium usually enters the water as either calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), in the form of limestone and chalk, or calcium sulfate (CaSO₄), in the form of other mineral deposits. The predominant source of magnesium is dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂). Hard water is generally not harmful to one's health.

The simplest way to determine the hardness of water is the lather/froth test: soap or toothpaste, when agitated, lathers easily in soft water but not in hard water. More exact measurements of hardness can be obtained through a wet titration. The total water 'hardness' (including both Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions) is read as parts per million (ppm) or weight/volume (mg/L) of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the water. Although water hardness usually only measures the total concentrations of calcium and magnesium (the two most prevalent, divalent metal ions), iron, aluminium, and manganese may also be present at elevated levels in some geographical locations. Iron in this case is important for, if present, it will be in its tervalent form, causing the calcification to be brownish (the color of rust) instead of white (the color of most of the other compounds).

Hardness

Hardness in water is defined as the presence of multivalent cations. Hardness in water can cause water to form scales and a resistance to soap. It can also be defined as water that doesn’t produce lather with soap solutions, but produces white precipitate (scum). For example, sodium stearate reacts with calcium:

2C₁₇H₃₅COONa + Ca²⁺ → (C₁₇H₃₅COO)₂Ca + 2Na⁺

Hardness of water may also be defined as the soap-consuming capacity of water, or the the capacity of precipitation of soap as a characteristic property of water that prevent the lathering of soap.

Types of hard water

A distinction is made between 'temporary' and 'permanent' hard water.

Temporary hardness

Temporary hardness is caused by a combination of calcium ions and bicarbonate ions in the water. It can be removed by boiling the water or by the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide). Boiling promotes the formation of carbonate from the bicarbonate and precipitates calcium carbonate out of solution, leaving water that is softer upon cooling.

The following is the equilibrium reaction when calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) is dissolved in water:

CaCO₃(s) + CO₂(aq) + H₂O ⇋ Ca²⁺(aq) + 2HCO₃^-(aq)

Upon heating, less CO₂ is able to dissolve into the water (see Solubility). Since there is not enough CO₂ around, the reaction cannot proceed from left to right, and therefore the CaCO₃ will not dissolve as rapidly. Instead, the reaction is forced to the left (i.e., products to reactants) to re-establish equilibrium, and solid CaCO₃ is formed. Boiling the water will remove hardness as long as the solid CaCO₃ that precipitates out is removed. After cooling, if enough time passes the water will pick up CO₂ from the air and the reaction will again proceed from left to right, allowing the CaCO₃ to "re-dissolve" into the water.

For more information on the solubility of calcium carbonate in water and how it is affected by atmospheric carbon dioxide, see calcium carbonate.

Permanent hardness

Permanent hardness is hardness (mineral content) that cannot be removed by boiling. It is usually caused by the presence of calcium and magnesium sulfates and/or chlorides in the water, which become more soluble as the temperature rises. Despite the name, permanent hardness can be removed using a water softener or ion exchange column, where the calcium and magnesium ions are exchanged with the sodium ions in the column.

Hard water causes scaling, which is the left over mineral deposits that are formed after the hard water had evaporated. This is also known as limescale. The scale can clog pipes, ruin water heaters, coat the insides of tea and coffee pots, and decrease the life of toilet flushing units.

Similarly, insoluble salt residues that remain in hair after shampooing with hard water tend to leave hair rougher and harder to untangle.^[1]

In industrial settings, water hardness must be constantly monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling towers, and other equipment that comes in contact with water. Hardness is controlled by the addition of chemicals and by large-scale softening with zeolite(Na₂Al₂Si₂O₈.xH₂O) and ion exchange resins.

Measurement

It is possible to measure the level of total hardness in water by obtaining a total hardness water testing kit. These kits measure the level of calcium and magnesium in the water. Temporary hardness test kits do not normally measure calcium and magnesium levels but normally use an approximation based on some form of alkalinity test. To accurately measure temporary hardness would involve a series of tests to work out how much bicarbonates and carbonates are present and how much calcium and magnesium is present and what percentage combination there is. In most cases the temporary hardness kit is a good approximation, but anions such as hydroxides, borates, phopshates can have quite an effect on temporary hardenss test kits. There are several different scales used to describe the hardness of water in different contexts.

Parts per million (ppm)
Usually defined as one milligram of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) per litre of water (the definition used below).^[2]
grains/gallon (gpg)
Defined as 1 grain (64.8 mg) of calcium carbonate per U.S. gallon (3.79 litres), or 17.118 ppm
mmol/L (millimoles per litre)
One millimole of calcium (either Ca²⁺ or CaCO₃) per litre of water corresponds to a hardness of 100.09 ppm or 5.608 dGH, since the molar mass of calcium carbonate is 100.09 g/mol.
Degrees of General Hardness (dGH)
One degree of General Hardness is defined as 10 milligrams of calcium oxide per litre of water, which is the same as one German degree (17.848 ppm).
Various alternative "degrees":
- Clark degrees (°Clark)/English degrees (°E)
  One degree Clark is defined as one grain (64.8 mg) of calcium carbonate per Imperial gallon (4.55 litres) of water, equivalent to 14.254 ppm.
- German degrees (Deutsche Härte, °dH)
  One degree German is defined as 10 milligrams of calcium oxide per litre of water. This is equivalent to 17.848 milligrams of calcium carbonate per litre of water, or 17.848 ppm.
- French degrees (°f) (letter written in lower-case to avoid confusion with degree Fahrenheit — not always adhered to)
  One degree French is defined as 10 milligrams of calcium carbonate per litre of water, equivalent to 10 ppm.
- American degrees
  One degree American is defined as one milligram of calcium carbonate per litre of water, equivalent to 1 ppm.

Although most of the above measures define hardness in terms of concentrations of calcium in water, any combination of calcium and magnesium cations having the same total molarity as a pure calcium solution will yield the same degree of hardness. Consequently, hardness concentrations for naturally occurring waters (which will contain both Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions), are usually expressed as an equivalent concentration of pure calcium in solution. For example, water that contains 1.5 mmol/L of elemental calcium (Ca²⁺) and 1.0 mmol/L of magnesium (Mg²⁺) is equivalent in hardness to a 2.5 mmol/L solution of calcium alone (250.2 ppm).

Because it is the precise mixture of minerals dissolved in the water, together with the water's pH and temperature, that determines the behaviour of the hardness, a single-number scale does not adequately describe hardness. Descriptions of hardness correspond roughly with ranges of mineral concentrations:

Very soft: 0-70 ppm, 0-4 dGH
Soft: 70-140 ppm, 4-8 dGH
Slightly hard: 140-210 ppm, 8-12 dGH
Moderately hard: 210-320 ppm, 12-18 dGH
Hard: 320-530 ppm, 18-30 dGH
Very hard >530 ppm, >30 dGH

Indices

Several indices are used to describe the behaviour of calcium carbonate in water, oil, or gas mixtures.^[3]

Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)

The Langelier Saturation Index (sometimes Langelier Stability Index) is a calculated number used to predict the calcium carbonate stability of water. It indicates whether the water will precipitate, dissolve, or be in equilibrium with calcium carbonate. Langelier developed a method for predicting the pH at which water is saturated in calcium carbonate (called pHs). The LSI is expressed as the difference between the actual system pH and the saturation pH.

LSI = pH - pHs

If the actual pH of the water is below the calculated saturation pH, the LSI is negative and the water has a very limited scaling potential. If the actual pH exceeds pHs, the LSI is positive, and being supersaturated with CaCO3, the water has a tendency to form scale. At increasing positive index values, the scaling potential increases.

Langelier saturation index is defined as:

LSI = pH (measured) - pHs

For LSI > 0, water is super saturated and tends to precipitate a scale layer of CaCO3.
For LSI = 0, water is saturated (in equilibrium) with CaCO3. A scale layer of CaCO3 is neither precipitated nor dissolved.
For LSI <>

In practice, water with an LSI between -0.5 and +0.5 will not display enhanced mineral dissolving or scale forming properties. Water with an LSI below -0.5 tends to exhibit noticeably increased dissolving abilities while water with an LSI above +0.5 tends to exhibit noticeably increased scale forming properties.

It is also worth noting that the LSI is temperature sensitive. The LSI becomes more positive as the water temperature increases. This has particular implications in situations where well water is used. The temperature of the water when it first exits the well is often significantly lower than the temperature inside the building served by the well or at the laboratory where the LSI measurement is made. This increase in temperature can cause scaling, especially in cases such as hot water heaters.

Ryznar Stability Index (RSI)

The Ryznar stability index (RSI) uses a database of scale thickness measurements in municipal water systems to predict the effect of water chemistry.

Ryznar saturation index (RSI) was developed from empirical observations of corrosion rates and film formation in steel mains.

Ryznar saturation index is defined as:

RSI = 2 pHs – pH (measured)

For 6,5 <>
For RSI > 8 water is under saturated and, therefore, would tend to dissolve any existing solid CaCO3
For RSI <>

Puckorius Scaling Index (PSI)

The Puckorius Scaling Index (PSI) uses slightly different parameters to quantify the relationship between the saturation state of the water and the amount of limescale deposited.

Other indices

Other indices include the Larson-Skold Index,^[4] the Stiff-Davis Index,^[5] and the Oddo-Tomson Index.^[6]

Health considerations

The World Health Organization says that "there does not appear to be any convincing evidence that water hardness causes adverse health effects in humans."^[7]

Some studies have shown a weak inverse relationship between water hardness and cardiovascular disease in men, up to a level of 170 mg calcium carbonate per litre of water. The World Health Organization has reviewed the evidence and concluded the data were inadequate to allow for a recommendation for a level of hardness.^[7]

In a review by František Kožíšek, M.D., Ph.D. National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic there is a good overview of the topic which, unlike the WHO, sets some recommendations for the maximum and minimum levels of calcium (40-80 ppm) and magnesium (20-30 ppm) in drinking water, and a total hardness expressed as the sum of the calcium and magnesium concentrations of 2-4 mmol/L.^[8]

Other studies have shown weak correlations between cardiovascular health and water hardness.^[9]^[10]^[11]

A UK nationwide study, funded by the Department of Health, is investigating anecdotal evidence that childhood eczema may by correlated with hard water.^[12]

Very soft water can corrode the metal pipes in which it is carried and as a result the water may contain elevated levels of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc.^[7]

Softening

Main article: water softening

It is often desirable to soften hard water, as it does not readily form lather with soap. Soap is wasted when trying to form lather, and in the process, scum forms. Hard water may be treated to reduce the effects of scaling and to make it more suitable for laundry and bathing.

Process

A water softener, like a fabric softener, works on the principle of cation or ion exchange in which ions of the hardness minerals are exchanged for sodium or potassium ions, effectively reducing the concentration of hardness minerals to tolerable levels and thus making the water softer and giving it a smoother feeling.^[13]

The most economical way to soften household water is with an ion exchange water softener. This unit uses sodium chloride (table salt) to recharge beads made of the ion exchange resins that exchange hardness mineral ions for sodium ions. Artificial or natural zeolites can also be used. As the hard water passes through and around the beads, the hardness mineral ions are preferentially absorbed, displacing the sodium ions. This process is called ion exchange. When the bead or sodium zeolite has a low concentration of sodium ions left, it is exhausted, and can no longer soften water. The resin is recharged by flushing (often back-flushing) with saltwater. The high excess concentration of sodium ions alter the equilibrium between the ions in solution and the ions held on the surface of the resin, resulting in replacement of the hardness mineral ions on the resin or zeolite with sodium ions. The resulting saltwater and mineral ion solution is then rinsed away, and the resin is ready to start the process all over again. This cycle can be repeated many times.

The discharge of brine water during this regeneration process has been banned in some jurisdictions (notably California, USA) due to concerns about the environmental impact of the discharged sodium.

Potassium chloride (softener salt substitute) may also be used to regenerate the resin beads. It exchanges the hardness ions for potassium. It also will exchange naturally occurring sodium for potassium resulting in sodium-free soft water.

Some softening processes in industry use the same method, but on a much larger scale. These methods create an enormous amount of salty water that is costly to treat and dispose of.

Temporary hardness, caused by hydrogen carbonate (or bicarbonate) ions, can be removed by boiling. For example, calcium bicarbonate, often present in temporary hard water, may be boiled in a kettle to remove the hardness. In the process, a scale forms on the inside of the kettle in a process known as "furring". This scale is composed of calcium carbonate.

Ca(HCO₃)₂ → CaCO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O

Hardness can also be reduced with a lime-soda ash treatment. This process, developed by Thomas Clark in 1841, involves the addition of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide — Ca(OH)₂) to a hard water supply to convert the hydrogen carbonate hardness to carbonate, which precipitates and can be removed by filtration:

Ca(HCO₃)₂ + Ca(OH)₂ → 2CaCO₃ + 2H₂O

The addition of sodium carbonate also permanently softens hard water containing calcium sulfate, as the calcium ions form calcium carbonate which precipitates out and sodium sulfate is formed which is soluble. The calcium carbonate that is formed sinks to the bottom. Sodium sulfate has no effect on the hardness of water.

Na₂CO₃ + CaSO₄ → Na₂SO₄ + CaCO₃

Effects on skin

Some confusion may arise after a first experience with soft water. Hard water does not lather well with soap and leaves a "clean" feeling. Soft water lathers better than hard water but leaves a "slippery feeling" on the skin after use with soap. A certain water softener manufacturer^[which?] contends that the "slippery feeling" after showering in soft water is due to "cleaner skin" and the absence of "friction-causing" soap scum.

However, the chemical explanation is that softened water, due to its sodium content, has a much reduced ability to combine with the soap film on the body and therefore, it is much more difficult to rinse off.^[14] Solutions are to use less soap or a synthetic liquid body wash.

Regional information

Hard water in Australia

Analysis of water hardness in major Australian cities by the Australian Water Association shows a range from very soft (Melbourne) to very hard (Adelaide). Total Hardness levels of Calcium Carbonate in ppm are: Canberra: 40^[15]; Melbourne: 10 - 26^[16]; Sydney: 39.4 - 60.1^[17]; Perth: 29 - 226^[18]; Brisbane: 100^[19]; Adelaide: 134 - 148^[20]; Hobart: 5.8 - 34.4^[21]; Darwin: 31^[22].

Hard water in Canada

Prairie provinces (mainly Saskatchewan and Manitoba) contain high quantities of calcium and magnesium, often as dolomite, which are readily soluble in the groundwater that contains high concentrations of trapped carbon dioxide from the last glaciation. In these parts of Canada, the total hardness in ppm of calcium carbonate equivalent frequently exceed 200 ppm, if groundwater is the only source of potable water. The west coast, by contrast, has unusually soft water, derived mainly from mountain lakes fed by glaciers and snowmelt.

Some typical values are: Montreal 116 ppm,^[23] Calgary 165 ppm, Regina 202 ppm, Saskatoon < href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg" title="Winnipeg">Winn 77 ppm,^[24] Toronto 121 ppm,^[25] Vancouver < id="cite_ref-25" class="reference">[26] Charlottetown PEI 140 - 150 ppm.^[27]

Hard water in England and Wales

Information from the British Drinking Water Inspectorate shows that drinking water in England is generally considered to be 'very hard', with most areas of England, particularly east of a line between the Severn and Tees estuaries, exhibiting above 200 ppm for the calcium carbonate equivalent. Wales, Devon, Cornwall and parts of North-West England are softer water areas, and range from 0 to 200 ppm.^[28] In the brewing industry in England and Wales, water is often deliberately hardened with gypsum in the process of Burtonisation.

Hard water in the United States

More than 85% of American homes have hard water.^[29] The softest waters occur in parts of the New England, South Atlantic-Gulf, Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii regions. Moderately hard waters are common in many of the rivers of the Tennessee, Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska regions. Hard and very hard waters are found in some of the streams in most of the regions throughout the country. Hardest waters (greater than 1,000 ppm) are in streams in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, and southern California.^[30]

References

^ Body And Fitness Healthy Hair Tips
^ Definitions of units of measure for water hardness
^ Corrosion by water
^ T.E., Larson and R. V. Skold, Laboratory Studies Relating Mineral Quality of Water to Corrosion of Steel and Cast Iron, 1958 Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, IL pp. [43] - 46: ill. ISWS C-71
^ Stiff, Jr., H.A., Davis, L.E., A Method For Predicting The Tendency of Oil Field Water to Deposit Calcium Carbonate, Pet. Trans. AIME 195;213 (1952).
^ Oddo,J.E., Tomson, M.B.,Scale Control, Prediction and Treatment Or How Companies Evaluate A Scaling Problem and What They Do Wrong, CORROSION/92, Paper No. 34, (Houston, TX:NACE INTERNATIONAL 1992).
^ ^a ^b ^c World Health Organization Hardness in Drinking-Water, 2003
^ František Kožíšek Health significance of drinking water calcium and magnesium, February 2003
^ Studies of water quality and cardiovascular diseas...[Sci Total Environ. 1981] - PubMed Result
^ Cardiovascular mortality and calcium and magnesium...[Eur J Epidemiol. 2003] - PubMed Result
^ Magnesium and calcium in drinking water and death ...[Epidemiology. 1999] - PubMed Result
^ BBC News. Water softener eczema relief hope
^ How does a water softener work? at Howstuffworks.com
^ With soft water, why can't we rinse off all the soap?
^ ACTewAGL: Dishwashers and Water Hardness
^ Melbourne Water Public Health Compliance Report - July-September 2006
^ Sydney Typical Drinking Water Analysis
^ Perth Drinking Water Quality Annual report 2005-06
^ Brisbane Drinking Water
^ Adelaide Water Quality
^ Hobart Drinking Water Quality
^ Darwin Water Quality
^ http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/page/eau_potable_en/eau_residence.shtm
^ 2006 Winnipeg drinking water quality test results
^ City of Toronto: Toronto Water - FAQ
^ GVRD Wash Smart - Water Facts
^ http://www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca/allaire/spectra/system/mediastore/Water_Report_2006.pdf
^ http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/_assets/media/Hard_Water_Bro_16-3-09_12PP.pdf
^ Wilson, Amber; Parrott, Kathleen; Ross, Blake (1999-06), Household Water Quality - Water Hardness, http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/housing/356-490/356-490.html, retrieved 2009-04-26
^ Briggs, J.C., and Ficke, J.F.; Quality of Rivers of the United States, 1975 Water Year -- Based on the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-200, 436 p. (1977)

External links

Alcoa Chemical, Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) Calculator
Water hardness unit converter, Converter for hardness of water

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water"

Categories: Water | Forms of water | Liquid water

Hidden categories: All pages needing cleanup | Articles with specifically-marked weasel-worded phrases from August 2009

Grains of paradise

2009-09-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Aframomum melegueta

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For the similarly-named Luso-Brazilian chili pepper, see Malagueta pepper.

Aframomum melegueta - Grains of Paradise

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Zingiberaceae
Genus:	Aframomum
Species:	A. melegueta

Binomial name

Aframomum melegueta
K. Schum.

Aframomum melegueta is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. This spice commonly known as Grains of paradise, Melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, Guinea grains or Guinea pepper is obtained from the plant's ground seeds; it gives a pungent, peppery flavor. Although it is native to West Africa, it is an important cash crop in the Basketo special woreda of southern Ethiopia.^[1]

[hide]

Characteristics

A. melegueta is a herbaceous perennial plant native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Its trumpet-shaped, purple flowers develop into 5 to 7 cm long pods containing numerous small, reddish-brown seeds.

The pungent, peppery taste of the seeds is caused by aromatic ketones; e.g., (6)-paradol (systematic name: 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one). Essential oils, which are the dominating flavor components in the closely related cardamom,^[2] occur only in traces.

Uses

Grains of paradise are commonly employed in the cuisines of West Africa and of North Africa, where they have been traditionally imported via caravan routes in a series of transshipments through the Sahara desert and whence they were distributed to Sicily and Italy. Mentioned by Pliny as "African pepper" but subsequently forgotten in Europe, grains of paradise became a very fashionable substitute for black pepper in 14th- and 15th-century^[3] Europe, especially in northern France, one of the most populous regions in Europe at the time.^[4] The Ménagier de Paris recommends it for improving wine that "smells stale". Through the the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern period, the theory of the Four Humours governed theorizing about nourishment on the part of doctors, herbalists and druggists: in this context, "graynes of paradise, hoot & moyste þey be" John Russell observed, in The Boke of Nurture.^[5] Later, the craze for the spice waned, and its uses were reduced to a flavoring for sausages and beer. In the eighteenth century its importation to Great Britain collapsed after a Parliamentary act of George III forbade its use in malt liquor, aqua vita and cordials.^[6] By 1880 the Encyclopaedia Britannica (9th edition) was reporting, "Grains of paradise are to some extent used in veterinary practice but for the most part illegally to give a fictitious strength to malt liquors, gin and cordials".^[7]

Aframomum melegueta pods at a market in São João dos Angolares, São Tomé Island. The fruits are eaten raw in that nation's cuisine.

Today it is largely unknown outside of West and North Africa, except for its use as a beer flavoring in some beers (including Samuel Adams Summer Ale), gins, and Norwegian aquavit.^{[citation needed]} In America, Grains of Paradise are starting to enjoy a slight resurgence in popularity due to their use by some well-known chefs. Alton Brown is a fan of its use, and he uses it in his apple pie recipe on an episode of the tv cooking show Good Eats. They are also used by people on certain diets, such as a raw-food diet, because they are less irritating to digestion than black pepper.

Properties

In West African folk medicine, grains of paradise are valued for their warming and digestive properties, and among the Efik people in Nigeria have been used for divination and ordeals determining guilt.^[8] A. melegueta has been introduced to the Caribbean Islands, where it is used as medicine and for religious (voodoo) rites.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

^ "Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) Livelihood Profiles: Regional Overview", FEWS NET (January 2005), p. 27 (accessed 18 May 2009)
^ Grains of Paradise are listed among the unofficial varieties of Cardamum Seed in the in the 25th ed. of the Dispensatory of the United States of America (1955) p. 257, Paul E. Beichner notes, in "The Grain of Paradise" Speculum 36.2 (April 1961:302-307) p 303. Beichner suggests that the miraculous greyn of The Prioress's Tale was Grain of Paradise.
^ Several recipes in Two Fifteenth-century Cookery-Books, Thomas Austin, ed, Early English Texts Society, 91 (1888), noted in passing by Beichner 1961, under the names graynys of parise, graynis of parys Graynys of Perys, and simply Graynis.
^ "Its popularity may have been due to the brilliant name thought up for it by some advertising genius born before his times," observes Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, Anthea Bell, tr., The History of Food, revised ed. 2009, p. 446.
^ Noted, with other examples of fiery and watery grains of Paradise, by Beichner 1961, p. 304, note 8; cardamom, with which it was often confused, as Cardamomum maius and Cardamomum minus, was reported by Dioscurides as hot and dry in its qualities, as recorded in the late 13th-century Herbal of Rufinus (Beichner, p. 305f).
^ Peter Kup, A history of Sierra Leone, 1400-1787 (Cambridge University)
^ Quoted in Beichner 1961, p. 304.
^ Donald C. Simmons, "Efik Divination, Ordeals, and Omens" Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 12.2 (Summer, 1956:223-228) pp223f,

References

Dybas, Cheryl Lyn, Ilya Raskin, photographer, "Out of Africa: A Tale of Gorillas, Heart Disease... and a Swamp Plant" BioScience, 57 (May 2007) pp. 392–397.
Katzer spice site
Grains of Paradise.com

External links

Grains of Paradise.com Grains of Paradise - Evidence of effective, benefits and side effects - Unbiased review by pharmacists

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Herbs and spices

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Herbs

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Spices

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Herb and spice mixtures

[show] Lists of herbs and spices

List of Australian herbs and spices · Chinese herbs · List of Indian spices · List of Pakistani spices · List of culinary herbs and spices

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aframomum_melegueta"

Categories: Medicinal plants | Zingiberaceae | Spices | Peppers | Food ingredient stubs

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Reinheitsgebot

2009-09-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crown cap "500 Years of Reinheitsgebot in Munich (since 1487)" on a bottle of German beer

The Reinheitsgebot (German pronunciation: [ʁaɪnhaɪtsɡəboːt] ( listen), literally "purity order"), sometimes called the "German Beer Purity Law" or the "Bavarian Purity Law" in English, is a regulation concerning the production of beer in Germany. In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley, and hops. The law has since been repealed but many German beers, for marketing purposes, continue to declare that they abide by the rule, to reassure customers that only the three permissible ingredients are used.

The law originated in the city of Ingolstadt in the duchy of Bavaria on 23 April 1516, although first put forward in 1487,^[1] concerning standards for the sale and composition of beer.

[hide]

The text

In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley, and hops. The law also set the price of beer at 1-2 Pfennig per Maß. The Reinheitsgebot is no longer part of German law: it has been replaced by the Provisional German Beer Law (Vorläufiges Deutsches Biergesetz (Provisional German Beer-law of 1993)), which allows constituent components prohibited in the Reinheitsgebot, such as wheat malt and cane sugar, but which no longer allows unmalted barley.

Note that no yeast was mentioned in the original text. It was not until the 1800s that Louis Pasteur discovered the role of microorganisms in the process of fermentation; therefore, yeast was not known to be an ingredient of beer. Brewers generally took some sediment from the previous fermentation and added it to the next, the sediment generally containing the necessary organisms to perform fermentation. If none were available, they would set up a number of vats, relying on natural yeast to inoculate the brew.

Hops are added to beer to impart flavours but also act as a preservative, and their mention in the Reinheitsgebot meant to prevent inferior methods of preserving beer that had been used before the introduction of hops. Medieval brewers had used many problematic ingredients to preserve beers, including, for example, soot and fly agaric mushrooms. More commonly, other herbs had been used, such as stinging nettle and henbane.

The penalty for making impure beer was also set in the Reinheitsgebot: a brewer using other ingredients for his beer could have questionable barrels confiscated with no compensation.

German breweries are very proud of the Reinheitsgebot, and many (even brewers of wheat beer^[2]) claim to still abide by it.

History

Reinheitsgebot was introduced in part to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye. The restriction of grains to barley was meant to ensure the availability of sufficient amounts of affordable bread, as the more valuable wheat and rye were reserved for use by bakers. Today many Bavarian beers are again brewed using wheat and are thus no longer compliant with the Reinheitsgebot.

The Reinheitsgebot formed the basis of legislation that spread slowly throughout Bavaria and Germany. Bavaria insisted on its application throughout Germany as a precondition of German unification in 1871, to prevent competition from beers brewed elsewhere with a wider range of ingredients. The move encountered strong resistance from brewers outside Bavaria. By restricting the allowable ingredients, it led to the extinction of many brewing traditions and local beer specialties, such as North German spiced beer and cherry beer, and led to the domination of the German beer market by pilsener style beers. Only a few regional beer varieties, such as Kölner Kölsch or Düsseldorfer Altbier, survived its implementation.

Regulations similar to those of the Reinheitsgebot were incorporated into various guild regulations and local laws all over Germany, and in 1952, they were incorporated into the West German Biersteuergesetz (Beer Taxation Law) and vorläufiges Biergesetz (Provisional Beer Law). Many brewers objected to the law at the time, disagreeing more with the amount of the tax than the ingredient requirements. The law initially applied only to bottom-fermented ("lager") beers, but brewers of other types of beer soon accepted the law as well.

In May 1987, a European Court of Justice ruling led to the Reinheitsgebot being lifted, allowing ingredients beyond what is listed in the Biergesetz; this meant that anything allowed in other foods was thus also allowed in beer. The ingredient requirements have since been moved from the Biersteuergesetz into the regular food additives laws, though beer brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot receive special treatment as a protected, "traditional" food.

The vast majority of German breweries continue to comply with the Biergesetz, often claiming compliance with the Reinheitsgebot even when it is patently incorrect (for example, for wheat beers, which were prohibited by the Reinheitsgebot), using this compliance as a valuable marketing tool.

Until superseded by a change in EU law, the Reinheitsgebot was also enforced in Greece from the early 19th century due to a law by the first Greek king, Otto (originally a Bavarian prince) that had remained in effect for hundreds of years.

Criticism

When it was in effect, the law drew criticism from foreign brewers as a form of protectionism (a trade restriction) that allowed West Germany to prohibit non-compliant imports, even beers from states such as Belgium and the United Kingdom with their own long brewing traditions.

References

^ Bolt, Rodney (1999). Bavaria. Old Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press. p. 37. ISBN 1860119166.
^ "Brewed in full accordance with the Bavarian 'Purity Law' of 1516" appears on the label of Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, a type of wheat Beer

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot"

Categories: Alcohol law | Bavaria | German beer culture | German law | Alcohol in Germany

Adjuncts

2009-09-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wheat - adjunct or ingredient?

Adjuncts are unmalted grains (such as corn, rice, rye, oats, barley, and wheat^[1]) used in brewing beer which supplement the main mash ingredients (such as malted barley), often with the intention of cutting costs, but sometimes to create an additional feature, such as better foam retention.

[hide]

Adjunct definition

Ingredients which are standard for certain beers, such as wheat in a wheat beer, may be termed adjuncts when used in beers which could be made without them — such as adding wheat to a pale ale for the purpose of creating a lasting head. The sense here is that the ingredient is additional and strictly unnecessary, though it may be beneficial and attractive. Under the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot purity law it would be considered that an adjunct is any beer ingredient other than water, barley and hops; this, however, is an extreme view and is not standard.

The term adjunct is often used to refer to corn and rice, the two adjuncts commonly used by pale lager brewing companies as substitutes for barley malt. This use of ingredients as substitutes for the main starch source, usually to lower the cost of production, is where the term adjunct is most often used.

Adjunct types

Adjuncts can be broadly separated into solids and liquid syrups. Solid adjuncts are ingredients such as cereals, flakes, grits and flours which must be added to the mash tun in order to convert the starch into simple sugars which the yeast can utilise during fermentation. Some cereals have a higher gelatinisation temperature than the standard mashing temperatures and must be cooked in a cereal cooker to gelatinise the starch before adding to the mash.

Liquid syrups, on the other hand, are designed to be added directly to the kettle and therefore can be used to reduce loading on the mash and lauter tun and effectively increase the brewhouse capacity.

Other benefits of using adjuncts include reducing cost, improving consistency, diluting wort nitrogen (thereby improving shelf life) and reducing colour (or increasing colour with roasted cereals and caramels.)

Starch adjuncts

Rice

Rice is sometimes used in the production of pale lagers, most notably Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch is the largest North American buyer of U.S. rice ^[2]. Rice may be used to lighten the body and the mouthfeel, or increase alcohol content, or add a little sweetness. Because rice is cheaper than barley, it can be used as a cost-saving measure.

Maize/Corn

Corn is commonly used in the production of American-style pale lagers, particularly malt liquor. Corn is generally used in brewing as corn syrup, and as such is highly fermentable. Like rice, corn is cheaper than barley, so it is used as a cost-saving measure.

Wheat

Wheat is used in German and American wheat beers, in lambic and other Belgian ales, and in English ales. Wheat lightens the body, improves head retention, and provides a tart flavour. Wheat beers are often served with fruit syrups and/or slices of lemon in the US and Germany.

Rye

Rye is used in roggenbiers from Germany and in rye beers from America. Rye is notoriously difficult to brew with, so most rye beers only include a small amount of rye.^{[citation needed]} Rye provides a spicy flavour to beer and dramatically increases head formation.

Oats

Oats are used in oatmeal stouts. They provide a silky mouthfeel and a mild flavour.

Sugar adjuncts

Technically these are not true adjuncts but additives as they do not utilise the enzymes from the malt to convert starch to sugars.^{[citation needed]} Sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, and molasses are common. In honey beer the honey supplies only a portion of the sugars converted during fermentation and is used primarily for flavour. Candy sugar is a common ingredient in strong Belgian ales, where it increases the beer's strength while keeping the body fairly light; dark varieties of candy sugar also affect the colour and flavour of the beer.

Sugars added for bottle conditioning are not generally considered adjuncts.

Flavorings

Spices

A number of traditional beer styles are brewed with spices. For example, Belgian witbier is brewed with coriander, Finnish sahti is brewed with juniper berries, and traditional beers in Britain are brewed with honey and spices. Also, some strong winter beers are flavoured with nutmeg and/or cinnamon, while ginger is a popular flavouring for a range of beers. Many commercially available pumpkin ales are made with pumpkin pie spices without any actual pumpkin.

Spices may be added to the wort during the boil or spices or spice extract may be added at any time during fermentation depending on desired results.

Spices used in brewing include:

Allspice
Anise
Cinnamon
Clove
Coriander
Ginger
Hot pepper
Juniper berries or boughs
Licorice
Nutmeg
Orange or Lemon peel
Spruce needles or twigs (see spruce beer)
Yarrow

Other flavourings

Other, less common flavourings include chocolate, coffee, milk, chile peppers and even oysters.

Magic Hat #9 fruit beer in a mug.

Fruit or vegetable beer

A fruit beer or a vegetable beer is a beer brewed with a fruit or vegetable adjunct or flavouring.

Fruit flavouring and adjuncts

Fruits have been used as a beer adjunct or flavouring for centuries, especially with Belgian lambic styles. Cherry, raspberry, and peach are a common addition to this style of beer. Modern breweries may add only flavoured extracts to the finished product, rather than actually fermenting the fruit.

One of the most prominent brewers of fruit beer is Yanjing Beer, one of the largest Chinese breweries, which widely markets Pineapple and Lemon beer. New Glarus Brewing Company, of New Glarus, Wisconsin, produces Raspberry Tart, a framboise made with raspberries, wheat and year old Hallertau hops, and fermented in large oak vats. Magic Hat Brewing Company of Vermont brews '#9', quite popular in the northeastern U.S. and is a 'not-quite-pale ale' flavoured with apricots. RJ Rockers Brewing Company of South Carolina released Son of a Peach Wheat Ale in 2009 which is made with real peaches added during the fermentation process ^[3]. Früli is a fruit beer made from 70% wheat beer and 30% fruit juice.

Vegetable flavouring and adjunct

Anheuser-Busch brews Tequiza, a beer flavoured with tequila from blue agave nectar. Desperados is a tequila-flavoured beer popular among German and French youth.

Pumpkin-flavoured beers are brewed seasonally in the autumn in North America. An example, Pumpkin Ale, is produced by Coors Brewing Company's Blue Moon brand.

Chile pepper is used to flavour pale lagers. One of the most popular American chile beers is produced by Eske's (aka Sangre de Cristo Brewing) in Taos, New Mexico. Eske's "Taos Green Chile Beer" is made with New Mexico roasted green chiles. Black Mountain Brewing Company in Cave Creek, Arizona, brews "Cave Creek Chili Beer", the only internationally marketed chile beer.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Beer-brewing.Com

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjuncts"

Categories: Brewing

Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from June 2009 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from December 2008

Mashing

2009-09-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interior view of a mash tun in a Scotch whisky distillery, showing the stirring mechanism.

In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain (typically malted barley with supplementary grains such as corn, sorghum, rye or wheat), known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture with pauses at certain temperatures (notably 45°C, 62°C and 73°C ^[1]^[2]^[3]) to allow the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the grain into sugars, typically maltose to create a malty liquid called wort.

Mashing takes place in a "mash tun" - an insulated brewing vessel with a false bottom. The end product of mashing is called a "mash".

Infusion mashing

Most breweries use infusion mashing, in which the mash is heated directly to go from rest temperature to rest temperature. Some infusion mashes achieve temperature changes by adding hot water, and there are also breweries that do single-step infusion, performing only one rest before lautering.

Decoction mashing

Decoction mashing is where a proportion of the grains are boiled and then returned to the mash, raising the temperature. The boiling extracts more starch from the grain by breaking down the cell walls of the grain.

This can be classified into one-, two-, and three-step decoctions, depending on how many times part of the mash is drawn off to be boiled.^[4]

Mash tun

In large breweries, in which optimal utilization of the brewery equipment is economically necessary, there is at least one dedicated vessel for mashing. In decoction processes there must be at least two. The vessel has a good stirring mechanism to keep the temperature of the mash uniform, and a heating device which is efficient, but will not scorch the malt (often steam), and should be insulated to maintain rest temperatures for up to one hour. A spray ball for clean-in-place (CIP) operation should also be included for periodical deep cleaning. Sanitation is not a major concern before wort boiling, so a rinse-down should be all that is necessary between batches.

Smaller breweries will often use a boil kettle or a lauter tun for mashing. The latter case either limits the brewer to single-step infusion mashing, or leaves the brewer with a lauter tun which is not completely appropriate for the lautering process.

Ingredient selection

Nitrogen content

The nitrogen content of a grain refers to the mass fraction of the grain which is made up of protein, and is usually expressed as a percentage; this fraction is further refined by distinguishing what fraction of the protein is water-soluble, also usually expressed as a percentage; 40% is typical for most beermaking grains. Generally, brewers favor lower-nitrogen grains, while distillers favor high-nitrogen grains.

In most beermaking, an average nitrogen content in the grains of at most 10% is sought; higher protein content, especially the presence of high-mass proteins, causes "chill haze", a cloudy visual quality to the beer. However, this is mostly a cosmetic desire dating from the mass production of glassware for presenting serving beverages; traditional styles such as sahti, saison, and bière de garde, as well as several Belgian styles, make no special effort to create a clear product. The quantity of high-mass proteins can be reduced during the mash by making use of a protease rest.

In Britain, preferred brewers' grains are often obtained from winter harvests and grown in low-nitrogen soil; in central Europe, no special changes are made for the grain-growing conditions and multi-step decoction mashing is favored instead.

Distillers, by contrast, are not as constrained by the amount of protein in their mash as the non-volatile nature of proteins means that none will be included in the final distilled product. Therefore, distillers seek out higher-nitrogen grains in order to ensure a more efficiently-made product; higher-protein grains generally have more diastatic power.

Diastatic power

The diastatic power (DP), also called the "diastatic activity" or "enzymatic power", of a grain generally refers only to malts, grains which have begun to germinate; the act of germination includes the production of a number of enzymes such as amylase which convert starch into sugar; thereby, sugars can be extracted from the barley's own starches simply by soaking the grain in water at a controlled temperature: this is mashing. Other enzymes break long proteins into short ones and accomplish other important tasks.

In general, the hotter a grain is kilned, the less its diastatic activity; consequently, only lightly-colored grains can be used as base malts, with Munich malt being the darkest base malt generally available.

Diastatic activity can also be provided by diastatic malt extract or by inclusion of separately-prepared brewing enzymes.

Diastatic power for a grain is measured in degrees Lintner (°Lintner or °L, although the latter can conflict with the symbol °L for Lovibond color); or in Europe by Windisch-Kolbach units (°WK). The two measures are related by

A malt with enough power to self-convert has a diastatic power near 35 °Lintner (94 °WK); the most active, so-called "hottest" malts currently available, American six-row pale barley malts, have a diastatic power of up to 160 °Lintner (544 °WK).

Color

In brewing, the color of a grain or product is evaluated by the Standard Reference Method (SRM), Lovibond (°L), American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) or European Brewery Convention (EBC) standards. While SRM and ASBC originate in North America and EBC in Europe, all three systems can be found in use throughout the world; degrees Lovibond has fallen out of industry use but has remained in use in homebrewing circles as the easiest to implement without a spectrophotometer. The darkness of grains range from as light as 3 SRM/5 EBC for Pilsener malt to as dark as 70 SRM/1600 EBC for black malt and roasted barley.

Modification

The quality of starches in a grain is variable with the strain of grain used and its growing conditions. "Modification" refers specifically to the extent to which starch molecules in the grain consist of simple chains of sugar molecules versus branched chains; a fully modified grain contains only simple-chain starch molecules. A grain that is not fully modified requires mashing in multiple steps rather than at simply one temperature as the starches must be de-branched before amylase can work on them.

Conversion

Conversion is the extent to which starches in the grain have been enzymatically broken down into sugars. A caramel or crystal malt is fully converted before it goes into the mash; most malted grains have little conversion; unmalted grains, meanwhile, have little or no conversion. Unconverted starch becomes sugar during the last steps of mashing, through the action of alpha and beta amylases.

Grain milling

The grain used for making beer must first be milled. Milling increases the surface area of the grain, making the starch more accessible, and separates the seed from the husk. Care must be taken when milling to ensure that the starch reserves are sufficiently milled without damaging the husk and providing coarse enough grits that a good filter bed can be formed during lautering.

Grains are typically dry milled. Dry mills come in four varieties: two-, four-, five-, and six-roller mills. Hammer mills, which produce a very fine mash, are often used when mash filters are going to be employed in the Lautering process because the grain does not have to form its own filterbed. In modern plants, the grain is often conditioned with water before it is milled to make the husk more pliable, thus reducing breakage and improving lauter speed.

Two-roller mills Two-roller mills are the simplest variety, in which the grain is crushed between two rollers before it continues on to the mash tun. The spacing between these two rollers can be adjusted by the operator. Thinner spacing usually leads to better extraction, but breaks more husk and leads to a longer lauter.

Four-roller mills Four-roller mills have two sets of rollers. The grain first goes through rollers with a rather wide gap, which separates the seed from the husk without much damage to the husk, but leaves large grits. Flour is sieved out of the cracked grain, and then the coarse grist and husks are sent through the second set of rollers, which further crush the grist without damaging the crusts. There are three-roller mills, in which one of the rollers is used twice, but they are not recognized by the German brewing industry.

Five- and Six-roller mills Six-roller mills have three sets of rollers. The first roller crushes the whole kernel, and its output is divided three ways: flour immediately is sent out the mill, grits without a husk proceed to the last roller, and husk, possibly still containing parts of the seed, go to the second set of rollers. From the second roller flour is directly output, as are husks and any possible seed still in them, and the husk-free grits are channeled into the last roller. Five-rolle basically six-roller mills in which one of the rollers performs double-duty.

Mashing-in

Mixing of the strike water, water used for mashing in, and milled grist must be done in a such a way as to minimize clumping and oxygen uptake. Traditionally this was done by first adding water to the mash vessel, and then introducing the grist from the top of the vessel in a thin stream. This unfortunately led to a lot of oxygen absorption, and loss of flour dust to the surrounding air. A premasher, which mixes the grist with mash-in temperature water while it is still in the delivery tube, reduces oxygen uptake and prevents dust from being lost.

Mashing in is typically done between 35 °C and 45 °C (95 °F and 113 °F), but for single-step infusion mashes mashing in must be done between 62 °C and 67 °C (143.6 °F and 152.6 °F) for amylases to break down the grain's starch into sugars. The weight-to-weight ratio of strike water and grain varies from 1:2 for dark beers in single-step infusions to 1:4 or even 1:5, ratios more suitable for light-colored beers and decoction mashing, where much mash water is boiled off.

Enzymatic rests

Optimal rest temperatures for major mashing enzymes
Temp °C	Temp °F	Enzyme	Breaks down
40 °C	104.0 °F	β-Glucanase	β-Glucan
50 °C	122.0 °F	Protease	Protein
62 °C	143.6 °F	β-Amylase	Starch
72 °C	161.6 °F	α-Amylase	Starch

In step-infusion and decoction mashing, the mash is heated to different temperatures, at which specific enzymes work optimally. The table at right shows the optimal temperature for the enzymes brewers most pay attention to, and what material those enzymes break down. There is some contention in the brewing industry as to just what the optimal temperature is for these enzymes, as it is often very dependent on the pH of the mash, and its thickness. A thicker mash acts as a buffer for the enzymes. Once a step is passed, the enzymes active in that step are denatured, and become permanently inactive. The time between rests is preferably as short as possible, but if the temperature is raised more than 1 °C per minute, enzymes may be prematurely denatured in the transition layer near heating elements.

β-glucanase rest

β-glucan is a chain of the beta isomer of glucose molecules, and found mainly in the cell walls of plants, and in this context is also known as cellulose. A β-glucanase rest done at 40 °C is practiced in order to break down cell walls and make starches more available, thus raising the extraction efficiency. Should the brewer let this rest go on too long, it is possible that a large amount of β-glucan will dissolve into the mash, which can lead to a stuck mash on brew day, and cause filtration problems later in beer production.

Protease rest

Protein degradation via a proteolytic rest plays many roles: production of free-amino nitrogen (FAN) for yeast nutrition, freeing of small proteins from larger proteins for foam stability in the finished product, and reduction of haze-causing proteins for easier filtration and increased beer clarity. In all-malt beers, the malt already provides enough protein for good head retention, and the brewer needs to worry more about more FAN being produced than the yeast can metabolize, leading to off flavors. The haze causing proteins are also more prevalent in all-malt beers, and the brewer must strike a balance between breaking down these proteins, and limiting FAN production.

Amylase rests

The amylase rests are responsible for the production of free fermentable and nonfermentable sugar from starch in a mash.

Starch is an enormous molecule made up of branching chains of glucose molecules. β-amylase breaks down these chains from the end molecules forming links of two glucose molecules, i.e. maltose. β-amylase cannot break down the branch points, although some help is found here through low α-amylase activity and enzymes such as limit dextrinase. The maltose will be the yeast's main food source during fermentation. During this rest starches also cluster together forming visible bodies in the mash. This clustering eases the lautering process.

The α-amylase rest is also known as the saccharification rest, because during this rest the α-amylase breaks down the starches from the inside, and starts cutting off links of glucose one to four glucose molecules in length. The longer glucose chains, sometimes called dextrins or maltodextrins, along with the remaining branched chains, give body and fullness to the beer.

Because of the closeness in temperatures of peak activity of α-amylase and β-amylase, the two rests are often performed at once, with the exact temperature of the rest determining the ratio of fermentable to nonfermentable sugars in the wort and hence the final sweetness of the fermented drink; a hotter rest also a fuller-bodied, sweeter beer as α-amylase produces more unfermentable sugars. 66 °C is a typical rest temperature for a pale ale or German pilsener, while Bohemian pilsener and mild ale are rested more typically at 67-68 °C. This is sometimes referred to as the sacchrification rest.

Decoction "rests"

In decoction mashing, part of the mash is taken out of the mash tun and placed in a cooker, where it is boiled for a period of time. This caramelizes some of the sugars, giving the beer a deeper flavor and color, and frees more starches from the grain, making for a more efficient extraction from the grains. The portion drawn off for decoction is calculated so that the next rest temperature is reached by simply putting the boiled portion back into the mash tun. Before drawing off for decoction, the mash is allowed to settle a bit, and the thicker part is typically taken out for decoction, as the enzymes have dissolved in the liquid, and the starches to be freed are in the grains, not the liquid. This thick mash is then boiled for around 15 minutes, and returned to the mash tun.

The mash cooker used in decoction should not be allowed to scorch the mash, but maintaining a uniform temperature in the mash is not a priority. To prevent a scorching of the grains, the brewer must continuously stir the decoction and apply a slow heating.

A Decoction mash brings out a higher malt profile from the grains and is typically used in Bocks or Doppelbock style beers.

Mash-out

After the enzyme rests, the mash is raised to its mash out temperature. This frees up about 2% more starch, and makes the mash less viscous, allowing the lauter to process faster. It would be nice to raise the mash to 100 °C for mash out and have a much less viscous liquid, but α-Amylase quickly denatures above 78 °C and any starches extracted above this temperature cannot be broken down and will cause a starch haze in the finished product, or in larger quantities an unpleasantly harsh flavor can evolve. Therefore the mash out temperature rarely exceeds 78 °C.

If the lauter tun is a separate vessel from the mash tun, the mash is transferred to the lauter tun at this time. If the brewery has a combination mash-lauter tun, the agitator is stopped after mash-out temperature is reached and the mash has mixed enough to ensure a uniform temperature.

External links

Table of Grain Styles and Uses

References

^ "Abdijbieren. Geestrijk erfgoed" by Jef Van den Steen
^ Bier brouwen
^ What is mashing?
^ [1] Malting and Brewing Science: Volume I Malt and Sweet Wort, D. E. Briggs, James Shanks Hough, R. Stevens, Tom W. Young, Springer (1981), ISBN 0412165805

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashing"

Categories: Brewing

Grist

2009-09-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a grist mill. Its etymology derives from the verb grind.

Grist can be ground into meal or flour, depending on how coarsely it is ground. Maize made into grist is called grits when it is coarse, and corn meal when it is finely ground. Wheat, oats, barley, and buckwheat are also ground and sifted into flour and farina.

Grist is also used in brewing and distillation to make a mash.

[hide]

“Grist for the mill”

The proverb “all is grist for the mill” means “everything can be made useful, or be a source of profit.” There are some minor variations, such as "all's grist that comes to my/his/her mill", meaning that the person in question can make something positive out of anything that comes along.

A miller ground whatever grain was brought to him, and charged a portion of the final product for the service. Therefore, all grain arriving at the mill represented income, regardless of its quality. The first recorded usage was in the sixteenth century, but the term is probably much older. The term “gristmill” was once common in the United States and Britain to describe a small mill open to all comers.

Software

The term grist in software interpreters (such as a Unix shell) refers to the addition of characters before and/or after a parameter to ensure uniqueness to the interpreter. For example, in a UNIX shell if there is a file named "-f" in the current directory, the following command:

> rm -f

Will not work because "-f" is interpreted as an option to the "rm" command. Rather, one needs to "add grist" to get the appropriate behavior:

> rm ./-f

In this case, "./" is grist because it prevents "-f" from being interpreted as an option.

References

Quinion Michael (4 July 1996). The Miller's Tale. via World Wide Words.

This agriculture article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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Categories: Cereals | Interpreters (computing) | Agriculture stubs

Degrees Lovibond

2009-09-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Degrees Lovibond or °L scale is a measure of the color of a substance, usually beer, whiskey, or sugar solutions. The Standard Reference Method (SRM) and EBC method have largely replaced it, with the SRM giving results approximately equal to the °L. The determination of the degrees lovibond takes place by comparing the color of the substance to a series of amber to brown glass slides, usually by a colorimeter. The scale was devised by Joseph Williams Lovibond.

External links

Article at BrewWiki.com

This beer or brewery-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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Categories: Beer and brewery stubs | Brewing

Hidden categories: Articles lacking sources from April 2007 | All articles lacking sources

Standard Reference Method (SRM)

2009-09-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

Standard Reference Method

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[hide]

SRM

The Standard Reference Method or SRM ^[1] is a system modern brewers use to measure color intensity, roughly darkness (but see Tristimululs Color below), of a beer or wort. The method involves the use of a spectrophotometer or photometer to measure the attenuation of light of a particular wavelength, 430 nanometers, as it passes through a sample contained in a cuvette located in the light path of the instrument.

The SRM number is defined by "Beer color intensity on a sample free of turbidity and having the spectral characteristics of an average beer is 10 times the absorbance of the beer measured in a 1/2 inch cell with monochromatic light at 430 nanometers."^[1] Modern spectrophotmeters use 1 cm cuvettes rather than 1/2 inch ones. When a 1 cm cuvette is used, application of the Bouger-Beer-Lambert law shows that the multiplier should be 12.7 rather than 10. When the SRM value for a beer or wort is larger than about 30 the log linear limit of some instruments using 1 cm cuvettes is approached. In such cases the sample is diluted with deionized water. Using Beer-Lambert again gives the mathematical definition of SRM in the general case as:

where $D$ is the dilution factor ( $D = 1$ for undiluted samples, $D = 2$ for 1:1 dilution etc.) and $A 430$ the absorbance at 430 nm in 1 cm.

The 430-nanometer wavelength corresponds to a deep blue light, and was chosen, as was the multiplier, to make values determined in the SRM system comparable to those determined using the Lovibond system in use at the time the SRM was adopted. ^[2]

The SRM was adopted in 1950 by the American Society of Brewing Chemists which had recognized the need for an instrument based measurement of color unburdened by the difficulties of the Lovibond system which relies (it is still in use in many industries including brewing - malts are often labeled with the Lovibond color of laboratory worts prepared from them) on visual comparison of the sample to tinted glass discs. Beer colors measured in SRM and degrees Lovibond are, as noted above, approximately equal and in practice can be used interchangeably to evaluate the color intensity of beer.

The EBC system of color measurement is similar to the SRM. Measurements are taken at 430 nm in a 1 cm cell but the unit of color is 25 times^[3] the dilution factor times A₄₃₀ as opposed to 12.7 times the dilution factor times A₄₃₀ so that

;

Thus EBC is approximately twice SRM and this applies at any color depth. The agreement between SRM and Lovibond breaks down for darker beers or worts.

Both systems demand that the beer be free of turbidity prior to the measurement at 430 nm. In the SRM a second measurement is taken at 700 nm. If the absorbance at this wavelength is less than 0.039 (this number comes from ^[2]) times the absorbance at 430 nm the beer is considered turbidity free. If not, it is to be filtered or centrifuged and the reading repeated. If the ratio test is not passed after clarification then the beer does not have "average spectral characteristics" and, technically, is not qualified to be characterized by the SRM method. The augmented SRM method described below removes this difficulty.

In the EBC system the beer is required to be filtered if its turbidity is more than 1 EBC turbidity unit (equivalent to 1 FTU). No absorbance measurement is made other than at 430 nm. (the turbidimeter measures scattering at 650 nm).

Note that an earlier version of EBC color was based on absorbance at 530 nanometers, which permitted no direct conversion between the two systems. However, if one assumes a linear log absorbance spectrum (the Linner hypothesis from the realm of caramel color), and knows the Linner Hue Index, ^[4] $H L$ , the absorbances are related by:

A formula for converting between the old EBC color value and SRM sometimes continues to appear in literature. It should not be used, as it is flawed and based on measurements which are no longer taken.

Part of the problem with this formula is that beer spectra are not log linear. The absorbance of 1 cm of a beer with "average spectral characteristics" (average here means the average of the absorbance spectra of the ensemble of 99 beers as described in^[7]) at wavelength $λ$ is well described by

While it is clear that one could use this formula to compute A₅₃₀ from the SRM measured at 430 nm and thus interconvert between SRM and old EBC this is not where its value lies. Because it represents, at least approximately, the full absorbance spectrum of the beer it can be used to calculate the tristimulus color (three color coordinates in a chosen color space which describes the color an observer actually sees) of a beer of known SRM by following the prescription of ASTM E-308^[5].

Tristimulus Color

There has been interest in tristimulus reporting in the brewing community in recent years and the ASBC has an approved Method of Analysis [MOA] for tristimulus characterization ^[6]. The absorption of the sample is measured in 1 cm at 81 wavelengths separated by 5 nm starting at 380 nm and extending to 780 nm. These are converted to transmission valules (by taking the antilogarithm of each absorbance) and inserting the results into ASTM E-308. The reported tristimulus values are in L^*a^*b^* color space and describe what is seen under Illuminant C (daylight) by a 10° observer when the path is 1 cm. The choice of path, illuminant, observer and color space does not represent a limitation of E-308 but rather rather the ASBC's need to standardize reporting.

If we are given only the SRM value for a beer we can compute the approximate transmission spectrum if the beer has average spectral characteristics simply by taking the antilog of $A (λ)$ :

This can be used with E-308 to calculate tristimulus color in any path, for any illuminant, for either observer in any colorspace derivable from CIE XYZ space. This formula could, for example, be used to compute color patches to be printed on transparency or card stock for use in evaluating the SRM of actual beers but color swatches prepared in this way are only valid for the illuminant, observer and path used in the E-308 calculation. The BJCP color guide was prepared in this way. This illustrates that the SRM does convey full color information if the beer has average spectral characteristics. If it does not then we need more information than just the SRM provides.

Augmented SRM

Recent research ^[7] has shown that the transmission spectrum of a beer (with no restriction on its spectral characteristics) can be represented by:

where the $ξ i$ are eigenvectors of the covariance matrix of the normalized transmission spectra of the ensemble of beers from which the average normalized spectrum (the sum of the 2 exponential terms in parentheses in the $A (λ)$ formula) was determined and $c 1$ , $c 2$ etc. are obtained as the dot products of the eigenvectors with the normalized transmission spectrum of the beer being characterized. This formula is identical to the one given previously with the exception that it has been augmented by the $c i$ coefficients which encode the deviation of the sample normalized spectrum from the average normalized spectrum. Where the sample beer has a normalized spectrum close to the average the c's are small and it is remarkable how often this is the case. Typically one or 2 augmentation coefficients are sufficient and they are frequently small enough that one or more can be neglected. For example, an imported ale with SRM equal to 6.8 has coefficients -0.07 and -0.1. Using both these coefficients one obtains color accuracy of less than one L^*a^*b^* space unit (the limit of perception) in up to a 10 cm path under Illuminant C. Using just the SRM for this beer gives a reasonably good description of its color with error of about 4 L^*a^*b^* units. Beers which deviate dramatically from the "average" spectrum are easily accommodated. Thus a sample of Kriek (Belgian cherry beer), has an SRM of 15.27. Were its color to be reconstructed from just the SRM it would be the color of an "average" beer which will be dark amber - not the red of a Kriek. Including 3 coeffiecents (1.8, 0.8 and -0.1) yields color accuracy of less than 1 L^*a^*b^* unit in paths up to 8 cm again under Illuminant C.

Augmented SRM is advantageous relative to the ASBC tristimulus method in that color under any viewing circumstances can be computed in addition to which the familiar SRM rating is retained. Because of metamerism one cannot, in the general case of non zero deviation coefficients, estimate the original spectrum from the L^*a^*b^* values reported by the ASBC method.

Color based on Standard Reference Method (SRM)

SRM/Lovibond	Example	EBC
2	Pale lager	4
3	German Pilsener	6
4	Pilsner Urquell	8
6		12
8	Weissbier	16
10	Bass pale ale	20
13		26
17	Dark lager	33
20		39
24		47
29	Porter	57
35	Stout	69
40		79
70	Imperial stout	138

References

^ "Beer 10-A Spectrophotometric Color Method", ASBC Methods of Analysis
^ Irwin Stone, Miller, M.C. "The Standardization of Methods for the Determination of Color in Beer"ASBC Proceedings 1949
^ 2.13.2 Spektralphotometrisch (EBC-Methode), Brautechnische Analysenmethoden Band II, MEBAK 2002
^ R T Linner, "Caramel color: a new method of determining its color hue and tinctorial power." Proceedings of the Society of Soft Drink Technologists Annual Meeting, 1970, p 63-72.
^ ASTM E-308-96 "Standard Practices for Computing the Colors of Objects by Using the CIE System", ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA 1996
^ "Beer 10-C Tristimulus Analysis", ASBC Methods of Analysis
^ A.J. deLange,"The Standard Reference Method of Beer Color Specification as the Basis for a New Method of Beer Color Reporting", J.Am.Soc. Brew. Chem 66(3) 143-150, 2008

Dictionary of Beer, Ed: A. Webb, ISBN 1-85249-158-2
Home Brewing, Graham Wheeler, ISBN 1-85249-137-X

[hide] v • d • e Beer measurement scales

Plato (density) · IBU (bitterness) · SRM (color)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Reference_Method"

Categories: Brewing | Color

Mash ingredients

2009-09-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

from wikipedia

Malted barley - a primary mash ingredient

Mash ingredients or grain bill are those materials used in brewing from which a wort can be obtained for fermenting into alcohol. The act of creating and extracting fermentable and non-fermentable sugars and flavor components from grain by steeping it in hot water, and then allowing it to rest at specific temperature ranges in order to activate enzymes that will convert the starches to sugars is called mashing. The sugars, having been run off from the mash ingredients, will later be converted to alcohol and other fermentation products by yeast in the brewing process.

The primary type of mash ingredient is grain that has been malted. Modern-day recipes generally consist of a large percentage of a light malt and, optionally, smaller percentages of more flavorful or highly-colored types of malt. The former is called "base malt"; the latter is known as "specialty malts".

The grain bill of a beer may vary widely in the number of ingredients. For example, Abbeydale Brewery's "Absolution", a pale ale, uses only one mash ingredient: pale malt; meanwhile, Salopian Brewing Company's "Entire Butt", a black porter, declares the following fourteen ingredients in its grain bill: pale malt, lager malt, wheat malt, pale and dark crystal malts, pale and dark chocolate malts, caramalt, torrefied wheat, amber malt, brown malt, and malted oats.

Variables

Further information: Mashing

The color of a grain or product is evaluated by the American Society of Brewing Chemists Standard Reference Method (denoted both SRM and ASBC, although the two methods are equivalent); the older Lovibond series 52 standard, (°L), which corresponds closely to SRM; or by the European Brewery Convention (EBC) standard. The British Institute of Brewing (IOB) standard was formally retired in 1991, but is still occasionally seen in the United Kingdom.

Diastatic power for a grain is measured in degrees Lintner (°Lintner or °L, although the latter can conflict with the symbol °L for Lovibond color); or in Europe by Windisch-Kolbach units (°WK).

Malts

The oldest and most predominant ingredient in brewing is barley, which has been used in beer-making for thousands of years. Modern brewing predominantly uses malted barley for its enzymatic power, but ancient Babylonian recipes indicate that, without the ability to malt grain in a controlled fashion, baked bread was simply soaked in water. Malted barley dried at a sufficiently low temperature contains enzymes such as amylase which convert starch into sugar. Therefore, sugars can be extracted from the barley's own starches simply by soaking the grain in water at a controlled temperature; this is mashing.

Pale malt

Pale malt is the basis of pale ale and bitter and the precursor in production of most other British beer malts. Dried at temperatures sufficiently low to preserve all the brewing enzymes in the grain, it is light in color and, today, the cheapest barley malt available due to mass production. It can be used as a base malt, that is, as the malt constituting the majority of the grist, in many styles of beer. Typically, English pale malts are kilned at 95-105 °C. Color ASBC 2-3/EBC 5-7. Diastatic power (DP) 45 °Lintner.

Mild malt

Mild malt is often used as the base malt for mild ale, and is similar in color to pale malt. Mild malt is kilned at slightly higher temperatures than pale malt in order to provide a less neutral, rounder flavor generally described as "nutty". ASBC 3/EBC 6.

Stout malt

Stout malt is sometimes seen as a base malt for stout beer; light in color, it is prepared so as to maximize diastatic power in order to better-convert the large quantities of dark malts and unmalted grain used in stouts. In practice, however, most stout recipes make use of pale malt for its much greater availability. ASBC 2-3/EBC 4-6, DP 60-70 °Lintner.

Amber malt

Amber malt is a more toasted form of pale malt, kilned at temperatures of 150-160 °C, and is used in brown porter; older formulations of brown porter use amber malt as a base malt (though this was diastatic and produced in different conditions to a modern amber malt). Amber malt has a bitter flavor which mellows on ageing, and can be quite intensely flavored; in addition to its use in porter, it also appears in a diverse range of British beer recipes. ASBC 50-70/EBC 100-140; amber malt has no diastatic power.

Brown malt

Brown malt is a darker form of pale malt, and is used typically in brown ale as well as in porter and stout. Like amber malt, it can be prepared from pale malt at home by baking a thin layer of pale malt in an oven until the desired color is achieved. 50-70 °L, no enzymes.

Chocolate malt

Chocolate malt is similar to pale and amber malts but kilned at even higher temperatures. Producing complex undertones of vanilla and caramel (but not chocolate), it is used in porters and sweet stouts as well as dark mild ales. It contains no enzymes. ASBC 450-500/EBC 1100-1300.

Black malt

Black malt, also called patent malt or black patent malt, is barley malt that has been kilned to the point of carbonizing, around 200 °C. The term "patent malt" comes from its invention in England in 1817, late enough that the inventor of the process for its manufacture, Daniel Wheeler, was awarded a patent. Black malt provides the color and some of the flavor in black porter, contributing an acrid, ashy undertone to the taste. In small quantities, black malt can also be used to darken beer to a desired color, sometimes as a substitute for caramel. Due to its high kilning temperature, it contains no enzymes. ASBC 500-600/EBC >1300.

Crystal malt

Crystal malts are prepared separately from pale malts. They are high-nitrogen malts which are wetted and roasted in a rotating drum before kilning. They produce strongly sweet toffee-like flavors and are sufficiently converted that they can be steeped without mashing to extract their flavor. Crystal malts are available in a range of colors, with darker-colored crystal malts, that is, those kilned at higher temperatures, producing stronger, more caramel-like overtones. Some of the sugars in crystal malts caramelize during kilning and become unfermentable; hence, addition of crystal malt will increase the final sweetness of a beer. They contain no enzymes. ASBC 50-165/EBC 90-320; the typical British crystal malt used in pale ale and bitter is around ASBC 70-80.

Distillers malt

Standard distillers malt or pot still malt is quite light and very high in nitrogen compared to beer malts. These malts are used in the production of whiskey and generally originate from northern Scotland.

Peated malt

Peated malt is also available; this is distillers malt that has been smoked over burning peat in order to add a dark aroma and flavor characteristic of Islay whisky and some Irish whiskey. Some recent brewers have also included peated malt in interpretations of Scotch ales, although this is generally anhistorical. It has sufficient diastatic power to self-convert. When used in large amounts, the resulting beer tends to have a very strong earthy and smoky flavour which most mainstream beer drinkers would find repulsive.

Pilsener malt

Pilsener malt, the basis of Pilsener lager, is quite pale and strongly flavored. Invented in the 1840s, Pilsener malt is the lightest-colored generally-available malt, and also carries a strong, sweet malt flavor. Usually a Pilsener beer's grain bill consists entirely of this malt, which has enough enzymatic power to be used as a base malt. The commercial desirability of light-colored beers has also led to some British brewers adopting Pilsener malt (sometimes described simply as "lager malt" in Britain) in creating golden ales. In Germany, Pilsener malt is also used in some interpretations of the Kölsch style. ASBC 1-2/EBC 3-4, DP 60 °Lintner.

Vienna malt

Vienna malt or Helles malt is the characteristic grain of Vienna lager and Märzen; although it generally takes up only ten to fifteen percent of the grain bill in a beer, it can be used as a base malt. It has sufficient enzymatic power to self-convert, and it is somewhat darker and kilned at a higher temperature than Pilsener malt. ASBC 3-4/EBC 7-10, DP 50 °Lintner.

Munich malt

Munich malt is used as the base malt of the bock beer style, especially doppelbock, and appears in dunkel lager in smaller quantities. While a darker grain, it has sufficient diastatic power to self-convert, despite being kilned at temperatures around 115 °C. ASBC 4-6/EBC 10-15, DP 40 °Lintner.

Rauchmalz

Rauchmalz is a German malt that is prepared by being dried over an open flame rather than via kiln. The grain has a smoky aroma and is an essential ingredient in Bamberg Rauchbier.

Acid malt

Acid malt, whose grains contain lactic acid, can be used as a continental analog to Burtonization. Acid malt lowers mash pH, and provides a rounder, fuller character to the beer, enhancing the flavor of Pilseners and other light lagers. Lowering the pH also helps prevent beer spoilage through oxidation.

Honey malt is an intensely-flavored, lightly-colored malt. 18-20 °L.

Melanoidin malt, a malt like the Belgian Aromatic malt, adds roundness and malt flavor to a beer with a comparably small addition in the grain bill. It also stabilizes the flavor.

Unmalted barley

Unmalted barley kernels are used in mashes in Irish whiskey.

Roast barley are unmalted barley kernels which has been toasted in an oven until almost black. Roast barley is, after base malt, usually the most-used grain in stout beers, contributing the majority of the flavor and the characteristic dark-brown color; undertones of chocolate and coffee are common. ASBC 500-600/EBC >1300 or more, no diastatic activity.

Black barley is like roast barley except even darker.

Flaked barley is unmalted, dried barley which has been rolled into flat flakes. It imparts a rich, grainy flavor to beer and is used in many stouts, especially Guinness stout; it also improves head formation and retention.

Torrefied barley is barley kernels that have been heated until they pop like popcorn.

Other grains

Wheat

Wheat malt

Beer brewed in the German Hefeweizen style rely mostly or entirely on malted wheat as a grain, as does Belgian witbier. Lambic also makes heavy use of wheat. Under the Reinheitsgebot, wheat was treated separately from barley, as it was the more expensive grain.

[edit] Torrefied wheat

Torrefied wheat is used in British brewing to increase the size and retention of a head in beer. Generally it is used as an enhancer rather than for its flavor.

Raw wheat

Wheat flour

Until the general availability of torrefied wheat, wheat flour was often used for similar purposes in brewing. Wheat flour was also, erroneously, used as a yeast food in medieval and renaissance brewing; flour would be cast into the fermenter to feed top-floating yeasts, which have no means of absorbing the raw flour. Brewer's flour is only rarely available today, and is of a larger grist than baker's flour.

Rye

The use of rye in a beer typifies the rye beer style, especially the German Roggenbier. Rye is also used in the Slavic kvass and Finnish sahti farmhouse styles, as readily-available grains in eastern Europe. However, the use of rye in brewing is considered difficult as rye lacks a hull (like wheat) and contains large quantities of beta-glucans compared to other grains; these long-chain sugars can leach out during a mash, creating a sticky gelatinous gum in the mash tun, and as a result brewing with rye requires a long, thorough beta-glucanase rest. Rye is said to impart a spicy, dry flavor to beer.

Sorghum & Millet

Sorghum and millet are often used in African brewing. As gluten-free grains, they have gained popularity in the Northern Hemisphere as base materials for beers suitable for people with coeliac disease. Sorghum produces a dark, hazy beer, however, and sorghum malt is difficult to prepare and rarely commercially available outside certain African countries. Millet is an ingredient in chhaang and pomba, and both grains together are used in oshikundu.

Rice & Corn

In America, rice and corn are often used by commercial breweries as a means of readily adding fermentable sugars to a beer cheaply, due to the ready availability and low price of the grains. However, corn is also the base grain in chicha and some caium, as well as Bourbon whiskey; while rice is the base grain of happoshu and various mostly Asian fermented beverages often referred to as "rice wines" such as sake and makkoli; corn is also used as an ingredient in some Belgian beers such as Rodenbach to lighten the body.

Corn was originally introduced into the brewing of American lagers because of the high protein content of the six-row barley; adding corn, which is high in sugar but low in protein, helped thin out the body of the resulting beer. Increased amounts of corn use over time led to the development of the American pale lager style. Corn is generally not malted, but instead introduced into the mash as flaked, dried kernels.

Brewers should notice that corn and rice don't contain any enzymes. It is therefore required that these adjuncts are used together with enzyme rich adjuncts, such as normal malts. Prior to a brew, rice and corn should be cooked for about an hour to allow the starch to gelatinize and thereby render it convertible.

Non-grain solids

Buckwheat and quinoa, while not grains, both contain high levels of available starch and protein, while containing no gluten. Therefore, some breweries use these plants in the production of beer suitable for people with coeliac disease, either alone or in combination with sorghum.

Syrups and extracts

Main article: Adjunct (beer)

Another way of adding sugar or flavoring to a malt beverage is the addition of natural or artificial sugar products such as honey, white sugar, or malt extract. While these ingredients can be added during the mash, the enzymes in the mash do not act on them. Such ingredients can be added during the boil of the wort rather than the mash, and as such, are also known as copper sugars.

One syrup which is commonly used in the mash, however, is diastatic malt extract or DME. DME is prepared by fully converting base malt, then draining the resulting mash, still including amylases, and evaporating it down to a high density. DME is used exclusively in homebrewing as a substitute for base malt. It typically has a diastatic power of around 100 °Lintner.

Regional differences

Britain

British brewing makes use of a wide variety of malts, with considerable stylistic freedom for the brewer to blend them. Many British malts were developed only as recently as the Industrial Revolution, as improvements in temperature-controlled kilning allowed finer control over the drying and toasting of the malted grains.

The typical British brewer's malt is a well-modified, low-nitrogen barley grown in the east of England or southeast of Scotland. In England, the best-known brewer's malt is made from the Maris Otter strain of barley; other common strains are Halcyon, Pipkin, Chariot, and Fanfare. Most malts in current use in Britain are derived from pale malt and were invented no earlier than the reign of Queen Anne. Brewing malt production in Britain is thoroughly industrialized, with barley grown on dedicated land and malts prepared in bulk in large, purpose-build maltings and distributed to brewers around the country to order.

Continental Europe

Before controlled-temperature kilning became available, malted grains were dried over wood fires; Rauchmalz (German: smoked malt) is malt dried using this traditional process. In Germany, beech is often used as the wood for the fire, imparting a strongly smoky flavor to the malt. This malt is then used as the primary component of rauchbier; alder-smoked malt is used in Alaskan smoked porters. Rauchmalz comes in several varieties, generally named for and corresponding to standard kilned varieties (e.g. Rauchpilsener to Pilsener); color and diastatic power are comparable to those for an equivalent kilned grain.

Similarly to crystal malts in Britain, central Europe makes use of caramel malts, which are moistened and kilned at temperatures around 55-65 °C in a rotating drum before being heated to higher temperatures for browning. The lower-temperature moistened kilning causes conversion and mashing to take place in the oven, resulting in a grain's starches becoming mostly or entirely converted to sugar before darkening. Caramel malts are produced in color grades analogous to other lager malts: carapils for pilsener malt, caravienne or carahell for Vienna malt, and caramunch for Munich malt. Color and final kilning temperature are comparable to non-caramel analog malts; there is no diastatic activity. Carapils malt is sometimes also called dextrin malt. 10-120 °L.

The United States

American brewing combines British and Central European heritages, and as such uses all the above forms of beer malt; Belgian-style brewing is less common but its popularity is growing. In addition, America also makes use of some specialized malts:

6-row pale malt is a pale malt made from a different species of barley. Quite high in nitrogen, 6-row malt is used as a "hot" base malt for rapid, thorough conversion in a mash, as well as for extra body and fullness; the flavor is more neutral than 2-row malt. 1.8 °L, 160 °Lintner.

Victory malt is a specialized lightly-roasted 2-row malt that provides biscuity, caramel flavors to a beer. Similar in color to amber and brown malt, it is often an addition to American brown ale. 25 °L, no diastatic power.

Other notable American barley malts include Special Roast and coffee malt. Special Roast is akin to a darker variety of victory malt.

Belgium

Belgian brewing makes use of the same grains as central European brewing. In general, though, Belgian malts are slightly darker and sweeter than their central European counterparts. In addition, Belgian brewing uses some local malts:

Pale malt in Belgium is generally darker than British pale malt. Kilning takes place at temperatures five to ten °C lower than for British pale malt, but for longer periods; diastatic power is comparable to that of British pale malt. ASBC 4/EBC 7.

Special B is a dark, intensely sweet crystal malt providing a strong malt flavor.

Biscuit malt is a lightly-flavored roasted malt used to darken some Belgian beers. 45-50 EBC/25 °L.

Aromatic malt, by contrast, provides an intensely malty flavor. Kilned at 115 °C, it retains enough diastatic power to self-convert. 50-55 EBC/20 °L.

References

Notes

Bibliography

Daniels, Ray, Designing Great Beer, 1996, 2000, Brewers Publications. ISBN 0-937381-50-0

External links

"Understanding Malt Analysis Sheets – How to Become Fluent in Malt Analysis Interpretation" by Greg Noonan
How to Brew by John Palmer, an online book detailing all the basics of homebrewing beer.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mash_ingredients"

Categories: Brewing

Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from June 2007 | Articles containing German language text

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brewing Yeast and Fermentation

2009-09-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Brewing Yeast and Fermentation
By Chris Boulton, David Quain

Price:

28 new or used available from $69.92

Product Description

Now Available for the First Time in Paperback!

This unique volume provides a definitive overview of modern and traditional brewing fermentation. Written by two experts with unrivalled experience from years with a leading international brewer, coverage includes all aspects of brewing fermentation together with the biochemistry, physiology and genetics of brewers' yeast. Brewing Yeast and Fermentation is unique in that brewing fermentation and yeast biotechnology are covered in detail from a commercial perspective.

Now available for the first time in paperback, the book is aimed at commercial brewers and their ingredient and equipment suppliers (including packaging manufacturers). It is also an essential reference source for students on brewing courses and workers in research and academic institutions.

Definitive reference work and practical guide for the industry.
Highly commercially relevant yet academically rigorous.
Authors from industry leading brewers.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #928014 in Books
Published on: 2006-05-22
Original language: English
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
656 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
“… easily the most comprehensive book on the subject, now reissued in paperback at a more accessible price. The wealth of detail is extraordinary and the scholarship displayed by the authors, who between them have over 50 years experience of microbiological research in the brewing industry, is exemplary. …[a] splendid, well produced and clearly illustrated book. It will continue to be the definitive text for the foreseeable future.”
Microbiology Today, November 2006

“This is a “must-have” book [and] will be used as a prime reference text for many years… should be in every brewing library, and on the bookshelf of anyone who has an interest in brewing yeast and fermentation at the advanced level…it has very rapidly become the first reference book I turn to when looking for detailed information on yeast…highly recommended”
Inge Russell, Journal of The Institute of Brewing Vol 109, No. 2, 2003

".a valuable resource for researchers in industry or academia interested in beer fermentation. "
Journal of Food Quality, Vol 25:3, Food & Nutrition Press Inc.

"Recommended to all researchers with an interest in yeast technology and brewing fermentation"
E-Streams, 2002

"This book provides a definitive review of modern and traditional brewery fermentation." Cerevisia, Belgian Journal of Brewing and Biotechnology, Vol 30, 2005

From the Back Cover
This unique volume provides a definitive overview of modern and traditional brewing fermentation. Written by two experts with unrivalled experience from years with a leading international brewer, coverage includes all aspects of brewing fermentation together with the biochemistry, physiology and genetics of brewers' yeast. Brewing Yeast and Fermentation is unique in that brewing fermentation and yeast biotechnology are covered in detail from a commercial perspective.

About the Author
Chris Boulton, Coors Brewers Limited, Burton on Trent, UK and David Quain, red.ts Ltd, Willington, Derbyshire, UK

Making Homemade Wine

2009-09-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Making Homemade Wine
By Libby Fischer

Making homemade wine is a tradition that many people still continue today. Many people assume that making wine is a difficult process and I am here to tell you that it is not. Making home brew is simple but it can be time consuming and once you start it is hard to stop and what was once a small hobby becomes more like an obsession.

There are definite tools of the trade and instructions you should follow in order to make your wine taste great and that is safe from bacteria or other harmful things that could stand in your way of great wine making. Also, you should realize that you are not stuck just making grape wine, you can use any fruit juice you wish and make any blend that sounds good to you! Creating the perfect blend of fruit and flavor can open up a whole new world for you in regards to wine.

To start making your own homemade wine you will need some basic tools. It is EXTREMELY important that you follow all sanitation guidelines for your tools during the wine making process. Harmful bacteria can quickly ruin a perfect batch of wine, not to mention make you sick, so be sure to be careful when handling and sanitizing all tools used during the process. Here is a list of tools you will need:

Turkey Baster
Old wine bottles (for final product, sterilized)
Siphon (vinyl tubing)
Sanitizer (bleach or other recommended alternatives)
A plastic water bottle or glass jug (unscratched on the inside)
Rubber stopper (#8 or #9)
Airlock (balloon, PVC pipe, or commercial airlock)
Stirrer small enough to fit through opening of bottle
Funnel

This is a basic list to make simple wine, but you can also make very complex wine with just these simple tools. There are many companies today that provide you with kits and that is perfectly fine, but you can also make your wine with the things you have laying around your house already. Either way, once you have your equipment you are ready to begin the fun part!

By this time you probably already know the flavor of wine you want to make and no matter what the flavor you will be needing the juice from the fruit or fruits you choose to use. You can get this juice from one of two ways. You can either buy the juice from the store making sure that it does not contain additives other than Vitamin C, or you can make your own juice from the raw fruit. You will need a few other ingredients such as sugar, yeast and possibly the following chemicals:

Potassium Sorbate
Sodium/Potassium Metabisulfite
Yeast Nutrient

Be careful of allergies when using any substances for your wine making endeavors. There are some substitutions that can be made so do your research!

Now find a recipe to follow and do that to the letter and you will soon be drinking your own special homemade wine. Many recipes can be found by doing a simple search on-line. Soon you will understand the basics and be able to make your own recipes!

Making homemade wine can be a fun hobby, but please drink this potent wine with caution as the alcohol content can easily be between 12-15%. If you are giving a gift of your wine, make sure you pair it with a set of wine glasses

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Libby_Fischer

Shocking But True! "Goat Scrotum Ale" Is the World's Most Popular Home Brewed Beer

2009-09-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Shocking But True! "Goat Scrotum Ale" Is the World's Most Popular Home Brewed Beer

If your favorite beer comes from a beer store, you may never have experienced the overwhelming pleasure of savoring your own homemade beer.

Sure, the commercial stuff is OK. But if you want the soul-stirring satisfaction of sipping a delicious beer that you've made yourself, you'll want to try the world's most popular home beer recipe, Goat Scrotum Ale.

Goat Scrotum sounds utterly gross, doesn't it? The truth is that it's a beer that everyone enjoys. One of the reasons it's so popular is that it can be brewed in a variety of ways and in many custom flavors. If you like chocolate, you can make it taste like bitter-sweet chocolate. You may prefer a fruity-gingery ale, a palate-popping spicy blend or a smooth, fragrant brew. There are hundreds of possible combinations and creating your own personal varieties is a fascinating hobby.

Goat Scrotum Ale became wildly popular back in the early 1800s when it was known as "Tumultuous Porter". The deeply satisfying ale continued to be a great favorite of beer drinkers until prohibition came along and the brew and its recipe disappeared. Lucky for us, the recipe was brought back to an appreciative world of home brewers by a researcher named Charles Papazian.

Making Goat Scrotum Ale the Papazian way was pretty exciting, to say the least! Here are the Papzian ingredients:

5 lbs dark malt extract
1 lb crystal malt
1/4 lb each black patent malt and crushed roasted barley
3 1/2 oz Hallertauer leaf hops
1 cup each brown sugar and blackstrap molasses
1 lb corn syrup
2 tspns gypsum
1 tspn Irish Moss
1 pkg ale yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar to prime the bottle with

To customize your ale and create your very own specialty brew you may use these optional ingredients in whatever combination you wish:

2 to 4 oz freshly grated ginger root
Up to 2 inches brewing licorice
2 tbspns spruce tree essence
1 to 10 dried chili pepper
1/4 cup slightly crushed juniper berries
6 oz unsweetened Bakers chocolate or cocoa powder

Following are Mr. Papzian's directions:

Steep the crystal malt in the brewing water for one hour at 150F. Remove leftover crystal malt and mix in dark malt extract, brown sugar, blackstrap molasses and a pound of the corn sugar.

Bring to a soft boil until all the ingredients are dissolved completely. Add in a quarter ounce of hops and the optional ingredients you choose to use. Boil fifteen minutes. Then, add a half ounce hops and boil another fifteen minutes.
Toss in the black patent malt and crushed roasted barley. Boil for another
fifteen minutes. Add another quarter ounce hops and the gypsum and Irish Moss. Boil for thirteen minutes. Now stir in the remaining ounce and a half of hops, boiling for two more minutes.

Allow the wort to cool to room temperature. Strain carefully while transferring the liquid into the fermenter. When the wort's temperature falls below 80F, stir in the yeast.

And finally, when the wort has completely finished fermenting, add the three-quarters cups of corn sugar.

You're now ready to put your delicious creation into bottles and look forward to that first tantalizing sip.

Way too much work, eh? How about a much simpler recipe with fewer ingredients and far fewer steps to making it?

Grab your own free Home Brewing Guide, full of easy, beginner's beer-making recipes and a much simpler version of the notorious Goat Scrotum Ale. It's free at http://www.brewbetterbeerathome.com.

Grant Jensen is an internet marketer who enjoys living the "Good Life". At last count Grant was 82 years old. He can be contacted at mail@brewbetterbeerathome.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Grant_L._Jensen

Pairing Beer With Food

2009-08-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Pairing Beer With Food
By Norman Adams Lariviere

Pairing beer with the fine cuisine has recently come to the attention of many eating establishments as they try to cater to the 90's micro-brew crowd. No longer is wine considered the only drink fit for a succulent entree. You too can bring this art form into your own home with a few simple tips.

Much like wine, you must consider the style of cuisine and the predominant flavors in a dish. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Deep savory flavors, such as a dry-rubbed steak, can be balanced by a sweeter beer, such as a German Dopple-bock or cream stout. For the opposite effect, some like a dry Irish stouts here as well, but I would recommend a porter to avoid strong bitter flavors.
Barbeque chicken, especially tomato based sauces, can be complemented by Hefe-weizen (wheat beer) where the citrus flavors show through.
For more subtle fish or pork dishes, a nice Czech style pilsner, with crisp, hoppy notes will spice up the palate between bites.
The yeasty belgian beers can have a bread-like flavor, which work well with fruit and cheese.

Keep in mind that hops can often make a beer extremely bitter. Bitter flavors hit a very specific part of the toungue and can linger in your throat.

Knowing your beer before pairing it with any recipe is half of the fun. Purchase several varieties and try them all! Better yet, you could brew your own beer exactly how you would like it... but that is for another article.

Norman Adams Lariviere, Brew Chef, has been creating gourmet cuisine for over 12 years, incorporating over 25 batches of his home-brewed beers into every recipe. He has recently launched a website Brew and Chew to share his recipes and pass on his home-brewing experiences.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Norman_Adams_Lariviere

Coopers Brewery Micro Brewery Kit

2009-08-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Coopers Brewery Micro Brewery Kit
From Coopers Brew Products

List Price:	$119.99
Price:	$99.99

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by Coopers Brew Products

Average customer review:

Product Description

You can now experience what Australian beer lovers have known for years, delicious beer made at home from your very own Coopers Brewery Micro Brewery Kit. In an age where smaller is better, Coopers is well ahead of the game. Forget laptop computers and miniature cell phones, the Coopers Brewery has managed to squeeze an entire brewery into a box no bigger than the average picnic cooler. Imagine, everything you need to brew your own tasty beer. The Coopers Brewery Micro Brewery Kit includes everything you need including the ingredients for your first batch. Don't be fooled by cheap imitations; only Coopers gives you a kit that produces 50 12oz bottles of great brewery-fresh beer. The Coopers Brewery Micro Brewery Kit is the most popular beermaking kit in the world because it is fast, easy, simply the Best. NOTE: SHIPPING BOX IS LABELED WITH PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #3417 in Kitchen & Housewares
Brand: MakeBeer.net

Features

Beer making kit by the Coopers Brewery, Australia's only 5-star brewery.
Don't be fooled by cheap imitations! Fast, easy, simply the Best.
Includes easy to follow DVD hosted by Aussie movie star Paul Mercurio, (Strictly Ballroom)
Even the most novice brewer can be confident of getting it right, the first time and every time.
The World's Best Selling Home Beermaking Kit

Customer Reviews

Good way to start brewing for small investment
Although the kit has some substantial drawbacks, which I'll discuss shortly, it was enough to get me started in home brewing and teach me enough to know what upgrades I needed to make. I rated it a 4 based based primariliy on its value.

The drawbacks are these: 1) the screw on lid to the fermenter bucket is very difficult to take off - it desperately needs a better way to grip it while holding the bucket still. I'm sure I looked pretty comical with the [round] fermenter stuck between my knees while trying to get a grip on the slippery lid; 2)the valve would not stay tightened within the fermenter bucket, and any attempt to open or close the valve with one hand merely twisted the whole valve assembly around in the bucket instead of just rotating the valve open or closed. Sometimes it was very difficult to have two hands free to work the valve. 3) although it was a nice touch to have included a bottle filler with the kit, I wished it was a little better made as it constantly dripped (and the valve is not the size for other bottle fillers, I discovered). Note that some of these problems (size discrepancies, for instance) may be related to the fact that the kit is made in Australia and I'm rating it based on my U.S. experience.

Some of the positives - 1) the bottles are large (25 oz.) so there's less washing, bottling, etc.; 2)the fermenter is HUGE so there's little worry of any disastrous beer explosions during the initial and heavy fermentation period; and 3) the Cooper's carbonation drops are unbelievably easy to use and a great idea (if you keep bottling and don't start kegging or mini-kegging as I did).

Overall, the kit is viable and can get you through enough batches to know whether you like to brew beer at home. If so, you may find yourself wanting to buy more and/or better equipment and using more traditional brewing methods. The canned "hopped" extract beers, like the one included in the kit, are not in my opinion as good as unhopped extract brews using grains and hops, especially if corn sugar is used as the primary fermentable. But it's important to remember that the equipment in the kit can be used for hopped or unhopped extract brewing. If you're curious about brewing beer, but don't want another mortgage to get started, I'd recommend this kit. Then after a few batches (make sure you let them age!) you'll know whether you're interested enough to move onward/upward, keep using the Cooper's Kit (perhaps with unhopped extract and grains), or post it on Ebay.

Arguably the best brew kit you can buy
Before I proceed with this review, I must say that as I am an Australian residing *in* Australia, I am basing this review on the exact same Coopers kits that is available in local shops here. For this reason I cannot comment on this kit in comparison to others on Amazon, such as "Mr Beer" etc.

Well what *can* I say? This kit is fantastic. I have always enjoyed a beer, or two - or even ten - and this kit is capable of making some excellent product with little effort. I have never brewed in my life, yet with this kit I am able to produce some very respectable results when I follow the instructions. Its quite easy, and much less daunting than what I thought it would be.

Everything you need is in this kit, from a large fermenter (mine is 23L, or 40 pints), 30 plastic bottles, instruction manual (as well as DVD and VHS tape in mine), brewing sugar, initial brewing kit etc. Basically you can just purchase this product and get brewing immediately with no need for any extra purchases. Big thanks to Coopers for giving the absolute novice all they need to get brewing.

The instruction manual is decent but the supplied instructional DVD/VHS is extremely helpful. I chuckled seeing Paul Mercurio starring in it, and people who follow Australian cinema will probably do likewise at the incongruity of this casting decision. Anyway, Paul and his "lovely assistant" show you through all of the steps in a lighthearted and straightforward manner. I cannot emphasize how useful it is to actually see somebody do even the most basic steps to give you confidence and know you are on the right track. Sometimes instruction manuals - and mind you, the one included is great - don't cut it for first timers or the timid. Coopers score full marks here.

After you have followed the supplied instructions, give the end result a few more weeks after bottling (I know it can be tempting to guzzle your new creation) - believe me the longer you wait the better. I was very shocked with how good mine turned out, given my inexperience brewing anything. Its stratospherically better than many of the "Aussie Icons" such as the horrendous VB, Fosters etc. I will be sure to keep brewing using my Coopers kit, as it is not only works out much cheaper than buying beer, its also a fun hobby that anyone can have a go at. Not to mention the infinite scope for customizing your brew once you have a bit of confidence.

This product would make an excellent gift to a husband/boyfriend or something that would be undoubtedly worshipped by University / College age people. And not just that, anybody with a love of good beer and interest in what turns out to be quite a fun hobby should give it a go. You don't have to drop a lot of money on this kit, making it even more attractive.

Once you have done a few brews with this kit, may I suggest the Coopers 'Brewmaster Selection' kits, also available on Amazon. These provide other kinds of beer such as India Pale Ale (IPA) and so on. These are EXCELLENT if you wish to go further and expose yourself to what might be new kinds of beer to your tastes.

Another thing to look out for, which sadly does not appear to be for sale on Amazon, is Coopers Brew Enhancer (1 or 2). This is a mixture of Dextrose and other goodies that really add an extra dimension to your beer. For readers outside of Australia, you may have to check with your local brewshop for something that is equivalent. If you are really desperate for all things Coopers, you can order just about anything you could ask for off their website.

In conclusion, all I can say is that if you have ever thought about home brewing, but been daunted by stories of infections, beer that tastes like bilge water or other things, it is time to allay those fears. This Coopers kit will provide you with all you need to make excellent beer, even if you are a total novice. In addition to this, Coopers provide the excellent support you come to expect from a family owned and run business.

Cheers!

Outstanding product and great service too
I purchased the Coopers Micro Brewery kit to upgrade from a smaller kit I already had. I must say that this kit is outstanding! The fermenter is first rate and worth the price of the kit alone. It is very well made and will serve your needs for many years and will even do well for moving up to all extract brewing.

I had a few questions when I got it and the support from the folks "down under" has been nothing short of amazing. They really stand behind their products and have a genuine concern for your success.

I HIGHLY recommend this product and the Coopers brewery folks that put it together.

special types of beer

2009-08-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Beer In Different Countries
By Graham Williams

Beer is brewed in almost every country in the world. Each country produces its own special types of beer. The type of beer produced by a country is based on the type of ingredients it produces. All beers use similar recipes, using hops, barley, water, yeast and sugar. Malt is a process that is done to barley grain. Malted barley is often used to make beer because of its high enzyme content.

Different countries have developed different ways to make beer, which they have carried down through the years.

England

In England the most popular beer is ale. Ale is a dark, hoppy beer traditionally served in pint glasses. English pubs also sell stout and porter. These are dark beers that are traditionally have a strong flavor. Many of the pubs are tied to specific breweries. Guinness is the most famous of the English beers and is available worldwide.

United States

In the USA, lager beer is the most common type of beer. Lager beer is a clear, light, golden, amber-colored brew with a light taste. There are many breweries. In recent years, many microbreweries have sprung up, with many types of beer now available. The USA also imports beer from every country, making it available at bars and liquor stores.

Germany and Austria

In Germany beer is an important part of culture. There are more than 2,000 different beers available. Traditionally, German beer is made using only hops, barley-malt, water and yeast. A law, called the Reinheitsgebot, says that these are the only ingredients that can be used in making beer. German beer is typically a dark, rich beer.

Czech Republic and Slovakia

Beers brewed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are similar to German beers. They are rich beers. Like German beer, no sugar is used in the brewing process. Instead, malted grains are used, which develop enzymes that modify the grains starches into sugars. Czech beer has been brewed for centuries and is a national staple. The Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption, per capita, in the world.

Belgium

Belgian beers allow that sugar can be added before fermentation. This permits them to produce a different type of beer. About 75% of the beers produced in Belgium are pilsners. Belgian beers are quite varied. Belgium is known for their unique ales, called table beers. Other types of unique beers are white, abbey, trapist and lambic, all with their own unique brewing method and flavor.

How to Store Home Brew Beer

2009-08-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

How to Store Home Brew Beer
By James John

To start, home brew beer is not brewed to improve over time. Most of the beers will spoil within in a few months to a year in my opinion. There are very few special beers that will last for years.

There are some things you can do to keep your brew the longest time. Once you have opened the bottle you should drink it and if you should not finish it, you can put it back in the fridge but only for less that 2 hours at most. If it is in there more than 2 hours no matter how tight you sealed the bottle, it will be no good. Yes you can still drink it after that but, it will not taste the same.

Air is the enemy of your brew so stopper well. What is surprising is that normal air is about 79% nitrogen. Nitrogen is used in the kegs and some bottles to give the beer its foamy head. Carbonation drops are used in home brewing for that head of foam. It is the oxygen in air that does the damage with the beer and organisms in the air.

Store your bottles upright so if you should have any remaining yeast it will migrate to the bottom. Otherwise any yeast will accumulate near the bottle neck. Also keep the beer in the dark or in a low light room because ultraviolet light can cause spoilage called skunked. Keeping the brew cool like all food products is best for longer storage and an appetizing ale. The temperature you are looking for is around 50°F to 60°F ideally.

If you do not have special refrigerator for the ale or the idea spot to keep it out of the light you'll just need to give in to the temptation to drink it sooner.

Now, if you want to know how to easily home brew your own delicious beer for fun and great taste. Visit http://www.homebrewingbeerrecipes.com/ and get a free guide on homebrewing beer. The reason I do this is the more people who start home brewing, the more the price of the beer malt extract kits comes down and we all win!

Make Your Own Beer - Homebrewing For Women

2009-08-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Make Your Own Beer - Homebrewing For Women
By Sandy Dee

Have you tried to make your own beer yet? I love brewing my own beer and so do some of my female friends. Men might think that brewing beer is a male prerogative , but that is simply not true. There are a growing number of women who now brew their own beer. We love drinking it as well and that includes my 80 year old mother.

I started my rather unusual hobby when I moved to a country that does not permit alcohol at all. Admittedly my first batch was not all that wonderful, but that soon changed. Bearing in mind that normal ingredients and equipment were not available, a certain amount of experimenting had to be done. Whilst certainly not as good as what I now brew, my beer proved to be very popular - and yes the recipe was shared with everyone who wanted it.

Although I still spend a fair amount of time in a certain Arabian country and have to rely on cannibalized beer making equipment along with somewhat unusual beer brewing ingredients, it is a pleasure when I am able to go home and brew a huge batch of really good beer using one or more of the 13 free recipes that I am offering to give to you (see below), so that you can also make your own beer.

What a pleasure it is to spread a blanket under the trees in my garden on a beautiful sunny day, have a wonderful picnic lunch with three or four friends whilst sipping cool, exquisitely flavored beer from tall glasses.

There is no way that you should let the guys have all the fun - homebrewing is as much for women as it is for men. Men are most definitely not the sole masters of the game. We women make excellent beer and we are not afraid to experiment and create subtle new flavors.

By the way a bottle of homebrew and a pair of attractive glasses make a wonderful and interesting gift, especially if you provide the recipe as well.

The next time a bunch of beer guzzling men come round to your house for a barbecue or to watch a game on TV, why don't you quietly serve them one of your own special homebrew recipes (without telling them what beer it is) and just see how they react. They will be begging you for the name so that they can buy their own.

Did you know that back in the middle ages, the brewing of beer was mainly women's work? These ladies were known as ale-wives. Over the years this eventually proved so lucrative, especially in Scotland where 300 women dominated the market, that eventually in late 1600 laws were passed preventing them from brewing, though it is believed they carried on in secret for another 100 years or more. Eventually, when the First World War started and women were charged with keeping the home fires burning, many ladies once again started up the old tradition of brewing beer.

If you haven't yet attempted to brew your own beer then it is long past time you did. Join me and all the other homebrewing ale-wives out there. It is a fun and inexpensive hobby which will have the men in your life begging for more.

Why Homebrewing is Always Fun!

2009-08-07T09:02:00.001-07:00

Why Homebrewing is Always Fun!
By Mike D Hayden

As anyone who likes to frequent the types of restaurants who display the brass brewing equipment they create their own "house beer" in will tell you, making your own beer the way these establishments do is both simple and a lot of fun.

Obviously it's not possible to fit the the sort of equipment the restaurants use into an apartment or most homes, let alone afford the sort of huge expense that comes with producing large quantities of beer, but worry not - home brewing requires only a fraction of the equipment. Indeed, you'll be amazed at how easy it actually is to create a delicious brew with the minimum of equipment.

To make a start all that is actually needed is some ready-made malt with hops and a fermenter jar with an airlock (six gallons in size). Malting grains was a previously difficult and messy process but with the advent of malt extract in cans it's now extremely straight forward.

It's honestly as easy as this:

Mix.
Brew.
Bottle.
Enjoy!

The actual mixing is done in the fermenter we mentioned before - hot water, malt kit, add cold water and then the yeast. It's similar to a bread machine but even easier. The brewing itself is done by the yeast so no extra work for you followed by simply bottling the result and enjoying the results!

The other benefit to home brewing over buying commercial beers other than the sense of achievement and the fun of it, is the huge money savings you can make. Six gallons of your favourite recipe will cost you between twenty and thirty dollars. Compare that to the big brands and tell me which is most cost efficient!

Last but most definitely not least comes the taste! Home brewed beer just tastes better - why else do the restaurants who brew their own do so much better than the places who just churn out the mass produced stuff you can buy at the gas station? It's because their beer is freshly made, crisp tasting and refreshing.

You can make that beer yourself and taste the difference.

Mr Beer Review - Good Beginner Brewing Kit

2009-08-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Mr Beer Review - Good Beginner Brewing Kit
By Drew Vics

So you want to brew your own beer? It's easier than you think with a Mr. Beer Brewing Kit. The main requirements are clean working conditions (very important), following directions, and patience, Patience, PATIENCE!!

The first two requirements are critical, but if you want a good, clean, tasty beer after spending the time to brew it, you need to exercise patience. Yes, you can have home brewed beer in two weeks, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND You wait Four Weeks. Well, at least three and a half, that's how long I waited to try mine. :)

First, let's run through the brewing process and check out the ingredients, instructions and equipment provided by Mr. Beer.

My first Mr. Beer batch was the West Coast Pale Ale, one of their Standard Brew Packs. It included a can of hopped liquid malt extract, a pouch of Booster™ (they can trademark Booster?) and a packet of dry brewing yeast. Don't panic like I did when you discover that the yeast packets are not in the shipping carton, they're conveniently stowed under the plastic lid on each can of malt extract.

The Boil...

The Mr. Beer brewing process will last approximately 15 minutes once the water is up to temp. Begin heating the water and as it warms stir in and dissolve the Booster™, once it reaches a boil you can turn off the heat and begin stirring in the malt extract (what they call the "beer mix") until it is fully dissolved.

Why such a short boil? In extract brewing where raw hops are added a full 60 minute boil is required so the brewer can introduce specific amounts of hops along the way to achieve the desired result. In the case of the hopped malt extracts included with the Mr. Beer ingredient kit this step is already done for us, there is no need to do anything but fully dissolve the fermentables so the yeast has something to munch on to produce the alcohol.

Once the sugars are all dissolved what you have is called the wort, pronounced "wert." Next you will add your wort to the 4 quarts of cool water already in the keg fermenter (follow the Mr. Beer directions). Add more cool water to bring it to the 8.5 quart mark. I suggest filtered tap water that has been cooled in the fridge, stir it up good. I put the cap on and sloshed it a bit back and forth too, but be careful, the cap is not air tight. Which brings us to...

Fermenting Mr. Beer... No Airlock?

Why is there no airlock on the Mr. Beer fermenter? I'd like to address this because it may raise concerns among home brewers as an open door to contamination. Two small notches in the lip of the fermenter allow carbon dioxide gas to escape, which creates a positive flow of of gas outward from beneath the lid, for most of the fermentation process. The big lid which screws onto the lip of the fermenter provides adequate protection from foreign material and any microorganisms that could potentially take up residence in the fermenting brew.

Microorganisms don't fly around looking for stuff, and they aren't going to slither up the side of your fermenter looking for a way in. If you're work area is clean, the fermenter is clean, you didn't get any nasties onto the lip of the fermenter, AND you leave it covered for the duration of fermentation, you'll be fine. NO PEEKING!

If you want to see what's going on in the fermenter, scale up and buy a glass carboy. The Mr. Brew fermenting keg is dark brown for a reason, yeast works better in the dark. To make your yeast happier yet, keep the fermenter in a dark location, and at a relatively consistent temperature, between 68-76 degrees F according to the Mr. Beer directions. Though I have successfully fermented brews at 65°, right around 70° is the standard. A slight drift high or low, by a couple of degrees, will not mess things up.

Bottling...

Leaving your beer alone for at least two weeks in the fermenter is critical to allow as much settling as possible. You will bottle a clear beer, but there will still be enough yeast remaining to produce sufficient carbonation.

As a result, after two weeks in the bottle you will see a very light layer of sediment. The sediment was so miniscule in my final brews, literally just a dusting, that I was able to enjoy a beer right out of the bottle! Of course, to fully appreciate your home brewed ale you should pour it into the proper glass.

Brewing with liquid extracts in general results in a very clear beer, with a fine layer of sediment at the bottom. If you're seeing a thick bed of white schmutz on the bottom of your bottle, wait longer before bottling next time.

I used standard 12 oz. pop-top bottles that I save when I buy my favorite micro-brewed ales, but you can pick up a Mr. Beer Deluxe Bottling System for about $15. That system includes 8, 20 oz. plastic bottles, so you'll have to buy two sets in order to bottle your whole batch. You'd probably get about 10-12 of those 20 oz. bottles filled, and have a few extras just in case (no pun intended). I got about 18 12 oz. bottles out of my batch.

The Result...

My final beer weighed in at around 3.3% just prior to bottling. At first I thought something had gone wrong but Mr. Beer states that the final ABV should be around 3.7%, under optimum conditions. So I was close enough.

The beer pours a nice pale golden color, has a nice malty nose and a smooth mouthfeel before giving way to a pleasant hop bitterness at the end. As it sat in the glass it became a little fuller in flavor, given some time to "breathe."

It did have that mild homebrewiness to it, but I find that maximum time in the fermenter keeps that to a minimum by reducing the amount of trub the beer will sit on in the bottle.

One disappointment was the rather short lived head. I had to pour rather aggressively to acheive one in the first place, and it only lasted about 15 seconds. The carbonation is a bit inconsistent due to the addition of priming sugar to each bottle, in dry form, prior to bottling.

A typical priming situation involves dissolving dry malt extract or corn sugar into a small amount of water and stirring that solution thoroughly into the fermented beer before bottling, which results in more consistent carbonation.

One suggestion for priming with a Mr. Beer set up would be to dissolve no more than 3/8 of a cup of priming sugar (you can use confectioner's corn sugar) into 1 pint of hot water. Let it cool then divide evenly among the bottles before bottling the beer, just about 1/2 ounce per bottle should do it. This will help you get an even amount of priming sugar into each one, resulting in even carbonation. Better this than adding the dry sugar to each bottle and hoping it all dissolves into the cool wort.

You can estimate how much to add by measuring a 1/2 ounce of water and seeing how far up it goes in the bottle, then just add this much of the sugar mix to each bottle before adding the wort. It will mix as the wort flows in, but feel free to swirl it a bit as it fills. By the way, you can trust my measurements, I did the math. :)

In Conclusion...

I titled this post "Mr. Beer - Good Beginner Brewing Kit" but in fact it is a great kit to keep around and reuse, even for the more advanced brewer. The Mr. Beer kit offers a quick, convenient, and virtually hassle-free way to make very good tasting beer over and over again. I highly recommend it for anyone who'd like to give home brewing a try, but doesn't know where to start. This is a great way to get your feet wet, and learn the basics of the home brewing process.

Happy Brewing!

beer making kit

2009-08-07T07:11:00.001-07:00

Beer Making Kit - The Best Way to Homebrew?
By Dave Dee N

OK! So you're thinking of joining the thousands who partake in this fine, rewarding and delicious hobby of making their own beer... But, you might ask, is using a beer making kit the best way to homebrew? Well, here are the key points that should help you decide.

Kits Are Easy To Use

No question, if you are just starting out then using kits is certainly the easy way to go. But a great many people also choose to stay with them, and no surprise. They are very straightforward to use -- no mess and difficulty of malting your own grains as in the traditional way.

Instead, everything comes ready prepared and it's just a matter of mixing those ingredients with water, letting the yeast do the fermenting, and then bottling. Nice and easy, and before long you can be sipping your delicious brew.

But Do You Lose Quality?

Now, if it's so easy with a kit what about the quality? Doesn't that suffer? Somehow one feels that the amount of work that goes into the long traditional way of homebrewing should pay off in better quality and taste. But ... that's not so. With the excellent kits available nowadays there is no loss of quality. You can achieve the truly delicious flavors and quality of homebrew, but with ease.

What is more, using kits is reliable. With the traditional method, any little mistake in the procedure can spell disaster or certainly compromise the quality. With kits nowadays you can confidently brew the best tasting beers, relax and enjoy the process -- instead of worrying over how it will turn out.

What About the Cost of Kits?

A good microbrewery kit will cost about $90 but that gives you all the equipment you need, and it's completely reusable. Then the individual malt kits, for whatever type of beer you currently fancy, will cost $20-30 and give you six gallons.

Remember, any type of homebrewing requires equipment and buying ingredients, and traditional brewing generally requires more of everything because there are more processes. So on balance kits really offer great value.
All the more so when you factor in the reliability of these simple-to-use kits, and the cost of a failed brew using the traditional method. And of course, kits also save you considerable time.

What Varieties Can You Brew with Kits?

You know, there is nothing to match the delicious taste of homebrewed beer -- the commercial brands don't come close. But with kits nowadays you also have all the variety to choose from -- ales, lager, stout, all the classics -- and you can also have fun creating your own original blends and flavors. Try honey beers, or spiced ales, or experiment with the famous Goat Scrotum Ale (actually, it's delicious).

The variety and sheer quality of beers you can homebrew these days is enough to tempt any beer lover, and using kits just makes it easier and all the more enjoyable.

calcium chloride cacl2

2009-08-07T07:09:00.001-07:00

The Many Uses For Calcium Chloride
By Matthew McKernan

There are many uses for calcium chloride. It can be used in the industry, food, and can also be used in medicine. It is as basic salt. There are very common uses for CaCl2. It is used in the brine for refrigeration plants it is also used for ice and dust control for the roads and it is also in concrete.

Because it is able to absorb the water materials from its surroundings it has to be kept in a container with a lid. But because of its ability to absorb the water molecules it works great in the industry. The industry uses the CaCl2 to remove moisture. It is commonly used to pack drying tubes, because it excludes atmospheric moisture from a reaction set-up while still allowing gases to escape. The CaCl2 cannot be used to dry alkaline gases like ammonia because it forms addition things. It also added to liquids to remove delayed or dissolved water. This is just some of the uses that the industry uses it for.

The CaCl2 is also helpful in the food industry. The food industry uses it for many things but we going to go over a few. It is allowed by the European Union for additives to food. The US Food and Drug Administration also generally recognize the CaCl2 as safe.

It is used as an electrolyte in sports drinks. It also helps to keep canned vegetables firm. With the CaCl2 in the canned veggies it helps keep it firm without raising the sodium level. When it is used for brewing beer the calcium chloride is sometimes used to fix the mineral deficiencies in the brewing water. It also affects the flavor and the chemical reactions during the brewing process and it also affects the yeast function during the fermentation.

Now for the pharmaceutical industry it does help with many things. The calcium chloride can help with insect bites for example it can help with the bite from a Black Widow Spider. It also helps hypocalcaemia, which is a low serum calcium level in the blood. They can inject the calcium chloride intravenous therapy.

It can be used to quickly treat Calcium Channel Blocker toxicity, from the side effects of some drugs. The water form of calcium chloride is used in the genetic transformation of cells. It does this by increasing the membrane permeability; influence the competence for the DNA uptake. Allowing DNA fragments to enter the cell more readily.

There are so many uses for calcium chloride it is used in just about every field.

Beer in Texas - The History of Texas Breweries and Their German Influences

2009-08-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

Beer in Texas - The History of Texas Breweries and Their German Influences
By Billy Bristol

In the 1840's, German immigrants began to come to Texas in large numbers, and because of that, beer in Texas was not far behind. Texas beer has become a favorite of beer lovers in and out of the state.

When Charles Nimitz, who was the grandfather of Admiral Chester Nimitz, acquired his frontier hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas in 1855, he felt it was natural to have his own beer brewery. Residents of Fredericksburg, as well as noted guests such as Robert E. Lee, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Ulysses S. Grant thought the brewery was a great idea. This establishment became the focal point for the town, and to this day is considered the beginning of Texas beer history.

Scholz's Garden, the old watering hole in Austin Texas, has been serving beer since 1866. About that same time, City Brewery of San Antonio, under owner Otto Koehler, built a small plant that became the headquarters for Pearl Beer in 1885. Pearl later became the first beer of Texas to be distributed outside its immediate area. Pearl purchased its formula from a brewery in Bremen, Germany that called its beer "Perle" because of the bubbles that would rise in the glass when the beer is poured.

German and Czech farmers near the small town of Shiner, Texas started another Old World brewery back in 1909. To make the kind of beer they wanted, the founders of this brewery hired Kosmos Spoetzl, a Bavarian whose family had a beer recipe that dated back several generations. To this day, the Spoetzl Brewery makes its Shiner and Shiner Bock beers using the same formula. And most tasks of the brewing process are still done by hand, using one of the smallest commercial brew kettles in the United States.

Both Pearl and Shiner survived Prohibition, at a time when most breweries did not. This was because they sold other products temporarily, such as "near beer" and ice. After Otto Koehler's death, his wife Emma guided Pearl through those tough times. In 1933, and just 15 minutes after the repeal of Prohibition, more than 100 trucks and 25 boxcars loaded with beer rolled out of the Pearl plant to destinations throughout the state.

Within 10 years, the Lone Star Brewery joined Pearl in San Antonio, and became the third of the major breweries in Texas, and continue to produce and distribute beer which Texans enjoy today.

These were not the only breweries in Texas coming from German influences, however. In recent years, the Dallas Brewing Company, a new microbrewery, began to release a series of barley-malt beers made under the traditional German Purity Law of 1516. The German brewing heritage is still very strong in Texas after 150 years, and appears likely to thrive for many more years to come.

Beer for beginners

PH Testing Equipment for Beer

Sybon Refractometer with Automatic Temperature Compensation

Sybon Refractometer with Automatic Temperature Compensation From ALMO PETS & AQUARIUM LIMITED

Muntons Malt Extract, Liquid, Unhopped Wheat

Muntons Malt Extract, Liquid, Unhopped Wheat, 3.3-Pound Cans (Pack of 2) From Muntons

Organic Pellet Hop Sampler

Organic Pellet Hop Sampler: 8 oz. For Home BrewingFrom Seven Bridges Cooperative

Product Description

Product Details

Features

Legal Disclaimer

Customer Reviews

3 Piece Plastic Airlock

3 Piece Plastic Airlock (Sold in sets of 3)From Learn To Brew

Product Description

Product Details

Features

Customer Reviews

Miller's Honey

Miller's Honey, Wild, 3-Pound Jar (Pack of 2)From Miller

Product Description

Product Details

Features

Legal Disclaimer

Customer Reviews

Lalvin 71B-1122 Yeast

Lalvin 71B-1122 Yeast From Lallemend Inc

Beer Line Cleaning Kit

Beer Line Cleaning Kit 1 Qt. Bottle w/ 33 oz. CleanerFrom Beverage Factory

Product Description

Product Details

Features

Customer Reviews

Two Tap Wall Mount Refrigerator Conversion Kit w/ 5# CO2 Tank From Kegworks

Two Tap Wall Mount Refrigerator Conversion Kit w/ 5# CO2 Tank From Kegworks

Johnson Controls Manual Thermostat Control Unit From Beverage Factory

Johnson Controls Manual Thermostat Control UnitFrom Beverage Factory

Product Description

Product Details

Features

Customer Reviews

Finings

Contents

Actions

Nutritional and vegetarian concerns

Notes

References

External links

Hard water

Contents

Hardness

Types of hard water

Temporary hardness

Permanent hardness

Measurement

Indices

Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)

Ryznar Stability Index (RSI)

Puckorius Scaling Index (PSI)

Other indices

Health considerations

Softening

Process

Effects on skin

Regional information

Hard water in Australia

Hard water in Canada

Hard water in England and Wales

Hard water in the United States

See also

References

External links

Grains of paradise

Aframomum melegueta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Characteristics

Uses

Properties

Sybon Refractometer with Automatic Temperature Compensation
From ALMO PETS & AQUARIUM LIMITED

Muntons Malt Extract, Liquid, Unhopped Wheat, 3.3-Pound Cans (Pack of 2)
From Muntons

Organic Pellet Hop Sampler: 8 oz. For Home Brewing
From Seven Bridges Cooperative

3 Piece Plastic Airlock (Sold in sets of 3)
From Learn To Brew

Miller's Honey, Wild, 3-Pound Jar (Pack of 2)
From Miller

Lalvin 71B-1122 Yeast
From Lallemend Inc

Beer Line Cleaning Kit 1 Qt. Bottle w/ 33 oz. Cleaner
From Beverage Factory

Two Tap Wall Mount Refrigerator Conversion Kit w/ 5# CO2 Tank
From Kegworks

Johnson Controls Manual Thermostat Control Unit
From Beverage Factory