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brewing-msg - 10/31/06

 

General brewing info and sources.

 

NOTE: See also the files: beverages-msg, mead-msg, beer-msg, wine-msg, cider-art, cider-msg, p-bottles-msg, small-beer-msg. Mead-Mkng-Tps-art, bev-distilled-msg, Ale-a-Beer-lnks.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given  by the individual authors.

 

Please respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these messages. The copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear  at this time. If information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

   Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                         Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: jpullen at goodnet.com (James)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Liquid Libations.......

Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 19:07:16 GMT

 

For all of you who have been asking about making wines, meads, etc.,

here is the address of a catalog I just received in the mail.  They

seem to have almost everything related to wine making and brewing...

 

E. C. Kraus

P. O. Box 7850

Independence, MO 64054

 

 

From: barat at ionet.net (S. Pursley)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Brewing Handbook

Date: 17 Jun 1996 23:51:44 GMT

Organization: Internet Oklahoma

 

adamoferin at aol.com (AdamofErin) wrote:

> Unto the Good Gentles of the known world, does Lord Adam send warm

> greetings.

>

> My shire is doing a brewer's handbook as a fund raiser for our Kingdom,

> and we are in desperate need of material.  My Shire is Highland Foorde and

> the Kingdom is Atlantia.  If you would care to donate any recipes to this

> venture it would be greatly appreciated.  I will personally garuntee that

> you will get credit for that recipe. When you send it to me include your

> name (Mundane and SCA), your Kingdom and your shire.  If you want to you

> can e-mail me direct at AdamofErin at aol.com.

 

My name is Lord Barat FitzWalter Reynolds (MKA, Stephen Pursley), I am a

Master Vintner of the Honorable Brotherhood of Brewers and Vintners.

 

You will find an extensive set of documents on the brewing of mead at:

www.oklahoma.net/~herron/barat/index.html

 

You may use any of the information you find there.  There are several

paragraphs on basic brewing techniques, a section on equipment (mead, beer

and wine), and many mead recipies.  If you need to contact me, you can

reach me at herron at okc.oklahoma.net.  Or call me, my phone number is on my

resume that's slung off the web page.

 

    Share the Knowledge

    Barat

 

 

From: Richard Bainter <pug at interval.net>

To: bryn-gwlad at eden.com

Subject: Re: Brewers' Guild

Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 11:45:10 -0500 (CDT)

 

> I have a question about beer.  Does anybody have a clue as to why my

> beers have had a citrusy taste?

 

Besides yeast, here's another reference:

 

----

G09. SUCROSE VS. CORN SUGAR

 

Both will ferment equally well in your wine, and usually may be used

interchangeably, though in different amounts.

 

For those of you with really distinguishing palates, sucrose (table

sugar) will give a beverage a fruity character; corn sugar, a malty

character.

 

3/4 unit of sucrose equals 1 unit of corn sugar; therefore if your

recipe calls for 1 unit of sugar, you should use 1 1/3 units corn sugar.

----

 

And check out http://alpha.rollanet.org/Library.html.

--

Phelim Uhtred Gervas  | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something

Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |  graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with

House Flaming Dog     |  vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes

pug at pug.net           |  beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"

 

 

From: mshapiro at nando.net (mshapiro)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Brewing Handbook

Date: 21 Jun 1996 03:53:13 GMT

 

: adamoferin at aol.com (AdamofErin) wrote:

: > My shire is doing a brewer's handbook as a fund raiser for our Kingdom,

: > and we are in desperate need of material.  My Shire is Highland Foorde and

: > the Kingdom is Atlantia.  If you would care to donate any recipes to this

: > venture it would be greatly appreciated.  I will personally garuntee that

: > you will get credit for that recipe. When you send it to me include your

: > name (Mundane and SCA), your Kingdom and your shire.  If you want to you

: > can e-mail me direct at AdamofErin at aol.com.

 

I am Ld Alexander Mareschal, Royal Brewer, Atlantia.  Please check out my

WEB page, listed below.  It contains full text of two of my articles,

which were published in TI and my CA on alcoholic beverages.  Feel free

to use any information from this page which you find useful.  I only ask

that you credit myself and the original publication.  Also, please

include the URL of my page.  This will insure that as many people as

possible will get the most access possible to shared knowledge.

--

Marc Shapiro                    mshapiro at nando.net

                               See my WEB page:  The Meadery at

                               http://www.webbuild.com/~mshapiro/index.html

 

THL Alexander Mareschal         Canton of Kappelenburg

                               Barony of Windmasters Hill

                               Kingdom of Atlantia

 

 

From: Marc Shapiro <mn.shapiro1 at mindspring.com>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Recipe for Cordials?

Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 22:02:18 -0500

 

> I read your cordial recipe and it sounds fairly easy.  I am looking for

> documentation for cordials.  I have never researched these.

 

Check out the Web page listed below (either one will reach the same set

of pages).  In the section on Research Papers is a link to "Alcoholic

Drinks of the Middle Ages" which has a chapter on cordials.  This

includes history, a little 'How to" and some period recipes, as well.

While your at it, check out the rest of the link, which has similar

information for wine, beer, mead, whisky, brandy and vinegar.

 

This link is the complete text of the CA #60 of same name.

 

The site also has links to other sites on the theme of brewing and

vinting with lots of information to be had.  The Cider and Perry sites

have some nice info on traditional methods, as I recall.

--

Marc Shapiro                                      

mn.shapiro1 at mindspring.com

 

THL Alexander Mareschal       Canton of Kappelenburg       Kingdom of

Atlantia

 

           http://www.mindspring.com/~mn.shapiro1/index.html    

           http://www.geocities.com/Paris/1265/index.html

 

 

From: Brian Shafer <shafer at kingsnet.com>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Wassail recipe

Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 14:34:50 -0800

 

On Tue Nov 26 1996, Holly Allan wrote:

>I've been following this thread for a bit and I'd love to try some

>of the recipies that have been posted.  I do however have one question,

>and please excuse me if the answer is obvious; but could you please tell

>me what "Cyser" is?

 

Cyser is cider but it has extra adder sugar (usally honey) to produce a

higher alcohol content.  Apple juice fermented by itself is cider just

as honey and water (plus a few brewing chemicals) is mead.  When you add

fruits or spices it is technically something else.  Mead with fruit is

called melomel and mead with spices is called metheglin.  Also on the

same note grape wine made with honey is called pyment and pyment made

with herbs is called hippocras.  Confusing isn't it?  

If yoou really are interested in making mead and cider and such here are

a few books I suggest. Making Mead (Honey Wine) by Roger A. Morse

published by wicwas press, Making Mead by Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan

published by G.W. Kent, Inc. and Swet and Hard Cider Making it, using

it, and enjoying it by Annie Proulx and Lew Nichols published by Garden

Way Publishing.  Enjoy!

 

Brian Shafer

 

 

Date: Tue, 03 Dec 1996 16:24:46 -0600

From: Damaris of Greenhill <damaris at geocities.com>

To: ansteorra at eden.com

Subject: Re: Mead Brewing?

 

Larkin O'Kane wrote:

> Can anyone tell me how to stop the fermentation process when the mead

> reaches the desired alcohol/sweetness point? I relise that keeping it

> in the refrigerator will do the trick but it only holds so much.

> Someone suggested heating the bottles of mead but I don't know what

> temperature is sufficient and how long to keep the bottles at that

> temperature.

 

One thing you can do, is to keep adding sugar syrup.  Eventually the

alcohol content will get high enough to kill any yeast.  That's not too

good if you have achieved the level of alcohol/sweetness that you want.

 

Brewing supply stores sell "yeast stabilizer" which kills the yeast

supposedly. I haven't had much luck with it unless I use it in

conjunction with camden tablets.  If sulfites don't bother you then you

can use camden alone about 1-2 tablets per gallon.

 

 

Subject: Re: Mead Brewing?

To: ansteorra at eden.com

Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 12:12:52 -0600 (CST)

From: "Pug Bainter" <pug at pug.net>

 

> Can anyone tell me how to stop the fermentation process when the mead

> reaches the desired alcohol/sweetness point? I relise that keeping it

> in the refrigerator will do the trick but it only holds so much.

> Someone suggested heating the bottles of mead but I don't know what

> temperature is sufficient and how long to keep the bottles at that

> temperature.  

 

There are lots of ways of doing this, some work, some don't very

well.

 

Refridgeration only makes the yeast go dorment. They will start up

again if they can get above a certain temperature. Matter of fact, some

yeasts want to ferment at colder temps. They take much longer though.

I believe in once refridgerated, always refridgerated.

 

Adding a stabalizing agent. I've not had much luck this way. Some info

from the wine.faq is:

 

   Sorbate:  Potassium sorbate.  A substance that is noxious to yeasts

   and as such is used as a stabilizer.  It should be noted that sorbate's

   effectiveness depends on low yeast counts in the wine; if it's high, it

   will be inneffective.  Clear your wine properly, and ferment out to sg

   1.000 or less.

 

   Sulphite (or sulphate):  Referring to sodium metabisulphite or potassium

   metabisulphite.  A substance that is noxious to many spoilage

   microorganisms and wild yeasts and as such is used as a microbiological

   and oxidative inhibitor and stabilizer.  It should be noted that

   sulphite's effectiveness depends on low organism counts in the wine; if

   it's high, it will be inneffective.  Clear your wine properly and

   ferment out to sg 1.000 or less.

 

Pasteurization is done by steeping in a water bath at 60 C (140 F),

and hold this temperature for 20 mins. Cool to 18 C (74 F). I've never

tried this. I've heard lots of people have bottles explode doing this.

 

I believe in either using a yeast that will stop at the desired

sweetness, usually ale yeasts work well and the one I use stops at

about 10% alcohol, or starting with a higher opening SG. Champagne

and wine yeasts go from 8 to 18% depending on the strain. Letting

fermentation go to it's full extent will also leave a clearer wine in

the end. (Less dregs at the bottom.)

Btw, although clearing agents help some, a single yeast cell can start

it all off again.

 

Phelim Uhtred Gervas  | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something

Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |  graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with

House Flaming Dog     |  vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes

pug at pug.net           |  beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"

 

 

Subject: Re: Mead Brewing?

To: ansteorra at eden.com

Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 14:01:23 -0600 (CST)

From: "Pug Bainter" <pug at pug.net>

 

>> In those cases had the yeast gotten to alcohol tolerence or simply

>> ran out of food/sugar? Since most wine references I seen suggest to

>> get the SG down as close to 1.000 as possible, I would think that

>> they simply didn't have any more sugar to convert.

> I've never made such measurements in the mead I've made. Are you saying

> that as the sugar is used up the S. G. approaches 1.0?

 

That's what I'm saying. 1.000 is the SG (density) of standard water at

70F (?). If I remember right, alcohol has a lower SG than water. I don't

know much about the actual chemistry though and should pick up a book

on it. (*grumbles for thinking he didn't have to have chemistry in school*)

 

> Is this reading

> affected only by the sugar content? Or do other things that have been

> added affect it also?

 

It's mostly the sugar (fermentable and non-fermentable) content. Other

things do affect it, but usually only minorly in my experience. (ie.

spices and other flavorings, actual pulp will skew it though)

 

> If 1.0 means no sugar then that would be a very dry mead.

 

Yes it is and would. I know a lot of people who like it this way though.

 

> What kind of numbers should one expect to see:

> a) at the first, when you start brewing?

 

We start at about 1.130 to 1.150 with our stuff. This can ferment out to

18-20% given the right yeasts. Some people suggest to stay below 1.100

which is about 14% if fermented out.

 

> b) at the end for a sweet mead?

 

I would guess around 1.020 to 1.040 for a sweet mead. The one we entered

was at 1.052 and might have been a little too sweet for some folks.

 

Btw, we took third in the mead category despite being entered improperly

as a traditional mead when it's a metheglin mead. (*grumbles at entry

people*) We don't know if we would have placed any higher if entered in

the correct catagory since we still had good marks. One of the meads

that beat us took 1st runner up overall. (Of course it was a young mead

that hadn't aged anywhere near long enough. Next time we'll do it right

by planning in advance instead of entering at the last moment with what

we were currently bottling.)

 

> c) at the end for a dry mead?

 

Since most of the sugar in honey is fermentable it will come close to or

below 1.000.

 

Take a look at http://alpha.rollanet.org/~tamhc/hall/mead_judging.txt

for some real good guidelines for judging. Some of the relevant

information is:

 

Varietal modifier: The variety of honey that a mead is made from will often

   have a large effect on the flavor of the mead. The brewer should specify

   the varietal honey (for example, clover or orange blossom). The mead should

   have some character from the varietal honey, especially if it is a

   traditional mead.

Strength (Hydromel / Standard / Sack) modifier: The strength of a mead is

   primarily based on the original gravity. Hydromels (watered mead) will have

   specific gravities roughly less than 1.080. Standard strength meads will be

   in the original gravity range from 1.080 to 1.120. Sack meads will

   generally be greater than 1.120. This modifier was designed so that

   well-made delicate hydromels will not be overlooked in favor of the more

   emphatic sack meads.  Make sure to judge each strength of mead according to

   its own merits.

Sweetness (Dry / Medium / Sweet) modifier: The perceived sweetness is largely

   a function of the final specific gravity, but other variables such as the

   acidity will also have an effect. Roughly, a dry mead will have a final

   gravity less than 1.010, a medium mead will fall in the range from 1.010 to

   1.025, and a sweet mead will be greater than 1.025.

Carbonation Level (Still / Sparkling) modifier: Still meads should have

   little or no carbonation. Some slight carbonation is acceptable. Sparkling

   meads should have a definite effervescence and tingly mouthfeel. Tiny

   bubbles are preferable to large bubbles.

 

> d) are the numbers similar for wines?

 

And ciders as well. Beers are a completely different ballgame due to the

materials used and the alcohol contents desired.

 

From a humor file I got today:

 

In Kentucky it is by law that anyone who has been drinking is "sober"

until he or she "cannot hold onto the ground."

 

Phelim Uhtred Gervas  | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something

Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |  graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with

House Flaming Dog     |  vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes

pug at pug.net           |  beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"

 

 

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 18:35:27 -0400

Subject: Re: SC - kvas

 

Mark Harris wrote:

> >A primary fermenter, such as is used with English ales, is helpful here,

> >or you'll almost certainly clog the airlock and explode!

>

> What is a ³primary fermenter²? I¹ve made mead but not beer or ale.

 

A primary fermenter is usually a sort of bucket with a snap-on top. Some

modern English recipes call for doing the first fermentation, which

produces a lot of gunky foam which generally dries to the consistency of

concrete, in such a fermenter, often topped with some kind of plastic

wrap, before going to the standard secondary fermenter, which is usually

a glass carboy with a water-filled airlock fitted to it. If you don't

watch it carefully, and do a primary fermentation in a carboy, there's a

chance the airlock will get clogged with dried foam, and some sort of

explosion might result. For our batch of kvass we used a wide-mouthed

glass demijohn, formerly used for making wine. It has a snap-on top with

a pinhole punched in it, to relieve excess gas pressure. Had there been

any problems with clogging, the top just lifts off, and you can go in

with something like a stainless-steel spoon to remove the crud.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Sat, 07 Jun 1997 00:06:36 -0400 (EDT)

From: ALBAN at delphi.com

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Re: pre-1600 documentation on Mead

 

(I knew I had an answer to this, but it took me a while to

remember it.)

 

Check out "Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book", by Hilary Spurling.

(New York, Viking/Penguin, 1986, and the ISBN's downstairs.

I can get it for you if you want it.)

 

Spurling was rummaging through her attic one afternoon, according

to her foreward, and she came across a manuscript inherited by her

husband, from one of his distant ancestors, the aforementioned

Lady Elinor Fettiplace. The recipe book was dated roughly 1604....

 

Spurling took it, read it, tested out some of the recipes in both

the original and redacted versions, did some historical research

(her profession is historian), and *poof* wrote a book on it.

 

Good stuff: not only recipes, but also _when_ they'd be likely to

serve what. The  chapters are the months; every chapter/month

has recipes and such in it appropriate to that month.

 

(Fettiplace's household went through something like 20 barrels of

ale/beer for the Twelfth Night festivities.....)

 

It's unfortunately out of print, I believe, so check Amazon, or

my personal favorite bookstore, Powell's in Portland Oregon,

where I stumbled across both of my copies.

 

Alban

 

 

Subject: Re: Great Books for the SCA Tradition

To: ansteorra at eden.com

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 07:29:36 -0500 (CDT)

From: "Pug Bainter" <pug at pug.net>

 

> The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing

 

I must disagree. *grin*

 

I think that Homebrewing should be passed on from person to person. (Or

learned in my favorite method, trial and error.)

 

If you want some "period" recipes, try Cindy Renfro's "A Sip Through Time".

It does nothing for teaching how to brew, but is a nice place to find a

lot of period and close to period recipes. (Some of them blantently not

though.) It has a few flaws, but I overlook those. (They are mostly in

the recipe ingredients and the "time to completion". She tried to be

correct, but missed here and there.)

 

Phelim "Pug" Gervase  |  "If you want my views of history,

Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |   there is something you should know.

House Flaming Dog     |   The three men I admire the most are

pug at pug.net           |   Curly, Larry and Moe." --Meatloaf

 

 

From: Hugh Niewoehner <hughn at ssd.fsi.com>

Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 12:58:41 -0500

To: ansteorra at eden.com

Subject: Subject: Brewing books/methods...

 

>> Anyway there is one called Making Mead.  The

>> authors name escapes me right now.

Acton - Duncan

 

From my wine makers handout:

"The Amateur Winemaker" in England publishes a book called Making Mead.

The authors, Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan, have compiled a bit of the

history behind mead, including the origin of the term "honeymoon" as well

as a good beginners guide to amateur wine making.  It's well worth the

couple of dollars that it costs.  

 

One of the best though has got to be: