Brew News Online
Issue # 3, 1998
Hey!
It's that time of year again. 'Tis the season to be jolly
and I know that all you wine and beer-makers out there have
lots of reasons to be jolly this Christmas! After all you
have a cellar full of the best wine and beer on this planet.
The stuff you made yourself, you just can't beat it.
This
was an exciting year for us at Brewery Lane. We made lots
of changes, added new product lines and launched this website.
We expect an even busier year next year and have lots of
changes and new additions in mind so stay tuned. Our website
was a phenomenal success and we are planning lots of new
additions to it in the next year.
I hope
you and yours will have a very happy holiday. Be careful
and please don't drink and drive this holiday season. I'll
catch you in the New Year. Here comes the millennium!
- Bill
Reddy
Serve Mine Cloudy Please!
I have
been involved in many beer competitions over the past years
and there is something that continues to bother me. Home
brewers seem infatuated with making crystal clear beer.
Now this in itself is not all that bad. The problem is that
a lot of brewers will sacrifice the quality of their brew
for the sake of clarity. I have judged at competitions where
beers scored high marks for appearance, but when the beer
was tasted the scores dropped dramatically. It is much more
important to make beer that tastes good. First, let's look
at the reason we have such an obsession with beer clarity.
North
American commercial breweries started it all.
German
Hefeweizen beer is cloudy in appearance yet it is enjoyed
by millions. Anyone who has visited the pubs in Britain can
tell you that your pint is not always crystal clear. So if
the rest of the world is not concerned about beer clarity
why are we bothered so much by it? The answer is that our
North American commercial breweries have conditioned us. For
years they have had a monopoly on what type of beer we drank
and have defined for us how beer should look and taste. There
are still millions of Canadians who don't even realize that
there are hundreds of different beer styles available throughout
the world. The only beer they know and drink is the light-coloured
factory beers served up by our two major breweries. So now
that we know the reason for our obsession let's see what we
should be doing as home brewers to improve the flavour of
our beers.
Steps
you can take to make your beer more flavourful.
Step
1:
Start out by making the flavour of your beer the #1 priority.
Use fresh quality hops and malt. Check expiry dates and avoid
bargain brand products that are heavily adulterated with sugar.
Reduce any added sugar to 10% of the total fermentables, that's
about 500 grams for an average beer kit.
Step
2:
Most off-tastes in beer are the result of slow starting
fermentations. Avoid this by using at least 2 packets of
yeast. Better yet, make a starter using pure liquid yeast
cultures. Liquid yeast cultures make a cleaner tasting beer-
you should learn to use them. Ferment your beer at the proper
temperature avoiding wide fluctuations.
Step
3:
Use a two-stage fermentation. Begin your fermentation in
an air-locked bucket or carboy. When the fermentation is
complete transfer your beer into an air-locked carboy. Top
it up with cooled boiled water and let it settle in a cold
place for about ten days. Don't splash when transferring.
Don't use buckets as a secondary fermenter. Using improper
secondaries will result in oxidized beer. Oxidation is the
most common fault found in home brew. Transfer your beer
only once. Some people transfer several times to try and
achieve maximum clarity. This will ruin your beer. Each
time you transfer your beer it picks up oxygen.
Step
4:
Avoid splashing your beer when bottling. Remember oxygen
is your enemy here. Fill your bottles to within 3/4 of an
inch to the top. After your beer is carbonated store it
in the refrigerator to maintain freshness and flavour.
So
there you have it. If you follow these steps you will make
your best-tasting beer ever and that is what really counts.
I'll be looking for you in the winner's circle.
Samuel Adams Tastes Alike
1.8kg
(4.0lb) Coopers Real Ale
500 g Dry Malt Extract
4 cups of dextrose
450 g (1lb) crystal malt
350 g (3/4oz) Saaz hops
23 g (3/4oz) of Saaz hops
Procedure:
Steep 450 g of crystal malt for 30 minutes in 2 litres of
water heated to 76ºC. Strain out the grains. Bring the water
level to 4 litres, add the syrup from the real ale kit,
4 cups of dextrose and 25 g Saaz hops. Boil for 60 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the 20 g Saaz hops for finishing.
Cool the pot of wort in a sink of water for 20 minutes and
transfer to a fermenter. Top up to 23 litres with cold water.
Add the yeast from the Coopers Real Ale kit and ferment
as usual.
Your Questions
The
instructions for adding yeast in my wine kit differs from
the instructions written on the yeast packet. Which should
I follow?
The instructions in most wine kits will tell you to sprinkle
the yeast on top of the juice without stirring. The instructions
on your yeast packet tells you to rehydrate the yeast in
a small amount of warm water before adding it to the juice.
Either way will work, but the rehydration method has the
potential to give you more active healthy yeast cells. By
following the rehydration instructions on the yeast packet
exactly as written you can get up to 60% more active yeast
cells. This means stronger, healthier fermentation with
less chance of undesirable off-flavours and stuck fermentations.
The caveat here is that if you do not follow the rehydration
instructions exactly you may cause even more damage to the
yeast cells. This is why the wine kit producers usually
give instructions for the more foolproof sprinkle method.
I
am concerned about introducing bacteria to my wine while
transferring it. Is there a better way to start a siphon
than sucking on the hose?
This has always been a concern for wine and beer makers.
My opinion is that when the wine or beer is fermented its
alcohol content and lower pH makes it a hostile environment
for common bacteria. It is relatively safe at this time
to start a siphon hose by sucking on it. I have been doing
this for years without any noticeable effect in the quality
of my beer or wine. You should never use this method to
transfer the unfermented juice or wort. If you are concerned
about sucking on the hose or just don’t like getting yeasty
wine or beer in your mouth there is a nifty little gadget
available called the Auto Siphon. The Auto Siphon starts
your siphon effortlessly even in small amounts of liquid.
Do
I have to protect my beer from light?
Your beer will be affected by exposure to light causing
it to develop a skunky aroma and an unpleasant taste. If
your fermenters are exposed to light cover them to keep
the light out. You can get covers made especially for this
or you can use a garbage bag or a blanket. Store your bottled
beer in boxes and try to keep them out of direct light.
Brown bottles will give the best protection.
How
long will my beer keep?
Contrary to popular belief beer tastes best when it is fresh.
You should try to drink your beer within 6 months of brewing.
Old beer takes on a rubbery taste and smell. To maintain
freshness you should refrigerate your beer after carbonation
has taken place. Some beers such as Belgian Lambics and
Barley Wines are an exception to this rule and can be aged
for years.
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