Questions :

Water

• Do I really have to boil all my water?

Malt Extract

• Which is better to prime with : Corn Sugar or Malt Extract?
• What's a good substitute for this type of extract?
• Does anyone know the composition of this type of extract?

Hops

• What does "noble hops" mean?
• When is the right time to add finishing hops?
• Which hop is best to substitute for XXX?
• How do you dry fresh hops?
• How can I use my friend's hops that he grows?
• How do I dry hop my beer?
• Are hops toxic to dogs?
• Can hops help you get to sleep at night?

Yeast

• Is it OK to use the yeast which comes with the beer kit?
• The yeast won't settle out in my beer. Is it infected?
• Is liquid yeast better than dry yeast?
• I made a yeast starter but now I cannot brew. What do I do?

• How do I use rice in my beer?
• How do I use flaked or malted wheat in my beer?
• How long can I store grains?
• What's the best way to store grains?

Fruit and Vegetables

• How do I use fruit in my beer?
• How do I use pumpkin in my beer?

Miscellaneous

• How important are Gypsum Salts (or Brewing Salts) in the brewing process?

Answers :

Water

• Do I really have to boil all my water?
  > I keep seeing conflicting reports on whether or not it is
  > safe to use the water right out of my tap. Can I, or do I
  > have to boil it?
  
  Although there are many experienced brewers who will differ with me on this point (many of whose opinions I regard very highly), I personally consider tapwater to be safe for brewing if it is safe for drinking. If your water is clear, odorless, and doesn't make you sick, then use it for brewing. IMO it's a waste of time to be boiling it unless you suspect it might not be OK. If you are on a city supply, then check with the city water department to be certain. If you are on your own well, then get the water tested regularly (which you should be doing anyway), or get one of the in-line ultra-violet things that kills everything in the water coming into your house
  
  See our page on water for more information.
  cheers,
  -Alan
  
  

Malt Extract

• Which is better to prime with : Corn Sugar or Malt Extract?
  > First, what is the advantage to using dextrose for priming over malt (if any
  > adv. at all)? I personally use DME (batch instead of bottle priming), dark
  > malt ext. for brown ales, etc. My first batch I used table sugar and found
  > the taste atrocious so I switched to all malt brewing. Any info regarding
  > dextrose would be greatly appreciated.
  
  This is another religious issue. The only bona fide advantage is that no matterwhat kind of corn sugar you use, you can be guaranteed it will be as fermentable as every other corn sugar you used. The fermentability of extracts can vary dramatically. Personally, I've tried both, and have switched back and forth several times, and still haven't experienced any of the supposed benefits of DME : creamier head, finer bubbles, etc, etc. Also haven't noticed any of the supposed ill-effects of corn sugar. As with anything, try both, use the one you like best. Personally, becuase of the increased consistancy of the dextrose, we prefer it.
  
  Even when it comes to kegging our beer, we notice no difference between priming it or force carbonating it.
  
  
• What's a good substitute for this type of extract?
• Does anyone know the composition of this type of extract?
  > Is it just me, or are any of you upset at these malting companies for not
  > giving up ingredients or specs to those of us in the brewing community? You
  > look on the side of a macaroni box, and you get the ingredients. Same thing
  > with every other food item we purchase. Several companies add adjuncts to
  > their malt -- why can't we know what they are? Aren't there FDA
  > requirements for this? And now that many of us are going over to software
  > for calculating SG's and color, why can't they give us those specs? What
  > are they hiding? Is there anything we can do to push them to provide us
  > with this information? I think probably not. The homebrewers are a very
  > small customer to their bottom line (I guess cereal manufacturers would be
  > the largest).
  
  Yes, this is a big potential problem for extract brewers. A lot of recipes you see call for specific types of malt extract which aren't always available in all brewing shops. But in order to know how best to substitute one for another, you really have to know some details about the types of grain and the mashing schedule used in producing the extract. And if it is hopped extract, you also have to have details about the types and amounts of hops used in the product, too. Unfortunately, not many companies give out that information. There's a pretty good table of hop content in The Brewery's Library section. Rather than replicate that information here, just follow the link given.
  
  Aside from this, it's a pretty difficult question to answer since we don't have the information we require. The best way to approach malt extract substitution is to first of all find an extract which is the same colour as the one in question : extra-light, light, or dark. Then make sure you are using hopped or unhopped, according to the original. And finally, place of origin can be important, too. If the recipes calls for a specific brand of extract which happens to be from Germany, then do your best to substitute it for another German brand of extract.
  
  Even with all of these tips combined, it can be pretty hit-and-miss to try to properly substitute an extract for another. What we recommend instead is to find a good couple of brands of extract and use them a lot in all of your recipes so that you get to know those extracts extremely well. Learn instead how to get a picture of what a beer would be like by reading the recipe, and then use your knowledge of the extracts you yourself are an expert with to best produce a replica of the desired beer.
  
  Below we do have exceptionally good details on Cooper's Malt Extracts. Fortunately for us the homebrewers, Mark Henry from Cooper's quickly responded to the above post with this information. Thanks a million, Mark! Now if we could only get some of the other manufacturers to be so forthcoming!
  
  Specs of Coopers Homebrew Products (and incidently, being a brewery, our biggest customer is beer drinkers, not corn flakes eaters).
  
  LIGHT MALT EXTRACT
  Description:
  Light Malt Extract is produced by mashing coarsely ground malted barley with water at a temperature not exceeding 75'C, then straining and evaporating the resulting liquid under vacuum until it is the consistency of thick honey. Processing includes a brief heating stage at atmospheric pressure which reduces the diastase activity to low levels but which maintains a very acceptable flavor. The grist always comprises 100% malted grain.
  
  Total solids: 81.6%
  Lovibond: 3.4
  
  Sugar Profile (% dry weight):
  Glucose: 10.0
  Maltose: 47
  Sucrose: 2.5
  Maltotriose: 13
  Fructose: 1.5
  
  Except for lovibond the amber and dark are similar.
  
  Because Coopers owns the malting company used in making brewing malt extracts, I also have the specs on the grain used.
  
  
  Malt Specifications
  for malt used in the production of Coopers Brew Products
  
  Type: Two Row Spring Australian Malt
  Barley Variety: Schooner
  Origin: South Australia
  
  
  CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
  
  Moisture: 3.9-4.5 %
  Extract Fine d.b.: 81-83 %
  Fine/Coarse difference: 0-1.5 %
  Total Protein d.b.: 10.0-11.5 %
  Soluble Protein: 4.5-5.0 %
  Kolbach Index: 41-47 %
  Hartong Index VZ:45 C 40-45 %
  FAN 165-185 ppm
  Diastatic Power: 250-280 WK
  Wort Beta-Glucan: 100-200 ppm
  PH: 5.75-6.05
  Filtration Time: 10-30 min
  
  May everyone have a peaceful Christmas. Me? I'm brewing for the first time in two months! I tried my hand at batch sparging this fall and doing a small beer. The stout from the first runnings was pretty good, the mild from the second was the best mild I've ever made. This weekend I'm doing my millenium beer. Gotta have something big to drink when the lights go out and the power shuts down!
  
  Mark Henry
  
  

Hops

• What does "noble hops" mean?
  > what does it mean for hops to be noble?
  
  This usually refers to the more traditional hop varieties - ones that have been around a lot longer, and from which many of the other varieties have been derived. I've read some books which claim that all "noble" hops are the older German (and Czech which used to be German), while I myself (and most people) also include British hops.
  
  Usually the noble hops are lower in alpha acids (2% to 6%), with the bittering being very pleasant. They also normally have extremely favourable aroma characteristics, often being flowery.
  
  Some varietys would be :
  - Hallertauer (German)
  - Tettnanger (German)
  - Saaz (German) Zatec (Czech)
  - Hersbrucker (German)
  - Spalt (German)
  - Mittelfrueh (German)
  - East Kent Golding (British)
  - Fuggles British
  
  And I've even seen some include :
  
  - Styrian Golding (Yugoslavian)
  
  
• When is the right time to add finishing hops?
  > When exactly should finishing hops be added if the recipie calls for
  > tossing at the "end of the boil"?
  
  It varies. Don't boil for more than 10 minutes. Myself, I usually boil only1 or 2 minutes, or sometimes not at all - I just let them steep after the gas gets turned off. The less you boil, the more aroma you get out of them.
  
  
• Which hop is best to substitute for XXX?
  See our hops page for details on this.
  
  
• How do you dry fresh hops?
• How can I use my friend's hops that he grows?
  > I've got a friend who just found out from his grandfather that they've
  > got a bunch of old hop vines growing down by the old barn. Is it
  > possible to use these in my brewing?
  
  Hops are usually harvested in September or early October, so once you pick them and dry them, yes, you can use them. However, keep in mind that if you have no idea what variety of hops you are dealing with, they could have a very broad-ranging affect on your beer. Remember that alpha-acid content of the various varieties goes from about 2% to close to 20%. So this is going to require several test batches on your part to determine roughly how much bitterness is in the hops in questioin (unless of course the fellow's grandfather can perchance tell you the variety). Simply brew a regular 20 litre batch with 1 ounce of the hops (boiled 60 minutes for bittering), and use the results to estimate which way to adjust for next time. Also try 1/2 ounce tossed in at the end of the boil to test out the aroma characteristics.
  
  To dry your hops take a big piece of aluminum screen and make an envelope out of it about the same size as a rack in your oven. Then put the hops in the envelope, and put that in your oven. Put the oven on low for a few hours and monitor the temp to make sure it doesn't get too high. You may have to keep the oven door ajar to keep it in the 150F to 180F range.
  
  Alternately, build a drying rack. It took me about an hour to build one. Take a big carboard box and build a couple of frames to go inside. Just some 1x1 and screen. It's easy. I supported my frames with a beer bottle under each corner, then put 4 bottles on top and another frame on top of that. Then put a light bulb inside and keep the top closed. They'll dry overnight.
  
  
• How do I dry hop my beer?
  
  We already have this on our hops page. Please refer to it.
  
  
  
• Are hops toxic to dogs?
  Hops Toxicity in Dogs (c) 1995 by Edie Rehkopf
  
  It is the author's wish that this article be reprinted as needed for educational purposes Quick reference for National Animal Poison Control Center information. Brewing one's own beer at home has become one of the fastest-growing hobbies in the last year or so. There are "instant beer" kits available, just add boiling water and follow the directions, or there are dozens of different beers that can be made by combining different malt extracts with different blends of hops. Home-brewers' supply shops are springing up everywhere, enabling anyone to purchase the equipment and ingredients needed to get started. By following directions and maintaining reasonably sterile conditions, a person may legally produce up to 100 gallons a of beer per year for his or her own consumption. Home-brewed beer is cheaper and usually tastier than the commercial variety, and gives the beer lover access to beers that might be unavailable in supermarkets There is a danger lurking in this brewers' paradise however, far more serious than that of a severe hangover. On Labor Day weekend, my husband had held a home brewers' workshop at our home for some of his friends that were interested in the subject. Fifteen gallons of Irish stout were brewed and set aside to ferment. The spent hops from this process were put into a bucket as they were strained out of the mixture. The next day I heard a strange noise and found Size, our rescue greyhound *censored*, with her head in the bucket, eating the hops.
  
  My husband assured me that the hops wouldn't hurt her, and a call to my vet seemed to confirm this. However, by dinner time, eight hours later, Size was beginning to pant severely, and was running a temperature of 106 degrees F. We put her in a cold bath to lower her temperature and rushed her to the vet, who treated her with dipyrone to lower the fever, and an antibiotic. Not being too much of a believer in coincidence I asked the vet if there was such a thing as a poison control center for dogs, and asked him to call them. They confirmed that they already had several cases of hops poisoning in dogs, with symptoms identical to those Size was exhibiting. Our vet told us to take her home and continue cold water baths to try and keep her temperature down. We succeeded in keeping the temperature down, but she went into convulsions and died, thirteen and a half hours after eating the hops.
  
  My vet was not to blame, since a poll of several vets in the area produced a unanimous verdict that "hops aren't poisonous". I called the veterinary school at Washington State University, and they, too, had never heard of hops being toxic. Dr. Carolyn Henry from WSU has been kind enough to look into this for>me, working with the vets at the National Animal Poison Control Center at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL. (see address ad phone numbers at the end of the article).
  
  The NAPCC has recorded eight cases of hops toxicity in dogs. Seven of the dogs have been greyhounds, with the one remaining case being a labrador retrievercross. Ingestion of hops results in malignant hyperthermia -- an uncontrollable fever. The first symptom to become obvious to an owner is heavy panting. Tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) will also be present, up to 200 beats per minute.The temperature may rise as quickly as 2 degrees F every five minutes. Carbon dioxide levels in the blood rise dramatically.
  
  Hops toxicity in dogs has only come to light within the last 12 months. This may be due to two factors: the recent upsurge in popularity of home brewing, and the tremendous increase in adoptions of retired racing greyhounds. Greyhounds kept in the controlled environment of a racing kennel would have little opportunity to get into spent hops or anything else not specifically organized for their feed. As more greyhounds are adopted into home environments, their potential for ingesting harmful substances dramatically increases.
  
  If I seem to be picking on retired greyhounds here, it is because sighthounds, and in particular greyhounds, seem to be more prone to
  developing malignant hyperthermia than other breeds. Malignant hyperthermia occasionally develops following anesthesia and/or surgical stress in both dogs and humans. It has also been reported in horses, cattle deer, chickens, rabbits and cattle. It is particularly prevalent in swine and seems to have a genetic basis, at least in that species.
  
  Greyhound pet owners who periodically subject their hounds to hard exercise, such as open field or lure coursing, should be alert to the possibility of azoturia, or tying-up syndrome, which has symptoms quite similar to malignant hyperthermia. The two can be differentiated by the presence of myoglobin in the urine of hounds with azoturia. The urine will show a reddish coloration, but your vet should check a urine sample to confirm the presence of myoglobin.
  
  All eight cases of hops toxicity reported to the NAPCC have proven fatal. Malignant hyperthermia due to other causes in dogs has been successfully treated in some cases, largely due to the animals being in a closely monitored hospital setting when the syndrome developed. As yet, the toxic agent in the hops has not been identified. Without this identification, it is impossible to determine the absorbtion rate and exact progress of the toxin. It would seem from the data available that once the dog begins to show symptoms of malignant hyperthermia due to hops poisoning, treatment is of little use.
  
  If you suspect that your dog has eaten hops, call your veterinarian immediately! Your may refer your vet to the National Animal Poison Control Center at 1-800-548-2423. This call will cost which I consider a small price to pay to save the life of a friend. If the dog has not yet begun to exhibit symptoms of Malignant hyperthermia, gastric lavage would be the first step, to wash out any hops in the dog's stomach,. This should be followed by the administration of activated charcoal to absorb any residual toxin, and by valium to sedate the dog and prevent the muscle contractions that are a part of malignant hyperthermia. If the dog has already begun to exhibit the elevated temperature, pulse and respiration of malignant hyperthermia, treatment should consist of supportive therapy to keep the temperature under contrail, an antipyretic such as dipyrone, sedation with valium and activated charcoal. Dantrolene, a drug developed to treat malignant hyperthermia in swine and also used routinely in humans should be administered if available.
  
  If you live a long way from your veterinarian, oral administration of syrup of ipecac at the rate of 0.5-1.0 milliliter per pound to induce vomiting would probably be your best bet. If no vomiting occurs, repeat in fifteen minutes. This is NOT a substitute for a trip to the vet! By inducing vomiting, you are simply reducing, not eliminating, the level of toxin available to be absorbed. The longer the hops stay in the dog, the poorer his chances of survival. If the dog has already started exhibiting signs of respiratory distress, i.e. hyperventilating, do not induce vomiting, as he might aspirate the vomitus.
  
  If the dog should die, it is vital to the continuing research into this problem that the veterinarian take blood, liver and muscle tissue samples. In fact, if a symptomatic affected dog should survive blood samples taken will the dog was symptomatic should also be frozen for the study.
  
  If anyone in your household is interested in home brewing, the best advice I can give is to make sure that the spent hops are put immediately into a sealed container, and deposited in a garbage can that the dogs cannot get into. It would also be a wise precaution to keep cattle feed out of the reach of your dogs, since spent hops or 'brewing waste" is often incorporated into cattle rations. Since there is no data yet on the amount of hops that is dangerous, it is far better to be safe than sorry.
  
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  General release - I Edie Rehkopf, author of the Article "Hops Toxicity in
  Dogs" do hereby give permission for the article to be reprinted as needed
  for educational purposes. I do retain copyright to the material.
  
  The article must be reprinted as a whole. I require approval of any
  editorial changes.
  
  Contact information for author:
  
  Edie Rehkopf 531 Nelson Rd Granger, WA 98932
  
  author's phones: daytime 509 457 2446 (6:30am 3:00pm) fax 509-457-2746
  
  
• Can hops help you get to sleep at night?
  > I just read in an herb FAQ that a pillow filled with hops (beside being
  > expensive) is good for fighting off insomnia and similar sleep problems.
  > Comments?
  
  I have read this as well, though I cannot comment on it's effectiveness since I have never tried it myself.
  
  I do, however, regularly take pills that contain hops and valerian, and they really are extremaly helpful in sleeping. You get them in the herbal medicine section of the drugstore. I learned this trick in Germany, where this particular combination is called "Baldrian"
  
  

Yeast

• Is it OK to use the yeast which comes with the beer kit?
  > I read recently that I should throw out the yeast which comes with
  > my beer kit. Is this true?
  
  That really depends upon which beer kit you are using. But in general, the vast majority of brewing kits out there comes with a yeast which is highly substandard. But don't throw it out. Instead, throw it into the brewpot during the boil, as this will provide valuable nutrients to the yeast you actually do use. Spend the extra buck on a package of good quality yeast at your local brew shop. If they don't store it in the fridge, ask them to start doing so. Tell them you know better. We've found Cooper's in the gold foil and Munton's Gold both to be superior dry yeasts. They are one of many which will improve the quality of your beer over the beer kit yeast.
  
  
• The yeast won't settle out in my beer. Is it infected?
  > Usually the yeast falls to the bottom and "hardens" , to where it wont
  > move around unless the bottle is really agitated .
  > Yeast in this batch looks more like dust .
  
  The term brewers generally use is "powdery" yeast. Sometimes this can be a desired characteristic in a yeast. For example, a powdery yeast stays in suspension much longer, so you can usually ferment to lower gravities with it. The only time I'd ever use a powdery yeast is if I were filtering, because otherwise it can be almost impossible to get out of your beer. . I used a powdery yeast for a few batches and mine wouldn't even flocc out even after 4 or 5 weeks in the fridge.
  
  > Could this batch be infected ?
  
  It is possible, but unlikely IMO if you've taken care with sanitiation. In my experience in brewing the easiest answer is usually the right answer, and here the easiest answer is powdery yeast. If you've been using the yeast from the kits all along, let this be a good example of why you should never do that : too variable. Inconsistant. Just plain not as good. Toss out the yeast that comes with the kits and buy a good Cooper's or Munton's Gold (my favorite).
  
  
• Is liquid yeast better than dry yeast?
  > Everyone in the newsgroups keep going on about how much better
  > liquid yeast is than the dry stuff. But it's so expensive! Is it really going
  > to make that much difference in my beer?
  
  Yes and no. There are certain types of beer which require a particular strain of yeast in order to be truly authentic. For example, a Bavarian Hefeweizen is characterized by the strong banana and clove flavours which are produced by a particular type of yeast. Many Belgian beers also have particular yeasts which must be used. Until very recently these special yeasts are only available in liquid culture form, so if you want to brew the beer, you had to use liquid yeast. But DCL in the UK is now producing these and a number of other specialty yeasts in dry form.
  
  One thing we really like about dry yeasts is the ease of use. To do a proper job with a liquid strain, you have to make a starter - a process which ideally should be started several days in advance. We often don't know until brewday morning whether or not we really will be brewing on a particular day, so often times liquid yeast simply isn't an option.
  
  It still remains true, however, that there is a much greater variety and selection available in liquid cultures, so if you really want to start tweaking your yeasts, that's the way to go. And the cost factor is very easy to overcome by culturing your own
  
  For some interesting insights from one of the dry yeast manufacturers, please refer to the following post in the Homebrew Digest.
  
  
• I made a yeast starter but now I cannot brew. What do I do?
  If it is only going to be a day or two until you can brew, it is fine to leave the starter out on the counter or whereever else you normally keep it. But the best approach is to refridgerate it until required. You can take the airlock off and tightly seal the container if you like as well. Your starter can be stored in this manner for up to 2 or 3 months
  
  Then on brewday simply remove the starter from the fridge in the morning and give it an hour or two to come to room temp. Carefully pour off the liquid from the top of the container leaving the slurry behind, then add 500ml / 1 pint of starter wort and re-attach the airlock. At the end of the brewday when it comes time to pitch your wort, your starter will be raring to go again!

Grains and Adjuncts

• How do I use rice in my beer?
  > I intend to produce a light summer beer approx 3.5% ABV and
  > want to use rice to dilute the colour. How much should I use ? I was
  > figuring about half a pound for 5 imp (6 US) gallons, it this about
  > right ??
  
  You are brewing all-grain, right? If not, forget about the rice completely as you absolutely must convert the starches in it to sugars before it's of any good to your yeast. Well, you can try using enzymes on it, which in theory will work. I've used powdered enzymes (Pilsener Enzyme, Amylase Enzyme) with great success on other starches.
  
  When mashing, I usually use about 1 lb of rice with a regular 5 gallon batch. I usually use :
  
  - 6 lb Canada Malting 2 Row
  - 500 g Wheat Malt
  - 500 g Munich Malt
  - 1 lb white rice (don't use Uncle Ben's or any other "converted" or "minute" rice, as they've had some starch removed)
  
  Cook the crap out of the rice in about 5 litres (quarts) of water. Boil, boil, boil for about 30 minutes. What you then do depends on how you want to work things. Some people will mash in at say 150F or something, then add the boiling rice to raise the temp to something else. Myself, I don't want to deal with the experimentation required to determine how much that boiling rice will raise my mash temp, so I allow the rice to come down to my mashing temp. So the rice is now at 153F, I then mash in to 153F and stir in the rice so that it doesn't affect the temp of the main mash.
  
  Procede as normal with all other aspects of the mash.
  
  If you want to use rice in extract brewing, cook the crap out of the rice as above, then bring the temperature to a steady 150F-160F. Add several tablespoons of enzyme. I don't know how much is enough, but overdoing it won't hurt. 2 or 3 tablespoons worked for us on a can of pumpkin. Hold the mixture at this temperature for 45 minutes or so, then throw the resulting goop into the brew kettle, or wait and put it into the fermenter. Do a starch conversion test with iodine, first, though. Put a bit of the goop on a plate, then drop some regular tincture of iodine so that the two run together. If you get a dark black, your starch conversion is incomplete. MAKE SURE YOU DISCARD THE SAMPLE, AND WASH EVERYTHING THAT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE IODINE, AS IT IS POISONOUS.
  
  cheers,
  -Alan
  
  
• How do I use flaked or malted wheat in my beer?
  > What's the diference between flaked wheat and malted wheat? When/how
  > should I use them when adding to an extract brew?
  
  When a grain is said to be "malted", that means it's been soaked in water over a period of time to induce germination of the seed, then once germination is well underway, the grain is then kiln-dried to halt germination. Malting develops certain enzymes in the grain which are later used by the brewer to convert the starches in the grain into sugars. A so-called "well-modified" malt has been allowed to germinate longer than an "under-modified" one, so there are more enzymes available. It is important when using a malt to know how much "enzyme power" it has. Some malts have only enough enzyme power to convert the starches in itself, while other malts have enough enzyme power left over to convert other starches which may be introduced to the mash.
  
  Flaked wheat isn't malted, and so has no enzyme power. This means it has to be used with another grain that has enough enzyme power to convert its own starches along with those in the flaked wheat. Malted wheat has the enzyme power to convert its own starches. Realistically, you shouldn't use either in extract brew unless you are holding them at mash temperatures for 30 minutes or more. Flaked wheat has to be used along with something with enzymes that can convert its starches, whereas malted wheat can be crushed and used as is. Again, only if you are going to be holding mash temp (145-160F) for 30 minutes or more.
  
  In general you can combine malted wheat, flaked wheat, and rolled oats any way you like, as long as you have at least twice as much malted wheat as anything else. You can actually use a bit less than this, but to be safe use that ratio. The reason being that the malted wheat must provide extra enzymes to convert the flaked grains, and in general malted wheat isn't particularly high in enzymes. Feel free to also use 2 Row or 6 Row.
  
  All-grain brewers can use the malted wheat, oats and flaked wheat simply by incorporating them into their regular mash, 1/4 to 1 lb (110g to 450g) per 5 US gallons (19 litres). Be careful that oats can be sticky, and too much can lead to a stuck mash. Flaked and malted wheat do not cause such problems.
  cheers,
  -Alan
  
  
• How long can I store grains?
• What's the best way to store grains?
  
  I at least double-bag mine in the large freezer bags. I use both ziploc and twist-tie. I then store the bags in a sealable plastic Rubbermaid trunk. . Keep the air out, keep them cool (cooler roomtemp is fine), but most importantly KEEP THEM DRY. Some people store in the fridge, but most of the collective experience in the newsgroups (including my own) dictates that grains will keep for at least a year when properly stored in a dry place at cool room temp. In fact I'd be willing to be they'll keep fine for 2 years.
  
  

Fruit and Vegetables

• How do I use fruit in my beer?
  We already have a page on this, so please refer to it.
  
  
• How do I use pumpkin in my beer?
  
  One thing you have to realize about putting pumpkin into your beer is that pumpkin is starch, and normally you don't want to be putting starch into your beer. What you have to do is mash the pumpkin to convert the starches to sugars. That's mash as in beer, not mash as in potatos. What you can do as well is put the pumpkin into a pot with water, and then add powdered enzymes while holding it at mash temperatures. See the grains page for full details.
  
  My recipe is here
  But if you don't mash the pumpkin, you are putting starches in your beer, which in turn makes a wonderful living environment for beer spoiling bacteria. I'm not saying you will get an infection, but you certainly will be a lot more prone to one.
  
  cheers,
  -Alan
  
  

Miscellaneous

• How important are Gypsum Salts (or Brewing Salts) in the brewing process?
  The common term "salts" refer to the minerals in the water. For allgrain brewing it's extremely important to know how much of each mineral is already in your water, and to adjust accordingly for various styles of beer (some need more, some less). This information can be obtained very easily from your local waterworks company, or by having your water tested if you are on your own well. For extract brewing, you generally don't ever have to worry about it. If you want, add a tablespoon of Gypsum to Pale Ales and other UK beers, and just leave it out of everything else. Or just don't use it at all and don't worry about it.
  
  As for anything labeled "Brewing Salts" or something similar, I personally would never use them unless they are specifically labeled as to their exact composition. Adding these are essentially adding unknown compounds in unknown amounts to your beer.
  
  cheers,
  -Alan

Last Updated 2004.12.05 @ 11:45
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