Happy
Holidays! As always, we appreciate your ongoing support of
White Labs.
Can’t
wait to make the first beers of ’09 with you…Don’t miss an
exclusive column by Dr. Chris
White included at the end of this newsletter: commentary on
homebrewing in the Land of Oz, upcoming appearances on The Brewing
Network, and a handy list of “what-not-to-do’s” (helpful for
every homebrewer, no matter what side of the equator you’re on!)
WHITE
LABS 2009 PLATINUM SERIES LINE UP:
You
asked and we listened: WLP700 Sherry Flor and WLP705 Sake Yeast
are now available year round. Also, the previously
discontinued WLP026 Premium Bitter will be featured May/June.
We’ve added 3 completely new strains as well (see below for
descriptions); we’d love to hear your reviews on the new styles.
Jan/Feb:
WLP009 Australian Ale, WLP022 Essex Ale, WLP036 Dusseldorf Alt
Mar/Apr:
WLP039 Nottingham Ale, WLP540 Abbey IV Ale, WLP940 Mexican Lager
May/June:
WLP026 Premium Bitter, WLP410 Belgian Wit II, WLP510 Belgian
Bastogne
July/Aug:
NEW! WLP038 Manchester, WLP351 Bavarian Weizen, WLP566 Saison II
Sept/Oct:
NEW! WLP037 Yorkshire Square Ale, WLP515 Antwerp Ale, WLP885
Zurich Lager
Nov/Dec:
WLP006 Bedford British, WLP072 French Ale, NEW! WLP545 Belgian
Strong
http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/platinum-2009.html
Introducing
the newbies:
WLP038
Manchester
Ale Yeast
Top-fermenting
strain that is traditionally good for top-cropping.
Moderately flocculent with a clean, dry finish. Low ester
profile, producing a highly balanced English-style beer.
Attenuation:
70-74%
Flocculation:
M-H
Optimum
Fermentation Temp: 65-70F
Alcohol
Tolerance: M-H
WLP037
Yorkshire Ale Yeast
This
yeast produces a beer that is malty, but well-balanced. Expect
flavors that are toasty with malt-driven esters. Highly flocculent
and good choice for English pale ales, English brown ales, and
mild ales.
Attenuation:
68-72%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Fermentation Temp:
65-70F
Alcohol Tolerance:
Med-High
WLP545
Belgian Strong Ale Yeast
From
the Ardennes region of Belgium, this classic yeast
strain produces moderate levels of ester and spicy phenolic
character. Typically results in a dry, but balanced finish.
This yeast is well suited for Belgian dark strongs, Abbey Ales,
and Christmas beers.
Attenuation:
78-85%
Flocculation:
M
Optimum
Fermentation Temp: 66-72F
An
event & competition we thought you’d want to hear
about:
Ninth
Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival
Vail,
Colorado: January 8-10, 2009
Check
out this Homebrew Comp. Deadline for entries is January 2nd
. What are you waiting for?! http://www.bigbeersfestival.com/brews_homebrew_competition.htm
What?
http://www.bigbeersfestival.com/
“Ninth
Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival Weekend! Come
up to Vail to experience the event that beer connoisseurs are
raving about. Homebrewers, Professional Brewers and Industry Gurus
alike speak highly with regard to the unique format, the unusual
international collection of beers, the organization and the
overall quality of the event. For those of you who are Big Beers
Festival veterans, this Ninth Annual event promises to be
exceptional, with new and different seminars in addition to our
favorites!”
Clone
recipe from Avery Brewing Company (!):
Old
Jubilation Recipe – 5 Gallon Recipe
(Avery
Brewing Company, Colorado)
Grist:
Pale
2-Row 11 lbs.
Special
Roast 0.75 lbs.
Victory
0.75 lbs.
Chocolate
Malt 0.25 lbs.
Black
Malt 0.25 lbs.
Turbinado
0.25 lbs
Hops:
All
additions use Bullion 7.0% AA
60
minute (bittering) addition: 0.5 oz.
30
minute (flavoring) addition: 0.5 oz.
0
minute (aroma/finishing) addition: 1 oz.
Burtonize
the Water
White
Labs WLP002 English Ale Yeast
Ferment
first half of wort at 66F, then no refrigeration for the finish.
OG:
1.074
AE:
1.014
ABV%:
a wee bit over 8%
Special
thanks to Matt “Handtruck” Thrall of Avery Brewing Company
for the recipe for Old Jubilation. For more recipes, visit
www.byo.com
Homebrewing
takes over space…
Here’s
the scoop:
Beercook.com
Recipe for the Winter
Need
to warm up? Try this quarter’s recipe from www.beercook.com
Big
Beer & Beef Stew
Kurt Linke
|
prep
time : Advance prep required
recipe type: soups, chili and stews
ingredients: Two pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cubed
into 1.5 inch chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
7 red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 large turnip, peeled and diced
2 oz. olive oil
1 cup Porter
2 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/3 cup fresh minced parsley
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
|
1.
In large 1-gallon Dutch oven pot, place olive oil in baked of
pot, and brown cubes of meat in small batches, removing each
batch to a warmed bowl.
2. In the same pot, add onion, celery, garlic and carrot - stir
and saute over medium heat until onion is translucent.
3. Add porter and stock. Add browned beef with reserved juices,
tomato paste and herbs. Cook until meat is tender. Stir well,
then add potatoes and turnips. Cook until vegetables are fork
tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and
serve with Porter.
And
a final note….this issue’s Customer Club story (this’ll warm
ya’ll up)
“I
was brewing a Belgian Wit (using the Belgian Wit II WLP400 by
the way) in the Austin, TX area in August, which
is like brewing on the face of the sun. The day went
good--I’d had a few brews when I saw bee on my table. I
got a rag and killed it. The bee was dead on the ground
and I was bent over looking at it when I began to feel a
stinging sensation on my leg and shortly after, on my back.
It turned out I was being bitten fire ants on my legs and had
two bees stinging me on my back. Luckily I didn’t swell
up like a balloon, but it did suck.” James, TX
*Exclusive
Column by Dr. Chris White:*
Homebrewing
in the Land Down Under
By
Chris White
A
recent trip to Australia shows me that homebrewers
there are eager to learn from their North American counterparts.
Besides
the rise in business for higher-end ingredients such as fresh
yeast, signs of a rising homebrewing movement in Australia
abound. Indeed it was the whole reason we were there. Organizers
of the inaugural Australian National Homebrew Conference were
inspired to start the event after attending the American version,
the National Homebrewing Conference. The Australians have many
goals, including raising the quality of homebrew.
The
event in late October, 2008, near Melbourne featured
tours of craft breweries, numerous speakers, including myself, and
a gala dinner and awards ceremony to celebrate the best of
Australian homebrew.
The
Australians are very keen on making more challenging beers, big
hoppy beers and high gravity beers, and these interests were a
part of many of the talks. My talk was titled “Yeast
considerations for high gravity wort,” and this is how the
conference described it: “Homebrewers love to make high gravity
beers. The problem is, yeast don't like to. High gravity beers are
stressful for yeast, due to higher sugar concentrations, less
available oxygen, and higher alcohol concentrations. This seminar
will discuss how to lower the damage on yeast, and improve the
flavor of your beer. The 3 main controls homebrews have are:
pitching rate, dissolved oxygen, and fermentation temperature.
Learn how to optimize these conditions, and your high gravity beer
will taste best.”
I
gave a similar talk during the last American Homebrewing
Conference near Cincinnati. However, my physical
condition was much different from when I spoke in the States.
Unfortunately, at the Australian conference, I had an eye
infection and my participation during the conference was limited.
However, I did give my talk, and I am thankful to a homebrewer who
went to a pharmacy and got me an eye patch. Given the timing of
the conference close to Halloween, I joked that I was dressing as
a pirate. By the way, I am feeling much better now.
Two
featured speakers were John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff, who are
prominent American homebrewing authorities and authors. While I
wasn’t able to attend all the talks I wanted to because of my
health, I did attend Jamil’s talk and I enjoyed his list of
“don’ts” for homebrewers. Here are a few that I recall:
–
Don’t try to brew like a pro. You have different brewing
conditions, and smaller batches, and you need to keep these
factors in mind.
–
Don’t transfer to a secondary. The more you transfer, the more
you can introduce contamination and oxidants into your beer.
Transfer to the secondary only when fermentation is done, Jamil
said, which I think is wise.
–
Don’t rely on the recipe. Good recipes do not ensure good beer.
–
Don’t use stainless steel fermenters. He likes simple glass
carboys, and I think he has a good point.
–
Don’t drink too much when brewing. This brought a lot of
laughter from the audience, but he has a great point. When I was
at the peak of my homebrewing – when I was regularly making 15
gallon barrel batches with Yuseff Cherney, who would go on to
become head brewer at Ballast Point Brewery – we
did not drink much. When you become serious about the hobby,
drinking in small quantities helps ensure more consistent, better
beer.
–
Don’t ignore fermentation. Of course I liked this tip the best.
This is where some of beer’s most important and prominent
flavors are produced, and he talked about how people could improve
their fermentations. One thing he emphasized was taking measures
to control fermentation temperature.
–
This is just a snapshot of what Jamil talked about, but it was a
highlight of an altogether very good conference. Hopefully next
year I will be able to attend more of the show – without an eye
patch.
Chris
White is President of White Labs Inc. He has a Ph.D in
biochemistry. Feel free to write him
about this column.
Chris
White-Brewing Network
Based
on the popularity of previous shows, Chris White,
president of White Labs, plans on appearing again on The Brewing
Network radio program. He is working with the online radio station
on a return appearance, perhaps in January (Update: the show is
planned for Jan. 11). Visit www.thebrewingnetwork.com
for more information. The dates will also be announced on www.whitelabs.com.
