Homebrew Book Topics

[tschmidlin]

@dimik

@tschmidlin

I have it but haven’t read it.  That said, yeast culturing is not that complicated.  Read through this page and you should be well on your way.

Yeast Propagation and Maintenance: Principles and Practices – Maltose Falcons

If you have any specific questions, post them here and I’ll help.

Thanks for the link. I think that page has more useful info than what I hear the yeast book has.
I’d like to think that my yeast culturing skills are more or less alright and I can maintain strains and blend as I like, but what I’d like is a body of information, like primary literature, on yeast strain properties, morphologies, defining traits, metabolic differences etc. You know what I mean? That’s why such publications wouldn’t appeal to homebrewers.

If you’re talking about the differences between 1056 and 1084 for example, your best source of info is the lab that sells them.  If you’re talking more about morphological differences between brett and sacch for example, there are resources but they can be hard to find or they tend to get pretty pricey if their compiled into a book.

And you’re right, they don’t really appeal to homebrewers.  The Journal of the Association of Brewing Chemists doesn’t usually have articles like what you’re talking about, and some of it hasn’t been studied much.  I agree it’s frustrating. :-\

This is a really good book that seems to have gotten a lot more expensive than when I got it . . . it has some of the info you’re looking for.
http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Microbiology-F-G-Priest/dp/0306472880/

[roguenationpatriot]

@euge

Blending beer. +1!

I’ve been working on this myself, and it seems that there is little out there on the subject.

I was just at a lecture with Gordon Strong over the weekend, and he talked a bit about blending beers to offset the ph of one beer with another.  To be honest, it hadn’t really occurred to me that a bad could be saved by mixing the right blend.  It was process that I always just associated with wines and meads.  I plan to sit and work with blending on a regular basis now, but I figure it will take some time before I’ll do it well.

[lord2464 (James Lorden)]

@roguenationpatriot

@euge

Blending beer. +1!

I’ve been working on this myself, and it seems that there is little out there on the subject.

I was just at a lecture with Gordon Strong over the weekend, and he talked a bit about blending beers to offset the ph of one beer with another.  To be honest, it hadn’t really occurred to me that a bad could be saved by mixing the right blend.  It was process that I always just associated with wines and meads.  I plan to sit and work with blending on a regular basis now, but I figure it will take some time before I’ll do it well.

I don’t think the intention of blending should be to save a bad beer as much as it is to create something that could not have otherwise been made or to fine tune.  A bad beer blended with a good beer = wasting good beer to create mediocre beer.
I make a hefewiezed where I ferment half the batch with WLP 300 at a higher temp and the other half with WLP 380 at a lower temp.  When I blend these two together I feel like I get an expression of banana and clove that is more pronounced.

[davidgzach]

@dimik

I’m pretty sure my LHBS carries sorghum malt.

What is the name?  I have not been able to find it anywhere.  You sure it’s not extract?

[roguenationpatriot]

I don’t think the intention of blending should be to save a bad beer as much as it is to create something that could not have otherwise been made or to fine tune.  A bad beer blended with a good beer = wasting good beer to create mediocre beer.
I make a hefewiezed where I ferment half the batch with WLP 300 at a higher temp and the other half with WLP 380 at a lower temp.  When I blend these two together I feel like I get an expression of banana and clove that is more pronounced.

I agree that the objective is to make the best beer possible.  The reason we were discussing in that manner is that we did a tasting session of a beer with a low ph that still had some potential to be greatly improved with some blending.  It would nice to only have to deal with good beer in blending, but I would say if you can save a entire batch by adding a little extra you might be able to come out with two good beers.  Anyway, I can see where your coming from, but I think it’s a good idea to keep an open mind to blending a bad beer in certain situations.