Couple Questions about Alton Brown's brewing show...

cweston · 04-12-2007, 12:01 PM

It aired again last night on the Food Network...

1. He sanitized with bleach, but I don't remember him rinsing. (Could have been while I was letting the dog out or something.) Did he go no-rinse?

2. He used bottled water. I wish he had been a little clearer that the vast majority could brew perfectly great beer with their tap water.

3. He consistently referred to the bittering hops as the flavor hops--that could be quite confusing.

Overall, though, it was great. He did use some terminology in ways that aren't exactly standard, and pronounced "wort" wrong, but who really cares. I like "Good Eats"--I like the combination of recipes and food geekery.

mykayel · 04-12-2007, 12:20 PM

I love his show too.

**the_bird** · 04-12-2007, 01:33 PM

I only saw the last two minutes. Notice that the beer he poured had essentially zero head retention?

I didn't like at all that he said the beer only needed a week to go through its "second fermentation," i.e. carbonation ("but two weeks is better" - uh, it's still green beer at two weeks). I don't like that he mis-used the secondary fermenatation term, even if he might be techically correct. I don't like that he used blue bottles instead of brown.

Wasn't there something about him boiling the grain? I haven't seen the first 28 minutes of the episode since I started brewing.

cweston · 04-12-2007, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_bird

Wasn't there something about him boiling the grain? I haven't seen the first 28 minutes of the episode since I started brewing.

No--he held it at 155 for 1/2 hour. It did seem that he never even mentioned what kind of specialty grain it was.

He poured very delicately, so there wasn't much head to even be retained. Of course, if it had only been carbing a week...

All told, it was pretty good. You're right--it would have been easy to mention that most beers aren't at their best until at least 6-8 weeks after brew day.

**the_bird** · 04-12-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cweston

He poured very delicately, so there wasn't much head to even be retained. Of course, if it had only been carbing a week...

I'm going to make the most meaningless disagreement in the history of man.

He poured moderately aggressively, there was about an inch of head, but by the time he drank it, it was all gone. Methinks Mr. Brown needs a half-pound or so of wheat malt...

cweston · 04-12-2007, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_bird

I'm going to make the most meaningless disagreement in the history of man.

He poured moderately aggressively, there was about an inch of head, but by the time he drank it, it was all gone. Methinks Mr. Brown needs a half-pound or so of wheat malt...

OK...I'll match you geek for geek. I also noticed that his pour technique was almost exactly opposite of mine.

He started moderately aggressively, right down the middle of the (vertical) glass. Then he tilted the glass and poured the second half very delicately.

I start with the glass slanted, then pour more aggressively straight down the middle if needed, depending on how much head is being produced.

Oh--and he also primed with 3/4 cup table sugar, which surprised me.

**the_bird** · 04-12-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cweston

OK...I'll match you geek for geek. I also noticed that his pour technique was almost exactly opposite of mine.

He started moderately aggressively, right down the middle of the (vertical) glass. Then he tilted the glass and poured the second half very delicately.

I start with the glass slanted, then pour more aggressively straight down the middle if needed, depending on how much head is being produced.

Oh--and he also primed with 3/4 cup table sugar, which surprised me.

Hey, we're geeks together! That's how I pour - down the side, with the glass slanted maybe 20, 25 degrees, then pour down the middle at the end.

I'm still pissed that I didn't see the whole episode - DAMN YOU, FUTURAMA! But, at least the Futurama episode included the classic line, "I am Bender! Please insert liquor!"

Alright, back to work...

kvh · 04-12-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_bird

Wasn't there something about him boiling the grain? I haven't seen the first 28 minutes of the episode since I started brewing.

Yes, he 'steeps' his grain (loose in the water with no hope of recovery) for 30 minutes at 155, and then dumps his LME right into the pot with it and brings it up to a boil... The grains never came out until he strains at the fermentor.

And Bird (or anyone), PM me if you'd like a copy of it, I have it on my computer at home somewhere, I'm sure I could upload it somewhere you could find it.

kvh

WOP31 · 04-12-2007, 02:59 PM

Did anyone else notice that he said that at the end of the primary the yeast will die and settle to the bottom of the fermentor and made no mention of how the sugar actually carbonates the beer?

**the_bird** · 04-12-2007, 03:04 PM

It's been said before, but it does make you wonder about his other episodes... I mean, it's pretty clear that Alton's not a homebrewer. Someone did some research, badly, and he followed their script. I like Alton, I love Good Eats, but this can't help but make you wonder exactly how much of his knowledge is really his, and what else he and his research peeps get wrong...