Greetings from Iran! (sorry for the long introduction)

[Ashv1]

A bit of web searching leads me to question whether povidone truly prevents iodine from turning purple with starch.

Some sites seem to recommend starch testing with povidone iodine. No one says you need povidone in the iodine for a starch test, but it may not interfere.

Anyhow, all this about sanitizers and starch testing is just a tiny part of the fun and challenges ahead

Yeah, someone has to do a starch test with povidone iodine, maybe it works. before this thread i was under the impression the iodine that people used for the starch test was the same stuff i had in my first aid kit.

. Happy brewing, @Ashv1.

Thank you

 

[tracer bullet]

I did the starch test every brew for a year. Eventually I realized that 30 minutes anywhere near 150F was fine. Since I mash for an hour, sometimes more if I get busy, and have a thermometer to ensure my mash temps I eventually just quit doing it. I still use the iodine for sanitizing but no longer care about the conversion thing. Might be a consideration here if the iodine is hard to find or the type is in question.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Welcome to the forum @Ashv1. Oh the things we take for granted, like buying brewing ingredients. I’m wondering if you’ve thought of capturing wild yeast, perhaps from fresh local fruit. I know of one mead recipe “Joe‘s ancient orange mead” that uses bakers yeast and has a sweet result when done, but the honey can be adjusted to make it dryer.
Anyway, thank you for sharing and I’m looking forward to any contributions you make in the future.

 

[Amahl2442]

Welcome @Ashv1 I realize this is an old thread, but if you get this post, please PM me. I've got an article idea for you that you may find interesting. Thanks.

 

[Christoff]

My suggestion for your situation is to read up on some ingredients that used to be used to brew beer that are not so common by today's standards.
For instance, hops were not used for bittering at one time. Barley and wheat, the main components for brewing are widely used for lots of other things.

At the moment I can't think of good reading material but I know it's out there. Folks here will chime in once the ball gets rolling.

If I remember correctly, Radical Brewing has some good tips and Cooking in Ancient Civilization by Kaufman discusses fermenting beverages. I have not read the latter, but I am guessing that one would be easier to obtain because it isn't as easy to figure out it is about beer. There are a few books about gardening and ingredients that are used in brewing, now and historically. but again, the titles specifically reference the contraband you mentioned. The Botany of Beer is one of the books. There is a book about growing hops too and it references some other plants you can grow. I will try to find my copy and see if I can post some of the information so you don't have to search. My ex is from Iran and I am aware, as much as I could be, of the situation around drinking, get togethers, parties, etc. And the bringing stuff in the suitcase thing. I will see if I can post some pictures of the pages that have good info.