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X-Last-Updated: 1997/05/24
From: John Lock <[e-mail]>
Organization: The Beer Info Source (Atlanta, GA)
Newsgroups: rec.food.drink.beer,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.food.drink.beer FAQ [3/3] (revised 16-MAY-1997)
Followup-To: rec.food.drink.beer
Reply-To: John Lock <[e-mail]>
Summary: This document contains answers to frequently asked questions
         and other informative data about beer.  It also contains
         pointers to other reference material and archives for
         further research. This is the third of three parts.
Keywords: rfdb drink beer faq
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Archive-name: beer-faq/part3
Posting-Frequency: bi-weekly
Copyright: (c) 1994-1997 John A. Lock
Maintainer: John A. Lock <[e-mail]>
URL: http://www.beerinfo.com/rfdb/

------------------------------

Subject: 4-5. Can I make my own beer....is it legal?

     U.S. regulations state that an individual can brew up to 100 gals/yr
     for personal consumption or up to 200 gals/yr per family without
     being subject to taxes. Other countries will certainly have different
     regulations. State laws often override the Federal tax law with more
     stringent regulations or ban any homebrewing, so check locally. In
     any case, you cannot sell your homebrew. Also, be aware that the
     presence of homebrew supply stores does not imply that homebrewing is
     legal in your state. More often, in a strange quirk of law-making, it
     is legal to sell the supplies, but illegal to make beer with them!?

------------------------------

Subject: 4-6. How do I make it?

     Making your own can range from quite easy to very complicated
     depending on how much of the science you want to absorb. At its most
     basic, you can make beer following these steps:

     1.  Mix together malted barley extract, hops, and water and boil to
         produce what is called the wort.

     2.  The wort is cooled, placed in a fermenter and yeast is added.
         Fermentation will take place converting the sugars in the wort to
         carbon dioxide (which is vented out) and alcohol.

     3.  When fermentation is complete, the new beer is mixed with a small
         amount of primer (made from malt extract or corn sugar) and
         placed in sealed bottles or kegs. The primer will provide just
         enough additional fermentation to carbonate the beer.

     4.  Wait until the beer has properly aged and drink! The aging time
         depends on beer style and can range anywhere from 2 weeks to 1
         year.

     For further details, subscribe to rec.crafts.brewing and lurk for a
     while.

------------------------------

Subject: 4-7. WIMLIACLDAB? BTABFCTW! What was that?

     This is a very old, very tired beer joke attributed to Monty Python.
     I'll spell it out for you:

     Q: Why is making love in a canoe like drinking American beer?
     A: Because they are both fucking close to water!

     But don't ever repeat this on the Net or the following will occur:

     1.  You will be scorched to a crunchy black by some excruciatingly
         creative individuals.
     2.  You will receive a number of "corrective" e-mails.
     3.  Your family/relatives will be visited by "Guido", a large,
         ill-tempered man with hairy knuckles.

     ...in that order!

------------------------------

Subject: 4-8. Is Guinness good for you?

     Answers to this, and many other Guinness questions, may be found in
     Alan Marshall's "Guinness FAQt and Folklore". This document is
     available in the archives or on WWW at
     <URL:http://www.ivo.se/guinness/>.

------------------------------

Subject: 4-9. Where is Sam Adams beer made?

     As the largest contract brewer in the U.S., Boston Brewing Co. uses
     several breweries around the country to make the various Sam Adams
     beers. This info is accurate as of JAN-95.

     Boston, MA
          AKA Jamaica Plain. Former Haffenreffer brewery, a company-owned
          facility brewing the Boston Ale and doing R&D work on other
          recipes.
     Pittsburgh, PA
          Pittsburgh Brewing Co. brews the largest portion (by volume) of
          Sam Adams beers, mostly lagers for eastern distribution.
     Lehigh Valley, PA
          Stroh Brewery Co. brews the ales for eastern distribution.
     Portland, OR
          Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Co. (owned by G. Heileman). Most Sam
          Adams brews for western distribution.
     Nagold, Germany
          A Gambrinus brewery brews the Boston Lager for the European
          market.

     The relationship with F.X. Matt of Utica, NY has ended and Sam Adams
     beers are no longer made there. There is also a Sam Adams brewpub in
     Philadelphia, PA which brews ales from malt extract recipes. Also,
     FYI, the Sam Adams Triple Bock was brewed at the Jamaica Plain
     facility and then shipped to Bronco Winery in Ceres, CA for aging in
     their vats.

------------------------------

Subject: 4-10. Why does American beer suck?

     You might as well ask In fact, any country in the world with a
     sufficiently large brewer is guilty of brewing beer that is (ahem)
     less than it could be. In an effort to boost profit margins and still
     be acceptable to the broadest possible market, the mega-brewers have
     resorted to using cheaper adjuncts, like corn and rice, instead of
     all barley malt. The resulting less-sweet beer doesn't need as much
     balancing bitterness, so they cut back on hops to save money and to
     make the end-product innocuous to the casual drinker. The change has
     been a gradual one, taking place in small increments over many years,
     so that most consumers would not notice the difference. These
     practices are followed up by huge, multi-media, marketing campaigns
     that attempt to sell brand image rather than beer flavor.

     American brewers take the biggest hit because they're the best at
     this game. In addition, most people outside the U.S. only see the
     brews exported by the mega-brewers and judge the entire market by
     these examples. But such blatant generalities as the opening question
     always fall short of the truth. The truth is that excellent beer is
     also being brewed in America and
     Germany/England/Canada/Mexico/Japan/Holland, etc. and the way to
     enjoy good beer from any country (or avoid bland beer) is to
     patronize the brewers that provide it and avoid the ones that don't.

------------------------------

Subject: BEER RESOURCES

------------------------------

Subject: 5-1. Were can I get more beer info and tasting tips?

     Look through the rec.food.drink.beer archives (see next section).

     Also, check out Usenet group alt.beer with archives at ftp.wariat.org
     in /pub/alt.beer.

     On the World-Wide Web, point your browser at:

     WWW Virtual Library Beer & Brewing Index
          <URL:http://www.beerinfo.com/wwwbeer.html>

     The Real Beer Page (TM)
          <URL:http://www.realbeer.com/>

     Dan Brown's Beer Page
          <URL:http://www.eff.org/~brown/beer.html>

     Spencer Thomas' Beer Page
          <URL:http://www.realbeer.com/spencer/>

     The Virtual Pub
          <URL:http://lager.geo.brown.edu:8080/virtual-pub/>.
          Watch for and participate in the beer tastings posted every so
          often by Joel Plutchak, publican.

     For lambic fans there is the Lambic Digest mailing list. You can
     receive it by sending SUBSCRIBE to
     <[e-mail]>.

     Michael Jackson (not the pop star) is an acknowledged authority on
     beer world-wide and has written several books:
         The New World Guide to Beer
         The Beer Companion
         Simon & Schuster's Pocket Guide to Beer

     Also look for:
         The Beer Enthusiast by Gregg Smith
         Evaluating Beer from Brewers Publications
         The Essentials of Beer Style by Fred Eckhardt
         Beer Cuisine by Jay Harlow

     Magazines:
         All About Beer - 800-977-BEER(2337)
         Beer, the magazine - 800-646-2701
         Beer Magazine - 613-737-3715 (Canada)
         The Malt Advocate - 800-610-MALT
         What's Brewing - comes with CAMRA membership (see above) (U.K.)
         Get beer-mags.Z from the archives or see the Beer Periodicals
     List, <URL:http://www.beerinfo.com/beermags/> for a complete listing.

     On video tape:
         The Beer Hunter with Michael Jackson
         Call 800-262-4800 - $34.95 + t/s/h.
         Beer and Ale: A Video Guide
         Call 800-546-5034 - $24.95 + t/s/h.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-2. Where can I get good beer?

     In most parts of the world, just go to any place that serves beer and
     ask for it. In North America, micro-breweries and brewpubs are the
     best places to get freshly brewed, finely crafted beer. But they
     aren't everywhere, yet.

     Many bars and restaurants are beginning to offer high quality beers
     on tap and in bottles. Don't fall into the trap of asking for an
     "import" when you want a good beer! The market today is such that you
     could easily end up with a very disappointing import while missing a
     truly wonderful domestic. Always, always, always ask to see a beer
     list. Servers are not always educated in beer lore and may
     misinterpret what you are looking for in a good beer.

     Most liquor stores carry a good selection of bottled beers. Many
     major grocery chains are also beginning to carry remarkable
     selections.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-3. I'm going to "some city", what brewpubs/bars are good?

     A comprehensive list of brewpubs and good bars is available via
     anonymous ftp to ftp.stanford.edu in /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/docs.
     The file is publist.Z. Caution: I don't think this is being updated.

     There are some other regional guides stored in the archives. On WWW,
     check out the Real Beer Page's Brew Tour at
     <URL:http://www.realbeer.com/rbp/rbp.brewtour.html>. Also see the
     Regional Guides section of the WWW Virtual Library's Beer & Brewing
     Index.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-4. Can I get beer in the mail?

     Yup, monthly subscriptions just like a magazine. These services send
     a selection of beers each month until you tell them to stop. For an
     up-to-date list look for the Beer-by-Mail FAQ posted the 4th Tuesday
     of every month on r.f.d.b or on WWW at
     <URL:http://weber.u.washington.edu/~cverver/bbm_faq.html> or you can
     ftp it from the archives (see below).

------------------------------

Subject: 5-5. Where can I get details on making my own?

     Brewing discussions are held in the rec.crafts.brewing newsgroup. The
     FAQ for that group is posted once each month and can be viewed at
     <URL:http://www.dna.lth.se/EHP/kurt/rcb.faq>.

     On the World-Wide Web, point your browser at:

     WWW Virtual Library Beer & Brewing Index
          <URL:http://www.beerinfo.com/vlib/>

     "The Brewery" Brewers Page
          <URL:http://alpha.rollanet.org/>

     Spencer Thomas' Beer Page
          <URL:http://www.realbeer.com/spencer/>

     Eric Wooten's Beer & Homebrewing Page
          <URL:http://pekkel.uthscsa.edu/beer.html>

     Anonymous ftp from ftp.stanford.edu in /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/docs
     the following guides:

     beginners.Z
     how_to_brew_your_first_beer

     Read the Homebrew Digest mailing list. You can receive it by sending
     SUBSCRIBE to <[e-mail]>.

     Good books to read are:
         The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian
         The Complete Handbook of Brewing by Dave Miller
         Brewing Quality Beers by Byron Burch

     Magazines:
         Zymurgy - comes with membership in American Homebrewers
     Association (AHA): 303-546-6514
         Get beer-mags.Z from the archives or see the Beer Periodical List
     <URL:http://www.beerinfo.com/beermags/> for a complete listing.

     Video tape:
         Home Brew with Charlie Papazian - Call 303-546-6514 - $29.95 +
     t/s/h

------------------------------

Subject: 5-6. Where can I get recipes?

     Check the same sources listed above plus look in the ftp.stanford.edu
     ftp site in /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/recipes.
     On the World-Wide Web you'll find over 1,000 recipes indexed by style
     in Cats Meow III at
     <URL:http://alpha.rollanet.org/cm3/CatsMeow3.html>.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-7. What is r.f.d.b. about?

     rec.food.drink.beer was created on 16-MAR-1993 as a Usenet newsgroup
     dedicated to serious discussions concerning beer.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-8. Where are the archives?

     The rec.food.drink.beer archives are available via anonymous ftp from
     ftp.stanford.edu in /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/rfdb.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-9. What is in the archives?

     rfd-beer.charter - The charter for r.f.d.b.
     rfd-beer.faq - This document, in plain ASCII text
     beer-2buds-sb.txt.Z - History of 2 Budweiser's by Steve Beaumont
     beer-atlanta.Z - The Atlanta Beer Guide
     beer-book-list.Z - Library of Congress list of beer-related books
     beer-by-mail.faq.Z - List of Beer-by-Mail companies and services
     beer-calories.faq.Z - List of calorie/alcohol content of 200+ beers
     beer-capacity.faq.Z - Measures of Capacity FAQ
     beer-guinness.faq.Z - Guinness FAQt and Folklore
     beer-learning.faq.Z - Alan Marshall's beginners guide
     beer-mags.Z - The Beer Periodicals List
     beer-no-calif-pubs.faq.Z - Guide to Northern California brewpubs
     beer-ontario.faq.Z - A Beer lover's guide to Ontario
     beer-records.faq.Z - Beer Records FAQ
     bfest93.faq.Z - 1993 Beer Festivals FAQ
     bfest94.faq.Z - 1994 Beer Festivals FAQ
     camra-books.Z - Listing of books offered by CAMRA
     README.camra.Z - CAMRA info
     reinheitsgebot.deutsch.Z - German beer purity/tax law
     reinheitsgebot.english.Z - English translation of above

     The files ending in .Z are stored in a compressed format. If you use
     ftp to "get" them, omit the .Z extension and the ftp daemon will
     uncompress the file before sending it to you. If you can't do this,
     download them using the .Z extension then uncompress them using a
     utility on your machine. Check out Yahoo's listing of utilities at
     <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/
     Computers/Software/System_Utilities/Compression/> if you need to get
     one.

------------------------------

Subject: 5-10. I don't have ftp, can you e-mail files to me?

     To get a file, send e-mail to [e-mail]. No subject
     is required, but you can use one to identify your request. In the
     body of the message, type the following:

     connect ftp.stanford.edu
     chdir /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/rfdb
     get ????????
     quit

     Replace ???????? with the name of the file you want. If the file has
     a .Z extension (meaning it's been compressed), leave it off and it
     will be automatically uncompressed before mailing. A maximum of 10
     files can be requested per submission. Just use multiple "get"
     statements.

     If you want full details on this service e-mailed back to you, just
     send "help" in the body of the message instead.

------------------------------

Subject: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Craig Verver and Alan Marshall for their support and
encouragement in taking on this task. In addition, special thanks to our
other FAQ posters who publish in-depth FAQ's on some of the more popular
beer topics.

Other individuals who have contributed information to this FAQ (either
directly or because they posted something of value):

Jon Binkley <[e-mail]>
Aaron Birenboim <[e-mail]>
Dan Brown <[e-mail]>
Stephen Dunn <[e-mail]>
Rich Fortnum <[e-mail]>
Brendan Halpin <[e-mail]>
Marc de Jonge <[e-mail]>
Ed Lingel <[e-mail]>
Alan Marshall <[e-mail]>
Bill McGinnis <[e-mail]>
Brendan Molloy <[e-mail]>
Ian Nottage <[e-mail]>
Alex Oliver <[e-mail]>
Joel Plutchak <[e-mail]>
Alison Scott <[e-mail]>
Richard Stueven <[e-mail]>
Craig Verver <[e-mail]>

And, of course, thanks to our subscribers who are dedicated to the common
goal of enjoying beer as a beverage to be relished in its myriad forms.

------------------------------

Subject: MAINTENANCE HISTORY

16-MAY-1997
     Altered to meet "Minimal Digest Format" and RFC-1153
     Re-organized FAQ sections and contents
     Combined Web version back into single file for easier searching
     Added news.answers mirror resources
     Merged into new Beer Info Source architecture

01-DEC-1995
     Miscellaneous updates and corrections
     Added CAMRA Web site

01-SEP-1995
     Debut on The Beer Info Source!

04-JUL-1995
     Update Belgian ale terms in 1-13
     Updated labeling info in 2-3
     Updated CAMRA address in 2-7
     Clarified Chimay description in 4-2
     Added 4-10 regarding American beer
     Updated brewpub sources in 5-3
     Updated numerous WWW links

14-FEB-1995
     Modified lambics definition and added 1-13 regarding Belgian ales
     Modified all clear text URL's to RFC 1738 syntax
     Split into 3 parts for posting

31-JAN-1995
     Changed archive site references
     Change ftp-by-mail procedure
     Added IRC beer tasting info

27-DEC-1994
     Expanded lambic answer and added pointer to Lambic Digest
     Updated various WWW page references
     Added copyright notice
     Added Sam Adams Q&A

29-NOV-1994
     Added Guinness Q&A
     Expanded "brewery/microbrewery" size definition
     Updated "ale, malt liquor, barleywine" labeling definition
     Clarified Koelsch and Alt definitions

01-NOV-1994
     Reformatted, converted to HTML, and published on WWW the ASCII
     version will still be maintained concurrently
     Added Coors politics Q&A
     Clarified "cold-filtering" answer
     Added "gravity" Q&A

20-SEP-1994
     Added Vegetarian/Kosher/Organic Q&A
     Changed mail-order beer answer to point to new FAQ
     Added Q&A for the perennial Chimay topic
     Expanded Internet beer resources
     Updated archives listing

09-AUG-1994
     Clarified "skunking" description

12-JUL-1994 Added Quick Index
     Added city/brewpubs question and answer

28-JUN-1994
     Clarified filtering section
     Clarified brewpub definition
     Changed "Steam Beer" statement
     Added storage recommendations

14-JUN-1994
     Updated "Reinheitsgebot" section

31-MAY-1994
     Added beer magazine info
     Updated beer club list
     Added porter description

17-MAY-1994
     Clarified "Draught-flow" (tm) description
     Added additional notes to judging
     Changed r.f.d.b. archive name to rfd-beer.faq

03-MAY-1994
     Corrected alcohol measurement figures
     Expanded mail order beer info
     Added video tape resource info
     Added FTP by mail info

19-APR-1994
     Added beer description and ale/lager comparison
     Added "800" number for Microbrew To You

05-APR-1994
     Expanded description of "ice" beers
     Added description of bock beers
     Added pointer to beer book list

21-MAR-1994
     Inaugural post

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<URL:http://www.beerinfo.com/rfdb/>
Copyright (C) 1995-1997
Author: John A. Lock - http://www.mindspring.com/~jlock/home.html

John
<URL:http://www.beerinfo.com/>