Subject: The FAQ list...
From: [email-masked] (Dan Brown)
Newsgroups: alt.beer

Well... here it is... This is the first "public" appearance of this 
FAQ list. Please write me and tell me what you think. There are a lot of
things that can and probably will be added as time goes on. 

Thanks to all of the people who have contributed to alt.beer in the time
that it has been around (going on 10 monthes... will be a year in June.)
Keep the beer posts coming... 

And so... I give you the Alt.beer FAQ list!!!

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	              	Alt.beer FAQ list.
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i. Intro.

This list has been compiled over the time that alt.beer has been up
available on Usenet. Please send any suggestions, corrections or 
changes to Dan Brown, [email-masked].

Many Thanks to all of the people that contributed, notably:

	Tim P McNerney, [email-masked] 
	Dean Cookson, [email-masked]
	and all of the people that have kept this newsgroup going!

This list is divided into several sections, each addressing a bit 
different aspect of beer. The topic is as broad as there are tastes for
different kinds of beer.  Due to this, this FAQ list cannot possibly 
cover every aspect of the subject. It is only meant as an overview 
that answers a few of the multitude of "Frequently Asked Questions"

Cheers!
Dan Brown
[email-masked]

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ii. Table of contents

The sections are as follows:

i. intro.
ii. Table of contents. 
I. Drinking Beer.
II. Making Beer.
III. General Beer FAQ's 
and
IV. Questions about alt.beer.

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I. Drinking Beer

What kinds of beers are there?

What are Ales and Lagers, etc, types and styles.

What are ales? Ales are generally beers made with top fermenting yeasts
	They are brewed at "warm" temperatures, normally between 50 and
	70 degrees Fahrenheit.

What are lagers? Lagers are generally beers made with bottom Fermenting
	yeasts. They are brewed at cooler temperatures, generally 35 to 
	50 degrees Fahrenheit.These cooler temperatures mean longer
	brewing. The process of brewing at cool temperatures is called
	"lagering." Pilsners (most American beers) are a subset of lagers.
	The style originated in Pilsen Chezkoslovakia.

What are lambics? Lambics are specifically Belgian 
beers, made in a certain part of Belgium using wild yeasts. They have a
very distinctive taste, and are	often flavored with fruit syrups.

What are the government  classifications?

What is malt liquor? Malt liquor is a classification bestowed on beers
	that are above a certain alcohol content. The laws vary from state
	to state in the US.

What do 3.2 and 5.0% mean? This is a "rating" of the amount of alcohol in
	the beer, by volume or by weight depending on where you are.

What is Rheinheitsgebot? It is an old German "purity" law that delineates
	the ingredients that can be used to make beer. Under this law, there
	are only four; water, barley malt, hops, and yeast.

What is do the terms used in beer commercials mean?

What is "Dry" beer? Dry beer is beer that has less malt, and more corn
	or rice sugars added to it during the brewing process. This 
	produces a lighter, slightly more alcoholic, "dryer" tasting beer.
	It also probably reduces the brewing costs.

What is "Cold Filtered?" Cold filtering is beer that is physically filtered
	after it has been brewed, before it is bottled. This tends to 
	eliminate all sediments (yeast and malt leftovers... things that
	can give beer character), and makes the beer clear. 

What does "Heat Pasteurized" mean? It means the beer has been heated after
	fermenting, killing all of the remaining live yeasts and any other 
	microganisms. It means that the beer will not continue to age in 
	its bottle.

What does "bottle conditioned" mean? It is beer that has not been
	pasteurized, and still has live yeast in it. It will continue to
	age in the bottle, and the character of the beer will change over 
	time. For some kinds of beer this is good, for others it means
	they will spoil after a while.

What is "draught" (draft) beer? It is beer that has been drawn or pulled
	from a cask. Beer from pressurized kegs is often referred to as
	draft beer, but this is probably a misnomer, or an "Americanism" 

How can you get draft beer in a can or bottle??? 
	Unknown.
				
Where can I get beer? Breweries, brewpubs, stores, restaurants,
	distributors, and by making your own. 

What is a brewpub? It is a combination of brewery, pub, and maybe 
	restaurant. There are LOTS of these in Europe, and are getting
	to be more in America.

How do I make my own?? See below.

How do I judge a beer/what is good beer

Good beer (what is it, and how to tell). Good beer is determined by an
	individuals tastes. It has been suggested that trying a wide variety
	of beers will usually help a person figure out what beer tastes good.

Bad beer (what it is and why it is bad/skunked.) Bad beer is beer that
	tastes bad of is spoiled. Beer can and will spoil under certain
	conditions. Mishandling and old age are the two biggest causes of
	spoiled beer. Skunked beer refers to beer that has been lightstruck,
	causing the hops to take on a skunky odor. This is often happens
	with clear or green bottles, and tends to be prevalent in certain
	imported beers.

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II. Making Beer

WHERE DO I START... How do I make beer? Beer is made with 
	basically, water, barley malt, hops and yeast. The water, malt 
	and hops are boiled to produce a wort. This wort is cooled, put
	into a fermenting vessel, and the yeast is added (pitched). This
	vessel is sealed with an air lock, and the beer is allowed to
	ferment (sugar and water is turned to alcohol, carbon dioxide, etc)
	and age for a period of time. When the fermentation is over, a
	bit of additional malt or other sugar is added (for carbonation),
	and the beer is	bottled or kegged. It is once again allowed to age
	for a period of time, during which the additional sugars carbonate
	the beer, and the taste of the beer developes and ages. The beer
	is then consumed.

Where to find more information about making beer??

What other Internet resources are available? You can find more information
	in the newsgroups rec.crafts.brewing, and rec.food.drink. There is a 
	mailing list, "The Homebrew Digest" sent out almost daily. There 
	is an archive of HBD items on (some machine in Florida...)

What books are available on homebrewing? The most popular is "The Complete
	Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. This is the book that
	made the phrase "Relax,	Don't worry, Have a Homebrew" popular.

Where can I find recipes? TCJOH by Papazian, "The Cats Meow" from the
	HBD, etc etc. 

How should I store my homebrew? The most common method is in bottles.
	These can be either the Grolsh kind, that have a stopper that
	is attached to the bottle, bottles that you put a crown cap on,
	or bottles that you cork. How do I get the labels of the bottles
	that I am going to use for my brew? The most effective method is 
	Commonly said to be by soaking them in a solution of water and
	ammonia. Most labels will fall off after soaking overnight.  

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III. Some General Beer FAQ's..

What does the "33" on the back of Rolling Rock bottles mean? There are
	several common answers. First, it is said to be the number of
	words on the back label. The story goes that the Latrobe Brewing
	Company was deciding on which slogan to use on the new bottles, 
	and had counted the number of words, and written it on the piece
	of paper that went to the bottle supplier. The bottle supplier
	mistakenly included the 33 on the printed bottles, and it has been
	there since. Another explanation is that it is the year that
	prohibition was repealed. One notable comment about the mysterious
	33 from a Latrobe exec goes something like; "Who cares what it
	means as, long as people continue to ponder it while drinking a
	cold Rolling Rock."
	
What is this new thing that Guinness is test marketing? How does it work?
	The thing is a can that has a pouch of Nitrogen gas in it that is
	used to produce a creamy head as you pour the beer. Probably the
	closest thing to "draft beer in a can!"

What is Jagermeister? It is a German herbal liquor. It is NOT beer.
	Discussions about it should be held on rec.food.drink. The same
	holds for all other beverages... like Everclear...
	
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IV. Questions about alt.beer.

What is it about?
	alt.beer is a newsgroup that was created for the express purpose
	of discussing topics related to beer. 
	
Where are the archives? The alt.beer archives are available via anonymous
	ftp to ftp.cwru.edu. Change directories to ~/pub/alt.beer. 

What is in the archives? Various files... this FAQ list, the alt.beer
	charter, some information about CAMRA, etc etc.