The upper left edge. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1992-current, March 01, 1996, Page 4, Image 4

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    MIM
Never underestimate the adventures taking place in
our own neighborhood. If you drive to the east end
of Monroe Street and turn south on Elm, you’ll see a
tidy little cottage, white trim, shake roof, spindle
porch. Behind the house sits a newish garage. The
aromas emanating from this small building in recent
years would flare the nostrils of even the most
discerning of beer bibbers. Here Michael Knop
performs the alchemy that crafts award-winning ales
and lagers. Home brewers, technically zymurgists,
are those persons engaged in the yeasting and
fermentation of beverages. Part artist, part grass­
roots chemist, Michael is one of the best.
Last week Mike described the basic processes
involved in brewing to me. The complexities and
subtleties, the possibilities tor personal tinkering
with the brewing process, appear unlimited.
Mike begins bv “building up the yeast” to a
“pitching rate”. Two to three days prior to brewing,
he mixes yeast with malt extract and boils it up to
multiply the yeast. Mike places great stock in his
yeast selection and cultivation. A brewer can
scrounge up a bit of yeast trom the darndest places.
The sediment dregs left in the bottom ol an empty
beer glass at the local micro-brewery would suit ice
handsomely, for example. Next he grinds the
mashed barley or “grist”. One batch of beer takes
about 10 pounds of ground barley. The barley to
water ratio is approximately one quart water to one
pound of grain. The mashed barley/water formula is
then heated at varying temperatures for differing
periods of time. Mash for a typical ale, called
“infusion mash,” sits for 90 minutes at a given
temperature. Lager mashes, called “decoction
mashes”, require multiple temperatures and rests.
Great complexity and brew ing dexterity seem to be in
order here. Mike says this process can last up to six
hours, with the brewer carefully monitoring his
creation.
After mashing, the brewer “sparges”, or bathes,
the mash. Called “lautenng”, this process rinses the
grains to remove extracts and sugars. What remains
is termed “sweet wort”. The sweet wort is brought
to a boil and hops are added. Classical pale ale hops
are Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops from Britain.
The classic American hops are Cascade and
Willamette hops from our own region. German
Tettnanger and Hallertauer hops traditionally flavor
lagers. At this stage the liquid is termed a “bitter
wort”.
While boiling this viscous beer soup of water and
vegetative matter, a “hot break” is achieved. Mike
describes this as the stage “where proteins coagulate
with hops and create a turbid, unwanted mess of
goo.” The wort is then cooled in a heat exchanger
that rapidly lowers the liquid to 65-70 degrees. This
drives the turbid protein sludge to the bottom as the
wort cools (a “cold break”).
At this point the cleansed beer may be racked from
the break and the yeast “pitched” into the liquid.
After 3-5 days storage in a primary fermenter any
unwanted residue is siphoned oil and the remaining
liquid rests in a secondary fermenter to achieve
clarity.
When clear, bottle.
Wait, patiently, for one month and prepare
yourself for beer unexcelled by any product domestic
or foreign. Carefully tended homebrew is the best
beer. Unequivocally.
Mike has received the following awards in
National Homebrewer’s competition: ‘94, Bronze
Medal, “Terry Porter” ; ‘95, Silver Medal, English
Mild Ale; ‘95, Gold Medal in final round, “Make Me
Hoppy” American Pale Ale, 7th in nation; Best ol
Style, “Fly in the Rye” Amber Ale, Seattle contest
sponsored by Portland Brewing Co.
C 0 M E M P 0 R A R Y
D E S IG N
F I \ E ART
(503) 436-2910
263 \ . Hemlotk
P.O. Box 1208
Cannon Beach, OR 97110
L in d a
k i n h a n
C h r is te n
A lls o p
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296 N. SPRUCE
CANNON BEACH
George Shields
Sales Associate
4 3 6 -2 3 6 8
Eagle Harbor Book Company
157 Winslow Way East
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 842-5332
FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS
IN THE CANNON BEACH-ARCH CAPE AREA
PLEASE COME SEE US
WE HAVE A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL PROPERTIES
AVAILABLE IN THE AREA
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PLEASE CALL US FOR BROCHURE AND DETAILS.
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Monday-Friday 9-7 Saturday 9-6 Sunday 10 6
Thursday Evenings until 9 pm
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ENVIRONMENTAL & PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITIES
Personal Injury Lawyer
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Chris Childress
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(503) 436-0721
P.O. BOX 211 . CANNON BEACH, OR 97110
In a city, as in a world, it takes all kinds.
Murray Morgan
Margot McLure
Sales Associate
4 3 6 -1 8 0 7
244 N Spruce (503)436-2915
Box 1222 Cannon Beach, OR 97110
O pen Daily from around 10 AM til about 5 PM
Having just survived a dreadful January & February filled
with wind, ice, rain, floods and road closures it is hard to focus
on any other issues. Too many honest and hard working
people have been devastated emotionally and financially. It is
difficult not to dwell on the causes of all this adversity. Much
as I’d like to chalk it up to the whims of nature, I just can’t.
Isn’t it time to listen to what the earth is telling us and to take
stock of our lifestyles? Is it too much to ask that we begin to
harmonize with the environment as opposed to trying to
control it? In my opinion, it makes more sense to live within
the parameters of natural laws than to continually challenge
and defy them. Why not place all political, religious and
popular opinion aside and seriously identify the primary
environmental issues we need to deal with? Perhaps getting to
the root of our problems will displace the need to deal with the
secondary and sometimes more trendy disputes. Not to
mention it could help to alleviate some of the horrific traumas
that have been occurring.
We have all been bombarded w ith information regarding
building in flood plains or areas that are prime for erosion, the
effects of global warming and the dangers of pesticides but one
issue that isn’t as newsworthy lately is overpopulation. One
of the greatest problems we face in sustaining our environment
is an ever increasing population. The notion that this is just a
third world issue is as silly as not being concerned about the
ozone holes because they aren’t in our back yard -- at least not
yet We are already fighting about land ownership and public
reserve rights. Who can cut down what trees or what can be
built in an area some deem as pristine. However, as long as
our population escalates we will continue to cut down trees
and clear land for building, farmlands or grazing and use more
chemicals to “control” that land We will also produce and use
more without much more thought than how it will benefit
ourselves. It is human nature to want to create families and to
provide a better life for those families. Perhaps wha, we
should ask ourselves is if what we are providing is better or
just more. This harkens back to the old quality -vs.-quantity
debate. I am not advocating childless lives, but rather
contemplation as to why we bring children into our lives and
if what we provide them with is positive to them as well as to
the collective family of mankind and our environment.
Deciding to have children and the parenting of them should be
the most difficult and important decision we make.
Population is one of our primary concerns in the global
well-being of the earth. Overpopulation causes a myriad of
problems that drain not only our resources but our society in
general
There are many other topics that can and need to be
addressed in order to live kindly upon our earth. So as we run
joyously into Spring, 1 am asking that we each identify which
issues are the basis for our concerns about the degradation of
the environment and how our lifestyles are effected; and of
those issues, wha, can we do individually to change our habits,
what needs to be done corporately and govcmmcntally, and
how can we influence those changes occurring. You know one
person joined with many other individuals can make a
difference