Shared: The “No Nitrites Added” Hoax

The “No Nitrites Added” Hoax

The fact is, most nitrate we consume comes from vegetables. Nitrate we consume coverts to nitrite in our body, which is a anti-microbial agent in our guts. Sodium nitrite in bacon cures the bacon (more info in my safety concerns for charcutepaloozians) and then converts to nitric oxide, so, while I’m not chemist, I have heard others suggest that you’re not actually consuming any nitrite by the time the bacon gets to you.  Again, almost all the nitrate and nitrite in your body comes from veggies.  It’s an anti-oxidant.  Studies are coming out now saying it’s good for the heart.

A study in the Journal of Food Protection put it this way: “Since 93% of ingested nitrite comes from normal metabolic sources, if nitrite caused cancers or was a reproductive toxicant, it would imply that humans have a major design flaw.”

Shared: An Interview with Brewer Dan Morey

An Interview with Brewer Dan Morey

I got to admit, I was shocked when I found out “real” brewing software was using the “Morey Equation.” At the time was writing my own brewing software. The original version was in Quick Basic and was really limited. I decided [I] wanted something that was executable and had editable databases, so I went to work on transferring it to Turbo Pascal. One area I was really unhappy with was color estimation. By using just the MCU value I felt my beers were usually lighter than the prediction.

Shared: Lessons according to salt

Lessons according to salt

Think about the classic white shaker on every restaurant table. Most of the time we look right past it or ignore the invisible flavor in the small packets stacked next to the pepper. But stop for a moment, and consider salt’s history and presence — how far it traveled, what form it originally started in, how many people were involved just to get it to your table. It gets more interesting. Salt has inspired wars, funded the Great Wall of China, it’s been considered divine, it’s the name of cities, it has been used as currency. Today, it has over 14,000 uses and is considered a luxury in some parts of the world, while Americans just consume about a teaspoon and a half a day.

Shared: The Dark Secrets of Stout

The Dark Secrets of Stout

The most famous stout in the world uses a liquid extract, called Guinness Flavor Essence (GFE), to convert pale lagers and ales brewed by licensed Guinness producers around the world into Guinness Foreign Stout. GFE, reportedly a mixture of roasted barley extract and special beer, is only made in Dublin and is used by breweries in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Shared: What can 1 gallon carboys be used for?

What can 1 gallon carboys be used for?

When I drain my kettle after whirlpooling, there’s always a gallon or two of gunk down there. I siphon it into a one gallon jug or two, pop it in the fridge, let the gunk settle out, then use the wort for starters. You can freeze it in ziploc bags or chiney foo soup containers. I also use my one gallon jugs for starters, test batches, or experiments with oak, fruit, or dry hops.

Pivoting

Funny thing is that they have a special word for failure in Silicon Valley: “Pivoting”. That is how acceptable failure is.less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply