Slashdot Mirror


Free Beer That's Free as in Speech

darkonc writes "The CBC has notes and an interview with Dane Rasmus Nielsen who decided to reduce the confusion between 'free as in speech' and 'free as in beer' by making a beer free -- in speech. The result is Vores Oel, an open source beer. The CBC site includes the recipe for the beer which is made with Guarana beans, and gives it a bit of a caffeine-like hit. The danish site downloads include the label for the beer (which is also Open Source)."

80 of 379 comments (clear)

  1. Wait... by DanielNS84 · · Score: 5, Funny

    But will he send it to me free like a Ubuntu CD?

    1. Re:Wait... by wickedmm · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ryan Stiles on the Drew Carey Show, commenting on their "new" Buzz beer recipe - "Coffee flavored beer , I feel like I have to pee already!"

      --
      Don't be a Hem, find some new cheese.
  2. reduce the confusion? by xlyz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... or increase it???

    1. Re:reduce the confusion? by hobbit · · Score: 4, Insightful


      Yup. Not that it isn't already confusing enough:

      Me to friend not well-versed in libre: "No, that's free as in beer."
      Friend: "Beer isn't free."
      Me: "Well, no. But when it is, it's free-as-in-beer."
      Friend: "Er, right. Suddenly everything becomes clear-as-in-mud."
      Me: "Actually it recently got a bit more complicated..."

      Free-as-in-speech beer is all well and good, but I'd really like to see some of this free-as-in-beer beer that everyone talks about.

      --
      "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" - Plato
    2. Re:reduce the confusion? by Evil+Pete · · Score: 2, Funny

      Friend: "Er, right. Suddenly everything becomes clear-as-in-mud." Me: "Actually it recently got a bit more complicated..."

      No, that usually happens by about Beer 9.0.

      --
      Bitter and proud of it.
    3. Re:reduce the confusion? by Eivind · · Score: 2
      I realize you're (attempting to :-) be funny, but it really is not very complicated. Unless you've got really braindead friends it should be possible to get the idea across to them that the main idea is freedom, as in the oposite of slavery, the oposite of imprisonment, the oposite of being restrained. And not "free" as in "at no monetary cost".

  3. It can't be open source by WillerZ · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's already version 1.0.

    If this were in the true open-source spirit it'd be 0.99_rc3_beta1.1 at most.

    --
    I guess today is a passable day to die.
  4. Free beer is one thing by hobotron · · Score: 4, Funny


    Trusting the Danish for your free beer is quite another.

    *ducks*

    --
    There is truth in humor.
    1. Re:Free beer is one thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Trusting the Danish for your free beer is quite another.

      mmmmmm danishhhhh ..... beer? danishhhhhhh .... mmmm ..beerrrr...... danish? .....

      that would confuse the fuck out of homer simpson!

    2. Re:Free beer is one thing by wolrahnaes · · Score: 2, Funny

      Obviously you haven't been through college if you don't think beer is for breakfast.

      --
      I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
  5. Open Source Beer? by silvertear72 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So...is there some kind of General Public License for beer similar to the GNU?

    1. Re:Open Source Beer? by shawb · · Score: 3, Informative

      Creative Commons liscenses allows "open sourcing" just about any IP you want: music, visual arts, writing... it's just a license that you have to print the license and the recipie if you want to distribute the beer.

      --
      I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
    2. Re:Open Source Beer? by Shaper_pmp · · Score: 5, Funny

      I certainly hope so, since after you drink it you'll have a hard time not producing derivative works...

      --
      Everything in moderation, including moderation itself
    3. Re:Open Source Beer? by MadCow42 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Great, now all the toilets will be plugged up with copies of the GPL... which has to be distributed with said derrivitive works.

      MadCow.

      --
      I used to have a sig, but I set it free and it never came back.
  6. Now that will just add to the confusion... by TheRealBlueEAGLE · · Score: 5, Funny

    As everyone knows free beer will make you drink more and get drunk. When you get drunk you will speak more freely. So it will be free speach by free beer. How does this help anyone?

    Except that it helps us get drunk, and that's not a bad thing, is it? ;D

    --
    If pro and con are opposites, what is the opposite of progress?
  7. The label... by aaza · · Score: 4, Funny
    But is the label free as in beer, or free as in speech?

    --
    In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.
    In practice, however, there is.
    1. Re:The label... by miyako · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I suggest "free as in lunch", I think it might really be better than "free as in beer" ever was anyway, because it relates back to "there's no such thing as a free lunch" and basically re-enforces the idea that "free as in speech" = good, "free as in lunch" = be cautious.

      --
      Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
    2. Re:The label... by patio11 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In the real world, one of the selling points of OSS is that its free-as-in-beer. The whole "You get a software system to do what you mean for NO MONEY" thing is a major driver to adopter (particularly in my own workplace, where we're frequently advising third world governments which don't exactly have large technology budgets). Why would you want to tell people "Hah, the number one reason you want to use OSS is a mirage! Its too good to be true! Sucker! You can't actually download Linux off of the Internet and start using it for free!"

  8. Re:caffeine LIKE? by Saven+Marek · · Score: 3, Funny

    > umm... guarana HAS caffeine. in fact it is one of the richest
    > natural sources of our beloved caffeine!

    The important thing is that guarana is better for you as it is a natural source of caffeine. so that's something to remember

  9. Wired by moyet · · Score: 3, Informative

    Wired had the same story a couple of days ago. Their article is a bit longer and with a bit more background.

    1. Re:Wired by Nakanai_de · · Score: 4, Informative

      Here's the link to the Wired story.

      --

      Sono koro, bokura wa, sore ga sekai no shinjitsu da to shinjite ita.

  10. You can talk about free beer all you want. by mikeophile · · Score: 4, Funny

    Until I'm drinking it, there is no buzz.

  11. More Free (as in speach) beer by Zachary+Kessin · · Score: 2, Informative

    And other drinks over at the Cat's Meow 3 lots of beer related stuff. Of course it will cost you some money to brew a batch, but hey it could be worth it.

    I do not vouch for specific recipies there, as I haven't done any brewing in years.

    --
    Erlang Developer and podcaster
  12. No wonder there is confusion by FidelCatsro · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The minute folks have got their heads around free beer , they are drunk and stand little chance of grasping the differences between Libra and gratis .

    --
    The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  13. Confused? by the_unknown_soldier · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here is the GNU definition:

    ``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in ``free beer.'' Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:


    * The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
    * The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
    * The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
    * The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

    http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

  14. DO NOT follow their directions by IvyMike · · Score: 5, Informative

    The process of brewing beer is easy, but not quite THAT easy.

    A good introduction to brewing is How To Brew by John Palmer. The entire 1st edition of the book is available on the web for free at the URL above. (Perhaps predictably, it's free as in beer, not as in speech :)

  15. Uh-oh ... whose beer now? by KlaymenDK · · Score: 2, Informative

    Uh-oh ... I hope "Vores øl" doesn't get in trouble for this (but then again, it's not like this is the US, so there is hope).

    The thing is, a few years ago one of the two major Danish beer labels had a series of commercials in which "Vores øl" was the signature. They might not see this site as such a "free speech" win, though I hope they'll let it pass without raising a fuss.

  16. Article Text, in case of /.ing by hobotron · · Score: 2


    Now ... when you here the words "open source" most people think of computer software programs like Linux ...It is a model where the original "source code" can be modified and improved at little cost...and it's shared among users for free.

    Well now ... thanks to Rasmus Nielsen, beer is free too. At least the recipe is ... in an industry where ingredients and processes are typically kept under constant poliece surveilance. Rasmus Nielsen is one of the creators of the Vores OI beer recipe. We were able to trace the subject to his secluded home in Copehagen, Denmark.

    Recipe for approx. 85 ltr. Vores Øl (Our Beer) (approx. 6% alchohol by volume).

    Malt extract
    For Vores Øl we use four types malted barley:

    6 kg pilsner malt
    4 kg münsner malt
    1 kg caramel malt
    1 kg lager malt
    The malt is crushed and put in 55-60C hot water for 1-2 hours.

    The mixture is filtered and the liquid now contains about 10 kg malt extract.

    Taste and sugar Besides malt we use:

    60 g Tetnang bitter hops

    50 g Hallertaver aroma hops
    300 g Guarana beans
    4 kg sugar
    (Guarana beans can typically be bought at health food stores).

    The malt extact is brought to a boil in a large pot with the hops and approx. 70 ltr. of water.

    After half an hour, the Guarana beans and sugar are added.

    The mixture simmers for about an hour, and is then filtered and cooled in a sealed container.

    Fermentation

    Yeast is added and the beer is fermented at room temperature for approx. 2 weeks.

    When the beer is fully fermented it is transferred to bottles. First 4 g sugar is added per liter and some yeast from the bottom of the fermentation tanks for priming.

    Vores Øl is then left in the bottles at room temperature for 8-10 days for carbonation. Then the beer is ready to enjoy; cold and refreshing.

    --
    There is truth in humor.
  17. Little Known Fact About Free Beer/Free Speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Did you know that it is legal to beat the crap of anyone who tries to explain something to you with free as in beer/free as in speech?

    Hopefully someday the ass kicking won't just be legal, but compulsory.

  18. Important message from Heineken by datafr0g · · Score: 5, Funny

    As a Heineken representative, I'd just like to remind you all that THERE ARE NO ADVANTAGES to open source beer.

    See our website for zillions of usless statistics and reports (compiled by and independent organisation (funded by us)), that disprove the so called benefits of open source beer.

    As well as conveniently digging up all those old patents we also plan to file numourous lawsuits against the open source beer community - if you are a user of open source beer, watch out - you may be prosecuted.

    --
    "Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!" - Alfred E. Neuman
    1. Re:Important message from Heineken by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 2, Funny

      As a Heineken representative, I'd just like to remind you all that THERE ARE NO ADVANTAGES to open source beer.

      As a beer "power user", I'd just like to remind you that Heineken tastes like an ass.

  19. Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by Vellmont · · Score: 5, Informative

    This recipe is terrible. The most glaring error is they don't specify the type of yeast. Is this an Ale or a Lager? There's a big difference beween the two. Given the room temperature fermenting, you'd assume an Ale, but some Lager yeasts can ferment at room temperature too. Among those two major yeast types there's a huge difference among the various strains that produces very different end products.

    The recipe calls for armoma hops and bitter hops. The only difference between the two is the length of the boil. Bitter hops are boiled on the order of 30 minutes, Aroma hops are boiled on the order of 5 minutes. But no boil times are specified at all. The boiling time of hops impacts the hop level of the beer, which has a major impacts on the flavor of the beer.

    If this recipe were code, it wouldn't compile. You'd have to guess at the yeast type and boil times for the hops. The massive 85 liter batch size isn't terribly usefull either. Most homebrewers do 5-6 gallon batches.

    --
    AccountKiller
    1. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by datafr0g · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Whenever I complained about some open source app not doing what I wanted it to, some dude would always come along and whine something like, "it's free, it's open source - fix it yerself"....

      Ahem... (clears throat)

      "Quit complaining! it's free, it's open source! Fix it yerself"

      But seriously, I agree - it definitly doesn't look ready for a version 1.0 release right now.

      :-)

      --
      "Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!" - Alfred E. Neuman
    2. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by Vellmont · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The problem is that it's impossible to even know what they're even trying to create in the first place. Without some kind of guideline to start with you might as well ignore the recipe they came up with and use your own.

      It's as if you've got a collection of code that's incomplete, but you're not sure what the completed product was actually supposed to do. How would you possibly fill in the missing pieces of code?

      --
      AccountKiller
    3. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by kailoran · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's simple - you fork. OSB-Lager, OSB-Ale etc...

    4. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      exactly, and as a home brewer I took offense at the title "worlds first open source beer" which it is not. Myself and several other home-brewers share recipies and techniques all the time.

      Open source beer has been around ever cince home brewing has been around. (like forever)

      I strongly suggest to people wanting to get into home brewing to get some books on the subject, and make a couple of throw away batches (my first 4 batches were HORRIBLE! praanoid sterelization is key to making beer!)

      I would put the recipie as not even a no compiling project but as a project that requires some dependancies but they only tell you generally..

      Oh to compile you need a graphics library. and the lack of details on the rest of it is like not telling you what programming language it is.

      This is not at all like that open source cola recipie that was on the net a few years ago. that one was complete and easy to make (if you can get your hands on the ingredients)

      in fact that open source cola launched me into beer making. I bought several postmix pop canisters for making the pop.... found they are wonderful for fermenting my beer into larger than bottle sized batches. my "mini-keg" so to speak of lumpyale.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    5. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by Mr2001 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Is this an Ale or a Lager?

      Since it's named "Vores Oel", I'd guess it's an ale.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    6. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by hyfe · · Score: 2, Interesting
      exactly, and as a home brewer I took offense at the title "worlds first open source beer" which it is not. Myself and several other home-brewers share recipies and techniques all the time.

      While you're busy taking offense, how about taking a break and realise it's a joke?

      Either way, people were sharing code and programs long before 'open source' got around. What makes open source is the licence (and preferably some idiot standing on a virtual box shouting, 'this is open source'), and this is the first I've heard of anybody trying to attach a licence to their recipe.

      --
      "" How about taking the safety labels off everything, and let the stupidity-problem solve itself? """
    7. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by dapyx · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Myself and several other home-brewers share recipies and techniques all the time.
      That is "shared source", not "open source".
      --
      I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is an imaginary number. Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and dial again.
    8. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by Carewolf · · Score: 2, Informative

      Be carefull. Though ale is derived from the danish word Øl, the distinction between ale and lager was introduced after both words was already found in the English language. There no such distinction in Danish, which is probably why they don't specify it.

      However most danes consider pilsner a normal beer. So you should use Carlsbergensis yeast.

    9. Re:Coming from an ameteur brewer.. by Sax+Maniac · · Score: 3, Informative
      Not necessarily. What's printed on the label as an ale or lager does not mean what yeast is used. Some states have weird laws determining what you are allowed to call an "ale" which are not the technically correct definitions. (Ale yeast ferement at room temps, 60-70F. Lager yeasts ferment at refrigerated temperatures - 35F.)

      Basically, the ingredients listed here are useless. Brewing is all about technique, not ingredients. In order to realistically clone a beer, you need to know:

      • The yeast strain to produce the correct flavor profile. Even specifying "ale yeast" is not enough. There are dozens and dozens of strains with very different flavors.
      • What kind/brand of grain used and its color. Caramel malt comes in a wide spectrum of colors and varieties.
      • The expected alpha acid % in the hops to normalize for natural differences. One day your Hallertauer might be 2% and the next 4%. If you don't normalize, the second will be roughly twice as bitter.
      • What temperataure it's fermented and conditioned at, and for how long. Some beers have complex fermentation schedules with many changes.
      • Mineral profile of the water they use. You can't substitute hard water for soft and expect it to be the same.
      • How it's mashed. Single infusion? Double? Protein rest? Mash out? Maybe it's a (single/double triple) decoction?

      Without all that, you are not cloning a beer, but merely making something vaguely similar. This level of detail is what brewmasters need to do to make a zillion gallons that all tastes the same, regardless of region. That's why when you buy Sam Adams in Arizona, made with different ingredients, it still tastes like Sam Adams.

      Basically, this recipe is a marketing ploy and not useful in the least.

      --
      I can explanate how to administrate your network. You must configurate and segmentate it, so it can computate.
  20. Re:Somewhat Lacking? by Gantoris · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Unless you are already a homebrewer, don't try this recipe - it's a difficult grain recipe, and looking at the recipe, will not will not be a fantastic beer.

    If you are interested in starting with the hobby (and I recommend you do, you'll never look back), go to your local home brew shop and grab a starter kit, you will make some pretty good beer - certianly better than that recipe will get you.

    Once you have made up a few batches, add some Gurana to a recipe you like and you will have a cafinated beer that you will actually enjoy.

  21. Re:Forking it by kfg · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's called sake.

    I don't know that there are special names for corn beer, or millet beer, or amaranth beer. Then, of course, root beer and birch beer are really beer if you really brew them. Recipes are available on the net, as they are for barley beer, so I'm at something of a loss to explain what this story is all about.

    Me, I generally just go straight for the cognac, but I'd have to move to France to make it myself.

    There's always wild grape rotgut.

    KFG

  22. Beer is already free (as in speech) by Trurl's+Machine · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sorry folks, but that's just plainly stupid. All IP issues with recipe for beer should be settled with Hildegard of Bingen. This German Benedictine nun was the first author to suggest that adding hops to the disgusting fluid hitherto known as beer will be generally a good idea. Since the age of Hildegard (12 century), no significant progress has been made in this topic - she has described the beer as we know it today. And as it was with many medieval philospophers, Hildegard created her "intellectual property" just "ad maiorem Dei gloriam", feel free to copy for the greater God's glory. So there is no need to make "open source beer" today - it was open source since last eight centuries.

    Personally, I think the idea of adding guarana to beer is just plainly insane. Beer is meant to relax people. If I want to stay alert and awake I can drink coffee or energy drinks. Beer is something to drink when the work is over and you can relax. Guarana beer is like coffee with sleeping pills.

    1. Re:Beer is already free (as in speech) by Richard+W.M.+Jones · · Score: 2, Funny
      But I'm a descendent of Hildegard, and I demand royalties!

      Rich.

  23. Out of morbid curiosity..... by Volvogga · · Score: 3, Funny

    can a person under the legal drinking age purchase these ingrediants without anyone asking for ID?

    I know that malt can be used for other things (although I doubt lager malt has other uses), and hops have properties that stop bacterial reaction (although I have never heard of their use for anything else). Yeast, of course, is used for bread. So for thoes with experience in home bewing, what's the verdict?

    --
    Vol~
    1. Re:Out of morbid curiosity..... by spisska · · Score: 2, Interesting

      can a person under the legal drinking age purchase these ingrediants without anyone asking for ID?

      Yes. It doesn't matter what the malt, hops, yeast, airlocks, fermenting bins, bottle cappers, etc can be used for, it matters what they contain, which is not alcohol.

      It's illegal for a person under 21 to buy alcohol, not barley malt or live yeast. It's also illegal for a minor to consume alcohol, but that's a different matter, since you're not going to have any alcohol for at least a couple weeks.

      I did exactly this when I was at university in Ohio about 10 years ago. The summer of my freshman year I moved off campus and was working as a janitor at the school for the summer session (eight hours a night, but the work was done in three and janitors have all the keys).

      Anyway, the Ohio State liquor store (and homebrew shop) was on my way home from school. At first I didn't have any problem buying beer there, but eventually someone realized that I was only 19.

      But the guy who ran the shop was an old-time homebrew guy and we got to talking about beers and the making of them. He said he could sell me whatever I wanted for making beer so long as it didn't have alcohol in it.

      So thanks to my janitor keys, I managed to liberate an old 20-liter spring water container from behind some disused florescent fixtures in an ancient storeroom in one of the social sciences buildings. A trip to the surplus store got me a big ol' army-size aluminum boilin' pot for about $20. All that was left were some sundries from the brew-shop -- airlock, rubber tubing, bottle capper and caps, funnel, etc.

      The guy at the shop was always very helpful and willing to trade recipes, recommend this hop with that malt, and so on. We ended up sharing a few after I turned 21 (his was much better) and I kept brewing up until I finished school.

      Brewing is a lot of work but has very nice rewards.

  24. Re:Free Beer? by datafr0g · · Score: 4, Funny

    yeah yeah, find the torrent but good luck getting the beer out of your PC safely. How do you plan to get the beer out, drip it through that old unused floppy drive?

    Are you crazy?

    Streaming free beer over the internet is pointless without a DRM free RS-232 Bar Tap for output and only RMS has one of those.

    --
    "Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!" - Alfred E. Neuman
  25. Re:Freedom by tod_miller · · Score: 4, Funny

    Its free as in Free beer, but not as in free beer.

    Shame. *hic*.

    Don't forget - all drivers are incompatible with this open source release, DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE

    --
    #hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
  26. Re:Somewhat Lacking? by grozzie2 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Unless you are already a homebrewer, don't try this recipe - it's a difficult grain recipe, and looking at the recipe, will not will not be a fantastic beer.

    A fantastic beer is all a matter of personal preference. The history of beer in north america was changed dramatically by prohibition. During that period, they were brewing awful stuff, and serving it very very green. What was discovered, if you chill the beer till it's 'cold', folks liked it better. If you look into the specific reason why, it's kind of hillarious. A liquid chilled the way north americans prefer beer (ice cold), will numb many of the tastebuds when it flows over the tongue. Those are specifically the buds that react to the flavour of yeast. When prohibition ended, the brewing industry held onto this concept, because it allows one to serve a green beer, and nobody will taste the yeast. Ever notice how much the industry spends promoting 'cold beer'? That simply because they know, if folks are drinking it chilled, they can sell a beer that's got a horrible yeast flavour, and nobody will notice.

    The recipe in question as given on the website will produce a very interesting beer, but, its definitely a european beer. That means it should be served just below room temp, not well chilled, and, it does need to be fully and properly cured, to get rid of the yeast flavours. the majority of the flavour from this particular beer will be lost if served chilled the north american way.

    If you are doing your own brews, it's a very interesting experiment. Make up a traditional european beer, then try 2 bottles side by side. Chill one 'the north american way', and treat the other exactly the way you would treat a good red wine (8 to 12 degrees below room temp). The chilled variant will taste awful, the room temp bottle will have a host of interesting flavours. Repeat the process with an american beer, and you'll find the room temp bottle will have a horrible yeasty aftertaste, which you dont notice when trying the chilled bottle.

    But, that's the beauty of open source beer :) for our north american folks that prefer ice cold beer, they can fork the recipe, and refine it for one that has acceptable flavours when served chilled, and disregard the yeast artifacts, the the chilled serving will hide them.

  27. ALERT!!! DO NOT DRINK IT! by aysa · · Score: 3, Funny

    This beer has a viral license.
    After you drink it you are running embedded beer and you will have to open all your internals for free
    (small fee for sending your intestines is acceptable)

  28. Re:Somewhat Lacking? by bhtooefr · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sounds like it's already the Linux of beers, then.

    Hard to set up, isn't that good, and you can add something to something more mainstream to make it do the same thing!

    (just kidding!)

  29. GPLed Mead by jd · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The following recipe is mine (mine! mine!) and I am releasing it under the GPL. For those unfamiliar with Mead, it is a honey-wine that dates back something like 6,000 years to either Greece or Cyprus. It has been blamed on various Gods over time and is even in the English language (honeymoon refers to the practice of getting sloshed on Mead for one lunar month after a marriage.)


    Ingredients per gallon of water (scale as appropriate):

    • 4 lbs. of any light-color honey
    • 3 acorns (crushed)
    • 1/4 pint of extra-strong tea
    • Juice of two medium-sized lemons
    • 3-4 tbsp malt extract
    • 1 sachet of Mead or Champagne Yeast
    • 2 x 1 gallon brewing jar
    • One airlock
    • Pint jug
    • Wine siphoning kit


    Method:


    Boil the acorns in a 1/4 pint of water, until the water turns yellow. Strain out the acorns. Boil the gallon of water separately, then let it cool slightly. Add the honey, tea, the water from the acorns and the lemon juice. Stir gently. It is recommended to remove the scum off the top, but I never do. Allow the water to cool to just above blood-warm and pour all but 1/4 pint into a brewing jar.


    Heat 1/2 pint of water in a jug until blood-warm and dissolve into it the maltose. Add the yeast and stir. Let to sit until the yeast is active and a good froth has formed.


    Pour the yeast mix into the brewing jar, then rinse the jug with the remaining 1/4 pint to get the remaining yeast. Also pour into the brewing jar. Shake the brewing jar to ensure a good mix, but not so much as to lose any of the mixture out of the top.


    Fill the air-lock with water (assuming it is a type that uses water) and stopper the brewing jar. Place somewhere warm (most yeasts do best around 78'F). Regardless of what anyone else says, I do recommend direct sunlight.


    Wait until fully fermented, then use the wine siphoning kit to siphon the mead into the empty brewing jar, minus the sludge. Stopper it again and let it settle for a day. Clean the original brewing jar carefully. Place the full brewing jar in a cool, dark location.


    After six months, siphon back to the original brewing jar, stopper it up, and place it back in the dark. After another six months, bottle into dark glass bottles.


    Mead is "best" after being left for 4-5 years, but is extremely drinkable within a day or two of being bottled.


    I use just about any old mead or champagne yeast, but the one that seems to be the most popular is Wyeast's #3632 Dry Mead yeast. If you want something that'll give you an extra kick, START with that until it finishes, then pour out 1/4 pint to make a fresh starter kit. This time, use a high-tolerence yeast (champagne will go to 17 or 18%, but there are yeasts now that'll go to 25%). Once started, pour back into the main brewing jar and let it finish.


    If you want a slightly fruitier flavor, add 1 lb. of blueberries or some other soft fruit, when making the original mix.


    If you want a "cleaner", softer flavor, don't use the acorns.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    1. Re:GPLed Mead by say · · Score: 3, Funny

      But what good is an open source recipe when it is written in Shakespear-ish measurements like "lbs", "gallons", "sachet", "F" and "pint"? This kind of anglosaxican prejudice is exactly the problem with open source!

      --
      Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF, all my base are belong to you
    2. Re:GPLed Mead by Mr2001 · · Score: 5, Funny

      But what good is an open source recipe when it is written in Shakespear-ish measurements like "lbs", "gallons", "sachet", "F" and "pint"?

      Says the guy with RGB colors in his sig. In my country, we only use HSV, you insensitive clod!

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    3. Re:GPLed Mead by Lillesvin · · Score: 2, Funny

      For those unfamiliar with Mead, it is a honey-wine that dates back something like 6,000 years to either Greece or Cyprus.

      Judging from your user ID you were one of the inventors, right? :-p

      --
      "Live free or don't."
  30. Re:caffeine LIKE? by Bush+Pig · · Score: 2, Informative

    Coffee beans are also a natural source of caffeine, (as are tea leaves), and they have a huge adavntage over guarana, as they don't taste like dirt.

    I'm pretty sure I read the original article some months ago, btw - don't know if it's a /. dup., or if I saw it somewhere else.

    --
    What a long, strange trip it's been.
  31. Re:Free Beer? by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 5, Funny

    Use Unix. This is where all those pipes and filters come in handy.

    --
    OS Software is like love: The best way to make it grow is to give it away.
  32. Re:caffeine LIKE? by shawb · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And the caffeine in coffee and chocolate ISN'T natural? Natural != healthy. The nicotine found in tobacco is perfectly natural: the plant makes it as an insecticide. And even though it's perfectly natural, I doubt snake venom beer would be very good for you (okay, okay, it has been found that small doses of certain snake venoms can actually help patients overcome certain disorders, but in general, not a good idea.) Or how about a nice tetrodotoxin saki? It's made from the all natural pufferfish, a Japanese delicacy.

    And then there's the fact that guarana has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or purity. All potential risks and/or advantages of guarana may not be known. Additionally, there are no regulated manufacturing standards in place.

    Now, the caffeine in guarana beans is generally disgested much slower than in, say, a cup of coffee. However the effect when you grind up the bean and mix it with a carbonated alcoholic beverage would probably be to extract the caffeine directly into the liquid, where it can be digested quicker. Not that I'm against mixing caffeine and alcohol within moderation... just as long as you know what's going on and understand that, yes, you are taking risks.

    --
    I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
  33. Re:Somewhat Lacking? by grozzie2 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    After all, I can still taste Coke when it's icy cold... in fact, I can still taste a lemonade icy-pole well, and it's very cold...?

    Did the post say _all_ tastebuds, or many tastebuds ? Some are not affected by the cold, others are. Heat has a similar effect. I'm sure you know at least one food that seems to 'taste better' after it's got cold?

  34. Beta testing by dapyx · · Score: 4, Funny

    Beta testing must be really fun. :-)

    --
    I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is an imaginary number. Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and dial again.
    1. Re:Beta testing by The+Tyrant · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I dunno about that, get one measurement wrong or add in some new ingredient that looks good on paper but isnt and you'd have to drink something really quite foul.

      Rebooting a computer is a pain, but shampooing the carpet is worse.

    2. Re:Beta testing by Urchlay · · Score: 3, Funny
      Beta testing beer has got to be better than beta testing some other products I can think of...

      Did you ever wonder about the poor guys who beta tested preparations A through G? That had to be a crappy job...

    3. Re:Beta testing by tighr · · Score: 2, Funny

      Did you ever wonder about the poor guys who beta tested preparations A through G? That had to be a crappy job...

      One might even say that job was a pain in the ass!

  35. From an open source beer advocate by Frankie70 · · Score: 3, Insightful


    If this recipe were code, it wouldn't compile.


    Don't whine. Just fix the bugs in the recipe & check
    in the fix. That's what open source beer is all about.

  36. Recipes are already free by aridg · · Score: 4, Informative

    In the US anyway, and probably in other countries with similar intellectual property laws, recipes are not covered by copyright.

    Why do you think Coca-Cola keeps their recipes under strict secrecy?

    So brew away -- and feel free to ignore the licensing restrictions of the CC license, at least for the recipe.

    1. Re:Recipes are already free by tgd · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually you couldn't reverse engineer Coca-Cola's taste in the US legally. Under the guise of "vegitable extracts", "natural flavors" or whatever other description used in the ingredients depending on the country is decocainized coca leaf extracts. (The favor of the coca leaf with the cocaine removed).

      There's only one company in the US legally allowed to import coca leaves for processing, Stephan Co, in New Jersey. They have an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola to provide the extract, and an exclusive license from the DEA to import the leaves.

      It wouldn't matter if you knew Coke's recipe, you couldn't make it anyway.

  37. Re:might be useless by dajak · · Score: 2, Informative

    Recipes can get legal protection through being "trade secrets", though. This recipe doesn't have that restriction, so it's a lot freer than any other beer I can think of.

    It's a non issue. Beer is not cola. In countries with beer culture (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK to some extent, types of recipe were often originally linked to towns, to abbeys etc.

    The basic recipes have been in the public domain for centuries, and you are not held back in any way from making a beer similar to wellknown brand beers.

    There are lots of micro-breweries that sell beer, and recipes are easy to come by. It is also not very hard to make a beer that is better than the commercial ones. It is just hard to market it and make a profit. Compare with orange juice: everyone can make good fresh orange juice, but the knowledge will not make you rich.

    The secret to making wine, liquor, bread, and cheese is also in the public domain. This "free-as-in-speech beer" thing is mildly funny, but I don't want to be bored with free-as-in-speech bread or free-as-in-speech cheese.

    There are a few beers that dominate the world market, but that is only because of shelf space and brand recognition, not closed source recipes or technology lock-in or whatever.

    Having seen the recipe, I don't think this beer is worth trying btw.

  38. Re:Open Source Beer? Release Notes by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Funny

    if you change it you have to publish your modyfied version as well

    Most of the modifications I make to beer involve kidneys, liver and bladder. There have been a few occasions where I have made their products freely available, but most people seemed more annoyed than grateful.

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  39. Re:caffeine LIKE? by ajs318 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The important thing is that guarana is better for you as it is a natural source of caffeine. so that's something to remember
    And you are saying the coffee bean isn't also a natural source of caffeine?

    Tobacco is natural. So is Belladonna. Just being natural does not mean something is good for you.
    --
    Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
  40. Freedom Needs To Proliferate In Other Products... by FosterSJC · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Creating a free beer sounds fun but frivolous - one may ask what meaning this really has concerning food, or other physical products. I believe it is quite the opposite; that is, that Vores Øl has given us the freedom to protect our ideas and promote innovation. Already many recipes, cooking methods, ingredients, even entire species of plants and animals are patented and copyrighted. Vores Øl aims to publicize the fact that there is an alternative to the monopolistic act of traditional copyright law - and a simple alternative at that. Share and share alike is the mantra here. So how about you share some of your beer with me?"

    -I wrote this on my food blog last week about the Free beer. Too many real world physical things are becoming patented. Innovation is being stifled and aggressive capitalism is preventing creativity. I think the best part of this project is that it simply raises awareness of the fact that copyright, trademark, int. property law, etc. don't have to continue going the way they are going.

    -Aaron

    http://aliment.blogspot.com/

  41. How about free brewing? by OzeBuddha · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Or you could take the free as in speech thing one step sideways... and brew using Linux - http://nerdbrew.com/
    ~
    NerdBrew.com
    Beer through technology through beer through technology through beer through beer through beer .... (shameless plug, sorry :P)

  42. Re:First Prime Factorization Post by budgenator · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actualy it looks like a pretty good commie recipe, it has plenty of malt to give the brew plenty of body and head; a blend of both bitter and armoma hops to give the beer both taste and bouquet.
    After trying the reciept as is i'd probably decide to cut back the bitter Tetnang hops a bit to balance it to my personal preferences better.
    If any of my fellow americans would like to by your hand at brewing I can assure you that with a trials, you'll be making a brew that is far better, and better personalized than anything you'll see made by the big conglomerates. The hardest part for use is actualy collecting enough bottle of the proper type; our Modern Screw on lids bottles suck ass for home brewing.

    One word of warnning is home brew produces prdigious amounts of very good beer at modest cost, so in order to consume it fast enough to try the modifications to the reciepes, you'll need friends and have to actually scocialize in person.

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  43. Re:really old? by racerxroot · · Score: 2, Informative

    there it is: http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/ 13/1642234&tid=222 if there's one thing that sticks in my memory... it's beer. :-)

    --
    --- Caffeine is directly responsible for some of my greatest ideas, and some of my most embarrassing moments...
  44. Use different words by packrat0x · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We have two Latin words that explain the concept just fine.
    Liberty: freedom (free as is speech).
    Gratis: without charge or payment (free as in beer).

    --
    227-3517
  45. Re:Free Beer? by xtracto · · Score: 2, Funny

    Forced simpsons quote:

    To start press any key.
    (reading screen) Where's the "any" key? I see Esc, Catarl, and Pig Up. There doesn't seem to be any "any" key.

    Wo! All this computer hacking is making me thirsty. I think I'll order a Tab.
    (presses TAB key).

    --
    Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
  46. Bug report by Stormwatch · · Score: 2, Funny

    BEER 1.0
    If you run this app for too long, it causes system glitches (hangover) a while after quitting it.

    (ok, I know, that's not a bug, that's a feature. workaround: non-alcoholic hack)

  47. Re:Somewhat Lacking? by Luyseyal · · Score: 2, Informative

    Pizza is far superior served as a cold breakfast -- especially when you dip the crust in your chocolate milk.

    My breakfast of champions,
    -l

    --
    Help cure AIDS, cancer, and more. Donate your unused computer time to worldcommunitygrid.org. Join Team Slashdot!
  48. Re:Somewhat Lacking? by CagedBear · · Score: 3, Informative

    "The history of beer in north america was changed dramatically by prohibition. During that period, they were brewing awful stuff, and serving it very very green. What was discovered, if you chill the beer till it's 'cold', folks liked it better. ...beer (ice cold), will numb many of the tastebuds..."

    Ah Bologna. Cold beer in the US dates back at least to the mid 1800's where they used ice houses, especially in the hot west to keep beer cold through the summer. It was hot and it was dusty. And the townsfolk wanted something cold to drink. Plain and simple.

    Here's an interesting beer history link for all the European beer snobs: http://www.beerhistory.com/library/holdings/raley_ timetable.shtml If you scroll down to modern history, it states:
    In the mid-19th Century (1850's) German immigrant brewers introduced cold maturation lagers to the US (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors, Stroh, Schlitz, and Pabst roots begin here).
    The modern era of brewing in the US began in the late 1800's with commercial refrigeration (1860), automatic bottling, pasteurization (1876), and railroad distribution.

    Cold beer is just part of the American culture. There is something about reaching in a cooler after a hard day of work and grabbing a can or bottle that has been sitting in ice for hours. Even in the winter time the beer comes out of the car and goes in a snow bank for deep chilling before serving. And we like it that way!

  49. Germany by Hrothgar+The+Great · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I just came back from sixteen days in Europe pretty recently (my first visit) and it's true - though the majority of places at which I drank beer kept it in refrigerators, their temperature was nowhere near as low as we keep them in the US. (This was nice when you go to butter your bread in the morning, incidentally). German beer tastes pretty good warm. You should give it a try sometime.

    I get really sick of this crap that's posted around here though about how we only keep ours cold to kill the flavor. It's not true. As the wise man a few posts below me indicated, we just like cold beverages around here. (In Nebraska, it has been over 40 degrees Celsius for the past week if you need an idea of why that might be) Beer snobbery is HUGE on Slashdot, among both Americans and Europeans and pretty much everyone else here. Snobbery would really lose its effectiveness if you didn't have a great story you completely made up so that you could more verbosely look down on something, right?

    I had by far the best beer I have ever had during those days in Germany and Belgium. (In fact, if anyone knows where I can get a bottle of Chimay for less than $6 I would love to know about it). When I got back to Nebraska, however, the first thing I wanted to drink was an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon. There's nothing wrong with a little variety, and I'm just not quite enough of an elitist asshole to complain about a national tradition, I guess.