HOMEBREW Digest #1111 Fri 02 April 1993

Digest #1110 Digest #1112


	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator


Contents:
  Hunter update, spent grain (Ulick Stafford)
  Jockey Box and *FOAM* ("Wayde Nie, Eng.Phys. II")
  RE: Questions (""Robert C. Santore"")
  Whitbread yeast (Mike Rego)
  5 liter Kegs (RADAMSON)
  re:quick ferments & conditioning (Jim Busch)
  Style snobs (NOT!) ("Spencer W. Thomas")
  maple beer (John Edens)
  "Samiclaus" aka strongest beer in world, for now? (Andrew Lickly)
  Test Drive (Jack Schmidling)
  Re:immersion cooler length (Sherman Gregory)
  Subject:      ICE BEER is here (John Adams)
  YEAST CULTURES ("William A Kitch")
  AHA Sanctioned Competition - second posting (wauts at cec" <ceco!CWEMAIL!WAUTS at uunet.UU.NET>
  Beer Balls/ 5L minikegs (atl)
  king Kooker (Roy Rudebusch)
  king Kooker (roy.rudebusch)
  schwarzbier (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
  Sediment ("Thomas Gilks" )
  Legality of Mailing Homebrew (Troy Howard)
  Grain Mills (Kenneth Haney)
  Iodophor (Lee=A.=Menegoni)
  Manitoba Brewers (Phil Hultin)
  ICE BEER IS ALREADY HERE (Phil Hultin)
  That "Styles" Issue (Martin A. Lodahl)
  Yeast Culturing Equipment (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
  Using Sulphites (Mike Lemons)
  1993 AHA NATIONAL HOMEBREW COMPETITION (Bob Gorman)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 31 Mar 93 19:27:58 EST From: Ulick Stafford <ulick at bernini.helios.nd.edu> Subject: Hunter update, spent grain I would like to update my Hunter post in 1107. I have been informed that a Hunter Airstat is what is normally used. Its main use is controlling windowe air conditioners and so can easily handle Freezer loads. It is simply plugged in and the freezer plugged into it. I don't know how available they are. I didn't see one in any hardware stores but now that the seasons are changing they may become available. BUt to update my description of how to use the regular heat/cool home thermostat. I found the 9V battery to be useless for running the relay. It seemed to go flat in a day (and I thought relay loads were low!). I replaced iot with an old 9V power supply that I had lying around. 6V will also do it, and maybe there would be no problem with a 120VAC relay. Otherwise I am now very pleased with the performance. I like the simple way of adjusting the range. I have been informed that a method for modifying the thermistor based airstat with a resistor was posted a while back, and this would seem to be a less complicated approach than mine. But hey, if you can't get an airstat, this is an alternative. David Mackensen asked about spent grain. The best thing is to feed it to livestock, if you know a farmer nearby. You can use a little in bread, but it usually ends up a little solid. Or do what I do, compost it. It makes a fine mulchy compost, especially if you forget about it and leave it rotting in your cooler for a week before dumping it :-) __________________________________________________________________________ 'Heineken!?! ... F#$% that s at &* ... | Ulick Stafford, Dept of Chem. Eng. Pabst Blue Ribbon!' | Notre Dame IN 46556 | ulick at bach.helios.nd.edu Return to table of contents
Date: 31 Mar 1993 20:40:18 -0400 (EDT) From: "Wayde Nie, Eng.Phys. II" <9106857 at SSCvax.CIS.McMaster.CA> Subject: Jockey Box and *FOAM* Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 93 21:53:39 -0500 From: ""Robert C. Santore"" <rsantore at mailbox.syr.edu> Subject: RE: Questions In HBD number 1108 Andy Anderson asks: > 4. When sparging in my extract brews, I filter out the > hops as well as hot & cold break proteins and plop the gunk > onto some cheese-cloth. When I'm finished filtering, I > squeeze the cheese-cloth to wring out the last liquid back > into my wort. An I screwing up because my "naked" hand is > squeezing out the juices? Am I introducing bacteria as > well as skin oils? How should I be doing this? Andy, if there is anything true about homebrewers it is that we all have our own ways of doing things and the ultimate test of our practices is the quality of the beer we make. However, having never tasted your beers, I would object to this practice of yours on two grounds. The first is certainly the increased chance of contamination that you bring up. I hope you at least sterilize the cheese cloth by boiling. The second objection I would make is that once you've gone through all the trouble to filter trub out of your wort, you want it to stay out! The couple of ounces of extra wort that you can obtain by pressing the trub is probably not worth introducing trub into your fermenter. My advice it to not do it at all! Bob Santore (rsantore at mailbox.syr.edu) Syracuse, NY Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1993 21:50 EST From: Mike Rego <MREGO1 at vax.clarku.edu> Subject: Whitbread yeast The recent discussion concerning Whitbread yeast has caught my interest. At the end of February I brewed a porter using dry Whitbread Ale yeast. It was a 12 gram packet with a serial number of 020412 stamped on the back. I bought it along with my other ingredients the day before brewing. I did not have any trouble with this yeast during the ferment, and the resulting brew is lovely. Still being new to this, I have not yet tried a liquid yeast. Almost everything I've read talks of Wyeast. How is that name pronounced, and is it the best? By the way, I just finished a bottle of Sam Adams Cream Stout. It has a distinct flavor that is hard to describe. A slight suggestion of burned popcorn? After a few bottles it becomes a familiar signature - kind of like the Guinness sour tang. Mike Rego Amherst, New Hampshire Return to table of contents
Date: 01 Apr 1993 01:39:34 -0500 (EST) From: RADAMSON at delphi.com Subject: 5 liter Kegs I received several inquiries regarding the 5 liter metal keg setups. Here's what I know: The problem with getting the Dink, et.al. cans from the stores is that the tap they sell you for $2.00 is a gravity tap that you insert in bung, flop the keg upside down and 'can-open' a hole in what was the bottom (and now on top). Certainly makes the vessel non-recyclable. The solution is these bottom-feed CO2 cartridge taps made by Beer*King in Germany. I originally got my tap(s) from Hoster Brewery (brewpub) in Columbus, OH - but they no longer 'keg' into 5 liter cans (and, therefore, don't sell the taps anymore). Dock Street Brewery in Philly kegs into 5 liter cans, but I'm not sure about the type of tap they sell. Stoudt's in Adamstown, PA likewise. A source that I do know of (and have no affiliation with) for both taps and empty kegs is: Randy Martin, Proprieter Brew Ha Ha, Ltd. 209 High St Pottstown, PA 19464 800-243-2620 (orders) 215-326-2620 (Dr. Brew) Randy picked up a bunch of kegs from the now defunct State College Brewery (Penn State) and could probably set you up. The tap has a central stem the height of the can which feeds brew from the bottom. There may be a small yeast burst in the first couple ounces of brew/foam when first tapping, but none whatsoever afterwards. The tap also has an adjustable CO2 valve that I "tweak-up" a little at a time to intro- duce more gas - you can hear it enter and build up a bit, then back it off to zero. I put more gas on for overnight storage, haven't had any leaking. As far as kegging these guys go, I have usually filled a couple 3 kegs along with a couple dozen bottles. And to keep it simple, I still bulk prime with either DME (.50 cup) or Corn Sugar (.75 cup) and just fill them as I go along. Use your own standard priming rate, mine are low-to-fair carbonation level (British Ales, mostly). Since the volume is larger than that of each bottle, the maturation time is increased (takes longer to reach carbonation), but is well worth it. Handling and storage is the same as if they were bottles. The 5 liter is equivalent to about 14 12oz bottles - but it goes in the fridge better. For Sanitizing, I just drop a few tbls of Bbrite in, fill and soak for a couple hours prior to kegging. So far the hardest part about these is forcing the bung in after I fill the keg. I think I've been filling to high - I'm going to be leaving about a 1" head space next time. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 9:16:11 EST From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> Subject: re:quick ferments & conditioning "John C. Post" <jpost@ llnl.gov> writes: <Nope...and anybody who tells you otherwise is full of it. Some things just <can't be rushed...You could jack it around and bottle early, but it wouldn't <be the great beer you started out making... I have discussed this offline with in more detail with John, but let me say this attitude is utter nonsense. I have brewed several beers that were online 2 weeks from brew day. The key is tons of clean yeast that flocculates well, and sometimes cold conditioning followed by forced carbonation. Filtering is an obvious solution. Many many brewpubs making ales require 11 days from brewday to the first tapping. I have tasted many 11 day beers that were fine. Good brewing, Jim Busch Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:18:12 EST From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu> Subject: Style snobs (NOT!) "Spencer W. Thomas" writes: > Those who try to brew true to style (for competition or otherwise), > and those who just brew what they like. Reading this today, the word "just" jumps out at me. I certainly don't mean to imply that brewing what you like is in any way inferior to trying to brew to style. (Are we getting paranoid about flames here, or what?-) =S Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1993 16:32:32 -0600 (CST) From: John Edens <johne at sa-htn.valmet.com> Subject: maple beer Has anyone out there made a beer using maple syurp as an adjunct like Papazian describes? If so, how did it come out and how much did you use? John Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:40:50 -0500 From: andrew at ftp.com (Andrew Lickly) Subject: "Samiclaus" aka strongest beer in world, for now? Recently I toured the brewery of the Boston Beer Company, the makers of Sam Adams. It was not terribly interesting, but it was cheap, a $1 donation, and the beer was fresh and free. Basically, I would highly recommend it. During the tour, they bragged about being in the process of developing a "Triple Bock", apparently it is Jim Koch's goal to get the world record for the highest alcohol content in a commercialized "malt beverage". Andrew - -- "Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding." Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 09:44 CST From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) Subject: Test Drive >From: Mike Deliman <miked at wrs.com> Just a few comments on this review... > The rollers themselves are grooved; these were probably used in an industrial application and required a significant cleaning effort before the author felt comfortable about using this device on a food product. The rollers were designed by me and custom fabricated for use in MALTMILLS. They are brand new and any oil or other foreign matter is a result of the manufacturing process. They are vigorously wiped before assembly but a film of oil remains as a rust preservative and some lint from the rag might also remain.. >On the adjustable model, one of the placard bolts is replaced by the adjustment lock down bolt - which sacrifices whatever structural reinforcement the original bolt had to offer. Nothing is sacrificed as the screw's only purpose is to hold the panel in place. >If this mill were to fall from 5 feet to a cement floor, there would undoubtedly be irreparable damage. Damage, possibly, but not likely irreparable. The most probable damage would be to the easily replaceable particle board base. >The MaltMill was adjusted to just where it would not allow malt to go through uncrushed. Aside from husk material and flour, the crush was nearly indistinguishable from that of the Corona. That is not hard to understand because it is not the correct way to set up a roller mill. The MM is designed to be operated with a nominal roller spacing of .055" and the adjustable models are shipped set, at that spacing. What you did to it was to make sure it could not possible produce a proper crush. The adjustable feature is there only for very minor changes required to optomize feeding when motorized. >The MaltMill has the possibility of passing a few uncrushed kernels through while still producing significant flour. With the current model (yours) it is impossible to pass grain uncrushed through the rollers if properly set up or with the standard spacing. Unless, of course, you have malt less than .055" in thickness. On earlier models, it was possible for some to get around the rollers but this has been corrected. Furthermore, your statements contradict each other. If you "adjusted to just where it would not allow malt to go through uncrushed" then by definition, you would not be "passing a few uncrushed kernels through". You have the procedure right, you just didn't follow it. Secondly, as has been pointed out by several users, the benign nature of a roller mill frequently crushes the grain but leaves the husk so entirely in tact that it appears to be uncrushed. However, upon teasing apart, is found to be thouroughly crushed. >After milling, the grain was sifted, and the resulting flour was weighed on a counterbalance (accurate to within .02 grams). The key here is, the nature of the "sifted". That may sound like a nice general term but in brewing science it is meaningless unless we know the mesh size. According to Noonan, "flour" is defined as that which passes through a 100 mesh screen. I received no response when I asked you what mesh you used. Furthermore, for up to about 10% of the total grist, flour so defined is considered beneficial. Beyond 10%, it COULD be a problem but that depends on the lauter system used and most importantly on the amount of husk material in the grist. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the flour phobia derives from the problems created by grinding malt in mills like the Corona. It is a simple fact of physics and chemistry that the finer the crush, the more efficient will be the starch conversion and sugar extraction. The problem with grinders, i.e. devices with a moving surface working against a fixed surface, is that they damage the husk to the extent that the effectiveness of the filter bed can be seriously weakened. This can be compensated for by a coarse grind but it is a compromise, the price of which is overall efficiency. As a roller mill only squeezes the malt, the impact on the husk material is trivial, resulting in the ability to mash and sparge with far larger proportions of fine grist, including flour. It just so happens that expensive commercial mills, with multiple rollers and sieving devices can create more fine grist that the MM. But the MM is also a compromise, to keep the cost within the range of homebrewers' budgets. >That's a whopping 20% MORE flour with the MaltMill. Thank you but let's not confuse that with percentage of total grist. >Husks: The husks on the Corona's crush were slightly more damaged than on the MaltMill. That is probably enough to make the previous statement good news. However, the problem here is that you can only compare the husks that are left large enough to see. The ones that are pulverized and turned into dust by the Corona are not obvious to a casual inspection. You have to microscopically examine the fine grist to see it. This is not an easy thing to quantify and even I gave up trying. I just sort of rest on the intuitive notion that squeezing has got to be better than grinding. >Unmilled kernels: the MaltMill had a higher ratio of unmilled kernels; we did not see any unmilled kernels with the Corona. Again, the MM was improperly set up and I would be most interested in hearing from you after you try it again. The adjustment is only on one side, so if you set it so the rollers look parallel, you will be close enough. You can also use a dime as a gauge that is pretty close to the nominal. You can also set it so that it almost touches on the adjustable side and more closely simulate the .020" spacing of multi-roller commercial mills. However, you may have some trouble turning the crank. Or you can return the mill and your money will be cheerfully refunded. js  Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 08:42:04 -0800 From: sherman at qualcomm.com (Sherman Gregory) Subject: Re:immersion cooler length >Does anyone know about the minimum length of copper tubing that >can be used as an immersion wort cooler? Successfully. The longer the better. Many of then are 20', some are 25', mine is a 50' double helix (homemade). It all depends how fast you want to cool and how cool your tap water is, and how much water you want to use. Maybe one of the thermo-scientists out there can come up with a cool cooling equation relating d(temp)/d(time) to length, tubing size, flow rate and tap water temp. Of course some heat is disipated out the side of the pot, so cooling will be faster than this equtation says. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 09:45:35 -0700 From: John Adams <j_adams at hpfcjca.sde.hp.com> Subject: Subject: ICE BEER is here Sounds basically the same as Eisenboch which translates into an "Ice Bock." The beer is frozen as so that the water can be removed thus leaving a more potent liquid behind. Typically Eisenbochs are much higher in alcohol content than what Labatt is producing. I have, in need of a quick chilling process, placed beers in the freezer and, inadvertantly, created a ice brew. Hmmmm, maybe I should trademark my process!! John Adams Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:05:52 CST From: "William A Kitch" <kitchwa at bongo.cc.utexas.edu> Subject: YEAST CULTURES I read Jack Schmidling's posts re subject and had some questions. I've been culturing my own yeasty beasties for a few months now. Generally following procedures similar to those outlined by Jack. So far things have worked well but I live in fear of mutations and/or wield yeast contanimations. Questions are: I don't get isolated colonines on my plates, rather one big long smear of yeast where I've dragged the innoculating loop. How can I innoculate so I get isolated colonies? I suppose I could dilute by yeast sorce (usu bottle dregs or secondary dregs) but that add just another contamination risk. I understand some yeast cultures are actually combinations of several strains (eg whitbread). Will I see all three of the whitbread strains as different looking colonies? Do I have to culture each of the strains seperately? What about yeast from Trappist ale which I understand actually contain some bacteria important to the flavor produced? I've heard that even if I get a good pure culture on a slant it will mutate and I can only use yeast from a given slant for a few months? Is this true? Is there a way to identify mutatants besides brewing a batch an looking for strange behavior such as low final s.g? Finally, I'd to take a look at these marvelous little creatures who work so hard to ferment my wort for me. (Kinda like to say hi.) I've got a pretty decent optical microscope if I can figure out what box it's in. Any suggestions on preparing a sample for viewing? Reflected light, transmitted light? What power do I need to see these folks? Can I recognize mutations this way? WAK |- William A Kitch (512) 471-4929 -| |- Geotechnical Engineering -| |- ECJ 9.227 -| |- Univ of Texas at Austin, TX 78712-1076 -| Return to table of contents
Date: 01 Apr 1993 09:54:09 GMT From: "Tom Stolfi(wauts at cec" <ceco!CWEMAIL!WAUTS at uunet.UU.NET> Subject: AHA Sanctioned Competition - second posting ****************************************************************************** ** This is the second posting for the competition, anyone interested should ** ** contact me ASAP for entry forms and information. Any judges available ** ** to judge on April 23 or 24 in Kenosha, WI please contact me for info. ** ****************************************************************************** The BIDAL SOCIETY OF KENOSHA is holding their 7th Annual Regional Homebrew Competition April 23 & 24, 1993. This competition is open to all homebrewers and awards will be presented in all categories (categories will be combined only if the number of entries for a style are insufficient to judge the category as independent). Last year's competition received over 200 entries . All homebrews will be evaluated by BJCP and experienced judges(please contact if you are interested in judging). This competition is part of the 1993 MIDWEST BREWER OF THE YEAR series. All entries must be received by April 16, 1993. For further information email your request to WAUTS at CECO.CECO.COM Tom ps. Our company is switching from uunet to an active internet link, if the above address bounces try the old on, wauts at cwemail.ceco.com. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 93 09:39:37 -0800 From: atl at kpc.com Subject: Beer Balls/ 5L minikegs Sorry about the aborted message on yesterdays digest. I was wondering if anyone knew a source for the 5L minikegs without having to drink expensive commercial beer. Drew Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:03:00 -0640 From: roy.rudebusch at travel.com (Roy Rudebusch) Subject: king Kooker From: roy.rudebusch at travel.com Subject: king Kooker If you own a propane fired King Kooker or a Cajun Heater that produces too much soot the orifice may be drilled to large. Contrary to the manufacture's opinion 3/32" is too big. A more efficient size is 1/16". To fix, remove the end cap, plug the orifice with a sheet metal screw, move over to the next facet, drill a new hole of the proper size, cut off the end of the pipe if the new orifice closes. Fire away, r * OLX 2.2 * Without question aids is a homosexual disease Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 11:10:31 -0700 (MST) From: walter at lamar.ColoState.EDU (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist)) Subject: schwarzbier Howdy brewers, I am looking for an all-grain recipe for a schwarzbier. Charlie P has a recipe in a past World of Worts column, but it is extract. I am new to the all-grain world and haven't the experience in going about converting or creating recipes. So, I am looking for someone who has made a schwarzbier before. Thanks. Good Day, -Brian Brian J Walter |Science, like nature, must also be tamed| Relax, Chemistry Graduate Student|with a view towards its preservation. |Don't Worry Colorado State University |Given the same state of integrity, it | Have A walter at lamar.colostate.edu|will surely serve us well. -N. Peart | Homebrew! Return to table of contents
Date: 1 Apr 93 14:16:35 AST From: "Thomas Gilks" <TGILKS at brhs.cogs.ns.ca> Subject: Sediment I do not have the patience or knowledge to make beer as most of you guys do, so I buy malt extracts from the can and make it that way. I enjoy the beer I make except for one thing- the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. I used to use a primary and secondary fermenter, but now I use just one ordinary pail with a lid and airlock, and I get better results. The beer mix I use is John Bull Pilsner Light. I don't know if you can get this type in the U.S.A., but it makes a beer that tastes better than Labatts Blue. Do any of you more experienced beer makers know any tips on getting less sediment on the bottom of the bottle? Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 12:43:09 PST From: troy at scubed.scubed.com (Troy Howard) Subject: Legality of Mailing Homebrew Eric Wade <ericwade at CLASS.ORG> says: >Section 124.42 of the U.S. Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual prohibits >the mailing of _taxable_ alcoholic beverages. However, homebrew, up to >certain quantities is not taxable. Authority 27 CFR sections 25.195 - >25.207, 26 USC 5053. I don't doubt this is true, but there must be more to it than that. One of the gifts I got for my wedding was a membership in a wine club. Every month two bottles of wine arrived in the mail. Wine is certainly taxable (oh, BTW, this was commercial wine I was receiveing). Now, I do not remember whether I got it by US Postal or by UPS or what. Would this make a difference? In addition, I understand there is an analogous club for beer. How do we reconcile these seeming disparities? Troy (supplying another data point) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 15:28:35 MST From: haney at soul.ampex.com (Kenneth Haney) Subject: Grain Mills Hi all, I've noticed that there are alot of people that have bought the Malt Mill lately (previosly using Corona). So I was wondering if any of you would like to sell your old Corona Mill?? I would prefer to buy a Malt Mill but I can't justify it on my limited budget. (Wife, 4kids, 2dogs, 1cat and some fish) ha So if anyone is willing to get rid of one, please drop me a line. Thanks Ken haney at ampex.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 17:39:15 EST From: Lee=A.=Menegoni at nectech.com Subject: Iodophor Is the sanitizer Iodophor (sp?) harmful to septic systems? Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 17:48 EST From: Phil Hultin <HULTINP at QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA> Subject: Manitoba Brewers To any HBDers in Manitoba: Are there brewpubs or micros in Manitoba? What is the legal situation about brewing etc there? Any good places to go in Winnipeg? Email please. P. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 17:50 EST From: Phil Hultin <HULTINP at QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA> Subject: ICE BEER IS ALREADY HERE Ontario drinkers have been able to get Niagara Falls Brewing's Eisbock for several seasons now. It is noticeably strong, and can be very tasty. However, I have noted that the quality does tend to vary a bit, and this Christmas, a gathering at the pub C'est What in Toronto (where it was on tap) was decidedly unimpressed with it. I would say that this Johnny-come-lately is probably indeed a marketing gimmick. The Big Two are unlikely to come up with much of interest these days. Cheers, P. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 16:44:02 PST From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at PacBell.COM> Subject: That "Styles" Issue In HOMEBREW Digest #1110, Spencer W. Thomas, without warning or provocation, suggested: > Rob Bradley writes: > > 91 Beer Styles: "Infuriating." "Absolutely the most valuable. > > A very good reference." > > You know, I wonder if this reflects the dichotomy between those who > try to brew true to style (for competition or otherwise), and those > who just brew what they like. One member of our club hates > competitions because of the focus on style -- he says "... this is a > good beer, I don't care if it's too/not enough (hoppy, malty, fruity, > whatever) for style X/Y/Z. I like it." Normally, Spencer, I'd be inclined to agree. We have the same disagreements in my club, and they occur here and in other electronic fora with some regularity, but in this instance I think the cause is a bit different. I may have been the one to offer the "infuriating" comment, and I'm about as committed to styles as anyone you're likely to meet. My criticism of that issue is not of its premise, but of its content. Some of the sections are quite good. Some are not. And no apparent attempt was made to reconcile the style descriptions in that issue with those of the AHA Nationals, an appalling oversight which has been a freaking pain to deal with, I'll tell you! Contestants and judges like get in wrangles over which set of criteria to use, since both are published by the AHA. The Official Answer, of course, is that if it's the Nationals, then ignore Zymurgy and go with the style descriptors published along with the contest rules, also in Zymurgy (confusingly enough). I'm still surprised that this was allowed to happen. In my view, the value of the material presented wasn't commensurate with the trouble it's caused. Just my opinion ... = Martin A. Lodahl Pacific*Bell Systems Analyst = = malodah at Pacbell.COM Sacramento, CA 916.972.4821 = = If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, = = Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! 8-) = Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 19:25:30 -0700 (MST) From: walter at lamar.ColoState.EDU (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist)) Subject: Yeast Culturing Equipment Howdy! I am looking for some places to get the basic equipment needed to start a yeast bank, i.e. test tubes, flasks, etc. I have looked through most of the catalogs around the chem department here, but the pricing is obviously geared for schools and corporations who will pay the higher prices. Any good cheap mail order places out there? Good Day, -Brian Brian J Walter |Science, like nature, must also be tamed| Relax, Chemistry Graduate Student|with a view towards its preservation. |Don't Worry Colorado State University |Given the same state of integrity, it | Have A walter at lamar.colostate.edu|will surely serve us well. -N. Peart | Homebrew! Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 93 18:20:10 PST From: mikel at netlink.cts.com (Mike Lemons) Subject: Using Sulphites I have used a solution of potassium metabisulfite to sanitize all of my brewing equipment for many years. I recently read that it is ineffective, that it does not release enough SO2 to do the job. Considering the pain inflicted on my nasal passages by this stuff, I find it hard to believe that any microbe could withstand such an onslaught. Is there any scientific proof for the claim that sulfites don't work? The enormous advantage of using sulfites is that no rinsing is required. It seems to me that re-contaminating something with rinse water, after you sanitize it, totally defeats the purpose of sanitation! Chlorine and iodine must be rinsed out because they will impart bad flavors to the beer, but sulfites are essentially tasteless. (Otherwise people would have stopped drinking wine long ago -- the stuff is full of it.) Sulfites protect beer from oxidation to some degree. Commercial yeasts are usually bred to have some sulfite tolerance. (Which I encourage by exposing them to it from day one.) I don't like the idea of baking bottles because of the thermal stress to the glass. (They're not even Pyrex, and they get repeatedly pressurized and depressurized.) I have a plastic bottle tree with a squirter attachment that is fast and convenient for sanitizing bottles. Because of the way that the bottles drain, it leaves a white residue under the bottle caps, though. Maybe if I lowered the sulfite concentration to 1% . . . - -- INTERNET: mikel at netlink.cts.com (Mike Lemons) UUCP: ...!ryptyde!netlink!mikel NetLink Online Communications * Public Access in San Diego, CA (619) 453-1115 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 23:11:21 EST From: bob at rsi.com (Bob Gorman) Subject: 1993 AHA NATIONAL HOMEBREW COMPETITION 1993 AHA NATIONAL HOMEBREW COMPETITION --------------> FIRST ROUND - EASTERN REGION <-------------- JUDGE AND STEWARD REGISTRATION June 5th & 6th - Kingston, New York Dear Fellow Beer Enthusiast, The 1993 AHA National Homebrew Competition is right around the corner. Preparations are already under way to make this a successful event, but we need your help. This year we anticipate over 800 entries from the New England/Mid-Atlantic region. This means that we need a lot of help unpacking and registering entries, and more importantly judging them. This year the judging will be held at the Woodstock Brewing Company in Kingston, New York thanks to the graciousness of Nat Collins, Owner and Brewmaster. Dates for unpacking are May 15, 16 and 22. Judging will be on June 5 and 6, with two sessions on the 5th and one on the 6th. In planning this event we realize that many judges need to drive a distance in order to participate. Therefore, we have made arrangements for local hotel accommodations and a festive party featuring regional microbrewed and homebrewed beer, snacks, raffles and door prizes on Saturday night, June 5th. To receive a registration form and further information please send mail to Bob Gorman <bob at rsi.com> which a subject of 'Kingston'. The registration deadline is Saturday, May 1st (National Homebrew Day). Anyone already enrolled in the BJCP will receive a us-mailing later next week, you need not reply to this message. If you are new to the BJCP or not in the program then this is you official notice. I look forward to your replies. Cheers! -- Bob Gorman bob at rsi.com Waltham MA, US -- -- Judge Registrar uunet!semantic!bob (617) 893 5655 -- Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1111, 04/02/93