HOMEBREW Digest #1213 Fri 27 August 1993

Digest #1212 Digest #1214


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


Contents:
  BrewCaps (tm?): how and why? (ROB THOMAS)
  Tun size, Lables (DJM1)
  Chorine & Septic Systems (Timothy J. Dalton)
  Re: BOTTLE LABELS (tmr)
  septic systems (Dennis_Birch)
  10 Gallon Picnic Coolers (Ed Sieja)
  Brewpubs in Amsterdam or Antwerp? (Peter OConnor)
  Mailing Strains (drose)
  Re: Tun size and cheepness (Spencer.W.Thomas)
  RE: Tun size (James Dipalma)
  Easily removed labels (Steve Jacobs)
  pico-Brewery (Spencer.W.Thomas)
  Coolers / GABF/ etc. (npyle)
  Homebrewing supplies in Germany? (Nir Navot)
  Brazil WishList (Nir Navot)
  Fridg conversion ("Hobson, Kevin")
  AERATION (Jack Schmidling)
  RE: Bottle labels? (Troy Howard)
  information sources (Brian John Roberts)
  cylindrical coolers (""Robert C. Santore"")
  Re: Bottle labels ("david p. atkins")
  Cl in H2O ? (Gene Zimmerman)
  regulator woes (Frank Tutzauer)
  labels (LLAPV)
  adios for now! ("David D. Hightower")
  yeast faq 1 of 8 (WEIX)
  yeast faq 3 of 8 (WEIX)

Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Articles are published in the order they are received.) Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc., to homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L at UA1VM.UA.EDU), then you MUST unsubscribe the same way! If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first. Archives are available via anonymous ftp from sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via mail from listserv at sierra.stanford.edu. Send HELP as the body of a message to that address to receive listserver instructions.) Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored. For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 10:02:31 MET DST From: ROB THOMAS <THOMASR at EZRZ1.vmsmail.ethz.ch> Subject: BrewCaps (tm?): how and why? Hello all, Could someone enlighten me on the purpose and use of the brew cap? All I know (well, suspect) is that it is used on a carboy, which is then turned upside down. If this is a really obvious question please email me privately. By the way, I've never seen one either, so a description might be useful. Isn't the quest for knowledge a terrible thing! Rob Thomas. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 02:29:20 PDT From: DJM1%CRPTech%DCPP at cts27.comp.pge.com Subject: Tun size, Lables Yes! Something I can answer: Dave asks: >From: dd853 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (David Hyde) >Subject: Tun size and cheepness >3. Can a rectangular cooler make a suitable tun? I like >the idea of a smaller grain surface area, but could sacrifice >that for economy. I use a coleman 48qt rectangular cooler with a slot-cut copper manifold, I think that I picked it up for <$18 on sale....It works just fine for me. The drain spiggot is just the right size for 3/8" pipe. Gretchen asks: >From: Gretchen Brannaman 250-8384 <BRANNAGJB at A1.GVLTEC.EDU> >Subject: Bottle labels? >Hello all, >Does anyone out there know of any clever ways that I can label my beer and >mead bottles? I'd like to design them on my computer, but they need to be >easy to remove (peel or soak) so I wont add more to the headache of preparing >bottles for the next batch. Just use regular paper (Xerox or computer) and attach with a Glue Stick, the lable will stay on until you get it near any water. Daniel Meaney Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 07:18:44 -0400 From: Timothy J. Dalton <dalton at mtl.mit.edu> Subject: Chorine & Septic Systems CCAMDEN at delphi.com wrote: > Is all this bleach going down the > drain going to harm whatever magic occurs in the septic tank? It might. The bleach might be diluted enough in the septic system that it will not harm the bacteria churning away in there..then again, it might not get diluted. > I have considered dumping the bleach water in the washing machine > as it is on a separate drain line from the septic tank. We have a utility sink on the same drywell as the septic tank. Thats where I try and put my bleach water, just to keep it out of the septic system... Tim - ---- Timothy J. Dalton tjdalton at mit.edu MIT, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Materials Etching Technology Lab Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 08:07:43 EDT From: tmr at fjtld.att.com Subject: Re: BOTTLE LABELS Gretchen, I use a very basic UNIX program called 'pic' to draw my beer labels. It combines lines, squares, rectangles, circles, ellipses and text to make a decent beer bottle label. There are many other graphics software packages out that will do a much more sophisticated job. As far as attaching them to the bottles, I used to use undiluted Elmer's white glue. I would brush it on to the outside 1/4" edge of the paper and slap it onto the bottle. I make up a different front label for each batch along with the bottling date. I have a "generic" back label for all batches. Thanks to a suggestion from this list, I switched to using a white glue/paste stick (FaberCastle "uhu stic"). This works just as well and is much easier to apply. Both glues and labels come off easily after an hour of soaking in water. Tom Romalewski Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 8:22 EDT From: Dennis_Birch at vos.stratus.com Subject: septic systems CCAMDEN at delphi.com (Cary Camden) asks about the dangers to his septic system from dumping his weak bleach sterilizing solution down the drain. I brewed quite steadily for two years at a house that was on a septic system (the house we're in now is on town water and sewer). I used about a tablespoon or two of bleach per 5 gallons to sanitize my carboys, and a stronger solution squirted into the bottles and rinsed before bottling. My thoughts were that the solution was so weak, and in such small quantity compared to the size of the holding tank that it should not make a difference. I had the tank pumped twice during those two years, and was told both times that there were no problems whatsoever with the system. The amount of clean water used in the brewing process for rinsing equipment off further dilutes this solution. I also washed my slurry down the drain after fermentation on the theory that the animals in it would be beneficial to the breakdown process. Not definitive proof, but a datapoint -- I was very comfortable with the ability of the septic system to handle these relatively small quantities of bleach. Dennis Birch Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 8:16:47 CDT From: emsieja at ems.b17d.ingr.com (Ed Sieja) Subject: 10 Gallon Picnic Coolers David Hyde writes: ... stuff deleted... I'd planned on using a cylindrical "picnic cooler", but haven't been able to find the larger ones. Not true...I did find a large (10 gal?) one at an "exclusive" outdoor shop, but I didn't have the kind of money they wanted. I've found 5 gal ones at plenty of places, but that's the largest around here. So...three questions: 1. Would a 5 gal cooler make an adequate mash/lauter tun for 5 gal batches with an average amount of grain? Many people use them with great success, however an average batch will push the limits and give little room at the top. Some view the deeper grain bed as an advantage - but I like the extra room the 10gal cooler provides, plus it gives me room for brewing higher gravity ales at times. 2. If not, is there a relatively cheap source for large coolers? I got mine at Wal Mart for around $30-$35. They actually had two sizes for the 10gal models. Both were made by Gott. One had a push-in top and the other had a screw-on top which could double as a stool. One modification I made was to remove the pushbutton spigot and drill the hole to fit a regulated spigot (available from most any homebrew supply). With this setup I rarely loose more than one degree during a 90 minute mash period. - -- ========================================================================= Ed Sieja Intergraph Corporation Huntsville, AL 35894-0001 emsieja at ingr.com ========================================================================= Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:18:35 EDT From: poconnor at lager.tn.cornell.edu (Peter OConnor) Subject: Brewpubs in Amsterdam or Antwerp? Hi there, Does anyone know of a good brewery/brewpub in Antwerp, Belgium or Amsterdam, The Netherlands? If so, I would appreciate a response at "poconnor at lager.tn.cornell.edu" as I don't want to waste HBD bandwidth. -Pete OConnor Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:24:43 -0400 From: Daniel McMahon <dmcmahon at blanche.acq.osd.mil> From: dmcmahon Full-Name: Daniel McMahon at pr Subject: Ingredients Substitutions To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com I was recently given a recipe for an "excellent Belgian Trippel", but my local homebrew supply store doesn't have all the exact ingredients called for. The two ingredients in question are: (1) Klages malt and (2) Liberty hops. Not finding any comparative reference to Klages or Liberty in Papazian's book, I've decided to substitute Pale malt and Willamette (5.3%) hops respectively. What are the special characteristics of Klages malt? Ditto for Liberty hops. I've followed the ongoing discourse concerning experimentation with recipes. I'm not concerned about deviating from a proven recipe, I am curious about the specific properties of the two ingredients I am substituting for. Any comments/suggestions? Thanks! Dan McMahon dmcmahon at acq.osd.mil Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 09:45:01 -0400 (EDT) From: drose at husc.harvard.edu Subject: Mailing Strains Hello: I came in late on this Weihenstephan discussion, so I don't really know what it is all about. However, I thought it worth mentioning that there is a cheaper alternative to agar slants for mailing strains, and it works just as well. We routinely send out laboratory strains on filter paper. Basically, you just put a drop of culture on a ~1 cm square piece of filter paper (probably any absorbent paper would do) and wrap the square in a piece of sterile foil. Then pop it into an envelope and send it off. When it gets to the other side, they drop the paper on a rich media plate, incubate for a day or so, and the yeast grow up. Then you streak for singles on another plate and you're set. I haven't rigorously determined the viability of cells dried on paper, but they are very stable. It works. I can think of two possible disadvantages to this system. First, we use autoclaved paper and foil, and a surprising number of households STILL lack an autoclave. However, while commercial paper is probably not sterile, I imagine it is pretty close; the yeast are going to far outnumber anything else, and when you streak for singles you will get what you want. The foil you could always steam, but probably it would also be close enough to sterile for most peoples purposes. The second drawback is that this method requires that you are set up to culture, and to streak for singles in particular. However, while this isn't absolutely necessary in the case of slants, it is certainly advisable. Anyway, just thought I'd throw it out there. Dave Rose Dept. of Cellular and Developmental Biology Harvard U. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:43:32 EDT From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu Subject: Re: Tun size and cheepness 2. I found my 10gal "Gott" cooler at Buildre's Square for $40. They've got them again this year (it's a summer item). 1. Depends on how much beer and how strong you want to make it. You could manage up to about 1.050, but not very far above that. As an extreme example, I was able to make only 3 gallons of a 1.090 Scotch Ale in a 7 gallon picnic cooler. 3. Yes. I did my first batch in such a cooler, using a slotted copper pipe manifold for sparging. Make sure you get one with a drain hole, though, as siphoning doesn't work very well (speaking from experience). I can send you a "plan" for the sparging manifold, if you are interested. =S Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:46:11 EDT From: dipalma at banshee.sw.stratus.com (James Dipalma) Subject: RE: Tun size Hi All, In HBD#1212 David Hyde asks: >1. Would a 5 gal cooler make an adequate mash/lauter tun for >5 gal batches with an average amount of grain? Sure, I've been able to fit ~12 pounds of grain in a 5 gallon tun. That much grain capacity is adequate for 5 gallon batches of all but very high gravity beers. If you want to brew a high gravity beer and 12 pounds of grain won't get you to the target gravity, you can always just sparge less and make a smaller batch. Last winter, I brewed a 4 gallon batch of bock, OG 1.076, in a 5 gallon tun by draining the tun, re-filling it, then sparged just 2 gallons. >2. If not, is there a relatively cheap source for large >coolers? I bought a 10 gallon Igloo at the local TruValue for $29, the 5 gallon coolers were less expensive. >3. Can a rectangular cooler make a suitable tun? Yes, lots of people on this forum use rectangular picnic coolers. There are fairly comprehensive instructions in the HBD archives. Cheers, Jim Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 10:31:22 EDT From: steve at garnet.spawar.navy.mil (Steve Jacobs) Subject: Easily removed labels >From BRANNAGJB at A1.GVLTEC.EDU > Does anyone out there know of any clever ways that I can label my beer and > mead bottles? I'd like to design them on my computer, but they need to be > easy to remove (peel or soak) so I wont add more to the headache of preparing > bottles for the next batch. I used to use sticky-back (peel off) paper for my labels, but they were really hard to remove. There are a couple of methods you could use: 1) Get some gummed laser printer paper. A homebrew shop here in Northern Virginia sells gummed paper that will feed in most types of laser printers. It works well for me. Just wet the label with a little water and stick it on. Soaks off in warm water. Brew America in Vienna, Virginia is the only place I've seen that carries the gummed paper. I think that they will do mail order. Their number is (703) 938-4805. I don't remember the price. Standard disclaimer applies. 2) Use regular laser printer paper for your labels, wet the back with milk, and stick them to the bottle. Sometimes the milk soaks into the paper too much and the label gets too wrinkly and the milk attached labels seem to take a little longer to soak off than the gummed labels. There are a couple of companies listed in some of the beer-related magazines that specialize in multi-color labels, but they tend to be expensive. For the artistically-impaired, gummed preprinted labels are available from most homebrew shops. Not a whole lot of variety though. Steve Jacobs KSI Inc. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 10:46:34 EDT From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu Subject: pico-Brewery Disclaimer: the owners of pico-Brewing Systems are friends of mine. I have no financial interest in the company or the system. That said, I've used the system a few times, and it's a really nice system. There are still a few quirks, but it's one of the easiest breweries I've ever used. Last weekend, we made 15 gallons of Porter in a brewing demo at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, under slightly adverse conditions (only water supply is a garden hose, no sink, just a drain in the "floor" that kept backing up on us.) We arrived a little after 11am, and finished brewing about 3:30. (The clean-up then took another hour and a half because of the problems mentioned above.) It was almost effortless -- We started by running some water into the hot water kettle and firing up the burner to heat it to mash-in temperature. Then we measured the (26 lbs) of grain into the mash kettle. After a little while, we pumped hot water into the mash tun, then heated the mash slightly to our mash temperature. Then we transferred the pump to the mash tun and started recirculating. This really helps maintain a constant/uniform mash temperature without stirring. Tasting the outflow, it appeared we had complete conversion after about 20 minutes, but we kept the mash going for a little over an hour (partly because we were explaining how brewing beer worked to all the people stopping by the booth, as well as telling them we couldn't sell or give them any samples). Towards the end of the mash, we started heating more water for sparging. Moved the pump back to the hot water kettle, ran a hose from the outlet of the mash kettle to the boiling kettle, and opened the valve to start sparging. Because of the constant recirculation during mashing, the wort came out "clear" (I put this in quotes, because it was a pretty black Porter). We adjusted the valves on the mash kettle and the hot water kettle to the same flow rate, and sparged almost to the top of the boiling kettle (under which we turned on the heat after running a bit of wort in). As the wort boiled down, we periodically sparged a little more from the mash tun into it. At the end of the boil, we put in the immersion cooler, hooked the pump to the boil kettle, started running water through the cooler, and recirculated wort past it to chill it. When it was cool (about 1/2 hour?) we pumped the wort from the kettle into our carboys with lots of splashing and foaming. Cleaning up was pretty easy, as easy as it can be when you're wrestling 15 gallon containers, and trying to keep from overflowing the drain, which kept backing up (finally fixed this by wrapping a rubber glove around the hose and sticking it down the drain). Good points: * With the pump, and a good stand, you don't have to ever lift hot water or wort. * Recirculation during mash and cooling means no stirring. * Temperature wells in the pots make temperature control easy. * Strainer screens in mash and boiling pot work very well. * Easy to make 10 gallons, pretty easy to make 15, possible to make upwards of 20 (by also boiling in the hot water kettle). * It's designed by home-brewers, for home-brewers. They're constantly refining and improving the design. * Good solid construction. Problems: * We had a slight problem with grain bed compaction during the mash recirculation. But we had 26 lbs of grain in there, too. * Hop pellets can clog the pump if you stop it for a while. This only happened when I was rinsing the boiling kettle. Blowing through the hose from the outflow cleared it. * There's a pretty large "dead" volume under the filter screens. This is probably most serious in the mash tun. I'd say it's more than a gallon. * The price! A note: one of my brewing companions, an experienced brewer, had never used the system before. He decided, based on that experience, that he wanted to buy one. =Spencer W. Thomas | Info Tech and Networking, B1911 CFOB, 0704 "Genome Informatician" | Univ of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu | 313-764-8065, FAX 313-764-4133 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 8:56:44 MDT From: npyle at n33.stortek.com Subject: Coolers / GABF/ etc. Dave Hyde asks about rectangular cooler mash tuns. This is what I use, Dave, and am very happy with it. Its very easy to make a manifold for this thing (mine looks like a fork from the top). The larger surface area to depth ratio doesn't seem to be a problem, although I suppose it could cause marginally lower yields (as the liquid flows through, it passes by less pieces of grain and therefore pulls through less sugar). Anyway, you can get them in various sizes, from 24 quart to 48 quart, and cheap! Go for it. The Great American Beer Festival is planned for October 8 and 9 this year in Denver. I think it is at Currigan Hall downtown. Is anyone involved in the planning of the GABF a participant in this forum? I'd like to know if there are any provisions for designated drivers? I don't recall any in the past, but logic tells me there must be some plan for this. It would be extremely irresponsible for them to plan an event which will undoubtedly produce a large number of intoxicated people, and not to have a way for them to get home safely. Anyone know? The reason I ask is that my DD from the last few years (my wife) will be out of town that weekend. I want to go to it, but not bad enough to risk my life. (Bob Devine, I was waiting for your comment. Good show!) Someone (sorry!) brought up the question of hot liquor pumps. I'm interested in this subject, too (I'm tired of lifting gallons of hot water). I don't need to pump my wort, only hot water for sparging, etc. so I'm not too concerned about sanitation. Any experience out there with dishwasher pumps or the like? As usual, I'm looking for something economical as well as useful. Cheers, norm - -- Norm Pyle, Staff Engineer & Brewer Storage Technology Corporation npyle at n33.stortek.com 2270 South 88th Street "Youth is of course, the problem, as any Louisville, CO 80028-0211 mature man knows." -- Michael Jackson (303) 673-8884 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 19:13:53 +0300 From: Nir Navot <LCNAVOT at WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL> Subject: Homebrewing supplies in Germany? Let me give this one another try. A friend of mine will be in Germany next week and I want to send him somewhere to get me brewing supplies. Anyone know where to??? Please answer directly to LCNAVOT at WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL Thanks, Nir. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 19:20:58 +0300 From: Nir Navot <LCNAVOT at WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL> Subject: Brazil WishList Another friend of mine is going to Brazil for a month. Do you know of any special brews that I can ask her to bring me back (and would be worth the trouble)? She told me of a low alcohol beer they have there by the name of Choppe. Does anyone know how it is made? Nir Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 12:21:00 edt From: "Hobson, Kevin" <HobsonK at magic.dcrt.nih.gov> Subject: Fridg conversion HBDer's, Please comment on or point me to the FAQ on converting a fridge to use as a lagering appliance. What I need is any set of info one of you good folks has put together. In particular the temperature guage to retro fix to the box. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the product that is always recommended in this list! "Air Temp"? Manuf. and model # would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time! a direct response would be great/fine. Kevin 8^) Division of Computer Research and Technology National Institutes of Health hobsonk at magic.dcrt.nih.gov "Hell, There are no rules here we're trying to accomplish something" T.A. Edison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 11:31 CDT From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) Subject: AERATION >From: neilm at juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Neil Mager ) >Subject: WORT AERATION & Sierra Nevada >One of the participants from SN said they like to achieve as high an oxygen saturation as they can - 100% if possible. This sounds like a rhetorical statement of wishfull thinking as it apparently is not possible without injecting pure oxygen. >They use something called a fishtail which is basically a pipe with a flattened end which they use to spray the wort into the fermenters. Great minds really do follow the same path. At the end of the hose coming from my wort pump is a short piece of 1/4" copper tubing, the end of which is flattened to spray the wort into the fermenter. However, I wasn't clever enough to call it a fishtail. Mine is formed into a "U" shape so I can just hang it on the lip of the fermenter (after sanitizing of course). It, like the airstone, creates more foam than there is room for so I occasionally un-hang it and use the spray to beat down the foam. This is far faster than waiting for it to collaps by istelf. >From: tmgierma at raphael.acpub.duke.edu (Todd Gierman) >Subject: yeast > Jack's comment on the reproduction mode is essentially correct. Some yeast do reproduce via fission, but you probably won't find this kind in your beer, maybe your cider though. I though fission was another name for budding which makes it equally incorrect as an explanation for flocculation. The other reproductive process encountered in yeast (but not beer yeast) involves sporulation and sexual reproduction. >One final note, let's take a quick market survey concerning those desiring Weihenstephan.... Pray tell, what is Weihenstephan? One of those thereads I never bothered reading. js Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 08:59:58 PDT From: troy at scubed.scubed.com (Troy Howard) Subject: RE: Bottle labels? Gretchen Brannaman 250-8384 <BRANNAGJB at A1.GVLTEC.EDU> asks: >Does anyone out there know of any clever ways that I can label my beer and >mead bottles? I'd like to design them on my computer, but they need to be >easy to remove (peel or soak) so I wont add more to the headache of preparing >bottles for the next batch. This is what I do (for whatever it's worth): I design my labels on the computer, copy as many of them as will fit onto a single page, and print that page out. So now I have a single sheet with 'n' copies of my label on it. I then photocopy this page to make as many copies as I need. I cut out the labels (not too difficult if you place them on the page wisely) and affix them to the bottles with a glue stick ( I believe it is the same stuff we all used as 'paste' to make those wonderful cardboard creations in 1st grade). Anyway, the labels fall off with just a quick soak in water (1 minute, maybe two). Troy Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 01:29:59 -0400 From: bjr at po.CWRU.Edu (Brian John Roberts) Subject: information sources Anyone have any good pointers to any sources of inforamtion describing the design and construction of a home brewery? I tried to find a FAQ for this mailing list and even tried the listserv, but my mail bounced back (anyone know if the listserv still exists)? Thanks in advance, - -- Brian - -- Brian John Roberts e-mail: bjr at po.cwru.edu Case Western Reserve University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering postal: 3658 Shields Road; Canfield, OH; 44406-9504 USA phone: (216) 792-9844 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 13:07:43 -0400 From: ""Robert C. Santore"" <rsantore at mailbox.syr.edu> Subject: cylindrical coolers In HBD 1212 David Hyde writes: > 1. Would a 5 gal cooler make an adequate mash/lauter tun for > 5 gal batches with an average amount of grain? I use a 5 gal cylindrical cooler for 5 gal batches with good results. However, I only use it for decoction mashes. I use an enameled canning pot in the oven (5 gal) for infusion and temp. controlled. There are many equipment combinations that can be used and I'm sure you'll find your own odd ball favorite. I can mash 10 pounds of grain comfortably in the cooler, but obviously you can't use too thin a mash or too large a quantity of grain without exceeding its capacity. Basically, if I'm short of a strike temp. in the cooler, I can adjust the sizes of my decoctions, and in the pot just put it on the stove for a short period. If you intend to rely on boiling water infusions then you need to leave a little more headspace for temp. adjustments. Another use I have for the cylindrical cooler is to store my sparge water. Getting double duty out of equipment is a real advantage. I don't use it as a lauter tun, but I know people that do. Just be careful that you have an adequate false bottom or equivalent - the tap on my cooler plugs too easily for me to consider it. > 2. If not, is there a relatively cheap source for large > coolers? The cheapest I've ever seen 10 gal cylindrical coolers new is $38 which is close to but not quite cheap enough for me (it is more than I've paid for any other piece of equipment including an 8 gal brew pot or my grain mill). However, if I got seriously into high gravity beers or larger batch sizes I would get one in a second and make sure I could fit it out as a lauter tun (in other words, it's just a matter of time). Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 12:57:00 CST From: "david p. atkins" <atkins at vms2.macc.wisc.edu> Subject: Re: Bottle labels >Hello all, >Does anyone out there know of any clever ways that I can label my beer and >mead bottles? I'd like to design them on my computer, but they need to be >easy to remove (peel or soak) so I wont add more to the headache of preparing >bottles for the next batch. > >Thanks in advance, >Gretchen Brannaman >brannagjb at a1.gvltec.edu > A method I'm going to try is rubber cement. The labels should peel right off and any excess cement on the bottle can be removed with a wee bit of rubbing. Haven't tried it yet though...give it a whirl. David Atkins Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 14:09:39 CDT From: Gene Zimmerman <ezimmerm at hp.uwsuper.edu> Subject: Cl in H2O ? Salutations! I've just moved to Laramie, WY from Duluth, MN (Right on the shore of the largest easliy accessable source of fresh water). Anyway, I got a hold of the local water engineer, I guess a real chemist is not needed in their estimation, and he told me they add 1.5 g Cl to 1 L of H2O and that the time the water reaches town, 20 miles, the level is about .3 g of Cl per l of H2O. He was telling me about half life and that the use of Cl in the water was minimal. I asked if there were micro-orginisms and he also said no. He's sending me a fact sheet. One and a half grams of Chlorine per Liter of water seems like a lot to me, what about others? The city uses two sources of water, river and underground. Does anyone have anything to say about this? I asked about water at the first homebrewer club meeting I attended and was told the water was usually on the alkaline side, but that was it. Our Club's name is Snowy Range Foamenters, by the way. Gene in Laramie, WY Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 15:46:32 -0400 (EDT) From: Frank Tutzauer <COMFRANK at ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu> Subject: regulator woes I think my CO2 regulator is on the fritz. Where would I go to get it tested, and, possibly, serviced? Would it be cheaper to buy a new one? Thanks - --frank Return to table of contents
Date: Thursday, 26 August 93 13:34:10 CST From: LLAPV at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Subject: labels Howdy-- In HBD #1212, Gretchen Brannaman wants suggestions for bottle lables. Here's my two cents. I make small neck lables with a logo on them, instead of big labels that go on the body of the bottle (except for special "commemorative" batches). The advantages are: 1) Less paper. Instead of four labels from each sheet of paper, I can get around a dozen. 2) Easy identification. Since I have about five different kinds of hombrew in six-pack holders, I can easily indentify the beer by the neck label instead of lifting the bottles to see the labels on the body. 3) Less trash. Face it, they end up in the trash, & we need less of that. The ones I have now are rectangular. However, I plan to try curved ones, about the shape of Celis' neck labels, the next time I make some. I have a generic logo I use, & I ran off a master sheet. When I have a freshly bottled batch, I make a copy of the master, write in the name of the beer, then xerox those. Next I just cut them out & use a "Uhu" glue stick to stick them on. The glue washes right off with the paper. Easy. The rectangle shape is easy to cut out, but fits on the neck funny. It depends on what you want. Enjoy, Alan, Austin Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 13:04:52 -0700 (PDT) From: "David D. Hightower" <ddh3789 at aw101.iasl.ca.boeing.com> Subject: adios for now! Hello and goodbye for a while! I have decided to follow my heart and not my checking account for a while as I give up my job, desk and terminal for a pair of rubber boots and a malt shovel. Keep up the good threads and flames and never forget that the people tasting your homebrew might just be interested in hiring you to make beer too! Good Luck and Good Brewing. Dave Hightower at Maritime Pacific Brewing Co. Seattle, WA (unsubscribe sent separately, in plain brown wrapper) - -- Dave ddh3789 at aw108.fsl.ca.boeing.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 16:23:27 -0500 (CDT) From: WEIX at swmed.edu Subject: yeast faq 1 of 8 ICAgSGkgdG8gYWxsIGZlbGxvdyBob21lYnJld2Vycy4gVGhpcyBpcyB0aGUgdXBk YXRlZCwgcmV2aXNlZCBhbmQgZXhwYW5kZWQNCnZlcnNpb24gb2YgbXkgcmVjZW50 IFllYXN0IEZBUS4gQWxtb3N0IGFsbCBvZiB0aGlzIGRhdGEgd2FzIHBsYWdpYXJp emVkIGZyb20NCnNvbWV3aGVyZSBieSBtZSBvciBvdGhlcnM7IGhvd2V2ZXIsIEkg aGF2ZSBub3Qga25vd2luZ2x5IHVzZWQgYW55IGNvcHlyaWdodGVkDQpzdHVmZi4g KEkgd2FzIHZlcnkgY2FyZWZ1bCAqbm90KiB0byBjaGVjayBhbnl0aGluZyBmb3Ig YSBjb3B5cmlnaHQgOy0pLikgSSBoYXZlDQphbHRlcmVkIHRoZSBmb2N1cyBvZiBz b21lIGRvY3VtZW50cyB0byBtb3JlIGFjY3VyYXRlbHkgcmVmbGVjdCB3aGF0IEkg ZmVlbCB0byBiZQ0KdGhlIGludGVyZXN0cyBvZiB0aGUgKmhvbWUqYnJld2VyLiBT b21lIG9mIHRoZSBpbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBpcyB2ZXJ5IGJhc2ljOyBzb21lLA0KbW9y ZSB0ZWNobmljYWwuIEkgaGF2ZSB0cmllZCB0byBnaXZlIGEgYmFzaWMgaW50cm9k dWN0aW9uIHRvIHdoYXQgeWVhc3QgYXJlLCBob3cNCnRoZXkgYWZmZWN0IGJlZXIg dGFzdGUsIGFuZCB0aGUgcHJvcGVyIGhhbmRsaW5nIG9mIHllYXN0LiBTb21lIHBv cnRpb25zIG9mIHRoZQ0KZm9sbG93aW5nIHdlcmUgdGFrZW4gZnJvbSB0aGUgV3ll YXN0IGluZm9ybWF0aW9uIGNpcmN1bGFyIGUtbWFpbGVkIHRvIG1lIGJ5DQpEYXZp ZCBBZGFtczsgdGhlIHNlY3Rpb25zIHBlcnRhaW5pbmcgdG8geWVhc3QgY3VsdHVy aW5nIGFyZSBhZGFwdGVkIGZyb20gYW4NCnVwY29taW5nIGJvb2sgYnkgRHIuIEZp eC4gRHIuIEZpeCBhbHNvIHByb3ZpZGVkIHRoZSBzZWN0aW9uIG9uIHRoZSBwcm9w ZXIgbWV0aG9kDQpvZiB5ZWFzdCByZWh5ZHJhdGlvbi4gTW9zdCBvZiB0aGUgaW5m b3JtYXRpb24gb24gdGhlICJyZXB1dGF0aW9ucyIgb2YgdGhlIG1hbnkNCnllYXN0 IHN0cmFpbnMgd2FzIGNvbGxlY3RlZCBmcm9tIHRoZSBIQkQgb3ZlciB0aGUgeWVh cnMgYnkgRG91ZyBPJ0JyaWVuLiBNYW55DQp0aGFua3MgdG8gRGF2aWQgQWRhbXMs IERyLiBHZW9yZ2UgRml4LCBhbmQgRG91ZyBPJ0JyaWVuLiBJIHdvdWxkIGFsc28g bGlrZSB0bw0KdGhhbmsgQWwgS29yem9uYXMgZm9yIGhpcyBoZWxwZnVsIHN1Z2dl c3Rpb25zIG9uIHRoZSBjaGFyYWN0ZXJpc3RpY3Mgb2Ygc29tZQ0KeWVhc3Qgc3Ry YWlucyBhbmQgZm9yIGhpcyBjb21tZW50cyBhbmQgaGVscCBpbiBjbGFyaWZ5aW5n IHRoZSBzZWN0aW9ucyBvbg0KcHJvcGFnYXRpb24gYW5kIGN1bHR1cmluZy4gVGhh bmtzIGFsc28gdG8gdGhlIG1hbnkgcGVvcGxlIHdobyBtYWRlIHNtYWxsDQpzdWdn ZXN0aW9ucyBvciByZXF1ZXN0cyBmb3IgY2xhcmlmaWNhdGlvbi4gTXkgbmFtZSBp cyBQYXRyaWNrIFdlaXgsIGFuZCBJIGFtIGENCmdyYWR1YXRlIHN0dWRlbnQgaW4g dGhlIEdlbmV0aWNzIGFuZCBEZXZlbG9wbWVudCBwcm9ncmFtIGF0IFVUIFNvdXRo d2VzdGVybiBhdA0KRGFsbGFzIDx3ZWl4QHN3bWVkLmVkdT4uIEkgaG9wZSB5b3Ug ZmluZCB0aGlzIGRvY3VtZW50IHVzZWZ1bC4NCg0KTi5CLiBUaGlzIGRvY3VtZW50 IGlzIGNvbXBvc2VkIG9mIHJhbXBhbnQgaGVhcnNheSBhbmQgcnVtb3IuIEFueSBh dHRlbXB0cyB0byBwaW4NCmFueXRoaW5nIG9uIG1lIG9yIG15IGNvLWNvbnNwaXJh dG9ycyB3aWxsIGJlIHJlc2lzdGVkLiBJZiBhbGwgZWxzZSBmYWlscyBJIHdpbGwN CmNhbGwgeW91ciBib3NzIGFuZCBhc2sgaGltIHdoeSB5b3UgYXJlIHJlYWRpbmcg dGhlIEhCRCBhdCB3b3JrIGluc3RlYWQgb2YNCmdyaW5kaW5nIG91dCB0aGUgRml0 enNpbW1vbnMgY29udHJhY3QuIFdoYXQgZG8gdGhleSBwYXkgeW91IGZvciBhbnl3 YXk/IERvbid0DQp5b3UgaGF2ZSBhbnl0aGluZyBiZXR0ZXIgdG8gZG8/Li4uDQoN Cj09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09 PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT09PT0NCg0KSU5UUk9EVUNUSU9ODQoN CiAgIFllYXN0IGFyZSB1bmljZWxsdWxhciBmdW5naS4gTW9zdCBicmV3aW5nIHll YXN0IGJlbG9uZyB0byB0aGUgZ2VudXMNClNhY2NoYXJvbXljZXMuIEFsZSB5ZWFz dCBhcmUgUy4gY2VyZXZpc2lhZSwgYW5kIGxhZ2VyIHllYXN0IGFyZSBTLiB1dmFy dW0NCihmb3JtZXJseSBjYXJsc2JlcmdlcmVuc2lzKS4gQW5vdGhlciB0eXBlIG9m IHllYXN0IHlvdSBtYXkgaGVhciBtZW50aW9uZWQsDQp1c3VhbGx5IGluIGNvbmp1 bmN0aW9uIHdpdGggd2VpemVucywgaXMgUy4gZGVsYnJ1ZWNraWkuIFlvdSBtYXkg YXNrLCDSSWYgYWxsIGFsZQ0Kb3IgbGFnZXIgeWVhc3QgYXJlIHRoZSBzYW1lIHNw ZWNpZXMsIHdoeSBhbGwgdGhlIGZ1c3M/IiBUaGUgZnVzcyBoYXMgdG8gZG8gd2l0 aA0Kc3RyYWluIHZhcmlhdGlvbi4gQWxsIGRvZ3MgYXJlIHRoZSBzYW1lIHNwZWNp ZXMsIHlldCBubyBvbmUgd2lsbCBldmVyIG1pc3Rha2UgYQ0KQmFzc2V0IEhvdW5k IGZvciBhIERvYmVybWFuIChhdCBsZWFzdCBub3QgdHdpY2UgOi0pLiBVc2luZyBk aWZmZXJlbnQgc3RyYWlucyBjYW4NCmFkZCBmdW4gYW5kIHNwaWNlIHRvIGJyZXdp bmcsIGVzcGVjaWFsbHkgaWYgeW91IGhhdmUgc29tZSBpZGVhIG9mIHRoZQ0KZGlm ZmVyZW5jZXMuIEkgb3JpZ2luYWxseSBwdXQgdG9nZXRoZXIgdGhpcyBndWlkZSB0 byBjYXRhbG9ndWUgdGhlIGRpZmZlcmVudA0KYWZmZWN0cyBvZiBkaWZmZXJlbnQg c3RyYWlucy4gVGhpcyBpbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBpcyBpbiBTZWN0aW9uIElJLiBTZWN0 aW9uIEkNCm91dGxpbmVzIHRoZSBnZW5lcmFsIGNoYXJhY3RlcmlzdGljcyBvZiBi cmV3aW5nIHllYXN0IGFuZCB0cmllcyB0byBhbnN3ZXIgc29tZQ0Kb2YgdGhlIG1v cmUgZnJlcXVlbnRseSBhc2tlZCBxdWVzdGlvbnMgYWJvdXQgeWVhc3QgdGhhdCBz ZWVtIHRvIGN5Y2xlIG9udG8gdGhlDQpIQkQuIFNlY3Rpb24gSUlJIGV4cGxhaW5z IGhvdyB0aGUgaG9tZWJyZXdlciBjYW4gY3VsdHVyZSBhbmQgbWFpbnRhaW4geWVh c3QNCnN0cmFpbnMgaW4gdGhlIHNhZmV0eSBhbmQgY29tZm9ydCBvZiBoaXMvaGVy IG93biBob21lLg0KDQo= Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 16:24:10 -0500 (CDT) From: WEIX at swmed.edu Subject: yeast faq 3 of 8 SECTION II: YEAST PROFILES PART 1: DRY ALE YEAST (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Coopers Ale Yeast Good to very good reputation. The Coopers is quite fruity fermented at 65F. It's not phenolic at all and all the flavor is a very clean fruitiness. Glenbrew Special Ale Yeast Specially designed for use in "all malt" beers. Contains a special enzyme to obtain extremely low terminal gravities. Doric Ale Yeast Ok to very good reputation. Edme Ale Yeast Starts quick. Produces some fruity esters. Attenuative. Good reputation Lallemand Nottingham Yeast This yeast is remarkable for its high degree of flocculation. It settles out very quickly and firmly. Very good reputation. Quick fermentation at 62F. It's very clean and only very slightly fruity in the keg, but tastes/smells nutty in the bottled version. Nottingham appears to be relatively attenuative (more so than the Coopers). Lallemand Windsor Yeast Produces a beer which is clean and well balanced. This yeast produces an ale which is estery to both palate and nose with a slight fresh yeast flavor. Very good reputation. Not as quick as the Nottingham. Definite banana smell at racking. Munton-Fison Ale Yeast Starts quick. Produces some fruity esters. Attenuative. Fair to good reputation. It is reported that a phenolic taste is no longer a problem due to some strain changes. Red Star Ale Yeast This brand had a very bad reputation in the past, and for a while production was suspended. A different strain (AHY 43391) was selected by the company and is now being sold as Red Star Ale Yeast. The new strain is much improved! Reports from Dr. Fix, a brewer's yeast consultant, suggest that this is an excellent general purpose ale yeast with a clean taste. Apparent attenuation 76-78%. Whitbread Ale Yeast Fast starter. Distribution switched to Crosby and Baker with a change in the yeast. Very good reputation despite past quality problems. PART 2: LIQUID ALE YEAST BrewTek CL-10 American Microbrewery #1 A smooth, clean, strong fermenting ale yeast that works well down to 56F. BrewTek CL-12 American Microbrewery #2 Produces an accentuated, rich and creamy malt profile with hints of diacetyl. BrewTek CL-16 British Pale Ale #1 Produces a bold, woody and dry character which accentuates mineral and hop flavors. BrewTek CL-18 British Pale Ale #2 A smooth, full flavored, well rounded ale yeast. Mildly estery, it is a strong fermenter. BrewTek CL-26 British Draft Ale Their (Brewteks) favorite Ale yeast, gives a full bodied, well rounded flavor with a buttery rich diacetyl. BrewTek CL-28 Irish Dry Stout A top fermenter, leaves a very recognizable character to Dry Stouts with roasted malts coming through well. BrewTek CL-30 Belgian Ale #1 Produces a classic Belgian Ale flavor. Robust and estery with notes of clove and Plum. BrewTek CL-32 Belgian Ale #2 Flanders style yeast. Makes a terrific strong brown and a good base brew for fruit flavored beers. BrewTek CL-40 Old German Ale For traditional Alt Biers, a strong fermenter which leaves a highly attenuated, mildly estery flavor. Wyeast 1007 German Ale Yeast Ferments dry and crisp leaving a complex yet mild flavor. Produces an extremely rocky head and ferments well down to 55 deg. F (12 deg. C). Flocculation is high and apparent attenuation is 73-77%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 62 deg. F (17 deg. C). A good balance of sweetness and tartness. A very pleasing yeast. Wyeast 1024 Belgian Ale Yeast Banana estery flavor. With both clove-like phenolics and alcohol spice, the Belgian will tell you right away that it's no ordinary yeast. Tartness often develops over time. Ferment warm or with inadequate aeration and you're likely to get a bubblegum-like note. Intended for abbey beers, and works very well for that. And, depending on the wort composition, *lots* of banana notes. Wyeast 1028 London Ale Yeast Rich minerally profile, bold woody slight diacetyl production. Medium flocculation. Apparent attenuation 73-77%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 68 deg. F (20 deg. C). Complex, woody, tart, with strong mineral notes. It produces ales of marvelous complexity and sophistication. This yeast was used for the 1992 B.0.S.S. Challenge 1st place Barleywine, brewed by none other than Brian and Linda North. Wyeast 1056 American/Chico Ale Yeast Ferments dry, finishes soft, smooth and clean, and is very well balanced. Flocculation is low to medium. Apparent attenuation 73-77%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 68 deg. F (20 deg. C). The cleanest of the bunch, but mutation-prone. This is Sierra Nevada's yeast. Probably the best available all-around yeast, this strain can be used for anything, without embarrassment. Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale Yeast Slight residual diacetyl is great for stouts. It is clean smooth, soft and full bodied. Medium flocculation and apparent attenuation of 71-75%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 68 deg. F (20 deg. C). Soft, round, malty; the least attenuative of the Wyeast line. Very nice for any cold-weather ale, at its best in stouts and Scotch ales. Wyeast 1098 British Ale Yeast Ale yeast from Whitbread. Ferments dry and crisp, slightly tart and well balanced. Ferments well down to 55 deg. F (12 deg. C). Medium flocculation, apparent attenuation 73-75%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 70 deg. F (21 deg. C). Tart, crisp, clean. Great in pale ales and bitters, good in porters. Wyeast 1338 European Ale Yeast Ale yeast from Wissenschaftliche in Munich. A full bodied complex strain finishes very malty. Produces a dense rocky head during fermentation. High flocculation, apparent attenuation 67-71%. Optimum fermentation temperature: 70 deg. F (21 deg. C). It's clean and malty, especially well suited to Altbier. Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1213, 08/27/93