HOMEBREW Digest #1438 Wed 01 June 1994

Digest #1437 Digest #1439


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


Contents:
  New Kegger (Bill Rust)
  Digest Browser Program (Mark Evans)
  re-wives & beer (George Tempel)
  mash numbers, #2 (George Tempel)
  mash numbers (George Tempel)
  hop utilization (Ron Hart)
  Scottish Brown (Sean MacLennan)
  Pickle buckets as lauter tun (Francisco Jones)
  The Renaissance of the Yeast Culture Kit Co (Jim Busch)
  Re: Scottish Yeast attenuation (Jeff Frane)
  Dave Miller says "acidify sparge water" (George Danz)
  Brett in porters (Don Put)
  Common Mashing Methods (Martin Lodahl)
  For AOL members only (Venter)
  Montreal International Beer Festival (Richard Nantel)
  bentonite (Carl Howes)
  Correcting false bottom misinformation (Allen Ford)
  A Spruce is not a Spruce (huffmand)
  Weizen / Malt Profiles (npyle)
  Wyeast Scottish (Rich Larsen)
  Mashout Necessary? revisited (Jim Grady)
  Re: CO2 tanks, HBD#1437 (May 31, 1994) ("Christopher V. Sack")
  First brew (Jeffrey S Walls)
  no subject (file transmission) (Steve Scampini)
  Words of caution (Richard Nantel)
  MEMO (Maribeth_Raines)
  Party Pig (via RadioMail) <jhorzepa at radiomail.net>
  Recipe Calc Spreadsheet on Sierra ("Manning Martin MP")
  gas grills = good brew flame? (Mark Bunster)
  force carbonation-bad for head retention? (x-4378)" <Simpson at po2.rb.unisys.com>
  re: beginner's primary fermentation question (Karl Elvis MacRae)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 May 94 22:24:00 -0640 From: bill.rust at travel.com (Bill Rust) Subject: New Kegger Greeting Brewmeisters! Well, I tapped my first keg! I ran into a few problems however, and I thought I'd ask for advice from the collective wisdom of the HBD. First, let me tell you that I have a 5 gallon 'Cornie' with ball fittings, and a two gauge regulator. 1) When I attached the gas line and started to agitate the beer, I got some beer into the gas line. I don't think I got any beer into the regulator, and after two days, I've noticed no problems with the gauges. Is there a way to tell if I've got beer in the regulator? Also, what happens to the regulator, if I did? 2) Sterilizing and cleaning was kind of a pain! I did what I could, but I read in the Miller book that you should remove the ball fittings. How do you get them off? I started to get an open ended wrench but it was on so tight, I was afraid of breaking the fitting. Any ideas? Also, any clever ideas on how to clean picnic tappers (and unfortunately, gas lines)? I had a booger of a time getting water to flow through the hose! 3) Memorial day was a success. I carbonated at 2.6 volumes (by agitating, and resting for a day) and then resetting the regulator, bleeding CO2, and setting to 5 PSI to dispense. It was a little under carbonated, and a bit foamy, but almost everyone liked the beer (my Austrailian lager didn't pass the 'Girlfriend test', Oh well). Next time, I'll try to continue agitation until I can no longer hear gas flowing through the regulator. Does this sound like the correct procedure? +--------------------------------------------------------+ | Malt does more than Milton can | BILL RUST | | To justify God's ways to man. | Systems Analyst | | | Shiloh, IL | | A. E. HOUSMAN (1859-1936) | bill.rust at travel.com | +--------------------------------------------------------+ - --- ~ SPEED 1.40 #1651 ~ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 07:05:39 -0600 From: evanms at lcac1.loras.edu (Mark Evans) Subject: Digest Browser Program A recent post mentioned something called Digest Browser as an alternative to scrolling through the digest. I was curious so I checked it out. This works program works great if you run an off-line reader like Eudora for Macintosh (a great mail program once you get it working). I downloaded Digest-Browser-16.hqx from ftp wuarchive.wustl.edu; cd/systems/mac/info-mac/app. I store my HBdigest in its own mailbox on Eudora; close Eudora, open the Digest BRowser and open the Eudora Folder to the digest mailbox. The digest browser gives me a double window--the table of contents on the top and the messages below. Highlight the item in the contents and the appropriate message shows up in the bottom window. It's a great way to skip by items that you are not interested in reading. Works for any digest that has a contents list at the beginning. Brefully yours, Mark Evans ================================================================================ | Mark Evans Dubuque, Iowa | | Practitioner of | * | Visual, Literary, and Zymurgistic arts | * | Evanms at LCAC1.Loras.edu | | 319-582-3139 | ============================================================================ ==== Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 09:04:16 +0000 (U) From: George Tempel <tempel at MONMOUTH-ETDL1.ARMY.MIL> Subject: re-wives & beer re:wives & beer >Also, I've noticed a few posts mentioning beers being brewed at a wife's request (from our male digesters), and I've noticed that these seem to be somewhat lighter beers. Do those of you who brew specially for a spouse find yourself with a beer you yourself would drink? Just curious; my wife grew up drinking Guiness so I've no need to lighten up. allen, my wife's beer tastes run from the medium body and nut-brown type stuff to the lower end of the spectrum (she used to like Carta Blanca, but can't find it). She also likes Weiss beers as well; except for the Carta Blanca, my tastes, fortunately, are similar. Neither of us are real hop-heads --have tried them, but just can't take the bitter stuff-- so we do drink a lot of the same things. She, among lots of our friends, particularly like the Gingered Ale recipe I had posted all-grain questions regarding earlier ---i offer this as a indication of her favorite. l8r... ty (george tempel, home = netromancr at aol.com) "kiss cats: the dachshund and the deer are one"--wallace stevens Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 08:58:32 +0000 (U) From: George Tempel <tempel at MONMOUTH-ETDL1.ARMY.MIL> Subject: mash numbers, #2 mash numbers, #2 - -------------------------------------- Date: 5/31/94 8:48 AM From: George Tempel In my earlier posting I forgot some descriptions: * My initial runoff was nice, dark, and sweet, and a little cloudy. * By the time I had a nearly full brew kettle, the runoff was almost colorless (but not quite), and still a little sweet. * The wort has/had a lovely copper brown color. Yummy. So, when is a good time to stop the runoff? Did I leave some stuff in the Gott that should have ended up in the brewkettle? thanks again in advance george (ty) tempel tempel at monmouth-etdl1.army.mil Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 08:48:01 +0000 (U) From: George Tempel <tempel at MONMOUTH-ETDL1.ARMY.MIL> Subject: mash numbers mash numbers Hi all... Well, this past holiday weekend I got a chance to do my 3rd mash, this time using my new 5gal Gott and my 160K btu cooker. I did the following: * combine 10lbs 2row, 1lb crystal, 1 lb carapils in the Cooler with 3 gal of 130 deg water. Stir. Temperature approx 122 deg. Wait 30min. * performed iodine test just to see what it would look like. Yup, got some black stains in the sample water. * add 6 qts of 200 deg water, stir. wait 30 minutes. During this time the temperature varied between 148 near the top and 156 closer to the middle (couldn't reach the bottom). After stirring the temp was about 154 or so. * Heat 6 gal sparge water to 170 deg. The mash was done before this came up to temp, so the mash sat an additional 25 minutes inside the closed Gott cooler. * Begin sparge into the brew kettle. Using hose clamps, I allowed the Gott to drain directly into the kettle and semi-clamped the sparge water hose to try and keep water near the top of the grain bed (it dropped a little bit off and on). * Do the boil & hop schedule thing. Here's the recipe: 10 lbs 2 row 1 lb crystal 1 lb carapils 5.1% Cascades (about a tablespoon of pellets), 60 min 1 tablespoon grated/sliced ginger root, 60 min 5.1% Cascaded (another tablespoon of pellets), 10 min The whole thing (full volume boil) took about 23 min to cool with my 1/4" immersion chiller and about 5 gal of water. My starting gravity was about 1.045 or 1.047 (can't remember here at work). Is this good? My other 2 mash attempts had rather poor extraction, but I had trouble with equipment during those attempts. Now that i've got a nice homemade copper manifold inside the Gott and something for a full volume boil I anticipate smoother running and better results. I've made a similar recipe before, using extracts: 4 lb pale LME 2.5 lb light LME 1/2 lb carapils 1/2 lb 60L crystal This had a SG of about 1.048 (give or take 0.001, again, my notes are at home). The friend at the homebrew shop said the all-grain bill (up above) should do the trick and give me a gravity about 1.050. Did I do something wrong? How can one determine/predict the starting gravity? How does one calculate the number of points extracted? I'd really hate to find that my all-grain attempts are for naught... thanks in advance george (ty) tempel tempel at monmouth-etdl1.army.mil Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 09:54:18 -0500 From: Hart at actin.rutgers.edu (Ron Hart) Subject: hop utilization I'm looking for methods of measuring hop utilization in wort. Yes, I realize this is normally done in mysterious chemistry labs, but luckily, I have one! Seriously, if anyone could e-mail me a protocol, or a reference (in a journal not too hard to find) for a protocol, I'd really appreciate it. Private e-mail is probably best since I doubt general audiences want to read about this. Thanks. Ron Hart Deparment of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University Newark hart at actin.rutgers.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 01:16:49 -0400 From: sam at GOBI.TOOLSMITHS.ON.CA (Sean MacLennan) Subject: Scottish Brown I recently purchased Byron Burch's *Brewing Quality Beers* book. In it, he gives a recipe for a Scottish Brown. Being a fan of brown ales and of Scottish descent, I am interested in making this beer. Two questions: 1) Byron calls for 4oz of dextrine powder. Could I use dextrine (cara-pils) malt instead? And, if so, how much? 2) What is the difference 'tween brown ale and Scottish brown? The Scottish brown seems to have more hops, but are there other differences? Thanks Sean MacLennan sam at toolsmiths.on.ca There are no bad beers, only better. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 10:51:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Francisco Jones <fjones at cs.uml.edu> Subject: Pickle buckets as lauter tun I suspect this is a common problem, but I haven't seen any data/info on it so I'm going to ask anyway. If the info/answers to my questions is/are well documented, then feel free to flame the crap out of me (privately, please), but be sure to direct me toward the appropriate info sources while you are doing it. Here's my question: I just acquired some of those white food grade plastic buckets from a restaurant so I could fashion a lauter tun (I'm about to take that famous all grain plunge). Of course, all three buckets that they gave me formerly contained pickels since I didn't specify (under the "beggars can't be choosers" axiom). I don't feel like trying again at a different restaurant unless I determine that these buckets are worthless. So, does anyone know of an effective deodorizing technique for this situation? Has anyone used (former) pickle buckets as a lauter tun? Were there any negative effects on your beer? Any data at all on this one? Thanks. Private email fine. Francisco Jones fjones at cs.uml.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 11:11:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> Subject: The Renaissance of the Yeast Culture Kit Co As many of you may recall, a friend of mine began a homebrew supply buisness dealing with Yeast Culturing. I posted about the demise of his side of the adventure a few months back. I am pleased to report that the buisness has been revived, moved to Michigan and is now operating. The proprietor is a trained microbiologist/Phd and an all around good guy. The products have changed little. If you would like details off line (HBD), feel free to email me and I will provide some info. If you would like to contact the buisness directly they can be reached at: The Yeast Culture Kit Company 1308 W. Madison Ann Arbor MI 48103 (313) 761-5914 fax/voice (800) 742-2110 fax/voice As usual, I have no financial affiliation with any form of this company, either past or present, aside from being a satisfied culturer. (and people say I have no culture!) Good brewing, Jim Busch Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 08:14:23 -0700 (PDT) From: gummitch at teleport.com (Jeff Frane) Subject: Re: Scottish Yeast attenuation John Robinson wrote: > Does anyone know what the attenuation of this yeast is? I'm > also curious in the others (Czech Pils, Special london ale [a > killer yeast strain IMHO], and the others). Official Wyeast data: Scottish ale yeast (1728): Flocculation high; apparent attenuation 69-73%. Optimum temp. 55-70F Czech Pils yeast (2278): Flocculation medium to high; apparent attenuation 70-74%. 46-54F London ESB yeast (1968) new name: Flocculation high (an understatement); apparent attenuation 67-71%. 64-72F Kolsch yeast (2565): Flocculation low; apparent attenuation 73-77%. 56-64F - --Jeff Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 11:02:25 EDT From: danz at schedar.rtp.semi.harris.com (George Danz) Subject: Dave Miller says "acidify sparge water" Well, everytime I read Dave's book I pick up something else I haven't been doing and still getting good results. I haven't even had my water checked yet, but it isn't spring water and is not hard or soft. But, I thought maybe there is something to this sparge acidification and I thought I'd look into it. But I can't seem to find Lactic Acid 88% solution anywhere. Where would one go to find it? Also if this is more difficult to obtain, how about the Phosphoric acid Dave recomments? Anybody know where to get these? My drug store doesn't seem to know or care. Also, anyone out there with experience with and without acidifying sparge? Incidentally, my worts are just about as recommended in Dave Miller's book. Best Regards, George E. Danz IPP Applications Engineering Internet: danz at rtp.semi.harris.com (919)549-3632 voice (919)549-3651 FAX Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 08:55:14 -0700 From: Don Put <dput at csulb.edu> Subject: Brett in porters Subject: Brett in Porters Has anyone out there used Brettanomyces in the production of a porter? I've read that years ago, Brett was added to the conditioning casks. don dput at csulb.edu . Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 09:07:34 -0700 (PDT) From: malodah at pbgueuze.scrm2700.PacBell.COM (Martin Lodahl) Subject: Common Mashing Methods In HOMEBREW Digest #1437, Stan White asked: > To all: yup, the recent discussion around all grain have made me look at > "making the move". BUT.... a bit o' terminology I just can't figure out. > What is a decoction mash?? a single step infusion mash?? or any other type > of mashes?? and why would one use one type over the other?? Ah, so it's a question of mashing types, is it? Well, in a nutshell: INFUSION: Add grain to hot water, mix, and wait while temperature slowly drops. This is the principal method used in the UK, and malts there are made for it, very fully modified and with a low percentage of nitrogen. The very common "picnic cooler" mashtun is made with this method in mind, and it's probably the most commonly used homebrew mashing method, despite the fact that the higher nitrogen content of North American pale malts not infrequently leads to chill haze. STEP-INFUSION: To improve clarity and yeild, and gain control over the makeup of the final wort, there are advantages to stepping the mash through a temperature program. The usual steps are a mash-in, then a protein rest (where proteins are degraded into smaller components, some of which are important yeast nutrients), one or more starch conversion rests (if desired, separate temperatures can be used to favor beta- and alpha-amylase), and a mash-out. Can be done in a picnic-cooler tun by additions of boiling water (tricky!), but is more commonly done with a direct-fired vessel of some sort, the mash then being transferred into a separate lauter tun. DECOCTION: This is a very special way of creating the steps outlined above. A fraction (usually the "thickest," meaning mostly grain) is removed from the "rest mash," raised to a temperature favoring enzymatic action (usually ~160F) and held for a while, then boiled, the boiling mash being then returned to the rest mash, where it raises the temperature to the next step. The usual result is increased malt aroma and flavor, improved clarity, increased yeild, and slightly darker color. Adds much time and work to the brewday, but seems to be the best way to handle Continental malts. Can be done in just about any setup that doesn't make removing and returning the decoction too difficult. AMERICAN MIXED MASH: What the Big Boys do. Mix the corn or rice you plan to use with a portion of the malt, step it through a mash program, then bring it to a boil. While the cereal's cooking, start the main malt mash. Dumping in the cooked cereal will bring the mash to conversion temperature. These are just the most common methods; there are others. I would think that anyone reading this who's been thinking of trying a mash would have to conclude that if such different ways of approaching it are all successful, the process must be very forgiving. It is! Give it a try! - Martin = Martin Lodahl Systems Analyst, Capacity Planning, Pacific*Bell = = malodah at pacbell.com Sacramento, CA USA 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! (Unk.) = Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 29 May 94 08:38:47 EDT From: Venter at aol.com Subject: For AOL members only This post is only of value to subscribers to America Online. The rest of you can skip it. As we all know, the AOL Internet Mail Gateway splits this Digest into pieces. Putting it back together tends to be a pain in the neck. To help alleviate this, I have written a no frills DOS program which puts it back together. It's called HBDPatch and you can find it in the Wine&Dine Library. Good Brewing! Bob Borgeson Return to table of contents
Date: 31 May 94 12:16:35 EDT From: Richard Nantel <72704.3003 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: Montreal International Beer Festival I heard on tonight's news broadcast that Montreal will be hosting an international beer festival on June 16-19. The report stated that hundreds of beers from all over the world would be available for tasting. Admission will be $6 Cdn. and 4-oz samples will cost 50 cents. The festival will be located behind Place des Arts (de Maisonneuve blvd. at Bleury St.) Not affiliated in any way, just looking forward to tasting the world's best. Richard Nantel Montreal, Quebec Canada rnantel at cam.org Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 12:29:45 EDT From: sdlsb::73410 at sdlcc (Carl Howes) Subject: bentonite Noted Tony's price for Bentonite in #1435. A local (Hudson, NH) supermarket carries a brand of cat litter which purports to be 100% Bentonite at (about) us$2.50 for 20 pounds...just a data point, all possible disclaimers apply, and if you try it you didn't hear this from me. Carl 73410 at sdlcc.msd.ray.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 11:38:37 -0500 (CDT) From: Allen Ford <allen at darwin.sfbr.org> Subject: Correcting false bottom misinformation Jack S. writes in response to my remarks: > This is about as well thought out as your comments on the "other" JSP > product we had a bit of a discussion on. One might get the idea that it > is me rather than the issue that turns your crank. Not at all, Jack. I don't even know you and I don't believe personal attacks are appropriate on this forum. What "turns my crank" is your making blanket statements concerning brewing processes and/or equipment that are contrary to my own experience. As an example, I cite the following: > Fact is, the false bottom can not be used at all in a fired kettle no > matter how much one stirs because of the water under it. This quickly > becomes steam and causes no end of problems. Fact is, I have been using a mash tun (converted keg) with a false bottom for precisely this purpose. I simply recirculate while adding heat with a propane burner. I am able to pump the foundation liquor up to the top of the grain bed before it has a chance to boil and form steam (or scorch). This is why I am interested in the concept of stirred mashes. I would like to even out the temperature of my mash more effectively. If you're ever in San Antonio, I would be glad to show you my setup and demonstrate to you exactly how its smooth operation refutes your "well thought out" comments. While you're here, bring a Maltmill and we'll compare it with my Glatt. I would reiterate--I have no product to promote. My only concern is accuracy in the brewing information disseminated in this digest. To the cause of great homebrew! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Allen L. Ford <allen at darwin.sfbr.org> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-= Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research San Antonio, Texas =-=-= Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 09:45:08 PST From: huffmand at ccmail.orst.edu Subject: A Spruce is not a Spruce About that spruce beer, Is it imaginable that different species of spruce are specific in the flavors they add to a beer? Or the stength of those flavors? I noticed a post from someone who used Blue spruce tips. Blue spruce is noted for it's sour tasting needles. From the high country of the west, Englemann spruce might provide a more subtle character than Blue spruce. Where I am, Sitka spruce is showing it's new growth and tempting me to brew with the tips. How about Black spruce of Alaska, or Red spruce of the Eastern states? Any ideas on what the best tasting spruce might be? David Huffman Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 11:03:11 MDT From: npyle at n33.ecae.stortek.com Subject: Weizen / Malt Profiles Jim Busch and Steve ? discuss Weizen (to decoct or not to decoct, that is the REAL question). Jim notes that Eric Warner doesn't decoct his weizens in his newly opened micro, in direct contrast to his recommendations in the book. Eric is speaking on brewing German wheat beers at the upcoming AHA Conference in Denver, so maybe some brash young brew punk (not me!) could ask him to explain... ** Ken Schroeder asks about flavor profiles of various malts, specifically Munich and Vienna. This type of information is hard to come by, as flavors are perceived differently, and I'm sure the profiles change based on their environment (decocted, infused, hi grav, lo grav, hops, etc.). That said, I would expect this type of information in the Grain FAQ, currently being worked on by an HBD'er. This type of information was difficult to come by for the Hops FAQ, but I found some information here and there. Cheers, Norm = npyle at n33.stortek.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 12:07:46 -0500 (CDT) From: Rich Larsen <richl at access1.speedway.net> Subject: Wyeast Scottish robinson at orbit.acrso.ns.ca (John Robinson) Writes: >I did a scottish ale a couple weeks ago. Lots of pale malt, >lots of crystal and some munich malt. SG was 1.084. I used the >new scottish ale yeast from Wyeast, and when all signs of >ferentations ceased I kegged it. That was last weekend. FG was >1.030, which seemed a little high to me, but not out of line >considering the style and the SG. It doesn't sound that high of a final when you say you used "lots" of crystal. How much is lots? :-) The more crystal, the less fermentables in your wort. So a 1.030 gravity might be around the ballpark. >This being the first time I used this particular yeast, I >started checking around to see if I could locate any attenuation >numbers. No luck. I checked the yeast faq, and while it is >full of interesting and useful information, none of the new >yeast strains had any attenuation percentages. I don't have any numbers, but my experience with this yeast tells me it is very attenutive. A while back, I posted some info on a batch that I did, and got a quite impressive FG. I believe it was 1.070 down to 1.014. I just did two batches with the dregs from the previous batch, one a barley wine and the other a smaller ale (that I am going to add fruit to later) Anyway, the BWine SG was 1.104 and the smaller ale was 1.060. The BWine as of one week in the primary, was down to 1.030. The smaller ale was down to 1.009!!! The key to good fermentation is to aerate the wort as much as possible before pitching the yeast. This is especially true in high gravity worts, such as yours. => Rich +-----------------------------------------------------+ | Rich Larsen (708)-388-3514 | | The Blind Dog Brewery "HomeBrewPub", Midlothian, IL | | (Not a commercial establishment) | | E-mail to richl at access1.speedway.net | | Also on HomeBrew University Midwest (708) 705-7263 | | | | "I never drink... Wine." Bela Lugosi as Dracula | +-----------------------------------------------------+ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 13:28:52 EDT From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com> Subject: Mashout Necessary? revisited At the risk of causing trouble... Way back in HBD #1242, Domenick Venezia asked whether mash-out was really necessary. There were several responses that seemed to be saying, "Well, not really but don't try to skip it on a wheat beer or an oatmeal stout!" I think I will start making it a regular part of my procedure based on only a few data points: I have been brewing all-grain batches since last fall and had never done a mashout. I was getting reasonable extraction rates (~30 pt/#/gal) so I was happy. A couple of weekends ago, I decided to try an overnight mash. The extraction rate was only 25 pt/#/gal. I theorized that the problem was that the mash was a lot cooler than on other batches so the sugars were not as soluble. Last weekend I made another batch (not overnight mash though) and added the mashout step - the extraction was 32 pt/#/gal. Now I am not against adding a little malt for the sake of convenience but I would like a little more consistency so that when I shoot for a target O.G. of 1.040, I get between 1.038 and 1.042 and not 1.032! So... Is my hypothesis at all sound? I will continue to mash out in the future - if I get any really low extraction rates, I will post the results. BTW, Domenick's original concern for doing a mashout was the added transfer and equipment that would be needed to heat up the mash. I just added 5 qts. of boiling water and it brought it right up to 170^F. I calculated that 5 qts were needed using the great thermo equations from Kelly Jones that I had forgotten long ago (see HBD #1207). Thanks Kelly! - -- Jim Grady grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 13:25:53 -0400 (EDT) From: "Christopher V. Sack" <cvsack at lor.syr.edu> Subject: Re: CO2 tanks, HBD#1437 (May 31, 1994) On Tue, 31 May 1994, David wrote: > Subject: Co2 tanks > > I have a pseudo brewing related question. I found used - what look like CO2 > tanks - at a junk store. They are empty but the owner has no idea what was in > them previously or what they were used for. My question - is there any chance > whatever was in these before can ruin my beer or me. Is there any way to tell > what was in them or should I not worry and just buy them? Anybody have any > ideas? Thanks > David DiValerio > Orchard Park, NY > There is a possibility that the tanks contained poisonous gases, but it should be possible to determine what type of gas (toxic, flammable, corrosive, etc.) the cylinder contained by looking at the connector. Go to a home brew store or a fellow brewer with a CO2 tank/regulator and look at the threads that connect the tank to the regulator. For CO2, the connector is a CGA 320. Compare these threads to the used tanks at the junk store. (Better yet, borrow a regulator and see if it fits.) There is a second item to be concerned about. In order to get the tank filled from a dealer (if it is a CO2 tank), the tank must be certified. Look for a number stamped in the body of the tank near the valve that looks like a date: eg. 4-88+*. This is when the tank was last pressure tested and its rating. All tanks must be periodicly re-tested. I think the period is ten years. I am not sure who pays for the testing, it is probably the owner of the tank. If the tank fails, it is returned with holes drilled thru it and you lose the cost of the tank as well as the cost of the testing. ___ ___ Sincerely, / ) | / / ) __ __ | Christopher V. Sack Chris / | / (___ __ ) / )| / Chemistry Dept. / | / ) / / / | / S.U.N.Y.-E.S.F. (____/* |/* (____/ (__\ (__/ |/ \ <cvsack at lor.syr.edu> Return to table of contents
Date: 31 May 94 09:04:40 EDT From: Jeffrey S Walls <71134.10 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: First brew So I did my first brew, and opened my first bottle (and second, third, fourth, etc) over the Memorial Day weekend. Great taste, BUT.............. I noticed the same thing that I did when I tasted the hydrometer test sample after cool down. BITTER. Not quite as bitter, but still.... Great color, dark yellow almost orange, good light taste (a summer poolside, great carbination. I thought the recipe had toooooooo much hops, but being a newbie, who am I to question the wisdom of a recipe? 3.3 pounds, Home Brewery light liquid extract 1 pound, M&F light dry malt extract 1/2 pound, crystal malt (40L) 1 teaspoon, Irish moss (10 minute boil) 1/2 ounce, Cascade pellets (60 minute boil) 1--1/2 ounces, Cascade pellets (20 minute boil) 1 ounce, Cascade pellets (finish after boil) 2 packages, Nottingham ale yeast (rehydrated) 3/4 cup, corn sugar (priming) O.G. 1.022 (seemed low to me, forgot to stir first) F.G. 1.006 This is as clear as can be, (Irish Moss???) and fermented out in 3 days. Sat in the primary for 1 week total until I could bottle. (I'm building a deck too). Any comments?? Anything I should have added and didn't? Man I love this hobby!!!!! No. I'm not worried, I assume this will mellow out, and do enjoy it even the bitter bit at the end. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 14:42:15 EDT From: Steve Scampini <scampini at hp-and.an.hp.com> Subject: no subject (file transmission) Just a simple recipe request for an extract Duvel knockoff (or conjectures on how they achieve, IMHO, a really unique flavor - hops? spices? yeast? all of the above?). Thanks in advance. Steve Scampini Return to table of contents
Date: 31 May 94 12:44:14 EDT From: Richard Nantel <72704.3003 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: Words of caution I bottled my latest ale last Saturday evening. After capping, I proceeded to carry 24 bottles in a standard cardboard beer crate to my storage area. Halfway there, I noticed the bottles in the center of the crate were about an inch lower than the bottles around the edge. I had time to utter one short %# at before the bottom fell out. (No, the box wasn't wet -- just old.) All 24 crashed to the floor. Five exploded sending glass everywhere. After the noise subsided, I realized my left knee was badly gashed. The wound was to the bone and required 16 stitches to close. This could, however, have been much worse. I could have been more seriously injured, or worse yet, my daughter or wife could have been struck. It took this sobering experience to change my bottling procedure. Plastic milk crates will now be used. Please don't wait for something like this to happen to you. Richard Nantel Montreal rnantel at cam.org Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 11:54:52 PDT From: raines at radonc.ucla.edu (Maribeth_Raines) Subject: MEMO With regard to the siphoning methodology I thought I'd elaborate on Al's method. Needless to say I'm not a fan of mouth siphoning, I don't like the taste of bleach or boiling water! > Okay, to contribute something useful and since I started this whole "don't > use your mouth to start a siphon" thread, I'll post my siphon starting > technique. Basically it relies on the previous liquid starting the next > liquid through the siphon and using a hose clamp (not my fingers) to keep > the liquid in the hose when changing to a different liquid. > 1. fill siphon hose with water > 2. use the water to siphon sanitizer into the hose > 3. use the sanitizer to siphon rinse water through the hose > 4. use the rinse water to siphon the wort/raw_beer through the hose > (discard the first cup or so) > If bottling: > 5. use the raw_beer to siphon the primed beer through the hose > (discard the first cup or so) I use a procedure similar to Al except I fill the siphon hose with tap water by forcing water into hose end from the faucet. I put the racking cane in 1 gallon jar of sanitizer next to the sink. As water is forced into hose, bubbles (air) are blown into sanitizer, at this time I release hose from faucet and place it in the bottom of the sink. This will start the siphon. Drain enough liquid through to get sanitizer into all parts of the hose then clamp to soak or transfer to rinse water (I use boiling water). I also soak the hose end by dipping it into the sanitizer. You don't need surgical gloves to transfer, just touch parts of the hose and cane that doesn't go into the wort, ie., elbow of cane or area above clamp. The secret to maintaining a siphon is to keep both the cane and hose full of liquid. If for any reason you touch something that hasn't been sanitized (some of us don't have the best depth perception or aim with two feet of dangling hose), you can clamp and stop the flow, and dip into rinse water again. I keep a pitcher of rinse water in a pitcher nearby exaclty for this purpose. If for some reason I lose my siphon and have to resort to sucking on the end of a hose, you can rinse with rinse water before placing it into the transfer vessel. This method takes a little practice to master but is definitely safer. I use a similar siphoning procedure to transfer radioactive liquid into a disposal container in the lab. It's definitely easier and safer than pouring! I would'nt even think of puting anything in the lab in my mouth, especially radioactive liquids!!! On another note there was a recent post regarding a gizmo called a "Boil Alert." > a three inch glass disk that sits in your brew pot and > starts flapping around BEFORE your brew comes to a boil. > There is no boil over! None at all. This thing is great, > not only does it warn you that boiling is about to start. > It's flapping around stirs the mix and does the same thing > you would do if you stired constantly while the mix heated up. > After the boiling starts I get a wide flat spoon and remove it > to avoid bothering my family (usually I brew in the mornings). > I can't induce my brew to boil over since I started to use > this (yes I tried). If someone knows where to find these > I'll post that as well. I would also like to attest to the use of this glass disk (also called a pot watcher) to homebrewing. I started using these when I started brewing on the stovetop and have yet to have a boilover. It works on much the same principle as boiling stones. It serves as a site of nucleation for bubble formation so that you don't get a 'bump' or burst of bubbles released all at once. I like mine so much I convinced Jeff to add them to the Brewers Resource catalog (the new catalog should be out any day now). He has the pot wathchers in stock if you're interested in trying one (800-8-Brewte(k)). You can also find these in gourmet cooking supply shops and the like. They cost about $3. No commercial plug intended. Maribeth Raines raines at radonc.ucla.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 12:02:07 PDT From: John Horzepa (via RadioMail) <jhorzepa at radiomail.net> Subject: Party Pig I've been lurking on this list for a month or so now, thought I'd ask a question. My girlfriend purchased a "Party Pig" keg-like system for me a couple of months ago (probably to get me to stop bitching about bottling so much). Anyway, the Party Pig is a food-grade plastic container that holds roughly 2.25 gallons of beer. There's this valve assembly that fits on top of it, and these "pressure packs" that go inside. The idea is, you fill the pig with beer (up to a line marked on the side of the container), put in the pressure pack, force air into the pig (with a hand pump they provide), watch the pressure pack expand, wait a week or two, and then start drinking draft beer. The pressure pack maintains constant pressure inside the pig so the beer doesn't go flat and flows out easily. The directions say to prime as you normally do. Sounds like a good idea to me, so I put half a batch of (excellent, IMHO) pale ale into the pig. A couple of weeks later, I decided to try the beer. I put a mug underneath the spout, pressed the release nozzle, and got a bunch of foam. No problem, I thought, I probably just have to bleed a little pressure and then it's pure drinking pleasure. So, I put a pitcher underneath the tap, pressed the button, and filled the pressure with foam. And another. And another. The end result was that I was never able to get anything approaching beer, I essentially had 2.25 gallons of foam (wasting a great pale ale). I used roughly one cup of light malt extract for priming, this is what I normally use. Does anyone else have experience with the Party Pig, and if so has it been a good experience? How much do you prime your beer? Or is this thing just a lemon? I have one more pressure sack for the pig left (it came with two), I'm willing to try it again, but first I want to understand what I did wrong. john Return to table of contents
Date: 31 May 1994 16:35:11 U From: "Manning Martin MP" <manning#m#_martin_p at mcst.ae.ge.com> Subject: Recipe Calc Spreadsheet on Sierra Some of you may be familiar with an article I wrote for Brewing Techniques on recipe formulation. (Recipe Formulation Calculations for Brewers, BT 2 (1), (January/February), 44-55, (1994). The article describes my system of recipe formulation, using the percentages of the various ingredients, and targets OG, color, and batch size. Friend, colleague, and fellow HBD'er Jeff Berton has converted some Excel spreadsheet files provided by me to Windows-Excel (from my Mac-Excel originals), and posted them to /pub/homebrew/programs on the Stanford machine. Two extras have been included with these: an automated color prediction correction, and an automated hop utilization function. Both of these were included in the article in graphical form, but the worksheet as provided can now stand on its own, except for extract and hop data. Three sample spreadsheet files have been provided, and these came from Widows-Excel, version 4.0. File names and descriptions follow: mpmsamp1.xls - English units oatmeal stout example (Manning). Automated hop utilization (Manning curve fit of Rager data plus computed Rager OG adjustment) and predicted color corrections (Manning) have been added to speed things up. This version also contains some more detailed volume calculations (specific to my system, but others can adapt to theirs) at the bottom of the sheet. mpmsamp2.xls - Abbey ale (From P. Rajotte, "Belgian Ale") example transcribed from the BT article. Automated hop utilization and predicted color corrections (as above) have been added. mpmsamp3.xls - Pale ale recipe (Berton). Jeff backed out what his extract efficiency was in this one. After entering the proportions of fermentables and their potential extract figures, vary the assumed extract efficiency until the actual weights come out right. Remember that when doing this you must adjust the volumes such that the net run-off at 60 degrees F matches the actual result to get a valid number. The actual extract efficiency calculation described in the article should give an identical result. Martin Manning Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 16:53:14 EDT From: mbunster at hibbs.vcu.edu (Mark Bunster) Subject: gas grills = good brew flame? Question-- while thinking about whether to and what kind of gas grill to get, I thought to myself, "I wonder if these would make useful brewing heat sources?" Anyone tried it? They have the smaller table top ones, which I figure are basically coleman stoves with lava rock. So, is there enough heat? I'm talking about maybe a 10 gallon boil at most, but likely only a 5 gallon (but full!) boil. Or should I just brew from the heat given off by one of Schmidling's posts? - -- Mark Bunster |I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV. Survey Research Lab--VCU | Richmond, VA 23284 |Adam Smith's invisible hand mbunster at hibbs.vcu.edu |has got you by the throat... (804) 828-8813/353-8271 | Trotsky Icepick Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 16:04:00 PDT From: "SIMPSON, Mark (x-4378)" <Simpson at po2.rb.unisys.com> Subject: force carbonation-bad for head retention? Hi HBDers! I read an article recently that stated that beer which is force carbonated by the "force and shake" method destroys much of the beer's head retention capability. The author suggested that the head retention characteristics were actually broken up during the mechanical agitation of the carbonation process. My kegged beers do not have the greatest head retention, while my bottled versions do (a single data point). Anyone out there dispute or agree with this statement??? I plan to carbonate my next beer with my old method (attach the CO2 at 10-15 PSI for two weeks) as an experiment. Mark Simpson simpson at rb.unisys.com (a CORONA Mill grinding man! Yikes!) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 16:33:42 PDT From: Karl Elvis MacRae <batman at cisco.com> Subject: re: beginner's primary fermentation question >From: Dan Beauvais <beauvais at bbt.com> >- --- >in HBD #1434 Karl Elvis MacRae <kmac at cisco.com> asks... >> >> I'm wondering if my firmentation >> is stalling out. >> >> I pitched my yeast Sunday evening. By Tuesday morning, it was >> bubbling so hard the lock sounded lick a ticking clock. This >> went on all day tuesday. >> >> But by wednesday, it had slowed WAY down, and now, (Noon Thursday), >> it's just producing one bubble every 1-2 minutes. >> >It sounds perfectly normal to me. Wait until there is less than one >bubble in four minutes, (Saturday maybe?) and you are ready to bottle. Ok, next question! I've racked to the secondary, and it's clearing nicely, and the SG seems almost stabilized; at 1.027. Which seems very high to me, with an OG of 1.048. What might be up? Stall? Just a very *slow* ferment? Did I rack too early? (The foam had fallen back into the beer). Or could this be the actual FG of the beer? -Karl -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Karl Elvis MacRae Software Release Support Cisco Systems batman at cisco.com 415-688-8231 DoD#1999 1993 Vulcan Eighty-Eight -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1438, 06/01/94