HOMEBREW Digest #1542 Mon 03 October 1994

Digest #1541 Digest #1543


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


Contents:
  Head Retention and Irish Moss (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
  1994 THIRSTY (Wolfe)
  Shiner Bock (Scott_Pisani)
  Kegging Questions (Robert Rae)
  None (Mike Rubino)
  re: pumpkin (Andrei Fintescu)
  RIMS Temperature Control ("Joe Stone")
  Chicago Brewpubs (Philip Gravel)
  5L Keglets (smc7365)
  Peltier Junctions for cooling (Bob Adamczyk ph2745)
  Re: WANTED: Beer Judging Info, Please (Chuck Cox)
  Re: Primary is sucking air (thirsty brew) (Shane Jensen)
  Recipe Info ("Michael C. Lammon")
  INBOX Message (See Below) (Mailer.MC1)
  Comments on Priming Primer (David Draper)
  Ring Around The Bottle (Richard A Childers)
  AHA Homebrew Comps. (David Allison 225-5764)
  dispensing equipment (SYSOP)
  Mailing yeast simply (Domenick Venezia)
  Handles/ CO2 life/ Fresh Hop Use/ Steam juicer/ Yeast Book/ Cut Credits (COYOTE)
  re: labels, out of control (Dick Dunn)
  hi and question (Kristy J. Wiland)
  Bottle filler problem (Phil Miller)
  Cask Conditioned Ales (CliffR3500)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 Sep 94 21:46:00 GMT From: korz at iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583) Subject: Head Retention and Irish Moss David writes: - other references to head retention that I have found in HBD are: 1) trace elements, #492 2) don't over sparge, #500 3) don't use Irish moss, #534 4) use fresh hops, #645 5) hops as source of protein for head retention, #1295 I think that your initial conclusions are the most important ones, namely, protein rests at the low end of the proteolytic range reduce head retention, medium-length proteins are required for head retention, you must have *some* carbonation to create the initial head (unless you are handpumping your ale), and that wheat can help. However, although I've read about and experienced increased (apparent) body from high hop rates, and have read about hops helping increase head retention, I'm quite sure that it is not proteins in the hops that are responsible. Also, in another HBD not mentioned above (well, maybe it was private mail), George Fix reported on some experiments he did with Irish Moss. Head retention was one of the factors and it was found that different amounts and types of Irish Moss affected head retention differently. I'm sure this will all be written up in his upcoming book, but the bottom line was that refined flakes were the best and that 1/8 gram per liter was (in my opinion of the data) the best amount, considering clarity, sedimentation and foam stand (head retention). Of course there are always tradeoffs and you might feel that 1/16 gram per liter is more to your liking. By the way, I weighed 1/8 gram of refined Irish Moss flakes and found that it's about 1 level teaspoon. So, let's not be so quick to judge (as I have in the past) Irish Moss as a detractor from head retention. Al. Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Sep 94 08:42 CST From: Wolfe at act-12-po.act.org Subject: 1994 THIRSTY On November 19th, 1994, The Honorable Iowa River Society of Talented Yeastmasters (THRISTY), will hold an AHA sanctioned homebrew competition in Iowa City, Iowa. Amateur brewers can enter any homebrewed beer or mead in any of the AHA style categories. Judges will be members of the AHA's Beer Judge Certification Program. First, second, and third place ribbons will be awarded in each category, and first place winners will be advanced to Best of Show judging. The Best of Show Runner-up will receive a $30 gift certificate for brewing supplies and an engraved plaque. The Best of Show winner will receive a $50 gift certificate for brewing supplies, an engraved plaque, and a paid entry into the first round of the 1995 AHA National Homebrew Competition. Entries are due by November 10th, 1994. Entry forms and information for the 1994 THIRSTY Homebrew Competition can be obtained by calling Ed Wolfe, the competition organizer, at (319) 643-7354 or via email at: wolfe at act-12-po.act.org Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 94 19:26:18 PDT From: Scott_Pisani at notes.pw.com Subject: Shiner Bock On two (relatively) recent trips to Austin, TX, I was lucky enough to try Shiner Bock, a beer made in Shiner, TX by the Spoetzl Brewing Company. It's a real find, but unfortunately only sold in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas-Fort Worth, or so I'm told. Have any of HBD's Texas subscribers made an attempt at replicating this beer? If so, I'd be interested in seeing the recipe. Other than flaked maize, I don't know any of the specific ingredients in the real thing. My only attempt (from memory) brewed a bock that was unremarkable except for its 10.5% alchohol content. Thanks in advance. Either emailed or posted info is fine. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 13:51:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Robert Rae <xray at CAM.ORG> Subject: Kegging Questions Hello fellow brewers, I've been lurking in the shadows of the HBD absorbing the great wealth of knowledge of the hbd folk and have summoned the courage to pose a question. I've made the decision to keg my brew and I am looking for some technical help in regards to keg preferences. I'll preface my question by saying that I have read Miller, Papazian, the Keg FAQ and about 250+ back issues of the HBD in search of keg info to help me make this decision. And now my earth shattering question: What is the inherent differences between ball lock and pin lock cornelius kegs, and why is one preferred over the other. (I plan to use these types of kegs in my setup). P.S. A great many thanks to everyone that posts on the HBD. Using the old HBDs and the FAQs are a tremendous learning tool to make this a wonderful hobby. I've accumulated 130+ pages of kegging type info that I am sifting through for my own purposes as kind of my own FAQ. TIA Back to the shadows Robert Ray "Wherever you go, there you are" Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 16:57:29 -0500 From: Mike Rubino <Mike.Rubino at agile.com> Subject: None Please sign me up for the digest. mrubino at agile.com Thanks Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 15:07:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Andrei Fintescu <eaou288 at ea.oac.uci.edu> Subject: re: pumpkin in response to Tom's question of how to add pumpkin to the ferment: an easy way is to get a can of Libby's pumpkin (it is 100% real pumpkin, nothing added, no presertatives etc.). You can freeze it to sterilize, or maybe even cook it a bit. This might create a haze, but I put mine in a dark brown ale so it don't matter. Then, just toss it in and let the yeasty beasties go at it. I know Buffalo Bill's puts the pumpkin for their Ale through a mash, but this seems pretty unnecessary in obtaining a good pumpkin flavor. Have fun. BEER FOR PEACE!!! Andrei Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 94 17:29:05 PDT From: "Joe Stone" <JSTONE at SJEVM5.VNET.IBM.COM> Subject: RIMS Temperature Control I've been soliciting input regarding RIMS-like systems. And I've received some wonderful responses. There seems to be two basic approaches to temperature control in the recirculating path: one is a "proportional" control by which the power delivered to the heating element is varied between zero and some maximum value (typically on the order of 1000 watts); the other approach seems to rely simply on a relay (i.e. the heating element is either on or off). Both approaches can be automated or manual. The proportional control must offer advantages over the relay-ed approach. Less chance of scorching? Less chance of overshoot? Longer element life? Are the advantages worth the added complexity? Joe Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 94 22:16 CDT From: pgravel at mcs.com (Philip Gravel) Subject: Chicago Brewpubs ===> Ted Benning asks about Brewpubs in the Chicago area: >I have heard that there are more than one brewpub in the Chicago area. >Has anyone come across any good pubs and if so, any good brews??? Here's the list I've compiled: Chicago Area Brewpubs - --------------------- GOOSE ISLAND BREWERY - At 1800 N. Clyborn Ave. on the near north side of Chicago. One of the best anywhere, in fact. Always a good lineup of specialty beers. Good food too. THE WEINKELLER - There are two in the western suburbs. The original is in Berwyn and latest addition is in Westmont. (Yes, they are brewpubs in spite of their names.) TAYLOR BREWING - Located in Fifth Avenue Station in the far western suburb of Naperville. It is right by the Burlington Northern railroad station, just east of Washington St. MILLROSE BREWING - Located in the northwest suburb of Hoffman Estates or South Barrington right off of the Northwest Tollway on Barrington Rd. (take the northbound exit). BREWMASTER'S PUB - Kenosha Wisconsin. Just a stone's throw across the state line up in Wisconsin, not far off I-94. Excellent food, and new brewers have really improved the beer. In a picturesque, rambling former barn. Best Beer Bars - -------------- O'CALLAHAN'S - Hubbard at Dearborn, Downtown Chicago. Crowded on weekdays after work; quiet and relaxing on weekends. 8 taps including Pilsner Urquel. Simple bar food. BLUE CRAB LOUNGE/SHAW'S CRAB HOUSE - Hubbard at Wabash, Downtown Chicago. A half dozen oysters go so well with a pint of a good hoppy microbrewery beer. Very very good, but expensive, seafood on the restaurant menu. QUENCHERS - Fullerton at Western, Chicago (just west of the Kennedy Expwy (I-94) at Fullerton exit). About 15 taps, about 200 different bottled beers. A classic Chicago noisy corner tavern that discovered good beer, but remains a noisy, friendly, corner tavern. No food. THE RED LION - On Lincoln Ave is strong on atmosphere and food, and decent on beer. LION'S HEAD INN - 13101 South Olde Western Ave, Blue Island. Worth the trip to this out-of-the-way southern suburb. 13 taps all with top-notch micros from all coasts. Good Italian food; speakeasy atmosphere. Closed Sunday evening. GREAT BEER PALACE - On Lincoln Ave near the German area; keep going northwest for German food and more. 30+ beers on tap. THE VILLAGE INN - In Roscoe Village area of Chicago. Also has 30+ beers on tap. THE HOP LEAF - (of no ethnic variety) has the best beer selections in the city. THE DUKE OF PERTH - is more or less in the same category as the Red Lion. - ------ Compiled from information provided by: Roger Deschner R.Deschner at uic.edu Jim Kingsberg jdk at tntvax.ntrs.com William Behun wabehun at merle.acns.nwu.edu wilson2445 at delphi.com ..and me pgravel at mcs.com - -- Phil _____________________________________________________________ Philip Gravel pgravel at mcs.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 01 Oct 94 10:22:52 From: <smc7365 at prdc.prdc.dukepower.com> Subject: 5L Keglets STEVEN M CHANDLER WCQIP PROJECT 17 WORK ORIGINATION & WORKFLOW WORK CONTROL TECH SUPPORT MAIL CODE:WC1789-05 PHONE: 382-1425 FAX: 382-1245 COMPUSERVE: 73404,3474 SUBJECT: 5L Keglets <homebrew>:homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com I've been reading HBD for several weeks and have gathered a lot of valuable information. Thanks to all. I'd like to recap my experiences with the 5L keglets. I've been using them for about a year and like them very much. I think they are a great adjuct to bottles or the standard Cornelius keg. I do not use them exclusively, however, because I like to provide a bottle or two to friends or introduce folks to their first taste of homebrew. To answer Sturdy's (if I may be so familiar) question about sanitation: I've had the best luck with B-Brite. I've had no infections whatsoever. The last batch (which will be tapped this afternoon :) ) was sanitized with Clorox and B-Brite. I probably went overboard on that, but it's better than losing a batch. I sanitize the bungs the same way. If anyone is going to start using the keglets, I spend the bucks on the metal type tappers vs the plastic ones. I had to have my plastic one replaced due to leakage. My HB supplier finally ended up doing the recall thing and gave everyone a refund/credit. I purchased my metal one that way. Tried it the next day and was able to dispense two keglets from one CO2 cylinder! Joy!! Anyway, those are my thoughts and methods. Hope it helps! Happy Brewing! STEVE CHANDLER ************************************************************** YOU GOTTA BE TOUGH IF YOU'RE GONNA BE STUPID... Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 94 11:20:14 EDT From: adamczyk at bns101.bng.ge.com (Bob Adamczyk ph2745) Subject: Peltier Junctions for cooling Right... your're immediately asking what's a Peltier Junction and why do I care if it doesn't make my beer taste better. Actually, a Peltier junction is a small square of some mysterious sandwich of semiconductor metal which gets really cold on one side and really hot on the other side when you run a few amps of current through it. (the cold side gets colder if you sink away the heat on the hot side). So what? You`ve probably seen those adds for the rectangular picnic coolers that keep stuff hot (or cold), plug into the cigarette lighter in your car, AND cost $99 ? Well, if you wrapped a carboy in some insulation, and added some sort of thermostat to control on/off, one of these little hummers would probably serve as a pretty good refrigeration device for maintaining lager-type temperatures (or even brewing ale in the dog days of summer). Or maybe with the right amount of clever plumbing, this might make a neat, small wort chiller. Any wizard brewers out there who are already using one of these ? If any of you electronic merlins are interested, I have some company names and phone nos of mail order houses that sell these (prices range from $20 to $30 each), which I could provide via private e-mail. Bob Adamczyk adamczyk at bns101.bng.ge.com Beartown Bitter - brewed in the remote hills of Port Crane NY from unchlorinated and unfluoridated water (ever wonder what fluoridating does to beer ?) Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 94 11:18:00 EDT From: chuck at synchro.com (Chuck Cox) Subject: Re: WANTED: Beer Judging Info, Please Roy Harvey sez... > > I'm interested in finding out more about becoming a beer judge. What > are the requirements (oh, this should be funny! ;-). Seriously: > > * How does someone become a certified beer judge? > * I assume there is a test, what are the study materials? > * What are the steps involved? It must be time to plug JudgeNet again... - ----------------------------- JudgeNet ------------------------------- JudgeNet is the Beer Judge Digest. This is an Internet mailing list dedicated to the discussion of issues of interest to beer judges and competition organizers. Anyone with an interest in judging or organizing beer competitions is welcome to join. JudgeNet is published daily when articles are available. Currently about 60 articles per month are distributed to over 300 subscribers worldwide. The JudgeNet archives are available via FTP and WWW. The latest edition of the Unofficial BJCP Exam Study Guide is available in the archives. JudgeNet is published by SynchroSystems and the Riverside Garage & Brewery and edited by BJCP Master Beer Judge Chuck Cox (chuck at synchro.com). For subscription information, send an empty message to: judge-request@ synchro.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - -- Chuck Cox <chuck at synchro.com> SynchroSystems / Riverside Garage & Brewery - Cambridge, Mass. A disarmed citizen is an oppressed citizen. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 1994 10:46:56 -0700 (MST) From: Shane Jensen <jensen at as.arizona.edu> Subject: Re: Primary is sucking air (thirsty brew) > Date: Thu, 29 Sep 94 17:40:35 EDT > From: Kevin McCall <Kevin.Mccall at analog.com> > Subject: Primary is sucking air (thirsty brew) > > Hi Everyone, > > Sunday afternoon - sealed primary fermenter > Monday morning - lock has settled on to the vent tube > Monday night - lock empty of water, add more > Tuesday morning - " " > Tuesday night - lock empty. I pour water in and WATCH the fermentation > lock devour the water. I'm serious. I repeatedly > poured water in and watched the lock suck it up > in less than a minute. Popped the top on the > fermenter. Smelled fine and nothing leapt out at me. > Boiled two ounces of yeast nutrient and threw it in. > Also pitched, without a starter, another vial of yeast. > (What do I have to lose now but the yeast?). > Stirred and Resealed. > > Wednesday morning > Wednesday night > Thursday morning - My brew is still very thirsty and will drink what I give Kevin, I noticed that my fermentor was doing the same thing. After a little bit of investigation, I deduced that it was being caused by temperature variations in my apartment. When it was warmer, the air in the fermenter would expand and then when the apartment cooled, the air contracted sucking in air and water from the lock. It only takes a 5 degree temperature change to do this when there is no pressure building up inside the fermenter. It's an idea to consider. Cheers! Shane - -- \ To go o/\__ Shane Jensen where only < \__,\ (602) 621-2054 lizards have "> . | Steward Observatory gone before. ` .-\ jensen at as.arizona.edu . | Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 1994 13:36:58 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael C. Lammon" <umcl1 at sunyit.edu> Subject: Recipe Info Hello fellow homebrewers, I have been brewing for about 2 1/2 years now, and I think it's the greatest! I've only been making dark beers, which I love. I was wondering if someone had a good light looking beer like a Coors Light.. but with a good kick to it.. The truth of the matter is I would like to get my better-half into it but she hates dark beer. Thanks , Mike L! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please Leave Me A Message Via E-Mail And I Will Promptly Get Back To You. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | umcl1 at sunyit.edu | ------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: 1 Oct 94 12:48:56 U From: Mailer.MC1 at hesdmail.mmm.com Subject: INBOX Message (See Below) InBox Message Type: Error InBox Message Subject: Undeliverable message InBox Message Text Follows: Message not delivered to 'MC2' (Disk full) - ------------------------- Original Message Follows ------------------------- Message too large (greater than 30000 bytes). See enclosure! - ------------------------- RFC822 Header Follows ------------------------- Received: by hesdmail with SMTP/TCP;1 Oct 94 12:45:10 U Received: from pigseye.mmm.com by mmm ( 3M/SERC - 4.1/BDR-1.0) idAA07977; Sat, 1 Oct 94 12:57:09 CDT Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Received: by pigseye.mmm.com (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA09013; Sat, 1 Oct 94 12:51:05 CDT Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Received: from hpfcrdg.fc.hp.com by hpfcla.fc.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.4/15.5+IOS 3.20) id AA01771; Fri, 30 Sep 94 01:23:07 -0600 Received: by hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (1.36.108.4/15.5+IOS 3.22) id AA22277; Fri, 30 Sep 1994 01:00:53 -0600 Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 01:00:53 -0600 Message-Id: <9409300700.AA22277 at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com> To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com From: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Request Address Only - No Articles) Reply-To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Posting Address Only - No Requests) Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Precedence: bulk Subject: Homebrew Digest #1540 (September 30, 1994) Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 1994 10:03:02 +1000 (EST) From: David Draper <David.Draper at mq.edu.au> Subject: Comments on Priming Primer - -- ****************************************************************************** David S. Draper, School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109 Sydney, Australia. email: david.draper at mq.edu.au fax: +61-2-850-8428 ....I'm not from here, I just live here.... Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 1994 17:51:44 -0700 From: pascal at netcom.com (Richard A Childers) Subject: Ring Around The Bottle "Date: Wed, 28 Sep 94 7:35:03 EDT From: abaucom at fester.swales.com Subject: bottle infections... "I once read that if you have a ring around the neck of your bottles (at the liquid line) that was undeniably an infection signal..." Not universally true. Generally speaking, with respect to ecologies and micro-ecologies, the boundaries are particularly rich with evolutionary opportunities. That is, life flourishes where air and water meet ... where water and land meet ... where land and air meet. In particular, the junction of all three - solid/liquid/gas - is even more abundantly provided with opportunities. Consider, for example, the common ocean beach, where water, air, and land all meet, to the common benefit of organisms specialized to all three mediums. Now, shrink this perspective down to a bottle, instead of a world. The same rules still apply, basically. That boundary - technically referred to as the 'meniscus', I believe - is not only a very small micro-ecology in itself, but is also a logical collecting place for any micro-debris which accrue on the surface ( what is known in naval parlance as 'flotsam' ) and float about, just as the beach collects much debris which is not itself living. So, if you added any strange substances that might not be totally miscible with what is predominantly a water-based substance, such as flavoring agents which contain oils ... then, yes, you are pretty likely to have a ring. "I have some mead that has been bottled for about 6-8 months and before that it was in a secondary for 6-8 months...Here's the wierd thing... all the mead bottles have a thin white consistant ring right at the liquid line but the mead is FANTASTIC... If it IS infected...then 3 cheers for infections..." Interesting. Certainly, if the human race hasn't categorized all of the plants or animals or marine species of the planet Earth, there is no reason why it should be assumed that all of the microflora and microfauna have been identified ... never mind all of the possible beneficial relationships and uses which might accrue with respect to such critters. So, maybe it's worth tucking a few samples away in the freezer ... trying to culture it for future uses ... and trying to get a look at it under a really powerful microscope, at a college somewhere. < Insert obligatory reference to cartoon of microbiologist peering into a microscope, seeing paramecia spelling out the message, "Take us to your leader" ... and *how* many of you are vegetarians ? :-> - -- richard "I gathered I wasn't very well liked. Somehow, the feeling pleased me." _Nine Princes In Amber_, by Roger Zelazny richard childers san francisco, california pascal at netcom.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 12:18:00 -0800 (PST) From: David Allison 225-5764 <ALLISON.DAVID at A1GW.GENE.COM> Subject: AHA Homebrew Comps. MONTHS AGO -- I entered a beer, representing my homebrew club, into a AHA sponsored club-only homebrew competition. More specifically the "Stout Bout" put on by the Gold Country Brewers. I never received my score sheet. I don't even think my $5.00 check was cashed (but I am not sure). When I called to see if my beer had arrived safely -- I was told that due to the amount of entries that they did not have that info (????). After the competition, I called to see how my beer did and was told only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers were known and the rest of the results were sent to the AHA. Well... now I have waited quite a while for something sign that my beer had arrived and judged. I now know why my homebrew club is hesitant to put on any of the AHA competitions. Martin -- did you ever receive the final results? James Spence (AHA) -- have these results been sent out? Did my effort to send my bottles of an excellent stout (IMHO) to a AHA competition go without any return of information? I guess not. Will I ever go through the hassle of entering a beer into an AHA sponsored club-only competition outside my immediate area? I think not. On another note... I receive my issue of Zymurgy a month after my local homebrew shops get theirs. Should I bother to send my membership money to the AHA? I'm wondering... - David Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 94 19:09:00 -0500 From: barry.miller at bigapple.pcinfo.com (SYSOP) Subject: dispensing equipment In HBD1539, Tony Urban asked: ->Since I'm planning my annual fall camping trip, I must consider my beer ->needs. Does anybody have any suggestions on dispensing equipment, such as ->kegs (CO2 or hand pump) or other such dispensing equipment? I could bring ->bottles but would rather not. I guess it's just an inconvenience thing of ->lugging 24 or so bottles for the weekend. I'd rather just have 2-3 gallons ->and some kind of pumping mechanism for homebrew-on-draft-by-the-campfire. Any ->thoughts on where to get such equipment or modify existing keg setups? Tony the answer to your question is found in 2 words, Party Pig. The pig is a 2 1/4 PET plastic oblong sphere which when assembled contains disposable pouch that inflates as beer is dispensed. As a result no air enters the pig and beer stays fresh. The pig is filled at bottling timeand primed as usual though less priming sugar or DME should be used. You then insert the pouch cap the unit with the dispensing valve and wait a week or so. if you have to lug 2-3 gallons of beer with you this is ideal. No additional dispensing equipment is needed. The pig goes for around $35.00 and the pouches about $3.50 per fill. An additional benefit is that it fits nicely on the shlef of a standard refrigerator and is perfect for taking to a friends for weekend football or parties. Even though I have a corny keg setup, I still use my Party pig and like it very much. Barry Miller barry.miller at bigapple.pcinfo.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 1994 08:21:41 +48000 From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com> Subject: Mailing yeast simply I'd like to share a yeast mailing trick that David Draper in Sydney, Australia and I (in Seattle,WA,USA) used recently to ship some lager yeast. It's so easy that it's scarey. David got a 4" round filter paper from the lab, put it in his shirt pocket (!!) and took it home. At home he smeared a sample of yeast from a slant in the center of the filter paper using an alcohol wiped metal probe, circled the spot with a felt pen, then put the filter paper in a brand new ziplock baggie and put it in an envelope and mailed it to me. David mailed it on 4Sept, I left the country for a week on 9Sept and got back on the 17th and found the envelope on my desk. I did not plate it until 25Sept (because I didn't think it would work), 3 weeks after Dave mailed it. When plating it I just used tap water and a flamed loop to moisten the yeast spot then streaked a plate on faith since I couldn't see anything on the loop. As insurance I cut a 1/4" strip out of the filter paper across the spot and folded the strip across the spot and used the strip to streak another plate. One week later I had very nice plates. The loop streaked plate had perfect widely separated colonies with absolutely no visible contamination (even after 10 days), neither fungi nor bacterial. The strip streaked plate had about 5 times the number of colonies and a single small spot of mold. I will streak from a colony on the first plate, then one more generation before I declare it pure. Obviously the Draper's take their laundry VERY seriously because even after a day in Dave's shirt the filter paper stayed sanitary. Next time I suggest putting the fiter paper directly in a new ziplock baggie, then into the shirt pocket. After thinking about it I realized that new ziplock baggies are probably sterile or nearly so. Manufacturing uses heat and they are targeted at food storage. DISCLAIMER: I have not yet brewed with this yeast. I suppose it is possible that although it looks like a brewing yeast, walks like a brewing yeast, and quacks like a brewing yeast, it could be a wild Australian yeast, or even (sorry Dave) some yeast resident on Mr. Draper himself. But I don't think so since the level of general contamination is so low, particularly because of the absence of any bacterial contamination. When I do a test brew with it, and if the yeast turns out to be bad, I will certainly follow up with a retraction. Domenick Venezia ZymoGenetics, Inc. Seattle, WA venezia at zgi.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 02 Oct 1994 10:40:27 -0600 (MDT) From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu> Subject: Handles/ CO2 life/ Fresh Hop Use/ Steam juicer/ Yeast Book/ Cut Credits Question RE: carboy carriers. With all the talking up lately I broke down ;) and went out a got a couple. I know it came up before ...but... 7 gal acid bottles: I remember there was concern about whether they worked- I also remember people sed- Yo! So...WHere do you attach them? Seems like the threaded part of the neck with take it, but it doesn't seem that secure for carrying a full one. Can you bend out the ring and hook it around the neck lower down? I'd prefer that- but don't want to stress the bottle or the metal. Basicaly I don't want to stress at all. Anyone- anyone? *** RE: CO2 life- just a reminder for ya'll: The regulator reading on a full CO2 tank will read whatever it reads untill all the LIQUID CO2 is used up, THEN the pressure starts to drop. POINT: CO2 is stored in the pressurized tank as a liquid. It emerges as a gas. CAUTION: NEVER store your CO2 tank (in use) sideways, or you run the risk of LIQUID CO2 entering your keg, then vaporizing= Potential EXPLOSION. You think exploding glass is bad? Imagine SHRAPNEL ! Could Kill ! SO- Weight is the key to determining the amount of CO2 in your tank. Mine sits about 40 pounds full, and about 20 #'s MT. Get a cheap scale. Also as a precaution, mine is hooked to the wall by a bungee cord- in case of earthquakes, or clumsy brewbuds! Especially important when the regulator is attached. You know what happens to a balloon when you let it go? Imagine a 50# mass of metal spinning like a top. Not a good thing! LEAKS: I commonly suffered from them. A cheap leak detector solution is made from SOAP and WATER. Then put it in a squirt bottle, or squirt gun. A bit of teflon tape, fresh washers on all connectors... Personally- I'd rather save the CO2. Lost a whole tank once. So now I get my kegs all pressurized, then drop them to serving pressure and dispense. Every now and then I pop on the CO2 and repressurize to 5 or 10 psi and dispense some more. It's really easy enough, and yeah- at a pahty under constant use leave it hooked up for easy use and flow. A full CO2 tank lasts many months for me, even with purging carboys and such. *** Fresh Hops use: Recently there's been a slam or two on the use of fresh hops RE: grassy flavors...etc. I piss in you general direction. I love that fresh cascade grassy flavor and AIM to get it in dry hopped brews. YMMV. But that's not my problem. FWIW; I've used my homegrown hops- dried, AND fresh off the vine for finishing and have liked it either way. I think I will continue to dry them, both for storage, and for the sake of reducing any "green" flavors. But to slam NEW hops as being TOO fresh- eh...you're just jealous! *** QUESTION: Anyone out there ever used a STEAM JUICER for extracting juice from fruits for fermenting? I have been thinking of constructing a fruit press, but have seen those steam juicers in stores (for pretty cheap) For those who don't know, it's alike a double boiler with a tube coming out of the top pot to collect juice. What I wonnder is: 1. How do they work. 2. Does the steam heat cause pectins to set, or is that now a problem, cuz no pulp comes through. 3. Does it make for good juice for wines, fruit beers, meads...etc. I have a juicer- separates pulp from juice by a spinning strainer thingy- but 1. It's tedious. One piece of fruit at a time. Too slow! Especially when dealing with buckets full of garden fruits. 2. The resulting juice is so pulpy that it never settles well, and I end up losing a lot of juice in a mass of pulp. Info- public or private would be appreciated. *** Anyone seen Pierre Rajotes newer YEAST CULTURING book? It sounds A LOT better than Rog Leistads (which I personally don't care for), hence it carries a lot BIGGER price tag. (~$5 vs ~$25!). I have a hard time forking out more than $10 for a brewing book- Choice of brew supplies vs.texts...hmm Anyone have it? COuld you give me (us) your review/opinion. Also being from a canadian author (caution in the first place -chuckle :) is it based on european units? Or does it cover american units also? *** Finally- I've noticed a new trend which I PERSONALLY don't care for. People are taking conversations/questions/responses to e-mail. THIS (I think) is a good thing. MY problem- is they are coming back and listing credits of who helped them. I see it is one thing to list a summary of responses- that's fine, helpful, but just to list the names of who responded in e-mail....cum-on! I know we all like to see our names up in lights, appearing on monitors across the country, but really....what's the point here?! 1. Has nothing to do with brewing, 2. is not at all educational. If you want to thank people. Great do so. Type REPLY after reading their message, then type THANKS. Sufficient! If you want to summarize, do so- credits are very appropriate at this time, but just listing names...please no! My personal plea- CUT THE CREDITS! Well, b-duh-bduh-bduh....that's all folks! \-/-\ John (The Coyote) Wyllie SLK6P at cc.usu.edu \-/-\ Return to table of contents
Date: 2 Oct 94 12:52:18 MDT (Sun) From: rcd at raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) Subject: re: labels, out of control HEWITT at arcges.arceng.com wrote about labels: > Three cheers to Nuttings Lake Publishing. Good service deserves > highlighting to fellow users. I recently made my first order for beer > labels (ad in Zymurgy) and recieved my order priority mail almost before > the check cleared. Very refreshing. (no affiliation, etc.) I've always wondered about the Nuttings Lake ads. I'm glad to hear they give good service...for the price they charge, they ought to! They adver- tise $39.95 for 100 labels, which is to say 40 cents a label. That's a lot...I can't imagine using labels like that except for "presentation" (special gift) bottles...but in that case I wouldn't want a generic label for my "brewery"; I'd want a label specific to the batch, so the quantity 100 doesn't help. Unless you're brewing extract and using large bottles, these labels are going to be the most expensive part of a batch of beer. Hey, if the labels are what give that final touch, that makes it happen for your brewing, then who am I to argue? But I'm still seriously puzzled about why one would want to spend as much on the "packaging" as on the contents. --- Dick Dunn rcd at eklektix.com -or- raven!rcd Boulder, Colorado USA ...Simpler is better. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 94 16:08:28 EDT From: Kristy J. Wiland <eng4kjw at hibbs.vcu.edu> Subject: hi and question hi.. im a brand new homebrewer... just now drinking my first batch.. a wonderful all grain oatmeal stout which my mentor ( a brewer for 5 years) says is worthy of entering in a competition.. hes a great teacher anyway.. we were talking the other night about different adjuncts and tossed around the idea of peanuts... has anyone ever tried using them? howd it work out? he says he has tried belgain ales with hazelnuts that he enjoyed, but had never heard of trying peanuts... are they starchy enough to put into the mash with any practical results... (will they make sugars?) or could they be put into the fermenter .. crushed maybe.. or prehaps using an all natural peanut butter? or could either be effectively put in the biol, or somehow extracted? would the oil foul the beer.. we agreed it would probally could it so would more than likely make a darker beer with them.. maybe a brown ale? any input would be appreciated.. we want to try this experiment but wouldnt want to make a big undrinkable mess... thanx in advance wascal brewer of kallisti black gold oatmeal stout and soon to be other nummy beverages Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 01 Oct 94 09:21:40 CDT From: Phil Miller <C616063 at MIZZOU1.missouri.edu> Subject: Bottle filler problem I own a bottle filler; a 1' plastic tube with an orange contraption on the bottom that contains a stopping mechanism. My last few brews have been damaged due to this filler. At times, it sticks, sending my precious brew spil- ling to the floor. I have been unable to get it to stop sticking. Any ideas how I may get this thing to stop being so temperamental? BTW, it is not spring-driven. Phil Miller Dept. of Economics University of Missouri, Columbia Internet: c616063 at mizzou1.missouri.edu "In the long run, we're all dead". John Maynard Keynes Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 02 Oct 94 19:40:46 EDT From: CliffR3500 at aol.com Subject: Cask Conditioned Ales Hello All, I am trying to do my best to create a "cask conditioned" ale short of buying a wooden cask and a beer engine. I was wondering what others brewers have done to imitate this style. Right now I am using 5 gallon soda kegs and carbonating to about 1-1.5 atmospheres CO2 at about 55 degrees (the temperature of my cellar in the winter ). I would like to let my beer come in contact with the air, but I don't want to have to drink all my beer in a day or two. It works for parties, but not day to day drinking. Has anyone thought up something that works better? I am also curious, does anyone have an idea of what could be used as a _sparkler_ for a regular soda keg tap? I have not actually seen one, but I guess it is something that restricts the flow of the beer from the tap, causing agitation that gives the beer a nice, tight, foamy head. I welcome any and all suggestions, private e-mail is great, and thanks! Cliff Riggs Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1542, 10/03/94