HOMEBREW Digest #1732 Tue 16 May 1995

Digest #1731 Digest #1733


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


Contents:
  Water chem question (David Draper)
  Yet another beer and brewing web page! (Rich Lenihan)
  Full Sail IPA - Hops (Tom Lahue)
  Trub removal ect. (DSWPHOTO)
  Rcpt: Homebrew Digest #1705 (Ap (NEEVES)
  Lactose uses (David Draper)
  plastic carboy: using it? (mark evans)
  Mesh screen false bottoms/more on apt brewing (MHANSEN)
  Yeast starters again - what's second best? (James L Blue)
  Re: Electric stovetop brewing (sadvary)
  Malt Variety vs. FG (RPB3)
  02 caps, diacetyl, steeped hops (Christopher R. Vyhnal)
  Champagne yeast (Pierre Jelenc)
  Hg thread (Lance Stronk)
  thermal expansion of water (Christopher R. Vyhnal)
  Dial Thermometers/Tall Women (RHELGESON)
  Re: SABCO Kettle (spencer)
  Cleaning Boiling Kettles (Willits)
  Recipe request for Pete's Wicked (Jeff M Myers)
  Re: High finishing gravitites (John Keane)
  Steeping Grains Summary (Michael_Millstone-P26948)
  beerstone, grain summary (Jim Dipalma)
  Alum. Keg/Beer Fests ("Mark Merchant")
  corny under pressure ("CHRIS DUFTON")
  NA Beer (John Francis)
  Thermal expansion of water ("Tom Williams")
  Stove cleanup (John Keane)
  Copper Connections (Glenn Raudins)
  Mesh screen false bottoms/more on apt brewing (MHANSEN)

****************************************************************** * POLICY NOTE: Due to the incredible volume of bouncing mail, * I am going to have to start removing addresses from the list * that cause ongoing problems. In particular, if your mailbox * is full or your account over quota, and this results in bounced * mail, your address will be removed from the list after a few days. * * If you use a 'vacation' program, please be sure that it only * sends a automated reply to homebrew-request *once*. If I get * more than one, then I'll delete your address from the list. ****************************************************************** ################################################################# # # YET ANOTHER NEW FEDERAL REGULATION: if you are UNSUBSCRIBING from the # digest, please make sure you send your request to the same service # provider that you sent your subscription request!!! I am now receiving # many unsubscribe requests that do not match any address on my mailing # list, and effective immediately I will be silently deleting such # requests. # ################################################################# 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. 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 ARCHIVES: An archive of previous issues of this digest, as well as other beer related information can be accessed via anonymous ftp at ftp.stanford.edu. Use ftp to log in as anonymous and give your full e-mail address as the password, look under the directory /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer directory. AFS users can find it under /afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer. If you do not have ftp capability you may access the files via e-mail using the ftpmail service at gatekeeper.dec.com. For information about this service, send an e-mail message to ftpmail at gatekeeper.dec.com with the word "help" (without the quotes) in the body of the message.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 08:00:11 +1000 (EST) From: David Draper <ddraper at laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au> Subject: Water chem question Dear Friends, I have a question for you water chemistry folks. I've just read in Miller that one should never add both gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) and table salt (NaCl) to the same mash because the interaction of sodium and sulfate will impart an unpleasant harshness to the finished beer. Of course, in the beer I brewed last week, a K"olsch, I did precisely that. Sydney water is exceptionally soft (e.g. total dissolved solids 86 ppm; 7.8 ppm Ca++, 11.4 ppm Na+, 21 ppm Cl-, 6.5 ppm SO4--, alk. 21 ppm as CaCO3) as I've reported before, and additions of all salts are required if one wishes to mimic a water for anything other than pilsner. Using the data reported not long ago by Bob Bloodworth for K"oln's water, I dosed my mash water with gypsum, CaCO3, and NaCl in appropriate amounts to get a close-enough-for-brewing-purposes match to that profile. The beer is just finishing up primary fermentation, so it's too soon to tell if this will in fact cause any problems. My question is not Is My Beer Ruined, but: how do brewers with soft water emulate profiles like this if they are "forbidden" to add gypsum and table salt together? Why don't K"olsch beers, for example, exhibit the unpleasant harshness of having both Na and SO4 present in appreciable amounts? Many of the cities in the summary I posted awhile back have a fair amount of both. Any comments welcome--I'd like to brew an Alt this week, and again would need to add both gypsum and table salt (in lesser amounts of course) to get something like D"usseldorf's water. Cheers, Dave in Sydney - -- "Cross your fingers and wait it out." ---A. J. deLange ****************************************************************************** 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: Sun, 14 May 1995 19:59:06 -0400 From: rich at lenihan.iii.net (Rich Lenihan) Subject: Yet another beer and brewing web page! I've set up a web page with information beer and brewing books. The URL is: http://www.iii.net/users/rich/libeery/libeery.html This web page includes the title, author, publisher and retail price of most of the currently in-print and generally available books on beer and brewing. The most interesting part (for me, anyway) is that I've included a form where you can submit book reviews for these texts. You can also, of course, read all or any of the reviews that have been submitted. Right now it's kind of sparse, with just one review that I submitted. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks... -Rich Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 14 May 1995 17:22:47 -0700 From: ai752 at lafn.org (Tom Lahue) Subject: Full Sail IPA - Hops I recently had a pint of Full Sail IPA and would like to try to duplicate the hop flavor and bittering. Anyone in Oregon or Washington know any info on how this beer is hopped? Thanks, Tom Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 14 May 1995 22:34:16 -0400 From: DSWPHOTO at aol.com Subject: Trub removal ect. Well, this is my first posting to HBD and I hope it pays off. I have a few questions for the brew-gurus. They are as follows; I'm looking for a good way to remove trub either from my boiling kettle or my settling tank. Miller recommends letting the wort settle for 12 hours after pitching then removing the trub. My problem is that after 12 hours the trub has not settled and my wort is in full fermentation. Can I let the wort settle, remove trub, them pitch the yeast? It seems a long time to wait before pitching. Papazian says that you can remove trub by siphoning off the hot wort with a copper racking tube and scouring pad from the boiler to the fermenter (or back to the kettle for a quick boil for sanatizing). I have tried this with out success. I am only boiling 2.5-3 gallons in my kettle and the wort is just a little to thick to siphon. Does this only work with a full wort boil? Let me know if anybody in the Brew world has a tried and true method for trub removal. I would like to begin partial or all grain brews and want a good trub removal system before I take the plunge. Thanks!!!!!!!!!! Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 07:36 From: NEEVES at mailgate.navsses.navy.mil (NEEVES) Subject: Rcpt: Homebrew Digest #1705 (Ap The following message has been deleted. ****** MESSAGE TOO LARGE The message text of this Email has exceeded the maximum allowable length for Email body size. The message has been enclosed as an attachment. You may view the attachment, or save the attachment to disk. This message wat automatically generated by the SMTP gateway. ****** Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 21:49:24 +1000 (EST) From: David Draper <ddraper at laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au> Subject: Lactose uses Dear Friends, Jim Powell asks about using lactose. Well Jim, the best use is in dark, sweet beers--sweet stouts being the classic example. So-called "milk stout" was so called because of a generous use of lactose. Because it is not readily fermentable the sweetness it gives pretty much survives into the finished product. So you will probably want to use it sparingly--a couple hundred grams (up to 8 oz) in 23-litre (up to 6 US gal) batches is as much as I have used. Also you must be very careful about sanitation when using it--although basically unfermentable by brewing yeast, it is very fermentable by other critters, so be sure the stuff is boiled in some way (adding it to the boil is the simplest, although sometimes adding it at pitching time has benefits). You can also add a bit of lactose to anything that you wish to have some residual sweetness, although to do this I would prefer to simply design the batch so that it arrives at a final gravity that gives it the appropriate MFI (mouth feel index). Say, oh, 2.34354233432 or so. Approximately. :-} Cheers, Dave in Sydney - -- "Never trust a brewer who has only one chin" ---Aidan Heerdegen ****************************************************************************** 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: Mon, 15 May 1995 07:41:17 -0600 From: mark evans<evanms at lcac1.loras.edu> Subject: plastic carboy: using it? I received a plastic carboy from a friend. It says it was used to hold water. Aside from the scratching problem, are these okay for say..secondary use? mark Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 12 May 1995 13:50:07 -0600 From: MHANSEN at ctdmc.pmeh.uiowa.edu Subject: Mesh screen false bottoms/more on apt brewing Hey All, Al K. states that using a mesh screen as a false bottom probably won't work and if it did it would require gallons and gallons of recirculation to form a filter bed. I must disagree with you Al. I use a mesh screen (actually it's a SS inverted flour sifter) for my false bottom and it works very well. I usually recirculate about a half gallon or at most a gallon for _very_ turbid mashes to get clear runoff. Steve Seaney asks about apartment brewing. Well, as someone who has always done all-grainers inside, it can be done (since I don't have a balcony, I don't have a choice). I mash and boil in a 33 qt enamel-on-steel pot. During mashing I insulate with several towels which holds temps up pretty well. My sparge water is held in a 7.5 gallon plastic bucket insulated with silver lined bubble wrap. My lauter tun is also an insulated 7.5 gallon plastic bucket with a mesh screen false bottom. I only do ales in my apartment since I don't have temperature control cool enough for lagers. I concede that boiling for 60-90 minutes inside an apartment (or a house for that matter) does get pretty steamy. As has been echoed by a number of people, the more messes you make and things you destroy, the more likely your wife will send you packing (to the basement or garage, hopefully :-)) with the equipment you desire. After scorching the counter top, spilling bleach on an area rug, losing half a gallon of wort on the dining room carpet, frequent noxious odors (in her opinion) from brewing and fermenting, and a host of other mishaps, my wife MADE me design a custom brewery for the basement in the house we are building (which will require a bunch of new equipment, of course!). What a shame to never be able to brew in the kitchen again :-)! Brew on my friends, Mike (michael-d-hansen at uiowa.edu) Don't smoke grains; It makes you cough. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 08:58:08 -0400 From: blue at cam.nist.gov (James L Blue) Subject: Yeast starters again - what's second best? I've followed the thread on yeast starters and the advice to pitch just after krauesen falls. But what's next best? True-life example. Last week I prepared to brew porter. Wednesday evening: pop fresh packet of Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast Thursday evening: make 2 quart starter of 1.040 wort Saturday evening: krauesen fallen, ready to pitch But my plans had changed and there was nothing to pitch it into; brew day had been postponed until Sunday. Two obvious options presented themselves: 1. Do nothing to the starter, pitch the next day anyway. 2. Boil up "some" more dry malt extract, cool, and feed the starter. (I don't know how much "some" should be for a 24-hour delay.) Advice? Rest of true-life story. I did #1. Brewed on Sunday (my first all-grain batch), aerated the wort vigorously, pitched 1.5 quarts of starter, saving the rest for feeding and using later. Got positive pressure in the air lock by 3 hours after pitching, went to bed, had full 1/2 inch krauesen this morning, 11 hours after pitching. - -------- Jim Blue Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 09:17:06 -0400 From: sadvary at netmon.dickinson.edu Subject: Re: Electric stovetop brewing Personally, I haven't had any major problems with electic. I have a 33 quart enamelware pot and I straddle it on two burners, mostly on the big one in the back and in the front it almost covers the smaller burner. I haven't had any carmelization problems and I do get a nice rolling boil. I have learned to fine tune the boil by using the lid, using the burner controls can get a little harry at times. That was a little troublesome at first but once you get used to the controls it's not bad. The downside is that the burners do go through some abuse and I can see in a couple years having to replace the burners. No biggy. just my two cents worth... -Bill Sadvary Carlisle, PA Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 08:28:01 CDT From: RPB3%mimi at magic.itg.ti.com Subject: Malt Variety vs. FG From: RUSSELL P. BRODEUR RPB3 Subj: Malt Variety vs. FG I have been using the 40/60/70 C mash schedule recommended by Dr. Fix for the past six months or so, and I would like to share my observations after brewing a variety of beers using this technique. My first brew was a Scottish-style ale; OG ~65, FG ~22. I used 5# of dWC Special B in this, with the balance being dWC PA malt, so the high FG didn't worry me. I don't recall which yeast I used, but it was either Wyeast Labs' Scottish, Irish or London strain. BTW, these are 10 gal batches. My second brew was a Munich-style dark lager. I used 18# dWC Pils and 2# dWC Special B (I don't recommend this for use in lagers). My OG was in the mid 50's, but my FG was once again 22. Changing the subject for a moment: I used both Wyeast's Munich and Bavarian lager yeasts for this (it was a test, 5 gal of each). Fermentation was at 48-50 F. IMHO, there was no discernable difference between the two yeasts. Of course, I had the strong-flavored special B in there, which probably masked any subtle differences. Both yeasts finished at the same gravity, 22. My third batch was a weizen, 12# dWC wheat malt/6# Schreier 2-row. Again, this finished on the high side (I used Wyeast's pure delbrucki [sp?] strain) with an FG of ~20. One important point I'd like to make is; this stuff really needed a protein rest at 50 F. I didn't use one and had runoff woes. I had been getting lower FG's using a 2-step infusion (122, 150-56 F), so I decided to experiment a bit to bring my FG's down. I increased the temp of my 2nd rest to 145 F (63 C). I brewed a light Munich-style lager using 17# dWC pils and 1# dWC CaraPils, using Munich lager yeast. Same FG (~22). BTW, I expect to get below 15 for a lager like this. I brewed a domestic bastardization of pilsner (I was out of dWC pils, and used Schreier instead) using 17# 2-row and 1# CaraPils with Munich lager yeast. I increased my rest time at 145 F to 45 min. This time, my FG was 10, a whopping difference. Thinking I had figured things out, I brewed an IPA using 14# dWC PA, 2# toasted and 2# CaraMunich malts with London ale yeast (Wyeast). I used the 45 min rest at 145 F again, but my FG was back up to 20. Go figure. Obviously, this has NOT been a controlled study; I have just been trying to get my FG's down doing what made sense to me (increasing time/temp of alpha? amylase rest step at 140-50 F). All beers made using this technique have been excellent, IMHO. I believe the IPA, Scottish ale and pilsner to be the best I've ever brewed, and that covers the past 5 years or so. So, something is definitely right about this mash schedule, but why do I continually get such high FG's with the dWC malts? There was a huge diff between dWC and Schreier (10 pts), and I still haven't figured out how to reduce the FG using the dWC malts. I would appreciate any suggestions. Russ Brodeur (r-brodeur at ds.mc.ti.com) Return to table of contents
Date: 15 May 95 10:21:41 EDT From: Christopher.R.Vyhnal at Dartmouth.EDU (Christopher R. Vyhnal) Subject: 02 caps, diacetyl, steeped hops in hbd#1729 al writes: >> Your local HB shop owner has it backwards: boiling O2-absorbing caps ruins them. The humidity in the headspace of the bottle is enough to activate the O2 absorption. << if this is the case, it seems to me that their absorption capability would decrease the longer they sit around before being used. is this a problem, and if so, is there a way to purge the absorbed 02 prior to using? and also: >> There's quite a difference between letting air into the headspace and stirring air into the fermenting beer (the latter increasing diacetyl production). << i'd like to up the diacetyl a bit in my next attempt at a fuller's clone. what's the best way to stir air into the ferment if i use a glass primary? in hbd#1730 david asked about steeped hops in an snpa clone: there probably is some minimal bitterness contribution from hops steeped 15 minutes, but your low extraction (23 pts/ib/gal) would also lead to a greater perceived bitterness in the finished beer if the recipe was based on a higher extraction efficiency. chris Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 10:28:24 EDT From: Pierre Jelenc <pcj1 at columbia.edu> Subject: Champagne yeast First a new data point for the yeast farmers: I have just revived on plate champagne yeast (Red Star?) from a stab that had been inoculated in 10/92, some 30 months ago. The stab was in a standard YPD slant (0.7% agar) in a screw-cap glass tube kept in the vegetable bin of the fridge. Yeasts are hardy critters indeed. Now a question: I need to make a very large starter, for a high-gravity mead. To that effect, I will use the champagne yeast to brew 3 gallons of ordinary 1.040 wort and use the resulting yeast cake. Does anybody know (from experience) whether it is worth saving such a beer? Pierre Return to table of contents
Date: 15 May 1995 10:34:07 -0500 (EST) From: Lance Stronk <S29033%22681 at utrcgw.utc.com> Subject: Hg thread I was reading the Hg thread and it appears there are different opinions on the subject of toxicity of mercury. I myself am confused on the subject. We have an oral mercury thermometer at home and one day, as I was taking my temperature (feeling lousy of course and frustrated with being sick) I read the little paper/pamphlet that came with the thermometer. It stated that if the thermometer broke in the mouth that the glass and mercury could be flushed out with water(spitting the pieces out might cut the person so flushing with water was recommended). It also stated that there should be no fear of mercury poisoning since the mercury was "triple distilled mercury" and could not be absorbed through the skin. I never heard of "triple distilled mercury" and have asked others about it only to get some disbelieving looks. So, I put it to the experts/alchemists/chemists-brewers of the HBD. Is there such a thing as 'safe' mercury??? And what's up with the triple distilled stuff? Lance Stronk Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, CT lstronk at sikorsky.com Return to table of contents
Date: 15 May 95 10:35:19 EDT From: Christopher.R.Vyhnal at Dartmouth.EDU (Christopher R. Vyhnal) Subject: thermal expansion of water in hbd#1731 dan asked about the thermal expansion of water: i just happened to have this at my fingertips while reading your post: at 1 atm: Tdeg.C V H2O (cm3/g) 0 1.00013 10 1.00027 20 1.00177 30 1.00434 40 1.00781 50 1.01208 60 1.01706 70 1.02271 80 1.02900 90 1.0359 100 1.0434 from: Kennedy and Holser, PVT and phase relations of H20 and CO2, in Handbook of Physical Constants, Clark ed.1966. i'll leave it to you to pick a curve fit if you want an equation. chris Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 9:40:04 -0500 (CDT) From: RHELGESON at MADMAX.MPR.ORG Subject: Dial Thermometers/Tall Women Hello Fellow Brewers! Know that female brewers DO exist. I suspect there are more of us than you all might suspect! I have to suppose that physical strength is one limiting factor for us women, though. My husband and I brew together in our basement. One night, quite late, Don was swirling a carboy half full of a bleach mixture when it accidently struck the cement laundry tub. It shattered, cutting a deep gouge in the base of his thumb. Once we got the bleeding controlled, he drove himself to the emergency room and I was left to sterilize our second carboy and transfer the wort. Now, I am no delicate flower, but lifting that full carboy out of the sink and "walking" it to the next room took *ALL* of my strength! (Don's thumb was good and sterile and took three stitches) > Lee Bollard asked about dial thermometers... We've been using a compost thermometer for a couple of years with great success. It looks like an oversized meat thermometer with a 19" stem and registers 0-220 degrees F. Priced $12-$17 And, in my self-important view... I often see submissions to the HBD where people are apologizing for being "only an extract brewer"! I see this same phenomenon at our local brewclub meetings. There is no need to feel inferior! There are GREAT beers to be made using extracts - and at a considerable time savings too. We may not have as many variables to fuss over as all-grain brewers but I, for one, am STANDING TALL!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ruth Helgeson Minnesota Public Radio Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 10:43:13 EDT From: spencer at med.umich.edu Subject: Re: SABCO Kettle Jim Hunter wrote about a number of problems with a SABCO kettle a friend of his bought. If you're considering forking out for a SABCO kettle, you might also take a look at the pico-Brewing Systems kettles. I believe the price is similar, and they are (IMHO) better constructed. In particular, they have none of the problems that Jim alluded to. The false bottom is slotted copper and is very sturdy. I've made a batch in one with 25 lbs of grain, and friends have filled it to the brim with grain, with no problems. For info, call 313-482-8565, or send e-mail to obrien at cyberspace.org. Caveat: the owners are personal friends, but I have no financial stake in the company. Interesting note: "pico" started out buying reconditioned kegs from SABCO (may still do, for all I know). Shortly after the pico-System went on the market, SABCO started selling their own. =Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer at umich.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 07:50:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Willits <willits at camelot.Stanford.EDU> Subject: Cleaning Boiling Kettles Hi, In HBD #1731 Ron Moucka asks: >On an unrelated subject, the converted (legal) keg I've been >using as a brew pot is developing a brown coating on the >bottom that is next to impossible to scrub off. I'm not against >using a little elbow grease, but this stuff is really tuff. >Any suggestions on something to use that doesn't require >rubber suits and special training? I found a Stainless Steel cleaner in the cleaning section at the grocery store called Kleen King. It works great. All I do is sprinkle a little in the bottom of the kettle, add a little water, and scrub lightly with a scotchbrite pad. And the bottle says it is non-toxic. I hope this helps. Mike Willits willits at camelot.stanford.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 10:06 EST From: Jeff M Myers <0005507100 at mcimail.com> Subject: Recipe request for Pete's Wicked Does anyone have a good recipe for Pete,s Wicked Ale? I am an extract brewer. Private email is great. Thanks in advance Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 11:17:36 -0400 From: John Keane <keane at cs.rutgers.edu> Subject: Re: High finishing gravitites In HBD#1731, " Beersgood" writes: > I am new at this but am having a problem that my local supplier doesn't seem > to be able to answer. I've brewed 7 batches of beer so far, all have ended at > least 1.015 with most of them at 1.020. I know that this in itself isn't > impossible but these beers includes recipes that state an ending gravity of > 1.005 or 4 from Charlie's book. > > One particular brew that I had go bad and am now in the process of trying > again is a modification of "Righteous Real Ale" from Charlie. I used 6 lbs. > of Amber dried malt and some hops that shouldn't (I think) affect anything. > The first time it started at 1.039 fermented vigorously for less than 24 > hours and stopped at 1.031. I added yeast nutrient - nothing. I re-pitched > with a dry yeast starter - nothing. It sat in the fermenting bucket until it > smelled bad - about 2 1/2 weeks. > > This time I used the same recipe but added a little bit of yeast nutrient > right before I pitched the yeast. Beggining gravity was 1.040. Also I used > two packages of dry yeast instead of one. It fermented vigorously for less > than 24 hours. I measured today, the fifth day, for the first time. It is at > 1.030. This time I took off the air-lock and sloshed the wort around for a > while then put the airlock back on. I got that idea from Homebrew Digest > somewhere but I don't know if it was right or not. My supplier didn't like > the idea. (He is a good guy, he felt so bad that the first batch went bad > that he split the loss with me! I) > > My feeling is that the ending gravities should be lower, at least closer to > what the recipe calls for. Any ideas? I had exactly this problem with many of my first batches of beer -- rapid, vigorous fermentation for a short interval, followed by a high terminal gravity. The owner of the local homebrew supply was similarly clueless, but thanks to the collective wisdom of the HBD I was able to determine the cause of the problem: underpitching of yeast into poorly-aerated wort. Yeast nutrients probably will *not* make a difference, if you are brewing an all-malt beer. Addressing the problem is simple: first, *always* make a starter at least 24 hours in advance. It takes only a few minutes -- boil up 4 oz. of DME in a quart of water with a couple of hop pellets, chill by immersion in cold water, pitch yeast in a sanitized container and fit with an airlock. Do it even if you're using dry yeast. Second, simply splashing the wort as you transfer it to the fermenter, or even "sloshing" the wort around in the fermenter (though better than nothing) may not sufficiently aerate your wort. A really simple, useful, and cheap device that you can make to solve the problem is an "aeration cane". Take a length of rigid plastic tubing and poke 5-10 holes in it with a heated needle. Affix it to the end of the hose you use to rack your wort from the kettle to the fermenter. (If you are using a siphon, obviously you will have to start the siphon before affixing the aeration cane.) When the wort passes through it, air will be sucked in through the little holes, filling your wort with millions of tiny bubbles. It should cost you $1.00 or less, it adds no extra time or effort to the brewing process, and works much better than splashing or sloshing (IMHO). The best and most expensive solution to wort aeration is probably an air pump and a stainless (or similar) airstone, but I'm satisfied with the lower-tech approach. Since I started doing these things, "stuck" fermentations have become a thing of the past. Give it a try! By the way, you can probably save the current batch by making up a fresh yeast starter (as above), racking the beer through the aeration cane, and re-pitching. Unless it's already infected, it should take off again and ferment out nicely. Good luck! _Jack_ Return to table of contents
Date: 15 May 95 08:39:00 -0500 From: Michael_Millstone-P26948 at email.mot.com Subject: Steeping Grains Summary Last week I asked for definitions of steeping grains. Since there was quite a variety of responses, here is the summary: 1. If you heat your grains above 170, you risk extracting tannins and polyphenols from the husks. These can give a harsh, astringent, and/or phenolic flavor/feel to your beer. 2. If you steep your specialty grains until the water just starts to boil, you run the risk of leeching out some of the tannins and phenolics from the grain husks, which will result in a bitter, astringent tasting beer. <snip> I add 2 gal. cold water to the grains and slowly bring the temperature up to 160F and hold it there for half an hour; then pull out the grains. 160F is used in that it is fairly close to the temperature that all-grainers mash at (150-158), and they seem to have maximized the extraction of sugars from malted barley. 3. The implications of adding grains to cold water, waiting for the water to boil, then straining out is that you probably have no idea what happened to the grains. The best compromise is to steep your grains around 150-160 in another pot, usually for around 30-40 minutes. Then you can strain your wort produced out and maybe add some more warm water to sparge the grains and get more wort out of them. This actually performs a mini-mash. <snip> Also, you don't want to boil the grains as a rule. 4. I treat my grain steeping as though I was doing a full mash. I usually start by adding my grain to "hot" water from the tap. Depending on the brew, I'll rest at 122F (protein rest) and then again at 155ish. Complete iodine test and when it shows complete conversion, I sparge by running hot tap water over the bag. I don't heat the water to mashout temps (170ish)--just take what I get from the tap again. <snip> 5. The heat to boiling method is a Charlie P., keep it simple method <snip>. By raising the grains to boiling temperatures, you are extracting tannins and other unpleasant compounds from the grain. Go with the steep, at any of the above mentioned temperatures. Lately, I've started added the specialty malts to the mash just prior to heating to mashout, which covers the range from 158-170. The result has been an increase in the sweet "crystal" taste that gets attenuated when these grains go through a full mash. This is similar to what steeping will do with an extract brew. NOTE: The above posting are extracts from private e-mail--for that reason, I've removed the names. 6. From my home-brew supply shop. Bring water to boil, remove from heat, add grains, partially cover pot, and steep 30-45 minutes and don't worry about the temperature. 7. From Rob Reed: Add crushed specialty grains to 170-175F brewing water and hold for 30 min. I usually add 2.5-3.0 qts water per lb. grist. Remove grains, add extract, continue. Suggest using grain bags to minimize grain separation hassles. <snip> 8. From Russell Mast: If you subject the grains to too much heat for too long, they will leach tannins into your beer. <snip> How long is too long, how hot is too hot? A 5 minute boil is way too much. 10 minutes at 170 never caused me harm. <snip> Thanks to all who commented-apologies for the bandwidth. Mike - Brewing and drinkin' in the Valley of the Sun Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 12:11:41 EDT From: dipalma at sky.com (Jim Dipalma) Subject: beerstone, grain summary Hi All, In HBD#1731, Ronald Moucka asks: >On an unrelated subject, the converted (legal) keg I've been >using as a brew pot is developing a brown coating on the >bottom that is next to impossible to scrub off. I'm not against >using a little elbow grease, but this stuff is really tuff. Sounds like beerstone, AKA calcium oxylate. This is a common occurence with SS. The best way that I've found to clean it is to fill the keg with water, heat it, add non-chlorinated TSP and let it soak for several hours. The beerstone will then come off with a plastic abrasive pad and a bit of elbow grease, wear rubber gloves while cleaning. Commercial breweries do periodic caustic cleanings to remove/prevent beerstone buildup using, I believe, 5% nitric acid solutions. I know of a homebrewer that uses caustic lye with good results. Both of these things are a little too caustic for my comfort, so I use the non-chlorinated TSP. I've also used white vinegar, and found it to be somewhat less effective. ***************************************************** In HBD #1730, Patrick G. Babcock writes: >A few months back, I asked the same question and >received a very nice HBD Grain Summary from Jim Dipalma (thanks >again, Jim!). >I believe it was Jim who compiled it for us. Just a quick note to set the record straight, the grain summary was originally posted by Jim Busch. I'd been grain brewing for a few years, but found Jim's summary to be both comprehensive (there's a entry for every type of grain that I've ever heard of) and very informative, so I saved a copy for future reference. Cheers, Jim dipalma at sky.com Return to table of contents
Date: 15 May 1995 11:51:16 U From: "Mark Merchant" <Mark_Merchant at gatormail.wi.mit.edu> Subject: Alum. Keg/Beer Fests I have a couple issues to deal with here: 1.) I came upon an old keg that someone was throwing out a while back and have been storing it in my basement ever since. I looked into converting it to a brew kettle, but think that it may be impossible or not worthwhile, but maybe I'm wrong. What I have is an aluminum 15.5 gallon "golden gate" style keg (i.e. it has a bung hole in the side) from the Schlitz Brewery. I will be moving from my Somerville, MA residence soon and wondered if anyone out there would be interested in such a keg for whatever purpose. If so, respond via e-mail and we can work out the details. 2.) I went to the Boston Beer Festival this last weekend and loved it. Unfortunately my good friend was unable to make it and we wanted to try to find an equally large beer festival (i.e. around 70-90 breweries) to go to. Does anyone have a list of large beer festivals across the country and their dates, etc.? I will be moving to Chicago so if there is a big one there, can you please send me details? Thanks! -Mark Merchant; E-mail: Mark_Merchant at gatormail.wi.mit.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 10:35:17 MST-0700 From: "CHRIS DUFTON" <CDUFTON at Entente.HSC.Colorado.edu> Subject: corny under pressure I have been corny kegging for about a two years now and until now have had a nagging question about pressure. I, generally, carbonate a 5 gallon batch at 20-30 psi and 40 degrees F for about 10-14 days which generally does the trick. Unfortunatly, I need to back the pressure off to about 7 psi to dispense which I do by taking off the pressure hose and pressing in the valve to release CO2. I believe that this venting of my beer is releasing a lot of aroma with the gas and this is undesirable. My questions are: 1. what is the standard force carbonation method for corny kegs?? 2. is there a way to keep my pressure high without blasting out a beer foamy??(longer beer line? What length optimal?) 3. does anyone else think that the aroma is being tossed out with the gas?? 4. If a longer line is used to dispense beer do I need to purge this line (and waste my beer) between fill-ups if it has been a couple of days?? weeks?? ( I usually do.) I am relatively new to HBD so if these questions have already come up and you don't want to rehash spent grains ,send private E-mail to cdufton at entente.hsc.colorado.edu Thanks Chris Dufton cdufton at entente.hsc.colorado.edu University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver ***DON'T PANIC*** Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 12:13:23 -0500 From: science at umr.edu (John Francis) Subject: NA Beer What ever happened to the thread a few weeks ago about Non-Alcoholic beer? Did anyone recieve any private replies they would consider posting? Is there a definitive way to make NA Beer? And finally, just what is this Belgian Driving Beer? TIA John Francis science at umr.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 95 13:20:55 EST From: "Tom Williams" <twilliams at CCGATE.UECI.COM> Subject: Thermal expansion of water In HBD #1731 Dan Sherman asked about the thermal expansion of water. A pound of water at 70 F occupies 0.016051 cu ft, or about 27.7 cu in. At 212 F, a pound of water occupies 0.016716 cu ft, or about 28.9 cu in. Looks like about 4% expansion from room temperature to boiling, more of which occurs in the higher temperatures than the lower. FWIW, I think that the volume of the bubbles during boiling will make more difference in the volume of the boiling wort than thermal expansion. Tom Williams Norcross, GA Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 14:14:45 -0400 From: John Keane <keane at cs.rutgers.edu> Subject: Stove cleanup When brewing this past Friday, I left the kettle boiling in the kitchen while I left the room to feed my 2-month-old daughter. When I returned, I discovered to my surprise that a "small" boilover had occurred. I thought I could disregard it, as I always put foil down over the top of the stove before starting, and it didn't look like much had spilled. Well, when I finally removed the foil, I discovered that plenty of wort had ended up underneath it, and had carbonized on the stove in a thick, black, nearly indestructable layer. It took three hours of scraping and scouring to remove it, and I'm sure that despite my greatest care, I have scratched the enamel of the stove top. My question is this: if (heaven forfend!) this ever happens to me again, what is the Right Way to get that black, baked-on, carbonized sugar off of the stove *without* destroying the finish? Since I imagine this question might be of interest to others, if people e-mail suggestions, I will post a summary of responses back here. Thanks in advance! _Jack_ "A good rule of thumb might be that cleaning up after brewing should never take as long as your mash." Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 09:13:12 -0700 (PDT) From: raudins at lightscape.com (Glenn Raudins) Subject: Copper Connections Recently, ~HBD 1716, there was discussion on attaching a brass nipple to a SS keg. I am interested as to what method people use for attaching copper to copper. Having read the articles on welding, John Palmer is a wealth of info, I am interested to know what method the HBDers are using. Typically brazing has been mentioned but I have also seen epoxy mentioned. Most RIMS people will have gone through this as the heater chamber is constructed completely of copper per Rodney's designs. As I am not a welder, any good suggestions on an introduction to brazing if it seems to be answer? John's article is good but not basic enough for John Q. (Non-Welding) Public. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Glenn Raudins Phone: (408) 246-1155 Ext. 113 Lightscape Technologies FAX: (408) 246-0255 raudins at lightscape.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 13:25:14 -0600 From: MHANSEN at ctdmc.pmeh.uiowa.edu Subject: Mesh screen false bottoms/more on apt brewing Hey All, Apologies if this gets posted twice. My mail server has been acting up. Al K. states that using a mesh screen as a false bottom probably won't work and if it did it would require gallons and gallons of recirculation to form a filter bed. I must disagree with you Al. I use a mesh screen (actually it's a SS inverted flour sifter) for my false bottom and it works very well. I usually recirculate about a half gallon or at most a gallon for _very_ turbid mashes to get clear runoff. Steve Seaney asks about apartment brewing. Well, as someone who has always done all-grainers inside, it can be done (since I don't have a balcony, I don't have a choice). I mash and boil in a 33 qt enamel-on-steel pot. During mashing I insulate with several towels which holds temps up pretty well. My sparge water is held in a 7.5 gallon plastic bucket insulated with silver lined bubble wrap. My lauter tun is also an insulated 7.5 gallon plastic bucket with a mesh screen false bottom. I only do ales in my apartment since I don't have temperature control cool enough for lagers. I concede that boiling for 60-90 minutes inside an apartment (or a house for that matter) does get pretty steamy. As has been echoed by a number of people, the more messes you make and things you destroy, the more likely your wife will send you packing (to the basement or garage, hopefully :-)) with the equipment you desire. After scorching the counter top, spilling bleach on an area rug, losing half a gallon of wort on the dining room carpet, frequent noxious odors (in her opinion) from brewing and fermenting, and a host of other mishaps, my wife MADE me design a custom brewery for the basement in the house we are building (which will require a bunch of new equipment, of course!). What a shame to never be able to brew in the kitchen again :-)! Brew on my friends, Mike (michael-d-hansen at uiowa.edu) Don't smoke grains; It makes you cough. Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1732, 05/16/95