HOMEBREW Digest #1876 Mon 06 November 1995

Digest #1875 Digest #1877


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


Contents:
  Re: Wyeast 1056 problems (Bird)
  Alcohol production (William H. Kitt, Jr.)
  Regulators etc. (Al Stevens)
  Propane Indoors (Frank J Dobner +1 +1 708 979 5124)
  Boilers with electric heating elements (Chuck E. Mryglot)
  Pumps and Hiding Yeast ("James Hojel")
  15 gal. mash (barber eric stephen)
  Oktoberfest via www (Jim Grady)
  Franken-weizen (DHatlestad)
  Corn Starch in beer recipe?? (O1_DSELDEN)
  Responses to the styles thread (Ken Schroeder)
  Mash/Lauter Tun and scorching (dhvanvalkenburg)
  beer (Harlan Bauer)
  WYEAST (Harlan Bauer)
  Re: Phalse Bottom Open Area (hollen)
  mason jars & preserving starter (Rolland Everitt)
  Nat. Gas vs. Propane (Dr. David C. Harsh)
  Last sputtering of the propane thread (Tim Fields)
  RE starter wort and yeast cultures (Tim Fields)
  RE slant media (Tim Fields)
  RE bleaching mother nature (Tim Fields)
  Kegging and Bottling (djfitzg)
  Propane vs. Natural Gas (Mike White)
  Summary of SABCO responses (DICKERSONP)
  Gases and Slants (Gregory G. Graboski)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 2 Nov 95 20:42:46 MST From: roberts at Rt66.com (Bird) Subject: Re: Wyeast 1056 problems >>>>> "Robert" == Robert Marshall <robertjm at hooked.net> writes: Robert> She said that they had had a probelm with another strain, Robert> but had called all the dealers who had bought the infected Robert> shipment. Which one? - --Doug - -- "24 hours in a day...24 beers in a case...coincidence?" Doug Roberts roberts at rt66.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 13:17:35 -0500 (EST) From: wkitt at melpar.esys.com (William H. Kitt, Jr.) Subject: Alcohol production Questions about homebrew and alcohol content: When I drink 3-4 commercial beers (usually Leinenkugel's Red or Pete's Wicked Red, 12 oz.) I can feel the effect of the alcohol. I have consumed the same quantity of my homebrew and have not felt a similar effect. So, I'm questioning the alcohol content of my homebrew. Based on S.G.s, it comes out to about 4% by volume. This seems in-line with what commercial breweries attain in their beers. But because of the dissimilar effects, I am left wondering what is the difference between the beers with respect to alcohol content. Are there other types of alcohol (than ethyl) produced in homebrews? Are there substances other than ethyl alcohol produced during fermentation that contribute to lowering the specific gravity, but don't contribute to the alcohol content? Tschao, Bill Return to table of contents
Date: 03 Nov 95 05:11:58 EST From: Al Stevens <72704.743 at compuserve.com> Subject: Regulators etc. In HB 1867 Brian asks about repairing regulators. My experience has been that you don't want to do this yourself. Look in the phone book for Fire Extinguiser service. These people are qualified to repair and re-calibrate your regulator as well as presure testing and refilling your CO2 tank. The prices at places here seem reasonable to me, I suggest this route mainly because I DO want to know if I am serving with 10 lb vs 20 lb. Standard disclaimers, etc Al Stevens Return to table of contents
Date: 31 Oct 95 12:12:00 -0600 From: fjdobner at intgp1.att.com (Frank J Dobner +1 +1 708 979 5124) Subject: Propane Indoors Honestly, the subject of propane use indoors is one that I am glad occurs many times per year on the HBD. Quite selfishly, it helps me to remember to treat propane with a lot of respect. I also use propane indoors and I think I do all the right things. If you get sick of this propane posts, think of them as a "wake-up call." Frank Dobner Aurora, Illinois "It takes a very careful brewer to be extremely dangerous." Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 07:51:33 -0500 From: cem at cadre.com (Chuck E. Mryglot) Subject: Boilers with electric heating elements There has been some chat about boilers with electric heating elements: I converted an old scratched 7 gallon plastic primary bucket into a boiler. I used 2 1kW heating elements from a scientific surplus company at 2.95 USD each, so this is definitely a cheap approach. The elements are "1 kW, 115 VAC. Chrome plated copper heating element. Features automatic shutoff when not immersed in water. Complete with mounting nut and gaskets. Designed for through wall installation in a 1-9/16" dia. hole (3/16" thick approx.). Electrical connection via recessed 3-wire socket; supplied with mating 3-wire stub cord, 12" long; opposite end stripped. Size 4-3/4" long x 3-1/2" wide. New. Wt, 1 lb. Order No. TM89HVC5702...$2.95 US." H & R Company, 18 Canal Street, P.O. Box 122, Bristol, PA 19007-0122. Sales 1-800-848-8001 Fax 215-788-9577 Business Office 215-788-5583. (I have no affiliation) Things to keep in mind: - You'll have to put your own plug on. The nice thing about the electrical connector through thw bucket wall is that you just unplug the element when you're manipulating the bucket, so there are no cords in your way. - I have two heating units and this two cords. I plug each into a different outlet. - It takes the 2 elements to get a good boil going. - No scorching so far. - The elements get coated in hot break material that needs to be cleaned off, but that's it. I use a brillo pad on each element after every brewing session. I have used this for over 50 brew sessions so far. That's my 2 cents for today. ChuckM Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 95 14:44:11 UT From: "James Hojel" <JTroy at msn.com> Subject: Pumps and Hiding Yeast 1) I recently had the pleasure of an in-depth conversation with a brewmaster from Belgium. He has his masters in Electrical Engineering and is certified by some fancy brewing association. Anyway, he had a very interesting opinion on pumps and gravity fed systems. He communicated that using gravity is much more gentle on wort/beer and will produce better tasting and more stable beer (less damage on compounds, etc.??) than a centrifugal pump. I mentioned that I use a pump for wort recirculation and to pump between kegs (Pico System). He warned me against it; especially at the home-brew level. In fact, he told me that they go to great lengths and expense to design breweries that use gravity as much as possible, and when not possible, using special pumps (he said a large part of his brewery budget was allocated for pumps that minimized any damage and are very expensive). He mentioned what kind of pumps he uses but it slipped my mind. I'm hoping someone out there will know what kind of pumps he was talking about?? [He also emphasized great care with the handling of grain (which most all homebrewers don't need to worry about because of the small volumes we deal with).] 2) This same person also mentioned how some breweries go to great lengths to "hide" their main yeast strain(s). He said some of the best microbiologist have "tricks" to hide the yeast. My obvious thought is filtering. However, to completely filter the yeast you would really rob the beer of most of its taste compounds. How do you "hide" yeast?? Granted a bottling yeast would do a partial job, but in theory, if the yeast is in the beer it should be accessible; right?? Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 12:28:59 -0500 (EST) From: barber eric stephen <barber_e at hcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu> Subject: 15 gal. mash Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 13:54:13 -0500 From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrx.an.hp.com> Subject: Oktoberfest via www If you haven't seen it already, there is a web page for Muenchen and the Oktoberfest is prominently featured. Granted, it's mostly a tease since you can't taste the beer (that'll be the next www milestone) but check out http://www.bayern.de/Munich Warning! This page can be expensive! Before you are done reading you'll have called your travel agent and booked tickets for next year's O'fest! - -- Jim Grady |"It's a good thing we don't get grady at an.hp.com | all the government we pay for." Hewlett-Packard Medical Products Group | Will Rogers Andover, MA | Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 16:00:39 -0500 From: DHatlestad at aol.com Subject: Franken-weizen In my usual fasion, I brewed a weizen without ever having tasted a German weizen or weisbier. The taste of it was so surprising that I ran out and bought a bottle of Ayinger Brau-weisse just to see if the taste was close. As it turns out, my weizen was somewhat similar with some exceptions. Mine is a little big, a lot more malty, a little under carbonated (though not much), and a tiny bit sweeter. Mine was similar in that it has just as much banana and clove aroma as the Brau-weisse and I got the hops just right. The primary fermentation of this beer was so vigorous that it clogged the airlock and blew the lid off of my plastic-bucket primary. I've never needed a blow-off tube for my plastic ferm before. I got such surprising results from this weizen that I thought I would pass along the recipe. Franken-weizen For 5 gallons OG 1.054 FG 1.014 6.5# Wheat malt 3# Vienna 2# 2-Row 1 oz Tettnanger, 4.4%AA, 45 min 1 oz Saaz (Domestic), 4.0%AA, 15 min Wyeast 3068 My water is moderatly soft; added 2 teaspoons of gypsum to the mash. Mash schedule: 40 minutes at 50C; added an infusion to raise to 60C, rest for 15 minutes; added heat directly to raise to 70C, rest for 60 minutes; raised temp to mash-out. Primary ferment 7 days at 21-22C. Secondary ferment at 20C for 12 days. Force carbonated in the keg to 2.7 volumes of CO2. Cheers, Don dhatlestad at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 1995 17:14:10 -0500 (EST) From: O1_DSELDEN at NELINET.ORG Subject: Corn Starch in beer recipe?? I have a recipe - from Papazian's book that calls for a ton of corn starch, 12 -16 oz? Is this a typo or do I need to dump this liquid thickening stuff in my allgrain batch. What is its effect on the brew? Should I be using this pale ale recipe for my first allgrain batch? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. David Selden, Law Librarian Orr & Reno P.A. 1 Eagle Square, P.O. Box 3550 Concord, NH 03302-3550 Tel 603-224-2381 Fax 603-224-9485 e-mail o1_dselden at nelinet.org (that's an oh one, not a zero) Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 95 16:35:18 PST From: kens at lan.nsc.com (Ken Schroeder) Subject: Responses to the styles thread Hi all, I responded earlier this week but used an old mail list so the posting was sent to the wrong address (woopsy). Since then its been "get the code working" week, so IL haven't had time to correct past sins. I appologize if this post is a little out of date. Charlie Scandrett continues the styles thread. Charlie claims to be "outside" organized homebrewing. Charlie, you are more of an insider than you realize. I must side with Charlie when he states he is trying to make "positive and constuctive" statements. Reader beware that what may sound like a flame war may very well have been taken the wrong way. It is the nature of the this and most other forums like this to have a "point - counter point" custom and should not be mistaken as flame wars. Charlie, your points are valid and you raise good questions. Keep 'em comming. On the other hand Russell calls judges old and smelly. Cute Russell, but that is a bit harsh, don't ya think. I bet you beer is old and smelly. (Joking folks!) Charlie states in his last posting that the the microbrewing industry "look to homebrewing as its roots". IMHO, this is not quite correct. Many of the "brewers" look to homebrewing for their induvidual roots, but brewing is an acient art/science. The roots of our brewing heritage are found in the traditions of Germanic Europe, British Europe and not leaving out Belgian and French traditions. This is why our styles are based along these lines. Tradition is a hard thing to avoid. In fact with an art/science that predates Acient Egypt, we should honor these traditions. But this does not mean that we should be bound by tradition. Charlie makes light that French wine makers are learning new thing from Australian wine makers. I have a couple of points here. First, brewers are closer to chefs than wine makers. Almost all brewers are willing to share reciepes and techniques, which appears to not be the situation with wine making. Charlie also jokes about "American craft brewers teaching the Germans, Belgains or English new techniques!". I would find it hard to be more inovative than some of European techniques. Try bringing your wort to a boil by putting white hot rocks into it, then taking these rocks, with carmelized wort on them, and tossing them into the fermentor to add taste. That is really "out there", if you ask me. In this acient craft, we learn from eachother and our traditions. Charlie's main point is correct, no matter at what level, commercial brewing success is measured by what is put in the bank, not what awards adorn the office. Which bring me to the posting from Bill Knudson who seems a little upset at the "big three bashing". I have some responses, which are meant in fun though they are a bit "smart assed". (let's have some fun here) >"The big three still provide more beer to more people the "Craft brewers". Bill, you call budswillooors beer? I preferr to refer to their commodity as an "alcohol delivery system", American Malt Soda Pop if you will. >So how can AoB ignore their niche? (refering the "the big Three") AoB can't, they contribute more $$$$ than anybody else. Bill tells the story of how Jim Kock and Sam Adams son medals art GABF. Good story I might add. To me SA is a big brewer, maybe the biggest of the craft brew companies. Siera Nevada is also big. Both these companies produce good beer. So why can't budswilloors? Because they service the portion of the market that is not as concerned with beer that tastes good. Bill laments the merger mainia that is taking over the smaller breweries in Gemany. I believe that the driving motive for this and the driving motive for budswilloors is to make money, not brew beer. A while ago, someone posted the facts of who brews what, where. I was amazed to see Millers brew Budwieser in another country and everybody sell each other's products all over the globe. (Can we have that posted again?) > "Whatney's...It's plactic beer, nothing but chemicals, total rubbish!" I've heard Whatney's referred to as "the worst beer in London" from English people. >What do you do when you're in BF Egypt and all they sell is that stuff? >(referring to budswilloors) I, for one, will support one of the "big two". I preferr Coke to Pepsi. Honestly: To Bill I say, the "big three" don't put the quality of their beer as top priority, money is. This makes them an easy target. When Bud hires an ad agency for Bud Lite, and tells that agency to drop Pete's Wicked as a customer, that's chickhen s... In my opinion, it violates the brewing brotherhood where brewers lend eachother a hand and trade ideas freely. Though the big three do have good points, for the dollar tops all transgression, it's open season on buswilloors! Also: It has been pointed out that I am appearing negative toward the AHA. I do have some misgiving about that organization, but the AHA is really not that bad. It is difficult to be in their position, with limited funds and labor resources. the AHA has setup a reasonable styles guideline, though we all (including the AHA) realize is due for an overhaul. Still the AHA offers a national focal point and forum to advance homebrewing, not only in the US but apparently is other countries as well. My critisim of the AHA is based on the current state of the organization and the lack of a good communication link with the average homebrewer. Without a good communication link, the organization is at risk of looking autocratic and out of touch. The current situation with the BJCP makes the situation look even worse. Pushing the "relax, have a homebrew attitude", adds an appearance that the organization does not care very much about the average homebrewer. With the excellent web page the AHA has, why haven't they set up a bulleton board or general communication link there? These rantings and ravings have not been emailed to the AHA, and that is my fault, but this is an international forum and an excellent place for the AHA to communicate with the average homebrewer. How about it AHA? Many of is homebrewers would be more supportive of your situation if you would communicate on a more personal basis that your web page and magazine.(Now that is a direct challenge!) Nothing personal....towards anybody. Ken Schroeder Sequoia Brewing (Where brewing is a serious effort filled with fun.) ps The code I was working on works great! (After a few very long days) Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 95 16:50:41 PST From: dhvanvalkenburg at CCGATE.HAC.COM Subject: Mash/Lauter Tun and scorching Hi All, Regarding the current thread on scorching and Don Puts' experience with a mash/lauter tun combination; here is my experience: I have not yet had misfortune scorching my mash or wort and have used both a sort of false bottom (which I will describe below) and a direct contact mash tun with natural gas burner below. I will have to agree with Kirk Fleming and Spencer Thomas; that with a sufficient rate of wort being taken off the bottom and recirculated, there is sufficient heat being drawn off the bottom and thus no scorching. homebrew at hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com I have in the past used a combination mash/lauter tun and boil pot all in one. What I had was essentially a SS basket that was just slightly smaller than my boil pot and fit down inside. This whole contraption sit down inside the lower part of a cut out hot water heater. The basket I made from a SS sieve I bought from a restaurant supply store and had SS sheet metal spot welded to the top of the sieve. At the top of the basket I attached a cross bar made of oak. This cross bar would never be under the mash or come in contact with the wort. It was simply used as a handle and something to attach a hook with a rope and pulley assembly which I used to slowly pull the grain out of the wort when I started sparging. This system was a convenient transition from extract into all grain and conserved space, but the problem and the reason I do not use it any more is that I found that I still needed a second pot for sparge water. With this one pot system I was relying on the hot water heater for my sparge water, which was totally inadequate, or I was running between the kitchen and garage with pots of 170f water. My efficiency was not to great either. But on the good side, I made some great beer with it. Also, with the burner below it gave me the opportunity to experiment with different mash temperature schedules -- with no scorching. I hope this will give you the general idea: | |<-----rope/ pulley used to pull | grain out of pot for boil | | | ___ SS basket - mash/lauder tun ? / ||==============|| || || || || || || || ||<---- boil kettle ||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|| || grain || || || || || | \------------/ |___ \------------------|| <---spigot sssssssss Burner Copper manifold (not shown)on the bottom of kettle and attached to spigot filtered whole hops used in boil. This also keeps inside basket off the bottom. Don VanValkenburg dhvanvalkenburg at ccgate.hac.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 19:59:57 -0600 From: blacksab at siu.edu (Harlan Bauer) Subject: beer Algis Korzonas writes, American Lager is to beer what fluffy white bread is to bread. Very true, and an observation which might give us hope. 10 years ago salads were iceberg lettuce, coffee was folgers, and bread was wonder. Today I can get a salad mix of 15 different lettuces, coffees from around the world, and bread that rivals the french (well, maybe not as easily in Carbondale as in Chicago, but it's improving). My point is that if the trend in beer continues, the beer market will become more difused, beers coming from many sources instead of one. 10 years ago, American beer WAS budswilloors, now, even in Carbondale I can get fresh, microbrewed American beer. As for restaurants, the selection is usually pretty dismal, but the same is true for wine (white,pink,red). Solution? I won't usually go to a place that has lousy beer; at least in the Chicagoland area, there's plenty of restaurants of every stripe and color that have good to great beer, and even more that will let you bring your own. I simply refuse to patronize any place that has lousy beer or for that matter, liqur stores that do not take care of their beer. The shift in salads and coffee in this country was caused by consumer demand. We are part of that demand in beer. As for the miller slight and lice-house crowd, I'm reminded of something J.R. "Bob" Dobbs says, namely: You know how dumb the average American is? Just remember that 50% is even dumber than that. --Harlan ***************************************************************************** * * * Harlan Bauer ...malt does more than Milton can * * <blacksab at siu.edu> To justify God's ways to man. * * Carbondale, IL --A.E. Houseman * * * **************************************************************************** * Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 20:00:52 -0600 From: blacksab at siu.edu (Harlan Bauer) Subject: WYEAST There's been a bit of talk lately about Wyeast, and I suppose readers should be reminded that Wyeast was caught selling Brettanomyces yeast (that's how the package was labeled) when in fact the package contained mostly Ale yeast. The homebrewer who pointed this out and posted on Lambic Digest was threatened with law suit and forced to publically recant. Wyeast has since changed the package, basically admitting that said homebrewer was correct. So don't expect Wyeast to be forthcoming about any real or percieved problems with their products. I'm not saying there ARE any problems with 1056, I'm simply suggesting that if there are any problems with it, you're probably not going to hear about it from Wyeast. --Harlan ***************************************************************************** * * * Harlan Bauer ...malt does more than Milton can * * <blacksab at siu.edu> To justify God's ways to man. * * Carbondale, IL --A.E. Houseman * * * **************************************************************************** * Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 07:13:06 -0800 From: hollen at vigra.com Subject: Re: Phalse Bottom Open Area >>>>> "Dan" == Dan Listermann, Cinci OH <72723.1707 at compuserve.com> writes: Dan> Dion Hollenbeck described his Phalse Bottom as having 7/64 holes Dan> on staggered 11/32 centers. ( They were supposed to be 1/8 holes Dan> on 3/8 staggered centers) I just wanted to note that we changed Dan> the material for that product about three years ago to 3/32 Dan> dia. holes on 3/16 staggered centers. This gives an open area of Dan> about 23%. Thanks for the correction, Dan. I got my info early one morning by measuring the hole diameter with drill bits until I got one that exactly fit, and the spacing with a dial calipers. Sorry to any of you out there I may have misled. dion - -- Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x119 Email: hollen at vigra.com Senior Software Engineer Vigra, Inc. San Diego, California Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 1995 07:59:49 -0500 From: af509 at osfn.rhilinet.gov (Rolland Everitt) Subject: mason jars & preserving starter There has been some talk of late about mason jars and their usefulness for bottling. There was also a question today from someone who wants to preserve wort to make starters. I don't think I would use mason jars for bottling beer, but they are perfect for preserving wort and starting yeast. I make a mini-batch of all-grain wort, and boil it (no hops). I fill 3 or 4 mason jars roughly 2/3 full (leave room for kraeusen) with boiling hot wort (sterilize the jars and lids first), cap them, let them cool, and put them in the back of my fridge. When I buy yeast, I divide a smack pack between the jars, put the caps on loosely (no airlock), and let them set in a dark cupboard at room temp. I generally let the jars come to room temp before pitching, and shake well to aerate before opening. I usually have definite signs of fermentation in about a day. I put these in the fridge (caps still loose). When I'm ready to pitch, I just shake one up and pour it in the carboy (after aerating the wort). I have been using Wyeast ale yeasts, and pitching at about 66 F. I generally have high kraeusen in my fermenter about 24 hours after pitching my starter. I don't know how long they will last, but so far they are still just fine after 5-6 weeks (ale yeast). Rolland Everitt af509 at osfn.rhilinet.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 1995 10:13:15 -0500 From: dharsh at alpha.che.uc.edu (Dr. David C. Harsh) Subject: Nat. Gas vs. Propane >I'm sorry, but I simply can't let a half-truth go unchallenged. Although it >is true that Propane is heavier than air and therefore pools on the ground, >so does Natural Gas. Both gasses are heavier than air, and both have the >potential to pool. > >Could someone familiar with the relative molecular weights post the >densities of air, propane, and natural gas. Is propane really that much >heavier than natural gas? Ok, here are molecular weights and densities (in lb/ft3 at 72=B0F and 1 atm)= : Molec Wt Density Propane (CH3-CH2-CH3): 44 0.113 Air (79% Oxygen and 21% Nitrogen): 29 0.075 Natural Gas (CH4): 16 0.041 So, if the density of air is 1, propane is 1.5 and natural gas is 0.55. Unless the air is stagnant, the pooling of leaked gas is not a problem, you just end up with an explosive mixture everywhere. The compound that you smell in natural gas (butyl mercaptan? not sure of this) is heavier than air, but it just smells bad and is only in your gas feed at a few parts per million. Leaks aside, the reason that cajun cooker manufacturers don't want you to use them inside is carbon monoxide produced. I've never seen any numbers, but I think its safe to assume that a jet type burner is extremely inefficient and produces lots of CO. Some propane burners *are* designed for indoor use, but those are the minority. I have ready many people here in the digest that use their cookers indoors with no problems - I won't do it. It's not worth the risk. Yes, I brew outside when its freezing cold. Beats dying. I don't mean to lecture, but when someone kills themself doing this, some hearse-chasing lawyer is going to claim that the warning wasn't in big enough letters or some similar bullshit. Opinionated? Yes, guilty as charged. Dave ****************************************************************** * Dave Harsh * * Newsletter Editor for the Bloatarian Brewing League * * * * Remember, 50% of all school children are below average. * ****************************************************************** Return to table of contents
Date: 04 Nov 95 10:24:37 EST From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com> Subject: Last sputtering of the propane thread As the indoor propane thread sputters to an end, I can't resist adding a couple of comments: Outdoor Propane cookers are designed for outdoor use and they CAN BE extremely dangerous if used indoors. The gas furnaces that that one poster refers to were all designed specifically for use where they were installed and are coded/tested etc to be safe in those applications. Outdoor Propane cookers are NOT designed or tested for such uses. There are safer alternatives available. If you dont want to take even a small chance of toasting your house and family, dont feel you need to. For those using these burners indoors, I hope your homeowners insurance agents don't read HBD ;-). Come to think of it, if your house DID go up, I doubt insurance would cover it. "Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA timf at relay.com (non-brewing time) 74247.551 at compuserve.com (weekends) Return to table of contents
Date: 04 Nov 95 10:24:40 EST From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com> Subject: RE starter wort and yeast cultures In #1875, "James Hojel" <JTroy at msn.com> writes: >I have 2 short questions: >1) I'm getting very tiered of paying a couple of bucks every time I want to >make a yeast starter (DME). Question: can I collect some left-over runnings >from my Mash and save it for later use? Maybe freezing it and boiling it >when needed? How long will frozen Wort last; what affects does freezing Wort >have on the quality (chemical structure etc.)? Basically, what is the most >efficient and quality way of saving some Wort for later use? I make up starter wort in volume and "can" it in mason jars using a procedure from Dave Miller's book "Brewing the Worlds Great Beers". Basically, you boil some DME, water, and hops; then "can it". I keep this canned wort in a dark closet - no refrigeration. Always smell it before using it, but it's been fine so far. IMHO this is a great system - I always have starter wort available. > >2) Again, I'm also getting tiered of paying for yeast every time. What book >is the best for learning yeast culturing and where is the cheapest place to >get supplies (inoculation loop, etc.)? RE supplies, there are probably several sources. I just ordered from The Yeast Culure Kit Company (800) 742-2110, and their catalog appears to have "it all" - from bunson burners to media. I ordered the beginners kit, which seems to be a very good place for beginning yeast ranchers like me to start. It has all the basic stuff and a good instruction booklet. No affiliation, etc. -Tim Return to table of contents
Date: 04 Nov 95 10:24:19 EST From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com> Subject: RE slant media In #1875, Tom Williams (tjwillia at vm.occ.cc.mi.us) writes: >Are there any available lab media formulas (i.e. specifically for >propagating yeast) that I should avoid when making up slants? I have >the opportunity to access a lab resource and personnel to assist my >efforts at yeast farming, but they do not have specific info concerning >brewers yeast strains. Try contacting Dr.Dan McConnell of The Yeast Culture Kit Company at (800) 742-2110. No affiliation, etc. Just a very new customer. -Tim Return to table of contents
Date: 04 Nov 95 10:24:32 EST From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com> Subject: RE bleaching mother nature In #1875, nparker at lockheed.on.ca (neal) writes, quoting Russell Mast: >Russel Mast writes: >>No, Greg, I like bleach okay, but I don't fault those who don't use it. It >>also is supposedly very destructive to the environment. (That should make >>it appeal that much more to certain people, of course...) Neal responds: >I've been using bleach for years now (with at least 3 rinses). One of the >reasons I like it (besides the cost) is that it's a powerful sterilizer >but it's still biodegradable (or so it says on the side of the Javex bottle). >I think it breaks down to very innocuous compounds. If this isn't the case >I'd like to know because an awful lot goes down the drain each time I >brew. > >Any Chemical types with a proper explanation? Russell: what's your source for the environmentally destructive comment? I'm not a chemical type, but common sense tells me bleach is no environmental problem if used correctly. People have been pouring it into washing machines for years, and it goes right down the drain. Perhaps large volumes of un-diluted bleach could, after time, bother something - but I doubt many of us are using it full strength. -Tim Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 95 10:59:36 EST From: djfitzg at VNET.IBM.COM Subject: Kegging and Bottling I have a fairly basic question, but I'd appreciate anyone who has a tried and true, experience similar to mine. Some time ago I began kegging my 5 gallon batches of brew, and boy am I happy. Now with the gift giving season approaching, I'd like to bottle a few 20oz. gifts for relative's and friends. Does anyone have experience with bottling a dozen or so bottles and kegging the rest. I would like to know how you decide on the amout of sugar to prime with, per bottle and also how do you assure you get the correct amout of disolved sugar solution added to each bottle based on the amount of beer. The beer styles will be pale ales, and also pilsner as the weather gets colder. Thanks for your help, Dan Fitzgerald djfitzg at vnet.ibm.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 1995 09:59:54 -0600 From: mike at datasync.com (Mike White) Subject: Propane vs. Natural Gas On Thu, 2 Nov 1995 Harlan Bauer said: >I'm sorry, but I simply can't let a half-truth go unchallenged. Although it >is true that Propane is heavier than air and therefore pools on the ground, >so does Natural Gas. Both gasses are heavier than air, and both have the >potential to pool. > >Could someone familiar with the relative molecular weights post the >densities of air, propane, and natural gas. Is propane really that much >heavier than natural gas? To which I reply: Harlan, Here's that data you requested: Density of air = 1.2 ounces per cubic foot Density of propane = 2.0 ounces per cubic foot Density of methane (natural gas) = 0.7 ounces per cubic foot Of course these measurements will vary very slightly based on humidity, air temperature, and air pressure. However (sorry to bust your bubble Harlan) natural gas will always be lighter than air and propane will always be heavier than air. I often work along side an explosive investigator/instructor and he informs me that one of the investigative steps used in determining whether propane or natural blew apart a house is whether it blew apart from the ceiling/attic area...which would indicate a natural gas leak, or whether it blew apart from the basement/floor area which would indicate a propane leak. Natural gas floats, propane sinks. I have also seen people fill plastic trash bags with natural gas and float them like helium balloons, and I have seen propane sprayed into a bucket where it sat in the bottom as a mist without floating out. But all of this is irrevelant...any leak in a house can cause an explosion. The only difference is whether you want the roof to blow off first or the bottoms of the walls to blow out first. - ------------------------------------------------------------ Thought for the day: Religions change, beer and wine remain. - ------------------------------------------------------------ Mike White mike at datasync.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 1995 11:09:30 -0500 From: DICKERSONP at aol.com Subject: Summary of SABCO responses Hello homebrewers! About two weeks ago, I posted to ask about SABCO kegs. To quickly summarize, my questions were: 1) what is the difference between the $90 half keg and the $289 half keg with false bottom and spigot? 2) did anyone have any experience with using either product? I received a generous supply of responses to each question. They were as follows: 1) The $90 product is only a boiling kettle and has no drain or false bottom. The $289 product could be used to mash with direct heat (some said direct heat was not so good because of scorching). Most said it would be difficult to mash and boil in the $289 pot because you'd have to remove the false bottom and the grain. If anyone cares, I plan to get the $90 pot and mash in a Gott cooler. 2) Many responders actually used one or both products. Only one response was negative -- the person said that the false bottom detached easily (poor welds?). Most responses were complimentary of SABCO. One response recommended a do-it-yourself job which might cost less. Thanks to everyone who responded. By the way, I recently got a home page -- http://users.aol.com/dickersonp/phil.htm. Check it out. Right now, I just have a few beer related links and my own "beer review" page. Please, no flames on my reviews! I'm a rank amateur presenting my personal views on some beers I've tried!! If I ever get the SABCO kettle/Gott cooler/etc setup going, I'll put some info on the home page. Thanks again. - ------------------------ Phillip Dickerson Raleigh, NC - ------------------------ Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Nov 1995 11:23 -0500 (EST) From: gregory_g._graboski at Merck.Com (Gregory G. Graboski) Subject: Gases and Slants In HBD# 1875 Harlan Bauer writes that 'both natural and propane gases are heavier than air......' No flame intended but Tain't So McGee Propane has a density of 1.8324 g/L at standard conditions (~RT) Air has a density of 1.2929 g/L Natural gas in the US is a mix of about 85% methane, 9% ethane, 3% propane and 1% butane (remainder is nitrogen). Methane's density is 0.7167g/L and ethane is 1.3567g/L. but the mix *is* less dense than air [athough some of the components are heavier.] This data can be found in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics (some o' us brewgeeks just love #s) Nonetheless! your advice about using gas cookers indoors is still wise, even if only considering the O2 consumption that takes place when using 100,000Btu burners. Not to even mention the SPU's needed for such an undertaking. Another subject, Tom Williams asked about slant media.... I've used the following formula with good results: agar 15 g/l glucose 20g/l yeast extract 10 g/l malt extract 10 g/l Hope this helps Greg graboski at merck.com Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1876, 11/06/95