HOMEBREW Digest #2471 Mon 28 July 1997

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
		Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of 
		Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
				URL: http://www.oeonline.com


Contents:
  CO2 _is_ bitter (Some Guy)
  [Joke: Stout Fellow] ("Chris A. Smith")
  How to make an all-grain Chili Brew?!? ("Mark Rose")
  Formula for calculating %-alcohol needed ("Thilo")
  iodophor longevity, lawnmower beer (Tumarkin)
  Re: Canned Wort, Malta and Botulism (Jeff Renner)
  lambic (prkessel)
  Re: Keg Mobility ("Ted Major")
  Judging ("Randy J. Lee")
  Victorian traditions; a "pipe" (Paul Mahoney)
  Re: Brewing Blue Moon? (Graham Barron)
  AHA Commitments ("Houseman, David L")
  HOTD Eve (Oliver Weatherbee)
  Oxygen in Kegs (LaBorde, Ronald)
  Homegrown / Homedried hops (Miguel de Salas)
  Delaware AG reverses Homebrew Ban!!!!!!!!!!! (Mark Warrington)
  RE: Legal? ("Michael E. Dingas")
  Plating out yeast (Douglas Flagg)
  Priming question (Steve)
  Botulism Data ("Simon A. Wesley")
  Yeast Ranching 101 (nkanous)
  Thoughts wanted on 1.5 litre mini kegs ("LadyGodiva")
  homebrew on CNN (AlannnnT)
  shelf life of root beer extract (kathy)
  Contest Entry (Dennis & Jennifer Britten)
  Brewing water pH strangeness (Jim Wallace)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 17:40:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Some Guy <pbabcock at oeonline.com> Subject: CO2 _is_ bitter Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager... Dave Burley sez... "Nope. CO2 is sour, as it is an acid when dissolved in water or beer. Acids are sour and bases are bitter." Um, I beg to differ, Dave! Carbonate some water and drink it. Perhaps it is an effect of the nucleation of CO2 bubbles on the bumps and valleys of the ol' wagging tongue, but I perceive CO2 dissolved in water (carbonic acid to you chemically inclined) to the point of supersaturation (like our beer) to be bitter, too... (Yeah, I know, but I am forced to READ the Digest before anyone else - by the moderation function - so forgive me if I reply to it now and again...) See ya! Pat Babcock in SE Michigan pbabcock at oeonline.com Home Brew Digest Janitor janitor@hbd.org AOL Home Brewing "Maven" brewbeerd at aol.com Ford Manufacturing Engineer pbabcock.ford at e-mail.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 08:48:28 +1300 From: "Chris A. Smith" <casmith at metro.telecom.samsung.co.kr> Subject: [Joke: Stout Fellow] Brenda O'Malley is home as usual, making dinner, when Tim Finnegan arrives at her door. "Brenda, may I come in?" he asks. "I've somethin' to tell ya." "Of course you can come in, you're always welcome, Tim. But where's my husband?" "That's what I'm here to be tellin' ya, Brenda. There was an accident down at the Guinness brewery..." "Oh, God no!" cries Brenda. "Please don't tell me..." "I must, Brenda. Your husband Mick is dead and gone. I'm sorry." Brenda reached a hand out to her side, found the arm of the rocking chair by the fireplace, pulled the chair to her and collapsed into it. She wept for many minutes. Finally she looked up at Tim. "How did it happen, Tim?" "It was terrible, Brenda. He fell into a vat of Guinness Stout and drowned." "Oh my dear Jesus! But you must tell me true, Tim. Did he at least go quickly?" "Well, no Brenda ... no." "No?" "Fact is, he got out three times to pee." - -- Chris A. Smith Switching Systems Group Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Seoul, Korea Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 19:54:54 -0400 From: "Mark Rose" <mrose at visi.net> Subject: How to make an all-grain Chili Brew?!? I am planning on brewing a Jalepeneo spiced pale ale on Monday. I have a huge jar of chopped Jalepeneos in the fridge, but have no idea how much to add or when, or how. I would like it to be spicy, but drinkable for most. I am guessing the best way would be to add them to the secondary, about 3.0 oz worth. What do you all think?? The Cats Meow mentioned some brews, but most of them had weird results (either infections or mold growing in the secondary). Is this the norm? Can the peppers be sanitized without ruining their flavor? Mark Rose Hampton, VA Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 09:34:48 CAT From: "Thilo" <THILO at vaccino.ovi.ac.za> Subject: Formula for calculating %-alcohol needed Hi, I need a formula that I can use in a program to calculate potential alcohol or estimated alcohol from FG and OG values. Thanks. Thilo at vaccino.ovi.ac.za Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 07:12:11 -0400 From: Tumarkin at ix.netcom.com Subject: iodophor longevity, lawnmower beer Hi, homebrewers; Mark Snyder writes: >Help! I've recently gotten on a brewing binge and have three batches >currently in the fermenters.Two in the secondary and one in theprimary. >I'll be bottling these beers over three successive weekends and was >wondering whether I could prepare my iodophor solution for my bottles, >etc.and use it over the two week period without losing sanitization >effectiveness. I plan to cover the container to prevent >oxidation/evaporation although I don't know if this is even a factor. Iodophor is an iodine based sanitizer. My experience has been that it is quite stable and long lasting if you keep the container sealed. I usually keep my bottling bucket full of solution between uses. It does tend to stain the plastic but otherwise I've seen no problems. Iodophor generally comes in a concentrated form with instructions to dilute it to around 12.5 ppm. I have been told that as long as the solution appears brown colored it is still strong enough to be effective. You can always add a little more if it appears to be getting too light. I don't think using too much is a problem (within limits!). Just be sure to let it fully air dry before using. I haven't had a problem with iodine taste but some posters seem to think this is at least a potential concern. With the traffic on the Digest being at it's usual low summer level, I'm going to waste a little bandwidth on a summer topic. From time to time I have seen posts that make reference to lawnmower beer. I have trouble understanding the concept. People seem to mean a light, wimpy flavored beer - possible with the mistaken concept that this is refreshing. Am I understanding this correctly? Here in south Florida, summer brings a combination of heat and humidity that can be staggering. In our sub-tropical climate the grass grows like a jungle. You pretty much have to mow it every week, certainly at least every other week, or you risk losing your house. When I'm done mowing my yard, I am hot and sweaty and in need of serious refreshment. I need a majorly hopped pale ale (maybe that's why they shipped that stuff to the colonial soldiers in the first place)or even a stout to cut my thirst and restore my depleted energy - remember, stout's not just for breakfast anymore. That's my idea of a lawnmower beer. If I want something light I might go for a tasty wheat, but please don't offer me a wimpy thin lawnmower beer, but then again YMMV. Hoppy summer brewing, Mark Tumarkin The Brewery in the Jungle Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 07:40:42 -0400 From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu> Subject: Re: Canned Wort, Malta and Botulism >Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 11:35:38 -0500 >From: "Alan McKay" <Alan.McKay.amckay at nt.com> >Subject: Canned Wort, Malta and Botulism > > >Just when we're finally making some progress convincing people that >there is a >danger of botulism when using improperly canned starters, we get some >yahoo >who doesn't have a clue what he's talking about (yet tries to make it >sound like he >does) who comes out and makes comments like the below : Alan I think I have made enough serious contributions to HBD over the years to rate more than this belittling putdown, and I resent it. The point I was making is that I do not see the difference between canned wort (212F for tens of minutes), and pasteurized malta, which is nothing but wort and is treated at lower temperatures for shorter times, if it indeed is only passteurized, not pressure processed, as was reported by our correspondent in Venezuela. Presumably (but only presumably) malta is bottled with modern methods which result in virtually no air being incorporated ( CO2 blast followed by filling with neck filled with foam before capping). Since these two seem to be the same product, I wonder what the difference is, and why Latin Americans aren't dying of malta botulism. I am completely familiar with "Putting Food By" and similar advice, which does not address wort, so far as I know. That was my point. They are very conservative. Does anyone know for sure the bottling and processing for malta? It would certainly be nice if a brewing microbiologist who works with Clostridium botulinus (I know we have at least one) would do a controlled experiment and see what does happen. Of course, the legal implications any advice would be daunting, which is why we continue to Now that I've continued this discussion, I'm leaving for a week vacation, so I'll have to follow it later. Jeff -=-=-=-=- Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan c/o nerenner at umich.edu "One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 07:09:58 -0700 From: prkessel at waonline.com Subject: lambic From: John Kessel RE: Lambic Regarding Homebrewer of the year, Jim Liddil writes, "And who would have thought another plambic would win hboy? I guess everything else was not very good." I take offense to Jim's assumption that Charlie's beer was not great, but that the other beers were bad. All you people who won medals at nationals this year have just been insulted, I think. First of all, a lambic is as good or better than any other style of beer. I hope homebrewers are not worried about sour beer face like beer novices are worried about bitter beer face. Second, I had the good luck to judge BOS this year at the Bluebonnet Competition in Dallas. This same beer won best of show, hands down. As good as everything else was, this beer not only nailed the style but it had flair and beauty. Clearly we were not wrong, because it did the same thing at nationals. I tire of brewers wanting a classic pilsner to win BOS. Why does it matter what style the beer is in, if it is the best beer on the table? Don't insult the other brewers who won at nationals by saying that their beers are not very good. Instead, enjoy that someone brewed a lambic that was better than all the other great beers (of any style) at this years nationals. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 08:49:15 -0400 From: "Ted Major"<tmajor at exrhub.exr.com> Subject: Re: Keg Mobility Mark Thomson <mthomson at mail.xula.edu> asks about lightweight means to keep a 5-gallon keg cold. The neighborhood beer store here in Athens sells a "keg kooler," which is basically mylar coated bubble-wrap sized to fit a Sankey keg. It's advertised to keep a keg cold for 8 hours without ice. I can't vouch for that, but it did keep the corny keg of cream ale cold all the way to the beach and over four days on only a few bags of ice. They sell for about $4 here, so it seems like a pretty affordable, lightweight insulation. Ted Major Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 08:04:17 -0500 From: "Randy J. Lee"<rjlee at imation.com> Subject: Judging I need Advice and Guidance. I would like details and nuances of what it takes to host a homebrew competition. Gory details welcome. TIA Randy Lee rjlee at imation.com Von a dem skvareheads from Visconsin. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 09:33:45 -0700 From: Paul Mahoney <pmahoney at www.co.roanoke.va.us> Subject: Victorian traditions; a "pipe" Loius Bonham wrote in the July 25 edition of HBD: "Victorian tradition was tolay down not a case of port for a lad's 21st BD, but a "pipe" of port. I forget the precise number of bottles in a "pipe", but I believe it was something like 50 cases (600 bottles) or more." My Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary includes the following defition of "pipe": various units of liquid capacity based on the size of pipe; esp. a unit equal to two hogsheads. A "hogshead" is defined as : a large cask or barrel, one containing from 63 to 140 gallons; a US unit equal to 63 gallons. This is a LOT of liquid! How is it that we lost all of our Victorian traditions? Why didn't my father do this for me? Probably because we were Irish, not British! Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 12:06:49 -0500 From: Graham Barron <gbarron at cq.com> Subject: Re: Brewing Blue Moon? Kit Lemmonds wrote in HOMEBREW Digest #2470: >Hey guys and gals, > >I've been trying to brew a close facsimile to Blue Moon Belgian White for >the last few months with some success. The only thing I'm missing in my >batches is the tang or tartness abundant in Blue Moon. Does anyone have any >ideas about how Blue Moon gets this tartness? I've even considered adding a >little vitamin C to the secondary fermenter since it is water soluble, but I >want to hold off before I try anything too crazy. > >Any pointers or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I certainly don't want to be critical of other's beer preferences. I mean, as a constitutional right, people have the right to like certain beers. But it is beyond me why, with all of the absolutely fabulous white beers out there, anyone would want to replicate the Blue Moon version. I don't know if this has been discussed previously on the HBD, but I was shocked and amazed to see that the Blue Moon/Coors interpretation of the Belgian White style won first place in the category at the World Beer Championships (or whatever it's called). The beer is a very pale, weak, bland version of the style (in my own view, of course). Celis White, Hoegardden (sp.), Blanche du Bruges (sp.) they all blow Blue Moon away. It's kind of scary that Coors can throw something like that out there and it win all these awards and beat out truer (not to mention tastier) versions of the style. Mind you I don't worship at the altar of beer style guidelines or anything, but Celis and Hoegardden really define White Beer, and Senator, Blue Moon is not real white. Anyway, I hope nobody, especially Kit, takes this a personal attack on anyone's beer choices. We don't all have to agree and I'm sure some of you would take exception with my beer choices. I am curious, though, if anyone else had the same reaction to the Blue Moon awards. In the mean time, in brewing a couple of drinkable white beers myself, I've found that adding a touch of 88% Lactic acid at bottling can add that tartness to the final product. I can't remember off the top of my head how much I used to put in for 5 gal. I want to say a couple of tablespoons or something. Someone else will probably be able to confirm. Lactic acid should be available from your homebrew shop expressly for white beers. Drink well, everyone. Graham L. Barron New Media Congressional Quarterly Washington, D.C. (202) 887-8684 Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 09:03:18 -0400 From: "Houseman, David L" <David.Houseman at unisys.com> Subject: AHA Commitments Jim asks: Ok so I have a question for all those who went to the AHA conference. Particularly for the AHA "Advisors". Has the AHA presented a plan for acutal change? Are they going to address the various concerns raised here and on rcb? Or will they continue to only provide lip service? And who would have thought another plambic would win hboy? I guess everything else was not very good. :-) I don't have the time to make a complete report at this time but will provide some insight from my point of view. First of all, we discussed only briefly any past problems. These were, in the collective view, problems brought about by the past AHA staff, which has entirely changed. So trying to rehash past sins would not be very useful. We did spend a great deal of time talking about how the AHA and Zymurgy can be of more value to brewers. How to get and retain members. How to better work with clubs and with the homebrew suppliers. How to make the AHA more meaningful to its members. A number of ideas have been brought forward and the AHA's new staff professes a very real desire and willingness to work with us. They are very "client" oriented. Many are new to the AHA so we may have to account for some learning curve, but I was satisfied with their commitment. Minutes of the Board of Advisors meeting were taken and are to be distributed to us. When I recieve a copy, that will help remind me of some of the specifics of our discussions so that I can provide a more complete report. If one of the other BOA members can do that from memory (I didn't take notes) go right ahead; don't wait on me -- I off on some business trips. Of course results are what counts but I can assure you that the new BOA (some 12+) are committed to working with the AHA to make significant changes. Dave Houseman Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 12:40:34 -0400 From: oliver at triton.cms.udel.edu (Oliver Weatherbee) Subject: HOTD Eve I was surprised that no one else responded to the query of HOTD Eve beer and by Louis Bonham's little discourse on the permits required for ice distilling etc. HOTD does not have a problem and does not need a permit because they do not commercially produce Eve. In the past they have done an ice-distilled version of Adam and called it Eve but it was for their own personal consumption and their friends/guests. Some has been passed along as gifts and so several people have had a chance to try it. I myself lucked into a sample earlier this year, its a great beer. BTW, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is out of Portland, Oregon. They have a webpage at www.hairofthedog.com. The distribution of their beers seems to have increased as late, I know I can get them in PA and MD. If you get a chance, Adam (a strong ale) and Golden Rose (a tripel) are well worth the price. Just talking about it has convinced me sample some of the Adam I laid down last year when I get home tonight. - Oliver Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 14:16:36 -0500 From: rlabor at lsumc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald) Subject: Oxygen in Kegs From: "David R. Burley" ...I force carbonate through the 'out' line to bubble the CO2 up through the beer and avoid all that rockin' and rollin' although I do g give the keg a shake periodically until the gas no longer flows in.... Yup - That's what I did a few times, but I noticed that after a short while, all the gas sounds slowed to a near standstill until I rocked the keg, then I could hear plenty of gas flowing into the keg again. I saw a different method used where the keg was layed on it's side, the gas put into the gas in line, and the keg rocked back and forth with one's foot for a few minutes. It is my conclusion that it is NOT neccessary to flow the gas into the liquid in line. I think all you are accomplishing here is wearing out the threads on your fittings. Since then I have been using this method and will never bother to use the liquid in line. Comments???? Happy Brewing Ron Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 10:38:07 +1000 From: Miguel de Salas <mm_de at postoffice.utas.edu.au> Subject: Homegrown / Homedried hops Hello all Since I started the thread asking about possible reasons why my homegrown and homedried hops have a cooked straw aroma, I think I should clarify a few things. First of all I live (and grow my hops) in Tasmania, source of world famous hops (guinness, carlsberg, heineken apparently import much of the crop, as well as AB, who, regardless of their finished product (Budweiser), have to be credited with state of the art techniques, and using only arome hops for bittering their beer). Tasmania is free of all hop diseases except aphids and spider mites. I grow my hops from rootstock obtained from commercial growers, on a northerly aspect (sunny in the southern hemisphere), and with a setup of poles and wires very similar to commercial gardens. After this I doubt that the finished product differs much from the commercial produce, when fresh, as the handling, climate, sun hours, etc, are the same. After harvesting, the process to which they are subjected is different, though. I dry my hops gently, never exceeding 75 F (It would be hard to exceed that, it gets soooo cold) whereas commercial growers use carefully monitored conditions. I source my hops from my garden, and also have dried at home commercially grown hops which I picked myself just before the harvesters went past. Problem is both batches have had this cooked straw/hay aroma. The hops are dry when I freeze them, and when I use them (I dry them till the strigs are brittle). I should clarify that the aroma is delightful when the hops are dry, and it is not until I immerse them in boiling wort that these smells start coming off. It smells like I just chucked a handful of semi-composted lawn clippings in my wort. :) So I can't locate the source of the problem. Currently I am thinking they might need seasoning, but, having contacts in Australian Hop Marketers, I have used hops three days out of the kiln, four days off the plant, without encountering this problem. I do believe this forum is for expressing opinions, and personal flames are a thing of private mail, so please refrain from trying to make people look stupid. It is not about power relations, but about brewing. This is not about trying to demonstrate how one is superior and the others inferior. I am referring to the personal criticism in a posted flame criticising Don Van Valkenburg. If his opinion is that one should not use homegrown hops cause it is more complicated than just buying them, then he is entitled to it. Sorry for the wasted bandwidth. Cheers Miguel. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 22:15:15 +0000 From: Mark Warrington <warringt at erols.com> Subject: Delaware AG reverses Homebrew Ban!!!!!!!!!!! Just today the Delaware Attorney General's office reversed the July 10, 1997 Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission's stated ban on homebrewing in the First State! They still have to look at competitions and transport, but we are on our way to having these approved by the legislature (General Assembly) in January! And no worries over raids and seizure of brewing equipment! Thank you AG!!!! Mark Warrington Tri-State Brewers tristate at aol.com http://users.aol.com/tristateb/welcome.html PS First State's web page is back! http://triton.cms.udel.edu/~oliver/firststate/firststate.html Welcome back, guys!!!!! Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 21:34:01 -0400 From: "Michael E. Dingas" <dingasm at worldnet.att.net> Subject: RE: Legal? David Johnson Wrote: <Subject: Legal? <Fellow brewers, < I just recieved a request from my wife's sister for some brew to=20 <use in a raffle at the family reunion. I questioned the legality of = this=20 <and suggested that it would work better as a door prize. Is this a=20 <reasonable suggestion? If there is a way to make sure that it would be = my=20 <wife's other sister, I might call the BATF myself. I once heard of a 'charity' event which sold tickets for an old worn-out = blanket that had long since outlived its usefulness. For each ticket = bought, a free beer was provided. That blanket must have been a beauty = 'cause my understanding is that LOTS of tickets were sold! Was it legal? = Don't know. Was it true? Don't know that, either. Will it help you out? = Hope so. mike Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 12:17:37 -0400 From: Douglas Flagg <dflagg at agate.net> Subject: Plating out yeast I was re-reading Terry Foster's "Pale Ale" book (from the Classic Beer Style Series) the other night. In the section of yeast he states: "Many ale yeasts are actually mixtures of two or more strains." Now a little light went off in my head because I have been yeast farming to try and have my own selections of yeast available for whenever I wish to brew. One of the techniques involves taking a sample of beer from a recently fermented batch and streaking it on an agar plate. The idea is to isolate *a single yeast cell* so it can grow into a *pure* colony. Am I wreaking my ale yeast sample by doing this?? IS THIS BATCH RUINED??? I do notice that my ale brews do not seem to ferment nor taste the same from batch to batch, but hey, they never do anyway. (neither do my lager batches) and they are supposed to be *pure* Anyway, the one ale yeast I have on a slant is Wyeast #1968, Special London Ale. Does anyone know if this is a blend or a single strain? Thanks Doug dflagg at orono.sdi.agate.net Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 13:15:56 -0500 From: Steve <srockey at egyptian.net> Subject: Priming question I need the help of the collective. I brewed my first all grain, a California Common. I used Wyeast #2112 = California Lager yeast. The beer was brewed on 6/27, was racked to = secondary a week or so after that, and has been fermenting ever since. = I checked the specific gravity when it was moved to the secondary and it = was already about 1.014. When I dry hopped on 7/24,the specific gravity = was 1.003! I have never had a beer ferment so far down. =20 The question is, Will the beer carbonate properly with the FG so low? = I do not keg the beer, I use bottles only for now. I usually prime with = 3/4 cup of corn sugar to five gallons of beer. Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Steve Rockey srockey at egyptian.net Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 15:59:20 -0700 From: "Simon A. Wesley" <Wesley at bnlarm.bnl.gov> Subject: Botulism Data Hi Folks, I know the subject of botulism and canned wort has been beaten to death, but I would like to contribute some actual data on this subject for your consideration. I was a bit irritated when I read a recent post on botulism so I decided to look up the actual numbers at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website. Here is a summary of what I found. The average number of reported cases of foodborne botulism, which the CDC classifies as a "Notifiable Disease", during the period of 1985-1994 was 28.9 cases. This includes two sharp peaks associated with specific commercial food product contamination incidents. For example there were 50 cases in 1985 many of wich were attributed to "Fermented fish/sea Products, AL". More importantly the average annual number of deaths during the period 1982-1991 was 2.9 deaths. (7 in 1985). Indicating that roughly 10% of the people who contract botulism poisoning actually die. Here is one factual error from the offending post which I would like point out from the CDC data. >As pointed out in "Putting Food By", Botulism incidents in the US >increased in >the early 70's at roughly the same rate as the increase in home-canning. > (There >was a home-canning craze in the early 70's ). This was primarily from >people >using (or misusing) grandma's methods. >unhumbly and disgruntledly yours, > -Alan According to the CDC data the outbreaks which occured in the mid 70's (Specifically in 1977 and 1978) were attributed to: "Jalapeno Peppers, MI" (1977) and "Potato Salad, NM"(1978). Personally I trust the information from the CDC more than I trust "Putting Food By" in this matter. One other comment about their analysis regarding the correlation of the increase in cases to the increase in home canning over a period of a few years. Because the case rates are so low there is a lot of statistical fluctuation in the data. This means that if rate is 30/yr one year and the rate jumps to 40/yr the next no significant conclusions can be drawn. I hope that this information will help each of you to make intelligent risk assesment decisions regarding the processes you chose to use for canning wort. I take no particular position for public consumption. Respectfully and Humbly yours one "clueless" "Yahoo" AKA S. A. Wesley Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 20:37:31 -0400 (EDT) From: nkanous at tir.com (nkanous) Subject: Yeast Ranching 101 Greetings to the collective. I'm interested in opinions of yeast ranchers out there on the best way for ranching yeast. I've read about storage on agar slants, in glycol/water solutions (glycol?), and sterile distilled water storage. I suppose I could also make malt solutions like the Yeast Lab slants. I would like to hear pro's and con's of the individual methods and those preferred by ranchers out there. Private e-mail would be great and I could post a synopsis. TIA Nathan in Frankenmuth MI Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 22:27:28 -0700 From: "LadyGodiva" <lady_godiva at unforgettable.com> Subject: Thoughts wanted on 1.5 litre mini kegs Hi all! Lady G again. Thanks so much to everyone who offered advice re my carbonation query. We found that the 22 oz bottles had a lot more fizz than the 12 ozers. Go figure! Has anyone had experience with the 'mini kegs'? I am interested in buying 4 of them, but want to hear from someone who has used them. Thanks bunches in advance! Lady G. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift, thats why its called present. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 09:05:34 -0400 (EDT) From: AlannnnT at aol.com Subject: homebrew on CNN Unless I missed the discussion, it appears that no one has mentioned the CNN broadcast about homebewing. In case you didn't see it, I'll highlight. It was about 15 minutes long, and featured Charlie P as the guru of homebrewers. While it was very light stuff it was very respectful of the people who take beer seriously. The reporter even made his own extract brew and presented it to judges in New Oreleans for lambasting. Given the silly footage availible in a convention hall full of drinking and carousing CNN took the high road and refrained from cheap shots. What made this interesting is that CNN produced this piece as part of a series about personal freedoms in America, a series that also included a piece about the NRA and responsible handgun use. In both cases CNN could have villified both groups by being "anties" and showing only the lunatics involved in either hobby. CNN also briefy touched on the ambiguous legal position some states have about homebrewing. All in all, I think CNN presented a positive image for homebrewing. Please, please, please don't let my mention of NRA and freedom and homerewing start a thread about guns- CNN connected them -I didn't - And I don't want to. Best Brewing to All Alan Talman Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 21:20:22 -0500 From: kathy <kbooth at scnc.waverly.k12.mi.us> Subject: shelf life of root beer extract A friend (widow-lady) was cleaning out her husband's home brew materials from the early 1980's. She gave me many packs of Hires Root Beer Extract and I'm wondering if it has a 15 year shelf life. TIA for any of your advices jim booth, lansing, mi Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 21:47:38 +0000 From: Dennis & Jennifer Britten <djbnajke at iserv.net> Subject: Contest Entry I have a question to all the seasoned contest winners. We just recently got the results to a contest that we entered by checking http://www.ghgcorp.com/rlivingston/rendezbrew.html. I found it a little stange that almost every winner was from the club that sponsered the contest?? We are not being "poor losers" I just would like to know if anybody has a way to weed out the not so fair contests and enter the good ones. Any suggestions or thoughts about results like to ones posted on the Lunar Rendezbrew page would be appreciated. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 21:56:22 -0500 From: Jim Wallace <jwallace at crocker.com> Subject: Brewing water pH strangeness I have been brewing all grain for about a year now but my water is providing a quirk I can not understand:... I read my tap water pH at ~6.4 but when I boil it for about 20 mins to remove chlorine I get areading of ~ 8.8. to further confuse me it only takes about 2 ml of 30% phosphoric acid to get it back to the 6.5-7 pH range. Any water experts out there with an explanation for this wierdness ?? ___________________________________________ JIM WALLACE ... jwallace at crocker.com www.crocker.com/~jwallace ___________________________________________ Return to table of contents
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