HOMEBREW Digest #2653 Thu 05 March 1998

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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:
  Re: Shaklee Basic-I for TSP? / Corny Poppets (ristau.ted)
  Homebrew presentation ("Jared B Froedtert")
  Aluminum Pots (Dave Hinrichs)
  Cap Decorations ("Goodale, Daniel CPT-- 4ID HHC DISCOM CDR")
  RE:  Making Rootbeer (Richard Gardner)
  St.Stan's Red Sky Ale (mallem60)
  Park Slope IPA recipe request (Eugene Sonn)
  Rogue ales (DGofus)
  Berliner Weiss (George_De_Piro)
  Re: Berliner Weiss (Malty Dog)
  Does yeast eat protein? (Martin A. Gulaian)
  Re:  Ron's Beginner Questions ("Mark Nelson")
  Pint glasses or a pint of beer (Steve)
  Salts and Reinheitsgebot ("Jim Busch")
  Re: Fw: Iowa HB Legislation (Jeff Renner)
  Re: CounterFlow Chiller Question/Strange Ferment Summary (Spencer W Thomas)
  pHalse ("David R. Burley")
  RE: Power (LaBorde, Ronald)
  Re: Modified RIMS heater / Expanding foam around LT (Dion Hollenbeck)
  Re: Beginners Questions ("Brian McHenry")
  party pig foaming (Kevin TenBrink)
  swap dog for fish (Andy Walsh)
  Allergic to yeast/Filtering help... (Mark T A Nesdoly)
  pH mystery ("Frederick L. Pauly")
  Polycarbonate Cement (EFOUCH)
  George Steinbierer -- owns the Yankees? (Samuel Mize)
  Funny Water/iodide (AJ)
  wild homebrew gear collection (AlannnnT)
  Canine Power Factor (Some Guy)
  new batch (OCaball299)
  (no subject) (Scott/Colleen Sutherland)

Be sure to enter the 7th NYC Spring Regional Competition 3/22/98. Surf to www.wp.com/hosi/companno.html for more information...
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Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 13:10:10 -0700 From: ristau.ted at spartan.ab.ca Subject: Re: Shaklee Basic-I for TSP? / Corny Poppets >>From: "Gregg Soh" <greggos at hotmail.com> >>On to Corny poppets, I can't seem to get them out without them >>deforming because they "clip" to a rim beyond the threads of the >>ball-locks. Driving them out is like pushing againts a "barb". I end >>up using pliers... greg, try using a chopstick and hammer to "punch" the poppet out of the ball-lock. I rest the ball-lock on a piece of softwood while doing this; the "barbs" don't deform on contact with the wood. To reinstall, i drop them into the lock, then use a chopstick to reseat them. They still fit tightly after multiple removals and reinstalls. BTW, I obtained my used corny kegs about 6 years ago from a fast-food company changing over to concentrate. I only remove the ball-locks on a new (used) keg for removing the pop crud and then yearly after that for preventive cleaning. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 17:11:02 -0500 (EST) From: "Jared B Froedtert" <froedter at pilot.msu.edu> Subject: Homebrew presentation Hello all, I am in need of a little information about homebrewing. I've been asked by my boss here at work to prepare a small presentation in order to show off the new portable projector computer screen. He needs to basically show off the unique things that can be done using computer slide shows insteed of regular slides, animations, movies, sounds, etc....that sort od stuff. So i decieded that i'd educate some folks on home brewing. I was wondering where to look on the net for stuff like: date of federal legalization, what states are legal and when, any brew animations, any brew movies, any brew sounds, brew graphics, you get the idea. Or if any of you want to answer directly or have some of the files i mentioned, feel free to e-mail me. I'll be using MS power point if that helps any. TIA and we'll see what i can come up with. jared froedtert froedter at pilot.msu.edu east lansing, mi Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 17:22:34 -0500 From: Dave Hinrichs <dhinrichs at quannon.com> Subject: Aluminum Pots I have been lurking here for awhile now, great resourse. A significant reason to not use Aluminum is that it just does not hold up to the corrosive action of boiling. Take a look at a well used aluminum pot, it will be pitted and scared from boiling. I designed countertop water distillers and one of the things we tried to reduce cost was an Aluminum pot in place of Stainless. Testing destroyed the pot in short order. *************************************************************** * Dave Hinrichs E-Mail: dhinrichs at quannon.com * * Quannon CAD Systems, Inc. Voice: (612) 935-3367 * * 6101 Baker Road, Suite 204 FAX: (612) 935-0409 * * Minnetonka, MN 55345 BBS: (612) 935-8465 * * http://www.quannon.com/ * *************************************************************** Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 16:30:18 -0600 From: "Goodale, Daniel CPT-- 4ID HHC DISCOM CDR" Subject: Cap Decorations Dear Homebrew Collective, While browsing at the local brew store, I flipped through a Zymurgy magazine and noticed an article on decorating crown caps. Unfortunately, their technique (basically drawing on the caps with markers) required artistic talent and the use of "blank" caps of which I have neither. Besides, who wants to draw the same design 48 times? I use inexpensive TAB (tm) print over run caps exclusively. Every time I give the gift of brew in a handsome bottle with a great label, the only comment is, "gee, I didn't know TAB came in those bottles." I tried a trick from the HBD (sorry, can't remember from who) of printing your desired artwork on round labels and apply to the cap. I couldn't locate labels that would exactly cover the top. Consequently, it didn't hide the fact that it was really a TAB cap. Besides, it looked just like what it was. A piece of paper glued to a cap. I settled for painting the caps myself with spray paint. This technique can give you solid color caps or with some creative use of tape, multicolored caps. I made a reasonable facsimile of the Texas state flag for my "Bubba Beer." It all went over very well. I sprayed 24 caps with primer gray, then white. I used tape to cover the right half and an adhesive star to cover on the left. Then the blue paint. Then covered all but the lower right and painted red. A little labor intensive but well worth it. A little easier technique is to use those novelty hole punches to punch out shapes in adhesive label material. Paint the caps, apply the adhesive shape and repaint with a contrasting color. Carefully peel away label with the tip of an exacto knife and there you are. I guess you could also use the cut out material as a stencil but it would be a one time use thing. These novelty hole punches give you nice "clip art." Most are cutesy hearts and lips, but I've found suns, cats, planes, trees, ect. Lettering and the like I've put in the Too Hard column, but you can have nice theme caps to compliment your label. The do it yourself craze has led to some interesting craft paints that may be interesting as well. You can be the first on your block to have a fleckstone caps! Hell, just do the whole bottle! In my experiment, the spray paint did not get on the underside of the cap so I don't think contact with the paint is a problem. The only downside is that the paint on the bendable sides of the caps gets mucked up in my bench capper. A wing capper may be a little more gentle? You may want reserve special cap decorating for only your finest gift brews or not. I think that beer out of a really cool bottle tastes better. Your mileage may vary. Daniel Goodale The Biohazard Brewing Company Home of the zero gee "brew in a lung" brew kit! Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 19:10:09 -0600 (CST) From: Richard Gardner <rgardner at papillion.ne.us> Subject: RE: Making Rootbeer Bill asked about making root beer from scratch - I wouldn't recommend it as the classic recipe for old style root beer contains sassafras root, which contains safrole, a carcinogen. It was outlawed by the FDA in 1960 after tests showed it caused liver cancer in rats. How much is a danger? Who knows, but my layman's understanding is that this isn't one of those over which there is lots of arguement. You probably could make up some sort of herbal mix without sassafras (assuming you could find some), but it would be tough to get a real root beer without it. I suggest you use an extract for the base, and add some extras to give it some zing like some fresh mint or vanilla bean. If you check the archives, there was considerable discussion a couple of years ago on this topic. REF: Rodale's Illust Ency of Herbs, 1987. - --- The facts, although interesting, are irrelevant ---- Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:23:05 +0000 From: mallem60 at wales.bbc.co.uk Subject: St.Stan's Red Sky Ale Has anybody got a clone recipe for St. Stan's (Californian micro) Red Sky Ale, as it's now available here in the UK in supermarkets, and it's very good (IMHO) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 07:08:36 -0500 (EST) From: Eugene Sonn <eugene at dreamscape.com> Subject: Park Slope IPA recipe request HBDers, I'm making beer for my brother's engagement party and need some recipe help. He really likes Park Slope IPA. Not living in New York City, I haven't seen that beer on my local shelves. Is anyone in the NYC area familiar with it. How hoppy is it. Is it a true IPA or more akin to the pacific northwest versions of that style? If you have a good description of the beer or a reciped for a clone, please e-mail me privately. Thanks in advance, Eugene Sonn eugene at nova.dreamscape.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 07:57:56 EST From: DGofus <DGofus at aol.com> Subject: Rogue ales I have recently supplemented my homebrew supply with a stock of store bought brew. I bought some Rogue Ales. My question is, has any body heard of White Crane Bitter Ale by Rogue? The distributor said it was brand new.I have a feeling that it is made for export, as the bottle and cap have Chinese(japanese) writing. The bottle is 12oz as the other Rogue bottles, but it is not the squat 12oz bottles, it is the regular size longneck type bottle. It is a good brew, not bad price($26). Any help, answers? I am convinced that it is hard to beat a Rogue for the price! Private E-mail ok. Bob Fesmire Madman Brewery Pottstown, PA Dgofus at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 08:37:38 -0800 From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com Subject: Berliner Weiss Hi all, Dave Burley responds to Sam's Berliner Weiss question saying that he should dose it with lactic acid to achieve sourness rather than use traditional methods (sour mash, bacterial fermentation, etc.). While this will help keep your brewery free of unwanted (in other beers) microbes, it will not yield an authentic Berliner Weiss. There is much more to the flavor of a BW than just lactic sourness. Berliner Kindl, which is widely available here in the US, is far inferior to Schultheiss (IMHO). The Schultheiss has a lovely Brett. character, along with complex sourness, and some fruit and vegetable notes. You will not achieve this complexity by simply dosing with lactic acid. A friend of mine made an incredible Berliner Weiss a couple of years back. Perhaps he can be persuaded to post about his procedures? You know who you are... I'll let him explain the details (because I don't remember them all), but it was amazingly simple. I don't think the wort was even boiled! Michael Jackson talks about Berliner Weiss and methods of production in the New World Guide to Beer. Check it out. As for Dave's warning about potentially contaminating your brewery with unwanted bugs: yes, if you are not careful, you can get cross-contamination. My opinion is that if you are that sloppy, though, you're beers are probably becoming infected regularly anyway! Have fun! George De Piro (Nyack, NY) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 08:56:29 EST From: Malty Dog <MaltyDog at aol.com> Subject: Re: Berliner Weiss I made the Berliner Weisse that George was talking about in his recent post. I believe I posted this to the HBD digest before, but that was a while ago. Basically, I did a long, five-hour saccarification rest, with hops in the mash tun (which in my case is a picnic cooler), sparged into my brewpot, and then chilled down the wort to pitching temperature, and pitched a Belgian Wheat beer yeast. If you look closely, you'll notice that I did, indeed, miss a typical step in brewing beer--no boil. All sourness that this beer had was due to the lactobacillis in the beer. This is a traditional method of brewing Berliner Weisse, which you will read about in Jackson, as well as other places. I'm not sure that it is done in any breweries these days. As it turns out, despite the lack of a boil, the sourness was well within the range of a Berline Weisse; that is, the didn't get infected and horribly sour. As a matter of fact, I attempted another batch some time later, and it didn't get sour enough! I'm pretty sure why this happened, after the fact; in the first batch, after the five-hour mash, I just sparged. After sitting in the picnic cooler for five or six hours, the temperature of the mash was around 130 or so. So the extraction was pretty low; about 65%, if I remember correctly. I had to add extract to the batch to bump it all the way up to 1.030!! So, the next time I made the beer, I tried to heat the mash up to 170 or so with an infusion, in order to get a better extraction. I was worried about killing the bacteria, so I separated some first runnings before heating up the mash, but it didn't seem to work. The beer, as I said, was not sour enough, despite not being boiled. Next time, I'll just throw in a few more pounds of grain, and expect the low extraction. How many more pounds could it take to make a 1.030 beer, anyway? Bill Coleman MaltyDog at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:00:30 -0500 (EST) From: mag6 at po.CWRU.Edu (Martin A. Gulaian) Subject: Does yeast eat protein? Howdy folks - I make a lot of sourdough bread, and as far as I know the yeast in the sourdough culture feeds on the wheat gluten. In fact if you let the bread rise too long it will eat up all the gluten and you end up with a nasty clay-like dough with none of the nice rubbery feel of a proper bread dough. So if bread yeasts live on protein, why don't beer yeasts even touch it? I've never seen any reference to beer yeasts eating anything except the simpler sugars, and using broken down proteins as "nutrients". People here have commented that a starch haze can cause infection problems - bacteria will feed on the starch. Seems like there would be the same problem with protein haze - why wouldn't wild yeast feed on it? (my gluten-eating sourdough culture was started with random wild local yeast). Even if the yeast were so picky that they ONLY ate wheat gluten, wouldn't it be a problem with wheat beers? Just wondering, MG - -- Marty Gulaian - Cleveland, Ohio Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:00:12 -0500 From: "Mark Nelson" <menelson at mindspring.com> Subject: Re: Ron's Beginner Questions Let me de-lurk to answer another newbie's questions, or at least try. -Can someone enlighten me as to the need to use dry and -liquid malt extracts together? Can you use two 4 lb. cans of liquid -extract for a 5-6 gallon batch? One useful thing about using dry and liquid malts together is getting precise amounts of extract. In other words, you could buy two cans and either under- or overshoot the amount of extract, or you can buy one can and make up the rest of the fermentables by using a pound or two of dry extract. There are other differences, such as liquid extract's tendency to darken during storage, and dry extract's higher percent of sugar (due to no water content), etc. BTW, two 4 lb cans of liquid is enough for a pretty big beer - an IPA at ~1.055 or higher. -Why use grains and hops with hopped liquid malt extract? The hops that are in the hopped extracts are generally bittering hops only. Especially if the kit calls for an hour or so of boiling, since the flavor and aroma will boil away during that time. Additional hops are added to these kits for the flavor and aroma. Additional grains are used, either in a 'steep' or 'mini-mash', to add fresh grain flavor, body and head retention. -I already have a 5 gallon carboy, but I haven't used it yet. Is a 6 -gallon carboy necessary if you're going to use it as a primary -fermenter? Should you conduct a secondary fermentation with these -'kits'? A 6 gallon carboy isn't absolutely necessary. You can use a 5 gallon, but then expect to need a blow off tube. I use a 6 gallon, which is generally safe for just an airlock. -It finished with excellent taste and carbonation, but no -alcohol content (at least that I could detect - didn't feel a thing even -after 5-6 of 'em). It sounds like you made a 'session' beer. Try adding malt, honey or (third choice) corn sugar to up the alcohol. Malt will preserve body and taste, honey will lighten the body and leave some flavor, corn sugar will lower the body and not add any taste although some report a cidery taste with alot of corn sugar. Hope this helps, and good luck. - -- Mark Nelson Windhund Brauerei Atlanta Georgia Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 08:17:57 -0600 (CST) From: Steve <JOHNSONS at uansv5.Vanderbilt.Edu> Subject: Pint glasses or a pint of beer Somehow I see this discussion about pint glasses and how much beer one actually gets served as being a little bit like splitting hairs. I know that the glasses we get our beers served in at all of the brewpubs in Nashville (we currently have 4) use 16 oz. glasses. I know going into these establishments that I will more than likely NOT get 16 ounces of beer when it arrives at the table. Usually, there is more like 14 ounces of beer, and a nice, thick, creamy 1/2 inch to 1 inch head on the beer. But, rather than cry and moan that I'm not getting a "pint of ale," I choose to relish in the good fortune I have of being able to get some wonderful handcrafted beers in Tennessee, the heart of the bible belt! Folks in nearby Mississippi aren't nearly as fortunate. So, I see it as irrelevant whether a brewpub advertises that their beer is served in pint glasses or say they are serving a pint of beer. One of our brewpubs, Boscos, where Chuck Skypeck brews the famous Flaming Stone Steinbier, actually is giving our homebrew clubmembers a special employee discount and even has a special mug club where you can get a 22 ounce mug for the price of a pint glass. Now that's a deal! So raise your pint glasses and toast the brewers of these fine beers. Steve Johnson, President Music City Brewers Nashville, TN Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:33:29 +0000 From: "Jim Busch" <jim at victorybeer.com> Subject: Salts and Reinheitsgebot George commented on the additions of brewing salts to water and said that this is verboten according to the Reinheitsgebot. As I understand the edict, mineral salts are not verboten. Adding acids that are not produced naturally is verboten. Has to do with natuarally occuring or somesuch... Corrections/elucidations welcome. Prost! Jim Busch "A Victory for your Tastes!" Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:35:10 -0500 From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu> Subject: Re: Fw: Iowa HB Legislation Jethro Gump, aka "Rob Moline" <brewer at ames.net>, asks for support for Iowa HB legislation. Michigan was in a similar situation, but a homebrewing (!) legislator last year helped craft and pass an exemplary bill that not only permits us to transport to competitions, but actually aloows us to give away up to 20 (I think) gallons a year. This is really a great feature, and I think it is unique. Homebrewers in other states might try to get a similar feature added to any legislation. 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: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 09:46:13 -0500 From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu> Subject: Re: CounterFlow Chiller Question/Strange Ferment Summary Re: hose and hot wort. I found it to be a problem at one point. I ruined two batches of beer by siphoning hot wort through new hose. It picked up a nasty plastic flavor. I then did some research and engineered a bulk buy of silicone tubing from a wholesaler, through a local homebrew-related business. The tubing ended up costing about $1.25/ft including my reshipping costs, when bought in 50ft lengths. It's rated to 400F, so you can even autoclave it or sterilize it by baking in the oven. Unfortunately, I don't have any left. The tubing that I bought was manufactured by Norton Plastics, and I bought it through AIN Plastics Inc. AIN's main number is 800-431-2451; they may refer you to a regional number from there. The tubing I got is Norton's "Silicone FG Tubing" The highlights are: * Repeatedly Autoclavable * UV Light and Ozone Resistant * Excellent resistance to Strong Alkalies and Weak Acids * Odorless and Taste-free * Meets FDA criteria for use with food and beverages * Working temperature: -76F to 428F (-60C to +220C) * Transparent It is not good for pumped applications, as the burst strength drops to about 1.8PSI at 100C. You'd have to get tubing with an embedded braid, and those are significantly more expensive. =Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer at umich.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:47:40 -0500 From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: pHalse Brewsters: Mark D. Lowe is using those brown pH papers and wonders why his water pH after all that treatment is still 4.8 and it even stays at 4.8 in the mash. The answer? it's the stupid pH paper. These papers are the most worthless thing I have ever seen distributed by the HB system and everyone should take them back to their local HB store and demand their money back. I did. Mark, locate another source for some pH papers which have two or three colored bands on them that read in the correct range or buy a simple pH meter. Chances are very good your water is coming out at near 7.0 after the treatment you described and the pH is dropping to 5.X in the mash. - --------------------------------------- Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Kinnelon, NJ 07405 103164.3202 at compuserve.com Dave_Burley at compuserve.com Voice e-mail OK Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:00:22 -0600 From: rlabor at lsumc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald) Subject: RE: Power >From: AJ <ajdel at mindspring.com> >All the postings on power and nobody has got it right yet: >P = I*E*cos(theta) >where theta is the relative phase between the voltage and current. >Sorry, the old EE in me still shines through occasionally. >PS: for a resistive load theta = 0 and cos(theta) = 1. cos(theta) is >called the "power factor". You will often see switch gear rated for >"volt-amperes" or "kilovolt-amperes" rather than watts or kilowatts Good point technically. However, we are talking about resistive power with heater elements. Reactive power is another story not really pertinent to our present moment. It would seem like adding unnecessary confusion to an already not so intuitive subject. With resistive power, why consider reactive effects? Ron Ronald J. La Borde, Metairie, La - rlabor at lsumc.edu Ron Ronald La Borde - Metairie, Louisiana - rlabor at lsumc.edu Return to table of contents
Date: 03 Mar 1998 07:28:46 -0800 From: Dion Hollenbeck <hollen at vigra.com> Subject: Re: Modified RIMS heater / Expanding foam around LT >> the Real Dan writes: Dan> You will have a few problems if you use that expanding foam in Dan> the manner you describe. Filling an enclosed area with a Dan> relatively large amount of expanding foam is counterindicated on Dan> the instructions. You need some minimum air-exposure-area to Dan> volume ratio. The foam requires water vapor and air exposure to Dan> cure. It's pretty expensive per cubic inch, too. It is best used Dan> for sealing seams. This is completely accurate, but there is a way around it. You can lay down a thin layer of foam and let it cure for 6 hours, and then lay down another. In this manner, you CAN fill large voids with foam. But don't get impatient and lay down too much at a time. Practice filling a cardboard box. Then cut it open slicing down through the layers. If you find that any of the foam is still liquid and begins to expand once again, you must use thinner layers. It can be done, but is onerous at best. And if you misjudge, the resulting disaster of foam exanding forever and weeping liquid which continues to expand is horrible to deal with. Take it from one who made this mistake in his house wall and beer fridge. B-} dion - -- Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164 Email: hollen at vigra.com http://www.vigra.com/~hollen Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs San Diego, California Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:48:03 -0600 From: "Brian McHenry" <tbncentralus at email.msn.com> Subject: Re: Beginners Questions Now hear this: >OICPO MORRIS <jamorris at washington.navy.mil> wrote: >Can someone enlighten me as to the need to use dry and >liquid malt extracts together? You don't *need* to use DME and LME together. DME is usually used as a substitute fermentable for corn sugar to prevent your brew from being too thin and cidery tasting. In fact you *could* make a brew just using DME or LME alone. > Can you use two 4 lb. cans of liquid extract for a 5-6 gallon batch? Yes. > Why use grains and hops with hopped liquid malt extract? Because of the processing necessary to produce an extract, some of the proteins, nutrients, enzymes, etc. that contribute to beer's character are lost. Grains are used to replace these things and in some cases are the only way to produce certain flavors like *maltiness* in a German lager. Hopped LME will lose any aroma or flavor contribution from the hop extract during the boil. Fresh hops are used to impart the flavor and aroma which is lost. If an iso-hop is used in the extract then the *bitterness* contribution from the extract may still remain after the boil. >I already have a 5 gallon carboy, but I haven't used it yet. Is a 6 >gallon carboy necessary if you're going to use it as a primary >fermenter? You can use a 5 gallon carboy as a primary but be sure to use a 1.25" od tube as a blowoff instead of using a stopper and airlock. One end of the four foot tube goes in the neck of the carboy and the other end goes in a pail of water. The foam and gunk from the primary will shoot out the tube and into the water. Just dump and replace the water until the primary cools down. As always, sanitize the tube before using, etc. >Should you conduct a secondary fermentation with these >'kits'? Secondary fermentation is almost always a good idea unless you are brewing a *fast* style of beer (i.e. everything is over with in 3-4 days). You will almost always want to add finings to this kind of beer to clear it up before bottling/kegging. Putting it into a secondary allows the beer to clear on its own. >I brewed a batch last year that was in the form of a similar ingredient >kit that I bought at the local supply store using the included >instructions. It finished with excellent taste and carbonation, but no >alcohol content (at least that I could detect - didn't feel a thing even >after 5-6 of 'em). Buy a hydrometer and take your specific gravity readings. Take one reading intially on the wort before you add yeast and another after the fermentation is *over*. Two consecutive identical readings on the hydrometer over a period of two weeks is a pretty good indicator that its done. Then you'll know what alcohol by volume (a.b.v.) you've got in your beer (there's a formula or just use the abv scale on the hydrometer and subtract final from initial). >Obviously, I'm going to order the wrong stuff and I >won't have access to any books until I return home in April. I'd like >for the ingredients to be at the house as soon as I get home so I can >get it started right away. > >In the meantime, I'll have to settle for Foster's lager on the pier in >Jebel Ali, UAE and the advice from all the pros on this list. Hurry up, >John C Stennis! > >Your help is greatly appreciated! >Ron Morris >USS George Washington (CVN 73) > You're welcome. That is all.... Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 09:04:58 -0700 From: Kevin TenBrink <tenbrink at jps.net> Subject: party pig foaming Ira wrote: >>one of the plastic bags did not entirely expand AND >>about halfway through one of another keg, the beer started coming out practically pure foam. I >>had primed it at about 1/3 cup I have been using party pigs for about 2 years now. In the beginning, I also experienced these problems. The best way to rectify the bags not expanding is to shake them up really well before you put them into the pig and activate. To get rid of all that excess foaming, tip the pig up so the spout is on top, put a washcloth or rag over the spout and depress the red button until beer comes out (just like when you first activate the pouch). The foaming is caused by too much air or CO2 being in the pig. As you let the air out, the bag will expand to take up the extra room and dispense the beer with less foam. hope this helps Kevin TenBrink Nine Inch Ales Homebrew Club http://www.jps.net/tenbrink/nineinchales.htm Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 03:05:57 +-1000 From: Andy Walsh <awalsh at crl.com.au> Subject: swap dog for fish Some guy wrote: >After much study, I have determined that dogs are toxic to hbd bandwidth. Hmmm, OK. Dogs should now be considered taboo on HBD (don't mention the C word) For all you animal lovers out there, don't despair, there are plenty more. Maybe homebrew ingredients are toxic to other cuddly friends; why not experiment on your cat? (be sure to report results). I for one, plan on trialing the toxicity of recycled homebrew on tropical fish... Andy (BF = 72%) Return to table of contents
Date-warning: Date header was inserted by mail.usask.ca From: Mark T A Nesdoly <mtn290 at mail.usask.ca> Subject: Allergic to yeast/Filtering help... The ultimate has happened to me...I've become allergic to my beer! I should elaborate a bit: I've slowly grown allergic to the yeast in my beer. My question is what brand/style/etc of filter would you personally recommend? I should mention that I keg my beer in the standard 5 gal coke-style kegs (pin-lock). Also, what size of filter would I need to eliminate most of the yeast, but still leave all the other good things behind? Posted or emailed replies are both fine. If there's sufficient responses, I will compile the results and submit them to the HBD. Thanks in advance, - -- Mark, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 12:24:53 -0500 From: "Frederick L. Pauly" <flp2m at avery.med.virginia.edu> Subject: pH mystery While sparging a mash for an Amber Ale 90% Breiss 2row, 10%Crystal L 60 I taseted a slight astringency in the runoff. Tested my pH at room temp ~ 5.3 So what's the problem? Did a test with 2 small bowls of crushed 2-row. Mixed in some 165F H20 for a mini mash. Let it cool to room temp. Then tested pH with color fast papers. pH of #1 with my city water of low alkilinity filtered for chlorine and boiled to release C02 ~5.3 With #2 I used Spring water, smae pH. The pH of my home water measured 5.8 at room temp the spring water 7.0 Added almost a teaspoon of gypsum to #1, did not budge the pH. Added almost a teaspoon of CaCO3 to #2, did not budge the pH. THis is using about 1 cup of grain in each test batch. How can the pH stay the same??????????? Rick Return to table of contents
Date: 3 Mar 1998 12:55:14 -0500 From: EFOUCH at steelcase.com Subject: Polycarbonate Cement HBD- Dan Schultz commented about Poly Carbonate welding/bonding: " Check with the plastic store. PC cannot be solvent bonded. It will stress crack at the smell of solvents like MEK. " While MEK and Acetone will attack PC causing crazing and stress cracks, I assure you it can quite successfully be cemented or bonded with MeCl2 (Methylene Chloride, or 1,1,- Dichloromethane) Polycarbonate cement is available in cans, containing mostly MeCl2 or another chlorinated solvent (1,1,1,- Trichloroethylene, and Perchloroethlyene work also, I believe) and some residual monomers. Check in McMaster-Carr or Grainger if you want the commercial stuff, but I have had great success using straight MeCl2. It also works on acrylics and styrenes. I have used it to make PC boxes by taping the edges together with Scotch Tape, then running some MeCl2 into the joint with a Q-Tip. After drying, the joint is often stronger than the virgin PC! Disclaimer- I own no stock in any company holding a Trademark name mentioned above. Although MeCl2 has made the list of suspect carcinogens, I have used it for years with no sic! visually sic! sic! apparent side sic! effects sic! wik! (insert head jerk here). Eric Fouch Bent Dick YoctoBrewery Kentwood MI efouch at steelcase.com (where we don't use any MeCl2- except occasionally) "I've got to run now and relax...The doctor told me to relax...The doctor told me....He was the one....He said, "Relax". -Goerge Bush in a press conference at Edwards Air Force Base Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 12:03:11 -0600 (CST) From: Samuel Mize <smize at prime.imagin.net> Subject: George Steinbierer -- owns the Yankees? No, I guess that's George Steinbrenner. Greetings to all, and especially to: > From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com > Subject: Steinbier > Steinbier. I just thought I'd let you all know that I brewed it this > weekend. There were no injuries or loss of property. Very dull. We can fix that for you next time... > The rocks never did glow red... Upon dropping them in the wort we were > somewhat surprised by the lack of violence. ... We did achieve boiling > from a temperature of about 140F (60C), though. ... The wort only boiled > a few minutes after dropping the rocks in... The wort really didn't taste > all that different from the Oktoberfest wort... I must say that the rocks > didn't seem to have much character. I tasted one that wasn't for the > keg and found it to be, um, rock-like. Not too sweet. Did you remove the rocks once they stopped boiling the wort? If you left them in for the rest of the boil, I'd expect any caramelized layer to re-dissolve into the wort. It sounds like the rocks weren't hot enough to get the results you wanted. You need a forced-air fire, like a forge. This should get the fire burning faster and hotter, and heat the rocks hotter. I'd build a forced-air fireplace, then test it well before brew day and make sure it'll do what you want. You could build such a fireplace using a vacuum cleaner as a source of forced air. I'd feel middling confident about digging a fire pit. For an above-ground fireplace I'd have to do some research on materials. Normal fireplace materials may NOT be heat-resistant enough. Put a grill over the fire itself to catch blown embers. Have plenty of water and a couple of fire extinguishers handy in case you blow embers out and start some stray fires. You may want to use charcoal (or even coal) for the primary heat, with some wood for smoke. (You WILL need forced air to get coal to burn.) If you heat randomly-selected rocks red or white hot, they may explode. If you try again with forced air, I'd consult a geology book or geologist about safety. Best, Sam Mize - -- Samuel Mize -- smize at imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada Multi-part MIME message: " ", " ", " " (hands waving) Fight Spam - see http://www.cauce.org/ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 13:48:06 -0500 From: AJ <ajdel at mindspring.com> Subject: Funny Water/iodide Mark D. Lowe asks about the use of the neutralzer/softener combnination. The neutralizer is filled with crushed limestone (unless it is the type that injects lye or sodium carbonate solution). This results in raising water pH (Mark's is 4.8 going in which I think may be outside EPA limits) by dissolving the limestone just as occurs in nature CaCO3 + H+ + HCO3- <--> Ca++ + 2HCO3- (H+ + HCO3- = partially dissociated carbonic acid) The output water is now less acidic but higher in bicarbonates (more alkaline) and calcium (harder). If this water is run through a softener the calcium will be replaced by sodium Ca++ + 2NaResin + 2HCO3- --> 2Na+ + 2HCO3- + CaResin2 The water is now soft and alkaline and completely unsuitable for brewing as the calcium which reacts with malt phosphate to reduce alkalinity is missing. A better approach for the use of this water would be to boil it (pre neutralizer). We are hoping here that the low pH is from carbonic acid and not some other mineral or organic acid. If it is, boiling will get rid of most of it and the pH will go up above 7 possibly approaching 8. H+ + HCO3- ---------> H20 + CO2 heat This high pH will also precipitate the iron if its been oxidized to the +3 state so cool the water after boiling it and then aerate. Ugly brown flecs of gloop should appear which you can filter out with sand or filter paper. Try this process with a small volume of water to see if it works. If boiling the water doesn't raise the pH substantially it's because the water contains an organic acid or a mineral acid other than carbonic or and you should be concerned about its source. In this case use the water from the output of the neutralizer (before the softener). The neutralizer will neutralize some of the acid: 2H+ + 2Anion - + 2CaCO3 <--> 2Ca++ + 2HCO3- + 2Anion- Note that the arrow is two headed. The fact that the neutralizer ouput pH is 5.6 (the _input_ to my neutralizer is at 5.6) means that reaction doesn't go all the way to the right and there are lots of hydrogen ions left. Neverthesless, water at 5.6 is fine for beer making in most cases. If you were to boil it nevertheless (or heat it) you will, as above, drive off CO2: H+ + HCO3- ---------> H20 + CO2 heat And, in addition, precipitate some chalk: 2Ca++ + 2HCO3- + 2Anion- ----> CO2 + H2O + CaCO3 + Ca++ + 2Anion- heat The boiling thus softens the water (and decreases its alkalinity). Yes, a mash pH of 4.8 is considered too low but not terribly so. What is perplexing is that addition of chalk does not fix the problem. Try pulling out a quart of mash and adding chalk to it if fractions of tsp at a time. The chalk must be thoroughly mixed in and some time must be allowed (with mixing) for it to dissolve and react. The pH definitely should rise. If it doesn't, suspect the pH strips. If it does, scale the chalk addition to the size of the rest of the mash and add that amount. 4 tsp should certainly take care of the mash for a 5 gal. batch. I'd suspect that not enough stirring/time was given or the pH measurement is off. RE: SG corrections. Make an ice bath and stick the test jar full of runoff into it. You'll be able to measure SG within a minute or two that way. By the way, I'd love to know where you live. I believe 4.8 to be really low for well water pH. Are you sure about those test strips? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * nathan_l_kanous wrote about iodide ion in table salt. I don't think iodides or organic iodine compounds are that hot for yeast either. In particular, iodoacetate was used as an inhibitor by researcers in the '30's as they elucidated the EMP pathway. Flouride ion is definitely an inhibitor but not apparently too effective an inhibitor at the levels found in most public water supplies. I need to do some reading to be more specific about this. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 16:08:52 EST From: AlannnnT <AlannnnT at aol.com> Subject: wild homebrew gear collection HBDers, I am in the process of creating a page on the web to display the wildest homebrewer setups I can find. The function of the page will be to view one or two pictures of extraordinary equipment and to link to the brewer's own page if he or she has one. It seems that I've found alot of brewers who have great brewing stuff but do not have a web site of their own to showcase their work. We all benefit by getting a look at these creative projects. And, hard as it is to believe, some homebrewers with great equipment ideas are not on the web! If you have or know of, unusual, interesting, exciting or weird homebrew setups, send me a photo or two and and I'll get it on the web. I am especially interested in showing the unusual, not just the fanciest. NOTE: This is not a commercial project, it's just for fun, but I would consider turning into a magazine article some day if any brewer mag wanted it. So, if you don't want it printed just say so. Alan Talman 2 Larkfield Rd. East Northport, NY USA 11731 Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 17:09:42 -0500 (EST) From: Some Guy <pbabcock at oeonline.com> Subject: Canine Power Factor Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager... Dogs lead in a reactive load. Of course, power is toxic to dogs. See ya! Pat Babcock in SE Michigan pbabcock at oeonline.com Home Brew Digest Janitor janitor@hbd.org HBD Web Site http://hbd.org The Home Brewing Page http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/brew.html Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 18:32:09 EST From: OCaball299 <OCaball299 at aol.com> Subject: new batch To the all-knowing collective: I have a problem, which I've seen pass through the HBD in the past, and mostly the response has been "Don't worry".... Well, I guess I'm looking for some reasurance. Last Saturday I completed brewing a 5gal batch of Marzen... yeah, I know it's a little early... but in any event, I've smacked the pack (2308) and a couple of days later it still had not expanded... I thought it was the temp in the house... too cold. So I put the pack on top of my PC Monitor to try and get it heated up... it expanded a little, but not the 1" as is suggested in the instructions. I created the starter and pitched the 2308 into the starter... no action. I figured it did not kick in YET... so I just poured the starter starter into the fermenter with the wort and placed the fermenter in the garage where I could do a lager considering the current temps... In the Chicago area, it's been around 40F. 2 days later, no activity. WHAT'S UP ???? I figured that I would just purchase another pack and start it, then put into the Wort (assuming the first pack was DOA) I also thought that I put the fermenter into too cold an area and the little buggers are dormant still... Last night I brought the fermenter indoors to bring back up to room-temp (65-70F) and started another starter (little redundant) but this time with dry yeast... coudn't wait too much longer. I pitched the starter into the wort this AM, I get home from work and still no activity... Any ideas/suggestions??? I don't want to pour this batch.... TIA P.S. Keep the great info flowing... Long Live the HBD!!! Omar Caballero - Aurora, IL ocaball299 at aol.com "Today is only yesterday's tomorrow" - Uriah Heep So have another Homebrew Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 17:55:41 -0600 From: Scott/Colleen Sutherland <cssuther at swbell.net> Subject: (no subject) I currently have a basic three tier system and am getting tired of dragging it outside to brew. What are the downsides of obtaining gas burners and running gas lines in my basement to brew inside? Any thoughts please send the my way THANKS Scott Sutherland cssuther at swbell.net Return to table of contents
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