HOMEBREW Digest #3698 Thu 02 August 2001

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Kegging vs Bottling (Ant Hayes)
  Taps ("Tom Clark")
  plague/ergot (Mike Vachow)
  Patron Saints of Brewing (Stephen Johnson)
  Improvements to my brewing setup ("John Todd Larson")
  Brew Day Flags ("David Craft")
  Re: St. Arnold, plague, etc (Spencer W Thomas)
  Re: St. Arnold, plague, etc (Pat Babcock)
  Thanks, Pat...I'll drink to that! (Denis Bekaert)
  Re:St. Arnold & St. Nicholas of Myra (Len Safhay)
  Ergot fungus and beer (M340HILL)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 10:05:05 +0200 From: Ant Hayes <Ant.Hayes at FifthQuadrant.co.za> Subject: Kegging vs Bottling Denis Bekaert wrote >The moral of the story is this: if you have ever >thought that kegging your beer was too big a step, >think again...its easy and it will save you an amazing >amount of time and effort Whilst agreeing on the time and effort part - I differ on kegging being easy. I find that bottling gives far greater control over carbonation. I have been kegging for a few years now, and still battle to get a well carbonated beer to pour properly. A beer line is a bit like an old Alfa Romeo - you may love it, but it plays up all the time, one day pouring fine and the next day foam. Ant Hayes Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 09:10:22 -0400 From: "Tom Clark" <rtclark at eurekanet.com> Subject: Taps Well, after some time of lurking, I'll throw in my two cents worth. The military bugle melody "taps" comes from the old Scottish "Do Den Taptoe" (sp). A literal English translation would be "Turn off the taps". At night a military commander would send his piper to march through the nearby town playing this familiar melody as a means of advising the local tavern keepers that it was time to turn off the (beer) taps and send the soldiers back to their barracks. Nowadays, military "taps" means, "Turn off the lights". Either way, it means it is time to quit drinking and go to bed. Over the years "Taptoe" has been modified to "Tatoo" and presently indicates a grand gathering of pipers. Present day "taps" evolved during the Civil war here in the US. There are several popular stories concerning this also but, they have nothing to do with beer. Tom Clark Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 08:54:40 -0500 From: Mike Vachow <vachowm at lfcds.org> Subject: plague/ergot Since so many homebrewers here seem fascinated with plague times, I thought I'd recommend a some good Black Death fiction: The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. This sci-fi time travel novel is several cuts above your average grocery store paperback with some interesting ethical and moral issues woven in, but it's also a ignore-the-phone-neglect-bathing-all-weekend page turner. About ergot: I recall just enough undergrad history to be dangerous. What I recall about ergot is its association with witch scares in Europe and the New World. Some historians argue that the bizarre behavior of many of the women targeted as witches is consistent with the hallucinogenic effects of ergot poisoning. Records from the time describe the women's beatific smiles, a sort of head-thrown back, twirling dance accompanied by shouts of "Jerry! and "Play Ripple!" and "China Cat Sunshine!" Seriously, though, some historians do point toward the coincidence of heavy rains with rye crop harvests and other atmospheric conditions that could have promoted ergot growth. Mike Vachow Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 10:46:30 -0500 From: Stephen Johnson <Stephen.Johnson at vanderbilt.edu> Subject: Patron Saints of Brewing Pat left one saint off the list: Saint Babcock, Patron Saint of Modern Day Homebrewers! Thanks for all the work with the HBD, Pat. Steve Johnson, President Music City Brewers http://www.musiccitybrewers.com/ Hosts of the Sixth Annual Music City Brew-Off, October 27, 2001 Featured Guest: Paul Gatza Stay tuned for more details Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 09:11:51 -0700 From: "John Todd Larson" <larson at amazon.com> Subject: Improvements to my brewing setup I thought I would pass on the sheer joy I have experienced since switching my setup to accommodate 10 gallon batches. Not since I switched to kegging has the enjoyment of my hobby taken such a large step. If you have been considering it, DO IT. It takes the same amount of time and (not surprisingly), I have twice the beer. Pure bliss... Just thought I would pass on my joy and maybe push some of you off the fence. Todd J. Todd Larson Senior Finance Manager, M&A Amazon.com larson at amazon.com (206) 266-4367 Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 13:46:21 -0400 From: "David Craft" <David-Craft at craftinsurance.com> Subject: Brew Day Flags Greetings, There is still interest in the 3'x5' Brew Day Flags. I have run out, but will reorder if I get enough pre-orders. Please go to the "Flea Market" section of HBD.org for more details. Clubs should consider placing group orders. They make great prizes or presents. Please check the "Flea Market" or email me direct for more information. David B. Craft Greensboro, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 14:11:19 -0400 From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu> Subject: Re: St. Arnold, plague, etc >>>>> "Pat" == Pat Babcock <pbabcock at hbd.org> writes: Pat> Also note that the St. Arnold who is the one accepted as a Pat> patron of brewers (St. Arnulf of Metz) lived c580 to Pat> c640. The plague was in the 14th century (~1347). It's Pat> unlikely that St. Arnold had any physical impact on that Pat> event Actually, the first documented plague outbreak in the "western world" started around 540 and cycled up and down for about the next 100 years. So St. Arnulf could very easily have lived through one or more outbreaks of plague. =Spencer Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 15:39:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Pat Babcock <pbabcock at hbd.org> Subject: Re: St. Arnold, plague, etc On Wed, 1 Aug 2001, Spencer W Thomas wrote: > Actually, the first documented plague outbreak in the "western world" > started around 540 and cycled up and down for about the next 100 > years. So St. Arnulf could very easily have lived through one or more > outbreaks of plague. First documented pandemic in which plague was implicated was in 430 BC Greece, actually - but point well taken: Arnuf could have lived through _a_ plague. Interesting how I/we automatically assumed "The Black Plague"... (The first "documented" plague implication was in 1000BC. Plague's another interest sparked by a grade school science fair project. Don't ask...) - -- - See ya! Pat Babcock in SE Michigan pbabcock at hbd.org Home Brew Digest Janitor janitor@hbd.org HBD Web Site http://hbd.org The Home Brew Page http://hbd.org/pbabcock "The monster's back, isn't it?" - Kim Babcock after I emerged from my yeast lab Saturday Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 14:31:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Denis Bekaert <Denis-B at rocketmail.com> Subject: Thanks, Pat...I'll drink to that! Once again Pat has come through for us...now, instead of one or two Saints to toast, we have at least eleven of them! Let's all raise a toast (or two) to each of them, just in case, since we don't know which is primary in keeping the beasties in our brew at bay. I'll drink to that, regardless of my religious affiliation... Thanks, Pat... Denis in Beechgrove, Tennessee where Moonshine is our history but homebrewing is our passion Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 18:19:34 -0400 From: Len Safhay <cloozoe at optonline.net> Subject: Re:St. Arnold & St. Nicholas of Myra With all due respect to the estimable Fritz Maytag, there are quite a few patron saints of brewing, including St Arnold (aka Arnulf of Metz) and St. Nicholas of Myra (aka Santa Claus). Some of the others are Sts. Amand, Augustine, Barbara, Boniface, Florian, Lawrence, Luke, Medard and Wenceslaus. Arnold also takes care of millers, music and helps to find lost articles, and Nicholas of Myra has all kinds of responsibilities including, but not limited to, old maids, longshoremen and pawnbrokers. Clearly brewing is much too important a pursuit to be left in the hands of a single patron. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 23:56:12 EDT From: M340HILL at aol.com Subject: Ergot fungus and beer Slightly off the beerten path I just saw a television program that mentioned Ergot fungus. As related to people thought to be either witches or possesed of the devil. The effects of Ergot seem to be similar to LSD but worse. The affects came from eating bread made from the affected rye. So beer probably would not Help. The program tried to corelate the persecution of witches in medival times in Europe with weaher patterns favorable to Ergot infection of the rye crop. SeeYa-- Mark Hill Bloatarian Brewing League And whether we can hear it or not the universe is laughing behind our backs! Return to table of contents
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