HOMEBREW Digest #4042 Mon 16 September 2002


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Contents:
  Re: Faucet drip trays (Svlnroozls)
  Converting refrigerators ("Parker Dutro")
  Beet sugar (Tidmarsh Major)
  Drip Trays (Nathan Kanous)
  RE: Faucet drip trays ("David Houseman")
  Sake Brewing and Lactic Acid ("pksmith_morin1")
  pretzel sale (Jeff Renner)
  Re: freezer problems (EdgeAle) (David Towson)
  re: Faucet drip trays (John Bowerman)
  HERMS project ("Kirk McDonald")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 00:24:31 EDT From: Svlnroozls at aol.com Subject: Re: Faucet drip trays Dion, Got a wood plank, a jigsaw, a router, some sand paper and varnish? Know someone who has them? Heck, if you wanted to, you could make it out of wood, then cast it in resin so it would be totally waterproof and last longer than your great-grandchildren. And you could cast a bunch of them and sell them (You've seen how much people sell those other ones for!). On second thought, how much would you pay for a nice cast-resin custom-made drip tray? For you, only $100. C.T. Los Anguhleez, CA In a message dated 9/13/02 9:11:14 PM, Dion Hollenbeck <hollen at woodsprite.com> writes: << Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 15:25:55 -0700 From: Dion Hollenbeck <hollen at woodsprite.com> Subject: Faucet drip trays I have a 3" diameter faucet tower with 4 faucets on it. Two faucets are one one level, and the other two are about 2" higher, and rotated slightly so that they pour between the lower faucets. Each pair of faucets on a single level are seperated by about 45 degrees of angle. I would like to obtain a sort of kidney bean shaped drip tray, but the only ones I have seen for sale are $150 and up. YIKES!! Does anyone know of cheaper ones, or some other substitute that is not necessarily meant as a drip tray but will do the job? thanks, dion >> Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 00:24:20 -0700 From: "Parker Dutro" <ezekiel128 at edwardwadsworth.com> Subject: Converting refrigerators I just inherited a dorm room type fridge from my school and I need info. It's an older unit, called an Ariston, made in Italy, 115 or 150 volts. It's one of those brown jobs you would expect to see in a teachers lounge or in a trailer, fake wood panels. It wasn't working well, but was working. I wonder if anyone can share info or refer me somewhere for help. I am trying to figure out how to "charge" the thing or tune it up so it works, figure out what, if anything, is malfunctioning, and then whether it's convertible with the temp. control devices made for brewers. Can fridges be used for lagering or is it freezers? Can a ghetto old 115 volt brown thing be worth it, or might it be garbage? Thanks. Parker Dutro "Excuse me doctor, but I think I know a little something about medicine!" -Homer Simpson Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 06:53:41 -0500 From: Tidmarsh Major <tidmarsh at comcast.net> Subject: Beet sugar As another possible source of beet sugar for Belgian-style beers, the grocery store here in Tuscaloosa has a German food section (thanks I'm sure to the nearby Mercedes plant). In that section there is a sugar beet syrup that might be a reasonable substitute for light candi sugar. Has anyone tried this substitution? Tidmarsh Major Tuscaloosa, Ala. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 07:01:04 -0700 From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous at pharmacy.wisc.edu> Subject: Drip Trays Good Morning, Dion Hollenbeck asks about drip trays. I too had been searching for that beautiful stainless drip tray that cost far less than anything on the open market (even a 1 tap tray runs approx $40). One Sunday morning I went to get a cup of coffee after the service at church and discovered that the folks at church don't like drips any more than beer drinkers (they're just catching coffee and not beer. They had "reconditioned" 2-liter soda bottles. Cut off the smallest part of the neck. On the tapered portion of the bottle, cut a hole large enough to fit over the tap (I have to "thread" mine over the faucet then over the handle which is only about 2 inches long....or 5 cm). Cut the remainder of the bottle vertically down the "sides" leaving a piece about 6 inches wide that comes down from the "hanger". At the bottom of the bottle, cut around from one vertical cut to the other leaving the bottom of the bottle intact. Voila', a drip tray. It's "L" shaped with a bit of the taper of the top of the bottle remaining at the top of the "L". It's not pretty. It's not stainless. It works great. It's easy to clean. They're easy to make and I'm notably very frugal. Good Luck. nathan in madison, wi Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 08:04:57 -0400 From: "David Houseman" <housemanfam at earthlink.net> Subject: RE: Faucet drip trays Dion says "I would like to obtain a sort of kidney bean shaped drip tray,..." Hey Dion, this sounds like those SS trays that sat by my hospital bed back when I had my appendix out...Perhaps medical supply sources? Dave Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 07:12:33 -0500 From: "pksmith_morin1" <pksmith_morin1 at msn.com> Subject: Sake Brewing and Lactic Acid Hello everyone - To the sake brewers out there: I am making a sake, using the traditional yamahai-moto (natural lactic acid development, not added lactic acid). On day 4 after starting the moto, day 2 after pitching the yeast, the moto is what I would term sharply sour. Not an unpleasant sharpness, really, and not "vinegary," but sharp nevertheless. My concern is that, if my memory serves me well, lactic acid takes longer than a couple of days to kick off, typically, up to 3-4 weeks (in breweries or wineries, any way, where it's not wanted), and that its character is not as sharp as that engendered by other beasties - i.e., acetobacter and acetic acid - in fact, tons of diacetyl often usually accompany. I have not observed any ropiness or surface pellicular growth, as I've seen with acetobacter. Bottom line: does this sound like I'm screwed? Or is this normal for a moto? This is a ceremonial batch for an upcoming event for my martial arts organization, and I will gladly start over, unless this is a-ok. Thanks. Paul Smith Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 12:45:25 -0400 From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at comcast.net> Subject: pretzel sale I get a fair number of private emails asking about pretzel salt availability. I was considering buying a bag (25 lb. or 50 or 80, whatever it comes in) of it with my next flour order (1250 lbs) and selling it to brewers at cost, but then I did a google search and found some mail order sources. Don't know anything about them or what shipping would be. Also can't vouch that what they call pretzel salt is the real mccoy, but I assume it is. http://www.concessionstands.com/items.asp?Cc=PREACCES 2 lb. jar for $3.82 http://www.theingredientstore.com/generalstore/misc-800/ 5 lbs for $3.70. http://www.barryfarm.com/salts.htm 2 lbs. for $1.19 If the last one has good shipping costs, it would seem to be the way to go. If anyone orders, please post so others will know. Jeff - -- Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net "One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943 Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 19:57:22 -0400 From: David Towson <dtowson at comcast.net> Subject: Re: freezer problems (EdgeAle) In HBD 4041, Dana asks: >The freezer I keep my hops in is having problems. It is set to its coldest >setting and is > normally quite cold but occasionally it warms up to ~45F. > >I suspect that the limit switch for the defrosting heaters are bad. Does this >sound right to >those of you with practical experience with freezers? Any suggestions on >testing this >hypothosis/fixing the problems? I think it is much more likely that the contacts on the defrost timer have been chewed up by arcing to the point they are occasionally sticking together and extending the defrost cycle. The compartment should not get hot enough to cause the limit switches to operate if the timer is working correctly. You can remove the timer and open the cover to inspect the contacts, and you can achieve a *temporary* fix by cleaning them with fine sandpaper if you first determine that appears to be the problem. But you want to get right on this, as defrost heaters can be quite expensive, and in some cases, quite difficult to replace. I put off doing this for my hops fridge until the heater burned out due to a stuck timer. The limit switch failed to operate in time because of corrosion that had built up between its sensing surface and the metal bottom of the freezer compartment. The replacement heater cost $94, and was *very* hard to get interleaved with the evaporator (cooling coil). I was just waiting for the telltale his of escaping Freon from a broken line the whole time I was horsing the coil around to get the heater in place. It was not a fun time. I'm pleased to say I pulled it off, but I sincerely hope to never do it again. Act now, and don't delay! Good luck. Dave in Bel Air, Maryland Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 01:53:10 -0700 From: John Bowerman <bowerman at cvc.net> Subject: re: Faucet drip trays You might check surgical supply outfits for something called a kidney tray or kidney dish (stainless of course). Entertaining conversation piece . . . . In HBD 4041, Fri, 13 Sep 2002, Dion Hollenbeck wrote: >I would like to obtain a sort of kidney bean shaped drip tray, but the only >ones I have seen for sale are $150 and up. YIKES!! Does anyone know of >cheaper ones, or some other substitute that is not necessarily meant as a >drip tray but will do the job? Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 21:12:36 +0930 From: "Kirk McDonald" <kirem at ihug.com.au> Subject: HERMS project I am starting on the process of building a PC controlled HERMS. I am looking for information on the right length, number of turns etc that can be calculated for the heat exchanger? I know I could just do it by trial and error, but if it can be calculated then I would be much happier. Regards, Kirk Return to table of contents
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