HOMEBREW Digest #4180 Tue 25 February 2003


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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Promash and Weyermann ("Braam Greyling")
  Red Stripe recipe? ("Brian Morgan")
  RTDs ("A. J. delange")
  RE: Newbie needs help (Brian Trotter)
  [Competition Announcement] - 7th Annual CARBOY Shamrock Open ("Mike Dixon")
  Re: Newbie needs help (Larry Bristol)
  Re: Guinness Bottles (Todd Goodman)
  liquid quick disconnects (Marc Sedam)
  Where did my bitterness go? (Brian Lundeen)
  two-probe taps (Marc Sedam)
  RE WLP005 (David Passaretti)
  Grist/Water raito & False bottoms (Bill Tobler)
  RE: RTD calibration/correction ("Reddy, Pat")
  electric vs. lp (PVanslyke)
  RIMs Design ("Vernon, Mark")
  The Bill Wible problem demands immediate action (Alan Meeker)
  1st Annual Niagara Big Beer Competition ("Todd M. Snyder")
  Microwave HERMS ("Steve Alexander")
  Inventing brewpubs ("Blanchard, Steven B")
  agar plates (Randy Ricchi)
  Leaking spigots ("Chris Eidson")
  Widget (Pat Babcock)
  Re: Inventing brewpubs (Pat Babcock)
  Lager ("Gilbert Milone")
  Party Pig and staling (BrianS)
  RE: passivation ("Mike Sharp")
  Pressure (George & Lola)
  American Homebewers Association BoA elections (Jeff Renner)
  Lagering in Corny Kegs ("Berggren, Stefan")
  Cleaning ad filtering ("Eyre")
  RE: OLD Ale (Inland-Gaylord)" <BSmith51 at ICCNET.COM>
  RE: RTD calibration/correction ("Mike Sharp")
  mashing question from a lurker ("redbeard47.ny")
  samichlaus in columbus? (mike spinelli)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 10:03:16 +0200 From: "Braam Greyling" <braam.greyling at azoteq.com> Subject: Promash and Weyermann Hi all, I finally took the plunge and bought Promash. I remember a while ago, a Promash database containing the specifications of Weyermann malts floated around. Can somebody mail that to me PLEASE ? Pls mail it directly, the HBD don't do attachments. :-) Regards Braam Greyling Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 06:39:54 -0500 From: "Brian Morgan" <brian-morgan at cinci.rr.com> Subject: Red Stripe recipe? Hi - I have never tried making a lager before - and would like to try making something like a Red Stripe Lager... But can't find a recipe. Do any of you experts have a recipe for a Red Stripe clone? Preferably all grain? Thanks - Brian in Cincinnati Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:30:53 +0000 From: "A. J. delange" <ajdel at cox.net> Subject: RTDs RTDs are not linear devices. The non-linearity varies and your controller should allow you to set the proper coefficient for the device you have. The RTD manufacturer should specify the correct value to use. A.J. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 04:55:20 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Trotter <sandinmysuds at yahoo.com> Subject: RE: Newbie needs help AM writes: "Regarding spigots, I have purchased two of these so far, not from williams brewing though, but they have a picture: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/AB1605000Store/images/E39.JPG they both leak, in the time I took me to bottle fill 5 gallons worth of beer I lost probably 2 pints to leakage. Is this typical? Can anyone recommend a spigot to fits a 1" diameter hole that won't leak?" I have solved the spigot problem you pose. The spigot is a flawed design to begin with (IMO) since the bucket surface is curved and the mating surface of the spigot is flat. The trick is to put a set of channel-lock (large adjustable) pliers on the inside nut and REALLY torque that puppy down. You'd be surprised how much "oomph" it will take. Hand-tight just won't seal it properly. Leak check it with water after you torque it, continue to tighten it down until it won't leak and sanitize the inside. Also, those rubber gaskets tend to dry-rot after 6 months or so and need to be replaced. That may be a function of the climate here in Hawaii, but they only cost 50 cents, so I keep several on-hand. Hope this helps. Aloha, Brian Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 08:03:39 -0500 From: "Mike Dixon" <mpdixon at ipass.net> Subject: [Competition Announcement] - 7th Annual CARBOY Shamrock Open The 7th Annual CARBOY Shamrock Open will be held March 15 in Raleigh, NC. Entry fees will be $6 for the first entry and $5 for each additional entry. Online entries are preferred. Final day for registration is March 9, and mail in entries must be received by March 7. No late entries will be accepted. The website has all the gory details www.hbd.org/carboy/shamrock.htm including contact information for the Organizer and Judge Director. While there please check out the sponsors for this event. We welcome anyone to enter, or to assist as a judge or steward. We do not descriminate against people with RIMS, HERMS, or users of dry yeast. So long as you get your entry in on time, the bottle is appropriate, the cap has no markings, the label is secured with a rubber band, and you sent in a check for the appropriate amount of entries...the more the merrier. This is the second qualifying event for Carolinas Brewer of the Year, and the competition is registered with both the AHA and the BJCP. Cheers, Mike Dixon Wake Forest, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 08:23:33 -0600 From: Larry Bristol <larry at doubleluck.com> Subject: Re: Newbie needs help > Wow, I am new to the HDB and judging by the archives this looks like an > incredible resource, I look forward to any feedback. It is. You will get plenty of feedback. But don't forget to search those archives for answers to your questions without having to ask! > I will be brewing my third beer ever in a week or so but I have a > question about trub and hops, especially pellets. It seems to be an > incredible pain in the butt trying to strain out the hop particles and > trub from the wert boil when transferring to primary fermenter -- how > important is it to remove this crap from the wert before the addition > of yeast? I'm thinking about just fermenting with the dissolved hop > pellets and not worrying about it. This is not a good idea. During the boil of the wort (it is pronounced "wert", BTW, but not spelled that way), various compounds drop out of solution. This stuff is known as hot break. When the wort is cooled, other stuff drops out, known as cold break. Removing this material before fermentation is important to the finished flavor of the beer as well as its shelf life. If you are trying to STRAIN this stuff out, I can imagine what a PITA it must be! There are various other techniques to simplify this task. One of the simplest is to whirlpool the wort after it has been cooled. This is nothing more than stirring it vigoroursly in one direction so that it makes a whirlpool. When you stop, the solid materials will tend to congregate in the center of the pot. Siphon the wort from the edge, trying not to disturb the gunk in the middle. If you actually could remove the break separately, leaving the spent hops would not be nearly as important. (After all, hops are sometimes added to beer in the fermenter.) Spent hops and any break material that gets through will settle out rapidly, and you can easily get rid of them in a couple of days (you DO rack the beer into a secondary fermenter, right?). Depending on a couple of factors (such as how long you boiled them), leaving spent hops in the wort during fermentation will have some impact on the hop characteristics of the finished beer - it might be good, bad, or indifferent. > 1)screw top beer bottles: can these be capped just like bottles that > require a bottle opener to remove the cap? Does the cap seal properly > or are screw top bottle useless? Many years ago, I was told that screw top bottle are to be avoided completely. I vaguely recall that it had more to do with a lack of strength in the bottles themselves rather than the cap seal. Perhaps the collective has newer wisdom. > 2)Bottles that lack a sufficient lip that a hand capper can grasp, do > some breweries use this type of bottle on purpose just to drive people > crazy? (because you never realize you can't cap them until they are > already filled with your freshly primed beer) Bench cappers don't have > trouble with these, I realize, but I only have the "emily capper". I think your last sentence answers your own question! :-) - -- Larry Bristol The Double Luck Bellville, TX http://www.doubleluck.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:35:42 -0500 From: Todd Goodman <tsg at bonedaddy.net> Subject: Re: Guinness Bottles * In HBD #4179, "robertjm at hockeyhockeyhockey.com" <robertjm at hockeyhockeyhockey.com> wrote: > > The widget contains CO2 that is released when you open a Guiness bottle, so > there's no way to gain any type of benefit from a used widget. > > Here's an indepth article URL that talks about Guiness and their widgets: > > http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,49020,00.html > > Robert While I've read the same article (and others) I don't come to the same conclusion. It seems to me that counter-pressure filling the bottle will force whatever gas you're using and beer into the widget. Once opened, the gas seeking equilibrium will shoot through the tiny hole causing a stream of beer/gas into the beer in the bottle and resulting in a mini-pocket-beer-engine effect. So I do believe a used widget is useful and that it's a common misconception that the widget it somehow filled with gas aside from what happens during presurized bottling. Of course trying to sanitize a used widget would be a nightmare. This calls for a 'speriment though... Regards, Todd Goodman Still assembling the relocated brewery in Westford, MA [630.3, 84] Apparent Rennerian Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:39:48 -0500 From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu> Subject: liquid quick disconnects I'm finally getting ready to create my brewery stand. While I would love to have it hard-piped, I'm thinking that using some reinforced plastic tubing is the answer. I tried to find liquid quick disconnects at Lowe's but only found them for 5/8" hose. Does anyone know a source of these for the more traditional 1/2" brewery-sized applications? I'm looking for 4-5 sets. Cheers! - -- Marc Sedam Chapel Hill, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 10:19:35 -0600 From: Brian Lundeen <BLundeen at rrc.mb.ca> Subject: Where did my bitterness go? Sorry to be misleading, my personality isn't improving, I'm referring to the bitterness of my latest batch, an IPA. Between the FWH Cascade and Hersbrucker, and the 60 minute addition of EK Goldings, I got a ProMash estimate of 47 IBU. Now, I know that my local vendor of Cascade doesn't put accurate AA measurements on his hops, but that might only account for a 5 IBU drop. In any case, a taste of the clear wort that went into the fermenter showed plenty of underlying bitterness (plenty for my tastes, anyway) after the sweetness of the 1.060 wort had passed. At racking to secondary this weekend, the gravity was down to 1.020 and I expected the bitterness to be even more noticeable. Instead, I got something closer to Alexander Keith's. What happened? Only two things went into the wort after I had tasted it. The yeast, Wyeast Northwest Ale, and my standard addition of lysozyme to guard against lactobacillus, so I figure one of them has to be the culprit. One would not expect a yeast named after a region of the country where the standard beer glass includes a hopback to drastically reduce the hoppiness of a beer, would one? So I'm looking at the lysozyme as the more likely culprit. In doing some reading recently, it has been mentioned that lysozyme binds with phenolics in red wine, acting much like a light egg white fining, which to me is not a bad thing, taking a bit of the edge off. The question is, are hop bittering compounds phenolics? Did I inadvertently "pre-fine" my beer into the insipid state it is currently in? Cheers Brian Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:42:58 -0500 From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu> Subject: two-probe taps I was given a two-probe keg by someone in my local HB club. I would like to take the tap valve (the one in the keg, not what you attach to it) out of the keg to [a] release pressure, and [b] convert the keg to other uses. Can someone give me some tips on how to take this out? Vice grips aren't working. - -- Marc Sedam Chapel Hill, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 06:45:33 -0800 (PST) From: David Passaretti <dpassaretti at yahoo.com> Subject: RE WLP005 I have used this yeast many times in the past with similar findings. It tends to ferment slowly and leaves a relatively high FG. This can be helped by rousing the yeast several times a day after the first few days. I think perhaps the yeast is very flocculent and some drops prior to completing the fermentation. Just my experience, no science or inside knowledge. David Passaretti Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:11:37 -0600 From: Bill Tobler <wctobler at sbcglobal.net> Subject: Grist/Water raito & False bottoms I have a question on the grist/water ratio and how I brew. From just doing a lot of reading and talking to people, a decent grist/water ratio for most brewing is 1.3 qts/lb, and that is what I use. Well, kinda. I have a HERMS with a false bottom in the mash tun, and there is a gallon's worth of space under the f/b. My system circulates the mash liquid during the whole mash. What I've been doing is (Using Promash) figuring the amount of water needed for the mash, then adding one gallon. This usually brings up the ratio to about 1.5 My question, is this really a 1.3 or a 1.5 grist/water ratio. Up until a few weeks ago, I was thinking that only the liquid in contact with the mash counts. When I posted a question about setting the grain bed early in the mash, Steve A. gave a great response and explained that the grist bed is not the hub of enzyme activity in the mash. The enzyme's and starches are extracted early on in the mash and most action happens in the 1st wort, not the grist bed. Do you count the space under the false bottom? I'm starting to rethink this and am thinking my true ratio is the higher number of 1.5, and I should quit adding the extra water. I get pretty good efficiency, usually between 78 and 80%. But, my beers do seem to be lacking in body a little, but it's hard to tell as I make a lot of lite largers. Thanks in advance. I have to go fill some bottles for the Bluebonnet Brew-off in Dallas. I'm a little behind. Bill Tobler Lake Jackson, TX (1129.7, 219.9) Apparent Rennerian Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:21:36 -0600 From: "Reddy, Pat" <Pat.Reddy at mavtech.cc> Subject: RE: RTD calibration/correction David Passaretti wrote: > I thought that RTD probes were self-calibrating and would not require correction like a TC. David, Are you by any chance using an RTD probe with only 2 leads? The third lead in a 3-wire RTD probe provides feedback to compensate for the change in resistance due to temperature. Look here for a more information: http://www.microchip.com/download/appnote/power/00687a.pdf Pat Reddy Controls Engineer MAVERICK Technologies pat.reddy at mavtech.cc Pat Reddy MAVERICK Technologies (618)281-9100 x134 pat.reddy at mavtech.cc Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 10:51:50 EST From: PVanslyke at aol.com Subject: electric vs. lp Good morning, Has anyone collected energy usage and cost efficiency comparing electric brewing with propane? Including cost of construction? Paul ( still in a brewing hiatus in Deposit, NY ) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:56:08 -0600 From: "Vernon, Mark" <mark at PleasantStreet.com> Subject: RIMs Design In HBD #4179 Dion Hollenbeck recommends to put the temp probe on you RIMs on the output side of the heating element, this way you avoid overheating your wort. I have been using my RIMs for several years and have my probe on the output of the Kettle. I have had problems my attenuation over my last 1/2 dozen batches. Question for the RIMs brewers here, what is the location of your temp probe? I am in the process of designing/building a new stand and want to know if I need to move the temp probe? Mark Vernon - West of Rennerian prime I'ts friking freezing in here!!! -- Dr. Evil Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 10:51:35 -0500 From: Alan Meeker <ameeker at mail.jhmi.edu> Subject: The Bill Wible problem demands immediate action Bill posts outrageous statements then claims to have experienced some sort of epiphany and now says that he sees he was in the wrong. He further tries to deflect criticism and scrutiny by pledging to contribute to the HBD. Well, I for one am not falling for it. Don't let him fool you, we've seen this type of behavior too often. The pattern here is unmistakable and unacceptable to the greater homebrewing community. Obviously Bill cannot be trusted and the HBD should immediately send in inspectors to check for equipment of mass brewing (EMB) and stockpiles of liquid yeast that reliable intelligence sources indicate he is hiding. In addition, incontrovertible evidence has come to light of Bill's direct involvement with Anheiser Busch. It is our belief that until such time as Bill has proven himself to be trustworthy that strict sanctions be imposed to block his access to homebrewing supplies, as well as "dual use" items such as thermometers and turkey fryers. His recent attempt at procuring an aluminum hop back clearly shows his true intentions to acquire EMB. This threat cannot be ignored. We must act now. If he isn't stopped then we'll just end up with another Jethro Gump on our hands. -Alan Lazy Eight Attobrewery "Where the possibilities are limitless" Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 11:33:52 -0500 From: "Todd M. Snyder" <tmsnyder at buffalo.edu> Subject: 1st Annual Niagara Big Beer Competition Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Niagara Association of Homebrewers is pleased to announce the 1st ANNUAL NIAGARA BIG BEER Competition. It's BIG BEERS for a cold winter! What better to warm your hearts between Valentines Day and St. Patrick's Day than a BIG BEER competition?! Nothing less than 1.075 starting gravity will be accepted. Select from BJCP categories IPA, Old Ale, Scotch Ale, Barleywine, Russian Imperial, Dopplebock, Eisbock, Foreign Extra Stout, Weizenbock, Dubbel, Tripel, Belgian Strong Ale, Biere de Garde, Saison. Sorry, no Meads or Ciders. Entries are accepted from February 14th (Valentines day, don't forget) through March 12, 2003 with judging and awards ceremony on March 15th. Entry fee is $5 per 2 bottle entry. For more information: www.niagarabrewers.org Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:09:31 -0500 From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Microwave HERMS Ron LaBorde says , >I still dream about this wild crazy system where I >have a plastic tubing coil inserted into a microwave >oven and use the microwave as the heating device. >Cannot figure how to safely input and output the vinyl >tubing without causing possible microwave radiation. >Any ideas mucho appreciated. You make a pair of baffles of small plumbing fitting thru the bulkhead using a plastic fitting on the interior wall and copper from the midwall outward including several 90degree turns. You won't pick up much RF assuming you aren't hanging any copper fixtures inside. What you do pick up will be reduced further in the external copper baffles. I can't recall exactly, but my recollection is that household M-waves operate in the neighborhood of 3Ghz so the wavelength is around 4 inches. Make the fitting diam much smaller than 1/2 wavelength (I'd shoot for 1/2" diam or less) you'll most of the RF in the turns. I've seen such modifications to a home microwave used by another physics grad student - deceased friend of mine [gravity got him, not microwaves - bad parachute!]. You'd definitely want a microwave power meter to measure leakage *regularly*. Roughly as dangerous as pressurized steam systems IMO. I do NOT recommended modifying microwave ovens in this way - It can be done but it's not for the casual amateur and the dangers are largely invisible - especially after your corneas cloud over. Biggest problem is this - home Mwaves run around 1KW of RF power input. That's not much power. 1kW will increase the temp of 1gal of water by 3.78C per minute (1L by 14.3C/min) , and if you are performing a 5gal mash of normal gravity beer w/ normal thickness mash you'd approach 1C/min boost rate with a 1KW power source which is marginal IMO. Not useful for larger batches etc. Anyway I can't see a large-living Cajun brewer (apologies if I miss my guess here Ron, meant as a compliment not otherwise) being satisfied with a dainty little 1KW mash power source. It's a nice idea for small test batches but ... I also mentioned some open questions about microwave mashes. Microwaves in the oven-type freq have been used to cause selective protein rearrangements. IOW a home microwave might denature your enzymes ! I've performed some step mashes in small scale (~1 gal) using the microwave to step from low saccharification (60-65C) to hi-sacchr & mashout, and I didn't have any starch problems, but it *might* play havoc with some of the enzymes used as a HERMs. You should test that further before investing. -S Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:12:13 -0500 From: "Blanchard, Steven B" <stblanch at iupui.edu> Subject: Inventing brewpubs Patrick Twohy wrote: Berkeley, Calif.'s Mayor Tom Bates has taken credit for inventing brew pubs. The student newspaper had this the other day: "I was the person who created and founded the whole idea of brew pubs," Bates said. "It's an idea that has caught on across the country and around the world." Here all this time I assumed Al Gore had invented brewpubs! Steve Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:52:18 -0500 From: Randy Ricchi <rricchi at houghton.k12.mi.us> Subject: agar plates Cynmar Corporation has pre-poured, sterile agar plates on their website, and I'm a little confused as to which type to get for streaking out yeast. Among others, they have malt extract agar plates, 30 for $29.25, and then they have "universal beer agar" plates, 30 for $11.30. I assume the malt extract agar plates would be okay for my use, but what about the universal beer agar plates? Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 17:54:24 +0000 From: "Chris Eidson" <eidsonc at hotmail.com> Subject: Leaking spigots I use a similar spigot on my bottling bucket, but replaced the seals with o-ring seals made by Zymico for their no-drill bulkhead for a rubbermaid cooler. I believe I bought it from Brewer's Rendezvous in CA, although I am not %100 sure. A google search for Zymico would send you in the right direction, however. Hope this helps. Chris Eidson Birmingham, AL PS You can always use the following technique to remove hop pellets from your wort: Stir the cooled wort into a whirlpool, allow to settle, and siphon off from the side of the vessel. The hop pellets and trub get drawn into a cone shape by the whirlpool. Pretty effective, easy, and will make your finished product taste better. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 14:33:20 -0500 (EST) From: Pat Babcock <pbabcock at hbd.org> Subject: Widget robertjm at hockeyhockeyhockey.com> wrote: > The widget contains CO2 that is released when you open a Guiness bottle, so > there's no way to gain any type of benefit from a used widget. > > Here's an indepth article URL that talks about Guiness and their widgets: > > http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,49020,00.html Yeah. Wired.com is where _I_ go to learn about beer, too. Right :^) Go take a peek at this, based on the actual patents and some "deconstruction" http://hbd.org/brewniversity/engineering/widget/ - -- - God bless America! 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 [18, 92.1] Rennerian "I don't want a pickle. I just wanna ride on my motorsickle" - Arlo Guthrie Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 15:04:12 -0500 (EST) From: Pat Babcock <pbabcock at hbd.org> Subject: Re: Inventing brewpubs Patrick Twohy wrote: > Berkeley, Calif.'s Mayor Tom Bates has taken credit for > inventing brew pubs. > > The student newspaper had this the other day: > > "I was the person who created and founded the whole idea > of brew pubs," Bates said. "It's an idea that has > caught on across the country and around the world." I'm assuming, of course, that this man Bates was, at one time or another, a Clinton cabinet member? I mean, where else could he have refined that skill? - -- - God bless America! 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 [18, 92.1] Rennerian "I don't want a pickle. I just wanna ride on my motorsickle" - Arlo Guthrie Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 14:11:45 -0500 From: "Gilbert Milone" <gilbertmilone at hotmail.com> Subject: Lager Hello everyone, First of all thanks to everyone who has helped me with all my = problems the "house flavor", the keg corrosion, and finding new kegs. Now onto my question. I am brewing my first Lager. It is a simple american lager, withwyeast 2035. My primary ferment is taking place at 48 degrees for two weeks.Then I will bring it into room temperature for two days for the dyictel(sp)rest. I've read a lot of places that 2ndary should be 10 deg colder then primary, do I have to bring the temp down gradually or can I just put it in my fridge(35)deg ? Thanks for the help -Gil Milone Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 11:19:39 -0800 From: BrianS <schar at cardica.com> Subject: Party Pig and staling After my disastrous misadventure in full-scale kegging some years ago (one I am not going to repeat!), I have been bottling my beer with good results. However, since I've stepped up to 10-gallon batches, that means I have twice the beer to bottle. I have been thinking about buying a couple of Party Pigs and using them for some of the beer, and bottling the rest for competitions, gifts, and so forth. My primary concern with the Party Pig is how fast the beer goes stale after the pig is "tapped". I'm afraid that the last beer out of the pig might be getting stale by the time I get to drink it. Is this a valid concern? What is the experience of Party Pig users out there? Brian Schar Belmont, CA [2047.2, 273.8] Apparent Rennerian Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 11:23:43 -0800 From: "Mike Sharp" <rdcpro at hotmail.com> Subject: RE: passivation Kevin Haborak responds to my suggestions for passivation "All acids are corrosive, assuming you have the same amount of acid mixed in the same amount of water phosphoric is much more corrosive than HCl (muratic). Probably the most accessible weaker acids will be carbonic acid (any soda), citric (lemon juice) or lactic acid from the LHBS. Also, you could dilute any of the stronger acids so that they will be less corrosive than the weaker acids." I think citric acid will work but I don't believe lactic acid will be effective at passivation. I've always used nitric, because it removes surface iron, which helps prevent that "rusty look" that the OP was talking about. I think the issue with corrosiveness for HCL is in Stainless Steel's susceptibility to chloride pitting corrosion, which defeats the purpose of passivation. I don't believe that dilute Phosphoric acid has that problem, but my reason for mentioning it is that it seems to be more commonly available than nitric acid. I'm not sure at all whether Phosphoric would work in any case. In a private email, I was told that the welder did indeed use a non-stainless filler for the weld, though, so I doubt that any of this would help at all in this case. Regards, Mike Sharp Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 13:35:41 -0600 From: George & Lola <georgelola at netscape.net> Subject: Pressure If I completely sealed my fermenter. But had enough sugar and whatever to keep my yeast alive let's say indefinitely. How much pressure could the yeast create in my fermenter before the pressure killed them. I understand that the internal pressure of the yeast would go up with the pressure of the fermenter. Would their even be a limit as long as the pressure was held steady? Thanks in Advance George Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 14:41:09 -0500 From: Jeff Renner <jeffrenner at comcast.net> Subject: American Homebewers Association BoA elections AHA members (and non-members, as far as that goes) It's that time of year again to elect three members of the AHA Board of Advisors. The AHA has become member-driven over the last few years. I know - both as a member since 1980 and as a board member for a year. For this to be meaningful, we need to have high participation in electing your board. Full candidate statements are at http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/election.html with a link to the ballot. Have your membership number handy. It's on your membership card - the same one you use to get pub discounts. Not a member? Go to http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/membership.html to sign up. You'll be able to vote and start getting Zymurgy magazine and other perks, like the expanding pub discount program. Or contact your local AHA Membership Liaison rep for a membership discount. 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: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 13:07:11 -0600 From: "Berggren, Stefan" <Stefan_Berggren at trekbike.com> Subject: Lagering in Corny Kegs Fellow lager lovers, I am currently fermenting my first lager and have a question about lagering in 5 gallon cornies. After I complete the diacytel rest and lower the temperature down, can I rack into a keg and lager in the keg that I intend to serve from? I am worried about autolysis of the yeast cells while the lager is conditioning at 35deg (approx. 6-8weeks). Does anyone have any comments on lagering in the serving keg with respect to autolysis? Cheers, Stefan in Madison, WI Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 15:31:05 -0500 From: "Eyre" <meyre at sbcglobal.net> Subject: Cleaning ad filtering Hello all! I know oyu've probably all heard this before, but I just spent 20 minutes attempting to coax an answer out of the archives, with no luck. Thing is, I know I've seen references to this in here before. I just got into all grain brewing and just converted a keg for use in the full boil. I just need to pick up a burner to get it functional, and I'm good to go. My questions are simply: 1) What is a proper procedure for cleaning a stainless keg? I usually bleach everything.. but a keg is a heck of a lot of space to be filling with all water and bleach.. just do it anyway? Is there a better way? Do I need to scrub my newely converted keg with anything before my first boil? Anything else I'm missing? 2) How do I filter the trub and hops out of the keg after the boil and the cooling? I have a keg with a 1/2 ball valve on the outside and a 1/2 dip tube reaching from the inside down to the very center of the bottom of the curve in the keg. Now what I'm wondering is, how do you keep from either sucking up all the junk from the cooled wort and putting that into the carboy, or how do you just plain stop it from getting plugged? I've thought about a false bottomw, but then I've seen pics of the little bits of fine particulates that get through a false bottom and make their way through to the fermenter/carboy. I thought about a mesh screen.. and then I thought about it just plain plugging up. Any truth to that rumor? I thought about a combination of both.. and then thought about the cost effecivness of that. I thought maye if I switched to always using whole hops only instead of pellets, that might work and make a natural filter? But I'd still like to keep my pellet options open, let alone the cost effectivness of pellets vs. whole hops. I then thought.. why not ask the HBD? What's the general consensus among converted keg users? When we can't whirlpool like big pot boilers, what do we do! Off HBD responses appreciated as well, since I know this has been seen before.. or just point me to a website I don't know of yet? It's all good.. Mike Please note my new email address: meyre at sbcglobal.net Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 15:57:01 -0500 From: "Smith, Brian (Inland-Gaylord)" <BSmith51 at ICCNET.COM> Subject: RE: OLD Ale Ant, I think I used the recipe in the new joy of homebrewing. I do know it was an partial extract brew with lots of northern brewer and cascade hops. I also remember using nottingham dry for the first fermentation and adding pasture champagne yeast to finish. I brewed this 6 yrs ago and can't find my notes. I also do remember using oxygen scavenging caps for the bottles. Good luck with yours Brian Smith Big Ring Brewery Bogalusa, LA USA > -----Original Message----- > From: Hayes Antony [SMTP:HayesA at aforbes.co.za] > Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 12:14 AM > To: 'Smith, Brian (Inland-Gaylord)' > Subject: RE: OLD Ale > > Hi Brian > > I am glad to hear that the concept works. I like your birthday ritual. > > How bitter did you make the beer and what was your OG, if I may ask? > > Ant > > -----Original Message----- > From: Smith, Brian (Inland-Gaylord) [mailto:BSmith51 at ICCNET.COM] > Sent: 20 February 2003 17:43 > To: 'HayesA at aforbes.co.za' > Cc: 'Homebrewers digest' > Subject: OLD Ale > > > Ant, > > The week my daughter was born, I brewed a Barley Wine to be consumed at > her wedding reception. I chose a B.W. because they do last a long time > (high hop rates and high alcohol content). I have 2 cases sealed for the > reception and a partial case. I drink one bottle on her birthday every > year. It keeps getting better. > > Brian Smith > Inland Paperboard and Packaging > Bogalusa Mill > > > Confidentiality Warning > ======================= > The contents of this e-mail and any accompanying documentation > are confidential and any use thereof, in what ever form, by anyone > other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 14:19:26 -0800 From: "Mike Sharp" <rdcpro at hotmail.com> Subject: RE: RTD calibration/correction David Passaretti asks about RTD calibration/correction "Upon testing my probe I found that it is very accurate when compared to a lab thermometer at low temps, eg 70-80F, but off by about 6F at mash temps (150F). Is there something wrong with the probe or is this to be expected. Fortunately my PID has a probe correction value for easy adjustment. This explains the high FG on my last batch. " 3 and 4 wire Platinum RTDs are extremely stable and repeatable, and are often used to calibrate other temperature probes. The certification is usually checked by measuring the resistance of the element at the triple point of water (0.01 C). If it hasn't deviated from the original calibration, then the probe doesn't need calibration. If the reading is off at higher temps, it's probably because of the linearization of the instrument, not the probe. The linearization must match the probe, and there are different curves depending on the platinum doping. In the US, they use ASTM 1137 and in Europe it's IEC 60751. The difference between them is exceedingly small, but due to the way the instrument determines the temperature, it becomes significant. In addition to the probe correction value, you might be able to set some parameters for linearization in your PID controller, which will improve the accuracy throughout the range. The can be obtained from the probe manufacturer, and will be listed one of two ways: 1. As values for the greek lower case letters alpha beta and delta. You can ignore the beta parameter for your temperature range (it's used for very cold temperatures). 2. They might list values for the upper case latin letters A, B and C, which are co-efficients in a different linearization equation. Your PID should have some documentation on which it needs, and the probe manufacturer will hopefully supply both sets... Once you set these constants, assuming your probe hasn't drifted (not likely), your PID should be QUITE accurate. You can periodically check it at the triple point, which is pretty easy to achieve (crushed ice made from distilled water in a bath of distilled water). The finer the crush, the better. If you're not at sea level, forget the triple point calibration. Or you can spend a thousand dollars on a triple point cell. However, that would disqualify you from homebrewing competitions! ;^) Regards, Mike Sharp Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 18:56:25 -0500 From: "redbeard47.ny" <redbeard47.ny at netzero.net> Subject: mashing question from a lurker I lurk and learn a lot here but now I've got to ask a question. Last week I read that a mash would spoil if let drop to approximately 120 degrees , If I keep the runnings over night and the temp drops would that spoil, I would like to split the mashing to the night before to make it less time in my wife's kitchen, in really bad weather the outdoor route isn't possible. Bob M. Richmond, NY Beer, it's not just for breakfast anymore! Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 20:20:36 -0500 From: mike spinelli <mikespinelli at comcast.net> Subject: samichlaus in columbus? HBDers, I've got a bud in Columbus, OH who can't find Samichlaus. Any sources appreciated. His email is phillyrl at juno.com. Name is Rich. Thanks. Mike Cherry Hill NJ Return to table of contents
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