---

	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
       THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

                     Your Business Name Here
    Visit http://hbd.org "Sponsor the HBD"  to find out how!
			 
    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********


Contents:
  RE: Effect of dissolved extract on volume ("Bill Pierce")
  10th Annual Hoppy Halloween Challenge ("Susan Ruud")
  Split Rock Homebrew Competition ("Al Hazan")


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*           The HBD Logo Store is now open!             *
*            http://www.hbd.org/store.html              *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*  Suppport this service: http://hbd.org/donate.shtml   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*   Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
  ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
  the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
  for the automation - that's your job.

HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright 
  HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK 
  before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content 
  cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to 
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
                  and Spencer Thomas



----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:51:05 -0400
From: "Bill Pierce" <BillPierce at aol.com>
Subject: RE: Effect of dissolved extract on volume

Thanks for the replies to my question about the increase in wort
volume due to the dissolved extract.  As A.J. deLange points out,
the errors in the assumptions used for wort volume calculations
cancel each other out to some extent.  Moreover, he is correct that
most of us plan for a wort of x volume at y gravity and sparge until
we achieve the desired pre-boil volume.  Assuming a consistent
extract efficiency, this typically allows an accuracy within about
0.002 (2 gravity points) in achieving the target gravity.

I wouldn't call the error insignificant, however, at least
potentially.  If I plug one of my recipes (10 gallons of 1.051 O.G.
robust porter) into ProMash, it calculates I will require 16.45
gallons of water, including 9.87 gallons for sparging.  The
calculated pre-boil target volume is 13.51 gallons (so far as I can
tell, adjusted for neither the dissolved extract nor  the expansion
due to the increase in temperature) and the target gravity is
1.0437.  On the other hand, my spreadsheet calculates 15.74 gallons
of cold water needed, 9.16 gallons of it for sparging.  The
calculated pre-boil target volume is 13.40 gallons (adjusted for
both the dissolved extract and the expansion due to temperature) and
the target gravity is 1.0443.

Should I trust the ProMash calculations and sparge until the mash is
drained (I agree this is not such a good idea, but some brewers do
exactly that), the actual pre-boil volume (adjusted for both
temperature and the dissolved extract, which ProMash apparently does
not do) would be  14.12 gallons and the gravity would be 1.0418.  A
volume error of 0.8 gallons and a gravity error of 2.5 extract
points are greater than I am aiming for in my brewing.

Now because I (and many other prudent brewers) typically sparge only
until reaching the target pre-boil volume, the effects of the errors
are less pronounced.  Should I rely on the pre-boil volume
calculated by ProMash in the example above, the actual pre-boil
gravity according to my calculations would be 1.0434 rather than the
target of 1.0443.  The difference of 0.9 extract points is due to
the sugars remaining in the small volume of water not quite
completely drained from the grain.  This is within the margin of
error I normally consider acceptable.  In the past, before I
discovered that the software apparently does not account for the
increase in volume due to the dissolved extract, I merely fudged by
adjusting the presumed extract efficiency down a percent or two and
increasing the amount of base malt by half a pound.

So you're right that the error is not a huge one and it's mitigated
by the manner in which many of us brew.  But why not strive for
accuracy and avoid fudging the results when it's possible to do so?
Furthermore, some of us like to tinker under the hood in an attempt
to explain what is really happening.

Anyway, this proves my suspicion about the difference in both
gravity and
volume between adding x mass of extract to y volume of water, and
wort that is y volume with x mass of dissolved extract.

As for Nick Turbov's question as to whether the volume increase is
real, I did a very brief experiment at home with table sugar and
distilled water.  While I have a lab balance with an accuracy of 0.1
gram, I am only able to measure volume to an accuracy of a little
less than 5  ml (I lack a good graduated cylinder).  I dissolved 100
grams of sucrose in as close as I could measure to 1 liter of
distilled water.  The temperature for all of the items was that of
my kitchen (72 F at the time).  There was indeed an increase in the
volume of a little more than 60 ml, again as close as I could
measure.  This seems very much in line with the volume increase of
61.4 ml for each 100 grams of dissolved sucrose I quoted in my
original post.

At any rate, it provides sufficient confirmation for the effect.

Brew on!

Bill Pierce
Cellar Door Homebrewery
Burlington, Ontario
BillPierce (at) aol (dot) com



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:35:20 -0500
From: "Susan Ruud" <susan.ruud at ndsu.edu>
Subject: 10th Annual Hoppy Halloween Challenge

We would like to invite you to enter and judge at the 10th annual Hoppy
Halloween Challenge.

In keeping with the seasonal theme of Halloween, entries will be accepted
from October 1st to October 13th (Scary! Are you scared yet?).  To make
entering the Hoppy Halloween Challenge as easy as possible, we have on-line
registration this year. 

Complete details can be found at:
http://www.prairiehomebrewers.org/hoppyhalloween.htm



Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:21:26 -0400
From: "Al Hazan" <hazan at ptd.net>
Subject: Split Rock Homebrew Competition

This is the second announcement for the Homebrew Competition to be held on
Saturday, November 17th, at the Split Rock Resort in Pennsylvania's Pocono
Mountains. This competition is held in conjunction with their annual Micro
Brew Festival. 

This is a sanctioned competition judging all beer, mead and cider styles.
Entries should be shipped to the Resort at Split Rock, One Lake Drive, Lake
Harmony, PA 18624, and Attention: Shelly Kalins Lutz, for receipt from
November 3rd to November 15th.

Entry fees of $5 per entry will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
By simply entering, you will be helping this charitable organization help
others.  Checks should be made out to The Resort at Split Rock.  

Two (2) brown or green bottles with no markings are required. Please use
rubber bands to attach bottle labels.  No tape please.  Any standard entry
forms identifying the brewer and the appropriate entry category/subcategory
are acceptable.  The 2004 BJCP Style Guidelines will be used for this
competition.  Get this from the BJCP web site at www.bjcp.org.

Judges are very, very much needed and they should contact me to secure a
position.

Judges and Stewards can hand carry their entries if they pre-register with
payment.  All judges and stewards are required to be present by 8:30 so we
can get started promptly at 9am.  Judges will receive an entry to the beer
festival or entry to the beer dinner for their efforts and need to indicate
which they wish when they commit to participate.  

The BOS winner will receive a complementary weekend for two at next year's
Split Rock Beer Fest as well.  

More information will be available at the Split Rock web site: 
http://www.splitrockresort.com/beerfest/.   Or contact them at: spevents at
splitrockresort.com.

Al Hazan
Competition Organizer
hazan at ptd.net





Return to table of contents

---