HOMEBREW Digest #1365 Sat 05 March 1994
Digest #1364
Digest #1366
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Sorry about the double posting... (Steven Tollefsrud)
The Yankee Brew News (Tom Luteran)
air-tight primary fermenter (F. G. Patterson Jr.)
Potato beer (STROUD)
Boiling caps (Jim Grady)
Fullers ESB clone (Matthew Howell)
Holes in Glass ("Karl F. Lutzen" )
mail order Wyeast (Matthew Howell)
freezing cracked malt (RONALD DWELLE)
Hot water hoses/tubing (Rick Gordon)
Re: Contaminate, pasteurize, potatos, and Gott (Dion Hollenbeck)
beating a dead horse with a blowoff tube ("Steven W. Smith")
Sanitizing... (Brian Klimowski)
Blow-Off Tubes ("Renee Peloquin Mattie")
northwestern extract (TODD CARLSON)
BAA/RPS (Brian Bliss)
Rejected by star9gate - und ("STAR9GATE")
Re: creme soda / BrewTek (Automagical Mail Responder)
Drilling holes in Glass (CLINT BIHM)
Wyeast 3056 Works too! (I think....) (Jack Skeels)
carboys, once and for all (dan_fox)
O2 Absorbing Bottle Caps (Mark Garetz)
The Brewer's Digest (GNT_TOX_)
Holes in Glass (Steve Scampini)
SPARGE WATER (greg.demkowicz)
waterpipes (korz)
Re: Opening a brewery & Ulicks Wit (Jim Busch)
Homebrewing 101...Coopers.. ("Patricia Moline")
Soda keg taste? (Timothy Sixberry)
Red Nectar Info Request (southard)
Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
(Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
to homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L at UA1VM.UA.EDU),
then you MUST unsubscribe the same way!
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
FAQs, archives and other files are available via anonymous ftp from
sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via
mail from listserv at sierra.stanford.edu. Send HELP as the body of a
message to that address to receive listserver instructions.)
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 10:56:57 +0100
From: vlsisj!fleurie!steve_t at uucp-gw-2.pa.dec.com (Steven Tollefsrud)
Subject: Sorry about the double posting...
My apologies to the entire homebrew digest community for the
double posting of "Sucking bleach into your brew". I canceled the
first incorrect version, but my cancel was rejected for having
been sent from a different person than who posted the original article ??!!
Steve Tollefsrud
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 8:18:31 EST
From: Tom Luteran <toml at hpwargh.wal.hp.com>
Subject: The Yankee Brew News
Hi!
Does anyone have info on or know how to get in touch with
The Yankee Brew News?
Thanks!
Tom
- --
+----------------------------------------------------+
| Thomas Luteran | INTERNET address: |
| Hewlett-Packard Company | toml at wal.hp.com |
| Medical Products Group | HP TELNET: 1-659-4770 |
| 3000 Minuteman Road | VOICE: (508) 659-4770 |
| Andover, MA 01810 | FAX: (508) 686-1258 |
+----------------------------------------------------+
+ Opinions presented above are my own & not necessarily those of my employer +
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 08:30:53 -0500
From: patterso at mason1.gmu.edu (F. G. Patterson Jr.)
Subject: air-tight primary fermenter
I am having a problem with my 8-gallon "tupperware" style
fermenter. It no longer seals completely air tight. Air is
coming in around the lid, but at a rate that is apparently not
significant. However, even during a vigorous fermentation,
my fermentation lock does not bubble any more. Does
anyone have any ideas about how to seal the vessel? I've
tried water to "wet seal" the lid when closing.
PAT PATTERSON
Fairfax, Virginia
Return to table of contents
Date: 04 Mar 1994 08:30:26 -0500 (EST)
From: STROUD%GAIA at leia.polaroid.com
Subject: Potato beer
The question has been asked:
Has anyone ever made a potato beer?
Yes, I admit it, I have brewed with potatoes. The inspiration and guidance
for this questionable activity came from an article that appeared in The Foam
Ranger's Brewsletter Urquell some years ago. When I get the time (and
remember to), I will type in the entire article.
In the meantime, here are the basics of making Spud Brew:
You can make most any style of beer that you want with potatoes.
Lighter-colored and flavored beers let the spud character shine through better.
You are making an adjunct beer here, so use a good proportion of six-row.
You'll need the extra enzymes.
First, shred the potatoes (I've never bothered to peel them, just wash them and
grate them finely.) and boil the crap out of them, using _lots_ of water.
Your brewery will smell like a soup kitchen, not a brewery! Allow the mixture
to cool to ~150 deg (ice cubes will help speed this up), and stir in a portion
of your crushed six-row (how much depends on exactly what you are making). You
are aiming for a protein rest temp here. Let the whole mess sit for an hour,
then add the rest of the barley malt (and water if necessary to maintain proper
consistency). Heat to ~152 deg for 90 minutes for conversion.
>From here, proceed normally (conversion, 'mash'-out if you want, sparge, etc.).
I've not had trouble with starch haze with this method.
Charlie P says in his book that potatoes don't add any flavor/aroma character
to beer. I'd have to disagree. It's not strong, but there is a potato
character that is distinctive.
One other point to remember is that potatoes are largely water, meaning that
only a small percentage (maybe 10-20%) of the weight you add is convertible
starch. I get ~ 5-6 pts/lb/gal. from one pound of potatoes. It's not much.
Good luck!
Steve Stroud
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 8:47:33 EST
From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com>
Subject: Boiling caps
In HBD #1363, Greg Bishop wrote that boiling bottle caps to sanitize
them "is likely to damage the rubber on the cap and therefore lessen the
integrity of the seal that is formed."
This is not consistent with my experience. I have bottled 30+ batches
with crown caps (I used champagne & grolsch bottles previously) and I
always put the caps in a pan of water and bring it to a boil while I
boil the corn sugar solution in another pan. I have never had a problem
with the seals on the caps.
As to the original question, whether it is necessary, I don't know. I
do not find it to be much extra work and it helps me to not worry.
- --
Jim Grady
grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 08:57:22 -0500
From: Matthew Howell <howell at ll.mit.edu>
Subject: Fullers ESB clone
A friend asked me to tap the collective wisdom of the HBD
subscibers for a Fullers ESB clone, either extract or
all-grain. TIA for any assistance.
Matt
howell at ll.mit.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: 4 Mar 94 08:11:13 CST
From: "Karl F. Lutzen" <LUTZEN at physics.umr.edu>
Subject: Holes in Glass
Once upon a time I had the need for a 1/4 inch hole in a piece of flat
glass. What I did was took some modeling clay (glass putty would work
too), and made a dam a larger than the 1/4 hole around the area do be
receive the hole. I made up a mixture of fine oil (kerosene) and
dry abrasive compound (400 or 600 grit, don't remember), and poured some
in the dam. I mounted a 1/4 inch brass tube in the drill press, selected
a low speed and used a light pressure and just waited for the results,
adding fresh abrasive mixture occasionally. It takes quite awhile!
You can use any kind of a lightweight oil, or even a cutting fluid. Water
is no good as it evaporates too quickly.
To be honest, the best thing to do, is to use a plastic bottling bucket
for this. If you MUST use a carboy, then I would suggest using a
polycarbonate carboy as it would be a whole lot easier to deal with!
Just some thoughts...
Karl
=============================================================================
Karl F. Lutzen | "I lost my data!" |lutzen at physics.umr.edu
University of Missouri | "Must have been another |
Physics Dept. | pothole in the Information | (314) 341-6317
Rolla, MO 65401 | Superhighway." |
=============================================================================
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 09:18:16 -0500
From: Matthew Howell <howell at ll.mit.edu>
Subject: mail order Wyeast
I would like to try some of the Wyeast liquid yeasts,
however, I will be forced to mail order some of them as they
are not available at my local homebrew supply shop. I would
like some feedback from the digest regarding mail order of
these yeasts during the summer months. Is this detrimental
to the yeast, and if so, must I resort to the very expensive
overnite or next day air? TIA for your assistance.
Matt
howell at ll.mit.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 09:43:23 EST
From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE)
Subject: freezing cracked malt
Somehow the text of my last message got zapped, so here goes
again:
I've got a lousy grain cracker so am thinking about ordering my
grain roller-cracked from my friendly supplier. Small amounts are
no problem, but I wonder about the effect on 50 pound bags (which
will last me 2-4 months). I assume I shouldn't leave the
pre-cracked sitting around (am I off-base here?).
Are there any problems with freezing cracked grain? Like does
it go bad? Any special precautions? Should I be re-bagging in
ziplocks? (I've got a big basement freezer, half-empty most of
the time anyway.) Should I just bite the bullet and buy a roller
mill for next anniversary/birthday/xmas? What say you?
Ron Dwelle (dweller at gvsu.edu)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 07:39:42 -0800
From: ricklg at netcom.com (Rick Gordon)
Subject: Hot water hoses/tubing
I'm tying to build the tower system that Bill Owens talks about in his
book. I've found the pump and the foot switch. Now I'm looking for some
hose/tubing to withstand 200F. It needs to be flexible and be food grade.
I can't come up with anything. As I understand it - the regular tubing you
get is only rated to 140F.
Any ideas.
_________________________________________________________________
Rick Gordon ricklg at netcom.com
BigHorn Brewing Richmond, Ca.
510.233.7718
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 07:35:32 PST
From: hollen at megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck)
Subject: Re: Contaminate, pasteurize, potatos, and Gott
>>>>> "Ulick" == Ulick Stafford <ulick at debussy.helios.nd.edu> writes:
Ulick> Dominick Venezia recounts Gott experience. I have a 7 gallon,
Ulick> and found that the tap is easily removed and corked and that
Ulick> 1/4" copper fits inside nicely, as he did. I have considered
Ulick> the false bottom question - even to the extent of manufacture.
Ulick> Perhaps a simple solution would be a Phil bottom connected to
Ulick> 1/4" copper.
I use a 10 gal GOTT with a Phil's Phalse Bottom in it. The PPB comes
with a plastic elbow on top in the center. It is just a matter of
hooking it up with tubing to the outlet. If you need a plan for
making a bulkhead fitting for a Gott, let me know, I have made one.
All of mine was designed for a RIMS so it is capable of withstanding
heavy duty suction and not collapsing since the mash liquid is being
pumped out from the false bottom, not just running out via gravity.
Dion Hollenbeck (619)675-4000x2814 Email: hollen at megatek.com
Staff Software Engineer Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California
Return to table of contents
Date: 04 Mar 1994 09:06:39 -0700 (MST)
From: "Steven W. Smith" <SMITH_S at gc.maricopa.edu>
Subject: beating a dead horse with a blowoff tube
Another $.02. While the wort's cooling to room temp I use an airlock (it
bubbles the wrong way). After positive pressure starts I run a blowoff tube
into a clean plastic 1 gallon water bottle - no water, bleach, battery acid,
etc. I use about a 2 foot tube, and nothing's crawled through and
contaminated my beer yet.
After foaming subsides and I switch back to an airlock, I've typically got
about 1/2 liter of (low alcohol) beer which my dog gleefully consumes.
IMHO, any microbe athletic enough to climb through 2 feet of tubing, against
pressure, deserves a beer.
_,_/|
\o.O; Steven W. Smith, Programmer/Analyst
=(___)= Glendale Community College, Glendale Az. USA
U smith_s at gc.maricopa.edu
Mah'-ee huv'-erk-raft iz fuhl ov ee'-ulz
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 1994 09:16:22 -0700 (MST)
From: Brian Klimowski <klimowski at marten.UWYO.EDU>
Subject: Sanitizing...
I'll be bottling up my _first_ batch of beer in a couple of
days and had a question about sanitizing my bottles/caps/etc.
Should I sanitize everything _immediately_ before bottling?
I cannot find a reference which states how long one can wait
after cleaning the bottles/caps/hoses/etc.
Many brews!
Brian
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 11:44:05 EST
From: "Renee Peloquin Mattie" <peloquin at qtp.ufl.edu>
Subject: Blow-Off Tubes
The blow-off tube CAN suck the bleach water into your carboy. This is not
hypothetical, as I discovered. If you pitch at 80F, attach the blow off
tube, and allow the carboy to cool to 60F or so overnight, you might wake
up the next morning to discover water all the way up the tube,
especially if your yeast is very sluggish.
At this point, disturbing things any further will surely cause at least
some of that water to fall into your carboy.
This happened to me with a low-gravity batch and a slow-starting
yeast. Bacterial contamination apparantly followed. It turned out to
be the worst-tasting batch I had ever made, with definiate DMS aroma.
It was quickly christened "slug-bait", and seems to perform well in
that role. My dad also seems to enjoy it.
Since then, I swear by the use of a starter.
Renee Peloquin Mattie
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 12:06:01 EST
From: carlsont at GVSU.EDU (TODD CARLSON)
Subject: northwestern extract
I am planning my next batch of ale. A couple of my catalogs
list Northwestern malt extract for a VERY low price (one
catalog says it it Northwestern/Breiss). I have already
decided on grains for a partial mash to provide flavor,
color, body, etc. I'm just looking for a good pale malt
extract base. Does anyone have experience with this
product? How does it compare to more expensive extracts?
If I buy it am I saving money or wasting money?
Thanks in advance for the advice.
todd
carlsont at gvsu.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 12:02:18 -0600
From: bliss at pixel.convex.com (Brian Bliss)
Subject: BAA/RPS
>> Finally, I'm sending off my entries to a contest--lots of people noted that
>> Beers Across Am is sent via RPS--does anyone know the full name and which
>> larger packaging chains service via RPS? Or is there a 1800 #? Failing that,
>> I can just put "yeast cultures" on the UPS tag, right?
>
>The full name is "Roadway Package System", and the telephone number is
>1-800-762-3725. Just call that number to arrange for a package to be picked
>up for delivery anywhere in the country.
Within Illinois, BAA ships via UPS (unless they've changed their policy)
for many states outside IL, they ship via RPS. Until some court ruled
that their services did not qualify as "personal shipments" of alcoholic
beverages and stopped them form operating in TX, they shipped my monthly
samples via RPS. Unlike UPS, RPS does not require a signature for
pickup. In fact, if you were not home, they just left the package by
your front door, backing in the TX heat, with "BEER" written all over it,
making one heck of a tempting target for my neighbors or any passers-by.
The last package delivered before they terminated my shipments was indeed
stolen; fortunately, VISA offers a refund for merchandise never delivered
(nothing against the people at BAA; I explained the situation in detail
and they were friendly and helpful). As for RPS...
bb
Return to table of contents
Date: 4 Mar 1994 04:08:40 -0500
From: "STAR9GATE" <STAR9GATE at star9gate.mitre.org>
Subject: Rejected by star9gate - und
Mail*Link(r) SMTP Homebrew Digest #1364 (March 04,
!!!! Original Message >= 24K; See following enclosure. Preview follows !!!!
Received: by star9gate.mitre.org with SMTP;4 Mar 1994 04:08:22 -0500
Received: from hpfcla.fc.hp.com by mbunix.mitre.org (8.6.4/4.7)
id EAA22375; Fri, 4 Mar 1994 04:07:26 -0500
Received: from hpfcrdg.fc.hp.com by hpfcla.fc.hp.com with SMTP
(1.37.109.4/15.5+IOS 3.20) id AA28102; Fri, 4 Mar 94 02:04:43 -0700
Received: by hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
(16.6/15.5+IOS 3.22) id AA27000; Fri, 4 Mar 94 01:00:59 -0700
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 01:00:59 -0700
Message-Id: <9403040800.AA27000 at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com>
To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
From: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Request Address Only - No Articles)
Reply-To: homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Posting Address Only - No Requests)
Errors-To: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
Precedence: bulk
Subject: Homebrew Digest #1364 (March 04, 1994)
HOMEBREW Digest #1364 Fri 04 March 1994
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
creme soda / BrewTek (Rob Skinner)
What does the AHA do? (Michel Vandenplas)
potatoes in beer (COCKERHAM_SANDRA_L)
blow off tubes ("Dana S. Cummings")
bottlecap boil (btalk)
holes in glass (btalk)
negative pressure (Tom Lyons)
OG of Starter Wort (Patrick Weix)
Re: Cold Hopping (Jim Busch)
This is a big world (KLAY)
(Steve_Boylan.NOTES.LOTUS)
Red Ale ("Kevin D. Reid")
Blow-Off Tubes (WKODAMA)
(Steve_Boylan.NOTES.LOTUS)
Berliner W./Brewpubs/Spruce ("Stephen Schember")
Extract IPA (Jonathan G Knight)
Micro-Brewery license info wanted (Troy Downing)
Using Hop Pellets / Carboy Vaccuums (npyle)
Bloow-off Tubes Re-visited (Jack St Clair)
CREAM SODA (Jack Schmidling)
Contaminate, pasteurize, potatos, and Gott (Ulick Stafford)
Sucking bleach into your brew (or, Physics sucks!!)... (Steven Tollefsrud)
freezing cracked barley (RONALD DWELLE)
Re: Franziskaner yeast cultivation (not) (Martin Heinz)
Sucking bleach into your brew (or, Physics sucks!!)... (Steven Tollefsrud)
DeadWyeast/TooMuchTrub/BleachConcentr/Blowoff/HopBags/NoonanHopRate (korz)
Blowoff Vacuum/HB Shelflife/Take a Bow (korz)
Long Lived Wyeast ("Manning Martin MP")
Brew Pub Equipment Sources? (Scot Duckrow)
Pumps (fudgemstr)
homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com ("Jason P. Ramsay")
Maple in brewing (Henry E Kilpatrick)
WYEAST #3068 works! (Frank Longmore)
Rhizome sources ??? (Marc L. Goldfarb)
Missing HBD's and Bicycle Beer (tm) (JEBURNS)
Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
(Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
to homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L at UA1VM.UA.EDU),
then you MUST unsubscribe the same way!
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
FAQs, archives and other files are available via anonymous ftp from
sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via
mail from listserv at sierra.stanford.edu. Send HELP as the body of a
message to that address to receive listserver instructions.)
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 94 18:33:00 -0800
From: rob.skinner at kandy.com (Rob Skinner)
Subject: creme soda / BrewTek
>The problem is the taste of the soda - it has a very heavy yeast taste
>that makes the cream soda mostly undrinkable. I think my rootbeer
>comes out OK because it has a much more robust flavor which hides the
>yeast overtones.
There is a gadget that is available at many homebrew shops called
"The Carbonator." It retails for just under ten bucks. It is
basically a quick disconnect fitting, the same size as is found on
Cornelius kegs, that screws onto the top of a two liter P.E.T. bottle.
The soda is force carbonated in the PET bottle.
I've used my Carbonator for two batches of root beer and it's work
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 11:55:52 -0700
From: homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Automagical Mail Responder)
Subject: Re: creme soda / BrewTek
(This message has been generated by a program, and is for your
information only. No further action is necessary.)
Your article has been received for publication in the Homebrew
Digest. There are currently 17 article(s) ahead of yours in
the queue that will be published first.
If you would like to cancel your article for some reason, you
may do so any time before it is published, by sending a message
to homebrew-request whose body (not subject) contains the line:
cancel article 03041155.28604
Remember, send the cancel request to homebrew-request, NOT homebrew!
Thanks for your submission and your support of the Digest!
Rob (program author)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 13:36:21 -0600 (CST)
From: BIHM at LUB002.LAMAR.EDU (CLINT BIHM)
Subject: Drilling holes in Glass
Hello, I just saw a posting in the digest about someone
needing to put some holes in glass.
When I was in the Coast Guard, we made a plumbers putty ring on the
glass, filled it with valve grinding compound, found a piece of stainless
Stainless steel instrumentation pipe the same diameter as the
hole we needed, cut across the end of it with a hack saw, making
about a 1/4 inch deep cut, put it in a drill, and started
drilling, the valve grinding compound acts as a very good cutting
agent. This takes awhile, so have a few of your best bottles on
ice before you start.
Hope this helped some.
L8r
Clint
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 12:48 EST
From: Jack Skeels <0004310587 at mcimail.com>
Subject: Wyeast 3056 Works too! (I think....)
Greetings,
I did respond by direct e-mail previously, but the 3068 yeast note prodded
me into posting:
I've just racked a Weissbier (Papzian's recipe) to the secondary. I used
3056, pitched from a .5 Gal starter. 3.5 days of blistering-fast
fermentation, went from 1.050 to 1.012. Primary was done at about 72F or
so, per the book "German Wheat Beer" by Warner.
The clove, vanilla and spice flavors were right on in the sample from my
racking. And the smell of the primary, even after I had rinsed it
out...well, HEAVENLY might but too strong of a word, but its close! After
reading the previous post about 3056, I'm truly convinced that pitching rate
and temperature is are key elements in bringing out these flavors.
3056, it works for me. Of course YMMV.
Jack Skeels
JSKEELS at MCIMAIL.COM
"My bumper sticker on the Info Super Hwy --
<CNTL-B> if you love BEER"
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 15:16:19 EST
From: dan_fox at ccmail.GSFC.NASA.GOV
Subject: carboys, once and for all
I seem to recollect promising to summarize and post concerning the
best places to get carboys. I don't think I have much new to add to
the fray at this point, so I'll keep it short.
In the 7-gallon category, the hands-down winner seems to be St. Pats,
Austin, TX with clean used lab carboys for $11 + shipping. 3-4 people
told me how nice, prompt, etc., they were. They have an 800 number; I
don't have it at hand. Somebody will post it. They also have an email
address - stpats at wixer.bga.com. You can order through it, but _nobody_
thinks that sending a credit card # via email is a good idea.
James Page in Minneanoplace seems to be the #2. They tell me that
their prices will be going up to $18 from $15 as soon as they have
some to sell. Theirs are new. The 3rd runner up was $22 - I forget
who. Nobody has any in stock at this time, so it's moot.
The 5-gallon carboys are carried by Waccamaw Pottery for $10.99, and
Corning Glassware Outlets for $8.99 (DC area prices). Look for either
at your local Humongous Mills outlet mall. Waccamaw is 40 min from me;
Corning is 60 min. I'll spend the 2 bux. Likely a good opportunity for
a pickup truck and a group buy here (I'm _not_ volunteering).
FWIW, YMMV, I have no affiliation with anything whatsoever, and I
think that trying to drill holes in glass is a dum idea.
dan fox "What, me worry? I'm a homebrew!"
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 12:31:58 PST
From: Mark Garetz <mgaretz at hoptech.com>
Subject: O2 Absorbing Bottle Caps
I was on a flight the other day and sitting next to me
was the Exec VP of a chemical/polymer company and of
course right at the end of the 5+ hour flight I found
out that his company makes the material used in the
oxygen absorbing caps. Let's be clear on this. They
don't make the caps, just the polymer that is used in
the caps which they sell to the cap companies.
Anyway, we didn't have much time to talk about this
since it was near the end of the flight, and he didn't
have the product data sheets with him, but here's what
I gleaned from him: (Now don't shoot the messenger!
I'm just reporting here and don't have any way of
verifying the info, and remember that *he* had a product
to sell. He has a phd in chemistry, however).
The O2 absorbant is an "ascorbate" but he wouldn't
confirm which kind, potassium, sodium etc. But he did
nod when I suggested it was one of those two. It is
"blended" (for lack of technical term here) with the
plastic liner material, which is either PVC or polyethylene,
I guess you can order it either way. He wasn't sure
about the "moisture activated" statements, but supposed
that the humidity in the head space played a role in
transporting the O2 to the cap. He also thought that
soaking the caps in water/sanitizer solution would most
likely reduce their effectiveness, but by how much he
wasn't certain. He's going to check it out and get back
to me.
One of the more interesting tidbits: he said that the
cap was useful for scavenging the O2 in the headpsace,
*and also for keeping the beer free from O2* because he
said the cap liner is not an O2 barrier and oxygen would
migrate from the outside and into the headspace. I asked
if the positive pressure wouldn't keep the air out, and
he said he didn't think so, that intuitively it would seem
that way but gas was mostly space and there was lots of
room for the molecules to sneak around each other.
I'm still a bit skeptical. But not being a physicist or
chemist I can't judge. Of course just as he said this
we had to part company to get to different connecting
flights, but we did exchange cards and he said he'd send
me some data on the material. So I'll report back if I
learn anything new.
Mark
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 15:47 EST
From: <GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: The Brewer's Digest
Pardon my waste of bandwith, but what is The Brewers Digest? How do I
get it, etc. Thanks
Andy Pastuszak
Philadelphia, PA
INTERNET: GNT_TOX_%ALLOY.BITNET at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU
BITNET: GNT_TOX_ at ALLOY.BITNET
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 15:59:08 EST
From: Steve Scampini <scampini at hp-and.an.hp.com>
Subject: Holes in Glass
Sorry if this already was suggested...If I remember what my father -
who was a tool and die maker (expert machinist) told me, the way to
"drill" glass was really to grind a hole in it. You can make a
"drill" by using a piece of relatively soft metal tubing and using
a slurry of some really hard abrasive. Basically, you hold the
tubing in an electric drill against the glass and wear a hole in it.
Note: the tubing is just flush cut at the end... no apparent "teeth".
He also told me that you can make a drill by banging a soft metal
tube (soft steel) into industrial diamond powder. This causes the
diamond grit to be imbedded in the steel. Chuck it in the drill,
lubricate with water frequently and grind away.
I suspect that it may take quite awhile to grind through and that
some sort of fixture to hold the drill in place would be needed.
I guess it would be possible to fit a carboy in a larger drill press.
Good luck.
Steve Scampini
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 15:24:05 -0500 [EST]
From: greg.demkowicz at circellar.com
Subject: SPARGE WATER
>From what I've read in the past HBD issues, and Miller's books,
it seems the conventional wisdom regarding sparge water
quantity is; .5 gal per 1 Lb grain. For a five gallon batch
and grain bills of 7 lbs or so, this is fine, but what
about 11 lb grain bills? One can easily end up with 8+
gallons of wort in the kettle.
Is their a specific gravity of the sparged-grains-liquid to
aim for? I know over sparging will extract excessive tannins,
but what constitutes over sparging?
Is their a gal/lbs/temperature/time/pH equation to acheive maximum
sparge efficiency?
While I'm on the topic of sparging, the common chemical for
reducing the pH of hard water is Gypsum. My boiled Tap water
requires 1.5 Tbls of Gypsum to bring the pH down to 5.5 (when
cooled). The pH drops about .2 for each 1 tspn/gal.
I don't feel comfortable adding this quantity of Gypsum to my
water, so what other acids are available to the Homebrewer,
and who supplies them?
Thanks in advance.
Greg
greg.demkowicz at circellar.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 14:58 CST
From: korz at iepubj.att.com
Subject: waterpipes
Steve writes:
>So how do you safely isolate your wort from air and nasties?
and proposes a device similar to a waterpipe to do this.
This idea was also mentioned in the first or second issue of
Brewing Techniques (the liquid used was hydrogen peroxide) and
I believe the author was an HBD member.
I suspect that this will not work to remove nasties from our
air. Follow with me on this (I'll borrow Steve's ascii drawing)...
|| ||
|| ||
input tube || || <-- tube to fermenter
___||____||____
[__||____||___]
| || || |
|_||__o_____|
| ||oo |
| ||oO o |
| o |
| o |
| GERBERS tm|
|___________|
The air, with its suspended dust, wild yeast and bacteria travel
down the input tube, where they meet the liquid in the jar. The
surface tension of the liquid causes a bubble to form. Now, what's
a bubble... it's a little ball of gas suspended (temporarily) in
the liquid. The gas (air) in the bubble still has all the suspended
dust, wild yeast and bacteria in it. The bubble rises to the surface
and pops, releasing its cargo of nasties into the headspace of the
jar. The pressure in the headspace, causes some of this air to
travel up the "tube to fermenter" and then subsequently into the
wort.
Am I right?
Steve suggests vodka or bleach solution, but even if this works, I
suspect that we would not want to bubble Chlorine Bleach vapors
through our wort. If it does work, I would imagine that either
hydrogen peroxide or vodka would be our best bet.
I think that to remove airbourne nasties, we need to filter the air.
There have been many posts suggesting those .2um disposable (hospital?)
filters and at least one home-made one. I don't exactly recall the
design of the home-made one, but I believe it was made by simply stuffing
cotton or activated charcoal or both into a short length of plastic tubing
and then pushing the air through it with an aquarium pump.
Al.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 16:36:27 -0500 (EST)
From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com>
Subject: Re: Opening a brewery & Ulicks Wit
Troy writes:
> Subject: Micro-Brewery license info wanted
>
> Some friends and I are interested in starting a small brewery/pub
> in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Can someone point me in the right direction
> for acquiring information on regulations/licensing/etc. on starting
> a Micro brewery in New York?
>
and then later....
From: Scot
> Subject: Brew Pub Equipment Sources?
>
> A friend without access to the net and who wants to start a brew pub asked
> me to post the following question.
>
> Does anyone have a list of supplier of brew pub equipment (large lauter
> tuns, mashing accessories, fermentation and storage tanks, high capacity
> wort chillers and filters, etc.) or companies who sell used equipment of
> the same variety?
Im back from my latest beer hunting expedition to California. Ill put
together a brief summary next week (at the risk of being flamed terribly
by Mr. Frane :-)
The two people who posted above caught my attention. I realize people look
to the net as some incredible source of free information, and it is. I
would like to caution these brewer wannabies as to the reality of getting
into the buisness. The main impression I returned with this week is that
too many people are entering the buisness without the required expertise
in brewing. I sampled far too many average to infected beers over the
past two weeks, and some were even from so called reputable brew pubs. To
Troy, who do you think regulates brewing in the US? Maybe the Bureau of
Tobacco , ALCOHOL, and firearms????? Obviously, there local laws and
regulations to inquire about, but the BATF is the place to start. To
Scot, (Actually to your friend): If you dont even know who manufactures
brewing equipment, how do you possibly believe you are qualified to run
a brewery? Have you ever been to a micro? Do you have any serious brewing
experience? Have you subscribed or read any of the numerous brewing journels,
The New Brewer, Brewing Techniques, hell even Zymurgy advertises for
wannabies. BTW, Cross Distrubiting in California sells used equipment. And
there are more used breweries on the market every year as inexperienced
people fail.
I imagine this sounds a little harsh, and maybe it is. There are many
qualified brewing consultants in the buisness. I strongly suggest that
if these folks are serious about sinking a million or more into a difficult
endeavor, that they spend the couple of thousands required to get a good
consultant and listen to what they say!
> ------------------------------
Ulick writes:
> I intend to contaminate and pasteurize my Wit. For lactobacillus type
> critters I will remove some of the beer and put it in Thermos flask. Add
> a little grain and hold for an hour at 125-130 (as per Noonan in a recent
> BT or Zymurgy, or was it Miller?).
I think you are adding a serious amount of work for a questionable result.
The fact that you used a yeast that originates in the Rodenbach brewery, is
probably going to result in some degree of "contaminated" beer anyway. If
you really want to discover the results of this particular yeast, let it
finish and find out the results. If you want to brew a real Wit bier,
use a real Wit yeast, there are several on the market now. There is also
some real good info thats been posted over the last year or two regarding
excellent methods of traditional Wit production.
Good brewing,
Jim (not nearly as cranky as this sounds) Busch
DE HOPPEDUIVEL DRINKT MET ZWIER 'T GEZONDE BLOND HOPPEBIER!
Return to table of contents
Date: 4 Mar 1994 16:58:15 U
From: "Patricia Moline" <patricia_moline at mailgate.Armstrong.EDU>
Subject: Homebrewing 101...Coopers..
4:03 PM
OFFICE MEMO Time:
Subject:
Homebrewing 101...Coopers...Corny_ 3/4/94
Date:
Rob Moline here. Have been reading HBD for over a year courtesy of my wife's
access to the net and I am finally moved to put in my $.02 on a number of
subjects.
Firstly, on Laura Conrad's and other's thoughts on a basic homebrewing book.
"Homebrewing 101 - A Practical Guide for the Beginning Brewer" is a book I
wrote and copywrited in September 1993. As the GA law decriminalizing
homebrewing went into effect on July 1, 1993, I approached the owners of
Savannah's "Mill Bakery, Eatery, and Brewery" with a request that I be allowed
to use their establishment as a meeting place for a homebrew club.
This was as a direct result of my own humble and bumbling attempts at
homebrewing in 1991 in Tallahassee FL. I too was confused by the only source
of info on hand, C. Pap's "NCJOHB." I then learned of the North Florida
Brewers' League monthly meetings at the Monroe Street "Mill" and learned more
at my first meeting than I had in several months.
Obtaining permission from the owners Bob Freeman and Lewis McClure for using
the Savannah Mill also resulted in their requesting a short written run down on
how to brew. This four page quickie sheet then evolved into a small book with
chapters on Legalities, Brewery Evolution in the U.S., Malt, Hops, Yeast,
Water, the Brewing Process, Required and Optional Equipment, Diagrammatic
representations of sets ups and a list of acknowledgements that include the
HBD, NCJOHB, and Zymurgy.
The book is designed purely as a first step to brewing a single stage, closed
fermentation, extract kit based brew, based on my own trial and error
practices, as I believe that the beginner needs to get the basics established
before advancing to mashing, sparging, and hop and malt selection.
I have at this time sold some 200 copies of "HB 101 - APGFTBB" and have
received very favorable responses from beginners who indeed say, "I've read
Miller, papazian, et. al, and am still confused" and then become brewers using
my text. A 2nd edition of "HB 101 - APGFTBB" will soon be available, with
details on my failures and successes in all grain and kegging.
Realizing that the HBD is not a forum for commercialization, I have not in the
past been tempted to mention this on the net, but with the recent post that I
believe said, "I'd buy an HB101 if one existed" I felt I had to state my
copywrited use of the name.
I have not been looking for wider sales of the book (currently only available
at the Mill) until I had the 2nd edition ready and critiqued by other brewers
and beginners, perhaps at some time in the future. If e-mail shows a demand,
maybe sooner than later.
BTW the Savannah Brewers' League, established at the Mill on 9/15/93 is now an
AHA sanctioned club with 63 members. I was elected and am proud to serve as
president of the league, a position I hold as a result of organizational leg
work, rather than brewing expertise. In fact, I haven't yet reached that lofty
plateau where extract brewers look like lower forms of life! But, many of the
membership are stunning craftsmen and women, and easily run rings around me.
On the subject of "Queens of Beer," I am pleased to announce that the SBL
January Competition winner was Becky Kearny for her Steam Beer. I hope that
"Queens of Beer" becomes an established annual competition. Good luck!
On the subject of Cooper's kits and plain malts. I have over 50 batched of
Cooper's (both forms) under my belt and have never found them to be 2nd rate or
hazy. A quality product IMHO, among the first of my beer experiences in the 12
years I spent in Australia. I recommend them in my book, as pub bought Coopers
in Oz is bottle-conditioned, and hence the beginning brewer can produce a beer
similar to a word class product (Michael Jackson "Pocket Guide to Beer" 3-4
stars) on their first time out, yeast sediment and all.
On the subject of obtaining Cornelius kegs and equipment, 6 months ago I was
extremely fortunate to have obtained a complete set up, consisting of a
Cornelius ice chest with 4 dispensing cut outs, a huge 4 line Corny cold plate
(weighs a ton), a large roller stand to support the chest with space for 2-3 5
gallon kegs and co2 tank, a co2 tank, regulator, and taps. This is an older
design unit that has had its fair share of abuse, and is now unsuitable for
further commercial use, maily "cos, it's so damn ugly." Actually marked "junk"
in black magic marker on the side, it was slated for dumping by the Sav Pepsi
distributor until a friend of a friend learned of my search for kegging
equipment. (I imagine that a case of homebrew and $20 at an auto body shop
might redeem it.) A co2 tank will cost $35 deposit and $12 for exchanging for
a full one from the Sav Coke distributor. I have obtained several used 5
gallon kegs from a Tallassee bar that converted to bag in box, and the local
Coke distributor will sell anyone Corny kegs full of pre-mix Coke products for
$14 and change -- no deposit. (This is info that will be included in the 2nd
edition, but I start feeling guilty when I read requests for cheap equipment
and I don't share knowledge I possess.)
There is a point here. Talking to people about homebrewing and sharing a six
pack here and there will work wonders. I've never met a soul who wasn't
delighted to get some homebrew with their own personalized labels, and who then
didn't go out and brag about it to their friends. Goodwill created in this
manner has many benefits; increased club memberships and decreased fear of
homebrewing throughout the community among them. This is especially important
down here in ultra-conservative land! Also how do you think I get all my free
cases of bottles (eagerly pre-sorted to my preferences), my new lager fridge
free, the corny set up, co2 tanks and the two regulators that have come my way?
Spread the good word my friends, the next person you talk to may have a
brother with a warehouse full of equipment he wants to throw away.
Non-standard disclaimer: 1) I do profit from sales of "HB101 - APGFBB" all
rights reserved, 2) I do profit from managing the Mill's Homebrew Supply,
Savannah's only Homebrew supplier, isn't it great to spend other people's
money!, 3) I do not profit from the Savannah Brewers' League (in fact, it costs
me, but we are a non-profit club.)
CHEERS! Rob Moline
C:1064 Australian Parachute Federation, E.F.S!
RN New South Wales, CST, AST, USA
RULE#1: Remember who your mates are!
RULE#2: Remember who your mates aren't!
RULE#3: Know the bloody difference!
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 15:03:00 PST
From: Timothy Sixberry <tsixber at msrapid.kla.com>
Subject: Soda keg taste?
I would be really greatful if someone could give me some advice on a recent
problem. I have two five gallon batches in soda kegs that were well
cleaned, but that now have a definite surup flavor. I admit that in one I
did not replace the lid o-ring, but I did in the other. The one has a
sickeningly sweet flavor that tastes just like the o-ring smelled(duh), I
have replaced it now. Both of these kegs have the red plastic lids which
were also scrubed with TSP, but I still think its posible that they could
have contributed to the off flavor. Should I switch the lids to metal ones?
I was also wondering if I could partly mask this nasty sweet flavor by
adding some hops to the keg? How would this best be done, boiled &strained,
or dry hoped, (ie bitter or aroma)? Which would mask the flavor the best?
Please, could someone help a felow brewer. I can't drink five gallons of
this beer, and I can't bring myself to throw it away.
Thanks in advance, and private mail is OK.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 15:28:09 PST
From: southard at biology.UCSC.EDU
Subject: Red Nectar Info Request
Lately some of my non-brewing friends have asked me if I can make something
that tastes like Red Nectar Ale. It is made by the Humbolt Brewing Co in
Arcata, Ca. It is amber/red in color- I would describe the taste as fruity,
malty, and somewhat sweet. Hop bitterness definitely seems lower than most
California microbrewery products. I once saw a pamphlet from the brewery
noting that crystal malt is used. The bottles have a yeast sediment, which
I just started culturing- growth is fairly vigorous, but I haven't smelled
or tasted the starter yet.
Does anyone out there have any more specific information on this beer, hop
variety and schedule, what type of yeast is it, etc., or a recipe?
By the way another very nice beer from the same area as Red Nectar is
Steelhead Extra Pale Ale from Mad River Brewing, Blue Lake, Ca. If you
see it, try some.
Jon Southard, Santa Cruz, CA (southard at orchid.ucsc.edu)
Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1365, 03/05/94