HOMEBREW Digest #1430 Mon 23 May 1994

Digest #1429 Digest #1431


	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor


Contents:
  Advertising vs. Informing (my 2 cents) (Julie A Espy)
  RE: Beer as Food (Aaron Shaw)
  Weizen questions (Christopher Mack)
  JS Mill, Malted Wheat, decoction, etc. (Art Steinmetz)
  List of brewpubs (Sturdy McKee)
  SF  homebrewing atty. (Sturdy McKee)
  Homebrewers in Milwaukee? (Rick Miller)
  Re: Beer as Food (Jonathan Gibbens)
  Wormwood (Mark Garetz)
  OOF: RE: Homebrew Digest #1429 (May 21, 1994) ("Stinson-Jeff")
  Beer events / Sam on tap (JEFF GUILLET)
  AHA Conference Schedule (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist))
  Choc cherry stout problem (Papier-Mache' Ankylosaurus)
  reply to "request for address" (Clayboy Bowen)
  Re: #2(2) Homebrew Digest #14... (JMARETT)
  Mash/Lauter Tun design & conversion question (Charles Robert Burke)
  Fermentability of Bourbon (Craig Pepin)
  Coffee Stout (Aaron Shaw)
  Miller's _Beginner's Bitter_? (drodger)
  Jack's whining... (Jim King)
  Homebrew Digest #1429 (Ma (Jim King)
  Re: mouths and malts (Jeff Frane)
  RE:  PUMPS (Wes Neuenschwander)
  Fermentation Vessel Variations--a new idea (AndrewB6)
  Refractometers (Louis K. Bonham)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 11:32:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Julie A Espy <jespy at tuba.aix.calpoly.edu> Subject: Advertising vs. Informing (my 2 cents) Hi all, Since I am the one who posted about the upcoming California Festival of Beers in San Luis Obispo, I feel like I should add my 2 cents about the ongoing thread regarding advertising. I also work at our college radio station, and I guess I regard the HBD like a public radio station which disseminates news and public service announcements to the community when they are of service and interest to the community and benefit non-profit organizations. I wish to reiterate that the proceeds from the California Festival of Beers benefit the Hospice of San Luis Obispo County, a non-profit organization providing care to the terminally ill and their families, plus bereavement counseling. Therefore, I believe that ticket price is tax deductible. Plus, I have no affiliation with either the festival, or the hospice. I just like beer. Julie Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 14:48:34 -0400 From: ar568 at freenet.carleton.ca (Aaron Shaw) Subject: RE: Beer as Food In a previous article Don Rudolph inquired about the nutritional value of beer. The following data is taken from BEER magazine, Spring 1994 edition. No, I do not have permission, but I am doing this to give beer the good representation it deserves. Liquor Wine Beer 50 ml. 200 ml. 341 ml. 40% alc/vol 12.2% alc/vol 4.5% alc/vol Calories 165 170 140-150 Proteins 0 0.2 g 1.0-2.2 g Carbohydrates trace 8.4 g 12.7-12.9 g Cholesterol & Fat 0 0 0 Phosphorus 0 20 mg 50-102 mg Calcium 0 18 mg trace-0.2 mg Iron 0 0.4 mg 12.7-12.9 g Sodium 0.5 mg 10 mg 14-25 mg Potassium 1 mg 184 mg 85-195 mg Magnesium 0 12-26 mg 36 mg Vitamins A,C,D,E 0 0 0 Vitamin B1 0 trace trace Vitamin B2 0 0.02 mg 0.01-0.1 mg 4.6-7% RNI Vitamin B3 0 0.2 mg 0.23-2.0 mg 13.9-17% RNI Vitamin B6 0 0.08mg 0.017-0.2 mg 11-13.9% RNI Vitamin B12 0 0 0-170% RNI Folic acid 0 0 52-62.5% RNI Pantothenic acid N/A N/A 7% RNI RNI = Recommended Nutrient Intake I know that by just saying beer, that it is not too specific. The beer analysis was taken from "Typical Beer Analysis" by Molson Breweries, meaning in my opinion a fairly generic brew. To further quote the above article, "The ranges in nutritive values are important and point to the need for better consumer access to nutritional information on beer." "...The moderate consumption of beer significantly reduces the risk of heart disease...According to a 1985 study done by Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, people who drink beer moderately and regularly are ill 13-25% less often than the average person, taking into account age, sex, and income group." "Beer: it's not just for breakfast any more!" - -- "Come my lad, and drink some beer!" Aaron Shaw Ottawa, Canada Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 14:39:58 -0500 From: Christopher Mack <cmack at ssc.wisc.edu> Subject: Weizen questions Hope this goes thru ... I just got Miller's book out of the library (I love Madison), to inspire myself to get a batch of Weizenbier going (it _is_ summertime) ... and read that "these days the Bavarian breweries usually filter out the top-fermenting yeast and pitch a stabe bottom-fermenting strain at bottling time." A few questions: (1) Is this true? If so, why does the yeast in those weissbiers taste so yummy, while I have to decant my homebrew off the yeast in my other beers 'cause it's lousy? Has anyone tried adding lager yeast at bottling? (2) At what temperature does Wyeast 3068 best do its thing? (Or Yeast Lab Bavarian Weizen -- I'd use it if anyone would attest to it). E-mail to: cmack cmack at ssc.wisc.edu I'll post info if anyone's interested and still cloudy :) on how to brew a weizen. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 15:25:58 -0400 From: Art Steinmetz <asteinm at pipeline.com> Subject: JS Mill, Malted Wheat, decoction, etc. I made a Weizen a couple weeks ago. My first attempt at decoction and I was nervous. It was surprisingly easy. TIP: I entered each mash step as an appointment in my electronic organizer so an alarm went of to prompt me each step of the way. I bought both Belgian and domestic wheat malt (DeWolf-Cosyns and Breiss). Big difference in appearance! The Belgian grains were about twice the size of the domestic. Plump is how I'd characterize them. I used the Belgian for this Dunkelweizen. The JS mill did a fine job of crushing the wheat malt although their size made turning the handle much harder than 2-row barley. I read somewhere that wheat doesn't have husks. Could of fooled me. Wheat malt has a skin of some type, whatever you want to call it. I was breifly called away during the sparge and the water level got too low. This resulted in a stuck sparge. To unstick I cut the bed with a spatula. Blew into the outflow hose to clear the manifold slots and then recirculated a couple quarts again until the wort cleared up. No big deal. The spent grain bed had the consistency of pudding. You could slice it into cubes and put 'em on a plate! The beer is bubbling away now. If I didn't have three young children and have to bargain with my wife for every minute of free time I'd do this again. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 13:34:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Sturdy McKee <sturdy at mercury.sfsu.edu> Subject: List of brewpubs Lisa Prescutti requested a source of phone numbers and addresses of brewpubs. "The Great Beer Trek: Revised and Updated"(a book for lack of underlining ability), by Stephen Morris is a reasonably good source for brewpubs and breweries nation wide. I recommend calling any place you plan to visit as some of them no longer exist. It is put out by Stephen Greene press of Penguin (I have no affiliation). There are also books put out for east and west of the Mississippi, but I can't recall the name right now. The San Francisco Brewing Company is featured on the front cover of one. Ask your book store. Thought this might be of interest to more than just Lisa (lots of good beers and friendly people), so posting it on the HBD. Cheers, Sturdy Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 13:38:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Sturdy McKee <sturdy at mercury.sfsu.edu> Subject: SF homebrewing atty. Jim, (I hope I got that right) I apologize to all out there for using HBD space. I have, however, misplaced Jim's phone number and deleted the pertinent edition of HBD. Call Robert Forkner at (707) 528-2266 regarding your condo/brewing problem. Sorry, Sturdy Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 05:48:45 -0500 (CDT) From: rick at discus.mil.wi.us (Rick Miller) Subject: Homebrewers in Milwaukee? I'm looking for homebrewers and/or homebrew supplies in the Milwaukee area... Gosh, you'd think they'd be in the yellow pages around here. Best wishes, <rick at discus.mil.wi.us> Rick Miller Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 94 20:57:29 -0700 From: jgibbens at polyslo.csc.calpoly.edu (Jonathan Gibbens) Subject: Re: Beer as Food Don Rudolph asked for an analysis of a "typical" beer. From my "Complete Book of Food Counts" by Corinne Netzev..here goes. I've listed a few beers out of the book. For a 12 oz serving: Becks - 148 calories, 1.7 grams protein, 10 grams carbos, 0 gram fat Budweiser - 144 cal, 1.2 grams protein, 11.3 grams carbos, 0 gram fat Carlsberg - 149 cal, 1.2 grams protein, 11.9 grams carbos, 0 gram fat Michelob Classic Dark - 158 cal, 1.5 grams protein, 14.4 grams carbos, 0 g fat Rolling Rock - 145 cal, 1.4 grams protein, 10.4 grams carbos, 0 g fat By way of comparison to other foods: Glass non-fat milk (2 cups) - 180 cal, 18 g protein, 26 g carbs, 0 g fat 2 whole eggs - 150 cal, 12.6 g protein, 1.2 g carbs, 10 g fat Hostess cupcake - 170 cal, 2 g protein, 32 g carbs, 8 g fat Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, compared with 4 calories/gram for protein and carbohydrates, and 9 calories/gram for fat. But, what does that mean? IMHO..if you are eating sensibly and exercising on a regular basis....a few beers every now and then aren't going to hurt anything. Just watch out for all the other things that tend to accompany those beers (ie fatty foods, drinking before going to bed,etc). I consider my occaisional homebrew as a special treat..something to be savored and enjoyed. And for gosh sakes..if you are dieting and have thus cut down on your beer consumption....make sure that you enjoy the beer that you DO drink! Hope this helps, Jon Gibbens Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 May 94 23:27:00 PDT From: Mark Garetz <mgaretz at hoptech.com> Subject: Wormwood Return to table of contents
Date: 21 May 1994 03:40:03 GMT From: "Stinson-Jeff" <MSMAIL.STINSONJ at TSOD.lmig.com> Subject: OOF: RE: Homebrew Digest #1429 (May 21, 1994) Hello, I'm away from the office but will be returning on Monday, May 30th Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 20:22:01 GMT From: jeff.guillet at lcabin.com (JEFF GUILLET) Subject: Beer events / Sam on tap Does anyone know of any scheduled beer events (micro beer tastings, contests, etc.) in the San Francisco area? I see all of these cool get togethers elsewhere in the country, but I haven't heard of any 'round these parts. TIA. While I have your eye's attention, the wife and I went to a local pizza establishment and ordered a pitcher of Sam Adams Lager on tap. It did not taste like any Sam Adams that I've ever had in a bottle: Much fresher and refreshing with a finish that reminded me of... well... err... Fruitloops. This was not a bad thing, just unexpected. Has anyone else noticed this? The beer wench (sorry ladies :)) said it was a fresh keg, just popped an hour ago. *********************************************************************** Jeff Guillet - San Francisco, CA - <j.guillet at lcabin.com> "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..." *********************************************************************** * SPEED 1.40 [NR] * We now return to our regularly scheduled flame-thro Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 08:08:52 -0700 (MDT) From: walter at lamar.ColoState.EDU (Brian J Walter (Brewing Chemist)) Subject: AHA Conference Schedule Howdy! <save bandwidth mode on> I have the exact schedule for the AHA conference talks. Email me. Good Day, Brian Walter at lamar.colostate.edu Chem Grad Student Homebrewer/Beer Geek RUSH fanatic (music) Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 23:57:22 +0930 (CST) From: zoz at cs.adelaide.edu.au (Papier-Mache' Ankylosaurus) Subject: Choc cherry stout problem I went to bottle my chocolate cherry stout today, and - horror! - it tasted simply *awful*! I got a few people to taste it, and descriptions ranged from "off milk" (denied by my brother, who has drunk off milk) to excessively bitter or sour. This sounds like an infection, but there is no white crud and the beer that I made and brewed right next to it at the same time turned out perfect. The yeast starter that I made for the choc cherry stout was quite strange though - no krausen, and an audible fizzing noise similar to that made by carbonated soft drinks. I haven't tossed it out yet, but unless there's something I'm missing here it sounds like I'm going to have to. Anyone have any ideas on why it would have turned out like this? BTW I made it with: 1 can of Munton's dark LME (1.8 kg) 1.5 kg pale DME 300g Cadbury Bournville Cocoa The juice from 900g canned sweet dark Oregon cherries The yeast was a generic buck-fifty dried ale yeast. Thanks, - -- zoz at cs.adelaide.edu.au Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 15:32:28 -0600 (MDT) From: Clayboy Bowen <bowenc at osiris.Colorado.EDU> Subject: reply to "request for address" Home address: Clay Bowen 3315 Wright Circle Boulder, CO, 80301 email: bowenc at osiris.Colorado.EDU Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 94 18:19:40 EDT From: JMARETT at aol.com Subject: Re: #2(2) Homebrew Digest #14... please remove me from your mailing list. thank you Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 20:12:47 -0700 From: Charles Robert Burke <chuck at leland.Stanford.EDU> Subject: Mash/Lauter Tun design & conversion question Greetings - I've been lurking here for some time now, and I've just done my first all-grain batch. Truly a terrific experience, and fairly painless as well. I'd like to share my mash/lauter tun design, as it worked perfectly without requiring any damage to be done to the Coleman ice chest it was made from. I also have a simple (I hope) question regarding the starch conversion test. The Tun - The mash/lauter tun is the square-ice-chest-with-copper-tube-manifold variety. As this was a new ice chest, we wanted to join the manifold to the drain without damaging the ice chest. One previous post suggested sticking the end of the manifold out the drain and sealing it up with food-grade caulk. An excellent idea, but it prevents using the cooler for other things. I found (like many others, no doubt) that when you fit a 3/8" id siphon hose over a 3/8" copper tube, the overall outside diameter allows a perfect force fit with the inner diameter of the drain hole on the ice chest. So, just shove the siphon hose over the end of the manifold tube, and thread the hose through the drain from the inside of the ice chest. Pull the hose through, and push the tip of the manifold into the drain. A perfect, water-tight fit. Now just plop the hose on top of the chest to stop the flow, or find an inline valve. The Coleman lining also seems to tolerate the sparge temperature - no visible damage/blistering. Of course, spending one's life as a mash/lauter tun is certainly a noble enough existence, but it would be a shame if the thing never got to see Yosemite! The Question - And now for the simple question. I bought some tincture of iodine from the pharmacy for my conversion test, and did a test about 2 minutes into the mash to see what a failed test looks like. Behold, no color change! Repeat the test with varying amounts of mash and iodine. Zippo! Looking on the bottle, I saw the words "decolorized iodine." Hmm... Did I use the wrong stuff? Did I do the test wrong? (1T of mash in a glass with various amounts of iodine). Opinions, anyone? Peace and good brewing to all - Charlie Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 23:11:20 -0400 (EDT) From: Craig Pepin <ckp at acpub.duke.edu> Subject: Fermentability of Bourbon A question: Is there any residual fermentable extract in Kentucky Bourbon (or for that matter, any kind of whiskey, made from corn or malt?) I recently started using cheap Kentucky bourbon (Ten High brand, 80 proof) in my airlocks instead of sanitizing solution. In case my fermenters pulled airlock fluid into the fermenter because of a drop in temperature, I reasoned that whiskey would taste better in my beer than bleach. After three or four batches (most of which had some slight infection in the secondary which kicked in after the yeast had done its job, leaving a thin, but not undrinkable beer) I started noticing that the whiskey in the airlock would get cloudy after a week or two. Closer analysis revealed a slight brown residue at the bottom of the cloudy airlocks, and the whiskey no longer tasted like whiskey. (A little sour, actually) No I *know* that yeast should not grow in such an alcohol rich environment - which is why I'm pitching my barley wine with champagne yeast. But are there beer spoilers out there which could be infecting the airlock bourbon (and subsequently getting into the brew)? And is there any residual extract, maltose, dextrins, or whatever, in conventional whiskey/bourbon? Could the alcohol be evaporating off, (occurs at room temperature (ca. 70) and in my lagering refrigerator) leaving behind whatever is left over in whiskey (and reducing its sanitizing ability?) I assume they don't call it Kentucky "mash" for nothing. Sincerely, Disoriented in Durham (Craig Pepin - ckp at acpub.duke.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 22 May 1994 00:23:09 -0400 From: ar568 at freenet.carleton.ca (Aaron Shaw) Subject: Coffee Stout Some one recently reported a recipe for a coffee stout. I was wanting to try it out, being a huge lover of both coffee and dark beers, but I can no longer find the recipe. Any good recipes or advice would be greatly appreciated. To save on HBD bandwith, E-mail is perfectly acceptable. - -- "Come my lad, and drink some beer!" Aaron Shaw Ottawa, Canada Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 94 18:45:25 EST From: drodger at deneb.digex.net Subject: Miller's _Beginner's Bitter_? Hi - I'm a relatively new brewer (3 batches in bottles so far) and I have a quick question. 2 of the 3 batches I've made were following Dave Miller's _Beginner's Bitter_ recipe. After a few weeks in the bottle (2 and 1 week) I tried some, and the taste is... unusual. What I'm looking for are two things: 1. Has anyone brewed that beer and found it to be good, bad, or indifferent, and 2. What's the best commercially (US) available beer that I could use as a comparison? Thanks for any advice. Post or email fine. - Dave Rodger drodger at deneb.digex.net Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 May 94 22:13:00 -0800 From: jim.king at kandy.com (Jim King) Subject: Jack's whining... jack Schmidling wrote: H> Hope I don't sound ungrateful for the information, after all, I did a H> it but there are a few comments worth making here... Jack, you make a great product, but the whining and blatant competitor bashing on the net is unbecoming. As the owner of a Glatt mill who has extensively compared mine to a friends Schmidling mill, I've got to say that most of your criticisms are at best unfounded, and at worst just plain false. The mills are EXTREMELY equal, each excelling in one way or another. I especially find offensive your attempt to compare the price of the adjustable Glatt to that of your fixed roller mill in an attempt to claim that they cost the same. (rather than comparing to your adjustable mill, as would be more appropriate). In addition, you try to imply that your mill is easier and better for motorizing. The Schmidling mill that I have worked with has a handle that is VERY difficult to remove, and has very definite warnings telling users not to motorize it. OTOH, the Glatt that I have has a removable handle, and running it at 2500 RPM with my electric drill has caused no damage or degradation of the crush. I compared crushes at various speeds when I first got the mill in order to verify this. I did not intend to keep a "my mill is better than yours" battle going, but your self-advertising manner is offensive. Try letting your customers sing the praises of your mill, rather than doing it yourself. Jim King Jim.King at kandy.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 21 May 94 09:56:00 -0800 From: jim.king at kandy.com (Jim King) Subject: Homebrew Digest #1429 (Ma Michael Meloth writes: H>I sprung for one (and an external themostat) and brewed my first lager H> H>The problem? It's been in the fridge for 2 weeks but apparently it's H>still fermenting. At least the air lock bubbles every 30-40 seconds. Most lager recipes I've seen recommend 6 weeks for fermentation. Looks like yours is doing fine. H> Will it ever stop fermenting? Eventually. H> Has it developed life of its own? Of course!!!! Jim King jim.king at kandy.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 22 May 1994 10:13:29 -0700 (PDT) From: gummitch at teleport.com (Jeff Frane) Subject: Re: mouths and malts Lance Stronk writes: > I agree with Ulick Staffords opinion (an educated one at that) on sucking > siphons. I have been homebrewing for the past 4 years and I too use the mouth > siphon method - I have never had a problem with it. I think an important > thing to remember for those people that worry about 'contamination' is that as > long as the proper "infection" is started quickly (pitching yeast - 8oz or > more) there is no problem with siphoning by mouth. Also, there are many > sources of bacteria in our homebrewing environments that may pose a threat to > those sterility mongers out there (other than mouth siphoning that is). I > words of Charlie P., "Relax...Don't worry. Have a homebrew". > I'm not sure why Lance has "contamination" in quotes; perhaps he doesn't believe it's a real issue in brewing? In that case, it would be difficult to explain why so many commercial breweries (small and large) spend a huge percentage of their time santizing. As Al Korzonas pointed out elsewhere, the human mouth is a rich source of bacteria, and the point is to reduce any possibility of contamination (no quotes, Lance). People who persist in starting siphons this way are like the happy idiots who continue to smoke -- they're not dead yet, but... > Lance is right, there are other sources of bacteria in the home. But why deliberately add yet another? > And I don't think that even Charlie P's laid-back attitude extends to sloppy sanitation. > > Spencer Thomas writes: > > Ok, does anybody out there know how the heck Ayinger makes those > incredibly malty beers? I don't want speculation, I want hard facts. > I can speculate as well as the rest of us. If you've been there, or > if you have some "inside poop", please let me know. If I get ANY > useful responses I'll summarize back to the HBD. > > The Munich breweries have a leg up on you, Spencer. They have the perfect source of water for malty beers. Adjust your water accordingly, use Ireks Munich malts, keep the saccharification temperature up, bittering units down and, voila! malty beers every time. -Jeff > Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 22 May 1994 10:47:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Wes Neuenschwander <wesn at eskimo.com> Subject: RE: PUMPS A recent article here suggested using peristaltic (tubing) pumps for homebrewery use. While I fully agree that they are the ultimate where contamination control and ease of cleaning are concerned (and of course for precise metering of delivered volumes - their primary application), their flow rates are too low for many (most?) homebrew operations. My preference is for magnetic drive pumps, which combine excellent contamination control and ease of cleaning with flow rates 10-100 times greater than typical peristaltic pumps. Essentially, these are small centrifugal type pumps, where the drive shaft has been replaced by a pair of magnets: one on the motor and one on the pump impeller. This magnetic coupling eliminates the need for the pump shaft seal and potential contamination problems from seal materials and lubricants. Pump materials are available that are highly resistant to chemicals and temperatures and that are rated for food grade applications (NSF rated). Personally, I've used two of them: Little Giant MD-4 and the Gorman Rupp Industries model 14110. While list prices on these units typically run from $120 to $300, I was able to find an unused, surplus, version of the GRI unit for $59.95 (Surplus Center, Lincoln, NE, 1-800-488-3407. Catalog #2-1073). This unit is rated by GRI at 8 gallons per minute (480 gallons per hour) at 5' head pressure (difference between inlet and outlet elevations). Maximum temperature is 203F. It's made of Ryton with stainless steel, teflon and a couple of ceramic materials used for bearings. Connections are standard threaded pipe fittings. While not specifically listed as food grade, the materials are identical with other food grade pumps. Cleaning is easy; just circulate your cleaning solution for a minute or so. It's also easy to open for cleaning - a clamp ring holds the pump body halves together. Pump is speed control-able by any common motor speed control. I use a ceiling fan control that cost about $8.00. You can also throttle the flow by installing a valve in-line with the DISCHARGE side of the pump (NEVER restrict the inlet/suction side of ANY pump; it can damage the pump). Size is about 8" x 5", making it easily portable (I'm planning on using it as a CIP [clean-in-place] pump) in addition to using it for mash recirculation and wort pumping. A final note regarding temperature ratings: while the mfg rates the pump at 203F, I've had no problems with boiling wort (probably closer to 215F) other than bubbles in the suction line, due to the hot wort flashing into steam from the reduced pressure. To avoid this, place the pump at least 2' below the vessels being pumped (the column of liquid above the pump maintains a positive pressure). Also, even the Little Giant pump, mentioned abouve, nominally rated at 150F has worked fine up to about 200F. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 22 May 94 18:51:10 EDT From: AndrewB6 at aol.com Subject: Fermentation Vessel Variations--a new idea To the collective HBD brain. Has anyone thought about using an *inverted* soda-keg for a fermenter? I've been thinking a lot lately about about the way I brew. Usually I quit during the summer months, but this year I thought I might continue, and so I've been looking for ways to reduce the risk of wild yeast contamination. I don't brew any lagers, and normally I do a single stage fermentation in a 7gal carboy. I had been trying to decide between the brewcap(tm) inverted carboy technique, and the soda keg - closed fermentation system, as described in the gadgets special issue of Zymurgy. It boiled down to this: I like the idea of being to remove the trub, yeast, and beer (at different times) without racking, which would be a vote for the brewcap. On the other hand, I like the completely sealed transfers of the soda-keg technique. That's when I got to thinking about inverting the soda-keg, using the dip tube as a ventilation shaft (for want of a better term) and using the gas-in as the trub, yeast, beer exit. Alternatively, I suppose one could remove the pressure releaf valve and install a ball valve there to remove trub. The only problem would be if the dip tube gets blocked (it is very narrow after all) then you've got a *big* grenade on your hands. Infact a ball valve could probably be installed in the lid, next to the pressure relief valve. I think this would necessitate a smaller batch size--possibly 4 gal, and of course I'd no longer be able to see my beer brewing :-( On the plus side, I wouldn't need to shorten the dip tube for fermentation, so the same keg could be used for dispencing with another batch. Has anyone ever tried this? Has anyone ever given this any thought?? I'd love to hear all your comments, questions, and ideas. Private e-mail is welcome. Andy Baird andrewb6 at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 22 May 1994 20:07:14 From: lkbonham at beerlaw.win.net (Louis K. Bonham) Subject: Refractometers On a recent business trip to Detroit, I followed up a tip from one of my surplus scientific equipment scrounging sources and found an awesome source near downtown. (Great story about the place; e-mail me if you wanna hear it.) Bottom line -- scored a brand new hand-held refractometer for a fraction of the market price. My question -- does anyone know what the formula is to convert the refractometer units (Brix %) to specific gravity or degrees Plato? Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1430, 05/23/94