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

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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

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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.

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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.


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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

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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

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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

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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 

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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


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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

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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)


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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

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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

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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


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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

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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)



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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

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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






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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

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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
                           

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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


> 




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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.  

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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


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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? 


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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1430, 05/23/94