HOMEBREW Digest #1518 Mon 05 September 1994
Digest #1517
Digest #1519
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Peter Rust (Glen H)
Algis's Comments (Dennis Davison)
Re: Fuller's ESB coloring (Tel +44 784 443167)
Propane Cooker Sale (Arthur McGregor 614-0205)
Re: Beer Drinking Songs (John Hartman)
MicroPub/Brewery (Chris Strickland)
Smoke Beers (rprice)
Dos Equis (PSTOKELY)
Re: Homebrew on the www (Al Gaspar)
(none) (David M Alechnowicz)
Mexican Beers (Arturo Portnoy)
wine newsgroup (Larry Bellmard)
Beer bottles (Alton Clark Dubois)
Re: Flaming Bacteria (Pierre Jelenc)
Yeast reproduce anerobically too! (Domenick Venezia)
Starter Evaluation Metrics (Richard A Childers)
Curing Hops ? (Richard A Childers)
Corona crush quality (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Real Homebrewing (HEWITT)
Peat Smoked malt / starters (Jeff Frane)
Sources of Small Pumps? (Bob Gorman)
Mill Talk (Frank J Dobner 708 979 5124)
Re: Gas cooker and keg diameter ("C. John Mare")
flaming flasks (Bruce Wiggins)
Specific Gravity and Alcohol Level (Clay Glenn)
Lemon off taste (Mark)
what are you? (DAVE ELLSWORTH)
Happiness is... (Jack Schmidling)
Pilot Homebrewing System (WLASKA)
Full volume boils and such ("Steven W. Smith")
Egg Drop Soup Help Needed (Phil Brushaber)
Using Iodaphor (Tony McCauley)
Poor citizens (Domenick Venezia)
Tube bending and CA Pubs (BrewerBob)
South Florida (Richard Buckberg)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 21:19:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: glenh at iceonline.iceonline.com (Glen H)
Subject: Peter Rust
Hi Peter... I absent-mindedly erased your email address, so I'll post the
answer to your question about the Johnson A319 controller here.
The temperature dial is analog - no digital display, unfortunately. You CAN
trust the dial. I tested it for almost a week at various temps - dial setting
and my thermometer matched almost exactly. If the LED isn't lit, then the
temp at the sensor is what the dial reads. All this is assuming that you
haven't dialed in a wildly high differential. I have been running mine at
the factory setting of 1F. If I find that the compressor is kicking in too
often, I may bump it up to 3-5F. So far it hasn't been a problem at all, tho.
Glen Hathaway glenh at icebox.iceonline.com
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Date: Thu, 01 Sep 1994 23:21:11 -0400
From: ddavison at earth.execpc.com (Dennis Davison)
Subject: Algis's Comments
Al, shut up !!!! If this means our friendship, sorry. When it comes to
Zymurgy verses Brewing Techniques, your biased because of the tech
editing your doing. Both magazines have merits.
I've seen inconsistancies in virtually every book and magazine published on
homebrewing. Why not attack Charlie on some of his techniques ? How about
Greg Noonan, or Dave Miller or even George Fix? Why not just reserve some of
your comments to private E-Mail for the benefit of the Digest.
Sorry to waste bandwidth. It had to be said.
REMEMBER : It's only a HOBBY.
Dennis Davison ddavison at earth.execpc.com Milwaukee, WI
Member : AHA, Chicago Beer Society, Wisconsin Vintners Association, Beer
Barons of Milwaukee, Kansas City Bier Meisters, Certified Beer Judge,
1993 Midwest Homebrewer of the Year, 1993 Midwest Invitational Winner
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 10:45:08 +0000
From: Brian Gowland <B.Gowland at rhbnc.ac.uk> (Tel +44 784 443167)
Subject: Re: Fuller's ESB coloring
In HBD 1516, cem at cadre.com (Chuck E. Mryglot) writes:
> Among the recent postings about Fuller's formulations:
> Jim DiPalma writes:
> > I've had no success in getting the color dark enough, despite a fair
> > amount of 70L crystal. I wasn't aware they used caramel.
> >
> Just what is caramel?
> Thanks,
> ChuckM
In short, burnt sugar. Take some sugar and heat it gently in a pan
until it melts. Keep heating until it turns a lightly burnt colour.
Let it cool, break it up and taste it - thats caramel. It imparts colour
in smallish quantities and taste in larger quantiies.
Brian
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Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 07:43:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Arthur McGregor 614-0205 <mcgregap at acq.osd.mil>
Subject: Propane Cooker Sale
Hi All!
Just a quick note. I was at K-Mart last night (in the Northern
Virginia area), and saw that they had King Cookers on sale for
$38 (normally $48). I believe it's their end of season, and are
trying to get rid of inventory. The model number was PK80 I think.
It's the same one I finally bought. It has an adjustable air supply
intake, which means you can turn down the gas flow thru the
regulator and still get a good blue flame. I previously bought a
PK90 (?) King Cooker, which is a jet cooker version, which is
harder to control gas flow. After testing it, I exchanged it and
bought the PK80. I used the PK 80 last weekend on my first all
grain. It did a nice job. Standard disclaimer.
Good Brews!
Art McGregor (mcgregap at acq.osd.mil)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 06:58:30 -0500 (CDT)
From: John Hartman <jhartman at VNET.IBM.COM>
Subject: Re: Beer Drinking Songs
Excerpts from mail: 2-Sep-94 Homebrew Digest #1516 (Sept.. Request No
Articles at hpfc (46380)
> I'm going to the Oktoberfest in Munich in a couple of weeks and am trying
> to locate the lyrics, in German, to popular folk and beer drinking songs.
> If you can provide any text, references to publications or anonymous ftp
> sites or WWW servers in Germany, I would be extremely grateful.
You may not need as many as you think. I was at Oktoberfest in 1990 and
I was surprised at the number of Dixieland Jazz, Big Band, and other USA
styles of music that was played. Brush up on your Glen Miller. ;-)
But after a half chicken and 3 or 4 liters I didn't care much. ;-)
-jh
John Hartman AFS: jhartman+
Dept 43K/006-2 C101 VM: jhartman at rchland (if you must :)
Dev/2000 Perfomance Team internet: jhartman at vnet.ibm.com
IBM Rochester, MN (507)253-8037 tl. 553-8037
WWW: http://www.rchland.ibm.com/~jhartman/
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 94 08:24:22 -0400
From: stricklandc at cocoa12.ksc.nasa.gov (Chris Strickland)
Subject: MicroPub/Brewery
I'm interested in investigating what I need to do to start up either a
micropub, or microbrewry.
1) What books should I read?
2) Where can I get on mailing lists for equipment (used/new) catalogs?
3) Any do's and don'ts?
4) How to get investors?
5) Anything else you can think of.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Chris Strickland | Allin1: stricklandc |
| Systems Analyst/Statistician | Email : stricklandc at cocoa12.ksc.nasa.gov |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 08:37:29 -0500
From: rprice at cbmse.nrl.navy.mil
Subject: Smoke Beers
If you are still interested in "smoked" beers then before you try a large
batch there is a great way to taste for yourselves the result. Simply find
a really good import beer store and buy a 22 oz. bottle of Taj Mahal beer.
One swing and your desires for this type of beer will be forever altered.
(I do suspect that it is "cow dung" rather than peet though.)
On the subject of starters, visit your local university and pick up a text
on either mycology or microbiology, they reference many nutrient broth
formulations ideal for the growth and reproduction of brewers yeast.
Diffco is a company that is a common supplier, I often use their nutrient
potato broth product with success, to keep my cultures going.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 09:02:55 EDT
From: PSTOKELY at ea.umd.edu
Subject: Dos Equis
My message to Darren Tyson bounced, so here:
I'm an all-grainer, and I use Hallertau hops in my approximation of
Dos Equis, since it is a vienna lager style. The grain bill is mostly
2-row lager malt, 25% vienna malt and 10% crystal malt.
A friend has used Brewferm's "Cervesa Style Lager" brew kit with 2
lbs. amber dried malt extract and the kit yeast, and has yielded a
beer embarassingly close to mine. (Like most all-grainers, I cannot
ever admit that extract brews are just as good as full mash brews.)
The only Mexican beers we seem to find here are Tecate, Corona and XX.
XX is by far the best of the three, IMHO. Good luck!
Paul S. in College Park, Maryland "You speak in strange whispers,
friend, are you not of The Body?"
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 08:46:15 CDT
From: Al Gaspar <gaspar at STL-17SIMA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Re: Homebrew on the www
I tried to send this directly to DAVIN SLADE:
<DBSLA1 at eng3.eng.monash.edu.au>
but my mailer failed...
Yes,
The internet is not dry ;-)... The following are some beer related
bookmarks that work with chimera:
http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/wic/cook.05.html Beer & Brewing
http://pekkel.uthscsa.edu/beer.html Eric's Beer Page
http://guraldi.itn.med.umich.edu:80/Beer/ The Beer Page
http://www.planetary.brown.edu:8080/virtual-pub/ The Virtual \
Pub & Beer Emporium
I hope this helps.
Cheers--
Al
- --
Al Gaspar <gaspar at stl-17sima.army.mil>
USAMC SIMA, ATTN: AMXSI-TTC, 1222 Spruce St., St. Louis, MO 63103-2834
COMMERCIAL: (314) 331-4354 AUTOVON: 555-4354
relay1.uu.net!stl-17sima.army.mil!gaspar
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 94 09:49:05 EDT
From: bvs7605 at stratf.dcrn.dla.mil (David M Alechnowicz)
Subject: (none)
Hi, I am new to the world of homebrewing, can anyone recommend
a good source to obtain supplies? Any suggestions would sure be helpfull.
David Alechnowicz
bvs7605 at stratf.dcrn.dla.mil
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 10:26:27 -0400
From: portna at rpi.edu (Arturo Portnoy)
Subject: Mexican Beers
Personally I find that the best Mexican beers are:
-Negra Modelo
-Bohemia
-Nochebuena
Arturo
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 94 09:06:37 -0500
From: larryb at ssd.fsi.com (Larry Bellmard)
Subject: wine newsgroup
Can someone e-mail me any wine-making newsgroup address's? TIA
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 10:01:25 -0500 (CDT)
From: Alton Clark Dubois <CRFDUBOISAC at CRF.CUIS.EDU>
Subject: Beer bottles
I am a novice brewer and am trying to obtain a *base* of bottles for
botteling. In additionto ordering them specifically from brewing houses/
supplt stores, is ti possible to re-use those 22 oz. ones that are being
marketed with the speiciality beers. The 12 oz ones that are specifically
identified as returnable are okay since they state returnable; however, are
those 22oz. ones re-uable. Thanks for all your help!
Alton Clark Dubois
e-mail: CRFDUBOISAC at CRF.CUIS.EDU
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 94 11:09:32 EDT
From: Pierre Jelenc <pcj1 at columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: Flaming Bacteria
In HBD #1516, Al asks:
> So I'm still confused how working next to a flame will reduce the
> chances of getting your plate contaminated by airborne microbiota.
The purpose of the flame is twofold:
1/ To heat strongly and locally those areas of working implements that may
become contaminated: lips of bottles, inoculating loops, pipets, etc. The
heat kills the bugs locally, without having time to spread to the rest of
the object, which would make it impossible to handle.
2/ To ignite the alcohol that is used to sterilize such instruments as
spreaders, scrapers, policemen, etc. The alcohol burns away from the
object, and thus does not heat it. The same result could be achieved by
letting the alcohol evaporate, but it would be more difficult to make sure
that there are no droplets left. Besides, it is more fun to wave flaming
spreaders around.
All else is urban folklore. A Bunsen burner is not a laminar-flow hood.
Pierre
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 07:37:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com>
Subject: Yeast reproduce anerobically too!
Someone, somehow, somewhere started the myth that yeast can only reproduce
aerobically and this has been perpetuated in post after post.
YEAST CAN REPRODUCE DURING FERMENTATION!!
OXYGEN IS NOT REQUIRED FOR YEAST REPRODUCTION!
The randy little fungi does it in both modes until they start to starve.
(Okay, okay, "randy" above implies sex, and generally yeast strains are
monoclonal so they are not reproducing sexually, but it made for a good
line, and I am not beyond bending the truth a bit for a good line, e.g.,
"Hi Beautiful, my name is Bill Gates.")
So why is it good to aerate your wort? Why do stuck fermentations result
from under aerated wort?
By shaking the starter you will be introducing a constant supply of O2
into solution and thereby forcing the yeast into the Krebs cycle of
respiration. You really don't want your yeast into the Krebs cycle
because they will use up all the O2 doing respiration when you actually
want the O2 later for ergosterol synthesis. Ergosterol?! Ergosterol?!
Ergosterol is a cholesterol like steroid that the yeast synthesizes and
puts into the cell membrane to counteract the effects of ethanol on the
membrane. O2 is necessary for ergosterol synthesis and if it is not
available when the yeasties decide to make it you will get a stuck
fermentation because the yeast, being unable to synthesis the antidote,
will poison itself at relatively low concentrations of ethanol.
Also, remember Jack Schmidling's lag-time vs. aeration test of last year?
(Thanks Jack) Jack's results were largely shouted down but IMO never
refuted and need to be explained and taken into account. In short Jack
found NO effect on lag-time by level of aeration. BIG SHOCK! Counter-
intuitive. Outside the common pale. So is curved-space-time, but we all
believe in that, don't we?
So what causes lag-time?
2 things: environmental shock and underpitching. Environmental shock is
the effect of changing media conditions rapidly for your yeast, like what
happens when you pitch from a high cell density starter to the carboy.
Rapid changes in osmotic pressure, temperature, crowding, etc., all tend
to stun the yeast until they adjust. In my brewing experience the most
important factor is temperature. Given similar temperatures shock times
are pretty short - minutes rather than hours - THIS IS A GUESS.
Underpitching means not enough yeast to give visible activity after the
environmental shock is over. Reproduction needs to produce enough yeast
to make visible activity. Underpitch times can be long, a day or more if
pitched only from the foil pack, a couple hours or less if pitched from a
good dense starter.
I have always suspected that wort can be over-oxygenated but have no
data to backup this suspicion. If anyone has information/experience
on over-oxygenation jump right in.
Again, IMO a good nitrogen source for the yeast starter is very important.
A source of nitrogen is required by yeast to synthesize amino acids and
hence to produce proteins. Without protein production no reproduction is
possible. I add Yeast Nitrogen Base (YNB) to my starters and have noticed
great improvements. YNB contains 5g of ammonium sulfate per liter,
microgram levels of the B complex of vitamins, various trace elements,
plus other inorganic salts. I use 6.7g YNB/liter. Wow, gangbusters. A
complete analysis of the product down to the microgram level shows the
stuff is safe. Try the yeast nutrients sold in home brew stores. Ask the
shop owners to find out what is in them.
That's my rather more than two cents worth on the issue. Hopefully,
a lively discussion will ensue.
Imbibe wisely and often,
Domenick Venezia
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia at zgi.com
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Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 08:39:30 -0700
From: pascal at netcom.com (Richard A Childers)
Subject: Starter Evaluation Metrics
"Date: Tue, 30 Aug 94 11:23:30 EDT
From: Steve Scampini <scampini at hpangrt.an.hp.com>
Subject: Starters
"It seems to me that many of the posts regarding starters miss an
important point - that the object of making a starter is to get a large
quantity of desirable yeast. It is not to make a small quantity of beer.
. . . .
"I suspect many "recipes" for starters are based on recipes for beer. Can
some of you experts out there comment on how to judge a good starter from
easily observable parameters? "
Well, I'm no expert, by my lights. But I think I can answer this.
Ignoring the possibility of infections, I think the vigor of a starter can
be measured fairly easily, not by its specific gravity, but by the amount
of co2 it emits per increment of time.
The more co2 being emitted, the more fermentation occurring ... and the
fermentation is strictly a consequence of the number of active yeast cells.
This translates into a count of bubbles per minute at your vapor lock.
I prefer vapor locks without moving parts, IE, the pure "S"-shaped lock
( as originated by Pasteur, I believe ). Without moving parts, there are
only two dynamics ... the gas going out, and the liquid it is passing thru.
This gives the observer a consistent and steady bubble count which is so
reliable, statistically, that ity may be used as a crude clock ( relying
upon the same statistical dynamics as a water clock, now that I think of
it ).
So why not grab a stopwatch, and measure how fast the vapor lock is bubbling
( I always sample at least three or four bubbles, than divide the interval
elapsed on the stopwatch by the number of bubbles, to get a precise answer ),
and use that as your metric for measuring when the starter batch is ready to
be brought into conjunction with the wort ?
Note : this method can be used throughout the entire fermenting process,
and, in fact, it is entertaining to chart the rise and fall of the bubble
rate across time and cycling temperatures. This might make an excellent
little demonstration of some sort, in a science class ...
- -- richard
Law : The science of assigning responsibility.
Politics : The art of _distributing_ responsibility.
richard childers san francisco, california pascal at netcom.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 08:58:40 -0700
From: pascal at netcom.com (Richard A Childers)
Subject: Curing Hops ?
"Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 03:54:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: Emuel Aldridge <ealdridg at moe.coe.uga.edu>
Subject: Homegrown hop curing.
"I'm sure this question has come up here before. What's the best way to
cure hops? I have a 12X12 hop trellis that produces a lot but I don't
know the best way to process them."
Well, there are a couple of approaches to drying 'green vegetable matter'.
In general, you want something that
(a) raises temperature slightly, and
(b) decreases humidity slightly, and
(c) keeps the air moving slightly.
The best solution is to build a drying box. Such a box has a light bulb
in the bottom, sliding trays made of screen on wood frames, holes in the
bottom for air to be drawn in and at the top for hot air to escape, or
a small fan, perhaps. The light bulb provides a source of heat, and the
hops are scattered on the trays, and shaken periodically, until they're
reasonably well cured - then they may be bottled, or bagged, and frozen.
A low-end alternative is to build such a screen above a water heater or
other warm spot in the basement or garage, if such is available.
The oven - turned off, warmed only by a pilot light - is also a good
alternative. Tape a note on the switch that turns on the oven, or you
will be very sorry ... (-:
I decided to post this because there are probably a lot of people who
are at the same crossroads, this week ...
"Also, is it necessary to cure hops before using them or can you just
boil them up green?"
I would think that if you boiled them up green you'd get chlorophyll-
-flavored beer, rather than hops-flavored beer.
The whole idea of "curing" is to get the chlorophyll to slowly break
down into less detectable components ( I surmise ) and to extract the
water, also, of course, so as to inhibit infections. ( I would think
that going into some detail on excatly what "curing" is might be good,
in the Hops FAQ, if it does not already do so. )
- -- richard
Law : The science of assigning responsibility.
Politics : The art of _distributing_ responsibility.
richard childers san francisco, california pascal at netcom.com
Return to table of contents
Date: 2 Sep 94 17:03:00 GMT
From: korz at iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Corona crush quality
I had been thinking about Frank's post regarding his Corona and how
happy he was that he bought it. Before you all run out and get
a Corona, please read George Fix's article on Crush Quality in the
same issue of Zymurgy as the Mill Comparison. Then decide which mill
you would like to buy.
Al.
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 14:04 EDT
From: HEWITT at arcges.arceng.com
Subject: Real Homebrewing
This topic has had me thinking too long- it's time to unload.
We live in a rural area, and rely on our own well and septic system
for modern conveniences.
Each time I pour a homebrew, rinse the bottle, and pour the yeast layer
down the drain, I think -- this is good, it should help keep the
microorganism cycle going in the pipes and downstream in the great unseen
reservoir. Then I wonder why I shouldn't pour the post-ferment yeast
layer in the toilet and skip the Rid-X (tm)?
Anybody done any fermentation studies using brewing yeast and you know
what? Not being a microbiologist I'm sure I have my micro-beasts
confused, but QUESTION:
should I expect any benefit in terms of enhancing the solids breakdown
by introducing spent brewing yeast into the tank (or is it detrimental)?
I suppose I could improve conversion and, let's say, use electric
resistance tape heaters and a modified Hunter airstat to keep the
toilet bowl temperature at 148 deg F, add an insulated seat, and put
a 90 min delay timer on the flush mechanism....
Even so, it seems a terrible insult to the precious
yeast after taking such pains to maintain absolute purity, watching
it perform such a huge task in the fermenter solely for our pleasure,
then sending it on to the dark interior of the underground in the
most undesirable medium imaginable. A proper burial in the
garden would seem more appropriate.
But if practical, why not?
Pat Hewitt, Atlantic Research Corporation
=========================================================
"Don't let the same dog bite you twice" -Tesla
=========================================================
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 11:00:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jeff Frane <gummitch at teleport.com>
Subject: Peat Smoked malt / starters
A *STRONG* measure of agreement with those people who cautioned about
using peat-smoked malt in beer -- Bob Jones is right, the stuff is very
tricky and treacherous. I know of one local brewpub that started with
what seemed like tiny amounts of this malt and then couldn't sell the
beer. Seems that people weren't partial to drinking diesel fuel.
As others have pointed out, this stuff is intended to end up in Scotch
*whiskey*, not Scotch ale. There are several distillations between the
mash and the mouth in that process.
I'm still trying to figure out why the AHA says that Scotch ales may
have a smokey taste; it's certainly nothing I've ever encountered int
those beers.
==========================
In respect to yeast starters, I would strongly recommend picking up some
brand of enriched nutrient. For years, I've been making a simple
starter medium of DME and yeast nutrient (as sold by F H Steinbart). In
the last week, however, I used a fortified nutrient for the first time
and the response was truly astonishing. I got much more vigorous
growth, fermentation (a real head!) and now have a huge supply of yeast
in a very short period of time.
In the interest of non-commercialism, I won't recommend a brand, but I
suspect that most of these blends will achieve the same effect. This one
happens to be the one used by a yeast lab to culture up their product --
as someone else has said, this stuff does not replicate ordinary wort.
In fact, you wouldn't want to drink the result at all. Lots of
minerals, I believe, and not tasty ones at that.
- --Jeff
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Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 14:49:40 EDT
From: bob at rsi.com (Bob Gorman)
Subject: Sources of Small Pumps?
Hi All,
I'm looking for a source of pumps to use in my homebrewery. I currently
have a Grainger catalog but I'm looking for additional industrial sources.
In particular I'm looking for a pump that can handle boiling liquids and
corrosive materials such as chlorinated-TSP, although not at the same time.
The Grainger catalog has a very nice one, but it can only handle liquids
up to 200F, and I would really like to be able to sanitize with boiling
water.
Please respond direct or Cc: me on any posts to the HBD as I don't read
it anymo'.
TIA,
- -- Bob Gorman bob at rsi.com Watertown MA US --
- -- Relational Semantics, Inc uunet!semantic!bob +1 617 926 0979 --
Return to table of contents
Date: 2 Sep 94 19:26:00 GMT
From: fjdobner at ihlpa.att.com (Frank J Dobner 708 979 5124)
Subject: Mill Talk
Al Korzonas says:
>I had been thinking about Frank's post regarding his Corona and how
>happy he was that he bought it. Before you all run out and get
>a Corona, please read George Fix's article on Crush Quality in the
>same issue of Zymurgy as the Mill Comparison. Then decide which mill
>you would like to buy.
I believe that George Fix' article is a basic recount of what deClerck and
Dougherty have stated as ideal crush qualities. It is the article about
mills that really begins to focus on how those criteria come to bear on
the crush quality of commercially available malt mills for homebrewers.
The visual crush quality results of the various mills seems to disfavor
the Corona. This may have something to do with the fact that is is believed
that damaged husks will extract undesirable husk phenols and tannins.
I do not know. I think it is still conjecture about the real result: beer.
I think this whole thing may need a little more work from the AHA Research
Department as to how commercial hb mills relate to finished beer quality.
Until then, I will not be purchasing a "high-end" mill for throughput
only. I have sturdy arms and plenty of time.
Al, I appreciate you advancing me a copy of your e-mail so that I may
comment early since I will not be around for two weeks to hear of the
outcome. Gentlemanly of you.
Frank Dobner
Aurora, Illinois
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Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 16:17:30 -0700 (MST)
From: "C. John Mare" <MARE at vetsci.agpharm.arizona.edu>
Subject: Re: Gas cooker and keg diameter
For the boiler in my 3-tier half-barrel system I use a Brinkmann
165,000 btu burner which is mounted in a stand with a round top which
fits snugly inside the bottom of the Sankey boiler. When filled this
setup is extremely stable, and it has the additional advantage of
holding the heat better than the Camp Cooker 170,000 btu setup which
I also use. The skirt on the bottom of the keg fits over the burner
ring and thus it cannot slide. It would take a very heavy klutz to
knock it over since with 10+ gallons it weighs about 150 lbs.
The burners and controllers can be purchased loose if you prefer to
make your own stand.
John M.
Tucson, Arizona
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Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 15:51:36 -0500 (EST)
From: Bruce Wiggins <FAC_BWIGGINS at VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU>
Subject: flaming flasks
I'd like to contribute my 2 cents worth to the discussion about flaming the
mouths of flasks when pouring yeast media. As I understand it, historically,
flaming was used to burn off the cotton fibers that remained in the neck of
flasks after the *cotton* plug was removed. Now that foil or plastic caps are
commonly used, this is no longer necessary. I still flame the flasks as a
habit. I think it is a good habit, not to create updrafts of air out of the
flask, but to sterilize the lip in case I accidently touched it when I was
removing the cap. I don't flame between plates, but only after I remove the
cap. BTW, this is not the only place I have heard the "updraft"
explanation/excuse, but from my experience, it is just a bunch of hot air ;->
My "credentials": I have poured well over 10,000 plates (yikes!) with very few
contamination problems... (knock on wood!)
Bruce Wiggins
fac_bwiggins at vax1.acs.jmu.edu
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Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 15:56:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: clayglen at netcom.com (Clay Glenn)
Subject: Specific Gravity and Alcohol Level
In HBD #1516, Richard B. Webb
<rbw1271 at appenine.ca.boeing.com> writes:
In HBD #1514, Clay Glenn reports on his
experiments with heating beer to drive off
alcohol. He has several questions that need
answering, and here are my lucky guesses.
One question he had was how much alcohol (if any)
he got rid of. I question him back: what were the
final gravity readings of the two batches? As
alcohol is less dense than water, it should be
(theoretically) easy to determine the difference
in alcohol from the difference in specific
gravities of the 'boiled' and 'not-boiled' beers.
Unfortunately, I didn't measure the gravity after the
post-fermentation heating. However, I am curious how one
would use this information. For example, If I knew that the
fermented beer measured 1.010 before the second heating, and
1.015 (or U-pick a number) after the second heating, how
would we use this information to determine the alcohol
level? Since I know some water and maybe a bunch of alcohol
evaporated (along with all my CO2), how would we translate
the specific gravity data into a final alcohol level?
Any takers on this one?
- --
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ O
>>> Clay Glenn clayglen at netcom.com >>> /|\
/////////////////////////////////////////// /'\
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Date: Fri, 02 Sep 94 13:02:03 -0600
From: Mark <markc at ssd.fsi.com>
Subject: Lemon off taste
While at a bar recently I had a container filled with a wonderful ale
called Mirrorpond ale from Des Chutes brewery in Bend OR, I believe.
By the time I was ready to drink this ale (at home) it had gone flat.
So, i added 1 tablespoon of cornsugar to the gallon of ale. The
carbonation came right up but there is a very strong lemon taste now.
This isn't just 'Citrusy', it's LEMON.
The only guess I have is the temperature in my house was too warm
(about 80F).
TIA.........mark
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Date: Fri, 02 Sep 1994 22:22:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: DAVE ELLSWORTH <DE12344 at conrad.appstate.edu>
Subject: what are you?
I GOT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS FROM A FELLOW HOMEBREWER BUT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT
WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT. I HAVE BEEN BREWING FOR 2 YEARS AND AM NOW STARTING TO
NAVIGATE THE INTERNET. IF YOU ARE NOT A RESOURCE FOR BREWERS COULD YOU
RECOMEND SOME TO ME? THANKS.
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Date: Fri, 2 Sep 94 22:05 CDT
From: arf at genesis.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Happiness is...
>From: fjdobner at ihlpa.att.com (Frank J Dobner +1 708 979 5124)
Subject: Mills
>My point was that at $80-$100+ dollars for rollers mills, I would not be
significantly happier than having spent $29.95 for my Corona.
Frankly (pun) I thought you were joking.
Being "significantly happier" means different things to different people but
your comment seems to re-inforce my very negative opinion of the article.
The crush quality was the only issue that was actually evaluated and they
came up with a toss up. The "details" that make people significantly UNHAPPY
when using a mill were glossed over to the point that your conclusion was the
only one that could be drawn from the words, i.e., might as well buy the
cheapest.
js
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Date: Fri, 02 Sep 94 23:44:50 EDT
From: WLASKA at aol.com
Subject: Pilot Homebrewing System
I have acquired three sankey kegs and trying to put together a modified "Brew
Magic" system without the $3000.00 outlay. I have put to paper a plan that
should do the trick, but need some advice. I am looking for a false bottom
to use in the kegs and have seen some advertisements on them. Any comments
on which ones will work, especially in the sankey? Next, I would like to
have it set up so I can pump the hot water from the Hot Liquor Tank to the
Mash Tun along with the hot Sparge water...this should not be a problem. I
would like to use the same pump to pump the wort from the Mash Tun to the
Kettle for boiling. Is there a pump that I could use which would allow me to
do this? Thanks for any help on this.
Cheers
Wil
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Date: Sat, 03 Sep 1994 02:42:10 -0700 (MST)
From: "Steven W. Smith" <SYSSWS at gc.maricopa.edu>
Subject: Full volume boils and such
First my qualifications: I do computer things. I'm not a professional
brewer, but I've heard one do radio commercials. Other people have tried my
beers and smiled. :-)
Yippee-yi-aye! (it's the West, I'm entitled) I've passed another
brewing milestone; the (holy and long-coveted) Full Volume Boil in a cutoff
1/2 bbl SS keg! I'm definitely pleased, and am prepared to share some
observations on this and other zymurgistic events.
First, the keg's legal. I swear. $20. Cutting the top out wasn't harrowing.
Traced a circle to follow (Ha!) then drilled 2 holes side-by-side to allow the
saw blade in. Used up 4 24 TPI blades (TPI==teeth per inch) and about 30
minutes, including breaks and being really careful not to dismember myself.
*Do* have hearing and eye protection for that part. You'll be glad because it
makes you oblivious to all the barking dogs in the neighborhood.
Having received a 170,000 BTU King Cooker for Father's Day, I was ready to
party. I started out with 6 gallons, which boiled down to just under 5 in
about an hour. My hop utilization was noticably improved (like doubled??).
I found that 2 ounces of hop pellets will settle nicely into the concave
bottom of the keg! I just stuck the racking cane all the way down next to
the side of the keg and left most of the hops and hot/cold break behind.
My immersion chiller I'd been using for 3 gallon boils was really inadequate
- 20 ft of tubing - it took over an hour to drop it to pitching temperature.
In other news, I've thrice verified that garden variety pantyhose when
stretched over a racking cane Will Remove Hops and even Strawberry Particles
from wort and must (proto-mead). My preferred racking/filtering method now
is to:
- cut off about 12 inches from one leg of otherwise unservicable pantyhose
- boil the pantyhose in the microwave a couple of times (until clear water)
- drop about 5-6 inches of the pantyhose through the neck of the carboy
- secure pantyhose about the neck with a rubber band or two
- place a washer-like object on the tip of the racking cane to increase
the filter circumference. I cut about 2mm from the bottom of a small
stopper for the washer.
- insert racking cane and stretch to the bottom of the carboy
- rack clear liquid with No Clogged Racking Cane :-D
- if you have problems just stretch the pantyhose tighter.
It Works Great. Do it, I implore you!
Cripes! I nearly forgot about water chemistry!!! Temporary hardness - OK, I
follow that part. Why must I boil *twice* to eliminate temporary hardness?
Will the CA ions or cations or whatever bond with another componant of my beer
rather than form a precipitate? Same question about chlorine, please. I
really wanna know! I'll gladly summarize responses from any Chemists who may
be tuned in.
Oh yeah - I bought a 6-pack of Lemuel Addams Summur Wheet (look ma, no TM!)
for $4.89. It's pretty tasty for what it is, and doesn't give me a headache
like some (Budweiser!) commercial beers. Good job, Lemuel! :-)
... It's a joke, 'cause I know that deep down Jim's a great, fun-loving guy
(looking nervously about).
Aw geez, here comes my sig!
_,_/| Steven W. Smith - Systems Programmer, but not a Licensed Therapist
\o.O; Glendale Community College, Glendale Az. USA
=(___)= smith_s at gc.maricopa.edu <--obsolete address.
U syssws at gc.maricopa.edu <--new address
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Date: Sat, 3 Sep 1994 12:45:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: Phil Brushaber <pbrush at netcom.com>
Subject: Egg Drop Soup Help Needed
I need help. Perhaps from an Al K. type. But I'll take anyone.
Ever since I constructed by counterflow chiller I have been getting
a great cold break. Unfortunately, I can't get the break to go away!
This stuff which looks like egg drop soup will not settle any further
than the bottom 1/3 of my carboy. Chilling and swirling doesn't seem to
make any difference, that trub hangs in there and won't settle to the
bottom of the carboy. I should add that this never happened with my
immersion chiller.
I can't be the only one who has ever had this problem. It happens every
time (high gravity or low) that I brew and use the counterflow chiller.
How do you filter that stuff out of there? Please. Strain through a hop
bag or cheese cloth.... run it through a 4 micron filter.... I'll take
any tips from anyone who has gotten the "egg drop soup" out of their wort!
pbrush at netcom.com
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Date: Sat, 3 Sep 1994 22:28:31 -0500 (CDT)
From: afmccaul at rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Tony McCauley)
Subject: Using Iodaphor
I've seen recent mention of using iodaphor for sanatizing. I bought some of
the stuff, but haven't used it because I didn't know how much of it to use.
Can anyone out there tell me how much to use?
I'd prefer an answer like "X teaspoons in Y gallons of water". Figuring out
PPMs is something I'd rather leave to the laboratories.
(Sorry if this is a repeat. I don't always read my daily HBD as closely as I
should.)
Thanks for your help.
Tony McCauley -- afmccaul at rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
.
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Date: Sat, 3 Sep 1994 08:38:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com>
Subject: Poor citizens
- ------------------------------
>Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 09:43:48 -0400
>
>Sorry to waste space with a complaint, but does anyone else think
>that something should be done about
> OAKQM3 at oakqm3.sps.mot.com and Mailer.MC1 at hesdmail.mmm.com
>... Seems to me that a policy of quietly dropping subscribers who
>cause such problems after three offenses would be in order. Most
>recently, both these bad apples affected #1514.
I was in contact with paul_ingersoll at oakqm3.sps.mot.com in July and August
requesting that he UNSUBSCRIBE and use ftp. If memory serves he responded
contritely and agreed, but I guess he lied. We too had trouble with #1514
receiving time-out, peer closed connection errors. I could not figure out
why the HBD generated these errors and frankly I don't see how the HBD
content could have affected transmission, but if you do know, I'd sure
like to hear about it. I had to download off sierra also.
If you are tallying votes I vote that such bad apples be dropped, but with
notification. Tell them they are being dropped and why.
Domenick Venezia
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia at zgi.com
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Date: Sun, 04 Sep 94 10:02:53 EDT
From: BrewerBob at aol.com
Subject: Tube bending and CA Pubs
Tube bending - On the question of tube bending, one can bend a tube without
kinking it simply by bending it around something of the approxiamte size of
the coil desired. To make a wort chiller, for example, try a 6.6 pound can of
Ireks Extract or a number 10 can. If you think about it, that is all the tube
bending device is doing. It bends the tube against a known radius, only it is
limited to about a 90 degree turn. By using a can, you can wrap 25 feet of
tubing continuously.
San Francisco Brewpubs - I wish to thank the many people that responded to my
query on brewpubs in the San Francisco area. Your replies have helped me a
lot in planning an itinerary that will include a few brewpub stops. Several
folks asked that I relay the responses to them. I will do that as soon as I
have summarized them all. Thanks again for your kind and prompt responses.
BrewerBob at aol.com
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Date: Sun, 4 Sep 1994 20:52:49 -0700
From: Richard Buckberg <buck at well.sf.ca.us>
Subject: South Florida
I've been in the Ft. Lauderdale area for a few days now, and I can't find
any mention anywhere of brew pubs, or even of a good tap room. At one
"English Pub" I stopped at in Coconut Grove (only 4 taps for an English
pub!) the barkeep told me people in Florida don't drink much beer.
Could this possibly be true?
Help me slake my thirst!
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1518, 09/05/94