HOMEBREW Digest #1674 Wed 08 March 1995

Digest #1673 Digest #1675


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


Contents:
  Beverage Survey (Carl P. Borchgrevink)
  Boiling Chlorox--ENOUGH!!//Magnetic SS (Kirk R Fleming)
  Belgian Candi Sugar in U.S. (Jeff Frane)
  Perled Barley (M.Marshburn/D202)
  underhopped (McKee McClendon)
  Inexpensive Scale (Randy M. Davis)
  No annual mailing yet (James Spence/AHA/BJCP)
  Well water (Robin Hanson)
  Boiler sight glasses (Kelly Jones)
  Stuck Fermentations/Dry Hopping w/pellets/Dishwasher Detergents (Keith Frank)
  SS Sanitary Valve Parts ("Diane S. Put")
   (Brian Keith South)
  Re: Dryhopping/Belgian Malts (Spencer.W.Thomas)
  Morris Mashing (was RIMS) (Will Self)
  dryhopping (Alan P Van Dyke)
  Orlando, Clearwater, and Ft. Meyers FL (ecklund)
  Uncompressing Stanford .z files (William G.Garrison)
  From Concentrate (Matthew Sever)
  Canning question results / Spring Street offering ("Harralson, Kirk")
  Beer Bread (Arthur_S_Ward.henr801h)
  Replacement Temp Control ("Harrington, Stephen J")
  stains /chlorine /chiller /RIMS (Eamonn McKernan)
  Bottling lagers (Montgomery_John)
  Superb dealers ("Todd Orjala")
  minikegs, brewpubs, and assorted ("BARRON, GRAHAM LARS")
  The Beer Formula Calculator 1.3 (Carlo Fusco)
  Magnetic Stainless (Kirk R Fleming)
  Fiberglas odors (Philip Gravel)
  CO2 gas question (p scott colligan)
  Minikeg problem / taste difference (Fredrik Stahl)
  Re: Hop Family Tree (Tel +44 784 443167)
  Portland Beer Attractions (Steve McKeeby)
  Gadgets source (Henson W.C.(Bill))
  Sight Glass Fittings & Mash Out-Yield (Timothy J. Dalton  07-Mar-1995 0743)
  yeasty in septic tank (Btalk)
  "nonsense" from them "No-Nonsense(TM)" hose. (" Robert Bloodworth                            ZFBTO    - MT0054")
  General Introduction ("Hermes G. Saad")
  Hop analysis methods ("Daniel S McConnell")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 08:59:38 -0700 From: carlb at msu.edu (Carl P. Borchgrevink) Subject: Beverage Survey Dear brewers: I am a homebrewer at the early stages: I still use extracts! I subscribe to this list in order to learn from you all. Soon I will venture beyond my current level of brewing. I am with the School of Hospitality Management at Michigan State University. Right now I am in the process of collecting data regarding guests' global perceptions of beverage service/programs at restaurants. It occurred to me that some of you may be interested in sharing your opinions with me. If so, send me a message (CarlB at msu.edu) and I will forward a survey to you. The survey is relatively lengthy, and I cannot post it to homebrew. Sincerely, Carl Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 08:47:44 -0700 From: flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming) Subject: Boiling Chlorox--ENOUGH!!//Magnetic SS This "boiling chlorox" thread is driving me nuts--***no one proposed using boiling chlorox for anything***. Here's the story so no one need be concerned about this: Brian asks for a better pump... >HBD #1661 (Brian Ellsworth) Using some cheep plastic connecting hose, I hooked up...bilge pump ...to move the cold water through the cooler and return it to the sink. I have looked high and low for a better submersible pump...that can both handle the cold and give me a sufficient pressure...Anyone know of a source for a better, small, cheep pump? Pier responds... >HBD #1664 (Pier Dutcher) <Anyone know of a source for a better, small, cheep pump?> ...I went to my local...store and picked up a small pump used to circulate water in those little garden fountains...it's supposed to recirculate 360 gal./hour. Pier Dutcher (pedu at chevron.com) Al may not have seen the original post and warns.... >HBD #1666 (Al Korzonas) >Pier writes: >Improvement" - type discount hardware store and picked up a small pump >used to circulate water in those little garden fountains... Careful...these may not be food grade and also may not be made to handle hot liquids or sanitizers... Pier corrects the requirement with a joke... >HBD #1668 (Pier Dutcher) I don't have the original request for info...but the requester wanted some method of recirculating water through the cooling coils of his chiller. I have no intention of pumping wort through it, but if some other adverturous soul would like to see what happens if a similar pump is used on boiling Clorox, I'd love to see the results. ;-) Kinney thinks someone is actualy doing it and asks... >HBD #1670 (Kinney Baughman <BAUGHMANKR at conrad.appstate.edu>) Subject: Boiling clorox Pier Dutcher mentioned boiling clorox in his post about "cheep pumps". This reminds me of a question I've been wanting to ask. I'm almost positive that boiling clorox ruins its sterilization properties. I've heard that this causes it to degenerate into some kind of harmless salt. - ------------------------------------------------ There it is...poor Brian just wanted a better bilge pump, Pier offered a fountain pump, Al simply made an honest observation that Pier's pump wasn't food grade and might not handle hot liquids OR sanitizers, Pier said I'm not using it for that but YOU can pump hot chlorox thru it if you want to (just a joke) and Kinney observes hot chlorox don't works. I hope this clears up where the thread started--a mis-read of a pump requirement, and a little humor. No one was using or proposing the use of boiling Chlorox. Magnetic SS-- John P will correct, please, but I recall as a stainless steel fabricator we would sometimes gets stainless alloys that were indeed detectably magnetic. We returned these materials since their corrosive-resistance properties weren't good enough for yacht-deck hardware, but they did come shipped as stainless. I can't recall the alloy number, but we would have most likely ordered 301 or 302, I think (it's been over 20 years). John? Kirk R Fleming -flemingkr at afmcfafb.fafb.af.mil -BEER: It's not just for breakfast anymore. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 08:37:18 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Frane <gummitch at teleport.com> Subject: Belgian Candi Sugar in U.S. Just as a point of information (and standard disclaimers apply): F. H. Steinbart has succeeded, again, in stocking Belgian candi sugar. They have three colors: clear, amber (75 l) and dark (275 l). The sugar is the classic rock candy form: big, big crystals on strings. If you are interested, give them a phone call; they do mail order in a big way. (503) 232-8793. Tell them you heard about it on the 'net. - --Jeff Frane Return to table of contents
Date: 6 Mar 95 10:39:41 EST From: M.Marshburn/D202 at cgsmtp.comdt.uscg.mil Subject: Perled Barley Two short questions! Perled Barley - Can this stuff be ground, roasted and used in place of roast barley in stouts? Also can it be substituted for unmalted barley? It's readily available in bulk at the grocery store and appears to be barley thats been dehusked. Belgian Wit - Is this a lager or an ale? - I have a recipe of 4lbs DWC pils, 4lbs raw wheat, 1/2lb rolled oats, 1oz coriander, grated rind from 2 oranges and 2 lemons, wyeast 3944 belgian white. The recipe doesn't go into any fermenting details. Does it sound authentic? I've never mashed or lautered raw wheat, is there anything I should be particularly careful of? TIA Reply to: m.marshburn/d202 at cgsmtp.comdt.uscg.mil Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 95 11:58:54 EST From: McKee McClendon <R1MJM1 at VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU> Subject: underhopped Did anyone see a reply to the query about what to do about underhopped beer after it is bottled. I too had that problem. I boiled .75 oz. Hallertau plug for 45 min. and .25 oz for 15 minutes in an extract recipe for Kolsch. When I oppened a bottle 2 weeks after bottling it had almost no hop flavor. Can anything be done to save 35 bottles of beer? Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 10:10:33 MST From: Randy M. Davis <rmdavis at mocan.mobil.com> Subject: Inexpensive Scale A year ago I purchased a Cuisinart model SA-105 portion scale for weighing hops. This is a pendulum scale of plastic (mostly) construction that the manufacturer says is accurate to 3 grams. It has a capacity of ~300 grams and may also be read in ounces. The cost was $35.00 Can. which was the most reasonable price I have seen for a scale claiming similiar accuracy. It has also proven to be useful for specialty malts and priming sugar. I often wonder how I did without one for so long. - -- +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Randy M. Davis rmdavis at mocan.mobil.com Calgary Canada (403)260-4184 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Return to table of contents
Date: 06 Mar 95 12:26:29 EST From: James Spence/AHA/BJCP <70740.1107 at compuserve.com> Subject: No annual mailing yet Several judges have emailed me saying they have not received the BJCP's annual mailing. The BJCP has not sent an annual mailing this year yet. In early January, some judges received updates to Certified/National/Master. Someone assumed this was the annual mailing but it was not. Cheers, James Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 10:43:08 -0700 From: rhanson at nmsu.edu (Robin Hanson) Subject: Well water I have recently moved and now draw my household water from a well. I have noticed that after a certain time the water started to "not smell so good". I then clorinated the well. Does anyone out there have a well and if so how often should it be clorinated? Last time I added Chlorine, the clorine smell in the water put my brewing schedule back a week. It it safe to use well water or as anone had any problems? Thanks, Robin Robin Hanson Rhanson at nmsu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 10:45:59 -0700 From: k-jones at ee.utah.edu (Kelly Jones) Subject: Boiler sight glasses Jim Hunter, in HBD #1672, recommends (if I understand him correctly) tapping into the side of the fitting for the drain in order to install a sight glass. I would add a warning for those who are considering this: You will not be able to read the boiler volume while wort is draining! The flow of wort past the end of the sight tube creates a Bernoulli effect which draws the fluid level in the sight tube way down, making it impossible to get an accurate reading. Worse yet, if you pump fluid out of the boiler, as I sometimes do, it is poosible to suck air into the pump from the open sight glass tube. You would be better off installing your sight glass at a point on the boiler *other than* the drain outlet, unless you have absolutely no intention of measuring wort volume while draining the boiler. Kelly Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 12:08:40 -0600 From: keithfrank at dow.com (Keith Frank) Subject: Stuck Fermentations/Dry Hopping w/pellets/Dishwasher Detergents **** from Bruce DeBolt ******** Miscellaneous topics, some from recent posts. 1. Stuck Fermentations I've used Wyeast 1098 British 4 times with a one pint starter (porter, bitter, cream ale, ESB) and had stuck ferments on 3. Reviewng my records I've noted a ferment temp. at or below 70F for each of them. I put my fermenter in a water bucket to keep the temperature fairly constant. The bitter (1.035 OG) fermented completely but the others stopped at 1.020-1.022. The last time this happened (ESB, 1.050 OG) I tried rousing the yeast by rocking the carboy with no success. The next step was to heat the bucket water from 70 to 75F by pouring in hot water. Within minutes the fermentation kicked off again (slowly) and finished at about 1.013, which was fine. The local homebrew shop said it was common to get stuck ferments in the winter. Try slightly heating your carboy in a bathtub or other container if you have the same problem. By the way I've never had this problem with Wyeast 1056 (American), 1333 (European), or the Irish Ale yeast. 2. Dry Hopping For those who want to dry hop with pellets in a glass carboy I would like to make a suggestion - don't use a hop bag. It's a real hassle to cram that bag into the neck. Just try weighing it down with marbles sometime to sink it - it's amazing how bouyant one ounce of hops can be! I just dump the loose pellets in the fermenter. At siphon time I sanitize that same hop bag and a plastic twist tie and put it over the end of the cane, works great and is easy to get through the neck. This was based on the panty hose suggestion from the digest last year. My wife wasn't around to pick out the best candidate so I had to improvise with the hop bag. Based on what I've read on HBD I think I'll switch to whole hops. 3. Dishwashing Detergents The dishwashing issue comes up routinely so I thought it might be interesting to post the typical composition of consumer powdered dishwashing detergent: - Sodium tripolyphosphate 20-40% (adds alkalinity, emulsifies greasy soils, suspends solids) - Chlorinated isocyanurate 1-3% (oxidizes protein soils, sanitizes) - Low foam nonionic surfactant 2-4% (wets surface, emulsifies greasy soils, improves sheeting action) - Sodium silicate 8-15% (protects metal machine parts) - Sodium carbonate 0-35% (adds alkalinity) - Sodium sulfate 0-35% (filler) - Misc. (color, perfume, 0-3% (aesthetics, reduce foaming) defoamers) - Water (bound) 0-20% (filler) This info is about 3 years old and comes from a surfactant consultant. Formulations are always changing but the sodium tripolyphosphate seems to be in all of them. It is used in liquid autodish formulations as well as institutional formulations (restaurants, etc.) 4. Aromatic Malt - based on suggestions I'll try 1/2 lb in my next alt and post results. Bruce DeBolt c/o keithfrank at dow.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 09:34:15 -0800 (PST) From: "Diane S. Put" <dput at cello.gina.calstate.edu> Subject: SS Sanitary Valve Parts >From *Don* Put: I recently acquired a 20 gallon SS fermenter that has a three-piece SS ball valve mounted to the bottom. Actually, one flange of the ball valve has been sanitary welded to the bottom of the fermenter, which is how it was designed to be attached, and three SS studs provide the mounting for the rest of the valve that consists of the body with the ball and an outer flange that retains the whole unit. There are three teflon gaskets and two teflon seats in the valve. The manufacturer's logo appears to be either PBM or IC. Does anyone know who made this valve and where I could get some new gaskets and seats if these don't clean up okay? TIA. don (dput at cello.gina.calstate.edu) PS - This fermenter was made by United Utensils Company (UTENSCO) in Port Washington, NY, but the phone number listed on the fermenter is now a lawyer's office. Directory assistance doesn't list another number. Anyone know if UTENSCO still exists? Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 10:20:16 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Keith South <bks at uclink3.berkeley.edu> Subject: Please send me information about home brewery Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 13:34:42 EST From: Spencer.W.Thomas at med.umich.edu Subject: Re: Dryhopping/Belgian Malts On D/C pils malt: Apparently the "formulation" changed shortly after the Brewing Techniques article was published, and a protein rest is now *not* recommended (by Fix, anyway). On Special B: This seems to vary wildly in quality from batch to batch. I had some D/C Special B that was wonderfully raisiny. Then I got some more (still D/C) that was very much like chocolate malt. =Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 11:56:24 -0700 From: wself at viking.emcmt.edu (Will Self) Subject: Morris Mashing (was RIMS) Friends, now is our opportunity to put a halt to yet another acronym disfiguring our speech and writing. I refer to the term "RIMS". Why don't we call it ****************** * Morris Mashing * ****************** rather than RIMS. Thereby we could give credit where credit is due, and we could avoid an ugly term. My understanding is that the system was invented my Rodney Morris. Let us show our gratitude for Rodney's contribution with this terminology, as in the other arts and sciences! People who see "RIMS" for the first time have no idea what it is. People who would see "Morris Mashing" would at least know that it's a system of mashing. This could admittedly spawn some jokes about "Morris Mashing bashing", but could they be as bad as any jokes spawned by the other term? What do you all say? Will Self Billings, Montana Return to table of contents
Date: Monday, 6 March 95 13:18:45 CST From: Alan P Van Dyke <llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu> Subject: dryhopping Howdy, y'all, Recently (sorry, I didn't write down who or what HBD issue) someone suggested using a hop tea instead of dryhopping, on the grounds that dryhopping was "a pain in the tush." He didn't exactly describe how he dryhopped, but I do know that it's easier than doing an extra boil. I dryhop with pellets in a hop bag. I simply sanitize the bag with my favorite method (don't want to start another sanitation thread here), pop in around an ounce of pellets, & weight it with a sanitized table knife. I then shove it into the carboy, & let it go for a week. On bottling day, I remove the bag, dump the spent hops in the compost pile, & bottle. I use pellets only because they are easier to get into the carboy. No fuss, no muss. The problem with the hop tea is the boiling. The boiling water will drive off the very thing you're trying to put into the beer- the volatile aroma. Even if you just steep the hops in the water, a lot of aroma is going to be lost. To me, the point of dryhopping is no boil at all, keeping those volatile oils working for a better America (or at least a better pale ale). Alan Van Dyke (my real name) llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Austin, TX Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 14:17:31 -0500 From: ecklund at tcpcs3.dnet.etn.com Subject: Orlando, Clearwater, and Ft. Meyers FL Almost time for my annual "southern sojourn" to a place where the sun still shines. With the Major League Baseball situation being what it is, I should have more time on my hands to pursue other interests. I would certainly appreciate any suggestions anyone out in HBDland may have regarding "Don't miss" brewpubs or micros in any of these three areas. (The first toast is to you!) TIA and regards, Bill Ecklund Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 1995 11:34:02 -0700 From: ggarrison at qualcomm.com (William G.Garrison) Subject: Uncompressing Stanford .z files Perhaps someone out there can direct me to the "Uncompress" utility for .z downloadable files. Trying to download from ftp.stanford.edu and can't find it on their system. Also, what program is needed to view the .jpg image files? Thanks in advance. Lost in the Burgh Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 13:59:57 -0500 From: Matthew Sever <msever at phc.com> Subject: From Concentrate I'm a beginner homebrewer (extract and grain), and am planning to make a fruit beer for my next batch. I was drinking a cranberry juice blend this morning and was thinking how nice it would taste with some hops and malt (but won't most everything?). Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has ever tried brewing with a juice concentrate? I've read about doing it with frozen fruit, but have never heard about doing it with a fruit juice. I imagine that the sugar in it might give it an off flavor (cidery, perhaps?). Furthermore, if it's 'no sugar added', would that make any difference? Any suggestions, experiences or recipies would be appreciated, and private e-mail is fine. If I get anything interesting I'll post later. TIA, Matt [Before anyone starts throwing SA Cranberry 'Lambic' recipies at me, I'm looking for a bit more pronounced fruit taste ;^) ] Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 95 15:42:06 EST From: "Harralson, Kirk" <kwh at news.roadnet.ups.com> Subject: Canning question results / Spring Street offering Several people replied privately to my post about using canning methods for wort (HBD 1668). Most agreed that 240F was the minimum canning temperature to be absolutely safe for low-acid (ph > 4.6) food, but many people said they used a boiling water bath anyway since the threat of botulism was so low. Some people said these people have just been lucky so far. Some people brought up very good points, seemingly contradictary to the arguments for pressure canning. For example, wort preparation prior to fermentation is brought only to boiling, not 240F, without botulism risk. Does the alcohol level prevent this? If it does, then either method for canning wort would seem to be acceptable. In last Sunday's Baltimore Sun, there was an announcement for a public offering of 2.7 million shares of Spring Street Brewing Company of New York City. The purpose of the offering, according to founder Andrew Klein, is to raise $5 million to expand the microbrewery's marketing efforts and finance development of new beers. It went on to describe the the products (Wit and Amber Wit). Does anyone know anything about this company and/or the founder? Initial offering is at $1.85/share (a prospectus is available by calling 1-800-948-8988). No affiliation (yet). Kirk Harralson Bel Air, Maryland Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 13:25:59 PST From: Arthur_S_Ward.henr801h at xerox.com Subject: Beer Bread Does anyone have a recipe for beer bread ????????? - ---------------------------------------------------- Thanks - Art Ward Arthur_S_Ward.henr801h%xerox.com at vmsmail:SMTP Return to table of contents
Date: 6 Mar 1995 14:09:30 -0800 From: "Harrington, Stephen J" <sharrington at msmail4.hac.com> Subject: Replacement Temp Control Well, here I am again asking for info..... The Hunter temperature controller which I have had for the past few years has crapped out, and since I had a controller, I would always skip past posts dealing with them. The only thing that I do remember is posts saying that the Hunter is no longer in production. So what is the latest and greatest way to control the fridge? I am looking for a reasonably priced gadget that is as easy as the Hunter, and please, do not suggest I make something out of parts from radio shack. I am always amazed by the posts of some of the things that people put together to brew with. After a long day of work, the first thing I want to do is have a homebrew and the last thing I want to is engineer something. TIA, Stephen Harrington Manhattan Beach, CA Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 17:12:38 EST From: Eamonn McKernan <eamonn at rainbow.physics.utoronto.ca> Subject: stains /chlorine /chiller /RIMS People seem to disagree over what exactly these post-brewing brown stains are that appear on kitchen walls. Some say it's wort, others that it's water condensation that collects dirt from the wall as it runs. But the important, and sad conclusion is that irrespective of its exact composition, I'm gonna have to clean it up. Bummer. **************** Chlorine evaporates over time. Really? How quickly? I keep 6 gal of chlorine and water solution in an uncapped carboy. I rack it to vessels that need sanitizing, let it soak, then rack it back. I've been using the same solution for weeks. How much longer is it good for before I should mix it anew? **************** I converted my 25' of 3/8 copper tubing immersion chiller into ed hitchcock's planispiral chiller that was discussed recently. I promised that I'd experiment with this design, and report results. Unfortunately, the preliminary results are not good. 6+ gallons of porter-to-be was chilled last night using this setup in a plastic bucket. The top half of wort chilled over 15 minutes or so, yet burning hot to the touch wort remained on the bottom despite the fact that hot stuff, being less dense, is supposed to rise and stir things up. Very disappointing to me as a fluid dynamicist in training. One theory: gravity stratification in the wort. The heavier wort (with more sugar and stuff dissolved in it) was on the bottom before chilling began. Even at a higher temperature, perhaps it's still heavier. I should really devote some time to experiments with water to test this. For now, I merely offer the caveat to anyone considering this idea: Just because Ed's works, doesn't mean that yours will. 45 minutes chill time is LONG. **************** A RIMS question: Is it better to add all "sparge" water at dough in, and just forget about sparging? Efficiency might be lower with this method, but it sounds easier. How much would efficiency suffer? Or even better, add it when stepping up temperature. This would decrease times between temperature steps. But it'd be harder for me to automate by computer. (Yes my computer project is still a go. I'll be posting progress as it happens, but things won't really take off for another month or so) So many questions... Cheers, Eamonn McKernan eamonn at rainbow.physics.utoronto.ca Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 16:18:00 CST From: Montgomery_John at lanmail.ncsc.navy.mil Subject: Bottling lagers Hello all, The time has come to bottle my latest attempt at a Czech pils and was curious about temperature considerations during the bottling process. Does everybody else bottle theirs on the kitchen floor like me or do you have special temperature controlled rooms to keep your precious lager at the 'perfect' temperature throughout the bottling process? 'Preciate any help. John M. montgomery_john at lanmail.ncsc.navy.mil Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 95 16:22:24 -0500 From: "Todd Orjala" <t-orja at maroon.tc.umn.edu> Subject: Superb dealers Several people have e-mailed me requesting names and numbers of dealers in the Twin Cities who sell the Superb gas burner which I described in HBD 1672. I am a satisfied customer at both but have no other affiliation: Northern Brewer 800 681 2739 nbrewer at winternet.com Wind River Brewing 800 266 4677 73071.1754 at compuserve.com You must specify propane or natural gas. They do come with optional legs which I do not use since I find it more convenient and stable to have the burner on the floor so I do not need to lift a heavy kettle to waist level to get it on/off the burner. Those wishing to fully utilize gravity may find it advantageous to have it up on legs. I reread my original post and realized that I neglected to include the word "cannot" when describing my ability to monitor gas consumption. I have no reason to think it is a gas guzzler and would guess that at 35,000 BTUs it is more efficient than the cajun cookers. The main advantage I can see to this stove versus the cajun cooker style burner (which I have not used) is that the flame is much more widely distributed which minimizes scorching. It is really very much like a burner on a heavy-duty commercial gas range. Regards, Todd Orjala Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 95 14:00:55 EST From: "BARRON, GRAHAM LARS" <GBARRON at MUSIC.CC.UGA.EDU> Subject: minikegs, brewpubs, and assorted Fellow Real Beer Drinkers of America, First of all a big thank you to all of you who responded with such enthusiasm to my request for Belgian White extract recipes. I really appreciate it. Due to the number of requests I have had for a compilation of all the recipes I received, I am putting together a file including all of them (and my own) that I will gladly e-mail to anyone who requests it. It will be ready in a week or so I hope, so just write me and I'll get one to you. Second, a question on minikegs -- the kind made by Fassbier and other companies, NOT the Party Pig. I read the recent review in Zymurgy, but I would like to hear from others out there who have experience with these systems in regards to their opinion about if they are worth the money (my local homebrew shop sells minikeg systems for $69.99, but I'm not sure what that includes), have you encountered any problems, are they easy to use/store, etc. TIA. Third, can anyone tell me why such great brewing companies, such as Sierra Nevada, Pete's, Grant's (Yakima), and others use screwtop bottles? I would expect them, of all breweries, to recognize the need of homebrewers such as myself,who are still kegless and bottle all of their homebrew, in regards to pop-top bottles. I mean, as you all know, we cannot use those type bottles. Any answers? Also, Georgia is facing a situation somewhat similar to Miss. in that we have brewpub legislation pending but dying in the state legislature. Any fellow homebrewers in GA I would like to encourage to post the telephone numbers to the HBD of the State representatives responsible for the legislation and its looming demise. I have been unable to obtain it. I would also like to encourage the AHA and AOB to get involved although I know it is not really their area. Thanks again and keep on brewin'! Graham Barron gbarron at music.cc.uga.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 1995 20:47:49 -0500 From: Carlo Fusco <fusco at io.org> Subject: The Beer Formula Calculator 1.3 Hello Brewers, After getting feed back on the first Beer Formula Calculator, I have updated it. You can now download the new and improved Beer Formula Calculator 1.3 from: ftp.stanford.edu /pub/clubs/homebrew/submissions I am sure Stephen will eventually move them, so if you don't find them look in: ftp.stanford.edu /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/programs The Beer Formula Calculator, is a MS Excel single page spreedsheet for helping you formulate your all grain recipes. Give it a try and tell me what you think. BTW, it is in both .hqx for Mac users and .zip format for PC users. Cheers Carlo PS: For those of you without FTP access, I can email you a copy BUT, I can only send it in .hqx format. If you need the .zip file, you will have to find another way of getting the file. - -- Carlo Fusco Aurora,Ontario,Canada Certified Beer Judge (BJCP) fusco at io.org <- best bet Canadian Amateur Brewers ab779 at freenet.toronto.on.ca Association Board Member Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 19:43:00 -0700 From: flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming) Subject: Magnetic Stainless After posting last time that I remembered getting truckloads of stainless stock into our little fabrication shop in the 70's and having to return it, I took down one of those refridgerator magnets and started "testing" all the stainless in sight. Starting with the cheap stainless flatware in the kitchen, I found this material to be highly magnetic. Moving to the "special occassion" stainless (we don't have special occassion silver), it was slightly magnetic--almost enough to support the weight of the magnet, but not quite. Then to the Revereware saucepans--all from the same original set. The large unit and the smallest 1 quart pan were both slightly magnetic--just perceptible. The mid-size unit, a 2 quart pan, was highly magnetic. Then off to the stainless mixed-drink shaker-- you know, the things you use with a pint glass to shake Martinis. Some attraction detectable. I then checked the ends of the Sankey kegs I'd removed in building The Brew Monster, and found they were not even slightly magnetic. Finally, I ended the evening's materials engineering exercise with three stem-and-poppet assemblies from three Sankey kegs. The tubes themselves showed no detecable attraction, but the poppet housing (the part you lock the coupler (or "tap") into, was quite magnetic. This part appears to be a turned forging to me. Conclusion? Stainless steels come in spectrum of formulations many of which are indeed magnetic. Twenty years ago we felt the magnetic materials were inferior for resisting corrosion due to freshwater pollutants and to saltwater exposure. I'm not sure we had any basis in fact for this, or if it just seemed intuitive. Kirk R Fleming Patriot, Beer Punk Colorado Springs CO Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 23:47:25 -0600 (CST) From: pgravel at mcs.com (Philip Gravel) Subject: Fiberglas odors ===> CLAY at prism.clemson.edu wonders about the odor in Fiberglas: > Trust me, you >don't want to make beer in fiberglass anything. By way of perhaps more >accessible example, go check out newly poured "cultured marble" sink tops >at your local kitchen-and-bath shop. Many of them are made of the same >resins. That distinctive odor is, you guessed it, fiberglass. Don't ask >what part of it smells - I'm an entomologist; if I'd been smart enough to >be a chemist I'd have retired by now. The odor is probably due to residual styrene or ethylbenzene. I'm a chemist and if I were that smart, I would have retired by now. Instead I do computers... - -- Phil _____________________________________________________________ Philip Gravel pgravel at mcs.com Return to table of contents
Date: 6 Mar 1995 17:12 EST From: pscott at cascades.cc.bellcore.com (p scott colligan) Subject: CO2 gas question As a new kegger I was wondering what the pressure of a newly filled 5lb CO2 canister should read. The last time I had mine filled, the pressure was very close to the "time to buy more gas" mark. After only 1 5 gal batch, my CO2 is empty. I did discover a bad O ring which will be replaced soon, but I can't help thinking I was shorted when I filled my CO2. Thanks in advance. Scott Colligan pscott at cc.bellcore.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 10:05:55 +0100 From: Fredrik.Stahl at mathdept.umu.se (Fredrik Stahl) Subject: Minikeg problem / taste difference I thought I would tell you a little story. It's a bit sad at first but fortunately it has now achieved a happy ending. I normally put most of my beer in minikegs, the Fass-Frisch type, and dispense with the Party-Star tapper. This has worked well for about 6 months until about a month ago. I then managed to spray most of my kitchen walls with beer when pushing down the tap into the keg. I thought I had cleaned everything but later I found the kitchen phone sticking to my ear, so I guess I missed that one. Well, anyway, it seems that the beer was flowing out from the small hole at the top of the plastic tube which you push into the keg. Here is an ASCII scetch of the bottom of the tap with the plastic tube disconnected: | | |_________| |E | | E| <--- Bottom end of tap (rests on top of keg) U | | U | | | | <--------- Small plastic tube, CO2 comes out here (3) I I I |I| <--------- Rubber seal which could slide on the pipe (5) I I I <---------- Metal pipe, leads beer from keg (2) I EE EE <------- Threads || || || O <------- Small hole (4) || || || || || || || || | | | | <------- Tube gets thicker here (6) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |_| |_| \ \---------- Beer goes in here (1) The beer should flow from (1) through the tube, into the metal pipe (2) and out through the tap. CO2 comes from the small plastic tube (3) and should flow out through the small hole (4). The problem was that I thought the rubber seal (5) should cover the small tube (3). This caused the beer to gush out through the tube and the small hole when inserting the tap. It also made the tap suck CO2 from the top of the keg instead of beer from the bottom. The solution is obvious, as my supervisor sais, at least when you know it. The rubber seal should seal off the plastic tube where it gets thicker (6). I believe it was glued there from the beginning. A better solution would be to have a "rim" on the tube to keep the seal in place, but it seems to work just to push it in place. Paul Bell mentions in HBD #1672 a taste difference between bottles and minikegs. My experince is the opposite: my kegged beers usually have a maltier, smoother taste, and the bottled beer has a (very small) hint of a "cidery" taste. I have also found that priming with DME instead of sugar gave better head retention and a maltier taste. Now, I'm not sure if I trust myself on this, since I have only done this experiment once (the actual amounts of fermentable priming sugars may differ and the beer was taken from different parts of the green beer, the beer for sugar-primed bottles last). Well, sorry about the long post, but if anyone encounters the same problem it may spare them some lost beer. I hope I got the technical terms right, feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. Skaal, as we say in Sweden. Fredrik.Stahl at mathdept.umu.se Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 09:32:05 +0000 From: Brian Gowland <B.Gowland at rhbnc.ac.uk> (Tel +44 784 443167) Subject: Re: Hop Family Tree In HBD 1673, dhvanvalkenburg at CCGATE.HAC.COM wrote: > > As far as I can tell all hops originated from one of two lines; either > Fuggles or Hallertauer-Mittelfrueh. The following is a first draft > showing those two families of hops. Any inaccuracy is something that > I would like to know about. I would invite any input, additions etc. In "Home Brewing - The CAMRA Guide", Graham Wheeler states that although there was once an actual Goldings strain, these days the term Goldings actually refers to a "class" of hops rather than any one strain and he suggests that the original Goldings strain has long since disappeared. He doesn't indicate anywhere that "Goldings" are descended from Fuggles and I have always undestood that the two were unrelated. Also, in your tree, you put East Kent Goldings as descendents of Goldings - E.K. Goldings are actually just Goldings - the E.K. prefix is simply to show where they are grown and doesn't necessarily mean they are a different strain. Styrian Goldings are, however, one of the Goldings "varieties" - a class of hop that covers hybrids of Goldings crossed with other hops. If you are going to cover hybrids then you really do need to do a proper "family" tree and include the "marriage" lines. I can't really add much more - GW mentions various hybrids but doesn't give complete parent information. Hope this helps. Cheers, Brian Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 07:04:06 -0500 From: mckeeby at tcpcs3.dnet.etn.com (Steve McKeeby) Subject: Portland Beer Attractions Where does one go in or around Portland, OR for "beer" related entertainment? I will be traveling there 3/13/95 and have no idea where to go. TIA, Steve-Kalamazoo Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 07:43:25 -0500 From: awchrd2 at peabody.sct.ucarb.com (Henson W.C.(Bill)) Subject: Gadgets source HBD'ERS, Here is a terrific source for an awful lot of gadgets and materials, in addition to heat and chemical compatibility charts. They carry pH meters, tubing, etc. They also take M/C, Visa and AmEx. Cole-Parmer Instrument Co. 7425 North Oak Park Ave. Niles, IL. 60714-9930 Always lurking, awchrd2 at peabody.sct.ucarb.com (Henson W.C.(Bill)) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 95 07:46:56 EST From: Timothy J. Dalton 07-Mar-1995 0743 <dalton at subpac.enet.dec.com> Subject: Sight Glass Fittings & Mash Out-Yield "Jim Hunter" <Jim.Hunter.LDIV at quickmail.llnl.gov> wrote a detailed description of how to make an o-ring fitting for a sight glass from a standard compression fitting. There are commercial fittings available that use an O-Ring and a specialy designed ferrule to hold tubes in place, just as the fitting he described does. Its called the Ultra-Torr fitting, available from Swagelok/Cajon (there are distributors all over the country for these, our local one is Cambridge Valve & Fitting in Billerica, MA). These fittings were designed for vacuum work (hence the name - we've used them down to 10^-6 torr with no problem). I've used them in my brewery with no problem too. Just be sure to check the temperature range on the O-Ring to ensure its appropriate for the application you have in mind. I believe viton is standard, with some other options. +++++ flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming) wrote: > Why would a mash-out have any effect on yield at all? Increased solubility of sugars and dextrines at higher temperatures. It doesn't increase conversion, but rather your ability to extract the converted sugars and dextrines from the malt, thus an increase in yield. Tim Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 08:15:22 -0500 From: Btalk at aol.com Subject: yeasty in septic tank Charles Deaton wonders if the leftover yeast will damage his septic system. I doubt the yeast will do anything harmful. You don't have to worry about reactivating your septic tank-think about all the bacteria etc laden 'stuff' that goes into it on a daily basis. (I live in upstate NY and used to work for the division of the county health dep't that dealt with both new and old septic systems.) If you are concerned about the health of your septic system,the best thing to do is to have the tank pumped out on a periodic basis (3-4 years or so). The so called septic tank cleaners or reactivaters in a box will do more harm than good. New York's recommendation is to avoid these products. Email me if you want more info. Regards, Bob Talkiewicz, Binghamton, NY <btalk at aol.com> Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 08:24:08 EST From: " Robert Bloodworth ZFBTO - MT0054" <debaydr9 at ibmmail.com> Subject: "nonsense" from them "No-Nonsense(TM)" hose. Tom Williams wrote concerning using nylons in the boil. Careful here. Nylons are not just made of nylon. Most also contain a small proportion of elastomeric polyurethane fibers (e.g. Spandex, Dolorstan (tm), Lycra (tm)) to give them their stretch. The polyurethane fibers are not nearly as chemically resistant as the nylon and contain numerous additives as well (Zinc stearate and silicon oil are common). Probably nothing wickedly toxic here, so don't fret too much, I've strained cooked fruit juices through panties myself :-). All the same, I'd stick to pure nylon netting or muslin. Bob Bloodworth "Hopfen und Malz gehoeren in den Halz" Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 07:28:03 -0500 From: "Hermes G. Saad" <hermes at pipeline.com> Subject: General Introduction - --Hi, Iwondering how I can find a Homebrew news group? I need advice about a dark lager. Namely, how long must it be stored in cold temperatures? I have a question about a mead (my first batch) I'm brewing. With the inclusion of yeast nutrient, how long should primary fermentation last? its been five and a half weeks and there's CO2 coming out of the airlock 8 times a minute. thanks Hermes Return to table of contents
Date: 7 Mar 1995 08:48:17 -0500 From: "Daniel S McConnell" <Daniel.S.McConnell at med.umich.edu> Subject: Hop analysis methods Subject: Hop analysis methods I have completed preparing a lab guide for measuring hop bitterness in hops and beer. All methods are from The ASBC Methods of Analysis, Volume 8, 1992 which is referenced to J.Inst.Brew., J.Am.Soc.Brew.Chem., Analytica and Anal.Chem. Method 1: measurement of bitterness in beer I posted this a week or so ago Method 2: alpha and beta acids by HPLC Method 3: alpha and beta acids by spectrophotometry Due to the rather technical nature I will refrain from posting the procedures to the entire HBD. I will be happy to send the method to those that would like a copy. Caveat: if you don't have a UV/VIS spec or a rpHPLC these methods will be useless. Is there a hop FAQ where these procedures can find a safe home? DanMcC Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1674, 03/08/95