HOMEBREW Digest #1725 Mon 08 May 1995
Digest #1724
Digest #1726
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Water Chemistry (Darren_Aaberge-RA2698)
Q regarding re-pitching yeast/Plato ("William F. Cook")
Using/Conv'tg Superb Gas Brnrs ("Palmer.John")
Is Brewing for Guys Only? (Brad Hoskins)
Temp Control/RIMS FAQ/Humor&Ads (Glenn Raudins)
OLD SPECKLED HEN RECIPE (Clyde_Anderson_at_Relay__Tech__Vienna)
RE:HBD1723 Suds 4.0 (Brad Hoskins)
rauchbier ("Wallinger, W. A.")
Starter (Russell Mast)
Some answers!!! (Scott Howe)
Mini-Keg Users- Please Help! (harry)
Superb gas burners at Redhook (MHANSEN)
Ads and "Sigs"/ Excessive Quoting / Kettle Mashing (mdemers)
Long dial thermometer source, glass blowoff tube. (Lee Bollard)
Grand Rapids brewers (Philip Gravel)
Hops and head (Philip Gravel)
Re: Mercury poisoning (Carl Etnier)
...no subject... ("LCPL CHAD G PERKEY")
Re: Beer Storage (Dion Hollenbeck)
Liberty Ale (guyruth)
Brewpubs in South Carolina (Todd Anderson)
First Post (J. Todd Hoopes)
robert browns rollermill (tegbrew)
SS fittings and an Ale Recipe (Anatum)
Long term starter storage (Robert Chizmadia)
Trade/swap used gear (mike.keller)
Steam Injection (Robert Chizmadia)
Lagering Intro ("Thomas A. Wideman")
brew vessels (leslie calvin king)
False Bottom Hole Pattern/Size (Kirk R Fleming)
frozen malt extract (Kevin G. Reddy)
BJCP Mid-Atlantic region records (Ed Westemeier)
First time ("Charles Wilmer, Jr.")
San Diego-Mission Bay area pubs (AUS)" <BenA at wayne.com>
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 5 May 95 11:32:28 -0600
From: Darren_Aaberge-RA2698 at email.sps.mot.com
Subject: Water Chemistry
Water Chemistry
I've been trying to understand the discussions on water chemistry that took
place here awhile back but some things still elude me. My biggest problem
is trying to get the proper mash pH. Hopefully some of you can help me
out. The city of Austin, Texas has the following water chemistry (4th
quarter averages for 1994):
Calcium 17
Chloride 57
Magnesium 16
Sodium 28
Sulfate 39
Total Hardness 105
pH 9.8
Total Alkalinity
as CaCO3 55
P. Alkalinity
as CaCO3 21
Total Solids 217
All units (except pH) are in mg/l (or ppm). From this I gather that my
water is low in Calcium (important for lowering mash pH) and very high in
pH. What I don't know is how much carbonate and bicarbonate there is. Can
this be derived from the information I have? Also, why is the pH so high?
If it is because of a large amount of carbonates, then adding gypsum
(CaSO4) won't help the mash pH because of the buffering affect of
carbonate, right? If this is right, then do I need to be looking at
something like lactic or phosphoric acid to reduce my mash pH? Somebody
help me, please.
Darren Aaberge
BTW, where is that water FAQ?
Return to table of contents
Date: 05 May 95 12:37:54 EDT
From: "William F. Cook" <71533.2750 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Q regarding re-pitching yeast/Plato
Sorry to clutter up the Stainless Steel Airstone Digest with a brewing
question, but I am curious about re-pitching yeast. Lately, I've taken
to making a beer one weekend, racking it off the following weekend while
brewing another beer, and just going from kettle to carboy on tob of the
yeast. I like to do this a few times because (a) it saves $ on yeast,
and (b) I don't have to make a separate starter, and (c) The beer is
usually showing visible signs of fermentation in 1-3 hours. I always find
myself a little hesitent, however, wondering if the flavors of the first
beer will find their way into the second.
Let's suppose, for example, that I make a porter or a stout one weekend and
a bitter the next. Am I going to end up with a bitter that tastes like
it has a healthy dose of patent in it?
TIA for any help.
Jeorg Houck asks about the Plato scale. I think it's 4 points of SG for
every degree plato, so 10 degrees plato would be 1.040.
Bill Cook
HydroComp, Inc.
Team Dennis Conner
Return to table of contents
Date: 5 May 1995 09:45:24 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: Using/Conv'tg Superb Gas Brnrs
In response to Glenn's Friday Post,
I own three of the Superb Gas Burners and believe me they are IDEAL for use
with Sankey kegs. I mean the Sankey kegs with the straight sides, domed bottom
and bottom support ring.
If you have kegs that are reletively undamaged ie the support ring is not all
bent up, then the keg will sit perfectly on top of the Burner. The cast iron
grate fits neatly inside support ring, and the burner is more than strong
enough to support the weight of a 15 gallon boil. You will need to cut part of
the support ring off so the exhaust gases can vent from the burner though. To
do this, select the quadrant that you will cut. For me, this was the backside
towards the wall. I used a saber saw with a bimetal blade, 18 teeth per inch,
and WD-40 as a lubricant, to remove a rectangular section of the support ring
about 2.5 inches high by 8 inches long. (The height was basically the full
height of the support ring up to the weld.) The length was such that the keg
was still fully supported on all four corners of the Burner housing. The part I
cut out extends out over the edge of the square housing.
Also, since my three kegs were all dinged up and the support rings were bent in
a few places lowering their effective height, it meant that the bottom dome
rested on the iron grate over the burner, causing the keg to rock. Not Good.
So, I rewired it. (Home Improvement Sounds) I took my Binford Saber Saw with
the Bimetal blade and the circles and arrows on the back of each one, (Oops,
wrong story) and cut the cast iron grate prongs back from the center. The
prongs, in case you havent seen one of these burners, extend from the edge to
the center leaving a 2 inch hole over the middle. Since I knew I was not really
supporting anything with the grate, I cut all the prongs back about an inch,
enlarging the hole to 4ish inches. Now the dome does not contact the grate, and
the keg sits on there very sturdily. Cast iron cuts very easily, btw, due to
the large amount of graphite in the alloy. No additional lubricant is needed.
The Superb gas burner quotes only 35KBTU compared to the 100+KBTU of the Cajun
Cooker types, but it heats 12 gallons without any problems and I have done 5
batches now on 1 20lb propane tank per burner, and I have gas to do 2 more I
think. Of course the Boil Kettle and Hot water tank use the most gas, the
Mash/Lauter tun uses very little even when I am doing a multi step mash.
The big advantage to using these burners is that they are adjustable, both for
the amount of heat and the air/fuel mixture.
So there you have it, an honest endorsement of a product on the HBD. :) This is
a good time to present my opinion on advertising on the HBD: Everything is good
in moderation. I think most veterans will agree that Product Descriptions! on
the HBD are a good thing. I have no quarrel with BrewCaps, Bruheats, Maltmills,
EasyMashers, PhilMills, Software, etc being presented on the HBD for
information. I have no real problem with people indicating they own a homebrew
supply store in their sig. I have no real problem with people stating that they
carry a looked-for item at their shop. Its ADVERTIZING that's irritating
(picture used car salesmanship). Nuf Said.
John J. Palmer - Metallurgist for MDA-SSD M&P
johnj at primenet.com Huntington Beach, California
Palmer House Brewery and Smithy - www.primenet.com/~johnj/
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 10:17:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Brad Hoskins <bradh at kaiwan.com>
Subject: Is Brewing for Guys Only?
I am relatively new to the art of homebrewing (extract only, just
finished batch 3 with batch 4, 5 and 6 just waiting) and I am actively
trying to get my SO to be as enthusiastic about brewing as me. She really
likes to drink the beer and we both make other homemade goodies together
(pls no p****whip comments!), but I can't get her to help me watch the 'boil'
My questions are these. Does anyone have this same problem? How do
you/did you foster any interest. Should I cut her off from the beer? Are
there any female homebrewers out there? Am I destined for only 'dude'
hobbies (computers and brewing)? Private e-mails OK
TIA
Brad Hoskins (bradh at kaiwan.com)
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 10:29:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: raudins at lightscape.com (Glenn Raudins)
Subject: Temp Control/RIMS FAQ/Humor&Ads
Drew McGowan asked about temperature control units:
I use the one sold by Williams Brewing (I don't have the number handy) that
is based on the Johnson control. It goes down to 20 degrees F I believe and
has worked well for me for a year. I can't remember what I paid for it but
I think it was about $80 (maybe $50).
Re: Recent threads on Humor and Advertising
It is nice to see some humor return to the digest, having read the digest off
and on since issue 700, the recent article in BT about the changes that
occurred over the years was correct in stating that the digest is taking a
turn toward the better, like the earlier issues. I have seen the sig in
question and don't believe it to be offending, just informative. Please,
no more witch hunting.
Re: RIMS
With the amount of experience and info given on RIMS in the digest, I am
amazed we haven't managed to put together an RIMS FAQ or README yet. The
info on stanford is just snipets from the digest. I would be willing to help
out on this subject, but am not an expert or user of the RIMS. (I may change
one of these in the near future.) It just seems to be an advanced topic that
generates quite a bit of interest.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
Glenn Raudins Phone: (408) 246-1155 Ext. 113
Lightscape Technologies FAX: (408) 246-0255
raudins at lightscape.com
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 05 May 95 13:31:21 EST
From: Clyde_Anderson_at_Relay__Tech__Vienna at relay.com
Subject: OLD SPECKLED HEN RECIPE
Hey, y'all! Any of y'all have a recipe for Morland's Old Speckled Hen?
I sure would appreciate your response if'in you got one!
Clyde W. Anderson
Clydea at Relay.com
Relay Technology Inc.
Vienna. VA
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 10:51:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Brad Hoskins <bradh at kaiwan.com>
Subject: RE:HBD1723 Suds 4.0
I have had similiar bad experiences with this program. I spent hours
putting in all my notes from previous batches (along with some recipes)
and then last night I created a new log entry, closed the program,
finished brewing, started the program again to put in OG and received a
error stating the I had a corrupted memo field in the db. Lost ALL of
my logs. $%# at ! at A friend of mine lost all his hop data. Just vanished!
Pls be cautious when using this program. Backup ALOT!. I will continued
to try and contact the developer.
Return to table of contents
Date: 05 May 1995 10:51:10 PDT
From: "Wallinger, W. A." <WAWA at chevron.com>
Subject: rauchbier
From: Wallinger, W. A. (Wade)
To: OPEN ADDRESSING SERVI-OPENADDR
Subject: rauchbier
Date: 1995-05-05 12:41
Priority:
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i'm interested in making a rauchbier, smoking my own grains, and have a few
questions:
1. what type of malt to use, pale malt?
2. what type of wood to smoke? anyone ever try mesquite?
3. must the grains remain cool while smoking, or is it ok to smoke in a gas
grill where they will be exposed to the heat as well?
wade wallinger, brewing contraband in mississippi
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 13:33:28 -0500
From: Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com>
Subject: Starter
From: larry at merakusa.com (Larry Barras)
>Now a few weeks later, I am wondering if the starter is still good.
Your starter is fine. It would be a good idea to "restart" it with
more fresh wort a day or two before brewing, but it should still work.
-R
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 12:00:01 -0700
From: Scott Howe <howe at appmag.com>
Subject: Some answers!!!
Greetings HBDers, and warnings about a long post answering some questions.
Brian writes:
>...hosting a dinner that would focus on beer.
>At this point we are planning to go with a German dinner
>and would like any input on German styles of beer that might often be used
>before a meal, during a meal and after a meal. We also are interested if
>there are any traditional combinations between specific dishes and beer.
What a cool thing!!! When do I show up??? (Just kidding :). I would start
with a light lager (NO!!! NOT AMERICAN LIGHT BUDMILLERCOORS!!!), along the
lines of Pilsner Urquell (sp?) with the apetizer. With the main course, I'd
go to a heavier lager or a rauchbeer (Smoked beer). Then finish off with a
good altbeer from the Dusseldorf area, OR an EKU 28.
Tom Writes:
>I'm looking for a concensus to the following question?
>Q - Do I add dark grains (black patent, chocolate, etc.) at dough in
>or just before mash out? (and why)
I usually steep them right after the sparge in a grain bag until ~180 (or
whenever I catch it if it goes over). I do this because I don't want the
dark [uh.... stuff] staining my sparging equipment.
Larry writes
>Now a few weeks later, I am wondering if the starter is still good. Should I
>just refresh it with a another quart or two of fresh starter wort? Or maybe
>I should make a fresh starter?
I would make another starter since the yeasties probably either died or ate
each other.
Chuck writes
>Question: I have a pale ale that tasted fine (even great) for the first
>month and a half -- lots of hop character and hop aroma. Then it began to
>transform.<Snip> I don't think the problem is bacteria....<Snip>
I'm not sure of the chemistry of it all, but I have had the same thing
happen ONCE. Since then, when the beer is aged to perfection (~3 weeks).
I chill what's left (ever dwindling!) and it keeps fresh that way.
comsin19 at nbnet.nb.ca (Com/Sinc19 Gagetown) (First name????)writes
> 1. Pros and cons of single stage brewing.
...
>I am now brewing John Bull using then single stage method and it seems to
>come out ok.
on #1, Pro: It's easier, and you don't have to clean one more large piece
of equipment. Con: Some people think that you get some bad tastes from it;
I haven't yet from an extract batch. When I do grain ones, I tend to switch
to a secondary to keep more gunk out of my bottles. IOW, If it ain't broke,
don't fix it.
Dan writes<Snipped about dry yeast starter methods. >
Easy solution: start using liquid yeast. it comes in a pack, You break the
inner seal, wait for swelling (~1 day), and go with it. This of course
raises the flame of some people since you have to wait. If this is a
problem, Stick with dry yeast, and I'll stick with wet. (It puts out flames
better :).
Dan also asks:
>3. One more question not regarding yeast: Will I totally ruin the
>fermentation process if I take the airlock off for a brief amount of time
>after it has started to ferment?
No. The airflow is positive out of the carboy. "...And it smells good too!"
John writes
>One problem
>we have not yet solved is poor head retention, even when using
>1+ lb. of crystal or other grains. I heard that you have to have
^^^^^^^^^^^^
>really clean glasses, so we are careful about that, but still no luck.
When you say "Other Grains" have you tried up to 1 pound of wheat? It helps
the head retention. So does boiling the hops longer, at least according
to CP in TNCJHB. My history has proven this too.
(History has also shown that adding 1/2 pound of the goodtime virus and
1/3 ounce of finishing coriander helps too, but we are all only joking about
those two! ;)
One more thing, Saturday (06-MAY-1995) is (or was, Depending on when
this gets into HBD) National Homebrew day! Happy Homebrew day! When's the
holiday from work?
GO BOSTON BRUINS! GO FREEMANTLE DOCKERS! GO HAVE A BEER!
--Aubrey Howe, III
howe at appmag.com
Santa Barbara, CA
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 15:51:02 -0400
From: hbush at pppl.gov (harry)
Subject: Mini-Keg Users- Please Help!
Mini-Keg users! There have been a few mini-keg horror stories
posted to the HBD over the last week or two. As someone who was interested
in buying a mini-keg system because of the lower initial cost and the
convenient 5 liter size, I'm getting close to being scared off!
Since disaster makes for good press and good news doesn't, I wonder
if these problems only represent a very small percentage of the mini-keg
user experience.
So my proposal is: if Mini-keg users could drop me a quick private
e-mail stating:
1) What brand you own;
2) What your experience has been- good, bad, or otherwise;
3) What is the depth of your experience? (e.g.- "I've filled and drained
200 of these kegs over the last two years") and;
4) Any words of wisdom to the prospective buyer.
I'll try to summarize the results and post them in the near future.
P.S. If this info already exists somewhere on the net, then please let me
know. Thanks!
Harry
..............................................
"If it bleeds, we can kill it!"- Arnold S.
..............................................
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 05 May 1995 15:04:41 -0600
From: MHANSEN at ctdmc.pmeh.uiowa.edu
Subject: Superb gas burners at Redhook
Hey All,
I just returned from a wonderful trip to Seattle and thought I would relay
some information that is particularly relevent to us homebrewers. During
a tour of the Redhook Brewery (good tour, highly recommended), I was
able to see what they call their "pilot system," which resembled an
elaborate homebrewing setup. It was a three tiered gravity setup
equipped with three Suberb gas burners running on propane. They used
10 gallon SS pots fitted with valves. Although the tour guide said the pilot
brewlength was 15 gallons, I believe he was mistaken as they looked like
10 gallon pots. Anyway, their mash tun is equipped with a SS perforated
screen that interestingly is held above the bottom of the tun by bolts
screwed into the screen. The sparge water is delivered through a
copper coil that has small holes drilled on the bottom side which is
suspended above the grain bed. They use a counterflow chiller; the kind
that has the copper flowing through a large piece of PVC rather than a
garden hose. I am sure this system resembles many homebrewers'
setups.
For those of you contemplating getting a propane cooker, it appears that
a Superb burner is good enough to be used in a (somewhat)
professional setting. I also know these (and most other propane
cookers) can be equipped to run on natural gas with some sort of orifice.
I would welcome information on how to convert a propane cooker to
natural gas. I know this has been discussed before (Norm Pyle's name
comes to mind), but like many other things, you don't pay attention to a
thread unless you are in the situation. I will be installing a burner to be
run on natural gas and am looking for suggestions. Please E-mail me or
point me to a FAQ or previous HBD.
Thanks,
Mike (michael-d-hansen at uiowa.edu)
PS - Since I have been to Seattle and have tasted some of the best ales
ever, are my future beers ruined?
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 05 May 95 17:17:35 EST
From: mdemers at ccmailpc.ctron.com
Subject: Ads and "Sigs"/ Excessive Quoting / Kettle Mashing
Gentlemen,
It is one thing to write an article whose purpose is to shamelessly
plug a business and/or product. It is entirely another matter to
mention _IN YOUR .SIG_ the fact that you own a homebrew shop and have
a catalog available. So, I vote to let people throw a plug into their
.SIG if they wish AS LONG AS their posts are informative and genuine
and not just a way to flood the net with ads. I believe that the HBD
readership will see through the bozos who post practically every day
just to get their .SIG plastered into the HBD and flame that person
mercilessly into oblivion.
Oh, and while I'm here, I have noticed a terrible trend developing
lately; EXCESSIVE QUOTING! Can't we get by with saying:
Joe Schmoo asked about stainless steel airstones:
<insert umpteen thousandth response about SSAs>
Must we quote 500 lines from yesterday's digest to post a three line
response? To me, this is the most offensive waste of bandwidth there
is.
ObBrew:
Here's a tip I haven't really seen that much. I recently made the
jump to all-grain and do "kettle-mashing" with an EASYMASHER (tm).
Miller recommends building an insulated box in which to place your
kettle while mashing in order to hold the mash temp. I have found
that most homes already have a perfect, temperature-controlled,
insulated box: THE OVEN!!! Just tweak the heat on the "BAKE" setting
until you can hold the temp. at approximately 150F. Then just dough
in the mash to hit your initial strike temp., throw it in the oven and
forget about it for an hour or so. It's easy, it works, and there is
no work involved (a big bonus).
Mike Demers
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 5 May 95 15:23:04 PDT
From: Lee Bollard <bollard at spk.hp.com>
Subject: Long dial thermometer source, glass blowoff tube.
Where can I buy an accurate dial thermometer with a long (~12") stem?
I'd like to insert it through the top of my 10 gallon Gott cooler while
mashing to measure the temp in the middle of the mash. All the
thermometers I've seen in brewer supply catalogs seem to be the short 6"
variety. I've seen some nice dial theremometers with Sabco mash tun
setups...
Second: Anyone know where I can order one of those GLASS blowoff tubes?
I've seen them advertised, but now that I want one I can't find an ad
and phone number in past issues of brew mags....
TIA
- ---
Regards,
Lee Bollard
bollard at spk.hp.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 6 May 95 00:10 CDT
From: pgravel at mcs.com (Philip Gravel)
Subject: Grand Rapids brewers
===> From Ed Blonski asks about Grand Rapids, MI area brewers:
>Greetings fellow brewers!
> I'll be moving to White Cloud, Michigan this June (about an hour north of
>Grand Rapids).
> I need help!
> Anybody know of micro-breweries in the Grand Rapids area?
While not exactly a micro-brewery, Bell Brewing is located in Kalamazoo, MI
which is about 1/2 hr south of Grand Rapids.
- --
Phil
_____________________________________________________________
Philip Gravel Lisle, Illinois pgravel at mcs.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 6 May 95 00:44 CDT
From: pgravel at mcs.com (Philip Gravel)
Subject: Hops and head
===> Btalk at aol.com asks about head formation:
>Imagine my surprise while in the midst of collecting/reviewing references, I
>find a sentence or 2 in 'The New Complete Joy...' that says hops can affect
>head !! That was news to me ( I must have overlooked it before- It has been
>quite a while since i've TNCJOHB as my primary reference).
>
>Does anyone have any thoughts on this hops-head connection?
I made a Sierra Nevada clone. The recipe called for 6 oz of hops, 4 oz of
which were used in dryhopping. This beer has the best head of any beer I've
made. If I uncap a bottle and let it set for a few moments, some head will
begin to rise out of the bottle like a snake. Never seen any beer like this
before.
- --
Phil
_____________________________________________________________
Philip Gravel Lisle, Illinois pgravel at mcs.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 10:38:37 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Carl Etnier <Carl.Etnier at abc.se>
Subject: Re: Mercury poisoning
>The mercury flowed into the water in the kettle. I immediately
poured out the water, and the mercury exited the kettle in a nice
>clump.
>
>I continue to use this kettle (Volrath stainless 38qt) for all my
>brewing. Do I risk mercury poisening?
I don't know. I leave that question to the metallurgists among us.
But this is highly toxic stuff. I hope you did _not_ pour this clump
of mercury down the drain. The remains of broken mercury thermometers
should be treated as hazardous waste and taken to the proper
authorities for disposal. Otherwise the mercury will poison something
else--a river, a lake, groundwater, and/or soil somewhere.
In Sweden, there is an effort to eliminate all use of mercury. It has
been impossible to obtain mercury thermometers for household use for
many years, and the pharmacies are all prepared to take in and
dispose of household thermometers. At least in the Stockholm region,
the water authorities for a period offered a 15 crown "reward" to
those who turned in their mercury thermometers. The amount of mercury
in the sludge at the treatment plant went down dramatically at this
time, making the sludge much less dangerous to use in agriculture.
If all HBDers and their net-impaired brewing friends take their
mercury thermometers to the right place for proper disposal and
replace them with alcohol thermometers, then there won't be any more
questions of this kind and the homebrew world will have done its part
to protect the environment.
Carl Etnier
A transplanted Yank in Trosa, Sweden
Number of days since last snowfall: 5
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 6 May 95 22:52:32 +54000
From: "LCPL CHAD G PERKEY" <perkeyc at mcb-emh1.okr.usmc.mil>
Subject: ...no subject...
index
Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 6 May 95 07:49:48 PDT
From: hollen at megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck)
Subject: Re: Beer Storage
>>>>> "Ray" == Ray Robert <rayr at bah.com> writes:
Ray> Question for all you keggers out there:
Ray> How long can I keep beer in a corny keg at room temp (75-78F)
Ray> before it develops off flavors. The reason I ask is there is a
Ray> company party in September for which I volunteered to provide
Ray> samples as a beer tasting. I was planning on kegging four
Ray> cornies for the event, but I wanted to start soon so they could
Ray> carbonate, mellow, etc, and maybe a little personal sampling
Ray> also. These would all be Ales because I cannot properly lager at
Ray> this time.
Ray> Thanks
Ray> Robert Ray
Ray> rayr at bah.com
If there is no contamination, I currently have a keg which was brewed
12/24/94 and has about 2 gals. left in it of wonderful brew. No
degradation that I can tell, in fact, it has mellowed quite a lot
since it is an extremely highly hopped IPA. I ferment in corny kegs,
so for me, there is extremely small chance of contamination once I
seal up the primary fermentation, since I never again let the beer
touch air or anything unsanitized. If you ferment in some other kind
of vessel and have to start a siphon to rack into your corny for
serving, your mileage may vary. And, no, I never refrigerate my beer,
however, its average temp is around 65 to 70, not 70 to 78 as you
mention.
dion
- --
Dion Hollenbeck (619)675-4000x2814 Email: hollen at megatek.com
Staff Software Engineer Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California
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Date: Sat, 06 May 95 09:05:20 EST
From: guyruth at abq-ros.com
Subject: Liberty Ale
I was wondering what kind of hops and proportions are used in Liberty
Ale. Private e-mail is fine
Guy (guyruth at abq-ros.com)
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Date: Sat, 06 May 95 11:58:08 EDT
From: Todd Anderson <TAND1698 at URIACC.URI.EDU>
Subject: Brewpubs in South Carolina
Greetings to all:
A crazy semester is almost over and I'm actually brewing tonight after
about three months off. Anyway, I'll be moving to Columbia, South Carolina
this summer and was wondering if anyone had any info about brewpubs in the
area. Any reply would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Todd in Rhode Island
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Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 12:12:30 -0500
From: Hoopes at bscr.uga.edu (J. Todd Hoopes)
Subject: First Post
I have a question and a suggestion. The question goes like this. I
read a passage in one of Papazian's ( however you spell his name) books
that lead me to believe that water was the only component necessary to
activate the O2 absorbing caps. The local HB shop owner said he had heard
that it was necessary to boil them. I use a keg system for most of my
beer, but I bottle my specialty beers and I would like them to last.
About the filters unless you brew in a clean room .22 micron is
overkill. The only way a bacteria could get through a .45 micron filter is
to hit it exactly perpendicular to the flow- not a likely event. Not that
it would be bad to use a .22 filter except that in my experience it causes
a good deal of back pressure with my aeration pump. Of course I due use
quite a fast pump.
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Date: Sun, 7 May 95 12:16 GMT+0200
From: tegbrew at iaccess.za (tegbrew)
Subject: robert browns rollermill
hello from africa. your request for information obout building a mill
refers. the 1992 special issue of ZYMURGY magazine has an article by wayne
greenway and russ wigglesworth on how they built their own roller mill.
based on their information, I built my own with several modifications which
really improved the performance at minimal cost. if anyone is interested in
these mods after reading the magazine article, I would be glad to answer
their email queries. regards. Terence Tegner
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 10:09:50 -0400
From: Anatum at aol.com
Subject: SS fittings and an Ale Recipe
Hello all,
Sorry for the long delay in thanking several people who responded to my
questions about SS vs. brass keg fittings. I am a wildlife consultant, and
the past month has been extremely busy (springtime, ya know...). I must admit
that I have misplaced my printout of the kind folks who answered, so am
unable to personally respond, so I offer thanks in this forum.
The responses were all very helpful. Several people felt brass was just fine.
a few sent addresses of suppliers, and a couple even offered to help me get
stainless fittings if I was unable! A few who responded are from my local
area and suggested I speak to the local homebrew shop. I have found this shop
to be knowledgable and helpful, and I get all my supplies there, but they
seem wary to discuss keg conversion in the fear they are encouraging illegal
acquisition. And, I suppose, they want to sell their equipment, not help me
make mine on the cheap!
Next item - I was encouraged to post my very nice ale recipe. I am not the
most advanced brewer, and have tried to perfect my techniques with rather
simple ale recipes. This one is simple, but has some subtle flavors.
For a 5 gallon batch:
9.5 lbs. Klages 2-row
1.5 lbs. Crystal 40L
1 lb. Cara-Pils
1 lb. Red wheat malt
1.5 oz. Northern Brewers - 60 min.
.5 oz. Cascade - 60 min.
.5 oz. Northern Brewers - 30 min.
.25 oz. Cascade - 15 min.
.75 oz. Cascade - dry hop in primary
2 Teaspoons gypsum in mash water
2 TBS Dextrin powder in boil
1 Tsp. Irish Moss in boil
1/2 oz. Crushed coriander in boil (yeah, yeah)
1.4 qts./lb. mash water
Protein rest at 125 deg. - 30 min.
Conversion at 155 deg. - 60 min.
Mash-out 170 deg.
5.5 gal. sparge water, pH 5.5 w/citric acid
Ferment w/Wyeast 1056 Chico Ale yeast - 68 - 70 deg.
5 days primary, 12 days secondary, 10 days bottle before drinking.
This is the only recipe I've come up with that I am willing to use again
without modifying - hope you like it.
Almost last; I don't really object to very limited advertising, but can
understand those who do. Here's my solution. Anyone with homebrew products
out there? Email me directly - maybe I'll be interested.
Last, this forum is great - it is also a little more civil than R.C.B., where
one needs an asbestos kimono to make it through alive! It would be nice to
maintain a reasonable level of objectivity - no one needs to be yelled at
over their computer.
Hmm. Time to brew.
Greg Tatarian
Petaluma, CA
anatum at aol.com
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 08:21:00 -0500
From: chiz at cadence.com (Robert Chizmadia)
Subject: Long term starter storage
Larry Barras writes:
> Now a few weeks later, I am wondering if the starter is still good. Should I>>
>just refresh it with a another quart or two of fresh starter wort? Or maybe
>I should make a fresh starter?
>
>Any thoughts?
My standard procedure when I buy a new wyeast package is to create a
starter, then split this into two more starters. One of these goes into the
fridge, the other into the beer or stepped up again. I'll keep splitting the
saved batch every time I use the strain, keeping the "first generation"
alive. I've left these in the fridge for up to 3 months. The starters take a
little longer to get going, but the full batch has never had a problem.
Bob Chizmadia
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Date: Sun, 7 May 95 14:14:00 UTC
From: mike.keller at genie.geis.com
Subject: Trade/swap used gear
In HBD 1724 Jim Robinson suggests offering used brew gear via the HBD. It
could simply work like this:
I have some brew gear to trade/swap/sell. I'm in the xxxxxx area. Email only
please to xxxxxxxx.
And that's it. No ads, minimum bandwidth, everyone benefits.
Mike Keller, Zymurgy RT, GEnie
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 08:20:50 -0500
From: chiz at cadence.com (Robert Chizmadia)
Subject: Steam Injection
Harry (hbush) asks for some data on using steam injection. I use
a pressure cooker as a steam generator. With a typical mash bill
for a gallon batch, I can raise the temp ~2F/min. As far as the
amount of water in the pressure cooker, you do not need much.
I have either a 4 or 6 quart pressure cooker, fill it three quarters
of the way, and even after doing a 111F-126F-154F-168F mash
schedule, it was still half full.
There was a good article in Brewing Techniques a while ago that
covered converting a pressure cooker for steam inection.
As for the idea of running copper tubing inside of the keg to
run boiling water through, my suggestion would be to run the
tubing on the OUTSIDE of the keg. You would loose some of the
heat transfer, but sanitation I think could be a problem with
the coils on the inside. Just something to think about.
Bob Chizmadia
Colorado Springs, CO
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Date: 07 May 95 12:50:37 EDT
From: "Thomas A. Wideman" <75710.1511 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Lagering Intro
Thanks to those who replied via private email to my request for a temperature
schedule for lagering. To sum up the responses: The Yeast FAQ (at
http://alpha.rollanet.org) provided the answers to my temperature questions.
Wyeast 2124 was recommended as a good "beginner's" lager yeast. Consensus was
against "starting" the fermentation at 70F or so; pitching at fermentation temp
was recommended. Primary should be conducted at the recommended temperature for
1-2 weeks, followed by a diacetyl rest at 52 degrees for 48 hours, then lagering
at 40F or below for 4 weeks or so.
Ok, folks... Any comments so far? Private email please.
Now, for my next two questions:
1. I cooled my wort with my immersion cooler to about 70F, racked to a 6.5 gal
carboy (my fermenter), and placed in my fridge, with an airlock, to be cooled to
48F for pitching and fermentation. Since the contents of the carboy contract
during this cooling, the tendency is for the solution in the airlock to be
sucked back into the fermenter. What is the conventional wisdom on this
problem... Anyone? Anyone?
2. 2F per day has been recommended (or batted around, at least) as the maximum
temperature drop for yeast in fermenting wort. I pitch at fermenting temp, so
that part isn't a problem. However... I created a 1 pint starter from my 2124
pouch. This pouch and starter were at room temp (70F) until pitching. There is
no way to cool the starter down gradually that I can see. Are my yeastie boys
reaching for their winter coats (or survival gear) now that I have pitched them
into the 48F wort? Does this shock the yeast? How should lager starters be
introduced into the wort? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Seriously, I would appreciate any words of guidance, wisdom, or wit on these
issues. My first lager batch was brewed today, and these are the questions left
unanswered.
Cheers,
Tom Wideman <75710.1511 at compuserve.com>
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Date: Sun, 7 May 95 13:15:49 PDT
From: leslie calvin king <lesking at pop01.ny.us.ibm.net>
Subject: brew vessels
Hello fellow concoctionist:
I have been brewing for over twenty years now and reading the digest
has been both entertaining and educational. Thanks!
There is a lot of questions about using brewing vessels made of
different materials. I have tried a lot of them. Crockery, aluminum,
stainless steel, copper, and glass. I have never brewed a bad beer to this
day. ( So my dog-JUDGE- was not thirsty a couple of times, O K?)
Someone posted (I am sorry I do not remember who), that the best tool for
brewing is your taste, this is completely correct. Taste every step of the
process.
I do wonder if there is different types of aluminum, because I bought some
beer in a store that was in aluminum cans and the taste was very bad. I even
tried the bottles, now I have my doubts about glass.
Someone asked about food at a beer dinner? There is food dinners and
there is beer dinners, I am an expert on beer dinners.
Is this an ad? Every thing I own is for sale except my brewing tools.
- -------------------------------------
Name: les king
E-mail: lesking at ibm.net
Date: 03/10/95
Time: 16:59:41
When orbiting new suns, hang on to your old moons
- -------------------------------------
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 14:24:39 -0600
From: flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming)
Subject: False Bottom Hole Pattern/Size
Recently someone asked about false-bottom hole sizes and spacings used by
other brewers. When I began building my system I called around for
materials from which to make false bottoms, and got these dimensions from at
least one supplier. I've also made three false bottoms now, using two
different hole size/pattern schemes, all of which have worked beautifully.
First pair of false bottoms: these were built by modifying two aluminum
cooling plates sold at K-Mart, Wal-Mart and many hardware stores. Hole
sizes here are 1/8" on 3/8" centers, about 900 holes in a 15" diameter disk
(after trimming to fit into a Sankey). This represents a plate that is about
6% open, and we were unable to 'stick' it regardless of pumping rate. After
a few minutes of recirculation the wort ran clear and there were few if any
husks under the false bottom.
These plates, even when supported along two diameters from underneath by ss
straps, buckled under 22 lb grain loads, and were scrapped. Not really
seeing any need for a false bottom in our kettle, I built a single
replacement for just the mash tank, using 1/8" aluminum plate.
The hole pattern on this plate is 3/32" diamteter holes on 1/4" centers,
totalling about 2100 in all. The plate diameter is a bit smaller, about
14.5". This computes to about 9% open area. This screen plate also works
well. Each hole is relieved on the underside of the plate with a deep
countersink.
BTW, by moving from a full diameter plate sitting above the drain pipe to a
smaller plated situated below the pipe, the volume under the plate has gone
from 3 gal to about 3 quarts. This has apparently affected the max rate at
which we can apply heat without scorching. Although it makes brewing
calculations (for volumes, mash consistency, etc) easier, I think it has
slowed down how quickly we can recirculate, which in turn drives the ramp-up
times for mash schedules. I've only got data for a single test mash with
the new plate, and it looks like the effect is small. We may not be able to
get the 2.5F per minute slope we're used to. Hope this helps whoever asked.
Kirk R Fleming
Colorado Springs
flemingk at usa.net
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 21:41:41 -0230
From: kreddy at public.compusult.nf.ca (Kevin G. Reddy)
Subject: frozen malt extract
Hi fellow homebrewers
I have just started reading the HBD about a couple of months ago so i have
decided to make my contribution. I have been brewing for about three years
and have brewed at least 25 batches (all successful)of beer. I have done
mostly extract brews and only a couple of partial and full mashes.
I have only one quick question to ask. Would frozen malt extract have any
effect on the quality of the batch of beer that you brew?
Thanks; happy homebrewing.
Kevin
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 20:22:28 -0400
From: hopfen at iac.net (Ed Westemeier)
Subject: BJCP Mid-Atlantic region records
If you live in the following areas, you're now part of the
"Mid-Atlantic Region" and I now maintain your BJCP judging records:
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
District of Columbia
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
Ohio
Kentucky
If you're a BJCP judge (meaning if you have passed the BJCP exam)
I'll handle the administrative chores formerly done in Denver.
If you need confirmation of scores, mailing address, etc.,
I can give you the information that's in the database and take your
new address, etc. via e-mail.
If you send me your e-mail address, I'll include it in your
personal BJCP record so we can contact you more easily in the
future.
If you'd like to add your e-mail address to the database, update it, or
check to make sure I have it correct, drop me a note. Please put in the
subject header: BJCP Database, so I can sort my incoming e-mail.
Competition organizers are the ones who report judging experience
points, and they can report them directly to me.
If you're organizing a competition, I can provide mailing labels
for informing and inviting judges.
**Please only send me mail if you are a BJCP Judge, those are the only
records this database has.**
If you live in another region of the country, you should soon
receive information from the BJCP regional database administrator
for your region.
Ed
******************************
* Ed Westemeier *
* Cincinnati, Ohio *
* E-mail: hopfen at iac.net *
* Phone: (513) 321-2023 *
******************************
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Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 21:42:16 +700
From: "Charles Wilmer, Jr." <cwilmer at wave.sheridan.wy.us>
Subject: First time
I am about to make my forst batch of home brew and I would like any
tips anyone might have for a successful first run. Thanks in advance
for any help.
Charles Wilmer, Jr.
Sheridan College
Sheridan, WY 82801
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Date: Fri, 05 May 95 11:58:00 C
From: "Ben Adair (AUS)" <BenA at wayne.com>
Subject: San Diego-Mission Bay area pubs
i am a homebrewer that will be in San Diego for a week and need some advice
on some points of beer interest to visit.
TIA!
-ben
austin, tx
___________________________________________________________________
brew drink sleep brew drink sleep brew drink sleep brew drink sleep brew
drink
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1725, 05/08/95