HOMEBREW Digest #1810 Thu 17 August 1995

Digest #1809 Digest #1811


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


Contents:
  Malt/Sugar Entries for SUDS (Kirk Fleming / Metro Technologies)
  5 gallon fermenter and 2.5 gallon batch (Oystein Reiersen)
  Beer Hunting Web Page (Timothy J. Dalton - Ein Prosit der Gemutlichkeit)
  Another Chilling Data Point (Russ Brodeur)
  B-Brite Alternative? (Fred Hardy)
  Corn Question (John Shearer)
  Brewing position (kit.anderson)
  Brewing position (kit.anderson)
  Correction/SG and Plato Equations/Wort Dilution (Kirk R Fleming)
  8/11 Immersion Chilling Nickel ("Palmer.John")
  Re: Your Post (Douglas R. Jones)
  more on SG/T corrections (Christopher R. Vyhnal)
  Crowd Pleaser Ale (kpnadai)
  Chillin' Tales (kpnadai)
  Dead Hunter Airstat Fix ("Lee A. Menegoni")
  Braided tubing ("Lee A. Menegoni")
  Pitching Temps and affects (James_Busch_at_lablan)
  Dilution Theory made Simple? ("Palmer.John")
  Beer Trivia? (GubGuy)
  siphons and carboys (David Taylor)
  Iodophor and other ramblings... (Christopher P. Weirup)
  more siphoning (Rob Emenecker)
  RE Bullets, cooling to pitch temps (Tim_Fields_at_Relay__Tech__Vienna)
  Michigan and Ontario suggestions? (uswlsrap)
  High pitching temps. (Kenneth K Goodrow)
  Alcoholic Lemonade (Mario Robaina)
  Hazelnut extract in Nut Brown Ale ("Michael R. Swan")
  Slow cooling = DMS??? (Harralson, Kirk)
  BrewPubs in Myrtle Beach, SC (TRoat)
  craft beer (Eamonn McKernan)
  Immersion chill data / Mashout & extraction (Dave Draper)
  WIT! or W-I-T ? (Russell Mast)
  H2O2 and bubblers and foam OH MY! (Bill Johns)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 23:37:01 -0600 (MDT) From: Kirk Fleming / Metro Technologies <flemingk at usa.net> Subject: Malt/Sugar Entries for SUDS I think there's a need for a clearing house of data for the SUDS malt/sugar database--it would sure be helpful to have good data regarding yields and color contributions for a number of products not provided in the software. Examples include blackstrap molasses, black treacle, flaked maize, etc. Now that I think of it, I suppose Mike Taylor is that clearinghouse. He may not like the idea, but it makes sense to me. Maybe there is already a more complete compiled database and I'm just out of the loop? Well, I've mentioned three sugar sources for which I'd like to get good data, I'm confident other brewers have some more. If the experts can recommend procedures to get the data empirically, I'd be happy to do it for some of these items. I'm having trouble thinking of an acceptable method for getting the ppg and SRM for black treacle, for example, and an acceptable technique for adjuncts is even more elusive. Kirk R Fleming / Colorado Springs / flemingk at usa.net "...I wish their time would go by fast, but somehow they manage to make it last." The Ramones (on politicians) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 11:28 WEST From: ore at bibsent.no (Oystein Reiersen) Subject: 5 gallon fermenter and 2.5 gallon batch I made my second batch yesterday out of an Ironmaster Stout Kit. I've been warned about adding sugar, so I halved the water instead. The final gravity was slightly above 1.050. The airlock was very busy this morning. So far so good. Today I'm worrying about the extra amount of air in the 5 gallon plastic fermenter. On the other hand - I've heard about open fermenters. Can anyone enlighten me on the consequences of this? I'll appreciate any advice for my next batch. I love Guinness, so I'm definitively after something dark and bitter. The problem is that I have trouble getting malt extracts here in Norway - I seem to be stuck with these kits. Anyone have any advice on combinating kits into drinkable beer? - ----------------------------------------------------------------- =D8ystein Reiersen,Biblioteksentralen(The Norwegian Library Bureau) Tel: +47 22 08 34 17 Fax: +47 22 19 64 43 Email: ore at bibsent.no - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 07:46:48 EDT From: Timothy J. Dalton - Ein Prosit der Gemutlichkeit <dalton at subpac.enet.dec.com> Subject: Beer Hunting Web Page Ok, I'm finally ready to announce its' existance: A web page devoted to beer hunting around the world, with a very heavy emphasis on Belgium. Check it out and let me know if you have any suggestions, or any articles for inclusion. I know the first suggestion: more photos. If I ever get around to scanning in any of my photos, I'll take care of that one. Tim http://www.tiac.net/users/tjd/bier/bier.html Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 08:23:57 -0400 From: r-brodeur at ds.mc.ti.com (Russ Brodeur) Subject: Another Chilling Data Point FWIW, I have been using an immersion chiller consisting of a 60' coil of 3/8" OD copper (1/4"L?) to cool 10+ gal in my keg from boiling to ~ 65 F in 15 - 20 min. No joke! Of course, this feat requires constant stirring of the wort and cold tap water (50 F). Unfortunately, I no longer live in an area where I have 50 F tap water, but I can still cool within a half hour _without_ stirring using this chilller and my 55 - 60 F water. Yes, the wort does stratify if I don't stir it. My only complaint would be the waste of water, but this can be minimized by using recirculated ice-water. It may also speed chilling. TTFN Russ Brodeur (r-brodeur at ds.mc.ti.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 08:33:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Fred Hardy <fcmbh at access.digex.net> Subject: B-Brite Alternative? I read Don's post, and fully agree with his observation that dishwashing detergent (powder) has the same chemical composition as B-Brite. I do not necessarily agree the CVS is a discount drug store, since it seems to me they have little of either (discounts or drugs). ALL (brand name) dishwashing powder is one of the cheapest on any shelf, has the same ingredients listed as B-Brite, has no perfume, and seems to work. I can not attest to the specific proportions of ingredients, but I have been using ALL for several years with no sanitation problem, so I believe it works. It also costs a fraction of the cost of B-Brite, and does not foam. BTW, do rinse after immersion in detergent. Wassail, Fred ============================================================================== We must invent the future, else it will | <Fred Hardy> happen to us and we will not like it. | [Stafford Beer, "Platform for Change"] | email: fcmbh at access.digex.net Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 09:18:50 -0400 From: jds at equinox.shaysnet.com (John Shearer) Subject: Corn Question Greetings to the collective, (Actually, this is for the people that have been talking lately about using corn in brewing - but anyone can answer.) I read the post from last week concerning using unmodified corn as an adjunct. I too live in corn country, unfortunately 99% of the corn is of the cow feed variety. My questions: 1) What kinds of corn should (or should not) be used - sweet, sugar, cow, indian? 2) What is the preparation? (cut from the cob and used fresh? dried somehow?) The last person said he gets over 56# per bushel of corn. Now if that is fresh from the field, most of the weight will be in husk and cob, so the final yield will be much lower if it is cut. If all this was answered in the original post, could someone let me know what # it was? (I must have missed it:-) john Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 09:05:14 -0500 From: kit.anderson at acornbbs.com Subject: Brewing position Sugarloaf Brewing Co. in Carrabasset, Maine is looking to add another brewer. See the Maine Brew Page at http://www.maine.com/brew or email me for more details. I already have a day job. Kit "Travels With Chiles" Anderson Bath, Maine <kit.anderson at acornbbs.com> * Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 09:05:17 -0500 From: kit.anderson at acornbbs.com Subject: Brewing position Sugarloaf Brewing Co. in Carrabasset, Maine is looking to add another brewer. See the Maine Brew Page at http://www.maine.com/brew or email me for more details. I already have a day job. Kit "Travels With Chiles" Anderson Bath, Maine <kit.anderson at acornbbs.com> * Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 07:52:01 -0600 From: flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming) Subject: Correction/SG and Plato Equations/Wort Dilution In my #1809 post there's an error...in the table "Eqn 2" should be "Eqn 3". SG to Plato and Back - -------------------- The Plato-to-sg conversion equation presented by AJ in #1809 provides yet another source of great enjoyment. That's the first time I've seen his equation, but back in May Jeorg Houck forwarded me the following: deg P = -676.67 + 1286.4*sg - 800.47*sg^2 + 190.74*sg^3 The interesting thing is how well AJ's eqn agrees with this cubic. The Plato values given by the two eqn's agree to within .1 P up to sg = 90, then converge again up to about sg = 169 where they again start to diverge. But even up to sg ~ 200 the two results agree to about .2 P. But Jeorg also forwarded a simpler equation that works *very* well in spite of its unimpressive appearance: deg P = (259*sg - 259)/sg Note there's only one constant to remember! This approximation is pretty spectacular. It agrees with the cubic equation to within .1 P up to sg = 90, to within .2 P up to sg = 116, and to within .5 P to sg = 168. Someone may know *why* it agrees so well--I don't, and I prefer to remember the inverse: sg = 259/(259 - Plato) Wort Dilution (the reason this Plato thing got going in the first place): - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This problem almost solves itself if you can use SI units (here's your chance, Dave, I've left a shot wide open!). The premise again is: You have x litres of wort at gravity sg1, and want to know how many litres of water to add to get some lower gravity sg2. First, read sg1 in Plato degrees (or convert it) to get p1, and do the same with the desired sg2 to get p2. Given v1 = original wort volume (L) w1 = original wort "weight" (Kg) dw = weight of water to be added (Kg) p1 = original sg in deg Plato p2 = desired sg in deg Plato e1 = original extract weight (Kg), then w1 = sg1*v1 orig wort weight is orig sg * vol (in Litres) e1 = (p1/100)*w1 extract weight is orig Plato * orig weight (Kg) (w1 + dw) final wort weight (Kg) The final Plato gravity times final wort weight has to provide the extract weight e1, because the sugar weight hasn't changed... (p2/100)(w1 + dw) = e1 and set this equal to the earlier expression for e1 giving: (p2/100)(w1 + dw) = (p1/100)*w1 then solve for dw... dw = -w1(p2 - p1)/p2, or what is the same: -------------> dw = (sg1*v1)(p2 - p1)/p2 (1) <--------------- Example: 20L of 1.060 wort is to be reduced to 1.045 through addition of plain water. How much is needed? Convert 1.060 and 1.045 to Platos of 14.7 and 11.2, respectively. Then dw = -(1.060*20)(11.2 - 14.7)/11.2 = 6.625 Kg, OR, ~6.6 Litres The only constant in this exercise is the "259" to convert sg to Plato-- and you could just use your hydrometer as the conversion table instead, and go directly into Eqn (1). With SI units, a hydrometer and a measuring glass graduated in litres, Eqn (1) is all that's needed--NO constants of any kind need be remembered, transcribed, or typed into the calculator. Just another way to do bizniss. KRF Colorado Springs Return to table of contents
Date: 16 Aug 1995 07:46:32 U From: "Palmer.John" <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com> Subject: 8/11 Immersion Chilling Nickel Hi Group, I just received HBD #1805 and the posts on Immersion Chilling have prompted me to toss in my nickel. I have a monster Immersion chiller. It is 50 ft of 1/2" copper tubing wrapped in a double (inner, outer) coil about a foot high. It is connected via vinyl tubing to an immersion pump which goes in the Hot Water Tank (keg) after I am done with it. I mean, after mashing and lautering I empty it and fill it with cold water (70F) from the hose. The pump recirculates this water from the chiller to the keg and back. I do this to conserve water here in S.Cal, but it has another advantage. The first 5 gallons of water thru the chiller are boiling hot (almost). I discharge this into another bucket and pour it out later. Then I start dropping 10 lb blocks of ice into the keg to keep up the temperature differential. This does alot to speed up my chilling. If I lived up north obtaining cold water to chill with wouldnt be a problem. I always stir while chilling, either with the paddle that has been in the wort since the boil or by moving the chiller around inside the boiling keg. I can chill 10 gallons in a half hour to 60F depending on how much ice I use. I still use about 20 gallons of water to chill with but I would probably use more just connected to the garden hose and as Dion says, that last 20 degrees would take much longer. 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: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 09:52:06 -0500 From: djones at iex.com (Douglas R. Jones) Subject: Re: Your Post >I have conflicting information on the use of Iodophor. One source >(Williams Brewing) says that iodine sanitizer should be used at the ratio >of two teaspoons per gallon of water. One should then rinse to remove >toxic iodine residue. Other sources say that one should not exceed 0.5 >oz. per five gallons. No rinsing is necessary. Who is right? I use, generally, 1 oz/5gallons. Sometimes a little like 1.5 oz/5 gallons. When getting bottles ready for filling I use 2 oz/7 gallons. I also rinse. >Secondly, I have read with some interest recently about *racking* from >the brewpot to the primary. In my five or six batches so far, I have >never racked to the primary, simply because my instructions said nothing >about it. Is is beneficial to rack to the primary rather than simply >pouring? While there may be something to this, especially for those who have large brew lengths. I suspect weight is the issue and ease of manipulating a large kettel. In my brewery we use a mesh filter stuck in the funnel and once the wort is chilled (ice/water filled sink) my brew partner will pour the wort into the carboy (I don't because of 2 trashed disks). Doug - -------------------------------------------------- 'I am a traveler of | Douglas R. Jones both Time and Space' | IEX Corporation Led Zeppelin | (214)301-1307 | djones at iex.com - -------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: 16 Aug 95 09:00:40 EDT From: Christopher.R.Vyhnal at Dartmouth.EDU (Christopher R. Vyhnal) Subject: more on SG/T corrections in HBD #1809, Kirk Fleming follows up on the SG/T thread: >>> I guess the question is whether the physics of the problem is better modeled with 2nd or 3rd order curves. If there is someone out there who has a handle on goodness-of-fit for these regressions it would be interesting to root this out a bit. <<< if my understanding of polynomial expansions is correct, there is no theoretical basis for the exact order of a polynomial regression--it's an empirical fit which always improves with the addition of higher order terms. i also understand that polynomial regressions are notoriously bad for extrapolating beyond the range of the data fit. this doesn't really apply here, however, since we're only considered with a limited temperature range. the equation i listed was a 2nd order fit to thermal expansion data for water over the whole temperature range from its freezing to boiling points (from the Handbook of Physical Constants, 1966, S.P. Clark, editor). you could use a higher order regression if you wanted to, but your equations just get more complicated unnecessarily. if you agree that the uncertainty of a hydrometer reading is +/- 0.001, then the 2nd and 3rd order regressions are identical within error of the measurement. the bottom line is that as long as your wort is between 30 and 80 degress F, you don't really need to apply a temperature correction to the SG reading you get with your hydrometer. if, on the other hand, you're taking your SG reading at some higher temperature (i.e., pre-chilling), then you should correct for the thermal expansion of your wort. Kirk's provided a nice table that shows the correction you should apply at a given temperature. cheers, chris Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 09:43:07 PDT From: kpnadai at adsnet.com Subject: Crowd Pleaser Ale When I first started brewing, I tried to please the beer drinkers around me. I experimented with rice solids, rice syrups, dextrose, and honey as adjuncts, and doing everything I could do to brew light colored beer short of bleaching the malt extract. One day, my girlfriend commented my brews were getting to the point where they were "almost as good as Coors." She is still my girlfriend, but ever since then I have brewed for myself and enjoyed brewing much more. "You don't like my brew? Then stop at the store on the way over buy Zima for all I care! I have since fallen in love with IPA and especially the Cascade hop. Anchor Liberty, my current commercial favorite, is a little, shall we say, wimpy on the hops. Anyway, I will be having an end to Summer party. (You are all invited, BYOK) I was thinking about brewing something a little more crowd friendly. Short of mixing my brew with club soda, do any of you have any favorite crowd pleazin' ales? TIA, Brew Bayou, Kevin Nadai Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 09:27:28 PDT From: kpnadai at adsnet.com Subject: Chillin' Tales I use liquid nitrogen to chill my wort in 45 seconds. It is extremely expensive and dangerous, much like exploding bottles, peroxide poisoning and all. Please refer to the LN2 FAQ for how to get started. Don't chill too long though, or the cold break won't settle before the whole thing freezes around the immersion chiller like a great big wortsicle. I can't stir using the chiller because my hand freezes to the copper coils. Is my beer ruined? I was thinking about using liquid oxygen right into the wort instead. That way, I can aerate as well. LOX is MUCH more expensive and dangerous, so I think it would be better. As a scuba diver, I don mask, regulator, and tank. Then I purge the house of oxygen with LOTS of CO2. Haven't had an oxidized batch yet. Lately, I keep thinking back to that very first batch where I did everything wrong and it turned out great. IMBR? (Is my brain ruined?) Brew Bayou, Kevin Nadai Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 11:06:42 EDT From: "Lee A. Menegoni" <lmenegoni at nectech.com> Subject: Dead Hunter Airstat Fix A few members of our club have had the same problem as recently posted, the AC outlet is no longer gated and is in the off state. Below is a portion of a post discussing this problem. > The part number for the Airstat zener is 1N5359B. It's a 24V, 5W zener. > It's the only zener on the board, marked as Z1 I believe. Mine read dead short > with an ohmmeter. We had problems finding the part if anyone has a source please post it, I still have a dead hunter I would like to fix. Lee Menegoni NEC Technologies 1414 Mass. Ave / MS 2110 Boxborough MA 01719-2298 v 508-635-6282 f 508-264-8787 LMenegoni at NECTech.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 11:14:04 EDT From: "Lee A. Menegoni" <lmenegoni at nectech.com> Subject: Braided tubing I have purchased Food Grade, mercury and silcone free PVC tubing from US Plastics, it has a temp rating of +25 to 150F. Its listed applications are Food and beverage tubing, air and water lines, potable water, deionized water, air breathing lines. Sold in 10 foot increments or 100 foot rolls. Price per foot is about 50 cents a foot for 3/8" ID, model number 60722 and 70 cents a foot for 1/2" ID model number 60723, plus UPS costs.. US Plastics 1 800 537 9724 Lee Menegoni NEC Technologies 1414 Mass. Ave / MS 2110 Boxborough MA 01719-2298 v 508-635-6282 f 508-264-8787 LMenegoni at NECTech.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 11:26:03 EST From: James_Busch_at_lablan at cscgt.gsfc.nasa.gov Subject: Pitching Temps and affects Several posters asked what are the negative consequences of pitching yeast at high temps. The easy answer is more fusel alcohols and more esters. How much this bothers you depends on yeast strain and the beer being made. Some esters are desirable in some beers. Most fusels are undesirable, and can lead to headaches. I dont usually post excerpts of my Brewing Techniques column here but this is a timely point to do so. I`ll also make a shameless plug to say how great BT is and you should join by emailing to btcirc at aol.com. Excerpt from my next column, edited and enhanced by A.J. deLange: "Increased temperature has several effects on yeast metabolism. Fusel alcohol production is increased. The levels of intracellular acetyl coenzyme A are increased. As this is the starting point for lipid and sterol synthesis lipid anabolism is increased which results in increased availablilty of acyl coenzyme A products. These can combine with the fusel alcohols to form the higher esters. Acetyl-coenzyme A is itself an acyl-coenzyme A molecule and, as ethanol is the alcohol in highest concentration, ethyl acetate is the predominant ester in beer. Note that where the wort has been insufficiently aerated some of the acetyl-coenzyme A which would ordinarily go into sterol synthesis does not do so because of the lack of oxygen. This can then flow into the lipid synthesis pathway producing extra acyl-coenzyme A molecules and thus higher ester levels." Good brewing, Jim Busch Return to table of contents
Date: 16 Aug 1995 08:32:13 U From: "Palmer.John" <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com> Subject: Dilution Theory made Simple? Hi Group, For the last couple days I have been bemused at the apparent complexity that many respected participants of this group have directed to the Dilution problem. To me it seems very simple. If you have collected 7 gallons of 1.042 wort, and you are going to boil it down to 5 gallons, what will be your final OG? 1. You have 7 gallons of 42 points per gallon wort. Total points = 7x42 = 294 2. The OG of 294 pts in 5 gallons = 294/5 = 58.8 or 1.059 Likewise, If you are boiling 3 gallons of 1.080 wort and plan on diluting it to 5 gallons in the fermenter: 1. 3 x 80ppg = 240 pts total 2. 240 pts/5 gal = 48 or an OG of 1.048 What could be simpler? (of course, the last time I posted something like this, on the delta V of solutions, I was quickly shown my error by several friends. I dont think that will be the case this time, but I wont hold my breath too long.) 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: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 12:07:21 -0400 From: GubGuy at aol.com Subject: Beer Trivia? Hi All, I'm wanting to put together a door game for my small, local BBS that focuses on beer, but I'm short on trivia questions for this little project. Anybody have a Beer Trivia file they would like to share? Just trying to do my part to educate these Coors Light (shudder) swilling local yokels. TIA from the Beer Wastelands, -Ray- "Aye, aye, Bessy, never brew wi' bad malt upo' Michaelmas day, else you'll have a poor tap." -Mr. Tulliver From "The Mill on the Floss" by George Eliot GubGuy at aol.com -Ray Ownby- Moses Lake, WA Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 10:27:42 -0600 (MDT) From: David Taylor <dptaylor at lamar.ColoState.EDU> Subject: siphons and carboys I have to comment that there is an easier and more sanitary way to siphon beer into and out of a carboy than the method proposed by David Wright. If you want to slightly pressurize or depressurize the head space in the carboy (which is a good way to get your siphon started), you are better off using a pipet bulb than your mouth. (These can be had from FISHER SCIENTIFIC 1-800-766-7000 at the inflated price of about $5 and many other places if you care to shop around.) I often use a two-holed rubber stopper at top of the carboy for siphoning. I have a short glass tube that goes through the stopper into the head space to use with the pipet bulb. I use a longer glass tube (at least 3/8 inch diameter) which can reach down to the bottom of the carboy and has a bend on top to avoid crimping the flexible tubing. It is a much more sanitary solution to the same problem. Dave Taylor /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 11:39:33 -0500 From: cerevis at mcs.net (Christopher P. Weirup) Subject: Iodophor and other ramblings... I have been noticing a lot of bandwidth about B-Brite and iodophor. I just would like to put my two bits in. In HBD #1809, Jim Dipalma writes: >I liked the old BBrite better, too. The new formulation is suspiciously >similar to >dishwasher detergent. I switched to iodophor. I may be mistaken, but iodophor is a sanitizer, while B-Brite is a detergent. This is a big difference. B-Brite does not sanitize. On the other side you still need to clean your equipment before you use iodophor. I've noticed a number of people confusing what B-Brite does and what iodophor does. If I am wrong, someone please slap me around and set me straight. Relatedly, in HBD #1809, Fr. Bradley A.M. Barber writes, >I have conflicting information on the use of Iodophor. One source My personal experience with iodophor is 12.5ppm. That roughly translates to 0.1 oz. per 1 gallon of cold water. At this concentration no rinsing is necessary, although you do need to drip dry your equipment. I have never had problems (or infections) with this concentration. That seems to be true with other people I've talked to about using iodophor. On a completely different subject.... I hate to bring gelatin back up again, but there is one thing that is driving me crazy at nights. When do you add the gelatin? I've heard right before racking to the secondary, sometime during the secondary, and to the bottling bucket. I've added gelatin during the secondary with less than specatcular results, i.e., clumps of gook floating in my brew. Private e-mail is fine. Thanks in advance! Chris Weirup cerevis at mcs.net Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 12:57:25 PDT From: Rob Emenecker <robe at cadmus.com> Subject: more siphoning In HBD1809 David Wright presents a straightforward method of siphoning using a carboy cap. (I am assuming he is referring to one of the orange caps). I used to use a similar method but experienced a great deal of oxidation with the batches I siphoned doing this. I made a few simple changes to the basics (as outlined by David) and they eliminated my oxidation problem... 1. Instead of using 3/8 I.D. tubing I switched to 5/16 I.D. from the racking tube to the receiving vessel (carboy, bottling bucket, etc.) tubing. This gave a tighter seal which prevent any O2 (air) from getting sucked in between the wall of the tubing and the outer wall of the racking wand. 2. Instead of blowing on the tube attached to the carboy cap, I pumped CO2 into the tube. By keeping modest pressure applied to the "in" side of the carboy cap, then siphon just chugs along. I know this may seem like a waste of CO2, but if it saves a brew, it's worth it. Hope this helps! ============================================================================ Rob Emenecker (remenecker at cadmus.com) Cadmus Journal Services, Inc., Linthicum, Maryland 21090 410-691-6454 (voice) / 410-684-2793 (fax) Date: 08/16/95 Time: 12:57:25 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There are only two things in life that are ever certain... taxes and BEER!" ============================================================================ Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 13:43:06 EST From: Tim_Fields_at_Relay__Tech__Vienna at relay.com Subject: RE Bullets, cooling to pitch temps In #1809, Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com comments: >(Guns don't kill people, bullets kill people.) ^^^^^^^ Sorry -R, PEOPLE kill people. Also from 1809, PatrickM50 at aol.com writes re Jim Busch's comments: > Once >the temp of the cooling wort has dropped to about 80 deg or so, I >stop >stirring, remove the chiller, and let the wort sit all quiet like and >covered >for at least 10 minutes to let the cold break settle. I then siphon >using an >aeration-tube at the end of the flex tubing and this further cools >the wort as it fills the fermentor. I tried to siphon my cooled wort _once_. Partial wort boil. It siphoned like molasses so I gave up on it (Perhaps I cooled it a bit too much; to maybe 60F). It _did_ look pretty cool tho; oozing out in a viscous stream under water.... Was trying to avoid HSA. After reading more posts here, it seems that cooling to below 80F is sufficient to avoid HSA, and at that temp I shouldn't get the molasses effect. Will give it another shot. -Tim Tim Fields / Vienna, VA, USA / timf at relay.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 14:08:01 EDT From: uswlsrap at ibmmail.com Subject: Michigan and Ontario suggestions? *** Resending note of 08/16/95 10:43 Greetings! I hope everyone who made it to "Beer and Sweat" in Madison ;-) (the Ninth Annual Great Taste of the Midwest<tm> took place under the sun and under the tents with an official high temperature of 99F) enjoyed themselves and all those different beers despite the heat. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Now to the main point of this post, the what-are-the-good-breweries-and- brewpubs-in-(blank) post: (blank)= Michigan and Ontario. Yes, I've been to Bell's (and will return) But what about: -small, obscure places in almost-Northern Ontario? (roughly along a line from Soo to Sudbury and even out to Ottawa/Hull) -recommendations for sorting through the excellent, good, and mediocre among everything in Toronto? -anyone know about the little one in Escanaba mentioned in MIDWEST BEER NOTES? Anything else in the UP? -anything worthwhile in the Detroit/Windsor area? -breweries that do and don't offer tours? (for example, Northern doesn't offer tours in their Thunder Bay brewery, but what about Sault Ste. Marie or Sudbury? other packaging brewers worth a visit and offering tours?) -anything else not covered above that demands a visit even if a bit out of the way? -what bottled product is worth bringing back into the U.S.? PRIVATE EMAIL, PLEASE!! Don't use HBD bw to reply!! TIA Now go have a beer, Bob Paolino uswlsrap at ibmmail.com Madison Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 14:12:34 -0500 (CDT) From: Kenneth K Goodrow <goodrow at orion.etsu.edu> Subject: High pitching temps. If pitch temps. are "supposed to be" low at around 60-70 degrees, why have I had two excellent batches of beer when I rehydrated my yeast in 100 degree water (as recommended in two sources, one Charlie's) for 15 mins. and then pitched it in about 100 degree wort? I have experimented with this method of pitching and have derived two of my best batches. I have done some minimalist brewing (e.g., not taking SG measurements, doing barebones sanitation, etc.) and it has turned out excellently, too. Is it just my batches and brewing conditions, or can pitch temps. be played with more than we assume? Kenn Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 13:03:18 -0700 (PDT) From: sprmario at netcom.com (Mario Robaina) Subject: Alcoholic Lemonade In Sydney last summer, my girlfriend and I tried some alcoholic lemonade brewed (?) at a brewpub there (can't remember the name). It was very nice. Very effervescent (sp?), and quite high in alcohol, but quite refreshing nonetheless. I have since taken up homebrewing and am now contemplating trying to duplicate it, but am interested in what others have to say about it. Is the acidity going to be a problem? Should I just make some Country-Time and throw some yeast in? My thought at this point is to do some gravity experiments with Country-Time, and aim for the high side (so as to end up with residual sweetness). I'd boil this (10 minutes?) for sanitation only, pitch a yeast that poops out on high gravity brews, and some yeast nutrient (I assume lemonade is not as rich in nutrients as wort), and see what happens. Also would like to finish with champagne yeast (the bubbles and flavor profile of the stuff we tried was something like a mimosa heavy on the champagne side), but that would probably defeat the goal of residual sweetness. I suppose I'm most interested in whether anyone's tried this before, but would also appreciate educated guesses as to how I might make some. Any takers? -John Girard (through sprmario at netcom.com) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 15:36:29 -0400 From: "Michael R. Swan" <mswan at fdic.gov> Subject: Hazelnut extract in Nut Brown Ale In HBD #1809, I posted the following questions about using Hazelnut extract in Nut Brown Ale: << Has anyone brewed a batch using hazelnut extract? How did it turn << out? Any ideas as to how much extract should be used? Should it go in << the secondary or the bottling bucket? Thanks in advance. Steve Armbrust and Jeff Frane advise that the 1993 AHA convention was held in Portland and the commemorative brew was a hazelnut brown ale (brewed by Chris Studach (?)). I checked and the recipe for this beer is in the Summer 1994 issue of __Zymurgy__ (Volume 17, No. 2). I will need to check the actual recipe, but the recollection seemed to be that between two and three ounces of pure extract was called for. Apparently the hard part is finding someone who carries the real thing. A lot of people carry hazelnut oil, but this is probably not appropriate. Any ideas on where to get the pure extract? I have seen Royal Piper Cordial Extracts (used to make cordials by adding vodka). Would this work? Thanks to all who responded. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mike Swan "The path of the righteous man is Dallas, Texas beset on all sides by the inequities mswan at fdic.gov of the selfish and the tyranny of "My views are my own" evil men." Pulp Fiction - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 17:14:59 EST From: kwh at roadnet.ups.com (Harralson, Kirk) Subject: Slow cooling = DMS??? Last week, someone mentioned that one of the reasons to chill wort quickly, other than for sanitation, was to minimize formation of DMS in this critical period. This triggered a thought about the common methodology of adding fruit at the end of the boil and steeping for a short period. Wouldn't this almost guarantee a significant amount of DMS formation? I have used this method before, and ended up with a very soft, rounded beer that could be described as having the typical buttery character. The funny thing is, I think this is a somewhat desirable quality at low levels in SOME beers, but definitely not fruit beers. I definitely prefer crisp clean flavors in fruit beers, and will stick with adding fruit and/or flavors in the secondary from now on. I have read recommendations for people to encourage some DMS formation (by steeping after the boil) to enhance the malty characters of some ales. Does anyone do this? How long should you steep before you got too much? What styles would this benefit? Comments? Kirk Harralson Bel Air, Maryland Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 17:31:08 -0400 From: TRoat at aol.com Subject: BrewPubs in Myrtle Beach, SC Going to sit on the beach in South Carolina (Myrtle Beach) September 1-7. I get bored on the beach quickly (my wifes turn to chose the vacation you see). Any brewpubs in Myrtle Beach (or surrounding area) to keep me occupied and happy!? Help save my vacation! :-) E-mail fine. Todd W. Roat (TRoat at aol.com) "Too much of everything is just enough!" Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 18:05:27 -0400 From: eamonn at chinook.physics.utoronto.ca (Eamonn McKernan) Subject: craft beer At a recent CABA (Canadian Amateur Brewers Assoc) event, we had a Molson Bigwig give a talk (name of Moss?). He pointed out that ingredients constituted only 5-10% (I don't remember the exact figure) of the pre-tax cost of a beer. After taxes, it's half again that cost. Further he claimed that they were able to easily reproduce various craft beers, and had done so on occasion. The real reason for price differences between craft beer and mega-swill beer is economies of scale: it's cheaper to brew in big volumes. He said that the market didn't want what we call "good" beer. People like swill. Now if more good beer was available, eventually people's tastes will mature, but they are trying to make good beer available eg. through their signature series. I am no Molson fan, but I couldn't fault the argument. Though certain styles they'll NEVER duplicate (lambics are the most obvious example) , and they won't be as adventurous as craft brewers in their attitude, even if most beer is mega-brewed in the future, who cares as long as it's beer I want to drink. And cheaper is better. All we have to do is convince the rest of North America not to drink crap! Eamonn McKernan eamonn at atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca "More than one in five Canadian children are poor... Statistics Canada reports that the pre-1993 social spending cuts alone --not even those promised in the Martin budget-- will result in a 40 percent poverty rate by the year 2000... Unprepared to pay for a civilized society, we are creating one characterized by social barbarism." J.F. Conway, Toronto Star, July 25, 1995 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 08:08:21 +1000 From: david.draper at mq.edu.au (Dave Draper) Subject: Immersion chill data / Mashout & extraction Dear Friends, as the wort-chill discussion proceeds, we now have Jim DiPalma requesting some info of a type I have handy. I get immersion chill times of 30 to 40 minutes to 15-17 C (59-63 F) without stirring. I don't stir because I want the Junk to settle to the bottom of the kettle so as to bring as little along into the fermenter as possible. My particulars: chiller is a 15 m (just shy of 50 ft) copper coil, OD 12 mm, ID 10 mm (0.47 and 0.39 in. respectively). This time of year, in the depths of the Sydney "winter", water temp is a respectable 12 to 15 C (54 to 59 F). Cold water goes on the *upper* end of the coil in order to bring the coldest water into play at the top, where the warmest wort will always be (this, IMO, is the key to getting shorter chill times without stirring). My kettle is a 40 L (10.6 US gal) aluminum pot, wall thickness about 4 mm (0.16 in.). My typical situation is to have from 20 to 23 L (5.3 to 6.1 US gal) of bitter wort to chill, having gravities in the range 1045 to 1070--I've not made anything stronger in my ~1.3 year (15 US months :-}) in Sydney. Also, I have not yet brewed through an entire year with the same setup--have been accumulating gear as I go--so can't offer much in the way of noticing seasonal changes. I usually have the water flow at only a modest rate at first, because it is quite easy to chill when the wort is still very hot, then I open it up to a stronger flow once the temperature of the returned water falls to about 22-25 C (71-77 F). I think the main factors allowing me the short chill times I get are: inlet arrangement as mentioned above; kettle is Al not SS; long chiller with a generous OD and relatively thin wall (is it all that thin?). ******* There has been some talk about mashouts increasing extraction efficiency in the past couple digests too. It should be kept in mind that one of the effects of mashing out is to make the sweet wort less viscous, more fluid. Thus whatever you have actually produced during conversion is physically easier to extract. There may of course be "chemical" benefits to the higher T step as well. Cheers, Dave in Sydney "...when you think about it, everything makes sense." ---Ginger Wotring - --- *************************************************************************** David S. Draper, Earth Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW Australia Email: david.draper at mq.edu.au Home page: http://www.ocs.mq.edu.au/~ddraper ...I'm not from here, I just live here... Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 17:28:11 -0500 From: Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com> Subject: WIT! or W-I-T ? Some guy named Russel (sp?) said : > The Win-It-Too company was engineered for a takeover. My prediction - early > '97, they'll be bought (or bailed) out by Stroh's, Leinenkugel's or Interbrew. > (In that order of probability.) Fat chance. W-I-T, while perhaps engineered for a takeover, is a distributor, and cannot be owned by any brewery. Perhaps you're thinking of the Spring Street Brewery, the makers of WIT! beer. In that case, yeah, Stroh's. Good thing folks like Spencer Thomas are still lurking out here. -R Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 15:47:46 -0700 From: rider at pullman.com (Bill Johns) Subject: H2O2 and bubblers and foam OH MY! >From: gtinseth at teleport.com (Glenn Tinseth) >Subject: H2O2--not in my wort > >Rich Larsen <rlarsen at free.org> wrote: >>>I took a yeast starter, transferred the living yeast to a larger flash >>>and added some fresh wort. In the original smaller flask, I added some >>>fresh wort also, about 50 ml, then about 10 ml Hydrogen peroxide. > >To which Bill Johns <rider at pullman.com> responded: >>EGADS!! H2O2 is a hellishly strong oxidizer. It'll kill everything in >>the pot. > >Not to mention oxidizing hop aroma and flavor compounds, reduced >melanoidins, and a host of other things you don't want to oxidize. I'll >stick with my little aquarium pump, bubbler, and HEPA filter. Yep. I use an aquarium bubbler, too. I didn't say that I'd use H2O2. I was trying to get the other fellow to use it. ;-) For those who wondered about my comments using ice to cool the wort, I use Britta filtered water (city water through a charcol/ion filter to get the heavy metals and chlorine out) in sterilized tupperware-like plastic containers. I suppose I should sterilize the containers before I open them again, just to make sure. I use the aquarium bubbler and a sterilized bubble stone to introduce O2 and even out the temps. Interesting to have a primary ice cold on top and hot on the bottom. :-) Now if I could figure out how to keep the aquarium bubbler from causing a foam head to form and come squirting out over the bathroom floor, woodwork, out under the door and in general causing the whole house to smell of pale malt extract/Kent Golding (I'm not complaining about the aromas, mind you, it's just so sticky....), I'd really have it knocked. Ride Free, Bill - ------- Sometimes: rider at pullman.com Sometimes: w_johns at wsu.edu The two most common things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity. Harlan Ellison Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1810, 08/17/95