HOMEBREW Digest #1881 Sat 11 November 1995
Digest #1880
Digest #1882
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Mashing Overnight... (Steve Dempsey)
lead in mexican carboy glass (Steve Peters)
90 Minute Boils/ToxiTherm Problems (Kirk R Fleming)
SA IPO ("William D. Knudson")
Brewpubs in Allentown? (Rolland Everitt)
ETOH calcs/hydrometer Question (Todd W. Roat)
cheap false bottom (Hettsmac)
Motorized Grain Mill (sortof) (dludwig)
Sand/breathing (Mark Melton)
Scuba Tanks for Keg (Russ Kruska)
Sanitizing bottle caps (smtplink!guym)
Source for Food Grade Buckets. (Elde)
Re: measurements (Tim Fields)
AB KEGS WITH PLASTIC ENDS (DONBREW)
Contract brewing (Tim Fields)
RE manassas beer (Tim Fields)
Possible Contaminated Beer?! (John Herman)
Testing for Lead (John Palmer)
Re: temperature calculations (Jim Grady)
An additional Anaerobic Racking (Ken Schroeder)
Wohlgemuth units (David Mercer)
keg dispensing pressure ("Wallinger, W. A.")
Too Sweet Ale Clone from Cats Meow 2 (John Herman)
Electric stove problems (ED IACIOFANO)
Two Tidbits (IHomeBrew)
Re: Home Brew Technique... (Brew Free Or Die 10-Nov-1995 1152)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 1995 15:09:51 -0800
From: Steve Dempsey <steved at ptdcs2.intel.com>
Subject: Re: Mashing Overnight...
"Bessette, Bob" <bob.bessette at lamrc.com> asks:
>
> I've been reading a lot lately about mashing overnight and then sparging,
>etc in the AM...
>What adverse effects could this have on my brew?
Mashing at lower temperatures gives you more fermentables.
Even if you mash in at a relatively high temperature, the
extended time still is going to let those enzymes do a
rather complete job of conversion as you fall back through
the lower temperatures. And you're probably going to end
up in the range where proteinase enzymes are working. The
end result: a highly attenuated beer with little body and
no head. If this is what you like, overnight mashing will
work well. Probably ideal for Dry beers.
======================================================
Steve Dempsey Intel Corporation
<steved at ptdcs2.intel.com> 5200 Elam Young Pkwy
+1 503 642 0602 Hillsboro, OR 97124-6497
PTD CAD Pole: AL4-2-E2 MS: AL4-57
======================================================
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 15:13:58 -0800
From: stevep at pcx.ncd.com (Steve Peters)
Subject: lead in mexican carboy glass
>Date: Wed, 8 Nov 95 10:00:13 EST
>From: Pierre Jelenc <pcj1 at columbia.edu>
>Subject: Re: Glass color
>
>In HOMEBREW Digest #1878 dmccull at alabama.com (Douglas A. McCullough) says:
>
>> A fellow at Alabama Scientific Supply recently expressed concern about lead
>> in the glass carboys some local brewers use. The carboys, manufactured in
>> Mexico and offered for sale for about $12 at locally at Waccamaw, have a
>> pronounced blue-green tint.
>
>As far as I know, a green tint in glass indicates the presence of _iron_
>impurities. Lead is used to make crystal -- as in "crystal clear" -- an
>absolutely colorless, sparkling soft glass. (That said, inorganic
>chemistry was not my favorite, so I may be overlooking something.)
>
>Pierre
So, the clear glass carboys I have from Mexico are safe (most probably) right?
- --
___________________________________________________________________________
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ Stephen Peters
_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Technical Support Engineer
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ stevep at pcx.ncd.com
_/ _/ _/ _/ S o f_/ t w _/a r e voice: (503)641-2200
_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ FAX: (503)641-2959
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ WEB: http://www.ncd.com/
9590 SW Gemini Dr. Beaverton, OR 97008 FTP: ftp.ncd.com
___________________________________________________________________________
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 15:21:45 -0700
From: flemingk at usa.net (Kirk R Fleming)
Subject: 90 Minute Boils/ToxiTherm Problems
In #1879 Tim asks (tfields at relay.com):
> All-grain: Based on accumulated reading, I'd like to use a 90 min
> boil and am not sure whether to (1) add the first hop addition at
> 15 mins into the boil and thus boil them for 75 mins, or (2) add
> the first hop addition at 30 mins into the boil and thus boil them
> for 60 mins.
Is there any reason not to boil for 90 minutes?
In the same issue, Tom (temercha at hsv23.pcmail.ingr.com) mentions trouble
with the ToxiTherm unit he's using, and yes, more power *is* the solution.
What typically happens with this unit over time is that the mercury slowly
vaporizes, and little by little bath coverage of the kettle bottom is
diminished. Thus, there is little conductive xfer between the outer jacket
and the inner one. This can be verified by careful inspection of glass,
chrome or other highly polished surfaces in the vicinity of the unit:
you'll see near-microscopic Hg droplets condensed all over these surfaces.
In Europe the solution is to properly dispose of the mercury and replace
the working fluid with a non-toxic substance such as certain hydrolyzed
plant extracts. Here in America, the clearly superior solution is to
open the burner orifice with a suitable drill bit, and tweak the gas
mains regulator pressure (late at night). "Blowing" the burner using a
garage air compressor to inject the burner air inlet is also a slick way
to go.
KRF Colorado Springs
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
"Frig is not an appliance, it is an activity." Rolland Everitt
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: 09 Nov 95 18:24:13 EST
From: "William D. Knudson" <71764.203 at compuserve.com>
Subject: SA IPO
In reading the SA IPO prospectus, I found an interesting fun fact.
Page 36 under the discription of Doulbe Bock:
"This classic style was first brewed by monks in the Middle Ages for
fortification during long Lenten fasting. Over one-half pound of malt goes into
every bottle of this rich brew......"
Run the numbers on this: Thats over 24# of Malt for a 5 gallon batch! With an
extraction rate of 30+ pts OG should be over 1.140! Or with a computed OG of
1.080, the extraction rate would be under 17 pts per pound.
At first I thought this was a typo with the information being transposed from
the Triple Bock profile. But the triple bock bottle tag claims one pound malt
per (tiny) bottle. I can't address the triple bock, but doesn't 1/2 pound malt
per bottle seem excessive for a double bock?
Bill
Besser Deutsch wenn ich etwas Bier usw.
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 18:45:54 -0500
From: af509 at osfn.rhilinet.gov (Rolland Everitt)
Subject: Brewpubs in Allentown?
I will be traveling to Allentown, PA on business next week. The
Holiday Inn where I will be staying is next door to the Stroh
brewery. I don't know if Stroh brews any craft beers, but if they
do, their flagship brand is not one of them (yecchh). I need
to get away from the smell of that place and enjoy some good brew.
Any suggestions about brewpubs in the area?
Rolland Everitt
af509 at osfn.rhilinet.gov
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 18:58:27 -0500
From: troat at one.net (Todd W. Roat)
Subject: ETOH calcs/hydrometer Question
A couple of quick brain ticklers (my brain's not ticklish you see). I use
the standard Balling/Potential ETOH/Sp. Gravity calculations for final
alcohol determination. However, with each batch the final alcohol values
caclulated by the three methods are always different. Should they not be
identicle (or at least REAL close considering standard error due to
"eyeballing" the hydrometer readings)? I use the folowing formulas:
Balling: (Balling1-Balling2)(.42)(1.25)= Final ETOH by volume
Potential ETOH: %1-%2=final ETOH by volume
Specific gravity: (OG-FG)(105)(1.25)=Final ETOH by volume
My last batch calculations were as follows:
Balling: (14.75-4)(.42)(1.25)= 5.6% by volume
Potential ETOH: 7.5-1.0= 6.5%by volume
Specific gravity: (1.060-1.015)(105)(1.25)=5.9% by volume
I always assume all three numbers will be identicle with only a slight
standard deviation. Assuming I read hydro carefully at the correct temp for
hydro's calibration, is this just standard error due to "eyeballing" ?
sHould I just split the difference(s)? Just curious.
Q#2: My hydrometer is calibrated for 70 degrees (I swear). The batch I
made yesterday I accidentaly read with flask beer at 60 degrees. Anyone
know a simple table/chart depicting specific gravity differences measured by
hydrometer per degree of temp at measurement (hope that made sense).
Thanks -
Todd brewin' in Cincinnati
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 21:53:58 -0500
From: Hettsmac at aol.com
Subject: cheap false bottom
Dear Homebrewers,
I am sure, I am not the first who's decribing this "lauter tun" but I'll post
it anyway.
Cut a round piece of insect screen, with a radius of 3-6 cm (1-2 inch) bigger
than the radius of your bottling bucket. Place it in your bucket (or Cooler
or whatever you're using) and it works very well as a false bottom.
I have used the "Zapp-Papp" (see Charlie Papazian in "The Joy of
Homebrewing") system before, but I found the screen works much better for
me.
The insect screen material is, according to the manufacture, aluminum, which
shouldn't be a problem, but we' ll see how many critical answers I 'll get
about this.
Robert Hett
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 22:23:07 -0500
From: dludwig at ameritel.net
Subject: Motorized Grain Mill (sortof)
A couple of weekends ago I was setting up to grind some grains for a
weisenbier. Known to be a scrounger at times I found a used flour mill at a
local junk dealer. This thing looks sortof like a Corona and has Molinos De
Mano Azteca S.A on the handle. Instead of metal grinding plates, I has two
surfaces made of a material that looks like your standard grinding wheel
with a special pattern to aid in the grinding. With a couple of washers
installed as spacers, it works adequately as a grain mill. Well back to my
grinding session. My 5 year old daughter, who is extremely curious, came out
on the porch to see what I was doing. To make a long story short, she
wouldn't let go of the crank. She just kept grinding and grinding while I
occasionally fed the mill while sipping a cold one. It's amazing the stamina
these youngin's have. Half way through the grind she asked me what it was
for and I said "we're making beer!" and she replied "I'm making beer?
YUCCH!" She kept on grinding though. Well trained.
Dave Ludwig
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Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 20:30:52 -0800 (PST)
From: Mark Melton <piobaire at accessnv.com>
Subject: Sand/breathing
I resumed receiving the HBD in the middle of a controversy over the
effects of breathing sand (Sean Cox/Pierre Jelenc; 8 Nov). Sand is purely
a size term: 0.0625 - 2 mm. Sand can be made out of silicon dioxide,
water ice, basalt rock fragments, chert, calcium carbonate --you name it.
Inhaling sand of any composition will result in rapid strangulation from
inflamation and swelling of the respiritory membranes; that has nothing
to do with its coposition ---although the effect would be much more rapid
if the sand grains were composed of a genuinely irritating substance such
as red pepper. Silt is composed of grains smaller than sand and silicon
dioxide silt inhaled over a long period of time can result in silicosis.
This fact is the excuse for the regulatory actions of OSHA and other
government agencies. To extrapolate from the bad effects of silt-sized
silicon dioxide to bricks, which have a minor component of SiO2, or even
sand (which may or may not be composed of SiO2) is so ludicrous and
intellectually dishonest as to be worthy of the French Revolutionary
solution.
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Date: Thu, 09 Nov 1995 08:31:00 -0800 (PST)
From: Russ Kruska <R.KRUSKA at CGNET.COM>
Subject: Scuba Tanks for Keg
A dive master friend of mine who likes homebrew recently
noticed that my 5 lb. CO2 cylinder was made by the same
French firm that makes his scuba tanks. Is it possible to
use such tanks for CO2 ?? Has anyone out there done this ??
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Date: Thu, 09 Nov 95 14:31:35 MDT
From: exabyte!smtplink!guym at uunet.uu.net
Subject: Sanitizing bottle caps
In HBD#1868, Bruce DeBolt says:
> A data point to consider - St. Patrick's (Austin shop) told me that Celis
> uses the oxygen scavenging caps right out of the bag with no sanitation.
> I wouldn't but the point made to me is that there is nothing for microbes
> to grow on on the caps. However, since homebrew shop have lots of grain
> dust hanging around, I say cap sanitation is a good precaution.
I, too, use the oxygen scavenging caps right out of the bag - when I bottle
that is. I tried soaking them in iodophor but I noticed that they tended
to "bleed" tiny drops of the sanitizer from the pores in the cap liner
after a short time. I went ahead and bottled with these caps anyway
without rinsing and the beer turned out great (and I'm still kicking). I
seem to remember that immersing these caps in an aqueous solution
deactivated them anyway. I would probably used iodophor to sanitize
regular caps but I rarely bottle now (and then usually in Guinness bottles)
and I never use anything but the oxygen scavenging caps when I use standard
bottles. Just another data point.
Also, it is belated by about a month, but I wanted to publicly thank Kinney
Baughman for his hospitality when I brought my family up to Boone for
brunch at the Cottonwood Grille. Kinney spent a lot of time with us and
gave me the grand tour of his brewing operation (along with plentiful
samples). I highly recommend a stop here if you are ever in the area. The
beers (and food) are excellent!
--
Guy McConnell /// Huntersville, NC /// guym at exabyte.com
"And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one for dessert."
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 02:00:29 -0500
From: Elde at aol.com
Subject: Source for Food Grade Buckets.
Forget those laundry buckets..... Around here the grocery store bakeries
will give away the buckets they get ingriedients in for free.
Picked up a pair of 11/2 gal buckets that formerly held cherry filling that
will make a heck of a mini-lautering tun (Zapap) for my first partial
extract!
Derek
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Date: 10 Nov 95 06:52:08 EST
From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: measurements
In #1879, aesoph%ncemt.ctc.com at ctcga.ctc.com (Aesoph, Michael) asks a
good question:
>Subject: Home Brew Technique...
>
> Some of you hardcore homebrewers may find this issue insulting..
>Well, here goes.
>I am a relatively new homebrewer with about 60 gallons under
>my belt.... Throughout my short career, I have NEVER taken a
>temperature, specific gravity reading or virtually any other measurement
>imaginable. Every batch turns out just as well as any homebrew I've ever
>had. For the most part, I use kits or malt extract, although I may
>proceed to a partial mash in the not-too-distant future. My question is
>then, "Why bother with all those measurements, if they aren't absolutely
>necessary?" Any comments????
Good point, and good question. The measurements are not really
*necessary* at all if you are happy with your brews. You are making beer
you like, so by default they are not necessary for you :-). You will
probably find that such measurements (in particular temperature) become
more important to you as you move into using more grains.
Here is a short list of why they are important to me. YMMV of course.
1. To replicate good results
2. To find out what caused bad results and avoid them in the future
3. To gauge what is happening
4. Techy details are cool :-)
5. Better control over every stage of the brewing process
6. Mashing pretty much demands attention to such details
IOW, to *improve* my homebrew.
"Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
timf at relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551 at compuserve.com (weekends)
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 08:15:16 -0500
From: DONBREW at aol.com
Subject: AB KEGS WITH PLASTIC ENDS
Randy sez:
> I have access to a 15.5 gal. keg (Sanke?) that I believe once
> contained an Anheuser-Busch product. The keg is stainless, and
> has what appears to be plastic or rubber on the end rings on
> the top and bottom. Before I drive some distance to pick this
> up, is this rubber a coating over stainless end rings? Can
> the rubber be removed? I want to use the keg as a boiling
> kettle, and obviously the coating will not withstand the heat
> from the burner.
>
> Has anyone converted a keg of this type?
\
Yes I have converted one, yes the plastic/rubber is glued on, there are no
metal handles under there, won't work as a boiler over fire (unless you
construct a cradle to hold the keg after removing the ends), will work as a
boiler if you use an electric element inside the keg. If you take the ends
off you end up with an egg shaped vessel.
Don
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Date: 10 Nov 95 09:39:46 EST
From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Contract brewing
Hello All,
We've seen some recent postings about what constitutes a "micro" brewery.
I think there are generally recognized guidelines based on bbls per yr
production??
I don't much care what label the brewery runs under so long as I like the
beer. I assume that those "micros" using contract breweries do so
because it is more cost effective. Up front costs for building a brewery
from the ground up are probably pretty high. Also, brewing at several
geographic locations would help keep distribution costs down (and
freshness up for that matter). And, how much "quality beer" drinking
capacity is there out there? If everyone that entered the "micro"
business built their own brewery, would we end up with over capacity?
One final thought: let's look at this from the contract brewer's side.
Do these contract breweries tend to fall into a certain size category?
EG are they themselves "micros"? I have absolutely no data on this, but
I wonder how many contract breweries are "micros" that see contract
brewing as an entry point into the market and a way to defray the expense
of building the brewery (IOW they may want to eventually brew their own
brand). And, how many "smaller/micro" breweries are able to stay alive
by contract brewing? And, how many just want to BREW for a living, and
see contract brewing as a way to do it? Might be nice NOT to have to
worry so much about marketing, selling, advertising, etc?
Anyone have any data on the contract brewing market? How many are
established breweries vs start-up; how many brew under contract ONLY vs
those that have their own brand as well?
"Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
timf at relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551 at compuserve.com (weekends)
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Date: 10 Nov 95 09:39:49 EST
From: Tim Fields <74247.551 at compuserve.com>
Subject: RE manassas beer
Also in #1879:
gravels at TRISMTP.npt.nuwc.navy.mil
>Subject: Manassas brewpubs
>
>Greetings All,
>
> I'm traveling down to Manassas Virginia next week and I was
>wondering if anyone could recommend any local brewpubs that I could
>visit while I'm there. TIA.
>
A short drive down the road is Bardo Rodeo. A must-see. It's about a
block off one of the metro stops (subway) - you can get on the subway at
the Vienna Metro Station, which is just down Rt 66 from Manassas. I dont
know which stop :-( There is also a pub (or whatever) in Manassas called
Heros. Havent been there, but I've heard good things about the beer
selection (micro on tap). I dont know if they brew.
Also, if you are here on Saturday from 1 to 3, the Potomac Brewing Co
(micro) does tours. They are close to the corner of Rt 28 and Rt 50 -
again close to manassas. NOTE they use the "old" spelling for Potomac -
the one with the "W", but I cant remember it :-). A bit farther would be
Dominion Brewing Co in Ashburn, VA. Maybe a half hour from Manassas via
Rt 28 to Rt 7. They also do tours.
"Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
timf at relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551 at compuserve.com (weekends)
"Reeb!" Tim Fields ... Fairfax, VA
timf at relay.com (non-brewing time)
74247.551 at compuserve.com (weekends)
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 08:49:04 -0600 (CST)
From: John Herman <jmherman at gonix.gonix.com>
Subject: Possible Contaminated Beer?!
okay, so maybe letting the trub settle out for 24 hours wasn't the thing
to do, or maybe I didn't sanitize enough, or maybe I have no idea what I
am talking about. Those are the possible solutions to my problem. Now,
my problem. The batch of beer I wrote about previously that I let sit
for 24 hours to let the trub settle out seems to have a problem. I
transferred the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary today
and there was about 1/2 an inch of brown crust on top of the beer. The
smell wasn't anything unusual, but I have never had this happen before.
Could this be contamination? Well, for what its worth, here is my recipe
and my brewing notes.
Sanitation:
I always use to much bleach in my buckets. I have been warned about
this but I am paranoid of contamination. In my 5 gallon bucket I put in
1/2 cup of bleach and fill the bucket up with cold water and let sit for
1/2 hour. 7 gallon bucket I use just shy of 3/4 cup of bleach and due
the same.
Recipe Name: Bulwark American Lager
Volume: 5 gallons
Malt Extract
Extracts used:
3 lbs 5 oz Munton & Fison American Light Malt Syrup (boil 60 mins)
1 lb Munton & Fison Light Dried Malt Extract (boil 60 mins)
Hops:
1 oz Willamette Pellets (3.9% Alpha) (boil 45 mins)
1/2 oz Cascade Pellets (5.6% Alpha) (boil 5 mins)
Yeast:
1.75 oz WYeast #2035 American Lager
Additives:
1 teaspoon Irish Moss (boil 10 mins)
4 oz Malto Dextrin (boil 30 mins)(note: I have no idea why I used this
in a beer that traditionally is not supposed to have mouth feel,
but it was there screaming to be used)
Yeast Activated on 30 Oct 95
Wort Boiled on 02 Nov 95
Brewing Log:
On commencing of boil, I added the Extracts and let boil for 15 minutes.
I added the Willamette and let boil for another 15 minutes.
I added the Malto Dextrin and let boil for 20 minutes.
I added the Irish Moss and let boil for 5 minutes.
I added the Cascade and let boil for the final 5 minutes.
I transferred the wort to my 5 gallon bucket and let sit overnight.
I transferred the wort from the 5 gallon bucket to my 7 gallon bucket,
and aerated for 30 minutes using an aquarium pump (all equipment
sanitized in bleach). I let the head settle down, pitched the yeast and
let sit at room temperature.
Once the yeast started showing signs of activity I moved the bucket to my
garage which was at a temperature of 54 degrees (f). After fermenting in
the primary 1 week I transferred it to the secondary.
And that's where I am at now. Trying to relax, but its to early in the
day to have a homebrew.
Has anyone else experienced the floating brown crust? What was your
results? If anyone is interested in how the beer turns out, I plan on
leaving it in the secondary for at least 2 weeks and then bottling. So
it'll be mid December before I actually taste it. Happy Homebrewing!
*************************************************************************
* John M. Herman | Internet: jmherman at gonix.com *
*************************************************************************
* Amateur Freelance Programmer With Absolutely No Experience *
* homebrewing cuz its fun to make your own brew!!!! *
*************************************************************************
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 07:38:32 -0700 (MST)
From: johnj at primenet.com (John Palmer)
Subject: Testing for Lead
My Mexican Carboys are not tinted blue at all. I buy the five gallon
carboys manufactured by Corning (in Mexico) at Corning Outlet stores for
about $12 each.
If you want to test for lead, go to a hardware store or home center and buy
a Lead Test kit used for testing pottery (china and stuff). The test
consists of wiping a swab on the item and looking for a color change. I
have not tested mine but used the swabs back when we were looking into the
Lead in Brass topic.
"These are my principles and if you don't like them, I have others."
-Groucho
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/
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 10:34:04 -0500
From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrx.an.hp.com>
Subject: Re: temperature calculations
I originally sent this privately but it bounced back to me. It is
probably of general interest anyhow if it has not been answered already:
I have appended a post to the HBD by Kelly Jones a couple of years ago.
I have found it invaluable! If you are using a Gott water cooler, you
may have to experiment for a little bit to account for the heat absorbed
by the cooler. I use a stock pot for my mash tun and put it into a
mountain of close fitting styrofoam to maintain the temps throughout the
mash. Since I heat up the strike water in the mash tun, the numbers are
usually right on the nose.
Good luck!
- --
Jim Grady |"It's a good thing we don't get
grady at an.hp.com | all the government we pay for."
Hewlett-Packard Medical Products Group | Will Rogers
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>HOMEBREW Digest #1207 Thu 19 August 1993
>
>From: Kelly Jones <k-jones at ee.utah.edu>
>Subject: Heat Capacity of Malt / Infusion Calculations
>
>
>In HBD #1206, Andy Phillips asks about the heat capacity of crushed
>malt, to be used for calculations of infusion mashes. I have found
>that the number 1350 (where water is about 4200) to work well for me.
>I believe the units are J/Kg/K, but this is not important.
>Alternately, one could use the dimensionless number 0.32 for the malt,
>where water is equal to one. Of course, this will vary somewhat
>depending on the type of malt used, the moisture content of the malt,
>etc. but this should be a good starting point.
>
>For those not familiar with these calculations, I will present them
>here:
>
>First, let
>Cpm= heat capacity of your malt, about 0.32
>Cpw= heat capacity of water, 1.0
>Mw = mass of water used
>Mm = mass of malt used
>Tw = temperature of strike water
>Tm = beginning temperature of malt (usually room temperature)
>Tf = final temperature of mixture (rest temp)
>
>Masses and temperatures can be in any units, as long as you are
>consistent.
>
>The basic formula, then, is
>
>(1) Tf = (Cpm*Mm*Tm + Cpw*Mw*Tw)/(Cpm*Mm+Cpw*Mw)
>
>This can be rearranged in many ways to solve for the desired unknown.
>For example, if we want to know the quantity of water to add to result
>in a desired protein rest temperature, we can write
>
>(2) Mw = Cpm*Mm*(Tf-Tm)/(Cpw*(Tw-Tf)) or, using the numbers for Cpm&Cpw,
>
>(3) Mw = .32*Mm*(Tf-Tm)/(Tw-Tf)
>
>SO, suppose you have 4Kg of malt at 25C, and you want to add some
>quantity of water at 54C to achieve a protein rest temperature of 50C:
>
>Mw = .32*4*(50-25)/(54-50) = 8Kg of water
>
>These formulas can also be used to calculate additional water
>quantities to raise the mash temp further. However, different
>variables must be used: Instead of Mm, we will substitute Mmash, the
>mass of the mash, equal to the total mass of malt and water used so
>far; for Tm, we will substitute Tmash; and for Cpm, we must use
>Cpmash, calculated as
>
>Cpmash = (Cpm*Mm +Cpw*Mw)/(Mm+Mw)
>
>Thus, the revised formula (2) is
>
>Mw = Cpmash*Mmash*(Tf-Tmash)/(Tw-Tf)
>
>continuing our example, we have Mmash = 4Kg +8Kg = 12Kg, Cpmash =
>(.32*4+1*8)/(4+8)= .773. Suppose our mash temp is still at 50C, and
>we want to raise it to 66C for a sacharification rest using some
>quantity of water at 100C. Then
>
>Mw = .773*12*(66-50)/(100-50) = 3Kg of additional (boiling) water.
>
>Some simplifying assumptions have been made here, but they seem to work
>out just fine. (So please don't get on my case about enthalpies of
>mixing, non-additive Cp's, etc.) You may need to play around with the
>value of Cpm to get these eaquations to work out better for you. Also
>remember that your mash tun will absorb some heat, resulting in a rest
>temperature slightly lower than that predicted here. You may want to
>shoot for a degree or so higher to compensate. Note that your boiling
>water temp may not be 100C.
>Equation (1) may be rearranged, if instead it is desired to know, for
>example, what water temperature should be used to obtain a given
>temperature rest for a given volume of water ( if one is shooting for
>some specific mash thickness).
>
>Hope this helps (or did it just confuse the hell out of you?),
>
>Kelly <k-jones at ee.utah.edu>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 95 07:49:05 PST
From: kens at lan.nsc.com (Ken Schroeder)
Subject: An additional Anaerobic Racking
In HBD1879 Mikael Owings sugests using CO2 to push beer into the secondary
fermentor. For those who find this an attractive idea, there is an
improvement to this method. I fill the receiving vessel (carboy or keg)
to the very top with an iodine solution. After the sanitizing period,
I push the iodine solution out with the same racking cane and two hole
cap that Micheal uses, but I leave the racking cane cap (the little
black guy) off so I can push the last drops out. I use the black cap to push
beer out of the carboy into the receiving vessel. This method snatitizes
and fills the vessel with CO2, no oxigen, sanatized vessel.
I did find a troubling technique in Micheals method. Micheal duck tapes the
organge two hole cap to his carboy for better seal. This is potentially
dangerous. If, by odd chance, something goes wrong, Micheal could have
a highly pressurized glass bomb on his hands, and who knows when she'll
blow. "The vessel can't take much more of that captian. She'll blown at
moment." I have found that if I use the orange cap with out any fastening
device, I have an automatic pressure relief device. The cap simply pops
off if the pressure exceeds 8 or 9 lbs inside the carboy. Much safer.
Not all carboy's mouths are the same size, on some I get some CO2 leakage
when pushing the beer out, but the amount is minor. Because this system can't
handel much pressure, a transfer takes about 10 minutes. Better this than
"Damn it Jim, I'm just a country doctor. I don't know how to pick shards
glass out suck with beer out of this poor brewer!"
Ken Schroeder
Sequoia Brewing (A Brewery seeking new beer forms)
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 08:01:07 -0800
From: dmercer at path.org (David Mercer)
Subject: Wohlgemuth units
In HBD 1877, Andy "Wohlgemuth" Walsh asks:
The sentens he refers is like this:"To prepare a typical
small batch of mash, 327,5 kg of the ground corn, 1007 L
of tap water ...and 2.04 x 10^7 units of carbohydrase
(modified Wohlgemuth units of Bacillus licheniformis)".
I work in the field of fermentation but I dont know the
term "Wohlgemuth".
I gess he have got the rescription from some beer source.
Do You know this term or any who might ?
**********
Anyone who can answer this question will receive this
week's Homebrew Digest Egghead of the Week virtual award.
Okay, I'll take a chance of making an idiot of myself, in the hope of
winning an award. I think a Wohlgemuth unit is a measure of diastatic
"dosage" - specifically, the quantity of amylase required to digest a fixed
quantity of starch (I think 1 mg) at a fixed temperature (I think 37C) over
a fixed period of time (I think 30 min). If it isn't, it ought to be. A
solution containing 5000 modified Wohlgemuth units of amylase can digest
twice as much complex carbohydrates to glucose as can a solution containing
2500 units. Judging from the mash in question, the source of the quote might
be a text on sour-mash whiskey making. Corn, I think, lacks diastatic
enzymes so they have to be introduced from somewhere else, like B.
licheniformis.
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Date: 10 Nov 1995 08:32:08 PST
From: "Wallinger, W. A." <WAWA at chevron.com>
Subject: keg dispensing pressure
From: Wallinger, W. A. (Wade)
To: OPEN ADDRESSING SERVI-OPENADDR
Subject: keg dispensing pressure
Date: 1995-11-10 10:20
Priority:
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The keg dispensing pressure thread is back, and I would like
to add a comment about the pressure drop in the system. Use
of different size and length of dispensing hose does not change
the overall pressure drop through the system, it just shifts it
around a bit. The overall pressure drop is the difference
between the pressure in the keg and the pressure in the
atmosphere. So, by changing the size or length of hose you
are simply changing the proportion of the pressure drop that
is taken along the length of hose. The pressure drop can be
pictured as a set of discreet drops along the segments in
the beer's path to your cup:
1. the diptube,
2. the pin- or ball-lock fitting,
3. the dispensing hose, and
4. the faucet.
As you can see, the one that we have the easiest control over
is the dispensing hose. I would guess that the trick in selecting
the hose parameters is to balance the pressure drop as much
as possible along the beer's entire path, without taking too big
a drop at any one spot. I'm sure my fluid dynamics textbook
could be used to calculate these parameters, but my chemical
engineering skills are rustier than my trial-and-error skills.
Wade Wallinger, brewing contraband on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 10:41:47 -0600 (CST)
From: John Herman <jmherman at gonix.gonix.com>
Subject: Too Sweet Ale Clone from Cats Meow 2
Hi HBDers,
I just got done tasting My concoction of Too Sweet Ale and let me
tell you, my batch came out perfect! This is the batch of beer I
brewed that had white spots at the top. Be aware of the judging, I
am not a judge, I just judged it based on my experiences of tasting
English Brown Ales. Here's my interpretation and necessary info.
Too Sweet Ale Clone
Source: Bill Pemberton (flash at virginia.edu)
Category: English Brown Ale (Style Guidelines)
Starting Gravity: 1.050 1.040 1.050
Ending Gravity: 1.014
Alcohol Content: 3.8% 4% 5.5%
Color: 20.5 15 22
IBU: 16.8 15 25
Extracts:
3.3 lbs M&F Unhopped Amber Extract (boil 30 mins)
3.3 lbs M&F Unhopped Light Extract (boil 30 mins)
Malts/Grains/Adjuncts:
.5 lbs Crystal Malt 60L
Hops:
1 oz Northern Brewers Plugs (boil 30 mins)
.5 oz Northern Brewers Plugs (boil 20 mins)
.25 oz Cascade Pellets (boil 10 mins)
.25 oz Cascade Pellets (boil 0 mins, let sit for 20 mins)
Yeast:
M&F Dry Ale
Additives:
1/4 teaspoon Irish Moss (boil 10 mins)
Important Information
Yeast pitched into starter: 10/24/95
Boil: 30 mins
Racked: 10/31/95
Bottled: 11/7/95
Yield: 5 gallons
Specific Gravity Readings:
10/24/95 1.050
10/31/95 1.014
11/7/95 1.014
Brewing Notes:
Add Crystal malt to 1 1/2 galls of cold water and bring to a boil.
Remove Crystal malt, add extract and 1 oz of Northern Brewers Hops. Boil
for 30 mins adding 1/2 oz of Norther Brewers Hops at 20 mins, 1/4 oz of
Cascade Hops at 10 minutes, Irish Moss at 10 minutes, and 1/4 oz of
Cascade Hops at the end of the boil. Remove heat and let sit for 20
minutes. Strain into primary fermenter. Add 3 1/2 galls of cold water.
Cool using a submersion Wort Chiller to 70 degrees (f). Add yeast.
Ferment at room temperature. After one week in primary, transfer to
secondary fermenter and let sit at room temperature for one week.
Transfer to bottling bucket, add 1 pint of boiled water with 3/4 cup of
corn sugar for bottling. Bottle and wait.
Tasting Notes:
A good English Brown Ale. Nice hop flavor and perceived bitterness,
maybe needed a little more boiling hops to add bitterness. Nice smell.
Judging (just me, the brewer and drinker) on the 50 point scale from The
New Complet Joy of Homebrewing (Charlie Papazian):
Bouquet/Aroma: 7 pts
Appearance: 4 pts
Flavor: 9 pts
Body: 3 pts
Drinkability and overall Impression: 8 pts
-----
Total Points: 31 pts
(very good)
I like this beer and I will brew it again. Changes I will probably make:
Total boil time to 60 mins
Hops:
1 oz Northern Brewer Hops (boil 60 mins)
1/2 oz Northern Brewer Hops (boil 30 mins)
1/2 oz Northern Brewer Hops (boil 20 mins)
1/4 oz Cascade Hops (boil 10 mins)
1/4 oz Cascade Hops (boil 0 mins)
Malts:
2 1/2 lbs Light Dried Malt Extract (boil 60 mins)
2 1/2 lbs Amber Dried Malt Extract (boil 60 mins)
1/2 lb Crystal Malt 60 L
(I will bring the temperature of the water up to 150 degrees add the
crystal malt and leave at that temp for 30 mins, strain out the
crystal, bring the water to a boil then add the DME.)
I anticate that this will make this recipe definately an English Brown
Ale. Happy Homebrewing!
*************************************************************************
* John M. Herman | Internet: jmherman at gonix.com *
*************************************************************************
* Amateur Freelance Programmer With Absolutely No Experience *
* homebrewing cuz its fun to make your own brew!!!! *
*************************************************************************
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 11:41:56 -0500
From: iaciofano at leds.shr.tdh.qntm.com (ED IACIOFANO)
Subject: Electric stove problems
Hi all,
While cleaning my electric stove I noticed a rather serious
problem. The connector for the element that I use to brew had
decomposed into a charred black mass. I now have to replace the
connector and the wire pair that runs from the connector to the
control knob. The element appears to be O.K.
Has anybody else had this problem? I do partial boils, 3 1/2
gal. (more or less) in a 4 gal SS pot.
Also, as a related comment, it appears that my brewing is
slowly destroying my stove, with cleaning off the burnt black
wort on the stovetop, and now this. The wife is patient but
getting annoyed. Any ideas, short of getting a propane setup
(which I've been pondering)? Thanks.
/Ed_I
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 11:54:28 -0500
From: IHomeBrew at aol.com
Subject: Two Tidbits
Two tidbits...
> Subject: Another source of Scientific Equipement
> FWIW, I thought I'd pass along a good source of scientific equipment
> for the homebrewer. The company is called Fungi Perfecti, (206)
> 426-9292 in Olympia, WA. This is a large operation that supplies
> mushroom growers around the world..
Correction: Olympia is now in the 360 area code.
****
> Subject: Micro- brewery Term Misuse
> It is a shame that the craft brewing market waters have to be muddied
> by such deliberate marketing misinformation, however this seems to be
> the case with all giant businesses. Advertising seems to contain way
> too many blatent lies and truth in advertising is a joke. As far as I
> know there is no legal definition of the term "microbrewery" and
> anyone can use it. I think it would be silly for A/B or Miller to use
> the term but I wouldn't be suprised if they did.
I agree, though I once heard at a Redhook (Seattle, WA, for all you
non-northwesterners) tour that the term "micro-brewery" applies to breweries
that brew (or contract brew, I suppose) less than 50,000 barrels a year;
50,000-100,000 barrels is defined as a "craft brewery"; over 100,000 barrels
is a "brewery". Yes, it would be silly for any of the big three to use the
term "micro-brewery" but that is exactly what they are doing. Has anyone
else heard the recent radio ads for A-B's new line of pre-prohibition beers?
Black and tan? Give me a break A-B...
Clark (Tacoma, WA)
"Free your mind and your ass will follow." -- George Clinton
- ------------------------------
End of MY MESSAGE, 11/10/95
*************************************
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Date: Fri, 10 Nov 95 11:52:36 EST
From: Brew Free Or Die 10-Nov-1995 1152 <hall at buffa.ENET.dec.com>
Subject: Re: Home Brew Technique...
Michael Aesoph asks why some brewers bother with measurements. John DeCarlo
and Jeff Benjamin touched on the reasons why one might 'bother' (in quotation
marks, Michael, because I don't see measurements as a bother, but as another
interesting facet of my homebrewing).
I would like to amplify something that Jeff mentioned, and that was mashing.
Michael, you stated that you're doing kit or malt extract beers, and may soon
move into partial mashing. I submit that when you move into mashing grains
(all-grain more so than partial mashing), you'll soon discover the importance
and necessity of the use of a thermometer and hydrometer. Less necessary will
be pH test papers or meter, but nice to have.
If you want to brew a certain style of beer well, and consistently, you'll
need to hit specific temperatures in your mash, at specific times. Things like
beer mouthfeel, body, fermentability, and head retention are directly dependent
on the temperature of the mash at certain times. A good, fast, and accurate
thermometer is an all-grain brewer's most important tool (perhaps equally
important is a clock).
The hydrometer will be necessary to tell you if you've achieved an expected
specific gravity; if not, you can modify the batch size to adjust. It's used
by all-grain brewers as much before fermentation starts as after.
The pH measuring tool is nice to have, but usually not necessary unless you're
brewing with water that can introduce problems with the mash, like water high
in carbonates, for example, which tend to prevent the mash pH from falling into
the proper range. The mash pH should ideally be within a narrow range (around
5.2 - 5.5) and, in most cases with water that's not really hard, the mash will
fall into that range by itself; no outside adjustment is necessary. If the
mash pH is being buffered because of water chemistry, you'll need to make
adjustments with salts or acids. Additionally, it's advised to monitor the
mash runoff to ensure that the pH doesn't rise too high, which is something it
would tend to do anyway as the mash becomes diluted with sparge water. Again,
addition of salts or acids to the sparge water can control that.
As I mentioned, I don't consider measurements a bother. I like to futz with
yeasts, brewing gadgets, recipes, and the tools of the brewer. None of it is
absolutely necessary, but it's my hobby and hobbies are meant to be fun.
I homebrew because I really enjoy it; I don't consider the time or effort spent
in taking measurements to be wasted. If it was just good beer I was after,
well, there's plenty of good commercial beer around now.
Dan Hall Digital Equipment Corporation MKO1-1/A10 Merrimack, NH 03054
hall at buffa.enet.dec.com (603) 884-5879
"Adhere to Schweinheitsgebot
Don't put anything in your beer that a pig wouldn't eat" --David Geary
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1881, 11/11/95