HOMEBREW Digest #1928 Fri 05 January 1996
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Aeration/Crabtree/Lime/Freezing Point (A. J. deLange)
(U) Natural Gas Connections Option ("Al Czajkowski")
Hunter AirStat or other suitable controller/:Wyeast 1056 (Tom Wenck)
Live Beer chat? (John Herman)
re: Speed Boiler and RIMS heater enclosure (C.D. Pritchard)
1056 Wyeast and 1st addition hops (JDPils)
Gorrilla proofing Maltmills (Charlie Scandrett)
1st Wort hopping questions (Charlie Scandrett)
ftpmail sites ("Gabrielle Palmer")
Son of Bunch O' Stuff (KennyEddy)
1st Batch of Brew ("Douville, Lawrence F.")
Italian grain mill review ("Ed Lustenader")
Wort coolers (ummmmm.......Fred)
Random Thoughts about Distilled Yeast (KennyEddy)
More on WYeast 1028 (London) (SSLOFL)
Not all parts is parts (Carrick Legrismith)
Fruit Beer Problems ("Mountain, Glenn")
Starters / HSA (Simonzip)
Faucet Preferences? ("Kevin Imel")
Sahti and Re: Using water analysis (Robert Bush)
Rev 2 of the Floating Keg Pickup Thingy (KennyEddy)
CO2 Cartridges / Mini-Keg Dilemma (Bob Sutton)
Chest freezer conversions - taps? (Martin Wilde)
pHust - Wyeast ESB 1968 problem (Greg Newberry)
Thermostat (dludwig)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 19:51:25 -0500
From: ajdel at interramp.com (A. J. deLange)
Subject: Aeration/Crabtree/Lime/Freezing Point
In #1926 Jim Hust asked if his wort might have been under aerated after a
minute of sloshing:
In a recent experiment I found the following levels of dissolved oxygen
(relative to saturation) in 2.5 gal of water in a 5 gallon carboy (1)
shaken VERY vigorously; (2) aerated with compressed air bubbled through an
airstone with gentle swirling and (3) pure oxygen bubbled through an
airstone with gentle swirling:
Time Shaking Compressed Air Oxygen
1 minute 55% 40% 85%
2 70 62 145
3 75 75 -
4 80 82
5 82 90
6 84 92
8 87 98
D.O. level at time 0 was about 7% in all cases. Thus shaking the carboy for
a short period of time is not terribly effective and the agitation must be
quite violent. This is the reason the carboy was only filled half full. It
would be impossible to agitate it violently enough if full. The key to
getting oxygen to dissolve is tiny bubbles dispersed throughout. That is
why the air stone is so effective.
Note that the amount of O2 which will dissolve is a pretty strong function
of temperature with saturation (100%) being about 8 mg/l at room
temperature and close to 15 mg/l near freezing. Also note that it is quite
possible to acheive and maintain >100% when using a carboy. If, in the
course of oxygenation, the headspace becomes filled with oxygen and is then
sealed off with a fermentation lock the amount of dissolved O2 will stay
close to its value at the time the O2 was shut off. In the experiment which
lead to the numbers above the DO level peaked at 14.2 mg/l (154% at 18.3C)
and was found to be at 14.1 mg/l (158% at 20.2C) 22 hours later. If this is
a concern, after aeration with pure oxygen, blow a stream of clean
compressed air into the carboy after clear the O2. The DO level will then
equilibrate with the O2 in the air and you will arrive at 100% fairly
quickly.
Note also that O2 is somewhat less soluble in concentrated worts than in
water. For example, 20P wort equilibarates with the atmosphere at about 85%
of the water saturation level.
*********************************************
Steve Alexander and Tracy Aquilla have been discussing Crabtree effect as
discussed in the literature. Here's my favorite unexplained sentence (from
H, B, S &Y, Vol II p 592) : "In yeast, therefore, growth on glucose is the
presence of oxygen is diauxic, i.e. fermentation procedes in the presence
of glucose then the ethanol produced is respired." Can anyone explain that
one?
**********************************************
In #1926 Steve Alexander comments that lime can be added to water to
precipitate carbonate with a resulting increase in pH. It is important to
understand that while the pH may go up a bit the alkalinity, i.e. the
resistance of the water to pH reduction due to malt acids, goes down. This
is why it is desireable to remove carbonates.
***********************************************
Also in #1926 Kirk Flemming asks if his altitude will effect the
temperature of an ice bath appreciably. The answer is "no" (depending on
how you define "appreciably"). At sea level (760 torr) pure water freezes
at 0.0024C. At 4.6 torr ice water (and water vapor) are all in equilibrium
at 0.01C (the so-called "triple point" of water). At 6000 feet the pressure
is roughly (at 1" Hg/1000 feet if I remember correctly from my aviating
days) 610 torr (mmHg) so the temperature should be very close to the sea
level value; certainly not higher than 0.01C.
A.J. deLange Numquam in dubio, saepe in errore!
ajdel at interramp.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 03 Jan 1996 18:53:15 EST
From: "Al Czajkowski" <usfmc8fh at ibmmail.com>
Subject: (U) Natural Gas Connections Option
Warning! Lurker Contribution!
Some time ago some one asked about ways to hook up natural gas to their brew
burners. I just found the flier of a company that manufactures a quick
disconect for Fuel Gases. This product is specifically designed for this
purpose. I saw a new house that was set up with this product for all natural
gas connections including one for an OUTDOOR barbecue.
The disconnect has been TESTED and CERTIFIED by both the American and Canadian
Gas Associations. The flier also claims that no tools are required for a leak
tight connection.
For details contact:
M. B. Sturgis Inc 555 Fee Fee Road Maryland Heights Missouri 63043
(yes the address is correct - Fee Fee Road - do you believe it?)
Ph: 314-291-6665 Fax: 314-291-6628
Model 3/375 with connection kit 103031 comes with 144" x 3/8 ID outdoor
appliance connector (US Only)
Model 3/375 with kit 103032 is the same for Canadian use only.
Capacity of both models - 42,000 BTU/HR min at .3" w.c. pressure drop:
using .64 s.g. natural gas.
(no affiliation...blah blah, don't even have one, just have the flier! If any
one has one, do you like it?)
Back to lurker mode......
Electronically,
Allen J. Czajkowski
USFMC8FH at IBMMAIL.COM
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 20:56:40 -0500 (EST)
From: Tom Wenck <twenck at clark.net>
Subject: Hunter AirStat or other suitable controller/:Wyeast 1056
Fritz Wilson wrote:
>Anyone have a source for Hunter or other suitable (read easy) controller?
>I see a freezer in my immediate future with my Xmas $$$
Brew Masters in Rockville MD.
They have an 800 # you can get from 800 information and they do mail order.
About $38.
********
Olson Greger wrote about ferment problems with 1056 at 65F.
I too did a recent batch using 1056 at 65F. I had a very slow ferment that
in fact came to a full stop several times. OG was 62 and it ended at 22.
Not too great. I can not find any problem other than temp.
Tom Wenck
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 20:44:30 -0600 (CST)
From: John Herman <jmherman at gonix.gonix.com>
Subject: Live Beer chat?
I was just curious if anyone would be interested in live chat over the
web? Is there a site out there already? If anyone is interested, at
http://www.vyp.com/chat/index.html they have chat rooms set up with the
ability to create private chat rooms, I just thought it might be a good
place to chat about beer. let me know if you're interested. email me.
*************************************************************************
* John M. Herman | Internet: jmherman at gonix.com *
*************************************************************************
* Amateur Freelance Programmer With Absolutely No Experience *
* homebrewing cuz its fun to make your own brew!!!! *
*************************************************************************
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 96 22:24 EST
From: cdp at chattanooga.net (C.D. Pritchard)
Subject: re: Speed Boiler and RIMS heater enclosure
SSLOFL at ccmail.monsanto.com (Shane) posted in #1926:
>As for CO detectors, all will work but not all are practical for this use.
>First alert and some others are excellent detectors, but they are not
>recommended in this case because everytime they are set off, they require a
>new $20.00 cartridge. This could get expensive at startup of a new idea. I
>recommend the types that are resettable, so they can be used over and over
>without additional costs other than batteries.
There are basically 2 types of residential CO detectors. The battery powered
type Shane speaks of use a CO sensitive material which changes color more or
less permanetly when exposed to CO. It false trips when exposed to chronic
low levels of CO. In addition, the sensor needs to be replaced every 2
years. The other type requires 120VAC power, is resettable and frequently
displays the CO conectration in PPMs. UL belately revised their testing
standard for these detectors on 10/95. It's *said* that newer detectors
built to the revised standard won't false trip as readily. IMHO, I'd get a
120VAC type and ensure it's built to the newer standard.
Standard disclaimers apply... Drop me a line if you want more details.
Re: the brass sink drain tailpiece used as a RIMS heating element enclosure-
I received a couple of nice responses (thanks DonBrew at aol.com and Dion
Hollenbeck) cautioning about the possibility of metals from the tailpiece
leaching into the brew. Don noted the that the frequency of corroded sink
drains may be due to leechable metals in the brass alloy and said he used a
CPVC tailpiece for an enclosure (ensure the heating element doesn't touch
the plastic, do not run it dry and make sure it's CPVC and not plain PVC).
Dion opts for stainless steel ($100) or the old standby, copper and wouldn't
recommend either brass or CPVC.
Methinks corroded drains are due to the use of drano. The tailpiece I used
had no plating on its interior and was definitely brass. OTHO, brass can
contain up to 3% lead (to increase machinability) and can also contain
aluminum and nickel in lesser amounts. Previous posts regarding lead in
brass fittings are in Digest nos. 1417, 1419, 1539 and 1544- the later two
have directions on how to remove lead from the surface of brass.
C.D. Pritchard cdp at chattanooga.net
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 00:21:51 -0500
From: JDPils at aol.com
Subject: 1056 Wyeast and 1st addition hops
1) 1056 Wyeast
I want to add to the comments of M. Perkins and G. Olson. I also have found
over the last three or four years mixed results with 1056 and have developed
a love hate relationship with using it. It is one of the best yeasts if the
goal is a dry clean tasting ale. I have had several batches which take three
weeks or more to ferment and some that are completely finished and clearing
in three days. I have had more stuck fermentations with this yeast than any
other. The bottom line is its a great yeast that requires some TLC and
control.
While I cannot blame all my troubles with these batches on 1056 Wyeast, I
can provide what seems to work for me. ( By the way in the end I was happy
with all trubled batches). I recommend the following: 1) A one quart
starter from the foil pouch for 6 gallons 2) Buy as fresh a date code as
possible and do not store more than one month before starting (theoretically
this should not matter but I am superstitous) 3) Aerate, aerate, aerate!!
4) Ferment at a minimum of 68 F, preferably in the low 70's.
2) 1st addition hops - This is a most intriguing to me and raises some
questions. Are these hops removed before boiling or counted into the IBU's
of the batch? Does the findings of the German study define how long hops
must be boiled to elimintate the compounds found to be detrimental?
Cheers!
Jim Dunlap
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 18:18:57 +1100
From: merino at cynergy.com.au (Charlie Scandrett)
Subject: Gorrilla proofing Maltmills
There has been a bit of a thread on possibly busting Maltmills (TM) by
motorising them.
I posted some calculations on possible metal fatigue suggested by Jack
Schmidling from hanging a motor off one by gravity.
CS>When a shaft has a bending moment applied it curves in a "Radius of
CS>Curvature". If a 20 lb motor was hung on a pully 1 inch out from the
CS>bearing, on a 3/4" shaft its ROC would be about 450 yards, i.e. a
CS>deflection of only 0.00003 inches! Steel can take this easliy.
This was only partially relevant because as Jack Smidling rightly points out,
JS>You also didn't bother to look at a MM and note that the shaft diameter is
JS>3/8" and not 3/4".
I live in Brisbane, Australia, Maltmills haven't migrated here yet. I was
basing it on what I thought would be adequate.
JS>Furthermore, I simply presented a possibility and not a dire warning as
JS>in the case of the gear motors. The serious problem comes when one
JS>puts a small pulley on the motor and the same size on the mill and
JS>keeps tightening the belt till the mill doesn't slip under load.
JS>It takes far more that 20lbs of tension to get this to work.
I have a suggestion which would stop all such breakages. If the shaft is
3/8" and not 3/4", then it has a much lower resistance to bending. How low?
It is proportional to the diameter *cubed*! (Yes, it surprised me) That is,
3/4" bends 1/16th as much as 3/8" under the same load. Also, although many
variants affect metal fatigue, it has often been stated that the failure is
directly proportional to the square of the flection. Thus a 3/4" shaft would
have 1/256th of the metal fatigue of the existing 3/8".
This window of engineering vulnerability would be closed, the machine would
be "idiot proof" and even gorrilla proof!
Charlie (Brisbane, Australia)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 19:25:40 +1100
From: merino at cynergy.com.au (Charlie Scandrett)
Subject: 1st Wort hopping questions
George Fix in HBD #1926 posted about a new investigation of an old discarded
practice of adding your prized aroma hops *before* boiling. (I checked,
April 1 is a long way off!)
GF>Top marks were given the the brew using 1st wort hopping, and in
fact the brewery which participated in this study has now switched
from whirlpool hopping to 1st wort hopping. All of this comes
as a complete surprise to me, and I still have more questions
about the procedure than insights.
Me too, but I want to squeeze a little more info out if I can.
GF>(i) While a lot of hop oil constituents are lost during wort boiling
a nontrivial fraction,(which one?) at concentrations far higher than
anticipated, become bound up with other wort constituents. They
then underwent a series of complex and subtle reactions
(mechanisms that would make those occurring in fermentation
look like child's play!). This suggest that the main influence
of the time of hop additions may be more on the character of
the flavor induced than on its intensity.
Are you saying the "1st wort" aroma was as intense as "dry hopping", but of
a far more pleasing character? How about its longevity?
I assume you are saying that the volatile essential oils don't survive the
boil intact,( as has been popularly thought) but at the lower temperatures
before boiling is reached, react with other wort constitents to form
thermostable aroma compounds which are as intense, stable and more pleasing
than say "dry hopping".
The aroma hops will contribute their few alphas and thus IBU's, reducing
some bittering hop. They will I assume also be affected by the higher hot
break of infusion mashing. Questions of efficiency loom here.
What sort of temperature regime extracts maximum effect?
What is the consumption ratio of aroma hops by this method compared to dry
hopping for the same intensity. (I assume the character to be different)
Charlie (Brisbane, Australia)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 1996 08:43:50 EST
From: "Gabrielle Palmer" <gabriellepalmer at e-mail.com>
Subject: ftpmail sites
Hello Fellow HBDers...
Sorry if this is off-topic, but does anyone know of any other ftpmail sites
besides ftpmail at gatekeeper.dec.com? I've been trying to get some information
from ftp.stanford.edu, but it's been 3 days and still nothing. I tried to get
information before Christmas, but after 5 days I gave up. Is there any other
way to get this information? I only have e-mail capabilities. TIA!
Gabrielle Palmer
Die Design Standards
Phone: (313)59-42107 PROFS ID: GPALMER6
Fax: (313)32-24359 internet: gabriellepalmer at e-mail.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 11:10:20 -0500
From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Subject: Son of Bunch O' Stuff
*****************
On Wyeast 1028:
> The cultures were prepared by simply scraping
> yeast from a slant, swirling in a tube of sterile distilled water and
> storing the tubes at room temperature on a lab shelf.
>
> 1) Fermentation temperature (70-75 F) was too high?
Maybe a bit; 70 should be OK but 75 is pushing it.
> 3) Bad combination of fermentables? (5.5# malt extract, 1# honey,
> 1/4 cup molasses)
Based on my use of about that much treacle (similar to molasses) in an Old
Peculier clone I wonder if your flavor comments are related to the molasses!
It's powerful stuff, son.
>
> 4) Wyeast 1028 always produces yeasty-tasting ales?
I use this yeast quite often and I like the massive flocculation and thorough
clearing. While I get the expected slight fruitiness and minerally taste,
yeastiness is not really in the flavor profile of my 1028 brews. Was your
beer clear when you bottled? Lots of conditioning sediment?
*******************
On mg/L vs PPM:
> 1. I recently received a water analysis report from my city that uses mg/L
as
> the units of measure rather than PPM. Is there a standard conversion
factor
> to help me make use of this info?
Same thing: 1 mg/L = 1 PPM.
******************
On taunting us with useful but unavailable stuff:
> I can't tell how to get some, except to
> suggest finding a friend in the food or beverage business or perhaps
> asking Dow for a sample.
Just when we thought we could use cheap iron kettles !!!
*****************
On Gadgets:
>Do you gadgeteers have any good ideas on designing such a floating dip tube?
How about a float connected to a shortened dip tube (cut to same size as gas
tube perhaps) with ultra-flexible surgical tubing? The float could be as
simple as a cork with the tube stuffed through, perhaps weighted to ensure
correct orientation:
(Dip Tube) _______________
| | / ____________ \
| | / / \ \
| | | | | | -----Tubing to Dip Tube
| | | | | |
| | | | ============ (Liquid Level)
=====================\ : : / -Cork ======================
| | | | \ : : /
| | | | ######## ---Weight
| | | | | | -----End of tubing
| \__/ / ^
\______/ |
Liquid In
Might float better if the tubing went up and back down (following the beer
flow) through the cork (two holes in cork); otherwise the loop of tubing
above the cork could kink or tip the float.
*********************
On Time-Zone Discrimination:
> For the first offer of $35 to reach my emailbox
> I will hold the unit for you.
********************
On Zen & the Art of Beer:
> Will I find inner peace when
> I drink it? And what about outer peace?
Any piece is better than no piece at all.
=============
Ken Schwartz
El Paso, TX
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 96 11:12:00 PST
From: "Douville, Lawrence F." <nop2689 at dsac.dla.mil>
Subject: 1st Batch of Brew
Hi all,
I got a homebrewing kit as a Christmas gift and am very anxious to
start brewing but want to make sure that I do everything right. So I
thought that I would post a message here for some advice.
My kit came with a "Cream Ale" ingredient kit. The kit also came with a
little booklet on how to brew your
first batch but I think that first hand experiences are a more valuable
tool. Does anyone have any advice or comments that they could throw my way
before I start brewing. Any comments or advice would be appreciated. I just
want to make sure that I don't miss or mess anything up in the process.
Larry Douville
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 1996 11:30:54 EST
From: "Ed Lustenader" <usfmcf9t at ibmmail.com>
Subject: Italian grain mill review
I recently purchased a Marga Mulino made by an Italian company called Marcato.
My local homebrew store only carried these and the Phil Mill, and for the
value, the Marcato looked to be the better deal.
This mill is kind of unique compared to the other types of mills I've seen and
used. It has three rollers to grind the grain. The two primary rollers are
horizontal from each other just like most standard mills. The third roller
sits below and between the first two.
One of the primary rollers is on a cam that can be rotated to several preset
positions, adjusting the spacing to the other two rollers. In one position
you can rough grind through the first set of rollers and then finish grind in
the bottom set. In another position the second set of rollers are opened
wider than the first so you only get a grind on the first set and the grain
falls through the second.
On the suggestion of one of the guys at the homebrew shop, I made a slight
modification to be able to crush grain for brewing instead of grinding it into
flour. By popping the cap off the knob that adjusts the roller and removing
the nut and spring, I rotated the knob by 180 deg. and reassembled. This
changes all the preset position and allows for a real nice crush.
The cost of this mill was only $45.99, which I didn't think was too bad
considering most of the other mills are closer to the $100 range. After
grinding 10lbs of grain through by hand, I decided to motorize it. So over
the Christmas holiday, I rigged it up to an old fan motor and gearbox. It
seems to work pretty well although I haven't ground more than a couple of
pounds of grain with the motor attached.
The homebrew shop that I picked this mill up at is called the Merchant of
Vino and is located in Ann Arbor off Plymouth Rd. There phone number is
313/769-0900. They could give you more information about the distributor.
I am in no way connected with either of these companies, just a satisfied
customer. Hope this review is helpful to anyone contemplating the purchase
of a new mill.
Regards,
Ed Lustenader
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 09:51:24 -0800 (PST)
From: louisp at gladstone.uoregon.edu (ummmmm.......Fred)
Subject: Wort coolers
I am _almost_ ready to brew my first batch of beer. I can hardly
wait! I try to read a bit on a subject before jumping right in. I have
heard that wort coolers are important. I saw one at a local brew supply
house, and said to myself, "heck I could build one of those." I went to a
local home improvement store and bought a twenty foot length of copper
tubing, and a few fittings. To get to the point, how can one bend the
tubing without kinking it? I never thought of that till I was reading "The
Complete JOY of Home Brewing." I read that it could be a pain, and that I
should leave it up to my local plumber. I am, however, a stubborn person
who likes to do things like this myself, if possible. Any suggestions??? I
really would like to keep from ruining any of the tubing.
Also, I was wondering, doesn't the wort pick up any metallic taste?
And, is the tubing sterilized upon immersion into the boiling wort (makes
sense it should, but...) Thanks :]
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 13:57:19 -0500
From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Subject: Random Thoughts about Distilled Yeast
Interesting article by A. J. deLange about storing yeast in sterile distilled
water at room temp. Being a slant-impaired individual, I began thinking
about how one would do this with a smack-pack instead of a slant, and had
some random thoughts. Tossed out for cannon-fodder:
1) Is there anything inherent in the slurry in a smack-pack that would
render it unusable in this way? (I assume they are packaged in a sterile
manner or thereabouts, so my guess is "no").
2) If answer to (1) *is* "no", then I presume one could either divvy up the
slurry directly from one smack-pack (requiring perhaps multiple starter
stages later ofr the small amount of slurry), or make a starter and divvy
that up (greater volume but perhaps more risk of infection?).
3) Could we just package up unsmacked smack-pack slurry (divided into small
portions) or slurry from swirled spent starter (sterily, sterily, sterily,
sterily), and store at room temp or at least refrigerated, and expect this
long-term (year or more) storage capability?
I know one can store a starter in the fridge for several weeks; perhaps the
cited study gives us confidence to split a starter in this manner and store
it even longer, perhaps even at room temp (more spouse-friendly). Would the
alcohol, pH, and minimal residual sugar left in the the starter be enough to
inhibit bacterial growth?
Comments from the yeast gurus?
Ken Schwartz
El Paso, TX
KennyEddy at aol.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 13:27:18 -0600
From: SSLOFL at ccmail.monsanto.com
Subject: More on WYeast 1028 (London)
Here is my recent experience with WYeast 1028:
I brewed a brown ale using malt extract in order to introduce a
beginning brew-partner to our (the HBD Collective's) hobby. I
prepared my starter several days before at room temperature (70-72 F),
and everything appeared fine. I fermented the batch in my basement
which was 63-65 F - on the cool side for an ale since I wanted it to
be smooth tasting. I thought this would be warm enough to ferment to
completion, the generic temperature range for ale yeasts is 60-75 F.
A few days after the fermentation ceased, I was disappointed to find
that the s.g. read 6 to 8 points higher that the recipe told me that
it should have been. I racked to the secondary in order to aerate the
yeast (and hopefully kick-start the little suckers!), and moved the
secondary to a 65-68 F location. No change occured in the s.g. after
a week or so in the secondary. I primed with 3/4 cup of corn sugar
and bottled. After sitting for two weeks at 65-68 F and two more
weeks at 70 F (I moved the bottles upstairs), there is little sediment
and they are somewhat undercarbonated - even for a brown ale.
Here are Greg Kings theories on the yeasty taste in his beer after
using WYeast #1028: (HBD #1927)
> 1) Fermentation temperature (70-75 F) was too high?
> 2) The yeast flavor could be less noticeable in a bigger beer?
> (This batch OG = 1.047, FG = 1.007)
> 3) Bad combination of fermentables?
> (5.5# malt extract, 1# honey, 1/4 cup molassis)
> 4) WYeast 1028 always produces yeasty tasting ales?
Here are my responses to Greg's Thoeries:
1) Possibly. My fermentation temp. was 63-65 F in the primary, which must
have been low. According to our results (Greg's and mine), I would guess
that we should have tried temperatures of 68-72 F. Has anyone else had
good results in this range with 1028?
2) I'll leave this one to the collective.
3) Your fermentables sound good to me. I used 6.6# malt extract with no
adjuncts - I wish I had added honey!
4) My brown ale tastes good, smooth - as I wanted it to be, but not
yeasty. Of course, I had problems with too little viable yeast.
Instead of being able to answer all of your questions, Greg, I added to
them! Oh knowledgeable collective of HBD readers, please help Greg and
I.
Shane Lofland
(sslofl at ccmail.monsanto.com)
P.S. Sorry I didn't include many specifics such as gravities and brands
of malt used. I am at work, but I can get the info. from home if anyone
needs to know what they are in order to respond. Thanks in advance,
everyone!
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 96 16:31 EST
From: Carrick Legrismith <0007406335 at mcimail.com>
Subject: Not all parts is parts
- -- [ From: Carrick Legrismith * EMC.Ver #2.3 ] --
I am trying to find a cheap source for stainless steel valves and fittings.
Does anyone out there know of a surplus house or someone who deals with used
materials like this? NIBCO valves and fittings contain too much lead,(7%), for
a closed system, at least for my well-being.
Thanks,
Carrick Legrismith, 740-6335 at mcimail.com
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Date: Fri, 05 Jan 96 09:05:00 est
From: "Mountain, Glenn" <mountg at post.crc.cra.com.au>
Subject: Fruit Beer Problems
Happy New Yeat to you all !
After two unsatisfactory attempts at producing a fruit wheat beer I decided
to at last ask for help. My problem has been that the bottled beer will not
clear. The fruit (raspberries or boysenberries) are steeped prior to the
boil in water before the malt extract is added. After hearing about pectin
causing cloudy beer I have been careful to remove the berries before
boiling. Berry juice is also added to the secondary at after racking.
Gelatin added to the secondary improves the clarity but nowhere near as
good as a wheat beer with no fruit.
Can anybody suggest a cause / solution to this. ? Is pectin extracted from
the fruit well below the boiling point of water ? Am I expecting too much
from a fruit wheat in terms of clarity ?
Thank you all
Glenn Mountain
Melbourne, Australia
mountg at post.crc.cra.com.au
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 17:07:20 -0500
From: Simonzip at aol.com
Subject: Starters / HSA
As I understand it, when making yeast starters its a good idea for the stater
to be roughly the same gravity as that the beer will be. That being the case,
are there any formulas to accuratly determin the gravity of a starter without
dropping a hydrometer into it? I currently put 5-6 tablespoons of dry malt
extract into an Erlenmeyer flask with 400-500ml water, boil, cool, pitch,
shake.
Hot side aeration, I'm quite foggy about this.
I do extract & specialty grain beers. I boil in a 3 gal. pot and end up with
closer to 2 gal. at the end. I put 3 or 4 gal. of cold water in my 6 gal.
fermenter and pour the wort through a strainer in my funnel, into the
fermenter. I've been sitting my pot quietly in the sink with ice water to
cool. I have NOT been tracking the temp of the wort at the time I pour into
the fermenter.
Anyway, my question is: if my wort is still very hot (say 130 deg.) when I
pour it into the fermenter, will I get HSA? With my techinque, what should I
do to avoid HSA?
One other thing, should i be concerned about indirect low wattage incandecent
light in my "winter-fermenting-closet" (3'x3'x6' closet with 40W light bulb
with steel shade facing the floor) ? I remember reading some discussion about
this....
Thanks in adavance
Darrin
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 14:20:14 +8
From: "Kevin Imel" <kimel at moscow.com>
Subject: Faucet Preferences?
Hi Gang and Hoppy New Beer to all!
My SO and I are just about to do a minor kitchen remodel and the
question arose as to what type of faucet I would like to help make
the old brewing and subsequent cleanup (Ick!) easier. A quick trip to the
local hardware/plumbing store only served to confuse the issue even
more and so now I find I must bow down and ask the collective for
their suggestions and wisdom.
Since I suspect that most of you, like me, have been stuck using
whatever faucet was at hand maybe I won't get much wisdom...however,
it never hurts to ask!
Private e-mail is fine and I will post a consensus.
Thanks much!
Kevin
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 23:05:37 +0100
From: bush at shbf.se (Robert Bush)
Subject: Sahti and Re: Using water analysis
If I'm not totally wrong someone asked about Sahti a while ago. I found
this address posted in the UK-Homebrew Digest:
http://s-kanslia-3.hut.fi/Sahti/
I haven't tried it, though.
In #1927 John Hale wrote:
>I recently received a water analysis report from my city that uses mg/L as
>the units of measure rather than PPM. Is there a standard conversion factor
>to help me make use of this info?
My water company gave me the same units so I called them and asked them
about PPM's. They said it's the same thing, so it's totally
interchangeable. I hope they're right.
Robert Bush
Ps. I think they must be right, because right after your question in #1927
Alan Richter writes:
>I added 20 ppm to my batch (20 ppm = 20 mg/Kg of beer)
====================================
= WASSAIL! =
= Robert Bush, Eskilstuna, SWEDEN =
= E-mail: bush at shbf.se =
====================================
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 18:09:39 -0500
From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Subject: Rev 2 of the Floating Keg Pickup Thingy
Refer to my earlier "floating cork" suggestion which was in response to a
request for a floating pickup to prevent settled gunk form being sucked up.
I have since thought of a slightly simpler approach which would probably
work better.
The idea of the tubing exiting from the bottom of the cork in the previous
design was to help stabilize the cork in the "upright" orientation. This can
be accomplished with the tubing exiting the TOP of the float by using a
"wider cork". Cut a disk of Styrofoam the diameter of the inside of the keg,
then trim two sides of the disk to the width of the hatch (so you can cram it
into the keg and remove it easily). Poke a hole the size of the
ultra-flexible surgical tubing through the center of the disk and feed the
tubing through it just enough to hold it in place (undersize the hole so the
tubing force-fits). Use enough tubing to reach from the shortened dip tube
to the bottom of the keg with ample slack. The idea is that the tubing will
loosely coil on top of the float when the keg is full, and uncoil as beer is
dispensed. The flexibility of the tubing and the slack of the coils should
prevent the tubing from kinking. Poking the hole at an angle might ease any
tendency for the tubing to kink at the float. The tubing enters the float
from the TOP so that beer enters from the BOTTOM.
I'm guessing but a 1" thick piece ought to float without needing a weight to
keep it from tipping, even with excess hose coil sitting on one edge of it
(as would be the case when the keg was full).
Question: would Styrofoam taint the flavor of the beer? Perhaps a different
float material would be best. Maybe cork or a plastic box?
Ken Schwartz
El Paso, TX
KennyEddy at aol.com
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 96 19:30 EST
From: Bob Sutton <BSutton_+a_fdgv-03_+lBob_Sutton+r%Fluor_Daniel at mcimail.com>
Subject: CO2 Cartridges / Mini-Keg Dilemma
Text item: Text_1
I started using the 5 liter mini-kegs about a year ago and have generally been
please with their performance notwithstanding the inevitable leakage at the
dipleg. Generally I have been able to stretch one cartridge to last until the
mini-keg is nearly empty. For me that means about a week :-)
Now I am losing considerable CO2 from seal at the face of the CO2 cartridge and
the cartridge empties over the course of a few hours. The "gasket" (HDPE?) seems
to have taken on a permanent deformation from the cartridge. I've tried to
insert an o-ring between the cartridge and the dispenser seal, but this hasn't
worked well as:
1. the o-ring prevents the penetration of the needle into the cartridge.
2. I can't effectively align the o-ring to the cartridge, so a good seal is
difficult to achieve.
Is anyone aware a a simple fix here. The sealing surface on the dispenser does
not seem to be replaceable. I've considered injecting some silicone sealant into
the assembly just prior to installing a new cartridge, but that seems so
brutish. Is my dispenser ruined. TIA
Bob
Fruit Fly Brewhaus
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Date: Thu, 04 Jan 96 16:44:00 PST
From: Martin Wilde <Martin_Wilde at ccm.jf.intel.com>
Subject: Chest freezer conversions - taps?
I have been using a chest freezer for several years now to serve and
lager been with. It works great, but I miss the ability that I had with
a refrigerator to mount taps on the door. Since the sidewalls of the
chest freezer is where the cooling cools are, I don't dare drill through
it. I don't like cutting holes in the top of the freezer unless there
is no other way.
Has anyone tackled this problem?
thanks
Martin Wilde
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Date: 04 Jan 96 21:36:28 EST
From: Greg Newberry <71022.2300 at compuserve.com>
Subject: pHust - Wyeast ESB 1968 problem
>> Date: Tue, 2 Jan 1996 08:20:26 -0600 (CST) From: phust at unlinfo.unl.edu
>> (patricia hust) Subject: Slow Yeast 12/31/95 I brewed a batch of
>> English Mild Brown using extract and a pound of various grains. For
>> the first time I used liquid yeast (Wyeast London ESB 1968). It had
>> a date of 12/20/95 on it and my local homebrew supply retailer said
>> that since it was that fresh there would be no need to make a starter
>> for greater volume. I just pitched it direct at about 70F. Well,
>> much to my surprise there was absolutely no activity all of
>> yeasterday! I ignored Papazian's advice and worried! I did have a
>> homebrew, however. I could not contact the retailer (New Year's
>> Day), but I did make a frantic call to our local brew club president
>> who told me I had not committed any major sins and to give it another
>> 12 hours and then if nothing was happening to call the retailer and
>> make plans to re-pitch. This morning my brown is finally starting
>> to bubble away , but only about one bubble every 15 seconds. Should
>> it have taken over 36 hours, and is my bubble rate fast enough?
>> Could my error, if there was one, have been insufficient aeration?
>> I just splashed my cooled wort into the fermenter and then after
>> pitching the yeast, I sloshed the fermenter for a minute or so.
>> Sorry to have run on for this long, but I hate to repeat mistakes
>> since I manage to come up with so many new ones. Thanx for any
>> replies. Jim Hust (yes, I use my wife
Jim,
I have used the yeast and have had good activity in less than 12 hours. I did
use about a quart start though. One thing about that yeast, it is _highly
floculent_. I mean, I drank a beer and went to the bathroom and when I came
back I had to roust the yeast!!! It finishes with a mild sweet flavor, so if
you have a lot of unfermentables to begin with it does have a tendancy to be
on the 'sweet side.' You didn't mention what volume you boiled so areation
may be a concern, but yeast volume is always nice.
Always make a starter! Write this down... Always make a starter......
Hope this helps
Greg
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Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 22:54:25 -0500
From: dludwig at atc.ameritel.net
Subject: Thermostat
>To Mr. Hunter Airstat:
>alas, the Hunter
>Airstat is no longer being manufactured. It's just as well - many of us
>found it problem-prone, although some are happy with it.
This must be a reference to my recent post. I didn't buy an Airstat, it's a
Set'n Save I. I'm curious whether it has the same electronics or not but in
case it fails, I've got a pretty good idea what to check. Anyway, the
Honeywell sounds like a nice option for someone setting up a beer
refrigerator. It was a lot of fun building the electrical gadgetry for the
Hunter, though, and I learned something in the process. If anyone wants
details, send me an e-mail. By the way, check out the current Radio Shack
catalog. There is a "new" panel-mount LCD clock/thermometer module that
supposedly can be used as a thermostat with additional circuitry. Standard
disclaimer.
On another subject, not to long ago, someone was experimenting with a
concrete grain mill. How's it working? I've been considering making one
myself. I've also been keeping my eye out for a source of inexpensive
grinding wheels with the idea of laminating them together with epoxy to form
the grinding rollers. Has anyone tried anything similar?
Cheers!
Dave Ludwig
Southern MD
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