HOMEBREW Digest #1962 Sat 17 February 1996
![[Prev HBD]](/img/previous.gif)
![[Index]](/img/index_button.gif)
![[Next HBD]](/img/next.gif)
![[Back]](/img/up_level_button.gif)
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
yeast starter question (Paul Furnanz)
Grainbags ("MacRae Kevin J")
Re: Nylon stocking hop bag (Michael Demers)
Re:boilers and heat conduction (Jerry Lee)
Bulkhead fittings & all grain mashing (Jerry Lee)
Mike's List of homebrew suppliers (Mike White)
Corn Sugar Starter? ("Toler, Duffy L.")
Re: nylons (Mike Uchima)
new mash tun problems (Jeff Struman)
Ideal grain bed depth (Jerry Lee)
Re: Cole Parmer/high temp hoses (Hugh Graham)
Gott mashing (Domenick Venezia)
Heat only mashing ("Gregory, Guy J.")
Sub-Zero Customized Refrige ("Jim Youngmeyer")
Cheaper alternative (Gregory Blaha)
(Fwd) Sam Adams, etc. ("Pat Babcock")
Temp Controller HTML (Douglas Kerfoot)
Dukes of Ale's Spring Thing (guyruth)
Re: Mold on Porter? ("Norman C. Pyle")
soldering, weighing, recipes (Gary Bud Melton)
RE: Beer Bottle Labels (Robert Rogers)
NO SUBJECT ("DAVID T. PETERS")
stupid-dog stout (Wallinger)
History of Brewing in America ("Rick Gontarek, Ph.D.")
Ice to cool wort (John Robinson)
Time to chill wort in summer (Louis Gordon)
******************************************************************
* POLICY NOTE: Due to the incredible volume of bouncing mail,
* I am going to have to start removing addresses from the list
* that cause ongoing problems. In particular, if your mailbox
* is full or your account over quota, and this results in bounced
* mail, your address will be removed from the list after a few days.
*
* If you use a 'vacation' program, please be sure that it only
* sends a automated reply to homebrew-request *once*. If I get
* more than one, then I'll delete your address from the list.
******************************************************************
#################################################################
#
# YET ANOTHER NEW FEDERAL REGULATION: if you are UNSUBSCRIBING from the
# digest, please make sure you send your request to the same service
# provider that you sent your subscription request!!! I am now receiving
# many unsubscribe requests that do not match any address on my mailing
# list, and effective immediately I will be silently deleting such
# requests.
#
#################################################################
NOTE NEW HOMEBREW ADDRESS hpfcmgw!
Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com
(Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
to homebrew-request@ hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L at UA1VM.UA.EDU),
then you MUST unsubscribe the same way!
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at alpha.rollanet.org
ARCHIVES:
An archive of previous issues of this digest, as well as other beer
related information can be accessed via anonymous ftp at
ftp.stanford.edu. Use ftp to log in as anonymous and give your full
e-mail address as the password, look under the directory
/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer directory. AFS users can find it under
/afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer. If you do not have
ftp capability you may access the files via e-mail using the ftpmail
service at gatekeeper.dec.com. For information about this service,
send an e-mail message to ftpmail at gatekeeper.dec.com with the word
"help" (without the quotes) in the body of the message.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 10:30:28 -0800
From: Paul Furnanz <paul_furnanz at MENTORG.COM>
Subject: yeast starter question
Last Tuesday, I created a starter culture, because I was planning on
brewing Friday night. In the meantime, my area (Salem, Oregon) had some
pretty serious flooding. As a result of the flooding a we now have a
drinking water shortage. It looks like it might go on for quite some
time.
I don't want to brew until the shortage is over. What should I do about
my starter in the meantime? Should I just pitch it when the time comes,
or do I need to do something special to get it going again?
-Paul
- --------
Paul Furnanz Phone: (503) 685-7000 (ext.1731)
Mentor Graphics Corporation Email: paulf at wv.mentorg.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu Feb 15 13:43 EST 1996
From: "MacRae Kevin J" <kmacrae at UF2269P01.PeachtreeCityGA.ATTGIS.COM>
Subject: Grainbags
Newbie, first time poster alert!
I'm planning to brew a dobble bock from C.Papazians book this weekend.
I have brewed with specialty malts in the past, but in small quantities,
using
just a strainer. I now have a grain bag and not sure how to use it. Is it
essentially a giant strainer?
The plan was to steep the grains in my 5 gal. brewkettle.
Dump the grains into the grainbag.
Sparge into my bottling bucket, with the spigot open wide, plastic tube
going to bottom of brewkettle, for no aeration of hot wort.
Is this correct?
Should I steep the grains in the grainbag in brewkettle, and slowly sparge
into the same pot, removing the grainbag as soon as all sparge water is
dumped?
Should the bag sit on the bottom of the brewkettle or bottling bucket?
Any help would be appreciated.
kevin.macrae at PeachtreeCityGA.ATTGIS.COM
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 13:41:59 -0500
From: Michael Demers <mdemers at ctron.com>
Subject: Re: Nylon stocking hop bag
Hello Group,
Just read a post in HBD 1960 about using nylons (the type women
wear) as hop bags. I would just like to caution everyone that
most, if not all, nylons have dyes in them that you definitely
would not want in your beer. I once used a section of an old
pair of nylons as a filter for the bottom of my racking cane.
I sanitized it by putting it in a bowl of water and microwaving
it. When I did this the water in the bowl turned brown and I
had to repeat the process several times using fresh water to
get all of the dye out. So, if you're going to use nylons
for hop bags I would strongly suggest that you pre-boil them to
get all of the dye out of them first.
Good Brewing,
Mike Demers Home: mike at zachary.mv.com
Firmware Engineer Office: mdemers at ctron.com
Cabletron Systems, Inc.
Merrimack, NH
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 10:56:33 -0800
From: jlee at esd.ray.com (Jerry Lee)
Subject: Re:boilers and heat conduction
>Regan in Sydney
>I am looking to buy a 40 litre SS boiler, and have seen two types.
>One is made of thin SS all round, and runs $160. The other has an
>aluminium "sandwich" on the base, and costs $280 (!!!). So, in
>terms of heat transfer etc, is it worth the expense to get the
>better quality boiler?
Ever since reading an article from one of your Ausie compatriots on
steam, I have been converting and trying to fine tune my own steam
system. My research condensed down is: the aluminum pot will give
a give a better heat transfer but is a better heat transfer really
necessary? You can just increase the btu a little with your burner.
Any thermal engineers out there can help...but what I came up with
is that you can make a 5 gal batch with 2 gallons of water in a
steamer with 180,000 btu. It does not take double to make a 10 gal
batch. Approximately 3 gal and if you have one of the 200,000 plus
burners, you have everything you need. By the way...this includes
coiling the SS steam tube back through the flame to superheat it.
So back to the steam pressure cooker...since you are only going to
have plain water at a fairly neutral ph, around 7, during steaming...
you don't have to worry about leaching the aluminum (and any heavy
metal would settle anyway)...you can get a completely aluminum
cooker without the expense of the SS and still get the transfer.
I wanted to give myself a 100% margin on my calulations because
murphy has found a home in my brewery. I found a 21.5 qt (5.4 gal,
app. 20 liters) for $117 at OSH - Orchard Supply Hardware.
(805) 681-1500 - They are a chain so you might find them elswhere.
NDA (Normal Disclaimers Apply - No Assoc. etc) The larger cookers
were not on the shelf but the price difference was insignificant.
ie the 15qt was $99! The 40 if you really need it should not be
much more. -NDA The lids have a pressure guage, and a weighted
pressure regulator with an emergency relief valve. When you look
on the inside, there is a built up area that can be easily tapped
for the steam outlet port without modifying any of the safety
features.
As I am still in the process of conversion/tuning any suggestions
or modifications to the above would be helpful. ie how large of
a manifold can I go with and still maintain enough pressure for
mashing or a roiling boil? If I put the manifold under the tun
screen can I replace the RIMS and how much pressure before I start
to upset the grain bed? etc. etc.
For those with an entrepreneural spirit...I would be very willing
to pay for this type of information...so go write a book! I've
searched the libraries and ordered book transfers throughout CA
and still have questions about a good design. But I now have the
information to work on boilers....yee ha. :-} TIA
=====================================================
~~~~~ / \
//\\\\\ / Jerry D. Lee, Jr. | SEPG Methods & Tools Chairman /
{| ~ ~ |} / Raytheon ESD | E-Mail : jlee at eng.esd.ray.com \
| ^ | / 6380 Hollister Ave | Tel : 805-967-5511 ext2306 \
\ = / \ Goleta, CA 93117 | Fax : 805-964-9185 _/
- --/\-/\-- \ \
\/^\/ \+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=|
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 11:28:18 -0800
From: jlee at esd.ray.com (Jerry Lee)
Subject: Bulkhead fittings & all grain mashing
>russtj at mail.awi.net
>I heated the water up to 170 degrees, transfered it to the sparging
>bucket, then gravity fed it to the rotating sparging arm etc....as
>expected the heat losses were large.
>
>Since my brewing budget is small, my thought on solving the problem is
>to take my stock pot (thin stainless), punch a hole in the bottom..
I know I'm stating the obvious here but....
Start with hotter water...before the RIMS and now my current conversion
to steam, (which will work with coolers on the mash & sparge) I used
almost 190 degree water. See the previous HBDs (within the last 2-3
months) and see that others have actually used boiling water. I never
got that high but the idea is the same.
Also you might want to increase the insulation on your cooler if it is
decreasing that quickly. I also used a small heating pad against the
wall and then covered with towels held in place with a bungee cord.
Save the stock pot for decoctions or infusions...its a better use. :-)
=====================================================
~~~~~ / \
//\\\\\ / Jerry D. Lee, Jr. | SEPG Methods & Tools Chairman /
{| ~ ~ |} / Raytheon ESD | E-Mail : jlee at eng.esd.ray.com \
| ^ | / 6380 Hollister Ave | Tel : 805-967-5511 ext2306 \
\ = / \ Goleta, CA 93117 | Fax : 805-964-9185 _/
- --/\-/\-- \ \
\/^\/ \+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=|
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 13:50:05 -0600
From: mike at datasync.com (Mike White)
Subject: Mike's List of homebrew suppliers
Well you folks were right. I have recieved and replied to over 150 e-mail
requests for my list of homebrew mail-order suppliers. Many of you have
also asked for a copy of the final list when it is completed in a few
months. (As of now the list is about 11 pages long, I expect the final list
to be about 30 pages in length.)
So to alleviate me from the burden of constantly having to reply to e-mail
requests I have put the latest update of the list on one of my web pages.
Set your browser to:
http://www.datasync.com/~mike/cafe.html
There you will find the latest update of the list, including the final
version when it is available.
I will no longer be accepting e-mail requests for the list.
Thanks for all of your interest, it makes me feel I am doing something
worthwhile.
- ------------------------------------------------------------
Thought for the day:
There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning.-J. Buffett
- ------------------------------------------------------------
\\\|///
\\ - - //
( at at )
\ (_) /
\ o /
+----------------------oOOo-----oOOo-----+
| Mike White mike at datasync.com |
| |
+---------------------+--------Oooo------+
oooO ( )
( ) ) /
\ ( (_/
\_)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 96 14:02:00 PST
From: "Toler, Duffy L." <TOLERD at cdnet.cod.edu>
Subject: Corn Sugar Starter?
Ray Louvier asks:
>Hi, fellow brewers, I have a question about making a yeast starter. Is
there
>some reason why making a starter with corn sugar is not advised. I would
like
>to make a cleaner starter and it seems like corn sugar would not leave all
>the break material in the starter. I'm thinking about a quart starter for a
five
>gallon batch. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the
>great information this forum has been producing
Yeast cannot leave by sugar alone......(or something like that)
Yeast needs compounds besides sugars to function, which aren't provided by
pure corn sugar. DME not only contains the sugar, but other nutrients as
well.
Your quart starter should work fine for a 5 gal. batch. When I'm brewing an
ale, I usually just step a smack pack up to 1 pint and pitch that. (That's
just me though!)
Duffy Toler
College of DuPage
tolerd at cdnet.cod.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 14:35:30 -0600
From: uchima at fncrd8.fnal.gov (Mike Uchima)
Subject: Re: nylons
> >Can I use a nylon stocking (you know, the kind women wear) as a hop bag? I
> >use pellet hops (good price in bulk) and would like to minimize the hassles
> >of straining hop residue from the kettle and fermenters. My nylon mesh
> >grain bag has a coarse texture that won't work for pellet hops. My wife has
> >fairly clean feet, but can nylons be sanitized in bleach or iodophor? Are
> >they "food grade?" Can they be boiled without falling apart?
>
> I would think the best way to know for sure is to take some spent hops or
> grain, put it in the nylon material, and boil it in an old pot for an hour
> or so. Just a couple of things to remember:
I've used them a few times now for filtering out fruit pulp, "floaties", and
such -- I tie one over the end of my racking cane. I've never tried using one
as a hop/grain bag for boiling.
As far as sanitizing goes: I could be wrong, but I don't think bleach or
Idophor would do a very good job. The fine mesh seems to trap a lot of tiny
air bubbles, which probably prevents contact sanitizers from getting at
everything. I've tried boiling them for a couple of minutes to sanitize them;
a lot of the color seemed to leach out into the water, but they seemed to be
otherwise unharmed. IMO this is actually a pretty strong argument for
pre-boiling them before trying to use them for anything beer related -- I'd
rather not have any of the dye (or whatever it is) leaching into my beer!
Food grade? Probably not, but close enough for me. You're not actually going
to *eat* them, after all! (My uneducated guess would be that they're
"non-toxic", but not strictly "food grade".) FWIW, anything that doesn't come
off when you boil them probably won't leach into the beer in significant
amounts.
> 1) Yes, make sure to properly clean the nylons. You don't want a judge to
> write: "Tastes slightly infected... Athelete's Foot??"
Or just buy *new* ones -- they're pretty cheap. If it's too embarrassing, get
your wife (or S.O.) to buy them for you. :-)
> 2) Make ABSOLUTELY SURE to get the seams straight!!!
I use seamless ones!
> 3) You probably don't want your wife to read the post where you say she has
> 'fairly clean' feet...
Coulda been worse... he could have said something like "my wife's feet aren't
too disgusting..."
- -- Mike Uchima
- -- uchima at fnal.gov
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 14:05:45 -0700
From: brewshop at coffey.com (Jeff Struman)
Subject: new mash tun problems
This is my first 'contribution' to the digest, although it is actually a
question. I have been brewing for about 4 years, and all grain brewing for
about 1 year.
I recently set up a new brewery using a 52 quart Coleman rectangular
camping cooler with 1/2" pvc pipe false bottom plumbing. (I used to use a
zapap system) I have brewed two beers with this new system using a three
step infusion mash (protein rest, saccharification and mash out.) Both of
of these beers have had terrible O.G.s. Using the Amazing Wheel of Beer I
have calculated my efficiency at roughly 50%! :( I think I have a few
problems to iron out. Following are what I think are the most serious
problems. I would greatly appreciate any feedback on what needs fixin' and
what doesn't matter.
1) I managed to use all pvc fittings to install a plastic spigot into the
existing drain plug hole in the cooler. But, because the drain plug hole
is drilled so high into the end of the cooler, the plumbing on the spigot
end of the cooler is about 1" off the bottom of the cooler. The plumbing
then slopes down and rests on the other end of the cooler. Am I losing a
lot of fermentables in this space below the plumbing? Or is there any
other reason why this may affect my efficiency? I hack sawed slots into
the 1/2" pvc pipes every 1.5" and I have three pipes, each about 18" long.
2) Second, this cooler is larger than I really wanted but I couldn't
resist the end-of-summer sale at Target and I bought it brand new for $13
(I live in Wyoming, where the demand for coolers meets that of sun tan
lotion during our eight months of winter.) Anyway, twelve pounds of malt
in this mash tun gives me a grain bed depth of about 5 to 6 inches after
doughing-in. Is this depth too shallow? I know the 'experts' suggest a
deeper bed, but is this depth adequate?
3) I sparge using my 6 gallon bottling bucket as a hot water tank. I
built a sparge 'arm' out of two pvc pipes that span the length of the
cooler. The two pipes have very tiny holes drilled in them and they seem
to work perfect. But, in order for the sparge water to adequately spray
out of the pipes and cover the whole grain bed I have to keep the spigot on
the hot water tank about 3/4 open. This means I circulate 5 gallons of
sparge water in about 10 minutes. I know that is too fast. Is this
causing me to lose a lot of gravity?
4) Finally, I collect about 6 to 7 gallons of wort and boil down to 5
gallons over 60 to 90 minutes on the stove. I don't think putting any more
water into my kettle is wise since it already takes well over 30 minutes to
get my wort boiling after sparging. Should I be collecting more wort? Is
the long lag time between sparging and boiling critical? And, finally
finally, I have been exhausting my sparge water and then letting the mash
tun completely drain into my kettle before commencing my boil. Is it ok to
completely drain the mash tun like this? I have read and heard so many
conflicting reports on this procedure that I am totally befuddled.
Thanks a ton in advance for any help.
Jeff
mashing and cussing in WY
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
! *
* JJJJJJJJJJJ EEEEEEE FFFFFFF FFFFFFF !
! J E F F *
* J E F F !
! J EEEE FFFF FFFF *
* J J E F F !
! J J E F F *
* JJJJJ EEEEEEE F F Sturman !
! *
* brewshop at coffey.com !
! *
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 14:05:09 -0800
From: jlee at esd.ray.com (Jerry Lee)
Subject: Ideal grain bed depth
> From: "David N. Pflanzer" <pflanzer at gate.net>
> Subject: Gott Mashing Questions
>Terence asks about mashing in gott coolers...
>>From: Terence McGravey {91942} <tpm at swl.msd.ray.com>
>>2. If I go with the 10 gal cooler, will the grain bed be to shallow
>> (because of the larger diameter of the cooler) to provide adequate
>> filtration of a 5 gal batch ?
>Ideal grain bed depth is around six inches. The 10 gal Gott is wider
>than the 5 gal unit (13" compared to 11.5") so it will provide a
>shallower grain depth with identical grain volumes.
Are you trying to say that if I'm doing a bbl that I should get a pan
to cover half my brewery to get six inch depth?
I believe that I read in brewing techniques or that $130 set of books
on the science of...that the "IDEAL" depth was actually a ratio. The
depth should be equal to the diameter...hmmmm was that right?
Sorry about so many responses in one day! Just one of those moods :-}
>From: Mark Redman <brewman at vivid.net>
>Subject: Two tips, two questions
>First question: Am I the only person who heats the brewpot to go from
>a protein rest to a saccharification rest?
Works for me! RIMS then worked for me! I now hope steam will be just
a little better. The advantages for the steam are also the downfalls...
> From: "Gabrielle Palmer" <gabriellepalmer at e-mail.com>
> Subject: my scotch ale
>I just transfered my scottish export ale into the secondary last night
>and took the gravity reading. It tasted a bit too bitter for a
>scottish ale. Does anyone have any suggestions on how this ale could
>be improved?
Why bother to take a reading between primary and secondary anyway. The
only reason for the transfer is to seperate the beer from the cold break,
trub, and dead yeasties. A lot of people here will tell you even that
is not necessary. But to go on...You can improve this beer considerably
by waiting until the secondary is finished and giving it a little aging
time. The proper amount of time is determined by your personal taste
buds as it will continue to mellow with age.
Hmmmm guess I'll look at the recipe now...
Finally....some real controversy here,
From: Kirk R Fleming <flemingk at usa.net>
Subject: Stock Pot Secondary, Suds 4.0
>But...I *don't* find it intuitive that there would be any significant
>connection between extraction efficiency and color. Dark grains, in
>my experience, will contribute about the same color to the wort no
>matter how they're treated. IOW, soaking them in warm water,mashing
>them, boiling them, whatever...their color contribution is about the
>same (undetectably influenced by the process).
If you are improving the sugar extraction (better efficiency) by
improving the hot water circulation and/or temperatures with...
raking, RIMS, flow or whatever other process. It seems to me that
you will also increase the coloring effect, however minor. There
will "obviously?" be a greater difference when considering percentages
of increase. Thus improving the extraction by three percent when
considering the total grain percentage of dark versus light malts
will necessitate a minor change. But if you increased first the
percentage of dark malts, then a change in effiency would make
a larger apparent change in color. Taking it to the extreme, if
the extraction effiency had no effect, the coloring agents must
not be dependant on the same changes as the sugar. Thus dipping
the dark malt in cold water would result in the color release?!?
Hmmmmm got to go try it. Personally, I think Tom Wenck has a firm
grasp of intuitive.
=====================================================
~~~~~ / \
//\\\\\ / Jerry D. Lee, Jr. | SEPG Methods & Tools Chairman /
{| ~ ~ |} / Raytheon ESD | E-Mail : jlee at eng.esd.ray.com \
| ^ | / 6380 Hollister Ave | Tel : 805-967-5511 ext2306 \
\ = / \ Goleta, CA 93117 | Fax : 805-964-9185 _/
- --/\-/\-- \ \
\/^\/ \+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=|
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 15:22:44 -0700 (MST)
From: Hugh Graham <hugh at lamar.ColoState.EDU>
Subject: Re: Cole Parmer/high temp hoses
Henry Dondi told me:
> I read your post in todays HBD (1960) and I've been looking for Cole
> Parmer's phone number. I tried the one in your post, 1-800-323-4344, and
> you get a business called the "Sweet Shop". They are not related to Cole
> Parmer and they are not even an 800 number. Lord only knows how you
> can dial an 800 number and not get it.
Oops. Sorry. Thanks.
Cole Parmer phone number correction
The correct number is:
1-800 323 4340 (US Canada and US possessions)
OR
In 708 area code dial 647 7600
in 312 area code or international enquiries dial (708) 647 7600
FAX (708) 647 9660 TDD 800 833 7400
Address
7425 North Oak Park Avenue
Niles, IL 60714 USA
Still no connection etc. though I feel they owe me now.
Hugh
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 15:03:38 -0800 (PST)
From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com>
Subject: Gott mashing
The recent Gott mash-lauter tun thread prompts ...
In HBD #1960 Wallinger <wawa at datasync.com> says,
>there is a perforated pizza pan on the market (walmart, kmart,
>etc) that fits perfectly in the gott. i simply drilled four holes
>around the perimeter and used stainless steel carriage bolts for
>legs to stand the pan just above the spigot. the drawback to
>this design is that it leaves about 1 gal dead space below the
>pan.
>
> <snip>
>
>i must admit that i still have a problem with low efficiency.
>perhaps this design has something to do with it. i have gotten
>about 25 pt-gal/lb, and understand that 30 would be more like it.
I think that these two paragraphs are related. I would guess that the
low efficiency is due to sparge water simply going around the
perforated plate, between the plate and the wall of the cooler. My
Gott modification solves this problem, has only about 1 quart of dead
space and routinely gets over 30 pts/lb/gal, but it involves a bit
more work.
At a boating supply store I bought a 5/8" a brass bulkhead fitting.
This fitting is threaded internally for 3/8". I also purchased a
hose barb with 3/8" threads, and 2 flare elbows. I flared a short
arc of copper tubing (6") and drilled a larger hole in the side of
the pizza plate that an flare elbow threads into. The other elbow
is on the inside side of the bulkhead fitting. The hose barb goes on
the outside side of the bulkhead fitting.
About 3.25 (cut to fit) feet of 1" thick-walled tubing (Tygon in my
case) was slit lengthwise and fit all around the edge of the pizza pan.
The bulkhead fitting with external hose barb and internal flare elbow
fits into the spigot hole of the Gott. The perforated pizza pan with
circumferential tubing seal and flare elbow lays upside down on the
bottom of the cooler and the short arc of flared tubing connects the 2
flare elbows. Everything fits together finger tight.
: :
|<-- Inside wall of cooler |
| _____________________________________________ |
| / Perforated Pizza Pan \ |
| ___/ \___ |
|/ o/\ <-- 1" thich-walled tubing (slit) /\o \|
|\___/ \___/|
`------------ Bottom of cooler ---------------------------'
Craig Agnor AGNORCB at miavx1.acs.muohio.edu says,
>I would be interested to know what techniques/methods the "Gott
>mashers" out there are using to do multi-step infusion mashing. How
>is the mash "heated" between the steps?
A few ways to do this. Start with a stiff mash of 1qt/lb then add
boiling water at each step. Often you end with a thin mash.
Do a decoction-like process. Simply remove portions of the mash,
quickly bring them to a boil (no rests), and add them back. Highly
diastatic malts work best for this. Watch the mash pH!
Some combination of the above, i.e., first step with boiling water, next
step with removal/boil.
>If you are doing specific heat type calculations to determine the
>amount of hot water needed to reach the different step temperatures,
>how is the cooler itself included in these calculations?
I am doing these calculations and I preheat the cooler with HOT tap
water which gets it to about 130+F (I raised my water heater), then I
ignore it. I prefer to err on the too cool side, because I can always
pull a couple quarts, boil, then return to adjust upward quickly.
Another trick is to preheat your grain in the oven to your first
target temp, then just combine it with water at the same temp.
Domenick Venezia
Computer Resources
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
Seattle, WA
venezia at zgi.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 96 15:04:00 PST
From: "Gregory, Guy J." <GGRE461 at eroerm1.ecy.wa.gov>
Subject: Heat only mashing
In HBD 1960 Mark Redman wrote that he mashed by raising temperature and
stirring, rather than by adding measured amounts of boiling water to raise
grain temperature.
Well, Mark, I do the same thing, and I make great beer. My brew partner
brews this way, and he makes even better beer. I, also, would like to read
what the potential bad things could happen. It sure is an easy way to brew.
Respond GuyG4 at aol.com if you wish.
Return to table of contents
Date: 15 Feb 1996 17:50:26 U
From: "Jim Youngmeyer" <youngmeyer at macmail.posc.org>
Subject: Sub-Zero Customized Refrige
Sub-Zero Customized Refrigeration? 5:31 PM 2/15/96
The recent "Man of the Year" issue of Time Magazine gave a company called
Sub-Zero a Best Product of 1995 award for developing "technology that will
allow kitchen mavens to refrigerate the most unlikely places: an overhead
cabinet, a closet, a row of drawers." This would be of tremendous benefit to
homebrewers for controlling fermentation temperatures and maintaining optimum
beer storage temperatures. I haven't been able to find out anything more
about this invention or about the Sub-Zero company by searching the Web.
Does anyone have any knowledge of this? Does anyone know how to contact
Sub-Zero for more information? I would be happy to post a summary of replies
on the HBD.
TIA,
Jim Youngmeyer
Houston, Texas
youngmeyer at posc.org
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 21:21:43 -0500 (EST)
From: Gregory Blaha <BLAHA_G at a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
Subject: Cheaper alternative
>Hello blokes and blokettes - in this neck of the world, everything
>related to brewing paraphanelia seems to cost a lot more than the
>States. I am looking to buy a 40 litre SS boiler, and have seen two
>types. One is made of thin SS all round, and runs $160. The other has an
>aluminium "sandwich" on the base, and costs $280 (!!!). So, in terms of
>heat transfer etc, is it worth the expense to get the better quality
>boiler? Thanks
>Regan in Sydney
My 2 cents: Cooking catalogues sell heat diffusers made out of anodized
aluminum that will prevent your wort from burning. An 11" one goes for
about $30 ("Chef's catalogue"), which is a lot cheaper than the $120
difference between your two pots, and you can use it with different pots.
Happy brewing --- Greg
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 21:30:58 +0500
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock at oeonline.com>
Subject: (Fwd) Sam Adams, etc.
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...
Hmmm. Seems I'm an HBD relay now ;-)
This popped up in my mailbox today, and, being but a servant to
things beery, I felt compelled to comply with Bob's request...
- ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 96 10:06 EST
To: pbabcock at oeonline.com
From: "Bob Z." <nm_lcs at technet.nm.org>
Subject: Sam Adams, etc.
Pat:
I have read HBD via hard copies from a friend :-), and since I have
no computer, I'm borrowing one to tell you about my experience with
the BBC's World Homebrew Competition. I was one of the nine
finalists, and had a bitchin' time in Boston. Even tho' lots of folks
don't like Jim Koch's business practices, I can attest to the fact
that there are real brewers at the BBC facility, and they are great
guys!
Thanks to you, Russell, A.J., Kirk, Dion, Jack, Dominick and anyone
else I forgot for all the help - I'm getting ready to set up my
3-kettle brewing system, and will at some point implement a RIMS
set-up.
Since I have no e-mail, could you pass along my comments about the
BBC to the HBD? I'd appreciate it, and comments can be directed to
me at:
Bob R. Zamites (First Fire Brewing)
1704-B Llano, # 151
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505)474 -0904
TIA. Bob Z.
- ------- End Forwarded Message -------
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock at oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
Take advantage of the Drinkur Purdee document echo!
Send a note to pbabcock at oeonline.com with the word
help on the subject line to see what's on tap!
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 21:49:46 -0500
From: Douglas Kerfoot <dkerfoot at macatawa.org>
Subject: Temp Controller HTML
For those of you who expressed an interest in HTML versions of my
temperature controller plans, the are now available at
HTTP://www.macatawa.org/~dkerfoot/ Thanks to Pat Babcock!
Doug Kerfoot
(I like beer)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 19:48:38 -0600
From: guyruth at abq-ros.com
Subject: Dukes of Ale's Spring Thing
This is to announce the 6th Annual Dukes of Ale's Spring Thing Beer
Competition which takes place April 19-21. Deadline for entries is
April 13. You only need to send 2 bottles and $3 per entry. For a
complete list of categories, style descriptions and entry forms you may
either ftp them from ftp://www.aptec.com/aaron or access them through
the web at http://www.aptec.com/~birenboi/beer/spring_thing.html
For more information contact Guy Ruth at guyruth at abq-ros.com.
Judges may contact Jeff Graves at (505) 884-4335.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 21:44:04 -0700
From: "Norman C. Pyle" <hophead at ares.csd.net>
Subject: Re: Mold on Porter?
Paul wrote:
> I've had a superb porter sitting in my secondary (glass carboy) for about
> 2 1/2 weeks. About a week a go, I noticed some small white things
> clinging to the glass at just above the beer level. I couldn't decide if
Are you *really sure* these aren't just clusters of bubbles?
> they were mold or liquified yeast particles, so I did nothing and waited.
> Now I have white clusters of bubbles floating on the top of the beer.
> They other day I also saw some bubbles in a definitive line.
I may be misunderstanding, but this doesn't sound very ominous to me.
> Is this mold? If not, is it some other kind of infection? I was thinking
> about tossing it, but haven't been able to bring myself to do it. Could
> it be drinkable. If it is mold, will it provide full gastric distress?
As I said in my "Is My Beer Ruined" FAQ, which was posted some months ago in
jest, you should send it to me for evaluation. I'll let you know if it is
OK. Honest. OK, OK, you're all tired of my bad jokes. I suggest a simple
taste test. I'm not really sure if there is something there or if it just
fooling you. I've been in the same boat before. Taste is key. There's
very little chance of gastric distress if the flavor isn't horrible as well.
Take a sip, then a chug, and then a glass-ful. If you live to tell about
it, then bottle it! Really, it is fine to let the taste-buds be your judge.
Cheers,
Norm
******* Check out my web page: http://www.csd.net/~hophead *******
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 23:16:16 -0600
From: Gary Bud Melton <gary at ess-mailhost.lfwc.lockheed.com>
Subject: soldering, weighing, recipes
Can anyone give some hints to a soldering newbie?
I would like to make a racking cane out of copper tubing with a copper
cap soldered onto the end, but I can't seem to get the hang of
soldering. The solder just rolls off. I would like for the tubing to
rest up against one side of the cap. So far I've just gotten big
globs of solder or had the solder completely roll off. Should I use
more flux? What exactly constitutes a "thin coat"? And exactly where
should I be trying to place the solder -- should it go inside the cap,
so the cane rests in a pool of solder on the inner wall of the cap; or
should I just put a bead on the outside, where the cane and the cap
meet?
Any help would be appreciated.
______
I've been looking at kitchen scales for weighing hops so I can have
more repeatable results. Does anyone have a recommendation for an
accurate but not-too-expensive scale? Most of the ones I've looked at
go to 1/4 oz. or 5 grams, but none of them look like precision
instruments. Any suggestions on testing scales? One thought I had
for a fairly easy and repeatable test was weighing coins. Does anyone
know how much any of standard U.S. coins weigh? Is this overkill?
______
I've been moving up the homebrewing chain mainly by following the
techniques in Dave Miller's "Brewing the World's Great Beers" (and of
course, HBD). I would still recommend the book to any beginner. I
like the way he takes you through the process in steps -- extract,
extract with specialty grains/liquid yeast/wort chillers/etc., partial
mash, and all grain. But when I moved up to all grain, finally, I
realized that he was saying that he got more than 35 pts/lb/gal. Does
anyone really approach these figures? Basically his all-grain recipes
have been useless to me.
When modifying a recipe for your own brewery, when your yield does not
match the one of the recipe's formulator, is it better to adjust the
amount of base grain to match the recipe's gravity, or should I try to
keep the ratio of base/specialty grains the same as was in the
original recipe?
Bud Melton
Rampdown Brewing Company
Ft. Worth, Texas
"Every day is a Rampdown day"
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 03:18:53 -0500
From: bob at carol.net (Robert Rogers)
Subject: RE: Beer Bottle Labels
lynn asks:
[lots deleted]
>Is there a better way? If possible, I would like to continue using my color
>ink jet printer. At reasonable prices, are there better and easier-to-use
>adhesive methods, papers and coatings (maybe glossy) available?
sometimes i use polyurethane spray on inkjet output. spray both sides of the
paper to saturation several times. if it still smears, apply more coats the
next time. i have been thinking of making some generic labels and afixing
them to the bottles with polyurethane, and then filling in the blanks with a
grease pencil. for temporary sticking, i plan on trying rubber cement, which
is waterproof (so if the bottles sweat the lables stay on) but it will rub
off easy. you might also try using a better grade of paper. a paper with a
clay finish will allow you to "trap" the ink between the finish and the
plastic spray. i think the darkening you see is the plastic being absorbed
by the paper. at work we use an inkjet paper and the same brand of spray
does not effect color/density/contrast/etc. oh, also about bubbles in the
paper: try putting one of the lables printed side down on a sheet of plate
glass and tap the glue side with a very sharp needle all over. the
"microperf" might allow the air to escape. if you're careful it might not be
visible from the front. sorry if i ramble today, i've been at work too long
and i'm out of homebrew:(
bob rogers
bob at carol.net
"Why, Fritz, alcohol is a gift from God..."
--young Fritz Maytag's Mom
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 06:19:41 EST
From: "DAVID T. PETERS" <d_peters at e-mail.com>
Subject: NO SUBJECT
I have been using the 5 liter kegs for a couple of years. They have worked
pretty well for me. But, I do have one difficulty with them. That is putting
the bungs in and taking them out. Does the collective have any suggestions for
making this easier? I have been using a knife to pry them on and off. This
was the only way I could see to make sure they are properly seated. On one of
my cans I have seen a rust spot in this area where I have taken the coating
off. How can I avoid this on my other cans and still keep form having the
potential Old Faithful?
REGARDS, DAVID T. PETERS E-MAIL: D_PETERS at E-MAIL.COM
CW170 NA BODY CONSTRUCTION LEADER, VEHICLE OPERATIONS
FORD OF GERMANY, MERKENICH MAIL LOCATION: D-ME/MF-21
PHONE: 9 1 70-37791 FAX: 9 1 70-31635
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 05:35:28 -0600
From: Wallinger <wawa at datasync.com>
Subject: stupid-dog stout
thought i'd relate my weekend brewing experience.
i was preparing an partial-mash extract stout. my
wife bought me a propane cooker for christmas :=)
undoubtedly to get out of the kitchen. so i had the
batch well into the boil and decided to do some
work on the computer inside. when i went back
at the end of the boil i found about a half gallon of
the wort on the concrete. i at first imagined that
the wort had somehow had a second hot break. but
then i saw the singed hindquarters of our trusty
golden retriever, and decided to name the batch
after her - stupid-dog stout. (she's ok, and i hope
the stout is too.)
wade wallinger
brewing contraband on the mississippi gulf coast
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 08:57:50 +0000
From: "Rick Gontarek, Ph.D." <gontarek at fcrfv1.ncifcrf.gov>
Subject: History of Brewing in America
Hello all,
I am in need of a favor. A good friend of mine is involved with an
historical preservation group in Hoboken, NJ. Apparently, Hoboken
has a rich brewing heritage, and the locals would like to hire a
speaker to give a talk on the history of brewing in America. Michael
Jackson was actually in Hoboken a few months back, so they are sort
of looking for someone different to speak not about the beers, but
of the history and the culture of the American brewing tradition.
If anyone out there can give me a name of someone who would fit this
bill, please send email to me and I will pass the information along.
The person could be famous or not so famous, but a requirement is
that they would know what they are taling about. Thanks a million,
and now back to your regularly scheduled homebrew digest...
Rick Gontarek
Owner/Brewmaster of the Major Groove Picobrewery
Frederick, MD
gontarek at fcrfv1.ncifcrf.gov
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 09:03:15 -0400
From: robinson at dilbert.fc.hp.com (John Robinson)
Subject: Ice to cool wort
In HOMEBREW Digest #1961 Fri 16 February 1996
Paul Fisher: fisher at ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov wrote:
> Subject: Re: Ice to cool wort
>
>
> I've used pre-boiled ice to cool the wort. It works pretty well, but
> there are a few things to keep in mind.
Rather than pre-boil water, I have purchased 4L jugs at the grocery store
and frozen them no problem.
>
> 1) If you add ice to the wort (if it doesn't cool down enough after
> pouring the wort over the ice) you will develop a density and
> temperature gradient -- cold thin wort on top, thick warm wort on
> bottom. So you have to make sure the wort is mixed well prior to
> pitching.
It all depends on how much ice you use. Using 12L of ice to cool 8L of
wort is way too much. :) I would recomend using 4L of ice to cool
8L of wort and then making up the remaining volume with cold water.
This works best for all extract batches. For all grain, one often
must chill 5 gallons of boiling wort to pitching temps. My interest
in this subject comes from looking for ways to increase production.
Thus, if I boil a 1.090 wort to 5 gallons, and then split it into
two 5 gallon batches, I only have 2.5 gallons / batch to cool, which
could easily be done with two 4L ice cubes.
>
> 2) In order to end up with a final gravity close to your intentions,
> you have to have pretty reliable measures of the exact volumes
> involved. Estimating evaporation during boiling is the most difficult
> part.
You need a good idea, but my technique is usually to under estimate, and then
top up in a 5 gallon US carboy.
>
> 3) In a standard run-of-the-mill refrigerator, it takes a while to
> freeze warm water. I busted mine by trying to freeze up 4 2-liter
> bottles at once. The water started at about 100 degrees when I put it
> in. The compressor ran constantly for 18 hours untill it froze the
> internal workings-- and my sterile water still wasn't totally frozen
> yet. (good think I only rent)
I would never try to freeze hot water like that. If you buy the water
jugs from the store and then use a clean serated knife to cut the jugs off
the ice blocks, you'll get lots of reasonably sanitized ice.
>
> Spend the 20 bucks and build a simple imersion chiller, its much
> easier to deal with.
It also takes a lot longer. Mine works reasonably well, but if I do keep
using a chiller I'll probably design and build a counterflow chiller soon.
Return to table of contents
Date: 16 Feb 96 08:21:31 EST
From: Louis Gordon <103232.1227 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Time to chill wort in summer
Several people have written saying that it takes a much longer time to chill
their wort in the summer with immersion chillers because the tap water is too
warm. This problem can be solved by making a short initial chiller that is put
in an ice water bath and then lead to the main chiller in the wort. This way you
will always have water that is cold summer and winter.
Louis Gordon Minneapolis
Return to table of contents