HOMEBREW Digest #2016 Sat 20 April 1996

[Prev HBD] [Index] [Next HBD] [Back]


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


Contents:
  cooling yeast starters and rehydration (Rob Lauriston)
  Italian malt mill (Paolo DE MARTIN)
  First All Grain (A. J. deLange)
  Grains of Hardness - Brew Water (SSLOFL)
  cleaning out beer lines ("Keith Royster")
  RE: Request for Info on 10 Gallon Cooler-Mash Tun ("Bruce Gill")
  Powdered Isinglass  - easy but expensive (Joe Rolfe)
  Beer on the Go! (Bill Rust)
  Coopers extract, discontinued? (Mark Montminy)
  Cylinder inspections... (Dave Beedle)
  Re: first all grain batch (Jim Dipalma)
  Adjuncts and Hops in MegaSwills ("Stephen Palmer")
  keg priming ? (SPEAKER.CURTIS)
  Dry Ice in Carboy (Kevin Kane)
  Priming Sugar & Aging temps (Dazed Cummings)
  Re: Ice Beer ("Jim Duensing")
  Useless Hope Information (Tim Martin)
  re: kegging, RIMS hoses, CO2 rockets (hollen)
  Cascades!! (Orville Deutchman)
  Re: Request for Info on 10 Gallon Cooler-Mash Tun (Dave Mercer)
  Hot Gott, Cool Bottles. (Russell Mast)
  Automatic Sparging Device (Charlie Scandrett)
  more iodophors (Regan Pallandi)

****************************************************************** * 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, 18 Apr 96 23:58 PDT From: robtrish at mindlink.bc.ca (Rob Lauriston) Subject: cooling yeast starters and rehydration Recent talk of how to start dry yeast (Al K., Nigel, Chris D.) reminded me of something I wanted to pass along about yeast handling -- something I tried that didn't work. I don't think that it's a contender for BOAST, though (Best Of All Silly Tricks). I store my yeast in mason jars in a bar fridge just above freezing, then adding canned wort to get it going again a day or so before using. When pitching, I leave some behind in the mason jar and put some of the fresh wort from the brew on top to bump up the yeast for next time. I thought I could make my canned wort supply last longer if I put the fermenting starter into the fridge after it was fermenting well, but before it was completely fermented out. The idea was that when I took the starter out of the fridge, it would warm up and start fermenting again without requiring fresh yeast. Sounds good, eh? What happened was that when I pitched these yeasts into a batch, the beers fermented out half way and stopped. It was as if I had trained the yeast to stop half way when I put the starter in the fridge. I think this was with NCYC1332 and Wyeast 1056. (The only other time I had this happen was with a very high alcohol beer, so the cause wasn't the regular reasons for 'stuck fermentation'). I could understand this happening with a multiple strain yeast, where I would have been selectively propagating only the early fermenters and eliminating the late fermenters, but I was surprised to see this happen with a (hopefully) pure culture. Do different cells in a pure culture behave differently, or did I change the behaviour of all of them? Perhaps this could be useful for making a Scotch Ale (low attenuation). Now I let my starters ferment out all the way before storing them cold. Anyone else have any comments on when to cool starters for storage, or what happened to my yeast? -=-=-=- BTW, I have the Lallemand / Lalvin sheet on their Nottingham English ale yeast. Much would probably apply to other yeasts. Recommended pitching rate works out to 10g / 20 litres. The rehydration instructions are: "Mix the yeast with ten (10) times its weight of clean chemical-free water at 37/42' Celsius (98/102'F), leave undisturbed for fifteen (15) minutes, stir and mix with wort. Do not rehydrate in wort. [... our yeast has sufficient nutrients for this phase...] "Beer yeast cells tend to be vulnerable to mutation (petit colony for nation) because of temperature shock. A temperature difference of 10'C can shock the yeast and induce mutations that could affect the flavour of the beer. Thus the rehydrated yeast chould be atemperated, by mixing the wort, so that the temperature between the yeast slurry and the main wort is less than 10'C. For an ale wort pitched at about 20'C this would involve a 50/50 dilution with wort after the 15 minute rehydration rest. This rest at 30'C chould last for between 5 and 10 minutes. After, the yeast may be pitched directly into the body of the wort. Should the pitching temperature be 10'C (for a lager or cold fermented ale) then one more intermediate temperature rest stage would be necessary. Do not allow the yeast slurry rehydrated at 40'C to atemperate naturally. This would take to long and would result in many of the cells dying." Since the recommended fermentation temperature for the Nottingham yeast is 20'C and these instructions mention fermentation at 10'C, they seem to be intended to apply to other yeasts. Note especially that the hot rehydration is for a limited time otherwise the cells die. There has been some discussion of this before on the HBD. No affiliation to Lallemand, but we could show our appreciation to them for allowing me to reproduce this info <g>. - -- Rob Lauriston Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 13:38:17 +0200 From: Paolo DE MARTIN <sintesi at nsoft.it> Subject: Italian malt mill Ciao Brewers. I have from ask you a favor: in U.S.A and in Canada is in commerce the three-roller Italian malt mill. Could anybody send me the address of where does it come made in Italy ? (The address usually is written in the label). Thanks ! Paolo DE MARTIN <sintesi at nsoft.it> Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 08:13:20 -0500 From: ajdel at interramp.com (A. J. deLange) Subject: First All Grain Bob Wysong had the following questions about his IPA: 1. Does the adding of acid change the PH imediately, or only after a wait period? (Why the sudden change after the 3rd tsp of phosphoric acid?) In this case things happen very rapidly but the amount of change in pH per unit of acid addition is not a constant but depends on the buffering capacity of the water and the acid. You didn't say much about your water but I suspect that it may be quite alkaline. In this case the acid added initially goes to neutralize the carbonates in the water and the pH change is gradual. When the carbonates are all neutralized additional acid is available for pH change and the change is relatively dramatic. The message: add acids very slowly and check pH after each addition. With a little experience you will get to know how much is required for your water. 2. Any reason for such a low OG? (sparge water too acidic?) Not enough malt (or too much water). You had 7 pounds of convertible malt and obtained an OG of 1.032 in 6 gallons. This is 27 points per pound per gallon which ain't half bad for a first attempt (most of us get 28-31). Design your next beer with this rate of extraction in mind. I always throw in a little extra malt and dilute down to the desired gravity in the boil. 3. What could cause of the krausen falling? Did I do something to the head-retention proteins by adding amylase enzyme? The lack of head doubtless means that the proteins required for head retention are absent but I doubt that adding the enzyme was responsible. I have had beers like that (most of us have) and always attributed it to an improper (or missing) protein rest. It hasn't happened in a long time (so maybe I'm doing things better now). 4. Does anything in my procedure sound just plain wrong? Nope. Looks OK to me. You can't expect everything to go smoothly on the first try. It will take a few batches before it all becomes second nature. A.J. deLange Numquam in dubio, saepe in errore! ajdel at interramp.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 07:06:42 -0500 From: SSLOFL at ccmail.monsanto.com Subject: Grains of Hardness - Brew Water I recently had my water tested by a company that sells water conditioning systems in my area. The sample I gave them was hard water, which comes from a softener bypass. They reported that my water has 18 grains of hardness. I am not familiar with this unit, does anyone know how to convert grains of hardness to something more common such as ppm as CaCO3 or mg/l as CaCO3? I assume it is high, because the analysis included the note 'softening recommended'. Of course, this company sells softeners and are going to urge me to buy one. "No thanks", I thought to myself, "I already have one - I just wanted a free analysis of my brewing water" (Of course I didn't tell them this!) Thanks, Shane Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 07:13:50 -0500 From: "Keith Royster" <keith.royster at ponyexpress.com> Subject: cleaning out beer lines In HBD #2015 Mark Montminy <markm at dma.isg.mot.com> writes: > I use one of the chrome, through the fridge-wall faucets. If I go > more than a day or so between servings, the faucet sticks. I > usually have a bugger of a time to get it to free up. I end up > pushing on the sliding part of the shaft while pulling the handle. > Anyone got any tricks for keeping it from "gumming up", besides the > obvious solution of drinking more beer :) I'm thinking of maybe > lubing the shaft with keg-lube? Not sure if this will solve your problem or not, but it still is a neat trick. A member of our brew club recently explained how he now cleans out the beer lines on his kegging system. Instead of having to practically dismantle the whole thing and take it into the kitchen to clean, he now partially (1/2 to 2/3) fills a 2-liter soda bottle with clean, hot water and pressurizes it using a Carbonator(tm). Then he simply attaches this soda bottle to his beer-out lines, inverts it, and opens that tap. The pressure forces the hot water through the lines cleaning them out! If you didn't have a Carbonator, I suppose you could do a similar proceedure with a spare keg. Just keep a keg of water handy and whenever you want to clean the lines, just pop your beer-out line onto the water-filled keg and let her rip. Keith Royster - Mooresville, NC, USA Carolina BrewMasters - http://www.wp.com/ at your.service/cbm/brewmast.html Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 96 12:51:55 UT From: "Bruce Gill" <b2g at msn.com> Subject: RE: Request for Info on 10 Gallon Cooler-Mash Tun > from wiesej at smtp.mms.gov: > I have seen several articles/messages about using a 5-gallon, round, > plastic water cooler for a mash tun. In these I seem to remember a > specific preference for Gott v. Igloo - though I can't recall the > reason. . . > . . . Lastly, I recall someone mentioning that mash-out in such a tun might > be problematic. Unless the plastic couldn't sustain a 170-degree mash for > 10-15 minutes, I can't figure out why. Any thoughts on this? I'm sorry I cannot help with the question of differences/recommendations involved in converting a 10-gallon vs. 5-gallon cooler; however, I have experienced first-hand the confusion of brand preferences expressed by the "Beer Collective". As best as I can understand it, the preference for a Gott cooler is a historical hold-over. Seems the first guy who converted a cooler to a mash-tun (and wrote about it) used a Gott. That started it. Also, for many years, Gott was the only brand that was designed for use with cold AND hot liquids -- all the others handled just cold stuff. Finally, Gott *seems* to be sturdier and build for punishment (after all, they're the ones you see hanging off the back of trucks at construction sites). Hence the almost-brand insistance for Gott that you see in the HBD. HOWEVER, as long as the cooler is specified for use with hot liquids (as with Igloo -- and others, I imagine), you're fine. (By the way, on Igloo the only part(s) that are specified not to withstand heat are the spigot/gasket -- which you'll be getting rid of anyway during conversion.) I've brewed 30+ batches in my Igloo with excellent results ( the not-so-excellent results were a function of the brewer and NOT the equipment). The Igloo *has* developed a ever-so-slight warp on the inside walls, but I chalk that up to the occassional very long contact with the hot grain-bed (sometimes I don't get around to dumping the still-warm spent grain until the next day). Standard disclaimer - I have no financial stake in Gott, Igloo, etc., etc. . . . . Happy Brewing!!!! Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 09:17:46 -0400 (EDT) From: Joe Rolfe <onbc at shore.net> Subject: Powdered Isinglass - easy but expensive Al's comments yeasterday on isinglass are correct, do not use if yeast in suspension is very high, i have been told not over 8-10mill/cells/ml but varies with strain of yeast.... the other big trouble is isinglass is reported not to work very well with falling temps....a brewpub in the area that uses open fermenters resorts to the use of a gel (not silica) to settle out prior to filtrations (see a crosby and baker recent news letter). the jist is gelatin works on falling temps and more yeast in suspension and is alot cheaper per use than the easier forms of isinglass. the isinglass i have is from the UK (Vickers) by way of A. Gusmer(sp) in NJ. this stuff is real easy to use (but expensive about $50/lb). suspend in sterile (or as close as possible), blend on and off for 30 minutes with rests and your ready to go....'bout as easy as it comes with the stuff. good luck joe Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 09:25:56 -0400 From: Bill Rust <wrust at stlmpe-4.army.mil> Subject: Beer on the Go! Good Morning Brewmeisters! Every year at St. Patrick's Day we always try to hit the big parade in St. Louis, followed by a trek to the Landing, a popular strip down by the Mississippi. Last St Patty's Day's feat of engineering was to take a Corny keg to the parade and get portable with it. I got a device called 'The Party Pump' (available from William's Brewing - no affiliation, blah blah). It's a regular keg pump that is fitted for a Corney keg. Granted, it will make your beer spoil in a couple of days, but you don't have to lug a CO2 cannister and regulator around with you. It only weighs a couple of lbs! I chilled the keg for 24 hours. Then on the big day, I took a closed-cell foam pad (you know, like for camping), wrapped it around twice, and applied copious amounts of duct tape (truly a 1001 uses...) to make a big Corny coozie! I wrapped a green towel around the outside and stuck St. Patty's pins to add a little holiday flavor. We bungee corded the keg to a green dolly with big air tires on it (the streets of the Landing are paved with very worn bricks...). With a party tap and a few plastic glasses we were ready to go. You should have seen the looks we got on the Landing! Folks were understandably curious, and when we told them it was homebrew, there was a lot of interest. I brewed a Toad Spit stout for the big day (an old favorite). The keg only lost about a degree an hour, and there was no foaming from the rough ride I'd say it was a complete success! The portable Corny will get plenty of use this summer. Next stop, Memorial Day! Skol. ------------------------------------------------------ Bill Rust, Master Brewer | Jack Pine Savage Brewery | CENOSILICAPHOBIA Shiloh, IL (NACE) | The fear of an empty glass. ------------------------------------------------------ Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 09:38:03 -0400 From: Mark Montminy <markm at dma.isg.mot.com> Subject: Coopers extract, discontinued? I help manage a homebrew shop. On our last order, we were told Coopers is no longer making thier line of plain, unhopped extract. Anyone know if this is true, or if we're being fed a line? If it has been dropped, I won't bother trying to find another supplier of it. I'd be interested to know why they dropped it though. - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Motorola ISG (508)261-5684 Email: markm at dma.isg.mot.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night, God said, "Let Newton be," and all was light. It did not last; the devil howling "Ho! Let Einstein be!" restored the status quo. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 09:17:25 -0500 (CDT) From: Dave Beedle <dbeedle at bacchus.net.ilstu.edu> Subject: Cylinder inspections... So dis guy, Bryan L. Gros sez: Dave Beedle <dbeedle at bacchus.net.ilstu.edu> writes: >> The DOT also requires the tank be within current hydro approval. Some >> ..... > I considered myself lucky that the local shop filled my bottle last month. > I think the most recent date (about five down) is 88. How much does > it cost to get the tank hydro tested? And what is a visual inspection? Around here (Illinois, Springfield) a hydro runs about $35-$40 (for a scuba cylinder). I would guess a CO2 cylinder may be a bit less but that's just a guess. A visual inspection involved draining the tank, removing and inspecting the valve and inspecting the cylinder, inside and out. The inspector will look for corrosion and pitting (especially with scuba tanks!) and cracking, especially in the neck area. Dents, cuts, gouges and bulges are also bad. > Can we do it at home, or do we need to go to an expert? I have to recommend a certified inspector. He will (should) be aware of any manufacture recalls or problem cases that my have cropped up. He'll also have some special gear to inspect the inside of the tank and know the sneaky things to look for. Be aware, however, he also may fail the tank and, in some cases (you generally sign a release) destroy a hazardous tank. TTFN - -- Dave Beedle - Unix Support Manager - dbeedle at ilstu.edu - Network Services "Ignorance | http://www.ilstu.edu/~dbeedle/ | Illinois State University being bliss is just great until you get run over by a bus 136A Julian Hall because you never bothered to learn how to cross the road" Normal, IL 61761 Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 96 10:35:38 EDT From: dipalma at sky.com (Jim Dipalma) Subject: Re: first all grain batch Hi All, In HBD#2015, Bob Wysong writes about his first all-grain batch: >Questions: > >1. Does the adding of acid change the PH imediately, or only after a wait > period? (Why the sudden change after the 3rd tsp of phosphoric acid?) Depends on what ions are in the water. If your water is fairly soft, i.e., low ion content, the pH should drop very quickly, with only a small addition of phosphoric. OTOH, it sounds to me like your water has some carbonate in it, which is acting as an alkalinity buffer. Three teaspoons sounds like a lot of phosphoric to acidify 6 gallons, have you had your water analyzed?? >2. Any reason for such a low OG? (sparge water too acidic?) No, your extraction would likely *increase* slightly in that case. Did you mix the wort well before taking the reading?? The dissolved sugars tend to settle out, so a sample drawn from the surface of the wort would have a lower gravity reading than one drawn from the bottom of the kettle. You need to mix the wort for a minute or two before taking a reading. Also, did you correct the reading for temperature?? My wort is typically about 120F or so at the conclusion of the sparge, which adds about 10 points to the gravity reading. >3. What could cause of the krausen falling? Did I do something to the > head-retention proteins by adding amylase enzyme? Adding amylase enzyme to a fermentation in progress would likely cause some additional reduction of dextrins to fermentable sugars. The result would be a beer with a "thinner" mouthfeel, slightly less body and more alcohol. As far as I know, amylase enzyme does not act on proteins. >4. Does anything in my procedure sound just plain wrong? The process is fairly forgiving, I don't think there's any one single "right" way to brew. A couple of suggestions: >I had used about 3 teaspoons of gypsum to get the mash down to a PH of >about 5.0 3 teaspoons of gypsum sounds like a lot to acidify a mash with only ~7 pounds of grain. This is also a clue that you may have water high in carbonate content. The problem here is that you are not only adding calcium to help acidify the mash, but you are also adding a lot sulfates. This will have a profound effect on how the hop bitterness comes across. I *strongly* advise that you obtain a water analysis, and post it here. There are some folks here that are very knowledgable about water chemistry, I'm sure they can help. >Put in insulated box for 2 1/2 hours. Ending temp was 145. The requirement was >for two hours, but getting the sparge water ready took longer than I wanted. It should not be necessary to mash for 2 - 2.5 hours to achieve conversion. The malts we're getting now are fairly well modified, conversion is pretty fast. I've been consistently getting conversion in 40-45 minutes with single infusion mashes lately, I rarely find it necessary to mash for even an hour. Next time, do the iodine test after 45 minutes or so. >In my 1st post I mentioned that the ph in the sparge runnings >never dropped below 5.8. I *meant* that it never got *above* >5.8, which I read somewhere is the limit before it gets too alkaline. This likely happened because the sparge water was slightly over-acidified. There are problems associated with over-acidification of sparge water, e.g., poor hot break formation, diminished yeast performance. However, if the gravity of your final runnings was 5.8, you're OK. Congratulations on your first all-grain batch Bob, welcome to the club. Cheers, Jim dipalma at sky.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 10:57:32 EDT From: "Stephen Palmer" <uscgsynd at ibmmail.com> Subject: Adjuncts and Hops in MegaSwills In HBD 2015, "Bryan L. Gros" <grosbl at ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu> wrote, > I had a bartender tell me the other day that he prefers > Bud to Miller Light because Bud has that corn taste and > Miller uses a lot of rice. I'm still new at this, (4 extract, 1 partial mash brewed) but I was under the impression that Bud was brewed with rice, and Miller with corn. Does anyone have a list of which adjuncts American MegaSwills use? A list of what hops they use would be nice too. I'm not looking for full recipies, just some- thing where I could say that this particular homebrew is similiar to this brand... Maybe something like this: (example only, I don't know what's in these...) Brand Adjuncts Hops ############################## Budwieser rice Liberty Miller corn N.Brewer/Liberty etc. Private Email is fine, I'll post a summary type thing if requested... Thanks in advance, Stephen L. Palmer uscgsynd at ibmmail.com - Columbia Gulf, Houston TX elrond at helix.xiii.com - Home Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 10:03 EDT From: CSS2 at OAS.PSU.EDU (SPEAKER.CURTIS) Subject: keg priming ? Greetings fellow zymurgists: I have been kegging now for about 6 months. While visiting the Brewery Web site, I decided to check out the info on kegging in the library section. I was very suprised to find that the author (don't remember who at the moment) recommended adding 1/2 cup corn sugar to the beer before sealing the keg. Since I have started doing this, I simply syphon over the beer, seal the top and force carbonate based on the temp. of the beer and how many volumes of CO2 I want it to have. Is there any advantage to be gained by priming your kegged beer with corn sugar? If so, what is it? My beer tastes fine, has good head retention, and after a week or so in the keg has very even carbonation (I even get small bubbles climbing up the sides from the bottom of the glass). Any info would be appreciated; if there is enough interest I will post the results. Finally, one shameless plug for a new homebrew club which has formed in Central Pennsylvania. Last Sunday, I was elected president of the recently formed State College Underground Maltsters (S.C.U.M.). If their are any homebrewers in central PA who do not already know about us, you can email me for more information or join us for our next meeting at Zeno's on Sunday, May 19th at 2:00 pm. See ya there! Beer, it's not just for breakfast anymore! Curt Speaker css2 at oas.psu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 10:03:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Kevin Kane <kkane at uidaho.edu> Subject: Dry Ice in Carboy Randy Hyuck asked about using Dry Ice to purge his carboy. My calculations come up with using about 40g of solid CO2 to fill an empty 5 gal (18.9 L) carboy. I think it would be better if you put the solid CO2 (after crushing) into another contaner that has a clean tube going into the carboy. The gaseous CO2 evolved is denser than N2 and O2 so it will displace both. If you use enough for 2 carboys, say 60 g or so, you'll get a good purge. Another good reason to NOT put the solid CO2 into the carboy is thermal shock. Even with the best glass, I can't see taking unnecessary risks with my brewery. This CO2 purging technique is used in some chemistry experiments where absence of air is helpful but you don't have access (or $$) for nitrogen or argon. As long as you don't make a closed system (a bomb), CO2 purging in this manner works quite well. DON'T make the mistake of trying to carbonate with solid CO2 in bottles or kegs. Even if your beer is chilled, the rate of going from solid to gaseous CO2 is much much slower than the rate of gaseous CO2 dissolving in your beer. The resulting pressure in the headspace will have to be relieved somehow, explosively if need be. The ice that Randy saw was formed by the water vapor in air condensing onto the cold Dry Ice, much the same was a mug from the freezer gets frosty. Slainte... Kevin Kevin Kane Department of Chemistry University of Idaho Moscow, ID 83844 Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 11:19:24 -0600 (MDT) From: Dazed Cummings <woodstok at rupert.oscs.montana.edu> Subject: Priming Sugar & Aging temps I have a couple of questions for the brewing community. I hope someone can help. I've been following Geore Fixes formulas for amount of priming corn sugar and have been coming up with amounts around a half of a cup of sugar. I know that Papazian reccomends 3/4, is 1/2 too little? If i recall correctly i've had kind of hit and miss results with 1/2 cup of sugar. Sometimes i get semi-flat beer, sometimes it's just right. I may just resort to 3/4 all the time.... Second part to this question- I store my bottles of beer in an unused room in my apartment to age out. We never heat it during the winter because it would cost too much (electric heat's durn expensive!). Now in the spring we will experience 70 degree weather on day and 30 degree weather the very next (I live in Montana where it's actually the weather that's crazy, not the people :). Could the radical change in temperature (more like a difference of 20 F inside the room) shock the yeast and kill it or something? TIA, you're help is appreciated. Posts or e-mail is fine with me. David Life's a beer, Brew it up... Return to table of contents
Date: 19 Apr 1996 14:16:04 -0400 From: "Jim Duensing" <jim.duensing at stu.hillsdale.edu> Subject: Re: Ice Beer Mail*Link(r) SMTP RE>Ice Beer - ------------------------------------- Date: 4/19/96 4:41 AM To: Jim Duensing From: Posting Address Only - No Requ Does anyone know the procedure, theoretically or in practice, to brew ice beer, and can it be done economically by the homebrewer. Any light you may shed on this subject will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Jim Duensing Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 14:43:56 -0300 From: Tim Martin <TimM at southwest.cc.nc.us> Subject: Useless Hope Information Hey Neighbors, FWIF, of the three hop varieties that I planted last year; Northern Brew, Halletaur and Cascade, only the N. Brew has come back. The N. Brew was also the most vigorous and bountiful of the three last year. Oh yea, this morning while leaving for work I caught my dog hiking his leg and pissing all over that N. Brew plant. Will this "doggy" my hops? How can I tell if my hops are "doggy"? Should I wait until next fall and try the hops or just pull it up now and replant? Tim Martin Buzzard's Roost Homebrewery "with that strong predatory taste" Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 96 12:00:23 PDT From: hollen at vigra.com Subject: re: kegging, RIMS hoses, CO2 rockets >>>>> "C.D." == C D Pritchard <cdp at chattanooga.net> writes: C.D.> There's been a bit of traffic reguarding hoses on the suction C.D.> side of RIMS pumps. Why not use copper pipe with screwed C.D.> unions? Works very well for me and you sure can buy alot of C.D.> pipe and fittings for the cost of the just a foot of the hoses C.D.> mentioned. What you say is quite true if your system is "fixed". By that, I mean that during use, no changing of where the input comes from needs to be done. In my system, during the recirc, the source is the mash tun, but during sparge, the source is the hot liquor tank. So that my system is not 12 feet tall, I have chosen to put the hot liquor tank at floor level and pump sparge water UP to the mash tun at the highest level. Also, if, like some folks, you do not have a large dedicated brewery area, and have to disassemble your system and store it away between brew sessions, hoses with quick disconnect fittings are preferable because they can be coiled up and store in a small space. Not so with the rigid copper pipe you suggest. However, for some people, your suggestion is possibly the best solution. dion - -- Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164 Email: hollen at vigra.com Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs San Diego, California Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 14:58:36 -0400 From: Orville Deutchman <orion at mdc.net> Subject: Cascades!! Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 12:34:30 -0400 From: Mark Montminy <markm at dma.isg.mot.com> Subject: Harpoon IPA recipe request You said...... I'm trying to formulate a recipe for a Harpoon IPA clone. I'm more interested in a hop schedule, than malt base, since it's really Harpoon's hop profile I'm after. I'll be doing an extract, full boil. Yeast recommendations are also welcome. Email responses preferred. If there's interest, I'll post the resulting recipe. Well, I have been given some good advice, and at least 3 oz of Cascades (and only Cascades) will do it. I have a batch of this in the keg right now, and it is close. I think perhaps upping the amount (4-4.5 ozs) would be a better choice. I do partial grains, and used a very light German Crystal with 1 cup of rice to add sparkle, aid clearing, reduce chill haze, and increase head retention. It's getting rave reviews here! OD Brewer of Down Under Ale! Hobby Brewing at its Finest! Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 10:51:53 -0700 From: Dave Mercer <dmercer at path.org> Subject: Re: Request for Info on 10 Gallon Cooler-Mash Tun I have been using a 5 gallon cylindrical Gott with a slotted copper manifold for a while now. It can handle up to about 14 lbs of grain if I don't do a mashout, but only about 12 lbs otherwise. A couple of months ago I bought a 10 gal cylindrical Gott for those bigger loads. Conversion was simple: I swapped out the plastic spigot for a brass assembly, use the same slotted cross arms but cut new side arms for my existing manifold so that it would extend to fill the larger diameter bottom (I cut the manifold pieces for both 5 and 10 gal coolers so that, when assembled, they fit snug against the sides of the cooler and keep a little force against the outflow pipe so there's little chance that the thing can come apart when I'm stirring the mash). I can't speak for any other brands, but both coolers will hold a steady mash temperature of 152-3 without losing more than a degree an hour - probably not even that much. Whichever one I'm not using becomes a holding tank for hot sparge water, and neither shows any sign of damage from holding 180F water for up to an hour. I can NOT say this about the old rectangular cooler I used to use for sparge water. That thing (a 12 gallon Igloo) was pretty much destroyed the first time I used it: With a lot of loud popping and creaking, the internal sides and bottom buckled and bubbled until it looked like it had been in a house fire. It still seemed to insulate OK, but it looked like hell, and it was hard to get water out of it for sparging. But I see adds in Zymurgy all the time for 10 gal mash tuns made out of similar rectangular coolers, and wonder if my experience is unusual. Bottom line: I'd recommend cylindrical Gotts, which seem to be made to handle hot or cold liquid, and steer clear of rectangular Igloos, which appear to be only suitable for cold storage. But that's just my opinion. Dave M. >Date: Thu, 18 Apr 96 15:17:44 EST >From: wiesej at smtp.mms.gov >Subject: Request for Info on 10 Gallon Cooler-Mash Tun > > I have seen several articles/messages about using a 5-gallon, round, > plastic water cooler for a mash tun. In these I seem to remember a > specific preference for Gott v. Igloo - though I can't recall the > reason. These articles detail the modification process. > > I brew all-grain recipies, use a medium-wet mash (1 1/2 gal./lb), and > like a hearty beer (i.e., 10+ lbs). Therefore, I think the 5-gallon > cooler might be a bit undersized. > > I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has converted a > 10-gallon cooler. Specifically, any recommendations on brand of > cooler, parts used in the modification, and type of false bottoms used > (e.g., Phil's) would be greatly appreciated. Lastly, I recall someone > mentioning that mash-out in such a tun might be problematic. Unless > the plastic couldn't sustain a 170-degree mash for 10-15 minutes, I > can't figure out why. Any thoughts on this? > Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 14:51:10 -0500 From: Russell Mast <rmast at fnbc.com> Subject: Hot Gott, Cool Bottles. > From: jfrane at teleport.com (Jeff Frane) > Subject: Re: Hot Bottles -- one last time > > Russell Mast and I have been [arguing?] discussing bottle > sanitizing, ovens, and breakage: Spanking? > Just to clarify: the three days I described in my bottling "method" are > not contiguous days; Doh! It's all clear to me now. I really did miss that. I can be pretty dumb sometimes. In fact, this method is the same method one of my friends uses. (With the foil and all that. > Copyright 1996 by whoever wants it Oooh, ooh, me, I want this one. > From: wiesej at smtp.mms.gov > Subject: Request for Info on 10 Gallon Cooler-Mash Tun > I brew all-grain recipies, use a medium-wet mash (1 1/2 gal./lb), and > like a hearty beer (i.e., 10+ lbs). Therefore, I think the 5-gallon > cooler might be a bit undersized. And you're right. I recommend the 10 to everyone for 5 gallon batches. I gott my 5 when I didn't know there was a ten, and didn't know where to find them. I talked a friend of mine into getting a 10 gallon (same guy who bakes his bottles) and we all agree it's great. I'm getting one myself, um, soon. > I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has converted a > 10-gallon cooler. Specifically, any recommendations on brand of > cooler, parts used in the modification, and type of false bottoms used > (e.g., Phil's) would be greatly appreciated. I use a Gott. The 10-gallon ones are pretty hard to find. The one my friend bought was marked "$54.95" but he only paid $40 for it. Go figure. You might want to call Rubbermaid, Gott's parent company, for info on where to find one. (I haven't called this, so I don't know how useful this is.) 1-800-347-3114. We've found, as have others, that the very best thing to convert the spigot is a rubber bung sold with the Fass-Frisch mini-kegging systems. We used Phil's Phalse Bottoms. THe smaller one works well in the five gallon, a very snug fit, so no problems with it floating. I'm less confident about the larger one in the 10-gallon - there is about a 1/4" or more of leeway between the edge of the bottom and the wall of the cooler. This can cause floatation if you're careless in adding your grains and water. It might also be a problem for sparging (bottom not cover entire area, or something). > Lastly, I recall someone > mentioning that mash-out in such a tun might be problematic. Unless > the plastic couldn't sustain a 170-degree mash for 10-15 minutes, I > can't figure out why. Any thoughts on this? I've never had any problems, even with much hotter mashes (eg for a lambic sparge, or laying boiling water for foundation water). Russell Mast Copyright 1996 Bryan Gros (like you weren't asking for it, eh? How's Bob doing?) Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 20 Apr 1996 09:46:39 +1000 From: merino at cynergy.com.au (Charlie Scandrett) Subject: Automatic Sparging Device Harlan Bauer and Rob Lauriston have been discussing the various *outlet* devices in sparging with regard to automating the water level and thus (presumably) leaving more time for beer and conversation. The device in "German Wheat Beer" p 67 is a multiple outlet designed to recover wort at different rates from different parts of the bed depending on SG progress. The "U" prevents air ingress. It is not automated in any way. The moveable outlet hose ("Swan Neck") devices reduce the hydrostatic head, thus flow rate, *if* they don't siphon. Restriction valves (a hose clamp?) or large diameter outflows that won't siphon will solve this but not automate it as the inlet lauter level is a factor. To really turn your back on the lauter/sparge, regulating the *inlet* water level seems essential to controlling the flow rate. I didn't post this before because I thought everyone knew this principle. (I've been in the printing/publishing industry too long!) Lithographic printing presses use acidified water (buffered to ~5.4, you could lauter with it) carefully metered by a roller in a pan (the "fountain") The level of the fountain solution is critical to good ink/water balance. There are two methods used to control this. One is to continuously pump the fountain full and have an overflow back to the resevoir. Because fungus can grow in acid, if the overflow gets clogged, fountain solution goes everywhere. The fungicide business then moved into the printing industry. Hombrewers are trying to grow fungus, but the expense and complexity factor is also an issue for some. The older method has no moving parts. A *large* bottle is simply filled with fountain solution, fixed with a 3/4" outlet and held inverted in the fountain pan. _______________ | | | air 1 | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | sparge | | water | air2 = atmosphere | | | 0 | | 0 | \ 0 ______/________ bubbles \ O / \ 0 / \ o / \ o / \ / \ / \o/ | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~lauter level~~~~ 3/4" outlet When the pressure difference between air1 and air2 equal the head of sparge water, flow stops. However when the lauter level drops close to the end of the 3/4" outlet, the pressure differential sucks air bubbles in which equalise the pressure between air1 and air2. When enough sparge water has flowed to raise the lauter level and seal off the outlet to atmospheric air again, the differential is re-established and the flow stops. The variation in lauter height (the "hysteresis" of this system) is about 1/8". A spare carboy should do the trick. The 3.4" outlet is fairly critical due to certain air/water flow dynamics. For 22 years this has worked fine on my book presses. Charlie (Brisbane, Australia) Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 20 Apr 1996 11:16:25 +1200 (EST) From: Regan Pallandi <reganp at iris.bio.uts.EDU.AU> Subject: more iodophors Hello all - puzzling about for a way to sanitize the inside of a CF chiller, iodophor seemed the best solution (groan). However, I wasn't sure whether anything like this was available in Australia, until I noticed a bottle of Betadine surgical scrub at the chemist's. The main ingredient is povidone iodine, at around 1% (?). A quick check of the Merck Index shows that the surgical scrub contains no emulsifiers or anything else. So, in a roundabout way, the question is - will this stuff be a good source of iodine-based sanitizer? Regan in Sydney Return to table of contents