Homebrew Digest Thursday, 11 July 1996 Number 2102
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Shawn Steele, Digest Janitor
Thanks to Rob Gardner for making the digest happen!
Contents:
Traffic, Chimay yeast (Jeremy Bergsman)
RE: Skunky beer, mash temp, sweetness, etc. (George_De_Piro at berlex.com (George De Piro))
High FGs/Too Much HBD (Jim Grady)
Distilled water, part II ("Jim Hodge")
Lager ("John Penn")
keep it cranking (Carrick Legrismith)
Space Beer ("Decker, Robin E.")
Really bad Budweiser joke (paa3983 at dpsc.dla.mil (Mike Spinelli))
RE: Too much HBD? (hollen at vigra.com)
Too much HBD? (Dave Pike)
baby steps.... (Dckdog at aol.com)
RIMS Heat Source ("Kelly C. Heflin")
White film responses: summary and thanks! ("Todd W. Roat")
Lager Yeast at Ale Temperatures (Kallen Jenne)
Re: thermal contraction problem? (jrsharp at HiWAAY.net (John Sharp))
Braggot/Bugs/iodine/ (Glenn & Kristina Matthies)
Space Beer (asteinm at nyc.pipeline.com (Art Steinmetz))
Beer line cleaner (raines at radonc.ucla.edu (Maribeth_Raines))
HSA / "watery" beer / WWWater Chem / carboy starters / Cider / R (keith.royster at ponyexpress.com)
Sanke gets foaming (EricHale at aol.com)
Beer as a Computer... (Dodger Posey)
Water Class again (Charlie Scandrett)
Kegging Stuff ("Kevin McEnhill")
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jeremy Bergsman <jeremybb at leland.stanford.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 12:01:52 -0800
Subject: Traffic, Chimay yeast
Regarding the volume of traffic on HBD, I don't think limiting the feed
is the solution. What we all want is more signal and/or less noise.
Creating an arbitrary bottleneck offends my sensibilities, YMMV. I would
suggest: 1) self-restraint (well discussed by Al K recently) 2) re-
instatement of the feature that lists the articles ahead of yours and the
canceling feature. Note how many replies there were to the distilled
water pH question. Another idea is potentially more controversial:
how about a self-imposed ban on answering FAQ's? The info is there in
the header EVERY DAY! If you want to help, mail them the FAQ privately.
======
> From: Andy Walsh <awalsh at crl.com.au>
> OK, so nobody here wants to own up to culturing yeast
> out of a bottle of Chimay?
Your description makes your starter sound pretty suspect. I have cultured
out of Chimay several times. I have found that the yeast behaves normally
(i.e. visually it looks the same as other yeast). I have also found
that it is not a very good yeast to use. It has the same problems as
the original Wyeast Belgian (?1214 check the FAQ's Jeremy!), i.e. too much
banana and generally too much everything. I believe that the yeast is too
stressed from a high gravity ferment and usually age in the bottle. Also
note that if you don't clone it you are getting something pretty contaminated.
A typical plating of Chimay for me yields ~99% regular white colonies, ~.1-1%
red colonies, and ~.01-.1% filamentous mold "colonies." Several other people
reported the red colonies in a thread on culturing from Chimay on RCB about
4 years ago. I have these frozen down if anyone is interested in identifying
them, but they are not the secret ingredient according to some mixed ferments
I have done.
In short, I wouldn't use it. For a widely available choice, I would
suggest the Wyeast wit yeast.
- --
Jeremy Bergsman
jeremybb at leland.stanford.edu
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jeremybb
Return to table of contents
From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com (George De Piro)
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 15:55:26 -0700
Subject: RE: Skunky beer, mash temp, sweetness, etc.
Jeff wrote in wondering how long it takes to skunk beer. It takes
just a few minutes. Pour a Bass ale (as an example, I've done this)
into a clear glass and set it in the sun. In about 2 minutes you'll
be looking for the skunk that sprayed your beer!
Jack Stafford wrote in with his observation that mashing at 150 as
opposed to 156F and using a thicker mash increased his efficiency and
decreased his final gravity. This does match all the texts I've read
and what most brewers believe.
His efficiency increase was too high to write off to mash temp,
though. There must be more he didn't tell us...
I didn't realize that my hyperbolous comment about high mash temps
would be so often quoted. Forgive me, please...
Somebody responded to my last comment about high FG = sweetness, my
sieve like brain is too confused to remember who, but according to
Dave Miller dextrins add NO body to beer. He credits body entirely to
proteins. I don't necessarily believe that he is correct, but that's
one author's opinion.
I don't know if dextrins taste sweet or not, I'll find out soon
though. It's also important to keep in mind that taste/smell is
complex. The PERCEPTION of sweetness is increased by lowering hop
rates, producing a maltier product, etc.
On a completely different subject, perhaps the HBD would be a more
reasonable size if people stopped including massive pieces of old
posts. Paraphrasing may not be as accurate, but if someone is that
concerned they can go back and check the original posts.
Shorter signature lines would be nice, too.
George De Piro (Nyack, NY)
Return to table of contents
From: Jim Grady <grady at an.hp.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 14:36:52 -0400
Subject: High FGs/Too Much HBD
First the brewing stuff:
This probably should have been obvious to me but since it wasn't, I
thought I would pass it on. Like others here, I have recently been
plagued by high final gravities. Start at 1.045 - 1.050 and end up from
1.017-1.020. Still a very drinkable beer but not what I was shooting
for. My last two batches have been great (1.012, 1.008). The change?
When I start the mash, I add the hot water to the grain instead of the
other way around. I used to add the grain to the water because it was
more convenient for me. This may not be the only thing, but I think it
contributes to it.
Second, the HBD itself:
I agree that I cannot keep up with the HBD the way it is coming in. I
could not always keep up when it came only once a day and now I can
barely skim it. :-( While I did not like waiting a couple of days to
see my post, I think it helped people be more critical of whether they
should post. Just my $0.02 worth.
- --
Jim Grady |"If men were dominoes, he would be the
grady at an.hp.com | double-blank."
HP Imaging Systems | P.G. Wodehouse
Andover, MA |
Return to table of contents
From: "Jim Hodge" <Jim_Hodge at ilsc.com>
Date: 10 Jul 1996 13:55:11 -0500
Subject: Distilled water, part II
Distilled water, part II
If I haven't already been justifiably chastised by more alert Digest readers,
allow me to correct my own error:
After I had sent out my last comment on distilled water, I realized I had made
a
horrible mistake. The 6.37 I referred to represents the dissociation constant
of carbonic acid in water. This number gets you only part of the way to the
answer. Water will dissolve a maximum of about 1.4 grams of CO2 at room
temperature. This CO2 will all form carbonic acid, only part of which will
dissociate and effect the acid concentration. Using the abovementioned
dissociation constant, it can be calculated that the pH of water saturated with
CO2 at room temperature will be 3.9. Consequently, for distilled water that has
been exposed to air long enough to dissolve some CO2, a pH of 5.5 is perfectly
reasonable.
Sorry for the misinformation, haven't calculated any solution equilibria for 20
years....a lot of cobwebs needed clearing out of the way to get to the right
answer
Jim Hodge
jim_hodge at ilsc.com
========================================================
....and what is good, Phaedrus,
and what is not good?
Need we have anyone tell us these things?
========================================================
Return to table of contents
From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu>
Date: 10 Jul 1996 16:29:38 -0400
Subject: Lager
Subject: Time:4:16 PM
OFFICE MEMO Lager Date:7/10/96
In reference to the Lager in a 65F basement. I've heard that a wet towel
or T-shirt around the fermenter in a bucket of shallow water will drop the
temperature about 10F. I hope to try this myself this winter but haven't
tried it yet. I would think 55F would be OK or get a steam lager yeast for
65F. Hope that helps.
As to long digests, it would be helpful not to copy all of the original
post when replying. >>Maybe just one sentence.... That way when several
people reply we don't see a bunch of space wasted on the multiple copies of
the original post. Not to be too critical as I feel this is a very useful
digest, but I hope others can suggest a "digest etiquette" that would be
appropriate.
John Penn
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From: Carrick Legrismith <hiscope at c4systm.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 16:37:34 -0700
Subject: keep it cranking
I agree that the digest has been excessive lately, but what is the
alternative? If we limit the size to 46k then a posting sent on Monday
maybe won't get published until Thursday or much later. As I see it the
choices are simple:
1. Divide the digest into two categories
2. Limit the size, [boo hiss], of posting
3. Allow Shawn to EDIT the posting :(
4. Allow the recipient to use the down arrow key
5. Unsubscribe and get the digest off the net when you want it
IMHO I think Shawn has things well under control and I am opting for the
down arrow key.
Carrick Legrismith
Poison Ivy Brewery
Clinton, MI
hiscope at c4systm.com
Return to table of contents
From: "Decker, Robin E." <robind at rmtgvl.rmtinc.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 96 17:19:00 -0500
Subject: Space Beer
Al writes:
>my guess would be that there would be no predicting where in the fermenter
the CO2 bubble would pool...quite possibly the middle.
A private respondent has informed me that fluid dynamics in micro-g result
in liquids evenly coating all sides of a container, with gases forming a
large bubble in the middle. (The semi-permeable membrane was also her
suggestion).
Dan writes:
>A better way is to radically alter the carboy design to increase surface
area of the membrane...
I like this idea, Dan. Instead of "lung shaped, how about a long, small
diameter tube? I was thinking a larger sack that would make up for the
differential of the diffusion/production rates would help, but I wouldn't
want to wake up to the "fermenter that ate the space station" <g>, and your
suggestion minimizes that problem.
Al:
>if you had some kind of probe you could "pierce" the bubble and allow the
CO2 to escape.
I was thinking along these lines myself, however, the Oct. 95 issue of BYO
(I know, Al, not your favorite) had an article about the Beck yeast
experiment. The fermenter had 2 chambers, each controlled to a different
temp. The yeast was pitched while in micro-g, the fermenting wort was
transferred from the warmer to the cooler chamber after a period of time,
and the only other "special" design mentioned was that the escaping CO2 had
to be specially collected and neutralized, just like the astronauts
exhalations.
Al:
>An artificial gravity is needed...believe me!
Sorry, you haven't convinced me yet. Wort has been fermented in micro-g,
and Beck has reported that the yeast has 2 extra chromosomes (they were
hoping the yeast would mutate, so I guess the experiment was somewhat a
success). Why would the yeast have to flocculate, when you could pump it
through a filter? We'll have to pump it from place to place anyway, it
certainly won't pour. I think the easiest part of this effort is going to
be the fermentation. Think about "boiling" the wort, and bottling--in my
mind, these will be much tougher problems to solve.
Goldings
"I have to get off this planet"
Return to table of contents
From: paa3983 at dpsc.dla.mil (Mike Spinelli)
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 96 17:00:26 edt
Subject: Really bad Budweiser joke
Guy goes into a liguor store and asks the clerk for a case of beer, he doesn't
care what brand as long as it's not Bud. Clerk gives him Miller. A week later
he's back in and says the same thing - any case but Bud. Clerk gives him
Coors. Another week he's back in saying the same thing. This time the clerk
asks what he has against Bud. He says a year ago he bought a case of Bud and
drank the whole thing in one day and then blew chunks. Well the clerk says of
course that would happen if one were to drink a whole case in one day. Then the
guy tells the clerk that he misunderstands. Chunks is the name of his dog.
Return to table of contents
From: hollen at vigra.com
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 96 14:13:28 PDT
Subject: RE: Too much HBD?
>>>>> "Clark" == Clark D Ritchie <ritchie at wnstar.com> writes:
Clark> I hate to admit it but I agree with Jeff Renner. The frequency
Clark> of the HBD is simply overwhelming. I would like to second his
Clark> motion to limit the digest to 45k and slow it to one digest per
Clark> day. However, with multiple digests arriving in my "inbox" per
Clark> day, I simply can't keep up.
As I said privately to Jeff, maybe some of you need better
newsreaders. When my newsreader presents me with a subject list, I
can look at an issue of the HBD in about 30 seconds if I don't reply
to any of the topics. Then the few articles I am interested in, I
read. Sure, it you have to page through every article, then it would
be a PITA, but with a *good* newsreader it is a piece of cake.
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
From: Dave Pike <davep at bdc.cirrus.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 15:10:52 -0700
Subject: Too much HBD?
Regarding the requests to limit the HBD to once per day, the
HBD has been coverted from Rob's(attaboy Rob) 'homebrew'
news server to majordomo, I believe. Does majordomo support
limiting the broadcasts (ie to once per day), or does it send out
the mail when the queue is full only?
Dave Pike
Return to table of contents
From: Dckdog at aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 18:31:43 -0400
Subject: baby steps....
O.K. after completing 3 all extract batches with good results is it
appropriate to move on? Papazian lists an India Pale ale in Joy that is
partial grain, how would that be for a next step? I would like to go to full
wort boil but that would necessitate a large brew pot (nice stainless one at
out local HB store a mere $160) with an outlet to run the wort through a
chiller. This opens a whole new can of worms. Any advice on economical
advances to conquer full boil and wort chilling would be appreciated.
Dean
Feel free to e-mail me if you don't wish to crowd the HBD with your reply....
Return to table of contents
From: "Kelly C. Heflin" <kheflin at monmouth.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 96 18:38:39 -0500
Subject: RIMS Heat Source
- -- [ From: Kelly C. Heflin * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
OK, with all the talk of fermenting teperatures going, I think I'm
ready for the??" heater in the tube"??... Heard of it , but dont really
know what or how it works. I've got a 3, 10 gallon stainless pots with
a valves on the bottom of each. A screen in one of them with enough
open area to give me the flow I need for a good pump. So far I've been
recirculating manually with the pot on a stove to keep the temp. It's
really not that accurate.
I'm ready to take the plunge with this. Help me make a decision on
pump and heat source...
Please email if possible.
kelly heflin
kheflin at monmouth.com
- --
Kelly C. Heflin
kheflin at monmouth.com
Return to table of contents
From: "Todd W. Roat" <troat at one.net>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 20:51:05 -0500
Subject: White film responses: summary and thanks!
Thanks to all who replied to my concern over white film forming on the
surface of my recently bottled nut brown ale. Mmmmm, nut brown ale. Half
the responses believed infection to be the culprit while the other half
seemed to have similar experiences but did not suspect infection, but
instead felt it to be related to yeast residue formation. Many suggested
"refidgerate then agitate" to cause the film to particulate then settle to
the bottom. This technique worked. I popped one open after 10 days: beer
is still pretty flat, but otherwise tastes fine, so far. Thanks all!
- --
"Some folks trust in reason, others trust in might,
some folks love the tree tops, just looking for
their kites"
Return to table of contents
From: Kallen Jenne <tirado at sprynet.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 18:16:11 -0700
Subject: Lager Yeast at Ale Temperatures
Lager yeast will ferment at ale temperature, in my experience, but will
not give you that clean, lager taste. I would suggest using either the
Wyeast California Common (2112) or Kolsch (2565) either are definately a
compromise from a full lager, but both should produce a fine beer.
+++++++++++++++++++
They can take my beer when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers. . .
or when it's reached room temperature, whichever comes first.
Kallen
Return to table of contents
From: jrsharp at HiWAAY.net (John Sharp)
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 20:29:51 -0400
Subject: Re: thermal contraction problem?
Ray Robert <Ray_Robert at bah.com> wrote:
>...
>Do I risk permanent damage to my new brew kettle, a converted SS Keg (Thanks
>Wallie!), if I were to immerse it in an ice bath after a full boil?
Ray,
The only way I see a problem involving thermal expansion/contraction would be
a material sensitive to thermal shock (e.g., glass) or dissimilar materials
that are in contact and have different coefficients of thermal expansion
(CTE). While I can't speak for steel out of experience, I immerse my
aluminum brewpot just after the boil into ice water without incident. The
CTE of steel is about 11E-6/DegC compared to aluminum's 23E-6/DegC, so if
mine is not a problem, then yours shouldn't be!
Immerse away :-)
John
==============================================================
//////////// John Sharp -- jrsharp at HiWAAY.net //////////////
Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes
and feel with their own hearts.
-- Albert Einstein
==============================================================
Return to table of contents
From: Glenn & Kristina Matthies <borst at localnet.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 22:15:33 -0400
Subject: Braggot/Bugs/iodine/
Bob Waterfall in 2096 comments on mead/ale and cider/ale combinations.
Braggot is mead/ale combo. I am not familiar with the word "scrumpy" but it
sounds good to me.
Terry asks about organic solutions to bug problems on hops. I have two
ideas although I don't have the specific amounts. My wife knows but she is
sleeping. If interested, email me and I will get the info.
1. Make a solution of crushed garlic and water. Allow to steep. Spray on
plants.
2. Steep plug chewing tobacco in water. Spray on plants. There are
plenty of compounds that are fatal to insects. Makes you wonder why we chew
tobacco.
Both of these will wash off in rain and need to be reapplied.
Iodine Starch Test: I have never done one but maybe I should now that I am
doing more and more partial mashes. I have not seen iodine for sale in
brewing catalogs. What does everyone use? Is the pharmaceutical grade
iodine useful?
TIA
Glenn & Kristina Matthies
Lockport, NY
borst at localnet.com
Glenn's Buffalo Beer Page
http://www.localnet.com/~borst/index.html
Return to table of contents
From: asteinm at nyc.pipeline.com (Art Steinmetz)
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 02:49:06 GMT
Subject: Space Beer
Al K. writes:
>> the problem with zero-gravity is that once the CO2 comes out of
solution,
it does not have a place to go to. Since there is no gravity, there is no
"up." My guess would be that bubbles would coalesce into larger bubbles
as they come out of solution because of surface tension, but they would
just float around in the fermenting beer with no place to go.<<
In my limited experience with zero-g (yes, I have some with a NASA free
fall drop tower) I seem to recall that the surface tension of the fluid is
key to understanding it's behavior in zero-G. Consider the miniscus of a
fluid in a cylindrical vessel. It's either concave, like water, or convex,
like mercury. The concave fluid will form a hollow sphere clinging to the
side of a less than completely full spherical vessel in zero-G. The convex
fluid will form a solid sphere floating in the middle.
Our space carboy would work simply by having the fermentation lock project
into the center of the vessel. The CO2 bubbles would travel to the gas
sphere in the center of the hollow wort sphere. The pressure differential,
not gravity of course, would force the gas through the lock.
- --
- - Art,
40* 48'N 74* 30'W
http:/ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/asteinmetz
Return to table of contents
From: raines at radonc.ucla.edu (Maribeth_Raines)
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 96 20:17:04 PDT
Subject: Beer line cleaner
BLC (Beer Line Cleaner) is basically caustic soda (sodium hydroxide; it may
also have some potassium hydroxide too.) with surfactants added. It is
designed to remove trub and other beer-related residues from commercial draft
beer lines. After having some problems with Red Devil Lye I switched to this
for cleaning and have been quite impressed with how well it works. It is
great for the elbow-grease impaired. I prefer the liquid over the powder
form. It works great on kegs, carboys, counter-flow wort chillers and plastic
fermenters. I like it so much I bought some for my lab to clean some of the
glassware! It is available in many homebrew supply stores including Brewers
Resource.
Two notes of caution. First, you should be careful (ie., wear protective
clothing, gloves, etc.) since this can and will burn your skin, eyes, and
clothes. Also you may not want to leave it for prolonged periods in glass
since it can strip a layer of glass off. Because it is a strong base, it must
also be rinsed with large amounts of water. It seems to me that BLC has
better rinsability than Red Devil (probably due to surfactants).
I recommend those using it for their wort chillers, rinse with water then a
dilute citric acid solution or cheap beer. This will neutralize the copper
and prevent metallic off-flavors in your beer. There is also a more
concentrated form of BLC called "Penetrant." I have yet to compare this to
the new caustic alternative from Star Prdoucts (DWP?). The downside is this
is costly compared to other cleaners; a quart size bottle runs about $10. IMO
it is well worth the investment for the hard to clean items.
MB Raines-Casselman
Return to table of contents
From: keith.royster at ponyexpress.com
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 23:46:43 +0000
Subject: HSA / "watery" beer / WWWater Chem / carboy starters / Cider / R
Boy! My weeks vacation in Florida is only half way over (or more if
Bertha doesn't move!) and I already have more HBD's than I can keep
up with!
First I want to thank everyone who responded to my post about HSA
and its related astringency. Apparently HSA can cause both a stale
/ cardboard effect in beer and an astringent character.
Consequently, astringency may very well be a valid concern for RIMS
users who are not careful with HSA, contrary to what I say in my
RIMS web page (http://dezines.com/ at your.service/RIMS). And also,
thanks to all who gently pointed out my error concerning sparging
and pH. The pH of your sparge will tend to *rise*, not fall, as the
sparge begins to thin. And Finally, thanks to all who responded with
info for a cider recipie!!!
- -------------------------------------
Jim Thomas commented on his "watery" scotch ale. Jim, did your beer
taste watery before being carbonated? If so, I've found that
carbonation significantly effects the perceived flavor of my beer,
especially when it initially seems watery. Don't know why bubbling
CO2 can change flavor characteristic of beer, but it does.
- -------------------------------------
Since I've recently begun all grain brewing I've also become more
interested in my water chemistry. I've noticed that a few people
have asked here on the digest for water profiles for their area and
was wondering how successfull these requests are. The reason I ask
is that I *might* consider compiling a web page of water chemistry
profiles from around the country / world if their use justifies the
work envolved in writing the web page. Also, if I were to write such
a page, what kind of info, besides the obvious basic ions & pH,
should I include? I was thinking things such as "Source of info" and
"general comments" should be included so that users can get an idea
of how reliable the info is.
- --------------------------------------
There has been some posts recently about just starting your yeast
starter in your carboy, as opposed to in a smaller jar and then
pitching into your carboy. I can't remember who originally asked
about this proceedure but Tracy recently responded with a basic,
"Sure! Why not?"
The procedure may very well work, but I would have one concern with
it: fermenter geometry. I didn't fully understand it the first time
this thread came through the digest, but apparently the geometry of
your fermenter has some effect on the yeast's effeciency. Corny kegs
were described as having a higher than optimal height to width ratio
and I would imagine that a yeast starter in your carboy would be in
the other extreme. The yeast apparently would have too much of a
lateral distance to move to keep in contact with fresh wort thus
adversly effecting their growth efficiency. Perhaps tilting your
carboy on an edge so that the wort collects in one small pool would
alleviate this possible problem.
- --------------------------------------
Stephen Buonocore asks about buying or building an Advanced Homebrew
System. While I don't have any info on the systems you asked about
(Pico Brewing Systems, Precision Brewing Systems, Brewer's
Warehouse, etc...), you also asked about RIMS info. I know I
mentioned it above, but here it is again... my RIMS web page:
http://dezines.com/ at your.service/RIMS. Besides having info and
photos here about how I built my RIMS you can also see some photos of
Kerry Hauptli's RIMS. Kerry owns BrewCraft Ltd., which manufactures
and sells RIMS related equipment for those who don't know much about
electronics (like me =). No affiliation, and I'm not even a
satisfied customer (although I may be someday). I don't have it
at hand, but Kerry's email address in on my web page.
- ----------------------------------------
That's it for now!
Keith Royster
keith.royster at ponyexpress.com
Usually from Mooresville, NC but presently getting a tan on the FL
beaches while a helles bock slowly ferments in his lagering fridge
back home!
Return to table of contents
From: EricHale at aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 01:10:46 -0400
Subject: Sanke gets foaming
I recently bought a Sanke ("regular" keg) tap for my homebrew (ball lock)
system. I used a Y connector to provide CO2 to a ball keg and the Icehouse
keg. (My wife had to hold me back when someone told me "This was the first
beer that you made that they actually like" while they were sipping a
swiller). I had the pressure set around 5 psi. Ambient temperature was in
the mid 80's. I used standard beer faucets (that comes with your typical
homebrew kegging kit) for both the homebrew and the swiller.
I had a problem with the swiller foaming. We had to pour it into a pitcher
to make it drinkable. We're talking lot's of foam. I tried everything:
Tweeking the pressure up and down, throttling the faucet, going full open,
etc..
Later, I tried to use the system without a Y to tap the Icehouse. I had the
same results. To's of foaming. Thinking that I may have force carbonated
the beer, I tried to bleed any excess pressure of the keg using the pressure
relief on the Sanke. This provided no change in resutls.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
BTW, I found a way that you can $ A V E $ O M E C A $ H when buying a
Sanke tap (or maybe I just got lucky). I was trying to find a local homebrew
store that had one in stock. I couldn't. I was about to have one next-day
air shipped to me. Delivered cost = $47.49. Ouch! And that didn't include
the extra "beer nut" you need. By chance I stopped by a local beer
distributer. I got the Sanke w/ the extra "beer nut" for $25.
I don't mind paying a little extra to buy from someone in the homebrew
business. I'm all for supporting my local homebrew supplier. In fact, the
guy I normally use is more expensive than the store closest to my house. Of
course you might be thinking the homebrew supplier might have given me the
answer to my question. Yeah, right! When I asked for a Sanke tap, he said
"a what? ...never heard of it."
TIA,
Eric Hale
In Beer We Trust
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From: Dodger Posey <dodger at quack.kfu.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 22:37:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Beer as a Computer...
- --------------Dodger Posey-----dodger at quack.kfu.com-------------
I haven't been around lately, so haven't contributed much. Now, 2 items.
1. Beer Longetivity. I made 12 batches of beer 1.5 to 3 years ago, and
am still drinking them. Nearly all batches are still Most Excellent. Just
finished my Batch #2, dated 7/93, Ugly Duckling Ale, and i'm in heaven.
#2 The following is included since it could include alot of subscribers
to this digest.
Dodger Posey
- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Subject: If Operating Systems Were Beers
>
>
> DOS Beer
> Requires you to use your own can opener, and requires you
> to read the directions carefully before opening the can.
> Originally only came in an 8-oz. can, but now comes in a
> 16-oz. can. However, the cans are divided into 8 compartments
> of 2 oz. each, which have to be accessed separately. Soon
> to be discontinued, although a lot of people are going to
> keep drinking it after it's no longer available.
>
> Mac Beer
> At first, came only in a 16-oz. can, but now comes in a 32-oz.
> can. Considered by many to be a "light" beer. All the cans
> look identical. When you take one from the fridge, it opens
> itself. The ingredients list is not on the can. If you call
> to ask about the ingredients, you are told that "you don't
> need to know." A notice on the side reminds you to drag your
> empties to the trashcan.
>
> Windows 3.1 Beer
> The world's most popular. Comes in a 16-oz. can that looks a
> lot like a Mac Beer's can. Requires that you already own a DOS
> Beer. Claims that it allows you to drink several DOS Beers
> simultaneously, but in reality, you can drink a few of them,
> very slowly, especially slowly if you are drinking the Windows
> Beer at the same time. Sometimes, for apparently no reason,
> a can of Windows Beer will explode when you open it.
>
> OS/2 Beer
> Comes in a 32-oz. can. Does allow you to drink several DOS
> Beers simultaneously. Allows you to drink Windows 3.1 Beer
> simultaneously too, even if you shake them up. You never
> really see anyone drinking OS/2 Beer, but the manufacturer
> (International Beer Manufacturing) claims that 9 million
> six-packs have been sold.
>
> Windows 95 Beer
> You can't buy it yet, but a lot of people have taste-tested
> it and claim it's wonderful. The can looks a lot like Mac
> Beer's can, but tastes more like Windows 3.1 Beer. It comes
> in 32-oz. cans, but when you look inside, the cans only have
> 16-oz. of beer in them. Most people will probably keep drinking
> Windows 3.1 beer until their friends try Windows 95 Beer and
> say they like it. The ingredients list, when you look at the
> small print, has some of the same ingredients that come in DOS
> Beer, even though the manufacturer claims that this is an entirely
> new brew.
>
> Windows NT Beer
> Comes in 32-oz. cans, but you can only buy it by the truckload.
> This causes most people to have to go out and buy bigger
> refrigerators. The can looks just like Windows 3.1 Beer's, but
> the comapny promises to change the can to look just like Windows
> 95 Beer's - After Windows 95 Beer starts shipping. Touted as an
> "industrial strength" beer, and suggested only for use in bars.
>
> Unix Beer
> Drinkers of Unix Beer display fierce brand loyalty, even though
> they claim that all the diffeent brands taste almost identical.
> Sometimes the pop-tops break off when you try to open them, so
> you have to have your own can opener around for those occasions,
> in which case you either need a complete set of instructions, or
> a friend who has been drinking Unix Beer for several years.
>
> AmigaDOS Beer
> The comapny has gone out of business, but their recipe has been
> picked up by some weird German company, so now this beer will be
> an import. This beer never really sold very well because the
> original manufacturer didn't understand marketing. Like Unix
> Beer, AmigaDOS Beer fans are an extemely loyal and loud group. It
> originally came in a 16-oz. can, but now comes in 32-oz.
> cans too. When this can was originally introduced, it appeared
> flashy and colorful, but the design hasn't changed much over the
> years, so it appears dated now. Critics of this beer claim that
> it is only meant for watching TV anyway.
>
> VMS Beer
> Requires minimum user interaction, except for popping the top and
> sipping. However cans have been known on occasion to explode, or
> contain extremely un-beer-like contents. Best drunk in high
> pressure development you're told that is proprietary and referred
> to an unknown listing in the manuals published by the FDA. Rumors
> are that this was once listed in the Physician's Desk Reference
> as a tranquilizer, but no one can claim to have actually seen it.
>
>
> The biggest problem is before you drink any one of them you have
> to buy a really expensive bag of chips to go with it.
>
> (author unknown)
>
> ________________________________________________
> The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
>
> sugeet at maui.net
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
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From: Charlie Scandrett <merino at buggs.cynergy.com.au>
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 20:14:36 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Water Class again
OK, this is my Dad's water analysis, it comes from the aquifer of a sand
island and is piped to the mainland.
Conductivity= 280
pH at 20C = 7.45
Total Hardness(mg/L CaCO3)= 76
Temp Hardness(mg/L CaCO3)=43.5
Alkalinity (mg/L CaCO3)=37.5
Residual Alkalinity= 0
Silica =5
Total Dissolved Ions(mg/L)=165
Total Dissolved Solids(mg/L)=155
Colour (Hazen)=4
Turbidity = <1
pHs (Calc for CaCO3) =8.7
Saturation Index =-1.8
Mole Ratio = 3.3
Sodium Adsorption Ratio =2.1
Figure of Merit=1.1
CATIONS (mg/L)
Sodium Na+ 35
Potassium K+ 1.2
Calcium Ca++ 14
Magnesium Mg++ 4.5
ANIONS
Bicarbonate HCO3- 25
Carbonate CO3- 0.1
Chloride Cl- 45
Flouride F- <0.1
Nitrate NO3- <0.5
Sulphate SO4- 18
OTHER DISSOLVED ELEMENTS
Iron Fe <0.02
Manganese Mn <0.02
Zinc Zn 0.08
Aluminium Al 0.05
Boron B <0.1
Copper Cu <0.05
This is an average of two analysis, which differed greatly in parts. To my
understanding, Ca++ is OK, Iron is good, Al?, Mn?, Na+ is a bit high,
Chloride is too high. What is the "Saturation Index and what about Silica?
I intend to advise him to dilute 2 parts deionized to 1 part boiled tap, add
0.5 teaspoon of gypsum, 0.125 tsp baking soda, 0.125 tsp epsom salt per 28
litre batch for a general purpose water. More gypsum for pale ales?
Have I missed something? I have based this on Ken Schwartz's (& Tim
Laatch's) "Brewater" program and notes. This little free utility is very
useful.
I have made it simple, Dad has brewed since during WW2 and doesn't like
"unneccessary change".
Charlie (Brisbane, Australia)
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From: "Kevin McEnhill" <kevinm at kci.wayne.edu>
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 07:42:19 -0500
Subject: Kegging Stuff
Howdy one and all,
I have recently jumped into the kegging program and I am never going
to bottle a whole batch again! I love this stuff, you "bottle" once in
the keg and counterpressure bottle for competitions.
Any-hoo, I do have some questions now that I have my system up,
running and full. Right now, all I have is a picnic faucet, do I have
to take this thing apart every night to clean out the beer line. Is it
alright to leave the beer line full for a day or two.
Thanks for any addvert...addise...avices...help you can give. 8-)
< Insert witty phrase here > kevinm at kci.wayne.edu <Kevin McEnhill>
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