---

   FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
        Shawn Steele, Digest Janitor
        Thanks to Rob Gardner for making the digest happen!

Contents:
  Heart of the Hops ("Thompson, Brian")
  Gott cooler valves (Luke Farber)
  MADE IN THE SHADE IV (Homebrew Competition) ((Jeff Handley & Gene Almquist))
  Methanol and more (korz at pubs.ih.lucent.com)
  a few comments (Jeremy Ballard Bergsman)
  Blueberry ((biohazrd))
  Concrete fermenters ((Mike Urseth))
  (not by a) Longshot American Pale Ale Recipe (Steve Alexander)
  Party Keg pressure. (Mark Polnasek)
  Maltodextrin Substitution ((Nicholas Dahl))
  Maltose/"Homebrew Today"/ Porter/Honeywell Controllers/Dry Yeast/Far from State of the Art Fermenters  (Rob Moline)
  Jethro Gump Report. part 2 (Rob Moline)
  pH Meters - Care and Feeding (Esbitter at aol.com)
  Refrigerators vs. Chest Freezers  (Anthony Lucas)
  UNIQUE WINES AUCTION/Loire Valley (France) (Pascal Nicolas)
  Nova Scotia Brewpubs ((Gordon Mowat))
  RE: Bulging Beer (Maxwell HBD2109) ((Michael A. Genito))
  Mini Kegs... ("Bessette, Bob")
  Re: Wit beer help  (Spencer W Thomas)
  RE:Lactic fermentations ((George De Piro))

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Thompson, Brian" <bthompson at mfi.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 96 12:20:57 PST
Subject: Heart of the Hops

 
Yes, more on this tired old thread... 
 
My father tells me of a holiday beer he remembers from his childhood in 
Cleveland... Old Frothingslosh was the name. The motto on the label: "Brewed 
from the heart of the hippity hops." I have no idea which brewery produced it, 
but perhaps someone should tell Miller that it was a joke in the 1930s and it's

still a joke today. 
 
Brian Thompson 
bthompson at mfi.com 

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From: Luke Farber <lfarber at swaps.ml.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 17:44:07 -0400
Subject: Gott cooler valves

I'm currently building a 3-tier system using a 10-gallon Gott cooler as my top 
 level hot liquor tank.  I removed the plastic valve assembly and punched out 
 the button/spindle that's normally used to control water flow.  I reattached 
 the valve assembly to the cooler and attached a hose and hose clamp to the 
 plastic spigot.  What I can't seem to figure out is how to plug the hole left 
 by the button/spindle. 
 
Has anyone gone through this drill? 
 
Thanks in advance. 
 

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From: homebrew at infomagic.com (Jeff Handley & Gene Almquist)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 15:34:34 -0700
Subject: MADE IN THE SHADE IV (Homebrew Competition)

Greetings to all: 
On August 17, 1996 there will be an AHA sanctioned homebrew contest held 
here in Flagstaff, AZ. If anyone would like to enter there prized homebrews 
please E-Mail us directly: outpost@ homebrewers.com and we will send via 
e-mail all the necessary information. Entries must be sent between Aug 
7th-Aug 14th. If you happen to be in Flagstaff or Arizona at that time you 
may want to come to the festival. It's a real blast. Thanks, Jeff Handley 
******************************************** 
* Jeff Handley***outpost@ homebrewers.com   * 
* Homebrewers Outpost-Flagstaff, Arizona   * 
*      http://www.homebrewers.com          * 
*                                          * 
* Homer: "Thanks for coming to my party.   * 
*  Wow, you brought a whole beer keg!"     * 
* Barney: "Yeah.  Where can I fill it up?" * 
******************************************** 
 
 
- ------------------------------ 

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From: korz at pubs.ih.lucent.com
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 96 18:18:38 CDT
Subject: Methanol and more

I'm not one usually to point to websites, but this one caught my 
eye.  It has to do with Nutrasweet.  In the short article it points 
out that Aspartame is 10% methanol and includes the EPA guideline 
for methanol consumption. 
 
The site is at:  http://luff.latrobe.edu.au/~bhsjma/nutrasw.htm 
 
Al. 

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From: Jeremy Ballard Bergsman <jeremybb at leland.Stanford.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 16:28:19 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: a few comments

Bill Ballhorn <optimg!ballhorn at insosf1.netins.net> asks about lactic 
acid fermentation: 
 
> 1. Can I leave the wort to ferment in my boiling kettle with the spent hops 
> and hot break still on the bottom? I'm assuming this is not the best and 
> therefore the procedure should be to rack to a carboy for the lactic acid 
> ferment and then rack back to my boil kettle to boil and kill the bacteria? 
 
I would suggest a brief boil of the wort with NO HOPS, cooling, and 
racking into the carboy.  While probably not a major consideration 
with this style, you have less control over your hop additions if 
they are added to the first boil.  There is no reason to rack the 
wort when hot, cool it first.  After the lactic acid rest, pour 
back into the kettle and boil as you normally would, adding the hops 
and other goodies. 
 
He also wonders about sanitation: 
While pediococcus is known as a fairly tough one to kill, there is no 
reason why normal sanitation methods won't work. 
 
*************** 
I have my own question about making these beers: why does everyone add 
the lactic acid all at the end of fermentation when it seems to be 
true that you then need to age extensively to "blend" the lactate 
flavor?  If you are planning on adding, say, 15 mL of lactic acid, 
why not add 12 at pitching time and the adjust at bottling.  It 
would seem to me that this would require less aging.  How much 
would this drop the pH?  Is this the problem? 
******************* 
AJN <neitzkea at frc.com> asks about improving his beer: 
 
> since June 96, it seams that I can improve my beer by: 
> 
> 1. Avoiding HSA 
> 
> 2. Using liquid yeast 
> 
> A. When cooling the wort, what should be the final tempature before adding 
> it to the carboy? 
If you are going to the trouble of cooling your wort (not that it's that 
much trouble, everyone should do it) you might as well try to get the 
wort down to pitching temp, say 65F.  In terms of avoiding HSA, people 
recommend avoiding aeration above ~80F (let's not have the sharp 
cutoff argument again). 
> 
> B. Can I use dry yeast and hydrate it pryor to pitching, or do I have to 
> buy "smack packs"? 
You can do either, but the former is not using liquid yeast.  There 
are three main advantages to using liquid yeast IMHO: 
1) More likely to be pure 
2) More variety of strains 
3) Strains haven't been selected for the ability to make beer after 
   being dried. 
The only real disadvantage is the extra effort of culturing/making a 
starter.  (If you don't like too much effort in brewing may I suggest 
the liquor store?)  Some object to the cost, but this can easily be 
mitigated by various methods (see the yeast FAQ).  Besides, what's 
the cost of a bad batch? 
***************** 
Al writes quoting Tom: 
> >Main problem with wild hops is that they may contain male plants 
> >which polinate the female plants used in brewing. 
> >Polinated hops grow to seeds and are quite useless (at least I was told so).

> You were told wrong.  Seeded hops have slightly lower lupulin content 
> and therefore lower %AA, but are fine for brewing.  Fuggle is a variety 
> that I know is grown seeded in the UK (although some farms may grow them 
> unseeded). 
 
Just because they have seeds, does this mean they have been polinated? 
My understanding was that male plants were to be avoided and that one 
of the benefits of triploid strains like Willamette was that they 
were sterile 
**************** 
> From: rransom at msu.edu (Richard F. Ransom) 
 
> ... my 
> long training in microbiology, which has taught me that you should be as 
> dirty as possible up to the point that you get contamination. 
No microbiologist I know has ever said that! 
 
> My other question concerns far-from-state-of-the-art fermenters.  I would 
> like to cast my own open fermenters out of reinforced concrete and then 
> glaze the interior surfaces with some acid-resistant coating. 
 
I seem to recall that Buffalo Bills here in Northern CA uses some 
sort of tile-covered open fermenter. 
***************** 
Now my question: 
 
This year my hops are doing well after 3 years of doing poorly (I've 
been trying to find a sunny place they can grow tall in).  One 
difference I've noticed is that whereas side shoots were very rare 
previously, now I get 2 from vitually every pair of leaves.  I have 
been cutting these off, but the high ones are getting hard to 
reach.  What is the consensus for whether to cut or not? 
***************** 
If anyone has had the patience and memory to still be waiting for more 
info about the storage of slants under mineral oil at room temp (hi 
Pierre), I'm sorry I haven't posted anything.  I haven't forgotten, I 
can't reach the guy from Davis who told me about it. 
 
Jeremy Bergsman 
jeremybb at leland.stanford.edu 
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jeremybb/beerstuff/beerpage.html 

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From: biohazrd at graceba.net (biohazrd)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 17:41:00 -0500
Subject: Blueberry

Blueberry beer is a tradition in our household, we pick the berries, and 
craft the beer every summer.  Our recipe is as follows: 
 
Harvey's Blue Beer 
 
5 1/2 lbs   Hugh Baird Pale Malt 
1/2 lb Crystal Malt 
1  lb Wheat Malt 
1/2 lb Corn Sugar 
4 Cups Blueberries 
1/2 oz Willamet Hops (boil) 
1/4 oz Saaz Hops (10 minutes) 
 
Yeast of your choice, Wyeast 1056 or Coopers Dry is preferred by us. 
 
Mash in 9 qts 140 F. water, raise to 152 F and convert for 90 minutes. 
Mash out 5 minutes at 168 F. 
Sparge with 5 gal. of 168 F acidified sparge water.  Boil 60 min to 90 min 
or until volume adequately reduced. 
Mash berries with potato masher in bowl with corn sugar untill a pulpy 
mess.  Add to hot wort when it has cooled to about 180 F and cover and let 
sit around 20 minutes, then chill as normal (we use an imersion chiller, 
berry bits could clog a counterflow) and ferment. 
 
Beware, the addition of the fruit will send the gravity into orbit so 
don't juke up the malt unless you want a barley blue beer.  Fruit will 
increase the bitter finish so go light on the bittering hops. 
 
Produces a beer with a blue head and hue and a distinctive blueberry 
flavor.  Varies from season to season because of the quality and sweetness 
of the berries.  This is my wife's favorite brew. 
 
Ron and Sharon 
Biohazard Brewery 
 
 

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From: beernote at realbeer.com (Mike Urseth)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 19:33:01 -0600
Subject: Concrete fermenters

>My other question concerns far-from-state-of-the-art fermenters.  I would 
>like to cast my own open fermenters out of reinforced concrete and then 
>glaze the interior surfaces with some acid-resistant coating.  I strongly 
>suspect that raw concrete would be a poor surface for fermentation, carrying 
>the high risk of culturing contaminants in crevices and leaching various 
>non-food-grade substances into the acidic beer.  Anyone with experience in 
>the masonry trade familiar with a suitable low-temp glaze? 
 
No personal experience, but I know that large brewers have used such 
systems. The Stroh plant in St. Paul, MN has some concrete fermenters still 
in service. They do have a higher maintenance cost than SS but it can work. 
 
 
Mike Urseth 
Editor & Publisher 
Midwest Beer Notes 
339 Sixth Avenue 
Clayton, WI  54004 
715-948-2990 ph. 
715-948-2981 fax 
e-mail:  beernote at realbeer.com 
 
 
 
- ------------------------------ 

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From: Steve Alexander <stevea at clv.mcd.mot.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 20:45:31 -0400
Subject: (not by a) Longshot American Pale Ale Recipe

 
Dave Greenlee writes that ... 
 
>Anyone interested in cloning Longshot American Pale Ale can find Jim 
>Simpson's original recipe in the February, 96, newsletter of the Malted 
>Barley Appreciation Society at 
> 
>http://www.nycbeer.org/mbas/0296.html 
 
I few weeks ago I questioned whether this brew should be considered an 
Americal Pale Ale at all since it obviously had a hefty dose of 
toasty munich/vienna malt.  As it turns out the original homebrew 
recipe had only (in order of decreasing wght) Klages Malt, Pale Ale 
Malt, Mild Ale Malt, Flaked Barley, Crystal(60L) Malt and Turbinado 
Sugar. 
 
When Boston Brewing was creating the commercial recipe, according to 
Jim Simpson, they eliminated the turbinado sugar, the pale and mild 
malts and wanted to eliminate the raw barley too (Doh!).  BBC had to 
hack the hops bill and yeast type as well.  Jim Simpson goes on to 
say, "They said that the right proportion of Klages, Victory and 
Munich malts would produce the desired malt profile".  It apparently 
didn't.  Doesn't taste like an APA to me.  Not a bad beer, but not an 
APA. 
 
Sort of a 'win the HB contest and we'll name this other beer after 
yours' deal - No ? 
 
The original recipe, with 7 hop type/additions looks intriguing,  very 
much a conventional APA w/ a big cascades dry hopping. 
 
Steve Alexander 
BTW - this club has a great newsletter. 
 

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From: Mark Polnasek <dolt at mnsinc.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 22:12:09 -0400
Subject: Party Keg pressure.

To the collective, 
        I just discovered a nifty gaget. 
         We used to haul a 5 lb steel  CO2 cyclinder and regulator around to 
parties to show off our beers in 5 gallon kegs. The keg and CO2 gas had to 
be moved by two people or via handtruck. What a pain. (We have a thermal 
jacket that keeps the keg cool for hours. We tried aluminum cylinders and 
they just save weight and not volume.) 
        Just received in the mail a "Mini-Regulator" from Stien Fillers in 
Long Beach CA. (No affiliation blah, blah. Just a real happy customer.) 
        It's amazingly tiny!  2 inches tall and about an inch square. Built 
like a Swiss Watch. Beautiful piece of gear. Works great too. I've had it 
for awhile but just used it for a party tonite. I got the 74 gram CO2 
cartriges with the unit. I understand that they can be acquired at dive 
shops in the area. The 74 gram cartrige was just perfect for despensing a 5 
gallon Coke keg. No waste at all. (Paint ball CO2 cannot be used with this 
unit unfortunatly as it requires threaded cyclinders) 
        It's not cheap however. Over a C-Note. Worth it in my eyes though. 
I'm real tired of hauling that 5 lb cyclinder around. 
        I'm not sure I should publicly post thier E-mail address. For more 
info contact me I guess:   dolt at mnsinc.com 
        I am one happy puppy. I have been looking for something like this 
for a long time. I know there are hand air pumps out there, but sometimes, 
God forbid, our kegs are not finished in one nite and I like to enjoy them 
myself at a later time. 
 
                               Mark P. 
 

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From: ndd3 at psu.edu (Nicholas Dahl)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 22:58:36 -0500
Subject: Maltodextrin Substitution

I've got a recipe that calls for a half-pound of maltodextrin.  I'd like to 
keep the recipe "all-grain," so, what should I substitute for the powder? 
 
Also, the recipe calls for six pounds of light malt extract, and one pound 
of dry malt extract.  Given a 70% extraction average, how much 2-row would 
I need to substitute to pull this off? 
 
Truth in brewing, 
 
Nick 
 
 

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From: Rob Moline <brewer at kansas.net>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 00:00:47 -0500
Subject: Maltose/"Homebrew Today"/ Porter/Honeywell Controllers/Dry Yeast/Far from State of the Art Fermenters 

                The Jethro Gump Report 
Maltose- 
        This may well have been covered in the recent posts on maltose, but 
it was one of those things I scrolled past...so if this is redundant, blame 
it on the source...Jethro (Redundant) Gump...but one of the members of the 
Little Apple Brew Crew...the local HB club...spent a few weeks recently in 
the UK and brought back a couple of copies of a VERY well done homebrew 
tabloid formatted paper..."The Homebrew Today"...304 Northridge Way, Hemel 
Hempstead, Herts, HP 1, 2 DP, England... Subscription Service is at 4 Lytles 
Close, Liverpool, L37,4 BT, UK...subs go for 5 pounds domestically, and 7.50 
pounds for Overseas.. I am unable to tell how many issues are published per 
year...the copies I borrowed were Issue No. 37 and 38...they appear to be 
free to patrons of HB shops, and the focus is on the beginner, both in beer 
and wine...Very nice job...glossy paper and nice colour photos.... 
In a letter to the Editor, Issue No. 37, there is a question on maltose as a 
result of the writers use of the Wheeler -Protz book "Brew your own Real Ale 
at Home."  The editor replies: 
       " Unfortunately the prime supply of maltose syrup ceased just after 
the Wheeler & Protz book was published, and I do not know where you can buy 
it.         Maltose syrup is used to add flavour and body" ......." but at 
present I think it might only be found blended as an ingredient of some beer 
kits." 
        The answer goes on to suggest "if the recipe says 500 g 
maltose....you could substitute....320 g dextrose and 80 g dextrin." 
 
Porters- 
        There was also a very nice piece on Porters in issue 38 ...by Graham 
Wheeler...which talks about things I didn't know about before...but I will 
go back to Foster's (?) book from the Beer Style series of AoB, before I 
summarize the info for you....(there's always a prob, when the bulk of your 
brewing library is at the brewery and your computer is at home!)... from my 
memory, I have no recollection of the principle that porters were based on a 
"stale" portion that had gone sour....the use of which was influenced by 
taxation...and the financial speculation in such a 'stale' beer was 
apparently such that todays arbitrage jockeys would find attractive....but 
it makes a bunch of sense to me, when combined with the knowledge of the 
sour portion that is inherent in Guinness, and of the etiology of stouts 
being based in porter....I would also like to get permission to print more 
than the wee bit I feel won't tick the writer or publisher off...(Insert 
blatant commercial plug for the publisher here!...SUBSCRIBE to the "HOMEBREW 
TODAY" !!!) 
 
        "The stale or sour component of porter is a hard concept for modern 
people to come to terms with, and most historians and beer writers, when 
they come across references to it in the literature, seize on this and fly 
into diatribes about poor hygiene and unscrupulous landlords adulterating 
their beer with spoilt slops, but nothing could be further from the truth. 
The stale component was an essential ingredient, the secret ingredient, 
which in fact cost twice the price of unsoured beer, and was the foundation 
of the whole porter phenonmenon."  Graham Wheeler. 
 
 
 
 
Cheers! 
Rob Moline 
Little Apple Brewing Company 
Manhattan, Kansas 
 
"The more I know about beer, the more I realize I need to know more about 
beer!"
 

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From: Rob Moline <brewer at kansas.net>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 01:41:06 -0500
Subject: Jethro Gump Report. part 2

>Subject: Maltose/"Homebrew Today"/ Porter/Honeywell Controllers/Dry 
>  Yeast/Far from State of the Art Fermenters .."Gump Report..part 2." 
 
                (One of these days, I've got to get better software...this 
thing sucks!) 
 
Honeywell Controllers- Mike Ball asks....I use them on my ferms to control 
heat...We use a spin-side Grundy, modified by a Canadian company 
"Specialistes D'Acier Inoxydable TL", with a cylindro conical on the bottom. 
Ferm heat is controlled by a large, maybe 24 - 30 inch, internal cooling 
disk, hollow stainless and supported by 2  ..1/2 inch stainless tubes 
running to the side wall and thence to a solenoid controlled by the 
Honeywell. This in turn allows chilling fluid to run thru the disk and keep 
temps down. ..(The system wasn't designed for adjusting heat up in the 
winter, though and also is capable of creating stratification of temps, and 
the tanks are not jacketed.) But the Honeywells are great...no 
trouble...work well...set and forget, once calibrated. They also control my 
chillers and cold rooms...there are better devices available...but for the 
money?  Possibly, but I will endorse these. They work. 
 
Dry Yeast- Arnold Nietzke on dry yeast....Just rehydrate in 100 F H2O, 
boiled then cooled, stir in yeast, wait 10 min, add equivalent amount of 
wort, stir, wait 10/60, and pitch. All this can take place in a large coffee 
cup for your typical 5 gallon batch. Jethro continues to be bemused by the 
curt dismissal of dry yeasts, in deference to liquid yeasts. Once upon a 
time there was every good reason for such an attitude, and I have seen 
vastly superior beers made with liquid, on the same recipe, as a batch of 
dry. But the manufacturers have come a long way, and drys don't have the QC 
and bacterial prob's they were saddled with in the past. This is not to say 
that all dry manufacturers have gotten the message that Homebrewers are more 
sophisticated now, and demand a better grade of product, but to me thats the 
reason that the better suppliers are now taking the time to get it right. 
(One situation, poor product, led to the establishment of the Liquid yeast 
fellows, and their quick success in the marketplace, at the expense of the 
drys, forced the drys to get with the program or continue to lose share.) 
Jethro's Big 12 Barleywine was made with Lallemand Nottingham, 500 grams dry 
weight in 7 BBl, taking the beer to 10.5 ABV, and then 500 g Lallemand 
EC-1118 wine yeast to carry it the rest of the way. This on a 23.9 Plato Og, 
with a final ABV of 10.5 (I did think the champagne yeast would go a little 
further than it did, though.) Could it have been a better beer with liquid? 
Maybe....but people like it, as do I. I can't comment on the relative 
strengths and deficiencies of the various dry yeasts made for the HB market 
these days, cos I don't use them...but I will vouch for the ones I use...the 
Lallemands...under pitching with a 5 or 7 gram pack in homebrews seems to be 
the only real prob with them, and the use of a starter is always 
beneficial...but you can achieve good results by using 2 or 3 sachets, and 
rehydrating and attemperating as above. 
        While on the subject, Lallaemand is bringing out to the beta testing 
phase, the only real lager yeast sold in dry form. According to Gordon 
Specht, Lallaemand rep, they have never been able to successfully produce a 
true lager in dry form without problems..apparently any dry labeled lager is 
actually an ale that is able to work at low temps, but not really a lager 
yeast. The trial samples are in 50 g sachets, but I haven't tried mine 
yet... (Other fish to fry, right now.) 
 
Far from State of the Art Fermenters--Richard Ransom asks--- 
        See above...but these were 2500 $..... for less money, assuming they 
still have some, Cactus Creek International and Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe, 
Arizona has some Grundy's and Porter Lancastrians. 7 bbl P-L's for 1000 $ 
each, in a set of 4...(plus freight)...thats reasonable for the US 
market...(they also had some 3 BBl tanks).... get clamp fittings welded on 
them and butt weld a 1 1/2 inch clamp fitting to the side, for a racking arm 
(1 inch stainless pipe welded to a 1 inch Definox butterfly, in my case, 
straight for about 8 inches then bent to the height above the yeast bed that 
you prefer)....these tanks could be used as ferms, (but are not as 
desireable as a tank with a cylindro conical), conditioners and servers, 
with an air-stone in the racking arm port for a server. 
        Spin side (or submarine door) grundy's are the pick of the litter, 
in terms of P-L's and/ or top door grundy's, IMHO.  They had some of these 
for $ 1500,  but may be out of them now. (Always insist on matching Serial 
numbers on door and tank on these, sometimes the door wasn't made for the 
tank you were sold, and may have to be 'fitted', an expensive job.) For that 
reason, they seem to be in shorter supply, and are usually snatched up 
first, when a load arrive from the UK. The main prob with them, for me, is 
galling of the stainless threads on the door. I am going to try an 
anti-seize compound on them, but am just using 'incidental food contact' 
grade silicone spray for now. I have had momemnts that seizure has occurred, 
and I have to work several guys asses off to turn it enough to push the 
gasket back, and get the door out. Then a trip to the welders to cut off the 
old threaded shaft and weld a new one to the door.  ( A good relationship 
with a welder is important for a small brewer!) John Palmer, comments? 
        Would cement work...you could probably get away with it, with the 
right lining...hell...you could probably line it with a food grade form of a 
swimming pool liner and get away with it....but concrete is often a great 
place for bacteria, as porous as it may be....The cinder blocks that support 
a couple of my ferms are definitely cultureable...(That's another story.) 
 
        All partial and limited use of copyrighted materials purely for 
educational purposes, and were acknowledged in Part 1. All relationships 
with commercial entities purely financial...I give them money and they 
satisfy me with their products!! 
        (Gotta get better software....) 
 
Jethro (Hophead) Gump 
 
Cheers! 
Rob Moline 
Little Apple Brewing Company 
Manhattan, Kansas 
 
"The more I know about beer, the more I realize I need to know more about 
beer!"
 

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From: Esbitter at aol.com
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 07:36:29 -0400
Subject: pH Meters - Care and Feeding

Greetings fellow fermenters. 
 
Having used the cheap pH papers in the past, and then moving up to a pH 
Checker 1 (by Hanna), I only got about 6 months out of the electrode before 
it went bad (technical term). I stored it in tap water (upright in a grolsch 
bottle). 
 
Can anyone recommend a better way to store a pH meter so that I get more than 
6 months from the new electrode? Is 6 months only what I should expect? Do 
any of you have better solutions to taking pH readings for brewing? (better 
brands, better papers, better ways to care for the electrode...) 
 
Private email is fine, if interesting, I will post the results. 
 
Thanks 
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
Homebrewers are like dogs teaching each other how to 
chase cars. - Ann Reed 
 
    +-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-+ 
     + The Local Brewing Company + 
      +   ESBITTER at  at AOL.COM     + 
       +         Randy Reed             + 
      +   South Shore Brew Club    + 
     +  (Boston, MA Area - South)  + 
 +-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-+ 
 

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From: Anthony Lucas <alucas at senet.com.au>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 21:13:15 +0930
Subject: Refrigerators vs. Chest Freezers 

 I have decided that my fridge is just too small to keep my 5 gallon 
>Corny kegs in anymore and intend to purchase a used fridge or freezer to 
>keep my beer in and to lager. 
> 
>The Questions: 
>Which is better, refrigerator or freezer?  And if it's a freezer, do I 
>go for upright of the other kind (coffin style)? 
> 
>Can anyone give me guidance on how to hook up taps and CO2 lines without 
>disturbing any freon coils? 
> 
I use a 140 litre chest freezer which holds 2 * 18 litre kegs just nicely, 
with a bit of room left for the odd 6-pack or some pre-boiled water to 
quickly bring the temp of your next brew down to pitching temp. 
The thermostat on the back can be adjusted using the coarse adjust screw 
(you may have to pull the cover off the thermostat to get to it). This will 
have to be a trial and error job using a digital thermometer - just keep 
adjusting till you get it cutting off at about 3-5 deg C. When you've got 
that set you use the fine adjust knob to give you a range of about -3 to +7 
deg C. depending on whether you're carbonating or serving your beer - or for 
serving different styles. 
The beer and gas lines can be run though the lid safely because there are no 
freon lines running through there - just leave a bit of slack on the gas 
line for opening the lid. I have 2 lines for guns and one for a tap running 
through a sleeve of poly-pipe (used in watering systems)which is siliconed 
into the lid. This lets you pull the guns away from the freezer when serving 
and the beer line can be retracted when not serving, stopping the beer in 
the lines from getting warm. 
 
Cheers, Anthony Lucas, Adelaide, South Australia. 
Anthony Lucas, Glenelg, South Australia 
 
 

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From: Pascal Nicolas <Pascal.Nicolas at Univ-Angers.fr>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 14:23:15 +0200 (METDST)
Subject: UNIQUE WINES AUCTION/Loire Valley (France)

 
TO THE LOVERS OF EXCEPTIONAL WINES AND THE COLLECTORS 
 
   Dear Friends, 
 
 We are pleased to announce the Charity Auction of 12 " Old 
Vintage " Anjou Wine bottles (Loire Valley). 
=09 
        1892 (1), 1905 (1), 1919 (1), 1928 (1), 1937 (1), 
        1947 (2), 1949 (1), 1953 (1), 1955 (2), 1959 (1). 
 
 All these bottles, 37 to 104 years old, have been kept 
perfectly intact. Year after year, the unique, mellow white wines have 
gained a beautiful apricot color. All the aromas are still in force. 
 
 Before tasting an Old Anjou Wine, the " amateur " uncorks the 
bottle about three hours in advance, and prepares his/her palate with 
a young, dry white wine, very light and neutral (ex. Muscadet) to 
stimulate the taste buds, and really get to appreciate this divine 
nectar. 
=09 
 This auction is organized to the benefit of the PERCE-NEIGE 
Association, founded by the regretted French actor LINO VENTURA, for 
the mentally challenged adults. 
 
 To get more information and participate in the auction , see=20 
             ______________________________________________ 
            /                                            / \ 
  _________/                                            /   \ 
 |                http://www.anjou.com/vins/encheres   |     | 
 |_________                                            |     | 
           \                                            \   / 
            \____________________________________________\_/ 
 
 You will find a form to fill, in order to send a fax "Purchase Order" 
to Ma=EEtre Jean-Philippe COURTOIS, Auctioneer in ANGERS (France), who 
conducts this auction. 
 
 Conclusion of the sale : Sunday July 21st at 3:00 PM GMT (or 5:00 PM 
in France) at the Saint-Aubin-de-Luigne Vintage Wine Fair (Maine et 
Loire). 
 
 Please register your Purchase Order as soon as possible, stating your 
maximum bid and sending your fax as a Legal Form completed from the 
site >>> http://www.anjou.com/vins/ench=E8res <<< 
 
to : Ma=EEtre Jean-Philippe COURTOIS 
     Commissaire-Priseur 
     52 rue du Maine 
     49100 ANGERS (France) 
 
Phone (33) 41.60.55.19=09=09=09Fax (33) 41.60.86.34 
 
=09Yours truly, 
 
*--------------------------------------------------* 
|                  API-net                         | 
|   Association pour la Promotion de l'InterNET    | 
|        http://www.univ-angers/apinet             | 
*--------------------------------------------------* 
 
- ------------------------------ 

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From: gcmowat at fox.nstn.ca (Gordon Mowat)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 09:46:17 +0100
Subject: Nova Scotia Brewpubs

In Digest #2108, Robert Paolino (rpaolino at execpc.com) asks 
>I have the same question as was asked recently, but about  PEI and _Nova 
>Scotia_ rather than New Brunswick.  I know of the Granite, and if the 
>original in Halifax is anywhere near as good as the one in Toronto, I'm 
>loking forward to it.  It seems that PEI is a beer wasteland, and I'll 
>resign myself to that.  Anything other than the Granite in NS? 
 
Yes, referencing an article in The Newsletter (of the Canadian Amatuer 
Brewers Assoc.) of October, 1995 the following brewpubs operate in Nova 
Scotia 
1. The Granite - Barrington Street, Halifax 
         - exceptional brewpub producing a good variety of both food and brew 
         - about to open a second location, also on Barrington Street, in 
the heart of 
            downtown Halifax 
2. Paddy's Pub and Brewery - Aberdeen Street, Kentville 
        - beyond exceptional, producing both ales and now cider for the 
on-tap market 
        - located in the famous, Annapolis Valley 
3. The Heather Hotel and Brewery - New Glasgow 
        - the article references this facility as an "extract brewery" 
 
I have been to both the Granite and Paddy's (it is where I live, at least 
it's in the same small town) and can vouch for their quality.  I have never 
been to the Heather. 
 
Hope this answers your question. 
 
Gordon Mowat 
Kentville, Nova Scotia 
gcmowat at fox.nstn.ca 
 
 
 

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From: genitom at nyslgti.gen.ny.us (Michael A. Genito)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 09:03:04 -0400
Subject: RE: Bulging Beer (Maxwell HBD2109)

In HBD2109 Maxwell wrote: "The 6.5 gallon plastic bucket looked like an egg 
on top.  There was beer coming out of the airlock, the seam around the lid 
of the bucket and the lidwas bulged out like nothing I'd ever seen before." 
- ------------------------ 
This happened to me once when I made a Bock out of Bierkeller liquid malt, 
using 6.6lbs. It also happened once with a standard all-grain pale ale which 
was about 6 gals in the 6.5 gal bucket. 
 
During my first experience, I rigged an emergency blow-off tube, which is a 
3/8" piece of copper tubing about 12" long and bent in a U shape and to 
which one end I attach the standard flexible plastic siphon tubing. I remove 
the cap and inside cover of the 3 piece airlock, place one end of the copper 
tube inside the plastic tube of the airlock, fill a 2 qt jar half full of 
water, and place the plastic flexible tubing into the water. In essence, you 
have an extended airlock, which will allow for as active a batch as you may 
have without infection or explosion. 
 
Seems to me either you have a very fermentable (high alcohol eventually) 
wort, and/or the level of wort in the fermenter is greater than ~5.5 gals. 
But pls do not pour it down the sink. In another posting where yours 
appeared, someone dumped a batch of Weizen that just 8 mos later proved to 
be a success. I've considered dumping batches for various reasons at times 
in the past (over/under carbonated, harsh flavors, etc) only to find them 
mellow to perfection months later. 
 
- -MG 
 

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From: "Bessette, Bob" <bob.bessette at lamrc.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 96 06:28:00 PDT
Subject: Mini Kegs...

 
Fellow HBDers, 
 I recently purchased a new stainless steel tap for my Mini Kegs due to the 
fact that I had a leakage problem with my plastic tap. Now it appears that I 
have the same problem with this metal tap. I plan on bringing it back for a 
new one. I have about 3/4 of a keg left so what I did was remove the tap and 
put a new bung back in. I plan on getting a new tap and re-inserting it when 
I do. Is this keg not worth saving at this point or will the re-introduction 
of CO2 after I insert the new (and hopefully not faulty) tap save the beer? 
I'd also be interested in anyone out there who had similar problems with the 
metal taps leaking. I think bottles might be the way to go in the 
future...Would appreciate private email to bob.bessette at lamrc.com 
 
Cheers, 
Bob 
 
 
- ------------------------------ 

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From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 09:41:22 -0400
Subject: Re: Wit beer help 

>>>>> "RUSt1d?" == RUSt1d?  <RUSt1d> writes: 
 
    RUSt1d?> Unmalted wheat should be boiled for a couple of hours 
    RUSt1d?> prior to mashing, and it will take all your strength to 
    RUSt1d?> mill it! 
 
 
It is not true that you must boil unmalted wheat.  I have made several 
wit beers without boiling the wheat, and have had good extraction 
rates.  You do want to do an extended protein rest, and it is a pain 
to mill in a roller mill (the much-maligned Corona mill works great 
for wheat, though).  If you don't want to mill it, and *if* you have 
never had a stuck sparge, you could try using whole-wheat pastry 
flour, if you can find it.  I did a batch with this once, and it 
sparged very slowly. 
 
=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI        (spencer at umich.edu) 

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From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com (George De Piro)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 09:52:29 -0700
Subject: RE:Lactic fermentations

     Bill writes in to ask about souring his beer with a lactic 
     fermentation.  I know a couple of good ways to do this, one done by 
     me, the other by a friend, so I know the results are good. 
 
     One way is to conduct your mash as usual, then let it sit overnight 
     before lautering.  No need to add any fancy cultures, just a tad bit 
     of fresh grain to provide live bacteria. 
 
     The next morning, finish brewing as usual. 
 
     The other method, that I did by "accident" (out of necessity) is to 
     let the unboiled wort sit overnight (or longer, in my case) in the 
     boiler.  No need to add anything, the airborne microbes will find it 
     and work their wonders.  You can easily get an idea of the degree of 
     sourness because you can taste it without hop bitterness muddling your 
     perception. 
 
     When I did this, the wort was kept in the fridge for four days.  The 
     sourness was quite apparent in the wort, but mellowed beautifully in 
     the finished beer (a 60% rye beer). 
 
     With both methods the temperature of the mash/wort (depending on 
     method) quickly gets down to ~120F, and the bacteria love it after 
     that! 
 
     The advantage of these two methods is that you're souring the wort 
     BEFORE the boil, so when you finish brewing you pasteurize the wort 
     without any additional steps. 
 
     These methods also don't expose equipment that is used on the "sterile 
     side" of the brewing process to normally unwelcome microbes. 
 
     George De Piro  (Nyack, NY) 

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