---

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

Contents:
  Victory Sunrise wheat ((Mike Spinelli))
  Lager ("Clifford A. Hicks")
  Adding Fruit ((Billy Cole))
  Addendum to Aeration made easy ((Ed J. Basgall))
  Water types and Recipes (John Girard)
  Puffy Northwestern Malt bags ((Ed J. Basgall))
  Phenolic aromas (korz at pubs.ih.lucent.com)
  Re: Splitting kegged beer? (Alan Stevens)
  Enzymes in grains (Nina and Mike)
  infected grain (Steve Alexander)
  Finings ... (Steve Alexander)
  Jackson, Mississippi ("Richard L. Walker")
  Jet Burners, etc. (Kirk R Fleming)
  autolysis (Paul Cantalupo)
  RE: Guinness Mash schedule/protein rests/No airstone ((George De Piro))
  All Grain to Extract ("John Penn")
  Filtering Water (Michael Caprara)
  A Dry Hopping Primer (Michael Caprara)
  Guinness/Flaked Barley (Jim Busch)
  Tap & Beer Lines (Bill Rust)
  Re: RIMS heaters - NonoNOnononono (hollen at vigra.com)
  Munich malt production (korz at pubs.ih.lucent.com)
  dry hop with fresh hops (John McCauley)
  Re: what is dry hopping? (Cory Wright)

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

From: paa3983 at dpsc.dla.mil (Mike Spinelli)
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 96 16:05:36 edt
Subject: Victory Sunrise wheat

Just had a draft pint of Victory Brewing's Sunrise Wheat and boy oh boy it's 
good. 
 
I was expecting a bland Americanized wheat but this is far from it.  Classic 
German all the way!  Great job  for fellow HBDer Jim Busch. 
Mike 
 

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From: "Clifford A. Hicks" <74631.2471 at CompuServe.COM>
Date: 21 Aug 96 16:12:54 EDT
Subject: Lager

I am fairly new to the world of lagering having only just purchased a chest 
style freezer with external temperature regulator. I know that some (most) of 
the recipes I have seen recommend lagering for as much as two months. My 
question is this: If I let a batch sit there at 50 or so degrees for two months
or so, what will happen when I prime and bottle? Will there be enough suspended
yeast to use the priming sugar and therefore carbonate my beer? How long before
it carbonates in the bottle? Should the bottles also be kept cool? The beer I 
am
getting ready to bottle looks to have dropped out everything...there is no haze
- - it is perfectly clear beer. If I have to repitch yeast, what is the 
procedure?
Okay all you lager experts, give me some help on this. Answers best sent to me 
at 74631.2471 at compuserve.com    Thanks! 
 

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From: Billy_Cole at dgii.com (Billy Cole)
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 14:44:11 +0100
Subject: Adding Fruit

 
I have a partial grain Pale Ale recipe that I've brewed twice, and 
like alot. I'd really like to add some strawberries to this the next 
time I brew it. I've never added fruit and I'm wondering which is the 
best method in doing so. I was planning on freezing them, then 
during the boil, I would heat up another pot with the 5lbs. of 
strawberries with about 1/2 gallon of water. When both my wort 
and the now strawberry water are cooled, add them together in the 
primary and pitch my yeast. I would really appreciate some input 
on this. Thanks. 
 
 
 
 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
Billy Cole / Senior Engineer / Digi International 
ph: 206-867-3893x628 / pager: 206-663-0229 
billyc at dgii.com 
 

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From: edb at chem.psu.edu (Ed J. Basgall)
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 18:02:42 -0400
Subject: Addendum to Aeration made easy

 
Well, wouldn't ya know it.  I guess I was misled by a commercial 
brewing magazine no less.  My thanks to Al for pointing out my error. 
 
In my future aerations I will add a sterile cotton plug or .2 - .3 um 
disposable syringe filter (1" diam) 
into the air line as it comes out of my pump.  I know that works 
for cell culture and microbiology applications.  I wonder how many 
contaminating organisms can float around and for how long in a small bubble 
without hitting the sides?  Sounds like a thesis project. 
 
My appologies for misleading the collective.  Thanks again Al. 
 
Ed Basgall 
SCUM 
(State College Underground Maltsters) 
 
 

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From: John Girard <jungle at hollywood.cinenet.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 15:23:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Water types and Recipes

With the growing numbers of recipes being posted, an old subject has come 
to my attention.  Every 30th recipe or so, someone else brings it up 
again, and then it is swallowed by the HBD to be regurgitated again (in 
its same form) some time later.  Well, here it is again, but this time I 
hope a little discussion can be generated to help solve it. 
 
Here's the problem: with all-grain beers especially, but with extracts 
too, the type of water that you brew with has (in my estimation) an 
enormous impact on the final product.  And yet, in most recipes (posted 
on the net and found in your favorite brew mag alike) water types are not 
indicated, even when water adjustments are reccommended. This is no one's 
fault, but leads to problems, most notably that it becomes very difficult 
to duplicate with any accuracy the great brews that our fellow brewers 
have concocted. 
 
Cries to indicate water types in recipes have fallen largely on deaf 
ears, and probably for good reason: who wants even a simple water 
analysis tacked on to every recipe they read, or worse, to have to figure 
out how to match the recipe's water by adjusting their own? 
 
A simple solution I might propose is the following.  Although there 
are thousands of different water types, brewers tend generally to group 
them in some major categories (often by the region where styles were 
first popularized using regional water supplies).  What I might propose 
is to devise a grouping system of 10 or so of most common water types 
(Burton, Dortmund, Plzen, etc.) with ion concentrataion ranges for each 
type. 
 
A conversion list could be generated that offers recommendations for 
converting one water type to any of the others through salt additions 
and/or dilutions with distilled H2O. (This isn't particularly new -- I 
know I've seen such conversion charts before.  Rather what would be new 
would be to standardize it somehow so that we have greater understanding 
when sharing ideas -- we need to define our terms more specifically). 
 
Finally, when someone posts a recipe, they can indicate which (general) 
water type was used for making the brew, and anyone seeking to duplicate 
it can make the necessary adjustments to their water. 
 
My (limited) understanding of water chemistry leads me to believe that 
while there are a large range of possibilites for the concentrations of 
various ions, some generalizations can be readily made, and by defining 
10-15 general water types, we might be able to encompass *most* types 
used by homebrewers. 
 
Thoughts and gentle criticism appreciated. 
 
 
- -John 
 
____________________________________________________________________ 
John Girard in L.A.                     jungle at hollywood.cinenet.net 
     "I don't have any solutions, but I sure admire the problem." 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 

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From: edb at chem.psu.edu (Ed J. Basgall)
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 18:24:05 -0400
Subject: Puffy Northwestern Malt bags

What's with these guys?  I too have experienced this bloated bag syndrome. 
 
I purchased a case of dark Northwestern malt extract last fall and used 
most of it up over the winter.  Two days ago I open the last box and 
the bag was as tight as a drum....  Needless to say I opened it, tasted 
like malt, no off flavors.  Used it.  I'm not dead yet and my wort is still 
frementing merrily away.  Time will tell.... 
 
Just another 2 cents.... 
 
Ed Basgall 
SCUM 
(State College Underground Maltsters) 

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From: korz at pubs.ih.lucent.com
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 96 17:41:33 CDT
Subject: Phenolic aromas

Ken writes: 
>Ian Smith has phenolic beer (bummer dude).  Sounds like you took care of your 
>water, so I'll guess that your fermentation temperature was fairly high? 
>Above 75F?  That will do it. 
 
I agree that higher fermentation temperatures tend to cause yeast to create 
more higher alcohols and some yeasts are predisposed to making phenolic 
aromas at higher temperatures. However, in my experience, the bulk of the 
yeast strains that we have available to us don't have this predisposition 
to phenolic character.   I think that Ian's problem is a wild yeast that 
got into the fermenter during aeration or got into his starter. 
 
Recall that I was quite adamant about having problems brewing in the summer? 
Well, the reason was that I simply could not aerate my wort with room air 
witout picking up a wild yeast that produced that dreaded phenolic aroma. 
It smelled just like Band-Aids(tm).  For me, the solution was switching to 
filtered air and an airstone and now, most recently, the Oxynater(tm). 
 
I know it's in my air for one clear reasons: 
 
an unpitched starter, left out for a day starts to ferment spontaneously 
and has an intense phenolic aroma. 
 
Al. 
 
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL 
korzonas at lucent.com 
Copyright 1996 Al Korzonas 

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From: Alan Stevens <stevensa at ctt.bellcore.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 19:16:11 -0400
Subject: Re: Splitting kegged beer?

> 
> This may sound like sacrilege to avid home brewers, but a friend and I have 
> convinced a local distributor to order us a 1/2 barrel of an excellent 
> German specialty beer.    We would like to divide this into 4 - 5gal Corny 
> Kegs (2 for each).    We have both been kegging our own beer for about 2 
> years but have never tried to transfer beer from a commercial keg to our own 
> Cornies.   The 1/2 barrel won't fit in either of our frig's and we live too 
> far apart to run to the others house for a pint.   Is there a "good?" way to 
> do this and will it ultimately effect the beer?   Thanks in advance! 
> 
Good beer is good beer! You don't have to apologize. I have done this 
many times 
with good results. (although I do get comments when I take the keg back 
for the deposit 
the next day!). You need a Sanke tap, some corny keg fittings and hose 
(possibly some adapters as the line sizes my be different). 
 
Prepare your keg(s), and charge with about 10-15 lbs of CO2. 
Connect CO2 to the Sanke tap with the same pressure as the pre charged 
corny kegs. 
connect a line from the "out" side of the corny keg to the "out" side of 
the Sanke tap. 
install the Sanke tap on the commercial keg and push the lever down. 
 
At this point, the two kegs are in equalibrium. As you slowly release 
pressure on the target keg, the beer will flow from the bottom of the 
commercial keg to the bottom of your keg. If the beer is cold, it will 
be easy to follow the progress of the beer by the condensation on the 
target keg. 
If you do this slowly enough, there will be very little foaming, and 
foaming will be a problem as you get near the top. Since you are going 
into two kegs, you can start on the second while you wait for the foam 
to subside. 
 
With the right connectors, this works well, the beer is never exposed to 
oxygen, and is not even agitated much. 
 
While we are on this subject, is there anyone in the Ottawa area that 
would like to split a 60L keg of Niagara Saaz Pilsner with me. (Damn 
good beer, but hard to get in the small kegs). 
 
Al Stevens 

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From: Nina and Mike <nina-mik at metalhead.azaccess.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 18:39:25 -0700
Subject: Enzymes in grains

Greetings! 
 
I just recently joined this list so I hope the question that I am about to 
pose is not dredging up a thread only recently put to rest! 
 
I was wondering if anyone out there has run across some type of listing, 
article, etc. or has personal knowledge of enzyme potentials for 
grains/seeds other than barley and wheat? It stands to reason that all 
seeds, to some degree, need to be able to convert starch into sugars as they 
begin growing; hence the malting process. Being in the mood to experiment, I 
was curious to what degree other grains could be malted, mashed, and made 
into "beer" without either using barley malt or the chew and spit process as 
an enzyme source. 
 
Thanks for your thoughts. My initial library research has turned up nothing 
(though the library wasn't very well stocked with brewing science entries!). 
 
Mike Yeatts 
nina-mik at mail.azaccess.com 
 

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From: Steve Alexander <stevea at clv.mcd.mot.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 22:18:56 -0400
Subject: infected grain

 
Craig A Mayr writes that I wrote ... 
 
>Steve Alexander writes: 
>>There is also 
>>one grain fungus which seems to produce a carcinogenic by-product, 
>>which causes pancreatic cancer - usually quite deadly.(snip) 
> 
>I think what Steve is talking about is Aflatoxin B.  Actually this is a 
>group of toxins produced by Aspergillus flavus fungus.  I wouldn't worry 
>too much about them on your grain and getting into your beer and giving 
>you pancreatic cancer.  These compounds have been reported to naturally 
>occur in peanuts, peanut meal, cottonseed meal, corn, dried chili peppers 
>etc. Ergo, if you've eaten peanut butter sandwiches, you've probably gotten 
>these in your diet already.  Furthermore, the growth of these molds on 
>your grain does not always indicate the presence of toxins since the yield 
>of toxins depends on growing conditions (moisture, pH, temp, substrates 
 
Another good reason why I dislike peanuts ... 
 
I apologise for not being able to recall the name of the fungus 
(embarassing for an amatuer mycologist) tho I pretty certain that 
aflatoxin b. is the ticket.  An article appeared in the Wall Street 
Journal about 2.8 years ago - during fall harvest time in any case, 
which indicated that the late wet midwest growing conditions were 
causing substantial outbreaks of fungal infestation and that aflatoxin 
b. was being found in grain shipments. Purchasers such as the cereal 
companies were not performing the necessary tests on a per shipment 
basis - just random tests.  As I recall the fungus in question glows 
under 'black light', which was supposed to be an initial screening 
method. 
 
I guess that fact that this fungus occurs on many food stuffs doesn't 
imply that there are no checks on the human food supply.  It's 'sposed 
to be tested and rejected.  The system is undoubtly 'leaky' tho'. 
 
>and aeration) as well as genetic components.  I can't comment on whether 
>or not these compounds are destroyed by boiling or not.  Their melting 
>temp is typically between 286 and 289 C.  I would *guess* that these are 
>stable through a boil.  There is no doubt, though, that these compounds 
>are carcinogens (cancer causing), 
 
OK - punting the infected grain gets my vote - I didn't realize the MP 
was so high. 
 
> ... but IMHO if you are going to drink beer, 
>you're getting exposed to a much more dangerous compound at far higher 
>levels than the aflatoxins. Let's face it, to live is to be at risk of 
>getting cancer, drink beer. 
 
I personally prefer to limit the number and quantity of carcinogens I 
ingest.  Nasty tasting beer from infected malt is a good place to cut 
back IMO.  BTW - substantially high moisture content is necessary to 
get a fungal infection.  Properly dried and stored malt should be 
immune. 
 
Thanks for the extra info Craig, 
Steve Alexander 
 

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From: Steve Alexander <stevea at clv.mcd.mot.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 22:26:40 -0400
Subject: Finings ...

David Burley writes .. 
 
>The comment the other day ( or was that in a private e-mail?) that 
>because Irish Moss doesn't work at below 5.2 or whatever and does at 
>a higher pH, somehow disproves that the IM electrostatic model for 
>clarification is incorrect. 
 
Article in the "Journal of the Institiute of Brewing", 1995 I believe, 
all about carageenan.  I didn't copy the article just scanned it. 
Two point stuck out - one is that irish moss is pretty useless at low 
pH values is taken from a table in the article.  The second that the 
simple electrostatic model doesn't explain the activity of carageenen 
is explicitly stated in the article conculsion.  I didn't mean to say 
that the low pH activity implied the models failure - tho' it probably 
came out that way. 
 
Steve Alexander 
 

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From: "Richard L. Walker" <mail.cheney.net at cheney.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 22:05:05 -6
Subject: Jackson, Mississippi

Does anyone know of a restaurant or pub in Jackson, Mississippi that 
serves their own beer?  I like to visit places that brew their own 
while I travel.  Please send private e-mail. 
Richard L. Walker 
Pensacola FL (City of Five Flags) USA 
rlwalker at cheney.net        <--  play 
richard.l.walker at gulf.com  <--  work 

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From: Kirk R Fleming <flemingk at usa.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 23:02:19 +0100
Subject: Jet Burners, etc.

In 2155 Keith asks: 
 
> Uh.. Kirk, aren't you contradicting yourself here.  In the first 
> paragraph you say that "this may be a momism" but then you conclude 
> in the second paragraph that when you turn them (jets) down "it's 
> pretty clear they aren't burning too efficiently." 
 
If not contradicting, then at least waffling.  What I tried to say is 
that I don't know for a fact, from a BTU/ft^3 standpoint, if one 
burner is more efficient than the other in normal operation.  But, it 
certainly seems that jet burners are inefficient at low throttle.  I 
have no reason to think one is more efficient than the other when used 
wide open or nearly wide open--nice white and blue flame in each case. 
 
I'm practicing to run for political office, okay? 
 
KRF Colorado Springs 

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From: Paul Cantalupo <LUPEY at vms.cis.pitt.edu>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 08:50:19 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: autolysis

 I am quite new to this forum and also to home brewing.  I started 
home brewing this summer and I am having a ton of fun.  I have produced three 
all grain batches: 2 porter and 1 wheat (still fermenting) and also one 
"Barkshack Ginger Mead" fermenting under the kitchen table as I post this. :) 
 
 In some of the recent digests, there has been talk of autolysis in the 
primary fermenter due to the long fermentations and not racking the beer to 
the secondary.  My specific question is why doesn't autolysis occur in the 
bottle?  A layer of yeast (albeit a small one) is always present in the bottle 
unless you have access to a filtering system.  Also, Papazian states in "The 
Joy of Home Brewing" that the yeast imparts stability to the beer.  I have 
never tasted autolysis and from what I have read, I don't want to. 
 
 If anybody has an answer, please send private email since I hardly get 
a chance to read the digest on a regular basis.  The boss at work is always 
watching me!!  Thanks for all your advice and info. 
 
Later 
 
The Mad Italian 
Paul Cantalupo 

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From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com (George De Piro)
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 08:22:31 -0700
Subject: RE: Guinness Mash schedule/protein rests/No airstone

     Hi all! 
 
     Chuck asks about Guinness's mash schedule. 
 
     According to Lewis in his wonderful book, "Stout," Guinness uses a 
     starch conversion rest of 148F, which makes much more sense than the 
     158F rest reported here, considering the flavor of the final product. 
 
     I just happen to have the book with me today, so I can provide an 
     exact reference.  All who are interested can look on pp. 52-54 for a 
     fairly detailed accounting of the Guinness mash. 
 
     If you like brewing, drinking, or dreaming about stouts, GET THIS 
     BOOK!  I'm not even that into the style (relatively) and it inspired 
     me to brew a 12 gallon batch (unfortunately, the "foamless" batch 
     described in an earlier post, no fault of the book though)! 
     -------------------------- 
     Chuck also asks about the necessity of a protein rest.  If you are 
     going to filter your beer the beta glucans and proteins from unmalted 
     adjuncts (like barley, wheat, or oats) will clog the filter, 
     necessitating a low temp (120F) rest.(I'm getting a lot of mileage 
     from that Lewis book today, see p.129). 
 
     If your grain bill is mostly well-modified malted barley, a protein 
     rest is unnecessary.  I know of some pros who say it's unnecessary 
     with ALL modern barley malts (any other opinions on this?). 
 
     If you're using more than 10% unmalted grain or a large proportion of 
     malted wheat, you should probably do a protein rest.  High quantities 
     of high molecular weight proteins can actually hurt head retention, 
     and help make lautering a nightmare. 
     -------------------------- 
     Ron talks about his positive experiences of aerating without an 
     airstone.  I've been doing this for a year now, and it works great for 
     me, too.  I was afraid of using the airstone because it seemed like it 
     would be too difficult to clean, so I put it aside!  I hook the hose 
     from my small aquarium pump up to a copper cane and let the pump run 
     for 30-90 minutes (depending on what else I'm doing, or if I fall 
     asleep...).  Works great, foaming isn't severe so I can just walk 
     away. 
 
     Have Fun! 
 
     George De Piro  (Nyack, NY) 

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From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu>
Date: 22 Aug 1996 09:39:18 -0400
Subject: All Grain to Extract

                       Subject:                               Time:9:20 AM 
  OFFICE MEMO          All Grain to Extract                   Date:8/22/96 
Thanks Ken Schwartz for that all grain to extract conversion post in 
HBD#2155.  I have converted a few partial mash or all grain recipes to 
extract/specialty grain concentrating on getting the gravities and hop 
amounts due to a concentrated boil right.  But, I didn't take into account 
the grain types as fully as you describe such as using British Pale extracts 
for British 2-row.  It was very informative and inspires me to be more 
exacting in my extract brewing.  Even though I don't have the time required 
for a partial mash/all grain I hope to try a partial someday so I'll save 
your posts.  Thanks again. 
     As for David's comments on dry hopping. Maybe in adding the hops you 
stirred up the yeasts a little generating some activity, much like racking to 
a secondary which increase activity a little.  A bubble every 15-20 secs is 
not very active so my vote goes for not worrying about it. 
    John Penn 
 
 

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From: Michael Caprara <mcaprara at awwarf.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 14:33:14 -0600
Subject: Filtering Water

Hello fellow brewers and purveyors of flatulence! 
I know there has been some sporadic talk of filtering water, but I didn't 
really think that I wanted to filter.....until now. 
I want a portable filter system since I brew outside on the deck.  My 
water supply is chloraminated (Denver Water) and is really good water 
(it comes from snowmelt destined for the pacific, but diverted through a 
big tunnel under the continental divide). 
 
Here are my questions: 
1.  What type of setup should I use?  GAC?  membrane? 
2.  If using a GAC, what are the problems with microbial regrowth?  I am 
only going to filter the water I brew with. 
3.  Please pass along any tidbits of info or lessons learned the hard way. 
 
Please email privately if you feel this is redundant info.  TIA 
 
Brewfully Deadicated 
 
Michael Caprara 
mcaprara at awwarf.com 
http://www.dimensional.com/~godbey/louthan.html 
 
 

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From: Michael Caprara <mcaprara at awwarf.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 08:14:11 -0600
Subject: A Dry Hopping Primer

Tom wrote: 
I see the term "dry-hopping" but don't know what it means.  Can 
some-one  give me a quick synopsis of what it is and how it is done? 
 
 
Tom 
Dry hopping is basically adding dry hops to your beer to impart that 
wonderful hop nose and aroma.  If you like beers such as Sierra 
Nevada, then you should dry hop.  How you do it depends on if you 
bottle or keg. 
 
Bottling:  Add the hops to the secondary fermenter.  You can put them in 
a hop bag if you wish.  If you add them to the primary, a lot of the aroma 
will be "scrubbed" off due to vigorous fermentation.  Let the hops sit in 
the beer for about 3 or 4 weeks, and bottle as usual. 
 
Kegging:  This is easy!  Throw the hops in a hop bag, add some sanitized 
marbles if you like, and throw in the bottom of the keg as you fill it with 
beer. 
 
That is all there is to it! I personally don't worry about sanitizing the hops,
just the hop bag and marbles. 
 
Brewfully Deadicated 
MC                               :{P}  Hopus headus maximosus 
 

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From: Jim Busch <busch at eosdev2.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 10:22:12 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Guinness/Flaked Barley

Chuck asks: 
 
<Several days ago, Pete Finlay of England posted an interesting note 
<about a brewery tour at Guinness.  He said that the knowledgeable former 
<Guinness employee leading the tour reported that Guinness mashes at 158. 
 
Sounds reasonable but only after 30-60 minutes at 140F. 
 
<This surprised me, given the dryness of Guinness stout. 
 
Yup, not possible with only a 158F rest. 
 
<While I'm on the subject, one of Dave Miller's books argues that 
<dry stout recipes containing large percentages of flaked barley should 
<be given a protein rest before being brought to saccharification 
<temperatures.  Is Miller incorrect on this? 
 
I wouldnt say incorrect but not required.  If you have a good lauter 
tun, you can mash 25% flaked barley using a two step mash, 140F/158F. 
Ive done both, an intense 105/122/140/158/170 and found almost no 
difference in attenuation over a 140/158. 
 
Re: standard Cajun Cookers.  The more I use one of these the more it 
seems to me they are fantastic for steaming Maryland bluecrabs or 
Maine lobsters.  If only grains were more like shellfish..... 
 
Jim Busch 
Colesville, Md (where good bluecrabs are finally coming in!) 

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From: Bill Rust <wrust at csc.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 10:49 EDT
Subject: Tap & Beer Lines

Here's a question for the Keg Gurus: 
 
I'm getting ready to put my homebrew on tap.  I plan to use an existing tap 
that's built into the bar. It's the type that has a vertical, cylindrical 
steel column with the tap on the side: 
  ____ 
  \  /           (Unlike the typical 
   || ___        home setup that is 
   ||=   |       drilled into a ref- 
     |   |       rigerator, it's a 
     |   |       bar-type tap.) 
     |   | 
 ----|___|---- 
 
I'm not familiar with this type of tap.  It looks difficult (if not 
impossible) to take apart and clean.  What's the best way to clean it and 
the beer lines out?  Do I need to use caustic soda?  If so, what's the 
recommended procedure?  Is there a better alternative? 
 
Skol. 
 
 ---------------------------------------------------- 
 Bill Rust, Master Brewer | To Do Is to Be - SOCRATES 
 Jack Pine Savage Brewery | To Be Is to Do -    PLATO 
 http://www.i1.net/~wrust | Do Be Do Be Do -  SINATRA 
 ---------------------------------------------------- 
 

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From: hollen at vigra.com
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 09:01:13 PDT
Subject: Re: RIMS heaters - NonoNOnononono

>>>>> "John" == Palmer John <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com> writes: 
 
John> EHRRH!  Wrong.  I hadnt heard of Nikalloy, I assumed it to be a 
John> trade name of a nickel-containing alloy, but if its Inconel, 
John> then its NOT Stainless Steel. But its one step better. Inconel 
John> is a Nickel based, as opposed to Iron based alloy that has 
John> superior corrosion resistance to 300 series stainless.  Just a 
John> nit, but I live for this sort of thing. :) 
 
Sorry folks, but John picked my nits correctly.  I wrote from work and 
off the top of my head and the info from a couple of different 
manufacturers got intermingled and scrambled.  What is still true is 
that the Chromalox or Accutherm elements are the ones to buy.  The 
Accutherm elements, however, are in the $130 range for SS. 
 
Now from the reference material at home: 
 
Regular home store elements which I directed you all away from are 
copper based and tinned, not galvanized. 
 
Chromalox which makes the heater elements sold by Grainger and they 
are "Constructed with a nickel based alloy".  Never says what nickel 
based alloy 
 
Accutherm makes heater elements which are made with "334 Stainless 
Steel which is equivalent to Incoloy 840". 
 
Sorry for my brain farts, gang.  Thanks for catching it, John. 
 
dion 
 
- -- 
Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164                 Email: hollen at vigra.com 
Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs  San Diego, California 

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From: korz at pubs.ih.lucent.com
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 11:26:07 CDT
Subject: Munich malt production

Sorry that it has taken a few days to get around to replying, but I wanted 
to check my facts before posting (the new and improved Al!)... 
 
Dave writes: 
>Al, so you've never had burnt toast?  But seriously, I generally agree with 
>your analogies.  If you consider that in culinary terminology, 'roasting' is 
>using dry high heat for a long time to cook &/or dry something generally that 
>has a high moisture content to start with such as meat, potatoes, green coffee
>beans, etc. 
 
This may be true in the kitchen, but not in malt production.  There is some 
disagreement between malsters whether damp or dry malt should be used in the 
roasting drum [DeClerck, p.244], but most maltsters use dry malt similar to 
Pilsner or Pale Ale malt.  In the barrel roaster they make Biscuit, 
Victory(tm), Chocolate, Carafa(R), Black Patent and Roasted Malt.  They also 
start with dry barley and make Roasted Barley and Black Barley in the roaster. 
 
>'Toasting', on the other hand, is using dry high heat for a short 
>period of time to dry and crisp something that is already generally low in 
>moisture (like bread crumbs, etc.).  But since either can be done to various 
>degrees of "doneness", I don't automatically associate 'roasted' with a burnt 
>component. 
 
Yes, but in malt production the barrel roaster is the device used for both 
toasted malts such as Biscuit and Victory and roasted malts such as the others 
I've mentioned above.  The difference is time and (primarily) temperature. 
 
>Toasted malt has been kiln dried, then heated in a hot, dry oven.  Roasted 
>barley or malt went in the oven still wet (green).  My analogy would be to 
>think of coffee beans or peanuts when you think of roasted, and think of ...er
>...whatsit ...um toast when you think of toasted (but not BURNT toast :). But 
>it's hard to describe something based on taste/smell alone that is a 
reflection
>of the processing. 
 
As I said before, green malt (wet) is not put into the barrel roaster.  All 
malt is dried in the kiln and then can optionally go into the roaster.  It's 
not quite an oven -- it's a rotating drum that's heated from below.  It also 
has water sprayers installed which are used to douse the malt (to cool it 
quickly) when it is done (although I suppose it may be used to put out fires 
too, which I'm told are more common than the maltsters would like!). 
 
>Here's one for you to think about:  If black patent is a 
>roasted malt, is Munich malt high-kilned, or light-roasted? 
 
In response to this, Jim writes: 
 
>Its high-kilned but not until an extensive drying process is complete 
>at relatively low temperatures.  The drying is important to create 
>amino acids and sugars that will undergo Maillard reactions to 
>produce melanoidins and Strecker aldehydes. 
 
Absolutely.  I'd like to add a little more detail, if I may. 
 
There are two parts to kilning: the "drying phase" and the "curing phase." 
The temperature of the curing phase is what distinguishes Aromatic 
(25 Lovibond) and Munich (usually about 8 Lovibond), but it's the drying 
phase that distinguishes pale malts from "high-kilned" malts like Vienna, 
Munich and Aromatic [DeClerk, p.182]. 
 
Drying Phase 
 
In the kiln, there are three factors: time, temperature and ventilation. 
For the production of pale malts like Pale Ale and Pilsner malt, the 
temperature is relatively low (40-45C) and ventilation is very high. 
The malts are therefore dried quite quickly.  Once the moisture is below 
10%, the temperature can be raised.  Raising the temperature earlier 
would result in significant enzyme loss.  The low moisture protects the 
malt enzymes from denaturing [DeClerck, p196]. 
 
For the production of high-kilned malts like Vienna, Munich and Aromatic, 
the initial temperature during the drying phase is higher (about 50C). 
Furthermore, the ventilation is considerably lower.  As a result, the 
moisture content of the malt only drops to about 20% in the first 24 hours 
[DeClerck, p.197].  Typically, high-kilned malts take about twice as 
long to make as pale malts [Malting and Brewing Science, p.177].  Clearly 
there is a significant amount of enzyme loss in the production of high- 
kilned malts, but this higher temperature drying is important for the 
production of high levels of soluble sugars and amino acids which are 
later utilized in the production of melanoidins via Maillard reactions 
and Amadori rearrangements [Malting and Brewing Science, p.105]. 
 
Interestingly, the temperature profile of Vienna malt kilning looks more 
like Pilsner rather than Munich malt (from fig.79 on page 198 of DeClerck). 
 
Curing Phase 
 
Pale malts typically are cured at 80 to 95C for 5 hours.  Temperatures 
above 80C, however, are only used if the malt is not over-modified and 
was dried at low temperatures.  Munich malt is typically cured at 105C 
for 5 hours [DeClerck, p.197].  Aromatic malt is typically cured at 115F 
[Busch, personal communication]. 
 
So, as we can see, there is more to Munich malt production than just 
higher temperatures in the kiln -- at the expense of some diastatic 
and proteolytic power, high-kilned malts are dried in a hotter, *higher- 
moisture* kiln for the first 24 hours and only *then* raised to a high 
temperature. 
 
Al. 
 
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL 
korzonas at lucent.com 
Copyright 1996 Al Korzonas 

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From: John McCauley <jmccauley at ctgusa.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 13:24:07 -0400
Subject: dry hop with fresh hops

I'm now harvesting a bumper crop of cascade hops and would like to ask about 
a couple things. 
 
First, what's a good method of drying these short of getting a food dehydrator?
 
Second, what about the danger of infection if I dry-hopped with these. Is 
there any processing beyond drying that ought to be done to minimize 
unwanted beasties I'm sure are present on the flowers? Would I be safer 
making a "hop extract" with vodka instead? 
+---------------------------------------------------------------+ 
| John McCauley  | CTGi   703-352-0590 | 
| jmccauley at ctgusa.com | Oakton, VA    | 
| If I could walk that way I wouldn't need the talcum powder... | 
+---------------------------------------------------------------+ 
 

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From: Cory Wright <cwright at midcom.anza.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 12:50:47 -0500
Subject: Re: what is dry hopping?

Tom Lochtefeld wrote: 
> 
I see the term "dry-hopping" but don't know what it means.  Can some-one 
give me a quick synopsis of what it is and how it is done? 
> 
 
Dry hopping refers to adding hops to the wort/beer (please, let's not get 
off on the "when is it beer" tangent again!) after the boil. As with most 
brewing procedures, there are diverse opinions about when and how to add 
them. Typically, hops are added to the secondary. Pellets, whole hops, and 
plugs can be used--your preference. I personally like adding whole hops to 
the secondary. Put them in a hop bag and (if it doesn't have a long enough 
one) tie a string to the bag to retrieve it at bottling. Dry hopping has a 
greater effect on aroma and taste than adding hops to the boil. It does not 
affect bitterness. 
Of course, YMMV. Hope this helps. 
 
Cheers, 
 
Cory 
cwright at midcom.anza.com 
 

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