Homebrew Digest Monday, 4 November 1996 Number 2261
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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Mike Donald, Digest Janitor-in-training
Thanks to Rob Gardner for making the digest happen!
Contents:
Wort Chiller Water Speed ("Brian Krause")
virus (shane at cais.cais.com)
E-mail virus (Brian Coble)
First from Scratch (Ron)
[none] (postmaster at swpe06.sw.lucent.com)
Clairifing ("Lloyd S. Nickles Jr.")
Candi Sugar (Phil Slotter)
Should I top off 2nd fermentor to equal 5 gallons ??? ((Raymond P Kasprowicz))
The Price of Beer in Utah (jander)
Air Regulators (Charles Capwell)
BS on HBD (Jeff Hewit)
(Fwd) RIMS jobs and server mortality ("Pat Babcock")
Cobra cleanout/Hey! Thanks! ("Pat Babcock")
Pickle Buckets & Bottle Fillers (Timothy Sherburne)
BTU to Watt ("Braam Greyling")
BS on HBD (Jeff Hewit)
more Atlanta brew ("Ted Hull")
Guiness and blood clots (Julio Canseco)
Safety and a Counter-Pressure Filler web page (Marty Tippin)
Re: Vessel Sizes/Brewing Safe.... (Joe Rolfe)
No-Sparge Archi-RIMS (KennyEddy at aol.com)
Stuck Sparge... ("richard myers")
RE: no sparge technique ("Bridges, Scott")
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Brian Krause" <bkrause at gwis.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 16:29:59 -0500
Subject: Wort Chiller Water Speed
Fellow Homebrewers,
I have a homemade wort chiller (3/8 " copper tube 30 feet long, shaped
around a paint can) and have always wondered how fast to run the water thru
it for cooling. Being a spark chaser and not an expert on thermal
transfer, any suggestions on how fast to run the water thru the coil for
the most efficient cooling??
- ---- Brian G. Krause
- -------- BKRAUSE at GWIS.COM
- ------------ "Relax, Don't Worry... Drink your OWN Homebrew!!"
Return to table of contents
From: shane at cais.cais.com
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 17:06:42 -0500
Subject: virus
<---- Begin Forwarded Message ---->
Date: Sun, 03 Nov 1996 19:41:49 -0800
Reply-To: hardjasa at globalserve.net
Sender: owner-solo at listproc.bgsu.edu
From: SylverEyes <hardjasa at globalserve.net>
To: For the Solitary Practitioner <solo at listproc.bgsu.edu>
Subject: virus
Hey everyone,
I didn't want to send a chain letter so I'll just tell you....
Should an e-mail message with the subject line "Irina" come into
your mail, DO NOT READ IT. Just delete it. It's a virus. Okay? Okay.
It's SNOWING HERE!!!!!!
Anyway gotta fly!
SylverEyes
<---- End Forwarded Message ---->
Shane Saylor, Eccentric Bard
Return to table of contents
From: Brian Coble <azfool at cris.com>
Date: Sun, 03 Nov 1996 15:30:49 -0800
Subject: E-mail virus
This is not about homebrew so I'll keep it short. I am not aware of any
virus that can be spred through e-mail. The last info. I saw on this
subject, a week ago, says that this is still a rumor.
Return to table of contents
From: Ron <dittohead at worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 22:51:26 +0000
Subject: First from Scratch
I have brewed several batches of beer from the can, and their ain't much
that can go wrong there. About a week ago I went to a homebrewing class to
learn how to do this from scratch, then came up with a basic Scotch Ale
recipe, made some modifications and have just now completed making my first
batch from scratch and putting it in the carboy.
I would welcome any comments, good or bad, about the following recipe. It
will, of course, be a couple months before I can tell how well, or how badly
I did. In all liklihood I will brew another batch before this one is done
so your comments would be greatly appreciated. Also, one question. Should
the hops be removed from the wert before placement in the carboy? I didn't
know so I left them in for the primary fermentation but will remove them
when I transfer to a new carboy for secondary fermentation.
Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.
First Prepared 3-Nov
Style Scotch Ale
Name Rons Scotch Ale
1# Briess 60L crystal malt
1/2# Hugh Baird peated malt
1/2# Briess Dextrine/Carapils malt
1/8# Briess Chocolate malt
1 tsp Irish Moss
9 lbs pale malt extract
2 oz. Domestic Hallaertauer hops Alpha 4.3 Beta 3.1
Wyeast 1728 Scottish
Mash grains in grain bag with enough water to cover. Bring to just under
boil and then reduce heat
to 150-160F (ML on my stove). Cook for sixty minutes, stirring often.
Rehydrate but do not add Irish Moss at this time.
Add malt extract and bring to boil.
Add 1.5 oz hops and again reduce heat and let simmer 30 minutes
Add .25 oz hops and simmer 15 minutes
Add .25 oz hops and Irish Moss and return to just under boil, then simmer 15
minutes
Remove from heat, top off to five gallons in carboy. When temperature is
under ninety degrees F,
add Wyeast, mix thoroughly and then fit with airlock.
Upon completion of primary fermentation, transfer to secondary fermentation
vessel.
Prime when fermentation is complete.
This beer should taste good after priming, but increase notably after two
months.
Return to table of contents
From: postmaster at swpe06.sw.lucent.com
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 96 16:59 CST
Subject: [none]
>From postmaster Sun Nov 3 16:59:55 1996
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Homebrew Digest Sunday, 3 November 1996 Number 2260
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Mike Donald, Digest Janitor-in-training
Thanks to Rob Gardner for making the digest happen!
Contents:
carmelising sugar (smurman at best.com)
No Bubbles (Agnor Craig)
[none] ()
[none] ()
Carbonator-sanitizer accesry, Chempro SDP, Chimay yeast duality ("David R.
Burley")
Re: A-B Ales?, Calculating the strike liquor temperature and volume ("David R.
Burley")
Left hand Rule(s) ("David R. Burley")
[none] ()
[none] ()
[none] ()
[none] ()
[none] ()
[none] ()
[none] ()
[none] ()
plastic pickle buckets (Edward J. Steinkamp)
[none] ()
[none] ()
Airlock bubbles/foam! (William Slusser)
Return to table of contents
From: "Lloyd S. Nickles Jr." <Wooden.Nickles at worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 23:07:59 +0000
Subject: Clairifing
Hi all,
I'm a newbie to homebrewing, and the digest. I'm on my second batch of
beer,"Ponpensity Pilsner" from TNCJOHB. I seeped the cyrstal malt after I
crushed it for 1/2 hour at 150F. I then boiled everything according to
recipe, poured the boiled wort into 3 gal of cold water temp was 65F after,
pitched a starter yeast from two packages of dried lager yeast. Everything
went great. I left it in the primary for 6 days at 55F. Transfered to the
secondary, temp had dropped to 50F. The problem I have is that when I
transfered to the secondary, the beer was very cloudy. It seems to be the
right color, kind of golden mud looking. The OG was 1.066, SG was 1.033.
Will this beer clear in the secondary, or can I add some type of clairifier
to it to clear it up, or will I have to drink cloudy beer? The beer tasted
fine when I transfered it, still to sweet, but goood!
TIA
private e-mail is fine
Steve
Return to table of contents
From: Phil Slotter <pslotter at ids.net>
Date: Sun, 03 Nov 1996 19:25:23 -0500
Subject: Candi Sugar
I am interested in brewing some Belgian ales and am looking for
information on Candi Sugar. I am mostly trying to find a process to
create it myself.
If any of the collective has info on the make-up and manufacture I would
really appreciate it.
Phil Slotter
Flying Goat Dog Pico Brewery
Return to table of contents
From: habanero at juno.com (Raymond P Kasprowicz)
Date: Sun, 03 Nov 1996 20:16:27 EST
Subject: Should I top off 2nd fermentor to equal 5 gallons ???
I just transfered my Oatmeal Stout to the secondary fermentor and with
the waste left in the bottom of the primary, I don't have a complete 5
gallons.
My FG was 1.058 and the final (after 7 days) is 1.016. If I did my
calculations correct then I have a 8% alcohol. It may be a bit strong.
So should I put in another 1/2 gallon of sterilized water to make up the
difference ?
Does it matter if I do this when I add the priming sugar ?
Should I leave it alone ?
How long should I leave it in the secondary ?
How mych water introduced actually makes a difference in the taste of the
beer. I think I am looking at 4 1/2 gallons and the stuff tastes pretty
good. Would I notice a drop in the taste when I add 1/2 gallon ??
Any suggestions will be helpfull.
Return to table of contents
From: jander <jander at wasatch.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 19:20:41 -0700 (MST)
Subject: The Price of Beer in Utah
My apologies if this is a tad off the subject of homebrewing. Most of us
brewers, though, appreciate fine beers in general (especially microbrews
and imports), and I felt that this would be of interest to most here.
Also, this *may* wind up being a repost, since my other ISP seems to have
bitten the dust for the moment. Any flames should be directed through
private email to me at jander at wasatch.com. I'd also appreciate
comparisons to policies of other states (once again, through private
email).
* Carbon Copy:
* Original message to ALL on the State of Utah Online Service
I have received a response to my email to Governor Leavitt regarding beer
markups in Utah. It came from Kenneth F. Wynn, Director of the Department
of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Rather than providing me with the cost
breakdown that I desired, he stated simply that, "By law, a minimum
markup, a school lunch tax [???], a sales tax, and in the case of beer, a
beer tax is applied to the landed case cost to the state. A delivery cost
per case is also applied to reach the final retail price."
In an attempt to get specific costs regarding a case of Pilsner Urquell, I
called his office. His secretary (Claire) told me that she would get me
this information next week. I also asked about pertinent Utah Code, and
she directed me to Title 32A. This is where things start to fascinate me:
Section 32A-1-103 references protection of [get THIS] - yes, MORALS!
(Conclusion: you can lack morals in Utah, but it's gonna cost ya!)
Section 32A-1-122 is right at the heart of the matter: "Except as provided
in Subsections (2) and (3), all liquor sold within the state shall be
marked up in an amount not less than 61% above the cost to the department,
excluding federal excise taxes."
A 61% MARKUP! And that doesn't include the other various and sundry taxes
and costs .... I can't wait to see how *they* add up.
Section 32A-8-101 says that homebrewing is a class B misdemeanor.
Section 32A-10-101 provides for additional "local" taxes.
Section 32A-14-101 ("Dramshop Act") provides that "ANY PERSON" providing
alcoholic beverages to others can be liable for their subsequent actions.
Not just businesses ... ANYBODY! (The online version notes that this
section will be superseded on 7/1/97, but it doesn't provide the new
language.)
Regarding this latter provision, how about a little help here? About a
month or two ago I heard that the Utah Supreme Court was going to make a
ruling regarding whether the Dramshop Act actually applied to us
individual Joe Blow's. But I never heard the result. Could it be that
this ruling has something to do with the 7/1/97 revision? Can anyone
provide me an online pointer to Utah Supreme Court decisions?
Okay, maybe I'm boring you to tears -- I understand that most people here
(representative, perhaps, of the general population of Utah) don't indulge
in alcoholic beverages. But try to look at it from my point of view -- I
happen to receive great satisfaction from trying out different beers from
all over the world -- some might call me a connoisseur. Indeed, it's a
(yes, legitimate) hobby of mine. For a moment, then, put the shoe on the
other foot. How would you like it if the Great State of Utah put a 61%+
levy on the foods and hobbies that *YOU* enjoy? Maybe by putting a 61%
surcharge on that lobster you had at a restaurant? Or by putting a 61%
surcharge on lift tickets, for instance?
Many nations (properly, in my opinion) statutorily designate beer as a
FOOD item. How would you like it if, on your next $100 expenditure at
Smith's or Albertson's, a state official walked up and said, "I'll take
another $61, please?"
I am outraged by this, folks. Whether the State of Utah is protecting my
morals or its own bottom line, this is unconscionable in my book.
So concludes (for the moment, anyway) Jim's Soapbox Subject of the Day.
- Jim
Return to table of contents
From: Charles Capwell <chas at A119009.sat1.as.crl.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 20:52:23 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Air Regulators
After a couple of emails, the consensus is that the regulators sold at
Builder's Square(and likely the other chains and stores carrying compressed
air stuff) won't work for two reasons:
1) Most importantly, the regulators only go up to 200# pressure.
2) The threads are different.
Thanks to all who responded!
- -Chas (chas at crl.com)
Crazy Cockatiel Brewery
When I heated my home with oil, I used an average of 800 gallons a
year. I have found that I can keep comfortably warm for an entire
winter with slightly over half that quantity of beer.
-- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler"
Return to table of contents
From: Jeff Hewit <jhewit at erols.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 22:12:56 -0500 (EST)
Subject: BS on HBD
I have tried posting this several times, and it keeps getting lost. Maybe
it's becoming one of those dreaded "none" messages. (BTW, does anyone know
what that's all about?) Anyway, here it goes again. If the others make it
through, I apologize for the repeat.
I agree with those who think that too much of a good thing can turn into a
bad thing. Let's try to limit discussion to questions/answers/comments on
making better beer, and dispense with the extraneous BS. Following are a
few guidelines, in no partucular order, which I'm sure others can expand upon:
Don't waste bandwidth bashing AHA, AOB, Charlie P., Karen B., etc. - take it
to the recently established newsgroup alt.beer.aha. If you've been a member
of the AHA, and are quitting, don't tell me - I don't care. (Don't praise
them either - you can take that to the newsgroup, too.) Also, if you're
leaving HBD, don't tell us why, just go quietly.
Don't attack the character of fellow HBDers. It hurts them, and demeans
you. However, don't hold back if someone suggests something that's flat out
wrong (make sure you're right!), dangerous, or just plain stupid.
Don't worry about the occasional sarcastic wisecrack; most of us enjoy that
type of humor. But remember, this is a beer forum, not a joke forum.
If you're traveling out of town and want to know where the good beer bars
are, use the yellow pages. There are also some good pubcrawler guides on
the WWW - try the Real Beer Page (http://realbeer.com) or the Pub Crawler
(http://www.pubcrawler.com). Also, don't share a recently completed
out-of-town pub crawl with the rest of us. I realize that the beer and the
barmaid may have been fantastic, but chances are few of us will ever be near
the places you just visited.
Discussions involving commercial beer are fine, but only as it relates to
discussions about homebrew. Trying to find out if anyone's developed a good
clone of a particular beer is fine, but let's not waste space arguing that
Commercial Beer A is better than Commercial Beer B.
Keep signature lines to a minimum. A line or two of an amusing quote is
fine, but ten lines get old quickly. Also, lose the little guys climbing up
the page and the star-bordered, 12-line address boxes.
If you are just starting out, and looking for very basic information, don't
limit yourself to the instructions that came with your first beer kit - get
a book (or two). Most major bookstores are now carrying books on homebrewing
in the food and cooking section. I'm not trying to discourage newbies from
asking "dumb" questions, just trying to help you ask better questions.
Freely share your questions/answers/comments/experiences on malt, hops,
yeast, equipment, process, books, etc., etc., etc. That is what HBD is all
about - brewers helping brewers make better beer.
- ----------------------------------
Jeff Hewit - Midlothian, Virginia
Return to table of contents
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock at oeonline.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 22:26:59 +0500
Subject: (Fwd) RIMS jobs and server mortality
This was apparently lost to the [none] () filter-bot...
- ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: Self <Single-user mode>
To: HomeBrew Digest
Subject: RIMS jobs and server mortality
Date: Fri, 1 Nov 1996 22:31:12 +0500
Greetings, Beerlings! Pour your lager on the still-smoldering SMTP
server at pvtk01.ford.com...
After the deathly silence on my unix e-mail account following my last
post, I was forced to rattle the cage of the local unix eunuch. He
poked and prodded the server, only to find it cold and dead. He has
resurrected it, though. The result being that anyone who wanted me to
benefit from their knowledge set to pbabcock at ford.com have been
robbed of the opportunity.
If you replied to my query regarding temperature probes and RIMS
heating chambers to the ford.com address, please resubmit. I really
am in need of some suggestions/guidance/etc.
Thanks!
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock at oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
Beer is my obsession and I'm late for therapy!
Return to table of contents
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock at oeonline.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 22:26:59 +0500
Subject: Cobra cleanout/Hey! Thanks!
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager!
In HBD 2260, Dave Burley ponders the cleaning of his cobra faucet.
Don't know if Dave's cornie fittings are of this ilk, but every one
I've seen of late has a slot on the side opposite the port for the
keg. If you put a screwdriver into this slot and rotate it
counter-clockwise it unscrews, removing the plunger valve inside.
(Watch out for the little rubber seal at its base! I've lost one
once, and have never found a replacement!)
What I do is to unscrew the cap, remove the spring and plunger,
reassemble, rinse clean, unscrew the cap again, and reassemble the
'guts'. Really is quite easy, and saves the expense of a carbonator
cap for those who haven't one already! (Just don't lose the little
seal...)
- - --------------------------
Also in 2260, Laura (Barrowman at aol.com) pays me the greatest
compliment anyone can pay to a web publisher! Thanks! I'm glad you
find it useful and enjoyable!
See ya!
Pat Babcock in Canton, Michigan (Western Suburb of Detroit)
pbabcock at oeonline.com URL: http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/
Let a good beer be the exclamation point at the
end of your day as every sentence requires proper
punctuation.
Return to table of contents
From: Timothy Sherburne <cchaos at northwest.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 96 19:34:35 -0800
Subject: Pickle Buckets & Bottle Fillers
Ed writes about pickle buckets:
>Has anyone brewed a pickle beer?
>Sounds kind of sick. What should I use to clean these things?
Unless you're really broke, I'd use the pickle buckets for
garbage/gardening/whatever, and go find yourself some really nice buckets
from a bakery. They usually give them a way for nothing, and you get
buckets that don't smell. They use them for storing eggs, frosting, et
cetera... The bigger the bakery, the bigger the buckets. You could even
get 55 gal. HDPE drums, if you're so inclined.
- -------
Now I've got a question: I'd like to know more about counter-pressure
bottle fillers. What's the cost, what equipment do I need, and what
skills are required? I've been bottling the old-fashion way, but I will
need to force carbonate a still cider in a couple of weeks. Kegging won't
do, since I can't finish 5 gallons of hard cider at once. Besides,
bottles are convenient for giving away at the hollidays.
t
| Timothy Sherburne | Creative Chaos |
| Software Developer | cchaos at northwest.com |
| Macintosh & Java | |
Return to table of contents
From: "Braam Greyling" <acg at knersus.nanoteq.co.za>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 10:24:55 +200
Subject: BTU to Watt
Hi all
Can somebody please help me in converting BTU to watt.
Say if I have a 30000 BTU burner and I want to replace it with a
electric element, how can I work out what the Watt rating of the
element should be ?
(Assuming I want to to get the liquid to the same temp in the same
time interval)
Thank you very much.
Braam Greyling I.C. Design Engineer
Nanoteq (Pty) Ltd
tel. +27 (12) 665-1338 fax +27 (12) 665-1343
- ---- 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case ----
- ---- coincidence ????? ----
Return to table of contents
From: Jeff Hewit <jhewit at erols.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 20:34:27 -0500 (EST)
Subject: BS on HBD
I have tried posting this several times, and it keeps getting lost. Maybe
it's becoming one of those dreaded "none" messages. (BTW, does anyone know
what that's all about?) Anyway, here it goes again. If the others make it
through, I apologize for the repeat.
I agree with those who think that too much of a good thing can turn into a
bad thing. Last Friday we had three posts. I know it was light over the
weekend, but now we're back to multiple posts. Let's try to limit
discussion to questions/answers/comments on making better beer, and dispense
with the extraneous BS. Following are a few guidelines, in no partucular
order, which I'm sure others can expand upon:
Don't waste bandwidth bashing AHA, AOB, Charlie P., Karen B., etc. - take it
to the recently established newsgroup alt.beer.hateaha. If you've been a
member of the AHA, and are quitting, don't tell me - I don't care. (Don't
praise them either - take it to alt.beer.loveaha.)
Don't attack the character of fellow HBDers. It hurts them, and demeans
you. However, don't hold back if someone suggests something that's flat out
wrong (make sure you're right!), dangerous, or just plain stupid.
Don't worry about the occasional sarcastic wisecrack; most of us enjoy that
type of humor. But remember, this is a beer forum, not a joke forum.
If you're traveling out of town and want to know where the good beer bars
are, use the yellow pages. There are also some good pubcrawler guides on
the WWW - try the Real Beer Page (http://realbeer.com). Also, don't share a
recently completed out-of-town pub crawl with the rest of us. I realize
that the beer and the barmaid may have been fantastic, but chances are few
of us will ever be near the places you just visited. Discussions involving
commercial beer are fine, but only if they add to discussions about homebrew.
Keep signature lines to a minimum. A line or two of an amusing quote is
fine, but ten lines get old quickly. Also, lose the little guys climbing up
the page and the star-bordered, 12-line address boxes.
If you are just starting out, and looking for very basic information, don't
limit yourself to the instructions that came with your first beer kit - get
a book (or two). Most major bookstores are now carrying books on homebrewing
in the food and cooking section. I'm not trying to discourage newbies from
asking "dumb" questions, just trying to help you ask better questions.
Freely share your questions/answers/comments/experiences on malt, hops,
yeast, equipment, process, books, etc., etc., etc. That is what HBD is all
about - brewers helping brewers make better beer.
- ----------------------------------
Jeff Hewit - Midlothian, Virginia
Return to table of contents
From: "Ted Hull" <THull at brwncald.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 96 2:07:54 EST
Subject: more Atlanta brew
I have to join the response to Charles Burns' post:
This past Friday, I had the distinct pleasure of fighting
traffic and a downpour to visit the U.S. Border Cantina in
Alpharetta (just north of town). It was the inaugural 'Firkin
Friday' featuring a cask-conditioned American IPA served 'from
the wood' (or the steel, rather) by beer engine. I can't say
I've ever experienced the 'Wall of Hops,' but this was pretty
close. And it made an excellent companion to the spicy salsa and
chicken with mole poblano.
As for Buckhead (or Butthead, depending on your viewpoint),
unless I have some extremely good reason to go, I avoid it like
the plague. The a:l ratio is too high (that's a**hole to laid
back ratio), and paying $5 just for the privilege of parking is
ludicrous.
Ted Hull
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From: Julio Canseco <JCANSECO at uga.cc.uga.edu>
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 96 08:18:44 EST
Subject: Guiness and blood clots
Greetings,
The following article came from Eating Well magazine Nov/Dec issue.
I think brewers may find it informative. Copied verbatim.
"Tastes Grrreat, Less Clotting"
"Some canine recruits have done their part to show that moderate drinking
is good for the heart. Researchers found that dogs fed dark beer, specifically
Guiness Extra Stout, experienced fewer blood clots than those fed lighter
beers such as Heineken lager.
Previous health studies have shown that moderate drinking can lower heart-
disease risk by as much as 40 percent in two ways. The alcohol in beer,
wine and spirits raises the good HDL cholesterol and also inhibits
platelet activity, reducing the formation of blood clots.
Some researchers believe that red wine offers the best protection of all
because it contains pigments called flavonoids, which prevent blood clots
even further. But University of Wisconsin cardiac researcher John Folts,
a specialist in the stickiness of blood platelets, decided to test dark beer's
anti-clotting effect because it, too, is colored by flavonoids. Sure enough,
clot formation was eliminated completely in dogs given the rich, malty brew,
but not in dogs given Heineken.
Could a Guiness/Beaujolais showdown be far off?" end quote.
There you have it!!! one more for the brew team!!
Enjoy,
julio
jcanseco at uga.cc.uga.edu
in Athens, Georgia
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From: Marty Tippin <MartyT at geoaccess.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 08:55:37 -0600
Subject: Safety and a Counter-Pressure Filler web page
Re: safety
I'll chime in briefly to state that safety is certainly an issue
homebrewers need to be aware of at all times. I recently suffered a
fairly major second-degree burn to my arm, the result of careless
handling of boiling water. I was cleaning out my converted keg system
by boiling some water and was pumping the water to a bucket for disposal
when the hose slipped and sprayed my left forearm with boiling water.
This, as you might guess, was quite painful and has left me with a scar
about the size of your hand, although the doctor says it should heal up
fine in the next few months. It certainly got my attention, however,
and I urge everyone to pay attention to what you're doing to avoid this
kind of accident.
On a totally unrelated note, I've crafted yet another new web page to
add to my "Homebrew Gadgets" site - this one describes in detail how to
build a counter-pressure bottle filler for all you keggers who'd like to
bottle once in a while. The design is based on Dion Hollenbeck's
description of the filler made by Foxx Equipment Co. and is fairly
simple to make from readily available parts.
Check out this page and my other homebrew gadgets at
http://www.wwi.net/martyt
- -Marty
martyt at geoaccess.com
martyt at wwgv.com (preferred)
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From: Joe Rolfe <onbc at shore.net>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 09:59:47 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Vessel Sizes/Brewing Safe....
for sizes of brewkettles, the normal head space is anywhere from
20 to 30%, it depends on how "rocking" the boil is. most homebrewers
do overpower the kettles so more head space. if you can watch
the kettle (it will never boil:) and skim the "crap" less head space
would be required, but again when the hops are added (mostly pellets)
the foam will build up again. some commercial brewers with totally
enclosed kettles boil up the stack or so i have heard.
for fermenters, 20 % is a good figure. again it will depend on yeast strain
and how warm a ferment you do. there are products out on the market that
cap the foam to a lower level to get more out oof the fermenter.
i wont get into the aspects of blowby/blowoff good or bad....i have a fairly
large blowoff, and for me it works, but it has been rumored that if you
do not blowoff, you "can" get better system utilization of the hop....
on the brewer accident rob moline posted, this is exactly the reason
why those friggin cheapo hoses with the banded on couplings should
NEVER be used in a pressure situation (pump out let). the only hose
you as a commercial brewer should use, is perm ends....it really is the only
sanitary and safe way. so all you commercial brewers to be - i would suggest
you put "good/safe" hose in the budget. they do not cost that much more,
and alot of the vendors out there offer them - get them why take
a chance... most of the hose ends are tested after being coupled to the
pressure of the hose, and the company will warrant the hose/coupling.
i have seen some pretty crappy hose being used, stuff i would not even run
water thru, all because "ohhh those hoses are expensive", my response
is ohh people are replaceable.......BS....it just pisses me off - sorry...
well enough of the ranting, brew on
joe
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From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 10:08:53 -0500
Subject: No-Sparge Archi-RIMS
David Hill proposes an interesting idea for a no-sparge system which is like
a Zapap double-bucket masher with the now-famous Aussie Archi-RIMS pump
setup. Once the mash is over, the inner bucket is lifted out, so that the
wort drains into the second vessel, which then is used as a boiler. He asked
for comments on the system.
While the pump ought to set the grain bed & create clear wort in the usual
RIMS fashion, I'd be afraid of the lifting process "undoing" the work. If
the bucket were lifted too quickly or "unevenly", the suddenly-increased
"flow rate" of the wort through the grain bed could disturb it to the point
where chunks of grain, flour, and husk were tranferred into the boiler, which
would potentially lead to astringent, starch-hazed beer.
*IF* the lifting were done veeeerrrry slooooowly, so that the overall flow
rate was less than or equal to the pump recirc rate, this problem could
perhaps be avoided, but I'm afraid that would require some mechanized process
to regulate the speed. A motorized/geared lift running very slowly (perhaps
less than one inch {2.54 cm} per minute?) might actually work.
*****
Ken Schwartz
El Paso, TX
KennyEddy at aol.com
http://members.aol.com/kennyeddy
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From: "richard myers" <Richard=Myers%OS=Dev%Sys=Hou at bangate.compaq.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 96 9:22:49 CST
Subject: Stuck Sparge...
These questions are aimed mainly at those of you that mash and lauter in
seperate vessels...(However, all comments are welcome) This weekend I was
brewing an all grain ESB and managed to get the ultimate in stuck
sparges...
First the setup: Mash/Lauter Tun - 10 gallon GOTT cooler with a Phil's
Phalse Bottom...13Gallon Stainless Kettle for Boiling, bottling bucket for
Hot Liquor Tank (waiting for 15 gallon Stainless kettle) Gravity fed
system...
The recipe: (comments welcome - my score sheets haven't come back yet)
10 lbs British 2Row Pale Ale
1 lb British Medium Crystal (50/60L)
1 lb Belgian CaraPils
1 lb Belgian Wheat
1oz Fuggles at 60 - Pellets
1oz EKG at 60 - Pellets
0.5 oz Fuggles at 10 - Pellets
0.5 oz EKG at 10 - Pellets
0.5 oz Fuggles at 0 - Pellets
0.5 oz EKG at 0 - Pellets
WYeast 1275 - Slow to start in smack pack - great in starter (500 ml
slurry)
Procedure:
Mash In: Strike Temp 165F - 2.75 Gallons H2O
Rest Temp 156F (I question this temp - I let it stabalize
for 5 minutes before reading)
Rest Temp (after 30 minutes and for the remainder of the
mash) 150F
Mashed for 2 hours
Mash Out: Strike Temp 212F (boiling water at sea level) - 2 gallons
Rest Temp 166F (Closer than in the past to the 168 target)
The stuck sparge/scoop/mess goes here....
Boil with hop additions listed above
Immersion chiller added with second hop addition (cold water enters
top and coils clockwise :-))
Original Gravity: 1.041 at 60F - I usually get 1.053 from this beer...
I have brewed this beer 4 times previous to this with no problems....
I got ready to sparge the grains and I opened the valve to start the
recirculation and got absolutely no flow from the tun... Not even a drop
went down the tubing...!!!
I scooped the grains into other coolers that I had and fixed the false
bottom (the plastic tubing connecting the false bottom and the copper exit
tube had kinked and collapsed). I tehn scooped the grains back into the
GOTT cooler. My question about this method is how do I do it "quietly", if
I need to do this again? The other question is what effect with this have
on the flavor of the beer. I am looking to keep this beer in primary
(plastic - in case you wanted to know) 4 days and then rack to secondary
(glass) for 1 week. I will then bottle and age until December 7 - Seasonal
Party Time (excuse me I meant - Seasonal Organized Tasting Event).
Any comments on the recipe and/or procedures will be appreciated...
Thanks
Richard Myers
RMyers at NetGate.Compaq.Com
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From: "Bridges, Scott" <bridgess at mmsmtp.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 96 11:16:00 PST
Subject: RE: no sparge technique
>From: Charles Burns <cburns at egusd.k12.ca.us>
>Good question and I think someone posted earlier that they were
>experimenting with the no-sparge technique - where's the report?
>Probably one of those [none] subject posts.
I've seen a couple of other responses on this, so I'll keep it brief. If
you want the original postulation on this, check out the The Brewery.
George Fix wrote an article on this. Actually, it was a pretty short
article.
>In any case, your question about "how much sugar is still left" after
>draining the grain bed is a good one. I propose that we do a really
>simple experiment. Next batch, drain the mashtun, separate the runnings
>from the non-sparged grains from the sparged grains. Boil them
>separately. Test the SG of the sparged runnings. Report what the points
>per gallon "waste" was. We could all then make an informed decision, and
>on a 5 or 10 gallon batch I can tell you right now that I'd drop the
>sparge in a minute if it was < 2 points.
As I recall Dr. Fix's article (supported by his own experience, no doubt)
was that you leave about 30% of the extract. Or stated another way, you
need 30% more grain to get the same OG. So, you're probably talking more
like 10 pts of extract lost. Even so, for a 5 gal batch the cost increase
is only about $2- assuming %.60 per lb of grain times ~3 lbs.
Here is another potential benefit to the no-sparge technique that I've been
considering. My water is very high in carbonates. I'm at risk for tannin
extraction/astringency due to pH rising during the sparge. While I do
acidify the sparge water (and sometimes the mash, depending on grain bill),
I'm still wondering if the carbonates are affecting the taste of my beers in
perhaps subtle ways that acidifying doesn't cure. I'm pretty sure that it
does, but I don't know how.
I've haven't tried this yet, but it's high on the list of new things to try.
As soon as I can get my RIMS set-up finished. Anybody care to hazard a
guess on how a RIMS-no-sparge beer would taste?????
Scott
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