Homebrew Digest Monday, 4 November 1996 Number 2262
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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:
The Price of Beer in Utah (jim_anderson at email.state.ut.us)
CF CHiller cleaning/sanitizing (Bob McCowan)
Re: Wort Chiller Water Speed (Derek Lyons)
No/Low Sparge Brewing Experiment results ((Michael A. Owings))
Re: No/Low Sparge Brewing Experiment results ((Michael A. Owings))
Corn as an adjunct (Matthew Taylor)
Maris Otter malt (Jerry Cunningham)
second try at this one ((BAYEROSPACE))
sanitizing corks/chlorine/enzymes/tannins/more enzymes (korz at xnet.com)
Re: carmelization, (Jeff Frane)
all-grain #2 (Barry Vanhoff)
Chempro SDP ("Nash,David")
supplies ("Kevin Sprague")
Priming Sugar Equivalents (krkoupa at ccmail2.PacBell.COM)
mock pilsner yeast question (Eugene Sonn)
RE: home brewery safety ("Bridges, Scott")
barley wine ((Mark & Ava Lindberg))
which burner to buy? (Dean Mueller)
Re: BS on HBD (Jeff Frane)
CounterPressure Bottlers (KennyEddy at aol.com)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jim_anderson at email.state.ut.us
Date: Sat, 2 Nov 96 10:40:00 -0700
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. Any flames should be directed through private email to me at
jim_anderson at email.state.ut.us. 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: Bob McCowan <bob.mccowan at bmd.cpii.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 12:01:00 -0500
Subject: CF CHiller cleaning/sanitizing
One of the annoying things about my homemade CF chiller is getting the wort
or sanitizer or cleaning fluid flowing in the first place. Here's a useful
trick for starting the flow, at least for keggers.
Grab an extra corny keg and fill it with iodophor mixed to your favorite
concentration. Lightly pressurize with CO2. Hook up the liquid fitting
with the picnic tap. The picnic tap (mine, at least) fits quite well over
3/8" copper refrigeration tubing. Run iodophor under pressure through the
(already cleaned!) tubing. Stick a 000 stopper into the copper tubing and
let the iodophor sit for 10-15 minutes while you get ready to chill the
wort. Hook the chiller to the kettle, turn the water on, and run out the
iodophor into a bucket. When wort starts coming out of the chiller replace
bucket with fermentor.
A corny w/iodophor is also useful for running beer out of your tap line when
you're done drinking for the day.
Bob
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob McCowan
voice: (508)-922-6000 x208
ATG/Receiver-Protector fax: (508)-922-8914
CPI BMD
Formerly Varian CF&RPP e-mail: bob.mccowan at bmd.cpii.com or
Beverly, MA 01915 bob.mccowan at cfrp.varian.com
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return to table of contents
From: Derek Lyons <elde at hurricane.net>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 08:58:25 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: Wort Chiller Water Speed
At 04:29 PM 11/3/96 -0500, you wrote:
>
>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??
>
A friend of mine who *does* know about thermal xfer reccomends throttling
the flow speed to maintain max output temp. (==Most efficient/least water use).
Common wisdom on the HBD seems to be run at full throttle checking the temp
of the wort every so often.
Derek L.
Return to table of contents
From: mikey at waste.com (Michael A. Owings)
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 1996 17:09:08 GMT
Subject: No/Low Sparge Brewing Experiment results
Having noted a number of posts on the HBD recently regarding no-sparge
brewing, I decided to give it a try. Unable to bear the prospect of
losing ALL those nice sugars, however, I decided to take a low
sparge approach. I took a standard Oktoberfest recipe for 6 gallons
and scaled up the grain bill as follows:
4 lbs vienna
4 lbs munich
10 oz aromatic
10 oz med caramel
this was all multipled by about 3/2 (I think Dr. Fix may recommend
4/3) to yield the following grain bill:
6 lbs vienna
6 lbs caramel
1 lb aromatic
1lb munich
I doughed in with 5 gallons water (about 1.4 quarts/lb ). Protein
rest at 122F (20 mins) and sacc. rest at 152 F (1 hour, 30 mins).
Prior to mashout I added an additional gallon of water to the mash.
The amount chosen was arbitrary and I suppose you could just as well
add more. The idea was to get some additional sugars from the grain
without having to trouble with an actual sparge.
I then brought the whole thing up to mashout temp (about 168 F) and
let rest for 15 minutes.
I use an EasyMasher (tm) in a stainless pot, so I recirculated a
couple of cups -- as I usually would when sparging -- to get a clear
runnoff. I then opened up the spigot and drained the whole thing into
my boiler without adding any additional sparge water.
I managed to collect about 3.75 gallons of wort at SG 1.076. This
translates to roughly 20.4 points/pound of grain, not terrible
considering that there was no sparging. This cut a good hour of
sparge/sparge preparation time from my brewday. I _would_ like to
know where the other 2.25 gallons of water went. I assume a small
amount was due to evaporative losses, and the rest was held in the
grain bed. It would have been nice to recover some of that water (I
start with very neutral bottled water and add the appropriate salts).
The runnoff stage still takes time, but requires no attention, since
there is no need to hang around adding sparge water (I do not have an
automated sparge water delivery system).
Anyway, I added the remainder of my brew-water to the collected wort.
boiled, cooled and pitched as usual.
In summary, I felt the time savings involved here was definitely
worth the price of the extra grain, and I'll probably continue to use
this method for my standard gravity brews. I'll also probably try
adding 2 gallons at mashout next time.
***********************
Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can. *** And the wisdom to
hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they pissed
me off ***
Return to table of contents
From: mikey at waste.com (Michael A. Owings)
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 1996 17:14:18 GMT
Subject: Re: No/Low Sparge Brewing Experiment results
I _really_ must proof things more carefully prior to sending them.
The low/sparge grain bill multipled 3/2 should read:
6 lbs vienna
6 lbs munich
1 lb aromatic
1 lb caramel
***********************
Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can. *** And the wisdom to
hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they pissed
me off ***
Return to table of contents
From: Matthew Taylor <mtaylor at mail.valverde.edu>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 96 09:30:04 -0800
Subject: Corn as an adjunct
Calling all Brewers,
This weekend I was cleaning out the garden, and I still have a lot of old ears
of corn left on the stalks. It's too old
to eat so I was thinking about fermenting it in my next batch of beer. I know
there was a long string going on about
this for a while but I thought it dealt mostly with blue corn.
I was going to use some 6-row and put the dried kernels into the mash without
the cob. Do I need to
modify the corn in anyway? Should I try to malt the corn, or boil it first? Do
I need to crack the kernels before I add
them to the mash? Any other ideas?
I'll be brewing this weekend so any help is appreciated, E-Mails are fine.
Thanks,
Matt Taylor
mtaylor at valverde.edu
Return to table of contents
From: Jerry Cunningham <gcunning at Census.GOV>
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 1996 12:40:52 -0500
Subject: Maris Otter malt
I seem to recall a few people asking about Maris Otter lately. The following
is some marketing stuff I picked up at my local HB supply shop. FYI.
- - Jerry Cunningham
Annapolis, MD
******************
Maris Otter barley has been grown in England since the mid '60's, when it
was selected to meet the needs of the brewing industry of the time. It was
quickly recognised for its excellent malt and for many years was the only
winter barley to be approved by The Institute of Brewers. Today it is
specially grown and is the mainstay of the flourishing English regional and
micro-brewing network who seek to maintain the traditional taste of beer.
Breeding a traditional calssic
This two row variety was bred by Dr. G. D. H. Bell and his team at
Cambridge. By crossing the established spring malting barley, Proctor, with
the winter variety, Pioneer, Maris Otter was endowed with the malt
characteristics of a spring barley together with winter hardiness. This
commercial breakthrough allowed farmers to sow a more reliable crop with a
valuable market use.
Quality Performance
From the beginning Maris Otter demonstrated its consistency, season upon
season producing grain with low nitrogen levels, as well as a uniquely
reliable performance in both maltings and most importantly in the brewhouse.
So much so that the extra cost required to preserve supplies is accepted by
premium brewers who trust Maris Otter to brew and ferment well, producing a
bright clean tasting full-bodied beer.
Grown on the best soils
Nowadays, Maris Otter is grown by selected farmers, recognised for their
craft as barley growers and who farm on the best barley ground in England.
These chalk based soils, which stretch from Dorset in the south, along the
ancient Icknield Way through Cambridgeshire, to the Norfolk coast, combine
with a maritime climate to produce barley of worldwide renown.
Widely available
Maris Otter malt is available to all brewers large and small. Many UK
maltsters from the smallest craft type with traditional floor maltings and
natural draught kilns to those factories using the most modern techniques,
produce Maris Otter malt to a wide range of specifications.
Consumer interest
With the increasing consumer awareness of the raw materials used in the
beers they drink and the support of organisations like UK CAMRA (Campaign
for Real Ale), Maris Otter is recognised as the heart of a superb beer.
Return to table of contents
From: M257876 at sl1001.mdc.com (BAYEROSPACE)
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 11:48 -0600
Subject: second try at this one
collective homebrew conscience:
this is the second time i've sent this note. is there a problem at the hbd?
steve wrote:
>My brother-in-law has given me a request for a beer in the style of
>"Altenmunoter Brauer Bier" listed on the bottle as a premium Bavaian beer.
><snip>
>I am not looking for a clone just style notes. I assume it is an Alt beer...?
alt in german means "old", and it does not necessarily imply that the beer is
an altbier. if it is a premium bavarian beer, i would say chances are it's
not an altbier, as altbiers originated and are traditional to the dusseldorf
region of germany, which is not bavaria. bavaria is more known for lagers
and wheat beers (altbier is an ale).
there is a munich dunkel (outstanding) brewed by ayinger (bavaria), and the
word "altbayerisch" appears on the label. (old bavarian). i'm not sure
what altenmunoter is translated as, despite my year of german lessons.
a beer question! i use an immersion chiller and agitate it in the kettle
by hand. at the end of the chilling, i transfer the wort to a 7 gallon
fermenter, pitch, wait a number of hours, and then rack off the trub.
what is the best way to get the wort from the kettle to the fermenter without
transferring the trub? i realize i'll have to let it settle a while.
should i whirlpool and then use a copper cane/choreboy setup? how much
trub gets in the fermenter using this method? any secrets/pitfalls to this
method? is there another method?
also, does anyone have a source for an inline sterile air filter, and also
an inline carbon filter. i'm constructing an aerator. any pointers would
be welcome.j
speaking of aeration, why didn't the recent bt article on aeration mention
that overoxygenation can kill all your yeast? is this not true? dave
miller has written about this danger. is he wrong (blasphemy!blasphemy!)?
brew hard,
mark bayer
Return to table of contents
From: korz at xnet.com
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 11:57:17 -0600 (CST)
Subject: sanitizing corks/chlorine/enzymes/tannins/more enzymes
There appears to be a problem with the digested version of the HBD.
I must appologize to the readers of the undigested version who will
(I assume) be reading this again, but this never made it into the
digested version and I suspect it was one of the [none] messages.
Kevin writes:
>I am about to bottle my mead that has been fermenting for nearly a year. I
>plan on bottling it in wine bottles and corking it. How do, or do I sanitize
>the corks. I plan on aging it until next year around Xmas. Any other tips on
>corking and storage/aging?
Although mead, wine, etc. are very high in alcohol and therefore the risk
of infection from stay bacteria/yeasts on the cork are very low, you may
want to do what I did. I had read somewhere that soaking the corks in
boiling water would soften them and make them easier to insert. It would
also kill some (if not all) of the surface microbiota. What I did was take
two 24-ounce thick plastic cups and poured a little boiling water into one.
I then put in the corks, and slipped the second one inside the first. I
then poured hot water into the top cup till it submerged the corks. I
let these sit for 15 minutes while I sanitized my corker (twin lever).
The warm corks slid into the bottles easily (I was bottling a Chimay
clone in Chimay bottles) leaving 3/8" of the cork sticking out and then
wired the corks down with new Champagne wires. This soaking in boiling
water is probably overkill, but you may want to consider it.
***
Various people have written about the flavour contributions of chlorine
in the water you use. There were numerous posts talking about ppm of
Chlorine and what's above the taste threshold. I didn't notice anyone
post regarding chlorophenolics. These are a group of chemicals that
are the result of chlorine reacting with something in the wort/beer
(presumably some phenolic compound, right?). These have been described
as having "medicinal" or "bandaid" aromas. I think that these are much
more of a concern than actually smelling the chlorine itself.
***
I appreciate Dave's kind words and will try to be less terse (which can
sound very beligerent) and be more "friendly"... much more in the proper
spirit of the HBD.
There are still a couple of points Dave made that I would like to resolve.
I would appreciate it if we could discuss these points. I have not seen
these anywhere and would like references if possible:
1) that in a low-calcium environment you would get "poor efficiency and a
more fermentable wort than expected because the alpha amylase is less
stable than in a higher calcium environment. Ergo, efficiency suffers
if the alpha amylase disappears before the starch is completely converted
to soluble carbohydrates."
2) "Most true Pilzens use a lager malt low in husk tannins..."
3) "They [malts] will slowly lose their enzymatic powers, but it will
take several years, based on my personal experience."
I agree with the first sentence in 1, but the second sentence and all
of 2 are news to me. 3 is counter to my experience: I store my malts
either in vacuum-sealed 6-mil PolyEthylene bags or HDPE buckets
with gasketted lids. I've found that 3-year-old malt, stored at cellar
(55 to 65F) temperatures will convert wonderfully and give high yields.
I have not noticed any apparent loss of enzymatic power. I rarely, if
ever, use high-enzyme malts -- most of the time I brew with M&F Pale
and Mild malts and DWC or Ireks Munich. Occasionally, I'll use DWC Pils
and Pale Ale, Ireks Pils, and DWC or Ireks Wheat. The only high-enzyme
malt I've ever used is Schreier 2-row brewer's malt, which is not extremely
high in diastatic power, but quite a bit higher than the first four I
mentioned.
How's that? Sorry for flying off the handle... I'm really passionate
about brewing!
Al.
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
korz at xnet.com
Return to table of contents
From: Jeff Frane <jfrane at teleport.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 10:01:11 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: carmelization,
>
>From: smurman at best.com
>Subject: carmelising sugar
>
>
>I'm getting ready to brew a Belgian abbey-like beer in my ongoing
>quest to brew every beer I've ever liked. I read the article in a
>past HBD on carmelising sugar, and I also tried a small scale batch.
>The article mentions carmelising will occur at temps higher than 180F.
>Do most people just boil the stuff? The article also mentions you
>shouldn't stir it for some reason. Is this guff? How do you keep it
>from not scorching w/o stirring it? Finally, are there any secrets
>for getting a deep amber color? Is it just longer boil times? I
>couldn't seem to get much of a color change. I used table sugar
>dissolved in 1/3 it's weight in water. I'm planning on carmelising
>the sugar the night before, and then simply reheating it in the
>microblaster when it's time to add it to the boil.
>
I would suggest carmelizing in the microwave -- with a lot of care,
for the stuff is *very* hot. Read my article on sugar in Zymurgy
for details, but any good microwave cookbook should have instructions.
The key with carmelization is time -- the longer you leave it in/on
heat, the darker it will get, but you should bear in mind that the process
will continue until it starts to cool down. In other words, it can
get too dark very easily if you don't pull it off/out when it's on
the way to that color.
If you carmelize sugar the night before, it will set up pretty hard
before you can use it. At that point, if it's not stuck to something,
you can simply add it to the boil. Or carmelize it in the microwave
while you're boiling your wort, and add it toward the end of the boil.
>From: Michael Brytowski <mjbrytt at minn.net>
>Subject: Brewpot/Fermenter Size
>
>My questions are: How big of brewpot do you need for 10 gal to boil?
>Is there a rule of thumb for how much headroom you should have to help
>prevent boilover. Also, What size of fermenter do you use? Again,
>how much headroom do you need to allow for fermentation? Are there
>10/15 gal carboys, glass jugs out there? What about Plastic sizes?
>What are people doing now? Splitting the 10 gal wort into multiple
>fermenters/carboys?
>
>And I quick question about bottling. Has anybody bottled 10 gal at
>one time? Did you feel you got a good mix with the priming suger?
>How did you beer carbonate?
>
I use a 15 gallon kettle, which just gives me enough room to boil
12 gallons or so without *too* much concern about boil-over. Doesn't
mean you don't have to watch it, especially early on in the boil.
I ferment in another kettle (which doubles as my hot liquor tank),
which began life as a Golden Gate keg (1/2 barrel). Works very well,
and after the krausen falls I rack to two carboys. Previously, I
fermented in the two carboys, which is a better solution than trying
to lift/clean/deal with a 10 gallon carboy, if they exist.
Ditto bottling. I follow the same procedure as for 5 gallons, just
do it twice. Or bottle half and keg the other half. Or, most likely,
keg it all.
I *could* do it in the kettle, and simply double the priming sugar;
no reason why it wouldn't work just fine.
- --Jeff Frane
Return to table of contents
From: Barry Vanhoff <bvanhof at eecs.wsu.edu>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 10:11:18 -0800 (PST)
Subject: all-grain #2
HBD'ers,
Friday I did my second batch of all-grain. I used a nearly identical
recipe (only yeast was different) but the experience was mucho different
that my first batch:
1) the mash temp was kept between 144 and 152 for 90 minutes;
2) i made a huge mess;
3) i forgot to take an OG reading, doh!;
4) i decided to do a secondary ferment this time.
Questions:
When are you supposed to stop sparging? I could've kept sparging
all night. I quit after the gravity dropped down to 1.02ish and
I had about 1/2 gallon more than the volume I was shooting for
(it evaporated as planned in the boil).
Do I need to crush grains like Crystal/Munich/Chocolate Malt before
mashing?
Thanks for the tips everyone,
Barry
Return to table of contents
From: "Nash,David" <DNASH at cerner.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 12:13:48 -0600
Subject: Chempro SDP
"David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM> asks about Chempro SDP
That seems to be quite popular here in the UK but I would warn that it
contains a cleaner as well as a sterilizer
and therefore needs to be rinsed out after use. I have read that tap
water is fine, being chlorinated. Most of the
time though I use a Sodium Metabisulphate solution which doesn't have to
be rinsed out. (unless you want to
satisfy the Reinheitsgbot, I guess) but do make sure you empty it all as
well as you can or you'll get a taste of it
in your beer.
Just my opinion, YMMV etc etc
>
Return to table of contents
From: "Kevin Sprague" <homebrew at ix7.ix.netcom.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 14:38:42 +0000
Subject: supplies
For the collective,
Found a source for taps, handles, shanks, refrigerator conversion
kits, fittings, CO2 cylinders, tapping hardware & setups,
individual parts for tap handles, coiled s/s tubing, picinic beer coolers, etc.
Superior products (800-328-9800 for a catalog) sells this and other commercial
foodservice equipment mail order with a credit card. No
affiliation, yadda, yadda, yadda. (P.S. I was told that prices are
reasonable but they kill you on shipping. I dunno)
Kevin
Return to table of contents
From: krkoupa at ccmail2.PacBell.COM
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 96 11:00:26 PST
Subject: Priming Sugar Equivalents
I chatted with some nice folks at Lagunitas Brewery in
Petaluma, CA over the weekend. No affiliation, etc., just
nice folks with terrific beer, hard workers, very
knowledgeable, and willing to talk to anyone who happens to
stop by, namely me. That's what I like about Brewers. Try
to learn something from a winery ... forget it.
Topic = Priming bottles. (I know, the real solution is kegs
+ CO2 + refrigerator + floor space = $$$)
Claim by the brewer at Lagunitas = Priming with sweet wort
is less harsh than priming with corn sugar. I don't happen
to have any sweet wort hanging around like they do, so I'd
have to make it with malt syrup or dry malt extract.
Question = How much? Does anyone have a handy formula for
priming sugar equivalents? I currently use about 3/4 - 1
cup corn sugar per 5 gallons. (I know, I should be doing it
by weight, but the measuring cup is so darned handy.)
What I'm looking for is something like:
X grams of corn sugar = Y grams (teaspoons?) of DME
= Y cups (grams?) of malt extract
= Y cups (grams?) of honey
= Y cups (grams?) of any other
sugar source.
Thanks in advance. By the way, Lagunitas prints the OG and
IBU on their label (the only brewery I know that does that.)
Hey, now they're talking a language that informed consumers
can understand (rather than foo-foo marketing terminology)!
Ken Koupal
krkoupa at ccmail2.pacbell.com
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From: Eugene Sonn <eugene at dreamscape.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 14:13:17 -0500 (EST)
Subject: mock pilsner yeast question
Hello HBDers,
I'm going to brew a mock pilsner soon. I'm using Wyeast's
American Ale yeast for the brew because it has a very clean character to
it. Does anyone have suggestions or other tips for making a lager-alike
with an ale yeast? Yes I'll be using the signature Saaz hops for the
beer, but any hints and experiences would be welcomed.
Eugene
eugene at nova.dreamscape.com
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From: "Bridges, Scott" <bridgess at mmsmtp.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 96 13:20:00 PST
Subject: RE: home brewery safety
While we're comparing safety-related and accident anecdotes, let me add
another. I have 2 small kids, and I know that since many of us are in that
fertile child-rearing age, small kids around the brewery are fairly common.
I had an incident occur recently that caused me to give some careful
consideration minimize "collateral damage" in the brewery. Within about 10
secs of putting a jug of diluted iodphor on the counter, my son grabbed it
and took a swig. Since "it looked like juice" it was easy to make that
mistake. Fortunately, it didn't taste at all like juice and he didn't
really swallow much. It really freaked momma out, and consequently dad was
in big trouble (I felt pretty bad about it, too). A small amount of diluted
iodine isn't very toxic (per the poison control center and our local
pediatrician, both of whom I immediately called). It obviously could have
been much worse, and it resulted in a cheap lesson. Keep those cleaning and
sanitizing solutions out of reach of the little ones, even if that makes it
slightly more inconvenient for the brewer.
Scott
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From: ckbrew at ime.net (Mark & Ava Lindberg)
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 14:25:58 -0500 (EST)
Subject: barley wine
Greetings brewers-
I have a question regarding a batch of barley wine I have ready to bottle.
I started this batch last April. This was a mash/extract batch with an og
of 1.100. It was pitched with yeastlab American ale yeast, and fermented
down to 1.072. I then repitched with yeast lab sweet mead yeast, and it
droped down only to 1.058. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I have not
been able to do anything to this batch since. There has been no visible
fermentation since August, and I need the carboy, so it is time to bottle.
The question is, it seems that the yeast has given up. Should I just add
priming sugar and hope or the best, or should I repitch with another yeast
before bottling? I don't want flat barley wine, but I don't want to create
a bunch of grenades either!
Thanks in advance for any help.
Mark
A friend with mead is a friend indeed...
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From: Dean Mueller <falcon!dean%broadcom.com at netcom.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 10:46:02 -0800
Subject: which burner to buy?
After brewing partial mashes for a long time I finally purchased a
10 gallon pot and plunged into my first full-mash. I have been using
one Phils 5-gallon-bucket Lauter-tuns for my partial mashes and also
used it on this full-mash. I also have a 25-ft immersion chiller. I
am going to explain some of the problems that I had in the hopes of
helping those that are contemplating brewing their first all-grain
batch. I also have a question for those experienced all-grainers:
Problems:
o Although the 5-gallon mash/lauter-tun bucket worked well for my partial
mashes, it was marginal for the 12lbs of grain (plus flake) that I
used for this all-grain batch. Although the directions claim it is
big enough for 13lb of grain, I was overflowing using a standard
2-step infusion and had to add more mash as I drained the wort.
I am going to install a easy-masher in my brew-pot so I do not have
to worry. Another alternative would be a 10-gallon Gott. If you are
buying a lauter-tun for partial mashing, think further ahead and
spring for something that will work for full-mashing as well.
o I was amazed how much longer it took to bring 6 gallons to a boil
over my gas kitchen stove compared to 3 or 4 gallons I used in
partial mashing. I did not want to spend the cash but I have
concluded a high-output gas burner is a must for all-grain brewing
unless you have alot of spare time. I will not brew another batch on
my stove.
Well that was it for the problems! No big deal eh? If you are already
doing partial mash I think a larger pot, lauter-tun, and burner
capacity are all you need to think about. (I'll assume you already
have a good wort chiller)
My question is:
Any strong recommendations for the type of burner I should get and who
has a good deal on them? I want a good balance between control,
output, and efficiency. I would rather spend a little more now for a
quality product than to figure out later that I need to buy something
else. Any strong recommendations on what NOT to buy?
thanks for the advice.
dean
(dean at broadcom.com)
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From: Jeff Frane <jfrane at teleport.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 11:54:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: BS on HBD
At 04:27 PM 11/4/96 GMT, Jeff Hewit wrote:
>
>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:
>
>[snip]
To which one might add:
Don't send multiple posts!
From: Jeff Hewit <jhewit at erols.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 20:34:27 -0500 (EST)
Subject: BS on HBD
From: Jeff Hewit <jhewit at erols.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 22:12:56 -0500 (EST)
Subject: BS on HBD
- --Jeff Frane
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From: KennyEddy at aol.com
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 14:57:29 -0500
Subject: CounterPressure Bottlers
Timothy SHerburne asked about Counterpressure Bottlers.
Counterpressure bottle fillers (CPBF's) are bottling devices desinged to
work with a keg setup (or other pressurized-service arrangement), that allow
you to prepressurize a bottle with CO2, so that beer flowing into the bottle
is always under the same pressure as that in the keg. This minimizes loss of
CO2 due to the drop to atmospheric pressure as t enters the bottle.
A typical CPBF has a set of valves & plumbing sitting on top of a stopper
that fits in the bottle. Coming out of the stopper is usually a pair of
concentric tubes, one short one to carry CO2 into and out of the bottle, and
another tube to send beer to the bottom of the bottle.
The bottling sequence starts with purging & pressurizing the bottle. The gas
is then shut off and the beer valve is opened. SInce the bottle and the keg
are now at the same pressure, no beer flows. Pressure is gradually bled off
the bottle, which draws beer slowly into the bottle. Only enough beer is
pushed into the bottle to re-equalize the pressure, so the flow of beer is
regulated by the relief of small amounts of pressure from the bottle
(actually a slow steady bleed-off), and the flowing beer is under essentially
constant (high) pressure the whole time. When the bottle is filled, the beer
valve is shut off, the remaining pressure is relieved, and the bottle is
capped. The short time that the pressure is relieved, just before capping,
is not enough to allow significant loss of CO2 from solution...
HOWEVER, inevitiably (it seems) there is foaming. The beer goes through lots
of tubing, and often through somewhat convoluted pathways inside the bottler
itself. This along with potential rapid changes in temperature while
contacting various parts of the thing, can make the beer foam excessively.
Some folks chill the bottles to eliminate one more temperature shock.
Another thing that peeves me about them is that they are bulky and sort of
unwieldy, so it seems to take "three hands" to bottle. And all the foaming
makes a terrible mess (three bottles filled, one bottle spilled...).
Zymurgy magazine did a road-test of several commercial bottlers in '95
(summer issue?). Things they looked for included loss of CO2 and how much O2
is allowed into the beer. Based on these criteria, if memory serves me, the
best unit was a $300+ unit, with second place going to a $50 unit. The
simple hose from the beer tap to the bottom of a bottle routine scored sorta
kinda OK on CO2 retention but the amount of O2 intorduced was highest of all.
About the same time the "poor man's CPBF" became well-known. This is just a
stopper and a length of tubing crammed onto a cobra tap. The stopper is
forced into the bottle opening, and the tap is opened. Beer flows for a bit
until it displaces enough volume to pressurize the bottle to the serving
pressure (usually between 25% to 50% of the bottle is filled by this point).
Then the stopper is "burped" slowly, allowing more beer to flow, much as
with a "regular" CPBF. If the bottle is purged with CO2 first, risk of O2
introduciton is minimized.
Problem with this approach is the inital 25% to 50% fill. This beer often
foams severly and loses CO2. Its low cost & simplicity make it a favorite
for filling bottles for parties & upcoming comeptitions, but long-term
storage might result in undercarbonated beer.
*SHAMELESS PLUG DEPARTMENT*
I modified this simple device into the "Poor Man's *REAL* CPBF" by adding a
method of pre-pressurizing the bottle. I made anohter hole in the stopper
and inserted an air-filler-needle -(you know, like the ones used to pump up
footballs). Onto the threaded end of the needle I attached a tire valve
(just happens to fit & seal well...Teflon tape helps too). Now I can hold
the bottle with one hand around the neck,thumb holding the bottler in place,
pressurize with the other hand by using an airchuck attached to the CO2 tank,
put down the airchuck, then open the beer valve and bleed off pressure with
the free hand by "letting air out of the tire". Because the beer path is
short & direct, I get almost no foaming, even with room-temp bottles. You
can build this thing for $15 to $20 or even less if you have most of the
stuff laying around (stopper, tubing, etc).
See my web page (URL below) or The Library at THe Brewery
(http://alpha.rollanet.org) for a GIF of this thing.
*****
Ken Schwartz
El Paso, TX
KennyEddy at aol.com
http://members.aol.com/kennyeddy
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