(formerly Volume 02 : Number 021)



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Contents:
  Immersion chilling & filtering through hops (Alex Santic)
  Re: Sparging into a bucket (was: DMS...)
  Re: Dark extract (Alex Santic)
  War of the Worts
  clarity of wort
  Re:  pH meter and Temp. probe
  Re: Homebrew Digest V2 #18
  re: keeping hop pellets out of fermentor
  Molsen clone???
  Yeast Slant Bottles/Tubes??
  How long to airate with aquarium pump (Randy Reed)
  Re: Blue, blue water
  Iodophor Concentrations, Quick Ref. Chart
  Re: Bubbles from EM
  Beer Fridge Mold Control
  Single Decoction Mash
  Re: Bottling Time?
  Re: Volume measurement before / after boil. - Jim Bentson
  Dry Hopping
  weyerman wheat malt
  Water Chemistry
  Subsribe
  Where to get Water Chemistry tested?
  Barley Wine
  Hi temp tubing - cf chiller


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

Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 12:47:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Alex Santic <alex at salley.com>
Subject: Immersion chilling & filtering through hops (Alex Santic)

I noticed that Al K. uses a few techniques similar to mine, and I thought
it might be useful to expound on them. 

One rather simple method of getting very clean wort into your fermenter is
to use a brewpot which is fitted with some sort of screening device at the
bottom. The wort is cooled in the brewpot with an immersion chiller to
obtain the cold break, and then filtered through the hop bed at the bottom
of the kettle. 

An EasyMasher or something similar fitted to an SS kettle works very well
for this. I suspect it's better than a false bottom because there is only
one outflow point and the wort flows through the hop bed in all directions
to the center. Another nice thing is that you can retrofit just about any
kettle with this little device by simply drilling a hole. 

As Jack Schmidling points out, the technique works best if you *don't*
stir the wort at all after the boil. How to use an immersion chiller
effectively without disturbing the hop bed is a matter well worth
considering. Not to start another big debate, but those who tell you to
run the cold water to the bottom of the chiller based on couterflow
principles are way off the mark. To the extent that it makes a difference
at all, this oft-repeated advice is wrong. Moreover, it doesn't address
the really important issue of how to get the wort in the kettle to
circulate enough, because it tends not to do so adequately no matter which
way you run the water. Hence you get cold wort at the bottom and warm
(even hot) wort at the top. 

Try this: wire the loops of your immersion chiller close together, such
that the chiller is much shorter than the height of the wort. You can even
save some hassle and wire them tightly together...it'll still work. Before
chilling, suspend the chiller at the top of the kettle with the top loop
right at (or barely below) the surface of the wort. How to suspend the
chiller depends on your setup, but I use a loop of copper wire that goes
around one handle of the pot. 

Doing all the chilling at the top ensures that the wort will circulate
adequately without being stirred. You can cover the kettle with something
and walk away until it's done. The wort will chill past the critical range
fairly quickly, but you'll probably want to run the chiller for a while
longer to obtain those last few degrees of cooling which don't come as
easily with the immersion method. Time can be less of an issue when you
don't have to intervene or risk contamination. 

Drain the wort gently after chilling and you'll be pleased at the clarity.
This methodology is used to good effect by a number of advanced brewers,
and also has the virtue of being a great way for apartment-dwellers with
space limitations to approach all-grain brewing. A suitably-equipped brew
kettle becomes an all-purpose piece of equipment, quite functional as a
stovetop mash-tun, lauter-tun (no transfer!), boiling kettle and (kind of)
hop-back. 

Hope someone finds this useful.

- --
Alex Santic - alex at salley.com
Silicon Alley Connections, LLC
527 Third Avenue #419 - NYC 10016 - 212-213-2666 - Fax 212-447-9107
http://www.salley.com

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Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 12:35:22 -0500
From: Jean-Sebastien Morisset <jsmoriss at qc.bell.ca>
Subject: Re: Sparging into a bucket (was: DMS...)

At 09:23 03/01/97 -0600, you wrote:
>
>Enzyme activity should not be a problem as long as you raise the temperature
>above 158F (70 C?) or so before running off.  If you want a
highly-fermentable
>wort (i.e. low dextrins) then there should never be a fear of enzyme
>activity.  If you want a dextrinous wort, then presumably you have been 
>mashing up at the hotter end of the range anyway and the beta amylase is
>all denatured.  I think that the concerns of too much enzyme activity has
been
>greatly overstated in the existing literature.

Hmmmm..... I regularly mash at about 150-152F (using crystal for body) and
sparge at 175-180F (acidified water). I've never measured the output temp.
when I sparge, but presumably it would start at 150F and move upwards as
the sparge water starts to work it's way down. I'd normally start my cooker
to raise the temp., but since I'll be accumulating the wort in a bucket (my
winter technique <smile>), the temp. will probably start to fall as time
passes. The question is how far and how fast the temp. will drop. This
sounds like an interesting experiment for my next batch. I'll write down
the temps vs times and let the digest know of my results. Off the top of my
head, I can perhaps expect to temp. to reach 160F in the bucket(s) (12 gal.
boil) after 60 mins of sparging. The higher temp. shouldn't have too much
effect on my wort.

Thanks,
js.
- --
Jean-Sebastien Morisset, Sc. Unix Administrator <mailto:jsmoriss at qc.bell.ca>
Bell Canada, Routing and Trunking Asignments <http://www.bell.ca>

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Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 13:09:12 -0500 (EST)
From: Alex Santic <alex at salley.com>
Subject: Re: Dark extract (Alex Santic)

Kevin Sinn writes:
>Also, I recently brewed what was supposed to be a red ale, using 2 cans of
>Coopers light unhopped extract.  When I opened the cans, I was very
>surprised to see that the extract was a dark, reddish colour.  It smelled
>and tasted fine.  I was able to read a packaging date from the top of one
>of the cans, and it was July, 1995.  Could the extract darken in the can
>over this period of time?

I don't know about specific time frames, but the commercial process of
concentrating the extract also darkens it. Additionally, George Fix
suggests that browning reactions continue in the can over time. For these
reasons, it can be difficult to make a very pale beer with extract,
especially with a concentrated boil and/or long boil times. 

Having said that, let me point out that the concentrated LME will always
look kind of dark just because it's condensed. The lightest extract is
said to be Alexander's Pale. Even that one looks dark brown before you mix
it with water. 

- --
Alex Santic - alex at salley.com
Silicon Alley Connections, LLC
527 Third Avenue #419 - NYC 10016 - 212-213-2666 - Fax 212-447-9107
http://www.salley.com

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Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 10:12:38 -0800
From: Alan Folsom <folsom at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: War of the Worts

Just a brief reminder - there is still time to get entries in for the 
second annual War of the Worts homebrew competition, to be held January 
18th in Lahaska (near New Hope) PA.

for information, contact me:
    Al Folsom folsom at ix.netcom.com (215) 343-6851
to register to judge or steward contact our judge coordinator:
    Rich Rosowski richroso at msn.com  (215) 674-1278

Cheers,

Al Folsom

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Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 16:52 -0600
From: BAYEROSPACE <M257876 at sl1001.mdc.com>
Subject: clarity of wort

collective homebrew conscience:

i normally chill using an immersion chiller in the kettle, then strain all
the wort through a funnel/strainer.  the strainer is fairly fine, but despite
this, the trub somehow "dissolves" back into the wort and makes it through
the strainer.  it then "re-forms" in my oversize carboy, which i rack out of
6 to 10 hours later.  

the wort, at this point, almost always has some suspended trub in it.  it's
not much, but the wort is definitely not sparkling clear. 

last weekend i brewed a hefeweizen, using .5 oz of hops, and just for the 
heck of it, i whirlpooled it at the end of the chilling period ( at 54 deg. F)
and let it sit an hour before i got ready to transfer into the oversize
carboy.  

when i looked into the kettle, i could see all the way to the bottom.  i could
see the mound of hops in the middle, and the trub on the bottom.  it was 
unbelievably clear.  so, i attempted siphoning the clear wort off the trub and
hops.  it worked, and i got extremely clear wort in the primary fermentor, 
but i left a gallon of trub, hops, and wort in the kettle.  this is more than
the usual 2 to 2.5 quarts of trub for a normal gravity beer.  i realize the
wheat malt can produce more trub, but i decoction mashed the beer, and last
year's batch (same recipe) produced only about 3 quarts of cold and hot 
break.  

so my question is basically this:  why can't i get wort as clear as the wort
i racked straight out of the kettle by using the oversize fermentor and letting
the wort sit for 6 to 10 hours?  why do the small trub particles not settle
out completely after they've been put through the strainer?   am i doing
some sort of mixing when i pour through the strainer that is making it more
difficult for the trub to settle out later?  

and, this leads me to the next question:  if i decide to start racking the 
wort straight out of the kettle, i'd like to be able to be more efficient and
not leave so much wort behind with the trub and hops.  are any of the rest
of you getting sparkling clear worts by using some sort of straining device
on the end of the racking cane, or on your tap?  al k recently wrote he was
using an EM(tm)-like setup.  

and the last question is this:  if you use a strainer, like an EM that feeds
a tap, what's the difference between that and what i do when i pour the wort
through the strainer.  is my method just more turbulent and violent and that's
why the trub gets through the strainer?  am i "breaking it up" so that it
dissolves back into the wort enough to get through the strainer?  if using
some sort of straining device on the end of a racking cane, is it important
to draw the wort gently out of the kettle to prevent this?  

this sounds pretty stupid, probably, but the difference in wort clarity was
shocking to me.  i'd like to get that sort of clarity and keep my wort loss
to a minimum. 

brew hard,

mark bayer

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Date: Fri, 03 Jan 1997 19:08:50 +0000
From: "John R. Bowen" <jbowen at primary.net>
Subject: Re:  pH meter and Temp. probe

Jean-Sebastien Morisset <jsmoriss at qc.bell.ca> writes:
> >From what I've read, several PH meters compensate for temperature. Do these PH meters also display the temp.? I've been thinking of buying a temp. probe and PH meter, but if I can get both in one unit.... Anyone know of some good models?
> 
Also, I know you have to calibrate the meter with two solutions, but 
I've also read that you have to store it in a special liquid too. What's 
the proper method for storing a PH meter?
> 
> Thanks!
> js.
> 
A few thoughts from a guy who spent some years selling pH meters and 
electrodes:
Temp. compensation:  Temperature compensation is necessary because the 
electrical signal output of the electrode varies with the temperature of 
the electrode.  The meter sees the difference in output as due to a 
change in pH, not just temperature, unless the meter employs a 
themperature compensation system.  How is this done?  Most simply, with 
a manual adjustment knob where you dial in the known sample temperature 
and the meter adjusts for the variation in signal output.  More advanced 
systems use automatic temperature compensation, where the meter measures 
the temperature of the sample and automatically applies the correction.  
The measurement can be via a seperate temperature probe that plugs into 
the meter or via a temperature sensing element built into the pH 
electrode.  (There is a more advanced system that uses the change in 
electrical resistance of the pH measuring glass bulb itself rather than 
a specific temperature sensor, but it is uncommon and expensive.)

All but the least expensive temperature-compensated meters will display 
the temperature.

I prefer the type with the seperate temperature probe for two reasons:  
The probe is usually stainless steel and will tolerate immersion in 
boiling wort, for instance, much better than will the electrode.  
Secondly, the electrode with the builtin temp. probe is often more 
expensive.  Since the electrode usually has a much shorter life than the 
temperature probe, long term economics favor separate units.

A more important question is whether you want the use temperature 
compensation at all.  Temp. compensatioon corrects only for the change 
in output of a theoretically perfect electrode; real electrodes tend to 
deviate from the theoretical equation.  But more importantly, the pH of 
most samples changes with temperature.  For instance, a sample of pH 5.0 
(measured at 70F) might become 5.3 when measured at 170F, even with a 
properly compensated electrode.  This represents a real change in the 
chemical activity of the hydronium ion (the defination of pH) and not an 
artifact of measurement.  It is beyond me to predict how much and in 
which direction a given sample will change.  Given that additional 
complication, what one frequently does is make all measurements at room 
temperature:  Take a small sample of a mash at 150F and let it cool, 
rather that trying to measure directly in elevated temperatures.  It may 
not tell you the "true" pH of the 150F mash, but it will be reproducible 
from time to time and from brewer to brewer.

So what is the magnitude of the electrodes temperature error?  Without 
reproducing the Nerst equation (which I can't remember), I can 
approximate:  At pH 7, there is no temperature effect (the electrode 
output is 0 mv).  At pH 6, changing the electrode from 70F to 170F would 
cause the meter to read about 5.85.  At pH 5, it would read about 4.7.  
So, the closer you are to pH 7, and the closer to 70F, the less the 
error.

Measurements in pure water:  It can be extremely difficult to measure 
the pH of pure water.  Most electrodes will not be able to accurately 
measure the pH of ion-free (RO or DI) sparge water, even if it is 
acidified the phosphoric acid.  The electrode requires some free ions to 
complete the reference circuit; in pure water, the readings just drift 
around.  A good bet is to add a drop or two of phosphoric acid to the 
sparge, take a small sample, and add a little bit of the purest salt 
(NaCl, perhaps kosher salt without iodine and silicates) you can find.  
The pH should be unchanged, and the salt will allow the electrode to 
work.  Repeat the addition of phosphoric acid to the sparge, take 
samples, until you reach your target pH.  How much salt to add to the 
sample?  I don't know--I just thought of that solution as I was writing 
this. I guess just a wee bit until the electrode stops drifting, but I 
should try to quantitate it.  The same thing might apply to using pH 
strips.  I certainly have been suspicious of the results with RO sparge 
water.

Electrode storage:  We always had the best luck storing the electrode in 
the pH 4.0 calibration buffer.  Some manufactures recommend using 4 M or 
saturated KCl, but I think the acidity of the 4.0 buffer will do a 
better job keeping the proteinaceous material in the wort from fouling 
the glass bulb.  Most 4.0 buffers are potassium salts, and some 
potassium is certainly helpful.  How about a compromise?  Use 4.0 buffer 
and a spoonful of KCl (maybe Morton's salt substitute?).  In any event,  
don't store it dry, and never store it in DI or RO water.  That will 
leach the K+ out of the glass bulb and it may not recover.

Models:  I don't want to get specific here, but I would expect to pay 
about $250 for an acceptable meter with separate electrode and 
temperature probe.  You can get handheld gadgets where the eletrode and 
meter are integrated into one disposable body, sometimes with temp. 
compensation, for under $100, but I have no experience with them.  A 
replacement electrode alone for the $250 package will run $50-$60.  The 
electrode lifetime would be 1-3 years. 

My gosh, this has become a treatise.  Thats enough. Sorry.
John

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Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 06:23:44 -0900 (AKST)
From: Casey Paul Scott <skippy at gridpoint.com>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest V2 #18

Hi - 

I was reading Gary Eckhatdt's reply to Splitting gas lines and thought 
that it was time to stop lurking... On my bar, I have 2 twin tap towers, 
one 20 # CO2 tank, and regulators all over the place.

There's the regulator on the CO2 tank, and then a regulator for each keg 
that allows the CO2 line to be regulated before the keg, and allows the 
regulators to be daisy-chained. 

I haven't priced for a while, but I'd imagine that these regulators 
aren't much more expensive than Gary's method, and a whole lot less 
complicated... (but looks cool with extra regulators hanging off the side 
of the fridge... :) )

Another frozen opinion from Alaska...

Casey Scott

_______________________________________________________________________________
Casey Paul Scott			Tell me your name...
skippy at gridpoint.com			so that I can remember what to call 
http://www.gridpoint.com/psylonic	out in my dreams...  -Sue Poliquin
~~~~~~~~~~~Beware the night... those who watch know who you are...~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Date: Fri, 03 Jan 1997 23:07:58 +0700
From: "C.D. Pritchard" <cdp at mail.chattanooga.net>
Subject: re: keeping hop pellets out of fermentor

Lenny Garfinkel switched from whole to pellet hops and wants to know how to
keep them out of his primary.  

Try a hop-back and/or adding some whole hops to the kettle.  A hop-back is
fairly easily to make from a 1 qt. mason jar with 3/8" OD copper in/out
tubes and a copper scrubbie.  I've just put plans and directions for one on
my web page at the URL in the sig line below.
c.d. pritchard 
Email: cdp at chattanooga.net 
Web Page:   http://caladan.chattanooga.net/~cdp/index.html

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Date: Sat, 04 Jan 1997 08:07:35 -0500
From: Derrick Yacavone <dyacavone at sprintmail.com>
Subject: Molsen clone???

My Spousal unit requested(i am still in shock), that I brew a Molsen(no
ice). Can anyone that may have a recipie(grain or extract) pass it my
way via e-mail? TIA  dyacavone at sprintmail.com

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Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 08:41:59 -0600
From: Kurt Eaton <keaton at zebra.net>
Subject: Yeast Slant Bottles/Tubes??

Hey all,
	I'm trying to find a source for the small vials with caps used to make
yeast culture slants.  A screw-off cap that makes a good seal would be
ideal.  Does anyone know of a mail order supplier for these?

Thanks,

Kurt

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Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 10:58:31 -0500
From: Esbitter at aol.com
Subject: How long to airate with aquarium pump (Randy Reed)

>Subject: Aerating wort
>Kevin Sinn writes: 
>I'm a novice homebrewer who has just made the move to liquid yeast.  I'm
>aware that aerating the cooled wort is more important when using liquid
>yeasts as compared to dry yeast.  To that effect, I am using an aquarium
>pump with an inline filter and airstone to aerate.  My question is:  what
>is generally considered the minimum amount of time to aerate using this
>method?

Kevin - I recommend you get a copy of the article written by Dennis Davison
in the September/October Brewing Techniques. It details the results and
outlines what the literature eludes to as the "recommended" amount of
dissolved oxygen. 

After reading the article, I retired my aquarium pump and purchased an oxygen
valve from Liquid Bread Inc. and an oxygen tank from Home Depot. I already
had the diffusion stone. The regulator was $24.45 delivered and the
disposable O2 bottle was about $7. Now I can oxygenate with two 30 to 40
second blasts in about 10 minutes and I'm done. 

However, if you want to continue to use the aquarium pump set up, check out
the letters to the editor column in the November/December Brewing Techniques.
On page 17 and 18, Mike Kilian mentions that he places his carboy in a
plastic tub, airates for 90 minutes, and lets the foam fall over the side.
This helps carry particles of cold break up and out of the fermentor, much
like some commercial breweries do by using what is called a flotation tank. 

Personally, I prefer to be done brewing a little sooner...

I have little or no affiliations with anyone, yada, yada...

Good luck

Randy

=====================================================
Homebrewers are like dogs teaching each other how to
chase cars.                                               - Ann Reed     
                                                    
    +-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-+
      + The Local Brewing Company + 
        +     Stoughton, MA        +
      +     ESBITTER at AOL.COM     +
    + Randy Reed, BJCP Recognized + 
       + Beer Judge, Bottlewasher +
       +  South Shore Brew Club   + 
     +  (Boston, MA Area - South)  + 
 +-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-+ 

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Date: 04 Jan 97 12:15:23 EST
From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Re: Blue, blue water

Brewsters:

Mike Urseth may be moving to a new old house to be with his sweetie and says:
 
> in the wilds of Wisconsin. My concern is the water. It seems to be hard on
> copper plumbing. There is blue-green corrosion at flare fittings and it
> leaves a blue-green tint where the old faucet leaked for a while.

Mike,

This is a common problem in houses with well water and copper piping. It will
also turn all the brass hardware into sponge and make it difficult to remove
screws when you replace washers - I know!  As a chemist, it mystified me for
many years.  My water guy kept telling me that it was because the well was acid,
but I know that acid won't dissolve copper metal. (Con Nitric Acid oxidizes the
metal and then the oxide dissolves in acid. Likewise oxide formed on the copper
will dissolve in acid - but not the pure metal).

I finally figured it out.  It is the iron in the water that is the problem.
Ferric ion dissolves copper metal, forming ferrous ion and cupric ion.  This
method is used to etch copper circuit boards in the electronic industry.  Acid
wells have iron in them typically, and if you pressurize your tank with air
rahter than nitrogen, the oxygen will oxidise any ferrous ion into ferric, so
this explained all observations.  Neutralizing the water over a limestone bed
was supposed to do it, but it doesn't really do it and you can now see why.  All
I got was very hard water and a chance to make really good bitters.  I still got
copper stains and blue bath water. I also installed a bladder type pressure tank
to reduce the possibility of the oxidation of the iron.

After many years of fritzing around, I eventually gave in and put in a water
softener and installed a reverse osmosis (RO) in my kitchen sink.   This
provides non-copper dissolving water for the house and ion-free (ergo no sodium
from the softener) water for drinking and most importantly for brewing. I also
installed a carbon filter while I was in the business just to provide organic
free water. The water still has carbon dioxide dissolved in it, so for lagers
and such, I draw the water and let it sit around at least overnight in gallon
plastic bottles and pour it through the air with splashing or when I really want
CO2 free water I boil it briefly.  I can now make some really excellent lagers
with my own water instead of buying distilled water for the purpose.

If you don't do anything else I can recommend an RO.  It is easy to install and
will provide up to about 10 gallons of ion-free water per day in the two gallon
storage tank, depending on the temperature and pressure of the water.  I can
easily get 6 galllons per day, which I store in gallon plastic jugs prior to my
brew day.  I saw an RO unit in a Damark catalog (1-800-827-6767)  for  $180.  It
looks just like mine and goes under the sink.  Maybe you can find one at one of
these do-it-yourself hardware places.

I have also used a BRITA filter successfully before I got the RO.  It is just
more trouble. 

BTW if you drink only ion-free water, it is a good idea to take some mineral
pills to make up for those you used to get from the water.


Keep on brewin'


Dave Burley
Kinnelon, NJ 07405
103164.3202 at compuserve.com
Voice e-mail OK

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Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 12:19:17 -0500
From: Jean-Sebastien Morisset <jsmoriss at qc.bell.ca>
Subject: Iodophor Concentrations, Quick Ref. Chart

I recently replied to a message about Iodophor concentrations, and I messed
up the amounts of Iodophor needed. I finally sat down this morning and
worked out a little chart.... :-)


           Iodophor / Time
  Water    30 Mins  30 Secs
  -------  -------  ------- 
  1 Litre    4 ml    16 ml
  1 Gal.    15 ml    62 ml
  5 Gals    75 ml   310 ml


So the proper dilution for a 30 min. soak is 15 ml (1 tbsp) per Gallon.

later!
js.
- --
Jean-Sebastien Morisset, Sc. Unix Administrator <mailto:jsmoriss at qc.bell.ca>
Bell Canada, Routing and Trunking Asignments <http://www.bell.ca>

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Date: Sun, 5 Jan 1997 00:34:14 +0000
From: Mike Kidulich <mjkid at ix19.ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Bubbles from EM

>As far as the bubbles getting into the loose tubing, you've got to just 
>shove that tubing a little farther up onto the spigot, then pinch the tubing 
>where the bubbles are appearing. This works for me.

I have been using an EM for a while now, and had the same problem. I 
noticed a small ridge on the spigot, from when it was cast. A small 
file, such as a jewelers file or the type found on a Swiss Army 
knife, will remove this, and you will no longer be troubled by 
bubbles.
Mike Kidulich
mjkid at ix.netcom.com  mjk at rfc.comm.harris.com
DNRC Minister of Home Brewing, Relaxation, and Really Cool Toys
Holder of Previous Knowledge O-

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Date: 05 Jan 1997 07:57:07 -0800
From: Dion Hollenbeck <hollen at axel.vigra.com>
Subject: Beer Fridge Mold Control

The following message is a courtesy copy of an article
that has been posted as well.


Just emptied a corny keg the other night and when I went to remove it
from my beer fridge (converted chest freezer) it had white and black
spots of mold all over it.  Does anyone have any good methods to
prevent this?  I keep the fridge between 45F and 50F.  I know how to
clean and remove it when the keg is empty, but would like to prevent
it from happening while in the fridge.  Maybe sanitize the outside of
the keg before putting it in the fridge?

thanks,
dion


- -- 
Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164                 Email: hollen at vigra.com
                                             http://www.vigra.com/~hollen
Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs  San Diego, California

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Date: Sun,  5 Jan 1997 15:28:02, -0500
From: STEVE GARRETT <sdginc at prodigy.com>
Subject: Single Decoction Mash

Fellow Homebrewers,

I am planning a brewing session this week. I will be brewing two 6 
gallon
batches: a Bock and a Czech Pils. The Bock malts are 50% pils, 41% 
dark
munich, and 9% caravienne. The Pils is 95% pils, 5% carapils.

I am planning to do single decoction mashes on these. Here's my 
plan:

1. Mash-in pils/munich malts at 140F by infusion of previously boiled 

water acidified with 1/2 tsp. 10% phosphoric acid per gallon. Water 
to 
grain ratio of  ~1 quart per pound. Rest 30 minutes. 
2. Pull thick 40% decoction. Infuse hot water and apply direct heat 
to raise 
the decoc to 150F. Rest decoc 30 min at 150F. 
3. While decoc is resting at 150F, heat main mash to 150F.
4. Heat decoc to boil adding H2O to avoid scorching. Boil for 25-30 
min. 
5. Return decoc to main mash while adding crystal malts. Rest 30 min 

 at 158F or till negative sacc. test. At this point expect 1.3-1.4 qt/lb 
mash.
6. No mashout: sparge with 170F acidified pre-boiled water. 
7. 2 hour boil.

I am especially interested in criticism of  my mash procedure. I'm 
looking 
for that malty "triple decoction flavor" with a simplified 2.5-3 hour 
single 
decoction procedure.

Thanks in advance!
Steve
sdginc at prodigy.com

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Date: Sun, 5 Jan 1997 17:18:38 -0500
From: Mike Nowak <mnowak at umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Bottling Time?

At 10:21 AM -0500 1/3/97, David Burki wrote:
>BTW the instructions indicate fermentation should last "3 to 7 days" and
>bottle when FG is 1.005 - 1.010.  Ingredients included 3.3 lb. LME, 2 lb.
>DME, 12 oz crushed crystal grain plus bittering and finishing hops.
>
>David
>The (fledgling) Long Draw Brewery

I'm new to this list and I thought I would introduce myself as well as let
David know that I had a similar experience using the same kit.

I just brewed my first batch of Amber Ale from a kit very similar to the
one David used, though I only used on packet of yeast. It fermented pretty
well for about 36 hours and now it only bubbles occasionally. I plan to
check the SG tomorrow (it will be 4 days) and see if I'm in range to bottle
it.

On to my intro: my wife has been brewing mead for aout 6 months and she got
me this kit for Christmas so I could join in the fun. We bought a 4 gallon
pot and a 6.5 gallon carboy and used her mead equipment to brew the first
batch. I'm really looking forward to tasting my first batch! I'm lucky to
live in a town (Ann Arbor, MI) where there are several homebrew suppliers.
I can walk a block to Big Ten Party Store and get practically everything I
need!

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Mike Nowak                                    mailto:mnowak at umich.edu
 The University of Michigan      http://www.oit.itd.umich.edu/~mnowak/
 U-M Instructional Environment Project             vox:+1 313 763-9944
 HCI Masters Program / School of Information       fax:+1 313 763-4663
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Date: Sun, 05 Jan 1997 18:52:52 -0500
From: Jim Bentson <jbentson at htp.net>
Subject: Re: Volume measurement before / after boil. - Jim Bentson

In HBD V2 #18 Matt Gadow wrote:

>
>When I measure (in a carboy, marked container, etc.) 5 gallons of cold
>water, and put it in my kettle - it measures 5 gallons 

>  However, when I finish a batch w/ >5 gallons (as marked w/
>the measuring device) showing in the kettle, then c-flow chill to a
>carboy (~65 degrees), I only get slightly more than 4 gallons, including
>the 2.2 quarts of trub on below the drain.  This is the third time I
>have missed my batch size by stubbornly relying on the volume
>measurement device.
>

 Are you using whole hops? These will  absorb and hold some of the water .
Exactly HOW large is your measured volume at the end of boil? You only
mention that it is >5 gal . 

>This must be some scientific law of volume expansion in sugar-laden
>liquids that I missed while reviewing all of my homebrewing resources.
>Anyone know of any formulas, etc. to compensate (other than the obvious
>leaving ~6gallons in the fermenter)???


  If you have Internet access there is a good page on water usage by Ray
Daniels. The site address is:

  www.allaboutbeer.com 

 Look in the homebrew section under the water usage topic. 

If you can't get to it, the article was extracted from a book by Ray
entitled 'Designing Great Beers'. The publisher was Brewers Publications and
it was listed as forthcoming in Dec. 1996. I don't know if it is out yet.
(no affiliation etc. etc. ) 

In the posted article, Daniel's quoted a figure of about  4% volume
shrinkage when cooling wort from boiling to 68 deg F. This value seems to be
in the right ball park compared to the data I have on the variation of
volume expansion of water which ends at 91 deg F. Based on this, volume
contraction due to cooling of 5 gal would be about 3/4 of a quart.

  Are you completely draining your lines and chiller or is there wort left?
If you are not try blowing the chiller clear and measure the volume.  Most
detailed water calculations account for 'equipment losses'.

 Also check for possible leaks in the chiller. Provided that the static
pressure of the flowing wort is higher than that of the cooling water, wort
would be sucked out into the coolant if a leak was present.  This depends on
a lot of factors and may or may not be the case but you would see a slight
color change in the exit cooling water if it happened.

 In the end, if you consistently get 4 gallons, my guess is that it is a
combination of all of the above and you need to adjust for it accordingly.
Daniels article helps the all-grain brewer estimate the water needed. I've
used his method and got good results.
- --
Registered ICC User
check out http://www.usefulware.com/~jfoltz

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Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 00:15:03 -0500
From: "Dale T. Kelly" <DKelly7 at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Dry Hopping

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

- ------=_NextPart_000_01BBFB66.A9BB9720
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I am thinking about dry hopping but I am not sure whether or not to use
whole hops or pellets.  I had read once on this digest that letting the
pellets settle for about 2 weeks will pretty much rid the beer of hops in
the bottle, is this true?  Please send me any feedback that you may have.
Thanks.

- ------=_NextPart_000_01BBFB66.A9BB9720
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html><head></head><BODY bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><p><font size=3D2 =
color=3D"#0000FF" face=3D"Poster Bodoni ATT"><b>I am thinking about dry =
hopping but I am not sure whether or not to use whole hops or pellets. =
&nbsp;I had read once on this digest that letting the pellets settle for =
about 2 weeks will pretty much rid the beer of hops in the bottle, is =
this true? &nbsp;Please send me any feedback that you may have. =
Thanks.</p>
</font></body></html>
- ------=_NextPart_000_01BBFB66.A9BB9720--

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Date: Mon, 06 Jan 1997 13:03:33 +0000 (GMT)
From: HOUCK KEITH A <HOUCK_KEITH_A at LILLY.COM>
Subject: weyerman wheat malt

Does anyone have any suggestions or comments on using dark and chocolate 
Weyerman wheat malts? I am planning a dunkles weizen and would welcome 
suggestions on using these malts in this beer style. Thanks.

Keith Houck (hak at lilly.com)
Carolina Fermenters Unlimited
Chapel Hill, NC

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Date: Sun, 5 Jan 1997 22:32:20 -0600
From: Chris McCauley <ccmccaul at fujitsu-fnc.com>
Subject: Water Chemistry

I was wondering where should I look to find a place to test my water chemistry?
I'm in the Dallas, Texas area....

Thanks,

Chris
 

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Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 09:06:08 -0500
From: WOLFF.R.C- at postal.essd.northgrum.com (WOLFF.R.C-)
Subject: Subsribe

     Subscibe to HBD

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Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 08:08:32 -0600
From: Chris McCauley <ccmccaul at fujitsu-fnc.com>
Subject: Where to get Water Chemistry tested?

Where should I look for someone to test my water chemistry for me? What should I expect 
to pay for it?  I'm in the Dallas, Texas area...if that helps.


Thanks,

Chris

ccmccaul at fujitsu-fnc.com

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Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 09:24:59 -0500
From: Rust1d <rust1d at li.com>
Subject: Barley Wine

I made a barley wine this past weekend using the no sparge technique.
I used 25 lbs of grain mashed in 10 gallons water to yeild 7 gallons
of 1073 SG wort, which was boiled down to 5 gallons of 1102 SG wort.
Using my recipe calculator, I figured I got 55% extraction for the
first runnings. Based on the fact that I get 80-85% normally, I
assumed I could get 25% more from the grain bed. I added 2 pounds of
crystal (the initial bill was all pale) and 10 gallons of 170F water
to the mash tun. This sat for 45 mins and was then mashed out at 168F
to collect 7 gallons of 1033 SG wort. I began boiling this as I
chilled the barley wine. When the kettle was empty, I transferred the
small beer on top of the spent hops from the barley wine and boiled 
it for 30 mins more. At the end of the day, I had 5 gallons of 1102
and 5 gallons of 1048 wort for an extra hour of work. The barley
wine is for next new years eve of course.

Don't tell March, but I use a fan controller on their pump without
any recourse, yet (30 batches?).

After brewing saturday, a trip to a nearby pub (Dawson Street, Philly)
turned up a pleasant surprize. Victory Old Horizontal Barley Wine on
tap and Hop Devil IPA on the hand pump. I ordered one of each and sat
back to reflect on a brew well done. I hope my barley wine comes out as 
wonderful. (Galena bittering, Chinook and Centennial flavor/aroma).

Peace,
John Varady           http://www.netaxs.com/~vectorsys/varady/index.html
Boneyard Brewing Co.           "The HomeBrew Recipe Calculating Program"
"Ale today, Gone tomorrow."

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Date: Mon, 06 Jan 97 09:22:00 EST
From: "William G. Rucker" <ruckewg at naesco.com>
Subject: Hi temp tubing - cf chiller

     Happy New Years to all,
     
     First question for 1997, What kind and where can I get tubing that I 
     can use in the brewery for transferring hot wort? I would like to be 
     able to use this stuff to transfer to the chiller from the boiler so 
     it should be able to handle boiling wort. How much should I expect to 
     pay? I have found some tubing but I am not in line to pay $2+ a foot 
     for this stuff if something else will work. 
     
     I was given a Precision Brewing System Maxichiller which looks to be 
     about the same as the Hearts Chiller except all copper. Has anyone had 
     any experience with this? Does it work well?
     
     Thanks for any help or comments.
     
     Bill
     ruckewg at naesco.com
     brewzer at peanut.mv.com

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #2301