HOMEBREW Digest #2532 Thu 16 October 1997

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
		Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of 
		Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
				URL: http://www.oeonline.com


Contents:
  s and Tribulations in the Commercial Brewing World ("Dr. Pivo")
  Materials: Bronze or Polysulfone?? (Harlan Bauer)
  Re: How to win a contest // Styles / Alan Moen (Dana Edgell)
  7 Gallon Coolers  at  Home Depot ("Mark Nelson")
  The Jethro Gump Report ("Rob Moline")
  Valid survey? (AlannnnT)
  re: Home Depot Coolers ("Michel J. Brown")
  re: Tips on force carbonation ("Michel J. Brown")
  Boulder boiling, pumpkin ale recipe (Jim Bentson)
  Tcl/Tk HBD viewer (freeware) (Jim Graham)
  Boiling Point ("David R. Burley")
  Malt Modification ("David R. Burley")
  Competition Guidelines (Peter M Garofalo)
  Overnight Mashing Question ("Bruce Gill")
  beer - science or art? (Andy Walsh)
  Painted-on labels ("Mark S. Johnston")
  beer bingeing (Andy Walsh)
  pumpkin // hazy cloudy beers redux (smurman)
  FW: How do I figure OG? (chouse4)
  Johnson controller causes GFCI to trip (Imbecile.kzoo.edu)
  FW: BOSS Competition ("Daniel J. Lozynski")
  Malt Extract Tang - not, Punkin' ale ("David R. Burley")
  Steinbier Fragmentation Grenades (DAN PILLSBURY)
  Wort Storage? (Randy Kinsman)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 21:36:55 +0000 From: "Dr. Pivo" <irv at wireworks.se> Subject: s and Tribulations in the Commercial Brewing World Hope I titled this right. I am a lurker here, and Kinney Baugham wrote something that twisted particularly hard on the strings of my heart, and prompted me out of my usual silence on this forum. I also have a "communist nature", that is, the sort of personality that those sorts of systems are based on that there are plenty of. I hope you read his entire piece. I've been there so many times: "Let's do something good together, and everyone will be happier." I don't know why it doesn't work out, but it never seems to. Wish I had a clue why monetary interests take priority over quality and humane behaviour, but that is outside of my understanding and this forum. I have a sneaking suspicion that what you are able to brew, Kinney, just "might" be better than what the brewery can produce without you (albeit their's might be more profitable--- and that's what they are looking at). I don't know how to fix that, but if you can make good beer, by all means keep doing it (I'm not always at home and could use a "topping up" when I'm on the road). Sorry about your loss. If I didn't believe there was a place for honesty, beauty, and quality, then I certainly wouldn't bother to believe in anything else either. Dr. Pivo Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 13:33:49 -0500 From: blacksab at midwest.net (Harlan Bauer) Subject: Materials: Bronze or Polysulfone?? I'm looking to buy a new pump that can handle high temperatures and have found two that are rated for 250*F from Moving Brews. I'm wavering between a pump housing made of bronze and the other of polysulfone. Does anyone have any preferences one way or the other on either of these two materials? Are there any significant reasons why bronze could/should not be used to move boiling wort from the boiling kettle to the wort chiller? I'd be remiss if I didn't say a few great words for Bill Stewart at Moving Brews. He is VERY knowlegable and has been extremely prompt and helpful in answering every question I've posed to him. Once I decide on the material I intend to buy from him (usual disclaimers). I urge any of you in the market for a pump to visit their web site at: http://www.ays.net/movingbrews/introduction.html And if you don't find what you're looking for on the web site, email him. He gave me prices and availability for SS, TEFC-motors, and Thomsen sanitary pumps. He also sells SS fittings and a bunch of other good stuff and best of all, his prices are VERY competitive. I really can't say enough good things about my experience thus far. I'll post an update when I've made a final decision on material and have recieved my new pump. As an aside, I've been out of town for most of the summer, and haven't been reading the digest much, so when I returned to find the science discussion raging away, I dimmly recalled a thread from before I left that I routinely PAGED DOWN from. I checked my archives and sure enough, there it was--the Freshmen HBD! Sheesh. I hope this thread hasn't been running continuously! ;-D There's room for every level of brewer on this forum, from the first batch newbie to the most seasoned masher, and when we least expect it we all learn from each other because each brings a unique perspective to our shared craft. TIA, Harlan - --The first ascent of a hot-air baloon was made on November 21, 1783. A few days later, Jacques Alexandre Charles made an ascent in a hydrogen-filled baloon. On landing, the baloon was attacked and torn to shreads by terrified peasants armed with pitchforks... Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 15:19:08 -0500 From: Dana Edgell <edgell at quantum-net.com> Subject: Re: How to win a contest // Styles / Alan Moen Don H Van Valkenburg writes.... >What would happen if we had a contest where beers were categorized >according to their starting gravity within two major sub-groups; ales >and lagers? And---beers were given points for creativity. Just one >idea. Actually, the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild have a contest in the spring entitled "The Big and Huge Contest". It has 4 categories. Big Ale (og 1.050-1.060) Huge Ale (og > 1.060) Big Lager (og 1.050-1.060) Huge Lager (og > 1.060) Contact the club at mhtg at stdorg.wisc.edu or madbrewers at ls.gdinet.com for more info. Dana - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Edgell edgell at quantum-net.com Edge Ale Brewery http://www.quantum-net.com/edge_ale San Diego home of the Water Treatment Workpage Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 20:58:54 -0400 From: "Mark Nelson" <menelson at mindspring.com> Subject: 7 Gallon Coolers at Home Depot Mark Snyder asked about buying 7 gallon coolers at Home Depot. Having (finally) gotten mine at the local Home Depot here in Atlanta, let me quickly tell you how I did it. Step one, went into the store and asked. Step two, Put one on order from another store. Steps 3-5, Called weekly until it came in. Step 6, Picked it up about a month after ordering the thing. Good prices, but poor customer service at Home ("It's on the other side of the store") Depot. Better luck to y'all. - ---------------- Mark "Now waiting for my Phloating Phalse Bottom" Nelson Atlanta, GA Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 97 21:42:20 PDT From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at ames.net> Subject: The Jethro Gump Report The Jethro Gump Report Banner/Tapper.. The 5th person to request the banner was Jim Larsen of the Omaha brew club, the Omahops. He is the VP of the club and sez it will be hung with pride at club meetings. The first person to request the tapper was Grant Knechtel, of Des Moines, Washington. And that's how the luck of the draw played. I am pleased to know that a club will have the banner, and that someone can use what is only gathering dust in this cramped apartment. A-B Versus The Federal Trade Commission.. Tom McCormick, who spoke at The Business Of Beer Session has offered some interesting insight into this upcoming legal battle. Most of the industry folks I asked about this said they thought it was insignificant, and that was just a fly on an elephants butt to A-B. But Tom's comments in another brew forum state that the investigation has nothing to do with the 100 percent share of mind suits filed in California, but rather with the restrictions placed in the contracts that A-B had their distributors sign in August. He gave 2 illustrations; "1) The day to day manager of the business must have an ownership stake of at least 10% in the company. Many A/B distributors are owned by absentee owners who have a manager that runs the business. In some cases, these owners just lost 10% of a sizable company. 2) This one affects the craft beer industry. A provision states that all AB distributors must match any incentive offered by a non-AB brand. If XYZ brewery offers $50 to the sales staff for each new draft account, the wholesaler must match that for all A/B products. Since most A/B distributors don't want to offer their sales staff $50 for each new Bud, Bud Light, Mich, Redhook etc tap handle, they will obviously decline the incentive offered by the XYZ brewery (for better or for worse!)." Knowing that Tom's business is primarily as a distributor of craft brews, these statements of his certainly got my interest. During his Business of Beer speech, he mentioned 3 prime reasons that impact craft brewers and the ability of folks like us to get access to the wide range of beers out there. 1. The current consolidation of distributors has resulted in the 15 % reduction in their numbers; 2. Pressure from the megabrewers on the distribution network; and 3. There are too many brands out there. Kinney Baughman.. Kinney forget to mention that being the slacker that he is...I had to call him repeatedly for 3 months to get him to cash the check! Cheers! Jethro Gump Rob Moline Brewer At Large brewer at ames.net "The More I Know About Beer, The More I Realize I Need To Know More About Beer!" Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 01:29:34 -0400 (EDT) From: AlannnnT at aol.com Subject: Valid survey? Jeff Sturman writes; "HBD-types surely are responsible for most of the advancements made in home brewing during the past 20 years, but HBD-types are an extremely small percentage of the home brewing population." Jeff, This is quite possibly true on both accounts. I would agree with most of your estimates about brewers. In my [small] homebrew shop the numbers are very similar to your earlier post about brewers being extract oriented. Eighty percent or more of my customers have never read a Zymurgy article and are not likey not read one soon. About half have never tried liquid yeast, and many who have tried it don't use it often for a variety of reasons. If brewing wasn't as easy as buying a boxed kit of extract, yeast, specialty grains, instructions, crown caps, priming dextrose and a couple muslin bags then half my customers would not brew. For you doubters, consider this; my hobbies include playing basketball, juggling, bicycling and fixing up my old house. I have never read a book or subscribed to a magazine about anyone of these things except for the first primer on juggling. But I consider myself an average basketball player, biker and juggler. The average hobbyist is not as zealous as we [HBDers] are no matter what the hobby. Therefore, I propose that a survey in Zymurgy is no more able to predict the behavior of the 'average' brewer then a survey in Runners Magazine would accurately portray the behavior of the 'average' jogger. The 'average' brewer has never read a Zymurgy. If he had, he would no longer be 'average'. My 2 cents. Actually, my two hundred dollars. You see, I pay for an ad in Zymurgy, so I wish more brewers would read it. Best to all at the forefront of this, the best of all hobbies. Alan Talman Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 1989 21:13:05 -0700 From: "Michel J. Brown" <hommade at spiritone.com> Subject: re: Home Depot Coolers Mark, here in Fungus Corner (Pacific Northwest) I got my Home Depot 7 Gallon Rubbermaid cooler at the store on Airport Way in Portland, Oregon. They were in the garden center on a pallet adjacent to where the horticultural supplies are located. Dr. Michel J. Brown, D.C. homemade at spiritone.com http://www.spiritone.com/~homemade/index.html "Big Man don't drink no stinking light beer!" "Big Man drink beer what got BIG TASTE!" Big Man Brewing (R) 1996 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 1989 00:00:35 -0700 From: "Michel J. Brown" <hommade at spiritone.com> Subject: re: Tips on force carbonation Steve, on my system I keg three different ways. 1.) add 120~150 grams of dextrose and wait for a week at room temperature (70'F); 2.) pressurize the keg to 20 psi after 4~5 days cold conditioning for another 4~5 days; or 3.) pressurize the keg to 30 psi at cellar (55'F) and shake the dilly out of it for 30~45 minutes, then down to 20 psi at fridge temp for 2~3 days; then finally share and enjoy at 5 psi! Dr. Michel J. Brown, D.C. homemade at spiritone.com http://www.spiritone.com/~homemade/index.html "Big Man don't drink no stinking light beer!" "Big Man drink beer what got BIG TASTE!" Big Man Brewing (R) 1996 Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 08:07:45 -0400 From: Jim Bentson <jbentson at htp.net> Subject: Boulder boiling, pumpkin ale recipe Ian Smith recently asked >Does anyone know at what temperature water boils in Boulder, CO. altitude >5360 feet ? I would prefer a chart, table or equation if possible. I >would like to calibrate my thermometers so the value should be as >accurate as possible (within +/- 0.1 deg C ???). Ian Based on 'standard day' atmospheric data and the data in steam tables I come up with the boiling point of pure water at 5360 feet ( pressure = 12.1 psi ) would be 202.2 deg F or 94.5 deg C. This involved some interpolation of the tables but I checked with some other data and I think it is correct. I recently mentioned a recipe I use for pumpkin ale and got about ten requests, so I am posting it. It originally came from an Oct 7,1996 post by Darrin Pertschi either here or from the rec.crafts.brewing newsgroup. I have made some minor changes. As I said in my original post, I brew all-grain but do an extract beer with pumpkin to avoid the difficulties of sparging pumpkin. Here is the recipe for a 5 gallon batch. have made it for two years and it makes a really nice beer. PUMPKIN ALE (EXTRACT) Ingredients for 5 gal. Extract/Grain/Pumpkin 6.6 lbs Northwestern Gold Extract Syrup 1 lb Pale Ale Malt (I use Crisp Marris Otter or M&F Pale Ale 1 lb Crystal ( 60 L) Malt 6 cups Cooking Pumpkin (about 4lbs) Hops 1/2 oz Tettenanger 4.7% (40 min ) 1/2 oz. Saaz 3.6 % (10 min) Other ( All added 10 min before end of boil) 3 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp allspice 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp ground ginger 3/4 tsp ground clove 5 Corriander seeds crushed 1 tsp Irish Moss (15 min before end of boil) Yeast Wyeast 1056 pitched up to 3 pints of starter over two days S.G. 1.052 O.G. 1.013 Procedure: To get 4 lbs of pumpkin you need a 7 - 8 lb baking (AKA neck , cheese or cooking) pumpkin. These are a tanner color than the orange Halloween pumpkins. Try a farm stand if possible. While others have used the usual orange type, I haven't so I can't comment on them. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Then slice each half into 2-3 wedges and bake at 350 deg on a cookie sheet until tender (about 1 hour). Using a spoon, scrape the pumpkin flesh away from the rind and collect 6 cups. Mash the baked pumpkin and the crushed grains in 2 gals. of water at 150 deg for 60 minutes. Strain the pumpkin and grains from the resulting wort and save the solids in a covered pot. For a partial volume boil ,add 2 gallons of water to the wort, bring to a boil, remove from heat and add extract syrup. Bring to boil and boil for 60 minutes. Add hops, spices and Irish Moss at times given above. Chill wort and transfer to fermenter using your normal procedure. Add remaining water by slowly filtering cold water through the reserved grain and pumpkin solids into the fermenter. If your sieve (sterile) can't hold all the solids, use proportionate steps. Add sufficient cold water to bring to 5 gals. Pitch yeast . I ferment in primary 5-6 days in plastic at 65 deg F.Then secondary in glass 7-10 days at 50 deg F. If you don't have a refrig. don't worry, keep it as low as possible in the secondary. Bottle primed with 4 0z. corn sugar. Best served at 4-8 weeks. Don't think the spices are too much, they mellow with age. Hope you like it. I have also used a full volume boil where, after mashing, I sparged the pumpkin - grain with an additional 3 gal of 170 deg water and then discarded the pumpkin-grain solids. The wort is then brought to a boil, the extract is added and sufficient water to bring the volume up to 6 gal prior to boil. The remainder of the schedule is the same. I actually got slightly more pumpkin flavor in the partial boil. Possibly due to the last filtering through the solids compared to the early sparge followed by a boil in the full boil possibly just variation in the pumpkin crop from year to year. Anyone with questions can E-mail for additional info Jim Bentson (jbentson at htp.net) Centerport NY - -- Registered ICC User check out http://www.usefulware.com/~jfoltz Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 10:09:05 -0500 From: Jim Graham <jim at n5ial.gnt.com> Subject: Tcl/Tk HBD viewer (freeware) If you're like me, you usually don't get a chance to catch up on the HBD until the weekend. And, of course, on weekends, you're usually busy, too. :-) For me, the end result is that I pick and choose articles from the HBD based on the subject line. Until recently, I used less as my pager, and could search for ^Subject: to move from one article to the next. That wasn't bad, but last night, I came up with what I think is a better idea..... hbdview.tk is a Tcl/Tk based viewer for the Homebrew Digest. As I said in the subject line, this is freeware. I've gotten a lot from the HBD over the years, and this is just one small way I can try to return the favor (besides, it's such a short script, anyone who would charge or pay for it is crazy!). Basically, the idea is this...when you start the script (passing either a filename containing *ONE* issue of the HBD on the command line, or passing the text of the issue as the standard input), you get the following: 1) a listbox showing the articles in that issue 2) a text window in which the articles you select (by clicking mouse button 1 on an item in the listbox) is displayed 3) buttons to reply to either the HBD or the article's author You can get the script from my web page at http://www.gnt.net/~n5ial. You can also look at a screen snapshot there. If you don't already have Tcl/Tk, see http://www.sunscript.com/. You want the download section (http://sunscript.sun.com/TclTkCore/8.0.html), from which you can get * Tcl/Tk source for UNIX, Windows, and Macintosh platforms * Tcl/Tk binaries for Windows and Macintosh platforms NOTE: hbdview.tk is ALPHA CODE (remember, I just got the idea last night!), If you use this script, and have any suggestions, please let me know. If you're a Tcl/Tk guru, and have bug-fixes and/or enhancements, that would also be very much appreciated. Later, --jim - -- 73 DE N5IAL (/4) MiSTie #49997 < Running Linux 2.0.21 > jim at n5ial.gnt.net || j.graham at ieee.org ICBM / Hurricane: 30.39735N 86.60439W Jack: DS B+Bd+O+W Y+G 2 Y L W C+ I+++ A++ S V+ F- Q++ P++ PA PL-- SC++++ Shadow: DS B+C Y+B 2 Y L++ W+ C+ I+++ A++ S+ V-- F+++ Q++ P++ PA++ PL+ SC++++ Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 11:34:16 -0400 From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: Boiling Point Brewsters: Ian Smith asks for information on boiling point temperature versus altitude. I published such a comment with equation here a month ago. I submitted the piece on 9/16/97. Check the HBD archives a day or so after= this date for this extensive discussion which I will not reproduce here..= As part of this comment I said: "First determine the actual temperature = of boiling water at your location from the following equation ( derived below) which assumes that you are not in a weather situation which is an abnormal high or low barometric pressure: BP(F,A) =3D 212 - 0.0018(A) Where BP(F,A) is boiling point in = degrees Fahrenheit and A is elevation in feet above sea level." Note that unless you take the barometric pressure into account at the tim= e of the measurement, it will be unlikely that you can calibrate to the nearest 0.1 degree C. ( four significant figures) You can gain some additional comfort in yo= ur numbers if you do as I suggest in my note and calibrate your thermometer over the pertintent temperature range using various weights of boiling an= d ice water in a pre-heated glass thermos bottle. Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Kinnelon, NJ 07405 103164.3202 at compuserve.com Dave_Burley at compuserve.com = Voice e-mail OK = Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 11:34:24 -0400 From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: Malt Modification Brewsters: Well, at least Chris Carolan tried to provide an answer to the question o= f how do we know whether a malt is well-modified or not by quoting Gregory Noonan with some suggestions on how interpret the maltsters specification= sheet. George Fix in his response to this question of how do we know abou= t the malt we buy, suggested we read his book to better understand his position on malt modification. He did comment that new varieties of barl= ey account for the big change (in the continental varieties?) in the last fi= ve years. Now if we only knew what variety of barley was used in making the= malt we buy from the homebrew shop. Chris Carolan's experience with attempting to single-temperature infuse continental (specifically Lager and Pilsner?) pale malts always resulted = in a cloudy beer, which echoes my experience. Perhaps we should be using those "overmodified" ( as CP calls them) British Pale (Ale) malts Charlie= Papazian talks about in his "Homebrewers Companion", p114 if we want to avoid the protease hold regions. The whole point to this discussion is that we do not automatically know h= ow to use the anonymous malts we buy from the homebrew store. "Under-", "Well-" and "Over- modified" are relative terms. Perhaps less geographic= al than they were 50 years ago, but perhaps not as much as some would like t= o believe. Despite unproven protestations to the contrary, experience shows= that many Pilsner and Lager malts are not well-modified in the sense that= they can be used in single temperature infusions ( which is apparently ho= w Chris Carolan and I would use the term "well-modified"). It is far bette= r to be judicious and use a protease hold ( as George Fix, Chris Carolan an= d yours truly does), than to assume that the Lager and Pilsner malt you bu= y is "well-modified" and that it can be used like a British Pale Ale malt i= n a single step infusion. Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Kinnelon, NJ 07405 103164.3202 at compuserve.com Dave_Burley at compuserve.com = Voice e-mail OK = Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 14:58:41 EDT From: pgarofalo at juno.com (Peter M Garofalo) Subject: Competition Guidelines Don Van Valkenburg (steinfiller at juno.com) writes, on how to win a competition: >Brew it BIG and brew it hoppy. > It wasn't a big surprised to me that a triple won the Pacific Cup >recently. Nor was it a big surprise that the Orange County fair best of >show was won by a barley wine two years in a row. BTW, these two >examples of winners I have mentioned are excellent beers and I would not >turn down a glass of either one. However, when was the last time you >saw a mild win best of show?? Well, as a matter of fact, the winner of the Spirit of Free beer (401 entries, probably the largest competition on the East coast) was ...a MILD! In fact, the second BoS beer that it beat out was...a BARLEY WINE! Both were excellent, and well within the style guidelines. The BoS panel was very experienced, as are most such panels, IMO. Pardon me if I bristle at the suggestion that all beer judges are meat-headed dopes who must be hit over the head to recognize a great beer. This is simply NOT true. Most BJCP judges take great pride in the craft of judging. >I have seen beers that were on the higher gravity side for their category >win in that category or beers that had a little more hops than the style >required also win in their category. I must confess that a recent winner >of mine that took first place in a local contest was pushing the envelope >for gravity in that style. These facts only point to the subjective >nature of contests and the relevance of styles in contests. Judges are >after all only human and respond to alcohol and hops. Thus if you want >to win a contest, brew it BIG and brew it HAPPY. Brew it OUTSIDE the >styles guidelines. Pushing the envelope is one thing; no style guidelines are engraved in stone. Yes, competitions are subjective (usually referred to as "crapshoots" on another forum pertaining to judging). I am tired of hearing complaints about this. It is easy to become a rock-thower, not so easy to do something tangible to improve the situation. My suggestion? Join the BJCP and work hard to become the best judge you can. Give something back to the hobby. Oh, and one more thing--keep it within the competition guidelines. This is a simple case of ethical behavior. Cheers, Peter Garofalo Syracuse, NY Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 97 00:26:21 UT From: "Bruce Gill" <b2g at classic.msn.com> Subject: Overnight Mashing Question For various time-constraint reasons, I am looking to try overnight mashing. I do full mashes in either a 5 or 10 gallon Gott (depending on grain bill/starting gravity desired). Several people have told me of good results with bringing the mash up to saccharification temperatures, going to bed, then getting up in the morning ready to heat and sparge. My concern is for the body of the beer. It seems that after several hours the mash temperature would (naturally) drift downward toward the prime temperature range for beta-amylase activity. Even if I started my mash temperature (before I go to bed) as high as 158 - 160, the mash temp would, over the course of the night, rest for a time in "beta country", thereby undoing or reducing the effects of any higher initial temperature. My understanding is that while there are dextrins created by alpha-amylase that beta-amylase can't nibble on, there are some (including those containing 7-12 glucose residues) the beta can, in fact, reduce. Since beta-amylase is denatured just short of 170 (with alpha surviving about another 10 degrees), would boosting the bed-time mash temperature up to about 172 take care of this problem? Or is it even a problem at all? Many thanks for any light the collective can shed on this. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 12:11:30 -0700 From: Andy Walsh <awalsh at crl.com.au> Subject: beer - science or art? A brief note: If beer were invented today, rather than centuries ago, the scientists and engineers would never design a process that used up so much heat and water, and distribute such a heavy package that is 90% water. Instead they'd add enzymes to barley rather than go through the expensive malting and mashing processes, and deliver a concentrate to the distribution point that just required a water addition. Aren't we fortunate? Andy. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 22:12:32 -0400 From: "Mark S. Johnston" <msjohnst at talon.net> Subject: Painted-on labels Here's another question for the collective: Has anyone found (or even looked for) a painless method of removing painted-on labels from bottles? (e.g. - Rogue, Rolling Rock, et al) I've got a magnum that used to contain Rodenbach, and I wish to reuse and relabel it for a special occasion. But it has a (very nice, but) painted-on label. I'm not inclined to soak it in turpentine. And using furniture stripper seems more trouble than it's worth, assuming that it doesn't etch the glass and remain on depost. Private Email OK, but others may want to know this one as well. TIA. - -- "If a man is not a liberal at eighteen, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is thirty, he has no mind." - Winston Churchill Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 13:36:33 -0700 From: Andy Walsh <awalsh at crl.com.au> Subject: beer bingeing >From the Healthgate homepage: October 8, 1997 Higher risk of death for beer binge drinkers (97/10/8) HealthGate (MALDEN) -- Men who drink more than six bottles of beer at one sitting are much more likely to die -- from a heart attack or a violent incident -- than men who consume up to three bottles of beer at a time, according to research published in British Medical Journal. Researchers from Finland looked at 1,641 Finnish men, aged 42 to 60, over an eight-year period. Of the men, 76 drank over six bottles of beer at a time, and were considered binge drinkers by the study's authors. Those bingers were six times as likely to suffer a fatal heart attack and were seven times more likely to die from being injured or poisoned, involved in a violent event, or committing suicide, researchers found. Factors such as smoking, unemployment, previous diseases, marital status, blood pressure, or cholesterol levels did not make a significant difference in determining why the binge drinkers were more likely to die. "The reason that the men who indulged in heavy drinking sessions had an increased risk of death in our follow-up study might come from the beer itself, from the pattern of heavy acute intake (binging), or from other characteristics that are associated with men who prefer to drink six or more beers at a time," lead author Jussi Kauhanen wrote. As a result, health care professionals should examine factors besides the total amount of alcohol consumed when determining the effect of alcohol on a person's health. The way alcohol affects the heart, for example, may shed light on factors which signal the onset of a fatal heart attack -- such as sudden heart rhythm abnormalities, blood clots, and/or coronary artery blockages. "The pattern of beer binging is associated with increased risk of death, independently of the total average consumption of alcoholic drinks," researchers concluded. "The relation is not explained by known behavioural, psychosocial, or biological risk factors. Death due to injuries and other external causes is overrepresented among beer bingers, but a strong association with fatal myocardial infarction suggests that the pathway may also involve other acute triggers of severe health events." - Cheryl Alkon Reference Kauhanen, J., et al. "Beer binging and mortality: results from the Kuopio ischaemic heart disease risk factor study, a prospective population based study," British Medical Journal, October 4, 1997; number 7112, volume 315, pages 846-850. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 23:49:54 -0700 From: smurman at best.com Subject: pumpkin // hazy cloudy beers redux I'll throw my 2 pence into the ring regarding pumpkin beers. I bent to the holiday spirit and brewed a small batch for an upcoming halloween party. First, if you haven't done one, they are a pain in the ass. They would be a perfect candidate for an extract brew, except for the annoying fact that the pumpkin must be mashed. It's pretty difficult to get much pumpkin flavor. I would say a *minimum* is to use 1 lb of pumpkin per 1 gal. of finished wort. Doubling that wouldn't hurt. You can see why I only made a small batch - this will lead to a sparge from hell unless you're prepared. I used 6-row and a kitchen colander, and had no problems. The 6-row wasn't really necessary, but my HB shop guy had some he wanted to get rid of. Others here have reported good results using rice hulls and more typical (5-10 gal.) batch sizes. You do get a nice orange color, and it is a big party hit. I mash mine using the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid). 152F sacc. rest for at least 90 minutes. The pumpkin is basically all starch (it's just a big baked potato), so you want to keep it at conversion temp. as long as possible. I got my spicing ratio using the logic that 1 gallon of beer was about equal to one pumpkin pie, and then just taking the amounts of spice from a generic pumpkin pie recipe (1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg and ginger. I added 5-10 whole cloves. These are the "per pie" values.) My spicing method is to soak them in Everclear for a couple of weeks, then (coffee) filter and add to 2nd'ary (to taste). // I've been having some of the same thoughts as Bill regarding cloudy or hazy beers. Recently, I've been buying different commercial brews in order to try some of the ones I've been reading/hearing about. The majority of beers are filtered. My homebrew is not hazy or cloudy, but it still is not totally clear in natural form. I don't filter or fine at all. I've found from sampling commercial beers that filtered products are: 1) immediately noticable 2) a "turn-off". I just don't like extremely clear beer any longer. I'm not sure if it seems more antiseptic to me, or if since I really know the difference I don't respect brewers taking out possible flavors (yes Virginia, yeast does have flavor) and other sundry items. The end result though is the same; if I were going to "judge" a beer I would mark it down if it were filtered and sparkling clear. // Here's to homemade apple pie, pumpkin pie, apple cider, and pumpkin beer. And don't forget to teach *your* grandchildren. SM Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 07:17:00 EDT From: chouse4 at fintwr.PeachtreeCityGA.NCR.COM Subject: FW: How do I figure OG? A math/science question. If 2.5 lbs of honey in 3 gallons of Cider = about 1.072 and 2.5 lbs of honey in 1 gallon of Cider = about 1.132 what was the gravity when I combined them? I forgot to take a reading after combining them. I have no more fresh cider or honey to experiment with or take an OG. It's been a long while since i really needed any of that math stuff. Maybe i can't figure it 'cause i've run out of calculating digits. It's starting to get cooler in GA, and i'm having to wear shoes. If the school year had run only during the summer, i probably could have learned and remembered this. Nah, probably not. replies to: Kevin.MacRae at PeachtreeCityGA.NCR.COM Seriously, thanks for any help. Kevin MacRae (Fluffhead) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 08:30:28 +0000 From: Imbecile.kzoo.edu at Imbecile.kzoo.edu Subject: Johnson controller causes GFCI to trip Hi Michael, This might be helpful to others so I'll Cc to the list. Your GFCI is made to trip whenever it detects a flow of current to ground from either the hot or neutral conductor. It will also trip if the neutral is opened. Open your controller to see how it's wired. Did you buy it prewired? The cord thet leads to the controller must be of the 3-wire variety. Only the black (hot) conductor should be connected to the switch inside the controller. If it's a good one, the ground will be attached to the inside of the controller case though many aren't. If the controller looks like it is wired correctly try plugging something else into it and see if it still trips the GFCI. If it does, there is a problem with the controller itself. Return it for replacement. If it works ok and the refrigerator doesn't trip the GFCI when plugged directly into the wall, look for a bad or missing ground on the refrigerator. It may be that the controller probe or case is acting as the ground conductor for the refrigerator. A GFCI will provide no protection unless the equipment plugged into it is properly grounded. If the GFCI detects current flow through the controller probe or case, it will trip. Incidently, this is a common problem. I got the worst jolt in my life from a refrigerator with a bad ground - by just grabbing the door handle, barefooted on a concrete floor. Be careful! Hope this helps! Forrest Duddles - FridgeGuy in Kalamazoo email fridge at Imbecile.kzoo.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 08:11:53 -0500 From: "Daniel J. Lozynski" <djl at sysdes.com> Subject: FW: BOSS Competition The 6th Annual BOSS Homebrew Competition The BOSS 6th Annual Homebrewers Competiton will be at Founders Hill Brewing Co. 5200 Main Street Downers Grove, Il 60515 PH. 630-963-2739 fax 630-963-2777. The date will be November 15th. Deliver entries between Nov.1st to the 8th. First two entries $5 each, 3 or more $4 each. 2-12 oz. bottles for each style entry. BJCP rules apply. To Judge or Steward Call Dick Van Dyke at 1-815-838-7711 or Jamie Wika at 1-708-424-6056 See BJCP site for style guideline forms http://www.bjcp.org/style-guide. Get entry forms and labels here. http://www.concentric.net/~jwika/EntryFormsLabels.HTM BJCP Registered. Make checks payable to Brewers Of South Suburbia. There will be many prizes, rossettes, and certificates awarded to the winners, so come on down and have a brew with us and the folks at the brewery if you can. Prizes recieved as of 10-8-97: 5 copies of Homebrewing for Dummies by Marty Nachel. 5 copies of Homebrewing-Vol-I by Al Korzonas $50 and $20 gift certificate, PT Barley Home Brew Supply, Countryside, Il. 1 year subscribtion to Brew your Own Magazine, Hat, TShirt. 10 bags 3.3lbs. of Northwestern Extract Malt. Stainless Steel False Bottom, Heartland Homebrewing Supplies, Grayslake. $25 gift Certificate from Mickey Finns Brewery. Beer Trivia Game-Weizen TShirt-Trivia Fun Packs from Food For Fun Inc. Plastic Bottle Tree - -- Brewers of South Suburbia http://www.concentric.net/~jwika We are dedicated to the art of crafting and quaffing fine beers, through the sharing of ideas and experiences, the advocacy of brewing as a hobby, and the responsible consumption of beverages containing alcohol..... Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 09:40:33 -0400 From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: Malt Extract Tang - not, Punkin' ale Brewsters, Aaron Spulock has been told that the tang he gets in his extract beers is due to the raw materials. = It is amazing how rumors started 40 years ago in Britain, still persist. C.J. J. Berry ( a publisher who owned Amateur Winemaker = Publications and who wrote a beer brewing book in the late 60s/early 70s ) commented in one of his books on the difference in taste in beers made from malt extract and those made by conventional brewing methods = by the brewers ( all-grain in those days was unheard of). He allowed that as all home brew had this tang, it must be the malt extract. I figured it out many (28!) years ago that it wasn't due to the malt extract ( I might not be brewing if I hadn't) , but was due to the fact that homebrewers were pouring boiling wort through the air into a strainer to remove the hops as all the books at the time directed. = When I stopped this practice, = my extract beers improved remarkably. We now know this by the name = Hot Side Absorption (HSA) in these tomes. All good extract and all-grain brewers = chill the wort ( with a copper-coil, water-cooled chiller in the boiler or a counter current chiller) to below 70F. = They chill it *before* they pour it through the air. They can then strain it or they use a small device at the bottom of the racking cane (a metal scrubber called a Choreboy) to leave the hops in the boiler as the chilled wort passes into the fermenter through the air. It is of critical importance to make sure the wort is cooled before it passes = through the air or is oxygenated in some way. Then, strangely enough, for British Ale yeast, = the cold wort is oxygenated so the yeast can have a good fermentation. If you chill the wort first the "malt extract tang" will disappear. - -------------------------------------------- THP says: >"Subject: Scientific Pumpkin Brewing >. Now the scientific >part. Measure the diameter of the cross section. Measuring around the fattest >part of the pumpkin (equator) determine the distance around the hemisphere. >Double this to obtain the circumference. The secret of the pumpkin flavo= r is >to divide the circumference by its diameter.... ;<) To make Pi, I presume. They always taught us "Pi R square" , but after reading HBD, I found out that Pi R round, cornbread R square and spicy Punkin' Ale R good!. - ------------------------------ Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Kinnelon, NJ 07405 103164.3202 at compuserve.com Dave_Burley at compuserve.com = Voice e-mail OK = Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 08:02:44 -0500 From: lordofbrewing at webtv.net (DAN PILLSBURY) Subject: Steinbier Fragmentation Grenades To all, A recent poster suggests checking out streams and rivers for suitable rocks to be used for a steinbier. I personally wouldn't do this, many times the water has soaked within the stone and upon heating it turns to steam and the resultant pressure within the stone causes it to shatter most unpleasantly. When I got the hankering to brew a batch I went down to the local landscape emporium and purchased 6-7 baseball sized pieces of pink Rocky Mt. granite, cost was about $0.75. This is a much safer alternative and pretty darn cheap to boot.... Cheers, Dan Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 10:08:16 -0500 From: Randy Kinsman <kinsman at glinx.com> Subject: Wort Storage? I have posted this question on r.c.b. with no response so I thought I'd try the next level. I have an opportunity to brew on a semi-pro basis at a local home brew shop. The owner has given me a chance to sell wort through his shop on a regular basis. I can set up my system in house and simply brew there as needed. He wants me to be able to leave fresh wort there for storage until it is sold. Basically, he wants wort in stock with me producing it as needed. My real question is, how can I store wort after is has been boiled and chilled? Can I keep the product just above the freezing point? If so, for how long? I really want to stay away from chemical preservatives because I like the fact that I can make "Clean" beer and I don't want to sell a product which I wouldn't want to make for myself. I am looking at building a 1.5-2bbl system and storing the fresh wort in either stainless or new food grade plastic.Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please reply to me via e-mail at kinsman at glinx.com Thanks for your attention. Randy Kinsman Cambridge Nova Scotia Canada Return to table of contents
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