---

	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:
  BJCP exam proceedures and getting hosed (Dave Sapsis)
  Air in my sparge. ("Chris Hebert")
  Fire at Falstaff Brewery (LLOM)" <LLOM at chevron.com>
  Water chemistry (Alessandro Calamida)
  Green Acres (Dan Listermann)
  RE: Cleaning Carboys ("Frank J. Russo")
  latest yeast storage results ("Dave Whitman")
  The Jethro Gump Report ("Rob Moline")
  Availability of 18/23 litre Kegs Adelaide, South Australia (bjackson)
  buy a cheap mill! ("bret.morrow")
  Re: Garetz ibu formula (Fredrik.Stahl)
  Lambic Digest (Evan Kraus)
  Re: homebrew shops ("Bridges, Scott")
  RE: Re:Pressure cooker ("Fred Kingston")
  re: Pressure Cooker ("Alan McKay")
  diacetyl increase in finished beers (Jeff Renner)
  Triticale (Jeff Renner)
  Re how to insulate mash tun ("Peter J. Calinski")
  Culturing & Hefeweizen (Greg Stephens)
  Pressure Cooker (Eric Schoville)
  re: no first place ribbon (John_E_Schnupp)
  Mash Turn Insulation (msnet)
  Riff-Raff-Ree! (pbabcock)
  National Homebrew Day & Big Brew '99 ("Brian Rezac")
  re: maple syrup (Jeff)
  Bentonite (Jorge Blasig - IQ)
  Source for CA3059 ("Peter J. Calinski")
  Great Minds ("Peter J. Calinski")
  Re: pressure cooker suggestions ("Rich, Charles")
  13th Annual Bluebonnet Brew-Off results (Dean Fikar)
  Hepa filters and open fermentation (Dan Cole)
  Poor Extraction Causes (Dan Listermann)


Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!

Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild's 13th annual Big and Huge - 28
March 1999:  Rules and forms at www.globaldialog.com/madbrewers
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----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 10:00:24 -0800
From: Dave Sapsis <DAVE_SAPSIS at fire.ca.gov>
Subject: BJCP exam proceedures and getting hosed

There has been some ongoing discussion regarding both the quality of
judging and the process by which examinees are assessed on the BJCP
exam.

To the former, George DePiro made some excellent points regarding
sources of error in scoring.  I would add to his point regarding beer
handling though: it is not only how the organizers treat and store the
beer, but also how it is presented.  Temperature, glasses, environment
and order in a flight all will strongly influence beer perceptions.  And
to quell anyones belief that strange judging  variance only occurs on
the East Coast, I have recently had an Imperial Stout receive a 13 and a
39.  

But to the more important point regarding examinees being unfairly
treated due to bias by the proctor, it should be noted that the BJCP
encourages exam administrators to get two proctors to judge the beer
with only the same knowedge of the beers that the examinees have --
i.e., the style.  In cases where this does not happen, the graders and
exam directors understand the potential for bias, and look at the entire
distributions of scores and percpetions to determine scoring on the
taste portion. It also should be noted that scoring accuracy amounts to
a very small percentage of the score -- less than one of the essay
questions in total.  If a person tastes things that the proctors did
not, scores the beer accordingly, and does a good job of both describing
the perceptions and whether they are appropriate (that is, his/her
comments make sense given what he/she perceived) then the person will
not receive a failing score.  All the exams that I have reviewed pay
particular attention to the potential for the proctors scores to be
influenced by knowledge unnavailable to the examinees.    In particular,
in cases where the proctor is judging their own products, a red flag
goes up.  

Now whether in the past (like Bob alluded to) there have been cases
where proctors opinions unfailrly dominate the appraisal of a given
beer, I cannot say.  I can say however, that we on the exam evaluation
side of the picture are doing everything we can to assure fair
assessment of the taste portion.  Some of us feel it is the real guts of
the exam, as it directly measures the skills the BJCP is certifying.  We
also encourage anyone who feels that their exam score was in any way
unfair to present their case for review.  

cheers,
- --dave sapsis


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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 15:30:30 -0500
From: "Chris Hebert" <CRH at rflaw.com>
Subject: Air in my sparge.

Last night, while sparging, I noticed a peculiar thing.
The line from the bottom of my mash tun didn't have the usual continuous 
flow of wort.  There was about 3 inches of linear wort followed by about 
three linear inches of air.  Many times, when I sparge, the wort will just 
trickle through the hose (i.e. the volume of the wort won't fill the 
360deg of hose circumference) and I thought that if I adjust the flow rate 
down that same thing would happen.  Well, it didn't.  The flow rate just 
slowed the air masses moving through the hose.

My questions:  Should I worry?  And, if so, what's this caused from and 
how can I stop it in the future?

This really wouldn't bother me that much if it wasn't for HSA.




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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 12:31:01 -0800
From: "O'mahoney, Larry (LLOM)" <LLOM at chevron.com>
Subject: Fire at Falstaff Brewery

As I sit in my office on the 17th floor, I can see the old Falstaff Brewery
burning. The news reports on the radio indicate it is a *seven alarm* fire,
with over 100 firemen on the scene (that is, if you believe everything in
the news). Even though it was dilapidated, it appears that an old brewing
landmark is going up in flames.

Larry
New Orleans



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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 21:42:41 +0100
From: Alessandro Calamida <calamida at tin.it>
Subject: Water chemistry

Hi all,
I searched che archives, read some books and learned a lot on the subject,
but I am still not able to answer to the following two (basic?) questions:

Given a water analisys including:

Ca as ppm
Mg as ppm
SO4 as ppm
Na as ppm
Cl as ppm
HCO3 as ppm
Ph
Hardness as ppm CaCO3

1) Is it possible to calculate alkalinity (with reasonable precision)?
2) Is it possible to predict how the same water parameters will be *after
boiling*, with the only measurement of post boil Ph?

TIA
	Alessandro

- -----------------------------------------------------
    Alessandro Calamida  
  
 calamida(at)tin(dot)it 
 URL http://www.geocities.com/Paris/2635/
 
- -----------------------------------------------------


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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 20:02:55 -0500
From: Dan Listermann <72723.1707 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Green Acres

It has been my long time goal to make beer from dirt.  I can get the hop
thing together, but the barley thing still eludes me.  This year will be
the fifth time that I have tried to grow barley.  Last year I got a bunch

of sprouts which yielded an underdeveloped corn each.  The field is a
former rail bed that has lain fallow for a couple of decades.  It only
supports weeds.  The earth is coal black and sandy.  My brother thinks 
that
it is black from decades of soot, but I think that it is humus.  Can 
humus
be too acidic?  I put lime down last year, but it was after the fact.  
What
pH should the soil be and how does one measure it.  The plot has plenty 
of
sun and the field is usually wet.  I selected the spot because water did
not lay there.  One of my customers grew a crop last year so the area,
Cincinnati, is not a problem.  Any farmers out there in the collective??

Dan Listermann   dan at listermann.com            72723.1703 at compuserve.com


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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 20:00:27 -0000
From: "Frank J. Russo" <FJRusso at coastalnet.com>
Subject: RE: Cleaning Carboys

Jeremy wrote:

- ------but I have used with complete success on even the stubornest, crusty
krausen
residue, household bleach, generic, un-scented, economic, deconatminating,
amazing, revitalizing BLEACH --------

Just for another data point, this is what I do.  I use ONLY Bleach to clean
and sanitize.  I start off with 5 oz bleach in 5 gal of water from the
faucet.  I may let it stand 3-5 days.  Now I must say it is very important
to rinse well and to let stand to dry for another 3-5 days.  Have not had a
problem.  No one in my local homebrew club (ORBS, NewBern NC) has noticed
any off flavors that maybe caused by the bleach. or poor rinsing.

It is cheap, fast, easy and very effective.

Frank
fjrusso at coastalnet.com





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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 21:33:21 -0500
From: "Dave Whitman" <dwhitman at fast.net>
Subject: latest yeast storage results

I have updated my web site with the latest results on my large yeast storage
experiments:

http://www.users.fast.net/~dwhitman/yeast/index.htm

Additions, this update:

% viability for ale and lager yeast in DI water, 2% KHP, 2% NaCl at 113 days
% viability for lager yeast in 0.9% NaCl, 10% sucrose at 13 and 46 days
comparison of viability of 1st and 2nd generation yeast strains

High level summary: the ale yeast is holding up very well, but the lager has
drastically lost viability.  No obvious winner among the various media,
although with limited data, 10% sucrose isn't looking as good as the others.

- --
Dave Whitman
dwhitman at fast.net



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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 21:29:53 -0600
From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at isunet.net>
Subject: The Jethro Gump Report

		The Jethro Gump Report

	Sorry to have negelcted the HBD recently, especially with some Lallemand
yeast questions being present....
	The real wage earner has been in LA, raising money for her
institution....Robbie and I have dealt with all requests to the Lallemand
web site...but got behind in the important stuff...like the HBD!

>From: Ken Schwartz <kenbob at elp.rr.com>
>Subject: Nottingham Lag Times / Water Treatment
>In the case of the Vienna, I also noticed that the rehydration "starter"
>did not foam as much as usual.  Now, Lallemand says that foaming is not
>necessarily an indication of anything other than release of trapped air,
>but the lack of activity struck me enough to make a mental note of it
>and I wonder if the percentage of viable yeast was so small as to
>require overgrowth to compensate (see George de Piro's article in the
>latest Brewing Techniques for a good discussion of pitching rate vs
>growth vs esters & fusels).  In this case also, I only pitched one
>package, whereas I normally pitch two.

	In my experiences with Lallemand yeast in commercial settings, I have had
most rehydrations/attemperations foaming so much that I got into the habit
of placing the pitching corny into a basin, and cutting short the times
respectively......It worked for me....though these days, I would just let it
foam over...
	I think that you have the nail squarely centered, though, when you state
you only used 1 sachet of yeast...
	I had long ago learned to use 2 for homebrew batches, and to this date
recommend it for all dry yeasts, including Lallemand/Danstar...
	In fact, Dr. Cone concurs on this point, depsite the official company
recommendations....one should always use 2 sachets...
	Perhaps they can be motivated to producing a 7 or 10 gm sachet in the
future? The suggestion will be made....

>From: "Penn, John" <John.Penn at jhuapl.edu>
>Subject: Low Attenuation/Slow Yeast Start
>
>Subject: Low Attenuation/Slow Yeast Start

	John,
	While it often works, one should always rehydrate dry yeast, AND
attemperate it to the temp and sugar content of the wort...
	Why? The dried yeast needs to rehydrate itself to some semblance of it's
former self, prior to drying.......When one rehydrates the yeast, you are
allowing the cells to gain not only activity 'within' the cell walls, but
also, and perhaps more importantly, you are re-establishing the cell wall
itself....
	Attempts to rehydrate dry yeast in wort will provide less than optimal
results, in every case, as the cells are trying to utilize sugar, when it is
in the wort used for rehydration, when they are not yet fully ready to do
so.....Paraphrased, they are trying to run, when they have not yet learned
to crawl.....
	Dry yeast users, please rehydrate the yeast in 100-104 F h2o....for a 5 gm
pack, use about a cupful....then after 15/60, attemperate with chilled
wort......for another 15/60....before pitching...
	And as is stated by others, use 2 5gm packets...for 5 gallons...

	"All We Are Saying....Is Give Yeast A Chance!"

	Analysis of your individual circumstances is not alarming....you sought a
Plato of 3 (1.010-1.013, roughly) with Nott, thought about a Plato of 3-4
with Morgan's (Based in Beenleigh, Qld, where I went to school, right across
the highway from the Beenleigh Rum Distillery.)...and got a Plato of approx
5........
	Too many variables interject, however......
	I wouldn't blame any one of your variables, however, I would try to limit
them...

	O2....by the time you introduced the Morgans yeast...the O2 would have been
way low...the Nott would have sucked it up by then....and if true chem/bio
analysis were done, in incremental stages, I would not be surprised to find
that the Nott was the yeast that converted your sugars....

	You ask about temps, and state that you like to leave the wort a little
warm...does that mean 100F? 72F? Not enough info....
	I was taught  at  Siebel that it is actually best to pitch into wort a few
degrees lower than your intended ferm temp, and then let the heat of
fermentation bring it up to your desired target temp......

	Also, and a BIG ALSO, is the need to recognize that any intended degree of
attenuation is a hugely variable target.....
	Influences as 'simple' as mash temp can make target attenuations mostly
irrelevant......for any yeast.....

>From: Eric Schoville <eschovil at us.oracle.com>
>Subject: Lallemand Lag Times
>Has anyone used any of the Manchester dried yeast that was available
>at the MCAB?  I used four packets of it in my last batch, and
>fermentation did not begin for two days, so I added a couple of the
>packets of the London yeast, and it started within a couple of hours.
>I have a suspicion that the Manchester yeast is not viable.  I did
>rehydrate in 104 degree F water before pitching.

	Eric, I had a similar problem with Manchester, years ago, when Manchester
was suddenly recalled, and then not available for a few weeks....viability
was the problem...
	When it was reintroduced, I eagerly sought it out, and have since then used
it regularly in my Stouts...
	But, like the above problem....I doubt that the London did the trick....I
suspect that the Manchester did finally take off....
	I will be seeking better answers than mine on this one.....

	And here is the better answer, from Dr. Cone....

>Rob,
>	I brought a tray of each of the Danstar beer strains for display at >the
>MCAB.. I was to discard the Manchester tray because there was a problem
>with
>it, expiration day or something. It disappeared before I had a chance to
>discard it.
>Clayton

	So, we  at  Lallemand apologize for this problem.....should any of you be
experiencing it with the Manchester....as Dr. Cone has stated, the tray he
brought to the MCAB was included accidentally, and we will do our best, I
promise, to make sure it never happens again.....

Cheers!
Jethro Gump

P.S.   I plan to be in Tallahassee for the North Florida Brewers League
meeting on the 5th of May.....it will be a welcome homecoming for me, to
return to the site of my first homebrew club, the one that got me started in
my passion for brewing. I can't wait!
	John Larsen, President of the NFBL, has been more than accomodating, and
has provided us here in Ames with a revised copy of the NFBL's Constitution,
as we inaugurate a new HB Club here.
	Funny thing about brewers...they are so giving! This is the same club that
also generously provided us with the Constitution for the Savannah Brewers
League, of Savannah, Georgia, when that club was first set up in 1993!
	If I learn as much from them this time, as I did the first time, I will
oust Auggie from A-B!

Rob Moline
brewer at isunet.net
Lallemand Web Site
jethro at isunet.net

"The More I Know About Beer, The More I Realize I Need To Know More About
Beer!"



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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 20:17:36 -0800
From: bjackson at ozemail.com.au
Subject: Availability of 18/23 litre Kegs Adelaide, South Australia


Hi All
Has anyone recently seen 18 or 23 litre firestone/corny kegs
for sale in Adelaide (or mail order)?
Both my normal brewshops have stopped stocking them as they are
getting too hard to find.
Indicative price would be good if pos.
Thanks
Bill




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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 11:24:51 -0500
From: "bret.morrow" <bret.morrow at cwix.com>
Subject: buy a cheap mill!

Greetings,

With the many posts about mills and, independently, about efficiency, I
thought I'd throw in my 2 cents (Hey, when did they take that "cents"
symbol of my computer keyboard?).  I and my brewing buddy have used a cheap
Corona knock-off made in China.  Its adjustment is likely worse than the
Corona mill.  We have also used Phil's mill and a Valley mill at different
brew shops.  The take-home was that we get 32-34 points/lb. regardless of
the mill used (we use long, slow sparges).  The malt from this cheap mill
fits the "textbook crush"  i.e. it is about the same as if you beat it
repeated with a textbook.  The mill is slow, tear hulls, and leaves whole
grains but it allows us to brew great beer and it was really cheap when it
was bought 10 years ago off the close-out table of a wine making supply
shop. 

Just a thought--

Bret Morrow
John Elsworth
Hamden CT


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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 10:42:40 +0100
From: Fredrik.Stahl at math.umu.se
Subject: Re: Garetz ibu formula

Drew Avis wonders about the Garetz IBU formula as given in the Hop Faq at
<http://realbeer.com/hops/FAQ.html#units>:

>The hop faq says (in part):
>Garetz Method
>CA = GF * HF * TF
>HF  = ((CF * Desired IBUs)/260) + 1
>(... and then go on to use CA to calculate IBUs...)
>Note: this process is iterative, since it contains a term (HF) based on
>your goal IBUs. You must guess at the final result, do the math, and
>rerun the process, each time adjusting the value downward. It takes a
>little practice, but can be done.

Garetz IBU formula is

IBU = (U A W) / (10 V CA)

where

U = utilisation times 100 (i.e. percentage units)
A = alpha acid percentage of hops times 100 (percentage units)
W = weight of hops in hops in grams
V = volume of beer
CA = the adjustment factor given above

The problem is that HF depends on IBU. Inserting the formula for HF,
HF  = CF IBU / 260 + 1, into the IBU formula and reshuffling a little we
get a second order equation in IBU. Solving this and simplifying gives the
positive root

IBU = 130 / CF * ( sqrt[ 1 + (CF U A W) / (650 V GF TF) ] - 1 ).

Does this sound reasonable or am I missing some aspect of the model?

/Fredrik Stahl, Umea, Sweden




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 06:02:40 -0500
From: Evan Kraus <ekraus at mindspring.com>
Subject: Lambic Digest

Does it still exist ????
If it does what is the subscription address.



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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:10:59 -0500
From: "Bridges, Scott" <ScottBridges at sc.slr.com>
Subject: Re: homebrew shops


>Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 19:32:15 -0600
>From: Linus and Lila Hall <lnlhall at bellsouth.net>
>Subject: homebrew shops
>
>For the love of God and all that is holy,
>
>Stop with the Homebrew Shop Thread(tm)!

I agree, but what does Joe Paterno have to do with this???

Scott




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:24:51 -0500
From: "Fred Kingston" <Fred at KingstonCo.com>
Subject: RE: Re:Pressure cooker

Tom Barnett writes:
Subject: Re:Pressure cooker

>> Hello all,
>>	I'm thinking about buying a pressure cooker for wort
>> canning. Hopefully this will decrease the time spent in starter
>> preparation.  In the past i've spent a lot of money on beer related items
>> only to find that i could of spent a few more bucks and gotten much
higher
>> quality, or spent less and gotten something more useful.  In any case,
>> it's likely that there are people reading the HBD that could have warned
>> me in advance. So, before i go out and buy a pressure cooker, is there
>> anyone out there with some advice on the subject?  What size should i
look
>> for?  Are there particular brands people have had success with?  What
>> price is resonable, ect.?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks.
>> Tom Barnett.

Tom......

I use a large pressure cooker for the same use...
Make sure it's large enough to hold 4-5 quart mason jars.....

I don't remember the name-brand....without running out to the garage...<g>
But my main concern was getting replacement parts....

I don't know where you're at...but here in Florida we have a chain of ACE
hardware stores... They actually have a fairly extensive section of home
canning goods.... they stock several brand's parts... the main concern being
the ribber seal that goes in the lid... (they all dry out, crack, and
eventually break) certainly quicker than any aluminum or steel pot...

I bought the brand that ACE had replacement seals for... <g>

Good luck....

Fred Kingston
Kingston & Company
http://www.kingstonco.com



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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:30:41 -0500
From: "Alan McKay" <amckay at nortelnetworks.com>
Subject: re: Pressure Cooker

I have 3 of them, 3 different sizes.  I don't think brands are
that important.  Up here you see mostly "Presto", but there are
a number of good brands.

My small one will hold 3 x 500ml jars.
My medium one will hold 5 x 500ml jars.
My large one will hold 7 or 8 500ml jars.  I don't recall exactly
how many here because the O-ring on it went some time ago, and I
can't find a replacement.  So I don't recall off-hand.  This is
an old one that I got at a flea market for $15 CDN.  It's extremely
high quality very thick aluminum, and even has a pressure guage
on top.  The only problem is that the company is out of business
now, and it is a non-standard size, so hard to find a seal for
the thing.

The only thing I'd be concerned about is how much you plan
to can.  You can get a 5 or 6 jar pressure cooker/canner up
here for about $100 CDN.  I'm sure the big ones like my big
one are a fair bit more expensive.

Here's how I can mine :
http://www.magma.ca/~bodnsatz/brew/tips/yeast/pressure-can.html

cheers,
 -Alan

- --
Alan McKay
OS Support			amckay at nortelnetworks.com
Small Site Integration		613-765-6843 (ESN 395)
Nortel Networks
http://zftzb00d/alanmckay/


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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:59:00 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu>
Subject: diacetyl increase in finished beers

AlK wrote avout diacetyl in lagers:
>Depends on the lager... recall that moderate diacetyl is acceptable in
>Bohemian Pilsners.  Look for diacetyl in Pilsner Urquell... yes, it's
>in there.

It sure is present, to the point that German brewers deride PU as
"Diacetylator."  It seems especially strong in the old stuff we get here.
I think that this level is far too high, and I haven't found it to be all
that high in fresh, hand carried bottles brought back from Germany.  At low
levels, it seems to empahsize the malt.  At high levels, it smothers
everything else.  I like a low perceptable level in ales, but again, if it
is too high, it simply muffles all the other flavors.

I am not sure what causes continued increase in diacetyl in finished beer
(other than biological contaminants such as Pediococcus, which is not a
factor, clearly, in pasteurized PU).  The first pint of real ale I had in
England two weeks ago was Ridley's IPA (at The Viper in Mill Green, Essex,
only a few miles from the brewery).  It seemed quite clean and dry and
quite enjoyable.  Then I had another at the sam pub the night before we
left five days later and it was smothered with diacetyl.  The landlord said
that both pints should have come from the same delivery, and that he had
gone through perhaps four casks between the two pints, so it wasn't stale.
For whatever reason, our English friends said that Ridley's has lost it's
reputation for quality over the last few years among CAMRA types, and their
beer is considered mediocre.  My first pint was better than mediocre, I
thought it was quite nice, but the last one was not.  (Perhaps I just had
stars in my eyes?) The landlord says he keeps it on only because the
old-timers expect it; he really doesn't think it is a quality beer.

We had a wonderful private tour of Ridley with the brewer (brewster?)
Janina Jones arranged through the S.E. Essex CAMRA chapter's Ridley liason
officer.  I asked about diacetyl (before the second pint) and she said that
some diacetyl is a normal component of Ridley's, and that in one seasonal
brew, they manipulated procedure to increase it.  I also tried a Shepherd
Neame  and found it to be high in diacetyl, just like the bottled Spitfire
and Bishop's Finger we get here.  Again, disappointing; S/N's reputation,
too, has declined.  Interestingly, none of the descriptions of beers in the
Good Beer Guide or the REal Ale Almanac mention diacetyl or butteriness.

Any ideas why diacetyl would increase in the cask (or bottle)?  With real
ale, perhaps O2 at cask fiilling combined with the renewed fermentation of
priming sugar?  But it would seem to rise and be stable or even fall.

Jeff

 -=-=-=-=-
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan c/o nerenner at umich.edu
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943. 




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:53:56 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu>
Subject: Triticale

Matney Davidson <GSBS at bigfoot.com> wrote

>Tritical
>is some sort of hybrid wheat I believe--maybe someone can give us the
>correct identification of this grain.

Yes, Triticale (note correct spelling, the final "e" is pronounced) (genus
Tritisecale, can't seem to find the specific epithet) is a fertile hybrid
between wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rye (Secale cereale).

Jeff

 -=-=-=-=-
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan c/o nerenner at umich.edu
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943. 




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:47:09 -0500
From: "Peter J. Calinski" <PCalinski at iname.com>
Subject: Re how to insulate mash tun

In HBD#2987  "Billmeier" <nbillme1 at maine.rr.com> asked

>Anyone have good advice on how to insulate a converted keg mash tun?  It
>needs to be able to accept heat yet keep the mash at a steady temperature.

>Am thinking of some sort of aluminum flashing held at the bottom with
>muffler tape. What would the actual insulation be, as it needs to be
>waterproof?  What about some sort of wood covering over the insulating
>material?

I found (at Home Depot) an insulation made of plastic bubble wrap
sandwiched between two layers of aluminum foil.  A 25ft roll was less than
$15.  I just wrapped it around a plastic bucket.  First I cut off enough to
make two disks that I stuck to the lid to form a double layer.  I didn't
insulate the bottom because in my setup my mash tun rests on a wood shelf
that provides enough insulation.

The bucket is not attached to the insulation.  The insulation is just a
sleeve that I slide on the bucket when I want to mash.


Doing a partial mash with 2 Gal. H2O, I loose about 2 degrees F in an hour.

This might not work for you if you are heating with some sort of gas
burner.  I would suspect that the plastic bubble wrap inside the aluminum
might not take the heat.



Pete Calinski
East Amherst NY
Near Buffalo NY
0 Degrees 30.21 Min North, 4 Degrees 05.11 Min. East of Jeff Renner



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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 07:13:44 -0800
From: Greg Stephens <greg at nworks.net>
Subject: Culturing & Hefeweizen

I just brought back from Schneider Hefeweizen from
Germany and want to try my hand at culturing the yeast.
Can anyone give me some pointers on this?  I've read
one description requiring a set of petri dishes and
another talking about doing it with sanitized bottles?

TIA,

Greg in Modesto 


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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:39:10 -0600
From: Eric Schoville <eschovil at us.oracle.com>
Subject: Pressure Cooker

Tom Barnett asks about pressure cookers...

I recently bought a 22 qt Presto pressure cooker to use for canning
wort for starters.  It works great!  It is so much easier than making
up starter wort.  The reason I wanted to go with the 22 qt is so that
I can can in half gallon jars.  I'm not sure if you can do that with
smaller models.  I paid around $90 bucks plus shipping from Nelson
Appliance at http://www.pagedepot.com/Nelson_Appliance/presto.htm  No
association, just a satisfied customer, blah, blah, blah.  Don't order
from presto; their price is outrageous.  I also found one at my local
True Value for a little more.  I know that they can custom order one
for you, and if you find a good manager, he/she will be more than
willing to bargain on the price.

My next experiment is to do a pressure decoction a la Charles Rich!

Good Luck and Happy Canning!

Eric Schoville
Flower Mound, TX
http://home1.gte.net/rschovil/beer/3tier.html


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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 07:54:27 -0800
From: John_E_Schnupp at amat.com
Subject: re: no first place ribbon

Curt,

Do you feel the same way about 2nd and 3rd place too?  Last fall
I entered a beer in a catagory in which there were only 3 entries.
I didn't get a ribbon (there was one for 1st) and was told that I
just missed the cut-off by 2 points.  I was also told that this beer
would have gotten a ribbon in the previous competition.  In
addition, I found out that overall scores were lower than previous
competitions.

I'm not trying to get back a second place ribbon but reading some
of this stuff on HBD, hearing the stories about the competitions
in my area and my personal experiences, leads me to believe that
competitions a basically a crap shoot (sometimes with loaded dice).

I can tell/taste when my beers are bad and when they are good, better
and best.  The ultimate judge is the consumer, not a bunch of
judges.  Just because someone or a panel judges thinks that one
beer/wine or whatever is the best, it doesn't mean I'll like it.
OTOH, what I like they might think sucks.

Taste is a very subjective thing and is difficult to judge, kinda'
like art and beauty.  I'm about done with competitions.  I don't
brew anywhere near the amount of beer that will give me a fighting
chance.  It's hard for a once a month brewer to go up against a
bunch of once a week brewers.  The numbers simply favor the person
who enters the most beer, assuming both brewers are of the same
calibre.  I'll be my own judge.  If I like it, I'll brew it again,
If I don't like it, I won't and if there's a problem I'll figure
out what went wrong.

GO LIONS GO

John Schnupp, N3CNL
Dirty Laundry Brewery
Colchester, VT
95 XLH 1200




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 08:54:12 -0800
From: msnet at pacbell.net
Subject: Mash Turn Insulation

Randy Asked about Mash Turn Insulating

I recently made a mash turn using a 5 gallon bucket.

First I wrapped the bucket in alum. foil.

Then I used expanding insulating foam to cover the bucket. I 
sprayed a little on at a time, waited till it was dry, and sprayed 
more. I found if I tried to cover the bucket all at one time it tended 
to fall off the bucket before it could completely cure. Don't try to go 
to thick either as it will take forever to cure. If you live where theres 
a Home Depot, the brand I found to work the best is "Touch 'n 
Foam" the have it.

After the foam is completely dry and hard I wrapped the turn with 
alum. foil tape (the kind used for duct work).

I do single temp infusion mash's and realized a temp drop of just 
under 2deg F. over 90 min.

Total cost to me was.
3 - cans foam  at  2.29
3 - rolles tape  at  1.38
1 - 5 gallon bucket  at  6.50
less then $0.05 worth of Alum. foil
I am a plumber so I used some left over 1/2" copper pipe for a false 
bottom but it shouldn't cost more then $10.00.

No affiliations with Home Depot or Touch 'n Foam

P.S   I first tried to place a bucket within a bucket (5 Gal. in a 7 
Gal.) and fill the space with foam. This failed miserably as the foam 
at the bottom did not cure.

Fritz Waltjen
Los Angeles, California


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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 12:01:17 -0500 (EST)
From: pbabcock <pbabcock at mail.oeonline.com>
Subject: Riff-Raff-Ree!

Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...

John Schnupp sez...

> GO LIONS GO

To which I, being a good Detroiter must add:

AND TAKE THE TIGERS WITH YOU!!!

See ya!

Pat Babcock in SE Michigan         pbabcock at oeonline.com
Home Brew Digest Janitor           janitor@hbd.org
HBD Web Site                       http://hbd.org   
The Home Brew Page                 http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/brew.html
   "Just a cyber-shadow of his former brewing self..."




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 10:02:57 -0700
From: "Brian Rezac" <brian at aob.org>
Subject: National Homebrew Day & Big Brew '99

Fellow Brewers,

I am posting this invitation to all of you to participate in Big Brew
'99.
Big Brew '99 is an event where homebrewers everywhere brew beer
on the same day, National Homebrew Day, May 1, 1999. For the second
consecutive year, homebrewers across the nation, as well as
homebrewers in other countries, will brew the same beer recipe at the
same time and participate in a synchronized toast.

Last year, we had 106 different participating sites.  There is no
entry fee.  (You do have to purchase your own ingredients.  But you
also get to drink you own brew.)  You can find the Big Brew '99
"Rules, Regulations and Important Stuff", along with the new on-line
registration, at http://www.beertown.org/bigbrew99

Everyone is welcome to participate in Big Brew '99!  I encourage you
to, at least, read through the information to see what it's all about.
We are attempting to beat the record set last year in Big Brew '98.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me
directly.

Big Brew '99 -
E Pluribus (Br)Unum! - {From Many, One (Brew)!}

Brian Rezac
Administrator
American Homebrewers Association
736 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
303 447-0816, ext. 121
brian at aob.org http://beertown.org





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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 12:46:40 -0500 (EST)
From: mcnallyg at gam83.npt.nuwc.navy.mil (Jeff)
Subject: re: maple syrup

Hi All,

  Responding to Pete (?), Al K. wrote:

>As a reference point
>I added 1 quart (roughly a liter) of grade B (the stronger-flavoured
>grade) maple syrup to 4 gallons (roughly 16 liters) of cider and it
>was barely perceptable.  Beer, being far more flavourful than cider
>would need quite a bit more.  I would start with 2 quarts in 5 gallons
>of mildly-flavoured beer and you could easily go with 3 or 4 quarts
>in stronger-flavoured beers.

  I think that this is one of the cases where the term YMMV may apply.

  I added 1 quart of pure Vermont grade B maple syrup to a batch of
barleywine that weighs in at 11%ABV and 115 measured IBUs.  The maple
syrup flavor is quite noticable even in this monster beer.  I tasted
the maple syrup before I added it and the flavor was very strong, so
less flavorful syrup would probably not be as noticable.

  The flavor that the maple syrup contributes is not sweet though,
since most (all?) of the sugar was fermented.  The subtle smokey
flavor and the characteristic maple flavor still remain.

  One thing that may also be contributing to this flavor is something
that I also taste in Samiclaus, and to a lesser degree, Old Foghorn.
Since I don't think that Samiclaus and Old Foghorn use maple syrup,
there is probably some other contributor also.  Does anyone know what
causes this smokey flavor in Samiclaus?

                                              Hoppy brewing,

                                              Jeff


==========================================================================

Geoffrey A. McNally                  Phone:  (401) 832-1390
Mechanical Engineer                  Fax:    (401) 832-7250
Naval Undersea Warfare Center        email:
Systems Development Branch              mcnallyg at gam83.npt.nuwc.navy.mil
Code 8321; Bldg. 1246/2              WWW:
Newport, RI  02841-1708                 http://www.nuwc.navy.mil/


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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 15:16:19 -0300 (GMT-0300)
From: Jorge Blasig - IQ <gisalb at fing.edu.uy>
Subject: Bentonite


Dear friends,
I have been wondering whether bentonite can be used as a fining or
clarifying agent to reduce haze in beer. It can be useful in wines but I
am not quite sure whether it can be used in beers.I have not had a chance
to read on beer literature.
Any advice is welcome.

Thanks.

Jorge Blasig





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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 13:18:17 -0500
From: "Peter J. Calinski" <PCalinski at iname.com>
Subject: Source for CA3059

In HBD #2982, Joy Hansen wrote:


>           I was informed by Digi Key that the CA 3059 zero volt crossing
>switch is out of production.  Does anyone know of a direct replacement or
a
>replacement that would take minor modification of the R. Morris controller
>circuit?

Have you tried either the ECG catalog or the SK catalog?  I cross
referenced the CA 3059 to the ECG914 or the SK3541.

If you aren't familiar with ECG and SK, they are catalogs (one of them was
part of Sylvania) that have replacement parts for most semiconductors.  I
don't believe they have any manufacturing capability, I think they just
have the original manufacturer stamp them with the ECG or SK part numbers.

Radio Shack claims to be able to order from the ECG catalog but many of the
clerks don't know about it.  I believe you will also get hit with a hefty
shipping charge; like equal to the cost of the chip.  I prefer industrial
or commercial electronics supply houses or TV repair places.  They may not
have it in stock but can get it if they carry the ECG or SK line.  Usually
they won't charge shipping if you can wait for their next shipment.  You
may have to pay in advance.

Hope this helps.

Pete Calinski
East Amherst NY
Near Buffalo NY
0 Degrees 30.21 Min North, 4 Degrees 05.11 Min. East of Jeff Renner




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 13:17:05 -0500
From: "Peter J. Calinski" <PCalinski at iname.com>
Subject: Great Minds

In HBD 2983 Jack Schmidling wrote:

>Funny how great minds can not agree on something so simple.


And neither can ours.

Couldn't resist.

Pete Calinski
East Amherst NY
Near Buffalo NY
0 Degrees 30.21 Min North, 4 Degrees 05.11 Min. East of Jeff Renner



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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 13:42:15 -0800
From: "Rich, Charles" <CRich at filenet.com>
Subject: Re: pressure cooker suggestions

In HBD 2987 Thomas Barnett asks about pressure cooker recommendations:

I was just reflecting last night while making up petri dishes how glad I am
I have one.  Mine is a 21 quart canner made of machined aluminum with six
screw-clamps to hold the lid down. The lid has a pressure guage, a release
and a rubber safety plug on it. After building pressure and venting air you
flip the release shut and pressure builds, it is controlled by heat.  The
guage lets you monitor the p-cooking and lets you hit any pressure you want
(including some serious redline, which I don't recommend because of the
serious wear and tear on one's nerves).
I can maintain high temps (15-lbs/250F) with a small 1/8" flame on a 35K-btu
Superb propane burner for the duration of the cooking.  Best of all it's
totally silent in use because it doesn't use a jiggler.  That also means
liquids inside don't boil (cavitate) at high heats. I recommend the product
without reservation. It was about $100 new, six years ago. They make larger
and smaller sizes.  I can fit seven quart-jars, fourteen pint-jars or a
3-gallon cookpot inside it easily for cooking decoctions or stews.
If you want to monkey with steam heating etc.  the pressure release and the
guage too unscrew from the lid for servicing and would easily allow you fit
a tee or cross connection in between one and the lid for adding extra
feature ports.  I'm sure the vent would be the safer one to adapt.  Here's
the details:
"ALL AMERICAN"  Pressure Canner/Cooker Model 921
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundary Co. Inc.
838 South 16th St.
Manitowoc, WI 54220

Cheers,
Charles Rich (Bothell, WA)



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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 18:43:52 -0600
From: Dean Fikar <dfikar at flash.net>
Subject: 13th Annual Bluebonnet Brew-Off results

Well, a great time was had by all this year and thanks to those brewers
who entered 800+ beers making the Bluebonnet Brew-off a huge success.
Brew-Off Director Spence Mabry of the host club Cowtown Cappers did a
masterful job of organizing this years' contest.  Competition this year
was brutal as some of the best brewers in the southern U.S. entered a
bunch of awesome beers.  Congratulations to Robert Wietor of the Central
Florida Home Brewers for his Best of Show Belgian tripel ale.  Complete
results are available at:

http://www.flash.net/~smabry/blue.htm

Dean Fikar - Cowtown Cappers - Ft. Worth, TX





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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 19:59:18 -0500
From: Dan Cole <dcole at roanoke.infi.net>
Subject: Hepa filters and open fermentation

In all the discussions re: open fermentations, I've not heard anyone
mention a relatively cheap air cleaning system... those air filtering
machines used by asthmatics and allergy suffers and purchaseable at any
large department store (Wal/K-Sears/JCPenney Mart). Most have certified
HEPA filters rated to remove 99% of dust & pollen and some also come with
an activated carbon element in the filter. You can get a small unit for
approx. $25 that will move/filter enough air for a modest sized
fermentation room.

I've heard that most bacteria/yeast are said to "ride" on dust motes, and
if this is true this might be a cost effective way to reduce the chance of
infection during open fermentation (if you stay awake at night worrying
about such things now.)

Anyone see any potential problems with this?

(no affiliation with anyone in the air filtering biz)

Dan Cole
Roanoke, VA
Star City Brewers Guild 
www.hbd.org/starcity/




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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 20:52:32 -0500
From: Dan Listermann <72723.1707 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Poor Extraction Causes

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 19:55:29 -0800
From: Jack Schmidling <arf at mc.net>
Subject: Poor Extraction Cause

Dan Listermann <72723.1707 at compuserve.com>
 

"I trust that Jack means that the moisture can increase vary 20% from 

what is is supposed to be such as 5% to 6% instead of adding 20 

percentage points to the content such as going from 5% to 25%??

JS<Sorry but I DID mean it as a variation in absolute moisture content.
Shocking, isn't it?  Malt is extrememly hygroscopic and will absorb
vast amounts of water if given a chance.>

I just soaked some DC pils in water for about four hours.  The moisture 
was
about 25%.  I have never found any malt for sale that was that damp.  ( I

used the microwave at its lowest setting with the grain in an open bowl 
for
an hour to dry the sample)  Folks should try this and see for themselves.
 

It is easy.

"If the moisture content did vary, I doubt that that the extraction rate
could be measured on a practical level....

Precisely my point and precisely why worrying about it and debating
it is such a waste of energy unless you include all the variables
starting with hydrometer accuracy.  The crush quality is only one
of the many variables but it's effect is much farther into the noise
than moisture content. 



JS:<For some anecdoatl experience, I was never able to achieve 

extraction above the mid 20's no matter what I did until I change 

to DC Belgin malt. It immediately went to the low 30's and has never 

changed in 5 years.

"What does this say? It's in the malt folks.>

"That is a huge change to blame on moisture....

I said "it's the malt" not the moisture.  DC malt is packaged and 

shipped in plastic lined bags and I store it a humidity controlled
room so the moisture content is very low.  My judgement was that
the DC malt is a very high quality malt that produces a very high
yield relative to what I was using before.

Malt can't get much dryer than when it leaves the kiln.  All it can
do is add moisture and this increases the weight so one thinks he
is using more malt and his "yield" is less.

My first few batches of malt were purchased from a dealer in Chicago
who had malt in open burlap bags sitting on the floor of a shop
whose door was open most of the time.  It is quite probable that his
malt had a moisture content over 20% in summer.  It also smelled like
cigarette smoke but that is another story.

"More likely the DC malt crushed better at the gap his mill
was set at and the other malts needed a tighter gapped mill.

You just won't give it up, will you?

I have run many if not all of my tests using the same DC
pils malt and as long as all the grains are crushed, it matters
not a twit what the mill is set at or for that matter, whose mill
I used.  There is no way a grain of any malt I know of can pass
through a .045" space without getting crushed, ergo, fixed mill
produces same yeild as tweeked mill.

js

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