---

	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:
  <blush>Oops!</blush> (The Home Brew Digest Janitorial Staff)
  Milwaukee pubs (hal)
  Reducing Carbonation in Bottled Brews ("Bill Bunning")
  All Head, No Body ("Jimmy Hughes")
  Re: Cavity Search (DrPerp)
  Brass Bulkhead Fittings (Rick Lassabe)
  re: AC motor speed control / CAP/ (*) (Paul Edwards)
  Re: Long Boils (Epic8383)
  Fred's Soil (Jonathan Peakall)
  Davison Color Guides (Drew Beechum)
  Mr. Beer (ALABREW)
  honey (ALABREW)
  Assessing weight (Elizabeth Blades)
  Dr Pivo strikes (AlannnnT)
  AC motor (R.)" <rhampo at ford.com>
  Multiple HBD's?? (Joe Kish)


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

* Entries for the 18th Annual HOPS competition are due 3/24-4/2/00 
* See http://www.netaxs.com/~shady/hops/ for more information

* 18th Annual Oregon Homebrew Festival - entry deadline May 15th
* More info at:  http://www.hotv.org/fest2000

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JANITORS on duty: Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen (janitor@hbd.org)



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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 20:53:45 -0500 (EST)
From: The Home Brew Digest Janitorial Staff <janitor@ brew.oeonline.com>
Subject: <blush>Oops!</blush>


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

My apologies to all who received multiple copies of #3282. Meant to shut
off the Sunday Digest last week, and did something, well, "quite different
[tm]" instead. And, being at the 2nd annual MCAB (to all who have added
their faces to the names there: it was great to meet y'all!) instead of at
my post, I didn't notice until it executed - and _I_ had multiple copies
in my box. <sigh>

To any who are scratching their head wondering what I'm talking about
because they didn't get ANY digest for Sunday. March 26, send your email
address to pbabcock at hbd.org and I'll be sure to send you a copy.

Brewfully yours, 

The Home Brew Digest Janitorial Staff
Janitor at hbd.org




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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 07:27:34 -0600
From: hal <hwarrick at springnet1.com>
Subject: Milwaukee pubs

?????? I'm visiting the Milwaukee area in another month
and will be at the Hyatt regency. Give me some info on
any good pubs within walking distance. Everyone else
thats going wants to shop. ya right, fat chance..Help
        Hal



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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 08:00:25 -0600
From: "Bill Bunning" <bunz at pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Reducing Carbonation in Bottled Brews

I have some 2 year old Barley Wine remaining that is a bit overcarbonated.
The whole batch was a bit overcarbonated but I just said "Oh well" and drank
it.  I was wondering if I could pop the top to relieve some of the pressure
and then recap.  Will it affect the beer much?  I figure the headspace would
be fine since it would be filling up with carbon dioxide.  The beer taste
great but I'd kind of like to get rid of the excessive carbonation.

Bill Bunning



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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 08:20:50 -0500
From: "Jimmy Hughes" <inspector at bmd.clis.com>
Subject: All Head, No Body

I have opened about 10 bottles of a new batch and have had 3 of them be all
head when poured.

I poured them like all the others but had a glass full of foam with about
1/2" of beer in the bottom.

When opened the was not excessive "whoosh" or any foaming in the bottle.

Any suggestions?

Happy trails to you, 'til we meet again..............
Check out the free items, go to,
http://www.ncinspections.com
scroll down, click on the free after rebate link........
Save money, enjoy........




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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 09:35:48 EST
From: DrPerp at aol.com
Subject: Re: Cavity Search

In a message dated 3/26/00 7:15:15 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
homebrew-request@hbd.org writes:

<< From: "Doug Otto" <beerguy at hopdog.com>
 Subject: Cavity Search
 
 Greeting Brewing Collective
 
 According the to this mornings local newspaper, the city of Sacramento is
 planning on adding fluoride to our water.  I live in the burbs so I'm in a
 different water district, but I figure it can't be far away.  Apparently
 this move is supposed to help those who can't afford toothpaste or some
 other nonsense.  What, if any, impact would this have on my brews?  I
 currently filter my brewing water (0.5 micron) and use a full boil. >>

It's hard to believe the a city the size and culture of Sacramento hasn't 
been fluorinated before.  Most major cities were fluorinated in the '50s.  
Luckily, unlike Chlorine, flouride is odorless and tasteless in the 1ppm 
addition recommended by the ADA that most cities employ.

As a dentist who's been in practice for over 30 yrs., I can attest to the 
dramatic improvement in dental health with the practice of fluoridation in 
the water.  Kids these days just don't have cavities.  I know because I've 
had to modify my type practice over the years due directly to this.

As a homebrewer, I believe there are no problems with flouride in our brewing 
water.
Since flouride is in the same chemical group as Chloride, it's probably 
filtered out by the carbon filter I use to de-chlorinate my water anyway.

In my opinion, the benefits of flouride far outway any negligible effects in 
our beers.

Michael Perpall, D.M.D.
Atlanta, Ga.


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 09:04:27 -0600
From: Rick Lassabe <bayrat at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Brass Bulkhead Fittings

  In digest #3282, Dan Senne ask about brass bulkhead fittings. I have
used what is called a "fibered shower ell", most good plumbing supply
stores carry them. This is a 90 degree brass fitting that has 1 inch
threads on the outside and 1/2 inch pipe threads on the inside with 1/2
inch pipe threads on the opposite end of the 90 and is used mostly for
installing the shower head in  fiberglass showers.
  Get the one that is made in the USA, it is one inch in diameter on the
outside threads and the threads are fine, the foreign one I saw had a
larger diameter and the threads looked to be standard pipe threads on
the outside.
   Once you have the fitting in your hand you will see that there are a
number of possibilities, i.e.. leave as is and use for installing site
glass, cut off the bulkhead part and use to install valves or
thermometers.
   You will need a gasket for the outside, the gasket that came with the
ones I purchased just wasn't made to handle the heat of a boiling pot. I
used a small piece of automotive gasket material. You will also need to
de-lead the surface, (one part white distilled vinegar and two parts
hydrogen peroxide, until buttery color).
   When using this as a bulkhead fitting you can only see the brass nuts
and a small amount of the fitting itself. Not stainless but at less than
$10.00 I personally can stand to see a little brass on my brew pots.
Rick Lassabe
               Bayrat's
"Bayou Degradable Brewery"



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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 10:50:06 -0500
From: Paul Edwards <pedwards at iquest.net>
Subject: re: AC motor speed control / CAP/ (*)

Eric wrote:

"Pat, what you need is a simple potentiometer, or pot for short. It is a
variable resistor that you can simply put into the circuit with the motor,
in series from the AC power source. You can find one at any electronics
supply store. Just put the pot inline on one side of your ac power source.
Make sure you get a pot that is rated for the voltage and the amperage of
the motor that you are using. A potentiometer can generate quite a bit of
heat, since it is a resistor on an AC circuit. One of the guys at an
electronics supply store should not have any problem helping you pick out
one that is heavy duty enough. I would stay away from the pulley idea
however,, to much work, and not very adjustable."

Sorry, but not only is this wrong, but it may be dangerous.  Generally
speaking DC motors are resistive loads (as are incandescent light bulbs
and soldering irons).  But AC motors are inductive loads.  AC motor
speed controllers can be purchased or if you understand the use of
TRIAC's and SCR's, you might be able to build one.  Circuit designs for
AC motor speed controllers can be found in some  electronic do it
yourself books, like the Radio Amateur's Handbook.

The  synchronous (sometimes called field) speed of an AC induction motor
is proportional to the line frequency [F] (in the US, 60 Hz) and
inversly proportional to the number of poles per phase [P] (in US
households the AC is single phase)

RPM = (120 * F)/P

Now, in order for a motor to deliver torque, the rotor must be  moving
slower than magentic field in the stator.  The difference between the
synchronous speed and the measured rotor speed is called "slip".  So a
typical 4 pole motor will have a synchronous speed of 1800 RPM and
typically a rotor speed around 1740 RPM.  A6 pole motor will have a
synchronous speed of 1200 RPM and a typical rotor speed of 1125-1140
RPM.  A triac motor speed controller works not by cutting the applied
voltage (as a ptentiometer would) but by controlling the duty cycle of
the AC wave  that gets applied to the motor, in effect, lowering the
frequency.  But be careful.  Many motors have built in colling fans and
need to run at full rated speed to avoid overheating.   

BTW, most variable speed electric drills that run on household current
are in fact DC motors.  A diode is used to half-wave rectify the AC into
DC, and then a simple rheostat in the trigger controls the motor speed.

To keep this beer-related, we just tapped our latest CAP yesterday and
it was mahvelous. 75 percent 2-row barley and 25 percent flaked maize. 
Hopped to around an estimated 35 BU's with Tettnang.

ps -  I think Kurt Vonnegut first used (*) or it's non-ASCII equivalent
in "Breakfast of Champions".  Sorry, Doc.

- --Paul Edwards
  Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI) "We tap kegs, not phones"
  Indianapolis, Indiana (a little south and west of 0,0,0 Rennerian)


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 11:32:59 EST
From: Epic8383 at aol.com
Subject: Re: Long Boils

    Hi All,
   In Analysis..., G & L Fix write that long boils can result in undesirable 
heterocyclic compounds giving the finished beer vegetal malt tones, etc. (pg. 
52). How then do producers of barleywine and other high gravity beers get 
away with a long boil? I read somewhere that Bass boils their barleywine wort 
for 12 hrs.!!
   I understand that many high gravity beers are parti-gyled and will be 
trying that technique myself, but many brewers will sparge and boil the whole 
deal to make the strong beer, apparently with no concern for the off flavors 
it may produce.
            Thanks in advance,
                 Gus 


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 08:57:24 -0800
From: Jonathan Peakall <jpeakall at mcn.org>
Subject: Fred's Soil

Fred is looking for a soil expurt, which I am not. However, I'm at
least  close to an organic gardening expurt, with 300+ different
species/varities in my landscape. So here is my unasked for $.02:

(look out, hot-button topic addressed here) Do you use chemical
fertilizers? Especially in a clay soil, that is asking for trouble. Not
only will salts build up more quickly then most soil types because of
the poor drainage qualities of clay soil, but chem. fertilizers don't
feed the micro-organisms so essential for healthy soil.

My old microbiology professor (incredible woman!) also teaches an
organic gardening class. It has always been her statement that only in
rare cases is a soil analysis really necessary. The main thing is to
keep a lot of decomposing organic material in the soil. This allows
drainage, provides nutrients, and encourages the bio-diversity required
to keep healthy soil. This concurs with my experience, as being a renter
I have set up many gardens in many types of soil (right now I garden in
a Pygmy soil area, if any of you are familiar with that bizzare/uncommon
soil type), and I have had success in all of them.

Fred, you say yer soil is clay? Do you annually mulch around your hops
with some type of well composted organic material? For example, I take
horse manure and some household compost, mix it together, allow it to
finish composting, and then use this to top dress all my plants, potted,
in the ground, wherever. In your case, this constant addition of
material will work it's way into the soil, increasing the humus content
etc. I would also use some organic trace element additive, such as
maxi-crop, which is made from kelp and contains almost all trace
elements needed.

And for some totally unasked for advice on hop cultivation: In spring,
mulch heavily around the base of the plant with compost, keeping the
compost a few inches away from the plant itself. I know some people that
put a small barrier around the base of plants to prevent contact. In a
few weeks, put a water retentive type mulch around the base. When the
plant starts putting out new vines, cut back all but 3-5 of the best
looking shoots. Allow the vines to establish themselves, and then
fertilize with a foliar feeder. I use a manure/compost tea that I make.
Renew the compost (not mulch) around the plant a couple of times a
season. One can also use a multipurpose organic fertilizer. Use the
foliar tea as often as you like. A few weeks before the vine buds, just
as you see the change from vegetative growth to flowering growth occur,
add bone meal or phosphorus bat guano to the base of the plant. Scratch
up soil around base, and work in. This addition will encourage the plant
to bud instead of grow. It is important to add your phosphorus addition
as soon as soon as you see the transition from vegetative to bud growth,
as all organic fertilizers take a while to break down and become
available to the plant.

Especially with a long term plant like hops, the addition of  organic
material is crucial. Soil compaction, salt build up, and lack of
micro-biological activity will inevitably cause problems if chemical
fertilizers are relied on. Often, problems that seem related to a trace
element/nutrient deficiency are not because of the lack of these things,
but rather plant's inability to take them up and/or utilize due to poor
root growth or other conditions caused by poor soil management.

A home test for humus in soil is to take a sample, weigh it, then burn
it in an oven or fireplace in a tin can, and re-weigh it. As I write
this I remember that I lent my reference book to someone, and hence
don't have the figures handy as to what one is looking for. If anyone is
interested, I'd be happy to find out and post.

Jonathan Peakall







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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 10:41:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Drew Beechum <Drew.Beechum at disney.com>
Subject: Davison Color Guides


Someone was recently asking about the Davison Color Guide and where to 
find it now that they're out of production.

The Home Beer, Wine, Cheesemaking shop  carries them (I think they
have 2 or 3 left) I saw them there yesterday.

Check out http://www.homebeerwinechee.com for contact info.

- -- Drew Beechum


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 13:38:29 -0600
From: ALABREW <alabrew at mindspring.com>
Subject: Mr. Beer

Bob Bratcher asks, 

I've had a "Mr. Beer" brewer in Canada ask me for info on who sells or
ships 
to Canada Mr. Beer supplies.  I haven't stumbled across anyone who does.
 Can 
the forrum here offer any help?

I would encourage him to leave the Mr. Beer ingredients and step up to
the five gallon sized homebrew kits.  There would be more kits available
to him and they would be easier to get. Depending on his fermenter size,
he could use only part of the canned extract (storing the other half in
the fridge for the next batch) with unhopped extract to make a all malt
beer. He could also make his own recipes with unhopped extract, hops,
and specialty grains (see our web site under "Brewing Tips" for
instructions).  I would hope that he would see a improvement in the beer
he was making.
 
Kim 
- -- 
Kim and Sun Ae Thomson
ALABREW Homebrewing Supplies
http://www.mindspring.com/~alabrew
mailto:alabrew at mindspring.com
Birmingham, AL
Home Beer and Wine Making Specialists


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 13:43:58 -0600
From: ALABREW <alabrew at mindspring.com>
Subject: honey

Kelly asks, 

Can someone tell me how many pounds of honey a quart jar holds? 

Kelly, 

I have always used: 1 gallon = 12 lb., so 1 quart = 3 lb.

Kim
- -- 
Kim and Sun Ae Thomson
ALABREW Homebrewing Supplies
http://www.mindspring.com/~alabrew
mailto:alabrew at mindspring.com
Birmingham, AL
Home Beer and Wine Making Specialists


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 23:06:27 +0100
From: numberone at freedombird.net (Elizabeth Blades)
Subject: Assessing weight

In hbd#3282 (which I got 10 copies of :-)) Kelly wrote:-



"This is a little off topic, but, I'm about to make a mead.  A friend
that raises bee's has given me quite a bit of honey.  The honey is in
quart jars.  Can someone tell me how many pounds of honey a quart jar
holds?  Most of my recipes call for x number of punds of honey, and I
don't know how many pounds are in a quart jar...."

Easy to work out assuming the jars are all the same size,empty one and rinse 
it,keeping the honey of course.

Weigh the empty jar, weigh a full jar and subtract one from the other.

HTH 

Liz
- --

"Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel.  True, and they
have many other fine qualities as well." --Missy Dizick










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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 21:21:03 EST
From: AlannnnT at aol.com
Subject: Dr Pivo strikes

I
 Dr. Pivo writes, 
>  
>  P.S. Steve is a "nerd", Alan is a "whimp", George is a "dolt"; and Dave
>  is a "narcissistic personality disorder". ;-) (I think a "smiley" means
>  you "take it all back", but I don't want folks thinking I'm going "soft").
>  

No, Doctor,, the smiley face thing means that you are talking out your butt 
crack.


Alan Talman

Now you can call me a name. 



    


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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 21:41:31 -0500
From: "Hampo, Richard (R.)" <rhampo at ford.com>
Subject: AC motor

Patrick,

The answer to your question about speed control of an AC motor is - "it
depends" ;-)

If it is an induction motor, then there is no way to change the speed
significantly without changing the frequency (which is 60 hz from the power
grid). This can be done with an "inverter" (which is what I do for a living)
but this is way beyond what you would probably want to do.

If it is a "universal" motor then the speed can be varied by changing the
voltage. A rheostat is probably not beefy enough but if you can find a
surplus "variac" you might be able to get it to work.

Personally, I would go for the pulleys (or just chuck a portable drill onto
the mill and be done with it!)

Best Regards,

Richard J. Hampo		Ecostar Electric Drive Systems
Technical Specialist		Rm. 1023, Ecostar Building





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Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 20:01:10 -0800
From: Joe Kish <JJKISH at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Multiple HBD's??

What has happened to HBD?   I just received 18 copies
of #3282, sent one minute apart.
 Is this an experiment in Spam?
      Joe Kish



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