---

	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:
  Hop'n Gator recipie ("Irvin Bennett")
  many thanks on fwh ("Peter gunczy")
  keg cleaning (Susan/Bill Freeman)
  Corny Keg Cleaning (Bill.X.Wible)
  BJCP Exam before AHA national conference (Spencer W Thomas)
  RE: cream ale recipe / AHA nominations (Scott Abene)
  Re: Pat Babcock (Bill.X.Wible)
  Oz handbasins (Dave Burley)
  Re: keg cleaning (Sean Furuness)
  Re: Misuse Of Equipment (Jeff Renner)
  MCAB/GCHC (Darryl Newbury)
  Re: Corny keg cleaning (Spencer W Thomas)
  Re: AHA Board Election (Spencer W Thomas)
  Re: New York City Homebrewers Guild (Rick)
  Old Fridge Start-Up (Epic8383)
  Touched a nerve, did we? ("Brian Lundeen")
  Re:  AHA Elections ("K Reinhard")
  Kegging ("Philip J Wilcox")
  Decoction Mashing ("Eric R. Lande")
  Re: oh the shame! ("John Lifer, Jr.")
  Yes Virginia, Guinness bubbles really do sink... (John Roe)
  Pass comes to the pass. ("Dr. Pivo")
  virus alert (Graham Sanders)
  beer toxicity (Jim Liddil)
  Wizard fridge (fridgeguy)


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

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

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


Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 00:57:09 -0400
From: "Irvin Bennett" <ibennett at earthlink.net>
Subject: Hop'n Gator recipie

Hop'n Gator

          Back in the 70s Pittsburgh Brewing Company put out a fruit
          tasting beer called Hop'n Gator that was based on Gatorade,
          which had been invented by a professor at the University of
          Florida.  It was a terrific thirst quencher.  Since then
          I've started brewing my own beer and would like to find a
          recipe that comes close to Hop'n Gator to try.  Pittsburgh
          Brewing Company stopped making it in the late 70s, I think.
          Any help out there?



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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 21:34:13 +1000
From: "Peter gunczy" <pcgunczy at primus.com.au>
Subject: many thanks on fwh

Hi Guys
Just like to say thanks to the guys who helped me out with First wort hopping
have done a brew but would like to know at what stage of the brewing would you
expect to know if you have reached the desired effect of flavour and aroma

I hopped the mash with 10grams of saaz pellets  at  3aau and fwd with pacific
hallertau 25grams  at 4.5aau flowers . Am I on the right track.

Secondly how important  is it add lactic acid to the sparge water to correct
pH as I have read that the presence of high amount of mineral salts leads to
extraction of tannins rather than just high pH during the sparge.
Our local water has a high pH but is treated with slaked lime to reduce
carbonates.

Help would be appreciated
Peter




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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 08:06:18 -0500
From: Susan/Bill Freeman <potsus at bellsouth.net>
Subject: keg cleaning

My standard cleaning procedure for new  cornies and for periodic
cleaning as well is as follows:
1) disassemble the entire keg - including all fittings and soak them in
5Star PBW solution.  I have a long thin "bottle brush" for the dip tube.

2) while this is soaking (you can put all the parts for one keg inside
that keg - small parts in an old hop bag) examine all gaskets and lay
out new ones for replacement where needed. Soak for a couple of hours.
3) reassemble the keg and use CO2 to pump the solution through "out"
fittings.
4) refill one keg with 5Star StarSan and pump it through from one keg to
another.  This pumping through is also a good way to clean the quick
disconnects at the same time.
5) leave pressure of 15 psi on the keg and the CO2 inside.  Tag the keg
as "sanitized".

This leaves you with cleaned, sanitized kegs that can be used without
further fuss whenever they are needed.

A lot of folks feel the 5Star cleaners and sanitizers are expensive, but
it has been my experience that a few bucks spent to do the job correctly
in the first place will reduce the "loss" of dollars through later
contaminated or infected beer poured out.   I am also sure that there
will be a plethora of cheaper solutions for this job, but I will
continue to do it in the manner laid out above.

Bill Freeman aka Elder Rat
KP Brewery home of "the perfesser"
Birmingham, AL



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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 09:09:43 -0400
From: Bill.X.Wible at QuestDiagnostics.com
Subject: Corny Keg Cleaning



Sean Furuness <Sean.Furuness at tellabs.com> writes:

>Can anyone point me to instructions on how to clean and sanitize a Pepsi
>style corny keg ?  I just ordered a few, and the place I bought them
>from says they have been "rinsed".  I suspect I should really clean them
>out.
>
>Thanks,
>Sean

Sean,

    Try to find something called PBW.  This is the best cleaner on the market
for brewing equipment, at least in my opinion.  A 1lb jar should cost around
$11.
This stuff is magic.  Use 4 tbsp in 5 gallons of water.  Let it soak overnight.
Drain and rinse well.

Then you want to replace the lid gasket and the rubber rings on the in and out
fittings.  These are pretty cheap and easy to do.  I also recommend some
lubricant on the in and out fittings.  Any decent brewing shop sells a tube
of food grade lubricant for this purpose, or should be able get it.

If you really want to get serious, you can buy a buffing sander attachment
that goes on your drill and polish up the outsides of the kegs, too.
Personally, I don't bother.

On another note, I considered making 'cozies' for my Pepsi kegs - vinyl
coverings with foam insulation much like those little containers the pizza
delivery places use.  These would help keep the beer cold outside, and
serve the additional purpose of dressing up the kegs.  The vinyl material
seems to sell for about $10 a square yard here, and foam insulation is
cheap.  They would be attached with velcro, also not real expensive.
Some day, I might get around to doing it.

For sanitizing, I use Star San.  Bleach is not recommended on stainless.
Star San costs about $7 for a 12 oz bottle, you use 1 oz in 5 gallons.
Expensive, but I never had an infection that happend in a keg.

Good luck with your kegs.

Bill






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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:12:41 -0400
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu>
Subject: BJCP Exam before AHA national conference

There will be a BJCP exam held the day before the AHA National
Homebrewers Conference in Livonia, MI (near Detroit).  The exam will
start at 1PM, and will be held in the conference hotel.  Contact
Spencer Thomas for more information.

spencer at umich.edu
W: 734-998-9104
F: 734-998-9113
H: 734-994-0072


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 07:14:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Scott Abene <skotrat at yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: cream ale recipe / AHA nominations

J Daoust <thedaousts at ixpres.com> Writes: 

SNIP!

"My total grain not withstanding the barley/maize
additions will be around 5.5 #s, 5# 2-row, .5# honey malt. I am
shooting
for a lightly colored cream. 
 Thanks in advance, private e-mail is pref.  Jerry"

I have been dicking around with cloning Little Kings and genesee
cream ale for about 1.5 years and this is the closest I have gotten. 

I personally would cut the honey malt and flaked barley and stick
purely to Flaked maize... But that is just me. 

I found that in the long run I prefer the munich and vienna over the
dextrin malt also. 

Just my 2 cents I guess. I am a huge genesee cream ale fan and cannot
buy it in Chicago. So cloning it is all I can do. 

Maybe this Jeff Renner guy will have some words of wisdom on the
subject. 


Genesee My Butt 

Brewing Method: All Grain
Yeast: WYEAST 2035
Yeast Starter: 1/2 gallon 
Batch Size: 15.5 US Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 4.5-5.0 %
Total Grains: 30
Color: 4.4
Extract Efficiency: 75 %
Hop IBU's: 22.9
Boiling Time: 70 minutes
Primary Fermentation: 7 days at 62f
Secondary Fermentation: 7 days at 58f
Additional Fermentation: lagered in corny keg

Grain Bill: 

Grain %  Amount     Name                      Origin        Gravity
Color
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 56.7    17.00 lbs. Lager Malt(6-row)         Canada         1.031   
 1
 20.0     6.00 lbs. Flaked Corn (Maize)       America        1.040   
 1
 10.0     3.00 lbs. Vienna Malt               America        1.035   
 4
  6.7     2.00 lbs. Munich Malt(light)        America        1.033   
10
  6.7     2.00 lbs. Crystal 10L               America        1.035   
10

Hop Bill: 


Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.00 oz. Liberty Whole 3.40 19.6 60 min.
4.00 oz. Liberty Whole 3.40 3.3 5 min.

Mash Schedule: 

Mash Type: Single Step
Saccharification Rest Temp : 152 Time: 90
Mash-out Rest Temp : 166 Time: 10
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 70

Brewers Notes: 

Side by side test was a dead ringer... Very nice brew

On another note. 

Some people around here seem to not know who people like myself or
Pat  are.

Well, I have been  running a website dedicated to brewing since 1994.
It features the first online recipe database that appeared on the web
as well as the first Homebrew bulletin board. I also have been
running an online virtual pub/chatroom exclusively for brewers. I
believe that the chat was the first of its kind and it seems to be
the only successful chat room out there for brewers. 

I host the brewrats.org site which is an online virtual homebrewers
club that represents 120+ members in about 14 countries. I believe
that the club is the largest of its kind. 

About 4 years ago I suckered Pat Babcock into taking over the HBD
after the AHA basically raped it and left it for dead. 

I helped Jim L. post the AOB 1996 Income Tax filings to the web in
1997. 

I am a big AHA/AOB critic. I start fights and I stick it in their
faces. To many I am a big mouth with no purpose. To a few I am
respected and understood. 

I was nominated by Rob Moline and originally was against taking the
nomination. My wife kicked me in the shorts and told me to put up or
shut up. 

I had let my subscription/membership lapse and had given up on the
AHA/AOB to be a driving force sometime last year. 

I was tired of participating in the same dead end discussions that
fell on empty and unwilling ears. I had lost the urge to pursue a
change. The firing of Brian Rezac was the last straw in my mind. 

When Ray Daniels was hired I saw something that I had not seen in a
while... A slight glimmer of hope. 

I am concerned that the homebrewers in general are not being looked
out for by the AOB/AHA. I am concerned with the clubs program and the
lack of attention that it gets. I am concerned that my and your
membership money is not going to anything that will help homebrewers.
I am concerned with legalization. I want to personally make the
AHA/AOB account for every penny and show us where they are helping
the average homebrewer. I want every one of us to be members and not
just subscribers. I want to say whats on my mind and your mind to
make them (the AOB/AHA) think and respond instead of just continuing
to ignore us even if it means causing a ruckus. 

I want to with the help of guys like Louis  and Pat try to change
things like that that we all fell are wrong.

There you go... 

C'ya!

 -Scott

=====
ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT
Scott Abene <skotrat at mediaone.net>
http://www.skotrat.com (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page)

"The More I know about beer politics, The more I wish I made 120k"

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com/


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:12:31 -0400
From: Bill.X.Wible at QuestDiagnostics.com
Subject: Re: Pat Babcock




Well, now I guess I can say I recognize 4 of the names...

FWIW, I haven't been getting HBD very long, but   I think it's a great, and
Pat Babcock does deserve alot of credit.

My appologies to Pat.




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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:21:31 -0400
From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com>
Subject: Oz handbasins

Brewsters:

PhilY, I wondered why those handbasins were so low. {8)

Of all the "common" lagers, I agree that Fosters is at the bottom of the
list, then XXXX. VB is my preference of the bunch, as it is my daughter's
who spent a year living in your fine country. She does prefer the Toohey's
Old as well, but is a confirmed Guinness fan living in London, now.

If you tasted a Foster's and Budweiser side by side I don't know which
would lose faster. Either might induce one to use any available receptacle,
handbasin or not.

Keep on Brewin'

Dave Burley 


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 09:25:03 -0500
From: Sean Furuness <Sean.Furuness at tellabs.com>
Subject: Re: keg cleaning

Thanks for the good info

I have a couple of more questions based on the responses I have
received.

potsus at bellsouth.net wrote:

> 4) refill one keg with 5Star StarSan and pump it through from one keg to
> another.  This pumping through is also a good way to clean the quick
> disconnects at the same time.
> 5) leave pressure of 15 psi on the keg and the CO2 inside.  Tag the keg
> as "sanitized".

Will this leave some volume of sanatizer in the keg?  Will the remaining
sanatizer effect the flavor of the beer, or be unhealthy?

I also got a response that involved using TSP as a cleaner.  I had
looked at TSP in the store before for cleaning bottles, but after
reading all the warning labels I passed.  How well do you have to rinse
TSP, and is it as incompatible with life and health as the labels lead
me to believe?

Thanks again,
Sean


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:29:41 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <nerenner at umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Misuse Of Equipment

When I was a boy in Cincinnati, the hand sinks (basins) in the local movie
theater's men's room were about 45 inches (115 cm) high - really tough for
a little boy to wash his hands in.  My father explained (the family
business was plumbing contracting) that the local plumbing code required
this in movie theaters to prevent "misuse Of equipment" during the rush of
intermissions.

Elevated urinals are somewhat modern here in the states, too.  Post WWII I
would guess.

Jeff

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




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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:03:03 -0500
From: darryl at sagedesign.com (Darryl Newbury)
Subject: MCAB/GCHC

Having attended MCABII and thoroughly enjoyed myself, I have to take
exception with John Sullivan's comments in todays digest. 

Firstly, having more 
>known speakers
 does not necessarily mean a higher quality of speakers. Although the
Great Canadian Homebrew Conference is much smaller, we have had many
quality speakers over the years who I've found as engaging, if not more so
than, many of the known speakers at MCAB. We have had some high quality
known speakers over the years as well, including Michael Jackson and of
course Clayton Cone and this year Chris White.

Secondly, the cost of attending the GCHC is quite reasonable. About $70
Canadian for all events, which is about $4.92 American (actually about $45
USD).

Thirdly, the food we serve is absolutely fabulous. To go with our
Continental Brewing theme this year, we are serving weisswurst and cabbage
rolls at lunch and Pork Tenderloin Normandy, Beef Stroganoff and Hungarian
Goulash for dinner.

And Finally, while MCABII is now just a blurred memory. The Great Canadian
Homebrew Competition is coming up this weekend! And John, if fact, we know
of a reputable cabdriver in StLouis who could get you up here to Toronto
for less than $30,000 US. A few of the Brews know the story. Hope to see
you all at the next MCAB, and if not this year, it'd be nice welcoming you
all up the GCHC in the future.

Cheers
Darryl Newbury
Vice President
Canadian Amateur Brewers Association



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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:03:47 -0400
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Corny keg cleaning 

This is my procedure:

Go out and buy some *real* TSP (really tri-sodium-phosphate, not some
"phosphate-free" imitation) or some Five-Star PBW.  Add the
appropriate amount of cleanser to the keg and fill with HOT water
(140+ for the 5-star).  Also put some of this solution into a small
plastic bucket and soak the lid and fittings in there.  Soak for an
hour.  Pour it into the next keg, or use CO2 to push it out through
your tap into the next keg, which also makes sure that the tube and
tap are clean.

Rinse.

When you buy the PBW, also buy some StarSan.

Add 1 ounce of StarSan to the keg, and fill with warm water.  Put the
lid on the keg and shake.  Force a little bit through the "out"
connector with CO2.  Let it sit until your next keg is clean.  After
draining the cleaning solution from the second keg and rinsing it, you
can push the StarSan solution into the second keg with CO2.  This will
leave you with the first keg sanitized and full of CO2.  It's ready
for storage.

In my experience, the cleaning solution is good for about 2 kegs.
After that it gets too cold or "used up" or something.

With used kegs that have held "pop", you should ideally replace all
the rubber o-rings, as these will retain some "pop" aroma residue.
I've got one keg that I only put root beer in, for this very reason.
The o-rings may also be cracked or worn, and it's a lot cheaper to
just replace them than to deal with ruined beer later on.

You will need the big O-ring for the lid (some have recommended a
super-squishy one that some of the HB suppliers carry -- I've never
tried it, so I can't say if it's better), smaller o-rings for the
outside of the poppets, and tiny ones for the valves inside the
poppets.  The small and tiny o-rings you can get at a good hardware
store (bring along the old ones and the parts for comparison).  The
big one for the lid you'll have to get from a HB supply shop or keg
supplier.

=Spencer


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:12:42 -0400
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer at engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: AHA Board Election 

My 2c on the "other" candidates:

Scott Abene is more commonly known as "skotrat".  He's commonly seen
in this forum lambasting the AHA.  He also has a homebrew "chat" site
on the web.  (http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat)

Pat Babcock runs the HBD.  You will have seen his postings under the
name of "Some Guy".

Louis Bonham is a frequent HBD contributor, was a columnist for
Brewing Techniques, and ran the first MCAB competition.

Not sure about John Carlson, although there is a frequent HBD
contributor by that name.

Stephen Mallery ran Brewing Techniques magazine.

Martin Stokes is a long-time homebrewer, who has been pretty quiet of
late.

Almost all of these folks have contributed at one time or another to
the HBD.  So if you want to know more about them, in their own words,
and before they were running for public office, try searching the HBD
archives for their names.  Go to http://hbd.org and click on the
Search button.

=Spencer


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 12:35:53 -0400
From: Rick <rstanley at rsi-ny.com>
Subject: Re: New York City Homebrewers Guild

Hi Phil!

The timing for this meeting couldn't be more unfortunate!  The Brewer's 
Apprentice is having a tasting at their facility in Freehold NJ the same 
night as your meeting.  I am a regular customer of Brewer's and have 
recently brewed a batch of Tom Logan's Scotch Ale, with Tom as my 
assistant.  I regret not being able to attend the meeting, but I will be 
attending the tasting in Freehold.  Hope to see you next month.  Please let 
me know about the guild's trip to Brewer's Apprentice.

Rick

At 05:41 PM 5/9/2000 -0700, Phil Clarke wrote:
>The May meeting for the New York City Homebrewers
>Guild will take place on Tuesday, May 16th at 7:30 at
>Brewski's, located at 41 East Seventh Street, (between
>2nd and 3rd avenues).
>
>Our guest speakers for the evening will be Tom Logan
>and Mike Farran of Brewer's Apprentice, a
>brew-on-premises facility in Freehold, NJ.  Tom and
>Mike will discuss brewing at the BOP as well as recipe
>development.  Plans for the guild's trip to the
>Brewer's Apprentice will also be discussed.
>
>Dues will be collected from for guild expenses,
>including the upcoming guild picnic in June.
>
>Bring a friend and bring your homebrew.
>
>New members are always welcome.
>
>
>Phil
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger.
>http://im.yahoo.com/

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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 13:00:29 EDT
From: Epic8383 at aol.com
Subject: Old Fridge Start-Up

      Ted,
   It sounds like you're low on refrigerant. Get someone who knows 
refrigeration to look at the unit, it may just be a simple fix (recharge) or 
it might need a new seal or o-ring somewhere. Bribe the tech with 
homebrew-you could get a discount!
     Gus


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 12:35:43 -0500
From: "Brian Lundeen" <blundeen at rrc.mb.ca>
Subject: Touched a nerve, did we?


> Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 07:09:03 -0500
> From: "John or Barb Sullivan" <sullvan at anet-stl.com>
> Subject: Cone / White - MCAB/GCHC
>
> However, I'm now up for the challenge.  I'll allow you to compare your
> known speakers to ours at MCAB II and you can decide for
> yourself which is
> the most prestigious event.
>

Aaah, now the reason for this posting and your email to me becomes clear.
You're an MCAB organizer.

Good God, man, you actually thought I was serious, didn't you? You really
thought I was some crazy Canuck (with all due respect to Steve Podborski)
with delusions of grandeur about the importance of our little gathering of
brewers. That we up here in this great frozen wasteland have had our minds
so numbed by the cold that we view anything beyond our borders as paling
into insignificance.

As Foghorn Leghorn would say, "It was a JOKE, son, a JOKE!" Obviously, my
sense of humor (oops, better spell that humoUr, eh?) doesn't mesh with
yours. C'est la vie.

Just so you know, I have nothing whatsoever to do with GCHC, I have never
even been to GCHC, so issuing challenges into the ether because of something
I said will likely have the GCHC people just scratching their heads in
wonderment. Rest assured, they probably view MCAB as Mecca, as do I.

Cheers

Brian



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Date: 	Wed, 10 May 2000 13:42:00 -0400
From: "K Reinhard" <kreinhard at clarksteel.com>
Subject: Re:  AHA Elections

Stephen Mallery WAS BT Magazine,  the same person who  promised me
in personal email that I would receive back issues.  They were never sent.
Something to consider when voting.  I am not an AHA member, so either way I
will not be voting for Stephen.

Kevin

> > We get to choose four.  What's the rap on these folks?
> >
> >Scott Abene
> >Pat Babcock
> >Louis Bonham
> >John Carlson, Jr
> >Stephen Mallery
> >David Miller
> >Randy Mosher
> >Lynne O'Conner
> >Martin Stokes
> >
>




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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 13:54:43 -0400
From: "Philip J Wilcox" <pjwilcox at cmsenergy.com>
Subject: Kegging

Sean,

The AHA is good for a few things. In its 20+ years of publishing there has not
been a better issue than the kegging special issue a few years back. It is top
rate. It has within its pages the only totally complete reference for everything
kegging. If I were a homebrew shop owner I would demand to sell one with every
new draft system.

That said here is what to do. For re-used kegs, hopefully none were rootbeer. If
so, dispose of all things rubber and get new ones from your local source. (2
o-rings on the fittings, 2 o-rings under the dip tubes, and the big o-ring on
the lid 5-7$) You won't get the flavor of rootbeer out of them, even with a
stout. I can't tell you how many rootbeer stout's I have had to taste in the
last 5 years. Yuck. Some people have the same problem with Slice.

For the first time you should completely disassemble everything. Use a wrench to
remove the gas/liquid fittings (Finding the correct deep fitting socket is a
good investment-My best source is a pawn shop) then reach in the keg and push up
on the dip tubes and pull them out too. Dip tubes on the air side vary from 1/4
inch to 1.5 inches in length. Next take the removed Gas/Beer fittings and set
them the work bench or an old 2x4 (this sometimes leaves a mark) using a very
small screwdriver, an awl or a nailset press down on the center till it pop's
out. Some older designs only have a compression fit and will fall out when you
remove the fitting from the keg. If you have that kind be sure the new O-rings
on the dip tubes match EXACTLY. Now take the big o-ring off the lid and throw
all removed parts into a pot and boil the crap out them.

The long dip tube won't fit in the pot, that's OK. But you do need to clean it.
If your daughter-wife-girlfriend plays the flute or clarinet borrow her cleaning
ramrod and use that with to really clean the inside of the dip tube. A rifle
bore cleaner works too.  I use a piece of plastic scrubby on a string with a pen
refill as counterweight.  This part should be cleaned EVERY TIME you use the
keg. An amazing amount of crap builds up in the dip tube.

Now, back to the keg. Green scrubbies ie, scotch brite pads will scratch
stainless steel. You really shouldn't use them. Instead find the recycled
plastic scrunchie things and use one of those or a simple sponge. Fill the keg
with cleanser* and water and give it a good scrub especially on the underside of
the top lid. If the keg was partially full. The fill line will need some extra
elbow grease. If your arm is too big, hire a local 10-year old. Rinse it well.
And fill it with water and add a cup or so of baking soda. Let it sit for a few
days open. This should evacuate any old stale aroma's of Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Mt.
Dew or Slice.  Dump and rinse a few days later. *(PBW is best (not cheap), TSP
is good (Wear gloves), Clean Brite is ok too. Bleach is tolerable but for short
time periods only--overnight would be bad.)

Reassemble and fill just over half full with water. Add 2 capful's of Idophor.
Fill to the rim. Press down on the poppet on the liquid fitting, this will
release some pressure and sanitizer will rush up the tube. Put the lid on it and
add some gas to seal the lid on tight. Now you can flip it over for 10 minutes.
I usually do 3 or 4 kegs at a time so I can reuse the sanitizer. Set the keg
upright and put the gas and a tap on the keg. Cobra head picnic taps will let
you dispense by pressing down or by flipping the dispense lever up into a locked
position. Run the tap into a carboy or another clean keg this will purge your
keg of sanitizer and leave it with only CO2 in it. If going into a carboy add a
few inches of tubing to the end of the faucet This will allow you to walk away
and do something else. At 10 psi it takes at least 5 min to empty the keg. The
amount of Idophor left in the keg in so small you will never notice it was
there.

Enjoy kegging, it sure beats cleaning 2.5 cases of bottles.

Phil Wilcox
Poison Frog Home Brewer
Warden-Prison City Brewers
In Jackson, MI 32 Mi. West of Jeff Renner
AABG, AHA, BJCP, HBD, MCAB, ETC., ad nausium...




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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 16:31:13 -0400
From: "Eric R. Lande" <landeservices at juno.com>
Subject: Decoction Mashing

I was reading something somewhere (on-line or off) recently which
referred to decoction mashing techniques.  In this article (or whatever)
a book was referenced for further reading (about Lagers or Pilseners or
something) and billed as "the best book on decoction mashing in English
on the planet."  I realize that this is not a lot to go on, but, since I
have been unable to find the reference again, I was hoping that someone
in the collective would know the book and author.  Thanks for any help.


Eric Lande
Doylestown, PA
Brewery to be named when I finish it


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 13:43:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: "John Lifer, Jr." <jliferjr at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: oh the shame!

Richard, I've sympathy for you!
I almost had same experience, I don't have clamps
on the hoses for Co2 or Beer out lines on my
cooler. Expect that the hose barbs should hold
20psi and they do.  Except for the other day. Had
put keg into cooler, hooked up gas and beer out
lines and gassed it up. I always disconnect gas
in as I don't trust keg seals or the lines to
keep from leaking and I don't want empty CO2
tank.
Beer hose came off 5 min after putting into
cooler and had sent about a gallon in bottom of
cooler before I could release enough gas to stop
it.  That is a mess! Got to get some clamps!
John 

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com/


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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 18:08:34 -0400
From: John Roe <Sensei_John_Roe at compuserve.com>
Subject: Yes Virginia, Guinness bubbles really do sink...

According to a team of Australian researchers,
the smaller bubbles (30 um) in a glass of guinness
sink near the walls of the glass, carried down by currents.
Kinda like bubbles in sink near a thermal (I'm a sailplane pilot).
 ...They have only done computer models, however!

See "Science News", May 6th, 2000 Vol. 157,  #19
Pages 300-302.


John Roe
Laguna Hills, Ca
www.martialartsacademy.org

You should never be in company
that you wouldn't want to die with.
                         ---Freman Proverb







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Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 00:26:18 +0200
From: "Dr. Pivo" <dp at pivo.w.se>
Subject: Pass comes to the pass.

Another voice has been raised from the "Southern Contininent".

And I will just say this about that:

"Never in the course of human events, has so much been done with so little."

I am a foot weary, beer drinking traveler, whom I think has traversed
the far sides of te world in search of the "perfect drop.."

In Australia it is tough. Where not a straw of of the 6-row is grown,
and the import restrictions forbid the import of "fresh" material "We
got the bloody rabbits and cane toads, why in the name of sweet Gough
Whitlams's backside would we want that bloody hop weeds?"

Along my journey, I think that I have extracted the escence of what is relevent.

I bumped into Richard Pass along this trip and was surprised that
despite a full "tasting knowledge", and access to "classic ingredients",
He did a "bloody good job" of reprresenting the beers on presentation.

Dr. Pivo

P.S. I Think the "Nitro thing" is "passe". It is very good for
protecting "transport damage", but when they get there, they all taste
the same.

Good to hear your voice. Shuttle your better half on a frigate and get
over here!


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Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 09:51:24 +1000
From: Graham Sanders <GrahamS at bsa.qld.gov.au>
Subject: virus alert


G'day all

Just received advice from our IT section.

New virus is floating arround.  It is being sent by E-mail and has the
following file.

Beer_For_Free_1.exe

DO NOT OPEN IT.

Delete it

Shout 

Graham Sanders



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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 22:18:22 -0400
From: Jim Liddil <jliddil at vms.arizona.edu>
Subject: beer toxicity


Does anyone know of a place that list the number of deaths attributed to 
beer each year and the actual amount of said fluid required to reach this 
state?

Jim



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Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 21:54:38 -0400
From: fridgeguy at voyager.net
Subject: Wizard fridge

Greetings folks,

 In HBD #3321, Ted Hull is looking for help with his recently 
acquired fridge that doesn't cool properly.

 First things first - If only a small portion of a/the evaporator is cold 
then the system is probably short of refrigerant. Look for a leak - 
signs of an oil film on tubing or evaporator surfaces. 

 Recharging a fridge these days can be expensive. If it's repairable it 
may cost more than $100 to properly recharge and comply with the 
current laws regarding refrigerant recovery and leak repair.

 By the description given, this is an odd design. Nearly all manual 
defrost fridges have the freezer on top, with a single evaporator in 
the freezer section. 

 If there are evaporators in both the freezer and fridge sections this 
is probably a parallel evaporator system. A very rare beast! Look for 
a proportioning valve that controls the amount of refrigerant sent 
to each evaporator. This may be in the form of a freezer or fridge 
temperature control.

 My best guess is that there will be two controls. One will start and 
stop the compressor (freezer control). The other will control the 
fridge temperature by varying the proportion of refrigerant sent to 
each of the two evaporators.

 It is normal design practice to send the refrigerant to the coldest 
desired area first. I'm surprised by you mentioning the only cold 
spot being near the entry to the fridge evaporator rather than the 
freezer shelves. A proportioning valve will change this, so try 
adjusting the fridge control warmer and the freezer control colder.

 Please report your findings! I've only seen one other such system 
of this configuration...    And I owned it :-)



Hope this helps!
- ----------------------------------------------
Forrest Duddles - FridgeGuy in Kalamazoo
fridgeguy at voyager.net


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