---

	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org


***************************************************************
       THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

          Northern  Brewer, Ltd. Home Brew Supplies
        http://www.northernbrewer.com  1-800-681-2739

    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********


Contents:
  UPS Beer Woes (bobbrews) Johnson" <Robert at bobbrews.com>
  Rachel (Des Egan)
  Spruce beer (Ryan Malone)
  Protein rests and haze ("pksmith_morin1")
  Oxygen and CO2 Bottles ("Greenly, Jeff")
  Re: UPS Shipping Woes (james r layton)
  Fermentation length ("Fred L. Johnson")
  when to rack, fluid dynamics for dummys (Ed Jones)
  re:  UPS beer shipping woes ("Kensler, Paul")
  sour beer, souring weiss beer, peroxide. ("Dr. Pivo")
  Re: UPS Shipping Woes (Pat Babcock)
  Aeration - What kind of Oxygen? ("Kevin Eggemeyer")
  hops characteristics (Marc Sedam)
  Real identity of "Rachel"  at beerlink.co.uk (alastair)
  Cleaning Bottle Caps (JDPils)
  converting a minifridge (Marc Sedam)
  Re: UPS Shipping Woes ("Dion Hollenbeck")
  Temp Correction Factors for Specific Gravity ("Dennis Collins")
  aeration what type O2...spam ("Joseph Marsh")
  culturing Lacto-bacillis ("Songbird Tulip")
  Mader's Beer Dinner (Dan Wenger)
  Solid State Relay Questions ("Mike Pensinger")
  Call For Judges ("Gary Glass")
  fluid dynamics ("patrick finerty jr.")
  fermentation temperatures too low? ("Mike Capitain")
  Does alcohol (ethanol) have a taste? ("Stuart E. Strand")
  Re: Temperature Controllers (chezrad)


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

Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
  ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
  the digest as we canoot reach you. We will not correct your address
  for the automation - that's your job.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright 
  HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK 
  before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content 
  cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to 
req at hbd.org.

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



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


Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 21:43:13 -0700
From: "Robert (bobbrews) Johnson" <Robert at bobbrews.com>
Subject: UPS Beer Woes

Sorry to hear about your problems.. It's the policy that is at
fault here ( it is clearly against the law to use US postal for
beer or any alcohol, but not common carrier). I have more times
than I can count shipped beer for competitions and for customers
commercially. As well as being a homebrewer, I am a beer retailer
in California. The local UPS is very helpful and I have no
problem listing the contents as beer. Part of your problem was
they were curious and opened it and found deception and that
always raises a red flag whether legal or not. In fact most of
them want to know what kind of beer! My two bits worth.

Robert (bobbrews) Johnson
www.bobbrews.com



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:10:54 +1000
From: Des Egan <desegan at telstra.com>
Subject: Rachel

Send emails complaining about the spam to the beerlink web site but 
don't visit (replies to "Rachel" only bounce back).  The only email 
address at the web site is:  

advertising at beerlink.co.uk

Tell them you disaprove of their marketing approach and that you are 
most unlikely to ever visit or advertise on their site!




Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 00:26:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ryan Malone <valis42 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Spruce beer

I'm something of a newbie here, so my apologies if
this has been gone over, but...

The spruce beer thread has caught my eye.  I have only
had one such beer ever, I don't remember the name, but
it was one of the more enjoyable brews I have ever
tasted.  My question is simply which part of the
spruce is used -- the sprigs, I see, but how large or
how many should I be looking for?  Is any particular
level of maturity more desirable?  What style beer
does this work best in (I can imagine it working well
in just about any)?

Thanks!
Ryan



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 04:55:08 -0500
From: "pksmith_morin1" <pksmith_morin1 at msn.com>
Subject: Protein rests and haze

Frank's friend suggested a protein rest for his pilsner malt as a possible
solution to his haze problem.

I would avoid a protein rest, unless the malt is truly under-modified.
Trying to attack haze by reducing the molecular weight of the available
protein is sort of like a "cudgel" approach, rather than a "surgical"
approach, because, as with most things in beer production, you are likely to
impact on a whole host of other quality parameters.

There is some evidence that there is crossover among beer proteins -
although it is the proline-rich proteins which engage in haze formation,
those same proteins may be involved in foam retention.   Using brewhouse
proteolysis, or certain proteolytic enzymes (i.e., papain) may reduce haze,
but these methods may also kill the foamstand.

Similarly, polyphenols in hops complex with proteins to produce haze, and
certain protein "decoys," such as PVPP or Nylon 66, which have a similar
linkage structure to that of haze-active protein, may be used to pull
polyphenols out and reduce haze.  These same additives tend to pull
isohumulone, and aside from the impact on bitterness, they may impact on
foamstand because of the positive contribution isohumulones are known to
make to foamstand.

The bottom line, in my book, is to avoid oxidation at all costs, not
"monkey" around with raw material content. It does not seem that it is the
presence of polyphenols or haze-active protein which really matters, per se;
it is the oxidation of polyphenols which brings about haze, and trying to
remove the precursors, as above, will likely impact on flavor, mouthfeel, or
appearance.

Cheers,

Paul



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 06:59:12 -0400
From: "Greenly, Jeff" <greenlyj at rcbhsc.wvu.edu>
Subject: Oxygen and CO2 Bottles

Alexandre,

	I am pretty sure you have to have a prescription from a health care
provider to get medical O2. The only difference is that there might be
impurities in industrial 02. I use industrial O2 from my welding supplier
and a ceramic stone from the pet store and have no problems... YMMV

	On your second question, I don't think you'd find anyone who'd put
02 in a bottle marked for CO2, but even if you did you shouldn't do it.
Unless of course you have an unnatural fear of staying in one piece. O2 is
an oxidizer and is really nasty stuff, especially under pressure. If I'm not
mistaken, it would weaken a non-oxygen bottle pretty severely. Keep O2 away
from petroleum products, heat sources and open flame, and use a O2-rated
regulator with a bottle made for 02 and you should be all right.

Jeff
greenlyj at rcbhsc.wvu.edu
  



Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 16:49:09 -0300
From: "Alexandre Carminati" <carminat at email.com>
Subject: Aeration - What kind of Oxygen ?

When using oxygen (and a difusion stone) for mash aeration, what kind of
oxygen should I use - I mean: it is available in medicinal and industrial
versions... which one ? Both ?
Other question: a CO2 cylinder can be filled with Oxygen ?

Thanks a lot

Alexandre



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



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 06:32:50 -0500
From: james r layton <blutick at juno.com>
Subject: Re: UPS Shipping Woes

Dean Fikar wrote about his problems with nosey UPS shippers. I had a
similar problem except that they kept the opened box until my wife went
back and picked it up. That cost me a few beer bullets.

I came up with a solution to the problem that others may find useful. My
local brewshop proprietor was happy to ship my package from his store. He
weighs the box, I pay the fee, and the UPS driver picks it up at his
store with no questions asked. On top of that, it costs less to ship from
the store than it did to ship from the outfit that gave me the problem.

Jim Layton
Howe, TX

 


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 07:47:24 -0400
From: "Fred L. Johnson" <FLJohnson at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Fermentation length

Gregg asks if a two days fermentation is normal at 72 degrees F and asks how
long to allow for a secondary fermentation  One person recommended no more
than five days in the secondary.

Gregg, a fermentation in the low 70s probably will be essentially complete
in two days.  I do recommend that you slow this down a little.  Try the wet
T-shirt thing (if your using a glass carboy) if you don't have other means
of cooling this.  

Regarding the secondary, I recommend that you allow the beer to clear well
in the secondary before bottling to minimize the amount of yeast transferred
to the bottle.  There will be enough yeast in the bottle to carbonate in a
couple of weeks unless you are extremely good at getting the beer out of the
secondary without transferring some yeast.  (I'm assuming that you are batch
priming or at least batch bottling from a third vessel and not directly
going into bottles from the secondary.  In that case, it is possible that
many bottles may get very little yeast.)  If you do transfer more yeast than
necessary by bottling before the beer in the secondary clears well, it will
carbonate very quickly (3-4 days), but you will ultimately have a much
thicker layer of yeast at the bottom of your bottle which will tend to be
transferred to your glass.

Only on one occasion, in which I had a barley wine in a secondary for many
weeks, did I not get good carbonation in the bottle.
- -- 
Fred L. Johnson
Apex, North Carolina
USA



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 09:07:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ed Jones <ejones at sdl.psych.wright.edu>
Subject: when to rack, fluid dynamics for dummys

In the short time I've been on this list I've seen several posts
about racking into secondaries. I do this, but I usually wait until most
of the fermentation is done in the primary, or it sits on the trub
for a week, whichever comes first. It then takes a long time for the
secondary fermentation to finish. At least I get very clear beers this
way. For those that rack into secondarys, when do you do it? Should I
rack the primary earlier so that there is more active yeast in suspension
so that the secondary runs faster?

Thanks for the great tips on beer line diameters, flow rates, and pressures.
I've now only kegged 2 of my brews and I was having a helluva time 
keeping carbonation without shooting 100% foam. Last night I bought some
3/16 line and now I can keep 12 pounds of pressure on the keg and it
serves properly.

- -- 
Ed Jones

"When I was sufficiently recovered to be permitted to take nourishment,
I felt the most extraordinary desire for a glass of Guinness...I am 
confident that it contributed more than anything else to my recovery."
  - written by a wounded officer after Battle of Waterloo, 1815



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 09:18:01 -0400
From: "Kensler, Paul" <Paul.Kensler at Cyberstar.com>
Subject: re:  UPS beer shipping woes

Dean said:  "After using UPS to ship beer at least a dozen times over the
last couple of years I recently ran into my first real problem."

 ...and goes on to relate a tale of woe familiar, I'm sure, to many of us
that have had to ship entries for competitions.

I don't know about official policy, and I've never tried FedEx (something
sticks in the back of my mind that its against their policy to ship
alcoholic beverages, but don't quote me on that), but in my experience the
UPS substations are a lot less competent and a lot more eager to open
packages than a local "pack and mail" place like Mail Boxes Etc., Pak Mail,
et al.  I've always preferred to go to a local pack and mail business,
especially when I can find one that's operated by the owner.  I pay a little
more, but I feel better about the handling the package receives at the
counter and I get treated better.

Just recently I went directly to a UPS substation because it's very close to
work, and the staff there did a great job of reminding me why I never go
straight to UPS.  3 people behind the counter, 2 of them chatting with
somebody, I think an off duty employee.  The guy I got stuck with couldn't
find a measuring tape (apparently he needed to measure the dimensions of the
box), and had to open the box (I labeled it "glass bottles") even though I
assured him it was packed securely with packing foam and bubble wrap.  He
never did dig down to the bottles, all he did was open the flaps.  But the
real kicker was this:  they didn't have any labels.  Stop and reread the
last sentence.  How can UPS not have shipping labels?  The solution was to
hand-write the "to" and "from" addresses on a post-it note, which was then
taped to the box.  C'mon guys, get some labels.  At least he used _clear_
packing tape to secure the post-it to the box... ;-)

For me, the extra couple bucks are worth it to go to a local business that
makes their money off of customers like me, instead of going to the
warehouse where they couldn't care less about the walk-up customer and hire
accordingly (I think Dean was rather conservative in his use of the  words
"cretin" and "semiliterate").  UPS may do fine _shipping_ the packages, but
they don't do very good with the handoff.


On a side note, are there any local competitions out there that are starting
to accept those plastic amber beer bottles that they've come out with?
Seems to me that for shipping competition entries off, they'd be perfect.
Much less worry about breakage.


PK


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 15:21:32 +0200
From: "Dr. Pivo" <dp at pivo.w.se>
Subject: sour beer, souring weiss beer, peroxide.

A quick snatch of some postings that seem to have to do with a beer that
was "fine" at bottleing, where a lot of "non-rinse sanitizer" that
produces hydrogen peroxide (which shall hereafter be known as H2O2,
because it takes less key strokes), and a beer that may be sour or might
be something else. And a nod at someone's Weiss Beir that went
"Berliner" on him, wonders if it is Lactobacillus, and might like to
recreate it.

Some comments and suggestions:



1) I'd say a cheap and easy way to "know" if the beer is infected, or if
what you are tasting is what one generally refers to as "sour", is to
measure the pH.  I seem to recall that most of the litmus type 0.3
interval strips that cover a "brewer's" range, start  at 3.9.  A
finished beer nods off at just over "4".  If your paper is "bottom of
the scale", then you have something other than brewer's yeast in your
brew. Having a "normal" pH doesn't mean that you can't possibly have an
infection, but having a grossly low one means you most certainly do.

If you don't have any of these, and you are really interested in
knowing, you might want to borrow a strip from another brewer.

If you can't find another brewer close by, you might ask SHMBO (She Who
Minds Bodily Orifice) to have a "lady's complaint".  While visiting the
gynaecologist, and sitting in the "chair of humiliation and torture" ask
her to look over on the tray beside her where the nasty pokey things are kept.

There are often "strips" on or near that tray, to cover the same pH
range, as there is one localization on the female body, which my
extremely delicate and considerate nature forbids me from mentioning out
loud, that is absolutely REPLETE with lactobacillus, and a little "pH
measuring" here can judge whether you have a healthy or otherwise one of
those things.

This leads, of course, to two speculative thoughts:


A) Either ask wife to bring home one of the used nasty pokey things, or
collect one of your own samples, and stir it into an otherwise "healthy"
Weiss Beir..... I'd say that'd about get you a Berliner style.

B) People who complain of, or worry about infections, that were caused
by starting syphons with their mouths..... Just what were you doing just
prior to starting that syphon?  Let's keep the plaid pants on, and all
that sort of nonsense out of the brewhouse, please.

Of course, a more refined method of measuring pH would be to use a "pH
meter", and I just happen to know where an unused one is lying about at
the moment.  Look in Phil's garage, and pry it out of the turtle's head
(I never really did know why Phil had to know the pH of that turtle's
brain, or if he just thought lobotomizing it would make it more
compliant in the tent.)



2) If the ambitious use of H2O2 generating "non-rinse" included the
bottles, I'd say that what you are probably tasting is "old barrel",
that is, a collection of staled tastes (some of which can indeed be
perceived as "sourish" or "tart").

If you put H2O2 in the bottles and didn't rinse it off, that would be
sort of equivalent to pumping pure oxygen through your finished beer,
which is not to be recommended, and is what is called "Cold Side
Aeration", and in contrast to it's cousin with a similar sounding name,
is an actual, factual, real worry that every homebrewer should be wary of.

H2O2 "works" as a sanitiser by generating oxygen and oxidizing the
stinking bejeezus out of everything it comes in contact with (we will
leave the discussion of such revolutionary groups as "The Free Radicals"
out of this simplistic explanation). The oxygen gobbling habits of a
freshly pitched yeast may well tolerate a bit of massively diluted H2O2
at pitching time.... but contact with it any later in the game would
lead you straight down oxidation road, I'd reckon.

3) It was asked what one should use to rinse off "non-rinse" such as
H2O2 with..... I use water.

Dr. Pivo


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 09:55:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Pat Babcock <pbabcock at hbd.org>
Subject: Re: UPS Shipping Woes


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

Dean has had the UPS militia interdict his shipment:

I label mine as "nonhazardous biological samples encased in glass". Have
never had a problem...

And paul writes:

> UPS may do fine _shipping_ the packages, but they don't do very good
> with the handoff.

If what is meant by "shipping" is solely getting the majority of an
individual package from Point A to Point B, I'd aree; however, I generally
don't appreciate the CONDITION of the package once this transfer is
complete. I believe that when Samsonite was finished with the ape they
used to have in their commercials, UPS hired and bred the beast as a
package handler...

(Frankly, the USPS is no better in that regard, and you are less likely to
lose the package in the deal. Never had a problem with FedEx, RPS ,
Airborne and some of the others; however, they're a helluva lot less
convenient than the "Big Two"...)

- -- 
 -
See ya!

Pat Babcock in SE Michigan         pbabcock at hbd.org
Home Brew Digest Janitor           janitor@hbd.org
HBD Web Site                       http://hbd.org
The Home Brew Page                 http://hbd.org/pbabcock

"The monster's back, isn't it?" - Kim Babcock after I emerged
                                  from my yeast lab Saturday





Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 08:54:07 -0500
From: "Kevin Eggemeyer" <KevinE at AccessTraining.com>
Subject: Aeration - What kind of Oxygen?

In response to Alexandre's question regarding oxygen:

My understanding from my local gas supplier is that there are three 
grades of oxygen: 1) Medical, 2) Aviators, and 3) Welders.  He said 
that he couldn't sell me "medical" grade oxygen, which is produced to 
be 99.9% pure, without a prescription.  Welders grade oxygen is only 
~98% pure, but I'm not sure what the contaminants are (the other ~2%).  
He suggested "aviators" grade oxygen, which is supposed to be 99% pure, 
and told me to call the regional airport.

Has anyone had problems using "welders" grade oxygen?  Are the 
contaminants something that could affect beer (e.g., oils) after
the O2 is filtered?

Has anyone gone through the trouble of getting "aviators" grade oxygen?

Kevin Eggemeyer
St. Louis, MO



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:02:46 -0400
From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu>
Subject: hops characteristics

I still find the book "Using Hops" written by Mark Garetz back in
1994, the best description of hops for the most common
varietals.  You can order it almost anywhere, but he does own
HopTech in Danville, CA.

Mark, if you read the HBD, PLEASE update the book for new
varietals.  Some in your book are not available any more, and I
need good information about new ones.  The best part of the
profiles are substitution suggestions.  Extraordinarily helpful.

Cheers!
Marc

- --
Marc Sedam
Chapel Hill, NC



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 07:04:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: alastair <alastair at odin.he.net>
Subject: Real identity of "Rachel"  at beerlink.co.uk

It looks like the same spam merchant behind beerlink.co.uk is also the
creator of beerflavor.com (remember that spamming episode?)

If you feel strongly about this sort of spamming, you can contact "Rachel"
(aka Lee Stenning) at the following address - lee at stenning.org

Have fun!
Alastair


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:04:57 EDT
From: JDPils at aol.com
Subject: Cleaning Bottle Caps

Greetings Beerlings,

This is one of my favorite topics.  While I also do not encourage sloppy 
sanitation practices, I have only sanitized bottle caps once (for my first 
batch of beer).  It was a PITA and some of the seals came off.  This was in 
1989!  Since then I have brewed 145 batches of beer.  I have not had any 
issues that I can detect and have won two BOS in Seattle area competitions.  
My only rule is to avoid finger contact on the seal and if the cap falls to 
the ground seal down throw it out.

I am glad to see other brewers speaking out on this topic.  Brewing is fun 
but does take quite a bit of time effort and I personally like to invest mine 
efficiently.

Cheers,

Jim Dunlap


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:14:25 -0400
From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu>
Subject: converting a minifridge

Jeff (Socinian at aol.com) asks about converting a fridge, and what
size to get...

Well, first off, now is the time to find out.  Go to your local
college/university and buy a used dorm fridge off of some poor
student who needs that $50 for beer money.  Peel back the gasket
on the door and you'll see about 16 screws.  Remove them and take
the molded shelving off the door.  Replace with some bubble
insulation.  I used reflective insulation recommended for water
heaters and sealed with metal flashing tape.  Works well.

Next, take the freezer compartment on the top of the fridge and
gently bend it down so it sits at the back of the fridge.  This
is easier with newer models, IMHO.  Now your corny keg will sit
just barely on the shelf where the "crisper" drawer usually
sits.  Since the freezer portion is now at the back of the fridge
you can drill up through the top with few worries.  A shot of
expanding insulation up there when you install the draft tower
would be cool too.

There you go.  Kegerator for under $70, excluding tap tower.  Or
you just buy the whole thing already done for you at American
Brewmaster in Raleigh (http://www.americanbrewmaster.com).

Cheers!
Marc

- --
Marc Sedam
Chapel Hill, NC



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 07:45:17 -0700
From: "Dion Hollenbeck" <hollen at woodsprite.com>
Subject: Re: UPS Shipping Woes

I have had success with taking beers to ship to an independent
shipper, like Mail Boxes, Etc.  They don't care about being
bureaucratic about UPS rules, they just care about getting their
profit from the UPS shipping.


dion

- --
Dion Hollenbeck  Email:  hollen at woodsprite.com
Home Page:       http://www.woodsprite.com
Brewing Page:    http://hdb.org/hollen 


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 22:50:40 -0400
From: "Dennis Collins" <dcollins at drain-all.com>
Subject: Temp Correction Factors for Specific Gravity

I've always wondered how accurate the temperature correction tables for
specific gravity were.  Specifically, I'm wondering if they are good for a
wort of any gravity.  For example, if I have a 1.040 SG wort at 60 F and a
1.060 wort at 60 F, does the same temperature correction table for specific
gravity apply to both worts?  Any input from you fluid science types would
be appreciated.

A friend of mine has a little immersion wort chiller built into his
hydrometer flask so that he doesn't have to use the tables.  It cools the
sample wort in about 15 seconds  I think this is a great idea and am
probably going to incorporate one into my equipment, but I'm still curious
about the tables.

Dennis Collins
Knoxville, TN



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:47:02 -0500
From: "Joseph Marsh" <josephmarsh62 at hotmail.com>
Subject: aeration what type O2...spam

Alexandre asks what type of oxygen to use.

I don't think it matters. all bottled O2 is oil free else it would explode. 
I'm almost certain that the only difference between medical grade and 
welding O2 is the packaging and possibly a bit more care with sanitation at 
the connection.


Yes I got spammed too. Told her to take me of her spam list and blocked the 
site and her.


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:55:15 -0600
From: "Songbird Tulip" <richarddulany at hotmail.com>
Subject: culturing Lacto-bacillis

Steven wrote:

"Sooo, (1) how do I test for Lacto-bacillis, (2) if it is indeed LB,how do I 
maintain it, or culture it?"

Well Steven, SWMBO, also known as "Dr. Tulip" the Board-Certified OB-GYN 
specialist, informed me that every woman's vagina is ripe and seething with 
LB. You might try culturing it there!

Songbird


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 11:59:14 -0500
From: Dan Wenger <dkw at execpc.com>
Subject: Mader's Beer Dinner

Last night I attended Mader's International Beer Dinner at Mader's
German Restaraunt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA. I thought some of you
might appreciate their beer selections to accompany the five-course
meal:

Shrimp tempura and spicy miso black bean relish, served with Duvel
Belgian Ale (Belgium)
Vegetarian spring roll and seaweed salad, served with Edelweiss Kristall
Weiss (Austria)
Oxtail soup and fried shallots, served with Fullers' London Pride
(England)
Roasted squab and cinnamon honey glaze, served with Hofbrau Mai Bock
(Germany)
Coffee torte, served with New Glarus Coffee Stout (Wisconsin)

The Fullers impressed me the most, partly because I've sampled the other
beers before, and partly because it went so well with the oxtail soup.
Each course was served with an introduction of the beer by a brewery
representative, and description of the course by the executive chef. The
food, beer and atmosphere were excellent. Quite a nice evening.

They're doing one a month until they sample "all the beer styles in the
world." If you're in the Milwaukee area, I recommend it.

Dan Wenger
Waukesha Wisconsin USA



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 14:17:56 -0400
From: "Mike Pensinger" <beermkr at bellatlantic.net>
Subject: Solid State Relay Questions

Hello all,

Well the new HERMS system is coming together nicely but I seem to have hit a
bump in the road.  Let me explain:

I use 3 240VAC 1500W heaters to heat my HLT.  I use a magnetic drive 115VA
pump to recirc my Mash.  The 115V side of the system works like a dream. The
240V side is another matter.  I have some Solid State Relays (SSR's) to
controll the whole thing.  One is a 240 10A model that controls the pump.
It works.  I have various other SSR' ranging up to 240V 40A.  The original
plan had been to put the 40A unit on one side of the plugs for the heater.
When I pluged everything in to check the power the plugs were all hot.  They
read 245VAC.  So the question comes to mind is the 240VAC rating on a solid
State relay a Maximum amount.  Is that extra 5V causing the junction to
break down?  I have tried putting a SSR on all three lines and still the
same thing.

Help me please!


Mike Pensinger
beermkr at bellatlantic.net
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~beermkr



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 12:35:10 -0600
From: "Gary Glass" <gary at aob.org>
Subject: Call For Judges

Hi All,

Judging for the first round of the AHA's National Homebrew Competition is
coming up.  If you are interested in judging or stewarding, you still have a
chance to get in on the action for next weekend (April 28 - 29).  Contact
the following sites if you are interested in helping out:

Northwest
Judging at F. H. Steinbart in Portland, OR
Contact Mike and Mark at ahanw at patch.com.

California
Judging at AleSmith Brewing Co. in San Diego, CA
Contact Tyce Heldenbrand at Tyce.Heldenbrand at wfinet.com, 858-442-3041

Great Lakes
Judging at Rock Bottom Brewery in Chicago, IL
Contact Jeff Sparrow at JEFFREY.C.SPARROW at chi.monsanto.com, 847-982-4719

Northeast
Judging at Empire Brewing Co and Rohrbach Brewing Co.
Contact Paul Guarracini at oldeezra at aol.com, 716-223-0778

or contact me at gary at aob.org, 888-U-CAN-BREW.

Cheers!
Gary

Gary Glass, Membership Coordinator
American Homebrewers Association
736 Pearl Street                        Voice: (303) 447-0816 x 121
PO Box 1679                             Fax: (303) 447-2825
Boulder, CO 80306-1679         Email: gary at aob.org
U.S.A.                                       Web: http://www.beertown.org



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 15:06:10 -0400
From: "patrick finerty jr." <zinc at finerty.net>
Subject: fluid dynamics

howdy folks,

if anyone cares to write it down, i would appreciate a 'real' (rather
than my lame one) explanation for the resistance of any fluid to
movement through a tube. if it isn't interactions with the tubing or
simply amongst the molecules in the liquid (viscosity), then what
produces the resistance to flow?

slainte,
patrick in Toronto


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:20:24 -0400
From: "Mike Capitain" <mcapitain at diskonnected.com>
Subject: fermentation temperatures too low?

ive been brewing for about a year so far, and most of my batches during the
summer come out pretty nice.  but i just realized the temperatures ive been
fermenting in durin  the winters have been slightly too low.  three of my
batches (still in fermenters) are having this problem and are not
progressing very well.  if

i transport the batches to a warmer place now, how will the lower temps
affect my final product?

also, how can i keep the temp up durin the winter w/o the use of heaters
which draw a lot of electricity?

 - sincerely,
 - michael capitain



Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:49:24 -0700
From: "Stuart E. Strand" <sstrand at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Does alcohol (ethanol) have a taste?

this is perhaps a stupid question, but I would like to get the group's
opinion on what contribution ethanol makes to the taste of beer.  I can
certainly tell the difference between real beer and a nonalcoholic grain
beverage, but am hard pressed to describe the taste of ethanol.  Maybe the
more sensory aware of the group will enlighten me.

  = Stuart =


Return to table of contents


Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 22:16:50 -0400
From: chezrad at bellsouth.net
Subject: Re: Temperature Controllers

John Zeller asked why people tend to use PID's but not PLC's. In my opinion
there are several reasons for this. First, most people are not comfortable
with programming PLC's. I know that most are now programmed using ladder
logic and it is fairly simple to understand, however, some people are not
comfortable with this. Second, the inexpensive PLC's typically do not
contain PID capabilities. On top of that, most do not allow for the direct
connection of low voltage input devices like RTD's. Finally, the majority of
companies that sell PLC's (at least the last time that I looked) that did
contain PID capability, had direct connection of RTD's as an option and were
inexpensive, required that the buyer also purchase the software to program
the unit. This software typically ran 3 to 4 time the cost of the PLC
itself. This is the reason that I went with PID controllers. If I am wrong
and the situation has changed, please let me know. I wanted a PLC to start
with.



Return to table of contents

---

HTML-ized on 04/21/01, by HBD2HTML v1.2 by KFL webmaster at hbd.org, KFL, 10/9/96