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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
Wort Kits ("Phil Yates")
re: Check my math (John Schnupp)
Re: bucket in a bucket ("RJ")
Re: Hydrometer vs. bubbles ("RJ")
Re: Berliner Weisse ("RJ")
Re: Hops in the keg ("RJ")
Octoberfe(a)st (Dave Burley)
re: dry hopping in the keg ("Dr. Pivo")
Five Star ("Strom C. Thacker")
Brew Chem experiments for college class... suggestions (Andy Woods)
Re: Specific gravity definition? ("Pete Calinski")
Re: definition of specific gravity ("RJ")
Don't Do the Do (Richard Foote)
DCL Yeasts ("AYOTTE, ROGER C")
Re: Keg dimensions (Rob Dewhirst)
Dallas Brewpubs (Tony Plank)
composting spent grain ("john brumley")
Barley Wine carbonating ("Foster Jason")
Root Beer ("Vernon, Mark")
New Zealand leg of the Homebrew Tri-Nations (Brian Myers)
Yeast Culturing ("Dennis Collins")
Re: bucket in bucket sparge (Bret Morrow)
RE: Specific gravity definition? (Steve Funk)
Re; bucket in a bucket (Bret Morrow)
Re: 5 Star Chemicals (David Sherfey)
2" Copper Pipe, other RIMS chamber notes ("Dave Howell")
Specific Gravity ("A.J. deLange")
Phenolic character (Mike Lemons)
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Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 16:27:36 +0900
From: "Phil Yates" <yates at acenet.com.au>
Subject: Wort Kits
A great idea from Matt Donnelan here in Oz are wort kits.
I believe Matt makes a full mash around 1200 litres which he packages into
15 litre containers. All you have to do is add three to five litres of water
(hop tea optional). Throw in your favourit yeast and away she goes. I'm
trialling three at the moment which I have kegged and are just about ready
to drink. Samples are very promosing.
What a great idea for the busy masher who has been away fighting all sorts
of wars (very thirsty business this fighting) and is struggling to keep his
kegs full.
There will never be a better beer than your own, but this one looks like
coming bloody close. I've got about three new blokes wanting to start
brewing just cos they have heard of the wort kit
Doc Pivo stated (when he was here) "If some other bastard would just make
the wort, I'd spend my life experimenting purely with fermentation"
Well Doc, this might be what you are looking for.
Cheers
Phil
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 23:31:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Schnupp <johnschnupp at yahoo.com>
Subject: re: Check my math
From: "Mike Pensinger" <beermkr at bellatlantic.net>
>Okay you may wonder why I am going about this whole exercise. Well I
>discovered that 2 inch copper pipe is very hard to get but 1 inch is readily
>available. I cam bild my RIMS chamber out of 1i inch pipe and fittings with
>an element in each end pretty easily.
The math is ok. Sounds like a plan. I'm not sure that you will be able to get
an electric water heater inside a 1" copper pipe. You might not be using the
"standard" electric water heater elements, you didn't say.
I don't know what area you live in, but have you tried plumbing supply houses?
1.5", 2", 3" and even 4" is not uncommon, especially in commercial
applications. Here at the plant I work at I even see some 6" on occasion. My
parents live in PA. Their house is probably on the order of 30-40 years old
and ALL the plumbing (water, waste and vent) is copper.
Finding adapters you might need is another issue. I don't think there is a 2"
to 3/4" adapter. To do that you will need to use a 2"x1" and a 1"x3/4". If
you are handy with a propane torch and lead-free solder you should be able to
assemble almost any fitting you might need.
=====
John Schnupp, N3CNL
??? Hombrewery
Georgia, VT
95 XLH 1200, Horse with no Name
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 07:18:19 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsup at metrocast.net>
Subject: Re: bucket in a bucket
Chris Hatton <Chatton at aca.com> wrote:
"I use the ole bucket in a bucket lautering system and I was considering
adding an extension to the nozzle in the bottom bucket in order to direct
the flow to the center of the bucket. I've noticed my extraction efficiency
is a little low, could be I'm sparging too quickly, but I don't think so.
Anyone tried this modification??"
First, I've not tried that type of modification, but since you raise the
issue... Just how fast are you lautering? If less than 45 min, I'd
reconsider.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 07:35:19 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsup at metrocast.net>
Subject: Re: Hydrometer vs. bubbles
"Tal McMahon" <tal_mcmahon at beethoven.com> wrote:
"....but here is the question Do I use the beer as an indicator if it is
finished (no bubbles in the airlock for 5 minutes as I was told by the local
guru,
and the yeast settled out) or do I use the hydrometer and wait
until a certain reading or until the reading is consistant for
a few days?... It has been bubbling 1 bubble every 2 1/2
minutes for 2 weeks. I took a gravity check and it has been at
1.01 at 70 degrees for 3 days. Keep waiting or bottle?? "
Tal,
I'd have bottled by now...
My rule of thumb (for non-funky type ales, anyway), has been to bottle when
the bubbling has dropped to less than 1 per minute (provided, that I had a
normal fermentation).
I've never experienced bottle grenades while using this method...
Make sure your (if your using one) that your triple-ripple airlock is half
full of liquid when not attached to the fermentor. If your using a bucket,
instead of a carboy, then sealing becomes an issue where a hydrometer comes
in handy.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 07:40:16 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsup at metrocast.net>
Subject: Re: Berliner Weisse
Richard Foote <rfoote at mindspring.com> wrote:
"The recipe alluded, somewhat confusingly, to mash hopping?"
Richard,
Mash hopping, is where hops are added on top of the mash, prior to
lauter/sparge... Results are similar to FWH (first wort hopping).
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 08:00:06 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsup at metrocast.net>
Subject: Re: Hops in the keg
Denis Bekaert <Denis-B at rocketmail.com> wrote:
"... I want to add some Saaz hops (about 2 ounces
in the leaf style) to the keg and am considering a
couple of techniques that I'd appreciate some comments
on:
1. Dry hop in a floating muslin bag (sterilized bag).
2. Boil hops for five minutes to make a hop tea in
about a cup or two of water."
I would not use option (2.) listed above, as boiling defeats the effect
you're looking for.
In dry-hopping a keg, I'd recommend that you use a tight weaved cotton
(draw-string) bag with weights inside... Or several muslin bags inside of
each other and then weighted. If possible, tie the bag off on the draw
tube about 3/4 of the way down. This'll get you a good extraction from the
hops without clogging your draw tube, when you pour.
"Also, what about adding bittering hops in the same
way? I have a heavy smoked scotch that's in the keg
and wondered if additional bittering hops would
enhance the brew. Would either, or both, of the above
methods work for bittering hops. I believe I'd boil
the hop tea longer than five minutes for bittering
hops, both otherwise pretty much the same idea and the
flavoring hop addition."
As for adding bittering hops to the keg, Option (2) above would be the
1st choice, as boiling releases the iso-alpha acids your looking to
increase... A better way, however, would be to purchase an ISO-Alpha extract
such as that sold through http://hoptech.com Iso-Alpha extract is useful for
correcting an under-bittered beer.
Hoptech sells the bottles for about $6 with instructions on how to use it.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 08:11:26 -0400
From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com>
Subject: Octoberfe(a)st
Brewsters:
Alan McKay ( double congrats) asks about what foods are available at the
Octoberfest. Well let's see. Lots of sausages ( esp brat and weisswurst in
the AM) mit senf and bread, cottton candy, reddish sugar coated hot roasted
almonds, hamburgers, and just about anything else you can find at a a
fairgrounds in the US since that's exactly what it looks like with all
kinds of rides, lights flashing and such. Do these first! But inside the
tents and buildings and on picnic tables outside the tents where the beer
is served you can get lots of good German meals like eisbein, sauerkraut,
all kinds of roast and boiled pork, sauerbraten, boiled and roasted
potatoes, noodles, brown gravies, boiled cabbage, varieties of sausages,
grilled chicken, etc. ( man, I'm getting hungry) And don't forget the
oompah bands and the waitresses, sans trays, carrying a dozen liters of
beer all at once in handled glass mugs, six to a hand and moving like
lightning - but not faster than you can drink it..
Keep on Brewin'
Dave Burley
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 14:59:26 +0200
From: "Dr. Pivo" <dp at pivo.w.se>
Subject: re: dry hopping in the keg
Someone asked about doing the above and planned to chuck 2 Wizard of Oz.
of Saaz into a keg.
If this is a 19 litre corny that's a LOT of dry hop.
Otherwise the bag or the tea works.
One bizarre "variant" on this theme is here...
http://www.bodensatz.com/homebrew/columns/jirvine/salvage.html
Dr. Pivo
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 09:30:12 -0400
From: "Strom C. Thacker" <sthacker at bu.edu>
Subject: Five Star
Nathan,
I haven't been able to access their web site either, but I was able
to reach them by phone last week. The person who answered did not
seem to know the web site was down.
Strom
Newton, MA
>
>
>Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 07:12:42 -0500
>From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous at pharmacy.wisc.edu>
>Subject: Five Star Chemicals
>
>Hi,
>I posted once before and only got a reply from Spencer. I like PBW and
>StarSan but the FiveStarChemicals website is not loading. Has Five Star
>gone out of business? Anybody know?
>nathan in madison, wi
>
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 01:18:34 -0400
From: Andy Woods <woods_a at ACADMN.MERCER.EDU>
Subject: Brew Chem experiments for college class... suggestions
Brew Chemists,
I have a question. I am college senior looking to perform a independent
study class with a professor in Brew Chemistry. I have experience up to and
including Analytical Chemistry as well as advanced Biology research. Ive been
looking over the America Society of Brewing Chemists web site
(http://www.scisoc.org/asbc/) and Zymurgy's Geek section. The article in
March/April's 2001 Zymurgy about water chemistry and IPA's and how trace
minerals in PPM affect the end product.
I could use some advice on some areas of research for an undergrad student.
The only draw back is my equipment, money, and experience keeps me still at
Extract brews so far.
Also, how much does breweries (Troegs, ABC, Sierra Nevada etc...) mess
around with the chemistry of their brews? Any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.
Andy Woods
woods_a at acadmain.mercer.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 10:10:40 -0400
From: "Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net>
Subject: Re: Specific gravity definition?
Chris,
The specific gravity isn't dependant on temperature, the measuring device
(hydrometer) is.
The specific gravity is the amount by which the liquid you are measuring is
more (or less) dense than pure water when both are at the same temperature.
A hydrometer is a weight inside a volume; the glass tube. It sinks to the
level such that it displaces a volume of liquid equal to its weight. Its
weight and shape are calibrated so that you can read the volume that has
been displaced to equal the total weight. That is the SG reading.
The temperature problem comes in because the liquid expands or contracts
with temperature change. Thus, if you calibrate your hydrometer at a
certain temperature it is only good at that temperature. If the temperature
changes, the volume of the liquid changes and the hydrometer will float at a
different level. The reading you get must be corrected if the liquid is at
a different temperature.
I have seen hydrometers calibrated for aquarium temperatures. They will
read wrong at lager temperatures.
I hope this helps.
Pete Calinski
East Amherst NY
Near Buffalo NY
********************************************************************
*My goal:
* Go through life and never drink the same beer twice.
* (As long as it doesn't mean I have to skip a beer.)
********************************************************************
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 10:52:55 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsup at metrocast.net>
Subject: Re: definition of specific gravity
Christopher Farley <chris at northernbrewer.com> wrote:
"So, what exactly is the definition of specific gravity, as used in
brewing?
"I've seen various temperature correction charts and formulas for
correcting SG to 59F, 60F, and 68F. I've frequently seen definitions
of SG citing 39F/4C as the standard reference temperature. What
*is* the definition of SG? Is an arbitrary reference temperature
defined, or do all SG readings require a temperature to be meaningful?"
The definition is: The ratio of the weight of any volume of a substance (the
wort) to
the weight of an equal volume of another substance taken as standard
(distilled water) at a constant or stated temperature. Solids and liquids
are usually compared with water at 4C. In analytical work when corrections
are made for the effects
of air buoyancy, the term absolute specific gravity is used. The term
apparent specific gravity is used to denote the specific gravity of a porous
solid when the volume used in the calculations is considered to exclude the
permeable voids. The term bulk specific gravity denotes specific gravity
measurements in which volume of a solid includes both the permeable and
impermeable voids.
The temperature reference has to do with the calibration of your brewing
hydrometer, generally 60F.... But, I've also seen 68F ones as well. The
top part of your hydrometer generally has a rolled up pc of paper in it that
states the calibrated temperature which is what you should use when making
adjustments.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 10:55:17 -0400
From: Richard Foote <rfoote at mindspring.com>
Subject: Don't Do the Do
Glen writes re. compost thread:
>The compost heap gets everything organic in it: grass clippings, weeds,
>leaves, hedge clippings, dead squirrels (I didn't do it), drowned moles,
dog >poop...
In addition to keeping oils, fats, dairy products and meats out of your
compost to keep from attracting "unwanted elements", one should NEVER
compost pet feces--dog or cat. Their feces may harbor parasites
transferrable to humans that you don't want winding up in your Caesar salad.
Happiness is a hot pile [of compost].
Rick Foote
Compostin' an' Brewin' in
Murrayville, GA
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 10:01:00 -0400
From: "AYOTTE, ROGER C" <RCAYOT at solutia.com>
Subject: DCL Yeasts
I have been using dried ale yeasts for some time now, and I
understand that there are some great dried lager yeasts out there
also. Specifically the DCL yeasts Saflager S-189 and S-23. I have
only been able to find homebrew shops that carry the 11.5g sachets
of S-23. The DCL web page however says that they sell the yeast in
500g sachets as well (both S-189 and S-23) I was wondering if
anyone knew a source for 500g sachets for homebrewing? I think
that 500g is probably a good size for homebrewers, you could make
approximately 25 or more batches of beer with 500g and save money!
Roger Ayotte
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 10:23:02 -0500
From: Rob Dewhirst <robd at biocomplexity.nhm.ukans.edu>
Subject: Re: Keg dimensions
>
>Can anybody give the the "exact" dimensions of a ball
>lock keg?
I assumed you mean standard 5 gallon kegs. :)
You may find there is no such thing as an exact dimension. I have several
makes of ball-lock kegs and they are different heights. Not much, but
different.
For comparison, the pin locks that my friends have are shorter whereas you
state the pin locks you've used are taller.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 09:12:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tony Plank <tplank at yahoo.com>
Subject: Dallas Brewpubs
I pretty much concur with Mark in Kalamazoo's recommendations.
"Two Rows" is easily the best beer in Dallas. Some of their beers
are extraordinary...to some extent, that depends on timing. They
have a tough audience here in the MetroPlex...you'll be amazed if
you go to the number of BudMillerCoorsCorona longnecks being drank
when some very good beer is right there on tap. If you go and they
have it, don't miss the Barley Wine (it won't be on the beer list
even if they have it).
This said, "Two Rows" is not convenient to the airport though easy
enough to find. If close to the airport is essential, "Big Buck" is
definitely a good choice. They have only been open a few months, but
the beers there have always been good to very good. Not to mention if
you are an outdoors person, "Big Buck" is attached to the Bass Pro Shop
which simply must be seen to be believed.
Hoffbrau and Humperdinks are not worth the effort. Copper Tank is downtown
(more or less - Deep Ellum) and they brew some great beers at times but
cater more to the meat market crowd.
Feel free to e-mail me privately if you like...I live in DFW (a/k/a Beer
Heck) and would be happy to provide detailed directions or more
information.
Tony Plank
"After all, beer is pretty much just beer."
- Dallas Magazine
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 13:46:05 -0500
From: "john brumley" <johnbrumley at houston.rr.com>
Subject: composting spent grain
Jeff May wrote,
Everything I read about compost piles says that you are only supposed to add
raw vegetable matter, never cooked. But then they say used coffee grounds
are great for your pile. So my question is can I compost my spent grain and
perhaps my spent hops?
The only problem with cooked veggie matter is the possibility of added salt
in the pile as well as meat and FAT. Both animal fat and veggie fat can
(and usually will) go rancid and make an awfull mess and possibly attract
dogs or vermin of various sorts. Salt is a preservative and slows down the
process. The grain, and i would think especially the hops, will add
valuable nitrogen to the mix but you will have to wach the water content of
the pile.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 19:23:52
From: "Foster Jason" <jasfoster at hotmail.com>
Subject: Barley Wine carbonating
A quick question for the wise masses.
My first ever barley wine (all grain) is happily aging in the secondary, and
all is going extremely well. My mind has now headed toward when I bottle and
I am somewhat concerned about a possible problem.
It will have been in the secondary for 3 months when I bottle. I prime to
carbonate. The specific gravity started at 1.102 and is now at 1.029. I had
originally hoped for it to get closer to 20, but I am fine with 29. (I did
rouse the yeast twice just to make sure.)
I know it is recommended to pitch new yeast at bottling time. This is where
my concern is. I am concerned that the new yeast will eat up the residual
sugar as well as any priming sugar and create a brown hand grenade in the
bottle.
Should I worry? Should I bottle without priming? SHould I add some new yeast
now to see if it ferments? If it does ferment, do I need to do a new round
of dry hop?
Thank you for your help.
Jason Foster
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 15:43:30 -0500
From: "Vernon, Mark" <Mark.Vernon at pioneer.com>
Subject: Root Beer
I want to convert one of my taps to rootbeer and am looking for some
recopies. How do you (those that do) go about it. Are you just using
extract? or can you do an "all grain" rootbeer. If you are using extract,
what is the best brand out there.
Mark Vernon, MCSE, MCT
Sr. Network Engineer
Global Infrastructure
Pioneer, A DuPont Company
EMail:Mark.Vernon at Pioneer.com
Text Paging: 5153601729 at msg.myvzn.com
Office:(515)270-4188
Cell: (515) 360-1729
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin
Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 08:49:18 +1200
From: Brian Myers <BrianM at AdvantageGroup.co.nz>
Subject: New Zealand leg of the Homebrew Tri-Nations
All home brewers in New Zealand are encouraged to
enter the NZ leg of the upcoming Homebrew Tri-Nations.
The NZ judging will be held on 24 October; the top
three beers will be forwarded to the Tri-Nations
competition in Australia. For entry details, please
email me directly at: brianm_okiwi at yahoo.com
For info on the Tri-Nations, see Ant's web page at
http://www.geocities.com/anthayes/trinations.html
thanks,
Brian
Auckland, NZ
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 17:04:53 -0400
From: "Dennis Collins" <dcollins at drain-all.com>
Subject: Yeast Culturing
I have a couple of questions for you yeast ranchers out there. I have read
several articles on culturing and most of them say that reculturing from
slants can only be done 4 or 5 times before mutation changes the yeast
characteristics. Question 1 - is this true? Question 2 - How does a strain
of yeast that you get from say, Wyeast stay the same every time you buy it?
How does Wyeast culture yeast so that it never mutates?
Dennis Collins
Knoxville, TN
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 02:51:32 -0400
From: Bret Morrow <bret.morrow at prodigy.net>
Subject: Re: bucket in bucket sparge
Chris in Hoboken asked about the ole Zapap bucket in a bucket and sparge
efficiency.
I used to use this type of system a few years back (OK, a lot) and got
good efficiency--about 29-31 points per pound making pale ales. My
sparges, however, took about 45-60 min from the begining of
recirculation to the final collection. Unfortunately, for me, short
sparges always seem to yield poor recovery. YRMV.
Bret Morrow,
Hamden, CT
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 14:47:57 -0700
From: Steve Funk <steve at hheco.com>
Subject: RE: Specific gravity definition?
Christopher Farley asked about specific gravity. Specific gravity (SG)
is essentially the density of a substance as compared to water. It is a
unitless measurement. Basically, we homebrewers use a hydrometer to
measure the SG of our wort and beer. As ethanol is produced and sugars
and starches are consumed, the SG will drop. This drop in SG is
extrapolated to give a close approximation to the percentage of alcolol
in the beer. The SG of pure ethanol is 0.7939. Hydrometers are
calibrated based on pure water having a SG of 1.000 at a given
temperature. Therefore, each hydrometer measures SG based on a
calibration that was performed at a certain temperature. In science,
the standard temperature is usually 20C or 68F. But in reality a
variety of temperatures are used during calibration. Sometimes 4C is
used because water exhibits a unique property where it is in its most
dense form at this temperature. Other temperatures (i.e. 59F, 60F,
etc.) just happen to be the termperature used when a particular
hydrometer was calibrated. I hope this helps.
Steve Funk
Columbia River Gorge Brewing
- --TO BREW BEER IS BENEVOLENT BUT TO DRINK IT IS DEVINE--
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 02:56:08 -0400
From: Bret Morrow <bret.morrow at prodigy.net>
Subject: Re; bucket in a bucket
Sorry, I forgot something with the last message.
Re: the ole Zapap bucket in a bucket and sparge
efficiency.
Chris asked about adding a hose to reach the center of the bottom of the
collection bucket. I don't think this will make a lot of difference
unless your tap is fairly high on the side of the collection bucket.
Mine was about 1 inch off the bottom and I used to tilt the collection
bucket a bit during the sparge.
Bret Morrow,
Hamden, CT
"I think I forgot to remember to take my Ginko!"
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 19:13:16 -0400
From: David Sherfey <sherf at warwick.net>
Subject: Re: 5 Star Chemicals
Nathan-
FWIW, Five Star is advertising in the July/August New Brewer with a
different website than I have used in the past, www.starclean.com but it
too is not loading.
Cheers....
David Sherfey
Warwick, NY
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 18:08:41 -0700
From: "Dave Howell" <djhowell at qwest.net>
Subject: 2" Copper Pipe, other RIMS chamber notes
In Homebrew Digest # 3710, Mike Pensinger posted:
"Okay here is the math problem. Page down all you non techie people :)
I want to use 2 240v 3000 watt elements in series. My figures are that the
resistance of one is 19.2 ohms so two in series will net me 38.4 ohms. If I
plug this into Ohms law I find that the current through this combination is
3.125 amps at 120VAC. This nets me 375 wats over a total length of about 48
inches. That makes a watt density of 7.8 wats per inch.
Okay you may wonder why I am going about this whole exercise. Well I
discovered that 2 inch copper pipe is very hard to get but 1 inch is readily
available. I cam bild my RIMS chamber out of 1i inch pipe and fittings with
an element in each end pretty easily.
Please let me know what you think."
Mike:
Here in the US 2" pipe is easy to get. 1 1/2 " is also common. Try
plumbing supply stores (in the yellow pages).
I made a RIMS chamber from a 18" length of 1 1/2" pipe, a 1 1/2" to 1"
bronze bushing, a 1 1/2" FIPS adapter, a 1 1/2" bell reducer (to 3/4"), and
a 3/4" to 1/2 " FIPS adapter.
The 5500W heating element screws right in, and the output has a kynar 1/2"
MIPS to 3/8" barb adapter on it.
The supply store is much cheaper than Home Despot or Low's. Really, it is:
you can usually buy your pipe by the foot. Mine cost me $32 total,
including the heater element.
You don't want 1" pipe. Your element will not fit (or fit with force, which
means your element will be heating the chamber walls before the wort), and
you will need to expand to 1 1/2" to get something with 1" threads.
As far as the watts per inch: you should be talking watts per square inch,
not linear inch. A good diameter to use for calculating this would be 1/4"
for low density nickel alloy elements, and 3/16" for high density nickel
(chrome) plated elements.
My incalloy element is the folded type low-watt density. It's area would be
pi*d*l, or 3.14*.25*(2*17 + 2*15.5) or roughly 51 sq in. This would be 5500
W / 51 sq in = 107 W/in2. For contrast, a simple loop element 10" long of
3/16" chrome-plated would have an area of 3.14*.1875*(2*10) = 11.8 sq in. A
2000 W element gives a density of 169 W/in2. The difference in cost between
the elements is ~10$.
With a 5500W element at 120 V, I deliver 1600W to my wort at full output.
This translates to a 0.9 deg-F per min temp raise in my system (for 8
gallons of mash). This is fair for a RIMS, and fair for a step mash. Much
slower heating times will result in your mash converting completely at a
lower-than-intended temperature.
I'm still trying to build a digital PID controller that will allow me to use
220VAC without fear of scorching my mash, but I think it's a long ways away.
Currently, I use an adjustable PWM generator to control a solid-state relay
which supplies the heater element. I can adjust the power output from 5-95%
of maximum, or have the element full on or off. This allows me to set the
system to maintain a temperature while I do other things. The total cost
for the PWM generator, a box, the SS relay, and the power cords was $42 US.
FWIW, I brew mostly decoctions anyway, so I use the heater to more-or-less
maintain temp or slowly ramp while I decoct. (If you don't know, decoctions
are portions of the mash you remove, then heat to a boil, then return to the
mash. This is simplifying things a bit, but it results in a big temperature
increase to the mash).
Dave Howell
in the flat, hot part of Arizona, where the temp was a cool 109F today.
"The time has come, the Walrus said, to speak of many things: Of shoes,
of ships, of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings, and why the sea is
boiling hot and whether pigs have wings."
--- Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll)
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Date: Fri, 01 Jan 1904 02:55:58 +0000
From: "A.J. deLange" <ajdel at mindspring.com>
Subject: Specific Gravity
As you might already suspect, there are several definitions of specific
gravity. In general the specific gravity is the ratio of the weight (not
mass) of a volume of the fluid being tested at a specified temperature
to the weight of an equal volume of deionized, degassed water at the
same or another temperature. If the weighings are made in air the result
is called the "apparent specific gravity" and if they are made in vacuuo
(which they never are so in-vacuuo results are obtained from in air
readings by calculating an adjustmement for the air displaced) the
result is called the "true specific gravity."
The true/appaprent difference is insignificant for all by laboratory
work but whether readings are 20/4 or 20/20 is. In modern brewing
measurements are made 20/20 in air (ASBC Tables) but you must be careful
in the use of tables from older texts. For example, the Plato comission
tables, from which the ASBC tables are derived mathematically were 20/4
true.
Brewing hydrometers come calibrated for all sorts of temperature pairs
and it is important that this be taken into account if conversion to
Plato is being done for extract, RDF or alcohol calculation. Conversions
from one pair of temperatures to another can be done fairly simply.
A.J.
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Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 21:01:39 -0700
From: Mike Lemons <ndcent at hotmail.com>
Subject: Phenolic character
I have been using Wyeast 3068 for years and have never been satisfied
with its phenol production. I would like to make a Franziskaner clone.
Something with a lot of "cloves." I usually make wheat beer when the
air temperature is in the middle seventies.
Is there another yeast strain that produces more phenols? I have always
assumed that White Labs WLP300 is the same strain as 3068. White Labs
has this new WLP380. Has anyone tasted beer made with WLP380? More or
less phenols?
Should I be using a Belgian Witbier yeast? The description of 3944 says
"slightly phenolic character."
The recommendation from Wyeast concerning 3068, "Best results are
achieved when fermentations are held around 68 F" strikes me as totally
insane. I've never gotten much phenols at that temperature. If you
don't want phenols, then why would you use 3068?
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