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Contents:
  Lager yeast ("Gene")
  er: Rye pils update ("Stephen Alexander")
  airlocks (Ant Hayes)
  FW: George Fix news ("Richard Todd")
  Re: Dog biscuit recipe? ("RJ")
  mash mixer ("the freeman's")
  Air Locks ("Daniel Gurzynski")
  Life =? Dream (Was Airlocks) (Jeff Renner)
  J-B Weld ("Tom & Shirley Klepfer")
  Re:Pubs/places to visit in London? ("Pete Calinski")
  Spent grain dog treats ("Drew Avis")
  hydrometer measurements ("Sedam, Marc")
  Pumpkin Honey Porter ("Steven Parfitt")
  Pumpkin barleywine?? (Phil Wilcox)
  Thoughts on Vermont Brews (Alexandre Enkerli)
  Beer in London (David Harsh)
  Fruit flavors & Noirot extract? ("Richard Dulany")
  Re: mash mixer motor (stencil)
  Draft tower parts (IndSys, SalemVA)" <Douglas.Moyer at indsys.ge.com>
  Lost fermentables, no break (Greg Remake)
  News article on AABG (Jeff Renner)
  pubs in London (Jeff & Ellen)


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Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 23:13:26 -0600
From: "Gene" <gcollins at geotec.net>
Subject: Lager yeast

Hello all and thanks for the help in the past.
My question concerns when to make temperature reductions when using lager
yeast. The directions on the White Labs yeast vial label says to reduce the
temperature when fermentation starts. In the summer issue of Zymurgy, in
"Ask Dr. White" (White Labs Advertisement) Chris says to allow to ferment
for two or three days at 70-75 degrees, then start lowering the temperature.
Which one should I believe and does this mean at high krausen?

Gene Collins
Broken Arrow, OK



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 02:22:39 -0500
From: "Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander at att.net>
Subject: er: Rye pils update

Joel Halpine writes ...

>5 gallons of a Rye Try:
>
>6 lbs British Pale Ale
>2 lbs flaked Rye
>8 oz Crystal (40L)
[...]
>
>I igloo mash, so I followed the recommendation of using flaked rye.  Mashed
>around 150 for about an 1.5 hrs, and then infused to 155 or so for another
>30 or so min.  Stickiest mash I have ever encountered.

Rye is sticky, but rIce hulls can cure that problem if needed.  You're at
23+% and raw rye which is a lot of rye flavor.

>I am having problems getting that British malt to convert
>completely.

I can't make a good guess about the source of the problem.  Most British PA
malts will convert if you get 'em damp and look at them cross-eyed.  Which
malt you are having problems with ?  How's the mash pH ?

>First, let me say I do not like rye.  However, I really like it.  It has a
>rye aroma.  [...] --seems kinda spicy, crisp, almost citrus orange.

Rye grain flavor is definitely crisp and spicy, vaguely similar  tho' not as
assertive as and more complex than mint.   Some nice grainy flavors there
too - tho' often some bad phenolic ones.   Jeff Renner - master of most
habits alcoholic - will suggest you try a straight rye whiskey to get a good
image of that spicy flavor.

>If I could, I
>would like to lighten the color more just to fit a pils profile, but I do
>not have access to lighter crystal.  [..]

That's a different and interesting direction Joel.  Most rye beers I've had
are dark and malty else weizen-like..  The Paulaner I had on draught had a
huge slightly pink head and was along the lines of a dunkel.  Some rye beers
have a good hit of 4vinyl-guiaicol - the weizenbeer clovey-spicy flavor,
which works very well with rye flavor.

For a pils-rye I'd try around 12% of grist.  Pils is a delicate style and
23% rye is not a delicate effect.  If you can't get light crystal you could
make it yourself from pale malt (see HBD archives).  I'd also suggest you
avoid pale-ale malt for any sort of pils.  PA malt is kilned at much higher
temps and this adds more color and toasty flavors and reduced amounts of
low-temp enzymes.

>I would and will happily brew it again either as is, or try an ale yeast.
>If I figure out how to drop my final gravity,  [...]

You're at (1-16/53) 70% attenuation.   With the long low temp mash I'm
surprised you didn't fare better.

It's not generally needed, but you could perform a cereal mash with all the
rye flakes and a little pils malt  This would allow access to the rye starch
early in the full mash and prevent the possibility of a big starch leak when
you step above 150F.  These late starch releases are more significant with
raw grains and tend to producing more dextrins & lower attenuation.

==

>A side question:  Recent topics on the HBD include modified malts.  It
seems
>I recently saw something about  Weisseheimer (sp?) pils grain being
>appropriate for brewing without the protein rest.  Many of you seem to have
>access to updated data on modification of malts.  Where do you get that?

Getting good malts specs is difficult.  You can find a few on maltsters and
HB shop web sites, and can request a copy from your malt supplier.  BT
magazine published a guide in 1997 with lots of specs.  The problem is that
usually you get generic specs rather than lot test specs.  Maltsters are
good at reproducing results within some range, but given all the possible
sources of variation  ....   I spoke w/ Mary Ann Gruber of Breiss once about
rye malt and she indicated it was a real headache to malt.

For Weissheimer start at
http://www.weissheimer.de/enghome.htm
You'll find a generic spec for Weissheimer munich malt at 40-48 Kolbach.  I
don't think Weissheimer is significantly different from most other European
maltsters.   I've seen DWC pils malt specs at 45 Kolbach and their Munich at
50 (!!), Weyermann and Durst a bit over 40 for pils, Crisp pils malt is 40%.
Breiss pils malt is listed at 37% SNR% which is quite low by comparison.
Cargill(was Schereier)  is the only website I'm aware of looks up lot specs
on-line.  See
http://www.specialtymalts.com/tech_center/lot_analysis.html
Cargill sells their own malt (was Schreier) and is involved with Crisp, DWC
(till December), Gilbertson and Meussdorfer malt products.  Cargill/Schreier
2-row pils malt specs at 50%STN (yow !!).

( See Weyermann's for a description of their rye malts (but few specs)
http://www.weyermann.de/englisch/frames_nn.cfm )

>Also, until I manage that, what base grains should I use or avoid with my
>brewing setup.  I have always avoided pils grains, as they seem to require
>protein rests that my current set up doesn't allow.

SNR% or Kolbach is not the only factor involved in deciding on a protein
rest, but it's a primary one.    You probably should dispense with a full
protein rest of any malt with an SNR% or Kolbach over 40 and some under 40.
Modern high production malts, even from Germany,  are made for infusion
mashing.  You may want a short temp rest to handle haze, but you don't  want
a real protein degradation rest.   A 45-50C(or perhaps -55C) rest will kill
the body & head of most pils malts.

If the raw rye flakes need a beta-glucanase or protein rest in this range
(and it may esp at 23%)  then consider a separate cereal mash of the rye + a
little  pils malt - easily accomplished on a stovetop.

 -S




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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 09:57:49 +0200
From: Ant Hayes <Ant.Hayes at FifthQuadrant.co.za>
Subject: airlocks

There have been a few arguments raised against airlocks. My fermentation
set up (http://www.geocities.com/anthayes/glenbrewery.html) was
criticised by a pro for having insufficient back pressure to properly
ferment a lager. He recommended about 20 kPa to reduce ester production.

Perhaps ales need an airlock less.

Ant Hayes
Johannesburg; RSA


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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 06:45:38 -0500
From: "Richard Todd" <rtodd at ipass.net>
Subject: FW: George Fix news

The following message was forward on behalf of Brian Cole -

Many of you saw my email last week stating that George has cancer and was

undergoing chemo and radiation therapy.  He wrote yesterday to say that
tests

show the treatments are working and the cancer is in remission. That's great

news!  You can write to George and Laurie at:

117 Ashley Road

Clemson, SC 29631

Brian Cole





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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 07:50:03 -0500
From: "RJ" <wortsup at metrocast.net>
Subject: Re: Dog biscuit recipe?

"Lou King" <lking at pobox.com> wrote:

"I'm making my first all grain batch today.  I have a vague recollection
that there have been recipes published to make dog biscuits with the
spent grain.

However, I looked back through the HBD archives and wasn't able to find
anything along these lines, so I don't know where I might have heard
this.

While any response will be too late for today's batch, I'm still
interested in recycling and giving my dogs a cheap treat.   Any ideas?"

Lou,

Check out this link....   http://www.silcom.com/~noster/dogbis.html
Of course, you'll have to dry you spent grains in the oven or a dehydrator,
but this should give you a good starting point.



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 07:25:37 -0600
From: "the freeman's" <potsus at bellsouth.net>
Subject: mash mixer

A dimmer suitable for reducing an electric motor would cost 10 times
what the new motor did.  It is better to start off with a small gear
reduction unit up front.

I have tried several speeds and finally settled on around 6-10 RPM with
a lot of torque availability.  Any faster and you run the risk of
pulling air down into the mash bed.  This is not a milk shake we're
making, but simply trying to keep the mash bed heat consistant.  Even
then I found that placing a pin in the rim of the support plate to keep
the whole thing from turning was needed.

The motor I used was a fractional horsepower low RPM AC/DC unit and I
still used the speed control compatible with that type of motor.  Both
items were supplied by Grainger as follows:

Motor - 2Z797 AC/DC right angle gearmotor
Speed Control - 4X796

pics as follows:
http://www.mirageport.com/potsus/mashmixer/Drivemotor2.jpg
http://www.mirageport.com/potsus/mashmixer/Mixerinplace.jpg
http://www.mirageport.com/potsus/mashmixer/mixer%20mountedontun.jpg
http://www.mirageport.com/potsus/mashmixer/mixeronfalsebottom.jpg

Hope this helps.

Bill Freeman aka Elder Rat
K P Brewery - home of "the perfesser"
Birmingham, AL






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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 09:01:10 -0500
From: "Daniel Gurzynski" <daniel at buffnet.net>
Subject: Air Locks

    I am really surprised that such a simple thing causes so much concern.
IMHO if they are used right they do the job they were meant to do, keep
nasties out of the brew and let CO2 out. My concern over people fighting
over this is new brewers out there reading this, not spending the
exhorbitant $2 for one and having a bad experience with infections
immediately. People who have done many batches have good technique down. You
know when to disturb beer and when not to bother it. Just the same it is
good to stress maybe what some would think of excessive technique to start
so you can learn what is needed and what is not. I have found nothing more
discouraging than having to pour out 5 gallons of what might have been great
beer due to an infection a little better technique could have prevented.

Just  my $.02





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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 09:09:59 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at mediaone.net>
Subject: Life =? Dream (Was Airlocks)

"Dr. Pivo" <dp at pivo.w.se> waxed philosophical:

>Verily, it can be found in the Vedic writings: "Life is but a dream."
>
>For those not fortunate enough to be versed in Oriental philosophy and
>religion, and would like to view this quote within the Hindu classic
>without having to research it yourselves, you will find it in the
>passage just after "Row, row, row your boat..."

Actually, it is just after "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily."

But you shouldn't take the Doc's glib citation of a single fragment 
of these ancient wisdoms as the final word on this important subject.

Further delving into these ancient writings brings this alternative 
wording (below) from other original sources, which puts a different 
twist on things.  Not "Life IS BUT a dream" but rather "Life COULD be 
a dream."  I'm sure you can see the staggering ramifications of this 
subtle difference on the use of airlocks.

Of course, as is typical of these kinds of ancient writings, they 
were originally oral, not written, and are in verse form reflecting 
that they were sung for easier memorization as they were passed down 
through the generations.  Sadly, the melodies are lost, but one could 
easily imagine an appropriate tune.

There is a drawing that accompanies one ancient copy of these verses 
that depicts a group of four male singers, no doubt priests, who are 
wearing what is apparently a ritualistic short hair style.  The hair 
on the tops of their heads is long enough to have been apparently 
waxed and brushed back so as to stand  straight up.

Authorities differ on the proper translation of certain words and 
phrases from the ancient Sanskrit texts, so they have been left in 
their original.  One phrase, "Sh - Boom," is agreed by all 
authorities to have the meaning "Life Could Be A Dream."  Because of 
its central importance, the original is included in parentheses.  Of 
course, lacking diacritical marks in ASCII, we are forced to render 
the first word without a vowel.

If you master the meaning of this ancient paean, you will possess the 
wisdom of the ages.  And it will help you to make better beer.

If none of this makes any sense, then you weren't around in the 
fifties, and you never wore a crew cut.

Jeff

/\/\/\/\/\


Sh - Boom (Life Could Be A Dream)

Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang
Boom ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart

(Hello, hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again)
Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If only all my precious plans would come true (sh-boom)
If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you
Life could be a dream, sweetheart

Now every time I look at you
Something is on my mind (dat-dat-dat-dat-dat-duh)
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine!

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart

Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da, sh-boom!

Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da, sh-boom!

Every time I look at you
Somethin' is on my mind
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine!

Life could be a dream
If I could take you up in paradise up above
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
(Hello hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again) boom sh-boom

Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang (sh-boom)
Ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay
Life could be a dream
Life could be a dream, sweetheart!

Life could be a dream
If only all my precious plans would come true
If you would let me spend my whole life loving you

Life could be a dream, sweetheart
(dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom)
(dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom)
(dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom)
Sweetheart!!
- -- 
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at mediaone.net
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943


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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 08:11:33 -0600
From: "Tom & Shirley Klepfer" <lee-thomas at indian-creek.net>
Subject: J-B Weld

To my knowledge, J-B Weld is a plastic resin glue, epoxy or polyester.  Due to
its strength and stability, I'd say epoxy.  It would certainly bond two
dissimilar metals, at room temperatures, as long as the surfaces were clean
and slightly roughened.  BUT, being a thermal glue, epoxy softens at higher
temperatures, most likely making it worthless at mashing temps.

As for being food safe....quien sabe?  Again, probably at room temps, but not
with heat.

Thomas Klepfer
Homebrewer and Adhesive Expert
Somewhere wayyy Southwest of Jeff Renner








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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 09:36:52 -0500
From: "Pete Calinski" <pcalinski at iname.com>
Subject: Re:Pubs/places to visit in London?

I was in London a few years ago but only for over night.  Couldn't do much
tasting.  However, I was using a guide book by Rick Steves.  He described a
pub crawl using one of the "tube" routes.  I don't have the book anymore but
I'll try to describe it from memory.

There is one tube route that runs in a circle in central London.  The object
is to drink a pint  at every stop.  Supposedly, you have a limited time to
make the circuit and it has to be during rush hour if I remember right.
There may be other conditions.  Seems to me you get your name posted
somewhere or something.   wish I could remember more of the details.


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.)
***********************************************************



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 10:05:24 -0500
From: "Drew Avis" <andrew_avis at hotmail.com>
Subject: Spent grain dog treats

Lou King asks about spent grain dog cookies.  I posted a recipe on the HBD a
few years ago:
http://hbd.org/hbd/archive/2645.html#2645-23

I also have a peanut butter dog bone recipe that I've adapted w/ spent
grains that I'll look up & post later.  All my dog bone recipes are adapted
from a book on cooking treats for your dog (ah, the things child-free people
find to spend their time on, eh?), so if you can find one, just start
playing w/ substituting flour w/ spent grain, and reducing the liquid.

The usal caveats: don't give your dog spent hops!  And: I can't be held
personally responsible for the noticeable results the added fibre may have
on your dog.

Drew Avis, Merrickville, Ontario [694.5km, 56.4] Rennerian (been waiting to
use my new coordinates!)


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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 10:31:14 -0500
From: "Sedam, Marc" <marc_sedam at unc.edu>
Subject: hydrometer measurements

Hey all,

Having a brain cramp.  When the hydrometer reads 1.046 (or
any number...) for unfermented wort, that means that there
are 46g of sugar per liter of water...right?  If not, what
does it mean?  I need to calculate for speise.

 -Marc

- --
RED CROSS DISASTER RELIEF FUND
http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html

Marc Sedam
Chapel Hill, NC  27599-4105


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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 10:35:05 -0500
From: "Steven Parfitt" <the_gimp98 at hotmail.com>
Subject: Pumpkin Honey Porter

I went to MAXTON this weekend with a bunch of frineds for the East Coast 
Timing Association races (Land speed record type) and I took a small keg of 
my Pumpkin Honey Porter. (We are a support group for the "Mistery EVO" that 
now holds the Land speed record for P/PG 1000CC class at 143.1MPH)

The beer was mashed with the contents of a 12# Pumpkin which had been 
de-seeded, baked at 350F, peeled and smashed and cooked with brown sugar and 
lightly spiced.

The OG was 1.092, and the TG was 1.021 (Mashed at 156 for a tradidional 
sweet porter).

The beer was a real hit. Sweet enough to go with the near 9% alcohol. spices 
were mild and mostly in the background. Several comments included "This 
would go great with a Steak dinner.".

I thought it was too early for the beer as it had only cellard for about 
three weeks. I still have another 4 gallons in a corny to try again later. I 
think it will continue to improve over thenext couple of months.

Steven, -75 XLCH- Ironhead Nano-Brewery  http://thegimp.8k.com
Johnson City, TN [422.7, 169.2] Rennerian

"Fools you are... who say you like to learn from your mistakes.... I prefer 
to learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the cost of my own." Otto von 
Bismarck




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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 11:59:46 -0500
From: Phil Wilcox <pjwilcox at cmsenergy.com>
Subject: Pumpkin barleywine??

Brian,

1.347 sg would be 347 points per gallon. so your 2 qts is half of that
or 173.5

Divided by 5.5 gallons (5 gal of beer + 2qts Syrup) is 31 points, this
added to your 50 or so points of beer, is more than most beer yeast like
to ferment.

So extrapolating down.

86.75 pts in a quart or in 5 gals of wort an additional 17.35 pts
43.75  points is a pint on in 5 gals of wort an additional  8.675 pts

But realistically I cant say that sound logical. I think the base number
might be off.

Lets test that. the formula for conversion is
Plato/(258.6-([Plato/258.2]*227.1)}+1 = Specific gravity
the Plato for Maple syrup is 66+ depending on producer of the syrup
my math says 1.329 Close enough. According to Cornell Sugar Maple
Research and Extension program (http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/maple/)
67P and higher risks crystalization of the syrup.

2 qts in 5 gal is probubly a bit much not to mention $$$$ as heck. I
would try a quart this year and see how it goes. The rest i would use on
pancakes;<)

Phil Wilcox
(90 Deg, 32 miles) Rennerian



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 12:08:09 -0500 (EST)
From: Alexandre Enkerli <aenkerli at indiana.edu>
Subject: Thoughts on Vermont Brews

Just back from Burlington, VT. Here's a few thoughts on what I drank there.
I'm still a beginner at homebrewing and my beer tasting skills are still
rudimentary. Just so you know my bias, I like Belgian beers and anything
that's high in alcohol, body, and malt taste. The less hop
bitterness/aroma, the better.

One thing I noticed about Burlington is the availability of micro brews.
I've lived in Bloomington, IN for a while and micros weren't that
ubiquitous.

Another thing is that Burlington water seemed fairly hard. I guess this can
have some impact on the local breweries.

My overall feeling about the beers I had there was that although they
weren't that bitter, a noticeable hop aroma was almost ubiquitous. As I'm
no hop-head, this wasn't a major selling point for me.
I know hop aroma is an important marker of beerness for a lot of people,
but for a malt-head (vs. hop-head), alternatives are valuable. Maybe this
hop presence has to do with the fact that non-beer drinks (such as cider)
are rather sweet.

The first beer I had was Rock Art's Ridge Runner. Is it really supposed to
be a Barley Wine? The one I had was more likely a Porter or a very thin
Stout. Maybe it was mislabeled? In fact, can someone tell me whether it's a
Smoke Porter or is this taste from roasted barley?

Second on the list is Shed Brewery's Mountain Ale. This one didn't make
such a lasting impression on me. While I was sipping this one, my wife was
having a Magic Hat #9 which was more interesting for my tastebuds. Anyone
knows if this one is available in Canada?

Then we wen't to Noonan's which is a really interesting place. It's great
to see a brewpub attracting as many people, of all ages. Something like
Montreal's Dieu du ciel.
The two VPB brews that I remember most are the IPA and the Trippel. The IPA
for it's powerful hop aroma and the Trippel for general character. I had
the latter with my meal. On the other hand, it was hoppier than what I'm
accustomed to in  Belgian-style beers.

The last beer I had in Burlington was an Otter Creek pale ale at a pizza
parlor. It was surprisingly decent as the other choice on tap was Labatt
which lowered my expectations.

Sorry for the long post.

Alex in Montreal
ARC [893.3km, 62.8]

Alex Enkerli
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology
Indiana University




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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 12:35:00 -0500
From: David Harsh <dharsh at fuse.net>
Subject: Beer in London

Bill Wible <bill at brewbyyou.net> asks about places to visit in London:

There are two mandatory places to go, IMHO.  

1.  Orange Brewery
	Located about 2 blocks from Victoria Station at the corner of Pimlico
and St. Barnabus.  A brewbup with good bitters.  I've heard they have
gone down hill in recent years, but I'd still stop by.  You can get beer
for "takeaway" in a plastic growler for a 50p deposit (I didn't return
mine, btw - shall we start a thread on "growler crimes"?).  

2.  White Horse Pub
	Located in Parsons Green just off the tube stop at the Wimbledon line. 
It's a trek if you stay in the central city, but well worth it.  Several
great beers on hand pumps, every trappist ale available, Anchor Liberty
Ale on tap, and lots of locals hanging out drinking bud.  

If I only had time for one stop, it would be the White Horse.  

Dave Harsh					Cincinnati, OH
Bloatarian Brewing League



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 11:31:16 -0700
From: "Richard Dulany" <richarddulany at hotmail.com>
Subject: Fruit flavors & Noirot extract?

Has anyone ever used a bottle (or 2) of the Noirot extracts to flavor beer? 
If so, please share your experiences and methods. I'm considering making a 
black-currant flavored wheat beer with the Noirot "Cassis" extract. Seems 
like adding the extract during the secondary fermentation stage would work.

Ricardo



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 14:05:17 -0500
From: stencil <stencil at bcn.net>
Subject: Re: mash mixer motor

On Mon, 29 Oct 2001 00:11:00 -0500, in
Homebrew Digest #3773 
 David Passaretti wrote:
>
>The motor runs at 1750rpm, 115
>v, 6a, and has 1/3 hp. 
>[ ... ]
>Does anyone know if I can use a
>dimmer (like the ones for fans) to reduce the speed of
>the motor without damaging it.

A 6-amp draw sound like a heck of a lot more power than
1/3hp;  it would seem likely that the speed controller -
dimmer - would be more vulnerable than the motor.

> Does anyone have any
>thoughts on the ideal speed. I had thought between 30
>and 60 rpm would bve appropriate.  
 
It depends on your impeller.  A small diameter, shallow
pitch propellor will develop less torque than a larger,
more aggressively pitched one.  Further, mash viscosity
will decline as the temperature rises and as imbibement
progresses.

FWIW I use a variable-speed 3/8-in electric drill (2.7
amp, also calls itself 1/3 hp) to turn a 4-in dia maple
impeller that was bandsawed out of a 1x1x4 block - 1 inch
of hub, two 1-1/2-in blades, pitched 45 deg. It's mounted
as close to the wall of the tun as possible, just off the
bottom.  At 40C, 90 rpm gives a barely discernable
circulation of the entire mash.  At 70C, 200 rpm gives a
noticeable upwelling and a firm circulation.  I use a
sealed insulated lid on the tun so oxidation of the
agitated mash is not a matter of (deep) concern.  

I have a replacement outboard-motor prop, cheap plastic,
but haven't got around yet to boiling it to see if it
wilts.

>To reduce the speed
>enough with a series of belts seems like it would be
>too complicated.

I certainly would consider a fixed-ratio system of some
sort to take the full-power rpm down to ca 300 or so;
else, I believe, you'll have a real stalling problem.  As
you'd indicated, a fan-motor controller rated at or above
600W should do the job.  Just don't run the rig unattended
until you're sure the motor isn't going to overheat and
melt the lube out of the bearings and into your mash
(don't ask me how I know.)

stencil sends
RKBA!



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 15:38:48 -0500
From: "Moyer, Douglas (IndSys, SalemVA)" <Douglas.Moyer at indsys.ge.com>
Subject: Draft tower parts

Dearest collective homebrewing mind,

I have an older 3 tap brass draft tower (4" diameter) that I bought on eBay
recently. I have a couple of problems with it:

(1) The elbows are connected to the shanks using a nut with 1/2" threads.
(I.e., the nut screws onto the outside of the shank, vs. the inside like my
newer chrome tower.) The gland is conical vs. the straight sided ones used
on new models. Any ideas where I can buy replacement glands? Also, I would
like to get the inside flange, but I can probably rig up something from
Lowe's for that.

(2) The tower was missing the cap. Micromatic used to sell caps for 4"
towers, but has stopped doing so. (Although they still sell 4" towers. I
guess no one else ever needed a replacement.) Rapids doesn't sell it either.
Any ideas?

I've polished up the brass and replaced two chrome faucets with brass, and
this puppy is beautiful and almost ready for my new bar. I'd like to cap it
off (pun intended).


Brew on!
Doug Moyer
Salem, VA
[395.4, 149.1] Rennerian

Star City Brewers Guild: http://hbd.org/starcity







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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 16:38:29 -0600
From: Greg Remake <gremake at gsbpop.uchicago.edu>
Subject: Lost fermentables, no break

Hello all,

On Saturday I brewed a dry Irish stout using a 60/30/10 blend of British 
pale ale, flaked barley and roasted barley.  I added a teaspoon of gypsum 
to the mash, but added no other treatments for my Lake Michigan tap 
water.  I used 1.25 qts/lb of strike water, the mash temperature was 151F 
followed by a mash out at 170F, mash pH was about 5.1, and I hit my target 
SG of 1.037 (boiled down to 1.044 OG), all pretty typical.  Having read 
about it here, I collected some of my last runnings and added some whiskey, 
and enjoyed a very tasty hot cocktail.  But I was surprised at how sweet 
these last runnings tasted, so I checked the gravity of some remaining last 
runnings.  Sure enough, the gravity was 1.030, much higher than I expected, 
and pH was still about 5.3.  Based on what I read in the HBD, I was 
expecting something much lower, near the heralded 1.010 benchmark.  This 
suggests that there were a lot of unused sugars left in my mash, and I'm 
wondering if this is typical.  It seems like I'm throwing away a lot of 
unclaimed fermentables, but maybe this result is normal, and I'm hitting 
all my targets so I'm not sure I care either way.  I use an EZ Masher for 
kettle mashing, and keep the tun filled with sparge water while sparging, 
taking about an hour to collect six gallons.  I've experimented with batch 
sparging and no sparging, but haven't seen major benefits.  Any thoughts 
about how to leave less fermentables behind, or if I should bother trying?

Another odd result was the complete lack of hot break and cold break in the 
boil.  I remember reading something here about acidic wort due to dark 
grains causing such a problem, but this wort was not unusually 
acidic.  Normally I get gobs of hot and cold break, so I was concerned as 
to why I saw none and if it would cause fermentation issues.  I pitched the 
wort onto the yeast (WLP004) from a prior Irish Red Ale (a really promising 
Jeff Renner recipe using cereal mashed corn meal), and had bubbles coming 
out of the airlock an hour later.  It took off like a rocket, peaking in 
less than 24 hours but is still cooking along, with the usual yeast 
blizzard churning away in the carboy.  So like the lost fermentables, I 
know the lack of break material isn't optimal, but is it a problem?  Any 
guesses at to why it happened?

Cheers!

Greg in Chicago



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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 20:36:07 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at mediaone.net>
Subject: News article on AABG

Brewers

Our local paper, the Ann Arbor News, did a nice story on the Ann 
Arbor Brewers Guild today.  Some brewers familiar to HBDers were 
mentioned (including yours truly), and quoted accurately!  The whole 
article is more accurate than most brewing and beer articles in the 
popular press.  Good for the hobby.

It's online at 
http://aa.mlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/stories/20011029abeer1029.frm. 
Sadly, some great photos of three of the members brewing that were in 
the paper aren't online.

Jeff
- -- 
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at mediaone.net
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943


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Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 22:08:56 -0500
From: Jeff & Ellen <JeffNGladish at ij.net>
Subject: pubs in London

Bill Wible wrote about a friend traveling to London who may be searching 
for good beer.  By all means get a current copy of the Good Beer Guide, 
published by CAMRA.  I recently bought mine off their nice web site for my 
October trip to southern England.  This book lists pubs that take the care 
to serve good real ale (cask-conditioned) which are voted in by local CAMRA 
members.  It is updated annually and I've found the descriptions of each 
pub to be extremely accurate.  Whether you are looking for a local where 
you can bring your dog, a fern bar, or a country inn with a fireplace, you 
will find it here.  If it's too late to purchase on line, I'm sure you can 
get it at a London book store.  Cost is about 12 pounds, but it is worth 
it.

In addition to the pub listings, it lists all of England's independent 
brewers, and tells which beers won awards both in the current year and in 
years past.  If anyone is interested I compiled an alphabetical listing of 
Great British Beer Festival winners (taken from the Good Beer Guide) as an 
easy pocket guide to consult when entering a pub.  Email me and I'll send 
you a copy.

In London I enjoyed the White Horse on Parson's Green (SW6) and the 
Anglesea Arms in South Kensington (SW7), but there are way too many good 
pubs to list here.  Also look for the Cask Marque symbol at the entrance to 
the pub.  They also have free regional guides.

Bill, I hope your friends have fun.  I sure did.

Jeff Gladish, Tampa, Florida (still too worn out from brewing to look my 
coordinates up again)



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