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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Spam, spam, spam, spam... ("Pat Babcock")
  re: Using Cornelius keg as secondary ("C.D. Pritchard")
  Mead (with lager yeast?) (leavitdg)
  "Buck" (Brewmiker)
  Re: Peppermint? (Svlnroozls)
  Removal of Rubber 'Feet' from Corny Kegs ("H. Dowda")
  bottle testing (Steven S)
  club member only competitions ("Bob")
  Which beginner kit? ("Tray Bourgoyne")
  Florida Brew Stuff (kingkelly)
  Re: Wort Aeration-Infection ("Steve Alexander")
  Re: Nylon washers in brew kettle ("Kent Fletcher")
  Hoppy Pils Nomenclature ("Dave Howell")


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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 01:45:53 -0500
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock at hbd.org>
Subject: Spam, spam, spam, spam...

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

No, not reliving my youth (misspent in pursuit of Monty Python film
festivals, to be sure...). This is in reference to our recent encounter with
Four Corners. I have spoken to those responsible, and they are apologetic.
Best guess at what occurred, based on the sketchy details given, is that  an
employee with specific instructions to remove certain kinds of addresses
didn't, and used the list "as is".  Now, even so, I do not condone spam that
foists itself as an opt in list as this did no matter what the affiliation
or the content, but I do respect that anyone who has contacted them to be
removed from their list has been. To Four Corners, I can only say that opt
in is precisely that - there is no shortcut. To all the HBDers I say that
Four Corners' removal instructions are genuine. Go easy on 'em.


- --
 -
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




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Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2001 07:02:10
From: "C.D. Pritchard" <cdp at chattanooga.net>
Subject: re: Using Cornelius keg as secondary

John Wagner inquired about using a cornie as a secondary fermenter.

I use one for the secondary and most of the time for the primary also.
Details on the fermenter page at either URL below.

c.d. pritchard  cdp at chattanooga.net
http://hbd.org/cdp/   http://chattanooga.net/~cdp/



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Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2001 07:56:46 -0500 (EST)
From: leavitdg at plattsburgh.edu
Subject: Mead (with lager yeast?)

 Has anyone here ever made a mead with a Lager yeast?  I am considering 
attempting this.  I suppose that yeast nutrient and energizer would be 
appropriate, along with lots of healthy yeast....

 .Darrell


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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 11:12:48 EST
From: Brewmiker at aol.com
Subject: "Buck"

Dwight,
After 18 years of working in prisons in Michigan, I can echo Mr Thompson's 
info in that the brew is made from whatever they can steal. Usually canned 
fruit, fruit juice,etc. They usually use bread for the yeast, because yeast 
is carefully guarded. I have seen the stuff made from some unusual 
ingredients. By the way, in Michigan it is called "spud juice" or "spud", so 
potatoes are not beyond the realm of possibility.

Having found hundreds of gallons of the stuff over the years, and only being 
tempted to taste it once or twice, I don't know why anyone would want to make 
it but...
The real trick is in making it in an authentic manner, so...
I would suggest you steal the ingredients from your wife, taking care she 
doesn't notice. Mix it up without anyone catching you, and store it to 
ferment in a container you must also steal/create. Then you need to get it to 
ferment somewhere in your house where no one will smell it or find it until 
it's done.
Good Luck

Mike Mullins, in Michigan's Thumb


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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 13:07:16 EST
From: Svlnroozls at aol.com
Subject: Re: Peppermint?


In a message dated 12/7/01 8:12:12 PM, homebrew-request@hbd.org writes:

<< Subject: Peppermint Mead

Has anyone ever tried using peppermint sticks or peppermint extract in Mead?
Sounds festive, doesn't it?  My wife said sounded sick!

David B. Craft
Battleground Brewers
Greensboro, NC
 >>

Why not fresh or dried peppermint?  Can make it into a tea an add it.  Or 
steep it when you heat the water and dissolve the honey.  Did that with sage 
and sage honey...very nice.
C.T. Davis
Los Angeles, CA


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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 10:15:15 -0800 (PST)
From: "H. Dowda" <hdowda at yahoo.com>
Subject: Removal of Rubber 'Feet' from Corny Kegs

I want to remove the rubber/plastic bottom from a
corny.  Before I try to reinvent the wheel, any
comments from people who have actually done it
successfully.  Thanks.  E-mail fine.



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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 13:59:53 -0500 (EST)
From: Steven S <steven at 403forbidden.net>
Subject: bottle testing


I've got a few 16oz swing lids that have over time consistently failed to
carbonate (bottle condition) even after replacing gaskets. Can anyone
recommend a easy method of testing these? I was thinking of taking a spare
corny keg, put a gallon or so of water in it, pressurize it then counter
pressure fill the bottles. Problem is the only was to detect a moderate
leak is soap and water. Unless someone can think of something a bit
better?




 Steven St.Laurent ::: steven at 403forbidden.net ::: 403forbidden.net
			[580.2, 181.4] Rennerian






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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 22:47:04 -0500
From: "Bob" <Brew.Beer at home.com>
Subject: club member only competitions

I took the original post to mean in house club competitions like Mark.  I
responded off line to the poster.  Just thought I would add our experience
to the collective knowledge.

Our meetings are styled around four club members only style specific
competitions held every third month.
The first month is devoted to a presentation on the history and brewing
techniques associated with the upcoming competition style. After the
presentation members are welcome and encouraged to share any home brew they
may bring for informal analysis by the group and most importantly for the
simple joy of it.
The second month is devoted to the sampling, discussion and judging of
commercially available examples of the upcoming competition style. Members
are encouraged to use the BJCP competition scoring sheets to help sharpen
their tasting skills.
The third month is our competition. Members' brews are judged by the club
using the BJCP format. The scores are averaged and the winners are declared.
Those that place first, second or third receive a trophy for their efforts.
The brewer with the highest total score for all of the competitions held
during the year is declared our Home Brewer of the Year. The BOTY's name
goes on a plaque and he retains possession of it for the year.  The club
will generally offer a grand prize for this prestigious accomplishment. One
such prize was a keg system.

We allow a brewer to enter as many beers as they want but they can only
count their highest scoring beer toward the quarterly comp and BOTY.

We used to award points for placing like Hogtown but went with totaling the
avg scores from all four comps this year.  This put an interesting spin on
things this year.  Our 2001 BOTY didn't place in a single event but did show
consistency by taking fourth place each time.  Part of the reason we went
this way was to prevent an individual that might enter only two comps from
winning, which would have occurred under the Hogtown format.  It was felt
that the BOTY should be someone that entered all of them.  Using the total
score method assured that end.  Now, should a brewer that didn't place at
all be BOTY?  That's a question we will have to address as a club.  This
could have been avoided by awarding bonus points for placing.  Our race was
close enough that the end would have been different had that been the case.

Why only four competitions?  We tried the one a month route.  Truth be told,
we ended up with competition fatigue and the entries dwindled as the year
progressed.  We also wanted to devote more attention to tasting, evaluation
and education.  With a comp every month we were rushed to get in club
business, presentations and judging.  In general everything we did suffered
because of this rush.  Brewers got less feed back, presentations were
rushed, business was put off and we had some serious palate fatigue if we
included commercial examples for an upcoming style.

As it stands now I think our membership really likes the current format.

Brew On!
Bob Bratcher
Roanoke, VA
Star City Brewers Guild
http://hbd.org/starcity






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Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 22:18:36 -0600
From: "Tray Bourgoyne" <tray at mm2k.net>
Subject: Which beginner kit?

Making the Christmas list and of course you know what's at the top!

What do you recommend for a good beginners kit?  Northern brewer seems to
have a good kit. I was thinking of getting one with a glass carboy as the
secondary fermenter? Suggestions? Recommendations? Hints?

Thanks,

Tray Bourgoyne



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Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 09:29:23 -0500
From: kingkelly at juno.com
Subject: Florida Brew Stuff

We will be in the Panama City/Destin area of the FL panhandle from 12/26
to 1/1
and are interested in checking out all of the brewpubs within a
reasonable area,
as well as attending any homebrew club activities that may be going on. 
Please
reply to our email address with any helpful info.  Thanks!

Esther King
President
Star City Brewers Guild
west of Roanoke, VA
[399.8, 151.4] Rennerian (I think)


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Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 12:03:42 -0500
From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Wort Aeration-Infection

Jeff Renner writes ...

> >If you don't have any of these rare critters in you're
> >neighborhood and you pitch big and keep the O2 out after the primary then
> >you can probably ignore most of the rules regarding brewing sanitation
(beer
> >not starters).
>
> I don't even keep O2 out of my primary [...]

I meant *AFTER* the primary, Jeff.  I've nothing against open ferments, but
if you allow O2 into the beer after the yeast fermentation is subsiding then
you are begging for an infection; especially when you've exposed the
wort/beer to low levels of infection with open aeration or open ferments.
All infection organisms, whether  bacterial or fungal, require sterols.
Nearly all have to get it from their environment or make it with free O2.
Keeping the O2 out of finished beer is not just a flavor issue - it
virtually prevents any of the common post fermentation infections from
growing.  Jeff mentioned lack of O2 as a factor in preventing acetobacteria
(vinegar) a few weeks ago, but the same applies to lactos, obesumbacteria,
wild yeasts and S.diastaticus.

Our yeasty pals provide beer with several levels of protection from
infection.  The simple sugars are completely used up, the pH is quite low
and there is no O2 left in the beer.  But the energy sources left in the
beer are considerable and include the complex saccharides and dextrins and
the ethanol - so it's an attractive target for infections that can use
these.   Adding O2 or allowing yeast to autolyze make beer a much better
growth medium for these unwanted infections.

 -S




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Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 15:22:32 -0800
From: "Kent Fletcher" <kfletcher at socal.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Nylon washers in brew kettle

Ted,
The walls of you kettle can get significantly hotter than your wort.  Stick
(no pun) with Teflon.  Mcmaster-Carr has them. Try part # 95630A485. They
come in a 5 pack for $8.70.
http://www.mcmaster.com/ and just do an on-site search for Teflon washers.
Yes, they do have bulkhead fittings, but at $129.75 for Teflon(their
smallest SS is 1/2"), they're a bit pricey ;)
Kent L. Fletcher

Kent L. Fletcher



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Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 20:41:58 -0700
From: "Dave Howell" <djhowell at qwest.net>
Subject: Hoppy Pils Nomenclature


A question for the German Lager lovers out there:

What does the 'CD' in 'CD Pils' mean?

I've noticed it a few places, but it was prominently featured on a bottle of
Dinkel-Acker I had yesterday.

I also noticed that the D-A was brewed by Spaten (it was in a Spaten green
bottle, too).


Dave Howell
Mesa, Az [1630.2, 247.7] Rennerian





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