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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  grain mills ("Gene")
  Big Bend Brew Off 2002 results are in ("Peter Pellemans")
  Re: NPT nuts (Rob Dewhirst)
  Re: Thermal Mass Calculation (Rob Dewhirst)
  RE:  beer, wine, light damage & brown bottles ("")
  Re: Does a Pilsener have to contain Saaz? ("Gregor Zellmann")
  green and brown beer and wine bottles ("Gregor Zellmann")
  high gravity brews - RESULT! (John_Fraser/User/NWExternal)
  Re: Grain Mill Feedback Requested ("dennis")
  brown malt stout (Jeff Renner)
  RE: Thermal Mass Calculation ("Steven Parfitt")
  Re: Does a Pilsener have to contain Saaz? (Jeff Renner)
  CAP Report ("Drew Avis")
  Sparge Arms ("Dan Listermann")
  brewing techniques ("Robin Griller")
  green bottles ("Pete Calinski")
  Headed to Flordia ("Philip J Wilcox")
  freezers and thermostats (SLHMJL)
  Saaz in Ger Pilsner and brown bottle protection (LJ Vitt)
  2002 Coconut Cup Challenge (Scott Graham)
  water analysis help requested ("matt dinges")
  To shake or not to shake, that is the question ("Berggren, Stefan")
  He who falls first must brew a Bud Light ("Bates, Floyd G")
  re: Whirlygigs.... ("William Rehm")
  re: Headed to Flordia ("Mark Tumarkin")
  MCAB V Qualifying Events Announced ("Louis Bonham")


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Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 22:30:36 -0600
From: "Gene" <gcollins at geotec.net>
Subject: grain mills

LeavesHas anyone bought or had any experience with the grain mills from
Crank and Stein? They look pretty well constructed and they are selling them
on Ebay. www.crankandstein.com

Gene Collins
Broken Arrow, OK




Return to table of contents


Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 23:42:16 -0500
From: "Peter Pellemans" <peter at pellemans.net>
Subject: Big Bend Brew Off 2002 results are in

The Big Bend Brew Off results are online at www.nfbl.org. Scrore sheets will
be snail-mailed to all participants.

Peter Pellemans
NFBL
Tallahassee, FL



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Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 23:46:47 -0600
From: Rob Dewhirst <robd at biocomplexity.nhm.ukans.edu>
Subject: Re: NPT nuts


>First of all, where in the neck do find these threaded NPT nuts to secure
>bulkhead fittings, or 1/2 threaded temperature gauges, or anything else for
>that matter?

I noticed there weren't any responses so far, so I thought I would speak up.

I am just not clear what you are looking for without more information about 
the "bulkhead" you are making.  Is this a 1/2" NPT male coupler?  Did you 
buy a commercial bulkhead somewhere?

All the bulkheads I have seen come with all parts necessary to seal both 
sides.  If you built your own, we just need to know more about it.   You 
may be able to simply use a 1/2" NPT female coupler with some washers on 
each side.  It's not a nut but it's very available.

I have never seen NPT nuts suitable for a brew kettle.  Something else 
might suffice.

As for the temperature gauges --   I am assuming you mean stainless dial 
thermometers with a stem of a couple inches threaded for 1/2" NPT.   These 
are available at mcmaster.com and movingbrews.com.  The former has these 
listed under "bimetal thermometers" on page 456 of their website.  The 
latter is still on an ordering hiatus according to their website.

(It's not clear from your message if you are having problems finding the 
nuts to secure the thermometers or the thermometers themselves)



Return to table of contents


Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 00:12:13 -0600
From: Rob Dewhirst <rob at hairydogbrewery.com>
Subject: Re: Thermal Mass Calculation


>
>Next question. I am using a 15.5 gallon stainless Sankey keg for my
>mash/lauter tun. I keep overshooting my gravities, 11 points on last
>Sunday's Porter, and would like to gain a better understanding of
>calculating my mash efficiency and my strike temperature when using ProMash.
>Does anyone know the proper thermal mass setting for this type of keg or how
>to set it close to what it needs to be? What is this number anyway....a
>ratio of some sort?
>
>I usually do step infusion mashes and I wrap the keg with a sleeping bag
>between temperature boosts and it maintains a good constant temperature for
>a long time.

I think there are two different issues going on here.  There isn't 
necessarily a link between high gravity and poor mash temperatures.  Low 
gravity, perhaps, but not high.

Brew a couple of batches to test the thermal properties of your mash 
tun.   I mash in an insulate 15.5 sankey as well, and I find the promash 
strike calcs don't work at all.

Next, are the gravities you speak of post boil or post mash?  If you're 
getting post mash gravities that are way too high, your efficiency is 
promash is just set too low.  If they are post boil, it's more complicated.  



Return to table of contents


Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 02:02:54 -0600
From: "" <wctobler at brazoria.net>
Subject: RE:  beer, wine, light damage & brown bottles

Ralph,
    A good defination of skunking I found:

"skunking"
          When beer has been exposed to strong light, either natural or
          artificial, certain components in hops alter and produce acrid
          flavors, AKA being "lightstruck". This is why beer should be
          bottled in brown bottles. Clear bottles offer no light
          protection and green is only slightly better. Technically, light
          of wavelengths from 550 nm and below can cause photochemical
          reactions in hop resins, resulting in a sulfury mercaptan which
          has a pronounced skunky character. 550 nm is roughly blue-green.
          Bottled beer can become lightstruck in less than one minute in
          bright sun, after a few hours in diffuse daylight, and in a few
          days under normal flourescent lighting.


Wine does not skunk because it has no hop oils/resins.  Don't hop your
beers, and you can bottle in clear bottles.  I don't think you will
find anyone to drink them....Cheers

Bill Tobler
1000 miles SW of (0,0) Rennerian
Lake Jackson, Tx.




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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 10:49:29 +0100
From: "Gregor Zellmann" <gregor at blinx.de>
Subject: Re: Does a Pilsener have to contain Saaz?

On Sat, 19 Jan 2002 Bill Wible <bill at brewbyyou.net> asks about whether
German Pilsneners are all hoppped with Saaz

Bill,

not all Pilsner style beers are hopped with Saaz. In the opposite only very
few German breweries use Saaz for their beers.

The Bitburger clone recipe (from Graham Wheeler's book "Brew Classic
European Beers at Home") I  have, says that the brewers use Northern Brewer
(1.6 oz.) at the start of the boil and (0.7 oz of) Tettnang hops in the last
15 min of the 90 min boil in a 5 US gal. batch.
Bitterness should be around 38 IBU. German Pilsner brewer's favourite hops
for bittering seems to be Northern Brewer, grewn in Germany under the name
"Nordbrauer", for aroma and flavour they mainly use the local hops Tettnang
or Hallertau.


> I must say that
> I have a new-found respect for German beers after that
> trip.

Although I find that many of the brewersof the big brands of Pilsners tried
to do their very best to brew their beers in a way that it is hard to
distinguish between them, they still do brew very good beer. On a side note:
A few years ago the bosses of the 10 biggest breweries in Germany had a
meeting. A beer tasting was on the program and *only three* (or so) of them
could actually say which beer came out of their own brewery. This created a
big laugh in the interested german public. But it is a sad story IMHO.

greetings from Berlin, Germany

Gregor Zellmann
[4247.6, 43.4] Apparent Rennerian






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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 12:22:48 +0100
From: "Gregor Zellmann" <gregor at blinx.de>
Subject: green and brown beer and wine bottles

on Sat, 19 Jan 2002 Ralph Davis <rdavis77 at erols.com> asked about light
damage in beer and wine and brown vs green bottles.

Ralph,

> Why is it than that several major European brewers (Spaten for > example)
still use green bottles?

Many German breweries (exception Beck's and Jever) do use brown bottles for
their beers for the German market, but export their beers in green bottles.
Spaten is
an example for this practise. Maybe they think that the green bottles have a
better acceptance in the US???

 > Another musing question: Since light damages (seemingly prosaic) beer,
> you'd think it would (or could) also damage very expensive delicate
wine.....why
> do virtually ALL wine makers NOT use brown (or completely blacked out)
> bottles? 99% of wine is in green bottles.... and if even a few minutes in
> sunlight could spoil it, for things that are kept for years on end, why
> risk it?   Very strange custom.....

AFAIK wine does not get skunked by sun, as it doesn't contain hops. But of
course light is also damaging wine on the long run. People with some common
sense are storing their wines in their dark basements or drink it before
damage happens. I am not sure, why the wineries don't use brown bottles. I
think it is just a tradition.


 cheers

 Gregor Zellmann
Berlin, Germany

 [4247.6, 43.4] Apparent Rennerian




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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 06:59:38 -0500
From: John_Fraser/User/NWExternal at Nationwide.com
Subject: high gravity brews - RESULT!

In response to my original post, Marc wrote.....

>You've hit the single biggest PITA about brewing with
>extracts...you have no idea how fermentable the extract is
>SUPPOSED to be, so you may wind up with higher FGs than you
>want.  Fortunately the solution is pretty easy.
>
>Bring the fermenter to a warm place in the house (~70F).  Go
>to any HB supply shop and get some "amylase enzyme" also
>sold places as "pilsner enzyme".  Sprinkle the enzyme in
>your fermenter (or add drops...some enzyme is sold liquid)
>and make sure it's dispersed.  Sit back and wait!
>
>The potential downside of this method is that you can't stop
>the enzyme from breaking down large sugars/dextrins into
>fermentable sugars.  You *could* wind up with a lower FG
>than you want too, although anything below 1.010 would be
>odd.  But it's certainly better than 1.030.


Well, I went out and found some amylase and added 2.5 teaspoons per batch
that
I currently have "stuck", one IPA and one Scottish Wee Heavy.  I shook both
carboys
and release a lot of Co2 from the IPA, very little Co2 came fro the Wee
Heavy (??).
Within 4 hours, each brew was happily bubbling again!

Fortunately, these are my last extract brews!  I have done some AG brews
now and
am currently building a RIMS in the basement and look forward to brewing
better quality beers.

See http://members.tripod.com/rims-brewing

John M. Fraser




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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 08:21:37 -0500
From: "dennis" <dcollins at drain-all.com>
Subject: Re: Grain Mill Feedback Requested

As far as grain mill recommendations go, it depends.  When I was in the
market for a roller mill, I wanted two things, a hopper big enough to hold
the entire grain bill, and a motor.  In my research there were two types of
mills that I saw.  There were mills that basically came fully assembled that
only required you to open the shipping box, take them out and start
cranking.  If you wanted to motorize, most of these mills were easy to adapt
to a pulley and belt type system.  But none of these mills had a hopper big
enough to hold the entire grain bill and I didn't feel like buying a whole
mill and then taking it apart and modifying it.  The Valley Mill and JSP
maltmill are good examples of this type.

The other type of mill is the do-it-yourself type mill that basically comes
with 2 rollers, two end plates and some bolts.  These require the user to
fab a mounting plate and hopper.  I was fully prepared to build the rest of
the mill because I wanted a motor and big hopper, so I opted for this type.
I ended up buying a Crankenstein mill (NAJASCYYY) and after all my drilling,
cutting, and wiring, I am extremely happy with the results.  This is a well
made mill with heavy duty construction and machined parts that fit together
precisely.  It has a continuous gap adjustment (no presets) that can be fine
tuned with a feeler gage and locked in place.  I have no doubt that this
mill will last me a lifetime.  But it definitely requires some design and
fabrication skills and some patience.  It is not for everyone.  Decide how
much work you want to put into your roller mill before buying.



Return to table of contents


Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 09:05:37 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at mediaone.net>
Subject: brown malt stout

Adam Holmes <aaholmes at lamar.ColoState.EDU> wrote from Fort Collins, CO

>Anyone have a good all grain recipe that uses brown malt?  Is it used in
>any styles other than porter?

When I visited Ireland, I preferred the mellower, chocolately 
Murphy's stout to the ubiquitous and somewhat sharper Guinness, and 
used some brown malt I had to advantage in a successful clone. 
You'll note that the 1.5 lbs used in 7.75 gallons jibes with 
Darrell's suggestion of one pound maximum in a five gallon batch.

Now I'd better get going and heat up my mash water!  I'm brewing it today.



Brown Malt Stout (7.75 gallons)

13% 1.5 lbs Beeston's brown malt
2% 4 oz. Baird chocolate malt
6% 12 oz. Munton roast barley
20% 2.4 lbs flaked barley (from food co-op)
17% 2 lbs. Briess 6-row malt
42% 5 lbs. Durst pale ale malt

I used the six-row to make sure I had enough enzymes - might not bother
again.

Mashed in 144F, raised immediately to target of 150F, rested 75
minutes, boosted to 162F foam stand rest 20 minutes, then mashed off
at 170F.

Hops (target 35 IBU):

3/4 oz. challenger plugs  at  10% target 23 IBU
1 oz. Target plugs  at  7%, target 12 IBU

75 minute boil, Irish moss last 15 minutes.

OG 10.4 P or ~ 1.042, FG 1.013

Yeast - 1.5 liter starter YCKC Irish ale yeast

Took two weeks in the keg to round out -  a little like old coffee 
grounds at first.  Then very nice smooth, rich chocolately dry Irish 
stout, rather more like Murphy's (the target) than Guinness. 
Definite keeper recipe.

Let me know how it turns out if you brew it.

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, 21 Jan 2002 09:35:02 -0500
From: "Steven Parfitt" <the_gimp98 at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Thermal Mass Calculation

Gene Collins ponders a high efficency problem:
 ...snip...
>Next question. I am using a 15.5 gallon stainless Sankey keg for my
>mash/lauter tun. I keep overshooting my gravities, 11 points on last
>Sunday's Porter, and would like to gain a better understanding of
>calculating my mash efficiency and my strike temperature when using 
> >ProMash.
 ...snip...

I choose a simple solution, I just upped the efficency setting from 75 to 
80% and am much closer to my target (+/- .004). Close enough for my likings.

In the future, I'm going to add a tad more grain and quit sparging when I 
have enough run-off to meet my gravity. I'll add water to set the exact 
gravity of the boil. As has been said before, "Grain is cheap".

Steven, -75 XLCH- Ironhead Nano-Brewery  http://thegimp.8k.com
Johnson City, TN 5:47:38.9 S, 1:17:37.5 E 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, 21 Jan 2002 09:35:49 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at mediaone.net>
Subject: Re: Does a Pilsener have to contain Saaz?

Bill Wible <bill at brewbyyou.net> wants to clone Bitburger and

>was thinking of using
>Tettnager for bittering, and either Hallertauer
>Hersbrucker or Mittelfruh for flavor and aroma
>additions.

I think that's most likely what a German pils would use.  Very likely 
uses Norther Brewer for bittering (less expensive) and one or more of 
those noble hops for flavor and aroma.

Consider using your best German noble hops for first wort hopping. 
it's a natural for the style.

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, 21 Jan 2002 10:37:30 -0500
From: "Drew Avis" <andrew_avis at hotmail.com>
Subject: CAP Report

It was the best of times, it was the wort of times.  Let this brew session
cheer you up next time you think you're having a bad day.
Thought it would be fun to finally brew a CAP, mostly because I want to tell
guests "I'm gonna bust a CAP in your a**," then serve them a yummy brew.
Was considering brewing a CCCA (sometimes mistakenly called a CACA by
American's who forget who actually invented the cream ale), but had a fresh
20 gram pack of Saflager 34/70 which I was eager to try out.  The second
beer was going to be a porter of some description, made with some Ringwood
yeast.
Woke up late.  Still had to mill the grain.  Checked the starter.  DOA.
Crap.  At least I had some S-04 kicking around as a backup.  First time
doing a cereal mash - mixed 2 lbs of milled grain and 3 lbs of Unico
cornmeal / polenta, added the water, and put it on to cook while the main
mash rested at 140F.  It was like porridge, and I discovered a lesson: if
you don't stir the cereal mash, that burnt smokey smell is the corn porridge
burning on the bottom.  Crap.  Stir stir stir, maybe it will be a RauchCAP.
Add the cereal mash to the main mash, rest, start the recirculation.  Stuck
like a pig.  Crap.  Dump the mash into a bucket, clean the phloating false
bottom (I'm taking that thing on my next sailing trip instead of a life
jacket), replace, put mash back in tun.  Recirculation is _very_ slow.
Manage to clear the runnings, take a first few liters to boil down (trying
to get a nice caramel flavour in the porter), start to collect the CAP.  Go
to the basement to mill the specialty grains for the porter.  Hear large
explosion sound from upstairs.  Run upstairs expecting to see something bad.
Large bird has hit the back window and shattered it.  Unrelated to brewing,
but still, crap.  Start RauchCAP boiling, add specialty grains to mash for
porter, re-circ, sparge.  Boil.  Treat CAP pot with a few drops of
"anti-foam", and it proceeds to boil over.  Crap.  Maybe it needs a few more
drops?  Add several drops to the porter, which then boils over.  Crap.
Wonder - did I get "extra-foam" solution instead? Smokey CAP smell now
completely covered by smokey burnt malt smell coming from under the
elements.  Chill, collecting chiller water in spare carboys to use in
laundry.  Start racking chilled wort to fermentor.  Notice that I'm racking
to uncleaned, unsterilized spare carboy instead of clean, sterilized carboy.
Crap.  Recollect that spare carboy has been stored uncovered next to cat box
in the basement lo these many months.  Swear uncontrollably.  SWMBO suggests
I take up meditation instead of brewing.  I suggest she take her suggestion
and do something unspeakable with it.  Relationship teeters on edge of abyss
until I suggest she walk the dog & promise kitchen will be sparkling clean
when I'm done.
At least the worts tasted ok, and I hit the gravities - CAP not as burnt as
I expected.  Pitched yeasts. Embark on epic kitchen cleanup, which ends with
extreme mopping session.  Come back from bathroom to discover dog standing
in the middle of wet floor.  The next morning everything is bubbling,
including the DOA starter.

This hobby is supposed to be relaxing and fun?

Drew Avis ~ http://www.strangebrew.ca
We tend to scoff at the beliefs of the ancients. But we can't scoff at them
personally, to their faces, and this is what annoys me.


Return to table of contents


Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 10:49:27 -0500
From: "Dan Listermann" <dan at listermann.com>
Subject: Sparge Arms

From: "Kirk Fleming" <kirkfleming at earthlink.net> asks about the rational
behind sparge arms.  Very few thing in brewing are absolutely necessary.
Even false bottoms, screen tubes and manifolds can be dispensed with if one
is willing to put up with the consequences.  Sparge arms make sure that
there will be no boring of holes in the mash without the brewer giving the
sparge almost constant attention.  Sure there are other ways of
accomplishing the same thing without a sparge arm, but a sparge arm is an
elegant and simple way of doing this.

 Dan Listermann

Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com

Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum.  It is my new hobby!




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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 11:07:15 -0500
From: "Robin Griller" <robin_g at ica.net>
Subject: brewing techniques

Hi all,

I have to say, the whining about brewing techniques and claims of being
'cheated', swindled, ripped off etc. would just be pathetic if they weren't
offensive. Having gone through the collapse of a small business myself, I
can assure you that it is utter misery for the people involved. The stress
is unbelievable; you are doing something you love and it is gone. You are
chased around by companies and collection agencies, harrassed, insulted,
etc. You have people you owe money to who are people with whom you are
sympathetic and friendly, but who cannot be treated any better than any
other creditor; if you show any favouritism to some creditors, you become
personally liable for every penny of debt to everyone. Those who cannot be
shown special treatment often don't understand, meaning more misery. Try
sleeping when you can see that coming for months ahead of time. Try coping
when people from a community you worked hard to serve and assist crap all
over you. Try coping with people who don't have any idea why they haven't
gotten what they wanted just assuming that you are a scumbag. People who
lost a little should have the decency to forget it.

Thanks Steve etal. for the hard work you did. Hope the wounds are starting
to heal.

Robin



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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 11:16:16 -0500
From: "Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net>
Subject: green bottles

Well, there is a story (and I don't know how much truth there is in it) that
at the end of WWII, when the Heineken was trying to restart their brewery,
there was a shortage of bottles (and probably everything else except
debris).  They did manage to find a supply of green bottles.  They wanted
brown bottles for the light struck reason but green was all they could get.
So, they bottled in green.  Well, all the GIs in Europe after the war got
their first exposure to Heineken in the green bottle.  When they returned to
the states, that is the way they wanted it.  Well in the mean time, Heineken
got the brown bottles they wanted but when they exported the brown bottles
to the states, it didn't sell because the Americans wanted Heineken in
(skunky) green bottles.  So that is what we get.  In Europe, Heineken is
sold in brown bottles.

That is the legend, you judge the degree of truth. in it.

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


Note, my new email address is
pjcalinski at adelphia.net

My old address  at iname.com is faulty.   iname processes some of the emails
correctly but not all.

iname.com is one of the many suffixes from mail.com.  If you use mail.com, I
strongly suggest you find another service.



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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 12:49:52 -0500
From: "Philip J Wilcox" <pjwilcox at cmsenergy.com>
Subject: Headed to Flordia

Hi all


I am headed to Naples for business the end of the week, Clearwater over the
weekend Flying home outa Tampa on Wednesday. Any places I should try to
drag the family too while I'm in Town??

Phil Wilcox
poison frog home brewer



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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 14:07:20 EST
From: SLHMJL at aol.com
Subject: freezers and thermostats

Greetings,
I know this path must have been crossed before, but I am interested in 
converting a freezer to a cooler.  Will a standard freezer thermostat go warm 
enough to maintain a non-freezing temperature, or does the thermostat 
generally need to be replaced with a refrigerator/cooler style?

Thanks
Sid H
Fargo, ND


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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 11:34:37 -0800 (PST)
From: LJ Vitt <lvitt4 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Saaz in Ger Pilsner and brown bottle protection

Bill Wible asked: Does a (German) Pilsener have to contain Saaz?


I have had pils on a boat in the Mosel  last may that I swore
had Hallertauer aroma hops. There beer name is Halleroder.
So, I feel saaz is just one option for German Pils.


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

Ralph Davis asked some questions about brown bottles protecting
beer:

>Why is it than that several major European brewers (Spaten for
example) still use green bottles?

I believe there are a number of brewers sending green bottles only to
the US because Heinekin became successful at selling beer in the US
using that green bottle.  You can get Spaten in brown 1/2 liter bottles.
That is the only spaten I will buy.

I have been told by Europeans that Pilsner Urquel is in green bottles there
too.
I find the only way to get this in good condition is to by unopened cases.
This works for spaten too.


>Another musing question: Since light damages (seemingly prosaic) beer, you'd
think it would (or could) also damage very expensive delicate wine.....why
do virtually ALL wine makers NOT use brown (or completely blacked out)
bottles? 99% of wine is in green bottles.... and if even a few minutes in
sunlight could spoil it, for things that are kept for years on end, why risk
it?   Very strange custom.....


There is something not covered in the discussion so far.
It is a reaction of the light and hops that causes the problem.
So, this issue is not a problem in wine, or mead or extremely lowly hopped
lambics.  I do use green and clear bottles for mead and wine.


Oh, green bottles protect better than clear, and brown better than green.

 - Leo Vitt
Rochester MN
I lost my note with my Rennerian coordinates!



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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 14:35:48 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott Graham <grahams at cs.fiu.edu>
Subject: 2002 Coconut Cup Challenge

The 5th Annual Coconut Cup Challenge will be held on February 9th, 2002 at
the Titanic Brewing Company in Coral Gables, FL. The Coconut Cup is an AHA
and BJCP sanctioned competition sponsored by the Miami Area Society of
Homebrewers. All homebrewers are encouraged to submit beers in the twelve
BJCP Categories listed below by February 2nd, 2002.

2A - Bohemian Pilsener; 4A - Ordinary Bitter; 6C - California Common;
7 - India Pale Ale; 10D - American Brown Ale; 12C - Imperial Stout;
14C - Dopplebock; 15A - Robust Porter; 17B - Bavarian Dunkelweizen;
19B - Witbier; 25 - Mead; and
21 Fruit Beer (all fruit beers must contain coconut)

Full details and electronic entry forms are available at
http://hbd.org/mash/cococup.htm . For further information, please contact
the competition's organizer, Jake Miller, at 305-446-6692, or the
competition's judge director, Chris Balboni, at 305-446-6692.

Good Luck and Best Regards,
Scott Graham, MASH Librarian and Weblackey
[1159.9, 163.3] Apparent Rennarian






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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 20:28:42 +0000
From: "matt dinges" <matt_dinges at hotmail.com>
Subject: water analysis help requested

Hello folks
I posted this on the B&V's board and got one good response, but I thought 
I'd try here as well and see if I can get any additional input.

Being that I am now becoming a "serious" homebrewer (scary concept), I have 
began to
focus on my water a bit more. One thing I'm not sure of is the bicarbonate 
content, is this
the same as the Total Alkalinity (CaCO3)?
Here is the info I have. I'm in Lincoln, NE
pH: 7.05
Total ALkalinity (CaCO3) 145ppm
Total Hardness (CaCO3) 190ppm
(11.1 grains per gallon)

Total dissolved solids 370ppm
Calcium 54 ppm
Chloride 21 ppm
Iron <0.1ppm
Manganese <0.05ppm
Magnesium 19 ppm
Sodium 42 ppm
Sulfate 100ppm

What can I know from this? I admit I have never tested the pH of my mash 
(gotta get
some strips!), but does anything stand out as bad here? It seems that all 
the
concentrations fall within what Palmer describes as acceptable, but then I 
still am
uncertain of the bicarbonate.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
TIA
MATT

The suggestion I got was to definately acidify my sparge water to around pH 
5.8.  That person suggested using phosphoric acid, but my HBS recomended 
LActic acid. which is what I bought.  Any reason I should/shouldn't use 
Lactic?

Thanks for any help, I am a water virgin!
Matt Dinges
Lincoln, NE





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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:34:31 -0600
From: "Berggren, Stefan" <stefan_berggren at trekbike.com>
Subject: To shake or not to shake, that is the question

Hey ho !

I have been going over and over in my head about shaking kegs when force
carbonating.  What is the best route to take?  Do I over pressurize (30psi)
and shake or do I pressurize normally and lit is sit for a week or two?  I
would love to hear peoples opinion on this subject and methods to their
kegging madness?  Help an undecided shaker out.....


cheers, 
Stefan Berggren
 
It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the
ale-house in church. -- Martin Luther (1483-1546) 







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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:43:11 -0600
From: "Bates, Floyd G" <BatesFG at bp.com>
Subject: He who falls first must brew a Bud Light 

Well after losing a small wager centering around my liver's processing
capacity - apparently I am unable to sit or speak correctly after drinking
dopplebock - I have been reduced to attempting a clone of an American
mega-swill.

Could someone provide feedback on the following recipe?  Is this close?

Goal:
Beer must be totally devoid of color, flavor, body and any other redeeming
values.

Grist Profile:
20% - 6-row pilsner malt
50% - 2-row pilsner malt, Maris Otter
30% - Rice
WYEAST 2035 or WLP810 (looking for the acetaldehyde flavor of green apples)
(Optional - 0.5 lb beechwood)

Mash Profile:
140 degrees F - 2.5 hours
158 degrees F - 0.5 hours

Adjust water profile as required for Pilsner, Kolsch, etc.






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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 19:42:49 -0600
From: "William Rehm" <brahm317 at wi.rr.com>
Subject: re: Whirlygigs....

I can give you the very best reason that I use my sparge arm on my system,
I LIKE IT!  It is that simple, no mental anguish, no problems.
Hell there is reason that I listen to the Happy Schnapps Combo when I brew,
should I stop that too?  As the boys in the band say, "Shut Up and Drink!"

Bill Rehm,
Whirlygigging in Oostburg, Wisconsin




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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 21:05:23 -0500
From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: re: Headed to Flordia

Phil Wilcox writes:
"I am headed to Naples for business the end of the week, Clearwater over the
weekend Flying home outa Tampa on Wednesday. Any places I should try to
drag the family too while I'm in Town?"

uh.... is that a trick question, Phil? You ask about places to drag the
family, but I'm sure you're really asking about beer. I'm certainly not going
to tell you to drag the family to RatLand. Maybe Busch Gardens, but then
again, no.

So if it's beer recommendations you want, here are some possibilities -

Bootleggers Brewing Co - 941-473-1745 in Englewood (midway between Naples &
Sarasota)  www.Bootleggers.org

Sarasota Brewing Co - 941-925-2337

Tampa Bay Brewing Co (in Ybor City area of Tampa) - 813-247-1422

Dunedin Brewery - in Dunedin, just N of Clearwater. try to hit this on Friday
nite. it's a micro-brewery with a small pub & great music but the pub's only
open Fri nite.  www.dunedinbrewery.com  727-736-0606

Hopper's Brooker Creek Grille - don't have the contact info, but I think it's
on causeway between Clearwater & Tampa
World of Beer - a Great hole in the wall beer store, also on causeway between
Clearwater & Tampa

I'd most recommend TBBC (great food and beer, the family will enjoy it too)
and Dunedin. There's also Ybor City Brewing Co, a micro right accross from
TBBC and also some good beer bars in the Ybor City area but I'm sure you're
time will be limited, as will your beer bullets if you try to drag the wife
and kids to too many beer joints.

have fun,

Mark Tumarkin
Gainesville, FL

ps - I've never been to Bootlegger's but personally know you'll find something
to enjoy at all the others




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Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 21:36:20 -0600
From: "Louis Bonham" <lkbonham at houston.rr.com>
Subject: MCAB V Qualifying Events Announced

The Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB) is pleased to
announce the 2002 Qualifying Events for MCAB V: 

1.    Boston Homebrew Competition, hosted by the Boston Wort Processors
(www.wort.org)
2.    Kansas City Bier Meisters Competition, hosted
by the Kansas City Bier Meisters (www.kcbiermeisters.org).
3.    Reggale and Dredhop, hosted by Hop Barley and the
Alers (Boulder, Colorado) (http://hopbarley.org/dredhop/ )
4.    World Cup of Beer (www.bayareamashers.org), hosted by the Bay Area
Mashers (California)
5.    Bluebonnet Brew Off (http://welcome.to/bluebonnet) -- hosted by
the Knights of the Brown Bottle (Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas).
6.    Drunk Monk Challenge, hosted by the Urban Knaves of Grain
http://www.sgu.net/ukg/dmc/ (Chicago area).
7.    Sunshine Challenge, hosted by the Central Florida Home Brewers
(www.cfhb.org)  (Orlando, Florida)
8.    Spirit of Free Beer, hosted by BURP
(http://burp.org/index.html)  (Virginia/Maryland area)
9.   BUZZ-Off, hosted by BUZZ (http://hbd.org/buzz/) Philadelphia area).
10.    Edmonton Homebrew Competition, hosted by the Edmonton
Homebrewers Guild (http://www.ehg.ca/) (Canada).
11.    Dixie Cup, hosted by the Foam Rangers
(www.foamrangers.com) (Houston, Texas).
12.    Novembeerfest, hosted by the Brews Brothers (Seattle, WA),
http://www.brewsbrothers.org/nbf/nbf_top.htm
13.    Happy Holiday Homebrew Competition, hosted by the St.
Louis Brews (www.stlbrews.org) (St. Louis area).

As before, the MCAB Qualifying Styles will be BJCP Styles 1-20:

1.    American Lager
2.    European Pale Lager
3.    Light Ale
4.    Bitter & English Pale Ale
5.    Scottish Ales
6.    American Pale Ales
7.    IPA
8.    Koelsch & Altbier
9.    German Amber Lager
10.   Brown Ale
11.   English and Scottish Strong Ale
12.   Barleywine and Imperial Stout
13.   European Dark lager
14.   Bock
15.   Porter
16.   Stout
17.   Wheat Beer
18.   Strong Belgian Ale
19.   Belgian and French Ale
20.   Lambic and Belgian Sour Ale

All substyles within these categories will be eligible.  In cases where
a Qualifying Events offers ribbon categories for individual BJCP
substyles within a Qualifying Style (e.g., APA and California Common),
the Qualifying Event will select between the winners of those substyles
to determine the MCAB Qualifier.

And, of course, keep watching the MCAB website (hbd.org/mcab) for
details on MCAB IV, which will be held in Cleveland, April 12-13, 2002.

All the best -- Louis K. Bonham
lkbonham at hbd.org



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