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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  SS washing machine hose wrap beats EZ masher ("Peter Fantasia")
  re: Pressure Canning Wort (Ed Jones)
  re: Guiness tang (Brewtun)
  RE:  Sparkaloid ("David Houseman")
  Re: Basements and drainage (GASNER)
  Oxyclean Incident and Warning ("Mike Brennan")
  Whole hops and Low OG ("Brian M Dotlich")
  RE: Steve Alexander/ Harsh Beer ("Greg Collins")
  The mash tun delema ("Brian M Dotlich")
  re: Simple Mead ("Mark Tumarkin")
  Call for Judges - MCAB-IV ("Chuck Bernard")
  re: SIMPLE MEAD (Rama Roberts)


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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 07:28:57 -0500
From: "Peter Fantasia" <fantasiapeter at hotmail.com>
Subject: SS washing machine hose wrap beats EZ masher

Hi Bret,
I'm curious as to what type of kettle you're using. Did you attach the mesh
outside the kettle or inside? How much were you brewing and did you use
pellet hops?

I use a homemade version of the ez-masher( mine is about a foot long) for
mashing and boiling and the only way I've found to keep the hops
out(pellets) and to prevent clogging is to use a large nylon boiling bag
attached to a string. That way I can remove the bag and add hops for each
addition.

It would seem to me that mesh would be an even finer screen. I don't see how
that would prevent clogging when brewing 10 gallons of IPA or APA with large
volumes of pellets.

Thanks
Pete Fantasia
Mays Landing NJ


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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 09:10:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Ed Jones <ejones at ironacres.com>
Subject: re: Pressure Canning Wort

I pressure can wort for use in starters. I buy a bunch of light DME and
some yeast nutrient, add enough water to give me a 1.050 wort after a 15
minute boil The 15 minute boil is just to knock down the population of
critters. Then I chill the wort to where it won't crack the Ball jars, but
not to pitching temps. I fill up a bunch of quart jars and put the lids and
bands on. (Follow your normal procedure for this)

Then I set the canner for 15PSI and load it up with jars. I'll put enough
water in to submerge the bottom 1/4 or so of the jars. I also add a touch
of white vinegar to keep the mineral deposits down. Once I get a good steam
going, I'll let it go for 15 minutes at 15PSI. Let cool, verify there is no
pressure, remove lid, remove jars, repeat.

It's just like canning any type of acidic juice. I've never had a wort
infection doing this. I'm not a canning expert. In fact, wort is the only
thing I've ever canned :-)

- --
Ed Jones - Columbus, Ohio U.S.A - [163.8, 159.4] [B, D] Rennerian

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



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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 09:39:33 EST
From: Brewtun at cs.com
Subject: re: Guiness tang

I've never tasted the so called "tang" in Guiness , stale ,fresh, or 
otherwise. What I do detect is a bit of hop character that I believe some 
mistake for the "tang".

Cheers,
Brewtun


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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 09:52:07 -0500
From: "David Houseman" <housemanfam at earthlink.net>
Subject: RE:  Sparkaloid

Mike,

Wait.  Your mead will clear.  My experience with sparkaloid is exactly as
you described it.  While it took several weeks, both mead and beer
eventually cleared bright.  It seemed to me that this was a natural process
as the yeast finally finished up, the spakaloid caused the yeast to drop.
Perhaps if I'd been more patient to begin with I wouldn't have needed the
sparkaloid or it would have cleared more quickly.  Patience and gravity do
work...

Dave Houseman




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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 15:20:44 EST
From: GASNER at aol.com
Subject: Re: Basements and drainage

Steve Heffner writes:

> Newer houses have plastic barrier sheeting under the floor, and I would
> just use an epoxy floor finish to seal it up.  Note epoxy paint is
> usually only paint.  You would want a genuine two-part epoxy sealer,
> that goes on nice and thick as in commercial applications.  I am not
> sure when they started putting the plastic barrier in; mayebe someone
> can shed some light on this?
 
I once painted a 1 yr. old garage floor with two part epoxy paint. (Northern 
Illinois, Arlington Hts.) It was good as new 15 yrs later. This after driving 
on it every day, winter summer, salt, sand, dirt, etc. I don't think that 
there was any plastic under the concrete.

1. Wash with acid first.
2. Neutralize
3. Rinse
4. Paint with two part. Include a few packets of grit that the paint store 
sells for making floors 'non slip'. (That works very well)
5. That little spot that didn't wet completely, (i.e., as if a touch oily), 
but is 'good enough', . . . well, it is NOT good enough. The floor must wet 
perfectly before you can paint it if you want the paint to stick. Do not ask 
me how I know.

Earl L. Gasner
gasner at aol.com


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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 18:10:32 -0600
From: "Mike Brennan" <brewdude at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Oxyclean Incident and Warning

After reading all the posts on Oxyclean I decided to try it to get some
beerstone out of a glass carboy.  I mixed in 3 scoops to 6 gallons.  I got
distracted and wound up leaving it soak overnight.  I didn't think it would
be a problem The next morning I woke to a stubborn oxiclean cake that had
settled on the bottom.  I tried a spray it out and even used a carboy brush
which got a lot off.  But there is still some residuals that are proving
difficult to reach.  I need to make sure its all out before I use the carboy
again.  I am afraid to put any other chemicals in to loosen it as I don't
want to risk an adverse reaction.  Any ideas?



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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 18:59:46 -0500
From: "Brian M Dotlich" <BMDotlich at cs.com>
Subject: Whole hops and Low OG

Brewers.

I have been noticing that for some reason in all my batches, my OG has never
been as high as what I was anticipating.  and this last batch was quite a
bit lower than what I had expected I have always used whole hops exclusively

7 lbs light LME
1.5 lbs DWC caravienne
1.8 oz Northern Brewer whole hops (8.3% AA) for boiling
1.0 oz Northern Brewer whole hops (8.0% AA) 15 minutes
1/4 tsp rehydrated Irish moss
Wyeast 2112

I boiled 7 gallons for 60 minutes and had anticipated a starting gravity of
at least 1.058 I ended up with 5 gallons at 1.048

My Hypothesis is perhaps as the whole hops absorb water that they also
absorb some of the sugar out of the wort.

Is this correct? If so what is a good way for taking this into account?

Brian Dotlich
Centerville OH



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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 22:24:02 -0500
From: "Greg Collins" <gmc at setel.com>
Subject: RE: Steve Alexander/ Harsh Beer

Steve Alexander ask the following questions about my harsh, bitter tasting
beer:

Steve Wrote:
Is it all-grain - right ?  How much *total* water (mash+sparge)  do you use
per pound of grist ?  How much hops in ounces ?  The total water should be
under 1gal/lb.  You should use a high alpha bittering hops for bittering
purposes since too much total hops in a brew can give herbal vegetable
flavors.
<snip>

Yes Steve, It is all-grain.  I do a simple one step infusion mash using 1.3
qrts/lb of water, unless I do a cereal mash which I use a bit more
(1.5~1.8). After a 60 min. rest I then mash out at about 168~170 degrees
after an additional 15 min wait.

As for my hop schedule, I was able to find notes on one of the harsh
batches:

[10 gal. batch]
1 oz Northern Brewer 60 mins.
1 oz Northern Brewer 30 mins.
1 oz Cascade 5 mins.

I have been known to use twice this amount with lower alpha acid hops, but I
can't remember if the harsh taste was present.

As for total water used?  I seem to always get what I need before dropping
below a gravity of 1.010.  And then usually come up short after the boil.
But that's another story...

Your comments about sanitizer may have solved the mystery. I never rinse my
carboy after sanitizing.  I just turn it up and let it drain.  And
considering the fact that I always rack my brews, that's just another
invitation to add more.  About two months ago I went to 5 gallon buckets and
installed spigots to make life easier.  I bet the glass drains more of the
residual stuff better than plastic, so this may be my problem. One thing for
sure, if there's a hard way to do something-- I'll always find it.

We shall see....Thanks for your help Steve.

gmc
Eastern, KY.




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Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 18:47:30 -0500
From: "Brian M Dotlich" <BMDotlich at cs.com>
Subject: The mash tun delema

Dear brewers,

Soon I will begin my journy into all grain brewing and I am in the begining
stages of building my mash tun. I have decided to go with the rubbermaid
beverage cooler as my vessel because I believe that they are the most well
insulated. I have one delema, I'm not sure wether to use 5 gallon or 10
gallon coolers.

I am pretty sure that I will never want to brew 10 gallon batches because to
be honest 5 gallons of one kind of beer is about as much as I can commit to
(what can I say I like variety).  Anyway,  I've herd some people say that
the 5 gallon coolers are almost too small for 5 gallon batches.  But I'm
also concerned that a 10 gallon tun would be too much and cause the grian
bed to be too thin to get a good lauter.

So my question is; at a typical girst/water ratio of 1.5 quarts per pound
how much mash (in terms of pounds of grain) can fit in a 5 gallon rubbermaid
cooler?

And, how tall will the grain bed be in a 10 gallon rubbermaid with a typical
5 gallon batch of 7 pounds of grain?

Your thoughts are appriciated

Brian Dotlich
Centerville OH



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Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 08:32:44 -0500
From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: re: Simple Mead

George,

 There is another approach, to a simple mead. Keep it really simple - don't
boil or use bisulfites. I've tasted excellent mead that wasn't sterilized at
all - add honey, water and yeast to carboy, period.

I haven't tried that myself yet. Personally, I flash pasteurize. I just heat a
gallon of water to a little below boiling and add a gal of honey, let sit for
approx 1/2 hr, add to carboy with remaining water (which I've put in the
fridge to get cold), filling to 5 gal total. Check temp and pitch yeast.

As to adjusting pH, generally not necessary. As usual, pitch lots of yeast -
especially important with mead as the honey doesn't contain the nutrients that
a beer wort does. A melomel (mead with fruit) has much more nutrients and will
generally ferment quicker than a traditional mead for this reason. Some
meadmakers add acid to adjust the taste balance (as opposed to pH balance).
Again, I don't find this generally necessary, but if you choose to try it, add
very slowly after fermentation is complete until you get where you want. Some
people do use lemon juice, others use acid blend.

Generally, with mead, the simplest approach is best.

Mark Tumarkin
Gainesville, FL

For more mead info, check out the Mead Lovers Digest.
Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead at talisman.com.
Use mead-request@ talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests.
Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead.  There is
a searchable MLD archive at hubris.engin.umich.edu/Beer/Threads/Mead






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Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 20:27:03 -0500
From: "Chuck Bernard" <bernardch at mindspring.com>
Subject: Call for Judges - MCAB-IV

The Fourth Annual Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB-IV) to be
held in Cleveland Ohio April 12 - 13, 2002!

The Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB) is a grassroots amateur
brewing championship.  The format of the MCAB is a small, invitational
"champions' championship".  Twelve of the most prestigious local
competitions in the United States and Canada have been selected as MCAB
Qualifying Events.  First place winners in twenty (beer) qualifying styles
at each qualifying event receive an invitation to enter the MCAB in that
style.  MCAB entrants are free to enter any one beer they wish in their
qualifying style, including samples from fresh batches brewed specially for
the MCAB.  This format allows MCAB entrants to brew and submit beers at peak
levels of freshness and conditioning, and have their beers judged in small
flights by panels of some of the best and most experienced judges in the
country.

Another goal of the MCAB is to provide an opportunity for the amateur
brewing community to congregate for a low cost, yet high-quality technical
conference that is produced by amateur brewers, for amateur brewers.

Details of the technical conference can be found on the MCAB website
(www.hbd.org/mcab).  An on-line registration form for the technical
conference will be posted in the next few days.

Three local homebrew clubs have pooled resources to bring this event to
Cleveland and are busily putting the final details together for what is sure
to be an exciting weekend of competition and technical presentations.


CALL FOR JUDGES

Judges are needed for the event.  Judging will begin with a single flight on
Friday evening (approximately 6:00PM) April 12, 2002 and a second judging
session is tentatively scheduled on Saturday morning, April 13.  Best of
Show judging will take place late Saturday afternoon between the technical
conference and the awards banquet Saturday evening.  We are hoping for
sufficient judge attendance in order to judge as many BJCP styles as
possible during the Friday evening session to allow for an expanded slate of
technical presentations on Saturday.

An on-line Judge Registration form along with full details of the MCAB
weekend can be found at the MCAB website (www.hbd.org/mcab).

I hope to see you in Cleveland!

Sincerely,

Charles Bernard          bernardch at mindspring.com
Medina, OH
Competition Organizer and Judging Director MCAB-IV






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Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 18:54:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Rama Roberts <rama at eng.sun.com>
Subject: re: SIMPLE MEAD

George writes:
> What if I just soak the foil/plastic honey package in 180 F water for
> a half hour, then add it to cooled preboiled water to make up what
> should be a sterile must?

I suppose you could transfer it to a pot and heat it to 180F, then add
that to preboiled water. I would put a portion of the water in with the
honey though, so its easier to transfer- you don't want to be scraping the
sides to get it all out and risk introducing contaminants. 
Or just heat the full gallon- it shouldn't take long to chill it to the
appropriate temperature, you could even put the pot in an ice bath or
something if you don't want to go the emmersion/counter-flow route.

> I would like to adjust the must pH, if necessary, using lemon juice

You're probably better off leaving the pH alone. First and only time I
made a mead, I used acid to lower the pH (as advised by Papazian), and by
the time it was done fermenting, it was too low, like 3.0. Acid was
unnecessary.

- --Rama Roberts
San Francisco bay area




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