---

	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org


***************************************************************
       THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

          Northern  Brewer, Ltd. Home Brew Supplies
        http://www.northernbrewer.com  1-800-681-2739

    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********


Contents:
  Re:carboy light shield (Steve C Cobble)
  Mini-fridge tap conversion (bdk)
  RE: WHY? ("Parker Dutro")
  re: Under-modified malts for decoction ("Steve Alexander")
  RE: Rochefort clone (Rob Hanson and Kate Keplinger)
  Cleveland Restaurants (Rick)
  Re: Why? ("Chad Gould")
  Re: saving yeast (R.A.)" <rbarrett at ford.com>
   (scottdew)
  Re: Exploding Carboys and Cargirls (R.A.)" <rbarrett at ford.com>
  Re:Mini-fridge tap conversion ("Pete Calinski")
  Corny keg in small fridge? ("John Misrahi")
  scorched malt / reason for brewing / hefeweizen ("R. Schaffer-Neitz")
  Hop Rhizomes in Southern Illinois ("Stephen Rockey")
  freezing yeast ("Peter Fantasia")
  HT yeast (Marc Sedam)
  big lager - wet cardboard ("Crouch, Kevin E")
  Mini-fridge tap conversion ("Mark P.")
  re: clear weizens ("Lw Hiii")
  re: Mini-fridge tap conversion ("Lw Hiii")
  Clear Hefeweizen (NM)" <MarkC.Lane at voicestream.com>
  exploding carboy / light exposure (carlos benitez)
  St. Pauli Girl Dark or Becks Dark Recipie Wanted (Lonzo McLaughlin)
  My Faucet/Spigot ("Pete Calinski")
  imperial stout secondary, rye, and chilling CCFs ("Czerpak, Pete")
  Booneville Beer Festival Bus Trip! (San Jose)" <JJohns at knightridder.com>
  Beer and Homebrewing in Italy (Rosalba e Massimo)
  PBS Gone? ("Drew Avis")
  Current Events - Alcohol Legislation ("Mark Tumarkin")
  Bubbles in my tubing ("Neil Kushnir")
  clear Weizenbier ("George de Piro")


* Maltose Falcons 2002 Mayfaire Competition 
* Entries accepted 4/1/02 - 4/11/02
* http://www.maltosefalcons.com for details
*
* MCAB-IV - April 12-13, 2002 - Cleveland Ohio
* See http://www.hbd.org/mcab for more info
*
* HOPS BOPS XIX   Entry Deadline 4/17/2002
* Details: http://www.netaxs.com/~shady/hops/   
*
* Show your HBD pride! Wear an HBD Badge! 
* http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/shopping
*
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!
*

Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
  ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
  the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
  for the automation - that's your job.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright 
  HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK 
  before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content 
  cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to 
req at hbd.org.

JANITOR on duty: Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen (janitor@hbd.org)



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


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 01:14:00 -0400
From: Steve C Cobble <stevecobble at juno.com>
Subject: Re:carboy light shield

FWIW, I found that an old, heavy, dark-colored button-down shirt works
fine keeping the light outta my 6-gallon carboy.......just button the top
button, and wrap the rest around loosely. This way, I can keep an eye on
the airlock, and can still see the neck and whatever action may be
happenin'. ( I don't think that little bit of light will hurt, will it?)
This works best in a corner of a room.
Steve C
Quincy, MA
[650.2, 86.6] Apparent Rennerian


Return to table of contents


Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:59:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: bdk at srl.caltech.edu
Subject: Mini-fridge tap conversion

Ted Major asks:
> I'd like to mount a tower on top, but I'll have to run the 
> beer line through the freezer compartment. I've considered 
> insulating between the beer line and the freezer wall, but 
> I doubt whether that will prevent the line from freezing.

If your fridge is anything like mine, you can just detach the
evaporator from the ceiling (it's all in one big u-shaped piece in mine)
and bend it out of the way, effectively merging the freezer and main
compartments of the fridge.  The stainless steel lines that bring
refrigerant up to the evaporator are pretty hardy, so I just
bent everything around until the evaporator was flush against the back
wall of the fridge.  I have a two-tap draft tower sticking right
up out of the middle of the top of my fridge.  (How I got
two 5-gal cornies in the fridge is another story.)

Brian Kern, Pasadena, CA


Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 00:45:17 -0700
From: "Parker Dutro" <ezekiel128 at edwardwadsworth.com>
Subject: RE: WHY?

Larry and others,

> Why do you keep doing this?
>Why do you brew beer?"

>Heady stuff...

I consider myself a child in the world of brewing.  Almost a one year
anniversary to celebrate, and I have pondered the same question.  Is it
drinking the beer I'm most interested in?  Is it having the freedom to brew
whatever I want (though I still can't brew EXACTLY what I want)?  Is it that
I get to share my little hobby with eager and sometimes brave friends?
Among these and those mentioned by Larry, I do believe that I am having fun.
Fact is, if it wasn't fun I probably wouldn't do it.  The other factors are
part of the fun.  I love sharing it with people and thinking up the next
batch and cultivating yeast and all the mess involed.  I especially love the
smell of a thick boiling wort right after the hops are added.  I find it all
stimulating and challenging.  But above all, I am having fun and learning
something in the process.  I may not brew my whole life.  I may not be
brewing in ten more years.  Sometimes things don't go the way one expects
them to go.  However, I do hope that I am allowed to continue in this hobby,
safely and level-headed like.  Priorities are what keep hobbies fun.
Perspective is what keeps life fun.  I'm young, and I got time to learn that
over and over.

Parker Dutro,
Portland, OR



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 06:32:07 -0400
From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: re: Under-modified malts for decoction

John Palmer writes ...

> The result of this discussion was that Don and I realized that
>Czech or Continental malts are not so much under-modified, but tors
oxidizeare *harder*
>to modify.

Probably true at one time, but "Continental" malts are now often from
Triumph (Trumf) barley and crosses and the stuff reportedly fully modifies
or overmodifies if you look at it cross-eyed.  If you look at modification
figures from Weissheimer or DWC you'll see SNR numbers of 45% and even
higher!

The Czech malt may be different.   I intend to try St.Pat's Czech malt
sometime soon.

 ....
>But that the hard northern barley
>varieties had tough husks and needed a "winter" to help the barley
>germinate.

All barley need a month or more of cool dry conditions to "season" after
harvest before it can be planted or malted.   You'll find references to this
in M&BS.  It's not tough husks.  The enzymes develop fully and certain
phenolic germination inhibitors become inactivated.  It's natures way of
preventing a too-soon sprouting.

 -S




Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 08:18:56 -0400
From: Rob Hanson and Kate Keplinger <katerob at erols.com>
Subject: RE: Rochefort clone

Jan Willem van Groenigen writes:

>I would really like to brew something approaching a Rochefort 8,<snip>
Did anyone ever try 
>to brew a clone and if so, with what results? I'd really like to get a recipe.

  My local club, Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP), recently
brewed a Rochefort 10-style beer to be laid down for their 30th
anniversary (2001 was their 20th). Their target was a Rochefort 10, but
I think the OG ended up in the Rochefort 8 range.  Here are some notes I
took on the ingredients they used, though I'm afraid it's a recipe for 1
US barrel (31 gallons), and I don't have a mash schedule for you:

80 # pilsner malt
4.4# 20L Munich
2# Flaked Maize
2# de-husked Carafa 
15# dark candi sugar
4 oz fresh coriander
7 oz Stryian Goldings 60 min
4 oz Hallertuer 15 min
Irish moss
2 bbl pitch of Rochefort yeast (not sure of the White Labs number, but
it was supplied by White Labs specially for this brew)

OG:1.092 (target was 1.097)

I've not tried the actual beer yet (and may have a long wait, since they
plan to lay it down for the next ten years), but I did have a beer made
with the same recipe at a recent meeting, and it was delicious.  I might
even make an attempt myself at this one!

- --Rob Hanson
the Closet Brewery
Cheverly, MD

- --------
Busy, curious, thirsty fly, 
Drink with me, and drink as I. 
   --William Oldys, "On a Fly drinking out of a Cup of Ale"


Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 05:30:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rick <ale_brewer at yahoo.com>
Subject: Cleveland Restaurants

Mark,

Depends (obviously) on your monetary considerations,
but the best restaurant downtown is Johnny's - 1406 W.
6th.  It's a short walk from the Rennaisance.  For
fish, Blue Point, just a little further down on the
corner of W.6 & St. Clair. All the restuarants in that
area are pretty good. Even the Rock Bottom "Clevand
Chop House".  Steaks are good and beer is a touch
better than the typical Rock Bottom.

New is Cooperstown, Alice Cooper's restaurant which is
across from Jacobs Field.  It just opened so I don't
have much info on that one.  Keep in mind that Friday
night there is an Indians game and you'll run into a
lot of congestion if you go towards the restaurants
near the Jake.

Don't fall for the Flats recommendations, as they are
all chains (TGIFridays, Joe's Crab Shack) and it's
nothing you wouldn't find near your home.

Rick Seibt
Mentor, OH



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 08:35:29 -0400
From: "Chad Gould" <cgould11 at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Why? 

> [Just in case you have not figured this out by now, I am inviting the
> members of the HBD community to express their reasons for brewing.]

I like to cook, and I like to brew as well. I suppose the two are related.
:) There is a lot of fun in trying new recipies, tweaking old ones, and
formulating a recipie. The variety helps. Although you can get variety now
in stores, homebrew merely adds to the variety. It's hard, for instance, to
get a mild here, but you can brew your own easy. I only know of one sweet
stout in this area; the one I brewed turned out fantastically different.
Plus, homebrew often tastes "fresher" than store bought brew, it seems.

I guess it makes up for all the troubles. :) But the troubles you experience
are more of a challenge to me than anything else...




Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 08:47:38 -0400 
From: "Barrett, Bob (R.A.)" <rbarrett at ford.com>
Subject: Re: saving yeast

Nathan Matta asks about my commentary on saving yeast:

>First, how do you (if you do) sanitize the lip
>of the carboy?
 
I don't, but it does sound like a good idea.

>I was thinking that I might use a kitchen torch to
>do this, but I'm never very comfortable applying a great deal of
>direct heat to glass.  

I don't think it would take much heat to do what you are
describing.  Just wave the torch above the opening just touching
the top.  I don't think you have to torch the hole neck.  There was
a sanitized rubber stopper with an air lock there during 
fermentation that kept the inside of the carboy neck sanitized.
Now, if you don't use an airlock and just place a piece of sanitized
aluminum foil over the carboy opening during fermentation, the 
neck should not need to be torched.

>My second question is about storage.  I've been thinking about 
>trying this exact technique, but I was wondering whether I would 
>be better off using the freezer or the fridge.

I have never used the freezer before.  I think it is just a little to
mean to the yeast.  Happy yeast are the best yeast.  I like to keep
my yeast happy.  Fridge temps are what the yeast suppliers
use to store the new yeast.  I think I'll just stick with fridge temps.  

We make the beer we drink!!!
Bob Barrett
Ann Arbor, MI
(2.8, 103.6) Rennarian.  I see him at beer functions all the time!!



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 07:54:45 US/Central
From: scottdew at blkbox.com
Subject: 

We're in the process of building our brewery and, while I think nothing 
of dropping whatever for flashy gadgets and gizmos, I find myself baulking
at the price of quick disconnects.  I know, I'm being hypocritical.  But I 
really neeeeeeed the digital thermocouple thermometers and PID!

Any disadvantages of using air hose quick disconnects? They can be found
for a song in several sizes, most of which seem way too small.  Will anyone 
validate the idea or tell me to grow up and pay the Piper?

Scott
Houston, TX
[1077.2, 221.3] Apparent
Rennerian

- ---------------------------------------------
This message was sent using Black Box MailMan.
http://www.blkbox.com/mailman/mmstdol.cgi/




Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 09:07:12 -0400 
From: "Barrett, Bob (R.A.)" <rbarrett at ford.com>
Subject: Re: Exploding Carboys and Cargirls

John in Tollhouse (where ever that is???) says:

>Containment of the shards and handy carrying handles were the 
>two main reasons why I popped for some of the Williams Brewing 
>carboy jackets.  

And Steve Parifitt says:

>I am in the habit of wrapping my carboys in old towels to protect 
>them from light.

And Dave Williams, Head Brewer at The Back Pocket Brewery
(where ever that is??) says:

When I need to shield a carboy from light, I take a standard paper grocery 
bag (remember those?), cut a 2" dia hole in the center of the bottom, invert 
the bag, and slide it over the top of the carboy.

Here is way we keep the light out of our fermenting beer:

Kim and I have old dark colored long sleeved t-shirts that we use to cover
the carboys to keep out the light.  Just slip the shirt over the carboy with
the airlock going through the neck of the shirt.  Pull the neck of the shirt up 
tight around the neck of the carboy and then wrap the long sleeves 
around the neck to keep everything held in place.  Good way to recycle old
shirts. 

We make the beer we drink!!!
Bob Barrett
Ann Arbor, MI
(2.8, 103.6) Rennarian.  It is an honor to live so close!!




Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 08:58:46 -0400
From: "Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net>
Subject: Re:Mini-fridge tap conversion

Put the mini fridge on a stand.  Any height you wish.

Pete Calinski
East Amherst NY
Near Buffalo NY


***********************************************************
*My goal:
*      Go through life and never drink the same beer twice.
*     (As long as it doesn't mean I have to skip a beer.) 
***********************************************************



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 10:21:33 -0700
From: "John Misrahi" <lmoukhin at sprint.ca>
Subject: Corny keg in small fridge?

I was wondering, would a corny keg fit inside of a bar fridge? Anyone do
this? I don't have room for an extra full sized refrigerator but i could
handle a bar fridge. Of course any shelves inside would have to go, and the
door lining.

thanks guys
John
Montreal, Canada




Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 10:31:47 -0400
From: "R. Schaffer-Neitz" <rschaff at ptd.net>
Subject: scorched malt / reason for brewing / hefeweizen

Greetings and Hail to the Collective:

I've recently (3 batches ago) started brewing on a venturi-type turkey fryer
(Morone) in a converted Sanke(y) boiling pot which now has been fitted with
a weldless bulkhead and Bazooka screen (Thanks, Wayne! 1 batch with leaf
hops, crystal clear into the fermenter) as well as a 1/2" full port
stainless threaded ball valve my dad happened to have lying around the
garage (You can ask your dad, but unless he's a machinist like mine or a
homebrewer, he's unlikely to have one.).  Anyway, though my boils have not
been explode-out-of-the-pot vigorous, I've been finding a fair amount of
scorched residue on the bottom of my pot.  Does anyone have any tips on how
to remove this stuff without depassivating my pot?  Also, any tips on
preventing it, other than the obvious
turn-the-flame-way-down-till-the-extract-is-stirred-in?  Did I mention I'm
still brewing with extract?  Still working up the courage and equip for the
jump to AG.

Second, on the hefeweizen turbidity thread:  I must have drunk over a
hundred hefeweizens when I was in Wurzburg and I can't recall one of them
being served with the bottle.  They also all came with several hundred
million yeast cells floating around in them (I can't recall the exact count.
I don't have my notes handy ;-) )

Finally, thanks, Larry for opening the "why are we beer?" thread.  I brew
because (in no particular order):
1)    I like beer.
2)    I live in a zymurgical and regulatory wasteland where you can only buy
beer by the case unless you're in a bar and where almost everyone's idea of
a high-falutin' beer is Michelob.
3)    I've always had an interest in things scientific, though not much
knowledge thereof, and love to acquire new and essentially useless
information.  Brewing allows me to learn just enough chemistry,
microbiology, engineering, plumbing, etc. to be dangerous, without returning
to school.
4)    I have a much-neglected creative side which I seldom let out of the
little cage where it lives.  Brewing lets me try a little of this and a
little of that based on my (admittedly limited) knowledge and experience and
see what happens.  My proudest brewing day to date was last Saturday when I
opened the first bottle of the IPA whose recipe I concocted out of my own
little head (or a$$ if you choose to be uncharitable) and found it to be
very, very, very good.  I don't think I'll ever again be able to brew from a
recipe without changing *something* (insert lightning effects, maniacal
laughter, and cries of "It is ALIVE!" here).

Cheers,

Bob Schaffer-Neitz
Northumberland, PA
375, 102.6 (apparent)



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 10:04:38 -0500
From: "Stephen Rockey" <slrjk at egyptian.net>
Subject: Hop Rhizomes in Southern Illinois

Hello,

	Does anyone living in the southern Illinois area have hop rhizomes they
would be willing to share?  I used to have a bunch, and gave them away then
moved, but now I am back and want to grow them again.  Please contact me if
you have any you would be willing to share.

		Thanks,

		Steve



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 11:14:01 -0400
From: "Peter Fantasia" <fantasiapeter at hotmail.com>
Subject: freezing yeast

Freezing Yeast

When I started brewing and saving yeast the prospect of freezing yeast was
always attractive. The only problem I had was the use of glycerin to freeze
the buggers. I didn't want to add glycerin to my precious brew. It was then
I read an article in Zymurgy some years ago written by a PHD or some such.
Here's the method described in the article and that I've used successfully
ever since.

The key is to use CANE sugar. Take 3/8 Cup cane sugar and 1 cup water and
boil covered 15 minutes to sanitize. Add equal parts of this solution and
yeast slurry (preferably from an extra clean primary ferment) to a sanitized
container (zip lock works for me). Freeze preferably in a freezer at 0
degrees F that is NOT frost free. The warming and cooling cycles that make
them frost free are not healthy for the yeast. I'm sure you could store the
yeast under less than ideal conditions for less time.Voila, one yeast-cicle.

To reactivate the yeast make a one qt. starter and when cooled to room
temp(I put the pot in a sink of cold water, takes about 10 min) add an oz.
or two of your yeast-cicle ( two heaping Tablespoons) Allow to dissolve and
then pour into your starter container and shake to aerate. You should have a
starter ready to go within 24 hours. Yeast can be stored like this for at
least one year. After that step up starter from a small 8 oz. till active
and then go to 1 qt.


Of course sanitary precautions should be observed throughout. Good Luck!

Pete Fantasia in Mays Landing, NJ



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 12:38:03 -0400
From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu>
Subject: HT yeast

Good concept.  It would be a boon to all those breweries in
the hotter areas of the world. Like an inverse steam yeast
(clean with high temps).

The only problem I see about trying to do some "forced
genetics" is that fermenting in warm wort will also allow
any stray bacteria to grow faster as well.  One of the
reasons we want to chill to pitching temps quickly is to
give the yeast a competitive advantage (temp) and start
fermenting to create an environment less hospitable to
"bugs."  It might take a great deal more separation (and
attention to sanitation in the real batches, should you
succeed) to know whether you get a clean ferment.

But it sounds like a hoot.  Go for it.  I don't, in any way,
want to suggest you shouldn't try.

- --

Marc Sedam
Chapel Hill, NC



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 16:56:05 -0000 
From: "Crouch, Kevin E" <Crouch.Kevin at emeryworld.com>
Subject: big lager - wet cardboard

I recently brewed a maibock (1067) that I have just transferred from the
primary to the secondary after 2 weeks, and upon tasting it I noticed a
fairly prominent aldehyde flavor.  I am indicting aldehydes as the culprit
for an astringent wet cardboard flavor similar to that in stale beer.  
 
For those who might cry foul, I can assure you it would be a minor miracle
to have any hot-site oxidation of the melanoidins in my process since I use
an immersion chiller and do not splash hot gyle or wort around.  
 
I have noticed this in other lager batches I've brewed as well, and was
stricken with fear of oxidation until the flavor eventually subsided.   Are
there some sort of intermediate aldehyde compounds in fermenting lager that
are subsequently modified into compounds with a higher flavor threshold?
I'll post a follow-up message with info on how this flavor develops.    
 
Kevin Crouch
Vancouver,  Washington


Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 13:55:11 -0400
From: "Mark P." <markp at waveworks.net>
Subject: Mini-fridge tap conversion

Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2002 11:38:51 -0400
From: "TED MAJOR" <tidmarsh at charter.net>
Subject: Mini-fridge tap conversion

Hi all--

I have a 4 cu-ft mini fridge that I'm using as a serving
fridge. With the door shelves removed, it holds one 5-gal
keg and the CO2 bottle. Currently, I have the tap mounted
on a shank through the front door, which means the tap is
rouighly at knee height. It works fine, but aesthetically
it is a bit lacking, and I'm tired of stooping to serve a
beer.

I'd like to mount a tower on top, but I'll have to run the
beer line through the freezer compartment. I've considered
insulating between the beer line and the freezer wall, but
I doubt whether that will prevent the line from freezing.

Has anyone else dealt with this situation before? Any
clever (or not-so-clever) solutions to share?

Tidmarsh Major
Birmingham, Ala.



Ted,
      I have a small fridge too. Not sure if it's 4 cu ft. but it will hold 
2 kegs nicely.  I had to remove the door panel and cut out the middle, put 
the door seal on what was left and reattach it to the door.
         I then yanked the freezer out and folded it down to the back of 
the fridge.  (be careful!)   That way there is room for two kegs.  I have a 
dual tap on the top front of the fridge.  A tower would be nice but it's 
expensive.
         I still have to bend over to pour and am thinking about putting 
the fridge up on cinder blocks or some sort of base.
         I keep my gas outside and only charge when dispensing gets 
slow.  You should be able to squeeze a second keg in there.

Good Luck,


Mark P.

"The early bird may get the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese."





Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 14:44:57 -0500
From: "Lw Hiii" <feedfwd at hotmail.com>
Subject: re: clear weizens



>Peter and Steve,
>
>I had the privilege of spending a week in Bavaria on business last summer
>where I drank almost exclusively hefe's.  I believe everyone of them was
>served from a bottle, but almost always poured for me.  The server poured
>most of the bottle gently resulting in clear beer with a nice head.  The
>last few ounces were always swirled around in the bottle and poured on top
>resulting in a cloudy beer.  Never had a weizen like one of those before or
>since.  I plan to try my luck at one soon.
>
>Cheers!
>
>Lou Heavner - Austin, TX






Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 14:47:27 -0500
From: "Lw Hiii" <feedfwd at hotmail.com>
Subject: re: Mini-fridge tap conversion


>
>"TED MAJOR" tidmarsh at charter.net  posted:
>I'd like to mount a tower on top, but I'll have to run the
>beer line through the freezer compartment. I've considered
>insulating between the beer line and the freezer wall, but
>I doubt whether that will prevent the line from freezing.
>
>Has anyone else dealt with this situation before? Any
>clever (or not-so-clever) solutions to share?
>
>What about a collar?  There was a thread (last summer?)
>about doing that for top opening chest freezers.  You might
>be able to do the same thing by removing the door and putting
>wooden collar in between it and the rest of the fridge.
>
>Cheers!
>
>Lou Heavner - Austin, TX






Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 13:01:39 -0700 
From: "Lane, Mark C. (NM)" <MarkC.Lane at voicestream.com>
Subject: Clear Hefeweizen

Is a clear hefeweizen not termed a krystal weizen?  All my readings indicate
two forms of weizen - one with the yeast unfiltered (hefe, obviously), and a
filtered version termed krystal.

Mark Lane
Albuquerque, NM



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 13:08:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: carlos benitez <greenmonsterbrewing at yahoo.com>
Subject: exploding carboy / light exposure

HI,
 I found that an inverted paper grocery bag with a
hole cut in the top (bottom) fits nicely over the
carboy (and still fits in the plasctic milk crate)and
keeps the light out

=====
BIBIDI !
        Brew It Bottle It Drink It 
       Carlos Benitez - Green Monster Brewing
        Bainbridge, PA,  U.S.A.



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 13:23:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: Lonzo McLaughlin <lonkelm at yahoo.com>
Subject: St. Pauli Girl Dark or Becks Dark Recipie Wanted

I'm looking for a recipie for St. Pauli Girl Dark or
Becks Dark.  All grain recipie of course.

Thanks

Lonzo



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 17:07:11 -0400
From: "Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net>
Subject: My Faucet/Spigot

A few weeks age I posted that I use water heater faucet on my buckets.  A
number of people asked for more details.  Well I finally got my act together
and put it up at:

http://hbd.org/pcalinsk/Faucet.html

Sorry for the delay.




Pete Calinski
East Amherst NY
Near Buffalo NY


***********************************************************
*My goal:
*      Go through life and never drink the same beer twice.
*     (As long as it doesn't mean I have to skip a beer.)
***********************************************************



Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 17:18:34 -0400 
From: "Czerpak, Pete" <Pete.Czerpak at siigroup.com>
Subject: imperial stout secondary, rye, and chilling CCFs

Russ asks about how long to secondary his imperial stout.  I tend to primary
ferment for 10 days to 2 weeks to let the bulk of the yeast (always from a
previous batch) chew on the residual sugars as long as possible.  I then
secondary for about 2 to 4 weeks and then keg.  I try and save the kegs for
a year before testing although I tend to taste maybe after a few months of
aging.  Since I do my bulk aging in kegs, perhaps you could consider a
secondary of say 3 to 6 months in glass prior to bottling.  After all that
time, I would consider pitching some new yeast since the existing ones are
likely to be wellsettled and stressed out or even possibly autolyzing.

I actually just recently tapped my last batch of imperial stout that was
brewed Jan 2001 and kegged March 2001.  So very smooth and nice.  My OG was
1.097 and FG was 1.032 with a slurry of Wyeast 1968 yeast from a prior ESB.

People have been throwing all sorts of rye thoughts around.  I do a rye APA
every fall with 15% malted rye in it and I would definitely say it adds a
nice spicyness to the brew that you can detect easily.  NO stuck sparges for
me when I mash or batch sparge and with the batch sparge I run off 2 gallons
in maybe 10 to 15 minutes at the most. I still have to try the Rye IPA
mentioned in Zymurgy but I look forward to it later this year.

Discussions around chilling CCFs have been fun.  My $0.02 are that immersion
coils in the fermentor are the best option in terms of chilling capacity.
You'll want to then insulate your CCF with either a old foam camping pad or
some of the fancy stuff at HomeDepot with the foil covering so that you're
not always fighting outside temperature as much.  Also, having enough tubing
in your cooling medium (refrigerator) is important so that you you are
giving the liquid enough time in the cold freezer to reach appropriate
chilling temperatures whereupon its pumped back into the CCF to cool the
beer (somebody could test this).  If the coil in the freezer is in the cold
air, using a fan to blow cold air on it will help.  If the coil is in a pan
of water/other liquid that will be best since it a better heat transfer
surface.  If you run your CCF coil around you CCF, it needs to be tight up
against the walls of the CCF cause most of the cooling is from the contact
between the coil and the wall of the CCF.  make sure to insulate this also
as otherwise you'll again be losing cold to the  atmosphere.

On the other hand, I would strongly consider modifying Ken Schwatz's design
since its easier (relatively) than all the above even though its not quite
as nifty.  But if you like toys, then pipe away......

Pete Czerpak
Albany, NY


Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 18:09:06 -0400 
From: "Johns, Jamey (San Jose)" <JJohns at knightridder.com>
Subject: Booneville Beer Festival Bus Trip!

For those of you interested in the Booneville, CA Beer Festival (over 50
breweries) http://www.avbc.com/news/boontbeerfest.html#festMap, my club,
DOZE, has space available to take those who might like to attend. The cost
is $40 per person which includes the bus ride, driver trip and festival
ticket. Once you are in the festival, tastings are unlimited. As part of the
trip, we will be taking a tour of Anderson Valley Brewing. Basically, this
is an all day event. The club makes no money on this - I'm just offering to
help anyone interested. Space is limited but I can accommodate small groups
at this time. First come, first served.....

Email me - mrmalt at hotmail.com or call (925) 352-3842 for further details.  

Jamey Johns


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 01:31:03 +0200
From: Rosalba e Massimo <rosamax at split.it>
Subject: Beer and Homebrewing in Italy

Hi

Since I received quite a few requests, I'm writing here something more
about homebrewing in Italy.
For a comparison, you can see my old posts to HBD in 1996 (2195), 1997
(2574) and 1998 (2894)

Let's start with microbreweries, since the story has many connection
with the development of italian homebrewing.
(see also my last post on HBD 3908)
The number of micros is always increasing, but not at the exponential
rate of the previous years, when the number increased from almost zero
to over sixty. Now the growth is slower but steady, there are about
70-80 micros, and in the last year maybe 12-15 opened and a handful
closed. 
What is growing even more is the interest of media, consumer and also
the appreciation from abroad. The best breweries are always organizing
tasting and events, and having success at such events as GBBF. What I
see is: the best microbreweries (that is, producing the best beers) are
also the ones more active in promoting craft beer in many ways. Also,
with a few exception, the oldest ones (which opened before brewpub and
micros started to be "trendy") are still the best: Baladin, Lambrate,
Birrificio Italiano are among these. Centrale della Birra and Beba are
not at the same level, but they are always trying to improve, and
working hard both on their beers and on the general promotion.
A newer very good micro is Cittavecchia, almost the same level of the
best three. These 6 are the breweries featured at London GBBFs.
Among the other, a few are brewing good beers and I understand that
anyway these are driven not only by commercial targets, but also by the
passion of craft-brewing. Some other brewpubs are sufficient to good,
but other are just trendy spots that brew only becasuse it is "fashion"
or because it saves them costs.

Homebrewing in Italy is also growing, possibly even more, both in
quality and in quantity. I don't want to seem presumptuous, but in these
years I've been among the most active promoting homebrewing in Italy.
Probably, in italian HB spreading, one of the key factors has been
Internet; first my site (and then other sites, a few of them - I admit -
quite more detailed!) and then expecially the usenet newsgroup
it.hobby.birra: these helped quite a lot the diffusion of homebrewing
and also of "beer culture". 
The discussions and debates on the NG improved the knowledge, but not
only, they triggered many important "real life" events: starting from
simple "fun" meeting of the people writing on the newsgroup, developing
into tastings, conferences and even competitions.
The connection with the microbreweries movement is also important. To
start, the preferred place of the HB meetings were (and are) the best
known brewpubs. Here we taste the last experiments of the brewer (and
comments on them), and on our turn we bring our bottles and ask the
opinion of the "professionals". Also, events and competions are all
hosted in these brewpubs.
Another example of this relationship is Unionbirrai. This association
started as a federation of the italian micros and brewpubs (at least,
the ones interested in the cooperation and promotion - BTW, the best
ones including the ones I mentioned before). Later, the association
changed its rules, in order to become also a "consumer association", so
it was included in the EBCU conference along CAMRA and others. At the
same time, the composition of the Steering Committe has been changed, in
order to include 4 professional brewers and 4 "amateurs": these last are
all homebrewers (including myself). 
So, we always try to handle the promotion (and the problems) of
microbreweries and homebreweries as a whole, as far as possible.
The role of US homebrewing has also been important: for example, I know
many italian homebrewers (including a few friends of mine) are lurking
this list (hi Pietro). Recently, a few willing guys have started
translating into italian a lot of US articles (mainly from Brew Your Own
magazine) and all the BJCP stuff (in both case with the agreement of the
original authors) and I know that, in turn, an article written by one of
these italian hbrewers has been featured in the BYO magazine.
What else? HB equipments and ingredients: we have basically only one
main source in Italy: a good HB shop that for the most part does mail
orders, but is also a retail shop and an importer-distributor. The
range, maybe, does not match the best US HB shops, but is nevertheless
good: for example, quite a lot of different grains from UK, Germany,
Belgium; a bit less good on hops; and the whole range of Wyeast. All is
quite fresh (once I bought a liquid yeast that was produced by Wyeast
just a week before!). 
What about the level of brewing? Judging form the newsgroup and the
events, it seems that most homebrewers are all-grain brewers (like
myself), with a small part of extract+grains and some "KITs" (hopped
extracts). But surely it is a distorted view, since the most advanced
brewers are also the ones most willing to partecipate in the homebrewing
life and discussions. Kit, anyway, are easily available not only in the
above mentioned shop but also in many other shops.
So, you can count italian "kit" homebrewers in the thousands (maybe many
thousands), and all-grain brewers maybe still in the hundreds.

A few words on the competions.. surely the "hottest" news in Italian
homebrewing. 
We had three of them, witrh a fourth soon to come: at the moment, we
manage to have a winter and a summer competition. Despite being
"national events" - and only two each years - the attendance is on the
order of 30-35 entries.. that gives you the idea that numbers are still
small with respect to US. Well, you have to start somehow! 
Despite these small numbers, we have problems with finding enough good
judges, they are barely enough (we could put up two juries). We took
inspiration as much as possible from BJCP, both for the styles and the
score sheets for example. Still, there are a few problems and
controversial things to be cleared, and we had a few "hot" discussions
between us regarding subdivision of entries, and so on. 

So, I think I will soon post here a few questions about competition
organization, judging and so on... hope you will help us!

Hope you enjoyed this  (maybe too long) report

"max"
massimo faraggi - Genova -Italy

P.S. a few links:

www.unionbirrai.com (italian only)
site of the Unionbirrai association

www.hobbybirra.it (italian only)
reference site of italian beer newsgroup, and italian homebrewing. 
Hosts many personal beer sites.

it.hobby.birra (italian only, but most of us understand english if you
want to post questions)
italian newsgroup on beer (both homebrewing and beer appreciation)

www.maxbeer.org (my site, also english version)
italian micros addresses and reviews, homebrewing (not advanced... more
useful for italian beginners)


Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 20:42:03 -0400
From: "Drew Avis" <andrew_avis at hotmail.com>
Subject: PBS Gone?

Someone asked the same question mid-March, but I just went through the
archives & saw no responses.  Tried calling their number (718-667-4459) and
it's "temporarily disconnected".  Web site is down.  I guess it's pretty
clear that they're gone, was just hoping to hear otherwise from someone in
the know.

Drew Avis ~ http://www.strangebrew.ca
I'd rather be rich than stupid.





Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 22:47:40 -0400
From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Current Events - Alcohol Legislation

Are we having a spontaneous burst of governmental good sense in regard to
alcohol laws? Unlikely as that seems, the following two  pieces of
legislation, and a recent bill proposing to legalize home distilling in the
United States that was introduced by Michigan US Representative Bart
Stupak (Bill H.R. 3249); seem to indicate a sea change in governmental
attitude.

Blame it on sun spots or El Nino, or whatever explanation you come up with,
it's an interesting phenomenon. The end results may not be all that we'd hope,
but it is interesting none-the-less.

Mark Tumarkin

* * * * * * *

VIRGINIA WINE AND BEER BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL
A federal judge has ruled that Virginia's ban on purchasing wine and
beer from out of state is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Richard
L. Williams of the Eastern District of Virginia said that the state's
law violates the Constitution's commerce clause by discriminating
against wineries and breweries in other states that want to sell to
Virginia residents.
   http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-001698.html


OHIO MAY RAISE ALCOHOL LIMIT ON BEER
A bill that would change the way beer is defined and sold in Ohio has
passed the House of Representatives and moves on to the Senate.
Independence Republican Jim Trakas introduced the measure that would
boost the maximum alcohol in what is called beer from 6% to 12%.





Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 23:59:03 -0400
From: "Neil Kushnir" <neilk27 at hotmail.com>
Subject: Bubbles in my tubing

Hello everyone,

I used my new mash/lauter set-up yesterday for the first time and had a 
question I hope someone can answer. I was unable to get a nice smooth flow 
from my lauter tun, and I'm worried all those bubbles inside my tubing mean 
I  horribly aerated my run-off and will lead to the dreaded (or mythical?) 
HSA.

Here's what I'm using:

 -Two converted Gott coolers with Zymico 1/2" full-port stainless steel ball 
valves

 -Kynar (a high-tech plastic) elbows from the ball valves to 3/8" hose barbs 
for my tubing

 -Phil's sparge arm with standard 3/8" tubing

 -Phil's Phalse Bottom modified with 1/2" norprene tubing and 1/2" hardware 
inside (up from the standard 3/8" hardware to minimize risk of grain 
clogging inside the mash tun--this happened to me once with my old bucket 
system)

When throttling back my ball valve to keep my sparge nice and slow, I would 
see lots of bubbles inside the clear tubing. In fact the wort seemed to 
"gurgle" through the Kynar elbow as it left the ball valve, unless I kept 
the valve open full, but then my sparge would be too fast. I tried pinching 
the tubing above and below the bubbles, to no avail. My sparge water also 
did the same thing but I don't think I have to worry about aerating the 
water as it most probably picks up lots of oxygen as it sprinkles through 
the air (unless I'm wrong on that account...)

My questions: Can wort even be aerated inside a closed-off tubing/drain 
system? Is this anything to worry about? Would eliminating the Kynar elbows 
and using plain old hose barbs create a smoother flow? What about switching 
to smaller diameter tubing?

Can someone familiar with hydraulics help me out? Private e-mail is fine.

Neil Kushnir
Montreal






Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 00:05:05 -0400
From: "George de Piro" <gdepiro at mindspring.com>
Subject: clear Weizenbier

Hi all,

Steve wonders how to reconcile Kunze's comments about starting a Weizen mash
at relatively low temperature with my comments about mashing in at 62C
(145F).

My response is that it may be time for a new survey of Weizenbier producers!
I spoke with Hans Peter Drexel of Schneider und Sohns about 4 years ago
about the necessity of low temperature mash rests.  He said that they
minimized protein rests because they couldn't get malt that was suited to
traditional decoction regimes.  They even contracted farmers to produce
grain to try to get closer to their desired malt specs and had difficulty in
getting appropriate product!

I have been using Weyermann malts for my Weizenbier for at least 5 years
now, and without protein rests for about 2 years, and the results are fine
(both lautering and flavor).  The step is completely unnecessary with their
malts.

I will look into this further, and see if I can find out how a few different
German and American brewers are mashing their Weizenbiers.

Have fun!

George de Piro

C.H. Evans Brewing Company
at the Albany Pump Station
(518)447-9000
www.EvansAle.com

Malted Barley Appreciation Society
Homebrew Club
http://hbd.org/mbas




Return to table of contents

---