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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  boil time (Darrell_Leavitt/SUNY)
  Re mosquito's and beer (S & J)
  Holy stainless steel (CMEBREW)
  Re: US Electrical System - 240V ("Larry Bristol")
  Re: Sg Readings and Alcohol content (Demonick)
  boil time and wort composition ("Parker Dutro")
  RE:beer and mosquito attraction ("Joseph Marsh")
  Mosquitoes and beer (Daron Kallan)
  SG and alcohol [part 1] ("Louis Bonham")
  SG & Alcohol [part 2] ("Louis Bonham")
  US Electrical System - 240V (LJ Vitt)
  SG & Alcohol -- oops! ("Louis Bonham")
  Re: Introduction...  (w/ Questions) (Kent Fletcher)
  Re: Beer and mosquito attraction ("Russell B. Farr")
  Efficient Talk and All ("Nathan Hoskins")
  Many things .... (steve-alexander)
  re: secondary cornies + RIMS heater threads ("C.D. Pritchard")
  a brew story or, the making of a buzz ("dan kehoe")
  Exiting Hobby, Equipment needs good home (jeff)
  Re: Chilled regulator and secondary cornies (Jeff Renner)
  typo on March pump hp ("the freeman's")


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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 06:24:02 -0400
From: Darrell_Leavitt/SUNY%SUNY at esc.edu
Subject: boil time

Paul <paul_kensler at yahoo.com> raises the issue of boil time....I have been
thinking
about this a lot lately....and I
suppose that it has a lot to do with the style of beer you wish to brew,
how dark, etc...
but I can say that as I have increasedmy boil times to 90 and occasionally
120 minutes ,
 ..I have at the same time experienced more hot break, and I believe
a result of more clear product at the end.  A simple correlation, which the
scientists
 will remind us is not necessarily causation...
and which should be placed in context as well : While I do have
a king cooker...and have brewed outside, I find the convenience of inside
brewing
(except for cleanup) such that I brew
on a regular gas range....so it does take longer to get to a full boil, and
I suppose that
 the relatively less vigor of my boil may
account for the increased quality of the end product with longer "boils".
 ....

 Perhaps every "boil" is not the same,...but in my system longer generally
means better
(to a point).

 What are others experiences with length of boil...? and perhaps we should
describe
 the heat source or btu's....

 ..Darrell



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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 08:40:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: sjr101 at webtv.net (S & J)
Subject: Re mosquito's and beer

    I think the study should be done with "homebrew" or other beer with
live yeast still in the beer. Brewers yeast is loaded with b-vitamins
which, I think, helps repel mosquito's. I live just 5 miles from the
Fla. Everglades, where a few mosquto's live, and I'm always the one in a
group with the least amount of bites.
    Of course, if you get drunk and pass out outside, you're screwed no
matter what.
      Trying my best to load up on those b-vitamins,      Scott Ross



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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 08:48:34 EDT
From: CMEBREW at aol.com
Subject: Holy stainless steel 

Looking for a place to get ss false bottom material to use as a bottom for 
the cooling tray on a coffee roaster. The archive search just gives me an 
error message. Can someone help? Charlie


Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 08:35:05 -0500
From: "Larry Bristol" <Larry at DoubleLuck.com>
Subject: Re: US Electrical System - 240V

On Fri, 28 Jun 2002 23:54:28 +1000, "David Mackaway"
<mackawad at ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>I'm in the process of moving from Australia to the US (Chicago) and
>currently have a RIMS system running on 240V (which is the standard voltage
>hear in OZ).My RIMS is a soft heat exchange system that has 2 x 2300 Watt
>electrical heating elements (one in my HLT and one in the exchanger) plus a
>240V pump.Can anyone explain to me the electricity setup in the US.  I know
>that the standard outlet in a house is 120V but have seen people talk about
>running 240V systems and also talk about dryer outlets at 240V.  I would be
>greatful for any insight.

Most homes in the US have both 120V and 240V circuits.  As you note,
many appliances in the US, especially those with higher power demands,
are designed to operate using a 240V input source.  240V outlets are
typically placed in specific locations with specific applications
(stove, dryer, water heater, etc.) in mind.  The majority of the
outlets, the ones scattered through the house for general use, are
120V.

The duty cycle for both 120V and 240V circuits is 60Hz.  I think this
is the same everywhere, but it would be worth your time to check and
confirm that any electrical appliance/device you bring with you is
designed for this.  Even if not, it may still work, as most appliances
use a transformer/rectifier circuit to convert the 120V AC power source
into direct current (DC) at a lower voltage.  The incoming duty cycle
is generally not significant after it has been passed through such a
circuit.

The problem you are most likely to encounter is that plug design for
appliances in the US (and the corresponding wall outlet) will probably
be different from that in Australia.  All you should have to do is
replace the Aussie plug with the appropriate US plug.  (Even this
simple task should probably be done by a qualified electrician.)  Be
warned, however, that the plugs seem to vary from one appliance type to
the next even within the US.  I know, for example, that the plugs for
stoves and clothes dryers are incompatible.  I guess someone,
somewhere, sometime plugged their dryer into an outlet designed for a
stove (or vice versa) with unfortunate (but possibly hilarious)
consequences.

Regards,

Larry Bristol
Bellville, TX   AR=[1093.6,223.2]
http://www.doubleluck.com




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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 07:27:19 -0700
From: Demonick <demonick at zgi.com>
Subject: Re: Sg Readings and Alcohol content


"Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net> notes:
>The advertisement also states that, "Please note that refractometers only
>work in a water solution, and do not read correctly if there is alcohol in
>the sample".  This set me to thinking, (always dangerous, it weakens the
>nation), is there an equation or algorithm that describes this process in
>general, more than just the refractometer case?

See  http://www.primetab.com/formulas.html near the bottom of the page. 

Alcohol by weight content from Final SG and Final Brix

RI  = 1.33302 + 0.001427193*FB + 0.000005791157*FB*FB
ABW = 1017.5596 - (277.4*SG) + RI*((937.8135*RI) - 1805.1228)

          where:
                   FB = Final Brix
                   RI = calculated Refractive Index
                   SG = Final SG

Domenick Venezia
Venezia & Company, LLC
Maker of PrimeTab
(206) 782-1152  phone
(206) 782-6766  fax
Seattle, WA
demonick at zgi dot com
http://www.primetab.com





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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 08:18:33 -0700
From: "Parker Dutro" <ezekiel128 at edwardwadsworth.com>
Subject: boil time and wort composition

Paul,
  I am not an authority when it comes to detailed chemistry, but I do
know that body and mouth feel are influenced by the amount of
unfermentable sugars (maltose, dextrin's) and alcohol levels determined
by the amount of sucrose.  From what I understand these levels are
determined by the mash temp. and duration.  Enzymatic action sets the
table and yeast takes care of the rest.  Boiling should not be a
determining factor in the sugar composition of your wort.  Hope there is
someone who can explain why this is accurate or inaccurate.

Parker Dutro 





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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 10:30:36 -0500
From: "Joseph Marsh" <josephmarsh62 at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE:beer and mosquito attraction

I thought most mosquitoes were attracted to CO2. I know that a study was 
done for the type that carries malaria. But OTOH I could be confusing that 
with something I heard about teties flies. CO2 would be given off in the 
breath and by burping.

Anyway 30 subjects to 1 control subject doesn't seem like a valid test. At 
most it shows a correlation but IMO doesn't prove much of anything.





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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 09:03:39 -0700
From: Daron Kallan <daron.kallan at kallnet.com>
Subject: Mosquitoes and beer

As Peter Ensminger quotes from PubLine/MedLine in Digest #3976,

     ...mosquito landing[s] on volunteers significantly increased after
     beer ingestion compared with before ingestion...drinking alcohol
     stimulates mosquito attraction...

That mosquitoes might be attracted to ethanol is an interesting concept.
Of course, another study may well come out next month refuting this
correlation, which seems compellingly circumstantial but not necessarily
proven causal.

I am just conjecturing here, but even if the causal relationship is
true, it may not hold true for bottle- or cask-conditioned homebrew.  I
have heard that brewer's yeast is an excellent natural repellant to
mosquitoes.  In fact, many health food stores offer generic brewer's
yeast to be ingested for the very purpose of repelling mosquitoes.  So
while the mosquitoes may be attracted to ethanol (or some other
biological response after consuming beer or alcohol -- was this
correlation actually established?), perhaps beer's relatively low
alcohol content, and naturally conditioned homebrew's relatively high
yeast content, repels mosquitoes more than attracts them... 

 ...or at least it balances out.

Wishful thinking,
Daron
El Dorado Hills, CA




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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 15:25:22 -0500
From: "Louis Bonham" <lkbonham at houston.rr.com>
Subject: SG and alcohol [part 1]

Hi folks:

Pete Calinski puts on this thinking cap and wonders about the
relationships between SG and alcohol:

>Case A-- You start with a sugar/water solution of X Plato.  As the
sugar is converted to alcohol, imagine that the alcohol is removed so
that only sugar and water remain in the solution.  In this simple case,
the Plato would decrease. There should be a relationship between Plato
and SG that is relatively simple.

>Case B-- If the alcohol remains in the solution, it is of lower density
than water so the SG reading will be lower.  It seems to me that in this
case, the Plato is a function of both the original SG (or original
Plato) and the present SG.

First, I think Pete is a tad confused with the terminology.  Degrees
Plato is nothing more than a metric based on sucrose solutions (e.g., 4
Plato is a density measurement equivalent to a 4% w/w solution of
sucrose in pure water), as opposed to specific gravity, which is a
metric of the ratio of the weight of the test solution to an identical
volume of pure water (e.g., a 100ml solution of SG 1.040 at 20C weighs
104.0 grams).  The "starting" measurement in Plato is properly referred
to as "Original Extract", or OE.  If measured in specific gravity, this
measurement is the Original Gravity (OG), although small scale brewers
(myself included) often use the term OG to refer to the starting value,
whether measured in SG or degrees Plato.   Subsequent measurements can
similarly be in either Plato or SG -- remember that they're just
different metrics for measuring the same thing.  (To be very technical,
after fermentation starts a hydrometer reading in Plato is more
correctly referred to as "Apparent Extract" ("AE"), as distinguished
from "Real Extract" (sometimes called "Residual Extract," in either case
abbreviated as "RE"), which will be discussed below.)  

The short answer to Pete's questions is that there are a number of
general formulae for this (see, e.g., Fix, PoBS 2d ed. 92-94 for a
summary, or see DeClerk if you want it explained in extraordinary
detail), most of which stem from Balling's empirical investigations of a
century or so ago.  How "simple" they are is a matter of opinion.  

[continued]




Return to table of contents


Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 15:25:32 -0500
From: "Louis Bonham" <lkbonham at houston.rr.com>
Subject: SG & Alcohol [part 2]

[continued from previous message]

The ABSC gives the relationship as:

OE = 2A + RE - F

where:

OE = Original Extract (in P)
RE = Real Extract (in P)
A = alcohol by weight
F = correction factor (taken from an ASBC chart where the two axes are A
and RE)

More commonly used is the following rewriting of Balling's formula:

A = (OE-RE) / [2.0665- (0.010665 x OE)]

where the variables are the same as described above.

However, that RE is *not* just the Plato measurement of the sample --
that's AE (Apparent Extract) . . . RE is what you get after you remove
the alcohol and replace it with an equivalent volume of water.  (E.g.,
take 100.00 ml of beer, boil or distill off the alcohol and some of the
water, then dilute back to 100.00ml with water.  The Plato reading of
this fluid is sample's RE.) 

Since most of us could care less about measuring the RE of our beer,
various approximations of this formula have been derived that show the
approximate relationship between OG, FG, and alcohol.  There are many of
them out there [e.g., ABV = (OG - FG) x 131.25, where OG and FG are
measured as specific gravity], and unless you are really anal these are
usually "good enough" for our purposes.  (The differences in accuracy
between these approximating formulas and the full-bore ASBC calculations
in most cases are less than typical measurement errors with a
hydrometer.)  

You can also combine such formulas with various refractometry formulas
(i.e., relationship between SG, A, and the refractometer reading of the
sample) to generate formulae such as we used in ProMash to estimate SG
from an OG reading and the present refractometer reading, or to estimate
OG from SG and a refractometer reading.

Of course, other ingredients in the beer can and do skew the
refractometer readings a bit . . .  the refractometer formulae I have
posted here and that we used in ProMash were based on formulas that were
developed from empirical data on pale beers of normal strength.  There
are other formulas that have been developed to be more accurate for very
dark high alcohol beers, for instance.  The thing to remember here is
that unless you're up for doing some very involved lab work to construct
specific refractometer calibration curves for *each* particular beer
being tested (see the ASBC MoA's for details of how to do this), alcohol
or SG calculations based on refractometer data will always be just an
estimation.  However, for the most part such estimations will probably
be "good enough" if your data has been accurately collected.

All the best -- LKB



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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 13:49:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: LJ Vitt <lvitt4 at yahoo.com>
Subject: US Electrical System - 240V



In HBD#3976, David from Australia asked about US 240 volt systems.

>Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 23:54:28 +1000
>From: "David Mackaway" <mackawad at ozemail.com.au>
>Subject: US Electrical System - 240V
 
>I'm in the process of moving from Australia to the US (Chicago) and
>currently have a RIMS system running on 240V (which is the standard voltage
>hear in OZ).My RIMS is a soft heat exchange system that has 2 x 2300 Watt
>electrical heating elements (one in my HLT and one in the exchanger) plus a
>240V pump.Can anyone explain to me the electricity setup in the US.  I know
>that the standard outlet in a house is 120V but have seen people talk about
>running 240V systems and also talk about dryer outlets at 240V.  I would be
>greatful for any insight.
 
Dave, 
Yes, the usual household outlet in the US is 120V.  Sometimes I see them
referred to as 115V and 110V.

There are appliances that require 240V outlets.  I also see them called 220V. 
Some of them are electric cook stoves, electric clothes driers, welders,
main frame computers.
There are natural gas driers that use 120V to run the controls and spin
the chamber around.  They have 60 hertz cycle.   I mention this becuase
some parts of the world use 50 hz.

The 240V outlets in a home use 2 120V circuits that are 180 degrees out
of phase.  There are 3 prongs on the plugs.  There are a handful of
configurations of these 3 prongs.  Some have 3 flat blades, with 
2 of them slanted in different ways.  Some have a round ground peg and
2 parallel flat blades.  I have seen a few with L shaped blade for the ground. 
You need to find a match between the outlet and the plug on your appliance.

These 240V outlets are only located in the house where needed.
Kitchen or laundry room is likely.  The 120V outlets are everywhere
in the house.  You may need a electrician to install one where you
want your outlet.

There are 3 home brewing clubs I am familiar with in the Chicago area.
The Chicago Beer Society :  http://www.chibeer.org/
Brewers of South Suburbia (BOSS) :  http://www.chibeer.org/
Urban Knaves of Grain :  http://www.hbd.org/ukg/
Some one in these clubs might be helpful for your situation.


have done this.


=====
Leo Vitt
Rochester MN



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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 15:58:25 -0500
From: "Louis Bonham" <lkbonham at houston.rr.com>
Subject: SG & Alcohol -- oops!

Oops, just noticed a mistake in my post . . 

I gave an example of a Plato measurement as "equivalent to a 4% w/w
solution of sucrose in pure water."  Wrongo.  I should have said
"equivalent to 4 g of sucrose in 100ml of solution." 

Sorry for the error.

LKB



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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 16:30:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kent Fletcher <fletcherhomebrew at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Introduction...  (w/ Questions)

Bill Lucas asked for help with:

"Is there any pre-cleaning
I could do on the keg to try to reduce the assault on
the senses I can see
happening if I just started cutting into the thing?  I
just don't want to
pass out from the fumes."

You could use your Sankey tap to introduce a
pre-cleaning solution. You'll want to do this
outdoors.  Disconnect the CO2 hose from the tap, cover
the bare fitting with a large rag or towel, and tap
the keg. This will vent/depressurize it. You could
then hook up a hose to the open tap faucet and siphon
your solution (BLC, PBW, or Starsan) into the keg and
let it work to kill the molds/critters/odors.  Try to
get a gallon or so into the keg, disconnect your tap
and soak it in sanitizer.  Leave your solution in the
keg til after you've cut the top opening, it'll help
getting rid of the debris from the cutting and
grinding.

On your second question, taste the beer.  Some beers
lend themselves to early serving, some do not.  I've
had several ales that were quite drinkable at three
weeks, and I just tasted a wheat I brewed 13 days ago,
and I may have to taste it again tomorrow morning,
after mowing the back yard (it's a jungle ou there!)
Your OG was relatively mild, it seems to have
fermented out rapidly. If it were mine, I'd start
chilling it now, taste it on Tuesday and put the gas
on it if it was decent. If you don't have another keg
of something, you just gotta have brew on the 4th if
at all possible, even if it might not be a hall of
famer!

As to the would-be VMO, I'll defer to brewers with
more experience in that field (but I think maybe
you'll want some Hallertau or Tettananger to go with
those Saaz.

Kent Fletcher
brewing in SoCal



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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 09:37:02 +0800
From: "Russell B. Farr" <rustle at iinet.net.au>
Subject: Re: Beer and mosquito attraction

On 29 Jun 2002, at 0:27, Request Address Only - No Art wrote:

> J Am Mosq Control Assoc 2002 Jun;18(2):91-6
> Alcohol ingestion stimulates mosquito attraction.

<snip>

> Our study demonstrated that percent mosquito landing on volunteers
> significantly increased after beer ingestion compared with before
> ingestion, showing clearly that drinking alcohol stimulates
> mosquito attraction. However, ethanol content in sweat and skin
> temperature did not show any correlation between alcohol ingestion
> and mosquito landings. This study shows that persons drinking
> alcohol should be careful about their increased risk to mosquito
> bites and therefore exposure to mosquito-borne diseases. - ----- 

I'd like to see the whole article because I have some grave issues 
with the abstract as reported.  It's been my understanding that 
mosquitos are attracted to CO2 (e.g. this article from the Alaskan 
Science Forum 
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF3/399.html)

Hmmm, what's that stuff dissolved in beer that makes the bubbles? 
Did they replicate the experiment with distilled alcohol that doesn't 
have CO2 dissolved in it? 

So as far as I can see they researchers exposed their subjects to 
a known mosquito attractor, and then exposed them to mosquitos, 
and then singled out the wrong component of the attractor as the 
cause.

Gin & Tonic anyone?

Russell Farr


+-+-+-+-+- Somewhere in Narrogin Brewing +-+-+-+-+-+
+- http://members.iinet.net.au/~rustle/WPA +- Writer
+- http://members.iinet.net.au/~rustle +-+-+-+- Punk
+-+-+-+-+-+-+- just a dolphin in the net +-+-+-+-+-+


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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 08:47:35 -0400
From: "Nathan Hoskins" <NathanHoskins at HotPop.com>
Subject: Efficient Talk and All

I'm still a kinda "newbie" at home brewing, I have brewed several batch's
and them all have came out good!  Except it's all extract stuff and I'm
getting ready to graduate to "higher brewing" and I have read-up on partial
grain brewing.  In a recent post someone spoke of efficiency.  I see it
mentioned elsewhere regarding brewing with grain and such, except I haven't
seen it explained (even in the several home-brew books I have).  I started
out with "Mr. Beer" which really isn't homebrewing, (I think selling Mr.
Beer should be prohibited), then I was born into the REAL homebrew world,
wishing to progress I am eager to learn about what efficiency means.

Thanks,
Nathan...Brewing in Kentucky
"There's Brew in Them Hills!"





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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 10:33:14 +0000
From: steve-alexander at att.net
Subject: Many things ....

Pete Calinski speculates on a refractometer reading 
given alcohol in the solution.

A couple of Pete's definitions won't stand up, so ...

'Plato' *ONLY* represents a relationship between the 
amount of *cane*sugar* (mostly sucrose) in solution vs 
the specific gravity(SG).  When we apply the term Plato 
to wort or beer we are in a state of sin - only cane 
sugar solutions accurately follow Plato scales.  Wort 
extract is 80% carbs, 65% fermentable and only a few 
percent of that is sucrose, but the Plato extract is 
probably close enough to wort extract (w/in a few %) for 
a given SG to permit the fiction.  When we write that a 
certain wort is P% Plato what we really mean is that it 
has the same SG as a P% Plato cane_sugar solution.  We 
don't know the relationship between P% and the true wort 
extract% - but it is not exactly 1-to-1 and it varies 
from wort to wort.

>SG = (weight of a volume of solution under test)/
>(weight of equal volume of pure water)
Throw in the temp and I'll give that a pass.

Anyway to the bottom line.

Measuring instruments that float to a level in wort/beer 
are using Archimedes principle to measure *density*.  
Density + temperature will allow us to *approximate* SG. 
With SG and a Plato scale we can  *approximate wort 
extract % from SG.  The error is modest (a few %) for 
wort, but is very inaccurate for beer.  The "Pros" use 
the Plato scale and so do pro journals, but the reality 
is that density is all we really know from any floating 
measure.

Given SG and FG we can approximate %alcohol or the %
remaining_extract given the SG & FG, but this requires 
assumptions about the wort extract type, fermentability 
and the efficiency of the yeast conversion and use of 
carbon for yeast biomass.  They are good approximations 
and nothing more.

Refractometers measure light refraction and nothing 
more.  Most refractometers come with a scale that 
relates refractive index to Brix, Balling or other scale 
similar to Plato.   The Brix scale only applies to the 
Brix standard solution (sucrose ?) and not to wort or to 
beer. Like Plato hydrometers - it's a decent 
approximation to %extract for wort and a terrible one 
for beer. 

- --
A 12% (almost exactly 12P, 12 Brix) Sucrose solution has 
SG of 1.0483, and shifts the index of refraction of 
water by 17.9 mills.   A 12% extract maltose solution 
has an SG of 1.0483 and IoR shift of 18.3 mills.   
Amylose is SG=1.0501 and 19.0 mils at 12% extract. The 
carbs are close enough.  Proteins from blood (don't have 
wort figures) have an SG at 12% of 1.0383, and IoR of 
25.0 mills!  A 12% ethanol sol'n has SG=0.989, and 
shifts IoR by 8.1 mills.

A 5% ethanol solution gives a similar IoR reading as a 
2.1% maltose solution, so beer IoRs will read a few Brix 
high, while Beer SGs will read severa Plato low compared 
to the amount of carbs left in the beer.

The ethenol in beer can be accounted by either method, 
but it's complex and approximate.

>they have
>refractometers at a good price.

There aren't many bargains in good technical gear.  A 
cheap refractometer with crummy optics is worse than 
none at all IMO.

=============================

Paul Kensler writes ...
boil time and wort composition

>Someone recently told me that boiling for 90 minutes
>vs. boiling for 60 minutes would make for a less
>fermentable, fuller-bodied beer.

There will be a microscopic reduction in fementability 
and a corresponding difference in body under normal 
circumstances.  A *tiny* additional amount of wort 
sugars form carmels and maillard products during the 
additional boil.  It will probably not be noticable by 
anything other than a gas chromatograph.

>Will the 90 minute boil wort be
><significantly differant than the 60 minute boil wort,
>as far as fermentability, body, mouthfeel, flavor

NO!  The exception is that you may notice DMS flavor 
difference for certain lager malts.

==========

David Mackaway writes ...
re: US Electrical System - 240V

>Can anyone explain to me the electricity setup in the 
>US.

Homes in the US get 240vac, but the 240vac transformer 
(at the street or nearby) has a center-tap.  The center 
tap line is called 'common' and either of the ends are 
referred to as 'hot' wires.  The voltage between the two 
hot wires is 240vac at 60hz.  Between either hot wire and 
the comoon it's 120vac at 60hz.    Most of the circuits 
from the breaker box carry 120vac (one hot wire and the 
common) to standard outlets, plugs, lighting etc.  High 
power devices (electric clothes dryers, electric ovens, 
air conditioners ... ) have the full 240vac circuit 
routed (the two hot wires).  240 circuits require a 
240vac breaker be placed in the breaker-box which 
connects to both of the 120vac hot lines.

A third wire representing an earth ground is also routed 
to all modern sockets & 240vac circuits, but not to 
lights or older style (pre 1960s) outlets.   The earth 
ground design permits the use of ground-fault-circuit-
interrupter(GFCI) sockets which are often required in 
kitchens, baths, basements. You can also obtain GFCI-
breakers for some makes of breaker-box.  GFCIs break the 
circuit if there is any current mismath in the two 
current carrying wires (for example if you are getting 
shocked). GFCIs add considerable to the price (maybe $15 
extra for a 120vac socket pair and $40 extra for a 
breaker) but are a good idea in a brewing situation.

If (and only if)  you are handy with electricity you can 
get all the required parts for adding a 240vac brewery 
circuit at most hardware stores.

There is sadly no  US standard 240 plug&socket 
receptical design. There are 3&4 prong connector pairs 
comonly used for ovens & dryers, but these are awkward  
to connect/disconnect.  I prefer the round 3 wire twist-
lock type for my 240 power tools. 

 -S


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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 10:18:08
From: "C.D. Pritchard" <cdp at chattanooga.net>
Subject: re: secondary cornies + RIMS heater threads

Pete Fantasia asked about using a cornie keg as a primary or secondary and
removing the gas in post and inserting a gum rubber stopper and an airlock.  

I usually use cornies for both the primary and secondary.  An airlock
connected to the gas-in port will work for the secondary but I wouldn't
trust it for a primary- the port is too small and hence subject to
plugging.  Details on how to hack the lid of a cornie to get a 1/2" port
for primary fermentation are at chattanooga.net/~cdp/kegferm.htm.  For the
secondary, there's no need to remove the gas in post - hook tubing to a
disconnect and run it to a airlock (make an airlock-to-tubing adapter from
larger diameter vinyl tubing).

 - - - - - 
On the pipe vs. straight threads RIMS thread, Dion posted good advice about
the gasket between the female threaded fitting on the heating chamber and
the heating element serving as the sealing means and not thread engagement
as in a typical pipe joint.  His advice not to mesh the threads tight is
very good- it'll make removal of the element down the road a real PITA
should the threads of the element rust any.  If the threads bottom-out
before the gasket is squashed, just add a spacer cut from red rubber gasket
sheeting.  Putting teflon tape on the element threads before assembly also
helps with later disassembly.  
For a fitting with straight threads on the current RIMS heating chamber, I
found a brass fitting with a 1" female hose threaded end, whacked it off
and butt-soldered it to a 1.5" copper pipe cap.  

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



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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 15:46:18 -0400
From: "dan kehoe" <dan.kehoe at verizon.net>
Subject: a brew story or, the making of a buzz

i just wanted to share some experiences on a recent batch, just because.
please pardon the caps, its how i log all my journals. its not like im
SCREAMING. well, here it is:

 DAN'S INSANE DEVIL'S BREW

6 LBS PLAIN AMBER MALT (DRIED)
1 LB CASCADE CRYSTAL LOVIBOND 120
3OZ CASCADE HOPS (BITTERING)
1OZ CASCADE HOPS (FLAVOR)
1OZ WILLIAMETTE HOPS (AROMA)
WYEAST LIQUID JUMPSTARTED WITH 1 CUP OF MALT AND 3 1/2 CUPS H2O
PITCHED JUNE 12TH  at  9:00 PM

ORIGINAL GRAVITY 40 ORIGINAL ALC LEVEL 5%
3DAY GRAVITY  18 3DAY ALC LEVEL  2%
6 DAY GRAVITY  12 6DAY ALC LEVEL  1.25%
NOTES:
 INITIALLY I THOUGHT I KILLED THE YEAST WITH THE BLEACH, (in my jump start
container) BUT THE NEXT DAY, I SHOOK THE CONTAINER AND NOTICED A HUGE AMNT
OF ACTIVITY. I RE-FED THE YEASTIES WITH 1/3 CUP OF MALT AND A CUP OF H2O
JUST TO BE SURE THE LITTLE GUYS WERE ALRIGHT AND BECAUSE I WASTED ABOUT A
THIRD OF THE INITIAL JUMPSTART (DONT ASK). THE NEXT DAY, THE AIRLOCK WAS
BUBBLING LIKE MAD. I GUESS THE LITTLE GUYS ARE INDEED OK. I HAVE A CONCERN
ABOUT STERILITY DUE TO THE LARGE AMNT OF DICKING AROUND I DID WITH THE
JUMPSTART, BUT WE WILL SEE. ALSO, I ACCIDENTALLY POURED THE TRUB INTO THE
PRIMARY AND NEEDED TO REPOUR THROUGH A STRAINER AND BACK INTO THE PRIMARY. I
AM FURTHER CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBLY EXCESSIVE AERATION THAT MAY HAVE
OCCURED WHILE THE WORT WAS STILL ABOVE 80 DEG FARENHEIGHT. WELL, WE WILL
WAIT AND SEE. ITS BEEN A WHILE AND I CANT WAIT TO GET MULTIPLE BATCHES
GOING. I AM GOING TO TRY TO SAVE MY YEAST FROM THIS BATCH AND SEE IF I CAN
MAKE ANOTHER STARTER. (I WILL SAVE ABOUT $6.00 A BATCH DOING THIS :) WELL,
SEE YOU LATER . . .

LATER:
 WELL, I TOOK A HYDROMETER READING TODAY, JUNE 15TH AND IT WAS AT 18. SO, I
HAVE HAD A 22 POINT DROP FROM OG. THE ALC LEVEL WAS INITIALLY 5% AND NOW IS
AROUND 2% SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A 3% LEVEL THUS FAR. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL DROP
FURTHER.

EVEN LATER:
 I BOTTLED TODAY, JUNE 23rd AFTER PRIMING WITH BETWEEN 1/2 AND 2/3 CUPS OF
BROWN SUGAR. I YEILDED ONE GROWLER AND 6 6PACKS

LATER STILL:
 THE YEAST THAT I SAVED WENT INTO "PORT THIS" AND WAS QUITE VIRILE. I AM
GOING TO DECAPITATE ONE OF THESE PUPPIES TODAY EVEN THOUGH ITS ONLY ONE WEEK
POST BOTTLING, BUT I JUST GOTS TA KNOW! I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. . . . .
 .   WELL, THERES NO HEAD REALLY TO SPEAK OF, BUT AFTER ONLY A WEEK IN THE
BOTTLE, I WOULDNT EXPECT THERE TO BE. THE FLAVOR IS TRULY PHENOMENAL!! I AM
VERY VERY HAPPY, OR SHOULD I SAY HOPPY. SPEAKING OF WHICH, I, WHO AM AN AVID
HOP-HEAD, YES EVEN I, WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AMOUNT OF HOPS USED IN THIS
RECIPIE WOULD YEILD AN EXCESSIVELY BITTER, BLOW THE TOP OF YOUR SKULL OFF
HOPFEST, BUT, THE HOP CHARACTER IS JUST BELOW THAT OF A "VICTORY HOP DEVIL"
FOR THOSE OF YOU UNFAMILIAR WITH HOP DEVIL, YOU HAVE MY PITY. I AM NOW
FINDING THAT THE BREW HAS A PLEASANT LINGERING HOPS AROMA, VERY REFRESHING
WHEN YOU BREATHE OUT THROUGH THE NOSE. THE CLARITY IS NOT CLEAR AS I USED NO
FININGS, BUT WHO CARES? IMHO, AN EXCELLENT BREW. I AM GLAD I SAVED THE
RECIPIE. THINK I'LL HAVE ANOTHER



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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 18:04:08 -0400
From: jeff <jeffi at comcast.net>
Subject: Exiting Hobby, Equipment needs good home

Hello all:

Sadly, I have given up the hobby and an impending move motivates me to find
a new home for my equipment.

Here is the list:

Sabco converted keg kettle with bottom drain  and valve.
45 liter glass demijon, with misc stoppers
2 x 6.5 gal glass carboys, with misc stoppers
crate of 16 grolsh swing top bottles
8 x 5 gal corny kegs
20lbs (I think) CO2 bottle with duel gage regulator
gas dist manifold with regulator for two keg lines.

Make a reasonable offer for any or the lot and it is yours.  You pay
shipping.
For the glass items,  I live in the DC- Baltimore area and also drive
frequently to the Philly- Allentown area so I could arrange to meet you and
deliver.

Jeff
jeffi at chesapeake.net




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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 20:46:02 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Chilled regulator and secondary cornies

"Peter Fantasia" <fantasiapeter at hotmail.com> wrote:

>I was reading through the archives trying to find information on how to use
>a cornie keg as a secondary or primary (I'm new to kegging) and was
>wondering how most of my fellow beerlings do it. I was thinking of just
>removing the gas in post and inserting a gum rubber stopper and an airlock.

Actually, I brew 8 gallon batches and keg in 1/4 barrel (7.75 gallon) 
Sankey kegs, but it's the same difference.  I often do use a stopper 
and airlock to secondary stronger beers, which should work fine with 
a Corney as you suggest.  However, I often just seal it up as soon as 
I rack it and allow it to carbonate.  I know my regular brews well 
enough that I know when they've about stopped.  I typically will then 
use up about 2.75 gallons when if is pretty young and transfer the 
remaining 5 gallons to a purged Corney so as to have no sediment.  I 
have also transferred the whole 1/4 bbl to another Sankey.  It's 
great to have sediment free kegs.  You can move them and there isn't 
much yeast to autolyze.

I have two beers on right now - a 100% malt European pilsner and a 
low gravity English bitter (the one I underbittered).  Both of these 
I just racked to the keg as soon as they were about done fermenting 
and sealed the kegs.  The lager is now at about 6 weeks lagering and 
I've already drunk a couple of gallons..  It's at 32, but I just nuke 
the glass of beer a little.  I will probably rack it to a five gallon 
keg for space purposes, but will keep it at 32 since it will stay 
fresher that way, and since I will be lagering a CAP and a Vienna for 
our daughter's wedding in August.  That way I can keep the deep 
freeze for lagering.

>On a second note I came across a post which said that keeping your regulator
>and CO2 attached to the cornie in the fridge wasn't a good idea because you
>would get condensation which would ruin the regulator. Is this true? What
>are you supposed to do? Disconnect the CO2 tank and regulator after every
>use? Seems like a PITA. I know Jeff does a lot of secondary ferm in cornies,
>what's your system?

I've kept CO2 with regulators in fridges for years with no problem. 
One advantage to at lest turning off the gas if not disconnecting it 
is that if you have a leak, you can easily drain your tank.  It 
happened once to me.

>PS: The pretzels were great!

Glad to hear it.  Hope others will try them.  And a note to those who 
are wondering about food grade lye.  The commercial bakers in the 
area all just use "Red Devil Drain Opener - 100% Lye," and so do I. 
It comes in plastic snap-top cans.  You can use the extra lye to make 
home-made soap.

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


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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 22:17:57 -0500
From: "the freeman's" <potsus at bellsouth.net>
Subject: typo on March pump hp

I blew it.  The post should have read that the 1/25th hp March from
McMaster Carr is mo' betta than the 1/100th hp.

Sorry 'bout that.

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



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