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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Re: Pretzel salt (Ed Westemeier)
  Pretzel Salt ("Jodie Davis")
  Pretzel Salt ??? ("Pete Calinski")
  2L Bottle Drip Tray (Nathan Kanous)
  re: HERMS (David Passaretti)
  The fridge ("Parker Dutro")
  Re: HERMS project (David Towson)
  Germany/Belgium travel suggestions ("John C. Tull")
  Another first batch question (Carson Saunders)
  Pretzel Salt ("Angie and Reif Hammond")


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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 07:26:00 -0400
From: Ed Westemeier <hopfen at malz.com>
Subject: Re: Pretzel salt

Another place is the Baker's Catalog in Vermont. I've ordered plenty of
stuff from them over the years, and have always been pleased.
Not cheap, but not outrageous, and shipping cost is whatever UPS costs from
Vermont to where you live.

Their pretzel salt is the real thing.

http://ww2.kingarthurflour.com/cgibin/htmlos/4112.6.577052766165373350

Ed


Jeff wrote:

> I get a fair number of private emails asking about pretzel salt
> availability.  I was considering buying a bag (25 lb. or 50 or 80,
> whatever it comes in) of it with my next flour order (1250 lbs) and
> selling it to brewers at cost, but then I did a google search and
> found some mail order sources.  Don't know anything about them or
> what shipping would be.  Also can't vouch that what they call pretzel
> salt is the real mccoy, but I assume it is.
> 
> http://www.concessionstands.com/items.asp?Cc=PREACCES 2 lb. jar for $3.82
> 
> http://www.theingredientstore.com/generalstore/misc-800/  5 lbs for $3.70.
> 
> http://www.barryfarm.com/salts.htm 2 lbs. for $1.19
> 




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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 08:35:14 -0400
From: "Jodie Davis" <jodie at ga.prestige.net>
Subject: Pretzel Salt

Jeff and Fellow Pretzel Makers,

The Baker's Catalogue (King Arthur Flour) carries a bunch of varieties
of salt. Here's their pretzel salt:
http://ww2.kingarthurflour.com/cgibin/htmlos/3959.3.2576433146047277014
This catalog is an inspiration for anyone who enjoys baking. Their
unbleached flour is always rated tops and is available at most grocery
stores now.

Jodie Davis
Canton, GA
www.iejodie.com





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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 09:12:39 -0400
From: "Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net>
Subject: Pretzel Salt ???

I saw Jeff's post for pretzel salt.  Reminds me of an incident a few years
ago. I was looking for course grain salt at the local supermarket.  I found
a container of (are you ready?)

Freshly Ground Salt!!!!

It was a glass bottle of course grain salt with a "grinder" top that you
turned to "chew" up the salt as it poured.

I guess they were trying to capitalize on the "freshly ground pepper" craze.

Ah, American entrepreneurs

One never knows, do one?


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





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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 08:31:04 -0500
From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous at pharmacy.wisc.edu>
Subject: 2L Bottle Drip Tray

Hmmm...I thought about a picture but wasn't sure I could do it.

Profile view
  _
/  /    - This is the top of the 2L bottle
|  |     - Tap fits through hole up here.
|  |
|  \____
\_____/   - This is the bottom of the bottle

Note that the screw cap part of the bottle is removed.  You use as much of 
the upper part of the bottle as you can to make sure the tray portion fits 
up against the fridge and the "hanger" extends out enough to hang from the 
hardware of the tap.

View from front?

  ______
/    __    \
|   /    \    |   - Here's the hole the tap fits through.
|   \__/    |
|             |
|  _____  |
\_______/    - Note there is a "tray" left from the bottom of the
                          2 L bottle

How's that?
nathan in madison, wi





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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 06:56:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: David Passaretti <dpassaretti at yahoo.com>
Subject: re: HERMS

I use about 45 feet of 1/2" copper tubing that I wound
around a corny keg. This works very well. I do mostly
single step infusion mashes so the demands on my
system are more to maintain temp than do large
changes.  I tried a mixer in the HLT for a while and
this did drastically increase the efficiency of the
system, but again I do not really need it so I stopped
using it. With my pump at full speed and no stirrer
the recirculating mash usually exits the exchanger at
about 2-3 degrees below the HLT temp (165 to 170). I
think this should be more tha  adequate for any HERMS
system.

David Passaretti



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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 09:33:27 -0700
From: "Parker Dutro" <ezekiel128 at edwardwadsworth.com>
Subject: The fridge

My last post I asked for help and input on a mini fridge I inherited.
Well, I cleaned it up really well, plugged it in, and using an
indoor/outdoor thermometer am monitoring the temp.  When I open it, it
warms up quickly of course, but when it's closed it takes just a couple
minutes to return to the low forties.  Within five it's back to about 37
degrees.  There are four settings, low, med., high, and stop.  On high
it regulates at about 34 degrees (f).  I think that it being empty has a
great deal to do with the colder temps it can achieve right now.  It's
the design where the condenser is running (via a tube) into the actual
fridge, and then is connected directly to the ice tray which hangs from
the top.  So not only does the ice tray get cold enough to make ice, it
also cools the fridge.  Due to the dimensions, I unhooked the ice tray
from the top, bent it down flush with the back wall, and now a standard
6 gallon fermenter will fit comfortably inside.  I believe the reason
for the unit not cooling when it was at school was because the foam plug
that sealed the one inch hole where the condenser tube entered had
deteriorated and was falling off, so there was a nice big hole to let
all the cold air out!  I am still playing with it, but I think it may
work.  I will let it run for a couple days to test it.  Does anyone else
own a small brown Ariston fridge?  What does anyone else use for temp
control?  

Parker Dutro
Portland, Oregon

"Excuse me doctor, but I think I know a little something about
medicine!"
 -Homer Simpson






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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 13:22:02 -0400
From: David Towson <dtowson at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: HERMS project

In HBD 4042, Kirk McDonald asked:

>I am starting on the process of building a PC controlled HERMS.  I am 
>looking for information on the right length, number of turns etc that can 
>be calculated for the heat exchanger? I know I could just do it by trial 
>and error, but if it can be calculated then I would be much happier.

There are several factors you would have to know to perform this 
calculation.  Mash tun size, shape and insulation characteristics combined 
with the temperature difference between the mash and the ambient air will 
determine how fast heat is lost and how fast your heat exchanger must 
replace it.  The surface area, material, placement, orientation and 
convection around the heat exchanger coil combined with the the rate of 
flow and the temperature difference between the mash liquid and the hot 
liquor will determine the rate at which heat is transferred from the hot 
liquor to the mash.  The rate of flow will be primarily determined by how 
fast you can pump without (1) drilling channels through the mash, (2) 
sticking the mash by overly compacting it, (3) caving-in your false bottom 
from too much pressure differential across it, or (4) exceeding the 
capacity of your pump.  It is unlikely that you can quantify all of these 
factors without doing a great deal of testing, which I think is a lot more 
trouble than it's worth.  On the other hand, the rate of flow and 
temperature differential between mash and hot liquor are both easily within 
your control.  So given that your HERMS coil is at least big enough, and 
that you provide a means to bypass the coil when heating is not needed, 
there is no "correct" size for the coil.  You can just adjust the flow and 
HLT temperature to get the desired result.  To get in the coil-size 
ballpark, you might want to have a look at the many designs described on 
the web to see whether you can find a system similar to yours.  A good 
place to start is the following link: 
http://www.barleys.nl/index.htm?homebreweries .  But for right now, I'll 
provide an example here.  I have a 10-gallon rig with an uninsulated 
half-barrel keg as the mash tun.  My coil is about 47 feet of half-inch 
copper tubing with a 9-inch ID and the coil axis vertical.  I have no idea 
what flow rate I use; I have learned from experience how much I can open 
the pump throttling valve without getting into trouble, and that's where I 
set it.  At present, I use a manual bypass valve, but I plan to automate 
this function in a day or two.  With my flow rate (whatever it is) and a 
hot liquor temperature ten degrees F higher than the desired mash 
temperature, I can easily hit my setpoint with the bypass valve partially 
open, and the temp will sit there like the proverbial "house by the side of 
the road".  It only took me a couple brewing sessions to work this out.  So 
I suggest you look at what others have done, and then just build 
it.  You're gonna love it!

Dave in Bel Air, Maryland



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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 11:06:20 -0700
From: "John C. Tull" <jctull at biodiversity.unr.edu>
Subject: Germany/Belgium travel suggestions

I will be traveling to Germany 20 Nov. through 10 Dec. I have visited 
before (mostly Germany), but would like to hit some new spots. My wife 
and I will be bringing our then 7-month daughter, and all of our travel 
will be via train. Therefore, I was wanting to find towns to visit that 
afford train access with limited walking from station to 
Zimmer/Pension/Hotel. My definite hits will be Bacharach (with a day 
trip to Cologne), Berlin (conference site, 5-7 Dec), and Brugge, 
Belgium. My past travel included Bamberg, so we may forego this time.

Any suggestions on places worth seeing would be appreciated, especially 
smaller villages with lots of charm and definite beer-worthiness.

Cheers,
John C. Tull



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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 12:39:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: Carson Saunders <carson_saunders at yahoo.com>
Subject: Another first batch question

First, thanks to everyone who responded to my earlier
post about speedy fermentation.  I just bottled that
batch on Saturday and tasted it as well.  Turns out
everyone was right.  The beer didn't taste bad, but
did taste rather fruity, I assume from the esters
produced because of the high fermentation temperature
(that's what all the responses said).  My question is
this, is there anything I can do after the fact (i.e
after bottling) to reduce or combat these fruity
flavors?  

Thanks
Carson Saunders



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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 20:18:43 -0400
From: "Angie and Reif Hammond" <arhammond at attbi.com>
Subject: Pretzel Salt

I have ordered pretzel salt from King Arthur Flour:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com

$3.25/lb.  Not as good as Jeff's prices, but I have always been
satisfied with stuff I have ordered from them.  To find it, search on
pretzel in the online catalog.  The also sell a soft pretzel mix, but I
have never tried it - I prefer Jeff's "all grain" approach over premixed
ingredients.

Reif Hammond
Durham, NH




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