HOMEBREW Digest #4071 Sat 19 October 2002


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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  big holes in stainless (Andrew Larkin)
  re:  Drilling Holes in SS ("Jonathan Royce")
  Re: White bottle scum (ammonia) (Martin_Brungard)
  re: Brass and Counter pressure bottle fillers (Paul Kensler)
  Conical Construction ("Christian Rausch")
  Basil Wit (Chris Collier)
  Measuring Hops Acids (AJ)
  Re: Homebrew for Sale? (Mark Kempisty)
  Magnetic pumps (Demonick)
  Drilling (Road Frog)
  SS driling ("Michael O'Donnell")
  Re: White bottle scum (Cameron LiDestri)
  Drilling Conicals (Chuck Doucette)
  The gospel of mash pH (Kevin Crouch)
  white stuff in clean bottles (Jeff & Ellen)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 01:22:04 -0700 (PDT) From: Andrew Larkin <aj_larkin at yahoo.com> Subject: big holes in stainless A unibit is a good way to go. A couple of tips for drilling stainless: (1) Press hard and use very low rpm to avoid work-hardening the metal. (2) Use a good quality cutting oil. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 04:46:11 -0700 (PDT) From: "Jonathan Royce" <jtroyce at directvinternet.com> Subject: re: Drilling Holes in SS Jim Yeagley wrote: Just so happens I've been discussing the same thing at work for the past couple days. It's called a "Greenley" or some other spelling that sounds the same. I've been told they work great on sheet metal, but I have serious doubts about their abilities to crunch through stainless. Actually, they are called "Greenleaf punches", but this is just like calling facial tissues, "Kleenex". Greenleaf is a company that makes these devices, which are generally known as "Knockout Punches". You can see a bunch of examples on http://www.mcmaster.com. Just do a search for "Round Hole Knockout Punches". It sounds from comments like those made by Pete Czerpak that this method will work on SS--and the knockout punches do produce very professional, burr-free holes (at least on the sheet metal electrical enclosures that we have been building at work). The downside to knockout punches is that they are relatively expensive, and they require a hole to be drilled anyway to make room for the threaded stud. This is best done with a Unibit (AKA step drill), and as mentioned by John Maylone, these devices are already pretty expensive. However, IMO the step bit plus knockout will produce the most professional-looking hole. (IOW, you get what you pay for). Good luck! I'm interested to hear which method you chose and how it worked out. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 08:43:08 -0400 From: Martin_Brungard at URSCorp.com Subject: Re: White bottle scum (ammonia) Al Boyce observed a white coating on bottles after an ammonia solution soak. This is just a hard water deposit on the glass. Ammonia creates a very basic solution in water. The magnesium and calcium that were happily in solution in the tap water were forced to precipitate from the solution and plate on anything the solution touched. The same thing happens when using a bleach solution with moderately hard to hard waters. Keep in mind that hard water deposits also end up in your fermenting vessel or any other brewing implement if you use bleach or ammonia solutions and you have anything other than relatively soft water. I've found that distilled vinegar is effective at removing the hard water deposits. Martin Brungard Tallahassee, FL Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 06:29:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Paul Kensler <paul_kensler at yahoo.com> Subject: re: Brass and Counter pressure bottle fillers Dan Listermann said: "I don't know where he gets the idea that beer will erode chrome plating." in reference to a recent BYO article and discussion on brass and beer. My two cents, for the "what its worth" column: I have a four-tap system at home and I've noticed that all of my hardware has lost its chrome plating where it comes in constant contact with beer. It is most noticeable on the tailpieces: the flat part of the tail - the part inside the nut where the gasket goes - is completely exposed brass, as is the inside "pipe" of the tail piece. The outside is still perfect looking chrome. I've often wondered if this would cause off-flavors, but figured that it must happen to everybody so I didn't exactly worry about it. I can't say I detect any metallic or stale flavors in the beer, but then again I've never compared the same beer side by side, dispensed out of exposed brass vs. all-SS or picnic faucets. Cheers, Paul Kensler Gaithersburg, MD Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 10:00:49 -0400 From: "Christian Rausch" <christian at rauschbiercompany.com> Subject: Conical Construction Thanks to Jay Spies for sparking the idea, I have started the process of constructing a SS Conical fermentation tank. John at Toledo Metal Spinning was very nice and answered any questions I had. I am constructing a 21.5 Gallon tank. I have a source for welding a sweet aluminum stand for the tank, and with conduit punches I am going to install the necessary bulk heads. Does anyone have any ideas for the lid seal? I had thought of maybe using a bicycle inner tube. For one it could be inflated to ensure a good seal, but I am not sure how well it can be sanitized. Thanks for any feed back. If anyone is interested this setup when doing it yourself should save you about $350 dollars when compaired to purchasing a ready made conical, I will find out for sure as the project continues. Cheers! Christian Rausch Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 10:20:22 -0400 From: Chris Collier <CCollier at lanierclothes.com> Subject: Basil Wit Eric Lande asks about herb beers. In particular rosemary and basil. I recently made a Basil Wit and I thought it turned out quite well. I added 1/2 oz of fresh Thai basil and 1/2 oz of regular basil in the last 15 mins of the boil with fresh orange peel and coriander. It was a big hit with my friends. The next time I would use a little less - maybe 3/4 oz total. The basil blended well with the wheat and the citrusy flavor of the orange. Obviously, I went for flavor and aroma instead of bitterness. Give it a try and I love to hear the results. Chris Collier Atlanta GA Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 14:23:23 +0000 From: AJ <ajdel at mindspring.com> Subject: Measuring Hops Acids Mike Rogers asked about measuring hops acidity levels. The process isn't very difficult if you have access to a lab but is otherwize impractical. A sample of ground hops is extracted by shaking in toluene for half an hour (equipment requirement: shaker and extraction bottle). The extract is diluted (equipment requirement: volumetric flasks, graduated cylinders) with methanol and the absorbtion measured at three ultraviolet wavelengths (equipment requirement: UV or UV/Vis spectrophotometer, cuvets). These readings are compared to a toluene/methanol blank and the adjusted results stuck into a couple of equations which yield the alpha and beta acid contents of the hops. I still remember a Pils I did with some old Saaz I'd had in the freezer for some time. The usual degradation formula predicted that the hops would have lost half their acidity and measurement confirmed that indeed they had. I calculated the additions based on this. The beer wound up at 70 IBU, not quite twice what I was shooting for. I still remember one of the guys in my club. When he could move his lips again, he uttered the single word "crisp" and moved off. Actually, when that batch had lagered for about a year it was darn good. A.J. - -- A.J. deLange CT Project Manager Zeta Associates 10302 Eaton Place Fairfax, VA 22030 (703) 359 8696 855 0905 ajdel at mindspring.com Pager Email: 4675963 at skytel.com or go to www.skytel.com for custom replies Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 10:29:57 -0400 From: Mark Kempisty <kempisty at pav.research.panasonic.com> Subject: Re: Homebrew for Sale? There is a small chain of pizza shops around Philadelphia, PA that had draft beer but avoided a liquor license. They did so by asking if you wanted a glass of beer but not charging for it. It was BudMillOors so taxes to the point of their getting the keg were covered. They have since gotten their licenses and now charge the going rate. Just my $0.02. Take care, Mark Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 07:41:58 -0700 From: Demonick <demonick at zgi.com> Subject: Magnetic pumps Whatever pump you end up buying, I suggest a self-priming one. My experiences with a small magnetic pump that was NOT self-priming was poor, and I no longer use it. One reason to use a pump is to forego the issues of siphoning. A non-self-priming pump requires a siphon to get it started. This topic has come up before and other opinions differ :-) 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 Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 08:21:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Road Frog <road_frog_run at yahoo.com> Subject: Drilling I got a step drill for drill holes in my kegs. Worked great! $12 eBay! Lost in Southern Middle TN, Glyn Crossno Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 08:33:40 -0700 From: "Michael O'Donnell" <mooseo at stanford.edu> Subject: SS driling Ditto this... I used this same setup for going through a Sanke... punch a dimple to hold the pilot bit on center and use some cutting oil. I did it with a big hand drill and it took about 3 minutes / hole. cheers, mike At 12:33 AM 10/18/2002 -0400, you wrote: >Jay, > >Just use a 7/8 hole saw. It attaches to your drill, and it drills >a small hole first which then guides you through. Milwaukee is a >good brand and make sure you get a bi-metal bit. It will be a lot >easier if you have a drill press and a friend or two to hold the >hopper while drilling, but you can do it with a hand drill. >I had my welder drill my SS mashtun with me holding the pot, but >my alu pot I did myself with the help of a friend. Admittedly alu >is a heck of a lot easier than SS. > >cheers, > -Alan Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 10:29:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Cameron LiDestri <clidestri at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: White bottle scum > Subject: White bottle scum I have all their albums! ===== -Cam Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 11:08:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Chuck Doucette <cdoucette61 at yahoo.com> Subject: Drilling Conicals It sounds like John Maylone bought his step drill from Sears. Check out www.use-enco.com. Navigate to the Hot Deals page and look at page 75 under cutting tools. They have a set of three step drills that are titanium nitride coated for 44.95. They also have individual ones for much less. This is the way I made the holes in my 1/2 gal. sankes. I drilled a starter hole, although the step drill is a self starting one. I don't know how thick the TMS conicals are, but I was able to drill two holes without using any cutting oil or lube. Personally, I would not use a Greenley chassis punch to cut the hole. They are great for punching aluminum and light gauge steel chassis, but they dull very quickly when used on thicker and harder materials. They are also fairly high priced for something that will only make one size hole and only in thin materials. Just my opinion. Chuck Doucette O'Fallon, IL. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 13:27:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Kevin Crouch <kcrouching at yahoo.com> Subject: The gospel of mash pH Regarding the gospel of pH and astringency, I have my own completely unscientific anecdotal evidence to add to the discussion. I average around 100 ppm HC03 in my brewing water, which if left untreated will yield a mash pH to well over 6. For years I didn't treat it because it sounded like too much work, but I never noticed an astringency that could be considered a defect. When I began treating my water with Gypsum and pre-boiling it, I noticed that my mash pH came down to around 5.6 and my beers do seem to have a fuller, richer flavor. This tells me that what is commonly refered to as astringency might be more of a masking effect rather than a perceptible defect. I did, however, push this astringency well beyond the threshold once. My buddy and I brewed a Scotch ale a few years back, and for some reason (possibley poor Ph and ion levels) we got a terrible yield. Instead of accepting less beer, we ran down to the shop and got some more grain and mashed this grain WITH the old grain, figuring it still had more goodness to give up. We came up with, not only a new style of beer, "Floor-cleaner", but an entirely new category "Multiple Use Beers". The beer tasted lik Minwax, I mean the phenoloic aroma was so strong you could smell it through the airlock. The reason why I believe this was tannin related and not an infection, is that over time (1 year) the beer brightened up and the astringency disappeared. Kevin Crouch Vancouver, WA Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 19:53:05 -0400 From: Jeff & Ellen <JeffNGladish at ij.net> Subject: white stuff in clean bottles Alan Boyce wrote, "I have removed labels from bottles with ammonia in the past, and on some of these bottles I find that there is a white powdery residue that remains - resistant to ordinary rinsing and rinsing with iodophor. Has anyone else experienced this?" Yeah, what is that stuff? Could it be residue from the metallic foil wrappers on the necks of some of the bottles? It doesn't seem to change the flavor of the beer, but it is a major concern when bottling a hard-brewed beer. Jeff Gladish, Tampa, FL Return to table of contents
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