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FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
Italian cappers - why? (TOLLEY Matthew)
Re: Removing Beer Labels ("Scott D. Braker-Abene")
Gott (Alan McKay)
RE: Beer Line through a refigerator ("Christian Rausch")
Brewhouse efficiency ("Michael Maag")
Re:DCL yeasts (Paul Edwards)
re. DCL yeasts ("John Misrahi")
re: dusty base malt ("Nathaniel P. Lansing")
Competition Announcements (David Harsh)
Re: DCL yeasts (Brian Lundeen)
Basement Brewing with propane burner ("Romanowsky, Paul")
Re: DCL Yeast Strains ("Drew Avis")
Capper and other tools (Bob Hall)
Re: BJCP Levels (Alan Monaghan)
Re: LBHS Chatter ("Sven Pfitt")
CARBOY Shamrock Open - March 15, 2003 ("Mike Dixon")
Re: Gott Cooler Question (Mark Kempisty)
Time everywhere but not enough of it. (Mark Kempisty)
Re: LBHS Chatter; Dry yeast is a joke (Bill Wible)
Beer lines through a refrigerator (LJ Vitt)
removing labels (jayspies)
Gott cooler questions (LJ Vitt)
DCL yeast ("Stephen Cavan")
overcarbonation ("Berggren, Stefan")
ANN: Reggale and Dredhop Homebrew Competition ("John J. Allison")
Jet Engines cools beer ("Romanowsky, Paul")
RE: kit wines and RO Water ("Mike Sharp")
Removing Beer Labels - DON'T MIX CASCADE WITH AMMONIA (Charles)
Grain mill feedback (Rod Tussing)
10 gallon system recommendations (jim williams)
Catching up -- DCL and shopping ("Joseph Gerteis")
My first mead / melomel ("Andy Mikesell")
9th Annual Boston Homebrew Competition - March 8, 2003 ("John B. Doherty")
DCL Yeast Strains ("Mike Racette")
Chimay in the NY times ("Chris Eidson")
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Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 15:51:38 +1100
From: TOLLEY Matthew <matthew.tolley at atsic.gov.au>
Subject: Italian cappers - why?
Hayes Antony <HayesA at aforbes.co.za> wrote:
>...I see that cappers all seem to be made in Italy.
>Does anyone have any idea why? Italy does not have
>a big homebrew community as far as I know.
Tomato sauce. One day a year, the whole family gets together to make fresh
tomato sauce. In Australia, it's usually put into 750ml beer bottles with a
couple of fresh basil leaves, sealed using crown seals and a bench capper,
then simmered in a 44-gallon drum of water over a wood fire in the back
yard.
Cheers!
....Matt...
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 04:58:13 -0800 (PST)
From: "Scott D. Braker-Abene" <skotrat at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Removing Beer Labels
One easy way..
Ammonia. Works great...
Second easy way.
Buy a kegging system and never bottle again. This really worked well for me.
C'ya!
-Scott
=====
"The broken seats in empty rows, It all belongs to me you know"
- P. Townshend
http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat - Skotrats Beer Page
http://www.brewrats.org - BrewRats HomeBrew Club
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:11:58 -0500
From: Alan McKay <amckay at neap.net>
Subject: Gott
Tom,
To do over I would not buy any Gotts at all, or coolers for that matter.
The inner linings are very then and tend to pucker at mash temps. It
is really only a cosmetic thing mind you, but still. I would get myself
a regular white brewing bucket, and hull it in blue camping foam. Make
sure you get a camping pad that says "closed cell". I can put beer and
ice in my mashtun :
http://tinyurl.neap.net/index.php?k=2dc190f7b1079ed3ba415ba270e313f1
on Saturday morning, and on Monday morning the beer is still ice cold.
Plus the plastic bucket is usually 25 to 30 litres (5 gallons is 20)
so you have more room for high gravity mashes. And the plastic of the
white bucket is a lot thicker so no buckling or puckering.
cheers,
-Alan
- --
http://www.bodensatz.com/
The Beer Site
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:17:51 -0500
From: "Christian Rausch" <christian at rauschbiercompany.com>
Subject: RE: Beer Line through a refigerator
William Menzl Asked:
"The major reason for direct feed is cleaning but he is concerned about
damage to the beer line by the hole in the refrigerator. Anyone have any
better ideas?"
William,
I have a bar in my basement (Pictures found here
http://rauschbiercompany.com/rgh.html) and I did the same thing. I have a
frig on the back side of my tap wall. The route I took was to take a 2" Hole
saw bit through the back of the frig as high as I could get it. Then I used
pipe insulation from the local home depot. They make fiberglass and a foam
rubber. I chose the foam rubber. I then squeezed it into the 2" hole. The
beer lines feed through that then into the shanks. I also ran this
insulation up to and over the shank to aid in keeping the beer in the lines
a little colder. I did something similar on the side of my frig were I fed
the nitrogen and co2 to the kegs. By keeping the tanks out of the frig I can
have four kegs (cornys) in the frig at one time. I estimate that when I
modify the door on the frig I may be able to get a 5th keg in there.
Hope this helps.
Christian Rausch
http://rauschbiercompany.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:33:36 -0500
From: "Michael Maag" <MichaelMaag at doli.state.va.us>
Subject: Brewhouse efficiency
I got a OG of 1.061 using 11 lbs of 2 row (yield points/lb/gal= 79)
and 11 lbs of Munich (yield points/lb/gal= 75).
Batch size 10 gal.
What is my brewhouse efficiency? (please list the formula, not
"plug it in to ProMash" )
Cheers!
Mike Maag, arithmatically challenged in the Shenandoah Valley.
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:37:34 -0500
From: Paul Edwards <pedwards at iquest.net>
Subject: Re:DCL yeasts
Dan Listerman wrote:
"When I read about K-97 and S-189, I had our buyer look into seeing what it
would take to get some in here. The DCL strains are working out great. He
called Crosby & Baker, our usual supplier of these products, who told him
that K-97 and S-189 were the 500g brick forms of S-04 and S-23 respectively.
>>From this information, it would seem, there is no need to break down bricks
to smaller quantities beyond, perhaps, a cost perspective."
I found this info on the DCL website (http://www.dclyeast.co.uk/),
however, which indicates that C&B is incorrect in their assertions:
S-23:
This bottom fermenting yeast originates from the VLB (Berlin) in
Germany and is known under the code RH. The strain is used by
Western European commercial breweries and has been reported to
produce lagers with some fruity and estery notes.
Sedimentation: high.
Final gravity: medium.
S-189:
Originating from the Hurlimann brewery in Switzerland but also
registered at Weihenstephan under the reference 195, this very popular
strain is used by a large number of commercial breweries. Selected for its
fairly neutral flavour development, this yeast is recommended for a wide
range of lager and pilsen beers.
Sedimentation: high.
Final gravity: medium.
S-04:
A well-known, commercial English ale yeast, selected for its fast
fermentation character and its ability to form a very
compact sediment at the end of the fermentation, helping to
improve beer clarity. This yeast is recommended for the
production of a large range of ale beers and is especially well
adapted to cask-conditioned ales and fermentation in
cylindro-conical tanks.
Sedimentation: high.
Final gravity: medium.
Recommended temperature range: 18 deg C - 24 deg C.
Recommended pitching rate: 50 g/hl to 80 g/hl.
K-97:
A German ale yeast selected for its ability to form a large firm
head when fermenting. This top cropping ale yeast is suitable for top
fermented beers and can be used for Belgian type wheat beers.
Sedimentation: low.
Final gravity: low.
Recommended temperature range: 18 deg C - 24 deg C
Recommended pitching rate: 50 g/hl to 80 g/hl.
- ---------------
Cheers!
- --Paul Edwards
Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
"We tap kegs, not phones"
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:02:13 -0500
From: "John Misrahi" <lmoukhin at sprint.ca>
Subject: re. DCL yeasts
Dan Listermann wrote about S-189 and s-23 being the same yeast, just the
designations for a 500gram brick and a regular packet (probably 11.5grams).
I have not tried either of these yet (but ordered a few the other day), but
I'm sure a lot of the Members of Barleyment club guys would strongly
disagree. I believe the consensus is that s-23 is a much less 'clean' lager
yeast. Maybe one of them can chime in and clarify. Drew? Pat?
John Misrahi
Montreal, Canada
[892, 63] Apparent Rennerian (km)
Seen on a tee shirt - "The internet is full. Go away!"
"Ah, Billy Beer... we elected the wrong Carter." -Homer Simpson
"Fryer oil is like underwear, it needs to be changed once in a while or it
breaks down" - Andrew Perron
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:02:21 -0500
From: "Nathaniel P. Lansing" <delbrew at compuserve.com>
Subject: re: dusty base malt
My WAG as to why a particular bag was excessively dusty
or floury is; probably as they filled the bagging machine
a few tons of malt fell into the hopper grinding/crushing the
first layer at the bottom. So the first bag or two would be a
bit dustier by happenstance. If we were getting sweepings
dusty bags would be more frequent. Another possibility
is that if the particular bag was on/off a truck multiple times
as it was tossed around there was some natural crushing
and abrading of the malt.(was that bag shipped by UPS?)
That they would seperate "homebrew" malt from "brewery"
malt is far fetched; I receive malt from the same wholesaler
as the brewpub, I'm sure they don't have the time
or space to stock two grades of all the malts.
NL
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:07:56 -0500
From: David Harsh <dharsh at fuse.net>
Subject: Competition Announcements
Donald Hellen <donhellen at horizonview.net> asks:
> I would like to see homebrew competition announcements made here to be
> made at
> least 2 months before the competition. That's cutting it close if
> someone were to make a barleywine or imperial stout, but it would give
> someone who is making a lighter ale or lager enough time to brew
> especially for that competition.
I certainly agree that in a perfect world, that would be nice.
However, announcements generally aren't made to give you the lead time
to brew. Any reasonable barleywine takes a minimum of 6 months
anyway, if not a year.
If you pay attention, you'll notice that many clubs have competitions
at the same time every year. (Duck! Shameless plugs coming!) The
Bloatarian Brewing League (BBL), for example, hosts Beer and Sweat, the
world's first and probably only all-keg homebrew competition every
August and this year its on August 23rd (and details will eventually be
at http://hbd.org/bloat). There's also an annual Bockfest competition
near the end of February (and details of that one will be on the
website as soon as they are available). The Cincinnati Malt Infusers
(CMI) have their annual "Oktobersbest" competition every October. The
Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists (DRAFT) usually have
one in September. That's not including the clubs in Lexington,
Louisville, Southern Indiana, Indianapolis, Columbus, Huntington, etc.
that also host competitions with some regularity. (CMI and DRAFT have
websites on the hbd)
My point is that here in the Cincinnati area, we have at least four
competitions that we can plan for every year, not to mention others I
can't think of off the top of my head. I'm willing to bet there are
similar annual events in your area - ask around!
Dave Harsh Cincinnati, OH
Recently deposed ex-president and happy about it Bloatarian Brewing
League
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:20:22 -0600
From: Brian Lundeen <BLundeen at rrc.mb.ca>
Subject: Re: DCL yeasts
Dan Listermann writes:
> When I read about K-97 and S-189, I had our buyer look into
> seeing what it would take to get some in here. The DCL
> strains are working out great. He called Crosby & Baker, our
> usual supplier of these products, who told him that K-97 and
> S-189 were the 500g brick forms of S-04 and S-23 respectively.
I think somebody is pulling somebody's leg. From the DCL web site, let's
compare:
S-189:
Originating from the Hurlimann brewery in Switzerland but also registered at
Weihenstephan under the reference 195, this very popular strain is used by a
large number of commercial breweries. Selected for its fairly neutral
flavour development, this yeast is recommended for a wide range of lager and
pilsen beers.
S-23:
This bottom fermenting yeast originates from the VLB (Berlin) in Germany and
is known under the code RH. The strain is used by Western European
commercial breweries and has been reported to produce lagers with some
fruity and estery notes.
(Doesn't look like the same yeast to me, continuing on...)
K-97:
A German ale yeast selected for its ability to form a large firm head when
fermenting. This top cropping ale yeast is suitable for top fermented beers
and can be used for Belgian type wheat beers.
S-04:
A well-known, commercial English ale yeast, selected for its fast
fermentation character and its ability to form a very compact sediment at
the end of the fermentation, helping to improve beer clarity. This yeast is
recommended for the production of a large range of ale beers and is
especially well adapted to cask-conditioned ales and fermentation in
cylindro-conical tanks.
Again, Dan, no comparison, unless DCL is just outright misrepresenting these
yeasts. Hey, wait, maybe that's why they don't want retailers re-packaging
their yeasts. I mean, they could open up a package of K-97 right beside a
package of S-04 and go, "Hey, what's the deal? They look exactly alike.
Those buggers sold me the same yeast under two different names!" Yeah,
that's the ticket. ;-)
Cheers
Brian Lundeen
Brewing at [819 miles, 313.8 deg] aka Winnipeg
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:24:26 -0500
From: "Romanowsky, Paul" <paul.romanowsky at siemens.com>
Subject: Basement Brewing with propane burner
I see posts now and then where home brewers mention their basement brewery.
To them, I have a question. Are you brewing with a propane burner in your
basement?? If YES, what type of ventilation do you have?
I recently go hold of a 170,000 BTU King Kooker unit and will be moving to
all grain soon. I would like to brew in my basement, problem is that I have
only 2 small basement type window down there. No bilco doors or other
openings to the outside. I feel that I could mount fans to these windows
but don't know if that would provide sufficient ventilation. If this is a
no go then I guess I will be brewing outside or in the garage. Your
feedback on this will be more than welcome.
AND to Jason on removing labels from bottles: Didn't see this in any of the
replies to your post so I'll add my 2 cents. I soak my bottles in a large
laundry sink with hot water and Oxyclean. Don't know the quantity of
Oxyclean I just throw a few scoops in. It works great for me on all sorts
of labels so far. Does a nice job on the inside of the labels too. A
friend gave me a case of very old GENESEE, (anybody remember that brand),
bottles that sat in his basement for close to 20 years. The inside bottoms
had some nasty type of build up in them. It took a few hours but the
Oxyclean removed it all, (had to use a bottle brush slightly on a few). You
can go to Costco's warehouse club or a Sam's Club and buy this stuff pretty
damm cheap in a large bucket.
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 09:41:08 -0500
From: "Drew Avis" <andrew_avis at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: DCL Yeast Strains
Dan Listermann's contact at C&B tells him that the DCL strains K-97 and
S-189 are equivalent to S-04 and S-23, just available in brick form. Dan,
either your contact is mistaken, or DCL is carrying out a very mis-leading
marketing scheme. I suspect the former, given that I've brewed w/ three of
these yeasts and noticed a difference right away between S-189 and S-23.
The beer I tasted made with K-97 tasted nothing like what I usually get with
S-04.
The DCL web site says that K-97 is a German ale yeast, while S-04 is of
English origin, and S-23 is German while S-189 is Swiss (see
http://www.dclyeast.co.uk/DCL_Main/main_brewing/indbrew_index.htm for
example).
And finally, S-04 and S-23 are also available in 500 gr bricks, not just 11
gr packs.
Cheers!
Drew Avis, Member of Barleyment for Greater Merrickville ~
http://barleyment.neap.net
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:01:25 -0500
From: Bob Hall <rallenhall at toast.net>
Subject: Capper and other tools
Mike Sharp notes - "Now, if you have a prohibition capper like I do (two,
actually), it will _never_ break. Hardened machined steel dies, not spun
sheetmetal. Machined rack and pinon gear, not a metal on plastic lever. Oh
yeah!"
I totally agree ... they don't make'em like they used to. Look for old
cappers at auctions and antique malls. I've purchased two ... one for $10
at an antique store and the other for $2 at a farm auction. The lady who'd
bid $1.50 seemed appalled that I planned to put it back into production
instead of using it as a doorstop. Had she known, I'm sure I'd have had to
pay $3.
I've picked up another toy over the holidays that I'd like to report, the
Polder 3-in-1 digital thermometer, scale, and timer. It has a glass stage,
weighs to four pounds/ six oz. in 1/8 oz. increments (or 2000 grams in 1
gram increments) and has an add'n'weigh (tare) function. The thermometer is
an adequate length probe and can be set for F or C. The timer has a 99 min,
59 sec. countdown. The unit runs on a 9v battery.
Picked it up for $18 at the Spiegel outlet store at Birch Run, MI. I think
the retail was supposed to around $60, but you know how that goes. Have
brewed once since New Years, and the scale was really handy for both malt
and hops measurements.
Bob Hall,
Napoleon, OH
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:05:00 -0500
From: Alan Monaghan <AlanM at Gardnerweb.com>
Subject: Re: BJCP Levels
This is in reference to the test itself.
While I understand the problems and the needs of the many on this, I must
say that having to hand write that many pages is a pain the butt. I work
with computers 12 hours a day and I have not written more than a thank you
note in more that 20 years. I feel that you should be allowed a portable
computer w/ word on it and a printer of your providing to take the test.
Now, I know that there are cheaters everywhere, but I would think that
something like this, what is the point. I have worked hard, studied hard and
I just can't write like that. My last test was awful. I couldn't even read
the last part. I really appreciate the judge that took the time to try and
help me by grading my test.
I would like to see something that would help in this regard.
Thanks.
Be like water my friend ...
Alan G. Monaghan
MCSE+I - Win4.0; MCSE - Win2k
BJCP # C0389 (Recognized)
Gardner Publications, Inc.
Internet Administrator
* Phone 1-513-527-8867
* Fax 1-513-527-8801
* Cell 1-513-378-0919
* E-mail AlanM at Gardnerweb.com <mailto:AlanM at Gardnerweb.com>
5 URL http://Bullwinkle.GardnerWeb.Com/
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:13:57 -0500
From: "Sven Pfitt" <the_gimp98 at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: LBHS Chatter
Bill responded to Alan on the virtue of wine making vs Brewing
... snip...
>Alan,
>
>I know exactly how you feel on this. Unfortunately, the
>'wine side' of the homebrew business is where all the
>business is now. 4 or 5 years ago, it might have been
>all beer. Not now. I probably have 8 or 9 wine guys
>for every beer guy here, and from what I hear, this is
>pretty much a national trend.
He goes on to state that (1) the price of home made wine to commercial is
much greater than the price of homebrew vs commercial, (2) it takes much
less effort to make the wine than beer, and (3) it takes much less time to
make wine than beer.
(1) As far as the price goes, I make mostly beer that costs me in the range
of $3-$5 per bottle. That works out to $144 to $240 a 5 gallon batch
equivalent. If I brew ten gallons instead, it is 288-480 a batch. Talk about
cost effective! My last brew session was ten gallons of Delerium Tremens
Clone (comparing WLP500 and WY1214 in 5 gallons each) plus 5 gallons of
Golden Dragon clone. Were hitting on close to $600 worth of beer in a 11
hour all grain brewing session.
(2) Takes much less effort to make wine than beer. So what. I like beer.
Tried wine and it messes with my stomach.
(3) Takes less time to make wine than beer. So what, I like beer.
Brewing is the biggest time consumer,and the rest of the ajunct time like
bottling I do whenever I get the chance. Beer can set in secondary off the
majority of the yeast for months without having problems, so it can wait.
As far as other hobbies to, We all have to decide what our priorities are.
Our local brew club has grown from about ten regular attendees two years ago
to over 35 per meeting. At least locally, brewing is on the upswing.
There are always those who get into hobbies as the latest fad, only to drop
it in a few months or years and go onto something else. I've been making
wine since 1969 when the Head of Houshold had to have a BATF license to make
it for home consumption. I have been making beer since 1976. The popularity
of wine and beer have always been in flux as hobbies.
I doubt seriously that homebrewing is going to go away any time soon.
Steven, -75 XLCH- Ironhead Nano-Brewery http://thegimp.8k.com
Johnson City, TN [422.7, 169.2] Rennerian
"Fools you are... who say you like to learn from your mistakes.... I prefer
to learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the cost of my own." Otto von
Bismarck
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:22:40 -0500
From: "Mike Dixon" <mpdixon at ipass.net>
Subject: CARBOY Shamrock Open - March 15, 2003
Since it was requested that comps be posted a couple of months ahead of
time....
CARBOY is proud to announce the 7th Annual CARBOY Shamrock Open to be held
March 15, 2003 in Raleigh, NC. Entries should be shipped for arrival prior
to March 7. Entry fees are $6 for the first entry and $5 for each
additional entry. Entry forms and additional information can be found at
http://www.hbd.org/carboy/shamrock.htm
The event is registered with both the AHA and the BJCP. Judges and Stewards
are always appreciated and welcomed.
Cheers,
Mike
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:30:16 -0500
From: Mark Kempisty <kempisty at pav.research.panasonic.com>
Subject: Re: Gott Cooler Question
Tom wrote:
I've recently decided it's time to step up to all-grain. I'd like to
purchase
a Gott cooler as a mash/lauter tun. I'm having difficulty finding
Rubbermaid's
"Gott" line anywhere. I'm not sure if the "Victory" line can withstand
the
high...
Wal-Mart usually has the 5-gallon size. If you can get the 10-gallon
one, go for it. I wish I had.
The key difference to look for is a molded inside liner verses a
thermoplastic one. The thermoplastic will have large radius curves in
it where as the molded one will have tighter ones. If you click the
edge of the thermoplastic liner with your thumbnail it makes a higher
pitch (even cheap sounding) click.
www.kempisty.net has a page showing how I made the bulkhead fitting for
my Gott. Click on the link for Cooler Conversion.
- --
Take care,
Mark
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:41:28 -0500
From: Mark Kempisty <kempisty at pav.research.panasonic.com>
Subject: Time everywhere but not enough of it.
Bill Wible (whose shop I do frequent) notes about time and the lack of
it.
I have to agree with him. With work, kids, house, other hobbies (yes,
there are others ;-) ) I do have to plan ahead to brew. I try to get up
early on Saturday so an all-grain session can be done by 11 or 12 but I
am not always successful. I have not done an extract beer in a while
but I am not ruling it out.
But that is also what hobbies are about. Doing something for your own
personal satisfaction even if you could buy it or have it done for you.
- --
Take care,
Mark
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:55:09 -0500
From: Bill Wible <bill at brewbyyou.net>
Subject: Re: LBHS Chatter; Dry yeast is a joke
> Hey Bill, what kinda yeast are you making
> all that wine with? ;>)
>
Funny you should ask...
Both Wyeast and White Labs make liquid wine yeast.
In the beginning I was using the dry packets that
come in the kits. They make decent wine. I haven't
noticed the phenolics with wine that you get with
beer, and I don't have the complaints about dry wine
yeast that I have with dry beer yeast.
All the dry wine yeast I get is either Red Star
or Lalvin. Both have great reputations. The
kits all come with Red Star.
I recently made one of the 'big red' wine kits
using Wyeast liquid Pasteur Red wine yeast. I
had previously made this same kit with Red Star
dry yeast. I had the opportunity to compare
bottles from both batches, side by side. No
comparison. The liquid yeast batch was much
better.
There are more variables with wine - oak, aging,
the type of wine, etc. Again, I don't want to come
off as some kind of wine guy, I'm still hard core
beer, and I don't know as much about wine yet as I
need to. I make the wine because it is cheaper,
and it is great to have on hand for gifts, parties,
etc.
I don't have as much problem with the dry wine
yeast as I do the dry beer yeast. I will use the
dry wine yeast. But I still prefer liquid, even
with wine.
Some people who make wine don't use any yeast at
all. They crush their grapes and let them ferment
naturally, from whatever micro-organisms happened
to be on the grapes from the field when they were
picked. And people have been doing this for
centuries.
I guess yeast isn't as big a deal with wine as
it is with beer? Other experiences?
Bill
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:26:49 -0800 (PST)
From: LJ Vitt <lvitt4 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Beer lines through a refrigerator
William Menzl asked about ideas for putting beer lines trhough a refrigerter
wall.
Be aware - there are coils for the coolant in the side walls and the
back. Unless you know the exact design of the frig, I don't think
you can put a hole through these walls without the possibility of
destroying the frig.
The door however, doesn't have any. I have seen a few frigs with
taps mounted directly through the door. Get the metal taps that
we meant to mount on something. The beer line will feed through
the mount. I just looked at the web site www.morebeer.com. Put
the word faucet into the product search and found the parts I have
in mind.
A Faucet Shank will reach through the door.
A faucet is needed on the outside - brass or chrome are listed.
Your beer line needs to attach to the inside and have enough length
to allow the door to be opened while attached to the keg.
You can put one or more of these on the door of the frig.
=====
Leo Vitt
Rochester MN
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 17:37:35 +0000
From: jayspies at att.net
Subject: removing labels
All -
This works for me (at least back when I used to bottle)...
Put bottles in a sturdy container and sprinkle a generous amount of TSP
(Trisodium Phosphate) around the bottles. Fill the bottles and the
aforementioned container with hot water. In 1 or 2 days, simply lift the
clean bottles out of the solution. (Then rinse 'em, they'll be slick...)
TSP is an industrial degreaser, and if left to soak for a day or two will
completely remove labels, glue, ink, and skin. Even the metallic nasty Sam
Adams labels slough off. Try to avoid prolonged (> 10 min) contact with
skin, 'cause it'll take off a layer of that, too...... Find it in the paint
section of Home Despot or the like...
BTW, for the ultimate ease of removal, just drink Bass. Those labels come off
after an hour under plain 'ol tap water.
.02
Jay Spies
Charm City Altobrewery
Baltimore, MD
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:40:08 -0800 (PST)
From: LJ Vitt <lvitt4 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Gott cooler questions
Tom is having trouble finding a Gott cooler and asked
about Rubbermaids Victory line.
My mash tun cooler just says Rubbermaid. It is ten gal.
I do have minor warping of the internal surface. It does not
affect the function.
Five gallon verses 10 gal:
Your grain quantity is more limited with a five gallon cooler.
There are plenty of people using them and as long as their beers
never need more grain than 12 lbs (I'm guessing) they are in a
good possition. With my 10 gal cooler, I am comfortable with
any amount up to 20 lbs. After 20 lbs, I need to do things like
lower my water to grain ratio.
I put an easy masher (actually I just copied the idea) through
the hole for the spout.
To anyone that wants more grain per batch on a regular basis -
Consider rectangular coolers. They are larger yet and can be
fitted with slotted copper tubing manifolds
=====
Leo Vitt
Rochester MN
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 11:59:45 -0500
From: "Stephen Cavan" <scavan at sprint.ca>
Subject: DCL yeast
From: "Dan Listermann" <dan at listermann.com>
Subject: DCL Yeast Strains
>When I read about K-97 and S-189, I had our buyer look into seeing what it
>would take to get some in here. The DCL strains are working out great. He
>called Crosby & Baker, our usual supplier of these products, who told him
>that K-97 and S-189 were the 500g brick forms of S-04 and S-23
respectively.
>From this information, it would seem, there is no need to break down bricks
>to smaller quantities beyond, perhaps, a cost perspective
- ---------------
Well I am not too happy with DCL. I started repacking their bricks a year or
so ago (at Paddock Wood Brewing) because there was customer demand for
smaller packets. DCL through C&B gave me two cease and desist orders.
During the fist conversation with C&B I pointed out the interest in the
homebrewing community and asked DCL to do the packing (I do want to say that
measuring yeast on gram scales and vacuum sealing is a PITA that I would
gladly pass back to DCL). C&B said they would meet and discuss the issue
with DCL. With the second call from C&B I was told to tell customers that
the lager yeasts were basically the same, and that brewers would not notice
any difference. After having myriads of brewers tell me the differences
they noticed, I was not amused.
Now it appears the DCL via C&B is telling the homebrewing community that
K-97 and S-04 are the same. If K-97 is simply S-04 in brick form, then why
offer bricks of both S-04 AND K-97? I just glanced at the C&B listing for
yeast, and now I want to know why there are different descriptions for these
yeasts as well. For example: S-04 "A well known, bottom-fermenting ale
strain .... to form a compact sediment..." while K-97 ".top fermenting ale
yeast with low sedimentation characteristics." I think brewers will notice
a difference or lack thereof.
I surmise that either DCL is telling the truth about the yeast, namely that
they have one ale and one lager which they repack and label differently just
to hoodwink the brewing world, OR they are lying i.e., the yeasts are
different but they don't want to be bothered repacking into smaller packs
some strains. The latter option seems most likely to me, but I would be
happier if they simply told the truth: repacking is too costly for the
market size. Then they should let those others who want to go to the effort
of repacking do so - with full caveat emptor warnings attached.
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 12:32:19 -0600
From: "Berggren, Stefan" <stefan_berggren at trekbike.com>
Subject: overcarbonation
HBD readers,
I am at a quandary with my latest batch a barley wine. I started off with
an OG of 1089-90 and hit my target gravity of 1019. All seemed well with
the attenuation and I let the batch sit in the secondary bulk aging for a
month. I then bottled trying to achieve a carbonation level of 1.3(vol/CO2)
using a priming widget that called for 2o grams of corn sugar based on a
temp of 68deg and my batch size of 3 gallons. I bottled and stuck the batch
in my basement (50-55deg) and two weeks later all seemed ok. Now the batch
is exhibiting a bit too much carbonation and I am scratching my head. Could
this be due to the cooler temperatures? When I recalculate the amount of
Corn Sugar at 55 degrees is tells me to prime with 9.7 grams of corn sugar.
I am also sure that my ferment went to completion after checking three days
in a row with a hydrometer.
Is the temperature of bottle conditioning the culprit? I taste no off
flavors at all and I am a freak when it comes to sterilization. I used
WLP002 English Ale yeast that leaves a pretty compact yeast sediment. I
roused the yeast prior to bottling to make sure that I had enough
carbonation. Hmmm.... Any thoughts from the rest of you?
Cheers,
Stefan in Madison, WI where tis cold.....
I believe God made man because he was disappointed in monkeys. --Mark Twain
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 12:38:32 -0700 (MST)
From: "John J. Allison" <john at joss.ucar.edu>
Subject: ANN: Reggale and Dredhop Homebrew Competition
[Sorry this is only 1.5 mos in advance, not 2 ;) ]
14th Annual Reggale and Dredhop Homebrew Competition
Hop Barley and the Alers, the homebrew club of Boulder County, Colorado,
invites you to enter the 14th Annual Reggale and Dredhop Homebrew
Competition to be held at The Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, Colorado.
The competition will take place on Sat March 1, 2003, with judging from
9:00am to 5:00pm and an awards ceremony to follow at approximately 6:00pm.
Entries are to arrive between Tuesday February 11 and Saturday
February 22, 2003.
We will accept all homebrewed beer and mead (no cider). This competition
is sanctioned by the AHA and the BJCP and is an MCAB Qualifying Event.
Best of Show Beer and Mead winners will receive unique hand blown
glassware.
Potential judges, stewards, and other volunteers are encouraged to
contact the competition organizers immediately at dredhop at hopbarley.org.
All experience levels are welcome.
Further information, including complete and detailed rules,
mail/drop-off locations, etc. is available at the competition website:
http://hopbarley.org/dredhop/
You may also contact the competition director via email:
Bob Kauffman, dredhop at hopbarley.org.
- --
John Allison
webmaster at hopbarley.org
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 14:45:54 -0500
From: "Romanowsky, Paul" <paul.romanowsky at siemens.com>
Subject: Jet Engines cools beer
Get a kick out of this!
http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/
Paul R
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 12:01:51 -0800
From: "Mike Sharp" <rdcpro at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: kit wines and RO Water
Brian Lundeen sez:
On the Subject of: kit wines
"I have noticed the kits still produce what I call "kit wine taste". I am
told this is due to higher levels of hydroxymethylfurfural in wines made
from concentrates. This compound is produced from sugars in the presence of
acids, but the reaction is increased in the presence of heat, as you would
find in the production of concentrates."
This surprises me. I've always assumed the wine kits were concentrated
using ultrafiltration. I've worked with systems that concentrate grape
juice using this system, and heat is not involved (at least during the
concentration part). Anyone here know how the kit wines are produced?
Especially the red kits?
Then Jim Larsen asked:
On the Subject of: RO Water
"Are you still biohazard brewing?"
Nah. Lately I prefer the groundwater around the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation...Adds a sort of sparkle to my brews!
Regards,
Mike Sharp
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 14:33:12 -0800 (PST)
From: Charles at thestewarts.com
Subject: Removing Beer Labels - DON'T MIX CASCADE WITH AMMONIA
On Jan. 14, 2003, Bill Tobler recommended removing beer labels with a mixture of
Cascade and ammonia. DON'T DO IT! Cascade, like most electric dishwashing
detergents contain chlorine. Chlorine mixed with ammonia produces deadly
chlorine gas. Not a good idea.
Chip Stewart
Gaithersburg, MD
Charles at TheStewarts.com
http://Charles.TheStewarts.com
Support anti-Spam legislation.
Join CAUCE.ORG!
Chip Stewart
Charles at TheStewarts.com
http://Charles.TheStewarts.com
Support anti-Spam legislation.
Join the fight http://www.cauce.org/
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 20:56:58 -0800
From: Rod Tussing <RodT at pplant.UCDavis.edu>
Subject: Grain mill feedback
Thanks to all who replied to my request for grain mill feedback last week!
13 millers replied to me directly and more than half recommended the Barley
Crusher.
Based on the responses I received the Barley Crusher is the most popular
mill these days!
I only heard from 2 crankandstein users - both were quite pleased but
neither used their CGM3E 3-roller mill.
I'm still hoping to hear from _anyone_ familiar with the CGM3-E? They must
have sold one to somebody out there?
Rod Tussing
Sacramento, CA
[1975.1, 275.1] Miles Apparent Rennerian
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 01:56:11 -0500
From: jim williams <jimswms at cox.net>
Subject: 10 gallon system recommendations
I'm looking for recommendations on complete 10 gal. Systems. So far, I've
looked at the sabco Brew Magic and Pico brewing system. The Sabco system
looks like the homebrewers holy grail, but, it sure is expensive! That said,
is it worth the $$? What else is out there? Any recommendations greatly
appreciated.
Cheers,
Jim
jimswms at cox.net
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 08:24:49 -0800 (PST)
From: "Joseph Gerteis" <joseph540 at elvis.com>
Subject: Catching up -- DCL and shopping
I wanted to follow up on a couple of issues that came
up in recent posts.
First, Dan Listermann says that he checked into some of
the DCL yeasts, and got an assurance that S04 and S23
are the packet-form numbers that correspond to
different numbers in the brick-form. I'm really
interested in this, since I would like to use dry lager
yeast to get to something like reasonable pitching
rates w/o a lot of hassle.
I was going to post the info from the DCL website which
indicates that these are not the same. It looks like a
lot of people in the queue have already done so,
though. Frankly, S-04 the one I am least interested in
having. Anyone done side-by-side test brews? I would
really like to hear some evaluations of W-34/70 and
S189. I think maybe an email campaign is in order
after all -- try to convince them to release the other
strains in 11 or 20 g packets, if they won't let
homebrew shops divide the bricks!
Second, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop on
Marc Sedam's issue with the store in Texas. Has this
community lost its teeth or did this get nipped in the
bud for other reasons? FWIW, my guess is that the
problem can be traced to a hyper-sensitivity to public
criticism ("you criticized me, so you can't order")
rather than racism ("we don't want your kind here").
But it is pretty outrageous all the same. (I guess I'm
blackballed now too.)
Joe Gerteis
Minneapolis, MN -- where it's finally winter.
- -------------------------------------------------
Get your free at Elvis e-mail account at Elvis.com!
http://www.elvis.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 12:02:04 -0500
From: "Andy Mikesell" <andrew.mikesell at sybase.com>
Subject: My first mead / melomel
I brewed my first mead (or is it considered a Melomel?) last night and had a
few questions. The simple brew is:
- 17.5 lbs clover honey
- 6 lbs cherries
- 2 packs (10 oz) Red star champagne yeast
- Yeast Nutrient
The OG is 1088. Does this sound right for 17.5 lbs of honey?
The carboy temp is currently 68 F and I expect primary fermentation to run
4 - 6 weeks. I can move the carboy to bring it as low as 40 F, or as high
as 76 F. Opinions, advice, experience?
I used liquid finings in my last 2 all-grains with great success. Should I
consider using finings here at the 2nd or 3rd racking?
I am undecided on hopping but have considered hallertau dry hopping at 3.5 -
4 AAU at the 2nd racking. Is this unadvisable? Other advice wrt hopping?
Any other advice or gotchas?
Thanks, Andy
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 11:25:48 -0800 (PST)
From: "John B. Doherty" <dohertybrewing at yahoo.com>
Subject: 9th Annual Boston Homebrew Competition - March 8, 2003
Dear Fellow Beer Enthusiasts,
The Boston Wort Processors are pleased to formally announce the Ninth
Annual BOSTON HOMEBREW COMPETITION (BHC9) to be held on March 8th, 2003!
This competition is run by the Boston Wort Processors Homebrew Club and is a
BJCP Registered Event. The competition will again be held at the Watch City
Brewing Company in Waltham, MA, just west of Boston. This competition will in
all likelihood again be the Northeast Regional Qualifying Event for the 6th
year of the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB) Competition.
(http://hbd.org/mcab/) The BHC9 page on our club website
(http://www.wort.org/BHC/bhc.html) lists the qualifying styles for MCAB5. This
competition will also be the 1st of four events in the 2003 New England
Homebrewer of the Year (http://mail.symuli.com/NEHBOTY) circuit.
All BJCP Styles will be judged, including Cider and Mead. The Entry
Deadline has been set as Friday February 21, 2003 and the entry fee is $5.00
per
entry. We will also need judge and steward support, so please come and help us
out if you can! Email our Judge Coordinator, Francois Espourteille at
francois53 at attbi.com if you would like to judge or steward.
On March 8th, the entries will be judged in morning and afternoon
sessions with a complimentary lunch served to judges and stewards. A public
Best Of Show judging and Awards Presentation will follow the afternoon session.
Watch City Brewing Company's Head Brewer, Aaron Mateychuk, will also select a
Brewmaster's Choice Award from among the BOS finalists. The lucky entrant who
wins the Brewmaster's Choice will get to assist Aaron in brewing a brewpub
sized batch of their beer at Watch City!!!
All of the information one needs to enter the competition or to judge or
steward in the competition can be found at: http://www.wort.org/BHC/bhc.html
including entry forms, bottle labels, judge registration forms, drop-off and
ship-to info, etc. We encourage everyone who is interested in this competition
to obtain information through the website as it will be continually updated
there. Feel free to send me email at dohertybrewing at yahoo.com with questions
you might have. Spread the word and we look forward to judging your entries!!
Cheers and Happy Brewing!
John B. Doherty
Head Organizer for the 2003 Boston Homebrew Competition (BHC9)
dohertybrewing at yahoo.com
978-670-6987 (w)
508-923-6376 (h)
Surf to http://www.wort.org/BHC/bhc.html for all competition details!!
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 15:35:44 -0700
From: "Mike Racette" <mike.racette at hydro-gardens.com>
Subject: DCL Yeast Strains
This may be old info by the time it gets posted as I have not yet received
the 1-15-03 HBD yet, but anyway:
Dan Listerman posted the following:
From: "Dan Listermann" <dan at listermann.com>
Subject: DCL Yeast Strains
When I read about K-97 and S-189, I had our buyer look into seeing what it
would take to get some in here. The DCL strains are working out great. He
called Crosby & Baker, our usual supplier of these products, who told him
that K-97 and S-189 were the 500g brick forms of S-04 and S-23 respectively.
>From this information, it would seem, there is no need to break down bricks
to smaller quantities beyond, perhaps, a cost perspective.
According to the DCL website this is not the case. These are 4 different
strains originating from different sources.
http://www.dclyeast.co.uk/DCL_Main/main_brewing/craftbrew_index.htm
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 02:38:28 +0000
From: "Chris Eidson" <eidsonc at hotmail.com>
Subject: Chimay in the NY times
Found this at the NY Times website, for those interested in Chimay/Trappist
beers. . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/15/international/europe/15CHIM.html?8hpib
Chris Eidson
Birmingham, AL
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