---

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


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Contents:
  quick disconnects (Jeremy Bergsman)
  Brewing with Chili peppers and O-rings ("Parker Dutro")
  Re: How much do you consider safe? ("-S")
  Maimum Strength? ("A.J. deLange")
  re: Keg Cleaning (Andy Buhl)
  Just a satisfied customer ("Ross Potter")
  home malt roasting... (Grant Family)
  re: Keg cleaning question & raising children with beer ("C.D. Pritchard")
  Re: Scotland and Ireland (Jay Hellhound)
  "In memory yet green" ("John Sarette")
  FINAL NOTIFICATION-BEER AND SWEAT 2003 ("Eric Tepe")
  Belgian Wit's ("Eric Fouch")


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Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 00:49:43 -0400
From: Jeremy Bergsman <jeremy at bergsman.org>
Subject: quick disconnects

Thanks for the on- and offline replies.  So far the misunderstanding replies
outnumber the understanding ones, proving I did a poor job explaining
myself. 

The part about which I was asking is the gray or black plastic connector you
attach to the keg when you want to add gas or extract beer, not the metal
tower which is screwed to the keg and contains a poppet.

Now that I hope you are all with me: The quick connectors have a poppet like
thing of their own which pushes down on the poppet in the keg, but is pushed
up opening the flow through the quick connector.  The QC can be disassembled
by removing the "plug" (as Spencer called it) with a screwdriver.  The plug
is sealed by a very thin cross section washer or O-ring which is easily
damaged upon reassembly.  The poppet (if that is the correct term) is
retained on top by a piece with a small hole which receives the poppet as it
moves up.  I found this hole very frightening as it is exposed to beer
during use but looks rather hard to clean.  Also the whole piece with the
hole has areas around it which look hard to wash.  I was surprised as I
consider the whole soda keg system to be incredibly well thought out for
easy and cheap maintenance.

The answers to my questions are in the previous digest, but I thought I
would expand on the subject here since it still seems to me that many people
are ignoring this part of the cleaning regimen.

(BTW where's Sapsis with the Astroglide comments in all this????)
- -- 
Jeremy Bergsman
jeremy at bergsman.org
http://www.bergsman.org/jeremy


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Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 00:27:56 -0700
From: "Parker Dutro" <pacman at edwardwadsworth.com>
Subject: Brewing with Chili peppers and O-rings

I want to brew a chili beer in a week or so.  I have been told that
these recipes are considered sacred, but if anyone would be willing to
share a favorite, or even tips on using chilies, that would be sweet.  I
have read about dry-peppering, cooking in the boil and putting a pepper
in each bottle as some options.  

Also, there have been a number of posts concerning O-rings.  I want to
use a couple small heat resistant O-rings on my kettle and HLT
thermometer fittings but I didn't know whether the small black rubber
ones from the hardware store would be safe.  Should they be OK with the
heat or can I find something else more suitable, for CHEAP?

Danke,
Parker




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Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 08:05:24 -0400
From: "-S" <-s at adelphia.net>
Subject: Re: How much do you consider safe?

Michael Hartsoc writes ...

>I believe that [...]  in wine and
> beer (real beer) is far better than [...]
>hard  liquor or macrobrew.

Perhaps due to phenolics and other minor beneficial
ingredients, but of course ethanol is ethanol.

> It is curious that the French
> have some of the lowest rates of heart disease and
> some of the highest daily intakes of alcohol (and no,
> they don't have high rates of liver disease).

Don't place too much stock in "per capita" numbers.    In 1999
the US per capita avg was 6.7L(14.7gm/day) of ethanol versus France at
10.7L(23.5gm/day).   Where that statistic fails is in determining the
distribution of these amounts among drinkers.  In the US one survey
identified 64% of adults as drinkers, yet only 44% of the adult population
had taken a drink in the preceding month.   Perhaps you don't find the same
prevalence of non-drinkers and infrequent
drinkers in  France.

There is some nice info from the American Council on Science and Health.
http://www.acsh.org/publications/booklets/comparison.pdf which
suggests that consuming 300kg of ethanol for females, and 600kg for
males as a minimum threshold amount to cause liver damage among
heavy drinkers.  It would be interesting to see the cited source's data
for this.

> Frankly, I would be more concered about some
> Americans' intake of advil or tylenol and their affect
> on the liver than a couple of beers.

Maybe, but one can easily choose to avoid advil and
tylenol.   Beer is a different matter.

>Quit using vegatable oil and margarine!!!!
>Use canola, or even better, olive oil and real butter!

Of course Michael meant hydrogenated veg oils, like margarine & crisco which
contain trans-fats, notraw veg oils like olive, canola, peanut.
Unfortunately many foods (chips, donuts, fried foods, etc) contain high
levels of trans-fats.

If you are into food scares you should probably look into the latest on the
carcinogen, acrylamide in baked and fried starchs.  Those baked potatoes,
f.fries and breads may be carcinogenic due to this spin-off of the Maillard
reactions.    No reason to think this doesn't exist in colored malt too.
 .... boo !

Now (it's the 18th) to have a beer !

 -S





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Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 12:40:23 +0000
From: "A.J. deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Maimum Strength?

Recently a reader asked me to determine the alcohol content of a barley 
wine of his (and a very fine one it was too) which his calculations 
showed should have an ABV of about 23.8% using the Balling formula. The 
OG was about 43P and TE came in at 9.58P (lower than his estimate) which 
actually imples almost 26% again using the Balling formula. Remember 
that the Balling formula is based on conservation of mass so the 
question becomes "Where did all that sugar go?" (about 9P worth is 
unaccounted for). Sugar either 1) stays in solution to contribute to 
True Extract 2) gets converted into carbon dioxide 3) gets converted 
into yeast biomass or 4) gets converted to alcohol. While puzzling over 
this (and re-running the assay) I remembered that when I'd spilled 18% 
ABV cyser on my hands the cooling effects of evaporating alcohol were 
very evident. So I made up a solution of a little pure alcohol in water 
and checked the concentration. It was 22.72%. I let the beaker sit for 
20 minutes and then checked the strength again. It was down to 21%. 
Thesis confirmed - alcohol leaves concentrated water solutions very 
quickly. The brewer confirms that this beer spent weeks in carboys, was 
racked etc. So I think his sugar got turned into alcohol and carried off 
by the CO2 evolved and air currents during handling. This leads to a 
couple of questions:

1) Has anyone else here had experiences which tend to confirm or deny my 
suspicion?
2) Is there some sort of practical limitation caused by alcohol 
evaporation as to how strong a beer (or wine) can be fermented given 
that the yeast are not the limiting factor?
3) Are there any techniques (such as cold fermentation) which are 
successful in preventing loss of alcohol from strong beers and wines?
4) Has anyone here brewed a beer with alcohol concentration above 20% 
v/v without resorting to freezing, fortification etc.?

Cheers, A.J.








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Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 17:42:19 -0400
From: Andy Buhl <buhlandr at msu.edu>
Subject: re: Keg Cleaning

Just a quick note to the silent majority...

    My keg cleaning process is simple and effective.  I dump the sludge 
out, scrub any remaining residue off with the kitchen sponge, and fill 
the keg up with water and a "shot" of bleach.  I flip the keg over, push 
the both poppets and the pressure release for a moment to get rid of any 
air bubbles and let the chlorine do its work for a 1/2 hour.  Then I 
flip the keg over, add tubing and my racking cane, and let the bleach 
finish the job. A thorough but quick rinse wash finishes the job.
    It doesn't cost a fortune in chemicals, make a big mess in the 
kitchen, or take all afternoon.  Most importantly, it works...  
   
   



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Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 21:28:17 -0700
From: "Ross Potter" <BurningBrite at charter.net>
Subject: Just a satisfied customer

If you happen to be in the vicinity of Klamath Falls, Oregon, you really
should stop in for a sampler of the house brews at:

Mia & Pia's Pizzeria & Brewhouse

While on vacation recently, I had the pleasure of discovering this small
brewpub (full disclosure statement: the pizza was just so-so, and the place
looked like an old bowling alley with a nice bar attached).  They make a
variety of excellent beers, including an amber lager (what the heck style is
that?) that is truly exceptional.  Although this may sound like just a
shameless plug (no affiliation, only a satisfied customer), I was
sufficiently moved by the quality of the beers made there to let the
collective know about a valuable diamond in the rough.  It is rather "out of
the way" and while perhaps not warranting a special trip, it is certainly
worth the side trip if convenient.  Anyone else been there and have an
opinion?



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Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 14:57:05 +1000
From: Grant Family <grants at netspace.net.au>
Subject: home malt roasting...

G'day,

I recently roasted some malted barley at home, but I'm not sure
what I've created... I started with some 20L Munich malt, and here's
what I did:

  1) dry roasted for 1 hr at 350 F
  2) soaked in water for 1 hr, roasted for 1 hr at 350 F
  3) soaked in water for 1 hr, roasted for 90 mins at 350 F
  4) soaked in water for 1 hr, roasted for 2 hrs at 350 F

Malts 1 and 4 are about the colour of crystal 120, or darker. Malt 2
looks like a light crystal, and malt 3 looks like a medium crystal.

My question is, what actually are they? Have I created crystal
malts or will they need to be mashed?

Stuart,
Hobart, Tassie, Oz.



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Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 08:14:25
From: "C.D. Pritchard" <cdp at chattanooga.net>
Subject: re: Keg cleaning question & raising children with beer

Dave Houseman asked what others do on a regular basis in cleaning kegs from
one
batch to the next.  

I clean cornies with hot (~140 degF) tap water- no cleaners.  The innards
get blasted with via 1/4" copper tubing crooked wand/small bore nozzle on
tubing connected to hot tap water hose.  I use a beer-out post from a old
keg mated to the hot water hose (a 3/8" flare fitting threads into the
post) to flush the dispensing line/cobra tap/disconnect for a minute or so,
let soak for hours with water trapped inside in a container of hot water,
then flush a bit with more water and let drain with the keg post thing
attached and the tap locked open.  

After drying up-side down, I store the kegs sealed and sanitize them just
before filling with brew using Idophor and push the solution out of the keg
with CO2 via the dispensing line/cobra tap/disconnect.  

Kegs of brew typically stay in the fridge for at least 3 months and more
than a few for longer and I've never had a problem with kegged beer going
bad.  OTHO, I only brew 6-10 batches a year but have been doing the above
cleaning for at least 5 years.  The only time I've resorted to using a
cleaner is when the business end of the snout of a cobra tap developed
mold- I disassembled it and soaked and scrubed using PBW.  BTW- the rubber
thing in the tap still smelled of mold.  It dissapated after sitting a week
or so in the sun.  After that I've remembered to swap out and clean the
dispensing line/cobra tap/disconnect every month or so. 

A stupid brewing trick:  Cleaning the keg and line/cobra tap/disconnect at
the same time by connecting two, locking open the tap and connecting the
hot water hose to the business end of the tap with some friction-fitted
vinyl tubing.  Well, the snout of a cobra tap is pretty stubby so the vinyl
tubing came loose when it warmed up and made like a kid's water snake.
Took quite awhile to mop up all the water.  The bathroom needed cleaning
anyway. :-)

- -----
I think kids raised observing their parents drink responsibly and drinking
themselves with parental guidance *TEND* to be have far fewer drinking
problems later in life.  Why?  1) Some friends raised their 3 kids with
completely free access to beer and wine-  was kinda shocking at the time to
see a 4 year old pull a beer from the fridge, drink a bit and give the rest
to their mom or dad.  They've turned out to be fine adults.  2) Several
aquaintances who practiced exactly the opposite approach (total prohibition
for the kids and not drinking themselves- well, at least in front of the
kids ;-) had kids which had problems with alcohol when they got free from
their parents.  

Someone posted about DARE warping their kids' perception of alcohol.  Our
kids have been sampling beer and wine since an early age.  After being
exposed to DARE at school, they began to think of beer as bad.  Portions of
DARE may be OK, but at least some of it is a crock of neoprohibitionist
crap.  


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



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Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 12:05:52 -0400
From: Jay Hellhound <whiplash at juno.com>
Subject: Re: Scotland and Ireland

This will be the last post online you will see from the HellHound about
Absinthe. It's gotten far too off-topic to be able to justify......
 
 
On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 00:13:20 -0400 Phil Sides Jr
<altoidman at altoidman.com> writes:
> you can buy Absinthe pretty much all over the EU now.  I even found a
website that will let you order it to ship to the US, but I still think
this is probably illegal for us.  
 
I have found a few websites that do this, the one I considered ordering
from was http://www.eabsinthe.com/index.htm their website says that "The
regulations regarding shipping from the UK are complicated to say the
least. We currently believe that it is legal to possess, drink and import
absinthe for personal consumption. It is illegal to sell absinthe IN the
United States." But the shipping is really high "One 70cl bottle =
20 pounds, two 70cl bottles = 25 pounds" I'll just have to wait and bring
a
couple bottles back with me, if I ever get to visit Edinbrough again. Or
maybe write a letter to my congressman to try and get it legal for sale
here.
 
 
>You have probably seen wormwood in your homebrew shop; it is not illegal
here, but the combination of alcohol and wormwood is illegal.
 
I have seen numerous absinthe "recipes" on the web that include soaking
wormwood in vodka or something similar. I have never tried it because it
sounds a little dangerous and it probably tastes awful too. I'd rather
leave the absinthe production to the pro's. There is a good FAQ at
http://brewery.org/brewery/library/absfaq.html that includes some recipes
as well as some good info on thujone levels.
 
Another website I recommend if you want to learn more about absinthe is
http://www.feeverte.net/index.html it's really huge and has lots of info.
 
I'm tired of Moulin Rouge and From Hell getting all the absinthe
attention. People should see Deceiver with Tim Roth, Criss Penn and Renee
Zellweger, It's real cool. They used to have a really good website with
absinthe stuff on it, but I can't seem to find it.
 
One last thing, apparently Marilyn Manson is a big fan. From the
eabsinthe site "'Absinthe is his thing,' said a spokesperson for his
record company. 'He likes to drink half a bottle before going on stage to
get in the mood for a performance.'"
 
 
Jason Pavento
Brewin' Rehab Homebrew's at the Boilover Brauhaus in Walpole MA 02081



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Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 13:54:51 -0500
From: "John Sarette" <j2saret at peoplepc.com>
Subject: "In memory yet green"

Thomas Rohner kindly trys to help out:
- ---what do you mean with "It was the most changable beer..."
Did it change over time?
If you mean that, maybe it's because you don't have that many tastes from
many different malts that mature differently.----

Yes it changed over time.  I am attaching the portion of my notes realting
to the taste over time: due to lack of training or real time interaction
with trained beer judges the language used is made up by me (sorry)
9/05/02  final gravity 1.012 at 68 deg. used 2 cups of water and 3/4 cup of
corn sugar. got 51 bottles.  first taste an uncomplex blonde beer slightly
reminiscent of henikin.

Taste:

9-10-02  almost fully carbonated, little head, little head retention, strong
hint of peaches.  tastes sweet at first with a not quite ripe after taste.
This brew could use a little crystal malt to balance it out.  9/30/02  very
faint taste of peaches in a smooth mild beer.  hints of rolling rock.  with
some crystal or other taste addition would be a decent beer.  now I don't
think I could drink more than two in one day.
10/13/02  now a light ale with a nice creamy white head.  has lost all of
the fruty aftertaste.  A bit like a Hamm's beer  in mouth feel.  with the
proper hops  a lager yeast and laggering this could be a Hamm's clone.

John
Duluth Mn
(I had the co-ords but misplaced them)
"Labor is prior to, and independent of capital.
Capital is only the fruit of labour and could never have existed
if labor had not first existed.
Labor is the superior of capital and deserves
much the higher consideratiion."
A. Lincoln (1st marxist er Republican president)



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Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 18:54:57 -0400
From: "Eric Tepe" <erictepe at insightbb.com>
Subject: FINAL NOTIFICATION-BEER AND SWEAT 2003

Hi Everyone,

This is the FINAL announcement for Beer and Sweat 2003, the Ohio Valley's
premier keg only homebrew competition put on by the Bloatarian Brewing
League. Beer and Sweat 2003 will happen Saturday, August 23 at the Ramada
Inn located in Florence KY.and room rates are $65. Entry fees will be $5
for the first entry, $3 for the 2nd entry and $1 for each additional entry.
Entries can be Corny kegs, Sanky kegs, party pigs, and mini kegs- we will
not accept entries in 2 liter bottles with carbonator caps or glass bottles.
ENTRY CUTOFF IS MIDNIGHT ON AUGUST 12th! THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS!
We will have a great raffle with no less than (3) 50lb sacks of grain
assorted other great prizes.
We will have live music from Roger Dawdry and the Firestarters, a local
Celtic band that puts out great tunes.
Last year we had over 130 entries with Bill Krauth of the
Louisville based LAGERS taking home Best of Show with his Bourbon Barrel
Oatmeal Stout. If you don't have entries and want to show up to taste some
great homebrew-entry is only $5 at the door. If you come to drink-I would
suggest getting a room because KY is pretty harsh on DUI. A room is a lot
less than a DUI ticket. This competition is both BJCP and AHA sanctioned and
we could always use judges.
I hope to see everyone there. To enter online and for more details as they
arise-consult our website at www.hbd.org/bloat.

See Ya!

Eric Tepe
Bloatarian Brewing League



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Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 21:13:58 -0500
From: "Eric Fouch" <airrick147 at registerednurses.com>
Subject: Belgian Wit's

I'll pitch my $.02 about Belgian Wits:

$.01-
I've tried the old (new?) trick of throwing
a tbs or so of wheat flour in the boil at
15 minutes for nice protien cloudiness.

It does work, but the protien tends to ppt.
out on the insides of the bottle, making clean
up more than just three rinses.

$.02-
The last few wits I've made (including yesterdays)
I went a little unconventional:
While wandering past my herb garden last year,
after harvesting my ripe (dried) coriander seeds,
I noticed another batch of coriander seeds, nice 
and green.  I popped one in my mouth, chewed it up,
and it was quite citrusy!

So,......The last few wits I've made, I used 1oz
dry coriander seeds, and 1oz green coriander seeds
at 15 minutes.

No orange peel.

The results are a quite nice citrusy aroma.

I haven't yet entered this brew in competion,
but, I think I will enter yesterday's brew
to see what the judges think of it (as long
as it doesn't taste like ass).

Eric Fouch

Caledonia, MI

Buff it up
Buff it up
Buff it up
Buff it up
Yeah- Thing's shiny NOW, baby!

- -- 


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