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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator


Contents:
  Starting a siphon (Lal George)
  testing (Ted Manahan)
  Starting Siphons (Eric Pepke)
  liquid yeast (nntas)
  Weiss/Weizen (spelling and definition) (Chip Hitchcock)
  Chill Out, Jay (Martin A. Lodahl)
  Sparging Speed (Norm Hardy)
  Re: Siphoning and Bottle Filling (John Polstra)
  keg floaters (florianb)
  Lager Yeasts (Norm Hardy)
  Time to start old liquid yeast. (bryan)
  dry yeast data (florianb)
  Siphoning and Bottle Filling (Tom Wurtz)


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Archives available from netlib at mthvax.cs.miami.edu


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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 90 05:24:05 -0600
From: george%avocet at cs.utah.edu (Lal George)
Subject: Starting a siphon


I have read several articles where people have said, ".. the
only problem right now is that I have to start the siphon using my 
mouth"!!

You *never* have to start any siphon using your mouth. 

	- Fill the siphon tube with tap water.
	- Clamp down on the one of the open ends of the tube with your 
  	  thumb. This may introduce air bubbles but is usually of no
	  consequence.
	- Stick the open end into the transfer case with the other
	  end still clamped.
	- Release the clamped end when ready to bottle, first draining
	  out the water in the siphon.

Simple.

Lal.


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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 90 06:36:01 mdt
From: Ted Manahan <hplabs!hpldola.cos.hp.com!hpldodt!tedm>
Subject: testing
Full-Name: Ted Manahan

This is a test. 

I haven't received a homebrew digest for over a week. Is anyone out
there?

Ted Manahan
tedm at hpldola.hp.com

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Date:    Wed, 13 Jun 1990 10:08:51 EDT
From: PEPKE at scri1.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke)
Subject: Starting Siphons

The way I start beer siphons is just to fill the tube with sterile water.  Hold
both ends at the same level while you carry it to the beer.  Put one end in the
beer and lower the other end.  First the water will run out of the tube, pushed
by the beer behind it.  Then the beer will come out.  This works great and
requires little effort.

Eric Pepke                                     INTERNET: pepke at gw.scri.fsu.edu
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute  MFENET:   pepke at fsu
Florida State University                       SPAN:     scri::pepke
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052                     BITNET:   pepke at fsu

Disclaimer: My employers seldom even LISTEN to my opinions.
Meta-disclaimer: Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers.

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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 90 07:31:19 PDT
From: nntas at robots.span.nasa.gov
Subject: liquid yeast

 
 
Dave,
 
In answer to your question on liquid yeast availability I have found a 'local'
supplier who regularly carries a wide variety of the stuff.  I put local in 
quotes because the shop is in the Rockville area and I don't know where you are.
If this is too far there is a mail order place in North Carolina that sells
Wyeast of all types that's called American Brewmasters.  I'll send you the 
address tomorrow.  The benefit of ordering something from a nearby mail order 
shop(North Carolina is considered nearby by UPS) are quick delivery and low 
shipping costs.  By the way this is also a great place to get extract from 
because of their discount policy.
 
 
Tim Sauerwein
 

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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 90 11:15:40 EDT
From: ileaf!io!peoria!cjh at EDDIE.MIT.EDU (Chip Hitchcock)
Subject: Weiss/Weizen (spelling and definition)

"weiss" (="white"), a pale, tart-tasting beer, sometimes weak, made with a
small percentage of malted wheat. Sour enough that it's frequently sweetened
with raspberry or woodruff syrup. Mostly made in northeastern Germany, hence
"Berlinerweiss" (which sometimes refers only to beer+syrup. "Berlinerweiss"
is offered at a couple of Germanesque restaurants in Boston, but I don't know
whether it starts with a real weiss).

"weizen" (="wheat--"), a beer made with 50-67% wheat malt, but otherwise much
like barley beers. (The upper limit comes partly from the shortage of enzymes
in wheat---you need some barley in order to get a reasonable amount of sugar
out of the mash in a reasonable time.)

I'm not sure what "weissen" would be---maybe a beer made with plaster? white
lead? :-)

I don't know the AHA categories, but it wouldn't be reasonable to judge
a beer about as sour as a Belgian lambic against a clove-y but otherwise more
standard brew, unless you dump both of them into a specialty category.

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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 90 10:31:32 PDT
From: dreger at seismo.gps.caltech.edu



A number of people have indicated that they begin their
siphoning via their mouth.  There is a simple solution
to this.  First sanitize your hose assembly in chlorine
or your favorite sanitizing agent.  With weak chlorine
solutions there is no need to rinse, but many people
do.  Since the hose will be rinsed, simply fill it up
with water from the faucet so that there are very few
air bubbles.  Place your thumb at the end so the water
doesn't leak and incert the wort end into the wort.  Keeping
the bottle end lower than the surface of the wort and removing
your finger allows the flow to begin.  I usually let the tube
run into an extra pan until all of the initial water is gone, and
then continue to siphon.

Doug Dreger

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Date: Wed, 6 Jun 90 12:13:13 PDT
From: Martin A. Lodahl <hplabs!pbmoss!mal>
Subject: Chill Out, Jay

In HOMEBREW Digest #433, Florian Bell said:
>While Jay's on the subject of irrelevant data, may I say two things?
>
>	1	I apologize for the dream sequence ...

I was afraid it would come to this.  I hope Florian meant that
ironically.  I've enjoyed many postings, yes, even the dream
sequence, that were not strictly on the homebrewing subject.  I'd
hate to see what has been a marvelously free flow of information
from the readers of this digest suddenly shrivel, blasted by flames
from a reader who was looking for something else.  As Ken Weiss
pointed out, we can always page past what doesn't interest us.  Jay
is no more the Digest Content God than I am, and I disagree categorically
with what he seems to be trying to accomplish.

The preceding meta-comment has been personal opinion only.

= Martin A. Lodahl    Pac*Bell Minicomputer Operations Support Staff =
= pacbell!pbmoss!mal  -or-  mal at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM      916.972.4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me!  8-)   =



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Date: Wed, 6 Jun 90 20:01:19 PDT
From: hplabs!polstra!norm (Norm Hardy)
Subject: Sparging Speed

A mention of a 15-20 minutes TOTAL sparge was made, and the complaint of low
gravity yields.  Hey, at that speed, 1.045 was not bad at all.

Another word for homebrew sparging is PATIENCE.  I would recommend 8-12 minutes
wort flow per GALLON, remembering that the first 2-4 gallons will have to be
recirculated until the wort runs clear.  I also suggest putting some kind of
insulation around and above the sparge buckets to help retain the heat.  Aim
for about 170f for grains (mash out) and sparge water.

One more item, as Dave Miller writes in his find book, make sure the grain
bed is flush against the wall of the buckets.  The use of a sparge bag may
negate the need for this.

Good luck....Norm Hardy



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Date: Fri, 8 Jun 90 09:39:20 PDT
From: hplabs!polstra!jdp (John Polstra)
Subject: Re: Siphoning and Bottle Filling

In HBD #435, Paul Bigelow <bigelow at hppad> wrote:
> The weakness in my production line is bottle filling. Has anyone found
> a really good technique or equipment?
> 
> I have a spring loaded bottle filler tube that attaches to the end of
> my siphon hose, but it is way too slow (insufficient flow).

Hmmmm ... I also use a spring loaded bottle filler, and it works fine.
I couldn't imagine doing without it any more.

I'd suggest that you get yourself a longer siphon hose, and place the
wort higher up somehow, so that you get more pressure during bottling.

 -  John Polstra               jdp at polstra.uucp
   Polstra & Co., Inc.        practic!polstra!jdp at uunet.uu.net
   Seattle, Washington USA    ...{uunet,sun,pyramid}!practic!polstra!jdp
   (206) 932-6482


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Date: 13 Jun 90 12:49:21 PDT (Wed)
From: florianb at tekred.cna.tek.com
Subject: keg floaters

Some time back, someone posted a method for installing a floating system
in a keg.  The purpose was to prevent tapping off the bottom of the keg
(Cornelius system) and sucking up yeast.  Could the person who described
this system please post it again or send me a copy?  Thanks very much.
Florian.

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Date: Tue, 12 Jun 90 20:30:47 PDT
From: hplabs!polstra!norm (Norm Hardy)
Subject: Lager Yeasts

A mention was made of Wyeast lagers stopping fermentation below 57f.

You might not be aware of the slow ferment actually going on.  I regularly
refrigerate the lagers once the ferment has vigorously kicked in (at 60f).
At 40f, the ferment causes the airlock to tick over once every 10 to 15
seconds until it eventually slows to once a minute, when I rack.

Typical times for the primary ferment range from 3 weeks to 6 weeks.  The
better beers seem to be rackable on the shorter side of that time line.

Also, I've never had to add secondary yeast when bottling.  I keep the bottled
beers at 48f and wait 3 weeks before trying one.  The carbonation effected at
the lower temperature makes for some nicely aesthetic pours with firm
billowy heads  (Brussel's lace I think).

Anyway, that's the way it is, for me.   Norm



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Date: 13 Jun 90 13:54:17 PDT (Wed)
From: bryan at tekgen.bv.tek.com
Subject: Time to start old liquid yeast.


Just a note that may be of interest. I started a Wyeast American Ale yeast
that was dated December. It took 3 days to show any signs of swelling, then
swelled to tight in 1 more day.

For brewers in the Portland Or. area, due to excessive worrying I have that
same packet of American Ale yeast, swelled and ready to pitch, if anyone 
want's it, call in the next day or so. It's in the fridge now.

			Bryan Olson  bryan at tekgen.BV.TEK.COM  640-6874


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Date: 13 Jun 90 12:38:23 PDT (Wed)
From: florianb%tekred.cna.tek.com at RELAY.CS.NET
Subject: dry yeast data

The following data were taken from the F. H. Steinbart Newsletter, Vol. II,
No. 2, Fall 1988, which quotes the earlier article "Active Dry Yeasts for
Small Brewers," Dr. W. M. Ingledew and Nick Hazen, The New Brewer, July-
August 1986, pp. 14-15.

Trade Name	Viable Cnt.	Viable Cnt.	Viable Cnt
Yeast		Culture Yst.	Wild Yst.	Bacteria
_________	_________	_________	_________

Doric		3.8 x 10^9	< 100		1.2 x 10^5
RS Lager	1.2 x 10^10	< 100		< 100
RS Ale		1.1 x 10^10	1.0 x 10^3	< 100
Great Dane Lgr	8.6 x 10^9	< 100		1.5 x 10^3
Great Dane Ale	1.4 x 10^10	5.2 x 10^3	9.7 x 10^3
Vierka Lager	9.5 x 10^9	< 100		3.1 x 10^3
Vierka Dark	1.1 x 10^10	1.6 x 10^2	8.3 x 10^2
Muntona Ale	1.3 x 10^10	3.0 x 10^2	3.1 x 10^4
EDME Ale	1.4 x 10^10	3.3 x 10^2	3.3 x 10^4

Notes:	(1)	Viable count culture yeast in wort agar
	(2)	Viable count wild yeast in lysine agar
	(3)	Viable count bacteria in tomato juice actidione agar

____________

Notice that the RS lager purity exceeds all others. Of course this chart
says nothing about how the yeasts perform.  Neither can we be sure that
these data are current.  It would be wonderful if we could get similar
data on the liquid yeasts.
Florian


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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 90 16:28:44 MDT
From: hplabs!gatech!cadnetix.com!wurtz (Tom Wurtz)
Subject: Siphoning and Bottle Filling

In #435 Paul Bigelow(who has permanently sticky floors) writes:

>I have a spring loaded bottle filler tube that attaches to the end of
>my siphon hose, but it is way too slow (insufficient flow). If I just use
>the siphon hose and clamp it by bending the tube, I get a small flood of
>beer on the floor. The last few inches of the tube below the clamping point
>that go down into the bottle always release their contents when the tube is
>inbetween bottles. The top end of the siphon hose is always guaranteed
>to slither out of the pail part way through the bottling operation,
>in spite of (often unsanitary) attempts to tape the hose down.

I have been slowly perfecting a way to Siphon and bottle over several
different batches. The latest uses a tee, which one end goes up into my
mouth to start the siphon. That end also has a hose clamp on it that I
press on when the flow gets going. When siphoning I use a clamp on the
other end that is clamped while sucking. When I want to start siphoning,
I unclamp and watch. When bottling I use the bottle filler as Paul
has already mentioned and it is already attatched to the other end while
I suck. Of course since the clamps I use come in contact with the liquid
occasionally everything is sanitized together beforehand. So far I have
had very good success with this method and plan to keep using it, however
now that I have the clamps I may try the filled hose approach sometime
just for comparison sake.

Tom

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End of HOMEBREW Digest #439, 06/14/90
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