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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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Contents:
  Re: water analysis and yeast ranching ("Mike Sharp")
  Water Analysis ("A.J deLange")
  New Sanctioned Competition Program (Ed Westemeier)
  Best the Brewers Competition ("David Houseman")


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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 00:40:26 -0800
From: "Mike Sharp" <rdcpro at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: water analysis and yeast ranching

 
A.J. says:
"Now the interesting thing about this water report is that a water chemist
usually totals up all his anions and all his cations when he is finished.
The numbers should be equal and so this is a simple quality control check on
the analysis. The fact that this lab tells you that the analysis is
unballanced by 0.7 mEq/L is like advertising that they do a lousy job!"

Doesn't that simply indicate that there are anions present that they didn't
do an analysis for?  For 15 bucks, I wouldn't expect an extensive analysis.


Bill Kunka asks about Advanced yeast ranching

"My question is do many (or any) of you out there use a magnetic stirring
plate to boost cell counts in your starters?"

I have two Cole-Parmer mag stirrers, both with hotplates as well, which I
can boil the starter wort in, if I choose.  They're a little slow at
boiling, but I can boil directly in the flask, and it removes some of the
potential contamination sources.  They are "temperature controlled" and I've
played around with a temperature probe in the starter, but the temp swings
too much.  I've never checked with a hemacytometer or anything else to see
how much better this is than simply pitching into a starter, and swirling it
every now and again--I've just taken it on faith that it's better.  I don't,
as yet, do any actual ranching--I pitch from smack packs or vials.

Regards,
Mike Sharp
Kent, Washington
[1891.3, 294deg] AR



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Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 13:34:43 +0000
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Water Analysis

I wrote: "The fact that this lab tells you that the analysis is 
unballanced by 0.7 mEq/L is like advertising that they do a lousy job!" 
To which Mike replied "Doesn't that simply indicate that there are 
anions present that they didn't do an analysis for?"

It could mean that or it could mean inaccurate measurements. There is no 
way to tell which except that the missing things are (per the report) 
anions which would have to be nitrite, or phosphate. The former is 
something we want to be in very small concentrations and you can't have 
much phosphate with the given level of calcium. Should it be nitrite at 
the level of 0.7 mEq/L yeast and small children would both be poisoned. 
I am assuming this is a well. If it is and infants are in the home the 
water should be checked for nitrite or the infant given bottled water.


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Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 18:03:33 -0500
From: Ed Westemeier <hopfen at malz.com>
Subject: New Sanctioned Competition Program

The AHA and BJCP are pleased to announce that we have combined our  
competition registration programs, effective January 6, 2006.

The new AHA/BJCP Sanctioned Competition Program (SCP) is a joint  
project initiated by the BJCP Board and the AHA Governing Committee,  
and will be the single source for all competition materials.

Registration with the SCP will automatically get your competition on  
the website calendars of both beertown.org and bjcp.org, as well as  
publication in Zymurgy magazine (if you register with enough lead time).

For full details, please see the official notice at www.bjcp.org/ 
scp.html.

Ed Westemeier
BJCP Communication Director
communication_director at bjcp.org



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Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2006 20:21:11 -0500
From: "David Houseman" <david.houseman at verizon.net>
Subject: Best the Brewers Competition

Best the Brewers

Thursday March 23, 2006

Manayunk Restaurant and Brewery



The 2nd annual Best the Brewer amateur/professional homebrew competition is
looking for entrants. It is a BJCP sanctioned competition. This year submit
beers brewed after November 2005 in the general categories: Pale ale; IPA;
Brown Ale; Porter; Stout; Wheat; and spiced/vegetal specialty. Professional
brewers that have agreed to homebrew as of 1/1/2006 come from Yards,
Manayunk Brewery, Flying Fish, and Iron Hill. Prizes will be awarded for the
winner of each of the 7 categories. Best of Show Beers (up to 3) that are
from homebrewers, not professionals, will be brewed with the homebrewer at
Manayunk Brewery and served at the restaurant.

          Two 12 ounce bottles should be submitted by Saturday March 16th
using the appropriate AHA submission form
(http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/scp/pdf/entry_recipe_form.pdf )
accompanied by a $5 entry fee payable to Tim Ackerson. Drop-off points for
the competition are Home Sweet Homebrew, Keystone Homebrew and the Manayunk
Restaurant and Brewery. Entrants can also be sent to Tim Ackerson, 101 W.
Nippon St., Philadelphia, PA 19119.

          There will also be a beer dinner along with the awards at the
Manayunk Restaurant and Brewery on Thursday March 23rd. Full details about
the dinner will be posted on http://www.manayunkbrewery.com/ .

          For questions e-mail Tim Ackerson at theimann at verizon.net or Chris
Firey at chris at manayunkbrewery.com . Hope to see everyone at the competition
and dinner.



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