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


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Contents:
  Re: beer in Puerto Rico (Rod Prather)
  Oxygen absorbing caps ("Peed, John")
  oxygen absorbing caps (Andrew Kligerman)
  Fwd: Re: Re: Oxygen absorbing caps ("John Mealey")
  Lamarck (Kurt Thorn)
  Re: beer in Puerto Rico (lyona)
  puerto rico beer and oxy caps (Aaron Martin Linder)


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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 07:25:00 -0500
From: Rod Prather <rodpr at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: beer in Puerto Rico

Peter,

I don't know about Puerto Rico, but I travel extensively.
I follow this tried and true rule.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Then go to the rum.

In other words, Try the beer if you like.
But the RUM is the local drink.


From: "Peter A. Ensminger" <ensmingr at twcny.rr.com>

Greetings!

I am traveling to Puerto Rico in a few months. Any beer recommendations
from the HBD collective? Or should I just stick with the rum?

Cheerio!
Peter A. Ensminger


>
>
>
>  
>




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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 06:22:12 -0800
From: "Peed, John" <jpeed at elotouch.com>
Subject: Oxygen absorbing caps


The oxygen-absorbing caps are activated when they get wet.  Presumably,
if you store them in a plastic bag in a dry place, they stay inactive.
Also, presumably, you need to tip the bottle to wet the cap after
applying it.

John Peed
Oak Ridge, TN




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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 07:22:27 -0800 (PST)
From: Andrew Kligerman <homebre973 at yahoo.com>
Subject: oxygen absorbing caps

If I remember correctly, these caps were
developed as a by-product of trying to
invent an artificial lung for scuba diving
at the Duke Marine Lab.  It either involved
artificial hemoglobin that would bind 
oxygen or some membrane setup. My memory
may be faulty from too much beer consumption!

Andy in Hillsborough



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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 09:27:01 -0700
From: "John Mealey" <mealey at gw.grand.k12.ut.us>
Subject: Fwd: Re: Re: Oxygen absorbing caps

Fred Johnson said:

Thanks to those who responded ...
"I still don't know the mechanism or capacity of these caps.
How can these possibly be effective for any length of time
if they are exposed to air?"

Regarding the mechanism and capacity of these caps,
here's what Paddock Wood Brewing says at their site
in their "Ask the Brewmaster" Q and A section:

http://www.paddockwood.com

"Yes, Oxygen Absorbing crown caps really do work.
Over a 6 month period a typical crown cap will allow
approximately 1500ppb of O2 to enter the bottle.
Bottles with more than 600ppb O2 will show definite
signs of staling in 6 months. The Oxygen cap limits
the O2 ingress to approx. 125ppb over the same
6 month period (at 24DegC). (Data from the Proceedings
of the European Brewing Convention held in Oslo 1993, pg 654)."

According to this, the staling problem isn't as much from residual
oxygen in
the solution but , rather, oxygen slipping past the caps.

He also says:

"Oxygen and temperature are the crucial factors which limit
the shelf-life of beer, in other words, beer will oxidize more
rapidly as storage temperature increases. So keep your finished
beer cool, and the cooler the better, but don't freeze it. Reduce
the amount of oxygen trapped in the bottle when filling, and consider
Oxy-Caps if you plan on storing the beer for more than 6 months.

How they keep from becoming saturated during storage,
I don't know. I've never used them.

They sell these caps on their site.

Hope this is helpful.

John


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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:37:44 -0500
From: Kurt Thorn <Kthorn at CGR.Harvard.edu>
Subject: Lamarck

Steve gives a nice history lesson about Lamarck and Darwin but he's somewhat
incorrect in ruling out Lamarckian inheritance:

> Some HBers seem to believe in Lamarkism in the sense that they believe
> that if they are brewing a big beer they think the starter should be high
> gravity too. If they will ferment cold, then they make the starter cold
> too.  It's nonsense of course.
> The only inheritable asset are the parts of the parent cell passed to the 
> daughter at division.

When a yeast cell divides, the mother and daughter cell split the cellular
contents equally.  This means that they get equal shares of not only the DNA
but also of all the enzymes and so on.  So if your parent is adapted for
high gravity or cold and has expressed certain proteins to enable that
adaptation, the daughter cell will get them as well.  Of course if the
daughter doesn't continue to express those proteins, they'll disappear in a
few generations.  One way that disappearance can be prevented is if there is
positive feedback from the end product promoting its own synthesis.  This is
known to occur in some cases.

There are other mechanisms for non-genetic inheritance (collectively known
as epigenetic mechanisms).  In yeast one of the most famous of these is
prion inheritance - there are a few yeast prions that are highly heritable.
The other main mechanism of epigenetic inheritance is due to modifications
of the histone proteins that package up DNA.

While all these are possible mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance, it's
still not known how important they are in actually transmitting information
between generations.

(I work next to someone who works on epigenetic inheritance in yeast, hence
this message.)

Kurt



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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:47:56 -0500
From: lyona at umich.edu
Subject: Re: beer in Puerto Rico

> I am traveling to Puerto Rico in a few months. Any beer recommendations
> from the HBD collective? Or should I just stick with the rum?

I was in Puerto Rico about three years ago and went to the worst 
brewery I've ever visited.  They seemed to be pursuing a wide range of 
light, flavorless beers and had their air conditioning up WAY too high. 
  It was called Borinquen Grill & Brewing Company and was located right 
near the beach in New San Juan.  I would not recommend it to 
anyone...ever.  Beeradvocate.com lists another brewery now, Old Harbor 
Brewery, Steak & Lobster House.  I don't think it was there when I 
visited, but it's in Old San Juan (a much nicer area to walk around, by 
the way).  Anyway, it can't be as bad as Borinquen, which might even be 
closed now.

If you have the opportunity, you can check out the Bacardi distillery.  
The tour was interesting at times and you get a few free drinks at the 
end.  Also, try to check out the rainforest (El Yunque) if you get an 
opportunity.

Enjoy!

 -Aaron


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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 12:24:33 -0500 (EST)
From: Aaron Martin Linder <lindera at umich.edu>
Subject: puerto rico beer and oxy caps

>
> I am traveling to Puerto Rico in a few months. Any beer recommendations
> from the HBD collective? Or should I just stick with the rum?
>

> From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <spencer at spencerwthomas.com>
> Subject: Beer in PR
>
> Stick with the rum.
>

my lab mate is from puerto rico, and he recommends a brewpub in san juan 
if you will be there(i assume you will be there for at least awhile).  It 
might have some flavorful beers.  All of the rest of it is uninteresting. 
maybe hotter climates correlate with diminishing beer flavor?

WRT oxy caps.  I don't know how they work, but i'd like to have an "oxy 
plate" in my keg to absorb free oxygen if possible, that would be great. 
just try bottling a few bottles with and without the oxy caps and you will 
be able to tell the difference in a few-several months. they work.


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