---

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


Contents:
  Re: Using Oak Chips (Keith Morgan)
  Irish Lager recipe? (Rob Malouf)
  Yeast Culturing ("Justin A. Aborn")
  Re: Hop plugs  (dbreiden)
  Hop Plugs, Kegs, etc. (Jay Hersh)
  Dr. Beer Seminar in Boston (Jay Hersh)
  Re: Sparge water preparation  (mcnally)
  re: hop 'plugs', and pony kegging (Paul L. Kelly)
  Re: Homebrew Digest #538 (November 16, 1990) ("J.U.J.")
  Straining hops, etc., etc. (BAUGHMANKR)
  Hot Wort! (Martin A. Lodahl)
  beer kegs vs. soda cans (Dave Suurballe)
  Blowoff Redux (Martin A. Lodahl)
  Undelivered Mail. (JUPITER)
  Small Scale Mashing (Todd Enders - WD0BCI )
  kegging responces (sbsgrad)


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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 08:44:35 est
>From: Keith Morgan <morgan at DG-RTP.DG.COM>
Subject: Re: Using Oak Chips

To add my $.02 to the oak chips discussion: My one experiment with
oak chips (small handfull tossed in the boil) resulted one of the
least palatable beers I've ever brewed.  When I described this
to my local brewstuff supplier (Mike Williams, American Brewmaster
in Raleigh), he told me that the proper way to use oak chips involves
repeatedly pre-boiling them in clean water until all the tannin is
leached out (eg when the water remains clear after several minutes
of boiling).  Adding these chips to the 2ndary ferment is claimed
to give the beer a "smooth" flavor.  I'm going to try this on a 1 gal.
sub-batch the next time I brew to see if it really has a positive
effect; It's not intuitively obvious that the chips should have
any effect at all after having had most, if not all, of the volatile
compounds boiled out of them.

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 09:55 EST
>From: Rob Malouf <RMALOUF at MSRC.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject: Irish Lager recipe?

Does anyone have or know of a recipe for an Irish lager?  I am looking for
something along the lines of Guiness Gold.  I am pretty new at brewing, so if
no recipes are forthcoming, I would also appreciate any guesses that might help
me work out my own.  Thanks!
- ---
Rob Malouf                                      Marine Sciences Research Center
rmalouf at msrc.sunysb.edu             State University of New York at Stony Brook

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Date:     Fri, 16 Nov 90 10:20:14 EST
>From: "Justin A. Aborn" <jaborn at BBN.COM>
Subject:  Yeast Culturing

I just bought a book at my local homebrew shop about yeast
culturing.  

It does not attempt to teach how to refine strains of yeast or
anything like that.  It teaches sterile technique and how to
"can" growing media, pitching solutions, and priming solutions. 

The claim is that with absolute sterility you can produce large
amounts of perfectly uncontaminated yeast cultures.  It goes on
to claim that using these large, perfect cultures your beer will
taste much better than if you use the techniques we are all
familiar with.

Has anybody heard anything like this?  Last I knew, yeast put out
their own pesticides that killed non-yeast invaders.  If they do
this, why do I have to be *so* careful as long as I start with a
reasonable yeast population?
     
Justin, Brewer and Patriot


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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 10:54:53 -0500
>From: dbreiden at mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Subject: Re: Hop plugs 

Bob Devine asks about hop plugs:  I have been referring to them as compressed
hops, but the name matters not :-)
OK, compared to fresh hops:  I'd say that they are just as good.  But then I'm
not real picky.  They do "uncompress" in the wort and soon it looks as though
you've got the real thing floating about.  And I've got no complaints about
aroma or flavor.
Compared to pellets:  I will avoid pellets until the end of my days.  The fresh
or compressed hops are much easier to remove from the wort, and I like to see
something that looks like hops rolling about in my wort.  Pellets look like
animal feed.  Though again, I'm not real picky, so I haven't noticed a definite
flavor or aroma difference between the compressed hops and the pellets.

In general, I like to go with thaat which has been processed less.  I think the
compressed fits that bill over the pellets, and fresh wins in that category.
Compressed beats fresh in storage, though.  Give 'em a try.  I bet you'll be
pleased.

For a tasty treat, as you remove your hops from the wort, find a nice big flower
and put in your mouth and suck on it--WOW!  We're talking serious flavor.  
Sometimes the best part of homebrew is making it.  At other times it is drinking
that is the fun.  It's nice that it is so well balanced.
- --Danny Boy

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 10:40:17 EST
>From: hersh at coco.ctc.tasc.com (Jay Hersh)
Subject: Hop Plugs, Kegs, etc.

Danny Boy are you sure the beer (particularly the Sam Smith) was fresh??
I have been doing a little judge training with a friend. Last night we had
a DAB. It was awful, not cause it's an awful beer, just that this particular
bottle was terribly stale and oxidized. It had the most fetid taste of boiled
cardboard.

Now it does take some training to learn how to isolate and discern different
off flavors. I have found that while many people can identify BAD beer they
frequently can't isolate why it is bad. Perhaps the particular beers you were
tasting had spoiled. I have enjoyed the Sam Smiths products fresh and have
found them very enjoyable. I highly doubt that preservatives are used, it
is pretty unusual for a brewery to use preservatives.

BTW - the oatmeal stout was mine, but I don't have it in electronic form.
Someone else posted a modification and post-brew comments. If somebody
has it in electrnoic form please re-post, otherwise I'll retype it at some
point


HOP PLUGS:
 Great idea!! Same leaf hops compressed and vacuum sealed for freshness. 
Since they take up substantially less space this way it increases the 
likelihood that suppliers will keep them stored cold. Vacuum sealing also
helps prevent spoilage. Get yourself a muslin hop boiling bag, toss in
the desired amount, tie loosely to allow room for expansion, and toss the
bag in the brew!! This allows for the same extraction as if you used them loose
but no straining is needed!!
 I am sold on the plugs, and highly recommend them.

SODA Kegs:
 One big reason for using soda kegs is cleaning. Pony kegs are hard to clean.
 It is hard (and sometimes even dangerous) to remove the fittings. Most 
 breweries that use the normal kegs have special equipment and use caustic
 cleaners. Soda kegs have a big oval lid that makes cleaning inside real
 easy. Other factors are parts availability. Soda kegs are handled through
 restaurant and/or carbonic products suppliers. There are typically a lot
 of these. Additionally the 3 and 5 gallon sizes are more conducive to the
 batch sizes most homebrewers brew in. Cost is not necessarily a factor as
 the cheapest of my Cornelius kegs was $35 used. I have heard you can either
 appropriate them or often find them cheaper, but the ones I bought were 
 re-conditioned so I know the seals are good.
 I have been pretty happy with this sytem and find it very convenient.

 - Jay H (Dr. Beer)


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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 10:45:51 EST
>From: hersh at coco.ctc.tasc.com (Jay Hersh)
Subject: Dr. Beer Seminar in Boston


Hey I almost forgot. Steve Stroud and I are planning a Dr. Beer Seminar
in Boston. The selected date is Saturdat January, 19th, 1991.
This is the day before the Boston Brew Off hosted by Barley-Malt & Vine.
We hope to hold the event at the Sunset Grill, a local spot with a good
range of imports and microbrews.

This will offer people a chance to 1) Train their palates
2) Subsequently apply their new training drinking at the Sunset and
3) Perhaps also judging at the Boston Brew Off the following day.

Cost is $5. We need at least 15 people to make it worth our while.
Please respond via e-mail to 
 hersh at coco.ctc.tasc.com

to express your interest. If there is sufficient interest I will post
formal sign up information. Advance payment will be required to guarantee
attendance. This is necessry since there is advance preparation and
material purchase so please keep this in mind when you decide if you'd
like to attend.

 - Jay H (Dr. Beer)

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 09:49:37 PST
>From: mcnally at wsl.dec.com
Subject: Re: Sparge water preparation 


Mark Montgomery, in a private note I hope he doesn't mind me
paraphrasing, asks for some hard numbers concerning lactic acid in
sparge water.  I must confess that the times I've done the sparge water
acidification process with calcium carbonate buffering I used my
deeply-ingrained Italian cooking techniques: "gee, I'll bet ... that
much calcium carbonate will be perfect!"  Tell you what---I'll be
brewing this weekend, so I'll get in touch with you on Monday with
accurate measurements.  As a rough guess: I diluted about 1/2 fl. oz.
of 85% lactic acid solution (you got yours at Great Fermentations?  I
called them about a month and a half ago, as well as virtually every
other homebrew shop in the Bay area, and got responses ranging from
"huh?" through "yea, we got it; m-a-l-i-c, lactic acid, right?" to
"acidifying your *what* water?"  I got mine at Custom Chem Lab in
Livermore, your basic beer-plus-industrial-chemical supply outlet) in 8
ozs. distilled water.  I had 4.5 gallons of sparge water (distilled, or
actually distilled+purified; it's hard to get distilled water
sometimes)  into which I sprinkled about 1/2 tsp. of calcium carbonate
and 1 tsp. of gypsum (I was making a light wheat beer, so I figured I'd
need some gypsum in the wort anyway).  I ended up adding about 1/3, or
4 ozs., of my acid mix to bring the pH down to 5.7.

Having an electronic pH tester is a real convenience, as well as a
great way to blow $80.  It was quite easy to incrementally adjust the
pH.  The first time I tried, being a complete chemistry ignoramus I
just dribbled about 1 tsp. of an even weaker lactic acid solution
straight into distilled water, and watched the pH drop to about 4.8
immediately.  I guess that's why I became a computer scientist.

My problem with Beermakers is that the man that runs it seems a bit too
quaintly crusty to me.  Maybe I just don't know him well enough. 
Anyhow, I guess I'm just too yuppified---I figure if I'm making five
gallons of Belgian-style ale, the money I save vis-a-vis buying Chimay
is great no matter *what* I do. Thus I buy all my water at Cosentino's
or Lucky's or whatever.  Which reminds me to suggest you try the
Trappist recipe in Dave's book.  By all means, reculture Chimay yeast. 
I've found it to be incredibly healthy and easy to start, as well as
being very very clean in the fermenter.  The light wheat beer I've got
in my closet right now is intended to be something like Duvel, the
wheat adding a big frothy head.  The other night when I racked it out
of the primary, I got a sturdy 2-inch head in my hydrometer flask
straight out of the racking hose!  If it turns out good I'll post the
recipe in HBD.  The Chimay-oid beer I made is approaching greatness
right now, though I suspect it's indestructible.  The OG was about 80,
and the yeast brought it down to *5* in about a week.  Unbelievable.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike McNally                                           mcnally at wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 13:58:04 EST
>From: pkel at psych.purdue.edu (Paul L. Kelly)
Subject: re: hop 'plugs', and pony kegging


Yes!  I have used the so-called hop plugs, and I have found them to be of much
higher quality than many of the leaf hops I have used.  They combine the con-
venience and stability characteristics of hop pellets, with the advantages of
leaf hops (I use leaf hops as a filter bed for straining my malt extract 
batches).  The only brand I have seen yet is made by "Morris Hanbury", and
distributed in the U.S. by Crosby and Baker.  The selection is limited to
Fuggle, Hallertau, Saaz, and Styrian Golding.  If anyone else out there knows
of another distributer/producer, I'd love to find out.  A wider selection of
hop varieties would be nice, but apparently (as far as I can tell) this is
a new process, and the company is only marketing the four varieties mentioned.

re:  using commercial kegs

It is my understanding that the use of commercial kegs is extremely dangerous,
as there is no way for the amateur to insure that internal pressure is at a
safe level.  I have not heard of anyone being injured by opening a commercial
keg, but it certainly seems possible.  The 5 gallon cornelius kegs have the
advantage of having a pressure release valve, as well as being just the right
size for the typical batch of homebrew.  I know that personally I am unable
to carry a half barrel (15 gal ?) keg, and a pony is at the extreme upper end
of my carrying ability.  However, a 5 gal. cannister full of beer is not such
a big problem to carry.  

In short, I would dissuade you from trying to keg in commercial type beer kegs,
mainly due to safety, but also for the sake of convenience.

Cheers,

Paul

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 16:06:06 -0600
>From: "J.U.J." <juj33548 at uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #538 (November 16, 1990)

	please cancel me juj33548 at uxa.cso.uiuc.edu

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 18:36 EST
>From: BAUGHMANKR at CONRAD.APPSTATE.EDU
Subject: Straining hops, etc., etc.

Several comments on HBD # 538:

Russ Gelinas was wondering whether crystal malt added any 
fermentables to the wort.  It's my understanding that they do not.
What they do add is body and mouth feel.  That's why I *always* use 
at least some crystal malt when doing a combination extract/grain 
brew.  The crystal seems to give the extract some grain character 
and fullness that a straight extract beer never has.

Dan Breiden asked why Sam Smith puts their beer in clear bottles.  
I've read somewhere that they do something in the brewing process 
to prevent the "sun struck" effect, should their beers ever get 
caught in the light.  Maybe someone else has more particular 
information about this.  

Sparky the Puzzled wanted to know why most of use soda kegs instead 
of pony kegs.  (1) The hatch comes off so you can get your whole 
arm inside, making them easier to clean.  (2)  The five-gallon size 
is just right for a five-gallon batch of beer.  (3)  It's a hassle 
getting inside the pony kegs because of the locking ring on the 
thingamajig that holds the tap in place.  

As for the issue of whether to do a partial mash along with an 
extract beer.  Yes, it will make the extract beer better.  But if 
you're going to do a partial mash, you might as well do a full mash 
and make an all-grain beer.  

There have been a couple of questions lately about straining wort 
into the fermenter.  Most brewers would agree that it's sound 
brewing practice to achieve as clear a run-off as possible when 
going from the boiler to the fermenter.  For this reason I don't 
think it's ever a good idea to pour wort directly into the 
fermenter from the boiling kettle, even through a strainer. With 
that in mind, I pass along this technique that I recently worked up 
for siphoning through my flow-through wort chiller. 

You will need a copper wound pot scrubber (Chore Boy is a popular 
brand name), the foot from a pair of ladies nylon hose, a fine 
mesh hop bag, or some "no see 'um netting" from a hiking supply 
shop, a couple of pieces of copper or stainless wire ties and  a  
rubber  band.  Assuming you have a plastic or copper  crooked-neck 
pick-up  tube, (1) wrap the pot scrubber around the bottom  (the 
end that sticks down into pot of wort)  of the pick-up tube.  
Secure it with one of the wire-ties. (2) Pull the nylon hose or 
fine-mesh hop bag over the pot scrubber, in effect putting it in a 
sack, and secure it with the other wire-tie.  (3) Tie an overhand 
knot in the rubber band so that a small 3/8" loop is left in one 
end. Loop the big loop of the rubber band around and through itself 
onto the handle of the boiling kettle. (4) Stick the pick-up tube 
through the small loop of the rubber band and into the kettle, 
adjusting it so that the the pot scrubber dangles several inches 
above the trub in the bottom.  Once the boil is finished, swirl the 
wort around in the kettle, creating a whirlpool action. The trub 
and sediment will gravitate to the center of the pot creating a 
cone of deposit.  Let settle a few minutes. Then siphon into your 
carboy. As the wort approaches the bottom of the pick-up tube, 
gently push the tube further through the loop on the rubber band 
until it just touches the bottom layer of trub.  Tip the kettle 
over on its side until all the wort is siphoned out. 

As for which is better-nylon hose or the fine mesh hop bag/netting-
the hop bag is not as likely to clog towards the end of the siphon. 
When I use the nylon hose, I begin the wort transfer with the 
bottom of the pick-up tube about 5 or 6 inches above the level of 
the trub. 

Cheers,

Kinney Baughman                   |       "Beer is my business and
baughmankr at appstate.bitnet        |        I'm late for work."
































W

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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 16:10:39 PST
>From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at PacBell.COM>
Subject: Hot Wort!

In HOMEBREW Digest #538, John Freeman described his method of
separating whole hops from the wort ...

>	...  Then I strain my wort through the colander.  The
> hops are collected in the colander ...  Then its
> ready for the wort chiller - right in the pail.  I also primary ferment 
> right in the same pail.  The hot wort sterilizes everything, so no
> need to worry.

Worry, John.  No matter what Charlie says ...  ;->

Pouring hot wort, even gently, is an invitation to oxidation.  When
I started chilling the wort (hops & all) right in the kettle, I was
amazed to find my pale ales were clearly lighter in color, and more
stable in the bottle.  Having said that, no, I can't explain why a
"coolship" doesn't oxidize the Hell out the beer.  Perhaps the
answer lies in the surface:volume ratio.

And concerning the Great Oak Controversy:  I too felt oddly relieved
to read Terry Foster's words on the (extremely mild) influence of
oak on IPA.  I'd tried adding oak chips to the secondary, and didn't
like the result.  If I ever do it again I'll probably follow Cher's
advice and boil out not only the tannins, but most of the other
flavor components, as well.

= Martin A. Lodahl    Pac*Bell Minicomputer Operations Support Staff =
= malodah at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM       Sacramento, CA       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: Fri, 16 Nov 90 14:32:06 PST
>From: hsfmsh.UUCP!suurb at cgl.ucsf.EDU (Dave Suurballe)
Subject: beer kegs vs. soda cans

In #538 Sparky asks about pony kegs vs. soda kegs.  I can't answer for all
of us, obviously, but I can answer for myself.  I use both, and I prefer
the soda cans because they are cheaper (used or new), easier to clean (you
can get your arm into a soda can), and more conveniently sized for my batches.

A pony keg is good for a party because it looks like real beer.  Many people
have seen beer kegs and know they contain beer.  Not many people have seen
soda cans, and they don't know what's in them.  At a big party where most of
the people are not familiar with flavor profiles like the one you're about to
unleash, its best to prejudice them early and in any way you can that this is
beer. (Color and clarity help, too, but that's off the subject).

Small soda cans (three gallons) are good for parties because they are more
portable.  I know this contradicts the "image" argument, so take your pick.

There seem to be more types of beer kegs than soda cans.  You got your
Golden Gate, your Sankey, your Grundy, and your Hoff-Stevens on the one hand,
and pin-lock (CocaCola) and ball-lock (7Up, Pepsi, et al.) on the other.
This may not matter if you know no other brewers, but if you do, it's good
to have compatable equipment.  The local San Francisco club has adopted,
without discussion or explicit agreement, the ball-lock soda can as standard.
This is convenient when sharing equipment at brewing functions and when
one's needs exceed one's hardware configuration.  One guy did buy some
Coke stuff once, but he got rid of it because it was too inconvenient.
(Because it was different from everybody else's, not because it works
any different).  I think the Sacramento club is on the Coke standard, and
some of them may be listening right now.  Maybe we'll hear from them, too.


Suurballe


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Date: Fri, 16 Nov 90 17:14:16 PST
>From: Martin A. Lodahl <pbmoss!malodah at PacBell.COM>
Subject: Blowoff Redux

In HOMEBREW Digest #538, John DeCarlo responded to a response to 
Kevin Carpenter's question on blowoff:

>>From: BAUGHMANKR at CONRAD.APPSTATE.EDU
>>Kevin Carpenter wonders about using 5 or 7 gallon carboys
>>for primary fermentation.   I strongly recommend using 5 gallon
>>carboys so that you get some blow-off.  I think you'll find that
>>some of the residual astringency that lingers in the aftertaste
>>of some homebrews will disappear with the blow-off system ...

>I have heard this.  I have also heard that using the blow-off
>method doesn't really make any difference in the bitterness or
>astringency of your brew ...

And this has been exactly my experience.

>So, has anyone tried brewing two identical batches except for
>blow-off?

Not me.  Similar, but not identical.

> Also, do any commercial brewers do any kind of blow-off or
> skimming?  Nothing of the sort was mentioned in any tours I have
> taken.

My "local", the Rubicon (whose IPA did rather spectacularly,
once again, at the Great American Beer Festival), uses a variation
on the blowoff theme.  Any inferences drawn from this are strictly
at your own risk; I tend to credit the overall excellence of Phil
Moeller's brewing, rather than that stainless steel tube in the top
of the tank.  The systems I can think of that seem similar to
blowoff at first glance, the Burton Union system and the Yorkshire
Stone Square, actually function as yeast recirculation systems, and
don't remove anything, as blowoff does.

As I said a few days ago in a posting that only partially appeared
here, my non-blowoff batches are neither astringent nor unpleasantly
bitter, and my principal impression of blowoff is that it's wasteful
and an infection risk.  That's why I changed over to a large carboy.
It may have been useful when we homebrewers were using less
sophisticated ingredients, techniques and recipes, but no more.

= Martin A. Lodahl    Pac*Bell Minicomputer Operations Support Staff =
= malodah at pbmoss.Pacbell.COM       Sacramento, CA       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: Sat, 17 Nov 90 01:46 PST
>From: JUPITER at spd.3mail.3com.com
Subject: Undelivered Mail.


Server not responding:
     MAIL005:HQDEV:3Com
0Failed to deliver to the following recipients:
     Dave Korn:HQDEV:3Com
     
- ------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Date: 11-16-90  1:28am 
>From: {homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hpl.hp.com}:ugate:3Com
  To: Dave Korn:HQ:3Com
Subj: Homebrew Digest #538 (November 16, 1990)
Attach: \attach.fil
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Due to the large size of this message,
it has been converted into an attachment.

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Date: Sun, 18 Nov 90 12:41:37 -0600
>From: Todd Enders - WD0BCI  <enders at plains.NoDak.edu>
Subject: Small Scale Mashing


     Mashing small batches *works*!  I've been doing this for quite a while 
now, and I've had nothing but success with it.  I usually make 2 gal. batches,
scaling the recipes by multiplying everything by .4.  Hop rates might need some
tweaking, but they usually do anyway.

     The only other pitfall is obtaining an efficient sparge.  Mine have been
running 90% of theoretical extraction, so I think I have a handle on it.  My
lauter tun is a two bucket affair using 5 qt. plastic pails.  This gives an
average grain bed depth of 5-6 inches.  Presumably, anything < 4 inches gives
trouble with extraction, filtration, etc.  It takes me about 1 hour to sparge
3 gallons plus the initial runnings.  My wort is always clear, so no worries
there.

     With less wort to boil, it's easier to boil, and with the larger area
you will loose a bit more volume during the boil than with the 'normal' size
batches.  I loose around 6 qts of volume during a 90 min boil in a 22 qt
canning kettle.  With a more vigorous boil, hop utilization is better, so if
you are scaling a recipe, you might want to round any inconvienient fraction
of hop weight down. i.e. if your scaled recipe needed .7 oz of hops, .5 would
in all likelyhood be better than .75, but feel free to experiment.

     In any case, I'd recommend mashing small batches highly!  I'd never go
back to extract batches, and I get the chance to experiment more.  Further, if
for some strange reason a batch doesn't turn out, you are out less with a 2
gal. batch than with a 5 or 10 gal batch.  And if you do come up with a good
recipe, it's just a matter of scaling up.  For the extract brewer, it gives
you the chance to play with all grain without the investment in larger 
kettles, grain mills, etc.  The experience you will get is exactly the same, 
and I think it's a good first step into the world of all grain.  Try it!

===============================================================================

Todd Enders - WD0BCI                  ARPA: enders at plains.nodak.edu
Computer Center                       UUCP: ...!uunet!plains!enders
Minot State University                  or: ...!hplabs!hp-lsd!plains!enders
Minot, ND  58701                     Bitnet: enders at plains

     "The present would be full of all possible futures,
      if the past had not already projected a pattern upon it" - Andre' Gide

===============================================================================



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Date:    Sun, 18 Nov 90 18:50:26 GMT
>From: sbsgrad%sdphs2.span at Sds.Sdsc.Edu
Subject: kegging responces

>From: "Sparky" <sslade at ucsd.edu> (Steve Slade) 
Date sent:  18-NOV-1990 10:51:35 PT 

My thanks to all who replied so quickly to my question about why soda kegs 
are used for beer.  In particular, Glenn Colon-Bonet, Steve Dempsey, Rick 
Goldberg, and Chris Shenton were all very helpfull.

Here is my own summary of the reasons soda kegs are better than regular old 
beer kegs for homebrewing.  1: Soda kegs are relatively cheap, especially 
if purchased used.  2: Beer kegs are very hard to clean unless you have a 
special high pressure cleaning rig.  Soda kegs, however, have a large lid 
which can be removed, allowing hand cleaning of the entire inside of the 
keg.  3: Soda kegs happen to hold 5 gallons, which is a very convenient 
size for most homebrewers.  4: Soda kegs are tall and thin, so that three 
or four of them can fit in a standard fridge, while only one standard beer 
keg will fit in the same fridge.  5: Lastly, there is the question of how 
do you fill a beer keg.  This is the question I was hoping someone could 
answere in my original posting.  If anyone out there has any experience 
with filling beer kegs, please let me know!

After getting all this information, I wonder if it is worth my while to 
hold onto the pony keg that I got for free.  Seems it may be more hassle 
than it is worth.  Then again, I've never been one to worry....

Thanks again!

Sparky

Internet:            sslade at ucsd.edu        UUCP:              ...ucsd!sslade
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Date: Sun, 18 Nov 90 17:35:17 EST
>From: jma at gnu.AI.MIT.EDU (John Adams)


Just a couple quick questions.. I live in boston, and was wondering where
I could get Champaine Yeast (Average cost/etc..) [I'm trying to make mead!]...
Also, do you know if its good to manufacture mead in a plastic springwater
container (like the ones used for office water coolers; and does anyone know
of a shop that sells fermentation locks for these type of bottles..?
 
thanks again!

Oh yes, one other question... Do brewing supply companies ask for ID? (Have you
ever been carded buying yeast or the like?)
Thanks!


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End of HOMEBREW Digest #539, 11/19/90
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