HOMEBREW Digest #1412 Sat 30 April 1994

Digest #1411 Digest #1413


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


Contents:
  Questions about pH throughout the Brewing Process (D.J.Arnone)
  root beer recipes (Jim Doyle)
  SA Tripple Bock ("DEV::SJK")
  FALSE BOTTOMS (Jack Schmidling)
  SNPA? (MS08653)
  Looking for Owades Paper (Chuck Cox)
  re: Homebrewing and Water Usage ("Brian Thorn")
  Kegging systems, and beer trading in DC Area (Mark R. Routson)
  Subject: Re: Chest Freezers & Taps (don)
  Looking for Beer Quotes (Kelly Jones)
  Microbrew Beer (rnarvaez)
  COYOTE's Cool Question (Jack Skeels)
  UNYHA Competition Results (kaltenbach)
  PINT GLASSES & RECIPES ("Coneys, Jeff")
  pH & buffers ("Dana S. Cummings")
  Yes, I amde a mistake (Jim Busch)
  RE: Wyeast Scotch (Jim Dipalma)
  Credentials / Triple bock (Rich Larsen)
  1968 London ESB yeast (Jeff Frane)
  Question Concerning Wort in Hop Bag (Philip DiFalco)
  Mea Culpa (Alan_Marshall)
  sulfur smell from dry hopping? (SPEAKER.CURTIS)
  Coleman Coolers for mashing (HUMPHREYS)
  Propane Storage Safety (Alan_Marshall)
  March MDX-3 Motor Speed Controller ("Joe Stone")
  Extracts Again (Martin Lodahl)
  Re: separate beer digests for extract and grain brewers (Al Gaspar)
  SS airstones, inline carbon filters (Mark Bellefeuille)
  Cool-er/ Moving Hops/ Kolsh/ Chuckles (COYOTE)
  Toxic Zymurgy (Bob Jones)
  Extract based oatmeal stout/Czech pils yeast update (Jim Grady)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 11:05:44 EDT From: dja at ohm.att.com (D.J.Arnone) Subject: Questions about pH throughout the Brewing Process Hello, I've been monitoring the HBD for sometime now and have noted a number of entries discussing pH. However, I have not been able to piece together all of the information I am looking for. I will be embarking on my second all-grain brew this this Saturday (4/30/94) and will follow it up with an extract version on Sunday (5/1/94). Each time I make another batch I like to apply something new that I have learned from the science of brewing. However, chemistry was never my strength and I'm having a bit of trouble with nailing down target pH at various points of the all-grain/extract brewing process and how to adjust the pH, if necessary. I appreciate all responses. First, some info for you. We have well water which I have always considered to be "hard". When our water is boiled there is always a white residue on our pots. Ice from our refrigerator, well melted, has a white precipitate. Our water completely trashes our humidifier leaving a white residue on the heating element and requires cleaning once every 1 to 2 weeks. I attribute this white substance to calcium or mineral content, in general. A water analysis was performed when we bought the house. The quantity of important elements was read as: Units are in milligrams/liter except for pH. Calcium 18.349 Magnesium 5.542 Sodium 95.154 Zinc 3.960 Nitrate 4.310 Fluoride 0.260 Alkalinity 225.800 Chloride 10.510 Hardness 68.641 pH 7.060 Corrosivity 0.795 Specific Conductance 512.000 Can anyone comment on this analysis?? I have available two substances: gypsum and calcium carbonate. I plan to use a 3 step infusion mash. My questions are: 1.) The mash pH should be 5.2? What substance do I use to lower the pH of the mash?? gypsum or calcium carbonate? 2.) The mash will have three different temperatures 130, 150 and 158-160 degrees F (I believe). What should the pH be at each temperature? 3.) Should I lower the pH (make more acidic) the sparge water? What should its pH be at 170 degrees F?? What do I use to lower the pH gypsum or calcium carbonate?? 4.) What should the pH of the boil be at the temperature of the boil?? Does this pH also apply to extract brewing? 5.) What should the pH of the wort be when the wort is cooled and ready for yeast to be added?? Does this pH also apply to extract brewing? All responses are deeply appreciated. Direct email is welcome. Dave Arnone dja at ohm.att.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 08:44:52 -0700 From: Jim Doyle <jgdoyle at uci.edu> Subject: root beer recipes I know I have seen recipes for ROOT BEER go by in the past, but I neglected to make note of them. I would appreciate recipes for root beer...the closer to "I.B.C." I can get, the better... private e-mail is ok... TIA -- Jim Doyle P.S. Purchasing Office Ph. (714) 856-6047 Return to table of contents
Date: 28 Apr 94 11:02:00 CST From: "DEV::SJK" <SJK%DEV.decnet at mdcgwy.mdc.com> Subject: SA Tripple Bock Mark Stickler in HBD #1409 found SA Tripple Bock to be port-like. I work with a guy who recently returned from a short trip to the East Coast. He took the Sammy Adams tour and said that they showed the tour "a lot" of WOODEN kegs which were claimed to contain the fabled Tripple Bock ("Samatorator?") Apparently, the tour guide said that SA had no plans to re-make the stuff because it was costing them "over $100 a barrel" though I suppose if they can get $25 a short six for it, then we'll see more. Anyways, I just thought I'd relate the aging in wood thing (I have no idea if they were lined or not). Perhaps that has something to do with the sherry flavors he tasted? Scott sjk%c17fcs.decnet at mdcgwy.mdc.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 11:53 CDT From: arf at mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) Subject: FALSE BOTTOMS >From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> >Subject: Re: IM and the EasySparger >So, did you follow the advise to rehydrate it in advance of brewing? No, but not to be a crank, just didn't seem to make much sense as it sits in the hot wort for several hours before the chiller is even turned. >> Also, if Ulick is using Irish Moss, I can appreciate his frustration with an EASYMASHER.... it just plain won't work (as a crud filter that is). I never said it would work with IM but it's nice to know these things. >Wow, sounds like an excellent argument for the SS perforated sheet false bottom, but I guess you need to deal with dinosaur vendors..... Just for the record, I received mail this morning from readers who routinely use IM with EM's and have no trouble, so I am not sure where we are at. However, be it known that I never claimed that an EM was better, in all respects, than a SS false bottom. The advantages of the EM are: * that it CAN be a single kettle all grain system * mashing and lautering are done in the same vessel requiring no transfer to the lauter tun.. * Virtually no re-cycling of wort is required to clear out the dead space * It is inexpensive and easy to use. >Seriously, I think what Jack has discovered is yet another reason why counterflow chillers are better than immersion, trub removal. By combining both the hot and cold trub, and by optimizing your trub precipitation, you have overwhelmed the ability of your little home brewery to adequately remove the trub. I really do not understand what you are saying here... like, whose on first? > If you had used a false bottom as a hop back, the surface area available to help seperate the hot trub would have kept most of the hot trub in the kettle. Again, if I used a false bottom and which chiller? I am at a loss as to how to respond to this but maybe that was your goal. But you know I will give it a try anyway. If I used a false bottom and the process I described, there is a chance that the fb may not have clogged and therefore prove to be better than an EM for IM. My guess is that it may well have clogged anyway and can't imagine doing a 2 hour boil with a false bottom in place. Now, if we switch to a counterflow chiller, there is no need for the false bottom because we can simply suck all the crud through the chiller and let it settle out later. Furthermore, with a cf chiller, the EM may well have worked anyway. So as I see it, you have made a tentative argument for one or the other but not necessarily both and a judiciously placed syphon would have solved all the problems in the first place. I would also be interested in knowing how many people use their false bottoms in their brew kettle. js Return to table of contents
Date: 28 Apr 94 12:04:44 From: MS08653 at MSBG.med.ge.com Subject: SNPA? From: "MICHAEL L. TEED"<MS08653 at MSBG> Dist: INTERNET int homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com After seeing numerous articles posted regarding Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the ability to make a yeast culture from it, I decided to check into the feasabilit y of doing a culture. So I go to the local beer mart and look at a bottle, and I see no yeastie beasties laying about... So I talk to the local owner, who is also a homebrewer, and he doesnt feel that there is any cultivatable yeast in t he bottle. SO, the question is: Over here on the east side of Ol' Mississippi, does the law still exist that we can get no beers that have not been pasteurize d ( like Coors used to be (?)) or is the yeast I am interested in culturing inv isible to the eye. There is absolutely no sediment in the bottles I looked at. E-Mail responses are fine, I will summarize. Michael Teed - MS08653 at MSBG.med.ge.com- GE Medical Systems CT division Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 14:27:49 EDT From: chuck at synchro.com (Chuck Cox) Subject: Looking for Owades Paper Here's one for my fellow old-timers: Five, six, maybe seven years ago (perhaps at the Estes Park conference) I recall being shown a copy of an article or transcript of a talk that Joe Owades gave about designing Sam Adams Pittsburgh Lager. It included a technical discussion of the recipe as well as a market analysis. I have been trying to track it down with no success. Other folks recall the paper too, but no one can remember where it came from. If you have any leads, please let me know. - -- Chuck Cox <chuck at synchro.com> SynchroSystems / Riverside Garage & Brewery - Cambridge, Mass. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 14:22:15 CST From: "Brian Thorn" <bthorn at nmsu.edu> Subject: re: Homebrewing and Water Usage I have to agree with Rich Webb. We all should be conscious of conserving water where possible. Homebrewing IS a very water intensive process. It may be cheap for most of us, but IMHO we should treat it otherwise. In So. Cal. and metro Ariz. much of the municipal water comes via canal from 100's of miles away. I live in So. New Mexico where it seems like it never rains. It's easy to be consious of water use for that reason, even though I pay about $1.00 for 2000 gallons. I have not purchased a wort chiller simply because I was concerned about wasting the water (the food grade plastic bottles with ice have worked relatively well for me). Now that the creative input of the great HBD brain has caused me to see the light, I think I'll part with the cash and take one more step on that great stairway toward *PERFECT* (or is that DIVINE) beer. Cheers, Brian Thorn bthorn at nmsu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 17:47:44 -0400 From: mark at cable.dt.navy.mil (Mark R. Routson) Subject: Kegging systems, and beer trading in DC Area I am new to the HB list, and found the first distribution interesting and helpful. Not wanting to sit on the side-lines, I was hoping to find advice on putting together a home kegging system, since the most tedious task in the HB process (for me anyway) is cleaning, sterilizing, bottle capping, and filling beer bottles. I am interested in determining several things: * Material parts list for putting together a 5 gallon system (such as Kornielius) * Disadvantages of kegging versus bottling in beer quality * Suppliers of CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP, did I say, CHEAP, kegging supplies (yes, I am even soliciting to buy equipment from other home brewers who may have an extra keg or two laying around gathering dust). Thank you in advance for the information. I am also interested in finding other home brewers who may be interested in exchanging brews (you give me a bottle, I give you a bottle) in the DC Metropolitan area. Thanks, Mark R. (Olney, MD) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 10:26:38 CDT From: don at tellabs.com Subject: Subject: Re: Chest Freezers & Taps >I am currently deciding where to place the taps on my chest freezer and am >interested in any experience people have had with their taps on a chest >freezer. I am trying to decide whether to put a tower on the lid or put >the taps on the side of the freezer. Not having checked to see what is in >the walls of the chest freezer (yet), does anyone have any warnings? > >Glenn Raudins >raudins at Elan2.coryphaeus.com I've got one warning -- be absolutly sure which wall has the cooling coil in it and DONT drill into that wall. Pick another. This is an easy way to make a perfectly good freezer worthless. The cooling coil is not necessarily on the back of the freezer. Mine is on the front wall. don Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 17:43:34 -0600 From: Kelly Jones <k-jones at ee.utah.edu> Subject: Looking for Beer Quotes I am looking to compile a list of beer quotes/aphorisms/witty sayings/etc. You know the ones I'm talking about, I've seen them in a lot of your .sig files: "In heaven there is no beer,...", "He who buys eggs, buys many shells,...", etc. If you have some of these, please post or mail them to me, with attributions where possible. Just send me your .sig if that's where the quote is. If you know of any online sources, or if anyone has already done this, please let me know. When I'm finished, I'll post the results, and possibly see about uploading to the Sierra archives if there's sufficient interest. Thanks, Kelly Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 1994 19:30:48 -0500 From: rnarvaez at lan.mcl.bdm.com Subject: Microbrew Beer Hello, Does anybody know if there is any companies that specialize in the distribution of microbrewed beer? There are a couple of liquor stores here in Albuquerque but they don't carry a large selection. I once heard about a company that offers a beer of the month club. This company offers microbrewed beer from around the US and has it shipped to you house. Has anyone heard of this? Please let me know I would like to try some more MicroBrew. Thanks in advance for any assistance Ronald Narvaez RNarvaez at lan.mcl.bdm.com Never take life too seriously, it isn't a permanent thing. : ) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 17:34 EST From: Jack Skeels <0004310587 at mcimail.com> Subject: COYOTE's Cool Question Jim the Coyote asked about building a box for refrigeration (God, I hope I spelled that right). In the past I've sent direct e-mail to folks when I've seen this question, but what the heck, maybe there are more people interested. There is a good how-to/why-to book called How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar. It provides an excellent intro on how to construct a variety of temperature-controlled environments, using air conditioners, thermal sinks, water cooling, etc. It also discusses topics such as humidity and condensation in such conatrction/fabrication. In that wine cellars are typically targetted for 40-55F with a humidity <80%, I think that this book would give anyone enough of the ground rules so that they could engineer a brewing-capable equivalent. Usual disclaimer... and aside from looking through an issue of the Wine Spectator or going to a really good wine shop, I'm not sure where you can find a copy. Jack Skeels JSKEELS at MCIMAIL.COM Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 94 19:30:42 EDT From: kaltenbach at aol.com Subject: UNYHA Competition Results Here are the results of the 16th Annual Competition of the Upstate New York Homebrewers Association, held April 16 in Rochester, NY. A total of 156 entries were judged. Light Lager (9 entries) Porter (8 entries + 1 disqualified) 1st David Wunder 1st Al Rickett & Tom Thompson 2nd Al Schichler 2nd John Zelazny 3rd Ron Maliwacki 3rd Bill Heller Amber Lager (13 entries) Stout (19 entries) 1st Randy Maliwacki 1st Bill Heller 2nd Andrew Jones 2nd John Zelazny 3rd Wendy & Chuck Bryant 3rd Gerald Hall Dark Lager (13 entries) Belgian (9 entries) 1st Wendy & Todd Colin 1st Wendy & Chuck Bryant 2nd Randy Blandford 2nd David Wynder 3rd Peter McAnn 3rd Bill Heller North American Ale (7 entries) Specialty (25 entries) 1st George Fix 1st Andrew Jones 2nd Kenn DePotter 2nd John Zelazny 3rd Paul LeClair 3rd John Nelson ** British Ale (22 entries) Mead (12 entries + 1 disqualified) 1st Curtis Womach 1st Tom & Maureen Kaltenbach 2nd George Fix 2nd Jeff & Lisa Snover 3rd Lee Turner 3rd Tom Thompson Brown Ale (16 entries) Looks Like Saranac Black & Tan (5 entries) 1st John Nelson 1st Gerald Holl 2nd Maureen & Tom Kaltenbach 2nd Manny Holl 3rd David Chapus BEST OF SHOW 1st Wendy & Chuck Bryant --Belgian (Trappist style) 2nd Bill Heller -- Stout 3rd George Fix -- North American Ale ** NOTE: Stu Wilson was announced at contest as 3rd place winner (scorekeeping error) Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 94 03:35:00 PDT From: "Coneys, Jeff" <Coneys at oandtsvt.nbc.ge.com> Subject: PINT GLASSES & RECIPES Does anyone know where I can get my hands on traditional English Pint glasses? I have broken all but two of my set and I'm not planning any trips to Europe in the near future. While I'm in the asking mode, is there an extract recipe known out there that would compare to Petes Wicked Ale? I have not brewed for a while and am looking for a good beer to get me hooked once again. Thanks in advance, Jeff Coneys -- coneys at oandtsvt.nbc.ge.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 08:03:10 -0400 (EDT) From: "Dana S. Cummings" <dcumming at moose.uvm.edu> Subject: pH & buffers In HBD # 1411, CARLSON at GVSU.EDU wrote > rinsed out by sparging. Diluting a buffer does not change > its pH. It seems unlikely that sparging with very soft, I humbly beg to differ. pH is defined as < -log [H+]>. That reads minus the log of the hydrogen ion concentration. As you dilute, your concentration of H+ decreases. The pH will follow. Dana Cummings dcumming at moose.uvm.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 09:42:25 -0400 (EDT) From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> Subject: Yes, I amde a mistake John writes: > > Subject: Don't try this at home kids > > Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> writes: > > >. . . bit suprised to read that they didnt like cask hopping at > >"higher levels". They said they settled on 1/6th of an oz per keg, > >if I remember right, claiming a tinny effect. I have used up to 40 > >oz in a 5 gal keg with no tinny effects, this is with East KEnt > >Goldings. > > Well Jim, I think you have just created a new definition for the > term hop head. Were these pellets, plugs, or whole flowers? Did you > have to use a marble in the bag to keep it from floating? Has Mark > Garetz been in touch to get information for his forthcoming book? > Has Coyote been in touch for the recipe, in hopes that the critters > don't decimate his harvest this year? I do get Johns humor but I guess I should correct myself.It should have said GRAMS. 40 grams per 5 gal. I did the experiment with 4 kegs, each had between 14g and 40g of Whole EKGs( Morris Hanbury). Alpha 5%. I loved the results. Jim Busch Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 94 09:59:15 EDT From: dipalma at sky.com (Jim Dipalma) Subject: RE: Wyeast Scotch Hi All, In HBD#1410, Rich Larsen writes: >Has anyone else experienced a noted increase of a sleepy hang over effect >from the wyeast scottish. >In addition, there is a pretty >bad taste in the mouth as well. >This time I >used the tried and true Fuggle / Goldings combo and get the "icks" in the >morning. So now I'm attributing it to one of the "higher" alcohols. >Whatcha think? too high a ferment temp? Probably in the mid to upper >60s. I know its just not me, as three other people reported the next day, >that they just couldn't get moving. Mash was 1 hour at 152, SG1.060 FG 1.010 I brewed a strong Scotch ale with this yeast(1728) recently. The beer was fermented at 60-62F, and racked to secondary 8 days after pitching, so I don't think fusel alcohols should be an issue. This past Tuesday, the 26th, I kegged the beer. I ended up with slightly over 5 gallons, for after filling the keg, there was enough beer left over to fill a large glass, about 10 ounces or so. Since I hate to waste homebrew, I drank it. Hey, even flat, green homebrew from the fermenter is infinitely better than BudMilloors. This 10 ounces was the only beer I consumed that evening. Next day, I experienced a similar effect to what Rich reported, I was kind of out of it all morning. I had a terrible time concentrating at work. I did not experience any bad aftertaste. I had recently recovered from a severe headcold, so I attributed the feeling to being run down, didn't pay it too much attention at the time. Reading Rich's post has makes me wonder about this, anyone else that's used this yeast experience this? Jim Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 08:57:21 -0500 (CDT) From: Rich Larsen <richl at access1.speedway.net> Subject: Credentials / Triple bock I'm taking a poll, if y'all don't mind: How many of you out there in the CyberBrewery have attended a professional brewing school. I.E. Siebel, etc. Please E-mail me with your answers. TIA. The talk about the Sam(tm) Adams(tm) Triple(tm not) Bock(tm not) states that it has sherry and port wine characteristics. This sounds to me like OXIDATION. Way to go Koch. => Rich Rich Larsen (708) 388-3514 The Blind Dog Brewery "HomeBrewPub", Midlothian, IL (Not a commercial establishment) "I never drink... Wine." Bela Lugosi as Dracula Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 07:35:48 -0700 (PDT) From: gummitch at teleport.com (Jeff Frane) Subject: 1968 London ESB yeast Wyeast's 1968 London ESB strain is highly-flocculant, with an apparent attenuation of 67-71%. They caution that "this strain is so flocculant that additional aeration and agitation is needed." My own experience with it has been excellent, and I continue to use it in the sure knowledge that I will get a nice malty finish and some light diacetyl. But it's possible that under cool conditions the yeast would flocculate so quickly that a fairly high diacetyl level would be reached. I would suggest that rousing it several times during fermentation is not a bad idea. And do be sure that it gets a definite diacetyl rest. - --Jeff Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 94 10:34:03 -0400 From: Philip DiFalco <sxupjd at fnma.COM> Subject: Question Concerning Wort in Hop Bag In making my beer: I immerse whole hops, imprisoned in a hop bag, during the boil. After the boil, I use a chiller to cool the wort. After the chill I strain the wort into the primary (a glass carboy). Remaining in the brewpot is the hop bag. The hop bag contains the whole hops and some (precious) wort. Question: Should I squeeze the remaining wort from this hop bag into the primary? Please post or email me any responses. Thanks. - --- email: sxupjd at fnma.com (NeXT Mail Okay) Philip DiFalco, SIS, Systems & Operation Management Development FannieMae, 3900 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 (202)752-2812 Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 11:29 EDT From: Alan_Marshall <AK200032 at Sol.YorkU.CA> Subject: Mea Culpa Several people have kindly pointed out that I compared the water usage of Great Western Malting and Upper Canada Brewing, and I said GW's 10E6 gallon water usage was wasteful. That was foolish of me. As pennance, I'm heading for the corner to sit with a dunce cap on, sipping a warm Genuine Cold-Filtered Bud Dry Lite Ice Original Draft, brewed under license, of course. Alan Marshall Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 11:33 EDT From: CSS2 at OAS.PSU.EDU (SPEAKER.CURTIS) Subject: sulfur smell from dry hopping? A question for the group...I recently made a batch of C. Papazian's Rocky Racoon Honey Lager and figured this might be a good batch to try dry hooping with. I fermented for a week in the primary, racked to the carboy and added a "tea" made from a cup of previously boiled water and 1/2 oz of Cascade pellets. After allowing it to finish (18 days), I decided to bottle last night. When I pulled the airlock to rack to the bottling bucket, I got a strong sulfur smell from the carboy; not overwealming, but noticable. I'm fairly sure that the beer was not light struck (I lagered in the same dark corner of my basement that I always use)...any ideas what might have happened? Could it come from the hops? Can this beer be saved? (I bottled it anyway, hoping that the smell will age out :) Any advice would be appreciated... Thanks Hoppy Brewing Curt css2 at oas.psu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 11:52:31 -0500 (EST) From: HUMPHREYS at UMBC2.UMBC.EDU Subject: Coleman Coolers for mashing Hi all, I am currently in the process of acquiring the equipment for all-grain brewing. I've been searching high and low for the fabled 10 gallon Gott "tower of power" at local (Baltimore) retail establishments. This is starting to turn into the Holy Grail for me - I cannot find one anywhere. I did find a 10 gallon Coleman water "jug" which is shaped like the "tower of power" only square instead of circular. The problem is that in the info that came with this jug, under "Helpful Hints", I see "DO NOT USE JUGS AS CONTAINERS FOR HOT LIQUIDS. Jugs perform best when used with ice to keep things cold." Intrigued, I called the 1-800 number for Coleman. The person I spoke to said the same thing as the "Tip." When I asked him about any possible problems with putting hot liquid in the jug, he got evasive, and just reiterated their recommendation. This 10 gallon "jug" was considerably cheaper than the prices I have seen here in the HBD for the elusive, perhaps mythical Gott "tower of power": $29.95 for the Coleman. My question: are there any nasty side effects of using coolers intended only for cold liquids as mash and lauter tuns? Will the plastic break down and leech into my wort? Should I take the 10 gallon Coleman "jug" back and continue my quest for the Gott cooler? TIA, Brad Humphreys Internet: Humphreys at UMBC2.UMBC.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 11:46 EDT From: Alan_Marshall <AK200032 at Sol.YorkU.CA> Subject: Propane Storage Safety bgros at sensitivity.berkeley.edu (Bryan L. Gros), wrote: > Is a leaky propane tank a common thing? If storing the tank in the > garage or basement is bad, where do you store it? Out in the backyard? > Should you build a little box to protect the tank from the weather > and keep it outside under the porch or something? Last summer, the local firefighters came around offering safety inspections. We discovered that it is quite dangerous and, in our municipality illegal, to store a propane tank indoors or in the garage. A 20# tank has enough energy to destroy half our house. They should be stored in the open. Also, don't do what my parents did -- they spray painted the tank black so it would blend in with the barbeque. This encouraged the tank to absord the energy of the sunlight, heating the tank and forcing the gas to leak. It was estimated that they were losing about half their gas during the peak of summer. Most propane dealers have literature and even videos on the safe use of propane. Alan Marshall Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 94 09:22:09 PDT From: "Joe Stone" <JSTONE at SJEVM5.VNET.IBM.COM> Subject: March MDX-3 Motor Speed Controller Has anyone out there used a motor speed controller in conjunction with the March MDX-3 pump as described in the 1992 Special Issue of Zymurgy? I finally broke down and bought a recirculating pump. I was hoping for a little advice before running the smoke test. You can email me directly. Joe Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 09:30:04 -0700 (PDT) From: malodah at pbgueuze.scrm2700.PacBell.COM (Martin Lodahl) Subject: Extracts Again The question of malt extract composition has come up with some regularity over the years, but I must say that I was flabbergasted to see Norman Farrel post this in HOMEBREW Digest #1411: > ... AHA has set up a project to boil and analyze > 25 different malt extracts (both liquid and dry). Just Brew It. > club members will boil all the extracts under as similar conditions > as possible and take a 500 ml. sample. The samples will be sent > to Siebel Inst. for testing. I have not seen to full list of > properties for testing but I will try to find out. Results could > be published in the Winter zymurgy. The AHA sells 7 full-color pages of ads in every Zymurgy issue, and six of them are generally bought by purveyors of extracts. That fact alone has long caused me to doubt that they'd ever seriously address the extract question, and the fact that they'd even go this far surprises me greatly. By turning the preparation of the worts over to a homebrew club, though, they've created the possibility for enough inconsistency for the makers of the extracts to later claim that the results aren't valid. Before your club runs the test I suggest you get a copy of the Paik, Low, Ingledew et al. study, "Malt Extract: Relationship of Chemical Composition to Fermentability," Journal of the American Soc. of Brewing Chemists, Vol. 49, 1991. The methods described there assure a very high degree of consistency. Many lines further down, Edward C. Bronson (in an excellent posting!) described calling Briess and speaking to someone I believe from the context to have been Mary Anne Gruber: > ... I was told by the Director of Brewing Services > that the "formulations were proprietary" and that the difference between > thier various extract products was "the addition of crystal malt and/or > chocolate malt and/or black malt" and that the choice of ingredients was > "determined by the style of beer that the extract was designed to produce." > Not too informative, to say the least. When I asked her if she was willing > to tell me what I needed to know, she said that "she was being careful not > to tell me details." After a polite thank you, the conversation was over. > I was very surprised. I'm much less so. Extract producers have never been candid about what's in the stuff they sell, though I would imagine that they treat very large-volume purchasers somewhat differently from pub-brewers and homebrewers. My article on the subject in Brewing Techniques ("Malt Extracts: Cause for Caution," V. I, No. 2, July/August 1993), which draws heavily from the study cited above, shows that at least some of them actually have something to hide, and it's my suspicion that in one way or another, all of them do. The assumption I started with, that extracts are simply concentrated worts, is apparently more than a little questionable. I'm glad to see this question come up, and I hope it leads to the sort of pressure that will cause extract producers to clean up their act, just as yeast producers have. - Martin = Martin Lodahl Systems Analyst, Capacity Planning, Pacific*Bell = = malodah at pacbell.com Sacramento, CA USA 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! (Unk.) = Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 11:36:55 CDT From: Al Gaspar <gaspar at STL-17SIMA.ARMY.MIL> Subject: Re: separate beer digests for extract and grain brewers Joan Donohue writes suggesting that we break the Homebrew Digest into two parts. My vote is no. I get useful information from both all-grain and extract postings. Some postings apply equally to both-- hops, yeast, water, wort chillers, etc. What happens to those? Do we have a third "common" digest? Who does the work to determine which articles go where? I sympathize with the time it takes to review the digest, but I find that informative titles help a lot. If the subject line says sparging, and I'm not interested, I skip it. Cheers-- Al - -- Al Gaspar <gaspar at stl-17sima.army.mil> USAMC SIMA, ATTN: AMXSI-TTC, 1222 Spruce St., St. Louis, MO 63103-2834 COMMERCIAL: (314) 331-4354 AUTOVON: 555-4354 relay1.uu.net!stl-17sima.army.mil!gaspar Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 09:39:52 -0700 From: Mark Bellefeuille <mcb at mcdpxs.phx.mcd.mot.com> Subject: SS airstones, inline carbon filters Re> The SS airstone attached to an aquarium pump (with an inline charcoal filter) will get you up to 20% O2 sat., (since the air is 20% O2, 80% N2) within 30 min. ..snip.. I've been thinking about using a nebulizer with an airstone and filter for aeration (the machine pumps filtered air through a solution which is then inhaled by the patient; so, it's just a fancy (expensive) air pump). Can SS airstones be found at the same stores as aquarium pumps? In the literature, hbd, and r.c.b, the filters are always referred to as 'patient or sterile' filters. Did I miss the references to carbon filters? Will an 'inline carbon' filter work as well as the patient filters? And where would one get one of these filters? Approx cost? TIA, Mark - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark C. Bellefeuille INTERNET: mcb at phx.mcd.mot.com Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 10:48:06 -0600 (MDT) From: COYOTE <SLK6P at cc.usu.edu> Subject: Cool-er/ Moving Hops/ Kolsh/ Chuckles In the low- water usage cooling system discussion: What I used to do was to have a bucket of ice water with spigot placed on top of my fridge. This would run (via gravity) through 50 ft of 1/4" copper tubing and collected the water into 5 gallon jugs. The water could be used for plants, topping up fish tanks, or simply saved for the next brewing session. I used a bag or two of ice ($2/brew session or make your own) It usually took about 2-3 buckets to bring 10 gallons down to comfy pitching temp. The other addition was to have 20 ft of 3/8" copper tubing in a bucket of ice water. When the warmed wort was racked from the pot to carboys it was racked THROUGH the 2nd stage cooler and I was able to bring the wort down to lagering temps in about a half hour total cooling. I tend to keep chloring solutions around, and add a little fresh chloring everynow and then. Got some Cl test strips and they confirmed that the 'ol dip finger, smell finger test was pretty much adequate. If I didn't sense Cl with the snooter- it needed another splash. Anyone know of any problems with hanging on to old chlorine solns? Ok- besides sperm killage! *** Bad news from the electrical inspection. I've been told the the house does not have adequate electrical line-age to handle a window air conditioner. Ugh- there goes the dreams of a walk in cooler in the basement, unless I can afford to upgrade the wiring/ replace fuse box with a breaker box. $$$$'s I'll have to debate this with the seller! I don't think it'll help to tell them it's for brewing purposes. They're mormon! Maybe if I said it was for food storage for armageddon! Good news is that that room does have a vent to the outside, so it WILL be KOOL in the winter. At least I can manage some real lagering then. I think's its intended to be a root cellar type room. Anyone know of any problem with having an earth floor (besides termites- we're working on that!). I could lay cement, but would rather not bother if it's not needed. Hey at least I've got my gas Coyote Cooker (:) so I won't be taxing the electric stove! ANd I can still plug in my beer fridge in the garage. All is not lost! But I'd like to be able to safely plug in my computer!!! *** MOVING HOPS: If they shoots are still fairly small, you're doing ok (under a foot say). You can dig them up- just dig a bigger hole than you think you'll need. You will most certainly take out some roots in the process, but they will survive a bit of root pruning without too much harm. I feel I've passed the point of safely transplanting mine. They are about chest high on their stringers now, so I'll be moving cuttings, and my new rhizomes to the new pad, and letting these remain. I've arranged to share the harvest with the tenants. I'm also probably gonna have someone move into my apartment (when I move out) who is an avid -fairly- new brewer. The tenant downstairs seemed to favor the idea when he learned the new guy has a kegging setup- so when I move mine the house will not lose the capability. Also- that way I can come back and fondly the cones, and share a brew with the occupants once in a while! I have decided that rooting cuttings in water first, then planting in soil is more effective than just sticking them in dirt. I have had both work, but MUCH better success rate with liquid rooting first. FWIW. (Got some lady bugs yesterday- just waiting to be set free!!!) *** I've got my first use of a Kolsh yeast underway. Pardon my ignorance, but is this considered a Lager yeast, or an ale? or is it in that fuzzy grey area in between. Seems to be a bottom fermenter and is acting more like lagers I've used. I still don't have a good example of a Kolsh recipe. I just went for pale malt, and some crystal. (touch of biscuit) The only recipe I found was Millers (2nd book) but was extract based so I don't know what REALLY in it! Any tried and true Kolsh recipes? Experience with the yeast? I haven't tried a Kolsh beer to my knowledge, so I'm not sure what the style description involves. Any info? 'Preciate it pals! *** Chuckles: Thanks to the folks that has e-mailed me saying they enjoy my posts, and sense (or lack of?) humor. I know it's querky sometimes, and hard to make a funny expression (face or voice) clear over the net... To those of you who find me annoying, waster of bw..., abnoxious, sophmorish, boorish, etc etc etc, well...as Bart has frequently sed, "Eat my shorts!" 8-\^ But really- I'm glad that we can keep SOME humor in the digest. If it was all techie crap we'd bore even ourselves! And to anyone I've ever truly offended...I probably didn't mean it, unless you REALLY deserved it! ** I was wondering why Rich Webb was going to make a "baby immersion chiller", just seems to me the squeals and commotion would be a little too much for my nerves when that baby hit the hot wort, or ice water. <Cringe- Shudder> ** Another Rich was talking about Scotch ales and sleepiness, and dragon breath. Hmmm, could be that Scotch ales can be up to the strength of a barneywine, and might have the potency to start making you see purple dino-s. My Barneywine was reported to have put a whiskey drinking insomniac to sleep for the night. That was flattering! Seems like a powerful effect to me! (did you hear? Barney can't sing "I love you, you love me..blah blah blah"!) But if you're scotch ale had only an OG of 1.06- well, maybe it's not that potent. Try one a wee-heavier ...say in the 90's, then we'll KNOW! But really- Hops are know to induce sleep. You can drink a hop tea, or stuff a pillow with hops to help insomnia- I mean to reduce, eliminate...make sleep! You can calm a colichy baby by running a vaccuum, cure a headache by massaging your thumb/palm. These and more home-remedies are included in my book... "How to make lots of money off of gullible TV watchers" (Copywrite:Time Strife) But really: Check an herb book and they discuss the "medicinal" value of hops As for the dragon breath: Chew some parsley before going to bed. Don't smoke cigars with your homebrew. Brush your teeth. Keep a bottle of Scope by the bedside. (and a spitoon) In actuality: bad breath is caused by bacteria literally rotting in your mouth. They consume sugars and produce acid. Some of the products of their "fermentations" cause rancid smells. Halitosis is more likely after a nights sleep when your salivary action has been at a minimum. THe natural brushing of your tongue and gums, and flush of saliva tents to reduce bacterial populations. You can be tested for Dental Caries Susceptibility (acid prodtn) Brushing with a baking soda toothpaste can reduce the acidity, and inhibit the buggers. It's probably more likely that residual beer sugars are responsible than yeast. Plus- excess drinking (common with yummy scotch's) will allow alcohol vapor from the lungs to migrate through the nasal and oral canals. Perhaps there are some hop-aroma components that also exit in vapor form. * Anyone see last mondays episode of Northern Exposure? How do you think Maggie the Dust Mite Mama would feel about the above story? Imaging Joel expaining it to her? Nyuck- Nyuck- Nycuck. No bedtime for Bonzo! (FWIW: I enjoy a good cigar once in a while, but find them to interfere with my homebrew enjoyment. All I smell is the cigar aroma from my moustache, rather than the rich hop aroma from my homebrews. Oh well, every vice has its downfall. Even sex is supposed to kill brain cells. Oh darn...) o |\ "That's a beer that feels good on my moustache!" |\| \/| \-\-\- John (The Coyote) Wyllie SLK6P at cc.usu.edu -/-/-/ \ | Originally in Logan, soon to be Smithfield (utah. shhhhhh) ---- Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 10:54:48 +0900 From: bjones at novax.llnl.gov (Bob Jones) Subject: Toxic Zymurgy I got this reply from Karen regarding the smell of the lastest issue of Zymurgy. Sounds like they are aware of the problem. >Bob, > >I gotta agree with you - It doesn't just smell, it downright stinks! We're >looking into with our printer and hopefully we can avoid any repeated stinko >pages from ever appearring again. > >Looking forward to Denver! > >Karen > Bob Jones bjones at novax.llnl.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 94 14:10:36 EDT From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com> Subject: Extract based oatmeal stout/Czech pils yeast update I know that it has been a while since the question was asked but William's Brewing makes an "Oatmeal Dark" extract if you want to make an oatmeal stout without mashing. It is $13.90 for 6 lbs of syrup (I think). I used it last summer and was very pleased. ******************* Earlier I mentioned that I had a starter going from Wyeast's new Czech Pils yeast that did not seem to flocculate well and produced a lot of diacetyl. Well, it seems that my starter temp was too high. I fermented a lager at 47^F and it did very well. It has also packed down better in the bottle than I was expecting. I made two batches of Dave Miller's "Bohemian Pilsner" from "Continental Pilsner"; I fermented one with Wyeast Bavarian Lager and one with the Czech Lager. It seems that the Czech yeast likes the colder temps better; it conditioned much faster at 47^F. I am quite pleased with it. Now I'll have to see if my palate can tell the difference! - -- Jim Grady grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1412, 04/30/94