HOMEBREW Digest #1463 Thu 30 June 1994

Digest #1462 Digest #1464


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


Contents:
  Wort Priming (DBLAKE1037)
  beer king/ recipe request (Victor Franklin)
  Brewpub at last! (Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen)
  Dry-hopping (GONTAREK)
  Bubbles and such (Ed Hitchcock)
  Fusels, stuck fermentation (Art Tumolo)
  When to add Isinglass (sp?). ("Steven E. Matkoski")
  Non-beer ferment time (cate hesser)
  Head space (Alan_Deaton_at_CTC)
  Yeast Washing Information Request (Alexander R Mitchell)
  Yet Another Newby Question (Douglas R. Jones)
  Re: Lauter Tuns & big breweries (Jim Busch)
  More on carbonation and head space (Renee Peloquin Mattie)
  Date:     28 Jun 94  8:01:41 EST (M.Marshburn/D202)
  Wheat extraction (Randall Bowen)
  Re: St. Pat's 5 gallon kegs (Dion Hollenbeck)
  2nd and 3rd batches, or look ma nomore bitterness! (Jeffrey S Walls)
  Is there a digest similar to this one for wine? (J. Fingerle)
  Re: Brewpubs in Houston? (R. Keith Frank)
  Re:  St. Patricks Kegs (David)" <mbarber at hsv23.pcmail.ingr.com>
  questions from a newbie (ADNEYK)
  Re: Sterile filtration & O2 ("Mark B. Alston")
  Oxygen scavenging, permeation (Kelly Jones)
  High temperature flexible hose (Mark Gryska)
  microbrewery/brewpub merchandise & festival info (Kip Damrow)
  Re: Colorado Brewer's Festival (Rick Myers)
  Filters - Air/Beer (David Allison 225-5764)
  Need source of used keys in SF bay area... (Michael Abbott 852-1959)
  All-Grain Equipment questions (John Hippe)
  Old style kegs, Beer through customs (Kelvin Kapteyn)
  Cooling Carboys (John Hippe)
  Silly Question (RONALD MOUCKA)
  wort chiller advice (BToddL69)
  Brewing methods ("Mark C. O'Connor")
  Re: Harvesting Yeast Dregs (David Elm)
  Wyeast "Steinbart" strain (via RadioMail) <jhorzepa at radiomail.net>

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Jun 94 23:42:36 EDT From: DBLAKE1037 at aol.com Subject: Wort Priming When I brewed up my latest batch,I had the need to skim a little wort off of the top to prevent overloading my measley 3 gal brew pot. I have saved the 3 cups of raw wort (sg=1.072) because I thought that it would be a good idea to use it to prime when bottling time comes around. With that, I air the following questions: 1) Do I have enough (volume-wise and sugar content-wise) to prime adequately? (I am brewing a weizen). 2) I can assume that nuking the "starter" 'till it boils is a good idea to kill any nasties. Am I correct? 3) Can someone furnish the formula to determine the approximate sugar content of the "starter" so I (and others) may be able to find out how much wort to use in the future? I figure that planning on making a little extra wort at brew time might be a good idea. I would appreciate any reply as, I'm sure, a few others on the HBD. Thanks, - --- Don --- >DBLAKE1037 at aol.com< Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 21:42:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Victor Franklin <biker at eskimo.com> Subject: beer king/ recipe request couple of quickie questions: where can i buy a beer king or similar type small mini keg via mail order or in the seattle area? also.... i have looked in the cats meow and didn't see any recipe's that were Grants scottish ale and alaskan amber ale taste alikes. does anyone have a recipe? they are great beers! thanks. Victor Franklin biker at eskimo.com ** in search of a better beer ** Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 17:46:31 EST From: Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen <aidan at rschp2.anu.edu.au> Subject: Brewpub at last! Full-Name: Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen This probably isn't strictly speaking the place to post this .. but ... what the hell! Canberra (ObAustralianFact: The Capital Of Australia) has at last got a brew-pub .. the Wig And Pen. Not only that, they are making English style beers, serving them at cellar (12 degC) temps and they have English Beer Engines to dispense them! Happy happy happy, joy joy joy! They claim they are the only brew-pub in Aussie serving beer this way ... and it is 10 mins walk from where I am sitting ... fantastic! ObBrewingObservation: The English Bitter they make (which is the only one I have tried so far) had a very nice hop (cascades) aroma, they get this from just _ONE_ hop addition, 1 kg at the start of their boil ... they have no late addition, hop back or dry hopping. I expressed my surprise and they informed me that it was due to the freshness of the hops. Thar ya go ... any comment? Some may remember that I am fermenting a sort of bastard ale / lager thingy at the moment, well it hasn't cooled down as quickly as I had hoped and has spent at least a day fermenting at about 17 degC Will this produce all sorts of horrible Esthers etc from my WYeast American Ale yeast? Thanks muchly for your perserverance Aidan P.S. How come the only feedback I have got from this forum was when I made a small (and very understandable) mistake with my mailer (left a header file on it) and got my butt flamed off (thanks Ulick! :-) .. I was gonna flame back but your address bounced ... go figure). When I ask straight questions I get no feed-back. - -- Aidan Heerdegen e-mail: aidan at rschp2.anu.edu.au Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 7:41:45 -0400 (EDT) From: GONTAREK at FCRFV2.NCIFCRF.GOV Subject: Dry-hopping Hello all! I received several replies regarding how to dry-hop, and I'd like to thank everyone. So, I brewed a honey lager abd I added 1 ounce of Williamette hop pellets to the secondary. It has been 11 days, and the hops are still floating on top! Someone said that they will fall out and sink to the bottom. How long do I have to wait? I know that I should probably relax, don't worry, have a homebrew, etc., but I wante to know how long it should take for the hops to settle out. Yes, next time I'll use a hop bag... Thanks to anyone who can answer my question. See Ya!! Rick Gontarek gontarek at ncifcrf.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 09:12:04 -0300 From: Ed Hitchcock <ECH at ac.dal.ca> Subject: Bubbles and such Erik Speckman writes: >Let's just say the CO2 bubbles start out pure. That is, they have no O2 in >them. In this case there is a concentration gradient between the wort and >the bubble. O2 will diffuse out of the wort into the bubble until >equilibrium is reached or until the bubble is released into the atmosphere. >In time, I imagine that this could scrub alot of O2 frome the fermenting >wort since CO2 is eveolved and O2 is prevented from rentering the wort by >the CO2 blanket that forms.. Not to mention the fact that the partial pressure of a gas dissolved in water is related to (usually directly, CO2 being the obvious exception) the partial pressure of that gas at the surface. Thus, as the O2 is purged from the headspace in the carboy, the O2 will diffuse out of solution into the headspace, where it will be forced out through the airlock. Yeast scavenging helps a lot too. And speaking of headspace, Erik Speckman goes on to say: >The volume of CO2 in the beer depends solely on pressure of CO2 in the >bottle and temperature. All headspace does is allow the bottle to absorb a >greater volume of CO2 for a given increase in pressure. This will mean >that it takes *longer* to reach a given level of carbonation with a large >headspace. > >I think reactant concentrations (%fermentable sugars) are at least as >important as product concentrations (CO2 pressure) in determining the level >of carbonation in the beer. Fermentable sugar concentrations will effect >both the end point of ferementation and the rate of the fermentation. > >In this case, larger headspace may actually lead to a lower level of >carbonation after reactant/product equalibrium is reached beacuse it >absorbs a larger volume of the total CO2 produced. Which sounds great, but doesn't explain the commonly observed phenomenon of overfiled bottles being undercarbonated and underfilled bottles being overcarbonated. That's the wonderful thing about science. So much of it seems so bloody counterintuitive... *--Ed Hitchcock---ech at ac.dal.ca----* *--Anat.&Neurobio.---Dalhousie-U.--* *--Halifax--NS--Can----------------* Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 07:53:36 EST From: art at Chimay.digex.net (Art Tumolo) Subject: Fusels, stuck fermentation Ok, I admit it. I'm frustrated. Two of my last few batches have had problems with fusel alcohols. They've both had fairly high OG. I believe I know what happened to the first batch. It was a dubbel, and I used Chimay yeast which I cultured from bottle dregs. The problems there were (probably) under pitching and fermenting at 66 degrees. Now I know better. The second batch was a weizen. It had an OG of 1062. I used Bretek cl-920 German Wheat yeast which I grew up from a slant. The grain bill was 70% wheat, 2% Munich, balance pils. I made a _huge_ starter, having learned from the problems with the dubbel. Over the weekend I tapped the keg of weizen. The aroma was wonderful, until I got a whiff of the fusels. The terminal gravity was 1018. I expected alcohol, but not the hot alcohols I got. In every other way this is a very good brew. I'm frustrated over the fusels, though. I just reread George Fix's article in Zymurgy, but it didn't explain the problems I had with the weizen. Is there possibly a problem with proteins form trub? It is frustrating to have a very good brew spoiled by high fusel levels. The other problem I'm having is a stuck fermentation. I have an IPA sitting in secondary right now. I took the gravity when I racked to secondary (6 days), and the gravity was 1020. Not bad, I thought (OG was 1056). I checked the gravity again yesterday (now two weeks on), and the gravity was 1030. I should also mention that I dry hopped in secondary with 2 oz. of Kent Goldings. The dry hopping explains some of this, but in general, I'm puzzled. I used a massive starter (half gallon slurry) of good yeast. This is an 8 gallon batch. Any help would be appreciated. Private email welcome. Frustrated in Falls Church, Virginia Art Tumolo art at chimay.digex.net Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 08:45:07 -0400 (EDT) From: "Steven E. Matkoski" <sematkos at syr.edu> Subject: When to add Isinglass (sp?). Hi, I started to brew a pilsener extract last night and when I opened the top to the malt extract there was three packets. One being the dried brewers yeast, the second being a brewers yeast nutrient, and the third was a packet (25ml) of Isinglass (sp?). When should I add this stuff? I was going to add it when I rack to the secondary, is this correct? I added the yeast and nutrient last night around 7pm and by 7am I had a very good fermentation going. Should I even add this? -steve. sematkos at mailbox.syr.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 08:25:37 CDT From: hessc at mayo.EDU (cate hesser) Subject: Non-beer ferment time Hi folks - I am trying out a recipe gotten out of Cat's Meow II for something called Sima, which is a "Finnish homebrew" based on sugar water and lemon peel & lemons (OK, OK, I admit it - I thought maybe it was the basis for Zima! No flames, please - I can't help it if I like it and it's not BEER!). The recipe says to only allow it to ferment for 1 - 1 1/2 days before bottling. My yeast has only barely SNEEZED after 2 days. I haven't bottled it yet - any suggestions on length of time I should wait? I was wondering if the high acidic content could be interfering with the yeast activity (it has finally started to be more active now). Suggestions please! Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 08:23:24 From: Alan_Deaton_at_CTC at relay.aar.com Subject: Head space Text item: Untitled I recently submitted a posting which stated that the carbonation was a function of pressure and that pressure is a function of headspace. I was wrong. I would like to thank my more learned homebrewing colleagues for their input in correcting me without flaming my ass off. Alan Deaton alan_deaton at relay.aar.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 09:32:19 EDT From: Alexander R Mitchell <ARMITC01 at ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU> Subject: Yeast Washing Information Request Database/Analyst INF SYS Phone: (502)852-5603 The Yeast Faq discusses yeast washing and Charlie P. mentions yeast washing with weak acids to kill off wild yeast and other beasties. Would someone please send me information on yeast washing with weak acids covering PH levels and how effective the process is at killing undesirable wild yeasts and bacterial beasts. Thanks in advance. armitc01 at ulkyvm.louisville.edu "Mitchell" *** Fortes Fortuna Juvat *** Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 08:42:03 -0600 From: djones at iex.com (Douglas R. Jones) Subject: Yet Another Newby Question I was looking at my first batch last night (made with only extract, single fermenter, S.G. 1.056 - F.G 1.014). My neighbor and I were trading ready beer for almost ready beer! It has been in the bottles 8 days, and there is still yeast in suspension. Is this normal? There is a sediment forming at the bottom of the bottle. Anything to worry about? When can I drink the stuff? Thanks, Doug - ------------------------------------------------------------------- 'I am a traveler of | Douglas R. Jones both Time and Space' | IEX Corporation Led Zeppelin | (214)301-1307 | djones at iex.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 10:02:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> Subject: Re: Lauter Tuns & big breweries > Subject: Why use a Lauter Tun? > > Would anyone be able to offer some insight into why large(r) scale breweries > use the seperate tuns? Do you know what the (grain/filter bed) system is for > large scale lautering? False bottom, perhaps? > Part of the reason is that bigger brewers need more vessals. In many traditional German small breweries the lauter tun also doubles as the whirlpool. The bottom of the lauter tun is constructed with the tangential wort inlet, for a whirlpool. Bigger breweries, like Old Dominion need a completely seperate whirlpool. Even bigger breweries like Sierra, have a dedicated mash tun, dedicated lauter tun and dedicated kettle. This arrangement effectivly increases production volume by one third, since the next mash can be doughed in while the previous ones are marching through the other vessals. Think about it another way, if a small brewery uses a combi mash/lauter tun system, and the brewer is lautering, where does he put the sweet wort? Its gotta go somewhere. The other issue is in larger breweries one wants to do temperature controlled step mashing and this is more difficult to do in a combi unit. False bottoms come in two flavors, perforated sheet and V-wire. Perf sheet is OK for small enough systems, and I am quite fond of the performance I get out of mine. V-wire is something I really wanted to add, but then I found out how expensive it is! V-wire is sheet SS, fairly thick, with the V pointing down. THis helps in the flow through characteristics of the lautering process. The 'V' runs along in several inch long troughs, they do not transverse the entire lenght of the sheet. side view: /\ /\ /\ / \ / \ / \ top view: ------ --------- ------------ --------------- ------------------ --------------- ------------ ---------- -------- ------ Good brewing, Jim Busch Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 10:35:36 -0400 (EDT) From: Renee Peloquin Mattie <rmattie at ccantares.wcupa.edu> Subject: More on carbonation and head space Eric Speckman says: > In this case, larger headspace may actually lead to a lower level of > carbonation after reactant/product equalibrium is reached beacuse it > absorbs a larger volume of the total CO2 produced. He wasn't the only writer on the matter. But try the experiment yourself. Next time you bottle, fill a third of your bottles to the 1/2" - 1" recommended by Charlie P. Fill another third nearly to the top. Leave a huge headspace in the final third. After conditioning, sample one of each on several occasions. I've never run such a carefully controlled experiment, but I have observed that overfilled bottles tend to develop less carbonation than the 3/4" fill which is most convenient with my filler (when I try for any more, I wind up with an overflow). And the last, underfilled bottle of the batch seems to develop a LOT of carbonation. I've noticed a couple of postings which suggest that fill level shouldn't make a difference. Obviously, there is something missing from the discussion. What is it? Fellow chemists -- any ideas? Renee Peloquin Mattie rmattie at ccantares.wcupa.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 11:54:09 -0400 From: M.Marshburn/D202 at cgsmtp.comdt.uscg.mil Subject: Date: 28 Jun 94 8:01:41 EST >I'm going to try a Dutch lager and since I can't do anything simply >I want to take a whack at doing a mixed mash like the Big Boys do. The >most specific reference that I have (Miller's Continental Pilsener) says >to use "corn grits". Well, I can't figure out what he means. I can >find "corn meal" and "hominy grits", hominy being (my wife says) corn >that's been treated with acid or lye or something to partially break >it down. Is this what I want? Gary Rich garyrich at qdeck.com Not knowing where you live I don't know what brand names you have available. In North Carolina and all the Southern states there are several brand names of grits. Quaker (as in Quaker Oats) brand is fairly well distributed. They make white grits, but if you can get them the yellow would most meet your brewing needs. The white ones are corn that has been bleached. Living here in Ill (no grits) and having grown up having grits, eggs and sausage for breakfast I much prefer the yellow ones. You don't even want to come close to hominy which is exactly what your wife said. You may ask your grocer if they can get the Quaker brand yellow. If not I'll try the MOM and DAD pipeline for you. Post or E-mail direct is fine. M.Marshburn/D202 at cgsmtp.comdt.uscg.mil Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 09:30:48 -0700 (PDT) From: rlbowen at wort.edaco.ingr.com (Randall Bowen) Subject: Wheat extraction Hello all, I recently attempted my first weizen which was also my 6th all grain batch. My first 5 were all infusion mashes using English pale malt and with my system (picnic cooler with a Phil's Phalse Bottom(tm)) I was obtaining extraction rates of 28 sg-pts/lb (measured after the boil). The weizen was not only my first mash with ANY wheat malt as part of the grist, much less the predominant part, is was also my first use of Belgian pilsner malt. It was also my first step-infusion mash. Anyway, I was able to hit the first temp with relative accuracy with only a 2 degree overshoot and a mash PH of 5.6-5.8 (I can never read those PH papers any better than that). This was the protein rest temp (124F for 30 minutes, I wanted 122F for 30 min). When I added the boiling water to reach my sacch. rest temp of 150F, I misread my thermometer, thought I had undershot and kept adding more boiling water. By the time I had realized my mistake I had a very thin mash with a temperature of 154F. I let that go for 1 hour and sparged. I ended up with a starting gravity of 1.036 when I was targeting 1.053, which, by my usual calculations, put me in the ballpark of 20 sg-pts/lb for an extraction rate. I used 6 lbs of German wheat malt (malter unknown) and 3 lbs of Belgian pilsner malt (DeWolf-Cosin I believe). 9 lbs of British pale in my system would normally give me a SG of 1.050 using an infusion mash. Anyway, I want to retry this and get it right. I am appealing to the collective wisdom of the HBD as what the possible cause(s) of my seemingly low extraction rate are/were. According to Miller's extraction rate tables wheat malt is supposed to be higher by a few points than most pale barley malts (at least with his system). I can't help but think that the problem is systemic in nature but if I have to just up the malt I'll do it. Is German wheat malt or wheat malt in general usually have this dismal performance? Will a too thin mash dilute the enzymes too much? Should I have just let the mash gone longer, maybe another hour? Should I get some iodine and do the ole' starch conversion test? All of the above? HELP! TIA, Randall rlbowen at ingr.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 09:42:47 PDT From: hollen at megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck) Subject: Re: St. Pat's 5 gallon kegs >>>>> "Lehnherr" == Lehnherr, Pat J <11131lehnh at kcpbldg02.bv.com> writes: Lehnherr> I have heard from a friend who called St. Patricks of Austin that the Lehnherr> ball-lock kegs have gone up to 3 for $45. That is still a very good price. Kegs in retail stores go for $25 for one in horrid shape to $40 for ones in good shape, to $50 for one in pristine shape. At the price of $15 each, snap up all you can while they last. IMHO, St. Pats' was underpriced the last time they had a load of kegs and they are now in the comparable price range to the best prices ever around in the past. Still a good deal. dion Dion Hollenbeck (619)675-4000x2814 Email: hollen at megatek.com Staff Software Engineer Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California Return to table of contents
Date: 28 Jun 94 12:44:59 EDT From: Jeffrey S Walls <71134.10 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: 2nd and 3rd batches, or look ma nomore bitterness! Some of you may recall several weeks ago I posted about my first batch being VERY bitter. Well, I drank it anyway. After getting used to it, I could almost say I liked it. I made batch #2, a Petes Wicked Ale clone (kind of) and after primary of 8 days, secondary of 10 days and 5 days in the bottle, I just couldn't wait any longer. I put a couple in the fridge, and popped em on Sunday. Hold the phone Martha, it was goodddddddddddd!!! A taste of coffee, smooth, undercarbinated (Well.....impatience). I LOVE IT. I also bottled my 3rd last night. It was the first recipe again but this time, with 1/3 the hops. Tasted the (okay, drank) hydrometer sample. and again good. Very light, it's for hot sweaty gulping beer days. just a touch of bitter, and a nice after taste. Is it possible??? Have I brewed 2 good beers in a row????? Am I batting .666?????? Tune in again in a few weeks, Same Bat time Same Bat channel............. Also, just a hint from a new guy. Don't try and bottle and watch a good movie at the same time. I was watching the conclusion to Gettysburg and kept over filling my bottles during Picketts Charge. Oh well, so little time so much to do. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 12:58:46 EDT From: fingerle at NADC.NADC.NAVY.MIL (J. Fingerle) Subject: Is there a digest similar to this one for wine? Hopefully, the subject says it all. If you know of such a digest, please let me know. Also, anyone familiar with the "List of Lists" and know where I can ftp it from ? Thanks in advance, private email, please. Jimmy fingerle at NADC.NAVY.MIL Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 14:19:53 -0400 From: keithfrank at dow.com (R. Keith Frank) Subject: Re: Brewpubs in Houston? >I will be in Houston, TX from July 1 through July 10, and was wondering >if there are any brewpubs or other sites/beers in the area which are worth >visiting/drinking. Thanx in advance for any info! (Send flames to /dev/null). The only brewpub I know about so far in Houston is the Village Brewery in the Rice Village area. It's OK, but nothing spectacular. They have five beers, the best being their amber. I have been there twice, and both times the service has been AWFUL. For my money (and time) I prefer the Ginger Man pub just down the street (Morningside). They have 50 beers on tap. Keith Frank Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 13:22:00 CDT From: "Barber, Marshall (David)" <mbarber at hsv23.pcmail.ingr.com> Subject: Re: St. Patricks Kegs I am yet another very dissatisfied ex-customer of St. Patricks of Texas. I ordered three of the ball-lock kegs for $33. This was the first time I had ordered from St. Patricks, and will definitely be the last! After a three or four week delay, I received three pin-lock kegs, and was charged the higher price that those kegs went for. When I called to complain, Lynne said she must have heard me say pin-lock when I ordered, and couldn't I use the pin-locks anyway? (I later learned from discussion on rec.crafts.brewing that others have been shipped pin-lock kegs instead of the ball-locks that they had ordered). I then explained to her that I already have a setup with hoses/connectors hooked to a 3-keg distribution manifold, and have no use for pin-lock kegs. Lynne said she would send me replacements either that day (4/25) or the next, and requested that I return the pin-locks ASAP (Interestingly, I had to correct her when she said she would be sending me 3 pin-lock replacements). At this time Lynne also told me that she would refund me the difference between the pin-lock and ball lock kegs, and reimburse my expenses in shipping the kegs back to her. I shipped the pin-lock kegs back on 4/27, and on 5/17 sent Lynne email asking where my ball-lock replacements were. The kegs obviously had not been shipped to me as promised. She finally replied on 5/23, saying: "I haven't received any kegs from you and I ran out of kegs to send. I will send you 3 more kegs today, but I need you to check with UPS to find out where your kegs are...". I checked with UPS, who informed me that the kegs I had shipped had in fact been signed for by an R. O'Connor at the St. Patricks address on 4/29! I mailed Lynne a copy of the signed receipt ticket that I obtained from UPS. It was at least a week into June when I finally received the three ball-lock kegs, so for the second time the kegs were not shipped when promised. I still have not been refunded the price difference or my shipping expenses. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 14:42:46 -0400 (EDT) From: ADNEYK at delphi.com Subject: questions from a newbie Before I ask my questions, please don't consider me flame bait. I am merely appealing to your collective expertise: 1. Although I've brewed app. 10 batches from extracts, I never see the "hot break" of flocculating particles. Is it important? How long do extracts REALLY need to be boiled? 2. It certainly is more convenient to brew a hop tea for an hour to add the bittering hops than it is to boil the hops in the wort (less messy). Any problems with doing so? Ken Adney Private mail to adneyk at delphi.com OK. Thanx everyone! Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 13:00:32 MDT From: "Mark B. Alston" <c-amb at math.utah.edu> Subject: Re: Sterile filtration & O2 > Secondly, I have never used the 5 micron unit but the .5 does not leave a > totally clear beer so I can only assume that the 5 would be even less so. I think something is amiss in technique if submicron filtration is not resulting in a brilliant, clear product. The Filter stores 5 micron , high efficiency product will result in a very clear beer when properly used. Jim, you are forgetting that "microns are not microns." What some stores sell as a .5 micron filter are much closer to 5-10 microns. My .5 micron filter is nowhere close to a real .5 microns. Actually I am quite happy with that fact. I don't want to filter my beer to .5 microns and my ".5 micron" filter gets my beer mostly clear but not exactly sparkling (unless the beer is almost completely clear to start with; which is not the case with my non-flocculating yeast). This was discussed by George Fix in this group as well as at the convention. So, all this arguing about what size filter one needs is nonsense until we get some universal rating system. In conclusion, everyone with .5 micron filters don't worry about this nonsense about overfiltration. Filter your beer and decide by *taste* and *look* if your beer is being over filtered. These blanket statments about certain micron ratings being correct and others too fine does not work out in the real world. Mark Alston Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 13:38:52 -0600 From: Kelly Jones <k-jones at ee.utah.edu> Subject: Oxygen scavenging, permeation Jeff Guillet, talking about Oxygen scavenging caps, says: >This kinda doesn't make sense to me. If you take a gas-permeable balloon >and "inflate" it completely with liquid would you find air bubbles in >it after a few months from air diffusing into the balloon? Good question. Actually, as more and more air diffuses into the ballon, the concentration of air in the water goes up. As the concentration goes up, the rate of diffusion into the balloon falls (diffusion rate is proportional to the concentration difference). The concentration of air in the water will only approach its saturation level, but go no higher. Bubbles won't form until the concentration is at (or above) saturation, so bubbles shouldn't form in this case. >Also, the caps don't work indefinitely. They first absorb the O2 in >the headspace of the bottle. Are we to believe that still are able to >absorb the "significant amount of O2" that diffuses into the bottle? Another good question, which I don't have the answer to. Mark? Anyone? Kelly Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 16:01:03 EDT From: Mark Gryska <mark at vicorp.com> Subject: High temperature flexible hose Jim Merril writes: > Does anyone have a source for a flexible, high temp (200+) food > grade hose ? The only thing that I am aware of that meets these specifications is brewers or vintners hose which is some variety of chlorbutyl (sp?) tubing. This stuff is very expensive, the best price I found was in SLC Utah at a place called "House of Hose" where 100' can be had for $11.00 per foot (1" diameter). You could use braided food grade PVC but that is rated to about 185 F. Are there any other alternatives? I was curious if polyurethane or Tygon tubing could be used in this application, are there any polymer or materials scientists out there who would care to comment? Does anyone have any idea what the water hookup hoses for RV campers are made out of? Mark Gryska mark at vicorp.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 13:17:16 PDT From: kdamrow at ariel.thomas.com (Kip Damrow) Subject: microbrewery/brewpub merchandise & festival info Hello HBers, At the risk of being flamed beyond recognition, due to over commercialism, I have waited to send this post until now (this Friday, July 1, is my last day on the net). Relocation to Appleton, WI. If a anyone is interested in receiving the **very soon to be released** microbrewery/brewpub catalog by "Micro Distributing Enterprises", please call 1-800-942-9304 ext. 21358 (voice mail). The catalog is at last being printed this week!!! The catalog features glassware, steins, t-shirts, hats, etc, from 34 micro's as well as limited festival merchandise. New merchandise is being added all the time. MDE also prints glassware and t-shirts for breweries, festivals, and homebrew clubs. Also look for our booth at the "Lake Tahoe Microbrewery Tasting & World Music Festival", July 23, at Harvey's Hotel/Casino. 60+ breweries will be serving!!! For info call 1-800-HARVEYS. The usual disclamers do not apply... I am one of the partners. Questions? feel free to send e-mail by Thursday. Cheers, Kip Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 14:26:17 MDT From: Rick Myers <rcm at col.hp.com> Subject: Re: Colorado Brewer's Festival Full-Name: Rick Myers > From: John Adams <j_adams at hpfcjca.sde.hp.com> > Subject: Colorado Brewer's Festival > > The 5th Annual Colorado Brewer's Festival was held Saturday and Sunday in > Fort Collins Colorado. 37 of Colorado's megas, micros, and brewpubs brought > out their best for a day in the sun. > > Hubcap Brewery and Kitchen > 143 E. Meadow Dr. Vail > Boysenberry Honey Ale > These guy's know how to make a very nice honey beer. One of my favorites > from the 1993 GABF was their Killer Bee Honey Ale but Boysenberry Honey > top's that one. A very well balanced fruit beer that not too sweet but > perfect! This was a very close second to Phantom Canyon's for my best of > show. It's funny how people's tastes are different - I thought this stuff was awful! WAAYYY too sweet! I could barely drink this stuff, and I love a good mead. This was the only brew at the festival I had trouble finishing. The honey was definitely not fermented out yet, I think it would be a great beer if you let it sit for about 6 months... - -- Rick Myers (rcm at col.hp.com) Information Technology Specialist Hewlett-Packard Test & Measurement Organization Information Technology Colorado Springs, CO Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 13:08:00 -0800 (PST) From: David Allison 225-5764 <ALLISON.DAVID at A1GW.GENE.COM> Subject: Filters - Air/Beer On the subject of filters... For those of you that have access to scientific "stuff" (ie. SP/Baxter Catalog) there is an air filter for sterile air/gas filtration that is excellent for in-line or sterile venting applications. It is pressure rated to 75 psi (bidirectional) and removes 0.3 micron DOP particles at 99.97% efficiency. This is a Gelman product that cost $112 for 24 filters. What good are these? Well... 1) Wort aeration. Instead of these other contraptions that I have seen to sterilize air/O2 (ex. charcoal w/ cotton, peroxide in a flask), these vents will do the trick and they attach right to the air line. BTW, there are also gas dispersion units available that are disposible and reusable. 2) Venting Yeast Starter Flasks. When cooling down wort for the yeast starter -- these vents can be attached so that the air that comes in when the flask is cooling (prior to pitching) is sterile. I suppose that they could also be used for the primary fermentors prior to yeast pitching. 3) CO2 gas lines -- enough said To G. Fix, J. Busch, and others who filter there beers: I am looking for a good way (cheap/fast) to filter beer between my secondary (which is in a corny keg) and my conditioning keg (also corny). The beer is carbonated in the secondary (spundig) and can either be room temp. or refrigerated. Is there a 3 to 5 micron filter out there that is reusable? Will it work with carbonated beer? I would like to get some type of cartridge that I can use pressure from my CO2 tank to push the beer through, then can be cleaned for reuse. Do they exist? All the ones that I have seen are single use. If I am stuck with a single use type -- which is better; a pleated filter, activated carbon, or a string-wrapped type? I have seen a carbon type that would do the job, but it gives no indication whether or not it can be cleaned out for future use. TIA - David Return to table of contents
Date: 28 Jun 1994 14:39:29 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Abbott 852-1959 <Mike.Abbott at syntex.com> Subject: Need source of used keys in SF bay area... Would appreciate any info on a source of *cheap* used keys in the SF bay area. -Mike- Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 17:55:32 -0400 (EDT) From: John Hippe <johnd at iglou.com> Subject: All-Grain Equipment questions I am currently planning my switch from extract to all-grain and have some quesstions regarding equipment to purchase. I have read the all-grain faq but still have some questions. Mash/Lauter Tun: I am thinking of a round Gott type of cooler with either a strainer/grain bag or manifold which will drain out the modified spout. Are there definite advantages/disadvantages to either? What size cooler should I get? Cooker: I have seen the King Kooker for $50 with 170,000 btu but I am concerned with the stability of the tripod. I found a Cache Cooker for $70 rated at about 100,000 btu which looks more sturdy. What btu rating should I look for? Does anyone have a distinct preference? Brewing Outside: I live in an apartment and will have to brew outside on the patio. If I use a screen to cover the grains and then the wort will I be ok or is this a really lame idea? Thanks. John David Hippe johnd at iglou.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 18:04:26 -0400 From: Kelvin Kapteyn <kelvink at mtu.edu> Subject: Old style kegs, Beer through customs As a followup to Sean Rooney's question and Jeff Renner's nice answer to it, I recently (1 1/2 months ago) saw the "old" style kegs with the wooden plugs being used quite a bit in the UK for cask conditioned ales. Gives ya something to think about, eh? Specifically, I saw these kegs used at the Caledonia Brewery in Edinburgh. I also have pictures of a cellar at a bar in Edinburgh where some of the wooden bungs are visible on the kegs. On a related note, while touring the Caley (the local lingo for the Caledonia), I saw their old traditional wooden floor maltings. The building was not used for malting anymore, but was only used for storage of their malts. Well, Rich Fortnum (who was a rather good host, I might add, Have you recovered from my visit yet, Rich? :*] ) tells me that last week the whole building burned to the ground! Ouch! Did someone say "smoked scotch ale"? (couldn't resist :-) ). It's a shame. It was really nice to see that old building and think about the history of brewing in that area. _________________ As to getting beer through customs, I brought 41 bottles through London Gatwick, most of which were in my carry on so they would get gentle treatment. The few I couldn't fit in the carry on went into one of the suitcases packed in t-shirts, etc. along with 15 glasses. The only casualty was one of the glasses. I planned to pay any duty, but never could find any place on the forms to declare it, and nobody asked. It was *real* obvious that I had a load of beer as I gingerly carried it through the airport. It generated several nice conversations with other travelers. None of the customs guys questioned it at all. -Kelvin Kelvin L. Kapteyn (kelvink at mtu.edu) Ph.D Student specializing in Fiber Optic Strain Sensors (nearly finished!) Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics Dept. Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI 49931 My opinions are my own. If something is incorrect, or if you disagree with it, that's ok. Just point it out to me. That's half of the reason I post things in the first place. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 19:53:36 -0400 (EDT) From: John Hippe <johnd at iglou.com> Subject: Cooling Carboys John Bloomberg asked about fermenting his beer at 70-75 degrees. John, I have found that draping a wet towel around my carboy and running a fan on it drops the temperature about 10 degrees. Thus when my apartment is about 75, my beer is happy at 65. John David Hippe Internet: johnd at iglou.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 15:07:28 GMT From: rmoucka at OMN.COM (RONALD MOUCKA) Subject: Silly Question Brewers, A silly one...Since I enjoy the gadget end of our hobby, I have made myself a bleeder valve. I won't attempt any ascii graphics. It is simply a gas disconnect, short hose, and a "t" with a gauge on one end and a release valve on the other. Just like those that are commercially available. So my question is, what do I do with this? I hook it up to the gas side of my keg, and I get a reading on the gauge. So? Can it be used for anything else? What do the readings mean? If the keg is too full, I get liquid and foam backed up into it, but it seems to be easily cleaned. Help me out. I've got a new toy, but don't know how to play. Told you it was silly. rmoucka at omn.com This message created on OMN BBS (303) 667-1149 data Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 23:03:31 EDT From: BToddL69 at aol.com Subject: wort chiller advice Homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com First time poster, long time lurker here. I'll soon be attempting to create my own immersion wort chiller and would like some helpful hints regarding tube bending, necessary fittings, best length/type tubing, and other pertinent info. I have a few designs in mind but just wanted some feedback so as to get it right the first time. Any comments will be helpful, regardless of simplicity. I prefer email (unless you think others might benefit) in the spirit of saving space. TIA. Todd L. btoddl69 at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 21:18:45 -0700 From: "Mark C. O'Connor" <moc at well.sf.ca.us> Subject: Brewing methods My wife and I have made 57 five gallon batches since Jan of 88. One got infected and got tossed. 2 were bad tasting, 1 virtually undrinkable. The rest have ranged from so-so to sublime, mostly in the very good to excellent IMHO (3 blue ribbons in 2 years at Siskiyou County Fair). Our goal is one batch per month (we both like to drink a six-pack or so per week). I've done ales and lagers, and extract, extract/mash combo, and all grain mash brews. I'm sharing this mostly to find out if anyone else approaches things similarly or if my methods raise eyebrows or perhaps solve a problem for a novice. Biggest improvements since I started? - --purchase of a 9 1/2 gallon brewpot (Vollrath, William's Brewing, Box 2195, San Leandro, CA, 94577, 800-759-6025). Boiling the whole wort is a must! - --a big propane stove from Camp Chef with 100,000 BTU/hr and a smaller 30,000 BTU/hr burners (got it at my local gas company) - --use of liquid yeast (Wyeast "punch n' grow" packets, available from lots of places) - --a refrigerator dedicated to beer These set me back a few bucks but it was worth it. I'm just a schoolteacher so its not impossible for the average Joes out there. Extract: Boil one hour with hops, my preference is with whole Cascades, usu. 3 oz. I steep (pre-boil) adjuncts in a nylon straining bag. I don't have wort chiller so I let the boil sit overnight (covered in a food grade plastic bucket) and pitch the yeast the next a.m. It ferments in my closet at a steady 65-70 deg. F for 10 days to two weeks, sometimes I switch to a 2ndary but I'm into "easy." I don't usually dry hop 'cause its messy, tho' it can be a nice addition. I prime with 2/3 cup table sugar boiled in 1 qt. water. The bottles go in the closet for 1 week, then to the fridge. Two weeks at about 35 deg F and we drink. I've had 'em 4-5-6 months later and the "lagering" is excellent. Clean, clear, smooth, yummy. I use Wyeast "American Lager" in the cold months and either the "Bay Area Lager" or "CA Ale" in summer. I've made traditional "ales" with lager yeast with excellent results. Primarily I brew to my tastes and don't give much of a hoot about "style", except for my annual St. Paddy's Day Stout (and I've also used lager yeast here with, again, exc. results). I guess my beers are "steams", hybrid ale/lagers. Mash: I only mash in the summer, when I'm off school and have time to play around. Again, we are into steady production and an "easy routine." I get 2-3 gals of tap water (we get good stuff around here) and heat to 180 deg F. It goes in a Gott cooler with spigot with 10 lbs. of klages 2-row in a nylon straining bag. Stir, wait one hour. Mash temp about 154-156 usually. Sparge with sun-warmed 5 gals tap water into brewpot. I use a "solar shower" hoisted up above the mash tun, it has a nice spray nozzle. All the rest is the same. This summer I plan to do a few wheat beers, wish me luck! Mark C. O'Connor, Yreka, CA, USA moc at well.com . Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 07:58:39 -0400 (EDT) From: David Elm <delm at hookup.net> Subject: Re: Harvesting Yeast Dregs In HOMEBREW Digest #1462 Bill King asked: > Can anyone suggest a good Belgian Wheat beer with viable yeast, and any other > ale yeasts for that matter ? In Toronto, a popular choice is the Belgian strong ale 'La Chouffe'. - -- David Elm delm at hookup.net (416)-293-1568 47 Chartland Blvd S, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, M1S 2R5 Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 06:33:09 PDT From: John Horzepa (via RadioMail) <jhorzepa at radiomail.net> Subject: Wyeast "Steinbart" strain I was at my local homebrew shop the other day, picking up the ingredients for a new batch. The shop owner (whose advice I have found to be extremely good) recommended I try a new Wyeast strain, Steinbart (I believe #1021). He said it is another American ale strain, and that it is currently in only limited distribution. Does anyone know anything about this strain? I decided to use it, as I have never gotten bad advice from the store before, but I'm just looking for any info on this strain that is out there. john Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1463, 06/30/94