HOMEBREW Digest #1486 Wed 27 July 1994

Digest #1485 Digest #1487


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


Contents:
  Cleveland Brewpubs (Bill Rust)
  Re: Nope, it's oak\ (Phil Miller)
  BREWPUBS/GRANT'S (chuck.webb)
  Offensive sig lines (Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen)
  BruProbe/Hops question (Jim Grady)
  Revival porter (HOMEBRE973)
  sanitization, lauter, wheat (Mark Gugel)
  Re:"Beer club" problems (djt2)
  Gott alternative (TODD CARLSON)
  Whining / Hot Liquor Tank (npyle)
  RE: BREWPUBS WASH DC AREA (Robert.Fike)
  San Diego Brew Pubs (x-4378)" <Simpson at po2.rb.unisys.com>
  Dampf/Bacteria (Andrew Patrick)
  Please help, which yeast to use? (EASCHN01)
  GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST  ---sorry, sold out--- (uswlsrap)
   ("Erica Carlson")
  Bottle Carbonation Problems (Robert H. Reed)
  Home Brewer's Compan'n (Charlie Papazian/Boulder)
  Cleaning glassware (Domenick Venezia)
  Re: Cleaning Carboys ("Upward, not Northward!")
  Kegs, Shafted by St Patrick ("Mark Fredrickson")
  To drink, or not to drink... (DARREN TYSON)
  In defence of Igloos (ANDY WALSH)
  Fridges as heaters! (ANDY WALSH)
  Homebrewing in the UK (again) (Simon W. Bedwell)
  Richmond, VA brew pubs (Gorman)
  mixing ferment ("Harold R. Wood")
  Information on Champaign, IL (DARREL SANDALL)
  Newbie kegger question (Domenick Venezia)
  Wyeast #1338 concensus (Domenick Venezia)

****************************************************************** ** NOTE: There will be no digest administration from July 27 ** through August 7. PLEASE be patient when requesting changes ** or cancellations. ****************************************************************** Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com (Articles are published in the order they are received.) Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc., to homebrew-request@ hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L at UA1VM.UA.EDU), then you MUST unsubscribe the same way! If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first. FAQs, archives and other files are available via anonymous ftp from sierra.stanford.edu. (Those without ftp access may retrieve files via mail from listserv at sierra.stanford.edu. Send HELP as the body of a message to that address to receive listserver instructions.) Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored. For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen at novell.physics.umr.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Jul 94 19:39:00 -0640 From: bill.rust at travel.com (Bill Rust) Subject: Cleveland Brewpubs Just a quickie! Anyone out there know of any brewpubs in Cleveland, OH. I'm going to a wedding in August, and I am looking for creative ways to fill a small amount of spare time (yes, we already thought of catching a ball game). +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "If you ever go temporarily insane, don't shoot | BILL RUST | | somebody, like a lot of people do. Instead try | Systems Analyst | | to get some weeding done, because you'd really | | | be surprised. | --=_=-- | | | | | JACK HANDEY | Shiloh, IL | | Deep Thoughts | bill.rust at travel.com | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ - --- ~ SPEED 1.40 #1651 ~ Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 94 20:48:52 CDT From: Phil Miller <C616063 at MIZZOU1.missouri.edu> Subject: Re: Nope, it's oak\ In reply to Erick Speckman's (sp?) question in 7/25's HBD, I must humbly say that I did use the malto-dextrin as priming sugar. I din't worry, I relaxed, I had a homebrew. I am told that there should not be a problem, except that it will take about 1 to 1 1/2 months for carbonation to appear; there should be enough yeast and fermentable sugars left over from fermentation to give the brew carbonation. As a test, and using the advice of the local "Brewmeister", I added 1/2 teaspoon corn sugar to some of the bottles (6) to see if that resul ts in adequate carbonation or Millertov cocktails, hopefully the former. I'll have a full-bodied, high-alcohol brew on my hands. I tested another bottle today, and aside from its flatness, the "oaky" flavor had given way to a very tasty ale. Now if Don Ho would bless me with some tiny bubbles... ___________ GO CUBS! / \ THE NEVER - ENDING QUEST FOR .500! / ______ \ / / \ \ PHIL MILLER / / \____\ DEPT. OF ECONOMICS | || | |--\ /--/ UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, COLUMBIA | || | |()/ \__ EMAIL C616063 at MIZZOU1.MISSOURI.EDU | || | |()\ \ | |\__/ |__/ \__/ MIZZOU TIGERS 14-0 BIG 8 BASKETBALL CHAMPS 1994 \ \ ____ \ \_______/ / "I WAS BORN WITHOUT TEETH." \ / SAMUEL CLEMENS (MARK TWAIN) \___________/ Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 94 21:59:50 From: chuck.webb at 24stex.com Subject: BREWPUBS/GRANT'S Hello, all. I had an occasion to take a little trip during the first week in July from northern California to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the course of this, I found two brewpubs worth mentioning. In Flagstaff, AZ there is the Beaver Street Brewery which brews a very nice Pale Ale (IMHO; I am by no means a qualified beer judge) and an interesting raspberry ale. I didn't sample their darker brews as it was hot and I'd traveled 350 miles on a motorcycle that day and I just wasn't in the mood for anything heavy. They are not bottling yet, so you must go there. I found their food and service to be excellent as well. In Albuquerque, there was Assets Restaurant and Brewpub. This is a fairly new establishment that also is not yet bottling their product (Darn!). They are brewing Road Runner Ale (tm) which to my admittedly biased palette is wonderful! I can't wait until it becomes available in the bottle, although I'll probably never see any in No. Cal. They were also serving a blueberry ale which initially tasted of fresh blueberries and then finished with a mild hop flavor; a marzen, a summer wheat, and a stout, if I recall correctly. They offer the small 2 oz. tasting glasses at $.50 each. I settled for 2 pints of the Road Runner Ale and a Thai Spicy Chicken Pizza from their wood-fired pizza oven. This was REALLY spicy, about an 8.2 on the Richter scale! But good, very good. Actually, I wish they'd open a franchise in Sacramento. I am not in any way connected with either of the above; usual disclaimers, etc. This past weekend I attended the Sierra Brewfest in Grass Valley, CA and among the wide variety of brews available I discovered Grant's Scottish Ale. If anyone has a comparable receipe, I'd appreciate it if you'd share. I am a (not particularly) humble extract brewer, so please, no all-grain receipes. Private E-Mail is fine. TIA.... chuck.webb at 24stex.com (Chuck Webb) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 18:27:12 EST From: Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen <aidan at rschp2.anu.edu.au> Subject: Offensive sig lines Full-Name: Aidan "Krausen Kropping Kiwi" Heerdegen Bill wrote: | I found Phil Miller's SIG line implying a national radio | celebrity was a Nazi and that Nancy Reagan uses drugs to be | offensive, moronic and completely inappropriate for this forum. I thought it was funny. | Looking at the final gravity of your beer, the oak flavor you | described and the boil-over, you should have enough to think | about without concerning yourself with politicizing the HBD. | Save the excessive cuteness for the classroom. Unlike yourself, Phil chose to comment on a public figure, someone who puts themselves in a position where public criticism is part of the "job". He did so with wit, perhaps one of the best forms of ridcule. Considering that it was not a long sig line and he did not mention his views in his post, I think maybe you are being a little harsh. I for one god good laugh out of it (I don't even know who the flaming gasbag is!). Lighten up Bill. Aidan - -- Aidan Heerdegen e-mail: aidan at rschp2.anu.edu.au Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 7:30:13 EDT From: Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com> Subject: BruProbe/Hops question BruProbe: The March/April issue of "Brewing Techniques" had an article titled "High Tech Home Brewing" where the author described how to make a 3' brass probe with a temperature sensor at the end and how to build a circuit to display the temperature. He also mentions that you can buy the pre-fabricated wand and a PC board for the circuit from J.B. Distributing (603.465.7633). What he doesn't tell you is the following: * J.B. Distributing sells the wand for $20. The sensor alone costs $15.40 from Digi-Key (I realize that they may not be the cheapest source but I have not done the research to find a cheaper one). * The P.C. Board is $25, $35 for the wand and the PC board together. Shipping is $5. * The wand is thinner and better built than the one described in the article. The end is brazed shut before the sensor is mounted so it is hermetically sealed. * The output of the sensor is 10 mV/deg F and the circuit is basically a voltmeter. If you have a digital multimeter, you just need to connect a supply to the sensor (I used a 9V battery with a 100 ohm resistor in series as per the circuit in "Brewing Techniques"), connect it to your DMM, and you're in business. I finally got to use it last weekend (it was a Father's Day present) and it works GREAT! Usual disclaimer - no financial interest in J.B. Distributing, just a satisfied customer. ***************** Hop question: I am growing hops for the first time this year. Last night I was outside surveying the hop yard (5 plants) with my 5 year old son. I pointed to the cones that are just starting and said: "Do you see those kind of fuzzy things at the top? Those are the hops." He replied, "Wow! I hope we're outside when they hop off!" So, can any of you answer his obvious question? Why are they called hops if they don't hop off? - -- Jim Grady grady at hp-mpg.an.hp.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 10:02:00 EDT From: HOMEBRE973 at aol.com Subject: Revival porter I found a Dec. 1992 recipe from part of an HBD for a beer called "Revival Porter." It uses 2.5 lbs. of brown malt. However, I lost the part about how you make this brown malt at home. Does anyone remember the method or the recipe, please help. I do not know Al Korzonas (sp?) personally, but I find his use of the HBD to be quite informative and his answered quite helpful and given in the spirit for which the digest was intended. He may make errors at times, but let those of us who are errorless cast the first bottle of correction fluid. The flames against him were uncalled for. Speaking of flames, to paraphrase Doonesbury;" What is the difference between Rush Limbugh(sp?) and the Hindenburg? Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 11:46:30 EDT From: Mark Gugel <mdgugel at mtu.edu> Subject: sanitization, lauter, wheat Jim Busch mentions that my distinction between sanitization and sterrilization may not be correct. Thank you for the correction. My distinction between sterrilization and sanitization was merely from the directions on the back of my (store brand) bleach container. The point, I should have made is that I don't want to wash in strong bleach solutions without some rinse in a milder solution. Having once made this mistake, I noticed that this can really through off the flavor of a good beer. This is why I actually prefer using sodium bisulfate, or better yet I rinse my bottles in water and bake them at 250 F prior to bottling. Any suggestions? Second, on the subject of raking the lauter tun, I have found that raking my 5 gallon bucket lauter tun actually helped my extraction rate in an experiment with two simultaneous, identical batches. Thank you, Jeff in Ann Arbor for your Michigan winter wheat thread. I've personally been interrested in this information. Mark D. Gugel Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 12:07:42 -0400 From: djt2 at po.cwru.edu Subject: Re:"Beer club" problems Someone wrote (several times): >At this point, I'm out $15 with zero recourse. I won't be doing any >further business with this so-called 'Brew Club'. I now realize that >once they've got your credit card #, you're pretty much at their mercy not necessarily. Your credit-card issuer should arbitrate this. Issue a complaint with them, and tell them that your are paying this part of your bill under protest. I have had pretty good luck getting satisfaction this way. I advise *not* withholding the payment, though, 'cause it might wnd up costing you extra interest charges. Send them all of the documentation you have. Now, if you'd sent them cash, you'd be at their mercy. d Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 12:18:37 EST From: carlsont at GVSU.EDU (TODD CARLSON) Subject: Gott alternative I just did my first all grain batch and found what seems to be a good (ie cheap/easy) alternative to the Gott cooler, using a couple of hints from earlier HBD's. I got one of those ubiquitous 5 gal pail. I cut the rim off the lid using a hand held power jug-saw with a hacksaw blade. The middle of the lid was drilled for a false bottom. The rim of the lid was shortened and used to hold the false bottom about an inch up from the real bottom. I drilled a hole in the side, below the false bottom and screwed in a plastic adapter with threads that match one of those flat, galvanized nuts used to attach electrical wiring conduit to junction boxes. I used a rubber washer to get a leak-proof seal. The adapter has a barbed fitting to which I attached a short section of tygon tubing. The cost for all of the parts was just a few dollars. To insulate the mash/lauter tun I just put it in a cardboard box filled with styrofoam packing peanuts (free "Gott"). Over the 60 min mash the temperature did not drop at all. The lautering seemed to work well. The flow rate is easily controlled by moving the level of the outlet tube up or down. By the end of the the lautering, the wort was very clear so filtering must be OK. The problem I ran into was a very low yield -- OG of 1.030 in 5 gal from 7lbs of pale ale malt and 1.33 lbs of specialty grains. So instead of getting an extra special bitter I am getting a mild, oh well. I think the problem was with me and not the equipment. Perhaps I didn't mash long enough or lautered too fast. TIA for hints or guidelines on these steps. Todd carlsont at gvsu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 10:18:07 MDT From: npyle at hp7013.ecae.stortek.com Subject: Whining / Hot Liquor Tank I'm offended at the lack of excessive cuteness in Bill Marks post about Phil Miller's inoffensive .signature line. But then, I'm big enough to let it rest. As long as I'm whining, please note that there are several FAQs at the sierra archive site, including ones covering hops, yeast, and a file on kegging, which is a precursor to a kegging FAQ. Please use them before posting "I know this has been discussed here before, but...". Oh, there are also programs for searching the archives for keywords, etc., AND there are several ways to get at them (ftp, email, WWW). I'm not trying to attack new posters in order to prevent questions, but simple netiquette asks that you read the forum for a while before jumping in and asking Frequently Asked Questions. Also, anybody like to take a shot at a short FAQ on lagering? Just a thought. Returning my soapbox to the brewery for use as a stepstool... ** I've got a plan to make a hot liquor tank based on a used keg. I'll insulate it and then wrap some aluminum sheeting around the insulation (I've acquired a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" aluminum). The bottom won't be insulated, so the flame can heat the water, but the sides will be. The top still has to be designed. I've got a nice temperature guage with a 5" dial and a MPT fitting, with a 4" probe. This, a sight guage, and in/out fittings will all be placed in it with holes punched in the appropriate places. Anything I'm forgetting that I might wish I had later? I'm also considering something similar for a mash/lauter tun. Any suggestions would be appreciated. One day I'll quit making stuff and brew... Cheers, Norm npyle at hp7013.ecae.stortek.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 13:20:52 EST From: Robert.Fike at ccmail.GSFC.NASA.GOV Subject: RE: BREWPUBS WASH DC AREA For the two people who will be in Crystal city for only a few days, I recommend "Bardo's" in Alexandria. They have MANY beers on tap, some even brewed on premises. Bardo's is only a few miles from Crystal City. I beleive they are near a Metro station. I know there is a Metro station in Crystal City. I don't recommend walking around in the area, unfortunatly we have a slight problem with crime in that area. Good Luck and have fun Rob P.S. HBD has opened my eyes alittle. I thought J.K. of S.A. was O.K. Still good beer though. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 10:18:00 PDT From: "SIMPSON, Mark (x-4378)" <Simpson at po2.rb.unisys.com> Subject: San Diego Brew Pubs Howdy, I would like to add some commentary about the Pacific Beach Brewhouse in San Diego. There has been a new brewmeister in place for a little over a year now and IMHO, the beers have taken on a new life. The Over -The -Line Stout was recently given the "4-Pints" award by the society of Brewing Engineers. PB's "Belgian Ale" was recently featured at the Great Arizona Beer Fest and was touted as a highlight of the festival. My personal favorite is the IPA, which is every bit as good as the IPA at the Rubicon Brewery in Sacratomatoe. THAT is worth the trip in itself. The flavored beers are a product of the local environment. The locals want mint stouts and they drink them "en masse". So be it, I'll take the IPA, please. And one of those yummy sourdough "Florentine" pizzas, for balance... just a local's opinion.. Oh BTW, the San Diego BP, along with their 50 brews on tap, has a deelishus hand-pumped ale that is ohh sooo creamy... BrewCat Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 12:54:55 -0500 (CDT) From: Andrew Patrick <andnator at mcs.com> Subject: Dampf/Bacteria In HBD1485 rcd at raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) writes: >And, does anyone know whether Maisel "Dampf" is still imported >under that name? ("Dampf" is the German word for "steam".) I believe they still use the name. However Dampfbier is not the same style as Steam(tm) beer. The reference to Dampf came from around the turn of the century when steam was the latest in "modern" technology. Gee... could this be an example of early marketing hype? ****** Brian Wurst Writes : >The microbiology text* I've got says Lactobacillus contains lactase >which splits the lactose molecule into its constituent molecules, >glucose and galactose. These are fermentable by beer yeasts, where >lactose is not, hence the additional CO2 Al's talking about. OK, I'll buy that. >[BTW, How much did you pay Siebel for a course which excludes such >information? Nothing. It was paid by my employer :-) Actually the price is $2050. >Perhaps a Lacto- infection is not a thing that commercial brewers need >worry about or have to deal with (damifino), but it is a homebrewer's >problem. Quite the contrary.. they spent the better part of a whole day discussing pasturization alone. The entire class was devoted to preventing infections from bad procedures, identification/isolation of infecting organizms, and yeast culturing, storage, etc. Lactobacillus/Pediococcus infections are a MAJOR concern for anyone who makes beer. I have two bottles of a Midwest microbrewed beer that have a very nice culture of Lactobacillus in the sediment as an example of how things can go wrong. BTW.. they don't gush when opened. => Rich Larsen (708) 388-3514 HBU-BBS (708) 705-7263 Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 14:03:23 EDT From: EASCHN01 at ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU Subject: Please help, which yeast to use? I bought a kit of Glenbrew Irish Stout to make my first ever batch of homebrew. It came with a 10 g. packet of yeast. As I was leaving the store, the owner said "I gave you an extra packet of yeast. Pitch both of them since sometimes these are imported and may be old and inactive." The extra yeast is labeled Munton & Fison Homebrewers Yeast (Ideal for Ales) and is a 7 g. packet. Since the Glenbrew kit says that their yeast will ferment out a much higher percentage of the sugars and therefore yield a dryer stout, what effect would pitching both yeasts have, or one and not the other? This got me to thinking, since I like Mackeson, I would not be opposed to a sweeter tasting stout. My guess has been the kit is intended to produce a Guinness type of stout, which is fine, but I rather like the idea of producing a slightly sweeter stout, if possible. Does anyone know what I should expect if I were to pitch: 1) Only the Glenbrew Yeast 2) Only the Munton & Fison Yeast 3) Both yeasts (Or will there be much difference any way I go?) Also, do I need to prime the wort with corn sugar before bottling? The kit instructions skip this step, but everything else I've read, and the store owner, tells me I should. Thanks for any and all help. I've not used the list before, but replies to my personal e-mail would be appreciated since I sometimes miss parts of the Beer-L Digest. Eric Schneider "If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the person who has so much as to be out of danger?" -T.H.Huxley EASCHN01 at ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU or EASCHN01 at ULKYVM.BITNET Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 14:12:55 EDT From: uswlsrap at ibmmail.com Subject: GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST ---sorry, sold out--- - ----------------------- Mail item text follows --------------- To: INTERNET--IBMMAIL From: Bob Paolino Research Analyst Subject: GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST ---sorry, sold out--- Two comments on the August 20 GREAT TASTE: 1) A couple people saw the event listing in ZYMURGY and/or the AHA club list and thought it was a competition. Granted, most (but not all) of the listings are for competitions (but they are typically identified as such) The GREAT TASTE, however, is a craft beer TASTING festival featuring 100+ beers from 37 micros/brewpubs and close to a couple thousand happy beer-lovers, which leads me to me second point.... 2) Tickets sold out late in June. We've sold out the last two years, and advised people to buy early to avoid being turned away. This year people saw that we were not kidding and took our advice. Unfortunately, we have to return the ticket orders that keep coming in. So save your stamps and your phone bills! We'd like to be able to accommodate more people, but the limitation of the beautiful downtown park we've used for 4 years is its relatively small size. We simply cannot and will not pack in so many people that the festival isn't enjoyable. We know there's a big demand out there for tickets to the longest-running craft beer festival (8yrs) in the region (and indeed one of the oldest in the country), and we intend to move to a larger park next year. Even then, we want to keep it small enough that our patrons can continue to have the personal contact with the brewers. The Oregon Brewers Festival is a great event, but it's HUGE, and volunteers rather than brewery staff serve the beer. Our patrons enjoy the less crowded atmosphere and the opportunity to talk to the brewers and learn about the beer. There's a place for both kinds of festivals, and we've chosen to keep the more intimate atmosphere for ours. If you don't have tickets for this year, mark your calendar for August 19, 1995, and join us for a great Saturday afternoon in Madison! (For those who want to plan for the rest of the century, it's the third Saturday in August.) We offer a great atmosphere, a high quality tasting glass, and unlimited sampling for a rather low ticket price. For those who would be amused by such things, the event is a benefit for our local community radio station WORT/89.9 FM --yes, that's WORT. They don't, however, broadcast a homebrew show ;->. Write to us next spring for ticket information: MADISON HOMEBREWERS AND TASTERS GUILD / P.O. Box 1365 / Madison, WI 53701 Cheers! Bob Paolino Transplanted in Badgerspace Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 14:45:48 -500 From: "Erica Carlson" <CARLSONE at acc.dowling.edu> Subject: subscription request Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 13:39:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Robert H. Reed <rhreed at icdc.delcoelect.com> Subject: Bottle Carbonation Problems Paul writes about consistent bottle carbonation problems: > Now...onto brewing itself. I appear to have a consistent problem with > under-carbonation in my bottled finished product. Actually, under > carbonation is probably the wrong term here....NO carbonation is more > appropriate. Some data points. I brew extract based ales with partial > mash additions, rack from primary bin to secondary bin and then bottle > (using corn syrup as primer). Yeasts are from the extract kit (dry). <snip> > I have > experimented with increased priming rates, temperature control of the > bottled beer and even changed the type of caps I use...all to no avail. Given that you have experimented with temperature, priming rate, and caps, I believe the only plausible sources of no carbonation would be excessive bottle sanitizer left in the bottle prior to filling, or maybe your capper or capping process does not give you a good seal? I don't think you could blame caps unless they lack a good liner. Even though most retailers don't recommend using kit yeast - variability due to travel conditions, etc. - it would follow that if the yeast fermented your beer o.k., it would also carbonate your beer, at least to a certain degree. If excess sanitizer is the problem, you can do a good hot H2O rinse or use a no-rinse sanitizer. -Rob Reed Return to table of contents
Date: 26 Jul 94 11:42:58 EDT From: Charlie Papazian/Boulder <72210.2754 at compuserve.com> Subject: Home Brewer's Compan'n Many of you are aware that my new book is out. I've received a few e'mails regarding some typographical "miscues" in the book. Please don't hesitate to e'mail me directly if you find any typo's or points that don't seem to be correct. The manuscript was proofed, edited and reread several times. I'm hoping the oversights are at a minimum. Thanks for your help. I also wish to thank all of you that contributed your comments about two and a half years ago when I asked for suggestions regarding the contents of my then "upcoming" book. Thank you - I believe I've incorporated most of your suggestions. RDWHAHB Charlie Papazian Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 07:44:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com> Subject: Cleaning glassware - ------------------------------ Kirk Harralson gave an interesting tip on cleaning with ice and cleanser in HBD 1485. I've found, as undoubtably many others have, that a cup of bleach in 5 gallons allowed to stand in the glass carboy for a few days (a week if you have the time) will dissolve the crud stuck to the glass. Cover the neck with foil - bleach will do bad things to rubber stoppers over time. I still do a quick brushing while the bleach water is still in the carboy (watch out when removing the carboy brush - the bristles will flick little bleach drops everywhere). Something I have never done, but if ever presented with crud the bleach can't handle, I'm going to try household lye (NaOH). Domenick Venezia ZymoGenetics, Inc. Seattle, WA venezia at zgi.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 19:00:05 -0500 (EST) From: "Upward, not Northward!" <CULP1405 at splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu> Subject: Re: Cleaning Carboys Hello All, this is a short note on what may help to clean a stained carboy. At the resteraunts that I worked in the waitresses used ice, cut lemon, and salt to clean the coffee pots. No chemicals. This may work in a carboy though I think that you would have a pretty hard time trying to swirl it around the inside real fast. Good luck,Kirby. Return to table of contents
Date: 26 Jul 1994 16:01:55 U From: "Mark Fredrickson" <mark_fredrickson at cpqm.saic.com> Subject: Kegs, Shafted by St Patrick Subject: Time: 3:55 PM OFFICE MEMO Kegs, Shafted by St Patricks Date: 7/26/94 Kegs, Shafted by St Patricks Im looking for a source for inexpensive Cornelius Kegs (pin type). Any suggestions? I had a very disappointing experience dealing with St Patricks in Austin, Texas. Last April when they advertised the 3 used kegs for $39 deal, I called and placed an order for 6. Ever since I have called them every few weeks and inquired about the status. On each occasion, they informed me not to worry, they will ship them tomorrow or next week or... If they were honest with me I could have delt with it but... As you can guess I am still without kegs. It got so bad that my buddy who was going to get 3 of the 6 kept sending me e-mail asking when they were to deliver. Im afraid he may have gone over the edge making comments like 'the Homebrew I put in the kegs from St Patricks was so light you can hardly taste it...' Im concerned he may be drinking his homebrew direct from the secondary!! and he's starting to make and lighter and lighter beer to match his Kegs... When I called yesterday, suddenly they *'lost my order'*. No big deal, the paper it was written on was likely worn out given I called so many times. I was more than willing to order again but guess what?!! Now they want *MORE* money. Surprise. I even tried to make a deal with Lynn, the owner, to have me pay only her cost since I've waited a few months and they *LIED* to me on a number of occasions about shipping the *DAMN* Kegs. No dice. I don't know how others have been treated by St Patricks. IM NOT VERY HAPPY. On the other hand, I suppose since Im so far away it really shouldn't bother me. I know my place, just one little homebrew customer. Im not so important. Im sure St Patricks DOESN'T NEED CUSTOMERS. THEY PROBABLY HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF *EXTRACT* BREWERS WHO are very meek and mild and never, every raise their voice. On the other hand maybe they just have ALOT OF *ALL GRAINERS* FOR CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE HAD TOO MUCH HOMEBREW TO KNOW BETTER. Boy do I feel better now. Thanks for listening. I apologize for venting all over the hwy. Don't think I need a disclaimer. Just a dissatisfied customer without any connections... Feel free to send all types of comments to Mark_Fredrickson at cpqm.saic.com. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 18:17:09 -0600 (CST) From: DARREN TYSON <TYSONDR at SLUVCA.SLU.EDU> Subject: To drink, or not to drink... Howdy Brewfolk, I'm interested in gathering opinions about something. I recently realized just how much I dislike most commercial brews (living in St. Louis makes it REAL interesting!) I have gone so far as to refuse a beer that was bought for me (it was a Bud Light, BTW). I have also found myself abstaining from drinking in bars (and even Busch stadium!) due to the unavailability of beers with FLAVOR! I am curious to hear from other beer officianados (read finicky beer-drinkers) about what they are willing to put up with regarding commercial beers. Anyone with an opinion please e-mail me directly and I will post a summary. May all you beer be homebrewed, Darren tysondr at sluvca.slu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 27 Jul 94 09:45:08 +1000 From: ANDY WALSH <awalsh at ozemail.com.au> Subject: In defence of Igloos Richard Webb mentioned Igloo coolers becoming "slagified" by hot mashes. I presume he did not use his cooler since he took it back for a refund. I have been mashing in an Igloo for some months now and have never had a problem with high temps. Admitedly I have not seen the temp specification Richard mentioned, but in practice, the thing is fine for mashing in, for all you would be Inuits. I also have a Gott and prefer the Igloo, as it is easier to fit a decent tap down the bottom to replace the crummy momentary action push button type both come equipped with. This is simply because the Igloo has flattened off the bit where the tap is, and the Gott is rounded, so harder to get a water tight seal with a washer. I also prefer the lid on the Igloo, which is an interference fit, and less fiddly than the screw on Gott. BTW, My Gott is labelled "Rubbermaid Gott" and is blue. I thought Rubbermaid and Gott were supposed to be different brands, and that Gotts were supposed to be orange? As I purchased it in Australia, it is possibly very old stock, so different to the usual available in the US. In fact, I have just sold the Gott and plan on buying another Igloo! ***************************************************************************** Aidan Heerdegen asked about specific heats of grain. I use hot water infusions for raising my temps in my Igloo and use the figures: S=4.2KJ/K/kg for water and grain as 0.4 times that or 1.7KJ/K/Kg. These figures were in a recent Zymurgy and seem to work, but heat losses will vary depending upon aparatus and technique, so you must always use either hotter water than calculated or more of it. If you want to be anal your water should be preboiled to remove oxygen, but I do not and have not noticed the effects of HSA. In practice, the calculations are of limited use, and I either infuse water at about 8C hotter than my strike temperature until the desired temp is reached (this gives around 1 quart per pound in my setup), or in the case of mashout, add boiling water (gently and slowly, whilst mixing) until 77C is reached or when I run out of room in my Igloo (10 g). The whole wort is still pretty acidic at this stage so tannin leaching is not a problem. I also do not sparge as the extra water volume from this infusion mashout means you'll have too much wort if you sparge. You do require 15% more grain. Alternatively you can sparge your mash,(in place of infusion mashout) for better extract if you want that. Infusion mashouts are simpler though, and produce beer at least as good. This technique also eliminates the need to transfer the mash to a separate lauter tun. I use Phil's Phalse bottom and highly recommend it. How do others use their coolers? Like me, or do you take the grain out to heat it up to mashout, then put it back again for sparging? Or do you mash in a separate (heatable) pot, and just sparge in your cooler? There's been a lot of discussion recently on the wonderful Gott, but less on exact techniques. The lack of an available internal heat source is a problem, and I would certainly be interested to hear your comments. Andy. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 27 Jul 94 09:45:05 +1000 From: ANDY WALSH <awalsh at ozemail.com.au> Subject: Fridges as heaters! Has anyone considered using a fridge to keep your fermenting beer warm in winter? If you were to construct an insulated box to go *behind* the fridge, encompassing the heat exchange coils, with enough room for your fermenters in there as well, you would have a warm room. If you use the same air-conditioning thermostat you use to keep your lagers cool in summer (inside the fridge) to monitor the rear enclosure temperature, you could keep your finished beer cool inside the fridge (hopefully it won't freeze - you could always leave the door open!) and your fermenting beer just right. I know aquarium heaters are simpler, but this is kind of elegant, if it's possible. Any comments? Andy (again). Return to table of contents
Date: 26 Jul 1994 08:30:25 GMT From: Simon_W._Bedwell at metro.mactel.org (Simon W. Bedwell) Subject: Homebrewing in the UK (again) I'd like to second Brian Gowland's article in HBD1479, and add a few comments of my own. First, a digression... I started brewing with UK kits about 10 years ago. These were the chea barley-syrup variety, widely available, which required the addition of vast quantities of sugar to bump up the OG. The result, as I'm sure you'll appreciate, was a cidery alcoholic pop which bore little or no resemblance to real beer. So why did I do it? I was a student then and imbibing large quantities of cheap beer seemed like a good idea; waking up the next day with a 10-megaton hangover seemed a reasonable tradeoff against the bank balance. Eight years ago I bought a copy of DODD's 'Big Book of Brewing', read it and thought 'Hmm, this looks interesting but way too tricky, I won't mash just yet'. The book was consigned to a shelf and forgotten about. In the meantime, other kit beers were bought, made and drunk with little purpose other than consumption of a cheap pint. Then I bought a Glenbrew 3kg all-extract kit (#include <StdDisclaimers>) and was amazed at the difference. Here was a kit that tasted something like beer. Then the BrewBug bit; I was hooked. It *was* possible to brew a reasonable beer at home! So I started reading everything I could lay my hands on about homebrewing: DODD's book (again), Graham Wheeler's book, Zymurgy (eventually) etc. I went straight for full-mash and never looked back. If there is a point here it is that there's really very little information in the UK encouraging people to make the transition from cheap kits through the better all-malt kits to extract and/or grain brewing. Brian is quite right in saying people treat you like some sort of 'mad scientist' if you mash (and *dare* to talk about it...). You only have to mention trub hot-side aeration or sparging and people take you for an Anorak-type. The only group of people I find don't treat me like this are the CAMRA crowd. I think this is maybe because if they are interested enough in beer to join CAMRA, they know a bit more about the brewing process and can understand how full/partial mash techniques can enable you to produce a beer at home as good as if not better than commercial beers. I went along to the 'Homebrew Today' show in Brighton in March. Of the three dozen or so pitches there, perhaps two or three were interesting to us 'All-Grainers'. The rest of the exhibitors were largely el-cheapo kit manufacturers. The question I heard most from other attendees was 'Yes...but how much does your kit COST?'. These very same people avoided the 'All-Grainers' stands like they were dabbling in some sort of witchcraft. Again; misinformation and lack of encouragement. I can now buy a reasonable selection of malts in the UK, but I have to buy mail-order. I can get Halcyon, Maris Otter and Pipkin pale malts, Crystal, Amber, Brown, Wheat, Munich, Vienna, Chocolate and Black malts. I can buy a dozen or so different varieties of hops, both loose and vacuum-packed. Liquid yeasts are just becoming available. Equipment? There is a very enterprising company in Leeds manufacturing wort chillers, mash tuns, boilers and other bits and pieces. But there are still only a couple of shops stocking anywhere near a reasonable range of goods. You *Would Not Believe* the angst I went through trying to buy a carboy! You can find some types of malt & hops at many other homebrew stores but the malt will undoubtedly be slack and expensive, and the hops stale (and expensive). There is no homebrew society in the UK equivalent to the AHA in the US. I contacted Graham Wheeler a while ago as I learnt he was intending to establish such an association, together with a periodic newsletter. I hear now, from a reliable third party, that the project is unlikely to go ahead. This is a pity. My conclusion is that the advancement of hombrewing in the UK was really bad until a few years ago, is much better now, and is improving all the time. I don't think it will reach the level of relative sophistication enjoyed by the homebrew fraternity across the Big Pond for several years. There obviously has to be a 'critical mass' of interested and dedicated extract/grainers before the hobby takes off in a big way in the UK. One final comment to give our U.S. brethren a good belly-laugh. The 'Homebrew Today' sanctioned beer competition held in Brigton at the same time as the show was for KITS ONLY! Yes, you read that correctly! The kits had to be brewed *exactly* to the kit manufacturers instructions, with no additions, deletions or modifications? What sort of competition is this? One half-decently brewed extract or grain beer would wipe the floor with any of the kits 'allowed' into the show! I'll leave you now to pick yourselves up after ROTFL. May your mashes never set. - -- **************************************************************************** MacTel Metro - Europes largest Mac specific BBS This message was created from a user account on a FirstClass(tm) BBS. The views expressed in this posting those of the individual author only. Send mail to this user at either :- INTERNET:User_Name at metro.mactel.org [use underline] between first FIDONET:User.Name at f202.n254.z2.fidonet.org [use fullstop ] & last names **************************************************************************** Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 21:44:34 EDT From: Gorman at aol.com Subject: Richmond, VA brew pubs Private email on the name, location and quality of brewpubs in Richmond, VA would be most appreciated. Thanks, Bill Gorman gorman at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 27 Jul 1994 13:13:09 +0000 (WET) From: "Harold R. Wood" <hrwood at uog9.uog.edu> Subject: mixing ferment I am curious if anyone has any ideas regarding the mixing of the fermenting wort early in the fermentation process? Many laboratory fermentations (bacteria, yeast as well as animal cells) use active mixing of the ferment. This may be done by shaking (in small containers) or motor stirring or magnetic stir bar mixing in larger fermentation vessels. I have not seen mention of mixing of the ferment in commercial brewing operations. It seems to me that active mixing might be benificial early in the fermentation. If anyone has any knowledge or speculation concerning this I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. I am posing this question to both HBD and Compuserve. A summary will be posted if response is obtained. Rick Wood hrwood at uog.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 22:18:35 -0500 (CDT) From: dsandall at herbie.unl.edu (DARREL SANDALL) Subject: Information on Champaign, IL Fellow Homebrewers, In about a two weeks I am moving to Champaign, Illinois, and I would appreciate any information about supply shops (and the people running them), brewpubs, clubs/guilds, etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanx. Darrel Sandall (dsandall at herbie.unl.edu) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 21:14:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com> Subject: Newbie kegger question If only I'd become a welder like my mama wanted, I'd know the answer... My regulator low pressure gauge and my bleeder valve gauge disagree by about 2 lbs. Which, if any, should I believe? Does it matter? What do those 2 screws on the back of the gauge do? Adjustments perhaps? You know, this kegging stuff is pretty fun. I mean I get to play with hoses and gauges and connects and high pressure gas. Filling a keg for the first time just feels dangerous. It's almost as much fun as playing with electricity. Thanks in advance. Domenick Venezia ZymoGenetics, Inc. Seattle, WA venezia at zgi.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 21:28:10 -0700 (PDT) From: Domenick Venezia <venezia at zgi.com> Subject: Wyeast #1338 concensus There was no HBD consensus. In fact very few responses - one actually, and thank you. The issue was whether Wyeast #1338 (European Ale) was a mixed strain because when plated there were HUGE colonies and small colonies. The only HBD suggestion was that some were metabolically challenged, and I think not since the small colonies are actually normal sized (sorry I misled you). The lab folks consensus here was that #1338 is damn weird, and that the computer guy is nuts if he thinks plating is fun. Some of them, the ingrates, actually laughed! I guess I'll plate the big ones and the little ones separately and see if they breed true. And since the masses are clamoring for answers I'll report back in a little while. Domenick Venezia ZymoGenetics, Inc. Seattle, WA venezia at zgi.com Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1486, 07/27/94