HOMEBREW Digest #1510 Thu 25 August 1994

Digest #1509 Digest #1511


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


Contents:
  Yeast culturing (Richard Buckberg)
  Re:"boiling water" (Jim Busch)
  Peat smoked malt (Alan Pagliere)
  Mash schedules (Bob Jones)
  Alzheimers and Aluminum (Bryan Kornreich)
  Dream Tun (npyle)
  Toronto brewpubs (Stephen Schryburt)
  tripels (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
  D.C. Pubs/ Rootbeer (/R=ENSRV1/R=AM/U=millst/FFN=MILLST/)
  Lautering (George J Fix)
  Re: Gott Cooler Spigot (djt2)
  Aluminum and a can o' worms (DARREN TYSON)
  DeWolf & Cosyns or Klages? (Lee Bollard)
  check number (uswlsrap)
  Results of Steam: Ale or Lager? (David Draper)
  Water hardness defined (Nancy.Renner)
  Big .sigs and personalities, also Great Taste (uswlsrap)
  "Automatic" Sparge Ring (John Dodson)
  Brewing Classes (Swshea)
  1994 All About Ales Competition (Michael Ligas)
  Weird beer . . . (DATADUMP)
  Trouble shooting dry flavor (Terry Terfinko)
  States Where HomeBrewing Illegal (John DeCarlo              )
  Russian Light Beer venture (Thomas Redmond)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 10:27:53 -0700 From: Richard Buckberg <buck at well.sf.ca.us> Subject: Yeast culturing As most brewers who like the Wyeast strains, I have had trouble getting one packet to start fermentation in a 5 gallon batch in a reasonable amount of time. I then learned that the packets are not intended to provide enough yeast cells to really innoculate 5 gallons and get fermentation rolling within 24 hours. The answer is to make a starter culture, and give the yeast a head start, with a target of about 400 ml of active yeast slurry for pitching. So I brewed up a batch of 1.020 wort, put it in a sterile bottle, one-way valve on top, dark place, temp 65F or so. In about 600 ml of wort, it has taken 5 days to get just the slightest krausen going in the bottle, using London 1028. What is the secret here? Is quality control at Wyeast really bad? Do they send out really wimpy packages? What is the story on getting these fine yeasts to start? even with the package being fully expanded prior to pitching to starter it still seems too slow. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 14:39:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Jim Busch <busch at daacdev1.stx.com> Subject: Re:"boiling water" Al writes: > I think the discussion of limestone caves doesn't have anything to do > with brewing either. It does if you are a caver! > > >Chlorine > Chlorine in the water can result in beer with chlorophenols in it, which > are particularly unwelcome in beer and can be detected at very low levels. > I personally feel that all brewing water should be boiled... if you have > time to make beer, you can make the additional time to make better beer. What???! Just what I need, another couple of hours boiling tons of water! My propane bills are high enough already!! I would rephrase it as: If you have time to brew beer, you have time to install a simple activated carbon filter that will remove chlorine from your brewing water without requiring the time intensive boiling ritual. Good brewing, Jim Busch Return to table of contents
Date: 22 Aug 94 14:30:30 EDT From: Alan Pagliere <71201.1047 at compuserve.com> Subject: Peat smoked malt Does anyone know where one could find malt that has been smoked with peat smoke? I am a lover of single malts (especially the smokey Islay ones), and would like to try using some of the malt they use in some homebrews. I have read in some magazine or other (zymurgy, Brewing Techniques, or somewhere) that some micros out west are using such a malt, which of course means that it is available somehow in the US. Where might one try? Private e-mail to my address on Compuserve is fine, unless others might be interested. My address is: 71201.1047 at compuserve.com Or, if you happen to be on Compuserve, use 71201,1047 Thanks. Alan Pagliere |----------------------------------| 71201.1047 at compuserve.com | "Drink Less. Taste More." | |----------------------------------| Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 11:43:11 +0900 From: bjones at novax.llnl.gov (Bob Jones) Subject: Mash schedules Thanks to George Fix for the info. on mash schedules. I (as well as others) have become lazy over the years and have reduced the number of mash temperature steps for speed sake. Yield isn't a big factor for most homebrewers, but fermentability IS. Since most homebrewers way underpitch the amount of required yeast for a good ferment this is usually an easy target. However, once they have the yeast under control the poor ADF's usually result in mash schedules or poor quality malt. With this many factors envolved, it is pretty hard to isolate problems. Your timely info. on mash schedules is well timed and should help to further point out this area of concern for those interested. You did not mention a mashout step! Have you eliminated the mashout step and still get that high of a mash efficiency? We are all looking forward to your new book! Bob Jones bjones at novax.llnl.gov Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 14:45:02 -0400 (EDT) From: Bryan Kornreich <bkornrei at welchlink.welch.jhu.edu> Subject: Alzheimers and Aluminum Ok, here's the deal. There is certainly a relationsip between chronic aluminum toxicity and Alzheimers disease. In fact, researchers use aluminum injections (into the blood--not directly into the brain) of hamsters to induce the neurofibrillary changes of Alzheimers as positive controls in experiments to see if other things can cause Alzheimers. (Geronotology. 37 Suppl 1:31-42, 1991) However, the amounts of aluminum required are really really HUGE. Wettstein et al. published "Failure to Find a Relationship between mnestic skills of octogenarians and aluminum in drinking water" (International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 63(2):97-103, 1991) where he compared old people in areas with tons of aluminum in the water and old people with almost no aluminum in the drinking water, they gave the people mental acuity tests and found no difference between the two groups. They also compared the people's serum aluminum levels, just to ensure that there really were differences in the blood levels of aluminum. Nonetheless, the jury is still out and there is still debate on the issue. It has been proposed that indeed aluminum DOES have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier by using the same receptor that Iron ions use ("Aluminum access to brain: a role for transferrin and its receptor". Roskins and Connor. Proc Nat Acad of Sci USA. 87(22):9024-7. 1990 Nov.). And it is almost certain that huge levels of aluminum in blood cause Alzheimers-type changes in the brain. So in conclusion, if you use Aluminum pans, don't eat the pans. But it seems pretty unlikely that any small amounts of aluminum that enter your beer or food from cooking will have any effect whatsoever on your brain. So relax. --bryan Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 12:31:28 MDT From: npyle at hp7013.ecae.StorTek.COM Subject: Dream Tun I'm working on the dream tun idea I discussed here a while ago, and have come up with the following: Insulated keg (using high-temp large diameter pipe insulation and aluminum sheeting) Undecided sprinkler mechanism for inlet, probably try to make it adjustable to keep it below liquid level Large dial thermometer on front Slotted pipe manifold for outlet My scrounging skills are improving and most of this stuff was free or pretty darn cheap. I decided against putting a sight tube in it because I didn't think it would help much and I'd have to come up with a way to keep grains out of it. It would also add to the cleanup chore. I may try to use the sanke fitting as the drain (invert the keg and cut out the bottom). If I do this I would think a false bottom would be better than a manifold, but then I'd have to add back in a manifold for my future upgrade: steam injection. An easymasher style manifold might do the trick for this too. The "far in the future, if ever" upgrade is a steam-injected RIMS. I could see this being easier to implement than the electric RIMS, ala Rodney Morris. Maybe not. I think it would be a kindler, gentler, heating method and might obviate the need for the fancy control circuit (this from an EE!). I believe it was Al Einstein that said "Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler". How am I doing? Should I add a stirring wand mounted in the lid? I could always connect it to a motor at a later date, and then... Anyway, the basic tun as outlined above will be built next week. Any last minute ideas will be seriously considered, and then of course I'll do whatever I please. Seriously, I'd appreciate any (more) feedback. Cheers, Norm npyle at hp7013.ecae.stortek.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 15:01:01 -0400 From: av257 at freenet.carleton.ca (Stephen Schryburt) Subject: Toronto brewpubs I will be visiting friends in Toronto next weekend and would like to visit a few brewpubs. I have allready been to the Amsterdam pub and really enjoyed it. If you know of any other interesting brewpubs or beers that I should try please let me know. Thanks. - -- av257 at freenet.carleton.ca Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 12:07:42 -0700 From: Richard B. Webb <rbw1271 at appenine.ca.boeing.com> Subject: Yakimania '94!!! The 1994 Yakimania tour and debauchery is over, and what I remember of it was really great! For those of you from out of town, a little geography is in order. Washington state is the farthest northwest of the continuous 48 states. The western half of the state is dominated by contact with the ocean and incoming moisture. Summer in Seattle usually happens on a Thursday. A tall mountain range, called the Cascades, bisects the state, blocking the rain from reaching the very dry eastern half. Yakima is the population center of the large agricultural area. The Yakima basin grows most everything that you can think of, and probably a few other things as well. The climate is similar to inland California, in that there is little rain, hot summers (probably colder winters though), and no real water to speak of. Hot and dry. But if you irrigate, the desert springs forth with bounteous harvest. Including hops. There are just a few areas in north America that grow hops commercially, and Yakima is the center for that. There are some hop farms in Oregon, Idaho, and even Canada, but 70% of all the hops grown in the U.S. come from Yakima. The local brewing club, the Yakima Enthusiastic Ale and Stout Tasters (or Y.E.A.S.T for short) are kind enough and foolish enough to invite every brew club in the world to their neck of the woods this time of year for us to observe the harvest, ask stupid questions, and get in the way of the people working on the harvest. There is also a drunken bacchanal that finishes the day, as all of the (now thirsty) homebrewers get together for some serious, er, ahem, disciplined juice tasting. I was there, and I survived, living to tell the story of this event to my children and their children. And since I don't have any (children that is), I'll have to tell you... The day started off bright and too damn early. I had a mead tasting the night before (a later posting to follow on how the Nazi pigs at the Washington State Liquor Control Board sought to ruin the event), but Yakima is miles away, so I picked up my brew-bud Jeff at 7:00 am in order to gather by the 10:00 am meeting time. I shouldn't complain. Peter, the president of the Royal Canadian Malted Patrol (R.C.M.P.) and his crew left their digs at 3:00 am. Ouch... An un-eventful and not too unpleasant drive got us to the designated meeting point, the warehouses of Hop Union in downtown Yakima, in plenty of time. As we got closer to the event, the directions started to get just a little fuzzy. We saw a van with a bumper sticker that said 'I Brew, therefore I Am.' I knew we were getting close. At Hop Union, we noticed a gathering of mostly men, mostly with big bellies, and many with facial hair. We had arrived. As the faithful and early arrived, we spent a bit of time waiting for the late and faithless. Then the people in charge arrived and began to organize the thing. A 5$ registration fee got us a door prize number (your humble scribe got the unlucky number of 002, but some other lucky dog later got a whole bag of grains for his trouble. Way to go Don!), with enough money left over to grease the palms of whomever was to be troubled by the arrival of three groups of thirty curious home brewers. Another 15$ got you the official 1994 Yakimania Tour de Hop T-shirt, a design of an intelligent hop bract quaffing down a frosty mug of brew, an artistic creation of Mr. Brew-Art himself, Alan Moen of Somewhere in the East, Washington. You've probably seen some of his work, as his Great Moments in Brewing cartoons and shirts are becoming legend in the brewing world. People insist on staring at my chest whenever I wear one. Usually only available in Large, Extra Large, and Really Really Large (also known as Corny keg, Pony keg, and Party keg...) The people that showed up were split into three groups, taking turns at the three sites of brewing interest for the day. In order of beer processing, these tours were of: 1) Roy Farms, 700 acres of hop growing and processing, 2) Hop Union, Hop processors to the world and beyond, and 3) Bud Grant's Brewing operation. Hot dogs and potato salad to be provided. Beer too. Persons who brought kegs were heartily thanked, and relieved of their kegs, as they were placed in a hop warehouse (T=32 degrees F), to be transported to the site of the evenings festivities. Maps were distributed, and the curious went forth. Tomorrow: the tours themselves Rich Webb Return to table of contents
Date: 22 Aug 94 19:20:00 GMT From: korz at iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583) Subject: tripels Phil writes: >Commerical examples: > >Brugse Tripel (9.5% ABV), Affligem Tripel (9% ABV), >Grimbergen Tripel (8.13% ABV), Steenbrugge Tripel (9% ABV) Must be a temporary lapse in concentration on Phil's part. I'm sure he meant to include Westmalle Tripel (the original, and in my opinion finest, tripel) in the list of commercial examples. After several years of not being imported, this four-star beer (MJ) has again begun to be imorted into the US. Yay! Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 13:03:52 MST From: /R=ENSRV1/R=AM/U=millst/FFN=MILLST/ at ENSRV1MR.BCASD.AZ.HONEYWELL.COM Subject: D.C. Pubs/ Rootbeer Hi, Would someone please send me some directions to some good brew pubs in the D.C. area (preferably near the Grand Hyatt Hotel). We are off to a conference in Washington D.C. and would like to check out a few brew pubs in the area. Maybe we'll see you there. Thanks Tom Q: I attempted to make some Rootbeer a while back and was somewhat disappointed with the results. The pressure was so great, that one of the plastic 2-liter bottles exploded in my brew fridge. The ones that didn't blow, are very volatile (i.e. Open it up and 75% of it shoots out, the remaining 25% tastes like yeast). I followed the directions very closely except for one step. I used a combination of cane and corn sugar (90% , 10% respectively) since I ran out of white cane sugar. My question is: WAS THAT MY MISTAKE? Or could it be something else. I figured making rootbeer should be pretty simple.. - --------- #include std_dsclmr.h - --------- Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 15:45:31 -0500 From: gjfix at utamat.uta.edu (George J Fix) Subject: Lautering Darryl in HBD#1506 cites the rule of 1 gallon/(6minute*sq. foot) = .167 gal/(min*sq. ft.) as a good rule for decoction mashing. I personally feel that it is a good rule for any type of system. As noted in my earlier post as soon as the first wort is collected I adjust the inflow and outflow rates to 1/3 gal/min. My false bottom has a diameter of D= 18/12 = 1.5 ft., and hence a surface area of A = pi*(D**2)/4 = 1.77 sq. ft. This amounts to 1/(3*1.77) = .188 gal./(min*sq.ft.). This is slightly higher than the Narziss value cited by Darryl, but my figure applies only to the period where sparging is being done, and does not include the the first wort nor the short period when the last of the residual wort is run into the kettle. In any case a sparging period of 3*9.5 = 28.5 mins. to process 9.5 gals of sparge water is what I use as a target. How all this shakes out for copper coils or for that fact the EM is anyones guess. Very likely different considerations are needed. George Fix Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 16:44:45 -0400 From: djt2 at po.cwru.edu Subject: Re: Gott Cooler Spigot Mark asks: Now that I've gott my gott cooler, what are you guys using to convert that pushbutton spigot to a controllable valve. I tried a plastic one like on my fermenter, but it leaks. Is there one that doesn't require any drilling of the cooler, etc? Thanks for the clues. <end> On mine, I screwed out the valve altogether, and installed a bulkhead union (5/16", polypropylene, part number 61058 $1.03 from US Plastics -1-800537-9724) The inside of the bulkhead is connected to a coil of slotted copper (or your favorite manifold system) and the outside to a vinyl tube with a pinch clamp. Works great, no leaks. The cooler can be reassembled for water if you wish. By the way, US plastics has a minimum order of $10; you might want some vinyl tubing (1/4 $15.75/ 100 ft or 5/16 $17.93/100 ft.) Their catalog is full of all sorts of connectors, etc. Another note, This weekend I was eyeing my old mash tun, ZAPAP style, made from a 5 gallon bucket. I spent 2 hours drilling holes in this thing a couple of years ago, and used it twice before converting to the Gott cooler. Since others have proclaimed the benefits of false (or Phalse) bottoms, I salvaged the hol-ey bottom of the old mashtun by cutting it out just inside the raised bottom of the bucket. The cut out holey circle fits perfectly inside my 5 gallon cooler, and makes a nice false bottom atop my old copper manifold. I tied a nylon string to one edge to enable me to get it out. Sparge rates were significantly faster (I had to slow it down) by lowering the tun, and extraction was about the same as with the slotted copper coil manifold I usually use. Clean up was much improved. I'll use it from now on. dennis Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 16:07:27 -0600 (CST) From: DARREN TYSON <TYSONDR at SLUVCA.SLU.EDU> Subject: Aluminum and a can o' worms Greetings fellow homebrewers, O.K., O.K.! It seems I opened up a can o' worms with my post regarding the use of aluminum pots to boil wort. And since I did I thought I better do a little investigating myself. Re: Aluminum and Alzheimer's There have been many papers published in reputable journals that present data that implicates aluminum as a causative factor in Alzheimer's. There are several papers that hypothesize that aluminum accumulation in the brain is CAUSED BY Alzheimer's, but as of now, more papers are favoring a causative effect of aluminum. However, the link between dietary intake and long-term accumulation of aluminum and Alzheimer's disease has not been studied in depth. One paper that I found interesting was Reviews on Environmental Health 9(4):191-205, 1991 Oct-Dec. From the abstract: "The main conclusion of this summary is aluminum is absorbed and may accumulate in different organs in both adults and infants... It seems probable that at least upon short term exposure the healthy human body can defend itself adequately from aluminum's toxic effects. However, not enough information is available on possible effects of life-long exposure to aluminum in the environment..." This article has 145 references and seems quite well researched. Upon reading this I've decided to return my aluminum pot and pick up an enamel-coated stainless steel pot. The way I figure it, I'd rather have the peace of mind. (BTW, I saw a 5-gallon pot at a Revere/ Corning outlet store in Gurnee, IL for $20!) Re: Aluminum in your beer Obviously this topic is as hotly debated as the correlation between aluminum and Alzheimer's! Some people say they can taste aluminum in there beer, other say they can't taste a thing. As for me, I don't intend to find out if I actually CAN taste the aluminum. Since I haven't used my new aluminum pot yet I see no problem with returning it and getting an enamel-coated stainless steel pot if for nothing else than peace of mind. May all your beer be homebrewed, Darren tysondr at sluvca.slu.edu P.S.-if anyone is interested in a short reference list (10 articles) of aluminum and Alzheimer's just e-mail me. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 14:14:44 PDT From: Lee Bollard <bollard at spk.hp.com> Subject: DeWolf & Cosyns or Klages? As an aspiring all-grain brewer I'm wondering which malt to buy. I've heard of two brands and would like to know the differences and similarities: 1. DeWolf & Cosyns 2. Klages TIA & Regards, Lee Bollard bollard at spk.hp.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 17:51:10 EDT From: uswlsrap at ibmmail.com Subject: check number - ----------------------- Mail item text follows --------------- To: INTERNET--IBMMAIL From: Bob Paolino Research Analyst Subject: check number Bob Paolino Transplanted in Badgerspace Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 08:34:37 +1000 (EST) From: David Draper <David.Draper at mq.edu.au> Subject: Results of Steam: Ale or Lager? Dear Friends, I am very grateful to all those who took the time to respond to my request for opinions on how to classify the Steam/California Common style for the purposes of our brew club's competitions. As of this writing I have had 29 responses. Of these, 16 (55%) said that the style should be classified as a lager; 8 (28%) said ale; and 5 (17%) said it should be classified as both or neither. The reasons cited most by the lager-louts were: the use of a bottom-fermenting yeast (given by 9 of the 16 lager-louts); that it has more of the taste qualities of lager than ale (4 of the 16); that it was intended as a lager by the original brewers (2 of the 16); and that its color, gravity, hops etc most closely match lager style guidelines (2 of the 16). (The numbers don't sum because several respondents gave more than one reason.) Memorable quotation from the lager-louts comes from Norm Pyle, who wrote "...The type of yeast... doesn't always define the flavor of the beer, but it defines the type of beer...steam beer...tastes like an ale, is made like an ale, but it is a lager." (And no, I don't *always* quote Norm, despite the new line in my .sig!) Without exception, the ale-advocates cited temperature as the reason for classifying the style as an ale--first, that fermentation temps are at ale levels, and second, that storage temps are *not* at lagering temps. Several ale-advocates gently reminded me of the definition of the term "lager" as cold storage. Two of them also reasoned that because the spring lager competition follows the season when temps are cool (below that at which Steam/Common is typically fermented), it made more sense to include it in the autumn ale competition, when most brewers' temps would be in the usual Steam/Common range. Memorable quote from the ale-advocates comes from fellow petrologist John Wolff, who wrote "Steam beer has a formulation closer to an ale than a pilsner (most people's idea of typical "lager"), and the man in the street would probably think of Anchor Steam as an ale...Why not simply have more competitions, hence more incentive to brew and drink beer?" Now that is someone after my own heart! Finally, the hybrid-heads. These folks argued that because Steam/Common has so much in common with both ales and lagers, it defeats the purpose of making it to force it into one category or the other. Thus Steam/Common (and several mentioned Altbiers in this context too) should be judged as Steam/Common--that is, either leave it out of the competition entirely or create a category for it. One hybrid-head suggested having it in both the ale and lager competitions to see whether it was judged differently depending on its "surroundings". Memorable quote here comes from Charlie Papazian (whom I emailed directly for his opinion, since he may not have seen the digest), who wrote "I always categorize it as a "hybrid", neither an ale or lager style...I think trying to force "steam" beer into a lager or ale category would be misleading to the type of beer it actually is. Good luck." I admit that my own belief puts me in this camp, because I personally think that we rob the style of its charm somewhat by pigeonholing; but my goal was to gather info that could be used by the brew club. We don't live in an ideal world, so if forced to place it in either an ale or lager category I would tend to agree with the lager-louts, that the type of yeast determines the type of beer (at least for competition purposes on the scale that we here in Sydney have at our disposal). If you missed the first call for votes and want to add your two cents, please do--there is still some time before the decision will be made and I can always use more information. Final note added at press time: I badgered Charlie P. to say what he would do if someone backed him up against the wall and put a gun to his head and said it has to go in one category or the other--which??? His reply was that if he was in deep [CENSORED], down to his last cigar, he would say ALE, but only when his cigar had just a few puffs left. He does not want this to be taken as a blanket recommendation--"hope my comments don't stir up a hornets nest" says he. His reasoning was that it is the fermentation temperature, rather than yeast type, that is definitive. He commented that he would put Alts in the lager category (because of cold conditioning) for similar reasons, but again ONLY if threatened with bodily harm. Thanks again to all who participated! Cheers, Dave in Sydney - -- "Life's a bitch, but at least there's homebrew" ---Norm Pyle ****************************************************************************** David S. Draper, School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109 Sydney, Australia. email: david.draper at mq.edu.au fax: +61-2-850-8428 ....I'm not from here, I just live here.... Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 18:52:30 EDT From: Nancy.Renner at um.cc.umich.edu Subject: Water hardness defined From *Jeff* Renner Back from vacation, and catching up on old HBDs, I see that confusion over just what is hard water has raised its head again. In HBD 1502, Al Korzonas says: >Permanent hardness is primarily >due to Ca and Mg in the water, whereas temporary hardness is due to >Carbonates in the water. Boiling high-carbonate water (assuming there >is sufficient Ca in the water) will cause some Calcium Carbonate to >precipitate out, thereby reducing the overall hardness of the water. >I'm sure this is what Scott meant. Having worked for Proctor and Gamble as a summer technician back in the mid 60's when I thought I was going to be a chemical engineer (BC, before calculus), I found out lots about water hardness. Since then, I've taught history and biology, (and English and conservation and even shop - too many degrees and majors and minors), so, at the risk of being pedantic, here comes the school lesson. I hope it's useful. Just be glad you aren't my kids; they have to listen to this all the time! 8o) WATER HARDNESS IS A TERM TO DESCRIBE THE PRESENCE OF CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM IONS IN WATER. That's it. Not sulfate, or carbonate, or bicarbonate. Just Ca and Mg. The term "hard water" grew out of the observation that some water (hard) needs more soap to make lather, and that hard water made a scum, or curd, like on hair, laundry, or at the top of the water in the tub (bathtub ring). These observations are almost a thing of the past with softened water, detergents and showers. Many municipalities at least partly soften water (i.e., remove Ca and Mg ions), and water softeners are common in areas of hard well water. Soap is usually a sodium salt (can be potassium salt) of a fatty acid. The fatty portion disolves fatty soil ("like dissolves like" is a chemistry rule) and the sodium end makes it water soluble and lowers surface tension to help suspend soil so it can be rinsed away. This is why soap is called a surfactant (surface active agent). The Ca and Mg ions in hard water "kick out" and replace the sodium ion from the soap molecule, making calcium or magnesium soap. These soaps are hardly soluble in water at all, so they can't lather or clean, and they are the curd or bathtub ring. If enough soap is used, all the Ca and Mg ions in the water are "used up," and the soap can do its thing - lather and dissolve and suspend soil. Synthetic detergents are unaffected by hard water, and are much preferred, especially for laundry and shampoo. Women used to rinse their hair in rain water to make it "soft and manageable." There is at least one synthetic bar "soap" available, Zest, the brand I worked on all those many years ago. An old test for degrees of hardness (grains) involved adding drops of a soap solution of specific concentration to a jar with a specific amount of water to be tested. The jar was shaken and soap added until suds began to form. Each drop added represented one grain of hardness. It's a pretty accurate test. Why do brewers care about whether water cleans well with soap? Because the Ca ion is necessary for the proper mash acidity, and so we have appropriated the language of soap users and water chemists. It has been described here fairly recently how boiling temporarily hard water changes the soluble bicarbonate ions into carbonate, which precipitates out with Ca or Mg. That's why it's temporarily hard. Permanent hardness describes the presence of Ca and Mg ions without the presence of bicarbonate ions. Boiling does nothing to it. Other cations (negatively charged) are present, such as sulfates, which we like for their effect on the bitterness of ales. BTW, I am also an amateur soap maker, for the same reasons I brew my own beer. (No, not the taste, silly!) I like making things I use. Jeff Renner just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, where our well water is temporarily hard. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 20:08:33 EDT From: uswlsrap at ibmmail.com Subject: Big .sigs and personalities, also Great Taste - ----------------------- Mail item text follows --------------- To: INTERNET--IBMMAIL From: Bob Paolino Research Analyst Subject: Big .sigs and personalities, also Great Taste Brewing chemist and software god Mitch Gelly defends signature lines as an expression of net personality and suggests that we not worry unless they're _obscenely_ large. Fair enough. So it ought to be fair enough to ask what Zack Norman, Sammy, and Chief Zabu reveal about Mitch's personality :-) Bob Paolino Vice President Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild, BJCP judge, brewer, taster, all-around beer guy seeking increasing knowledge of the craft, and without any clue about Chief Zabu or why I should include it in an elabourate .sig line even if I wanted to....... P.S. The Eight Annual Great Taste of the Midwest was another big success (in video version of post, self pats self on back?) according to its many satisfied patrons and happy brewers--despite intermittent heavy sprinkles. On a couple occasions, the very light rain caused some to retreat to the tents, while others weren't bothered at all. This all happened despite a history of perfect summer weather for the third Saturday in August. Some brewers, however, commented that they actually preferred the somewhat cooler, mostly cloudy weather because it was more comfortable than the aesthetically pleasing sun and blue skies we usually have for the fest. Many thanks to Mitch, Melanie, Steve, Bob (all of them), John, Daphne, Deb, Art, the Wonder couple, Bryan, "Re-Pete," and-on-and-on-and-on. Also the WORT volunteers (Madison unfermented radio?), the police officer, the patrons, the brewers, the yeast, the malt, the hops.... 33 breweries, 100-plus beers, and many happy (and hoppy) patrons can't be wrong! Look for us next year, August 19, 1995, at Olin _Turville_ Park for the Ninth Annual Great Taste!!! CHEERS Bob Paolino Transplanted in Badgerspace Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 16:40:00 -0700 From: john.dodson at cantina.com (John Dodson) Subject: "Automatic" Sparge Ring Several months ago, someone was describing an automatic sparge ring... a ring of tubing, with holes drilled in the botton, equipped with a float in the middle which would automatically regulate the flow of sparge water to a grain bed. I keep thinking about this device... so it must mean I've got to have one. ;^) Are they available commercially? Does anyone have a detailed desciption on how to build one? Is a plan available? TIA ... john.dodson at cantina.com ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 22:13:15 EDT From: Swshea at aol.com Subject: Brewing Classes Has anyone taken one of the Homebrew Weekend Series classes by the American Brewer's Guild? What kind of reputation do Michael Lewis and Ashton Lewis have among the brewerazzi? Is the $200.00 fee for two days of classes money well spent, or something I should put towards my next brewing gizmo? Private E-Mail is OK - I'll post a summary to the digest if anything of general interest comes of this... Bill Shea swshea at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 22:45:13 +0059 (EDT) From: Michael Ligas <ligas at mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca> Subject: 1994 All About Ales Competition The Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA) is proud to announce the Fifth Annual All About Ales Competition. The following is a guideline to for entries. If you wish to receive extended class descriptions, entry/recipe forms or further information about CABA, please contact me, Michael Ligas, at: ligas at mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca Take care and happy brewing. - ML - FIFTH ANNUAL ALL ABOUT ALES COMPETITION RULES A. What To Enter 1. Only homebrewed beer can be entered. 2. Homebrewed beer includes beer crafted by the entrant at an 'on- premise' commercial establishment. By crafted, it is intended that the entrant played a major role in formulating the recipe used to make the entry, as well as participating in the brewing of the beer. 3. Beer must be classified as one of the classes listed below (see section G). 4. Beer must be bottled in brown or green 284-355 ml glass beer bottles or PET bottles, which are clean and free from any identifying marks. If printed crown caps are used, the print must be blacked out with an indelible marker. Wire swing-top bottles, clear glass bottles, bottles with raised-glass lettering or bottles containing any other kind of brand name or distinguishing markings will be disqualified. B. How To Enter 1. Select and enter as many beer classes as you wish. 2. Only one entry per entrant is permitted in each class (for classes divided into subclasses, only one subclass can be entered). 3. Three bottles must be submitted for each class entered. 4. For each class entered, complete an entry/recipe form and two bottle forms. Attach the completed entry/recipe form to the first bottle and the bottle forms to the other two bottles. ENTRY AND BOTTLE FORMS MUST BE ATTACHED TO BOTTLES WITH A RUBBER BAND (no glue, tape or adhesives). Entries received without an accompanying recipe will not be accepted. 5. Entry fees are $6 per entry (members) or $9 per entry (non- members). For members, the fifth and additional entries are $5 each. Submit total payment with your entries. Make cheques/money orders payable to: The Canadian Amateur Brewers Assoc. C. Entry Deadline Entries must be received before 4:00pm, Saturday, October 22, 1994. Late entries will not be judged. No exceptions will be made. D. Where To Send Entries SELECT BREWING has generously offered to serve as the entry dropoff location. Take or send your entries to: SELECT BREWING 85 Mowat Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6K 3E3 (416) 531-2013 If you are sending your entries, you may use either Bus Parcel Express (BPX) or United Parcel Service (UPS). Check the white pages of your telephone directory. If you are asked the contents of the package, answer "Bottles, but they are double-boxed and well padded". Please pack your entries well. Broken entries cannot be judged! Line the inside of the carton with a plastic garbage bag. Partition and pack each bottle with adequate material, top, sides and bottom. Include entry fees and entry/recipe/bottle forms with entries. E. Judging First, second and BOS rounds of judging will be done by recognized beer judges between October 29th and November 12th, 1994. The decisions of the judges will be final. All entrants will receive the judging sheets used to evaluate their entries. F. Awards Awards for first, second and third in each beer class, and Best of Show, will be presented on November 19, 1994, at the Awards Dinner following the Annual General Meeting. G. Beer Classes - Fifth Annual All About Ales Competition Class 1: CANADIAN ALE Class 2: WHEAT BEER 2a: Berliner Weisse 2b: Weizenbier 2c: Dunkelweizen 2d: Belgian Witbier Class 3: BRITISH ALE 3a: Pale Ale 3b: India Pale Ale (IPA) Class 4: ENGLISH BITTER Class 5: BROWN ALE 5a: English Brown 5b: English Mild Class 6: PORTER Class 7: STOUT 7a: Dry Stout 7b: Sweet Stout Class 8: EXTRA STRENGTH 8a: Barley Wine 8b: Imperial Stout 8c: Weizenbock 8d: Scotch Ale 8e: Belgian Strong Ale Class 9: BELGIAN SPECIALTY ALES 9a: Trappist 9b: Lambic 9c: Flanders Brown Ale 9d: Saison Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 07:01:36 EDT From: DATADUMP at aol.com Subject: Weird beer . . . Hello fellow Brewers: A fellow club member (Central Florida Homebrewers) recently uploaded the following onto my BBS here in Orlando. He had told me about it at the last meeting and I have been awaiting the results. Here is his post: "Ok, remember you asked for it! In late July I was at a Flea Market and picked up a complete Home Brew kit for $15 and in it was a 3 1/2 lb. syrup can. On 8-1-94 I bought 10 lbs. of plums that were bruised, for $2 and went to work. So, with one bulging [can of] Munton & Fison Hopped Ale of 3 1/2 lbs., 3 cups of sugar and 1/2 ounce of Hallertauer the mystery beer began. Slow rolling boil of 45 minutes, looking something like black mud. While it was cooking I placed 10 lbs. of plums to a bucket carefully hand crushing each one. After getting the sticky mess off the hands it was time to dump wort over the plums to sterilize them. Ten minutes seemed like a good amount of time before adding ice cold water. Feeling froggy I added an Apple spice beer that foams out of the bottle, and just to make it real crazy the dry yeast from 1987 was stirred in. With a starting gravity around 1.030 it perked for about 5 days then transferred to carboy 3 more days to settle. Taste? Well, ten days later it was test time. Dark, good nose, good carbonation, good head retention. Flavor you ask? Mild dark ale with a plum or prune juice flavor standing right there. I kind of like prune juice and plums so it tastes fine to me. No bitterness or after taste, just a prune juice beer. I will bring some to the September meeting, so if you are up for it get ready . . . " The forgoing was posted by Gail Kindstrom on THE-BREW BBS. I'll let you know of my impression. (Am definitely not a prune or plum type person). Now, for a problem(?) I have, or think I have. In the Digest there has been much posted about infected beers. I am a new brewer ( < one year) and have only 8-10 batches under my belt (not literally!). I recently did another batch of my favorite brew, Mocha Java Stout, from the CM II and I have a ::::groan:::: white ring around the neck of the bottle. Infection? Well, once refrigerated the ring disappears and the beer tastes fine. My beer guru (supplier) says he has experienced this also and has yet to find an explanation. So, dear HBD'ers, any ideas? Gordon Cain e-mail datadump at aol.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 7:32:39 EDT From: terfintt at ttown.apci.com (Terry Terfinko) Subject: Trouble shooting dry flavor Over the past several months, since the start of Spring, I have noticed that my beers are fermenting out very dry. The malt sweetness that was once evident has been fading out. Taking the advice of the HBD, I have changed yeast strains, varied between Wyeast London, British and German Ale. Mashed at a higher temperature 152-154, avoided over sparging and HSA. I first noticed this dryness in my all grain beers, but recently have detected it in some extract brews. New theory..... Living in PA we have an exceptionally high mold count this year. I have not suspected an infection since there are no real signs like off flavors, fruity aromas or visual signs. Could mold be causing this dryness? Has anyone experienced problems this summer? If I viewed the fermented beer under a microscope, would I be able to detect the presence of mold? Happy Brewing Terry Terfinko - terfintt at ttown.apci.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 07:57:12 EST From: John DeCarlo <jdecarlo at homebrew.mitre.org> Subject: States Where HomeBrewing Illegal Well, for a historical perspective on this topic, I was reviewing _zymurgy_ vol 11, number 2 (Summer 1988). [has Randy Mosher's article on roasting grains yourself]. The editorial is titled "Your Right to Brew" and mentions that the following states still make it illegal: "New Jersey, Georgia, Utah, Alaska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, West Virginia, South Dakota, Delaware and Michigan" So, although Papazian isn't well known for total accuracy, at least some people thought that as recently as 1988 it was illegal to homebrew in West Virginia. John DeCarlo, MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA--My views are my own Fidonet: 1:109/131 Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 07:54:36 EST From: Thomas Redmond <c23tvr at kocrsv01.delcoelect.com> Subject: Russian Light Beer venture I saw this in alt.online-service. anyone else? >From kocrsv01!rcsuna.gmr.com!ilium!nigel.msen.com!sdd.hp. >com!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!EU.net!news.eunet. >fi!news.spb.su!kaija!not-for-mail Fri Aug 19 12:42:15 1994 >Article: 1208 of alt.online-service >Path: kocrsv01!rcsuna.gmr.com!ilium!nigel.msen.com!sdd.hp. >com!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!EU.net!news.eunet. >fi!news.spb.su!kaija!not-for-mail >From: "Alexey N. Podsevalov" <pan at slanec.spb.su> >Newsgroups: alt.business.multi-level,alt.online-service,rec.crafts.brewing >Subject: Young russian firm looks for mini-brewery.It's may be a joint venture. >Date: 16 Aug 1994 18:32:23 +0400 >Organization: LENINGRADSLANEC (Slancy) >Lines: 9 >Sender: news at owl.kaija.spb.su >Distribution: su >Message-ID: <AAyLCKkWM2 at slanec.spb.su> >NNTP-Posting-Host: owl.kaija.spb.su >X-Return-Path: slanec!slanec.spb.su!pan at kaija.spb.su >Young russian private firm looks for partners in America or >Europe to making beer in Russia ( near Sankt-Petersburg and >near Estonian border ) . We need a mini-brewery with good >technology to making and bottling light beer ( 5000 litres >in day ) in plastic bottles ( 1 - 2 liters ). >There is a good time to start make business in Russia. >It's may be a joint venture with 100% , 75% , 50% .... >Please , send message by E-mail . >Manager Vitali S. Morozoff. Tel/Fax 81274-25964 in Russia. Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1510, 08/25/94