HOMEBREW Digest #1622 Wed 04 January 1995
Digest #1621
Digest #1623
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Contest announcement (Btalk)
Re: 5 liter Mini Kegs (Patrick Casey)
Adding Fruit to my brew ("BRZOSKOWSKI, R G RANDALL")
Taylor Controllers ("MICHAEL L. TEED")
Re: Prematurely attenuating cider (iaciofano at milkwy.enet.dec.com)
refrigerators (Btalk)
They are in WA(state) now! (Jeff Wade)
Roller Mill Corrections and pH Ref Solutions (Chris Barnhart)
Deleted User ("Eric Voigt")
Subject: subscibe dhenseler at mcimail.com (David Henseler)
Re: Food grade sealants ("Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616")
Re: Brouwerij De Hertog (Aaron Shaw)
FOOP's Revisited (Randy M. Davis)
Campagne Bottles ("Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616")
Low alpha acid (Christopher Warren)
Re: Holiday brainstorm ("Matthew Hanley")
Carbonation: What happened to it? (McKeeby)
Re: Easy Cleaning Method for Enamel on Steel Kettles (David Desroches)
thin head / observations (Alan P Van Dyke)
Water (npyle)
Pete's Wicked Winter Ale (Marc Davis)
5 liter Mini Kegs (Douglas R. Jones)
Lager Boiling/Cooling/Fermentation Technique (Dave Rahn)
Grand Cru/carboy deposits/Extract->Grain Conversion (Jeff Stampes)
Coolers (Jeff Stampes)
Equipment questions (using chemistry equipment?) (Dmitry Kagansky)
Bad hsa effects with all Munich malt lagers ("nancy e. renner")
Attention New Brewers! ("Palmer.John")
Gott mash/lauter tun construction (Rich Lenihan)
Re: St Louis Brewpub (PatrickM50)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 08:48:11 -0500
From: Btalk at aol.com
Subject: Contest announcement
The Borderline Yeast Infectors will be hosting their first AHA sanctioned
contest on Saturday, April 1, 1995.
Best of Show prize will be a kegging system, plus we should have a bunch of
category prizes.
Entry deadline is March 18.
Judging will be done at Kiwi's Restaurant in Corbettsville, NY. This is about
10 miles Southeast of Binghamton, NY.
Entry forms aren't ready yet, but you can request them from Doug Lukasik
<lukasik_d at sunybroome.edu>.
If you are interested in judging, contact me- Bob Talkiewicz <btalk at aol.com>.
Get brewing !
Regards,
Bob Talkiewicz, Binghamton, NY <btalk at aol.com>
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 08:57:39 EST
From: pacasey at lexmark.com (Patrick Casey)
Subject: Re: 5 liter Mini Kegs
>>>>> "DBURKE" writes
DBURKE> Have I got little 5-liter grenades ticking away? Should I
DBURKE> tuck them somewhere out of the way in anticipation of the
DBURKE> burst, or will they be all right? I have heard horror
DBURKE> stories about these cans swelling or bursting if
DBURKE> overprimed. Can I maybe release the pressure if the start
DBURKE> to distend? One consolation is that fermentation was good
You could bleed off some of the CO2 every few days by pressing in on
the rubber bung. It's kind of guess-work as to when to stop releasing
pressure, but hey, brewing is an art as well as a science. ;-)
- Patrick
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 10:22 EST
From: "BRZOSKOWSKI, R G RANDALL" <G011649+aVRNA%Johnson_Wax at mcimail.com>
Subject: Adding Fruit to my brew
To: LINK --POST
** Randy Brzoskowski **
Global Network Services
Subject: Adding Fruit to my brew
What is the best way to add fruit flavors to my brew, I am primarily an
extract brewer. I would like to try brewing some cherry, cranberry, or
raspberry flavored brew.
Randy (x-3479)
**** GNS We bring the world to your desktop ****
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 09:31:02 CST
From: "MICHAEL L. TEED" <MS08653 at MSBG.med.ge.com>
Subject: Taylor Controllers
.int homebrew at hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
Saw Lee Bussy's comment on the Taylor thermostat and thought I would comment on
my experience with it. There was a modification that was going around the HBD
on how to shift the scaling of the thermometer. I did not care for the amount
of offset that the original modification offered, so I did my own version.
The thermistor used for the sensor has a negative temp coefficient, so that
makes modification easy for what homebrewers need. All you have to do is
connect a 91 kohm resistor across the terminals where the external thermistor
connects to the circuit board. I would advise you to add a switch to disconnect
the resistor when using the unit over 40 degrees, as the resistor makes the
thermometer readout incorrectly at warmer temperatures.
So with this modification the readout is offset by 10 degrees, making lagering
easy to do. The temperature will also read down to 30 degrees ( 40 less 10 degr
ee offset ).
If you are looking for a Taylor unit, I have a few that I picked up on
clearance that I wont be needing. Email me for more info.
Mike Teed, ms08653 at msbg.med.ge.com
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 12:04:45 EST
From: iaciofano at milkwy.enet.dec.com <iaciofano at milkwy.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Re: Prematurely attenuating cider
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Prematurely attenuating cider
>Date: Mon, 2 Jan 1995 12:16:38 +0200 (IST)
>From: Lenny Garfinkel <lenny at zeus.datasrv.co.il>
>Subject: prematurely attenuating cider
>I had high hopes for a cider which I began last week, but now I'm
>beginning to worry. The cider contains 10 liters of apple juice (no
>preservatives) from concentrate plus 1 kg brown sugar. OG 1.082. My
>starter contained about 0.5 liter of 2X strength apple juice to which I
>added 1/4 pkg Red Star Cote des Blancs wine yeast. The starter grew
>fine, and by 24 hours after adding to the large batch, there was
>tremendous activity in the blowout hose. So far, just like previous
>batches. But previous batches were not as ambitious alcohol-wise. I
>bought the wine yeast because I wanted a high alcohol content and
>champagne yeast happened to be sold out at the time. I reasoned that any
>wine yeast should be able to get to 11% alcohol with no problem, right?
>Well, after 6 days SG was 1.045 and the bubbling has slowed down
>considerably. This means 5% alcohol, 6% to go. I expected the
>fermentation to be vigorous until at least 80-90% of the sugar was gone,
>not 50%. Is this destined to be a very, very sweet 5-6% alcohol cider?
>Is there any reason why champagne yeast should be better than cote des
>blancs wine yeast?
>Thanks,
>Lenny Garfinkel
>_________________________________________________________________
>Dr. Leonard Garfinkel | Internet: lenny at zeus.datasrv.co.il
>Bio-Technology General | Office Phone: 972-8-381256
>Kiryat Weizmann | Home Phone: 972-8-451505
>Rehovot, Israel | FAX: 972-8-409041
>------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi all,
I read this question about Cote Des Blancs yeast and thought that I may
be able to reply with something usefull (one man's opinion...).
Anyway, I've been using this yeast for all of my meads. I find it to be
a rather slow fermenter, and one that typically leaves some residual sugar.
My last batch started off at 1.100 and ended at 1.034, after a few *months*.
It also took 2nd place at a local competition. I've also found this yeast to
start off pretty strong and very slowly taper off, just as was mentioned here.
The Mead Lover's Digest has a fair amount of info. on wine/mead yeasts.
E-mail me if you want the stuff that I've filed away. I know alot of beer
brewers also make mead (myself included), but since this is a beer forum I
won't post the info. here unless there is alot of interest.
In short, if you want a dry cider, use a champagne yeast. The Cote Des
Blancs will most likely leave some sugar and ferment slower but you'll still
end up with something that is pretty good. Relax and don't worry...
Regards,
Ed_I
<iaciofano at milkwy.enet.dec.com>
- ------------------------------
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 12:13:21 -0500
From: Btalk at aol.com
Subject: refrigerators
The refrigerator I use is an old General Electric, the rounded shoulders type
with the freezer inside on the top. Probably about 10 cubic feet.
Anyhow, this works great. It holds 47 F quite steadily and will drop down to
33 F or so for lagering.
I only wish it was larger!
Regards,
Bob Talkiewicz, Binghamton, NY <btalk at aol.com>
Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 10:03:45 -0700
From: jeffpolo at mail.eskimo.com (Jeff Wade)
Subject: They are in WA(state) now!
Well we got our first one, and it looks as though it is now about 2
months away before Seattle, WA will be enjoying its' first batch of U-Brew
Seattle... ales, wines, and lagers! The Canadian trend moving into the
states. Batches of 12.5 gallons at $80-100 dollars. Using beautiful Brass
and all the other Micro-brewery equipment any homebrewer would *die* for!
This sounds "ok" to me :-)
My hope is for discussion by you'all on the typical pro's and *any*
con's that there might be with these alternatives to Homebrewing. I think
keeping this topic on the Digest for a while would be fun and educational
at the least. As far as I know... Canada and California are the only areas
fortunate enough to have experienced the U-Brew heaven?? Now the state of
Washington joins in on the fun.
For a busy person, such as myself... I must say this alternative
may put some serious dust on my carboys, if you catch my drift :-)
Not Affiliated: 8515 Greenwood Ave N.
Seattle, WA (206)782-ALES
Liscensed Brewery and Winery.
Internet: Jeffpolo at eskimo.com
Eskimo North/Bellevue, WA
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
*"There is no BEER in heaven, that is why we drink and brew it here!"*
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 12:54:02 EST
From: Chris Barnhart <clbarnha at letterkenn-emh1.army.mil>
Subject: Roller Mill Corrections and pH Ref Solutions
Hi all,
I got a digital pH meter for Christmas and the instructions
talk about calibrating the meter with 4.01 pH reference solution.
Various homebrew shops sell this but it seems rather pricey to
me. Can this stuff be made with deionized water and a known
amount of x% acid? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy the
stuff?
I wanted to pass on a couple of clarifications to the mill plans
that were brought to my attention. Thanks to all who provided
feedback and suggestions for mill improvement, keep it coming.
Drawing 1. The pulley on the top and front views should have
been drawn on the left side versus the right. The side view
would then show the oval slot and bolt head instead of the
pulley.
Drawing 2. The rabbets on the top view should be 3/4" wide by
7/16" deep. The 3/4" inch dimension allows the front and back of
the mill body to seat flush with the sides. The 7/16" dimension
when mated with the 9" wide front and back sections makes the
interior of the mill body 8 1/8" wide.
A couple more clarifications; the rollers are 8 inches long.
Also, the rear roller is the powered roller and stays stationary
in relation to the motor so the belt tension stays constant.
Sorry for any confusion that may have occurred, hope this clears
things up a bit.
Barny
clbarnha at letterkenn-emh1.army.mil
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 13:25:27 EST5EDT
From: "Eric Voigt" <SUPERVISOR at hoffman.mgen.pitt.edu>
Subject: Deleted User
Please delete FRAN at hoffman.mgen.pitt.edu from this mailing list. Her
account has been deleted and I am tired of getting delivery failure
notifications!
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Eric M. Voigt, Systems Analyst, University of Pittsburgh
Email: Supervisor at server1.mgen.pitt.edu Phone: (412) 648-9549
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
An authority is somebody who can tell you more about something
than you really care to know.
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 13:27 EST
From: David Henseler <0006855365 at mcimail.com>
Subject: Subject: subscibe dhenseler at mcimail.com
- -- [ From: Dave Henseler * EMC.Ver #2.0 ] --
subscibe dhenseler at mcimail.com
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 13:33:56 EST
From: "Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616" <wagnecz at PICA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Re: Food grade sealants
Jim Griggers writes:
Subject: Food grade sealants
Dan Fitzgerald, gjfitzg at vnet.ibm.com in HBD1616 writes:
=>And where are you guys finding "food grade sealant", i havn't seen tube 1 !!
I posted this information some time ago in the Digest, but I will repeat
myself. The tube of Dow Corning 100% Silicone Sealant distributed by DAP
states that it is safe for food contact.
"SAFE FOR FOOD CONTACT: When cured and washed, ingredients which remain
or which could migrate to food are listed in FDA Regulation No. 21 CFR
177.2600.
Contact supplier for Material Safety Data Sheet which contains detailed
use and health information."
Both the "Clear" and "White" sealants that I looked at had the above
statements. I might could locate the MSDS, but it should be available
wherever you buy the sealant. I think the building supply place
called DAP and they faxed the sheet to the store.
***************************************
The above sealants can be found at Home Depot in the paint
department. I have used the clear 30 year in a mash tun for above
1 1/2 years (submerged in 155 F. mashes). Just let it cure good (absence
of vinegar smell). If you've got some thickness (more than an 1/4") to
seal, do it in steps, letting each step cure before applying the next.
-Glen
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 13:41:16 -0500
From: ar568 at freenet.carleton.ca (Aaron Shaw)
Subject: Re: Brouwerij De Hertog
Susie Fleck recently inquired about the origins of a
window with Brouwerij De Hertog inscribed on it.
I am not sure if this is the same, but in Michael Jackson's
New World Guide to Beer there is a mention about Hertog Jan,
which is as follows:
The Belgian giant Artois has the Dommels brewery, in
Valkenswaard [Netherlands]... Dommels produces the
bottom-fermenting beers in the range of the distributor
Hertog Jan ("Duke John"). The top-fermenting Hertog
Jan beers are produced by Arcen, in Limburg.
Of course, it could just be another brewery that uses the
word Hertog (Duke) in it's name. In any case it sounds like
you have an interesting find.
- --
"Come my lad, and drink some beer!"
Aaron Shaw
Ottawa, Canada
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 11:44:45 MST
From: Randy M. Davis <rmdavis at mocan.mobil.com>
Subject: FOOP's Revisited
Warning... lengthy post on FOOP's!!
I followed the discussion of "foam only once proteins" with interest. For me,
the whole issue boils down to one question. When I shake a keg to force
carbonate the beer, does the head formation/retention suffer? After all, one of
the reasons I do all grain brews is the superior head retention and mouthfeel
that results. I was never happy with those characteristics of my extract brews.
I set out to answer the above question for myself and now have the results to
share. I did not attempt to make this experiment very scientific and I don't
think it was necessary to do so.
As the discussion continued on the HBD, I had a beer in the secondary just
waiting to be kegged. I also had two empty corny kegs so I decided to split
the batch (6 gal.US) between the two. Both kegs were carbonated using the
widely available carbonation chart of temp./pressure for desired volumes of
CO2. I aimed for 2 volumes in this beer which I believe required 7 lbs. at
40 F. (I often chill prior to kegging). One keg was shaken vigorously to
obtain the desired carbonation while the other was left under pressure in
the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Since each keg was only partially filled (3 gal.) the potential for producing
foam in the shaken keg was greater than usual. I did not time the duration of
the shaking session since the length of time required should be reasonably
constant from batch to batch. After a couple of weeks I drew beer from each
keg until I had similar flow from each with similar carbonation and pressure.
Now that I am drinking from both kegs I frequently draw a glass from each and
compare the head formation and retention side by side. In every case I have
seen no discernible difference between the two. I get a thick creamy head which
drops after a few minutes to a level which is sustained for the duration. An
impressive formation of lace follows the level of the beer as it progresses to
the bottom of the glass.
My conclusion is that, for my brewing, FOOP is a non-issue. If agitation spoils
the foaming potential of proteins, my brews have more than enough available and
I won't worry about shaking a keg to get the beer to the glass more quickly.
If the eye of the most important judge of MY homebrew (ME) cannot detect a
difference then there is no need to worry.
It should be noted that I do not use a pump or other apparatus for wort
aeration but rely on a 3 foot drop from the chiller to the primary and some
vigorous stirring/splashing which also produces a fair amount of foam but I
would guess that it is not nearly as much as a pump would generate. It should
also be noted that this was an all grain brew which should contain significantly
more proteins than an extract batch. There was mention of this in the latest
Zymurgy. It would be interesting to have an extract brew compared in the same
manner since FOOP's might have more impact. Sort of like brain cells and having
a beer. If you kill a few out of millions who will notice, if you only have 12
left, the effect could be more dramatic!
I hope some of you find the results of my "experiment" useful.
- --
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Randy M. Davis rmdavis at mocan.mobil.com Calgary Canada (403)260-4184 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 13:40:05 EST
From: "Glen A. Wagnecz, X6616" <wagnecz at PICA.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Campagne Bottles
Best time of the year to get campagne bottles is now!
I "harvested" over 110 last week at the recycle center between
XMAS and new year's, haven't even seen the New Year's surge yet...
These are some of the brands I have found to work:
- Korbel Brut
- Martenelli Sparkling Cider
- Ballatori Grand Spumanti
- Maison Duetz Brut Rose
- Great Western New York Champagne
- Andre (all)
- Eden Roc Brut
- Totts Blanc De Noir
- Espirit Sparkling Red Grape Juice
- Chateau St. Jean
- Le Domain
I personally prefer the Korbel Brut best, they're dark, heavy,
and de-label easily.
Glen
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 14:06:52 -0500 (EST)
From: Christopher Warren <cwarren at alpha.netusa.net>
Subject: Low alpha acid
Boy did I goof! On Nov. 26 I brewed a Vienna style larger. The
recipe called for 1 oz. Hallertauer (10%) hops. Last night after
checking the specific gravity in the secondary, I tasted the beer and
discovered it had no bitterness to it at all. After checking my bag of
Hoplets, I discovered the alpha acid is only 2.9%, 7.1% less then the
recipe called for.
I need to know if I can boil, lets say 1/2 gallon of water, with
3/4 oz. of Hallertauer (10%) hop pellets for 45 min. Cool the water/hops
and add it to my secondary. This should bring my IBU's into the ball
park. Any suggestions, comments will be greatly appreciated.
cwarren at netusa.net
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Date: Tue, 03 Jan 95 14:25:48 -0500
From: "Matthew Hanley" <mwhanley at mailbox.syr.edu>
Subject: Re: Holiday brainstorm
<<Joking Message about drinking and diving deleted>>
>
>Seriously though DONT TRY THIS.
This is an understatement! I know the message was meant in jest,
and I know this isn't about brewing, but I just wanted to enforce
the message the drinking while scuba diving is *bad* news. The
further down you go, the more the effects of alcohol will be. One
beer turns into 6 real quick. Normally not a bad idea, but with
a limited oxygen supply and several atmospheres of pressure on you. . .
-matt
'Artificial Intelligence Beats Real Stupidity'
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 14:55:16 -0500
From: mckeeby at tcpcs3.dnet.etn.com (McKeeby)
Subject: Carbonation: What happened to it?
Lately I brewed my first batch of beer. I bottled the brew with 3/4 of a cup
of corn sugar to the five gallons. The bottles were left at room temperature
in covered containers for two weeks. The bottles have good carbonation at room
temperature and if quick cooled in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. If the bottles
are left in the freezer for 40+ minutes or left in the refrigerator overnight
the beer is totally flat. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated. Send to
personal e-mail or post on the HBD.
Thanks,
Steve in Kalamazoo
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Date: Tue, 18 Jan 1994 22:41:05 GMT
From: dmdesroches at elwood.wpi.edu (David Desroches)
Subject: Re: Easy Cleaning Method for Enamel on Steel Kettles
In HBD #1615, Todd Swanson writes:
[snip]
> The solution to my burnt on problem was suggested to me by my wife. I
> believe she read about this idea from one of those helpful hints books
> that I always make fun of.
>
> Step 1: add equal parts distilled white vinegar and lemon juice to cover
> the stain. Ignore for 15 minutes or more.
> Step 2: add table salt to the mixture (enough so that it doesn't all
> dissolve)
> Step 3: scrub gently (minimal effort) and rinse.
Another method is to use baking soda. Fill the bottom of your pot
with about an inch of water and then place baking soda on top of your
burned on spots. Boil for a couple of minutes and then let sit for a
bit. You can usually just scrape off the black at this point with a
plastic spatula (or other appropriate non-scratch utensil).
I find that I need to use a flashlight to illuminate the bottom of the
enamel pot to see the burned on spots. Having had to volunteer my
large pots for the holiday season, I have had to do this to save them
for the intended use. :)
**************************************************************************
* David M. Desroches * So we are to use our different gifts in *
* dmdesroches at jake.wpi.edu * accordance with the grace that God has *
* Worcester Polytechnic Int. * given us. If our gift is to speak God's *
* (508) 831-5487 * message, we should do it according to the *
* * faith that we have. Rom 12:6 *
**************************************************************************
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Date: Tuesday, 3 January 95 15:30:20 CST
From: Alan P Van Dyke <llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu>
Subject: thin head / observations
Howdy, y'all---
I finally, after a 3 month absence, got to brew a batch of beer on Saturday.
Usually, I use liquid yeast, following the manufacturer's instructions & popped
the yeast the day before. Unfortunately, that was Thursday, being as that I
thought I would get to brew on Friday. Well, I thought that this was the
perfect opportunity to do a proper starter. So, following my local homebrew
shop propietor's suggestions, I boiled up a pint of H2O with a couple of
tablespoons of priming malt in the microwave, put a clean lid on it, & after
it cooled, I added the already puffed up package of WYeast British Ale (sorry,
don't recall the number). This foamed up nicely, & I pitched it in the wort
on the actual brewing day, Saturday. The bill (for 5 gallons):
3/4# American Crystal malt
1/2# Aromatic grains
7# Alexander's pale malt extract
1/2# malto-dextrin
1/4# turbinado
2 tbsp Irish moss
hops galore (pellets)
the yeast
It's supposed to be a pale ale. Anyway, the problem is that it started to
ferment rather nicely, but the head never got more than 3/4 of an inch thick.
The fermentation has been very active (it slowed down on Monday night some),
& the yeast on top looks healthy, but it's just not thick. I did use a filter
on the funnel when I put the wort into the carboy, & I had to top it off with
about a gallon of preboiled water. I'm not worried about it, but I am
curious as to what's going on. Usually I get this head that's 2 inches thick
& looks alive. The temp has been sitting at 68, BTW.
A couple of observations unrelated to the above:
Sam Adams Triple Bock tastes good on vanilla ice cream.
Baptists don't believe in drinking because most of them drink real cheap beer.
Alan Van Dyke, Austin llapv at utxdp.dp.utexas.edu
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 14:39:57 MST
From: npyle at hp7013.ecae.StorTek.COM
Subject: Water
Lee Bollard writes:
>My water is pH 7.3 so I am following Miller's advice on treating the
>sparge water with Lactic acid. I'm using Lactic instead of gypsum
>because my total alkalinity is high (168). Is this valid logic?
>I mixed 88% lactic at 1tsp/1.5 cups, then added this to my sparge
>water at 4tsp/gallon. The pH reading didn't change much at all!
>Why? Miller says this concentration of lactic changes his water
>from pH 9.5 to pH 5.7! I need to understand whether I should treat my
>water, at what rate, and with what substance to make the best pale
>ales. I really don't care about matching styles, and I know I should be
>checking the pH of the runnings (around 5.7).
>My water:
>- ---------
>Carbonate: ?
>Bicarbonate: ?
>Total Alkalinity: 168
>Total Hardness: 173
>Calcium: 45
>Magnesium: 14
>Sulfate: 14
>Chloride: 12.5
>Sodium: 9.6
>pH: 7.28
Everything I know about this stuff I learned from Miller (not really, but he
sort of refreshed my memory from Chem I, oh so many years ago), but I'll give
it a try. Your water pH of 7.3 doesn't mean much at all; the buffering effect
of the ions in solution controls the pH. "Alkalinity", at 168 ppm, I believe
indicates the total carbonates and bicarbonates, and it is pretty high. These
would pull the pH up. The hardness is equally high, at 173 ppm, so the pH
remains close to neutral. This solution is heavily buffered by all these
ions, which is why the acid addition didn't affect the pH much. I don't
remember exactly but I suspect Miller's water is much softer than yours.
You said it yourself, you should be checking the pH of the runnings, not the
sparge water, so go do it. This hard water, unadjusted, is probably fine for
pale ales, BTW. Oh, and reread the Miller water chapter until it makes
sense. I need to go back and read it myself.
Cheers,
Norm
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 14:36:03 PST
From: Marc Davis <Marc_Davis at ccm.jf.intel.com>
Subject: Pete's Wicked Winter Ale
Text item: Text_1
I got my wife (a non beer drinker) to try Pete's Wicked Winter Ale over
the Xmas break. I could score major SPU's (Spousal Permission Units) if
I come up with a recipe. Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated
Marc_Davis at ccm.jf.intel.com
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Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 17:08:18 -0600
From: djones at iex.com (Douglas R. Jones)
Subject: 5 liter Mini Kegs
Dan:
That's a good question. I too have 2 mini-kegs with a first attempt Bock
in my pantry. The HB store told me 3/4 cup (or just like I would for bottles).
I hope this works. The beer was kegged about 6 days ago and so far no problems.
I'll post again if this changes or in a week to ten days when I tap the first
one.
Doug
- --------------------------------------------------
'I am a traveler of | Douglas R. Jones
both Time and Space' | IEX Corporation
Led Zepplin | (214)301-1307
| djones at iex.com
- --------------------------------------------------
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 16:04:22 PST
From: Dave Rahn <david.rahn at quintus.com>
Subject: Lager Boiling/Cooling/Fermentation Technique
Hi to All!
I have recently decided to start brewing lagers and, after having read
Greg Noonan's Brewing Lager Beers and Dave Miller's Continetal Pilsner,
have some questions for the experts:
Background:
Apparently there are some traditional methods and modern methods (Greg
Noonan seems to be traditional, while Dave Miller mentions modern
methods.) Given that the modern methods shorten the time frames
considerably, I would prefer to use the modern methods.
1) What are the pros and cons of removing hot break and then cold break
separately vs. at the same time?
2) Has anyone devised a fast way to cool wort from 212 to "slushy" as
Greg Noonan recommends, or to below 40 as Dave Miller suggests? My
immersion chiller will take me down to 60 on a cold winter day and
about 65 during the summer. What is a good way to get down the next
20 or 30 degrees? If I racked it into a cornelius, displaced the O2
with CO2 could I let it chill in my freezer overnite with no adverse
reaction?
3) What is the best temperature for diacytel rest? I have read 53, 58 and
recently 60. I am using the Bohemian Yeast from Wyeast.
thanks!
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 08:14:59 MST
From: jeff at neocad.com (Jeff Stampes)
Subject: Grand Cru/carboy deposits/Extract->Grain Conversion
Jon Olsen asked about TNCJOHB Who's in the Garden Cru...my experience
with it has been limited to modifying it to make fruit beers...I've
found that leaving out the coriander and orange peels and adding
fruit to the primary makes an AMAZING fruit beer (if that's your thing).
So I would imagine that the reicipe as published is pretty good...I
don't know if it's true to a 'real' Grand Cru or not though.
*************
Dan Roman is concerned about the deposits that developed on his
carboy when he left bleach in it for an extended period of time.
My take on it is RDWHAHB. I've had some pretty ugly crud on my
carbiys at times, and I've alweays figured as long as it's
sanitized, don't worry about it....scrape off what you can and leave
the rest. (Ok, not very scientific...)
*************
In the past, I have always brewed a slightly modified version of
Papazian's Rocky Racoon Honey Ginger Lager for the summertime
beverage of choice (if you up the ginger to about 4-6 oz. it
becomes the driest, snappiest, most refreshing beer I've ever
has IMHO). It's that time of year again, but this time, I want
to make a double batch in my 40L carboy I have. (I used it
once before, so I know I can move it when it's full) Now that
I'm kegging, i thought it would be terrific to have 2 kegs to take
to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Bill Bird, watch out!). So
my question is this: I want to make it as an all-grain as opposed
to the extract recipe I have been making, and need help making the
conversion. Any advice? I don't have it in fron of me, but I
recall the recipe to be along the lines of 6 lbs. of light extract
and 2 lbs. honey.....something along those lines. TIA!
Jeff Stampes
jeff at neocad.com
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 14:18:59 MST
From: jeff at neocad.com (Jeff Stampes)
Subject: Coolers
(I knew when I sent my message off to the Digest that I forgot something)
I have just been mashing in my 33 qt. enamel-on-steel pot for some
time now, and have had pretty good success (I generally can handle
most temperature rests without any serious fluctuations.) But I
would like to start using a cooler to stablize things more. It so
happens that I have a 94-qt. Coleman cooler that would obviously
handle most of my needs. My question: will this hold up to the
temperatures? I know most people use Gotts, and I have heard horror
stories of coolers melting. This is the cooler we use when we go
camping for weeks on end, and if I melt the bugger down, my SO
will never forgive me. Any stories/info appreciated. Thanks!
Jeff Stampes
jeff at neocad.com
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Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 19:10:39 -0500 (EST)
From: Dmitry Kagansky <dkagan1 at tinker.hofstra.edu>
Subject: Equipment questions (using chemistry equipment?)
I'm asking the help of all you chemists out there. I have the
opportunity to get any type of chemistry supplies free of charge.
(Stoppers, thermometers, etc). I already have the necessary equipment
for brewing, but am looking for 'helpful/timesaving items' or backups.
I've already got 10 stoppers, an extra thermometer, and 2 buckets. Can
anyone think of anything else? The catalogs aren't allowed to leave the
lab, and I'm not allowed to enter. So I have to give my 'supplier' a list.
One thing he DID offer me was paint cans (of sorts)! They'll one gallon
each, metal (stainless steel), the lids are airtight, and are drillable for
the airlocks. Since they're used for transporting samples of plastics
(in liquid form), they're coated with something. Should I risk using
these instead of bottles? My friend has assured me that the coating is
equivalent to using a food grade bucket, but I'm sceptical.
Any similar experiences or advice, or additions to what I can order?
Thanks in advance,
Dimi Dmitry 'Dimi' Kagansky DKAGAN1 at TINKER.HOFSTRA.EDU
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 19:52:58 -0500 (EST)
From: "nancy e. renner" <nerenner at umich.edu>
Subject: Bad hsa effects with all Munich malt lagers
(From *Jeff* Renner)
I have now made two all Munich malt and one all Vienna (plus ~10%
crystal) lagers, and all three suddenly developed strong, wet
cardboard/caramel flavors and aromas indicative of hsa. In 20+ years
of brewing with perhaps 150 brews, these are the only three to have
suffered this, and are the only three I have brewed from these dark
malts, both Ireks earlier and Durst most recently. The most recent was a
1.044 dunkle with 9# Durst Munich, 1# Baird 50^ crystal for 7-1/2 gal.,
decotion mashed, 2 week ferment, 6 week lager. It was great on tap for
six weeks (half consumed at one party). Then I transferred it from the
Sankey to a completely CO2 filled Cornelius and moved it to a 50^F cellar
to save fridge space (it had been at 42^F). I don't know if the
agitation hastened the crash; I suspect that the higher temp did. This
was a sudden crash. From no signs to full disaster when I next tasted
it 10 days later. I strongly suspect that these dark malts are extra
susceptible to hsa. These are only three data points, but they are
distinct. I'd welcome any comment.
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, MI c/o nerenner at umich.edu
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Date: 3 Jan 1995 16:55:01 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: Attention New Brewers!
Welcome to a Hoppy New Year, Everyone!
I just finished going thru the HBDs from Christmas Shutdown and saw alot of
posts from new brewers looking for information on equipment and the brewing
processes. As most of the HBD regulars know, I wrote How To Brew Your First
Beer, last year and it is still available at several sites, both FTP and WWW.
It contains information and tips about Terms, Equipment, the brewing Processes,
Bottling, Troubleshooting and Recommended Reading. If you dont have FTP or WWW
access, then you can email me for a copy. Please use NEED FILE as the subject,
no need to alert the Sys Admin with a lot of Beer email.
My file, How to Brew Your First Beer, containing info on equipment,
terms, brewing processes and troubleshooting, is available via FTP
from Homebrew/Docs at sierra.stanford.edu
or via WWW on Spencer's Beer Page at http://guraldi.hgp.med.umich.edu/Beer/
or The Brewery at http://alpha.rollanet.org/
John J. Palmer - Metallurgist for MDA-SSD M&P
palmer at ssdgwy.mdc.com Huntington Beach, California
*Brewing is Fun*
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 20:23:39 -0500
From: rich at lenihan.iii.net (Rich Lenihan)
Subject: Gott mash/lauter tun construction
I've finally purchased a 10 Gott water cooler for use as a mash/lauter
tun. I figured I'd use a Phil's Phalse Bottom (tm) as my false bottom
but was wondering what size PPB I should get for the Gott. I've only
seen the 10" model but I understand tbere is a larger one available that
will fit the Gott. Does anyone know what size/model this might be and,
better yet, where it can be obtained?
Also, I'm looking for a source for reinforced food-grade tubing that will
stand up to high temps (boiling). Any pointers appreciated.
Thanks...
-Rich
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Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 23:42:58 -0500
From: PatrickM50 at aol.com
Subject: Re: St Louis Brewpub
Dan Walker asked about a good brewpub or two in or around St. Louis. I was
there in Sept and had many a fine brew a few blocks from the Hyatt Union
Station at the Tap Room, also known as the St. Louis Brewery. Everything was
very well made and they have a nice cask conditioned ale hand pumped up from
the cellar in the true British style (I guess!). I think the basic recipes
were developed by the original brewmaster (did I read somewhere that it was
brewing author Dave Miller??) who left last summer to brew in Louisiana. The
beer I drank was being made by a woman ( the assistant to the original
brewmaster?) who was doing a splendid job! They also have superb pub food
(with chips made from whole fresh potatoes, not frozen!) Definitely worth a
stop or a long visit as time allows.
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #1622, 01/04/95