HOMEBREW Digest #1636 Fri 20 January 1995

Digest #1635 Digest #1637


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


Contents:
  pressure airlocks (John Mason)
  Closed press ferment (gary.foskuhl)
  Yeast culturing (Lance Stronk)
  5 liter minikegs (TPuskar)
  5-litre mini kegs (richard frederick hand)
  Poppet valves (Matt_K)
  Re: Pathogens (Frank Caico)
  Irish Moss / Costmary ("KEVIN FONS Q/T BPR X7814)
  Cornelious Keg Prices ("KEVIN FONS Q/T BPR X7814)
  Re: D-C Aromatic Malt (Frank Caico)
  Contest /BJCP exam (Btalk)
  Cider recipe/Lucifer? (SOC)" <mendrick at chuma.cas.usf.edu>
  Wortus Interruptus / PET caps /low-temp starters (RONALD DWELLE)
  Re:pathogen (Paul Brun)
  if you ferment in Sankeys, how do you clean them? (Joe Boardman)
  foop; carcinogens ("v.f. daveikis")
  pH Meters ("Fleming, Kirk R., Capt")
  The Selling of the Cat's Meow ("Fleming, Kirk R., Capt")
  Free brew classes in NH!!! (MICHAEL_LESSARD)
  Pathogens (Al Marshall)
  Black Gold Update ("Joseph E. Santos")
  maltzbier/freezer-collar ("Wallinger, W. A.")
  Fermenting Ale Yeast at Low Temperatures ("Fleming, Kirk R., Capt")
  Response to an old query (Gary McCarthy)
  Water Chemistry Gurus... (John Dodson)
  Re: heifeweizen recipe? (Linscheid, SSgt James)
  Re:PET and CO2 again (harry)
  yeast preservation ... (Tom Fitzpatrick)
  Fusel alcohols (David Draper)
  Call Me Mr. Opinionated (molloy)
  B-Brite, Bleach, Sanitizing, etc. (harry)
  Capping 2L PET bottles. (MARK KEMPISTY - 957-8365)
  O2 permiability/acid rest and decoctions (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
  Brewing Techniques ("Houseman, David L [TR]")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 04:19:18 GMT From: john.mason at wpe.com (John Mason) Subject: pressure airlocks Greetings, Wondering if anyone knows a source for pressure air/fermentation locks. I need them for the stainless steel pressure lagering tanks I'm building. Adjustable locks prefered (0-15 PSI). TIA for any help. Cheers! Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 95 15:23:08 From: gary.foskuhl at chatnet.com Subject: Closed press ferment The Gadgets issue of Zymurgy describes closed pressurized fermentation. I am in the midst of perfecting it.....not getting the timing right when it comes to "capping." Any suggestions? Anyone know of any additional literature on the subject? Thanks....... Gary Foskuhl Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentoligists Return to table of contents
Date: 19 Jan 1995 08:01:36 -0500 (EST) From: Lance Stronk <S29033%22681 at utrcgw.utc.com> Subject: Yeast culturing John Maxwell writes: >Given this, I don't understand why anyone bothers with yeast >slants. They seem to involve substantialy more work, for the same >results. Is it just the folks with frost-free freezers who do slants, >or am I missing something signifigant? I have cultured yeast by creating agar slants following a publication that I had bough specifically for the subject (I can't think of the name right off - something like, "Yeast Culturing For The Homebrewer"). Anyway, the book is not very big - only about 40 pages. This description might jar someone elses memory on this HBD. Anyway, I have propagated yeast from pure cultures (the expensive ones you talk about - $3-$4 each) using the methods in the book. As far as I can tell from my experience doing this is that you can 'see' the yeast growing on the culture medium (which is the malt, yeast nutrient, and agar mix - agar is a type of gelatin). If you store these slants for several months you will notice that some of them may grow mold or other things. They will not look creamy white like they are supposed to. I doubt very much that if you propagated yeast in a starter solution that you could see this contamination. The only way you could tell if you had a yeast culture that had gone astray would be either a microscope or by tasting the culture (not an exact science by any means). You should consider how many batches of beer you will make in a year as well. If you use more than, say, 5 different yeasts throughout the year and you are thinking of propagating the pure yeast cultures, you will end up with 10 slants per pure culture. That's 50 slants + in your refridgerator. Granted not all of them will be 'good' but that is a lot of beer per year if you use one slant per starter per 5 gallon batch. I occasionally culture yeast but for the most part I just reuse what is in the fermenter from the previous batch. After siphoning the beer out of the fermenter and kegging, I put the next batch of wort right on top of the yeast sediment (and some trub) on the bottom. Thus, handling of the yeast slurry in the bottom of the fermenter is kept to a minimum (you don't have to dump it out into a container and then repitch). This has worked well for me. There is still some beer left in the fermenter so the new stuff I dump in will mix with it but this has never been a problem and I have never had contamination from doing this. I repeat this scenario with about 4 batches and then dump the slurry and start over. This works well if you are into seasonal brewing (ales in spring and fall, lager in winter, wheat beer in summer). I hope it helps. Lance Stronk Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, CT. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 08:09:58 -0500 From: TPuskar at aol.com Subject: 5 liter minikegs After asking several questions and getting some excellent advice I now have somthing I think I can contribute regarding the minikegs. I've been using them for about a year and have had both good and bad experiences. I've put plisners, wheat, bock and a somewhat ill defined light and very hoppy beer into them. My biggest complaint is the amount of foam you get from them. This, I find, is somewhat dependent upon style of beer. Heavier beers foamed more in my experience. I don't put an entire 5 gallon batch into the kegs. I always split into 2 kegs and the rest bottles. I use 1/3 cup of corn sugar for priming the entire batch and then fill the 2 kegs. I then add a bit more sugar before filling the bottles. The following chart was provided to me when I boughtthe kegs: # kegs filled sugar for rest of batch 4 none 3 1.5 tablespoons 2 3 tablespoons 1 5 tablespoons I've never had any sweeling, leaking or other physical type problems. I usually tap without a CO2 cartridge and use the natural carbonation until it runs out. To eliminate foaming, I depress the handle all the way down. You gotta be quick or you lose most of the beer to foam. Generally, I draw into a pitcher and let the foam settle somewhat. Makes me feel like a real pub owner ;-) When I can't get any more beer from the keg I put in one of the CO2 cartridges. I only goose it up enough to pour a beer with a reasonable head, then turn it back down. If I run out of beer in the keg and still have CO2 in the cartridge I just take the tap off and put it into the next keg. If you're careful you can remove the gizmo without relaessing the gas. Just be sure to turn it off at the valve. I've used one cartridge for two full kegs!!! All in all I like my system. I don't have an extra fridge for the larger kegs and this allows me to keep some "draft" beer around to impress my firends. Hope this helps someone out there. Happy brewing Tom Puskar Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 09:45:46 -0400 From: richard frederick hand <ac081 at cfn.cs.dal.ca> Subject: 5-litre mini kegs Thanks all for the replies I've been getting regarding the leaking CO2 tap and the "exploded" kegs. I fear I have lead some astray in using the word "exploded". I have used it liberally as the opposite to imploded. However, as some have experienced, the symptom was really a matter of severe bulging at both ends. One of the cans bulged so much that it could not stand up. I should also mention that this can blew its rubber seal (cork) spewing the contents all over the owner's walls. (Brew-art?) This supposedly could cause serious injury if one happened to be in the way. In any case, I will provide a summary of comments in the near future from the replies I have received. Just a note in passing, one reply mentioned using the 16g. CO2 cylinders rather than the smaller ones. It is the 16g. cylinders that are being used in this case. I'm also quite amazed about the number of people who are also experiencing leaking cylinders/taps. Perhaps we should send the collected comments to Fass Frisch in Germany so they can perfect the problem? Rick Hand Halifax, Nova Scotia Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 95 08:55:08 est From: Matt_K at ceo.sts-systems.ca Subject: Poppet valves Message: I went to the brew store last night and replaced two leaky poppets. The store recommended that I apply some vaseline to the poppets to get a better seal. My initial reaction was: "I DON"T THINK SO". (Insert mental flavour profile of Vaseline Pale Ale here). Are they out to lunch or am I? Once again, many thank's to the combined wisdom of the HBD for my continued education/inspiration. Matt Montreal Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 09:01:55 +0500 From: fcaico at ycc.Kodak.COM (Frank Caico) Subject: Re: Pathogens d> As the an owner of a home brewing shop I am occasionally asked by d> customers if there is anything that is pathogenic, carcinogenic, or d> otherwise toxic that can develop in the brewing process. I know as a d> home brewer with many years experience that this is not possible. I d> posed this question to Dr. M. Lewis at Davis several years ago who d> assured the class that there is no possibility of pathogens: However, d> the question came up again with my insurance agent for the HB supply d> store who said the underwriters are concerned about product liability. d> The simple answer "no" has always satisfied me in the past, however, d> does anyone know the technical answer/explanation to this question? Hi, I am sorry I don't know your name, but I will provide you a simple answer to your question; Acidity. During the brewing/fermenting process, the pH of the beer just keeps on lowering and lowering. I think it bottoms out around 4 (I'm not an expert I just pretend to be one). Anyhow, There are no *known* pathogens that can survive in a medium of this acidity level. In fact, there are few organisms period that can live in such a hellish environment. The alcohol that is produced during fermentation is another factor in limiting the growth of organisms - esp. pathogens. Perhaps one of you more microbiologically minded individuals can correct me? Frank - ---- __ __ __/\_\ -------------------------+------------------------------ /_/\__ __/\_\/_/ Frank L. Caico | Eastman Kodak Co. \_\/_/\__ /\_\/_/\_\ -------------------------+ 901 Elmgrove Road /_/\_\/_/\ \/_/\_\/_/ Internet Adress: | 2/5/EP MC: 35400 \_\/_/\_\/ \/_/\_\ fcaico at ycc.kodak.com | Rochester, NY 14653-5400 /_/\_\/ \/_/ -------------------------|------------------------------ \_\/ Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 08:07:53 -0500 (CDT) From: "KEVIN FONS Q/T BPR X7814 <KFONS at china.qgraph.com>" <KFONS at china.qgraph.com> Subject: Irish Moss / Costmary Does anyone grow their own Irish Moss? How does it need to be treated to use it (dehydrate/hang dry)? ********************* Looking through the Nichols catalog I ran accross an herb called Costmary, what is it and how is it used in homebrewing? They called it the homebrew herb. Thanks, Kevin Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 08:09:55 -0500 (CDT) From: "KEVIN FONS Q/T BPR X7814 <KFONS at china.qgraph.com>" <KFONS at china.qgraph.com> Subject: Cornelious Keg Prices Who has the best prices on refurbished 5 gallon cornelious kegs (pepsi style) these days? I am looking to buy 3 or 4. Kevin Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 09:06:24 +0500 From: fcaico at ycc.Kodak.COM (Frank Caico) Subject: Re: D-C Aromatic Malt >>>>> "Jim" == Jim Grady <grady at hpangrt.an.hp.com> writes: Jim> In HBD #1633, Doug Flagg asks about experience with DeWolf-Cosyns Jim> Aromatic malt. I just brewed a batch based on a recipe from the CAMRA Jim> book "Brew Your Own Real Ale At Home." I substituted the Aromatic Jim> malt for the Amber malt in the recipe and it is probably the best beer Jim> I have made to date. The recipe was from the Smile's Brewery Bitter Jim> and what I put together was as follows: 3.8 kg D-C Pale Ale Malt 420 g Jim> D-C Aromatic Malt Jim, What exactly is "Aromatic malt"? I have never heard of this. Frank - ---- __ __ __/\_\ -------------------------+------------------------------ /_/\__ __/\_\/_/ Frank L. Caico | Eastman Kodak Co. \_\/_/\__ /\_\/_/\_\ -------------------------+ 901 Elmgrove Road /_/\_\/_/\ \/_/\_\/_/ Internet Adress: | 2/5/EP MC: 35400 \_\/_/\_\/ \/_/\_\ fcaico at ycc.kodak.com | Rochester, NY 14653-5400 /_/\_\/ \/_/ -------------------------|------------------------------ \_\/ Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 09:57:00 -0500 From: Btalk at aol.com Subject: Contest /BJCP exam This is a repost of a contest announcement with additional details included. The Borderline Yeast Infectors Homebrew Club will be hosting their first annual AHA sanctioned contest on April 1, 1995. Entry deadline is March 18, 1995. Entries accepted in all AHA styles except Sake and Cider. The BJCP exam will be given on the morning of the contest. The contest and exam will be held at Kiwi's Restaurant in Corbettsville, NY which is just outside of Binghamton, NY. Entry forms will be available mid next week. Cool Prizes!! Best of Show wins a complete kegging system. 2nd BOS gets a Half Yard glass with stand. 3rd BOS gets 50 lbs Klages malt. Club award. $50 gift certificate based on top 5 scoring beers entered by each club. Prizes will be awarded for First Place in each of 14 major categories. These will include glassware, malt extracts, 6 packs. Ribbons for top 3 places in each major category and BOS. JUDGES NEEDED: Contact Bob Talkiewicz <btalk at aol.com>, phone 607-772-8442, fax 607-722-1379. Entry form requests to Doug Lukasik <lukasik_d at sunybroome.edu>. Include your snail mail address. BJCP exam info: Contact Scott Bickham <Bickham at msc.cornell.edu>. Get brewing! Bob Talkiewicz, Binghamton, NY <btalk at aol.com> Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 10:11:08 -0500 (EST) From: "Jon Mendrick (SOC)" <mendrick at chuma.cas.usf.edu> Subject: Cider recipe/Lucifer? My roomate came back from Paris last summer bragging about this great beer called Lucifer. Has anyone ever heard of this beer? I believe it is a wheat beer. If so, any idea how to make it? Also I would appreciate any cider recipes that could be sent my way. Private e-mail preferred. Thanks a lot. Cheers, Jonny Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 11:12:46 EST From: dweller at GVSU.EDU (RONALD DWELLE) Subject: Wortus Interruptus / PET caps /low-temp starters Disaster yesterday. I was most of the way through the sparge and had the first several gallons of the runnings in the brewpot on the stove, just starting toward a boil. Long story unrelated to brewing, but I ended up in the emergency room with my son and his friend and a couple smashed fingers and didn't get back til late at night. Had about four gallons of sparged wort in a carboy, about three gallons of wort that had been heated to maybe 150 and then turned off to cool down at its own rate. No way could I finish the process--I'll complete everything tonight when I get home from work. Question (for future reference, since I've already done what I did)--what's the best thing to do when you've got no choice but to stop when you're only half way toward the climax of your process? My choices were: 1) put it all in the brewpot and stick it in the oven at some temperature (180? 200? 210?) and leave it for about 18 hours. 2) leave it all at room temperature. 3) cool it down to refrigerator temperatures (this time of year, just stick it out on the porch). More general question is how to minimize harm to the final beer by treating the stranded wort the best way. Another Q--Never done PET bottles but would like to try a few for portability. Do you just re-use the original plastic caps or do you get new ones somewhere? Where? While I'm on--when I asked awhile ago about which ale yeast was best for low temperatures, I had several off-list replies to the effect that if I used a starter at the low temperature, the pitched yeast would work better at the low temperature. True? Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 9:11:05 MST From: Paul Brun <pf21507 at pfra.gc.ca> Subject: Re:pathogen Hello, I saw your HBD message on pathogens and thought I would put in my two cents worth. As far as pathogens are concerned I am not sure. Although, here is what I have to say about carcinogens. Trihalomethanes (THM's) are disinfection byproducts that are formed when chlorine reacts with naturally-occurring organic substances in water. The major THM that is formed is the potential carcinogen, chloroform. The amount of THM's formed depends on the chlorine level, amount of Total Organic Carbon in the water, contact time, temperature and pH. Chlorine in the form of liquid sodium hypochlorite (laundry bleach) or calcium hypochlorite (chlorine pellets), is a very common chemical in domestic water treatment. It is used to disinfect, remove iron, control iron bacteria, and oxidize hydrogen sulfide. For homebrewers the only concern would be using water treated with high levels of chlorine, which is sometimes the case in certain cities. The THM's could be formed during the fermentation process when the chlorine in the water reacts with the sediment. Although, if chlorine levels are that high the water would have a definite taste and smell which would make it undesirable for brewing. Currently, Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines recommend a maximum concentration of 0.350 mg/L (ppm). Alberta (Canada) is considering lowering that level to 0.100 mg/L. Methods to remove THM's include Activated Carbon Filters (removal efficiency decreases with age). NOTE: It is important to keep things in perspective. Most homebrewers maintain sanitary conditions. This includes the rinsing of the bleach cleaning solution. Therefore, the chance of THM's causing cancer in the homebrewing process is extremely low. In most cases the level of chlorine required to cause cancer would make the beer taste horrible. I just added this article to make the homebrewer aware of his/ her hobby. You can never know enough! Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 09:35:32 -0700 From: Joe Boardman <boardman at amber.colorado.edu> Subject: if you ferment in Sankeys, how do you clean them? G'day all, I am in the process of scaling up a bit, from 10 gal to 1 bbl batches. I recently acquired a few used Sankeys, legally of course. I recall a few folks conversing about fermentation in the 1/2 bbl's. >From my past experiences with carboy fermentation, and an examination of the Sankeys, it seems like it would be impossible to clean the "grunge" (nice technical term, huh?) from the inside top of the keg. What do the experts say? Thanks and good brewing, Joe Boardman boardman at amber.colorado.edu P.S. Has anybody else suffered the problem of spending more time working on, talking about and building their homebrewery than actually brewing? If I don't actually brew soon, my brew buddies will leave me for good. I'm starting to think my hobby is building a brewery, not brewing beer. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 12:35:02 -0500 (EST) From: "v.f. daveikis" <vdaveiki at julian.uwo.ca> Subject: foop; carcinogens Hi folks-- The FOOP discussions prompted me to do something I've never done before-- I bottled my krausen. I brewed a stout that blew off over a litre of beer. This blowoff was collected in a 1 gallon jug with a two-holed stopper-- one for the blowoff, one for the airlock. When fermentation stoppped, I bottled it. Results-- slightly overbittered for a stout ( which aren't all that bittered anyway) but not overpowering. It was a fine drink. The main result that I was interested in was the head. As this beer originated as foam, I wanted to see how the head turned out. It had the best head of any beer I've brewed to date. Thick as cream, lacing right to the bottom. Take this information any which way you will. Somebody asked aboiut carcinogens in beer. Pathogens-- you would have to analyze youir brew for pathogenic microbes, but as far as I know yoiu brew sterile stuff, and any infections are on purpose ( you infect wort with yeast) unless you are not sanitizing everything prop[erly. However, beer is full of carcinogens. Alcohol is a carcinogen, yeast has carcinogens, as do hops, malt, and tap water. The air we breathe contains carcinogens. You can't escape them-- but yoiu have to understand that the amounts can be so infinitely small they have no real effect. ie. smoke 40 cigarettes; breathe L.A. smog for a year-- you'll get the same amounts of carcinogens. Chlorination of drinking water results in chloroform formation-- a carcinogen. Hop oils and preservative properties of hops are that way because they can resist microbes-- its a chemical defence-- these chemicals are carcinogens. Go to the library, pick up a book on pharmacology or on toxins and read on. Best thing-- relax, don't worry, give the insurance guy a homebrew. Victor Daveikis,, London Ont. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 10:38:00 MST From: "Fleming, Kirk R., Capt" <FLEMINGKR at afmcfafb.fafb.af.mil> Subject: pH Meters In HBD #1628 Ed Scolforo (ed.scolforo at berkshirebbs.com) writes: <I'd like to hear from homebrewers regarding their experiences <with [pH] meters, both good and bad, and any recommendations I bought the same unit (pH Checker) made in Mauritania and have had mixed results. Yesterday I called several suppliers/manufacturers of handheld pH meters, and noticed they all sold units in the $35-$40 range and that the specs for these units were identical. This skimpy data suggests there is a single OEM for the pH Checker, which is sold under various names. I've had sporadic readings from my meter, too, even after a given reading appeared to have stabilized. In talking to the techs at these various suppliers, I was told it's critical to ensure the probe is kept as far away from the sample container as possible--and one indicated that too small a container will render the readings unreliable. Something about some normalized "cell size" which apparently determines an ion gradient occuring in liquids in containers. Believe me, I'm reading a lot between the lines on this one. In any case, tonight I plan to conduct some experiments with tap water to see how readings are driven by sample size, planetary alignment, etc. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 10:50:00 MST From: "Fleming, Kirk R., Capt" <FLEMINGKR at afmcfafb.fafb.af.mil> Subject: The Selling of the Cat's Meow In HBD #1627 Eric Stauffer (stauffer_eric_b at lilly.com) asked about the legality of an offer he's seen for a searchable Cat's Meow database. It's clear to me from the language of the Cat's Meow text (I think the word "Copyright" is used) that it can't be sold. I've built a chunk of code that parse's the Cat's Meow and allows it to be loaded into a Microsoft Access database I built, and it's a lot of fun. After I check with the folks at Cat's Meow and get permission from them, I'll offer the Access database for free. I hope to make some arrangements to get the database deltas from them so we can work together to keep the Access version up to date. Again, this all depends on the GO/NOGO decision I get from the people who care for and feed the Cat's Meow. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 12:52:02 -0500 From: MICHAEL_LESSARD at HP-Chelmsford-om1.om.hp.com Subject: Free brew classes in NH!!! OK this may seem like a plug for a business, but it is really for individuals wanting to learn how to brew and to find out what is involved. It's how I got interested and learned to brew. If you feel you need to yell at someone about this message, flame me. These folks doing the class don't know I have sent this message, I just think it's a great way to discover brewing. For the folks in the New Hampshire area wishing to learn the art of brewing their own beer, there are FREE beginner seminars being offered in Manchester, NH. The dates for these are: Session 1 January 17 and January 31 Session 2 January 25 and February 8 Session 3 February 22 and March 8 Session 4 March 14 and March 28 Class size limited, 1st come 1st served. Classes start at 6:00 pm and run appox. 3 hrs. The 1st date is brewing and the 2nd date is bottling. Call and register if interested. Phone numbers are: (603)-624-1080 or 800-608-BEER (outside of Manchester area. Ask for Glenn or Jacki Roy of BEER ESSENTIALS. All the usual disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. and again don't yell at them for this message. Mike Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 10:44:47 -0800 (PST) From: alm at ibeam.jf.intel.com (Al Marshall) Subject: Pathogens dhvanvalkenburg requests information about pathogens in beer... I would like to amplify the question as follows. I have never had the opportunity to pose these to biochemists or microbiologists. The statement under discussion is usually rendered as "no known pathogens survive in beer". Reasons commonly given are the low pH and alcohol content of beer. Questions: 1. When we say "survival in beer" what are the limits in terms of time & fermentation characteristics? Is a weak disordered fermentation just as hostile as a strong normal type? 2. Is there something mutally exclusive about the characteristics of the microbes that can survive in beer and human pathogens? 3. If the anser to (2) is no, are there any genera of pathogens that stand any chance of mutating such that they survive in beer? Private postings might insulate us from flames about deviating from the true path of the digest... :-). R. Al Marshall (not to be confused with Alan Marshall) alm at ibeam.intel.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 14:01:19 -0500 (EST) From: "Joseph E. Santos" <jesantos at WPI.EDU> Subject: Black Gold Update Lisa, You are correct, the recipe is for 5 gal. I started in a 6.5 gal primary and lost 3-4 quarts in blowoff and a little more in racking. The secondary was completed in a 5 gal. carboy. Both primary and secondary are glass. As I stated this was an experiment and in retrospect I would have started with less water to minimize loss. The blowoff tube went into a 5 gal. bucket of water and after finishing I think th S.G. of the bucket was as high as some of the brown ales I've made :( DR J Just another happy homebrewer! Return to table of contents
Date: 19 Jan 95 11:03:25 PST From: "Wallinger, W. A." <WAWA at chevron.com> Subject: maltzbier/freezer-collar From: Wallinger, W. A. (Wade) To: OPEN ADDRESSING SERVI-OPENADDR Subject: maltzbier/freezer-collar Date: 1995-01-19 12:46 Priority: - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ memo: i'd like to see the maltzbier recipe/procedure posted rather than email'ed to the requestor. there may be more interest in this than you think. and i'd like to see the particulars on the freezer-collar design which someone was using to avoid drilling holes for the spigots in the body of the freezer. as a new subscriber, i like to see answers posted as well as questions, avoiding the private email route. however, i do appreciate the one comment regarding private email receivers - that in general folks are willing to summarize the private email back to the hbd. trying to catch up on old hbd's can be a what-mom-says-newt-thinks-of-hillary, so the summary keeps the size of the hbd to a minimum. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 12:13:00 MST From: "Fleming, Kirk R., Capt" <FLEMINGKR at afmcfafb.fafb.af.mil> Subject: Fermenting Ale Yeast at Low Temperatures >From: diput at eis.calstate.edu >Subject: Cold Conditioning Ale Yeast Strains >Has anybody had any experience with acclimatizing an >ale yeast strain to ferment at a lower temperature? I haven't attempted to acclimate (acclimatize indeed!) thru culturing; however, we used Wyeast #1728 (Scottish Ale) at about 55F and achieved what we were looking for--a somewhat relaxed ferment and production of a 3:1 gravity drop per the book _Scotch Ale_ (Noonan?) from AOB. I don't know the specs on 1728, but it certainly had no trouble at 55F--except we had to hot start it (70F). My impression from the _Scotch Ale_ book is that for the traditional Scottish ales, one tries to do everything to make life miserable for the yeast, with the objective of much unfermented fermentables in the final product (malty). ----------------------- Here's a question regarding our plan form clarifying a brown ale batch using isinglass.. We currently have a 5gal and a 6 gal carboy each finishing up a ferment from a single 11 gal brown ale batch. Our plan is to rack these both into a single 1/2 bbl keg with the recommended charge of liquid isinglass. We then propose to put an airlock on the keg (just in case) and cool from the current 64F to maybe 45F and hold there for about a week. Then, we propose to rack again into our dispensing keg and force carbonate there preparatory to...well, drinking. The thinking here is as follows: cool to assist in precipitating out the junk, and rack again to avoid having so much sediment in our dispensing keg. Q1: Does this plan sound okay? We 'think' we detect a slight sulfur smell emanating from the carboy airlocks--and I suspect autolysis->diacetyl, yet we're still getting bubbles (at least) 1 per min. This really rankles my butt. We're already at about 64F, so a diacetyl rest seems out of the question. This leads me to ask: Q2: How can the amateur actually detect diacetyl content with accuracy (my taste buds and nose are useless)--everyone talks about it but I've never seen any mention of how pro brewers actually MEASURE it. ------- Several folks wrote me asking for the description of our 3-keg brew unit. Please look in rec.crafts.brewing for the article entitled "Brewing System Description". (It's about 11K of text, roughly) Return to table of contents
Date: 19 Jan 1995 08:51:07 GMT From: gmccarthy at dayna.com (Gary McCarthy) Subject: Response to an old query In HBD 1608 Robert Parker <parker at mote.Berkeley.EDU> asks WHY WAS MY SPARGE SO FAST AND EASY?! I know, once again, I am so far behind in my HBD reading. Life, baby, life! But to answer the question, it is supposed to be easy! Sure everyone can add complexity to this hobby, but remember the purpose: To have better beer. Then put in as much work (or complexity) as YOU want. You are making the beer you want. You should not expect that someone else will approve of your methods or your effort, but as long as you make the beer that is great to you. Then you have then accomplished your purpose. Unabashed plug for Kate MacLeods' CD Trying To Get It Right on Courier Music SLC - great folk music w/Matt Flinner on stringed instruments!! G_Mccarthy at dayna.com Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 22:00:00 -0700 From: john.dodson at cantina.com (John Dodson) Subject: Water Chemistry Gurus... I found the recent water chemistry discussion very interesting... but I must admit it was over my head. However it did prompt me to call our local water lab and ask about our local water supply. I am wondering if someone would be so kind as to give me a quick and dirty analysis of El Paso's water. I'd like to publish the analysis in our local brewclub newsletter and will give you full credit! :^) Westside of town Eastside Calcium 26 ppm 47 ppm Magnesium 3 11 Sodium 150 127 Bicarbonate 190 144 Sulfate 150 143 Chloride 100 (?) 1 (?) I'm not sure which chloride figure is correct? I undestand chlorides cannot be removed by boiling(?). Our water does have a considerable amount of chlorine. Is this water a natural for any particular style of beer? How would you treat this water? Thanks, I appreciate your time! ... john.dodson at cantina.com ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.11 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 13:42 From: CGPCS07.WING at WING.SAFB.AF.MIL (Linscheid, SSgt James) Subject: Re: heifeweizen recipe? Mike Spinelli writes: >I'm looking for a decent extract-based recipe for a Heifeweizen such as >Weinhenstephan. I don't normally brew from kits, but the Williams Wheat beer kit is IMHO fantastic. I have used it three times with rave reviews. My boss is a confirmed German wheat beer snob after living in Bavaria for a number of years. He said that I could never produce a beer as good as his beloved SchneiderWeissen <sp>. Well, to make a long story short, I humbled him. It is a very good kit. It is also a bit expensive at about $25.00, but well worth it. Williams' number is: 800-759-6025 Good luck, James Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 15:52:51 -0400 From: hbush at pppl.gov (harry) Subject: Re:PET and CO2 again ANDY WALSH writes: On a similar line, how about soda kegs? They have a rubber o-ring that is bound to be more permeable to O2 than PET! (consider a helium balloon and how quickly the helium escapes. I know the helium atom is smaller again, but you get the idea). First off, I've never bottled in PET but can comment on the o-ring deal. The surface area that gas has to diffuse through in a compressed rubber o-ring is negligable and the thickness is great. You cannot compare it to a rubber balloon, in which the exact opposite is true. As long as there is a good seal, its a no-brainer. The seals on a Grolsch crock top bottle are a good example of rubber gaskets doing the trick. As for comparing the taste of beer bottled in glass as opposed to PET, how could you even say that perceived differences in taste are caused by oxygen and not by a leaching of some nasty chemicals from the PET bottle material itself? I guess I'll just keep bottling in glass and minimize my variables. By the way, what does PET stand for? Harry Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 15:08:32 CST From: fitz at fasicsv.fnal.gov (Tom Fitzpatrick) Subject: yeast preservation ... John Maxwell writes: >2. Freezing the yeast, as in Maribeth Raines' (pardon me if I just >butchered your name, Maribeth...) article in Zymurgy a few years back. I tried this method a number of times with different yeasts with no success. Every time I tried to revive the yeast popsicle, the yeast was dead. I know you can't use a frost-free fridge ... mine is an upright freezer with the coils in the shelves, temp ~ 0 deg F. I tried different concentrations of glycerin/yeast starter, even having some mixtures that stayed in the liquid form at 0 deg. Has anyone had success using this method? I've heard you need a laboratory grade freezer (-70 deg F?) for this method to work. I now use an "original starter" method for keeping yeast up to about 6 months. When I get a new yeast pack/tube/culture, I make a starter right away (32 oz jar fitted with stopper/airlock), build up the culture, then feed it again and put it away in my beer fridge at 35 deg. The yeast (even ale yeast) stays happy as long as there is food and it stays active. When I want to use a stored yeast, I make a new starter and innoculate it with some of the stored culture. I feed the "original starter" and put it back in the fridge until the next use. The new starter is active in 24 hours and ready to pitch in 48 hours. There are exceptions, of course. I like to build up the starters for lagers and higher gravity beers. Just one more way a frugal (read : cheap) homebrewer saves his yeast. Prost! Tom P.S. This method was "cultured" from the hop duvel, John Isenhour. Return to table of contents
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 08:15:17 +1100 (EST) From: David Draper <David.Draper at mq.edu.au> Subject: Fusel alcohols Dear Friends, my fellow Macquarie-ite and brewclubster Ken Willing has been educating me on fusel alcohols. Now that I have become aware of them, particularly how they taste :-{, I'm looking for some commentary by some of you HBDers who know more about it than I do (probably everybody fits *that* description!). Are they strictly a byproduct of too high a fermentation temp? Can anything be done to a beer that has 'em, once it's got 'em? Which yeasts are particularly prone, or not, to producing them? This is probably of general enough interest for posting, but as always I am happy to receive private replies. Many thanks, Dave in Sydney - -- "Never trust a brewer who has only one chin" ---Aidan Heerdegen ****************************************************************************** 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: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 16:24:42 -0500 From: molloy at tcpcs3.dnet.etn.com Subject: Call Me Mr. Opinionated Mr. Op. on water chemistery, I use name brand bottled natural spring water bought at any store, it always works great. Mr. Op. on inexpensive wort chillers, we all have one, I call mine a sink, use ice cubes and watter it works great. Mr. Op on plastic bottles (PET) whatever, Charlie P. would puke if he knew you were treating the nectar of the gods in that manor. Mr. Op. on containers, I use Grolsh bottles their perfect, 16 oz. so you need fewer when bottling and their not too big I.E. 22 oz. so if you open one early you don't have to choke down to much flat beer, Oh! and no I don't care if I stole them. Bottles are also great because you can take them to all kinds of neet places and show off your brewing talents, of course if your beer is in plastic bottles you probably don't have any friends to visit anyway. One last note about kegs, if you have one, you now have more friends then you know what to do with "been there" P.S. Grolsh bottles would have to be the crime of the century, all that stainless steal, ceramic, rubber seal, that fancy thick glass. "Somebody Stop Me" Disclaimer: All comments were made in fun! If you were offended "relax, have a home brew" BELL'S RULES Kalamazoo Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 16:35:32 -0400 From: hbush at pppl.gov (harry) Subject: B-Brite, Bleach, Sanitizing, etc. I'm new to the HB Digest, so my apologies if this topic has been discussed already ( my SINCERE apologies if it has been discussed ad nauseum- it has that potential). I've hooked up with a new Homebrew supplier who emphatically maintains that B-Brite is NOT a sanitizer and merely a beerstone cleaner. Of course we know that good ol' Clorox is a great sanitizer, but I had been previously led to believe that B-Brite was an oxygen-type bleach (similar to Clorox 2) and would do the trick just as well. My reason for using it was simple- I'm a male and therefore sloppy. Spilling bleach and bleach/water from a chugging carboy as you empty it is the norm, and I didn't want to worry about ruining the clothes I had on. With B-Brite, I wouldn't have to worry, because, like Clorox 2, it's color safe! So I'm back to bleach for now, but what's the deal? Is B-Brite an acceptable sanitizer, or do I just wear my homebrew clothes? Harry Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 16:51:21 -0500 (EST) From: MARK KEMPISTY - 957-8365 <MKEMPISTY at gic.gi.com> Subject: Capping 2L PET bottles. Hello all, How does one cap 2L PET bottles? Do you just crank down on the original cap? Happy brewing! - -- Mark Return to table of contents
Date: 19 Jan 95 15:49:00 -0600 From: korz at iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583) Subject: O2 permiability/acid rest and decoctions Andy writes: >and report back later. On a similar line, how about soda kegs? >They have a rubber o-ring that is bound to be more permeable to >O2 than PET! When considering the permiability of a material to a particular gas, you must consider the area and the thickness. Comparing the rubber O-ring of a soda keg to a PET bottle, consider that the area of the O-ring is probably less than 4% of the 2-liter PET bottle and that the thickness of the O-ring is probably 20 times that of the PET bottle. Therefore, even if the rubber O-ring was 10 times more permiable than the PET bottle, the rate of diffusion would still be 50 times lower with the soda keg. ***** Our mailer croaked a couple of days ago and a post of mine was probably lost into the ether. I don't recall most of the things that I mentioned, but I do recall one. Jim Busch correctly explained the mechanism of the acid rest, namely the enzyme phytase, at about 95F, will convert phytin into phytic acid. This is the first rest in the classic, Bohemian triple- decoction. However, he did not mention that you don't *have* to do a decoction mash to use an acid rest. Although you do not get the other benefits of decoction mashing (i.e. higher extract efficiency from undermodified malt and increased malt flavours), you can still make use of the acid rest to acidify your mash even if you use a stovetop-type mash. Simply mash-in your temperature-controlled mash so the temp settles at 95F and then go up from there. It's probably not a good idea to use an acid rest if you are doing a true step-infusion (raising the temps strictly by adding boiling water) since the volume of mash liquor, by the time you get to mashout, will be exceedingly large. Al. Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 17:02:00 EST From: "Houseman, David L [TR]" <DLH1 at trpo3.Tredydev.Unisys.com> Subject: Brewing Techniques To those that are interested, you can contact Brewing Techniques to order by calling 1-800-427-2993 or e-mail to btcirc at aol.com. Just answering the question ask; no connection etc.... David Houseman Groundhog Brewery Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1636, 01/20/95