HOMEBREW Digest #2331 Fri 31 January 1997

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@ brew.oeonline.com
		Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of 
		Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
				URL: http://www.oeonline.com


Contents:
  Esters (John Goldthwaite)
  Visitors for Belgium, attention ("R. Baert")
  lack of carbonation (WILLIAM_D_MCCALLUM)
  I think Al's got it (Mark E. Lubben)
  Shamrock Open 4/5/97 (Larry M Matthews)
  modifying chest freezer? (Corona, Raynold J)
  Chiller circulation / Lagering (TEX28)
  re: Dip Tubes, Magnesium, Tongue Mapping (Charles Burns)
  Altbier Yeast/Frozen Beer (Dean Larson)
  barley seed (Poris)
  spliting batches ("Richard Koeppel")
  HOMEBREW DIGEST (c/r werner)
  re: shipping boxes (Sharon/Dan Ritter)
  Allergies, Zima, dairy equipment questions (Don Anderson)
  New brew program - ABC Brew ("Fred Klassen")
  False Bottoms and Tun Capacity (BernardCh)
  Fermentation, Freshmen HBD, Aeration (John C Peterson)
  Surprisingly Good Beers? (Eugene Sonn)
  Re: Belgian Gueze Pronunciation (jjb)
  Yeast Starter? & Carbonatio ("John Penn")
  Stout and Underhopped ("John Penn")
  Hydrometer ("David R. Burley")
  Dormant Yeast Not Dead ("John Penn")
  RE: Hohumm, the old system ("Karl F. Lutzen")
  gueze (Brian Dulisse-1)
  Re: Freshman Digest /  RE: cutting corny dip tubes / Air filter ("Keith Royster")
  Sanitary Yeast Harvesting (Tom Williams)
  Priming (Adam Rich)
  Belgian Wit (Suzette Smith)
  Central PA brewstore (Bill Sadvary)
  Re: Clad vs. Unclad (Oliver Weatherbee)
  Re: rye malt ("Gregory, Guy J.")
  GOTT Cooler modification Questions (Volt Computer)" <a-branro at MICROSOFT.com>
  Freshman Digest - Big heads (LaBorde, Ronald)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 15:04:51 -0500 (EST) From: ir358 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (John Goldthwaite) Subject: Esters Lately I have found myself in need of some info pertaining to esters. I would greatly appreciate some help from the organic chemistry gurus as to what exactly an ester is and more importantly what they taste like in beer. I have a few batches, (2 Stout,1IPA) that I used Wyeast Irish and I think I have a handle on what they taste like, but need some confirmation as to my assumptions. Private mail fine, TIA. John Goldthwaite-ir358 at Cleveland.Freenet.Edu - -- "If my words did glow, with the gold of sunshine...(Garcia/Hunter) Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 22:30:03 +0100 From: "R. Baert" <ronbaert at door.hookon.be> Subject: Visitors for Belgium, attention Good day, all. Since I am posting to the HBD, a lot of people is asking me information concerning Belgium, his tourism and his breweries. I am not shure, but I think that I am the only Belgian HB'er which is on the HB digest. There are not so many HB'ers in our little country. The people who asked me for info via E-Mail: please be patient, you all will receive an answer on your questions. I think I need another week to collect info for some answers. Be welcome in my small country! Ron. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 97 17:03:13 -0500 From: WILLIAM_D_MCCALLUM at Non-HP-Exeter-om2.om.hp.com Subject: lack of carbonation Item Subject: cc:Mail Text I have noticed several lack of carbonation and my fermentation has stopped. Before saying what did I do wrong look at where you have stored your cases of beer or set your fermentor. The other day my wife move my fermentor, set it on the basement floor, stopped it cold. When storing cases of beer, if I want to drink it in two weeks keep it in a warm place. I must leave it upstairs where it is 65 - 70. I have had ales still not carbonated at 6 weeks at this time of year stored in my beer cellar. I just bring it upstairs. Hope this helps. Bill Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 16:17:09 -0500 From: mel at genrad.com (Mark E. Lubben) Subject: I think Al's got it Al, I agree with your recent comments and opinions on diacetyl rests. I hope no one starts on the confused idea about cooling to do a diacetyl rest instead of raising the temperature. That red herring comes up occasionally. Al quoted an uncertain major brewing text: >yeast will reduce hydrogen sulphide in the beer (to sulphate, according to I didn't realize that hydrogen sulfide got reduced by the yeast, but if that is temperature accelerated like diacetyl it could also help finish up the process of "purge(ing) undesirable volatiles"[MBS]. I always thought of my own hydrogen sulfide as an undesireable volatile. ;-) Of course CO2 scrubs sulphide from beer too. Even if the yeast don't show "intense activity", a 10 or 15 degree (F) rise in temperature can release enough CO2 from saturation to look like it is fermenting. My first basement lager which had finished by playing dead at 40F for 4 weeks did that. The giveaway was that the yeast layer wasn't stirring and the bubbles formed and rose along the side of the carboy where the room heat was coming in. That batch never made much rotten egg smell, but I did get a nice hop aroma that day. I join others in raising my glass to Mr. Babcock and Lutzen tonight for the reborn HBD (and of course to the others who helped). Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 17:11:28 -0500 (EST) From: Larry M Matthews <lmatt at ipass.net> Subject: Shamrock Open 4/5/97 CARBOY (Cary-Apex-Raleigh Brewers of Yore) will sponsor the 1997 Shamrock Open Homebrew Competition, on April 5. Entries will be accepted in all 1997 AHA categories except Cider. The entry deadline is Tuesday April 1. $6 for the 1st entry, $5 for the 2nd and $4 for all others. This BJCP registered competition is the first of three annual competitions leading to the North Carolina Homebrewer of the Year Award, and will again be held at the BB&Y Restaurant in Raleigh, NC. Competition Organizer: Mike Wallace (919) 881-9918 (evenings), mike_wallace at ncsu.edu Judge Director: Steve Murphrey (919) 779-4482 (evenings), murphrey at us.ibm.com Please contact either of us for further information, to receive an entry packet, or to register as a judge or steward. Larry M Matthews Carboy/Trub Member Raleigh, NC 27606 lmatt at ipass.net Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 16:23:46 -0600 From: rcoron at lsumc.edu (Corona, Raynold J) Subject: modifying chest freezer? I just purchased a second-hand chest freezer. I plan to put a tap on the front of it to dispense my beer from cornelius kegs. Question: how do I figure out where to drill the hole for the tap shank without drilling into the cooling coils? Ray Corona p.s. this is a GE freezer; 31" long, 22" front-to-back, and about 36" high. Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 18:40:04 -0500 (EST) From: TEX28 at aol.com Subject: Chiller circulation / Lagering I have found that turning the water flow to my immersion chiller on and off creates a plumbing 'hammer' that rocks the chiller enough to get the wort moving. Can chill 4 gallons evenly in about 15 min. without ever lifting the lid. - ------------------------------------------------------------ I am planning to do my first lager before spring and would like some input on my procedure for a Doppelbock. (I do not have a dedicated refrigerator - just a cold corner of the basement that fluctuates 50-55*) Primary & secondary at 50-55* Diacetyl rest at 60-65* for 3 days. reduce temp. back to 50*, bottle, & lager in fridge at 40* Can I use a Wyeast 2206 Bavarian or should I go with the California Lager yeast? Thanks, Chris Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 97 17:14 PST From: cburns at egusd.k12.ca.us (Charles Burns) Subject: re: Dip Tubes, Magnesium, Tongue Mapping Bill Macher in hbd 2329 talks about his kegging experience: >>>>I noticed that all my batches seem to start clearing very nicely at the end of their life. I suspect that this is because I have been using the corny dip tubes at their original length, and I keep sucking out whatever settles until there is not anything left to settle. Then the last few glasses are really pretty, and I think taste a bit improved as well.>>>> Bill, its not the dip tube. You just have to be more patient with the aging process. I have the same experience when I consume a keg too quickly. It normally takes from 2-4 weeks in the keg, in the refrigerator, to sufficiently clear my ales. I have waited "0" days and consumed the entire 5 gallons 1 day after kegging (at a party, with some help of course). Beer never clears right down to the last drop. But the same exact recipe can sit in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and be crystal clear. Don't cut the dip tube, you'll just be wasting beer. At least that's my experience and recommendation. ================================================ Paul Sovcik writes about magnesium in hbd 2329: >>>>Therefore, at a concentration of 100mg/L (100ppm), you would need to drink about 20-30 beers to get a significant laxative effect, and even then, the effectiveness of magnesium is probably concentration dependent since it works as an osmotic diuretic. Plus, laxative effects are probably the least of your problems after 30 beers. So - hopefully, this will put the "magnesium in brewing salts might cause diarrhea" recurrent thread to rest.>>>>>>>>> Hey paul, how big are these 20-30 beers? I can put 10 half litres away without too much problem. If I do this every day, will I start to lose the weight that I'm putting on with all this beer drinking? :-) ================================================= Al, Where can we find an "accurate" tongue map? =============================================== Charley Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 17:06:16 -0800 From: Dean Larson <Dean.Larson at gonzaga.edu> Subject: Altbier Yeast/Frozen Beer Glad to see the HBD back up again! Thanks to all involved in resurrecting it. Santa graced me with a yeast culturing kit from Brewers Resource (no financial interest, just a happy customer) this Xmas. The version I got came with six of their BrewTek mini-slants. Needless to say, I've been having fun playing yeast rancher lately. A few questions have arisen: I recall a post a while back that claimed that BrewTek's California Brewpub strain (CL-50) is the pacman yeast used by Rogue. Can anyone out there provide me with the "origins" of any of the other BrewTek strains? Any information would be appreciated. I would also enjoy hearing about the results anyone else using any of these strains has achieved. Private email is fine. My first brew with my new yeast was an attempt at an altbier using BrewTek's Old German Ale (CL-400) strain. I went from slant to 10 ml to 450 ml starter. I wasn't paying close enough attention while chilling my wort and wound up pitching at 60F. I wanted to pitch at a warmer temperature with the relatively small starter in hopes of getting fermentation going a bit quicker. Had a pretty long lag time of about 30 hours, but once things got going, the yeast seemed to work happily at 58-60F. OG was 1.051 and was 1.013 when I racked to secondary. At this point I detected a definite banana note in both flavor and aroma. Put the carboy in the garage and "lagered" at 30-40F for a couple of weeks. Banana was still there at bottling. After racking the first batch, I repitched the slurry (at least a cup) into an almost identical wort (ran short on Munich malt) at 61F. Had only a 6 hour lag time with that batch, but had similar banana character at racking (haven't bottled it yet). I don't recall this banana character as being a part of the altbier profile. Has anyone had similar results with this yeast. If it's not the yeast, what else in the brewing process might produce these flavors/aromas? While "lagering" the second batch in the garage, a cold snap fell upon us and my beer started to freeze. Had some slush forming on the surface, so I brought it inside. Would this kind of freezing and thawing have any detrimental effects on the finished product? What is the freezing point of beer anyway? I thought I recalled this being discussed before, but a search of the archives didn't get me what I wanted. I know the freezing point will depend on the alcohol content, but what would it be for a beer of say 5% alcohol by volume. Better yet, is there a handy formula expressing freezing point of beer as a function of alcohol content? Thanks for any help Dean Larson larson at cps.gonzaga.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 20:24:43 -0500 (EST) From: Poris at aol.com Subject: barley seed Hi, Does anyone know a source of barley seed (klages, harrington, maris otter,...)? Any good info sites or books on growing malting barley? I found a few good Alberta, Canada sites. Should the nitrogen be kept low to reduce protein levels? Thanks in advance, Jaime Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 15:32:25 -0700 From: "Richard Koeppel" <keppdogg at ix.netcom.com> Subject: spliting batches A friend of mine wants a very very strong stout. He says that he wants a brew thats a "meal in a bottle" I was wondering if anybody had any ideas?? and also if i split up a 5 gal extract receipe is all i do is cut all the ingrentents in half ??? and do all the boil times stay the same ?? Thanks in advance Rich Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 04:34:43 0700 From: c/r werner <cwerne19 at main.tcd.net> Subject: HOMEBREW DIGEST request subscription to HOMEBREW DIGEST...glad it's back Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 21:17:11 -0800 From: Sharon/Dan Ritter <ritter at camasnet.com> Subject: re: shipping boxes Will Fields posts: >I was wondering if anyone has a source for shipping boxes not unlike the >ones used by "Beer Across America" for shipping homebrew beer. The type >that I am familiar with hold 12 bottles separated with double-width >corrugated egg crate sandwiched between two sheets of 3/4" EPS. I have >also heard of a shipping box made entirely of EPS with 12 holes to fit the >bottles. I guess this would be inserted in a shipping rated corrugated >box. Any info. would be appreciated. Private email okay but a posting may >be helpful to others. A great shipping box can be purchased from Ernie Bickerton at his business called The Case Place (501-741-3117). He designed the box specifically for homebrewers who enter their beers in competitions. It holds 12 bottles and is surrounded by ~3" foam. Mine have traveled all over the country and back numerous times (I own two). The price was around $25 plus shipping two years ago. Dan Ritter <ritter at camasnet.com> Ritter's MAMMOTH Brewery Grangeville, Idaho Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 21:50:24 -0800 From: Don Anderson <donald.a at ix.netcom.com> Subject: Allergies, Zima, dairy equipment questions Greetings O most knowledgeable brewing collective... I've been reading HBD for awhile now and I am constantly impressed at the variety and depth of experiance and opinons expressed here. Every time I read it I learn something new. Question #1 Allergies A co-worker of mine said that he cannot enjoy a beer because of a allergic reaction (his lips swell then a tightness in the chest with trouble breathing). He also has this same reaction when eating wheat bread. However he can have bleached out white bread and the bleached out malted beverage, Zima (Zomething awful). My first guess would be the yeast but I'm not a doctor nor allergist, so does any one have any ideas how I could help out this troubled soul to enjoy a real brew? Question#2 Zima some time ago someone posted or had on a web page the exact step by step patented process for making zima. I would like obtain a copy to show the guy in question #1, can someone point me in the right direction? I have tried a couple of search engines but no luck. Question#3 Dairy equipment A friend of mine who owns a ranch gave me a Stainless steel milking pail to help out in my brewing endevors. It's 14 inches high, 12 inches in diameter at the bottom and 7 inches at the top (it is kind of beer bottle shaped) and made of fairly thick stainless steel. I already have a mash/lauter tun and this pail is kind of small for a fermentor. What can I use this for? decoction mash? decorative planter? milking cows? filtering of air pumps: I just started using a aquarium air pump with a stone on my cooled wort and the pet store where I bought the gear had some inline filters. I do not remember any micron filtering claims but I thought it would be a good idea to help keep out any foreign objects (lube from inside the pump, etc) without getting anal about tring to get the pumped air sterile. "by drinking our beer you are helping us do Gods work" -Orval director of marketing to a tour group. Thanks -Don Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 22:12:42 -0800 From: "Fred Klassen" <fredk at ibm.net> Subject: New brew program - ABC Brew OK, let's say you have made a few brews. You want to do a three temperature infusion mash, and actually want your brewing program to calculate the strike temperature and volume. You also want it to calculate the amount of boiling water to add to each step, and whether it is better to use external heat with some steps to prevent over-dilution. But you hold back some of your grain for the second step, and some for mash out. Of course you want to do water treatment and want databases of known hops, malts, beer styles and water profiles. But you also would like to take your mash gravity and compare to your boil tank gravity and calculate the weight of the sugars left in your lauter-tun. And you want your brew program to convert your gravity reading based on temperature. Also, hops should be calculated using Rager, Tinseth and Garetz calculations. Consider ABC Brew - the brewing spreadsheet that was designed for advanced brewers, but easy enough to use by a beginner. Yes, I know that speadsheets are a pain ... always saving each recipe into a separate file, and you never know how to update them. But ABC Brew is really a program built into a spreadsheet. Complex formulas, program macros and templates are used in a way seldom seen in most spreadsheets. It uses the full power of Lotus 123 to bring you all the above features, but the ease of use that you find in your Windows based programs. Some of the features that you will find include: o Automated beer style, malt and hops selection. You have full control of editing these parameters. o Water treatment profile including many water styles from around the world. o Template architecture (one sheet stores all your recipes) o Complex mash schedules including up to 3 temperature steps, combination of external and infusion step calculations, and late adjunct additions. o Brew instructions that are automatically produced based on your input. o Calculator for volumes, mass wort sugar content and carbonation rates. o Sugar extraction and attenuation calculations. o Temperature compensation for gravity measurements. o Quantity selection based on percentage to allow easy scaling to different size recipes. ABC Brew is very new, and at this time I know of only 2 sites that carry it. It may be found at http://alpha.rollanet.org/Software.html or at ftp://ftp.stanford.edu/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/programs. To load ABC Brew, you will need Windows 3.1x, Windows 95 or OS/2 operation system, and Lotus 123 for Windows Version 5 or higher. This spreadsheet has not been tested on Macs yet, but most likely will work with the appropriate level of Lotus 123. Demo versions sometimes are available at the Lotus home page, http://www.lotus.com. Sorry, this spreadsheet is too complex to be converted to Excel at this time. Please email me any comments or concerns. Fred Klassen Vancouver BC fredk at ibm.net Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 02:04:17 -0500 (EST) From: BernardCh at aol.com Subject: False Bottoms and Tun Capacity Two questions for the collective concerning false bottoms and mash/lauter tuns. Am I right in assuming that it is not a good idea to have a false bottom which is smaller in diameter than the lauter tun it will fit into? I have a 9.5 inch diameter Phil's False Bottom that I hopefully would like to use in a 10 galllon round cooler, the diameter of which is almost 13 inches. Will the efficiency of my sparge be reduced because the false bottom is not fully covering the bottom of the tun? On a somewhat related note, assuming a water/malt ratio of 1 to 1.5 quarts per pound, what might be the maximum amount of grain I can lauter (not mash) in a 5 gallon bucket or cooler? What about a 10 gallon cooler? Thanks in advance Chuck BernardCh at aol.com Nashville, TN - Music City USA Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 02:33:10 EST From: petersonj1 at juno.com (John C Peterson) Subject: Fermentation, Freshmen HBD, Aeration Since I don't have a more novice forum, I beg the answer to my problem from the naysayers. I have brewed three batches of ale. One took off within four hours after pitching like Mt. Etna. The other two, I have had to get down on my knees and beg for 3 and 5 days to get the thing to even fart a bubble. I have been extreeeemely sanitary. I used dry yeast (whitbread was the last one) and started the yeast for 15 minutes in 105 degree water for 15 minutes prior to pitching at 74 degrees in the carboy. I don't have an aerator but I did shake it for 5 minutes before pitching (You try shaking a 5 gallon carboy for more than 5 minutes). The only thing I can come up with is that it is only 70 in the house but it is sitting under a counter in the dark so thier is no temp fluctuation. Question 2, I'm just going to be making Ales until the budget throws in another fridge. Do I need to aerate? My brewshop says no and the book I got doesn't even mention it. Also, what's the diff between a fish pump and an aerestone? Steve, for my 2 cents worth, I would subscribe to your newsgroup along with a lot of the naysayers. I'm getting tired of all the bickering about two yeast strands. John Peterson petersonj1 at juno.com http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/6841 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:05:51 -0500 (EST) From: Eugene Sonn <eugene at dreamscape.com> Subject: Surprisingly Good Beers? Hello HBDers, I've got a case of the brewing blahs. It's time for a new batch, but I'm not feeling inspired to brew any particular style......which brings me to my question. Are there any beers people have brewed (either a style or a specific beer) which particularly surprised you? I'm looking for something to be my next brewing project. I'm thinking that this would be a good thread for those of us who've gotten in a brewing rut. To start the ball rolling, I'll submit my own. Recently I brewed a mock Pilsner using Wyeast's American Ale (I) yeast. I don't have the ability to lager so I didn't have any great expectations for this beer, but the resulting brew was surprisingly good. The ultra-fresh Saaz hops gave it a great nose and I'm surpised how the ale yeast hasn't made this taste like a pale ale. Looking forward to hearing about your own gems. Eugene eugene at nova.dreamscape.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 7:59:13 -0500 From: jjb at vnf.com Subject: Re: Belgian Gueze Pronunciation I believe the correct pronounciation of "Gueze" is "coorze". - --your Belchian colleague Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jan 1997 08:50:20 -0500 From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu> Subject: Yeast Starter? & Carbonatio Subject: Time:2:18 PM OFFICE MEMO Yeast Starter? & Carbonation Date:1/28/97 Yeast Starter Question-- Recently I tried making a 1.040 gravity yeast starter as opposed to a 1.020 gravity starter thinking that I would get more yeast to pitch into my first barleywine attempt. Thinking about the aeration thread, I'm now wondering is it the volume of the starter and the aeration that determines the number of yeast that are produced? Maybe I'm just tiring out the yeast making a stronger 1.040 starter though it's also a better step up to the 1.090 barleywine than a 1.020 starter. Can anyone give some good advice for the tradeoffs of yeast starters--volume, gravity, etc. versus the desired style and any particulars to yeasts that need a higher than normal pitching rate. I tried using Wyeast 1084 Irish Stout yeast for my barleywine and so far its fermenting well. Carbonation--This always comes up in the HBD from time to time. DONT USE 3/4 CUP OF PRIMING SUGAR!! It's supposed to be 4oz in weight which varies a lot in volume. Since I've started weighing the sugar I get better results and I typically am closer to 1 cup=4oz. than I am to 3/4 cup!! If you use dry malt to carbonate it will take longer than priming sugar, also stronger beers seem to take longer to carbonate. Patience is a virtue when it comes to carbonation. John Penn Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jan 1997 08:50:39 -0500 From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu> Subject: Stout and Underhopped Subject: Time:4:06 PM OFFICE MEMO Stout and Underhopped Date:1/29/97 Stout: I don't think substituting roasted barley or chocolate malt in place of black patent will give the same flavor. Black patent has a distinct burnt taste, particurlarly at 1/2# per 5 gallons. However, it will probably taste OK to subsitute chocolate malt, some roasted barley, or nothing and you'll probably have a decent stout--though not like the recipe. Experimentation is probably a good thing. As for the yeast, many of the dry ale yeasts are fine and I've used Nottingham and Whitbred for Stouts with pleasing results. I've also used Irish Stout liquid yeast 1084 and been pleased with that too. At any rate, don't worry--use the liquid yeast and whatever you'd like to do in place of the black patent and enjoy. Underhopped Ale in Kenya: I wouldn't think a hop tea would increase your bitterness. You gurus out there can correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the bitterness was part of boiling the hops with the malt and the higher the wort concentration, the more hops you need for the same bitterness level. If it were me, I'd try boiling another 1 gallon of a VERY bitter wort of ale and pitching that in your fermenter to compensate for the underhopped 9 gallon portion. I'd use one of the formulas for hop bitterness but without calculating it I'd guess you'd want something very strong like 100 IBUs or more in that 1 gallon boil. John Penn Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jan 97 08:59:26 EST From: "David R. Burley" <103164.3202 at CompuServe.COM> Subject: Hydrometer Brewsters: In response to my comment that a hydrometer represents an approximate estimate of the sugar content near the end of the fermentation because of unfermentable dissolved solids and bubbles of CO2 clinging to the glass. Charles Rich says: > > Actually, you can ferment out a sample, taken after pitching, at a > higher > temperature (75F-80F) for a good approximation what the FG of the > batch will be. You used the correct word "approximation". It may well be that the higher temperature fementation will go to a lower FG than the lower temperature fermetation, depending on the yeast, OG, etc. Besides it is unnecessary. My suggestion is to use a chemical method to determine the reducible sugar content at this point in the fermentation. Clinitest is such a test available at your pharmacy. Enzyme tests which check only glucose are not suitable. - ---------------------------------------------------- Hi Steve A. As always a learned response. Shows me I have to spend more time in the library Thanks. - ---------------------------------------------------- Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Kinnelon, NJ 07405 103164.3202 at compuserve.com Voice e-mail OK Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jan 1997 09:01:56 -0500 From: "John Penn" <john_penn at spacemail.jhuapl.edu> Subject: Dormant Yeast Not Dead Subject: Time:9:50 AM OFFICE MEMO Dormant Yeast Not Dead Date:1/30/97 Yeast that have settled to the bottom are dormant initially. It takes a while for them to actually be dead so don't throw that starter away just because the yeast are starting to settle. Sorry about all the posts, I had a mistake in the new address. Thanks for the new home! John Penn Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:19:31 -0600 (CST) From: "Karl F. Lutzen" <lutzen at alpha.rollanet.org> Subject: RE: Hohumm, the old system > From: Nightcrawler<shane at cais.com> > Subject: Hohum, the old system > > I see we're back to the old system, huh?? Oh, well. > However _I_ liked the other newer system, the one > which listed numbers beside the titles of the articles. > No chance of going back to that one, any chance?? > > Shane Saylor, Eccentric Bard Actually, that is not a bad idea. It would take some time for me to add this feature into Rob's old scripts. I don't have time to attack it this week or next, but I can add it to the list of features to be added (currently the queue has 1 item). One new feature has been added. All the archives now live under the same roof as the HBD host. As far as I can remember, this is the first time this has happened. I have not finished the automation of digest entries, but it won't be too much longer. The address is: ftp://brew.oeonline.com/pub/hbd/digests Before anyone asks, of course this is an anonymous ftp site. It is limited on the number of concurrent connections, to prevent the system from being killed by ftp requests. If you run into the limit, try again later. If anyone else has any ideas on improving the HBD, please email janitor@ brew.oeonline.com, and we (Pat Babcock, myself, and a few silent players to be named later), will discuss them and see if they can be done. But don't ask for the undigested version. Can't do it. Won't do it. That was part of the problem which killed the AOB server. ================================================================== Karl Lutzen lutzen at alpha.rollanet.org System Administrator The Brewery http://alpha.rollanet.org/ ...and now also brew.oeonline.com janitor/mad hacker. Return to table of contents
Date: 30 Jan 97 9:13:41 EDT From: Brian Dulisse-1 <Brian_Dulisse-1 at sbphrd.com> Subject: gueze i keep seeing posts on how to pronounce this, so here goes . . . hard g, the beginning sound of "urge" (this is drwn out a little), then ending with a zh sound this is a transliteration of the pronunciation of a snotty belgian waiter who didn't like how i pronounced gueze (although in truth i wasn't particularly close to pronouncing it correctly :^) ). it worked well enough that the owner of the cantillon brewery congratulated me on the getting it right when i took the tour there :^) . . . Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 09:44:36 +0500 From: "Keith Royster" <keith.royster at pex.net> Subject: Re: Freshman Digest / RE: cutting corny dip tubes / Air filter Al K, responding to the Freshman Digest thread, says: >I mean, as much as I like to help out and answer beginners' >beerstone removal,and anthocyanogens, I don't know if it could >keep my interest. And then Scott Abene just about has an anurism (sp?) jumping all over Al and others for their "Big Headed Ego shit". First of all, Scott, it sounds like you need to have a few more homebrews to help you relax. As much as I may agree that Al can get a bit long winded in his posts, I have to say that I think you've misunderstood his comment (at least as far as I understand it). I don't think Al is saying that he is above answering beginners' questions. In fact, it continues to amaze me how he never seems to tire of answering the same beginners' questions over and over; ones which I have tired of answering but know that others who are newer to this digest will be happy to answer. All I think he is saying is that if a digest such as the suggested Freshman Digest existed, one without a *mixture of simple and advanced questions*, he would loose interest. I have to agree with him. - ------------------------------------ Spencer W Thomas writes Re: Cutting Corny dip tubes...how much? > I don't clip my dip tubes. I find that after the small amount of > yeast remaining in the beer settles, that I suck up a little bit > from around the bottom of the tube, and then the beer runs clear. However, if you have to move the keg for any reason, the yeast sediment gets stirred back up and you have to go through the process of waiting for it to clear again. Plus, I've not always experience as fast of a clearing as you describe. BTW, I also don't clip my dip tubes. I just can't imagine wasting any more beer than necessary! > Try adding some gelatin to your fermenter to drop the yeast the day > before you rack to the keg: Even better, rack to the keg, wait a day for the yeast to settle, then add bit more gelatin (then force carbonate). Not only will the gelatin help settle more yeast, but it will fall in a layer on top of the already settled yeast creating a seal that helps prevent it from getting sucked up the dip tube and becoming re-suspended if the keg is moved. Another hint: I also find it helpful to lean the keg a bit in the fridge while the yeast is settling so that the dip tube is on the elevated side of the keg bottom. This helps most of the yeast to settle farther away from the pickup tube where it is less likely to get sucked up. - ----------------------- And finally, a question. I've, uh, got this friend (yeah, that's it, a friend) that might consider filtering his aquarium pump air ;) My question, I mean his question is, are these submicron lab filters that I hear about *really* necessary? I understand that the bacteria and yeast that need to be filtered can be quite small, but as I stated in a previous post, it is my perception that these guys are not free floating around in the air but are actually floating around attached to much larger dust particles. Therefore, wouldn't normal cotton balls or something similar act as a sufficient filter since all you really need to catch is the dust? Or is my assumption about free-floating beasties incorrect? TIA! I'll be sure to pass any info on to my AR friend ;) Keith Royster - Mooresville, North Carolina "An Engineer is someone who measures it with a micrometer, marks it with a piece of chalk, and cuts it with an ax!" mailto:Keith.Royster at pex.net http://dezines.com/ at your.service - at your.service http://dezines.com/ at your.service/cbm -Carolina BrewMasters club page http://dezines.com/ at your.service/RIMS -My RIMS (rated COOL! by the Brewery) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:19:34 -0500 From: Tom Williams <brewman at wwnet.com> Subject: Sanitary Yeast Harvesting Greetings: Just a quick question ... is it necessary (or advised) to flame the mouth of the secondary prior to transferring yeast to storage? I'm not sure if these carboys are up to the heat stress or not. What do others do to cut down on possibilities of infection, and is there a risk? Thanks ... it's good to have the 'ole digest back! brewman at wwnet.com Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 10:22:50 -0500 From: Adam Rich <ar at crocus.medicine.rochester.edu> Subject: Priming Hi Everyone, Here is a simple question about priming that I have after reading David Draper's Preferred PRiming Procedure (at the Brewery). Th etake-home message is that my ale has CO2 dissolved in it before I add the priming sugar, and this amount of CO2 will depend on the temperature. Now, I need to subtract that amount from the amount of CO2 that I want in my finished ale, at SERVING TEMPERATURE. So, from his chart I get 0.93 volumes of CO2 dissolved in my ale at 20C. I want 2 volumes in my British Style Ale. BUT, do I want 2 volumes at 20C, or do I want 2 volumes at 16 degrees C? From the euqation Priming Rate = (V - Vo)/0.27027 I calculate that I will need to add 4.14 gm/l (or 78.35 grams./5 gallons or 2.764 ounces/5 gallons). This is all at room temperature. Do I need to tak einto account that this ale will eb refridgerated? The colder temperature will allow more CO2 to dissolve into the ale, and will it therefore make it less carbonated then I want? I know, I have taken a very simple part of brewing and complicated it! Sorry, I have a knack for this but it seems to be a reasonable question! thanks, Adam ========================================= Adam Rich, PhD Hoempage: http://www.millcomm.com/~arich/index.html Department of Dental Research University of Rochester Medical Center 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 611 Rochester, NY 14642 716-275-8751 ========================================= Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:26:55 -0500 (EST) From: Suzette Smith <SSMITH1 at drew.edu> Subject: Belgian Wit Date: 30-Jan-1997 10:22am EDT From: Smith, Suzette SSMITH1 Dept: FAC/STAFF Tel No: (201)-408-3208 TO: Remote Addressee ( _in%HOMEBREW at BREW.OEONLINE.COM ) Subject: Belgian Wit Ok here's a question for all the belgian beer fans (Scott Bickham and others)... Aside from watching the fermentation lock, how would I know it's time to bottle my Wit? Am I false in assuming that it won't fall clear in the secondary? If it does fall clear, won't that defeat the purpose and the description of a "white" beer? This was a partial mash (but more grain than extract). I'm looking forward to hearing from anyone with experience in this area. TIA, Suzette Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:30:18 -0500 (EST) From: Bill Sadvary <sadvary at dickinson.edu> Subject: Central PA brewstore The Brew Company of Carlisle is having a **Grand Opening** this Saturday (2/1/97) that could be of interest for those that live in the Central Pennsylvania area. 152 South Hanover Street, right in town and right off of Rt. 81. 717-241-2734 -Bill Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:31:40 -0500 From: oliver at triton.cms.udel.edu (Oliver Weatherbee) Subject: Re: Clad vs. Unclad Mr. Clifford Hicks wrote in part concerning his new Vollrath 10 gallon pot: "My question is this: Should I return the pot and hold out for one with an alluminum clad bottom or am I being a worry-wart. Is the pot I have the best?" Dear Mr. Hicks, Once again those unscrupulous marketers at Vollrath and Precision Systems have found another dupe. As a concerned brewing citizen and all around good guy, I can't help but empathize with your dilemma. I doubt you will find much redress of grievances with these companies so I feel obliged to do you a favor and help a fellow beer enthusiast. If you are interested, I would be willing (at great personal cost) to exchange your 10 gallon Stainless Steel Vollrath pot with another 10 gallon pot which is guaranteed to have a true aluminum clad bottom. In fact the pot I will provide will not only have an aluminum bottom but the sides and lid will be aluminum as well. You know what they say, you can never have too much of a good thing. Incorrigibly yours, Oliver "Give Me The Pot" Weatherbee (PS - Clifford, keep the pot. It would be pretty hard to find anything much better than a Vollrath, the "cadillac of kettles".) Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 07:55:00 PST From: "Gregory, Guy J." <GGRE461 at ecy.wa.gov> Subject: Re: rye malt Alan Folsom sez: "I am interested in brewing a batch of IPA this weekend, but experimenting with Rye Malt in the batch. My plan is to use 3 lbs of Rye in a total grain bill of 11 lbs (some crystal, some carapils, some flaked barley, about 6 1/2 lbs of Marris Otter Pale), a little more than 25%. Does anyone have any experience with Rye Malt? Is this too much? My hope is to closely duplicate an IPA I made last weekend, varying just by the substitution of Rye for some Pale. I did not do a protein rest with the first batch, but will the Rye necessitate it? Any comments or suggestions would be welcome." Ooowee, sounds great! Yes, I have experience with rye malt. No, it isn't too much. In fact, this sounds great, what with the carapils to add a bit of body. I have a similar recipe, though I use Harrington almost exclusively, that uses 20% rye malt (7# barley, 1#40L crystal, 2# rye) which I bitter to about 50 IBU with Nugget and Cascade. Mighty good beer. I may make yours next. I don't know if it's necessary, but I do protein rest about 122F. Rye malt will be a bit gummy, so take your time lautering, and you may consider a betaglucan rest (92F, I think) but I've never done it. Rye beers, IMHO, are virtually impossible to clarify. I worried, but had to get over it, 'cause I like the beer so much. I'm interested in a taste comparison between the IPA and the RyePA, to see if you can put your finger on the "essential rye character" which others have had difficulty describing. Good luck GuyG4 at aol.com Guy Gregory Lightning Creek Home Brewery Thanks, Pat, Karl, and FORD! Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 09:07:31 -0800 From: "Brander Roullett (Volt Computer)" <a-branro at MICROSOFT.com> Subject: GOTT Cooler modification Questions I am considering getting a 10+ gallon cooler for use as a Mash/Lauter Tun, but since i am of less than ample means I would also like to keep using it for a water jug when we go camping. Questions i have are.... 1) if i modify it with a copper tubing false bottom or a phils Phalse bottom, with some sort of spigot installed for flow control. would it be a bad idea to use it for a water jug at big camping events? am i likely to run into infection problems, or bad water? 2) about how heavy is a Fully loaded 10 gallon GOTT cooler? (water) 3) is a 10 gallon cooler enough to do 15 gallon batches? 4) what are recomended ways to put decent and cheap spigot into a cooler? 5) what metals are bad for soaking in water, and hot liquor (grain liquid) for extended periods of time? Brander Roullett(a-branro) aka Badger http://www.nwlink.com/~badger/ For a quart of ale is a dish for a king. -William Shakespeare Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 11:20:38 -0600 From: rlabor at lsumc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald) Subject: Freshman Digest - Big heads In # 2330 Scott Braker-Abene opines: ...I say this whole Big Headed Ego brewer shit is really starting to get on my nerves. None of us, and I mean NONE OF US! (are you listening Al, Dave, John) are above learning from any member of this forum... Then moments later he says: ...Have you ever stopped to think of that..? Have any one of you ever taken the time to look at any one of your rambling nasty ass put down posts to some poor brewer that just asked a simple brewing question or made a brewing mistake that was to you all so obvious? Have you ever stopped to think that after making that brewer feel so bad about the methods that he used or the mistakes that they made they have since never brewed again because they were convinced that they couldn't brew?... Now wait, you cannot have your cake and eat it. Do you want advice or not? Make up your mind. If you cannot take helpfull advice without getting upset, then it is your problem. Look, I have read many posts from the mentioned people and have learned much from them. Of course sometimes they may sound - or even be a bit egotistical - but my skin is not so tender that it wounds me. Actually YOUR post came the closest to offending me with your cheap, profane language. Even now I am not offended look, - :>))) see, still smiling. Scott continues to opine: ...What might appear to be useless info to any one of you is somewhere helping someone else make a much better beer... Well Scott, you could not have said it better - just place yourself where you used the word YOU. Everyone will get much more from the HBD if they do not miss the opportunity to also see it as a lesson in human character. If you find an egotist, then observe, learn, consider what you do or do not like and usethat information to improve yourself. Do not limit yourself to only beer. Why be so narrow sighted? It's here, it's free and it's good. As for me personally I greatly appreciate the efforts, time, and trouble the posters take to carefully and thoroughly and generously give help to others on the HBD. Try to be Happy Ron :>))) Return to table of contents