HOMEBREW Digest #26 Thu 15 December 1988

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

Contents:
  kegs & liquid yeast
  Trivia

Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr at hplabs.hp.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Dec 88 13:46:08 CST From: hpfcla!hplabs!amdahl!uunet!ingr!tesla!steve Full-Name: Subject: kegs & liquid yeast Here is the knowledge I've gained on kegging systems. When I decided to go the kegging route ( after bottling two batches in one day). I bought a used keg, a new 10 pound CO2 bottle, a cornelius beverage regulator, tap, hoses, etc for about $180. I had to replace the O-ring in the lid, as it was dried out, and deformed, and learned on my most recent batch that the seals in the quick disconnects have started to leak too. Alternative Beverage and William's carry new O-rings for the lid, but I haven't tracked down a source for the QD seals. It's worth your time to check out a company called RAPIDS. They sell restaurant supply equipment, and I saw their catalog recently. They sell gas bottles and regulators for about 60% of what I paid, and sell new 5 gal cornelius clone kegs for around $55. To get started you need the keg, the regulator, the tap, two hoses, the CO2 bottle, two QD fittings, and adapters to connect the QDs and regulator to the hoses. I would go ahead and order a handfull of gaskets for the CO2 bottle/regulator, and the small O-rings that go on the QDs. I have never had to trade in my bottle to have it filled, the place I take it fills it while I wait. It turned out that the same outfit that fills fire extinguishers fills "beverage" bottles also. If you order from a homebrew supply shop, make sure that they have everything in stock. It took me almost two months to get everything straight, including having to send back some wrong parts. It was no fun having a keg, but nothing else, and to make it worse, I was so optimistic that the day I got the keg, I brewed a batch, then ended up bottling it anyway. My wife liked Weisbeer from the keg so much that she bought me a second keg on the condition that I keep it stocked with her favorite. I am still sold on my kegs. It's interesting to notice the difference in peoples' reactions between pouring homebrew from a bottle ("Go ahead and deal me in, I'm going to pour a few beers. Who wants one?"), and consuming it from a pitcher ("Hey man, the pitcher's empty!"). I wrote a few weeks ago that I had racked a pilsner and pitched 8 oz of yeast slurry into my bock. Both beers are outstanding. The pilsner may be the best beer I have ever brewed, and the bock will be a contender in our club's bock competition next Feb. The yeast used originally came from a William's (Wyeast) package, was made into a starter, then cultures were frozen using the "yeast bank". The frozen culture was re-started, and used for the pilsner. The RAPIDS company can be reached at 800-553-7906, or in Iowa 800-332-8455. I don't have any connection with them outside of getting a catalog from them. They also sell almost anything you could ever want for conventional beer kegs, and other restaurant equipment. Steve Conklin uunet!ingr!tesla!steve Intergraph Corp. tesla!steve at ingr.com Huntsville, AL 35807 (205) 772-4013 Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 88 12:17:48 MST From: hpfcla!hpcea!hplabs!utah-cs!iwtsf!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 312 979 8583) Full-Name: Subject: Trivia Trivia question: Which Beatles song refers to homebrewing? Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest ************************
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