HOMEBREW Digest #2652 Wed 04 March 1998

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


Contents:
  brewing tubing and in line oxygenation (Frank Kalcic)
  Re:Dumping Beer (David Lamotte)
  re:priming ("Joseph H. Scarborough")
  Re: U.S. vs. European malt plumpness ("Steve Alexander")
  Plastic tubing and boiling water/wort ("James Hodge")
  Bottles not Carbonating ("Steve LaMotte")
  RIMS Achilles heel (Robert Zukosky)
  NY City Spring Reg Competition (kbjohns)
  Re: RIMS Achilles heel (hollen)
  Heart of Dixie Brew-Off, March 14, 1998 ("John W. Rhymes")
  Gears for Glatt (Jack Schmidling)
  Loose ends ... ("Steve Alexander")
  Kunze on polyphenols ... ("Steve Alexander")
  Re: Top Ten Dumb Questions (fwd) (John W. Braue, III)
  chopped hbds (haafbrau1)
  Kunze letter (George_De_Piro)
  Color (Michael Satterwhite)
  Washington DC Summit Invitation ("Jeffrey M. Kenton")
  starter/pitching temperature (Alex Santic)
  Pyrex Boil-over Preventers (Kirk Lund)
  Unknown Yeast Strain ("Capt. Marc Battreall")
  Practical Units (Phil WIlcox) (The THP)
  Hop addition,impatient meadster,champagne crowns,Irish Moss ("David R. Burley")
  2/21 Jim Anderson "Wasatch" and 2/23 davisrm "Plastic Primary" (Vachom)
  Water Heater Burner ("Michael K. Cinibulk")
  Call for Entries and Judges ("Reed,Randy")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 28 Feb 98 12:32:53 -0800 From: Frank Kalcic <fkalcic at flash.net> Subject: brewing tubing and in line oxygenation Fellow Brewers, I'm currently in the process of replacing the tubing in my brewery thought I'd tap (love those beer references) the experience/knowledge of the Digest. In my setup, the hose would transfer the wort to boiler, then from the boiler to the chiller and on to the fermentor. It would also double as the piping for my micro version of a CIP. Hence, the following properties are important 1) Heat resistant 2) Pressure resistant at high temps 3) Non Porous (long lasting) 4) Economical (only need 15 to 20 feet total) Of course the tubing must be food grade as well. Good flexibility is also a plus. When looking through the Cole Parmer and Ryan Herco catalogues, I came across the following materials: Coilable Kynar tubing - <260 Deg F, <180 psi at 70 Deg F PTFE tubing - <500 Deg F, <137 at 70 Deg F Both claim FDA compliance (21 CFR 177.1550) meets USP 23 Class IV requirements. (this is all Greek to me, so I don't know if this means food grade or not) Any thoughts on the above? Any other suggestions? The vinyl (I think) stuff I've been using doesn't react too well to high temps. The next item on my list is an inline oxygenator. (Between the wort pump and fermentor) I see two paths that I can take. The first is to incorporate a SS diffusing stone to assist in the O2 uptake. The second route would be to bubble the O2 through a small tube (no diffuser) I know the diffusing stone will be more efficient in injecting the O2, but it will also be an item that could potentially harbor the nasties (yeah, those tiny pores can cut both ways- i.e. tough to sanitize). Would I be better off with a simple small diameter tube that can be easily cleaned/sanitized, and just bubble the O2 very slowly? Has anyone seen data on O2 uptake when no diffuser is used? Looking forward to brewing again, A special thanks to Ken Schwartz for Sat's post on brewing water, found the information posted to be clear an concise. Most information on this topic seems to be delivered in as complicated fashion as possible. Thanks for the simplicity. Frank E. Kalcic Sunnyvale, CA Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 22:33:10 +1100 From: David Lamotte <lamotted at ozemail.com.au> Subject: Re:Dumping Beer Randy Erickson wrote quoting Paul Masson in mistake of Paul Hocking > >> I shall Dump No beer younger than a year... > > Sound advice, that. Advice that's repeated here from time to > time, but not often enough. > Well, let me add to the chant, because as I catch up on my HDB reading for the week I am drinking an ale that initially had the harshest phenolic taste imaginable. It caught in the back of the throat sending shock waves almost to the sinuses. A bit of reading confirmed that oversparging was probably the culprit, so I took the keg out of the fridge while I brewed a repeat batch changing only the amount of sparge water used. That fixed the hash taste, but as soon as batch was gone I retasted the hash one to find it very tasty indeed - all in a period of a month or two. So let's hear it a hundred times... ......I shall Dump No beer younger than a year... Enjoy David Lamotte Brewing Down Under in Newcastle N.S.W. Australia Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 21:00:51 -0500 From: "Joseph H. Scarborough" <scarborough at boone.net> Subject: re:priming Glyn Crossno <Glyn.Crossno at cubic.com>responded to what Paul n Shelley <pracko at earthlink.net> asked: |<<What I don't understand, and have NEVER been able to |<<achieve, is successful natural carbonation of a beer after it has |been |<<in a primary and/or secondary for longer than about two weeks. | | RedlackC at aol.com |>I have two suggestions. Make sure that you are using corn sugar |instead of |>malt extract when priming. I have found that corn sugar is more |reliable. |>Secondly, try increasing the amount of corn sugar that you are |pitching. | |One more note, as I believe Dave D(?) and others have said, WEIGH your |priming sugar. I have found vast volume differences between corn |sugar suppliers. And just so you too canbenefit from the wisdom of Dave Draper as well as Mark Hibberd, here are links to there documents on the subject: http://hbd.org/~ddraper/priming.html http://hbd.org/brewery/library/YPrimerMH.html - --HBD Joseph Scarborough On the Blue Ridge in NW-NC Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 05:17:27 -0500 From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: U.S. vs. European malt plumpness My now well educated friend George De Piro writes ... - -----Original Message----- > Steve also mentioned that he believes that most US maltsters are at > the mercy of the farmers when it comes down to barley selection. The > malting lectures at Siebel, given by Kurt Duecker from Schreier, > seemed to disagree with that. He even told us about the maltsters > going to the farms at different times of year to watch over sowing, > harvesting, etc. I'm afraid that being on a friendly basis with suppliers and being demanding of the supply quality are two different things. If US maltsters are so damned interested in quality why are they making 6-row crystal and *munich*. This may start an HBD firestorm, but IMO 6-row belongs in the gut of a quadruped or brewed with equal parts of rice and sold to the ignorant masses. Use of 6-row appears to be a price compromise. For a comparison of the interest in barley quality check out the American Malting Barley Association web site http://www.ambainc.org/linx/index.htm, which has many links to State and US DA web sights mostly interesting productivity and growning conditions - and usually of "feed grains". Even the University sites are oriented toward feed grain issues. The Canadian malting barley site http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/agdex/100/1402002.html is at least cognizant of the problem stating ... "As Canada's share of the global export market for malting barley and barley malt grows, the market for two-row varieties will increase". And has some basic information on malting varieties and product quality issues. By contrast check out the British web site for the Institute of Brewing a http://www.breworld.com/iob/index.html, which tho' a tiny and recent website has results of a barley contest, announcement of a new barley available for sample, results of the 1997 growing season and list of the approved barley varieties, by region (of the UK) for the 1997-8 growing season. They also state ... "RAW MATERIALS - The importance of raw materials is recognised by the Institute Committee structure and annual competitions aro organised by the Institute for excellence of UK Malting Barley and of Hops. Similarly, reports are regularly published concerning trials and the development of new varieties. Close cooperation is maintained with all the establishments concerned with such developments, with pest control and other key issues. Again the Institute has an interest in these subjects worldwide as well as in the UK". These websites seem ENTIRELY INDICATIVE of the rather loose attitude toward barley quality in the US, or perhaps the lack of market control by maltsters versus the almost A-C attitude in the UK. > (not surprisingly) that U.S. and > Canadian *barleys* are the best in the world because only "spring" > barley is grown here in North America. [...] That's interesting, the website above lists 7 winter and 7 spring barleys approved for malting in the UK. The UK spring varieties include some that have been available for many years such as Chariot and Alexis. Kunze missed the boat here, unless he was referring to continental practice. Steve Alexander Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 11:49:41 -0600 From: "James Hodge" <jdhodge at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Plastic tubing and boiling water/wort Andrew, Running boiling wort through plastic tubing to your wort chiller is generally not a problem, although you will never get anyone remotely connected with the tubing or plastic manufacturer to admit this, because of the potential liability. Sure the tubing will get soft at 212F, but for your purposes it will work fine. The reason for the lower temperature rating is that there is also a pressure rating associated with the tubing. I forget what this typically is, but it is around 100 psi. The temperature rating is based on the temperature at which you could safely use the tubing at the rated pressure. Since your application would give you, at best, a pressure of a few psi inside the tubing, there is no problem. I have used Tygon tubing (rated at 165F) for years for this same application with no problems. A few caveats are in order, however: First, recognize that you are using the tubing outside of its rated limits, so if something were to happen, i.e., boiling wort spraying over yourself, small children, innocent passers-by, etc., your legal position is pretty weak. But, this is a situation where care and thoughtfulness are far better protection than a strong legal position, anyway. The second caveat is more practical. The plastic tubing will be fine for your use, but pay attention to your connections to insure that they will hold up at that temperature. As the tubing softens, that hose clamp or compression fitting that was solid at room temperature may well come loose and you'll be back in the hot wort shower mode. Jim Hodge Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 09:38:18 MST7MDT From: "Steve LaMotte" <slamotte at psl.nmsu.edu> Subject: Bottles not Carbonating Hello all, I received a new capper for Xmas, it's the same style as my very old one, a bench capper with auto adjustment. The new capper cut my time in half. With the old one, I had to turn the bottle 4-6 times to get it all crimped, and it was rather awkward to use. I've done one batch with the new one, and the bottles are not carbonating. It's been three weeks now, and all I get is an initial slight fizz when I pop one. Pour it and it is FLAT! It is a great tasting amber ale and I do NOT want to pour it away. Yes, I did put the usual malt in for priming. I had two others and me, very much remember doing it. What I'm wondering is whether or not the new capper is properly sealing it, or is it pilot error? Is pressure leaking out? I started to re-crimp the caps two days ago with my old capper, but quit after about 12 bottles since it "felt" like no additional crimping was taking place. I'm using the same generic gold caps I've used for the last year. NEVER any problems, in fact, I've run into problems of overcarbonation before. The new capper is the "Superagata" made in Italy by Ferrari Group. I greased it slightly per instructions, just as I did my old one. Has anyone else experienced this before? Some night this week I'm going to pop them all open, add some primer to all of them and re-cap half with the old one, and half with the new one. The new batch I made yesterday will also be capped in a similar matter, just in case I infect/screw-up the re-capping effort. Reply by private e-mail is fine. Thanks! Steve LaMotte Las Cruces, NM slamotte at psl.nmsu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 1998 13:43:53 -0500 From: Robert Zukosky <rzuk at IX.netcom.com> Subject: RIMS Achilles heel Dion My last conversation with you was about the Morris circuit. I have put that aside and acquired an Omega PID. A more important concern has come to light with the disposal of 15 gals of fine brew with a sugar char taste that was impossible for human consumption. Using an electrical heater element - 15 inches folded and 54 inches unfolded capable of 5500 watts at 240v was used at 120 v and not permitted to go above 156 F. Flow rate 1 gpm of the mash/extract and char occurred. This was not apparent until after fermentation due to sugar/ bitterness ratio. Brewing Techniques article comparing decoction and rims suggests ( ref. Maillard reactions) that flowing extract directly over an electrical element might be questioned even though many rimsers claim a perfect process. The questions of heat density, flow rate, thermal conductivity, char points, varying sugar density, and accurate measurements present a formidable challenge. I am leaning towards a heated water heat exchanger for reasons of the above. Since the rims system appears to be a infant "work in progress" I expect you will be writing additional articles. Your article in BT is timely and noteworthy. Your comments will be greatly appreciated. ---- bobz Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 1998 14:01:56 -0500 From: kbjohns at peakaccess.net Subject: NY City Spring Reg Competition Entries are now being accepted for the 7th. NYC Spring Reg Comp. Deadline is 3/19/98 Entries can be shipped directly or dropped off at any of the 16th drop off points in the NY/NJ area The prize list now totals ove $1800.00 We are also seeking judges to help with the anticipated 300 entries. Complete details can be found at URL http://www.wp.com/hosi/ Ken Johnsen Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 98 13:08:37 PST From: hollen at vigra.com Subject: Re: RIMS Achilles heel >> Robert Zukosky writes: RZ> My last conversation with you was about the Morris circuit. I have put RZ> that aside and acquired an Omega PID. IHMO, a very good choice RZ> A more important concern has come to light with the disposal of 15 RZ> gals of fine brew with a sugar char taste that was impossible for RZ> human consumption. EEEEEKKKK!!! RZ> Using an electrical heater element - 15 inches folded and 54 RZ> inches unfolded capable of 5500 watts at 240v was used at 120 v and RZ> not permitted to go above 156 F. Flow rate 1 gpm of the RZ> mash/extract and char occurred. My heater element, the 2E767 is 5000 watts with a length of 76". Unless the diameter of your element is quite different, we have a heat density per linear inch like this: mine 1250 / 76 = 16.45 watts per linear inch yours 1375 / 54 = 25.46 wpli This means that you are using a heat density of about 54% higher per inch than my element. Also, my flow rate is usually closer to 3gpm when the system is working correctly. These differences could account for the problem you encountered. Or, did you maybe somehow stop the flow even for a short period of time with the heater on? Have you had this happen multiple times, or was this a one time occurrence? If only a one time occurrence and other batches have been fine, I would highly suspect operator error, or a stuck mash which drastically reduced flow rate. That can happen, but with a lower density heater element the chance of scorching is less likely. RZ> The questions of heat density, flow rate, thermal conductivity, RZ> char points, varying sugar density, and accurate measurements RZ> present a formidable challenge. Yes, these all have to be taken into account. Maybe I got lucky and made the right choices from the beginning as the only problem I have had with scorching was one time when I had emptied the mashtun and had left the temp controller set to low. It turned the element on full when the liquid in the heater chamber drained away. Had to replace the element, although the beer was not touched in any way since it was already in the wort boiler. RZ> I am leaning towards a heated water heat exchanger for reasons of RZ> the above. I would be the last one to dissuade you from this, but would caution that I feel it is totally unnecessary to solve the charring problem. And you will be creating a much more challenging set of problems due to greatly increased thermal lag. Temperature control will be a bitch unless you have some way of very quickly changing the temperature or flow rate of the heated water reservoir. Much more complicated process control. RZ> Since the rims system appears to be a infant "work in progress" I RZ> expect you will be writing additional articles. Your article in BT RZ> is timely and noteworthy. Thanks, but you will see no more articles on RIMS from me. It took a whole lot of coercion on BT's part to get me to do this one. The only reason I agreed was that the article is basically the first two chapters from my book which were already written. All I had to do was to add some stuff and change some stuff around a little to get the article in shape. I am remodelling my house in preparation for moving to Colorado in a year and once there will be building a straw bale shop building and then a house. I am also designing that shop and house right now. This will leave no time for writing articles, as if I have any time to devote to beer, it will be to brew, which I have not gotten a chance to do for a year now. Thanks for your support. dion Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 20:35:10 +0000 From: "John W. Rhymes" <jwrhymes at mindspring.com> Subject: Heart of Dixie Brew-Off, March 14, 1998 Now is the time to send your best beers to the Heart of Dixie Brew-Off in Birmingham, Alabama! Entries are due on March 7, 1998. As announced in HBD 2633, our special category is Potato Beers, with at least 20% of the fermentables coming from some form of potato (recipes required for this category only). Winners of Best of Show, Best Ale, Best Lager, and Best Potato Beer will receive handcrafted etched mirrors. Ribbons will be awarded for first, second, and third in each flight, and prizes will be awarded for first place winners. See our competition web site at http://www.bham.net/brew/brew-off.html for rules, forms, and shipping information, or contact jwrhymes at mindspring.com. Judges and stewards are encouraged to join us for a great weekend. We are providing "Beds for Brewers" in members' homes and discounted hotel rates, organizing a Friday night pub crawl, and hosting visiting judges at the Birmingham Irish Cultural Society's 18th Annual St. Pat's Celebration on Saturday night. John W. Rhymes -- Birmingham, Alabama jwrhymes at mindspring.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 1998 08:14:48 -0800 From: Jack Schmidling <arf at mc.net> Subject: Gears for Glatt whtltng at primenet.com (Keith W. White) says: " Greg Egle asked about the stripped gears in his grain mill. If you can't find Glatt-try Boston Gear in well, Boston. They have every kind, shape and material for gears you never new existed. Except the two needed for the Glatt. Even if they had them off the shelf he would learn why we charge $50 for the Gear Drive Option and also why Glatt is no longer in business. They designed themselves into a corner with a machine that will not work without gears and tried to compete by using cheap plastic gears. What's really sleazy about Gregg Glatt is taking the phone off the hook and just leaving customers hanging. I can still see all the glowing praise of this guy right here on HBD. He was treated and praised like the Messiah, even when things started falling apart. Maybe there really is a god. The good news is that someone lurking on the net has made and offered a set of replacement gears. I have no idea what he charges or who he is but if you keep asking, he is bound to turn up again. js - -- Visit our WEB pages: Beer Stuff......... http://ays.net/jsp Astronomy....... http://user.mc.net/arf ASTROPHOTO OF THE WEEK..... New Every Monday Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 03:51:33 -0500 From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Loose ends ... a/ Three cheers for Ken Schwartz' eminently practical approach to water chemistry, and of course to AJ for his tireless additions to the HBD collective knowledge on water issues. b/ For those who don't subscribe, the current BT has two fine articles on RIMS vs Decoction and on Decoction vs Pressure cooked mash/wort, by HBD regulars Louis Bonham (and Andy Thomas) and Spencer Thomas. Great experimental work all around and a particularly nice write-up by Spencer. Both articles open the issues that were raised here on HBD over the past year and make a great first attempt to find answers. Louis B. will have a regular experimental column, I understand - I know that I'm looking forward to this very much. Check out Dion Hollenbeck's RIMS article too. Great stuff. c/ A post I made several weeks ago regarding poor results I've experienced with distilled water storage of yeast was never posted. (My mailer's to blame). Basically - I reject the notion that my pre-washed yeast are DOA, since I can pitch the yeast within a couple weeks of washing and get 'normal' results. I also reject the DWS proponents description of autolysis - it is total nonsense. Old alcohol sotted yeast DO NOT somehow mutate into cannibalistic killer yeast - exuding enzymes which breach dead yeast cells walls, but magically not their own. Instead the already dead yeast, upon exposure to heat, high pH and poor growing conditions, can 'rot' from the inside out, as their vacuole membranes degrade and contained enzymes breach the cell walls from the inside out! The surviving yeast may be cannibals, but not murderers or mutants. The flavor of autolysis *IS* yeast bite according to M&BS, the weird rubbery smells described in HB lit are probably from oxidized oils and sulfur compounds - gifts of the goddess Rubbermaid - not directly from autolysis. The issue with yeast survival during DWS is probably the amount of sterols and glycogen available. d/ >I thank all of *you* for making my posts and brewing knowledge better. >Al. ... writes AlK of this forum, and his experiences of the lack of review in some HB magazines. I'd like to expand in this a bit. HBD is a completely unique forum for thought on the issues of brewing. In many ways it is *the* premier forum for issues of brewing. The impressive bit about HBD is not that it is a source of perfect information, but that it is self correcting mechanism. Please check your ego and your titles at the door, HBD is perhaps the most egalitarian confederation since Noah Websters notion of what the US confederation of states should be about. Here the garage brewers can challenge the Ph.D on matters of fact, and arguments regarding credentials are treated appropriately. I have, as have many others, posted occasional nonsense to this forum and been taken to task.. By this method I have learned a great deal. Occasionally some one will suggest that only well proven and documented ideas should be presented, or argue that the relatively simple 'newbie' questions be banned. I and certainly others have learned more than we have taught, been surprised more often than we have surprised others, and become informed more often than we have informed. The questions, not the answers, are the difficult stuff. As long as we continue to challenge all the accepted assertions, this will remain a healthy and productive forum. Here on HBD we continue to ask the questions first,. and seek answers and information among a population of several thousand amateurs. Instead of being a model of research and technical correctness, HBD is instead a stream of consciousness of the home brewing community. Some challenges for HBD - 1998 - 1/ What is the mechanism of HSA, and what is the relative importance of oxygen, temperature and brewing methodology on HSA. 2/ Resolve the issue of temperature rests in the 45C-55C range as regards malt properties, haze, amino acid content and heading propensity of beer. 3/ describe the distinguishing flavor reactions of decoction brewing and contrast with the resulting compounds from RIMS, p-cooking and infusion mashing. 4/ Describe the mechanism and antecedent conditions of yeast by-products - good & bad. Suggest general mechanism for control. Steve Alexander Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 04:06:12 -0500 From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Kunze on polyphenols ... Kunze, thru translation, suggests that hops polyphenols are more reactive with proteins than are malt polyphenols. This also corresponds with my reading of the subject. Hops polyphenols, monophenolic gallates, like those in tea, readily oxidize and combine with proteins. The mostly biphenolic flavanoid phenols or malt are less reactive and compete with sugars for protein binding sites. Steve Alexander Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 08:03:25 From: braue at ratsnest.win.net (John W. Braue, III) Subject: Re: Top Ten Dumb Questions (fwd) This is perhaps not the best place to ask this question, but it's the place that I have. I *was* sure that the alleged pint by which beer is sold is the "imputed pint". OTOH, I'm prepared to be wrong (experience tells me that I often am). Would those with more experience than I (viz., none) in ordering beer in foreign countries enlighten me? On digest, or via private e-mail, it's all one. FORWARDED MAIL ------- From: agilham at imbolc.ucc.ie (Ang Gilham) Date: 01 Mar 98 Originally To: braue at ratsnest.win.net > >>16 ounces to the pint/pound found > >>in so-called "English" measurements > > > >In England we are not so crass as to > >short-change our beer drinkers with > >only 16 ounces to the pint - we have > >20 ounces in our pints. > > > >As do the Canadians, South Africans > >and Australians (when they use pints). > > Is beer sold in Imperial pints. I had thought that a "pint of > beer" was an "imputed pint" == 12 oz. Ugh. What a horrible concept! No. A pint of beer is just that, twenty fluid ounces of God's own drink. Of course there are brew pubs in the US that sell US pints of 16 fluid ounces, but they can be forgiven on the grounds that they are at least selling beer as opposed to super-chilled gnats piss! > >The American saying (quoted in "Have > >Spacesuit, will Travel") that "A Pint's > >a Pound the World around" is just plain > >WRONG. Yes, but so entertaining when one feeds unenlightened visitors imperial pints of 6X or Old Speckled Hen ;-) Ang - -- John W. Braue, III braue at ratsnest.win.net I've decided that I must be the Messiah; people expect me to work miracles, and when I don't, I get crucified. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 08:14:54 -0500 From: haafbrau1 at juno.com Subject: chopped hbds Is anybody else in the collective, especially Juno subscribers, getting their HBDs with the last 1/2-1/3 chopped off? My last few have been this way. Usually if the message is too long, I have to copy onto text file before reading, which I usually do anyway, to save those botulism and proper siphoning threads 8-^)! It's a shame to miss out on those last 5 or so posts, as I prefer to do my own editing. Maybe Ken Starr is censoring my mail. I haven't brewed enough beer to sleep with ML or PJ! Oops, sorry about that tangent, now back to important things- BEER Paul Haaf Somewhere in the Pinelands of South Jersey haafbrau1 at juno.com _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 10:06:30 -0800 From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com Subject: Kunze letter Hi all, WOW! I've always known that the HBD is a great resource, but this one takes the cake! I asked a question about something I read in a German brewing text, and received a translated reply from the author of the book! A tremendous thanks to our colleagues Hubert and Tidmarsh for their roles in obtaining Kunze's response. I am completely amazed! I do have some more questions, too... Have fun! George De Piro (Nyack, NY) Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 09:29:56 -0600 From: Michael Satterwhite <satterwh at weblore.com> Subject: Color There have recently been some very good postings on the digest concerning color - especially the comparisons between MCU and SRM. All of this has focused on grain, however. What methods do you suggest for calculating color contribution from extracts? What are the pitfalls to this. - ---Michael "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech" http://www.weblore.com/soapbox Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 09:31:27 -0600 From: "Jeffrey M. Kenton" <jkenton at iastate.edu> Subject: Washington DC Summit Invitation Good Morning. I will be in the Washington DC area next week and have previously asked on this forum about beer places in Washington, DC. I also posted back some of the results. Some of the replies expressed a desire, if I wanted, to get together for a couple cold ones. Now, I can't refuse an offer like that. Also being a social person (at least nice), I would like to open it up to people who read this forum to have a homebrew "summit" in the Capitol City. Of course, since I am from out of town, I have no idea where someone could get together with such a group. So here's the deal: if you live close enough to DC, (or like me are there on business) and would like to get in on this, please email me. I will compile some info regarding the best place to go for this important meeting, and will email the interested parties privately. I think this could be fun, and look forward to hearing from some of you. Replies should be in my hands before Sunday March 8. Thanks Jeff - ------------------- Jeff Kenton brewer at iastate.edu Ames, Iowa jkenton at iastate.edu (515) 294 9997 Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 10:50:50 -0500 From: Alex Santic <alex at brainlink.com> Subject: starter/pitching temperature Here's an issue I've been focusing on which could probably bear some more discussion. The question is whether it's worthwhile to try and replicate commercial practice in yeast pitching temperature. On the basis of the literature, I understand that yeast reproduction during the lag phase can produce significantly more off-flavors at higher temperatures. It's my impression that in commercial practice yeast slurry is pitched towards the lower end of the fermentation temperature range. In homebrew practice, a perfectly acceptable active starter of course represents a much smaller amount of yeast. It seems that many or most of you culture your starter yeast at room temperature, or even with bottom heat. Is it the general consensus, then, that a homebrew batch should be pitched warm and then cooled down to fermentation temp? I've done a number of experiments now with pitching cool and haven't completely arrived at a conclusion as to what practice is best. My chiller can get me down to 66 to 68 F. Limiting the discussion to ales for the moment, I've tried a few different strategies for pitching at this temperature. I've never pitched a room-temperature starter into such a wort, presuming that a 10 degree plunge in temperature is obviously a bad thing. So I've tried (a) culturing the starter at this temperature and (b) culturing the starter at room temperature and cooling it gradually before pitching. I've gotten good fermentations with these techniques when done carefully. However, with typical homebrew pitching rates I find the lag time to be out towards 16 hours or more when starting cool. I wonder if anybody can comment on whether this effort is worthwhile or misdirected, or share their own experience. By the way, my next batch will start cool also, but for this one I'm culturing a batch of yeast slurry in a 3 gallon carboy in order to get a strong start. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to re-pitch for a batch or two to help defray the cost of the starter. - -- A l e x S a n t i c Silicon Alley Brewery New York City Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 09:54:32 -0600 From: Kirk Lund <klund at technologist.com> Subject: Pyrex Boil-over Preventers >There is a small, specially-shaped pyrex plate which keeps the wort from >boiling over. At first I had my doubts, but it actually works! I've had several off-list requests for more info on these little gems, so I figured I should post some more info to the Digest... They're called "boil-over preventers" and they're made by the food-prep industry for standard kitchen use in cooking. My local brewshop (402-593-9171) carries one with the name "BoilSafe". If you can't find one locally (I haven't seen it in ANY mailorder brew catalogs either), then call Frank at the number above and he'd be happy to send you one. If you do, then tell him I sent you and that you think I deserve a discount (hehe)! Your local grocery store might also carry them. Appearance: About 3 inches in diameter, 1/2 inch thick. Looks kinda like a shallow ashtray made of pyrex. Cost should be less than $5.00 I think. The reason it works has something to do with its very unique shape. If any one out there figures out the physics behind it, I'd love to hear about it. Good Cheer, Home: kirklund at home.com Work: klund at technologist.com http://members.home.net/kirklund/ Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 11:15:57 -0500 From: "Capt. Marc Battreall" <batman at terranova.net> Subject: Unknown Yeast Strain Hello All, Just got back from a trip to Colorado and while visiting one of my favorite brewpubs I acquired about 50 ml of yeast slurry that I am trying to get some more info on. The strain is described by the Brewmaster as "Ringwood" and he also referred to it as "1187". I looked it up in Fixs' Analysis of Brewing Techniques and it mentioned Food Research Institute's Norwich NCYC 1187 and also gave an unnumbered Wyeast strain. After exhaustive research on the Internet trying to find more info on this strain, I have drawn a blank. I plan on plating, storing, and using the yeast regardless, but wanted to at least try and pinpoint it's origin and as much info as I can. I keep pretty detailed records of my yeast bank (call me anal!). Any leads or info would be appreciated. Thanks, Marc Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 11:53:45 EST From: The THP <TheTHP at aol.com> Subject: Practical Units (Phil WIlcox) I'd like to thank Al K for posting that 2.4 grams of refined Irish Moss is a level TEAspoon! How practical! I don't have chemists balance, and I don't expect to ever shell out the $150 bucks for one either. But I do expect Ill get back into worrying about mineral content after the 1/2 bbl brewery is functional. I stopped worrying about it because measuring was a real PITA! It would be great to know how much a quarter TEAspoon of all the pertinent brewing salts weighted. I realize that humidity makes using this conversion a little sloppy, but this is home brewing not home fusion. How about it? Thanks to all who helped me gadgetry. I found a not quite local brew shop that I like to frequent who had a mash screen similar to Hartland Homebrew (see ads in BT) for $33! This beat the pants of the $100 pico and $65 sabco screens Ive found! I think id put in more than 40 material and labor if I did that one myself!! Moving brews will probubly get my pump order, (next paycheck) since their prices have come down (105$ for the High temp mdl). I dropped the kegs off at the weld shop on Saturday and returned home to paint the rack. I will be 1/2 bbl brewing by National Homebrew Day!!! Phil Wilcox Poison Frog 1/2 bbl Home Brewery Sec/Treas/Ed of The Sentencing Guide the Monthly newsletter of the Prison City Brewers PS. I am currently Web-less and am having trouble filling content. Anyone who wishing submit articles will be sincerely thanked and sent a copy of their printed article if published. Thanks Ed. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 12:20:12 -0500 From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: Hop addition,impatient meadster,champagne crowns,Irish Moss Brewsters: Thanks to Tidmarsh Major, Herbert Hangofer and Wolfgang Kunze for providing the original German text and translation implying that first wort hopping (FWH) can lead, possibly, to hazy beer. Major ponders over the translation of a word "Kondensationgrad": >higher degree of condensation [coagulation, perhaps?] "Kondensationsgrad" is indeed the "degree of condensation". In Chemistry when a carbon-carbon bond forms this is termed a "condensation reaction". In the early days of organic chemistry ( in Germany no doubt) it is reputed that these reactions gave off "condensation" as by-product water was formed in many of these known at the time. "Kondensationgrad" is another way of saying degree of polymerization or relative molecular weight. This point is ultimately understandable as the higher the molecular weight of a flocculant used in water clarification, the more efficient it is. You can picture it as a larger volume being swept out by the higher molecular weight (longer) flocculant (polyphenol) and therefore able to contact and remove more haze forming molecules. - --------------------------------------------- Charlie Burke says: >Unfortunately, much patience is required of the meadmaker... Not if you read what I read. There is no reason that mead should be so slow to ferment except that the lack of buffers and nutrients in the honey, compared to wort or grape juice, allows the pH to fall drastically as acids are naturally produced by the fermentation and the yeast cannot operate well at such a low pH. By adding nutrients and adjusting the pH during the fermentation, mead can be finished in a couple of weeks. Check out the mead digest for details. - ----------------------------------------------- Ed Basgall asks: > does any one have a source for >the large Champagne bottle sized 29mm crown caps? Try Shirley at Country Wines in Pittsburgh. PA 412-366-0151 fone or 9809 for fax. No affiliation, just a happy customer. Say HI for me. - ----------------------------------------------- AlK determined that the correct amount of Irish Moss refined flakes was around a teaspoon or less depending on the OG based on George Fix's earlier work , recommendations from suppliers and his own work and says: >I wish I had my copy of Dr. Fix's new book here... In Dr. Fix's newest book he recommends a tablespoon. When I suggested that this might be a mis-print here in HBD and that he had intended to say a teaspoon, he commented to me privately that he did in fact mean a tablespoon. No explanation as to why the discrepancy with his past work and recommendation of the industry. - ------------------------------------------------ Keep on brewin' Dave Burley Kinnelon, NJ 07405 103164.3202 at compuserve.com Dave_Burley at compuserve.com Voice e-mail OK Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 11:55:35 -0600 From: Vachom <MVachow at newman.k12.la.us> Subject: 2/21 Jim Anderson "Wasatch" and 2/23 davisrm "Plastic Primary" Jim Anderson's mention of Wasatch beers provided a nostalgia blast: About ten years ago now, much to my parents' chagrin, I ski-bummed in Park City for a year . One of the guys who shared our rented house up on Parley's Summit worked at the brewery, and I worked there on occasion too when they needed an extra hand. As the temp flunkie, my job was invariably label quality control (de-gumming the gluer) or general lugging, but I enjoyed every second of it. The people at the brewery (a metal pole barn out near the high school) then were some excellent folks; the brewmaster remains a kind of hero to me: an awesome telemark skier who learned brewing and white water raft guiding in order to live a meaningful life in this idyllic location. Too lazy and unimaginative to create a reason to remain in Park City, I worked restaurant jobs until the disparity between the awesome scenery and my guilt over my rotting brain mocked me out of town. Perhaps a strong contributor to my lack of ambition was the keg of excellent Wasatch beer that sat on the porch year-round. Part of the wacky Mormon liquor laws of the time forced brewers to date and sell batches inside of a time frame. Instead of dumping the kegs (the horror!) the brewery frequently gave them to employees. And so it was, after a long day of slinging hash in the morning and skiiing all afternoon, that we had a virtually endless supply of Wasatch's chocolately porter or gingery Xmas brew or signature pale ale. It seemed to me that the lower level of alcohol of the beer was made up by the fact that we were at or about 6,000 feet all the time. About davisrm's "platic primary" post 2/23. I too have a plastic primary bucket that's been through many batches--about 15 at present. But I know that it needs replacing. Food grade plastic is porous and no amount of scrubbing and bleaching will make it "clean." Sometimes I think that this might be a good thing--in the same way that a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or wok is better than any teflon, calphalon, whatever cookware. But more frequently, I'm guessing that the Cascade flavor of my last dry-hopped IPA is going to find it's way into the Oktoberfest. Plastic buckets are cheap; I think I'll replace mine soon. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 98 14:36:13 -0500 From: "Michael K. Cinibulk" <cinibumk at ml.wpafb.af.mil> Subject: Water Heater Burner In the past many HBDers have mentioned using a burner from a gas water heater for brewing purposes. I am interested in creating a cooker out of such a burner since my I just replaced my old water heater. It looks ideally suited. Any web sites showing one of these creations or, better yet, instructions on building one? Mike Cinibulk Bellbrook, Ohio cinibumk at ml.wpafb.af.m O Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 15:06:01 -0500 From: "Reed,Randy" <rreed at foxboro.com> Subject: Call for Entries and Judges South Shore Brewoff Homebrew Competition Dedicated to Quality Feedback The third annual South Shore Brewoff will be held about an hour south of Boston, in Cranston RI, just off Interstate 95. The deadline for entries is March 21st, and the actual event will be March 28th. We expect a significant increase in entries due to an increase in convenient drop off points. Great food and a thank you gift will be given to those who pre-register and work the event. The goal of the competition is to provide amateur brewers with quality objective feedback on their efforts. Our club has a number of national, certified, and recognized BJCP judges among our ranks, but we need assistance from other clubs to get all the judging done. Please consider entering and/or judging our event. All drop off points are stocked with entry forms: Witches Brew - Foxboro, MA Boston Brewin' - Beverly, MA Northeast Brewers Supply - Providence, RI Pawtucket Homebrewing Supply - Pawtucket, RI Hoppy Brewer - Seekonk, MA 02771 Barley Malt & Vine - Newton, MA 02161 Narragansett Homebrew Supply - Wakefield, RI 02879 Brew Horizons - Coventry, RI 02816 The Modern Brewer - Cambridge, MA 02140 The Vineyard - Upton, MA 01568 Interested in judging or stewarding? Contact Stephen Rose at 508- 821-4152 for entry forms. Only pre-registered staff can attend. Any questions about the competition regulation, procedures, awards, etc., should be answered by the entry forms or can be directed to: Glenn Markel 508-226-3249 or (GRMARKEL at aol.com) Randy Reed 781-341-8170 (RREED at Foxboro.com) Hope to see you there! Return to table of contents
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