HOMEBREW Digest #2688 Wed 15 April 1998

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
  Jethro's Bonehead Mistake! ("Rob Moline")
  Stone the Flaming Crows! Another Bonehead Error! ("Rob Moline")
  CO2 concentrations (Marc Dutro)
  Fridge (duddles)
  Grolsch bottles ("Buchanan, Robert")
  RE: Easter Bunny, SPAM (haafbrau1)
  Redhook Clone Recipies (RobertS735)
  Grolsch Bottles ("Rosenzweig,Steve")
  Re: CO2 intoxication ("Philip J Wilcox")
  Grain Transition (Paul Ward)
  Heat and  skunkiness (michael rose)
  Al vs Cu ("David R. Burley")
  Warning!!: Wyeast 1007 ("Robert D. Dittmar")
  BT/Trader Joe's/Judge Digest ("RANDY ERICKSON")
  CO2, Janitors, Homebrew stores (Headduck)
  spam, CO2 (Samuel Mize)
  Aluminum Tubing for Jockey Boxes, etc. (John Palmer)
  Re:  Jethro's Barleywine ("Brian Rezac")
  Hefeweizen benefits new mom ("Thor")
  pitching rates, Gott ("Bryan L. Gros")
  aerator/hop bags (Al Korzonas)
  RE: time weighs heavy (John Wilkinson)
  Sanke Keg Kegging System (Clint Thessen)

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 22:03:36 -0500 From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at ames.net> Subject: Jethro's Bonehead Mistake! Big Brew 98 Hops >From: Fred Johnson <FLJohnson at worldnet.att.net> >Subject: Big 12 Barleywine > I was flabbergasted (look >that one up) when I read the 35 IBUs in Rob's original recipe. This >was the target and the outcome from the Siebel analysis. Fred, I know you must realize that there is always an explanation for confusing data in brewer's notes...and in the case the answer is indeed, very simple...Jethro made a bonehead mistake again! As I had noted to the Digest, I cranked the numbers on paper, and had Steve crank them on the speadsheet "Brewer's Calculator." Some years after the fact, when I recranked the numbers for a hardcopy for Fal Allen's book on BW's, in order to deliver it to him at GABF last year, the number was 63 IBU's. Maybe it was the 35 beers (or was it 63?) I drank before writing the conflicting info that got me into trouble, as after I read my post in the Digest, I did a Homer, went "DOH!," and realized my error. Of course the range is 50 to 100 IBU's, and our target at that time, as is my practice whenever I look to a new recipe to hit the middle of the range. The Siebel info is accurately reproduced from their report. Which brings up another subject. When we cracked that last bottle of the original batch at Siebel with some students and a few instructors, and with the lab report in hand, I commented to one of the instructors on a statement by one of the other instructors that (paraphrased) "hops diminish over time, even in the package." This didn't make sense to me, for after all, where could they go? Lyn Kruger was equally sure that once the package was sealed, the numbers would remain the same, even years later, though, while sensory analysis would alter over time, for a variety of reasons....lab analysis would remain steady. Any thoughts? Anyhoo, back to Fred's questions, beyond that fact that Jethro's been a bonehead on this one, I can only say that while the original hop calc sheet is no longer in my possession, the AA%'s were calculated for Fal according to records of hop inventory AA%'s that were in stock at LABCO at that time. I apologize to those of you who may have been disappointed by my lack of record keeping....believe me when I say that the original hop sheet was not the only document I lost in the move from Kansas. I can tell you that I am not really surprised to know that numbers on paper and actuals from an analysis aren't close. In fact the only ones that seem to be reasonably close are the ones from my hydrometer, (15$ from Crosby and Baker, part of a set of 3) and the calc's Siebel made on Original Extract. This brew filled the mash tun to the lip of the top mounted manway. We couldn't have put another pound of malt in. When I called the consultant for the previous brewers to order an airstone, and commented on it to him he said, "It won't work, the tun won't hold it." Same with the amount of hop pellets. This is the brew that taught me to rig a set of "T's" on the inboard and outboard sides of the Heat Exchanger, with a set of butterfly valves for all heavily hopped beers. Invariably the H.E. would clog with trub, and rather than breaking down and cleaning the H.E. in the middle of the chill, (as I did on the original batch) I was now able to isolate the H.E., backflush with city H2O, and then flush the H2O out with wort, before re-initiating the chilled wort flow to the fermenter. As for my mistake, I know that Al Korzonas will be shocked to learn that another error has been made in written communications! Sorry for dropping the ball on this one. ...I do know that if you follow the recipe that Brian has posted, you will be drinking a fine brew in 4 months or so.....the only reason for my posting of more details was just that...to give more details for those that might be curious....to be blunt, I thought those details were such minutiae as Fermcap, Break Bright, Yeastex, DryFine usage and the such....the hops didn't enter my mind.... sorry... Jethro Bonehead Gump Rob Moline Court Avenue Brewing Company, Des Moines, Iowa. brewer at ames.net "The More I Know About Beer, The More I Realize I Need To Know More About Beer!" Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 22:33:43 -0500 From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at ames.net> Subject: Stone the Flaming Crows! Another Bonehead Error! Stone the Flaming Crows! Another Bonehead Error! My apologies to the Eastern Suburbs Brewers of Sydney. I mistakely attributed support and score sheets to the Northern Suburbs Brewers. While I hear that they are a good mob, they were not the blokes intended in my error laden message! Jethro Bonehead Gump Rob Moline Court Avenue Brewing Company, Des Moines, Iowa. brewer at ames.net "The More I Know About Beer, The More I Realize I Need To Know More About Beer!" Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 07:24:19 -0400 From: Marc Dutro <mdutro at asacomp.com> Subject: CO2 concentrations Okay, let's try to resolve this thread once and for all. CO2, unlike CO (carbon monoxide), is not really harmful to the body if released into the atmosphere. CO2 doesn't have a very high affinity for hemaglobin, the oxygen carrying component of the blood, compared to oxygen. That is why when we breath the CO2 is released from the hemaglobin and O2 is absorbed. On the other hand, CO has a very high affinity for hemaglobin and if present in sufficient quantities will displace O2 in the hemaglobin, causing asypixiation. CO2 is used for many different procedures in the medical field without ill effects. I would say unless you are stuck in a small, airtight room with a large leaking canister, you have nothing to fear. So don't worry, have a homebrew. :) Marc Dutro, RN Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 08:02:39 -0400 From: duddles at Imbecile.kzoo.edu Subject: Fridge >Dear Brewing brethren, >I've recently acquired a second-hand (possibly third-hand, it's >kinda old), Brew Fridge which I keep in the garage. It's a >Kelvinator Mod# TPK190SN2W.... I have a couple of concerns and >since there a couple of refrigeration brewers out there, I thought I >would seek advise. >First, in the winter months the freezer does not freeze. >Second, it seems to "turn on" too often in these warmer days. >It appears that the thermostat is exposed to exterior temps. Does >anyone have a clue as to where the thermostat would be exposed >to outside the fridge? Am I off? Is it something else? Any ideas >where I might be able to find a schematic? I've tried to contact the >company via email without success. >Omar Caballero - Aurora, IL Hi Omar, You didn't mention where your refrigerator is located, but I would guess by your description that it is located in an unheated space. If this is the case, the refrigerator cabinet temperature may remain at or below setpoint without the compressor ever needing to run during winter months. Many refrigerators don't directly control freezer temperature. Freezer temperature will vary, dependant on how often and how long the compressor must run in order to maintain refrigerator cabinet temperature. Others control freezer temperature directly and the refrigerator cabinet temperature will vary, dependant on how often the compressor must run in order to maintain freezer temperature. Other devices such as fans, air shutters, heaters or additional temperature controllers may be used in frost-free models. Older refrigerators often used spun fiberglass or rock wool for insulation. Either type of insulation is susceptible to moisture problems. Water from condensation becomes trapped in the fibers, reducing their ability to insulate. This may be the cause of frequent, or extended compressor run times during the summer months. It is also possible that the compressor is just nearly worn out and must run longer than normal to cool the cabinet. There are far too many different fridge models out there for me to know the specifics for yours, but it is usually not to difficult to trace the bulb location. The controller is usually directly connected to the knob where you adjust the cabinet (or freezer) temperature. Remove whatever trim or panel pieces necessary to gain access to the controller and follow its capillary tube from the controller to the sensing bulb on end. This will be where the temperature is sensed. Please Note: It is not a good idea to run a refrigerator in a location where the ambient air temperature is lower than the temperature control setpoint. Liquid refrigerant will accumulate in the coolest part of the refrigeration system. If the coolest part of the system happens to be where the compressor is located, liquid refrigerant will pool in the compressor crankcase and dilute the lubricating oil. The crankcase pressure will drop rapidly when the compressor starts, causing the liquid refrigerant to flash into a vapor, carrying the oil with it, out of the compressor and into the rest of the system. This can leave the compressor without lubricating oil, sometimes for several minutes. In an extreme case, the compressor may try to compress a slug of liquid refrigerant and oil, which will destroy the compressor instantly, If you must use a refrigerator in a cold ambient location a crankcase heater can be purchased and installed onto the compressor. These work by warming the compressor crankcase enough to keep the refrigerant inside from condensing into a liquid. Hope this helps! Forrest Duddles - FridgeGuy in Kalamazoo fridge at Imbecile.kzoo.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 08:40:44 -0400 From: "Buchanan, Robert" <RBuchanan at ChristianaCare.org> Subject: Grolsch bottles Dave Mundo asks Has anyone used Grolsch bottles for bottling? Does the swing-top cap allow for sufficient carbonation? How 'bout cleaning the swing-top? Any and all tips are welcome. I've used Grolsch bottles for years and have had no problems. Carbonation is fine and bottling is very convenient, just prime,fill and swing. Depending on how old your bottles are you might consider replacing the gaskets. If they are hard or dry, replace them. Your local homebrew shop should carry replacement gaskets. If the tops are porcelain a good soak in bleach will be sufficient for sanitizing. PLastic will hold up also but your repeat usage could vary. I have not experienced any degradetion of the plastic with bleach soakings and some of my bottles are over 5 years. Don't soak the gaskets, remove them and sanitize with Iodophor or other non-chlorine sanitizer. Good luck Dave and happy bottling. Bob Buchanan Give a man a beer and he wastes an hour. Teach a man to brew and he wastes a lifetime. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 08:47:35 -0400 From: haafbrau1 at juno.com Subject: RE: Easter Bunny, SPAM Grolsh bottles carbonate just fine. A toothbrush or bottle brush for cleaning works, and for sanitizing, I remove the wire hanger at the bottle and either boil or iodaphor. Hope this helps. As to SPAM, $h!t happens, lay off Pat and Karl. Considering what we pay for this esteemed periodical, don't complain about a few isolated incidents unless you are willing to put your own time in to make things run perfect. Pat and Karl are doing an excellant job, and if they occasionally have a life outside of HBD, all the power to them. By the way, the same page down that works for threads and topics of no particular interest to someone, also work on spam. Getting back to beer, I have been told by a Penn State brewster that letting a keg go back to room temp for awhile after chilling is not harmful to its contents. Paul Haaf 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: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 09:34:15 EDT From: RobertS735 <RobertS735 at aol.com> Subject: Redhook Clone Recipies Last week I posted an inquiry concerning a recipie for Redhook ESB. I received several good answers and condense and post here for the digest. Editing is all mine:: from Jason Henning <huskers olywa net> "My profile sheet says it's two-row Klages and 60L crystal. Hopped with Willamette and Tettnang. 32 IBUs. Sorry, no ratios on grain or a hop schedule. For the yeast, get a bottle of Hefe-weizen or Rye-hook, both are unfiltered and you can culture it up. Grant said: "You asked about cloning Redhook ESB. Their yeast is, according to them, proprietary. They do bottle their Hefeweizen unpasteurized with the primary yeast, so you should be able to culture from a reasonably fresh bottle. Wyeast 1272, American Ale II would also be a pretty good choice for a similar yeast. They use pale malt and 60 L crystal in the grist, about 10% crystal if I remember rightly from a tour a couple of years ago. Hops are Tettnanger and Fuggles, they're coy about the timing and amounts of the additions (or our tour guide just didn't know). -Grant Neue Des Moines Hausbrauerei Des Moines, Washington" and from Mary Lou. "In response to your HBD post, the brew store where I buy my supplies has a recipe book with Redhook ESB. 2 oz Willamette 60 min 1/2 oz Tettnanger 15 min 1/2 oz Tettnanger finish 0-2 minutes 1st choice of yeast Wyeast #1028 London 2nd choice Wyeast #1098 The ESB recipe is an extract recipe- 7-1/2 # Briess Gold 1# crystal 60L malt 2 oz black barley (roast) 1/2 # flaked wheat or barley good luck! marylou" I plan to make an all-grain of this and will let you all know what the outcome is... Thanks again to all. Bob Houston Beer worth brewing is beer worth drinking.... Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 06:42:26 PDT From: "Rosenzweig,Steve" <Steve_Rosenzweig at wb.xerox.com> Subject: Grolsch Bottles In HBD 2687 Dave Mundo wants some advice on using Grolsch bottles: I have been using grolsch bottles, both green and brown, for several years as well as the larger Fischer d'Alsace bottles (22 oz). SOP is to clean normally as any other bottle, but first to remove the wire swing tops. Inspect the rubber gaskets and replace if they seem worn or cracked - a local or mail order HB shop should be able to help you out - buy a bunch - they are fairly cheap and will last for several uses before you need to replace them again. Overall they may cost a bit more than overrun caps, but make a better presentation when that matters. I sanitize my bottles in the dishwasher just prior to bottling, and boil the swing tops, gaskets and all for about 5 minutes, as I would caps. As I fill the bottles, I place a top on the bottle and set it aside, as I would a cap - then when all are done, I go through and pop the wire into place and close the top. I've never noticed any problems with carbonation using these type bottles. They also are of particular use if you are saving yeast slurry from batch to batch. You can sanitize the bottle to store the yeast, and bleed off any excess pressure every few days rather than attach an airlock. Stephen in Ontario NY SNPA clone on deck Koelsch in Primary Roasted Dunkel in 2ndary PrePro Lager in 2ndary Pils on tap^H^H^H^H^H^H killed . . . sniff . . . . Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 09:56:40 -0400 From: "Philip J Wilcox"<pjwilcox at cmsenergy.com> Subject: Re: CO2 intoxication From: Philip J Wilcox at CMS on 04/14/98 09:56 AM In HBD 2687 Brad Johnson writes about:"You could replicate the experience to a small degree by taking a full breath from an actively fermenting carboy - but I wouldn't recommend it." I recently experienced this effect. For all of you kegging folks out there its quite easy. Most of us when we initially tap a keg do so with a pitcher to remove all the yeast gunk in the first pint or so. Mine is also usually overcarbonated also. After letting the head settle to where I thought I could keep the suds off my face I took a swig out of the side of the pitcher. In doing so, I raised the pitcher to my lips, tilted and took a breath through my nose. Bad Move! I got no O2, I gagged, sloshed foam in my face and beer down my front and had to endure my friends hilarious laughter behind me. "You could replicate the experience ...but I wouldn't recommend it." Phil Wilcox Poison Frog Home Brewery Prison City Brewers "I Love my new 2-tier system, except for that gonging noise it make when my wife hits it with the Volkswagen!"-- ala Pat Babcock. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 10:30:26 -0400 (EDT) From: Paul Ward <paulw at doc.state.vt.us> Subject: Grain Transition After a couple of years quite happily brewing from extracts (and learning all I could), I experimented with partial-mash breing this past weekend for teh first time. A friend gave me a square sided four gallon HDPE container and lid that sliced apples (for pie filling) had been shipped in. Obviously food grade. I used a spade bit to bore a hole through one side and mounted the spigot from my bottling bucket there. The hole was probably 1/2" too high, but close enough for experimental stuff. I then bought a plastic thingy that's supposed to mend garden hoses, female threaded to fit an outside spigot - threads matched perfectly to my spigot. I soaked this connector in VERY hos (but not boiling) water - no oil slicks, aromas or tastes leached out. The adapter cost about $1.50 U.S. I bought this at Wal-Mart, along with a stainless kitchen 'splatter screen' which cost $2.98 U.S. and a stainless hose clamp for about half a buck. My total investment to make an ezmasher was under five dollars. I bought 5 pounds of generic 'pale ale' malt and crushed it along with 8 oz. of 40L crystal and 4 oz. black patent (which looks much more like chocolate than bp). I figured this to be a pretty good grist to try this mashing stuff. I put 6 qts of 'hot' water in my tun and added the grain. Water wasn't hot enough and the mash stabilized at 140 F. I wrapped a large towel around the tun while a brought 2 gallons of water to a boil. The mash stayed at 140F for about 15 minutes. I added the boiling water a little at a time until the average temp was around 156F (about another 5 qts of water - rather thin mash). I recovered the tun with the towel and let it rest for an hour. Not being one to follow established procedure before changing variables, I decided to try something I hadn't heard of before (probably for good reason). I put about 2 gallons of water on the stove on the 'low' setting. I rested my large strainer in the water and added 4 oz. crushed bp, and raised the temp to 150F, where I held it for 1/2 hour. I have no idea what my water profile is, and no papers or equipment to test my PH, but I figured it wouldn't hurt anything to acidify my sparge water this way, and the bp steep wasn't different from what I had been doing with specialy grains in the past, so what the heck. I removed the gains and raised the temp to exactly 170F when I began sparging. After the 1 hour mash, the temp in my tun was still at 150F - 152F, so I figured I was golden. No iodine to test conversion, but pale ale malt at this temp for this time should be O.K. My ezmasher worked like a charm. There was nothing to recirculate, my first wort was crystal clear, and it remained that way for the entire sparge (which didn't use all my sparge water). My limiting factor was my kettle size, so I collected 12 quarts of really clear wort. The Specific Gravity of this wort was 1.042. I then added 3.3 lbs. of liquid malt extract and went on from there like I had in the past. Man, this process was slick! Aside from undershooting my original temperature, everything went just the way it was supposed to. Great clear runoff, no stuck sparge, temperatures held ideally. Just lucky my first time out, I guess. A couple of questions: 1) Just how stupid was it to steep some black patent to acidify my sparge? Was there enough grain to really make a PH difference? 2) Why is 170F better for sparging than lower temperatures (say 160F or 150F)? I understand about higher temperatures & starch. 3) Not that it matters at this stage in my learning curve, but how would I figure extraction rates from the given date (6 lbs. assorted grains yielding 12 quarts at 1.042 S.G.)? Now I'm looking at my bottling bucket, the same setup, only a larger volume. I know I could easily put 12 pounds or so of grain in there with the same ezmasher device and do all grain when I'm ready. Pretty slick, so far. Paul in Vermont paulw at doc.state.vt.us - -- According to government height/weight charts, I'm seven and a half feet tall. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 07:55:42 -0700 From: michael rose <mrose at ucr.campus.mci.net> Subject: Heat and skunkiness Alan Edwards writes about Sam Smith clear bottles, >I even bought my last 6 pack of Nut-Brown at a Trader Joes by unboxing >one of their sealed boxes myself, figuring that the light didn't get a >chance to ruin the beer. But it was still slightly skunky also. I >guess >it could have happened on the way home; but I've heard that *heat* >(poor shipping conditions) will also do this to a beer. At Bud school (I'm ashamed to type that) they keep their beer at 100 F for 2 weeks in order to skunk it for the demonstrations. Michael Rose Riverside, CA mrose at ucr.campus.mci.net Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 10:55:49 -0400 From: "David R. Burley" <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: Al vs Cu Brewsters: Dana Edgell asks about the use of aluminum in place of copper tubing. Some basic comments: Copper metal is not soluble in acids, aluminum metal is very soluble in acids. Copper dissolves by a corrosion process in which the copper must be oxidized in some fashion ( say ferrous ion or oxygen and water). Aluminum is protected by an oxide layer which allows it to be fairly resistant to acidic solutions, but to suffer in contact with strongly alkaline solutions. Copper is a better conductor than aluminum and both are much better than stainless steel. The most important thing you can do to prevent excessive dissolution of either metal is to keep them separate from other metals to prevent a battery effect in an electrolyte like wort. However, the short contact time for cooling ( 15 min to 30 minutes) and if you wash the tubing well and keep it dry, you should not have a significant problem with either metal. I know copper in excess can produce a haze by reacting with components in the wort and eventually, I guess, if the haze goes away the copper is removed. I do not know about aluminum ions at the pH of beer, but in water treating they are useful as flocculants, since these hydrated aluminum oxides/hydorxides carry down other solid components in the water to clarify it. As the pH drops these are soluble and not effective at pH's below 5 or so, as I recall, so I expect the aluminum ions to stay in solution. In excess they would be bitter tasting as anyone who has tasted alum knows. ( Although the sulfate may also play a part in the bitterness) A small amount of copper is needed for yeast metabolism, but excessive amounts can be harmful. Aluminum is of no consequence to yeast as far as I know. I have used copper tubing for years for cooling and find it to work well. Breweries historically used copper and brass, but there is apparently some regulation floating around ( or about to or was and is gone) to replace valves and such which imparted too high a copper content to the wort. Whether or not this was a marketing ploy by the SS valve makers I don't know, but it didn't seem to be a high priority. In summary, I'd use copper for this service, but I doubt if you'd regret aluminum if it has some other advantage to you. - ---------------------------------------- Congratulations to Andy Walsh for a great article in BT on mis-identification in the US and Australia of "noble" hops and thanks for giving HBDers a "heads up" on the subject some months ago. A similar problem with mis-identification infects the grape world also and many vines in the US have been incorrectly labelled in the past. Also, often the origin of the grapes ( and perhaps the hops) has many clones in the same fields which often build complexity. In the US and Australia, often a single clone exists in the field since it was selected for things like productivity, etc.and offers less of a complexity and more of a sensitivity to external forces like disease and weather. Perhaps the severity of the current mildew problem in the hops growing areas in the US is a result of such a monoclone practice. 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: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 11:10:03 -0500 From: "Robert D. Dittmar" <Robert.D.Dittmar at stls.frb.org> Subject: Warning!!: Wyeast 1007 I was interested to see mention of Wyeast 1007 in today's (April 14) HBD as a suggestion for use in brewing a pseudo-Octoberfest beer. Although I have never tried to brew pseudo-lagers with it, I have had some very recent experience with this strain. I just brewed my inaugural batch at my new home on Sunday and pitched a pint of 1007 starter into a medium-to-low gravity wort. (It's going to end up a Strawberry Wheat). This is the first time I have used this strain. Coming home from work Monday afternoon, I found that the krausen had blown the top off my 6.5 gallon plastic primary, and had overflowed the airlock. I replaced the old cover with a clean cover and clean airlock, and woke up Tuesday morning to find that once again krausen had flowed up through the airlock and out the top all over the lid of the primary. I can only hope that the beast has been tamed and that I won't find any further messes at home this afternoon. I certainly don't post this to discourage the use of 1007. In fact, I was actually happy to see such a vigorous fermentation after pitching such a small quantity of starter. I just wanted to caution the original poster to expect some fireworks if he sets these monsters loose on some high-gravity Octoberfest wort. By the way, does anyone know the pedigree of this strain? The Wyeast fact sheet doesn't give the origin of this yeast. Rob Dittmar St. Louis, MO Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 09:17:34 -0700 From: "RANDY ERICKSON" <RANDYE at mid.org> Subject: BT/Trader Joe's/Judge Digest Cheers to Deb Jolda of Brewing Techniques for acknowledging recent criticisms of the magazine and for responding here with concern, respect and class. Not once did she disparage the critics nor did she blame the previous editor (or some staffer, or the dog, etc.). I've only been reading BT for a short while, but I really like what I see (and can't wait for my subscription to start with the next issue). **************************************************************************** Alan Edwards faults Sam Smith's for the use of clear glass bottles citing his recent experience with still-boxed bottles he bought at Trader Joe's (A chain of stores that is an odd mix of gourmet shop/supermarket warehouse store, most of which are in California). They don't brag about it like they used to 10 years ago or so, but TJ's buys a lot of close-outs and one-of-a-kind items, or just things that they get good deals on. Many times, they buy 10,000 cases or so, and when they're gone, they sell something else. I have bought a lot of beer at TJ's, and much of it has been in pretty poor condition. Even beers that I knew to be good when purchased elsewhere. I have long suspected that TJ's buys old stock, beer that's been in storage in the heat, or maybe even beer that has been rejected by others, as dictated by price. ****************************************************************** Is it just me, or did the Judge Digest cease to exist a couple weeks ago (right after one of Bill Giffen's posts)? Cheers, Randy in Modesto Stanislaus Hoppy Cappers http://www.jps.net/randye/ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 12:35:51 EDT From: Headduck <Headduck at aol.com> Subject: CO2, Janitors, Homebrew stores Kenneth Sullivan writes about CO2: I am looking for a CO2 gas detector which will alarm if the CO2 levels become too high. I have a closed basement room where I will brewing, using an electric RIMS and a NG boiling burner.<snip> Pointers anyone?? Have you thought of getting a canary, Kenneth? ;-) Ken also writes: Comeon guys, are you asleep at the wheel? What the hell is > the deal with > this spam crap making it past the janitors? Hope this won't > be a trend. Lighten up Ken. I have been reading hbd for some time now and have seen very little spam. I think that the janitors are doing a helluva good job for what must be a fairly thankless job. Keep up the good work, guys!! On the brewing supplies subject, I am the guy that wrote several weeks ago raving about it being a privilege to have a local brewstore and how we should be glad to pay a bit more to have one... Ironically my local brewstore is going out of business. Not due to lack of patronage from me, I assure you. I am thinking of organizing a local buyer's club to take advantage of bulk pricing. Have any of you tried this. Are there wholesalers that will work with clubs? Any information would be helpful. tia, Joe Yoder Lawrence, KS Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 11:30:40 -0500 (CDT) From: Samuel Mize <smize at prime.imagin.net> Subject: spam, CO2 Greetings, > Comeon guys, are you asleep at the wheel? What the hell is the deal with > this spam crap making it past the janitors? Hope this won't be a trend. Where I come from, there's a word for a complaint like this: "volunteering." - - - - - > 3) Complain to your Congressperson and get laws passed > allowing users to do evil things to those who post SPAM! Check out the CAUCE web site (http://www.cauce.org/) -- then make your own decision, of course -- but DON'T just write asking for "something to be done" about spam. Some of the proposals are intrusive. Others, under the guise of regulating spam, would provide the spammers a legal fig-leaf to hide behind and legitimize their theft of services. - - - - - > From a medical perspective, CO2 is indeed very harmful, and even > life-threatening. ... Re-breathing CO2 has a > dramatic effect of the human body ... <soapbox> Now, I thought that CO2 had bad effects, and controlled respiration, but I wasn't sure, SO I KEPT MY FAT MOUTH SHUT. Please, when someone asks about safety, don't say something is safe (or "probably safe") unless you know definitely that it IS. </soapbox> Also, when reading advice -- ANY advice, but especially safety advice -- watch out for comments that look like they are saying "I know that there are no X," but really just say "I don't know of any X." Best, Sam Mize - Samuel Mize -- smize at imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada Multi-part MIME message: " ", " ", " " (hands waving) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 09:50:31 -0700 From: John Palmer <jjpalmer at gte.net> Subject: Aluminum Tubing for Jockey Boxes, etc. Dana asked how aluminum tubing would react with finished beer in a jockey box. By itself, it would not be too bad. Look at all those aluminum beer cans. The devil is in the details. Aluminum is very reactive when attached to other metals. If you connected it to any brass or stainless fittings, you would set up a battery that would result in aluminum ions being released into the beer. Your beer would begin to taste metallic. This aluminum would NOT be a health concern, merely taste. You get lots more aluminum out of a Rolaids tablet comparatively. Also, you cannot use caustic cleaners with aluminum unless the aluminum is anodized, and it is very difficult to anodize the inside of a tube, you have to drag an electrode along the length. It would cost. However, details aside, I think it would work well for intermittant use, say, an afternoon party. Its not something that you would leave hooked up for a week. You would want to clean it thoroughly with hot water and mild dish detergent between uses, but as long as you dont use any caustics or acids, it should work fine and not cause any off-flavors. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 11:24:56 -0600 From: "Brian Rezac" <brian at aob.org> Subject: Re: Jethro's Barleywine Dave Draper, referring to Rob Moline's Big 12 Barley Wine, wrote: > It's no understatement to say that it's the best BW I have had yet. > Quite fitting for the Big Brew event. Those were my thoughts exactly when we were deciding what recipe to use for Big Brew's inaugural batch. In addition, a good part of the decision to feature Rob's recipe had to do with Rob, himself. He is one of the most pro-homebrewing professional brewers that I have ever met. He is always going out of his way to help homebrewers whatever way he can. Thanks, Dave, for recognizing Rob. And thanks, Rob, for letting the homebrewing community have access to such a great recipe. Brian Rezac American Homebrewers Association brian at aob.org http:/beertown.org Big Brew '98 E Pluribus (Br)Unum! - {From Many, One (Brew)!} Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 10:55:29 +0000 From: "Thor" <thor at valhallabrewing.com> Subject: Hefeweizen benefits new mom Here is a reprint of an article I wrote for our local brew club newsletter. I thought it might be of interest to the digest. Hefeweizen helps nursing mom express milk I'm sure this sounds like a belated April fools joke but its not. Just last month my wife and I had a baby daughter. My wife had been feeling under the weather with a cold and had a long labor (50+ hours) and became quite dehydrated and stressed. After 5 days of drinking fluids and taking it easy, we became concerned that her milk hadn't come in. After consulting the doctor and nurses, we increased her drinking of water to over a gallon a day but to no avail. Finally, a friend suggested that yeast can help stimulate the production of milk. Rather than buy yeast and drink it, she suggested a beer would do the trick. Being a homebrewer and beer enthusiasts, I suggested a beer with a lot of yeast, say a hefeweizen should do the trick if their was any validity to the claim. As it turns out, if worked immediately. The best beer thus far is Widmer Hefeweizen from a tap followed by the same in bottles followed by Pyramid Hefeweizen in bottles. If you want to ask what the science behind it is, I have no real idea, only guesses. It could be that the vitamins in the yeast are more readably accessible to the body than the pill form. It could be something funny with the yeast byproducts. In any case, only one bottle of beer was necessary so don't get your hopes up of using it as an excuse to finish off the keg after the pregnancy is over. I'm sure that over indulgence would be equally bad for breast milk as well. THOR (For the original article and the rest of the newsletter, feel free to read it if you would like at the sig below. It appears on the front page and is called the Draught Notice, April 98) - ----------------------------------------------------------- Thor's Stainless brewery at http://www.valhallabrewing.com/ AHA club The Draught Board Homebrew Club at http://www.valhallabrewing.com/dboard/index.htm Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 11:05:10 -0700 From: "Bryan L. Gros" <gros at bigfoot.com> Subject: pitching rates, Gott smurman at best.com wrote in HBD#2687: >Subject: Oregon Pale Ale experiment > >Just read about the Oregon Pale Ale experiment in the latest HBD, err >BT. One tidbit that caught my attention was the the Wild Duck brewery >was only using a 15 minute mash time, yet still hit the same gravity >and attenuation as the other brewers. Keep in mind though, that this >is a commercial brewery, and their dough-in probably takes close to 1 >hour. They also had a 30 min. recirculation period, which was about >twice the average of the other brewers. One other interesting tidbit is the pitching rates listed. One put pitched (I think) 1 gallon of yeast in 15 bbl. Other pubs went up to almost a gallon per barrel. Big variation. As a homebrewer, I think underpitching is a big problem. Even working hard on a starter, I don't seem to get anywhere near the amount of yeast I would like to have. Especially for lagers. *************** jwilkins at wss.dsccc.com (John Wilkinson) wrote: >Subject: Gott/Igloo > >Al K says the Igloo cooler will not stand up to mash temps but that has not >been my experience. I have been using one for a couple of years and have >noticed no problem. I have been using a 5 gal Gott for three or four years as a hot liquor tank. I generally fill it up with boiling water for the sparge. (The water is about 185F but the time the cooler is full, and that water helps keep the sparge 165-170 over the hour.) I have noticed my cooler getting warped on the inside over the last six months or so. Still useable, but I assume one day I'll need to replace it. That will be okay since they now have the 7 gallon coolers. - Bryan Bryan Gros gros at bigfoot.com Oakland, CA Visit the new Draught Board homebrew website: http://www.valhallabrewing.com/~thor/dboard/index.htm Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 13:04:52 -0500 (CDT) From: Al Korzonas <korz at xnet.com> Subject: aerator/hop bags Bob writes: In the July/August '93 issue of BT, Roy Paris offers a refinement of the aerator setup previously presented by Dave Miller (BT, May/June '93). If anyone decides to take a look at these articles, can you offer any advice or critiques? If the refinement is the addition of a jar of hydrogen peroxide inline between the pump and the carboy, then this *WON'T* work. Bubbling air (or oxygen) through a sanitising liquid does *NOT* sanitise the gas. Any yeast, molds, bacteria or their spores that are in the air/oxygen will simply ride up inside the bubbles out of harms way. The gas only touches the sanitiser *at* the wall of the bubble! If you want to remove life from your air/oxygen (actually, only spores will live in pure oxygen, I think) then get a 0.2 micron disk filter (Heartland Hydroponics and Brewer's Resource have them, I know) and put that in-line. The inline carbon filter mentioned in BT might have some benefit... I'm not sure. *** I'm sure you all already know that Bill's suggestion that somehow the hop bags I used "held back" all the aroma in the hops is absurd, but I thought I should comment on it anyway. I'm well aware of the decreased hop utilisation when using hop bags (I believe that I first suggested this in HBD back around 1988 or 89) and so I account for it in my calculations. In my new system (see my website), I only use hop bags for pellets because they clog the screens in my kettle. To suggest that hop bags are not necessary or recommended for *every* brewer and *every* brewing system is particularly narrow-minded. I *do* recommend the use of hop bags for both pellets and whole hops when you don't have a drain on your kettle. It makes it much easier to remove the hops prior to running the wort into your fermenter and is an order of magnitude better than using a sieve to remove the hops when pouring the cooled (or *GASP!* hot) wort into the fermenter. Another alternative would be to allow the hops into the fermenter, but that would increase the risk of a clogged airlock/blowoff and would complicate the racking of the finished beer. Al. Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL korz at xnet.com My new website (still under construction, but up-and-running): http://www.brewinfo.com/brewinfo/ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 98 13:17:22 CDT From: jwilkins at wss.dsccc.com (John Wilkinson) Subject: RE: time weighs heavy Ray Estrella, the star of HBD, wrote: >Funny, my beers all get lighter. When I first keg a batch, it weighs about >45 lb. Shortly after tapping I notice that the weight goes down, in 18 oz. >increments. Eventually it weighs nothing, hmmm.......... I think I have noticed the same thing and the lost body ends up on my body. John Wilkinson - Grapevine, Texas - jwilkins at wss.dsccc.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 13:44:57 -0500 From: Clint Thessen <cthessen at mdc.com> Subject: Sanke Keg Kegging System Hi folks, <lurk mode off> I was wondering if anybody has thought seriously about or is actually using a kegging system with sanke kegs. I've pondering the idea for awhile and now I can lay my hands on some sanke kegs real cheap (legally). What are the ins and outs? Any info would be greatly appreciated and private E-Mail would be fine. TIA Clint Thessen E-Mail: clinton.a.thessen at boeing.com Return to table of contents
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