HOMEBREW Digest #2760 Mon 06 July 1998

[Prev HBD] [Index] [Next HBD] [Back]


	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:
  RE: Reusing Yeast from big beers ("Timothy Green")
  Re Snapple Bottles---How about Mayonnaise Jars ("Peter J. Calinski")
  doughing in ("Tidmarsh Major")
  Culturing over a flame. Advice wanted (Jon Bovard)
  Cloying Crystal (Nathan Kanous)
  3/16 I.D. beer line (Michael Rose)
  Enamel Fix ("Scott Church")
  Indoor propane use (fridge)
  Crystal Malts and unfermentables (Fred Johnson)
  Sulfate/Carbonate (AJ)
  Hop combos (michael w bardallis)
  re:Hop Combination (Kevin TenBrink)
  Re: Classic American Pilsner update / Keg Conversion (Scott Abene)
  Re: Teflon burning ("Gregory A. Lorton")
  Amazing Regenerating Hop Rhizomes (Rick Theiner)
  Brew Cams (Scott Abene)
  Plate Chillers (Scott Abene)
  Free To Good Home! (Scott Abene)
  Firkins??? (Scott Abene)
  Re: Water / Al / Abstinence / Gap / FGs (Kyle Druey)
  Re: Mechanical agitation ("John W. Rhymes")
  BW yeast too pooped? (rsda)
  Snapple Bottles (Nathan Kanous)
  co2 oops (michael w bardallis)
  re: skunk smell (Peter.Ward)
  Quarterly Blue Moon Wit Discussion (Kyle Druey)
  fermentation temp. (Tom Barnet)

Have you entered a MCAB qualifier yet? NOTE NEW HOMEBREW ADDRESS: hbd.org Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org (Articles are published in the order they are received.) If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!! To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org. **SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE REQUESTS MUST BE SENT FROM THE E-MAIL **ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!! IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, the autoresponder and the SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE commands will fail! For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to brewery at hbd.org Homebrew Digest Information on the Web: http://hbd.org Requests for back issues will be ignored. Back issues are available via: Anonymous ftp from... ftp://hbd.org/pub/hbd/digests ftp://ftp.stanford.edu/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer AFS users can find it under... /afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer JANITORS on duty: Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen (janitor@hbd.org)
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 14:33:48 -0400 From: "Timothy Green" <TimGreen at ix.netcom.com> Subject: RE: Reusing Yeast from big beers There is something here I don't understand fully, I have made several batches of mead that have had an O.G. of well over 1.068. When I made my next batch, I used the entire yeast cake from the prior batch, hit the must hard with O2, and stood back when the frementation took off! Having done this I was quite surprised by Al K's comments: Al Writes: I agree 100% that one should not re-use yeast that has made a strong beer (1.068 OG is a good rule of thumb, but I don't reuse yeast from 1.060+ OG batches). If there is a problem with reusing the yeast, please explain to me what it is. (I am fairly well versed in chemistry, so if it is needed for the explanation, fire away). My consern is that I have a large ale (O.G. 1.081) just about finished, and I had planned to use the yeast cake to make another. Any help and explaination would be appreciated. Tim Green Mead is great... Beer is good... (But beer is much faster) Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 14:03:58 -0400 From: "Peter J. Calinski" <PCalinski at iname.com> Subject: Re Snapple Bottles---How about Mayonnaise Jars On Thu, 2 Jul 1998 07:59:50 EDT Tom Puskar wrote (in part) >Rather than lug all those [snapple bottles]bottles to the recycling place I was wondering if I >could use them for my brew. [snip] >All comments would be welcome. You asked for all comments. A few weeks ago I was forced to bottle a part of my batch in Mayonnaise Jars. Actually they were 1 pint Tabasco Chili Sauce Jars. I had delayed bottling until I had enough bottles for a full batch. Unfortunately I forgot that the batch was 5 Imperial Gallons not US gallons. As I got near the end, I realized I didn't have enough bottles. In a panic, I looked around and spotted a few canning jars on the shelf nearby. The only thing with lids were the Tabasco chili jars. I figured what the heck. I just put the remainder of the batch in the jars. It took three jars. I didn't even bother to sanitize them since it was late and I wanted to finish. I just used the lids that came with the jars. There was a noticeable odor of chili in the lids but it was either use them or toss the last of the batch. I closed the lids tight and put the jars in a pot with a rag over the top in case they cracked. After two weeks, no problem. The lids are noticeably convex. I can't taste any difference between the "jarred" beer and the bottled beer. Not even any chili smell. I should point out that it was a very strong bitter beer so that could hide the chili odor. Also, I like my beer lightly carbonated so I used only 1/2 cup of CS. Since the batch was closer to 6 gallons, it is very lightly carbonated. All in all, I would say it worked, but I will sure try to avoid this in the future. YMMV. A while back a poster was collecting silly/dumb things brewers had done. Maybe this should be put on the list. Pete Calinski Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 19:32:47 +0000 From: "Tidmarsh Major" <tidmarsh at pop.mindspring.com> Subject: doughing in Someone (sorry I didn't note your name before replying) in today's digest noted that the traditional dough-in method is to add water to malt, and wonders if adding malt to water might excessively denature enzymes. I mash in a converted cooler mash/lauter tun, and I've always added the water first, to establish a foundation bed and keep the false bottom or EasyMasher from clogging. I would guess that everyone else out there who uses a single mash/lauter tun (whether cooler or RIMS) does likewise. Tidmarsh Major tidmarsh at mindspring.com Birmingham, Alabama Tidmarsh Major, Birmingham, Alabama tidmarsh at mindspring.com "Bot we must drynk as we brew, And that is bot reson." -The Wakefield Master, Second Shepherds' Play Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 05 Jul 1998 13:19:21 +1000 From: Jon Bovard <jonbovard at geocities.com> Subject: Culturing over a flame. Advice wanted Greetings to the collective. I met a guy who is a research scientist and avid brewer. These two always mix well dont they!! He brews often but hasnt bought a pack of Wyeast in over a year, he just cultures his own yeast from culture slants. One thing that has always caused me probs. One bit of advice he gave for home culturing is to culture over a flame curtain or close to a heat source. He says that the presence of a flame or heat curtain is asceptic. I figure that if I culture over my 4 ring gas burner this could be judged as asceptic?? Any advice, elaboration or criticism of this theory by anyone microbiologically bent... mucho appreciato!!! Cheers Jon in Brisbane Australia Home of the remaining DUFF beer cans. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 22:41:48 -0400 From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous at pharmacy.wisc.edu> Subject: Cloying Crystal As a bit of a tangent on Jeff Renner's thread of crystal malts, I read somewhere (don't remember) that aged crystal malts can lend a cloying sweentess to beer. I've got a couple of brews that both have what seems to be a sugar sweetness to them. One is a high gravity brew, so anything goes. The other is an average (O.G. 1.049) APA which has a lingering sweetness. Now, I do believe that large amounts of certain types of hops (notably EKG's) can lend this type of flavor, but I haven't used any in either brew. Is it possible that "old" crystal malts can cause a beer to have a lingering sweetness? nathan in madison, wi P.S. for some reason I think I read it in one of Fix's writings...please forgive me George, if my mind fails me Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 22:54:26 -0700 From: Michael Rose <mrose at ucr.campus.mci.net> Subject: 3/16 I.D. beer line someone wrote; > More inportant than the length, would be the inner diameter of the > lines. Ideally you would want 3/16 ID about 5 foot long. > This will allow you to keep the beer carbonated and use about 10 PSIG NOTE that the tubing has to be *beer line* or something made of the same material. Other lines(food grade or not) have differing amounts of friction and will not work properly. michael rose Riverside, CA mrose at ucr.campus.mci.net Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 02:38:47 -0700 From: "Scott Church" <schurch at gte.net> Subject: Enamel Fix Does anyone know what can be used to fix chips in enamel pots? I'm sure that many of you "fellow brewers" have encountered the need for this yourselves. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 06:52:48 -0400 From: fridge at Imbecile.kzoo.edu Subject: Indoor propane use Greetings folks, Fred Johnson saw propane-powered floor equipment being used inside a mega-discount store, and questions the safety of doing do. Having worked extensively in industrial environments, and as a refrigeration tech for a mega-discount store chain, maybe I can shed some light on the subject. The use of propane-powered forklifts, sweepers, floor polishers, etc is quite common in large buildings. One key is - large. The total air volume in these buildings is tremendously greater than in a home or basement. Combustion by- products from the floor equipment make up a relatively small percentage of the total air volume in the enclosed space. The other, and perhaps more important key, is ventilation. Your local mega-discount store will circulate several tens of thousands of cubic feet of air per minute throughout the building, with a minimum fresh air intake of about 20%. The above factors keep the overall concentration low. Most homes don't bring in *any* fresh air. Combustion by-products will very quickly accumulate to dangerous levels in a home or basement. Please ventilate well and use a good CO detector at home. Hope this helps! - ---------------------------------------------- Forrest Duddles - FridgeGuy in Kalamazoo fridge at Imbecile.kzoo.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 16:44:17 -0400 From: Fred Johnson <FLJohnson at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Crystal Malts and unfermentables I've been reading the thread on the unfermentables in crystal malts and wish to remind us that Cara-Pils is considered one of the crystal malts. What is done to make it contain a high proportion of nonfermentables and what prevents the enzymes in the mash from converting the dextrins in this malt to fermentable carbohydrates? Or have I been using Cara-Pils incorrectly by simply including it for the full mash? - -- Fred L. Johnson Apex, North Carolina Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 05 Jul 1998 08:41:50 -0400 From: AJ <ajdel at mindspring.com> Subject: Sulfate/Carbonate David Humes wants confirmation that 18 grams of gypsum are required to increase calcium content of 6.5 gal of water by 170 ppm and sulfate by about 400 ppm. That's what I get when I do the sums except that the sulfate goes up by 416 ppm. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Peter Calinski asked if it is possible to determine bicarbonate from his water report which does not list it. Yes, the bicarbonate can be determined from the alkalinity. Divide the alkalnity by 50 and multiply by 61. Thus the reported alkalinity of 80 ppm implies bicarbonate of 100 mg/L. The pH of 7.9 also says that there are small amounts of carbonate (0.0037*80 = .3 ppm as CaCO3 or .42 mg/L) and carbonic (.028*50 = 1.42 ppm as CaCO3 or 1.2 mg/L) in the water. Thus pH and alkalinity give the whole carbonic,bicarbonate,carbonate picture under normal circumstances with these being the situation in which nothing other than carbo species contributing appreciably to the measured alkalinity. Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 11:34:43 -0400 From: dbgrowler at juno.com (michael w bardallis) Subject: Hop combos Larry asks: "In order to try a thread of a different type, I thought I'd ask for peoples' various tried and true hop combinations." Larry, One of the most interesting combinations I've used in recent years is in my Polar Beer, brewed every year for a polar bear swim event in Tawas Bay in lake Huron. It's a Duvel knockoff (sorta), using domestic ingredients, approx OG1.070, 40 BU. Each of three hop additions, 60/20/2 min., is divided 50/50 between Cascade and Northern Brewer. I don't remember the logic behind the original selection of these varieties, but the effect is pretty cool. The beer is only very subtly citrusy, much less than you'd expect from 1 oz. of late addition Cascade, and a hint of candylike sweetness similar to that contibuted by Centennial. Blind tasters identify Cascade, but are surprised at the amount, and never peg the N.B. at all. Mike Bardallis Chillin' in Michigan _____________________________________________________________________ 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: Sun, 05 Jul 1998 12:50:19 -0600 From: Kevin TenBrink <tenbrink at jps.net> Subject: re:Hop Combination Ahhh-- finally a topic of which I have some knowledge! My favorite hop combinations so far are: - --2 oz 14.8% Nugget boil - --2 oz 6.5% Cascade flavor - --1 oz 10.7% Centennial Flavor - --1 oz each Centennial and Cascade dry hop - --wyeast 1056 another good hop is columbus try: - --1.5 oz 16.9% Columbus boil - --1.5 oz 16.9% Columbus flavor - --1.0 oz 16.9% Columbus aroma (5 mins) - --1.0 oz 16.9% Columbus dry hop - --wyeast 1056 or you can try a yummy combo for lagers with: - --3 oz 4.9% Crystal boil - --2 oz 4.9% Crystal flavor - --1 oz 4.9% Crystal aroma (5 mins) - --2 oz homegrown ??% Saaz dry hop - --wyeast 2237 I have really enjoyed the beers I have made with the above hopping schedules, I prefer my ales to have at least 80 IBUs though, so you may want to take this into consideration when adapting these schedules for your own use. Kevin in Salt Lake City...soon to be moving to MI Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 14:11:03 -0500 From: Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> Subject: Re: Classic American Pilsner update / Keg Conversion Hey all, I just wanted to say thanks to Jeff Renner for writing The Classic American Pilsener article and for helping me to realize how great this style is. For any of you that think American Lagers have always been whimpy I challange you to make a beer in the classic American Pre-Prohibition style and see if you still feel the same. I lay all my cash on the fact that you will fall in love with this delicate style like I did. you can find my recipe for Pre Pro Pils in Karl Lutzen's Gambrinus Mug archives (Cuz I never put it in my own for some reason) http://brewery.org/brewery/gambmug/recs/112.html I also feel that the BJCP and the AHA should look into making this style an accepted one. Someone wrote: >I have the chance to get a couple of beer kegs with the black rubber >bottom. Can this be removed to make boiling pots? If so, how and is >the keg still stable? I believe that the rubber coating is just that... once you remove it (which is not fun at all) you have your standard SS sanke style keg. And they a very stable. C'ya! -Scott "Brew Free Or Plaid!" Abene ################################################################ # ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT # # Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> # # http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page) # # # # # # "The More I know About Cathy Ewing, The More The AHA SUCKS" # ################################################################ Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 12:57:56 -0700 From: "Gregory A. Lorton" <glorton at cts.com> Subject: Re: Teflon burning In HBD #2759, Ron LaBorde wrote > I wish I could supply references, but from memory only, a long time ago, > I have heard that burning Teflon will emate Phosgene gas, a deadly > poison. So humans could become dead birds. > > Teflon is safe as long as it is not burning. Teflon is polymerized tetrafluoroethylene (C2F4). Teflon is duPont's tradename, the official chemical name is polytetrafluoroethylene (sometimes referred to as PTFE). Teflon doesn't contain any chlorine compounds, so it won't decompose to phosgene (COCl2), but then fluorine compounds are arguably worse than chlorine compounds from a health perspective. Teflon is very inert under normal conditions. It doesn't readily burn, per se. However, at high temperatures it will decompose to produce some very dangerous compounds. According to "Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference" (2nd edition), "The finished polymerized compound is inert under ordinary conditions... When heated to above 750F it decomposes to yield highly toxic fumes of F-." (The F- (ionized fluorine) in air is a really nasty compound, for bird, humans, and any other animal in the vicinity.) Greg Lorton Carlsbad, CA Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 05 Jul 1998 17:20:39 -0400 From: Rick Theiner <logic at skantech.com> Subject: Amazing Regenerating Hop Rhizomes > Apparently, a local rabbit found it to be a tasty treat too and left > only a leaf. This was about three weeks ago and I haven't seen any new > activity from this one. Is my rhizome ruined? I doubt it. I would definately stay vigilant about protecting it, though. A story of my own: The local squirrels found my rhizomes to be interesting although untasty. They would bite off a piece of bine then leave it-- and the shoots kept on coming. When I returned from the hardware store with my wire to make a tent so that the hops could have a chance, I discovered that one of those ****ing squirrels had dug up one of the rhizomes and shredded it, leaving only a third of it intact. Needless to say, I was pretty unhappy, but replanted the rhizome in a desperate hope that my Mt. Hood hops would come after all. And about 3 weeks later, a new shoot appeared. Amazed the hell out of me. Hope this reassures you. Rick Theiner LOGIC, Inc. LOGIC at skantech.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 16:28:07 -0500 From: Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> Subject: Brew Cams Hiya, About 8-9 months ago I got a free TEKRAM Digital Web Camera kit from work (one of the Downsides of being a webmaster for a major Computer Wholesaler I guess). I put the thing up and started broadcasting my image and such across the internet while I was in my Homebrew Chatroom. After about a month I started broadcasting my brewing session over the web so the regulars in the chat could see and point out what I was doing wrong... I thought that it was kind of cool. I got a friend a freebie Cam and he started broadcasting his brewing sessions over the web a couple of months later. Well then... Another of my chat regulars bought a cam and started doing the same thing. So what the hell is my point??? Here's the deal. There has been mention of a couple of other brewers on here that also have cams and are either brewing online with them or simply setting up Carboy cams.. Who are you? Where are you? Are you brewing live accross the web? Please email me ( skotrat at wwa.com ) with the cam addresses and a brief bio of your Brew Cam sites. I would love to put together a www page solely for "Brew Cams" and possibly even start a Homebrew Cam WebRing or something. Thanks much peoples. C'Ya! -Scott "I hear Charlie P has someone else brew his Homebrew For Him" Abene ################################################################ # ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT # # Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> # # http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page) # # # # # # "The More I know About Cathy Ewing, The More The AHA SUCKS" # ################################################################ Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 16:34:42 -0500 From: Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> Subject: Plate Chillers Hmmmm, I am looking into the idea of using a Cold plate type deal to chill my beer when it is coming out of my Boiler. is there a Prof type plate out there that can chill say 30-35 gallons of hot wort and bring it down to say 65f quickly? Maybe someone ("The Al", "The Gump"?) could point me in the right direction for this kind of info. -C'ya! -Scott "How's that Plaid Carboy in your Basement Doing Babcock?" Abene ################################################################ # ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT # # Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> # # http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page) # # # # # # "The More I know About Cathy Ewing, The More The AHA SUCKS" # ################################################################ Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 16:45:30 -0500 From: Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> Subject: Free To Good Home! Heya, I have a 7.5 gallon Zapap style lauter-tun/mash tun that is collecting dust from 3 years of not being used and I bet it would love for a nice kind Homebrewer to come save it from the corner of my basement. It is the standard plastic bucket type deal with plastic valve. Hmmm, you guys ever notice that ZAPAP spelled backwards is PAPAZ? I bet somewhere in the Complete Joy of Homebrewing there are three 6's together too! I also have at least 10-20 cases of bottles free to a good home. My only condition is that they be used and not gather any dust like they are now. I am in the Chicago Metro area and prefer they go to someone near me that can come pick them up and I may even throw in my CORONA mill that I haven't used in 2 1/2 years for nothing too! If you are interested drop me an email ( skotrat at wwa.com ) and I will make arrangements with you. This stuff would be perfect for someone just starting out with all grain and hey! IT'S FREE!!!!! C'YA! -Scott "I hear Jethro enjoys sheep now and again" Abene ################################################################ # ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT # # Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> # # http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page) # # # # # # "The More I know About Cathy Ewing, The More The AHA SUCKS" # ################################################################ Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 16:58:18 -0500 From: Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> Subject: Firkins??? Hey all, Friday morning July 3rd, I woke up and found two 7.75 gallon Firkins sitting on my front porch. Still I have no idea who left them there... I really don't have a clue. All I know is that I can use them for kegging and that is all that matters. Is there anyone on the digest that can identify these type of kegs and tell me that they are indeed Firkins? I have posted pics that I took with my webcam and you can see them here: http://beatles.andinator.com/~skotrat/equipment/firkin/775bot.jpg http://beatles.andinator.com/~skotrat/equipment/firkin/775side.jpg http://beatles.andinator.com/~skotrat/equipment/firkin/775side1.jpg http://beatles.andinator.com/~skotrat/equipment/firkin/775top.jpg Does anyone know where I can find fittings to tap them? Does anyone know where I can get a hold of a wrench to fit the valves so I can open and clean them? These things look much like the "Golden Gate" Keg I used for a hot liqour tank for the last 2 years if that helps but they are stamped "Anhueser Busch". I didn't realize Bud ever used kegs of this style... Thanks and C'YA! -Scott "Hmmmm Plaid" Abene ################################################################ # ThE-HoMe-BrEw-RaT # # Scott Abene <skotrat at wwa.com> # # http://miso.wwa.com/~skotrat (the Homebrew "Beer Slut" page) # # # # # # "The More I know About Cathy Ewing, The More The AHA SUCKS" # ################################################################ Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Jul 1998 04:37:17 -0700 From: Kyle Druey <druey at ibm.net> Subject: Re: Water / Al / Abstinence / Gap / FGs Dave Humes asks for some opinions on water treatment: 1. Add salts to the mash only to adjust the pH, don't waste your time adding salts to the sparge water. To lower the pH use lactic acid, it is much easier to work with than salts. Only use CaCO3 to increase the mash pH. Remember how much CaCO3 (or other salts) you added and the volume of the mash water, this will be important later on when you are trying to hit your target ions. 2. Add flavor ions to the boil. The only important flavor ions are sulphate (up to 300 ppm) and chloride (up to 200 ppm). Sodium is only advisable with chloride (salt), and then only less than 100 ppm for each. Ignore the use of CO3, Ca, and Mg as flavor contributors, their effects are negative or nil. This same line of reasoning should be used when trying to interpret recipes of famous brewing waters, ignore Ca/CO3/Mg, focus on SO3/Cl/Na. 3. The ions added to the mash will be diluted by the amount of the mash water divided my the post boil volume. Add more ions as needed to the boil to correct for the amount that has been diluted. Use the post boil volume as the basis when calculating the amount of ions to add to the boil (doh!). 4. Use an activated carbon filter to treat your brewing water. Aluminum: The only negative Jeff Renner forgot to mention regarding aluminum kettles is that they are not as tough as SS (they scratch and dent easier). Chimay Red: Greg Lorton gave me some tips on form when making my beloved Chimay Red, but he forgot to mention the recipe. I have heard some comments about warning folks from "bannana headaches" when making this brew. How do I avoid this? Gap Settings: JackS implies that the need for an adjustable nip when milling grain is a myth. If this is true, then the fine/coarse difference as an indicator of malt modification and extract potential is a useless measure. I guess brewers have been duped by this measure over the last 50 years. Another brewing momily busted... I guess I'll have to throw out my adjustable mill along with the wort chiller. Knock Out Sludge: Thanks the the HBDer (forgot the name) who gave us the tip to use the kettle knock out sludge for reading the OG. Pour it out in a glass and let it settle over night, then take your reading. Adding on to this idea, I think I will starting taking FGs when pouring the first glass from a freshly tapped keg. That first pint or so from a new keg is always (for me) cloudy. Kyle Druey Bakersfield, CA Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 19:18:42 +0000 From: "John W. Rhymes" <jwrhymes at mindspring.com> Subject: Re: Mechanical agitation > From: Michael Rose <mrose at ucr.campus.mci.net> > Subject: Mechanical agitation, posting idea > > John Rhymes writes; > > Mechanical agitation and heat -- any energy input -- will greatly > > accelerate oxidation and other adverse reactions in your beer. If > > you are able to keep your beer in a cool and consistent environment, > > any flaws in the process are less likely to become evident. If your > > beer is subjected to agitation and heat, any flaws will all too > > quickly become evident. > > I understand the damage heat can do to beer, but I don't understand how > mechanical agitation can do damage. Anybody care to explain this? > I'm not sure if agitation alone at low temperature would have a meaningful effect. I do believe that, at a given temperature, agitation will accelerate reactions. The best example that comes to mind is isomerization of hop resins in the boil. A vigorous boil will give better hop utilization than a slow boil. The temperature is the same, but the physical movement of the wort promotes the reactions. I've also seen references to magnetic stir plates being used to increase yeast growth in starters, with claims of "up to 10 fold increases". I would like to hear from the hard-science folks. Am I off base here? I've tried to find an authoritative reference, either pro or con, but I've not found anything that addresses the point. John W. Rhymes -- Birmingham, Alabama jwrhymes at mindspring.com Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 20:46:46 -0400 From: rsda at istar.ca Subject: BW yeast too pooped? There have been a couple of posts about the dangers of using a barley wine yeast for further brewing purposes. Perhaps if these had been posted earlier I wouldn't have brewed 2 subsequent batches and obviously wouldn't be posting now. Anyway for what it's worth here are my observations with Nottingham ale yeast. Apr 30:- rehydrated original dry Nottingham and added to 1/2 l starter May 2 :- brewed IPA (1.070) - used original starter - good activity within 2 hours - ended at 1.014 May 22:-brewed BW (1.096) - 2nd generation -crazy activity within 2 hours - ended at 1.018 - split yeast crop in 2 June 20:-brewed porter (1.060) - 3rd generation - good activity within 2 hours - ended at 1.015 June 28:-brewed IPA (1.070) - 3rd generation- good activity within 2 hours -ended 1.016 In other words, nothing unusual. Was I lucky or? Stuart Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 05 Jul 1998 20:17:09 -0400 From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous at pharmacy.wisc.edu> Subject: Snapple Bottles Tom Puskar asks about using spent Snapple bottles. I use them to pressure cook starter wort. Just 1/2 fill them and pressure cook them. When I'm stepping up from a slant, I move from a test tube, to a partially filled Snapple bottle...really. Already sterile, just aerate, pitch the starter and put on a stopper and airlock. Voila' Nathan in Madison, WI Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 22:24:51 -0400 From: dbgrowler at juno.com (michael w bardallis) Subject: co2 oops Reading my previous post on keg dispensing pressure, I realize that I goofed: "As an example, if you want to maintain 2.5 volumes at 40 deg F., you'll need to put about 12 psi on that baby, plus a little extra to push the beer out, say 2 psi. (it don't take much)" Aaack! That extra pressure would just boost co2 volume further. The thing to do is set the regulator to 12 (or whatever gives the right co2 level, and see how fast the beer comes out. Too fast? Add more pressure drop in the form of longer, or smaller ID, dispense tubing. Bar-type faucets give more restriction than "picnic" taps, as well. Too slow? Same adjustments in reverse. Mike "clear beer, murky advice" Bardallis Allen Park, MI _____________________________________________________________________ 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, 6 Jul 1998 12:40:37 +1000 From: Peter.Ward at bankerstrust.com.au Subject: re: skunk smell In HBD #2756 Samuel Mize writes: >Corona is famous for skunking. >It's an OK cheap beer in Mexico, I understand, if you get it fresh. Some >people in the USA have acquired a taste for it with mild skunking, and even >think it tastes "wrong" if they get a fresh one. In Australia, I have never been served a Corona without a piece of lime (or sometimes lemon) stuck down the neck of the bottle. Is the purpose of the lime to act as some form of 'de-skunking' agent??? Peter Ward Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 06 Jul 1998 08:22:49 -0700 From: Kyle Druey <druey at ibm.net> Subject: Quarterly Blue Moon Wit Discussion Well folks, its probably time once again for the quarterly Blue Moon Belgian Ale discussion and how bad or good it is versus the "real" thing. I had the opportunity to purchase a bottle of the Wit aficionado's holy grail, Hoegaarden Wit, aka the real thing. I cracked open the treasured bottle, poured it into a champagne flute, and gathered in a sip. I thought, "Blue Moon would taste just like this if you doped it with a little lactic acid". From the coveted Hoegaarden I couldn't taste any spices, no curacao orange peel, and a very subtle acidic finish. The beer was very good mind you (would rather sip this than swill a Corona), but it did not live up to the hype. I know, you could say that the bottle sat on the shelf in the liquor store for umpty ump months, at an umpty ump temperature, under the fluorescent lights, blah blah blah. I am sure it is a totally different beer on tap. The beer did give me an appreciation for a lactic bacteria produced finish (has an acidic lactic bite), versus a lactic acid finish (has a lactic acid tang). So here's to Blue Moon Wit, and maybe a few drops of lactic acid in the glass. Also tasted Grimbergen Triple. Wow, was this a treat! Kyle Bakersfield, CA Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 22:09:53 -0500 (CDT) From: Tom Barnet <barnets at physics.auburn.edu> Subject: fermentation temp. Hello all, i have recently started making lager beers and have noticed that fermentation seems to be much slower than with the ales i've brewed in the past. i realize of course that temperature is a significant parameter here, but i thought that the lager yeast is supposed to be at home at cooler temperatures, (say 50-60 F). is this something that is quite normal or am i simply underpitching? (i'm using wyeasts and pitching when they swell to what appears to be maximum capacity). should i be making a starter? thanks. tom barnett. Return to table of contents
[Prev HBD] [Index] [Next HBD] [Back]
HTML-ized on 07/06/98, by HBD2HTML version 1.2 by K.F.L.
webmaster at hbd.org, KFL, 10/9/96