HOMEBREW Digest #3604 Wed 11 April 2001

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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Counterflow Cleaning -> pouncing! (Ken & Bennett Johnson)
  Saving brewers (amongst others) ("Paul Campbell")
  lager  at  ale temps... (Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative)
  Subject: cleaning keg lube (Mike)
  Water ("A. J.")
  Jethro Gump Report/AHA National Homebrew Competition ("Rob Moline")
  sparge pH (Ray Kruse)
  A few quick questions... ("Greenly, Jeff")
  RE: Drying Carboys ("Jamie Smith")
  Drying Carboys ("Mark Tumarkin")
  RE: Wonderful World of Zymico ("Art Tyszka")
  Re: Sticky Mash and Loose Fingers (and Missing Ozzies) (David Lamotte)
  Over-carbonated beer (Charles.Burry)
  pH and tannins and decoctions (Marc Sedam)
  RE: Changing over... ("Eric Whitney")
  Ninth Annual Dominion Cup (Frank Timmons)
  aeration of wort (Dave Burley)
  Hot Oxidation & Here we go again..../End of Boil Wort pH ("John Zeller")
  Re: Keg lube ("Stephen")
  Re: Mini Kegs ("Stephen")
  Steve Alexander's practical pointer on HSA (Paul Shick)
  Lambic Specialist and De fizzing... ("Gustave Rappold")
  cylinders, cleaning chillers, etc. ("elvira toews")
  blueberry wheat/raspberry wheat (fwd) (Steven)
  MCAB3 Update ("Mike Riddle")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 23:04:58 -0700 From: Ken & Bennett Johnson <fearless1 at abac.com> Subject: Counterflow Cleaning -> pouncing! Hey again All, Daniel C Stedman suggests about my cleaning process: > Hmmm... Sounds like some bad beer just waiting to happen. > I think we all need to be a little more deligent in our sanitation > of CF chillers than the advice above. The process I outlines has yielded over 100 batches of excellent beer, and a whole wall full of medals Dan! I have almost 500 chillers sold with no problems reported. I suggest the same cleaning proceedure on every instruction sheet. > My standard procedure is to recirculate some PBW through the chiller, > pump, and connecting lines after every brew. Then when it comes time > to use it for the next brew, I boil the entire thing for 15 minutes, then > drop the boiling water through it. Maybe you should boil it in bleach! What about the radioactive sterilization chamber? Are you one of those dudes with the hand sterilization gel in their pocket? I'm sorry Dan, I shouldn't make fun, but aren't you going a little overboard? Just wash your equipment. Change out the plastic routinely. What about that plan? > I used to just rinse my chiller after every brew, but had a couple > of infected batches that lead me to change my chiller sanitation > process. Haven't had a bad batch since I started > using the above cleaning procedure. Dan, buddy, I would bet a lot of money that your problem was NOT in the chiller. > I believe that CF chillers are a common source of infection in > both the homebrew world and in the microbrewery world. And I respectfully disagree. > Remember - when you are talking full volume boils, > the lines, chiller, and fermenter are the only things > that touch your cooled wort. Keep these three > things clean and sanitary and you will never have > problems w/ infections... I agree Dan; replace your lines regularly, don't be afraid to wear out brushes and use a lot of idophor on carboys, follow my suggestions and use a counterflow chiller and you will make great beer! Ken Johnson Work like you don't need the money Dance like nobody's watching Love like you've never been hurt - ----John E. Gaddy The FEARLESS Wort chiller is online! Take a look, http://www.fearless1.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 00:51:30 +0800 From: "Paul Campbell" <p.r.campbell at tesco.net> Subject: Saving brewers (amongst others) Sorry for the non-brewing (directly) content, but this *is* important for us all, and I'm sure we've lost enough already....... Having recently learned that a friend of mine is now suffering from secondary cancer(s), and by chance stumbling over a web-site which appears to offer even the remotest chance of a future, if not for him but for others, I'm writing with a request for support. www.ud.com are a distributed computing site akin to the (original) SETI concept of using "spare" CPU cycles to perform computationaly intensive work which is uneconomically vast for the organisations working to complete the task. This company are working on behalf of Oxford University at analysing molecules in order to assess their "match" (note the scientific ignorance here) against known target proteins thought/known (?) to be cancer responsible. [Note that the company concerned *does* make money out of this, whether you feel this is justified is up to you and I do not intend to in any way make anyone feel obliged to take up this up if it is against their principles] I've created an HBD "team" to which anyone may join using the following link: http://members.ud.com/services/teams/team.htm?id=FA64472E-9373-401F-800F-510 1476415FA Since there appears to be an incentive scheme based around PayPal (amongst other things) perhaps we could/should include the option of donating any "prizes" won to the HBD fund? Regardless, I think it's an excellent way of helping ourselves as well as others. Enough of my blurb, though. From the website: "One in four of us will at some time suffer from cancer. The high mortality rate, the suffering experienced by patients from the side effects of existing treatments, and the high costs of treatment all contribute to making cancer a priority for drug research. A New Way to Help A landmark research project has begun that allows people to make a real difference in the fight against cancer. This is no regular donation request: a participant is never asked to open a checkbook or volunteer time. The Intel-United Devices Cancer Research Project is asking you to volunteer your PC to help process molecular research being conducted by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford in England and the National Foundation for Cancer Research. To participate, you simply download a very small, no cost, non-invasive software program that works like a screensaver: it runs when your computer isn't being used, and processes research until you need your machine. Your computer never leaves your desk, and the project never interrupts your usual PC use. It's Easy and Safe There is no cost to participate and no impact on your computer use. The project software cannot detect or transfer anything on your machine but project-specific information. It just allows your computer to screen molecules that may be developed into drugs to fight cancer. Each individual computer analyzes a few molecules and then sends the results back over the Internet for further research. The goal is to enlist enough volunteers to contribute 24 million hours of computational time. This project is anticipated to be the largest computational chemistry project ever undertaken and represents a genuine hope to find a better way to fight cancer. The computational power to perform research of this scale is only available through the generosity of individuals like you." Paul, Glen Esk, Scotland UK Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 17:16:19 +1000 (EST) From: Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative <Scott.Morgan at Sun.COM> Subject: lager at ale temps... G'day there, Ian Forbes wrote; Not sure you want to ferment a lager yeast at ale temps (but if you let us know how it turns out), If you ferment a lager at ale temps (lower ranges thereof) its is the same as per producing Steam Beer. Very frightened re the Phil Hopoate attempts to bring back the aussies to the hbd. If posting on the HBD excludes me from 'the finger' then I promise to do so daily... scotty down south and still kicking. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 23:54:02 -0800 From: Mike <mikegeorge at mac.com> Subject: Subject: cleaning keg lube I would try lemon juice. It works great on most grease and is a natural product. > Last month there was a bit of talk about keg lube - what's the best > way to clean that stuff off my stuff? I find the stuff is just about > impossible to easily remove. > > - Steve (mostly lurking...) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 09:48:27 +0000 From: "A. J." <ajdel at mindspring.com> Subject: Water For Jay: at the levels in your water it is unlikely that much chalk, if any will precipitate. Assuming the 36 ppm Ca means as the element thats 1.8 mEq/L while the alkalinity is at just about the same value. It takes a bit of work to decarbonate below the 1 mEq/L level so assuming that you were able to acheive that you would still have 0.8 mEq/L calcium left. Now alcium supplementation is somewhat like chicken soup. In most cases in can't hurt so if you wanted to add a little of the chloride or sulfate you might like the results better than if you don't. Yes, there are acids in malts that neutralize the alkalinity. Pale malts don't have these but they do contain lots of phytin (an organic phosphate) and phytase (the enzyme which releases the phosphate). Calcium reacts with this phosphate to produce acid. It is this reaction which is the basis of the residual alkalinity calculation which you will see referred to here mostly by me and Hubert but by others occasionally as well. The higher kilned malts contain organic acids and I have always felt that this is the best way to control moderate alkalinity levels such as yours. As an aside, my favorite method for tuning pid controllers is as follows; 1. Dial in desired set point. 2. Raise PV to near desired set point 3. Press autotune! A.J. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 05:04:10 -0500 From: "Rob Moline" <brewer at isunet.net> Subject: Jethro Gump Report/AHA National Homebrew Competition Jethro Gump Report AHA National Homebrew Competition Mr. Johnson, I am MOST upset that you weren't aware of the toll-free number for the Association of Brewers/American Homebrewers Association. (Oh, I guess you WERE aware of it....you merely tried to embarrass the AHA....and Gary Glass.) Sorry, let's start again.... I am amazed that you thought it unusual that any organization, let alone a not for profit, would try to utilize that number for purposes that generate revenue, in a manner that maximizes benefit to the organization, and the community it represents. I am sorry that you have the impression that the AHA doesn't care about homebrewers...I assure you that this is not the case. Not only does the AHA care about homebrewers...it cares about them no matter the origination of the concept.... Hence the recent AHA donation of 500 dollars, voted upon by the Board of Advisors, and acted upon by the AOB/AHA, for the MCAB3, to add to funding to enhance bus travel by all participants of that event....in order to allow maximum enjoyment, whilst reducing risk...not only to that organization (NOT an AOB creation), but also to any participants... I can also state that individual members of that AHA board have donated not only their time, but money to that event...as they have to other events, and more than bloody likely...they shall to future events! Sir, for you to issue such a chintzy chastisement of "Mr. Glass" and your "friends in Boulder"....is a serious disservice....especially when you follow ALL this up with.... >The FEARLESS Wort chiller is online! >Take a look, http://www.fearless1.com A shameless commercial advertisement. That I would have NO PROBLEM with...EXCEPT...GEE... You have NO 800-888 number attached to! OK, I can see, by following your links, that some retailers, and distributors have such numbers attached....but you don't, do you? Maybe I should look harder, but this is the best I see... > . Click this to see a picture of me and my competition results. If you have any questions >at all, don't hesitate to >.E-mail me with them. The address is fearless1 at abac.com Like I say...I have no prob with any shameless commercial advocacy, indeed I wished I were doing the same... BUT, I do, SIR, have problems wth your approach. Your attack of Gary Glass, as a representative of the AHA/AOB is not only unfounded, it is curiously misguided. His message was one of notification. Gary Glass is the last bloody man on the face of the planet you should want to name in ANY, even shallow attack, on the AHA. I guess that you really don't have a bloody clue, mate.... ANYBODY that work's for the AHA....DOESN"T do it for the money! Gary works his butt off....for the love of the sport. How dare you chastise him. You have a problem? Piss on me. As the first elected member of the Board, I expect the hits. Gary works hard...for little appreciation, as you so crassly demonstrate. If you want to approach any member of the AOB/AHA with ANY of your problems....approach me....and I will give you ALL of MY numbers.... Call me ANYTIME. Just don't be cruel to a heart that's true, as Gary's is. Thoroughly annoyed by this one.... Jethro Gump Rob Moline AHA Board of Advisors 1332 Arizona Avenue, Ames, Iowa, 50014 515-268-1836 home 515-450-0243 cell RobMoline at aob.org jethrogump at home.com brewer at isunet.net jethro at isunet.net Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 06:09:50 -0400 From: Ray Kruse <rkruse at bigfoot.com> Subject: sparge pH The Baron of Burradoo wrote... I have mentioned this matter before but I am not sure that anyone took me seriously (how rude of them!). It is my opinion that the magical pH of around 6.0 when sparging simply relates to a point where little of the sugars are left in your mash to be worth extracting. Possibly your sparging water is around pH 7.0 and your mash pH might be 5.4. The longer you sparge, the pH of the run off must increase towards that of the sparge water. At pH 6.0 it is a good idea to cease all sparging (just have a taste of what is coming out) because all meaningful extraction has 1. Has what???? 2. If you are concerned about the pH of the sparge water (and you should be), why not some lactic or phosphoric acid to the sparge water tank? That way, you guarantee that your pH won't rise, and you can continue your sparging until your SG indicates that all your sugars have been sparged out. The amount you add would depend on your local water, but if you have a pH meter or pH test strips, it should not be difficult to dope the water and test it until you've got the pH down around 5.2 or so. 3. I'm quite relieved, in hindsight, that Phil didn't invite me to play any rugby while I was there. I understand that he's more a rugby fan than a footie fan. Might explain some of his exclamations. Calgon Ray Kruse Glen Burnie, PRMd rkruse at bigfoot.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 06:42:34 -0400 From: "Greenly, Jeff" <greenlyj at rcbhsc.wvu.edu> Subject: A few quick questions... 1. With summer fast approaching, I purchased a used fridge to use as a fermentation locker. I have been looking for external temperature controllers and I have found a few, but I am not sure which one to buy. On my shoestring budget, I need to buy the right part(s) the first time. I am not above making my own, by the way, if someone has a schematic and parts list. 2. Along the same lines, does anyone know where I might get universal gasket material for the fridge door? The old gasket is not sealing properly. 3. Now this is a bit off-topic, but does anyone on the list here know of a similar list for home winemaking? I have searched the web quite a bit and haven't found anything except professional lists that are way too heavy for me. Thanks in advance! Jeff greenlyj at rcbhsc.wvu.edu Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 08:56:28 -0300 From: "Jamie Smith" <jxsmith at vac-acc.gc.ca> Subject: RE: Drying Carboys I have a shelf in my "brewery" / laundry room with holes in it for my 3 carboys to be stored inverted. Good wash after each use, and then another before each use. Works very well so far! Jamie on PEI Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 07:57:31 -0400 From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t at ix.netcom.com> Subject: Drying Carboys >Does anyone have a faster way to dry carboys out? >Thanks, >Nils Hedglin one of the recurrent themes concerning carboys is the danger of breakage. full or empty, all it takes is an inadvertant rap and you've lost a carboy; but you can minimize or completely avoid the problem by using a plastic milk crate as a carboy carrier. this protects the carboys from danger from each other or the floor. the crate is light-wieght, strong, and has built in handles for safe & easy carrying. thermal shock from hot or boiling wort is a related concern, and something to avoid - it can cause stress cracks that can show up immediately or develop later. this same plastic milk crate can be used to dry your carboys safely. simply invert after cleaning. keep in mind that this is only for cleaning, not after sanitizing the carboy before use as the lip of the carboy will be touching the bottom of the plastic carrier. I have the stand from a Fermentap - a questionable product for yeast management but the stand is a great carboy drier. for those of you not familiar with it, picture a truncated cone of two rings, one larger than the other. the larger ring serves as the base while the smaller ring is held above it by several metal rods. you simply set the inverted carboy down in the smaller ring. the carboy is held safely by the shoulder while the opening is suspended in the air. now, I know most of you don't have a Fermentap lying about (I won mine in a homebrew club raffle), but I had an idea for a cheap, easily built substitute. take a piece of plywood and cut a circle in it of the appropriate size - an inch or so smaller than shoulder of the carboy (I'm too lazy to go out to the brewery right now to measure the right size). place a couple of blocks of wood on the bottom of the plastic milk crate to hold the plywood off the bottom so the carboy lip is suspended and you're set. cheap or free (you've probably already got some wood scraps lying around), easy to build (no welding skills or equip required) - maybe I should start producing & selling them.... not. Mark Tumarkin Gainesville, FL Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 08:42:04 -0400 From: "Art Tyszka" <atyszka at cbf.com> Subject: RE: Wonderful World of Zymico I can't comment on Zymico's weldless kits themselves, but I did buy one of their Bazooka Screens and am very happy with it. I tried all manner of strainers in my brew kettle and all would clog or run very slowly once the hops started to collect. With the Bazooka Screen my drain runs full tilt right to the bottom of the kettle. The screen is well built and does what it should, so I'd expect the rest of their products to be the same. [Insert Usual Disclaimer Here] - ----- Art Tyszka Loyal Shepherd Brewing Co. www.loyalshepherd.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 23:20:21 +1000 From: David Lamotte <lamotted at ozemail.com.au> Subject: Re: Sticky Mash and Loose Fingers (and Missing Ozzies) Phil Yates (as is his usual style) had some interesting comments on pH and mashing. I too believe that a pH meter is an essential tool in the brewers toolbox and will last a lifetime of happy brewing. Because it is a tool that you only need to use a few times to get a 'handle' on your brewing process, before you can retire it beside your first brewing funnel and hop strainer. So if properly used, it will never wear out ! Once you have a feeling for how YOUR mash reacts to YOUR water and YOUR sparging technique, it rarely varies. But, I am sorry Phil, but I must protest when my rectum is paraded in public. John's fingers have not dislodged us from the HBD, for as Pat can certify, we are all still here. It is just that we are all too shagged out from arguing with Graham and delving into the mysteries of Metho, to have any energy left for posting 'content' to the HBD. We still love the HBD dearly, as it forms a cricial part of our brewing psychie, but must limit ourselves to posting on a 'need to know basis'. Rumour has it that we have taken our bat and ball and gone home - not at all, we still play this game, but we have started a league of our own. Anyone is welcome to join (look, we even let Graham join up), and you are most welcome to pop by at http://chat.craftbrewer.org to see what we are up to. I have recently changed the settings so anyone can point their browser at the posted messages without having to sign up with Yahoo first. And yes there is a searchable archive, but don't expect to find any discussions on Hopoate as strangly enough, we only seem to talk beer. Oh, and we also have a web site at http://oz.craftbrewer.org with various articles relating to beer, brewing and blacksnakes. Oh, speaking of the web site, I must appologise for the delay (I now know how Karl and Pat spend their waking hours), but someone was asking about the oz beer scene in preparation for a visit. The Real Beer page has a colonial outpost@ http://www.realbeer.co.nz which lists most of the better pubs & breweries in Sydney. Also if you look at our News & Events page (http://oz.craftbrewer.org/News.html) it will often have snippets of upcoming happenings in the oz beer world. Either way, drop us a line to the address at the bottom of the web site and I am sure that Scotty, Phil or some of the other mates would love to meet you for a drink and a natter. We would like to chat with you guys more, heck, we could even sign up the HBD to receive our daily digest, but with each OZ-CBD digest length being 20k or 30k, we would quickly swamp you guys - looks like you will have to call on us. What, how many bouncing emails have we got ???? .......... sorry, gotta go. David Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 09:06:46 -0500 From: Charles.Burry at ercgroup.com Subject: Over-carbonated beer When ever this happens to me, I have always just used the shake and bleed it off method. Shaking a beer, as we all have experienced at least once, will bring the gas out of solution. Obviously the warmer the beer the less gas it will hold but I would never suggest warming up and then cooling back down an already cold beer! My good friend Marc Gaspard and I had this very problem the past weekend with one of his excellent porters and about an hour in to the wedding reception we had the brew under control. Charlie Burry Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 11:14:44 -0400 From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam at unc.edu> Subject: pH and tannins and decoctions Most of what Pat said regarding the different mechanisms in play are true. I disagree, however, with two things: 1) Pat sez: "In a typical steep, the bag of grains is dangled in a pot o' water with a pH of, barring contaminants and doping, 7.0 - there usually just isn't enough grain to significantly reduce the pH of the water in a typical specialty grain steep." I sez: Nope. Put 1/4 lb of roasted barley, black, or chocolate malt in water and you'll most certainly get a pH drop. Crystals and caramels would drop less so, but drop nonetheless. Grains just want to make wort drop in the right pH range--unless you have mega-carbonate water. 2) The reason that decocted beers don't have any tannic astringency is due to the long lagering time. The tannins ARE extracted, it's that they complex with proteins and other goodies in the fermented beer and fall out of solution over the course of a 6+ week lagering period near freezing. It's one of the reasons (IMHO) that my decocted beers are more "rounded" after the long lager. Cheers! - -- Marc Sedam Chapel Hill, NC Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 09:30:54 -0600 From: "Eric Whitney" <ewhitney at sfntc.com> Subject: RE: Changing over... Pat posted a plea for pledges... > Our system monitor failed last night, taking the HBD server > (oddly) down with it! We are now running using the monitor from > my children's computer - much to their disappointment and > against their protests - until we can secure a replacement. Shame on you! And tell the kids to hang on... > Finally, if anyone has decent discounts for either a DAT or > a monitor, we'd certainly appreciate your assistance! Alas, I have a perfectly good Shamrock monitor from a former PC sitting patiently collecting nasty looks and comments from the wife waiting for an opportunity to be useful once again (the monitor...not the wife) before being put out to pasture for target practice. Sorry, I write run-ons when in a giving mood. If you're still in need, I'll pack it up and ship it out later this week (sorry, no overnight shipping available from my pocketbook). Consider it my new member, lurker dues. I'll await your reply before acting because I'm a masochist and haven't taken enough verbal abuse from the wife for keeping computer equipment sitting around longer than the government. Cheers, Eric Whitney Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (No passport required.) eric at whitney-weber.com www.whitney-weber.com "Ours is not to reason why. Ours is but to brew and die." - Stolen and Bastardized Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 08:49:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Frank Timmons <francis0001 at yahoo.com> Subject: Ninth Annual Dominion Cup The James River Homebrewers are pleased to announce the 9th Annual Dominion Cup Homebrew Competition to be held on May 5, 2001, at the Legend Brewery in Richmond, VA. Entries are being accepted now through May 2, 2001. To receive an entry packet or to request more information, E-mail me at francis0001 at yahoo.com, or visit our web site, www.weekendbrewer.com/jamesriverbrewers.html for entry forms or more information. All judging will be done by BJCP judges or brewing professionals, to the BJCP style descriptions. Our goal is to provide each entry with constructive feedback from our pool of judges. The competition is open to all styles of ale and beer, except mead, cider, and sake. The entry fee is $6 per entry. Category winners will receive medals and prizes and the best of show winner will receive an engraved cup. I still have openings for a couple more BJCP program judges. If you are interested, email me with a phone number and snail mail address so that I can coerce you into judging. Frank Timmons James River Homebrewers Richmond, VA Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 12:57:35 -0400 From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley at compuserve.com> Subject: aeration of wort Brewsters: Well, it does pain my heart * to see that we still haven't convinced the whole brewing world to try a simple experiment in which the brew kettle is partially covered during the boil and hot wort transfer through air is a no, no for us little guys making only a few gallons of beer. Once again ( as I commented in the past) Charlie himself straining hot wort through the air is a fine example of what not to do ( along with some of his other techniques which shall go unmentioned). I used to strain hot wort through the air to remove hops in the early days of my brewing and was always disappointed with my beer quality until I stopped doing that. It was a clear effect on the beer quality and easily discernable by all tasters. Try the experiment. Compare the taste and colors. Jeff (?) has suggested that the beer type, esp those with roasted malts, are more susceptible and may be a source of controversy. Check it out. If you continue to mix copious quantities of air into your hot wort ( while maybe eliminating only one source) without an experiment and say things like "HSA doesn't bother me." How valid is that viewpoint? * thanks for your concern. I'm glad we can get some derision from it. It's getting better as in therapy I can now walk 4.2 mph for 12 minutes plus a bunch of other stuff. Keep on Brewin' Dave Burley Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 10:10:39 -0700 From: "John Zeller" <jwz_sd at hotmail.com> Subject: Hot Oxidation & Here we go again..../End of Boil Wort pH Stephen Alexander, Thanks for your input. I do have a couple of additional comments on your suggested methods of reducing the effects of HSA. You posted: "One could also mash and boil with a lid on, blow CO2 or nitrogen thru the grist, mash-in with de-oxygenated water, float an O2 barrier on the mash/boiler - I can think of a lot of steps to take to decrease HSA." Everything I have read says to boil with the lid off to allow DMS compounds to dissipate. Maybe partially covering the kettle would help some. I mash with the lid on my tun, but often it is necessary to stir the mash so this would be another partial solution. Blowing CO at or nitrogen through the grist would likely interfere with temperature control not to mention the hassle factor. I suppose de-oxygenating the strike water and also the sparge water by boiling or using a vaccuum pump could be an effective procedure, but I don't know any homebrewer who does this as a precaution. Floating an O2 barrier on the mash is a good idea, but only during the actual mash. It would need to be removed during sparging, or at least for fly sparging. So, tell me, do you actually implement all of these procedures? Does anyone else? HSA problems are still not very high on my worry list. Maybe if I was shipping beer to distant competitions where it could be subjected to rough handling and high temperatures I would be more concerned. On the local front, my recent CAP scored a 43.5 with no comments about any HSA problems. I see no need to alter my brewing methods with results like that! Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 13:16:29 -0400 From: "Stephen" <stephennyc at about.com> Subject: Re: Keg lube Folks - I'm working with the Keg Lube from Williams. They recommended removing it with Fantastic (tm), which I really haven't had much success with, so I'm still open to cleaning suggestions... - Steve Douglas Moyer wrote: I had that same question. After a pleasant series of exchanges with Stephan at Paddock Homebrew Supplies, I determined that what I called "keg lube" was not the same as what is sold as "Keg Lube". The former is a white technical grease, petroleum based, and the later is silicone based. The former is food grade and lists o-rings as its recommended use, but is nearly impossible to clean off. I tried everything I could think of, including boiling and various chemicals. The official "Keg Lube" supposedly is very easy to clean. It is sold by Williams and the tub should last forever. I haven't got around to buying any, but I intend to do so soon. (Along with some new keg o-rings.) - Steve Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 13:29:53 -0400 From: "Stephen" <stephennyc at about.com> Subject: Re: Mini Kegs Tom - Because my apartment just doesn't have room for another fridge and a real kegging system, I have been experimenting with mini kegs. The cost analyses didn't affect my decision, just my desire to find an alternative to bottling. Comments after 10 gallons 'kegged': 1) kegging process is pretty easy. 2) I had some leakage around the tap/keg joint when the tap was inserted wet. 3) Getting the carbonation levels right is tough - The first 5 gallons was primed with 4 oz corn sugar, the second with 5 oz. SWMBO was unhappy both times. I'll try 6 oz next month. 4) Drying the kegs out is no fun - I ended up using rolled up papertowels and shaking. the bung lip keeps a good deal of water in the keg that will not drain out. 5) It's really easy to drink 5 gallons of beer when it is on tap in the fridge. Initial thoughts - if I had the space, I would definitely go with a 'real' kegging system. The long term costs are less as well. But, with my space constraints, the mini-kegs let me keep bitters and pale ales on tap with minimal bottling effort, so I'm now making more beer. That to me is well worth the $80 set up cost and additional CO2 cartridges. Now I just have to see how long the little kegs last... From: Tom Byrnes Sent: Mon 4/9/01 10:41 PM Subject: Mini kegs I am considering going to a mini keg system with the Philtap. Experienced users please provide your feedback (positive & negative). Thanks Tom - Steve Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 13:36:26 -0400 From: Paul Shick <shick at jcu.edu> Subject: Steve Alexander's practical pointer on HSA Hi all, I just wanted to reinforce a point that Steve Alexander made very nicely in his posting on hot-side aeration in the 4/10/01 HBD: "... the major impact occurs early in the mash. Yes you can harm a beer by blowing air through it later, but all things being equal - the early mash period is the most critical." All of my (sporadic) reading on this subject agrees with this point. More importantly, though, it's something really worth knowing from a practical point of view. In my (semi-RIMS) system, for example, this helped me decide to dough in at a beta-amylase of higher saccharification temperature and let everything rest for at least half an hour before beginning any recirculation, particularly for dark, malty beers. Thanks Steve. It's nice to see the theory lead directly to simple improvements in the brewing process. Paul Shick Cleveland Hts, OH Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 19:28:38 -0400 From: "Gustave Rappold" <grappold at earthlink.net> Subject: Lambic Specialist and De fizzing... There's a gent named Jim Liddil who has written a fine piece on p-lambic homebrewing, you can get it at http://hbd.org/brewery/library/LmbicJL0696.html It's 34 pages long, and printing it out and binding it in a report cover is one of the few smart things I've ever done...I think Mr. Liddil has/had something to do with running the lambic digest, but I don't know if it is still in operation. I know he occasionally posts here, but I couldn't tell you if he reads us regularly. I can tell you his dissertation gave me the courage to 'go for it', wooden cask and all!! As far as degassing beer, Songbird needs to give it some time for the excess CO2 to come out of solution. It's a trial and error thing if you don't have a gauge. Gus - --- Gustave Rappold - --- grappold at earthlink.net - --- EarthLink: It's your Internet. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 19:19:20 -0500 From: "elvira toews" <etoews1 at home.com> Subject: cylinders, cleaning chillers, etc. Jason's cylinder failed hydro - what to do? If they didn't drill a hole in it, you need to find out how it failed. If it's the valve, you could have that replaced. My 5# tank is a converted fire extinguisher, so it must be possible. Of course, it is also possible to screw up the test so that it looks like a failure. I'd go somewhere else and see what they think. Re. rinsing vs. cleaning CF chillers. I've been sanitizing beer bottles in the dishwasher for 5 years, so they've only been rinsed. After a year of very little brewing I got them out, and 30% have an obvious film on the inside - beer stone. My immersion chiller is starting to look cruddy, too, but at least that won't infect my beer. A compromise is in order - soak the inside of your CF chiller in vinegar, phosphoric acid or StarSan every 5 - 10 batches. This will keep things from getting out of hand. As for "I've never had any problems", it is said that the average beginner doesn't get infections for the first two years despite sloppiness, and then <wham!> a series of bad batches from all the nasties that got established in that period. Sean Richens srichens at sprint.ca Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 20:47:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Steven <stevensl at mindspring.net> Subject: blueberry wheat/raspberry wheat (fwd) after a few of my latest brews i felt compelled to send off a report to the list. Hopefully to generate some constructive criticism. I basically started with this 7lb's Wheat DME 2oz Haullertau(sp?) Wyeast Weistephan(sp) yeast (number id escapes me) Why all wheat? Donno, didnt see any recipies for all wheat floating around so what the heck, my friends drink PBR so free homebrew.. well you know the rest. I split the batch after the primary for a week on fresh+frozen (about 1 lb fresh 3lb frozen) blueberrys and raspberrys respectively. I went with frozen due to the extremely high cost of the fruit. The results after almost two weeks in the bottle (not even)? Well its a little soon but heck I can NEVER wait to sample. Raspberry Wheat - its turned into a lampic, very very raspberry scented, great tart raspberry flavor. Every unbeer like taste though. Overall i think i would have mashed the fruit in a container first and added to secondary, then racked the beer into a 3rd container to clear/filter. Blueberry Wheat - hrm, the blueberrys were not up to par sadly. The flavor was much less pronounced than i would have hoped. More beer like flavor with the barest hint of aroma, a sweat overtone on top of the cloudy, murky redish dishwater like brew. Overall. Not bad, not great. Time will hopefully improve matters somewhat. It was amazing how good my Irish Red (is there such a beast?) got as the weeks passed and my hoegarden clone has gotten incredable. Steven St.Laurent ::: stevensl at mindspring.net ::: 403forbidden.net /"\ \ / ASCII Ribbon Campaign - Say NO to HTML in email and news X / \ Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 19:31:45 -0700 From: "Mike Riddle" <riddle at sonic.net> Subject: MCAB3 Update We have extended the registration deadline for MCAB3 to April 18 to allow the several folks who are thinking about coming to make up their minds and join in the fun! Go to the website at http://www.bayareamashers.org/mcab3/conference_registration.htm to get the details. The hotel will also extend the deadline for getting the reduced rate -- but sign up quickly, because the hotel will no longer hold the block of rooms open for us, so they will eventually sell out. Phone for the Berkeley Radisson is 510-548-7920 to make reservations. Or call the toll free number 800-243-0625. In addition to the speakers shown below, Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing has now agreed to come and talk. Please don't miss this great opportunity to network with some of the legends of the craft brewing community! Latest lineup: Louis Bonham and Dave Sapsis -- Flavor Spiking Seminar -- Friday Mike Riddle -- Holes in Beer Flavor Space --- potential new styles for exploration Scott Bickham -- Seven Steps to becoming a good beer judge Martin Lodahl -- Flavor Drift: how cultural changes affect styles and practices Peter Garofalo -- How to Build Better Scoresheet John Palmer -- From Corncobs to Computers: Modeling Lauter Flow in the Grainbed George Fix -- Malt Flavors Explored Dave Sapsis -- Testing Flavor Profiles and Judge Effects Ray Daniels -- keynote on Saturday -- Amateur Brewing and Beyond --Mike Riddle for the MCAB3 Organizing Committee Return to table of contents
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