HOMEBREW Digest #3864 Wed 13 February 2002


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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Zero-crossing Triac control chips (Al Klein)
  Dip stick for the Boil kettle ("Mike Brennan")
  re: finishing a dip stick or any wood device in your brew ("margie ludwig")
  Hop Tea ("Talbot Rickard")
  Screw top test tubes (Brad McMahon)
  Harvesting barley ("Groenigen,  J.W. van ")
  harvesting barley (Ray Kruse)
  Boston Homebrew Competition results online ("John B. Doherty")
  Kettle Cleaner ("Don Scholl")
  "Phil's Folly" ("Phil Yates")
  Jethro Gump Report ("Phil Yates")
  RE: recent bazooka screen experience ("Rogers, Mike")
  Gott Cooler - False Bottom Experience ("Rogers, Mike")
  365 Bottles of Beer ("Jim Bermingham")
  Re: Teaching homebrew classes (Art Beall)
  Dip stick (Althelion)
  Suckback in Secondary ("R. Schaffer-Neitz")
  Klein calendar (Jeremy Bergsman)
  Beer from Dirt ("Caryl Hornberger")
  Salvaging Flat Beer ("Hedglin, Nils A")
  RE: bazooka screen (Brian Lundeen)
  Ken Schwartz's Web Site / Acidulation (Tony Barnsley)
  Old instructions for draught and bottled Guinness (Jeff Renner)
  Kettle Cleaner ("Hall, Kevin")
  heating plastic (Aaron Robert Lyon)
  Wooden Dip Stick--How to finish ("Pete Calinski")
  10 gal soda keg modification help ("TED MAJOR")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 19:53:57 -0500 From: Al Klein <rukbat at optonline.net> Subject: Zero-crossing Triac control chips Dave Howell said: >The reason for the zero-crossing part is for high-frequency, aircraft, >precision, and military applications, and not so much for residential 60Hz >power applications; but to keep the FCC happy many residential applications >(e.g. newer ovens) use them as well. You see, the AC current is always >swinging between +170 and -170 or so volts. If you turn a heater on when >the power is way up (or down) the swing, near the top (or bottom), then you >have a big inrush of current, which can act in funny ways in the power >circuit, causing multi-frequency electomagnetic noise (radio static). >If you wait until the voltage is swinging through zero volts to turn it on, >there is no large inrush of current, and no funny reflections, and no radio >frequency (RF) noise. It's also a matter of multi-kilowatt triacs being a bit expensive. Zero-crossing switching allows you to use a triac that can hold off 400 volts at a few microamps or carry a few dozen amps at 1 volt. If you switch at full power you need a MUCH larger (read: expensive) triac (and associated heat sink). - --- [Apparent Rennerian 567.7, 95.9] Al - rukbat at optonline dot net Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 19:50:21 -0600 From: "Mike Brennan" <brewdude at tampabay.rr.com> Subject: Dip stick for the Boil kettle You might find a piece of copper tube to be a better dipstick than plastic or wood. You can notch it with a couple of swipes with a hacksaw every inch or so. I even curled the end of my handle to make a grip. Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 20:09:42 -0800 From: "margie ludwig" <mwludwig at tqci.net> Subject: re: finishing a dip stick or any wood device in your brew Lou King asks: >Anyway, I bought a piece of pine for the purpose. I am thinking that it >would be a good idea to finish it somehow, to keep the nasties from >soaking in and to make easier to sanitize. >One idea is to use polyurethane, but I don't know if that will break >down at high temperatures. The other idea is taken from my Mon-Amie >Paddle (NAYYY), which BB&MB says is finished with "food grade oil". >Will polyurethane break down at boiling temperatures? >Alternately, where do I find "food grade oil" suitable for this purpose? I wouldn't use the normal polyurethane. I have a hardwood mixer in my mash system that I finished with Belen's Salad Bowl finish. Has held up very well after many hours of mashing. I think I bought the stuff from Trendlines, but I'm sure any of the other woodworker's supply companies sell it. Dave Ludwig Flat Iron Brewery Southern MD - --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses at tqci.net] Return to table of contents
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 21:53:07 -0500 From: "Talbot Rickard" <trickard at psouth.net> Subject: Hop Tea Can someone recommend a prefered method to produce a Hop tea. I would like to try this versus Dry hopping in an AMoerican Pale ale I have recently brewed. Any insight and pitfalls would be appreciated. I hope to achieve a Clean Hop aroma and flavor, not a "Soggy Hop" feel Regards, Talbot Trickard at psouth.net Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 17:51:50 +1030 From: Brad McMahon <brad at sa.apana.org.au> Subject: Screw top test tubes Further to the discussion on where to get screw top test tubes - if you have a friend or relative that works in a hospital or doctor's surgery ask them about their blood sample test tubes that they use to send to pathology. The ones I have are screw top and flat bottomed. Perfect for storing yeast samples. Cheers, Brad McMahon Aldgate, South Australia: [10104,268.1] Rennerian Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:51:34 +0100 From: "Groenigen, J.W. van " <J.W.vanGroenigen at Alterra.wag-ur.nl> Subject: Harvesting barley Todd Snyder writes: >Anyone actually interested in converting dirt to beer is eventually going to >want a harvestor for reaping in (literally) all that homegrown barley. Well, I won't deny that that is the royal way of doing it, but it might be a bit much for people who are just fooling around in their back yard. After all, you only need a couple of square meters of barley for a batch of beer, so people might start small. At my work, which involves field trials with rice, we often just hand harvest the grain with a sickel (which goes very fast and is very cheap). After that, you have two options. Either you use a thresher (which is still very expensive, but at least cheaper than an harvester), or you go to a friendly farmer and ask whether he can run his combine for a few minutes (just in the parking lot) while you throw it in there. The farmer will have to be pretty friendly though, and local, since he might be worried about you bringing diseases onto his farm in this way. Or is there an easier way of hand threshing? Anyway, I wouldn't bother with harvesting by machine if you have less than 100 square meters of barley. Jan Willem. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 07:13:15 -0500 From: Ray Kruse <rkruse at johngalt.biz> Subject: harvesting barley > From: "Todd M. Snyder" > Subject: Beer From Dirt Project > > Anyone actually interested in converting dirt to beer is eventually going to > want a harvestor for reaping in (literally) all that homegrown barley. > Getting the grain out of the field and into the sack may be a significant > obstacle for someone interested in doing this, but no longer! I happen to > know of an old (50's era?) but fully functional harvestor just waiting to be > put back into action, and it can be had for very little $. > Most of this posting is done tongue-in-cheek, but on the (very) off-chance > that someone is actually going to try to do this, you are going to need a > harvestor. > For those who can't afford a harvester, one could consider using a sickle or scythe, just as the 'old timers' used before the Industrial Revolution. A bit slower, but just as effective, and certainly less expensive. Ray Kruse Glen Burnie, PRMd rkruse at johngalt.biz - -- "It must be obvious that liberty necessarily means freedom to choose foolishly as well as wisely; freedom to choose evil as well as good; freedom to suffer the rewards of good judgment, and freedom to suffer the penalties of bad judgment. If this is not true, the word ~FREEDOM~ has no meaning." Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 04:47:13 -0800 (PST) From: "John B. Doherty" <dohertybrewing at yahoo.com> Subject: Boston Homebrew Competition results online The Boston Wort Processors Homebrew Club is pleased to announce the results of the 8th Annual Boston Homebrew Competition, held last Saturday, February 9th at the Watch City Brewing Company in Waltham MA. A record total of 474 entries from 17 states spanning all 26 categories were judged by 49 judges with the assistance of 24 stewards. Congratulations to Jeff Lopata of Winchester, MA for his Best of Show winning Southern English Brown Ale. This was not only Jeff's first Best of Show, it was his first category win in a homebrew competition! Runner-Up Best of Show was a Russian Imperial Stout from Geoff McNally from Tiverton, RI of the South Shore Brew Club. Second Runner-Up Best of Show went to Eric Kuijpers for his Witbier. The Brewmaster's Choice Award, selected from the BOS table by Watch City's Head Brewer Aaron Mateychuk, went to a Vanilla Cream Ale brewed by Jim Dexter from Acton, MA of the Boston Wort Porcessors. A complete list of category winners (1st place beers in categories 1-20 also qualify for MCAB5 in 2003) can be found at http://www.wort.org/BHC/winners02.html Tremendous thanks to all who entered, judged and otherwise supported the Boston Homebrew Competition. We look forward to your continued support! Watch for BHC9 coming in February 2003! Cheers, -John Doherty BHC8 Head Organizer Boston Wort Processors Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 07:35:54 -0500 From: "Don Scholl" <dws at engineeringdimensions.com> Subject: Kettle Cleaner Tom Byrnes asks: >What would be good to clean the brown stains off the inside >bottom of a stainless steel pot. Dishwashing liquid doesn't > do the job. Tom, I use Bar Keepers Friend! Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 13:39:38 +1100 From: "Phil Yates" <yates at acenet.com.au> Subject: "Phil's Folly" I had promised to report on the effects of my True Love Ale at a recent mate's wedding. I must admit I didn't appreciate the private email from a well known HBDer suggesting I was little better than Jim Jones who brought about the Jonestown massacre. But I'm bigger than suggestions like that. I could tell you how the wedding started off as a very prim and proper (and utterly boring) affair. Somewhere (by my estimation) around the time my keg was about one quarter down, things started to happen! One would have thought they were at a rodeo rather than a wedding as grown men charged about the place trying to throw off wives who clung in piggy back style to their backs whipping them with flowers. What a shambles! Still later in the night the rodeo carried on but the riders and horses swapped roles. All of this might have been overlooked but that the minister grabbed the microphone and carried out the commentary! What an awsome night! Was it the Old Kent, or the James Squire or maybe the bottle of vodka in the True Love Ale which caused all this? It couldn't have been any of them, because at the last minute I felt a wave of guilt and never took the True Love Ale along at all. This wild lot were running on my very own brew and did they ever think it was a fantastic drop. Meanwhile, back at home amidst the bank of fridges which sit humming in my garage, sits a lonely and largely untouched keg of True Love Ale. I've renamed it "Phil's Folly" and the only person who ever draws from it is me (trying to use the bloody stuff up!!). When I first started brewing years ago, probably like many brewers I dreamed of making beer good enough to match commercial versions. Now I have a keg full of commercial beer and no one wants to go near it. Why don't you tip it down the sink? suggested my sarcastic brewing mate. And so I did. Cheers Phil Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 14:11:35 +1100 From: "Phil Yates" <yates at acenet.com.au> Subject: Jethro Gump Report Rob writes: >Had to respond to this one, as the best bike I ever >owned, a 'Best >Motorcycle in the World,' BMW R90S, '76 was >purchased from the Tom Byrnes >dealership in Sydney.. Rob It ain't ole Tom wondering how to clean stainless steal. Tom passed on quite some years ago. But his son Ed now runs the shop and I'm currently on my third BMW which I have bought from him. When the Norton is playing hard to start, the Baron can be seen riding the Beemer with his infamous keg of homebrew strapped to the back. Now Rob, you will be very pleased to learn I have just switched to using dry yeasts and will talk more about these and BMW's later. Cheers Baron Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:22:09 -0500 From: "Rogers, Mike" <mike.rogers at eds.com> Subject: RE: recent bazooka screen experience Re: Bazooka screen clogging... Due to limitations of leaf hop availability at my local suppliers, I used all pellets with my bazooka for the first time in a 10.5 gallon IPA last Sunday. The bazooka did clog and restrict flow by 80%, but what wouldn't with 8oz of pellets. I'm very satisfied with the bazooka, and consider it a sound product based on price/quality. I was not familiar with "whirlpooling" the wort when draining the boiler, so maybe that would have helped. I just siphoned instead... I've used the bazooka for 5 other batches (all leaf and mixed), all which drained very clean... Mike Rogers Cass River Homebrewers - Mid Michigan www.hbd.org/cassriverhomebrewers mailto:mike01_rogers at yahoo.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:30:53 -0500 From: "Rogers, Mike" <mike.rogers at eds.com> Subject: Gott Cooler - False Bottom Experience John had asked about false bottom for Rubbermaid cooler ++++++ I have a 10 gal Gott cooler with a Phils false bottom and pad. I've used this setup 6 times with up to 25 lbs of grain - all ale recipes (Porter, IPA, Barley Wine, Pale). My results have been stellar. Clear as can be after only drawing a pint. I've never had a slow down in drainage, let alone a stuck mash. I've read many a posts with issues around the cheaper plastic false bottoms such as Phils, but so far everything works great! Mike Rogers Cass River Homebrewers - Mid Michigan www.hbd.org/cassriverhomebrewers mailto:mike01_rogers at yahoo.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:33:14 -0600 (Central Standard Time) From: "Jim Bermingham" <bermingham at antennaproducts.com> Subject: 365 Bottles of Beer Pat, Put the calendar down and walk away. You are having entirely too much fun with Bob Klein's beer descriptions. I received one of Bob's calendar's as a gift a few years ago and thought it was a Hoot! This guy can sure say a lot about a subject he knows nothing about. However I did get one thing from the calendar, and that was a list of beers that I hadn't tasted. I have since had that opportunity on trips across the U.S. and Europe to try some of the beers on the pages of my calendar. Although none quite measured up to Bob's descriptions of them they were good and I may not have bought them if I had not seen them on the calendar. God, now it sounds as though I'm defending the guy! What the world really needs is a calendar on beer published by either Dave Barry or Homer Simpson "Mmmmm BEER!!! Jim Bermingham Millsap,TX Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 06:35:22 -0800 (PST) From: Art Beall <arthurbeall at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Teaching homebrew classes Steve, Saw your request for advise about teaching classes. I've helped teach class at the Grape and Granary a number of times, and this experience was very rewarding. The G&G has been doing classes for many years, and the format they've designed seems to work well. Here are some points to consider : 1) Mix up the class with passing around plenty of samples of hops, malt, beer, etc. This adds sight, touch, smell, and taste to the experience and makes it more real to the student. 2) Actually make a batch during the class, and let students help and or come up and take a look during the procedures. Print the recipe in the class notes, and use it as the main example for topics thruout the class. This provides continuity and purpose. 3) When teaching a topic, provide examples, especially when using formulas such as HBU,IBU,SG. If a technique is discussed, perform the technique while discussing it, like racking, starting a siphon, using a hydrometer. 4) Invite the students to come back and taste the beer made in class. This has generated much interest for 1st time homebrewers. 5) The notes should include reference material so they can use it when they make there batch at home. Step wise instructions, lists of hops, yeast, malt, references for more study. Book recommendations, and perhaps even some recipes they could start off with. 6) Its easy to get off topic with question on complicated issues, which might be great for some students, but confuse and turn-off others. Try to channel questions into the next section or topic when possible. Encourage people to stay after class to get more in-depth questions answered. 7) Include samples of various beer styles during the class that emphasize the hops and malt that are also passed around during the same time. 8) Occasionally ask the odd question of students to try to get them to think about the topic. Good luck! Art Beall "What I'm wondering is if anyone with experience teaching a homebrewing class has any advice, or pitfalls to avoid." ===== Art Beall arthurbeall at yahoo.com Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 10:13:25 EST From: Althelion at aol.com Subject: Dip stick Why even use a dip stick? Take preliminary measurements of liquid volumes of your vessel with water and measure the various icrements from the top of the vessel to the liquid line. That way, using a ruler, yardstick, meter rod, etc., you'll be able to see exact measurements without having to submerge anything into your wort. Alan Pearlstein Commerce Township, MI (Uncertain of the Rennerian numbers although I always thought the center of the planet was in East Lansing not Ann Arbor.) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 10:19:01 -0500 From: "R. Schaffer-Neitz" <rschaff at ptd.net> Subject: Suckback in Secondary Greetings and hail to the collective: Here's the problem: I have a high gravity ale in the secondary (bucket) and am getting suckback through my airlock. Here's the background. I'll go a little heavy on the detail, since it's always some seemingly insignificant part that is the source of the problem: Tried to brew "Trumpet Major Old Ale" from BYO, April, 2001. This was to be my New Years Ale for this coming year. Maybe it still will be. I'm open to opinions on the matter (i.e., whether it will mature well over the next 10 months). Anyway, due to an unfortunate combination of events, I used too much water. Ok, ok, if you must know... I was using my propane cooker (MORE POWER!!!!), as well as my Sankey keg boiling pot (I know it's overkill for 5 gal batches, but where else are you going to get a large enough, high quality cooking vessel for about $60?) for the 1st time. I'd also been reading the recent thread on boiloff, and seemed to recall reading that 6.5 gal would yield 5 gal after vigorous boiling (though now I question my memory on that point). So... I used 6.5 gal water for this beer, not thinking about the volume added by the 8lb LME and 7.5lb DME. I realized belatedly that the participants in that thread were probably all AG brewers who already had all the extract in the wort when they started boiling. Added to this was the water contributed by my leaky home made immersion chiller (also in use for the first time). I'm praying the garden hose was clean. :>) The upshot of all of this is that instead of an OG of 1.130, I got 1.078. I pitched my 2 qt., high gravity starter of WLP007 (Dry English Ale). After 10 days in the primary, SG was 1.026 and I racked to the secondary (miraculously, it tasted ok). After a couple days, I noticed the water in the airlock was low. I put in more. A day or 2 later I noticed it was low again. Like the idiot I am, I put in more. Now, it's happened a 3rd time and I finally recognize it for what it is... suckback. >From this experience I've drawn several conclusions. In other words, I know I've done all this stuff wrong already, please don't rub my face in it :) 1) I tried to do too many new things at once. 2) I didn't think ideas through before I tried them. 3) My sanitary technique is virtually nonexistent 4) I should have only used tried & true procedures & equipment on a beer that big and special 5) I should still be brewing with a canned kit, table sugar and bread yeast What I don't know is why my secondary is sucking back water out of the airlock. Any ideas? If I'm lucky, this was a great learning experience which I will not repeat and which will make a humorous story for my homebrewing grandchildren. If not, I'm just too stupid to be permitted and will most likely wind up accidentally drowning myself by falling headfirst into a 5 gallon bucket of wort Thanks For Laughing at Me While Sitting at Your Respective Computers, Rather than Directly in My Face, Bob Schaffer-Neitz Northumberland, PA 375, 102.6 (apparent) Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 10:35:42 -0500 From: Jeremy Bergsman <jeremy at bergsman.org> Subject: Klein calendar I thought it would be beneficial to evaluate his writing on beers we all know. Here are 2 from last year's calendar (I keep it as a note pad): Guinness: Mildly roasted, tinged with a wee bit o' chocolate malts [sic], and sublimely creamy-smooth, draft Guinness is a glorious sight. When allowed to stand for 2 or 3 minutes after streaming from the tap, the milky-brown body changes before your eyes into a deep, rich brown, capped with a creamy tan head. There is a trace of fruitiness in the aroma and a dry, subtly hoppy character at each swallow. An international favorite that's Irish bliss in a glass. Redhook ESB: Redhook's version of the extra special bitter so popular at English pubs has a vigorous, well-developed bitterness and balancing sweet caramel-malt character. A tasty blending of the two emerges as the copper-colored body warms to room temperature. The carefully placed citrus presence nicely complements the enveloping hop-accented aroma throughout. Finishing somewhat dry, this delicious EXB is deservedly popular. These examples were chosen blind to content, as the first 2 nationally distributed examples I found. - -- Jeremy Bergsman jeremy at bergsman.org http://bergsman.org/jeremy Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 10:45:44 -0500 From: "Caryl Hornberger" <chornberger10 at home.com> Subject: Beer from Dirt Hello All, I've been thinking a lot recently about growing my own wheat and barley to make my own beer from dirt (I'll probably lapse and buy commercial yeast so I don't end up wasting a lot of time and effort), but I was wondering just how much land (acreage, hectarage, whatever) I would need to get enough grain to actually brew a few batches of beer. I usually use 16lbs of grain per batch (I seem to only like to drink wheat bock style beers). Anyone with experience know just about how many lbs of grain per area one can expect? Thanks, Caryl Hornberger Fort Wayne, IN Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 07:59:32 -0800 From: "Hedglin, Nils A" <nils.a.hedglin at intel.com> Subject: Salvaging Flat Beer Hi, I've consistantly had a problem with my bottled beer not carbonating. It could be because I leave it in secondary too long & there's not enough yeast, or because I don't keep my house warm enough for the yeast to work. What ever the case, I now have 4 cases of good tasting, but flat beer. My wife came up with an idea to remedy this that I want to run past you all. I have the 2 liter PET bottle Carbonator cap & a small CO2 canister. Her idea was to open the flat beer, pour it into a small water bottle with the same sized cap & use the Carbonator to carbonate it. This would only be done immediately before drinking it. Would this work, or would oxidation set in too fast? I figured I'd have the bottle in the frig so more CO2 could be disolved into solution, but it might also take some shaking too. Thanks, Nils Hedglin Sacramento, CA Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 10:01:43 -0600 From: Brian Lundeen <blundeen at rrc.mb.ca> Subject: RE: bazooka screen Bill Freeman writes: > Brian, why don't you do us all a favor and take Z up on his > generous offer of a bazooka for trial purposes. It would > save a lot of waffling and wasted bandwidth. Is the reason > you refuse that you don't WANT to be convinced that the thing > works or is it a matter of just not wanting to have to admit > that fact to the board in general? > Bill, why don't YOU do us all a favour and read posts carefully before sending out such missives. Being a forum devoted to the discussion of homebrewing, I don't consider a discussion of the installation and proper usage of the Bazooka screen to be a waste of bandwidth. How do you deduce that I don't want to be convinced that the thing works? I did not refuse the freebie because I don't want to try the screen, simply because other (and I must say, more rational) posters have already convinced me that it can work as Wayne says, and that I am actually willing to (and this was all in the previous post) BUY THE DAMN THING! All I want to do is discuss the operational details that Wayne wants me to follow before I commit to purchasing. And I would be more than happy to come back into this or any other brewing forum and tell people how well it works (assuming it does). Damn, Bill, it's a good thing you aren't in charge of marketing for Zymico. Brian Not in a Rennerian mood Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 16:34:20 -0000 From: Tony Barnsley <tony.barnsley at blackpool.gov.uk> Subject: Ken Schwartz's Web Site / Acidulation Hi Oh Great brewing collective I've been trying without success to find Ken Schwartz's web site (I know I should have bookmarked the URL) could one of you kind souls please help me out? Now onto the real meat of my question. Following on from a heavy discussion of water treatment (primarily reduction of residual alkalinity using acid) a couple of queries have arisen regarding a spreadsheet I have for calculating the amount of acid to add to a given volume of water. Given pH, total hardness (As Calcium), the alkalinity (as Bicarbonate which is the way the water companies measure alkalinity over here :< ), Calcium and Magnesium. the spreadsheet calculates the amount of 80% phosphate 80% Lactic and 98% Sulphuric Acids to reduce the alkalinity to n in x litres of water. I'm fairly happy that the formula for the amount of acid I use is correct. one problem is the constant that is used to convert Alkalinity as bicarbonate to alkalinity as Calcium Carbonate (Or whatever it should be). I use alkalinity as bicarbonate divided by 2.034 which I obtained from Greg Noonan's Book (IIRC) and was confirmed in an unpublished manuscript by another well known UK author. Now our Craft Brewers Association newsletter says that it should be Alkalinity as Bicarbonate divided by 1.22, and Murphy's (suppliers of Chemicals to the commercial brewing trade in the UK) say that its the Total Hardness (As Ca) multiplied by 0.4!! As an Example One of our members reported that his Total Hardness (as Ca) was 128mg/ml, Alkalinity (as Bicarb!) 299 mg/ml, So according to me the alkalinity as CaCO3 is 299/2.034 = 147, CBA is 299/1.22 = 245, and Murphy's as 128*0.4 = 320. Which makes a considerable difference to the amount of acid to add. Which one is 'correct'? or is the answer (as usually applies in brewing) it depends. Pick one you like and stick with it ;-'> - -- Wassail! The Scurrilous Aleman (ICQ 46254361) Schwarzbad Lager Brauerei, Blackpool, Lancs, UK Rennerian Coordinates (I'm Not Lost! I'm A Man, I don't ask for directions) UK HOMEBREW - A Forum on Home Brewing in the UK Managed by home brewers for home brewers This message has been scanned by F-Secure Anti-Virus for Microsoft Exchange as part of the Council's e-mail and internet policy. Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 11:35:13 -0500 From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at mediaone.net> Subject: Old instructions for draught and bottled Guinness Brewers This is long but I hope you will find it worth reading. I thought you all might like to see these old instructions for handling Guinness that I found on two old metal signs in a pub on the Kerry Peninsula in Ireland three years ago. While it was a very touristy pub with lots of tour busses, the signs were definitely authentic. I suspect they were made to be posted on the wall in a pub or bottlers cellar. I would guess they date to the 1920's or 30's. (I have snapshots of the two signs which I can scan and send if anyone would like them.) With nitro dispense of Guinness standard since the 60s (I think), and the new "ice cold" Guinness, it may easily be forgotten that it, like all pre-WWII beers in Britain and Ireland, was once a "real ale." However, it would seem from the venting instructions that it may have been served more lively than typical English ales - hence the full head. There are no instructions for either the cellarman or the bottler as to priming. Perhaps the casks were sent out already freshly primed, or perhaps this was common knowledge that didn't need repeating. Jackson writes in World Guide to beer (p. 156) of Guinness Porter, "Porter survived until the 1970s in the North of Ireland, but had long been overtaken in popularity by stout, a different blend, with a slightly higher density." On p. 157 is a wonderful photo of a pub's back bar with five tapped casks of porter, each with insulated covers proclaiming "Guinness Porter - Guinness is Good for You." The older looking sign (rusty scratches and more yellowed paint): - ----------------------------------------- GUINNESS EXTRA STOUT AND PORTER Instructions for Handling on DRAUGHT Weekly or more frequent supplied are recommended. ON ARRIVAL (1) Put cask under cover immediately (2) Place cask on stillion on bulge. (3) Sample each cask, before using, for caskiness Beer suspected of caskiness should not be put into trade. TEMPERATURE Keep cool in Summer: 60F or below. Keep warm in Winter: up to 55F STOCKS AND TREATMENT (1) Use supplies in the order in which they are obtained. (2) Both Extra Stout and Porter should be tapped directly they are in condition: This according to the temperature, should in summer be after 3 or 4 days, and in winter slightly longer. (3) Guinness should not be served in flat condition. (4) Casks when tapped should be consumed within a week. (5) If the consumption is slow, small casks should be used. VENTING Casks should not be vented unless the beer ceases to flow freely. To vent the cask a hole should be bored in the bung if possible. The vent hold should be kept tightly closed except while the beer is being drawn from the cask. EMPTIES Casks should be closed and returned directly they are empty, corks and spiles being put into tap holes and vent holes respectively. COMPLAINTS Any extra stout or Porter complained of should not be offered for sale. A sample, together with the number of the cask, should be sent at once to the Brewery or the Store concerned, and the Cask held pending instructions. ARTHUR GUINNESS, SON & CO., LTD (INCORPORATED IN ENGLAND) - ----------------------------------- The newer looking sign, or at least in better condition, but still clearly old, is interesting in that it is instructions for retail bottlers of Guinness. Independent bottlers of beers were common back then. Many breweries didn't bottle their own beer at all. Jackson has a label (p.157) from Guinness Porter bottled by GH Lett in Enniscorthy. - ----------------------------------- GUINNESS Memorandum for Retail Bottlers of EXTRA STOUT TREATMENT OF STOUT IN CASK Put Cask under cover. Sample every cask on arrival for "caskiness" and do not bottle if stout is "casky." Keep cool in summer - temperature of stout to be 60F or below. Keep warm in winter - temperature of stout to be up to 55F When possible bottle within 24 hours of receipt. TREATMENT OF BOTTLES Keep cool in summer - temperature, say, 60F . Keep warm in winter - temperature, say, 55F. Put into Trade as soon as sufficient condition develops; usually at 5 to 10 days, according to temperature of storage. Use different lots in the order in which they are bottled: do not hold more than one week's supply in bottle. It is most important to use high quality corks. TREATMENT OF EMPTY CASKS The casks should be closed and returned directly they are empty, corks and spiles being put into tap holes and vent holes respectively. ARTHUR GUINNESS, SON & CO., LTD (INCORPORATED IN ENGLAND) - ------------------------------ Cheers Jeff - -- Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at mediaone.net "One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943 Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 12:29:49 -0500 From: "Hall, Kevin" <Kevin_Hall at bausch.com> Subject: Kettle Cleaner Long Time Lurker, First Time Poster, got a few words regarding kettle cleaning. I too had noticed a brownish to grayish discoloration on the bottom of my 10 gallon Polarware pot; this happened to be in the general shape of the flam from the turbo charged jet propelled Cajun cooker. I usually just rinsed out with hot and cold tap water and occasionally scrubbed (gently with a Scotchbrite) with a bit of Triton X-100 surfactant. This did not touch it, but then again I was going just for a general hops/break/soil clean, not removing this stuff. I noticed some time ago that when making tomato based sauces in stainless steel that the pot always returned to a bright lustre after cooking. So after a recent brew session I went at my 10 gallon baby with a bit of white vinegar (enough to cover the bottom plus a bit) and the trusty Scotchbrite. Voila!, clean pot in about 2.35 minutes (it's a big pot). Minimal elbow grease needed. Rinsing generously with hot water and allowing the pot to air dry inverted in by basement brewery has left a wonderfully bright and clean vessel. Vinegar is solution of acetic acid at approximately 5%, which is easily diluted with water; I usually rinse until the tell-tale odor is not present. For the paranoid, washing with a general purpose surfactant and water should remove any residual vinegar. A bonus is that the air drying (over an extended time, week to 10 days) will also restore the passive layer to the interior of the pot. Please be gentle with your flames. Thanks, Kevin Hall Lilac Ridge Brewing Co. Rochester NY Apparently [no idea] Rennarian EMAIL DISCLAIMER Please Note: The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential, protected from disclosure, and/or intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, distribution, copying or other dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please immediately reply to the sender, delete the message and destroy all copies of it. Thank You Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 13:31:22 -0500 (EST) From: Aaron Robert Lyon <lyona at umich.edu> Subject: heating plastic Brewers, I was discussing how I mash (in a Rubbermaid cooler) with a coworker and she expressed concern about what sort of compounds could be leeched into the final beer from the plastic of the mash tun. Apparently, even those plastics that claim to be "safe" for heating can still contribute harmful elements. The harmful element may have been some sort of estrogen, but was definitely something that could cause/contribute to the formation of cancerous cells. Does anyone have any information about this or similar concerns? Material engineers? M.D.s? Thanks. -A - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Lyon - homebrewer / research assist / Olympic rocket-sled champion *[4.13, 118] Apparent Rennerian* "Give me a woman who truly loves beer, and I will conquer the world." -Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 16:01:00 -0500 From: "Pete Calinski" <pjcalinski at adelphia.net> Subject: Wooden Dip Stick--How to finish I don't dip but, forget the wood. Get a piece of CPVC pipe. A 10 foot length of 1/2 inch dia. costs less than $3.00 US. CPVC is "rated" to 170F but that has to do with burst under pressure. I have used just PVC pipe in boiling wort and, after an hour, it gets a little soft. CPVC won't even soften to any extent. Mark it like Pat did the dowel. If you don't like having to clean the inside, get a cap. That might be $0.09.. Pete Calinski East Amherst NY Near Buffalo NY *********************************************************** *My goal: * Go through life and never drink the same beer twice. * (As long as it doesn't mean I have to skip a beer.) *********************************************************** Return to table of contents
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 18:16:21 -0500 From: "TED MAJOR" <tidmarsh at charter.net> Subject: 10 gal soda keg modification help I have a 10-gal soda keg that I bought a few years ago to use as a fermenter, when I began to develop my fear of breaking a carboy. I used it a few times, but I reverted to a plastic bucket after I tired of the hassles of (a) filling with 10 gal. of iodophor to sanitize or (b) filling with 5 gal. of iodophor and turning it over to sanitize. I used it again this weekend for the 6.5 gallons of mild I brewed (including a bit extra for a real ale experiment with the mini-kegs I asked about a few weeks ago). I tried using 2.5 gal of Star-san and shaking to create foam to contact all the interior surfaces, but then I had the hassle of getting all the foam out. It doesn't just drain out like you think it might. Recent posts here describing the sanitizing of a Sankey keg with soda keg fittings by boiling gave me the obvious idea of boiling my fermenter to sanitize. There's only one problem: there's a thick rubber ring attached to the inside of the skirt that keeps the keg from rolling around like a Weeble(tm). Has anyone removed such a ring, and if so, how? My other concern is with sanitizing the fittings. Does boiling (possibly under pressure) for ~20 min heat the gas in/liquid out ehough to sanitize? Putting a connector onto the gas would allow steam flow through the poppet to sanitize, but I think the safety hazard of boiling with a connector on the liquid out carries obvious safety hazards. Regards, Tidmarsh Major Birmingham, Alabama Return to table of contents
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