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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Re: Chest freezer problems (Kent Fletcher)
  Dump Sparging And Extract Efficiency ("Phil Yates")
  Weldless keg spiggots ("Mike Brennan")
  Re: Vodka (Jeff Renner)
  Re: Walk In Cooler (Dan)
  Re: Some new brewing books ("Stephen Alexander")
  Trip round up, Partitioned Freezer Conversion ("Homebrew42")
  FW: Chest freezer problems ("Angie and Reif Hammond")
  Double Diamond / Recipie Critique Requested (Michael Fross)
  Thanks (David Brandt)
  Re: smoked malt (Dean Fikar)
  Buying Oxygen (David Towson)
  Re: Dump Sparging (Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative)


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Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 21:22:39 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kent Fletcher <fletcherhomebrew at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Chest freezer problems

Jeff Pursley was having chest pains
(chest freezer, that is):

> When I examined the chest freezer, I found the walls
> around the top of the compartment to be were cold, 
> with some ice forming in one corner. 
> The walls around the bottom of the compartment were
> warm. 

Jeff,

Most modern chest freezers have both the evaporator
and condenser coils under the inner and outer skins. 
More than likely you have a refrigerant leak, which
will cause your exact symptoms.  Leaks on these units
can be so small as to be nearly impossible to find. 
Being so small, the leaks can take years to noticeably
affect performance.  The up side of that is that you
can gas 'er up and not worry about it for another few
years.  A piercing type access valve can be attached
to the tubing and refrigerant topped off.

Kent Fletcher
brewing in So Cal





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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 20:17:00 +1000
From: "Phil Yates" <phil.yates at acenet.com.au>
Subject:  Dump Sparging And Extract Efficiency

Thomas Hamann noted that his extraction efficiency actually improved when he
went to dump or batch sparging as opposed to more traditional sprinkling
type methods. I did mention that I probably got the best extract ever using
dump sparging. I should clarify that it was on a par (rather than better).

In all the years I have been mashing, I have come to the conclusion that the
main three factors determining extract efficiency are your crush, thorough
mixing of grain and water in the mash tun and rate of run off. It doesn't
seem to matter one hoot what depth of water you like to maintain above your
grain during run off.

These days, I crush very fine with my Valley Mill. This fine crush certainly
encourages flour balling in the mash tun but doughing in helps a lot to
minimise this. What balls do occur can easily be broken up with gentle
stirring of the mash (or you can attach an egg beater to your electric drill
if you live far enough from Steve Alexander that he won't hear it!)

One poor obsessive soul here in Oz (and most of us know who that is) claims
he crushes his grain to flour and gets 100% extract efficiency using rice
hulls to avoid the inevitable stuck mash. I don't go to such extremes but I
do usually use a few handfuls of rice hulls as a precaution and never get
close to a stuck mash. These days, my extract efficiency is in excess of 90%
and that keeps me happy. I get around 280 points per litre gravity where a
bit over 300 points would be considered 100%. I'm not really concerned about
grain cost but more interested in producing the maximum amount of beer
possible given the capacity of my kettle. The wheat beer I have been
producing of late is so rapidly consumed by Jill and her girlfriends, I have
even taken to high gravity brewing, diluting to the required gravity in the
fermenters prior to fermentation.

Users of RIMS would wonder why anyone would manually stir their mash. All I
can say is that it suits me. A low gas flame below the tun enables
temperature control which is good enough for me.

Getting back to the point of this post, I'm not suggesting that anyone using
a sparge arm should throw it away and adopt dump sparging. What I am saying
is that after years of being a "Phil's Sparge Arm" man, or any other sparge
arm, I now realise I can dispense with it, with no ill effect. It seems one
less procedure I need worry about and as my hot liquor tun has split its
sides, I don't have to replace it.

The more and longer you brew, the more you learn. Even if others don't agree
with your conclusions, we all have to admit it is a fascinating journey.

Cheers
Phil



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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 08:56:25 -0500
From: "Mike Brennan" <brewdude at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Weldless keg spiggots

I have never had a desire to weld my spiggot to the keg.  It makes it too
hard to clean.  I favor cutting a hole in the bottom of the keg.  I notch
out the bottom side of the keg where the ball valve protrudes. The valve is
connected to a 4 inch brass tube which has a 90 (male connection) on the end
that is inserted into the hole drilled in the keg.  I simply put a stainless
washer on both the inside and the outside of the keg and crank down on a
brass nut to keep it in place.  Never had a leak and you can disassemble it
to clean.  I suspect a lot of brewers have a similar set up.



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Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2002 09:29:45 -0400
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Vodka

LJ Vitt <lvitt4 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>I was informed by a visiter from Russia that good vodkas
>are made from 100% grain.  What grains?  I don't know.

It's most often rye.  There's a pretty good web site about vodka at 
http://www.ivodka.com/.  It lists virtually all brands of vodka 
available and usually (often?) tells what the the grain bill for each 
is.

Jeff
- -- 
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner at comcast.net
"One never knows, do one?"  Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943


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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 06:45:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dan <goldenloafer at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Walk In Cooler

Ed Jones asks about fabrication of a walk in cooler.
Forrest Duddles, known far and wide as "The FridgeGuy"
has built a great one and published details. Here's
the link to his article: 

http://www.klob.org/articles-ColdRoom.htm 



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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 10:09:04 -0400
From: "Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander at ieee.org>
Subject: Re: Some new brewing books

Ray Daniels .. writes

>A question on another forum recently prompted me to frame comments on some
>recently published brewing books and I thought they might be of interest
>here as well.  Here goes:

>"Brewing Yeast and Fermentation." Chris Boulton and David Quain. (Blackwell
>Science, 2001) [...]
> My take is that no serious brewing library
>should be without this volume. (You can order this on Amazon.com)

>"Brewing Yeast Fermentation Performance." Edited by Katherine Smart
>(Blackwell Science, 2000). This is a collection of 26 papers [...]
> A good buy for the
>serious student of brewing. (Also available on Amazon.)

I've had both of these volumes for the past 6 months and I can
wholeheartedly recommend Boulton & Quain's  "Brewing Yeast and Fermentation"
(BY&F) as an excellent resource for the brewer with an abnormally technical
interest in yeast.  It is perhaps as readable and as detailed as M&BS, tho'
not as encyclopedic in it's coverage.  It is not a textbook and does not
begin with the basics but assumes a prior foundation.  Fabulous book that
finds it's way to my desk regularly.  B&Q add some of their own unpublished
results and some proprietary work at Bass and draw together information from
the most recent research.

I am much less enthralled by Katherine Smart's collection of papers.
Nothing wrong here, but it is just a collection of  papers and you are
looking at $150 investment for an odd-lot of details.  Don't get me wrong -
about 1/3rd of the papers are interesting enough that I've read then right
off and another 1/3rd will be read as time permits - but as a practical HBer
I really don't care so very much about PCR techniques for detecting lacto's
and (the lager yeast article Ray referred to) -70C storage effects on petite
mutants.

My advise - buy BY&F and borrow a copy of BYFP from a university library.
Each is about $150.
BAMM.com (Books a Million) usually has a better price than Amazon.

 -Steve




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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 16:46:41 -0400
From: "Homebrew42" <Homebrew42 at hotmail.com>
Subject: Trip round up, Partitioned Freezer Conversion

Hello all,

First I just wanted to say thanks to all for the many suggestions I got from
the list regarding local places in Groton CT, and Columbia MD.  Both of my
trips were rerouted and I ended up immediately leaving for Morgantown WV so
I wasn't able to stop anywhere in Columbia, but I am going back so the
suggestions will not go to waste.  The following week after I went to
Groton, I was sent to Skokie IL.  I had a lot of good notes on the places I
visited but somehow managed to leave  them (binder and all) at Gate 7B PIT.
All in all my travels were quite nice and made all the better by having an
idea of where to get a good meal and draught at the end of the day. While I
don't have complete notes I do remember the highlights.  I stopped for the
night in Frederick and the next day I stopped at Brewer's Alley.  It got
really good reviews on pubcrawler.com. The beer wasn't all that special but
I liked the smoked porter better than the IPA , and it was a nice
atmosphere. Food was ok, but the service was a little slow (we _were_
sitting outside). Not sure I would go back right away, but it wasn't a bad
experience at all.  On the way home  I was able to stop at a place in
Cumberland.  I think it was Tuckers.  Small place, the food was a bit
pricey, but the IPA was better.  In Gorton I was able to make it to the
Mohegan (sp?) Sun, but  I wasn't really all that impressed with the beer
they brewed, but the Casino/Hotel/Mall was really impressive. I was never
able to make it to Willimantic as much as I tried.  However, while eating at
S&P Oysters (???) (good food) I also had Cottrell from the area which was
really good.  Then in Chicago, I had some Honker (???) IPA (Can you tell I
like them?)  from Goose Island. I also stopped in to the local Rock Bottom
as it came recommended for an easy in and out of the city and a nice
"jumping off point." I liked the beer and the food was really good IMHO.  I
was even able to bring a growler home with me.  One of the more interesting
brews from Rock Bottom was their Bourbon Stout.  I couldn't drink more than
one but I really enjoyed the one I did have. I didn't sample them all but I
liked the Brown and the Red was ok too.  anyway enough of me rambling thanks
again to all for the great suggestions.

Since I have been away, I have fallen behind as usual in reading the hbd.
however, I seem to remember a couple of posts to either here or rcb with a
request for a link to a partitioned freezer conversion site.  I had the link
and didn't remember seeing it anywhere recently (but I was just skimming a
lot of it)  so I thought I would post it again HTH.
http://www.oregonbrewcrew.com/freezer/freezer.html

Have fun brewing,

Bill Lucas
State College, PA


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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 16:54:32 -0400
From: "Angie and Reif Hammond" <arhammond at attbi.com>
Subject: FW: Chest freezer problems

This is an offline discussion I have had relative to the life of chest
freezers used as beer coolers.  I was wondering what the collective's
thoughts and experiences were in this area?


Thanks,
Reif Hammond
Durham, NH

- ---------------------------------------

Reif,

Thanks for your response and feedback!  I've heard they have a lifespan
of
about 4-5 years before you start having problems -- I'm wondering
whether
warranty would cover something like that, particularly if the unit is
still
in it's original structure without any holes, etc. drilled into it.

Absolutely, feel free to add my e-mail and your response to HBD.  Thanks
again for the feedback and I'll keep my eyes posted to see what others
have
to say.

Prost!

Karl

- ------------------------------------------

Karl,

I ran it for about 3 or 4 years that way.  I bought it used - it had
been stored in a garage for several years.

In discussing with the repairman, he said the way to make a freezer last
the longest was to run it on its coldest setting.  I am now wondering
the wisdom of buying a replacement freezer.  I may build a cold room
instead.

I would like to post your question and my response to HBD to see if I
can get a discussion going on this.  Is it okay with you?

Reif

- ------------------------------------------
Hi,

I saw your post on hbd.org and was wondering how long you ran your chest
freezer at higher than freezing temps. before your internal cooling
lines started to rust.  I've heard others talking about how the coolant
lines are steel and running your freezer at higher temps causes
condensation to form and rust these out prematurely.  Any comments?
Thanks!

Karl





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Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 17:18:44 -0500
From: Michael Fross <michael at fross.org>
Subject: Double Diamond / Recipie Critique Requested

Hello all,

I've got into my head an attempt to brew a pale ale sorta like DD.  I
found a recipe in Clone Beers (page 91), but have modified it quite a
bit (I don't know what Amber malt is (it's not crystal) and I'm not
putting corn sugar in the wort), but it is close.

I guess if it doesn't come out to be a DD clone that wouldn't bother
me too much, but I do want a very taste Pale Ale (it's for a friends
wedding, so it's important to me).

Anyway, enough rambling.  Please let me know what you think:

Frosty

- ----------------------------------------
ProMash Recipe Printout

Recipe : Blue Bucket Pale Ale

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
- -------------------------------

04-C  Bitter & English Pale Ale, Strong Bitter/English Pale Ale

Min OG:  1.046   Max OG:  1.065
Min IBU:    30   Max IBU:    65
Min Clr:     6   Max Clr:    14  Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
- ----------------

Batch Size (GAL):         5.00    Wort Size (GAL):    5.00
Total Extract (LBS):      7.25
Anticipated OG:          1.062    Plato:             15.31
Anticipated SRM:          15.9
Anticipated IBU:          35.3
Wort Boil Time:             60    Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
- ----------------

Evaporation Rate:      15.00    Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size:    5.88    Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity:      1.053    SG          13.11  Plato


Grain/Extract/Sugar

   %     Amount     Name                          Origin        Potential SRM
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 86.2     6.25 lbs. Light Dry Malt Extract                       1.046      7
  6.0     0.44 lbs. Crystal 40L                   America        1.034     40
  5.2     0.38 lbs. Toasted Malt(2-row)           America        1.033     30
  2.6     0.19 lbs. Chocolate Wheat               America        1.030    450

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha    HBU   Time
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1.00 oz.    Goldings - E.K.                   Pellet   5.70     5.7  60 min.
  0.75 oz.    Goldings - E.K.                   Pellet   5.70     4.3  15 min.
  0.50 oz.    Styrian Goldings                  Pellet   4.00     2.0  1 min.
  0.50 oz.    Fuggle                            Pellet   5.40     2.7  1 min.
  0.50 oz.    Goldings - E.K.                   Pellet   5.70     2.8  Dry Hop


Extras

  Amount      Name                           Type      Time
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  0.10 Oz     Irish Moss                     Fining    15 Min.(boil) 


Yeast
- -----

WYeast 1099 Whitbread Ale

Water Profile
- -------------

Profile:           Woodridge, Illinois
Profile known for: 

Calcium(Ca):          35.2 ppm
Magnesium(Mg):        11.4 ppm
Sodium(Na):            7.0 ppm
Sulfate(SO4):         26.1 ppm
Chloride(Cl):         12.0 ppm
biCarbonate(HCO3):     0.0 ppm

pH: 7.67



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Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2002 18:13:37 -0700
From: David Brandt <jdlcr at flash.netdex.com>
Subject: Thanks

I just wanted to send a thank you for all the advice from the HBD collective
concerning summer cooling schemes for my fermenter. The practical knowledge
from those who fancy certain methods was extremely helpful.
Sincerely,
David Brandt
Cloverdale, CA




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Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2002 17:07:03 -0700
From: Dean Fikar <dfikar at swbell.net>
Subject: Re: smoked malt

>smoked malt (Bryan Gros)
>
>Interested in smoking my own malt.
>
>I plan to spread a couple pounds of malt on a screen and smoke in the
webber.
>Any suggestions as to how long to smoke?
>
>Do I prepare the malt (probably munich) in any way?
>
>Do I just smoke, malt, and then crush and mash?
>
>Thanks.
>

Bryan,

Sorry for the tardy reply, I've been out of town for the last 3 weeks.
By all means smoke your own malt.  My personal preference is to use oak
but I've had good success with pecan and apple woods as well.  

There are many ways to accomplish the smoking procedure.  The following
works for me:

I soak the malt in filtered water for about 5 minutes then smoke it in a
dedicated smoker for anywhere from 1 to 3 hrs.  I try not let the
temperature get much above 150F or so.  Some say to let the smoked malt
age for a few days or weeks but I usually smoke my malt the night before
I brew, let it dry out some on the smoker overnight, then crush & brew
the next morning.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

- ---------------------------------------------
Dean Fikar - Ft. Worth, TX 




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Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2002 19:02:11 -0400
From: David Towson <dtowson at comcast.net>
Subject: Buying Oxygen

A while back, there was some discussion of alternate sources of pure Oxygen 
for use in beermaking, and it was pointed out that one can buy refill tanks 
for Bernzomatic torches at Home Depot for about half the price charged by 
Liquid Bread.  It was also pointed out that this gas is produced to a 99.5 
percent purity spec, which is no less strict than that for medical 
Oxygen.  Here is a tip for purchasing these refills.  Since the cylinders 
contain only gas (no liquid), the actual weight of the contents (1.4 
ounces) is so small compared with the weight of the cylinder (almost 1.5 
pounds) that there's just no way to tell by feel whether a tank is full or 
empty.  And it would take a very accurate scale to tell the difference - 
not the sort of thing you'd want to carry to the store, even if you had 
one.  A good portable tester would be a pressure gauge, but then you'd need 
a special left-handed-thread adapter to connect it to the cylinder.  So 
until I can come up with something better, I'm going to bring along the 
pressure regulator that screws onto the Oxygen bottle.  I've noted that 
when I remove the regulator from a full cylinder, the resealing of the 
ball-check valve in the top makes a good "pop", and the loudness depends on 
how much pressure is in the tank.  It's crude, but better than 
nothing.  The first cylinder I bought turned out to be completely empty, 
and I had to go back and exchange it.  A simple "pop test" would have saved 
me a trip.

Dave in Bel Air, Maryland



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Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 09:50:11 +1000 (EST)
From: Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative <Scott.Morgan at Sun.COM>
Subject: Re: Dump Sparging

Phil Yates wrote:

>Hey, I always
>wanted to try my hand at dump sparging. Sorry Dan Listermann, looks like I
>won't be needing the sparge arm on this occasion. And what was the end
>result? Probably the best extraction I have ever got out of my grain. I'm
>now a dedicated dump sparger and whilst I loved my sparge arm, I won't be
>using it again.


Hey Phil, I am wondering if this is due to your elevated locale. You have a 
lower boiling point and am wondering what this does for efficency??

Should I try mashing on my apartment roof?? Bit difficult to get the tun up 
there, but maybe worth a shot. Could be a bugger with wind for the boil as 
well....

But there nothing like a bit of Danger in your brewing!

Scotty





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