HOMEBREW Digest #4672 Sun 12 December 2004


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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  link of the week - BrewLikeAMonk (Bob Devine)
  Re: Siphoning methods (stencil)
  Carbonating Kegs ("A.J deLange")
  Carbonating kegs off the CO2? ("Todd Swearingen")
  re: siphoning (Raj B Apte)
  Black Soot on Brewpot ("jhandy")
  Re: Siphoning methods (Grant Family)
  Wild Beer Yeast ("Chad Stevens")

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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:19:17 -0700 From: Bob Devine <bob.devine at worldnet.att.net> Subject: link of the week - BrewLikeAMonk If you enjoy Belgian beers and brewing them, this week's link is BrewLikeAMonk.com. The author of the forthcoming book offers you a chance to win the book by filling in a survey. Or you can submit a recipe. http://www.brewlikeamonk.com/index.php Bob "BrewLikeAGeek" Devine, Utah Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 00:22:00 -0500 From: stencil <etcs.ret at verizon.net> Subject: Re: Siphoning methods On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 23:35:53 -0500, in Homebrew Digest #4671 (December 10, 2004) Jim Eberhardt wrote: >[ ... ]I'm wondering if anyone >has any good ways to start a siphon. I've tried > [ ... ] with limited success; If you're starting from a carboy, VittlesVault, or other sealable container, you can blow it out with an aquarium pump. A two-hole stopper is needed, racking cane in one hole, airline in the other. Holding the stopper lightly in the jug mouth permits adjusting the pressure to maintain the 1/2 to 1psi needed to lift the beer a foot or two up and out. There are those who will kvetch about bursting hazard, but this is an aquarium pump, not 3000psi gyro-spinning air, and the stress on the glass is much less than that imposed by snatching the carboy up onto the bench. Certainly, I wouldn't trust the regulator on a regular 30-90psi utility compressor, let alone a CO2 flask. Similarly, risk of oxygen pickup is negligible, even reduced because the beer moves out quite smartly, reducing exposure time going into the secondary or keg. stencil sends Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:14:06 +0000 From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net> Subject: Carbonating Kegs A simple calculation (and more complex ones probably aren't justified) would reason that if 2.4 volumes are in equilibrium with 15 psi then 15*(Vb/Vh) where Vb is the volume of the beer (19L in a Corny keg plus or minus depending on how full you fill it) and Vh is the volume of the head space (1L?) would be required in the head space initially to carbonate the beer to that level. Thus if you fill the keg full unreasonably high intital pressures are required. Filled half full is a different story but who wants half a Corny full? It's more practical to put the beer on gas at say 5 pounds above the target pressure for a day or 2, then wait a day and check the pressure. If it's below target, pressurize the head space to 30 psig and wait a day or two to see where it equilibrates. If it's above target, bleed down to say 5 psig and again check a day later until equilibrium at the desired pressure is reached. If you have multiple kegs you can pressurize the headspace to well above the target in each keg and rotate among the kegs several times a day, topping up each time until the equilibrium pressure is approached. As a practical matter you will have a problem with this approach because unless you buy the silicone O rings (for $25 or some such outrageous price each) you will find that your O-rings will harden with cold and let some gas by. You will have to be topping up continuously to make up for this lost gas. Just for reference, 4 way manifolds with valves go for about $40 from Rapids. 4 way manifolds with separate regualtors and valves are about $170. A.J. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 10:49:56 -0600 From: "Todd Swearingen" <tswearingen at paragoninc.net> Subject: Carbonating kegs off the CO2? Chris, Why put off the manifold? I know the manufactured ones are expensive, but why not make your own. I made one out of a series of 1/4" (maybe 3/8") npt tees, short nipples, and hose barb adapters for about $10. If all you need is three outlets, then you will need two tees, a nipple, and 4 hose adapters. Use teflon tape to seal the threads, and test for leaks by submerging the manifold in a bucket of water and pressurize with a few psi of c02. Todd Rocket City Brewers Huntsville, AL Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 14:41:07 -0800 (PST) From: Raj B Apte <raj_apte at yahoo.com> Subject: re: siphoning In my experience. the best way to start a siphon is with a starter tube. This can be a normal, 1-piece fermentation lock or straight section of plastic or metal tubing. I use a clean hand (with a glove, dipped in sanitizer) to hold the free end of the hose. I insert the sanitized tube with my other hand, suck until started, then remove the tube and insert the hose where it needs to go. 1-piece locks are great for this . raj Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:40:38 -0800 From: "jhandy" <j.handy at comcast.net> Subject: Black Soot on Brewpot I use a camp chef propane stove and polarware pot for my boil and the brewpot always ends up half covered in black soot. I have to spend 20-30 minutes scrubbing it off with cleanser each time I use it. At first I thought it was the paint they use on the grill and it would stop after a while but it still does it after many hours of use. Have searched the web and found the following possibilities: -Incorrect air/gas mix. Too much or too little air, maybe something inside blocking the gas line. or.. -This is normal, live with it. Someone suggested rubbing soap on the outside of the pot before use for easier cleaning later. Anyone else have this problem and resolved it? Thanks Jhandy Redmond, WA Return to table of contents
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 10:54:04 +1100 From: Grant Family <grants at netspace.net.au> Subject: Re: Siphoning methods Jim wrote: >start-the-siphon-by-mouth-after-rinsing-with-sanitizer method but this >still seems like a good way towards wort infection. Are there any >recommendations for effectively starting a siphon? I syphon through a 7-8m (21-24ft) counterflow chiller and generally get the syphon started by mouth. However, instead of sanitising my mouth (no thanks), I use a small section of extra piping, attach this to the normal outlet, and suck through the attachment. As soon as wort starts approaching the normal outlet, I pull the extra bit of piping off and voila! No mouthborne lactobacillus get anywhere near the wort. Just don't sneeze into it. Another (obvious) method is to fill the syphon with water (it should be "sanitised" from the hot tap) and use this water to start the syphon. Cheers Stuart Grant Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Return to table of contents
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 19:22:39 -0800 From: "Chad Stevens" <zuvaruvi at cox.net> Subject: Wild Beer Yeast Jeff wonders about wild cider critters.... I've not played with cider, but I've done spontaneous ferments on fairly neutral wheat beer wort in Kansas, South Texas, and San Diego. I've been disappointed in all three locations. The basic inoculation process has been to leave a gallon of wort sitting out over night in the garage with the window open when the outside temps were in the 50's or lower. The basic assumption being wind born thermophilic bacteria count will be reduced during these times of the year, and indeed, I've seen few spoilage colonies take hold (brewers in Lembeek avoid summer...). Normally a good strong fermentation will take off within a day or two, and I'll have to remove a floating colony or two of some sort of fluffy green or red stuff, but otherwise, the predominant species are yeast. But whether (did I use the right whether Burley?) spring, winter, or fall, the flavors have always been just a little too funkafied for my palate. In fact, in the most recent Zymurgy, it mentions that I won the prison brew contest. What the article failed to mention was that I also took last place with another brew. If I remember correctly someone's comments asked if I'd cultured the yeast during a conjugal visit. Anyway, this was a spontaneously fermented batch, and even when diluted 10 to 1 with a Bier de Garde, it was still too funky to pass off as a sour brown. By no means would I waste five gallons on one of these experiments. But add half a gallon of volume to your next batch and leave the extra sitting out over night. It's fun to see what the local flora and fauna produce. Hope you have better luck than I have, Chad Stevens QUAFF San Diego P.S. America's Finest City Homebrew Competition registration is now open! http://www.quaff.org/AFC2005/AFCHBC.html We need judges, stewards, and beer. Last year was wonderful (over 400 entries) thanks in no small part to numerous HBD'ers (Bev Blackwood held the record at something like 15 entries, thanks Bev). Hope to see you all again on our online registration. Thanks. Return to table of contents
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