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Cider Digest #1488
Subject: Cider Digest #1488, 2 March 2009
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1488 2 March 2009
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
HDPE vessels, moving cider by vacuum (Jason MacArthur)
TA Testing (Jason MacArthur)
1st Round NHC Judging - NE Region ("David Houseman")
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Subject: HDPE vessels, moving cider by vacuum
From: Jason MacArthur <rotread@localnet.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:51:49 -0500
I have two questions for all of you in cider world:
1) There are a number of new HDPE vessels being marketed for winery
use which claim to either breathe at the same rate as a two year old
oak barrel or essentially not at all. (The manufacturer whose
products I have been looking at is FlexTank, from Australia, but I am
sure there are others.) Does anyone have any experience with these or
similar HDPE materials, and if so would you recommend using them? I
know that many HDPE tanks admit too much oxygen, but I don't know to
what extent they differ porosity.
2) My other question involves moving cider with vacuum, essentially
creating a slight vacuum in one container and then using this
pressure differential to rack into the evacuated container. I know
this is possible with carboys, but I wonder if it is practical for
larger vessels, specifically those not rated to hold pressure. How
much vacuum is needed to move cider, and is this amount small enough
that most containers can take it without imploding?
Jason MacArthur
Marlboro, Vt.
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Subject: TA Testing
From: Jason MacArthur <rotread@localnet.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:01:47 -0500
I am hoping that someone with a better Chemistry background than mine
can help me clarify something.
I have, from Peter Mitchells excellent cider making class, the
following formula, assuming .2M Sodium Hydroxide Solution and 25 ml
of sample cider, for finding Total Acidity:
Malic acid(gl -1 ) = Volume(ml) of Sodium Hydroxide Solution used x
0.536
I recently purchased some Sodium Hydroxide, the strength of which is
defined as follows: N/10 (0.1N)
How do I adjust the above formula for the different strength of
Sodium Hydroxide solution?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Jason MacArthur
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Subject: 1st Round NHC Judging - NE Region
From: "David Houseman" <david.houseman@verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:18:47 -0500
The Northeast Regional judging for the 1st Round of the National Homebrew
Competition will be held the weekend of April 17-19 at the Yards Brewery
(www.yardsbrewing.com) in Philadelphia. Yards is located at 901 N.
Delaware Avenue in Philly. Check out MapQuest or Yahoo! Maps for location
and directions.
For those of you have judged this competition before expect this location to
be even better than last year there as Yards is now in production and the
facility is completed and open for business. For those of you who haven't
this is a great opportunity judge in the largest home brew competition in
the world. We expect to be judging on Saturday and Sunday, although the
number of flights and time needed to judge will depend on the number of
entries we receive and the number of judges who commit to judging. We may
do some judging on Friday night if needed depending on the number of entries
and judges who are available on Saturday and Sunday. While the
details haven't been fully worked out expect to start judging on Saturday AM
at 9am, on Sunday at 10:00 and IF we judge on Friday night, it will be about
7:30pm. Friday night might be a great time for pub crawl for those coming
from out of town. Details will be provided closer to the date of the
competition.
Again, we will be judging Cider in addition to the Mead and Beer categories.
This will be a chance to try some of the best ciders made in the US. Those
of you who attended last year's cider training session will want to put
their training to practice.
Just reply to me to be put on the list to judge. Let me know which day(s)
you will be available, what categories you want to judge, do not want to
judge and can't judge because you plan to enter those categories. We will
make an attempt to honor your requests if at all possible but someone has to
judge the least favorable categories and not everyone can judge the most
popular ones.
So reserve the weekend of April 17-19 and plan to judge in Philadelphia.
If you have not done so already, let me know that you can judge. If you
know someone who'd like to steward,
let me know as well; we can use several.
Site Director: Nancy Rigberg
NRigberg@comcast.net
http://www.homesweethomebrew.com/
Judge Coordinator: David Houseman
david.houseman@verizon.net
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End of Cider Digest #1488
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