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HOMEBREW Digest #0026
HOMEBREW Digest Thu 15 December 1988
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
kegs & liquid yeast
Trivia
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmr@hplabs.hp.com
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Date: Wed, 14 Dec 88 13:46:08 CST
From: hpfcla!hplabs!amdahl!uunet!ingr!tesla!steve
Full-Name:
Subject: kegs & liquid yeast
Here is the knowledge I've gained on kegging systems. When I decided to go
the kegging route ( after bottling two batches in one day). I bought a used
keg, a new 10 pound CO2 bottle, a cornelius beverage regulator, tap, hoses,
etc for about $180. I had to replace the O-ring in the lid, as it was dried
out, and deformed, and learned on my most recent batch that the seals in the
quick disconnects have started to leak too. Alternative Beverage and William's
carry new O-rings for the lid, but I haven't tracked down a source for the
QD seals. It's worth your time to check out a company called RAPIDS. They sell
restaurant supply equipment, and I saw their catalog recently. They sell gas
bottles and regulators for about 60% of what I paid, and sell new 5 gal
cornelius clone kegs for around $55. To get started you need the keg, the
regulator, the tap, two hoses, the CO2 bottle, two QD fittings, and adapters
to connect the QDs and regulator to the hoses. I would go ahead and order a
handfull of gaskets for the CO2 bottle/regulator, and the small O-rings that
go on the QDs. I have never had to trade in my bottle to have it filled, the
place I take it fills it while I wait. It turned out that the same outfit that
fills fire extinguishers fills "beverage" bottles also. If you order from a
homebrew supply shop, make sure that they have everything in stock. It took
me almost two months to get everything straight, including having to send back
some wrong parts. It was no fun having a keg, but nothing else, and to make it
worse, I was so optimistic that the day I got the keg, I brewed a batch, then
ended up bottling it anyway. My wife liked Weisbeer from the keg so much that
she bought me a second keg on the condition that I keep it stocked with her
favorite. I am still sold on my kegs. It's interesting to notice the
difference in peoples' reactions between pouring homebrew from a bottle ("Go
ahead and deal me in, I'm going to pour a few beers. Who wants one?"), and
consuming it from a pitcher ("Hey man, the pitcher's empty!").
I wrote a few weeks ago that I had racked a pilsner and pitched 8 oz of yeast
slurry into my bock. Both beers are outstanding. The pilsner may be the best
beer I have ever brewed, and the bock will be a contender in our club's bock
competition next Feb. The yeast used originally came from a William's (Wyeast)
package, was made into a starter, then cultures were frozen using the "yeast
bank". The frozen culture was re-started, and used for the pilsner.
The RAPIDS company can be reached at 800-553-7906, or in Iowa 800-332-8455.
I don't have any connection with them outside of getting a catalog from
them. They also sell almost anything you could ever want for conventional
beer kegs, and other restaurant equipment.
Steve Conklin uunet!ingr!tesla!steve
Intergraph Corp. tesla!steve@ingr.com
Huntsville, AL 35807
(205) 772-4013
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Date: Thu, 15 Dec 88 12:17:48 MST
From: hpfcla!hpcea!hplabs!utah-cs!iwtsf!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 312 979 8583)
Full-Name:
Subject: Trivia
Trivia question:
Which Beatles song refers to homebrewing?
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End of HOMEBREW Digest
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