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HOMEBREW Digest #0236
HOMEBREW Digest #236 Thu 24 August 1989
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Chlorine and such. (Patrick Garvin)
Brewing/Brewpub Magazines (Mike Fertsch)
programmable thermostat update (Pete Soper)
Saccharin (Brian Capouch)
root beer question (florianb)
More on specific gravity (Doug Roberts)
Specific Gravity Different (Doug Roberts)
Re: Chlorine (Dr. T. Andrews)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 89 19:29 CDT
From: "What do you mean, what flavor is it? It's a bloody albatross!"
Subject: Chlorine and such.
"Allen J. Hainer" <ajhainer@violet.waterloo.edu> writes:
>Everything started out great, but after a day and a half of fermentation,
>everything stopped. ...
>My guess (although not very scientific since correlation does not necessarily
>imply causation) is that chlorine inhibits normal fermentation so that
>infections get a chance to take hold.
Let me relate a similar experience. I made my first batch of beer a couple of
months ago (a sweet stout, Cushlamachree Stout according to Papiazan), and
bottled after about ten days (we had 90+ temperatures in Norman). Since some
of the beer bottles I had gotten from the "O'Connell's Irish Pub and Grill"
had various and sundry kinds of mold growing in them, I used a rather strong
chlorine solution to rinse them and let them drip dry. The result was bottles
that were undercarbonated (I didn't mix my priming sugar uniformly, so the
bottles did not age uniformly). I tend to think that excessive chlorine tends
to inhibit yeast activity. I think Papiazan says that yeast activity changes
the PH or otherwise makes other things like mold and bacteria a bit unwelcome.
So, in the absence of a healthy yeast culture, trace contaminants could
conceivably have a free rei(g)n.
>According to previous discussions, it appears that ~1/2 tsp/5 gallons is
>sufficient.
I'll be sure to remember that in future.
>your tap water, a very dulute chlorine bleach solution can be used instead
>for rinsing.
How "very dilute"?
>BTW, I have since discovered that Labatt's (a two minite walk from were I live)
One reason to buy Labatt's when you are out of homebrew, I suppose. 8)
"Doug Roberts" roberts%studguppy@LANL.GOV writes:
>a sample for SG. I wrote a little program for my HP-45 that takes the
>SG & temperature readings, and spits out the SG corrected for 60
>Fahrenheit.
What is the SG function with respect to temperature? Could divulge your
formula?
Patrick T. Garvin ptgarvin@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu / ptgarvin@uokmax.UUCP
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 89 08:46 EDT
From: Mike Fertsch <FERTSCH@adc1.RAY.COM>
Subject: Brewing/Brewpub Magazines
> An acquaintance mentioned that he had seen a magazine devoted to brewpubs
> and microbreweries with the title something roughly like _Microbrewing_.
> If anyone is familiar with this magazine, and has contact information,
> I, and I am certain that others, would appreciate your sharing it with
> us.
Perhaps you are thinking of _American_Brewer_ magazine. Their byline
claims to be "The Micro-brewer and Brerwpub Magazine". It comes out
quarterly. Subscription price is $13.50 per year. I highly recommend it.
The recent copy has articles on -
- Gordon Biersch brewery (Palo Alto, CA)
- Food and Beer
- Yeast cultulring in commercial breweries
- Draft beer markets
- DMS (dimethyl sulfide)
- Belgian brewpubs
- Regulations concerning brewpubs
- Microbrewery listings (new openings!)
Their address -
American Brewer
1082 B Street
Hayward, CA 94541
The Association of Brewers, publisher of Zymurgy, has a journal for
microbrewers. I saw a copy only once, and it looked quite good. I forgot
the title (Practical Brewer???) , but I remember it costs around $50 per
year. I think this is pricey, but can anyone provide details?
Mike Fertsch
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 89 10:46:32 EDT
From: Pete Soper <soper@maxzilla.encore.com>
Subject: programmable thermostat update
On June 28 Erik Henchal wrote about the "Hunter Energy Monitor
AC" model 42205 thermostat for room air conditioners and its use
with a refrigerator. I got one of these after reading his posting
and am very very pleased with it. I just have a couple of details
to add about performance.
The unit I have hunts around the setpoint by a degree or so and the
indicated temperature is 2-3 degrees low. The setpoint range is 40-90,
not 30-85. Finally, I wish the thermistor cord was five feet long
instead of four to reach further into the fridge.
But these are of course all just nits. The basic operation is
fantastic and I'm done with wet towels and fans forever. Getting
"process control" for under $50 is a real hoot. Thanks for the tip, Erik!
Pete Soper
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 89 11:51:10 -0500 (CDT)
From: Brian Capouch <brianc@zeta.saintjoe.EDU>
Subject: Saccharin
I have just finished an argument with some friends of mine about Dave Line's
books, both of which include saccharin tablets in various ingredient lists.
I contend that there's no way he would mean what we call saccharin, since I
seem to remember somewhere an anti-artificial sweeteners rap in the Big Book.
One of my friends, who is English, insists that the term means the same thing
there it does here.
I would assume this has probably come up before. What goes?
------------------------------
Date: 23 Aug 89 12:25:02 PDT (Wed)
From: florianb@tekred.cna.tek.com
Subject: root beer question
In the brewing of root beer and other soda beverages, it is my understanding
that the yeast ceases fermentation when the nutrients run out. This is
why the finished drink is sweet with residual sugar. Recently, I read
in the William's catalog that one can use two doses of the extract in the
same batch of soda, providing a zippier drink. Is this practice in danger
of overcarbonation and hence bottle breakage? I asked the question to
someone at Steinbart's yesterday, but he was unable to answer it. Has
anyone tried this technique, and if so, does it lead to overcarbonation?
Thanks,
[Florian Bell, Boonesborough, Oregon]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 89 21:28:35 MDT
From: roberts%studguppy@LANL.GOV (Doug Roberts @ Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Subject: More on specific gravity
Someone requested that I post information on the linear relationship
between wort specific gravity & temperature, so here it is:
[T(F) X 1.449E-4 - 0.009] + S.G.(uncorrected) = S.G., corrected to 60(F)
Also, the relationship between potential alcohol content is linear
with respect to S.G.:
S.G.(corrected) X 137.363 - 137.369 = Potential Alcohol(percent)
These equations can easily be derived (as I did) by interpolating the
SG & alcohol scales found in many beer texts. I got my data out of
_Practical Beer Making_ by Jim Weathers.
--Doug
Douglas Roberts
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Box 1663, MS F-602
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
(505)667-4569
dzzr@lanl.gov
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 89 21:39:28 MDT
From: roberts%studguppy@LANL.GOV (Doug Roberts @ Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Subject: Specific Gravity Different
> I have a question of my own for you folks: are most of you using chlorine to
> sanitize your fermenters/carboys/bottles? I have recently had a couple of
> batches become infected, even though those same containers are actually being
> treated a lot more carefully now than they had been earlier in my brewing
> career. I use a hot water rinse, followed by a dilute bleach-in-water
> solution. I don't know what I need to correct, but brewing's too much work to
> waste a whole batch and all those hours.
>
I also have experienced contamination problems back when I was using
chlorox solution to sterilize my equipment. I switched to sodium
bisulfite, and haven't had a problem since. Here's what I do:
Mix 4 oz of sodium bisulfate into a non-metal quart bottle. Seal the
lid tightly and store in the refigerator. This is a concentrate. To
sterilize your beer making equipment, mix one part concentrate with
three parts water and rinse your stuff with it. It doesn't keep, so
throw the unused portion away.
I've seen recommendations to let the equipment air dry after rinsing
with the bisulfite, but I never felt comfortable knowing that a film
of yeast-killing chemical remained where it could hurt a batch.
Instead, I rinse everything (primary, secondary, siphon, etc.) with
_hot_ water just prior to using.
Works like a charm for me.
--Doug
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 89 6:39:33 EDT
From: Dr. T. Andrews <ki4pv!tanner@uunet.UU.NET>
Subject: Re: Chlorine
I personally don't like chlorine in the water. I use bleach to
sanitize, but then rinse with well water.
In many areas (this one, for instance), the city water contains
far too much chlorine. It is probably best, if you get any of it
on you, to wash it off immediately. I suspect that this stuff, if
used un-treated to top off a batch of beer, would be bad: it might
kill the yeast, and it would surely slow them.
People who are on city water are advised, therefore, to find a source
of well water. (Mine's hard, with just a hint of sulphur, but it's
great for making beer.) If you have an artesian well near-by, use
its water. If not, visit a friend who lives out in the country and
carry home a few gallons (make sure he's not on a water co-op of
course).
If you really want to ruin your beer, though, stop by the office and
I'll supply you with DeLand city water.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #236, 08/24/89
