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HOMEBREW Digest #0804
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 92/01/17 03:14:59
HOMEBREW Digest #804 Fri 17 January 1992
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
when to pitch (chip upsal)
expensive brew (reprinted from new England Beer Club digest) (card)
Random thoughts on carboy handles, grain mill rollers (Thomas Manteufel 5-4257)
Yeast separation measures (Al Richer)
Oldest Brewery (Greg Neill)
RIMS Temperature Controller? (Alan Gerhardt)
Additives, Travel, and Banana Esters (BOEGE)
New Yeast Strains (fwd) (Tony Babinec)
Doubling batch size after Primary in SS Boiling Pot. (KENYON)
Re: Dry-malting (korz)
Re: weizen/weisse -- beer lore (aed - jeff mizener)
Re: Homebrew Digest #794 (January 03, 1992) (John Bates)
Homebrew Digest #794 (January 03, 1992)
Re: Homebrew Digest #803 (January 16, 1992) (Jeff Roberts)
Sour Foghorn? (Chris Shenton)
UV (korz)
Re: Calcium Chloride (John Dilley)
Re: oldest brewery (Brew Free or Die! 16-Jan-1992 1304)
Re: Clorination... Seattle water (larryba)
Lite Salt (D_DAVIDSON)
Air infusion, UV, pH pens, etc. (Jim Griggers)
Motor info. for Corona (brew)
Re: 'Dry-malting' (Brew Free or Die! 16-Jan-1992 1309)
Lauter Tun Design (GEOFF REEVES)
Brewing Water, Malt, Aeration (Jack Schmidling)
DIOXIN ("KATMAN.WNETS385")
Re: Microwave Sanitizer (Arun Welch)
Unmalted rye in brewing (Glenn Tinseth)
Don't Microwave Metals (GEOFF REEVES)
Don't Microwave Metals (GEOFF REEVES)
CABA EVENTS (MIKE LIGAS)
Re: Trihalomethanes and brewing water (Richard Foulk)
Re: Repair crack in keg? (Richard Foulk)
Send submissions to homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues!]
Archives are available from netlib@mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 16 Jan 92 07:17:11 EST
From: chip upsal <70731.3556@compuserve.com>
Subject: when to pitch
martin wilde writes:
>I recently read somewhere that most commercial brewers have their
>yeast in the fermenter (the hungry beasties ready to go) prior
>to filling it with cooled wort. They say the beasties start working
>as soon as the fermenter starts filling.
This is probably very convient for large brewerys where it may take over an
hour to fill the fermenter
>I have been using this procedure (put the yeast starter in the fermenter
>before filling with chilled wort) for some time now. I have heard
>rumors that the little beasties (the yeast) would take longer to
>start re-production since they are "buried" under the weight of the
>wort and it is harder to make their way to the top.
I am no yeast expert but I find that hard to beleve
Chip
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 08:46:44 EST
From: card@apollo.hp.com
Subject: expensive brew (reprinted from new England Beer Club digest)
>>>Issue #219 Thu, Jan 16 1992
>>> The New England Beer Club
>>>
>>>Contents:
>>> Homebrew Costs (Michael Benveniste)
>>>
>>>Date: Wed, 15 Jan 92 17:27:15 EST
>>>From: uunet!intdata.com!michael (Michael Benveniste)
>>>Subject: Homebrew Costs
>>>
>>>
>>>I would like to put in my bid for the world's most expensive batch of
>>>homebrew. On 2-Jan-92, I was driving to pick up 3/4 pound of grain and
>>>a hop bag. On the way to the supply store, someone turned left directly
>>>in front of my car.
>>>
>>>Fortunately, the insurance company has ruled the other driver is 100% at
>>>fault, because the damages to my car alone are $5800.
>>>
>>>In the proud spirit of the hobby, after filling out the accident reports
>>>and watching my car leave on a hook, I walked to the store and completed
>>>the errand. Counting the damage to the other car, my guess is that this
>>>5 gallons of brown ale will cost over $10,000.
>>>
>>>Boy I hope it's good beer.
>>>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 08:01:08 CST
From: tomm@pet.med.ge.com (Thomas Manteufel 5-4257)
Subject: Random thoughts on carboy handles, grain mill rollers
Someone, I don't remember who, and it was a long time ago, posted the
suggestion to use a plastic milk crate to hold the carboy. I have a
plastic milk crate and it does work well. The carboy is a little smaller
than the crate, so there is room to slid my fingers into the handles.
The weight of the full carboy rests on its base, and doesn't hang from
the neck like it would from a handle. The plastic absorbs some of the
shock when I set it down on a hard cement floor. Legal cheapo milk
crates may be purchasd for a few bucks. Illegal ones are cheaper.
To be fair, carboy handles may be better when holding a full wet carboy
sideways to dump out the sanitizing water. I can rest the carboy on the
side of the laundry tub (still in the handy crate) when I empty it, so
supporting it is no problem.
All this talk of knurling and scoring grain mill rollers to grab the grain
has me wondering: Why not coat the rollers with some sort of rubber, like
a stick-on sheet, or hot dipping, to grip the grain. If the rubber is
thin enough, or hard enough, the grain should get crushed just fine. Has
anyone ever done this? Or is a silly idea for some reason I haven't
thought of?
Thomas Manteufel IOFB
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 08:49:52 EST
From: richer@ionic.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Al Richer)
Subject: Yeast separation measures
To the gentlemen who wrote the excellent missive on freezing yeast:
Please do write on the subject of streaking out yeast on a culture medium.
I (and many others, I'm sure) would love to hear from somebody who actually
does this type of thing for a living....
Awaiting your further correspondence,
ajr
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 14:42:11 GMT
From: Greg Neill <ynecgan@cid.aes.doe.CA>
Subject: Oldest Brewery
Full-Name: Greg Neill
I seem to recall having read somewhere that Molson Breweries in
Montreal was the first established brewery in North America. But I'll
bet there were plenty of home brewers before that!
- --
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Neill, |
HNSX Supercomputers, Inc.| Tinsel: Mirrors for snakes.
ynecgan@cid.aes.doe.ca |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 92 13:37:02 CDT
From: agerhardt@ttsi.lonestar.org (Alan Gerhardt)
Subject: RIMS Temperature Controller?
I have been using a RIMS unit ( a la R. Morris ) for a while with good
results.
I built the temperature controller he used per his diagram posted on
Compuserve, and could not get it to work. ( Yes, I checked and quadruple-
checked the wiring, and replaced parts, and all that ) I suspect device
parametric differences, such as drive current, etc.
In any case, it doesn't work. I have a 100K NTC thermistor encapsulated
and positioned in the wort flow. I have plotted the resistance curve
and presently read the resistance to determine temperature, while
turning on the heating element to get to the desired temperature.
This hasn't been so bad, because once you get the mash to the desired
temperature, it tends to stay there for a while, and it still beats the
stir/scorch/cuss/scramble method.
I still would like to have real temperature control though. Does anybody
have a tried and true temperature controller circuit which would work
for something like this?
I'm in the process of upgrading the system by using a "mash tun from hell"
similar to the one described in the digest some time ago
in place of the cooler. If there is any interest, I'll post some of my
contruction details and/or experiences.
Cheers,
Alan Gerhardt
------------------------------
iterature says you can go 6-7 generations, but out
of fear of mutations, etc., I have always stopped at 3. Since I usually
prepare about 10-15 tubes at a time, my $3.50 pouch of Wyeast goes a
long way, and each tube ends up costing me 25-30 cents, mostly because
of the cost of the solution.
Cheers,
Alan Gerhardt
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 09:56 EDT
From: <BOEGE%UORHEP.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Additives, Travel, and Banana Esters
Greetings,
Lately, fragments of postings have dealt with the use of chemicals to
foster Yeast colonies. Would someone please address this topic in detail,
comparing and contrasting the various Yeast Nutrients, Yeast Energizers,
and Brewing salts?
I flew from Rochester, NY to Minneapolis, MN a couple of weeks ago with
a full case of home brew. It fit neatly under my seat. I had no trouble
bringing it past the security inspection point. I had only one mishap, the
straps of the duffle bag which contained the case tore off while I was boarding
in Rochester so when I switched planes in Detroit I ended up walking a fair
piece with the bag cradled in my arms like a newborn baby...
Sipping a bottle of my brew the other day, I noticed a hint of banana.
I wonder if somehow esters were formed. Being something of a novice, I don't
doubt that my lousy technique is at fault. Does anyone know which parameter(s)
the beer considered when deciding to ester or not to ester?
Cheers,
Steven J. Boege
"In April when your barge sailed through
I fell in love with you
Alas, my paramour, alack
You're a stranger to me 'til the test comes back"
Boiled In Lead
The Microorganism
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 9:15:39 CST
From: tony@spss.com (Tony Babinec)
Subject: New Yeast Strains (fwd)
Jeff Frane kindly responded to my query offline, and I think it is of
general interest, so his note follows. By "information," I meant the
stuff posted in the past on the other wyeast strains, such as optimal
temperature for ferment, apparent attentuation, flavors in the
resultant beers, and so on. Jeff Beta-tested the Belgian strain, and
his comments appear below.
Forwarded message:
> From sequent!techbook!gummitch@uunet.uu.net Wed Jan 15 18:02:35 1992
> Message-Id: <m0l4Jvs-0000CpC@techbook.com>
> From: sequent!techbook.com!gummitch@uunet.uu.net (Jeff Frane)
> Subject: New Yeast Strains
To: tony@spss.com
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 92 15:22:02 PST
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4dev PL32]
In today's Digest, you ask if anyone has information about two
new WYeast strains. What, specifically, do you want to know?
I've brewed with the Belgian strain, as a sort of Beta site for
WYeast. Haven't talked with Dave about my results yet, but I will
say that if you use it, I would strongly recommend holding the
fermentation temperature down below 60F. (This on advice of
Martin Lodahl.) I kept it at 65F and resulting beer was VERY
estery; this is in line with Martin's experience with Chimay
yeast. Luckily, my wife loves all that fruit, but it's not what
I had in mind.
On the positive side, it took a 1.072 wort down to 1.012 in about
a week, maybe less. It has taken quite a while to clear in the bottle;
or anyway, longer than I'm used to with Sierra ale yeast.
The "California lager" yeast is a genuine, st**m b**r yeast.
If that's the kind of beer you're interested in, this is probably
your best choice.
If I learn anything more, I'll post. I believe the yeasts are
in the stores now; there was a considerable delay because the
package manufacturer failed to deliver on time.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1992 10:17 EDT
From: KENYON@MOE.ERE-NET.COM
Subject: Doubling batch size after Primary in SS Boiling Pot.
Hey all, I've got a hyperthetical question for ya' ...
Suppose you had a SS pot capable of boiling and fermenting 10 gallons of wort.
S'pose also, that what you really wanted was 15 gallons of beer.
Presuming that we designed our 10 gallon batch to have an OG 1.5 times higher
than our 15 gallon would have been (wiollhaven!?), is it possible to add the
extra 5 gallons of water (boiled of course!) after primary fermentation without
adversely affecting the finished product?
A few subquestions on this subject:
1) Would it be best to aerate the extra 5 gallons of water and carefully rack
the wort onto it for secondary fermentation? Or would the oxygen added during
this "secondary" aeration tend to oxidize the beer?
2) Will the ensuing secondary fermentation be vigorous or turbulent enough to
thoroughly mix the beer and ensure a good blending of the various flavoring and
aromatic components?
3) Has anybody tried this and with what results?
-C-
*************************************************
***** Homebrewers do it on Malt Beds !! *****
*************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:44 CST
From: korz@ihlpl.att.com
Subject: Re: Dry-malting
Perry writes:
>I plan on trying it with my next batch; a pound or so of malted 2-row in the
>secondary.
I don't know if this is a good idea. You had better be sure you've
sanitized the grain -- steam maybe? A common source of bacterial
infection is grinding the grain in the same room you fill the fermenter.
The grain dust carries a lot of bacteria.
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:58:34 EST
From: avalon!jm@siemens.siemens.com (aed - jeff mizener)
Subject: Re: weizen/weisse -- beer lore
Tony Babinec says that Jackson's Book says:
>>In south Germany, Weisse and Weizen are used interchangeably, although
>>Jackson's column heading refers to the south German style as Weizen.
With all due respect to the esteemed Mr. Jackson, I beg to differ:
In southern Germany (Bavaria or better, Bayern), use of the term Weisse
anywhere but on the label is rare. The people ("Volksmund") do not refer
to their Weissbier as Weisse or as Weissbier: they call it Weizen. If
you ask for a Weisse in Nuernberg or Munich you'll get a funny look. If
you ask for Weizen, they'll ask "Hefe oder Kristall?" meaning with or
without yeast. Real Weizen drinkers drink Hefeweizen, carefully pouring
it by putting the bottle completely into the glass holding both at a 30'
angle (from the table) and allowing the foam to be sucked into the bottle.
The bottle is slowly pulled from the glass keeping the mouth 1-2cm from
the level of the beer as the glass is raised to vertical. This does take
practice, and is best tried for the first time outside or over a sink.
A small amount of head left in the bottle is allowed to 'condense' back
into beer, and then is swirled around to pick up the yeast -- this is then
poured into the glass, causing what is locally known as 'the snowstorm
effect'. Living in Bavaria is living in Beer Heaven. There are lots
of different Weizens to try many of which are wonderful (Erdinger is
excellent, Schneider is good, Kitzmann and Tucher are nothing to write
home about).
My 2pf worth.
Jeff
Ignore the header, reply to the address below.
========================================================
Jeff Mizener / Siemens Energy & Automation / Raleigh NC
jm@sead.siemens.com / Intelligent SwitchGear Systems
========================================================
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 09:51:26 MST
From: bates@bjerknes.Colorado.EDU (John Bates)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #794 (January 03, 1992)
>From rdg@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com Fri Jan 3 01:15:37 1992
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Subject: Homebrew Digest #794 (January 03, 1992)
Status: RO
Merci, John
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 09:27:57 PST
From: Jeff.Roberts@Eng.Sun.COM (Jeff Roberts)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #803 (January 16, 1992)
Please remove me from the homebrew alias.
Jeff
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 09:20:06 PST
From: css@boa.CCSF.Caltech.EDU (Chris Shenton)
Subject: Sour Foghorn?
I had some Anchor Foghorn on draft the other night in Pasadena and it
tasted quite tart, not too unlike some of the Belgian styles, but not
what I expected. When I've had it on tap in DC (where I live) I don't
recall any tartness at all, but heavy, rich, sweet, alcoholic elixer.
I complained to our waitron who told me ``It's supposed to taste like that.''
So, what's the scoop: does Foghorn lose it's tartness on its travels
to the East, or was this keg contaminated?
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 11:08 CST
From: korz@ihlpl.att.com
Subject: UV
I've read that UV lights are especially dangerous because your
eyes' pupils do not constrict because of it. Be careful!
Al.
P.S. I've also read that regular glass blocks a significant
portion of UV. Strange at it may sound, some of the acid
carboys may actually be quartz. I recall that Hydrofloric (sp?)
acid, for one, needs to be stored in quartz not glass. If
your carboy says Hinkley & Schmitt, you can bet it's not quartz ;^).
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:07:12 -0800
From: John Dilley <jad@aspen.iag.hp.com>
Subject: Re: Calcium Chloride
> !Correct me if I'm wrong (like it had to be said), but
> isn't Morton's Lite salt (or sumpsing like that) made
> with Calcium chloride instead of Sodium Chloride??
Morton's lite salt is made from potassium chloride (along with
some sodium chloride; I believe it's a 50%/50% blend). Potassium is
directly underneath sodium in the periodic table: it has the same
valence, similar properties, etc. Calcium is next to potassium; it has
an extra electron in its outer shell (8-8-2 vs. 8-8-1), so it combines
with two chlorine atoms to form CaCl2.
-- jad --
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:07:44 PST
From: Brew Free or Die! 16-Jan-1992 1304 <hall@buffa.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Re: oldest brewery
Dan Feldman writes:
>On a recent trip to New Hampshire, I tried "Frank Jones Indian Pale Ale".
>The Frank Jones Brewry (Portsmouth, Maine)claimed to be the oldest brewry
>in the US (I have forgotten the date they were established). The brewry
>closed their doors during prohibition, and reopened a few years ago. They
>claim that the recipes they are using are the origial, authentic recipes
>used when established, or was it when they closed their doors? Good
>Indian Pale.
To correct a few minor nits:
The beer is actually called Frank Jones Portsmouth Ale, and it is in the style
of an India Pale Ale. The Frank Jones Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
not Maine, isn't yet on-line, so its beers are still being contract brewed at
Catamount Brewing Company in White River Junction, Vermont.
I've never heard of Frank Jones claiming to have been the oldest U.S. brewery,
but he did claim to be the world's largest, though it's thought that he was
using a bit of license making that claim. The original brewery did take up
much real estate in Portsmouth around the turn of the century, and Jones had a
brewery in Boston at one point too.
The current Frank Jones brewery is owned by partners Don Jones and Lee Ann
Lombardi. Don is a relative of Frank's, great-grandson I think.
There are presently two Frank Jones beers: Portsmouth Ale is a hoppy, bitter
India Pale Ale, and Frank Jones Special Reserve is a high-gravity, high-alcohol,
delicious ale that is similar in style to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The Special
Reserve is currently only available in NH state liquor stores, due to arcane
state regulations regarding the alcohol content of beer in NH. Normally beer
is sold in supermarkets and variety stores in NH.
Frank Jones Ale is available on tap in several locations around Portsmouth,
and one of them, The Rusty Hammer, has many pieces of original Frank Jones
breweriana. Check it out if in the area, and look for the brewery to open soon.
And get some Special Reserve, it's a winner!
The oldest (established) brewery in America? I think it's Molson, which dates
back to 1786?
Dan Hall Digital Equipment Corporation MKO1-2/H10 Merrimack, NH 03054
hall@buffa.enet.dec.com ....!decwrl!buffa.dec.com!hall
"Persons intoxicated with wine pass out lying on their faces, while those
drunk with beer invariably lie on their backs" --Aristotle
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:01:18 PST
From: larryba@microsoft.com
Subject: Re: Clorination... Seattle water
Just an FYI for all out there responding to my query about chlorine and
hot tap water. Seattle water is surface run off from protected mountain
valleys. There is little treatment other than settling ponds, a coarse
filter and CL2 injection at the main intake and at each reservoir.
I believe that about ten years ago Seattle started treating the water with a
little lime to protect the water pipes in older houses (a little coating of
lime to prevent corrosion and leaching of lead). The net result is very soft
water with just a tad of calcium carbonate hardness (20ppm or so).
- Larry Barello
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1992 13:42 EST
From: D_DAVIDSON%UVMVAX.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: Lite Salt
My obscure sources said low-sodium replacements are Potassium Chloride
(with optional Sodium Chloride). Never heard of CaCl in them. This
included Morton Lite-salt.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:08:06 EST
From: ncrcae!brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Jim Griggers)
Subject: Air infusion, UV, pH pens, etc.
[C.R. Saikley talks about a pH pen]
>I bought one of these from Edmund Scientific a couple of years back. It
>lasted only about 7-8 months (15 or so batches) before it died, even though
>I followed all of the maintenance instructions. It's a cute addition to the
>brewery, but I haven't felt a need to replace it.
>
>CR
That was the problem that most disturbed me about one of those pH pens. The
probe part of the instrument is not replaceable, but pH probes do wear out.
I built a pH meter which uses a Digital Volt Meter (DVM) for the readout,
and use a low cost ($35) pH probe I bought from Cole-Parmer. The accuracy
is much better, and all I replace is the probe, not the entire instrument.
pH probes are perishable and there is not much that can be done about it.
[dave ballard asks about 1" tubing]
>Hey now-
>
>I need help locating 1" i.d. plastic tubing.
>[...] Even _The Home Depot_ doesn't have it!
>
>thanks
>dab
I got mine from the local ACE Hardware store. I don't think home improvement
places would carry the large stuff.
[Tom Quinn asks about date coding on Sierra Nevada]
>What caught my eye was the selection of Sierra Nevada brews, including
>their Pale Ale, Stout, and Celebration Ale. [...]
>
>[...] I wasn't able to find any date code on the
>bottles (is there one?) [...]
>
>Thanks,
>
>Tom
The date code is in little notches on the edge of the label. The wide
notch is an index, with last digit of the year, day and month encoded.
Check the homebrew archives. I have a little card I carry in my wallet
so that I can check the date codes of Sierra Nevada.
[martin wilde talks about an air infusion systems]
>I have been thinking of ways to build an Air Injection System
>for my "garage" brewery.
>
>[diagram of aquarium pump]
>
>The only problem I can think of is how to I get "clean" air
>into the air pump?
>
>Thanks, martin
I am going to use this method on my next batch. I found an item that
is similar to an airstone, but is a smooth porous ceramic tube with rubber
end grommets. This will fit perfectly on the end of a 2 ft. piece of 10mm.
glass tubing. The plastic tubing connects the air pump to the glass
tubing. Both tubing and diffuser are easy to sanitize with boiling water.
I am not going to worry (!) about the bacteria that may be present. I think
that the amount present would be small. I thought of enclosing the air pump
in a small box with a quartz UV tube that I have, but I am not sure I want
to blow ozone through my beer either. (Talk about oxidized beer) You
can buy filters from Cole-Parmer that will filter the bacteria from the air,
but I didn't want to spend over $100 for a package of 100 filters. Maybe
we could split the package 20 ways?
On the subject of UV lamps for sterilization, does anyone have any reference
books that deal with exposure time and penetration of UV radiation at 254nm?
I checked a local electrical distributor and I can get a 15 watt, 18 inch
germicidal tube ($22) that will fit my undercounter light in the kitchen.
I want to use this for area sterilization while I am doing my yeast culturing.
I know this wavelength UV will burn skin and eyes, so I WILL be wearing
protective clothing and eyewear.
Jim Griggers * * * * *
brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM * *
408 Timber Ridge Dr. * *
West Columbia, SC * * *
29169 * *
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 12:41:54 EST
From: ncrcae!brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM
Subject: Motor info. for Corona
I was thinking of buying a gearhead motor to drive my Corona grain mill
and was wondering what speed would be ideal. Would 105 RPM be too
fast, and would 30 in-lb. be sufficient?
Jim Griggers * * * * *
brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM * *
408 Timber Ridge Dr. * *
West Columbia, SC * * *
29169 * *
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 10:59:48 PST
From: Brew Free or Die! 16-Jan-1992 1309 <hall@buffa.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Re: 'Dry-malting'
Perry Donham writes:
>I had an ale produced by the Boulder brewing company recently at a club meeting.
>It was delicious, but what most intrigued me was the nose...it smelled like
>fresh, malted grain, just like sticking your head into a feed bag.
>
>Some of us thought that this might be a result of 'dry-malting', an analog to
>dry-hopping. Anyone have any information on this?
>
>I plan on trying it with my next batch; a pound or so of malted 2-row in the
>secondary.
Tanker Ale is the name of the beer Perry is describing, if that will help anyone
answer Perry's question. I've drunk Tanker Ale on three occasions, and have
always been very impressed by the amount of fresh grain aroma in it. Actually,
the one Perry tried on Saturday may have been a little old, because it was less
impressive than the other two I've had. Still good though.
If anyone knows how Boulder Brewing Company does it, I'd like to hear.
Curiously, when I see printed mention of BBC's products, Tanker Ale is never
mentioned.
Dan Hall Digital Equipment Corporation MKO1-2/H10 Merrimack, NH 03054
hall@buffa.enet.dec.com ....!decwrl!buffa.dec.com!hall
"Persons intoxicated with wine pass out lying on their faces, while those
drunk with beer invariably lie on their backs" --Aristotle
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 12:25:24 -0700
From: 105277@essdp1.lanl.gov (GEOFF REEVES)
Subject: Lauter Tun Design
>
> I've read that some people don't like the two-plastic-bucket lauter tun
> design put forth by Papazian, but from what I've read and what I've heard
> from friends, it's the only way I can go at this point in my life.
> I once put a hole in a 7 gal bucket in order to install a spigot. I used
> a hole saw, but it was tough cutting! Much harder than I thought it would
> be. I'm wondering it putting a bizzilion 1/8" holes in the bottom of one
> of these things will take me much longer than 3 weeks!! Any comment on
> how long it takes??
>
> Secondly, I've seen it suggested that putting slots in the bottom of the
> bucket -- using a hot knife to cut -- is a "better" way to go. I'd like
> to know why, and I'd also like to know if it's any easier to construct.
>
It only took me about an hour to put a bizzilion holes in the bottom of
one of those buckets. The problem is that you generally drill from the
bottom and that little plastic curley-cues are left on the other side
which, in this case, is the inside of the bucket. The curley-cues tend to
partly block the holes. I took a single-edged razor blade and trimmed
them off. Melting holes (or slots) is another alternative which might
make globs but no curley-cues. I bet it's a lot slower though since you'll
have to heat the knife for each hole/slot. With a power drill it's just
bzzzzzt, bzzzzt, bzzzzt, ...
Geoff Reeves
Atomic City Ales
Los Alamos New Mexico
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 08:38 CST
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Brewing Water, Malt, Aeration
To: Homebrew Digest
Fm: Jack Schmidling
From: larryba@microsoft.com
Subject: Re: Trihalomethanes and brewing water
>If boiling supply water will drive off residual Cl and the reaction
product, then boiling the wort should do the same, right? If so, then
why bother boiling the supply water?
Good question. I guess the only answer I can think of is, why make new
poison just because you think it will go away? That's not a very good answer
but that's because it was a very good question. I simply applied what makes
sense for drinking water to brewing without thinking it through.
>I have noticed that hot water from my tap usually comes out effervescent and
never smells clorinated, unlike the cold water which sometimes smells
clorinated - Usually near the end of summer when supplies are low.
I noticed something else about hot tap water and did some experiments that
convinced me that using cold water is a MOMILY. Fill a glass with hot tap
water and one with cold and let them sit over night then taste them in the
morning. In the case of Chicago water at least, the cold water usually has a
very unpleasant taste after sitting out.
I found this by accident because I frequently noted that water served by
restaurants around Chicago had a very foreign taste. When I noted the same
taste at restaurants IN Chicago, the scientist in me came out because I drink
Chicago water at home and it never tastes that way, until I tasted some that
was left out over night.
Although I now boil my water to get more miles out of my nifty SS brewpot, I
had been just keeping several pitchers out for for drinking water. I fill
them from the hot water tap and generally sit for 24 hours before drinking.
This does indeed get rid of the chlorine and other volatiles, just takes
longer than boiling.
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu>
You write:
This also happens to be the most efficient method of producing nitrosamines
and even the hardliners like Breis, make crystal malt by the indirect
process. That is, by kilning it in such a way that it is never exposed to
the combustion products of a gas flame. This also led me to stop making malt
in my kitchen oven.
>Obvious solution: get an electric oven! My favorite cooking combo is gas
range and electric oven. You can't dry things effectively in a gas oven
because of the H2O in the combustion products (I learned this trying to
make meringues).
Good put but no help if one already has gas oven. Also, as it takes hours to
cure, the economics would get out of hand. This of course, is why Breis is
so reluctant to make the change and continues to claim that nitrosamines are
not really a problem.
From: 105277@essdp1.lanl.gov (GEOFF REEVES)
Subject: Pitching Wort ONTO Yeast
>You still have to aerate your wort. So assuming you have plenty of
turbulence when you siphon into the fermenter then the yeast won't
get burried and you shouldn't have to worry.
I have found a very simple way to aerate wort. I tap the chilled wort one
gallon at a time and glug this into the fermenter after giving it a few
shakes. The amount of aeration one gets this way is considerable.
From: caitrin lynch <lyn6@midway.uchicago.edu>
Subject: Priming with Malt
>After brewing several batches of reasonably good beer, I have noticed a
strange aftertaste which diminishes over time.
When you prime with malt you will find the opposite situation. After you add
the malt solution, the beer takes on a raw malt taste that goes away with
time.
>How does one prime with malt?
Boil about a cup in a litttle water and use just like sugar.
According to a recent posting though, sugar won the taste test between malt
and sugar.
>When I brewed in Massachusetts I never had this problem with an identical
setup and procedure. So maybe the problem is Chicago water and not the use of
sugar, but then again the beer tastes great before bottling.
> I am getting frustrated because prior to bottling I think I have made an
ambrosia of the gods, but after priming in the bottle the taste alters
considerably for the worse, although still much better than Bud etc. What is
happening here? Anyone else have a similar problem. How was it solved?
Help!!!
My very similar problem went away when I started using Edme yeast.
From: Dan Feldman <Feldman@GODZILLA.SCH.Symbolics.COM>
Subject: ss ferment
> Anyway, the important info is that the primary was done *in the brewpot*.
I cooked it up, chilled it with an immersion chiller, pitched, covered, and
moved it to the cool room.
> It was a Rapids 10 gal. pot.
I thought I was in untested waters when I fermented my last batch in my
Rapids. As you said, it is a dream and having a spiggot on the bottom, no
more syphoning. However, I was stuck with storing the wort until the
"brewpot/fermentor was empty and celaned out. Enough of a pain to cause me
to decide to go back to the old plastic fermentor.
>I've been doing this for about a year now. It works great, and has freed up
my old fermenter for use as a carboy. I can now brew approx twice as often
as I used to.
The question left is, is this extract beer or all grain? As there is
considerably more and different residues from all grain, I am still reluctant
to try fermenting on the boil crud till someone claims success.
js
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 21:28 GMT
From: "KATMAN.WNETS385" <6790753%356_WEST_58TH_5TH_FL%NEW_YORK_NY%WNET_6790753@mcimail.com>
Subject: DIOXIN
Date: 16-Jan-92 Time: 04:28 PM Msg: EXT02680
Hi Brew-folk,
Chip Hitchcock (cjh@vallance.hq.ileaf.com) said (in a note to me):
(RE dioxins from chlorination)
>what's your source for their coming from chlorination? they are NOT
>trihalomethanes, but halophenol dimers, which are harder to come by
>accidentally; usually happen only when you've already got lots of
>halophenol (e.g., 245T is halophenol + acetate, tiny amount of halophenol
>dimerizes to make 4Cl-dioxin; pentachlorophenol in transformer oils
>(preservative) makes 8Cl-dioxin).
I will find the reference and quote directly. Hey, I may be wrong, my source
(an environmentally "correct" catalog) may be wrong, or I may just have
forgotten the proper context.
Toodles!
Lee Katman == Thirteen/WNET == New York, NY
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 17:34:02 -0500
From: Arun Welch <welch@cis.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: Microwave Sanitizer
While this has been discussed to death, here's one more data point. It
is possible to sanitize stuff in a microwave, but only at low pressure.
Essentially, the gases turn to plasma, which does a very good job of
killing off everything in the container. Practical applications of this
technology for medical sanitation are expected to be a year or two out,
unfortunately. It has the added benefit of not getting too hot, so you
can sanitize some of that plastic tubing, etc. :-).
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---
Arun Welch
Lisp Hacker, Anzus Consulting
welch@cis.ohio-state.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 16:07:06 PST
From: Glenn Tinseth <tinsethg@UCS.ORST.EDU>
Subject: Unmalted rye in brewing
Greetings,
As I write this I'm roasting a pound of unmalted rye in my oven (375' F, 35
min. so far). The idea is to make the following take off on a stout.
7 lb. 2 row Klages
1 lb. carastan
1 lb. roasted unmalted rye
1 lb. flaked rye
The procedure will include a 30 min. protein rest and a 60 min sacc. rest at
appropriate temperatures and the right hopping for a semi-dry stout. My main
question is, has anyone done this and if so is it good? Also if anyone has
experience roasting grain, unmalted or not, I'd love to hear about it. I'm
just tired of paying up to 5X what our friendly HB store owners are paying for
grain. Yes I buy my 2 row in bulk and the carastan too ($0.30 and $0.37/lb.)
but I don't use enough of the dark grains to justify 50 lb bags (I only wish).
If there is interest in this and if I get some good roasting info I will
gladly summarize in this august journal.
Thanking you in advance,
Glenn Tinseth
tinsethg@ucs.orst.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 17:45:10 -0700
From: 105277@essdp1.lanl.gov (GEOFF REEVES)
Subject: Don't Microwave Metals
Both contain metal. If you don't already know how metal reacts in a
microwave oven (and you are willing to risk breaking the oven) try putting
a little piece of aluminum foil in and turning it on. Microwave (as Mike
Hall pointed out) is electromagnetic radiation which is alternating
electric and magnetic fields. Polar molecules will partly absorb them and
heat in the process. Metals which are conductors will totally absorb them
and heat a lot. If there are any irregularities they'll also develop localized
charges and spark like crazy. Insulators like glass are virtually transparent
to microwaves and don't really heat at all. I'd hate to think what would
happen to a thermometer. By the way this is why most take-out Chinese
food doesn't come in buckets with little metal handles any more.
Geoff Reeves
Atomic City Ales
Los Alamos New Mexico
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 17:46:02 -0700
From: 105277@essdp1.lanl.gov (GEOFF REEVES)
Subject: Don't Microwave Metals
>
> After reading James Smith's post on using UV light to sanitize water, I've
> decided to ask about something that I've been wondering about for a while.
> Wouldn't a microwave make an effective equipment sanitizer? Of course I know
> that there are size limitations, like your carboy surely wouldn't fit. But
for
> quickly sanitizing your turkey-baster/wine-theif, thermometer,
> fermentation-lock, etc., it might just work very well. I would guess that the
> 'wave would cook the beejezus out of any little buggers on your stuff without
> even heating up your delicate plastic equipment (at least not much). What's
> the consensus?
>
> Chris McDermott, [homebrew, not just for breakfast anymore]
>
I'd say as far as the wine-theif, fermentation lock, etc go this should work
but probably wouldn't be easy. You probably have to heat enough that the
actual equipment gets hot. I don't think that the bacteria or yeast would
have enough polar molecules (like water) to absorb much microwave so
you'd have to rely on the heat from the surfaces to kill them. (To clarify,
they may be 99% water but they have a very small cross-section.) In this case
you might as well put them in the oven. Bleach is probably the quickest and
most reliable. Since I obviously don't know a heck of a lot about it I'll move
on to what I do know and the main reason for the post:
DON'T PUT YOUR THERMOMETER IN THE MICROWAVE
DON'T PUT YOUR HYDROMETER IN THE MICROWAVE
Both contain metal. If you don't already know how metal reacts in a
microwave oven (and you are willing to risk breaking the oven) try putting
a little piece of aluminum foil in and turning it on. Microwave (as Mike
Hall pointed out) is electromagnetic radiation which is alternating
electric and magnetic fields. Polar molecules will partly absorb them and
heat in the process. Metals which are conductors will totally absorb them
and heat a lot. If there are any irregularities they'll also develop localized
charges and spark like crazy. Insulators like glass are virtually transparent
to microwaves and don't really heat at all. I'd hate to think what would
happen to a thermometer. By the way this is why most take-out Chinese
food doesn't come in buckets with little metal handles any more.
Geoff Reeves
Atomic City Ales
Los Alamos New Mexico
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1992 19:54 EDT
From: MIKE LIGAS <LIGAS@SSCvax.CIS.McMaster.CA>
Subject: CABA EVENTS
Here's an update on some upcoming Canadian Amateur Brewers Association events.
******************************************************************************
"MARCH IN MONTREAL" Flavour Perception and Tasting Seminar
and Homebrew Competition.
March 7, 1992 Furama Hotel, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Entry deadline for homebrews: Feb. 15, 1992
5:00 pm
"Gordon's Cave a Vin"
5785 Sherbrooke West
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H4A 1X2
* for more information contact Paul Dickey (CABA President) at:
71601.3357@compuserve.com
or me (Mike Ligas) at: ligas@sscvax.cis.mcmaster.ca
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************************
"EIGHTH ANNUAL GREAT CANADIAN HOMEBREW COMPETITION"
and Spring Conference.
May 22 and 23, 1992. Toronto, Ontario, Canada (stay tuned
for further information on place and agenda)
Entry Deadline: 5:00 pm, April 25, 1992 (location TBA)
* for more information contact Paul or myself (see above).
******************************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 16:15:18 HST
From: richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk)
Subject: Re: Trihalomethanes and brewing water
>I have heard that using Hot tap water is bad for brewing. However,
>it looks to me that using hot tap water is the way to go since it gives you
>much of the advantages of boiling w/o the time involved.
Dave Miller, in his CHHB says: ``I draw my brewing and sparge water
from the hot water tap at about 150'F; at this temperature, chloroform
boils and chlorine gasses out in a few minutes.''
He also says that chloroform is another name for THM.
- --
Richard Foulk richard@pegasus.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 92 19:54:59 HST
From: richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk)
Subject: Re: Repair crack in keg?
> I have a Edme Brewcraft plastic pressure barrel which has developed
> a small crack near the recessed handles used for lifting the keg. The
> crack doesn't leak until I put it under pressure which causes the barrel
> to expand and open up the crack and release beer or CO2.
>
> I tried using epoxy but when I went to test the seal the slight
> expansion of the keg caused the brittle epoxy seal to fail.
>
> I am also concerned that the compound used for sealing has no ill
> effects on the taste of my beer and/or my health.
>
There are all kinds of epoxies available. There are formulations
available that don't become brittle and some that are approved for food
containers. Sorry I can't recommend a specific brand. Read the
labels carefully and check around.
You can improve the bond by sanding around the crack to roughen it up
so the epoxy will have more to hold onto. Most epoxies don't bond well
to smooth surfaces. Also, covering the crack with some sort of strong
synthetic cloth that you can permeate with epoxy will make the patch
much stronger, and more flexible.
Food grade epoxies can be very handy for building homebrew equipment.
Be sure you give them plenty of time to cure so they lose all their
volatile constituents before using them.
Good luck.
- --
Richard Foulk richard@pegasus.com
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #804, 01/17/92
*************************************
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