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HOMEBREW Digest #0952
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 92/08/21 00:51:00
HOMEBREW Digest #952 Fri 21 August 1992
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Returning to the Good Ol' Days (Alan Edwards)
Heavyside Ale recipe (Guy Derose)
headspace (Carl West)
Classified Section (Jack Schmidling)
Some old root beer receipts, sassafrass (Paul dArmond)
CO2 purity (Jim Griggers)
Foxx Equipment, malt (Jim Griggers)
BEER CONCENTRATE (Jack Schmidling)
Auto Reply from Watch_Mail for 18-AUG-1992 16:48 to 1-SEP-1992 00:00 (Dick Schoeller - ZKO2-2/M21 - DTN 381-2965 19-Aug-1992 0348)
UK Grain Suppliers ("ONREUR::JSAMPSON")
getting labels to stick (and come off easilly) (aew)
Missed one line on proposed all grain process (smanastasi)
Priming (JEFF)
Off to Hamburg... (Karl F. Bloss)
all grain stuff (Russ Gelinas)
Assorted Comments (Bob Konigsberg)
Birmingham Brewing Co. (Guy D. McConnell)
Coffeemaker Mashtun (Chris Shenton)
RE: low extraction (James Dipalma)
sparging manifold design ("Spencer W. Thomas")
re: my chiller formula (mcnally)
Re: Kolsch (Bill Flowers)
RE: siphon woes (Carl West)
Re:siphoning ("Ron Fresne" )
Electric boiler construction (Al Richer)
re: Maisel (Bayreuth) (mcnally)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 13:53:43 PDT
From: rush@xanadu.llnl.gov (Alan Edwards)
Subject: Returning to the Good Ol' Days
Ah, yes, the good ol' days. While that phrase seems a bit trite, it is
basically true. The reason that they were good is that the signal-to-noise
ratio (another overused phrase) was very high. The main reason for that
is that the digest was full of questions and answers--good questions and
good answers--and not so much speculation and flamage. It was not a
bore, it was a joy to read--a real learning resource. There were not
many who just spewed speculation and guesses in order to feel important.
It was not that people weren't thinking for themselves; there were those
who questioned the established routines. And there were usually
constructive replies--or at least good debates (full of information) with
very little name calling. The tension was very low. It seems that these
days, there are those who are just waiting to pounce. (At least we
haven't reverted to spelling flames.)
I'm not saying that the digest sucks right now (I think it's great); it
just gets tiring sifting through all the garbage.
Maybe a little selective remembering is at work here, but there IS a
difference (otherwise, not so many would agree).
How do we return to those days? RELAX!
If it's a flame, sleep on it (then take it to email).
Remember, everyone has a different method that works for them. There
are no RIGHT ways of doing anything.
Forgive others' mistakes.
Remember, there are PEOPLE at the other end. If we were all in one big
room, and someone made a "lame" mistake, would everyone jump up and call
that person an asshole to his face? I don't think so. They might take
him aside (hint: email) and point out his mistake. Don't burn your
bridges (before they hatch? :-).
We are all here to help each other and to better ourselves.
-Alan
.------------------------------------.
| Alan Edwards: rush@xanadu.llnl.gov | Ren & Stimpy in '92!
| or: alan-edwards@llnl.gov | (No one else REAL is running.)
`------------------------------------'
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 18:18:32 -0400
From: gxd@po.CWRU.Edu (Guy Derose)
Subject: Heavyside Ale recipe
Here is a recipe I made last night for a Scotch Heavy Ale. It is
my 4th batch to date.
Heavyside Ale
(Ingredients for 5 US gallons)
3.5# Glenbrew Heavy 80/- Ale Kit
2.25# Laaglander Dark DME
0.5# crushed Crystal malt (20L)
1 oz. Northern Brewer hops (steep last 10 min)
2 pkg. dry ale yeast from kit
Notes:
Prepare yeast by reconstituting in 16 oz. warm tap water in a jar
before brewing begins. Slowly bring 1 Qt. cold tap water with 1/2
lb. crystal malt to a boil, about 30 min. Remove spent grains by
pouring the liquid through a strainer into the main brewpot and
sparging with 1 Qt. boiling water. Add 3 US pints of water to
brewpot and bring to a boil. Add can and DME and boil for 15
min. Steep hop pellets in hop bag for 10 min with heat off, then
remove hops and pour concentrated wort into the fermenter. Since
I've marked the outside of the (plastic) fermenter in gallon
increments, I then added cold water to raise the level to the
5 gal. line. After cooling I pitched the yeast, sealed it up,
and attached the fermentation lock. After less than 7 hours,
the wort was bubbling like mad. I intend to prime with 1 cup
dark DME when finished. It really looks and smells great in
the fermenter, and I am looking forward to drinking it.
- --
Guy DeRose
Case Western Reserve University
Physicist, PP-ASEL, homebrewer (NOT necessarily in that order)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 18:45:07 EDT
From: eisen@kopf.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Carl West)
Subject: headspace
js asks:
> So, is it possible that homebrewers, who would not think of letting their
> beer freeze, could reduce the headspace to the point where O2 is simply a
> non-issue?
You could try it, but store 'em in a bucket. Water is virtually
incompressable, when it `decides' to be bigger because of the
temperature, it gets bigger. Period. You'd be surprised how small a
temperature change it takes to break a sealed glass bottle that is
_completely_ full of water. I know, I tried it.
In my (limited) experience there is a direct correlation between the
size of headspace and the carbonation of the beer. I don't know if this
is a causal relationship or not, or what the mechanism is if it is.
Will the yeast shut down if the pressure goes up too far or too fast?
Carl (back from vacation)
WISL,BM.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 17:32 CDT
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Classified Section
To: Homebrew Digest
Fm: Jack Schmidling
In an effort to remove the friction and flaming caused by the seeming
commercial aspects of occasional posts, I have decided to address the issue
directly.
It is obvious that a need exists to connect users and sources of homebrewing
equimpent, ideas and supplies, be they personal or commercial. To exclude
the hobby computer network from making this connection, is to fight
technology and progress and to cut off our nose to spite our face. The trick
is to do it in a way that is not only a useful addition to what we are
already doing, but to do it in a way that is not offensive or injurious to
the existing networks and fora.
I have presented and discussed my proposed project on usenet and although one
can't please everyone, the concensus is that it is a good idea and I am
implementing it forthwith.
Until or unless invited to post it to HBD or any other forum, the weekly
CLASSIFIED SECTION will be posted only to the rec.crafts.brewing newsgroup on
usenet. Anyone may email ads to me and direct responses to any email or US
Mail address but the list itself will only appear on usenet for the present.
The restrictions are few, simple and explicit. They are spelled out in this
preview posting.....
The following is the weekly edition
of the r.c.b CLASSIFIED SECTION
All submissions must be brewing related, 5 lines or less and no item may be
posted more then once in a 30 day period. Items may be submitted as WANTED or
FOR SALE and may be either personal or commercial. Send submissions to
arf@ddsw1.mcs.com with CLASSIFIED as subject.
................
FORSALE... The World's Greatest Beer, $99 per bottle, money back guarantee.
email to arf@wgb.com for details and testimonials from the world's great
brewers.
WANTED.... One bottle of the World's Greatest Beer. Price is no object. I
will even pick it up and shake hands with the brewer. If anyone knows where
I can find one, email to jay@humble.pie.com.
..........
You get the idea. I am open for business. Send me your stuff.
js
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 18:43:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Paul dArmond <paulf@henson.cc.wwu.edu>
Subject: Some old root beer receipts, sassafrass
These recipes come from: The Scientific American Cyclopedia of Formulas,
edited by Albert A. Hopkins {query editor of the "Scientific American"}
New York, Scientific American Publishing Company, 1921
Root Beer--1.--To 5 gal. of boiling water add 1 1/2 gal. of molasses.
Allow it to stand for 3 hours, then add bruised sassafras bark,
wintergreen bark, sarsaparilla root, of each 1/4 lb., and 1/2 pt. of fresh
yeast, water enough to make 15 to 17 gal. After this has fermented for 12
hours it can be drawn off and bottled.
2.--Pour boiling water on 2 1/2 oz. sassafras, 1 1/2 oz. wild cherry
bark, 2 1/2 oz. allspice, 2 1/2 oz. wintergreen bark, 1/2 oz. hops, 1/2
oz. coriander seed, 2 gal. molasses. Let the mixture stand 1 day.
Strain, add 1 pt. yeast, enough water to make 15 gal. This beer may be
bottled the following day.
3.--Sarsaparilla, 1 lb.; spicewood, 1/4 lb.; guaiacum chips, 1/2 lb.;
birch bark, 1/8 lb.; ginger, 1/4 oz.; sassafras, 2 oz.; prickly ash bark,
1/4 oz.; hops 1/2 oz. Boil for 12 hours over a moderate fire with
sufficient water, so that the remainder shall measure 3 gal., to which add
tincture of ginger, 4 oz.; oil of wintergreen, 1/2 oz.; alcohol, 1 pt.
This prevents fermentation. To make root beer, take of this decoction, 1
qt.; molasses, 8 oz.; water 2 1/2 gal.; yeast 4 oz. This will soon
ferment and produce a good, drinkable beverage. The root beer should be
mixed, in warm weather, the evening before it is used, and can be kept for
use either bottled or drawn by a common beer pump. Most people prefer a
small addition of wild cherry bitters or hot drops to the above beer.
[disclaimer - these recipes are reproduced for historical interest. They
may make you swell up and turn purple, loose all your bodily hair, or
withdraw from presidential politics. What can I say? Mileage varies...]
About sassafras... My 1930 Merck's Index, 4th ed., says that sassafras
is supplied as either the root or bark of the root. If the current
sassafras bark is from the trunk, then it's not the stuff in the old
recipes. Sassafras root, oil, etc. is a federally controlled substance
because of the presence of safarol and iso-safarol [sp? they may end with
an 'e']. As I recall, it was placed on the federal list in 1977-8. It is
toxic to the liver as well as carcinogenic. Oil of sassafras smells very
much like root beer, but not as strongly as modern root beer extract. My
hunch is that the taste and aroma that you want are volatile oils and not
the safarol. I wouldn't choose to drink safarol, but others might...
Rootin' fer ya' -- Paul de Armond
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 21:34:46 EDT
From: Jim Griggers <ncrcae!brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
Subject: CO2 purity
I posted a note on rec.crafts.brewing some time ago in response to someone
asking about the purity of CO2. I could not find my original article, so
here is the gist of what I said:
>The CO2 that I buy for dispensing beer is not sold as a gas, but rather
>a liquid. Both places that I have had my tanks filled store the CO2
>liquid in refrigerated tanks. The filling process is very similar to
>having a propane tank filled, in that the tank is placed on a scale to
>determine when the tank is full. Liquid CO2 is mostly what is in the tank
>after filling. As the CO2 gas is removed from the tank, the liquid turns
>into gas to maintain a fairly constant pressure. Gas can be used up for
>quite some time while the gas pressure stays the same. It is only when
>the last of the liquid CO2 evaporates that the tank pressure will start to
>fall.
>
>Given that the CO2 was put in the tank as a liquid, very little of the
>atmospheric gases should be in the tank. Nitrogen and oxygen require
>low temperature and high pressures to liquify them. I think my original
>article on R.C.B. addressed someone's concern on getting CO2 that was
>mixed with nitrogen.
After writing the above, I called "Air Products" and asked if they sold
different grades of CO2. The response was "yes, we do." They sell standard
industrial grade CO2, along with at least 5 others. All range from 99.8%
pure for industrial grade to 99.995% pure for research grade. I then said,
"What do you sell for dispensing beverages?" Answer: The industrial grade.
I just saw that one person on the Digest works for Air Products. Maybe he
can shed more light on this subject.
Jim Griggers * * *
brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM * *
408 Timber Ridge Dr. *
West Columbia, SC 29169
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 21:36:21 EDT
From: Jim Griggers <ncrcae!brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
Subject: Foxx Equipment, malt
In HBD 950 klm@mscg.com (Kevin L. McBride) writes:
=>Foxx Beverage, who got into the homebrew kegging supply business by
=>popular demand and has done us a tremendous service, is now getting
=>out of it.
This is sort of what I figured out since I have requested two catalogs from
Foxx and have not received them. The nice woman on the phone took down my
name and address, asked if this was for homebrewing so that she would know
which catalog to send, and that she would get the catalog out right away.
The first request was several months ago.
A few Digests ago, I asked about information concerning the quality of
grain malt. I assume the interest in this subject got overshadowed since it
was posted shortly after THE CONTEST. If anyone has any thoughts about
the quality of different sources of malt, please speak up. Thanks.
Jim Griggers * * *
brew@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM * *
408 Timber Ridge Dr. *
West Columbia, SC 29169
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 21:48 CDT
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: BEER CONCENTRATE
To: Homebrew Digest
Fm: Jack Schmidling
A most amazing story appeared in this morning's Chi Trib. It seems that
Coors is claiming to use Rocky Mountain Spring Water in the beer that they
are "brewing" in Virginia and Busch is pointing out the absurdity of this in
an ad. Coors is suing Busch and Busch is countersuing.
Coors defense is absurd and illogical and I only repeat it because I think it
brings a new term into the brewing lexicon and an insight into how this
rubbish is really "brewed".
They claim that the "beer concentrate is produced in Colorado and we only add
water" in Virginia.
It is getting harder and harder to find anything what ever to call big beer
other than a colossal hoax, fraud and rip-off, regardless of what people
claim about their sophisticated and hitech processes.
It is interesting to speculate just what "beer concentrate" might be. I
suspect there is somthing missing from the process because if one only added
water it would be pretty flat.
So the minimum would be beer fortified with alcohol to which water is added
and carbonated.
If it is low alcohol, it would not have to be fortified, and this business
seems to justify my recent contention that they get rid of the alcohol simply
by diluting beer with water.
The other possibility is that the mashing is done in Colorado and the sweet
wort or boiled wort is shipped to Virginia to be boiled/fermented and then
diluted with enough water to get rid of that beer taste.
I used to look at friendly looking taverns with a wistful eye when walking by
but now I sort of wanta go in and chase out the money changers and knock some
sense into the idiots drinking that slosh.
js
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 00:48:45 PDT
From: Dick Schoeller - ZKO2-2/M21 - DTN 381-2965 19-Aug-1992 0348 <"ddif::schoeller"@kobal.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Auto Reply from Watch_Mail for 18-AUG-1992 16:48 to 1-SEP-1992 00:00
I am on vacation until 2 September 1992.
If you have an urgent problem, please contact the following:
OOTB Administrative Matters: Steve Grass
OOTB Technical Problems: Scott Ponte
BAGELS, GENEALOGY, ...: The appropriate alternate moderator
Thanks for your patience!
Dick
------------------------------
Date: 19 Aug 92 11:46:00 WET
From: "ONREUR::JSAMPSON" <jsampson%onreur.decnet@onreur.navy.mil>
Subject: UK Grain Suppliers
Does anybody know a good source for 10-20 kg quantities of crushed grain
malt west of London (i.e., Berks/Bucks/Oxon...the closer to High Wycombe
the better)? I've been getting mine from the Tucker malting mill in Devon
but I haven't been down there for a while and now I'm out.
Thanks,
John A. Sampson
Office of Naval Research European Office
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 08:17:33 -0400
From: aew@spitfire.unh.edu
Subject: getting labels to stick (and come off easilly)
gelly@persoft.com (Mitch Gelly) says:
>What was passed on to me by a friend (Hi Brian!) was to use rubber cement....
This sounds good, I'll have to give it a try - what about all that
rubber residue when you peel off the label? Does it come off with the paper?
I've been using the following method: 3 parts water 1 part Elmers white glue.
Labels stick great and a quick rinse of hot water while you're rinsing
the inside of the bottle and the label and glue slides right off. Of course I
use plain paper labels printed on my laser printer - glossy labels might be
harder to remove because the water wouldn't soak them as easilly.
Previously I've read here in the HBD to use milk, but I tried that with
little success - The labels seem to jump off of the bottles after a week.
Thanks for the tip Mitch,
-Al ===============================================================================
Allan Wright Jr. | Pole-Vaulters Get a Natural High! | GO Celts!
University of New Hampshire +--------------------------------------------------
Research Computing Center | You keep using that word. I do not think it means
Internet: AEW@UNH.EDU | what you think it means. -The Princess Bride
===============================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 08:03:25 CDT
From: smanastasi@mmm.com
Subject: Missed one line on proposed all grain process
My editor (not human error!) ate one line of my post. Step 4 should be:
4. Begin draining cooler into brew pot. One can recycle the wort by
ADD> POURING WORT BACK INTO THE COOLER. ADD HOT WATER AND CONTINUE
slowly draining the cooler until 7 gallons of wort have been
collected. This is the sparge process.
Sorry.
- --------------------
Steve Anastasi
smanastasi@mmm.com
St. Paul, Minnesota
------------------------------
Date: 19 Aug 1992 09:13:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: JEFF@RCC.RTI.ORG
Subject: Priming
>>Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 11:02 EDT
>>From: "C. Lyons" <LYONS@adc1.adc.ray.com>
>>Subject: Question about adding yeast at bottling time.
>>I have a question about the addition of yeast at bottling time. Is this
>>recommended, and if so how much yeast should be added for a 5 gallon
>>batch? The reason I ask is that I have repeatedly primed with 3/4 cup of
>>corn sugar and have gotten poor carbonation. I have increased the amount
>>of corn sugar to 1 cup for my last three batches, which has improved the
>>carbonation, but is still far from the carbonation of commercial brews.
>>I typically brew extract pale ales with and let the beer sit in the
>>secondary for 4-to-5 weeks. Could the yeast be settling out and not
>>in sufficient enough quantity for bottling? Any comments would be
>>appreciated.
>>
>> ... Christopher Lyons
>> lyons@adc1.adc.ray.com
>>
I'm certainly happy to put in my 2 cents worth on this issue but as you may or
may not have noticed by reading the HBD, you'll get various opinions on any
question. The HBD is indeed a valuable resource. However, an equally good
source is BOOKS. Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" and Dave
Miller's "The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing" and, new for beginners, Dave
Miller's "Brewing the Great Beers of The World (?)". Everyone on the HBD
should own or at least have access to one or more of these books.
Priming is one area where most authors agree: do NOT prime each bottle
individually (read one of the books for the why not to this answer). I use 3/4
cup corn sugar most of the time and have ample carbonation. Some recipes
require less (stout, if the recipe comes from Miller requires only 1/2 cup).
Your problem is probably in leaving it in the secondary for 4-5 weeks. Most
ales should be completely fermented out in 7-14 days (if 65F or warmer). Even
when I brew lagers, I only let it sit in the secondary at 50F for three weeks.
Indeed the yeast WILL settle out. At that point, more sugar isn't the answer.
You may need additional YEAST. But again, the best solution is to bottle after
7-14 days (take a hydrometer reading to know when to bottle).
- --------------------
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 09:28:03 -0400
From: blosskf@ttown.apci.com (Karl F. Bloss)
Subject: Off to Hamburg...
In HOMEBREW Digest #951, Don Scheidt asks:
>Where are you going in Germany?? There are more than 1100 brewers, and
>they collectively produce over 4500 different beers!
Point taken! Specifically, I will be in Hamburg, but I'll be mobile
within that general vicinity. I do have a friend there who knows his
pubs, but if anyone knows of any great brewpubs that are not to be missed,
drop me a line.
-Karl
"Bier her, Bier her, oder ich fall' um!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 10:11:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: R_GELINAS@UNHH.UNH.EDU (Russ Gelinas)
Subject: all grain stuff
Good list of all-grain equipment/steps. I'd recommend a 10-gallon
(or more) cooler though; it allows you to add all the sparge water at
once, and then drain it all off without having to babysit it. My last
batch had 70% efficiency that way, which is fine with me.
A quick efficiency primer: Points per pound (PPP) only work if you are
using a single type of grain; different grains have different maximum PPP's.
I figure out efficiency as follows - Multiply the pounds of each grain by
it's max. PPP (found in the literature, actually I use the numbers in the
Brew Recipe Formulator). Total these up, and you have the maximum possible
points from your grist (ie. 100% efficiency). Take the original gravity of
your wort, subtract the 1.000. Multiply this by the number of gallons, and
you have the number of points of your wort. Divide this by the max. possible
points, and there's your efficiency.
Along a similar note, the first-time all-grainer said he had very low
efficiency. Actually, you weren't too bad. The formula above gives 60%
efficiency, more or less (again from the BRF, I should send Chris some
money I guess). Use more pale malt next time; that should help convert
more of the wheat. Wheat beer is not very high OG anyway, so relax and
enjoy it, it sounds like a fine summertime drink.
Finally, I haven't gotten the answer I'm looking for re. stirring an
infusion mash. I infuse the grist to conversion temperature, then put
it in an insulated box. It stays well within 2 degrees. My question is,
is it better to stir the mash occasionally, or best to just let it sit?
It's not a matter of evenly distributing the heat, but rather of mixing
up the enzymes/starches/sugars.
Russ
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 07:31:53 -0700
From: Bob Konigsberg <bobk@NSD.3Com.COM>
Subject: Assorted Comments
First of all, thanks to Steve Anastasi for his summary of full grain. As an
extract brewer, I'm always interested in information that will help lead me
to the holy grail :-)
Christopher Lyons asked about adding yeast at bottling time. I've had a
similar problem with lack of carbonation with 3/4 cup. I've been told that
(Haven't verified it yet) that I'm waiting too long (about 3 weeks) after
racking to a secondary, and that there isn't enough yeast to do the job within
the space of a few weeks. The recommendation here is to rack to the secondary,
and bottle within 2 weeks. That's hard in my case with a 1 year old running
around, but I'll try next time.
Question: Has anyone make an extract brew with JUST dark malt extract, or
maybe with some crystal? How did it taste? What kind of body. I'm looking
at trying it just for the heck of it, but was wondering if anyone else has
already done this.
Another item of interest (I haven't tried this). I was talking with Brian
of Fermentation Frenzy, and he said that when he got a beer that was too
sweet at bottling time, he quickly boiled up (in plain water) some northern
brewer hops, and added them to correct the sweetness/bitterness ratio. Has
anyone else tried this? And if so, with what success?
As another experiment, I'm going to make a batch with 6 lbs. Alexander's
light extract, and then go heavy (3 lbs) on the crystal malt to see how
much it takes to get that "caramelly" flavor. Again, any others out there
who've done something like this? I'm trying to do some experiments to push
normal limits of ingredients to see what the effect of extremes are in order
to establish some scale for ingredients other than straight malt.
Regarding sensitivity to hops, I've found that a bittering rate much above
11 AAU's gives me instant heartburn. Hop aroma doesn't seem to have anything
to do with it. Not much, but it's another data point.
BobK
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 9:38:02 CDT
From: guy@mspe5.b11.ingr.com (Guy D. McConnell)
Subject: Birmingham Brewing Co.
Darren Evans-Young writes:
> Re: Birmingham Brewing Co.
>
> Latest word is Brewmaster Lee Nicholson who was instrumental in restarting
> the company, was fired last month. This could have some major implications.
> Such as, if the beer doesnt sell well, the beer ignorant snobs who are
> probably running it now, will change the recipe...you know, make it
> lighter?
Lee is the one who, along with his lawyer partner (first mistake?), got
the laws changed to allow breweries in Alabama. He used to run a homebrew
supply store in Homewood long ago. He founded a brewpub in Tampa FL. and then
came back to Birmingham to start the Birmingham Brewing Co. I talked with Lee
several weeks ago, very soon after the trouble began at the brewery. I posted
nothing here because he asked that I not discuss the specifics of the case due
to possible legal ramifications. All I will say is that the situation is still
up in the air and don't count Lee out just yet. John Zanteson, the other
brewer (Head Brewer, Assistant Brewmaster or something like that) who came
from Hopland in Mendicino CA, is still there and is now acting brewmaster. I
also plan to tour the brewery in the near future and post a review. The beer
is now available on tap here in Huntsville and is quite good. There is a Red
Mountain Red Ale and Red Mountain Golden Lager. It is also available in
Birmingham-area bars (especially the 5-points south area). Not in bottles yet.
Anyway, I'll be talking to both Lee and John again soon and I'll post any
updates that I can.
- --
Guy McConnell guy@mspe5.b11.ingr.com
"Red Mountain Red goes to your head"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 11:09:10 EDT
From: css@srm1.stx.com (Chris Shenton)
Subject: Coffeemaker Mashtun
Chuck Cox <chuck@synchro.com> effuses:
I just bought a cafeteria coffeemaker for $1. It has a pair of
side-by-side 5 gal tubs, all stainless. It has a swivelling
sparge head, temperature control, dual sparge/fill timers, some
kind of recirculating pump, and what appears to be an overflow or
level sensor.
As far as I can tell, I just need to add false bottoms and a more
accurate thermometer to turn this into a semi-automatic
recirculating mash/lauter tun. Has anyone out there already done
this?
In one of the back issues of Zymurgy, there's a picture of a Rodney
``RIMS'' Morris device which I recall was based on a two-urn Coffee
Thing. Might want to check the article, or write him.
The setup sounds great -- any suggestions how I can acquire one :-)
or was this just a random event? :-(
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 11:06:47 EDT
From: dipalma@banshee.sw.stratus.com (James Dipalma)
Subject: RE: low extraction
Hi All,
In HBD#951, Tom Feller wrote:
>To the point or rather the problem, very very low extraction.
<description of brewing procedure deleted>
>So what is my problems.
Welcome to the wonderful world of all grain brewing, Tom. I've
made only 7 all grain batches myself, so I'm hardly an expert,
but I did notice a couple of things in your post.
Two common causes of low extraction are too coarse a grind of
the grain, and sparging too fast. Check your grind, ideally
each kernel should be broken into 4-6 pieces and the husks
nearly intact. There should be no grains left intact. Of
course, this is the ideal. If you're using a Corona mill as
most of us are, you'll get some flour and a few of the grains
do come through intact, but make sure the kernels are well
broken up to the extent that this is possible.
There was a repost from HBD#313 in r.c.b the other day
which was essentially a treatise on sparging. Among other
useful bits of information was that the runoff rate should
be around 10-12 minutes per gallon. I run my sparge a little
faster than that, usually around an hour for 6.5-7 gallons,
and I get around 30 pts/lb/gal. At 25 minutes for 7 gallons,
your runoff rate sounds a bit fast.
>Should I have checked the mash water for ph. level?
Yep. I use test papers that are available from most homebrew
suppliers. They're cheap, not super accurate, but they don't have
to be. Check the mash ph after doughing in the grain, if it's
anywhere between 5.0 - 5.5 or thereabouts, it's fine.
>Should I have mashed longer at 155-158 deg.F?
Use an iodine test to determine if conversion is complete. If
so, continuing to mash at that temperature will cause long chains
of dextrins to become shorter chains of dextrins, but won't
improve extraction ratings.
>I then added water to make my 7 gal.,
>stirred and took a SG reading, 1.020.
Adding water will dilute the solution and lower the
SG reading. Run your sparge until the SG is 1.008-1010,
corrected for temperature of the runoff, then stop sparging.
You'll extract more tannin than sugar if you continue beyond
this point, though it sounds like you already knew that. If
you end up with less than 7 gallons of wort, take your SG reading
*before* adding water to get to the proper pre-boil volume, and
remember to adjust your extraction calculations for the volume
you do have. Then add water to get to 7 gallons, you're going
to boil this down to 5 - 5.5 gallons anyway, and the SG will
be higher after the boil.
This leads to another point in your post that was not clear.
You mentioned that the expected SG was 1.045, usually this means
after the wort has been boiled down to 5 gallons, yet you
compared your reading of 1.020 taken when you had 7 gallons.
A more valid comparison would have been the 1.028 for 5.5 gallons
you ended with after the boil. If you had boiled down to 5
gallons, you would have got something over 1.030.
A personal observation: I own some of Dave Miller's books,
they are generally excellent. However, Miller seems to insist
that homebrewers should be able to get the theoretical maximums
of 35-36 SG pts/lb/gal. If you beat through the math for 6.5
pounds of grain, 1.045 for 5 gallons of wort, it works out to
~35 points. I have never gotten better than 32, I generally
get around 30. The point that I think needs to be made here is
that if a brewer is getting somewhere in the ballpark of 28-30
points, that's fine. When desiging or following recipes, use
whatever figure you do get, and adjust accordingly (use a little
more grain).
One final word of encouragement to Tom: glad to see you're
brewing again this Friday, don't be put off by some of the posts
that have appeared in this forum in recent weeks (lame NOT!).
NO ONE is born knowing how to make good beer, there is a
significant learning curve involved. IMHO, the learning is part
of the *fun*.
My longest post *ever*, hope it helps,
Jim
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 11:08:09 EDT
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu>
Subject: sparging manifold design
I finally took the leap (step?) to all-grain this weekend. After
reading posts about "slotted pipe" manifolds for sparging, I realized
that I had everything I needed to build such a setup (well, I had to
get a tee and an elbow). I took some 3/8" tubing from my
mega-chiller-from-hell (50' of tubing is *too much*), cut slots every
3/4" to 1" with a hacksaw, crimped one end, bent the other, and
attached the bent ends to a tee fitting. I cut another length of tubing
just tall enough to reach the top of my rectangular cooler and
attached it to the center of the tee. An elbow at the top connects to
6' of pvc tubing to make a siphon hose. Total expenditure: <$5.
Wonderful ASCII graphics drawing:
/---------------------------------\
/ | | | | | | | |
| /------------------------------/
| |
/---\ Top view
| | <--Tube coming up from tee.
\---/
| | Slots are in bottom of tubing, cut about 1/2 way through.
| |
| \------------------------------\
\ | | | | | | | |
\---------------------------------/
It worked. Sort of. I had to "back flush" it with air (translation:
blow into the end of the siphon tube) to clear husks (I assume) out of
the slots to really get it started. It took over an hour to drain 4
gallons of first runnings from the cooler (this was a barleywine
recipe). Before I use it again, I'm going to widen the slots. Since
it siphons 7 gallons of plain water from the cooler in about 20
minutes, I am assuming that the slowness is at least partly due to the
slots getting blocked by husks or grain particles. If a few come
through at the beginning, it's easy enough to dump that bit of wort
back into the cooler until the filter bed gets set.
Any other suggestions or comments (preferably based on experience with
a similar setup) would be appreciated. (Jack, I know about your
system, but I want to try to collect over the entire bottom of
the cooler, especially as it is longer than it is deep.)
=Spencer W. Thomas HSITN, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
spencer.thomas@med.umich.edu 313-747-2778
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 08:36:23 -0700
From: mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Subject: re: my chiller formula
Please note that since I posted my stuff about chiller operation, several
people who actually *know* what they're talking about have corrected me.
The main issue I overlooked (duhh) is the ice->water state change takes
a substantial amount of energy. Thus, for a bucket of *water only*
at 33 degrees, my formula is OK. Since most people use a heat sink
composed of ice chunks floating in water, my formula is not generally
accurate.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Mike McNally mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 10:50:52 -0400
From: waflowers@quantum.qnx.com (Bill Flowers)
Subject: Re: Kolsch
Jeff Benjamin <benji@hpfcbug.fc.hp.com> writes:
> My roomate brews a pretty close Kolsch approximation using the Wyeast
> European Ale, which is fairly neutral. Actually, we think one of the
> keys to the Kolsch style is cold-conditioning: doing a tertiary
> fermentation at about 40F for 10-14 days. That helps give it some of
> the "cleanness" of a lager even though the primary and secondary are at
> ale temps (67F in our basement). If you do find a source for Kolsch
> yeast, though, please post it.
Please, share the recipe. I've been wanting to duplicate Kolsch (as
best I could) ever since I tried it years ago when attending a
tradeshow.
Also Chuck Cox <chuck@synchro.com> signs off with:
> In de hemel is geen bier, daarom drinken wij het hier.
Have you never heard of Heaven on Earth? ;-)
(If you don't understand, ask him for the explanation,
it's his signature!)
- --
W.A. (Bill) Flowers email: waflowers@quantum.on.ca
Quantum Software Systems, Ltd. QUICS: bill (613) 591-0934 (data)
(613) 591-0931 (voice) mail: 175 Terrence Matthews
(613) 591-3579 (fax) Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2M 1W8
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 11:20:01 EDT
From: eisen@kopf.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Carl West)
Subject: RE: siphon woes
I too have had the problem with bubbles breaking the siphon. In my case
it was because I was using one of those racking `canes'. At the place
where the soft tubing is shoved onto the hard `cane' there's a great
deal of turbulence in the flow, that's why and where the bubbles come
out of solution and cause the problem. My answer was to get rid of the
`cane' and just use the soft tubing. Cut the pick-up end of the tubing
at a severe angle so that it won't seal against the side of the
carboy.
Carl
WISL,BM.
------------------------------
Date: 19 Aug 92 11:37:02 EST
From: "Ron Fresne" <FRESNE@washpost.wdc.sri.com>
Subject: Re:siphoning
>Chris Goedde writes that CO2 coming out of solution in the siphon
tube is stopping the action.
I never liked the idea of siphoning twice. So, as a primary, I use a
7 gal. plastic bucket with a spigot installed about .5-1" from the
bottom. I place a board or some magazines under the spout during
fermentation so that most of the sediment collects away from the
outlet, and then when the kraeusen falls and I'm ready to rack, I tip
the bucket forward slowly, attach a hose to the spigot, and open the
valve. (Just as a precaution to keep creatures out of the spigot, I
cover it with plastic wrap or a sterile plastic baby bottle liner--I
have lots of these--until racking.) I'm new to homebrewing myself,
but this has worked well for me with my first few batches. If
anyone has comments on this approach, I'd like to hear them.
rrf
______________________________________________________________________
Ronald R. Fresne | Phone: (703) 247-8532
Science Policy Analyst | Fax: (703) 247-8410
Science & Technology Policy Program |
SRI International, Washington, D.C. | Fresne@WASHPOST.WDC.SRI.COM
______________________________________|_______________________________
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 10:37:38 EDT
From: richer@desi.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Al Richer)
Subject: Electric boiler construction
For the edification of the assembled audience, I wish to present
this tale of the assembly of a stainless-steel electric boiler from locally
available materials. This is not a project for the faint of heart,
nor for those with marginal metalworking and electrical skills.
It involves drilling, filing, sawing, silver-soldering, and wiring for
220volts and heavy ampereages. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE IN THESE
SKILLS, PLEASE DON"T TRY IT!
ALso, I accept no responsibility for you if you get burned, stuck,
zapped or otherwise mutilated trying this. You're on your own...
But, as Shakespeare said, the play's the thing. Let us be off...as
if we weren't already...
The container of choice here is a standard 1/4 keg, in stainless steel.
I obtained mine from a scrap dealer with a hole punched in the top, for
$1/pound, as scrap. Scrap dealers around here are touchy on this, but can
usually be persuaded to sell if you're friendly.
Once you have obtained your container, the next task is to remove the
top. My weapon-of-choice for this is a jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade
attached. It makes fairly handy work of the top, better if you periodically
grind off the mount of the blade to expose a new tooth area. After
cutting, flat-file the top of the keg to create a smooth, rounded edge.
This is important, as the top edges after cutting will be very sharp.
WEAR GLOVES WHILE PERFORMING THIS STEP, as it is far too easy to slip
and gash yourself while filing.
Now, we need to add the connector for the element, as well as a drain
port on the bottom. For the drain port, I drilled a hole to take a
length of 3/8" copper tubing. This size is a good fit for a 1/2" drill
bit. I then silver-soldered the copper into the hole, and then soldered
a tubing to male pipe fitting connector onto the copper tubing. This was
then mated to a ball valve. Thus, we can then drain without having to
lug and slosh, as the case may be.
A note on silver soldering: I obtained mine from Sears. it comes in a
blister pack with flux for about $10. It was enough to do this job, and
leave some for repairs. Also, yes, it is food-safe, being 55/45 tin and
silver.
I used an oxy-propane torch rig to do the silver soldering. It took a bit
of patience to get the larger bits hot enough without overheating the
stainless steel, but it worked fine. Straight propane is not hot enough
for the larger fitting (I tried it). Be careful not to overheat the
strainless steel, as it will crack and cause you no end of trouble.
The larger connector(to take a water heater element) is nothing more
than a 1" NPT female to copper pipe adapter. I drilled and filed an opening
in the side of the keg body, just above the rounded bottom. Into this, I
inserted the copper fitting, which I then silver-soldered in place.
A tight fit is good on this, as silver solder does not bridge gaps
terribly well.
At this point, install the heating element and check the boiler for
leaks. I used a 3500 watt low density heating element from Grainger. Any
low-watt-density element compatible with the materials in the keg can
be used. Use the standard ring washer that comes with it, anda little
Teflon tape makes installation a bit easier.
The controls for this are fairly simple. I used a 15 amp, 220 volt electric
stove control I purchased locally from an appliance repair shop as a
"throttle". I found this necessary when the element, connected directly,
threw wort out of the pot with the vigor of the boil...
I installed the control in the lid of a deep, waterproof aluminum box
I purchased locally. The side of the box was drilled for a watertight
grommet for a 12 AWG power cord, and the bottom drilled to take the nut
of the element. The box is held to the keg by the element, and the gasket
goes to the outside of the box, between it and the keg fitting. The element
is wired to the heater control, which is then wired to a cord set for 220 V.
Operation of the device is fairly simple. It controls not unlike a
regular electric stove, but works better as the heat is being directly
dissipated in the wort. Stirring is definitely required, though, as
convection is not enough to prevent hot spots. I have yet to have any problems
with hop bags or anything else, though. They seem to work fine.
I'm going to try rigging this with a thermostatic control for temperature
as time permits, but it works fine for my all-grain boils now.
ajr
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 08:44:38 -0700
From: mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Subject: re: Maisel (Bayreuth)
A chance to correct Darryl Richman can't be passed up! Bayreuth is
east of Munich, not west. It is the home of Maisel as well as the
huge opera house constructed by Ludwig II (I think) for Wagnerian
productions.
(Now watch somebody correct me ... )
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Mike McNally mcnally@wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #952, 08/21/92
*************************************
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