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HOMEBREW Digest #1424
This file received at Sierra.Stanford.EDU 94/05/16 00:45:49
HOMEBREW Digest #1424 Mon 16 May 1994
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
DIY hop bags? (David Draper)
Homebrewing smells (BILL FUHRMANN)
Yeast nutrient ( LARRY KELLY)
Belgian Brewery tours/ transporting yeast (Troy Downing)
Brewery Artwork Revisited (npyle)
GCHC (Carlo Fusco)
brewing experiments (Ron Hart)
Micro/Pub Stops heading toward NH (TJWILLIA)
RE:PUMPS (greg.demkowicz)
Rumor: Big wreck on Info Superhighway (Nancy.Renner)
Brewing with wormwood (Chuck E. Mryglot)
Yes, I was wrong, but kegging questions remain... (Dan Wood)
Brew Quebequois (Haber Justin )
Spruce beer - Not! (berkun)
Bad news, allergy to hops (W. Mark Witherspoon)
Copper drain manifolds in mashtun/lautertun ("JAMES W. KEESLER")
Low-T_ferments/FlakedMaize/VirtualPub/CrystalBalls? (David Draper)
Phil's Lauter Tun ( LARRY KELLY)
UGGGGH! ZIMA IS NOW IN CANZ!!!! (Bob Ambrose)
Strange White Stuff ("Andrew C. Winner")
Steel Cut Oats: It's the right thing to do (Brett Charbeneau)
wheat malt/silcone/oats (Nick Zentena)
Mead-o-Matic (Conan-the-Librarian)
Ban On Advertising (Conan-the-Librarian)
Combustion Air Requirements (Venter)
For Real? (Jack Schmidling)
Help with Brewers Digest ( LARRY KELLY)
london hombrew shops (Craig Pepin)
Homebrew Digest #1423 (Ma (Jim King)
Pumps and filters (Jim King)
oxidisation (Andy Walsh)
quarter bock and others (Andy Walsh)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 18:23:51 +1000 (EST)
From: David Draper <ddraper@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au>
Subject: DIY hop bags?
Whud id iz: I am, as we speak, brewing an extract IPA. Here in the land
of Oz, the brewstores charge about A$1.50 per hop bag, ridiculously
overpriced. So I've been buying bulk cheesecloth and just tying up
specialty grains for steeping and hops for boiling additions and
dry-hopping. Well, the only cheesecloth the local fabric store had when I
restocked yesterday was a closer weave than the typical hop-bag grade. So
when I tried to tie up a bag, I found that it was just too thick to be
able to tie the thing off securely. It then struck me to construct a much
smaller pouch and simply staple my way around its edges. Checked the
stapler--not enough staples. So I ended up using a fairly small square of
cheesecloth and folding it in various ways (parents with their kids at
diaper age probably could have sorted this out in a jiffy) till I found a
geometry that kept everything inside with a minimum of staples (about 10
per pouch). When I was done, I looked at it and lo and behold it was a
large-scale version of a Lipton Flow-Thru (tm?) teabag! Anyways, these
things are boiling in the other room, and I am wondering if there is any
reason to think that the metal staples will be a problem in boiling, and
more importantly, dry-hopping. There's been a lot of metallurgy in the
digest recently, so I thought it would be a good time to ask. I like this
idea because 1) it's dead simple to make, 2) it minimizes the amount of
cheesecloth I have to use per batch, 3) they are easy to handle, and 4)
there is a lot of contact between hops and wort despite them being bagged.
I am pretty sure the staples are steel, and lots of brew equipment is also
steel...but stainless, no? I doubt very much that staples are stainless.
Any comments on this are very welcome. (I tried at first to describe how I
folded these pouches, but it was hopelessly unintelligible, so I'm leaving it
out.)
Thanks, Dave in Sydney
- --
******************************************************************************
David S. Draper School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University
ddraper@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au NSW 2109 Sydney, Australia
Fax: +61-2-805-8428 Voice: +61-2-805-8347
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 May 1994 23:42:00 GMT
From: BILL.FUHRMANN@tstation.mn.org (BILL FUHRMANN)
Subject: Homebrewing smells
H|After several years, my nextdoor neighboor has decided that brewing beer
H|in my kitchen produces noxious odors in the hallway between our units. It's
H|always been my understanding that brewing is a form of cooking food, which
H|can not be legislated or restriced if done in one's home.
Would you complain if he started making a concoction that required boiling
a mixture of cabbage, lutefisk, and limburger? A hazard of living in a
compact community is that you have to take some care to not
unnecessarily annoy the neighbors. As a known homebrewer, what ever you
do reflects on the others.
H|However, I believe he's trying to use his current position as vice-president
H|of our condominium association to get it to impose restrictions or prevent
What is his motivation? Power trip? Dislike for beer? Dislike of the
smell?
Have you tried to reduce the smell in the hallway? Maybe an exhaust fan
with MORE POWER or a room fan in the window so that air flows from the
hall into your unit while you are brewing.
If you have done those things, you may have to enlist the aid of other
neighbors to testify to the Board of Directors that this is not a
particular problem.
* QMPro 1.0 41-6621 * */ \* <- Jedi tribbles
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 10:40:31 EDT
From: KMYH09A@prodigy.com ( LARRY KELLY)
Subject: Yeast nutrient
Does anyone see any harm to adding yeast nutrient to their brew during
primary fermentation?
I've been adding it to my last few batches, and have noticed a lower FG
compared to the same brew without the nutrient.
Just wondering if anyone else has anything to say, good or bad.
Larry kmyh09a@prodigy.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 10:54:23 EDT
From: downing@GRAPHICS.CS.NYU.EDU (Troy Downing)
Subject: Belgian Brewery tours/ transporting yeast
I'm planning a trip to Europe next week and would like to hear suggestions
on some breweries to visit. I plan on spending time in Belgium, Germany,
and possibly Austria. I am particularly interested in touring a few
Belgian Breweries. So any pointers would be appreciated.
On another note, I'm hoping to collect some yeast samples from those
breweries that might accomodate. Does anyone know of restrictions
regarding transporting yeast back to the US? I know there are certain
restrictions about bringing live animals and certain fruits/vegs. etc.
Just want to know if I might get in trouble trying to return with
yeast.
feel free to reply to me directly as I'm not sure who else might be
interested in this...
Thanks,
-Troy
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Troy Downing, Research Scientist (212) 998-5753 (voice) |
| New York University (212) 998-3384 (alt) |
| Media Research Lab (212) 995-4122 (FAX) |
| 715 Broadway, Rm 1214 |
| New York, NY 10003 downing@cs.nyu.edu |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 9:03:44 MDT
From: npyle@n33.ecae.stortek.com
Subject: Brewery Artwork Revisited
My brewery artwork has generated a lot of questions, but most of them have
centered around the sight tube in the keg/hot water tank. It is made of a
length of translucent plastic tubing, which I believe is polyethylene, but it
might be polystyrene (I don't know my plastics). It is pretty stiff but
flexible enough to straighten out and mount, and it has a slick, almost soapy
feel to it. I mounted it against an aluminum backing plate with markings
which correspond to half-gallon increments. It is held on with 3 u-bolts.
The top of the tube is open but it has a loose cap on it to keep garage crud
out. This tubing is 1/2" ID, which fits very snugly on 1/2" copper pipe
(copper pipe is measured in OD).
There is a drawback to having the sight tube on the same nipple as the output
valve. When the valve is open the pressure drop causes the level in the
sight tube to drop and it is impossible to tell how much water has been
drained from the tank. I have to close the valve to check the level; this is
a minor nuisance. The solution is to put the sight tube on another nipple
maybe opposite from the output valve. This of course, requires another hole
in the keg; I may or may not do this in the future.
To measure the temperature in the keg, I draw off some of the water into a
glass; this is not very accurate at all. In the near future, I plan to mount
a thermometer on the front of the keg with a pipe fitting (another hole in
the keg). This will improve the accuracy, but without stirring the water
while the temperature is being measured, I don't see how it can be perfect.
For mash water, I get in the ballpark and make adjustments. These will go
away as I gain experience with this setup. For sparge water, I think
anything between 160 and 175F is good enough; which is easily done.
Cheers,
Norm = npyle@n33.stortek.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 11:06:00 -0400
From: carlo.fusco@canrem.com (Carlo Fusco)
Subject: GCHC
**************************************************************************
The Canadian Amateur Brewers Association presents:
The Tenth annual Great Canadian Homebrew Conference
**************************************************************************
Where: The Royal Canadian Legion, Long Branch, Branch No. 101,
3850 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Etobicoke
When: Friday June 3rd & Saturday June 4th, 1994
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Great Canadian Homebrew
Conference, CABA along with membership input, will be showcasing the theme
of "The Stylish Brewer". This year's theme will be evident throughout the
entire weekend as international beer styles are discussed and sampled.
Gourmet cuisine and vast amounts of brewing information will highlight the
occasion.
The event will feature presentations by Canada's three foremost beer
writers: Stephen Beaumont, Ian Bowering, and Jamie MacKinnon.
On Friday, the BJCP exam will be offered in the afternoon. The evening
will be highlighted with an opportunity for everyone to sample 6 beer
styles brewed by award winning CABA members. These beers will be
pre-judged and each brewer of the individual styles will make a short
presentation followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask any
questions.
On Saturday, there will be presentations made by informed speakers on Beer
styles that span the spectrum from Britain to Belgium.
At noon an amazing lunch will be presented by Chef Matthew Flett. To
accompany this meal John Maxwell will select and present various brews
that will accentuate the complex culinary flavours and give new meaning to
the term "gourmet."
The awards dinner will feature a presentation by author Ian Bowering. Ian
will speak about the history of styles in Canada from Ales to Lagers to
Prohibition.
The results of the Great Canadian Homebrew competition will also be
announced. Awards will be presented for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for each
represented style, along with the prizes for Best of Show honours.
To cap off this fantastic weekend of great beer and company, Matthew Flett
will again tantalize our palates with a wonderful dinner.
****************************************************************
For more information write or phone CABA at:
CABA
19 Cheshire Dr.
Islington, Ontario
M9B 2N7
Phone/Fax: 416-237-9130
Compuserve: 71601,3357
InterNet: carlo.fusco@canrem.com
ligas@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca
Fidonet: Carlo Fusco at 1:229/15
- ---
* Freddie 1.2.5 * email: carlo.fusco@canrem.com Sharon,Ontario,Canada
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 14:27:37 -0500
From: Hart@actin.rutgers.edu (Ron Hart)
Subject: brewing experiments
I'm going to be teaching a "Brewing for Biologists" course at Rutgers
University in the fall, and I'm looking for ideas for experiments/projects.
The point of the class will be to demonstrate the biochemistry,
microbiology and botany of brewing. Naturally, we'll study yeast
culturing, malting and mashing, fermentation biochemistry and hops
horticulture, but I'm particularly interested in the idea of designing
little tests of many of the basic concepts behind brewing.
For example, we can scale down a mash in a beaker, control temperature with
a water bath, and take samples at various times to measure sugars and
proteins released from the grain. Doing this at various temperatures and
comparing infusion vs. step mashing (for example) would demonstrate the
efficiencies of mashing, and the qualities of the extraction.
Another idea is to make extracts of hops and other bittering herbs to
compare bacteriostatic action. We'd soak bits of paper in the extract, and
drop them on a petri dish of some commonly contaminating bacteria (any
suggestions?). If the extract was bacteriostatic, we'll see a region
around the paper bit where no bacteria grows.
This is pretty much all I've thought of, but I'm sure there are some better
ideas. Please send suggestions to me by private e-mail.
***If I use your idea, I'll send you a free copy of the lab manual.***
Thanks!!
Ron Hart Rutgers University Newark NJ
hart@actin.rutgers.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 15:01:56 EDT
From: <TJWILLIA%OCC.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Micro/Pub Stops heading toward NH
Greetings:
Can anyone here provide a list, or individual choice micros/pubs to seek out
on my trip to New Hampshire? I'm leaving Michigan, heading towards Ontario,
Canada, dropping back into New York state, and finishing up in Durham, NH.
I may also take a side trip to the Boston area. Sounds like a thirsty travel.
Any info would be appreciated. E-mail welcome. Thanks.
Tom Williams
Internet: tjwillia%bitnet@pucc.princeton.edu
Bitnet: tjwillia@occ.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 14:14:55 -0400 [EDT]
From: greg.demkowicz@circellar.com
Subject: RE:PUMPS
One of the best types of food grade pumps is of the Peristaltic varitey. These
are also called "tubing pumps" Some handle fluid temperatures up to 300 deg F.
The best part about them is, only the tubing comes incontact with the fluid!
Nothing else! I have used a 15 gal/hour Barnant pump Mod. # 900-0857. Works
great for RIMS, Conterflow, and Sparging operations. Available from lab supply
houses or from Barnant in Barrington, Illinois. They used to sell for about
$100.00 You can also find other manufactures listed in the Thomas Register
books, or surplus houses.
Greg
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 15:42:12 EDT
From: Nancy.Renner@um.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Rumor: Big wreck on Info Superhighway
>From *Jeff* Renner using my wife's account.
Rumor - Big wreck on the Information Super highway. That's the way I hear
it. The HBD is late and it's due to a smash-up on that long hill just out
of Tulsa. Some jerk who probably can't even program a VCR was ***DWI*** in
a Commodore 64 doing about 300 baud, all over the road, when a mainframe
hauling a ton of FTP's out of Stanford lost his disk brakes and creamed him.
It was ugly. Electrons all over the place. They say there was nothing
left bigger than a byte for the next of kin to identify. The backup reached
all the way to Amarillo.
This is why we need Sen. Patrick Leahy's SB #040194 banning DWI on the
information superhighway. Write your congressman! E-mail Clinton!
Jeff
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 15:49:00 EDT
From: cem@ri.cadre.com (Chuck E. Mryglot)
Subject: Brewing with wormwood
Brewers,
Has anyone ever heard of brewing with wormwood (instead of hops).
A friend has a few bushes and was interested.
Thanks in advance....
chuck
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 15:04:27 CDT
From: wood@ranger.rtsg.mot.com (Dan Wood)
Subject: Yes, I was wrong, but kegging questions remain...
Thanks to the thousands who shall remain nameless, for clearing
up the question about dark weiss and Reinheitsgebot. I'm a lucky
guy, never lacking for people to prove me wrong. :^]
However, the replies to the kegging questions have been slow. Thanks
to Dan Hall for his pressure gauge design, and to Kevin Cavanaugh for
info on forced carbonation. However, the following questions remain:
Is it recommended to also replace the middle-sized O-rings on the [outside
of] keg poppets? If so, will standard parts from the hardware store work?
What are the tradeoffs between natural (priming) and forced carbonation?
Should the dip tube be shortened for natural carbonation? I'd rather not,
dumping the first glass seems like a better choice.
Sanitation. Do you need to sanitize the CO2 supply lines or fittings?
Does the CO2 kill the microbeasts? What about the liquid out side?
I can force sanitizer through the output side, but I'm at a loss about the
supply side.
I don't have a fridge for keg storage (yet). My basement has a crawlspace
at one end that stays at about 65 F, usually lower, until late summer. Is
this cold enough for forced carbonation? I thought about icing the keg in
a 7 gallon bucket for serving, then putting it back in the crawlspace
during idle periods. Will this temperature cycling hurt the beer?
[New: can I do this with natural carbonation and scrape by without a
second fridge?]
Sparkling water. My setup plus the Carbonator caps have been a great hit
for homemade, all natural, juice flavored sparkling water. My bride is
impressed, and abuse over buying more HB equipment has been minimal. A
tip for anyone out there trying to justify the cost. FYI, my basic
setup was only $125, with a full CO2 cylinder, but without kegs and the
extra (threaded ball-lock) fitting. Email if you'd like details on making
sparkling water, kinda off the subject for the HBD.
[New: I'm away from email next week, so you won't get responses from me
until the 23rd].
Finally, long ago someone posted about having both 20 LB and 5 LB cylinders,
and filling the 5 from the 20. Sounds pretty cool, and reduces the risk
of being outa gas if the smaller system developed a leak. Dealing with
800 PSI of CO2 to charge the 5 from the 20 sounds pretty scary though.
Any thoughts/tips/warnings?
Sorry to use BW in reposting, if just one or two people will answer these
I promise to behave hereafter.
Dan Wood, president, chairman, bottle washer, FVHAA. wood@cig.mot.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 16:08:37 -0400
From: Haber Justin <Justin.Haber@gtegsc3.sprint.com>
Subject: Brew Quebequois
Brew Mavens of the Great White North:
I will be travelling to Thetford Mines, PQ at the end of May, and would be
interested in any local/provintial/Canadian brews and brewbubs that should not
missed. Other non-brew related advice on the locallity would also be welcomed,
TIA,
Justin Haber
justin.haber@gtegsc3.sprint.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 14:36:47 PDT
From: berkun@decwet.enet.dec.com
Subject: Spruce beer - Not!
In reply to Pete Figura, to whom I could not send direct
email, and who asks about making spruce beer:
STOP STOP STOP
I hope I caught you in time. I made a spruce beer last
summer and can save you a lot of effort by simply
mailing you the last 40 or so bottles of this stuff from
my basement.
I think, actually, it could be made pretty well, but
with much much less spruce. I used 2 OZ (about 4 fluid
oz.) of spruce tips. this is way way too much, unless
you like drinking pinesol. try 1 oz. or less.
have fun!
ken b.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 18:26:38 +0500
From: mwithers@hannibal.atl.ge.com (W. Mark Witherspoon)
Subject: Bad news, allergy to hops
Bad news... I am allergic to hops. But I do not want to give up
brewing. I had briefly read here in the Digest that there were
in the past (before hops) other compounds used to bitter beer.
Can anyone post/e-mail what they were. I have access to hundreds
of herbs so that is not a problem.
Mark Witherspoon
mwithers@hannibal.atl.ge.com
------------------------------
Date: 14 May 94 00:31:17 EDT
From: "JAMES W. KEESLER" <74021.376@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Copper drain manifolds in mashtun/lautertun
Recently there has been some interesting correspondance on the use of a
copper manifold in the mashtun/lautertun (read: water cooler/ice
chest). This is something I would like to know more about, but I
cannot find any reference in the literature available to me. Even the
Zymurgy "Brewers and Their Gadgets" had nothing on this. I would
appreciate any info I can get on this. E-mail OK, as well as any
postings. Thanks.
Regards,
Jim Keesler
Compuserve 74021,376
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 21:57:45 +1000 (EST)
From: David Draper <ddraper@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au>
Subject: Low-T_ferments/FlakedMaize/VirtualPub/CrystalBalls?
Whud id iz: In the yeast.faq, there is included for most yeasts an optimum
fermentation temperature. There have been lots of posts in the digest
about what happens when certain yeasts are fermented above their optimum
range. My question is, what can I expect in my ales that are brewing
*below* the optimum temp? You all are entering spring/summer, down here
it's cooling off--my brewroom is 58-60F and my place is unheated (like
lots of apartments here--yup it's a warm climate all right!).
Specifically, at the moment I've got an IPA (the one with staples from my
last post) fermenting with Wyeast 1056 at the above temp. It's just
blurping away merrily--a very fast start too, I had a P-gradient in my
airlock within 2 hours of pitching.
Flaked maize: in today's digest, Bob Jones and Al mention flaked maize,
and both indicate it must be mashed; Al stated that starch haze would
result otherwise. I'm puzzled by this because I have used a few ounces of
flaked maize in several extract bitters for pressure barrel and bottle
that came out great--no haze at all, brilliantly clear. The maize was
just steeped along with the other specialty grains. The maize definitely
did something, it was clear from the flavor when compared to the same
recipes done without it. What am I missing? Did I just get lucky?
Re the Virtual Pub: how does one get on to this WWW thingy? I'd like to
check it out, but I couldn't hack my way in from my Unix account. Tips by
email would be great.
Finally, is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that on occasion, there
will be a post in the digest, and then several posts later *in the same
digest*, there will be a reply, complete with a quote from the original
article! Do some of you all have crystal balls? (Can't wait to hear the
responses to *that*...)
Cheers, Dave in Sydney
- --
******************************************************************************
David S. Draper School of Earth Sciences, Macquarie University
ddraper@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au NSW 2109 Sydney, Australia
Fax: +61-2-805-8428 Voice: +61-2-805-8347
I want my....I want my....I want my H. B. D.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 10:47:02 EDT
From: KMYH09A@prodigy.com ( LARRY KELLY)
Subject: Phil's Lauter Tun
Can anyone please give me some PRO's & CON's to "Phil's Lauter Tun"
And what is Phil's Phalse Bottom? Is it just a bottom for a cooler type
mashing system?
larry
kmyh09a@prodigy.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 12:21:49 -0400
From: ambroser@apollo.dml.georgetown.edu (Bob Ambrose)
Subject: UGGGGH! ZIMA IS NOW IN CANZ!!!!
Yes! It is now in cans. "MALT BEVERAGE WITH NATURAL FLAVORS" is the name.
On the side of the can they have their familar tacky saying:
Zomething different. Zo different you expect it to look and taste like
zomething else. But juzt right when no other taste is quite. Which is
exactly what Zima is, juzt right. But different.
====================
Yez, it iz different, and it tazte like zomething elze, but I can't zay it
on the HBD. "But juzt right when no other tazte is quite" - Yeah, like
maybe when I'm dying of thurzt, then maybe I'll have another one.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 16:22:08 -0400
From: "Andrew C. Winner" <acwinner@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: Strange White Stuff
Back with more questions from a relatively new
homebrewer with a few brews under his belt. Some
might remember me as the man who couldn't siphon
straight. Thanks for all of the siphoning advice.
It has worked well. My next question concerns my
current brew. It is your basic bitter/pale ale.
Currently, it is in a secondary fermenter (glasss),
and it is quite quiet (been there for close to
two weeks). I just inspected it have found (horrors)
small round specks of white stuff floating on top (but
not on the glass or clinging to the sides). I am
hoping that it is not mold (trying not to worry).
Is it possible that it is the gypsum that I tried
to use in the brew? It looks very much like that
teaspoon of stuff that didn't dissolve very well
in the brewpot. Is the only hope to bottle and
hope for the best? Thanks in advance. Private
email is ok.
Cheers,
Drew
(acwinner@wam.umd.edu)
------------------------------
Date: 14 May 94 17:26:35
From: bwchar@mail.wm.edu (Brett Charbeneau)
Subject: Steel Cut Oats: It's the right thing to do
I recently found steel cut oats in a re-enacting catlog called
'Smoke and Fire'. A one-pound bag costs $2.00 and you can order it
by calling 1-800-SMOKE/FIre.
I have no connection with this company - I'm not even a satisfied
customer....
Brett Charbeneau
Beer Geek Wannabe in Williamsburg, Virginia
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 May 94 17:26:48 EDT
From: zen@hophead.north.net (Nick Zentena)
Subject: wheat malt/silcone/oats
>From: EDGELL@uwmfe.neep.wisc.edu
>Subject: A few Questions
>
>A few questions for the HBD sages....
>
>1) Everyone knows that Wheat lacks the enzymes to convert itself. Does it also
>lack the means to undergo a protein rest by itself? Does it need Malted Barley
>for that step also?
Who knows?-) If you mean wheat malt it will convert itself. I
won't vouch for how easy the sparge would be in a 100% wheat
mash. I think the main problem with wheat malt is the lack of
husk material.
>2) I have a chest cooler that I wish to use for mashing. I plan on shoving a
>copper tube into the drain hole (3/8") to be attached to an easymasher type
>thingie. What should I use to seal the pipe in the drain hole?
Food grade silicone will do the trick.
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer@ssdgwy.mdc.com>
>OATS! I want to use oats, but where do you people who use them, get them?
>Nobody has owned up to using Quaker, somebody used Irish Steel Cut (probably
>obtained from a small Turkish deli), but my brew shop does not carry any. What
>should I use if I am going to add them to the mash?
I use normal "quickie" oats. They ain't Quaker but I doubt that
outside of the packaging there is much difference. If you must
have steel cut oats I've seen them listed on the price list for
a bakery suppiler so maybe find someplace that handles that sort
of stuff locally. IMHO alot of this stuff is available from
normal shops cheaper then any homebrew shop.
Nick
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I drink Beer I don't collect cute bottles!
zen@hophead.north.net
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 06:51:12 -0700
From: pascal@netcom.com (Conan-the-Librarian)
Subject: Mead-o-Matic
I've been brewing a lot of meads lately ... smaller batches, sweeter and
stronger, more variety, less work, more fun overall. Most of the women
I know like beer, but they _love_ mead ... it is the champagne of homebrew.
Got me to thinking about ways to automate it.
For instance, I've noticed that if I stir the protomead ( water and honey )
steadily, the foam on the top collects in the center, where it is easily
skimmed off ( correcting a little for rotational acceleration as one pushes
the clot of foam away from dead center ).
( I believe the foam is made up mostly of wax, and is actually lighter than
anything else in the pot, which is why it floats and collects at the dead
center of whirlpools. )
I can't help but think that an old coffee maker, with a rotating magnetic
stirring stone inside it, and some sort of tube in the center that slowly
slurps up the foam as it collects, could automate a great deal of the work
that goes into making mead.
Add a timer that controls temperature changes, a thermostat to keep the
honey and water and fruit from getting too warm, maybe even an automatic
subsystem that circulates cold water through the jacket to cool the mead,
and then adds the yeast, a la a bread machine.
Anyone else working on such an idea ?
- -- richard
Help ! I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body !!
richard childers san francisco, california pascal@netcom.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 07:00:50 -0700
From: pascal@netcom.com (Conan-the-Librarian)
Subject: Ban On Advertising
>
> Date: 12 May 94 13:04:24 EDT
> From: Charlie Papazian/Boulder <72210.2754@CompuServe.COM>
> Subject: BEER DINNER IN CHICAGO
>
> < shameless blurb omitted in interests of good taste >
>
> . . . .
>
> IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING US Tickets are $35 per person. Call 312
> 427-7800 and ask about the beer dinner. I'm looking forward to it. Hope
> to see some of you beer folks out there
>
> Charlie Papazian
> CIS 72210,2754
>
Hey, Charlie.
No advertising on the Home Brew Digest.
This applies to Mark Garetz ... Jack Schmidling ... and Charlie Papazian.
If you're having trouble selling your tickets and you get a piece of the
action ... well, then, shell out some money and _buy_ your advertising.
I mean, think about it. How many of us are going to fly to !@#$ing Chicago
to spend $35 to eat dinner with Charlie Papazian ? I'm 2000 miles away.
This has been an unpaid public service announcement.
- -- richard
Help ! I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body !!
richard childers san francisco, california pascal@netcom.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 94 11:46:27 EDT
From: Venter@aol.com
Subject: Combustion Air Requirements
At my day job, I routinely work developing improvements to the national Codes
regarding gas installations. At the risk of destroying my career, let me try
to comment on the discussion on how much air to provide to a large LP burner
indoors.
First of all, the subject appliances are meant to be used outdoors. They are
not designed, tested, or "listed" for use inside. Therefore, the only
professional advice I can give is DON'T DO IT!
In a recent HBD, there was mention of 50 cu.ft. per 1000 BTU as a criteria.
This is actually a definition of an "unconfined space". This is an old rule
of thumb which basically presumes that a room larger than that (relative to a
given input rate) is so large that natural infiltration will take care of the
need to replenish air for combustion.
And, that assumes you are in an older building. Modern buildings have greatly
reduced infiltration rates. The additional problem here is that it is also
assuming the appliance is listed for indoor installation. Such a listing
means that the appliance produces carbon monoxide below a certain threshold.
Lacking any hard data, I would guess that these large camp cookers produce
much higher CO concentrations.
The National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA54 - 1988) provides that, in an unconfined
space, you should provide two openings to the out of doors each having an
area equal to 1 sq. in. per 4000 BTU. The openings should be should be within
12" of the top and bottom of the enclosure.
Please keep your camp cookers outside. You're all great brewers but, you'd
make lousy statistics...
Bob Borgeson; Program Manager - Residential Systems; American Gas Association
Laboratories
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 94 11:34 CDT
From: arf@mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: For Real?
Someone posted a question to the group about the availibility of Glatt grain
mill and the silence adds to the intrigue. Not hearing any response, I will
offer what I have observed and ask again if Glatt is to be taken seriously.
I have yet to talk to a dealer who has them in stock or even knows when he or
she will have them. As I talk to dealers every day, from coast to coast,
this would lead one to believe that they do not exist. The closest I came
was one guy on the West coast who claimed he has orders for 12 of them but
has no idea when he will receive them. Why someone would take orders for
things he can't get and leave his customers hanging is beyond me but when he
said the MM is a piece of junk, I concluded that anyone with that kind of
attitude might do just about anything.
I have written for literature several times, over several months, under a
pseudoname and received none. It was introduced at the last AHA show and a
few people on the net reported buying them and the same few people always
resopond to questions about it but beyond that is a vacuum.
js
------------------------------
From: ulick@ulix.cheg.nd.edu
id m0q2mzb-0006PCC; Sun, 15 May 94 15:40 EST
Message-Id: <m0q2mzb-0006PCC@ulix>
Date: Sun, 15 May 94 15:40 EST
From: ulick@ulix.cheg.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford)
To: homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
Subject: Sucking siphons
Someone called pubtools@ihpubj.att.com
made a very sweeping and totally unsubstantiated statement about giving
a wort a wild yeast, specifically lactobaccillus, by starting a siphon
with the mouth. Good for a laugh, but the worst example of bad unsubstantiaed
claims that appear in this medium.
Now this 'expert' who seems to work for that great biotechnology company,
AT&T, is surely aware that lactobaccilus is a BACTERIUM, not a yeast.
Assuming yeast, baterium, virus, paramecium, it's all the same (AT&T, Sprint,
MCI), the claim of infection is quite serious, and as a decicated siphon
sucker, one that I have never experienced. Therefore, I am quite
intested in proper authoritive sources for this information. Are any
forthcoming? The claim was only slightly less hilarious than the author's
link of it as the reason why David Miller thought Weihenstephan #338
spicy enough for a weizen. If you ever drink the wheat at the St. Louis
brewery, you would realise that Mr. Miller, who never claimed to be a weizen
fan anyway, has a bland taste in wheat beers and for him 338 is probably
phenolic enough.
It can be amusing, though, how much emphasis beginners place on the most
ridiculously contorted ways to start siphons, without having a clue about
real sanitation questions. One friend of mine wnet to great length's to
fill a siphon with preboiled water, but shortly afterward put his hand in
to retrieve something from the wort ... RDWHAHB
__________________________________________________________________________
'Heineken!?! ... F#$% that s@&* ... | Ulick Stafford, Dept of Chem. Eng.
Pabst Blue Ribbon!' | Notre Dame IN 46556
| ulick@darwin.cc.nd.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 20:54:57 EDT
From: KMYH09A@prodigy.com ( LARRY KELLY)
Subject: Help with Brewers Digest
Can someone tell me how to get back issues of Brewers Digest?
I have FTP access, just can't figure the dam thing out.
Larry
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 22:13:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Craig Pepin <ckp@acpub.duke.edu>
Subject: london hombrew shops
elm
I've been off the HBD for a while, but I have need of some HBD wisdom.
I'm traveling to London in two weeks, and would like to check out some
homebrew supply stores while I'm there. Can anybody give me the
address of any particularly well-stocked stores there? Any other
information, such as brewing related sights, brewery tours or important
pubs would also be appreciated.
Please respond via *private* email (to avoid wasting precious HBD space) to
ckp@raphael.acpub.duke.edu
Thanks in advance,
Craig Pepin
P.S., I'll be in Germany for 2 1/2 months, but I can find my way around there.
I'll be studying for the BJCP exam (and learning a little German on the side)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 94 15:40:00 -0800
From: jim.king@kandy.com (Jim King)
Subject: Homebrew Digest #1423 (Ma
Larry Kelly asks:
H>Does anyone out there have any plans on how to make an Immersion Wort
H>Chiller?? If so, please email me or post it the next HBD issue.
It's actually quite easy. All you do is buy a whole bunch of copper
tubing (about 30'?), bend it into a spiral that will fit in your pot
with both ends going out over the pot edge. Then you attach some sort
of tubing to that, one end of which should have an input connector of
some sort (I used a common garden hose connector.) All these parts are
available at any hardware store.
I've changed over to a counterflow, so If you are in the Anaheim, CA
area at all, I'd be happy to sell you my old immersion one.
Jim King
jim.king@kandy.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 May 94 16:43:00 -0800
From: jim.king@kandy.com (Jim King)
Subject: Pumps and filters
I've become very dissatisfied with the pump and filter that I
currently have, and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions.
My current filter is an under-sink style water filter, so I end up
losing a large amount of beer because of what's left in the tank after
the filter process. What I'd like to find is an in-line filter without
a tank, which I can hook to my 3/8" tubing.
My current pump is a penguin 550 PowerHead aquarium pump. The problem
I have with it is just a paddle wheel (making it easy to sanitize, but
also making it need priming.) I'd like to find a pump that actually
creates some sort of suction, so that it will work starting from a dry
hose.
If anyone has seen pumps and filters that meet those needs, I would
appreciate it if you would either post here, or Email me your
suggestions.
Jim King
jim.king@kandy.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 May 94 14:49:14 EDT
From: hpfcla.fc.hp.com!micromed!micromed (Andy Walsh)
Subject: oxidisation
There really does seem to be a lot of paranoia out there on
oxidisation.
Recently I made a Tripel with Wyeyeast German Ale (the Belgian yeast I
find too phenolic) which started at 1080. I fermented in a plastic bucket and
was dismayed to find fermentation stop at 1028 (too sweet). I followed the
surprising advice of a commercial brewer who said they sometimes bubble air
through their high gravity beers that "stick" to get them going again. So,
using my trusty aquarium aerator (perfect for initial aeration too by the
way), I bubbled some air through for 15 minutes (at 10 deg. celcius) left for
one more week at about 15 deg. celcius (the German yeast is quite happy at
this temperature) and, hey presto, the gravity crawled down to 1020. The beer
spent the next 4 months in a plastic bucket in the fridge at about 10 deg.
celcius before bottling with fresh yeast.
According to popular thought, the beer would be terribly oxidised
(just leaving it in plastic for a week oxidises it according to some!), but I
thought it tasted pretty good so entered it in a local competition, which it
won. None of the judges had any comments concerning oxidisation. A friend has
left beer in the secondary for six months with no oxidisation evident after a
further six months in the bottle (another strong Belgian ale).
So my advice? Relax!!
Footnote: I have had a couple of problems with hot-side oxidisation recently.
This only took the form of darkening the beer a little. I could not detect any
off-flavors nor further in-bottle oxidisation as proposed by George Fix et al.
___________________________________________
Andy Walsh ,-_|\
Micromedical Industries Ltd. / \
Sydney. AUSTRALIA. \_,.-._/
voice 61 2 3695711 v
* Agony is blissful *
___________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 May 94 12:57:57 EDT
From: hpfcla.fc.hp.com!micromed!micromed (Andy Walsh)
Subject: quarter bock and others
I know a brewer who works at one of the major Australian
breweries. His boss used to be a brewer at Coors. Apparently all the
major (re. commercial) Australian (and American?) beers are brewed
with lager yeasts at high temperatures (18degrees celcius) and
gravities (1080??) for commercial reasons (ie. it's cheaper as you
ferment a greater volume of beer in a faster time), then diluted
with water at bottling. This produces pretty bad beer as fusel
alcohols etc. are produced in the fermentation process. We have
blind tastings in our homebrew club and Aussie beers are
unmistakeable with a pretty disgusting nose.
American commercial beers tend to be lighter in body than
Australian beers. Apparently the technique of "cold filtration" was
first developed at Coors (according to my friend), which involves
partially freezing the fermented beer, then filtering it to remove
ice crystals to which some of the undesirable byproducts from the
less than optimum fermentation adhere. ie. you remove flavour
compounds (good and bad). This could help explain the light body
associated with American beer.
Australian breweries are now experimenting with similar
techniques and producing beers with similar character. They are very
popular commercially.
Much of the above is conjecture on my part so look forward
to any replies from those with greater knowledge of the commercial
process. I think the fermentation process depicted above is not
widely known.
I have travelled quite a lot in the USA, hate the commercial
styles, but have really enjoyed the microbrewed and speciality
styles: I only wish we had such variety over here!
___________________________________________
Andy Walsh ,-_|\
Micromedical Industries Ltd. / \
Sydney. AUSTRALIA. \_,.-._/
voice 61 2 3695711 v
* Agony is blissful *
___________________________________________
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1424, 05/16/94
*************************************
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