Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
HOMEBREW Digest #1721
This file received at Hops.Stanford.EDU 1995/05/03 PDT
HOMEBREW Digest #1721 Wed 03 May 1995
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Stainless Air Stones?? (Kirk L. Oseid)
SS STOCK POTS: APPOLOGY (Tom Wenck)
Gout (kit.anderson)
Microwave sanitizing/Just Hops Phone # (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Grand Rapids, MI area brewers (Ed Blonski)
calculating O.G. (Gordon.Mckeever)
heating element for RIMS (Eamonn McKernan)
RE: Surface Tension ("Troy Howard" )
Summary of OG Calculations ("Palmer.John")
Drops from the HBD Mailing List (LBRISTOL)
Re: --Non-informative subject line -- (Russell Mast)
Gravity contribution for heavily roasted grains (LBRISTOL)
Re: sparging with boiling water (rdevine)
Test Method for %E ("Palmer.John")
Skunky odor from sunlight (PERSAND)
Brewing with honey (Shaine_Bodnar)
Immersion vs Counterflow/ hop bitterness (dhvanvalkenburg)
Weinhard's Red (Glenn E Matthies)
Identifying hops plants (STEVE GRIMMER)
Lagering temps ("Thomas A. Wideman")
repairing enamel (FLATTER)
Wicked bottles (Mark Worwetz)
Aluminum Brewpots (Rob Emenecker)
Candi Sugar SG contribution (Dion Hollenbeck)
First Oatmeal Stout ("Patrick E. Humphrey 708-937-3295")
Kegging questions (BFRALEY)
"plastic" beer; why kicked off ("Madden Ben")
Oats, Jello, O'Rourke (Russell Mast)
3068 Delayed explosion (Joseph.Fleming)
Competition Countdown / GT tickets (uswlsrap)
******************************************************************
* POLICY NOTE: Due to the incredible volume of bouncing mail,
* I am going to have to start removing addresses from the list
* that cause ongoing problems. In particular, if your mailbox
* is full or your account over quota, and this results in bounced
* mail, your address will be removed from the list after a few days.
*
* If you use a 'vacation' program, please be sure that it only
* sends a automated reply to homebrew-request *once*. If I get
* more than one, then I'll delete your address from the list.
******************************************************************
#################################################################
#
# YET ANOTHER NEW FEDERAL REGULATION: if you are UNSUBSCRIBING from the
# digest, please make sure you send your request to the same service
# provider that you sent your subscription request!!! I am now receiving
# many unsubscribe requests that do not match any address on my mailing
# list, and effective immediately I will be silently deleting such
# requests.
#
#################################################################
Send articles for __publication_only__ to homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com
(Articles are published in the order they are received.)
Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,
to homebrew-request@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com, BUT PLEASE NOTE that if
you subscribed via the BITNET listserver (BEER-L@UA1VM.UA.EDU),
then you MUST unsubscribe the same way!
If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first.
Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored.
For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to lutzen@novell.physics.umr.edu
ARCHIVES:
An archive of previous issues of this digest, as well as other beer
related information can be accessed via anonymous ftp at
ftp.stanford.edu. Use ftp to log in as anonymous and give your full
e-mail address as the password, look under the directory
/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer directory. AFS users can find it under
/afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer. If you do not have
ftp capability you may access the files via e-mail using the ftpmail
service at gatekeeper.dec.com. For information about this service,
send an e-mail message to ftpmail@gatekeeper.dec.com with the word
"help" (without the quotes) in the body of the message.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 95 13:25:44 EDT
From: klo@fluent.com (Kirk L. Oseid)
Subject: Stainless Air Stones??
Brewers:
I visited a fairly large pet store this past weekend and asked
if they had a stainless steel airstone, which I intended to use
as a wort aerator. They had never heard of such a device, and
noted that most saltwater fish enthusiasts use an airstone made
of "limewood," which has a suitable permeability.
Is the stainless steel airstone a figment of someones imagination?
Can anyone quote me a source of such a device?
Thanks,
Kirk L. Oseid klo@fluent.com
Fluent, Inc. tel 603/643-2600
10 Cavendish Court, Lebanon, NH 03766 fax 603/643-3967
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 13:28:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tom Wenck <twenck@clark.net>
Subject: SS STOCK POTS: APPOLOGY
Sorry to have caused a stir with my posting of cheap SS stock pots. The
information proved to be false when a trip to the vendor's outlet
revealed that the pots were aluminum. Now I know why people pay $125
for a converted keg.
Appologies,
Tom Wenck
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 95 10:57:46 -0500
From: kit.anderson@acornbbs.com
Subject: Gout
>rlarsen@squeaky.free.org (Rich Larsen) wrote:
>Someone wrote a a while back that you can't catch gout from over
>indulgence and that it is genetic. I suppose that may be true, but
>as a gout sufferer (I've had one attack and several warnings) I know
>you can agrivate it by over doing red meats and alcohol. These and
>other foods increase the amount of uric acid in the blood stream,
>thus increasing the chance of the crystals forming.
Where this line of thinking came from was that foods rich in purine
(DNA) like red meats, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, and unfiltered wine
were the foods of the wealthy and since only the well to do got gout,
it must be related to diet. Then when it was found that the body uses
purine to make uric acid.... We now know that this line of reasoning
is faulty.
According to "Principles of Internal Medicine" and "Pharmacokinetics",
gout is a function of either the kidneys not clearing uric acid or the
body manufacturing more uric acid than the kidneys can clear. Which
condition determines which therapy. A purine free diet will only
reduce serum urate levels by 1% and a purine rich diet has the same
affect by increasing serum urate by only a few percentage points.
Therefore dietary purine is not a contributor
to gout.
It has also been found that ingestion of lead will lead to gout.
Leaded crystal can leach lead into an alcohol containing fluids.
As a gout sufferer, I initially thought I would have to drink only
filtered beer and retire from judging. I am glad this is not the case.
>BTW If you've never had a gout attack... you don't know pain.
Amen.
Kit "Travels With Chiles" Anderson
Metabolically (purine) challenged, frontier dentist, certfied beer judge.
Bath, Maine
<kit.anderson@acornbbs.com>
*
- ---
* CMPQwk #1.42-R2 * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY
------------------------------
Date: 1 May 95 12:44:00 -0500
From: korz@iepubj.att.com (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Microwave sanitizing/Just Hops Phone #
Rich writes:
>I've posted about this before. I've had nothing but good luck with the
>microwave. I sanitize all my bottles with this method. 1/2 inch water in
>each, 16 bottles at a time on high for 8 minutes.
>
>I also use the microwave to create culture media, yeast starter worts and
>sterile water for rinsing out the sediment of bottles to culture the yeast.
>So far, I've had no problems with anything growing besides the yeast I'm
>trying to culture.
Yes, but note that either whatever you are sanitizing (media, etc.) is a
liquid or, in the case of the bottles, steam is the sanitizing agent. The
orginal question was about the sanitation of a plastic funnel. My gut
feeling was that microwaves may not affect bacteria or they may be simply
so small that a significant number of them might be missed completely by
the beams. I know that when I microwave a large plate of food, sometimes
there are cool spots amidst some very hot spots.
***
Just Hops can be reached at 217-864-4216.
Al.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 1995 13:06:00 -0500
From: s851001@umslvma.umsl.edu (Ed Blonski)
Subject: Grand Rapids, MI area brewers
Greetings fellow brewers!
I'll be moving to White Cloud, Michigan this June (about an hour north of
Grand Rapids).
I need help!
(not in moving :) )
Anybody here live there?
Anybody know of supply stores in the area?
Anybody know of micro-breweries in the Grand Rapids area?
Anybody know if there is a minor league baseball team in the area?
(sorry 'bout the baseball question, but hey! beer and baseball go together!)
e-mail or public is fine!
TIA
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Ed Blonski (s851001@umslvma.umsl.edu) "One likes to believe in the *
*Rush fan (the band and the man!) Freedom of Email!" TNMS *
*Titus 1:5-9 "But I'm young enough to remember*
*Soon to be Alumni of Concordia the future and the way things *
*Seminary, St. Louis, 1995 ought to be!" NP *
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 95 11:15:00 -4109
From: Gordon.Mckeever@jpl.nasa.gov
Subject: calculating O.G.
- --JPLxxxccMailxxxSMTPxxxID5783gc46x
Content-Type: Text/Plain; CharSet=US-ASCII
Content-Description: Text_1
Hello Beer People:
I had a brain fart and dumped my yeast in at >150F (7g M&F and 7g
Ironmaster). I figured that all the yeasties were dead so I stuck the
primary out in the garage, planning on getting an OG later when I
reyeasted. Well, when I woke up in the morning, much to my surprise,
the airlock was bubbling merrily away, so the opportunity for getting
an OG was gone.
I know that some of you wizards can predict an OG from the
ingredients, so if somebody would be willing to give me some rough
numbers, I would be grateful.
I started by steeping 1/2 lb of cracked light crystal in the water as
it came up to boil, then dumped in 6.6 lbs of IREK light Bavarian
extract. I can't imagine that the hops would affect the OG, but if so,
I used 3 oz of Hallertauer. Yeild was about 4.8 gal.
Thanks in advance.
Gordo
- --JPLxxxccMailxxxSMTPxxxID5783gc46x--
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 15:18:09 -0400
From: eamonn@chinook.physics.utoronto.ca (Eamonn McKernan)
Subject: heating element for RIMS
"JOHNMAJ@aol.com" rightly shoots down my suggestion to use a transformer to
step up the voltage from 110 to 220V for inline heating element in a RIMS.
His first point is quite valid: the transformer will draw too much current.
However, his second complaint does not seem justified. He argues that it will
de-activate the enzymes. I disagree. Standard temperature rise times in RIMS
are on the order of 1-2 Degrees per minute. Pumps typically run at 2-3gal
per minute. Total heat capacity of water + grains is usually < that of 5
or 6 gallons of wort (3 gal water + 10 lbs grain @ .4 * heat capacity of
water = heat capacity of 7 gal water. wort has higher heat capacity than water
due to its higher density => higher mass ).
So if the full system is heating at 1-2 Degrees per minute, then
the temperature differential between input and output of the heating chamber
must be 2-4 Degrees because half of the system's thermal mass was heated in
the time period of one minute. People who have actually measured this
difference feel free to comment on this "back-of-the-envelope" calculation.
If one were to go from heating with 1.5KW to 5KW of power, the
temperature differential would be > 3 times larger: 7-13 Degrees. As long as
one never stopped pumping, one would only be heating the circulating fluid
around 10 degrees higher than the target temperature of the rise. And it
would only be at that higher temperature for around one second before it would
end up mixing with colder grains and wort back in the mash tun. This does not
seem likely to cause much de-naturing. After all, it takes 10 minutes to
de-activate enzymes at mash out temperature (170 Degrees). A second or
two seems rather insignificant in comparaison.
Some caveats: One would definitely have to be careful NEVER to stop
pumping as "JOHNMAJ@aol.com" points out!
I would consider a 3 gal/min pump a minimum for this setup.
I assumed good mixing of the rapidly flowing fluid in the heating
chamber. If a laminar flow developed around the heating element, scorching
could be a real problem. But at 3gal/min, I doubt this happens. And one could
simply add some irregular protrusions in the pipe to stir things up as the
flow travels past.
This is purely theoretical. Those who have tried this would be in a
better position to comment.
As for the current drawing problem, Plug the thing into the 220V
socket for you stove/washing machine/ other big appliance. No transformer
required! Compared to adding another heating element, this is still an easier
thing to implement than adding another heating chamber. cheaper too.
Or else, get a transformer to step the 110V to 140 or 150 Volts. Or
Whatever is required. The point is, you already have a heater which can
more than triple its output. So don't add all that extra plumbing, when the
problem seems to be an electrical one.
I encourage further comments, as there may well be aspects I have not
considered.
Eamonn
eamonn@atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 95 11:54:49 PDT
From: "Troy Howard" <troy@oculus.jsei.ucla.edu>
Subject: RE: Surface Tension
In HBD 1719, Dr. John M. Pratte (pratte@gg.csc.peachnet.edu) responded to a
previous post on hydrometer usage by asking:
>What I'm not sure of, though, is
>why you are spinning the hydrometer. To insure that the hydrometer
>will settle to an accurate reading, simply push down very gently
>while the tube is plumb and wait for it to come to rest. By spinning
>the hydrometer, you are creating a dynamic situation in the beer that
>is not good for making your reading (Bernoulli effect, Ekman layers,
>etc. and, yes, I know that they would be small effects, but you
>should always take your measurements under the same condition.).
I believe that you may have misunderstood what the original poster is doing. He
is not taking a hydrometer reading *while* the hydrometer is spinning. His
technique (which seems to be fairly ubiquitous) is to spin the hydrometer, wait
until it stops, _then_ take a reading. The purpose of spinning the hydrometer
is to dislodge gas bubbles that stick to the side and underside of the
hydrometer. This is very important to do since the gas bubbles will increase
the buoyancy of the hydrometer, leading to incorrect readings.
To respond to the original poster: I have encountered the same problem, and
what I do is simply poke the hydrometer stem with the nail-side of my finger if
it gets to close to the wall.
Cheers,
-Troy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Troy Howard | Live fast, die young, and leave a good
troy@oculus.jsei.ucla.edu | looking corpse.
Jules Stein Eye Institue, UCLA |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: 1 May 1995 12:58:37 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer@ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: Summary of OG Calculations
Hi Group,
First let me thank everyone for their responses, this is the HBD at its finest!
Background:
I was bemused over the apparent discrepancy between published %Extractions
(Fine Ground) numbers from the Malting Houses, the amount of fermentables I
understood the Dark grains to contain, and the math that was used to explain
it.
I.E. I was clueless about OG calculations and didnt know it.
The Summary:
1.Malt Specification Sheets list Weight % Extraction for Finely Ground As-Is
malt. (As-Is meaning with nominal moisture content) This is done in the lab
using a special standardized test that results in the Maximum dissolution of
available solutes in the Malt. On a weight percent basis, this works out to
between 60-80%, depending on the malt type.
2. Homebrewers, including microbrewers, use conditions that are closer in
practice to the Coarse Ground As-Is. But CG numbers are not as common on the
spec. sheets; at least the ones I was looking at.
3. The baseline that this system of malt-extraction-yield works from is that 1
pound of sucrose per gallon will raise the OG by 46.31 pts. Therefore, the %E
that is given on spec. sheets is multiplied by 46.31 to obtain the maximum
points/pound/gallon (ppg) obtained from that malt. However, in the case of
Roasted Malts et al., not all of the extraction is fermentable. The ppg for the
malt may be 25, but perhaps only 1 ppg is fermentable, the other 24
contributing to the body and mouthfeel. This explains higher finishing gravitys
for Stouts.
4. Because the amounts of specialty grains used are small, especially in the
case of roasted grains, the contribution to the OG is small, about 2-3 pts.
This small contribution minimized the error in my calculations.
5. Because the %E number (Fine Ground, As-Is) for 2 Row Malt is about 80%, the
max ppg # for this malt is 46.31 x .8 = 37 ppg. Most homebrewers do well to get
32 ppg from their mash conditions and lauter systems. This works out to 86%
Efficiency for their mash system. Brewing Programs such as SUDS may either
provide an Efficiency variable field or may incorporate one in the
calculations, I dont know. The numbers I was working with already had that
Eff.% applied to them, as well as being just plain offbase when it came to the
Roasted Malts.
So there you have it: From Fine Ground As-Is %E, to 46.31 conversion to PPG, to
85-90% efficiency of the individual mash system, to the 30 PPG ballpark that we
as homebrewers strive for when talking lautering and sparging.
NOW I get it.
Comments to the contrary won't necessarily surprise me...
John J. Palmer - Metallurgist for MDA-SSD M&P
johnj@primenet.com Huntington Beach, California
Palmer House Brewery and Smithy - www.primenet.com/~johnj/
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 95 14:38:46 CDT
From: LBRISTOL@SYSUBMC.BMC.COM
Subject: Drops from the HBD Mailing List
> I have posted a few messages asking questions or making minor
> comments about a few topics and I have not been dropped from the list
> (yet). I may go the next quarter without a single post and according
> to your formula, I will be dropped.
> What do others think?
I find that the secret ingredient that improves ALL postings to the HBD is
coriander. I put it right into the primary, along with any other significant
ideas. (None of which can be found in THIS paragraph.) (Then again, that is
not so unusual at times...)
I used to wait and add it to the secondary, but I found that it just did not
have the same impact. However, dry-coriandering can be extremely effective
if it is first boiled vigorously (using a propane cooker inside a plastic
bag) for the purpose of denaturing any active ingredients. The best coriander
can be picked growing right alongside the Venturi highway, just south of the
Bernoulli junction.
Of course, it has to be finely ground first. I recommend using a genuine
JJ Koch combination mill and yeast gene splicer; even though JJ is my brother
and I own 50% of the stock in the company, let me assure you that I have no
commercial interests at all.
While sarcasm tablets might be a great ingredient for the HBD, I would not
put any in my beer. After all, I follow the Rhineheitsgebot even though I can
neither spell nor pronounce it. This, of course, means that I use only the
pure ingredients of water, hops, barely, irony, and yeast.
As always, I apologize for any recent threads which I have inadvertantly
failed to parody.
- --------------------------------------------------------
| Larry Bristol | DON'T PANIC! |
| SYSUBMC.BMC.COM | A true Hitchhiker always knows |
| (713)918-7802 | where his towel is. |
- --------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 15:53:38 -0500
From: Russell Mast <rmast@fnbc.com>
Subject: Re: --Non-informative subject line --
> Send articles for publication to homebrew@hpfcmi.fc.hp.com.
Once again, sorry for all the bandwidth wasting, but after a week
off, I'm wrestling with this damned 'bot to try and get one stupid
little joke through. First I'm bounced for a non-informative subject
line, and now I'm sending to the wrong address.
Breaking glass carboys sucks. It sucks worse when they're full of beer.
After almost 3 1/2 years without so much as a nick, Jake and I have
broken two in as many weeks. Arg.
> > > > > Date: Thu, 20 Apr 95 08:46:38 CST
> > > > > From: "David Sapsis" <dbsapsis@nature.Berkeley.EDU>
> > > > > Subject: dark grains again/beer talk
> > > > >
> > > > > I can't believe it! Jim Larson beat me to it! ...
> > > > > My question Jim: is it copywrited?
> > > >
> > > > Actually, it is, but Jim Kock owns the copyright. Rumor is,
> > > > Coors has a column that's funnier anyway.
> > > >
> > > > -R
> >
>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 95 15:42:23 CDT
From: LBRISTOL@SYSUBMC.BMC.COM
Subject: Gravity contribution for heavily roasted grains
> Those spec. sheets quoted the % Percent extract for various malts as ranging
> from 60-75% by weight. Roast Barley being 65%. This was confusing as I would
> not expect this kind of unmalted "charcoal" to contribute any fermentables
> that would raise the OG.
It's really pretty easy. Specific gravity is nothing more than the weight of
a liquid compared to an equal volume of pure water at a given temperature.
All too often, this is used as a measure of the amount of fermentables, but
this is simply not the case. If you dissolve common table salt into water,
you raise its specific gravity, but it clearly is not more fermentable as a
result.
So it should not be a surprise that heavily roasted grains (charcoal) raise
the OG. Coincidentally, they probably raise the FG as well!
Which brings me to a curiosity question I have pondered greatly, but never
come to a satisfactory conclusion. Is there a relationship between the FINAL
gravity of a brew to its thickness, mouth feel, or any of those other words
used to describe this sort of thing?
- --------------------------------------------------------
| Larry Bristol | DON'T PANIC! |
| SYSUBMC.BMC.COM | A true Hitchhiker always knows |
| (713)918-7802 | where his towel is. |
- --------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 95 11:41:16 TZ
From: rdevine@microsoft.com
Subject: Re: sparging with boiling water
bgros@mindseye.berkeley.edu (Bryan L. Gros) writes:
> I bring my sparge water to a boil and then drain it
> into the pre-warmed cooler and seal it. I figure the water in the
> cooler is probably 200F tops
> I hate to say it, but I think this is similar to what Jack was
> advocating a while back and it works well for me. I got
> 30.5 pts/lb/gal with this batch, a little above avg.
It is a bad idea to use water at boiling or near-boiling
temperature to sparge because you are likely to be
bursting some starch granules. That will lead to a hazy
beer as the unconverted starches other carbohydrates
get washed out.
So yes, you will get a point or two higher extraction rate
but not necessarily a better beer.
Bob Devine
------------------------------
Date: 1 May 1995 15:11:28 U
From: "Palmer.John" <palmer@ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Subject: Test Method for %E
Hi Group,
Here is some more info on the Finely Ground As-Is basis % Extraction test:
I called the lab at Great Western Malting here in LA. The man I spoke with
didnt have much to say because they only make 2 row and 6 row base malts there,
no specialty malts. But he did give me the outline of the test they do for
determining the % extraction for the different basis'.
Per ASPC methods:
1. Grind 50g of malt.
2. Add 200ml of water and heat to 45C for 30 minutes.
3. Add 100ml of water and heat to 70C over a span of 24 minutes.
4. Hold at 70C for 60 minutes and then cool to 20C (didnt ask).
5. Add more water to bring total wt. (malt and water) to 450 grams.
6. Filter (didnt ask) and measure density of liquid (some machine).
As you can see, this is a pretty long conversion time and a lot of water for
that small amount of malt. No wonder they get such a high number.
FYI: Great Western Malting is owned by Canada Malting Inc which also owns Hugh
Baird of the UK.
John Palmer palmer@ssdgwy.mdc.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 20:14:12 -0400
From: PERSAND@aol.com
Subject: Skunky odor from sunlight
After reading the threads on sunlight effect on clear bottles I have a
question.
If I am very careful in brewing, bottling and storage will my beer develop a
skunky odor or taste in 5 minutes or so if I pour it in a crystal clear mug
and take it outside to drink? I'd really not like to have to guzzle a great
lager or even an ale in 10 minutes to avoid a skunky taste and I really don't
want to live in my basement to enjoy a brew.
Also, while sanitation is extremely important I think some people are getting
rather paranoid as to its effects on a homebrew. I've been brewing for about
4 years (both extract and all-grain) and I have found that a reasonable amount
of care will produce a great brew. Some people just seem to think that you
need sterile, laboratory conditions are necessary. Ever been to a Micro or
Mega brewery?- not exactly the same environment that you would find in a
micro-biology lab!
This is not criticism just- Let's just have fun!
Paul from Morris, IL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 1995 17:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Shaine_Bodnar@NOTES.YMP.GOV
Subject: Brewing with honey
Hello All,
I enjoy sharing my homebrew with my fellow colleagues. One batch I
recently shared was a Honey lager. I was an excellent lager, one that I
would recommend to anyone.
While explaining, to one of my colleagues, how this particular batch of
beer was made, I told her that I used 2.5 lbs. of filtered,
non-pasteurized honey. From what I could get from the discussion we had,
she said that cooking with honey is harmful. She has been an avid
believer in Ayurveda, which is an Indian (from India, not Native America)
Nutritional belief. From what she said it seems as though the chemical
structure of the honey is broken down and what results is considered
toxic to the human body. However, I find this extremely hard to believe
because many things are made with Honey, including most breads, cookies,
and even adding honey to hot tea.
Now my question: Has anyone else heard of this, and if so what is the
scientific evidence for such a belief, or is my colleague a few fries
short of a Happy Meal?
Just curious,
Shaine R. Bodnar
Shaine_Bodnar@Notes.YMP.GOV
P.S. You may email me at my private address
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 95 16:19:35 PST
From: dhvanvalkenburg@CCGATE.HAC.COM
Subject: Immersion vs Counterflow/ hop bitterness
>Bob Chizmadia writes:
>Anybody ever notice a difference in bitterness after switching from
>immersion to counterflow, or counterflow to immersion.
Yes! I have noticed a difference between immersion and counterflow,
but it was more in the finish or the nose. I think a quick cool down
with a counterflow right after a hop back would be the best
situation. I have yet to build myself a hop back, However, but I do
believe that if it takes more than 10 minutes to cool down your wort,
you start loosing the subtle finish hops.
I have gone to cooling down my wort in my kegs (I ferment in 5 gal
pin lock kegs). This accomplishes two things: First I sterilize my
fermenter because the wort 212 F when it goes into the keg. Second
the keg serves as my wort chiller; I simply put it in a larger bucket
with cool water running around it.
To do the above it actually takes longer to cool down my wort than it
did with a good counterflow, however I have gotten excellent finish
hops by putting a hop bag in the keg before I start the cool down
period. I take it out just prior to pitching the yeast.
Cheers
Don Van Valkenburg
dhvanvalkenburg@ccgate.hac.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 22:12:53 -0400
From: au075@freenet.Buffalo.EDU (Glenn E Matthies)
Subject: Weinhard's Red
Here in Upstate NY we have been bombarded recently with radio
ads for a beer called "Weinhard's (sp?) Red. I know Weinhards is
out of Portland, OR and according to the lable they are also
making beer in LaCrosse, WS and somewhere else in the East.
My question: Is this stuff any good or is this just a red wolf
clone? I am reluctant to purchace it due to its recent radio
hype. Anyone that has tried this beer or knows more about this
please email me or post directly. TIA
(Please don't kill my subscription Nice Mr. Robot!)
- --
Glenn Matthies
au075@freenet.buffalo.edu
Lockport, NY
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 1995 23:30:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: STEVE GRIMMER <S18312SG@umassd.edu>
Subject: Identifying hops plants
Dear Brewmasters,
The flower garden in the yard behind the house I just rented has a
hops plant coming up. (Joy!) Bob, the upstairs tenant, says the
previous tenants were avid brewers and planted it a few years back but
fell behind on rent and had to leave in a bit of a hurry. That
explains the carboy and bottles in the basement. (Double Bonus)
Anyroad, is there any way to get a clue as to the strain I've
got growing? My current strategy is to simply brew a small batch and
try them out as the aroma and see what happens. All suggestions
appreciated.
TIA
Steve Grimmer
Ceramics Grad
Umass/Dartmouth
------------------------------
Date: 02 May 95 08:29:32 EDT
From: "Thomas A. Wideman" <75710.1511@compuserve.com>
Subject: Lagering temps
Greetings, All...
After many ale batches, I am ready to have a go at lagering. I have a question,
though -- does anyone have info on preferred temps for some of the Wyeast lager
yeasts? Basically, I am looking for some kind of temperature schedule for
primary and secondary fermentation. If there is an FAQ on the subject of
lagering, please point me to it -- I am unaware of one.
The "Good Times" virus is dead -- long live "Good Times"!!! (Arrrgh.)
Cheers,
Tom Wideman <75710.1511@compuserve.com>
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 08:18:23 -0640
From: FLATTER%MHS@mhs.rose-hulman.edu
Subject: repairing enamel
Will Self writes:
They sell an acrylic "glaze" which you paint on your object and let it
dry and then *bake* it in the oven at 350 degrees F (177 C). The
saleslady showed me a sample. It looked and felt really hard and
durable. Since it went through 350 degrees, I reason that it ought to
hold up to boiling temperatures.
I haven't done this experiment, but I am quite optimistic that this will
work. I would urge someone else to try this and post the results.
++++++++++++++
Appliance shops also sell this stuff for repairing stove tops, et al.
While the spot I repainted isn't a perfect match, it wouldn't be noticed
by the casual observer. The best part is the bottle was only a few
dollars.
- --------------
Neil Flatter Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Chemistry - Math (CMA) Department of Chemistry Stockroom Manager
Novell Supervisor 5500 Wabash Avenue 73
(812) 877 - 8316 Terre Haute, IN 47803-3999
FAX: 877 - 3198 Flatter@Rose-Hulman.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 08:39:35 -0600 (MDT)
From: Mark_Worwetz@Novell.COM (Mark Worwetz)
Subject: Wicked bottles
Howdy from Zion!
I don't know how I got on his mailing list, but I have just received
an advertisement from the Pete's Wicked beer folks that contained an
offer that is hard to refuse. A letter accompanying a mini-catalog
explained that they were being inundated by nasty-grams from
homebrewers who were upset by Pete's decision to use twist-off bottles
instead of the pry-off type. As an appeasement to homebrewers, Pete's
will be selling cases of 12 22oz. bottles for $3.50 plus shipping for
as long as there is a demand.
If any folks are interested in the ordering specifics, phone number,
address, catalog number, etc, e-mail me direct. If requests are numerous
I will once again 'waste' this bandwidth ;^)
Mark Worwetz
Mark_Worwetz@Novell.COM
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 May 95 10:40:57 PDT
From: Rob Emenecker <robe@cadmus.com>
Subject: Aluminum Brewpots
In HBD #1716 Dave Bradley mentions an article in Jan/Feb Brewing Techniques
and using Aluminum stockpots for brewing. I have looked are several aluminum
stock pots (aluminum vs. SS) and without a doubt the aluminum pots are always
significantly cheaper than SS. So what is wrong with using aluminum pots. I
can think of several things that I could spend the savings on (hhmmmmm....
maybe a kegging system). What are the opinions of the collective intelligence
on this issue?!?!?!
P.S. This is important... my birthday is coming up and my wife needs ideas ;)
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
: "There are only two things in life that oooooo :
: we can ever be certain of... _oooooooo :
: ...taxes and beer!" /_| oooooo :
: Cheers, // | ooo :
: Rob Emenecker \\_| oo | :
: remenecker@cadmus.com (Rob Emenecker) \_| o| :
: Cadmus Journal Services, Inc. |______| :
: Linthicum, Maryland 21090 :
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 May 95 07:49:06 PDT
From: hollen@megatek.com (Dion Hollenbeck)
Subject: Candi Sugar SG contribution
Can anyone tell me what the contribution to SG is per pound of candi
sugar?
thanks,
dion
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 10:41:00 -0600 (CST)
From: "Patrick E. Humphrey 708-937-3295" <HUMPHREY.PATRICK@igate.abbott.com>
Subject: First Oatmeal Stout
Well, last night I made my first oatmeal stout with extract and
specialties. This is the first stout I have made of any kind so I didn't
know what to expect. I have a question about using the specialties.
First, the ingredients:
6# unhopped dark malt extract
1# unhopped dry malt
8 oz chocolate malt
6 oz roasted barley
4 oz black patent malt
8 oz rolled oats
1 tbs CaCO3
2 oz Northern Brewer - 8.2 AAU
2 oz Fuggles - 4.2 AAU
Irish Moss - 30 min
Liquid Irish Ale yeast
I cracked the grains using my food processor in short bursts (worked
great!). Transferred them to a mesh strainer and shook to remove dust. I
did this outside so as not to contaminate the kitcken. These were then
placed with the oats (unground) into a grain bag. I preheated a 10 qt.
(12-pack) cooler with boiling water, added the grain bag and 175 deg.
water. Water cooled to the target of 160 deg. and steeped for 15 minutes.
Things were working beautifully. I boiled the water and added the extract,
CaCO3 and the steep liquor. This is where I have the question.
In previous extract/grain batches I have steeped grains, then washed them
in some of the unboiled water until the water ran "clear." I started to do
this with the black/chocolate malts but obviously with the black grains it
wouldn't have run clear. Eventually, the water I was using started to
become the consistancy of thin syrup. If I continued to wash them I would
have been there for days until the liquid began to thin and probably would
have ended up with 10 gallons of wort.
What is the general thinking about steeping these grains? Should I have
continued to wash them? When someone makes an All-grain stout do they
sparge until the liquor is thin?
The directions for this kit (which I loosely follow) stated that I should
steep the grains for 15 minutes and strain them into the boiling water. I
am wondering if I have left much of the "body" of this beer in
the grain bag. Target 0G was 1.050-1.055.
To top the evening off, I went to use hydrometer and the damn thing had
been broken so I couldn't take a reading. AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Any replies are appreciated.
Thanks,
Pat
humphreyp@abbott.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 10:53:24 -0500 (CDT)
From: BFRALEY@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
Subject: Kegging questions
After months of preparing for my Phd exams (I passed, whoohoo) I am
finally getting back into brewing. My immediate plans are to purchase
or scrounge a kegging system, so I was wondering if people could send
me any hints or suggestions for putting together a system.
Private e-mail is fine, I don't want to clog up the digest.
I appreciate the help.
Brad Raley
University of Oklahoma "Beer-Nature's Perfect Food!"
BFRALEY@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
------------------------------
Date: 2 May 1995 11:52:09 -0500
From: "Madden Ben" <madden.ben@mail.ndhm.gtegsc.com>
Subject: "plastic" beer; why kicked off
Unknown Microsoft mail form. Approximate representation follows.
To: hbd
From: Madden Ben on Tue, May 2, 1995 11:52 AM
Subject: "plastic" beer; why kicked off
I have brewed a number of batches of extract beer that had a "plastic" taste.
I learned that cleaning my equipment with bleach can cause this to happen.
Having switched to iodophor, the problem went away. Luckily, the plastic
taste/aroma in my previous batches went away with time, after which the beer
tasted fine.
A question: why were some people (like me) cut off from receiving the HBD?
Ben Madden
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 11:17:27 -0500
From: Russell Mast <rmast@fnbc.com>
Subject: Oats, Jello, O'Rourke
It seems all of my posts here lately are about Gelatin and Oats.
I've used reg'lar Quaker oats and oats from the bulk foods
section of health food stores with similar results. It seemed to
me that using "Oat Flakes" from bulk, wich cost slightly more than
"Oatmeal" gave me less hassle with sparging and less head-trauma.
Still, in experimental terms, we're talking an "n" of 2, so take it
with a grain of salt. I've been told that even "Instant Oatmeal"
will work, but haven't tried it.
I did an experiment with boiling vs. not boiling gelatin. The
results are inconclusive and the methodology is too boring for me
to go into detail right now. Basically, I now believe that boiling
gelatin does NOT harm its utility in terms of clearing haze. As
for use in slants, I have no clue whatsoever. I'm only talking about
using them as finings.
I don't like reading ads, but I think there is a reasonable place for
getting the word out. I didn't notice the ad in question, but a word
or two in a .sig file really doesn't bug me. Like I said, I don't know
what the ad was, I've been skimming lately. I think that, as long as
any financial interest in a product or service is known up front, we have
the intelligence to
On a similar note, I *do* dislike seeing political comments on this forum.
I have a particular disdain for derogatory comments aimed at a group of
people who are probably reading it. I'm willing to let it go as either
an accident or an honest mistake, but I don't want it around here anymore.
Before anyone starts whining about free speech, let me raise an analogy.
I dislike musical plays. I have a lot of really good reasons for
disliking musicals. In fact, I feel morally superior to people who
do like musicals. I am willing, in private e-mail or in an apporpriate
forum, to expound at great length on musicals and what's wrong with
them, and what's wrong with you for not disliking them. But, NOT HERE.
In fact, this is the LAST TIME I will mention musicals on a beer-related
forum. (Barring the highly unlikely event that a musical about homebrewing
ever comes out.) The reason I won't mention "The M-word" here anymore is
NOT because I'm being oppressed for my opinion, it's because this is NOT
THE PLACE FOR IT.
Please, no more quotes from political figures, unless they deal with brewing.
Thanks for your time, and a special thanks to Tony Alamo for the caps lock.
-R
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 May 95 09:49:27 EST
From: Joseph.Fleming@gsa.gov
Subject: 3068 Delayed explosion
Jim Dipalma writes:
On the morning of day 4, both carboys suddenly looked liked Mt. St.
Helens. The headspace was completely filled with foam, there was thick,
gooey looking, foamy mess spewing from both airlocks.
I brewed up a 5 gal extract weizen last Saturday as well (summer's
a'commin) and experienced the same effect. The 3068 was 6 weeks old and
pitched w/ a quart starter. I thought the mild activity of the starter
and the low gravity of the beer warranted an airlock - boy was I mistaken!
I'm glad to see that when I apply the term "infectious" to this beer in a
couple weeks it'll only mean that you can't stop at just one.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 13:37:08 EDT
From: uswlsrap@ibmmail.com
Subject: Competition Countdown / GT tickets
*** Resending note of 05/02/95 10:04
*** Resending note of 05/02/95 09:25
Two announcements from the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild:
Tickets for the Ninth Annual Great Taste of the Midwest, a festival of
craft beers and craft brewers, went on sale Monday, May 1. There are
still tickets remaining :-) for the August 12 event (1-6pm), but you
need to act quickly. The event has had sellout crowds for three
consecutive years, and tickets sold out by the end of June last year.
Tickets are $15 and may be purchased by mail, check payable to MHTG:
MHTG / Great Taste, P.O. Box 1365, Madison, WI 53701. SASE appreciated.
You may charge by phone, for $16 per ticket: 608.938.1985 A portion of
the proceeds is donated to Community Radio WORT/89.9FM. The admission
price includes a commemorative glass and unlimited sampling all
afternoon. We are moving to a larger location (Olin-Turville Park--
not Olin _Terrace_--on Lake Monona, across from the Dane County
Colisseum) this year to accommodate more brewers and more patrons,
but are limiting the size of the event to assure a relaxed, uncrowded
atmosphere in which patrons will not have to endure long lineups
and will have the opportunity to talk to the brewers about their beers.
We expect about 50 breweries & brewpubs this year, and at least
150 different beers.
Once the 2,500 tickets are gone, they're gone. You've been advised ;-)
Coming up even sooner than the Great Taste is the Ninth Annual
BIG and H U G E (HWBTA Recognised Homebrew Competition) Entries are
due this Saturday, May 6, for the May 13 event, at Angelic Brewing
Company in Madison.
As noted in a previous post, the competition is for beers of modestly
high (1.050 minimum) to Huge and Mammoth gravity. Entry fee for
non-MHTG members is only $4.50/entry ($4/entry if >=5 entries).
Email to uswlsrap@ibmmail.com for details, rules, and forms
if you or your club has not received a packet.
We have a HUGE array of prizes for the winners. In the interest of
remaining non-commercial, I won't mention any sponsors' names (email for
details), but the BOS winner will receive a 50 pound sack of two-row
delivered directly from the malting company. If BOS is brewed by an
extract brewer, we will substitute extracts plus one of the other prizes,
and the grain will go to the highest ranking all-grain beer. Besides
grain and extracts (MALT), we have prizes in the other important
ingredient categories. HOPS: flowers and pellets from two different
sponsors. YEAST: culturing kits. (Sorry, you have to provide your own
WATER :-) ) We'll also have prizes that will help you measure the
temperature of your fermenting wort and that will help you measure the
colour of the finished beer. Also, subscriptions to two publications:
one that will help you improve your brewing techniques,and another to
educate you about beer.
JUDGES!!! Madison is an easy drive from Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa,
and elsewhere. Come join us for a hugely enjoyable competition and
the chance to sample some of the many beers available in the
Beer Capital of the Midwest. Email to confirm your interest.
Now go have a beer,
Bob Paolino / Disoriented in Badgerspace
uswlsrap@ibmmail.com
THIS SPACE UNDER RENOVATION
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #1721, 05/03/95
*************************************
-------
