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HOMEBREW Digest #2770
HOMEBREW Digest #2770 Fri 17 July 1998
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of
Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
URL: http://www.oeonline.com
Contents:
When is a pint a pint? (Doug Moyer)
fridge -- to stuff or not to stuff ("Jay Spies")
Balanced dispensing (Mark Swenson)
Re: Bleach, Iodine, or other? (Spencer W Thomas)
RE:Coopers Extracts ("Marc Battreall")
Fermenting Carboys ("Buchanan, Robert")
Arcadia Brewing's Whitsun ("David Blaine")
RE: Rusty Gauges ("Marc Battreall")
a better starter method? (Jeremy Bergsman)
13 oz pints (Jeremy Bergsman)
Tempeture of Corny Keg. (Badger Roullett)
measures // pumpkin (Scott Murman)
sanitizers; scaling specialty grains; welcomes (Samuel Mize)
Dual line shanks (Greg Moore - BOS Hardware Engineering)
Starter method (Al Korzonas)
"Brew Your Own" cover gusher (Samuel Mize)
Old fridge (LaBorde, Ronald)
musty basements ("Tidmarsh Major")
Crystal Malt Questions ("Mort O'Sullivan")
Phosphoric acid in Wit/Blanche ("Riedel, Dave")
fridge controllers, coffee beer ("Bryan L. Gros")
Fearful oxidation question (Amber/Bruce Carpenter)
The Ned (Ides of July) Kelly Report ("Rob Moline")
Have you entered a MCAB qualifier yet?
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:22:57 -0400
From: Doug Moyer <Douglas.Moyer@geics.ge.com>
Subject: When is a pint a pint?
Scott Murman comments:
> One thing I really hope will catch on here in the States, is every
> glass over there has a line to mark the volume you are buying, ...
> Here in America, people are paying
> a premium for "pints" that are actually only 13 oz. (steal a pint
> glass from your local pub and try it for yourself). I don't know how
> we can get this practice started, but I wouldn't be adverse to even
> seeing a law enacted.
I don't go to bars quite as often as I once did, and we don't have any
brewpubs in the area, but I've noticed that the local watering holes
rarely refer to any real volumetric measures when specifying serving
sizes. Usually it is, "Would you like a small or a large flavorless
megabrew?"
Regardless of what they call the serving size, you will still pay that
premium. Most of them attribute it to "ambiance". While it may be nice
to know what you are getting for your money, especially if the bar
offers more than one size, it will probably not keep anyone from buying
the beer.
Certainly it would be unethical to call it a "pint" when, in fact, it is
not. But, a law may be a bit much.
Just my oh-so-humble opinion.
Doug Moyer
Salem, VA
Star City Brewers Guild: http://hbd.org/starcity/
Pictures of my baby: http://www.rev.net/~kmoyer/
(Note: when I was on Koje island in South Korea a few years back, the
stores sold beer in one liter bottles, and soda in 0.25 liter cans.
Perhaps a difference in objectives?)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:39:47 +0000
From: "Jay Spies" <spiesjl@mda.state.md.us>
Subject: fridge -- to stuff or not to stuff
All -
I have the opportunity to acquire what looks to be a late 60's
vintage refrigerator with the one door / integral freezer compartment
thingy. The thermostat is broken, so it either freezes the food or
thaws it -- no problemo, I'll just pick up an external temp controller.
My question surrounds a statement that my dad made. He told me that
the refrigerator would work best and most efficiently if it was
nearly empty. Now, I plan to have at *least* a few kegs/carboys in
there at all times, but I feel that the best thermal efficiency would
be if the fridge was packed as full as I could get it with full beer
bottles and other miscellany. Sure, it would work overtime for a
while getting everything down to temp, but would having the fridge
totally stuffed pay off in the long run, or would it be detrimental if I
wanted to drop from the low 50's to, say, near freezing for lagering
or chilling a keg for CP bottling? Perhaps Forrest Fridge Guy
Duddles can jump in here . . .
TIA
Jay Spies
Wishful Thinking Basement Brewery
Baltimore, MD
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:17:43 -0400
From: Mark Swenson <swenson@aoml.noaa.gov>
Subject: Balanced dispensing
<fontfamily><param>Palatino</param>Greetings to the collective.
I have problems dispensing beer using my Cornelius keg system. I force
carbonate, which seems to work fine. For my first few batches I would
bleed off most of the pressure before dispensing and then proceed to
pour a pint that I was very happy with. When I was done for the
evening, I'd repressurize. No problems there, but all of the beers
were ales and I like fairly low carbonation levels.
Now I have made a German Weiss beer and would like to produce a glass
of sparkling beer. I have read that 3.5 volumes of CO2 is appropriate
for the style and I am keeping the beer at about 50F, so this requires
about 30 psi to carbonate. No amount of fiddle would allow me to
dispense with the 3' length of 1/4" ID tubing I was using, so I went to
the archives and learned about balancing the system. I have dutifully
bought 2 x 10' of 3/16" ID tubing to experiment with.
Rather than experiment on the Weiss, which my wife loves (even with
most of the gas removed during the dispense) and which I don't really
plan to brew very often, I began to experiment on an ale that I cannot
find room for in my refrigerator. It is at 80F (the temp inside my
*air conditioned* home here in Miami) so 26 psi are required to
carbonate to 2.0 volumes of CO2. I carbonated it, let it sit a few
days and checked with a pressure gauge to find it at 23 psi. Not bad.
I hooked up 20' of 3/16" ID tubing (2 10' lengths spliced with a
male/male barbed connector), attach the CO2 at 25 psi and let her rip.
It's like a fire hose! Nothing but foam. Turn off the gas and the
result is the same. Why am I not getting the resistance from the hose
(which is beverage hose obtained from homebrew shops)?
All advice gratefully accepted.
</fontfamily>Mark Swenson
Key Biscayne, FL
Miami Area Society of Homebrewers
********************************************
Mark Swenson, NOAA/AOML,
4301 Rickenbacker Cswy., Miami, FL 33149.
Phone: (305) 361-4363 FAX: x4412
Internet: swenson@aoml.noaa.gov
********************************************
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:20:25 -0400
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Bleach, Iodine, or other?
Bleach
1) is effective
2) is cheap
3) can leave really nasty flavors in your beer
4) can make white spots on your favorite jeans
5) will oxidize some metals, including stainless steel
If you use a low-enough concentration of bleach, and if you drain and
let drip-dry your equipment sufficiently before using it, then bleach
is good stuff. I've switched to Star-San for carboys, racking canes,
and the like because of factors 3-5. Star-San costs more, but has a
short (1 minute) effective contact time (low bleach concentrations
require up to 30 minutes), and requires NO rinsing, and is harmless to
stainless steel (e.g., kegs).
I still use bleach for soaking carboys after cleaning and before
storage, and for other miscellaneous pieces of equipment.
=Spencer
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:26:12 -0400
From: "Marc Battreall" <batman@terranova.net>
Subject: RE:Coopers Extracts
Allen asks in HBD2767;
>Does anyone know exactly what the recipe for the malt extract in
>Cooper's Real Ale Malt Kit is?
>One of my early (and very successful, at least with me) extract brews
>was an "ESB" using the liquid malt extract in Cooper's Real Ale Malt
>Kit, along with some DME, Crystal malt, additional hops and Wyeast
>1968 (Special London ESB). Turned out great, a rich and complex brew,
>at least to my uneducated palate.
Allen,
I did alot of research back in my early days of extract brewing to find out
the "numbers" on alot of different extracts and it just so happens that
Cooper's was one of the ones I found data on. I don't have their website
address anymore but a search on one of the bigger brewing web pages should
get it for you. I left them an e-mail an they were nice enough to send me
specification sheets on all their products. I don't have a scanner or anyway
to get you an actual copy but here are a few numbers to get you going until
you can contact them yourself. I presume that the product you are talking
about more generically called Coopers Ale Homebrew Extract. The word "Real"
was not listed in any of my documentation. Here you go: (quoted directly)
Description: This homebrew extract is produced by mashing coarsely ground
malted barley with water at a temperature not to exceed 75C, then straining
and boiling the resulting liquid with a specific[quantity of Pride of
Ringwood hops. The resulting liquid is then clarified by centrifugation and
then evaporated until it is the consistency of thick honey. A portion of
crystal malted barley is added as part of the mash to produce a homebrew
with a reddish-amber color.
Process Units Value
Parameters
Solids (Plato) 80.5
Bitterness (BU) 550
Color (EBC) 240
pH Value (10% soln) 5.3
Reducing Sugars (% as is) >62.0
Glucose (% dry wt) 9.0
Fructose (% dry wt) 1.5
Maltose (% dry wt) 45.0
Sucrose (% dry wt) 2.0
Maltotriose (% dry wt) 12.5
What do all these numbers mean? Got me! But the times that I remember using
their extracts the results were always favorable. The color and bitterness
units are British so you'll have to convert them. I have their address and
phone numbers if it's that important to you so e-mail me back and I will
forward them to you direct. Be advised, they are located in South Australia
so it would have to be pretty damn important to you to warrant a phone call.
Hope this answers your questions.
See Ya,
Marc
=======================
Captain Marc Battreall
Backcountry Brewhouse
Islamorada, Florida
batman@terranova.net
captainbrew@hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 11:09:17 -0400
From: "Buchanan, Robert" <RBuchanan@ChristianaCare.org>
Subject: Fermenting Carboys
James Tomlinson posts in HBD #2768 about fermenting carboys.
I always thought carboys were manufactured at a glassblower ??
If I take the broken pieces of Tom Kramer's carboy and place them in a
plastic bucket will they "ferment" back into multiple carboys ?? ;-)
OK, OK enough already with first posters or lurkers apologizing/asking
forgiveness for posting.
This is a public forum there is no need to "apologize" for your questions or
opinions ! Asking to "be gentle" is nonproductive and demeaning to your
self. Post or don't post, respond or just page down but enough with the
silliness. (rant mode off now)
OBTW I will NOT apologize for the waste of bandwidth.
Bob Buchanan
"Women and cats will do as they please and men
> and dogs should relax and get used to the idea"
>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 11:49:43 -0400
From: "David Blaine" <i.brew2@usa.net>
Subject: Arcadia Brewing's Whitsun
Does anyone have a clone for this summer time brew? I think it features
both wheat and pale malt and Tetanger and Halertau (sp?)
hops, and perhaps some honey. I would need to know what type of yeast to
use, and I don't have temp control. Am looking for extract with specialty
grains recipe or partial mash recipe. Please E Mail suggestions or comments
to i.brew2@usa.net
Thanks, Dave Blaine, Deckerville, Michigan
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 11:38:48 -0400
From: "Marc Battreall" <batman@terranova.net>
Subject: RE: Rusty Gauges
>A few HBD back someone asked about putting a CO2 bottle and regulator in
>the fridge and asked if this would hurt anything?
>One thing that I learned that you might want to watch for is condensation
>forming on the regulator. You can end up with condensation in the gauge,
>or If your regulator has metal gauges or exposed metal parts these can
>rust/corrode. This may or may not affect the operation/accuracy depending
>on how bad it gets.
Hutch,
That was me with the post about the CO2 tank/gauges in the refrigerator.
Yes, that is very true about the rust. I don't remember if I mentioned it or
not but this was an old set of gauges (single gauge actually) that a friend
of mine and I put together from a box of spare junk regulator parts from the
back room of his homebrew shop.
Although I really don't care if this gauge rusts I have some interesting
info that I got from the guy that runs the gas company where I get my tanks
filled. Take this information as one man's opinion, but I would venture to
call him a quasi-expert on the subject. He claims that yes, the gauges will
probably eventually suffer internal damage. But that damage will be greatly
reduced if you put the gauge set in the refrigerator and leave it in there
as opposed to taking it in and out. Makes sense to me. Of course, you have
to take it out sooner or later to get the tank refilled, and when you open
and close the door I would suspect you will get some condensation in the
gauge over time. But, in my case I don't care because in order for me to
have the tank outside the refrig, I would have to move the other refrig that
sits next to it on one side, move the deep freezer that sits to the other
side, knock down the wall behind it, and find another place to store the
carboys, mashtuns, and assorted other brewing gear that sits on top of it to
find room to place the tank. Oh yea, I need to drill yet another hole in it.
Did I mention that my brewery is also my laundry room? Get the picture?
Gotta find room for the keg-o-rator I am buying too!!!
Have fun!!
Marc
=======================
Captain Marc Battreall
Backcountry Brewhouse
Islamorada, Florida
batman@terranova.net
captainbrew@hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:00:13 -0700
From: Jeremy Bergsman <jeremybb@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: a better starter method?
Steve Alexander asks:
> Anyone have a better starter method ?
Here is what I do, a method which I think solves both the problem
mentioned in this thread (don't want to pitch the oxygenated starter
supernatant) and the problem of timing the starter to brew day.
Follow normal starter procedure to produce a starter of ~1/2 the amount
you'd normally pitch. i.e. start with clean yeast, scale up each volume
by <10X, oxygenate.... I do this far enough in advance that it will be
done AT LEAST 2 days before brew day.
Like most of you, I have another life besides homebrewer and I don't
always know which day I'm going to brew, especially since I can take off
work on a weekday if I like. But I do need to know the day before that I
will brew the next day. Once I have made this determination, in the
morning before brew day I take the starter that is 1-4 days from "high
krausen" (left at room temp since), decant the liquid, and add back fresh
wort. I DO NOT OXYGENATE THIS.
I'd welcome the theory-strong people to comment on my procedure, but I'd
guess that the small amount of new food will minimize the yeasts' need for
sterols since they won't be doing that much dividing. I don't let it sit
for more than 4 days so that they don't get too depleted before the final
step, and of course there is minimal oxidation of fermentation products.
I imagine that the final step gets them going again, ready to ferment.
You may say, "So much for the hand waving, how does it work?" Well, I get
OK lag times for those who care about that (always a good head by the next
morning--I usually pitch pretty late in the evening), and I feel my beers
are pretty clean tasting. BTW I use pure O2 and a stone. But, if you are
unsure of your method why not give this one a try? If you like yours, why
change?
- --
Jeremy Bergsman
jeremybb@stanford.edu
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jeremybb
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:10:30 -0700
From: Jeremy Bergsman <jeremybb@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: 13 oz pints
Somewhat near where I live an innocent comment was made by someone I know
to the guy he was drinking with in a brewpub. This other guy was the
brother-in-law of a guy who works for the Bureau of Weights and Measures.
He commented that the "pints" they were being served at the time were
really a couple ounces short. A few months later I noticed that their
menu no longer says "pint" but "large."
Some suggested a law--I believe it already exists. I would suggest a
politely worded letter to the pub owners that they are mistaken about the
volume (they might not know?) and that they should consider changing their
menus and educating their staff to reduce their exposure to the Bureau of
Weights and Measures. If they don't comply I wouldn't feel too bad about
reporting them, after all they are cheating their customers.
- --
Jeremy Bergsman
jeremybb@stanford.edu
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jeremybb
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:17:58 -0700
From: Badger Roullett <branderr@microsoft.com>
Subject: Tempeture of Corny Keg.
I have recently switched to Corney kegs, and am loving it. finally solved
my foaming problem, stopped the leak in my tank, and gots lots of extra kegs
to be filled.
One question for the Great Brewing Hordes...
How do i tell what tempeture the liquid in the keg is, with out opening the
keg and exposing it to infection?
- a fermometer liquid crystal thermometer on the outside of the keg?
(expensive when your looking at 8 kegs.)
- tapping a glass, and measuring its temp?
- room tempeture from thermostat? (method i'm using now, but i am sure it
in-accurate as heck..)
suggestions?
*********************************************
Brander Roullett aka Badger
Brewing Page: http://www.nwlink.com/~badger/badgbeer.html
Badgers Brewing Bookstore: http://www.nwlink.com/~badger/brewbook.html
In the SCA:
Lord Frederic Badger of Amberhaven, Innkeeper of the Cat and Cup Inn
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:25:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Scott Murman <smurman@best.com>
Subject: measures // pumpkin
In my post about European glasses containing measuring lines, I was
confused by a factor of 10. Obviously, the common volumes are 25cl,
33cl, etc. not deciliters. I imagine someone else will have pointed
this out by the time this post makes the digest.
//
I wasn't clear in my post about pumpkin extract. What I meant was
that the canned pumpkin should provide 10-20 pt/lb/gal of *potential*
extract. Since this is mashed directly, you still have to factor your
system efficiency when calculating the gravity contribution. I
normally use 10 pts/lb/gal for the pumpkin, and assume a 50%
brewery efficiency which works out to about a 1:1 grain-pumpkin
ratio. This combined with the rice hulls, and forgiving lauter
vessels (kitchen colander, zapap) allows for at least a run-off and
short lauter.
One other point that bears mentioning, as it seems this brew is
gaining momentum again, is that jack-o-lanterns (carving pumpkins)
should not be used, the variety grown specifically for cooking should
be used. Sorry, I can't recall from memory how to tell the
difference, but I'm sure the information is in the archives.
SM
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 13:13:08 -0500 (CDT)
From: Samuel Mize <smize@mail.imagin.net>
Subject: sanitizers; scaling specialty grains; welcomes
> From: "Jim Hinze" <jhinze@vbs-net.com>
> Subject: Bleach, Iodine, or other?
>
> Hi Everyone. I've been lurking for a while and this is my first post, please
> be gentle <G>.
What!?!?!?!! How DARE you INTRUDE on our omniscient RUMINATIONS on water
fermentation and MALT chemistry and [<smack> <smack> <smack> and STAY off
the keyboard! Dang cat.]
> Is bleach really the best alternative, should I be using iodine or some
> other substance? Does it make a big difference?
"Best?" That depends on your own needs and preferences. That's why there
are several products available.
The main products for homebrewers seem to be bleach and iodophor (iodine is
a different thing, you probably knew that but just in case...). Both are
fairly cheap, easy to use, and work well. Both should be rinsed off if
used in a strong concentration, both can be allowed to air-dry if used in a
weak concentration. Bleach can damage some metals.
Bleach (according to Clorox corporation) breaks down in a day or so. I'd
use iodophor if I wanted to store a sanitizer for a long time (some people
like to store fermenters full of a weak sanitizing solution, for instance.)
The impression I've picked up is that poorly-rinsed iodophor creates less
of an off flavor -- chlorine combines with stuff in the beer to make a
distinct plastic taste.
Some people believe that bleach is hard on the environment, others say no.
Read both sides and decide that one for yourself.
It's handy to know how to use bleach if you run out of iodophor in the
middle of a batch, and your homebrew supplier isn't nearby.
I'd say, if you aren't having infection trouble, and you don't find your
current methods to be too much work, stay with what you're doing.
- - - - - - - - - -
> From: David Rinker <drinker@mci2000.com>
> Subject: Recipie percentages and specialty malts
> How does one handle the scaling up or down of specialty malts?
...
> with a technique like "no
> sparge" mashing (where efficiency can drop to around 50%) I ran into a
> problem. Specifically, the specialty malts (roasted and caramelized
> malts) appear to contribute an amount of flavor and color
> *disproportionate* to their extract contribution--i.e. you can't scale
> them in a linear fashion.
This makes sense to me. Another way to think about it would be that the
specialty malts DO follow a linear scale, while the others reach a point
of diminishing returns much faster.
The higher roasting would break down the structure of the grains. Also,
they would be more brittle, so they would break up better and have more
surface area available. So it seems reasonable that you get almost all the
"good" from a specialty grain, even if your overall efficiency is poor.
However, this is speculative on my part.
> I checked ...
> by what factors each author multiplied his 5gal batches to get them up
> to 1 bbl batches.
...
> Rather than clarifying things for me, this information makes it seem
> like I should add a disproportionately *greater* amount of specialty
> malts as either my efficiency drops or as my volume increases...
I would expect their larger batches to be more efficient, not less. Aren't
large, commercial-type systems more efficient? So scaling up they might
increase the proportion of specialty grains, since they're getting MORE
extract from each pound of pale malt.
- - - - - - - - - -
> From: "Marc Battreall" <batman@terranova.net>
> Subject: RE: Grain Mill post/Newbie Questions
...
> PS. Mark, stand by for Sam's Forthcoming Welcome Message!!
...
> PS. Ian, you too can standby for Sam's Forthcoming Welcome Message!!
No, that was a short-term project to point up the number of new posters.
But if you meant this as a request that I continue...
On the plus side, a lot of them are identifying themselves, and we are
getting a lot of neophyte input -- much of it excellent. (Not because of
me, but due to the nature of the HBD.)
I WAS tempted to keep it up when the only complaints were two messages to
me personally, posted to the HBD, saying that personal messages shouldn't
be posted to the HBD. Not the most self-aware thing to do...
Best,
Sam Mize
- --
Samuel Mize -- smize@imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada
Fight Spam: see http://www.cauce.org/ \\\ Smert Spamonam
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 14:25:57 -0400
From: Greg.Moore@East.Sun.COM (Greg Moore - BOS Hardware Engineering)
Subject: Dual line shanks
It's been a while. Glad to be back:-) I've been told that someone makes
a dual line shank for fridges. It's the same dimension as the single 6"
shanks normally used in fridges, but it has two seperate feed-throughs so
you can tap two kegs through one hole in the fridge. I've looked around
and can't find these anywhere. Can anyone give me a pointer to a supply
house that provides these?
Thanks.
-=G
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 13:35:24 -0500 (CDT)
From: Al Korzonas <korz@xnet.com>
Subject: Starter method
Steve writes (quoting Sam, I believe):
>>I generally let a starter settle and pour off the liquid. This may cause
>>me to pitch at less-than-optimum glyco-whatsit levels but it seems to be a
>>good compromise: lots of yeast, very little yucky starter fluid.
>
>This is a general conundrum. You want fat, recently aerated yeast in your
>starter, but you don't want to add a lot of simple extract starter - which may
>be a oxidized if you aerate the starter during growth. If you wait for the
>yeast to settle out - then your yeast may be too 'skinny'. Centrifugation,
>filtration and cold shock might be useful separation techniques - but it sounds
>like a lot of effort. Anyone have a better starter method ?
Yes... too much effort. Here's something resembling what I do (it's so
simple I couldn't be the only one doing this):
1. Pop a Wyeast package (or make up a 10ml starter from a slant and then step
it up to 50ml after a day or two) and wait for it to swell.
2. Add that to a 500ml or 1 liter 1.040OG, well-oxygenated starter (I also
add a pinch of Fermax yeast energizer from Siebel -- available through
Crosby and Baker - no affiliation).
3. Let that ferment out until the yeast settles, pour off the spent wort
and step it up to 2 liters of 1.040OG, well-oxygenated starter (with
a pinch of Fermax).
4. Let that ferment out until the yeast settles (hopefully this will be a
day or two before you brew). The day before you brew (don't let this
be more than 3 or 4 days), pour off the spent wort and add 500 ml of
fresh, well-aerated wort.
5. On brewing day, pitch the active 500ml starter (which contains a little
more than the equivalent of a 2-liter starter, but you only have to
add 500ml of partially-spent wort).
It's important to not let them go too long without feeding because starved
yeast don't perform well for at least a generation and I believe I read
somewhere that it can even be more than one generation (probably strain-
dependent).
The reason I say "something resembling" is because I often do it slightly
differently... sometimes I decant and add 2L of wort, sometimes I do it
twice, sometimes I just go from a 50ml Wyeast package right to the 2L
stage, sometimes I split the yeast after the first feeding and make two
2L starters, sometimes I go from 1L to 1 gallon...
The "trick" really is to let the yeast flocculate after the last BIG feeding,
pour off the spent wort and feed them a little fresh wort to get them to
just past high-kraeusen (that's peak glycogen AND peak glyco-whatzis TOO!)
on brewing day.
Al.
Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
korz@xnet.com
http://www.brewinfo.com/brewinfo/
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 14:16:37 -0500 (CDT)
From: Samuel Mize <smize@mail.imagin.net>
Subject: "Brew Your Own" cover gusher
By the way...
Has anyone noticed the cover of "Brew Your Own" magazine this
month? The text is something like "wonderful foam!" and the
photo is the WORST gusher I've ever seen -- it's squirting
literally off the cover in a stream...
Maybe they're recommending infections as a source of good
head production, but somehow I doubt it...
:-)
Best,
Sam Mize
- --
Samuel Mize -- smize@imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada
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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 15:19:15 -0500
From: rlabor@lsumc.edu (LaBorde, Ronald)
Subject: Old fridge
Hi all,
Just a ramble:
On the topic of old refrigerators and freezers, My mom gave me her old
Sears chest freezer, age about 30 years old.
* First - It still works.
* Second - The top is porcelain, thick and sound.
* Third - The inside liner is porcelain, thick and sound. The
bottom and corners are rounded porcelain with no place for mold to
hide, and easy to clean. There is no rust inside or outside.
The new Sears chest freezer I purchased last year has a painted inside
liner, thin, and the corners are full of mold and impossible to clean
out completely (I can kill it with chemicals, and I probably can also
rust out the liner with the same chemicals). The outside of the cabinet
and lid are painted, thin metal. I don't know if it or me will keep
running for 30 more years!
Ron
Ronald La Borde - Metairie, Louisiana - rlabor@lsumc.edu
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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 15:54:03 +0000
From: "Tidmarsh Major" <tidmarsh@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: musty basements
Several people have asked lately about brewing in musty basements.
I used to have a basement brewery (oh, how I miss it: a dinky storage
room that hits 100 F in the summer just isn't a substitute for a
cellar that stays a cool 65 F in summer and 50 F in winter.). The
best thing I ever did for it (aside from the beer fridge) is buy a
dehumidifier. When we bought the house, the basement was dank,
musty, and smelled strongly of the three dogs the former tenants had
kept there. After a good cleaning and the addition of a
dehumidifier, the dankness was gone, even with the occasional
flooding we experienced. The mold/mildew problem we had initially
cleared up dramatically with a dehumidifier. I highly recommend one
for a brew cellar.
Tidmarsh Major, Birmingham, Alabama
tidmarsh@mindspring.com
"Bot we must drynk as we brew,
And that is bot reson."
-The Wakefield Master, Second Shepherds' Play
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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 22:30:30 +0100
From: "Mort O'Sullivan" <tarwater@brew-master.com>
Subject: Crystal Malt Questions
I was afraid someone might ask for clarification regarding my earlier post.
Thanks, Steve.
Starch retrogradation is a pretty complex physical phenomenon and could be
better explained by a rheologist than a brewer. But I'll try to tell you
what I know and show you where I found the information.
>In capsule form it says:
>malt is 25% amylose and 75% amylopectin (this checks out)
>stewing of crystal malt favors amylopectin-lysis [- hmm why ? all enzymes
>are just as short of water. - Isn't BA smaller to start with ?]]
Even in a normal mash, amylopectin is broken down faster than amylose,
which is explained by the fact that the complex structure of amylopectin
molecules tends to entrap amylase enzymes. In conditions such as stewing
crystal malt, free movement of enzymes would be even more restricted and
the time of stewing at 65*C is generally shorter than the time for a full
mash, so a lot of amylose would be left undigested.
>only a small % of the sugars undergo Maillard reactions and become
>unfermentable by this mechanism during kilning, the relatively
>unchanged amylose molecule recrystallize [or perhaps crystallize is
>better - since it's the first fime - No Mort?]
No, I think 'recrystallize' is better since the starch granules are already
in a crystal structure before gelatinization. The conditions for the
retrogradation of starch require that the starch molecules be gelatinized
and then that they be cooled to below the gelatinization temperature before
they are fully hydrolysed. The slower the cooling and the longer time spent
at the low temperatures, the more retrogradation occurs. Retrogradation is
also promoted by relatively long chain lengths (>100) and association with
lipid molecules, so amylose molcules retrograde faster than amylopectin
molcules.
Retrogradation of starch is one of the primary mechanisms of bread staling
and most research has been focused on that area rather than brewing. One
interesting thing I read about wheat starch is that while in its natural
state it gelatinizes at ~55*C, after retrogradation its gelatinization
temperature is 105*C. Whether this is the case with barley starch I am not
sure, but it could explain why it is resistent to enzymes.
>and by an inexplicable mechanism become unfermentable - that is -
>insucceptable to amylase enzymes.
>regardless of malt type - high temp kilnoing => lower fermentability.
The amount of time spent at the high temperature is as important, if not
more important.
For those interested in reading more about this stuff, I got most of the
information from these sources:
(1) Gretenhart, K.E. "Specialty Malts." _MBAA Technical Qtly_ 1997 v.34 n.2
pp.102-106.
(2) Jackson, S.W. and J.R. Hudson. " Flavour from Crystal Malt." _J. Inst.
Brew._ Jan/Feb 1978 v. 84 pp. 34-40.
(3) Manners, D.J. "Starch Degradation During Malting and Mashing." _Brewers
Digest_ Dec 1974, pp. 56-62.
(4) Palmer, G.H., ed. "Cereal Science and Technology." Aberdeen: Aberdeen
UP, 1989.
(5) McGregor A.W. "Current State of Research into Barley Carbohydrates and
Enzymes." in _Proceedings of the Third Aviemore Conference on Malting,
Brewing & Distilling_ ed. I. Campbell. London: IoB, 1990; pp 10-33.
(6) Blenkinsop, P.G. "A Look at Malt Products." in _Proceedings of the
Third Aviemore Conference on Malting, Brewing & Distilling_. pp. 179-194.
(7) Bourne, D.T., et al. "Some Factors Influencing the Fermentability of
Malt." in _Proceedings of the Third Aviemore Conference on Malting, Brewing
& Distilling_. pp. 309-312.
>OK - who wants to tackle barley biochemistry . . . .
>
>. . . . . . . . . Anyone have yield numbers for barley ?
I'm not sure about % sunlight utilized by growing barley, but I do have the
following yield numbers (these two tables are from Palmer's _Cereal Science
and Technology_, and while not specified, I'm sure these numbers are for
2-rowed barley):
*Examples of good crop structure
Ears/m^2 Grains/ear 1000 grain wt (g) Yield (t/ha)
--------- ---------- ----------------- ------------
Winter Wheat 550 36 50 10
Winter Barley 750 24 44 8
Spring Barley 700 22 44 7
The range in yield for UK barley crops is 5.1 to >10 t/ha, depending on
soil, weather, variety, etc.
*Dry matter uptake and nitrogen uptake in spring barley:
Growth Stage Shoot Dry Matter (t/ha) Shoot N content (kg/ha)
------------ ----------------------- -----------------------
Tillering 0.80 34.8
Booting 6.80 108.0
Harvest 9.62 154.2
(thus there is a sigmoid growth curve with respect to dry matter vs. time)
Note: t/ha = tonnes/hectare
1 tonne = 0.984 ton = 1000 kg
1 ha = 2.47 acres = 10000 m^2
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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 14:34:53 -0700
From: "Riedel, Dave" <RiedelD@PAC.DFO-MPO.GC.CA>
Subject: Phosphoric acid in Wit/Blanche
I happen to have phosphoric acid in my inventory at the
moment, but not lactic... can I use phosphoric acid instead
of lactic to drop the pH of a wit? Will it be noticeably different
from using lactic? Is acidifying a wit even necessary?
cheers,
Dave Riedel
Victoria, BC, Canada
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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 14:32:01 -0700
From: "Bryan L. Gros" <gros@bigfoot.com>
Subject: fridge controllers, coffee beer
There has been some talk lately about which temp controller to buy for
a fermentation refridgerator. If anyone is interested, my local (Berkeley,
CA) homebrew shop has a few Hunter Airstats on the shelf for (I think)
$30. This was a very popular model with homebrewers (due to price no
doubt) until Hunter discontinued this thing. I still use mine with great
success. The downside to it is that it doesn't go below 40F. But if you
have a fridge, the thermostat inside will handle temps below 40.
The shop is Oak Barell and the number is 510-849-0400
****************
Badger Roullett <branderr@microsoft.com> writes:
>i am working on formulating a recipie for a Coffee and Oatmeal stout..
>
>Coffee for taste, and Oatmeal for body, and smoothness..
>
>any suggestions for
>...
> ->How, When, and What Type of coffee to add.. Beans, Ground, espresso
>grind, espresso? when boil, fermentor, etc..
sounds good. I'd recommend adding brewed coffee or espresso to the
wort right after the boil. You don't want to add beans for two reasons:
you don't want coffee grounds/dust making it into the fermenter and
most beans have a fair amount of oils on them. Oils tend to reduce
the head on the beer. You definately don't want to boil beans and
it is hard to control steeping time while you're chilling.
To get an idea of how much, maybe get a bottle of homebrewed or
microbrewed stout and add a bit of coffee to the glass. Calculate up
from there.
- Bryan Gros
Oakland, CA
disclaimer: I have all my retirement invested in Oak Barell stock
and I stand to clean up should you decide to purchase an Airstat
from them.
- Bryan
gros@bigfoot.com
Oakland, CA
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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 20:42:28 -0500
From: Amber/Bruce Carpenter <alaconn@arkansas.net>
Subject: Fearful oxidation question
Newbie question, only second batch attempt. First some background: 5
gallons extract Dry Stout in the primary, 35 hours into fermentation,
airlock bubbling 40+ times per minute. I chose to rack to secondary at
this point with the reasoning that the wort needed to come off excess
trub ASAP (I was not able to strain much out as it first went into the
primary and advice was that this was not good). I had trouble with the
siphon hose (1st attempt) and ended pouring into secondary using funnel
w/strainer. Needless to say I introduced much O2 into the batch during
this transfer. Also it seems to have killed the wonderful bubbling
ferment. Have I also killed this entire batch? Any salvation tips, I
pray?
Bruce
- --
Bruce/Amber Carpenter
Husband-Father/Graphic Designer/Homebrew novice
Wifey-Mommy/Dog lover/David Duchovny Freak
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Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 00:08:57 -0500
From: "Rob Moline" <brewer@ames.net>
Subject: The Ned (Ides of July) Kelly Report
The Ned (Ides of July) Kelly Report
"This Hemp Beer Is Legal, but Its Ads Hint Otherwise"......
"The Wall Street Journal,' reported on the controversies surrounding
hemp beers. Following the successes of such marketing driven products as
Frederick Brewing's "Hempen Ale," Lexington Brewing Company has released
"Kentucky Hemp Beer." The Kentucky brewery had never counted on a torrent of
unsolicited advertising concepts from Ketchum Advertising in Pittsburgh. But
it is using them. (Ketchum is owned by Omnicom Group, which also owns A-B's
ad agency, DDB Needham.)
Stepping on the toes of the A-B brewing conglomerate, and inducing cries
of 'foul' from members of the Beer Institute, the ad campaign has even so,
elicited support from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a
District of Columbia consumer advocacy group.
"We are taking swift and strong legal action to prevent this and further
violations," said A-B's legal team, in reference to a 'This Bud's For You"
poster ad created by Ketchum. The Beer Institute's voluntary guidelines bars
marketing that implies any illicit activity, but the Lexington based brewer
is not a member.
George Hacker of the Center for Science stated, 'Like many other alcohol
products, this seems deliberately designed for a youth consumer base,"
..."Here's a beer being passed off as a drug. I'm not sure that's a positive
message - but at least it tells it like it is."
Posters based on slogans such as "Eliminates Cotton Mouth," and
"Undetectable To Police Dogs,:" pale in comparison to future efforts yet to
be unveiled by Ketchum....in September, the agency plans to run ads showing
beer bottles in a clear plastic bag, such as dope is transported in, beer
bottles in a planter under a grow light, and a beer clasped in a roach
clip.
"The controversy will probably help them, if the product is good," said
Bad Frog Brewing Company's owner Jim Wauldron, "That's what happened to us."
'We like the controversy: we like the association, because it gets
attention," said Mike Hart of Lexington Brewing......but he decided to abort
distribution of the cotton mouth poster, because " We do not want to
tittillate kids with the marijuana association" "WSJ, The Ides of
July, 98"
"Public Urination in a Beer Cooler"
"<SNIP>, 22, Ankeny, was arrested by an Ames officer for 5th degree
criminal mischief and public urination at Cub Foods June 18. A store
employee said he caught <SNIP> in the act, "a struggle followed and
witnesses said defendant <SNIP> was trying to zip up his pants," Ames Police
Officer David Schultz wrote in court papers. Liquid-but no broken or leaking
containers -was found in the cooler. The store had to throw out $43.75 in
goods." " The Campus Reader, Ames, Iowa, 7.2.98"
Jethro Sez.....
"This Bud's For You" by Lex Brew is history.....A-B's massive legal army
and deep pockets ensure that the posters in question will become the Duff
Beer cans of US beer marketing. Get one if you can, they will be major
collector's pieces. Limited Editions, only 1500 total printed so far, of
the 3 current poster campaigns, distributed in Kentucky, southern Indiana,
and southern Ohio. Put it in the safe deposit box...it might help pay for
your kids education.....(and if you get 2....call Jethro!)
Mr. Hart's statements confuse Jethro....he wants the association with
dope, but he doesn't want the association with dope to tittilate kids, who
already have more access to the illegal stuff than any previous generation.
They just can't buy a beer. This one has more twists than Medusa's hair and
will, no doubt, place another arrow in the neo-prohibitionist's quiver.
Despite Jethro's agreement with former Secretary of State George Schultz
on legalization, this is a razor sharp blade to walk on. On the small
screen, a great device, but where the long range radar scans..... ? The
Berlin Wall of drug war BS starts to crumble?.......or "Hit the
Dirt...Incoming!!" Time will tell....
(Disclosure...Jethro's employer is soon to brew a hemp ale. )
And maybe Mr. <SNIP> was only making a constitutionally protected
statement, regarding the current state of the brewing biz?
Nah....... .You just knew NOKOMAREE would find his way back into HBD
somehow, now didn't you! Who would have known he lived here in Ames? Throw
the book @ him!
"STAND AND DELIVER !!"
>From: Jack Schmidling <arf@mc.net>
>Who or what is Jethro Gump and why does someone name Rob Moline
>post it?
I asked Jethro...he just said that he was trying to return the favor for
the lessons taught him by blokes like Jack Schmidling, and others .....and
not being a bright fella he felt he might add bits of "Related Issues," as
he knows bugger all about "Beer or Homebrewing."
Cheers!
Ned Kelly
brewer@ames.net
"The More I Know About Pat Babcock, The Happier I Am To Congratulate Him
!!!! "
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #2770, 07/17/98
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