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HOMEBREW Digest #2875
HOMEBREW Digest #2875 Sat 14 November 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:
Random yeast musings (Matthew Arnold)
Wyeast (John_E_Schnupp)
Setting the gap on a Corona mill ("Bill G. Riel")
Re: Home malting (Spencer W Thomas)
Stuck tripel update (Dean Fikar)
Re: another newbie question (Robert Arguello)
yeast ("Penn, John")
oxidation datapoint (Scott Murman)
iSN'T IT PRONOUNCED "VORT"? ("Spinelli, Mike")
carbonating stone, and transferring carbonated beer ("silent bob")
Re: Rotten Egg Porter (Alan Edwards)
Details on dessicant (Paul Shick)
Question on yeast: Nottingham dry (Paul Shick)
Wyeast "small" packs live on! (Tim Anderson)
eric my parrot is not dead (Jim Liddil)
clear beer ("Keith Menefy")
Fermentor dimensions?? ("Gregg Soh")
Re: Roggenbier ("Chuck Mryglot")
Flip top vs. cap top ("Victor Farren")
Re: Cooking Questions (Mike Isaacs)
mea culpa: wyeast not phasing out small packs (Charles Epp)
Experiences with Clearfine (tm)? (Michael A. Owings)
MPT v. NPT (John_E_Schnupp)
Fermentability of crystal/dextrin malts ("George De Piro")
Re: mounting a thermometer in a SS pot? ("Bonnell, Doug")
Just Hops Info (Jim Layton)
RE: Site glass (Robert Arguello)
Fermentation aroma (dbgrowler)
sparking mead not sparkling (Shane & Laura)
More Stokes (Paul Niebergall)
Super Trub (Shane & Laura)
re. Wyeast 2308 tips (Dean Fikar)
What's That Smell? (Richard Johnson)
Champ yeast, help, the deal ("Jan Brown southern U.S.A.")
re: lauter flow rate (MaltHound)
re. beer transfer under pressure (Dean Fikar)
Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!
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JANITORS on duty: Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen (janitor@hbd.org)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 17:02:04 GMT
From: marnold@ez-net.com (Matthew Arnold)
Subject: Random yeast musings
Charles Epp wrote:
>Here's the problem: the local homebrew shop guy tells me that Wyeast told him
>they're planning to phase out the smaller packs in favor of the larger ones.
>To my mind, that's bad news, because I'll have to pay several dollars more
>for my yeast and I STILL have to build starters. I'd much prefer using the
>older, small packs, which I've used for years (with starters) without
>problems. In short, with the new packs you and I pay more but get no real
>benefits.
I don't know if this information (on the phase-out) is correct, but it would
make sense. For my money, I think that the "pitchable" yeasts (White Labs,
Wyeast XL) are useful in that they help you overcome the most dangerous stage
of starters: the initial starter, when you're pitching an itty-bitty (technical
term) bit of yeast into some wort and hoping your cleanliness is up to scratch
so it can out-compete anything else that might be in there. More yeast =
greater chance of first-starter success.
- -----
I picked up the Zymurgy special yeast issue the other day and had two questions
as I read through it.
1) In the article "Yeast is Yeast . . . Or Is It?" author Dan Rabin and a group
of tasters tested 12 different yeasts--a noble endeavor. The article is
interesting, but I couldn't help wondering if the taste-tests were done blind.
It sure doesn't sound like it.
The reason I wondered is because the three dry yeasts they used (Edme,
Munton's, and Danstar's Nottingham) were all slammed quite severely. A
concluding comment from the article: "We also found, to no one's surprise, that
the liquid yeasts produced better beer than dry yeasts." (p. 82) If the testing
were not blind, it sounds like there was a major prejudice on the panel against
dry yeast, that would call their conclusions and comments on said yeasts into
question. Anyone involved in this test on the HBD?
2) Also, what must one do in order to win Ninkasi or Homebrewer of the Year?
Not that I have aspirations for that or anything . . .
Thanks,
Matt
- -----
Webmaster, Green Bay Rackers Homebrewers' Club
http://www.rackers.org info@rackers.org
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 08:58:21 -0800
From: John_E_Schnupp@amat.com
Subject: Wyeast
>problems. In short, with the new packs you and I pay more but get no
>real benefits. Can we convince Wyeast to continue producing the smaller
>packs? Or is my information wrong regarding Wyeast's plans to phase out
>the smaller packs? --Chuck in Lawrence, KS
If this is true, maybe we should start a snail mail/e-mail campaign
and try and get them to continue the small packets. It's amazing
the pen can be a powerful resource/weapon.
John Schnupp, N3CNL
Colchester, VT
95 XLH 1200
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 09:26:13 -0800
From: "Bill G. Riel" <briel@ibm.net>
Subject: Setting the gap on a Corona mill
Hello,
First time poster (and relatively new brewer here). I've acquired a
Corona mill, and I was wondering if any owners of this mill could tell
me how to set the gap correctly for the best crush? I searched the hbd
archives and found one suggestion to use a dime between the plates,
then turn an extra 1/4 to 1/2 times, but that seems like it would be a
pretty narrow gap. Any ideas (or is trial and error my best bet?)
Thanks,
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 13:03:39 -0500
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: Home malting
You can express extract efficiency in percent, as follows. The number
you get represents the percentage of the mass of the grain that is
extracted as sugars into the wort. For reference, the "theoretical"
extract efficiency of commercially malted grain is about 80%.
The extract efficiency for sucrose (the standard for the Plato scale)
is 100% and corresponds to about 10P (1.040) if you dissolve 100g of
sucrose in 900g of water (i.e., so that the total mass is 1000g).
Compute your extract efficiency by dividing the total mass of your
wort (kg = volume in liters * specific gravity) by the mass of grain you
used, then multiply by 10. Continuing the sugar example,
10 * (1kg "wort") / (0.1kg "grain") = 100%
Thus, if you used 5kg grain to make 20 liters of wort at 1.040, your
extract efficiency is
10 * (1.04 * 20) / 5 = 41%
=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI (spencer@umich.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 14:11:30 -0600
From: Dean Fikar <dfikar@flash.net>
Subject: Stuck tripel update
Several months back I had considerable problems with a high gravity
Belgian tripel fermentation. The original gravity was 1.078 and the
fermentation stuck at about 1.024. I had pitched a three quart starter
cultured from the dregs of a bottle of Chimay. I think that part of my
problem was fermenting at too cold of a temperature (60 degrees). I
tried raising the fermentation temperature up to 70 degrees to no
avail. After posting to the HBD, I received many good suggestions
regarding what to do next. I ended up pitching a one pt. volume of
actively fermenting beer at high krausen from a Scottish ale fermenting
with Wyeast 1728. I figured that the high alcohol tolerance of this
yeast would be useful in this setting. It did take the SG down to about
1.020. I still thought that the beer tasted a little sweet. I was
pretty discouraged at this point and seriously considered dumping the
batch. As a last resort, I pitched packets of champagne yeast and
Nottingham dry yeast, both properly hydrated. The beer fermented down
to 1.016 and tasted very good with little residual sweetness. Most of
these rescue measures were performed with the beer sitting down in my
basement at about 78 to 80 degrees (yes, it was that hot in my basement
during this rather warm Texas summer).
I am quite pleased with the result. The only ill effect of all this
manipulation, as far as I can tell, is that the beer has a slightly
estery nose which is probably not appropriate for a tripel. It tastes
great though and my wife loves it, which is the true test. If I were to
try this exercise again, heaven forbid, I probably would go straight to
the combination of champagne and Nottingham dry yeast and skip the
Wyeast 1728 step.
Thanks again to all those who offered very helpful suggestions. I hope
that this messy story with a happy ending will help someone in the
future who may have similar problems with a stuck high gravity
fermentation.
Dean Fikar - dfikar@flash.net - Fort Worth, TX
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 13:26:27 -0800 (PST)
From: Robert Arguello <robertac@calweb.com>
Subject: Re: another newbie question
Jan Brown asked:
When I rack the wort(pale ale) into the secondary, I'm assuming I'll
lose "X" number of
pints to the stuff on the bottom of the first . My question is should I
or should I not add water to the secondary to refill to a full 5
gallons.
thanks jan
Jan, there is always some loss when racking. I like to make my batches
slightly oversize to make up for racking loss. My 5 gallon batches start out
as 5.5 gallons. That's gotta be better than diluting partially fermented
beer for a number of reasons.
Robert A.
********************************************************************
Robert Arguello <robertac@calweb.com>
Corny kegs - Mahogany 6-pack carriers - ProMash Brewing Software
http://www.calweb.com/~robertac
********************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 16:56:03 -0500
From: "Penn, John" <PennJE1@SPACEMSG.JHUAPL.edu>
Subject: yeast
Bottle Culturing: Thanks to all who helped with my questions on
culturing Chimay and Duvel yeasts from the bottle. Next time...
1) I'll look for the 750ml Chimay which has a dated cork as opposed to
the 11.2 oz bottle which doesn't seem to have any date. I'll also try
to make sure its less than 3mos old if I can find it.
2) I overdid the starter size, per George D.P.'s post, I'll try to pour
a small amount of starter wort into the bottle to reactivate the yeast
before stepping it up.
After two weeks I see no activity in my attempt to culture the Chimay,
but the Duvel took off after a long 4-5 day lag. I just repitched the
Duvel yeast starter into a 1/2 gallon starter and it took off pretty
quickly so I hope that means the yeast are healthy.
Barleywine Carbonation: In June I made two batches of 2.5 gallons each
of Barleywine based on Rob Moline's recipe with one bittered to an
estimated 75 IBUs and the other to 57 IBUs (per Rager). At any rate
after 4-1/2 months the 75IBU batch is well carbonated using Nottingham
Dry Yeast. The 57 IBU batch used a large Wyeast 1728 (Scottish) ale
yeast starter and is still just as flat as it was months ago. Both
batches attenuated very well to 10%abv but the 1728 batch seems to have
pooped out on carbonating. Since there has been no change at all, I
think I will pop open the 20 or so bottles of undercarbonated barleywine
and put a pinch of Nottingham yeast in each. My wife and I usually
split a bottle of the 75 IBU batch and its very good now. I think I'll
prefer the sweeter 57 IBU batch when its more carbonated. I'll give the
extra yeast and try and hope for the best.
John Penn
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 14:32:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Scott Murman <smurman@best.com>
Subject: oxidation datapoint
Awhile back, there was a discussion of oxidation and color change.
Here's an interesting datapoint, take it for what it's worth.
I pressure canned 3 qts. from my brew session yesterday. This
morning, one of the jars was noticably darker than the others. "Odd",
said I, and proceeded to investigate. Turns out the canning lid never
sealed. The wort was from a decocted batch of Dunkelweizenbock, so it
had many, many Maillardations (so how do you pronounce that?) in it.
Total elapsed time was about 12 hours.
-SM-
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 18:13:04 -0500
From: "Spinelli, Mike" <paa3983@exmail.dscp.dla.mil>
Subject: iSN'T IT PRONOUNCED "VORT"?
HBDers,
I'm probably out in left field here, but isn't the word "wort" a german
word? And if so, I believe the letter "w" in german is pronouced like our
english "v".
Just like the word "weizen" is pronouced like "veye-tsin"
So wort would sound like our "fort" but with a "v" at the beginning.
Mike Spinelli, Cherry Hill NJ
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 15:31:14 PST
From: "silent bob" <holdenmcneil@hotmail.com>
Subject: carbonating stone, and transferring carbonated beer
Hello all,
In the last digest, one person discussed responses to the question of
how to use a stainless aerating stone to carbonate. They felt that the
satisfactory solution of leaving a stone in the keg was not cost
effective, as several would be required. A way around this is to
permanantly fix a stone in the keg, perhaps by welding it to the end of
a dip tube in the inlet side, and use that keg as a carbonating vessel.
Having the welding done and sacrificing a keg would be a little costly,
but maybe worth it.
Another individual was worried about making a foamy mess
transferring carbonated beer from keg to keg. I have done this
succesfully by filling the empty keg with sanitizer, and then blowing it
out with CO2. Make a jumper by putting two "liquid out" fittings on one
piece of tubing about a foot long. Pressurize the empty keg to the same
pressure as the other keg (appx. 12 lbs). Increase the pressure in the
full keg to about 15 lbs, and slowly vent the recieving keg. Some foam
is still produced, but beer loss is minimized.
Good luck,
Happy brewing
Adam
______________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 15:38:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Alan Edwards <ale@cisco.com>
Subject: Re: Rotten Egg Porter
Ed Lentz writes:
| Not even 8 hours later, that pleasant aroma turned downright nasty and
| smelled like rotten eggs!
| . . .
| Then I took a test taste expecting the beer to taste like
| crap. To my surprise, it tasted FANTASTIC! No detectable rotten egg taste
| or smell.
| . . .
| My question is this -- What could have caused this smell, and what is it
| exactly?
It's probably hydrogen sulfide, H2S. Some yeast varieties just seem to
give that off for part of fermentation, and then it goes away. It scared
me a couple of times, too, but has alwyas cleared up by the time fermentation
was over.
-Alan in Fremont.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 19:28:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Paul Shick <SHICK@JCVAXA.jcu.edu>
Subject: Details on dessicant
Hello all,
Several folks have written asking for details on the dessicant
I've mentioned in previous posts. Here they are:
De-Moist is the name. (I muddled up the name in earlier posts.)
Rutland Products
PO Box 340
Rutland VT 05702
802-775-5519
The cost was $7.99 for a 2 lb package. It works wonderfully in drying
out even a very wet freezer.
Paul Shick
Cleveland Hts OH
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 19:36:39 -0500 (EST)
From: Paul Shick <SHICK@JCVAXA.jcu.edu>
Subject: Question on yeast: Nottingham dry
Hello again,
In the midst of a series of lagers, I'm getting the itch
to make a "spur of the minute" ale. I've put aside several packets
of Lallemand Nottingham dry yeast for emergencies, and I'm thinking
of using this for a nice pale ale. The comments I've read in the
archives, though, emphasize that this yeast is really neutral--no
fruitiness mentioned at all. My imagination leapt immediately to
visions of a very clean Scotch ale. On the other hand, the Nottingham
apparently attenuates quite highly (80+ %) so it's probably not quite
right for a very malty Scotch. Is it fruity enough for a nice bitter?
Is it better suited for American styles? I'm really dreaming of a
nice Goldings/Willamette hopped pale ale with a fruity palate. Any
hope?
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Paul Shick,
Hoping to fire up the basement brewery,
Cleveland Hts OH
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 16:44:36 -0800 (PST)
From: Tim Anderson <timator@yahoo.com>
Subject: Wyeast "small" packs live on!
I figured the way to deal with a rumor was to ask. I got the
following reply from Dave Logsdon at Wyeast Labs (about 3 hours after
my email! Great customer service, Dave!)
__________Reply from Wyeast_________
Tim,
It ain't so. We will have yeast available in small sizes as always for
all.
Thanks for checking.
Dave
At 01:21 PM 11/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
> There's a rumor going around that Wyeast will discontinue the
current > yeast packs and only sell the larger, supposedly "don't need
a
> starter" packs. Please tell me it ain't so.
>
__________End Reply from Wyeast_________
==
Please ignore the advertisement below. Thank you.
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 22:37:02 +0000
From: Jim Liddil <jliddil@azcc.arizona.edu>
Subject: eric my parrot is not dead
> Could it be....Satan?
>
It is. so how do we pronounce Papazian.
>
> From: "George De Piro" <George_De_Piro@berlex.com>
> Subject: Large Wyeast packs
>
> Hi all,
>
> Wyeast is great because of their large collection, and their
> packaging is very convenient for people who don't have the desire
> to deal with slants (although they are really easy to handle). The
> instructions on their package have always bothered me, though,
> because it is not correct to advise brewers to pitch directly from
> the package into a 19 L (5 gal.) batch.
>
Just to not let it die. wyeast sucks. culture your own.
> The large Wyeast packs are indeed a bit of a rip-off; they contain
> *FAR* too little yeast to pitch directly into a 5 gallon batch and
> cost an extra $1.50-2.00.
It;'s digital. either it is or it is not. It's dead.
On the other hand, the price of the small
> packs has been relatively constant over the past few years, and the
> Wyeast folks do deserve to live indoors and eat. $5.00 isn't going
> to break me; I suppose it's more the principle of the thing: they
> claim to be providing "direct pitchability" for the extra money
> when in fact they are not.
So call the FDA or other feds and see how fast he tries to sue your butt.
You still need to make a two-step
> starter to get the yeast population up to pitching strength.
>
> How can you, as a consumer, express your dissatisfaction to Wyeast?
> Call them up! Stop buying their yeast! Buy a pack once and put the
> yeast on slants!
Call the FDA and the other fed agencies and shut them dwon get an inspector
on them about their packaging "facility" They suck. dual layer kevlar and
server filters on.
Jim
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 10:37:18 +1300
From: "Keith Menefy" <kmenefy@ihug.co.nz>
Subject: clear beer
From: "Stuart Baunoch"
I do not have the funds to purchase a keg setup but would like to know of a
way that I can eliminate all the sediment from the bottle of bottles. I
would like the ability to drink out of the bottle and not worry about the
sludge in the bottom going into my body and ruining the taste of the
beer....
Dread that though of bad beer taste...
Quote from Brewers Dictionary Peter McCall
'Brewers' inch The last inch of a bottle of naturally conditioned
(including
home brew) beer. It is these lees that contain the yeast deposit - full of B
vitamins - so good for us. It is the consumption of this last inch that is
given as the reason why brewers and their familys have such longevity!'
One of the few things that has bugged me about the HBD is the number of
correspondents who fine filter their beer. I have long felt that yeast is
very good for the health. Only recently came across the above quote. Drink
that 'sludge' (the healthy bit).
Cheers
Keith Menefy Hukerenui New Zealand
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 22:45:42 PST
From: "Gregg Soh" <greggos@hotmail.com>
Subject: Fermentor dimensions??
Hi all. I've got a question for the collective. You see, I can only fit
one plastic bucket fermentor in my chest freezer, and its (the freezer)
dimensions are such that if I use two flatter but also wider
tupperwares, I can fit two batches in it. So my question is, is there an
ideal ratio of height to base size, or even aspect ratio of the base, or
will this be fine? My 'new' fermentors will be like 40cm x 40cm square
base and height of 20 cm. I suppose I could rephrase an ask if there is
any difference between a tall or wide fermentor, and if the shape of its
base matters. Any help would be great.
TIA,
Gregg Soh.
______________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 07:32:45 -0500
From: "Chuck Mryglot" <cmryglot@Progress.com>
Subject: Re: Roggenbier
"Timmons, Frank" <Frank.Timmons@alliedsignal.com writes asking about
Roggenbier.
The only commercial one I have had is that from Schlieringer (sp?) here in
the Boston area... and it's hard to find.
I've not brewed it but have researched it a bit. My take on it is that you
brew it exactly as a Weisse bier, just substituting the rye for the
wheat.....same yeast and mashing procedure...etc.
Hope that helps.
chuckm
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 08:43:24 -0500
From: "Victor Farren" <vfarren@smtp.cdie.org>
Subject: Flip top vs. cap top
I have some beautiful ceramic flip top bottles that I want to use to
bottle an Imperial Stout. I figure I am going to let it sit for a long
time, and I was wondering about the virtues of the rubber seal used on the
flip top. BTW, the grommets are pretty new.
Question is: Has anyone kept beer in these flip top bottles for a long
time (around 1yr or more)? Do the grommets do an appreciable job of
keeping carbonation, or would it be better to use the traditional bottle
caps? The only reason I want to use the flip tops, is b/c the bottles are
real nice and I was thinking of giving some away as gifts.
Thanks
Victor Farren
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 07:02:20 -0800
From: Mike Isaacs <misaacs@home.com>
Subject: Re: Cooking Questions
>Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 19:49:18 -0500
>From: kathy <kbooth@scnc.waverly.k12.mi.us>
>Subject: cooking questions
>I would like to pose some questions for the chefs out there about the
>use of beer in recipes.
Not a chef, I just play one at dinner.
>1) I assume almost any recipe that uses wine or vinegar to deglaze a
>pan surface could use beer as a substitute? Opinions or guidelines?
Generally, use beer where you would use stock or plain water. Keep in
mind, the chemical properties of an ingredient may be why it is called
for. When a recipe demands vinegar, I would stick with it.
>2) Recipes as stews, soups or braizes could use beer?
This is where I use beer the most, Anchor Steam Chili, or braised SNPA
brisket, for example. I don't think you can go wrong here at all.
>3) Most marinades would be diluted by beer and they would add little to
>using dry or liquid marinade rubs, or unless you are formulating a
>liquid marinade to heat and use as a sauce after cooking?
Marinades work differently than rubs, a dry rub should remain dry. I
baste with beer or, as you wrote, use it in a sauce. BTW, Guinness and
beef ribs, Kriek and grilled shrimp, work well...
>4) Does baking with beer have any advantages over other liquids?
Other liquids, aren't beer. Would you rather have water-battered fish and
chips or beer-battered fish and chips? I have never baked with beer,
however. I think I would make sure it was completely flat before adding
it to anything. Now you have me thinking.....Pizza crust with a a honey
ale, maybe...
I use beer when creating new recipes. Take caution when adding beer to
your favorite established recipes. Pair foods and beer as if you were
drinking it, to start.
>cheers, jim booth, lansing, mi
Have fun,
Mike (okay, okay...) East of East Bay, CA
Son of a Son of a Aler, misaacs@bigfoot.com
I left for "Tampico Trauma Amber"
Jolly Mon Breweries
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 09:21:34 -0600
From: Charles Epp <chuckepp@ukans.edu>
Subject: mea culpa: wyeast not phasing out small packs
OK folks, I'm taking responsibility for starting a false rumor and am
trying to correct it. In answer to an inquiry that I sent Wyeast, they
say that they have no plans to phase out the small yeast packs. On the
other hand, they didn't respond to the concerns I (and others) raised
about their claim that the large packs can be pitched directly w/o
stepping up. BTW, I agree with George that Wyeast offers a great line of
products -- and that it pays for us to communicate to them ways to make
improvements. --Chuck
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 15:20:57 GMT
From: mikey@swampgas.com (Michael A. Owings)
Subject: Experiences with Clearfine (tm)?
Has anybody used this before? If so, would you care to comment on it's
effectiveness compared to isinglass?
Clearfine is marketed as "synthetic isinglass". I bought a bit from
St. Pats. Their instructions say to mix a teaspoon with 1/2 cup warm
water and add at bottling time -- so if nothing else, it would appear
to be easier to use than isinglass...
I'll post my own experiences as well...
***********************
Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can. *** And the wisdom to
hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they pissed
me off ***
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 07:28:01 -0800
From: John_E_Schnupp@amat.com
Subject: MPT v. NPT
>I made a copper NPT (national pipe thread, despite hundreds of books
>saying otherwise, "MPT" is an incorrect acronym) nut by cutting a
>copper MPT-to-brasing fitting. A pair of hole saws can be used to make
washers from any material you choose. See my website for photos.
Al,
You are correct. I think every time I've posted I've said male NPT or
female NPT. There are a couple of other thread standards a too but I
don't think any are MPT. I think people think it means Male Pipe Thread.
BTW, I make my NPT nuts and washers the same way you do. A good source
for flat copper stock is hobby/model shops. The well stocked ones have
a variety of metals (tubing and flat) and a variety of sizes.
.
John Schnupp, N3CNL
Colchester, VT
95 XLH 1200
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 10:47 -0800
From: "George De Piro" <George_De_Piro@berlex.com>
Subject: Fermentability of crystal/dextrin malts
Hi all,
Dave asks about the fermentability of crystal malts, wondering why the
mash enzymes shouldn't degrade the dextrins and thus make them
fermentable.
The fact is that crystal malts *do* contribute a large amount of
unfermentable material to the wort (as do other high-kilned malts).
A couple of month's ago Mort O'Sullivan posted a wonderful explanation
to this very digest. Since I can't improve upon it I'll simply
reprint it:
----------------------------------
The starting point for creating crystal malt is usually well modified
green malt at >43% moisture and the initial air on temperature is
usually 65-70*C. Holding at this saccharification temperature is often
compared to mashing within the kernel, but some important differences
should be kept in mind. First, at about 43% moisture, the liquor:grist
ratio is much lower than in a normal mash; and second, the "grist" is
never milled but simply consists of starch-and-protein-containing
endosperm cells whose walls have been degraded during germination by
endoproteases and beta glucanases. These conditions limit the amylase
enzymes' access to substrate compared to normal mashing conditions.
There are still plenty of reducing sugars released to react with the
primary amines in Maillard reactions to form the reductones, furans,
pyrroles, pyrazines and countless intermediates that provide the
characteristic flavors and colors to crystal and caramel malts. Once
caramelized, these sugars are no longer sugars, and so are not
fermentable by yeast. However, only a small percentage of the sugars
actually undergo Maillard reactions and so presumably there are plenty
of other sugars, dextrins, and partially degraded starch molecules
remaining that would eventually contribute to fermentability,
especially after they are mashed in the presence of the "healthy"
enzymes from the normal malt that makes up the majority of your grist.
But this is not the case. Why?
Starch molecules in barley are approximately 25% amylose, and 75%
amylopectin. Due to the limited enzyme mobility described above, the
amylopectin is preferentially broken down because the complexity of
the molecules "entraps" enzymes in microchannels on the surface of the
amylopectin molecules. The much longer, straight-chain amylose
molecules are solubilized, but survive the process relatively
unscathed. During the later, high temperature stages of kilning and
subsequent cooling, these solubilized amylose molecules tend to
recrystallize in a process called retrogradation. For reasons not
entirely understood, these recrystallized amylose molecules are very
resistant to enzymic hydrolysis and so will not yield fermentable
sugars.
It has also been noted by many researchers that regardless of the type
of malt being produced, there is an inverse relationship between the
time spent at high temperature in kilning and the fermentability of a
malt. As crystal and caramel malts can spend quite a long time at
temperatures as high as 150*C, it makes sense that their
fermentability may be severely reduced.
--------------------------------
There you have it!
Have fun!
George de Piro (Nyack, NY)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 09:10:54 -0700
From: "Bonnell, Doug" <DBonnell@BreeceHill.com>
Subject: Re: mounting a thermometer in a SS pot?
Al Korzonas expressed some concerns about my using a locknut used
for electrical conduit when mounting a thermometer.
My article probably didn't make it clear, but I use two nuts to mount
the
thermometer. The nut outside the tun is a galvanized steel nut used
for electrical conduit. The nut inside the tun is "food grade". I
originally used
a copper nut cut from the end of a female 1/2 inch copper fitting. I've
since
upgraded to a stainless steel washer with a stainless steel half
coupling as
the "nut".
Using an outer nut allows me to tighten the assembly from the outside.
This
helps prevent distorting the O-ring on the inside of the tun. Also, I
can position
the dial properly before tightening the assembly.
Use of a conduit nut with the thermometer on a welded half coupling has
merit also, since you can align the scale and then tighten the nut
against
the half coupling.
I haven't had any leaks using two nuts.
Regards.....
Doug Bonnell
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 10:02:23 -0600
From: Jim Layton <a0456830@rlemail.dseg.ti.com>
Subject: Just Hops Info
Drew (and maybe others) had trouble contacting Just Hops. I had the same
problem recently, but managed to track them down.
You can find Just Hops at www.angelfire.com/biz/justhops/
or call 719-528-5920
No connection, satisfied customer, etc.
Jim Layton
Howe, TX
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 08:57:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Robert Arguello <robertac@calweb.com>
Subject: RE: Site glass
Scott asked:
>Can a site glass be put on the side of a converted Keg with out welding? If
>so, what is the best way of doing so? Any advice welcome. E-mail ok.
>Prost,
>Scott
I installed site glass in both of my converted kegs. I used a 3/8ths inch
brass 90 degree angle. On one end it's 3/8ths pipe thread, the other end is
3/8ths inch compression. Drill and tap a hole in the keg for the threaded
end of the adapter, wrap the threads with Teflon tape and install into the
keg. Orient the adapter with the compression fitting UP. Use a length of
POLYCARBONATE tubing for the sight glass/tube. The upper end of the tube can
be anchored with an eye bolt fitted with a rubber grommet.
Mine have been in place for a couple years with no problems.
Robert A.
********************************************************************
Robert Arguello <robertac@calweb.com>
Corny kegs - Mahogany 6-pack carriers - ProMash Brewing Software
http://www.calweb.com/~robertac
********************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 11:46:29 -0500
From: dbgrowler@juno.com
Subject: Fermentation aroma
Ed,
It's normal. The rotten egg smell is hydrogen sulfide, H2S. Some strains
of yeast produce noticeable amounts, others very little. Wort composition
and temperature may have some contribution, but the important advice is:
Don't worry about it. I would caution impatient brewers not to package
the beer until fermentation is _done_, so that the gas has time to
dissipate.
Mike Bardallis
Allen Park ,MI
"Don't blame the dog, it's your fermenter."
___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 09:14:56 -0800
From: Shane & Laura <scook@infoserve.net>
Subject: sparking mead not sparkling
I recently bottled a blackberry mead that I had had in carboys for over
two months. I wanted a sparkling mead but thought that there would be
enough yeast left in suspension, I used champagne yeast originally, to
prime the bottles. I bottled with one cup of corn sugar for 21 litters
of mead. It has been nearly one month since I bottled and I could not
wait any longer and had to test a bottle last night. The mead itself is
coming along quite nicely but there is no sign of carbonation. It seems
that the yeast left was insufficient to prime the mead. Is there any
easy fix or do I mark it as a lesson learned and remember to pitch some
yeast at bottling next time? I had thought to open the bottles and add a
few grains of dry champagne yeast. Will this work and if so will I have
to add more sugar or will the sugar I added at bottling be sufficient?
Private responses are welcome or just post to the digest.
Thanks for your help,
Shane Cook
________________________________
He was a wise man who invented beer.
-Plato
___________________________
E-mail: scook@infoserve.net
Phone: (604) 736-1187
ICQ #: 15754362
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 11:15:32 -0600
From: Paul Niebergall <pnieb@burnsmcd.com>
Subject: More Stokes
Scott references "stokes flow".
>From the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics:
"Stokes Law: Gives the rate of fall of a small sphere in a viscous fluid.
When a small sphere falls under the action of gravity through a viscous
medium, it ultimately aquires a constant velocity."
Clearly, this has nothing to do with the flow of a liquid (such as wort)
through a porous medium (such as a grain bed). It may, however apply
to dropping a rubber gromet into a batch of high gravity beer ;). Also,
Stokes has nothing to do with the Reynolds number. Stokes is applied to
a fluid that is at rest (not moving). Reynolds numbers only apply to fluids
that are flowing. I beleive what Scott is trying to define is called "laminar"
flow (Reynolds number less than 2000).
Brew on,
Paul Niebergall
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 09:43:53 -0800
From: Shane & Laura <scook@infoserve.net>
Subject: Super Trub
Hey All,
I just brewed my first all grain beer on wednesday, Yee Haw!! I observed
a couple of differences from what I am used to with extract brews and
wanted to ask about them.
First- I normally have, or thought I did, a fair amount of hot break,
trub, during the boil but on this occasion the amount of trub was
phenomenal. Whenever I stirred the boiling wort the spoon would come out
with trub stuck all over it. Is this normal with all grain brewing? I
think that trub is caused by the precipitation of proteins. I mashed 10
lbs of grain at approx. 152 - 148 degrees Fahrenheit. Did something in
my mashing procedure cause an excess of protein in the wort?
Second- I basically tried to convert one of my favourite extract recipes
to a grain recipe so that I would have some basis for comparison. Just
on sampling the cooled wort I noticed that the bitterness seems to be
greater. I checked that I used the same amount of bittering units. Would
this be caused by boiling the full volume of the batch instead of just 3
gallons or so? If so is there an easy way to figure out the increased
utilization of the hops so that I adjust for my next try?
TIA
Shane Cook
Vancouver, B.C.
Who is Jeff Renner and how did he get selected to be the milepost from
which distances are measured? Also, what happens when he travels, does
the space time continuum get shifted?
___________________________
E-mail: scook@infoserve.net
ICQ #: 15754362
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 11:56:11 -0600
From: Dean Fikar <dfikar@flash.net>
Subject: re. Wyeast 2308 tips
Dan asks for tips for taming Wyeast 2308. I have used this yeast as
much as any other lager yeast in my two years of brewing, which amounts
to about four batches with the 2308 strain. I typically leave the beer
in the primary for about 21 days. Somewhere around day 15 to 18 I
perform a two-day diacetyl rest at about 58 degrees. As far as I can
tell, I
have not had any significant diacetyl in my beer following lagering.
Two or three of these have gone to competitions and, I think, one was
judged to have a minor diacetyl problem though I'm a little skeptical
since I'm pretty sensitive to diacetyl and couldn't detect any myself.
As far as the sulfur is concerned, this yeast does throw off quite a
bit of sulfur which does smell pretty rank when I open up the door to my
little bitty fermentation fridge to check on the brew. Right after the
diacetyl rest, I typically ferment for a few days under pressure in my
10 gallon corny keg before racking to a five gallon corny keg
secondary/lagering vessel, also sealed under pressure. I attach a
pressure relief valve to both vessels so that the beer carbonates
naturally to about the right level carbonation. Undoubtedly some of the
sulfur aroma does not escape the kegs but neither me nor competition
judges seem to be able to detect any sulfur aroma or taste in the
finished product.
Hope this helps!
Dean Fikar - dfikar@flash.net - Ft. Worth, TX
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 13:03:13 -0500
From: Richard Johnson <ricjohnson@SURRY.NET>
Subject: What's That Smell?
Last June I brewed a extract/grains batch. I kegged it and force carbonated.
The results were disappointing. I thought what I was smelling was oxidation
or HSA (sherrylike). However, I continued to taste it over the next two to
three months. The smell/taste eventually disappeared. After I consumed this
keg I was out of precious homebrew except for a batch I brewed last year. I
thought this keg had been oxidized too. Who was it that said "I will pitch
no beer before a year"? Much to my surprise I tapped it and it tastes and
smells fine. I realize if it's oxidation it gets worse over time. What could
this smell be that leaves over time? It is really evident in the head, if
you hold your nose the taste is OK but it doesn't look too cool.
Thanks,
Richard Johnson
Mt. Airy, NC
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 12:07:20 -0600
From: "Jan Brown southern U.S.A." <jbrown58@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Champ yeast, help, the deal
OK I have had tons of answers ( this is a VERY nice list) about our
champ yeast beer and here's the deal. This is the recipe we used....
appx.. 11 pounds light hopped malt syrup, cascade hops for aroma and
both the champ and beer yeast. According to info on Cats Meow this is
sorta kinda a barley wine beer. What we intend to do unless we learn
differently is first dry hop it. Then let it sit in primary until
almost all activity is over (could take 4-6 weeks) then test gravity and
bottle when appropriate. How does this sound to you guys??
This is NOT the end result we were hoping for BUT it beats dumping it.
What does barley wine taste like??
thanks
jan
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 13:18:25 EST
From: MaltHound@aol.com
Subject: re: lauter flow rate
In HBD 2874 Jeff Renner saith:
"The inner bucket (at least US designs) will sit further down in the outer
one if you cut off the protruding rings on the inner one. You could
probably even cut the bucket off below the lowest ring and let it slide
most of the way down.
I never worried about the extra space, but I did make a few other
improvements. I used to get air sucked between the buckets, resulting in
poor flow and potential hot side aeration (HSA), so I used food grade
silicone caulk to seal the gap."
I think I can do you one better. In one of my early lauter tuns - "Super Zap"
I cut the inner bucket down so the side walls were only 2-3 inches high
fabricating a False Bottom. The false bottom can be inserted deeper still
into the outer bucket thereby reducing the deadspace. Since the walls are so
short there is no gap present to cause air suction problems either.
I concur with Jeff that many a good batch of brew came from such a relatively
crude piece of equipment. Sometimes it's fun to do these things just to show
that they can be done.<g> However, using that thing made me understand the
limitations of using an elevated false bottom. It's actually still down there
in my base... er, um, brewery collecting dust since I have not yet figured an
alternate use for it.
Regards,
Fred Wills
Fearless Freddies 1/2 Bbl Brewery
Londonderry, NH
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 12:44:42 -0600
From: Dean Fikar <dfikar@flash.net>
Subject: re. beer transfer under pressure
Mason Harris asks how to transfer carbonated beer under pressure from
one corny keg to another without foaming. He requested private email
but I'm posting this to the HBD hoping that it might help someone else
trying to do the same thing. I do this all the time as I ferment under
pressure in a ten gallon corny keg and I rack the beer into a five
gallon corny kegs for conditioning/lagering. This is really quite simple
to do if you have a pressure gauge equipped with a bleed valve.
First, check the pressure of the donor keg containing the carbonated
beer and purge and pressurize the empty recipient keg with CO2 to about
two psi below the level of the donor keg. Next, connect the two liquid
fittings of each keg with sanitized tubing and the beer will start to
flow into the bottom of the empty keg and then stop quickly as the
pressure becomes equal in both kegs. Connect a CO2 bottle to the donor
keg and apply just enough pressure to start the beer flowing again.
Meanwhile, bleed off enough pressure from the recipient keg so that the
beer keeps flowing at a reasonable pace. I usually keep the pressure
about to 2 to 4 psi below the pressure in the donor keg. This makes for
a nice even flow into the recipient keg without foaming. The whole
process usually takes about five to ten minutes. Generally, I am
transferring cool or cold beer at about ten to fifteen psi.
Occasionally, however, I will rack beer at room temperature which is
between 20 and 30 psi using the same method. I have had no foaming
problems, a even at the higher pressures.
Good luck!
Dean Fikar - dfikar@flash.net - Ft. Worth, TX
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #2875, 11/14/98
*************************************
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