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HOMEBREW Digest #3276
HOMEBREW Digest #3276 Mon 20 March 2000
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:
Re Sight Glass (tube) Components/Sources (RobertJ)
Mash Tun Design ("Dan Schultz")
Sight glass ("Dan Schultz")
more digest/re: searching archives ("Stephen Alexander")
Planning trip to San Fransisco (John Baxter Biggins)
Water Adjustment, Lucky Lager and HP, St. Pats and Wyeast (Dave Burley)
18th Annual Oregon Homebrew Festival ("Mark Kowalski")
Philly Competition (Joe Uknalis)
experimenting with rice? (darrell.leavitt)
Torreied Barley Flakes (darrell.leavitt)
Immersion Cooling In The 21st Century ("Phil & Jill Yates")
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!
* Entries for the 18th Annual HOPS competition are due 3/24-4/2/00
* See http://www.netaxs.com/~shady/hops/ for more information
* 18th Annual Oregon Homebrew Festival - entry deadline May 15th
* More info at: http://www.hotv.org/fest2000
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 10:31:26 -0500
From: RobertJ <pbsys@pbsbeer.com>
Subject: Re Sight Glass (tube) Components/Sources
"H. Dowda" <hdowda@yahoo.com> wrote:
Want to add a sight glass to my keg wort boiler. What
is the collective using for fittings? What is a
source (material) for the tubes? Are there commercial
'drill and mount' assemblies available?
- ----
We have kits & fittings available at http://pbsbeer.com/pbs/kits.html.
Or you might want to use a 90 deg brass thru wall elbow with hose barb,
plastic tubing and support tube
Bob
Precision Brewing Systems URL http://pbsbeer.com Manufacturer of 3 Vessel
Brew Systems, HERMS(tm), SS Brew Kettles, SS hopback and the MAXIchiller
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 08:04:20 -0800
From: "Dan Schultz" <dschultz@primenet.com>
Subject: Mash Tun Design
Craig:
I don't know much about grain bed depth but any of the three
drain setups will work exactly the same with one exception. Any
amount of wort below the drain valve level (regardless of pick up
tube position) will not drain unless a siphon is maintained. In
other words, on the Sankey type drain, if you close the valve and
stop the flow once the wort level drops below the valve level,
you will not be able to re-start the flow without sucking on the
valve as in starting a siphon.
This should not be a problem in a mash tun because you either
sparge to a specific gravity and thus never let the mash tun run
dry or start the flow while the wort level is above the valve and
not shut it of until it drains.
-Dan
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 08:28:18 -0800
From: "Dan Schultz" <dschultz@primenet.com>
Subject: Sight glass
Harold:
I just purchased a great sight glass from Bill over at Moving
Brews. You won't find anything on his web site yet but drop him
an email and he will send you some pictures back.
It is all chrome with a GLASS sight tube (not plastics like many
of us has built). Drill a hole and install, then calibrate. He
has different lengths for different vessels. Its almost too sharp
for my equipment. Maybe I need to go have my liquor tank chrome
plated too.
I'll save Bill some work. I posted his pictures at
www.primenet.com/~dschultz/sightglass.html . No affiliation, just
well satisfied. Plus, I brought the sight glass idea up with Bill
a long time ago. He said he was working on one. He never
forgets).
Burp,
-Dan
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 12:13:36 -0500
From: "Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: more digest/re: searching archives
I'll add a vote for more HBD volume.
I ask as a partially reformed offender that folks
voluntarily limit themselves to abt 8kB/gest regardless of
digest size. Dividing text into two posts to evade the 8k limit
is sometimes justified (as Lynne O'Conner recently
demonstrated - more please Lynne) but let's all agree to
respect the intent. Brevity, well trimmed quotes, and humility
in .sig-lines are appreciated.
=====
Jim Liddil notes ...
>[...] I beleive kunze mentions it that it is not a good idea to
>raise the amsh temp too high since this can lead to [...] starch.
This could be in Kunze. The lack of a usable index prevents a search.
I do however have a couple JIB papers in which *mash* temps of 80C/
176F did not increase the starch levels, and starch increase at 85C/185F
was marginal. PA malt. YMMV (your mashout may vary).
-S
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 13:38:04 -0500
From: John Baxter Biggins <jbbiggin@med.cornell.edu>
Subject: Planning trip to San Fransisco
Hi! I will be attending the American Association for Cancer Research's
annual convention on the 1st week in April in San Fransisco. I know some
obvious choices (Anchor, for starters...) to visit, but anyone real
familiar w/ the city please tell me the best breweries & beer houses to
visit. Perhaps a comprehensive web-site or guide which I can use? I will
be staying in the Union Square/Moscone Center district.
Private email welcome
Thanks in advance
-John
- -------------------
John B. Biggins
Cornell University Medical College
Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences
Student -- Program in Pharmacology
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Laboratory for Biosynthetic Chemistry
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
lab:(212)693-6405 fax:(212)717-3135
http://www.ski.edu/lab_homepage.cfm?lab=189
"Science, like Nature, must also be tamed
With a view towards its preservation.
Given the same state of integrity
It will surely serve us well."
-- Neil Peart; Natural Science (III) -- Permanent Waves
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 13:41:02 -0500
From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley@compuserve.com>
Subject: Water Adjustment, Lucky Lager and HP, St. Pats and Wyeast
Brewsters:
Jerry asks about how to adjust his water with a pH of 8. And on what and
how much mineral salts to add.
Jerry, your water is pretty good already, based on the analysis you
submitted. Lots of bytes of HBD
( check the HBD archives) have been devoted to "water adjustment" when it
should read "pH adjustment of the hot mash". You must always check the pH
of the mash which has been heated to mashing temperature to ensure that all
the calcium/phosphate reactions have taken place and <then> take a mash
sample and cool it to RT and measure the pH. It should be in the range of
5.6 to 5.8. Chances are good yours will be with your existing water. Why?
because the grist has many buffers which automatically adjust the pH for
you.
Adding acid or calcium to your water willy nilly will not produce the
desired result, necessarily. Adding too much calcium can, in fact, deplete
the mash of phosphate and cause problems for the yeast. Also just adding
calcium sulfate powder guarantees nothing, as it is slowly soluble and
pretty insoluble at that. If you really want to add it, then you should do
it the night before to the entire mash water with stirring. Better to add
calcium in the form of calcium chloride ( as I think AJ has suggested)
which is very soluble, as long as you don't end up adding too much chloride
and your beer becomes cloying.
Calcium lactate is even better if you can find it. Without having ever
tried this, I suggest that you can make your own by reacting lactic acid
with calcium carbonate(chalk). Make up a solution of lactic acid and add
the stoichiometric amount of chalk and stir until it stops fizzing, then
boil briefly to release any bicarbonate/CO2 and use this solution. Dilute
to a standard volume ( say 100 mls) so you know the concentration. This is
pretty soluble, I imagine, and you could use this as a way of getting
calcium into the mash easily and instantly with available reagents and
without the effect of chloride. I don't know how stable this is
biologically ( dilute lactic acid can be a problem) , but it should be OK
chemically.
If you want to "Burtonize" your mash to make Burton style Pale Ales by
adding calcium and magnesium sulfates and chlorides, then I suggest you
check out the many hobby books on how much to add, based on the water
analysis you are trying to emulate. Treat the entire amount of water the
night before. Bear in mind that these modern water analyses may or may not
be what the brewery use(d)s for its brewing liquor, as breweries have been
treating water by various methods ( e.g. lime addition) for a long time
and many have switched from surface water ( like rivers) to wells and
municipal sources over the years.
The idea that only certain kinds of beer could be made at certain places is
a nice fairy tale and good for commercials and to make your local beer
unique, sort of like Terrior in French wine, but I'm not sure it's real.
Bear in mind that today most kinds of beer can be made in most places with
the local water without treating it. Yeast and malts and hops are the
major flavor ingredients. Brewing skills are of paramount importance and
probably why the local beers of renown became recognized for their quality.
Mineral salts in extreme amounts can give a dryness or bitterness or
smoothness to the beers, but, except in extreme cases, most drinkers would
not be able to recognize the difference unless the beers were compared in a
triangle test. I think far more amateur beers are ruined by blindly adding
mineral salts than are helped by it.
- ---------------------------------------
Lynne O'connor of St. Pats supplied some really great information on beers
and yeast. Thanks.
I was puzzled by the comment to pitch (presumably to a starter) the Wyeast
when the packet ( regular or XL?) is only expanded to 1" high and not to
wait until it is fully expanded. It seems to me that it would be better to
have yeast fully developed to minimize contamination. Please expand your
discussion. Why?
- ---------------------------------------
According to WSJ on Friday 18 Mar, while renovating a Hewlett Packard site,
a half case of Lucky Lager from the 1940s was discovered. This was a long
lost remnant of HP beer blasts and "dress down", "blue sky thinking"
Fridays, dating from that era. These beers will be put into a museum in
the new HP building. One of the employees suggested that she might chance
a taste. I wouldn't. I didn't like Lucky lager when it was fresh.
- ---------------------------------------
Keep on Brewin'
Dave Burley
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 11:30:48 -0800
From: "Mark Kowalski" <mhkowalski@home.com>
Subject: 18th Annual Oregon Homebrew Festival
Heart of the Valley Homebrewers present the 18th Annual Oregon Homebrew
Festival at the:
Benton County Fairgrounds
110 SW 53rd Street
Corvallis, Oregon
Saturday, May 20, 2000 9:30 AM
Special Guest Speaker Fred Eckhardt
AHA Sanctioned Competition - Judging the 26 Recognized BJCP Beer, Mead and
Cider Styles
Preliminary judging and judge training session Friday, May 19, 2000 7-10 PM
The Heart of the Valley Homebrewers invite you to participate in the
Eighteenth Annual Oregon Homebrew Festival, the longest running event of its
kind in Oregon.
The focus of the event will be the judging of homebrewed beer. The
competition is sanctioned by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) and
using Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Recognized Style Guidelines.
In addition, the club will host a festival to promote awareness and
knowledge of various beer styles, provide opportunities to share information
about the homebrewing craft, and encourage interaction between homebrewers
in a social atmosphere. This year's activities along with the homebrew
competition will include publicly judged home-made soda competition,
homebrew label competition, rookie entry competition, several displays, a
raffle and the opportunity to meet and talk with some of the best and most
experienced homebrewers anywhere!
Winners will be announced at approximately 5:00 PM the day of the
competition. Ribbons will be awarded for first, second, and third place in
each category. The winner of Best of Show will receive a gift certificate or
other prize appropriate to the occasion. Judges reserve the right to not
award all ribbons in any category if entries are judged to not be of
sufficiently high quality.
Entry Deadline: Monday, May 15, 2000
For any additional information, forms, etc. or to volunteer some time for
this competition see http://www.hotv.org or contact the competition
organizers:
FESTIVAL COORDINATOR
Mark Kowalski
Phone: (541) 715-8574 - (541) 752-2008
Email: festchair@hotv.org
JUDGE COORDINATOR
John Sterner
(541) 924-0272
Email: judge@hotv.org
REGISTRAR
Herky Gottfried
Phone: (541) 757-8009
Email: registrar@hotv.org
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 16:03:38 -0800
From: Joe Uknalis <birman@netaxs.com>
Subject: Philly Competition
Homebrewers of Philadelphia & Suburbs (HOPS) announces it's 18th annual
competition on April 8, 2000.
Dropoff/mail in dates are from 3/24/00 to 4/2/00.
Bookmark our homepage for info on the event:
http://www.netaxs.com/~shady/hops/
Mail in location:
Homesweet Homebrew
2008 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-569-9469
Any questions regarding the competition, volunteering for judging or
stewarding can be directed to Joe (birman@netaxs.com)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 16:19:08 -0500 (EST)
From: darrell.leavitt@plattsburgh.edu
Subject: experimenting with rice?
I recently picked up a bag of "Roasted Brown Rice Flakes" and have tried
a few batches with up to 2.5 lb out of a total grain bill of 10 lb (give
or take)....I have not tasted any of these brews yes, but wonder if
anyone else is / has experimented with this for lighter summer brews?
// ........I have not tasted any of these brews YET....///
..Darrell
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 16:23:25 -0500 (EST)
From: darrell.leavitt@plattsburgh.edu
Subject: Torreied Barley Flakes
The spec sheet that came with a bag of "OIO Torrefied Barley Flakes" that
I recently purchased says 'torrefied wheat reduces bitterness, torrefied
barley flakes retain it'.....is this true?
...DArrell
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 09:07:48 +1100
From: "Phil & Jill Yates" <yates@acenet.com.au>
Subject: Immersion Cooling In The 21st Century
Dan Listermann, don't think you are going to get your hands on this one, I
warned you about those lousy royalties you have been paying me. Barely
enough to buy a digital camera to snap photos of Jill chasing me about the
house with my very own "cat of nine tales". But that is a story you will
have to ask Alan Meeker about.
This one will be sold under the Doc Pivo line of products titled (*).
And if you want to argue about the ownership of this title, well go and take
it up with the Patents office, where it is registered.
Fred Garvin offered attractive marketing possibilities, but being associated
with homophobic macho types would hardly do much for my image at the Sydney
Gay Mardi Gras, where I appeared this year in my very own float, right
behind Molly. Wasn't Molly just beautiful darlings?
Sorry, I'm going to get someone cranky by wasting space. Here is what I have
put together and titled the "Hope This Helps Immersion Cooler".
I took two immersion coolers and pushed them together, the coils fitting
between each other like two springs fitting together. This reduced the
diameter of the contraption to allow it to easily fit into my 60 litre
brewing kettle. Now I had two inlets and two outlets allowing me to run cold
water through both coolers in parallel. I bought enough garden hose and
connectors to feed both inlets via a Y junction and for both outlets to feed
to a Y junction and exit through a single garden hose which I connected to
the extensive watering system in the garden. In Burradoo we love our
gardens! The inlet of this arrangement I connected via garden hose to the
garden tap just outside the garage.
Here came the big surprise. Using my tiny brain I had previously thought
that so long as outlet temp from the chiller was reasonably less than wort
temp, then the system was operating efficiently and in the interests of not
wasting too much cooling water, there was no point in pumping excessive
water through the chiller at increased flow rates. Besides, the tubing
usually blew off the tap if you cranked the tap open too far.
But now with everything properly connected, and in the knowledge that all
this water was making the garden very happy, I gunned it like a fire hose.
I was staggered to find that in not much more than 15 minutes the wort was
down to 25C. The tap water running through the system was 18C! This is the
sort of Counter Flow chiller performance that Fred Kingston stakes his name
on. But Fred has to keep the inside of the CF chiller sterile, presumably
takes his cold break to the fermenter and worst of all, he doesn't get to
water his garden!
Of course to cool the wort down to lagering temps, I have to switch to a
closed circuit using iced water and an immersion pump for circulation, but
so does everyone else, unless your tap water is very cold, as in winter.
This high flow rate has easily cut my cooling times in half and indeed made
my garden very happy.
Phil Yates
Baron Of The Garden
Burradoo
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #3276, 03/20/00
*************************************
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