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HOMEBREW Digest #3610
HOMEBREW Digest #3610 Wed 18 April 2001
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
Sam Adam's Spring Ale Clone, Hydrometer ("Seth E. Anderson")
temperature controllers (Jeremy Bergsman)
Sorry Pat i am a goose! pH 2 acid ("plotek")
Minikeg leakage ("Dan Listermann")
Re: Plastic False Bottom Material ("patrick finerty jr.")
haze (Frank Tutzauer)
quick wheat ("ben A.")
Japanese Beetles Redux (Dan Wenger)
:re Temperature Controllers ("Rick Hamel")
pubcrawler.com (Paris)
Long time gawker types in. (Stephen.F.Higdon)
Serving line ("Dr. John")
Pot Drains? (Michael)
iodine test for yeast glycogen levels? Any inputs? ("Dan Diana")
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* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!
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Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 02:31:21 -0700
From: "Seth E. Anderson" <seanderson@wsu.edu>
Subject: Sam Adam's Spring Ale Clone, Hydrometer
Good Evening-
I've been reading the digest for some time now and I have gleaned a wealth of
information from the issues of the HBD. Now it's my turn to ask a question and
provide a tip.
First, I've posted a recipe to the recipator for a Sam Adam's Spring Ale Clone
that I am going to try to make. I've never done a partial mash, but I've been
reading up on it and I think I can do it. I would like to move to All Grain,
but I live in a tiny one bedroom apartment. My request is for tips on doing a
partial mash and things beginners get stuck on. The second part is, if there is
anything that looks funny with the recipe, let me know. Like I said, I made it
up based on some sketchy information I had.
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator?item=1840
SA's Spring-Has-Sprung Ale
5 gallons
37 IBU
OG: 1.054
Used filtered water from the supermarket and added 1 Tbs. per gallon of water
for the mash and sparge water before heating.
2 lb. American 2-row
1 lb. Wheat malt
1 lb. American Vienna
Mash:
Mashed 4 lbs grain in 5 1/2 qts water in a brew kettle at 160F and held in a
150F oven for 60 min, stirring after 30 min. Sparged with 170F, recirculated
until clear.
Boil: 90 minutes
Added:
4 lb. Light malt extract
4 oz. Light dry malt extract
1 gallon of filtered water to liquor in kettle and brought to boil.
1/4 tsp Irish Moss added at last 15 minutes
Hops:
.5 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 60 min.)
.5 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh (5% AA, 45 min.)
.5 oz. Spalt (6.75% AA, 45 min.)
1.5 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh (5% AA, 30 min.)
.25 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 15 min.)
.25 oz. Spalt (6.75% AA, 15 min.)
Yeast:
Top off fermenter to 5 gals.
Added a quart starter of Wyeast #1007 German Ale.
Use a fish air pump and stone to aerate for 30 min.
Regarding the hydrometer, I was recently at the pet store and I noticed a
hydrometer for reading salt level in fish aquariums. The package said it was
adjusted for temperature and the ranges fit most normal gravity beers. I
thought that it might provide an easy way to test specific gravity. The only
downside I saw was that it took a relatively large amount of liquid to make it
work.
Thank you once again for all the information I have learned. Private emails are
okay, but I'm sure the group would enjoy the discussion.
Seth Anderson
Pullman, WA (home of the infamous Wazzu "Riots")
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 07:46:44 -0400
From: Jeremy Bergsman <jeremy@bergsman.org>
Subject: temperature controllers
There has been a little traffic here (and on the cheese list) about temp
controllers. IMO DIY is the way to go, after all you can just buy beer
instead of making it.
http://hbd.org/users/mtippin/thermometer.html (I built a RIMS version of
this one)
There used to be one based on a Radio Shack digital thermometer which is
currently running my beer fridge. I can't find it now.
Also, here is a post I made about a year ago:
> I received a catalog in the mail yesterday which offers what seems to be a
> good deal in temp controllers that could be used for a refrigerator or even
> possibly a RIMS. The cheapest is $19.95, goes from 30-110F, is waterproof,
> and will switch "16FLA@120V or 8FLA@240V". I don't know what FLA means but
> assuming it's amps this sounds good. They all have analog dial adjustment
> with no temp readout and are made by "Durostat". The catalog is TekSupply,
> 800-835-7877, http://www.TekSupply.com. Standard disclaimer applies,
> including I've never done business with them.
- --
Jeremy Bergsman
jeremy@bergsman.org
http://www.bergsman.org/jeremy
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 10:40:11 +1000
From: "plotek" <plotek@optushome.com.au>
Subject: Sorry Pat i am a goose! pH 2 acid
Sorry Janitors and Godlings
I confess it was me who posted to the wrong spot
and hence lost my mild posts!
I appreciated you guys keeping such attention
to the goings on in the Great Southern Land.
Being a banana and beer republic we really
dont rate as much as you guys.
Now as to Beer, Clifton Moore requested
a way of getting pH 2 acid. I assume it was
phosphoric. I have a simple spreadsheet some
where at work which is uncorrected for the
second and third dissociation constants.
This will do for a quick guide. I just didnt have
time to key in the quadratic that the correction
for the second reduces to. and of course
promptly lost interest and started playing
protein boy. Clifton, email me at
hag@ansto.gov.au and I will hunt it down
for you.
Now as to taking the proverbial out of
us- you guys are king. We still have to
find a country leader who would chunder
a bad Bud under a table in japan. I wonder
if his son will one day exhibit the style and
grace that is required to become an
ordinary Australian.
Muddie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 10:01:15 -0400
From: "Dan Listermann" <dan@listermann.com>
Subject: Minikeg leakage
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 13:22:49 -0400
From: "Stephen" <stephennyc@about.com>
Subject: re: minikegs
<I'm using a PhilTap - when I say leak, I mean leak - you can hear it
and sometimes see a bit of spray escaping at the tap/keg joint. Keg
Lube just seems to let the tap ride up about a 1/4 inch out of the
bung. (BTW - bungs are two keggings old, all purchased from Williams
in a kit).>
An examination of the Wecomatic bungs sold by William's reveals a difference
between them and the Fass - Frisch bungs we modify into Phil's Relieph
Bungs. The Wecomatic bung has a straight bore and does not have the two
internal lips that the Fass - Frisch bungs do. They do not seem to grip the
dip tube as tightly. This is unexpected. I will contact William's Brewing
to address this issue.
Dan Listermann
Check out our new E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com
Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 11:06:40 -0400
From: "patrick finerty jr." <zinc@finerty.net>
Subject: Re: Plastic False Bottom Material
howdy,
i'm not convinced using a plastic false bottom will solve your
problems. i see a fairly large difference in efficiency in my system
when i drop from a 10 gal batch to 5 gal. btw, i'm using a 10 gal Gott
cooler with a home built copper manifold. i attribute the diff to the
decreased height of the grain bed. i'm sure many factors are at work
here but i think my main problems are the decreased resistance to flow
with less grain (increases the probability of channels forming) as
well as the difficulty in setting up a grain bed with consistent
density. so, perhaps switching to a vessel with a larger height/width
ratio would solve your problems.
-patrick in Toronto
On Monday 16 April, 2001, Fermentos wrote:
> I mash in a 150 qt rectangular cooler and with the plastic pipe manifold
> I made, and I have gotten horrible extraction / efficiency. Back when I
> mashed in a converted keg with a SS false bottom, I got great
> efficiency. My thought is to place a plastic false bottom on top of the
> plastic pipe manifold iin the cooler and hopefully see the same
> efficiency I used to get when I used the SS false bottom in the smaller
> system.
>
> Any comments as to this idea or suggestion where I can get a plastic
> false bottom that is about 18"x48"?
>
> Fermentos
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 12:12:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: Frank Tutzauer <comfrank@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Subject: haze
I've got a beer with a haze problem that I'd like diagnosed. Don't any of
you wankers tell me to put the beer in an opaque glass--the beer tastes
great and I'm not the least bit concerned about the haze. All of my beers,
both extract and all-grain, develop a chill haze, and I drink the beer
anyway. After a week or three, the haze drops out, but in this batch it
didn't, and I'm just interested from the standpoint of understanding what
went on.
The beer is a North German Pils, based on a recipe in Brew Your Own. A
couple of friends and I mashed enough grain for fifteen gallons in a big
mondo mash tun. We diverted the run off into three separate kettles, and
boiled, hopped, pitched, and fermented separately (and differently). The
grain bill (for fifteen gallons) was 29.5 lbs. of Weisheimer pilsner malt,
1.5 lbs. of Munich, and 1 lb. of Durst light crystal. If it matters, I
bittered with Northern Brewer, flavored with Spalt and Perle, and finished
with Hallertau. The yeast was Wyeast 2007 (Pilsen) stepped up twice,
decanted, and stepped up a third time in a quart of low-gravity wort.
We miscalculated our strike water quantities, and so missed our mash temps.
We ended up with a very thick mash at 147-149F for one and a half hours.
Iodine was positive for starch at one hour, and negative at one and a half
hours. We sparged for two hours with water in the 160-180 range (I doubt
the sparge water in the tun ever exceeded 160, but didn't specifically
measure it.) I ended up with five and a half gallons of 1.055 wort.
Fermentation was active in under 24 hours, and the temps were in the low to
mid 50s. I thought I did a diacetyl rest, but don't have that noted in my
log. Racked to secondary after 10 days, kegged it three weeks later, and
moved it to the fridge. FG was 1.013. It's been lagering at about 35-38F
for three months, and it's got a persistent haze. My friends' did not
lager their beers for any serious length of time, and we've already
consumed them, so I don't recall if the other two beers from this mash had
hazes or not. A helles that I brewed a month later, and lagered along side
this one (although for less than two months at this point), is absolutely
crystal clear.
I do not believe this is a chill haze because it would have settled out by
now and because warming the beer does not dissipate the haze.
At first I suspected a starch haze because of the thick mash. We did get a
negative iodine test, but maybe some other part of the mash had some malt
balls that didn't get converted. However, testing the finished but hazy
beer also gives a negative iodine reaction. Additionally, the beer does
not have the starchy mouthfeel that I have found in extract beers using
specialty grains that needed to be mashed but weren't (oat in particular).
I do not believe it is a yeast haze because the yeast should have settled
by now.
I do not believe it is a bacterial haze because there are no obvious off
flavors or smells, and my sanitation regime was standard operating
procedure.
Things that are different from this beer and my usual beers:
--I have never used the Weisheimer or Durst malts before or since
--I have never mashed at such a low temperature
--Even though I typically use thick mashes, this was thicker still
--The beer gods were angy at me that day
What do you guys think?
--frank
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 09:27:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: "ben A." <monkeyvsdinosaur@yahoo.com>
Subject: quick wheat
does anyone have a recipe for a fast to finish wheat beer? maybe a
week in fermentation and another week in the bottle? i am an extract
brewer and im not looking for anything complicated.
ben A.
=====
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 12:22:58 -0500
From: Dan Wenger <dkw@execpc.com>
Subject: Japanese Beetles Redux
Back to the Japanese Beetles v. Hops discussion:
I heard on the radio yesterday that a sprinkling of bay leaves will send
Japanese Beetles packing. I haven't tried it yet, your mileage may vary,
and I have no formal relationship with Japanese Beetles. If it does
work, I suppose one could plant Bay trees in with hops.
These little ladybugs arrived in SE Wisconsin last summer. They swarm on
everything, bite, and leave a nasty staining goo when you step on them.
I think they're moving North, so maybe those in Michigan will be blessed
soon.
Dan Wenger
Gesundheit Hausbraueri
Waukesha, WI USA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 14:58:30 -0400
From: "Rick Hamel" <hamelrick@hotmail.com>
Subject: :re Temperature Controllers
"Greenly, Jeff" <greenlyj@rcbhsc.wvu.edu> asked about temperature
controllers.
I have both the johnson controller and the ranco
I have the johnson controls controller. This controller works great. It is
set for a 4 degree delay in temp. This is so you don't burn out your
compressor by cycling it on and off. The mercury filled wire is a bit of a
pain. It is not as flexible as the wire from the Ranco but no big deal. The
mercury bulb can be immersed in water if you want to further delay the
on/off cycle. You can't tell what the current temp is as you can with the
Ranco.
The Ranco is just as good as the Johnson but much more convenient to use.
The biggest difference is that you can use it to control a heat source. It
can be programatically be set for cooling or heating. In the winter I hook
up a heating pad to keep my chest freezer at fermentation temps. The
ambient temp is around 65 in my pantry in the winter. Then when I want to
cold condition my beer I plug the chest freezer in the Ranco unit and set it
for controlling a cold source.
The other difference is you can set the differential to use. I'm not sure
what the max is, but I've had it set anywhere between 1 degree and 6
degrees. This is also done programatically by the front panel.
The Ranco unit always displays the current temperature on the front panel.
I really like this feature.
You can't submerge the temperature problem from the Ranco in a liquid. You
would have to use a thermowell.
I got mine from www.brewtek.com. It is already wired for $99.90. If I had
never bought the Johnson Controller I would have two of these.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 15:45:40 -0400
From: Paris@BodyMedia.Com
Subject: pubcrawler.com
[ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ]
[ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ]
[ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]
saw the message on April 9th about Pubcrawler.com...
We recently lost our connectivity and have been scrambling to get the
servers back online. We were one of over 100,000 lines effected by
Northpoint's sudden collapse and discontinuation of service.
The site will be returning next Monday.
-paris
co-owner
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 16:46:05 -0400
From: Stephen.F.Higdon@am.pnu.com
Subject: Long time gawker types in.
It is good to see the wide range of attention to detail here. A new
brewer may be intimidated by some of the more technical chat, but as
long as they understand that in most cases excellent beer is produced
without all the analytical equipment or knowledge, (that some get
very passionate about). I've had plenty of beer from microbreweries
and friends that taste great, and many have no concerns with water
chemistry, DMS, or hot side aeration, etc. I myself get hyped up
sometimes, and argue about some of the complicated aspects of
brewing, but eventually I realize that much of what is written and
talked about may not matter, what does is the taste of YOUR beer. If
it is liked, it is just fine.
Each brewer has their favorite techniques, and most have differences
in their equipment and ingredients. So for example, what causes a
certain off flavor for one may not for another, and it could take
several controlled experiments to prove what the real cause is. As
small scale brewers we have the advantage of trying something new
every time we brew. Or possibly our time may be better spent by
coming up with a few favorite recipes, and fine tuning each one to
our content. Don't bother worring about possible problems if your
beer is turning out how you like it. A lot of extra work and many
time consuming steps would be added to our brew day if we believe all
the horrible problems that are caused by our normal, simple
practices. No thanks, unless extra work makes you happy.
Of course, if a repeating problem occurs, the trouble-shooting should
begin. Starting with the basics: what have I changed or done
differently lately?, are the ingredients fresh?, is sanitation
adequate?, could the yeast be bad?, etc.
Have fun brewing, and remind new brewers that it really is simple if
you let it be.
-HIGGY
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 18:44:18 -0500
From: "Dr. John" <drjohn17@home.com>
Subject: Serving line
How long should the liquid-out line be on a keg? I've heard that if it is
long enough, you can keep the keg at pressure and serve at the same
pressure. To be honest, though, I don't quite understand how this works. It
doesn't make sense to me that the keg pressure and the serving pressure at
the end of a line of fixed width would differ.
Thanks.
John Thompson
Baton Rouge, LA
------------------------------
Date: 17 Apr 2001 20:56:23 PDT
From: Michael <am-photographer@usa.net>
Subject: Pot Drains?
I am a new brewer and have made a few batches. I am trying to find some easy
way to get the beer out of the pot without pouring or siphoning so that I can
leave the sludge in the pot. I think the metal in the pot is too thin to weld?
Any ideas if there is such a thing. A metal spigot with a bulhead type device
has to be made. I have tried searching the net, found lot of large heavy duty
(big) valves. Nothing that would fit on a stainless stove pot.
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 21:44:45 -0700
From: "Dan Diana" <dands@ftconnect.com>
Subject: iodine test for yeast glycogen levels? Any inputs?
I have been having troubles of late getting my yeast cultures to come
out of hibernation and be as active as I would like. I've been using the
pitchable products with starters. In doing some research on the subject, I
came across a comment [I've quoted it here] made in Fix's Principles of
Brewing Science, p. 98:
"Since yeast starvation and glycogen depletion are strongly correlated, it
is important for brewers to measure the glycogen levels in yeast batches to
be pitched. This is particularly true of yeats that have been stored. There
is a simple iodine test for glycogen levels in yeast".
references:
1. Fix, 1986, Beer and Brewing, Trans. from the Natl. Conf on Quality
Beer and Brewing, vol 6. Boulder.
Brewers Publications
2. Fix, 1990, Beer and Brewing, Trans. from the Natl. Conf on Quality
Beer and Brewing, vol 10. Boulder.
Brewers Publications
Does anyone have experience using this test and could provide some
inputs on how useful it is? I have tried to find these references and have
not been successful. Any inputs and direction is appreciated.
Dan Diana
Tall Timber Brewer
Portland, OR
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #3610, 04/18/01
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