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HOMEBREW Digest #3682
HOMEBREW Digest #3682 Thu 12 July 2001
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
Fermenter 'geometry' ve fermentation performance.- a 'spurmental' result ("Stephen Alexander")
Greenhouse potential of beer (Petr Otahal)
Shipping beer to comps, etc. (David Sherfey)
Beer, Beer and More Beer ("Wilson Family")
Yet another reason to brew ("Mark Tumarkin")
Re: Bottling & Kegging combo question ("RJ")
Re: Consequences of a Low-Temp Mash ("RJ")
tap set up (CMEBREW)
Bottling & Kegging combo plus The Batch from Hell ("Pannicke, Glen A.")
re: bottling and kegging ("Kensler, Paul")
State of bottles in the Dishwasher (Road Frog)
low-temp mash (Marc Sedam)
Mash Temp/Thickness Vs. Fermentability ("Peter Fantasia")
party pig accessory ("Ken Miller.")
Re: Dishwasher (John DeCarlo)
Re: Bottling & Kegging combo question (Dan.Stedman)
Re: Dishwasher ("Houseman, David L")
fermentabilty (Chris Hatton)
Hydormter Accuracy Problems (Richard Foote)
Guinness ("Milone, Gilbert")
October European Beer Trip ("Fred Waltman")
Re: Bottling & Kegging combo question (Christopher Jon Poel)
RE: Dishwashers ("Hedglin, Nils A")
Malt storage question ("Tom Jabas")
Building "Keggerator" need advice (Christopher Chow)
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Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 01:58:31 -0400
From: "Stephen Alexander" <steve-alexander@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Fermenter 'geometry' ve fermentation performance.- a 'spurmental' result
I've been up to another 'spurment' (Swed- feeble experiment). I created a
12.5gal batch of highly fermentable wort and pitched a starter (made from a
Wyeast 2565 tube and a ~2L extract starter). The whole batch (minus some
saved starter wort) was chilled, pitched and aerated together in a sanke.
The resulting aerated pitched wort was stirred and divided by (repetitive
sample) as follows - about 4.5 gal each went into a 5gal carboy and a ball
lock cornelius keg. Another 2.25 gallons of wort went into another 'half
filled' corny of identical manufacture.. All fermenters were 'topped off
with CO2 Fermentation took place in an ambient 64F basement room w/
fermenters thermally insulated from floor contact.. Data is presented in
the order <filled carboy, filled corny, half-filled corny>.
The measures H:W (height to diameter) ratios of the nearly cylindrical wort
volumes were [CB, CKfull, CKhalffull] = <1.20, 2.35, 1.23>. The initial
(post pitching) SG was 1.0425 (1.044 before pitching) and the wort pH was
5.189.
At 62 hours after pitching I took pH measures as a means of assessing
fermentation progress. The readings were
<4.070, 4.068, 4.009>.
At 115 hours after pitching all fermentations were slowing - nearly
stopped.
pH and SG reading were taken at 210 hours when the
fermentation was clearly over and clearing underway (just
under 9 days). pH readings were < 4.057, 4.028, 3.998 >.
SG readings were <1.00975, 1.0095+, 1.0095-->. The
apparent attenuation was <77.8%, 78.4-%, 78.4+%>
compared to pre-pitched wort. Clinitest readings on all
beers were indistinguishable 0 to 1/4% reducing matter
measured as glucose.
Glucose assays made with a glucose oxidase
(glucose specific) reactive strips read less than 0.02P of
glucose (negative reading) in all samples. Single sample
tasting of this just fermented beer revealed no significant
differences. Triangle tests will follow after several weeks
of cold storage. Perhaps a diacetyl assay too.
Conclusions:
/Negative evidence - H:W did not correlate with extended
fermentation times or higher FG readings.
/No evidence of excessive diacetyl or other defects in any
of the cases.
/ Neither surface:volume ratios, nor height nor 1/H correlate
with the minor differences in fermentation results.
Hey - it's only a couple data points, but it matches my
other experience.
fwiw,
-Steve
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 16:24:46 +1000
From: Petr Otahal <potahal@utas.edu.au>
Subject: Greenhouse potential of beer
Jeff asks:
>How many kcals in a fart? Do an energy balance for the caloric
>differences between a beer fart and a sauerkraut fart. Show your
>calculations on the back of a beer label. Show the Krebs cycle of a
>gut bacterium.
>
Steve worries:
>Re Jeff's other more scatological question .... I think you shouldn't be so
>worried about the calories in a fart, Jeff as the environmental impact. US
>EPA
>describes methane as a leading of global warming (and certain forms of local
>warming) second only to CO2.
>
I read somewhere that methane was a more effective greenhouse gas (ie traps
more heat in) than CO2. So, I say that from this point, it is madatory
that all beer farts be set alight, in the interest of a lesser impact on
the environment.
Cheers
Petr
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 06:28:37 -0400
From: David Sherfey <sherf@warwick.net>
Subject: Shipping beer to comps, etc.
I think we are all driven by guilt and fear caused by cautious competition
instructions and homebrewers basic honesty..... Stop it! The UPS Nazi
does not deserve our honesty.
1) Pack well as suggested in earlier posts. Aside from special bottle
packaging, two - three layers of large-bubble wrap (five or more of
small-bubble wrap if that is all you have available) completely around each
bottle, top to bottom, and taped securely is what I use.
2) Avoid using any words with beer on the address label. Use first letters
only if necessary - it is the address that gets it there not the name. Be
obscure. Use the first letters of the competition title - the people on
the receiving end will know what it is because they are receiving other
similar packages from individuals.
3) Don't write anything on the package about what is inside. I only raises
suspicion. When we send gifts to people we don't do this...
4) If they ask, lie. Say you are returning something for repair, or
something else away from the subject....It is none of their nosy business
what is inside the package.
5) Pack well. Wet packages always raise suspicion.
Regarding Paul's complaint of excessive time from West coast to East, I
would suggest trying Priority Mail. All of the stuff I get from three
different companies in CA gets to my rural NY location in three days -
consistently.
Hope this helps!
David Sherfey
Warwick, NY
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 18:45:36 +0900
From: "Wilson Family" <ksland@ata.attmil.ne.jp>
Subject: Beer, Beer and More Beer
I will vote to the positive with B3. I order extensively from their
website. Being in the military and residing in Japan, generally it is very
difficult to find businesses that will ship to an FPO address. I have never
had a problem with B3, and in fact, after discussing the matter on the phone
with the owner(a very personable gentleman) he goes out of his way to send
priority mail so that I can get it within ten days. My only complaint is
the quality of their grain bags. They don't seem to hold up during the boil
as others I have used. Off to have a home brew. All my best.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 07:21:43 -0400
From: "Mark Tumarkin" <mark_t@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Yet another reason to brew
I'm not a scientist (certainly not a librarian) but I got the following email
from a member of my club who does medical research, thought some of you might
find it interesting. I certainly won't be using any less hops in my beer!
Mark Tumarkin
Gainesville, FL
Mark,
Here is the abstract of a research paper I ran across accidently when
doing a "serious professional" literature search today at UF. I included
it here in case you might need yet another reason to brew . . .
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Title: In vitro inhibition of human P450 enzymes by prenylated flavonoids from
hops, Humulus lupulus
Author(s): M. C. Henderson; C. L. Miranda; J. F. Stevens; M. L. Deinzer; D.
R. Buhler Source:XENOBIOTICA, 30 (3): 235-251 MAR 2000{HYPERLINK
"/vl=5306263/cl=20/nw=1/rpsv/catchword/tandf/00498254/contp1.htm"}.
Abstract: Several unique flavonoid compounds have recently been isolated
from hops, Humulus lupulus, and their presence has been detected in beer.
Their chemical structures are similar to other plant-derived compounds, many
present in the human diet, that have been shown to have cancer
chemopreventive properties due, in part, to inhibition of cytochrome P450
enzymes that activate carcinogens. These results suggest that the hop
flavonoids are potent and selective inhibitors of human cytochrome P450 and
warrant further in vivo investigations.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- Bruce
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 07:39:45 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsbrewing@cyberportal.net>
Subject: Re: Bottling & Kegging combo question
"Donald D. Lake" <dlake@gdi.net> wrote:
"I'm still new at this kegging thing, so I'm still learning. My question
is about kegging say about 4 gallons in a 5 gallon C-Keg and bottling 1
gallon for competiton."
"What's the best way to do it? I've been siphoning off a gallon into a
bottling bucket, adding corn sugar or DME and then bottling as usual.
Are there better methods?"
Well Don, you could go out and purchase a counter-pressure bottle filler for
about $50... HopTech sell an excellent version which "unlike" many others on
the market is very easy to use...
Another alternative, is to make a poor man's CPBF ...
Take a pc of plastic racking cane and cut it off about 5" longer than the
tallest bottle you're going to fill. Add the appropriate size white rubber
stopper to this part of it, then take a short pc of vinyl hose that'll fit
tight over the hard plastic tube while the other end is snug over the end of
a cobra faucet.
Fill each bottle, with a 6-10 sec blast of CO2, (CO2 is heavier than air so
that it fills the bottom of the bottle, where you feed tube will be). Have
your bottle caps sanitized and ready... Seal the bottle with the rubber
stopper, snuggly, and push the beer into the bottle, full stream, off the
cobra faucet, as the beer slows, burp the stopper... when full place the cap
on-top wait a few seconds then cap (the extra few seconds allows any
oxidizing air to be purged by the rising CO2)...
Ciao
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 07:52:34 -0400
From: "RJ" <wortsbrewing@cyberportal.net>
Subject: Re: Consequences of a Low-Temp Mash
"Jeff Tonole" <jefftonole@toast.net> wrote:
Subject: Consequences of a Low-Temp Mash
"...I next turned my attention to my thermometers, and it turns out the dial
thermometer I use during the mash is off 12-15F on the high side. So,
when I thought I was mashing at 154F, it was actually 140F."
"...Given the low mashing temp, I would expect
a more fermentable wort and lower finishing gravity, but does a low mash
temp also result in a lower starting gravity? If so, what's the reason
behind that? Less starch conversion?"
Well Jeff, it sounds like you hit the beta sacc range that would put more
fermentables into your wort... assuming that you then mashed out at 165F
(151F actually with your thermometer problem) you probably only hit the
alpha sacc temperature for 10 minutes or so... which would significantly
reduce the dextrin extraction and ultimately lower the OG.
I take it that you weren't using the iodine test method for starch
reduction...
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:01:14 EDT
From: CMEBREW@aol.com
Subject: tap set up
I presently use a 12-14 (?) cu ft chest freezer for serving up to 6 cornies
by using an internal, 6 fitting gas manifold, connected to an external 20 lb
CO2 tank and regulator. The only problem is, I have each keg hooked up with a
picnic tap, and opening and closing the lid to the freezer causes a lot of
condensation on the walls and bottom. I'm looking for a solution other than,
"don't open the lid so much" that looks good and sells for less than $5000.
What sort of economical set up do some of you brewers use? If I go to a tower
system mounted on the lid how well does that work? How about costs for one
that will dispense at least 2 beers? Sources---anyone have one for sale? Can
a system be mounted on the side or front wall of the freezer? Charlie, still
in Mansfield, Ohio
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:44:07 -0400
From: "Pannicke, Glen A." <glen_pannicke@merck.com>
Subject: Bottling & Kegging combo plus The Batch from Hell
Don asked:
>I'm still new at this kegging thing, so I'm still learning. My question
>is about kegging say about 4 gallons in a 5 gallon C-Keg and bottling 1
>gallon for competiton.
>What's the best way to do it?
Don, I usually make an 8 gallon batch. I'll split that between a 5 gallon
corny and whatever I have lying around: 3 gallon corny, 5L mini kegs, 2L
growlers or bottles. You can see that there's differences in the priming
between the containers. I fill the keg first and the remainder is racked to
a bottling bucket where it is primed at a rate appropriate for the kegs.
Then I fill the containers and before capping the bottles, I add a Primetabs
or two to raise the priming rate appropriate for bottles. One tablet for 12
oz bottles and 2 tablets for pints & 1/2 liters. Seems to work well for me.
Jim Adwell wrote of the Batch from Hell:
>The yeast appears to be
>dead, or seriously wounded. I pick up the starter container, a 1/2 gallon
>glass milk bottle, and shake it gently. Enormous , and I mean ENORMOUS,
>quantities of gas, presumably CO2, erupt thru the airlock, blowing off the
>little red cap, which lands some 4 feet away in the kitchen sink.
They lie in wait - the little @%$*ers! On their own, they are harmless, but
if you let them form colonies or gather in large groups... I just brewed a
batch recently using the same yeast. I also pitched to a starter with more
than sufficient headspace only to find that during the course of a few hours
it blew through the airlock. Not much spillage, but enough to let me know
of the attempted escape.
I enjoyed the story very much.
Carpe cerevisiae!
Glen A. Pannicke
glen@pannicke.net http://www.pannicke.net
75CE 0DED 59E1 55AB 830F 214D 17D7 192D 8384 00DD
"I have made this letter longer than usual,
because I lack the time to make it short." - Blaise Pascal
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:40 -0400
From: "Kensler, Paul" <PKensler@cyberstar.com>
Subject: re: bottling and kegging
Don,
Try getting a hold of those 3-gallon cornie kegs. I'm using them more and
more frequently, and I've fallen in love with them - a standard 5g. batch
yields a full 3g. keg, and almost a case of bottles - plenty for
competitions and to give to family and friends, but without having to deal
with a full two cases of empties (cleaning, sanitizing, filling...).
They also make it easy to split a batch - most 5g. brewers can pretty easily
make 6g. with their current setup - split the ferment with 2 different
yeasts, or make a batch of wheat and add fruit to 3g. and leave the other 3
straight, etc.
Chip Stewart of HBD fame used to have an "in" on a good source of 3g. cornie
kegs... I believe he was selling them on eBay and maybe in the HBD
fleamarket. Or try a search of the HBD archives back a couple months. Some
homebrew shops stock them too, but they are generally more expensive than
the 5g. kegs (fewer of them available = higher cost).
Regards,
Paul Kensler
Gaithersburg, MD
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 06:42:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: Road Frog <road_frog_run@yahoo.com>
Subject: State of bottles in the Dishwasher
I soak/scrub bottles when I first get them, or when
some "friend" forgets to rinse them good. But I just
rinse/shake 3 times when I empty a bottle. Then
before I bottle I throw in the dishwasher with bleach
filling the soap cup.
On-On,
Glyn in TN
Anyone interested in a homebrew gathering in/near
Manchester TN?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 10:12:18 -0400
From: Marc Sedam <marc_sedam@unc.edu>
Subject: low-temp mash
Jeff speaks of an out-of-whack thermometer...
Oooh. I feel your pain. I got a lab calibration
thermometer for just this reason. The low temps will
absolutely effect your efficiency. Beta amylase rests (the
low end of the temps) will eventually convert the mash, but
it takes a while. Chances are you started mashout before
the conversion was complete. Long rests at the low end of
the mash temps will also generally result in a more
fermentable wort, hence your FG's around 1.007 don't sound
too far off to me.
Now that you're calibrated the world should be a better
place for ya.
Cheers!
M
- --
Marc Sedam
Chapel Hill, NC
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 10:19:05 -0400
From: "Peter Fantasia" <fantasiapeter@hotmail.com>
Subject: Mash Temp/Thickness Vs. Fermentability
I took the liberty of changing the units for metrically challenged brewers
like myself. I couldn't read Steve's post.
Hope my math is correct. I'm sure someone will let me know if it isn't. I
think this is a good chart to have handy.
Thanks Jeff,
Pete
Mash Temp/Thickness Vs. Fermentability
Temp. in degrees farenheit
% of wort solids 140f 150f 154f
Monosaccharides 10.1 9.5 10.2
Disaccharides 51.7 48.1 42.0
Trisaccharides 14.3 13.6 12.7
Maltodextrins 0.1 4.1 9.7
%Extract 76.2 75.3 74.6
%Fermentables 76.1 71.2 65.1
Effect of mash thickness on Saccharification @ 150f
% of wort solids Mash thickness
39 oz/qt. 23 oz/qt 17
oz/qt
Monosaccharides 11.9 9.5 8.1
Disaccharides 42.9 48.1 46.6
Trisaccharides 12.6 13.6 15.0
Maltodextrins 11.9 9.5 8.1
%Extracts 73.4 75.3 74.2
%Fermentables 67.4 71.2 69.7
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 11:27:27 -0400
From: "Ken Miller." <kgmiller2@yahoo.com>
Subject: party pig accessory
I recall seeing an ad somewhere for a replacement for the valve assembly on
the party pig which uses 1 or 2 CO2 cartrages instead of using the pouches.
Does anyone else remember this and where can I getting pricing and ordering
information.
Thanks,
Ken
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 11:36:54 -0400
From: John DeCarlo <jdecarlo@mitre.org>
Subject: Re: Dishwasher
alastair <alastair@odin.he.net> asks about using the dishwasher.
I did experiments many years ago and found that the dishwasher did not
really clean the insides of the bottles, at least not reliably. A good
habit to get into is to rinse bottles immediately after pouring the beer
into the glass.
However, if your dishwasher has a "heated dry" option, I have found I
can fit enough bottles to bottle a 5 gallon batch into the dishwasher,
and sanitize the whole batch at once using heat.
Plus, I can bottle on the open door of the dishwasher, spill on the
door, and not get a drop on the kitchen floor. Plus the bottles are all
right there waiting for use.
Now some dishwasher doors will drip beer onto the floor upon closing
(which happened at a friend's house), so check before making any
promises to others in the household.
- --
John DeCarlo, The MITRE Corporation, My Views Are My Own
email: jdecarlo@mitre.org
voice: 703-883-7116
fax: 703-883-3383
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 10:58:22 -0500
From: Dan.Stedman@PILLSBURY.COM
Subject: Re: Bottling & Kegging combo question
Donald D. Lake asks about how to bottle up just a gallon or two for competition.
My answer: PrimeTabs. They work great & you can just add them to as many bottles
as you wish to fill for competition. This is what I usually do when I make more
then what I can fit in two kegs or when I just want a few bottles around.
Check it: http://howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-5.html
While I am here - another nice thing about having a kegging system is that you
can get a couple of carbonator caps (the things that screw on PET soda bottles
so you can carbonate stuff right in the bottle) and carbonate your beer for
sampling immediately. I love to fill a PET bottle 3/4 of the way up while
transferring from primary to secondary. Then I can chill and carbonate it (by
applying 15 lbs of pressure to it and shaking it for a minute) to see how it is
coming along...
Dan in Minnetonka
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 12:07:42 -0400
From: "Houseman, David L" <David.Houseman@unisys.com>
Subject: Re: Dishwasher
Alastair asks about using the dishwasher. Yes, use the dishwasher but DON'T
use any of the dishwasher detergent. Only use hot water. Put the
dishwasher on "light" wash if that cycle is available; you don't need a long
wash time. But DO put it on "heated" drying cycle. I rinse all my bottles
after use and before they go into the dishwasher (upside down of course).
The heated cycle seems to kill everything. I've also used the oven, putting
in rinsed bottles that I've covered the mouths with a square of aluminum
foil, and let them bake at 350oF for a couple hours then cool down
overnight. Both seem to work equally well.
Dave Houseman
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 12:18:57 -0400
From: Chris Hatton <Chatton@aca.com>
Subject: fermentabilty
I have a contest for y'all. Who can describe to me in 100 words or less the
relationship between mash temperature and mash thickness as it relates to
wort fermentability and starting gravity of beer. (i.e. when x, goes up, y
goes down), and please don't get too sciency on me (I luv Rob's chart on
July 11, but I need help interpreting. Pretend you are writing an article
for USA Today (i.e. 5th grade reading level). This would help me and other
beginning to mid level grainers without a science background! Good luck,
winner gets a secret prize...
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 14:03:58 -0400
From: Richard Foote <rfoote@mindspring.com>
Subject: Hydormter Accuracy Problems
HBD'ers,
Jeff Beinhaur writes:
>The one thing I discovered is that my one hydrometer is off and so the OG
was >actually 1.048 rather than the 1.044 I reported.
Jeff Tonole writes:
>my last few batches have had a lower-than-expected OG (say, I was
expecting >1.052 and got 1.040), and my terminal gravities have been
unusually low as >well. This change coincided with a new hydrometer
(acquired after the untimely >death --and unsolved homicide -- of my
previous one), so I initially thought >that an inaccurate hydrometer was
the culprit. But the hydrometer was
>cleared of all wrongdoing after a few tests with various sugar/water mixes.
What are the odds of two HBD posts on hydrometer inaccuracies in the same
day's post? Well, this got me to thinking about a problem I once had
struggled to solve.
Everything was going great. I was hitting target OG's like nobody's
bidness. Then one day, the bottom fell out. My efficiencies went kaflooey
(technical term). I was expecting an OG of "x" and got one like 10 points
lower than "x". Oh well, a fluke. On my next batch, the same thing
happened only worse. Instead of an expected OG of "x", I was getting like
one-half of x. By this time I'm thinking like no frickin way! I had my
brewing partner take a taste of the just-chilled wort. "Tastes sweet to me
dude."
I'm not sure at what point this occurred, but I washed the hydrometer and
placed it upside down (i.e., heavy, weighted, fat end up) in a draining
rack next to my brew sink. "Hey, what's that amber liquid inside the
hydrometer?" Apparently for untold batches an imperceptible hairline crack
had developed in the weighted end of my hydrometer. It had been taking on
wort, as it were.
Moral: Don't get so caught up in complicated, mind-numbing, high tech,
highfalutin, scientific, calculating, engineering, modeling solutions to
problems that you overlook the simplest of answers.
Disclaimer: I'm not implying that this could have caused the above problems
but... have you inverted your hydrometer lately?
Hope this helps.
Rick Foote
Whistle Pig Brewing
Murrayville, GA
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 14:02:02 -0400
From: "Milone, Gilbert" <gilbert.milone@uconn.edu>
Subject: Guinness
Hi All,
First thanks for all the bottling responses, Do any of you have
experience with a keg of Guinness? I'm going to get a half barrell of it
next weekend. I would like to know if I can use a the standard air type tap
that the package store will supply, or should I get something special?
Thanks,
Gil Milone
private replies ok - Gilbert.milone@uconn.edu
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 12:55:01 -0700
From: "Fred Waltman" <fwaltman@mediaone.net>
Subject: October European Beer Trip
A group of us are making our annual pilgrimage "across the pond" to drink
beer. In case any of you are going to the same events, or are just going to
be traveling in the area on business and would like to get together and
drink beer with fellow homebrewers, here are the key dates:
Tues Oct 16 Duesseldorf for Sticke bier at zum Uerige
Fri,Sat Oct 26,27 Amsterdam for the Bokbierfest
Sun Oct 28 Poperinge for the Karakterbier fest
Fri Nov 2 Antwerp, at the Kulminator
Sat,Sun Nov 3,4 Antwerp for the 24 Hours of Belgian Special Beer
In between the dates we will be drinking beer in Koeln, Bamberg, Munich and
various places in Belgium. If you are really hard core you can hang around a
bit longer:
Sat Nov 10 Brussel for the open brew day at Cantillion
Thur Nov 14 Duesseldorf for Latzenbier at Schumacher.
More details and pictures of previous trips can be found at
www.StickeWarriors.com or email me for details. If you are going to be in
the area, we'd love drink some beer with you!
Fred Waltman
Culver City Home Brewing Supply (Los Angeles area)
fred@brewsupply.com www.brewsupply.com *or* www.StickeWarriors.com
PS: Since Jeff Renner changed email addresses do all of our cyber-Rennerian
co-ordinates change?
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 05:44:20 +0900
From: Christopher Jon Poel <cjpoel@zb3.so-net.ne.jp>
Subject: Re: Bottling & Kegging combo question
At 12:25 AM -0400 7/11/01, "Donald D. Lake" <dlake@gdi.net> wrote:
>I'm still new at this kegging thing, so I'm still learning. My question
>is about kegging say about 4 gallons in a 5 gallon C-Keg and bottling 1
>gallon for competiton.
>
>What's the best way to do it? I've been siphoning off a gallon into a
>bottling bucket, adding corn sugar or DME and then bottling as usual.
>Are there better methods?
What I've been doing lately is to rack all the beer to the corny with
the normal 1/3 cup priming sugar. Then I hook up my bottling hose and
filler to the out fitting, hook up the CO2 set on very low, and then
bottle from there. Each bottle gets one or two PrimeTabs (great
product!) to bump up the carbonation. It's easy to get a half a case
of bottles this way -- and no need to worry about sanitizing extra
bottling buckets!
Chris
- --
Mmmmm . . . beer!
International Beer Scrutinizers
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 14:34:20 -0700
From: "Hedglin, Nils A" <nils.a.hedglin@intel.com>
Subject: RE: Dishwashers
From: alastair <alastair@odin.he.net>
>I assume the fact that the bottles get heated to +150F is good enough to
kill off any baddies
>Thanks!
>Alastair
I too have wondered about the use of a dishwasher's heated dry cycle as a
sterlizing method. My bottle washing includes:
1) Making sure to only use bottles that have no visible residue
2) Soaking them in an idophor solution
3) Use a bottle brush with the wire handle cut off so it can be put into a
drill to scrub out any remaining dirt
4) Rinsing them with water to remove the idophor residue (we have a
whole-house water filter so I don't worry about additional baterial
contamination)
5) Drying them in a rack with a bunch of holes that the necks go through so
there's nothing touching the inside of the bottles
6) Storing them upside down in the boxes
This is all done 1-2 days before bottling. On the day of bottling, I load
the bottles into the dishwasher & run them through just the heated dry cycle
for a last minute sterilization. Do you think this final dry cycle actually
does anything?
Thanks,
Nils Hedglin
Sacramento, CA
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Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 13:16:18 -0500
From: "Tom Jabas" <tomjabas@sihope.com>
Subject: Malt storage question
Hi all,
I've recently started buying grains in bulk to save some money. I know I
need to store them in a cool, dry place, but I live in Minnesota and the
weather doesn't always cooperate. My question is how humid is too humid,
and how warm is too warm. At what point is the malt in danger of losing its
freshness...60, 70, 80 degrees...50, 60, 70% humidity? I haven't been able
to find any specific information. Everything I've read is pretty
generic...cool and dry. Also, what's the best way to store it? In the sack
it came in? Should I dump it in a five gallon pail and seal it up? Some
other method...
Thanks in advance for any info and/or suggestions,
Tom Jabas
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 22:56:06 -0400
From: Christopher Chow <theassman6@yahoo.com>
Subject: Building "Keggerator" need advice
Subject: Building "Keggerator" need advice
Hello fellow homebrewers,
Im about to move into a new apartment and one of my "house warming"
presents to myself is going to be a kegging system and a keg only fridge...
=) heres the question(s)
I plan on buying a chest frezer and adding a themostat. As for the keg
system I guess I want 2 kegs at least. What should I be looking for when
shopping for this refridgerator? Should I go with a new and fancy one from
best buy or wal-mart? Or are there better ones out there fod cheap? I
found a 5cuft chest frezer for ~ $200 with a flip up lid. Also, what is
the minimum size of box that will fit 2 kegs?
Also, what is your favored mounting technique for the taps? What can
be done with a top opening box?
note , im trying to be as frugel with this as possible im on a college guy
budget! although i can be very creative..
thanks guys
Christopher Chow
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #3682, 07/12/01
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