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HOMEBREW Digest #3863
HOMEBREW Digest #3863 Tue 12 February 2002
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
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Contents:
Screens...Hops...Break Material (mwb)
beer from dirt ..../clarity on clarity/dipsticks ("Steve Alexander")
Food grade oil ("Richard T. Perry")
sanitizing gaskets of Grolsch bottles (JohanNico)" <JohanNico.Aikema@akzonobel.com>
DON'T OIL IT!!! (Pat Babcock)
RE: Finishing a dip stick (Bill Tobler)
Bass Ale Ingredients ("Colby Fry")
"Stainless" Overbraid Hose (mohrstrom)
Mash one day, brew later. ("Ken Peters")
Kleinian Descriptive Humor (Pat Babcock)
Beer From Dirt Project ("Todd M. Snyder")
Fat Tyre Recipe ("David Craft")
Beer From Dirt ("Dan Listermann")
Kettle Screens ("Dennis Collins")
Brown Stains / Filter Screens in Kettle (Paul Kensler)
Test Tubes (I/T) - Eastman" <stjones@eastman.com>
grolsch gaskets sulphite instead of hypochlorite (JohanNico)" <JohanNico.Aikema@akzonobel.com>
Re: McGinty's Irish-American Ale (Jeff Renner)
Re: cornmeal (Jeff Renner)
Screens/Firing Triacs at 0 crossings (AJ)
Teaching a Homebrew class (I/T) - Eastman" <stjones@eastman.com>
RUBBERMAID COOLER - FALSE BOTTOM (LJ Vitt)
flip-top gasket sanitation ("Peter Torgrimson")
Finishing a dip stick ("Peter Torgrimson")
re: flip-top gasket sanitation (carlos benitez)
RE: bazooka screen (Brian Lundeen)
Re: McGinty's Irish-American Ale (Keith Stevenson)
Ahhhhh... HBD again! ("Pannicke, Glen A.")
Kettle Cleaner (Richard Foote)
DIPA Festival 2002 (G C)
South Shore Brewoff - competition announcement (McNally Geoffrey A NPRI)
March 10 BJCP EXAM ("David Houseman")
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 21:09:38 -0800 (PST)
From: mwb@brewer.net
Subject: Screens...Hops...Break Material
Brian Lundeen sez...
"Not trying to slam you here, Wayne, but I will
continue my skepticism until I hear about successfully
using a screen (any screen) in a boil kettle from
someone who does not market the product.
I don't see this as being an issue of hop compaction so
much as the pellet hops simply will not provide the
'roughage' that the sticky goopy break material need
(and get from whole hops) in order to maintain drainage
paths. I can't see how any screen would not get
totally covered in this gunk and clog up instantly."
Well, I can tell you two things. One, I do not market
the product. I am merely an end user. Two, in my
experience with using a Bazooka Screen in a boil kettle
I have had no problems with clogging. EVER. Now mind
you I don't use a lot of pellet hops, but I have a few
times, and I just gotta ask you a question. Have you
seen the size of one of these things??? Its freaking
HUGE compared to an EZ-Masher or washing machine braid.
It's darn near a foot long and almost 1" in diameter.
I've had 8-10 oz of hops in my boiler and not ever had
a problem with the screen clogging up while draining.
Just make sure that if it does start to look like its
gonna have issues to take your mash paddle or a spoon
and gently move the hops out of the way. No need to
worry.
Marshall George
Glen Carbon, IL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 02:46:41 -0500
From: "Steve Alexander" <steve-alexander@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: beer from dirt ..../clarity on clarity/dipsticks
Dan Listermann wrote ...
>Maryanne Gruber of Briess Malting told me that the problem was that I was
>trying to grow barley in the Ohio Valley which is evidently too humid.
I thought that comment was a bit off, but after poking around I found some
papers that calculate crop stress in terms of temperature and relative
humidity and MaryAnnG may well be right. Obviously high humidity enhances
the possibility of fungal diseases too. I am planning my own beer from dirt
project, and I hope my Northern Ohio locale won't encounter Dan's problem.
It's worth noting that a little farther up the Ohio Valley in far Western PA
barley had been historically grown. I've a beer from dirt project underway
myself.
=========
Clarity ....
I have a nice 50IBU APA which was fermented with WL-023 and is well beyond
hazy into the murky range. Anyway I transferred the beer rather late to a
secondary where it stayed between 50F-58F for about four weeks before
kegging. It was hazy in the secondary and had been hazy and yeasty tasting
for 2-3 days in the keg. I pulled 3-24oz clear bottles of beer from the
keg under different conditions. One was filled to prevent oxygen contact
(bottom fill, CO2 prefill), one was filled with a purposeful attempt to add
O2 (filled from the top,shaken at half fill) and the third was filled with
minimal O2 contact and 1/4 tsp of gelatin. After 24 hours the differences
were obvious. The 'no O2' bottle was murkiest, the O2 contact was a notch
clearer, and the gelatin added bottle was a clearer still. After 48 hours
the order was the same, but the bottle w/ gelatin was far clearer yet
(acceptably hazy - semi-clear). Jeff is right gelatin can be remarkably
effective.
I've some more tests underway to ID the stuff the gelatin trapped.
=============
Lou King asks about Finishing a dip stick
>Will polyurethane break down at boiling temperatures?
No, but it will release dangerous VOCs.
>Alternately, where do I find "food grade oil" suitable for this purpose?
"USP Mineral Oil" can be found in any pharmacy and it's a classic finish for
cutting boards and will completely kill the foam and head of your beer. Do
NOT use any oil on your brewing dipstick.
For wood, UNFINISHED hard maple or 'rock maple' is the top choice. It's
the traditional wood for kitchen utensils. Sycamore is a good second
choice,and white oak and hickory are distant third choices. Note that
some woods like cherry and members of the pine, fir, cypress, cedar families
will impart unacceptable flavors and others including many dark and tropical
woods are allergenic and/or poisonous.
Anyway hot wort is a very tough environment for any wood. By far the best
choice for dipstick is plastic. US Plastic sells most everything imaginable
made of plastic including paddles and long spoons and dowels of nylon.
Select FDA approved plastic items. No affiliation ...
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.asp
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 21:46:25 +1200
From: "Richard T. Perry" <perryrt@hotmail.com>
Subject: Food grade oil
You asked about food grade oil - might I suggest your kitchen cabinet
as a source? Specifically, Wesson or any other vegetable-based oil.
I've used it to fry with, and that's a lot hotter than 212F/100C.
The only concern I would have would be flavors added to the beer,
but as long as you don't use anything really sharply flavored
(extra virgin olive oil or say peanut oil) you shoud be OK.
Suggest sanding the stick just a little to "open the pores", then
wipe with the oil, repeat several times, let hang to dry. Eventually,
it will get a sheen that means it's picked up all the oil it can handle.
Then as part of your cleanup routine, just wipe again. You'll have to repeat
the first dozen or so times you use it - eventually, the oil will soak in to
the point that you don't have to do it every time. I've got some wood salad
bowls and serving utensils that are so impregnated at this point (10 years
old), I think they'll never need wiping with oil again.
However, pine might not be the best choice - too porous. Perhaps mahogany or
oak. I'm not really a woodworker, though. Any suggestions out there?
If I may be so bold, faced with the same problem you had, I found a
different solution. At work, I have access to small diameter SS
tubing - I cut a length of 1/4" taller than my 9 gal brewpot, and scored it
with a tubing cutter for every half gallon up to max pot capacity.
Then all you have to do is insert and count down from 9 or whatever. I think
the same idea would work OK with copper (and is probably easier to get than
SS.)
One safety note - metal conducts heat. You would think that was
self-evident. It certainly was the first time I used my stick and was trying
to count rings. I got to about 7.5...
I have a one-of-a-kind, crocheted by the wife, stick cozy now. Strangely,
she tells me that there are no patterns for that - she
had to improvise from a glove pattern :^)
Anyway, good luck with either of the above methods.
Regards,
Richard Perry
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands
Rennarian [Waytheheckoutthere,thataway]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 13:15:04 +0100
From: "Aikema, J.N. (JohanNico)" <JohanNico.Aikema@akzonobel.com>
Subject: sanitizing gaskets of Grolsch bottles
Hi,
Henry asked about sanitizing the gaskets of Grolsch bottles.
What I do, is disinfect the bottles without the gasket in a organic chloro
compound solution.
At the same time I boil water, throw the gaskets in, add some
sodiumhyopchlorite and boil a few minutes.
Then I allow the solution to cool. I don't rinse the gaskets. I'm satisfied
with this procedure.
Greetings from Holland (Europe), Hans Aikema
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 07:52:37 -0500 (EST)
From: Pat Babcock <pbabcock@hbd.org>
Subject: DON'T OIL IT!!!
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...
"Richard T. Perry" <perryrt@hotmail.com> quips:
> ...Wesson or any other vegetable-based oil. I've used it to
> fry with, and that's a lot hotter than 212F/100C. The only
> concern I would have would be flavors added to the beer, but
> as long as you don't use anything really sharply flavored
> (extra virgin olive oil or say peanut oil) you shoud be OK.
Mmmm, I'd be more concerned with the oil being picked up by the
hot water and wort and killing the heading of your beer than I'd
be about any flavors. First off, your beer should LOOK
good. Without a head, many won't get to the point where they'd
taste any off flavors induced by the oils...
- --
-
God bless America!
Pat Babcock in SE Michigan pbabcock@hbd.org
Home Brew Digest Janitor janitor@hbd.org
HBD Web Site http://hbd.org
The Home Brew Page http://hbd.org/pbabcock
[18, 92.1] Rennerian
"The monster's back, isn't it?" - Kim Babcock after I emerged
from my yeast lab Saturday
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 06:52:39 -0600
From: Bill Tobler <wctobler@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: RE: Finishing a dip stick
In HBD #3862, Lou King asks:
"I don't know if "dip stick" is the right term, but I'm talking about
using a piece of wood to determine how much wort or water is in a
kettle. What's the right term?"
In a Chemical Plant, that would be called "Strapping a Tank" I don't
think they use that term in brewing. Dip stick sounds good to me.
If you are just checking the level of boiling water or wort, don't worry
about sanitizing the dip stick. Just don't stick it in after chilling. You
could use a piece of Stainless Steel tubing, and make marks with a tubing
cutter at gallon intervals. Cheep and easy would be a piece of copper pipe
from the hardware store. You could also mark the inside of you kettle, and
go that route. Do you have a long handled SS spoon? Make some marks on it.
If you must use wood, I would use a hard wood, like oak or cherry. Ash
would be good too. I don't think I would use pine, it has a distinct flavor.
Maybe chemicals too. And don't finish the wood, then you will have
chemicals.
Bill Tobler
Lake Jackson, TX
(1129.7, 219.9) Apparent Rennerian
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:12:44 -0500
From: "Colby Fry" <colbyfry@pa.net>
Subject: Bass Ale Ingredients
I was reading through a book about cloning European beers and I am interested
in cloning a beer like Bass Draught. The grain bill calls for halcyon malt and
pale crystal malt. The hops are Seeded Northdown and Challenger. The yeast is
B-U-T 2-strain. I was wondering the following questions. Concerning this beer.
1. Where can one buy halcyon malt in US either by the pound or by the 50lb
bag.
2. Where can one buy Seeded Norhdown hops? Challenger hops? OR are there any
substitutes for the hops?
3. Do any of the yeast manufacturer's carry Burton Upon Trents 'Two Strain'
yeast? e.g. White labs?, Wyeast?
I am also interested to know if anyone has tried this recipe in Brewing
European beers at Home, Draught Bass clone. I am usually not a beer cloning
person, but I would like to make a pale ale as my 'house beer'. Thank you in
advance for any replies private or public.
Colby Fry
Roxbury, Pa
pop. 600
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:45:59 -0500
From: mohrstrom@humphrey-products.com
Subject: "Stainless" Overbraid Hose
The recent talk of using the stainless overbraid from washing machine
hoses prompts me to post this warning.
While constructing my hopback, I dashed into Farm and Fleet about thirty
seconds before closing time, and grabbed the aforementioned hose from the
shelf. While waiting in the checkout line, I was mindlessly running my
fingernail along the braid. A slowly dawning light came upon me, and I
took a closer look at the braid. It was not the desired stainless, but an
"Engineered Polymer Material" (we know it as "plastic"). Good enough for
the laundry, but I'd suspect that it might add an "off" character to your
brew ...
Mark in Kalamazoo
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 07:53:38 -0600
From: "Ken Peters" <kpeters@mmcable.com>
Subject: Mash one day, brew later.
I am getting ready to make the jump to all grain after several batches of
partial mash. However, I (like I suppose most people) don't have a great
deal of spare time. So, this brings me to my question- can I mash on one
day, store the wort in the fridge (sanitized carboy) for a couple of days and
then brew? Making
all necessary allowances for sanitation, etc. is this feasible? If feasible,
is it advisable- I mean are there any noticable adverse effects upon the
wort? TIA.
Ken Peters
Harrah, Ok
9132,358.7 Apparent Renneian.( I think)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:06:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Pat Babcock <pbabcock@hbd.org>
Subject: Kleinian Descriptive Humor
Greetings, Beerlings! Take me to your lager...
I really should get off of Bob Klein's back by throwing this 365
Bottles Of Beer For The Year calendar in the trash, but it's so
entertaining. Get this: "The accompanying honey-sweet undertow
provides a good balance to the yeasty tartness." Bwah-ha-ha!
Look, dear! The tide of my beer is in! Watch that honey-sweet
undertow! Tee-hee! And just what is "yeasty tartness"?
"The flavors become more integrated at the end." Ales described
as both sweet and dry in the same sentence... moderated flavors
rising and falling... beers being "veined" with flavors... The
litany grows.
Did you know that, in the world according to Klein that beer was
not put into barrels until US Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay
directed it to be so during WWII? Guess all that history
regarding beer being packaged in barrels before other types of
packaging were even INVENTED is false, hey Rob? Those barrels on
the beer wagons in pre-WWII movies, pre-twentieth century
paintings, literature et al were just fabrications?
The most unfortunate thing about this guy's work is that someone
has published and is selling it. The second most unfortunate
thing about it is the masses who will blindly believe it,
takining these inane, if not whimsical, descriptions as gospel.
Maybe I have them reveresed.
No, in retrospect, Steve, the BJCP and other beer judges should
avoid such "fanciful descriptive language" like the plague. The
key here is that all of this idiot's work is fanciful and too
little of it is actually descriptive of anything aside from a
strange alternate reality. I find it to be of little value in
describing the subject beers. His work is the result of lazy
research - it should have entailed more than just swilling every
ber he could get his hands on and taking notes on his
perceptions. It should have started with an understanding of
beers and brewing as well as an understanding of beer styles and
the current state of describing them as contained in Jackson of
Eckhardt's books.
Or maybe it's just me. I really need to throw this thing away...
- --
-
God bless America!
Pat Babcock in SE Michigan pbabcock@hbd.org
Home Brew Digest Janitor janitor@hbd.org
HBD Web Site http://hbd.org
The Home Brew Page http://hbd.org/pbabcock
[18, 92.1] Rennerian
"The monster's back, isn't it?" - Kim Babcock after I emerged
from my yeast lab Saturday
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:08:17 -0500
From: "Todd M. Snyder" <tmsnyder@buffalo.edu>
Subject: Beer From Dirt Project
Anyone actually interested in converting dirt to beer is eventually going to
want a harvestor for reaping in (literally) all that homegrown barley.
Getting the grain out of the field and into the sack may be a significant
obstacle for someone interested in doing this, but no longer! I happen to
know of an old (50's era?) but fully functional harvestor just waiting to be
put back into action, and it can be had for very little $.
Most of this posting is done tongue-in-cheek, but on the (very) off-chance
that someone is actually going to try to do this, you are going to need a
harvestor.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:05:53 -0500
From: "David Craft" <David-Craft@craftinsurance.com>
Subject: Fat Tyre Recipe
Greetings,
I made the Fat Tyre clone last month that was in Brew Your Own about last
March. Being in NC I cannot get this beer to do a side by side. I tasted
it out west about 2 years ago, but my memory fails me...............But I
loved out there. My friends loved it at a Superbowl party last week, much
more so than the English Bitter I also had on tap.
If I were making this again and I probably will, I would add one pound of
additional Munich to add a little more body and sweetness to the beer. I
might also back off of the Chocolate just a bit too. My example is a little
dryer than I remember out west. The recipe is for 5 gallons into the
fermenter. So if you want 5 gallons of finished beer you better adjust the
recipe up to 6 gallons.
Check the BYO website, I think you can still find it there........
Regards,
David B. Craft
Battleground Brewers Homebrew Club
Crow Hill Brewery and Meadery
Greensboro, NC
Apparent Rennarian 478.4, 152
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:08:43 -0500
From: "Dan Listermann" <dan@listermann.com>
Subject: Beer From Dirt
Regarding Steve Alexander's comments on this subject. Mary Anne Gruber main
concern was that the humidity seemed to have caused some of my pathetic
barley corns to germinate on the stalk ( head? Whatever) It is not pretty.
I still have them. Anybody who stops by the shop and asks is welcome to
commiserate with me.
Dan Listermann
Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com
Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:23:40 -0500
From: "Dennis Collins" <dcollins@drain-all.com>
Subject: Kettle Screens
Brian Writes:
"Not trying to slam you here, Wayne, but I will continue my skepticism until
I hear about successfully using a screen (any screen) in a boil kettle from
someone who does not market the product."
In considering a screen for my kettle, I went with the assumption that
bigger is better. I hate whirlpooling because it takes time (the stirring
and settling) and I have to remember to sanitize my paddle (as if there
weren't enough things to remember on brew day). I ended up making a screen
myself. It's a screen formed around the dip tube made from two circular
pieces of 20 mesh stainless steel screen. I made a pattern and cut the two
pieces so that they could be folded and locked together (no screws no
welding no solder). The end result is a flying saucer shaped screen about 8
inches in diameter with the dip tube inside. You can see a picture of it at
http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com. Go to the Kettle page. I can provide
fabrication details if anyone is interested.
I have had really good luck with this. No whirlpooling and the drain valve
wide open to my counter-flow chiller.
Dennis Collins
Knoxville, TN
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 06:27:37 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Kensler <paul_kensler@yahoo.com>
Subject: Brown Stains / Filter Screens in Kettle
Tom Byrnes asked about cleaning the brown stains off
the bottom of a kettle... I've used PBW on most of my
cleaning chores, but I've also used BLC with good
success on particularly stubborn brown stains that PBW
and elbow grease just couldn't hack.
Regarding the debate on the usefulness of a Zymico
Bazooka screen... I have a "Bazooka T" and have used
it successfully for the last 6 or so batches.
Previously I was using a dual-prong manifold with
surescreens on each prong - this homemade device
worked great on whole hops but froze up instantly with
pellets - that's why I tried the Bazooka T. The
Bazooka's screens are much larger than the sure
screens, and the mesh has much larger holes so it
hasn't clogged. The tradeoff is that it does allow
some hop particles through because of the more open
mesh - but I prefer whole hops anyway. It also sits
higher in my kettle (I boil in a Sankey keg), so a lot
more of the trub / pellet gunk is below the screen. I
just don't think it would be possible to clog one of
these Bazooka screens without using several pounds of
hop pellets, FWIW.
Paul Kensler
Gaithersburg, MD
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:40:41 -0500
From: "Jones, Steve (I/T) - Eastman" <stjones@eastman.com>
Subject: Test Tubes
Doug,
I have been ranching about 4 years on my own and I used to purchase prepared
slants from Grape & Granary (NAYYJASC; www.grapeandgranary.com) for $.85
each. I believe that they are the 16x125 size.
Recently I got some club members interested in doing it, and we went in on a
purchase of 1000 tubes + caps from VWR Scientific. Here is a link to the
specific page for tubes (
http://www.vwrsp.com/catalog/product/index.cgi?object_id=0013268 ). Don't
forget to buy caps, too, as they are not included. We bought the 13x100
size, which are small but work just fine. We bought the granulated DME &
powdered Agar from B3 (NAYYJASC; www.morebeer.com) to make up the media for
the slants. Our cost was less than $.30 per slant.
A WORD OF WARNING: Don't try to make up 500 agar slants at one time without
professional help & equipment!! ;^) The agar begins to set before you can
get all of them filled & capped & in the autoclave, and that was using a
metered filling device that dispenses exact amounts and fills 1 tube per
second. Without this equipment, I wouldn't do more than about 50 at a time.
Also, beware of blisters on your fingers from so much screwing -- caps, that
is.
I would guess that you could find smaller quantities available, as I ran
into several other suppliers while searching (www.google.com, select ALL
KEYWORDS culture, tubes, glass, screw) for these that had quantities of
144, 250, etc. However, the per-unit cost was considerably higher. For
instance, here is one at Bellco: http://www.bellcoglass.com/us/2012.htm.
Hope this helps.
Steve Jones
Johnson City, TN
[421.8 mi, 168.5 deg] Apparent Rennerian
http://users.chartertn.net/franklinbrew
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 15:58:21 +0100
From: "Aikema, J.N. (JohanNico)" <JohanNico.Aikema@akzonobel.com>
Subject: grolsch gaskets sulphite instead of hypochlorite
Hi,
Sorry, I wrote sodiumhypochlorite, where I wanted to write sodiumsulphite.
I want to use a disinfectant where minor remains are allowed in the beer.
Greetings from Holland (Europe), Hans Aikema
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:58:30 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner@mediaone.net>
Subject: Re: McGinty's Irish-American Ale
Keith Stevenson <k.stevenson@kagekaze.org> writes from Louisville, KY
>I lack the equipment, patience, skill, etc. to brew an all grain batch
but then he went and "mini" mashed >6-1/2 pounds of grain!
Keith - you're like Bert Lahr's lion in Wizard of Oz, who thought he
didn't have courage. You've done it! You were virtually all-grain.
If you had tossed the dry malt extract and used an three extra pounds
of malt, it probably wouldn't have been any harder.
I would guess that the reason the mash went better than any before is
precisely because you had more malt. Mini-mashes are hard because
you don't have enough grain to get a really effective grain bed to
filter the wort.
>1) I noticed a lot more trub that I am accustomed to seeing in the bottom of
> my kettle. Is this a function of the non-malt fermentables or the high
> protein content of the 6-row malt? (Or is it something else entirely?)
It's hard to say without seeing it, but my guess is that some of it
may have been particulate matter from the mash. How clear did you
get the wort from recirculating? And another part is probably from
the higher protein of not only the 6-row but the flaked barley. But
this isn't that much more than 2-row.
>2) What is the appropriate carbonation level for this sort or beer?
I like to serve it a cellar temperature and British carbonation from
a keg, but carbonation like American ales (2+ volumes) would be fine,
too, especially if you bottle it.
>Thanks for the recipe Jeff!
You are most welcome. I hope you inspire others to brew this for St.
Paddy's Day. Please report back on now it turns out in the end.
/////
Thanks to Arnold for alerting folks that Comcast, which took over
Mediaone's email, has been even more FUBAR lately than usual, and is
bouncing mail from some ISPs, including HBD.org (I have to read HBD
on the net). If you get a bounce, email me at <nerenner@umich.edu>,
which is successfully forwarding to me.
Comcast has been promising us for over a month that we'll be able to
get new comcast.net email addresses (as opposed to the assigned one
with 6 digits and half my name). I hope that it will be
jeffrenner@comcast.net, but who knows. At any rate, the old mediaone
one will stop working at the end of the month, they say. I hope they
will extend this since they haven't let us get new addresses yet.
Jeff
- --
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner@mediaone.net
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 10:05:02 -0500
From: Jeff Renner <JeffRenner@mediaone.net>
Subject: Re: cornmeal
Brian Lundeen writes from the great frozen north (Winnipeg)
>Does cornmeal, pound for pound, contribute the same amount of extract
>as flaked corn? ProMash has flaked corn but not corn meal inits ingredient
>database and I want to be certain I'm formulating my recipe correctly. I
>also see some cornmeal labelled as pre-cooked. Can this go straight in the
>mash or does it need the double mash, too? Should I avoid it and just buy
>plain old-fashioned uncooked stuff?
If you mash it properly, it should be the same. They are both just
corn endosperm. Precooked should work straight in the mash. I got a
25 lb. bag of Briess precooked "Instagrits" once for brewing and they
worked fine.
I'd avoid any that is enriched with iron, though. It could interfere
with yeast health. (Water with >1ppm iron is warned against for this
reason).
Jeff
- --
Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, JeffRenner@mediaone.net
"One never knows, do one?" Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 15:18:05 +0000
From: AJ <ajdel@mindspring.com>
Subject: Screens/Firing Triacs at 0 crossings
I can atttest that screens in the kettle do a fine job at separating
hops and trub from knocked out wort without gumming up and I don't make
or sell them.
There are other reasons for firing triacs at 0 crossings. In todays
world lots of the load seen by a utility and distribution system is
switching power supplies. These do not draw sinusoidal current from the
line with the result that there is lots of current at harmonics of 60
Hz. This requires derating of switch gear, transformers etc. Before
installing equipment into many sites one is required to demonstrate that
line current harmonics are below specified levels. Triacs fired at other
than the 0 crossing would augment the harmonic currents and aggravate
this problem further.
A.J.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 10:21:54 -0500
From: "Jones, Steve (I/T) - Eastman" <stjones@eastman.com>
Subject: Teaching a Homebrew class
Some members of our club are going to be teaching a homebrewing class
beginning a little more than a week from now. We announced it with a limit
of 14 students, and were full within 5 days. So, we decided to expand it to
21. Our goal is to expand the hobby in our immediate area, possibly gaining
some new club members, & to educate our suppliers on brewing & possibly
enhance their business in the process. A more knowledgable supplier with
more homebrew customers can only be good for all of us.
We will be holding it at our local supply store (basically a
vineyard/winemaking supplier with a corner dedicated to basic homebrew
supplies) with little brewing experience. They are donating a Brewer's Best
equipment kit & basic ingredients kit, and our club will donate 2 more
ingredients kits & basic paperwork. We will be brewing 3 batches - basically
splitting our students into 3 groups of 7 for brewing/bottling purposes,
then each student will take home a sixer of brew (2 bottles of each batch)
after the 3rd class. We will also raffle the equipment kit to one lucky
student. The supplier will offer 'graduates' 10% off on the purchase of an
equipment kit/ingredients kit combination.
Basically we plan to introduce basic concepts and brew a basic extract with
grains batch the first class; then bottle & discuss basic concepts in more
detail the second class (2 weeks later); then taste & discuss more advanced
topics the 3rd class (another 2 weeks). Each session will be 3 hours, and
will include 3 or 4 samplings of homebrews. It is a condensed version of the
AHA's guide to teaching a class.
What I'm wondering is if anyone with experience teaching a homebrewing class
has any advice, or pitfalls to avoid.
Steve Jones
Johnson City, TN
[421.8 mi, 168.5 deg] Apparent Rennerian
http://users.chartertn.net/franklinbrew
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 07:43:16 -0800 (PST)
From: LJ Vitt <lvitt4@yahoo.com>
Subject: RUBBERMAID COOLER - FALSE BOTTOM
John had asked about false bottom for rubbermade cooler.
Instead of false bottom, I have an easy masher in my cooler.
Actually, I made my own copy of an easy masher.
>From a hardware store, I found everything I needed.
Brass ball valve, about 1 foot of cpper tubing
stainless hose clamps to hold the screen around the tubing.
Stainless screws to hold it together
Threaded connection through the hole
I drilled lots of holes in the tube and wrapped the stainless screen
around it. I put it to gether with screws to allow disassembly to clean
if necessary.
- Leo Vitt
Rochester, MN
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:04:26 -0800
From: "Peter Torgrimson" <petertorgrimson@prodigy.net>
Subject: flip-top gasket sanitation
"Henry Van Gemert" <hvangeme@edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu> writes:
>I've finally accumulated enough empty Grolsch bottles to set up a 5 gal
>batch in them. Is there a preferred technique of making sure the
gaskets are
>sanitized?
I use flip-top bottles also. I don't know what is REQUIRED, but what I
do is as follows, and I have never had a problem.
1. I disaassemble the wire cage and gasket assemblies from the bottles
and sanitize the bottles (with foil caps) in the oven at 350 F. for one
hour and I leave the bottles in the oven until they are cool.
2. I disassemble the rubber gaskets from the plastic/ceramic caps.
I do steps 1 and 2 before bottling day. I replace any gaskets which are
tearing.
3. Just before starting bottling, I sanitize the caps (with wire cages)
and gaskets in an iodophor solution. After a few minutes, I assemble
the gaskets on the caps and put them back in the iodophor.
4. After I have filled the bottles, I put each cap assembly on a
bottle, taking care to not touch the underside of the cap and gasket.
Practice with this beforehand, as the wire cage can go on the bottle two
different ways, but only one way is correct.
Peter Torgrimson
Austin, TX
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:12:28 -0800
From: "Peter Torgrimson" <petertorgrimson@prodigy.net>
Subject: Finishing a dip stick
I guess I am just too lazy. I bought an aluminium yardstick at the
hardware store to use as a dip stick. I calibrated all of my buckets
and pots in inches and I look up the gallon value on a table or graph.
I use plastic page holders to keep the pages from getting too wet.
Peter Torgrimson
Austin, TX
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:18:03 -0800 (PST)
From: carlos benitez <greenmonsterbrewing@yahoo.com>
Subject: re: flip-top gasket sanitation
Hi,
I've removed the gaskets, flipped them away from the
top, and left them in place (I use a bleach solution
for a sanitizer) - I've never noticed a difference in
the finished product. That is not to say that there
wasn't one, but I never noticed one ;-)
Good Luck and Good Brewing.
=====
BIBIDI !
Brew It Bottle It Drink It
Carlos Benitez - Green Monster Brewing
Bainbridge, PA, U.S.A.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 11:27:54 -0600
From: Brian Lundeen <blundeen@rrc.mb.ca>
Subject: RE: bazooka screen
Wayne Holder puts his money where his mouth is when he offers:
> Brian,
>
> If you would agree to follow my advice, email me your address
> and I'll send you the Bazooka screen of your choice. I would
> only ask that you agree to post your results to this forum as
> "someone who does not market the product".
Well, Wayne, no need to put yourself out of pocket to try and win me over. I
simply said I was skeptical of manufacturers' claims (probably from my
experience with other products which I won't identiphy), but other people
have stepped forth to back you up so I will accept that a screen CAN work in
a kettle with pellet hops, although whether it will work for me is another
matter.
You mention following your advice, and I also notice you recommend the
T-shaped screen for use in a keg, which is what my boiler is. I would like
to know more about your recommendations for making it work properly. Where
does the screen actually sit? Is it extended toward the center or is it more
toward the outside? Does it sit on the very bottom or hang above the
surface? Most importantly, does it rely on a good whirlpooling of break
material to work properly? That could be a problem for me. I have an
electric kettle and can't seem to get a good whirlpool effect going, perhaps
because the elements extending into the wort are creating too much
turbulence. I had hoped that by concentrating the gunk in the middle, the
outer portions of my false bottom would remain clear and provide a drainage
path to the center pickup. Alas, it has not worked that way, and I share
Pat's frustration with having to intervene to keep the juices flowing.
Anyway, post or email me with more information. If it looks like it might be
a good solution for me, I will consider ordering one, although I would
prefer to buy through a Canadian distributor, if you have one.
Cheers
Brian Lundeen
Brewing at [314,829] aka Winnipeg
PS That "homebrewing" song? Clearly a metaphor for the alleged oppression of
human rights by the forces of economic globalization. That pinko
granola-sucker Ethan didn't fool me for a second. ;-)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 12:45:40 -0500
From: Keith Stevenson <k.stevenson@kagekaze.org>
Subject: Re: McGinty's Irish-American Ale
On Mon, Feb 11, 2002 at 09:58:30AM -0500, Jeff Renner wrote:
>
> Keith - you're like Bert Lahr's lion in Wizard of Oz, who thought he
> didn't have courage. You've done it! You were virtually all-grain.
> If you had tossed the dry malt extract and used an three extra pounds
> of malt, it probably wouldn't have been any harder.
:)
> I would guess that the reason the mash went better than any before is
> precisely because you had more malt. Mini-mashes are hard because
> you don't have enough grain to get a really effective grain bed to
> filter the wort.
Huh. I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. This was only batch #7,
so I guess I felt like I still needed some training wheels.
> >1) I noticed a lot more trub that I am accustomed to seeing in the bottom of
> > my kettle. Is this a function of the non-malt fermentables or the high
> > protein content of the 6-row malt? (Or is it something else entirely?)
>
> It's hard to say without seeing it, but my guess is that some of it
> may have been particulate matter from the mash. How clear did you
> get the wort from recirculating? And another part is probably from
> the higher protein of not only the 6-row but the flaked barley. But
> this isn't that much more than 2-row.
I probably could have worked harder on the clarification step. Just as I was
wrapping up the sparge, I started picking up some particulate matter again.
The grain bed was probably opening up as the pressure decreased. Like I said,
I'm still working out the fine points.
Regards,
- --Keith Stevenson--
Louisville, KY
[294.7, 199.4] Apparent Rennerian (I think)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 13:54:53 -0500
From: "Pannicke, Glen A." <glen_pannicke@merck.com>
Subject: Ahhhhh... HBD again!
I have been away from the HBD for a week and cannot contain my exuberance to
be reading it once again!!! [Oh look. A puddle. ahem...]
Andy Woods asks:
> Also, are there any other dispensing systems available besides kegs,
party
>pigs, bottles, or german mini's that work well for a good price?
2L growlers. But they're bottles. Good for few days. German minis with
the CO2 tap worked very well for me for a few years. HOWEVER, the kegs will
rust if not properly cared for. I have encountered rust around the bung
[that doesn't sound good] and a pin hole leak on the seam. As for proper
care, I don't know what else you'd do after cleaning. It's hard to get all
the water out. Stick 'em in the oven on low heat for a while?
Ronnie Anderson wanted to know about splitting a 5 gallon batch:
>So, is it better to sparge into one big bucket and then split the
>batch between the two pots out of the bucket?
I used two 5 gallon stainless kettles for 8 gallon batches for quite some
time. I'd lauter into one until it was halfway full and set it on the
stovetop while I lautered into the second. Once the second was full, I'd
blend the two carefully with a 1 quart ladle and bring both up to boil.
Later on I added spigots to my kettles and eliminated the ladle altogether
by using a hose to do the blending. I then used a 3 gallon pot to collect
the rest from my lauter tun and added that equally to both kettles. I split
the hops equally and just didn't worry. In most cases they ended up within
a few points of each other.
Doug Moyer wanted to know where to get Test tubes with screw caps:
>One of our local yeast
>ranchers (Raymond Lowe) recommends test tubes with screw on caps. He got
his
>from the now defunct local homebrew supplier. I don't know where to find
>such a creature.
Many of our on-line homebrew shops carry these such as BB&MB, Brewer's
Resource, just to name a few. You can also find sources on the Net which
provide schools and other learning institutions with chemistry supplies.
Tom Byrnes needs a cleaner for his kettle:
>What would be good to clean the brown stains off the inside
>bottom of a stainless steel pot. Dishwashing liquid doesn't
> do the job.
I've found dishwashing detergent to work well only after a recent brew
session's mess. Caked on crud may require a long soak in a product like PBW
(with hot water). If that doesn't work, crack out the lye-based oven
cleaner and hit each spot individually. I even use oven cleaner to clean up
burnt on pitch from my power saw and router blades in the wood shop. Shy
away from abrasives which will expose new stainless and steel wool as you'll
develop rust. Always rinse well.
BTW, I just got back from Sweden and was dissapointed by most of the beer
selections. The only two beers there which seemed to save the trip were
Spendrups and Prips. Anxiously waiting for the prospect of a Belgian
business trip!!!!
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: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 14:06:19 -0500
From: Richard Foote <rfoote@mindspring.com>
Subject: Kettle Cleaner
Tom Byrnes asks:
>What would be good to clean the brown stains off the inside
>bottom of a stainless steel pot. Dishwashing liquid doesn't
> do the job.
BLC doesn't cut it. I use a product I get at a local janitorial supply
place called Blu-Lite (made by Franklin Chemicals?). It's main active
ingredient is 20% phosphoric acid. BLC is alkaline, as is I believe,
dishwashing detergent. Must be the acid that does the trick. Really cuts
that dull-looking brown film.
Rick Foote
Whistle Pig Brewery
Murrayville, GA
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 11:46:24 -0800 (PST)
From: G C <gsd4lyf@yahoo.com>
Subject: DIPA Festival 2002
I attended The Bistro's Double IPA Festival 2002 this
past Sat. in Hayward, CA, and I just wanted to thank
everyone involved for putting on such a great event.
Seventeen breweries participated, most of them from
CA. The average IBU's were 92, and the average A.B.V.
was 8.6. Unfortunately, I didn't sample them all, but
the ones I tried were all very impressive. If you are
a hophead looking for an IPA on steroids, these are
the beers for you. With names like D.U.I.P.A., Double
Trouble, Punch in the Eye, and Pliny the Elder, how
could anyone go wrong? Anyone brewing DIPA's at home?
Cheers,
Guy
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 18:33:52 -0500
From: McNally Geoffrey A NPRI <McNallyGA@Npt.NUWC.Navy.Mil>
Subject: South Shore Brewoff - competition announcement
The South Shore Brew Club is pleased to announce our 7th annual
South Shore Brewoff.
The competition will be held on Saturday March 23rd, 2002 at the
Rock Bottom Brewery in Braintree, MA. Entry deadline is Friday
March 15th, 2002.
We have registered with the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP)
and will be accepting entries in all 26 BJCP categories (including
mead and cider).
Competition entry packages containing entry forms, bottle labels,
judge/steward registration form, and other related information are
available from our club website at:
http://members.aol.com/brewclub/
If you have any questions contact Geoffrey McNally, the competition
organizer, at mcnallyga@npt.nuwc.navy.mil or 401-624-3953.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 19:28:06 -0500
From: "David Houseman" <housemanfam@earthlink.net>
Subject: March 10 BJCP EXAM
This will serve as a final reminder of an offering of the BJCP exam to be
given on March 10th in West Chester, PA. This exam is for those taking the
exam for a first time or who want to re-take the exam for a higher score; it
is open to all, not just local club members, and will likely be the only
time the exam will be given in Southeastern PA this year. The exam will
begin at 1:00 p.m. at Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant. Those wishing to
take this exam must contact David Houseman by the end of February and
provide a $10 deposit.
David Houseman
housemanfam@earthlink.net
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #3863, 02/12/02
*************************************
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