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HOMEBREW Digest #4277
HOMEBREW Digest #4277 Sat 21 June 2003
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
***************************************************************
THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
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Contents:
Pat's Alcoholic Jeans (SpamZapper)
Convoluted copper (FRASERJ)
Re: Crown Capper, beer consumption (J & B Gallihue)
smoking in bars (Alan McKay)
smoking et al. ("Haborak, Kevin")
alcoholism ("Dave Burley")
Brewing Software in PHP/MySQL -- Try Cyberbrau (cboyer)
Re: Smoking (Bill_Rehm)
Smoking, enough already.... ("Beer Phantom")
Sears Fridge ("Dave Burley")
RE:beer fridge (mas4786)
Home Brew Digest? (Ted Teuscher)
New poll.. what ABV brews you make? ("Eyre")
Re: Alc*ism (David Radwin)
Re: Digest/Alcoholism (NO Spam)
Re: smoking (NO Spam)
smoking (Paul Mahoney)
"I'm Dreaming of Brewing Software" (Part 1) (Alexandre Enkerli)
"I'm Dreaming of Brewing Software" (Part 2) (Alexandre Enkerli)
Porcelain Repair (mbauer)
RE: Paulaner Hefeweizen (Michael Hartsock)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 00:58:30 -0600
From: SpamZapper <spamzapper@comcast.net>
Subject: Pat's Alcoholic Jeans
Pat, I am here to tell you that the cure for your alcoholic jeans is
simple. Simply become a naturist!
Now, see - that was no problem at all.
BTW, make sure to wave proudly!
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is
bacteria. - German Proverb
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 06:30:11 -0400
From: FRASERJ@Nationwide.com
Subject: Convoluted copper
www.morebeer.com now sells the stuff, its pretty expensive but!!! $109 for
25 feet.
John M. Fraser
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 06:52:50 -0400
From: J & B Gallihue <jgallihue@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Crown Capper, beer consumption
>From: "David Craft" <chsyhkr@bellsouth.net>
>Subject: Crown Capper, beer consumption
>Does anyone sell a handheld crown capper for the larger >crown caps?
David, you can purchase a larger crown cap fixture for both hand and bench
cappers. I use champagne bottles very often, with excellent results. Your
local homebrew supplier should be able to order the part. The units differ
for the different type of cappers so make sure you get the correct one.
Your Hand"Craft" Beer will be well bottled! :-)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 07:41:22 -0400
From: Alan McKay <amckay@neap.net>
Subject: smoking in bars
Here in Ottawa we have had a sweeping ban on smoking for a couple
of years now, and it is going very well. From my experience 90% of
the establishments which complained the loudest are nothing but
dirty skank-holes that our community is better off anyway if they
did go out of business. Even still, two years later very few of
even these places went out of business. 60 seconds out my front
door is just such a place - the Carelton Tavern. They kicked,
and screamed, and continued to smoke in there for months and
months. I was there once having a beer with a buddy of mine when
a drunkard was beligerantly (sp?) blowing smoke into the face
of a bylaw enforcement officer.
But today they don't smoke in the Carleton, and they are doing
just as well as ever as for business. And I for one am more inclined
to drop in as a result.
As Brian correctly put it - this is a worker safety issue. Why is
it OK to protect factory workers from workplace hazards, but it is not
OK to protect waitresses and bartenders? Here in Ottawa there is
a well known case of a woman who waited tables for 40 years. She
didn't smoke a day in her life. She retired about 3 years ago ready
to settle down and enjoy her retirement when she was diagnosed with
terminal lung cancer. The doctor told her that her lungs looked
like she'd been a smoker for decades.
It has been 15 or so years now since smoking has been banned in
office environments, and I do not think you will find even a single
hard core chain smoker who will look back at those days and view
them as anything but barbaric. We look back at those days now and
ask ourselves "What the hell were we thinking, allowing people to
smoke in the office?". In 15 years we'll all be looking back at
the days when you coud smoke in a bar, and we'll be asking ourselves
exactly the same thing.
Oh, and BTW, I saw on the news the other night that Ottawa has
the strongest economy of any city in the world right now, so the
smoking ban certainly hasn't had the negative effects on the
economy that the doom-and-gloom naysayers were predicting.
- --
http://www.bodensatz.com/
The Beer Site
"Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is"
- Denny Conn
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 05:05:02 -0700
From: "Haborak, Kevin" <KHaborak@golder.com>
Subject: smoking et al.
Teresa said: 'but as soon as I walk into a PRIVATE business, if the owner
decides to allow his patrons to violently assault each other at will,
I should accept that I may get my nose broken as a consequence of
walking through the door'
Ever heard of a mosh pit?
IMHO, you have the right to go whever you want. But your freedom comes in
when you choose to or not to frequent said private establishment. If you
don't want to hear hate speech, don't go to a KKK rally. If you have a
problem with nudity, don't go to a strip club. If you don't want to be
around smokers, don't go to a bar/restaraunt that allows it. Each of these
can violate either your sense of morals, sense of ethics, or sense of well
being (health). But just because you find them offensive does not mean that
other people should not be allowed to do them in a public public where it is
revealed up front that said activities will be going on.
And chalk me up for 0-3 pints a night.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 08:18:33 -0400
From: "Dave Burley" <Dave_Burley@charter.net>
Subject: alcoholism
Brewsters:
I agree with AJ, there appears to be a high rate of alcoholism in the
Aboriginal community. I have seen many aboriginals in Oz lying around the
"water hole" ( liquor store) in the early AM waiting for it to open. It is a
pitiful sight. What percentage is due to genetics and what percentage is due
to poor economic conditions and loss of indigenous culture is unknown, but it
is a stain on the Australian society as much as the American Reservation
Indian's high rate of alcoholism is a stain on ours.
Of course, in our society, liberals prevent forcing these people to get help
( check out ACLU) , much the same as we prevent mentally ill who can't take
care of themselves and live on the street. We'd prefer them to live a
miserable life and freeze to death, so it seems. I guess I don't understand
what has happened in this country over the past few decades about taking care
of your brother. I believe in free choice and will more than most people,BUT
the underlying assumption is that you are mentally able to make the decision.
- ----------------
I had a neighbor once that drank at least an eight pack of 16 oz beers - and
not the wimpy light stuff - every night. Trash day was a noisy affair as they
emptied a complete trash can full of empty bottles. He's dead at the early age
of 44.
Alcoholics can just drink beer. And we have had more than one on this digest.
If you need help, just ask. Just don't expect to be enabled by any
knowledgable person. It is a personal decision.
Keep on Brewin'
Dave Burley
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 07:23:41 -0400
From: cboyer@ausoleil.org
Subject: Brewing Software in PHP/MySQL -- Try Cyberbrau
>I'm more of a server-whacker and JOAT than a software developer, but
>currently my magic bullet for these sort of things is MySQL for databases
>and PHP or Perl for web-interface, calculations, etc.
>Plus, it's free, cross-platform, and we can all pitch in. There's an
>example homebrewing database at www.phpgroupware.org (though it ain't yet
>something I would call useful).
I'm like you, more of a systems guy than a software developer, but you really
can't get terribly far in the UNIX (and variants) world without picking up some
decent scripting ability. From that, it's hardly a jump to Perl and PHP. MySL
is as simple as it gets for a relational database as well. All very good stuff.
Anyway, out on SourceForge there is a project called Cyberbrau. Seems mostly
abandoned these days, but it is a MySQL/PHP implementation of a brewing
database, and while it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of ProMash,
it does have more than adequate ability for the average partial mash brewer.
the only real drawback I can think of is that it's ingredient tables could be
fuller, but if one were to take the time to add a malt or a hop when they need
to, after a while that would be no issue either.
I have done a test implementation of it at
http://www.ausoleil.org/beer/cyberbrau if you would like to take a look. It
needs a little elbow grease (I never implemented the forum) but it's fairly
nice software. And free, BTW.
- -------------------------------------------------
This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 08:28:09 -0500
From: Bill_Rehm@eFunds.Com
Subject: Re: Smoking
This whole debate boils down to the fact that smoking is legal in this
country and probably always will be. Why you ask? Because the government
makes way to much on tobacco tax to let them go away. Many things in this
world are hazardous and yet legal, the two best examples I have are smoking
and vehicles. If I choose to smoke in a bar, I violate the rights of
another to not inhale my smoke, however they are free to leave and
patronize an establishment that is smoke free. Cars, trucks, and buses
spew out alot of crap, should we outlaw cars on the street so I don't have
to inhale someone else's exhaust.
My ultimate stance is that until the government takes a real stance, this
means both sides of the house give up tobacco money (both Republicans and
Democrats profit from the tobacco industry). Let freedom prevail and the
market settle this out, if you don't like smoke find a smoke free place to
hang out. If a majority of the people don't want to be around smokers bars
that allow smoking will close and we will be closer to smoke free.
Just to clarify, I am an ex-smoker who on occasion will bum a smoke in a
bar or at a party
L. William Rehm
Offline Development
Phone: 414-341-5732
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 08:45:48 -0500
From: "Beer Phantom" <beer_phantom@hotmail.com>
Subject: Smoking, enough already....
Hey, on behalf of the folks in the digest who are sick and tired of reading
this liberal/socialist/communist drivel on how it's the governments job to
protect people from themselves, could you all take this anti-smoking crap
offline please? That includes any flames you may feel compelled to write to
me because of this post.
I am simply awestruck at the speed at which you lemmings line up so that you
can have your choices made for you. Why is it that people think it's the
governements job to do everything? It doesn't take a genius to figure out
that where there is public drinking, there's going to be smoking. Protect
the work staff in a bar? Are you kidding? Get another job! That's what
personal freedom is all about. It starts with taking responsibility for
your lack of skills to do anything but tend bar or wait tables. If you
don't like it, get some new skills for christ sake! Or just get yourself
fired and collect unemployment benefits for the rest of your life, the
government will do that for you too.
But that's socialism for you. The government will take care of you. They
will provide healthcare, protect you from yourself, give you unemployment,
and retirement and if you play your cards right you could probably suckle at
the goverment's bossom and never have to work again. Just stick your fellow
countrymen with the bill, they won't mind.
Government is the most intrusive and bloated entity on the planet. And
people like Teresa and Brian are more than happy to keep feeding it. The
more power you give it over your life, the more it will want. There are
plenty of people lining up right behind the anti-smoking nazis and they have
a whole list of things to protect you from because you're too stupid to take
car of yourself. They have a whole bunch of things they would love to ban.
Alcohol is on the list, so is junk food, so are guns, so are automobiles
(no, I'm not kidding, anyone own an SUV out there?). And they've got the
same logic the anti-smoking nazis do. Go ahead, put your personel freedoms
in the hands of government. After all, they know better than you, right?
BTW, I'm a non smoker and I would rather see a budding entrepeneur open a
smoke free establishment and exploit an untapped market than give the
government a reason to pass another stupid law. I'll crawl back in my hole
now. This is a homebrewing forum right?
By the way Teresa, I'm now withdrawing my marriage proposal.
The Beer Phantom
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 09:52:28 -0400
From: "Dave Burley" <Dave_Burley@charter.net>
Subject: Sears Fridge
Brewsters:
Dave Larsen suggests a Sears Fridge is perfect for two kegs and no freezer.
Looks perfect for what I have in mind.
Dave, how did you modify it? Where can I drill safely?
Keep on Brewin'
Dave Burley
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 09:44:10 -0500
From: mas4786 <mas4786@nebrwesleyan.edu>
Subject: RE:beer fridge
I have a "under-the-counter" fridge that I made into a kegerator and it
works great. You have to find a fridge though that does not have the
freezer
unit and has the cooling plate in the back. There are serval models that
sears carries and I got mine on sale at best buy brand new for $150. I
looked long and hard for a used one but all they had was dorm fridges
with the freezer part in the top. My freezer fits two cornies and the co2
tank
nicely. You might try a deep freezer if you wnat more room and I am suer
you can find a nice used one quit easily.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 08:17:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ted Teuscher <t_teuscher@yahoo.com>
Subject: Home Brew Digest?
I thought I joined a users group about home brewing,
not health. Geesh people, let it go.
BTW, I never had the privelege of reading the comments
of SO many intolerant people in my life. I hope the
frequent posters to this group can be more civil to
each other. Or perhaps the moderators of this group
could actually start moderating some of the off topic
posts and editing rude comments out. When you start
attacking people by calling them names you are
demonstrating your lack of knowledge on the subject
and your immaturity by being reduced to calling poeple
names. Try reading more on the subject so you can
converse intelligently on a topic instead of just
stating your own personal beliefs which nobody wants
to hear unless you can back it scientifically. If this
kind of correspondence continues then I think I will
you imagine what new subscribers would think about
this group if they just joined within the last week?
"That's all I got to say about that," Forrest Gump.
I think I'll have a beer now. Cheers,
Ted Teuscher
Lenexa, KS
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 13:01:56 -0400
From: "Eyre" <meyre@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: New poll.. what ABV brews you make?
"Besides, most homebrew is lower in alcohol than macro.
A standard homebrew with 1.048 OG and 1.012 FG is
4.74 ABV, but only 3.7 ABW!!! Bud light is 5% ABW"
I'll have to disagree here. First of all, bud light is
only 4.3% alcohol by VOLUME, and I would venture a SWAG
that the 'standard' homebrew is atleast 5% ABV. Of course,
that could make for a whole new survey in and of itself.
-!-----
Based on the above, how about another poll? (Sorta like those reality TV
shows.. damn BHD polls spread like wildfire!). Off the top of your head,
what were the ABV %'s of your, say.. last three (3) homebrewed beers? I've
got 5%, 6.4% and 7.2% covered here.
Mike
Please note my new email address:
meyre@sbcglobal.net
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 10:13:02 -0700
From: David Radwin <dradwin@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: Alc*ism
> From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <spencer@umich.edu>
> But, you make some statements that are simply not true:
>
> 1. Alcoholics don't drink beer. This is an old "momily". Yes, some
> alcoholics prefer harder forms of alcohol. But my experience is that
> each alcoholic has their preferred form of imbibing (their "drug of
> choice" as it is often called.) I know plenty of alcoholics who drank
> nothing but beer by choice.
Spencer is correct. One prominent example of someone who is debatably
alcoholic and who prefers beer is George W. Bush. This transcript is
excerpted from Terry Gross's interview with New York Times writer
Nicholas Kristof on the radio program Fresh Air, August 2, 2000.
********************
GROSS: How much drinking did he do in those younger days, and did it
ever get to the point where it was interfering with his work or
interfering with his family life?
Mr. KRISTOF: I don't think that he was--he wasn't, like, a regular
drunk. It wasn't as if he was regularly going out and singing on the
sidewalks. He, himself, says he doesn't really know whether he was
alcoholic, and I think that's probably a fair assessment. He was clearly
drinking too much. He was drinking, essentially, every day, but mostly a
lot of beers as opposed to really hard stuff. And it was usually
drinking with his buddies. People who were around him thought that it
interfered maybe with his work but only at the margin, that he would
mostly drink in the evening and he would get a buzz rather than really
get drunk.
I think it did interfere with his family life. You get a lot of
different stories about that, and his family and friends are quite
protective about it. But it does seem that he just came home a few too
many times a little bit sloshed, embarrassing his wife in front of other
people, not setting a good example for his daughters. And this became a
growing source of tension between him and Laura.
********************
Before you protest that Bush wasn't (isn't) an alcoholic, remember that
this description was before the revelation of Bush's DUI.
- --
David Radwin
news@removethispart.davidradwin.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 13:24:39 -0400
From: NO Spam <nospam@brewbyyou.net>
Subject: Re: Digest/Alcoholism
>Alcoholism is a nasty, ugly disease.
This is where I differ. I don't think it is a disease.
It is simply poor behavior. Again, its in the same class
as wife beating, compulsive gambling, and any number of
other behavioral problems that people keep wanting to
try to blame someone else for and make excuses for.
>1. Alcoholics don't drink beer. This is an old "momily".
>Yes, some alcoholics prefer harder forms of alcohol.
I don't doubt it. My brother's preferred is vodka. Gets you
drunk quick, easy to hide. And he hides alot. When he lived
with my parents, he used to play this game where he'd outsmart
them by buying several bottles, hiding all but one in a good
spot, and leaving one in an easy place for them to find. Once
they found the one, they thought they found his bottle. But
he'd have 4 or 5 more stashed all over the place.
And again, the definition of an alcoholic is one who needs alcohol,
and alot of it, all the time. Alcoholics are also impaired alot
of the time due to their drinking, and eventually their brains and
livers get damaged, so they're impaired all the time.
I do believe that the typical alcoholic will not bother to
brew and drink beer, simply to get drunk. Let's face it,
we've all complained about the time and cost involved in
brewing. Once someone starts having problems due to their
drinking - and they do come, including financial, loss of
job, loss of driver's licence, and other things - will
they really have the time, money, and the inclination to
brew beer (5% alcohol on average) when it is SO much easier
and cheaper to just pick up a bottle or 2 of gin or vodka?
I don't think so.
>Do you look the same as your brother?
Yes
>Do you have the same eye color?
Yes
>Do you have the same hair?
Yes
>Are you the same height?
About an inch difference. We both look like our mother.
My brother is 9 years younger than me. One of the "tricks"
he pulled when he was younger was to steal my driver's
license and use it to get into bars and to buy booze at
the liquor store, even though he was under age. He got
away with it, and I'm still not sure for how long before
I found out. Once, he even gave a cop my driver's license
when he got pulled over. Guess who got the ticket and
the points?
>I have found (some) relief in the Al-Anon program.
My brother has been in and out of jail for about the past 3 years.
He's been sentenced to attend several of these programs by the
courts, and has been in and out of them as well. He made a little
game out of that for awhile, too, checking himself into and out of
"rehab", as if that would make it look like he was trying.
None of the clinics can hold anyone against their will, so
he can check himself out anytime after checking in, usually
about 2 days.
I've also questioned numerous times why he won't take the ant-abuse
drug, or why the courts can't force that on him.
At least in my brother's case, this is not genetic. I and my 2
sisters are not alcoholics. My mother has 8 brothers and sisters,
none of them and nobody in any of their families are alcoholics.
My father has 5 brothers and sisters, none of them and nobody in
any of their families is an alcoholic. My brother is the only one.
It's clearly attitude, as he's told us again and again that he'll
"drink as much as he wants, whenever he wants, and nobody's
gonna make me stop." Those are his exact words.
Unfortunately, nobody can help him until he decides he wants the
help. He has no job, no money, no family, no driver's license
for the next 15 years, nothing. It's sad, but in my opinion, he
also deserves everything he got and more. He's been involved
in at least 4 drunk driving accidents, ad they keep putting him
back on the street.
He's gotten out of a few things by having lawyers postpone trials
until the people pressing charges couldn't show up, then having
the cases tossed. Our wonderful court system in PA is also so
log-jammed that it takes 6 months or more to get a hearing, and
bail is not high, so he always gets out while the cases are
pending to do more damage and cause more problems. He's also
had the lawyers bargain for him and yes, argue the genetics
and the "victim" argument. That's why I'm so opposed to it.
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 14:02:06 -0400
From: NO Spam <nospam@brewbyyou.net>
Subject: Re: smoking
>I respectfully must say "bullshit" to that argument. I believe I
>should have the right to step into either a public area OR private
>establishment where members of the public assemble, and NOT be
>physically harmed by the actions of others.
Separate "right" from "privilege". You have the constitutional
"right" to a fair trial by a jury of your peers. You don't,
however, have any kind of "right" to inflict your views and
attitudes legally on others, just because you don't agree.
You cannot say that just because you don't favor smoking, it
has to be banned, because you believe you have some imagined
"right" that you don't. This argument always makes me laugh,
because its the same people who always think everything is
a "right" and that they even have a "right" to drive a car.
Read your driver's manual. Driving is a PRIVILEGE granted
to you by the state in which you live. There is no RIGHT
to drive a car.
Smoking is also a privilege and should be recognized as
such in public and especially private places. Smokers
have been pushed and pushed for a long time now. It
started out as banned in the workplace and making people
go outside to smoke. At the time, it seemed like a good
idea and nobody fought it. Then it went to smoking and
non-smoking sections in restaurants. Now here you are
saying that nobody can smoke, ever, because you think
your "rights" to go inside any private place anytime
mean that there should not be smoke there, ever.
That's absurd.
People have smoked since ancient Egypt and before. And
guess what - they're not going to stop. Like the other
guy said, why can't a bar be designated smoking or non
smoking, and then let it be up to the patron whether or
not they want to go there, and up to the employee
whether or not they want to work there? Nobody forces
you to eat or work someplace.
If its really such a hotbed issue, then smoking places
will not draw any customers and will not be able to get
any employees, so they'll go right out of business, right?
Let the public decide.
Bottom line - you cannot legislate morality.
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:02:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Paul Mahoney <pmmaho@yahoo.com>
Subject: smoking
Brewers:
Teresa was responding to Todd and his comments on
the smoking thread (my disclosure:, I do not smoke,
dip, chew, etc., never have, never will; do not own
stock nor work for any tobacco industry).
We can debate these issues forever, and not resolve
them. What intigued me was Teresa's sig line:
"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its
dissidents,
not by the freedom it gives its assimilated
conformists."
-- Abbie Hoffman
So, Teresa, what does Abbie's comment say about you
and your willingness to deny that smoking freedom to
others? Are not the smokers now the dissidents? In
your politically correct view of smoking, are you not
now the "assimilated conformists"?
Sadly this argument is all to typical of life today
in the USA (and the western world): we loudly proclaim
how we support freedom, liberty and the First
Amendment, but when it comes down to the truly
different, unique, or politically incorrect, we are
too intolerant, too ready to use our power to stifle,
make illegal, and persecute.
With respect to the "alchoholic" thread, one
humorous (I hope) note: long ago when I first got out
of law school, I was a green, naive prosecutor. We
kept having cases where people were prosecuted for
shoplifting Nyquil from the local drugstore. In my
naivete' I asked one of the police officers, why are
so many people stealing Nyquil? He replied that
Nyquil was 40 proof (I think), and that it was a
cheap, easy high for the alchoholic bums (ooops,
politically incorrect term)in the area. I cannot
imagine downing a bottle of Nyquil to get high, but
these folks were doing so with regularity. So, Yes,
alchoholics will drink anything.
Paul Mahoney
Roanoke, Va.
=====
'Caesar, [...] fearing the fickle disposition of the Gauls,
who are easily prompted to take up resolutions,
and much addicted to change, considered
that nothing was to be entrusted to them;'
- De bello gallico, book 4 script 5, Julius Caesar, 55 BC
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 15:35:13 -0300
From: Alexandre Enkerli <aenkerli@indiana.edu>
Subject: "I'm Dreaming of Brewing Software" (Part 1)
[This message is in two parts because of its length. Sorry about that.]
Hello all,
A "few" ideas I've been having on what a brewer might do with "the
ideal brewing software solution." As an exercise in creative writing,
here are excerpts from a would-be Quick Start Manual for first users of
the software.
Sorry if it's too futuristic/whacky/long. Feel free to comment. NO
FLAMES, PLEASE.
Alex
...
Installation completed. Congratulations!
...
Welcome to HomeBrewSoft (HBS), your "Ultimate Brewing Companion(tm)"!
The following Quick Start Manual is meant for first-time HBS users and
will help you configure HBS to your liking. If you've used HBS before,
please add your configuration files. You may quit this manual at any
point. By default, if the configuration profiles haven't been
completed, HBS will open this quick start manual the next time launch
you launch HBS. To bypass this default, uncheck the "open at next
launch" checkbox [here].
HBS is a sophisticated homebrewing solution which will help you manage
your inventory, your equipment, and your beer stocks as well as
formulate recipes, estimate expected characteristics of the beer you
brew (ABV, SRM, IBU...) using sophisticated database management
technology. To work its magic, HBS needs to be configured to your
specific homebrewing needs. The present Quick Start Manual will lead
through a step-by-step process of initial configuration. Any
configuration profile ("page") can be accessed at any time by using the
"Configure..." (menu/button/page). Apart from inventory input and
recipe formulation, the initial configuration process should take you
approximately one hour. Any information you input will be saved
automatically but HBS's "Command/Input History" feature enables you to
go back to any step in the configuration process if you make a mistake
or change your mind.
Depending on the size of your inventory, inputting necessary
information in HBS can take as little as a few seconds and as much as
an hour or more. Either way, you always have the option of leaving your
inventory as is (even if it's empty) and HBS will help you manage it as
you go.
Once you're through with initial configuration and inventory
management, recipe and batch management will be a snap. A typical HBS
user should be able to plan a brew batch within a few minutes (or even
seconds!) and have all the necessary information available at any point
in time, from the decision to brew a batch, to the last sip of
delicious homebrewed beer.
User Profile
Enter your first name, last name, nickname and contact information in
the relevant fields. Alternatively, you can drop your vCard directly to
HBS's "User Profile" window. If you're new to brewing, put '0' in the
"Brewing Experience" field and you can skip directly to the next
section.
If you have brewed before, use the "Brewing Experience" field to
describe the number of years you have been brewing or the approximate
number of batches you've brewed. Be sure to select "Years" or "Batches"
in the accompanying drop-down menu and the type of brewing you mostly
do (extract, partial mash, full-grain). HBS will use this information
as a general guideline but you will be able to modify this information
any time you like.
If you belong to a homebrew club, work as a professional brewer, have a
BJCP certification or have specific brewing credentials (including
awards), go to the "Affiliations and Credentials" page.
Your personal preferences for (measurement units, equation types,
currency, interface themes...) can be set here for HBS to use as
defaults.
Location Profile
This (page) may contain relevant information about your main brewing
location. You can have as many locations as you want, HBS use the one
you specify as its default to make necessary calculations.
If the profile for the water you use is available, select it in the
"Water Profile" section.[fn:For more information about water profiles,
click here] HBS will use this profile as its default but can easily be
changed at any time.
You may fill in the information about your favorite Homebrew Supply
Shop[fn:for more information on HBSS] Some shops have online catalogs
(HBSSC) which HBS can use to prepare shopping lists and such. If it is
available for your store, drop the HBSSC file to the appropriate
section in this page. HBS will use the file to fill-in the required
information (name, address, Webpage, phone...), get price quotes and
track online purchases (if enabled explicitly). For a shop without an
HBSSC, fill in the required information yourself and HBS will create a
temporary HBSS profile for you.
Brewery Profile
This page should be used to describe your main brewing equipment. If
you have more than one brewing setup, HBS will use this one as your
default but you'll be able to switch as desired.
If you brew at a Brew on Premises[fn:BoP info] facility, you might be
able to use a brewery profile already available.
[Newbie Alert]If you don't have any brewing equipment yet, go to the
"Getting Started with Homebrewing" page which will help you in the
process of getting everything you need to get started. Some HBSS even
offer the possibility to order the equipment online for delivery or
pickup. Otherwise, HBS can be used to write a shopping list of the
equipment and materials to get you started.
In the ("Vessels") section, input information about all the (pots,
containers, carboys, conical fermenters...) you may use. HBS will give
a unique ID number to every piece of equipment so as to track them and
the way you use them. For instance, if you're unlucky enough to have
part of your equipment infected by a bacteria, HBS will help you find
which pieces of equipment need special care or needs to be retired.
Brewery profiles may also be shared with fellow brewers. This can be
useful, for instance, if you wish to lend equipment to someone or if
you're getting ready to brew at someone else's place. "Big Brews" are
events during which several brewers get together to brew at the same
time, bringing their equipment along. HBS thus facilitates Big Brew
management through the use of brewery profiles.
HBS will also use data from your brewery profile as default values for
several calculations. For instance, HBS may use your mashtun's volume
as a default value for calculations on sparge water.
The first time you use a specific brewery, values for [efficiency...]
are estimated by HBS. As you brew more batches, HBS will use
measurements to reach a better approximation of the effects of your
equipment.
[Continued in Part 2]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 15:36:47 -0300
From: Alexandre Enkerli <aenkerli@indiana.edu>
Subject: "I'm Dreaming of Brewing Software" (Part 2)
[Continued from Part 1]
Inventory
This page can be used to manage your personal inventory and prepare
shopping lists. If you enable online purchases from a specific HBSS, it
may even be used to manage one-click purchases for delivery or pickup.
Fermentables
[Newbie Alert]If you're new to brewing ("Brewing Experience" set to
'0'), HBS defaults to only showing you information relevant to "Kit"
brewers. You're free to switch this to "Partial Mash" or "All-Grain" at
any given time.
You can list all the grain, adjuncts, extracts, and kits you have in
the ("Fermentables") section. For widely available products, all the
relevant information (unique ID, characteristics, price...) should be
available already, thus saving you valuable time and effort.
"Fruits, Honey, Syrups" are special cases in homebrewing because they
can be used as both flavorings and as fermentables. In fact, you might
want to use HBS to manage the making of non-beer beverages such as
cider and mead. Yet, these may also be used as adjuncts and are
available in the "Fermentables" section. Use the "Fruits, Honey,
Syrups" section if you plan to use these as major components of the
beverages you make.
In the "Hops and Flavorings" section, add the hops you have and,
possibly, other products you would like to use to add flavor
characteristics to your beer (spices, flavor extracts...).
The "Yeast" section helps you manage any yeast you may have, either as
purchased packs or from previous batches. For yeast farmers, this
includes information on slants and such.
Recipes and Batches
In HBS, recipe formulation and actual brewing are separate activities.
HBS's recipe formulator helps you choose, modify, and create recipes
that you will use in brewing. As such, recipes can be seen as
"abstract" versions of batches and their characteristics are set as
ranges instead of specific values.
HBS comes with a large number of recipes from online and published
sources. If you have recipes available in StrangeBrew XML format, HBS
can import them to your recipe database.
If you're ready to start formulating a recipe, click the "New Recipe"
button[or use the shortcut] to either choose a base recipe or create
one from scratch. Through its recipe formulation interface, HBS may
help you decide what you want to brew. [Cf. message to list]
Once you have a recipe set up, you can prepare for a brewing session
["Brew Day"]. HBS will help you see which vessels need to be cleaned,
which supplies are missing, how much this batch might cost you, how
long your brewing session should last, etc.
You may transfer batch information to your PalmOS(tm) device for use
while brewing.
If you are able to use HBS (either on your desktop, or on your
handheld) while brewing, it will help you by reminding you what to do
at any given time (alarms) and will serve as a log of the brewing
process (measurements, stuck mash, last-minute recipe
modifications...). Every action in the brewing process will then have
an associated timestamp.
If you can't use HBS while brewing, HBS can print a set of log sheets
for use while brewing. When you come back to HBS, you can use these
sheets as a replacement for HBS's realtime batch log. HBS will use the
timestamps you input for its calculations and log the input time.
You may use HBS to log the progress of your batch (first bubbles,
temperatures, SG, racking, location, cleared, appearance/tasting notes,
bottling/kegging...). Based on this data, HBS will be able to better
approximate several aspects of the brewing process.
Once your beer is ready to drink, you may even use HBS to log tasting
notes and comments using either the available tasting forms or a
"narrative" format. Moreover, HBS can be used to track how much beer
you have left from a given batch and eventually warn you about the best
time to brew (if stocks are going to be depleted in the amount of time
it takes you to get a batch ready).
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 15:41:22 -0500
From: mbauer@iupui.edu
Subject: Porcelain Repair
Does anyone know of a product that can be used to repair damaged
porcelain inside a brew kettle?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 13:50:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Hartsock <xd_haze@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Paulaner Hefeweizen
I meant to add to my previous post, that even though
the message says that it is flash pasteurized, I
successfully cultured a plate, and subsequently slants
from the bottle.
I failed to make 30 mL starter on my first attempt,
but i have live yeast on the medium.
Michael
Columbia, MO
=====
"May those who love us, love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn't turn their hearts,
may he turn their ankles
So we'll know them
by their limping."
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #4277, 06/21/03
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