Messages

2971

Equipment and Software / Re: lost siphon

« on: September 29, 2010, 06:42:56 PM »

If you have a broken filler or racking cane you can cut it so you have 2 good ends (not jagged break) on a piece 6 to 8 inches long.  Sanitize it.  Assemble your cane and hose and put the cane in the wort.  Insert the cane/ filler tubing into the hose, exhale the suck on the tubing, and start the siphon.  Crimp the hose and remove the tubing.  Rack the beer.  Your mouth will never touch the hose or wort.

2972

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Converting a chest freezer into a temperature controlled fermentation station

« on: September 29, 2010, 12:52:51 PM »

This was posted by forum member richardt some time ago. The unwired Rancos are cheaper, so if you are handy, it only takes a little time.  I used the link as guide to wire a Ranco on Sunday, and have a batch in the new freezer now.  The Ranco seems more intuitive than the Johnson controller I have.

http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=40898

2973

The Pub / Re: Holy %*#@! It's Hot

« on: September 28, 2010, 08:43:19 AM »

We are debating when to turn the heat on.  High was in the 50's yesterday, 57 predicted today with rain.  Fairly normal.

2974

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Where to Buy Summit in Bulk?

« on: September 28, 2010, 08:39:34 AM »

I have bought those from freshops a few years back, but did not see them last year.

Never purchased from these folks, but have them bookmarked.  Prices look ok.
http://hopstoyou.com/leaf.html

2975

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: equipment

« on: September 27, 2010, 02:43:13 PM »

You can pasivate the brass using the method in howtobrew.com.

This appendix.
http://howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html

2976

The Pub / Re: New LOTR-Type Fantasy Novels

« on: September 25, 2010, 12:32:14 PM »

The "Fourth Realm Trilogy" by John Twelve Hawkes.   

http://www.amazon.com/Traveler-Fourth-Realm-Trilogy-Book/dp/038551428X

2977

Ingredients / Re: Crushing and Gelatinizing Raw Wheat Berries

« on: September 25, 2010, 07:57:19 AM »

A cereal mash will give you higher extraction from the wheat, for the same reason a decoction will give a higher extraction from malted barley.  You make more of the starch available.

2978

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Is it really OK to not rinse OneStep out of bottles?

« on: September 24, 2010, 07:25:33 PM »

Thanks Jeff for the link to Rick Thiener's comments about Straight A and One Step.

The irony is that Rick still [correctly] advocates two steps:  Cleaning and then sanitizing.

Hydrogen Peroxide is often used to clean and sanitize contact lenses (just don't get hydrogen peroxide in your eye without the solution being neutralized first!) as well as for cleaning and chemically sanitizing/sterilizing medical instruments in the office.

I thought that had to be from a long long time ago, but what, it was 2008 when it was on the HBD!  Well maybe it was a long time ago.

2979

Ingredients / Re: Crushing and Gelatinizing Raw Wheat Berries

« on: September 24, 2010, 02:21:53 PM »

Narvin is correct, wheat will gelantanize below the barley mash temperatures.  I have done wits using raw wheat and a step mash.  Make sure to do a good crush and a protein rest.  If you have some starch, Wits are a little hazy anyhow.  This is the easy way to do it.

The hard way to do it is to do a cereal mash. Randy Mosher does say that doing a cereal mash with raw wheat will give better mouthfeel.  You would do a cereal mash by adding some malted barley to the wheat, crush, bring it to a 155F step and hold for 15-20 minutes, then go up to boil for 30 minutes or so.  Stir to keep from scortching.  Add back to the main mash.

Jeff Renner covers it better than I can, here, as the Classic American Double Mash in the CAP article.  Pay more attention to it that what I wrote above, as my times may be off.
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/1298/SOzym00-Pilsner.pdf

2980

All Grain Brewing / Re: Who does late mash?

« on: September 24, 2010, 06:02:26 AM »

You can also do some searching of the web if you want to find out some more.

I remember that Mary Ann Gruber of Briess was the first to talk of it.  Here it is covered by the late George Fix.
http://hbd.org/clubs/cascade/public_html/brewing/index.html

2981

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Is it really OK to not rinse OneStep out of bottles?

« on: September 23, 2010, 06:14:42 PM »

I
"One-step: One-step releases oxygen into solution in a way that
forms hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria and other
infectious organisms. Hydrogen peroxide then degrades into water
and oxygen and the only residue is a thin film of minerals that are
naturally found in most water supplies. One-step is not labeled
as a sanitizer because the producer has not chosen to apply with
the FDA for that designation. One step is mixed at one tbsp. per
gallon of warm water. One-step should not be used with hard water

This jogged some memories.  Scroll down to the post by Rick Theiner.
http://hbd.org/hbd/archive/5471.html#5471-4

2982

All Grain Brewing / Re: Who does late mash?

« on: September 23, 2010, 06:03:25 PM »

I do this often for beers with a large portion of dark malts.  I cold steep the dark malts, and then add them 5-10 minutes before the vorlauf.  You get much of the color and flavor, but may want to up the amount by half or even double.  The advantage is that you don't get the burnt/acrid taste that you can get if you mash the whole time.  My wife likes beers that don't taste like an ashtray, so that is the way we do it.

This would also work with cara/crystal malts, since not much happens in the mash with these.  It would free up some space if you were doing a really big beer.  Mash the base malts, steep the crystal, and add the crystal when you are vorlaufing if you have room, or once there is room in the mash tun as you sparge.

2983

The Pub / Re: Babalu

« on: September 23, 2010, 04:57:45 PM »

Janis, I had thought along the same lines this AM, but did not post.  My vote is to talk about brewing, Oktoberfest, and the fresh hops.  Under the nose with some hand rubbed hops is something I didn't think of.  Great idea.

2984

Ingredients / Re: Hiding Diacetyl via Dry Hopping

« on: September 23, 2010, 04:44:51 PM »

Others will have an opinion, but mine is to pitch a starter at full krausen into the beer to clean up the diacetyl.

2985

All Grain Brewing / Re: What malt does Weyerman uses in making their rauchmaltz?

« on: September 23, 2010, 04:19:34 PM »

By the time the bottles get here they have lost some of the fresh taste.  If they start to get a little "liquid smoke" flavor,they are off.  Herr Merz said he did not really like to ship to the US, but did to satisfy his deal with the Shelton Brothers (as he pointed to a pallett of shrink wraped kegs, minikegs and bottles).  He stated that after 6 months the beer really goes down hill as the phenolics change.  If most of that time is in shipping and handling, you can see why he was concerned.  With that said, I have had beers from Bamberg in multitaps like the Maproom in Chicago that were in great shape.