HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Re: aluminum brew kettle
Organization: ddsw1.MCS.COM Contributor, Chicago, IL
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 02:11:34 GMT

devine@olympus.CS.Berkeley.EDU (bob devine) writes:
: While aluminum has been discovered in greater than normal amounts
: in brains of Alzheimer patients, the causal link has not been proven.
: It is nearly impossible to eliminate contact with aluminum in today's
: environment - anti-perspirant sprays have it, nearly all beverage cans
: are aluminum, some kegs of beer are aluminum, and many restaurants use
: aluminum even for high acid foods.
: 
: To put everyone into non-relaxed mode, a recent epidemological survey
: of old men indicts high iron levels as a possible agent in causing
: heart attacks.  The thinking is that up until menopause, the rate of
: heart attacks in men and women is roughly equal but after the age of
: menopause in women, men are more likely to suffer from heart attacks.
: There is a great deal unknown here: effect of aspirin on heart attack
: reduction, lifestyle differences, etc.
: 
: Let's see ... can't use aluminum (possible Alzheimer link) or iron/steel
: (possible heart attack link), I guess that leaves Tupperware!  ;-)
: 

Well, I guess I have to break more bad news.  Most bird lovers are
aware of the evils of the new teflon like coating on pans but few
other people have even heard of the problem.  If you heat one of these
pans in the presence of a caged bird , it will die by the time the temp
in the pan gets to about 300F.  What happens to humans in the same room
one can only conjecture but I have switched back to cast iron.. oops ..
just go a heart murmer.

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Re: Poor Conversion Efficiency
Organization: ddsw1.MCS.COM Contributor, Chicago, IL
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 01:18:03 GMT

 
 Article 5635 (8 more) in rec.crafts.brewing:
 From: adam@wb9rxw.lonestar.org (Adam Adkins)
 Subject: Poor Conversion Efficiency
 
 >     To round out the process, a) I do recycle until the 
 wort clears up and flow slows down (about 5 to 10 minutes) 
 
 5 to 10 minutes for what?  the whole batch? a gallon?
 
 All this recycling is bound to cool down the mash and I am 
 not sure I understand the mechanism that causes the flow to 
 slow down.
 
 The object is NOT to just keep recycling till it slows down 
 but to adjust the rate of flow by throttling down the spigot 
 to ESTABLISH the proper rate.
 
 >b) the sparge water is heated to about 165 to 170 degrees
  
 Ignore the experts and use boiling water.
 
 >c) I give about 5 minutes for the grain to settle.
 
 After it settles (a good indication of when this is, is when 
 the wort on top of the grain is clear), just crack the 
 spigot and let it dribble till it runs clear.   If you let 
 it run wide open, you might not allow adaquate filtering.
 
 js
 

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling)
Subject: Re: SG on double malting
Organization: ddsw1.MCS.COM Contributor, Chicago, IL
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 01:49:53 GMT

In article <18j0bqINNg4p@agate.berkeley.edu> devine@olympus.CS.Berkeley.EDU (bob devine) writes:
>arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) writes:
>:  Computer access is as available to beginners as it is to 
>:  experts and it should be recognized that comments and 
>:  questions will range from naive to esoteric.
>:  
>:  It should also be recognized that the poplulation 
>:  distribution on these networks is more or less Gaussian in 
>:  personalities also.... from sniveling, reclusive, introverts 
>:  to pompous, paranoid, dogmatists.
>:  
>:  I of course, as the World's Greatest Brewer, simply muse on 
>:  all this from my Olympian peak.
>
>Greetings sports fans!  At ring side, this is How-wort Cossell.
>Tonight's match comes from a challenge to all net.readers from
>the one, the only, Jack "Illinois Badboy" Schmidling! etc etc...
>
>PLEASE!  Don't make this forum be a fighting match between
>homebrewers.  Go to alt.flame if you are spoiling for a fight.

I find it amuzing that you can have fun but I can not.  How can you
possibly see anything but humor in what I said, in particular the
closing?  Yall just simply need to learn to have fun while you learn.

How many times does the World's Greatest Beer have to be trashed before
you figure out  that I am having fun.

js

>Bob Devine


Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: dcb@rosedale.uucp (Dave Breneman)
Subject: Re: REQUEST: Cider Recipes
Organization: The Spud Goodman Show
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 00:56:08 GMT

In article <189m38INNi9e@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> bf703@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Patrick J. Volkerding) writes:
>
>I've made some very tasty cider from grocery store cheap-o cider
>and cider concentrates. The store I go to has 4 or 5 brands, none
>of which contain preservatives or additives. I usually get whatever's
>darkest, figuring that will have the most flavor. 

Well, I'm glad to hear that this can be done.  I might have to try
it this year, since our famous "northwest drought" has decimated the
apple crop around here :-( .

>Get a 1 gallon jug of apple cider with no preservatives. Open it up
>and pour out 12 ounces into a glass. Dump a melted Seneca Granny Smith
>apple juice concentrate in the jug. Add a small amount of ale yeast.
                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Deletions...

Interesting.  Have you tried making it with "apple yeast" like I
memtioned in my post?  I would be interested to know what taste
difference there would be.  Maybe I'll try it that way - if I do
I'll post the results.

-- 
David Breneman            #################          Historical revisionism:
The Spud Goodman Show      ####### #######           Elvis Presley was a joke
dcb@rosedale.uucp           #####   #####            A washed-up has-been.
 ..uunet!camco!rosedale!dcb      (_)  - - - Ciao.    Then he died... The King!
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: peterm@dtc.hp.com (Sweet Pete)
Subject: straining hops
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 23:15:46 GMT
Organization: Where No Man Has Gone Before

I'm not sure if my previous posting got swallowed up in a followup to some
unrelated topic.  Since I'm about to embark on my first attempt at hopping,
I'd like to know if putting hop pellets in a muslin/cheesecloth bag during
the boil is a good way to easily remove them.  It seems the simplest.
I figure I can then siphon the rest and leave the trub behind.  Is this a
reasonable approach?

	Peter

-- 
Peter C. Maxwell,                      ARPA:   peterm@dtc.hp.com
Hewlett-Packard Company,
5301 Stevens Creek Blvd, MS 53U/36,    UUCP:   ..!hplabs!hpdtlpm!peterm
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8059             (408) 553 2512
From: ulick@angelico.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: "Dry" Beer?
Date: 9 Sep 92 15:44:19 GMT
Organization: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame

In article <23195@hacgate.SCG.HAC.COM> abirenbo@rigel.cel.scg.hac.com (Aaron Birenboim) writes:
>
>since enzymes and engineered yeasts are not available to us, I suggest
>fermenting mostly with your usual yeast, then pitch some champagne

Most good homebrew suppliers sell alpha amylase or Koji (used for Sake 
making).  Just add to the secondary to cleave glucose from maltotriose.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
+ 'There was a  master come unto the earth, + Ulick Stafford, PP-ASEL       +
+    born in the holy land of Indiana,      + Dept of Chemical Engineering, +
+ in the mystical hills east of Fort Wayne'.+ Notre Dame, IN 46556          +
+      B'fhearr liom bheith ag eitilt.      +    ulick@bach.helios.nd.edu   +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us (Joseph Nathan Hall)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: A question about sparging
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 22:46:45 EDT
Organization: 5 Sigma Software
Reply-To: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v5


In article <wiley.715976671@crooks> (rec.crafts.brewing), wiley@crooks.b11.ingr.com (Dave Wiley) writes:
) To sparge with the Zapap method:
) 
) 1) Fill the space between the buckets and a little bit more with sparge
) water.
)
) [etc. ... description of "foundation" sparging]

While this may be the generally accepted method, I have found that
I get better results with my Zapap-type system by layering most of
the grains in the mash "dry" into the bottom of the perforated bucket
with one of those perforated melanine skimmers.  After I have several
inches of grain sitting in the bucket, I gently add the rest of the mash
mixture, which is mostly liquid, using a pint measuring cup or something
similar.  The gap between the two buckets soon fills with wort.

I then add another gallon or two of 170F acidified water (usually
about 1 tsp of 9% H3PO4 in my 3-4 gallons of sparging water is right).
This leaves liquid sitting on the grain bed.  After it settles for
a few minutes, I draw off and recirculate the first gallon or so
(sometimes reheating it), and then begin to draw off wort for the
boil.  I try to keep the space between the buckets full of wort as
I sparge, and also try to keep a layer of water over the grains.

I have tried many variations in Zapap technique, including a half
dozen or so brews where I underlet the top bucket with nice, hot foundation
water.  I just haven't found the foundation water to be useful when
the sparging bed is carefully constructed with a ladling device, and
in fact have a vague suspicion that in my case my sparges flow better
when I don't use foundation water.  This may well be due to the
peculiarities of my equipment more than anything else.

I've used this technique to sparge fairly large amounts of grain (up
to 13-14 pounds of pale malt + crystal--just about the max that I
can physically fit into my setup).  The objective is a measured, but
free flow of water through the column.  When I use properly prepared
grains and sparge at the correct temperature, I have no problems attaining
this objective.  I do most of my brewing at OG 1.050-1.065, so reasonably 
efficient and trouble-free sparging is a necessity.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

uunet!joebloe!joseph   (609) 273-8200 day   joseph%joebloe@uunet.uu.net
v   v  sssss | Certified Guru: all-grain brewing,| 2102 Ryan's Run East
 v v  s   s  | C, synthesizer comp & arranging,  | Rt 38 & 41
  v    sss   | photography. Also not a bad cook. | Maple Shade NJ 08052
-----My employer isn't paying for this, and my opinions are my own-----
From: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us (Joseph Nathan Hall)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: Poor Conversion Efficiency
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 17:50:28 EDT
Organization: 5 Sigma Software
Reply-To: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v5


In article <BuE3M4.H60@ddsw1.mcs.com> (rec.crafts.brewing), arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) writes:
)  
)  Article 5635 (8 more) in rec.crafts.brewing:
)  From: adam@wb9rxw.lonestar.org (Adam Adkins)
)  Subject: Poor Conversion Efficiency
)  
)  >     To round out the process, a) I do recycle until the 
)  wort clears up and flow slows down (about 5 to 10 minutes) 
)  
)  5 to 10 minutes for what?  the whole batch? a gallon?
)  
)  All this recycling is bound to cool down the mash and I am 
)  not sure I understand the mechanism that causes the flow to 
)  slow down.

That would be the mash cooling off, more than likely.  Not ideal.

Recycling is a fine idea, especially if you have some non barley
adjuncts in your brew.  This will keep a lot of "glop" out of your
boil.  Rice, for example, almost completely disappears, but leaves
a fair bit of this grayish crud atop the sparging column if you
recycle the first runnings.

Why not reheat the first runnings to 170-175F while you recycle them?
I've done this when the sparging setup has gone too slowly ... works
A-OK for me!

)  The object is NOT to just keep recycling till it slows down 
)  but to adjust the rate of flow by throttling down the spigot 
)  to ESTABLISH the proper rate.
)  
)  >b) the sparge water is heated to about 165 to 170 degrees
)   
)  Ignore the experts and use boiling water.

Use boiling water, if necessary, to heat the mash to the desired
165-170 degrees.  Beyond that you will only make your beer taste
like tea.

Acidify your sparging water.  It works!

)  >c) I give about 5 minutes for the grain to settle.
)  
)  After it settles (a good indication of when this is, is when 
)  the wort on top of the grain is clear), just crack the 
)  spigot and let it dribble till it runs clear.   If you let 
)  it run wide open, you might not allow adaquate filtering.

Doubtful.  What will more likely happen is that you will get a low
efficiency if the sparging water is not allowed to move slowly through
the column.  This is a diffusion-controlled process, remember?

uunet!joebloe!joseph   (609) 273-8200 day   joseph%joebloe@uunet.uu.net
v   v  sssss | Certified Guru: all-grain brewing,| 2102 Ryan's Run East
 v v  s   s  | C, synthesizer comp & arranging,  | Rt 38 & 41
  v    sss   | photography. Also not a bad cook. | Maple Shade NJ 08052
-----My employer isn't paying for this, and my opinions are my own-----
From: devenzia@euler.jsc.nasa.gov (John DeVenezia)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: Bottles for newbie
Date: 9 Sep 1992 23:39:32 GMT
Organization: LESC

I missed most of this thread due to news delivery problems but that won't stop
me from jumping into the conversation cold :).

In article <brewer.7691@meltdown.chi.il.us>, brewer@meltdown.chi.il.us (Mike Wilson) writes:
> 
> Actually, I've never used a root beer bottle except when I've put homemade root
> beer in some.  Oh, and was that porter that bad?  I've learned never to dump
> anything, even a disastrous batch as sometimes you are beerless and even a bad
> batch becomes, mysteriously, better.  Also, sometimes time helps.
> 

Yeah it was that bad.  And it was only two litres dumped.  Of course I do have
about 50 gallons of homebrew sitting in my dining room so I can be a bit choosey.

Its funny you should tag me about dumping beer.  I cringe whenever I read someone
saying something like, "I left the lid off my primary fermenter for 5 minutes when I 
was distracted by bats carring off my pet gerbil, will my beer be drinkable or 
should I water the plants with it?"  Kind of a pet peeve of mine.

But anyway; yeah, rootbeer porter is _THAT_ bad.

> Anyhoo, and this isn't aimed at you, but someone said that plastic 1 or 2 liter
> bottles are no good because they are clear.  Well, I've got several, actually,
> that are green.  Not perfect, but not clear.  And, my storage area, my
> basement, has, at best, indirect lighting.  We have glass block windows.  So I
> really don't worry too much about light damage.  When it gets to the point
> where a bottle comes out into the sunlight, as it were, it usually doesn't last
> long enough to be damaged.
> 
> Mike Wilson
> brewer@meltdown.chi.il.us
> U29204@uicvm.cc.uic.edu
> 
I re-iterate.  Plastic soda bottles are the best thing since protest votes.  Just don't
use an old rootbeer bottle.

Sin-beerly yours,

John D.
devenzia@euler.jsc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: prh@essence.demon.co.uk (Peter Humphrey)
ReplyTo: prh@essence.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re: Jap Crap!!! (DEFINED)
Distribution: world
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.15 $
Organization: Distilled Essence of Life, The.
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 20:47:09 +0000


In article <1992Sep8.130004.24818@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> mlj8e@mljsg.pharm.Virginia.EDU (Michael Johnson) writes:

>
> Try what the british call a "black and tan" or a "black and white" or
> something like that.  Anyway it is 50% Guinness and 50% something
> like Whatney's Red.
> 

Black and tan is half Guinness and half mild ale.  Good stuff, if I 
remember aright.
 
Watneys what?
 
Rgds

Peter Humphrey  |  prh@essence.demon.co.uk         | Voice 0932-343158
Woking, UK.     |  unionjack@cix.compulink.co.uk   | Data  0932-353948
From: pyle@intellistor.com (Norm Pyle)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: Newbie question
Date: 10 Sep 92 19:13:37 GMT
Organization: Intellistor, Longmont, CO

In article <1992Sep9.185301.23827@mahendo.jpl.nasa.gov> julie@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas) writes:
>
>I've got a question concerning my first batch (wheat beer).  I'm
>supposed to rack it after five days and continue fermenting for another
>five before I bottle.
>
>The question:  I've had trouble keeping the temperature between 60
>and 66 degrees.  It's been more like 66 to 72 degrees.  I'll be
>exceedingly busy on the day I'm supposed to rack the beer.  Would
>it be ok to rack it a day early?  I know the bottling will have
>to wait until it's completely fermented out, but what about the
>racking?

Don't worry about temperature (at least not yet).  Do your best to keep it
low and don't worry about it after that.  Ales don't mind high 60's low 70's,
although you may get less off-flavors at lower temps.  Lagers at this
temperature are known as steam beers.  Until you acquire a well-trained
tongue (I think I saw one in the yellow pages) you probably won't be able to
tell the difference.  Well, maybe in a side-by-side comparison.  My taste
buds are not that well trained and I force them work out every day!

It'd be ok to rack it a day early or a day late.  Don't sweat the little
things.

>Ooops, another question.  
>I used a plastic pail for the primary fermenter and still had a ton
>of gunk come out the fermentation lock.  The lock is still in place
>though but extremely cruddy.  Should I wash this before going to
>the secondary fermenter and risk air contact with the beer?  Should
>I use a blow-off tube next time?

Yes and maybe.  Wash the airlock.  Don't worry about the air contact.  There
is now alcohol in the beer (inhibiting bacterial growth) and much less food
for bacteria or wild yeast to work on.  Next time, either use a 1" blowoff
tube or less beer or a larger fermentation vessel.  It's a bad idea to let
the krauesen muck up your airlock, lest it should plug things up and explode.
BTW, a large blowoff hose is more important when fermenting in glass (due to
glass' lack of elasticity) but it's not a bad idea in plastic, either.

Most of all, relax and enjoy.  Good Luck.

Norm
From: devine@olympus.CS.Berkeley.EDU (bob devine)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: "Dry" Beer?
Date: 8 Sep 1992 20:09:35 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: olympus.cs.berkeley.edu
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

[This information is at least 3rd-hand, but it's what I heard.]

Anheuser-Busch makes their dry beer using that same ingrediants as their
regular beer but have a new rest in mashing of about 140 F to allow more
complete enzyme action by beta amylase.  This reduces the residual sweetness
in the aftertaste by causing a shift to more fermentable sugars.

Bob Devine
From: nicholas@brazil.psych.purdue.edu (Jeffrey Nicholas)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Mead brewing questions (my first batch)
Date: 9 Sep 92 14:56:03 GMT
Organization: Purdue University


I am considering brewing my first batch of mead.  I have made numerous batches
of homebrew and want to try my hand at mead.  I have two recipes, both from
C. Papazian's book and will probably use one of them unless I get a better
offer.  My questions:

1.  One of my recipes calls for 3/4 c. priming sugar at bottling.  The other 
    recipe does not call for priming sugar.  Does the latter recipe produce a
    completely flat product or is there some carbonation to it?

2.  I am interested in brewing a traditional mead, the way it may have been
    1000 yrs. ago.  Is my first recipe or my second recipe more traditional,
    or are both recipes examples of traditional mead?

3.  Should I procure natural honey from a bee keeper (my girlfriend works with
    a woman whose husband keeps bees) or will commercial store bought honey
    suffice?  If there is no appreciable difference in the final product I
    will go with the store bought honey because it is cheaper.

4.  Is it a bad idea to try to brew a five gallon batch of mead, ferment it
    as usual, and then splitting the fermented mead into two 2 1/2 gallon units,    one of which receives .375 cups of priming sugar to give me half a batch
    of bottled mead with carbonation and one half batch of bottled mead without
    carbonation?  The reason I ask is simply that the recipe which calls for 
    priming sugar also calls for less honey in the recipe.  I am uncertain as to    whether the batch calling for more honey is going to carbonate itself which
    might lead to exploding bottles if I go dumping sugar in there.  Any tips?

5.  How long does it take for the mead to ferment?  Papazian says three weeks
    with yeast nutrients and up to a year without.  Should I use the nutrients?
    Obviously I want to try it as soon as possible so I am inclined to go with
    the nutrients.

6.  Finally, how long should the mead be conditioned in the bottle before it is
    ripe?

Thank you very much for any input on this.  I really want my mead to come out
well so I appreciate any tips even those that do not relate to questions I
may have asked.   --Jeff
From: devine@olympus.CS.Berkeley.EDU (bob devine)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: SG on double malting
Date: 11 Sep 1992 18:06:31 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: olympus.cs.berkeley.edu
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) writes:
: I find it amuzing that you can have fun but I can not.  How can you
: possibly see anything but humor in what I said, in particular the
: closing?  Yall just simply need to learn to have fun while you learn.

Believe me, I understood your humor.  But I've seen too many folks
misunderstand it as megalomanical posturing.  The written word is
lacking in the nuances of meaning that speech provides so that it
is easy for one person to misinterpret out of the hundreds (thousands?)
of readers that did understand.

I've been reading usenet news since about 1983 and have seen countless
examples where someone had their simple posting flamed because of a
small misunderstanding.

So Jack, keep posting.  You have become one of the few folks in this
forum whose name is recognized by everyone.

Bob Devine
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
From: beb@pt.com (Bruce Buck)
Subject: Re: Straub's Brewery
Organization: Performance Technologies, Incorporated
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 17:54:25 GMT

Another Straub's anecdote - when I visited about ten years ago, I pulled up
to the loading dock, told them what I wanted, paid them, and they filled up
my car.  My kind of service.

They may be all grain, but they do use a fair amount of corn.  It is a very
light, dry beer.

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing