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Post #26 made 13 years ago
by Lylo
I consider both the FWH and the cube hops as mostly aroma and flavour contributions.I still use a 60 min bittering addition if called for, but cut it back to about 75% of the recipe.
AWOL

Post #28 made 13 years ago
by PistolPatch
rockbotton wrote:Wow I think we high jacked Lars original post :blush:
Yeah sorry Lars. That was my fault :?. Hope I can sneak my reply to Todd in :sneak:...
thughes wrote:Tough to describe PP, just try it for yourself and quit bugging me!
:lol:. I'm hoping I'll get some time at Easter to do a few double batches Todd and this is one thing I will definitely try. (Meant to try it before Xmas actually but haven't had a chance yet to go shopping for cubes etc yet :nup:)

Ridiculous!
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 27 Mar 2012, 17:14, edited 3 times in total.
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Trub management- need help please

Post #29 made 13 years ago
by Lars
Haven't been getting my usual email notifications(I think) so hadn't noticed the hijack until today:) it's all good. Actually I'm having a few issues including cutouts from heavy buildup on my element during brewing. I've been getting some help from Eoinmag who used to be a member here and it looks like I've got some efficiency problems that might be leaving me with a lot of unconverted flour that's burning onto my element and ending up in my FV. I've been bumping up grainbills by 10~15% and still missing OG targets but I didn't care too much cause I figured a few extra quid on grain was no big deal. Anyway, I'm going to start doing iodine tests and treating my water as there's a possible mash ph issue. If I can minimise unconverted starch hopefully it'll help with both trub and scorching onto the element. I'm also lookin to shorten my brew day so I'm considering an overnight mash and may even consider nochill to shorten it further. What type of material does a nc cube need to be made from? And by the way PP, just received my SS ball valve and tank connector the other day. Waiting for qmax connector to do mod. Can't wait. I'll come back and apologise to you when I get my first infected batch:) fingers crossed it'll never happen!!

Thanks

L

Post #31 made 13 years ago
by Lars
Thanks Thughes, its the 'food safe at high temps' bit that I'm not sure about? How do you determine this or is all HDPE food safe at high temps? Are there different 'grades' of HDPE? Is there a marking that I should be looking for?

Thanks

L

Post #32 made 13 years ago
by thughes
I'm pretty sure all HDPE that states "food safe" should be OK at all temps. I'll poke around a bit more and see if there are any further specifications.
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Post #33 made 13 years ago
by Lylo
I think HPPE plastics come in different thicknesses.So long as you can't squeeze them out of shape easily by hand(unless you are BobBrews)they should be okay.
AWOL

Post #34 made 13 years ago
by thughes
2 bits I found:

"A linear polymer, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is prepared from ethylene by a catalytic process. The absence of branching results in a more closely packed structure with a higher density and somewhat higher chemical resistance than LDPE. HDPE is also somewhat harder and more opaque and it can withstand rather higher temperatures (120° Celsius for short periods, 110° Celsius continuously)."

and

"Not All HDPE Containers Are Food Grade
There is a common misconception that all containers made of white plastic or HDPE plastic bearing the HDPE "2" plastic symbol symbol are food grade containers. This is not true.
If you are considering the purchase of a container from some place other than a kitchen or restaurant supply store, and the container is not clearly labeled as "food safe" or being made of food grade plastic, then you should assume that it is not food grade"

So, basically any HDPE marketed as food grade should be sufficient as long as it is thick enough to be structurally sound whne filled with 5 gallons (or more) of almost boiling liquid. Hope this helps.....

---Todd
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Post #35 made 13 years ago
by PistolPatch
Lars wrote:...its the 'food safe at high temps' bit that I'm not sure about?
This is a bit of a hard area. The worst I have seen is a retailer selling hoses he used for transferring boiled wort while the specs clearly said that the hose was only rated to something like 75 C. Upon being questioned on this his reply was, "Well I've had 200 customers without a problem.*" :roll:

So Lars, you are right in realising that different plastics have a food-rating up to certain temps.

I think this is an area where you have to use some intuition / common sense. Cubes are less of a worry than hoses. For cubes, I'd pretty much follow thughes' advice above. For example, the commonly sold 'plastic' fermentors many of us brew in, I think are food-safe at high temps because they pass 'the nose test'.

*The danger is that our palates all differ. My palate is really sensitive to any type of plastic flavour but ask me what diacetyl is and I'll just roll my eyes :P.

So, with plastics, I recommend you don't use your mouth, use your nose...

The Nose Test

Cubes: I think some cubes come with a bit of a plastic smell but this can be washed out. I'd regard them as a bit dodgy. Other 'cubes' like your normal fermentor don't have any sort of plastic smell.

Hoses: These are much easier to check. Put one end up your nose and breathe in. It should smell fine even before you use it IMO. Try the test again after you have run a few hot brews through. If it's not food-grade at high temps, you'll smell the difference. (Maybe keep some of the tube to one side so as you can compare.)

The nose test is also great for smelling whether kettle taps, fermentor taps etc are infected.

So, if you can't get any scientific info on the plastic you are using, all I can say is the nose knows ;),
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 03 Apr 2012, 20:58, edited 3 times in total.
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Post #36 made 13 years ago
by stux
Many plastic manufacturers will be happy to tell you if their HDPE container is food grade. A lot of the time it's a generic product and many of the generic uses are in the food related industries
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12

Post #37 made 13 years ago
by Lars
Hi Stux, as an aside I see Landlord III with WY1469 on your 'tobrew' list. Where you getting that yeast? The only place i can find it in Europe is at brouwland.com and they charge a lot for delivery. I know your in Oz but just curious as to how available that stuff is over there?

Thanks

L

Post #38 made 13 years ago
by stux
My LHBS stocks Wyeast, and 1469 is now a regular strain so you can get it all year round.

I preorder my 1469 last time, paid 12$Au and split it 4 ways. Still have 2 vials left :)

Quite a few HBS stock either wyeast or whitelabs, I know my LHBS gets a shipment fedexed in every 6 weeks or so direct.

It's harder to get yeasts fresh here, so it's worthwhile doing a starter, and this is also the reason why I split them to save money
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12

Post #40 made 13 years ago
by stux
Lars wrote:Think I'll be buying a pack from brouwland and splitting it, good idea Stux...

Thanks

L
Here's a good link on how to split wyeast packs.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/i" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... opic=45866

here's me preparing to split 3 different yeast packs I pre-ordered
splitting wyeast.jpg
I don't bother smacking the pack before splitting anymore and I find I get better results

You can just use http://yeastcalc.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to work out your steppings. Just enter 25B for the starting count rather than 100 billion if splitting 4 ways.
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Last edited by stux on 04 Apr 2012, 14:03, edited 3 times in total.
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12
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