HOMEBREW Digest #1667                        Tue 28 February 1995         FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES                 Rob Gardner, Digest Janitor Contents:   Fermenter Questions (Will Self)   Re: gelatine ( D.W. Blackie - Television and Imaging DJ - ext 5316 )   Yeast Pitching Rate vs Wort Gravity ( Fleming, Kirk R., Capt )   Kettle Sight Glass and Fittings ( Fleming, Kirk R., Capt )   How do I add to sierra archive? (Carlo Fusco)   Hawaii, Wakiki? (Martin Hatlelid)   Smoking Grains (Alan Folsom)   Fuller's ESB clone (Steve Ropp)   Re: Dropping Beer (Tel +44 784 443167)   Re: New address for Ulick Stafford (Ulick Stafford)   Help Mississippi (Karen Barela/AHA President)   Hallertau Mittelfruh Hops (WILLIAM E STEIMLE)   Frozen Starters Addendum ( Patrick G. Babcock )   Brewing in Germany (Sawyer David CDT)   Hop bitterness in beer (ASB ( Daniel S McConnell )   Even cheaper Counterpressure filler (repost) ( Roger Deschner   )   call for help in ole miss (MR WADE A WALLINGER)   To All-grain & Kegs,  1995 Guidelines, Hop Storage, Quality Brews, Wasted Space (Gary Bell)   Texturing of wooden mill rollers (Tom Clifton)   competition R.C.M.P. (Martin Hatlelid)   HBD Antabuse?/B-Brite/Wares (BrewBeerd)   Cream Ale ( KEVIN A. KUTSKILL )   Wonderful Porter Recipe (John J. Palmer)   Irish Moss - revisited (Domenick Venezia)   Siphon tubes (SMKRANZ)   A good scale (SMKRANZ)   5 litre minikeg response review!! (richard frederick hand)   Yeast farming (TPuskar) ****************************************************************** * NEW POLICY NOTE: Due to the incredible volume of bouncing mail, * I am going to have to start removing addresses from the list * that cause ongoing problems. In particular, if your mailbox * is full or your account over quota, and this results in bounced * mail, your address will be removed from the list after a few days. * * If you use a 'vacation' program, please be sure that it only * sends a automated reply to homebrew-request *once*. If I get * more than one, then I'll delete your address from the list. ****************************************************************** Send articles for __publication_only__ to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   (Articles are published in the order they are received.) Send UNSUBSCRIBE and all other requests, ie, address change, etc.,   to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , BUT PLEASE NOTE that if   you subscribed via the BITNET listserver ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ),   then you MUST unsubscribe the same way! If your account is being deleted, please be courteous and unsubscribe first. Please don't send me requests for back issues - you will be silently ignored. For Cat's Meow information, send mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ARCHIVES:   An archive of previous issues of this digest, as well as other beer   related information can be accessed via anonymous ftp at   ftp.stanford.edu.  Use ftp to log in as anonymous and give your full   e-mail address as the password, look under the directory   /pub/clubs/homebrew/beer directory.  AFS users can find it under   /afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer.  If you do not have   ftp capability you may access the files via e-mail using the ftpmail   service at gatekeeper.dec.com.  For information about this service,   send an e-mail message to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the word   help (without the quotes) in the body of the message.

One thing I've thought of, but haven't seen, is flexible bulb that would be somewhere in the tube between the carboy and the bottling bucket, much like the siphoning tubes available at automotive stores.  I hesitate to use an item designed for gas on my beer, but I haven't seen one any where else. Has anyone seen such a beast, suitable for transferring beer?  If so, where? For a good siphon tube with a bulb, made of the same clear plastic tubing most folks use, check out your local aquarium store.  The better ones have a soft rubber bulb that works better and lasts longer than the cheaper plastic ones I've seen in auto stores.  And they can be easily taken apart, and sanitized with the rest of your transfer tubing.  It takes a little practice to get the siphon going without blowing air back into your wort, but it's a very simple procedure. I've never tried it, but I can't imagine you'd get a real steady flow that way, without a lot of air mixed in (which you don't want).   A sure-fire method to start a good siphon is to fill the tube with water.  I fill my sink up, bury the hose in the water, and fill the racking tube using a turkey baster.  hold your finger on one end of the racking tube while the other - the curved end - is underwater.  connect the siphon hose to the racking tube while both are underwater.  then put your thumb on the one remainging free end of the siphon hose, stick the cap on the racking tube, and hold it up to make sure there are no air bubbles anywhere in the hose.  if there are, use the turkey baster to fill it up and get rid of them.  once you're set, plunk the tube in your beer and let go of the siphon hose, sticking it in a cup until you start seeing all beer, then crimp it and stick it in the receiving container.   If you're worried about the water being unsanitary, throw a tablespoon of bleach into it.  That's what I do and haven't had a problem.

very simple procedure. I've never tried it, but I can't imagine you'd get a real steady flow that way, without a lot of air mixed in (which you don't want). You're right about getting air in the liquid...but the bulb can easily and quickly be taken off of the end of the transfer tube with the rigid connector tube (about 2-3 inches long).  Just don't shove it in so tight that you need two hands to pull it out. My fermenting/racking location is in the _base_ment, is not convenient to a water source to fill a siphon hose, and this is a good alternative to those who are paranoid of contamination by starting the siphon the old-fashioned way (mouth action - which I've also done with no noticeable adverse results).

and this is a good alternative to those who are paranoid of contamination by starting the siphon the old-fashioned way (mouth action - which I've also done with no noticeable adverse results). I didn't have any problem wtih that uuntil someone convinced me that sanitizing my mouth with brandy was unncecessary.  The next two batches got lactic.  I'm back to gargleing.  (i can't bear the thoguht of putting water in te beer sipon tube