Chlorine is evil and creates Chlorophenols

I just gotta post this.

Friday night as I was swilling down campfire Porter like there was no tomorrow at Hydro Street Brewery a "shall remain nameless" individual whispered into my ear that I should drive north of town and check out a pro-Walker sign.

 
 I don't want to get all like political or anything but I find it interesting that Walker is lawyering up with big name lawyers and "voluntarily" meeting with the Milwaukee County DA in charge with the John Dow investigation.
----------------------------------------------

This last week I have been obsessing over the water in Columbus.  Not the bad things but I was interested in the flavor minerals in the water and how they help/hinder brewing.   What I found is that Columbus water is very very close to Dublin Ireland.  A little more sodium is the only real difference.  This also means that it's REALLY hard to make a wonderful IPA because the minerals reject hops in lighter color beer, HOWEVER this also means our water is WONDERFUL for Stouts and Porters.

It's so freaking hard is crazy  7.7PH out of the tap but we don't care about that.  It's the PH in the mash that we need to bring down which is crazy hard to do (Ale Asylum let's there water sit overnight before brewing.   
 
I'll give this report to Cbus Water and Light for their records, it's something they do not test.  Here are the results of the main things brewers look for.  While you can make beer with normal water, award winning brews need help.

Sodium  106ppm - this much sodium will accentuate the sweetness in the malt. It's not a bad number.

Calcium(Ca) 19ppm - horribly low for brewing, Calcium promotes clarity and flavor in beer and yeast need calcium. 50ppm is the bottom end for brewing.

Magnesium(Mg) 11ppm - like calcium  11ppm is fine.

Ca and Mg will give you the Effective Hardness of your water.

Using the above numbers you can find the Alkalinity and yada yada - I used the below chart for finding what has top be done and frankly - it's a lost cause for making incredible lighter color brews. 

HOWEVER - there is all of that Chlorine. We all know that chlorine can be boiled off. However in brewing, unless you boil the water BEFORE you mash the wort (soak the malt in 150 degree water) the Chlorine will produce Chlorophenols which is a serious defect in the beer giving beer a band-aid like flavor or that "home brew" taste.

Another problem with Chlorine is that it attacks Stainless Steel and will corrode it like saltwater on iron. VERY VERY bad for Stainless Steel.

Bottom line - if you are a brewer stay away from all chlorine and use a water filter that get's it out of your water.
-----------------------------------

Super Bowl half time. I thought Madonna was great. Well done and who cares that M.I.A gave the finger (did anyone actually see it??). But think about the future - in 20 years who will be the half time show. Steven Tyler is like 83 right but who knows.

What 30 year old rock band will be on stage for Super Bowl LXVI . . .Nickleback? I can't stand seeing acts like the The Who and Roger Daltry with reading glasses and a cane "rocking out".

The best advertisement it seems was the Clint Eastwood ad. There were funnier ones but the one where everyone just sort of stops and listens was Clint. This was a +7 million dollar ad.

http://youtu.be/hRZ6rKlw65A



But there are a group of ad's that I have not seen. They are by Subaru and I love every one.

http://youtu.be/UwnCujrTCRA



--------------------------------------

JIMMY THE STICK - YEAR 17

No earth Quacks recently.

Jimmy the Stick - Year 17


Seventeen Years ago my buddy Steve McDowell and I were talking about groundhog day and how we felt that PROPERLY the groundhog did not have a clue about the sun.  Why not save money and have an inanimate object observe the sun instead.  Less upkeep.

So I went out looking for an appropriate inanimate object and found.   JIMMY THE STICK.

Unlike Jimmy the Ground hog which is actually Jimmy the 7th I believe.  JIMMY THE STICK is the original.  That's right my friends, I have been with Jimmy the Stick LONGER then I've been married to DJ (I did not tell her about Jimmy way back then).

Jimmy has had adventures.  He went to Las Vegas in the trunk (I forgot about him on that one).  He was almost held by servicemen for a photo (they backed down at the final moment . . . .national security I believe).  Last year I put him out and we had the Ground Hog day Blizzard and we did not find him for 7 days!  Over the years he has become slightly brittle and yea - he lost a stem a few years ago but he's a trooper.

This year he wanted to have some friends so who would be better friends then our little feathered  Brown Chipping Sparrows!  They know all about twigs.

Jimmy did NOT see his shadow.  This means an early spring. There is actually some science behind Jimmy.  You see if Jimmy DOES see his shadow that would mean that we are probably cold  and dry which would indicate that the jet stream is below us and winter is still in control. 

Clouds mean wetter air which indicates that we are in a more Westerly flow of air and the jet stream is north. 

The good news is that there is NO extra cold weather north west of us. Even Alaska is predicted warmer then normal weather for the next 10 days.  Europe is FRIGID, that is where all the cold weather is. Everywhere you look over there it's cold.  Warsaw, high of 5, Oslo, high of 4, Moscow, high if 4, Berlin high of 18.  Fairbanks is suppose to be up to like 12 today which is above average.  Their RECORD highs are in the middle 30s. 

We should be about 4 or 5 degrees above average for the next 10 days.
------------------------------------------------

DJ blurted out last weekend saying "I think that flu shot is really working, I'm the only one in our family to not to catch a cold recently".

SPOILER!!!!

Remember the scene in Bridesmaid?  One of the funniest most disgusting scenes that almost made me pee my pants!

http://youtu.be/Jrb7_XIIbhI



Yea - I guess the flu shot didn't work as advertised for DJ.

I hope my shot does better!
----------------------------------------
Speaking of movies - I can not WAIT for this one to come out on HBO.  Produced by Tom Hanks.

http://youtu.be/IPhh7mch5zo



--------------------------------------------------

Grand Opening at Hydro Street Brewing.  If you go I have an untasted Dunkleweizen on tap that day (DunkleGrinder).   I brewed it for a quick turnaround.  I'm entering it into a Dunkle contest.  I'm not expecting ANY ribbons as I had never brewed a dunkle before (Dark Wheat beer) and since it's under forced carbonation I have not had a chance to taste the final product. 

We have only had one blue ribbon winner in the Sun Prairie Wort Hogs (SPWH) so a goal this year is to get more ribbons.  Can't win if we don't enter. Since the Madison Home Brew Club no longer actually talks about brewing (more Great Taste of the Midwest organization)  SPWH is the only club around where we actually talk about brewing.

I'm still waiting for the water report from Nebraska which will tell us how much of the flavor minerals we have in the water and how to adjust the chemistry.  

-----------------------------------------

OH - no jury duty - DANG IT - They settled the case.  I was going to get papers for my OWN law suit.  Now I have to do a little extra work. 

Have a great foggy Thursday.

Rod

Spam-a-lot

If I combined all of my spam I get in one night this is what I could do.

I could be a flat bellied X-Ray Technician using my new discounted per eye lasik vision and be dating married big beautiful Asian singles while taking my free viagra and buying as much TRON (it's about to break out) with my winnings from an investment of only $1 which was made into thousands and I will need to get more bank accounts now.

SWEET!!!!!
---------------------------------------

I saw a thing on the tube about these people that voted for Obama but now don't like him because he has done nothing to the economy.

sigh.

I seem to remember EVERYONE saying "This is not going to be a quick fix". But then like 4 months later those same people (well, some of the same) were complaining that the economy was stagnant and Obama was not doing enough!

I'm not 100% pro Obama, there are somethings I disapprove of. His canceling of space exploration is totally bogus. Russia and China are the only space explorers now. The thing that he misses is that it's not WHAT we find in space, it's the kids that want to be scientists BECAUSE we go into space.

Not just space scientists but all of the science's. There is no excitement in "learning" anymore. His canceling the space program was very republican of him.
---------------------------

OH - I keep forgetting - Columbus is getting a ShopKo Home Town Store. It will carry 70% of what "normal" ShopKo's have. Columbus will be the 6th Home Town store. It will be erected across from the Travel Center. Watch for the erection soon! The more erections Columbus has the happier we will all be!

-------------------------------

Feel the earth quack (earth quack??  LOL) last night?? I could hardly stand up! That 2.4 was ROCKING THE HOUSE!! Actually I did not feel it and as far as I know Blake did not warn me of the coming near disaster.

-------------------------------

WOW - I just saw that our building will become a lock down fortress. The cafeteria will be closed to anyone NOT having a special access card. It's part of the "Safety Modernization Project". I wonder if I try to get in with no card the guys in the floor length black leather coats will stand on my neck asking me who won the World Series!

--------------------------------
Jury Duty Thursday!!


END!