Sunday, August 18, 2013

Schmidling Maltmill - general efficiency & adjustment


The MALTMILL is an authentic roller mill that makes it possible for homebrewers to turn out textbook quality milled grain. It crushes the malt, leaving the husk intact while producing a minimum of flour. Not one grain can get through without being properly milled. It does exactly what a malt mill is supposed to do.

The MALTMILL is provided with a nominal spacing of .045" between the rollers. This produces an excellent crush on all commonly used malt. An adjustable version is available for those who perceive the need for additional flexibility . The roller journals ride in oil-impregnated bronze bearings, pressed into aluminum castings. A coarse textured surface on the rollers prevents the grain from slipping and is the key to providing an efficient mill at far less cost then conventional multiple stage roller mills.

The MALTMILL relies on the grain to drive the passive roller and the above cited throughput is based on this configuration. For additional efficiency, in high volume operations, a Gear Drive Option (GDO) is available to drive the passive roller directly from the driven roller through precision-ground, steel gears. These gears have different numbers of teeth, to provide a differential rotational rate for the rollers.


36mil / 0.92mm / 0.036 inch (universal setting)


This crush has been produced with a 2 roller mill (JSP Maltmill) at its factory setting of 36 mil / 0.92 mm. At this setting, which is fairly loose, no substantial husk shredding occurs while the endosperm is mostly ground into grits. Some of the endosperm is left behind in the husks. The low percentage of flour and well preserved husks will make for easy lautering. But even with well modified malts, the conversion efficiency will only be average.





19 mil / 0.48mm / 0.019 inch (tight setting)


At a much tighter setting (19 mil / 0.48 mm), the same mill will produce considerably more flour and shredded husks. While the efficiency is significantly increased, the lauter may not run as easily and may even get stuck if the allowed run-off speed is to fast. The increased conversion efficiency make this an attractive option for brewers but the significantly slower run-off causes many to widen the gap at least a little bit.




Motorize Your Grain Mill: Projects


How to and why to
A common drill motor can motorize most mills. The problem with this approach is, while it works, it simply works too fast. Optimum roller speed for small homebrew mills is 150–200 rpm. Drills and most AC motors run at 1,750 rpm (U.S. 60 cycle AC.) The answer is to use pulleys and belts or an expensive gear reduction motor to run your mill more slowly.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Want to Grow Mushrooms at home?

I am in contact with Brian at Magnificent Mushrooms, Brian has lots of information about this topic and he can get you educated to grow your own mushrooms. Check it out! Mahalo Brian!

www.magnificentmushrooms.com

From the website:

"Magnificent Mushrooms’ primary goal is to educate.  We have not accumulated all of this knowledge just to keep it to ourselves.  To date, we have worked with community gardens, schools, parks, co-ops, churches and businesses to develop informational, hands on workshops where participants learn not only the cultivation and collection of mushrooms, but the culture of mushrooms.                     if you are interested in sponsoring one or more of our educational workshops:  "“Mushroom Cultivation 101”", "“Wild Identification Walk”", "“Using Mushrooms to Detoxify and Create Soil”" and “"Ethno-mycology; A History of Mushrooms and Mankind”"."

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

14B. American IPA

14B. American IPA

Aroma: A prominent to intense hop aroma with a citrusy, floral, perfume-like, resinous, piney, and/or fruity character derived from American hops. Many versions are dry hopped and can have an additional grassy aroma, although this is not required. Some clean malty sweetness may be found in the background, but should be at a lower level than in English examples. Fruitiness, either from esters or hops, may also be detected in some versions, although a neutral fermentation character is also acceptable. Some alcohol may be noted.
Appearance: Color ranges from medium gold to medium reddish copper; some versions can have an orange-ish tint. Should be clear, although unfiltered dry-hopped versions may be a bit hazy. Good head stand should persist.
Flavor: Hop flavor is medium to high, and should reflect an American hop character with citrusy, floral, resinous, piney or fruity aspects. Medium-high to very high hop bitterness, although the malt backbone will support the strong hop character and provide the best balance. Malt flavor should be low to medium, and is generally clean and malty sweet although some caramel or toasty flavors are acceptable at low levels. No diacetyl. Low fruitiness is acceptable but not required. The bitterness may linger into the aftertaste but should not be harsh. Medium-dry to dry finish. Some clean alcohol flavor can be noted in stronger versions. Oak is inappropriate in this style. Some sulfur may be present if sulfate water is used, but most examples do not exhibit this character.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-light to medium-bodied mouthfeel without hop-derived astringency, although moderate to medium-high carbonation can combine to render an overall dry sensation in the presence of malt sweetness. Some smooth alcohol warming can and should be sensed in stronger (but not all) versions. Body is generally less than in English counterparts.
Overall Impression: A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale.
History: An American version of the historical English style, brewed using American ingredients and attitude.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for single-temperature infusion mashing); American hops; American yeast that can give a clean or slightly fruity profile. Generally all-malt, but mashed at lower temperatures for high attenuation. Water character varies from soft to moderately sulfate.
Vital Statistics:
OGFGIBUsSRMABV
1.056 - 1.0751.010 - 1.01840 - 60+6 - 155.5 - 7.5%
Commercial Examples: Stone IPA, Victory Hop Devil, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin', Anchor Liberty Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Three Floyds Alpha King, Harpoon IPA, Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, Avery IPA, Founder's Centennial IPA, Mendocino White Hawk Select IPA