Nerding out on beer – DIY mash temperature control (Travis)

Warning! This post has some numbers, and some technical beer words. Because I’m a nerd for beer.

I’ve had this problem on brew days. I want to maintain a steady mash temperature for long periods of time, but my gas heat source is either too high and the temperature rises, or too low and a breeze blows the flame out. As a result I end up staring at the stove for 60-90 minutes, constantly adjusting a gas valve and re-lighting the stove. It’s a tedious process, but my real concern is recipes are really, really hard to repeat with this method – and I want repeatability.

I saw two solutions: buy some really expensive pre-made controller, or build my own. I chose the latter, and recruited my dad for help. After lots of very confused discussions about the concept of the controller (electric or gas? HERMS or RIMS? how do you convert 3/4″ pipe thread to 5/16″ compression thread? what the #$@# are we doing? that sort of thing), we settled on keeping the RIMS system I had (heated with natural gas), and adding an electrically actuated gas valve controlled by an Arduino processor. When the temperature is too low, the Arduino commands the valve to open, the stove is lit by the pilot light, and it heats up. When the temperature hits the target temperature, the Arduino closes the valve. It’s a simple concept, and took us a painfully long time to iron out. But it’s done!

Last night was the first test run. It’s not exactly pretty… but the result is amazing. I programmed in a 4-stage mash and hit “go”, and it held the temperature within a degree of my targets for 90 minutes. Absolutely repeatable!

Oh, and side-note, last night’s mash gave me 90% conversion efficiency. If that’s not hot, I don’t know what is.

Thanks dad!

Installing the Arduino mash controller

System at a glance

It’s a bit cryptic… but it means the temperature is about as perfect as you can get.

A mess of gas connectors

The pilot assembly

Weekend on Mt. Whitney (Travis)

Last weekend Alex (friend for 15+ years), Kristi (sister), Brant (sister’s bf) played around on Mt. Whitney. We had ambitions of summiting, but avalanche warnings, heavy weather rolling in from the East, and lack of experience made it pretty clear we weren’t gonna make it that far. So we spent the weekend playing on the mountain, getting a bit of practice in for next time. Despite FREEZING weather (temps between -2F and 45F and heavy winds) and numb toes, this was real, genuine fun. I can’t wait to do it again! Big thanks to Alex, Kristi, and Brant for coming with me. Also thanks to Alex for bringing a camera!

A beautiful pre-hike view at 8AM! (After a 6 hour drive…)

I fell face-first into 3 fee of powder. Got my crampons stuck on a branch. Kinda comical.

Just a couple of badasses… not a big deal.

Setting up to practice belying

Best part may have been the campfire at night (such a cool shot!)

Wheeee

Most work for a slip-and-slide EVER. But totally worth it

Prepping a chute for everyone to practice self-arrests

Nom nom nom

Comfy, cozy camp

We hiked through the clouds to camp. It wasn’t as cold as it looks…

Just making sure…

“If money were no object”

I LOVE this video. Alan Watts’ thoughts on careers and happiness. Thougt it was well worth sharing!

Happiness (Quincy)

A passage that speaks to me. To all those happy people (including myself): keep doin’ what you’re doin’!

Some people associate happiness with a lack of intellectual rigor, like the man who said to Samuel Johnson, ‘You are a philosopher, Dr. Johnson.  I have tried too in my time to be a philosopher; but, I don’t know how, cheerfulness was always breaking in.’  Creativity, authenticity, or discernment, some folks argue, is incompatible with the bourgeois complacency of happiness.  But although somber, pessimistic people might seem smarter, research shows that happiness and intelligence are essentially unrelated.

Of course, it’s cooler not to be too happy.  There’s a goofiness to happiness, a readiness to be pleased.  Zest and enthusiasm take energy, humility, and engagement; taking refuge in irony, exercising destructive criticism, or assuming an air of philosophical ennui is less taxing. Also, irony and world-weariness allow people a level of detachment from their choices: fast food, a country club membership, a gas-guzzling SUV, reality TV. I met someone who couldn’t stop talking about the stupidity of celebrities and people who read celebrity gossip, but her disdainful remarks revealed that she herself followed it very closely…

Other people cultivate unhappiness as a way to control others. they cling to unhappiness because without it they’d forgo the special consideration that unhappiness secures: the claim to pity and attention. I know I’ve pled unhappiness to get points for something. For example, if Jamie asks me to go to a business dinner with him and I honestly tell him, “I don’t want to go, I really don’t want to go, but I will if you want me to,” I feel as if I get more gold stars from him for going than if I fibbed, “I’m happy to go, I’m really looking forward to it.” If I didn’t complain, if I didn’t express my unhappiness, Jamie might take my complaisance for granted. 

The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It’s more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced that person usually gets no credit.

There’s yet another group of people who have a superstitious dread of admitting to happiness, for fear of tempting fate. Apparently, this is practically a universal human instinct and seen in nearly all cultures - the dread of invoking cosmic anger by calling attention to good fortune.

Last, some people are unhappy because they won’t take the trouble to be happy. Happiness takes energy and discipline. It is easy to be heavy, etc. People who are stuck in an unhappy state are pitiable; surely they feel trapped, with no sense of having a choice in how they feel. Although their unhappiness is a drag on those around them – emotional contagion  unfortunately, operates more powerfully for negative emotions that positive emotions – they suffer too. 

Excerpt from The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Red Bull Stratos

I can’t wait for this. If only the weather would cooperate – it was originally scheduled for last Monday, then Tuesday, now Wednesday…

If you don’t know, IT is a skydive from the edge of space (120,000 feet), where the guy (Felix Baumgartner) will go supersonic on reentry.

It’ll be epic when it happens.

A weekend at 14,000 feet

Press play on what might be my favorite song from the new Mumford and Sons CD (to be fair, it’s impossible to pick a favorite) before continuing. Language warning.

I had an awesome weekend with my rockstar dad and sister this weekend climbing Mt. Langley. The highlight was most likely Kristi falling over while making dinner, to which dad said “have a seat!” just as he tripped over the tent and fell over. It’s funny now – and even funnier with minor hypoxia But aside from a few blisters and bruises, we all summited California’s 9th highest peak (14,032 ft). That’s something to celebrate! Huge thanks to dad and Kristi for coming with – I had a great time. Love you both!

Too funny not to pass on…