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Reverse Mashing 2

Background

Last time I toyed with the idea of “reverse mashing”, I found that an unheated kitchen isn’t a great place to do mashing experiments in the winter. Fortunately, I have a new toy available in the form of an oven with a “Warm” (170°F – 77°C) setting, and so I was able to perform two [...]

Pass Creek Trail

Thursday, I was able to get away from the brewery a little early, so I finally managed to get in a hike I’ve been trying to do all summer. Pass Creek Trail runs from Coal Bank Pass up to join the Colorado Trail. From the junction, there’s a quick but treacherous spur that runs most [...]

It’s the Little Fittings Too

In preparation for my move to the Great White, um, West, I’m brewing two batches this week. First up: a Westvleteren 12 clone. (Rant: In “Belgian degrees”, wouldn’t 12° correspond to about 28°P? It should be called Westvleteren 9°! But I digress.) Stay tuned for an updated porter recipe on Friday.

Good news! It gave me [...]

The Future Is Gonna Be Incredible

Or more sinisterly, who is safe from the man who controls a swarm of nanites with his thoughts? Snow Crash meets The Diamond Age.

BBR Interview 3

James Spencer and I did another interview for Basic Brewing Radio, and this time it was even in person, which was a lot of fun. It deals with gravity measurements and some of the intricacies of using refractometers, and concludes with a call for additional data that will hopefully corroborate my final gravity correlation.

Steamboat Stagger

Yeah, well, let’s see how you do at 6800 ft.

Name: Steamboat
Date: Aug 17, 2010 9:08 am
Map: View on Map
Distance: 2.05 miles
Elapsed Time: 19:24.8
Avg Speed: 6.3 mph
Max Speed: 7.4 mph
Avg Pace: 09′ 28″ per mile
Min Altitude: 6,698 ft
Max Altitude: 6,798 ft

Ten Deliveries

What’s the point of having GPS on your iPhone if you aren’t going to geek out about stuff?

Name:    13 June 2010
Date:    Jun 13, 2010 6:17 pm
Map:    Google Maps
Distance:    48.3 miles
Elapsed Time:    1:50:30
Avg Speed:    26.2 mph
Max Speed:    55.1 mph
Avg Pace:    02′ 17″ per mile
Min Altitude:    656 ft
Max Altitude:    819 ft
Start Time:    2010-06-13T22:17:01Z

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Refractometer Estimates of Final Gravity

A refractometer is one of the most useful tools a brewer can have. It allows for near-instantaneous measurements of specific gravity, without having to compensate for or adjust sample temperature or withdraw a large volume of wort/beer (a significant concern at homebrew scales). There are a few issues associated with accurately using a refractometer for [...]

Thermometer Calibration

It’s spring cleaning time in the brewery. I’ve given the kegerator a good once-over, scrubbed the kettles shiny, replaced all the vinyl tubing, and so now it must be time for instrument calibrations. I check the hydrometer and refractometer every few batches because it’s so easy (use water and a 10% sucrose solution), but it [...]

Way to Go, Steve-o

Why does Apple only stand up and say, “this is what we’re doing, and this is why” every year or two? When they do, it usually makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Thoughts on Flash

Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business [...]