Temperature Probe Setup (6/28/16)

NOTE: I have basically no experience with any of this, other than a few starter projects using a breadboard. I have been using the internet to figure things out. I also do not know C/C++ (used with the arduino) - it is totally possible to figure out how to write code for it based on examples online!

I finally got together my supplies to make the temperature probe. I have also ordered a water heater and the other things I need to eventually automate the heating during brewing, but I will figure the rest of that out once it arrives. For now, here is how I hooked up the temperature probe:

The temperature probe is the DS18B20 model. I downloaded the OneWire library for my Arduino and used the example code called "DS18x20_Temperature." After uploading that to my Arduino, I opened Tools>Serial Monitor to view the outputs of my sensor: the temperature showed up in Fahrenheit and Celsius, measured accurately each second. I might eventually get a screen to display it but for now this works.

What the Serial Monitor reads each second:

ROM = 28 51 C1 4C 7 0 0 60
  Chip = DS18B20
  Data = 1 A 6 4B 46 7F FF 6 10 D  CRC=D
  Temperature = 96.62 Celsius, 205.92 Fahrenheit
No more addresses.

Bottling Day! (6/27/16)

After fermenting for 10 days, it was clear that the beer was not bubbling anymore (the entire foamy "head" had disappeared and no air was coming out of the airlock). I took a reading from the hydrometer, which I also did right before letting the wort ferment, and used the two readings to determine that my beer was 6.7% alcohol!

The hydrometer (should not be touching the sides for the actual reading):

After that, I prepared the priming sugar and added it to the wort, siphoned into this bucket without all the sediment from the fermentor:

All the leftover dead yeast and other sediment - yuck:

Then we siphoned the beer into bottles and capped them:

The (almost) finished product: 8 bottles of 6.7% American Red Ale.

Now all that's left is to let them carbonate for 2 weeks and then we will have delicious beer to drink. Christian and I tried the beer as-is and it was already pretty good!

Foggy Bottom Fermentation Workshop (6/18/16)

I attended the Turf and Terrain Foggy Bottom event about fermentation and microbes, where we got to start a "ginger bug" base for making carbonated soda with natural yeast as well as a sourdough bread base. In the ginger bug, the natural yeast will ferment and carbonate the base, and after a few days I can add more sugar, water, and fruits of my choosing to make carbonated soda. At the event we got to try one soda made this way and it turned out really well, so I am looking forward to that!

We also got to swab natural objects around the area to collect yeast and other microbes, which we added to sterile wort that the leader of the event would use to attempt to make his own beer with the naturally occurring yeast (the beer I am making uses store bought yeast, which is much more common; only a few Belgian breweries use natural fermentation for their commercial beer). Hopefully I will get an update on how my sample turns out.

For more information about these projects, check out microobservatory.com and @microobservatory on instagram.

The flower I swabbed:

The ginger bug (before fermenting):

Getting Started with Brewing (6/17/16)

I started my first batch of beer, American Red Ale, just a few days ago. I got a 1-gallon homebrewing kit from My LHBS and a couple kits for different types of beer. I chose the 1-gallon kit instead of the normal and probably more cost effective 5-gallon kit because I hope to start automating parts of the process and will need to run many batches, so I figured I didn't need to make tons of beer at once.

I won't get into the details of the brewing, but we cooked the wort (unfermented beer) on the stove following the kit's instructions, pumped it into a fermenting jug using an auto-siphon, added the yeast, and it is now fermenting for 10-14 days in my basement. Here is a picture from the pumping process:

And here is the beer-in-progress after 3 days:

The foam is caused by the yeast consuming the sugars in the wort and producing CO2 and alcohol. In person you can see the airlock at the top bubbling slowly as the CO2 is released.