Brew Computer Software Update

A while back I had re-written the homebrew computer python code. It was around the time I was working on the water level sensor for the brew setup. While updating the python code I had added a few new features:

• Added support for 2nd serial/usb connection. One for the arduino handling the buttons and switched under the monitor, the other for the new water level sensor.
• Added Blynk support so I can remotely monitor the brew process using the Blynk app.
• Added PID algorithm to better maintain wort temperature
• Updated the GUI, depicted below

I have now brewed twice with this new setup, so fine tuning is still left to do, but it feel way better to brew with. I have also now made the code available at: https://github.com/kbittle/BrewComputer

Wild Berry IPA Recipe

Another experimental beer in the carboy. Today(10/13/19) brewed a wild berry IPA, using the wild berries(some people call them wine berries) from my parents property. After the pumpkin beer was a partial success, hoping this one will be better!

Recipe:
7 lb pale malt
1 lb 5oz 10 row barley
~2oz nugget fresh leaf hops
~0.5oz cascade fresh leaf hops
1oz chinook pellet hops
~6 cups reduced wild berrys
1 wirflock tablet
White labs Belgian strong ale yeast

60min: chinook, 1/4 cascade/nugget mix
45min: 1/4 cascade/nugget mix
30min: 1/4 cascade/nugget mix
15min: wirflock tablet, 1/4 cascade/nugget mix

Racked beer on top of wild berry juice.

Brewpot water level sensor

Working on a new addition to the homebrewing setup. I want to be able to detect water/beer levels in the pot. This circuit will read multiple probes to detect which ones are in water and report the status back to the raspberry pi over the usb serial connection.

I started with a simple circuit I found online, then added my own twist. Had to relearn eagle cad, then sent the eagle project file to Oshpark to get some PCB's made.

Schematic

Board Layout

Final PCB assembled(mostly)

   

Next step will be to get my 3D printer working so I can print the following enclosure that I drew up in Fusion 360.

Pumpkin spice beer

This past Saturday(10/6/18) I attempted my first pumpkin spice beer. Cant wait to try it!

Update: Doesn't taste like a pumpkin spice beer but definitely a good IPA!

Recipe:

• 7 lbs Light Malt Extract
• 1 lb Crystal 20 L Malt
• ~2oz Fresh Leaf Nugget Hops
• 1 29oz can of Pumpkin Pure
• 1 14oz bottle of Maple Syrup
• 1 Whirlfloc Tablet
• Whitew Labs Belgian Strong Ale Yeast

Homebrew in the carboy fermentation vessel

Integrated the electronics panel with the brew cart

For the most part the pi and the electronics are now working with the screen and switches. So I installed the panel in the brew rig and got it setup on the parents WiFi. Slow progress but at least it's progress!

Consolidating the homebrew electronics

About half way through the process of combining all 3 electronics boxes into one panel. Also adding WiFi and a webserver for remote temperature monitoring!

First brew of the year

The weather was so nice I just had to make a beer! This is a pale ale made with the last pickings of last year's hops, which was about a 2-3oz combination of cascade, nugget, and brewers gold whole leaf hops. Combined this with 6 lbs light malt and an American ale yeast. Gonna be delish...

Small Batch Watermelon Beer

Decided to make a fruit beer! Started by juicing 2 watermelons then substituting the water to make beer with that juice.

2 months later the beer was a minor success. It kind of has a wine like flavor to it, but not too sweet. The watermelon flavor hits you at the end of your sip, though it's not really a subtle fruit flavor. When you try it you know it's watermelon.

Brew Rig Progress

The brew rig in action! Pump is mounted on the side and everything else is just resting on the shelves. Only problem now is the rig is about 5 ft tall. Planning on chopping the lower section off and finding a new place to put the worth chiller.

Bottling day for the Belgian Trippel

After siphoning the beer into the bottling bucket. I tried the uncarbonated brew, it's delicious. You can taste that it's a higher alcohol beer(7-8%). Then sanitized the bottles, added the priming sugar and started filling them up. The batch yielded 40 bottles of various sizes.

The brews are bubbling

Three weeks into the Belgian trippel fermentation and two weeks into the hard cider. Can definitely tell the two have slowed down on the fermentation and started the clear up. The hard cider looks like it changed colors Sewell.

Updates to Beer Brewing Computer

I had to open the case up to make some changes to the beer computer. Snapped a few pictures of the internals while I had it open.

The blue board has a ds1307 rtc on it. The green 8-soic to 8-dip board has a mosfet to control the 12v output.

Adafruit's bidirectional logic level shifter. This is used to convert the 3.3v logic level i2c lines to 5v for all the other devices on the i2c bus. 

Adafruit's i2c ADC breakout board

Raspberry PI model B with a heat sink! Has some overheating issues when the outdoor temperature was over 100 F.

The connectors mounted on the rear of the box. USB, HDMI, 3 1-wire connectors, the midi style connector providers the 5v and 12v input.

Beer Brewing Computer

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         This is a project I have been working on for the past couple of months. I needed a way to keep my beer boiling at a certain temperature for an extended period of time. What better then to use a computer to do that for me, so I don't have to physically throttle the propane burner. This brew computer is raspberry pi controller and uses multiple ds18b20 1-wire temperature sensors to monitor the beer temperature. Then using the RPI GPIO I can toggle a mosfet to control a solenoid valve on the gas line.
   
   

   

   Prototype

   
   

   

   Laser cut front panel to identify the potentiometers. I wanted some physical interface to set the temperature. 

   
   

   

   Custom graphical interface which is done in python. These python scripts are ran on boot up, so no need for an X server.

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