Diagnostic run on new Spike brew kettle; heating 6 gallons on the stovetop -- what happens next will shock you.

Spike.Rmd

---
title: "Spike 10 gal. Kettle Diagnostic Run"
output: html_notebook
---

## Method

1. Fill a **10 gal. Spike kettle** with **6 gallons** of tap water;
   apply heat on the stovetop.
2. **Stir** the water before each temperature reading.
3. **Record the temperature** reading from the top of the water with a "pen"
   thermometer; also record the temperature from the bottom using the built-in
   dial thermometer.
4. **Stir** the water again after each temperature reading.
5. **Repeat** readings every few minutes.
6. Once boiling, **boil for 60 minutes**; then record volume loss.

```{r setup, include=FALSE}
knitr::opts_chunk$set(echo = TRUE)
library("ggplot2")
library("hms")

setwd("~/Desktop")

kettle.data <- read.csv("https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1klrMYWAfMcJLaDTOuaH-QnAMMj7-AWnUXtseV221YIY/gviz/tq?tqx=out:csv&sheet=2015")
```


## Results

1. Boiling achieved after approx. **75 minutes**.
2. The boil was **not vigorous**; i.e., rolling boil bubbles at the bottom but
   less so toward the top.
3. Boil-off rate was approximately **0.5 gal./hr.**

```{r boil.off, echo=FALSE}
ggplot(kettle.data, aes(TIME_AS_MIN, TEMP_PEN)) +
  scale_x_continuous(breaks = c(0, 15,  30,  45,  60,
                                   75,  90, 105, 120,
                                  135, 150, 165, 180)) +
  
  geom_ribbon(aes(ymin = TEMP_PEN, ymax=TEMP_DIAL),
              fill="#F3EDD4") +
  
  geom_point(stat = "identity", color="#FFC63B", size=2,
             aes(TIME_AS_MIN, TEMP_DIAL)) +
  geom_line(color="#FFC63B", size=1, 
            aes(TIME_AS_MIN, TEMP_DIAL)) +
  
  geom_point(stat = "identity", color="#F9952C", size=3) +
  geom_line(color="#F9952C", size=2) +
  #geom_smooth(method = "lm") +
  ylab("Temp. (ºF)") + xlab("Minutes") +
  geom_vline(xintercept=74, color="#039BD7", linetype="dotted", size=1) +
  annotate("text", x = 75, y = 220, label = "time to boil", color="#039BD7", hjust=0) +
  geom_hline(yintercept = 212, color="#9E2520", linetype="dotted", size=1) +
  annotate("text", x = 5, y = 220, label = "boiling (ºF)", color="#9E2520")
```


### Observations

1. Having the lid "half-on" helped to keep the boil stronger.
2. Temperature stratification could be somewhat mitigated by stirring or
   otherwise recirculating to better distribute the heat.
3. A propane burner could probably heat 6 gallons to boiling in about 20 minutes,
   _and_ that would provide a more vigorous boil.
4. As the liquid cooled, losses seemed to increase slightly; likely this is
   attributed to continued evaporation and contraction of the liquid. Regardless,
   losses did not exceed 0.75 gallons.