A Change of Venue: Relocating the Brewhouse

The silence on Accidentalis hasn't been empty; it has been logistical.

If you have followed this site over the last thirteen years, you know I don't publish for the sake of maintaining a streak. I write when there is data to parse or a process to refine. Recently, however, the silence was necessitated by a fundamental shift in geography and career. So we have a new blog platform that is faster and more nimble, and a plan?

The Trade-Off: Bandwidth vs. Compensation

For years, my work in the Austin area and California involved high-tech executive and management roles. These positions commanded significant compensation, but, crucially, they demanded the entirety of my mental bandwidth. This high-cost, high-demand lifestyle ultimately relegated the technical rigors of zymurgy to the narrow margins of my time.

This year's move to Rural Kansas was a deliberate re-prioritization. My wife retired from teaching in Texas, I was laid off from an excellent job in EdTech, and I have deep family roots here, just south of the Nebraska border, just a few miles from the geographic center of the continental US. We couldn't afford Bastrop, Texas and our lovely home there any longer.

I transitioned from the corporate environment to shared Director of IT responsibilities for two rural unified school districts. The pay scale is decidedly different, but the cost of living is equally low, and the value proposition shifted entirely: I traded high corporate visibility and compensation for authentic community engagement and, critically, am reclaiming the focused time needed to execute the kind of technical work I value here.

We are moving away from the noise of the executive track and Austin's crazy dynamic, into a quiet community where focus is the primary currency. It's a very different world here (and yes, they refer to Oz quite a bit here, Toto).

The New Architecture

I am currently rebuilding the home brewery and cellars in a dedicated, larger footprint. This isn't about capacity wars or chasing the biggest stainless steel tanks available. It is about workflow. I do still like shiny things. I have a massive four-car garage with two 240V 50A circuits! Just need to add some water plumbing with my RO filter and clean everything. It's all pretty cruddy.

In Texas, I was often fighting my environment—managing ambient temps, juggling storage, and compromising on equipment layout. Here, I am building a facility designed for control. A space where I can isolate variables, run bench trials, do sensory analysis without tripping over carboys, and treat the fermentation environment with the clinical respect it requires.

I already miss the many wonderful and amazing breweries, meaderies, and the fellowship of my friends and acquaintances who rallied around exams and competitions and just showed up for a pint or two.

The Mission Refined

With the relaunch of the site on this new platform, I want to clarify the intent of the documentation you will find here.

The brewing internet is often loud. It is full of "hacks," "game-changers," and authoritative demands on how you must brew. That is not how I operate. I am not here to issue edicts. I am not a YouTube or Instagram creator fighting the algorithms for clicks, shares, and subscribers.

My goal is to share what I do, the practical and scientific principles I base those decisions on, and the results I perceive in the glass. The small scale is different from the commercial scale, I get that. However, there is much to learn from each side of the community.

Whether I am discussing a specific mash for a German Lager, the nutrient kinetics of a high-gravity Mead, or the acid balance of a Cider, the approach rests on three specific principles:

1. Fundamental Excellence: I prioritize process over gadgets. I am more interested in yeast health and oxidation reduction than I am in automation for automation's sake.
2. Rigorous Inquiry: I rely on established texts rather than forum anecdotes. If I make a claim, I will show you the source.
3. Transparent Application: I will show you my failures as clearly as my successes. If a batch stalls or oxidizes, we will perform the autopsy together to understand the Why.

The Road Ahead

The brewery and cellar are in the planning stages. The library is unpacked. There is a ton of elbow grease work ahead.

I am looking forward to documenting this new phase of "Rural Zymurgy," particularly as I dive deeper into modern mead production and technical sensory evaluation.

The archives are being dusted off, edited, and commented on if my understanding has changed. This will take some time, but I want to keep it relevant.