Category Archives: Tech in Homebrewing

Inkbird Inkbird WiFi Thermometer Hygrometer [Monitor Kegerator & Fermentation Temps]

INKBIRD WiFi Thermometer Hygrometer Monitor, Smart Temperature Humidity Sensor IBS-TH3 with App Notification Alert, 1 Year Data Storage Export, Remote Monitor for Greenhouse Wine Cellar Baby RoomInkbird WiFi Thermometer and Hygrometer

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Highlighted Features
  • 🌡🌡【Smart WiFi Control】It can be connected through 2.4GHz WiFi(5G WiFi is not supported), and it is easy to connect, no matter where you are, the mobile phone can be monitored remotely; which supports connecting multiple mobile phones, and conversely, a mobile phone can also read multiple sensors.
  • 🌡🌡【Data Storage & Export】Built-in temperature and humidity sensors, sampling time every 10-second interval, data is stored on the server and supports up to 1 year of historical data acquisition.
  • 🌡🌡【Smart Alert Function】The INKBIRD App supports charts, accuracy calibration, is easy to navigate, temperature alarm notification (alarm supports remote alarm, app information notification), data export, and recording time intervals can be set, do not support built-in magnets, AAA battery*3 (not included).
  • 🌡🌡【Temperature humidity range and accuracy】Temperature range: -20℃60℃ (-4℉140℉); support higher temperature detection accuracy: ±0.3℃/±0.5℉; humidity range: 0%RH-99%RH; humidity Detection accuracy: ±3%RH. Calibration can be performed in the INKBIRD APP.
  • 🌡🌡【Easy to Place】The wifi temperature and humidity monitor's design fits in the palm of your hand, and with the lanyard holes design, it's enough to fit in potted plants, baby rooms, wine cellars, reptile vivariums, and other small spaces, not waterproof, meets your needs for any corner.
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Possible uses include monitoring kegerator temperatures, beer fridge temperatures and fermentation chamber/area temperatures.

This has a hygrometer function as well.  That shows % relative humidity and could be handy for judging whether your Eva Dry (or similar) needs recharged for the purpose of handling excess kegerator and fermentation chamber wetness.  See: Damp Kegerator? Fix Kegerator Condensation

INKBIRD WiFi Thermometer Hygrometer Monitor, Smart Temperature Humidity Sensor IBS-TH3 with App Notification Alert, 1 Year Data Storage Export, Remote Monitor for Greenhouse Wine Cellar Baby Room– note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Kegtron – Smart Keg Monitor System + Hands on Review

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor - Single Tap | Track Your Keg Levels From Your Phone | Upgrade Your Taps

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor – Dual Tap Expansion Unit | Track Your Keg Levels From Your Phone | Upgrade Your Taps

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

  • UPGRADE YOUR TAPS – Wirelessly monitor your kegerator or taps at the bar
  • ALL ON YOUR PHONE – Monitor all of your kegs from your phone or tablet
  • STOP THE GUESSWORK – Don’t be surprised by empty kegs. Track volume served, volume remaining, servings remaining and more
  • QUICK AND EASY – Install it yourself quickly and clean-in-place with your beverage lines
  • EXPANDABLE – Add expansion monitors to grow as needed. Works with small kegerators to large bars & restaurants

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor, monitors the beers you have on tap and let’s you know how much each keg is holding.  Works with a companion smart phone and tablet app.

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor – Dual Tap Expansion Unit | Track Your Keg Levels From Your Phone | Upgrade Your Taps – note that this is available in multiple versions to accommodate different line counts

Learn More!  Hands on Review: Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

Our Top Draft Resources

Heads up… There will be a deal on this soon – Hands on Review: Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor

Let’s face it, some homebrew gear is purely a luxury item. You’ll hear people ask, “Yeah, but how does that make your beer better?” Sometimes you can rationalize your flashy gear because it allows your brew process to be more repeatable, or take less time. Kegtron doesn’t make your beer taste better, it doesn’t improve your brew process, and it doesn’t make your brew day faster. But it’s something more than just brewery bling.

When I first saw the Kegtron keg monitor, it seemed just like a silly way to part homebrewers from their money. It looked cool, but it definitely didn’t seem like something I’d get excited about. And then I tried it.

Kegtron sells 2 models. One for a single tap, one for a dual. The measurement is done by some fancy digital flow meters inside the housing of the unit. There is a circuit board that keeps track of how much beer goes through the flow meters and stores that data on the board. It also has a Bluetooth transmitter that broadcasts this information to an app on your phone/tablet that you’ve paired through the app.

Since the flow meters just keep track of how much beer goes past them, you have to enter into the app how much beer you start with. You hook up your keg, tell it how many gallons are in it, and it tracks from there, deducting beers each time it measures 12 ounces has gone by. It’s customizable, so if you want to count beers by the pint (U.S. or Imperial) instead of 12 oz. bottle, you can do that. The display on the app tells you how many “drinks” are left in the keg. And since you also input to the app what size your keg is (2.5 gallon, 5 gallon, 1/2 barrel, etc.), along with telling you how many beers are left, it has a colorful graphic to show what percentage of your keg is left.

In the app, you can name each of your beers, so if you have more than one Kegtron tap being monitored, they all show up on your screen and you can keep track of each beer with its own space on your display. Since the data is stored on the Kegtron unit itself, and it uses Bluetooth to communicate to your app, if you leave the house and get out of Bluetooth range, you don’t see your beer lists. So it’s intended to be a display at home next to your kegerator, or on your phone so you can direct your underlings to run downstairs and fetch you what you want from the comfort of your couch.

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When comparing prices, consider total price at checkout

Hands on Review

Kegtron provided me a single-tap unit to try out and review at home. I saw it on display at Homebrew Con in Portland, displaying a club’s list of taps and their various stages of keg emptiness. I wasn’t sure that in a less busy setting it would provide the same value. What I found was it got me excited about what I had on tap (like I needed help). It was cool watching it accurately count down the drinks with each glass filled. I have a 4-tap keezer, and I found myself gravitating to whatever I had on the tap with the Kegtron just because it was fun. After a couple weeks I found myself wanting it on all of my taps. It was just so cool, and suddenly seemingly useful to know exactly how much beer was left in each tap. I was a convert.

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Hands on Review: Tilt Bluetooth Fermentation Hydrometer

tilt review

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Tilt Bluetooth Fermentation Hydrometer

I get pretty excited about most homebrew gear. As an engineer, I love trying to find new tools that let me brew more consistently, or give me control over processes that previously were just a spectator sport. The Tilt Bluetooth hydrometer is one of those devices that pulls back the curtain a bit on a part of the brew process that’s a bit more mysterious. It lets you see what’s going on within your fermenting beer in a way that makes you wonder how you managed without it before.

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Check product pages and searches for current availability, description and pricing

TILT Wrench

TILT Range Extender

Related

The device comes in a compact clear polycarbonate tube, sealed on each end to keep the battery and fancy circuitry dry as it floats along in your fermentor. It’s completely no-strings-attached, and you just drop it in your fermentor and the Bluetooth chip on board broadcasts to your smartphone or tablet to report Standard Gravity and temperature. It makes use of a novel concept to track your gravity. It has a digital inclinometer on board, which measures how much it’s “tilt”-ed . The weight of the device makes it want to sink in your beer, and buoyancy of the cylinder counteracts it. The thicker your wort is, the Tilt doesn’t sink as much and as a result has a greater tilt. As your fermentation progresses and the gravity drops, the buoyancy decreases and Tilt sinks lower and becomes more vertical. The circuitry measuring the angle does some calculations and outputs the angle as a gravity measurement.

Continue reading →

Kegtron – Smart Keg Monitor System + Hands on Review

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor - Single Tap | Track Your Keg Levels From Your Phone | Upgrade Your Taps

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor – Dual Tap Expansion Unit | Track Your Keg Levels From Your Phone | Upgrade Your Taps

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

  • UPGRADE YOUR TAPS – Wirelessly monitor your kegerator or taps at the bar
  • ALL ON YOUR PHONE – Monitor all of your kegs from your phone or tablet
  • STOP THE GUESSWORK – Don’t be surprised by empty kegs. Track volume served, volume remaining, servings remaining and more
  • QUICK AND EASY – Install it yourself quickly and clean-in-place with your beverage lines
  • EXPANDABLE – Add expansion monitors to grow as needed. Works with small kegerators to large bars & restaurants

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor, monitors the beers you have on tap and let’s you know how much each keg is holding.  Works with a companion smart phone and tablet app.

Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor – Dual Tap Expansion Unit | Track Your Keg Levels From Your Phone | Upgrade Your Taps – note that this is available in multiple versions to accommodate different line counts

Learn More!  Hands on Review: Kegtron Smart Keg Monitor

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

Our Top Draft Resources

20% Off TILT Wrench for TILT Bluetooth Hydrometers

Tilt Wrench for Standard Tilt Hydrometer

TILT Wrench with Bottle Opener

Change your Tilt hydrometer’s battery with ease. The Tilt wrench is a tool for removing the cap so you can change the battery or calibrate your Tilt in water. The rubber over-mold keeps the plastic cap scratch and dent free while the handle gives you leverage to remove even the hardest to-turn caps. As a bonus, the product doubles as a bottle cap remover. Does not work with the Tilt Pro hydrometer.

Why the TILT is Awesome: Hands on Review: Tilt Bluetooth Fermentation Hydrometer!

Most TILT items do not qualify, but the wrench/bottle opener does. I’ve found that if you add any qualifying item to your cart the discount applies to any other item in your cart. So you could conceivably buy a TILT and a wrench and get 20% off the TILT. That may change at any time.

Use coupon call FALL20

Check sale or product page for current availability & pricing

TILT Wrench for Standard TILT Bluetooth Hydrometers

Complete Lineup of TILT at AIH

tilt review

homebrewing.org sale

More: Recent AIH Finds

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. tag:aihsingle

PLAATO Airlock V3 – Wireless Hydrometer and Airlock – $108, Save 20%

PLAATO Airlock V3 - Wireless Hydrometer and Airlock

PLAATO Airlock V3 – Wireless Hydrometer and Airlock

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From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

Gravity measurements without touching the beer!
PLAATO Airlock is a brand-new way of analyzing your ongoing fermentation. This wireless hydrometer and airlock connects to your local WiFi and sends information about your fermentation straight to your phone. You can track specific gravity, fermentation activity, alcohol percentage, and ambient temperature. And you can do so 100% non-invasively, no contact with the wort needed! By knowing the rate of CO2-release, PLAATO Airlock can estimate the Specific gravity and alcohol content of the batch. Best of all you can use it on all types of fermentation; beer, wine, cider, mead, and hard seltzers!

Monitor your batch from anywhere with the PLAATO App!
With the PLAATO App you are able to monitor the fermentation of your batch from anywhere in the world. This gives you time for other things and peace of mind knowing everything is going as it should with your batch. The same app is used to monitor both PLAATO Airlocks and PLAATO Kegs. Track your fermentation and kegerator stock level all in one place.

Features:

Real-time and historical data tracking.
During the fermentation, you have access to the essential parameters in real-time, giving you a unique insight into how different strains of yeast work, how temperature affects the rate of fermentation, and much more.

Fermentation management.
Keep track of all your fermentations in one place. Each airlock has its own dashboard, letting you type in batch-specific data. There is no limit to how many fermentations you can track simultaneously or to how many people can access the data.

Know when your beer is finished.
When the BPM (Bubbles per Minute) reaches zero, you can be absolutely sure that the beer is finished fermenting – the yeast has fully consumed the sugars – and you can with peace in mind continue with dry-hopping or cold-crashing.

Integratable to your favorite brewing software.
Get everything in the same place – and track your fermentation directly from Brewfather or other brewing platforms.

The science behind the PLAATO Airlock.
Understanding the delicate and yet versatile processes behind brewing is key to unlock its amazing potential, and produce great products with high repeatability, quality, and integrity. The release of CO2 is directly proportional to the chemical reaction rate – ie. how fast the yeast works.

By knowing the rate of CO2-release, we also know how fast alcohol is produced.
If we know the total volume of CO2 released, we also know the total amount of ethanol produced and gravity.
PLAATO Airlock measures both the rate and the total amount of CO2 generated, and is, therefore, able to measure and estimate:

Fermentation activity
Specific Gravity
We know what all you hop heads are thinking, but can I dry hop!?!
YES! No worries, you can open your fermenter and dry hop as normal. The small amount of CO2 that escapes when the lid is taken off only affects the measurements marginally.

Note: Does not include a stopper. Compatible with rubber stoppers and grommets. NOT recommended for use with small or medium universal stoppers.

Track multiple batches with additional PLAATO Airlocks!

Functions:

Measures Fermentation Activity
Temperature Sensor
Specific Gravity Calculation
Alcohol Content Calculation
100% Non-Invasive
V3 Updates:

Redesigned bubbler. The bubbler is slightly smaller than the previous versions, which allows it to expand in contact with water and remain functional for long fermentations.
Redesigned lid. The lid is flexible, which makes room for the expanding bubbler. It is optimized for extra-long fermentations.
App Features
The free PLAATO app lets you have all your PLAATO Kegs and PLAATO Airlocks in the same place. Each airlock has its own dashboard, letting you type in batch-specific data, including:

OG & FG
Fermentation Activity in BPM (Bubbles per Minute)
Temperature
ABV%
Chart with fermentation rate, gravity, and temp.
Share data with friends
Airlock Specs:

Operational Batch Size: 1-13 US Gallons
WiFi Connectivity
Note: WiFi is only compatible with 2.4Ghz networks and is NOT compatible with routers using WPA & WPA2 Enterprise security.
Free iOS/Android App
Waterproof
USB Powered
3m magnetic USB cable – color may vary (included)
Works with any USB wall charger (not included)

 

 

PLAATO Airlock V3 – Wireless Hydrometer and Airlock – $108 with coupon code LABOR20

20% Off at Adventures in Homebrewing!

homebrewing.org sale

More: Recent AIH Finds

Check sale or product page for current availability & pricing

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. tag:aihperoff

Hands on Review: Brewfather App – Recipe Formulation, Calculators & Brew Day Tools

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Brewfather App

Depending on your brewing personality, you might take notes on paper, do no recipe calculations at all, or use brewing software. I started using BeerSmith when I moved to all-grain brewing, since there were more variables to control when making a recipe and more process steps to keep track of. I’ve been using BeerSmith 2 for the past 5 years, and that’s established my baseline expectations of brewing software. That’s the perspective used when I evaluated the Brewfather software.

Give it a Try!

Brewfather offers a free full feature trial.  After the trial period, you’ll still have access via a limited, non-expiring account

Our 10 Most Recent Reviews | Great Deals – Our Last 50 Finds

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Announcing: TILT Wrench for TILT Bluetooth Hydrometers

Tilt Wrench for Standard Tilt Hydrometer

TILT Wrench with Bottle Opener

Change your Tilt hydrometer’s battery with ease. The Tilt wrench is a tool for removing the cap so you can change the battery or calibrate your Tilt in water. The rubber over-mold keeps the plastic cap scratch and dent free while the handle gives you leverage to remove even the hardest to-turn caps. As a bonus, the product doubles as a bottle cap remover. Does not work with the Tilt Pro hydrometer.

Why the TILT is Awesome: Hands on Review: Tilt Bluetooth Fermentation Hydrometer!

TILT Wrench for Standard TILT Bluetooth Hydrometers

Complete Lineup of TILT at AIH

tilt review

homebrewing.org sale

More: Recent AIH Finds

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

BEERMKR: Automated All-Grain Beer Brewing Machine – Black Friday in July… Save $150

beermkr

BEERMKR is an all-in-one home brewing system that anyone can use. It is easy enough for a first time brewer, and also fully customizable for seasoned pros. It makes and serves about a 12-pack of beer in just over a weeks’ time, and some beers in only a few days.

BEERMKR is marked a whopping $150 for a “Black Friday in July Sale”. No coupon code is required, discounted price reflected on product page.

BEERMKR + BEERTAP

Check sale or product page for current availability & pricing

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.