Temperature control is a decisive battle when it comes to brewing good or bad beer. Fermentation temperature in particular (especially for beginners) is a variable that a lot of homebrewers struggle to perfect. Excessive hot or cold will change the way the yeast reacts. Fermenting too warm can cause the yeast to go bonkers, producing heavy alcohols and blah banana flavors. Go too cold, and it goes dormant. So, understanding your fermentation temperature throughout the process is fairly imperative, and fermentation can range anywhere from 18 hours to four weeks, depending on the yeast you’re using and beer you’re brewing.
So, what if we offered you a cool, pocket-sized, Star Trek-looking gizmo that monitored that fermentation temperature? Would you go Kickstart the shit out of it?
[Pull back curtains] Introducing the Solidus, a WiFi-enabled product that fits in the palm of your hand and will notify you if the temperatures you care about most are getting out of whack (homebrew concoctions, home pipes, greenhouses, meat lockers with Predators). All you have to do is fund it.
Riot Labs is a consumer electronics startup, forged in the mountains of New Hampshire by millennial husband and wife duo Ken and Alison McLoud. They plan to use Kickstarter to presell and fund the initial production run of their inaugural product, the Solidus. Bonus: There are no subscription fees, and MSRP is only $50.
“From fermentation to storage, maintaining stable temperatures is crucial to brewing the highest quality product,” explained Ken McLoud. “Solidus allows brewers to sleep easily, knowing that if their brew starts to get too hot or too cold, they’ll be notified in time to save the day.”
Normal ale fermentation temperatures range from 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C) and lager fermentation temperatures from 45 to 55 °F (7 to 13 °C). Also keep in mind that the heat generated by an active fermentation can warm a typical 5-gallon (19-L) batch of beer by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 to 8.3 degrees Celsius).
As you can clearly read, temperature is tantamount to success in brewing; that’s why we think Solidus is such a cool little product. But it needs your help. Kickstarter campaigns run on an “all or nothing” model. So if Riot Labs is unable to raise $25,000 by pre-selling this innovative product, it will never make it to market. Please consider contributing to help get this American tech startup off the ground today. Do it right here!
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