To control my fermentation’s I use my own software Tcontrol. This topic is to get an idea how this works.
Temperature of the fermentation is controlled. Cooling and heating. Furthermore the carbon dioxide production is measured and can been seen in a curve in time.
Temperature sensor is a digital sensor type DS18B20. The sensor is mounted on the outside of the PET bottle and a bit isolated with a sponge.
The interface between the fermentation and the PC is a Tcontrol-IO board. This is mounted together with the main connections for the fridge and the heater. The connection to the PC is a USB connection.
When the carbon dioxide production starts an email is send to me. The total amount of measured CO2 is used to calculate the current SG of the beer. In a purple curve can later the CO2 production been seen.
After 10.0 hours I received the email that the fermentation was started. (First 0.2 liter CO2 was measured) This is slower then I’am used to. The fermentation peak is not very high. It is only 10 liter so this will also give less CO2 then 20 liter.
The short blue ‘grass’ in the black area are the moments the refrigerator is on. The fermentation produces more warmth now. This can be seen the the blue ‘grass’ is more dense. The green curve is the integrated time the refrigerator is on. The green curve was also rising.
You can use it without building this yourself. More people do this. Tcontrol can be downloaded from my site. The interface to the IO board is open. But most people use Tcontrol-IO.
The fermentation peak is over. Current CO2 production rate is 2.88 liter per hour. The next temperature step has been started. The temperature is now rising 0.021 degrees Celsius per hour, this is 0.5 degrees Celsius per day.
I don’t mean to take away from it’s incredible awesomeness. And for a commercial brewer I can see it could make a very useful tool. But for the homebrewer I think it is over kill - in other words, I don’t necessarily think it is anything that will really help you make better beer. But, of course, that’s ok. Overkill can be really awesome and fun. Look at the Shelby Cobra.
I agree it’s beautiful overkill, and though it doesn’t fit my brewing style (or budget) I love it. I love the software and the CO2 monitoring system. I also like the Shelby Cobra reference !
I agree that you definitely do not need Tcontrol to brew very good beer. As long as you have a way for temperature controlled fermentation (read at least active cooling) the big step to good beer is made. Also a RVS CCT is not needed to brew good beer but many homebrewers use it.
I think Tcontrol helps you to get a more reproducible fermentation and so also helps to get a more reproducible beer. This is helpful when you want to optimize the taste of a certain beer type.
Furthermore gives the CO2 production in time a good insight of the current fermentation. This gives you feedback about your yeast starter. And it also helps you to make decisions when to start a next temperature step.
Additional functionality is that you receive an email when the fermentation temperature deviates more than 1 degrees C from the set point. This can prevent fermentation faults due to a broken system.
And I agree it is also fun to have the possibility to watch the fermentation at work, especially the first day of the fermentation to see the fermentation peak. I didn’t know the Shelby Cobra, it looks like a nice car that you do not need to go to work but the car is fun I think.
A cheap way to measure the CO2 production is the system I previously used. The disadvantage is the water in it. This sensor can be simply build yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmi3uD7MiRU
Now we are 1 week further. The temperature has been raised to 21 degrees C.
Just measured the SG and it is 1017. Now changed the parameter L CO2/puls so the current SG in the Tcontrol screen is correct now. The setup is changed since last fermentation by adding the wooden fixture.
Coincidentally, most Shelby Cobras are owned by people who don’t NEED to go to work. So its a win win for them.
I really dig the gadget end of things, but I’m in the camp that enjoys learning to leave it alone. I used to baby sit my fermentors, checking on them daily and sometimes multiple times each day. I can obsess if I don’t check myself. So I’ve found that set it and forget it is good therapy. Lately, I peek the day after I pitch just to make sure. Then I don’t open the freezer again till its time to pull tge first FG sample.
I’m firmly entrenched in the “leave it alone” camp myself, but it’s mainly because I don’t have time and I’m lazy. If I had a way to both monitor and adjust temps on the go, I would most certainly make use of it.
I also leave the fermentation alone. The times I open the fermentation fridge during a fermentation is less then 6 times. Tcontrol gives me more information than looking into the fermentation fridge.
Tcontrol can also be your way to monitor and adjust your temps and fermentation speed. More people in the world use it.
I agreed with Eric from the standpoint that I am confident in my brewing and what I know I need to do (or not do) to make good beer within my budget. Having said that, I love the idea of being able to monitor and understand my fermentations even better. I admire what you do. But I have temp control which is the critical thing. Cheers!
