Has anyone seen or used one of these: www.northernbrewer.com/products/plaato-airlock-wifi-fermentation-analyzer Thoughts? Opinions? Comments?
I've seen one of these in action. Kind of cool. There are a couple things I'd keep in mind. First, it measures gas flow as an estimate of CO2 production, which is then used to estimate the extent of fermentation. IOW, it's an estimate on top of another estimate. Second, if you don't have a great seal, the estimates will be not as good.
Answers a question nobody asked. But it is a wifi device, so if that's your thing... I did not realize the hydrometer, been around for over 200 years, needed to be replaced. I see no need to spend this much money to record ambient temperature, which is of limited value anyway since wort temperature is what matters. The device does not provide any indication of its accuracy in determining ABV. Stuff like this comes and goes all the time. But you can share data with your friends! That is one guys opinion anyway. Cheers
Agree with @VikeMan on this one. If you want a fancy way to measure your gravity in real time, the Tilt seems like a much better solution for the same price.
Recently purchased one, the first batch over estimated attenuation by around 7 points. It showed my gravity at 1.006 but was really at 1.013. Main reason i purchased was to not have to take multiple samples so i can retain more finished product ( I do 2.75 batches). I don't think you have to calibrate this before use, but would be good to know before i give it another go.