Note: the following is an unbiased review of a product I purchased myself. This is not a sponsored review.
One of the most fundamental aspects of fermentation science is gravity. Gravity is the relative density of wort or beer compared to distilled water, and is important to brewers as it indicates the concentration of sugars in solution. The higher the gravity, the greater the concentration of sugars.
As fermentation progresses, yeast consume sugars and produce carbon dioxide and ethanol. This causes the gravity to decrease.
Gravity serves a number of different functions in brewing. It determines the alcohol content of a beer, it is used as one of the criteria that defines specific styles of beer, and it allows a brewer to monitor the health and completeness of fermentation.
A traditional hydrometer is a long, thin instrument made of glass. A narrow cylinder would be filled with wort or beer and then the hydrometer would be placed vertically inside to float. The density of the solution determines how low or high it floats, and graduated markings on the hydrometer can be read to determine the gravity.
Taking a gravity reading with a glass hydrometer is easy enough; however, it can be messy, time consuming, and it wastes beer. These are issues that the Tilt™ Hydrometer seeks to address.
The Tilt™ is a Bluetooth hydrometer and thermometer that is designed to be plopped into a fermenter after it is filled with wort and before yeast is added. Its sensors collect data at given intervals and transmit them to a device running the Tilt™ app or a Tilt™ Pi. From there, it can be stored locally or uploaded to the cloud, potentially letting a user view almost real-time information on the status of their fermentation from anywhere. It even interfaces directly with certain brewing software, such as Brewfather.
Ease of Use: 5/5
It really couldn't be any easier to use the Tilt™. It ships calibrated and ready to use with a battery that the company estimates will last 12 to 24 months. My own experience is in line with those figures, having last replaced a battery at around the 18-month mark.
The sensors reside in a polycarbonate case with a watertight cap that screws onto one end. It simply needs to be sanitized and then dropped into the fermenter before the yeast is pitched. From there, the app can be launched and it will pair with the hydrometer. The app interface is fairly simple and sparse. A few taps are all it takes to get readings set up to save to the cloud.
The current gravity and temperature readings also display prominently on the app's home screen for easy viewing.
Quality: 4/5
The unit itself works great and looks nice. The polycarbonate housing is safe for use with StarSan, but is not intended for long contact with alkaline cleaners such as PBW. Prolonged exposure can cause cracks in the case.
The app is fairly barebones with a basic display and uninspired graphs; however, the real star of the show is the data itself, which is stored in a spreadsheet and can be utilized in other creative ways using different software or applications.
Effectiveness: 4/5
Tilt™ claims that the gravity readings of the unit are +/- 0.002 within the its range of 0.990 to 1.120 and that the thermometer is accurate to +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit (+/- 0.5 degree Celsius). Based on my own comparisons between my Tilt™, a refractometer, and a traditional hydrometer, the gravity readings seem accurate. The temperature reading does tend to run a few degrees hotter than what my fermenter's temperature probe reads, especially at cold temperatures during cold crashing. If you do find any variance, you can easily calibrate the unit yourself via the app.
I use an old smartphone to run the Tilt™ app and it sits on a table right next to my stainless steel conical fermenter. The only issue I have experienced is that sometimes the device loses the signal of the Tilt™, causing it to miss readings. Usually I can reposition the phone on top of the conical as needed and it gets a better signal.
In general, it has worked well for me.
Cost: 2/5
The Tilt™ retails for $135.00 as of the time of this writing and can only be used in one fermentation vessel at a time. If you have multiple vessels fermenting concurrently, you'll need multiple Tilt™ Hydrometers, which quickly adds up. Replacement lithium CR123A batteries cost around $15.00 for a six pack, depending on the brand and retailer.
For comparison, a basic traditional hydrometer and jar can be found online for about $15.00, or cheaper.
However, when thinking about the cost, it is important to consider the beer and time that are saved by using an automated device like the Tilt™ in place of a manual hydrometer.
Overall: 4/5
I am very happy with the Tilt™. It has worked well for me and the automation is a game changer. Being able to monitor near-real time gravity remotely is great. The sheer volume of data it collects is impressive, and allows brewers to see the entirety of fermentation.
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