Arduino-Based Small Scale Electric Brewing System

Abstract

The goal of this project is to create a small-scale, low cost, electric home brewing system that allows a user to more easily brew large (5 gallon) batches of beer in an enclosed space. This is accomplished by using an Arduino microcontroller in conjunction with a Yun WiFi shield to host a local website which allows a user to enter a temperature into the system via their phone, tablet, or computer. This data is then passed from a website running on the Yun shield to the Arduino sketch which runs a check against the current temperature reported by a thermometer installed in the brewing kettle and switches a heating element on or off depending on the goal temperature set by the user. This process is meant to be a more precise method of temperature control that allows the user to brew higher ABV beer than other common homebrew setups and will require less of the user's time in terms of monitoring temperature. Data taken from brewing several batches using the completed brew kettle does suggest that more precise control of temperature increases the efficiency of saccharification during a mash phase, and thus increases alcohol by volume in the final product.