The brewing AI startup space has grown considerably since 2022, with companies tackling everything from recipe generation to fermentation optimization to supply chain analytics.
The best free hop IBU calculator for most homebrewers is Brewer’s Friend — it offers Tinseth, Rager, and custom models, a 500+ variety database, and equipment-profile adjustments at no cost.
Virtual reality training for brewers sits at the intersection of two things I find genuinely interesting: immersive technology and the challenge of teaching process skills that are traditionally learned only through hands-on experience.
- Equipment & Tools
DIY Temperature Control Systems with Arduino: Guide to Building Precision Temperature Controllers
Building a DIY temperature control system with Arduino is one of the most useful electronics projects a homebrewer can take on, and it’s accessible to anyone comfortable with basic soldering and a willingness to follow documented wiring diagrams.
Carbonation is one of the most variable aspects of finished homebrew, and it’s one where sensor data genuinely improves outcomes.
Crystal is the American noble-style hop that surprised me the first time I used it — I expected something generic from a Hallertau cross, but Crystal has more character than its breeding description suggests.
Willamette is the American hop I use most often when I want earthy, traditional hop character without importing from England.
Perle is the German dual-purpose hop I reach for when a recipe needs a clean, herbal hop for both bittering and finishing in German or continental-style beers.
Styrian Goldings is the hop that sits between English and continental brewing in my recipe formulation — it’s a Fuggle strain cultivated in Slovenia, and the terroir difference from UK Fuggle produces a hop that’s earthy and spicy but with …
Tettnang is one of the four classic German noble hops and the one I associate most strongly with the spice and complexity dimension of German lager brewing.