[dmtaylor]

DM,
Have you used your Tilt?
I just received mine today and will be putting it to the test Sunday.

Not yet but very soon.  I actually have several beers on deck for the next week or two.  One of them will get the Tilt treatment.  Have fun.

[jverduin]

I received a Tilt from my wonderfully supportive wife. In water, it read 1.000 when getting the app fired up and connecting to a Google sheet.

I added a 1.065 OG wort to the fermenter. This was measured wirh a refractometer calibrated by distilled water. The Tilt, which immediately was surrounded in foam, read about .009 points low at 1.056. It stayed low throughout fermentation.

It definitely had steady readings on day 5, but when a dry hopped, it went up about .002 points (maybe from hop residue sticking to the tilt. It did drop again about 14 hrs later.

I did not try to recalibrate once in wort. I figured I’d watch it go.

Final gravity readings match between Tilt and a hydrometer.


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[uslackr]

IMO, the beauty of the Tilt is in the progress tracking of SG and temp, not the specific readings.  I combine it with Fermentrack and a RaspberryPi so I watch fermentation progress and can tell when it is likely done.(and it frees you from the smartphone). 
The Tilt also shows you how fast and usually front-loaded fermentation is. I was amazed to see how quickly it moves.

[dmtaylor]

I finally got final results for my first batch with my new Tilt.

My hydrometer, refractometer, and Tilt all match exactly at FG=1.012 for a Biere de Garde that started at 1.059.

I'm tickled that they are all giving exactly the same number.

Of course, I've been super anal-retentive about calibrating each one of my gauges with absolute perfection, or as perfect as an idiot like me possibly can anyway.

[HopDen]

I finally got final results for my first batch with my new Tilt.

My hydrometer, refractometer, and Tilt all match exactly at FG=1.012 for a Biere de Garde that started at 1.059.

I'm tickled that they are all giving exactly the same number.

Of course, I've been super anal-retentive about calibrating each one of my gauges with absolute perfection, or as perfect as an idiot like me possibly can anyway.

Same here too! My Tilt was off by 1 point though. Finished that batch, cleaned it and sanitized. I put it straight into a 1.097 Imperial Stout, watched over the course of 3 days and then nothing! Battery must be caput!

The first beer I put it in was a Kolsch. After fermentation (14 days), cold crashed to 34* for 10 days. So I basically got 27 days on the battery. I hope it was just a weak battery out of the box. I would assume one should get more than 27 days worth of reads.

Might be one and done!

[dmtaylor]

I finally got final results for my first batch with my new Tilt.

My hydrometer, refractometer, and Tilt all match exactly at FG=1.012 for a Biere de Garde that started at 1.059.

I'm tickled that they are all giving exactly the same number.

Of course, I've been super anal-retentive about calibrating each one of my gauges with absolute perfection, or as perfect as an idiot like me possibly can anyway.

Same here too! My Tilt was off by 1 point though. Finished that batch, cleaned it and sanitized. I put it straight into a 1.097 Imperial Stout, watched over the course of 3 days and then nothing! Battery must be caput!

The first beer I put it in was a Kolsch. After fermentation (14 days), cold crashed to 34* for 10 days. So I basically got 27 days on the battery. I hope it was just a weak battery out of the box. I would assume one should get more than 27 days worth of reads.

Might be one and done!

I had the Tilt sitting horizontal for about a month before I found out that it has to be kept vertical when not in use to save the battery.  It still is blinking green today, even after that month plus the recent batch, so my battery is doing okay.  Have you been storing yours vertical?

[mainebrewer]

Reviving my old post:
I'm thinking about putting a Tilt on my Christmas list and am wondering what everyone's experience has been with theirs.

As I said in one of the earlier posts, I spund my beers and am looking for a way to "know" when the beer is at the target gravity without pulling several hydrometer samples.

[waltsmalt]

I like mine for monitoring when my beer is completed.  Is it 100% accurate?  No, but it is another tool in the tool kit.

I usually ferment in a converted 16 gallon keg and it works well.  Just did a batch in two better bottles.  Due to head space, I’m thinking too much Krausen got stuck on it and it stopped well above the final gravity I measured yesterday (fermentation was complete).  Really the only problem I’ve had though.

Overall, I would buy it again.  However, I’m a sucker for gadgets.

[dmtaylor]

I'm thinking about putting a Tilt on my Christmas list and am wondering what everyone's experience has been with theirs.

I love my Tilt, it's a fun and useful gadget.  Things you'll want to know based on experience:

1) Calibration can be touchy.  Use bottled water in a fairly large tub of water if you can, and take care that the Tilt doesn't get hung up on the bottom or sides of the container for utmost accuracy.  For several batches, you should compare SG side by side with a hydrometer then add extra calibration points into the software.  This will correct the curvature of the hydrometer correlation for your particular battery.  I believe every time the battery is replaced, the Tilt will need to be recalibrated from scratch, as I have no way of knowing if batteries are the same exact weight every time and what effect it might have.  Use at least 3 or even 4 calibration points.  Calibrate at 1.000 of course, but also in real wort.  No need to make sugar-water solutions, just use real wort after you brew and even after fermentation.  All you need to know for sure is that the trusty old hydrometer that you compare against is likewise calibrated at 1.000.

If you decide to use tap water for calibration, be aware that it can contain a lot of dissolved gases that will affect the Tilt readings.  I found that I can get away with using tap water only if I let the tub of water sit for a good ~8 hours or more for these gases to release.  Otherwise when the Tilt is covered in tiny bubbles, it does not read accurately.

And regarding temperature... the Tilt can only measure plus or minus 1 degree F, so don't be surprised when temperature doesn't fall like 65.2, 65.1, 65.0, etc., but rather jumps quite suddenly like 65.2, 65.2, 65.2, 65.2, 64.2, 65.2, etc.  And again, calibrate using a thermometer that you trust is likewise calibrated.

2) When yeast and hops are stuck to the Tilt, it will make the SG read lower than it really is.  Don't be surprised when your FG ends up being 1.006 when you expected 1.012 or whatever.  You can actually keep the Tilt more accurate by vigorously rocking your fermenter every few hours to try to splash most of the gunk off the Tilt.  Then don't be surprised when the Tilt immediately gives you a different SG afterwards.  The latter reading is more accurate than the first.  There is no way to calibrate for this.  If you need to know the true FG, then you MUST use a traditional hydrometer.  The Tilt will only be accurate if it is near perfect cleanliness.  By rocking my fermenters as stated, I have found FG to be accurate within 1-2 points.  Without doing so, it can be very far off.

3) You may find the software is quite glitchy.  Most people don't seem to have as many problems as I have had; however, some do.  I have found that the software and Tilt lose connectivity every 3-5 hours or so on average.  It's annoying but with extra effort it's not a significant problem.  It requires me to check for current readings every few hours IF I am available and IF I really care to know exactly what SG is at every moment.  Otherwise it's been sufficient to check it once or twice in the morning and same in the evening, just to get a few valid data points with periods of no data in between.  It's annoying but the Tilt remains functional.  I'm sure it's either a software problem or perhaps a problem with the very old cell phone that I use as the go-between from Tilt (Bluetooth) to internet cloud (WiFi).  Perhaps I should try a newer phone.  I very well may try that soon.

4) Always store it vertical when not in use.  This shuts it off and saves the battery life.  It can last a long time if you do this.

Those are the main things I can think of at the moment.  Cheers.

[BrewBama]

I like my recently acquired Tilt. I enjoy monitoring the ferment progress without taking samples. It is accurate for start, stop, temp, and rate of fall. I’ve recently learned it is inaccurate for FG.

During my latest fermentation with S-04, I had a crud clod stick to the top of the device which changed the weight and therefore the angle resulting in a false reading. I did not have that issue with the previous three fermentations (two with 34/70, one with S-189). The yeast used may be a factor.

One thing I’ve noticed in each of the four beers I’ve used it with is the shape of the ferment curve. Once the peeks and valleys are averaged smooth, the shape is consistent. It starts flat, curves downward on a slope, then curves flat again. If you catch the ferment near the end at the knee in the curve, I believe it can be a very useful tool to indicate when to spund. Gaining experience with the device will help.

[OhDannyBoy!]

I finally got final results for my first batch with my new Tilt.

My hydrometer, refractometer, and Tilt all match exactly at FG=1.012 for a Biere de Garde that started at 1.059.

I'm tickled that they are all giving exactly the same number.

Of course, I've been super anal-retentive about calibrating each one of my gauges with absolute perfection, or as perfect as an idiot like me possibly can anyway.

Good work! I'm thinking of buying a Tilt, would you recommend? Also looking into the Plaato?

[blatz]

I like my recently acquired Tilt. I enjoy monitoring the ferment progress without taking samples. It is accurate for start, stop, temp, and rate of fall. I’ve recently learned it is inaccurate for FG.

During my latest fermentation with S-04, I had a crud clod stick to the top of the device which changed the weight and therefore the angle resulting in a false reading. I did not have that issue with the previous three fermentations (two with 34/70, one with S-189). The yeast used may be a factor.

One thing I’ve noticed in each of the four beers I’ve used it with is the shape of the ferment curve. Once the peeks and valleys are averaged smooth, the shape is consistent. It starts flat, curves downward on a slope, then curves flat again. If you catch the ferment near the end at the knee in the curve, I believe it can be a very useful tool to indicate when to spund. Gaining experience with the device will help.

+1 - I do find that mine reads 2 points low consistently, but since its consistent, I know what I am getting.  When I get close to spunding gravity, I check with a small sample and refractometer for a belt and suspenders approach.

[mainebrewer]

Thanks for the replies.
It sounds like the Tilt will be a good tool once I calibrate it and then "calibrate" myself to understand what it's telling me.
As I recall from their website, the battery life is estimated at 12 months. Hopefully, that's true.

[blatz]

As I recall from their website, the battery life is estimated at 12 months. Hopefully, that's true.

Umm you do know you can replace the battery right?


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[mainebrewer]

As I recall from their website, the battery life is estimated at 12 months. Hopefully, that's true.

Umm you do know you can replace the battery right?


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Yeah, I know the battery can be replaced. I was thinking more about having to re-calibrate the unit more often than once a year.