LoopString vs BrewIQ (formerly BrewMonitor)
BrewIQ is a commercial fermentation-analytics system sold as hardware + service. LoopString is self-serve process control on your own Pi.
Pick BrewIQ if…
- You want a turnkey vendor sensor system with deep multi-parameter fermentation analytics.
- A built-in CIP / cleaning-station integration is a requirement.
- You prefer a hardware-plus-service relationship with managed onboarding and support.
- Fermentation-prediction analytics are the central job, above active control.
Pick LoopString if…
- You want to sign up and evaluate on one tank today — free tier, no sales call.
- You want active on-edge PID/glycol control that holds through internet outages.
- You want to own the Pi + commodity sensors (iSpindel for gravity) with no vendor lock-in.
- You need HACCP / FDA-style PDF compliance reports + audit log + team RBAC built in.
| Feature | LoopStringYou | BrewIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | ||
| Bring-your-own Raspberry Pi + commodity sensors | ||
| Vendor-supplied fermentation sensor system + service | ||
| 90+ part library with wiring guides | ||
| Monitoring | ||
| Real-time gravity / pH / DO / pressure / temp | ||
| Fermentation analytics + event detection | ||
| Browser dashboard (no app store required) | ||
| Control | ||
| On-edge PID temperature control (glycol / heat) | ||
| Visual flow editor with auto-generated edge code | ||
| Recipe / multi-phase batch automation | ||
| Process | ||
| CIP / cleaning-station integration | ||
| Alerts | ||
| Event-driven threshold + escalation alerts | ||
| Compliance | ||
| HACCP / FDA-style PDF reports built-in | ||
| Audit-grade activity log | ||
| Collaboration | ||
| Role-based access control | ||
| Security | ||
| Tailscale VPN tunnel for device access | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Self-serve sign-up (no sales call) | ||
| Flat per-device monthly pricing | ||
| Free tier for 1 device | ||
BrewIQ here is the current Precision Fermentation product, re-debuted from BrewMonitor with improved real-time analysis and a CIP station. Exact sensor packages, analytics depth and pricing are configuration- and quote-dependent.
Why commercial fermenters choose LoopString
Self-serve vs hardware-plus-service contract
BrewIQ (formerly BrewMonitor) from Precision Fermentation is a commercial fermentation monitoring + analytics system sold as hardware plus service through a sales process. LoopString is self-serve: sign up, add a device, build your loops in the browser, on a Pi and sensors you own. Free tier for one device, flat per-device monthly pricing — evaluate it on one tank before any contract.
Active control on the edge
BrewIQ's strength is real-time, multi-parameter fermentation analytics (gravity, pH, DO, pressure, temperature) with event detection. LoopString leads with control: on-edge PID and hysteresis loops drive glycol valves, heat and pumps locally, so the process holds even through an internet outage. You author the control in a visual Configurator that generates the Pi-side code.
Own your hardware and your data
BrewIQ is a vendor sensor system + cloud service. LoopString runs on a Raspberry Pi you own, reads commodity sensors (iSpindel for gravity, standard pH / temperature / pressure transmitters), and keeps the live data on your edge with a Tailscale tunnel for private remote access. No vendor gateway, no single-vendor sensor catalog.
Compliance + team workflow built in
LoopString ships HACCP / FDA-style PDF compliance reports, a tamper-resistant audit log, role-based access, and public share links for inspectors — the documentation a licensed beverage operation needs, out of the box, on the same platform that runs the control.
Key Takeaways
- BrewIQ (formerly BrewMonitor) from Precision Fermentation is a commercial fermentation monitoring + analytics system — vendor hardware + service, contact-sales.
- LoopString is self-serve process control on a Pi you own with commodity sensors (iSpindel for gravity).
- Active on-edge PID/glycol control that survives internet outages, authored in a visual Configurator.
- BrewIQ specializes in multi-parameter fermentation analytics + a CIP station; LoopString leads with control + compliance + team workflow.
- Free tier for one device, flat per-device monthly pricing — evaluate on one tank before any contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is BrewMonitor the same as BrewIQ?
- BrewIQ is the current product — Precision Fermentation re-debuted BrewMonitor as BrewIQ, with improved real-time analysis and a CIP station. If you're researching "BrewMonitor," BrewIQ is what you'll evaluate today. This comparison uses BrewIQ as the current name.
- Does LoopString match BrewIQ’s analytics?
- BrewIQ's multi-parameter fermentation analytics and event detection are a genuine strength and the core of its product. LoopString gives you the live multi-sensor data, trends and threshold/event alerts, plus active control and compliance — and you can run your own analytics on exported data. If deep fermentation-prediction analytics are the whole job, BrewIQ specializes there; if control + dashboard + compliance on hardware you own is the job, LoopString fits.
- Can LoopString read pH, DO, gravity and pressure like BrewIQ?
- It reads gravity (iSpindel), temperature, pressure, and pH/EC/DO/ORP via EZO probes, plus 4–20 mA and Modbus transmitters from its 90+ part library. The sensor coverage overlaps substantially; BrewIQ packages its sensors as a turnkey vendor system while LoopString uses commodity parts you source.
- What about CIP / cleaning stations?
- BrewIQ integrates a CIP (clean-in-place) station as part of its system — LoopString doesn't ship a CIP product. LoopString can monitor and switch CIP-related valves and pumps via relays, but if a turnkey CIP station is a requirement, that's a BrewIQ strength.
- How does pricing compare?
- BrewIQ is commercial, contact-sales (hardware + service). LoopString is self-serve: a free tier for one device and flat per-device monthly pricing, on top of a Pi + sensors you buy once. You can stand up and evaluate the full platform on a single fermenter with no sales conversation.
- Can they run side by side?
- Yes — keep BrewIQ where it's already deployed and add LoopString for new tanks, the active control loops, the compliance reporting, and the team dashboard. They coexist on the same network.
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