Plaato Keg Management System
$99.99, plaato.io
On the heels of their thoughtfully designed WiFi-enabled airlock, Norwegian homebrew equipment manufacturer Plaato is back with another digital problem solver. Anyone who does it regularly knows that checking on how much beer is left in a keg of homebrew is not as easy as it sounds. If you happen to serve from a keezer, you’re in luck, but if you use a common kegerator, getting a keg out and up for the ol’ lift test is generally more pain than it’s worth.
Plaato’s system solves that with a very low-profile (1" tall) scale that slides under kegs even in tight spaces. The unit connects to your local WiFi network and communicates with the Plaato app to provide you with plenty of details—including fridge temperature and current volume in the keg—as well as a number of alerts for special situations, such as liquid detection if it senses a leak. The unit can measure how much beer is dispensed in each pour, and it can even alert you any time beer is poured, if you’re concerned about gremlins raiding your keg when you’re not home. Additional alerts can notify you if your kegerator temperature moves outside a desired range.