Scaling up with a new yeast strain is exciting – but it’s also risky. At Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, NC, the team faced exactly that challenge earlier this year. The strain would be used in roughly 80% of their fermentations, meaning mistakes could have tied up tanks for weeks and caused costly delays.

The Challenge

Traditionally, dialing in a new yeast strain relies on trial and error. Brewers run multiple batches, track attenuation manually, and refine their approach over time. It works, but it can take weeks. For Sycamore, that wasn’t an option with seasonal demand approaching.

The Approach

Sycamore had already implemented real-time fermentation tracking* across their tanks. By benchmarking the new strain against historical fermentation curves, their system quickly flagged that fermentations weren’t reaching expected attenuation. Instead of guessing, the QA team investigated early and found the yeast wasn’t fully acclimated to higher-gravity beers.

With that knowledge, they adjusted pitch rate and aeration, then used the real-time curves from their tracking platform to confirm within hours that the fix worked. As QA Manager Samir Pandya put it:

“We may have figured it out on our own, but that may have taken us weeks longer.”

The Result

The ability to validate changes in real time meant Sycamore avoided under-attenuated batches, kept their schedule on track, and maintained quality. By using a system with real-time tank sensors, they had the tools to be proactive in other areas: timing dry hop additions, predicting tank turns, and preparing packaging days in advance. The team found this easy to use, providing them with actionable and repeatable data. That way they knew exactly what to do.

Lessons for Craft Beer Professionals

Sycamore’s story highlights steps that apply broadly to breweries introducing new strains or scaling production:

• Benchmark fermentations: Establish “gold curves” for your core recipes and use them as reference points.
• Act on early signals: Real-time data helps you spot small deviations before they become costly problems.
• Plan ahead: Predictive insights let you schedule dry hops, tank turns, and packaging more efficiently.
• Build confidence: Validating changes quickly reduces uncertainty and supports scaling with consistency.

*via PLAATO Smart Fermentation

Why It Matters

For Craft Beer Professionals, tank space and time are often the most valuable resources. Smart Fermentation protects both, helping brewers save weeks, avoid setbacks, and deliver consistently high-quality beer.

Want to learn more about Smart Fermentation? View the PLAATO Smart Fermentation page, read the full Sycamore Case Study, or reach out to the PLAATO team via contact us – we’d love to connect.

About PLAATO

PLAATO develops its unique Smart Fermentation solution for breweries worldwide. By combining in-line sensors with cloud-based analytics, PLAATO provides real-time fermentation insights that save time, cut costs, and improve consistency. Today, more than 350 breweries across 38 countries use PLAATO to optimize production.