***“Saving time by having PLAATO Pro allows 2–3 more batches per year, per tank, increasing capacity and revenue without new equipment.”***

Saving batches and time with PLATTO Pro

Firemaker Beer, a family-owned craft brewery in Atlanta, Georgia, has built its reputation on innovative, experimental beers and a deep connection with its community. For nearly two years, Firemaker has been using PLAATO Pro across 10 of its fermentation vessels to optimize its brewing processes and achieve remarkable results. We sat down with Kevin Wright, Beverage and Operations Director, to explore how PLAATO Pro has become a game-changer for their production goals.

Streamlining production for 2025 goals

Efficiency is at the heart of Firemaker’s plans for the future. PLAATO Pro’s real-time monitoring and data insights have enabled Kevin and his team to fine-tune their brewing processes, resulting in faster turnaround times and higher production output:

“"I know when I'm coming into work that day: I can dry hop right now, I can harvest right now, I can crash right now. So I just get one day faster on everything, that means I get two or three more batches per out a year into each tank, so now my capacity is bigger because I've got more batches through."
“For our beer production, that would really be my stretch goal for next year, to make everything more efficient. The data that I get from PLAATO already gives me that to be able to do that. Anytime I can shave a day off or a half a day off, that's what we're looking for.”

***"We used to have brewers in the brewery every weekend.”***

Cutting labor costs with remote monitoring

With PLAATO Pro, Firemaker’s brewers no longer need to be on-site over the weekend, saving significant labor costs. Kevin explains:

"We used to have brewers in the brewery every weekend, and now I never have a brewer in on the weekend anymore."
"To me it's a little bit more important than just saving days, it's saving almost entire tanks because our glycol system is not super reliable, especially in the summertime. So getting notifications of like 'Hey, this tank's at seventy six degrees at ten o'clock at night on a beer we just brewed that day, I know the glycol's broken.' And I'm five minutes away so I can just come here real quick, reset the glycol and we'll be fine. Otherwise we might lose the entire batch of beer, which is a lot of money and time."

Remote fermentation monitoring lets the team stay connected to their processes from anywhere, ensuring efficiency without constant physical presence.

"I've saved at least two tanks. Sitting at home and getting a notification that they're at whatever temperature they shouldn't be at. And be like, "Oh!" I need to come here and do something about it."

***“The PLAATO Pros paid for themselves instantly by saving a batch in the first month, with real-time temperature alerts!”***

Optimizing Yeast Harvesting

PLAATO’s real-time fermentation monitoring has also impacted Firemaker’s yeast management. By monitoring fermentation progress in real-time, the team can determine the ideal moment to harvest yeast, extending its lifespan and improving consistency across batches

“Knowing when I hit terminal gravity right away is great,” Kevin shares. “I get the yeast at the best spot. And then that means I have way faster permutations in the future… I have almost no lag time. At one point, I was using the same yeast strain or the same yeast that I purchased in January all the way through July—$200 worth of yeast.”

PLAATO Pro’s batch comparison feature helps to identify and resolve issues early, saving time and resources

Detecting and solving fermentation anomalies

Firemaker leverages PLAATO Pro’s batch comparison feature to identify and resolve issues early, saving time and resources. Early on, it helped them address a recurring issue with an expired brewing enzyme, which had been causing extended fermentation times

"I'm delighted with the results so far!” says Kevin. “I prevented one fermenter from overheating due to a temperature controller mishap and rectified it promptly, leading to a fantastic fermentation. Additionally, I uncovered that one of our brewing enzymes had expired. I quickly discovered this thanks to easy side-by-side comparisons of fermentations, saving future batches from unexpected extended fermentations. I'd say we've already gotten great value for our investment in just 2 months!"

Proving value internally was “an easy one”

Importantly, it’s not just Kevin who is now seeing the benefits. His efforts in getting PLAATO Pros for the brewery were instantly proven to be the right thing to do. (And thankfully no more delicious beer is going to waste.)

"When I want equipment I have to submit the numbers to our owners like, 'Hey, this is how much it's going to cost us, here's our return on investment, how long I think it's going to take for us to (get a return)'... I remember PLAATO Pros were the easiest one in the world to sell to them. I was like, here's the numbers, but we're going to get it because you can't say no. And they (PLAATO Pros) saved a tank of beer within the first month of having them. So it really was an easy one to justify."

Innovating beyond beer

True to their motto—“A Fire Maker is someone who playfully embraces life and creates a spark in the world”—Firemaker Brewing continues to evolve. With non-beer items now accounting for 30-40% of their production, they’re embracing new opportunities while staying true to their creative roots.

As Fire Maker Brewing grows, PLAATO Pro remains an integral part of its operations, supporting Kevin and his team in their mission to ignite efficiency, quality, and innovation in every batch they brew.