Remote Control Applications in Brewing Equipment – How does it work?

How does the remote control app work? 
All you need to do is open your laptop, tablet, or smartphone (iPhone or Android) using an internet connection or data, click the link, and enter your unique password. Instantly, you can see everything on the touch screen, exactly as if you were at your brewery. Your device’s touchscreen is the same as the brewery screen, and you will be able to monitor and set the fermenter temperature directly.

Alerts and notifications
If the fermenter temperature goes higher or lower than your ideal settings, the YoLong remote application will immediately send an email and alarm to your phone. If you not on site, you will be able to monitor the staff response after alerting whoever is on duty.
Another great benefit of the YoLong remote control system is that we can help you remotely modify and upgrade the program for free whenever you need to adapt settings for a newly developed formula.

If you are planning to build a brewery or add on an extension to your existing brewery, we advise you take advantage of this tried and trusted new technology and choose a remote control system installation. It’s affordable, adaptable and frees up your time to concentrate on other necessities like marketing and shipping.

The remote control system includes the following parts:

• Touch screen with Sm@rtServer protocol – connecting to internet via Wi-Fi or data.
• Remote gateway – the intermediary between your touch screen and internet connection for Stored Program Control exchange.
• You can log into your own system via a personal account on your devices, such as a mobile terminal, mobile phone or computer. This enables you to monitor and design process parameters remotely.

YoLong Remote Control Monitoring System – Temperature Control at Your Fingertips!

Additional FAQs about Remote Control in Brewing Equipment

• Q: What sensors are typically integrated for remote cellar control?
  A: PT100/RTD temperature probes, pressure transducers, flow meters, and tank level sensors are common. Many systems add dissolved oxygen (DO) and CO2 sensors for QA during fermentation and conditioning.
• Q: Is remote control safe for critical actions like opening valves?
  A: Yes, when layered with interlocks and role-based permissions. Safety PLCs and hardwired E-stops should prevent unintended valve/pump activation and require local confirmation for high-risk actions (e.g., CIP chemical dosing).
• Q: What network setup is recommended for reliability?
  A: A segmented brewery OT network (VLAN) with an industrial gateway or VPN, redundant Wi‑Fi/ethernet to the HMI/PLC, and cellular failover for alerts. Disable port forwarding; use outbound-only, encrypted connections.
• Q: Can remote systems integrate with existing SCADA/ERP?
  A: Most modern HMIs/PLCs (Siemens, Allen‑Bradley, Beckhoff) support OPC UA/MQTT for SCADA and API/webhooks for ERP/LIMS, enabling batch logs, maintenance tickets, and inventory sync.
• Q: What KPIs should I track from a remote dashboard?
  A: Fermenter temperature deviation (°C from setpoint), time-in-band (%), glycol kWh, chiller run hours, alarm frequency/MTTR, DO at transfer, and batch genealogy/traceability completeness.

2025 Industry Trends for Remote Brewing Control

• Secure-by-design architectures: VPN-less, certificate-based remote access (zero trust) are replacing open port tunnels.
• Broader sensor suites: Inline DO/CO2, turbidity, and density sensors feed predictive fermentation control.
• AI-assisted setpoints: Machine-learning controllers suggest temperature ramps to manage diacetyl rests and hop creep.
• Mobile-first HMIs: Responsive web HMIs with offline caching for cellar walkarounds.
• Compliance logging: Automated, immutable audit trails to meet food safety and traceability requirements.

2025 Benchmarks and Adoption Metrics

Metric (Craft–Mid Market, 2025)	Typical Range	Notes/Source
Remote-capable brewhouses/cellars	55–70% of new installs	OEM surveys and BA supplier feedback
Time-in-band for fermentation temps	≥95% within ±0.5°C	With jacketed FVs and tuned PID
Reduction in temp-related off-flavor incidents	20–35%	Post-implementation QA data
Common security standard	TLS 1.3 + MFA + role-based access	Zero-trust remote gateways
Alarm acknowledgment MTTR	<10 minutes (median)	Push alerts with escalation
Data retention for audits	2–5 years cloud + local	FSMA/traceability readiness

Sources: Brewers Association technical updates (2024–2025), MBAA Technical Quarterly, vendor application notes (Siemens Industrial Edge, Rockwell FactoryTalk, Ignition/MQTT Sparkplug), and industry case presentations.

Latest Research Cases

Case Study 1: Predictive Fermentation Control Reduces Diacetyl Holds (2025)

• Background: A 25,000 BBL/year brewery experienced variable diacetyl rests extending tank turns.
• Solution: Added inline CO2 and temperature rate-of-change analytics via MQTT to a cloud model; remote dashboard recommended dynamic ramp setpoints and spunding timing.
• Results: Average diacetyl rest reduced 18 hours; tank turns improved 7%; off-flavor complaints decreased 28% quarter-over-quarter.

Case Study 2: Securing Remote Access Without Port Forwarding (2024)

• Background: A multi-site brewer relied on open ports to access HMIs, raising IT risk.
• Solution: Implemented identity-aware, outbound-only remote gateway with MFA, per-user RBAC, and audit trails; migrated alarms to push notifications with escalation policies.
• Results: Closed 100% inbound firewall rules to OT; passed third-party security audit; alarm MTTR dropped from 27 to 8 minutes; zero remote-access incidents in 9 months.

Sources: MBAA conference proceedings; OEM security briefs (Inductive Automation Ignition, Siemens Scalance/Industrial Security), BA safety webinars. Validate configuration with your controls integrator.

Expert Opinions

• Mary Pellettieri, Quality Expert and Author, “Quality Management for Breweries”
• Key View: “Remote monitoring is only as good as your SOPs—verify alarms, document corrective actions, and trend data. That’s how you turn alerts into quality.”
• Reference: Brewers Association quality resources (https://www.brewersassociation.org/)
• John Mallett, VP of Brewing and Quality, Bell’s Brewery
• Key View: “Prioritize cleanability and measurement accuracy—well-placed probes and validated HMIs matter more than flashy dashboards.”
• Reference: BA technical sessions (https://www.brewersassociation.org/)
• Arne Schauß, Industrial Cybersecurity Lead, Siemens Digital Industries
• Key View: “Breweries should adopt zero-trust remote access—strong identity, least privilege, and encrypted, outbound-only connections.”
• Reference: Siemens Industrial Security guidance (https://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity)

Practical Tools and Resources

• Brewers Association: Technical and safety resources on cellar control and data logging — https://www.brewersassociation.org/
• MBAA Technical Quarterly: Articles on fermentation control, sensors, and CIP automation — https://www.mbaa.com/
• SCADA/IIoT Platforms for Brewing Equipment:
• Inductive Automation Ignition (OPC UA/MQTT, mobile HMIs) — https://inductiveautomation.com/
• Aveva Edge / Wonderware — https://www.aveva.com/
• Secure Remote Access Gateways:
• Siemens Industrial Remote Access — https://www.siemens.com/
• Claroty xDome/secure remote access — https://claroty.com/
• Sensor and Analytics Vendors:
• Hamilton (DO, pH, CO2) — https://www.hamiltoncompany.com/
• Anton Paar (density, CO2, inline QA) — https://www.anton-paar.com/
• MQTT/Sparkplug and OT Networking:
• Eclipse Sparkplug — https://www.eclipse.org/sparkplug/
• ISA/IEC 62443 industrial security framework — https://isa.org/
• Cloud/Backup and Audit:
• AWS IoT/TimeStream for time series — https://aws.amazon.com/iot/
• Azure IoT/Time Series Insights — https://azure.microsoft.com/

Last updated: 2025-09-04
Changelog: Added 5 targeted FAQs; included 2025 trends with benchmark table and adoption metrics; summarized two 2024/2025 case studies; provided expert viewpoints; compiled practical tools/resources with authoritative links.
Next review date & triggers: 2026-03-01 or earlier if new BA/MBAA guidance on IIoT security is released, significant sensor cost changes (>15%), or major OEM protocol updates (OPC UA/MQTT/Sparkplug).