“I originally subscribed to Sennosystem to reduce tank time… But what happened was something unexpected. A fermentation pattern emerged, and I began using the data to optimize not only for speed, but for quality.” — Jaron Shepherd, Brewmaster
The challenge: Maintain quality without living in the cellar
For a small craft brewery, “making great beer” can quickly turn into “checking tanks all day.” At Free Roam Brewing Company, Jaron manages a busy 10-barrel production schedule while keeping flagships on tap and rotating new releases monthly. Like most breweries at this size, the pain wasn’t a lack of experience—it was the daily time tax of manual monitoring.
Before Sennos, I was spending a lot of time taking samples—running gravities, pH—trying to stay on top of fermentation and be ready for the next step.
The solution: real-time fermentation data that fits a brewer’s day
Free Roam deployed Sennosystem across all fermenters for real-time monitoring of gravity, pH, Temperature, Pressure, and Dissolved Oxygen, and to keep fermentation data accessible on their phones and desktop.
Remote visibility to tank state and temperature outcomes allows manual checks to become spot validation rather than being relied on for default coverage. Batch-to-batch trend overlays enable visualization of brand consistency with QA/QC documentation instantly accessible in the Sennoslink app.
Shepherd says, “Gravity and pH have been the heavy hitters in terms of valuable data I’ve relied on. Temperature is a close third. I can wake up, check my phone, and see exactly where each fermentation is in every tank. Love it.”
Results: time savings + tighter consistency on flagships
Free Roam saw clear operational gains immediately, and quality improvements followed as fermentation patterns became visible across repeat batches.
-
More than a 45% increase in annual production volume (550 barrels to 800+ barrels) in one year
-
Three-day reduction in tank turn time
-
Average of 24 hours of lag time saved per batch of lager, with post-boil pH adjustment
-
20% labor savings per week + 75% reduction in time sampling
Being able to have all that data at a click of a button—on my phone or computer—versus writing everything down in a brew log saved me more time than I could’ve imagined.
Results: Quality and process
Instead of only chasing faster tank turns, Jaron used real-time data to tighten the details that show up in the glass. Free Roam’s flagship lager, Low Fence became more consistent allowing Jaron to better plan his production schedule, gain more insight for his ordering processes and turn other tanks with better precision. The ultimate reward was guaranteeing that Low Fence was always on tap for customers.
-
Adjusted post-knockout pH with small corrections (e.g., lactic additions when gravity and dilution pushed pH up)
-
Used DO data to dial in oxygenation to support healthy fermentations without overspending on oxygen
-
Lowered lager fermentation temperatures while confirming the gravity curve still finished on schedule—resulting in beer that tasted “cleaner” and “crisper”
Shepherd proudly shares, “A few diehard locals asked, ‘Are you doing something different with Low Fence?’… ‘This is tasting really good.’”
Brewer Profile
Brewery: Free Roam Brewing Company (Boerne, TX)
Interviewee: Jaron Shepherd, Brewmaster since Free Roam’s inception, has been responsible for overseeing the buildout and ownership of all of their brewing operations, including fermentation management, QA/QC, packaging, limited distribution, and staff training. Previously, Jaron worked at 21st Amendment Brewery, progressing through production roles under the mentorship of Brewmaster Sean O’Sullivan. He specializes in fermentation management, quality control, and data-driven process optimization, with a focus on consistency, quality, and scalable brewing practices.
Production: ~700 barrels/year on a 10-barrel, two-vessel system
Beer Program: Flagship-driven, regular seasonals
Flagship Focus: Low Fence light lager (4.1% ABV) — 25%+ of total production
For small and medium craft breweries, real-time fermentation monitoring isn’t about replacing brewing skill—it’s about removing wasted effort and reducing preventable risk. At Free Roam, Sennos helped turn five fermenters into a system with visibility, repeatable fermentation profiles, and tangible weekly time savings—without the expense of adding staff.
Ready to see what real-time monitoring of gravity, pH, temperature, and DO can do for your flagships?
Turn every tank into a smart tank—request a Sennos demo.
Have you had a positive experience with Sennos, and would like to be featured in our next case study?
Drop us a line to let us know!
Share:
Western Red Brewing: Brewing Smarter as a One-Person Operation