Western Red Brewing: Brewing Smarter as a One-Person Operation

How Western Red Brewing Increased Tank Turns and Saved 180+ Barrels

Customer Snapshot

Brewery: Western Red Brewing (Poulsbo, WA)

Founded: 2017

Annual Production: ~ 1,000 barrels

Team: Solo operator

Beer Styles: IPAs, specialty lagers, dark beers

Western Red Brewing is a small, quality-driven craft brewery in the Pacific Northwest, run by owner-brewer Denver Smyth. Like many owner-operators, Smyth balances brewing, cellar work, quality control, and taproom responsibilities—often without additional staff.

The Challenge: Visibility, Quality, and Time—All with One Brewer

As a solo brewer, Smyth faced a familiar challenge: maintaining consistent fermentation quality while managing a growing production schedule—without burning out.

Before adopting Sennos, fermentation monitoring relied heavily on manual sampling, visual checks, and weekend tank visits. Smyth routinely drove 30 minutes to the brewery on Saturdays and Sundays just to pull gravity samples and confirm fermentations were on track.

“Because I do all the brewing, I was going in almost every weekend. That meant working seven days a week just to keep an eye on fermentation,” says Smyth.

Without a dedicated lab, yeast management was also conservative. Unsure of yeast vitality, Smyth frequently discarded yeast early to avoid risk—sacrificing yield and increasing costs. Limited real-time visibility meant fermentation issues could go unnoticed for critical early windows, when intervention matters most.

As production ramped up and tank utilization increased, the stakes grew higher:

• Less margin for delayed fermentations
  

• No room for extra tank days
  

• No capacity to add staff

Western Red needed a way to see inside every tank, anytime—without adding labor or complexity.

The Solution: Real-Time Fermentation Intelligence with Sennos

Western Red implemented the Sennos fermentation monitoring platform, built around three core components:

SennosM3 — In-Tank, Multi-Sensor Hardware

Installed directly into fermentation tanks, the SennosM3 continuously monitored:

• Gravity (density)
  

• Temperature
  

• pH
  

• Pressure
  

• Dissolved oxygen trends (where applicable)
  

Unlike gravity-only tools, the multi-sensor approach gave Smyth a complete picture of fermentation health—especially during the first 24–48 hours.

Sennoslink — Operational Visibility, Anywhere

Using Sennoslink on mobile, Smyth could:

• Check live fermentation progress remotely
  

• Monitor trends without pulling samples
  

• Eliminate weekend check-ins
  

• Receive alerts if something looked off
  

“Now, when I pitch yeast on a Friday night, I don’t come back Saturday. I just check Sennoslink on my phone and see exactly what’s happening in the tank.”

SennosIQ — Fermentation Intelligence & Benchmarking

With SennosIQ, Western Red moved beyond monitoring to insight:

• Early detection of stalled or abnormal fermentations
  

• Batch-to-batch comparison
  

• Clear visibility into yeast performance and dormancy timing

This intelligence layer replaced guesswork with context—helping Smyth act faster and with confidence.

The Results: Measurable Gains in Time, Yield, and Confidence

50% Reduction in Manual Sampling

By relying on continuous in-tank data instead of pull-and-check routines, Smyth cut manual sampling roughly in half—saving hours each week and reducing contamination risk.

2–4 Days Faster Tank Turns

With clearer insight into fermentation endpoints, Western Red shortened tank residency for many beers by two to four days per batch.

“We shaved days off tank time once we could actually see fermentation slowdowns and endpoints in real time.”

+2.5 Tank Turns Per Year

As production reached capacity, these gains became critical. Western Red increased annual tank turns from 17 to 19.5, translating to:

~ 180 additional barrels per year —without new tanks or staff

Without Sennos, we’d be producing way less beer per year. That difference is massive for a brewery our size. — Denver Smyth

Improved Yeast Utilization (8–9 generations)

Real-time oxygen and fermentation trend data allowed Smyth to:

• Identify optimal yeast harvesting windows
  

• Push yeast from 5–6 generations to 8–9 generations
  

• Reduce yeast costs while maintaining quality
  

$2,500 in a Single Batch Saved

During one low-ABV stout fermentation, SennosIQ flagged abnormal behavior early. With limited internal benchmarks, Sennos support helped compare patterns against similar fermentations, enabling corrective action within the first 24 hours.

Without Sennos, we would’ve dumped $2,500 worth of beer. Instead, we saved the batch. — Denver Smyth 

Why It Matters for Small Breweries

For Western Red, Sennos didn’t replace brewing expertise—it extended it, acting like an extra set of experienced eyes on every tank, 24/7.

The impact wasn’t just efficiency—it was sustainability:

• Fewer burnout weekends
  

• More predictable production
  

• Confidence to scale without hiring
  

“As a one-person operation, Sennos gives me peace of mind. I know what’s happening in my tanks without being there.”

Takeaway

Sennos helped Western Red Brewing turn limited resources into a competitive advantage—delivering measurable gains in tank utilization, yeast efficiency, and quality control without adding labor.

For small and growing craft breweries, it’s proof that real-time fermentation intelligence isn’t about more data—it’s about better decisions, made earlier.

Curious what your tanks could tell you?

Schedule a free demo with a real Sennos human.