Birallee Brewing, Independent Kegscale Review

Who is Birallee Beer & Brewing:

Birallee Beer & Brewing is an independent, Australia-based homebrewing blog dedicated to sharing insights, recipes, equipment reviews, and brewing tips for enthusiasts. The blog regularly publishes content such as how‑to guides, trend analysis, and product reviews—like the KS1 Keg Scale review you asked about.

Content Focus

The blog covers a wide range of homebrewing topics:

• Brewing techniques (e.g., yeast rehydration, CO₂ blankets)
• Homebrew recipes and ingredient deep dives
• Equipment and product reviews, including technical gear like the Keg King KS1
• Broader brewing topics and trends, such as the current state of homebrewing or biotransformation in IPAs
  
  
  
  

Their review summarised:

The Keg King KS1 Keg Scale is a smart Bluetooth-enabled weighing platform designed to help homebrewers easily track how much beer remains in their kegs—or how much CO₂ is left in gas cylinders—without needing direct visual access or unreliable temperature-based methods.

Why Weigh?

Traditional approaches like thermal stickers or flow meters have limitations—thermal labels require heat to show level, and flow meters risk leaking and contamination. Weighing, in contrast, is contactless, accurate, and unaffected by temperature fluctuations.

What’s in the Box & Build

The KS1 arrives as a standalone, minimalist device including only the scale; it requires a USB‑C cable (not included) for charging. The front panel features a power button, battery indicator, activity light, telemetry-trigger button, and USB-C port. The donut-shaped platform has a large outer ring (~212 mm diameter) intended for kegs and a smaller inner circle for gas cylinders. Underneath are four pressure sensors (more than the three used by the Plaato Keg), and the device measures about 25 mm tall—allowing it to fit snugly in kegerators.

Bluetooth & Battery Life

Utilizing unpaired Bluetooth broadcasting, the KS1 auto-appears in the companion KegMaster app when powered on—no setup hassle. Signal strength is robust, even penetrating steel-framed fridges, and battery efficiency is impressive—estimated at a mere 1–2% drain per day—for weeks of usage on a single charge.

Temperature Sensor

The unit also includes an integrated thermometer, which provided accurate ambient readings within ~1°C of the fridge thermostat during testing—an added benefit for tracking serving conditions.

KegMaster App Features

The KegMaster app is available for iOS and Android—no logins or accounts required. After downloading, users can:

• Add a KS1 device by scanning
• Set tare (empty) weights
• Define “Taps” (beer kegs) or “Gas” entries with volume, gravity, and other parameters
• View all active Taps in the “My Taps” dashboard, displaying visual fill levels (with color indicators matching beverage style) and cycling between items automatically
• Receive alerts for low volume, battery, temperature, or device inactivity, configurable by unit type (percentage, liters, pints)

Some setup steps—like entering tare weight from the Tools menu—felt unintuitive, with users needing to copy-paste between app sections.

Accuracy & Performance

Accuracy testing using precise weights (500 g, 1 kg, 2 kg) demonstrated that the KS1 consistently reported matching values from empty up to a full 19 L keg—the scale performed flawlessly across trials. Firmware version was listed as v1.0.0.

Price & Comparison

The KS1 is priced at AUD 99 from Keg King. This is significantly more affordable than the now-defunct Plaato Keg, which cost nearly AUD 190 (shipped) in 2022.

Final Thoughts

The KS1 marks Keg King's thoughtful entry into the realm of connected brewing tools. It strikes a great balance of functionality, simplicity, and value. The hardware is sleek and well-made, the app delivers a smooth experience with strong features like My Taps view, and the accuracy and battery life are standout factors. Although there’s room for UX improvements—especially around initial setup—the KS1’s performance and cost make it a compelling option for homebrewers seeking real-time keg monitoring.