The various hardware items for producing beer or wine. Includes buckets, carboys, kegs, hoses, airlocks, etc.
3
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I set up a Sestos D1S temperature controller?
I am trying to set up an Sestos D1S temperature controller. Initially, just to see if it works at all, I am trying to use it to control the temperature of my kettle. I've wired it all up correctly so ...
1
vote
3answers
134 views
How to make more beer than I can boil?
I will soon need to buy some more equipment, but I want to think it a little bit what I really need to buy and in the meantime I will try some workaround.
I was thinking of brewing mash/extract ...
6
votes
1answer
153 views
What is the benefit of a 3 tier system?
I see a lot of people with the 3 tier brewing system. What is the benefit and What are the different levels for? This system is what I am referencing.
2
votes
1answer
55 views
Bottle drying after sanitisation?
When sanitising and using a bottle tree, should I wait for bottles to dry completely or can I use them just rinsed? The Youngs sanitiser I'm using says items should be used within 1 hour of being ...
5
votes
2answers
114 views
Necessary to clean bottle tree?
So I recently purchased a bottle tree (not sure how I went so long without one) for drying/storing my sanitized bottles. Is it is overkill to sanitize the bottle tree in sanitizing solution as well?
...
1
vote
1answer
242 views
Where are MillerCoors Light Home Draft units available?
MillerCoors used to sell Coors Light Home Draft and Miller Light Home Draft "kegs" at my local grocery store, but I have not seem them in a long time.
The reason I ask is because these units are ...
6
votes
6answers
304 views
Marking your brew pot?
I have a new stainless steel brew pot and it doesn't have any quantity markings. How do you recommend marking each gallon? I tried to make an indent but it's not very noticeable, any ideas?
0
votes
1answer
63 views
Control Products 9102D Temperature Controller won't go below 50 degrees?
So I got a dual stage controller (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057APR3I/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to hook up to a keezer that I am making. I got it wired up today and was ...
4
votes
3answers
523 views
How to calculate the minimum vessel sizes for all grain brewing
Background:
Brewing in an kitchenette with limited storage space
All Grain brewing, extracts are not available around here
I'm looking at BIAB also, but want to have the traditional 3 vessels setup
...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Airlock Alternatives
Imagine that brew-day rolls around and you find yourself without an airlock for your carboy or bucket.
What other things can you use in it's stead?
Further imagine that you do not have the ...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
Is tin safe on the mash?
A friend is building a manifold and the copper connections he bought have a bit of tin (Sn) on it, supposedly to make the solder easier.
He is not going to solder them so the tin will remain in ...
2
votes
2answers
89 views
Kettle lid with hole in it
I always boil with the lid off my kettles (2 pots).
But I've been thinking lately about the design of commercial kettles. It seems that to more closely match a commercial boil, I should put about a ...
23
votes
21answers
5k views
What are the easiest and hardest commercial beer bottles to re-use for homebrew?
One of the great perks of homebrewing is the ability to reuse, rather than just recycle the bottles that come into your house. You just soak off the labels and re-use!
All bottles are not created ...
21
votes
4answers
592 views
Open-Fermented or Native Yeast Beers
I've always been very careful about control and sanitation with beer. But with my wine I do some native yeast Pinots, and some friends of mine are into the same with beers- they like funky, ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
What materials are good for mashing/boiling container
What material are good for mashing/boiling. I think stainless steel and copper are good, what about aluminum and enamel?
4
votes
2answers
149 views
Can I use nylon stockings as a hop-bag in wort?
I was thinking of using some nylon stockings as a hop-bag for dry hopping in my fermentor. Are they safe to use or will they be degraded by the wort?
30
votes
13answers
1k views
\[WIKI] Improving Your Brewing Significantly
I made this wiki to allow folks to post what upgrades in process or equipement really take one's beer brewing to the next level. The bottle-necks to better and better brewing if you will. (This was ...
7
votes
4answers
312 views
What equipment do I need to start making mead?
What equipment do I need to start making mead at home?
3
votes
1answer
98 views
How to sparge with a inner mash cylinder?
I have bought a BeerMaker 30 and now I wonder how to do the sparging so that I get the clearest wort possible.
The issue for me is, that I have a steel cylinder that goes into my electric ...
6
votes
2answers
638 views
Kettle volume measurements
Eventually there comes a time where just boiling 6 gallons for 60 minutes and taking it on faith that you have 5 gallons left doesn't cut it anymore.
What tools can I use to measure the volume in the ...
2
votes
1answer
750 views
Corny keg fermentors
I had been thinking about using a couple corny kegs as fermentors. Maybe even trimming up some dip tubes to be able to CO2 push finished beer out of the kegs to clean serving kegs.
Here are some of ...
8
votes
2answers
5k views
Choosing a good refrigerator/freezer for kegerator conversion
Does anyone have experience and recommendations for a good fridge/freezer for conversion into a kegerator? I'm basically choosing between a full sized fridge, a mini-fridge and a chest freezer. I'll ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Pro Mash Tun design
I was wondering if anyone had a link to a graphic of what the typical profesional mash tun is like. Specifically I was wondering if the majority of professional scaled mash tuns draw from underneath ...
3
votes
2answers
555 views
Quick disconnects - cheap alternatives?
I'm looking to get some 1/2" NPT & barbed quick-disconnect fittings for my little brewery, making it easier to break down and clean, as well as give me some flexibility in what I'm sending where.
...
4
votes
4answers
326 views
Bottle Sizes Smaller than 12 Ounces?
Has anyone ever seen 8oz bottles anywhere? I was asked if I could bottle a batch of homebrew in smaller bottles so it could be given out as gifts to more people. I can't seem to find anything ...
8
votes
6answers
993 views
Small Space & Apartment Brewing: Equipment Storage
Given the limited space of an apartment, what tips do you have for storing your equipment?
Do not consider budget to be a factor.
This is the first question in a series of discussions about ...
4
votes
3answers
479 views
Plastic or Glass
Plastic or Glass fermentors? (Lets keep stainless steel out of this debate for now)
Each has ups and downs.
What are the main differences for the following aspects:
Shapes and configurations
Heat ...
3
votes
2answers
177 views
Got first 2 kegs and need advice
I just bought two 15.5 gallon kegs yesterday from a local brewery that is closing its doors. They asked for $15 each so there was no way I could pass them up. They are in great condition.
I would ...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Brew In A Bag one-gallon batch?
I'd like to try homebrewing, and I've read a great deal about the process, but I will have more time than money (I'm about to graduate from college).
It seems like most people buy a lot of equipment ...
12
votes
1answer
3k views
What is a hopback?
How do you use it?
What does it do?
Do you pass finished wort through it hot or cold?
9
votes
3answers
568 views
What material should I make my brew paddle with?
I've been using the cheap plastic spoon that you'll typically find at your local homebrew store. It's pretty terrible when it comes to agitating my mash tun. Heat + Resistance = Bent plastic spoon.
...
6
votes
1answer
164 views
Do glass bottles weaken over time?
I bottle to flip top 750 ml bottles. Should I keep using the same ones forever, or do they weaken over time, and I should get a new set some day?
I'm not extremely careful with them, I often clean ...
4
votes
3answers
267 views
Why add a tee next to the pump?
I've seen it recommended in several places to add a tee in the pipe next to the pump used for transferring hot wort. What is the point of this / what benefits do you get? Does the tee go on the input ...
5
votes
2answers
161 views
I boiled my PVC thermometer probe - health concerns?
I have a digital thermometer with a probe. The probe is stainless steel but the cable and probe housing are apparently made of PVC. In my last brew I just submerged the whole probe in the boiler ...
14
votes
12answers
2k views
Is an immersion chiller really necessary?
I have been reading here about immersion, counterflow and plate chillers and they don't seem to chill the wort much faster than my current method; ice.
Many people have stated that their chillers ...
8
votes
9answers
5k views
Using a Induction cooktop
I have been brewing in my kitchen using a giant stockpot.
My brother (my brewing partner) was thinking about picking up propane top and moving it outside. I think that it would be better to use an ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Benefits and drawbacks to different tubing types?
We're making some big upgrades to our homebrew system and one of them involves moving everything to 1/2" fittings and barbs. This means we need 1/2" tubing that will easily and reliably fit on the ...
5
votes
3answers
389 views
Best Crown Capper
Just capped my first batch of beer (Wohoo!).
When I invested in my equipment though, I think I was a bit too frugal with my capping tool - I have a hammer on crown capper. It seems to have done the ...
1
vote
1answer
173 views
Looking for a specific fitting
I bought a blichmann therminator, and I want to hook up stainless camlock/ groove 1/2" nipples to all 4 "openings". Problem is, the coolant line in/ out are 3/4" GHT, which, while I understand why ...
5
votes
3answers
523 views
pH Meters and measuring mash pH for the first time
So I've been doing all grain for quite some time now, but I've always "winged it" in regards to my water chemistry. I've been using a mix of Reverse Osmosis and Spring water, which gives good results ...
4
votes
2answers
379 views
Bag-in-box packaging
Is it suitable for beer "bottling" or would the pressure tear it apart? If it's suitable it could be really useful since it can contain a large quantity of liquid with low package weight.
3
votes
3answers
171 views
Buying equipment in bulk
If one wanted to buy homebrew equipment in bulk, is there a way to go straight to the distributor? Bypass the LHBS / Northern Brewer / etc., and buy straight from the supplier? IF so, does anyone know ...
4
votes
3answers
322 views
What is a stir plate?
What is the function of a stir plate when making a yeast starter?
Does it drastically improve the starter process?
2
votes
3answers
331 views
Can a water heater element be installed in a conduit punched hole?
I'm thinking I want to build myself a kettle with a heater, a valve and a cooling coil. So four holes. probably, two different sizes
Perusing the electricbrewery.com site, they stress the need to use ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Mash tun: slotted false bottom?
Would a slotted false bottom prevent uniform compaction better than a perforated false bottom?
See this model:
http://www.homebrewing.org/12-Stainless-Steel-Domed-False-Bottom_p_1058.html
I'm ...
3
votes
1answer
273 views
What makes a brew bucket food grade?
This question usually pops up in my head every time I step into Home Depot and see all the orange buckets around.
What makes a bucket food grade?
6
votes
2answers
902 views
How should I design my new home brewing space?
I am moving into a new house, and the garage in the back garden is just screaming out to be converted into a home brewery.
I realise planning a brewing space depends on a lot of specifics (space ...
3
votes
3answers
285 views
Cold Break with a False Bottom
Historically, I've cooled my wort with a immersion chiller and siphoned it off to the carboy once it gets down to a reasonable temperature. I recently installed a false bottom and ball valve. This ...
38
votes
4answers
1k views
What equipment do I need to buy to start making beer?
What is the minimum equipment to start brewing some good beer at home?
4
votes
3answers
264 views
What equipment do I need to starting making wine?
What equipment do I need to start making wine at home?
