Questions tagged [equipment]
The various hardware items for producing beer or wine. Includes buckets, carboys, kegs, hoses, airlocks, etc.
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Can I heat a starter in an erlenmeyer flask on an electric stove?
My dad found an old Kimax (26500) 1000mL Erlenmeyer flask that has been in his attic for the last 30 or so years and gave it to me. I'd like to start using this to make starters, in conjunction with ...
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Why should I start lagering?
I'm contemplating my next brew equipment purchase, and it's likely to be a chest freezer, either for lagering or for converting into a kegerator.
I know some of the things I've heard, but what are ...
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Immersion chiller or counter-flow chiller?
Based on your actual experience with each, what are the pros and cons of the two most common types of wort chillers - immersion and counter-flow? Which do you prefer?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Can I use my Country Living Grain Mill for homebrewing?
I already own a Country Living Grain Mill for making flour and want to start crushing my own grain for my homebrew. Will this style of mill work for homebrew or should I buy a mill specially for ...
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How do you clean and fill a keg manually?
What equipment is required to clean and fill a commercial keg (not one adapted for homebrewing), before paying for a full blown keg washer and filler? Is this even possible?
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How to tell the difference between corny keg posts?
I got the liquid (black) connector very stuck on to my keg, to the point where the plastic broke when trying to pull it off. I'm guessing it's because I mixed up the little posts after removing them ...
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How to measure wort oxygenation
As a follow-up to a couple of other questions:
How to Properly Oxygenate Wort
Wort aeration on a budget
How do you measure oxygenation of wort? What methods are available for a beginner brewer (low-...
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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 ...
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Cask beer at home
Anyone have a good source for getting smaller versions of a firkin for home use?
I am interested in casking some beer at home for parties and special occasions.
Are there any good links out there for ...
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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?
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Affordable cooling solutions
I have been advised that controlling fermentation temperature is the first thing I should do to try and improve the quality of my beer.
I gather I can get a temperature controller (such as the one ...
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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.
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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?
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How to transport homebrew
I'm in the process of brewing several carboys of beer to serve at my wedding in a few months. The catch is that the wedding is on the other side of the country. I'm planning on taking a few days to ...
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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?
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Should I & how do I use a mash tun brew kettle with a false bottom?
I'd like to make the move to all-grain, but it's fairly equipment-intensive. I see combination mash tuns and brew kettles. Are these a solution? Can I use the kettle for mashing, then transfer to ...
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Conical fermenter: worth it?
I am considering purchasing a conical fermenter but I'm not sure if it would be worth the cost. I feel like it would allow me to make better beer with less effort, but it would be nice to hear from ...
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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 ...
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Autosiphon not sealing
While racking beer to kegs today, my autosiphon started leaking air. Bubbles started at the bottom, and went throughout the tube. I assume that this is due to a poor seal between the pump portion ...
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What do I need to refurbish a corny keg?
What do I need to prepare a used corny keg (picked up at a flea market say) for brewing?
Should I replace the seals?
Do I need a special tool to remove the posts?
What products and techniques ...
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Cleaning out beer lines
How often do you need to clean out your beer lines when using a home draft system?
What type of cleaner do you use?
Can I leave sanitizer in the tubing when a line isn't in use?
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Is it okay to ferment a 5 gallon batch in a 14 gallon conical fermenter?
I am considering getting a either a 7 gallon or a 14 gallon conical fermenter and am wondering if it would be okay to ferment a standard 5 gallon batch in the 14 gallon or if that would be a bad idea. ...
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Bottle filling without a rapid bottler
I'm about to bottle my first Coopers home brew and I don't have a rapid bottler. Can I pour it straight from the tap or will I have problems?
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What's the ideal size for a mash tun?
This question has been bothering me for a while and I looked it up using google. The only related search result was this thread http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-big-your-mash-tun-needs-123585/ ...
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[Wiki] What extra equipment do I need to make wine?
Considering I have all the necessary - and some unnecessary - equipment for making beer at home, what additional equipment do I need to make wine at home?
If it's easier to just make a full list, ...
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Copper versus Stainless for Jockey Box
Not having room or budget for a kegerator at the moment, I am considering building a jockey box for kegging homebrew. There are a lot of plans on the internet for building your own, including ...
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Small Space & Apartment Brewing: Diacetyl Rest
When brewing a lager in an apartment, you will most probably use a small refrigerator for the lagering process. If the refrigerator does not allow you to choose the exact temperature, but instead you ...
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Why use a synthetic bag for BIAB?
Everywhere I see conversations about BIAB, people are always referring to nylon or polyester bags. Why can't one use, let's say, a cotton bag, since it will be so thin it won't hold any water?
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How do I clean a sankey pump?
What is the best way to clean a sankey pump it after I use it so it doesn't get moldy inside?
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Can a twist-off bottle be capped?
Out of curiosity (and appreciation for Boulevard's bottle's form-factor), can a twist-off bottle be reliably capped?
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Can a bad odor from an empty fermenter be a sign of contamination?
I'm new to the hobby and recently made my first brew, I've used a simple plastic fermenter (25L) for primary, and after I finished the bottling process I washed the fermenter and waited for a couple ...
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First Time Brewing...am I doing it right?
So I went to my local brewing store, and got a starter kit. It came with a 7 gallon fermenter, a siphon tube, a floating thermometer, bottle caper, bottle caps, bottle scrubber, and sanitizer.
By the ...
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Is using brass ball valves safe?
I heard the other day that using brass in your brewery set-up is a bad idea?! Well I have brass ball valves from the hardware store on all my kettles. I know that typical brass has lead in it but is ...
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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 ...
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Converting your fermentation bucket into a mash tun
Most people use coolers for mash tuns, but living in an apartment myself I can tell that having the least possible equipment is a priority. I know some people use their secondary fermenters as mash ...
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Doing BIAB with several smaller bags instead of a big one
So I was thinking about switching from extract with grains brewing to all grain brewing using the BIAB method.
I had this idea to use several of the small disposable bags I get for the grains in the ...
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Good food-grade electric pump for transferring wort?
I need a pump to use for transferring wort from a 55 gallon drum. Do you have any recommendations?
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False bottom not working effectively
I've upgraded from a 20L homebrew system to a 200L system and used it for the first time the other day. I previously did boil-in-the-bag but for my new system I have a false bottom. For my first test ...
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How do you insulate a cooler based mash tun?
I have a Coleman 70 Quart Xtreme cooler that I've modified for my mash tun. I seem to be losing a lot of heat out the top. Are there any good ways to insulate it to help prevent heat loss?
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What stainless steel inox 304 vs inox 316 is acceptable for brewing equipment?
I am setting together fittings and ball valves for my homebrewing equipment and corrosion protection and food safety of material is a key decision point.
Yet there is a noticable price difference ...
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Noob question here about 1 gallon to 5 gallon brewing
So Im looking in to starting some one gallon recipes. 5 gallons is just way too much for me. Is it absolutely necessary to get a 1 gal jug or can I just use my 5 gal?
I suspect the fermentation ...
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HERMS or RIMS - How to choose?
I'm confused. What are the major pros/cons between HERMS and RIMS brewing systems? I've read about both, but can't seem to come to a conclusion on why one would choose one over the other. Is it the ...
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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 ...
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After remaining inactive for a long time, what gear would need to be replaced and what gear can be cleaned/reused?
It's been over 5 years since I brewed my last batch. I'll be moving in a few months into a new place and I'll be able to start brewing again, the problem is what equipment is toast from sitting idle ...
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Using 5 gallon kegs for 3 gallon batches
What are the pros and cons for using a 5 gallon keg for 3 gallon batches of beer? Am I wasting a lot of Co2?
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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
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