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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Gear/Equipment --> Most Useful Early Home Brew Purchase

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EdTomBell
Madison, WI
17 Posts


I am very new to home brewing; I just bottled my first batch. There is obviously lots of equipment that would make home brewing quality beer a piece of cake, but I'm sure most of us are on a budget.

What was a useful tool that you purchased early into your home-brew career that you find to be absolutely invaluable?




Posted 34 days ago.

brewcrewkevin
Charter Member
Appleton, WI
66 Posts


If you don't have them already, here's a couple cheap ideas (under $25) that make brew day quite a bit easier:

* Autosiphon - makes transferring really easy.
* Spring loaded bottling wand- as apposed to the loose valves. They make bottling much easier.
* Vinator- for cleaning bottles. Fill it up, and push a bottle down onto it.
* Spray bottle with star-san solution- so after chilling, you can just spray down anything that will touch your beer. I even use mine around the kitchen
* Fermometer- stick-on thermometer. Stick it to the side of the carboy or bucket. They are accurate within a couple degrees, and make temperature tracking simple.

I'm sure there's quite a few more. This is just a few cheap ideas off the top of my head.




Posted 34 days ago.

dave
Fenton, MI
13 Posts


Its the simple things for me:
Bottling bucket w/ the wand connected directly to the spigot by a ~1" piece of hose
Vinator and bottling tree
Big ~2ft stainless spoon and whisk
3 gallon better bottles







Posted 34 days ago.

zgreenside
Nowhere
34 Posts


I'm on city water, so treating my water for chlorine made a pretty good difference in quality of the beer.
(You can use Campden tabs, super cheap).

Wort chiller was also extremely helpful in bringing the overall brew time down, as well as getting the beer to the proper pitching temperature quickly so as not to produce any off flavors resulting from keeping the wort at too high a temp for too long.

Probably my top two for sure until you start getting into more expensive stuff (going all grain with a mash tun, kegging rather than bottling, ferm chamber).

Almost forgot! You could make starters with a stir plate as well, follow Brulosopher's guide on making oversized starters, and then save yeast before you pitch it to the beer, which will save you money. Put that money you would have spent on yeast each brew aside and save it for other stuff :D




Posted 34 days ago.

Mith
Austin, Tx
4 Posts


I second the bottling bucket and Vinator, they make bottling day SO much easier. I absolutely hate the autosiphon, I got so angry at it that I snapped it over the counter and never went back. Star-San is the best santizing agent IMO. It's ultra concentrated so you can mix up a five gallon batch and re-use it several times until it starts to get cloudy. I shake it around in my carboys, use it in the Vinator, and keep it in a spray bottle like brewcrewkevin suggested.



Posted 34 days ago.

EdTomBell
Madison, WI
17 Posts


I'm glad I made this because an Vinator is something I never knew existed! That article about yeast harvesting is really cool; it would be a good addition to the article section. I just got an auto siphon and it made things much much easier.

@Mith, why did you hate the auto siphon? How do you siphon now?




Posted 34 days ago.

zgreenside
Nowhere
34 Posts


I've never had an issue with the autosiphon myself, as I also have one. I too am curious what he uses instead.

I only bottled probably 4 batches, but I dreaded it every time after the first...got kegs as soon as I had the money and have never looked back. Bottling has it's place still, can't do competitions without some bottled, but I bought a counterpressure filler specifically for that so I don't have to worry about it :D




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I love my autosiphon.  Vinator and bottle tree cut a solid hour off of bottling for me.  Toss in a bottle washer attachment for the sink, and you're golden.



Posted 34 days ago.

EdTomBell
Madison, WI
17 Posts


What kind of wort chiller do you all use? Did you make your own or purchase from somewhere?



Posted 34 days ago.

blur_yo_face
Houston, Tx
161 Posts


I made my own for cheap using Home Depot parts.. but check out Homebrewdad's article on the Jaded Hydra.. I get super jealous everytime I see it.. such a monster..

I've also considered going to counterflow route, but I'd be a little more worried about cleaning it..




Posted 34 days ago.

EdTomBell
Madison, WI
17 Posts


I actually just read both the articles and it looks like a great tool. Not something I want to invest in this early though. I way just stick to ice baths.

Does anyone have a system for recycling water using a wort chiller? 




Posted 34 days ago.

blur_yo_face
Houston, Tx
161 Posts


what size batches are you making? I have seen some DIY immersion chillers that utilize a pump and ice bath to recirculate the chilling water.. its somewhere on /r/homebrewing, I'd just have to look for it..



Posted 34 days ago.

zgreenside
Nowhere
34 Posts


This is the chiller I use.

I also read this article, which is a guy explaining why he moved back to a wort chiller after using a plate chiller. At the time I was looking into a counterflow chiller (or building one rather), and after coming across this article he really kind of re-confirmed my thoughts. I worry about the sanitation issue with using the plate and counterflow chillers, and don't want to worry about another unknown if I can help it. It might not be the most warranted fear, it probably gets sanitized when the boiling wort goes through the line again the next time, but I still personally prefer my immersion chiller. I make sure the immersion chiller is rinsed well, free of any outside contaminants, throw it in for the last 5-10 minutes of the boil to fully sanitize it, and then I feel good about it.

There very well could be easy ways to clean out counterflow and plate chillers, which homebrewdad probably knows of, but I'll leave that to him to explain because I sorely lack knowledge on them :)




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I know jack and squat about plate and counterflow chillers, save they are a pain to clean and sanitize.  I know that Brulosopher got rid of his and went back to an immersion chiller.

The JaDeD Hydra is expensive, no doubt - but for me to get down to 67 degrees F in under six minutes is just amazing.  And it's stupid easy to clean; I just don't see going to something else unless I one day end up doing massive batches.



Posted 34 days ago.

EdTomBell
Madison, WI
17 Posts


That wort chiller is something I could see purchasing early on. 40 bucks isn't bad if it improves the beer overall and prevents the off flavors.

@blur_yo_face I am doing 5 gallon batches. I'd be interested to see that thread if you can find it! Otherwise I can always poke around.




Posted 34 days ago.

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