Topic: Equipment
Testing Dissolved Oxygen
Oxygen is often measured for two reasons in brewing, to determine pre-fermentation levels and after packaging. Learn about choosing (and using) a good dissolved oxygen meter.
Expanding Your All-Grain Equipment for Bigger Batches
The last ten years have been a period of intense rapid growth and change in the homebrewing community and industry. The average homebrewer now has more brewing knowledge, equipment, and high quality
Choosing & Using Growlers
With the increasing amount of draft-only beers created by breweries and local brewpubs, growlers are becoming required gear for craft beer drinkers. For the homebrewer that faces the decision of whether to
Brewing Day Priorities
You aren’t running a craft brewery out of your basement (yet), so why brew like one? The schedules and finances of commercial breweries mean that they emphasize extraction efficiency, consistency, and speed.
Ventilation: Proper Airflow in your Homebrewery
Having grown up in Northern Iowa I’ve always liked the cold winters, crisp air, and a blanket of snow covering the ground. Northern Indiana, where I live now, isn’t quite as cold
Understanding & Using Refractometer
Refractometers are widely used in the wine and beer industry to track the progress of fermentation, but they are less commonly used by homebrewers. However, if used properly a refractometer can be
Countertop Automated Homebrew Systems
Anyone remember the Ronco Rotisserie Oven infomercials where they said to “Set it, and forget it”? Well, there are a lot of companies making homebrew machines that could use that catch phrase
Choosing a Fermenter
When it comes to your homebrew, most people will say the most crucial element is taking care of your fermentation, and reasonably so. Although everything involved in making your wort is important,
Choosing and Using Fittings
Anywhere your wort or beer moves, there’s a fitting involved — barbed fittings, flared fittings, heat-resistant fittings, plastic fittings, stainless fittings, garden hose fittings, brass fittings, sanitary fittings, and pipe fittings. Familiarize yourself with the options available so you can choose the best fittings for the job that also fits your budget.
Expanding Equipment: Tips from the Pros
When it comes to homebrew equipment, you can spend as much (or as little) as you’d like and still make quality beer. but there comes a point when every homebrewer decides it’s
Build a Mash Temperature Controller
I spent a lot of time controlling temperatures on the cold side of the brewing process in my early homebrew days, including temperature control during grain, hop and yeast storage, yeast propagation
Metallurgy
Each metal has its advantages and disadvantages . . .a primer for the Do-It-Yourselfer
