Writer: Forrest Whitesides
Build a Draft Tower
Build your own draft tower from PVC piping for a fraction of the price of a new one. This project is quick and easy, yet still looks great and works perfectly.
Simple Tap Cleaner: Projects
Build your own cheap, but effective, tap cleaner.
Extract Brew Day: A Pictorial Guide
Whether new to homebrewing or just curious how other brewers approach their brew day, a picture can be worth a thousand words. So, grab a homebrew and check out our pictorial guide to an extract brew day.
Ferment in a Cornelius Keg
For those of you that keg your homebrew, chances are you’ve got at least one Cornelius keg sitting empty at any given time. Why not put them to good use as primary and/or secondary fermenters? And for those that don’t keg but are considering it in the future, picking up a keg or two for fermenting is a great way to start building up the equipment you’ll need for a kegerator. Used Cornelius kegs cost about $30 to $40, and with about $10 more in fittings and tubing you can have a 5-gallon (19-L) stainless steel fermenting vessel. The advantages of using a keg are that it’s light-tight, has built-in handles for easy transport and if you have a kegerator you can use your CO2 system to rack the beer in a completely closed environment with no siphoning.
Nitrogen Draft Tap
Learn how to add a nitro draft system to your kegerator for great pub-style nitro brews at home.
Home Kegerator
Every homebrewer could use his or her own kegerator. A classic project shows you how to convert a regular refrigerator to a beer draft system.
Build a Keggle: Projects
Give an old Sanke keg a new lease on life as a kettle.
Pickup Tube: Projects
Frugal brewers everywhere will appreciate this DIY pickup tube design (or at least enjoy a little extra beer).
Build a Hop Drying Oast
Sure, you could dry your homegrown hops on an old screen, but wouldn’t you rather build your own oast?
Carboy Sprayer: Projects
Frustrated with all the gunk that collects inside your carboys? Don’t soak it, spray it! Learn how to build your own carboy sprayer.
Build a French Press Hopback
Add a hoppy aroma to your brews with a homemade hopback.
Three Mini Projects: Projects
These projects are simple and relatively inexpensive, but nonetheless may prove to be quite useful in your home brewery. Have you ever broken a hydrometer when you needed it most? Ever had an airlock run dry in the night? Do you worry that your plate chiller could be a source of contamination? If so, read on and put your mind at ease.
