what kind of brewing gadget would you like to see?

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raptorvan

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Dearborn MI
As an avid tinkered with access to a lot of useful tools and machines ive been wondering what I can make to better the homebrew world. So I open it up to you..my fellow homebrewers. What are some thing you would like to see made? Anything you want to see produced? Maybe a cheaper alternative? Maybe a more practical version? Or just something you have thought about while brewing that you wish was available...or even something you have made that you would like to try to market?
 
I've always wanted to see a clear conical. Probably no market but, you asked.
 
phoenixs4r said:
I've always wanted to see a clear conical. Probably no market but, you asked.

That's in line with what I want... A clear bucket, I want to see what's going on like a carboy but with a nice big opening like a bucket.... why hasent this happened yet?
 
I would like to have a cheap, flexible glycol wrap to use on fermentors... Carboys, Better Bottles, 5 & 10 Gallon Cornies, and Conicals. A nice compact self-contained glycol chiller and pump would be great too.
 
How abought a gadget to hold a auto siphon to the side of a brew kettle.

My LHBS had something like this and it worked on my kettle. I used it in combination with whirlpooling on my last batch, and it worked perfectly.

autoclamp__65451_zoom.jpg
 
A 3 kettle system (either horizontal or tiered) that could be easily and safely vented with tubing via an air exchanger allowing for safe basement brewing using propane.
 
A 3 kettle system (either horizontal or tiered) that could be easily and safely vented with tubing via an air exchanger allowing for safe basement brewing using propane.

If ur gonna brew in the basement use your natural gas line. It burns cleaner and its easier and save to use indoors...they make exhaust systems for it...but I can make you a brew stand if you want
 
I want a spring hinge that has an adjustable assist for my chest freezer that opens to 90 deg. One that can be adjusted so that it is easy to lift a collar with the taps attached. The real kicker is that it goes to 90 deg so it's easy to lift kegs/buckets out instead of the stock hinges that only go to about 60 deg and force me to tip my kegs/buckets.
 
raptorvan said:
If ur gonna brew in the basement use your natural gas line. It burns cleaner and its easier and save to use indoors...they make exhaust systems for it...but I can make you a brew stand if you want

I only can get propane where I am at (have a 1000 gal tank) which is fine because propane burns hotter than NG.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Stainless Auto-Siphon.

Hah, just broke mine the other day. That would be a fantastic ideal, or somehow make it slightly smaller in diameter would be great as well.
 
What I'd like to see would be a boone to HB'rs. I was scopin more beer once,& saw that their SS conical fermenter had an optional digital temp controlled heating & cooling blanket made to fit said conical. I wish they'd make that system to fit ale pales & other FV's like the shape of my Cooper's micro brew FV. That would be the perfect space saver for the average home brewer! Not to mention,that there's be a greater variety of styles available to brew as well.
 
OH!
A therm that connects to a usb port on a computer and outputs degrees to Java or some other simple programming language (so you can have it auto turn on off, set temps, turn on pumps... auto brew by programming in a recipe).
 
OH!
A therm that connects to a usb port on a computer and outputs degrees to Java or some other simple programming language (so you can have it auto turn on off, set temps, turn on pumps... auto brew by programming in a recipe).

This would go great with what I suggested in post # 17!!
 
This,
a heat and food rated rotary hand pump (or will attach to a drill) that is cheap (under $30) and easy to clean and can move liquid at a gallon per minute.

this,
i would like to have a cheap, flexible glycol wrap to use on fermentors... Carboys, better bottles, 5 & 10 gallon cornies, and conicals. A nice compact self-contained glycol chiller and pump would be great too.

and this,
stainless auto-siphon.
 
A soda machine style bottle filler stand:

You place the stand on your counter, connect the hose to it and to the bottling bucket, place your bottle in the fill tube and press the lever with the bottle to fill. When you pull the bottle away, the fill stops like a soda machine. One handed operation frees up the other to grab bottles and caps.:rockin:
 
I have to agree with Revvy, but I would prefer the stainless auto siphon first, then rotary pump, then glycol wrap.
 
If it was a stainless auto siphon the rubber seals would have to be replaceable because otherwise the stainless would only be as sanitary as those old seals. It would be the same as a regular one.

I'll stick with my racking cane and sanitized turkey baster to start a siphon. KISS after all.
 
If it was a stainless auto siphon the rubber seals would have to be replaceable because otherwise the stainless would only be as sanitary as those old seals. It would be the same as a regular one.

I'll stick with my racking cane and sanitized turkey baster to start a siphon. KISS after all.

I think replaceable is a good idea. How about silicone seals? Then you can just boil it to kill all germs.
 
I would like to have a cheap, flexible glycol wrap to use on fermentors... Carboys, Better Bottles, 5 & 10 Gallon Cornies, and Conicals. A nice compact self-contained glycol chiller and pump would be great too.

This. I have a refrigerator to ferment in, but if I brew too close together, I have to decide which one get the fridge. It would be nice to be able to individually control each fermenter, short of buying a couple more fridges.
 
Some sort of home canning system - I like to take my beer on camping / float trips, the only drinking containers allowed on the river are aluminum and plastic. Right now I can bottle up a few brews in my old Mr. Beer bottles if needed but pouring those into a dixie creates a beer coozy complication.. :D
 
Some sort of home canning system - I like to take my beer on camping / float trips, the only drinking containers allowed on the river are aluminum and plastic. Right now I can bottle up a few brews in my old Mr. Beer bottles if needed but pouring those into a dixie creates a beer coozy complication.. :D

You can bottle in 20 oz. soda bottles. Or, you could buy a case or two of the plastic 16 oz. Bud/B Light bottles to keep around for non-believers/mooches. I believe they also use twist-off soda-style caps. When they get emptied, bottle in them for your adventures.
 
I want a spring hinge that has an adjustable assist for my chest freezer that opens to 90 deg. One that can be adjusted so that it is easy to lift a collar with the taps attached. The real kicker is that it goes to 90 deg so it's easy to lift kegs/buckets out instead of the stock hinges that only go to about 60 deg and force me to tip my kegs/buckets.

What about attaching those small tubular hinges?the pseudo hydrolic ones the help raise the top and.keeps it there
 
What I'd like to see would be a boone to HB'rs. I was scopin more beer once,& saw that their SS conical fermenter had an optional digital temp controlled heating & cooling blanket made to fit said conical. I wish they'd make that system to fit ale pales & other FV's like the shape of my Cooper's micro brew FV. That would be the perfect space saver for the average home brewer! Not to mention,that there's be a greater variety of styles available to brew as well.

Actually, I'm working on an attachment that turns a ale pail into a conical would that be interesting to you?
 
A cooler with a heating element for mashing. So you wold hold your temp and can raise temps for decoction mash. Seems with a small cheap controller, water heater style element, and "cooler" type vessel this should be possible.
 
Elves to clean everything when I'm done brewing. When that wort goes into the fermenter, I just want the elves to get to work so I can relax.
 
Elves to clean everything when I'm done brewing. When that wort goes into the fermenter, I just want the elves to get to work so I can relax.
lil I tried to employ pygmies but the ACLU pitched a fit. I usually just fill everything with water, pour in some oxiclean and come back to it when its done working its magic...like millions of little angels scrubbing away.
 
A six-or more prong bottle filler that fills six bottles at once and does so at a consistent rate so that they all top up at the same time.

A new and improved Vinator. I imagine something that sits on the top of a 5-gallon bucket and maybe has a foot pump to operate the jet.

Cheap, effective home canning - you know, to put beer in pop-top cans.
 
I'm still on about home canning however the triangular hydrometer is brilliant - I don't know how many topics I've read "I set it down and turned around to grab a ____ then CRASH, I knew exactly what it was...."

The 6 beer bottle filler would be nice as well, and in theory doesn't seem like it would be that hard to manufacture - a longer stem from the bottle bucket leading down to a horizontal pipe with 6 vertical spouts below it, 1 small lever / switch on the side that when turned 90 degrees moves a long plastic piece containing 6 rubber stoppers plugging the spouts upwards into a position allowing liquid to flow through. Essentially the same idea as our current bottle buckets but 6 spouts controlled by one lever. Gravity + liquid weight should take care of the fill ratio..
 
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