Whats your favorite brewing gadget

I consider myself an intermediate home brewer. I'm getting ready to go all-grain. Just wondering what your favorite home brewing gadget is. Mine has got to be my immersion wort chiller. Its such a time saver. I made mine myself. I'm a DIY type of guy. What are some other must have gadgets for the home brewer. Thanks and happy holidays!

For now its my Blichmanns. But when I get my control panel finished I'm sure it will be my new "precious..."

Recently completed a Brutus 10 clone. Still getting it dialed in, but this thing has me so pumped to brew it is taking over my brain.

Too much to chose... either my homemade BK or MLT if you mean purchased items then the auto-siphon just makes my life incredibly simple and a little drier.

That would have to be my Lautering Cane, which allows me to step mash in kettle on my stove top.

Ok I wish I could cram all of my DIY individual stuff in 1 post but I think 90% of my brewery is DIY. There is no feasible way I want to/could in a reasonable amount of time try to list off all of the parts...

Favorite? I am still evolving so I can not name a favorite.

I suggest this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/project-locator-69953/

Thermapen, hands down winner. I use it at so many points in the process from mashing to cooling to checking fermentation temps. It's so nice to have an instant accurate read on temperatures.

That said, if I hadn't got it as a gift I don't know that I would have spent that much on a thermometer, so I'd say any reasonably accurate digital thermeter that gives a pretty quick reading would be your friend forever.

Student7 said:

Thermapen, hands down winner. I use it at so many points in the process from mashing to cooling to checking fermentation temps. It's so nice to have an instant accurate read on temperatures.

That said, if I hadn't got it as a gift I don't know that I would have spent that much on a thermometer, so I'd say any reasonably accurate digital thermeter that gives a pretty quick reading would be your friend forever.

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Ditto.

I am liking my refractometer. I can get a quick reading on my wort with a small sample.

Student7 said:

Thermapen, hands down winner. I use it at so many points in the process from mashing to cooling to checking fermentation temps. It's so nice to have an instant accurate read on temperatures.

That said, if I hadn't got it as a gift I don't know that I would have spent that much on a thermometer, so I'd say any reasonably accurate digital thermeter that gives a pretty quick reading would be your friend forever.

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Can you calibrate the thermapen?

MikeinCT said:

I am liking my refractometer. I can get a quick reading on my wort with a small sample.

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+1 on the refractometer. I have 3, a full range, a low range and a digital. I LOVE the digital one because you can get an actual number and not try to see between the fuzzy lines with my bad eyes. Use it during the brew to see how my numbers are coming out and if something will need to be adjusted. It's also great to monitor fermentation too. (don't listen to the haters that say you can't)

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk

So many choices...

Thermopen
BIAB Bag
Autosiphon
Refractometer
Fermention Chamber (temp control)

Out of all of those, the temp control box actually made my beer better where everything else makes brewing easier. I wouldn't brew without any of them, though.

call me old school, but my hydrometer

JasontheBeaver said:

Can you calibrate the thermapen?

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Not a real calibration, but it has a trim adjust where you can set it to add or subtract a set amount from every reading, up to plus or minus 3.6ºF.

I think you could calibrate the older models, but the current model has to be sent back to the factory for calibration (for a fee) if ever needed. Each one is "NIST-traceable" calibrated before it leaves the factory. Not sure what that means exactly other than they probably follow some pretty rigid standards for calibration procedure, and each one comes with a certificate that shows the actual test data from the calibration.

The best part of brewing is drinking it. And what better way to facilitate that then from stainless steel perlick taps.

I hope mine will be the newly polished keg fitted with all new weldless, stainless 3 piece ball valve, stainless comp fitting, stainless dip tube, and stainless, weldless sight glass fitting and tube (thanks Bobby!). I love me some holiday cheer!

Autosiphon is not the most glamourous, but still a popular choice, and mine as well.

unionrdr said:

At this point,I'd have to say my bottle tree & vinator. Makes bottling day way easier & faster.

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I have to agree....

My stereo.

I'm a K.I.S.S. kinda brewer, so I have to go with the previously mentioned Thermapen. People who are struggling with their fifth or sixth cheap thermometer have no idea what they're missing.

Second place winner is a tie: Vinator or Fermtech autosiphon.

I love my all electric single vessel system but I wouldnt call it a "gadget"

So I guess my favorite "gadget" for my brewery is my refractometer.

Which digital refractometer do y'all recommend?

I am going to go with my PWM circuit.... why because it is great, it controls my electric boil kettle, and i got to DIY it!

realistically its part of my control panel so i dont know if that counts, if it dosent then it would be the auto siphon, or little giant pump.

Kate00 said:

Which digital refractometer do y'all recommend?

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Never seen a digital one for home brewing but we have a Fischer at work that I couldn't afford if I wanted to.

This is the one I bought and I think it is the same as most people sell

0~32% Brix Wort SG Refractometer Sugar Wine Beer Fruit | eBay

My airlocks. I'm a bubble watcher.

I actually *do* have a digital refractometer. Bought it several months ago and I love it . I'd probably say it's my favorite gadget at the moment, too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NX0WHS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's not cheap, but it's far from unaffordable.

the faucet that dispenses

pH meter.

Kate00 said:

Which digital refractometer do y'all recommend?

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I use this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments-Refractometer-Professional-Analysis/dp/B002NX0WHS/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1324360954&sr=1-1

Hanna Instruments HI 96811 Digital Brix Refractometer for Professional Wine Analysis $144.65

I started out comparing it at every step of the way with a hydrometer that I'd calibrated (offset against pure water) and it was always right on. I use it to track my fermentations and it makes brewing that much more nerdy. Very handy for upstream use too.

This:

1-Wire USB Adaptor [DS9490R-A] - $28.00 : Hobby Boards : Complete 1wire Solutions

See this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/monitoring-controlling-linux-cheap-240955/




My Cole Parmer peristaltic pump is a close second.