Best and/or Worst Brewing Gadgets You've Ever Purchased

[Kapernicus]

Other than an additional fermentor, the best gadget I've purchased so far has been a double bottle washer. Haven't bought anything that was useless or a piece of junk yet, but I'm still new so I'm sure it'll happen.

What's the best and\or worst equipment purchase anyone else ever has made?

 

[Chris_Dog]

My favorite has been the Autosiphon. The main reason that I was reluctant to get it. Starting a siphon seemed easy enough.

I have been fortunate enough not to buy any crap. Mostly because of you guys here!!!

 

[malkore]

The best:
auto-siphon
wine thief
Star-san
Bottle Tree

only real 'crap' was 1.25gal mini-kegs (like the Heiniken ones) and an $80 CO2 tap for them. You can't hardly find those kegs now, and I corny keg anyways.

 

[joejaz]

digital thermometer, too bad they don't have digital hydrometers --- or do they?

 

[SenorWanderer]

favorite has to be my refractometer.

digital thermometer, too bad they don't have digital hydrometers --- or do they?

they do!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I've found this thing to be close to useless.

 

[RichBrewer]

I have to agree with the auto siphon. That thing rocks!


The worst for me was the Fermentap

It turns your carboy into a conical fermenter. Which is great except it doesn't work! I use the stand to drain my carboys. The rest of it is in a box somewhere. I can't believe they still make that thing!

 

[Kevin Dean]

The best piece of equipment I own... It's probably my mash tun since all-grain is impossible without it.

The bad equipment I've used... Well, my stirplate is utter crap (but stirplates themselves are not) but I think "Crappiest brew supply" goes to One Step. I'm a pure Star San fanboy now.

 

[z987k]

I have to agree with the auto siphon. That thing rocks!


The worst for me was the Fermentap

It turns your carboy into a conical fermenter. Which is great except it doesn't work! I use the stand to drain my carboys. The rest of it is in a box somewhere. I can't believe they still make that thing!

Now see that looks cool to me... in theory any ways. Only question I have it how do you fill it w/o siphoning. Also, why doesn't it work?

 

[david_42]

Cr@p: mini-keg system - tap handle broke, got it replaced, broke, got it replaced, broke. By then the kegs were rusting around the lips.

Best: the very big grain bag, $17, eliminates 90% of the work for steeping & mini-mashes.

 

[user 574]

Worst - beer filtering system. Thought it'd be great to have but I had second thoughts and returned it unused.

 

[RichBrewer]

Now see that looks cool to me... in theory any ways. Only question I have it how do you fill it w/o siphoning. Also, why doesn't it work?

You fill it right side up, attach the hardware, then invert it.

It doesn't work because of the geometry of the carboy. The shoulder of the carboy isn't at a steep enough angle so the yeast and sediment collect there not in the neck. I was never able to harvest yeast with mine.

 

[tbulger]

The worst= The siphon tip aerator, absolutly useless. Cant get enough pressure out of the sipohon to make it work or get the siphon hose straight enoguh to work. Any digital thermometer, they are great till they break, then your kinda f-ed (even the yellow "waterproof" "shockproof" ones break down too.

 

[RICLARK]

Am I allowed to say a pre-hopped extract kit? Ever since I started Extract and steeping Grains I cant believe the diffrence Now I want to build a MLT and start PM.

 

[sully]

i bought a wing capper that was crap, had to get a bench capper. they cap anything.

 

[Philip1993]

Best: BMBF ($1.00), autosiphon ($10)

Crap: Counter pressure bottle filler ($90 - useless), 5l mini kegs ($75 - rusted)

 

[PseudoChef]

Wow, I would have to say the worst I had was the autosiphon. Broke 2 of them. Now I use FlyGuy's replacement and it works every time, won't warp, and doesn't have a cane to snap.

Best was the $7 aquarium "wort-wizard"

 

[shafferpilot]

worst = automatic bottle filler thing. It's supposed to stop fill when the bottle is full, but it doesn't. It's got no mounting bracket so it takes five hands hold it/use it. Got a bottling wand and a bucket with a spigot for less than that stupid thing cost

best = can't believe I'm the first to say it:

lifetime membership to HBT!!!

 

[Wables]

The worst was a two wing wine bottle corker. I corked 5 bottles and returned it. The store wouldn't give me a refund, only in store credit. I exchanged it for my first beer kit, an American Amber. That first kit was my best investment.

 

[Bruscar]

worst = automatic bottle filler thing. It's supposed to stop fill when the bottle is full, but it doesn't. It's got no mounting bracket so it takes five hands hold it/use it. Got a bottling wand and a bucket with a spigot for less than that stupid thing cost

Amen to that. Used it once. Hated it.

Love the siphon starter and digital temp controller for my chest freezer-turned- fermenter.

 

[Orfy]

Worst: Auto syphon....the valve fell off first use.
Best: Carboy cap.

 

[kenche]

The worst is the $200 I spent on my tap-a-draft system (9 6-litre PET bottles, 2 dispensing heads, 1 cooling jacket, 80 C02 cartridges).

I was fairly satisfied with it at the time, but now that SWMBO has let me get my keg system it seems like money wasted.

The best is my keg system. Althought I spent a lot of money on it ($600), it looks sweet and I love having beer on tap.

 

[user 574]

Had my worst stated prior, but best would be the wort wizard. Made the nightmare that was my CFC taking an hour go down to 10 minutes.

Next should be the march pump that I know swmbo bought me but I can't open that until tomorrow .

 

[Bobby_M]

Why is it that I have used my autosiphon to rack maybe 100 times now and had ZERO problems with it and others break it on the first shot?

 

[mr x]

Best gadget was the ss wine degasser. Best whirlpool and wort aeration device out there.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I've found this thing to be close to useless.

Depends how you use it, I guess. If you're actually trying to carbonate with it, yeah, then it's junk. but to just push the beer out at a picnic or something, then I think it's great.

Another on my best list is my stirplate. Love it!

The worst for me was the Fermentap

It turns your carboy into a conical fermenter. Which is great except it doesn't work! I use the stand to drain my carboys. The rest of it is in a box somewhere. I can't believe they still make that thing!

Agreed. Damned thing leaks like a sieve, and then you can't get the yeast out when you want to.

 

[teu1003]

The dumbest: autosiphon ... I learned how to suck on a straw when i was 3. A vodka-soaked napkin over the end of hose keeps it clean.

The best (3) a refractometer .. the end of "i missed my gravity by a few points" ... a 3gallon keg ..easy to carry, fits in fridges, and "party-friendly" ... and "better bottles" ...light, unbreakable.

 

[Kevin Dean]

best = can't believe I'm the first to say it:

lifetime membership to HBT!!!

I suppose I didn't even consider that since I don't think of it as a "gadget". I'd have to say, HBT membership DOES rank up there but really, it's more the idea of helping a community stay around that anythign else - I was benefiting from everyone here before I ponied up so...

Why is it that I have used my autosiphon to rack maybe 100 times now and had ZERO problems with it and others break it on the first shot?

I can't explain that one either. I rank my autosiphon right up there with my mash tun which is what I listed as my 'best'. I'm on #2 but that was my fault... I stepped on it.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Worst: the Turbotap - incredible, almost embarrassing waste of money.

Best: 15 gallon AG equipment, culminating in my homebuilt 21 gallon conical.

The Arduino microcontroller board is a close second for "best" - allowing me to monitor my brewing via laptop computer.

Also a close runner up - the steam system.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

The dumbest: autosiphon ... I learned how to suck on a straw when i was 3. A vodka-soaked napkin over the end of hose keeps it clean.

The best (3) a refractometer .. the end of "i missed my gravity by a few points" ... a 3gallon keg ..easy to carry, fits in fridges, and "party-friendly" ... and "better bottles" ...light, unbreakable.

+1 on the 3-gallon keg. Fits great in a 10-gallon round cooler. Mount a shank and tap on there and I have a nice cooler-kegger.

Also a great investment was some brewing software. It took away all the guesswork, did caculations, and I don't have to keep a journal anymore.

 

[Dr Malt]

Best:
Brew software
Wort chiller
Kegging system
9 gallon brew kettle w/false bottom


Worst:
fish tank aerator system
digital thermometer without adjustment on temperature

I am sure there are a few gagets I bought and pitched after they were crap but I can recall them right now.

Dr Malt

 

[Rhoobarb]

My best: AutoSiphon and now, my work-in-progress kegging system. Kegged my first beer yesterday afternoon, force carbed and had a nice pint last night right befre bed!

The worst= The siphon tip aerator...

You mean this one?

Ditto. Piece o' junk. Fortunately, it was only around a buck.

 

[Donasay]

Greatest Purchase was the pure O2 injection system from williams brewing, the long wand and airation stone add a lot of O2. I get fermentation started within 24 hours every time when I oxygenate and pitch a sizable starter.

 

[Bills Brew]

Best is the bottle sanitizer injector.

I can sanitize a batch of bottles in 10 minutes.

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

Auto-siphon. Hands down. Nothing else even comes close to being as useful.

Now. Honorable mention?

1. Kegging system
2. Mash tun
3. Turkey fryer

All have equally contributed to me being able to make better brews.

 

[Beer Snob]

the best gadget I've purchased so far has been a double bottle washer.

You know while I was reading these posts I thought about this and that. I have a bottle washer, not a double one though. Mine came with my original kit I got many years ago... bout 20 or so. As you might have guessed they have not changed all that much. But I've never used it. It's been with me all these years. I've looked at it from time to time and toss it back into the box.

 

[Beer Snob]

Three years ago I got back into brewing. I got back into brewing because I came across my box that I stored my brewing stuff into while I was on medical leave from work(yeah it had the bottle washer in it for those who read the previous reply ). For those who dont know, I had a tumor and heart operation. It all went to getting a pacemaker/defib unit. By the time that happend I had several carboys full and they needed to be bottled. I should have bottled them long before but didn't. My left arm hurt when it beared weight and I was told it would be that way for a bit. It was National Homebrew Day and I went to a local shop to see everyone doing AGs and all kinds of cool stuff. Happened to also be my birthday so the SWMBO encouraged me to go and perhaps find something (could not drive so she went with me). After telling the store guy my problem with having so much to bottle but not being able to bear the weight of the double handed capper he showed me a single handed capper. The one that you screw to a board. I loved it! Always thought these things were like ... I dont know... at least a hundred bucks or so... NOT. Works a lot better then the double one and the operation seems to work more smoothly too

 

[Kai]

The dumbest: autosiphon ... I learned how to suck on a straw when i was 3. A vodka-soaked napkin over the end of hose keeps it clean.

The best (3) a refractometer .. the end of "i missed my gravity by a few points" ... a 3gallon keg ..easy to carry, fits in fridges, and "party-friendly" ... and "better bottles" ...light, unbreakable.

Who would want to suck on a vodka-soaked napkin? Sounds like one the more vile ways to taste alcohol.

 

[Poindexter]

Best purchases:

Letting you guys talk me into buying Oxy-clean.
SS cornelius kegs for all fermentation/ clearing/ serving
**coming soon** spunding valve

worst waste of money:
You folks have kept me out of trouble for the most part.
I did waste 69 cents on bottle caps with the "oxygen eater" disc once.

 

[EinGutesBier]

Right now? Bottling wand is one of the better investments I made aside from converting a keg into a mash tun.

Worst? Not really a worst, except maybe that bag of oak chips I bought. That and the muslin steeping cloth I bought to use as a strainer for transferring wort from the kettle to the fermenter. That, of course, has been retired since I started going AG : D

I still have to get my autosiphon and hydrometer (I broke mine earlier in a move). Both of those are in my Xmas loot and I was out of town so now I have to wait until the weekend to open my gifts. : /