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

[coyotlgw]

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

I googled this, went to their website, and still don't get it.... how exactly are you using it? watching temp and SPGR or something?

 

[Quercus]

Great thread!

Best:
auto-siphon (duh)
generic oxy-clean (instead of PBW)
sanitizer solution injector (for bottles)
bottle tree
home-made immersion chiller
siphon-tip aerator (this thing works GREAT for me!)

Worst:
aquarium pump aeration system (out-performed by the siphon-tip aerator, no joke)
0.5-L Erlenmyer flask for starters (not big enough!)


Overall, because I bottle my beer, the bottle tree/sanitizer injector have been the biggest time- and sanity-savers.

 

[Chriso]

I'll admit, I'm an auto-siphon hater. I just don't like holding on to things. I have a bottling spigot on all of my buckets, so I just rack from there. Put a spigot on my kettle also, and problem solved.

My 6.5 gal MiniBrew is FANTASTIC for secondarying. I think my batch of 8 cornies might be rivaling for top spot though. +1 to rectangle cooler-based MLT too. I love my mash tun.

 

[GeoXP]

Best for me has to be kegging/draft system and Refractometer. So long bottling and beer thiefing/hydrometer reading!!

Worst is the fly-sparge arm I picked up at Northern Brewer. Shortly after buying it I learned about batch-sparging. To this day I've never used that arm...

 

[Soulive]

Worst = airlock

 

[Pabst Blue Robot]

Best: March pump, chest freezer.

Worst: Auto siphon, cheapo chrome taps.


I voted best based on the purchase that took the most time, strain, and danger out of the brew day, and the purchase that resulted in the most quality increase in the beer.

As for worst, the autosiphon is nearly useless for me. It's tougher to sanitize than a standard racking cane, it moves around and kicks up yeast when siphoning, and it doesn't use the same size hose as the rest of my racking equipment. It also tends to start bubbling during the last 25-30% of the transfer. Carboy caps are superior IMHO for their simplicity. You can start a siphon by positive or negative pressure depending on what sort of vessel you're transfering to/from.

As for the taps, that's self explanatory. My 3 Ventmatic Ultraflows are in the mail, 26.99/ea plus 4.50 flat rate priority mail on E-bay.

 

[cowgo]

Best
Kegging system. 2 tower tap, sanyo conversion and 7 cornies.
6.5 gallon minibrew conical fermenter
wort wizard and chillzilla combo
Colemans extreme cooler mash tun conversion
15 gallon brew pot for 10 bucks at a garage sale with extra added weldless ball valve.

Worst
used 5 gallon pickle barrel from restaurant trash for first batch fermenter 20 years ago... Turned out pretty much how you'd expect.

 

[Vels]

Best:
Auto siphon to replace my regular siphon.
My 8 cornys that i will start using next week
A former district heating plate heat exchanger that will cool 6 Gal in <10 mins
1 gallon glass jugs for experimenting.

Worst
Too many bottles, will start kegging now.

Cheers
Jakob

 

[yelloww]

Best:
My kegging system with 4 cornys + beer tower + two Perlick faucet
Refractometer
Thermostat for my fermenter box.

Worst
Cheap thermometer

 

[senorfartman]

Best: For me was purchasing a 2-way valve for my shower head. I ran a hose from the valve so I can clean my carboys in the shower. This was beneficial for two reasons. One being water can spill over and it's not an issue. Secondly, the only way I could fill my carboy with hot water was to fill up a pitcher then pour it into the carboy and repeat 30 times.

As far as worst, I don't think I've really made any bad purchases in my brief tenure home brewing. I'm sure that will change when I move to AG however

I did purchase a bilge pump and numerous other parts to move wort around but realized it would be impossible to sanitize properly and returned it.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

I just don't like holding on to things.

Don't you pee on the floor alot then?

 

[Gedvondur]

Lets see......


Two best purchases.....Auto Siphon and wort chiller.


Best purchase avoided......Carboy wedge on Northern brewer. Little plastic pieces that you can stuff under the edge of your carboy to tilt it. Stupidest accessory I have ever seen.




Gedvondur

 

[raceskier]

Best

Better Bottles!
Shirron Chiller
Homemade stirplate
Autoclave (ebay pressure cooker)
Triple beam balance (bought before I started brewing)
Super Agata Capper


Worst

TruTemp Thermometer
Bottle Washer
Bottle Sanitizer
Carboy carrier (see Better Bottle)

 

[mageac]

best but not necessarily necessary: the beer gun. it just looks cool and it has the word gun in it.


worst: phils fly sparging arm. used it once then went to batch sparging like most others. pretty much useless. btw, anyone looking to buy this from me? PM me...I sure know how to sell it!:cross:

 

[BeanPot Brewery]

Not sure what the best has been - lots of secondary fermentors, probably. But by far the worst was the mini keg, as has been mentioned already. Worked once, then somehow wasn't holdnig pressure, then rusted around the top lip. Utterly useless. Serves me right for not going corny from the start.

 

[blacklab]

Best: Better Bottles(with drain tap), Autosiphon(mine has been money-not sure what others are doing wrong)

Worst: doing OK so far...

 

[cd2448]

best:

auto-siphon
mini MLT conversion bits - now it feels like i'm really brewing beer

worst:

too many plastic fermentors. should have gotten glass or better bottles

most wanted:

i wants one of these "sanitizer solution injectors", i saw a guy using one on a youtube video, too. where can i get one?

 

[rdwj]

Best - Keggle, Hopstopper, kegging system, conical fermentor

Worst - racking cane, standard taps... I use everything else

 

[Pakawa]

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.

I've been wanting an arduino kit for a while, I gotta ask, what do you monitor with it?

 

[virginiawolf]

I broke one once trying to get the hose off of it
Since then I'm with you no problems I love the auto siphon
Virginia Wolf

 

[virginiawolf]

I like the bright orange carboy handles Bottle Washer
and the Auto siphon
Ofcourse I like Corny Kegs

I suggest buying some rhizomes and growing your own hops
Check out http://www.freshops.com/

 

[brewingkitty]

autosiphons suck if you use boiling water to sanitize your gear.

 

[LagerLover24]

Best: Ranco two-stage temperature controller, stirplate, and oxygenation system (cheap kind that uses disposable o2 tanks.)

Worst: 20’ immersion chiller (way to small, took 40 minutes to cool 5 gallons), autosiphon ( I’m a spaz, and always have trouble with it,) and five gallon carboys.

 

[virginiawolf]

I was always frustrated trying to clean tubing and siphons
I bought a plastic tote from home depot
I put iodophor in it with water
It gives me plenty of room to throw the siphons and tuping in there
Then I have a 3 step process to get the siphon in the carboy
I blast the main tube with hot water clean it throw it in the carboy
Then I do the same with the stem part put it in
Then I blast the tubing with hot water
attach it and I'm siphoning
When I'm done I quick rinse the siphon
Pitch it back in the tote to soak
Rinse it again Put it all away Done
Anyway It made brewing easier so i figured I'd share
Virginia Wolf

 

[Bombo80]

Best:
Immersion chiller
Auto siphon
floor corker (for wine)
Carboy carrying handles
Oxy clean
Iodophor

Worst:
Vintner filter (probably operator error on my part)
bottle / carboy faucet mount rinser (bought it and have never used it)

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Phils sparge arm.

Was fun to look at.

 

[brewyourown4life]

this may cause alot of static but the best would have to be the Mr Beer i purchased 4-5 years ago. that small investmeny got me into brewing and before i knew it i'm doing 5 gal extract with grains batches and getting ready to do my first all grain batch

 

[lamarguy]

Best:

Sanke Fermentor Kit, Inline Oxygenator, Refractometer, CO2 Filling Station, 20oz Portable CO2 Kit

Worst:

Tap-A-Draft, 5.2 Stabilizer, Plastic Mash Paddle, Thermo-electric Cooler

 

[jldc]

Best:
Better Bottles
Auto Siphon
25' wort chiller
Chest Freezer for fermentation
Refractometer

Worst:
Digital refractometer

Why all the hating for the auto-siphon? It doesn't like REALLY hot water, other than that it's really nice and easy to use. The 1/2" model with 7/16" tubing is the shnitz.

L
Digi

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I googled this, went to their website, and still don't get it.... how exactly are you using it? watching temp and SPGR or something?

How's this for a three year late reply?

I've been wanting an arduino kit for a while, I gotta ask, what do you monitor with it?

Everything. Temp and volume for all vessels plus steam pressure. It also controls heating element output in both the boil kettle and steam vessel.

 

[gabeweisz]

I love auto siphons, but break them getting the tubing off every couple of years. I stopped using my bottling wand a few years ago because I kept clogging them - I'd take it out of the bottle, and it would keep spraying beer or wine. I now use a straight plastic tube (from a broken auto siphon, as a matter of fact, with a plastic clip.

 

[Beerbeque]

Best- Better Bottles with racking adapters (no siphoning), Kettle screen (no more hop bags), Refractometer (Boil to desired OG), Ranco controller.

 

[BeerPressure]

I broke an autosiphon trying to take the tubing off. But now I just leave it on there and its the best damn tool in my brewery.

 

[mrkeeg]

Auto siphon wins for most hated AND most loved item on this thread!

I've tried two different ones and hated them (didn't seem to work well, stirred up the yeast trying to get them to go, harder to sanitize...)

One of my best purchases has been an infrared temperature sensor gun... does anyone else use these? It gets a LITTLE confused by steam and froth during the mash, but is pretty close. Also let's me check my cooling wort without touching it, and check the temp of any of the fermenters or my fridge instantly.

Worst...hmmm:

-Why the F would they make a mash paddle out of wimpy plastic that gets limp when it's at mash temperatures?
-Cheap electronic thermometer that went fritzey in the middle of a double brew day

 

[motobrewer]

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.

everytime i hear arduino, I think of this:

http://xkcd.com/730/

note far left, about mid-graphic

 

[passedpawn]

One of my best purchases has been an infrared temperature sensor gun... does anyone else use these?

have one and use it almost every day

 

[fartingdog]

Wow- this thread came back from the dead! Fun read tho, so I'll add my 2 pennies:

Best:
March pump (absolutely a game changer for me)
Autosiphon
Derrin's Sankey keg doohickey

not many 'worst', but the most expensive, least used item I have is the Blichman Beer Gun - Having 10 feet of hose flopping all over the place when in use, and then hang-drying in the kitchen for a week after use is a PITA- and thus I have only used it twice in 3 years.

 

[NorthRiverS]

The best "gadget" I have is a brew bucket and priming bucket with drain spigots on each. This makes siphoning unnecessary. I know the auto-siphon makes it easy to siphon, but gravity transfers make me smile.

NRS

 

[Cowbizzoy]

Worst: floating thermometer that shattered.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

best- wort chiller. Saves time, and that I like.

worst- floating thermometer. I can't read it if it is in the pot, have to pull it out by the hot glass bulb, and is generally useless compared to a standard thermometer.