Best single addition to your brew day procedure

[thughes]

Electric BIAB.

^ this + no-chill

 

[Krazykripple]

stopped using prehopped kits. so much better doing it all myself, and the final product is heaps better

 

[bassmaster911]

Mini-fridge Fermentation Chamber. Just set it and forget it, no more frozen jugs to keep an eye on.

 

[cincydave]

Switching from extract to BIAB. I brew with a friend and the hour long mash is great time to have a cigar, some brews and shoot the $hit. Plus I jsut like the process more.

 

[Cellarbrau]

I can't pick just one.

FermcapS - no more blow off tubes
Tiered brewing stand/fermentaion room - less lifting
Whirlfloc - less messing with finings
Immersion chiller - down to pitching temp quick

 

[TwoGunz]

So far for me it is getting a propane burner and moving my brewery from the stove to the back patio. This has made things more fun, but also has introduced complexity regarding equipment mobility and no sink outdoors, etc

Going propane was a definite improvement. Get a short vinyl hose and hose barb though and stop using your kitchen sink! I use the small hose that I can clean easily and do everything outside in the nice weather. You can also get a carbon filter of you want - I installed a whole house filtration system instead

Besides the brew day improvements- kegging has completely changed my brewing experience.

 

[BrewinBigD]

Switching from extract to BIAB. I brew with a friend and the hour long mash is great time to have a cigar, some brews and shoot the $hit. Plus I jsut like the process more.

+1 on the hour mash!

 

[blkandrust]

I was gonna mention my drill-operated wort aerator. Ever since I added it, I've never had a beer that didn't need a blowoff tube.

I've been throwing around the idea of purchasing one of these. How long do you aerate for?

 

[Lennie]

This is a small thing but I finally put valves on my kettles, still tweaking the pickup tubes but its very nice not to have to either siphon or pour through a wire mesh colander.

 

[BunzoBrew]

Probably BIAB with no chill. It's much easier for me to hit mash temps when I can heat the mash.

Although when I first got my keggle I was ecstatic.

 

[JonnyJumpUp]

My upgrade to all grain which included moving outside and kegging...

 

[goosegrease]

I have to ask the same question as a previous poster; what are you doing that you need puppy pads, towels, super suckers ect.? I think kegging is the biggest difference. I don't know why, but I hated bottling.

 

[kbuzz]

yeast starters

 

[Skagdog]

Double brew days! Took 5.5 hours to put 12 gallons in fermenters (6 APA, 6 IPA). If I go full 12 gallon boils I'd only get one beer at a time, double brews let me put two beers away so I think I'll keep on keepin on 'til it gets old...

 

[ChadChaney]

For me, after I went all grain, I was looking for ways to shave time off my brew day and I cam up with these; I pre-heat my mash tun with my tap water running as hot as I can (no boiling and no RO water cost, saves a lot of time for me, do not have the best burner). I print my brew instructions sheet from beersmith so I do not have to remember or drag laptop with me. I bought a Shirron plate chiller, takes wort to pitching temps in the time it takes to drain brew kettle, and I use the water out to fill a keg bucket and soak/clean all my equipment while I oxygenate with aquarium setup. Sorry, not 1 thing, bu always looking to trim the process, especially cleaning..

 

[dagnabit]

Fairly new to brewing, but my "best" new toy has been a remote digital thermometer with built in timer. For less than 20 bucks, I can put the probe in the water, then go do chores, play on the computer, wrestle alligators, or whatever else floats my fancy. Every once in a while, I check the remote and can see the exact temp my water is or how long left to mash/etc. No wandering back outside to check over and over and over. Love it. Heck it'll even alarm when it hits a temp. So even better.

 

[fpweeks]

adding a 1500W element to my igloo HLT.......sames me so much time and aggravation.....

 

[Exbeerienced]

Chilling the wort in my boil kettle, then simply pitching the yeast, aerating, sealing, and letting the fermentation rip, all within the boil kettle.

 

[dslater]

I'll cheat with 2.

1. Going no chill
2. Fermenting in cornies

Now I just rack the hot wort to the corny. Stick it in the fridge and I'm at pitching temp the following morning. No more wasted time and water with the IC and no more plastic buckets.

 

[Homercidal]

Preparing well ahead of time. Lots of other small things that have added up as well. But being prepared has always been the easiest way for me to RDWHAHB on brew day and have more success

 

[phoenixs4r]

Natural gas burner.

 

[blkandrust]

Thermapen!

 

[TwoGunz]

Thermapen!

I finished my second brew day with my thermapen and me loves it!

 

[kpr121]

I finished my second brew day with my thermapen and me loves it!

Thermapen is definitely awesome. I find myself using it all time in the kitchen and at the grill too! I had some buyers remorse when I first got it but I can join the masses and say it was worth the purchase price!

 

[jammin]

I consider most of the "convenience" items listed here to be nearly basic issue.

Pumps, chillers, burners, temp measurements tools etc...


the most helpful "unique" item I've added is a pressure washer. Being able to blast my kettles/chillers/parts clean quickly is fantastic.


cheers

 

[kpr121]

I consider most of the "convenience" items listed here to be nearly basic issue.

Pumps, chillers, burners, temp measurements tools etc...


the most helpful "unique" item I've added is a pressure washer. Being able to blast my kettles/chillers/parts clean quickly is fantastic.


cheers

Thats actually a good idea. What brand/model do you have if you mind me asking?

The wife and I have been thinking about purchasing a pressure washer to use around the house. We have a lot of decking (yes I have a big deck) so we were thinking we should probably get a bigger one that would withstand the all day cleaning events, but it would be nice to have something a little more portable to use on short notice (such as cleaning kettles:rockin.

 

[Fid]

Not that they're typically too terribly expensive in the first place but hit up a paint store. Alot of times they have rental units that they will sell so you can score a deal on a "gently used" pressure washer. Also, word to the wise, if you've got a pressure washer... make sure you don't run it out of oil. Seems obvious but you'd be surprised how many people blow up their engines after their pressure washer sat in the garage all winter and they fire it up for the first time in the spring without checking the oil first.

 

[Martin30R]

I consider most of the "convenience" items listed here to be nearly basic issue.

Pumps, chillers, burners, temp measurements tools etc...


the most helpful "unique" item I've added is a pressure washer. Being able to blast my kettles/chillers/parts clean quickly is fantastic.

This is a great idea!

 

[dslater]

I've added a "modified" Tasty style corny washer. A huge help & time saver removing trub & dried yeast from my fermentation kegs.

 

[sagacity]

Upgraded to a 40 quart (10 gallon) brew kettle. No more boil overs! Also, it sounds strange but I use puppy / pet training pads when I brew, rack and bottle. They're relatively cheap if you but them in bulk at your local club store (Costco or Sam's) and very absorbent. They make the whole process easier to clean up from the accidental boil over on the deck to small spills / drips when racking and bottling.

Wow! That's a really good idea. I have some on hand; I'm totally doing that next brew day.

 

[sagacity]

"Figure 42: Placing a large towel on the floor helps soak up spills and makes clean up much easier later. Four out of five spouses surveyed did not like sticky floors. "

The 5th spouse that didn't mind sticky floors intrigues me...

 

[BradleyBrew]

ball valve on my igloo tun instead of running the wort throught the plastic spigot. That was a big FML until I installed the valve!

 

[sagacity]

I have to ask the same question as a previous poster; what are you doing that you need puppy pads, towels, super suckers ect.? I think kegging is the biggest difference. I don't know why, but I hated bottling.

For me, it wasn't so much the bottling as the cleaning of all the bottles. Man, why did I wait 2 years to start kegging?

 

[sagacity]

Kegging. With a bottle filler. I never have to worry about bottles, but I share a lot, so I just clean the bottles I need, and fill from the keg. If I need a keg for a new batch, then I can empty into bottles as well. Best of both worlds. Plus, you can be carbed up real quick if you want. Cheers.

 

[drew1d]

A good quality 7.5 gallon Stockpot with long stainless steel spoon.

I can do full quantity boils now, and not worry about adding water after the fact.

 

[ColeR]

I just lay an old bath towel or two on the floor, costs me nothing to throw them in the laundry machine with my next load.

even cheaper way to go is racking over the dish washer (while its open), just close the door. nothing to clean up.

 

[zachattack]

even cheaper way to go is racking over the dish washer (while its open), just close the door. nothing to clean up.

I do this while bottling. I use the towel for the mash/sparge/boil. As a bonus, your dishwasher smells like beer until the next time you run it.

 

[gmcapone]

Having a designated sanitizing bucket made my day so much easier. The second I'm done using a spoon, hydrometer, or thermometer I just drop it in the bucket and its there and sanitized for me when I need it later.

 

[letmeholleratya]

Having a designated sanitizing bucket made my day so much easier. The second I'm done using a spoon, hydrometer, or thermometer I just drop it in the bucket and its there and sanitized for me when I need it later.

Keeping sanitizer in a spray bottle has been great. It's nice having it ready to go when I need to do something like take a hydro reading from the fermenter.

 

[Burgs]

Probably my grain bag, purchased to replace the false bottom. I still mash in my cooler, it's just 10x easier now.