Essential non brewing equipment

[Birrofilo]

I find essential the racket to get rid of flies (and mosquitoes, naturally)

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B087JNVWRX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cheap trolley to move around fermenters and kettles in my flat

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00BN57RBQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cheap pulley, €12

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B003XMWQRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Serious 60cm stainless steel spoon, doesn't break in your hands:

https://www.mr-malt.it/cucchiaio-acciaio-60-cm.html
Cheap €16 but fast and effective thermometer: I use it continuously, for sparge water, for re-hydrating water, for mash, for boil, for wort. I don't know how did I do without

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B085ZTWW56/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[AzOr]

Crack scale, and the big scale too...
View attachment 719661

Amazon.com

Ha! I have a small scale similar to the one below.
Apparently drug dealers have really good eyesight. I struggle to see the writing on mine. Works great for pellet hops and mineral additions.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Wei...e&qid=1614036655&sprefix=blade+pocket+&sr=8-4

 

[Birrofilo]

I use this chemist scale which weights to the milligram

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B011J88S8M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
I use it for the water conditioning (minerals).

Also a pipette which is marked at 1 ml is very useful. That is usually found with liquid herbal tinctures or, in case, can be bought at a chemist's. That makes lactic acid additions easy.

[Once you go the chemist's, you can order some ammonium bicarbonate to prepare candi sugar].

 

[NewJersey]

An episode dedicated to what we are discussing here.
When I saw this I immediately ordered the butterfly hose clamps. I had no idea these things existed. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit how many times I’ve jabbed my hand w a screwdriver trying to tighten hose clamps.
Another thing she mentions is microfiber cloths- I use the same ones. They have a million uses and are easy to clean.

You mean you didn't amazon a 1/4" ratchet set just for homebrew stuff?

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I use worm clamps for all kinds of fermentation and racking stuff, and keep these two drivers handy in my brew pantry...

Cheers!

 

[AzOr]

fwiw, I use worm clamps for all kinds of fermentation and racking stuff, and keep these two drivers handy in my brew pantry...

View attachment 719724

Cheers!

I have tools but they seem to hide from me when I need them the most. A tool free option comes in handy.
The other nice thing about butterfly clamps is that it’s harder to overtighten.

 

[Beermeister32]

Stainless steel roll-around beer cart. Had all my chemicals, tools and oxygen bottle attached, very handy.

 

[Electric Brewer]

White board

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

If you use something for brewing although not originally intended for it, does it not then become brewing equipment?

 

[Birrofilo]

If you use something for brewing although not originally intended for it, does it not then become brewing equipment?

Yes, but it's good source of inspiration for other homebrewers, I guess that's the spirit of the thread. Sometimes little objects offer great solutions to small problems.

 

[NGD]

Almost forgot one of my most important and most ignored pieces of equipment. A simple 120mm fan in my fermentation chamber to keep temps more consistent.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Mobilefan-II-Cooling-Fan/dp/B072394MRD

 

[Electric Brewer]

If you use something for brewing although not originally intended for it, does it not then become brewing equipment?

Totally. In the same way, if you clean the vaccum cleaner, you become a vaccum cleaner.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I think everything is brewing equipment, God wills it. Otherwise he would not have given man the mind to invent beer.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Totally. In the same way, if you clean the vaccum cleaner, you become a vaccum cleaner.

Does this make people "smart" bottle fillers and kegerators?

 

[Birrofilo]

This hydraulic rolling cart has been a life saver for me.

I cannot find anything similar here but I am seriously considering an "alzadamigiane" (carboy lifter)

https://www.polsinelli.it/carrello-alzadamigiana-P514.htm
This arrives up to 90cm from the ground, the lifting action is through an hand pulley.
I have to decide whether my apartment is for my use or my beer. I think I will ultimately buy this as well.

 

[bwible]

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...3/1046453716?skuId=46453716&mcid=OS_googlepla

 

[AzOr]

White board
View attachment 719789

great idea! This will be my next brewing purchase. I usually end up jotting down notes and last minute recipe tweaks on random paper bags that my grain came in.

 

[bwible]

White board

I have a small-ish one I use just to keep track of everything. Whats on tap, whats in bottles, whats in primary, what’s in secondary for an overview of where I’m at.

I still label everything. I just stick painter’s tape on my carboy and write what it is, date brewed, og, and yeast. Then I just transfer the tape to another carboy if I use a settling carboy. Finally I can transfer the same piece of tape to the inside lid of the case when/if I bottle.

For bottle labels I am loving these FastLabels, but they seem to be getting hard to find now. Basically a plastic shrink that goes over the bottom 3/4 of the bottle. I print my labels with Photoshop and cut them out. Then you stick the label inside the plastic shrink and do a quick dunk in boiling water. No glue or anything, and the plastic is waterproof. When you’re done you just peel the plastic off and the label falls right off.

For my kegerator, I have a couple blank tap handles I bought. Again I just print the labels with photoshop, cut them out and stick them on with double sided tape. I used to cover the label with clear contact paper first, but I haven’t even been doing that lately.

 

[smata67]

This carboy brush is ESSENTIAL for getting at tough to clean spots, particularly the upper corners of the 3 gallon better bottle.

 

[oskee]

Latest pick up for wife who requires carbonated water on draft. Struggled with removing the Sankey retaining ring (I keg 15 gallons of water at a time and not aware of a 15 gallon corny keg) and almost purchased a tool designed for it's removal. It was $2 vice the $30 for the specialized tool.

 

[Zymurologist]

This for the heavy lifting, I do like the hydraulic carts pictured above and will most likely get one as there are many uses for such a device, just cannot see how to maneuver the fermentation vessels into and out of the chest freezer fermentation chamber.

 

[AzOr]

 

[TheBluePhantom]

Plant tags. I hang them on the airlocks during ferment, then transfer to keg. less than a nickel each.

https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Mark...=1&keywords=plant+tags&qid=1614206797&sr=8-45

 

[Immocles]

Cheap water heater stand makes a fantastic brew stand for my mash & boil. Perfect height for my tallness.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I've always used string tags for kegs, but like the plant tags, still have a bunch of string tags, but will consider the plant tags, when these run out.

it may be a while, you can use them on a bottle or growler as well

 

[pvpeacock]

Love the plant tag idea. I have been trying to find a better way to label my kegs and this is brilliant and cheap! Thanks
Just ordered mine. Only 3 left on Amazon!

 

[Cyclman]

I seriously cannot brew without this...

 

[day_trippr]

^hilarious^

Did not see that coming

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Brewing experience and brewing knowledge.

 

[raclark69]

An episode dedicated to what we are discussing here.
When I saw this I immediately ordered the butterfly hose clamps. I had no idea these things existed. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit how many times I’ve jabbed my hand w a screwdriver trying to tighten hose clamps.
Another thing she mentions is microfiber cloths- I use the same ones. They have a million uses and are easy to clean.

This is great. Thanks for sharing. I’m heading out now to my local hardware store for butterfly hose clamps and those plastic tubes for rubber bands!