What is the one piece of add-on equipment you couldn't live without

[Schemy]

Actual Mash Paddle. I was using a spoon for the longest time. Once I got an actual mash paddle, my efficiency increased and stabilized. It was so simple, yet it has helped a lot.

 

[Darwin18]

I just find it so funny that so many folks prioritize temp control over basic things like being able to chill you're wort as quick as possible, or ease of racking or good oxygenation. Things that help the front end of the process, to make the actual brew day easier or give the yeast a start. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just interesting. I don't recall in the 27 billion times this question's been asked so many more folks talking about temp control, over the other things.

I think in the past folks have said, concentrate on getting the right tools first and for temp control, just start with a simple/cheap swamp cooler, and don't worry about a fridge or freezer and temp controller so high up in the acquisition chain.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Have to be honest with you Revvy, I was pretty close to quitting this hobby until I decided to give temp control (freezer and temp controller) a shot. Here in NC, it's difficult to ferment at the low 60's ambient except from November to February. Temperature control made all the difference in the world with my beers and it's what separates the brewers from the homebrewers in my opinion. Now I fully expect my beers to be delicious with no off-flavors from fermentation instead of hoping that they'll turn out fine.

You can have your fancy kettles, pumps, mills, etc., but temperature control is in my opinion the most important aspect to brewing along with starters for liquid yeast.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

I had a dedicated ferm refrigerator that has since been turned back into a kegerator. Personally I'm fine with a swamp cooler. I can maintain the desired temps for ales this way. I do plan on building a simple ferm chamber soon but I don't need a freezer for that

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Have to be honest with you Revvy, I was pretty close to quitting this hobby until I decided to give temp control (freezer and temp controller) a shot. Here in NC, it's difficult to ferment at the low 60's ambient except from November to February. Temperature control made all the difference in the world with my beers and it's what separates the brewers from the homebrewers in my opinion. Now I fully expect my beers to be delicious with no off-flavors from fermentation instead of hoping that they'll turn out fine.

You can have your fancy kettles, pumps, mills, etc., but temperature control is in my opinion the most important aspect to brewing along with starters for liquid yeast.

I agree. I was brewing in the Texas Hill Country when I started and I could not control the temps with a swamp cooler, I was constantly messing with and worrying about my brews, and I always had dramatic swings in temp throughout the day resulting in less than stellar beer. It was Revvy assuring me that my beer would be fine, that I COULD brew a smaller AG batch and dilute don't listen to those snobs, and who cares if your airlock bubbles or not that kept me going and not stressing too much ( thanks Rev!) but dependable temp control was probably the biggest single difference in my beers. I agree that you have to pay attention to process first and there are little things that will make life easier, but I guess what is most important depends on your circumstances. Go figure!

 

[kpr121]

I've also been wondering about air tight storage containers for bulk grain purchases. Anyone thing these are key or have any suggestions on what to buy?

Home Depot and Lowes have recently started carrying white 5 gallon food-grade buckets. A bucket and lid will cost you about $4. Each bucket holds about 25 lbs of grains. Be careful with the lids, some are completely air tight with a rubber gasket and others aren’t quite as nice but still relatively air tight.

For specialty grain I Ziploc bag up in 1 or 2 lb quantities and either throw them into said buckets or use the cheapo Rubbermaid plastic shoe containers, that can be had at the dollar store. They aren’t air tight but I figure the Ziplocs do a good job keeping the grain fresh.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Ferm temp control. And a reliable, accurate and calibratable thermometer (or the closest you can get to that laudable ideal).

 

[Echoloc8]

1. Immersion chiller (got it as a gift, and it changed my brew day forever)
2. Mash tun (going at least partial mash was a huge improvement for my beers)
3. Autosiphon (went years without one, getting my first was an eye-opener)
4. Beersmith software (gave me much better recipe formulation powers, process control and reproducibility than paper; it makes much of the weirder brew day math just go away)
5. Big-enough boil pot (full-vol boils are really a must)

-Rich

 

[Indytruks138]

Chiller
PBW!!!!!!!!
Yeast Starter
Making a counter pressure cheap bottle filler to fill from the keg!
Hop Spider
Wine thief
Fermcap!

 

[ACbrewer]

I guess the quesiton breaks down into the 'better beer' which starters, chillers, temp control, etc. all contribute to Verses easier production (brew day/bottling day) which chillers, kegging, fancy pots, auto siphons etc all contribute to.

And frankly it is not an either/or. For some people if it is to difficult to brew, they will take up something easy... like golf (/sarc) For others, if the product isn't any good, they also will take up something else... like golf. ***

Personally, and this is on the front end and least expensive, it was going to Idophor (over just 1 step) and getting a few cheap spray bottles from Lowes (or other lhws). Made sanatation faster and easier. Since I don't keg, or All grain, or full boil, I can't comment on most of the items. I just got a chiller (copper aniversary present from wife) and a stir plate (xmas present) so I'm playing with those now, and the immersion chiller is a big help -faster cool downs of the wort. The stir plate is a mixed blessing, I have to plan ahead more for the brew (I suck at that) but I think I'm getting better starts and better beer... Yeast starter = no more waking up and going "I think I will brew today" Now it is "do I want to brew this week?"


*** I'm indifferent to golf so do not consider that choice one of endorsement or condemation.

 

[krenshaw]

yes, i'd like to add temp control as well to my list!! my basement luckily is in the low to mid 60s for 8 months of the year.. for the other 4 it drops down to mid 50s, but i use a cooler that can hold 2 BBs at once with an aquarium heater and that fits it right up.. if you are lucky like me and are able to do something simple (and CHEAP) like that, you can spend your resources on other things to make your brewday go by easier/quicker

 

[TANSTAAFB]

stir plate is a mixed blessing, I Yeast starter = no more waking up and going "I think I will brew today" Now it is "do I want to brew this week"

Don't limit yourself. You can always keep a couple packs of good dry yeast around. And there are times that I brew, steal a little wort for a starter, make sure my sanitation is good and keep the wort cold, let my starter go for a day or two, then pitch. Never had a problem.

 

[Bierliebhaber]

I just find it so funny that so many folks prioritize temp control over basic things like being able to chill you're wort as quick as possible, or ease of racking or good oxygenation. Things that help the front end of the process, to make the actual brew day easier or give the yeast a start. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just interesting. I don't recall in the 27 billion times this question's been asked so many more folks talking about temp control, over the other things.

I think in the past folks have said, concentrate on getting the right tools first and for temp control, just start with a simple/cheap swamp cooler, and don't worry about a fridge or freezer and temp controller so high up in the acquisition chain.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Well, for someone like me, on a limited budget $500 dollars is like hitting the lottery. I built most of my all grain HERMS for a fraction of that. It was either using items I had laying around or finding an $11 dollar 17g cooler for a mash tun at the second hand store. So when I see $500 dollars I'm thanking $100 +/- for a decent pump, $100-150 for a ferm chamber including controller, and $30 to build a stir plate and I'm only half-way through my budget.

EDIT: but now I see $500 is his total budget including basic equipment. But REALLY a wort chiller should be considered basic IMO.

 

[bboyeruga]

Well, for someone like me, on a limited budget $500 dollars is like hitting the lottery. I built most of my all grain HERMS for a fraction of that. It was either using items I had laying around or finding an $11 dollar 17g cooler for a mash tun at the second hand store. So when I see $500 dollars I'm thanking $100 +/- for a decent pump, $100-150 for a ferm chamber including controller, and $30 to build a stir plate and I'm only half-way through my budget.

EDIT: but now I see $500 is his total budget including basic equipment. But REALLY a wort chiller should be considered basic IMO.

Yeah. Luckily I'm waiting on my house to finish building, so I've got plenty of time to scope some good deals on everything. I've got a pretty comprehensive list from friends who brew, so I was just looking for the HBT community's inputs.

 

[CheftonUTD]

+1 for temperature control, that said it's 78-93F most days here in summer so that made it a high priority for me.

As for little gadgets I love to use, I have a laser-thermometer that makes quickly getting an idea of temperature really easy. Handy especially for little jobs too, like checking the temp of my sample so I can adjust the reading when doing gravity checks and such.

 

[chumpsteak]

Temperature controlled ferm chamber. Simply irreplaceable in terms of contribution to beer quality IMO.

word

 

[arla]

Subscription to BYO magazine for just info, info and more info.
Deciding to go tri-clamp on everything I can (I HATE threaded valves, I can never get them not to leak)
A bigger kettle than I originally got (went 10 gallon, should have gotten 15)

Without knowing what direction you went with other stuff it's a little hard to tell you what else you should (or shouldn't) think about.

 

[kh54s10]

6 year old thread, but I will say that fermentation temperature control come before anything else besides the initial equipment kit. Most of the other items only make things easier, not necessarily better as temperature control should.

 

[Jayjay1976]

An under-sink RO water filter; best $150 I've spent in brewing gear so far.

 

[mashinary]

Know it's an old thread, but I love Bru'n Water. I've been brewing for a long time now and have amassed a bit of brewing gear. I started using Bru'n water about 3 years ago and it has really helped.

 

[grampamark]

Gift cards. Best brewing accessory ever.

 

[arla]

OMG so sorry, not sure how I must have stumbled into a really old thread and didn't realize... apologies.

 

[mashinary]

OMG so sorry, not sure how I must have stumbled into a really old thread and didn't realize... apologies.

Don't be. It happens all the time, it's nice to have some older topics come back up.

 

[kh54s10]

Don't be. It happens all the time, it's nice to have some older topics come back up.

Some of the old ones are really interesting in how things have changed. People used to be pretty set on the need to do a secondary, it is now considered by most to be an unnecessary step for most beers.

 

[ListerH]

In terms of the more expensive items...
Immersion coil for cooling
Chest freezer for fermentation temperature control

In terms of the super cheap things that have made a difference that I had never thought about
Extra hosing to make blow off tubes
The little kit I bought to attach a sampling spigot to my fermenter

 

[ListerH]

Don't be. It happens all the time, it's nice to have some older topics come back up.

haha... I saw your post and didn't look at the dates of the older entries... looks like this thread has been reincarnated. Made for a good read though