What is your most useless piece of brewing equipment?

[fuzzy2133]

Floating thermometer that came with my brewing kit. Nothing like a 20+ degree temp different between the bottom and top of the wort during cooling...

 

[cyberbrew]

For me I'd have to go with my jet bottle washer, totally useless for me. I think the last time I used it was back in '04.

 

[chezhed]

the beer gun...I forgot I even have one. It works but what a pain....
and the bottle brush....rinse immediately and invert on tree. I don't think I have used it in years.

 

[zmanzorro]

For me I'd have to go with my jet bottle washer, totally useless for me. I think the last time I used it was back in '04.

Totally forgot I owned one. I'm changing my answer to that.

 

[AnOldUR]

These 2 are funny, I use my 3 piece thief fairly often and consider my 2 auto siphons among the most useful equipment I own.

Thanks for reminding me. I also have a wine thief sitting right beside the auto siphon. Niether one has been used in 7 or 8 years. :cross:


edit:
This thread should be a pay-it-forward for people to get rid of stuff they don't use, but others might.

 

[chickypad]

The new o-rings I got for the 5 pin-lock kegs I acquired. Only a waste as my SWMBO promptly gave all 5 kegs away (and a 20# CO2 tank) when we moved and I wasn't around to say no.

Ouch. At least she could have made some money off it. And you're still together?

I don't get all the hate for the beer gun. Granted, mine was a gift and on my own I probably just would have gone Biermuncher's route, but I love it. I did fit it with a corney post adapter so I can just pop on the gas line, I find it quite easy to set up and sanitize. At any rate my vote would have been the 5 gal glass carboy but that went the route of craig's list. Bottle brush I guess for me.

 

[helterscelter]

Wast of money IMHO, I filtered a few brews early on but I find they pour clear from the keg once it has sat long enough to carb. Might get some crud on the first pour but once the dip tube area is clear it's good till the keg kicks.

Exactly why it's not been used yet. Figured I would use it if I needed a really clear beer, but haven't had any issues with clarity so haven't bothered to even try it.

 

[kh54s10]

Thanks for reminding me. I also have a wine thief sitting right beside the auto siphon. Niether one has been used in 7 or 8 years. :cross:


edit:
This thread should be a pay-it-forward for people to get rid of stuff they don't use, but others might.

What do you find that is not useful about an auto siphon? I find it an indispensable piece of equipment. What do you use instead?

 

[eric19312]

For me I'd have to go with my jet bottle washer, totally useless for me. I think the last time I used it was back in '04.

Wow I love my jet bottle washer. I use it to rinse kegs and carboys in my garage sink. Also to clean out growlers and occasional bottles. I then clean my kegs and carboys on a Marks II and then rinse them after cleaning with the jet.

My most useless item is a calcium carbonate I bought when I first started trying to alter water chemistry. Just dont ever need that stuff with my water it turns out.

My most frivolous item is a Portuguese corker which I have used to do cork and cage about once a year.

 

[unionrdr]

I have spigots on my fermenters & bottling bucket. Only need the auto siphon if I use my BB secondary, which is almost never.

 

[chickypad]

This thread should be a pay-it-forward for people to get rid of stuff they don't use, but others might.

Great idea. I'll take the 3 gal keg OP, you can have my bottle brush.

 

[AnOldUR]

What do you find that is not useful about an auto siphon? I find it an indispensable piece of equipment. What do you use instead?

When I transfer I already have CO2 out for purging, so using it to start the siphon only makes sense. But even before CO2, I found it easier to use a small air pump in the opposite stem of the carboy cap. (It was a cheap little plastic thing made for blowing up exercise balls that my wife had.)

Never mind if you're using buckets.

 

[philosofool]

I bought a small thermometer to install in the side of my Igloo mash tun. It's not accurate enough to use for mashing and the probe sticks out too far inside the mash tun, so I keep hitting and bending it when I stir the mash at the start and during batch sparging. I'm real tempted to remove it if I can figure out the best way to patch the hole. Waste of money.

Just take the current nut over to your local hardware store and find a short stainless bolt of the same size. You may also need a washer and a silicon o-ring for a proper seal.

 

[Sailingeric]

3 gallon glass carboy. Used it once for cider. Might see if the LHBS will give me some trade in credit for it.

 

[kh54s10]

When I transfer I already have CO2 out for purging, so using it to start the siphon only makes sense. But even before CO2, I found it easier to use a small air pump in the opposite stem of the carboy cap. (It was a cheap little plastic thing made for blowing up exercise balls that my wife had.)

Never mind if you're using buckets.

IDK air pumps and co2 - much more $$ than an autosiphon.....

 

[chuckcomm]

Bottle brush for me too....its the only brewing thing I have that has never been used.

I rinse well after pouring and on bottling day i sanitize.

 

[drainbamage]

Wing capper. It got good seals on the bottles, but it had a nasty tendency to shatter the occasional bottle neck.

Broken glass is a lousy adjunct.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Broken glass is a lousy adjunct.

This happens to me on occasion. I try to get any flecks of glass away and then rebottle the beer inside. I mark the caps so I don't give those bottle to anyone else, but I figure any minuscule amount of glass is getting trapped in the yeast at the bottom. I should go add this to the "Most unusual brewing ingredient" thread!

My most useless is the hydrometer! I went through two when I was starting out, and I had them long enough to get my methods in order (efficiency for my system and my fermentation times), but the damn things break just looking at them! It's absurd. I'm content not knowing my efficiency for every batch and saying a Hail Mary before I bottle. It's better than keeping the hydrometer factory in the black all on my own.

 

[drainbamage]

My most useless is the hydrometer! I went through two when I was starting out, and I had them long enough to get my methods in order (efficiency for my system and my fermentation times), but the damn things break just looking at them! It's absurd. I'm content not knowing my efficiency for every batch and saying a Hail Mary before I bottle. It's better than keeping the hydrometer factory in the black all on my own.

Reading other people's posts, I feel like a statistical anomaly that I've been brewing for 7 years and still on my 1st hydrometer.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Reading other people's posts, I feel like a statistical anomaly that I've been brewing for 7 years and still on my 1st hydrometer.

Better hope I never drive through KY. If I even get within the same state, I'm sure it'll crack.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Ill go with my 5 gallon glass carboy. Useless

 

[titansvol]

Glass carboys. After one shattered on my basement floor full, I stopped using them.

 

[cjgenever]

Beer filter. Bought it on sale from more beer. Have yet to use it.

Until you need to transport a keg with trub and yeast in a neat little carpet at the bottom....

I love my filter

 

[cjgenever]

Thanks for reminding me. I also have a wine thief sitting right beside the auto siphon. Niether one has been used in 7 or 8 years. :cross:


edit:
This thread should be a pay-it-forward for people to get rid of stuff they don't use, but others might.

Pay it forward is a cool idea. I was kinda thinking the same thing. It was done on a MC forum I was on a while back. Worked really well.

 

[atoughram]

The lid I made for my keggle BK... Tried using it a few times and it always boils over...

 

[cjgenever]

What do you find that is not useful about an auto siphon? I find it an indispensable piece of equipment. What do you use instead?

I'm transferring all my systems to Co2 pressure induced siphon with filter. I pressurize the fv with Co2 to push the fluid up the cane. One the flow starts I disconnect the Co2 to save on gas. There is a sterile filter inline and the siphon continues naturally.

The auto siphon is great...Until it's not. Once it breaks seal and sucks air into an ipa it is too late

 

[MaxStout]

Bought a bunch of brass QD connectors for hose fittings at my LHBS to make setup and takedown of my IC faster. I connected everything and tested it, and good thing I did. Water jetted out of those connections like crazy. I checked the o-rings, and they were all intact and seated properly. Re-inserted and tried again. Same thing--water everywhere. Cheap Chinese crap.

The fittings are now sitting in the corner of a drawer.

 

[BlkWater_brewer]

My most useless item is a calcium carbonate I bought when I first started trying to alter water chemistry. Just dont ever need that stuff with my water it turns out.

Calcium carbonate - definitely. Still have the bottle I purchased back in 1980. never used.

The other most useless thing is whatever I purchased for my control panel last week, as my plans change about the same day the parts come in.

 

[EarlTheSqrl]

You can't just rig up an aquarium pump with BLC and and follow up with Star San and clamp the trigger open to sanitize it?

 

[cjgenever]

IDK air pumps and co2 - much more $$ than an autosiphon.....

Idk... One 13 gal batch of ipa with almost two lb hops... oxidized, plus time involved... priceless