Here is an exhaustive list of all the stuff I use to make beer, from grain storage to first pour. I spent years piecing my brewery together and I’m finally to a point of contentedness where I feel no need to make any more additions. I spent many hours searching for the best deals on equipment and included links to help folks who may be in the market.
| GRAIN STORAGE & MEASUREMENT |
60 lb Vittles Vault Stackable Container (4)
5 Gallon Home Depot “Homer” Bucket (6)
Gamma Lids (4)
2 Gallon Paint Pail (12)
Paint Pail Lid (12)
4-Tier Shelving Unit
KD8000 Baker’s Scale
Barley Crusher w/ 15 lb hopper
| PRE-BREWING PREPARATION |
5000 mL Erlenmeyer Flask (2)
2000 mL Erlenmeyer Flask (1)
StirStarter Stir Plates (2)
Craft Stir Plates Artisan Cigar Box Stir Plate (1)
25′ Potable Water Hose
External Carbon Water Filter
Replacement Filters
Rival Seal-A-Meal Vacuum Food Sealer (hop storage)
Vacuum Sealer Bags
Digital Blade Scale (measuring out hops)
| BREWING |
20 Gallon Ss Brewtech InfuSsion Mash Tuns (2)
15 Gallon Ss Brewtech Stainless Kettles (2)
1/2″ Stainless Ball Valves (2)
1/2″ x 1.5″ Nipples (2)
1/2″ MPT Hose Barb (2)
Kettle Thermometers (2)
Bayou Classic KAB-4 Burners (2)
LPG to NG Conversion Valves (2)
JaDeD Brewing King Cobra Immersion Chiller
1 Gallon Aluminum Pitcher
Dual Scale Refractometer
ThermaPen by ThermoWorks
Taylor 9842 Thermometer
24″ Wire Whisk
Stainless Steel Spoon
Plastic Spoon
Quad Kitchen Timer
Plastic Wort Aerator
1/2″ High-Temp Silicone Tubing
| FERMENTATION |
6 Gallon PET Flat-Sided Carboys (6)
3 Gallon PET Flat-Sided Carboys (3)
3 gallon Better Bottle Carboys (4)
Carboy Hoods (6)
#10 Rubber Stoppers (10)
3 Piece Airlocks (12)
15 cu. ft. Used Chest Freezer (Ferm Chamber)
The Black Box Dual-Stage Temp Controller with Temp Profile Presets (AMAZING!)
Ranco Digital Dual-Stage Temperature Controller
Paint Can Heater (for when it’s cold outside)
Eva-Dry Dehumidifier
| PACKAGING & SERVING |
Sterile Siphon Starter
5 Gallon Refurbished Pin Lock Kegs (10)
3 Gallon Refurbished Pin Lock Kegs (4)
64 oz Screw Top Growlers (5)
Perlick 525SS Faucets (not sure if they still make this exact model)
4″ Faucet Shanks
Barbed Pin Lock Gas-In Disconnects (7)
Barbed Pin Lock Beer-Our Disconnects (5)
8′ x 3/16″ SuperFlex Beverage Tubing (5)
3′ x 5/16″ Gas Tubing (7)
10 lb CO2 Tank
Dual-Body Three Gauge Primary CO2 Regulator
3-Way Secondary Regulator
4-Way CO2 Manifold
120 mmComputer Fan (air recirculation)
Universal AC Power Supply (for fan)
19″ stainless drip tray
| BOTTLING FROM TAPS |
Bowie Bottler w/ accessory kit – I love this thing, though I’m not sure if it’s still around…
Bottle Capper
This is the equipment I use for the brewing methods I perform most often, batch and no sparge. I also have some large grain bags for the occasional BIAB brew day.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section or via email. Cheers!
80 thoughts on “My Gear”
Does your water filter setup do a good job with chloramines, or is that not an issue for you?
It’s not an issue for me, thankfully. I believe I once heard that carbon filters don’t work for chloramines.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe (and this is what I use, so I hope so), campden tablets (sodium metabisulfate) will get rid of chloramine (as well as chlorine). I started with an odor/chlorine filter, then my city started adding chloramine (credit John Palmer for even knowing enough to care, How To Brew, first book I read). So now I do both.
How is that StirStarter plate working for your 5L flask? On the website it says they are good up to 2L only. Are you using the standard stir bar?
Huh, I never noticed it said it worked with up to 2L flasks. It works perfect! I thought I might need a bigger stir bar so I bought one, it kept getting thrown off; the 1″ bar in the 5L flask works great on both of my Stir Starters.
Do you get click credit if I follow the links above, or does that only apply to when I click the links at “support us”?
Hey Mike, thanks for asking. I get credit if you use any of the links on my website. Cheers!
Do you do 5 gallon batches in those kettles and large coolers often?
Absolutely! I do it often.
I pulled the trigger on a 10 gallon pot, burner and 70qt cooler. Future plan is for a duplicate setup for double brew days, but for 5 gallon batches. I can borrow a larger kettle if I ever feel the need for a 10 gallon batch.
I just sold my brutus10 keggle setup, pumps, camlocks and am going back to a system I can store away.
What do you use for a “false bottom” in your coolers? I’ve got a SS braide and it doesn’t work that great IMO. Wondering if a bazooka screen would do better. Only interested in batch sparging
I use a 1/2″ SS braid, it works great.
I 2nd that, have always had successful sparging, and around 80% efficiency, with the 1/2″ stainless braid.
Do you use any sort of screen, diverter, or pick up tube in your brew kettle?
Nope, not these days, and I’ve no regrets getting rid of it. Cheers!
Found that after I posted. It was a late brew night ????
First off thank you so much for your posts. Your exBEERiments are so informative and well executed! Question: How do you deal with cold crashing in the BetterBottle? I just tried for the first time and noticed the sides caving in due to air temperature change. If I release the pressure from the bung do I need to worry about O2 sucking back in? I never had this problem in buckets and glass carboys.
Thanks for the kind words, I’m glad you like this stuff! I regularly relieve the pressure by moving the bung and have yet to experience issues with oxidized beer. I don’t think we need to worry about oxidation near as much as we do. I’ve yet to experience any issues with it over years of kegging (hundreds of kegs). Also, any O2 that makes it into the carboy isn’t getting mixed in with the wort– even in a closed system (which I don’t use), you’ll likely introduce more O2 when kegging than during the cold crash. Cheers!
I think something is missing from the above list. You mention it often, but I just can’t remember the name of the stuff. It is your boil over prevention. What was that stuff called? Seems you swear by it. As many times as I’ve read it on your posts, it escapes me right as I’m about to make an order 🙁
FermCap-S, the stuff is magical!
Thanks! I direct link to your article about how magic it is for good measure!!!!
https://brulosophy.wpvence.com/2014/10/02/fermcap-s-the-magical-cure-for-boilovers/
I followed your lead and arranged to have one of those 14 gallon MoreBeer economy brew pots under the Christmas tree this year. Going to finally brew in it this weekend. Wondered if you’d share the boil-off assumptions you use for yours, so I can potentially spend less time getting it dialed in in my brew calculator 🙂
Right on, it’s a great kettle for the price, I’m sure you’ll be pleased. I’m not on my BeerSmith computer right now, but you can see all of my settings in my Equipment Profile Tutorial. Cheers!
Great site! One quick question. Do you use any sort of screen, diverter, or pick up tube on your brew kettle? Sorry if this is listed somewhere, but I’ve scoured the site and couldn’t find this info anywhere. Thanks.
For the 120mm fan, do you just have it mounted in the keezer so it gets flow and power it 24/7 instead of on/off with the temp controller?
Yeah, I keep it at something like 8v, thing has been going strong for nearly 3 y are straight.
Sweet, thanks! Keep up the good work – I thoroughly enjoy this site and your reddit contributions.
Friday ramble
With all the bling electric brewing setups available out there and temp controlling your HLT, HERMS, etc do you ever think about upgrading your simplistic setup since you can justify it as you seem to brew a lot more than most home brewers?
My setup is similar to yours (cooler MT and a BK/HLT) and I always see my eyes and wallet wandering over towards all the cool shiny stuff thinking I want to look more like a mad scientist than a brewer. I know it may or may not improve the quality of my brew, and know the investment is very high for a hobby like this.
I used to have a system closer to what you’re referring to and I hated it. I’ve absolutely no interest in emulating professional brewing in my garage, I want to make the best beer possible as simply as possible while having as much fun as possible. I’m perfectly happy with my current hokey setup 🙂
I noticed I your latest exbeeriment you had your sterile syphon starter connected to the “liquid out” post of your keg. The sterile syphon starter has 3/8″ I.D. tubing while the barbed pin lock adaptors that Morebeer sales have 1/4″ barbs. How did you adapt the sterile syphon starter to your keg disconnect?
I used a hose clamp 🙂
Curious about the hydrometer you use for checking your finishing gravity as it seems to be different than the standard as it starts at 1.020. If this is for getting a more accurate fg reading I’d love to know where to pick one up!
Its this one right here:
https://www.morebeer.com/products/final-gravity-hydrometer.html?a_aid=brulosophy
I think I recall you mentioning that you use a stainless steel baster for sampling to measure SG. Do you know which one you’re using? I’ve read the reviews for some on amazon and they seem pretty mixed.
I use this one, which is about 12″ long and requires 3 pulls to fill my hydro jar; I’ll soon be getting this one, which a buddy of mine swears take barely 2 pulls to fill his hydro jar.
Got an email from yeastir today that they are shutting down. Any suggestions on a didferent stir plate?
Such a bummer, I know. I still use my 4 year old StirStarter often, works like a charm: http://www.love2brew.com/StirStarter-Stir-Plate-p/yt003.htm?Click=6649
What do you use to clean your plastic carboys? I prefer buckets for their ease of cleaning and low cost, but could switch to plastic carboys if I could figure out a good way to clean them without scratching.
I’ve been using CraftMeister Alkaline Brewery Wash for the last few months and have found it to work incredibly well, faster than oxygen cleaners I’ve used in the past. One scoop, fill with warm water, then let it sit for an hour or so. This usually does the trick. Sometimes some krausen will remain, for that I take a clean wet washrag, shove it into the carboy, then swirl it around until the krausen is removed. This usually takes 10-20 seconds. Hope that helps!
What kind of temperature controller would you recommend for just cooling? My fridge kegerator thermostat blew and all it’s doing now is freezing beer, so I need to buy a simple temp controller. Thanks!
Easy! Not only does it heat AND cool, but it’s less than $40 and it’s free 2 day shipping with Prime!
http://amzn.to/1Mj3Ig1
My neighbor has one on her keezer, it works amazingly well.
Awesome, just what I was looking for! Thanks!
Just a FYI for a very simple circulating fan setup. I use one of these in my stir plate I built a while back. You just have to plug it into a spare USB power adapter. If you’re like me, you have at least one or two spares. Costs about the same as buying a fan and a power supply, but it’s in one nice package. Even comes with a stand.
I was wondering what measurement gear you use. In particular, I was looking at this photo from your brews (http://i1.wp.com/brulosophy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/11_bitterCoH1_ferm1.jpg) and wondered if the device attached to the airlock is to measure temp or ph, or both.
Those are Beer Bugs, I’ve been using them in preparation for a review, though it appears they may not currently be selling them. It measures temp and changes in SG, which can be tracked via computer and mobile device.
For anyone looking to do some blending of beer, or simplify the transfer from primary to keg I’ve found a method that works pretty good. Target has a great 2 gallon tea jar (Artland 2 Gallon Tailgate Beverage Server) which comes with a snap on plastic lid (not shown in the picture on their website but it comes with it, I promise) under the regular lid that has a small circle in it that’s a perfect fit for an airlock bung and is air tight. I don’t even use regular carboys anymore because there are so many perks to these “tea” jars. Instead I now have 4-5 of them and I can mix and match any of my brews. They’re lighter to carry around than a full 6 gallons carboy filled with liquid and they even have pretty strong handles to move them with. The main opening at the top is large enough to scoop out yeast for saving or doing anything else you need to get your hand in there to do, like clean it. The level of the spigot is perfectly placed right above the trub line so when I keg I just take out the airlock from the snap on lid (so water from the airlock doesn’t get sucked in, turn my kettle upside down on the floor, then I rest the little open space in the rubber handle of the keg on the corner of my upside down kettle. Then I set the 2 gallon jar on top of the kettle and open the spigot and let the beer flow into the keg. You could connect a silicon tube to the spigot if you’re worried about oxygenation but I don’t use a tube. The beer flows in sideways gently down the side of the keg and it’s not like the beer is splashing down into the keg. I haven’t had oxygenation problems thus far and I’ve done this a few dozen times so far. I’m pushing CO2 into it right away after the transfer so if a little oxygen does get in there with this method I feel it’s probably pushed out by the pressure of the CO2. Maybe not but I can’t tell a difference from my old auto-syphon method. Let me know if you want further detail of how the process works, or just get one and start experimenting for yourself. I’ll never go back to doing it the other way. I love being able to mix and match beers and yeast in smaller amounts and if one of my beers is too boozy I can balance her out with one that’s not. Same with a beer that’s too bitter or too sweet. It’s an easy way to fix and mix…Try it out.
http://www.target.com/p/artland-2-gallon-tailgate-beverage-server-black/-/A-39599136#prodSlot=medium_3_5&term=2+gallon+tea+jar
Marshall,
What kind of valves do you use on your mash tuns? I am looking to build something similar and the pics of your tun looks like you have something nice on there.
BTW, awesome site!!
John-
Thanks! They’re the quick clean take apart valves, here’s my review:
https://brulosophy.wpvence.com/2015/05/28/brewers-hardware-quick-clean-take-apart-ball-valve-product-review/
I noticed that a few people, yourself included, have gone the chest cooler route for your mash tun.
Do you have specific reasons why you didn’t go an Igloo style cooler?
I know that the Coleman Extreme Cooler is rated for 50 qts (12.5 gallons) which might work for a 10 gallon no-sparge and maybe that had something to do with it.
I went with the 70 qt Xtreme cooler for my MLT purely because it would allow me to perform full volume mashes, which I’m a fan of.
Thanks!
My two 10 gal (40qt) Rubbermaids are starting to get too warped, very scratched, and I’ve had to clean the mung out of where the valve passes through too many times. Mind you I’ve have had them for 11 + years, so I’ve gotten (Gott? hehe) my use out of them.
At the time when I set up my system there were not many coolers that worked well for brewing like there are now, and not at theses prices. Right now you can get a 70qt extreme for $65-70 delivered. Back when bought mine the round beverage style were like $70-75 and that’s IF you could find them locally. More if you ordered them to be shipped.
So you can get more volume for less $. I will be getting 70 qt when these are replaced. With the 40 qt I can rarely do multiple infusions or very large gravity 11 gal batches – if I wanted to – I usually don’t, but for experiments I like the flexibility.
Do you find that the plastic wort aerator works as advertised (i.e., replaces the need to rock or shake the fermentor), or do you still do some additional jostling of your wort for good measure?
I’m not even sure aeration is all that important on the homebrew scale in general, at least when pitching viable yeast… but to answer your question: yeah, I think it’s a good replacement for rocking/shaking, based solely on the fact I haven’t rocked/shaked my carboys in years and my fermentations have been as healthy as ever.
Random Question – the table that you have your burners on (with the metal backing against the wall); did you make that yourself or buy something pre-made? It’d be great to hear about if you did any DIY here as I’m going to start doing something similar here (potentially cover a table in stainless steel as well as a bit of the wall).
I have to test and see how much the heat is distributed around the area though to get a good idea of what level of coverage I need though.
Thanks for any help.
Yeah, I designed and built the bench myself, but I didn’t document the process. It’s pretty simple– 2×4 framing with a particle board attached to the top; back of frame secured to studs in the wall; 2×4 angle bracing connected to front of frame and wall studs; 2×4 straight support on either side for additional security. It’s super solid.
Thanks for answering this question and the one below about cheap sheet metal. I think I may have been overengineering things in my mind so this really helps to get a better idea. Cheers!
For inquiring minds – what is the metal skin on top of the bench you made? Haha.
Cheap sheet metal.
Thank you for all of your hard work, documentation and research! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for the hose you use on your jaded chiller. Length, type, etc
I use this 5/8″ x 10′ hose and really like it: http://amzn.to/2jNnfNn
Sorry if this has been asked already.
Does the carbon water filter alter your Calcium / sulfate / magnesium levels significantly?
I had my water tested before purchasing a filter.
According to the folks at Ward Labs, carbon filter really only remove solids and chlorine from your water without impacting other mineral levels.
Just got this vacuum sealer on your recommendation. In separating and sealing a pound of Simcoe into 1 ounce packets, it broke after the 4th ounce. Literally owned this for an hour before it broke. Is yours really still working? Am I just that unlucky?
Mine is going on year 4 with rather heavy use. Sounds like you got a lemon, I’d replace it.
Hi. You did a review on the Spike Kettles and SS Brewtech Kettles but you list the SS Brewtech ones as your primary equipment. Any reason you prefer the SS Brewtechs? Also, in the Spike Kettle review you mention that you use a whirlpool arm but I didn’t see one in any of the pictures and it isn’t listed here. I’m curious what you use? Love the website. Thanks for all the hard work!
Hi Bryan,
“My” refers to me specifically, I’m Marshall, and Malcolm (another contributor) reviewed the Spike kettles. We think both are fantastic, really the biggest difference being the Ss Brewtech kettles come with weldless valves while the Spike kettles are welded on. I personally view this as a non-issue, but for some it matters. Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Marshall
Hello,
Can I order a Brulosophy sticker for my kegerator? I have several stickers on it as it is, but there is room for more – your’s would be a great addition. I am in B.C., Canada.
Do you storage your grain in your garage? If so, is it temperature controlled?
I store my grains in Vittles Vaults in my garage, which is not temperature controlled. Hasn’t seemed to be an issue in the last 5 years.
Hi Marshall,
First I would like to say that I came across your website from a suggestion by another avid homebrewer and I can’t stop reading. My question for you is in regards to a piece of equipment I saw in your recent review of 007 Golden Hop. In your post you had a picture of your fermentation chamber and your fermenting bucket. I noticed you had a blow-off tube connected to a sealed ball jar, which was connected via tubing to another ball jar and an airlock. Just wondering why not just submerge the blow-off into a container of sanitized solution, or am I missing something that the ball jar setup is doing? I wonder this because I currently ferment in a Catalyst and not once but 3 times I have blown a traditional airlock off of it and have decided the blow-off tube submerged in a bucket was a safer (and cleaner) method.
Hey Gary, thanks so much for the kind words, I’m glad you like what you’re reading! That item you’re referring to is the CO2 Harvester from Nor Cal Brewing Solutions:
http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/CO2-Carbon-Dioxide-Harvester-Kit.html
Huzzah! Thank you for the quick response. Brew on!
Hi Marshall, I have a question in regards to thermometers. Have you, or anyone, used infrared non-contact thermometers for measuring the mash temp, rather than instant read thermometers? Just thinking that a non-contact thermometer would be beneficial as to not contaminate? (Which if the instant read thermometer is cleaned and sanitized it shouldn’t be an issue anyways) Plus whats better than using cool gadgets to “high tech” your gear. What are your thoughts on this?
Hey!, I love your exbeeriments!
I saw on a pic that you use a drill to operate your grain crusher, what kind of drill do you use?
Thanks =D
Thanks, dude! It’s this drill: https://amzn.to/2KxcvyB
Gentlemen,
First off, excellent work on the experiments, website, podcast and everything else you are doing. Extremely helpful!
Question: I just listened to the mash PH podcast. Afterwards I was curious which PH meter you and some of the contributors use but I didn’t see it in you gear list. I’m in the market for one and having a tough time decided. Thanks for the reply.
Most of us are using either the ThermoWorks 8000 or 8689, the latter of which I’ve been using.
Hi there, do you use hemacytometer to count your yeast cells? If yes, do you have a brand to recommand ? Thank you for all your helpfull posts!!
cheers from Montreal
I do not count yeast. Email Malcolm@brulosophy.wpvence.com, he may have a rec.