(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best beer brewing equipment

Your recipe sounds like it'll turn out well if all goes according to plan! You may want to add some sweetness back if it ferments dry, but you've got several weeks to figure that out and read the Wiki to get all caught up on the method and terminology to things like back sweetening and nutrient addition schedules. I admire that you're being industrious with your fermentation equipment, I wasn't brave enough to start fermenting with whatever I had on hand with my first batch.

If you think you'll stick with it, here's the equipment I used for my first batch. I highly recommend looking into it if you think you'll do another batch! (I apologize if you aren't in the US, Amazon is my go-to)

• Hydrometer - $15.99 | You'll definitely want one of these first! It'll help you figure out when fermentation is done, plus it's nice to know your ABV when your friends or family ask "How strong is this?" (if you like to share)
  
• One Gallon Glass Carboy with Airlock, Drilled Stopper, Polyseal Lid - $14.81 | A glass carboy could last you forever! These have done very well for me, and the included airlock will give you a great setup for less than $15. The screw-on cap is just an added bonus, I use mine when I cold-crash.
  
• Star San 16 oz - $16 | This seems like the go-to sanitizer for the sub, and I use it as well. If you think you'll do several batches, I recommend going with the 32 oz size instead! It's much cheaper per ounce.
  
• Campden Tablets aka K-Meta (Potassium Metabisulfite) - $6.08 | This will help you preserve and stabilize your mead before you bottle. Some people don't, but it's highly recommended!
  
• Auto Siphon - $13.99 | This makes racking to secondary and bottling much easier! When it comes time to bottling, it's also really nice to have a Bottling Wand - $5.86
  
  All-in-all, this is just about my current setup excluding yeast, yeast nutrients, and extra carboys and airlocks. The list above comes out to about $127.45 USD before tax, which really isn't too bad considering one gallon should yield just shy of 5 standard wine bottles! Most commercial meads I've seen ranges from $15-$25 with some exceptions (There's a winery near me called Oliver Winery that makes a mead called Camelot Mead that sells for about $8 per bottle. Very good for such a cheap mead, you can probably find it at Total Wine & More if you have one nearby).
  
  ​
  
  Sorry for such a long comment! Best of luck in your mead-making adventure!
  
  Edit: If you have a local homebrew store, I would opt for that rather than Amazon. Prices may not be as cheap but you won't have to wait for shipping, you'll be able to support a local business, and employees at homebrew stores are usually really helpful and they can recommend recipes and give you pointers. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction!

The necessities he needs for making his first batch of mead:

Required: 1. A carboy for fermenting and aging it in. I would highly recommend glass for his first one as it’s easy to sanitize and clear so you can see what the mead is doing. a one gallon carboy is usually most people’s first.

Basically required: 2. An air lock and carboy bung to keep the carboy air tight while fermenting and aging I’d suggest the standard PLASTIC ‘S’ shaped one piece air lock although it’s all down to personal preference. Glass will inevitably roll off the counter top and shatter just like 2 of my hydrometers and test jars did... lol I use a #6.5 bung for my standard 1 gallon carboys that I started with.

Required: 3. A good strain of yeast specifically meant for brewing. (Keep the bread yeast to sourdough where it works much better for) I found my preferred strain very early on as I use an ale yeast but you can’t really go wrong with premier blanc wine yeast. The wiki on this sub has a lot of info on that.

HIGHLY recommended: 4. A hydrometer and test jar. Most people don’t use one for their first batch but my guess is that he’s going to really enjoy it and end up making more batches so having a hydrometer is very important. It allows you to make sure your mead is done fermenting and allows you to know your alcohol content.

HIGHLY recommended: 5. Yeast nutrient. If yeast has a rough fermentation. The mead will taste like rocket fuel for the first 4 months. Proper nutrients will allow the yeast to have a healthy ferment and to drink it much quicker. (Pretty cheap in small amounts)

HIGHLY recommended: 6. Starsan sanitizer. I’d personally consider this an Absolute necessity. You can do your best to clean things with dawn dish soap but it won’t entirely clean things and if things get contaminated it could take all your hard work and ruin the batch.

Required: 7. A silicone hose to siphon out the mead and get it off the funky yeast at the bottom. I’d recommend a clear one as it helps to see where the stuff is at in the tube.

Hope this helps.

If my fellow mead men could correct this or add to this I’d appreciate it.

Edit: this kit on amazon has pretty much everything and the price is pretty good honestly.


Homebrewstuff One Gallon Nano-Meadery Mead Starter Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICTNLGG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_c1k0DbD3YAD6G

It doesn’t have a test jar for the hydrometer though but you can find a plastic one pretty cheap.

Hello! First off I want to thank you so much for this contest! That is an awesome thing to do! I hope my comment doesn't get too buried but here we go.


I am listing items that somewhat define me as a person. This might help you learn a little more about me and maybe even help you find something of interest. These items are entertainment, music, coffee and beer.

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2. [A record player](Audio Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Stereo Turntable System, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GYTPAE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_LiwOwbZXCJCTP) - Music. I am very passionate about music and I recently have gotten the idea to get into vinyl. I like the idea of having the records for music but also to be able to display them as art.
   
   
   
3. [Luwak Coffee](Luwak Star Gourmet Coffee, 100% Arabica Sumatra Gayo Luwak Coffee from Indonesia (or Kopi Luwak) Whole Beans, Medium Roast, 100 Gram (0.22 Lb) Bag, Roasted in the U.S https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OCU80Q/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_blwOwbHR0DSYH) - Coffee. There's almost nothing I love more than a good cup of coffee. I love trying different coffees from all over the world. This coffee that I have listed is one of the most exotic and expensive coffees in the world. If you are not familiar with this coffee, here is some info. The cherries of this coffee are eaten by a wild cat like animal in Indonesia. Farmers then collect the feces of the animal and pick the coffee beans out. Supposedly the mix of the coffee cherries and stomach acid enhance the flavor of the coffee. I absolutely must try this coffee someday!
   
   
   
4. [Beer Home brew kit](Monster Brew Home Brewing Supp Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 Gallon Glass Carboy, Gold https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01467U8KY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_YswOwb3CG9E9B) - Beer. I took my love of beer to the next level and started home brewing my own. The problem is that it is a very long process, 6-8+ weeks. So I wait 2 months for the beer to finish and then after I give some to friends and family and drink a few (okay a lot) myself it doesn't last very long. With this kit I would be able to double the amount I make at a time so it would last longer.
   
   
   This last one is actually something for my wife. [Jawbone activity tracker](o UP2 by Jawbone Activity + Sleep Tracker, Gunmetal Hex (Dark Gray), Lightweight Thin Straps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01649SM6O/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_XwwOwb78E30GT) - like many people my wife has made a resolution to shed some pounds and get back in shape. This would be very useful for her to help accomplish her goals.
   
   
   Thanks again for doing this!

Mead is VERY forgiving, far more so than beer or wine. As has been suggested, JAOM is a great "toss it in and walk away" recipe, but almost any recipe will work for a beginner, even if it's done a bit off.

Things to remember:

Don't use bleach to sanitize, it's fucking hard to get completely out, and can render a batch unusable. I prefer IO Star to Star San as it doesn't foam up when you scrub the shit out of stuff with it, and it's easier to completely rinse.

Mead needs separate nutrient, it is quite cheap on Amazon you should also add Energizer perodically (once every other day for the first week and once a week for the next month) to prevent things from getting stuck along the way. A good guide on how/when to add fruit and how to perform step feeding, which produces the tastiest results, can be found HERE.

Wine Tannin can help to make your flavors "pop" and come out more brightly, add around 3 grams to a 5 gallon batch in primary.

Also, don't let things ferment in too warm a space, the place I ferment in is a steady 69 degrees, if you let it go too warm, you might end up with weird alcohols getting created, and your brew providing a headache along with a buzz.


Lastly, if you've decide you're going to get into brewing, don't go the carboy/bucket route. For a little bit more money (like $40 more than everything else combined), you can get a MUCH better/easier and compact solution. A conical eliminates the need to rack from one container into another (has a bottom drain to suck out yeast cake) it has a side drain to bottle from (I plug this into my filter pump and bottle right from there) is MUCH more compact then separate bucket/carboy & racking canes, and is a lot easier to clean because the hole in the top is like 6 inches across, plenty big enough for a hand and a scrubby sponge as opposed to the tiny 2" opening in a carboy (which are a bitch to clean).

Also, the supplier in this link (highgravitybrew.com) doesn't charge for shipping for these conicals, it seems like everyone else who sells them does even though they're all drop shipped from the factory regardless from whom you get it.

>Have you made any liquor based drinks?

Screwdrivers are pretty good. Vodka and cranberry carbonated is pretty good as well. Margaritas you would think would be really good, but not so much. The sweeter the starting liquid the better it tastes carbonated, as carbonic acid is pretty bitter by itself. (carbonic acid is co2 dissolved in waters technical name, fun fact: The Ph value of our blood is what our bodies use to determine how much we need to breath. It is made slightly more acidic the more co2 is present.)

As far as supplies go, you need at a minimum,the stuff below. You can always get a bigger tank or longer/better hoses etc. But this is quite literally exactly what I have, and I only fill my tank up every 6-8 months (sooner if I make some dry ice with it.)

• Carbonator cap ~$13
  
  
• Ball lock connector ~$15
  
  
• 2 stage regulator ~$50
  
  
• 5 pound co2 tank ~$65
  
  If you buy everything from amazon it will run you about $150, my local beverage distributor, in Atlanta suburbs, had most of this stuff a fair bit cheaper, so you may want to check with them first (I got burned by not checking).
  
  Honestly, this was one of the best $100 or so I have ever spent. We buy those Mio squirt drinks when they go on sale, its like paying $0.08 for a 2 liter of Diet Faygo, plus all of the SodaStream flavors work as intended, you can get those from target for like 5 bucks and they make gallons of Soda. Plus all of the fruit stuff, and quixotic beverages just for fun.
  
  Usage:
  
  
• Fill a 2 liter up to the shoulder, as you need a bit of head space for the co2 to contact the water.
  
  
• Screw the carbonator cap on while you squeeze out all the air.
  
  
• Put the bottle in the freezer until it is just starting to freeze. You can also put partially filled bottles in overnight to form an ice cube, however, this requires experimentation to find the correct amount.
  
  
• Set the co2 pressure between 30 - 45 PSI, depending on the amount of "Bite" you want the seltzer to have.
  
  
• Connect the ball lock to the cap to pressurize, then shake vigorously for 45 - 60 seconds. Let it sit, for 2-3 minutes, on its side to maximize surface area. Shake again for a minute or so.
  
  
• Umm, enjoy tasty drinks.
  
  

3 Gallon FastFerment

Used 3 Gallon Corny

I mostly use 3-gallon frosting buckets that a bakery hooks me up with. I've done a couple of ferments in the 3-gallon keg, but I hope to get a floating diptube because my (uncut) diptube does get clogged with trub pretty easily. I'd love to try the FastFerment, but my free buckets work great so far.

I purchased this stuff. I didn't know too much about nutrients (I'm just beginning to learn all about fermenting) so I just went with the one that had the best reviews. I read a bunch of the amazon reviews and it seemed good.

I'll be using EC-1118 just like the guy in the thread you linked. I currently have a batch fermenting (for about a week now) in a gallon of strawberry juice that I added 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of nutrients to. I plan to do the following:

Use 1 campden tablet to get rid of chloramines in the water then mix 12lbs of sugar, 2 tablespoons of nutrients, and pour 1 cup of the fermenting strawberry juice in there for the yeast. I then plan to use ph strips and citric acid to get the entire 5 gallons down to a ph of 4.0'ish.

I figured I'd go with EC-1118 since I also planned to use the yeast in fruit juices I wanted to drink straight up. I heard it was one of the better yeasts for that purpose. Since it also can get up to high'ish ABV, it seemed like a good yeast for both my purposes.

I'm curious to taste the sugar wash once it's done too. I heard some bad stuff about how washes taste, but I'm assuming mine will be more like a "sugar wine"? If it doesn't taste too bad, I might run batches of it just to drink straight up with flavorings (like coolaid powder, ice tea powder, etc).

Would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions you may have? Always nice to get advice from someone experienced.

Do you think he would be interested in Brewing his own beer?. These kits are pretty nifty and come with all of the supplies needed to attempt your own brew. If he's into stuff like that, a lot of people would love to try to come up with their own recipe. It makes quite a bit too so he could share with people once he got a batch he was proud of. Just an idea, happy holidays!

You're basically describing the setup I'm slowly putting together.

For cooling the wort, the best, cheap thing to buy is a copper wort chiller like this one. There's lots of variations on this design (more efficient, stainless instead of copper, better fittings, etc), but ultimately an immersion wort chiller like that is a common way to go.

You can make your own with hardware store parts too, if you want. That's what I did but after making it, then getting some more plumbing fittings to make it "better", I spent more than if I'd just bought one. Plumbing supplies are so damned expensive in Canada.

For recipes, there's recipe sites all over, but I've had too many issues translating the ingredients to things I can get locally. I've heard Beersmith recommend heartily as a good recipe source. There's also several really good books that many recipes but also detailed information on how to modify them, or design your own from scratch.

As to your kegerator build - watch a couple of Youtube videos. For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHWy_Vlw3J4
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq_59KhCebM

The videos are super useful both as an instruction manual and as a list of mistakes to avoid (like things to remember when measuring where to drill the tap holes).

I would recommend this brewers best kit. It's a comparable price and it also includes an auto-siphon racking cane, which is hugely useful. I would also say don't hold back on getting top notch equipment in order to get ingredients right away. The equipment can pretty much be around for ever. It's worth waiting to start your first brew if it means subsequent brews will be that much better and easier.

Here is the list of what the BB kit contains. It's widely available at pretty much any brew store.

You can order the equipment and kit now for sure. I started on a similar budget and just added to my equipment piece by piece over the years.

So I learned a long along the way. The graphs and stuff was the easy part!

Originally I wanted to wire up my own sensor so I picked up a breadboard, a dht22 sensor, some jumpers to wire it up, and a ribbon cable / adapter to connect the breadboard.

The basic guide for that can be followed from this tutorial here:

https://www.raspberryweather.com/wiring-for-dht22/


However, in my search for a co2 sensor to add to my breadboard, a fellow redditor pointed out a low cost usb sensor that includes temp and co2! The hackaday project seems to mention one that also does humidity along with it, but it appears to be over twice as expensive on their site ($200!). So decide if you want humidity. It's an important stat, but you can get it with the dht22 if you go that route.

The usb co2 sensor and hackaday links are here:
https://hackaday.io/project/5301/logs

https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-RAD-0301-Mini-Monitor-White/dp/B00H7HFINS

Ok, so now all the sensors are up, you need code that reads the sensors and outputs json. I put these together based on the samples from dht22, and the hackaday project. I can post these if you need them.

Ok, next step. This is overkill I suppose for what we are doing, because it's designed to be super scalable. Anyway, I have a server running influxdb (open source, free) and it runs a time series database. I would not recommend saving the influxdb database onto a sd card. Either put it on a server that is always running, or get a second raspberry pi, and attach a usb harddrive, and write to the harddrive. USB speeds are slow, but sd card writes are atroicious, and sometimes kill cards

Then on the raspberry pi, which is connected via wifi, I run a client called telegraf which will run the scripts that parse the sensor data and output json. Telegraf sends the sensor data to influxdb where it is stored very effeciently.

Here are the links for graphing side of things:
https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/v1.2/introduction/installation/
https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/v1.2/introduction/getting_started/

Ok so now we have all of our data in the database, the last step is presentation. There's a "standard" opensource tool for this too, again, because this software is used by major players in the tech industry, we can leverage their work.

A project called grafana is my dashboard tool. I run this on my server and it allows me to point it at influxdb, and design queries to create graphs and dashboards. grafana installation info is here:

http://docs.grafana.org/installation/

http://docs.grafana.org/guides/gettingstarted/


Sorry this is getting long....

I also installed the raspberry pi camera, so that I can run timelapses. Originally this was simply a timelapse, but once I had influxdb running I had to take it a step further!

Now I added a couple steps to my timelapse script. Between each picture, I ran a script that queries influxdb to get the json data out of it, then runs a ruby script to create a graph based on that json using a gem called gruff, then superimposing that on the source images so when my timelapse was created later it had the environmental data.

It's still a work in progress (no co2 yet) but here's a recent one I made to show off the floodtrays / irrigation timers I got going this weekend:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQKAUu7DXed/


Anyway, it was . If you want some code dumps from my setup or help with parts lists let me know. The data is all realtime, and the dashboard auto refreshes as data comes in :)

I started brewing at all grain 1 gallon Brew In A Bag. I do 1 gallon because I love the process of brewing, its not any easier or shorter than doing 5 gallons but I don't brew to drink. I like the fact that I can make something good and be content with that and the process that came with it.

I currently use this: https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Gallon-Equipment-Kit/dp/B00CD7CY1G

Pro tips: You will need at least a 3-4 gallon kettle to mash and boil in. Use a "fine mesh" bag to do BIAB big enough to fit around your kettle. Get at least 2 more gallon jug fermenters along with rubber stoppers because the screw caps for the jug fermenter are questionable. Don't forget a funnel to transfer your wort to your 1 gallon fermenter. Get a small digital scale like this one to help with weighing hops, priming sugar, sanitizer, etc.. and lastly buy/make a wort chiller... Trust me from experience that doing ice baths to chill are absolutely the worst. And last but not least you will need BeerSmith... when you brew at such a small scale every little detail matters so get the aid in calculations from the software so that you just worry about your process.

Bonus: Get a digital thermometer, refractometer, and temperature controller for fermentation. Also, if you use any type of software to create your recipes always assume at least 60% efficiency with BIAB. One way to help your efficiency is squeeze the hell out of the bag (assuming you have appropriate gloves), double crush your grains at the local home brew shop, and stir good while you mash in. And lastly take the time to watch this video to get you an idea of what BIAB is.

I can't say anything as to the strength of the swing tops. But they certainly look good and are perfect for bottling. However, you'll have to make/drink a lot of mocktails before you have enough bottles. I bought these on Amazon and they work great: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0064ODUDK

Quicker way to the bottles. Unless you were going to buy a bunch of those mocktail things anyway. :-)

Before you pull the trigger on that, there's a groupon for a homebrew set:

http://www.groupon.com/deals/gx-midwest-hydroponic-atlanta

It's the basic kit plus brewing ingredients, PLUS a $25 coupon. The kit you linked also includes:

-Carboy, if you really want to get it. Honestly, for a first batch, you can get by without one and just do a single stage fermentation, but it's recommended to get a secondary. My first batch was an extract that spent ~2 weeks in a primary then straight to bottles. Came out great. There's a good deal at Amazon right now on a 6 gallon glass carboy. Also add a bung and Airlock

-Bottles. Drink some beer, keep some bottles. If you want to buy them, get 48 for a 5 gallon batch (about $25) or go cheap and get some plastic PET bottles. Also a good option. See: every argument of plastic vs. glass for a comparison.

-Large stock pot. For a first extract, you won't need more than a 2 gallon boil, so you can get by with as small as 12 qts. A cheap 12 qt pot can get you started.

Saving up for two things to make my foray into Homebrewing a little bit easier on me. The thing I really need is a nice pot. This pot would remove the need for me to have a thermometer. And I'd also like a wort chiller because I've been told this is one of the most crucial points of the process.

I'm new to homebrewing, but I'd like to start gathering some nice pieces so that I can one day turn it into more than just a hobby! (Not that I'll be selling moonshine or anything) I could definitely see myself becoming a real brewer if this is something I turn out to be good at. It's something that interests me a lot!

Well if you live in Canada like I do, get the President's Choice Fresh Pressed Apple Cider from Loblaw's/Superstore. It's $5 for 3L and works awesome as a base for all my ciders. I almost always use Lalvin BM 4X4 yeast, which ferments nice and dry at basement temps, good body, retains a lot of fruit characteristics. Most of the time I use plain ol' white sugar to bring up the SG. The PC cider on it's own will get you to around 4-5% ABV, but I like to bring my ciders in around the 8-10% range. If you want to split the difference and go for, say, a nice 7% ABV you're looking for between 1.050 and 1.055 SG. Ferment it out for a few weeks until you see little to no more activity in the airlock. Rack to secondary and add any additional flavours you want. From there it's just a waiting game depending on how long you want to age before bottling, the clarity you're looking for, etc. For bottling I use either 750ml flip tops or 650ml beer bombers. I use two of these tabs in each bottle for conditioning. If I'm worried that there's not enough residual yeast left at bottling time, I put a few grains of dry BM 4X4 per bottle before filling. I go at least 2 months before cracking open the first one.

This is the Brewer's best #1004 kit we got. Can make about 3 gallons of beer out of it at a time if you use both the containers that come with it.

I would also recommend getting the bottlecapper and bottle caps. (These do not work with twist top bottles). They should be a bundle that amazon suggest. Also check out if you have a local store that carries it, because they will also have a lot of great advice.

For some scale, we made a ~>2.5 Gal batch of porter, ended up being around 20x 12oz beer bottles worth of beer. Also disregarding initial investment in non-consumable equipment, about $1 a bottle. And it's not back breaking work, mostly just like "is it at the right temperature, yes, aight imma wait an hour then"

You also NEED a large stock pot, like 5 gallons or so, because you need more water to start with than you finish with, and you have to fit the grain in.

Kit contents:

• 2 gallon primary fermenter W/lid and grommet

• 1 gallon glass jug W/lid for an Airlock

• Airlock

• no rinse Cleanser

• sanitizer

• mini auto siphon

• siphon tubing and shut off clamp

• liquid crystal \"stick on\" thermometer

• double lever Capper Lab

• thermometer

• Hydrometer with test jar

• bottle brush

• instructions.

You'll definitely still want a starter kit either way. It has a lot of nice tools that you'll need either way. Then build from there. Here's what I would do:

• $90 - starter kit with plastic carboy
  
• $100- 12 gallon kettle
  
• $50- kettle conversion kit- ball valve and thermometer (can't see actual price at work...
  
• $50- Propane Burner
  
• $30 refractometer
  
• $40 wort chiller
  
• $60 stir plate
  
• $15 erlenmeyer flask
  
• $60 oxygen kit (50 there, plus a $10 tank at HD)
  
  So that puts you at about $500. That gives you a badass kettle and everything you need to do a full-boil extract batch, or enough for brew-in-a-bag if you want to dive into all-grain right away.
  
  Honestly, I wouldn't go much over that for a first batch. Try it a few times and see what suits you. You may want to get into the science end more and get a pH meter and hemocytometer. You may want to do 3-vessel all-grain and build a nice mash tun and get another kettle. You may want to get another coil and do a recirculating system. You may just want a pump to transfer faster. You may want to build a big stand for it all. You might decide you want electric controls to it... you won't know until you get into it a bit and determine what your priorities are.
  
  OR... watch craiglist for a month or so, and see if anybody is selling a big system. There's some badass ones out there that i've seen for very reasonable prices.

My brother is getting married in October (which is good news by itself) and because he and his fiancée want more than the 6 people City Hall allows to attend, I GET TO MARRY THEM! I have been ordained through Universal Life Church (the real one, not the fake one) since March 2006 and I finally get to marry someone! I put in my minister profile that I'll only do same-sex weddings, but I made an exception because, well, it's my brother.

Hooray!

(if you're taking suggestions, I'd go for the beer savers, but I'm fine with a surprise!)

Thanks for the contest!

To piggy back on u/stormbeforedawn's comment.

This is the equipment I used that I've had good luck with so far. It's what he recommended, I'm just providing links to the specific product I used.

• 2 gal primary bucket
  
  
• 1 gal secondary glass
  
  
• Autosiphon
  
  
• racking cane
  
  
• Hydrometer
  
  
• Starsan
  
  
• GoFerm
  
  
• I used Fermaid O, not Fermaid K, because I was following a specific nutrient regimen. It's called TONSA 2.0. Popular, but apparently not cost efficient with larger batches. People better at this than I can answer nutrient schedule questions.
  
  
• Bubbler/Airlock.
  
  
• Bottles and cap method are your preferance. You can get bottles of tons of shapes, colors and styles. Corked, capped, swingtop, etc. Just make sure the bottles are food-safe and not decorative hobby/thrift store stuff. If you use corks, same rule, don't use decorative stuff. You'll want #8 agglomerated cork and a hand corker tool to put the corks on. #9 corks work too, but you'll need heavy tools (like a floor corker) to do that..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004NXUJ06/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397145827&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

Yes, but also it's pretty easy to fold the strap into the case too cos the grolsh rings are flat

I've done it for the last 2 years. Really good. The link above is way more than you'll need, I'm still on my first pair!

EZ Cap 16oz bottles: CASE OF 12 - 16 oz. EZ Cap Beer Bottles - CLEAR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064ODUDK/

I get them from my local brew shop for $25 per 12 pack. Work great.

Two options: wine whip (you can use other things on hand with the same effect like some stiff wire that's been sanitized) and Fermcap-S.

Not really sure how effective Fermcap is when degassing (never tried it) - it's mainly just to prevent excessive foam during fermentation, not while actively mixing it up. Very, very careful use of a wine whip is probably your best bet. However, it's really not the end of the world if you don't degas at all.

I'm not sure what your budget is or where you are located, but maybe something like this could help?

​

https://www.amazon.com/FastFerment-Conical-Fermenter-Fermenter-fermenter/dp/B077X2261T/

​

It has attachments to catch a lot of the lees in a mason jar, and some other "upgrades". Hopefully, this helps. Best of luck on your journey!

I see you have a mash paddle in there, but I don't see a mash tun. Are you going to BIAB or use extract? Then I don't think you need the paddle.

Or do you already have a tun lying around?

If you want an even sweeter all-grain system, consider an extra pot - I'd get one a little oversized, maybe this 36-quart Bayou classic. Then use your smaller pot for hot liquor, and the big pot for boiling a full volume.

You're going to have a hard time boiling 5 gallons of wort in a 20-quart pot. At best I could fit 4.5 gallons in mine, and I had to be very careful for boilovers - I recommend Fermcap-S to help control the foam; 2 drops per gallon as you heat to a boil.

One of the "hidden" costs of brewing is upgrading equipment. If it's something you really think he'd be in to, getting some equipment that's worthwhile can save you/him money in the long term. I've had a few friends that got in to it, purchased cheap/small stuff, and spent the next year upgrading things again. Buy it once. Now, I'm not saying refit your garage into a full HERMS setup, but getting not-dirt-cheap items & items you can grow with really is invaluable.

When I started, I went with this which has most of what you'll need. The only things left are the kettle, mash tun, propane burner, and a good metal spoon. Here's what I went with, and still use.
Kettle
Spoon
Burner

For the mash tun, I went with a 10g igloo and converted it over following these instructions. I've since upgraded that to a 15g stainless steel pot w/ false bottom, but the igloo definitely served its purpose.

I visited them a few weeks back since I have heard some good things about them. Overall I thought they had a good line-up with nothing offensive but also not really anything that made me stand-up and cheer. I visited again on the Hartbeat release and while it was a good offering, I thought it was actually more underwhelming than their normal IPA offerings. It really needed a more generous dry hop punch.

And not to be a beer snob or anything, but they fill the growlers straight from the tap. They don't use a growler filler (which is basically tubing that allows the beer to fill from the bottom of the growler to the top) or flush with CO2 prior to filling. This was noticeable the next day when we opened the growler and it was under-carbonated and had lost a bunch of aroma.

I have a 5 lb [co2 tank](Zebra DNA Luxfer L6X Aluminum CO2 Tanks with CGA320 on/off Valve 5 LB, Brushed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085282UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IxrIybWJW0EKA) it came empty, but I found a local place that fills my tank and gives it back instead of taking the empty and giving you an already filled one. I personally didn't want to do DIY because it's way more work where this you just fill it, attach your regulator with tubing and have your diffuser in the water. Pretty quick and easy setup. Highly recommend co2.

If you want to be the best friend ever, listen up. A standard keg pump uses ambient air to pressurize the keg, which means the keg will go bad after a very short time. If you get a portable co2 system, it will cost a bit more, but I believe you will be considered the best friend ever. Here goes...
First you need the appropriate tap, which you have indicated is the S-type. You'll then need to get an MFL connector for gas hookup. While there, buy a party faucet with beer nut. You then buy the keg charger and mini CO2 cartridges (similar to those used in a pellet gun). I'll leave it to you to find Canadian sources for these products, but this is what you'd need.

Can pick up some of these , drop one in and recap. They are normally a waste of money, but I think they are the best solution to save beer that has already been bottled.

Pretty much any 5 gallon extract kit will be beginner friendly.

Your local brew shop should have a kit equivalent to this. You'll need that equipment, plus a 5 gallon stainless steel brew kettle, and any extract kit - there should be plenty to pick from there, so just go with whatever sounds good.

Definitely ask them about how to set up a blowoff hose also, that's something you want to learn early on before you accidentally make a huge mess, lol.

1. find a sturdy flat rubber washer that’s inner diameter is JUST enough to stretch over your strap button. The red ones from a Grolsch swing type bottle can work. Or, really any washer whose inner diameter is smaller than the outer button flange that you can install on top of the strap, unscrewing the button if needed. Even a plastic bread clip can work in a pinch, but a sturdy plastic clip like the Dunlop Ergo Lok or StewMac Lokstrap is a more sturdy no-mod solution.
   
   
2. You could get a reverb pedal like the TC Electronics Hall of Fame, but you need to be aware of the mic/line level difference, phantom power, and adapting to/from XLR to 1/4”. Edit:links.

Brewing beer (or ale) is a useful skill to acquire. It's a blend of cooking and science and the reward is an alcoholic beverage. It doesn't take much skill at first to get some simple beers through and your art will improve with experience. I've been brewing close to ten years now and I'm still learning new techniques all the time. You can start off with a simple kit like this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Home-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B006J336US

Then all you need is a 3 gallon stainless steel pot, a spoon, some bottles and some caps.

Background

Based upon my initial question: Is it wine or meed?, I am working on my first Mead/Pyment. I've taken the original recipe I cobbled together from a variety of sources.

Is it mead? Well yes. According to the calculators in the sidebar concord juice is about 8.89% sugar. Honey is roughly 80%. I'm no math wiz, but I fussed with both Google and Wolframalpha and 8.89% of two gallons is roughly 45 Tablespoons or 0.23 pounds of sugars, 1 Gallon of Honey is roughly equivalent to 204 tablespoons of sugars or 7.9 pounds of sugars. yes I know Different types of sugars, etc. etc. But the mixture here is getting much more than 51% of the sugars from honey, so: 'tis a Wine -> Mead -> Melomel -> Pyment.


The following is an expansion of The GotMead format for recipes.

1. Ingredients
   
   • Star-San - not technically an ingredient, but it's for sterilization. I think of it as an anti-ingredient keeping the bad bugs out. (Sprayer use= 1/4 tsp to 650ml water & 60 second exposure)
     
   • 1.5 Gallons of boiled tap water (more or less to make things work out.) NOTE: I have well water, not city water - so no chlorine & plenty of minerals.
     
   • ~2 Gallons of homemade concord grape juice. (SG 1.060)
     Last year I pressed about about six gallons of grape juice from concords of my own. I was going to make jelly in the winter and froze it in the deep freeze.
     
   • 10lbs (now 15lbs) of Pure N Simple Honey.
     
   • ~3 tsp Fermax from Amazon.
     
   • Red Star Premier Blanc [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00434CB74)
     
     
2. Equipment
   
   • Large Stainless stock pot (for initial boil)
     
   • 5 Gallon food grade bucket & Lid sterilized.
     
   • 4 Gallon Sams club water bottle playing the role of carboy.
     
   • Hydrometer
     
   • Transfer hose
     
   • Water lock/ Bubbler
     
     
3. Preparation
   
   • Thaw the grape juice overnight in the fridge in a large container in case of leakage.
     
   • Sterilization/pasteurization.
     Thinking through the volume of Honey (~1 gallon) and aiming for a 4 gallon carboy; bring 1.5 gallon of water to a boil. Turn off heat, add the grape juice in order to pasteurize the juice without setting the pectin, stir in about 10-12 pounds of honey. (remove any scum that forms)
     
   • Sanitize the bucket and lid, and stirring spoon.
     
   • Stir vigorously as you add the ingredients.
     
   • add to the bucket, check the temperature and the SG - calculate remaining honey or water and add as needed. Stir till mixed, or your arm falls off - whichever comes first.
     
   • Check the temperature until it is at least down to about 80 degrees then add the yeast we're off to primary fermentation.
     
     
4. Primary fermentation.
   
   • 5 gallon sterilized bucket & lid with airlock.
     
   • Actual Original Specific Gravity (OG): 1.130 (I thought it was 1.122 but the must was still quite warm.)
     
   • I will plan on testing as fermentation tapers off and make a decision then on adding additional honey and warm water (carefully of course) in order to restart fermentation. (adjust to desired SG as needed).
     
   • Once fermentation has stopped transfer it to the secondary.
     
     
5. Secondary.
   
   • 4 gallon sams club water jug (plastic) with airlock.
     
   • Saved my honey jugs just in case I had any left over that wouldn't fit in the carboy.
     
   • Time. Lots of time.
     
     Notes:
     
     9/13/16 Initial. Retested SG, it was at 1.130.
     
     9/15/16 Sterilized a large spoon and vigerously stirred to aerate. SG at 1.074, fermentation is fast and furious.
     
     9/16/16 Aerated/degassed. 3tsp fermax. SG 1.050
     
     9/16/16 Aerated/degassed. SG 1.026
     
     9/21/16 Racking Day. SG 0.998 (ABV 18%?). Upon racking there was not quite enough in the carboy. After staring at it for twenty minutes I decided to gamble and added one gallon of water, and 5LBS of honey to bring it up to just below the base of the neck. Retesting the SG was 1.030. It is currently sitting inside a 5 gallon bucket in my bathroom, I'll transfer it to the closet as soon as I'm reasonably certain it won't go Mt. St. Helens on my wardrobe.
     
     

From you list I totally NEED this [beer cap] (http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Savers-Silicone-Rubber-Bottle/dp/B003Z5GW0O/ref=wl_it_dp_v_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1XNII0MJPVPJU&coliid=I15PGW3OQT1IE) I'm never finishing my beers.

[This] (http://www.stupidpuppyhead.com/womensfullscreen.html) shirt is hilarious

Most importantly, Happy Birthday Kramdiw !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (was that enough !?)

> Please list ALL the basic equipment for pressurized CO2?

• Cylinder
  
• Regulator
  
• Solenoid Valve - can be bought separately or as a unit with the reg.
  
• Check Valve
  
• Bubble Counter
  
• Diffuser
  
• CO2 resistant tubing
  
• Timer plug
  
  I use a CO2 fire extinguisher rather than a normal cylinder, but it's essentially the same.
  
  Only real downside is the ongoing cost. Other thing to think about are balancing CO2 levels when the lights go off, but that's easy enough to accomplish with the timer plug.
  
  Cost for me was about £100 all in, but I got lucky with some cheap CO2..

I used one of these for my last batch that I bottled yesterday and it worked very well to keep the fermenter trub to a minimum, and it also allowed the hops to be fully submerged, introducing all that wonderful hop oil to the fermenting wort.

Hops will introduce DO to the fermenting wort, so it's important to dry hop at high krausen so the yeast has plenty of opportunity to push that oxygen out. I imagine you're adding dry hops too late to the party, so there's increased DO in the fermenter and the fermentation has slowed to the point where the DO is sticking around too long.

I almost always dry hop on day 2 or 3 at the very latest, and found that there was more oxidation to my NEIPAs when I did a second dry hop at day 7 or so, so I've just started chucking all of my dry hops in at once to minimize the amount of oxygen I'm introducing.

Basic chemical nutrient mixes are fairly cheap, but you can also use things like tomato paste or fruit purees. Some people use raisins, but everything I've read says that they make really mediocre nutrients. Probably still better than nothing.

Distillation isn't practical for me, so I haven't experimented with turbo yeast/high ABV hooch, but if you're determined to hit maximum ABV you might need some equipment to aerate your brew. This page has some info about the science behind aeration from a beer brewing perspective.

Whatever you decide to try, take before and after readings with your hygrometer and let us know how it comes out!

It depends on your budget, and what you might already have available to you. The kit does not include a kettle, so you'll need one of those. If you already have at least a 5G / 20 quart kettle, that's good enough to start with. If you need to buy a new kettle, I would highly recommend getting a 10G / 40 quart kettle... assuming you intend to continue brewing 5G batches (pretty standard). While you can start out with a 5G kettle, doing a partial boil (this means you boil 2-3 gallons, then add water to make 5G) you will produce better beer if you can do a full boil. To do so, you need to start with 6-7G of water so that at the end of 60 minutes you end with 5G of wort - obviously you can't do that in a 5G kettle. Further, if you ever graduate to all-grain, you'll need a 10G kettle anyway. IMO it is better to spend a little extra money once rather than spend twice.

That said, you can get good 10G stainless steel or aluminum kettles on Amazon for under $100.

Another thing you may want to look into is a wort chiller. I would recommend getting at least an immersion chiller, which are typically the most cost effective. Again, you can find these on Amazon starting around $55. You can also build one, but depending on your DIY skills, and the price of copper, it may not be worth the time and effort.

Outside of that you will also need empty brown non-twist cap bottles. You can buy them empty, or just buy a couple cases of beer to kill - just make sure they are brown, and non-twist off. Rinse the bottles as you drink them and you'll have a lot less cleaning to do on bottling day. A 5G batch will fill about 50 bottles, so 2 cases should be sufficient.

Good luck!

Growler filler would work. I keg almost everything but a growler for travel is great sometimes. Maybe like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bev-Rite-Extraordinary-Jug-Growler/dp/B003FW6BA8

I've got a fairly small apartment. I really only do 1-gallon batches, because I just don't have the space for the more typical 5-gallon ones. I also do mostly extract recipes because I don't have the equipment (or space) for all-grain ones.

That said, I've got a Brewer's Best 1-gallon equipment Kit (bought from a homebrew store), a 32 qt boiling pot, and several 1-gallon glass fermentors (one comes in the kit, the rest are from glass wine jugs that I repurpose).

Other that that you'd just need ingredients for your recipe and a couple airlocks (blowoff tubes are somewhat better with the 4L wine jugs, to make one you just need a rubber bung, a bit of vinyl tubing, and a small bottle/jar).

This is the smaller cheaper one. I've been seeing a lot of either you love it or find it useless. As to the speidel I'll have to look more into it. My wife and dnd group both love fruity so that'll probably be a good investment once I have more space. That'll be down the line though. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2261T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5QG4CbGK63BKD

I use clear flip top bottles like these. Add a speed pourer for precision, and you're good to go. Of course the later is optional.

http://www.amazon.com/CASE-OF-12-Bottles-CLEAR/dp/B0064ODUDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412296599&sr=8-2&keywords=flip+top+bottles

or for larger batches
http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Giara-Bottle-Stopper/dp/B003QZPY6Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412296599&sr=8-3&keywords=flip+top+bottles

Use a stainless hop strainer instead. Something like this.

I’ve used it with many types of fruit and gunk and don’t recall ever having an issue. Just stick the siphon inside of it and use pressure on the siphon to keep it on the side of the FV above the level of the liquid.

The only issue is that it’s not going to work with carboys, but honestly plastic buckets are pretty boss.

One thing you might consider is 2.5 gallon kegs. If you have some room to spare in your regular fridge, you could fit one of these in there and possibly get a small co2 tank or just use a keg charger like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Cornelius-Keg-Charger/dp/B000NV9CE6

Point being, if you put your mind to it, you COULD start kegging now. You'll never look back once you do.

Happy brewing!

Firstly, once oxygen has entered the bottle, the countdown is on until it goes stale. You can try to reduce the time exposed to oxygen, but short of recarbonating the bottle with more sugar and yeast, you're never getting the oxygen out.

Secondly, you're battling against losing CO2. The best bet to keep CO2 in solution is to keep the beer cold. Beer loses CO2 as it warms up. So pour your first glass, and then get the bottle back in the fridge ASAP.

Thirdly, and I have no science to back this up, I like to use a rubber cap to seal my bottle in the fridge. I figure this will physically block some of the CO2 from escaping, and reduce the oxygen getting in, but I honestly don't know if it works or it's just placebo. I've left half full bombers sit in my fridge for 3-4 days with a rubber cap with some solid success though.

Beer Saver Cap I'm talking about : https://www.amazon.ca/Beer-Savers-Silicone-Rubber-Bottle/dp/B003Z5GW0O

I got a c02 mini desktop usb sensor on amazon, actually works with linux! only about $60! I have not used it yet but in testing it has worked great.

Edit Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7HFINS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Why do so many people dry hop in these canisters? Seems to me they’re an awkward fit in a fermenter, they have holes in top, and the space could be cramped 😕

I think I like these bags more. They’re way bigger and I think it seals off better. Am I missing something? Just want to prevent clogs on closed transfers with huge dry hops.

For force carbing I just set to 40psi for 24 hours then drop to serving pressure and let it sit for a couple of days. It's pretty drinkable after the first day, but I'm not overly concerned about super accurate volumes of co2.

To bottle without some kind of beer gun, you'll want to drop pressure as low as you can and put the bottles in the freezer to get super cold first. I'd also pour half a glass first to let the beer cool down the faucet. I got one of these for filling growlers and it would make things easier for bottling from keg on the cheap too. Leave about as much space in the neck as if you were bottle conditioning and cap on top of the foam.

If you're not looking to spend much I would suggest some half gallon growlers. You can usually pick them up for 5 dollars empty at your local craft beer brewery. They're great if you have a second fermentation recipe that you enjoy. It is a lot less work filling up one of these instead of multiple grolsch style bottles. Another thing I use is an auto siphon. Also cheap on Amazon. Makes filling bottles a breeze.
Auto-Siphon Mini with 6 Feet of Tubing and Clamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SDLLZDY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sJwuybWN82B85

I did last night it was easier than pie. Brought my carbonated keg over, put it on ice set up the picnic tap & used this. Then just remove & take home to put on your tap. Fresh draught beer at your friends. What's so hard about that?

This is a good starting point for the tools. Mead at its' core is just honey, water, and some yeast (I'd recommend Lalvin-D47 or EC-1118). If you have any other questions, PM me!

Trying to stir in the priming solution into your fermenter is just going to stir up the yeast and likely introduce oxygen.

Honestly, you need to buy something. Either buy a bucket to rack the beer into (which will mix in the solution solution), or buy carbonation drops.

this seems like a fine one.

Absolute bare minimum you could just use a $3 5-gal bucket from home depot $4.50 food grade bucket from lowe's with a hole cut in the top to put in a $2 airlock with a rubber bung, $0.80 worth of plastic tubing to siphon into empty wine bottles, cork and enjoy.

I ordered mine yesterday....I also assumed they were Italian, since I couldn't find where they were made. I also checked out the reviews before I made the purchase. They seemed pretty favorable for the most part.
http://www.amazon.com/Paklab-Glass-Carboy-Liter-1-9-Pound/product-reviews/B002VFXW5W/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_pop_hist_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

How about drilling out a small stainless filter like this for the dip tube (https://www.amazon.com/Micron-Filter-Stainless-Cornelius-Brewing/dp/B06Y2F4BMY/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=hop+filter&qid=1563815355&s=home-garden&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1)

Connecting that to the dip tube, Fermenting in the keg, adding fruit and letting it do its thing, then transferring out to another keg when you're ready to? I bought one of these to do that with my fruited berliners but haven't had the time. I have also removed the poppet for transfers like you're saying but have ended up with clogs from the serving keg to the tap.

You have one of these?

https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-5478-6H-Auto-Siphon-Tubing-Clamp/dp/B00SDLLZDY/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3FSQTFCNKS7D6&keywords=auto+siphon&qid=1569088031&s=gateway&sprefix=auto+si%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-2

Best to start the siphon in a pot of clean water to get it going, clamp off the hose and then transfer the cane into the mead to begin siphoning it out. If you hold it as you're doing it, you can prevent any of the sediment at the bottom from getting in. Just stop it before it gets there.

I never used that yeast. Most people here use wine, champagne, or mead yeast like Lalvin 71B-1122 or EC-1118 or ICV D-47 - though people occasionally do use ale yeast.

You could probably get that kit stuff cheaper as /u/balathustrius said assuming you have a shop nearby. But there is something to be said for just pulling the trigger and getting it all in one go, and there's nothing wrong with that.


Personally I'd get the cheaper kit without the honey and just get 3lbs of honey locally or at the farm market or grocery store for my first go.


Even though the kit has some cleaner/sanitizer (never used that type) I'd probably order some StarSan instead of the honey.

edit: add some yeast nutrients like GoFerm and Fermaid K and you're good to go. You can make the mead without them but they are highly recommended, especially when using ONLY honey. The yeast need more than sugar, otherwise your fermentation will possibly just stall.

These.

https://www.amazon.ca/Beer-Savers-Silicone-Rubber-Bottle/dp/B003Z5GW0O

Don't have these exact ones cause I got some for free at an event but they actually seal really well and hold a fair bit of pressure! Beer always tastes fine the next day when bottle was half empty or less.

It's sold by Amazon, not a 3rd party... so I don't think it is. Unless whoever Amazon buys it from is promoting it, which I doubt.

ref= in amazon links just tells amazon which button the user clicked. tag= is what is used for the amazon affiliate program (examples).

/u/Akira_Yamamoto could have removed everything after /dp/B00H7HFINS/ and the link would still work.

• https://www.amazon.ca/CO2Meter-RAD-0301-Mini-Monitor-White/dp/B00H7HFINS/

Carboy. It’s the same shape as a bucket and doesn’t have a handle. It’s a glass container that’s super heavy when filled with wort/beer. Usually slippery after you brew which makes it even more useful to be able to carry it like this. There’s a LOT of stories on the homebrew sub where people have broken their foot, sliced their tendons, sliced their nerves, etc not to mention had tons of broken glass and like 5 gallons of beer spill onto their floor.

After dry hopping with my hop sock and realizing I can't get the knot undone to re-use it, I've decided to get one of the metal hop spiders like this one. only question I have is that they all seem to have those big holes at the top (like a salt shaker), don't they defeat the purpose of the fine mesh? Do I need to tie this kind of hop spider to the lid of my fermenter to keep it from falling over, because that seems unnecessary when it could just have a solid top

Have to agree with everyone on here, a charger is the easiest way to go. Also they are small and relatively inexpensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-G5040-Charger-Black/dp/B000NV9CE6

I just bought a 3 gallon used pinlock soda keg, with all the fixings (dual regulator, picnic tap, o rings.etc) for $150 from Adventures in Homebrewing. Went on amazing.com and got a 5# co2 canister for $66. Just need to fill it up at a local air soft store and I'm good to go for a little over $200.

Still leaves me 2 gallons to bottle, or I could just brew in 3 gallon batches.

You can still purge. Just open it quickly and throw in the hops. I would highly recommend either bagging the hops or using a dry hopper, cause hops will clog up quick disconnects like you wouldn't believe.

you can probably find a CO2 bike inflator from Walmart or something that might be cheaper and easier than marbles, but if you're in a pinch, i guess marbles could to it. They also have argon inert gas in a aerosol that you can buy for like $10.

Those beer washers work very good, amazon prime for $5 gets you 100 of them.

Edit: it's $8 for 100

[ LINk ] ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NXUJ06/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F0bmzbEQQ71QS )

This is now the easiest method you've found :-)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FW6BA8/

Holy crap, i didnt even think of those as a washer. Ive got like 200 of them. And theyre super cheap online. Woooooo, sorbo alternative!

Grolsch Bottle Replacement Washers (Pack of 100) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NXUJ06/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RO5lzb59739Q4

Get one of those 2-3 gallon jar/beverage dispensers with a spigot (make sure spigot is not metal, many look metal but aren't). It makes bottling so much easier. Also, a funnel. And some type of bottle with lid like this

$14 and free shipping for 100 gaskets on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Brewcraft-Grolsch-Bottle-Replacement-Washers/dp/B004NXUJ06

I’d recommend something like this to put the peaches in. You should also keep then in through fermentation. I’d also start with 3 lbs for a 5 gallon batch.

I got this one from Amazon and I really like it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7HFINS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just used one of these for the first time. I used pellet hops. It’s pretty rad!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y2F4BMY/ref=asc_df_B06Y2F4BMY5266918/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B06Y2F4BMY&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198078807540&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17215079381502969390&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1020955&hvtargid=pla-319252294200

Hah! That URL! Sorry, on mobile

I used to use straplocks but I switched to rubber washers and I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

I used to use Schaller ones, I liked them the most because of the design.

https://www.amazon.com/Grolsch-Bottle-Replacement-Washers-Pack/dp/B004NXUJ06/ref=pd_sbs_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B004NXUJ06&pd_rd_r=AY1NG5P021DCM7448X9N&pd_rd_w=S18uq&pd_rd_wg=DFktd&psc=1&refRID=AY1NG5P021DCM7448X9N

OR (8 US cents each) http://www.amazon.com/Brewcraft-Grolsch-Bottle-Replacement-Washers/dp/B004NXUJ06

Do you think I'm better off spending $20 more for 2 6-Gallon carboys? Such as the ones on today's homebrew find?

No, I got it at my local hydro shop. It's probably equivalent to this. Plus a couple aeration stones and a small fish tank pump for the top feeding.
I like the setup a lot. I don't have much to compare it to, but it works well for me. Changing the water in the bucket is the only annoying thing, but I have an auto-siphon from home brewing which helps a lot.

If you get a heat diffuser you can use the flask directly on an electric stovetop. This also sanitizes the flask. I highly recommend fermcap for yeast starters. It saves me time. Instead of watching for boilover for 30m I can go do other stuff.

Hi everyone! I have This kegerator http://www.edgestar.com/KC2000TWIN-EdgeStar-Full-Size-Dual-Tap-Kegerator-And-Keg-Beer-Cooler/KC2000TWIN,default,pd.html I am trying to find a hose big enough to fit. I bought this growler filler http://www.amazon.com/Draft-Warehouse-Extraordinary-Jug-Growler/dp/B003FW6BA8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453319907&sr=8-1&keywords=growler+filler however, its too big. Does anyone have a similar kegerator and perhaps can direct me to the right diameter hose that will work for this? Thanks in advance.


Edit - sorry for the poor formatting. I copy pasted this from a couple of days ago when I asked and it wont let me put links in update mode.

Thanks!

You could try this. It's safe for ingestion too.

I just made a post about this.
If cost is the only reason for the switch to better bottles check out this $24 glass carboy:

http://www.amazon.com/Paklab-Glass-Carboy-Liter-1-9-Pound/dp/B002VFXW5W/ref=sr_1_cc_1?t=slickdeals&tag=slickdeals&ie=UTF8&qid=1291137175&sr=1-1-catcorr

I bought a basic Fermtech 5478-6H Auto-Siphon Mini with 6 Feet of Tubing and Clamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SDLLZDY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_f1EuDb9WJSGFD

Siphon. Had another sterilized carboy and transferred it. Then added my new spices and fruits.

You're always gonna need two containers in my opion. This is my second time and my first was a fucking failure. So I've done more studying. And what's best for at least 1gl brews. It's more investment. But worth it

It came out to about $325. I opted for the led on the solenoid. Also, having the atomizer on the outside of the tank will be nice. This is the CO2 tank I went with.

Yes sir.

CO2Meter RAD-0301 Mini CO2 Monitor, White

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7HFINS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uI0rDb4NME0AN

making a decent airlock, and getting the sugar in could prove a challenge.

https://www.amazon.com/FastFerment-Conical-Fermenter-Fermenter-fermenter/dp/B077X2261T

I just got one of these, and it's awesome. But don't ever get boiling water on the plastic, it warps and you lose seals.

Picknick tap, the cheapest co2 regulator and bottle you can find and a 5 gallon ball lock keg. Eventually you will want them cold too, and then you can build a keggerator.

https://www.amazon.com/PERA-ball-lock-assembly-making/dp/B079MF7RMP

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Home-Brew-Keg-Stainless/dp/B01HKZUQIs

https://www.amazon.com/Brewin-Gauge-Draft-Dispensing-Regulator/dp/B013J44ILA

https://www.amazon.com/Luxfer-CO2-5LB-LUXZebra-Aluminum-CGA320-Brushed/dp/B0085282UK

There is a shopping list, I am sure you can find cheaper on craigslist/the internet with some patience.

you need something like this

I've recently bought a few of these but have yet to use them. After having a few muslin bags get stuck on the tip of the dip tube at the bottom of the keg, I've decided that stainless is probably a better option.

I have 2 aquariums. The first is a 15gal at home, the second is a 55gal in a public space. The 15g uses a 2L DIY system, the 55gal uses the following:

Bare minimum: $165

• Regulator with solenoid -- $89 -- http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Instruments-Solenoid-Regulator-Counter/dp/B001DTNWF2/
  
• 5lbs CO2 tank -- $65 -- http://www.amazon.com/CO2-Tank-Aluminum-Cylinder-Valve/dp/B0085282UK/
  
• diffuser -- $11 -- http://www.amazon.com/S-T-International-Aquarium-Glass-Diffuser/dp/B00I3M988M/
  
• CO2 tubing: -- $10 -- http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-CO2-Proof-Tubing-16-Feet/dp/B008UCOFJW/
  
  Upgrades:
  
  
• CO2 bubble counter with integrated check valve. (Replaces the existing unit, protects the regulator itself) -- $ 20 -- http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-Brass-Bubble-Counter-Integrated/dp/B009WTMQ3Y/
  
• PH controller (Turns CO2 system on off based off water ph) -- $120 -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Z4J500/r

Would something like this suffice for a kit? It says Beer, but it's one of the results when typing in "mead making kit"

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Brew-Home-Brewing-K6/dp/B01467U8KY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1453592482&sr=8-4&keywords=mead+making+kit

>in day 3-4 and then closed transfer to a keg with 3oz loose in the keg

Personally I do mine on day 1 or 2, at high krausen. As for loose, save yourself the hassle of clogged posts and get something like this for keg hopping. Works great. I've never had grassy/off flavors doing this, and I tend to take a solid month or two to kill a keg.

http://www.amazon.com/Fermcap-S-Foam-Inhibitor-1-oz/dp/B006O93GLQ

Boil-over issue solved.

Next time rehydrate your yeast.

I was wondering if I wanted over the top or lock inside. Which is why I'm polling right now.

And while a beer gun is a sexy toy to add to my collection, it's not $100 sexy.

Or you can get some 2 L bottles, one or more carbonator caps, and a ball lock fitting and air hose. You can hook those up to your tank's regulator and carbonate all the bottles you want.

You can also get a CO2 Charger and a ball lock fitting if you don't want to buy the big tank up front, but the running costs are a lot higher.

Either way, you can use your equipment to carbonate the water and use sodastream (or any other) syrup... or make and carbonate your own drinks.

Well if you're using the same yeast nutrient I use you should have pitched about 2.5 tbs. My instructions said 1-1.5 teaspoons per gallon, and you started out with 3 teaspoons in five gallons (1.5 tsp up front, 1.5 tsp later, right?), so by my math you're still significantly lacking nutrients.

If you add more later do it slow and careful. Last time I tried to pitch additional nutrients was five days into the ferment and had a dissapointing crop of farts going on. I realized I'd done exactly what you did, only pitched 1.5 tsp of nutrients, popped the top and frantically dumped in an additional tablespoon. GUSH!

Meh, I use one of these not that exact one but one that fits my tap. I just turn the flow down to a trickle and it fills bottles or growlers fine.

My wife drinks 3-4 bottles of carbonated water every day. We used to buy Pelligrino at Costco, at $14/case, or around $60/mo. That was 3 years ago. This thing paid for itself a long, long time ago for me.

On top of that, I purchased a 5 pound tank from Amazon, and an adapter which hooks the tank up to the SodaStream. The tank costs $23 to refill, but has far more capacity than the little bottles the SS comes with. I have to refill it about once every two months.

Links:

https://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm

http://www.amazon.com/CO2-Tank-Aluminum-Cylinder-Valve/dp/B0085282UK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393961834&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=7ln+co2+tank

Note: You can get a tank and swap it at some local shops, but where I live I can't find anyone who does that, so I had to buy the new tank.

Here is what I plan on getting for the 10 gallon. I also plan on buying a Finnex Planted+ II whenever it comes out.

CO2 Regulator- http://greenleafaquariums.com/products/gla-gro-co2-regulator.html
Fertilizer- http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/pps-pro-fertilizer-package.html
CO2 indicator solution- http://greenleafaquariums.com/products/cal-aqua-double-check-indicator-solution.html
Drop Checker- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J594UVM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XASUQHYFCLHB&coliid=I3NWGM7JZJRTSD
CO2 Tank- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085282UK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XASUQHYFCLHB&coliid=I2XE9EO3Z2DAGA&psc=1
Subtrate- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DH0QM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XASUQHYFCLHB&coliid=I10PPPB3TWL6ZG

Brian May even uses them: http://i.imgur.com/r42kJne.jpg and you can get them on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grolsch-Bottle-Replacement-Washers-Pack/dp/B004NXUJ06.

Could keg condition, get 1 gas in and 1 beer out disconnect, some hose and clamps, one of these, and some co2 cartridges. Ice down the bottom of the upright keg in a spare cooler or bucket.

Just be careful with the keg charger. The first time i used mine i way over pressurized and got cups of head.

You can just buy the washers, Amazon has them for $10 here

I use these for my cider and haven't run into problems in the two years I've done it.

https://www.amazon.com/Coopers-Home-Brewing-Carbonation-Drops/dp/B003E5ZYB8

I would stay away from using commercial air compressors and pesticide sprayers.

Just buy a Cornelius keg (they're about 50 bucks) and get a mobile keg charger like this. You can then connect a 1/4 vinyl line and then get a ball lock or pin lock disconnect (depends on the type of corny keg you buy) and then attach a picnic tap at the end. If you want it to spray just buy a bottle filling wand or a racking cane and shove it into the outlet of the picnic tap.

Or buy a CO2 inflator like this to initially pressure it.


http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-G5040-Charger-Black/dp/B000NV9CE6

I'm not advocating such silliness, but here's an example: http://amzn.com/B003Z5GW0O

I've got this thing to go with my perlick taps on my kegorator. I haven't tried it yet though.

http://www.amazon.com/CO2-Tank-Aluminum-Cylinder-Valve/dp/B0085282UK

I am using this one Homebrewstuff One Gallon Nano-meadery Mead Starter Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICTNLGG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_E3XfAb3A357RE

If you're into DIY, you might be able to do something with these:
Carbonate
Cap

You can also buy the washers by themselves...

http://www.amazon.com/Grolsch-Bottle-Replacement-Washers-Pack/dp/B004NXUJ06/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462308922&sr=8-2&keywords=grolsch

The working man's strap lock.

https://www.amazon.ca/Grolsch-Bottle-Replacement-Washers-Pack/dp/B004NXUJ06?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duc12-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B004NXUJ06

Way cheaper. Although, you probably don’t need 100 of them. 🤷‍♂️

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Cheapest straplocks

Usable desktop link for the same product.

(this should be a bot)

just bought this one for father's day, haven't used it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NV9CE6/ref=psdc_979840011_t3_B01IFXQAYS

Local brew shop. They're ez-cap bottles: https://www.amazon.com/CASE-12-Beer-Bottles-CLEAR/dp/B0064ODUDK

Fermtech 5478-6H Auto-Siphon Mini... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SDLLZDY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

This one comes with tubing and a clip to adjust the siphon depth.

Get some EZ-Cap bottles from your local homebrew supply or Amazon and print your own labels.

$65 https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-RAD-0301-Mini-Monitor-White/dp/B00H7HFINS/

Unless everything is not shown in the image, I'll say that I got all of that stuff, minus the pot, for about $100. That makes the pot itself come in at $299, which is a bit pricey.

I mean, I believe this kit has everything there (except the pot), shipped, for less than $100

http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Beer-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B006J336US

And then you can get a 10 gallon SS pot, with fittings, for about $220.

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-Gallon-Stainless-Kettle/dp/B009SKU4PE

Of course, if I were to get stuff together for all-grain (which I have) I would also get an insulated cooler for a mash tun, rather than rely on the kettle itself. Those run about $100-$150.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004NXUJ06?pc_redir=1398414039&robot_redir=1

Pack of 100

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003E5ZYB8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522585188&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=carbonation+tabs

FWIW, I ended up buying a tank on Amazon for $64, and then immediately swapping it out for a full tank for $20 at a welding supply store in the Bronx (http://www.awisco.com/). Even with cab fare there and back, it still beats the $150 for a refill and empty tank that website recommended.

Beer Savers! I use them, they work. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003Z5GW0O?pc_redir=1413281083&robot_redir=1#

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y2F4BMY

I hear you. It was $70 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7HFINS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00

Even though it's a low-end model it logs data over USB, so I have to hooked up to a raspberry pi feeding data to a graph. It's very handy for knowing empirically how any of my attemtps to lower CO2 actually perform.

Problem solved, $30 shipped

I do the same thing, only I keep the spring assembly in the bottle filler in place. You can keep the cobra tap open the whole time, and push down to release the beer. I spill less this way.

I also MacGyvered up a hand held co2 charger to purge the bottles, as I fear the oxygen goblins.

How about this: http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-G5040-Charger-Black/dp/B000NV9CE6

No regulator, but it is technically C02. And you can keep the little refills in the cooler to chill them and bring as many as you want.

Obviously carb your keg at home with this solution. It would just be a way to expel the beer.

No worries! On cheesecloth in the keg - I did that once and some loose strands of cheesecloth ended up in the valve poppet, which made everything foamy. Not fun.

​

A couple other options:

• You can add a bit of water to your fruit, blend it, and then use a cheesecloth/strainer to extract the liquid without any of the solids. Frozen fruit seems to work better for this, as the freezing process breaks down cell walls.
  
• You can use a mesh hop filter that is specifically made for hopping/keg infusions.