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Author Topic: Most and Least  (Read 5790 times)

Offline kmccaf

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  • Kyle (Champaign, Hensley Township, Il)
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #15 on: May 19, 2013, 02:56:01 pm »
Most Useful for me have been:

A Drill--Just makes my day easier for milling grain, and for aerating the wort.
Grain Mill
Refrigerator--Have a place to store hops makes my kitchen refrigerator much more useful  :).
A Large Plastic Box--Cheap and useful for fermentation temp control. In my current house I can get the temp down into the low 50's, and made some very good lagers this Winter.
Vacuum Sealer--Extends the life of my hops for a very long time. So, no worries about buying in bulk.

Least Useful:
Hydrometer--I still use it for every brew, but I have my process down pretty well at this point, and am never surprised. So, I think I could very well stop using it, and know what the numbers are for my brews.

Not too much else I find to be of little use. I'm not very fancy in my brewery, so pretty much everything has a good use.
Kyle M.

Offline Podo

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  • Korea
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #16 on: May 20, 2013, 06:22:42 am »
I think the most useful equipment upgrades I've made are fermentation temperature control and getting my own mill.  from a technique standpoint, conditioning the grain has probably been the most useful for me in getting my efficiency up.

Least useful has to be a hydrometer.
So good once it hits your lips!

Offline AmandaK

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  • Redbird Brewhouse
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #17 on: May 20, 2013, 07:39:02 am »
Most: fermentation temperature control / lagering capabilities

Least: I've thrown away or given away most of my useless stuff (two bedroom apt)... tiny brew pots, tiny mash tuns, etc. Basically undersized equipment.
Amanda Burkemper
KC Bier Meisters Lifetime Member - KCBM 3x AHA Club of the Year!!
BJCP Assistant (to the) Midwest Rep
BJCP Grand Master/Mead/Cider


Our Homebrewed Wedding, AHA Article

Offline cheshirecat

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Re: Most and Least
« Reply #18 on: May 20, 2013, 09:54:10 am »
Most valuable: Temp control and mill.

Least valuable: That little float thermometer that came with my kit. Don't think I have used that thing in a couple years. Any and all of my bottling stuff. After I started kegging I told myself... oh I will still bottle sometimes... nope...

Offline tcanova

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  • Fayetteville Arkansas
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #19 on: May 20, 2013, 10:29:51 am »
Most Valuable : As I've gotten older, pumps to pump the wort so I have less to pick up.  10 Gallons of water is heavy.

Least: Lid to my brew pot.
What's the worst that could happen?  Beer?


Wooo Pig Sooiee

Offline metron-brewer

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  • White Bear Lake, MN
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #20 on: May 20, 2013, 10:48:07 am »
Most:
Temp Control
BeerSmith
BrunWater
AHA and NB Forum
Denny's Cheap and Easy Batch sparging

Least:
Glass Carboys
Secondary Fermentor's
Ron B.
White Bear Lake, MN

Offline reverseapachemaster

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
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    • Brain Sparging on Brewing
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #21 on: May 20, 2013, 01:28:18 pm »
Least valuable: That little float thermometer that came with my kit.

Definitely the least reliable piece of equipment. Mine is 13 degrees off at mash temperatures.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline rapurcell85

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Re: Most and Least
« Reply #22 on: May 24, 2013, 10:54:08 am »
Perhaps my most valuable piece of equipment is my propane burner. It allowed me to move out of the kitchen, which I was getting banned from after a boil over and a sticky mess.
Other than that, fermentation temp control.

Least valuable would probably be that cheap thermometer that came with my initial setup.

Offline joe_feist

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  • Grand Rapids, MI
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #23 on: May 26, 2013, 09:17:52 am »
Most- temp control; especially for brewing lagers.
A couple of books lately. Ok , not technically equipment, but loads of good info.

Least- maybe the auto siphon I bought. It worked, but plastic and I broke it quicker than I thought I would.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain

Offline brewsumore

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  • Spokane, WA
Re: Most and Least
« Reply #24 on: May 26, 2013, 07:05:39 pm »
I like my:
1) thermowell/temp controller/fridge ferment chamber (although fridge needs to be upgraded since it's old and hence too slow to cool down temps and energy inefficient))
2) 2" diameter triple-roller Monster Mill and sturdy 1/2" drill to power it
3) Denny cheap n, easy rectangular cooler mashtuns I drilled and modified with straight Bazooka Screen and SS ball valve
4) Palmer-Wahl TM500 thermocouple thermometer and SS rod probe
5) notched culvert wind screen
6) corny kegs and chest freezer kegerator/lagering unit
7) plastic buckets that do NOT use rubber sealing o-ring
8)50' 1/2" copper immersion chiller from MoreBeer
9) 1/2" outflow auto-siphon
10) straight o2 using William's Brewing 22" aeration stone wand
11) two stir plates with 2000 ml flasks
12) fermwrap heater taped to back wall of ferment chamber fridge

Not crazy about my:
1) KAB4 Banjo Burner - it burns too much propane so i went back to my old burner
2) lab thermometers - too slow, although handy for calibrations
3) hop spider - anymore I just throw in pellet hops and strain out enroute to fermenters
4) carboys (have become unnecessary, although I use them for wine)
5) keg washer (I don't use it much for beer-related; although it's great for carboys)

« Last Edit: May 26, 2013, 07:08:59 pm by brewsumore »