Equip: 12 Essentials for Home Brewers
Mar 26, 2021
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Whether you’re shopping for a spouse, neighbor, friend or yourself, you know that home brewers love new gadgets, tools and technologies that will make their lives easier.
Both experts and beginners will love the following.
1. Hops Chart 2nd Edition
Every good brewer knows that hops are an important part of the brewing process. However, they can be one of the most difficult things to master because there’s no surefire way to know what they’ll taste like before you use them.
Help yourself — or your favorite brewer — out with a hops chart. This particular chart includes 90 varieties of hops and compares essential oils that may impact the beer’s aroma and flavor.
2. Brew Journal
Once you have the hops chart, you can experiment with different flavor combinations and write down your best ones in a brew journal. This way, if you ever want to make another batch – or avoid making the same mistake twice — you’ll have the batch on record.
3. Brewer’s Best Kit
If you ever run out of ideas or just need some inspiration, try a Brewer’s Best Kit. This particular kit yields five gallons of American Amber, which delivers a flavor that’s balanced between hops and malt. Use it as a base for a larger batch if you want to try something new.
4. Cocktails on Tap
For home brewers that love cocktails and beer equally, there’s Cocktails on Tap, a book that includes more than 50 recipes for drinks that feature both. Learn how to make a few classic cocktails like the beer margarita and use your personal brews to put a new spin on vintage favorites.
5. FoodSaver FM2435
Buying ingredients in bulk can save brewers a lot of money in the long run. However, if they’re to do so, they must have some way to preserve their hops, malts and yeast. Luckily, this vacuum sealer sucks all the air out of whatever bags you choose to store ingredients in, keeping them fresher longer.
6. Bottle Drying Tree
The last thing you want to do on bottling day is sit around and wait for all those longnecks to dry, which is why this bottle drying tree can come in handy. Hook up to 45 bottles onto this little tree and watch them dry in minutes.
7. Hydrometer
Make sure your beer’s gravity, ABV and sugar levels are just right with a hydrometer. This handy gadget is easy to read, environmentally friendly, mercury-free and incredibly accurate.
8. Brix Refractometer
If you’d rather measure the amount of sugar via light refraction, a refractometer is a must. This tool requires a smaller sample size and less equipment than a hydrometer. Plus, the automatic temperature compensation feature allows for a fast, accurate read.
9. Emily Bottle Capper
When you don’t want to haul out the big floor capper, it helps to have a high-quality replacement like the Emily Bottle Capper. This nifty tool has a built-in spring that allows the mechanism to retract automatically, making capping a breeze and bottle less likely to break.
10. Torpedo Key Buoy Floating Dip Tube
If you or your favorite brewer are already into kegging, a floating dip tube will come in handy. This device features a buoy that keeps the tube one inch below the beer’s surface to kick haze to the curb and ensure your brews come out clear.
11. Matte Custom Beer Bottle Labels
Brewers that like to make and keep small batches for themselves might not bother with a custom label. However, those that make large beers for sharing might like to adorn their bottles with colorful labels. Choose from a variety of shapes, sizes, styles and quantities to showcase your unique flavor of beer.
12. Brumate Hopsulator
Beer tastes better cold, which is why a Brumate is so essential. Enjoy your batch the right way and appreciate every tasting note with these handy hopsulators that keep your brew colder longer. Push-lock technology keeps your can or bottle in place and nixes condensation for a slip-free experience.
Get Brewing!
Now that you have your essentials — plus a few extra fun gadgets — it’s time to whip up your next batch of beer.
Put your new tools, ingredients and recipes to good use as you ferment, funnel, sanitize and bottle the day away. Then, sit back and enjoy a cold one. Cheers!
