The Gear You Need for a Serious Home Brewing Hobby
Homebrewing is becoming an increasingly popular hobby. It makes sense.
Who wouldn’t like to be able to create their own beer at home? However,
most of us can’t afford to drop thousands on commercial fermenters or a walk behind forklift
to move dozens of kegs. Thankfully, there are more affordable tools to
help you become a homebrewer. The following is a list of some of the
most important gear you’ll need for homebrewing.
Cleaning Supplies for Creating a Sanitary Workspace
Nothing ruins your day like finding out your entire batch of beer is contaminated. Not only is it gross, frustrating, and wasteful, but also a potential health risk. Before you start brewing, get some food-grade sanitizer, iodine- or acid-based, and use it liberally on everything that beer is going to touch. Additionally, boil your equipment to sterilize it after use.
Moving Equipment to Avoid Injury
A good hand truck is a must for any homebrewer. The equipment can be heavy. It’s especially heavy when filled with liquid, and you’ll eventually need to move a carboy or kettle full of proto-beer. Much of the equipment (kegs, buckets, carboys, kettles) is round, and getting a keg handling hand truck can make life easier.
A Brewing Kettle or Pot
Most of your beer-making process is going to involve the brew pot/brew kettle/keggle, and your fermenter. Invest in a big aluminum pot. Consider picking up a specially-made kettle/keggle from a brew supply outfit or invest in a lobster-boiling pot.
A Carboy or Fermenting Bucket
Fermentation is when the magic happens, and most committed homebrewers pick up a glass carboy with a rubber stopper for their fermentation. However, in a pinch, a big 6-gallon bucket will do the trick. There are also low-cost buckets with spigots on the side for a little extra. Be sure to pick up stoppers, airlocks, and tubing as well.
A Heat Source for the Brewing Kettle
Brewing requires a heat source. If you’re not planning on brewing much, your stove-top element should be fine. However, for bigger brewing undertakings, a turkey fryer is a terrific investment. Look for affordably priced turkey fryer kits that include really big pots.
A Brewing Thermometer for Temperature Regulation
Regulating temperature is incredibly important for brewing properly, achieving the right flavor, and avoiding contaminants. Picking up a brewing thermometer with a probe that’s at least 12-inches long is a must.
Bottles and Bottling Gear
Depending on your budget, you can buy fresh bottles, or you can very thoroughly sterilize used beer bottles for bottling up your finished product. New beer bottles are not very expensive (though recycling used ones is a great idea.) Once bottled, you’ll need new bottle caps and a bottle capper to cap your beer.
Straining Bag for Filtering and Straining
A good straining bag can serve multiple purposes for a homebrewer looking for cost-effective solutions. They’re excellent for, obviously, straining all of the excess organic matter from your beer, but they can also be used as a hop filter during the fermentation process.
About Magline
Magliner products have earned the trust of the material handling industry. They are valued to the point that “Magliner” is an industry-standard term for hand trucks employed throughout material handling. There is, however, only one Magliner when it comes to quality. For more than 70 years, Magline has designed and manufactured the most reliable, durable, and trustworthy material handling tools available. In addition to their traditional hand trucks, Magline produces more specialized equipment like appliance hand trucks, U-boats, and motorized hand trucks.
To learn more about Magliner hand trucks and other material handling products, visit Magliner.com
Cleaning Supplies for Creating a Sanitary Workspace
Nothing ruins your day like finding out your entire batch of beer is contaminated. Not only is it gross, frustrating, and wasteful, but also a potential health risk. Before you start brewing, get some food-grade sanitizer, iodine- or acid-based, and use it liberally on everything that beer is going to touch. Additionally, boil your equipment to sterilize it after use.
Moving Equipment to Avoid Injury
A good hand truck is a must for any homebrewer. The equipment can be heavy. It’s especially heavy when filled with liquid, and you’ll eventually need to move a carboy or kettle full of proto-beer. Much of the equipment (kegs, buckets, carboys, kettles) is round, and getting a keg handling hand truck can make life easier.
A Brewing Kettle or Pot
Most of your beer-making process is going to involve the brew pot/brew kettle/keggle, and your fermenter. Invest in a big aluminum pot. Consider picking up a specially-made kettle/keggle from a brew supply outfit or invest in a lobster-boiling pot.
A Carboy or Fermenting Bucket
Fermentation is when the magic happens, and most committed homebrewers pick up a glass carboy with a rubber stopper for their fermentation. However, in a pinch, a big 6-gallon bucket will do the trick. There are also low-cost buckets with spigots on the side for a little extra. Be sure to pick up stoppers, airlocks, and tubing as well.
A Heat Source for the Brewing Kettle
Brewing requires a heat source. If you’re not planning on brewing much, your stove-top element should be fine. However, for bigger brewing undertakings, a turkey fryer is a terrific investment. Look for affordably priced turkey fryer kits that include really big pots.
A Brewing Thermometer for Temperature Regulation
Regulating temperature is incredibly important for brewing properly, achieving the right flavor, and avoiding contaminants. Picking up a brewing thermometer with a probe that’s at least 12-inches long is a must.
Bottles and Bottling Gear
Depending on your budget, you can buy fresh bottles, or you can very thoroughly sterilize used beer bottles for bottling up your finished product. New beer bottles are not very expensive (though recycling used ones is a great idea.) Once bottled, you’ll need new bottle caps and a bottle capper to cap your beer.
Straining Bag for Filtering and Straining
A good straining bag can serve multiple purposes for a homebrewer looking for cost-effective solutions. They’re excellent for, obviously, straining all of the excess organic matter from your beer, but they can also be used as a hop filter during the fermentation process.
About Magline
Magliner products have earned the trust of the material handling industry. They are valued to the point that “Magliner” is an industry-standard term for hand trucks employed throughout material handling. There is, however, only one Magliner when it comes to quality. For more than 70 years, Magline has designed and manufactured the most reliable, durable, and trustworthy material handling tools available. In addition to their traditional hand trucks, Magline produces more specialized equipment like appliance hand trucks, U-boats, and motorized hand trucks.
To learn more about Magliner hand trucks and other material handling products, visit Magliner.com
