Your Best DIY Equipment?

[ssashton]

If you had to pick one or two items that you really value for brewing, but are not standard kit or brewing specific, what would they be?

I recently got a large (40cm!) and strong whisk. It is sooo much better for mixing the mash to avoid clumping than the ubiquitous long handle spoon and has no trouble reaching the bottom of my electric tea-urn kettle. I didn't expect such large and tough ones were available but oh yes!

These items were Advertised on amazon.

I've been struggling for ages with sparging the grain bag and had to use less than 3kg grain because I just couldn't find a big enough colander to hold the bag above the kettle (I bought two but neither were ideal). So recently I got myself a 12L stainless bucket and drilled lots of holes in it. It works brilliantly, now I have no trouble even with 4.5Kg! I hadn't considered buckets made of stainless existed, I've only seen plastic ones!

 

[Drunkula]

I hadn't considered buckets made of stainless existed

Nor me, they're actually a thing?

Anyway, I can use any plastic fermenter as an induction powered boil kettle. That's pretty groovy. I'm pretty much set to revolutionise brewing, to be fair, but that was always in the offing.

I can jam open the safety on an electric deep fat fryer element with a bit of string so I can dangle it over the side of a bucket and heat the water or boil the wort. I tried to use it to heat the mash, went for a piddle, came back and thought "Who's cooking biscuits at this bloody hour of the wossname?" and it turned out the element had just turned into a horrific lollypop of burnt grain and sugar. So I let the kids argue over who could have that. It's alright, I unplugged it, I isn't mental.

 

[Ashman]

Machine mart sell a 16L stainless steel bucket with lid. I considered whether I could adapt to a fermenter but came to the conclusion it was 1. Unlikely to be food grade, and 2. Would be a pain to seal up the lid.

 

[ssashton]

Mine did have some oil residue and dirt to clean off, particularly under the lip. Unless you are heating it above boiling (like a frying pan for example), I don't think there is much need to worry what type of stainless it is.

I imagine it is far better than using plastic to hold boiling liquid, which I always worry might leak plasticizers or other unpleasant stuff. I've never liked the idea of a plastic mash-tun.

 

[shweeney]

Bike repair stand:

 

[ssashton]

Bike repair stand:

Which grain sack is that? Mine has a draw string so I can't hang it nicely open like that.

I did buy myself a welder recently so a simple bag stand could be a future project!

 

[shweeney]

Which grain sack is that?

came with the Ace mash/boiler (which I think is now Klarstein). It has a metal ring around the rim for reinforcement.

 

[phildo79]

It's the simple things in life. I got a scoop from a tin of baby milk formula that holds 6g of dried yeast. Two scoops for standard brews, three scoops for 7%+, four scoops for 10%+.

And I can't say a bad word about my Chef Alarm. It is basically essential to my brewing days. Sure, I could do a brew without it but it is just so much easier with it.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Shweeny I have one of those kettles, that's a great idea my son has now lost his bike thingy

 

[user 18729]

Probably my DIY thermopot conversion. Steady hands with the angle grinder

 

[Ben034]

It's the simple things in life. I got a scoop from a tin of baby milk formula that holds 6g of dried yeast. Two scoops for standard brews, three scoops for 7%+, four scoops for 10%+.

And I can't say a bad word about my Chef Alarm. It is basically essential to my brewing days. Sure, I could do a brew without it but it is just so much easier with it.

Do you just have a commercial size tub of yeast, and if so, does it store ok once open?

 

[ssashton]

Do you just have a commercial size tub of yeast, and if so, does it store ok once open?

I was wondering about that! Mine comes in tiny sachets :)

 

[phildo79]

Do you just have a commercial size tub of yeast, and if so, does it store ok once open?

I buy 500g yeast bricks. I tend to brew stouts and IPA so a brick of 04 or 05 covers all my brews. Plus a brick will last me a few years. Great value at about £40. I store it in the freezer after opening. My last brick was 04 and was actually about 6 months after bbe when it ran out. No issues with it at all. I will be disappointed if I don't get the same with the 05 brick.

 

[ssashton]

I buy 500g yeast bricks. I tend to brew stouts and IPA so a brick of 04 or 05 covers all my brews. Plus a brick will last me a few years. Great value at about £40. I store it in the freezer after opening. My last brick was 04 and was actually about 6 months after bbe when it ran out. No issues with it at all. I will be disappointed if I don't get the same with the 05 brick.

If you brew that much, are you not tempted to maintain a live culture?

My mum does this for baking bread.

 

[phildo79]

If you brew that much, are you not tempted to maintain a live culture?

My mum does this for baking bread.

I have considered it. But from what I have read, it seems to be a bit of a pain in the hole. I guess it's one of those things that seem more difficult than they actually are. But at £40 for 3 years worth of really good dried yeast, I guess I just don't see the value in the 'hassle'.

 

[Dutto]

A Magnetic and a Manual "Picker Upper" (for when you get old, drop things and have arthritis) ...

... an Ullage Stick (so that I measure what isn't there instead of getting sticky wort all over a dip-stick) ...

... and finally, a Stir Plate (with instructions of what to do with the Stirrer),

All of them are "Essential Kit" (especially the instructions on the Stir Plate)!

 

[foxy]

My helix filter.

My cool room

My home made hand pump. Complete with sparkler. About 20 GBP.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

This :

Homemade brewing machine:

Recently fitted with a pump for mashing :

Magnetic stir plate made out of two wooden napkin holders and some China electronics :

My homemade bottle tree :

I've also got a poormansbeergun that I use for filling bottles from the keg. And an 18 l pot that I've fitted with an 1500w element which I use for ektrakt brews.

 

[dv12]

soyyojuli. Your mashing pump looks interesting. I'd love to make that.
What kind of pump is it?

 

[RichardM]

A Magnetic and a Manual "Picker Upper" (for when you get old, drop things and have arthritis) ...

View attachment 22505

... an Ullage Stick (so that I measure what isn't there instead of getting sticky wort all over a dip-stick) ...

View attachment 22506

... and finally, a Stir Plate (with instructions of what to do with the Stirrer),

View attachment 22508

All of them are "Essential Kit" (especially the instructions on the Stir Plate)!

I've made an ullage stick, a stir plate and an stc1000 based temperature controller for my brewing fridge.
Edit
And I modified the fridge by drilling a hole for the temperature probe and the built a wooden shelf for the fermenter to sit on