BREWING EQUIPMENT AND REVIEWS

When I started brewing I made a decision that if I were to produce the perfect pint I would not skimp on equipment.  It has taken 2 years and a fair chunk of cash to build up my kit inventory, carefully researching each item, favouring 304 stainless steel for the brew vessels and automating where possible for fun and convenience.

This is just my experience, I am sure there are those of you that will pour scorn on my choices or wonder why anybody would go to such extents for a pint of Homebrew but those that know me will simply smile and probably shake their head that this is simply par for my course.

Counter pressure bottle filling using the WilliamsWarn filler (Gen 1)

Review of the SS Brewtech Brewmaster Brew Bucket (7 gallon)

Cleaning a stainless steel Corny keg

I have two SS Brewtech stainless steel fermenting vessels, A 7 gallon Brewbucket  and it's big brother the 14 Gallon fermenter.  It all started with the Brewbucket and this is still my go-to vessel.  It  handles a 23lt batch comfortably, is easy to clean and when linked with the FTSs cooling and heating accessories, provides the first steps to establishing a stable temperature controlled fermentation process, essential if you are to produce a quality brew.  At this point I should point out there really is nothing wrong with a plastic bucket in the kitchen for a batch of home-brew but when aiming for perfection, tight temperature control becomes a necessity.

Update 2023.  I've added another fermenting bucket, this time a 30L Klarstein Gärkeller Pro Fermenter.  I would have added another brew bucket but could not get hold of one in the UK..  I did however have a spare SS jacket, that I tailored, so at least it looks the same !

The first extract kit brew I did with the Brewbucket was at the height of summer 2020.  I decided to push my initial setup to the limit with a Coopers European Lager kit that requires a fermentation temperatures of around 13 degrees C for 7 days whilst the outside temperature here in the UK was well over 20 degrees C.  Unable to stretch to a Glycol chiller at the time I rigged up a £50 electric coolbox from Amazon to the Brewbucket with a £20 heating belt and an Inkbird wireless controller £40, so that I could keep an eye on the temperature and know when to supplement the cool-box's rather meagre cooling prowess with a regular supply of ice bottles from the freezer, day and night !  Although taxing, the setup worked a treat and I produced a very drinkable lager.  My mission had commenced.  The hardworking cool-box has since been surpassed by a SS Brewtech 1/5hp chiller (above) that does away with all of the labour but the Inkbird controller remains a key part of my technology portfolio alongside the FTSS systems for remote monitoring.   

Lesson learnt.  Cooling and heating equipment is great but with careful planning and keeping a close eye on the weather, it is possible to time the various brews to coincide with favourable ambient outside temperatures.  This goes a long way to reducing energy requirements thus saving pennies and your CO2 footprint.    For example, I ferment lager in the early spring for the summer and produce everything else indoors in the Winter and in the brewery during the summer.

So, you've no got a beautifully fermented batch of beer.  What next?  Well there are essentially two ways to go, you bottle it with a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in each 500cl bottle to drive secondary fermentation and carbonate your beer or you transfer your beer into a Cornelius 19L keg and force carbonate it with Co2 whilst cooling it is a refrigerator of sorts.

Bottle fermentation produces great results but has a couple of downsides.  Firstly is time.  The bottles bust be stored in a warm place for a couple of weeks and then transfer somewhere cool to mature and clear, ideally for a month.  Secondly there is the issue of a layer of yeast in to bottom of the bottle.  This is not a problem for the experience Homebrewers but for the inexperienced taster who is used to yeast-free bottles, the experience can spoil a first class brew.  So many times have I witnessed a friend half-pour or fully pour a bottle or even sub-consciously swirl the contents despite warnings not to and be left with a murky mixture of yeast and beer.  They politely say it tastes just fine but you know better.

And then there is Kegging.  In my mind this is the next evolution of brewing for perfection but does, surprise, surprise , require another level of investment and equipment.  I started my journey with Kegging in mind and therefore included in my initial round of purchase, a beer fridge freezer (£250) that would take two cornelius kegs (£180) and three expensive sodastream Co2 bottles (£60) plus a host of tubing and, John Guest connector, taps and gas regulators (£100).  Through kegging you essentially miss out the secondary fermentation stage.  The beer is transferred into the keg using a closed loop system to reduce the exposure to oxygen as much as possible.  The Keg is then placed in the refrigerator at around 2 degrees C for 7 days whilst it is carbonated from the sodastream bottles and regulated to around 10PSI for a bitter and slightly higher of lagers and cider.  After the 7 days the beer is ready to drink but I would recommend leaving it for another couple of weeks to clear and mature before drinking directly via a tap on the keg or indeed bottling.  

Lessons learnt

Oh so many.  Firstly sodastream bottles are great but cost prohibitive.  After a little research I found a local supplier of Pub food grade CO2 who would deliver a full sized CO2 cylinder for less that the price I paid for one sodastream.  It was then a case of buying an adapter that allowed be me to refill the sodastream bottles from the diner cylinder thus saving fast amounts of cash.  I have to admit to leaving the room hoping nothing would explode when I refilled my first sodastream but since then I have performed the refills hundreds of times without incident.  The CO2 supermarket sell a very competent and safe refill adapter.

Along with temperature control, cleanliness is key to everything brewing.  I probably spend as much time cleaning as I do brewing.  Failing to sanitise and clean could ruin a whole batch or leave off flavours in your beer.  Don't skimp here.  Call me old fashioned but I also always rinse no rinse sanitisers and cleaners simply before I do not want any unnecessary chemicals in my beer.

For my perfect beer I needed to find a way of removing the yeast from my bottles without losing either flavour or carbonation.  I wanted something that could hold it's own on a shelf next to any bottled beer and be drunl in the same way without education on pouring. After a failed attempt at purchasing a recommended £30 counterflow bottler from Amazon that ended in more beer on the floor than in to bottle and a complete lack of carbonation I came  across the Williamswarn counter pressure bottler (above).  At the best part of £300 it is another expensive addition to your brewing arsenal but it is a truly quality piece of equipment that now means I can do my beer justice when transferring it from the keg,  Clear, well carbonated, yeast free and no pools of beer all over the floor. 

It was only a matter of time before my search pushed me towards all grain brewing.  Beer kits are great and the best way to start your brewing journey.  With kits such as Woodforde's Wherry I  have produced some excellent beer that compares well to pub brews..... but it falls short of my ambitions as I could never claim it was my beer and well, it is just missing the complexity of flavour I seek.

The process of producing wort (for the fermentor) includes a number of steps including, grain mashing, sparging, boiling and cooling.  Traditionally this happens in multiple vessels but thankfully there are now systems that combine everything into one.  Given my requirements for for remote app based monitoring and quality I settled on the Grainfather G30 connect (above) to complete my setup and take me to the next level of brewing heaven.  

I am now able to tweak and change every aspect of my brew from colour to hops to flavours and strength.  It takes a while to master the skills and a brew day now takes a full day rather than a couple of hours for extract brewing but boy it is worth it and verified by my testing father than incidentally includes my 89 year old father who has been brewing since the late 60s.

I don't claim to be there just yet, although I have now settled on a recipe for an IPA.  The ale is close but probably 2 batches away from as near to Homebrewers perfection as I can get it.

Lessons Learnt

Get your fermenting and kegging/bottling right before you start all grain brewing.  

Accept that the first few batches are art of your education.  Read everything you can around the subject and browse YouTube videos, the provides a wealth of information and experience.

Finings are a necessary addition to all grain brewing.  I use 1/2  teaspoon of a seaweed extract towards the end of the boil to ensure your wort is crystal clear.

Don't be afraid to experiment.  I have rarely had to dispose of a full batch, although have to confess to keeping the not so perfect ones for me to consume infant of Netflix at the weekend rather than other to my tasting panel.

A great beer demands a label to finish the job.  This will take a little time but the process has started