Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Detailed Guide for Cleaning a Better Bottle

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

A while back I posted about my Better Bottle blowoff setup. During my search for a good blowoff arrangement, I ended up calling the manufacturer of Better Bottles (BBs). The man I spoke with was super helpful and knowledgeable. During that conversation, I decided to ask him about cleaning. The main ...

Posted in Equipment | 3 Comments »

Draft Beer At Home – Keezer Build With Collar

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Close your eyes and imagine your personal in home bar, complete with a draft system, stocked full of home brew!.... Congratulations! You are thinking of a Keezer! Here's how to build one: What the heck is a keezer?  Very simply, a keezer is a chest freezer that has been converted ...

Posted in Equipment, Kegging and CO2 | 4 Comments »

Removable and Reusable Labels for Home Brew Bottles

Friday, October 5th, 2012

The other day I realized, my home brew bottles are naked! They don't have fancy labels like all those commercial beers do... I hope they don't feel embarrassed when I take them to a friend's house. I'm lazy and just write one or two identifying letters on the cap with a sharpie. H = Hefe, PA ...

Posted in Equipment, Fun | 2 Comments »

Chain Mail For Cleaning Stainless Steel

Saturday, September 15th, 2012

Yes, that's right! Chain mail has a practical use in the brewery! In addition to brewing, I enjoy cooking. In fact, I see brewing as an extension (a BIG one!) of my cooking. Early this year, one of my favorite cooking magazines - Cook’s Illustrated - reviewed a cleaner for cast ...

Posted in Equipment | 1 Comment »

Better Bottle Blowoff Tube

Saturday, July 28th, 2012

When I had been brewing about six months, I transitioned from glass to Better Bottles. These are PET plastic fermenters. I was hauling carboys up and down stairs from basement to kitchen frequently. Even with a Brew Hauler strap system, the breakage potential and resulting safety issue was hard for ...

Posted in Equipment | 4 Comments »

BIAB Custom Bags You Can Order

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

Looking for a custom made brew bag for doing BIAB? Check out this article. If you don't know what BIAB is yet, check out our previous article for complete details on BIAB. But where can I buy a BIAB bag? Finding a suitable bag has been a long standing problem. The multitude ...

Posted in Equipment | 5 Comments »

Brew Shed Exhaust Fan – Need More Power!

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

Choose your brew shed exhaust fan and ducting design carefully. My shed is exactly what I was after with one exception: the exhaust system. On wet days the condensation from the boil off can become a bit of a problem. Note that there are zero problems on warm days, but ...

Posted in Equipment | 1 Comment »

The Beer Tool – Cool Bottle Opener

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

When I saw this bottle opener I thought, dang, that is a cool idea! Quote from the product: Like most great ideas, the Beer Tool came out of a problem. Being tired of having to use the wife's bottle opener to crack a cold one the decision was made to come up ...

Posted in Equipment, Fun | No Comments »

Using a mini-fridge as a keezer FAIL

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

In an attempt to save money, space, and time, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a mini-fridge online for use as a keezer or fermentation chamber. Turned out there was not enough room. All mini-fridges have a hump inside them where the compressor and fan are located. ...

Posted in Equipment, Kegging and CO2 | 13 Comments »

Curvy Brew Stand

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

Well I'm up and brewing in the shed these days. The brew stand is completed. The idea was to make a solid, aesthetically pleasing stand that will outlast me. I'm not sure if this qualifies as a brew statue, since it is wood not metal. Still the curves are sexy. ...

Posted in Equipment | 6 Comments »