Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Growler – The Perfect Gift

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

My friend got me a growler of Deschutes beer for my birthday. What a great gift! It came full of cold, delicious beer. The best part is, the growler is mine too. After we drank our way through several home brews, we finished off the growler among three of us. I ...

Posted in Equipment | 4 Comments »

Brew Shed Complete and Brewing

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

The brew shed is looking good in time for the rains to return. It is a relief to have it done (at least on the outside). All it needs is interior trim. Slowly but surely all the equipment is migrating out there. The best part is the brewery is now operational. ...

Posted in Equipment, Fun | 12 Comments »

Basket Press for Fruit Based Brews

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Fermenting crushed berries, grapes, and fruits can be a fun diversion from making beer. Home brewers who make beer already have all the equipment, except for a basket press. I tasted an amazing pear, blueberry, raspberry cider at a home brew club meeting last year. This ...

Posted in Equipment, Wine | No Comments »

Brew Shed Update

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

The shed is taking its final shape. The roof is on, skylight is in, and gutters installed. The electrical is in and the inspection passed! The paint job is just primer right now. It was all done by hand with rollers or by brush so it soaked in good. I ...

Posted in Equipment, Fun | 6 Comments »

Beer Wagon Deployed

Saturday, June 4th, 2011

The latest do it yourself (DIY) home brew project is complete! This is nowhere near as cool as my shed, but it does help save the back when it comes to brewing. While my brew shed is underway I brew in the garage and ferment in the spare bedroom. This ...

Posted in Equipment | 2 Comments »

My New Tool – The Carboy Cleaner

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Carboy Cleaner LLC has made life better by building a better carboy brush. Unlike a better mouse trap (which nobody cares about), the Carboy Cleaner really is a time saver and does a better job than my old 'L' shaped brush. Thank you capitalism. You know, I didn't ...

Posted in Equipment | 9 Comments »

Racking Tutorial with a Built In Spigot

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

Racking beer is made easy if your primary fermenter has a spigot. Note that this piece of equipment is essentially a bottling bucket with a good lid. They are cheap and easy to use with only a few drawbacks. Racking beer is not required, but it can add clarity in the ...

Posted in Brewing, Equipment | 1 Comment »

Hot Liquor Tank for All Grain Brewing

Sunday, February 13th, 2011

Advanced all grain brewers use a Hot Liquor Tank to heat their strike and sparge water. The term Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) is a misnomer that comes from the commercial brewing world. The HLT never holds anything that has alcohol in it or sweet wort. A better ...

Posted in Equipment | 10 Comments »

Stainless Steel CAD Designed Dip Tube

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

A dip tube allows a kettle to drain to the bottom by itself. No lifting and pouring required. It works because of siphon action. Adding a dip tube to your kettle or HLT is something to consider. My kettle has female 1/2" pipe thread on the inside, with ...

Posted in Equipment | 1 Comment »

Instrument Calibration for Maximum Brewing Awesomeness

Sunday, December 19th, 2010

I am about to brew several batches of beer – whoot! In the spirit of science, and the interests of quality, I decided to recalibrate my equipment since it had been awhile. Besides, I broke my hydrometer and had to buy a new one, so I have no idea where ...

Posted in Equipment | 7 Comments »