Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

I love my Keezer

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

Home brewers who keg their beer have a keezer or kegerator to keep it cold. Kegerator = keg + refrigerator Keezer = kegerator + freezer Keezer = the place where my beer is kept cold and on tap I prefer the Keezers, not to be confused with Geezers... A kegerator or keezer can also double ...

Posted in Equipment, Kegging and CO2, Lagering | 4 Comments »

Digital Thermometer for Brewing

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

A handy tool in brewing is a digital thermometer. When it comes to all grain brewing this is a must to accurately monitor and maintain the desired mash temperature. It also helps to know when boil is approaching ("a watched pot never boils..."). I keep this handy ...

Posted in Equipment | 3 Comments »

StirStarter Equipment Review

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

An essential tool in the home brewer's kit is a stir plate. Using a stir plate with a yeast starter boosts yeast cell counts dramatically*. This leads to healthier fermentation, and thus better beer! I recall using a stir plate in chemistry lab. In that case it was a hot ...

Posted in Equipment, Yeast Cultures | 5 Comments »

Keg Care and Cleaning PBW vs Oxiclean

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Soda kegs, commonly used in home brewing draft systems, require regular cleaning and maintenance. Following is a brief description of keg care and cleaning requirements to assure optimum performance from these pressurized vessels. For an explanation of the keg components referenced below, see our article on keg anatomy. Believe ...

Posted in Equipment | 1 Comment »

Anatomy of a Corny Keg

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

If you do not keg your beer already, someday you almost certainly will. It is a superior package for the home brewer. They save time and they feel cool. Only downside is they are not portable.  Cornelius kegs, or corny kegs for short, are a widely available means for home ...

Posted in Equipment | 6 Comments »

Brew In A Bag (BIAB) All Grain Brewing Method

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

BIAB is an acronym for Brew In A Bag. It is a dead simple all grain brewing technique. All it requires is a large grain straining bag, 15 gallon kettle and a propane burner. This method is excellent for brewers who are wishing to convert from extract brewing to ...

Posted in Brewing, Equipment | 31 Comments »

Lautering Equipment False Bottom vs Manifold

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

There are some distinct differences between the these two popular methods of lautering your mash that you will want to consider prior to building your mash tun. As with most brewing equipment or brewing methods, you need to determine which one will provide you with the results that you ...

Posted in Equipment | 4 Comments »

Adding Sight Gauges on A Budget

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

$3.26 Sight Gauge modification for hot liquor tank (HLT) or mash lauter tun (MLT). This article explains how I added a sight gauge to a 10 gallon hot liquor tank (HLT) cooler as well as an identical 10 gallon mash lauter tun (MLT). Gas fired vessels may also be converted ...

Posted in Equipment | 8 Comments »

Introduction to RIMS and HERMS

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

This article explains the basic difference between RIMS and HERMS systems. Both are advanced setups for home brewers where mash water (wort) is circulated through a heating system. The benefits include clearer wort, higher efficiency, and an impressive looking setup that helps automate the brewing process and leads to ...

Posted in Equipment | 10 Comments »

Add Thermometer Probe to HLT MLT Cooler

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

Instructions for adding a thermometer to your hot liquor tank (HLT) or mash lauter tun (MLT). This makes a handy addition, it is cheap to do (~$16), and improves temperature accuracy. Lets face it, brewing is an art and a science.  Science in itself requires certain controls and measurements ...

Posted in Equipment | 11 Comments »