Today I thought I’d go through the other equipment to use in brewing. These items you may already have in the kitchen, but if not, I’ll include links to where you can pick them up.
Digital Kitchen Scales
Brewing involves a lot of measuring of ingredients. Whether it is hops or grain or other adjuncts. A good set of digital kitchen scales are vital to ensure accurate measurements of these. Most variety stores or homewares stores will have these. These ones from Target Australia do the trick nicely.
Stock Pot
When starting out, you will need a stockpot. Whether it’s steeping some grains or a full brew in a bag set up – a good stockpot will be one of the more pivotal items to have. Ideally, a stock pot capable of holding up to 25-30L, made of stainless steel and if possible, has a valve at the bottom. The valve is negotiable, but you want your stockpot to hold more than the total volume of your beer recipe. Our subscription boxes are designed to make 21L. Your stockpot will need to hold at least 25L. Most recipes you will find online will be a total volume (ie: what will end in the fermenter) of 21-25L so try and get a 30L to be on the safe side. Mydeal.com.au has some 33L ones that are perfect for brewing.
Buckets
I find buckets to be a necessity in brewing. Whether it is to fill with your chilled water for extract brewing or to capture milled grain or spent grain, buckets are vital. Any old bucket/s will work, but best to try and get some food grade buckets from Bunnings. They are designed to meet food safety standards, so to avoid possible contamination and bacteria but also hold 20L and will come with a lid.
Thermometer
Another unsung hero of the brew day is a thermometer. Kitchen or digital thermometers are pretty important, more so when you get to using grains and mashing. Recipes require grains to mash at a certain temperature for a length of time. Without a thermometer, you risk ruining the beer by destroying the potential sugars or allowing the wrong bacteria into your mash. This inkbird digital thermometer is a great one to use in brewing. Inkbird makes a few products that are designed to assist in the brewing process and this thermometer does the trick.
Measuring Jug
I have always found having a large measuring jug to be useful in home brewing. Any size will work but if you have a 2L or 3L, this would be better. You can use these to measure out your starting water for the boil. Water used to fill fermenters and if using grains, for sparging.
Spray Bottle
This one is a necessity as such, but a good thing to have around. A spray bottle filled with a solution of no rinse sanitiser and water just to give things like brewing spoons or paddles a quick clean before use. Using no rinse sanitisers means you can spray on and use straight away. You may want to give grain bags a quick spray before adding grain or your bowls for measuring hops. Kmart has cheap spray bottles that I use and have had no issues with.
Advocating Beer Variety 