In recent years, Amazon has changed the way we shop. Many ecommerce features that we take for granted were pioneered by Amazon: personalised recommendations, one click checkout and user generated rating and review systems. Amazon is convenient, fast and many products are less expensive than if you bought them from a retail store.
While you can’t beat the knowledge and fun of going to your local home brew store for supplies, Amazon can be a great alternative if you are trying to save a few bucks or don’t have time to make the trip. In this article I’ll review a few essential pieces of home brew equipment available on Amazon. These are all pieces of equipment that I have personally bought and used and I’ll try my best to give objective reviews.
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Airlock for fermenter
We start with the humble fermenter airlock. If you have done any homebrewing or food fermenting you will likely have seen these before. I personally prefer this classic “S-bend” style to the “check valve” style as I feel they are more durable. I always recommend that people buy a few airlocks and spare grommets when starting out as they are relatively inexpensive and it always pays to have spares floating around.
As a bonus, these bubblers can be used in fermenting foods in a jar (you’ll just need a hole in your lid that will fit the grommet). I like to keep my brewing and food airlocks separate to ensure that any funkiness from my sauerkraut is kept away from my precious beer!
Chugger pump
If you are starting to brew bigger batches, gravity and siphon pumps may not be enough to move your liquids around. If you are looking to upgrade, a Happybuy beer pump is the way to go. The pump is FDA food safe rated to move both hot and cold liquids at a rate of 5 gallons (up to 3.4 metres). The stainless steel head is very durable and easily removed for user-service and cleaning of the impeller.
When using the pump it is important to be mindful of what you will be transferring through it: does it need to be sanitised? Will it require thorough cleaning after use? If you are putting wort or beer through your chugger, cleaning and sanitation is incredibly important. Also, different brands and types of pumps may require priming. This is usually pretty simple and will ensure the longevity of your piece of equipment.
Hydrometer
A hydrometer is a crucial piece of equipment for your brewhouse. In brewing, it is used to test how much sugar is dissolved in a liquid such as wort, beer, must or wine. This is referred to by brewers as the “gravity” of a liquid. I like the Home Brew Ohio hydrometer as it is quality, inexpensive and comes with a handy tube for measuring out your sample. As with fermenter airlocks, I always recommend that brewer have a spare hydrometer on hand – they can break fairly easily if you’re not careful.
Coopers home brew kit
The Cooper’s Home brew kit is the best starting point if you are looking to get into the hobby of home brewing beer. Cooper’s Brewery is a name synonymous with quality beer in Australia and their brewing equipment is no different. This kit gives you everything you need to get started with brewing including: fermenter, hydrometer, mixing spoon, bottling wand, bottles, caps and ingredients for your first beer. I’m always a little nostalgic for the Cooper’s Kit as it was the first equipment I brewed on. Now 15 years later they sell their equipment and ingredients internationally and I cannot recommend them enough!
One quick note about the yeast that comes with your kit. Whenever you’re buying a can of extract for brewing (like the one that comes with this kit), I strongly recommend buying a fresh packet of yeast. The yeast that comes with these cans has been known to be unviable by the time it is shipped. It’s always a good idea to have a little spare yeast on hand.
Also, I’m not a huge fan of the PET bottles that come with the kit…they are absolutely perfect for your first couple of brews but consider switching to glass bottles as your skills improve. Just remember, if you are going to reuse commercial beer bottles they need to be made from thick glass and have a crown seal. Obviously they will need to be thoroughly washed and sterilised as well.
Hop spider
A hop spider is a handy little device that acts as a filter between your wort and the hops that you want to add into your brew. Using a hop spider allows for better clarity in your beer and makes cleaning up much easier. If you are making beers with a high amount of hops, such as an Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) or Extra Special Bitter (ESB), a hop spider will be your best friend. A hop spider can be a little tricky to clean but I find that a spray from a garden hose helps to dislodge most of the hop residue after use.
Auto siphon
An auto siphon is a pump that will help you get liquids from one vessel to another. I like that the Fermtech auto siphon is long (27”) which means it can get to the bottom of slightly larger vessels. It also has superior manufacturing quality when compared with some of the other siphons on the market. This equipment is great if you are using glass carboys and need to transfer liquid in or out of them. Unfortunately auto siphons can be a pain to clean and to sanitise. To make cleaning easier, I recommend disassembling immediately after use and rinsing with tap water prior to regular cleaning. This will ensure no sticky liquids cake onto the pump. Also, you can pump sanitiser from one vessel to another using the pump for thorough sanitation before use. I only use this equipment when I am using vessels without taps (like carboys).
Buying home brewing equipment off Amazon can be an inexpensive way to kit out your home brewery – and there are some great deals to be had! Unfortunately, there are some less than scrupulous vendors on the platform selling inferior quality products. Buying crappy gear in brewing (and life more generally!) will usually cost you more in the long run when you inevitably have to replace it. Before buying something, do your research and read reviews. There’s some great bargains to be found on Amazon if you know where to look!
CHECK OUT: This Review on Home Brewing Software; BeerSmith, a system that can assist any professional or home brewer throughout their brewing journey.
Cheers!
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