Andrew, a technical support specialist for Cole-Parmer, has been home brewing since taking microbiology classes in college. \u201cI even shadowed faculty at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) biofuel facility,\u201d he said. \u201cThe biofuels process and brewing are very similar, just different yeast strains and sugar sources.<\/p>\n
Water chemistry and temperature control are crucial to the process,\u201d he told us. \u201cYou\u2019ll be surprised at the difference between filtered water and tap water. Temperature control is highly recommended during fermentation as environmental pressure can stress the yeast, creating off flavors.\u201d<\/p>\n
With our in-house expert ready to share his tips, we asked what equipment was necessary for home brewing. Based on all-grain brewing, this is what Andrew recommends:<\/p>\n
Basics<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Hot Liquor Tank (HLT)<\/u>: a kettle used to heat your water to the appropriate temperature<\/p>\n Mash Tun<\/u>: A container used to infuse grain and the water from the HLT. This process converts the complex starches from the grain to simple sugars (via enzymatic reaction). Usually there is a filter or false bottom that filters out the grain, giving you wort (or sugar water)<\/p>\n Brew Kettle<\/u>: Typically stainless steel, this kettle is used to boil sugar water and to add hops and other adjuncts to your beer<\/p>\n Fermenter<\/u>: After you cool your wort to the appropriate temperature, transfer the wort to a fermenter and pitch your yeast. Fermenters need to be airtight so no invasive bacteria or wild yeast get into your beer.<\/p>\n Hydrometer<\/u>: Using a hydrometer, you can measure the alcohol content of your beer. You will need the initial gravity of the beer (before pitching yeast) and the final gravity when fermentation is complete<\/p>\n Siphoning Cane<\/u>: Allows you to transfer liquid without pumps<\/p>\n Thermometer<\/u>: During the mash process, it is essential to measure the temperature. If you heat it too low, you will get a dry finish. With too high temperatures, you will have lower ABV beers with lots of residual sugars, giving you an extremely sweet beer. This is due to alpha amylase and beta amylase enzymes in the beer. The Digi-Sense\u00ae<\/sup> Calibrated Workhorse Thermocouple Thermometer is a cost-efficient thermometer with a quick response time. Stay away from glass as brewing is an arduous process and you don\u2019t want it shattering in your beer<\/p>\n Tubing<\/u>: Silicone works well for high temperatures. Use the tubing as a blowoff tube (Peroxide-Cured Silicone Tubing, 1\/2\u2033 ID) or attach it to the racking cane (Peroxide-Cured Silicone Tubing, 1\/4\u2033 ID)<\/p>\n Bottling Equipment<\/u>: What you need is a bottling wand, lots of bottles, corn sugar for carbonation, and patience<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Andrew, a technical support specialist for Cole-Parmer, has been home brewing since taking microbiology classes in college. \u201cI even shadowed faculty at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) biofuel facility,\u201d he said. \u201cThe…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-beverage"],"yoast_head":"\n