OnTap Magazine

H O M E B R E W G E A R 08 HOMEBRU H O M E B R E W G E A R 07 DRIED MALT EXTRACT DME Even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool all-grain homebrewer, you will encounter problems along the way that can only be solved with DME. Not hitting those specific gravity numbers pre-boil? Not hitting them post- boil? Run out of priming sugar? DME is the answer to all these conundrums. It’s also an essential ingredient of liquid yeast starters. Fortunately, DME keeps just about forever when stored in a sealed container in the fridge. I recommend keeping at least 2kg handy at all times. A POT OF SIMMERING BREW WATER Much like a certain Scottish Play’s witches, I use a five-litre stainless pot filled with near-boiling brew water. This is a great addition to your brew day for sterilising anything that can be boiled, like mason jars, their lids, brew spoons, and the like. Just turn up the heat to boil, boil the required piece of kit for at least 10 minutes, and voila: sterilised! LOADS OF ICE H O M E B R E W G E A R 10 Yes, you’ve invested in a cool counter- flow wort chiller (or its cousin, the coiled immersion chiller). These are great bits of kit. But if luck isn’t on your side your counter-flow chiller will have a blockage on brew day, and your immersion chiller will have a funky smell coming from it that reminds you of a hectic day at the gym. Now what? Having enough ice handy for a good old-fashioned ice bath will save your brew, and if you don’t need it, you can always use it for post-brew celebratory G&Ts. What have you got to lose? There are probably other weird and wonderful pieces of homebrew kit that I’ve missed, but this list is a good place to start. Have a few more to add? Why not reach out to us on social media and tell us about it. Now, go brew something spectacular. LATEX GLOVES H O M E B R E W G E A R 09 Although not required, these really help. Not only are they another sanitary barrier between you and your wort, but more importantly, they can protect your hands fromall the cleaningand sanitisingchemicals commonly used in the home brewery. Getting peracetic acid or hot caustic on your hands is not fun. It’s also completely unnecessary. So wearing these bad boys will make you glad that you did. The typical surgical ones you can purchase from any pharmacy will be just fine. Get some.