Air-lock - Used to keep fermenting gasses (carbon dioxide) into, and air out-of, the fermenting vessel. Many different styles are available and neither one is radically superior to any other. Fill the air-lock sufficiently with sulphite solution to provide a positive seal.

Bottle Filler - A handy device consisting of a rigid plastic rod about 13” long with a simple yet effective valve at one end used for filling your bottles. Once you start your siphon the flow will continue as long as the tip of this rod is touching the bottom of the bottle, once full you simply pull this bottle filler out of the bottle, the flow automatically stops, and place it in the next bottle. Once the tip touches the bottom of the bottle again the flow continues.

Floating Thermometer – Quite simply a thermometer that is encased in a glass vial that floats in your beer  in order to determine the temperature of the mixture. Accurate temperature readings are important for the application of the yeast.

Sediment Tip - A plastic ‘cap’ that fits on the end of a racking tube that permits racking of liquid without picking up the sediment that has settled on the bottom of the vessel. A sediment tip must always be used when racking from a container containing sediment.

Sodium Metabisulphite – A chemical used for sterilization. After cleaning, all equipment must be sterilized with this solution to minimize the possibility of bacteria being introduced into your brew. Following application the chemical must be rinsed from the equipment.

Spoon – A plastic food grade spoon is used to stir your brew. Two different styles are available one is spoon shaped and the other is paddle (fan) shaped.

Siphon Hose – A flexible hose used in racking or siphoning. The normal length is five feet, but any convenient length for your application is available.

Bottle Tree - Just as the name implies, this handy device is the perfect answer to draining your bottles after they have been washed or sterilized. The tree consists of a large base, formed like a trough in order to hold the drained water, and any number of trunk and arm sections. Typically the unit comes with sufficient arms, branches, to hold 45 to 47 bottles, depending on the particular unit. This will form your basic tree. If you require additional branches to hold more bottles, in the case of a double batch of wine or one batch of beer, you can add sections to the tree.

Brushes – A wide assortment of brushes are available to help clean your bottles and carboys. Carboys should always be brushed out directly following their use. If not sediment will cake on to the inside of the carboy permitting the formation of bacteria and making later cleaning more difficult. Bottles should always be washed out following emptying to make later cleaning easier. Always brush out bottles to eliminate the possibility of mold or dirt from escaping the cleaning process. Remember you can’t be too clean.

Capper – A device used to install caps on your beer bottles. Most cappers are universal, meaning they can properly install twist-off caps or pry-off caps. Different models are available ranging from hammer cappers, yes, you use it just as it sounds, hand cappers and floor models. In all three styles there are different styles available.

Filter -  Beer cannot be filtered unless you are using a kegging system. It is the yeast in suspension in bottled beer that reacts with the bottling sugar to carbonate your beer and results in that small amount of sediment in the bottles.
If using a kegging system it is advisable to use a fining agent first and once that has done its job to filter the beer to make certain it is sparkling clear. Filters come in many styles from an economical gravity fed system to different pressure pump fed systems to the expensive vacuum system. Your budget will determine the best system for you. All are good, the biggest difference is the time it takes to filter your beer.

Hydrometer -  A device used to determine the Specific Gravity of your beer. The Specific Gravity is used to determine the alcohol level of your beer and to monitor the fermentation progress.

Thief – A handy device used to take samples out of the fermenter. It has a valve on the lower end, which holds the sample in the tube and allows of easy release of the sample. Once the sample is taken all you have to do is drop in your hydrometer to get a Specific Gravity reading.

Kegging Systems - An alternate way of storing and dispensing your beer. Typically a kegging system consists of a stainless steel canister, CO2 cylinder, gauges and dispenser. Once the beer is made and filtered, it is placed into a stainless steel canister, refrigerated and injected with CO2. The canister is normally placed in a fridge and a spigot is placed through the door or wall of the fridge. To dispense your beer simply open the spigot and dispense.  Visit Brew Craft for a number of different kegging systems. See Kegging systems under products on our home page.

Sulphiter Dish- A dish containing a manual pump assembly used to squirt cleaning solution and sterilizing solution up into your bottles. A great time saver, simply pour your cleaning or sterilizing solution into the dish, place your inverted bottle over the shaft and push down. Your solution will be squirted up into the bottle. Job done, simple and effective.