Brewing Equipment

Question 1

Airlock

Answer 1

During fermentation this lets carbon dioxide out of the fermenter while keeping bacteria and contaminants from getting in.

Question 2

Fermenter

Answer 2

Non-reactive covered container the beer rests in while the yeast is working. For one gallon you use a one-gallon glass jug. For bigger batches a 5 gallon glass carboy. Fermenters may also be plastic or stainless-steel.

Question 3

Racking Cane

Answer 3

A rigid J-shaped tube used to make a gravity siphon to get beer out of the fermenter and into bottles.

Question 4

Auto-siphon

Answer 4

A siphon that enables you to use a single pump to start siphoning rather than using gravity and a racking cane which is more awkward.

Question 5

Sanitizer

Answer 5

Food-grade no-rinse sanitizer is the easiest to work with. Everything is sanitized from the equipment to the bottle caps.

Question 6

Tubing

Answer 6

Tubing can be used to create a blow-off tube for the first few days of fermentation if it’s not appropriate to go directly to the airlock.

Question 7

Stopper

Answer 7

The stopper covers the mouth of the fermenter. The kit stopper fits both tubing and the airlock. For five gallon fermenters this is called a carboy bung.

Question 8

Thermometer

Answer 8

A thermometer is needed at various stages and must be able to register temperatures from 70-200 degrees.

Question 9

Tubing Clamp

Answer 9

The tubing clamp slides onto the soft tubing and when clenched stops the flow.

Question 10

Hydrometer

Answer 10

A hydrometer measures the density of liquids and will tell you if the yeast is done converting the sugars to alcohol.