Equipment & Tools

TrailKeg and DrinkTanks are two competing double-wall insulated growler systems designed for outdoor beer transport — both targeting the gap between a standard growler and a full keg setup for camping, hiking, and outdoor events.

Using SodaStream CO2 cylinders for portable kegging is a tempting convenience option — SodaStream cylinders are widely available, exchange is easy at grocery stores and kitchen retailers, and the compact form factor suits portable serving situations.

DuoTight push-in fittings versus traditional hose clamps represent a generational shift in how homebrewers connect tubing to fittings, and after building complete kegerator and brewing setups with both connection methods I have a strong preference th

The FastFerment conical fermenter takes an unusual design approach — wall-mounted installation and a tear-drop-shaped plastic body — that sets it apart from every other conical on the homebrewing market.

The Speidel plastic fermenter is one of the most intelligently designed plastic fermentation vessels in homebrewing — a German-manufactured food-grade polyethylene tank that has been the standard fermenter for winemakers and cider makers in Europe fo

PET versus glass carboys is a comparison that touches genuine safety concerns, and after years of using both materials I’ve formed clear opinions about where each is appropriate.

The FermZilla All Rounder and FermZilla Conical are Kegland’s two pressure-capable fermenters targeting homebrewers who want closed-transfer and pressure fermentation capability at accessible prices.

The RAPT Pill from Kegland is the most serious challenger to the Tilt Hydrometer’s dominance in floating wireless gravity monitors, and having run both through extended parallel fermentation monitoring I can give a genuine head-to-head assessment.

The Tilt Hydrometer and iSpindel are the two dominant floating wireless gravity monitors in homebrewing, and having run both through extended fermentation monitoring I can give a practical assessment of where each fits.

Hydrometer versus refractometer accuracy at final gravity is a question with a definitive answer that every homebrewer should understand before making gravity decisions at the end of fermentation.