A few of our favorite gadgets

I took a week off of blogging because I needed a little break. Work has been challenging, and I needed a little downtown to decompress and just relax a bit. However, outside of the blog we were able to brew 4 new beer recipes--a tropical stout, an Italian Pilsner, a lager, and a Mexican lager.  Throughout our brew process, there are several products we have purchased that have really helped us make our brewing very consistent. So, I thought this blog would be a perfect time to share a few products we have purchased and how we use them. All of these products are products that we have purchased ourselves for our own use; we have not received any compensation for these products. While these are not necessary to brew successfully, we enjoy cool gadgets and find these worth the splurge.

Easy DEns

I don’t know about anyone else, but I HATE hydrometers. Prior to the Easy Dens, we used a refractometer to check the brix (after the mash) and the OG. However, in order to ensure fermentation has ended and to determine FG, we always used a hydrometer. Hydrometers are not easy for me to read. Most of the time, Mike and I would disagree with the reading and split the difference between the two readings. The real problem, however, is that hydrometers waste a lot of beer when taking the reading. Enter the Easy Dens. 

While pricey at $349, it was a gift I decided to buy for myself. The Easy Dens uses a 2ml sample and stores the readings in an app. For each beer we brew, I save readings for the beer under BATCHES in the app. I can save each gravity read I take and compare the readings with a nice chart provided. Also, the app helps me to see when fermentation has ended and the samples used are very small. In fact, the samples I take for the Easy Dens I also use with our pH meter, so I really am not using any extra wort when I take them pre-fermentation. For the 3 batches we brewed last week, I took Easy Dens readings as follows: during the mash, preboil, postboil (OG), and end of fermentation (at least 2 readings depending on if the readings are identical or not). Basically, a 10ml sample is all I need for all of the readings while one hydrometer reading uses over 100ml sample to fill the tube. My favorite part of the Easy Dens is the ability to have accurate readings to compare against each other for one batch and subsequent brewings. Also, when you set the OG and FG, the app will automatically calculate the ABV for you. I love that I no longer have to go to an external calculator to figure out the information. Because everything is in one place, I find the process very easy. 

To clean the Easy Dens, I just flush the tube with distilled water until the SG is 1.0. I find this little device super helpful and well worth $350 if you have that to spend. Obviously, this is a luxury item and not necessary. But, if you have the money to splurge, I think you will really like it. I was able to find a coupon when I purchased mine, so you can look for that as well.  

Milwaukee pH meter

Early this year, our pH meter went kaput. When brewing new recipes that require new water profiles, a pH meter is a must have! For several brew sessions, we did not have a pH meter because the Milwaukee pH meter I ordered was on backorder. However, I have been super excited to have access to a quality pH meter for testing pH throughout the brew process. In fact, two of the three recipes I brewed required me to adjust the pH of the sparge water. The fact that the pH was correct after the adjustment was amazing!
I take my pH readings 15 minutes into our mash. You do need to cool the wort to room temperature for the readings. My only issues with this pH meter is that the temperature probe only reads in Celsius and the sensor wires are incredibly long. I would have loved the ability to change the temp readings to Fahrenheit. However, it wasn't too hard to Google that room temp in Celsius is 20-22 degrees. While some people might find the long wires useful, I find they aren't helpful for my readings. They actually tend to get in the way and annoy me. However, these are both minor nuisances for such a useful tool.
With all probe based pH meters, they need to be stored in fluid. Also, you do need to keep the probes clean. The maintenance, however, is minimal and the accuracy and ease of use makes this a wonderful brewing tool. Also, should the pH probe stop working, the probe can be replaced instead of replacing the entire unit. This is a big bonus and hopefully will lead to a lot of use out of the device.

Product Links

Easy Dens
Milwaukee pH Meter 
Small Beakers

We have enjoyed using these tools and find they help our brew process. We hope you find these useful as well! 
Happy Brewing!
2JBC