Yankee Brew News Archive

Homebrewing Corner: Gadgets That Make Life Easier

Originally Published: 08/96

By: Gregg Glaser

The Sucking Thing, Lowenbitter Brewing Supplies, 2975 Rohrer Drive, Lafayette, CA 94549, 800-474-7737, $11.95

The Sucking Thing is a device to get a siphon started without putting your lips, and any bacteria, to the end of your racking hose. A rubber turkey baster-type bulb, with a small rubber exhaust valve on its side, attaches to the end of your racking hose. The hose attaches to your racking tube, which is inserted into a full fermenter. As you pump the bulb, "up hill" from the fermenter, beer travels up the hose. Before beer reaches The Sucking Thing, you slowly lower it, continuing to pump, until the level of beer in the hose equals the level in the fermenter. At this point you disconnect The Sucking Thing and pinch off the hose with a clamp. Finally, you lower the end of the hose into an empty fermenter or bottling bucket, unclamp the hose and the beer flows out. The Sucking Thing works like a charm.

The Carbonator Valve Coupling, Liquid Bread, Inc., 1007 La Quinta Drive, Orlando, FL 32809, 407-888-3533, lbread@iag.net, http://www.pmark.com.bread, $10.50.

The Carbonator Valve Coupling is a great little product. Designed to carbonate still beverages and preserve carbonated liquids, like beer from a keg, the Carbonator is a hexagonal-shaped device with a ball lock fitting that screws on to any standard P.E.T. bottle. Here's how it works: Fill the bottle with beer (or water, soda, juice, whatever) leaving some air space, screw on the Carbonator, depress the valve on the Carbonator, squeeze the bottle until all the air is purged and liquid starts to escape, attach a CO2 coupling, turn on the gas and there you have it--a carbonated drink. Besides homebrewers, microbreweries and brewpubs are also using the Carbonator for "beer to go." I love this little gadget. The only problem is that one Carbonator will never be enough for me. I need several, at least.

Carboy Dryer and Stacker ($6.50) and Carboy Dolly ($29.95,) Liquid Bread, Inc., 1007 La Quinta Drive, Orlando, FL 32809, 407-888-3533, lbread@iag.net, http://www.pmark.com.bread

Liquid Bread also makes other products. The Carboy Dryer and Stacker is a wide-footed base made of heavy duty plastic for inverting a carboy to dry. The carboy mouth is kept elevated and safe from infection and bacteria while the chlorine- or iodophor-sanitized carboy dries.

The Carboy Dolly is a handy way of moving heavy, full, glass carboys about your house. Two strong rubber wheels are attached to an axle, and there is a flat base for holding the carboy's bottom. Curved metal ribs with rubber padding at the tips are attached along the dolly's spine to support the back side of a carboy. A rubber padded handle protrudes upwards to about waist height for pushing the dolly. It sure beats carrying those suckers.