Welcome to Zach’s Labrewtory!! We wanted to share with everyone what some of Zach’s favorite brewing equipment, recipes and styles were.
With over 25 years of brewing experience he has a ton of information in knowledge. In an effort to share it with the world, Zach’s Labrewrtory was Born!
Oh, and that's Zach
He is a regular guest on Brew Talk with Mr. Beer, has mastered all aspects of brewing, from all grain to extract brewing, and is a regular in our Facebook Group. If you have called, emailed, or chatted with us you’ve had some kind of interaction with Zach and can appreciate the wealth of knowledge that he can drop.
The sole creator of the clone zone and our workout beers he has taken our recipes to new levels that blow away the snobbiest beer drinkers. Open up a cold one and let’s explore Zach’s Labrewtory, in the name of SCIENCE!
Hydrometer or TiltBeing able to accurately track where your recipes begin and know for sure when your recipes are done makes this a no-brainer for me. The Tilt is a sweet bit of kit that allows you to keep track of the gravity and temperature without the need for taking samples and risking the batch.
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PotsWhere would you be without pots to boil your wort? Not homebrewing, that’s for sure. From making Mr. Beer in a small stock pot, to a 10-gallon stainless monster for those double batches of your favorite 5-gallon recipe, you need a pot that’s going to last and allow you to brew with style. Stainless is really the only way to go.
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Hand CapperCan't have glass bottles without the capper. This handy and inexpensive guy will have you bottling beer like a pro. Lightweight, inexpensive, and not as hard on the hands as the old ones used to be, it's a great addition to any homebrewery.
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Carbonation DropsFor when I’m not making a Maple Porter (or brown) then there is nothing simpler than these little gems. No more complicated calculations for batch priming, just fill your bottles and add your drops, done.
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BeanoThis tops my list, since this allowed me to create the low-carb magic of the Workout series. Also, since I’m on a low-carb diet, this helps keep me on track but allows me to still drink some tasty beers.
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Maple SyrupSince I’m from Vermont it still pumps through my veins, but it adds a great flavor if you replace your carbonation drops with it. (PS. It’s a one-for-one replacement, if you would use two carb drops, use 2 tsp of syrup.)
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YeastA broad topic, but the impact of a proper yeast choice can go a long way towards making a good beer into a great one. This is dependent on personal taste, so explore and find the best yeasts for your beers by trying the same recipes with different types of yeasts, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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GrainsOf course, like yeast it’s a broad category, but we wouldn’t have beer without ‘em. Need your beer to be a little darker? Steep some chocolate malt for 30 minutes. Want bready, biscuity flavors? Just add some Vienna or Maris Otter for 30 minutes. The variety of malts is just as complex as hop characters.
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Patience |
Have fun! |
Patience is a brewer's best attribute. Once that beer is in the fermenter or the bottle, leave it alone. Let those wonderful yeast do there thing in peace. It'll be worth it. |
This is a hobby that you are supposed to enjoy, so play. Try weird things and experiment, bottle your porter with maple syrup or put some local fruit in pale for late summer enjoyment. |
Read & Learn |
Clean, Clean, Clean! |
Checkout useful blogs like ours, or Brulosophy.com and Craft Beer & Brewing for insights into what trends are making there way from brewery to home-brewer. |
I know it's no fun, but washing up your fermenters and bottles right away saves tons of aggravation and work, once things dry on (or worse yet, get moldy) it's a lot less fun to clean. |
Brew What You Enjoy |
Socalize |
Ignore the purists and make beer that you like. Sure extract brewing is easier, but isn't that a good thing? I love the fact that I don't need to spend 4-8 hours making a batch of all grain wort when I have the time to brew. If you can still make great beer, who really cares how you get there. |
Get out to the pub and meet some folks, try some beers you've never heard of, maybe even chat with a brewer if you can. Nearly every one I meet likes talking about their favorite beers and how they're made, pick up some tips and tricks, try them out, and have some fun. |