How do you use your brewing equipment when you aren’t brewing beer? Does it sit off to the side collecting dust awaiting the next brewing season? If so, you may want to consider various ways that you can make the most use of your brewing equipment right now. If you look at all the components that comprise your brewing equipment, you will discover there are a variety of practical ways that you can use your brewing equipment.
Drink Dispenser: Those kegs aren’t just for beer. Consider putting your favorite beverage on tap. If you have a dual keg system, then you have even more beverage options on hand. This is a great idea for a party or special occasion when you want to dispense large amounts of beverage in a convenient manner. You could even use your mash tun as a water or beverage cooler. If you have a CO2 system, you could also make your own carbonated beverages. You can purchase soft drink extracts. When combined with carbonated water, they will create your own homemade sodas on tap for all to enjoy.
Ice Tea Brewery: Beer is not the only beverage that you can brew using your brewing equipment. Consider making large amounts of delicious, fresh brewed ice tea. You have the equipment on hand to make more than enough ice tea for everyone to enjoy. Your brewing kettle can hold and dispense the tea, and you can heat the water using your burner. If you have a glass carboy, you can even make sun tea! Just fill the carboy with your tea bag, add lots or water, seal it tightly with the airlock, and let the tea brew in the sun. Once finished brewing, you can chill your tea and serve it via your kegs.
Cooker/Canning: Want to make some beans but you don’t feel like waiting forever for them to cook? Well, you can use your brewing equipment to create a pressure cooker to make beans and other foods in half the time. Your kettles and burner make the perfect combination for a nice seafood boil outside, and the kettles are great if you want to prepare a lot of stew or chili. The brew equipment is also perfect for sous vide cooking where you boil vacuum sealed food in a water bath. Some people even use the burners and the rest of the equipment for canning fruit and vegetables. You could even pasteurize food items prior to canning to ensure that all the bacteria are removed. The burners are also great for cooking outside or preparing foods at a high temperature such as wok cooking or even frying turkeys.
Thermometer: Even some of the smaller brewing items have multipurpose use. Your thermometer that you use for brewing beer can also be used to test the temperature for other things. Brewing thermometers have an advantage over other thermometers as they are usually very high quality. You can use your thermometer to test the temperature of meat on the grill or for making candy.
Kitchen Utensils: Many of your brewing items can double as regular kitchen utensils. The funnels and strainers used during the beer brewing process are just as effective when used to cook a regular everyday meal. The muslin bags used for hops can double as loose tea bags. The stainless steel spoons are great for spooning soups or chili. The stainless steel strainers can be used to drain off pasta and vegetables.
Your beer brewing equipment can serve a variety of purposes. Get creative and discover the various ways you can use your brewing equipment for something other than making beer.