Equipment - Essentials
Wednesday, 06 July 2011 13:24 | 
Written by Peter | 
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Coopers Micro-Brew Kit
see details here
All you need to start with is in there. If the fermenter does not have a meter showing the fill volume in litres it is a good idea to first pour in measured amounts of water and mark the levels from 20-25 litres with a pen on the outside of the fermenter.
I don't use the plastic bottles because their bottom is shaped like sections of an orange which makes it difficult to rinse them without wasting a lot of water. I have built up a stock of Longnecks I bought from the Bottle-Shop over the years. Some of them are already antiques and have seen many, many brews. They are quite tough and easy to clean.
I don’t use the hydrometer any more. After a week the brew is ready for bottling if the temperature was kept in the recommended range. If you use the hydrometer as frequent as the homebrew suppliers suggest you should then you end up wasting a lot of the good stuff.
Can opener
Over the years I have used many different can opener brands and designs. Ideally you use a type that cuts the lid from the side not from the top. These do not tend to leave sharp edges. The top cut models leave sharp edges and make it difficult to scrape all of the content out of the can. A lot of the side cutter models, especially the cheaper variants, fail to cut through the material over the whole circumference. They usually leave a section uncut and damaged. Magican branded openers are pretty good, expensive but do not last long. Perhaps the quality has succumbed to the pressures of making a buck these days. Things just don't last anymore. Sadly.