Nothing here breaks the bank but they all helped immensely, getting a more consistent product and process
False bottom perforated mash manifold:
I tried bazooka screens and a custom handbuilt PEX manifold before springing for one of these. Not a single stuck sparge since. A crystal clear lauter only takes 2-3 qts.
Refractometer:
I use this to mainly to cut the boil when I've reached target gravity regardless of volume. This isn't ideal for every beer where hop addition timing is more important, but it can help you understand boil off rate better, and make those additions as well.
High quality cooling coil:
Most brewers start with ice baths, and soon buy a budget coil when they realize how poorly ice baths work. I recommend a better coil from the start- welded hose fittings, more surface area. This is a Jaded Brewing Mantis, I use an older discontinued Jaded Wasp model, but this looks comparable or improved
Waterproof probe thermometer
I burned through several non-waterproof $15 probes before realizing how wasteful, and often inaccurate they are. I use this Thermoworks ChefAlarm model.
