#HTE

This Simple Tool For Home Brewers Saves Both Time & Space

Brewing beer, much like pickling foods, has kept humans alive and happy about it for millennia. The appeal is both creative and detail oriented, and to do things right modern home brewers often need a lot of space for the collection of tanks, buckets, carboys and other gear. The Catalyst Fermentation System is a single piece of equipment that aims to replace almost all of the space-inefficient stuff traditionally used in the first couple stages of brewing. And they manage it in an unusually eye-friendly design.

While the claim to be the “most innovative piece of beer making equipment ever” is quite bold, the design looks good. Raising the tank, fitting the bottom with a butterfly valve, and giving it a standard Mason jar threading cuts might seem odd, but it cuts out multiple messy liquid transitions and the need for multiple tanks. 

Users no longer need to transfer the ferment between jugs when removing sediment, clarifying, or adding sugar. 

The rack itself is built to withstand a lot of load while looking simple and stately. The frame uses I-beam type shaping and honeycomb moulding, all coated with a super tough polymer that’s both food safe and non reactive.

The tank is sealed with a lipped silicone gasket and four locks. The wide mouth of the tank and removable parts keeps it easy to clean, and you can stick the whole thing in a dishwasher when you’re done.

The Craft A Brew team behind the Catalyst has done their homework on both brewing and ID. The final design is simple and strong enough that they feel comfortable marketing it to first-timers and old hands alike. For n00bs they offer supporter packages with every bit of gear and material to get you started, and they have mixes for brews of several types, including an IPA and a dry Irish Stout. 

While people have been getting by with the buckets of yore for the aforesaid thousands of years, cool tools to streamline messy projects are fine in my book. Tinkering in the basement is great, but so is simplifying the stuff I have to sterilize and store, especially when the tools themselves look this clean. As long as it doesn’t take the creativity and flavor out of the product, efficiency is a fantastic catalyst for good design.

The Catalyst Fermentation System is already flying high at over 400% funded, and interested drinkers with an extra $175 banging around have until August 17 to get one of the first batch.