What's Your Oldest Bit Of Kit?

[Hashie]

This is my oldest bit of kit, it's almost as old as me

I inherited this from my Grandfather. He obviously didn't do big beers, as it only reads up to 1050.

It was purchased in 1969 for the princely sum of $1.73



So what is your oldest bit of kit?

 

[Batz]

This is my oldest bit of kit, it's almost as old as me

I inherited this from my Grandfather. He obviously didn't do big beers, as it only reads up to 1050.

It was purchased in 1969 for the princely sum of $1.73

View attachment 42190

So what is your oldest bit of kit?

StillScottish is going to want that !

 

[Pennywise]

Awesome thread, my oldest bit of kit isn't quite as exciting, it's a sugar measure I got with my first kit, about 10 years ago.
Can't wait to see some of the stuff others have

 

[jbirbeck]

bottle capper - purchased by my brother when he started brewing 22 years ago. I started using it when I first brewed 15 years ago and has been in action a fair bit since (even with a bit of time off in there). I did have a fermenter that had the same sort of age on it but it suffered a crack.

i also have two old water 'cubes' from when my parents got water delivered to their house. They would be 25 years + now.

 

[fraser_john]

I still have my original fermenter bucket, hydrometer and David Lines book from when I first started brewing in 1984! I don't use the bucket for fermenting anymore, but it is still good for weighing grains etc. I am surprised the hydromer has survived this long!

 

[Hashie]

I am surprised the hydromer has survived this long!

Not only survived but still works and reads accurately. The scale is also very easy to read, 1000 - 1050. My modern hydro's scale is 980 - 1150 making the increments a tad small for my old eyes.

 

[Batz]

I still have my original hydrometer, it must be 30 years plus by now. I think it's a Malt Craft brand, they made rather bad kit beers before Coopers got into the market.

Batz

 

[Scruffy]

I'm the oldest kit I've got.

 

[jrsy85]

I've got a power brewery keg, they were bought by CUB in 1992 so i'm guessing its at least as old as that...

 

[ekul]

HOw did they brew in 1969? All grain or did they have kits back then?

I met this old (around 80) guy at the supermarket when picking up some carb drops a few weeks ago. He was getting some kits so i had a long chat with him. I started talking to him about all grain and how awesome it is and how he should give it a go and he said "well i used to brew like that a long time ago but now they've put all of it in these cans, so i don't have to anymore. They've done it all for me now." I was surprised that someone would go from all grain to cans but i spose at 80 you don't really want to be lifting heavy pots of wort around the place for five hours. He was brewing with grain in the 50s! I wonder if he had to malt all his grain.

All that grain must've done him some good though as he looked bloody healthy and he was sharp as a tack.

 

[TidalPete]

A lolly jar from the Burleigh Heads picture theatre cafe (circa 1930). Holds almost 5 litres of wort & has a flat bottom, making it ideal for big starters on the stir plate. :super:


TP

 

[Frag_Dog]

On a trip to my girlfriends parents place about 18months ago I went for a walk down to one of the dams and found a bunch of bottles in the dam wall. I ended up finding about 6-7 of them. They are from the NSW Bottle Company. The dates stamped onto the bottom range from 1958 to 1968 i think.

They are at home, I'll take a photo next time I'm in the brewery.

So that would be my oldest bit of kit i suppose....

 

[proudscum]

Not my oldest bit of kit but a very proud moment. I still have 3X 25l pail type fermenters from 1994.Two of which i still use after years of washing with warm water and a soft cloth.

 

[pcmfisher]

$1.73 in 1969. Whats that in today's money? $100

 

[zebba]

Some people I know were renovating a real old place, and after ripping down some plaster they found that timber from old beer crates had been used in the building process. They immediately thought of me. So now I've got these old planks with "Victoria Brewery" and "Carlton Bitter Ale" and stuff like that branded on the side of them. When I get around to building a brew stand I'm planning on finding a way of getting some choice pieces attached to give the stand some character.

No idea how old they are. I can grab some photos if people are interested.

 

[RobW]

A black Fowlers Vacola fermenter from about 1974 when Gough Whitlam's government legalised home brewing.
Only used for storage now.

 

[stillscottish]

StillScottish is going to want that !

Mmmmm!!!

 

[stillscottish]

The Mighty Thermax

Don't know the age but maybe early sixties??

 

[Lodan]

A black fermenter made in 1984. Still my primary, still gets the job done!

 

[stillscottish]

23 year old mash tun. It's had a bleaching recently