Today we’re going to tackle a not very glamorous but vitally important topic: keeping your back healthy when you brew. A 5-gallon (19-liter) batch of wort or beer weighs a little more than 40 pounds (18 kg), not including the bucket, carboy, or keg. A 6.5-gallon (24.6-liter) glass carboy will add another 15 pounds (7 kg) or so, which means you could end up carrying around as much as 60 pounds (27 kg) when you move that carboy from Point A to Point B. Here are a few ideas to ensure that Point B isn’t the E.R.
1. Use ball valves and pumps (or gravity).
Some of the cheaper among us continue to rely on the lift-and-pour method of wort transfer for no particularly good reason. Please do not follow our example. You might be able to get away with this for 5-gallon batches, but unless you’ve recently medaled in a strongman or strongwoman competition, moving up to 10-gallon (37.8-liter) batches necessitates an investment in some ball valves.
Ball valves pull wort from the bottom of the brew kettle and rely on either gravity or a pump to move it to your fermentor, and you should be able to install one in your existing kettle for around $30. The trouble with using gravity is that your source vessel must always be higher than the destination vessel, and that still means moving liquid. Pumps let you keep all of your vessels at a single height: Just plug in the pump and let the electric motor transfer the wort for you.
2. Set up an efficient brewery.
Professional chefs understand the importance of maintaining a compact work triangle, the area between the refrigerator, sink, and stove. In brewing, as in cooking, keeping your brew rig, fermentation chamber, and kegerator close to one another means less opportunity to throw out your back.
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3. Use carboy webbing.
The little plastic handle that clamps around the neck of a glass carboy should never—I repeat, never—be exclusively used to lift a vessel full of liquid. Use that handle to stabilize the carboy as you carry it, but always support the vessel from the bottom. Carboy webbing, however, is altogether different. Polypropylene straps surround and securely cradle the carboy from below, and two handles let you move your beer with two equally spaced hands and minimal awkwardness.
4. Switch from a freezer to a fridge.
If you rely on a repurposed chest freezer for fermentation, lagering, or serving beer, then you know what a pain it is to lift those kegs and carboys up, over, and down into the cold box. An upright refrigerator performs the same function as a freezer, but with fewer brewery acrobatics. Even better: Use a furniture dolly and a shallow ramp to roll your beer in and out of the fridge.
Remember that your body is the best judge of how heavy is too heavy. Listen to your back, and don’t try to lift more than is comfortable, especially in an awkward, hunched over position. Exercising the right precautions now will ensure that you can continue brewing for years to come.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to place an order for some ball valves.