A lot of people love beer and are interested in brewing their own beer, but don't know where to start. The number one question is usually what type of equipment do I need to start home brewing? Home brewing equipment required to get started is surprisingly quite cheap and easy to obtain, but most people incorrectly think it's high-priced and difficult to find. This is a discussion about what primary pieces of brewing equipment you'll need to get started with malt extract brewing.
You will need a big pot to boil at least two gallons of water, and closer to three gallons is much better for brewing 5 gallon batches. Make sure your brew pot has insulated handles so you can easily transport the hot water during brewing. To make sure you have the right temperature values during brewing you will need to have a good thermometer. This is essential so you know when you have cooled your wort to the proper temperature to add your yeast. If the temperature is too hot it can kill the yeast, and too low the yeast will simply not do anything.
You'll have to have a big steel spoon to stir your homebrew, and don't use a wooden spoon as it may contain bacteria that could possibly infect your beer. Once you are finished with brewing the beer you'll need to transfer it to a fermenter. Plastic bucket fermenters are the most popular for beginners, but other types are available. To measure the alcohol content of your beer you will need to buy a hydrometer, a device that measures the density of your brew.
The beer is moved to a bottling bucket after fermentation is finished. To make sure your equipment will not spoil your beer, you must use a sanitizing solution. To transfer the beer you will need to use a siphon together with a plastic hose. After the beer has been moved to the bottling bucket, you will need another plastic hose connected to a bottle filler to fill each individual bottle with your home brew. I suggest using a bottle filler as the spring inside makes bottling much easier than merely using a plain hose.
Your homebrew needs a place to go, so you will also need bottle caps and glass bottles. A typical 5 gallon batch of home brew requires approximately fifty 12 ounce bottles. Each and every bottle must be cleaned with a brush and sanitized before bottling your beer. Attaching the bottle caps to the bottles is the last step in producing your home brew. For this you will need to buy a bottle capper, and I suggest you buy a standing or counter-top version instead of the hand held model. Just keep in mind you must sanitize the caps for the bottles!
To help filter out debris from your brewing process you will probably want to get a strainer too. A funnel may also prove useful if you're using a plastic or glass carboy but is not necessary if you use a plastic bucket. To remove easy sample readings of your beer during fermentation, a wine or beer thief is a handy tool to have as well.
Anyone can become a homebrewer and brewing your own beer at home is easy! Build a home microbrewery with this home brew setup as a guide!
You will need a big pot to boil at least two gallons of water, and closer to three gallons is much better for brewing 5 gallon batches. Make sure your brew pot has insulated handles so you can easily transport the hot water during brewing. To make sure you have the right temperature values during brewing you will need to have a good thermometer. This is essential so you know when you have cooled your wort to the proper temperature to add your yeast. If the temperature is too hot it can kill the yeast, and too low the yeast will simply not do anything.
You'll have to have a big steel spoon to stir your homebrew, and don't use a wooden spoon as it may contain bacteria that could possibly infect your beer. Once you are finished with brewing the beer you'll need to transfer it to a fermenter. Plastic bucket fermenters are the most popular for beginners, but other types are available. To measure the alcohol content of your beer you will need to buy a hydrometer, a device that measures the density of your brew.
The beer is moved to a bottling bucket after fermentation is finished. To make sure your equipment will not spoil your beer, you must use a sanitizing solution. To transfer the beer you will need to use a siphon together with a plastic hose. After the beer has been moved to the bottling bucket, you will need another plastic hose connected to a bottle filler to fill each individual bottle with your home brew. I suggest using a bottle filler as the spring inside makes bottling much easier than merely using a plain hose.
Your homebrew needs a place to go, so you will also need bottle caps and glass bottles. A typical 5 gallon batch of home brew requires approximately fifty 12 ounce bottles. Each and every bottle must be cleaned with a brush and sanitized before bottling your beer. Attaching the bottle caps to the bottles is the last step in producing your home brew. For this you will need to buy a bottle capper, and I suggest you buy a standing or counter-top version instead of the hand held model. Just keep in mind you must sanitize the caps for the bottles!
To help filter out debris from your brewing process you will probably want to get a strainer too. A funnel may also prove useful if you're using a plastic or glass carboy but is not necessary if you use a plastic bucket. To remove easy sample readings of your beer during fermentation, a wine or beer thief is a handy tool to have as well.
Anyone can become a homebrewer and brewing your own beer at home is easy! Build a home microbrewery with this home brew setup as a guide!
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