Everyone loves beer and wants to create their own, but they're not sure how to get started. The number one question is often what kind of equipment do I need to start home brewing? A lot of people think that it's very expensive and difficult to get all of the home brewing equipment they need to get started, but it's cheaper and easier than you think. This is a discussion about what main pieces of brewing equipment you will need to get started with malt extract brewing.
For a five gallon batch of home brew, you will need a sizeable pot to boil at least 2 or 3 gallons of liquid. Make sure your brew kettle has insulated handles so you can readily move the hot water during brewing. You will also need a thermometer for taking temperature readings of your boiling liquid. Before you add your yeast to your brew you need to make certain that the temperature is neither too hot or too cold. Yeast can be very fickle and is easily killed if the temperature is too high, and will be inactive if the temperature is too low.
You will have to have a big steel spoon to stir your homebrew, and don't use a solid wood spoon as it may contain bacteria that could possibly infect your beer. Once you have finished brewing the homebrew you'll need to transfer it to a fermentation container. Plastic bucket fermenters are the most common for beginners, but other types are available. To measure the alcohol strength of your beer you will need to buy a hydrometer, a device that measures the density of your beer.
The beer is moved to a bottling bucket once fermentation is completed. You need to use a sanitizing solution to cleanse your brewing equipment so your beer does not become infected with bacteria. Moving the beer is accomplished by using a plastic hose in conjunction with a siphon. To transfer the beer from the bottling bucket into the individual beer bottles, you will need to use a plastic hose in conjunction with a bottle filler. I suggest using a bottle filler because the mechanism inside makes bottling much easier than just using a plain hose.
Needless to say you'll need bottles and bottle caps for your home brew. A typical 5 gallon batch of homebrew requires approximately 50 twelve ounce bottles. Each and every bottle must be cleaned with a brush and sanitized before bottling your beer. The final step in finishing your bottling process is to attach the bottle caps to the bottles. For this you need to invest in a bottle capper, and I suggest you buy a standing or counter-top version instead of the handheld version. Just remember you have to sanitize the caps for the bottles!
To help filter out trub from your brewing process you will probably want to obtain a strainer too. If you use a carboy (glass or plastic) to ferment you may also want to get your hands on a funnel. To take easy sample readings of your beer during fermentation, a wine or beer thief is a helpful tool to have as well.
Anyone can become a homebrewer and brewing beer at home is easy! Build a home microbrewery using this home brew setup as a guide!
For a five gallon batch of home brew, you will need a sizeable pot to boil at least 2 or 3 gallons of liquid. Make sure your brew kettle has insulated handles so you can readily move the hot water during brewing. You will also need a thermometer for taking temperature readings of your boiling liquid. Before you add your yeast to your brew you need to make certain that the temperature is neither too hot or too cold. Yeast can be very fickle and is easily killed if the temperature is too high, and will be inactive if the temperature is too low.
You will have to have a big steel spoon to stir your homebrew, and don't use a solid wood spoon as it may contain bacteria that could possibly infect your beer. Once you have finished brewing the homebrew you'll need to transfer it to a fermentation container. Plastic bucket fermenters are the most common for beginners, but other types are available. To measure the alcohol strength of your beer you will need to buy a hydrometer, a device that measures the density of your beer.
The beer is moved to a bottling bucket once fermentation is completed. You need to use a sanitizing solution to cleanse your brewing equipment so your beer does not become infected with bacteria. Moving the beer is accomplished by using a plastic hose in conjunction with a siphon. To transfer the beer from the bottling bucket into the individual beer bottles, you will need to use a plastic hose in conjunction with a bottle filler. I suggest using a bottle filler because the mechanism inside makes bottling much easier than just using a plain hose.
Needless to say you'll need bottles and bottle caps for your home brew. A typical 5 gallon batch of homebrew requires approximately 50 twelve ounce bottles. Each and every bottle must be cleaned with a brush and sanitized before bottling your beer. The final step in finishing your bottling process is to attach the bottle caps to the bottles. For this you need to invest in a bottle capper, and I suggest you buy a standing or counter-top version instead of the handheld version. Just remember you have to sanitize the caps for the bottles!
To help filter out trub from your brewing process you will probably want to obtain a strainer too. If you use a carboy (glass or plastic) to ferment you may also want to get your hands on a funnel. To take easy sample readings of your beer during fermentation, a wine or beer thief is a helpful tool to have as well.
Anyone can become a homebrewer and brewing beer at home is easy! Build a home microbrewery using this home brew setup as a guide!
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Learn more about becoming a homebrewer. Stop by our instructional video website where you can learn how to brew your own beer. It's easier than you think!
