Many people love beer and are interested in brewing their own beer, but have no idea where to begin. The number one question is often what type of equipment do I need to start home brewing? Home brewing equipment required to get started is actually quite cheap and easy to obtain, but most people incorrectly think it's high-priced and difficult to find. Let's talk about the brewing equipment you'll need to purchase to get started with home brewing beer using malt extract.
You will need a large pot to boil at least 2 gallons of drinking water, and closer to three gallons is much better for brewing 5 gallon batches. This brew kettle needs to be sturdy and have handles that make it simple to lift when filled with hot water. To make sure you have the correct temperature values during brewing you will want to have a trusty thermometer. This is important so you know when you have cooled your wort to the proper temperature to add the yeast. Yeast can be very fickle and is easily killed if the temperature is too hot, and will be inactive if the temperature is too cold.
You'll need a large 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 completed brewing the beer you will need to transfer it to a fermentation container. Plastic bucket fermenters are the most popular for beginners, but other styles are available. You'll also need a hydrometer, a gadget that calculates the specific gravity of your beer and helps figure out how much alcohol is produced during fermentation.
The beer is moved to a bottling bucket once fermentation is finished. You need to use a sanitizing solution to cleanse your brewing equipment so your beer does not become ruined with bacteria. Moving the beer is accomplished by using a plastic hose connected to a siphon. To transfer the beer from the bottling bucket into the individual beer bottles, you'll need to use a plastic hose in conjunction with a bottle filler. I suggest using a bottle filler as the spring inside makes bottling much easier than merely using a plain old hose.
Your home brew needs a place to go, so you also need bottle caps and bottles. A standard five gallon batch of homebrew requires approximately fifty 12 ounce bottles. Remember, each bottle must be cleaned and sanitized before adding your beer. The last step in completing your bottling process is to attach the bottle caps to the bottles. For this you need to buy a bottle capper, and I suggest you purchase a standing or counter-top version instead of the hand held model. Don't forget to sanitize the bottle caps as well!
To help filter out sediment from your brewing process you will probably want to get a strainer as well. If you use a carboy (glass or plastic) to ferment you may also want to get a funnel. To take samples of your beer during fermentation you might need to use a beer thief, but you could use anything really that is easily sanitized.
Brewing your own beer is easy and anyone can become a homebrewer! Use this homebrew equipment list to build your own microbrewery at home!
You will need a large pot to boil at least 2 gallons of drinking water, and closer to three gallons is much better for brewing 5 gallon batches. This brew kettle needs to be sturdy and have handles that make it simple to lift when filled with hot water. To make sure you have the correct temperature values during brewing you will want to have a trusty thermometer. This is important so you know when you have cooled your wort to the proper temperature to add the yeast. Yeast can be very fickle and is easily killed if the temperature is too hot, and will be inactive if the temperature is too cold.
You'll need a large 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 completed brewing the beer you will need to transfer it to a fermentation container. Plastic bucket fermenters are the most popular for beginners, but other styles are available. You'll also need a hydrometer, a gadget that calculates the specific gravity of your beer and helps figure out how much alcohol is produced during fermentation.
The beer is moved to a bottling bucket once fermentation is finished. You need to use a sanitizing solution to cleanse your brewing equipment so your beer does not become ruined with bacteria. Moving the beer is accomplished by using a plastic hose connected to a siphon. To transfer the beer from the bottling bucket into the individual beer bottles, you'll need to use a plastic hose in conjunction with a bottle filler. I suggest using a bottle filler as the spring inside makes bottling much easier than merely using a plain old hose.
Your home brew needs a place to go, so you also need bottle caps and bottles. A standard five gallon batch of homebrew requires approximately fifty 12 ounce bottles. Remember, each bottle must be cleaned and sanitized before adding your beer. The last step in completing your bottling process is to attach the bottle caps to the bottles. For this you need to buy a bottle capper, and I suggest you purchase a standing or counter-top version instead of the hand held model. Don't forget to sanitize the bottle caps as well!
To help filter out sediment from your brewing process you will probably want to get a strainer as well. If you use a carboy (glass or plastic) to ferment you may also want to get a funnel. To take samples of your beer during fermentation you might need to use a beer thief, but you could use anything really that is easily sanitized.
Brewing your own beer is easy and anyone can become a homebrewer! Use this homebrew equipment list to build your own microbrewery at home!
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