Everybody loves beer and would like to make their own, but they’re not sure how to get started. “What kind of equipment do I need?” is normally the first question that people new to brewing ask. Many people think that it’s very pricey and difficult to obtain all of the home brewing equipment they need to get going, but it’s cheaper and easier than you think. Let’s discuss the brewing products you’ll need to purchase to get started with home brewing beer using malt extract.
For a five gallon batch of home brew, you will need a large pot to boil at least 2 or three gallons of water. This brew kettle needs to be strong and have handles that make it easy to pick up when full of hot liquid. To make sure you have the correct temperature values during brewing you’ll need to have a good thermometer. Before you add the yeast to your brew you need to ensure that the temperature is neither too hot or too cold. If the temperature is too high it may kill the yeast, and too low the yeast will simply not do anything.
Make sure you have a long steel spoon to stir your brew, as a wooden spoon can become filled with bacteria and is not ideal to use. After you’re done with brewing the beer you will need to transfer it to a fermenter. There are several types of fermenters available, with the most basic being the plastic bucket type. To measure the alcohol strength of your beer you’ll need to purchase a hydrometer, a gadget that measures the density of your brew.
Once fermentation is complete, you need to transfer your beer to a bottling bucket. You must use a sanitizing solution to clean your brewing equipment so your beer does not become ruined with bacteria. Transferring the beer is done by using a plastic hose connected to a siphon. To move the beer from the bottling bucket into the individual bottles, you’ll need to use a plastic hose in conjunction with a bottle filler. Bottle fillers are spring-loaded and make filling the bottles a lot easier than using a simple hose.
Of course you will need bottles and bottle caps for your home brew. You need roughly 50 12 ounce. bottles for a typical 5-gallon batch of home brew. Remember, each bottle must be cleaned and sanitized before adding your beer. Applying the bottle caps to the bottles is the final step in making your home brew. For this you need to invest in a bottle capper, and I recommend you purchase a standing or counter-top version instead of the hand-held model. Don’t forget to sanitize the bottle caps as well!
You may also want to purchase a strainer to help filter hops and other brewing sediment from your kettle before you transfer your home brew to your fermenter. A funnel can also come in handy if you’re using a plastic or glass carboy but is not necessary if you use a plastic bucket. To take samples of your beer during fermentation you may need to use a beer thief, but you could use anything really that is easily sanitized.
Anyone can be a homebrewer and brewing beer at home is easy! Use this home brew equipment list to build your own microbrewery at home!
