Basic Brewing Equipment

Homebrewing equipment covers a whole spectrum from super frugal to super expensive.  I tried to take the frugal route when I started brewing and after a few batches I realized I overspent.  This post is going to take you through the bare minimum equipment you need to get going for 5 gallon extract brewing with kits so you can learn from my mistakes.  Some things you might even have already!  I’m covering extract brewing in this post because it requires less equipment than all-grain, so it’s most likely the cheapest way to see if this is even a hobby you want to pursue.  To take it a step further, buying a recipe kit will provide you with all the ingredients pre-measured.  If you start delving into recipes you create or find from other brewers then you’ll definitely need a scale.

On brew days these are the must-have items for me:

• stainless steel pot
  • I bought one from Walmart.
• long-handled spatula or spoon
  • I found a stainless steel BBQ accessory from Walmart during an end-of-season clearance.
• scissors
• turkey baster
• hydrometer
• hydrometer test jar/tube
• 6.5 gallon bucket (optional (see below):  with a spigot)
• bucket lid, with a hole and grommet
• airlock
• sanitizer
• container for the sanitizer
  • I have a spare bucket with no spigot that I keep sanitizer in, but a spray bottle works too.
• masking tape to label your bucket
• pen

Bottling is by far the cheapest way to carbonate your beer.  I had family and friends save bottles for me to help keep costs down.  The bottles must have pry-off caps – the screw-off type don’t seal properly.  Another cost savings route I took was collecting plastic 500mL soda bottles.  Stay away from plastic water bottles or any container that isn’t designed to hold carbonated liquids.  It was much faster for me to collect plastic soda bottles than glass beer bottles and they didn’t affect anything but the presentation of my finished product.  I soaked them in diluted bleach to get rid of any soda flavor then rinsed them thoroughly.  Another bonus to using plastic bottles is that you don’t need to buy bottle caps or a capper.  They’re also easy to tell if they’re getting carbonated – yet another bonus!

Without further ado…. On bottling day you’ll need:

• small pan to boil your priming sugar
• measuring cup* (unless you purchase priming sugar in the proper sized bag, or you can use this trick and skip the pan, too)
• siphon**
• hose
• bottle filler wand
• 55 12oz beer bottles (you won’t fill them all but it’s good to have some extras on hand)
  • or about 40 500mL plastic bottles
• bottle caps
• bottle capper
• sanitizer (this is when a spare bucket for sanitizer really comes in handy)
• another 6.5 gallon bucket
  • these are often called “bottling buckets” and have a spigot near the bottom to make bottling easier

Of course, there are countless other tools and gadgets you can buy that will make your life easier or speed up your brew session.  I try to give reviews of the items I’ve purchased so you can learn from my experience what helps and what doesn’t.  There are plenty of things I purchased because I read that it was needed or came with a kit, then it turned out unnecessary.  The things I listed on this page are the bare minimum you need to get an extract recipe brewed and carbonated.  No frills, but it’ll get the job done.

Please let me know if I missed something or if you know of ways to cut costs even more!

*A measuring cup isn’t ideal for measuring priming sugar.  You really should weigh the proper amount on a scale.  If you already have a scale that will read ounces, use it.  A measuring cup will get you by if cost is a factor.

**An alternative to using a siphon is to purchase both of your 6.5 gallon buckets with spigots.  You can ferment in one with a spigot and it eliminates the need to siphon into your bottling bucket.  Just attach a hose to the spigot to rack into the 2nd bucket.  This is my preferred method.  I really dislike siphons.  Really.