| Starting a home microbrewery is something that | | | | your beer and determine alcohol content |
| more and more people are getting interested in. The | | | | 5. Floating Thermometer - Used in conjunction with |
| question many people have is "How do I get | | | | the Hydrometer when taking temperature and |
| started?". Well, I'm here to help. What follows is a | | | | specific gravity readings. |
| basic list of the equipment you will need to make | | | | 6. Bottling Bucket with Siphoning Tap and Hose - |
| your first batch. You can find all of this equipment at | | | | Transferring the beer to a bottling bucket prior to |
| your local brew shop or online. Shop around as prices | | | | bottling will minimize the risk of transferring |
| can vary widely. | | | | fermenting sediment/residue to the bottles. |
| | | | 7. Bottles, Bottle Capper, and Bottling Tube - Used |
| 1. Brewpot and Plastic/Metal Spoon - You may | | | | bottles are a good cost effective option. You can |
| already have a good pot lying around. The minimum | | | | use screw top but a capper provides for a tighter |
| suggested size is 4 gallon but I highly recommend | | | | seal and longer shelf life. A bottling tube has a spring |
| going with at least a 5 gallon pot or larger to give | | | | loaded valve that makes bottling much easier than |
| yourself some room while boiling the wort | | | | regular siphoning. This equipment list represents the |
| (pronounced "wert"). You need a nice big spoon to | | | | bulk of the equipment needed to start your own |
| stir the wort. You can use a wooden spoon but | | | | home microbrewery. Experienced brewers may or |
| plastic or metal spoons are less prone to | | | | may not agree that this is an exhaustive list but it is |
| contamination. | | | | certainly enough to get you going. As you become |
| 2. Primary Fermenter with Airtight Lid - A food grade | | | | more experienced you will find what you feel is |
| (HDPE) 6.5 to 7.5 gallon bucket with lid is | | | | indispensable to your homebrewing. |
| recommended. If you have the funds, you can go | | | | One last thing to consider is that the most costly |
| with a 6 gallon glass carboy with plenty of head | | | | part of making your own beer is getting all the |
| space (to accommodate foaming during | | | | equipment you need. However, once you have all the |
| fermentation.) | | | | basic equipment, the overall cost to make additional |
| 3. Airlock with Fitted Rubber Stopper - This is a | | | | batches declines dramatically ultimately making home |
| cheap and indispensable piece of equipment. They | | | | brewed beer more economical than a store-bought |
| come in many different designs but work on the | | | | micro-brew. If you cost concerns are important, |
| same principle. An airlock allows CO2 to escape during | | | | there are some decent brew kits on the market that |
| fermentation and prevents harmful microbes to enter | | | | give you most of the equipment you need to get |
| and spoil the beer. | | | | going. This can be a great low risk option for the first |
| 4. Hydrometer - Used to calculate the density of | | | | timer. |
