To insure you have the easiest time possible, and get great beer from the start, here is what I consider the best starter setup for homebrewing with the least amount of money spent. I'll also include my views of the various pieces of gear, and any variations that may be out there. I'm going to focus on an ale setup since they are easier, and the type of beer I have experience making. I'll toss in some notes for those brave enough to start with lagers.
I'm going to get detailed, but don't worry homebrewing is easy, and legal in most places. This is just what I think every starting brewer should have, every homebrewer has their own opinion.
The Starter's List
1. How to Brew by John Palmer
2. Cleaner
3. Sanitizer
4. Stainless Steel Brewpot
5. Long Spoon
6. Fermenter
7. Airlock aka fermentation lock
8. Temp Control - critical for great beer
9. Hydrometer
10. Yeast nutrient
11. Auto Siphon
12. Bottling Bucket
13. Bottle Filler
14. Bottles
15. Kitchen scale
16. Strainer
Details and opinions after the break.
The Starter's List
1. How to Brew by John Palmer
The best way to brew successfully the first time is make sure you understand the entire process, and Palmer gives you everything you need to know about every step. 90% of what I'm going to tell you in this post is stolen from that book, the other 10% is from the mistakes I've made. I should mention that Palmer approaches everything from a technical viewpoint, which works very well for me, if this is a problem for you try The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. I've yet to read it, so I can't really comment either way.
2. Cleaner
Cleanliness insures beer goodness. This is one of the easy critical things you need to do to make sure you get good beer at the end. You'll want to remove all dirt from your gear to prevent contamination. There are several products out there for cleaning homebrew gear, you get some really nasty and stubborn compounds formed during the process so you need something better than regular dish soap. Personally I prefer PBW, it's strong enough to remove teflon from cookware, but the worst it will do is dry out your hands with (very) prolonged exposure. I generally have a gallon of this made up and ready to go at all times.
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3. Sanitizer
Anything that will come in contact with your beer post-boil need to be sanitized, or sterilized. The only microbes we want in the beer is the yeast, so it can be left all alone to make some tasty beer for us. This is the second easy, but critical, step to insure good beer. The best sanitizers are of the no-rinse variety they designed so that any residue will not harm your beer. My preference is Star San, I keep at least a spray bottle of this ready to go, and use it in my airlocks. I like the way it can foam up, and consider it a useful feature. Depending on your water chemistry, and other factors, it can have a limited shelf life once it's been mixed. I've also used Iodophor in the past, it's downsides are that it has a tendency to stain some plastics, and breaks down fast when exposed to UV.
- Note that there are some products that advertise themselves as "One Step" formulas that clean and sanitize. The problem with this is that you can't sanitize a surface that has crap on it, so you'll want to run the solution over the surface again after you clean it.
- There are also cleaners that say they can sanitize, but don't say no-rinse. If you want to use one of these you'll need to rinse with boiled, not boiling, water. Make sure the water is cool enough that you won't hurt yourself, or damage your equipment. If you use straight tap water you'll contaminate what you just tried to sanitize, safe for people does not mean safe for yeast.
4. Stainless Steel Brewpot
At least a three gallon capacity is what I recommend. Starting out with a small pot is fine, no reason to spend more money if you have a stock pot already. Preferably get a 6-10 gal. pot that way you can do a full volume boil, and have room to grow if you go all-grain, as well as some styles that require a longer boil. Don't get a pot too big for you to bring to a full boil, a proper boil is necessary to create great beer. If you have an outdoor turkey fryer setup like this, then you're ahead of the game. One thing I've noticed is that the volume for cooking pots is measured to the rim so be prepared to subtract 1/4 - 1/2 gallon from the listed volume. You'll want some space at the top to help prevent boil overs.
5. Long Spoon
Yeah it's obvious, but be sure you have something you can reach the bottom of your pot with when stirring in ingredients, and possibly to the bottom of your fermenter.
6. Fermenter
Where the magic of turning sugar into beer occurs, there are actually four common variants. I have some opinions about each, and even some experience! Used to be the buckets were cheaper, now though they're all the same price so it's really a matter of convenience and preference. You'll want a funnel if you use a carboy.
- 7.8 Gal. Bucket My preferred primary fermenter,I actually have two now, and a common item in beginner kits. I like the increased volume so that when the yeast get overactive it's less likely for the foam to come out of your airlock. Since it is opaque it blocks the nasty UV rays from skunking your hops, and plastic doesn't break. The handle is also nice for when you're moving it around. Of course plastic scratches so be careful not to scratch the inside, as that will create areas for evil bacteria to hide. Also the plastic used to make these lets oxygen into your beer which can cause issues with long lagering times.
- 6.5 Gal. Bucket Same as above really just a slightly smaller diameter, and a little less volume. The only one of these I haven't used to ferment beer, although I do have one with a spigot for bottling.
- Glass Carboy The classic, and favorite of many homebrewers. I have one, and will probably never buy another. Comes in many sizes, it's best to start with a 6.5 or 6 gal. Hardest to scratch and lets near zero oxygen into the beer, if you're going to lager consider getting a 5 gallon carboy for your secondary. It's also nice to be able to see what's going on with the beer without having to open the lid. The biggest downside is that of course glass is fragile, and a carboy gets really heavy when it's full of beer. Add water, or other liquid, to the outside and you're courting disaster. I recommend using a Brew Hauler, or a milk crate to help move your carboy. Also since you can see into it, that means UV light can get to it, so keep it in a dark space or covered.
- Plastic Carboy Most of the benefits of glass with alot less weight. I like the one I have and will probably get more if I feel the need. They use a different plastic so it lets through less oxygen versus the buckets, still not perfect like the glass carboys though. Maximum size is 6 gallons which could be an issue with active beers or over-sized batches, smaller sizes are available. The other thing to be careful of is when you go to clean them don't use a carboy brush since it will scratch the plastic, so follow the manufacturers instructions.
Lets the CO2 out during active fermentation, and keeps outside air from getting into the fermenter during the rest of the time. Two different styles available the bubbler, and three piece, I prefer the bubbler for no particular reason. Buy one or two spares in case of accidents, they are made from plastic after all. If using a carboy don't forget a stopper to fit the airlock into the neck of fermenter, I recommend the ones with a lip.
8. Temp Control - critical for great beer
This is third easy, but simple, thing to do to get great beer, and probably the most common way to ruin your first batch. Yeast is a living organism and it performs best under the right temperatures. Too cold and yeast goes to sleep, too hot and the yeast will get sloppy and create too many undesirable byproducts. If you have the money you could buy a fridge or freezer to put your fermenter in, and then use a controller. Or we can go for the shoestring methods. You'll want some sort of thermometer with a probe to monitor the temperature of the fermentation.
- Find a cool room/closet/basement in the house. Works but vulnerable to temperature swings, lets refine it a bit.
- Wrap the fermenter in a blanket, or towels, to provide insulation and limit temperature swings. You can then tuck ice blocks in between the fermenter and cover. May get messy so don't use something you care about.
- Put the fermenter in a basin of water, and swap out ice as necessary. Also known as the swamp cooler.
- Line a large plastic bin with insulation and again use ice blocks to keep the fermenter cool. I've actually built two of these so far and I'm able to easily maintain a temperature around 8 degrees below ambient, good enough for ale brewing.
- One step below a fridge is the DIY Son of Fermentation Chiller. I actually want to build a larger version of this.
9. Hydrometer
Use it to test the specific gravity of your brew, determines how much sugar is in solution. This lets you know if you followed your recipe correctly on brew day, and when the yeast are done munching on the sugars. Don't forget a flask to help take your measurements with your hydrometer.
10. Yeast nutrient
There are several different versions, and you can even buy the ingredients and mix your own if you really want. Generally full of yeast hulls, nitrogen, zinc, and everything else needed to make sure your yeast colony grows up big, healthy, and ready for the work of fermentation. Very good to have with all extract brews, of course follow the directions on the package.
11. Auto Siphon
I love this device when it comes time to transfer my beer between fermenters, or to my bottling bucket. Makes starting a sanitary transfer easy and painless, well worth the money. Some people use a regular racking cane or just straight tubing, but I'm not as confident about getting a siphon going without it. Of course you'll need some matching tubing to go with it.
12. Bottling Bucket
Usually a 6.5 gallon bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom for a spigot. I prefer this style because you can disassemble it making it easier to clean all the nooks and crannies. I think it's easier to transfer your beer out of the fermenter and to another container when it is time to bottle.
13. Bottle Filler
A handy spring loaded device to help bottle your beer without over-exposing it to the air. I like the larger diameter ones that plug directly into the spigots. I prefer the ones with a strong spring in the tip to cut down on leaks. I've had issues with the gravity valve version.
14. Bottles
Unless you're going to get a long straw and start drinking straight from the fermenter, you're going to need something to put your beer in after fermentation is over. You'll obviously need a capper and bottle caps as well.
- The most common options are 12 oz. longnecks, and 22 oz. bombers. Of course you could always drink some craft beer, and then reuse those bottles. Make sure the bottles are pry off style, twist off bottles are weak and might break when you crimp the caps on. It's also hard to get a good seal with twist off bottles from what I hear. Keep to standard American bottles, some of the European, and custom, bottles have slightly different sizes which can also cause issues.
- If you're just going to be drinking your beer around the house, or events that you can bring your bottles back from, consider getting these swing-top bottles. They are a heavier glass so they will last longer, and the swing caps make it very easy to seal the bottles as you go on bottling day.
- When you're reusing bottles it is best to rinse them out as you drink them. This will make it easier to clean them later, and keep them from getting smelly. You only need to forget this once to know why it's a good idea. Don't forget you're bottle brush either.
- If you have the money you could always get a keg system. This is another item on my wish list.
The rest of these items are more optional then necessary, but I still recommend getting them. If you're going to continue brewing they will become indispensable.
15. Kitchen scale
As you can guess you you'll use this to measure out your ingredients, especially your hops. If you're going to be working purely from kits you probably won't need one, since your ingredients will be pre-measured. When shopping for a scale you'll want one with an accuracy of at least 0.1 oz, the more accurate the better. Mine measures to 1/8 oz and I wish it was better.
16. Strainer
After boiling your beer there will be a mass of hops and proteins you'll want to leave behind when you transfer to the fermenter. I use a SS strainer, but there are also nylon bags you could use.
17. Bottle rack
A good place to put your bottles to dry after cleaning them, or sanitizing them. Feel free to make your own, or even use your dishwasher if you have one.
Disclaimer: I'm not getting any money from the companies I linked, they are ones I trust though. Learn To Brew is my local homebrew shop, you can always find your own. There you can talk face to face with someone, and they can help you with anything I might have forgot.
Hopefully this has been helpful without being overwhelming, or boring. Next up I'll cover ingredients and your first recipe. Until then enjoy some good beer, and think about making your own.
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